Main Principles of Buddhism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

Main Principles of Buddhism - Essay Example There are varied differences between Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. In his work, Chodron (2001) indicates that Theravada puts a lot of focus on the Pali Canon or the Tripitaka whilst the Mahayana uses the books of Theravada Tripitaka and other sutras like the Lotus Sutra. In terms of Buddhas, Theravada is more inclined on the historical Buddha- the Gautama.   Mahayana applies the Gautama Buddha and other Buddhas like the medicine Buddhas and Amitabha (Chodron, 2001). With Theravada being located in the Southern- notable Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia and other parts of S.E. Asia- and Mahayana on the Northern part, their goals of training are different. Theravada teaches Arhat while Mahayana Buddha hood through the bodhisattva-path (Chodron, 2001). The languages are also different, Pali for Theravada and Sanskrit for Mahayana (Chodron, 2001). Theravada has few rituals that are not closely followed while Mahayana has numerous that are determined by local pressures on their culture s.In Buddhism, the reason for living is to be happy. Chodron (2001) argues that it is difficult to achieve this happiness as the world is full of uncertainties that cause discontent. In this case, individuals are expected to search their souls in the quest to attain happiness, since it is believed happiness comes from within an individual.  

Research Paper on Paul Robeson Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

On Paul Robeson - Research Paper Example It was the impact of this social and political contribution of his parents that greatly influenced the mind of Paul when he was being nourished. His parents put their possible parental efforts to nurture Paul in a way that one day he would become a beacon of hope and symbol of justice not only for his African American fellows but also to those who suffer the tyranny of cruel rulers of that time. Consequently, Paul greatly learned and became an owner of remarkable multi-faceted personality. In the subsequent part of this essay, first, Paul Robeson’s birth, his childhood, early life and portion such as why should he be remembered are accounted for before the conclusion. Birth, early childhood and early life Paul LeRoy Bustill Robeson was born on April 9, 1898 in Princeton, New Jersey (Britannica.com, web). He was born the last of eight children in the Robeson family. His father, William Drew Robeson, was a runaway slave, fighting for the North in the era of Civil War in the peri od of 1861 to 1865. And for nineteen years, William remained pastor at church in New Jersey (Robeson, Jr. 2001, p.3).At that time, the South was fighting against the North over the secession. Additionally, his father chose his career in religion and received a degree in divinity from the Lincoln University and became pastor at a Presbyterian church in Princeton. Additionally, Paul’s mother, Anna Louisa Robeson, was a distinguished member of a Bustill family of Philadelphia, in which patriots of the Revolutionary War (1775-83), were included at the time when the America was fighting for their independence from the colonization of the Great Britain. In addition, Paul’s mother was also greatly involved in the social movements such as the Free African Society, developed to help runaway slaves. This entire background in which young Paul was being nurtured depicts the entire future of Paul. At the age of six, Paul lost his mother when she died. After her death, Paul’s father decided to move the remaining family to Somerville, New Jersey. At Somerville, young Paul received the supervision and nourishment from his father. At his childhood, Paul constantly remained in touch with his father, he regularly used to work with his father in church where he sang songs. Almost on each day of his childhood, Paul utilized his entire day with his father and it was his father’s way of life and his thinking that considerably played its role to determine the future direction of young Paul. Additionally, it was the role of William Drew Robeson that taught young Paul the lessons of hard work, fighting for beliefs, pursing valuable goals and helping others to achieve their cause. Political and social role Paul Robeson considerably played these two roles during the period of 1930s throughout the Europe and United States of America (notablebiographies.com, web). And during the period of 1930 to 1950, Paul spoke out against injustice (Freedomways, 1998, p.22). In 1934, Paul made the first trip to the Soviet Union where he spoke out against the rule of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime in Germany. In which, Paul severely criticized the radical and racial German army and its role against the Jews and other minorities living under the cruel rule of the Hitler. Additionally, Paul did not support the Italian invasion of Ethiopia and raised his voice against such tyranny at the hands of the Italian forces. In order to support the Ethiopians

Data Anonymization in Cloud Computing

Data Anonymization in Cloud Computing Data Anonymization Approach For Privacy  Preserving In Cloud Saranya M Abstract—Private data such as electronic health records  and banking transactions must be shared within the cloud  environment to analysis or mine data for research purposes. Data privacy is one of the most concerned issues in big data  applications, because processing large-scale sensitive data sets  often requires computation power provided by public cloud  services. A technique called Data Anonymization, the privacy  of an individual can be preserved while aggregate information  is shared for mining purposes. Data Anonymization is a  concept of hiding sensitive data items of the data owner. A  bottom-up generalization for transforming more specific data  to less specific but semantically consistent data for privacy  protection. The idea is to explore the data generalization from  data mining to hide detailed data, rather than discovering the  patterns. When the data is masked, data mining techniques  can be applied without modification. Keywords—Data Anonymization; Cloud; Bottom Up Generalization; Mapreduce; Privacy Preservation. I. INTRODUCTION Cloud Computing refers to configuring, manipulating,  and accessing the applications through online. It provides  online data storage, infrastructure and application.which is  a disruptive trend which poses a significant impact on  current IT industry and research communities [1]. Cloud  computing provides massive storage capacity computation  power and by utilizing a large number of commodity  computers together. It enable users to deploy applications  with low cost, without high investment in infrastructure. Due to privacy and security problem, numerous potential  customers are still hesitant to take advantage of cloud  [7].However, Cloud computing reduce costs through  optimization and increased operating and economic  efficiencies and enhance collaboration, agility, and scale, by  enabling a global computing model over the Internet  infrastructure. However, without proper security and  privacy solutions for clouds, this potentially cloud  computing paradigm could become a huge failure. Cloud delivery models are classified into three. They are  software as a service (saas), platform as a service (paas)  and infrastructure as a service (iaas). Saas is very similar to  the old thin-client model of software provision, clients  where usually web browsers, provides the point of access  to running software on servers.Paas provides a platform on  which software can be developed and deployed. Iaas is  comprised of highly automated and scalable computer  resources, complemented by cloud storage and network  capability which can be metered ,self-provisioned and  available on-demand[7]. Cloud is deployed using some models which include  public, private and hybrid clouds. A public cloud is one in  which the services and infrastructure are provided off-site  over the Internet. A private cloud is one in which the  services and infrastructure are maintained on a private  network. Those clouds offer a great level of security. A  hybrid cloud includes a variety of public and private  options with multiple providers. Big data environments require clusters of servers to  support the tools that process the large volumes of data,  with high velocity and with varied formats of big data. Clouds are deployed on pools of server, networking  resources , storage and can scale up or down as needed for  convenience. Cloud computing provides a cost-effective way for  supporting big data techniques and advanced applications  that drives business value. Big data analytics is a set of  advanced technologies designed to work with large  volumes of data. It uses different quantitative methods like  computational mathematics, machine learning, robotics,  neural networks and artificial intelligence to explore the  data in cloud. In cloud infrastructure to analyze big data makes sense  because Investments in big data analysis can be significant  and drive a need for efficient and cost-effective  infrastructure, Big data combines internal and external  sources as well as Data services that are needed to extract  value from big data[17]. To address the scalability problem for large scale data set  used a widely adopted parallel data processing framework  like Map Reduce. In first phase, the original datasets are  partitioned into group of smaller datasets. Now those  datasets are anonymized in parallel producing intermediate  results. In second phase, the obtained intermediate results  are integrated into one and further anonymized to achieve  consistent k-anonymous dataset. Mapreduce is a model for programming and Implementing  for processing and generating large data items. A map  function that processes a key-value pair,This generates a  set of intermediate key-value pair. A reduce function which  merges all intermediate data values associated with those  intermediate key. II. RELATED WORK Ke Wang, Philip S. Yu , Sourav Chakraborty adapts an  bottom-up generalization approach which works iteratively  to generalize the data. These generalized data is useful for  classification.But it is difficult to link to other sources. A  hierarchical structure of generalizations specifies the  generalization space.Identifying the best generalization is  the key to climb up the hierarchy at each iteration[2]. Benjamin c. M. Fung, ke wang discuss that privacy preserving  technology is used to solve some problems  only,But it is important to identify the nontechnical  difficulties and overcome faced by decision makers when  deploying a privacy-preserving technology. Their  concerns include the degradation of data quality, increased  costs , increased complexity and loss of valuable  information. They think that cross-disciplinary research is  the key to remove these problems and urge scientists in the  privacy protection field to conduct cross-disciplinary  research with social scientists in sociology, psychology,  and public policy studies[3]. Jiuyong Li,Jixue Liu , Muzammil Baig , Raymond Chi-Wing Wong proposed two classification-aware data  anonymization methods .It combines local value  suppression and global attribute generalization. The  attribute generalization is found by the data distribution,  instead of privacy requirement. Generalization levels are  optimized by normalizing mutual information for  preserving classification capability[17]. Xiaokui Xiao Yufei Tao present a technique,called  anatomy, for publishing sensitive datasets. Anatomy is the  process of releasing all the quasi-identifier and sensitive  data items directly in two separate tables. This approach  protect the privacy and capture large amount of correlation  in microdata by Combining with a grouping mechanism. A linear-time algorithm for computing anatomized tables  that obey the l-diversity privacy requirement is developed  which minimizes the error of reconstructing microdata  [13]. III. PROBLEM ANALYSIS The centralized Top Down Specialization (TDS)  approaches exploits the data structure to improve  scalability and efficiency by indexing anonymous data  records. But overheads may be incurred by maintaining  linkage structure and updating the statistic information  when date sets become large.So,centralized approaches  probably suffer from problem of low efficiency and  scalability while handling large-scale data sets. A  distributed TDS approach is proposed to address the  anonymization problem in distributed system.It  concentrates on privacy protection rather than scalability  issues.This approach employs information gain only, but  not its privacy loss. [1] Indexing data structures speeds up the process of  anonymization of data and generalizing it, because  indexing data structure avoids frequently scanning the  whole data[15]. These approaches fails to work in parallel  or distributed environments such as cloud systems since  the indexing structures are centralized. Centralized  approaches are difficult in handling large-scale data sets  well on cloud using just one single VM even if the VM has  the highest computation and storage capability. Fung et.al proposed TDS approach which produces an  anonymize data set with exploration problem on data. A  data structure taxonomy indexed partition [TIPS] is  exploited which improves efficiency of TDS, it fails to  handle large data set. But this approach is centralized  leasing to in adequacy of large data set. Raj H, Nathuji R, Singh A, England P proposes cache  hierarchy aware core assignment and page coloring based  cache partitioning to provide resource isolation and better  resource management by which it guarantees security of  data during processing.But Page coloring approach  enforces the performance degradation in case VM’s  working set doesn’t fit in cache partition[14]. Ke Wang , Philip S. Yu considers the following  problem. Data holder needs to release a version of data that  are used for building classification models. But the problem  is privacy protection and wants to protect against an  external source for sensitive information. So by adapting the iterative bottom-up generalization  approach to generalize the data from data mining. IV. METHODOLOGY Suppression: In this method, certain values of the  attributes are replaced by an asterisk *. All or some values  of a column may be replaced by * Generalization: In this method, individual values of  attributes are replaced by with a broader category. For  example, the value 19 of the attribute Age may be  replaced by ≠¤ 20, the value 23 by 20 A. Bottom-Up Generalization Bottom-Up Generalization is one of the efficient kanonymization  methods. K-Anonymity where the  attributes are suppressed or generalized until each row is  identical with at least k-1 other rows. Now database is said  to be k-anonymous. Bottom-Up Generalization (BUG)  approach of anonymization is the process of starting from  the lowest anonymization level which is iteratively  performed. We leverage privacy trade-off as the search  metric. Bottom-Up Generalization and MR Bottom up  Generalization (MRBUG) Driver are used. The following  steps of the Advanced BUG are ,they are data partition, run  MRBUG Driver on data set, combines all anonymization  levels of the partitioned data items and then apply  generalization to original data set without violating the kanonymity. Fig.1 System architecture of bottom up approach   Here a Advanced Bottom-Up Generalization approach  which improves the scalability and performance of BUG. Two levels of parallelization which is done by  mapreduce(MR) on cloud environment. Mapreduce on  cloud has two levels of parallelization.First is job level  parallelization which means multiple MR jobs can be  executed simultaneously that makes full use of cloud  infrastructure.Second one is task level parallelization  which means that multiple mapper or reducer tasks in a  MR job are executed simultaneously on data partitions. The  following steps are performed in our approach, First the  datasets are split up into smaller datasets by using several  job level mapreduce, and then the partitioned data sets are  anonymized Bottom up Generalization Driver. Then the  obtained intermediate anonymization levels are Integrated  into one. Ensure that all integrated intermediate level never  violates K-anonmity property. Obtaining then the merged  intermediate anonymized dataset Then the driver is  executed on original data set, and produce the resultant  an onymization level. The Algorithm for Advanced Bottom  Up Generalization[15] is given below, The above algorithm describes bottom-up generalization. In  ith iteration, generalize R by the best generalization Gbest . B. Mapreduce The Map framework which is classified into map and  reduce functions.Map is a function which parcels out task  to other different nodes in distributed cluster. Reduce is a  function that collates the task and resolves results into  single value. Fig.2 MapReduce Framework The MR framework is fault-tolerant since each node in  cluster had to report back with status updates and  completed work periodically.For example if a node  remains static for longer interval than the expected,then a  master node notes it and re-assigns that task to other  nodes.A single MR job is inadequate to accomplish task. So, a group of MR jobs are orchestrated in one MR driver  to achieve the task. MR framework consists of MR Driver  and two types of jobs.One is IGPL Initialization and other  is IGPL Update. The MR driver arranges the execution of  jobs. Hadoop which provides the mechanism to set global  variables for the Mappers and the Reducers. The best  Specialization which is passed into Map function of IGPL  Update job.In Bottom-Up Approach, the data is initialized  first to its current state.Then the generalizations process are  carried out k -anonymity is not violated. That is, we have to  climb the Taxonomy Tree of the attribute till required Anonymity is achieved. 1: while R that does not satisfy anonymity requirement do 2: for all generalizations G do 3: compute the IP(G); 4: end for; 5: find best generalization Gbest; 6: generalize R through Gbest; 7: end while; 8: output R; V. Experiment Evaluation To explore the data generalization from data mining in  order to hide the detailed information, rather to discover  the patterns and trends. Once the data has been masked, all  the standard data mining techniques can be applied without  modifying it. Here data mining technique not only discover  useful patterns, but also masks the private information   Fig.3 Change of execution time of TDS and BUG   Fig 3 shows the results of change in execution time of  TDS and BUG algorithm. We compared the execution time  of TDS and BUG for the size of EHR ranging from 50 to  500 MB, keeping p=1. Presenting the bottom-up  generalization for transforming the specific data to less  specific. Thus focusing on key issues to achieve quality  and scalability. The quality is addressed by trade-off  information and privacy and an bottom-up generalization  approach.The scalability is addressed by a novel data  structure to focus generalizations.To evaluate efficiency  and effectiveness of BUG approach, thus we compare  BUG with TDS.Experiments are performed in cloud  environment.These approaches are implemented in Java  language and standard Hadoop MapReduce API. VI. CONCLUSION Here we studied scalability problem for anonymizing the  data on cloud for big data applications by using Bottom Up  Generalization and proposes a scalable Bottom Up  Generalization. The BUG approach performed as  follows,first Data partitioning ,executing of driver that  produce a intermediate result. After that, these results are  merged into one and apply a generalization approach. This  produces the anonymized data. The data anonymization is  done using MR Framework on cloud.This shows that  scalability and efficiency are improved significantly over  existing approaches. REFERENCES [1] Xuyun Zhang, Laurence T. Yang, Chang Liu, and Jinjun Chen,â€Å"A  Scalable Two-Phase Top-Down Specialization Approach for Data  Anonymization Using MapReduce on Cloud†, vol. 25, no. 2,  february 2014. [2] Ke Wang, Yu, P.S,Chakraborty, S, â€Å" Bottom-up generalization: a  data mining solution to privacy protection† [3] B.C.M. Fung, K. Wang, R. Chen and P.S. Yu, â€Å"Privacy-Preserving  Data Publishing: A Survey of Recent Developments,† ACM  Comput. Surv., vol. 42, no. 4, pp.1-53, 2010. [4] K. LeFevre, D.J. DeWitt and R. Ramakrishnan, â€Å"Workload- Aware  Anonymization Techniques for Large-Scale Datasets,† ACM Trans.  Database Syst., vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 1-47, 2008. [5] B. Fung, K. Wang, L. Wang and P.C.K. Hung, â€Å"Privacy- Preserving  Data Publishing for Cluster Analysis,† Data Knowl.Eng., Vol.68,  no.6, pp. 552-575, 2009. [6] B.C.M. Fung, K. Wang, and P.S. Yu, â€Å"Anonymizing Classification  Data for Privacy Preservation,† IEEE Trans. Knowledge and Data  Eng., vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 711-725, May 2007. [7] Hassan Takabi, James B.D. Joshi and Gail-Joon Ahn, â€Å"Security and  Privacy Challenges in Cloud Computing Environments†. [8] K. LeFevre, D.J. DeWitt, and R. Ramakrishnan, â€Å"Incognito:  Efficient Full-Domain K-Anonymity,† Proc. ACM SIGMOD Int’l  Conf. Management of Data (SIGMOD ’05), pp. 49-60, 2005. [9] T. IwuchukwuandJ.F. Naughton, â€Å"K-Anonymization as Spatial  Indexing: Toward Scalable and Incremental Anonymization,† Proc.  33rdIntlConf. VeryLarge DataBases (VLDB07), pp.746-757, 2007 [10] J. Dean and S. Ghemawat, â€Å"Mapreduce: Simplified Data Processing  on Large Clusters,† Comm. ACM, vol. 51, no. 1, pp. 107-113,2008. [11] Dean J, Ghemawat S. â€Å"Mapreduce: a flexible data processing tool,†Ã‚  Communications of the ACM 2010;53(1):72–77. DOI:  10.1145/1629175.1629198. [12] Jiuyong Li, Jixue Liu , Muzammil Baig , Raymond Chi-Wing  Wong, â€Å"Information based data anonymization for classification  utility† [13]X. Xiao and Y. Tao, â€Å"Anatomy: Simple and Effective Privacy  Preservation,† Proc. 32nd Int’l Conf. Very Large Data Bases  (VLDB’06), pp. 139-150, 2006. [14] Raj H, Nathuji R, Singh A, England P. â€Å"Resource management for  isolation enhanced cloud services,† In: Proceedings of the  2009ACM workshop on cloud computing security, Chicago, Illinois,  USA, 2009, p.77–84. [15] K.R.Pandilakshmi, G.Rashitha Banu. â€Å"An Advanced Bottom up  Generalization Approach for Big Data on Cloud† , Volume: 03, June  2014, Pages: 1054-1059.. [16] Intel â€Å"Big Data in the Cloud: Converging Technologies†. [17] Jiuyong Li, Jixue Liu Muzammil Baig, Raymond Chi-Wing Wong,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Information based data anonymization for classification utility†.

Greek Actors :: essays research papers

GREEK DRAMA: the actors The actors in ancient tragedies were hired and paid by the state and assigned to the tragic poets probably by lot. By the middle of the fifth century three actors were required for the performance of a tragedy. In descending order of importance of the roles they assumed they were called protagonist ‘first actor’ (a term also applied in modern literary criticism to the central character of a play), Dueteragonist ‘second actor’ and tritagonist “third actor’. The protagonist took the tile of the most important character in the play while the other two actors played the lesser roles. Since most plays have more than two or three characters (although never more than three speaking actors in the same seen), all three actors played multiple roles. In modern literary criticism, the term protagonist refers to the central character of the play, not the actor. Since women were not allowed to take part in dramatic productions, male actors has to play female roles. The playing of multiple roles, both male and female, was made possible by the use of masks, which prevented the audience from identifying the face of any actor with one specific character in the play and helped eliminate the physical incongruity of men impersonating women. The masks with subtle variations also helped the audience identify the sex age and social rank of the characters. The fact that the chorus remained in the orchestra throughout the play, and sang and danced choral songs between the episodes. Allowed the actors to exit after an episode in order to change mask and costume and assume a new role in the next episode without any illusion-destroying interruption in the play.

Illumination Rounds

In Smoke Drug use Is often viewed as a way to create or enhance an activity, but some drugs are commonly used for other reasons. In â€Å"Illumination Rounds† by Michael Herr, Herr documents his experiences during the Vietnam War. He writes about the wide use of marijuana to help soldiers, and even journalists, cope with the stress that comes from being in a war. The use of marijuana to relieve stress is still prevalent in today's society, both in popular culture and real life. Many artists such as Bob Marble, Asher Roth and 8. . 8. Openly express their affection for marijuana and the short term lease of stress smoking marijuana gives them. Researchers are finding that not only Is the use of marijuana to relieve stress seen In Vietnam and popular culture today, but it is also a problem among a rising number of youth throughout the united States, and even beyond. â€Å"Illumination Rounds† was published in 1969 and was a firsthand account by Michael Herr about his time c overing the war in Vietnam. The essay is made up of a collection experiences.These vignettes often are about the stress and hardships of being In a war on the other side of the world, fighting for someone else's freedoms. Of the ways Herr writes that soldiers dealt with the stress of war, drugs was the most prevalent. The primary drug written about is â€Å"grass† or marijuana. There are multiple accounts of Herr smoking marijuana with soldiers. In one account he goes to a soldier's house off base and they smoke marijuana before some friends come over, then smoke more once the friends show up. A second time is when he Is waiting for a helicopter to depart for where he needs to go.He waits with a soldier who is trying to get on a helicopter to a different location, but while they wait together they smoke a â€Å"joint† and share stories. In popular culture there are many references to the use of marijuana to relieve stress and escape the troubles of life. In a song enti tled â€Å"Cloud 9† by Bobby Ray Simmons, or known by his stage name as B. O. B. , he talks about this very use of marijuana. 8. 08. Opens the song by saying, I am walking along a very cold road and Wherever It ends and where It begins I do not know But I've noticed that He keeps rolling' that It'll take you anywhere no matter where you're going' (B. . B. â€Å"Cloud 9†) In this excerpt B. O. B. Is referencing the long path he is on to try to sign with a record label. He says he does not know where his Journey begins or ends, but rolling up a joint takes him away from the long path to wherever he wants to be. Because It Is taking him away from his struggles to get signed, he says he â€Å"keeps rolling' that† to escape. The use of marijuana to escape the hardships is brought up again later in the first verse of the song when he says, It mint goanna be no pain I'm about to let it go. Goodbye, I'll be gone for a while I'm on cloud 9. (B. . B. â€Å"Cloud 9† ) This Is a direct reference to letting the pain of his past denials and stresses of a marijuana induced high. Both the soldiers and B. O. B. Use marijuana to escape the pain and stress of life. Due to the fact that the high only lasts a limited time, they continually smoke more marijuana to escape. Both B. O. B. And the soldiers in Vietnam have to deal with a struggle to cope with the growing pains of having to mature quickly and the stress of being on a Journey that the ending is nowhere in sight. The types of pain as well as the levels of stress endured by B. . B. And soldiers in Vietnam may not be comparable, but the method to deal with their hardships is the same, smoking marijuana. The use of party drugs, such as marijuana, is more common than previously thought. The use of these drugs to mask the stresses of life is at an all time high, and continually on the rise. The alarming rise in abuse of party drugs was a main topic at the Cesar E. Shave Behavioral Health Conference ea rlier in March. The conference was discussed in an article entitled â€Å"Expert: Teens use party drugs to deal with stress,† written for The Arizona Republic.Karol Jumpier, a researcher and substance abuse treatment expert from the University of Utah, explained this problem during he conference when she said, â€Å"In the last two or three years, we've had a significant surge in alcohol, ecstasy, prescription drugs and marijuana use among teens. And you notice that those are all the party drugs. † (â€Å"Expert: Teens use party drugs to deal with stress†). The article goes on to explain that she believes this rise in the use of these drugs is due to the economic stresses and a lack of time parents spend with their children.She said that â€Å"parents have spent about one-third less time with their kids over the past three years, an average of 4. 2 hours per week† (â€Å"Expert: Teens use arty drugs to deal with stress†). The lack of time spent wit h parents around raises the amount of independence required of kids who shouldn't have to be on their own. Being alone and having to do homework without someone to help or having to make yourself a meal can be very stressful for someone too young to have such independence. Kids turning to party drugs is very similar to the soldiers in Vietnam who used many of the same drugs.Both were, for the most part, young and overwhelmed by responsibility and their surroundings. The soldiers were fighting a war, which many f them were drafted into as opposed to signing up, that was horrific beyond imagination at an age where many should have still been in school. They were all forced to grow up quickly or risk death from not being prepared for life. Kids who don't have their parents around face the same issue as the soldiers, they have to grow up too quickly. The stress of having to be mature and responsible beyond your years is what has driven a rising number of youth to turn to drugs, such as marijuana, to cover the stress.Marijuana use is becoming more prevalent in society and culture in today's life, such like it was during the Vietnam War. The use of marijuana to help alleviate stress was documented by Michael Herr in â€Å"Illumination Rounds† and by B. O. B. In his song â€Å"Cloud 9†. Researchers and experts are documenting a sharp and continuing increase in the use of drugs like marijuana to deal with stress. Due to the rising number of households with all present parents work, there is little that can be done to help curtail the rising number of teens turning to drugs. Better and more readily and out of danger.Educating the youth on the negative effects drugs can have on the odd is another way to prevent kids from turning to drugs as a stress reliever. The biggest impact, however, can be made if entertainers and people kids look up to do not glorify the use of drugs. In Hip-Hop, the most prevalent music among inner-city neighborhoods with at risk yo uth, the use of drugs is promoted and talked about as if it is a normal and acceptable way to deal with stress. If a culture could be created where the people kids look up to do not promote drugs, the next generation may be able to avoid the feeling that drugs are the only way to deal with stress.

Oman Cement Company

Oman Cement Company ( SAOG ) was formed in 1978. Rusayl Cement works was completed in 1983 with an one-year incorporate cement production capacity of 624,000 dozenss, of cement. In 1999 clinkering capacity expanded to a sum of 1.2 million dozenss per twelvemonth. The 2nd production line came on watercourse in mid 1998. Presently the company is working on spread outing the capacity of works signifier 1.26 MTS per twelvemonth to 1.70 MTS per twelvemonth by upgrading production line No. 1 and No. 2. The company installations are: 1- Computerized Fabrication Oman cement fabrication procedure is to the full computerized. This avoids major jeopardies in fabrication and needs less work force. 2- Central Laboratory The Quality Control is supported by cardinal research lab consisting of robotics, X-ray spectrometers, optical maser atom size analysers and computerized physical belongingss proving equipment. 3- Quality Management System and Environmental Management System oman cement Quality Management System is in conformity with the Quality Assurance Procedures of ISO 9001: 2000 enfranchisement. 4- Pollution Control. The Oman cement company produces many types of cement which are: 1- Ordinary Portland Cement: It is type I Portland cement. Its utilizations are strengthened concrete edifices, Bridgess and railroad constructions. The typical compound composings of this type are: 55 % ( C3S ) , 19 % ( C2S ) , 10 % ( C3A ) , 7 % ( C4AF ) , 2.8 % MgO, 2.9 % ( SO3 ) , 1.0 % Ignition loss, and 1.0 % free CaO. 2- Sulphate Resistant Cement: It is type V, is used where sulfate opposition is of import. Its typical compound composing is: 38 % ( C3S ) , 43 % ( C2S ) , 4 % ( C3A ) , 9 % ( C4AF ) , 1.9 % MgO, 1.8 % ( SO3 ) , 0.9 % Ignition loss, and 0.8 % free CaO. 3- Moderate sulfate resistant: It is type II cement. This type of cement can be used in constructions of considerable mass, such as big wharfs, heavy abutments, and heavy retaining walls. Its usage will cut down temperature rise particularly when the concrete is capable to hot conditions. Its typical compounds composing is: 51 % ( C3S ) , 24 % ( C2S ) , 6 % ( C3A ) , 11 % ( C4AF ) , 2.9 % MgO, 2.5 % ( SO3 ) , 0.8 % Ignition loss, and 1.0 % free CaO. 4- Oil Well Cement Oil good cement, used for oil Wellss grouting, normally made from Portland cement cinder or from blended hydraulic cements. It is used for cementing work in the boring of oil Wellss where they are capable to high temperatures and force per unit areas. Its typical compound composing is: MgO: 6.0 % SO3: 3.0 % Loss On Ignition: 3.0 % C3S: 48 % -65 % C3A: 3.0 % Insoluble Residue: 0.75 % C4AF+2C3A: 24 % Production methods: There are four phases to bring forth cement that Oman cement utilizing which are: 1- Preparation of the natural stuff at preies 2- Heating and chilling to bring forth cinder 3- Preparation of the cement 4- Cement wadding Procedure description: 1- Preparation stuff at preies The natural stuff contains of limestone ( 80 % of natural stuff ) , silica, aluminate and Fe ore. The preies located around the Oman cement works. At preies the natural stuffs are extracted with heavy equipments. Then the limestones are crushed with nomadic crushers connected with long conveyor belt to transport them to storage go throughing the car lab to analysis the samples with x-ray each two hours. After that the natural stuff are moved to reservoirs. Then they are moved with conveyer belt to the altogether factory to crunch the natural stuffs. Finally the crunching natural stuffs are moved to mixture reservoirs to acquire proper mixture before fed them to kiln. 2- Heating and chilling to bring forth cinder The natural stuffs are moved to impart, where heat exchange is occurred between these stuff and the raising hot gases from kiln, so the stuffs are separated from the gases. After that the stuff moved to calciner where the limestone is converted to calcium oxide, and so the calcined stuffs arefed to the kiln where the temperature about 1400 degree Celsius and so go forth from kiln to acquire cinder. Then the cinder leaves from kiln to air to cut down its temperature to 100 degree Celsiuss to be ready to be moved to cement factory. Kiln procedure 3- Preparation of cement The cinder that came out of the ice chest will be transported by the pail concatenation conveyer to the silo. The bag filter on the top of the silo is sized for the eating by the pail concatenation conveyer and thermic air enlargement in the storage. The cinder extracted from the silo is transported by belt conveyers to the cement proportioning. The gypsum is added to the cinder. Then the proportioned stuffs are conveyed via belt conveyer to cement crunching. Materials land by ball factory are transported centrifuge by pail lift. The harsh atoms separated return to ball factory for regrinding while the all right merchandise is collected by the bag filter behind the centrifuge and so conveyed to cement silo with an air slide and pail lift. Cement silos is used to hive away the cement. Cement factory 4-Cement wadding The cement from extraction systems under the cement silo is delivered to the buffer bin by air slide and the pail lift and vibrating screen, before being fed into each bagger. The bagged cement can be loaded straight or stored in depot temporarily. Machinery and Equipments: No. Name map 1 Limestone Crusher used in rock prey to oppress limestone 2 Clay crusher used in rock prey to oppress clay 3 Limestone Stacker Used to travel limestone to preblending reserve 4 Limestone reclaimer Used to take preblended mixture from preblending reserve 5 Coal and Fe ore Crusher Used to oppress linear stuffs 6 Coal and Fe ore Stacker Used to travel Fe ore to conveyor belt so to proportioning station 7 Coal & A ; Fe ore reclaimer Used for repossessing all linear stuffs and coal 8 Raw factory used for natural stuffs crunching and drying 9 Raw factory fan Used to set the factory recess temperature. 10 Preheater fan used to dry the natural stuffs 11 Preheater and precalciner Preheater used for preheating and partial decarbonation, and precalciner for calcination 12 Rotary kiln used to raise natural stuffs to a high temperature 13 Grate ice chest Used for slaking 14 Cement factory Used to crunch cement 15 Bag filter Used to roll up dust 16 Coal factory Used for coal drying 17 Bulk stevedore for truck Used to lade the majority 18 Cement bagger Used to pack cement merchandise Quality control system: The quality control section in the Oman cement company map is to supervise merchandise quality in every phase of production get downing with pull outing the limestone from the prey till the phase of cement Millss, by taking samples and analysis them. 1- The computing machine and x-ray analysis: The mechanization lab consists of automaton, x-ray spectrometers, optical maser atom size analyser and computerized physical belongingss. The samples will be taken by an automatic sampling station from a point between the altogether factory and homogenising silo and so transported manually to the cardinal car lab, where it will be semi-automatically prepared and sent to an X-Ray analyser. The consequences analyzed will be sent to a proportioning computing machine. The computing machine will cipher the ratio of natural stuffs and direct out the set value to constant feeder harmonizing to the chemical composings and natural repast faculty required. 2- Physical analysis: To prove the choiceness, soundness, puting clip, strength, specific gravitation, heat of hydration and loss on ignition of the cement to accomplish the American specifications demand. Care process: The section maps are: -Checking all machinery and equipments are work decently. -Scheduling and be aftering for preventative care, prognostic care. – Coordinating with all sections for day-to-day job. – Planning, organizing of preventative and breakdown activities for accomplishing high works handiness to run into production mark. The process that the Oman cement follows in instance of dislocation, preventative and shutdown care are: 1. Breakdown care In instance of any breakdown care in the production section, they give information sing the dislocation to the care section, and care workers are sent to the production works to repair machine failures. 2. Preventive care here, a squad of care workers is sent straight to the production workss to look into out whether there is any failure in the machinery or non. 3. Shutdown care When the works is shut down the employees in the production section sent a missive to the care section and consecutive stairss are taken by care section to work out the failures. The works closure occurs every 6 month in March and September. The procedure of operating and monitoring production lines and machines immediately, so they can watch the failure and harm of the machines and equipments to mend them or replace them. Technical direction The proficient direction duty is to oversee all the mechanical, electrical things and keep the assorted equipments and everything that related to maintenance process, and this direction divided in many subdivisions: a- The machine subdivision The duty of this subdivision is prepare exigency and planning agenda and make it to all the equipments and describe it to name the unusual failure and hole it. Inspect the machinery, cheque with drawings and specifications and rectification. It contacts with shop subdivision to supply the needed replacing parts and besides contacts with other subdivisions to keep the equipments at the workshop. At the workshop they fix the equipments in exigency conditions, look into the equipments if they work decently and routinely, takes care the equipments and aid to clean them. B ) The machine operation subdivision The duty of this subdivision manufacture the replacing parts, make an order outside the company to acquire new parts, lathe the machine parts the required the workshops. degree Celsius ) The immediate machine care subdivision The duty of this subdivision is to look into and repair the production lines. vitamin D ) The electrical subdivision The electricity section is responsible to mend and guarantee the continuance of the work of all electrical and electronic equipment and preciseness instruments on the production line and besides supervises contact with other subdivisions to that the electricity working decently.

Curriculum Restructuring in Great Meadows Middle Schools

Curriculum Restructuring in Great Meadows Middle Schools The decision of Great Meadows Middle schools to incorporate an advanced integrated curriculum was appropriate. The gradual change in the curriculum from subject-based approach to a life-applicable approach would prepare the students for the real life situations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Curriculum Restructuring in Great Meadows Middle Schools specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The educators gradually incorporated the curriculum to ensure that students, facilitators and other stakeholders were not shocked with an abrupt change in the mode of teaching and learning. The time lag was considered essential for the students to adapt to the changes in curriculum, and allow skeptical individuals to realize the benefits of the switch with time (Manning and Katherine 118). Furthermore, the enthusiasm held by the teachers addressed the necessity of the change since they were responsible for implementing the changeover. A pr e-assessment made to evaluate the benefits and ability of the school’s curriculum shift was commended because it gave the facilitators an assurance of its capability to complete the shift. It ensured that its interdisciplinary teams were made aware of their responsibility to draw the units necessary for the change. Additionally, the advantages held by the school on its capability to execute the block arrangement of learning periods would ensure adjustment to the needs of the curriculum change (Olson 46). The choice of themes generated by the teachers while focusing on the student’s needs would be effective. This is attributed to the teachers’ awareness of the challenges that students face in the current world, and the required skills of overcoming them. The integration of student-focused themes within conventional circular areas ensures a smooth paradigm switch in the mode of learning. Furthermore, it provides a room for the introduction of vital perspectives in learning such as cultural, economic, and social issues, which ensures an all-round growth of the learners (Manning and Katherine 119).Advertising Looking for essay on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Several issues may also challenge the effectiveness of the curriculum switch. The inherent problem in the integrated model is the generalized mode of teaching. Critics argue that within this system, subjects are taught in a manner that limits the students from selective specialization in learning. This means that teachers can major on one theme at the expense of other themes since it is impracticable to major in all fields. Since there was a provision for the fine-tuning in the previous integrated themes, a disparity will be faced between the competence of the students who used the earlier themes and those students who later adopt the refined themes. Motivation and enthusiasm of teachers, facilitators and othe r stakeholders within the integration period cannot be assessed. The challenges face by educators while switching may make them grow weary, and thus, render the change unsuccessful and ineffective. Moreover, some facilitators may feel overworked, as their expertise and time might be utilized more than individuals whose specialization is minimally required within the new curriculum (Olson 78). In essence, the success of the change depends on the ability to cater costs of resources required for use in the new mode of learning such as computers, internet among others. Effectiveness of the integration model of learning adopted in the school depends on the modes of learning used in higher institutions of learning. The school would have made an earlier assessment of the continuity of the curriculum to ensure a smooth transition in the institutions. Therefore, a consideration for the success in academic life must be put in place before implementing any curriculum switch within any academic level. Manning, Lee, and Katherine Bucher. Teaching in the Middle School . New York:Pearson/Merrill Prentice, 2004. Print. Olson, John. Classroom knowledge and curriculum change. New York: McGraw Hills, 2009. Print.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Curriculum Restructuring in Great Meadows Middle Schools specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More

Mixed Blood by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith

Mixed Blood by Jaune Quick-to-See Smith A good paper if your looking for an analysis of a strange piece of artworkThis painting done in 1992 by Quick-to-See Smith has a lot to say, much of which can be interpreted in different ways by the viewer. The main object in the painting is a hand. Around the hand are newspaper clipping and pieces of cloth. There are big areas of color and red dripping paint in some places. There is not a lot going on in this painting, but the things that are happening are very powerful and thought provoking.Mixed Blood is a statement made to get people's attention. The artist wants people to better understand the Native Americans and to respect the battles they fought in order to remain alive. The colors used and the boldness of the hand in the center of the picture are eye-catching. The hand is a familiar object, but it could have a few different meanings.Whitaker (left, in white vestments) as portrayed i...The viewer is able to interpret it in which ever way they are most comfortable with. The pr inciples of art used in this work include emphasis, balance, and contrast. The most obvious elements of art used in this painting are color, time, and shape/form.The hand in the middle of the painting is the emphasis. Your eye is attracted to the hand right away. The hand is somewhere between idealistic and abstract. It is abstract because it is simplified and idealistic because it's what the idealistic vision of a hand would look like. The reason for making the hand look generic is that Quick-to-See Smith wants us to believe that the hand could be anyone's. By not individualizing the hand, it makes it seem like it's not one person's hand in particular, rather the common hand, or the hand of the human race.

August 2007 Most Popular Posts

August 2007 Most Popular Posts August 2007 Most Popular Posts August 2007 Most Popular Posts By Sharon Write First, Edit Later: Well, it is important to write correctly. It makes your communication clearer, and your reputation brighter. But it’s usually better to say what you mean poorly than to say nothing. Passive vs. Active Voice: English teachers like myself love to warn new writers against the evils of passive voice. Here at Daily Writing Tips, Michael has written about passive writing, and I recently wrote about dummy subjects, but it looks like there’s still some confusion about passive voice and its use. â€Å"Could Care Less† versus â€Å"Couldn’t Care Less†: The Oxford dictionary already recognizes â€Å"could care less† as an American colloquialism. Many people, however, regard it as incorrect since it makes no logical sense (if you â€Å"could care less† it means that you care at least a bit). What do you think about it? Have your say in our Poll! Five Spelling Rules for â€Å"Silent Final E†: In an earlier stage of the language, many of these final e’s were pronounced. Now, however, unless the word is a foreign borrowing, the final e is silent. Needed: New Singular Possessive Adjective Combining â€Å"his† and â€Å"her†: I told him that the answer was c) his, but, to my astonishment, the answer key gave b) his or her as the correct answer. That’s when I discovered that I was behind the times when it came to the concept of oppressive gendered language. Punctuation Errors: Quotation Marks for Emphasis: Last month, Daniel covered some of the basic rules for using quotation marks. I’d like to point out one of the most common misuses of this piece of punctuation: the quotation mark for emphasis. Misspelled Numbers, Months, and Days: Yes, these are elementary spelling words, but cruise the web and you will see them misspelled all over the place. The Truth About â€Å"It’s†: As well as I know the rule, as many times as I have corrected the error in the manuscripts of others, the occasional it’s for its creeps into my own writing and must be caught in the final revision. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Regarding Re:Email EtiquetteArtist vs. Artisan

Can we still refer to the public sphere Use examples to suggest how Essay

Can we still refer to the public sphere Use examples to suggest how realistic or idealistic this notion is with regards to jour - Essay Example It becomes a focal point of our yearning for the good society, the institutional sites where popular political will should take form and citizens should be able to comprise themselves as active agents in the political process. democratic character and consequently in a sense the most instantly visible indicator of our admittedly flawed democracies (Hallin, Daniel C, 1994). The notion of the public sphere can be used in a very general as well as common-sense manner, as, for instance, a synonym for the processes of public view or for the news media themselves. In its more ambitious appearance, however, as it was developed by Jurgen Habermas (1993), the public sphere ought to be understood as an analytic class, a conceptual device which, while pointing to a definite social occurrence can also help us in analyzing and researching the experience. For Habermas, the idea of the bourgeois public sphere indicates a specific social space, which arose under the development of capitalism in West ern Europe. As an analytic category, the bourgeois public sphere comprises a vibrant nexus which links various actors, factors as well as contexts together in a consistent theoretic framework. So why should we listen to a philosopher, even one so distinguished as Richard Rorty, who still believes in a democratic role for journalism— at least, why should we listen in any frame of mind other than one of ironic knowingness about the fate of philosophy in the real world? (Hall, 1982) â€Å"I think that contemporary liberal society already contains the institutions for its own improvement,† Rorty wrote in Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity. â€Å"Indeed, my hunch is that Western social and political thought may have had the last conceptual revolution it needs. s private lives alone and preventing suffering† while â€Å"discoveries about who is being made to suffer can be left to the workings of a free press, free universities, and enlightened public opinion. t we di smiss in an especially derisive tone of ironic knowingness any such vision of intellectual history at its end? Rorty, it turns out, has anticipated and subverted our irony with irony of his own. An ultimate ironist, according to Rorty, knows that even if liberal democracy has had the last conceptual revolution it needs, it has not had the last revolution possible. That is because a world in which democracy is fully realized is a world constituted and maintained by a particular language—a language that enables its citizens to articulate their loathing of injustice as well as their love of liberty. The ultimate ironist also knows that such a world can never be entirely secure because its language is a contingent rather than necessary development in human history. Anything, including both suffering and freedom, can be â€Å"made to look good or bad, important or unimportant, useful or useless, by being re-described.† Thus the ultimate ironist lives with the terrible reali zation that, whenever language hostile to justice or liberty is spoken by the adversaries of democratic values, no ultimate philosophical weapon—no knowledge of what is fundamentally real and no vision of what is truly human—is available to the defenders of democratic values. The defenders can only exercise, and strive to enhance, the descriptive and persuasive powers of their moral language (Glasser, 1998). S position on the

Letter to the Editor about Airport Security Assignment

Letter to the Editor about Airport Security - Assignment Example Mr. Schneier’s statement â€Å"There are two classes of contraband at airport security checkpoints: the class that will get you in trouble if you try to bring it on an airplane, and the class that will cheerily be taken away from you if you try to bring it on an airplane† is true. The news reports on incidents regarding bombs, guns, and explosives confiscated at airports, but rarely are airports shut down over a passenger carrying pasta sauce, fingernail clippers, water, or shampoo. If the items in the class of being taken away with the passenger still being allowed to board the plane are so dangerous, why are they stored in big bins out in the open? The answer is simple, these items are not dangerous. If these items are not dangerous, why does airport security take them? Airport security takes these simple items because it makes them feel safe. Not only does it make the airport security feel safe, but the airline passengers as well. We might all complain about the long lines and inconvenience, but figure that all that fuss must make us safe. The question becomes do we really want to be safe, or do we want to feel safe? I believe the answer subconsciously is Americans want to feel safe. Feeling safe is not only better for the peace of mind, but can be used as an excuse if anything does happen. After 9/11, Americans looked back at the warning signs. What if we would have taken the Russian warning more seriously, what if we would have taken Osama bin Laden more seriously, what if we would have never gotten involved in the first Gulf War, what if we would have had stricter airport security? All of these doubts gnawed at the American public. Today if the same events as 9/11 happened, A mericans could say that they are doing everything possible to prevent terrorism. The feeling of safety is more important than actual safety.

Contingency Perspectives of Leadership are Better at Motivating Annotated Bibliography

Contingency Perspectives of Leadership are Better at Motivating Employees - Annotated Bibliography Example The study was carried out in a financial service company with 153 participants, all of whom were clerical workers. A questionnaire was circulated around the organization and then immediately collected by the researcher. The questionnaire contained scales that ranged from 1 to 5. Participants had to indicate how strongly they agreed or disagreed with certain statements. Followers’ personalities were broken down into four categories: neuroticism, extraversion, openness, and agreeableness. The scales ranged from â€Å"not at all true† (1) to â€Å"completely true† (5). The four categories for followers’ personalities were each given a Cronbach’s alpha. In order to test for transformational leadership, an adapted version of the MLQ 5 X Short was administered. Because of this, four transformational dimensions were defined: idealized influence, individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation, and inspirational motivation. The scales for these dimen sions ranged from â€Å"never† (1) to â€Å"almost always† 5). As in the previous test, Cronbach’s alpha was used. Commitment was assessed using two scales—an affective commitment scale and a continuance scale. Once again, Cronbach’s alpha was used. It was discovered that followers’ extraversion and agreeableness were positively correlated to the perception of overall transformational leadership and to affective commitment to the supervisor. Also, followers high in extraversion and agreeableness recognize transformational leadership more than those who are low in these areas. ... Once again, Cronbach’s alpha was used. If literature review/ meta-analysis or critique: Focus of content Key debates Position , if clear - If research article: Findings of research It was discovered that followers’ extraversion and agreeableness were positively correlated to the perception of overall transformational leadership and to affective commitment to the supervisor. Also, followers high in extraversion and agreeableness recognize transformational leadership more than those who are low in these areas. Hypotheses 1.1 and 1.2 were largely supported, whereas Hypotheses 1.3 and 1.4 were only partially supported. In terms of Hypotheses 2.1, the perception of transformational leadership was positively linked with perceived leaders’ extraversion. If literature review/ meta-analysis or critique: Conclusions - Significance of article in relation to: other articles, your topic generally or prior research. There is an increase of research that focuses solely on follo wers and shows they value a better understanding of the role of followers in the leadership process. The results of this research will be helpful to business organizations in the future because it will allow them to set up constructive communication channels for followers to speak to their leaders. Limitations of article Eg location, industry, focus etc Because the data are cross-sectional, it cannot prove that the directions of the arrows in the model presented in Figure 1 are correct. Also, the influence of personality characteristics examined in this study is limited. Other factors influence the perception and acceptance of leadership other than followers’ personalities. Strength/s of article A definite link is found between extraverted followers and transformational leaders. This shows

Intellectual Disability (Formerly Mental Retardation) Research Paper

Intellectual Disability (Formerly Mental Retardation) - Research Paper Example These are genetic, acquired, environmental and sociocultural. In genetic factors, it involves chromosomal or hereditary disorders. Due to the translocation of chromosomes 21 and 15, which cause Down syndrome in newborns, which statistics show occur in 15 of every 10000 births. Other related intellectual disabilities caused by chromosome disorder are the fragile X chromosome syndrome, lesch-nyhan syndrome and rett syndrome among others. On the other hand, intellectual disabilities are acquired through hereditary factors. It can be passed from a parent to a baby. These hereditary factors include galactosemy, Tay-Sachs disease, phenylketonuria, Mowat-Wilson syndrome among others (American Psychiatric Association, 2000; Fernald, 1912). There are acquired factors that also cause intellectual disabilities and these can be grouped into two groups: Congenital and developmental factors. Congenital factors are those that acquired through the infected parent’s body. These infections can be through metabolic, neonatal hypothyroidism, intoxication through lead poisoning, fatal syndrome or prenatal exposure to lethal substances and infectious body diseases like syphilis, toxoplasmosis among others. On the other hand, developmental factors include those infections that are acquired during prenatal period where pregnancy complications such as toxemia could arise leading to intellectual disability (Schrander-Stumpel, et al, 2007). ... Poverty opens up a wide exposure to environmental and psychosocial factors to the infants. Poor prenatal, perinatal and postnatal health care can lead to intellectual disabilities as well. The above factors are just a few of the known causes of intellectual disabilities though to date, most causes are still unknown and still being researched (American Psychiatric Association, 2000; Schrander-Stumpel, et al, 2007). With different intellectual disabilities, the symptoms differ from one disability to the other with most common characterized by limitation in communication, personal care, home life, self-governance, leisure time, work, academic skills, health and safety and lastly limitations in social life (Schrander-Stumpel, et al, 2007). While these are common characteristics, there are those particular characters that are observed with a particular disability. With the genetic disorders in the fragile X syndrome, a person’s brain is affected, hence, displaying characters associ ated with autism, which include poor eye contact, anxiety, sudden mood change and hand flapping (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Although it is rare, it affects both males and females. In the case of Phenylketonuria, it leads to corrosion of myelin in the brain exhibiting signs of epilepsy and neurological problems. There are symptoms of autistic disorder and hyperactivity in the case of Bourneville as an intellectual disability. Lastly, on genetic etiology, there is Lesch Nyhan syndrome, which allows excess flow of uric acid. It is characterized by self-mutilating behaviors like finger, lip biting, and makes the victim more aggressive towards others (American Psychiatric

Questions2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Questions2 - Essay Example However, it opens room for unscrupulous short term currency traders with the aim of inflating the conversion rate for personal gains. Such challenges may lead to losses for businesses operating in countries with a weak currency thus allowing for the monopoly. The short term financial selling can be reduced by financial market players with the ability to control the currency conversion rates based on the globally agreed rates and competition. The foreign exchange and financial market are vital in improving business efficiency because they affect the revenue and expenditure of business in relation to the exchange rates (Mendleson, 2012, p. 123). Efficiency is improved when the foreign exchange market is stable leading to price stability in the product and service market. The success of businesses globally depends heavily on the foreign exchange market. Therefore, the foreign exchange market is vital in the global success of businesses because it affects revenue and expenditure. The suc cess of foreign exchange market is revealed on the global success of the businesses based on other factors affecting globalization. The currency conversion rate is a vital factor in international business operations. Question three Currency crisis and the default crisis are related especially in the developing country. Normally, the currency crisis precedes the default crisis indicating the relationship between the two crises. The sudden drop in the exchange rate of a currency leads to serious challenge in the financial market which in turn affects the business operations in the country. In order to avert currency conversion crisis, countries must ensure that then conversion rates are maintained at a stable price which increases trust in the currency and improves the development of the necessary capital stability. In order to avert a currency conversion crisis, the country must evaluate it paper money value and maintain at a stable equilibrium (Boone & Kurtz, 2011, p. 96). Industria l countries tend to ignore the impact of the global currency conversion rate, which in turn affects their performance globally. Countries must engage in the global currency trade and ensure that the stability of the local currency is achieved. The achievement of currency conversion stability will avert default crisis and ensure success in the global market. The use of sovereign credit rating will improve the stability in the currency conversion rates which in turn leads to reduction of currency crisis. Sovereign credit rating plays an integral role in the determination of the extent to which countries have access to the international capital markets (Sorrells, 2012, p. 115). However, changes in the sovereign credit rating should not be viewed as the indicator of the existence or future occurrence of a currency crisis. In conclusion, default crisis can be averted by controlling currency crisis. Question five The derivatives market is a financial market based on derivative factors and financial instruments. These instruments include future contracts or options obtained from other forms of assets. The market is divided in to two namely exchange-traded derivatives and over-the-counter derivatives. Tailor-made derivatives cannot be traded on the future exchange market but are traded on Over-the-counter markets. They consist of investment banks with clients such as the hedge funds, government

Ancient and Medieval Political Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ancient and Medieval Political Theory - Essay Example es against Socrates were raised from the general prejudices, which surrounded him over the years he taught philosophy which is simply an approach employed by politicians across the generations and time. The rigidity to accept new concepts that could change the society is depicted in the general prejudices against Socrates. In fact, the core issue in the argument is the failure to acknowledge a current leadership. In addition, Socrates is neither considered a physicalist, nor a Sophist by the accusers1. The false image of Socrates arose from misunderstanding the activity of Socrates which is a true reflection in political rivalry and competition. The role of law in the society is reflected on how it is interpreted by the users. In the case of Socrates, he feels that the imprisonment was a result of wrong interpretation of the law. The understanding of the roles of the individuals in society is presented by Socrates to instigate change in the society2. The death sentence of Socrates is presented in two-perspective; for those who voted for his acquittal, and those who voted for his death. In conclusion, the Crito and Apology by Plato presents the truth about his case and interpretation of the

Questions2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Questions2 - Essay Example However, it opens room for unscrupulous short term currency traders with the aim of inflating the conversion rate for personal gains. Such challenges may lead to losses for businesses operating in countries with a weak currency thus allowing for the monopoly. The short term financial selling can be reduced by financial market players with the ability to control the currency conversion rates based on the globally agreed rates and competition. The foreign exchange and financial market are vital in improving business efficiency because they affect the revenue and expenditure of business in relation to the exchange rates (Mendleson, 2012, p. 123). Efficiency is improved when the foreign exchange market is stable leading to price stability in the product and service market. The success of businesses globally depends heavily on the foreign exchange market. Therefore, the foreign exchange market is vital in the global success of businesses because it affects revenue and expenditure. The suc cess of foreign exchange market is revealed on the global success of the businesses based on other factors affecting globalization. The currency conversion rate is a vital factor in international business operations. Question three Currency crisis and the default crisis are related especially in the developing country. Normally, the currency crisis precedes the default crisis indicating the relationship between the two crises. The sudden drop in the exchange rate of a currency leads to serious challenge in the financial market which in turn affects the business operations in the country. In order to avert currency conversion crisis, countries must ensure that then conversion rates are maintained at a stable price which increases trust in the currency and improves the development of the necessary capital stability. In order to avert a currency conversion crisis, the country must evaluate it paper money value and maintain at a stable equilibrium (Boone & Kurtz, 2011, p. 96). Industria l countries tend to ignore the impact of the global currency conversion rate, which in turn affects their performance globally. Countries must engage in the global currency trade and ensure that the stability of the local currency is achieved. The achievement of currency conversion stability will avert default crisis and ensure success in the global market. The use of sovereign credit rating will improve the stability in the currency conversion rates which in turn leads to reduction of currency crisis. Sovereign credit rating plays an integral role in the determination of the extent to which countries have access to the international capital markets (Sorrells, 2012, p. 115). However, changes in the sovereign credit rating should not be viewed as the indicator of the existence or future occurrence of a currency crisis. In conclusion, default crisis can be averted by controlling currency crisis. Question five The derivatives market is a financial market based on derivative factors and financial instruments. These instruments include future contracts or options obtained from other forms of assets. The market is divided in to two namely exchange-traded derivatives and over-the-counter derivatives. Tailor-made derivatives cannot be traded on the future exchange market but are traded on Over-the-counter markets. They consist of investment banks with clients such as the hedge funds, government

Weekly Reflections New Ver Essay Example for Free

Weekly Reflections New Ver Essay Weekly Reflection Discuss this week’s objectives with your team. Your discussion should include the topics you feel comfortable with, any topics you struggled with, and how the weekly topics relate to application in your field. Prepare a 350- to 1,050-word paper detailing the findings of your discussion. General Questions General General Questions LDR 531 Week 1-6 Everything included (All Assignments and DQs + LDR 531 Final Exam) 100% Correct Version 4 Get at least one of your general education requirements done and finished in your first semester. Consider taking a dreaded class to get it over with, rather than have it hang over your head and dreading it. In addition, it would be sad to be stuck in freshman classes as a senior four years down the road.

Student Monitoring System Development

Student Monitoring System Development Project Definition Document A web-based student monitoring system 1. Introduction Educational software has been evolving in the last couple of years, catching up with the advances of software in the rest of the IT world. Mainly due to the advantages of e-learning more and more institutions are inventing to new technologies to accommodate their learners. This moved educational software from the traditional small client application connecting to central databases, to lighter web applications accessible from multiple clients via the internet. The next step that web based educational applications are taking nowadays is a Service Oriented Approach (SOA). This came after the introduction of the web services technology, AJAX and of course the frameworks that support the Model View Controller approach in developing applications. What is meant from the above, is that web based applications need to be able to collaborate with other systems since not all different components of the IT infrastructure of a university is developed by one company. Also open standards enforce more commercial and open source software developers to use approaches that their applications can be easily integrated and expanded. In our case we need to develop a web based student monitoring system, where personal tutors can monitor the attendance of their first year students. Our system would be developed so it would make it possible to be plugged into the existing systems of the University and if possible use data of them system to add more functionality and ease the administrative tasks staff members have to do. At the beginning of each year, the director of first year students s allocating personal tutors to students and also adds the students to a particular lab group. Then attendance sheets should be produced as outputs of our system to lab assistants and personal tutors. The problem with the existing system is that the interface of adding and modifying information is not very flexible. Our system should overcome this problem and make it easier for staff to keep attendance records of the students. Also in order for our system to be able to fit with the existing solutions, a service oriented approach would be used. Interfaces to import structured external data are one of the main areas that we will concentrate and also adding the flexibility of getting data out of the system. Student Monitoring System Student Information System Existing attendance system VLE Portal/Social Networking site Student Monitoring System Interface In the figure above the highlighted components are the ones we are going to develop as a part of this project. The links of our system to other systems would be implemented using a service oriented approach and web 2.0 techniques. 2. Aims and Objectives Aim Develop an attendance monitoring system to be embedded within the existing systems of the University using a service oriented approach and web 2.0 technologies to display and enter information to the system Objectives and Testing methods: Research and analyse service oriented approach and MVC frameworks in system development. A review of the different approaches will evaluate why we used a specific framework and methodology to develop our solution. Design, implement and test a complete implementation of the student monitoring system. Test all classes using Unit testing and also produce test plans for different functions of the tool as a blackbox / whitebox testing where appropriate. Produce a set of public APIs that can be used from our system to enable integration with existing systems. Testing of this objective would be by extracting data from the university systems and importing in it to our system easily. Also provide a set or web service or RSS feeds to import data to other systems Methodology Literature review on Service oriented approach in software engineering, J2EE MVC frameworks, RSS and web services. This stage will help us meet the first objective Requirements gathering with rapid prototype development. We will use the WebML approach for web application development which is an iterative simplified waterfall model approach. The outcomes of this stage would be a database schema supported by the entity diagram of the application and also any other diagrams required from the WebML approach. Objective 2 will be met at the end of this phase. Test and document all available APIs. At the end of this stage objective 3 would be met Testing and Evaluation: Expert review to test the chosen technical approach service oriented approach and MVC framework Test the code to minimise the risks of potential bugs Test the system for usability and functionality with potential stakeholders and gather their responses Tools: Eclipse IDE Tomcat J2EE server Spring framework Struts framework WebML AXIS, or other web service engine Deliverables: Student monitoring system with APIs so the system is easily integrated with existing systems Unit testing classes and results, test plan and test results Project report including an evaluation of the project with respect to its objectives. Feasibility and Risks: The proposed project will give me the opportunity to work on a real time scenario in the area of software engineering and provide a solution to an existing problem. From my current studies I got the appropriate base to explore more J2EE technology and develop an application by going through the full lifecycle. Related Theory(Some work needed) Areas of theory concerned in the project: Service oriented approach: J2EE frameworks: Tomcat installation and web application packaging Web app security Software development method: rapid prototyping and WebML. Database design Entity relation modelling and normalization J2EE development using UML and frameworks Unit, Black Box and White Box testing. Application Program interface (API) development Work plan (needs to be completed)

Identity in Hurtson’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Kingston’s Woman Wa

Identity in Hurtson’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Kingston’s Woman Warrior, and Spiegelman’s Maus Despite being a very diverse literature genre in terms of influence and inspiration, North American literature encompasses many works that share some very common thematic elements. Though there are several themes shared, one in particular can be found in most any work – the importance of identity. Particularly in some selected pieces yet to be named, identity is a very important element, not only because it is a necessity for a main character in any work of literature, but because these works express ideas about identity as being very individualistic – as opposed to being a mere result of cultural surroundings. Zora Neal Hurtson’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Maxine Hong Kingston’s Woman Warrior, and Art Spiegelman’s Maus; these three works illustrate identity in this manner – a development of self, influenced yet not controlled by elements of relevant cultures. Hurtson’s tale tells a fictional account of Janie Crawford, a middle-aged black woman who goes through a search, and a struggle through opposing forces in her surrounding culture, in her quest to celebrate her own individual identity. The opposing cultural influence begins right from her childhood – her grandmother who raises her, whose cultural views are influenced by the common ideas of the outside world, seeks out to find a man she can marry to secure her a strong social status. She marries her off to a man name Logan Killicks, a successful farmer, and Janie begins to realize that the role that culture sees fit for her makes her very unhappy. Logan does not treat her very respectfully, and sees her as a mere fixture in the household, such as was the common cultur... ...dual identities sought by their respective protagonists. These identities all become realized and celebrated through these stories in some way shape or form. Not only are these expressions of who they are, but they show a desire to go against cultural backdrops that dictate their identities to be something they do not want them to be. Identity is a necessity in literary works, but it does not always take on this kind of thematic meaning. In these stories, identity is a struggle that culminates with a celebration of self; that very struggle makes these stories what they are, and radiate the ideal of individuality. Works Cited: Hurston, Zora Neale. (1937). Their Eyes Were Watching God. J.B. Lippincott Inc. Kingston, Maxine Hong. (1975). Woman Warrior. New York, Toronto: Random House, Inc. Spiegelman, Art. (1973). Maus. New York, Toronto: Random House, Inc.

The Meaning of the Phrase, Beating the Market Essay -- Beating the Mar

The Meaning of the Phrase, Beating the Market "Beating the market" is a difficult phrase to analyze. It can be used to refer to two different situations: 1. An investor, portfolio manager, fund, or other investment specialist produces a better return than the market average. The market average can be calculated in many ways (some of which are shady and used to make it look like someone has exceeded market returns), but usually a benchmark like the S&P 500 or the Dow Jones Industrial Average index is a good representation of the market average. If your returns (which you can learn how to calculate here) exceed the percentage return of the chosen benchmark, you have beaten the market - congrats! 2. A company's earnings, sales or some other valuation metric is superior to that of other companies in its industry. How do you know when this happens? Well, if a company beats the market by a large amount, the financial news sources are usually pretty good at telling you. However, if you want to find out for yourself, you need to break out your calculator and request some information from the companies you want to measure. Many financial magazines do this sort of thing regularly for you - they'll have a section with a title like "Industry Leaders." We don't suggest you depend on magazines for your investment picks, but these publications may be a good place to start when looking for companies to research. URL: http://www.thestreet.com/comment/openbook/1409370.html Dear Lou, Last Friday evening, you inducted John C. Bogle, the founder of Vanguard Funds, into the "Wall $treet Week with Louis Rukeyser Hall of Fame." You correctly credited Bogle with introducing "the first indexed mutual fund" at Vanguard in 1975. All too often, Bogle is credited too broadly with introducing the very first index fund. In reality, he was only the first to offer index funds directly to the general public in the form of mutual funds. The idea of the index fund was born in academia. Many great minds contributed to the concept, but first among them are Harry M. Markowitz, Merton Miller and William F. Sharpe, who shared the 1990 Nobel Prize in economics for this work. The first commercial index fund was introduced by Wells Fargo Bank in 1971, four years ahead of Vanguard, under the leadership of John McQuown. It was created for the Samsonite pension fund's investment ... ...e efficient. But some markets are more efficient than others. And in markets with substantial pockets of predictability, active investors can strive for outperformance. Peter Bernstein concludes that there is hope for active management: 'the efficient market is a state of nature dreamed up by theoreticians. Neat, elegant, even majestic, it has nothing to do with the real world of uncertainty in which you and I must make decisions every day we are alive.' Read on In print Andrew Lo, Market Efficiency: Stock Market Behavior in Theory and Practice, two volumes of the most important articles on the subject, including Eugene Fama's seminal 1970 review, Paul Samuelson's 1965 article and Fischer Black's 1986 article Andrew Lo and Craig Mackinlay, A Non-Random Walk Down Wall Street Burton Malkiel, A Random Walk Down Wall Street, a long-time bestseller, first published in 1973 and now in preparation for its seventh edition Online web.mit.edu/krugman/www - Paul Krugman's website www.ssrn.com - website of the Social Science Research Network, which features many important papers in investment, including Eugene Fama's 'Market Efficiency, Long-term Returns and Behavioral Finance'

Right to Housing Under the Constitution of Kenya

RIGHT TO HOUSING UNDER THE CONSTITUTION OF KENYA The right to housing comprises an intricate part in the realization of one of the most basic needs of a human being, shelter. Everyone has the right to a decent standard of living as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document that has attained the status of jus cogens due to its wide acceptance. Essential to the achievement of this standard is access to adequate housing. It has been said that housing fulfills physical needs by providing security and shelter from weather and climate.It fulfills psychological needs by providing a sense of personal space and privacy. It fulfills social needs by providing a gathering area and communal space for the human family, the basic unit of society. It also fulfills economic needs by functioning as a center for commercial production. Due to various factors including insufficient financial and natural resources, population growth, political upheavals, and rural- urban migration, a vast population of Kenyans especially those living in urban areas end up homeless or in informal settlements. Dr. P. L.O Lumumba in his speech during the World Habitat forum in 2004 described the lengths to which people unable to afford adequate housing go to provide shelter to themselves and their families. He said that some of them end up seeking refuge in, â€Å"slums areas, squatting in informal settlements, old buses, roadside embankments, cellars, staircases, rooftops, elevator enclosures, cages, cardboard boxes, plastic sheets, aluminum and tin shelter. † According to a UN Habitat study done in 2008, 60-80 percent of residents in Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu, live in informal settlements.In fact, the same study shows that while 60 percent of Nairobi’s populations live in informal settlements, their homes occupy only 5 percent of the total land area of the city and its environs. Although right to adequate shelter is a human right, this does not imply that the gov ernment is obliged to provide each of their citizens with land and an appropriate house to live in. This is dependent on the laws and policies of each individual country. In Kenya, the debate about the justifiability of housing and some other socio-economic rights seems to be over with the passing of the 2010 Constitution.This is because the constitution has provisions that seek to protect the provision of these rights to every citizen as will be discussed in the next part. 1. 1 The Constitution of Kenya, 2010 When Kenya gained independence in 1963, every Kenyan was relieved to have finally been freed from the yoke of colonialism. The independent Kenya adopted a constitution that had majorly British influence but that seemed to suffice during those early ‘teething years’. But as years passed by, the biting reality that the country had been taken over by neo-colonialists hit home.The independence constitution was not sufficient to protect the general public from the vici ous acts and decisions of those in power. There was need for constitutional reform. Kenyans have long struggled for constitutional reform. They struggled because they suffered under an oppressive system of government. Their human rights were suppressed. The power of the state was concentrated in one person, the president. First regions and then local governments were stripped of all their powers. At the center, the president dominated all institutions of the state. Cronyism substituted for politics.Merit counted for little. The law was frequently abused by the government and the exercise of power was unpredictable and arbitrary. The judiciary had failed to protect the constitution and the rights of the people. The civil service and other executive organs lost independence. There was corruption, plundering both of the state and a captive private sector, on a massive scale. The new constitution therefore had to be a document that remedies the shortcomings of the independence constitut ion. The drafters of the new Constitution aimed to restore the confidence of the citizens with their government.One of the salient features of the 2010 constitution is the incorporation of a strong and comprehensive Bill of Rights. It contains a number of rights, which were missing from the independence constitution, including rights to official information, environment, economic and social rights, and rights of consumers, et cetera. The 2010 Constitution strengthens the achievement of the human rights by limiting the restrictions that may be placed on rights and by establishing a strong mechanism for the enforcement of rights. It also provides for an independent commission of human rights to protect and promote rights and freedoms.Of importance to this research are the Economic and Social rights. Article 43 provides for each person’s right to: a) The highest attainable standard of health b) Accessibility and adequate housing and to reasonable standards of sanitation. c) Free dom from hunger and to have adequate food of acceptable quality. d) Clean and safe water in adequate quantities. e) Social Security. f) Education. Amongst this list of rights is the right to housing. Forced evictions of persons living in unplanned settlements and slums are a common feature of urban development.People living in these informal settlements live at the margins of society. Land is generally an expensive investment in Kenya therefore only a few can afford it. Those who cannot afford it opt to rent apartments or houses or rooms from property owners but there are some who cannot still afford this kind of arrangements and so set up their housing structures on any free land that they come across, regardless of whether it is private land or public land set out for other purposes. This latter group of people is the ones who fall victim to forced evictions.Article 2(5) and (6) of the constitution general rules of international law and any treaty or convention ratified by Kenya f orm part of the laws of Kenya. Kenya ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) on 3/1/1976 and consequently became bound to respect, protect and enforce the rights therein, including the right to adequate housing and the related prohibition of forced evictions. It is with this backing of the law that victims of forced evictions that are not conducted in the manner stipulated in both domestic law and international law are able to defend their right to housing through the courts. ——————————————- [ 2 ]. Article 25(1) which states in part, â€Å"Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care†¦Ã¢â‚¬  [ 3 ]. Nicholas Okemwa, Forceful Evictions and the Right to Adequate Housing(2011)16 ; The Bench Bulletin 58 [ 4 ]. Dr. P. L. O Lumumba, Powers of Urban Authorities over Settlement Control: The Kenyan Case. He presented this paper during the world habitat forum organized by un-habitat held on the 13th –17th September 2004 at the Barcelona, Spain [ 5 ].Preliminary Results of the 2009, National Population and Housing Census. [ 6 ]. Draft Eviction an Resettlement Guidelines, 2010. [ 7 ]. Commentary on the Kenyan Constitution, (Consolidation of 15 articles in the East African Standard). [ 8 ]. Article 35 [ 9 ]. Article 42 [ 10 ]. Article 43 [ 11 ]. Article 46 [ 12 ]. Article 24 is the only article that provides for the specific procedure to be followed for a right contained in the Bill of Rights to be limited. This is unlike in the independence constitution where each right was immediately followed by a claw-back clause. [ 13 ]. Article 11

Two Articles

Assignment 2: LASA 1—Analytical Summaries For this assignment, you will compose two short critical essays explaining and evaluating arguments by other authors. This assignment allows you to analyze an issue from a variety of perspectives and assess arguments for or against the issue. By focusing your attention on how the original authors use evidence and reasoning to construct and support their positions, you can recognize the value of critical thinking in public discourse.Read the two articles â€Å"Predictive Probes†, and â€Å"New Test Tells Whom a Crippling Disease Will Hit—and When† from the textbook and write two separate analytical summaries. These articles can be found in the chapter titled: Deciding to accept an argument: Compare the evidence. This assignment has two parts. Part 1—First Article Write an analytical summary of the article focusing on the article’s main claims. Include the following: †¢Identify the three ways the a uthor uses evidence to support assertions. †¢Identify the places where evidence is employed as well as how the author uses this evidence.Discuss evidence â€Å"as the reason† vs. â€Å"the support for the reason. † Also discuss evidence as dependent on the issue/context. †¢Analyze how the author signals this usage through elements such as word choices, transitions, or logical connections. Part 2—Second Article Write an analytical summary of the article focusing on the article’s main claims. Include the following: †¢Identify the author’s use of the three elements: experiment, correlation, and speculation to support assertions. †¢Analyze how the author signals the use of these elements through language.For example, word choices, transitions, or logical connections. Write a 4–5-page paper in Word format. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M3_A2. doc. 1. What kind of evidence would you expect in the following arguments? †¢a. An argument that people who eat a special diet will have less chance of getting cancer. †¢b. An argument that God exists. †¢c. An argument that human cells secrete some substance under certain conditions. †¢d. An argument that stealing is unethical. †¢e.An argument that owning a pet tends to lower one’s blood pressure. Answers (a) evidence after the fact; (b) philosophical evidence (a general principle, for instance that the universe is orderly); (c) direct scientific experimentation; (d) philosophical evidence; (e) evidence after the fact 2. Underline the language in the following argument that you believe indicates that it does (or does not) admit its limits. It’s an obvious fact that living in the suburbs is better than city life. Everyone knows that cities are far more polluted and dangerous. And of course, people don’t even know their neighbors.On the other hand , suburbs are peaceful havens from the workaday world. READINGS The following two articles show breathtaking advances in the ability to detect whether a person will suffer from a particular genetic disease. The first article contains references to all three types of evidence discussed in this chapter. Compare the language used to depict direct experimentation, after-the-fact evidence, and values questions. Predictive probes by Jerry E. Bishop Several years ago, Nancy Wexler’s mother died of Huntington’s disease, a hereditary and always-fatal affliction that strikes in midlife.Since then, Ms. Wexler, the 38-year-old president of the Hereditary Diseases Foundation in Santa Monica, Calif. , has lived with the uncertainty of whether she, too, inherited the deadly gene. That uncertainty may soon be resolved. A few months ago, scientists announced they were on the verge of completing a new test to detect the gene for Huntington’s disease (formerly called Huntingtonâ⠂¬â„¢s chorea). But deciding whether to submit herself to the test is an anguishing choice for Ms. Wexler. â€Å"If I came out lucky, taking the test would be terrific, of course,† she says. But if I came out unlucky, well †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Her dilemma is an extreme example of the kind thousands of Americans will face in the not-too-distant future as scientists learn how to pinpoint genes that cause or predispose a person to a future illness. The test to detect the Huntington’s disease gene should be ready within one to two years. Researchers already have detected some of the genes that can lead to premature heart attacks and, in the near future, hope to spot those that could predispose a person to breast or colon cancer.Eventually, scientists believe they will be able to detect genes leading to diabetes, depression, schizophrenia and the premature senility called Alzheimer’s disease. New Test Tells Whom a Crippling Disease Will Hit—and When Amy Jo Snider, a college senior, has put her career plans and romantic life on hold until she settles a gnawing question about her genetic legacy. During her Christmas break, the Charleston, SC, student plans to be tested for a gene that causes ataxia, a disease without a cure that destroys the brain cells governing muscle control.The disorder crippled and ultimately killed her father in middle age. Because of a recent breakthrough in genetic research, the 21-year-old Miss Snider will be able to find out whether she inherited the disease, and, if so, how soon and how hard ataxia may strike her. â€Å"I want to be tested before I start to show symptoms,† she says unflinchingly. â€Å"I’m graduating in May, and I have to start planning my life. † As agonizing as the knowledge might be, she says the uncertainty is worse. â€Å"If I’m in limbo, it’s not fair to people around me,† she says. â€Å"I can’t deal with not knowing. †

Literature review Essay

Youthfulness has always been an attraction, a perception of vibrancy and dynamism in every stage of a man’s life. This so-called â€Å"Fountain of Youth† in each individual is reflected in his or her lifestyle; their disposition towards other people in the society; their interaction in their working environment, most especially the quality of the output of their work; and their perception of life – that age does not hamper one to continue being young. Dossey (2002:12-16) For this group of youthful old individuals, what is vital is the quality of life and not the quantity of life. It is not whether they have lived long enough, but it is whether they have lived in attainment of their goals and aspirations, with contentment and happiness. This is what really matters at the end of the day. Dossey (2002:12-16) With all these debate over the significance of â€Å"extending† this particular stage in life, science and technology played a crucial role in addressing these matters. Experiments have been conducted on the possibility of extending the life span of people with the intake of certain medicines or even through surgery. In this attempt to reach immortality, biological breakthrough in cell division and regeneration are being processed in order to ascertain the supply for this demand. Science and technology have paved way to the people’s mindset that indeed, the possibility of a longer and more youthful life can be available. Dossey (2002:12-16) From this vantage point, the emergence of biomedicine has blossomed and has demonstrated the various ways in which it can influence the social aspect of an individual, aside from the physical well-being of the person. Bios have always been regarded as the most effective and at the same time, the most cost-efficient amongst all types of remedy or medication. Before we proceed with the technical aspects of Bios in medicine or in cosmetics, it is important that the definition of Biologicals are also given proper attention in this paper. What is Biologicals? Biologicals or what we call the Biotechnology-derived products that require tedious work in preparation and simplification of the raw materials in order to ensure the quality-control is above or within the approved standards as legislated. Tsang (2003:367-370) As per attached herein, you can see the various product types of biologicals: Source: Tsang (2003:367-370) Given the sensitivity of the issue, it is necessary that Biotechnology-derived products are governed by a strong legislative body to maintain the standards that will enable the products to remain safe to the end-users, to us, humans. It was then defined that these products are products which contain a biological substance, the substance possessing the following: that it is extracted from or sourced from a biological substance, and that there is a need for that substance to undergo several tests to ascertain the measures of safety and reliability of the product; that it is not hazardous to health. Requirements have been set by the authorities-in-charge so that liabilities against the general public are minimized. At the same time, these regulatory compliances will also serve as educating tools for the end-users that they are aware of the products they purchase. This is most especially true when the health, such is the appearance, is at risk. An example of biologicals that are prevalent in this day and age is the use of Bio-cosmetics. Bio-cosmetics In order to meet the objective of the paper which is to give enlightenment on the status of the bio-cosmetic industry, it is necessary that we are all in equal footing in the definitions of the terms being used in this paper. Bio-cosmetics is primarily made of two different components incorporated to produce another element or component. In this case, we have â€Å"bio† and, we also have â€Å"cosmetics†. Bio, from the Greek combining form: bios, which means â€Å"life†. Meanwhile, cosmetics pertain to the use for beautifying, cleansing or protecting, especially of the skin, nails, hair, or other parts of the human body, or of other species required for exhibition. Webster (2006:450) Furthermore, â€Å"bio† is a composition of natural elements – raw materials that are unadulterated and constitutes the purest ingredients of Mother Nature. It is in these virgin materials that the most complicated and highly-processed and most sought-after medicines are derived from. One need not go far, as these are simply in our lush environment that we can acquire these Biologicals. Such form is the Bio-Cosmetics. From the word itself, these are cosmetics that utilize the most biologicals. Cosmetics have come a long way from its origins in the early ancient period. Grolier (2005: 188). Cosmetics, mainly used for changing and enhancing the appearance of the face, skin and/or hair of the human being, is also being used as an adjunct to religious rituals, wherein men and women in the ancient days adorn themselves with accessories and cosmetics. From the many archaeological studies of the early days, it was found that men and women knew of how to prepare pigments and blend them with greasy substances, which are then considered as cosmetics. Analysis of these prehistoric pigments has revealed that as many as 17 colors have been used for these purposes. The most commonly used were a white made from white lead, chalk or gypsum; a black from charcoal or manganese ores; and red, orange and yellow. During the ancient world, the Sumerians, Babylonians, Hebrews and Egyptians employed similar preparations of cosmetics for similar purposes as follows: ceremonial, medicinal and ornamental. The Ancient Middle Eastern civilizations lavished mostly on the eyes, in part as a form of protection. Grolier (2005: 188). Henna was used to dye the hair and the fingernails, the palms of the hand and the soles of the feet. Scents and unguents are restricted at first in the rituals of mummification. In Egypt, rouges, whitening powders, abrasives for cleaning the teeth, bath oils and lipsticks were used daily by both sexes from the upper classes. Almond, olive, sesame oils, thyme and oregano, frankincense and myrrh, saffron, rosewater, and chypre formed the foundation of basic concoctions that we re eventually used throughout the world. A few more examples of how cosmetics sprung in various countries are discussed herein: In India, cosmetics were significant in Indian women in fulfilling their duty to always appear alluring to their lover or mate, such as is specified under the Kama Sutra. Women then were advised to learn the arts of tattooing. Cosmetics also served as an emblem in determining the caste or class rank in the society. Up till now, many Indian women still use cosmetics in the ancient way: eyelids are tinted with an antimony-based dye, the faces and arms are stained yellow with saffron powder, and the soles of the feet are reddened with henna. Grolier (2005: 188). In Greece and Rome, the classical Greek only permitted the use of few cosmetics, although they made use of imported raw materials. Greek women however, dye their hair regularly during times of mourning, and they sometimes lightened it with pomade or colored powders. Meanwhile, the Romans scorned cosmetics as effete. However, during the time of the empire, cosmetics began to be desirable in defining symbols of status and wealth. It should be noted however, that most of these popular cosmetics were, in fact, poisonous, especially the white lead commonly used as face powder. Grolier (2005: 188). In Medieval Europe, cosmetics were for a time restricted to the males of certain courts and to high-born ladies and courtesans. The contemporary criteria for facial makeup in the Western world is perhaps a continuation of medieval beauty, which is required that a woman’s skin be as white as the lily, and that her cheeks as red as the rose. Preparations for achieving this ideal were available to the rich; commoners had to make do with the wheat-flour powder and beet-juice rouge. To cap this history notes of the birth of cosmetics, France emerged as the leader in developing the art of makeup, and both men and women of rank used face powder, hair powder of saffron or flower pollen, and skin lotions. On the other hand, the Italians, particularly the Venetians, had become the major producers and purveyors of cosmetic preparations. Venetian ceruse, a skin whitener, was considered superior to all others and was in great demand, despite the knowledge that the white lead it contained could ruin the complexion and cause baldness, and if used in the long run, even death. Grolier (2005: 188-191). The peak of cosmetic use was reached in 18th century Europe, especially in England and France, where both sexes attempted to reach an almost totally artificial appearance. In England, this was the age of macaroni, the young fop whose clothing, powdered wig, rouge, and red lips, were supposedly inspired by Italian fashion. By the 1880’s, advances in technology – especially in printing – and the advent of advertising opened way for a new era in cosmetic history: the age of testimonial advertisements. Respectable and beautiful women began to appear in print ads enabling and encouraging more women to use cosmetics. Grolier (2005: 188-191).