How an Individual’s Health Affects the Entire Family’s Function?

How an individual's health affects the entire family's function and how does the family's ability to function affects each individual member's health? Using Family System theory, this paper investigates the mutual impacts that the family and the individual have on each other, and the importance of family nursing for providing clinical support to both the family and individual within the context of crisis. Examples would be provided to illustrate just how impacts are felt and how these are mediated through family functioning. The thesis in this paper is that family functioning has an important impact on the health of individual members, as the individual depends on the family for support and protection from the larger social unit, the society; on the other hand, individual health can put enormous strain on the functioning of the family, primarily through relationships. Family Functioning on Individual Member's Health In order to appreciate the impact that family functioning has on the health of its individual members, one must recognize the family as not only a collection of individuals whose physical proximity exposes its members to infections and environmental contaminants, but an economic unit that provides material and emotional support to its members within the larger social context (Ross, Mirowsky, ; Goldsteen, 1990). While health and sickness takes place within the family, two of the important questions asked are the ways in which family functioning has an impact on generating and on altering the health of its individual members. An understanding of the functioning of the family involves looking at the causal chains, the conditional effects and structural amplifications. While the impacts of the family on the individual could vary in correlation, there are conditions within the family that increase, decrease, or even reverse, the correlation. It is therefore the combination of causal chains and conditional effects that combine to erode certain barriers that help reduce the impact of the society on individual wellbeing (Ross et al., 1990, p. 1061). Individual physical and emotional wellbeing are therefore impacted by the structural aspects of the family, which include marriage, parenthood, wife's employment and the family's social and economic status (Ross et al., 1990, p. 1061). Family functioning is said to have an impact on individual health and this is seen in the family performing a protective barrier in mental health diseases and being shown as having an important role in â€Å"pathogenesis, treatment, and recovery† of the individuals, particularly with patients with mood, anxiety, substance abuse disorders and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (Garcia-Huidobro, Puschel ; Soto, 2012, p. e198). In the case where the individual family members suffers from biomedical illness such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the family is seen as more involved in the outcome of the disease for the ill family member. However, research has shown that family functioning style has an effect on the health of family members, and that poor family functioning has a cumulative effect and contributes to poor health on the part of family members (Garcia-Huidobro et al., 2012, p. e198). Where there are relational problems in families, individual family members were found to be more likely to experience psychiatric and behavioural conditions. Where the family is under stress, individual family members are likely to experience conditions related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (Garcia-Huidobro et al., 2012, p. e202). In their study, these authors defined family functioning as covering â€Å"family agreement, cohesion, family support, problem-solving strategies, commitment, internal resources, and strengths† (Garcia-Huidobro et al., 2012, p. e202). It was when there was breakdown in at least some of these areas that health of individual family members were shown to be affected. This, family functioning was seen to be responsible or causative of certain individual health conditions. In the case of vision loss, the family is seen as playing a very important role in helping the individual to adjust to this loss. The reason for this is that family members are generally the ones that live with the individual family member that is afflicted, know the nature and history of his or her condition, have observed how the family member copes and has coped with the low vision and related life stressors, accompany the afflicted family member to appointments and examinations, and serve as communicators with health professionals (Bambara, Wadley, Owsley, Marin, Porter ; Dreer, 2009, p. 138). The degree to which the family is functioning well, to that degree will the family help the family member to cope with his or her situation. The amount of support that the family provides to this family member with this chronic condition depends on the severity of the vision loss, the impact of that loss on the individual's daily living and ability to be independent, the number and nature of comorbid conditions that the individual has, living arrangements, financial resources and the individual's access to services and resources, all play a part in reveling how the family impacts the individual's health. The degree to which the family is able to support the individual family member during this difficult period is the degree to which the individual family member is able to cope with his or her loss of vision (Bambara et al., 2009. P. 139). Smith, Greenberg and Mallick Seltzer (2007) also shows how family functioning could have an impact on chronic diseases in individual members. According these researchers, siblings are affected to the degree that they have a relationship with the sibling that is chronically ill, and with the amount of help that they contribute to help in caring for the sibling. Therefore, if family functioning is such that the siblings have strong relationships, this is likely to help the sibling with the chronic condition has better health outcomes (Smith et al., 2007). In their research, Rosland, Heisler, and Piette (2012) pointed out that according to previous studies â€Å"family autonomy, support, overprotectiveness, and good communication (were) . . . influential to patient illness management† (p. 221). As family members came together to emphasis self-reliance and personal achievement, as they cooperated and became more cohesive as a unit, and as they provided greater attention to the family member that was chronically ill, the chronically ill patient showed much better improvement (Rosland et al., 2012, p. 228). It was also noted that positive marital and family function predicted better control of the chronic illness and better outcome and survival for the chronically ill patient (Rosland et al., 2012, p.,. 228). Individual Health on Family Functioning When a family member is ill, this has the impact of disrupting the family functioning, as family members are often required to make adjustments to their daily lives. This is particularly the case when a family member develops a chronic disease, for not only must family members make changes to the family's routine, but in many instances roles, responsibilities and boundaries change (Lawrence, 2012). Individual chronic illness also affects the family in terms of the self-image and self-esteem of family members, but chronic illness could also affect the emotional lives of family members by triggering â€Å"anxiety, depression, resentments, feelings of helplessness, as well as ill-ness related factors such as illness-related factors such as permanent changes in physical appearance and bodily functioning† (Lawrence, 2012, p. 21). When a family member is ill, there are spillover effects on the family as family members experience emotional, non-health, and somatic effects (Wittenberg, Saada, ; Prosser, 2013). While emotional effects were thought of as psychological spillover, the non-health effects come about as family members have to re-arrange their daily activities and facilitation of caregiving, with parents experiencing the greatest spillover effects when children are ill, while children had the fewest spillover effects when parents were ill (Wittenberg et al., 2013). Some of the effects of an individual's illness on the family were seen in family members experiencing caregiver burden and increased mortality; however, in some instances the impact of the individual's illness had positive effects in those caring for the ill individual, including sense of altruism and purpose (Wittenberg et al., 2013). These researchers noted in their research that it was not only the caregivers within the family that were affected by the individual's illness, as other family members. For example, children who were not involved in the caregiving of their ill parents were shown to be affected. However, the interdependence between the ill individual and other members of the family influenced the manner in which the family was affected. The spillover effects of the ill individual on to the family varied. Spouses showed a wide range of effects across domains, because of the interdependence, but also because of responsibility shifting and having to cope with the direct effects of the illness (Wittenberg et al., 2013, p. 8). Not only are spouses often the primary provider for the ill individual, but they often feel enormous stress in coping and may feel trapped in trying to recognize the dependence and autonomy of the patient, while still trying to cope with their own needs (Lawrence, 2012, p. 21). Spouses may also experience feelings of powerlessness in not being able to help with their spouses' pain, and the pressure of being strong when in effect they are feeling emotionally drained (Lawrence, 2012, p. 21). Parents of ill children showed the lest spillover effects, possibly because they knew generally about the condition of their children, and their expectation of the outcome helped to improve spillover effects (Wittenberg et al., 2013, p. 8). When a child has a chronic illness, this has an impact on the family as a whole, but also on the relationships within the family (Alderfer, Riese, Gold, Cutuli, Holmbeck et al., 2008, p. 1046). At the same time, it must be recognized that the functioning of the family has an impact on the child's health, for with conflict within the family, the outcome of treatment such as bringing down the HbA1c level for an adolescent with Type 1 diabetes could be negatively impacted (Alderfer et al., 2008, p. 1046). Assessment and reduction in family conflict may be important in such an intervention to control the adolescent's HbA1c level (Alderfer et al., 2008, p. 1046). Parents of children with chronic illnesses also experience negative impact on their relationship, as one parent may need to spend more time with the ill child and so less time with the spouse. Some of the effects of this on family function, according to Lawrence (2012) include â€Å"communication problems, higher divorce rates, increased relationship conflict, increased role strain, and decreased relationship satisfaction† (p. 21). In short, quality of life of family members is also affected when a family member has a chronic disease for while there may be physical effects and psychological distress, there could also be social problems (Golics, Khurshid, Basra, Salek, ; Finlay, 2013, p. 787). In the case of parents of children with chronic illnesses, where the chronic condition is in dermatological diseases, parents may experience worry, frustration and stress, whereas in the case of chronic conditions involving physical and mental disabilities, parents may experience social problems. But there could be serious emotional impacts on family members, for as pointed out, research has shown that â€Å"family members of patients can be more emotionally affected by illness than patients themselves† (Golics et al., 2013, p. 787). In fact, in their study these researchers showed that family members demonstrated that the impact included not only worry, frustration and anger, but also of guilt (Golics et al., 2013, p. 790). Negative impacts of individual chronic health on family functioning include change in daily activities, deterioration in family relationships, loss of sleep and negative impact on health, lack of support from friends and family support,, increased involvement in providing care, disruption in studies, negative financial impact, decreased social life, and inability to make firm plans (Golics et al., 2009, 790 – 794). However, these researchers pointed out that in their study, they had one positive effect of the individual's chronic health on the family, and that led to â€Å"the family improving as a result of the patient's illness., with members of the family pulling together to support each other† (Golics et al., 2009, p. 794). In the case of adult children and their elderly parents, acknowledgement that their parent's life span was shorter also led to fewer spillover effects (Wittenberg et al., 2013). Results of this study revealed that the illness of a family member had vast effects on the family, affecting the overall functioning of the family, and having physical and emotional and spillover effects on family members (Wittenberg et al., 2013). In chronic conditions, it is likely that emphasis on quality of care for elderly patients could be a means of providing positive impacts on family functioning. End of life care usually involves an understanding between elderly parents and their children. In a study involving elderly parents and their adult children, a common understanding was that trust in treating physician, avoidance of unwanted life support, effective communication nd continuity of care and life completion were facts that both groups found important (Heyland, Dodek, Rocker, Groll, Gafni et al., 2006, p. 1, 6).Other family members are affected in different ways by the chronic health condition of an individual family members. As noted, family functioning is affected, as family members have to go through stages to adjust to the chronic illness of their individual family member. Some of the adjustments that have to be made in the case of family members of the individual family member with low vision are â€Å"shock-denial, mourning-withdrawal, succumbing-depression. Reassessment-reaffirmation, coping-mobilization, and self-acceptance-self-esteem† (Bambara et al., 2009, p. 138). Basically, what is involved here is that the family goes through a period of adjustment, starting off with possibly shock and denial, and moving through various phases to the point where they have to accept that conditions have changed and that they have to make changes to their lives. In this case of low vision, changes could involve helping the family member purchase equipment that is not covered by insurance, helping in dealing with loss of wages, and covering economic deals (Bambara, 2009, p. 138).Implications for Nursing These findings reveal that clinical nursing also has an important role in providing psychosocial support for patients and families. Recognizing the impact of chronic disease on the family member and family, nursing therapy could be important in providing the emotional support needed for family members and for better functioning of the family as a whole. A study into the impact of Huntington's disease on families and spouses reveal the need for effective family therapy around easing marital conflict as well as parents' fears and anxieties over transmission of disease to children (Smolina, 2007, p. 14). Children's perception of the disease is also influenced by the behaviour of parents and so â€Å"family dynamics, taboos, expectations, loaded issues and the general attitude toward the disease† are all factors that require therapy (Smolina, 2007, p. 10). Clinical nursing therapy can ensure that perceptions related to end of life are shared by elderly patients and their adult children in end of life care discussions, as seen as important in earlier study (Heyland et al., 2006). Conclusion Chronic disease of a family member can have physical, social, and emotional impact on the other family members, and to have mostly negative effects on family functioning, as conflict, breakdown in relationships, stress and its related effects, depression, anxiety, guilt, and more could result. Although there have been some positive effects observed, namely, altruism and purpose, these are often dwarfed in terms of the negative effects. However, in turn, individuals with chronic conditions are influenced by their family functions, with poor functioning resulting in deterioration of their health or leading to the onset of some of these conditions. Using the dynamics of family theory, clinical nursing therapy could provide much needed support.

DNA

Long stands of double helical DNA can fit into the nucleus of a single cell because DNA is specially packaged through a series of compaction events to fit easily within cell nuclei. Even though the length of DNA per cell is about 100,000 times as long as the cell itself, it only takes up only about 10 percent of the cell’s volume. The DNA molecule, in order to condense, wraps itself around groups of histone proteins, and then the chromatin folds back on it, nucelosomes pack together to create a compact, protein-coated fiber, and the fiber coils to shorten further into an extended chromosome. Finally, the coiled fiber organizes into loops coming from a central axis, creating a condensed, X-shaped chromosome. 2.Why is a sport drink used to collect the cheek cells instead of water? Sports drink which is saline solution contains sodium chloride which makes the solution compatible with osmotic environment of the cells. The sports drink prevents the cells from breaking open and releasing their DNA before they are collected. If water was used, it would be hypotonic to the cells causing them osmosis and eventually burst. 3.What does the cell lysis solution do to the cells’ membranes? It dissolves the phospholipids bilayer of cell membrane by forming water soluble complexes with them 4.How does the DNA in the cell lysate become visible?  It becomes visible when ethanol is added. Since DNA is insoluble in ethanol, it cannot be incorporated into the liquids. Ethanol hits the cell lysate which cause the DNA to precipitate out of the solution, forming a cloud of stringy fibers at where ethanol and cell lysate meet. 5.Why can you see the extracted DNA with the naked eye?  I can see the extracted DNA with the naked

Chaucers Canterbury Tales - Idealism in the Knights Tale

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Reprogenetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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Health Care Reform Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health Care Reform - Essay Example There is no denying the fact that in the United States of America, the issue of healthcare reforms has grown beyond a national issue to a political issue and it keeps becoming more and more controversial because of the political dimension it has taken. Despite the political perspective with which the issue of healthcare reform in the United States takes, it is still possible to discuss the policy from a purely objective viewpoint without any political sentiments and that is exactly what is going to be done in this essay. The present controversy has to do with whether the Obama proposed healthcare reform is feasible and necessary for the United States. Without any reservation, I would say that my position is in the affirmative. Major arguments with the Health Care Reform The health care plan proposed by Mr. Obama during the 2008 campaign season and which has continued to be his ambitious legacy has several important components and issues that continue to spark controversy and argument s. Some of the major components are discussed with my side of the argument clearly stated. Attainability of Universal Health Care The first argument held by Mr. Obama is the attainment of universal health care. Health PAC (2011) explains that â€Å"universal health care is the belief that all citizens should have access to affordable, high-quality medical care.† Politically, this argument is highly valid and that is where I belong. Logically, all citizens are a representation of the nation and government. They also constitute the political kingmakers. Any national policy that seeks to improve the wellbeing of the citizenry must therefore be universal and not discriminatory. Among some other technical reasons why universal health care is prudent and needs to be embarked is the fact that the cost of healthcare continues to be very expensive and that not all people are able to afford. Statistics has it that â€Å"the number of uninsured U.S. residents has grown to over 45 milli on† (Balanced Politics, 2011). This calls for the need of reaching very far with healthcare as there is evidence of discrimination with healthcare benefits. Having quoted the number of uninsured Americans, it becomes justifiable for opponents to argue that universal health care would be a huge economic burden unto the United States and can destroy the economic amidst global economic down-turn. However, it is important to consider the proverb that says that if you think education is expensive, try ignorance. If anyone thinks universal health care is expensive, the fellow should think about the amount of revenue that the nation will loss as a result of non-productive human resource because of ill-health. Guaranteed eligibility for affordable health care for all Americans Another component of the Obama led health care policy is the guaranteed eligibility for affordable health care for all Americans. This component of the health care plan seems to answer critics who argue that uni versal health care is unattainable. Critics believe that the population of America is too large to think of a single health care policy that will cater for the health needs of all citizens. These critics believe that such statutory interventions should come in only when the situation is highly critical. However, under the guaranteed el

How is Indian Art and Southeast Asian Art are Connected Research Paper

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Moral Views on Plastic Surgery Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Moral Views on Plastic Surgery - Assignment Example Second will be the evident willingness of surgical operators to offer layaway surgery plans that are arguably meant to help patients afford surgery while at the same time carry out illegal plastic surgery operations. Finally, this essay will explore the question of how the American pop culture as well as the different media channels have influenced personal awareness for millions of people, making them indulge into the modern ideals of attractiveness and, as a result, driving them towards having unnecessary plastic surgery. Sociocultural and religious aspects will also be explored. John Stuart Mill’s ethical theory of utilitarianism this suggests that the basis of morality is the action that one chooses to take. The ethical decision made in this regard should be focused on maximizing utility or pleasure. He states that people generally focus on the achievement of pleasure, meaning that they should engage in making decisions that are confined within the premise of utilitarianism (HAUSKELLER, 2011). In what he refers to as the greatest happiness principle, he adds that one’s action should be judged on its extent to rightness or wrongness based on the extent of pleasure or pain that it causes for the highest number of people. However, it has been argued that there are two different kinds of pleasure, which include bodily pleasure and intellectual pleasure. Intellectual pleasure should take precedence, owing to the fact that it stimulates the mind and amounts to more benefits for more people. For instance, a person that composes a good song creates p leasure for millions of people while one who listens to music creates pleasure for himself. As such, composing his of higher pleasure than listening, just like having sex to have a child than doing it for pleasure. Having discussed the ethical insights presented by Mill, a look at the

Worming your way to better health by Science News Article

Worming your way to better health by Science News - Article Example The presence of certain parasites within the body that tone down the host immune system has caused a significant reduction in autoimmune diseases and also lowered their rate of relapse (Seppa, 2011). However, risks are associated when such parasites are acquired or bought without any regulation and if used improperly (Seppa, 2011). Write up one quote from the material, using a signal phrase, a quote and your own comment. Include an APA style parenthetical citation. â€Å"Worms know more about the human immune system than we do.† Researchers are working to crack the mechanisms by which these organisms tone down the host immune system which would be useful in preventing diseases which are characterized by chronic inflammation (Seppa, 2011). Take a position and write a paragraph APA style based on the article. The article elaborates on the presence of worms such as parasitic worms or helminthes within the human body and how they affect the immune system of the humans. Though deve lopments in the field of science have designed drugs that would disrupt the colonization of such parasite within the human body, recent research has revealed that the development of recurrence of certain auto-immune diseases was lowered by the presence of these organisms as they were able to control the chronic inflammation by suppressing the immune system of the host.

CRJS315 U2IP Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CRJS315 U2IP - Research Paper Example It is the nature of teenagers to be rebellious but has the society asked itself what causes all this. Reported cases of bad behavior and illegal practices are common among juveniles, and this is worrying (BartuschandBurfeind, 2011). Anomie is the scenario where a community does not offer any guidance or direction to the people. This is especially the case for the 21st century where everyone is busy looking for money and self-empowerment while disregarding the general cohesion and togetherness of the community (Welsh and Siegel, 2011). Anomie is caused when a society undergoes rapid changes in its underlying values due to e.g. the emergence of different social classes. When this happens, the general cohesion of the society is weakened leading to different chances for the individuals to access opportunities equally. The lack of opportunities especially on the side of the less fortunate, results in a lack of morals. This is because they are willing to do anything to have those chances. Some end up finding their lack but most never do and may end up detesting the well-off (Clark,2000). This usually leads to cases of bad behavior e.g. bullying, pickpocketing, petty thieves and even drug and substance abuse. In cases of college teenagers, the inequality among the students may cause some of them to be involved in exam malpractices (Peterson,2013). To them, it is available means to excel in class and make a better life for them especially if they come from poor backgrounds. The solution, therefore, as a probation officer, is to encourage the community that, even though people may be in different social classes, the general cohesion and togetherness of the people should be maintained (Nowinski, 2007). The other things would be to encourage them to ensure equal opportunity for everyone and prevent discrimination against because of anything. Be it because of their sexual orientation, gender, race, social class or anything,

Inequality in British Schools Essay Example for Free

Inequality in British Schools Essay The educational system is one of the most influential institutions in society as it provides young people with a vast amount of knowledge, attitudes and skills. These are acquired formally through set lessons or informally through the ‘hidden curriculum’ which provides the unofficial and unplanned consequences of school experience. Social Inequality is one of the major preoccupations of sociology. The relationship between inequality and education has been studied for many years. Although it seems obvious that educational success is simply down to an individual’s capabilities and motivation, sociological research shows that the inequalities in social class, gender and race and ethnicity have had a huge influence in the differential achievement within British schooling. The development of the educational system in Britain was first put in place to secure equal educational opportunities for all young people, however despite these efforts, sociological evidence states that not all children with the same ability achieve the same success. Some sociologists, such as Charles Murray have contended with the idea that genetic intellectual potential determines an individual’s performance in school. This idea is rejected by the conflict theorist’s as they believe social class to be one of the main factors that determine whether a child is successful at school or not, as there are major differences between the levels of achievement of those that are part of the working social class and those apart of the middle class. (Macionis. J, Plummer.K, 2008) One of the main explanations for this is material deprivation. Working class families are financially in a worse position than those of the middle class and therefore are not able to make the most of their educational opportunities. As they are living in poorer housing conditions they may not have the space at home to be able to complete their schoolwork with full concentration. The lack of financial funds means that many families will not be able to provide their children with the necessities needed to fully develop within education, for example a household computer, sports equipment, or even money for school trips. It may be financially difficult for parents on a low income to support their children in higher education as well. Although student grants have been put in place, many children avoid higher education as they worry about the debt or travel costs. It also more likely for those from a working class  background to be managing education with a part time job, such as paper rounds or shop work, this can cause conflict between the amount of time available for work and the amount of time spent on studying. (Browne. K, 2005) Research suggests that it is not only factors outside of the school that can effect achievement; there are also factors inside the school that have an impact on a child’s educational experiences. Teachers have been known to take into account things such as a child’s standard of behaviour, dress, speech and their social class and background and this reflects how teachers treat particular individuals within the classroom. Teachers are often part of the middle class and the children that share the same values and standards are likely to be seen as ‘brighter’ than those with working class values. The working class have a different focus on their values, attitudes and their lifestyle in soc iety. This often works as a barrier to the success of the working class. The blame for underachievement is often focused in the direction of the family and community. These material and cultural conditions put working class children at a disadvantage when it comes to achievement in schools. Many of these factors, which have no relation to biological potential, have contributed to the educational class divide in Britain. Sociologist Robert.K.Merton was credited for the term ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ which focuses on a teacher’s attitude towards a pupil, for example if a pupil is labelled as bright and is encouraged and praised by the teacher, the child will feel self-confident and will strive for success. On the other hand if the teacher labels a pupil as ‘un co-operative’ or from a ‘poor’ background, this can cause low self-esteem and the pupil will be likely to fail to achieve much success. The Neo Marxist’s perspective on class stratification in Britain claims that schools create a ‘false class consciousness’ so it seems that they promote equal opportunities for all, but they really reproduce a capitalist division of labour, preparing young people for class-determined careers in the labour market. Willis (1977) accepts the Marxist’s view on education being closely linked to the needs of the capitalist’s system; however he does not agree with the idea of there being a direct link between education and the economy. (Macionis. J, Plummer.K, 2008) His study found that â€Å"poorer children often grow up in environments where people see little hope of upward social mobility and rebel against the system rather than trying to  conform with in. In such an environment adults often discourage rather than encourage success at school.† (Macionis. J, Plummer.K, 2008) Social class is not the only inequality in Britain’s schooling. So ciologists have also found a link between gender and academic success. Until the late 1980’s there was high concern about the underachievement of girls. Societies had been structured to consider schooling more important for males than for females. Although the gap in gender inequality has narrowed in Britain, many women still study traditionally feminine subjects, such as literature whilst men are more likely to study subjects that are seen to be more masculine like engineering. (Macionis. J, Plummer.K, 2008) Sue Sharpe in a 1976 survey called ‘just like a girl’ discovered that the priorities of young girls were ‘love, marriage, husbands, children and then jobs and careers, more or less in that order’. When she repeated her research in 1994, she found that the order had changed to ‘having a job, career and being able to support themselves before having a family.’ (Browne. K, 2005) Weiner (1995) has argued that teachers have more forcefully challenged stereotypes since the 1980’s and sexist images have been removed from learning materials, which could be the reason for the changes in girl’s attitudes towards their own education. The increase in incentives for girls to gain qu alifications has been due to a number of reasons, one of them being the women’s movement that managed to achieve a great deal of success in challenging traditional stereotypes for women’s roles in society. Many women now look past traditional roles, such as housewives and mothers and are motivated to gain independence and to do well in their careers. Women on average work hard during their time at school and are more motivated to do well. They put more effort into their presentation as they give up more time to do their school work. (Browne. K, 2005) It is clear that there have been major changes in the gender perception of girls in Britain’s schools and the inequalities between males and females has become less and less. Although certain traditional gender perceptions exist through subject choice, females now have more equal opportunities to gain knowledge within the classroom and achieve success. However in modern day society the tables have now turned and there has been a sudden ‘moral panic’ over the underachievement of boys. (Weiner, Arnot and David 1997) Swann (1992) found that boys dominated class discussion by often acting inappropriately and interrupting, whereas girls  are known to have a more laid back attitude within the classroom and are praised for their abilities to listen and co-operate, which leads to the teacher having a more positive view to girls within the class, helping to produce the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ of girls greater achievement levels. (Holborn.M and Langley.P, 2002) Mitsos and Browne accept that boys are under-achieving and suggest that it is because men are culturally encouraged to appear macho and tough in society and these types of behaviours take place within the classroom and distract from learning. They also believe that the decline in manual work may result in the working class boys losing motivation as it is getting harder and harder to find jobs. Although these reasons seem valid, sociologists believe that more research has to be done within this area. (Holborn.M and Langley.P, 2002) More recent studies on education and gender have come away from the simple ‘differential achievement’ and now take into account a lot more processes within schools. The active role of the pupil is seen to create gender relationships and the way in which children form ideas on identities is seen to have a bigger impact. We have discussed social class and gender inequalities within Britain’s schools; however we are still to look into ethni city and race and the effects this has on differential achievement within schools. Many children from ethnic minority backgrounds tend to not do as well as other members of the population when it comes to education. Similar to the working class issues as majority of ethnic minority groups are part of the working class they face a series of disadvantages in social conditions, such as poor housing conditions and higher rates of unemployment within their home, which can cause a disadvantage in the chances of success. (Macionis. J, Plummer.K, 2008) Ethnic minorities are also at a disadvantage in school as they often suffer from isolation or racism from other pupils or are even discriminated against from teachers. Although, all schools in Britain are now legally obliged to have an anti-racist policy and teachers are now trained in equality legislation, research in secondary schools has shown conflict between white teachers and African Caribbean pupils. Stereotypes of African Caribbean young males have caused teachers to have more positive expectations of other ethnic mi nority groups, more than others. This explains the high level of black exclusions from schools and also explains why most permanent exclusions are down to disobedience of some sort, for  example pupils refusing to conform to school rules or being verbally abusive to teachers. The Labelling of certain pupils can cause them to comply with what is expected of them, for example disruptive behaviour and therefore leads to major effects on achievement. Phoenix (2001) conducted numerous studies identifying racism in schools; some suggest teachers discriminate against black and South Asian students, treating them in stereotypical ways. (Holborn.M and Langley.P, 2002) Racism can cause ethnic minorities to feel in some ways rejected from society and therefore racism within schools can cause young people to feel rejected from school as well, which can lead to prevention of achievement as individuals are not able to work to their full potential as they are not happy and comfortable in the school environment. Not all sociologists agree with the inequalities of ethnic minorities in schools. Taylor (1981) argues that the emphasis on faults in the education system should be treated with some degree of caution. Teachers do not necessarily behave in ways that reflect negative stereotypes of ethnic minority groups according to Taylor and that many teachers consider ethnic equality within schools to be of a high level of importance. (Holborn.M and Langley.P, 2002) There is enough evidence to link differential achievement with inequalities within Britain’s schools. Social class and ethnic inequalities effect the education and success of some pupils to some extent. Although, there have been developments and improvements on equality in society as a whole including educational institutions, there is still a long way to go before all individuals can be provided with equal opportunities of success. There are still clear class divisions within Britain’s schools as the working class are constantly at a disadvantage which prevents them from achieving to their full potential. Ethnic minority groups have very similar issues that need to be addressed in order for equal opportunities to evolve. However, there have been drastic changes in gender equality in schools and females and males are now being treated equally within the classroom. These changes have occurred within the whole of society as traditional gender stereotypes have been broken. These changes have had positive results as females now strive to achieve success. Referencing Browne, K., 2005. An introduction to sociology. 3rd ed. Cambridge: Polity Press Holborn, M., Langley, P., 2002. Sociology Themes and Perspectives. Fulham: Collins Macionis, J.J., Plummer, K., 2008. Sociology. 4th ed. Essex: Pearson Moore, S., Aiken, D., Chapman, S., 2006. Sociology A2. 2nd ed. Fulham: Collins Girls and Education (online) Available at: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/girls_education.htm Assessed on 07/06/2012

Developing a Management Plan for Type 2 Diabetes

Developing a Management Plan for Type 2 Diabetes A long term condition (LTC) is defined as an incurable syndrome. However, some LTC can be managed through medication (Goodwin et al 2010) whereas for others, it can be managed by healthcare providers facilitating health promotional support to patients in order to self-manage their conditions effectively (examples, maintaining healthy diet and physical activities) (Hutchison Breckon 2011). Additionally, for this assignment I will use a case study to discuss my experience about caring for a patient with type 2 diabetes in the hospital. The discussion will include the identified problems to support patients’ needs, the nurses’ contributions to promote patients’ health and well-being as well as the benefits of working alongside with a multidisciplinary team. According to Goodwin et al (2010) type 2 diabetes is also known as insulin resistance. The syndrome is when an individual body lacks the ability to produce sufficient insulin or the body is incapable of controlling enough blood glucose level. It is categorised as a LTC because it is incurable. Nonetheless, it can be managed depending on the individual’s conditions needs such as healthy food and regular activities, or a combination of medications and a healthy lifestyle (Diabetes UK 2012). According to Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2010) Guidance on Professional Conduct, the patient’s identity will be maintained confidential and an anonymous name (Jane) will be used. Jane 65, who has had type 2 diabetes for about two years, was suffering from kyphosis on her back. As she has not been on pharmaceutics’ therapy since her diagnosis, she was advised to maintain her weight within an ideal range. However, Jane has not been able to gain control over her weight (73 kg). She lives alone and has no close family members but she has a good relationship with her neighbours and friends. I met Jane while on placement on an aging admission ward. She was admitted via Accident and Emergency department (AE) to an elderly ward referred by her General Practice (GP) with elevated blood glucose (11.5mmol) which was making her feel weak and was also giving her severe headaches, tiredness and recent weight gain (73.6kg). While she was admitted to AE, her hyperglycaemia was s tabilised with a dosage of metformin (500mg) (8.0mmols) prior to her transfer from AE to the elderly ward. Bakris (2011) suggested that nurses should carry out a comprehensive assessment on patients with type 2 diabetes as this will support the nurse to identify and address issues that can prevent and reduce problems that may affect the patients with type 2diabetes. Diabetes UKÂ  (2012), also recommended that a patient’s risk can be recognised if healthcare professionals could aid an in-depth assessment. This includes; blood glucose level, Hba1c, blood pressure, cholesterol, Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference. The rationale behind the assessment is to support healthcare professionals to make an appropriate individualised care plan considering the patient’s preference (Diabetes UK 2012). To classify any interrelated problem, the nursing assessment was to look at Jane’s medical history before the admission and to observe what her current condition looked like. The nurse along with the author admitted Jane and prior to carrying out the assessment they introduced themselves to the patient. To obtain Jane’s consent, a full detail of the information about the process was explained to her (Nursing and Midwifery Council 2010). Jane’s vital signs presented a blood pressure of 138/80 mmHg, heart rate 84, respiratory rate 16 and temperature 36 degree centigrade. While examining Jane’s nutritional assessment, her MUST stool height was (1.62cm), weight 73.6kg, and waist circumference 88cm. It was identified that she had a BMI of 27 giving her a score (0). In addition to Jane’s assessment, her fasting glucose level was stable 6-7 mmol/litre her foot showed normal to sensation, no sign of lesions on toenails and skin. From Jane’s screening, the underlying cause for Jane’s hyperglycaemia is an increased BMI 27, this indicates overweight as (British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 2010) recognised. Overweight is when an individual has more fat than normal in their body. However, an athlete with muscle mass or someone with swollen legs (oedema) could be overweight due to an increase in BMI (Heath Sturdy 2009). According to Nazarko (2008) an individual with a BMI 25-30 is considered to be overweight. BMI is the most common evidence-based tool used to analyse normal weight, overweight or obese in hospital when patients come for admission. It is calculated by dividing an individual’s body weight kilogram by the square of body height (NICE 2006). Waist circumference is also a reliable tool used to recognise overweight and obesity as it provides information with regards to the distribution of excess body fat in a person’s abdomen (NICE 2006). Nevertheless, BMI has some weakness; it is not suitable for individuals with excess body fat or muscle mass as it does not differentiate between excess body fat and muscle mass (Heath Sturdy 2009). Diabetes UK (2012) argued that using BMI alone to calculate a patient’s height and weight would not identify overweight or obesity. However, the combination of BMI and waist circumference will help classify an overweight or obese person, and for this reason Jane’s waist circumference was measured because it is the best way to measure abdominal fat distributed around her waist as suggested by Diabetes UK (2012). Regardless BMI and waist circumference screening tool was used to classify Janes’ overweight, however, according to Ashwell et al (2012) studies have proved waist to height ratio screening tool a better way of identifying overweight or obesity in adult than BMI and waist circumference. As a result nurses should consider using waist to height ratio as a screening tool to recognize overweight or obese patients with diabetes. This is because the tool measures the ratio of an individual waist to his or her height (Ashwell et al 2012). Jane’s height and weight was measured using stadiometer and clinical scale, nevertheless, the use of stadiometer to measure Jane’s height was comparatively weak (BAPEN 2010). Jane is a 65 year old woman with a small kyphosis on her back and according to Hirani Aresu (2012) the result for an elderly with this condition may impair their actual height resulting to false reading. This is because some people grow older with distort height like kyphosis, this as such will result in the individual to losing his or her real height. Kyphosis is a deformity of an individual’s back which can lead to hunched back due to a deviation of a spinal curvature from its normal shape (Kado et al 2013). Therefore the use of demispan measure tool could be an evidence based practice to consider when a patient’s actual height is distorted. As a result this might have worked for Jane as she has a small kyphosis on her back and the NMC (2010) emphasized that nurses should use their clinical knowledge, skills and judgement to classify factors that could impair individual’s height. Consequently, Jane’s hypoglycaemia is partly dependant on her overweight; therefore the main nursing intervention that needs to be targeted is Jane’s weight loss as it will lead to long term benefit for her. This is because overweight can cause hypoglycaemia, overweight is also associated to inadequate exercise and unhealthy eating behaviours considered to be primary factors contributing in the rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes and if not well managed, it could also lead to other complications such as obesity, heart attack or stroke (Diabetes UK 2012). As a result an effective weight management can improve Jane’s wellbeing using nursing problem solving approach. According to Barrett et al (2010) nursing problem solving approach is about understanding the individual as a whole person. Therefore, using the problem solving approach means nurses have to link the individual’s illness to factors that could affect their disease. These involve psychological, emotional, social environment, spiritual and time and if there’s any of these identified then it should be addressed as they form part of the individual’s well-being (Wade 2009). Knol et al (2006) states depression is common in people suffering from type 2 diabetes. Knol et al (2006) also recognised that thirty seven percent of those people with a medical history of depression are prone to have type 2 diabetes. Evidently, Jane during her initial assessment mentioned that she had little knowledge on dietary due to lack of motivation and her dietary history reveals having unhealthy food such as ready meals and dessert while away with friends. Consequently, this has had an impact on her psychological wellbeing. She also recognised excesses carbohydrate intake and her normal dinner meals consist of pasta whereas during the day she often has rice with homemade sauce as well as walking exercise 10-15 minutes twice in a week. However, the nursing team worked with Jane to determine if Jane’s overweight was caused by her not complying with her dietary advice, as a result she agreed that a referral to a dietician and diabetes specialist nurse was her concern and this was made to deliver meal plan as well as maintain her physical activity. This is the best practice as suggested by NMC (2006) that nurses must work together with their patient to ascertain the patient’s understanding about risk associated with overweight. This is because if Jane’s food pattern is left unattended it may lead to further ill health problems such as obesity, stroke and heart disease (Thomas 2008). The United Kingdom Progressive Diabetes Study (UKPDS 1990) recognised the majority of people with type 2 diabetes have ill health complications associated with their long term condition. In addition to this, the role of the dietician is to identify problems relating to an individual’s nutritional status and once identified the dietician working in partnership with the individual will then formulate meal plan that adapt to the person’s needs and preferences (British Dietetic Association 2012). Department of Health (2005) emphasised that nurses should empower patients with long term condition so that the individual is capable to manage and live with their disease effectively. NICE (2008) also suggested this method of approach as the best practice as it helps the individuals to manage their condition. According to Thomas (2008) weight loss through dietary can be defined as a reduction of less food intake to that of the energy used by an individual. Therefore the dietician along with the nursing team main target was how Jane would lose weight through dietary behaviour change and in order to achieve this she was seen a day after her admission. The initial approach considered was the motivational interview based on providing a solution to a suitable diet. Motivational interviewing is a collaborative patient centred approach in a form of supporting a person’s motivation to encourage and empower patients’ behaviour change (Resnicow Mcmaster 2012). This is to maintain the patient’s autonomy based on his or her needs for their condition and that any decision made is eventually up to the patient (Resnicow Mcmaster 2012). Jane agreed having a motivational interview and had the opportunity to discuss her dietary plan with the main focus on the types of food she likes as mentioned above. In order for Jane to have an appropriate balance diet, the dietician and the nursing team worked with Jane by setting a realistic goal. This is because for an individual to lose weight involves time and encouragement to achieve his or her goals effectively and therefore the best practice is setting an appropriate goal that suits Jane (Thomas 2008). It was difficult to set a short term goal for Jane as she was unable to maintain weight loss due to lack of motivation and therefore a long term goal was set with smaller intake of caloric food so that Jane could gradually lose weight and also improve her glycaemic control (Diabetes UK 2012). Jane was offered the importance to a strict diet and she was provided food such as fish, vegetables, low starchy food per day; a reduction of low sugary food was put in place. She was also encouraged to drink two litres of water daily. Her daily food intake was recorded to meet her dietary care plan needs as (Lang Froelicher 2006) recommended. Moreover, Jane during her admission was subjected to weight monitoring and repeating her ‘MUST’ screening progress for any changes in her BMI (BAPEN 2010). Jane following a regular monitoring, on her fifth day on admission was still considered overweight; however, evidence shows a minimal improvement of 900gms weight loss. A risk of any physical complications of diabetes was low and no episode of hyperglycaemia. Her symptom of severe headaches and tiredness was now resolved and she was more excited to go home. Following Jane’s outcome of her dietary care plan, if Jane can be convinced to increase her physical activity her need for hypoglycaemic drug will be minimised. This is because the combination of dietary and an increase in physical activity on a regular basis is recommended to be more effective for an individual to achieve weight loss in a long term goal (NICE 2006). As such Jane’s care plan was reviewed with the nursing team prior to discharge and from her assessment it was recognised that she does not need a psychological referral but to improve her knowledge with regard to her type 2 diabetes so that she can self-manage her diabetes successfully. Even though Jane was suffering from kyphosis, physically she was fit to increase her physical activity and following the discussion how significantly an increase in exercise can have positive effect on glucose management, Jane agreed to walk each day in the mornings 20 – 25 minutes. After reviewing Jane’s dietary and physical options, a discussion about the need to continue metformin helped to improve her glycaemic control; therefore she was prescribed 500 mg twice a day. Metformin is an oral drug to lower glucose level in the blood. Jane will benefit from taking metformin as it is associated to weight loss this will prevent her from gaining more weight (NICE 2009). Other oral anti-diabetic agent such as thiazolidinedious and sulphonyureas were not recommended due to an increase of body weight caused by these agents. Prior to discharge Jane was informed about the importance of community nurse. The nursing team liaised with the community nurse for a regular monitoring of Jane’s glucose level as well as her weight. NMC (2010) highlighted that consent must be given to Jane before involving a community nurse thus it is the right of an individual to confidentiality and consequently is a must for a nurse to respect this. To sum up, Jane’s dietary plan did not make much significant changes in her weight, however, on discharge she was educated to continue recording her daily food and drinks intake, regular exercise, to closely monitor glucose level for symptoms of hyperglycaemic or hypoglycaemia. Further information about getting support from educational programme such as DESMOND was discussed with Jane. She was also given information leaflets which were easy to read as supporting interventions to help increase her knowledge about how to self-manage her diet.

Manuscript :: essays research papers

ManuScript is a simple, music-based programming language developed to write plug-ins for the Sibelius music processor. It is based on Simkin, an embedded scripting language developed by Simon Whiteside (www.larts.co.uk/simkin.html), and has been extended by him and Graham Westlake. (Simkin is a spooky pet name for Simon sometimes found in Victorian novels.) Rationale In adding a plug-in language to Sibelius we were trying to address several different issues: Music notation is complex and infinitely extensible, so some users will sometimes want to add to a music notation program to make it cope with these new extensions. It is useful to allow frequently repeated operations (e.g. opening a MIDI file and saving it as a score) to be automated, using a system of scripts or macros. Certain more complex techniques used in composing or arranging music can be partly automated, but there are too many to include as standard features in Sibelius. There were several conditions that we wanted to meet in deciding what language to use: The language had to be simple, as we want normal users (not just seasoned programmers) to be able to use it. We wanted plug-ins to be usable on any computer, as the use of PC?s, Macs and other platforms is widespread in the music world. We wanted the tools to program in the language to be supplied with Sibelius. We wanted musical concepts (pitch, notes, bars) to be easily expressed in the language. We wanted programs to be able to talk to Sibelius easily (to insert and retrieve information from scores). We wanted simple dialog boxes and other user interface elements to be easily programmed. C/C++, the world?s ?standard? programming language(s), were unsuitable as they are not easy for the non-specialist to use, they would need a separate compiler, and you would have to recompile for each different platform you wanted to support (and thus create multiple versions of each plug-in). The language Java was more promising as it is relatively simple and can run on any platform without recompilation. However, we would still need to supply a compiler for people to use, and we could not express musical concepts in Java as directly as we could with a new language. So we decided to create our own language which is interpreted so it can run on different platforms; is integrated into Sibelius without any need for separate tools, and can be extended with new musical concepts at any time. The ManuScript language that resulted is very simple.

I Was a Willing Participant :: Personal Narrative Writing

I Was a Willing Participant Toward the end of last semester, I registered for this class mainly for one reason: I had had Emily as a professor before, I liked her class and her teaching style very much, and I wanted to again take a class she was teaching. This was my first opportunity to do so, and I jumped on it. In the bulletin, the class was described as the Graduate Writing Seminar, and through the grapevine, I found out it was not a creative writing class, but instead, a study in critical feminist pedagogies.What the hell, I thought. Ià ­ll take it anyway. After all, I really just wanted to take another class with Emily, whatever the topic might be. Over winter break, I started thinking about who else would be in the class. I am sure some of the usual suspects would be in Dixon 432 on that first day. Sure enough, when I walked, in I saw Alicia, Megan, Kate, and Kelly, just as I had expected. Before that first day, however, the number one thought going through my mind about this class and the makeup of my classmates was, of course, just how many males would be in that room. For a while, I thought I may be the only one, but I shook that thought out of my mind pretty quickly when I reminded myself that, after all, this was grad school, and the guys here were actually open minded and weren't afraid to take a class containing the prefix fem. I was right. In walked to see Gary and Leon. I had had classes with both of them before, and I knew their ways of thinking, so I felt à ¬safe.à ® (Though I must admit that when Gary first proclaimed himself a à ¬feministà ® in Sharon Lewis' class last semester, my initial thought was à ¬this guy just wants to get laid.à ® That was stupid and wrong.) So here I was, one-third of a population of a class that was certainly not going to be the topic of discussion for the next 5 or so months. I was ready to accept that. The program here at MSU had given me many chances to expand my thinking in ways that I had not previously been exposed to, and this class was yet another in that long line.

Post-Modern Analysis Of Hr Gigers the birth machine Essay examples --

A Postmodern analysis of H.R. Giger's: "The Birth Machine" Contents 1. Introduction to Essay: Premodern, Modern and Post Modern Art 2. The Artist, Hans Rudi Giger and "The Birth Machine" 3. "The Birth Machine" 4. Picture: "The Birth Machine" 5. The Philosophical Narrative a. My chosen philosophical narrative (Postmodernism) b. Analysis of the piece through postmodernism 6. The Poem: "Der Atom Kinder" 7. Critical Evaluation 8. Conclusion 9. Picture: "Bullet Baby" and "Iron Cast Copy" 10. Bibliography Introduction: Premodern, Modern and Postmodern art forms Various styles of art change and mould to fit the times, as do their artists. It then follows that a number of eras are identifiable in history with the previous style or form of art usually being a catalyst for the next. The art often reflects not only the time in which it was created, but also the influence of the great thinkers of that time. The Premodern The premodern philosophy in relation to art can then be divided into two separate and distinct areas, namely the Hellenistic and the Medieval. The latter saw art as a mimetic actively or a second-hand reflection of the original source of meaning; that which is above man. In the biblical sense, this would refer to Yahweh or God (Kearney, 1994:115). This was followed by the belief that the imagination (and therefore that which came from the imagination) was a mere counterfeit of the original being (Kearney, 1994:117). As art could never be perfect and was always an interpretation of the imagination, the iconography (representational paintings) of Christ and the Saints had to therefore follow strict rules in order to show no emotion. This was no ensure that the icon which was being represented was being worshiped and never the painting itself. In the Hellenistic imagination, although man can be seem as an original creator of physical art pieces, the artists can never escape the feeling that it is an imitation of th... ...beautiful and artistic at the same time. Where the premodern art forms may have been too limiting on the artist and modern art a lot more reserved, postmodern art enables the artist to explore endless possibilities when it comes to expression. Perhaps too many as a lot of postmodern artists can start to claim almost any replicated image as a work of art. The imagination should be able to run freely, but should still, even in today's world on the monotonous, try to avoid too much replication. Nonetheless, Hans Rudi Giger remains a living legend along with his tortured artworks. Bibliography †¢ Kearney, R. The Wake of the Imagination Towards a postmodern Culture. London 1994 †¢ HR Giger. Giger's Necronomicon. Morpheus International. Beverley Hills. 1980 †¢ Stanislav Grof, Review of Necronomicon Mill Valley, California, January 2001. (www.ajlardim.com.br) †¢ http://webpages.charter.net/jspeyrer/necron.htm †¢ http://www.littlegiger.com/limited/ †¢ www.hrgiger.com †¢ www.giger.com

“On the spirit of obligations” and “Friendship” – how each text views friendship pointing out to the meeting points

We have before us two texts; one, â€Å"on the spirit of obligations† the other, â€Å"friendship†. Both very different in terms of structure, style and images, yet both are closely linked thematically. The notions expressed in the text are ideas of friendship (as implied by the title of one of the texts) and human relations. It is interesting to explore how each text views friendship pointing out to the meeting points. The texts are of extremely different style and structure simply because they each serve a very different purpose. The first is an essay written by William Hazlitt taken from â€Å"on the spirit of obligations†, the second is a song- â€Å"friendship† by Cole Porter. Only from this we can asses that the essay is written as continues prose and is meant to publicize some opinion. An essay usually exists to be informative, present a view and thus will be serious, explanatory and detailed. This is very different from a song that is publicly released that in order to be popular has to be catchy, short verses, short snappy ideas that will be remembered, rhymes and a wider sense of appeal. The use of language in both texts differs, with relation to their purpose and their notion of friendship. In the essay, the use of language is more sophisticated, delicate more complex, almost as the friend or person Hazlitt is describing. The language also matches the nature of the friendship- more of the intellectual- â€Å"practical benevolence is not is forte†, meaning that it wasn't a friendship on the day to day basis, or that he will offer help and favors. It sees this idea as â€Å"idle and vulgar†. This stands in such contrast to the song, almost making a mockery out of it because the language and situations described in it is at times so vulgar â€Å"if you are ever lost your teeth and you are out to dine, borrow mine†. This is part of the songs' purpose- to be humors, silly, fun. The song talks about a very different notion of friendship- one that's always there to help, almost to un-realistic measures â€Å"when other friendships have been forgot, ou rs will still be hot† The tone and register are also influenced by the purpose of the text. The account of friendship in the essay is of someone describing a very specific, special person, who is very important to him. This, although he knows it is a friendship with out obligations, and that he should not look to his friend for help, we as readers still get the notion that this friend is still very important to the writer and that he, by his own description, feels very secure and welcomed, at the presence of his friend. This is again seen in the language, where the writer carefully chooses imagery and words to describe the person in question â€Å"the husk, the shell of humanity is left at the door, and the spirit, mellowed by time, resides within!†. In the song the register is different. It seems like the singer is addressing the ‘friend' directly, telling him that he will always be there. However, there is not one single line telling us about the friend in more detail, or any clue at any de eper emotions or more complex relationship. This is because of the nature of songs. Very smartly it allows us to apply it to anyone- because of the lack of specifics it can be affiliated with any per of people, but at the same time the direct form of address allows for the feeling of personalization; it can be used between two people. In both texts the imagery used is closely linked with the notion of friendship it is describing. The essay using â€Å"his silver accents, beautiful, venerable as his silver hairs, but abundant, flows as a river† creating gentle, delicate images. From the imagery we learn that the man described is probably older, and has and air of knowledge and advice to him. â€Å"his hand is closed, but what if that? His eye is ever open†¦Ã¢â‚¬  his eye is ever open suggests that he is very observant, knows a great deal and constantly aware of the situation around him. The closed hand, however, is a powerful metaphor for the lack of obligation and physical help. This stands in such contrast to the song, where it seems that the friendship is based on constant physical being. All the imagery stands along the lines of ‘if you need a hand when in trouble just call my name†¦', everything is to do with actions not words. Further more, all imagery is vulgar, everyday colloquial language, funny unreal situations. Is this the reflection of the friendship? I believe it is merely because of the appeal it has to have to the public. Thus we get imagery like â€Å"if they ever cook your goose, turn me loose†. To conclude, I think the differences of the texts out-weigh the similarities, and that they are quite noticeable. I got the feeling that the essay is almost mocking the song and that in light of the essay it shows that the song has no real message or statement concerning friendship. It almost ridicules itself, the imagery and the rhymes flattening the notion of friendship making it something so explicit, so out of touch with reality and how friendships truly work, with all the subtleties. The song is there for the sake of entertainment alone. However, it interesting to see how in both texts the language, imagery and tone were so effected by the purpose.

Campbell & Bailey’s Boston Office Essay

When Campbell and Bailyn’s Boston Office made the decision to restructure their organization and place a new emphasis on specialization, the business and employees faced multiple challenges during the process. Although communication problems were evidenced in the scenario, I was also concerned with the lack of buy-in by the employees within the organization. According to a recent writing in Bloomberg’s Business Week, employees are an important factor in determining how customers perceive the company’s brand. For this reason, companies should do more to nurture the company’s culture through internal branding efforts. In addition, when employers consider a company’s brand, they think in terms of marketing departments, advertising, and publications. In reality, a brand is made up of every experience that a customer has with an organization. (McKee, 2014). Management consultant Peter Drucker states â€Å"culture eats strategy for dinner† (McKee, 2014). When employees become stressed out at work, it impacts their performance and in turn the company’s productivity. In the Boston office, it was clear that Paul Callahan, the top grossing sales person, was stressed out. In a recent article, it is stated that depression and burnout afflict one-third of employees (Cooper, 2014). These afflictions can also negatively impact employee performance and morale. In the case of the Boston office, it would benefit the organization to speak with the employees and work towards obtaining their buy-in. Once the employees buy into the change, they can then pass that enthusiasm on to their customers to gain their buy-in as well. References Cooper, C. (2014, May 15). Depression and burnout at work afflict one-third of employees. The Independent. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/depression-and-burnout-at-work-afflict-onethird-of-employees-9294596.html Donnellon, A. & Gifford, D. (2008). Campbell and Bailyn’s Boston Office: Managing The Reorganization. Boston: Harvard Business Publishing. McKee, S. (2014, May 13). Branding begins at home. Bloomberg Business Week. Retrieved from http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-05-13/branding-begins-at-home

Nutritional Value of Menu Items At a Local Fast-Food Restaurant

In my pursuit to investigating the balancing the qualities of healthy choices of fast food restaurants were a challenging venture. During a recent visit to McDonalds, I ordered a healthy menu and then selected a very unhealthy menu. My choices included for the healthy choice a rice shrimp burger, side salad, vanilla reduced fat ice cream cone, and Dasani water.   In my selection of an unhealthy selection I chose a Big Mac, large fries, Mcfurry with Oreo cookies, and a large coca-cola drink. The assessment of my analysis provided an interesting result to the pursuit of a nutritional value meal. In my selection of my healthy selection, I discovered that McDonalds provided an easier approach to being able to select a more nutritional food selection compared to other fast food restaurants (McDonalds, 2008). The healthy selection calorie intake was less than 500 which on a world platform is a great attribute for McDonalds to develop and incorporate an excellent healthy meal. The healthy selection was tasty and fulfilling that was surprising for a fast food restaurant. However, the ingredients were not sacrificed in order to make the healthy food selection with low calories which was a good marketing decision at McDonalds. The unhealthy selection posed a greater challenge due to the higher calorie but the taste was slightly more fulfilling with a huge guilt after taste due to the 1,000 calorie meal. The difference was the feeling of self indulgence to an extreme that was both satisfying and somewhat uncomfortable. However, those feelings did not prevent the challenging temptation to stop eating the unhealthy menu selection. In the future, the fast food restaurants could create a marketing angle that ignites a strong sense of identification and acceptance depending on the social environment. For instance, on the healthy choice a marketing plan that provides an emphasis on a surprising taste of trying something new, rather than the ordinary. The imagery of the marketing ad or commercial should present a creative and alluring concept in order to entice the viewer to indulge in a new experience by making a more nutritional choice. In regards, to the marketing angle for the unhealthy selection the marketing angle can focus showcasing a back drop of self-indulgency that goes along with the sensation eating the item. In doing so, the viewer can relate the two and make a concise choice to select the unhealthy item over the healthy one. The key is the effective translation of marketing the extreme in either selection that relates to the selection – that encourages participating in enjoying the menu item. References McDonalds Inc. (2008) Official International Website. Retrieved from http://www.mcdonalds.com            

Effective Education Web Site Essay

The rapid development of the internet has made it into one of the greatest tools of learning for many individuals in the academic environment. Even students still in primary and secondary education have become highly dependent on the services provided over the World Wide Web. What libraries and tutorial programs used to be for the older generation, the computer and on-line sites have become for the younger generation. The qualities of an effective education web site for primary and secondary schools thus needs to be assessed. Cook & Dupras (2004) state that an educational websites effectiveness lie in its ability to answer specific needs and goals for the student. This means that the website needs not only to be user-friendly and easily navigable but it also needs to be content-oriented. There should be a specific task for the website and all possible media that can fulfill this task should be incorporated in the site’s design. For example, if the site aims to teach the basic principles of arithmetic, different elements can be mixed together to reach this aim – a step-by-step tutorial, examples, sample problems, quizzes, and even games. An effective education website needs to encourage active learning especially if it is for primary and secondary schools. (Cook & Dupras, 2004) This can be done by allowing self-assessment, learner interaction, feedback and even self-directed learning. The website itself should be made accessible, user-friendly, and should have templates that encourage the student to study. Colorful pages, interactive images, and regularly updated content all perform the said task. Educational websites may well be the classrooms of the future. As such, more research need to be conducted in order to better understand the dynamics that would allow optimum learning from the sites. Reference Cook, D. A. , and Dupras, D. M. (2004). A practical guide to developing effective web-based learning. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 19(6), 698-707.

The Structuralism Theory of Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Structuralism Theory of Culture - Essay Example Roland Barthes was responsible for explaining the concept of myth as it contributed to the structuralist theory. He came up with the â€Å"Myth Today† concept whereby it defines myth as a category of speech. According to him, myth is not just any type of speech but also a means by which people use to communicate. The myth is a message that is sent to a particular group of people. According to the study, therefore, a myth cannot be perceived as an object, idea or concept but rather form and way of signification. For this reason, it is illusionary to discriminate other people’s myths. This, therefore, shows that there is no primitive, better or poor culture. It is important to note that anything can be considered to be a myth as it is a speech but depending on how it is conveyed. The strength of the myth is how it is conveyed thus cannot be defined as an object. Everything in this world is open to any suggestions from the society this is so because no laws exist in forbid ding anyone to talk about things (John, 2002, pp.234-240). Objects can be used to come up with some mythical statements. The difference is that some objects are used for a while, others are not used at all and others are used for a very long time. A myth can be formed can survive for some time and be forgotten as the mythical objects keep changing. The concept of myth is founded on history as it existed from a very long time. For this reason, the concept of myth has not evolved over the years.  ... The difference is that some objects are used for a while, others are not used at all and others are used for a very long time. A myth can be formed can survive for sometime and be forgotten as the mythical objects keep changing. The concept of myth is founded on history as it existed from a very long time. For this reason, the concept of myth has not evolved over the years. Myths generally exit orally though they can be in writings. Since they have a historical foundations, most of them are passed orally and rarely in writings. Today, myths can be supported through sport events, cinemas, publicity, shows and photographs. It is important to note that a myth it is impossible to define a myth by its material or object because of their arbitrary meanings. For example, interpreting a diagram or a picture depends on the consciousness of an individual. This makes it very hard to grasp the concept behind a myth. Thus myths use materials that can be understood easily. It is evident that peopl e will prefer pictures than writings as they are more attractive to view than reading. More so, pictures can help individuals to immediately give meaning without any dilutions. The materials are simply used to ease communication as myths generally aim at sending various messages to people. As people give meaning to the pictures, they therefore turn in to meanings given through writings (John, 2002, pp.234-240). The concept and form of myth Mythology is a very ambiguous concept because sometimes it gives full meaning when in a particular situation but sometimes it is empty when one is faced with the same situation. It contributes to language as it involves individuals giving meaning whereby there is use of the sensory organ. One has to use the eyes to look at a

Responding to the letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Responding to the letter - Assignment Example Along with my background in health promotion, I have carried out extensive research into the matter, which I believe will aid you greatly. The recommendations that I have come up with are not merely based on superfluous assumptions; rather I have assimilated information regarding the various obstacles that are faced in health promotion and have argued the recommendations I proposed with reasons. This letter will cover the various aspects of empowering families living in Boston, USA, with little or no health awareness and equipping them with information regarding the health of their children. This letter will prove to be an instrumental tool in promoting the health of previously hospitalized diabetic children. The content of the letter has been organized such as to facilitate the achievement of your goals. To reiterate, your goals primarily focus on: 1. Provision of health information to families regarding diabetes as a constituent of their social education problem. 2. Involvement of groups and cooking clubs for encouraging families to make healthier meals for the children. Taking these objectives into account, the letter: Highlights the importance of social education and health awareness of families. Provides a comprehensive action plan for educating families living in Riyadh. Recommends the most appropriate location for the delivery of the plan. Explores ways that can be used for the involvement of cooking clubs and related groups. Looks into appropriate and effective marketing tools for promulgating the service. Sheds light into the costs associated with the project. Analyses the possible impediments that can be faced. Reviews the need to evaluate the project in terms of short and long term effects. The first section of the paper briefly considers the directives that have been adopted by the government for health promotion in the general public. Incidence of Diabetes in children and Government directives: In the USA, extensive research into diabetes is being carried out and the disease is not treated lightly. The incidence of diabetes is growing in the country, particularly among the younger population. It has become one of the most common chronic illnesses in children and teenagers in USA. Statistics report that more than 151,000 children and youth aged less than 20 years have been diagnosed with the condition. In 2007, 186,300 under the age of 20 were reported to have diabetes, representing about 0.2% of the youth in this age group (NDEP 2008). Usually children are diagnosed with the type of diabetes that is referred to as diabetes type I or juvenile diabetes. However over the recent years, it has been seen that some children are even developing diabetes type II, which was predominantly considered adult diabetes. In a study carried out between 2002 and 2003, the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth, it was found out that every year in US, an alarming 15,000 children and teenagers are diagnosed with juvenile-onset diabetes. Moreover, the study showed that 3700 youth are diagnosed with adult diabetes each year. Although the occurrence of the disease in children aged less than 10 was low, it was seen that adult type II diabetes becomes increasingly common in children aged 10 years or more, especially in minority populations such as non-Hispanic whites and African Americans (NEDP 2008). Due to the rising incidence of the condition in the country, there are a number of directives that h

Sustainable Deficit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sustainable Deficit - Essay Example Productivity affects the current account when investment occurs in order to increase future output. According to Economic Review, First Quarter 2001, â€Å"economic theory predicts that if a country experiences an investment boom as a result of increased productivity, while its trading partners do not, its current account deficit should widen.† Catherine Mann suggests that current account deficit can indicate that a nation is â€Å"living beyond its means,† or that a country is attracting global foreign investment due to higher returns and less risk. In the Economic Review article, Jill Holman defines current account as â€Å"the change Over time in the sum of three components: the trade account, the income account, and The transfer account.† Trade account is the difference in value of imports and exports. Income account is the difference in income payments made to foreigners versus payments Received from foreigners. Transfer account is the difference in value of private and government payments to and from other countries. The explanation on page 8 of the Economic Review summarizes a trade deficit that must be financed by borrowing from abroad. How this borrowing affect the U.S. current account deficit is more complicated than the trade deficit. The U.S. trade deficit has been widening since the late 1990s as we demand and consume more foreign goods. As we borrow from abroad, we must also make payments to foreign investors. Overall, deficits in both accounts are the result of U.S. participation in a global marketplace.

Welfare Law (See below for details of the question) Essay

Welfare Law (See below for details of the question) - Essay Example al., 2005, pgh. 1). It was determined that, â€Å"In Street v. Mountford [1985] A.C. 809 [the] House decided that where residential accommodation is granted for a term, at a rent with exclusive possession, the landlord providing neither attention nor services, the grant is a tenancy notwithstanding the fact that the agreement professes an intention by both parties to create a mere licence† (â€Å"Bruton v. London & Quadrant Housing Trust 1999, House of Lords,† 2009). Housing in the UK is rather expensive when one compares prices there to the rest of Europe. Speaking frankly, â€Å"†¦in terms of their impact on the disposable incomes of families, housing in the UK is substantially more expensive than in the rest of the European Union. This generates real affordability problems, especially given strong inflationary pressures within the owner-occupied sector. This aspect of home ownership needs to be emphasised, for other housing tenures have lost favour† (Gallent, et. al., 2002, pp. 153). In fact, it is probably not a good idea to buy property in the UK unless one is absolutely certain one wants to. â€Å"Many foreign markets are without a doubt more risky than investing in property in the UK market†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Barrow, 2008, pp. 387). â€Å"Unlike fixed-term tenancies, periodic tenancies have no initial limit on how long they will last, since they automatically continue from one period until the next until brought to an end by the appropriate period of notice. A periodic tenancy can arise expressly, but it may also arise by implication†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Clements, et. al., 1996, pp. 9). In addition, this implication â€Å"†¦may arise when a person has been allowed into occupation of property with the intention of creating a tenancy and rent is thereafter paid on a periodic basis. Payment of a weekly rent in such circumstances may create the inference of

Shearwater adventures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Shearwater adventures - Essay Example Rival Sellers: Although Shearwater Adventure has differentiated itself from its rivals by offering a wide product range, the company still faces threats because the competition can either increase its product line or devise new adventures or copy those offered by Shearwater. and thus increase its sales and market share. The rivalry intensifies as new competition enters the market with low priced products and offering good deals compared to the existing ones. In addition to this, the competitors in the adventure industry are now trying to build strong dealer networks with the African local companies in order to increase their credibility, which is also a means of promotion and advertising. The practice of increase repeat bookings from the customers is spreading like fire among the competitors who try different tactics and methods to achieve this. New Entrants: Opening an adventure company in countries like South Africa, where Shearwater Adventure is currently operating, is very easy as compared to the setting up in United States due to high permit costs. In addition to this, the new entrants who focus on rafting trips have to endure a cost as low as $20,000 and if the company wants to offer all the services than the cost could be as high as $200,000. New companies would be encouraged to enter the market by seeing a double digit growth of few companies. Substitute Products: The companies in the industry are providing more or less the same the adventure products. Shearwater Adventure has tried to differentiate itself by providing more choices in the sports than any other company. Although at-least 40 extreme sports exist in the industry, it is difficult to provide them all depending on the location of the company. A company providing water sport activities will try to attract customers by positioning itself as better than land activities. In order to predict the future demand, the companies should link up

Systemic review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Systemic review - Essay Example People have come up with different ways to lose weight, some of which are legit, and others not (Cawley and Price, 2013). Information has been posted in the internet and is available to all. But, is it that easy to find? In a bid to discern whether weight loss has anything to do with money as has been proposed, a research needed to be done. A financial incentive involves motivation of an action by monetary gain that would not otherwise happen in absence of the money. So many sources in the internet were available to use and it was necessary to carry out a research to determine the trustworthy sources from which the information could be obtained and thus the research objective. In order to provide trustworthy sources from which this information can be obtained. The search was conducted in the worldwide population because one country would be limited in the information it has, and that all over the world, financial incentives would be a motivator, suffice to say that what causes one to put effort to lose weight in one country is the same everywhere (Cawley and Price, 2013). Six databases were searched including CINAHL, Medline, PsychInfo, Science Direct, Web of Science and Pub Med. The phrase searched within the databases was ‘Financial incentives and weight loss and adults’. The databases were chosen for different reasons. PubMed (national library of medicine) was chosen because it is a national institute of health and thus contains a wide catalogue and variety of articles on health, which works for the health related topic. It is also widely used and well known (Cawley and Price, 2013). Science Direct was chosen because it contains a large pool of information, is a very broad and commonly used database containing a wide variety of different scientific disciplines including health. The aim was to draw information from a different pool of resources to cross analyze it with more specific

History of the American Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of the American Economy - Essay Example They used to grow tobacco, potato, tomato, and cotton when Europe and the rest of the world had not even heard about their names. Colonists, however, did not come in search of these newfound ‘treasures’. They came in the search of gold and silver. Spain became the major colonizer of the Americas, starting from 1550s. French followed suit and established their bases in the present day Canada and Mississippi river delta. England, however, did not come in the initial stages of colonization. They came in the mid-seventeenth century and established a trading post at Jamestown, Virginia. Spanish, however, again took lead in colonizing the resources-rich South America with dozens of gold and silver mines. England, with grave poverty issues back home, decided to colonize present day United States and benefit from its resources and labor (both slave and Native Indians). The colonization resulted in an economic upheaval. The true roots of the American economy lie in the same period. Initially, British settlers concentrated on fur trade and trappings. The King, however, soon granted the permission to establish â€Å"charter companies† in the United States. These companies had to find private financiers for their growth but had the royal authority to colonize land and further British goals. Thus began the advent of â€Å"Mercantilism.† Mercantilism, in its true sense, acted as the basic source of colonization. The initial trade revolved on importing clothing materials and exporting tobacco, rice, and tomato, among other agricultural production. The economic depression in the Untied Kingdom and relative prosperity in the colonial United States encouraged the settlers to start exploring further avenues of economy. Apart from the agricultural produce, which they had established to some degree, shipbuilding became a major profession, especially in the New England region. The New World was rich in