Monday, September 30, 2019

‘A taste of honey’ and ‘My mother said I never should’ Essay

The two drama texts we have studied are ‘A taste of honey’ and ‘My mother said I never should’. These two texts have similar themes and issues. They both deal with growing up, single parenthood, leaving home, friendship, family relationships including conflict between daughters, parents and the attitude toward different class behaviour. In this essay I shall be exploring the similarities and differences between the two texts. I shall start with an analysis of ‘A taste of honey’ and compare this with ‘my mother said I never should’. ‘A taste of honey’ is set in the 1960’s in a scrubby little worn-down flat. It deals with the life of a young girl called Jo and her mother called Helen. In this drama text, Jo and Geof do not get on well with Helen. They are in conflict with each other all the time. We know this because the text illustrates lots of aggressive language like â€Å"oh, go to hell†. Helen has a boyfriend called peter she leaves Jo to live with him, but when she finds out that Jo is pregnant she returns to the flat. When she returns she finds that Jo is living with a young man called Geof. He is a homosexual and peter is quite homophobic so he insults him constantly. We know this because he calls him a pansy. Jo is similar to Jackie in ‘My mother said I never should’ because they are both young single mothers that have dropped out of college however, they are slightly different too because Jackie, Margaret and her family are middle/upper class opposed to Jo’s and Helen’s family which are lower/working class. ‘A taste of honey’ we see Helen come back to look after her daughter, but she runs out on her Jo and her new baby. In ‘My mother said I never should, the daughter is required to give up her role as a mother to return to art college. Jo never has this option and this is another difference between the texts. ‘My mother said I never should’ has many themes that are the same as ‘A taste of honey’ for example both deals with young mothers. In this play, there are four different generations of women. The characters names are Jackie, Margaret, Doris and the baby is called Rosie. Attitude to sex and having children has changed through the play form generation to generation as the different characters reflect this. For instant, Jackie is a young child, Margaret is pregnant, we know this because the play goes back in time to a scene in the garden where Margaret tell Doris how she feels about her miscarriage. Margaret says, â€Å"I thought I didn’t want it, till I lost it†. Doris, Margaret’s mother tells Margaret that she shouldn’t have worked while she was pregnant. She seems to think that working was the reason that Margaret lost the baby. This shows that in the 1960’s women were supposed to stay at home in bed, resting and not working. Margaret thinks that this idea is very sexist. Later in the characters’ lives Jackie challenges her mothers attitudes to sex before marriage. We learn that Jackie is already sexually active. We know this because the text states that Jackie slept with her boyfriend at his parents house Jackie say, â€Å"It was a relief to get it over with†. Her mother is not particularly happy about it as she says, â€Å"oh you can wound me sometimes, Jackie†. She is unhappy about the fact that Jackie could possible be pregnant. Later in the play we see Jackie with little baby Rosie. They are living in a run down council flat, which shows that the area is lower class. We also learn that the father is not there to help look after Rosie so Jackie is therefore a single mother. Her mother comes to visit and we learn that Jackie’s mother is pressuring Jackie into giving up the baby and return to art college. As we learn from the text, Jackie is not happy about this as Jackie mother says, â€Å"Jackie, we can’t go over this again †¦ you know as well as I do, it would be impossible† and Jackie replies by saying † I don’t believe you†. Margaret and her husband are ashamed by single parents. We know that her father is unhappy about Jackie and Rosie because he won’t go into the house however Margaret is more relaxed about the situation that Jackie and Rosie are in. she comes to pick up Rosie and Rosie’s clothes as she will be her new mother. Jackie is reluctant in giving Rosie to Margaret. Jackie is now free to go to Art College again. This reflects that attitudes towards working mothers have changed from one generation to the next. In conclusion I think both are similar in most of their themes however they differ when it comes to how the mothers react and why they react to the situation. For example Helen wanted Jo to move in with her because she thinks she cant cope and Margaret want Jackie to give the baby to her so she can go back to art college because Margaret is from an upper class family and a young single mother is shamed upon and she also wants to have a better life.

Biblical World View Essay

In the following essay on Biblical World View of, Business Administration, with the foundational Christian belief that man was created in the image of God. There will be two examples in this essay that will explain this view. In the first example, I will be going over leadership and how important it is as a Christian to remember your foundational belief that we are created in the image of God. The second example, I will be discussing the importance of honesty for Christians, since we are created in the image of God.â€Å"Immediately following each day of creation God saw that it was good, but after the creation of man, God saw that it was very good†. (Online excerpt, Original Creation of man in the image of god, 2013)Being created in the image of God does not just refer to physical appearance; it also refers to the total essence of God. Example 1 In this example, I will be going over leadership and the Christian foundation that we were created in the image of God.From the very beginning of our creation as humans, we were give leadership over all his creation. With leadership, in any aspect, you will possess tremendous responsibility, and power over others, and their lives. King David stated in Psalm 139 â€Å"Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous-How well we know it. † (Etzel and Gutierrez, Praxis Beyond Theory, 2012, p 61) AS Christians, one knows, without a doubt, that we are created in his image. Therefore, we have to always keep in that mindset.The Bible says â€Å"if it is teaching, let him encourage; If it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; If it is leadership, let him govern diligently; If it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. (Men’s Study Bible, NIV, Romans 12:8, 1997) I am currently enrolled for a BS in Business administration with a major in Project management. So needless to say I will be in charge the entire project at hand. This means, in every aspe ct I will be in charge of financing, labor, time & material, board meetings, and deadlines; I could keep going, but I am sure you got the idea.That is a lot of responsibility. With this position sin exists around every corner, just to name a few, Stealing, cheating, and deceiving people. This is why one should always remember, we are created in his image. Jesus Christ was a great leader, to whom followers looked up to for guidance, and answers. When I was a kid my grandmother always would say â€Å"What would Jesus do? Still to this day I use that very same question. With all the deceitfulness, and cheating that corrupts the business world, one must always remember in leadership people under you look to you for answers and guidance.You reflect who you are, no one else. So why not reflect the one who created you in his own image. Always ask yourself what would Jesus do? Example 2 In this example I will be going over how honesty in my chosen field of study relates to how we are creat ed in the image of God. Again the image of God is far more than the physical appearance. â€Å"Jesus is said to perfectly represent God the father†. (Etzel and Gutierrez, Praxis Beyond Theory, 2012, p 62) Jesus himself stated this in John 10:30. The Bible says Jesus was sin less and Jesus and God are one.So we can safely say we are the image of God and Jesus. Jesus threw his existence was humble, forgiving, and honest. So in Theory, if we are anything other than his likeness, then we could say, we would be the opposite of them, and that would be sinning. As Christians we strive not to sin, and remain in his image. In Project Management, I will be doing an enormous amount of managing of a lot of different people, funds, and business obligations. So with that being said, perception of how people perceive me and my demeanor will represent how I will be treated by fellow coworkers.â€Å"Keep your conduct among the gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evil d oers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation†. (1 Peter 2:12) King David was with himself and God and ultimately committed adultery and in the end murder. In my chosen field many people will look to me for advice and answers. I much rather be looked at by the people I will be leading as someone who walked with Jesus, instead of an Evildoer. ConclusionSince I have started my journey at Liberty University, I have learned a lot of things that will help me obtain a closer relationship with God. Upon completion of my studies, and once in the work field, my goal will to strive to walk in Gods footsteps. Perception on how people will perceive me will make or break me in this field. I cannot think of anyone else, but God, to be in the likeness of. Sin will be around every corner, all I can do is, look to my Bible, pray, and keep asking myself â€Å"What would Jesus do? †

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Four Basic Ways a Divisionally Structured Firm Could

There are four basic ways a divisionally structured firm could be organized. What are these four ways? Give an example of each. The four basic ways a divisionally structured firm could be organized are 1) by geographic area. An example of this would be any organization with similar branch facilities located in widely dispersed areas; 2) by product or service. Huffy is an example of divisional structure by product; 3) by customer. Book publishing companies often organize their activities around customer groups as college, secondary schools and private commercial schools; and 4) by process.An example of this is a manufacturing business organized into six divisions: electrical work, glass cutting, welding, grinding, painting and foundry work. Each division would be responsible for generating revenues and profits. Compare and contrast restructuring and reengineering. Restructuring involves reducing the size of the firm in terms of number of employees, number of divisions or units and num ber of hierarchical levels in the firm’s organizational structure. Restructuring is concerned primarily with shareholder well-being rather than employee well-being.In contrast, reengineering is concerned more with employee and customer well-being than shareholder well-being. Reengineering involves reconfiguring or redesigning work, jobs and processes for the purpose of improving cost, quality, service and speed. Whereas restructuring is concerned with eliminating or establishing, shrinking or enlarging, and moving organizational departments and divisions, the focus of reengineering is changing the way work is actually carried out. Reengineering is characterized by many tactical decisions, whereas restructuring is characterized by strategic decisions.

Demographic Winter and Its Effects on the Society Essay

Concept Paper Final Draft: â€Å"Demographic Winter and Its Effect on Society† For years, people have in mind that the world’s population has been increasing annually. While it is true that a daily increment of 215,060 and yearly growth of 1.10% is happening on our world population of 7,174,592,903 (United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division, population Estimates, and Projections Sections), the demographic trend is actually changing in contrast to the beliefs of many. Historical events that occurred in the past, particularly the World Wars, have paved the way for the eradication of a large portion of mankind, but it also resulted to population explosion. The Baby Boom, a demographic phenomenon in Western countries, rose to fame wherein rapid growth in population was recorded around 1960s. This is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds and when the number of annual births exceeds 2 per 100 women (or approximately 2% of the total population size) (Wikimedia Foudation, Inc). As the paper progresses, such belief will be proven as a myth these days. In 1968, Stanford University Professor Paul R. Ehrlich published the controversial book, The Population Bomb which warned of the mass starvation of humans in the 1970s and 1980s due to overpopulation. People grew scared of the idea of a population explosion and its detrimental effects to society. As they acquired the paradigm that babies are burden, a trend not to be sexually active anymore in Western countries was created. This, in turn, resulted to a new demographic occurrence called by demographers as Demographic Winter. Demographic winter is a global phenomenon characterized by population decline in birth rates. The term â€Å"nuclear winter,† popularized in the 1980s, alluded to the catastrophic environ mental impact of a nuclear war. The long-term consequences of demographic winter could be equally devastating (Feder). The Total Fertility Rate, the expected number of children born per woman in her child-bearing years of 2.1, is said to be the point of equilibrium in which a country’s population is neither growing nor decreasing. Essentially, a woman must replace herself and a man. This TFR is important because this only shows that an average woman is able to produce  2.1 children during her lifetime which is needed because some children die before maturity and also to stabilize the number of the population. (Fluctuating Fertility: The Baby Boom and the Baby Bust). When the Total Fertility Rate of a State is 2.1 births per woman who has reached the end of her productive life (that is around 50 years old), the Net Production Rate is 1, that is to say, the state has reach population age stability. When it is not, or is less than the nation’s previous TFR, the nation undergoes the phenomenon called demographic winter. (Fluctuating Fertility: The Baby Boom and the Baby Bust). Although demographic winter is a global incident, geography and the country’s economic status are underlying factors that contributed to what extent and to which nations such an event would occur. Demographic winter is currently more evident in developed countries such as in Europe, Australia, East Asia (Japan) and North America (U.S.), whose populations were the first to mature. Maturity here is defined as the average age of the population relative to the economic development of society. These countries also suffered the worst depopulation during the World Wars and experienced rapid population growth after (Yew). We shall focus more on these countries as we elaborate the concept of demographic winter for the cases which will be mentioned later applies more to their population trends. Of the 1 0 countries with the lowest birth rates, 9 are in Europe. Overall, the European fertility rate is 1.3, well below replacement level (2.1). No European nation has a replacement-level birth rate. Italy’s fertility rate is 1.2. Spain’s is 1.1 (Feder). That means, in the not-too-distant future, these countries will lose half of their people in every generation. Russia’s birth rate fell from 2.4 in 1990 to 1.17 today – a decline of more than 50% in less than 20 years. Each year, there are more abortions than live births in the Russian Federation (Demographic Winter). In U.S. alone, Total Fertility Rate (TFR) is almost 3.5 in the early 1960s, then began declining sharply — to below 3.0 in 1965, to about 2.5 (and temporarily holding steady) in the late 1960s, and down to about 1.8 by the mid-1970s. Hence, the TFR fell by almost half between the early 1960s and the mid-1970s. After a decade of stability at a level of about 1.8, the total fertility rate rose slowly after 1986, reaching 2.08 in 1990. It presently st ands at a little over 2, just slightly below the replacement level of 2.11 (Fluctuating Fertility: The Baby Boom and the Baby Bust). Japan’s TFR has continued to fall since dropping below 2.0 in 1975. It slumped to an all-time low of 1.26 in 2005. The number of babies born in the nation in 2012 fell by 13,705 from the previous year to hit a new low of 1,037,101 (Durden). With such data on hand, we now ask: â€Å"what are the factors that led to demographic winter?† According to the documentary film Demographic Winter: a Decline of the Human Family, fertility decline is caused by (1) economic prosperity, (2) sexual revolution, (3) women in the labour force, (4) Divorce revolution, and (5) inaccurate assumptions. As developed countries continue to rise in their economic status, a paradigm shift among members of the labour force occurs. Previously, babies are considered as blessings and investments by parents. Nowadays, they are viewed by parents as an added expense and burden to them. As standards of living in the urban areas of different countries continue to increase, life becomes harder to sustain. An added mouth to feed is just something that can’t be considered especially by realists. Richer countries want to invest and spend their money on adults, the more affluent, whom they can use for further economic development than children. Sexual revolution is also eyed as a contributing factor wherein Feminism is evident. The number of women in their 20s who had a child in 2012 decreased by 16,200 from the previous year, while the number of births among women aged from 35 to 39 and from 40 to 44 increased by a combined total of about 8,700. As more women are empowered and gain equal treatment in education and employment, they now opt to join the labour force, the corporate world and pursue career paths than devoting themselves to family life. Growing valuable time of working mothers constructed the mindset that they don’t want children, they want jobs instead. The labor force participation rates among married women with children, particularly young children, have been steadily increasing since 1970. In 1985, nearly half of all women with children under age 18 were in the labor force, as compared with less than 40 percent in 1970 (Hayghe). Moreover, the declines in fertility rates, as well as declines in family size, increasing childlessness, and delayed childbearing have freed many women to pursue employment opportunities outside the home. Completed family size, for example, decreased from 2.4 children in 1970 to 1 .7 in 1984 among white women, and from 3.1 to 2.2 children among blacks (U.S. Department of Health And Human Services). With the increase of participation of women in  the labour force, an inverse reciprocal in the fertility rates is also observed. Along with sexual revolution and the greater involvement of women on the labour force, divorce revolution can be viewed as a related contributing factor to the decline of fertility rates. With more women gaining financial and social capabilities in the society, marriage is now viewed as something superficial especially with the legalization of divorce in developed countries such as the United States. Not only has marriage been increasingly pushed to a late age, but once accomplished, marriages are more likely to end in divorce than at any previous time in History. Preston and McDonald (1979) estimated that although 16% of all marriages in the United States in 1915 ended in divorce, 36% of the 1964 marriages will end that way. However, by 1988, the data were suggesting a levelling off at about 43% of marriages ending in divorce (Schoen and Weinick). The Un ited States is certainly not unique in experiencing an increase in divorce probabilities. William Goode, in his book World Revolution and Family Patterns (1993), compiled data for Europe showing that throughout the said continent the percentage of marriages that will end in divorce virtually doubled between 1970 and the mid- 1980s. For example, in Germany in 1970 it is estimated that 16% of marriages would end in divorce, increasing to 30% in 1985. In France, the increase went from 12% to 31% during that same period of time. Australia has experienced similar trends (Weeks). With the said increase in the number of divorce cases, an inverse reciprocal for the fertility rate equals. Thus, divorce revolution is a cause of demographic winter. And lastly, the main culprit for all the causes of demographic winter is the inaccurate assumption made from the increasing population. As mentioned earlier in this paper, Stanford University professor Paul Ehrlich’s controversial book â€Å"The Population Bomb† propagated the idea that the rapid increase in population will eventually lead to population explosion causing food shortage. Such occurrence according to him cannot be sustained by the global community. Malthusian Theory stating that human population grows exponentially while food production grows at an arithmetic rate, made people including Ehrlich that such insustainability and shortage in resources is truly imminent. The predictions came true but not exactly as Ehrlich perceived it. The effects are mainly unfelt in the developed world and food production grew exponentially at a rate higher than population growth in  both developed and developing countries. Food per capita is the highest in history. During the greatest population-growth period in human history, food became cheaper and more abundant (prices dropped up to 70%). Population gro wth rates, on the other hand, significantly slowed down especially in the developed world (Erlich). The sad reality at present is this misconception still lingers on the thoughts of the educated ones. This now resulted to interference of government to population growth by creating and implementing policies that aims to decrease rates of population growth. Examples are Reproductive Health Act in U. S. and One-child policy in China and Singapore. The biggest impact on fertility from the pill was from eliminating â€Å"unwanted pregnancies† by 70% of married woman (Demographic Winter: The New Economic Reality). Secularization is also a factor that affects fertility rates. The anti-Christian, anti-family ideology which can be rooted to the Marxist view of activists currently sweeping across most of Western civilisation has precipitated a culture of death that is slowly but inexorably killing off the human family. Those who believe about meaning of life have children. Those who don’t, don’t (Feder). We can therefore say that all aspects of modernity work against fam ily life and is in favour of singleness, having a small family, or opting to have no child at all. Add up to that none of these problems can be easily fixed. It’s who we are and what we’ve become increasingly in these modern times. But the question here that remains is, if we are experiencing demographic winter, why is that population continues to grow? This now can be attributed to the Alternatives of developed countries to compensate for their declining population which is immigration (esp. on Europe and Australia) (Demographic Winter: The New Economic Reality). Also, the issue of ageing population comes in. What we currently perceive is that death rate is less compared to before. Less people are born but also lesser die thus creating that aged population. Given the origin, definition and causes of demographic winter, let us now focus to its effects on society. This can now be classified into (1) biological, (2) political, and to the (3) economy. However, these can be inter-related. Research has shown that demographics can have a significant impact on countries’ stability, governance, economic development and the well-being of its people (Population Action International). As stated earlier, an ageing population is an issue that can be attributed to  biological effects of demographic winter. In 1998, there was a 48-year lag between births and peak spending of those individuals. Japan is one of the countries to first experience demographic winter after the world war for they did not experience the Baby Bomb, unlike U.S. Developed countries will have this age trap or the said modern inverted pyramid wherein number of grandparents is greater than the number of children. This is in contrast to the trend before wherein the number of children is greater than the grandparents’. With this occurrence, the children will not be able to sufficiently take care of the old due to lack of number. Also, some countries might cease to exist. There are fifty-nine (59) nations, namely, Russia, China, Spain, Portugal, Canada, Italy, Germany, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong, (Central Inteligence Agency) – with 44% of the world’s population – th at are now experiencing below-replacement birth rates. Worldwide, there are 6 million fewer children (under age 6) today than there were in 1990. The United Nations estimates that if current trends continue, by 2050 there will be 248 million fewer children (under age 5) than there are now. Overall, Europe’s fertility rate is 1.3; a birth rate of 2.1 is needed just to replace current population. In this century, countries such as Italy, Spain, Russia and even France could cease to exist – at least as they’re currently constituted. Demographer Philip Longman (author of The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birth rates Threaten World Prosperity) observes: The on-going global decline in human birth rates is the single most powerful force affecting the fate of nations and the future of society in the 21st century. â€Å"Demographic winter is a great predictor of a country’s fate and future because children are essential for a country’s economic survival,† Longman added. As Japan’s population has aged beyond 48 years old, its consumer spending has steadily declined. Here now enters the effects to economy. Never in history is an ageing population able to develop a prosperous economy (Demographic Winter: The New Economic Reality). Why? The ratio of young to old will shift dramatically and wreak havoc upon existing social security and healthcare systems. The economy at large may also suffer, as the elderly cease spending and a smaller generation of workers is crippled by the taxes needed to support their parents. â€Å"The world this will bring about, according to the filmmakers, is bleak: grandparents left untended and alone in the streets of Europe as intergenerational bonds are  shattered; the potential desolation of small countries such as Latvia, and a worldwide depression that will touch even those countries that don’t disappear under the sheath of snow that the film shows blanketing the entire globe.† (Joyce). So argues Harry S. Dent, Jr., an economist who specializes in â€Å"demographic-based economic forecasting,† and who predicts that the West will follow Japan’s aging population bust. Politically, demographic winter can be associated with the voting body. A political analysis said that political preference reveals that the metaphorical eggs of Republicans rest entirely in one basket: the vote s of older white people. According to the exit polls conducted by the New York Times of the 2012 presidential election, Republican nominee Mitt Romney won 59 percent of white voters, and 56 percent of voters over age 65. The intersection of those two areas is the demographic base of the Republican Party, and it is dying. Markos Moulitsas posited that conservatives’ endeavours to weaken the social safety net have made it harder for these seniors who comprise the Republican base to stay alive (Atkins). While some may still debunk and not accept the fact that such phenomenon is happening, it just happens, and will still continue despite of us shunning the thought of it. Demographic winter is no joke. Further neglect of the declining rates of population growth will soon not only affect political, biological, and economic aspects of society but may also jeopardize even the existence of mankind in the future. I value intellectual integrity and the highest standards of academic conduct. I am committed to an ethical learning environment that promotes a high standard of honor in scholastic work. Academic dishonesty undermines institutional integrity and threatens the academic fabric of the University of the Philippines. And because I believe that dishonesty is not an acceptable avenue to success, I aff ix my signature to this work to affirm that it is original and free of cheating and plagiarism, and does not knowingly furnish false information.† ______________________________ Mary Philline Descalzo Works Cited Atkins, Dante. Daily Kos. 23 June 2013. Web. 29 August 2013. . Central Inteligence Agency. The World Fact Book. n.d. Web. 12 September 2013. . Demographic Winter. n.d. Web. 29 August 2013. . Demographic Winter. Demographic Winter: The New Economic Reality. 2011. Web. 29 August 2013. . Durden, Tyler. Japanese Birth Rate Plunges To Record Low As Death-Rate Hits Record High. 7 June 2013. web. 29 August 2013. . Erlich, Paul R. The Population Bomb. New York: Ballantine Books, 1968. Print. 29 August 2013. Feder, Don. Demographic Winter. 5 March 2008. Web. 29 August 2013. . Fluctuating Fertility: The Baby Boom and the Baby Bust. n.d. Web. 29 August 2013. . Gone for Goode. Dir. Barry Levinson. Perf. Ned Beatty, Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, Wendy Hughes, Clark Johnson, Yaphet Kotto, Melissa Leo, Jon Polito, Kyle Secor Daniel Baldwin. 1993. Web. Goode, William Josiah. World Revolution and Family Patterns. New York: Free Press, 1963. Document. Hayghe, Howard. â€Å"Rise in mothers’ labor force participation includes those with young children.† Monthly Labor Review (1986): 43-45. Print. 29 August 2013. Joyce, Kathryn. Kathryn Joyce. n.d. Web. 29 August 2013. Population Action International. Topic  » Population Trends and Demography. 2012. Web. 29 August 2013. . Schoen, Robert and Robin M. Weinick. â€Å"The Slowing Metabolism of Marriage: Figures from 1988 U.S. Marital Status Life Tables.† Demography 30 (1993): 737-746. Document. 29 August 2013. . U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. Vital and Health Statistics. Primary Research Report. National Center for Health Statistics. Hyattsville, Maryland: DHHS Publication, 1986. Web. 29 August 2013. . United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division, population Estimates, and Projections Sections. United Nations. n.d. Web. 29 August 2013. Weeks, John R. â€Å"Population and Contemporary Issues.† Weeks, John R. Population: an Introduction to Concepts and Issues. Ed. Eve Howard. Sixth. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1996. 338. Print. 29 August 2013. Wikimedia Foudation, Inc. Baby Boom. 25 July 2013. web. 29 August 2013. Wikimedia Foudat ion, Inc. The Population Bomb. 25 August 2013. web. 29 August 2013. Yew, Lee Kuan. Warning Bell for Developed Countries: Declining Birth Rates. 25 April 2012. Web. 29 August 2013. .

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Apush Dbq American Revolution

Though some may try to argue that the American Revolution was not a real revolution since the upper class was not displaced, it was in fact a revolution because it transferred power from an entrenched British monarchy into the hands of local state legislatures. The American Revolution was representative of a great change which occurred in the way that in Britain, parliament viewed Americans as a small cluster of people who could be taxed without representation, to where in America the government was able to see how each individual could contribute to the economy, government, and the overall well-being of America.This idea came about from the increasingly more harsh and authoritarian taxes that were being placed on the colonies, without representation, from British monarchy. In reaction to the Tea Act, one of the taxes placed on imported goods to America, the New York Sons of Liberty wrote several resolutions to protest against it.These resolutions were signed by all different social classes, which signifies a change in society, because while in Britain only the wealthy and educated were permitted to participate in governmental choices, a very broad spectrum of society was able to be an active participant in how they wanted their government to be run. Although the lower class was not necessarily in congress, their ideas were able to represented by the people that they elected to express their ideas.Some who wish to argue the idea that the American Revolution was not a full revolution may bring into light the women of the revolution, and how there was not a huge change for them. Even though their was not an extremely significant change for them, American women were given a multitude of rights that were not given to women in Britain at the time. The women of America were able to go out to war with the men to protect them, and at times even take their place when a man was wounded and could not fulfill his duties on the battlefield.Additionally, they were often left in charge of the business and upholding of the household when their husbands went out to war. In summation, American women played many roles that were not typical of them in that time period; showing a revolutionary new way of thinking that involved women. After the surrender at Yorktown, a cartoon by James Gillray was made as a warning to the British that since they were able to defeat the British once, they could do it again should they try to overtake America and their freedoms again.While this act in itself was not a revolution, it was representative of the revolutionary ideas in the works of the United States of America. The American Revolution was the transference of power from a monarchial government to that of a representative democracy that was able to reflect the ideas and desires of all free white men of America; indicating that it was in actuality a revolution and not an expeditious rebellion.

Psychological and spiritual conquest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Psychological and spiritual conquest - Essay Example The Confession Manuals depict lust as the most prevalent sin, above drunkenness, lying, murder or stealing and did not value the Indians’ norms that governed the transition into adulthood. This portrays the missionaries as a group of self-righteous people who are out to satisfy their own lust, despite accusing the Indians of lust. They are missionaries who are expected to be well conversant with the 10 commandments, but are only focused on the sixth one. It does not help that they even raped virgin Indian women. On the Indians’ part, they may have punished both men and women equally for sexual transgressions, but they also had their unconventional norms that allowed them to dissolve marriages or change partners for reasons that seemed purely for adventure. In conclusion, the reading brings forth both the missionaries and Indians as having unconventional norms, albeit the fact that the norms have guided their lives before encountering each other. The different values come out distinctly as inappropriate for the modern

Friday, September 27, 2019

Ron Banks - Bullying in School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ron Banks - Bullying in School - Essay Example Banks offers an authoritative claim about the existence of bullying and accompanies it with substantive evidence. His approach to the issue that involves comparison with the Scandinavian nation’s research emphasizes the severity of the case and relates the present and long-term effects of bullying. He asserts his claims in a clear pattern to offer the audience the broad picture about the issues. Therefore, his choice of words, sentence structuring, and data depict an explicit knowledge that corresponds to the writers' questions. A clear presentation and breakdown of the issues give the audience visualization of bullying and the adverse consequences. The writer stamps the approach by offering distinctive data and percentages of the affected parties. First, he provides an elaborate answer that explains the effect of bullying on students overall development. Second, he highlights the social challenges that the bullies encounter in their future lives. The approach is unique and shows the breadth of the research. However, Bank fails to give a detailed coverage of bullies’ consequences. He only provides a brief about their future social life and emphasizes on the effects on victims. The style depicts his impartiality about the issues. Besides, it might represent the writer’s displeasure with the bullies and desire for a prompt action. Overall, Bank achieves his mission of informing the public about bullying in schools. The selective words arranged in short paragraphs and the data gives his presentation significant breadth. Therefore, he covers the concerns of the writers by offering substantive responses. Education is a process. Therefore, I appreciate your efforts and highly anticipate the transition to college. It is in this regards that I take the chance to prepare you for the next level of your college life. College presents opportunities and challenges in equal measure.

GLOBAL CHANGE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

GLOBAL CHANGE - Essay Example He insists that there is no global warming. In his article, he says that there are no known facts about there being a link between concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide with imminent catastrophic global warming only predictions are there. According to him, the whole global warming phenomenon is more of a political issue than a scientific one (Bellamy, 2007). In spite of all the skepticism about the global warming and climate change, there are still those who believe that it exists. One of these people is the writer of an article â€Å"Seven Answers to Climate Contrarian Nonsense† by John Rennie. He gives seven claims that are contrary to the claims and global warming contradictions provided by the skeptics one of whom is Senator Inhofe. He provides evidence from scientific places like the US Geological Surveys which indicate that human activity is the leading reason for global warming (Rennie, 2009). The evidence is enough to indicate the presence of global warming and hence I support that there is global warming and humans should change their ways. Rennie, J. (November 2009). â€Å"Seven Answers to Climate Contrarian Nonsense.† Scientific American. Retrieved from:

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Zara Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Zara Analysis - Research Paper Example Inditex’s portfolio includes eight retail brands including Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Zara, Zara Home, Oysho, Uterque, Stradivarius and Pull & Bear. Although each of these brands pertains to retail textile and distribution, for Inditex each one represents a different strategic business unit. The flagship brand however, is Zara. According to Reuters, Zara’s owner Inditex reported 32% increase in profit in the first half of the year 2012, sales worth of 7.2 billion Euros and EBITDA of 1.6 billion as compared to forecasts of 7.1 billion and 1.6 billion respectively. The percentage of operating expenses from sales reduced to 37.16 percent as opposed to 38.04% last year, this indicates that there is a higher percentage of revenue keeping other factors same. According to BBC website, the net sales have risen by 17% to 7.2 billion Euros. The opening of new stores by 2012 has also increased by 7%, thus now Inditex has 5,693 stores in 85 countries (www.bbc.co.uk). The company has also invested extensively in their home market of Spain, with the hopes of upgrading the commercial and logistic activities to boost their world-wide operations. Since Zara has presence in more than 85 countries of the world, the brand needs to adapt to the political environment of the country they are operating in. For France is particular Zara needs to consider the following aspects of the macro environment: The European financial crisis and the fluctuating value of the Euro have a strong impact on fashion apparel retailers. However as opposed to high-end French fashion brands, Zara is a medium tier brand. So the fashion-conscious target audience has also become price sensitive, this works in favor of Zara France is one of the best developed economies in the world. Thus the women in France are very internet savvy, so Zara needs to utilize the vast possibilities of online retailing as well. According to Annual Report 2011, social media and

The Law of Contract Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Law of Contract - Essay Example It is the incumbent on the employer to prove that the employee's absence or incapacity was of such a nature that further performance of his obligations in the future would be either impossible or a thing radically different from that undertaken by him to perform. The doctrine of frustration applies in the same way when a workman is physically or mentally incapacitated. In such cases, the workman would be entitled to be paid termination benefits under the Regulations 4 of the Employment (Termination And Lay-Off Benefits) Regulation 1980 and all statutory benefits due to him under the relevant legislation. Therefore, illness of an employee may operate to determine the contract if the illness is such as to interfere materially with the proper performance of the contract. On the other hand, a mere temporary illness will not so materially affect the employee's ability give personal service and, therefore, will not entitle the employer to dismiss the employee. The court affirmed that it was only in the case of a very serious sickness which may be considered as an event sufficiently fundamental to frustrate the contract and to give the employer the right to immediately dismiss the employee concerned on the grounds of disability. The incapacity or illness should not be temporary, but it should be serious and prolonged that the employee cannot be expected to perform his duties in the foreseeable future. In such circumstances, the employer has the right to terminate the employee's services. ... which may be considered as an event sufficiently fundamental to frustrate the contract and to give the employer the right to immediately dismiss the employee concerned on the grounds of disability. The incapacity or illness should not be temporary, but it should be serious and prolonged that the employee cannot be expected to perform his duties in the foreseeable future. In such circumstances, the employer has the right to terminate the employee's services. However, terminating the services of any employee while he is still on sick leave is an unfair labour practice. In the case of employee under police detention/custody, it is settled law that detention by police is a reasonable excuse to be absent from work. It is the finding of the court that absence from work due to arrest by police without any fault of the claimant is not misconduct and should not lead to his dismissal by applying provisions of S.13 (2) and S.15 (2) of the Employment Act 1955.In any event simply not being present at work is not per se a frustrating event, especially the time concerned was of short duration. If the company relies on the frustration of contract, it is for the company to establish that the employee's absence was of such duration that further performance of his obligations in the future is impossible. Thus, a contract of service may be frustrated if it is established that the nature of work so performed is critical to the operation of the company and the absence of the employee concerned is of a duration or nature that further performance of his duties under his contract of service in future would be impossible. The critical nature of work performed in relation to company's operational requirements

Car engine danger Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Car engine danger - Essay Example In this case a person was injured in a road accident, as he was hit by a fire engine which had ignored the red light while on duty to save lifes by reaching at the location as soon as possible so that any extra damage to the property and life could be minimized. The key issue in this case was whether there was any immunity and privilege enjoyed by fire extinguishers gave them a right to run over people while on duty and whether any exception exists in favor of emergency services on duty or the general principles of tort of negligence are applicable in these situations. The Court of appeal held in this case that "It is said that, because he was driving a fire engine, he was in a certain privileged position. That is not so. He was not in a privileged position at all. It is perfectly true that, when the bell is clanged, people generally draw aside, but, if they do not draw aside, the driver of a fire engine has no business to charge into them.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

E-commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

E-commerce - Essay Example The emergence has been facilitated by the evolution of internet, communication infrastructures and computer systems. The increase in internet content like text messaging and multimedia and support services such as online catalogues, security systems and payment settlement systems have also supported the growth in e-commerce (Pankaj, 2005). Many global organizations have adopted e-commerce in order to increase their market share, create new online subsidiaries, attain a competitive edge in the market, reduce the entry barriers in the global market and reduce the costs of doing business. E-commerce has evolved from the transaction level business to a relationship based business that is characterized by two way communications with full integration of internet capabilities in to the business (Pankaj, 2005). E-commerce offers several benefits to business organizations, customer sand suppliers. For instance, e-commerce will reduce the costs of creating, processing, distributing and storing good and services (Pankaj, 2005). Business organizations can reduce business overheads involved in selling over the supply chain and the time spent between the outlay of capital and the time the goods and services are received. E-commerce will create a competitive edge for business organizations and enhance the business reputation through improved, new found business opportunities, increased flexibility, enhanced customer service and reduced supply chain time (Laudon & Traver, 2010). The customers will benefit from increased convenience in shopping since they can access goods and services 24 hours a day at the comfort of their location (Pankaj, 2005). Customers can easily access the recent product information within a short period of time and access a wide variety of commodities. E-commerce had facilitated competition, which has led to new innovative products and discounts to the customers. Customers

Mini-Literature Review Evaluation assignment Research Paper

Mini-Literature Review Evaluation assignment - Research Paper Example The patients experienced physical discomfort and difficult behavior. The intervention employed to make the patients comfortable is STA OP! (Dutch version of the STI protocol) Compared to the control intervention. The design used is cluster randomized controlled trial in moderate or mild patients in nursing homes (Pieper et al., 2011). This study was conducted by several persons with end-stage dementia who were under the care of a hospice. The method used was randomized controlled palliative care trial with an objective of enhancing patient’s comfort. The intervention employed comprised of long-term enteral feeding, phlebotomy, systematic antibiotics and new feeding tubes. The research concluded that it was not possible to assess the degree of comfort and awareness of feeding through a tube (Ahronheim, Morrison, Morris, Baskin & Meier, 2000). This research was conducted to analyze the end-of-life care in patients with dementia. The method used was in a form of questionnaires that consisted of questions in regard to emotional and physical signs that hap ended in the last three months of the patient. The interventions utilized include (CAD-EOLD) comfort assessment of dying individual with dementia, psychological and physical signs (Volicer, Hurley & Blasi, 2001). The implementation of the serial trial intervention for pain and challenging behaviour in advanced dementia patients (STA OP!): A clustered randomized controlled trial. Retrieved February 10, 2015, from

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Education and Economic Growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Education and Economic Growth - Essay Example In other words we can say that the overall well being of people depends upon its economic growth. Therefore the objective of any nation is to increase the size of its GNP. The economic growth of any country depends on various factors such as higher capital and infrastructural investment, better technology and social welfare. The effect of social welfare on growth is a debatable issue. Social welfare includes better health, education, employment and social security. GNP is calculated using the value of final goods and services produced in an economy .The measurement of GNP thus does not include social welfare however according to many economists social welfare is one of the stepping stone for any nation's growth. This study deals with the effect of education on economic growth. There are two arguments, one says that education generates human capital and thereby leads to growth while another says growth leads to development of educational facilities and thus increases education. Human is one of the basic factors which helps a country to achieve its macroeconomic aims i.e. growth and stability. The world today is undergoing rapid change in almost every field be it technology, financial markets or management. The people of different nations therefore need to adapt themselves to this change by upgrading their knowledge and generating creative ideas. In conclusion we can say, a country's human resource is one of the important determinants of growth. The human capital of a country depends upon its education level, flexibility of people and teamwork. In the excel sheet "Country consolidated" Graph 1 shows the relationship between per capita GNP and primary enrollment. Studying the graph carefully we see that low income countries have low primary education and high income countries have high primary education. However in the lower and upper middle income countries primary education does not have much impact on the GNP. The level of primary education in lower and u pper middle income countries are almost same, although there is a significant difference in their level of per capita GNP. The second graph i.e. Graph 2 studies the relationship between per capita GNP and secondary enrollment. In this graph also we see that low income and high income countries have a positive correlation between per capita GNP and secondary education. However the lower and upper middle income countries are showing some variations. The lower middle income countries are showing higher secondary enrollment than the upper middle income countries. Let us understand the reason for these variations. The contribution of human capital to growth depends upon the availability of inputs such as physical capital and technical know how. The availability of these inputs varies with the level of development i.e. low income countries have low physical capital, suggesting that the growth effects of education will be different for low and middle income countries. The graphs clearly su ggests that primary education have positive effects on growth for both low and lower middle income countries where as secondary education has positive effect on the growth of upper middle and high income countries. The third Graph i.e. Graph 3 we find that for the high income count

Attila the Hun Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Attila the Hun - Term Paper Example Very little is known about Attila’s childhood except that, at the young age of twelve, he was sent to the Roman Court as a child hostage (Matyszak 14). A child of the Romans was sent to the Huns in Attila’s place. When he was twenty-seven years old, Attila’s uncle, Rugila, died and left Attila and Attila’s brother, Breda, the Empire of the Huns. Prior to Rugila’s death, to prevent the Huns from invading, Rugila made it a requirement of the Romans to annually pay the Huns money. When Attila and Breda took over the empire after Rugila’s death, the Romans ceased paying the money, prompting Attila to invade the Eastern Roman Empire. Attila’s fierceness motivated the Romans to never miss a payment again, though they had to start paying double the original amount. After Attila’s success in making it clear to the Romans that he was the man in charge, he then decided that the same should also apply to his brother. Tired of sharing his rule, Attila and his allies murder Breda. With nobody standing in his way of being the emperor, Attila had no problem taking complete charge of his empire and the surrounding areas. To make his strength known among others, Attila raided the Eastern Roman Empire once again, in 447 AD and conquered the Thermopylae. After his success, Theodosius II, the ruler of the Roman Empire, resigned the peace treaty, though now Attila was expecting him to pay four times the original amount to prevent being invaded again. Attila had a winning streak, one that was successful more out of evilness and threat than actual luck, but it was not meant to last. Though he instilled his terror throughout the hearts of everyone who knew him, he still met his downfall in 450 AD during a war against the Western Roman Empire. Earlier that year, Attila had received a letter from Princess Honoria of the Western Roman Empire asking for his hand in marriage so that she could escape an unwanted impending marriage. Attila declared war against

Monday, September 23, 2019

Paleontogly Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Paleontogly - Research Paper Example The contemporary representation of this sexual dimorphism is that it is a â€Å"single, unidimensional phenomenon that is displayed to greater (e.g. gorillas, orangutans) or lesser (e.g. humans) degrees in the different primate species† (Oxnard, 1987, 2). Furthermore, it is commonly believed to be mainly related to variations in general size of the body between sexes (Levinton, 2001). The implication for evolutionary theory is, that human sexual dimorphism in the past must have been significantly greater than it is in the present day, possibly more like that in the living primates (Oxnard, 1987). Understanding the human ancestry is regarded as one of the challenges in exploring human evolution. Nonetheless, several fossil hunters appear to believe that this implies that their mission is to find the pieces of the exact human antecedent in the field (Elewa, 2004). Similarly, several laboratory examiners appear to believe that this implies that their mission is proving that a certain fossil relic is that ancestor (Serafini, 1993). Exploring human evolution, even in the mind of the public, appears to be this issue of moving from ‘missing’ to ‘found’ links (Oxnard, 1987, 2). The challenge appears to be the unearthing of ancestors. But what is the certainty of this undertaking? Even from a population as large and concentrated as that of any major metropolitan area, and over as many as hundreds of generations, the statistical changes of any particular individual ever becoming fossilized and found by a paleontologist millions of years later must be almost infinitesimal. How much less must be the chances of finding representatives of populations of perhaps only a few thousand, scattered over an area of the world as large as Africa or Asia, during periods of time measured in hundreds of thousands, even millions of years (Oxnard, 1987, 3). Once humans are thousand years ahead of a death, possibly tens of thousands of

BIOTECHNOLOGY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

BIOTECHNOLOGY - Essay Example In females, angiogenesis also occurs during the monthly reproductive cycle (to rebuild the uterus lining, to mature the egg during ovulation) and during pregnancy (to build the placenta, the circulation between mother and fetus).† Angiogenesis is considered to be a form of tissue engineering since it meets the definition when it is used either synthetically or naturally to repair damage. That definition is, â€Å"Tissue engineering uses synthetic or naturally derived, engineered biomaterials to replace damaged or defective tissues, such as bone, skin, and even organs† (ATP, 2005). Diseases could be treated by turning angiogenesis â€Å"on† in the case of a severe injury or in the case of coronary artery disease. Disease could be treated by turning angiogenesis â€Å"off† in the case of cancer or diabetic blindness (The Angiogenesis Foundation, 2008). b. Compare necrosis and apoptosis. Describe how we could we take advantage of apoptosis in the treatment of disease? What would be the advantage(s) compared to traditional approached? Hint: Think cancer, hepatitis, etc. According to MedicineNet (2008, pg. 1), necrosis is â€Å"The death of living cells or tissues. Necrosis can be due, for example, to ischemia (lack of blood flow).† According to CancerTherapy.net, â€Å"the P53 gene causes the abnormal cells to commit suicide.   This is called aptosis.† The main difference between these two is that necrosis is not planned and that aptosis is programmed by the body. Aptosis is a necessary part of human life and is not a bad thing, whereas necrosis is very negative. Both occur naturally, but may be influenced by external factors. Aptosis may be used to treat diseases such as cancer or hepatitis since it is programmed cell death. It could kill off the diseased and bad cells without harming the good cells. Cancer occurs when abnormal cells in the body begin to grow out of control. It is caused by DNA damage. There are many

Sunday, September 22, 2019

China and Inexperienced Industrial Revolution Essay - 1

China and Inexperienced Industrial Revolution - Essay Example Coal was at the time a better form of heat production. It gave constant, reliable amount of heat without giving out a lot of by-products as a waste (McCloskey 2010). The changeover was due to great innovation from individuals and group of people who skilfully devised ways to make work easier and create a better life for everyone (Chai 2011). Most of the innovations were involuntary and automatic, but additionally, there were others that founded through a series of experiments and exploit of science (Duiker and   Spielvogel 2011). This revolution, that is an industry based, commenced in Britain and a few years later it stretched to the United States of America, as well as Western Europe (Chai 2011). It grades one of the most significant turning points in the account of the history of the whole world. Nearly all aspects of the everyday life of the inhabitants of the planet were greatly influenced in one way or another (Nolan 2008). The thing that was mostly experienced was the sharp growth of the human population. The society at this period was exceedingly rural in nature. The revolution changed this to a much modern and urban society for most of the nations at that time (Beele 2002). Many countries experienced this mode of change that spread from the center of origin in Britain. China has had a dynamic economy in terms of its economy in the recent years (Nolan 2008). But why did it delay in achieving better industrialization that other states in Europe and other countries in the regions of the world were developing in the period? This paper is going to assess the reasons why China did not experience ‘industrial revolution’ between c. 1700 and 1949. According to Bayo r (2011), there was a delay in the industrialization in China until later in the century. In order to curb these problems, the country decided to raise its investment significantly together with the signing of a huge number of deals that included overseas companies that offered their services in the construction of some of the chief amenities for compound fertilizer manufacture, steel production and oil mining and processing in the refinery plant.These factors - availability of raw materials in Europe, a lot of richness acquired from the colonies, the widespread trade around the world, the presence of a unwavering form of government that offered support to the effectiveness of real establishments and was optimistic in scientific progress - made the European countries gain an upper advantage in revolutionising earlier in the century. China was not able to compete with these countries owing to the conditions which it was in that period.  

Annabel Lee as a Representative of Poe’s Poems Essay Example for Free

Annabel Lee as a Representative of Poe’s Poems Essay Annabel Lee as a representative of Poe’s poems about death of beautiful maidens Its always a little hard to separate the life of the legendary Poe from his works. In this case, there are some striking similarities. „Annabel Leeâ€Å" is the last complete poem written by Poe, published shortly after his death in 1849. Like many of Poes poems including The Raven, Ulalume, and To One in Paradiseâ€Å", it explores the theme of the death of a beautiful woman, â€Å"the most poetical topic in the world, according to Poe. In particular, although the poems stanzas have a somewhat irregular length and structure, the rhyme scheme continually emphasizes the three words me, Lee, and sea, enforcing the linked nature of these concepts within the poem while giving the poem a song-like sound. The work shows Poes frequent fixation with the Romantic image of a beautiful woman who has died too young unexpectedly. As indicated more thoroughly in his short story The Oval Portrait, Poe often associated death with the freezing and capturing of beauty, and many of his heroines reach the pinnacle of loveliness on their deathbed. The narrator, who fell in love with Annabel Lee when they were young, retains his love for her even after her death. Most people agree that Edgar Allan Poe wrote Annabel Lee about his departed wife, Virginia, who died of tuberculosis two years earlier. Some critics, however, contend that in the seventh line of the poem he states, I was a child and she was a child, and he certainly was no child in 1836 at twenty-seven when he married his thirteen-year-old bride. Maybe the poem is about an earlier love, or perhaps it is purely fictional, but addressing Annabel Lee as his life and his bride in line thirty-eight and writing it two years after his beloved young wifes death, it seems only logical that it is indeed written about her and is simply embroidered with a bit of poetic license. Local legend in Charleston, South Carolina tells the story of a sailor who met a woman named Annabel Lee. Her father disapproved of the pairing and the two met privately in a graveyard before the sailors ti me stationed in Charleston was up. While away, he heard of Annabels death from yellow fever, but her father would not allow him at the funeral. Because he did not know her exact burial location, he instead kept vigil in the cemetery where they had often secretly met. There is no evidence that Edgar Allan Poe had heard of this legend, but some insist it was his inspiration. The poem focuses on an ideal love which is unusually strong. In fact, the narrators actions show that he not only loves Annabel Lee, but he worships her, something he can only do after her death. The poem specifically mentions the youth of the unnamed narrator and especially of Annabel Lee, and it celebrates child-like emotions in a way consistent with the ideals of the Romantic era. Many Romantics from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries viewed adulthood as a corruption of the purer instincts of childhood, and they preferred nature to society because they considered it to be a better and more instinctive state. Accordingly, Poe treats the narrators childhood love for Annabel Lee as fuller and more eternal than the love of adults. Annabel Lee is gentle and persistent in her love, and she has no complex emotions. He explains that angels murdered her. His repetition of this assertion suggests he is trying to rationalize his own excessive feelings of loss. In Annabel Lee the speaker argues in lines eleven and twelve that the angels were jealous of the happy couple: the winged seraphs of heaven coveted her and me. The envious angels, he insists, caused the wind to chill his bride and seize her life. However, he contends, their love, stronger than the love of the older or wiser couples, can never be conquered: And neither the angles in heaven above, Nor the demons down under the sea, Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee. (lines 33-36) Unlike The Raven, in which the narrator believes he will nevermore be reunited with his love, Annabel Lee says the two will be together again, as not even demons can ever dissever their souls. The first time that death gets mentioned in the poem: A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling My beautiful Annabel Lee; (lines 15-16) The speaker doesnt say she died. Actually, he never uses the word death in this poem at all. The speaker maintains that this world of dream remains even after the death of his bride: For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams Of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes Of the beautiful Annabel Lee (33-6). The poems setting has several Gothic elements, as the kingdom by the sea is lonely and in an undefined but mysterious location. Poe does not describe the setting with any specificity, and he weaves a misty, romantic atmosphere around the kingdom until he ends by offering the severe and horrific image of a sepulchre there by the sea. At the same time, the nostalgic tone and the Gothic background serve to repeat the image of a love that outlasts all pposition, from the spiritual jealousy of the angels to the physical barrier of death. Although Annabel Lee has died, the narrator can still see her bright eyes, an image of her soul and of the spark of life that gives a promise of a future meeting between the two lovers. The image invoked by this poem is of enduring love. Both this everlasting love and the conclusion of the poem leave the speaker lying on the grave of his departed wife: And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side Of my darling-my darling-my life and my bride, In the sepulchre there by the sea, In her tomb by the sounding sea (37-41). As in the case of a number of Poes male protagonists who mourn the premature death of beloved women, the love of narrator of Annabel Lee goes beyond simple adoration to a more bizarre attachment. Whereas Annabel Lee seems to have loved him in a simple, if nonsexual, manner, the protagonist has mentally sacred her. He blames everyone but himself for her death, pointing at the conspiracy of angels with nature and at the show of paternalism inherent in her highborn kinsmen who came and bore her away, and he remains dependent upon her memory. While the narrator of the poem Ulalume suffers from an unconscious need to grieve and to return to Ulalumes grave, the narrator of Annabel Lee chooses ironically to lie down and sleep next to a woman who is herself lying down by the sea. Refferences: A History of American Literature: Then and Now, Radojka Vukcevic, Podgorica, 2005 The Cambridge Companion to Edgar Allan Poe, edited by Kevin J. Hayes. Cambridge University Press, 2002

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Utilitarianism and Greatest Happiness Principle Essay Example for Free

Utilitarianism and Greatest Happiness Principle Essay Happiness Happiness: In one word, this concept exemplifies the American dream. People go to any means by which to obtain the many varied materials and issues that induce pleasures in each individual, and intrinsically, this emotion remains the ultimate goal, John Stuart Mill, a nineteenth century philosopher, correctly advocated the pursuit of happiness, and maintained the concept that above all other values, pleasure existed as the final destination, Mills hedonistic views correctly and rationally identified a natural human tendency, and his Utilitarian arguments strongly support the theory that above all else, happiness is the most important dream to be fulfilled. Upon researching for this paper, I came across a counter argument, which was based on metaphysics. Immanuel Kant, in Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, defends his strong beliefs in the issue of a good will, and surfaces as MMs chief opponent on the topic of metaphysics, The issue diminishes to a clash between emotions and pleasures ve rses rationality and logic. Yet, what use is logic when the good agent is miserable? Mills stance within Utilitarianism exists as the more favorable of the two beliefs, for happiness exist as the one intrinsically favorable element, not an emotionless mind. The main defender of the Utilitarian system exists within the Greatest happiness Principle. Mill lived as a chief advocate of this concept, which supports the idea that a decision is morally correct as long as it increases and encourages pleasures and happiness. Kant, however, in his endless quest to remain separate from emotions and thrive only on logic, would argue that autonomy should be placed above happiness in a list of intrinsic values. A good will, however, does not comfort an individual in any way if happiness does not accompany this asset, Consider this example of a seemingly happily married couple. The wife in this duo is madly in love with her husband fiercely loyal, and completely happy with her marriage and children. The husband, however, as wrongfully strayed, and had a brief, but damaging affair behind his wifes back. Kant would argue that autonomy reigns over pleasure, and the woman should therefore want to be informed of her husbands adultery, Mill would greatly disagree. By revealing the secret of the past affair, the womans happy world would be instantly shattered. Her pride would diminish, her stability would fall apart, and the children especially would be forced to view a nasty side of their beloved father. In this case, individual control is greatly overshadowed by the need for happiness. The husband is no longer acting unfaithful and the family can easily continue to live in a happy realm, If the secret were to become uncovered, all members of this circumstance unavoidably would become terribly disappointed, Under the Greatest Happiness Principle, the wife should not be informed. Since happiness truly lives as the ultimate in human desires, sparing such immense amounts of pain truly is the logical choice, Mills argument prevails, and all those involved remain happy. Through this example, one can easily see that although autonomy is often a favorable feature, it does not overshadow the importance of happiness. One of the main arguments against Utilitarianism exist in the lack of apparent fairness. An advocate of the Kantian logic principle would argue that Mills belief system does not allow for equal treatment, When considering what is best for an entire society, however, it is necessary for certain individuals to endure suffering. The good of society remains the ultimate goal, and unfortunate pain is therefore inevitable, If young children are being killed in a certain community, the obvious good for this society is discovering and punishing the murderer. Especially when children are involved, people automatically demand prompt justice. The officials of this area have searched immensely for the accused, yet no leads have surfaced, and the community suddenly erupts with anger, they demand that someone be punished, As a Utilitarian, the police chief sees a window of opportunity. A drug dealer has recently been brought in on yet another drug selling offense, and the chief decides to coerce the invalu able member of society into confessing the crime at hand, By doing so, the community instantly reunites in support and a dangerous and deadly revolt is avoided, and a menace to society is right back where he would have been regardless of his confession: behind bars, Kant, however, would argue that logically, the chase for the true offender should continue. He would shun the emotional decision to make the whole society happy by ignoring the rational decisions. But since the community obviously chooses happiness over logic, Kants arguments are irrelevant. In addition, Kant believes in a decision making process completely separate from the natural human emotions, Such a demand is possible only for a character such as Star Treks Dr. Spock, for human emotions are as much a part of every day life as the decision making process itself. Logically speaking, therefore, Mills Utilitarianism arguments maintain the largest dose of validity. Other opponents to the philosophical viewpoint of Utilitarianism state that followers of this belief system often promote an ignorant lifestyle, They maintain that advocates of the Greatest Happiness Principle believe in the theory that ignorance is bliss, Again, such reasoning is quite faulty. Displaying the erroneousness of this statement can be done by examining the issue of AIDS, An opponent of Utilitarianism would say an Infected HIV victim would not want to be aware of his disorder, Such a belief is extremely incorrect. Mill and other Utilitarian are strong advocates of education, for with intelligence, greater levels of achievement and happiness can be obtained. A member of this belief system would rightly argue that being aware of the disorder could increase long-term happiness, for treatments and support from friends and family could greatly aid the victims fight against his or her alhnents, Mills therefore strongly support education systems and believe in making society as a whole as happy as possible. In the case of the AIDS victim, a Utilitarian would also support the notification of the disorder to the victim in order to spare others of contracting the virus, The happiness of the majority would not be increased by an unknowing HIV carrier spreading the disease to other defenseless individuals, Utilitarianism clearly is not a ignorant way to live, and the Kantian philosophy of ignoring the irrational system of emotions cannot refute this standard. Without happiness, the other opportunities and necessities lose nearly all levels of importance. A true Utilitarian supports only those concepts that promote the highest levels of pleasures, and as Mill states, encourages only those actions that promote real happiness, From a Kantian viewpoint, rationality and the possession of a good will remains the most important element, but even someone with the truest and most logical of intentions can easily exist in a realm of pure depression. The one link that exists between these opposite belief systems is the concept that, all decisions should be made outside of ones personality. The key is that Kant said this decisions should be made without any regard for human emotions, A request of this magnitude is a part of a utopian society only, for ignoring ones emotions is an illogical assumption in itself, If your child and wife are both dying, deciding which one to save cannot be made without some emotional influence, Utilitarianism allows for the emotional side of life but requests only that the Greatest Happiness Principle be strictly followed. Any truly decent human being naturally follows such a request every day, Decisions are made based on the greatest level of happiness, That way, the largest majority of people benefit, and the greatest amount of happiness is achieved. Yet as Kant believed, a more morally correct decision lies at the heart of every dilemma. How does one decide who is morally more correct to save in an instance where two cherished loved ones are passing away, and only one individual may be saved? And even more importantly, how does one do so without regard emotions? I personally feel that living strictly by the doctrine of Kantian philosophy is completely impossible. Being a Utilitarian and hedonist, such as Mill, makes more sense to me.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Physics Instrumentation

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Physics Instrumentation TITLE : MRI IMAGE ARTIFACTS MOHAMAD AL-HAFIZ BIN IBRAHIM Name of Student: Mohamad Al-Hafiz bin Ibrahim TABLE OF CONTENTS (Jump to) LIST OF FIGURES 1.0 INTRODUCTION 2.0 MRI ARTIFACTS 2.1 RF leakage 2.2 Aliasing 2.3 Patient motion 2.4 Gibbs Truncation 2.5 Chemical Shift 2.6 Magnetic Susceptibility 2.7 Flow Motion 3.0 CONCLUSION 4.0 REFERENCES LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Zipper Artifact may appear as horizontal line across the image Figure 2: The part of the body that outside the FOV is mismapped within the FOV. Figure 3:The appearances of ghost lines at the anterior to the abdominal wall Figure 4: Image shown the effect of head movement or motion during MR scanning Figure 5: Bright and dark lines are visible in image Figure 6: Arrow show dark line at the interface of fat and water . Figure 7: MR image shown massive distortion of magnetic field . Figure 8: (a) CSF pulsation-related artifact in the phase encoding direction in T2-weighted image while (b) show reduction of flow artefact 1.0 INTRODUCTION Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is one of the medical imaging and diagnosis technique which widely used due to its capability to produce high resolution of cross- sectional anatomical images and high tissues contrast. Eventhough MRI has various advantageous features, but still there are numerous sources of artifacts either patient-related, signal processing-dependent and hardware (machine) related (Erasmus, Hurter, Naudà ©, Kritzinger, Acho, 2004). Definitely, artifacts can degrade the image quality and may mimicking pathology or obscure the abnormalities which can lead to misdiagnosis of MRI images. The MRI artifact can be defined as a structure or feature appearing in MRI image produced by artificial means which is not originate within the scanned object (Erasmus et al., 2004). Commonly, MRI artifacts can be caused by RF leakage, aliasing, patient motion, Gibbs, truncation, chemical shift, magnetic susceptibility and flow motion. 2.0 MRI ARTIFACTS 2.1 RF leakage Cause This artifact also known as Zipper artifact. It occurs when there are leakage of RF or electromagnetic energy generated from certain equipment into MRI system (Stadler, Schima, Ba-Ssalamah, Kettenbach, Eisenhuber, 2007). This extrinsic RF came at a certain frequency then interferes with MRI signal produced by patient. The potential sources of the extrinsic RF are due to penetration of the RF into the shielded scanning room especially when the door is open during images acquisition (Ruan, 2013). After that, the RF will be picked up by the receiver chain of the image sub system (Zhuo Gullapalli, 2006). This RF perhaps generated by radio, illumination or electronic device such as monitoring equipment in the surrounding (Stadler et al., 2007). Remedy In order to overcome this artifact, the operator should identified and eliminate the possible source of the penetration. It can be done by ensure the door of the MR room remain closed during scanning, use only MR compatible MR monitor equipment, and remove the external RF source from the surrounding (Ruan, 2013). Figure 1: Zipper Artifact may appear as horizontal line across the image (Allen, n.d.). 2.2 Aliasing Cause Aliasing or wrap around artifacts can be describe as an artifacts that caused by anatomy that lies outside of field of view (FOV) mismapped within the FOV (Westbrook, Roth, Talbot, 2011). This is because of improper selection of parameter in MR systems especially FOV. The FOV in MRI means the anatomical area that should be covered or imaged during scanning (Morelli et al., 2011). When the selected FOV is smaller than the size of area that should be imaged means the data are under-sampled (Ruan, 2013). Therefore, there are high chances for signals from the outside FOV falsely detect then create an interference with signal within FOV and encode on the reconstructed images thus ‘wrap around’ to the opposite side of image which become aliasing artifacts (Erasmus et al., 2004). Westbrook et al., (2011) state that aliasing artefact can happen along frequency encoding axis (frequency wrap) and phase encoding axis (phase wrap). Remedy Basically, this aliasing artifacts can be eliminated through increase the sampling rate or oversampling along the frequency direction (Westbrook et al., 2011). However, high pass and low pass filter should be used as well in order to filter out frequency outside the FOV which can increase noise in image (Hiroshi, Schlechtweg, Kose, 2009). Besides that, selection of receiver coil which unable to excite or detect the signals from anatomical tissues that lying outside the FOV also important to minimise the artifacts (Ruan, 2013). Lastly, No Phase Wrap (NPW), Phase oversampling or Fold Over supression techniques is also preferred to avoid aliasing artefact by oversamples in phase direction, thus, the phase curve get to extends and cover wider signal producing structures (Westbrook et al., 2011). Figure 2: The part of the body that outside the FOV is mismapped within the FOV and located at the opposite side of the image (Prashant, 2014). 2.3 Patient motion Cause Patient motion artifact is a very most common artefact in MRI. It is caused by movement of anatomical structure during imaging sequence (Zhuo Gullapalli, 2006). There is a broad range of examples of structure movement such as heart or arterial pulsations, respiration process, peristalsis, tremor (Parkinson’s disease) and gross movement of patient (Stadler et al., 2007). Hence, if there is a scanned anatomical part moved during the scanning, the phase gradient cannot predict and encode the signal, thus, that structures will be misplaced in phased encoding direction. As a result, it will causes MR images shown the appearances of mismapping, blurring and ghosting artefact within it (Westbrook et al., 2011). Remedy There are several ways to eliminate or avoid the patient motion artifacts. The remedies are nullifies signal by applying pre-saturation pulses over the area which have potential to produce artifacts (Stadler et al., 2007). This way is more effective to prevent ghosting during patient swallowing. Besides that, Westbrook et al (2011) proposed that attaching a set of bellows over patient’s chest in respiratory compensation which is also known as respiratory ordered phase encoding (ROPE) might help to minimize ghosting in longer sequences while in short sequences, cooperation from patient to hold their breath during scanning is preferred. Next,cardiac gating also plays role in reducing this kind of artefact. For example, electrocardiogram (ECG) gating used to monitors cardiac motion that trigger the excitation pulse. Hence, each excitation pulse in each slice can be timed and acquired at the same phase of cardiac cycle (Westbrook et al., 2011). In the other hand, asking for patient cooperation for keeping still, clear explanation about procedures, and optimize the patient’s comfortability are important to make them immobilize during scanning (Hiroshi et al., 2009). Figure 3:The appearances of ghost lines at the anterior to the abdominal wall indicate as motion artifact because of breathing (Zhuo Gullapalli, 2006). Figure 4: Image shown the effect of head movement or motion during MR scanning (Hornak, n.d.) 2.4 Gibbs Truncation Cause Truncation artefact also can be called as Gibbs Ringing artefact (Czervionke, Czervionke, Daniels, Hauhgton, 1988). Its happen as result of It is causes by abrupt undersampling of data that results in incorrect representation of high and low signals interfaces (Westbrook et al., 2011). That problems lead to visibility of fine lines in MR image and also respectively caused by incomplete digitization of the echo (Ruan, 2013). However, according to Erasmus et al.,(2004), alternating dark and bright lines may visible in image due to a sharp transition in signal intensity. Remedy In order to correct this type of artefact, there are several ways that can be used. For example, increase the matrix size, 256 x 256 instead of 256 x 128 (Westbrook et al., 2011). Next, applying various filters to k-space data before Fourier transform also should be considered (Erasmus et al., 2004). Besides that, provide more phase encoding steps also preferred to make truncation or gibbs artifacts less intense and narrower (www.mr-tip.com, n.d.). Figure 5: Bright and dark lines are visible in image parallel and adjacent to the outer convexity of calvaria (Prashant, 2014). 2.5 Chemical Shift Cause This type of artifact commonly found in MRI image of abdominal and spine imaging. Since fat and water each consist of hydrogen protons but different combination of molecules, fat contain hydrogen binds with carbon,while in water, hydrogen combine with oxygen (Westbrook et al., 2011). Hence, that different chemical environment exist shown that there are different precession frequency between fat and water which fat has lower precessional frequency rather than water (Erasmus et al., 2004). Based on the Larmor equation, precessional frequency is proportional to the strength of magnetic field (Westbrook et al., 2011). Therefore, this chemical shift can become artifact due to that difference of the precessional frequency between fat and water at higher field of magnetic strengths during the frequency encoding or slice-select directions (Ruan, 2013). That frequency is basically used to encode their spatial positions, thus, any chemical shift can lead to spatial misregistration of the MR si gnal (Morelli et al., 2011). MR images will show the bright or dark outlines at fat-water interfaces as the artefact. Remedy To avoid this artefact , a few remedies should be considered such as perform scanning at low magnetic field strength, increase the receive bandwidth in keeping with good signal-noise-ratio (SNR) (Westbrook et al., 2011) . It is also suggested to use minimum FOV as possible. Lastly, swapping phase and encoding direction also may useful to reduce this artefact (Hiroshi et al., 2009). Figure 6: Arrow show dark line at the interface of fat and water indicate as chemical shift artefact (Javan, Rear, Machin, 2011). 2.6 Magnetic Susceptibility Cause Susceptibilty can be refer as characteristic of substance which be magnetized when exposed to magnetic field (Gary, n.d.). MRI physics explain magnetic susceptibility artifacts normally happens because of substance or material especially ferromagnetic materials and also at air-tissues interface which have different degree of magnetic susceptibility that can distort the external magnetic field when placed in large magnetic field. Besides that, the differences also lead to magnetic field inhomogeneity at the scanner region resulting in spins dephase faster and frequency shift between surrounding tissues (Zhuo Gullapalli, 2006). Artifacts in the image will appear as bright and dark areas with spatial distortion of anatomical structures (Stadler et al., 2007). Remedy Generally, these artifacts can be reduced by ensure all metal objects that attached to the patient has been removed before the scan. Next, spin echo sequences are more preferred to be used instead of gradient echo because it use 180 ° RF rephasing pulse which ideal at compensating for phase differentiation between fat and water (Westbrook et al., 2011). Since fast spin echo techniques also contribute in reduction of this type of artefact, hence, short TE is used along with spin echo (Stadler et al., 2007). Metal Artefact Reduction Sequence (MARS) technique can be used in order to minimize the size and intensity of this artifact which developed by magnetic field distortion by introducing an additional gradient following the slice gradient during frequency encoding gradient is used (Olsen, Munk, Lee, 2000). Figure 7: MR image shown massive distortion of magnetic field due to implanted dental retention system (Schubert, 2012). 2.7 Flow Motion Cause Flow artefact can be categorized as one kind of motion artefact which mainly caused by natural motion of liquids such as blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the body. For example, hydrogen nuclei in blood flow within the scanned slice may trigger excitation from an incoming RF pulse, however, the signal perhaps cannot be readout due to possibility of that flowing blood have left the slice (Hiroshi et al., 2009). As a result, vessels image appear empty or low signal intensity (less bright). Generally, there are reasons of low signal intensity such as intravascular signal void by time of flight effects, first echo dephasing and fast flow (Hiroshi et al., 2009). Nevertheless, this artifacts also can appear bright or high signal intensity. This is because of the slow blood flow (flow related enhancement), even echo rephrasing and diastolic pseudogating (Hiroshi et al., 2009). Remedy The preferred solutions as remedies for flow motion artifacts are by reduction of phase shifts using flow compensation in order to produce gradient moment nulling, suppress the blood signal by apply saturation pulses parallel to slices and synchronization of imaging sequences with cardiac cycle using cardiac triggering (Zhuo Gullapalli, 2006). Figure 8: (a) CSF pulsation-related artifact in the phase encoding direction in T2-weighted image while (b) show reduction of flow artefact with gradient moment nulling (Morelli et al., 2011). 3.0 CONCLUSION It is important for all operators, radiologist and engineers in MRI are able to recognize common MRI artifacts because there are a broad of range of cause that contributing to artefact. Eventhough, artifacts are unable to be totally eliminated but it can be minimized or avoided with specifics remedies in order to improve the MR image quality (Morelli et al., 2011). Therefore, basic knowledge of MRI artifacts should be learned and all MRI system operators should familiar with their MRI unit in department. 4.0 REFERENCES Allen, E. D. (n.d.). Zipper and Related Artifacts. Retrieved May 9, 2015, from http://mri-q.com/zipper-artifact.html Czervionke, L. F., Czervionke, J. M., Daniels, D. L., Hauhgton, V. M. (1988). Characteristic features of MR truncation artifacts. American Journal of Roentgenology, 151, 1219–1228. http://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.151.6.1219 Erasmus, L. J., Hurter, D., Naudà ©, M., Kritzinger, H. G., Acho, S. (2004). REVIEW ARTICLE: A Short Overview of MRI Artefacts. SA Journal of Radiology, 8(August), 13–17. http://doi.org/10.1021/jp1019944 Gary, P. L. (n.d.). What is MRIà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¯? Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( MRI ). Hiroshi, Y., Schlechtweg, P., Kose, K. (2009). Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Imaging of Arthritis and Metabolic Bone Disease:Expert Consult Online and Print, p34–48. http://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511549854.007 Hornak, J. P. (n.d.). The Basics of MRI: Image Artifacts. Retrieved May 9, 2015, from https://www.cis.rit.edu/htbooks/mri/chap-11/chap-11.htm Javan, R., Rear, J. R. O., Machin, J. E. (2011). Fundamentals Behind the 10 Most Common Magnetic Resonance Imaging Artifacts with Correction Strategies and. European Society of Radiology, 1–78. http://doi.org/10.1594/ecr2011/C-1248 Morelli, J. N., Runge, V. M., Ai, F., Attenberger, U., Vu, L., Schmeets, S. H., †¦ Kirsch, J. E. (2011). An image-based approach to understanding the physics of MR artifacts. Radiographicsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¯: A Review Publication of the Radiological Society of North America, Inc, 31, 849–866. http://doi.org/10.1148/rg.313105115 Olsen, R. V, Munk, P. L., Lee, M. J. (2000). Metal Artifact Reduction Sequence: Early Clinical Applications. Radiographicsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¯: A Review Publication of the Radiological Society of North America, Inc, 20, 699–712. Prashant, M. (2014). Aliasing artifacts. Retrieved May 11, 2015, from http://radiopaedia.org/cases/aliasing-artifacts Ruan, C. (2013). MRI Artifactsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¯: Mechanism and Control. Personal Conclusion, 1–9. Schubert, R. (2012). Magnetic susceptibility artifact. Retrieved May 9, 2015, from http://radiopaedia.org/cases/magnetic-susceptibility-artifact Stadler, A., Schima, W., Ba-Ssalamah, A., Kettenbach, J., Eisenhuber, E. (2007). Artifacts in body MR imaging: Their appearance and how to eliminate them. European Radiology, 17, 1242–1255. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-006-0470-4 Westbrook, C., Roth, C. K., Talbot, J. (2011). MRI In Practice (4th Editio, pp. 225–260). United Kingdom: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. www.mr-tip.com. (n.d.). MRI Artifacts. Retrieved May 8, 2015, from http://www.mr-tip.com/serv1.php?type=artsub=Gibbs Artifact Zhuo, J., Gullapalli, R. P. (2006). AAPM/RSNA physics tutorial for residents: MR artifacts, safety, and quality control. Radiographicsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¯: A Review Publication of the Radiological Society of North America, Inc, 26, 275–297. http://doi.org/10.1148/rg.261055134

Friday, September 20, 2019

Psychology Essays Amnesic Syndrome Amnesia

Psychology Essays Amnesic Syndrome Amnesia Amnesic Syndrome Amnesia Hypothetical amnesic syndrome single case intervention: Clive Wearing Amensia Amnesic Syndrome Amnesia is a general, classically used term essentially to describe the partial or total loss of memory. Due to the complexity of human memory functioning, several different types of amnesia exist, in particular, Amnesic Syndrome (A.S.) which, in its most coherent, is a cluster of amnesic symptoms. Amnesic syndrome is characterised by the permanent memory impairment which can occur in anterograde form the syndrome’s defining feature and retrograde form. Unlike general amnesic condition, the diagnostic origin of A.S. excludes degenerative disorders, for example Parkison’s; transient amnesias; and psychogenic disorders. The aetiology of A.S. include those brought on by (direct or indirect) injury to the brain and damage to any number of neuroanatomical locations responsible for memory functioning, namely subcortical areas the diencephalon, a major region of the brain that includes the third ventricle, thalamus, hypothalamus, and pituitary gland; and also cortical areas covering the medial surfaces of the temporal lobe, especially the hippocampus. Understanding the effects of this damage is possible in no small part to using the modular memory system approach and observing the pattern of preservation and loss in other words, what the patient is and is not capable of. It is understood that long term memory (LTM) is structured as to distinguish declarative memory of what we know to be as ‘fact’ from less explicitly accessible memory functioning such as those implicitly stored and that which is not pertaining to factual information, referred to as non-declarative memory. Aggleton Brown (1999) reported that both the subcortical and cortical locations, as mentioned above, are components of the same memory system concerned with the explicit, declarative memory. This declarative memory is made up of the subcategories episodic personal events one experiences; and semantic relating to vocabulary, language ability and object recognition. It is therefore clear that the damage suffered to part or all of these areas of the brain would largely affect the declarative memory of a patient, whilst leaving the implicit, non-declarative memory relatively unimpaired. This is true in cases of both anterograde and retrograde amnesic syndrome. There are also several non memory related characteristics of amnesia which appear in A.S., degrees of which depend on the origin of the syndrome, for instance the location of injury and which parts of the brain are affected. Characteristics include orientation, intellectual deficit and confabulation. Confabulation, sometimes referred to as ‘islands of confabulation’, describes the attempts made to rationalise memories (or voids in memory) in order to make sense to the self and others, which may involve the production of false information. Single Case: Clive Wearing Clive Wearing is considered by many to be the most sever case of amnesia. Once a renowned and eminent musician and musicologist, Clive was struck by an inflammatory brain infection herpes encephalitis, in March of 1985. An initial CT and subsequent MRI scan reported major and significant damage to the left temporal lobe, also extending into the inferior and posterior frontal lobe as well as damage to the medial side of the right temporal lobe. This was accompanied by indications of involvement of the left lateral ventricle and third ventricle part of the diencephalon, along with the almost complete destruction of the hippocampus. It is believed that these areas of damage are the cause of several behaviours Clive Wearing exhibited and continues to do so today. It is well reported that Clive (CW) has severe episodic memory dysfunction, resulting in retrograde amnesia for virtually the whole of his adult life and much of his childhood along with anterograde amnesia demonstrated by his incapacity for explicit learning. CW has become synonymous for his moment to moment consciousness whereby the period of seconds is lost in a perceptual time void and where perceived information is lost as soon as his eyes close quite literally in a blink only to be confronted with the experience of a completely new ‘awakening’ repeated many times. CW’s semantic memory, though generally preserved in A.S., showed evidence of impairment as he is unable to produce object names, define words and comprehend written material, instead lending himself towards confabulation. CW’s pattern of deficits in declarative memory can be explained by the neurological damage that he suffered. The major damage to the hippocampus (relatively destroying it) is the most likely cause of the severity of his amnesia, whereas the retrograde amnesia is attributed to the diencephalic damage, and semantic memory impairment adheres to the more widespread temporal lobe damage. Functioning and Indications for Intervention Contrary to CW’s deficit in declarative memory, his non declarative memory is left relatively unimpaired. There are many reports of CW’s implicit memory functioning, most notably his procedural memory for reading, playing, conducting and singing music which are practically preserved. Clive has, on more than one occasion, denied seeing a piece of music or even playing the piano, only to (when directed), sit down and play the piece and add â€Å"I remember this one†. Additional evidence for CW’s implicit memory comes from the first few years of his condition where he began to abbreviate his questions, he would only need to ask his wife ‘How long?’ to be understood as to what was meant, ‘How long have I been ill?’ suggesting an awareness, on some level, that the question has been asked before, as well as the knowledge of the fact that she knows what it means. Evidence for implicit learning comes from the report after eighteen months of his new home, where he has been taken for daily walks to feed the ducks, now asks ‘do the ducks want their tea?’ when prompted to put on his coat, ceasing to ask how long he has been ill a seven-year obsessive habit. Though his apparent disorientation, he has also gained other (purely) implicit memories like the layout of his residence where he is able to go to the bathroom, kitchen and dining room unsupervised. However, if he stops, gets distracted, or thinks en route he becomes lost. And though not able to describe his residence, his wife Deborah has reported how he will undo his seat belt and offer to get out and open the gate as they draw near. He is unable to explicitly identify the locations but is capable of action. The role of music in CW’s implicit learning is certainly an interesting one, as not only is his procedural memory relatively unimpaired but he is also capable, providing someone puts the music before him to get him into action, of learning and practicing new pieces. It is also reported that he also hummed something which he had not played for half an hour. This discovery is of great relevance to the following section on intervention as it suggests that this is could be down to rehearsal of it subvocally, perhaps reflecting use of the phonological loop process in memory encoding. Broca’s area is a relatively contained section in the inferior frontal gyrus of the frontal lobe and is namely responsible for the production of speech and sounds. There is little evidence to suggest of a deficit in CW’s ability to produce speech and sound and therefore any relative damage to this area, which in turn enables the seeming subvocal rehearsal that has been reported. Seeing as CW appears to have some phonological functioning and fairly preserved implicit memory, this seems a rational starting point for rehabilitative intervention. Proposed Intervention Whereas in previous clinical approaches where rehabilitation was usually based on a broad range of therapies (CBT, psychotherapy, etc), neuropsychological therapy tackles small areas either to test theories or to increase the understanding of a particular subject area. In the case CW, it is the impairment experienced involving disorientation that will be the focal point of this intervention. The intervention will operate at the level of impairment the specific problem being disorientation. In terms of the intervention mechanism restoring or reinstating the original function this seems very unlikely to be possible. The alternative therefore, is to instate an intervention mechanism that will utilise and develop existing capacities with the use of external aids and strategies to overcome the problem. Implicit learning of routes through basic repetition would not be recommended in this case. Instead, it would be preferable to use the available existing/surviving capacities (i.e. subvocal rehearsal and procedural memory) as this approach, if sufficiently effective, could be transferred for other possible applications in different situations. CW’s procedural memory of music lends itself extremely neatly to the notion of journeys and routes due to its formulative and progressive nature. CW’s wife Deborah speaks of the â€Å"momentum of music† where it is said that music, much like any route has steps, phrases, beginnings and ends (Wearing and Wilson, 1995). In an article, author and neurologist Oliver Sacks (2007) provides a compelling narrative of this momentum indicating the link of memory and melody: There is not a process of recalling, assembling, recategorizing, as when one attempts to reconstruct or remember an event or a scene from the past. We recall one tone at a time, and each tone entirely fills our consciousness yet simultaneously relates to the whole. It is similar when we walk or run or swim—we do so one step, one stroke at a time, yet each step or stroke is an integral part of the whole. Indeed, if we think of each note or step too consciously, we may lose the thread, the motor melody. (Sacks, 2007) In normal automatisation of procedural information which can range from making a cup of tea to driving a vehicle, the memory trace of each encounter is encoded and strengthened with each practise so that in future cases relevant information is retrieved quickly. In the case of CW this report suggests that a method of auditory mnemonic reduction encoding be used, set up with vanishing retrieval cues, gradually removed so as to encourage the strengthening of the mnemonic information in an errorless learning environment. Encoding with visual and auditory mnemonics has been shown to be very effective in the development of creating links and encoding memorable retrieval cues (e.g. Burrows Solomon, 1975; Sharps Price, 1991; Haan et al., 2000) and provides a supported approach to the proposal intervention. The use of vanishing cues enables a ‘length’ of information to be divided into a number of relevant cues that are subsequently and gradually removed, thus resulting in a scope of learnt information which may require very few or even no recall cues. Errorless learning has been effective in a number memory-impairment cases (e.g. Tailby Haslam, 2003; Page et al., 2006), where errorless learning employs a 100% correct response technique in strengthening memory traces. Single Case Design Proposal Neuropsychological intervention of any sort would usually naturally happen once the patient starts to demonstrate gaining a sense of normal functioning, that is after the initial period of spontaneous recovering has occurred, as initiating intervention during this time of innate recovery is not suggestible results may show absent or false improvement. In the case of CW however, this is not an area of concern. The intervention will operate with auditory mnemonics and vanishing cues. It will be a tri-level multiple baseline design as to assess its effectiveness across and between situations. Three routes / journeys will be decided upon in relation to CW’s most important or habitual preferences. For the purpose of this proposal the three routes will be that from his room: (a) to the dining room (b) to the hall the location of his piano and (c) outside via fire escape route. The initial phase of the intervention will be reporting the baseline measurement for each route. This will be the amount of time it takes CW to get from his room to the each of the destinations, observations will also be made as of any experiences of disorientation and if so note down where along the route and how often they occur, using several measures maximise the stability of the assessment as they will be compared with the results of the intervention phase. The measurement phase will continue for 1 month before the first-level intervention is employed. The second phase will start with the implementation of the first-level intervention for the first situation (a). The route that CW takes will be marked off using posters showing a coloured symbol (e.g. a green triangle) at significant points. CW will also have accompanied with him a device that allows him to play a single relatively short melody, one that he is familiar with. This will then be set to repeat, although it is assumed that one piece played from start to finish should last for more than sufficient time than it takes him to reach his destination in this case the dinning room. During this time CW is encouraged to hum or sing the melody out loud. This first-level intervention for the first situation will continue for 2 months and measurements will be taken following the same concept as those in the baseline phase. Following this will be the second-level intervention where the visual cues (green triangles) are gradually removed in suitable order so that there are no significantly unequal ‘gaps’ in cues along the route. CW will at this time still be encouraged to play and hum to the chosen melody along the route. This phase will be carried out over a total of 2 months, again, whilst measurements are taken. The third-level intervention will entail CW not having access to the melody playing device, however he will still be encouraged to hum or sing what could be referred to at this point as the ‘dinning room melody’. Measurements will be carried out as previously done. This stage will continue for 1 month and then conclude the second phase of the intervention. After which the additional two routes will be initiated in sequence following the example of the first situation. A summarised list of the programme will look as follows. Phase 1 Multiple baseline recording Measurements are taken across all situations (length: 1 month) Phase 2 Intervention of first situation (a) to dinning room Level 1 melody played with cues (length: 2 months) Level 2 cues gradually removed (length: 2 months) Level 3 melody device removed (length: 1 month) Phase 3 Intervention of second situation (b) to hall Level 1 melody played with cues (length: 2 months) Level 2 cues gradually removed (length: 2 months) Level 3 melody device removed (length: 1 month) Phase 4 Intervention of third situation (c) fire escape route Level 1 melody played with cues (length: 2 months) Level 2 cues gradually removed (length: 2 months) Level 3 melody device removed (length: 1 month) Phase 5 Assessment of results The appendix includes graphs that represent three possible outcomes of the intervention. The first in Appendix 1 demonstrates a successful intervention, evaluation of which will be discussed below. The second in Appendix 2 illustrates a clearly unsuccessful intervention whereas the third in Appendix 3 illustrates the possible results of a temporary positive effect of intervention followed by a decline in improved performance. Signs that the intervention is successful will be a significant improvement in performance compare with baseline measurements. That is not necessarily to say that route-taking will be quicker, but that incidence of disorientation would have been significantly reduced. The proposed evaluation of the intervention will consist of checking whether it has been successful in its aim and the reasons behind this outcome. If an improvement has been demonstrated it must be examined as to the source of change. Sources of change vary in terms of the circumstances of the case, for instance spontaneous recovery and innate brain recovery at this stage of the condition is highly unlikely and would have been captured in baseline measurements. General treatment effects i.e. what happens in CW’s home such as care and interactions are also another source of change which, in other cases may be an affect. The length of the intervention may allow changes in circumstance to affect performance. Major changes of this sort are unlikely however it would still be advisable to report any relevant changes. If an improvement has not been affirmed the intervention will be seen as not effective. This doesn’t necessarily that the theoretical basis was at fault, the judgement of available case information may not have been sufficient. Problematic methodology could also be a cause. If the phases (and containing levels of aid) of the intervention were not carried out for long enough, or correctly the effectiveness of the proposed intervention would be compromised. Providing the intervention was successful and improvement was made, it would be critical to examine the genuine extent to which the person’s life had changed for the better. This could take the form of improved functioning, increased independence and improved sense of well-being. It would also be relevant to examine the capacity to generalise the principle for application in other situations. The nature of the proposed multiple baseline design allows, on demonstration of positive results, that the intervention could be applied to similar situations and even for use in other cases of similar patients with A.S. References Aggleton, J. P., and Brown, M. W. (1999) Episodic memory, amnesia, and the hippocampal-anterior thalamic axis. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 22 (4). pp. 425-440 Burrows, D. and Solomon, B. A. (1975). Parallel scanning of auditory and visual information. Memory and Cognition. 3 (4). pp. 416-420. Haan, E. H. F., Appels, B., Aleman, A. and Postma, A. (2000). Inter-and intra-modal encoding of auditory and visual presentation of material: Effects on memory performance. The Psychological Record. 50 (3). pp. 577-86. Page, M., Wilson, B. 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