Sunday, September 29, 2019

Importance of Computer in Schools Essay

Tara Dodrill began writing professionally in 1990. She is a travel writer and photographer working for print and online media, primarily covering Florida, ecotourism and off-the-beaten-path destinations. Her writing credits include RUMBUM, Yahoo News, Visit South magazine,and North Carolina Coastal Guide. She studied journalism and education at Ohio University and real estate at Hondros College. Computer classes in schools are important to a well-rounded education. Students are instructed on the basics of computer use as early as kindergarten. Educational software, often presented in a game-like format, entertains younger students while they learn key concepts. ? Technology Skills * The importance of computer study in schools goes beyond the reinforcement of classroom subjects and remedial assistance. Nearly all students will be faced with the need for technology skills when they attend college or enter the workforce. Keyboarding Classes * Keyboarding classes in elementary schools have replaced the old-fashioned typing classes once offered in high schools. Students learn at a young age how to use computers to generate reports, type essays and research homework assignments. * Career Preparation * Computer skills learned in middle school and high school will benefit students during higher education courses and their careers. Students as young as 12 learn how to create Power Point presentations, video projects and photo slideshows. Online Access * By learning how to use computers, students even in low-income areas have access to the world at large. Online learning courses, which were once a rarity at colleges, now comprise a large portion of many schools’ course catalogs. Adult Learners * Students who are introduced to computer courses at an early age adapt quickly to advances in technology, and typically do not fear additional training and new concepts as adult learners. Effect of Science and technology in our lives As what I understand about how Science and Technology affects our lives, That there are advantages and disadvantages. The Advantages are, it makes our lives simple by using equipment that can easily finish and do well the work or job. We can save more time and energy so that we can perform and do our other job. We can now easily communicate our love ones and relatives by using cellphone and internet, it can connect us even they are in the other part of the world and then with digital camera, we can see them just like they are in front of us. Technology now can give us more information about what are happening around the world that help us to get aware and prepare for disaster and calamity that might happen in our country or in our place. Science and Technology can cure our diseases, provide us shelter and foods for crowd people. Most of the people think that there are more advantages of science and technology as compare to the disadvantages. The major advantage of science and technology is that it has made our lives easier like invention of technology has decreased the manual work. The use of technology in agriculture has increased our productivity. Doing work at workplaces is easier because of invention of computers and notebooks. Development of technology in kitchens, beauty parlors, workplace, research labs and in all fields of life has become the necessity. Now we can study and understand our history,culture and society and by the help of Science and Technology we can share our stories of whats happening in our life, what we see and what we discover to by this way we can also help the children of the next generation. The major advantage of technology and science is to assist mankind in living well and more easily and in better health. There is also disadvantages on Science and Technology Many years comes our atmosphere slowly destroy because of the air pollution that came from the factory and it can cause Green House Effect (GHE) it is a process by which thermal radiation from a planetary surface is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gasses and is re-radiated in all directions. And it is harm for the people. Science and Technology make people lazy because people just depend on it and not do there work well. It will increased the anxiety of our lives, when technology goes in the wrong hand it can have an negative impact in our society it can create cyber crime, hacking, stealing of personal information and pornography websites. It also gives opportunities to the terrorist to make crime like bombing. As technology develops we forget our traditions style of living. it simply destroying our life styles. It also destroying our nature because of illegal logging, and mining and others, this is the cause of landslide and flood that can kill many people because nature cant stop it anymore.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Automatic imitation – copying observed actions without intention – is known to occur, not only in neurological patients and those with developmental disorders, but also in healthy, typically-developing adults and children. Previous research has shown that a variety of actions are automatically imitated, and that automatic imitation promotes social affiliation and rapport. We assessed the power of automatic imitation by comparing it with the strength of the tendency to obey verbal commands. In a Stroop interference paradigm, the stimuli were compatible, incompatible and neutral compounds of hand postures and verbal commands. When imitative responses were required, the impact of irrelevant action images on responding to words was greater than the effect of irrelevant words on responding to actions. Control group performance showed that this asymmetry was not due to modality effects or differential salience of action and word stimuli. These results indicate that automatic imitation was more powerful than verbal command. 1 Actions speak louder than words Introduction Even when we do not intend to imitate others, we are inclined to copy their body movements. This tendency, known as ‘mimicry’ or ‘automatic imitation’, was once thought to be confined to patients with frontal brain damage (Lhermitte, Pillon, Serdaru, 1986), atypically-developing individuals (e. g. Charman Baron-Cohen, 1994), ‘savages’ (Darwin, 1989) and nonhuman animals (Thorndike, 1898). More recent research has shown that automatic imitation is also common in healthy, typically-developing adults (e. g. Wallbott, 1991; Lakin Chartrand, 2003; Brass, Bekkering, Wohlschlager, Prinz, 2000) and children (Simpson Riggs, 2007). The purpose of the present study was to estimate the strength of our tendency automatically to imitate the behavior of others by comparing it with the strength of our tendency to do what we are told; to perform actions on verbal command. Most previous research on automatic imitation has been concerned, not with the strength of this tendency, but with its pervasiveness and effects on social attitudes. Carefully controlled laboratory studies have found automatic imitation of facial expressions (e. g. Wallbott, 1991), as well as finger (e. . Brass et al. , 2000), hand (Heyes, Bird, Johnson, Haggard, 2005) and arm movements (e. g. Kilner, Paulignan, Blakemore, 2003). Studies investigating the ‘chameleon 2 Actions speak louder than words effect’ in semi-naturalistic social situations have shown that gestures such as eartouching and foot-wagging are automatically imitated, that this kind of mimicry can occur without the imitator’s conscious awareness, and that it prom otes affiliation and rapport between social partners (e. g. Lakin Chartrand, 2003). Indirect evidence of the pervasiveness of automatic imitation has been provided by functional imaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). For example, imaging has shown that the observation of hand, foot and mouth movements activates the same areas of premotor cortex active during their execution (Buccino et al. , 2001). Revealing yet further specificity, the observation of hand and arm movements selectively increases TMS-induced motor evoked potentials from the particular muscles involved in executing these movement (e. g. Strafella Paus, 2000). In behavioral studies, stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) procedures are often used to detect automatic imitation. These procedures provide some indication of the strength of the automatic imitation tendency by showing that it can interfere with performance based on task instructions. For example, Kilner et al. (2003) instructed participants to make sinusoidal arm movements in a vertical plane while observing a model perform the same vertical movements (compatible condition) or sinusoidal arm movements in a horizontal plane (incompatible 3 Actions speak louder than words condition). Although participants were, presumably, equally motivated to obey instructions in the two conditions, their movements showed more, counterinstructional deviation from the vertical plane in the incompatible than in the compatible condition. Other SRC studies have shown that automatic imitation interferes, not only with the spatial properties of movement, but also with its timing. Participants instructed in a simple reaction time (RT) task to open their hand as soon as an observed hand began to move, initiated the opening movement faster when the stimulus hand opened than when it closed (Heyes et al. 2005). Similar studies have shown that automatic imitation can influence the timing of hand and finger movements even when the observed movements are taskirrelevant, i. e. when participants are instructed to respond, not to the observed movements, but to arbitrary stimuli such as digits (Brass et al. , 2000), crosses (Bertenthal et al. , 2006) or colors (Sturmer, Aschersleben, Prinz, 2000 ). As far as we are aware, only one study has explicitly compared the strength of automatic imitation with that of other response tendencies (Brass et al. , 2000). This study found that the impulse to imitate finger movements was stronger than the tendency to respond with finger movements to arbitrary symbols and to static spatial markers. The results were important in providing evidence that automatic imitation is genuinely automatic (i. e. that it occurs contrary to task instructions), and that it is not reducible to spatial compatibility (see also Heyes et al. , 2005; 4 Actions speak louder than words Bertenthal et al. , 2006), but Brass et al. (2000) provided only a very conservative estimate of the strength of automatic imitation. Theories of imitation assume that it is based on stimulus-response connections that are either innate (e. g. Meltzoff Moore, 1997) or the product of long-term learning (e. g. Heyes Ray, 2000). If this is the case, it is not surprising that the tendency to imitate is stronger than the tendency, based solely on task instructions, to respond differentially to symbolic cues. Like imitation, spatial compatibility effects depend on innate or learned response tendencies (Tagliabue, Zorzi, Umilta, Bassignani, 2000). However, Brass et al. s study did not show that automatic imitation is generally stronger than the tendency to respond to the site of stimulation; only that automatic imitation is stronger than spatial compatibility when the spatial cue is smaller and less dynamic than the body movement cue. The present study provided a more stringent test of the strength of automatic imitation by comparing it with that of the tendency to obey verbal commands. Like imitation, verbal command is a common method of instruction in everyday life, and the power of words to evoke actions is a product of deeply engrained mechanisms. Indeed, one theory of imitation, the associative sequence learning (ASL) model (e. g. Heyes Ray, 2000), suggests that the two response tendencies become engrained in the same way; that we learn to imitate through correlated 5 Actions speak louder than words experience of observing and executing action units, just as we learn the meanings of words through correlated experience of the words and their referents. We used a Stroop procedure to compare the strengths of automatic imitation and verbal command. There were four groups of participants. In the focal group (Manual-Auditory), participants were required in each trial to open or to close their hand in response to a compound stimulus. The compound consisted of an image of a hand in an open, closed or neutral posture, and the sound of a word: ‘open’, ‘close’ or a neutral nonword. In one condition, participants were instructed to imitate the action and to ignore the word (action-relevant task), and in the other condition they were told to obey the verbal command and to ignore the action (word-relevant task). In any given trial, the stimulus on the taskirrelevant dimension (the word in the action task, and the action in the word task) was compatible, incompatible or neutral with respect to the stimulus on the taskrelevant dimension. For example, in the action task, an image of an open hand was accompanied equally often by the word ‘open’ (compatible), the word ‘close’ (incompatible) and by a nonword (neutral). If the tendency to imitate is stronger than the tendency to obey verbal commands, then, in this focal group, one would expect the impact on performance of action stimuli in the word task to be greater than the impact of word stimuli in Actions speak louder than words the action task. More specifically, one would expect the compatible taskirrelevant stimulus to speed responding, and /or the incompatible task-irrelevant stimulus to slow responding, more in the word task than in the action task. However, an effect of this kind would not be sufficient to show t hat automatic imitation is stronger than the tendency to obey verbal commands, for two reasons. First, it could be that the action images used in this experiment were more salient or easier to discriminate than the word stimuli. In this case, one would expect action images to be more potent stimuli, not only for automatic imitation, but also for nonimitative responding. To address this issue, we included a second group of participants (Vocal-Auditory) who were presented with exactly the same stimuli as the focal group, action images in compound with word sounds, but they were required to make vocal rather than imitative responses. For example, in the action task, this group said ‘open’ when they saw an opened hand, and ‘close’ when they saw a closed hand. Langton, O’Malley, Bruce (1996, Experiment 5) found that irrelevant gestures affected vocal responses to words to the same extent as irrelevant words affected vocal responses to gestures. Therefore, we expected that, in contrast with the focal group, the performance of the Vocal-Auditory group would be affected equally by irrelevant actions in the word task, and by irrelevant words in the action task. 7 Actions speak louder than words The second issue concerns modality of stimulus presentation. In the focal group, actions were presented visually and words were presented in the auditory modality because those conditions are typical of everyday life. In the course of development, it is likely that simple verbal instructions, consisting of a single word, are more often heard than seen. However, because spoken words unfold over time, whereas images are instantaneously available for processing, auditory presentation of verbal commands could put them at a disadvantage. In other words, if irrelevant actions have a greater impact than irrelevant words in the focal group, this could reflect, not the relative strengths of automatic imitation and verbal command, but faster processing of visual than auditory stimuli. To address this issue we included two further groups in which the word stimuli were written rather than spoken. One of these groups (Manual-Visual) made hand movement responses, and the other (Vocal-Visual) made vocal responses. Thus, there were four groups: Manual-Auditory, Vocal-Auditory, ManualVisual and Vocal-Visual. We predicted that in the focal Manual-Auditory group the effect of irrelevant actions on speed of responding to words would be greater than the effect of irrelevant words on responding to actions. If this asymmetric effect indicates that the automatic tendency to imitate is stronger than the tendency to obey verbal commands, rather than an effect of nonspecific features of the stimuli or stimulus-response mapping, then it should also be present in the Manual-Visual group, but not in the Vocal-Auditory or Vocal-Visual groups. 8 Actions speak louder than words Method Participants Forty-eight right-handed volunteers (15 men, mean age: 22. Â ±7. 5 years) were randomly assigned to one of four groups: Manual-Auditory, Vocal-Auditory, Manual-Visual and Vocal-Visual. All had normal or corrected-to-normal vision and normal hearing. The experiment was carried out with local ethical approval and written consent. Stimuli and Apparatus Warning and imperative stimuli were compounds of hand action s and words with coincidental onsets. Hand actions were life-sized images of postures made by a male right hand, taken from the angle at which one normally views one’s own hand, and presented on a laptop computer screen (60Hz, 400mm, 96DPI) in color on a black background. For the warning stimulus, the hand was in a neutral posture, with the fingers closed and pointing upwards in parallel with the thumb (visual angle: 6. 96Â ° x 13. 33Â °), and was shown for a variable duration between 800ms and 1520ms. For the imperative stimuli, the hand was in an opened (15. 5Â ° x 13. 5Â °), closed (7. 0Â ° x 11. 2Â °) or inverted neutral posture (see Figure 1D for examples), and was shown for 640ms. Word stimuli were either sound files presented via the laptop’s internal speaker (auditory) or superimposed in white 9 Actions speak louder than words nk on the hand stimuli in the centre of the screen (visual; 6. 5Â ° to 7. 1Â ° x 2. 6Â ° to 3. 1Â °). For the warning stimulus, the nonword clepo was presented for 650ms (auditory) or between 800 and 1520ms (visual). For the imperative stimuli, the word ‘open’, ‘close’ or the nonword pocle (see Figure 1C for examples) were presented for 640ms (visual) or between 600ms and 640ms (auditory). The nonwords clepo (warning stimulus) and pocle (neutral stimulus) were phonotactic amalgams of phonemes contained in the two words ‘open’ and ‘close’. Pocle contained the same syllables as clepo, presented in reverse order. For the manual response groups, response onset of opening and closing hand movements was measured by recording the electromyogram (EMG) from the first dorsal interosseus muscle of the right hand (see Heyes et al. , 2005). For the vocal response groups, onset of voice responses was measured via a free-standing electret microphone (Vivanco EM 32, Vivanco-direct. com). The RT interval began with the onset of the imperative stimulus, and ended with EMG onset (manual responses) or the activation of the microphone (vocal responses). Design and Procedure Participants sat at a viewing distance of approximately 700mm from the stimulus presentation screen. For the manual response groups, the participant’s right forearm lay in a horizontal position across his/her body, supported from elbow to wrist by an armrest. The wrist was rotated so that the fingers moved 10 Actions speak louder than words upwards during opening responses, and downwards when closing. Thus, the plane of response movement (up-down) was orthogonal to the plane of action stimulus movement (left-right), controlling for any effects of left-right spatial compatibility. After making each response, participants returned their hand to the neutral starting position; their fingers closed and parallel to the thumb. Each trial began with the presentation of the warning stimulus. After a variable duration it was replaced by the imperative stimulus. Participants were instructed to respond to the imperative stimulus as quickly as possible, without making errors, by opening or closing their hand (manual response groups) or by saying ‘open’ or ‘close’ (vocal response groups) as soon as they saw an open or closed hand posture (action-relevant task), or heard or saw the word ‘open’ or ‘close’ (word-relevant task). They were instructed to ignore the irrelevant dimension. After the presentation of the imperative stimulus, the screen went black for 3000ms before the next trial. Four action-relevant and four word-relevant task blocks of 60 trials were presented in alternating order, counterbalanced between participants. Relevant and irrelevant stimulus compounds were compatible (e. g. an open hand accompanied by the word ‘open’), incompatible (e. g. an open hand accompanied by the word ‘close’) or neutral (e. . an open hand accompanied by the nonword pocle). The six trial types, defined by compatibility (compatible, neutral or 11 Actions speak louder than words incompatible) and relevant stimulus (open or close), were equiprobable and randomly intermixed within each block. Results Mean RTs are plotted as a function of task and compatibility in Figures 1AD. Incorrect responses and RTs less than 100ms or greater than 1500ms were removed (3. 1%). Figure 1 about here As predicted, in the focal Manual-Auditory group (A) the impact of irrelevant actions on responding to words was greater than the impact of irrelevant words on responding to actions; there was an asymmetry favoring actions over words. This asymmetry was not observed in the Vocal-Auditory group (B), who responded to exactly the same stimuli using vocal responses rather than hand actions, suggesting that the asymmetry was not due to greater salience of the action than of the word stimuli. The asymmetry favoring actions over words was present in 12 Actions speak louder than words the Manual-Visual group (C), who saw rather than heard the word stimuli, indicating that it did not depend on faster processing of visual than auditory stimuli. Providing further confirmation that this asymmetry was not due to nonspecific factors, the Vocal–Visual group (D) showed the reverse asymmetry; irrelevant actions had a lesser effect on responding to words than did irrelevant words on responding to actions. These impressions were confirmed by an initial ANOVA, in which task (action-relevant, word-relevant) and compatibility (compatible, neutral, incompatible) were within-subject factors, and response mode (manual, vocal) and word modality (auditory, visual) were between-subject factors, and by subsequent analyses in which a 23 ANOVA (task x compatibility) was applied to the RT data from each group separately. The initial analysis indicated a significant three-way interaction (task x compatibility x response mode: F(2, 94) = 35. , p lt; . 001), and a nonsignificant four-way interaction (task x compatibility x response mode x word modality: F(2, 94) = 1. 1, p = . 341). The separate analysis of the data from the focal Manual-Auditory group yielded a significant interaction between task and compatibility (F(2, 22) = 20. 8, p lt; . 001), confirming that there was an asymmetry favoring actions over words. This interaction was also significant in the Manual-Visual group (F(2, 22) = 25. 5, p lt ; . 001), but it was 13 Actions speak louder than words bsent in the Vocal-Auditory group (F(2, 22) = 1. 5, p = . 252), and reversed in the Vocal-Visual group (F(2, 22) = 5. 5, p = . 017). In the two groups where there was an asymmetry favoring actions over words, mean RT in the action-relevant task was shorter than in the word-relevant task (Manual-Auditory: F(1, 11) = 48. 7, p lt; . 001; Manual-Visual: F(1, 11) = 172. 3, p lt; . 001). To check whether the action-dominant asymmetry was dependent on this main effect of task on RT, the data from these groups were subjected to bin analyses. For each group, RTs of each participant in each task were divided into five bins of equal size (Ratcliff, 1979). Three quintiles were selected in which, within group, mean RT on neutral trials was approximately equal in action-relevant and word-relevant tasks. The data from these quintiles were subjected to 2x3x3 ANOVAs (task x compatibility x bin). These analyses showed that, in each group, although there was no main effect of task on RT (Manual-Auditory: F lt; 1; Manual-Visual: F(1, 11) = 1. 1, p = . 16), there was a significant task x compatibility interaction (Manual-Auditory: F(2, 22) = 11. 8, p lt; . 001; Manual-Visual: F(2, 22) = 11. 9, p = . 001). Thus, the action-dominant asymmetry observed in the Manual-Auditory and Manual-Visual groups did not depend on faster responding in the action task than in the word task. 14 Actions speak louder than words Discussion Previous research has shown that healthy adult humans have a pervasive and automatic tendency to imitate the actions of others, but this is the first study to provide a stringent test of the strength of this tendency. Using hand actions in a Stroop procedure, the power of actions to elicit imitative responses was compared with the strength of our tendency to obey verbal commands. The results from the focal group, who made manual responses to simultaneously presented actions and spoken words, showed that the impact of irrelevant actions on responding to words was greater than the impact of irrelevant words on imitative responding to actions. The same asymmetry was observed when written, rather than spoken, words were presented, indicating that it was not due to faster processing in the visual modality. The same asymmetry was not observed when participants made vocal, rather than imitative, responses, indicating that the action-dominant asymmetry was not due to greater salience or discriminability of the action images than of the verbal stimuli. Therefore, these findings suggest that the human tendency to imitate is stronger than the tendency to obey verbal commands. Previous studies have indicated that irrelevant actions influence the control of movements made in response to color, spatial and symbolic cues (Sturmer et al. , 2000; Bertenthal et al. 2006; Brass et al. , 2000). The present findings show for 15 Actions speak louder than words the first time that automatic imitation effects occur, not only when the imperative stimuli bear an arbitrary or purely spatial relationship with responses, but also when they are verbal commands; that is, when the relationship between the imperative stimulus and the response is both specific and overlearned. Langton, O’Malley, Bruce (199 6, Experiment 5) used a Stroop procedure to compare the power of actions and words, but they did not examine imitative responding. Instead, they required participants to make vocal responses to directional gestures (a person pointing up, down, left and right) and to their verbal equivalents, and found symmetrical compatibility effects; irrelevant gestures affected vocal responses to words to the same extent as irrelevant words affected vocal responses to gestures. We found the same symmetrical pattern in our Vocal-Auditory group, when participants were making nonimitative responses, but a contrasting pattern, indicating action dominance, when participants were making imitative responses. Thus, comparison of the two studies i) confirms that action dominance is specific to imitation, and ii) indicates that, in the case of nonimitative vocal responding, actions and words have comparable impact both when the action stimuli are pointing gestures and when they are opening and closing hand movements. 16 Actions speak louder than words In a variant of the game ‘Simon says’, played at teatime in Victorian England, children were required to grip the tablecloth when an adult, gripping or releasing the cloth, said ‘Hold tight! ’, and to release the cloth, regardless of the adult’s action, when he said ‘Let go! . Presumably, amusement derived from the fact that, like the participants in the present experiment, children could not resist the influence of automatic imitation, and were therefore compelled flagrantly to disobey the authority of verbal command. However, the results of the present study do not merely vindicate the disobedient behav ior of Victorian children. They show that automatic imitation is much more than a parlour game, or a device that experimental psychologists can use to investigate the processes involved in stimulus-response translation. These findings show that automatic imitation is not only pervasive but also powerful. Even among healthy, typicallydeveloping adults, it is more powerful than the tendency to obey verbal commands. In this context, actions do indeed speak louder than words. 17 Actions speak louder than words References Bertenthal, B. I. , Longo, M. R. , Kosobud, A. (2006). Imitative response tendencies following observation of intransitive actions. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 32, 210–225. Brass, M. , Bekkering, H. , Wohlschlager, A. , Prinz, W. 2000). Compatibility between observed and executed finger movements: comparing symbolic, spatial, and imitative cues. Brain and Cognition, 44, 124-43. Buccino, G. , Binkofski, F. , Fink, G. R. , Fadiga, L. , Fogassi, L. , Gallese, V. , Seitz, R. J. , Zilles, K. , Rizzolatti, G. , Freund, H. J. (2001). Action observation activates premotor and parietal areas in a somatotopic manner: an fMRI study. European Jour nal of Neuroscience, 13, 400-404. Charman, T. , Baron-Cohen, S. (1994). Another look at imitation in autism. Development and Psychopathology, 6, 403-413. Darwin, C. (1989). Voyage of the Beagle. London: Penguin Books. 18 Actions speak louder than words Heyes, C. M. , Ray, E. D. (2000). What is the significance of imitation in animals? Advances in the Study of Behavior, 29, 215–245. Heyes, C. M. , Bird, G. , Johnson, H. , Haggard, P. (2005). Experience modulates automatic imitation. Cognitive Brain Research, 22, 233-240. Kilner, J. M. , Paulignan, Y. , Blakemore, S. J. (2003). An interference effect of observed biological movement on action. Current Biology, 13, 522–525. Lakin, J. L. , Chartrand, T. L. (2003). Using nonconscious behavioral mimicry to create affiliation and rapport. Psychological Science, 14, 334-339. Langton, S. R. H. , OMalley, C. , Bruce, V. (1996). Actions speak louder than words: Symmetrical cross-modal interference effects in the processing of verbal and gestural information. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 22, 1357–1375. Lhermitte, F. , Pillon, B. , Serdaru, N. (1986). Human autonomy and the frontal lobes. Part I: Imitation and utilization behavior: a neuropsychological study of 75 patients. Annals of Neurology, 19, 326-334. 19 Actions speak louder than words Meltzoff, A. N. Moore, M. K. (1997). Explaining facial imitation: A theoretical model. Early Development and Parenting, 6, 179-192. Ratcliff, R. (1979). Group reaction time distributions and an analysis of distribution statistics. Psychological Bulletin, 86, 446–461. Simpson, A. Riggs, K. J. (2007). Under what conditions do young children have difficulty inhibiting manual actions? Developmental Psychology, 43, 417-428. Strafella, A. P. Paus, T. (2000). Modulation of cortical excitability during action observation: a transcranial magnetic stimulation study. Neuroreport, 11, 22892292. Sturmer, B. , Aschersleben, G. , Prinz, W. (2000). Correspondence effects with manual gestures and postures: a study of imitation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception Performance, 26, 1746-1759. Tagliabue, M. , Zorzi, M. , Umilta, C. , Bassignani, F. (2000). The role of longterm-memory and short-term-memory links in the Simon effect. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception Performance, 26, 648-670. 20 Actions speak louder than words Thorndike, E. L. (1898). Animal Intelligence: An Experimental Study of the Associative Processes in Animals (Psychological Review, Monograph Supplements, No. 8). New York: Macmillan. Wallbott, H. G. (1991). Recognition of emotion from facial expression via imitation? Some indirect evidence for an old theory. British Journal of Social Psychology, 30, 207-219. 21 Actions speak louder than words Author note AB is now at Faculte de Psychologie et des Sciences de lEducation, Universite Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. 22 Actions speak louder than words Figure caption Figure 1. RTs in compatible, neutral and incompatible trials for word-relevant (solid line) and action-relevant (broken line) task conditions. Results are presented separately for the four different participant groups: (A) ManualAuditory, (B) Vocal-Auditory, (C) Manual-Visual and (D) Vocal-Visual. Vertical bars indicate standard error of the mean. Images show compatible, neutral and incompatible stimulus compounds in action-relevant (Panel C) and word-relevant (Panel D) task conditions for the visual word modality groups (C and D). For the auditory word modality groups (A and B), words were spoken. 23

Friday, September 27, 2019

St. Augustines Confessions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

St. Augustines Confessions - Essay Example They could be left behind for some time to strategize on ways to steal the pears without being conspicuous. On the day the crime was committed everything went as planned as the theft was a success. The narrator was able to take home some pears. However, the theft of the pears did not seem to provide him with the comfort he had imagined. He did not have much of the pears. The narrator points out that what drove them to steal was greater than peer pressure and the need to have a taste of the pears (Section 9). They always had the urge to steal which would introduce him to the feeling of sin. Different from other group members, his only objective from stealing the pears was to experiences sin. However, he terms sin as a spiritual need strong enough to justify his actions. In his explanation of sin, they argued that sin was a personal choice influenced by choice accompanied by a need. However, they pointed out that this need is more of a self-realization of satisfaction or quest. In this case, they asked God to provide him with the pleasure of is actions which they yearned for (Section 12). From a young age, the narrator always wanted to have the feeling of committing sin. From all the stories and narrations on sin, the envy for sin became a need strong enough to influence justification of their actions. As his peers envied the pears, the narrator envied the feeling one had when they had committed a wrong. They wanted to experience and be part of sin. In addition, they wanted to find pleasure in doing it. The narrator further explains that it would be more interesting if they could be made be responsible for the crime they had committed. To further provide light on the reasons that he influenced theft of pears, the narrator describes theft as ugly; there was nothing beautiful about you (Section 12). In addition, the narrator declares their love for theft; what did I love in you (Section 12). Regardless of the nature of sin,

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Communication management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Communication management - Essay Example The authors argue that the innovation sector demands new standards for international business and needs effective management of innovation to plan, implement, and assess innovation programs (Caywood, 2012:29). Efficient innovation management is also required to develop innovation capability and organise resources and potential for innovation. This occurs at both intra and inter-organisational standards. Communication has evolved to become a major determinant of successful innovation. Consequently, the new discipline of innovation communication enables the successful introduction of new products and services, the nurturing of stakeholder partnerships, and the enhancement of corporate image in the long-term. The modern business environment demands that corporations create a sound array of communication tools as a central component of their strategic innovation management operations. The authors have provided a critical appraisal of emerging techniques and strategies of integrating communication as a facilitator of strategic innovation. While reading the book, it is easy to realise that the provision of a holistic outlook to narrow the chasm between communication management and innovation management, at decision-making and operational levels, is a key theme (Grunig, 2013:18). The authors provide a valuable input to the dynamic discipline of communication by contributing numerous views to the latest studies on innovation communication, communication management, and strategic open innovation. The authors also offer important advice for managers at all levels who are interested in comprehending the variety of ways in which they can optimise communication to augment successful innovation. Positioning is a popular subject in marketing and communications. It is common to see and hear references to the positioning of ideologies, identities, political affiliations, ideas, products, etc. However, a majority of

Evaluation Argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Evaluation Argument - Essay Example Regulations that would control production of materials in media that do not meet ethical requirements have not been made. Where these regulations exist, very few people have confidence in them. The major cause of worry is the fact that these media products are accessed by small children who are easy to influence. With education and training, children access these social media services. Media sites are made available to these children because they come in a wide variety. Many organizations and groups have risen in opposition to media sites that advance immoral behaviors, but still a lot is left to be done. Organizations that are opposed to these media sites raise the question of who allows these unethical materials and the motives of producers. In the current world, technological advancement has saturated the world reaching to young children. Children are allowed to watch games that emphasize on winning and losing. Although these values are good to adults, it takes away the values of loyalty for seniors from the value system of children. On the other hand, time on social media has taken the time for family discussion. Dinner conversations have been overtaken by facebook, twitter, emails, and websites. Watching movies and TV shows have taken the place of counseling for children by parents. This has resulted in children who have no value for ethics (Carter 29). The technological advancement has made media devices too available for young children. This way, young children are able to operate computers and access sites that are not showing ethical materials. Sites that show naked people are popular among children as a result of peer influence. These have resulted in decay of morals of these young children. Use of media has not been subjected to social ethic scrutiny. This has resulted in production of materials that are against widely accepted morals within a society. Regardless of this, there are no functionally reliable laws to regulate materials that are posted i n social media. In America, TV industry was allowed to employ free rating in production of their programs. This allowed them to regulate what they produce regardless of who they reach. In return, the TV industry has resulted in production of programs that are indecent morals. Many of American citizens believe that this law will help reduce the rates of indecency acts in media (PR Newswire par 3). Awareness of existence of these media sites that show immoral materials are known by all people including policy makers yet little has been done about them. Religious organizations raise alarm but little response is realized. On the other hand, individuals who have been found guilty of publicizing immoral materials have not been convicted because are there are no laws that regulate materials to be published. There are few states that have regulations laws that bind violators of moral values. According to PR Newswire (par 5), TV industries accept payment for morally indecent materials that m ay promote moral decay of the people who consume them. Federal Communications Commission allowed these productions to go on air arguing that these programs should be run at a time that is later than midnight. On other cases, internet service providers receive money from producers of immoral programs and blogs and websites. This has deteriorated the case of immorality levels in the world (PR Newswire par 5-7). The behavior of children and adults who consume these materials continue

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The ethical issues I may encounter while working as a professional in Essay

The ethical issues I may encounter while working as a professional in commercial real estate - Essay Example he country and it is very difficult for anyone who is not associated with the real estate industry to understand the degree of what happens behind the scenes. Numerous consumers are conned and in the current times that are characterised by increased consumer protection, it is astonishing that the ethical issues that exist in the real estate industry are rarely mentioned. In this regard, it is vital for them to clearly understand the ethics governing the field and thus be in a position to handle themselves professionally and realize the best results. There are three main reasons why the protection of consumers is poor particularly in the real estate industry. One of the main reasons is that the real estate industry involves a lot of money, efforts to straighten the industry would be beneficial to consumers while having negative effects on the interests of the agents, and others associated with this industry (Dewatripont et al., 2010, p. 47). The agents control the real estate industry and they are consulted in the event that the government wants to streamline the industry. In such a case, the real estate sector misleads the government as well as the customers. Most of the consumers who buy and sell real estates do it once or twice in their lives. This means that they have to seek guidance from agents to conduct this business making it hard for them to realize how much they might lose in a transaction. In the commercial real estate industry, dubious behaviour still goes unnoticed. Previously, cash commissions were used in some instances to circumvent taxes but currently, there are different ethical infractions that have been developed as more money continues to be associated with the industry. The brokers, lawyers as well as analysts have stated that circumventing and cutting corners is on the increase in this industry especially because of the rising property values. The lifeblood of the real estate business lies in comparable deals but the rules that govern the

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

International Relations - International Development (Proposal Outline) Essay

International Relations - International Development (Proposal Outline) - Essay Example As a matter of fact, women in general are kept at lower than secondary level and in most of the societies despite her services mainly to families that are also unpaid. In all, women has been given less privileges on social, political, and economic power than they deserve as compare to men with one and only reason of being Woman. Moreover the prejudice has strengthened itself and women, in many parts of the world especially developing countries, are growingly deprived of the fundamental rights as human being. Economic marginalization of women refers to the disadvantage and deprivation that woman is accounted for against man on the economic fronts. Economic marginalization include all aspects such as poverty, deprivation from decision making rights and positions with respect to economic matters and more importantly access to economic resources. The menace of oppressing human being with gender inequality, in general and economic oppression in specific, also didn’t allow more adva nced sections of the nations that claim to be leaders in development. For instance, only 12 companies from fortune 500 are led by women; down from the count of 15 than previous year (CNN, 2011). Countries that are taking leading positions of growth as emerging nations i.e. China with an average growth rate of above 8% in global financial crises time; vulnerability and marginalization of women has increased with increase in migration from rural to urban areas for their economic growth. These women, though, got freedom from low wage paid job at farm but faces in cities more difficult situation of inequality such as harassment and other city- version of marginalization including job discrimination, salary gap and opportunity inequalities etc (Tam, 2006). Evidences from developed and emerging nations when hold such situations it then gets self explanatory the condition prevailing in developing nations such as India and Pakistan. The two countries being the cultural hub of the South East Asia hold more tightly those old ignorant values that favored the dominance of men even in most educated sections of society; depriving women of social, cultural, public and economic earning as well decision making (Nelasco, 2012). Recently in two conferences, women have asserted despite trade liberalization and globalization, women are growing becoming the victim of unemployment, underemployment, migration for livelihood to urban and overseas etc. All these have put multiplied impact on women inequality with deteriorating food insecurity; labor intensive industries taking advantage of cheap labor with influx of large number of women mainly with their families for jobs and hence, posing high insecurity reasoning the huge labor pool. Given below are some statistics that presents start realities of discrimination against women (Nelasco, 2012) Importance of the women empowerment â€Å"When we empower women, we empower communities, nations and the entire human family.† —U N secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon (UN Women, 2011) For effort related to reduce this inequality social sciences has presented immense literature; however, the affectivity has only gained success to the point that UN sections realized the importance of fact that world shall now develop awareness regarding women empowerment and year 2011 UN marked inaugural of formal efforts for women empowerment (UN Women, 2011). CEO of UN-Women (Women Empowerment section of UN) has vision of this section to have future

Monday, September 23, 2019

Human Resources Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Resources - Assignment Example Personnel management department is part of the organization that deals with recruitment and development of employees so that they become productive in the organization. Personnel management is concerned with the affairs of the human resources of the organization.  It advises the management on matters concerning the human resources from the beginning of the recruitment program to the end of employment contract. Personnel management department plays a significant role of assisting the management in handling all the affairs of the human resource in the organization. A personnel manager act as spokes man of the human resources since he has personal contact with the employees and managers. Personnel management office is the link between the human resources, and the management thereby ensuring there is harmonious interaction and communication between the two. It is the counseling department of all human resource problems in an organization. The office devices solutions to human resource problems and guide them on what measures to put in place (Patel, 2007, p. 46) Human resource management is the department that is concerned with management of the affairs of the human resources in the organization. Functions of the human resource management department It set out the rules and regulations that govern the human resources within the organization. It is responsible with the reward systems of the organization. They ensure that the employees are rewarded in accordance with the set standards and their productivity. This is to ensure that the organization does not exploit the human resources. It organizes training and development activities for the human resources to ensure that they improve their productivity. The department ensures that the organization is compliant with employment and labor laws set out by various organs. The department ensures that the human resources operate in safe working conditions by providing them with safety working facilities (Levine, 1987, p.25 ). Differences between human resource and personnel management Hrm advocates for decentralization of power from the top management to the employees while personnel management advocates for full authority in the top management during decision making. Personnel management employees human resources based on a written agreement that is a short term. This contract is so compact and does not give room for changes or modifications. On the contrary, hrm advocates for a long term employment where the working conditions are less rigid and can be amended regularly to accommodate the interests of all parties involved.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Ariel case study Essay Example for Free

Ariel case study Essay Case analysis: Statement of problem: 1. First of all Martin have to find out if the company should improve the equipment. 2. If they decide to improve, then, which currency should they make the purchase in? 3. How can they calculate what their expected rate of return at the most certainty? Analysis: The general question is if the company should make the improvement or not, and if they do (assuming the project is beneficial) which currency will give the highest profit? Since it is calculated that the cost will drop when implementing the new equipment, we assumed that the cash flow equals the difference between the two figures. The NVP is 2,960,532 pesos, but Martin wanted to know whether to make the investment in Euros or Pesos. When we calculated the NPV in euros we can use two different approaches. You can find the NPV (Euro) by either translate NPV (Peso) by dividing it by 15,99. However, the better solution is to use the expected future spot rate on every cash flow, because this estimate is more accurate. Inflation rate is important to look at because, if the inflation rate changes, the NPV also changes and that will effect their decision. So, they have to consider the risk of inflation changes. If the inflation rate drops to 3% in Mexico, the purchase in Euros is more profitable, because the Peso is strengthened. Another variable to consider when deciding between Euros and Pesos is the risks concerning prediction of future currency rates. The short-term exposure, long-term exposure, the political risk and translation exposure could all affect the inflation. Recomendations : The company should go through with the project, because the net present value is positive. However, they should choose which currency to purchase the equipment in carefully, due to the uncertainty of the exchange predictions. They need to take all the risks into account.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Health and Safety in a Childcare Setting

Health and Safety in a Childcare Setting Analyse the working practices that need to be in place in the nursery setting to ensure that children are protected. In every nursery setting there should be a practiced working pattern and a setting. For example there should be practise of food hygiene, safeguarding and health and safety. These are very important because children will be on the safe side. Health and safety In this case the managers and staff should make sure that health and safety checks are carried out as required. In case of an accident failure to check equipment have serious connections. Staff and children should know which areas of the building they have access for. The general environment should be clean and safe for example, all COSHH equipment used should be kept in a locked cupboard. Food Hygiene- when giving children food, one should check the expiring dates and check the expiring dates and check the temperatures of the fridges and freezers. Adequate welfare facilities should be available for health and safety. It is important to put on protective clothes especially when you are cleaning the toilets always wear gloves. A t nursery should consider safeguarding on children. This is whereby staff should know who is going to drop and pick children, also nursery main doors should always be locked, handles should be fitted where children can't reach, and CCTV should be at the nursery always because of abuse. Staff should be trained how to give children medication. Also check the risk assessment of the provision that the safeguarding policy and plans work. The gate should always be shut, and use password to open the gate and doors. For toddlers should use small gates. Always lock the confidential information in a lockable cupboard and only management or responsibly person should have access to the keys. Confidentiality is very important. The other thing which need to be considered at nursery is food hygiene, in this case staff should check the expiring date of the food and check the temperatures of the fridge and the freezer, and always cover the food when it is open and put a date when the food has b een opened. Tinned food should be eaten and finished once they are opened. Always wash your hands before you touch food. Clean the tables before and after serving the food. As staff should know which food is suitable for each and every child (Allergy). Always clean the dishes after every meal and dry them and put them away. Fruits should be washed before you eat. Should teach children how to wash hands after visiting the toilet. Also staff should cook food properly with correct cooking temperature. With all these aspects I think the nursery will run smoothly. 2. Explain the various health and safety requirements that are necessary for children attending the setting and describe the ways in which these health and safety requirements need to be adopted to cater for differing age groups. Health and safety in the nursery environment requires adoption for each different age groups of children that are catered for. In the nursery staff should be very careful with sharp objects like knives, forks and razor blades, because these objects can harm children. Therefore should always put them away as soon as you finish using them. Toys should be put back in their irrespective boxes, some toys are sharp so as staff you must be there to keep an eye when children are playing with toys. Select toys which are suitable to each age group. All substances should be locked up in the cupboards. COSHH control of substance hazardous to health. What might you see in the nursery covered by COSHH is cleaning equipment, chemical sharp objects. Make sure children are supervised when they are doing activities. Staff should clean the floors using chemicals which are not dangerous, but should use like Dettol and antibacterial cream. Make sure the floor is dry enough so that children won't fal l down. After serving the food take away knives and out them were they cannot reach. When sharpening the pencils staff should be very careful because some children can be affected with the dust which comes from the pencils. Make sure all plug sockets are covered because when children touched they will be in danger. Windows should be secured because children will be tempted to climb through them. Kitchen and office areas should have safety gates which remain locked to prevent access to dangerous areas. Doors should contain filled safety guards to prevent children from trapping their fingers. With toys always lock the boxes and cupboards should close the toilet and bathroom doors. 3. Evaluate the procedures required to cover good hygiene and explain how this should be implemented in the nursery setting. This can be presented within a table. There are many procedures required to cover good and hygiene of which am going to write some of them in form of a table. Good hygiene How to implement Washing hands before or after food Make sure sinks are reachable by children Washing hands after visiting the toilet. Flush the toilet after you use it. Toilets and chambers should be of small size , so that children will be able to reach Children should dry their hands after using the toilet. There should be paper towels in the bathroom always. Disposal of nappies and waste Make sure there is correct bins to dispose them eg waste yellow lockable bins. Cleaning or clearing of plates after eating Reachable tables for children Always wash hands before preparing food using soap Make sure the children are prompted to do this by teachers Wash fruits before you eat Make sure the teachers teach children about hygiene and prompt them to do so. Clean the floors Use correct mops to clean floors like blue mops for corridors, green mops for kitchen and red mops for bathrooms. Cut the meat and the vegetables on boards Use the right boards e.g. for meat use red board, for vegetables use green boards. Bread use white board. Cleaning the wounds Make sure teachers follow the proper and correct first aid rules and all the accidents are recorded in the accident book. Making the mattress and beds for children Make sure the use clean linen and make sure that all spoiled linen are washed correctly like separated from non spoiled lined and correct washing temperature like Sluice program in the washing machine. 4. Identify and describe what should be included in a first aid kit for a nursery and discuss why paediatric first aid training for nursery staff is important In every nursery there should be a first aid kit , in the kit it includes 20 adhesive dressings, plasters in assorted sizes, six medium sterile ,two large sterile dressing , one sterile eye pod, six triangular bandages, six safety pins, disposable gloves , two roller bandages , a pair of scissors, alcohol-free wound cleansing wipes , adhesive tape, plastic face shield or pocket mask, notepad and pencil alcohol gel, other useful items blankets survival bag, torch whistle warning triangle and high visibility jacket to keep in the nursery. We should have these things in the nurseries because it will help the staff to cater for the first aid needs of the children attending the nursery before they go to hospital for example when children had wounds staff should use gauze pads as swabs to clean around wounds. Use adhesive tape to secure dressings or the loose ends of bandages, staff should notice that if the children are allergic to the adhesive tape can use a hypoallergenic tape. Always wear gloves whenever you dress wounds or when you handle body fluids or other waste materials, use latex-free gloves because some people are allergic to latex. The gloves are necessary for staff to wear when you are dealing with any body fluids; this is to control the cross contamination and good hygiene. Bandages are used to give support to injured joint secure dressings in place maintain pressure on wounds and limit swelling. Pins and clips are used to secure the ends of bandages.They are some useful items which include kitchen film or clean plastic bags can be used to dress burns and scalds. Non-stick dressings can be kept for larger wounds, keep alcohol, gel to clean your hands when no water is available. To prevent cold injuries always wrap on ice pack in a cloth do not leave it on for more than 10 minutes. Scissors should be used to cut bandages. It is important for staff to be first aid trained for the need to know exactly what to do in an emergency whether they are alone or with other members of the staff. So by staff undertaking paediatric first aid course they will have a peace of mind of knowing that they have the knowledge and skills to tackle a medical emergency. Staff who have had first aid training are trained how to attend to children when they collapsed or when they cut themselves using sharp objects. Also staff will be trained how to cope with stressful and physically demanding procedures. First aid certificates should be renewed every 3 years. From the completion date of the previous qualification . In nursery setting paediatric first aid qualification satisfies ousted requirements. First aid certificates are required to be checked by Ofsted during an inspection and will need to be produced for all trained first aiders.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The EPA and Anti-tobacco Zealots Essay -- Smoking cigarettes Tobacco

The EPA and Anti-tobacco Zealots Tobacco smoking has been one of the hot controversies of our time. Many people find tobacco smoke annoying, smelly and just plain dirty and unpleasant. Some smokers themselves agree with that sentiment. Today's smoking restrictions, not to mention the attack on smokers and extortion of tobacco companies, could not have been engineered simply on the grounds that tobacco smoke is unpleasant. We needed another reason. So the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) literally manufactured, using bogus science, the finding that second-hand smoke is a class A carcinogen causing death and illness for tens of thousands of people who are simply around tobacco smoke. The major news media, along with anti-tobacco zealots, convinced us of the wisdom of the EPA report. They downplayed or ignored findings showing EPA science to be bogus and outright fraud. (1) The EPA and anti-tobacco zealots "proved" that tobacco smokers harmed other people. Stopping and preventing harm to others, especially to the nation's children, is something most Americans can wholeheartedly support. Thus, all manner of smoking regulations descended upon the nation from bans on smoking on airplanes, in airports and restaurants to bars, workplaces and even outdoor open air stadiums. Let's pretend that the EPA's bogus science about the harmful effects of secondhand smoke is legitimate and examine this business about harming others. The first thing we should acknowledge is that we live in a world of harms. The secondhand smoke from my cigarette might harm you. However, your being able to prevent me from smoking harms me; I have less enjoyment. We cannot say which person's harm is more important and should take precedence. The reason why is t... .... District Court Judge William L. Osteen found reason to nullify the EPA's 1992 report that claimed second-hand smoke to be a class A human carcinogen and cause of lung cancer. He found that the EPA knowingly, willfully and aggressively put out false and misleading information. 2. Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, says about large food servings, "It's high time the [restaurant] industry begins to bear some responsibility for its contribution to obesity, heart disease and cancer." Dr. Ronald Griffiths, at Johns Hopkins University, concerned about coffee addiction says, "If health risks are well-documented, caffeine could be catapulted in public perception from a pleasant habit to a possibly harmful drug of abuse." Along with Michael Jacobson, he wants the FDA to regulate caffeine content in soda, coffee, tea and chocolate.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Devils Backbone Essay -- essays research papers

During the Spanish Civil War, an orphaned 10-year-old boy, Carlos (Fernando Tielve), arrives at the Santa Lucia School, where he's taken in by the headmistress (Marisa Paredes). Over time, Carlos comes to realize that the school has some creepy secrets, including a sighing ghost. Starring Eduardo Noriega, Marisa Paredes, Federico Luppi, Inigo Garces, Fernando Tielve, Irene Visedo Directed by Guillermo del Toro Written by Guillermo del Toro, Antonio Trashorras, David Muà ±oz Studio Sony Pictures Classics During the Spanish Civil War, an orphaned 10-year-old boy, Carlos (Fernando Tielve), arrives at the Santa Lucia School, where he's taken in by the headmistress (Marisa Paredes). Over time, Carlos comes to realize that the school has some creepy secrets, including a sighing ghost. Starring Eduardo Noriega, Marisa Paredes, Federico Luppi, Inigo Garces, Fernando Tielve, Irene Visedo Directed by Guillermo del Toro Written by Guillermo del Toro, Antonio Trashorras, David Muà ±oz Studio Sony Pictures Classics Genre Horror, Drama Release Date November 21, 2001 (NY); expands nationwide at a later date MPAA Rating R - for violence and some sexuality Running Time 106 minutes Filming Location(s) Madrid Web Sites Official Site Official Spanish Site 10/08/01 Director del Toro is also attached to Blade 2: Bloodhunt and the comic book adaptation Hellboy. (Upcoming Movies) POSITIVE SOURCE RATING THE GIST Cranky Critic $5 †¦ a very cool ghost story, with a couple o...

jackie robinson :: essays research papers

The first man to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball in the 20th century, Jackie Robinson is one of the most celebrated baseball players in history. Jim, the moral center of Mark Twain’s The Adventure’s of Huckleberry Finn .Who doesn’t portray a baseball player, yet both Jackie Robinson and Jim both share the same heroic qualities. Both are courageous, noble, and strong-minded. Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia on January 31, 1919 and grew up in Pasadena, California, where he attended UCLA. While attending there he won letters in football, baseball, basketball, and track. He was regarded as the most all-around athlete in the U.S. at the time. After serving three years in the army, he began playing baseball with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro leagues. After hid successful season in 1946 with the team’s Farmclub he became the first African American major league baseball player since the 19th century. In 1947 he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers. But before Jackie Robinson there was Moses Fleetwood Walker, he was the 1st African American major league baseball player to play baseball in the late 1800’s. On April 15, 1947 Jackie Robinson became the 1st African American to play major league baseball. He broke the color line, which led to many white teams playing against all black teams or interracial teams: Jackie Robinson caught many Americans attention and his story was widely retold through American culture in many different forms. Such as through movies, radio talk shows, sheet music, comic books, and sports magazines. Even though many of Jackie’s fans showed their support towards him, many who hated him sent him death threats or even threw things at him. While under all this pressure Jackie still focused on baseball and showed everyone that he was a great baseball player:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å" Baseball was just part of my life. Thank God that I didn’t allow a sport or a business or any part of my life to dominate me completely †¦ I felt that I had my time in the athletics and that was it.† He won a lot of peoples respect and also became a symbol of black opportunity. Even the magazine Sporting News, which was against black baseball players, acknowledged his great skill and ability in the game of baseball and awarded him with the Rookie of the Year award in 1947. Robinson’s outstanding ten-year career compiled a .

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Alternative Education

Alternative Education is expected to meet the needs of those students who are not ensuing in conventional setting. Students are provided with several options that can lead to graduation. They are offered with support services that are essential to their success (Fantini, 2005). Alternative education has models, which are based on the programs philosophy and the desires of the students (Fantini, 2005). There are those that follow a community affiliation model that features alliance with the larger community.Some combine academics with a vocational intervention that focuses on making school more meaningful at the same time preparing students for the workforce (Cantrell, 2001). The programs offered range from actual schools to programs within schools to single classrooms. By year 2000, it was estimated that over 15 percent of the students enrolled in public education and in some countries, a student attended a public school that he wanted.Since 1500, there have been private schools, ins ular schools or home schooling alternatives for those, who could manage to pay for himself or herself or whose beliefs dictated an exacting loom to education. Current history Alternative schooling has become widely important especially in public schools. It originated in United States but it is gaining popularity in other nations (Greene, 2006). The developments that we see in these schools originated from an effort of parents and teachers.They were experimenting how they can discover better ways of educating their sons and daughters and amalgamate educational ideas from some of the acknowledged educational leaders. It is important to note that practices developed in early schools of choice are contributing to local, state, and national efforts to improve public education in all countries (Fantini, 2005). Alternative schooling that has succeeded for more than thirty years is not only considered to be effective in teaching all kinds of students but also highly attractive to parents a nd students (O’Brien & Thesing, 2001).

Monday, September 16, 2019

Gatsby vs Tom Essay

In The Great Gatsby the author describes Gatsby and Daisy’s husband Tom- and as he depicts their characteristics, the reader is able to observe similarities and differences between them. The similarities I’m going to discuss are their desire for success and social status, their determination for the things they desire, and their hatred for one another. The differences that contrast these similarities are their desire for success and social status for different reasons, the type of wealth, and their personality types. In the end, despite Tom’s negative light, Daisy chooses him over Gatsby ultimately due to security and the higher value of Tom’s old money. The two characters, Tom and Gatsby, both value success and social status highly. One way they show this, is by insulting those less wealthy, or demeaning the social status of others. Tom belittles the social status and â€Å"new money† of Gatsby in the following quote; â€Å"She’s not leaving me! † Tom’s words suddenly leaned down over Gatsby. â€Å"Certainly not for a common swindler who’d have to steal the ring he put on her finger. (pg. 131) in saying this, Tom degrades Gatsby wealth, comparing him to a â€Å"common swindler†. Manny of Toms jabs to Jay were from a financial standpoint, indicating that without wealth there is a large amount of disrespect. Gatsby valued success and social status because it was the only way he would win the approval of Daisy, this can be observed here; â€Å"That huge place there? † she cried pointing. â€Å"Do you like it? †(Gatsby) â€Å"I love it, but I don’t see how you live there all alone. † (Daisy) â€Å"I keep it always full of interesting people, night and day. People who do interesting things. Celebrated people. † (Gatsby) (pg. 90). In the mentioned conversation between Daisy and Gatsby, Gatsby both flaunts his wealth to Daisy (â€Å"huge place†) and also boasts his social status by indicating that important people and â€Å"Celebrated people† are constant visitors to him. Another similarity between the two men is that they are both determined to have what they desire. Gatsby desires Daisy and her love. Throughout the novel, Gatsby had been driven to success in order to win Daisy, who he had fallen in love with. Gatsby says to Tom â€Å"Your wife doesn’t love you, said Gatsby. She never loved you. She loves me†. (pg. 130) In this quote, Gatsby tries to convince Tom that his love is returned by Daisy, and he is completely determined to take him out of the picture. Tom desires her for perfect trophy wife, as someone to both help prove his wealth and share it with him. Tom shows his passion for Daisy in the quote â€Å"But all the rest of that’s a God damned lie. Daisy loved me when she married me and she loves me now. †(pg. 31) He is not the passive sort of person who would let Gatsby take his wife, he stands up for himself and their marriage in Gatsby and Tom’s confrontation. The final similarity that will be discussed is that they both have hatred toward one another. Proof of Tom’s hate and aggression towards Gatsby is shown in the quote † I can’t speak about what happened five years ago, because I didn’t know Daisy then — and I’ll be damned if I see how you got within a mile of her unless you brought the groceries to the back door† (pg. 31) Tom in this quote insults Gatsby’s â€Å"new money† wealth by suggesting him to have been working at a low status position 5 years ago. Proof of the returned hate from Gatsby is shown in the following line â€Å"She never loved you, do you hear? He cried. â€Å"She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved any one except me! † (pg. 130) In this quote, Gatsby indicated Tom to be her second choice, and a terrible mistake on her part. This concludes the three similarities between Tom and Gatsby, next, the differences between the two will be discussed. Though Gatsby and Tom both value wealth and social status, they have different drives for these successes. Gatsby valued these because he believed that with fortune he can win over Daisy’s love. â€Å"Her voice is full of money† Gatsby said. (pg. 120) This quote shows that money is something Daisy has been brought up on, and is shown in her mannerisms and behaviors. Due to this, Gatsby can see that the way to fit into Daisy’s world and be what she needs, is to have this wealth as well, and adopt the lifestyle surrounding it. Wealth was important to Gatsby because Daisy was important to him. Tom values wealth and social status because he was raised believing it was the most important thing, and it surrounded his upbringing. Money got him everything he wanted, pristine education, lots of friends, and Daisy. â€Å"His family was enormously wealthy—even in collage his freedom with money was a matter of reproach. † (pg. 6). The types of wealth the two men have are different as well, and have large implications socially. Gatsby has what is called â€Å"new money†. He didn’t inherit his wealth; in fact he came from poverty and worked his way upward into higher social status. He struggled and worked hard to get everything he has. This is proven through the fact that Jay had to work through his University education, whereas Tom, brought up with money, had his tuition taken care of without any work by him. Tom, in contrast to Gatsby, comes from what is called â€Å"old money†. This is money that had been given to him through family inheritance, requiring no work. Tom had everything come easy to him, and required no struggle or hard work. Being predisposed to wealth, in the way that Tom was, gave him a great head start on life that Gatsby never had. Lastly, their personality types are overall very different. Tom has the traits and shows the behaviors of being dominant, athletic, and brutish These traits are shown in the following passage, while conversing with Mrs. Wilson, he shows aggressiveness and a short temper when he strikes her ; â€Å"â€Å"Daisy! Daisy! Daisy! † shouted Mrs. Wilson. â€Å"I’ll say it whenever I want to! Daisy! Dai___†. Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand. †. (pg. 37) Gatsby is sympathetic and caring, taking the blame for the murder, being the better man. Gatsby sacrificed everything he had worked so hard for, the social status and success, all in the end to trade for Daisy, whom he loved. â€Å"Was Daisy driving? I inquired. Yes, He said after a moment, but of course I’ll say I was. † (pg. 143) Gatsby is a man of moral strength, unlike Tom. Old money seems to weaken characteristics of morals, making their personalities selfish and arrogant, contrast to those of new money, who had worked hard for what they had. This is the final difference between the two men that will be discussed. Despite the negative light Tom is portrayed, Daisy chooses him over Gatsby because Daisy was comfortable with her life with Tom. She knew his money would never run out, though Gatsby’s once did- â€Å"I thought you inherited your money. † â€Å"I did, old sport,† he said automatically, â€Å"but I lost most of it in the big panic — the panic of the war. † (pg. 90); Tom informed Daisy that Gatsby was only a bootlegger and that his money was not reliable; â€Å"her eyes told that whatever intentions, whatever courage she had, were definitely gone. (pg. 135). This quote shows that as Tom began to show Gatsby in this way, bringing his â€Å"new money† issues to light, she wanted to leave Tom less and less. She lets Tom make the decisions for her. She had been used to her life being a certain way – she follows certain rules, she expects certain rewards – and when Gatsby challenges her to break free of these restraints, she can’t deal with the overwhelming break from routine and confides back to Tom and the lifestyle she knows. â€Å"You want too much! She cried to Gatsby. I love you now—isn’t that enough? Tom moments later said â€Å"You start on home, Daisy† said Tom, â€Å"In Mr. Gatsby’s car† She looked at Tom, alarmed now, but he insisted with Magnanimous scorn. Go on, He won’t annoy you. I think he realizes that his presumptuous little flirtation is over†. Tom knew he had control of Daisy now. She was scared of change and possible loss of her luxurious lifestyle, and she decided not to leave the security of wealth that was Tom. Throughout this discussion we saw the comparison in the two men Gatsby and Tom. Similarities were shown between them, regarding their value in success and social status, their determination to get a hold of what they desire, and their hatred toward each other. The differences observed between the two characters was then their different drives for wealth, their different types of money, old and new, and their opposing personalities. Despite Tom’s negativity, Daisy being the weaker character, ultimately chose Tom, as she could not let go of her secure lifestyle, she could not risk ever being poor, she decides she must go with what she knows, and she chooses Tom over Gatsby.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

“Allegory of the Cave” Analysis Essay

The Allegory of the cave is an allegory written by Plato with the purpose to represent the way a philosopher gains knowledge. This allegory is a fictional dialogue between Socrates and Glaucon, where Socrates compares the issues appearance vs. reality, education vs. ignorance. There are two types of knowledge represented in this allegory, the one that is told and expected to be believed and accepted; and the one that is learned by a person’s own experiences through life. The writing is organized in a way in which the author tells a story in a sequence of logical events that makes the reader understand better. It wasn’t really clear for me the way he described the scene metaphorically and it was difficult to visualize the scenario to realize the purpose behind it because of the rarity of it. That’s why I went through it so many times, but once I was able to understand what was going on and where the point was, I could see that the way he explained and the fanciful evidence he used was very strong. Plato writes about Socrates describing a scene where there are chained people in a dark cave. They have been there since their childhood and they can barely move their heads. Behind them, at the distance, there is a blazing fire, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a wall meant for objects to pass. Because of their limited vision (lack of movement), those men can only see their own shadow and the shadow of different sculptures that pass over the wall, which are carried by other men they can’t see. One of those prisoners is released and starts walking around the cave. He is very confused by what he sees but finally he realizes that the shadows are just a representation of what is really there. The prisoner is forced to go out of the cave, his eyes begin to adjust to the sun light, and he can’t look at anything more than shadows. Accustomed to the light, he begins to see other objects like trees, flowers and houses; and he realizes that the perspective he had about the world was completely different from what it really is. Finally the prisoner comes back to the cave to convince the others about the existence of the things he saw. Accustomed to sunlight, he sees blurry shadows, making others laugh, and they would remark that it would have been better, if he had stayed in the cave, and if someone tries to release another prisoner, that person should be caught and put to death. Plato’s main idea is to reflect the different stages and the process  of education, how a philosopher can reach the top and become enlightened. In this allegory the chained men symbolize the most erroneous and ignorant people. The released prisoner who confuses fake objects and the fire with reality, and has not even left the cave, symbolizes those people who feel awkward about the process of knowledge and who are not ready to confront it. The released prisoner that comes out of the cave and tends to return, represents the man accustomed to the error, who doesn’t recognize the truth even when it is in front of him, and is afraid to leave their past views. When he comes out, and he only sees the shadows and the reflections of natural things, those actions symbolize the process of adaptation and preparation. The final process, where he becomes enlightened, is represented when the now ex-prisoner is able to reason the Sun as the cause of all things. Returning to the subject of the types of knowledge, these two ways of thinking referred to by Plato represent two completely different aspects of us. That kind of knowledge where the person’s belief is based on what he/she can see or hear due to his/her lack of education is evident when the people in the cave see the images on the cave wall created by the puppets and figures with the fire and hear the echoes. These people would label things as reality solely because they believe what they are being told. This type of knowledge is based on â€Å"truths† without any type of personal connection. The second type of knowledge, which is based more on learned life experiences, is evident in the released prisoner who discovers the real world through his own experience. Another important point about the allegory is the uses of certain wor ds which have a particular meaning in the story, making the reader push themselves to understand the greater meaning behind his words. Some of those words are shadow, cave, fire, prisoners, voices and light. The word prisoner refers to ourselves, arguing that we are prisoners of our own beliefs. The cave is the virtual prison made by ourselves because of the ignorance behind our minds. The word shadow, represents an illusion of reality, a false vision of the truth, are those false ideas created by the lack of knowledge that people live by in this world. The fire, in my opinion, is what produces the false reality or world of appearances. The voices represent the authority; those things we believe are true just because someone told us, like a teacher in a classroom, the government in a country, your parents at home, etc. Finally  the word light or the Sun, used to represent the ultimate truth, the answers found to those erroneous beliefs that you thought were true. I completely agree with Plato and I think we can apply this logic to many equations we face in life as intelligent, moral and empathetic people. I learned that people see reality as the visible world when reality really is more than the visible world. This text helped to push me along the way because it is directly related with college life, where a successful student is the one who considers that his/her mission is questioning and challenging the authenticity of those things that we believe are true.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Role of MIS: Employee Privacy Rights in the Workplace

The Information Age came upon us. As a concept, or stage of human history, it suggests a number of propositions. It implies that there is more information now than ever before an indisputable claim. The concept also implies that more people spend more time producing and using more information than ever before another indisputable assertion. In recent years and for the foreseeable future, organizations have been facing rapidly changing business environments which have challenged their executives (both Management Information Systems (MIS) and non-MIS) to handle issues such as downsizing, outsourcing, leveraged buyouts, strategic alliances, flexible manufacturing, just-in-time scheduling, globalization, business process re-engineering and total quality management. These environmental changes have placed demands on there MIS departments to support product innovation, new production techniques and changing organizational designs and to provide timely, high-quality information. The introduction of the Internet, e-mail, and other forms of electronic communication has revolutionized the workplace and given rise to new and improved business practices, including widespread access to information and instant communication among suppliers, customers, and employees. Management encourages employees to make full use of these new electronic tools to further the company's business objectives and that is where Management Information Systems are employed. However, increasing use of electronic communication has spawned new forms of employee misconduct. As management responds to employee abuse of electronic communications, the tension between management fights and employee privacy fights is heightened. Management wants to be free to fully monitor electronic communications to ensure that they are used for legitimate business purposes in the company's best interests. Employees seek to safeguard their privacy and want the freedom to use these new electronic tools for personal and business purposes. This ongoing struggle – between privacy and management fights – underlies the legal issues arising from employee e-mail and Internet use around the world. Data Analysis The extended theory founded on this core belief divides U.S. economic history into different eras, depending on the primary economic activity during the period (Duncan 1994). From colonial times until late in the 19th century, the American economy was agrarian. Then, roughly from the dawn of the 20th century through the end of the Second World War, it was preeminently a manufacturing economy. Industry especially heavy industry was the motor that drove the entire economic engine. After World War II, the American economy increasingly came to be dominated by its service sector. By the mid-1950s, more than one-half of all U.S. employment was devoted to providing services rather than to fabricating goods (Duncan 1994). The Pre-Information Age business office was supported by the hierarchical managerial system to keep track of employees and the work they produced (Dmytrenko 1992). Office equipment included information producing tools, such as typewriters and adding machines. Most of the equipment was simple, manual in operation, bulky, and noisy. Clerical staff primarily used this equipment, as they were the appointed information processors of the time. Early efforts to improve office efficiency used industrial engineering techniques, employing time and motion studies to standardize the work tasks of office support staff, and maximize the workflow through effective office design. Information management was categorized as an intensely manual recordkeeping process (Dmytrenko 1992). Filing systems (alpha and/or numeric), and cross-referenced indexes were the prevailing records management techniques employed, and to be on the safe side, offices maintained multiple copies of the same document for back-up purposes. These practices resulted in increasing demands for office space dedicated to files. The Information Age is reshaping the office of the 2000s. One source of confusion is the fact that the movements from manufacturing to services, and then to information, were of a different character than in earlier transitions. In the first place, while the transition from an agricultural to a manufacturing-based economy was marked by a decline in the number of jobs in agriculture, there has been no such diminution in the number of manufacturing jobs after the shift to a service economy. Moreover, American manufacturing currently accounts for roughly the same percentage of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as three decades ago (Duncan 1994). Changes are taking place in the organizational structure and operations of businesses. Identifying and handling key issues in the MIS is essential for executives to support and run their organizations efficiently and effectively. The investigation of the key issues by researchers serves to enhance the understanding of the concerns of executives and suggest relevant areas of investigation by management researchers. Employers are concerned that their employees are spending a considerable amount of time on the Internet, browsing and sending e-mails regarding subjects that are totally unrelated to their job duties during work hours. In addition to harming productivity, employee access to the Internet creates more opportunities for employees to engage in virtually unprotected speech that could create liability for the employees and their employers. Most worrisome is the possibility that computers are used to download pornography or materials offensive to minorities which may then be distributed around the office in electronic attachments or printed and viewed by groups of employees. Such conduct could in turn lead to harassment complaints by employees. The widespread and rapid distribution of offensive or discriminatory material can poison a work environment and may also give rise to criminal charges. The ability of employees to transfer company information via e-mail that does not have sufficient confidentiality protection, such as a nondisclosure agreement, to outsiders puts that information at risk of losing its status as a trade secret and puts the employer at a distinct disadvantage with the loss of information. Employers might wish to discipline or discharge employees who jeopardize company proprietary information. The Internet also contains content protected by copyright or other proprietary fights, opening up the potential for direct, vicarious, or contributory copyright infringement liability claims against employers should the information be downloaded and utilized without the proper authority. At common law, the employer is vicariously liable for torts committed by an employee in the course of his or her employment. Therefore, the doctrine attaches to the employer's responsibility for the tortuous conduct of the employee without the existence of fault on the part of the employer. However, this doctrine does not absolve the employee from liability for tortuous conduct, and the employer may, in fact, claim an indemnification against the employee for moneys paid to a third party due to vicarious responsibility. For these reasons, many employers have begun monitoring employees' use of e-mall and the Internet which raises issues related to the employee's fight to privacy and about the new privacy legislation. It is becoming more commonplace for inappropriate and illegal Internet usage to be the determining factor in employee discipline and dismissals in unionized settings. The only question to be determined now is whether the inappropriate e-mails and Internet usage are just cause for dismissal. Arbitrators weigh each fact situation to determine the extent of the disciplinary offense and the appropriateness of management responses in the context of the collective agreement. Although e-mail is likely included in the definition of â€Å"telecommunication,† the real issue lies in whether or not e-mail monitoring on a computer desktop or server falls within the definition of â€Å"intercept.† Due to the way that e-mail is transmitted, it is unlikely that it could be intercepted as defined in the Criminal Code. â€Å"Intercept† means interference between the place of origin and the place of destination of the communication (Rasky, 1998). E-mail is transmitted from one computer through (usually) two Internet Service Providers onto a network server, and once that is complete so is the transmission. Consequently, the e-mail is simply just waiting to be retrieved by the recipient from the network. As a result, an employer that views a message which has been sent and saved onto a company's server is not really intercepting the message within the meaning of the Criminal Code (Coon and Cocker, 2001). There is no definitive ruling on who owns the e-mail in the issue of e-mail sent or received by an employee via his or her employer's computer system. This could be argued in two ways. One view is that e-mail sent or received in this context is property of the employer, to which an employee maintains no reasonable expectation of privacy. Thus, a search of e-mail in the workplace is really nothing more than a search of an employer's property (Rasky, 1998, p. 221). A second perspective is to view sent or received e-mail as the property of the employee. Employers assign employees e-mail addresses and allow employees to have e-mail passwords. Thus, this approach suggests that employees have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their workplace e-mail (Mclsaac, 2000, p. 2-86). The courts to date have not specifically addressed the issue of e-mail privacy within the workplace, although it was held in R. v. Weir (1998) that an individual's home e-mail via the Internet â€Å"ought to carry a reasonable expectation of privacy.† Therefore, as Internet and e-mail monitoring becomes more commonplace in the workplace, the only deterrent to employers may be couched in terms of the new privacy legislation and the required consent that will be required of an employee when an employer wishes to monitor. The focus would then be shifted to one of the reasonableness of the substance of implementation of the consent and monitoring policy along with the various factors inherent in that implementation such as the notice given to the employee of the search policy, the clarity of the policy, and the fairness of the administration of the policy (McIsaac, 2000, p. 2-87). Conclusion The Information Age suggests that the role of information is more important in the economy than ever before, and that information is replacing some earlier â€Å"fuel† of the American economy (Duncan 1994). These days the primary problem for most organizations and their employees is not the shortage of data but being able to evaluate what is useful and what is not, where to find the good stuff, and then how to use it effectively. The rapidly increasing use of Internet and e-mail in the workplace has introduced complicated issues related to the areas of potential liability of employers arising from the improper use of the Internet and e-mail by employees, as well as creating numerous privacy issues which must soon be addressed by all employers – union and nonunion. If employers specify and disseminate clear and concise e-mail and Internet use policies, they will be able to significantly reduce the risk associated with employee misconduct in this area. Not only should the policies be clear and concise, but they should also be communicated to the employees in such a fashion that all employees understand the policy and the consequences of breaching that policy. Employers can be concerned that their investments and MIS tools are being misused by employees, but at the same time clear communication and respect for the fights of employees and their privacy will encourage a positive, healthy work environment along with a decreased risk for potential liability for all parties involved. We agree that the Canadian Courts and arbitrators will need to make a concerted effort to understand the new technology and the various problems that arise as a result of that technology and then strike a balance between employee fights to engage in concerted activities vs. employer property and entrepreneurial fights. References Coon, Kevin & Jonathan Cocker. (2001) Legal Issues of E-mail and Internet Access in the Workplace. Internet and E-Commerce Law in Canada 1. January 2001: 81-87 Duncan, Joseph W., (1994) The Information Age on Shaky Foundations, Challenge, 05775132, Jan/Feb94, Vol. 37, Issue 1 Mclsaac, Barbara. (2000). Law of Privacy in Canada. Scarborough: Carswell. Rasky, Holly L. (1998). Can an Employer Search the Contents of Its Employees' E-mail? 220 Advocates Quarterly 20: 221-28 Dmytrenko, April, L., (1992) The information age has arrived or `much ado about everything', Records Management Quarterly, 10502343, Oct92, Vol. 26, Issue 4          Case: R. v. Weir (1998) 213 A.R. 285 (Q.B.)      

Friday, September 13, 2019

The problems of philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The problems of philosophy - Essay Example Viewing the work in a general way of such philosophers as Russell, Descartes, Ayer, Wittgenstein, and James can provide good ideas on what philosophy is and its work.In The Problems of Philosophy Chapter XV: The Value of Philosophy, Bertrand Russell implies that philosophy may be difficult to understand in the material world. He presents the idea that if all of one's material needs were satisfied, if poverty and disease had been met, there are still some things for which one looks. These things are 'goods of the mind' and they are reached by the 'self' that is not limited to the prison of materiality. It is possible for the self to escape and to know things outside itself. The self can reach for a unity of knowledge which may constitute the highest good. It can find basic materials of the universe that do not need to be further analyzed and it is the goal of the philosopher to conduct such a search. Rene Descartes conducted this very search and he did it inside his mind. Outside the mind is the reality of the world, or so it seems. This reality is full of conflicts and contradictions. The role of the philosopher for Descartes was to use principles offered by mathematical reasoning to go inside the mind and to find or develop a system of knowledge that demonstrated, from within the mind, a unity from which all other knowledge could come. The way in which truth was derived from mathematics could also be applied to the world.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

The involvement of ion channels in cancer Dissertation

The involvement of ion channels in cancer - Dissertation Example The study focuses on potassium and sodium ion channels as the key receptors that can be utilized along with specific types of toxin, to impede the metastatic phase of cancer. This notion can help improve cancer diagnosis, prognosis and therapy. Introduction Cancer is considered a malignant neoplasm which is classified as disease that affects a group of cells that manifest mutation or uncontrolled growth, which attacks and invades adjacent tissues, it then spreads through a process of metastasis that extends to other parts of the body through lymphs or blood. Cancer comprises of three malignant properties which differentiate them from benign tumors that does not spread or metastasize. Causes of cancer can be categorized into two: environmental and hereditary or genetic (Anand, Kunnumakkara, Kunnumakara, et al 2008). Environmental factors that trigger cancer includes: diet and obesity, infection, radiation, lack of physical activity, tobacco and pollutants (Danaei, Vander Hoorn, Lopez, Murray, & Ezzati 2005; Irigaray, Newby, Clapp et al 2007; Parkin, 2006). Such factors develop the mutation of the cell's genetic composition. As per the process of the reproduction of cells, it is a complex procedure that is regulated by various classes of genes, which consists of tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes (Kinzler et al 2002). Acquired diseases or abnormalities are hereditary, which can develop into cancer. Approximately five to ten percent of most cancer cases are hereditary (Anand et al. 2008). The presence of cancer can be determined through the results of radiology or the manifestations of symptoms. However, diagnosis can only be identified by means of a microscopic examination of a biopsy specimen. Most cases of cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, surgery and radiotherapy. The type and degree of the cancer influences the prognosis. This illness can affect everyone, regardless of age, but some are more prevalent in children, whereas the risk of developing ca ncer comes with aging. Mortality rate due to cancer increases due to lifestyle changes and aging (Jemal, Bray, Center, Ferlay, Ward, & Forman 2011). Classification There are different types of cancer, and they can be identified through the type of cell in accordance to the semblance of the tumor. Each classification are as follows: Carcinoma is a type of cancer that originated from epithelial cells, which are most commonly referred to those that manifest in the breast, prostate, lung and colon, whereas Sarcoma is caused by a mutated connective tissue or mesenchymal cells. Blastoma is a derivative from embryonic tissues or immature precursors, which are most common in children. Carcinoma, blastoma and sarcoma are suffixes of cancer types, which is defined as the origin. Lymphoma and Leukemia is derived from blood forming or hematopotoietic cells. Germ cell tumor manifests from pluripotent cells. This type of cancer usually manifests in the testicle and ovary if found on adults, but a rer more emminent in babies and children (Anand et al. 2008). Pathophysiology Cancer, as a disease, can be traced as a failure of a tissue growth to be regulated. A particular cell mutates or transforms when a gene that regulates cell growth becomes modified (Croce 2008). Mutated genes can be classified into two: Oncogenes, which are responsible for cell growth and reproduction; and tumor suppressor