Saturday, August 31, 2019

Apwh Ch.9 Study Guide

How did the Persian conquest set the stage for the emergence of the Maurya empire? The Persian Conquest left Asia without a ruler, this allowed Chandragupta Maurya to exploit the opportunity and lay down the foundation for the Maurya Empire. . What were five major accomplishments of the emperor Ashoka?The five major accomplishments of the emperor Ashoka were to conquer Kalinga and bring it under Mauryan control, communicated his policies throughout his realm by inscribing edicts in natural stone formations or pillars he ordered to be erected, established his capital at the fortified city of Pataliputra, created a central treasury to oversee the efficient collection of taxes, and he converted to Buddhism. How did the Gupta administrative practices differ from the Maurya?Ashoka had insisted on knowing the details of regional affairs, which he closely monitored from his court at Pataliputra. The Guptas left local government and administration, and even the making of basic policy, in the hands of their allies in the various regions of their empire. How did India fit in to the trade along the Silk Road? The Silk Road allowed India to trade cotton, spices, and gems in return for horses and bullion from the west and silk from China. In what ways did the development of trade and manufacturing impact the caste system?The development of trade and manufacturing led way to new groups of artisans, craftsmen and merchants, many who did not fit easily in the established structure. Individuals that worked in the same craft usually got together to form a guild, a corporate body that watched prices and wages in an industry and provided for the members and their families. What are the fundamental beliefs of Jainism? What has been its long-term impact? Why did it never become as popular as other major world religions? The fundamental beliefs of Jainism are ahisma or nonviolence, that verything has a soul, and that there should not be a caste system. It never became as popular as o ther major world religions because the ascetic life that is enforced was too extreme. Its long term impact is that it influenced many beliefs in China up until the nineteenth century. What was the popular appeal of Buddhism? How does it compare and contrast to Hinduism? The appeals of Buddhism are that there is less dependence on Brahmins for ritual services, there was no caste or jati, and it did not demand the rigorous asceticism of Jainism.Buddhism is different from Hinduism because Buddhists use vernacular tongues instead of Sanskrit. It is similar to Hinduism because they both believe in reincarnation, originated in india, made people live according to a certain way (dharma/eightfold path) and they both have the idea of heaven or a spiritual union (nirvana and moksha). How did early Buddhism evolve into Mahayana Buddhism? How did that help spread the religion? Buddhism evolved into Mahayana Buddhism because innovations opened the road to salvation for large numbers of people.Th is helped it because education institutes preferred it to the other form of the religion, thus spreading it efficiently. How did Hinduism evolve in India during this period? Three epics of Hinduism, the Mahabharta, Ramayana, and the Bhagavad Gita reinforced the caste system by emphasizing active life and adherence to caste over the ascetic life. This message opened Hinduism to common people who are used to the caste system and allowed Hinduism to overtake Buddhism.Why did Buddhism eventually lose popularity in India? Buddhism eventually lost popularity in India because it was gradually displaced by Hinduism. It grew remote from the popular masses in India. Terms to know: Boddisatva, Mahayana, stupas, caste system, Jainism, Ashoka Maurya, dharma Dharma: in hinduism, it is the duties and obligations of each caste Caste system: a strict social structure in which classes are determined by heredity, wealth, or occupation Mahayana: a type of Buddhism that offers alvation to everyone and a llows popular worship Stupas: stone shrines that contain the remains and relics of the Buddha Boddisatva: In Mahayana Buddhism, a person who can reach nirvana but delays doing so to save suffering beings. Jainism: a religion that believed everything had a soul and believed in extreme aesthetics Ashoka Maurya: the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya, he took the Mauryan empire to great heights and converted to Buddhism after battling the Kalinga tribe.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Liberal Education as a Livingstone

During a time when unemployment is at its lowest since World War II, one would think that finding a job would be easy. However, at this point in time, applicants for jobs are more qualified than ever. The competition for well-paid jobs is stiff, and in order to get ahead people need not only skill in one certain area, but a general intelligence of many subjects as well. A liberal education provides the general knowledge that gives job applicants an extra edge when applying for a job. With a base of knowledge in the liberal arts and a specialization in a certain area, people prove to be beneficial to employers. Throughout this paper, I will use the term â€Å"liberal education† not only in describing subjects like English, history, philosophy etc. , but as Livingstone describes a liberal education: an education which â€Å"aims at producing as perfect and complete a human being as may be. † In using the term â€Å"liberal education† I expect that all graduates of a liberal arts college have an expertise in rhetoric, as the art of speaking and writing well is a key focus in the curriculum. I will also use the â€Å"specialized education† in reference to Livingstone†s definition: an education â€Å"which aims at earning a living or making money†. Undergraduates pursuing a liberal undergraduate education have an advantage over people with a specialized undergraduate education because liberal education provides a greater versatility in terms of a broader base of knowledge so that finding a job and excelling in different areas is easier. Training in art of rhetoric, which today is defined as the art of speaking and writing effectively, is a valuable asset for job hunters. Specialized undergraduate curriculums focus less on rhetoric than liberal arts curriculums. A person with training in rhetoric would be hired over another applicant due to their expertise in communicating ideas effectively through speech and writing. Companies aim to employ intelligent people who can express themselves wisely and eloquently because in nearly every profession, writing well and persuading others to one†s opinion is essential: scientists have to apply for grants in order to fund their research and experiments; businessmen must present proposals and of course, columnists and authors who have not mastered the skill of rhetoric are less likely to find a job and be successful in terms of status and salary. Ability to express oneself clearly and effectively designates to what level one may raise in the corporate ladder, for people with refined writing skills benefit companies to a large extent, while people with less skill in writing have less influence, and therefore less power. People with a liberal education are skilled in multiple areas and therefore can be of more benefit to employers. Rather than a specialized study in one area, a liberal education provides students with a broad range of knowledge that attracts employers. As Virtruvius says, liberal education teaches the student the connection between different disciplines. Knowing and realizing the relationship between subjects, an employee can perform a greater number of tasks and learn new ones more rapidly thus being more valuable to a company. Should a man lose his job due to it becoming extinct or other reasons, a liberal education would provide a better cushion to fall back on because of the diversity of subjects studied. For example, if a court stenographer loses his job due to a new audio technology that records and word-processes court proceedings, he would not have to, in a sense, start over for lack of knowledge in other areas. Utilizing his knowledge in rhetoric, philosophy, history, and other humanities, he could find another job without going back to school. On the other hand, the opposition would report that a liberal education would not benefit many people because a curriculum based on the humanities repels many students. Rather than take courses that disinterest them, students should specialize in subjects they enjoy. One should not waste money on an education that does not focus on one†s interests; an education that does not stimulate the student is a failed education. In order to make the most out of undergraduate years, the students should study what interests them. In rebuttal, a liberal education does not suit every personality or preference. However, in the job market, having a liberal undergraduate education and a specialized graduate education gives people an advantage, for not only are they trained specially in their specific area, but they also have a general knowledge of the liberal arts. Students interested in areas such as technology and sciences should take classes that interest them. However, in addition to the sciences courses, rhetoric classes would prove beneficial even in a scientific line of study. Every occupation entails writing in some way, and sharpening one†s writing skills only reaps more benefits when searching for a job. Many people interested in the sciences and technologies specialize during their undergraduate years, and therefore miss out on training in rhetoric. Specialists who take classes to improve writing are better-prepared and more likely for find a job. Another argument of the opposition: people who start specializing during undergraduate years are better prepared for graduate school. They master and excel in one specific area of study. Whereas, it would take someone with a general undergraduate education a longer time to master a specific area of study because of the attention spent on a broad education during undergraduate years. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on a general education, students could use the four years to specialize in the field that they enjoy. A liberal education may prove beneficial for students who are unsure about their major, but focused students should not waste their time on general education. Students who know what they want to focus on should specialize their education in order to expedite their college time and either start a masters degree or start their careers. It may take longer for a generally trained undergraduate to specialize in a certain area, but then again, if they are trained in understanding the connection between different areas of study, they may be able to pick up different subjects more quickly. There are really two issues here to refute. First, when studying, why is everything such a rush? People are in a hurry to enter the job force rather than to take their time during their schooling. I suppose the answer to the question is money. While people are in school they pay thousands of dollars and receive very little back in comparison. Once they start working they can begin the payback period. Sadly, those who enter the workforce first do win in the sense that they can start paying back their debt, while the people still in school keep accumulating debt. Second, even if people with a liberal arts education enter the workforce at the same time, they are not at a disadvantage in terms of knowledge capability as the previous argument concludes. In fact, liberal arts undergraduates may be at a slight advantage in terms of useful knowledge. For example, two applicants for a job have both had the same graduate education but one (person 1) had been trained in the liberal arts during undergraduate years, and the other (person 2) had specialized earlier. Assuming the two candidates preformed equally in gradate school, which may not be a fair assumption due to person 2†³s past knowledge and previous study, however, for argument†s sake, assume both were successful in graduate school. An employer would choose person 1 because of the liberal arts background on top of the specialized graduate schooling. An employer would know that people with a liberal arts background are not only intelligent in their specific line of study, but also understand the connection between disciplines, and would choose the person with the broad base of education. In discussing liberal arts training, one assumes that every student who graduates has a well-developed knowledge of all the subjects a liberal education offers. However, it is not fair to assume that every student attending a liberal arts undergraduate school explores each subject extensively and excels in every class. Many students take advantage of the time they spend in undergraduate school by partying on weeknights and coming to class so tired that they cannot concentrate on the lesson, or even worse, they skip class all together. This careless behavior towards schooling hurts not only the students† understanding of the material, but their grades as well. It is time that all upperclassmen graduate with honors rather than just slide by. The effect on the community and world would be astounding. Thousands of great minds graduate from college every year and become success stories like Bill Gates. Imagine every college student intellectually on par with the smartest graduate. Our world would be a different place. That is the place to which we should strive, and we have reached out goal when everyone achieves individual excellence.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

American Diet

A proper diet should be sufficient, reasonable and include a person’s other aspects, such as age, his food habits and food preferences. A proper diet should meet a person’s overall need for nutrition’s to maintain his overall health. Like all other people in different parts of the world, Americans have also become more health cautious and choosy about what they eat. People have become more concerned about the quality and safety of the food they consume. Awareness of nutritious foods has led to many people opting for organic, vegetarian and other healthy foods in the present market. â€Å"Lite food is in, and indulgence is out. But are Americans practicing what they preach?†(Line no.3, Dietary Trends, American) .   But different surveys indicate that, the diet consumed by majority of the people in America is still lacking in the required nutrition quantities, despite the health consciousness in people. Common Diet Of An American On an average every other youngster in America follow the same diet pattern, more than half of the Americans consume snack items or fast foods on a regular basis, which are high in calories. Consumption of fried chicken form KFC like chicken nuggets is also very high among youngsters. These snack items though very tasty are very high in salt and Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), which is very harmful.   The food that is easily available like potato chips, French fries and other canned and tinned foods also contain a high amount of salt to last for a long time, which is very risky to a persons health.   Consumption of cheese, meat, poultry and fish items have gone up compared to the past.   The reason for this can be that many youngsters either skip there breakfast or lunch, or tend to eat easy and fast food which is readily available in the market to overcome their hunger.All the fast foods are generally deep fried, high in sodium, fat and salt, low in minerals, vitamins and fiber, which are all the main cause for many diseases in Americans.   Some of the common diseases, which affect people who consume fast food are, asthma, autism, stress related problems, depression, cholesterol, diabetes, heart problems and obesity.   And adding to the woes, many KFC outlets offer discounts if a person purchases a larger quantity, which adds empty calories and results in eating more than the required amount, with lesser nutrients. Foods To Avoid The food available in most of the famous outlets for e.g. KFC, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut and other fast food outlets are some of the food that one should try to avoid.   Every person should try to avoid the following foods Sausages Scrambled Eggs, Grilled chicken, Hot and spicy chicken, pizza’s, hamburger’s, hotdog’s, French fries, other soups that contain soy sauce, noodles, pasta, white bread, tinned or canned food, instant soup and noodles mix, beef items, processed cheese, salad dressings, potato chips, canned tuna, yeast, dry mushrooms and other salty items. One should remember that, any food, which is high in salt, is also high in MSG.   Every person should carefully read the label to know what the tin contains, before purchasing any food item.   People should also avoid consuming sugar, sweets, aerated, soft drinks and sweetened dishes like pastries, cookies etc. which are high in calories. On an average, the percentage of people consuming soft drinks has been on an alarming rise compared to the past.   Every person who goes to work has a ready soft drink on his desk, to quench his thirst.   It has become impossible for the Government to estimate the soft drink consumption on an annual basis.Foods To Include Important changes in a person’s diet and lifestyle may go a long way in improving one’s health. People should be more inclined to consume raw food, food that has more fiber, fresh fruits and food that is not sprayed with any chemicals or contains any preservatives.   People should be encouraged to consume whole wheat bread, brown rice, legumes and more fresh leafy vegetables, which are high in fiber and more filling.   Foods that are rich in omega-3 and 6 fatty acids are very good for the health, e.g. sardines, mackerel, walnuts, olive oil, canned tuna in olive oil, flaxseeds are very good sources of these acids. An example of a proper vegetarian diet should include fresh fruits, vegetable, whole grains, nuts, eggs, skimmed milk, legumes and trimmed meat or other poultry. Care should be taken to include the necessary vitamins, which are not found in the above-mentioned food. To add more flavor to salad dressings lemon juice, pepper powder, ginger, rosemary and garlic can be used, instead of salt. Oils like, almond, canola, sunflower, flaxseed, olive and sesame oil can be used for cooking.   Taking homemade soups or salads before every meal, is more filling and helps us to eat less in the main course, which helps in not putting on empty calories. People should try to avoid skipping meals and eating at fast food centers and restaurants, and make it a habit to eat proper healthy and hygienically home-cooked meals, which are high in nutrients and fiber. One should avoid eating a meal in front of the television, as we may tend to eat more than the required quantity of food.   A combination of a healthy and nutritious diet, with proper exercise, good fitness, a positive attitude towards life and a healthy and happy lifestyle is the perfect remedy to every young American.Works CitedDietary Trends, American, 20 February 2007, http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Diab-Em/Dietary-Trends-American.html.What Foods to Avoid, 20 February 2007, http://www.msgtruth.org/avoid.htm.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Unmanned aerial vehicls Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Unmanned aerial vehicls - Essay Example The U.S. military has used UAVs for surveillance and for actual military operations. In 2009, a UAV-controlled missile was successful in neutralizing a Taliban leader. Future plans of the U.S. Air Force include using UAVs and robots in ground assaults or in beach assault situations. UAVs can also perform military tasks like acquiring targets and rescuing soldiers from dangerous situations. Other uses include collecting data from sensors for use in making digital maps, dropping supplies extremely dangerous territory, and assisting with cyberwarfare attacks. Military UAVs are also known as the ‘flying eye’ because they are designed as surveillance system equipped with sensors and computerized components. The flying eye is deployed in the air to conduct surveillance, take pictures and collect information valuable for military or civilian purposes. When the UAV is in the air, it is programmed to fly for a predetermined flight path until it reaches back to the ground or base. Popularity and applications of UAVs UAVs were first popular with the military because they offer greater flexibility and are more advantageous in dangerous environments than manned aircraft. When it comes to technology, UAVs are effective with the newest technology, such as sensors, microprocessors, and propulsion systems, which can endure and are more effective than human pilots. In the military perspective, UAVs have proved effective in military missions and have also been proven successful in dangerous and contaminated environments where it is very dangerous for human-driven aircraft. (Nonami et al. 2010, p. 3) Complicated UAVs designed for military use are expensive and difficult to operate in crowded places. Designers have devised inexpensive UAVs and make it smaller and easy to operate. Micro air vehicles were built lightweight, with a wingspan of just about 15 cm. and weights about half a kilogram. MAVs can perform military tasks what larger ones cannot do. They can fly to clo se terrain or at dense forest environment, and collect data without being detected. MAVs can also be used for atmospheric studies without influencing airflows. MAVs can also perform surveillance missions for the military as they are built like stealth aircraft. (Langelaan & Roy 2009, p. 1642) Japan has the largest number of registered UAVs, particularly unmanned helicopters used in agriculture. In 2002, it exceeded other countries, such as Australia, West Europe and USA, in the number UAVs registered for civil and military use. The low risk and greater success in missions are major motivators for the use of UAVs in military and civil operations. It has been predicted that in the U.S., market for UAV will reach $16 billion, next is Europe which is currently spending approximately $3 billion. In Europe, this has increased slowly. (Nonami et al. 2010, p. 4) UAV components and designs Major components of a UAV include a microcontroller system, a compass, GPS, servo-controlled mechanism, and cameras or sensors. These components vary per different manufacturing specifications. More sophisticated UAVs are created by different manufacturers depending on the purpose for which they are made. There are various AUV designs which are made relative to their purpose; manufacturers provide designs for military surveillance and operations, for civil use and for hobbyists. More designs have been introduced for civil and military purposes. The industry is even made more competitive and vibrant as smaller firms have

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

What have been the costs and benefits of Hong Kongs Currency Board Essay

What have been the costs and benefits of Hong Kongs Currency Board System since 1983 - Essay Example As a result, confidence in the HK dollar and economy began to diminish’ (Hanson). Also that year, the business scenario was not good – the stock market down by 50 percent, property market experiencing downturn and there were runs on the small banks. ‘The value of the HK dollar continued to decrease throughout the year and on September 24, 1983, reached an all-time low of HK$9.55 per US dollar’ (Hanson). ‘In less than a month, following a proposal made by Hong Kong business economist John Greenwood, the government announced that it would return to a currency board system, which would pursue an anti-inflationary policy and promote currency stability’ (Schuler). The CBA is an ‘idiosyncratic system since there is actually no currency board, and bank notes are issued by a few designated commercial banks, which alone deal directly with the monetary authority at the fixed exchange rate of HK$7.80 to the US dollar’ (Shu-ki Tsang). The CBA which was ‘also known as the â€Å"linked exchange rate system† or the â€Å"link† has revolved through several stages. From October 1983 – 1987, the Hong Kong government could not even define the monetary base and the theoretical forces of bank note arbitrage and competition did not seem to work’ (Shu-ki Tsang). The exchange rate was strengthened by the government interference in the foreign exchange market and interest rate handling. ‘To provide the Exchange fund with the necessary instruments to conduct â€Å"open market operations†, the Hong Kong government embarked on a series of programs to introduce Exchange Fund Bills (from March 1990) and notes (from May 1993). On the other hand, the LAF, set up in June 1992, allowed the Exchange... This study will critically analyze the costs and benefits of Hong Kong’s currency board system since 1983. The analysis of the essay is achieved in three main sections. First, currency board arrangement is defined. Moreover, the costs and benefits of Hong Kong’s currency board system since 1983 is investigated before finally concluding. ‘Currency board arrangement is a special case of a rules-based monetary system. It is a system based on rules rather than discretion that serves to establish credibility and avoid losses resulting from decisions that can sometimes be undertaken within a myopic timescale’ (Balino 1997). Hong Kong operated a ‘sterling exchange system from 1935 – 1973, excluding the years of Japanese occupation. The sterling exchange system is a currency board with note issue back by holdings of Sterling assets’ (Crosby 2000). Then, ‘between 1972 and 1974, the HK dollar was set at a fixed rate to the US dollar. From No vember of 1974 until the return of the currency board in 1983, the HK dollar floated freely against the US dollar’ (Hanson). Hong Kong being a Special Administrative Region of China is dependent on mainland demand but its monetary system is still attached to the U.S. If ever China retaliates against pressure for the trade protectionism in the United States, then Hong Kong would be caught in between. As for its disadvantages, people may doubt the willingness and competence of the government to continue ‘perfect convertibility at the specified rate’

Monday, August 26, 2019

Information Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Information Technology - Essay Example This report declares the Internet presents a number of gains for senior citizens. It is used as a means of communication via E-mail, chat rooms, debate groups, direct messaging, and so forth. It is found that ninety five percent of seniors who use the Internet do so to remain in touch with associates and relatives. Keeping this significant information regarding the Internet usage of seniors Pill Incorporated will have to advertise about its products Liflex and Forevex on the sites of messaging services. Pill Incorporated has two options whether to paste their advertisement of Liflex and Forevex through a banner on the sites of messaging services providing a hyperlink to the official web site of Pill incorporated. Another way is that Pill incorporated can send their email messages about Liflex and Forevex through using the messenger services databases of seniors residing in United States. This paper stresses that the Internet also provides a wealth of health care information that can be predominantly valuable for the seniors when healthiness turns out to be a larger matter and concern. Seventy five percent of elder Internet users collect health care information on line. The search engines like google, yahoo, and dogpile are main sources to access this information. These companies take some amount of money from online sellers depending upon the competition of online sellers of a product to provide the link of their websites on top when a person uses search engines to get information using a key word related to a product.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Critically assess how packaging, branding and design provide Essay

Critically assess how packaging, branding and design provide competitive advantage for the Brewdog portfolio - Essay Example Whatever it is that the Marketing group plans shall determine the organization’s success in the industry. The ability of the said in-charged group in making amends for the organization’s ability to make it within the industrial competition in the business world shall make it possible for the business to make a considerable reputation that could attract the clients who are being targeted by the said organization. This is particularly the reason why business organizations both large-scale and small-scale make it a point that the marketing procedures that they carry on for the sake of business progression is given careful attention and as well as an ample amount of investment. Particularly, marketing is a business branch that sets the path for the organization as to how they are supposed to trod the journey of success in the industry that they are dealing with. The intensity of the procedures taken by marketing experts particularly pertains to the quality of the advertising procedures that the organization ought to take into consideration for actual operational purposes. It is in this particular sector of the organization that the fast release or distribution of the services or the products offered by the organization towards the clients could be determined. In this particular case, BrewDog Beers marketing approach shall be examined as to how well the company is able to fit within the competing arena of huge brewery organizations around the world as they introduce their branded product to the target market that they are aiming to serve. How does the internet applications help in this particular goal of creating a feasible environment of marketing to the target consumers that they are aiming their products to be distributed to. With huge and well-known breweries already operating in the market, BrewDog is certain to have the need to get in the market with the use of effective marketing tools to make it in the said field of

American History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

American History - Essay Example The author writes in this context as a response to the augments made by these writers and in his view the most important efforts were done by Richard Powers (1994) and Ellen Shrecker. The political and cultural sitting at the time of the writing of the paper includes the fall of the Soviet Union and the collapse of international communism prompting. The writing of the article was also prompted by the reevaluation of the cold war era in America by different writers prompting the author to present the most important writers. The intended audiences for the article are students, scholars, and the public. The article is aimed at this audience as a measure of augmenting the understanding aspects of cold war era and demonstrating the various issues at play during the time. The article’s thesis is making a combination of two perspectives on anticommunism with the aim of seeking an evaluation of consequences of anticommunism and the mix of responsible and extremist elements. The study’s objective is achieved through an examination of the investigations by the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) on the activities undertaken by the Communist Party of Maryland. In summary the article provides the controversies associated with the communism in the writings of Power and Shrecker but makes a point in showing that the two writers had some similarities in their view of the period. The similarity is that the two writers acknowledged that anticommunist protests were waged against mainly members and organizations tied to the Communist Party USA (CPUSA). Some of the arguments in the article include the fact that Power’s states the nature of anticommunism as complex, pluralist movement containing elements of responsible, principled, and conspiracy-based extremists1. On the other hand, Shrecker considers McCarthyism as having caused setbacks for labor, restriction of

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Project proposal Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Project - Research Proposal Example These agents are known to possess a wide variety of applications, which can facilitate various non-viral systems for the introduction of DNA into the host body and enable easy and effective genetic therapy for the cure of dreaded diseases such as cancer. This study, attempts to identify and illustrate third generation polylysine dendrons as a potential source for the development of a non-viral platform for gene delivery. The study will delineate the characteristics of various dendrons to demonstrate their potential as a non-viral source of gene delivery. In addition, it will also illustrate the specific traits of third generation polylysine for potential use in gene delivery and gene therapy. To establish this, the study will comprise lab testing of mice to show that gene delivery can be efficiently be done using third generation polylysine dendrons. The goal of the research is to add value to the existing body of knowledge in this regard and to make it a more effective system for gene delivery as well as gene therapy. While the use of viral-vectors is an efficient method to introduce genes into host cells, they entail several cellular as well as extra cellular barriers. Though viral-vectors have both efficiency and high gene expression they ail from the major limitation of vulnerability to immunogenic reactions. Therefore, the medical fraternity’s interest rather slants to the alternative method of deploying non-viral methods for the delivery of genes into the host body as it entails lesser complexity. Thus, the use of dendrons or dendrimers has been gaining popularity in the field of genetic medicine, especially in its application for gene delivery and gene therapy. This is especially so because they provide a multifunctional platform by virtue of being synthetically capable of attaching tumour-targeting antibodies. Many studies confirm the validity of third generation polylysine as an effective monomer that has the potential to deliver

Friday, August 23, 2019

Design a Flowchart Wk.1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Design a Flowchart Wk.1 - Essay Example Most conflict in any situation involves communication breakdown to some extent" (pp. 34). It's important to have clarity in one's life. In this case, the author is obviously upset with the job situation. The author wants to be a freelance writer, because the current bottleneck of the author is the author's job. The author's current job is boring and thankless. There is not enough pay; the author feels underutilized and underappreciated. Moreover, the author feels that the current work the author is doing is not meaningful. Having clarity is a positive thing, because one can have more insight into one's activities and their meaningfulness. Since the author's work is not fulfilling, it is hoped the author can find more meaningful work, therefore. To the author, meaningful work means that the author would have the ability to choose what the author wants to do (in writing, for example). The author would not have to do anything the author did not want to do. Work would consist of being ab le to work at a stay-at-home office, in the author's ideal life. According to Bruner (2002), "The capacity of an integrated or multistep process is determined by the portion of the process with the least capacity, or the bottleneck of the system. Thus, identification and relief of bottlenecks are important issues in process management" (pp. 127). First, one must find out (or identify) the bottleneck. Obviously, the bottleneck has been identified as the author's work situation. The author wishes to do a job that is not problematic. In order to solve the problem of the bottleneck, something obviously should be done. The author, therefore, has decided that the answer to this bottleneck of the work situation is to simply change jobs. Warren (2008) comments, "The theory of constraints (TOC) is astrategy that focuses on reducing the influence of bottlenecks on a process" (pp. 455). According to this theory, this management philosophy-the five focusing steps-can help to reduce the problems inherent in getting rid of a bottleneck. The bottleneck in process described here was that of this author's job. This author wanted to obtain new employment that would be satisfying. Mainly, the problem identified was the author's dissatisfaction with current employment. Current employment would be replaced with a freelance writing job that would allow the author to spend less time working and at the same time earn more money. REFERENCES Bruner, R.F. (2002). The portable MBA. USA: Wiley. Dettmer, H.W. (1997). Goldratt's theory of constraints: a systems approach to continuous improvement. USA: ASQ Quality Press. How delays affect processes and change. (2009). Available: http://www.bizmanualz.com/information/2005/03/24/how-delays-affect-processes-and-change.html. Warren, C.S. (2008). Survey of accounting. USA: South-Western College

Thursday, August 22, 2019

WEIGHT WATCHERS AND JENNY CRAIG Essay Example for Free

WEIGHT WATCHERS AND JENNY CRAIG Essay Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig Millions of people have lost weight using the Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig weight loss programs. Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig are two of the most popular diets in the United States that has similar weight loss options available for would be dieters. Among other popular diets, U.S. news ranks Weight Watchers #1 in best weight loss diets and ranked Jenny Craig #2 . In 2010 Weight Watchers retired its old point system and started a new point system. With the new system, counselors will know if their clients are using their points wisely. With Jenny Craig there is no point counting. There method is a three level food, mind, and body approach to lose weight and keep it off. Although, their approach to weight loss is different, both Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig claims clients can lose up to two pounds a week. No diet is easy, but Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig both have their perks to make dieting easier. With the Weight Watchers program, dieters are allowed to eat whatever they want if a client uses their points wisely, along with eating foods containing protein and high in fiber. Clients can also eat unlimited fruits and vegetables. Dieters are also encouraged to eat â€Å"power foods†, such as whole grains, lean meats, and low fat dairy products. Weight Watchers encourages their clients to choose foods rich in nutrients, but not loaded with calories. That is Weight Watchers primary goal, to give their dieters the weight loss edge. Weight Watchers has improved its plan to incorporate today’s science along with a proven to work formula for their clients. The key to having success on the Weight Watchers diet program, is to eat healthy filling foods. With Jenny Craig, clients get a personalized meal and exercise plan, plus weekly counseling sessions with a consultant. Your meals are pre-packaged and delivered to your door. Jenny Craig meal portions are small. You will eat three times a day and dinner comes with a dessert. The program teaches their clients how to eat small frequent portions. It also teaches their clients how to increase their energy levels. Jenny Craig also teaches its clients how to b alance their lives to maintain their weight loss. The program offers support for its clients with a 24 hour support line. Just like its counterpart Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig encourages eating fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and reduced fat dairy products. Jenny Craig’s pre-packaged menu serves as a  model of healthy eating, clients will gradually learn how to cook at home for themselves. Since the Jenny Craig method is calorie based, a client will develop a menu based on their weight, height, and goals. With Jenny Craig recognizing the correct portion size is the first step to weight loss. When choosing diet programs, a person should take certain issues into consideration before starting that program. Even though Weight Watchers have revitalized their point counting method, it is still very tedious. After a long day at work, a person may not feel like tallying points. Cooking a pre-packaged Jenny Craig meal in the microwave may be much easier. The Achilles heel for the Jenny Craig diet, is you are not allowed any ho me cooked or restaurant meals until you are ready. The cost is something else to consider when deciding between these two programs. With Weight Watchers, the cost will vary depending on if you choose weekly in person meetings or using online tools only. They offer unlimited meeting passes for $39.95, which also includes access to the online tools, or a person can pay as they go, which will range from $12 to $15 per week and a one- time registration fee of $20. To follow online only, a three month plan is $65. Keep in mind none of these fees includes the cost of food. There is no way to water it down, Jenny Craig is expensive. The exact cost will vary from city to city. The registration fee can exceed $400, and one week’s worth of Jenny’s cuisine can cost a person $100 at the least. The average person cannot afford this diet program, and for that kind of money may devise their own diet plan that will save them money. Both of these programs can be pricey, and the last thing that a person on a diet should be worried about is money. Maybe, that is why Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig use celebrity endorsers, their clientele may mostly be made up of people consisting of the upper-middle class or rich. They are both known for their use of celebrity endorsers, but have different views on how they should be used. For Weight Watchers, collecting celebrity spokespeople is not their way. Jenny Craig on the other hand, is pursuing any celebrity that wants to lose weight. Weight Watchers has had only four celebrity endorsers, with Jennifer Hudson as the fourth. Jennifer Hudson has lost 80 pounds on the Weight Watchers plan. Jenny Craig employs six active spokespeople, including Valerie Bertinelli who has lost 40 pounds on the program. These two diet programs has their similarities and their differences. It all depends on  what the dieter feel is right for them. It may also depend on what the dieter can afford. Weight Watchers focuses on teaching their clients how to eat wisely and how to keep the weight off. While, Jenny Craig focuses on an individual approach to weight loss and portion control. Both guarantees weight loss and entices would be dieters with celebrities and their weight l oss stories. Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, both disagree on how celebrity endorsers should be used, but continue to use their celebrity endorsers because of their popularity. A dieter should keep in mind that results will vary and they may not have the same results as Jennifer Hudson or Valerie Bertinelli. Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig are considered to be the two most popular diets in the U.S. Jenny Craig appears to be expensive, but the more simple approach to weight loss, while Weight Watchers is less expensive, but requires strict point counting. Your schedule, way of life, and budget may be the deciding factors between the two. Single less obligated people may go with Weight Watchers, while busy family orientated individuals may choose Jenny Craig. The choice is yours.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Stakeholder Tertiary Project

Stakeholder Tertiary Project Task Statement: To address the theme of project requirements carry out research and from your finding draft clearly structured notes that explain what is: Meant by the primary, secondary and tertiary stakeholders The purpose of a scope document and sections it should contain Task Objectives: This task is given to find out the description about primary, secondary and tertiary stakeholder of a project and their activities with their concern area. All these will be described on the first section of this task. And the second section here will be defined and described about the purpose of a Scope document and also will be mentioned about its sections it should contain. Stakeholders The persons or organizations having an investment in what will be learned from an evaluation and what will be done with the knowledge. Stakeholders are groups of people who have an interest in a business organization. They can be seen as being either external to the organization, or internal. But some may be both. Primary Stakeholders Primary stakeholders are the intended beneficiaries of the project. Roles of Primary Stakeholder: Participation of primary stakeholders is essential in projects which are expected to have a direct positive impact on defined groups of people Examples of Primary Stakeholder: Employees Owners/Stockholders Customers Suppliers Stakeholder Secondary Stakeholders Secondary stakeholders are those who perform as intermediaries within a project. Roles of Primary Stakeholder: The main role of secondary stakeholder is linking local governance with national policies. In a few cases, secondary stakeholder plays a role also in consensus building, conflict management, decision making and financing. Example of secondary stakeholder: Intermediate government Local government NGOs The General Public Tertiary Stakeholders Tertiary stakeholders are those actors who are considered to have significant influence on the success of a project. Roles of tertiary Stakeholder: Tertiary stakeholders provide technical assistance, backstopping, extension and training services in their area of competence. They participate in decision-making and action taking and in awareness raising activities Tertiary stakeholder may assist in marketing, and provide financial support through investments. Example of Tertiary Stakeholder: Line agencies Enterprises and companies Banks National government authorities NGOs The purpose of Scope Documentation: The scope document is a general term for any document that refines and defines the requirements aspect of the triple constraint of time, cost, and requirements. In this general sense, it provides an overview of what the project is supposed to accomplish and clarifies how those accomplishments will be achieved. It may also provide the team members, customer, and project manager with insight on what is specifically not in the scope. The sections of a scope document: The outline for a scope document may include the elements discussed in the following sections. 1. Introduction/Background of the Project This includes the history and any environmental definitions required to understand the project. 2. Rationale/Business Opportunity This component expresses the advantages of moving ahead with the project and why it was undertaken. 3. Stakeholders and End Users This will list both business areas and individuals, citing their responsibilities, involvement, and any responsibilities or deliverables they may generate associated with the project. 4. Project Details This will sometimes be broken out into the functional requirements for the project and the technical requirements. The scope statement may only include the functional requirements. It should incorporate all of the mandatory requirements from the contract or memorandum of understanding, Should incorporate detail on the features of the deliverable that will serve those requirements. Administrative Requirements Because administrative responsibilities can be almost as onerous as project deliverable responsibilities, they should be clearly defined as components of the project scope Postproject Considerations Because the project effort normally makes up only a small component of a total system life cycle, any long-term considerations that will directly affect the project decision-making process should be incorporated in the scope document. Conclusion: This task was about the types of stakeholders and their respective responsibility in a project. And about their working roles with the example of stakeholder are provided in the task solution as I understand by reading the task statement and from my findings. I also tried to provide the information about scope documentation and its possible purposes. Reference: Web site: http://e-articles.info/e/a/title/Scope-Document/

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Neural Control Of Respiration Health And Social Care Essay

Neural Control Of Respiration Health And Social Care Essay Breathing is a complex behaviour which is governed by a variety of regulatory mechanism under the control of large part of central nervous system Breathing exercise improves lung volume and lung capacities and the term geriatrics comes from the Greek geron meaning old man and iatros meaning healer. However Geriatrics differs from gerontology, which is the study of the aging process itself. The by some as Medical Gerontology In geriatric age group decrease in thoracic mobility also results in decreased vital capacity, this decline in pulmonary function can negatively impact on older individuals ability to exercise Neurophysiological facilitation and diaphragmatic breathing exercise given to thorax give attachment to the respiratory muscles. Some of age related changes are: increase in rigidity of trachea and bronchi, decrease in elasticity of bronchial walls, decrease in cilia Age related changes in respiratory muscles show increase in contraction and relaxation time and alteration in diaphragm position and efficiency Changes in respiratory and pulmonary performance occur gradually allowing the elderly to continue to breathe effortlessly in the absence of pathological status. when the elderly are confronted with a little exersion or stress however, dysnea and other symptoms usually appear The prominent effect of age related changes on the respiratory system is reduced efficiency in ventilation and gas exchange. The respiratory system includes nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, alveolar duct and alveoli [Ebersole and Hess 1998] NOSE Nose is readily visible appendage, which with age elongates downward and it has been suggested that this age related changes may account for the mouth breathing that occurs while the elder sleep and thus the lack of saliva production [Saxon And Etten 1994] TRACHEA Stiffening of the larynx and tracheal cartilage occurs as a result of calcification. The cilia that line the trachea and help to push up mucus, debris and dust into the pharynx makes it less effective, cilia decrease in number with decrease in respiratory epithelium and increase in bronchial mucus gland hypertrophy [Shumman 1995] CHEST WALL AND LUNGS According to Tockman[1995] when a person reaches 55, his or her respiratory muscles start to weaken. Chest wall compliance began to decrease and there is loss of elastic recoil as a result of ventilation and gas exchangs are affected. OXYGEN EXCHANGE The aged blood oxygen level is approximately 75mmhg, whereas blood oxygen level of younger adult ranges from 90mmhg to 95 mmhg RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS According to Tockmann airway problems experienced later in life are due to repeated inflammatory injuries, disruption of inflammatory mediators and humeral protection and tissue repair. The thorax or chest wall become less complain with age, meaning it gets stiffer because of calcification of the chondral cartilage or kypho scoliosis. This results in the chest wall becoming fixed in slight expanded position from which there is restriction in its ability to expand outward further or to contract inward. During normal breathing rib cage expansion accounts for about 40% in adult but only 30% in elderly (Rossi et al., 1996). The muscles of thoracic cage are the only skeletal muscles that must contract on a regular basis throughout the life span (Rossi et al., 1996). The strength of an old adults diaphragm is noted to about 28% less than the young adult (Enright, 1999). Whether cross linkage or changes in location and orientation of the individual elastic fibers within the lung (De martinis and timiras, 2003, culver and butler, 1985. Sparrow and Weiss, 1988). The alveolar ducts to become enlarged and the alveoli to fallen this results in more over staying within the alveolar duct rather than within the alveoli where oxygen exchange is more efficient (Demartins and Timiras, 2003). Elderly people are at an increased risk for lung infection and the body has many ways to protect against lung infection with aging, these defenses may weaken. The cough reflex may not trigger readily and the cough may be less forceful the hair like protection that line the airway cilia, are less able to move mucus up and out of the airway. 1.1 AIM AND NEED OF STUDY There are many biological researches done on neural control of respiration hence there is need of clinical implication to assist the integrity of such biological research It is needed to evaluate effectiveness of neuro physiological facilitation of respiration which can be evaluated by chest expansion It is needed to evaluate effectiveness of diaphragmatic breathing exercise which can be evaluated by chest expansion 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE STUDY This a study on the effect of neurophysiological facilitation and diaphragmatic breathing exercise in improving chest expansion of geriatric population 1.3 HYPOTHESIS Null hypothesis There is no significant effect of neurophysiological facilitation technique compared with diaphramtic breathing technique in improving chest expansion, peak expiratory flow rate, and inspiratory capacity. Alternative hypothesis There is significant effect of neurophysiological facilitation technique compared with diaphramtic breathing technique in improving chest expansion, peak expiratory flow rate, and inspiratory capacity. 1.4 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION 1. Diaphragmatic breathing exercise A breathing exercise that emphasizes the contraction and release of the diaphragm muscle to fully inflate the lung, there by engaging the muscle of the back and abdomen [by Marguerite Agle october29,2008] 2. Neurophysiological facilitation Neurophysiological facilitation of respiration is the use of selective external proprioceptive and tactile stimuli that produce reflexive movement response in the ventilator apparatus to assist respiration 3. Chest expansion Chest wall expansion was defined as a circumferential measurement of chest wall where recorded in centimeter using rectractable tape 4. Peak expiratory flow rate Peak flowmeter measures the patients maximum speed of expiration or expiratory flow rate 5. Inspiratory capacity The volume of gas that can be taken into the lungs in a full inhalation, starting from the resting inspiratory position; equal to the tidal volume plus the inspiratory reserve volume. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Joy Varghese[2009] the effectiveness of the neurophysiological facilitation of respiration technique with chest physiotherapy technique in respiratory care of people with intellectual disability The PNF technique was found to be the main contributors to improvement in spo2 for subject with myotonic dystrophy [dr. Jennifer article published on online 29th march 2006,volume-7,issue-4 page 228-238] Inter costal stretch alter breathing pattern and respiratory muscle activity in conscious adult [volume 88, issue 2, February 2002, page 89-97. T. Pakree. FCerny and b.Bishop Jennifer and Ammani [2001] the proprioceptive and tactile stimuli selected produce remarkable consistent reflexive response in ventilator muscles Tucker et al [1999] suggest that there is an increase in chest wall movement and increase in lung volume Miller et al [1997] have considered the many neural structures that can potentially modifies the final output of the ventilatory muscles Duron and rose [1997] afferent input that activates the dorsal intercostal muscle is consistent where every intercostal space the dorsal part of external [inspiration] and the dorsal part of internal [expiration] intercostal muscles are antagonistic during quite breathing Destroyer [1997] inspiratory force of the diaphragm is also related to its opposition to the rib cage. Frazier et al 1997, Hilaire and Monteau 1997 afferent information from the lower intercostals and the abdominal muscles may facilitate phrenic motar neuron by a spinal reflex . emerging evidence suggest that phrenic afferent are more involve in respiratory regulation during stress breathing Richer et al [1997] efferent axons from the medullary neurons project to the inspiratory neurons in the spinal cord Frozer et al [1997] states that respiratory drive is regulated by information from sensory receptor within the airways ,lungs and respiratory muscles as well as central and peripheral chemoreceptor Hilare et al [1997] emerging evidence suggested that phrenic nerve are more involve in respiratory regulation during stress breathing James E zachazewski [1996] PNF techniques are used to place specific demand promoting or hastening the response of tissue through the use of stimulation of proprioceptor Carolyn kisner [1996] has given the result that the diaphragmatic breathing exercise is improving ventilation and chest expansion Scand j.t [1995] states that any exercise given to diaphragm, moblises chest wall and improves ventilation Vibekk[1991] pilot studies have shown improvement in lung function in subject with cystic fibrosis using these techniques Green and morhan [1985] breathing control in normal tidal breathing using lower chest with relaxation of upper chest and shoulder .diaphragm work to improve the work of inspiratory muscles Hamberg and lindahi [1981] have shown improvement in chest wall pain due thorasic spine disorder followed by these techniques Menkes and traysman [1977] breathing is regulated by a multiple of reflex, negative feedback circuit and feed forward mechanism Bethene [1975 and 1976] neurophysiological facilitation of respiration is the use of selective external proprioceptive and tactile stimuli that produce reflexive movement response in ventilator apparatus to assist respiration .the response they elicit appear to alter the rate and depth of breathing Sumi[1973] studies tactile and pressure receptor in the cat and reported thorasic cutaneous fields for both inspiratory and expiratory motar neurons he proposed the local cutaneous stimulus of the thorasic would then tend to reflexively produce an inspiratory position of rib cage Franstin [1970] experiment with decerebrate in cat have demonstrated that there is increase muscle tone also involves the intercostals muscles providing the respiratory muscle also obeys brain stem mechanism Voss [1967] tactile cules on PNF are mainly provided by therapist manual contact which facilitate movement through or promote relaxation, manual contact must applied to agonist to facilitate maximal response Eklud et al [1964] demonstrated reflex effect on intercostal motar activity in response to stimulation of artery from overlying skin 3. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research design The research design of this study is experimental, comparative in nature 3.2 Settings The study was conducted in RVS hospital 3.3 Criteria for selection 3.4 Inclusion criteria Geriatric Population Only Males Age Above 60 -70Years 3.5 Exclusion criteria subject with recent rib fracture patient with coronary disease patient with recent surgery patient with systemic illness 3.6 Sample population 30 subject and 15 in each group 3.7 Method of sampling Random sampling technique 3.8 VARIABLE USED IN THE STUDY Independent variable Diaphragmatic breathing exercise Neurophysiological facilitation Dependent variable Chest expansion Peak expiratory flow rate Inspiratory capacity 3.9 METHODOLOGY 30 subject are selected and divided into two groups The procedure was explained to subject Group A- treated with diaphragmatic breathing exercise Group B- treated with neurophysiological facilitation technique Hence both the group are treated and after 10 days chest expansion measured along with peak expiratory flow rate and inspiratory capacity TECHINIQUES DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING EXERCISE Prepare the patient in relaxed and comfortable position in which gravity assist the diaphragm such as semi reclining position If your examination reveals that the patient initiate the breathing pattern with the accessory muscles of respiration. Start instruct by teaching the patient how to relax those muscles[shoulder rool or Shoulder shrugle coupled with relaxation place your hand on the rectus abdominal muscle just below the anterior costal margin ask the patient to breathe slowly and deeply through the nose. Have the patient keep the shoulder relaxed and upper chest quite allowing the abdomen to rise slightly then tell the patient to relax and exhale slowly through the mouth. Have the patient practice this 3or 4 times and then rest. Do not allow the patient to hyperventilate If the patient is having difficulty in using the diaphragm during inspiration have the patient inhale several times in succession through nose by using sniffing action this action used to facilitate diaphragm NEURO PHYSIOLOGICAL FACILITATION TECHINIQUE 1. Inter costal stretch Intercostal stretch is provided by applying pressure to upper border of rib in a direction that will widen the space above it pressure should be applied in downward direction not inward, stretch is maintained as the patient continues to breathe in his usual manner, as the stretch is maintained, a gradual increase in inspiratory movement in and around area being stretched occur. When performing over an area of instability as in presence of paradoxical movement of upper rib cage or over decrease mobility. This procedure is effective in restoring normal breathing pattern where epigastric excursion can be observed and increase in area being stretched. This represents reflexive activation of diaphragm by intercostal afferent that innervate its margin. 2. Vertebral pressure Position of patient: Supine lying Procedure: A firm pressure is applied directly over the vertebrae of upper and lower thoracic cage activates dorsal intercostal muscles, pressure should be appl;ied with open hand and must be firm enough to provide some stretch. i) Vertebral pressure high Manual pressure to upper thoracic vertebrae T2 T5 Response obtain was increase in epigastric excursion. Deep breathing ii) Vertebral pressure low Pressure over lower thoracic vertebrae T7- T 10 Response obtain was increase in respiratory movement of apical thorax. 3. Anterior stretch lifting posterior basal area Position of patient: Supine lying Procedure: Placing t he hands under ribs and lifting gently upward. The lift is maintained and provides a maintained stretch and pressure posteriorly and anterior stretch. Response obtain as a result the lift is sustained and stretch is maintained and increase in movement of ribs in lateral and posterior direction can be seen and felt, increase in epigastric movement and expansion of posterior basal. Maintained manual pressure From contact of open hands is maintained over an area in which expansion is desired gradual increase in excursion of ribs under contact will be felt. This is useful procedure to obtain expansion in any situation where pain is present for instance when there is chest tubes or cardiac surgery which may have required splinting of sternum. Manual contact over the posterior chest wall is also useful and comfortable for person with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 5. Perioral pressure Perioral stimulation is provided by applying firm maintained pressure to the patient top lip being carefully not to occlude the nasal passage (the use of surgical gloves to avoid contamination) the response to this stimuli is brief for 5 seconds a period of apnea followed by increase in epigastric excursion. Pressure is maintained for the length of time the therapist wishes the patient to breath in active pattern. As the stimuli is maintained the epigastric excursion may increase so that movement is transmitted to the upper chest and the patient appears to deep breathing. 6. Co contraction of the abdomen Pressure is applied simultaneously over the patents lower lateral ribs and over the ilium in direction right angle to the patient. Moderate force is applied and maintained roods believe that this procedure increase tone in abdominal muscles and activates diaphragm. The response obtain are depression of umbilicus, as the pressure is maintained increase abdominal tone is seen and palpated, in the presence of retained secretion abdominal contraction may produce coughing (as ventilation increase cough can occur in any procedure), in obese abdominal co-contraction has frequently result in decrease abdominal girth. PROCEDURE METHODS OBSERVATION 1.PERIORAL PRESSURE 2.[1]VERTEBRAL PRESSURE HIGH 2[2].VERTEBRAL PRESSURE LOW 3.ANTERIOR STRETCH LIFTING POSTERIOR BASAL AREA 4.CO-CONTRACTION OF ABDOMEN 5.INTERCOSTAL STRETCH 6. MAINTAINED MANUAL PRESSURE Pressure is applied to the patients toplip by the therapist fingers and maintained Manual pressure to thoracic vertebrae in region of T2-T5 Manual pressure to thoracic veretebrae In region of T7-T10 Patient supine Hands under lower ribs lifting upward Pressure laterally over ribs and pelvis Alternate right and left side Stretch on expiratory phase maintained Moderate pressure of open hands Increase epigastric excursion, Deep breathing, Mouth closure, Swallowing, Increase epigastric, exursion Deep breathing, Increased respiratory Movement of apical thorax Expansion of posterior basal area Increasing epigastric movement, increase muscle contraction, decrease girth in obese Increase movement of area being stretched Gradual increase of area under contact 3.10 MEASURING TOOL Inch tape Peak flow meter Incentive spirometer CHEST EXPANSION Chest expansion measured with a measuring tape in 3 levels 1. Axillary 2. Nipple 3. Xiphisternum The measurement is taken at full inspiration and at full expiration The measurement at expiration-the measurement at inspiration gives the amount of chest expansion. PEAK FLOW METER A peak flow meter measures the patient maximum speed of expiration or expiratory flow rate PROCEDURE Make sure the peak flow meter reads zero Stand up right The mouth piece should be cleaned with antiseptic in each use Form a tight seal with the lips around the mouth piece Take a deep breath Blow as hard and as fast as the person can until all the air is gone from the lungs If the patient cough or make mistake, just repeat. In between each attempt, make sure the peal flow meter reads zero Take some deep breath between peak flow attempts if the person feels dizzy. Stop the testing and sit down for few minutes before continuing. Do not put the tongue inside the hole do not cover the hole and the back of the peak flow meter when holding it. Record the readings shown in peak flow meter. INCENTIVE SPIROMETER PROCEDURE 1. Hold the incentive Spiro meter upright 2. Breath out normally, close your lips tightly around the mouth piece and inhale slowly through your mouth. This slow deep breath will raise the ball in clear chamber of the Spiro meter 3. Continue to breath in, trying it raise the ball as high as you can. Read the volume that you have achieved by raise in ball 4. When you feel like you cannot breathe in any longer, take your breath for3to 5 seconds then breathe out slowly 5. After you have taken 10 deep breaths on your incentive Spiro meter, it is important to cough to try to remove secretion that build up in your lungs 6. Incase of surgery splint your incision with pillow or blanket. 7. Measure the level of raise in ball during breath. 4. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPREATION The data collected was subjected to pairedt test individually for group A and group B using formulas. Formula 1 d = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ d/n Where, d = difference between pre test and post test values d = is the mean value of d n = is the number of subjects à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ (d-d)2 (n -1) Æ’-Formula 2: Standard deviation SD = Formula 3: Standard Error (S.E) = SD Æ’-n t calculated value = d S.E Formula 4: t cal = d S.E Where, t cal is the t calculated value INDEPENDENTt TEST Æ’- Formula 1: S= (n1-1)s12 + (n2-1) s22 n1+n2 -2 Where, s is the standard deviation n1 is the number of subject in group A n2- is the number of subject in group B s1 is the standard deviation of group A s2 is the standard deviation of group B Æ’- Formula2 S.E = S 1/n12 + 1/n22 Where, s is the standard deviation S.E. is the standard error Formula 3 X1 X2 t cal = S.E Where, X1 is the average of difference in values between pretest and post test X2 is the average of difference in values between pretest and post test Paired T test [comparison of pretest and posttest mean] Pairedt test 1. Chest expansion TABLE 1 Axillary level Subject Chest expansion Group A Group B Pretest mean 1.13 1.46 Posttest mean 2.6 2.73 S.D 0.5168 0.4582 In group A the mean chest expansion for (axillary level), pre test value was 1.1 and post test value was 2.6 for 14 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance, the t table value is 2.145 and t calculated value is 10.491 which is greater than t value and in group B the mean chest expansion for (axillary level), pre test value was 1.46 and post test value was 2.73 for 14 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance, the t table value is 2.145 and t calculated value is 10.650 statistically significant TABLE II Nipple level Subject Chest expansion Group A Group B Pretest mean 1.93 2.00 Posttest mean 3.06 3.33 S.D 0.4423 0.4884 In group A the mean chest expansion for (Nipple level), pre test value was 1.93 and post test value was 3.06 for 14 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance, the t table value is 2.145 and t calculated value is 9.894 which is greater than t value and in group B the mean chest expansion for (Nipple level), pre test value was 2.00 and post test value was 3.33 for 14 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance, the t table value is 2.145 and t calculated value is 10.546, statistically significant TABLE III Xiphisternal level Subject Chest expansion Group A Group B Pre test mean 2.46 2.53 Post test mean 3.46 3.93 S.D 1.2489 0.5731 In group A the mean chest expansion for (Xiphisternal level), pre test value was 2.46 and post test value was 3.46 for 14 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance, the t table value is 2.145 and t calculated value is 3.7213 which is greater than t value and in group B the mean chest expansion for (Xiphisternal level), pre test value was 2.53 and post test value was 3.93 for 14 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance, the t table value is 2.145 and t calculated value is 9.4611, statistically significance 2. Peak expiratory flow rate TABLE 1V Subject Peak expiratory flow rate Group A Group B Pre test mean 130.33 113 Post test mean 148 122 S.D 4.5512 7.7451 In group A the mean peak expiratory flow rate pre test value was 130.33 and post test value was 148 for 14 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance, the t table value is 2.145 and t calculated value is 14.467which is greater than t value and in group B the mean peak expiratory flow rate pre test value was 113 and post test value was 122 for 14 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance, the t table value is 11.001 and t calculated value is 9.4611, statistically significant 3. Inspiratory capacity TABLE V Subject Inspiratory capacity Group A Group B Pre test mean 1.2 1.26 Post test mean 2.6 2.86 S.D 0.5731 0.5209 In group A the mean inspiratory capacity pre test value was 1.2 and post test value was 2.6 for 14 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance, the t table value is 2.145 and t calculated value is 9.4611 which is greater than t value and in group B the mean inspiratory capacity pre test value was 1.26 and post test value was 2.86 for 14 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance, the t table value is 2.145 and t calculated value is 11.375, statistically significant GRAPH- I GROUP A (Chest Expansion: Axillary, Nipple, Xiphisterinal level) GRAPH-II GROUP B (Chest Expansion: Axillary, Nipple, Xiphisterinal level) GRAPH-III GROUP -A (Peak Expiratory Flow Rate) GRAPH-IV GROUP -B (Peak Expiratory Flow Rate) GRAPH-V GROUP -A (inspiratory capacity) GRAPH-VI GROUP -B (inspiratory capacity) Independent t test Chest expansion (axillary level) TABLE VI Subject Neurophysiological facilitation VS diaphragmatic breathing exercise Group A Group B Post test mean 2.6 2.73 Independent t test 0.7865 The independentt test value for chest expansion (axillary level) is 0.78650 respectively for 28 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance and critical table value is 2.048 there fore there is no significant difference in both the group. 2. Chest expansion (Nipple level) TABLE VII Subject Neurophysiological facilitation VS diaphragmatic breathing exercise Group A Group B Post test mean 3.06 3.33 Independent t test 1.1751 The independentt test value for chest expansion (Nipple level) is 1.1757 respectively for 28 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance and critical table value is 2.048 there fore there is no significant difference in both the group. 3. Chest expansion (Xiphisternal level) TABLE VIII Subject Neurophysiological facilitation VS diaphragmatic breathing exercise Group A Group B Post test mean 3.46 3.93 Independent t test 0.5641 The independentt test value for chest expansion (Xiphisternal level) is 0.5641 respectively for 28 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance and critical table value is 2.048 there fore there is no significant difference in both the group. 4. Peak expiratory flow rate TABLE IX Subject Neurophysiological facilitation VS diaphragmatic breathing exercise Group A Group B Post test mean 148 122 Independent t test 0.0555 The independent t test value for peak expiratory flow rate is 0.0555 respectively for 28 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance and critical table value is 2.048 there fore there is no significant difference in both the group. 4. Inspiratory capacity TABLE X Subject Neurophysiological facilitation VS diaphragmatic breathing exercise Group A Group B Post test mean 2.6 2.86 Independent t test 0.6509 The independent t test value for inspiratory capacity is 0.6509 respectively for 28 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance and critical table value is 2.048 there fore there is no significant difference in both the group. Independentt test GRAPH-VII Chest expansion (axillary level) GRAPH- VIII Chest expansion (Nipple level) GRAPH- IX Chest expansion (Xiphisternal level) GRAPH-X Peak expiratory flow rate GRAPH-XI Inspiratory capacity INTERPRETATION OF DATA Calculated value of pairedt test for group A [chest expansion] Axillary level- T= 10.491 Nipple level T= 9.894 Xiphisternal level- T= 3.7213 Calculated value of paired T test for group B [chest expansion] Axillary level- T= 10.650 Nipple level- T= 10.546 Xiphisternal level- T= 9.4611 Calculated value of paired T test for group A [peak expiratory flow rate] T= 14.467 Calculated value of paired T test for group B [peak expiratory flow rate] T= 11.001 Calculated value of paired T test for group A [inspiratory capacity] T= 9.4611 Calculated value of paired T test for group B [inspiratory capacity] T = 11.375 Calculated T value is greater than T table value Calculated value of independent T test for chest expansion Axillary level- T= 0.7865 Nipple level- T = 1.1757 Xiphisternal level- T= 0.5641 2. Calculated value of independent T test for inspiratory capacity

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Character of Lennie in John Steinbecks Of Mice and Men :: Steinbeck Of Mice and Men Essays

The Character of Lennie in Of Mice and Men Have you ever read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck? If so, you probably remember Lennie, George's companion. Throughout the novel, Lennie and George dream of having their own farm. They work on a ranch to save money for their dream farm. Lennie is a big, strong, man with rounded features. He is at times very forgetful, absent-minded, and one-dimensional. First of all, Lennie is greatly forgetful. In the beginning of the novel, Lennie kept asking George where they were going (Steinbeck 4). One character, Crooks, takes advantage of his forgetfulness. Because Lennie would forget anything Crooks told him, he was relieved he could talk to somebody without worrying about him telling anybody else. He often forgot what George told him not to do, like talk or even look at Curley's wife. Next to being forgetful, Lennie is absent-minded for a good portion of the novel. He is unaware of what he's doing sometimes until he has done it. For example, he enjoyed to pet soft objects. While living in Weed, he was "petting" a woman's dress and the woman started to scream (Steinbeck 11). Lennie didn't know what he was doing wrong. Once Lennie was given a puppy, he accidentally killed it because he was too rough with it. Eventually, he would kill Curley's wife too by breaking her neck when told he could pet her hair. Again, Lennie did not know what he was doing wrong until it was done. Throughout the novel, there is really only one thing on Lennie's mind, tending to the rabbits once he and George had their farm. After Crooks was done telling Lennie his childhood story, Lennie asks a question about rabbits (Steinbeck 70). This is an example of Lennie having only one thing on his mind.

The Theme Of Father/son Relationships In Beowulf & The Song Of Roland :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

The Theme of Father/Son Relationships in Beowulf & The Song of Roland The representation of father-son type relationships in early Medieval literary works is a key theme early authors used to give their works more depth and meaning. Two works that use the theme of father-son relationships are Beowulf and The Song of Roland. In Beowulf, the relationship between Hrothgar and Beowulf is one in which there is no actual blood father-son tie, but the two characters take on all the characteristics of a real father son relationship. Hrothgar, although Beowulf's senior, has to rely on this new warrior who comes to Heorot to help him rid his kingdom of a great danger which he can not get rid of by himself, and Hrothgar treats him as if he were his own son. In The Song of Roland, Charles' relationship with his nephew Roland also takes on the characteristics of a father-son type relationship. In this work, although Charles is the better warrior than Roland, he relies on Roland to watch the rear guard of his army and Roland loses his life while serving his King. The significance of these inter-generational relationships will be looked at in this paper, as well as what the authors through the guise of these father-son relationships were trying to say about various different aspects of life during their time. In Beowulf, the function of the relationship between Hrothgar and Beowulf helps to further the plot in several ways. Whenever there is a reliance on family in any literary work, it gives any story more meaning and significance. When Beowulf first arrives in Hrothgars' hall, we get a sense of the old and incapable state Hrothgar is in "old and gray-haired among the guard of earls" (Beowulf, pg. 62) is how he is first described. When hearing who Beowulf's father is he states in a joyous tone "I knew him when he was a child!..Well does the son now pay this call on a proven ally!" (Beowulf, pg. 62-63) Immediately there is a fond relationship here which will develop even further. When Beowulf claims that he is in Heorot to cleanse the people of the monster named Grendel who is plaguing them, Hrothgar is very grateful and he states "So it is to fight in our defence, my friend Beowulf, and as an act of kindness that you have come to us here!" (Beowulf, pg. 65) We see here that Hrothgar is indeed grateful to have the services of so brave a warrior. When Beowulf slays Grendel, the pride that the old Hrothgar feels towards Beowulf can almost be equated to

Sunday, August 18, 2019

He Who Farts Hard Farts Loudest :: miscellaneous

He Who Farts Hard Farts Loudest Why cant a weapon be developed upon the flatulence of man. Why do people continue to spray air freshener in the toilet despite making it worse? Nobody knows. It may just well be the nature of man. Males, when it comes to flatulence would undoubtedly be the dominant species between the two. We are the masters of dropping our lunch, letting it rip or whatever you prefer to call it. Don't you just love it when somebody lets of flatulence right in your proximity? The little fart particles are just like little F18 Interceptors, flying through the air and targeting your nasal passages. Then they lock on and fire those M15 stink missiles right up there and then you're your own worst enemy. You breathe in and you suck someone else's foul gas into your own lungs, which mixes in your own bloodstream. Someone dropping their lunch is like a dog marking their territory inside your body. There's nothing worse than when someone goes to the toilet and leaves their utter stench of last nights meal behind them. Then, it always happens, they think they can make it all better by spraying some air freshener. Instead of making things better, they get worse. The air condition goes from unbearable to lethal. When the stench particles combine with the air freshener, it makes a deadly mask that seems to forever hang. Even napalm gas is better than this. Overall, there are currently only seven commonly know types of flatulence around the world. The silentus fartius, showerus fartius, motorus fartius, explodius fartius, runnius fartius, squeakius fartius and the good old Dutch oven. Humans are constantly known to evolve but what isn't mentioned is that the commonly known fart has also evolved. Back in the days of good old England, there was only the petite fart. But now those weaklings have evolved into such beasts as the explosion fart (explodius fartius) and lethal strains such as the silent but violent fart (silentus fartius). There is a very old primitive type of flatulence that is still common today known as the squeaker. These usually occur in schools when students try to hold it in but it squeezes its way through, to the outside world. Whilst all humans may try, many are unable to control their flatulence, no matter what the circumstances are. It's like it has a mind of its own.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Eveline Analysis

Ashley Carey ENC 1102 MW 12:30- 1:45 8/29/12 After reading â€Å"Eveline† by James Joyce I would say I was not overall shocked with the outcome of her not leaving. Throughout the story I could tell that Eveline was unsure of herself and of what she wanted. She couldn’t decide between running away to Buenos Aires with her lover, Frank or staying to make sure her family is looked after. I felt that her age is a significant factor of her choice of staying in Dublin.She didn’t understand herself enough because she didn’t experience life to see how she deals with difficult life changing situations. I felt like her choice shows herself to the audience. She could have chosen to go with Frank and come off to some readers as â€Å"following her heart†, maybe â€Å"selfish†, â€Å"thinking about her future and what she desires in life and in her heart†, â€Å"not caring for her family†.I personally feel like her decision to stay was a mor e â€Å"comfortable† decision for her and she wasn’t taking risks and was thinking about the love for her family and siblings and not wanting them to get hurt in anyway. If her mother hadn’t told her before she died to keep the home together as long as she could, I felt that Eveline would have ran away with Frank not feeling guilty when she left; That she didn’t do the one thing that her mother asked of her before her death.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Borders in Our Minds Essay

Since the presidency under James Polk in 1844, many American citizens have, in one form or another, been in conflict with our neighbors to the south – the populace of Mexico. In the 19th century, however, those conflicts revolved mainly around ownership of land in what are now southwest regions of the United States (Scheffler, 2011). In modern society, American indifference toward Mexican immigrants exists in many other forms and plays a significant role in efforts to control Mexican natives entering the United States. It is my intention to bring to light various circumstances by which intolerance to Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans may have evolved. Such attempt will be made through: presentation of some of the various forms of bias currently in existence; application of the abstraction process as it applies to development of stereotypes; consideration of societal and cultural perspectives and how they may have precipitated non-acceptance of the Mexican immigrant into American society; and reflection on the roles in which Mexican immigrants have been placed that perpetuate stereotypes from an economic perspective. Finally, I will conclude by offering insight into that which I have derived from compilation of this paper from the perspective of one studying general semantics as part of an undergraduate program at Alverno College. This conclusion will include proposal for further consideration of the topic offered to the audience for which this paper is intended. The Basics of Bias Since 2000, the Hispanic population in the United States has grown from 35. 3 million (U. S. Census Bureau, 2000) to 50. 3 million (U. S. Census Bureau, 2010). This segment of the population has realized significant growth making then a large component of all American residents. One would tend to believe that given this growth, Mexicans would be viewed less as â€Å"aliens† and more as American citizens. In most instances, however, they are not considered the latter. They are considered different and in the past five years sociologists and civil rights attorneys have revealed many of the elements that play a role in the perpetuation of the bias numerous Americans hold toward Mexican immigrants. â€Å"They are [viewed as] disloyal . . . and refuse to assimilate† (Villareal, 2006) is one view of a Connecticut attorney who has spent many years defending minorities through legal activism (pg. 1). Villareal (2006) furthers his argument against American bias toward Mexican Americans by stating that â€Å"Mexican Americans will share in that dream and in that society only if they dream in English† (pg. 1). These biases obviously exist, but how they perhaps developed and why they conceivably sustain is the subject matter to follow. From Neighbor to Nuisance: The Power of Abstraction Objectivity and multi-perspective thinking is typically the product of the â€Å"constant interplay of higher-level and lower-level abstractions† (Hayakawa, 1990). It is the tendency to labor only at higher-levels of abstraction where one is inclined to stereotype. This is primarily due to the deduction that high-level abstraction is comprised of vagueness and generalities and it is this indistinct thinking that leads to standardized conceptions of common members of a group. These theories of high-level abstraction could very well account for bias against immigrants based upon linguistic differentials which reveal the tendency of individuals to stereotype or apply prejudice based upon language barriers. According to Nelson (2009), â€Å"linguistic bias mediates the extent to which people maintain stereotypic expectancies in the face of disconfirming information† (p. 499). Nelson predicates this concept upon studies of linguistic differences and how they produce negative behaviors. He describes this â€Å"linguistic bias effect† (p. 499) as existing at higher-levels of abstraction. While his research was done using Italian-Americans as test subjects, the linguistic bias theory assesses language barriers in a general sense and can account for negative predisposition toward Mexican immigrants based upon their unique dialect and possible inability to master language in a sense that individuals can assimilate as indigenous to the United States. The Societal and Cultural Gap A feeling of superiority as a people is likely a major contributor to American bias toward Mexican immigrants; highly distinct cultural attributes play a key role in this arena. In his in-depth studies and published works on cultural differences, Geert Hofstede (1984) reveals that â€Å"Americans see their own culture as very individualistic; and this individualism is interpreted as a major contributor to the greatness of the United States† (p. 150). Individualist cultures have great tendency to protect that which they feel entitlement to and possess a low desire to share. The United States is also a country very low on Hofstede’s scale measuring â€Å"power distance† which indicates a desire for a stable cultural environment where low power distance is â€Å"associated with highly individualistic cultures† (p.164). Based upon Hofstede’s research as it pertains to the cultural gap between Americans and Mexican immigrants, it can be inferred that intolerance toward Mexican immigrants has, in part, evolved from: an inability of Americans to accept cultural differences; ignorance to a culture that is based upon close, long-term commitment and shared responsibility rather than individualistic goals; and a desire to maintain a cultural environment of which they are familiar–an environment which they may view as threatened by change. In furthering the position of cultural disparity and its contribution to the intolerance of Mexican immigrants, various studies of ethnicity have yielded plausible explanation as to why many Americans have difficulty in the acceptance of Mexican immigrants into their native land. As is noted by Portes (1985), â€Å"Studies of ethnicity typically begin by noting the persistence of distinct cultural traits among groups formed by immigration . . . this situation can only be explained from an assimilation perspective, by the insufficient diffusion of the culture of the core to peripheral groups† (p.24). This perspective reiterates the strong role played by cultural disparity in fostering intolerance of immigrants. Economic Pigeon-Holing Some view Mexican immigrants as important only to a specific segment of the U. S. labor market and therefore, fail to see their role anywhere beyond this realm. It has become difficult for Mexican immigrants to transcend these barriers as Portes (1985) describes that â€Å"they have formed, each in their time, the mainstay of a segmented labor market . . . they constitute an indispensable component of the economic structure† (p. 25). He strengthens this argument by stating that â€Å"Granting such groups admittance into the core society on the basis of merit would jeopardize their utility to employers and to the entire dominant group† (p. 25). From this vantage point, it would be difficult for any one person to gain acceptance into a larger group if the economic success of that group were dependent upon that person remaining in one, very specific role. Given this, it is not difficult to understand the reasons why many Americans view Mexican immigrants as migrant workers, laborers, or maids—befitting of only a specific segment of the U. S. labor force. It is conceivable that this is not because they are unable to move beyond these stereotypes, but because they are unwilling to do so as it would upset their perception of an ideal economic structure. Discussion Investigation of the subject matter herein along with subsequent authorship of this paper has for me served as a catalyst toward multi-perspective understanding of current issues that impact the world from historical, social, political, and economic perspectives. I am now of the strong belief that effective communication is highly dependent upon successful integration of multicultural perspectives and diverse social perspectives. The ability to present an idea from multiple perspectives has also provided me an awareness of my ethical obligation as a communicator, that is, to inform without bias. It is difficult to argue that stereotypes precipitated by social, cultural, and economic perspectives exist as they pertain to Mexican immigrants in the United States. Thoughtful reflection upon the evolution of bias and stereotype can bring about greater understanding. To deny that diversity exists within our borders is to deny change. To attempt to keep that diversity out is to deny oneself the ability to live spherically and draw from cultural experiences that could serve to broaden perspective and intellect. A by-product of this dissertation is offered in the form of a challenge to those individuals who may be unaware of the levels of abstraction within which they operate. Heightened awareness of the levels of abstraction from which one functions both verbally and cerebrally can produce deeper understanding and subsequently the ability to understand and be understood. This may very well serve to lessen abhorrence and perhaps ultimately lead to the deterioration of intolerance to build a more peaceful society. References Elissa, G. (2001, August 11). Man Charged in Beatings Is Said to Have Used Racial Slurs. New York Times. p. 6. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Guitierrez, D. G. (1995). Mexican Americans, Mexican Immigrants, and the Politics of Ethnicity. Berkeley, CA: California Press. Retrieved March 23, 2011, from http://books. google. com/ books? hl=en&lr=&id=Had4W9odLX0C&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=Mexican+immigrants& ots=Xb7xBvWz7o&sig=FRbC5aio9PLGrh14YK8pNrmEMnY#v=twopage&q&f=false. Hayakawa, S. I. (1990). Language in Thought and Action. (5th ed. ). Boston, MA: Thomson Wadsworth. Hofstede, G. (1984). Culture’s Consequences. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE Publications. Nelson, T. (2009). Handbook of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. Psychology Press, New York, N. Y. Retrieved March 21, 2011, from http://books. google. com/books? id=J1qeQ T4bkX0C&pg=PA499&lpg=PA499&dq=abstraction+and+prejudice&sourc.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Critical Review of Related Literature Essay

The economic system is the the method in which a country produces, distributes and consumes goods and services. An economic system must answer four basic economic questions that will direct a nation’s economic activity (Pride, Hughes and Kapoor, 2010): †¢ What goods and services- and how much of each- will be produced? †¢ How will these goods and services be produced? †¢ For whom will these goods and services be produced? †¢ Who owns and who controls the major factors of production? Four types of economic systems have been formulated and implemented throughout human history. These are: traditional economy, command economy, capitalist/free economy and mixed economy. Traditional economy is based on culture, tradition and rituals. This type of economy, which developed gradually characterized by slow productivity and low rising capital-labor ratios, usually consist of agriculture based societies (Mokyr, 1989). Command economies are economies in which the government owns and controls major factors of production. Also called centrally planned economy, the government decides on all issues regarding labor, mode of production and what goods and services to produce. Socialist and communist societies are examples of command economies. However, most leaders of these forms of government realized that although it was based on the principle of equality, the system was inefficient leading to shortages or surplus of products which usually resulted in political unrest (Taylor, 2007). Capitalist economic system is a system wherein individuals and private enterprises own and operate the major factors of production. Based on the lassiez-faire theories of Adam Smith in which individuals are given the freedom to utilize resources as they deem fit. The role of the government is limited to regulation and creating economic rules. This system promotes competition and prices of goods and services are determined by the mechanisms of supply and demand (Pride et. al. 2010). The last type of economy is the mixed economy wherein the advantages of capitalism or free market economy is combined with some of the principles of a command economy. In this economic form, goods and services are exchanged between households and firms. The government, on the other hand still regulates and imposes rules, but ian important responsibility of it is to collect taxes from business owners and its citizens, which will enable to also provide goods and services such as education, infrastructure and security (Pride et. al. , 2010). In this context, the market (producers of goods) answer the â€Å"wants† while the government provides the â€Å"need†. Economic Shift These economic systems have created economic shifts that determined the primary products of that economic era and the modes of production. In the traditional economies, agriculture was the main form of industry. In fact, economists estimate that the British economy in 1760 was comprised of almost 90% agriculture industries (Mokyr, 1989). However, the advent of the Industrial revolution changed the economic landscape from agriculture to industrial. The introduction of machines, technological innovations and assembly lines in to the modes of production shifted the economy form producing agricultural products to manufactured products. Post-World War Two and increasing globalization would witness another global economic shift. Again, technology played key role in the rise of service economies. Service economies are not directly engaged in manufacturing but is involved in the â€Å"provision of human value added in the form of labour, advice, managerial skill, entertainment, training, intermediation and the like† (OECD, 2000). The rapid development of information and communication (ICT) technologies have allowed companies to tap on the knowledge and intellectual properties of economies packaging them as a distinct economic output. This form of economy has bled into different industry sectors such as ICTs and healthcare, as companies are pressured to â€Å"concentrate on core competencies, reduce costs, exploit external, specialized expertise, giving rise to business process outsourcing companies. This has enabled foreign companies to tap into other foreign countries’ labor providing much needed jobs especially for developing countries. The shifting of economies, the development of technology and the success of mass production has led to the commodification of products and services. This has stripped away the personalization of products and services, mutating relationships into an exchange relation or as Karl Marx (1978) called it â€Å"callous cash payment†. Pine and Gilmore (1999), point out that although commodification has led to cost-savings, it no longer breeds growth and profitability. Thus, they reveal that there is another aspect of economy that has not fully been explored and tapped by businesses. They labelled this new approach as the Experience economy. Companies that identify experience as a distinct â€Å"economic output† are given new horizons to expand their businesses. Experience= â€Å"Economic Output† The concept of an experience economy is rooted in the principles of creating â€Å"sensations† between the consumer and the product creating â€Å"memorable† experiences (Pine and Gilmore, 1999). This economic strategy engages the customer, customizing products and services according to their needs and wants, turning the them into not just passive users of products but as important factors in the creation and marketing of the product. Pine and Gilmore (1999) refer to the coffee bean as a perfect example of the effect of experience as an â€Å"economic output†. The coffee bean is a commodity that if manufactured and sold as a good in a grocery sees a jump of between 5-10 percent in ts price from a raw commodity to a manufactured and packaged good. However, when a cup of coffee is sold in cafe’s and coffee shops, its effectively jumps to 100-300% percent of its raw price and people are still willing to pay for it? Why? Pine and Gilmore attribute this willingness to the â€Å"experience† factor that cafe’s and coffee shops add to the cup of coffee. The added experience of an ambiance of comfort, relaxation and satisfaction effectively raises the value of the cup of coffee. And yet, customers are willing to pay for that expensive cup of coffee because the drinking of one is no longer focused on the coffee itself (although the quality of the product still has the biggest percentage in the satisfaction criteria) but on the whole experience of drinking it. Experience itself is not a new concept, but economists and producers of goods have , in the past, attached it to the delivery of services that it’s power is largely unappreciated and tapped (p. 2). However, Pine and Gilmore (1999) reiterate that â€Å"experiences are as distinct from services as services are from goods† (p. 3). When a person buys a service, he purchases a set of intangible activities carried out on his behalf. But when a buys an experience, he pays to spend time enjoying a series of memorable events that a company stages-as in a theatrical play- to engage him in a personal way. (p. 2) It is through this concept of a theatre and stage that the authors initially frame the concept of experience economy. The consumers are the actors in theatres, stages and plays which are prepared, scripted and planned by companies. Thus, for the experience to be truly credible and believable, manufacturers and suppliers must change their perspective from merely providers to â€Å"stagers of events†. Customers and clients are no longer viewed as just but are treated as guests. The stagers of events must therefore be flexible, ready to adapt to the demands of their guests. This relationship between the stager and guest is much more deeper than â€Å"the callous payment of cash† referred to by Marx (1978) but actually creates a relationship between both parties building on trust and quality service. Although experience economy have primarily been associated with the entertainment industry, with the efforts of theme parks and movies to deliver realistic and truly interactive attractions through the use of 3D technology, surround sound and, in the case of Walt Disney theme parks, productions that immerse the â€Å"sights, sounds, tastes, aromas and textures† of their guests (Gilmore and Pine, p. 3). However, other industries have taken notice of this approach. Service industries such as restaurants are investing on ambiance and in services that engage all the sensations of their guests to create unique dining experiences. IT companies are racing to create much more powerful processors to create ICT experiences that are â€Å"interactive and life-like† (Grove, 1996). It has also been adapted by parking lots, department stores, appliance repairmen, and increasingly by businesses themselves to create much more dynamic and productive workplaces by bringing employees and the products closer. Evidently, the experience economy has become a philosophy for companies that seek to distinguish themselves from the competition. In this light, what industries have been greatly transformed by this philosophy? What strategies did they create in order to provide their guests with unique experiences? Did the adoption of this philosophy bring about positive effects? Or did it further lead to consumer alienation? This paper will attempt to answer these questions by reviewing cases of experience cases and provide a picture of the effect of this strategies. A critique of the philosophy will attempt to reveal its strengths, weaknesses and limitations when applied in the real world. Review of Related Literature The Cruise Ship Experience A doctoral dissertation study by Hosany and Witham (2009) focused on the cruisers’ experiences and analyzed the relationships between tourists’ experiences and personal evaluation of satisfaction and feedback. Based on the conceptualization of tourism experiences by Oh, Fiore and Jeoung (2007), the study hoped to contribute on the experiential concept of tourism by enhancing its theoretical progress and advancing important implications for cruise markets (Hosany and Witham, 2009). Oh, Fiore and Jeoung (2007) conduced a study that sought to provide empirical evidences of the experience economy as posited by Pine and Gilmore (1999). Using the setting of a Bed and Breakfast Inn, which has been identified as highly experiential in nature (McIntosh and Siggs, 2005), guests were asked to measure their lodging experiences. Utilizing a rigorous and methodologically sound approach to scale development, Oh et. al. (2007) were able to create a sound and valid scale which measured tourism experiences. The main objective of Hosany and Whitham’s study therefore was to validate the measure developed by Oh et. al. (2007) by applying it to the context of cruise tourism. This main objective was supported by two specific objectives: †¢ to identify the underlying dimensions of cruisers experiences †¢ to investigate the relationship between cruisers’ experiences, satisfaction and intention to recommend The study chose to examine the cruiser experience since these trips offered â€Å"total escape, safe transportation to exotic destinations, Vegas style entertainment, luxurious pampering service, quality food and beverage, innovative onboard features and awe-inspiring aesthetics among others† (p. 5). Cruise vacations are chosen because of their promise of luxurious care and entertainment (Cartwright and Baird, 1999) and are laden with experiential benefits that engage tourists in a unique social experience (Kwortnik, 2006). Employing survey method, the Oh et. al. (2007) tourism experience scale was reworked in order to apply to the context of the study. Variables such as: cruiser’s experience, memory, arousal, overall perceived quality, intention to recommend and satisfaction were measured along with other variable of interest such as demographic variables that included: gender, age, travel companion, number of past cruises taken, and nationality. The four dimensions of experience: education, entertainment, aesthetics and escapism were represented with four statements and were rated using a 7-point scale ranging from [1] strongly disagree to [7] strongly agree. Variables such as arousal and memories about the cruise experience were also measured using 7-point scales. Overall perceived quality and overall satisfaction were assessed through two items each (poor/excellent and inferior/superior, and extremely dissatisfied/extremely satisfied and terrible/delighted respectively). Finally, respondent;s intention to recommend were measured using the question â€Å"How likely is it that you would recommend this cruise to family and friends or family members† and through a scale of [-3] extremely unlikely and [+3] extremely likely. Data collection was done aboard the cruise ship â€Å"Rhapsody of the Seas† which is owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International Cruise Line. It was achieved by approaching the cruisers less than hour after disembarking from the ship and while waiting for their coach transfers. All in all, 169 questionnaires were accomplished out of the 1859 guests onboard. The study established the validity and generalisability of the Oh et. al. (2007) measure for tourism experience. Data also revealed that the four realms of experience (education, entertainment, aesthetics and escapism) can be applied in the context of cruise experiences and still be proved reliable and valid. Although the four dimensions varied in their importance in explaining the variable outcomes of arousal, memory, overall perceived quality, satisfaction and intention to recommend, the results were similar with Oh et. al. (2007) which identified aesthetics as the main factor in experiential outcomes. This also agrees with Kwortnik’s (2008) conclusions that a ship’s design and ambient features affect cruiser’s emotions and behaviors. Hosany and Witham’s (2009) findings on entertainment contradicted Oh et. al. (2007) in that it was found to be the second strongest determinant of outcome variables. The study attributes this to the reputation of cruise ships as entertainment havens. Education and escapism dimensions were found to be of little consequence to the cruise ship experience. The study also found out that the four dimensions of cruisers’ experiences have direct impacts on passenger’s intention to recommend. Overall, Hosany and Witham’s study provide tangible and empirical findings that back-up the concept of experience economy posited by Gilmore and Pine (1999). The study’s initiative to investigate the concept’s application on an industry that has yet to be fully explored but is a perfect setting for investigating experience economy is the its greatest strength. The literature review of the study provides rich, background detail on the concepts of experience economy and other recent studies on the cruise ship industry. However, the sample of the study barely scratched the population of the its main study. The time constraint (two weeks) and the focus on only one cruise ship could be seen as the greatest weaknesses of the study. It would have been interesting to see a comparison of experiences between two cruise ships that ply the same cruise route. A lack of the effect of cruise ship employee behavior on the overall experience is an area that should have been investigated but was overlooked. This should have been an important factor for the study since Gilmore and Pine reinforces the importance of the company’s interaction in setting the feel for the â€Å"stage of experience. † the study also did not take into account the sociological aspect of the cruise, such as the effect of other cruiser’s behavior on the whole experience. Despite these, the findings of the study that revealed its greatest contribution by proving the validity of Oh et. al. ‘s (2007) tourism measure. This is a giant step for the further investigation of experience economy by providing a reliable test that can be applied in different tourism contexts. Experience Economy in the Rural Context Isaac Kwamena Arthur’s (2008) paper entitled â€Å"Conceptualisation of Experience Economy as Competitive Advantage for Rural Food Industry and Rural development† sought to introduce a framework which can be applied to the rural food industry in order for it to attain a competitive edge in an experience economy. The paper presents evidences that point to the positive implications of experience economy on business profits and community development. Studies have proven that experience economies add value to rural businesses (Fiore et. al, 2007), its usefulness in industries such as tourism (Richard, 2001; Hayes and Macleod, 2006; Oh et,al. 2007), small city development (Lorentzen et. al. , 2007) and its implication on the development of urban sports and recreation settings (Howell, 2005). Despite most experience economists identifying its products as â€Å"competitive† (Lorentzen, 2008) and providing a higher degree of â€Å"customer satisfaction and profitability† (Sims et. al. , 2007), they do not present any framework or theory to guide firm’s in maintaining this competitive advantage. Thus, Arthur’s paper sought to provide a deeper understanding of experience economy through the presentation of strategic approaches that can be adapted by rural food industries to maintain competitive advantage. Guided by the research question: â€Å"what is the experience economy and what strategic approaches exist for experience producers in the rural food industry to utilize in achieving competitive advantage? † (Arthur 2008, p. 2), the paper analyzed different views on strategic management concepts while adapting on Gilmore and Pine (1999) concept of experience economy. Employing an extensive literature review, Arthur (2008) explores the concepts of experience economy and its applications drawing mostly on the works of Gilmore and Pine (1999). he reveal that although earlier authors have identified the concept of â€Å"experience industries† (Toffler 1970, p. 221), it was Gilmore and Pine that â€Å"indicated a new orientation of experience, which is central to creating events around products† (Arthur 2008, p. 3). This idea of creating events around products therefore create experiences (such as an educational show on how a product is manufactured) which becomes the package in which products are marketed and sold. In applying the experiential economy concept on rural food industry, Arthur (2008) focused on the two forms of experience realms: customer’s â€Å"passive† or â€Å"active† involvement and the level of â€Å"immersion† or â€Å"absorption†. These two forms delineate the individual’s participation in the experience and the bond that is created between the consumer and the experience (Gilmore and Pine 1999, p. 30-31). Arthur (2008) then enumerates different examples of experiential economy at work in the rural food industry, such as the local food producers organizing food processing festivals wherein consumers can watch how food products are prepared. For further immersion, Arthur (2008) suggests educational tours that introduce consumers to the inner workings of food processing plants and by encouraging their participation in some of the processes. The escapist realm of experience can be attained by customers â€Å"being engaged in the production and processing of their product† (Arthur 2008, p. 5). He also suggests the creation of theme parks and utilization of venues where consumers can purchase various food products in order to engage the aesthetic realm of experience economy. In discovering a framework for maintaining competitive advantage, Arthur (2008) first defined the parameters of competitive advantage. He cites Besanko,et. al. (2007) definition as his basis for identifying competitive advantage as the â€Å"firms specific abilities to do or achieve things which are superior over their competitors in the market (Arthur 2008, p. 7). Arthur identifies three models which can be utilized to attain competitive advantage in the rural food industry: five Force model, resource-base view, and the relational view. The five force model identifies an industry’s profitability (Porter, 1985; Grant, 2002 and Xu et. al. , 2006) and offers an understanding that competition is not merely between competitors but involves the whole process of production and its players. The identification of these five forces are attributed to Porter (1985, p. 4): †¢ threat of new market entrants †¢ threat of substitute products or services †¢ bargaining power of suppliers †¢ bargaining power of buyers †¢ rivalry among competitors The resource base view looks at the â€Å"internal organizational resources and capabilities to achieve competitive advancement in a selected environment† (Douglas and Ryman, 2002). This framework looks at how a firm’s uniqueness can give it an edge against its competitors (Grant, 2002). Various management literatures identify relational view as the â€Å"inter-firm relations† which gives rise to a firm’s profitability (Dyer and Singh, 1998; Duschek, 2003; Douglas and Ryman, 2003). It sheds light on the importance of networking in creating competitive advantage. In combining these three models, Arthur (2008) provides a framework for rural food industries that builds upon the five force understanding of the prospects of obtaining competitive advantage through experience offerings in the rural food industry, strengthened by the firm’s identification and utilization of its capabilities and resources according to the resource base view model, and finally, through a seeking out and building of strategic alliances (based on the relational view model) to cement its position in the industry. Although Arthur (2008) was able to identify the contribution and importance of experience economy in different industry sectors,it was not able to provide new insight on the topic. This can be attributed to the methodology adapted by the study and its heavy reliance on the works of Gilmore and Pine (1999). However, it was able to achieve its both its objectives with the discovery of a framework for maintaining competitive advantage in rural food industries by reviewing and combining three strategic management models. This is the study greatest strength since it pioneers initiatives towards the creation of frameworks which cater to the performance of industries in the experience economy. But, its the study’s greatest strength is also its biggest pitfall. With the absence of a real data gathering research methodology and reliance on previous works, Arthur’s (2008) suggested framework remains a hypothesis and not yet a valid theory as it remains to be tested and operationalized within the context of the rural food industry. On a positive note, the author does plan to test his conceptual framework in a empirical case study of the Thisted food industry in Denmark. Exploring the Inner Sanctum of Experience Mark van Doorn of Philips Research presents a fresh look at the concept of experinec economy in his paper entitled An Inside Story on the Experience Economy (2006). In this paper, Doorn (2006) explores the concept of experience as a cognitive process that shapes the individual’s consumption behavior and answers the need for â€Å"psychological self-determination and well-being† (p. 1). An analysis of literature leads Doorn (2006) to cite Turner’s Literary Mind which explains that top understand the mind, one must dwell on the body and the â€Å"primitive underpinnings of the mind† (Doorn 2006, p. 2). Turner gives importance to the story or â€Å"narrative imaging† as the main component of â€Å"thought, crucial for planning, evaluating, explaining, for recalling the past and imaging the future† (Turner 1996, p. 4-5). Turner reveals that the human mind engages in experiences by creating narratives to explain even the simplest of acts (p. 13). This follows with Cognitive Science Theories that state that experiences are absorbed by the senses and processed by the mind. Doorn (2006) also explores the concept of ambient narratives wherein individuals are immersed in an interactive experience created from a mixture of virtual and real world concepts which they can change according to their own experiences. Doorn’s (2006) analysis of experience economy is such a departure from the usual studies on the topic. His paper reveals the connection between economics, psychology and literature by dispelling normal academic notions of experience economy as rooted in the delivery of personalized and highly specialized products and services. He posits that the melding of literature and performance with business and technology can actually lead to a much more interactive and effective experiential economy. However, Doorn’s (2006) analysis only reveals these connections and yet ends up with more questions regarding the creation of a â€Å"grand unification theory† (p. 10) that will answer and describe the cognitive processes of experience economy. Impacts of Experience Most studies undertaken under experience economy seeks to measure the â€Å"experience†, overlooking the impact of â€Å"experience economy† on the society in general and its effects on tourism. Joanie Willet answers this dearth of literature in her study entitled Cornwall’s Experience of the Experience Economy; Longitudinal impacts (2009). The paper will investigate the impact of experience economy on a selected area by evaluating socio-economic changes which have resulted from regional experience strategies and the impact of experience economy discourses on the area. Cornwall, England will be the case study of regional economies that really heavily on tourism. The paper is guided by the following objectives: †¢ Review the Key Tenets of the Experience Economy according to Gilmore and Pine (1999) †¢ Discuss experience economy with regards to Cornwall †¢ Trace socio-economic changes in Cornwall brought about by experience economy Findings of the study reveal that underneath Cornwall’s image as a wealthy tourism destination is a society plagued by â€Å"severe inequalities and deprivation† (p. 10). Government efforts to create an idealized English setting to promote tourism has constrained the economic opportunities in Cornwall. Willet (2009) reveals that efforts to create a unique English â€Å"experience† for tourists have led to sociological impacts detrimental on the Cornish locals. However, Willet (2009) discovers that Gilmore and Pine (1999) provides a provision wherein the personalization of â€Å"guest’s experiences† require locals to adopt advanced skills and educational assessments which will balance out the detrimental effects of the experiential economy. Willet’s (2009) study provides a holistic picture on the true sociological impacts of the rise of experience economies. This study revealed that the ideals of Gilmore and Pine’s (1999) of customized services and unique services does not necessarily lead to the development of both the consumer and producer. However, the study would have yielded deeper empirical evidence by employing research methods a such as surveys with both tourists and locales ad interviews with the key players in the Cornwall micro-economy. But overall, Willet’s study is a cautionary tale that reveals the two-sides of economic ideas. Lise Lyck’s lecture on Experience Economy as an Instrument to Create Economic Profitability presents the other side of Willet’s study. Employing case study to describe the hotel economic landscape of Copenhagen and analysis on three frontrunner hotels in Copenhagen, the investigation sought to answer two primary objectives: â€Å"Shall hotels invest in experience economy? † and â€Å"How do risk and business cycle development influence decision-making and profitability? † The methods revealed that with the construction of the Oresund Bridge brought a large influx of clients in accommodations for Copenhagen, Denmark and Malmo, Sweden. This led to an expansion in the number of hotels in the Oresund region, totaling to 196 hotels with 19,036 rooms in total. This economic expansion has led to hotels banking on a delivery of unique accommodations through the employment of experience economy. The case study focused on three hotels in particular: Hotel Fox (formerly Old Park Hotel), Hotel Skt,. Petri and Guldsmeden Hotel. The utilization of unique marketing techniques, innovations in core values and hotel concepts and the focus on consumer behavior have indeed turned the hotel’s adoption of the experience economy into profits and the establishment of new and better images. The case study also revealed that there was a dependency to business cycle development, which guided the creation of a framework that was specifically catered to the investment in hotels. This model, when applied to the case studies, rendered useful decision-making insights in the context of experience economy investment projects. This study presents another framework that is useful in the application of experience economy in real world situations. The study was able to demonstrate that through innovative industry practices and a full commitment to the delivery of unique experiences can indeed yield profits especially for service sectors such as hotel chains. Once again, this study blurs the distinction between the delivery of service and experience. Is is however evident that in the context of hotels, the delivery services are much more effective and appreciated when packaged as an experiential product. Research Proposal The review of related literature revealed the different aspects in which the economics of experience have been investigated. The manner in which experience economy was investigated mirrored an outward spiral model in which early studies focused on the description, distinction and investigation of the â€Å"experience† itself. Studies that focused on these were able to reveal the importance of consumer behavior in influencing the type of experience to be delivered. Most early studies also sought to prove or disprove the initial principles posited by Gilmore and Pine in their assertion of the experience as a separate â€Å"genre of economic output† (Gilmore and Pine, introduction) â€Å"distinct from services as services are from goods† (p. 2). However, recent studies on the topic have led to a widening of horizons, and stepping out from the core of the spiral model of experiential economic research. These studies, such as Willet and Lyke, explore the socio-economic impacts of the real world implementation of experience economy. These studies have revealed the positive and negative impacts on businesses and communities, both cautioning and encouraging economic policy-makers and decision-makers. Useful data culled from the review of related experience economy literature for the research proposal would be the tourism experience measure of Oh et. al. (2007) discussed and adapted by Hosany and Witham (2009) in their own investigation of cruisers’ experiences. The study can utilize and adapt this tool in measuring tourist behavior and satisfaction towards Thai indigenous tourism products. Although Arthur’s study is merely a proposal, its ideas on the local implementation of experience economy and its framework for competitive advantage can be applied on the case study of the Four Seasons hotel and the Rose Garden Hotel. The numerous case studies presented in the review of related literature can provide a useful guide for analyzing the economic viability of experience economy in the context of Thai tourism. Especially of value is the last case study of hotels in Copenhagen which provided a framework and guidelines in the implementation of investment projects based on experience economy. The research proposal can then prove or disprove the validity of the framework by applying it to experience economy investment projects in the context of Asian countries. References: Taylor, John. (2007). â€Å"Economics. † Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. Mokyr, Joel (ed. ). (1989). â€Å"The Economics of Industrial Revolution. † Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers. Pride, William, Hughes, Robert and Kapoor, Joey. (2010). â€Å"Business. † Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (2000). â€Å"The Service Economy. † Science Technology Industry. OECD. Gilmore, Jim and Pine, Joe. (1999). The Experience Economy: Work is Theatre and every Business is a Stage. † Aurora, OH: Strategic Horizons LLP. Grove, Andrew. (1996). â€Å"Keynote Speech: Comdex computer show. † November 18, 1996.