The Hollow Earth Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Hollow Earth - Research Paper Example This theory is supported with an example of sea which can move across the sides of the holes or a traveler would be move over the other side of the hole just like an insect, which crawls over the top of a glass from one side to another, while being unaware of its surroundings. Richard Bernard, a researcher, justifies the theory by saying that the aircraft pilots are unable to see the holes because they are misguided by the compasses, which they carry, into believing that they are just crossing one of the two poles, instead of going into the inner crust of the earth. He says that the compasses are following the magnetic rim of the holes. And that these pilots never actually fly over the poles, which are in fact the centers of a given holes. Raymond’s’ claim was supported by a statement by Admiral Byrd, which goes like this "I'd like to see that land beyond the Pole. That area beyond the Pole is the Great Unknown." (the hollow earth, 2010) People who believe that the Eart h is hollow are tend to believe the following The concept of a North Pole and a South Pole is not real. They are in reality wide openings of up to 1400 meters leading to the interior of the Earth, which is hollow. (Rodney, 2010) The central sun heats up the interior of the Earth, and the temperature of the interior sphere remains around 76 degrees Fahrenheit, which is neither cold nor hot. (Raymond, 1991) A large population is living in the inner surface of the Earth, the land on the other side of the holes at the poles. They are believed to be there, since the continents of Atlantis and Lemuria sank. This civilization is thought to be way more advanced than our own and the invention of flying saucers is attributed to them. A popular conspiracy theory extends the contact of this civilization with the U.S army, and they are taking advantage from the vast knowledge possessed by that civilization. (Billie & Woodard, 2008) So the focus of this research is to analyze the belief held by p eople about the Earth being hollow. First these three beliefs would be would be examined in a more detail, their origins and practicality, or lack of it, would be judged. In the end the contradictory concepts would be discussed and in the conclusion reason would be given about the validity of this weird belief. Origins and Supporters of the Belief The exact amount of people who do believe in the theory that Earth is hollow is not known. But this much is known that its not a high percentage of population with these believes. There is a bunch of people who have formed a group and call themselves the "Flat-Earth Society". (Childress & Raymond, 2009) There is another group, equally vocal, who believe that the earth is hollow. Several years ago, a group of "believers" informed a member of the Geophysical Institute staff that there was an opening to the center of the earth in the Alaska Range, and that this was an entry and exit point for flying saucers. (Robbins, 2003) Origins This theor y originated from the mind of a British astronomer, Edmund Halley, he was the first to come up the theory that earth might consist of several concentric spheres, each placed inside one another like concentric spheres. He further stated that the two inner most spheres have diameters matching that of Venus or Mars, while suggesting that the solid inner most core is as big as planet Mercury. The inner spheres rotate at different speed than

Eriksonian Perspective Essay Example for Free

Eriksonian Perspective Essay Greene (1991) described Eriksonian perspective on human development from the idea of epigenesis, in which each developmental stage depends upon the resolution and completion of the previous one. This idea proposed that anything that growth has a concrete map, from which it is understood that each stage has its time of passing. The Greene’s description advocates that human development is biopsychosocial and it is present throughout the human life. It is driven by a biologically set plan with the social identity being conditioned by a social factor. Erikson argued that the human ego strives to improvement that is toward mastery of its environment. Thus personal effectiveness being promoted by the social organization becomes the driven mechanism behind the progression of each stage. Erikson derived eight developmental stages with each the pitcome of the resolution serving as the first step toward the next progressively superior stage (Greene, 1991). Although each and different culture resolves the unique requirements for the development differently, such progression is said to be universal in all cultures and human organizations. Thus we can observe a common denominator that according to Erikson (Greene, 1991) is a biological program toward improvement. Baltes, Lindenberger Staudinge (1999) supported Greene’s view but attempted to view the stages of development from the practical perspective. They saw the personality’s progression through the life stages as adaptive mechanism formed and guided with the needs and pressures of the environment. In other words, they inclined more to the point of view in which the environment rather than biology was the major player in the human development. Based on this assumption, the authors suggested to view at lifespan psychology from the individual’s standpoint suggesting that two different people would develop differently even under exactly the same environmental stimuli. Ontogenesis or the study of individual development (Baltes et al. , 1999) appears to be more practical and functional. It considers the individual’s concern of â€Å"acquisition, maintenance, transformation, and attrition† (Baltes et al. , 1999) adaptive processes throughout the lifespan. However, such â€Å"Westernized notion† is not eagerly shared by some researchers (Coughlan Welsh-Breetzke, 2002). They, in particular, suggested that Eriksonian perspective is male-dominated and was presented in the Westernized context thus making individualized and masculianized human development as the blanket for the theory. According to them, such propagation of â€Å"individuality, competition, self-interest, comparative judgment, and value imperialism† devalues other life systems and steps away from the diversified views of human development. As Erikson argued (Greene, 1991) the child’s personality is first affected by the mother and then transformed through the developmental stages within and by small groups, large groups, organizations, governments, religions, and the mankind at large. The child in infancy was thought to obey inner laws of development; the inner drives that lead the child toward realization of the full potential through interaction with the environment. Such interaction with the environment causes inner restructuring of personality traits, which, through integration and synthesis, leads toward the full and complete realization of that particular stage. From Greene’s work (1991) we learn that stage 1 which is called â€Å"Basic Trust Versus basic Mistrust† lasts through two years of age and involves the establishment of trust by the infant toward the members of the family. The most illustrative of such can be little Michelle, the character from the Full House. Her interactions constantly bring the development of new personality that can be characterized by newly developed psychosocial strength (i. e. higher degree of confidence in her communications). The second stage, â€Å"Autonomy Versus Shame† is characterized with developing of self-control and not loosing the â€Å"face† in the process. Such emphasis on self-esteem is important because the children of this age easily become shamed and can develop psychosocial issues of holding on and letting go (Christiansen Palkovitz,1998). The successful resolution of this stage manifests in the child’s ability to become more independent, with some gender differences. For example (Christiansen Palkovitz, 1998) argued that male infants on his stage of development are more individualistic than their female counterparts. Coming back to Full House characters, we indeed, see that the little Michelle (once she became a little older) tends to gravitate toward her sisters and continuously seeking their approval. The child on the stage three, Initiative Versus Guilt, develops the sense of purpose, especially noticeable during the playtime. The sense of purpose drives the child toward the active exploration of the environment and according to Erikson (Greene, 1991) brings her to the discovery of the lack of a penis. Contrary to the Freud, Erikson believed that such and inevitable (in some societies) discovery of â€Å"inequity† is driven more so socially than biologically (Greene, 1991). The successful resolution of this stage is uninhibited involvement in play with other playmates. The children on the stage four, Industry Versus Inferiority, start school. This is a major transition in their lives and involved changing of perspective from the small family-based group to the larger social groups. According to Eriksonian perspective, the main drive for children on this stage is to become industrial which involves developing skills and competence through meaningful performances. The crisis on this stage may occur when the child’s self-efficacy is undermined. Learning collaborative skills and experiences can be critical at this stage of development. Stacy in Full House was often intimidated by collaborative involvement trying to achieve the performance of tasks independently. Her father and uncles often taught her that learning how to collaborate and contribute would make things easier and more effective. Almost each episode suggested how Stacy (and her sisters) put a lot of effort toward performing any task. The child experiencing successes at creating and producing some value together with his or her peers (or parents) is critical toward the stage resolution (Greene, 1991). From the age of 12 through 22, the adolescent experiences Identity Versus Identity Confusion. This is the stage when adolescent develops into the young adult and is seeking personal and unique identity. The stability of self-representation is crucial and is manifested in the desire to develop autonomy from parents, individuality of opinions, acceptance of his or her sexual preferences, and commitment to the career choices. The struggling with the issue of selfness often causes to name such stage as the most difficult. During the stage, the influence of peer groups become most consuming and focuses of interaction. The ability to sustain loyalties is the desired outcome of the resolution for this stage. Either polarity we can see in characters of the movies like Girl Interrupted, Mean Girls, Even Stevens, and others. It is an uninterrupted parade of searched identities and strive for the independence in opinions and attitudes. When the young adult enters stage six (22 through 34) he or she enters Intimacy versus isolation. The focus of his or her life becomes developing of the meaningful relationships and seeking the intimacy experiences. This is the stage when most adults develop meaningful relationships to start a family. Becoming a loner and shutting down others is a crisis to compare to a resolution of this stage. Many film features exhibit important characteristics of selfless love, on one side, and ruined families on another as picturesque illustration of this stage’s characteristics. One of the features that come to mind is Click, in which the main character is taught a lesson that commitment to family is more important than personal comfort. Even the legendary Casanova in the feature with the same name shows that final offering of commitment to start a family was an only choice. When a person advances in years and through the stages of development on to the stage 7, Generativity Versus Stagnation, he or se is concerned with teaching and guiding the next generation. The proficiency of this stage is usually takes in an ability of taking care of others (Christiansen Palkovitz,1998). The crisis may result when the person feels stagnated without being able to share personal expertise to others, especially the younger generation. This is tremendously visible in Full House as the father of the girls is trying his best to teach and guide his children. He is visibly content and happy when his instructions and guidance are accepted. The final stage, starting at about 60 deals with Integrity Versus Despair. This is when the person is concerned of personal usefulness to others during his or her lifetime. As Greene wrote in his book, â€Å"Integrity is achieved by individuals who have few regrets, who have lived productive lives, and who cope as well with their failures as they do with their successes. † There is an appreciation of the life as the whole and a content of the life well lived. People with full resolution of this stage are not afraid of death, thus develop what we call wisdom. The feature Bicentennial Man shows that quite vividly. The android becoming a human develops wisdom through the personal choice of growing old and dying in the course of the old age, although as android he could live forever. In conclusion, it is worth noticing that despite the fact that the study examines the idea of epigenesis, one can find that the transition from one developmental stage to another is not always exactly predetermined by age. For example, fro Erikson’s argument, each stage has a certain age limit. However, we are aware that not everyone fits exactly in to such age limitation and depending upon the unique characteristics of personality, micro-culture (i. e. family), group culture (i. e. school), and macro-culture (i. e. government) the age boundaries for each stage might be different. The idea that everything that growth has a concrete map from which it is understood that each stage has a certain time of passing has been observed empirically on many living species. However, we cannot claim that each species has exactly the same time passing for each stage of growth. There will be some differentiation. In such, experimental results that examine the life cycle of one species will weaken the above-discussed theory due to the fact that it is very difficult if not impossible to determine the exact age boundaries between the developmental stages from one representative of the species to another. My personal opinion lies in parallel with this conclusion. Observing my own developing in contrast with Eriksonian perspective, I find that stage four, for example, and in my case, extended before age six and way after age 12. My stage five began at age 14 rather than according to Erikson’s perspective, age 12. Many a time, the stage six begin after the age of 24 (not 22) and continues through early 40s (at least with my acquaintances). Thus, the exact map of stage development is not so exact, after all, and depends upon numerous factors I already have mentioned. Penuel (1995) in his article put the focus on identity formation. According to him, although this research primarily was based on Eriksonian perspective, there is a clear notion that each and single individual develops his or her identity not necessarily in agreement with concrete time schedule of Erikson’s stages of development. Penuel made a point that despite the fact that Vygotsky offered theoretical foundation of identity formation, the specific guidelines behind sociocultural influence on identity were not set. Penuel urged not to replace Vigotsky’s view on the identity development by Erikson’s theory but to integrate both. Thus, the main study point in Penvue’s article would be strong but not mechanistic influence of sociocultural processes on the identity formation. The discussion presented in this work strengthen my ideas that the development of an identity is more affected by external factors, like micro-culture, group-culture, and macro-culture and is not always follows the strict age-set boundaries. Observing my own and my friends’ identity formation support this notion. Stevenson-Hinde (1994) looked at human development from the different perspective. It is more systemic as in the behaviors are interconnected within the specific system, and in thus if one component is affected others are affected as well. Such perspective deviates even more from he straightforward Erikson’s theory. It is not anymore the stage development but the systemic organization of behaviors, according to Stevenson-Hinde. This study weakens the theory and my idea about the identity formation. Although and without argument some behaviors are interrelated, this fact is not necessarily the cause of identity formulation. The effect comes from the external environment thus the sociocultural characteristics affect the identity development more than the resulting set of behaviors. This conclusion s supported by self-observation. Examining my own interrelated behaviors I clearly see that those are the effect not the cause of the environmental influences. Thus environmental influences affect my behaviors that in turn help in identity formation. Horst (1995) argued with the general notion that the Erikson’s perspective did not consider accurate depiction of development through the lenses of gender. According to her claim, contrary would be more accurate. Careful study of Erikson’s stages of development does consider the gender identity in which gender is relational to components of identity formation. The point of her article is thus, to consider that the gender has an influence on identity formation. This study strengthens my views on the theory in its notion of the gender influence. Certainly, male and female would not develop equally and would not manifest the same identity formation. The differential depends upon their own perspective of self as either male or female. Even more so, how their external environment views them on the gender scale: from less feminine to more feminine and from less muscular to more muscular. Thus, their identity is formed not only from the point of view of being a human but also being a male and female and its specific location on the gender scale. My personal observations support this viewpoint. External attitudes, first from my immediate family and then from my friends) confirmed and helped me develop my identity IQ and specifically my gender identity IQ.

ELISA Test for Virus Detection

ELISA Test for Virus Detection Zohrah Miakheyl Immunology practical Introduction Viruses are small living organisms that requires living host for its survival and can lead to infection if it fully invades the host cells taking over the cell machinery to produce virus. There are many different viral infections including Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Cytomegalovirus. Measles is an infection of the respiratory system caused by the measles virus. The measles virus is very contagious and can easily spread via sneezing, coughing and personal contact. Measles is known by the red-brownish rash starting on the face and spreading to the rest of the body. Other symptoms of measles virus include fever, diarrhoea, runny nose, conjunctivitis and dry cough (Permar et al, 2006). Mumps is an infection caused by the paramyxovirus. This viral infection is also highly contagious like Measles and spreads also via sneezing, coughing and direct contact. Mumps usually causes swollen salivary glands, fever, dry mouth and difficulties in swallowing. Rubella is an infection caused by Rubell a virus, member of the genus Rubivirus. The spread of the virus is similar to measles and Mumps. Most common symptoms of this infection are a pink, light red rash lasting up to three days, mild fever, cold cough, sore throat, conjunctivitis and joint pain in adults (Stock, 2012). In contrast to Measles, Mumps and Rubella, Cytomegalovirus (CMV) usually don’t have any symptoms and therefore most people being infected may not know that they have CMV. People who are being infected often develop mild symptoms similar to flu or glandular fever. This viral infection can become serious in babies infected before birth, because this virus can be transmitted from mother to foetus. Cytomegalovirus is a virus belonging to herpes family of viruses. This virus is spread via body fluids (saliva and urine) and personal contact (Griffiths, 2002). The above stated viral infections usually occur at childhood, but it can occur at any age. Measles, Mumps and Rubella are often protected by giving t he children MMR vaccination at 13 months and a booster is often given to three to five years old children. To find out from what the four patients are suffering from ELISA technique was applied to detect antiviral antibodies in patient’s serum for the viral infections Measles, Mumps, Rubella and Cytomegalovirus. Method  Ã‚   Results Figure 1 microtitre plate showing the results of the four patients tested. The ELISA technique shows that patient 1 is positive for Measles (IgM) and CMV (IgG), patient 2 is positive for Measles and Rubella (IgG), Patient 3 is positive for measles (IgG) and patient 4 is positive for CMV (IgM) and Measles, Mumps and Rubella (IgG). Discussion Four patients were tested for viral infections using ELISA technique and the results showed positive for some patients for some of the viral infections. The ELISA results obtained were good and no errors were made. This might be due to accurate practical skills such as pipetting, appropriate filling of the wells, proper emptying and washing of the plate. Furthermore accurate serum dilution and measurement has also added to the accuracy of the results. Controlling the experimental conditions such as incubation time has also lead to improved results. To obtain better results volume measurement, dilutions, experimental conditions can be improved further. The volume measurement can be improved by accurately use of Gilson pipettes by ensuring there is no air bubbles and the pipettes are fully calibrated. Experimental condition can be improved by carefully monitoring the incubation duration. Patient’s case study Patient 1 A 56 years old patient was admitted with dense reddish brown maculopapular rash, headache, low grade fever, spot rash, mild abdominal discomfort and diarrhoea, high temp, mild conjunctivas symptoms. Throat swab done by the GP didn’t reveal any severe symptoms, but was referred for antiviral antibodies screening examination. After performing antiviral antibody screening the results showed positive for measles (IgM) and CMV (IgG). IgM is made during immune response in the early stage of infection and is mainly found in lymph fluid and blood where it functions as neutralizer against harmful agents. Whereas IgG is made in the late stage of infection and stays in the body for a long period of time. Due to its long survival period in the body IgG is useful for passive immunization. IgG is mainly found in blood, lymph fluid, cerebrospinal fluid and peritoneal fluid and plays a vital role in humoral immune response by activating the complement system (Lima, 2012). The sign and symptom s of the patients is similar to measles therefore indicating that the patients might be suffering from measles and might be in the early stages of the infection due to IgM found in the serum sample and macolopapular rash is also the sign of the infection at early stages. The mild abdominal discomfort, diarrhoea, and cold-like symptoms also indicates that the patient might suffer from CMV infections, but since IgG is found in patient’s serum sample, the infection might also be the result of immunisation and prior infection. All the symptoms of this patient are also the symptoms of measles therefore this patient might suffer from measles in the early stage of it, because of the antibody IgM and the reddish macolopapular rash is also found in the early stage of the infection) . Currently there are no means of preventing the developed measles infection, but the symptoms can be reduced using approved medications such fever-reducers, antibiotics, and vitamin A supplements (Permar e t al, 2006). Patient 2 A healthy 8 years old boy was examined by GP in a routine check and was referred for full blood counts. From the physical examination, the GP found that the boy was having faint cracking-like sound due to sever cold that he has been suffering since 3 weeks. Eczema-like rash was also observed, which was treatable by E45 creams, but the cause of this symptom was not clearly known as he has no family history of eczema. After his full blood count revealed no abnormalities and the cause of eczema was not known, his GP referred him for antiviral antibodies screening. The screening result showed that the boy was positive for Measles and Rubella (IgG) infections. The signs and symptoms of this patient appears to be different from the sign and symptoms and Rubella and Measles apart from the cold that the patient was suffering from. One of the first signs of Measles and Rubella infection is red-pinkish rash, where in Measles it appear to be observable for a week and in Rubella it lost for at l east 3-7 days, but varies from patient to patient. The patient always had eczema-like rash, which means that the patient might not be infected by Measles or Rubella. The positive results obtained from antiviral screen might be due to immunisation and prior infections. Since the patient is not suffering from virus infection, the doctor ca refer him to Dermatologist for eczema examination. Since he is suffering from cold, the patient can take cold reducing medications (Gen,1999). Patient 3 A 26 years old healthy female attend her GP for confirmation of her pregnancy test after she tested at home using home pregnancy test about a week ago and got positive results. She believes she is about 28 days pregnant, but this is her fist confirmation although she has been pregnant in the past and had early miscarriage about 10 months ago. GP preformed second pregnancy test and the positive results confirmed that she is pregnant. Since she was only 4 years old when moved to UK from Tajikistan, her medical record is available from the age of 6. Due to incomplete medical records, the patient is advised to carry out blood test so that her vaccination status can be known, therefore antiviral antibody screen was carried out and the results appear positive for Measles infection. The development of MMR vaccination appear to be very successful against this viral infection and due to improve and advancement of MMR vaccination, Measles infection has become less common now, but it shows to b e dangerous among pregnant women if occur. This is because Measles might lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or early delivery if the pregnant individual is not immune against the infection. Although patient 3 do not display any sign and symptoms, but the antiviral antibody screen shows that she is positive for this infection. This positive result suggests that the miscarriage that she had might be due to Measles infection. However this cannot be said with certainty, because of her incomplete medical history. The antiviral positive result might be due to early infection or immunization. Since her medical history is not fully known, she probably needs MMR vaccination to make sure she is immunized against the viral infection Normally the signs and symptoms of Measles infection tend to appear between 6 and 21 days. . Therefore it’s important that she is aware of any signs symptoms such as fever, cold and any skin rash that might appear at later stages of Measles infection. If she is infected then human normal immunoglobin (HNIG) treatment can be carried out to reduce the symptoms of infection. However this does not mean that miscarriage can be prevented (Permar, 2006). Patient 4 A 43 years old male who had kidney transplantation 9 months ago due to kidney failure, which was caused as a result of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, which was diagnosed at the age of 11. The patient had a good diet and controlled blood glucose, but due change in life style and alcohol consumption and irregular insulin administration his blood glucose level has changed and become unpredictable. This life style has led to impaired kidney functioning, which resulted in estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) of 30ml/min. After monitoring eGFR about 3 months, a steady reduction was observed until the age of 39 with eGFR of 10ml/min. Although the patient was under dialysis, he was introduced to ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) while waiting for suitable kidney donor for transplantation. After a few months CAPD treatment, he was referred to haemodialysis, which was carried out 3 times a week, because he could not get on with CAPD. After successful single kidney transplant, the patient shows to recover well from the surgery and the kidney appeared to function well. Following the checkups, the patient appeared to feel better and showed good recovery. However, the patient complained of generally unwell feelings with severe cold/ flu, where he has suffer for at least couple of weeks. Chest pain, abdominal cramps with diarrhea was also reported on this visit and physical examination shows some abdominal tenderness with no swelling or any other tenderness and normal blood pressure. The Auscultation examination however showed crackling and wheezing sounds. Microbial culturing was performed on stool and mid-stream urine samples a land with full blood count, creatinine measurement and an antiviral antibody screen examination. The microbial culture from urine samples revealed nothing significant and eGFR shows to be similar to last check up (10ml/min). The full blood count however shows that the Haemoglobin concentration was 12g/do, which is lower than the normal range (normal range 13-18g/dL) and this is thought to be as a result of impaired glomerular filtration rate, which is caused due to kidney failure and his haemoglobin concentration might be also low due to his kidney-transplantation and the immunosuppressive medication that he receives which causes mild bone-marrow suppression causing low hemoglobin concentration (Joist et al, 2006) . All other parameter however appear to be within the normal ranges indicating nothing significant. But the white blood count appears to be slightly higher than the normal range. The normal white blood count is 4-11Ãâ€"10 to the 9/L, whereas the patients count is 11.110 to the 9/L. This indicates that the patient might be suffering from viral infection. This is eviden t from the antiviral antibody screen examination, where the patient appeared to be positive for CMV (IgM), Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (IgG). Therefore it is the Measles infection that causes the while blood cell counts to alter. In general viral infections disrupts the bone marrow function temporarily and this leads to variation in white blood cell counts. The severe cold/flu, abdominal discomfort and diarrhea that the patient is suffering from is also the signs of CMV infection, this is because individuals who undergo organ transplantation are more susceptible to CMV infection (Rafailidis et al, 2012).The reason that the individuals are susceptible is because the medication they received reduces the immune system response to avoid rejection of kidney transplant (Cordero et al, 2012). However the patient does not display any symptoms for Rubella, Measles and Mumps, but the positive antiviral screening result might be due to previous infection or immunization. His crackling and whee zing sound might be result of cardiovascular disease that he might suffer from because of his lifestyle Kataoka, 2008). In order to stay healthy the patient needs to improve his lifestyle by improving his diet by reducing/stopping alcohol consumption. If the symptoms of CMV becomes worse than antiviral drug can be used. If the immune system is temporary weakened then there is no need for any antiviral drug, because the patient will recover from the infection when the immune system is recovered. List of references Cordero, E. et al. (2012). Cytomegalovirus disease in kidney transplant recipients: incidence, clinical profile, and risk factors. Elsevier. [Online] 44 (3) p. 694-700. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22483471. [Accessed: 15/02/2015] Gen. (1999). Immunoglobulin (IgG) and (IgM) Antibody Responses to Rabies Vaccine .Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine, Elstree, Hertfordshire, U.K. 40 (10), p595-604. Griffiths, P. D . (2002). Cause and Treatment Of Cytomegalovirus Infection.Journal of Antimicrobial Therapy. 49 (2), 243-255 Joist, H. Brennan, D.C. Coyne, D.W. (2006). Anaemia in the kidney-transplant patient. Journal of The American Society of Nephrology. [Online] 13(1) p. 4-10. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16412965. [Accessed: 11/03/2015]. Kataoka, H. Matsuno, O. (2008). Age-Related Pulmonary Crackles (Rales) in Asymptomatic Cardiovascular Patients. Annals of Family Medicine. [Online] 6(3) p.239-245. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2384982/. [Accessed: 15/03/2015] Lima, R. C. et al (2012). Interpretation of the presence of IgM and IgG antibodies in a rapid test for dengue: analysis of dengue antibody prevalence in Fortaleza City in the 20th year of the epidemic. Journal of the Brazilian Society of Tropical Medicine. [Online]. 45(2) p. 163-167. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22534985. [Accessed: 22/03/2015]. Permar, S. R, Griffin, D. E and Letvin, N. L. (2006). Immune Containment and Consequences of Measles Virus Infection in Healthy and Immunocompromised Individuals.CLINICAL AND VACCINE IMMUNOLOGY,. 13 (4), 437–443. Rafailidis et al,. (2012). Sever cytomegalovirus infection in apparently immunocompetent patients: a systematic review. Virology Journal. [Online] 5 (47) p. 1-7. Available from: http://www.virologyj.com/content/5/1/47 [Accessed: 11/02/2015] Tingle, A. J, Allen, M, Petty, R. E, Ketthyles, G. D and Chantler, J. K. (2015). Rubella Associated Arthritis: Comparative Study of Joint Manifestation Associated With Natural Rubella Infection.Annals Review of the Rheumatic Diseases. 45 (1), 110-119.

Essay --

By having adequately infrastructure local institutions trained and revitalized by peace building along with state building actors hatred speech can be controlled. On the other side institutions imposed by these external actors should not serve as permanent ones. Thus, external actors should persist in this role until institutions are capable to maintain it on their own. In this regard â€Å"creating institutional structures to manage potential pathological effects of media liberalization is a sensible strategy for promoting a free and responsible press†¦ mechanisms for self-regulation of the media should largely replace those operated by peace builders†.(Paris 2004:199). Paris sees as a key to strategy for better state building agenda, process of instutionalization before democratization and better control of free press trough local institutions.(Paris 2004:199). In accordance with above mentioned, position of institutions in state building process which, as elaborated, consist peace stabilization instruments and means to introduce new liberal approach is of crucial importance. Through example of free press regulation and control of discriminative speech, commonly present in countries emerging from conflicts, show in which way institutions could cut the root in this hazardous process and leveled the ground for new political process. Thus are all this indicators show that institutions might be the means from where the change should start in order to make it pervasive and appropriate for the state? Further chapter will discuss if certainly institutions are starting point in state building process. - Is institutionalization a solution- Institutions, as previously stated, are mechanism that can make democratic or any other political feat... ...ns should be taken as primary concern in state building process before any upcoming change. Arguing about democracy, it is seen as exogenous phenomena which certainly deems most appropriate political settlement for the country but according to above mentioned, it cannot operate without beforehand installation of good endogenous components-institutions. Recommendation that strikes from above mentioned is that at most basic level democracies and capitalism presuppose a functioning of state apparatus but in state building agenda which is oriented solely toward promotion of democratization and marketization in intuitionally weak post-conflict environments is counterproductive.(Paris 2004:205). Paris in this regard proposes strategy IBL that addresses to phenomenon of institutionalization, hence advantages of installing proper institutions before liberalizing the field.

Evaluation Of Work In Progress †Blue Remembered Hills Essay

For the past term and a half I have been studying Blue Remembered Hills as part of my Drama Coursework and a couple of weeks ago I performed an extract from the play with three fellow students. I will be writing about my Work In Progress and how well we worked together as a group to make our performance successful. To do this I will be focusing on the rehearsal process and the final performance. The Rehearsals. The rehearsals went very well, with steady progress throughout each session. The main strengths were the whole groups ability to pick up words, stage directions and changes quickly, for example when we decided to use a domino effect for our entrance. This effect was put in close to the end of our whole rehearsal process but we never had any problems with it and no one forgot it either. We also had all our lines learnt by the fourth lesson which meant we could get on with focusing on our stage directions and character analysis. Our main weaknesses were our character analysis, for example one of our group members found it hard to perform as his character because his personality was very different to his characters and his volume was a slight issue as well. I also found it hard to perform as my character because at the beginning I would let the status slip slightly at the wrong moment and I wasn’t seen as the bully anymore, I would also have to be careful about my pitch because I was playing a boy and sometimes my voice would come off girly and high pitched. One of our main problems was that some of us had other commitments like work or clubs that made it hard to organise lunchtime or after school rehearsals this affected our rehearsal process because when we managed to organise a rehearsal it had to be a short one or someone might have forgotten or not been able to make it, so it was hard for our teacher to asses our work and give us feedback if there was someone missing. We over came our problem by working extra hard in our lesson time so we could pay off for it that way. We also tried to work outside a lot so it could help us imagine our surroundings and the sort of things a seven year old would do outside. I found my strengths were my ability to incorporate ideas into our work and give constructive criticism. I don’t feel there was a directors role because we all had ideas and were able to give each other advice on their character build up. I felt I was able to help the group improve practise by asking for line reruns and workshops to improve our overall characters. My main weakness was character analysis (as above) mainly because, as a group, we didn’t do enough character analysis and this could have helped me. I feel my contribution benefited the rehearsal process because I could keep the group focused on a task and I was a good team player. I fell I could have helped others in my group more without feeling I was going to offend them because it affects the whole group dynamics if one person is unsure and it shouldn’t have to be a hindrance. The demands of working in a group are to not mess around or waste time, because you have to put as much effort in as your group members otherwise it isn’t fair, and you are putting the whole group in jeopardy and therefore are not able to make a satisfactory performance. The Performance In our final performance the domino effect worked really well as opening the scene because it gave us all the energy we needed to open the scene as seven year old boys. The thing that didn’t work well was the dirt on the floor, the sticks were fine, it was just the debris and mud on the floor that didn’t work. We put it there to make the scene more site-specific but it was unnecessary because we didn’t need to use it as a prop and had to sweep it up afterwards as well!! Our strengths as a group was our ability to stay in character even when we weren’t speaking because this helped to keep the energy levels high and keep the performance interesting. As an individual performance my strengths were my volume and diction because I felt I carried my words out so everyone could hear me. My weaknesses were my body language and pitch because I would often slip out of my characters voice and body language. For example when I am fighting with John I would lead from my chest which isn’t manly. I felt our group created a performance that clearly expressed a theme suited to our target audience. We achieved this by developing skills which enabled us to broaden our minds and act as seven year olds. I was able to play my character because: My voice was mainly boyish and I was able to pull off bully mannerisms; My body language was like a seven year old because instead of sitting I would squat, or I would fold my arms to show stroppiness when someone does something I don’t like; My facial expressions suited the mood I was in or the situation that was happening, like when the atmosphere dropped when everyone looked at the squirrel in guilt I changed my facial expression to look uncomfortable or guilty; My gestures were large and clumsy like that of a child like when we were trying to get the squirrel out of the tree I would wave my stick or hurl stones at it; And my interactions with others on stage were that of a higher status character and sometimes very nasty because I was a bully and carried the higher status, likely after my fight with John I stuck my tongue out at him and made other nasty gestures towards him. Overall I felt that my performance and our overall work in progress was a success and we worked very well as a group to make our performance successful.

Knowledge Essays (681 words) - Scientific Method, Free Essays

Knowledge Essays (681 words) - Scientific Method, Free Essays Knowledge is good for human being because I can use it to make anything to support my live better. However, knowledge is nothing to compare to imagination in human society. Imagination is used when I am curious about a problem, and I want to know and to understand how it happens. After I understand it, I put all its information into knowledge that can be easily understood for other people. If I put a condition or a rule into the imagination of a phenomenon, I have a hypothesis that guilds me understand the phenomenon deeply. A hypothesis is the first step to invest a phenomenon. A hypothesis helps me to focus on one path when I invest a phenomenon. During an investigation, I will discover many unexpected events that could distract my thoughts about my first goal, and I will waste more time. For example, my friend and I have a race to see who is first at home from our school, and he walks to home while I use a bike. The result is he wins. In my thoughts, walking cant be faster than a bike because I know the road well, so I want to know how he did it. I see three paths that are new roads in front of me when I walk to home, and I need to decide which path I go. On the chosen road, I see a walking path and a bike path, and there are many bikes to use if I chose bike path. If I use bike, I change the tool to go home from feet to bike, and it changes the purpose when I walk to home, so I keep walking. There is a new shortcut that is easy for walking to go straight to my house from the road, and it takes a long time if I use a bike. The hypothesis I make at the beginning is walk to home to see if its faster than a bike, and I prepared myself to have a solution for walking problems. Moreover, a hypothesis helps me to prepare many solutions if there is a problem in an investigation. To have a hypothesis in an investigation, I need to assume the problem behavior is similar to other problems I faced, so I can prepare better solutions. Back to the home walking example, I planned to walk home and chose one of three paths, so I need to make sure my safety because of the new path. During the time, I could observe the new environment to update my information. I guess my friend uses a shortcut to be faster than me, so I watch carefully around me and find one. That shortcut has a high rock wall that is hard to get through by a bike, but its easy for feet. If I dont have any hypothesis how my friend does it, I cant find the shortcut by observing everything on my path. In addition, a hypothesis helps an investor to have different views about a phenomenon. With different views, the investor can understand phenomenon more clearly and get a better picture about it. Back to my walking home example, I can see a shortcut easily because I assume there is one. However, if there isnt any shortcut, so I need to think any possible ways, such as the shortcut could be replaced by a very high wall or my friend goes through a house by back door. For each view, I need to examine to find an accepted solution how my friend can walk to home fast while I ride a bike. Indeed, a hypothesis gives an investor a first step of research, good preparations for investigations problems, and good views to understand a phenomenon deeply. A hypothesis could make a strange thought, but it could make an unexpected result that an investor tries to find. However, the investor needs to have a testable hypothesis rather than a fancy one. When the investor can prove his testable hypothesis, he has one step to get close to the phenomenons fact.

Maya Lin Essays

Maya Lin Essays Maya Lin Essay Maya Lin Essay Maya Lin Maya Lin, a graduate of Yale University, is a politically fueled artist who caused quite an uproar with her artwork. Maya Lin concentrates on reality as most of her artwork that gained nationwide attention consisted of memorial type structures that were interactive art. The Rosa Park’s memorial and the Vietnam memorial alike are both gigantic structures carved out of solid marble to remember those to impacted the development of the United States to what we are today. Maya combined several visual elements to bring her artwork alive including space, shape, and time and motion. According to our textbook, Living with Art, a shape is a two-dimensional form. It occupies an area with identifiable boundaries. Boundaries may be created by a line, a shift in texture, or a shift in color. Maya used shapes in a very creative way in both the Vietnam War memorial and the Juniata Peace Chapel pieces to be exact. To me, these two creations utilize this concept the most with the sharp angles and underground â€Å"boundaries† that almost give the memorial a triangle shape while still giving the appearance of an optical allusion at first. The Peace Chapel as also â€Å"set up† the same way utilizing the underground theme. For the Peace Chapel, large square cut rocks were placed below ground level to give a less defined boundary from far away, almost not appearing to be â€Å"sunken in† from certain angles due to the grass floor in the middle. Maya Lin also used space to her advantage, especially linear perspective in her Vietnam Memorial. The memorial is conceptually convincing but not optically convincing. More specifically, she includes two-point linear perspective where two parallel lines converge into one point. Maya also includes the concept of space in the Peace Chapel, suggesting depth but not implying it unless you view the work from a horizontal view. From a bird’s eye view, the Chapel would just appear a simply a circle of rocks, but from standing view the sculpture appears as much more than that appearing to be an area of meditation or similar to a giant â€Å"foot print. † Lastly, Maya included time and motion into her works of art. Especially noted, the Civil Rights Memorial (Rosa Park Memorial) is considered kinetic art. Kinetic art, or art that moves, is more than just a drawing on a piece of canvas; kinetic art is â€Å"living† art and Maya perused this theory to the max when including a waterfall and fountain in the memorial. Not only does the art include motion, but it also makes the art interactive, allowing the guests to splash and control the movement of the water. This element of the artwork includes the viewer to share, touch, and watch living artwork.

Free Essays on The Patriot Act

The only thing more disgusting than the terror that occurred on September 11, 2001, was the public reaction to it, and, more specifically President Bush’s abuse of public and international goodwill and his new policies as a result. After the â€Å"honeymoon† period when this entire country seemed to come together with a common goal and with all differences put aside, the media, the government, and most of the private sector became a pack of hyenas, leaping on every opportunity to exploit the situation. Television networks added the stars and stripes to their logos, and every storefront in and out of New York proclaimed that â€Å"These Colors Don’t Run.† People began measuring patriotism in terms of over-the-top displays of national symbols, rather than genuine national pride. Then came the ultimatums: â€Å"If you don’t support each and every policy of our President, then you don’t support the country, and you are not a patriot.† We w ere told, in the name of vague indefinables, that patriotism and political support couldn’t be mutually exclusive. Yard signs began springing up: â€Å"I support President Bush and Our Troops.† Questions like â€Å"do you support the war? No? How could you not support our brave soldiers?† made us believe that it was impossible to support the men and women fighting overseas, without necessarily supporting the cause they were fighting for or the policies of their Commander-in-Chief. Bush redefined the word â€Å"patriotism,† and, in quite a contradictory fashion, appealed to notions of freedom and liberty to defend his reduction of both. Then, once the general public and the commercial community had hopped on the bandwagon of blind, unquestioning patriotism, President Bush really dropped the bomb. Forty-five days after the atrocity, congress, with almost no debate or dissent, passed what is now known as the Patriot Act. Under the guise of increasing law enforcement agencies’ capacities for counterter... Free Essays on The Patriot Act Free Essays on The Patriot Act The only thing more disgusting than the terror that occurred on September 11, 2001, was the public reaction to it, and, more specifically President Bush’s abuse of public and international goodwill and his new policies as a result. After the â€Å"honeymoon† period when this entire country seemed to come together with a common goal and with all differences put aside, the media, the government, and most of the private sector became a pack of hyenas, leaping on every opportunity to exploit the situation. Television networks added the stars and stripes to their logos, and every storefront in and out of New York proclaimed that â€Å"These Colors Don’t Run.† People began measuring patriotism in terms of over-the-top displays of national symbols, rather than genuine national pride. Then came the ultimatums: â€Å"If you don’t support each and every policy of our President, then you don’t support the country, and you are not a patriot.† We w ere told, in the name of vague indefinables, that patriotism and political support couldn’t be mutually exclusive. Yard signs began springing up: â€Å"I support President Bush and Our Troops.† Questions like â€Å"do you support the war? No? How could you not support our brave soldiers?† made us believe that it was impossible to support the men and women fighting overseas, without necessarily supporting the cause they were fighting for or the policies of their Commander-in-Chief. Bush redefined the word â€Å"patriotism,† and, in quite a contradictory fashion, appealed to notions of freedom and liberty to defend his reduction of both. Then, once the general public and the commercial community had hopped on the bandwagon of blind, unquestioning patriotism, President Bush really dropped the bomb. Forty-five days after the atrocity, congress, with almost no debate or dissent, passed what is now known as the Patriot Act. Under the guise of increasing law enforcement agencies’ capacities for counterter...

Imagine you are a HR manager employing non-Chinese staff in the Essay

Imagine you are a HR manager employing non-Chinese staff in the People's Republic of China, how would you recruit and prepare - Essay Example Introduction In the recent years, China has been in focus for its astounding growth rate and future potential. The country has recorded high growth rate of up to 13% and the power that triggers this rate of growth is its vast and varied population. Today, there are about 1.3 billion people living in China of which about 38% reside in the coastal areas where most of the industries are located. Of these about 72% of the people fall within the working group and literacy rates among the Chinese is about 96%. Unemployment in China is at 9%. China capitalises on its immense human resource and this is why it attracts such huge foreign flow of capital. Despite such a glorious economy and strength of human capital, China is not free from problems. Its human resources pose the greatest problem despite being its strongest factor. The country is plagued by concerns like foreign exchange risks and financial and currency risks but of these, the human resources top the charts of concerns for China in the present and near future (Lubman, 2010). Figure: top concern for China at present and the coming 3 years (Source: Eusmecentre, 2012) The figure above shows the respective ranking of the topmost problems faced by China at present and also predicts the future ranking of these problems in the country. We observe that Human resource issues like availability of qualified employees are the biggest problem with companies in China, both domestic and international. The study also indicates that HR shall remain the topmost concern for China in the coming years as well. Problem The shortage of qualified staff has created an overheating in the Chinese labour market. There is a widespread lack of experienced and qualified employees. Adding to woes, employee turnover has become a critical problem that arises out of this shortage problem. In terms of statistical data, one out of every three employees runs a high risk of turnover in China. HR managers and executives have a critical concern of retaining their best talents. This number is almost double of what runs in other global markets. China’s employee situation has turned into a poachers den where existence and growth of foreign multinationals has generated a huge demand for talented, experience and qualified staff. In case of employee availability, the demand situation far exceeds the supply scene. The big fight persists among both domestic and foreign companies and this buyers market is plagued by presence of employees who always look for better options (Thomson, 2011). Most Chinese organizations try to combat the situation through an out paying strategy to attract talent into their companies. It has been realised that high pay attracts employees and what also acts as a catalyst to employee retention is strong employee development potential and attractive career paths. In China, candidates are attracted more towards job opportunities that promise a better pay. But with time, as the candidature shifts towards the younger generation, the demand for career opportunities that are differentiated and developmental opportunities tend to attract employees more. The general belief in most companies is that they need to design better pay packages so as to fight of poachers, or in other words, competing companies. However, it is wrong

WalMart's profile of computing and network infrastructure Essay

WalMart's profile of computing and network infrastructure - Essay Example So our ties to Bentonville, Ark. - where Sam Walton opened the first store that bore the Walton name and where Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., is still based - give us our foundation. Another Walmart.com goal - providing easy access to more Wal-Mart - is evident in the more than 1,000,000 products available online and in the innovative businesses that Walmart.com continues to develop, such as Music Downloads and 1-Hour Photos, which gives customers the convenience of ordering products online and picking them up at a local Wal-Mart. In short, Walmart.com is passionate about combining the best of two great worlds - technology and world-class retailing - to give customers a wide assortment of their favorite products, Every Day Low Prices, guaranteed satisfaction, friendly service, convenient hours (24 hours, 7 days a week) and a great online shopping experience. According to Mark Schmidt, senior director for information services at Wal-Mart, the installation of NCR System 3000 processors -- which began last month in the Springfield, Mo., stores -- is the second phase of a systems upgrade at the chain that began in August 1990 with the installation of Hewlett-Packard's HP 9000 Model 375 system. The retailer chose to purchase both systems so that "we have two vendor partners to bank on," said Schmidt. Approximately 800 of Wal-Mart's stores will use the HP system and the other 800 will use the NCR system. Both models are open-system computers and both use the UNIX operating system, allowing intercommunications and compatibility. "We can take data tapes from one to the other if we had to," Schmidt added. Tony Fano, vice president of NCR Retail Systems Division, said, "The NCR 3445 support of UNIX V.4 matches Wal-Mart's UNIX open systems strategy. Because it is based on industry standards, the NCR 3445 can provide enterprise-wide computing solutions based on open systems components and cooperative processing." NCR's System 3000 is a seven-level family of scalable, compatible, general purpose computer systems that support the industry-standard operating systems -- UNIX V.4, SCO UNIX, OS/2 and MS-DOS. Wal-Mart had been using the IBM Series 1, which was installed in 1979. "It is a proprietary system. We wanted something more open, so we could be independent of a vendor if we needed to be, said Schmidt. "We needed a system with more capacity. We wanted one that was open and scalable -- to go in relatively small and then grow," said Schmidt. The installation of the HP 9000 Model 375 was completed last month, according to Schmidt. He said the chain is aiming at Aug. 1 completion of the NCR installation. The NCR 3445 will provide connections between NCR and non-NCR point-of-sale controllers and pharmacy systems with Wal-Mart's central computer in its headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. The NCR and HP systems are configured to support up to 16 terminals in a Wal-Mart store. According to Schmidt, the systems currently are doing traditional applications, such as payroll, general accounting and merchandise reorder. Potential applications include financial management, sales analysis and labor management (Tahmincioglu, 1991). Wal-Mart has signed a multimillion

Child Care Aboriginal Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Child Care Aboriginal Australia - Essay Example "Assimilation" refers to the attempts of white Australian government to intermesh Aboriginal and white culture, often with the purpose of eventually eradicating Aboriginal culture. Under the 1940's assimilation policy, many Aborigines were removed from their own territory and forced to settle n new areas. Indeed, many Aborigines intertwined with whites. Sally Morgan's autobiographical novel, My Place, serves as an example of this mixed generation. "Dispossession" occurred when the White Australian government forced many Aborigines away from their original home. As a result, land which had originally been deemed sacred became the possession of white Australia. These occurrences of "dispossession" were particularly hard for Aborigines, who tied their beliefs and religion with particular geographic areas. This strong Aboriginal emphasis of land can be seen particularly in Aboriginal paintings and other forms of artwork. "Personal racism" refers to the subconscious idea that exists among some white Australians that Aboriginal identity is less valuable than white identity. This racism occurs on a personal level because white Australians believed that the darkness of someone's skin reflect their Aboriginal identity. ... The belief emphasized that it was up to Aborigines to gain land rights and reclaim their native lands. This period marked a great period of social progress for Aborigines and would eventually result in reclaiming many lost lands. "Invasion" occurred when English natives began to establish posts and reservations in Australia. In an Aboriginal perspective, the "invasion" of whites into Aboriginal culture resulted in the destruction of traditional Aboriginal society and the dispossession of most Aboriginal settlements. "Land rights" refer to the battle Aborigines face in reclaiming their own land. Within the past century, Aboriginals have won various land claims which provided back certain territories. Beginning with the Aboriginal Land Act of 1976, Aborigines have begun to reclaim their native lands. This phrase also represents the clash in thought between Aborigines and white Australians over who owns certain areas. Although white Australians physically own certain native Aboriginal lands, Aborigines claim that their religious and cultural beliefs entitle them to possession of sacred Aboriginal territory. Although the white Australian government attempted to mix Aboriginals with white society, "segregation" was still practiced in Australia and separated Aboriginal people from whites. On a basic level, Aboriginals were given certain areas to live apart from whites. "Segregation" was also practiced within society and many people who contained even one Aboriginal ancestor were segregated against as being less than people of entirely white heritage. "Terra nullius", a Latin phrase meaning "empty land", refers to a 17th century legal concept that allowed

Developments in Organizational Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Developments in Organizational Politics - Essay Example Defined as a â€Å"controversial concept† by Vigoda- Gadot (2003), organizational politics is a common occurrence the degree of which differs from organization to organization. Self-interest is the main cause of organizational politics and it has been aptly described as â€Å"the pursuit of self interest at work in face of every sort of opposition real or imagined† (Kreitner2008). A more detailed explanation of organizational politics is given by Jennifer (2009) who has described it as activities the managers indulge in to strengthen their position in the firm. Elaborating further Jennifer (2009) said that it is a means through which managers gain power and thereby use it to their advantage such as pursuing goals suited to the individual or the department. Organizational politics originates from a number of sources and operates at individual, collective and organizational level (Yammarino 2002). However it has been observed that an individual could certainly benefit fro m organizational politics (Porter, Angle &Allen 2003). Generally the organizational politics is seen in a negative light and is described as the process which does not conform to the normal role behavior of the organization and is the means through which people acquire and use power to meet their personal goals (McKenna 2000). This statement was confirmed by a majority of employees who stated that organizational politics was harmful for the organization. ... Those managers who obtain a greater share of resources are considered powerful and influential and that’s why managers use dishonest methods such as inflating the budget to gain a favorable share. It has been seen that conflicts occur during annual budget allocation and these conflicts cause political activity in organizations (Daft 2009). Jennifer (2009) believes that as growth in an organization becomes limited especially for managers who already occupy senior positions organizational politics become common to gain power and influence by several methods including impressing the kingpins (Jennifer2009). Organizational politics also occurs because of the presence of uncertainty and lack of clarity in an organization. Organizational politics comes into play when company adopts ambiguous goals. These ambiguous goals provide a perfect opportunity to managers especially those at the top to pursue personal goals in disguise of organization goals. Moreover, political activity become s more prominent when non-programmed decisions need to be taken for instance two managers competing for the same post can be manipulative. Badham& Buchanan (2008) have labeled personal ambition and competition between the various departments as other sources of organizational politics. Another important origin identified by Badham& Buchanan (2008) is â€Å"change†. According to them when change occurs in an organization, it tends to disturb the comfort zone of the employees so to preserve their interests, they engage in organizational politics. Vroom’s Expectancy Theory gives another view to the organizational politics. According to this theory the expectations of an employee significantly influence his perceptions,

Strategy Formulation for the Long-Term Care Facility Research Paper

Strategy Formulation for the Long-Term Care Facility - Research Paper Example The formulation of strategies needs to be implemented in the association. This is to guarantee that they are executed effectively. The implementation guides the manner in which the organization creates its discussions, actions, and decisions. In the U.S., there have been long-term care facilities that have come up in the past. They are there presently to serve the citizens who might be too old to cater for themselves. Their presence has enabled old people to get cared for even in their old age (Williamson, 2009). This paper will look at one such organization, and its strategic planning in the long term of caring for the old. Veterans Affairs (VA) is a United States government funded project that is present to cater for the needs of veterans. The project was started to ensure that post-war heroes got the attention they needed after serving their time in the military. Its main function is to provide for institutional and non-institutional based care for all veterans. Institutional base d care is the kind that involves taking care of them while in nursing institutions. In the non-institutional based care, veterans are provided for and taken care of in their own homes (United States General Accounting Office, 2003). In a brief overview of their strategic formulation, it is pertinent to note that any organization needs a strong, if not perfect, budget plan to get proper funding. In the VA Organization, the cover they receive from the government needs to be outlined, and accredited. This is in order for them to realise and attain their targets through this funding (Williamson, 2009). The formulation of strategies needs to be realistic in order for them to get the response they require. In the event that the initial cover does not help realise their targets, they can ask for supplementary capital from the committee in charge of their affairs. Their strategic formulation is based on workload performance. Workload projections are what help the organization prepare a suff icient enough budget for its operations. The labour that is used to cater for the needs of veterans needs to be catered for in terms of financial security. The labour they provide enables them to get attention from the government in order to perform their functions effectively. The amount of care provided is crucial in the formulation of these strategies (United States General Accounting Office, 2003). In light of all this, it is vital to note that the growth of the VA is based on labour provided by the care-givers. One strategic formulation they consider is the proactive response they require to their immediate surroundings. The evaluation that is carried out in the organization on the grounds of maintaining the health of veterans is crucial in the running of the organization (Bascetta, 2003). It is keen on spearheading the maintenance, and awareness of good mental, physical, and spiritual health of veterans. The maintenance of healthy surroundings is a way of ensuring that they re ach some of their goals. A goal based on creating a sustainable environment for all veterans present in nursing homes, or private homes. Long-term care services provided by the VA Organization are instructed by management, and the government. This ensures that every veteran gets the required care by the care givers employed by the VA Organization. The workload strategies that the organization has for its operations are very significant. These may help the organization in a number of ways. In one of those ways, the organization can cater to everyone at the VA society. Some of the alternatives it has in place are also aimed at ensuring the growth of the organizati

Personal statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 42

Personal Statement Example Through wide reading about issues pertaining to human relations across different parts of the globe, I have come to realise that law is an indispensable component of our lives. In fact, it is an integral part of our lives. I am strongly convinced that societies could not be governable the absence of law. To that effect, different laws are promulgated by different nations in order to govern the conduct of human behaviour so that they do not transgress against the standard expectations with regard to how they should behave. However, law is one subject area that is often misunderstood by many people. Basically, law is designed for people and by people but it seems that many individuals often fail to interpret law correctly. As a result, their rights may be violated through ignorance of the law. Against this background, I have developed a keen interest in understanding and mastering different aspects of law particularly the concept of corporate law. This is a new dispensation in law and I would like to gain more knowledge and insight about it. Currently, I am a final year law student and I have a keen interest in pursuing my studies in the same area. After completion of my first degree, I would like to proceed to Masters Degree in corporate law from a reputable institution. I have been greatly inspired by the education system in England and I can proudly say that I would like to pursue my Masters Degree in law in this great country. I have been attracted to this country through numerous visits that my family and I have had from my early childhood. Along the years, I became familiar with its streets, buildings shops and the ideology of its people and how to deal with them. Moreover, I love the language, especially after attending an English school in my country. The UK is also known for its prestigious academics, having numerous universities ranking top in the world. I am convinced that the British curriculum is

Developments in Organizational Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Developments in Organizational Politics - Essay Example Defined as a â€Å"controversial concept† by Vigoda- Gadot (2003), organizational politics is a common occurrence the degree of which differs from organization to organization. Self-interest is the main cause of organizational politics and it has been aptly described as â€Å"the pursuit of self interest at work in face of every sort of opposition real or imagined† (Kreitner2008). A more detailed explanation of organizational politics is given by Jennifer (2009) who has described it as activities the managers indulge in to strengthen their position in the firm. Elaborating further Jennifer (2009) said that it is a means through which managers gain power and thereby use it to their advantage such as pursuing goals suited to the individual or the department. Organizational politics originates from a number of sources and operates at individual, collective and organizational level (Yammarino 2002). However it has been observed that an individual could certainly benefit fro m organizational politics (Porter, Angle &Allen 2003). Generally the organizational politics is seen in a negative light and is described as the process which does not conform to the normal role behavior of the organization and is the means through which people acquire and use power to meet their personal goals (McKenna 2000). This statement was confirmed by a majority of employees who stated that organizational politics was harmful for the organization. ... Those managers who obtain a greater share of resources are considered powerful and influential and that’s why managers use dishonest methods such as inflating the budget to gain a favorable share. It has been seen that conflicts occur during annual budget allocation and these conflicts cause political activity in organizations (Daft 2009). Jennifer (2009) believes that as growth in an organization becomes limited especially for managers who already occupy senior positions organizational politics become common to gain power and influence by several methods including impressing the kingpins (Jennifer2009). Organizational politics also occurs because of the presence of uncertainty and lack of clarity in an organization. Organizational politics comes into play when company adopts ambiguous goals. These ambiguous goals provide a perfect opportunity to managers especially those at the top to pursue personal goals in disguise of organization goals. Moreover, political activity become s more prominent when non-programmed decisions need to be taken for instance two managers competing for the same post can be manipulative. Badham& Buchanan (2008) have labeled personal ambition and competition between the various departments as other sources of organizational politics. Another important origin identified by Badham& Buchanan (2008) is â€Å"change†. According to them when change occurs in an organization, it tends to disturb the comfort zone of the employees so to preserve their interests, they engage in organizational politics. Vroom’s Expectancy Theory gives another view to the organizational politics. According to this theory the expectations of an employee significantly influence his perceptions,

Personal statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 42

Personal Statement Example Through wide reading about issues pertaining to human relations across different parts of the globe, I have come to realise that law is an indispensable component of our lives. In fact, it is an integral part of our lives. I am strongly convinced that societies could not be governable the absence of law. To that effect, different laws are promulgated by different nations in order to govern the conduct of human behaviour so that they do not transgress against the standard expectations with regard to how they should behave. However, law is one subject area that is often misunderstood by many people. Basically, law is designed for people and by people but it seems that many individuals often fail to interpret law correctly. As a result, their rights may be violated through ignorance of the law. Against this background, I have developed a keen interest in understanding and mastering different aspects of law particularly the concept of corporate law. This is a new dispensation in law and I would like to gain more knowledge and insight about it. Currently, I am a final year law student and I have a keen interest in pursuing my studies in the same area. After completion of my first degree, I would like to proceed to Masters Degree in corporate law from a reputable institution. I have been greatly inspired by the education system in England and I can proudly say that I would like to pursue my Masters Degree in law in this great country. I have been attracted to this country through numerous visits that my family and I have had from my early childhood. Along the years, I became familiar with its streets, buildings shops and the ideology of its people and how to deal with them. Moreover, I love the language, especially after attending an English school in my country. The UK is also known for its prestigious academics, having numerous universities ranking top in the world. I am convinced that the British curriculum is

Who Is Alan Turing Essay Example for Free

Who Is Alan Turing Essay Alan Turing (1912 1954) was a British mathematician, logician, and cryptographer considered by many to be the father of computer science. His contributions to breaking the German Nazi Enigma code during WWII were considered pivotal to the Allied war effort. Alan Turing formulated multiple ideas that now lie at the foundations of computer science and computability theory, such as the idea of a Turing machine or the Church-Turing thesis. Contributions  Computer designer In 1945, Turing was recruited to the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in London to design and develop an electronic computer. His design for the Automatic Computing Engine (ACE) was the first relatively complete specification of an electronic stored-program general-purpose digital computer. Had Turing’s ACE been built as planned, it would have had considerably more memory than any of the other early computers, as well as being faster. However, his colleagues at NPL thought the engineering too difficult to attempt, and a much simpler machine was built, the Pilot Model ACE. In the end, NPL lost the race to build the world’s first working electronic stored-program digital computer—an honour that went to the Royal Society Computing Machine Laboratory at the University of Manchester in June 1948. Discouraged by the delays at NPL, Turing took up the deputy directorship of the Computing Machine Laboratory in that year (there was no director). His earlier theoretical concept of a universal Turing machine had been a fundamental influence on the Manchester computer project from its inception. Turing’s principal practical contribution after his arrival at Manchester was to design the programming system of the Ferranti Mark I, the world’s first commercially available electronic digital computer. Artificial intelligence pioneer Turing was a founding father of modern cognitive science and a leading early exponent of the hypothesis that the human brain is in large part a digital computing machine. He theorized that the cortex at birth is an â€Å"unorganised machine† that through â€Å"training† becomes organized â€Å"into a universal machine or something like it. † A pioneer of artificial intelligence, Turing proposed (1950) what subsequently became known as the Turing test as a criterion for whether a machine thinks.

Analysis Of A Linear Accelerator

Analysis Of A Linear Accelerator Nowadays patient with cancer are treated by radiation, surgery, chemotherapy or with a combination of these options. The radiotherapy treatment unit used to deliver radiation to cancerous cells and tissues is the linear accelerator, also known as linac. The linear accelerator has been defined by Khan F. M. (2003) as a device that uses high-frequency electromagnetic waves to accelerate electrons, to high energies through a linear tube. The electron beam itself can be used for treating superficial toumors, or it can strike a target to produce x-rays for treating deep-seated toumors. The energy used for the radiotherapy treatment of deep situated tissues varies from 6-15 MV (photons) and the treatment of superficial toumors (less than 5cm deep) is between 6-20MeV. (Khan, 2003) The purpose of this essay is to describe a linear accelerator, analyse its components in the stand and the gantry of the linac, and explain the principles of operation and then discuss why it is best situated to the task for which it was designed. Some advantages and disadvantages of the linac will also be included in the discussion part of the essay. Main body: Figure 1:http://www.cerebromente.org.br/ As you can see from the schematic picture above, the major components of a linac are: Klystron: source of microwave power Electron gun: source of electrons. Waveguide (feed and accelerating waveguide): microwaves travel through the feed waveguide and then to the accelerating waveguide, where electrons are accelerated from the electron gun. Circulator: a device that prevents microwaves of being reflected back from the accelerator. Cooling water system: cools the components of the linac. Bending magnet: A bending magnet is used to change the direction of the accelerated electron beam from horizontal to vertical. (Hendee et al, 2005) X-ray target: electrons hit the target and produce x-rays. Flattening filter: even out the intensity of the beam. Ionisation chambers: they control the dose leaving the head of the linac. Beam collimation: shape the radiation beam to a certain size Klystron: There are two types of microwave power. The klystron and the magnetron. Magnetrons are used for lower energy linacs. In the high energy linear accelerator klystron is used. All modern linacs have klystrons. Both klystron and magnetron are special types of evacuated tubes that are used to produce microwave power to accelerate electrons. (Karzmark and Morton, 1998). The tube requires a low-power radiofrequency oscillator to supply radiofrequency power to the first cavity called the buncher. (Hendee et al, 2005) In the bunching cavity, electrons produced from the electron gun, are bunched together to regulate their speed. The microwave frequency is thousands times higher than ordinary radio wave frequency. For a linac to work, the microwave frequency needed is 3 billion cycles per second. (3000MHz) (Karzmark and Morton, 1998) Electron gun: The electron gun is part of the klystron. Here, electrons are produced and then accelerated to radiofrequency cavities. The source of electrons is a directly heated filament made from tungsten, which will release electrons by thermionic emission. (Bomford, 2003) Tungsten is used because it is a good thermionic emitter with high atomic number, providing a good source of electrons. Klystrons usually have 3-5 cavities, used to bunch electrons together and increase microwave power amplification. Waveguide: There are two different types of waveguides used in linacs. The first is the feed waveguide and the second is the accelerating waveguide. The first one connects the klystron to the main part of the linac. Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) is used in the feed waveguide, to stop the arcing of electrons, caused by the microwaves that create strong electric fields. A circulator is placed in the waveguide system, to prevent microwaves being reflected back. Microwaves travel then to the accelerating waveguide. The accelerator guide of a linac requires a high vacuum to prevent power loss and electrical arcing, caused by interactions of electrons with gas molecules.(Cook, 1998)The acceleration of electrons takes place here. The accelerator waveguide bunch and accelerate the electrons with the microwaves. Electrons travel with a high velocity to almost the speed of light. (98% of speed of light) Microwaves travel to the speed of light, so irises are used to slow them down, so that electrons can keep up with the microwaves and be accelerated. There are two types of accelerator waveguide: the travelling and the standing waveguide. The difference between the standing and the travelling wave accelerators is the design of the accelerator waveguide. In the travelling wave accelerator, electrons travel towards the machine and microwaves are absorbed, but in the standing wave accelerator microwaves are reflected back upon themselves. The standing wave accelerator is the main type used in medical linear accelerators. Bending magnet: The electron beam leaving from the accelerator waveguide continues through the bending magnet. This is used to change the direction of the electron beam, to exit through the treatment head. The bending magnet deflects the beam in a loop of 270o, or 90o. The most common degree of bending magnet used in linacs is the 270o achromatic magnet. The important property of this magnet is that the electrons are brought together despite the difference in energies. They are brought back together to the same position, angle, and beam cross section at the target, as they were when they left the accelerator waveguide. X-rays target: The target is made of tungsten because of its high atomic number. When electrons, with their high speed, hit the target, made up from a high atomic number material, they undergo rapid deceleration. This sudden loss of energy results in the formation of x-rays and photons. To maximise the X-ray beam intensity, the transmission target will be thick enough to stop all the electrons bombarding it but thin enough to minimise the self absorption.( Bomford, 2003) In order to switch from photon to electron therapy, the target is removed to allow the electron stream to continue into the head of the machine. Flattening filter: In order to make the beam intensity uniform across the field a flattening filter is used. It is usually made of lead, although tungsten, uranium, steel, aluminium, or a combination has also been used or suggested. The flattening filter absorbs more photons from the centre of the beam and fewer from the periphery of the beam. Ionisation chambers: Ionisation champers measure the amount of radiation leaving the machine, quantified in units Monitor units. Every linac has two ionisation chambers for safety reasons. The ionisation is a round, flat structure, filled with gas, divided into a number of segments, where each segment contains electrodes. When radiation passes through the gas, it is then ionised creating a high charged density that is controlled by the electrodes. The treatment terminates when the readings from the electrodes have reached a pre-set M.U value. Collimation: A primary collimator limits the maximum field size for x-ray therapy (40 x 40cm). It ensures that x-rays leaving the target leave in a forward direction in order to minimise radiation leakage through the head. The treatment field size is defined by the secondary collimator. This collimator reduces the transmission penumbra, since radiation must travel through the entire collimator thickness. It consists of four thick metal blocks, called jaws. There are two pairs of jaws, upper and lower jaws. With the use of asymmetric jaws, by moving each jaw individually, asymmetric field sizes can be produced. Half beam blocking can also be enabling. Different intensity patterns can be produced, from the standard flat beam profile, by moving during treatment. Multi-leaf collimators are finger like projections, 1cm thick. These fingers like projections move independently in order to form the field shape more closely to the shape of the planning target volume. By using MLCs, less radiation is given to normal tissues. Discussion: From the introduction of this essay, the definition of the linac was given. A linac is a high voltage machine, used for the treatment of cancerous cells and tissues. With the structure of a linac this is achieved. By radiating cancerous tissues, with daily radiation treatment, cancerous tissues can be destroyed and then replaced by normal tissues. Every component in the linac is carefully selected for the function for which it is designed. First of all, the klystron is used to produce microwaves, because it is better than a magnetron that is used for lower energy linear accelerators. Because linear accelerators have higher energy beam, klystron are used for production of x-rays. Continuing to the electron gun, tungsten wire or filament is used, because of its high melting point, high atomic number, and it is ductile. With this features tungsten is a good thermionic emitter, is a good source of electrons and can be easily shaped into spiral, in order to create a larger surface area for the electrons to be emitted. In the feed waveguide Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) is placed with the intention of stopping the arcing of electrons. At the end of the waveguide a circulator is placed so as microwaves cannot be reflected back. As we move on to the accelerating waveguide, and the standing wave accelerator used in linacs, we can see why the standing wave accelerator is used. The backward travelling wave interferes with the forward travelling wave, alternatively constructively and destructively. The resulting standing wave has a magnitude of approximately double that of the travelling wave, and the peak intensity travels along the waveguide at the phase velocity of the travelling wave.(Knapp et al, 1968) Following the waveguide is the bending magnet. Here we have the achromatic magnet where its main task is to change the direction of the electrons, but more important to bring the electrons together despite the difference in energies. A flattening filter is used to make the beam even from the central axis to its peripheral edges, to have homogenous distribution of the dose. Ionisation chambers are essential in a linac. They monitor the dose leaving the treatment head, so that the linear accelerator knows when to end the treatment. Collimation in a linear accelerator is necessary. Without the primary and secondary radiation a linac wouldnt be as suitable for the task for which it was designed. The field size and shape is vital in order to radiate only the cancerous tissues and not normal tissues. Nowadays with the advances of technology and the use not only of MLCs, but also IMRT and IGRT, survival rates of cancer have increased. Last but not least, a linear accelerator can treat a patient with different energy modalities. By removing the target, the electron stream can continue into the head of the machine and then be used for the treatment of superficial toumors. By leaving the target, photons are produced to treat deep-situated toumors. Nowadays most linacs have virtual wedges, compared to some decades ago, where there where only manual wedges. Now radiographers with the use of virtual wedges dont have to concern about manual handling, as they dont have to do anything. I believe that linear accelerators are not perfect. Linacs are extremely expensive to buy, so poor countries dont have the opportunity to treat their patients from cancer. It is hard to keep up with the advances of technology, as everything is very expensive to buy, and only wealthy countries can buy the latest equipment. A disadvantage of switching from photon to electron modalities is that applicators and blocks are used to direct the electrons and shape the beam. Applicators are very heavy. Blocks are made of lead which may cause lead poisoning if they are not handled with care. The only disadvantage with MLCs is that when conforming the beam shape to the PTV, some radiation will be leaking, even when using the tongue and groove effect. Last but not least the linacs to work efficiently they need daily quality assurance tests and maintenance from physicists. Conclusion: Linear accelerator is the main treatment unit used for the treatment of abnormal tissues. With its precise position of the beam, shaped differently for every patient individually, it certainly is the best machine for the treatment of cancer. A linac uses microwaves to accelerate electrons and then hit the target where x-rays are produced. This x-rays are collected and then form the shape of the beam. Nowadays with the rapid advances of technology, linacs in a few years time will be even more efficient than today. Definitely linear accelerators are best suited for the task for which they were designed. All the components of a linear accelerator are carefully selected for its needs. From the smallest to the bigger parts of the linac, are designed for the best outcome. References: BOMFORD, C.K., 2003. Megavoltage beam generators. In: C.K BOMFORD and I.H KUNKLER, ed. Walter and Millers Textbook of Radiotherapy. London: Churchill Livingstone, Pages 162-183. COOK, M., 1998. X-Ray Production. In: A. DUXBURY and P. CHERRY, ed. Practical Radiotherapy Physics and Equipment. London: GMM, Pages 21-26. HENDEE W. R., IBBOTT G. S. and HENDEE E. G., 2005. Radiation Therapy Physics. 3rd ed. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Liss. KARZMARK, C.J and MORTON, R., 1998. A Primer on Theory and Operation of Linear Accelerators in Radiotherapy. 2nd ed. Madison, Wisconsin: Medical Physics Publishing. KHAN M.F., 2003.The Physics of Radiation Therapy.3rd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. KNAPP, E. A., KNAPP, B. C. and POTTER I. M., 1968. Standing Wave High Energy Linear Accelerator Structures. In: HENDEE W. R., IBBOTT G. S. and HENDEE E. G., 2005. Radiation Therapy Physics. 3rd ed. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Liss.

grey tree frogs :: essays research papers

Hyla versicolor, commonly know as the Gray Tree Frog or the Eastern Gray Tree Frog, is an amphibian that is referred to as the â€Å"Chameleon of the Frog world† (Craighead, 2004, p.1) because of its ability to change colors. â€Å"This frog was once thought to be the same species as the Cope’s Gray Tree Frog†. They can only be distinguished by their calls and the fact that the Cope Gray Tree Frog is diploid while the Gray Tree Frog is tetraploid (NPWRC, 2004). The Gray Tree Frog is classified as follows:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kingdom: Animalia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Phylum: Chordata   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Class: Lissamphibia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Order: Anura   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Family: Hylidae Genus: Hyla   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Species: H. versicolor   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Grey Tree Frog is about two inches in length. Its head is short and broad and its body corpulent (Dickerson, 1969). With a white belly, white rectangular spot under both of its eyes, yellowish orange markings on the inside of the hide legs and black blotches including one that looks like an irregular shaped star on its back this frog is very colorful and exotic looking. Depending on the environment and the stress level of the frog, its colors may change (Centralpets.com, 2004). H. versicolor may actually be any shade of brown, grey, green, or even light yellow or white. The temperature and the intensity of light also affect the frog’s colors. When there is bright light and a higher temperature perhaps it will be a yellowish white with almost no markings. When it’s dark and moist it may be a dark stone gray with dark markings (Dickerson, 1969). The frog’s back is usually textured with coarse tubercles. Its fingers are thinly webbed while the hind foot is more developed. Large disks exist on the fingers and toes to assist with climbing and sticking to objects (Dickerson, 1969). The male and female Grey Tree Frogs are very similar. They are distinguished by the male having a dark underside of his throat. Also the females ears are smaller then the males (Dickerson, 1969). The Gray Tree Frog can be found anywhere ranging from southern Ontario in Canada to the southern coast in the United States. Usually it is not found west of Texas or Manitoba, Canada. The can be found at Rice Creek Field Station. The best habitat is shallow water situated close to diverse stands of willows, oaks, and pines (Craighead, 2004, p. 2). The location of water and plenty of vegetation, which not only shades the forest but also covers the ground with broken brushwood, is what needed for the frog’s ultimate survival is.

David Hume’s Treatment of Mind Essay -- Philosophy Papers

This paper critically examines Hume’s argument against the knowledge/existence of substantival mind. This denial is rooted in his epistemology which includes a theory of how complex ideas which lack corresponding impressions are manufactured by the imagination, in conjunction with the memory, on the basis of three relations among impressions: resemblance, continuity and constant conjunction. The crux of my critique consists in pointing out that these relations are such that only an enduring, unified agent could interact with them in the way Hume describes. I note that Hume attempts to provide such an agent by invoking the activities of imagination and memory, but that it is unclear where these belong in his system. After discussing the relevant possibilities, I conclude that there is no category within the limits of his system that can accommodate the faculties and allow them to do the work Hume assigned to them. I then note that Hume’s rejection of substantival mind re sts upon the assumption that something like substantival mind exists; for the action of the latter is required for the proper functioning of the process of fabrication which creates the fictitious notion of substantival mind. My concluding argument is that if the existence of substantival mind is implicit in Hume’s argument against substantival mind, then his argument resembles an indirect proof, and ought to be considered as evidence for, rather than against, the existence of substantival mind. It is well known that David Hume rejected any idea of a 'substance of the mind' that would account for, among other things, personal identity. I will attempt to show that Hume's argument against the existence of substantival mind presupposes that such an entity actually ... ...ated into complex by chance, should at the level of impressions have recourse to no other 'agent'. One is inclined to wonder why Hume thought it impossible that ideas should be constantly associated by chance into the same ordered pattern that we apprehend in experience, but that it is not impossible for impressions to be thus associated. (15) Hume, Treatise of Human Nature, i. iv. v. (16) Ibid., i. iv. v. Hume's maxim "all that is distinct is separable" and the outright neglect, in both Locke and Hume, of the modal distinction are points that cry out for criticism. However, as the thrust of this paper is limited, these will have to be covered more thoroughly elsewhere. (17) Ibid., i. iv. vi. (18) Ibid., i.iv.vi. (19) Ibid., i. iv. v. (20) Ibid., i. i. iv.; cf. note xi. (21) Copleston, Frederick, S.J.; A History of Philosophy, Vol. VIII, p.120.

Assessing the Dependency of Teamwork Dynamics to Cultural Differences Essay

A debate whether a heterogeneous or a homogeneous team is easier to handle and manage has been going on for years. Companies, firms and even organizations are starting to make teams as the basic unit of their operations. Due to this trend, organizational researchers started to study the correlation between the composition of the team and the teams’ output (Earley & Mosakowski, 2000, p. 26). Organizational composition in terms of the homogeneity and heterogeneity of the team composition is commonly studied through the comparative advantages that each type of composition can give to a working team (Schippers, Hartog, Koopman, & Wienk, 2003, p. 779). This research paper will try to address the issue at hand in the same manner as most organizational researchers do; this research paper will compare homogeneous and heterogeneous team compositions through the advantages they can give to their teams. The hiring structure of most organizations, companies and firm includes a set of qualification that seeks to sift through the applicants not in terms of credentials but also in terms of their backgrounds (Prat, 2000, p. 3). These sets of qualifications are commonly structured in their own ways to create a homogenous or a heterogeneous team, depending on the position of the hiring party in terms of its team composition preference. Before moving on to the advantages of the two-team compositions, it should be noted that the basic differences between the two-team compositions are its team members’ culture. Culture embodies the system of shared meanings (Gibson C. B. , 2004). It can even be said, that culture attributes the different reactions of the team members in different managerial approaches and team objectives (Gibson C. B. , 2004). Furthermore, the probability of success and efficiency in team is dependent to the culture of its team members. Identifying the difference between leading a homogeneous team or a heterogeneous team can be easily discussed through the extent by which team members share a certain culture. In modern day organizational researches, culture sharing is not the only difference. Factors such as efficiency, efficacy of the leading model, output capabilities and even conflict resolution mechanisms are considered in organization researches that address homogeneous and heterogeneous team compositions. Describing the actual leadership process in these two team compositions would lead to the discussions on team cohesiveness. Team cohesiveness is the degree by which members of a group (both hetero and homo) are attracted to the team (Wendt, Euwemab, & Emmerik, 2009, p. 359). It can be said, that team cohesiveness embodies the reasons for joining a team and expected incentives for joining the team (Wendt, Euwemab, & Emmerik, 2009, p. 359). Team cohesiveness is present in both homogeneous and heterogeneous team compositions. However, the burden of insuring that the team would function is not directly related to the team composition; it is also determined by the leadership style in the team. Leading leadership styles such as directive and supportive styles have two very different effects to the team depending on the team composition. The exclusivity of the shared culture in homogeneous teams can work better with directive leadership such as seen in autocratic countries (Wendt, Euwemab, & Emmerik, 2009, p. 360). On the other hand, supportive leadership can work better with heterogeneous team composition since the differences in the shared culture of the team can be compensated for by the support that the leadership style offers (Wendt, Euwemab, & Emmerik, 2009, p. 360). Interchanging the two leadership styles in heterogeneous and homogeneous team compositions can result to high probability of team inefficiency and failure. Following this logic, it can be said that the leadership style would determine the difference between these two team compositions; a certain â€Å"fit† must be properly addressed. After discussing the needed â€Å"fit† in the leadership style and the team composition, advantages in terms of properly leading a homogeneous team or a heterogeneous team can now be established. Having a heterogeneous team implies that a team leader would have members with different recognitions of shared culture. Due to this, the team leader can expect different opinions and a wide range of ideas to be articulated by the team members (Gibson & Vermeulen, 2003, p. 207). This setup is seen in companies that operate on a high technology level. Technology based companies tend to function in a transnational level; this allows the companies to have an experience in having a heterogeneous team to deal with their operations. The diverse pool that the company can easily access to creates a working environment, which is perfect for the creation of cohorts. According to other related researches, team members tend to speak out their idea or opinion if they have at least one team member that supports their idea (Gibson & Vermeulen, 2003, p. 207). This finding is the coined as the cohort formation in workplaces. Following this logic, leading a heterogeneous team has an advantage of being able to pool a good number of ideas and opinions due to the different shared cultures among the team members. Practically speaking, a heterogeneous team can come up with more possible solutions needed to address a problem as compared to a team with members that share a uniform culture. Heterogeneous team through its cohorts also has the advantage of creating a workplace, which is more conducive for a more receptive learning behavior (Gibson & Vermeulen, 2003, p. 209). The cohort formation that arises from a heterogeneous team creates subgroups that are more receptive to learning through experimentation; reflective communication and codification (Gibson & Vermeulen, 2003, p. 209). The psychological support provided by team members that share culture allows other team members to learn more (Gibson & Vermeulen, 2003, p. 210). These advantages of heterogeneous teams make many organizations, companies and firms to invest in the creation of a heterogeneous team. This trend is best seen in transnational companies’ attempts to outsource team members from different places around the globe to insure that their team has cohorts to cultivate better brainstorming activities (Earley & Gibson, 2002, pp. 230-232). Unfortunately, the advantages of having a heterogeneous team stop at the cohorts. Heterogeneous team, which is too heterogeneous in the sense that it does not allow the formation of cohorts tends to be counterproductive since its team members without some to share his or her culture with, becomes too protective of their ideas (Gibson & Vermeulen, 2003, pp. 212-213). In this situation, organizational researches recommend the full dismantling of the team or the inclusion of other team members that may allow that formation of cohorts within the heterogeneous team. Advantages in a homogeneous team are the extreme solutions to the disadvantages of a heterogeneous team. The probability that too much heterogeneity can impede team growth and efficiency can be cancelled out by adapting a homogenized team since the shared culture of the whole team will eradicate the cultural diversity that may have started the problems of a too heterogenic team (Mello & Ruckes, 2010, p. 1022). This is the primary advantage of homogeneous team- cohesion. Team cohesion is at its prime state if the subject team is a homogeneous team (WordPress. com, 2009). The strong sense of group cohesion in a homogeneous team allows the whole team to easily accomplish tasks and yield maximum productivity rates (WordPress. com, 2009, p. n. pag. ). The shared culture of a homogeneous team creates a sense of unity among the team members; that translates to achievements that are most probably unattainable for a common heterogeneous group. This is the primary and appears to be the only advantage in a homogeneous group. Unfortunately, it also has its share of disadvantages. The major disadvantage of a homogenous team is that the team is prone to make probable dumb decisions due to the strong sense of groupthink mentality present in this team composition (WordPress. com, 2009). This attributes of homogeneous team composition allows homogeneous teams to be the perfect team composition for productivity and goal oriented organizations, companies and firms. Conclusion: Heterogeneous and homogeneous team compositions have been existing ever since basic groups have been formed. The reason for their existence is the fact that each of this team composition provides a perfect fit for different organizational arrangements (Gamage, 2006, p. 57). The interplay between organizational cultures, team composition and the type of leadership determines the needed fit implied in this research paper. Conclusively, this research paper takes the position that homogeneous team composition is an advantage for organizations, companies and firms that are goal and production oriented, while heterogeneous team composition is an advantage for organizations, companies and firms that seek to provide solutions. The cohesive team culture cultured and enforced in homogeneous team composition allows a consolidated movement of the whole team towards the attainment of their team’s objectives. On the other hand, the differences of the team members of a heterogeneous team allow the utilization of the multi perspective orientations in the advantage of the whole team. The different ideas and cultural inclinations of a heterogeneous team allow the development of holistic solutions. These points when summed up results to a general idea that the team compositions’ effectiveness are dominantly dependent on the factors such as type of leadership and environment such as context of application. Bibliography Adams, S. K. (2007, July 30). Disciplinarily Hetero- and Homogeneous Design Team Convergence:Communication Patterns and Perceptions of Teamwork. Retrieved August 6, 2010, from www. scholar. lib. vt. edu: http://scholar. lib. vt. edu/theses/available/etd-08272007-114555/unrestricted/MastersThesis. pdf Adler, N. (1991). International dimensions of organi-zational behavior (2nd ed. ). Boston: PWS-Kent. Burke, S. , Wilson, K. , & Salas, E. (2010). 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