Islamic contracts and hedge technique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Islamic contracts and hedge technique - Essay Example The different aspects of the Islamic hedging techniques have been researched and analysed in this paper. Contents Contents 3 Introduction 4 Discussion 4 Background of Islamic Finance 4 Types of Contracts 6 Hedging Instruments of Islamic Finance 7 Profit Rate Swap 8 Foreign exchange Risk Hedging 9 Conclusion 10 11 References 12 Introduction Islamic Finance has been based on the principles of the Quran or more categorically on the principles of Sharia. According to the principles of Islamic Finance the acceptance and payment of interest is unfair. Thus Islamic Finance is devoid of any payment or receipt of interest in case of any business transaction. This kind of financing technique is adopted for the achievement of the goals which are specific to the Islamic economy. The sharing of the profit and loss is the main principle of the Islamic Sharia. According to the Sharia this measure would bring equity as well as justice in the economy. Hence the alternative names for the banks running on the principles of Islamic Finance are PLS bank. In the financial system there are various types of risks that persist which may result in a huge amount of loss. The hedging techniques are adopted in a financial market in order to cover a particular position of exposure which is generally in relation to a particular financial activity by taking a position that is opposite of what the risky situation is. Most of the banks take such hedging techniques in order to cover the exposures that arise out of the mismatches in the asset and liability of the books of accounts. These kinds of hedging techniques are also prevalent in the context of Islamic Finance. This essay looks into the various risk management measures that are being undertaken in order to provide a solution for the risk exposures and the types of instruments that are being implemented for the purpose. Discussion Background of Islamic Finance The main objectives of Islamic Finance are to promote the principles of Sharia in the ways in which business activities are being conducted. This is done with the objective of promoting growth and prosperity in the economy in a fair way. These financial services would conform to the principles of Sharia and would ensure that the distribution of income in the economy would be equitable and there would be optimal allocation of the resources in the economy in a justified manner. As opposed to the conventional modes of financing which considers interest as the opportunity cost of money, Islamic finance considers the existence of interest as an unjust practice. According to the principles of Islam, loans are provided by one party to the other to meet any kind of contingent situation that may arise. A lender should thus help the borrower to get the loan rather than taking undue advantage of it. Therefore there should be a relation of cooperation between the lender and the borrower. There is no relation of debtor and creditor as in case of commercial banking that is pr actice according to the general convention. The principles of Sharia state that there is simply no return that the people can actually reap unless they take any kind of risk. The principle in is practice in both the capital markets as well as the labour markets. This means that the labourers would not be eligible for wages unless they take some risks while working or bear a cost. On the other hand the capital

Quantification of Bioactive Compounds in Mentat Tablet (MT)

Quantification of Bioactive Compounds in Mentat Tablet (MT) An ultra-performance liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry method has been developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of twenty-eight major bioactive compounds in Mentat tablet (MT), a complex Indian herbal medicine used in the treatment of neurological disorder and improvement of mental health. Multiple-reaction monitoring scanning was employed for quantification in positive and negative mode. The analysis was accomplished on Waters AQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column with linear gradient elution of water/formic acid (0.1%) and acetonitrile/formic acid (0.1%) at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The proposed method was validated with acceptable linearity (r2, 0.9984-0.9999), precision (RSD, 0.22–2.11%), stability (RSD, 0.16–1.78%) and recovery (RSD ≠¤ 3.74 %), under optimum conditions. The limits of quantitation were low ranging from 0.28 to 3.88 ng/mL for the 28 compounds. The method was successfully applied to the simultaneous deter mination of 28 compounds in twenty batches of MT tablets. Also, hierarchical cluster analysis and principle component analysis was applied to categorize 20 samples based on characteristics of the 28 bioactive compounds. The results have indicated that this advanced method is rapid, sensitive and suitable to show the real quality of the MT composition and also capable of controlling quality of polyherbal formulations having similar markers/raw herbs. Keywords: Multiple Reaction Monitoring / Multi-Marker Quantification / UPLC-ESI-MS/MS / Hierarchical Cluster Analysis / Principle Component Analysis 1. Introduction Herbal medicines (HMs) refer to one herb or complex mixtures, which usually contains hundreds of chemically different components. Their curative effects are principally based on the synergic effect of their multi-targeting and multi-ingredient preparations [1, 2]. Consequently, quality control becomes troublesome for crude drugs. the method that employs pharmacologically active components to evaluate the quality and authenticity of the complex preparations is confronted with severe challenges. Therefore, better analytical strategies to assure their efficacy, safety, and consistency is essential and in great demand [3]. Moreover, the chemical compounds in the poly herbs in HMs products may vary depending on harvest seasons, plant origins, drying processes and other factors. Thus, it seems to be necessary to determine most of the phytochemical constituents of herbal products in order to ensure the reliability and repeatability of pharmacological and clinical research and to enhance pro duct quality control [4, 5]. Currently, selection of a single or a few specific components from a certain herbal medicine as markers for quality assessment is a widely applied strategy. However, it cannot afford sufficient quantitative information for the other medicinal compositions and cannot accurately reflect the quality of HMs products. All the HMs compositions play important roles in the therapeutic effects. Therefore, selecting multiple constituents from different medicinal herbs as evaluation markers has been gradually applied for the quality control of HMs [6, 7]. Mentat tablets (MT, commercial product) is a polyherbal medication with each tablet composed of multiple herbs extracts (listed in Table S1). Major contributed herbs are Bacopa monnieri, Centella asiaticaand Withania somnifera. MT is a unique all-natural multi-ingredient formula that promotes brain health. It improves the mental quotient, memory span, concentration ability, stress threshold and exhibit significant anti-parkinsonian activity. MT also offers protection against convulsions, which is beneficial in insomnia with its sedative and tranquilizing effects [8-10]. Chemically bacosides, saponin mixture in B. monnieri, triterpenoid glycosides in C. asiatica, steroidal lactones in W. somnifera are the major representative ingredients in MT, in comparison to others. [11-14]. Phytochemical investigations show important classes of bioactive constituents in selected plants which are as in combination of MT that are responsible for the bioactivity [15-20]. Literature survey reveals various analytical methods including thin layer chromatography (TLC) [21], high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) [22, 23], liquid chromatography (LC) [6, 24, 25], liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) [26-29], nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) [30] for the quantitative analysis of the bioactive constituents in HMs to assess the quality of the complex preparations. To the best of our knowledge, there is no method reported for the simultaneous estimation of selected 28 multi-markers in herbals by UPLC-ESI-MS/MSand no such approach has been explored on this important drug combination for quality and consistency evaluation of this herbal preparation. Natural alteration in preparation processes and climate affects the safety and batch-to-batch uniformity of HMs products. Highly sensitive analytical methods are thus required to identify ingredients and evaluate batch-to-batch variation. Compared to conventional TLC, HPTLC, HPLC method which are less sensitive and takes longer analysis time, UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode is more powerful approach. Due to its rapid separation power, low detection limit, high sensitivity, selectivity and specificity, UPLC-ESI-MS/MS offers effective detection to quantify multi-ingredients in complex sample matrices. Previous methods reported in literature only contained one or few compounds, without the consideration of other active ingredients. This paper describes for the first time a simple, accurate and reliable UPLC-ESI-MS/MS method for the simultaneous determination of 28 multiple bioactive compounds from different polyherbs viz., bacoside A (mixture of bacoside A3, bacopaside II, bacopaside X and bacopasaponin C), withanolide-A, withaferin-A, asiaticoside, madecassoside, jatrorrhizine, palmatine, magnoflorine, curcumin, gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, ellagic acid, rosamarinic acid, ursolic acid, catechin, apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, rutin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, corilagin, chrysin and chlorogenic acid with single runtime of 10 min. This method is intended not only for quality control of commercial polyherbal formulated products but also for efficient evaluation of raw materials. The quantitative results were further analyzed by multivariate statistical analysis i.e., hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principle component analysis (PCA) to provide more information about the ch emical differences and batch-to-batch variations. Chemical Structures of all analytes and internal standards were showed in Fig 1. 2. Experimental 2.1 Reagents and materials The reference standards (purity≠¥90%) bacoside A (mixture of bacoside A3, bacopaside II, bacopaside X and bacopasaponin C) was purchased from Natural Remedies Pvt. Ltd. Apigenin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, protocatechuic acid, rosamarinic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, ursolic acid, palmatine, withanolide-A, withaferin-A, asiaticoside, madecassoside, jatrorrhizine, magnoflorine, catechin, chlorogenic acid, curcumin, rutin, corilagin, chrysin, gallic acid and ellagic acid were purchased from Sigma Aldrich Ltd. (St. Louis, MO, USA). Reference standards of quercetin, luteolin and internal standards (IS) andrographolide and piperine were purchased from Extrasyntheses (Genay, France). Twenty different batches of Mentat tablets produced by Himalaya Drug Company, Bangalore, India were purchased from local drug stores from different places in India (Table S2). For all solutions and dilutions, methanol, acetonitrile (LC-MS grade) and formic acid (analytical grade) were purchased from Fluka, Sigma–Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA). Milli-Q Ultra-pure water was obtained from a Millipore water purification system (Millipore, Milford, MA, USA). 2.2 Preparation of standard solutions and samples A stock solution containing 28 standards i.e., bacoside A (mixture of bacoside A3, bacopaside II, bacopaside X and bacopasaponin C), withanolide-A, withaferin-A, asiaticoside, madecassoside, jatrorrhizine, palmatine, magnoflorine, curcumin, gallic acid, procatechuic acid, ferulic acid, caeffic acid, ellagic acid, rosamaric acid, ursolic acid, catechin, apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, rutin, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, corilagin, chrysin and chlorogenic acid were weighed accurately, dissolved in pure methanol.The working standard solutions were prepared by diluting the mixed standard solution with methanol to a series of concentrations within the ranges from 1 to 1000 ng/mL used for plotting the calibration curves. Meanwhile, each standard was also prepared respectively. The coating of each samples were removed completely, and the remains were smashed into powder. Pulverized sample (0.5g) was weighed precisely, and sonicated by ultrasonicator (53 KHz, Bandelin SONOREX, Berlin) using 50 ml 100% methanol at room temperature for 30 min. The extracted solution was centrifuged at 15000 rpm for 10 min, and the supernatant was filtered through a 0.22  µm syringe filter (Millex-GV, PVDF, Merck Millipore, Darmstadt, Germany) to obtained 10,000  µg/ml. The à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ltrates were diluted with methanol to final working solutions and analyzed directly by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. The internal standards andrographolide for negative mode and piperine for positive mode were spiked to each working concentration of mixed standards solution and sample solution at a final concentration of 50 ng/mL (50  µL of internal standards mixture of 1000 ng/mL of each in methanol) were mixed properly. All solutions were stored at -200C until use and sonicated prior to injection. 2.3 Instrumentation and analytical conditions An Acquity ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLCTM) system consisting of an auto sampler and a binary pump (Waters, Milford, MA was used for analysis. The compounds were separated on an Acquity BEH C18 (2.1 mmÃâ€" 50 mm, 1.7 µm; Waters, Milford, MA) analytical column at a column temperature of 25à ¢- ¦C. A gradient elution was achieved using two solvents: 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in water (A) and 0.1% (v/v) formic acid in acetonitrile (B) at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The gradient program consisted of an initial of 5% with linear increase from 5% to 60% B over 1.85 to 7.5 min and increased from 60% B to 90% B over 8.5 min, which was maintained for 1.5 min, followed by a return to the initial condition over 2.5 min with a sample injection volume of 5 µL. The UPLC system was interfaced with hybrid linear ion trap triple-quadrupole mass spectrometer (API 4000 QTRAPâ„ ¢ MS/MS system from AB Sciex, Concord, ON, Canada) equipped with electrospray (Turbo V) ion source. The optimized parameters for positive mode were as follows: the ion spray voltage was set to 5500 V; the turbo spray temperature, 550à ¢- ¦C; nebulizer gas (gas 1), 50 psi; heater gas (gas 2), 50 psi; collision gas, medium; the curtain gas (CUR) was kept at 20 psi. Optimized parameter for negative mode were as follows: the ion spray voltage was set to −4200 V, the turbo spray temperature, 550à ¢- ¦C; nebulizer gas (gas 1), 20 psi; heater gas (gas 2), 20 psi; collision gas, medium; the curtain gas (CUR) was kept at 20 psi. Quantitative analysis was performed using multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) mode and its conditions were optimized for each compound during infusion. For full scan ESI-MS analysis, the spectra covered the range from m/z 100 to 1000. Analyst 1.5.1 software package (AB Sciex) used for instrument control and data acquisition. The results of the precursor ion, product ion, corresponding declustering potential (DP), entrance potential (EP), collision energy (CE), cell exit potential (CXP) were shown in Table S3. 2.4 Multivariate analysis Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) is a tool to identify relatively homogeneous groups of cases based on selected characteristics, using an algorithm that starts with each case in a separate cluster until only one is left. In the experiment, HCA of 20 batches of samples were performed, in which a method called average linkage between groups was employed and 28 markers were selected as the measurement. Similarly, Principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out based on the contents of quantified 28 bioactive compounds in 20 batches of samples. All the experiment was done using software STATISTICA 7.0. When the contents of investigated compounds were below the quantitation limit or not detected in the samples, the values of such elements were considered to be zero.

Technology is a Benefit to Our Society Essay -- Argumentative Persuasi

Technology is a Benefit to Our Society Over the last century, our world has evolved so much, because of the growth of the technological field. Although we spend a lot of money in order to gain new information, the reward goes far beyond the cost of money. In this case, the reward is the ability to save the lives of millions of people. In his essay, â€Å"The Technology of Medicine,† Lewis Thomas describes the three levels of technology; Nontechnology, Halfway Technology, and Effective Technology (582-583). â€Å"Nontechnology† has become the therapeutic part of technology, which helps patients through the emotional and mental effects that a disease can have on them. â€Å"Halfway Technology† is the name given to procedures, such as transplants, that prevent deaths of patients from the failure of certain organs of their bodies. However, the most important level is â€Å"Effective Technology† which consists of inventions used to help manage, eliminate or detect certain types of diseases before t hey have a chance to progress to higher levels within patients’ bodies. All these gadgets show that technology can be used as a benefit to humankind, only when used for the correct reasons to avoid such disasters as the cancer caused by bomb testing in Terry Williams’ essay, â€Å"The Clan of One-breasted Women.† Effective technology has not only touched the lives of people living in the United States, but those living all around the world as well. Through the invention of immunizations, we have been able to eliminate many diseases, such as smallpox, that have caused the death of millions of people in past generations. If not for the invention of antibiotics, the time and money that would be spent on treatments for infections would be much greater than ... ...s made in my life; and if it were not for the different inventions that have come out of technology, many of us would not be here today. How has technology made a difference in your life? Maybe you should think about that question before taking your own decision on this subject. Works Cited Gould, Stephen Jay. â€Å"The Terrifying Normalcy of AIDS.† The McGraw-Hill Reader. 8th ed. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 594-597 Selzer, Richard. â€Å"Sarcophagus.† McGraw-Hill Reader. 8th ed. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Thomas, Lewis. â€Å"The Technology of Medicine.† McGraw-Hill Reader. 8th ed. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Williams, Terry Tempest. â€Å"The Clan of One-Breasted Women.† McGraw-Hill Reader. 8th ed. Ed. Gilbert H. Muller. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 598-607 4 Montilus 1

Cell Energetics Study Guide

Cellular Energetics Study Guide 1. Overall Metabolism a. Oxidation – a molecule LOSSES hydrogen, energy is RELEASED b. Reduction – a molecule GAINS hydrogen, energy is GAINED and stored (the more reduced a molecule is, the more energy is stored in its COVALENT BONDS) *** Always occur in a coupled pair (RED-OX)*** c. Electron Carriers i. Oxidizing Agents: are REDUCED to OXIDIZE another molecule 1. NAD+ – oxidizes glucose to 2 pyruvate in glycolysis, oxidizes pyruvate to CO2 in the Kreb’s cycle (gets reduced to NADH) 2.NADP+- oxidizes H2O to O2 during the Light Dependent Reactions of photosynthesis, final electron acceptor from chlorophyll (PSI) (gets reduced to NADPH) 3. FAD+- oxidizes NADH to NAD during glycolysis and transported to the mitochondrion (gets reduced to FADHs) ii. Reducing Agents: are OXIDIZED to REDUCE another molecule 4. NADH- reduces 2 pyruvate to 2 lactic acid in fermentation, reduces O2 during the respiratory chain (gets oxidized to NAD) *CANNOT pass through the mitochondrion* 5.NADPH- reduces CO2 to form carbohydrates (Calvin Cycle) in the Dark Reactions of photosynthesis (gets oxidized to NADP) 6. FADH2- reduces O2 during the respiratory chain (gets oxidized to FAD) *CAN pass through the mitochondrion* 2. Phosphorylation: Formation of ATP (ADP + P ATP) d. Substrate-level: direct enzymatic transfer of a phosphate to ADP * Only occurs during glycolysis when O2 is not needed to function * Only a small amount of ATP is produced this way e.Electron Transfer /Chemiosmosis: the movement of protons (H+) down a concentration gradient through ATP synthase that can HARNESS THE ENERGY OF THAT GRADIENT (proton-motive force) to bond ADP and phosphate to create ATP through oxidative phosphorylation * Occurs during the Light Dependent Reaction * 90% of ATP is produced this way 3. Photosynthesis f. Balanced Net Reaction: light 6CO2 + 6H2O C6H12O6 + 6O2 g. Light Dependent Reaction – occurs on the thylakoid lumen iii. Photol ysis – oxidation of H2O to release electrons used to return PSII to ground state iv.NADP Reduction – NADP receives an electron from PSI as it passes through electron transfer chains, reducing it to NADPH+. Electrons are passed from excited atoms that gain energy from a photon. v. ATP Synthesis – ATP is produced by chemiosmotic phosphorylation. Proton gradient (within the thylakoid interior) is made as electrons from photosystems are passed through proton pumps. h. Light Independent Reaction – occurs in the stroma vi. CO2 fixation: RuBP + CO2 2 PGA (a form that can be easily reduced).The reaction is catalyzed by RUBISCO. 7. In the presence of oxygen, RuBP + O2 Bad Sugar; process is called photorespiration. Plants overcome this by keeping a HIGH concentration of CO2. Land plants must compromise opening the stroma to maintain high CO2 concentration with loss of H2O. There are 2 additional adaptations that evolved: a. C-4 Pathway – formation of Oxaloac etate (C-4) from CO2 + PEP (C-3). Occurs in outer cells (mesophyll). Calvin cycle occurs in inner cells only (closer to supply of CO2, bundle sheath). b.CAM Pathway – like C-4, but fixation only occurs at night, when water loss is minimal. Found in desert plants, like cacti. vii. Calvin Cycle 8. PGA is reduced to PGAL using the products of the light dependent reaction, NADPH (oxidized) and ATP (provides energy) 9. One-sixth of the PGAL produced is used to create glucose for the cell to grow and repair. 10. Five-sixths of the PGAL is used to produce RuBP, completing the cycle (energy requiring). 4. Cellular Respiration i. Balanced Net Reaction: C6H12O6 + 6O2 6CO2 + 6H2O j.Glycolysis – occurs in the cytoplasm. All organisms carry out this process. viii. Glucose is double phosphorylated by 2 ATP and broken up into two three carbon phosphorylated molecules called PGAL ix. Each PGAL is phosphorylated by a free phosphate and ADP to form Biphosphoglycerate (BPG) while NAD is reduced to NADH. x. Each BPG aides in Substrate Level Phosphorylation of two ADP’s to form 2 ATP’s. Water is released. The remaining 3 carbon molecule is pyruvate. k. Fermentation – when pyruvate is used to oxidize NADH to replenish NAD+.Only produces 2 ATP per glucose through glycolysis. Some organisms (anaerobic) do it exclusively. Occurs regularly in all cells, but products can build up when NAD supplied through reduction of pyruvate is not available. 2 Forms: xi. Alcoholic – produces ethanol and CO2 from reduction of pyruvate. xii. Lactic acid – produces lactic acid from the reduction of pyruvate. l. Kreb’s Cycle – NAD required to begin. Takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria or in the cytoplasm of prokaryotes. xiii. Pyruvate is oxidized to Acetyl CoA, Reduced by _______, Releases 1 NADH. iv. Acetyl CoA is added to Oxaloacetate to form Citrate. xv. Citrate is broken down releasing 2 H2O and is oxidized 4x: by NAD+ thrice an d once by FAD+. One Substrate Level phosphorylation occurs producing ATP. Oxaloacetate is the product and continues the cycle by being added to the next available acetyl CoA. m. Electron Transport and Oxidative Phosphorylation – takes place on the cristae (inner mitochondrial) membrane. xvi. NADH and FADH2, products of Glycolysis and Krebs are oxidized by Q (molecule embedded in the membrane).Electrons are passed to cytochrome and protons are pumped into the proton pumps. xvii. The protons diffuse back through ATP synthase in a process called chemiosmosis. The energy harnessed allows an oxidative phosphorylation of ATP. (3 for each NADH, 2 for each FADH2) xviii. Free protons in the matrix and the electrons accepted by E. T. C are passed to O2, which is reduced to water. Stomata Allows gas exchange; since a lot of water can be lost, plants only open stomata for photosynthesis in daylight; at night they close to reduce loss of water. **CAM plants keep their stomates closed duri ng day and open at night*** Mesophyll C-3 Plants: Calvin Cycle during day C-4 Plants: CO2 combines with 3 carbon molecule PEP to form C-4 acid CAM Plants: stores CO2 in organic compounds that are synthesized at night Bundle sheath C-4 Plants: Calvin Cycle during day CAM Plants: Calvin Cycle during day Thylakoid lumen Light dependent reactions Stroma Calvin Cycle/Light independent reactions Inner membrane E. T. C. Cytoplasm Glycolysis & Fermentaion Matrix Kreb’s Cycle Diagrams (know following structures and what takes place there)

Impact of Wars on Military Society: The Soldiers and their Families Essay

Wars have been part of human history. What shaped the society that is perceived in this time is a result of conflicts and rivalries that occurred in the past. In almost all places on earth, the scars of war and of battle continue to be seen and commemorated. People are divided in this concept of war. For some, it is a way of life and a means of achieving peace and promoting security in the homeland. For some, it is a conflict of opposing forces where nobody wins, but rather, results into crises and extreme loss of life. Publicists have various definitions on war. According to a book entitled, â€Å"On War† written by General Carl Von Clausewitz, war is simply defined as nothing but a duel between two opposing forces but in an extreme scale. It is a struggle between two sides, whose aim is to apply physical force and compel the opponent to surrender and submit, as well as render him unable to engage in further resistance. It is an act of violence towards another in order to fulfill one’s will (2008). Basically, in war, there is violence. Thus, there is always the possibility of death to even an immense scale. In times of war, a lot of elements are affected such the economy, security, the family, and most importantly, the soldiers themselves. During World War II, there were seemingly immeasurable number of deaths both from the allied forces and the axis powers. The event shook the world and created chaos in various countries around the world. Economies crumbled and government policies were disorganized. In the military society, a large number of soldiers were lost that left their families with trauma to even psychological disorders. This paper discusses these impacts of war on the military society, particularly on the soldiers themselves, as well as their families. Because of the advancement in technology and the increasing lethalness of military weapons, a posing threat emerges for individuals who are deployed in warfare. The environment has become more aggressive. The Effect of War on Soldiers In every war, the most proximate effects are felt by the soldiers. The disorder now called as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder had its roots in World War II. Back then the condition was referred to as battle fatigue. Although cases of the condition were already reported ever since the Civil War, the occurrences were very minimal because of the conflict was waged within the soldiers’ own country. Other than that, the weapons used during that time were not as sophisticated as the weapons in the 21st century. During the First World War, this condition was also evident when the Germans introduced â€Å"gas† warfare. However, it was only during the Second World War that information regarding this condition was widely known (Chermol, 9). During World War II, the most common condition was the mild and non disabling battle fatigue. During initial combat operations, dramatic but transient battle fatigue was eminent. More intense cases were referred to as â€Å"Old Sergeant’s Syndrome† which includes physical and psychological burnout that lasted months after combat (10). For the marines and the aviators, the symptoms of battle fatigue they experienced consisted of increased emotionality, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and exaggerated startled response to sudden movements or noises along with some physical complaints (10). Post Traumatic Stress Disorder became the most common disorder in the military since after its recognition. In a report by the Washington Post dated May 27, 2008, the number of cases for PTSD jumped dramatically to 50 percent in 2007 on US troops. This is because of the military buildup that existed in Iraq and the high level of violence in Afghanistan. According to the report, around 40, 000 troops were already diagnosed with the condition since the year 2003. In a statement, the officials said that there may be more because some military personnel simply refuse to reveal their condition. According to experts, many troops suffer from the symptoms of PTSD, particularly on stress. These include nightmares and flashbacks. They stated that these symptoms can be cured if the treatment is early (Jelinek). PTSD, along with other mental conditions was prevalent in military personnel. In the United States, PTSD was common among military personnel because of longer exposures to combat. In the recent years, as supported by the news article of Washington Post, the number of cases increased because of the increased military activity the country is involved in. The government has been involved in almost all wars since after WWII. Such wars include the Korean War, Vietnam War, the Gulf War, War on Afghanistan, and in Iraq. Soldiers had more combat exposures and some were even sent to two consecutive campaigns. The result is more soldiers deployed in hostile areas and longer combat exposure, increasing the risk of psychological and mental disorders. In an article written by Christine Liddell and Jennifer Kemp in the book â€Å"The Psychological effects of war and violence on children†, they pointed out that the effects of war does not necessarily mean that the soldiers have to be adults. The majority of armed conflicts since the 1970s have happened in the African continent. In most of these conflicts, the effects on children have not yet been documented. The situation in these areas is serious because of the fact that the armed conflict in Africa, children and the youth has found themselves in the front line and participates in the struggle (Leavitt). The only thing that may protect soldiers from experiencing stress leading to psychological disorders while in the front line is hardiness. Paul T. Bartone of the U.  S Military Academy at West Point, New York conducted a study on hardiness being a protection against war-related stress in the army reserve forces. After the Cold War, the number of military personnel has slowly decreased, putting great importance on reserve and National Guard units in the United States. The study explored the personality hardiness as a potential protection among army reserve personnel mobilized for the Persian war. Results of regression analysis showed that hardiness interacted with both combat-related stress and stressful life events. The results suggested that hardiness protects against the negative effects of stress. The study produced a number of implications for military personnel that encounter various types of stress such as battle fatigue and separation from their families (Bartone). On Military Families For every soldier that is deployed in the battle field, there is a family that is separated and also suffers from the effects of war. War results into families without fathers or mothers, husbands or wives. The family that is left behind also suffers certain conditions caused by situations such as separation or death of the soldier in battle. To some families, it leads to cases of divorce and marital conflicts. This section discusses the conditions that families of military personnel are experiencing because of war. Evidence suggesting these problems are provided by the study conducted by Joshua Angrist and John Johnson regarding the effects of work-related absences on families during the Gulf War. They used data from the 1992 Survey of Officers and enlisted personnel. They estimated the divorce rates, spousal employment, and children disability rates caused by the Gulf War. The results of the showed that there were no significant increase in the disability rates in the children of the deployed soldiers. For male soldiers, the deployment of female soldiers resulted to a significant increase in divorce rates and marital dissolutions. This suggests that the deployment of female soldiers causes a strain on marriages (Angrist). In the study, the results also suggested that the husband’s work supply is not affected by the deployment of the wives in war. The extended hours given to soldiers put stress on family relationships and create conflicts between husbands and wives regarding child and house care. These conditions increase the possibility for marital dissolutions that could affect the emotional and psychological well-being of the children. These effects are further supported by the study of Ernest Burgees on the effects of war on the American family. The impact of war upon the family can clearly be observed. These effects are significant in the ongoing process of family life. The observable effects of war include the withdrawal o f men from civilian and entering the military, resulting in to an increase in socially disapproved forms of behaviors. This entrance to the military by the male civilians forces the females to seek employment and enter the industry in order to replace the men that were enlisted in the armed forces. Thus, children begin to be neglected, increasing the number of cases of juvenile delinquency, changes in marriage, divorce, and high birth rates. More serious effects of war on the American family include the increasing trend towards the companionship type of family. It also raised the status of women as a more powerful force that gives support to the family since they engage in industrial jobs that make up for the absence of their husbands. Thus, parents begin to lose their function in the family, especially in their responsibilities towards their children. This resulted to the increase in the number of nursery schools for rearing and tending the needs of children in the preschool age and the extension of government interventions for family security. The family, therefore, experiences a significant shift from being an institution to becoming a companionship type of relationship (Burgees). The number of cases on juvenile delinquency is also one of the impacts of war on military families. In countries such as Canada and England, there has been a 40 to 50 percent increase in the number of youth related violence compared with the pre war years. In the United States, this situation is also manifested in Chicago and in Los Angeles where number of youth crimes have been increasing. This suggests that the effects are caused by the absence of a father, older brother, older sister, or mother figure in the family set up because of their deployment in the military or because of the need to work (344). The family shifts from the institutional to the companionship type because of the increasing number of fathers that are deployed in the military. The companionship type family is more modern since it is a contrast of the institutional, patriarchal type. Family members are no longer subordinates but are now free to engage in self-expression, since this type stresses the interpersonal basis of modern matrimony (347). Even wives of military personnel are exposed to psychological and mental disorders as much as their husbands who are at the front lines. In a study, the effects of combat trauma were investigated. The implications of combat-induced psychopathology were examined. The conditions investigated were wartime combat stress reaction (CSR) and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The results showed that in a sample of 205 wives of Israeli combat veterans of the 1982 Lebanon war, both CSR and PTSD were associated with increased psychiatric symptoms manifested. PTSD was found to contribute to the wives’ social impairment in a number of contests such as feelings of loneliness, impaired marital and family relations, which extends to a wider range of their social networks (Solomon, et al. ). Hardships in the Modern Military Society In a report prepared by Kari Huus of MSNBC, the condition of American soldiers were revealed through testimonies given by families and other persons about the extended time of deployment given to enlisted personnel. According to the report, the U.  S military has stretched thin its military personnel after more than four years in Iraq and six years in Afghanistan. During this time, military personnel were repeatedly deployed in the warzone with decreasing dwell times between their postings have reached its toll on the families and loved ones of the personnel. Families are beginning to feel exhausted and stressed because of the separation that has been happening more frequently. Anxiety is also one of the problems experienced by families who are always waiting for phone calls from their loved one. According to one testimony by a wife of a soldier, she experiences fears of the worst kind as she imagines what if the calls would stop. The possibility that this would happen is when someone in the company has been killed and all phone lines are to be cut off until the closest kin to the dead personnel has been notified. The prolonged conflicts involved with the United States has forced it army to repeatedly deploy soldiers in the warzone. According to military experts, this sort of scenario was never intended to reach this level. As a result, soldiers begin to experience hallucinations and different psychological disorders which lead some military personnel to take their own life. The children of military fathers also suffer since they seem to sense a number of changes in their fathers after they have gone home after their deployment (Huus). Conclusions As stated in the previous pages, war is basically a duel between two opposing forces in order to resolve a conflict. The only difference is that war is being done in a massive scale. The consequences of this conflict are manifested in the lives of the members of the military society, particularly on the soldiers and their families. The impact of war on the soldiers consists of psychological and mental difficulties such as battle, fatigue, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. These conditions tend to endure in their lives even after the war, which can cause disturbances in other aspects of their lives, most especially on their families. As much what the soldiers are suffering, families left behind by soldiers also suffer emotional and psychological difficulties. Marital relationships have the potential to encounter problems and children also suffer from the absence of their father, mother, or older sibling, brought about by war. The studies and other literature in this paper suggest that the introduction of new interventions regarding troop deployment should be sought, as well as securing the emotional and psychological well-being of soldiers and families, while many still question the significance of war on the development of the society.

Controlled by computers essays

Controlled by computers essays Computers seem to control our lives. It is hard to live without a computer, and no matter how hard you try to remove yourself from computers, they always affect your life. Many people think it is good that computers make things simple. "The Jetsons" was a cartoon where computers controlled the world; their maid was a robot while a computer guided the family to do simple tasks, such as showering and styling hair. It seems that the Jetsons world would be an ideal world to live in, so looking at where computers are headed today the future seems bright. Computers make it so that you can control your heat, air conditioning, pay bills, receive bills, buy groceries, listen to music and watch movies, all without leaving the comfort of your desk. But how would one get the money for this? Computers, once an expensive item, now can be attained by anyone. There are places offering free computers, computers on monthly payment plans and very cheap computers. Once you have one of these com puters, you can then get a job where you work from your computer. After working your Internet job, you can deposit your paychecks directly into an Internet banking account. If you manage to save enough money, you can buy that car you have always wanted, but why buy the car if you never have to drive it? Some people drive places to meet people, but now it is so that you can meet someone online. To most people that conjures a picture of typing messages to someone and never meeting them face to face. Now there are camcorders you can attach to your computer and microphones so you can talk to the person in real time and see them face to face, or screen to screen. In the year 1999, the country went into a frenzy because of computers. Bomb shelters were being built in backyards. People were stocking up on non-perishables for several years; generators increased in sales and TV talk shows featured people who bought a ton of toilet paper. This was n...

Becoming a pshychologist essays

Becoming a pshychologist essays I have always wondered about human behavior. Why does this person scream when he is angry? Why does that person cry? Whenever I see someone who looks confused or discouraged, I sometimes wonder what the disturbance is and if there is anything I could do that would inspire them. I think this is why I want to be a psychologist. I would love to learn all about the way people act, think and feel and at the same time try to help them. I have a very easygoing personality and I love to have fun and laugh. I ask a lot of questions, and I think I am very easy to get along with. Some career goals I have are to graduate high school and go to college. I'm not quite sure yet which college, but I plan to earn a Master's degree or a Doctoral degree in school psychology. I would like to find a job I want to keep that I could make a career out of, and just take one day at a time with desire to make the right decisions and live a pleasant life. I first became interested in psychology a couple years ago. My friend and I were sitting at the park, and we started talking. Well, we ended up chatting for hours about some things that she had been going through, and when the conversation ended, she thanked me. She said, "Thanks for your help, it really meant a lot to me." The feeling I had was just simply awesome. I felt like I had made a difference, and that's what I would like to spend the rest of my life doing. That was just the first time I had talked to someone as I did. After that I conversed with other people. I talked to other friends, my parents, even just saying hi to strangers on the street or at the store and putting a smile on their face made me feel satisfaction. Most of my friends know that if they really need someone to talk to, my door is always open, and I will always listen. I think psychology would be a good career for me because I enjoy the kind of work that they do, and I think I could be good at it if I really ...

Dolni Vestonice - Czech Republic Upper Paleolithic Site

Dolni Vestonice - Czech Republic Upper Paleolithic Site Definition: Dolnà ­ Vestonice (Dohlnee VEST-oh-neets-eh) is a large Upper Paleolithic (Gravettian) occupation, loaded with information about the technology, art, animal exploitation, site settlement patterns and human burial activities of 30,000 years ago. The site lies buried beneath a thick layer of loess, on the slopes of the Pavlov Hills above the Dyje river. The site is near the modern town of Brno in the region of Moravia in the eastern part of what is now the Czech Republic. Artifacts from Doln Vestonice The site has three separate parts (called in the literature DV1, DV2, and DV3), but all of them represent the same Gravettian occupation: they were named after the excavation trenches that were dug to investigate them. Among the features identified at Dolnà ­ Vestonice are hearths, possible structures, and human burials. One grave contains two men and one woman; a lithic tool workshop has also been identified. One grave of an adult woman contained burial goods, including several stone tools, five fox incisors and a mammoth scapula. In addition, a thin layer of red ochre was placed over the bones, indicating a specific burial ritual. Lithic tools from the site include distinctive Gravettian objects, such as backed points, blades and bladelets. Other artifacts recovered from Dolnà ­ Vestonice include mammoth ivory and bone battens, which have been interpreted as loom sticks, evidence of weaving during the Gravettian. Other important finds at Dolni Vestonice include fired-clay figurines, such as the venus illustrated above. Radiocarbon dates on the human remains and charcoal recovered from hearths range between 31,383-30,869 calibrated radiocarbon years before the present (cal BP). Archaeology at Doln Vestonice Discovered in 1922, Dolnà ­ Vestonice was first excavated during the first half of the 20th century. A salvage operation was undertaken in the 1980s, when borrowing of the soil for dam construction was eminent. Much of the original DV2 excavation was destroyed during the dam construction, but the operation which exposed additional Gravettian deposits in the region. Ivestigations in the 1990s were conducted by Petr Ã…  krdla of the Institute of Archaeology at Brno. These excavations continue as part of the Moravian Gate Project, an international project including the Centre for Palaeolithic and Palaeoethnological Research at the Institute of Archaeology, Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic and the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge in the UK. Sources This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to Upper Paleolithic, and the Dictionary of Archaeology. Beresford-Jones D, Taylor S, Paine C, Pryor A, Svoboda J, and Jones M. 2011. Rapid climate change in the Upper Palaeolithic: the record of charcoal conifer rings from the Gravettian site of Dolnà ­ Vestonice, Czech Republic. Quaternary Science Reviews 30(15-16):1948-1964. Formicola V. 2007. From the sunghir children to the Romito dwarf: Aspects of the Upper Paleolithic funerary landscape. Current Anthropology 48(3):446-452. Marciniak A. 2008. Europe, Central and Eastern. In: Pearsall DM, editor. Encyclopedia of Archaeology. New York: Academic Press. p 1199-1210. Soffer O. 2004. Recovering Perishable Technologies through Use Wear on Tools: Preliminary Evidence for Upper Paleolithic Weaving and Net Making. Current Anthropology 45(3):407-424. Tomaskova S. 2003. Nationalism, local histories and the making of data in archaeology. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 9:485-507. Trinkaus E, and Jelinik J. 1997. Human remains from the Moravian Gravettian: the Dolnà ­ Vestonice 3 postcrania. Journal of Human Evolution 33:33–82. Also Known As: Grottes du Pape

Topical summery of the movie Moolaade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Topical summery of the movie Moolaade - Essay Example Since he was an artistic filmmaker, in his film he realized that his dream of unifying Africa was essential and it was what the political leaders had still not produced (Rapfogel & Porton, 2004, pp. 201). The film focuses on the injustice of female genital circumcision (FGC). The film shows six girls that have ran away from a purification ceremony from which four seek refuge with Colle Ardo Gallo Sy because they do not want to be circumcised and Colle had not allower her daughter to be circumcised in the past. The other two of the girls have been thought to have run away to the city. This is about the modern day village of Africa where the genital mutilation of females is rather a culture and tradition that has been coming along since many years. Colle is the hope of the girls as she refused her daughter to be drawn through the painful procedure and she creates a moolaade which is a protection place. She makes the place by putting some yarn across the compound entrance where she and her husband lives; along with his other two wives. Her hostility brings out the tension which comes out episodically to maintain the social stability. Moolaade is the French name given to the study of the social relations in the African village. According to the people of the village, she has something going on in the ancient spell which is the Moolaade. No one could harm those four girls until they were under the protection of Colle, and those who tried would suffer bad things. The spell could be broken by Colle only by saying the words that are right. However, while Colle was working on these developments, the women who were responsible for the mutilations saw her as a threat. On the other hand, the film shows that the other people from the tribe are rather worried about the changes that would affect their village life. There were many anthropological insights which suggested important facts such as man’s higher authority over women, older brothers have dominance over the y ounger ones and the first wife has higher authority over the second wife etc. These traditional factors are eroding away due to the influences. The older people of the tribe are campaigning against these influences and so they take away the radios from women to stop them from accessing to modernized ideas coming from the outside world. The women are angry and one of them says â€Å"they want to lock up our minds†. The men have tried hard but it seemed that they could not completely take away the outside influences. Many modern ideas came to the village through people like traveling salesmen. The salesman brought many modern items in the village like candies, batteries, food and sneakers. The prices of these are high and he is a womanizer as considered by many. Amasatou informs him about her marriage to the heir of the tribal throne, when she goes to pick things for her mother, who is in Paris currently but is going to be back to the village. She and her grandmother carried ou t a spending spree charging the costs to the heir of the throne that she is about to wed. Sembene has been known as the father of the African cinema and this movie was directed by him at the age of 81. At this age Sembene had all the experience and power to engage in a heroic masterpiece that he produced. He had a clear storytelling style which was presented in this film as well. The character of Colle was a heroic character which sent waves to the whole community about a never seen change. She is a strong

Metabolic Syndrome Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Metabolic Syndrome - Assignment Example According to the symptoms displayed by the patient, he has a positive diagnosis of metabolic syndrome; evident from a high fasting blood glucose levels of 140. According to Brasher (2006), this entails a long period of insulin resistance and early postprandial hyperglycemia. Thus, this increases the risk factors for health problems in this case such as diabetes. In addition, insulin resistance is connected to overweight. In this case, the patient presents several risk factors for the condition. They include a large waistline, low HDL cholesterol level of 36, high blood pressure, and high fasting blood sugar of 140. However, additional questions are helpful in comprehending rationale of the disease process; as well as its clinical presentation. These questions include nutritional patterns, lifestyle (smoking), physical activities done, race, any changes in visual acuity or retinal abnormalities, delayed wound healing, any past or recent infections of the skin (for instance yeast skin rashes) and urinary tract infections. Physical examination aspects involve a comprehensive assessment so as to determine a diagnosis. Examples of physical examination entail the following: numbness or tingling sensation and decreased sensory of the feet, skin examination, and waistline measurement. Moreover, blood tests are vital in diagnosing this condition. Examples include collection of blood urea nitrogen has to be d one in proper evaluation of the kidney function, as well as triglyceride level examination (McCance and Huther, 2014). Proper management for this condition begins with prevention of the disease. Prevention will be based on directly influencing the development and reversal of insulin resistance and B-cell dysfunction. Metabolic syndrome is in the increase due to an elevation in obesity rates. In this case, the patient has experienced weight gain while in

Political Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 8

Political Science - Essay Example Even though Nick knew that whatever he did was wrong and kept on due to the belief that he could convince any debating side towards his own views, one day he met his match. William H. Macy, the Vermont senator wanted to place poison labels especially on cigarette packs in order to discourage people from the smoking (Longworth). Nick saw this as a motive to ruin his career and went ahead to conduct a public relation campaign with Rob Lowe, a Hollywood agent, so as to include cigarette smoking in the movies. Nick still on continuing with his quest, received a number of death threats regarding his work of encouraging people to smoke. Eventually, Nick met with an alluring reporter that worked for Washington Newspaper called Katie Holmes. This reporter ran a damaging profile on Nick putting him in a tight position to argue on supporting people to smoke after she produced one of his nude pictures (Ebert). The film reaches a climax when Nick is forced to look back at his job and assess the negative influence his job may have on his son. Eventually, it turns out that Nick eventually gets to his senses and accepts the reality of smoking and the need to discourage it (Ebert). Filibusters are often obstructive tactics employed by senators in order to delay a given bill. In regard to smoking, there have been a lot of filibusters played by many policy makers. Filibusters should be eliminated as they discourage crucial laws that affect the heath of its citizens, for instance cigarette smoking, from being discouraged. Nick had been employed by a Big Tobacco company to act as their spokesman and encourage more people to join smoking. Even though the government knew the repercussion smoking had on its citizens in the movie, still measures to curb smoking could not be implemented immediately due to filibusters. The senator at one point tried to pass a law to ensure that cigarettes had a poisonous ban put on them, but did

World Civilizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

World Civilizations - Essay Example It was also one of the greatest commercial centers of Europe during the Middle Ages. Byzantium gathered all the classical knowledge from the Roman Empire and tried to maintain and develop them. "Its rich historiographical tradition preserved ancient knowledge upon which splendid art, architecture, literature and technological achievements were built" (Wikipedia, 2005, par.19). It is likely that the Renaissance could not have been so prosperous were it not for the foundation laid in Byzantium, and the group of Greek scholars to the West the Empire had fallen. The power of its theologians was large and it influenced many Western scholars, and their subtraction from the "canon" of Western theology in next centuries has only served to weaken the canon and make it poorer (Cantor, 1963). The Byzantine Empire brought common acceptance of Christianity to Western European countries - possibly one of the main aspects of a contemporary Europe's identity. Under the rule of Emperor Justinian, Byzantium got the body of laws -the Corpus iuris civilis. This was not merely a prominent legal achievement in codifying Roman law, it was also the first organized effort to combine Roman law and jurisprudence with Christianity. Even though Byzantium would finally weaken in power, from the eleventh century, Justinian's Corpus iuris civilis became the basis of all European law and legal practice (except for England). In general, this set of laws prescribed tolerance to foreigners, liberty of thought within the frames of Christian Orthodoxy and general rights of the residents of the Empire. Attitude towards women was tolerant comparing to Islamic tradition. Monogyny was obligatory in Byzantine, while Islamic tradition practiced polygyny. In Byzantine, women were compared to children and seniors: they were the weakest and most vulnerable, so it was necessary to protect them. In Muslim countries, women were nothing but men's property, they were allow ed to wear determined kinds of clothes and had to behave according to the certain rules.Political intolerance predominated in Asian countries: foreigners had restricted rights and were allowed to visit only certain places (except the mosque and so on) and had to be additional taxes, such as jizya poll tax ; they were always treated as strangers and people of 'wrong faith'. Jihad ('holy war') was one of the main aspects of Islamic doctrine, so Muslims were free to deceive, betray (and if necessary kill) people of 'wrong faith' . "Nature guided the Muslims to develop values and ways of behavior such as: repression of the other (since in Asian life, a person either controls or is controlled); constant preparation for war in order to achieve hegemony; living in a patriarchal system; contempt for others and for culture; and an amazing ability to shift loyalties" (Memri, 2005, par.8). On the other hand, Muslims created magnificent culture, developed sciences (algebra, geometry, chemistry) philosophy, architecture and fine arts. Lustered glass was the most obvious Islamic contribution to modern ceramics. Manuscript illumination in Islamic world was famous and greatly respected art, and portrait miniature painting was widespread in Persia. By 364 AD, the Roman Empire had been completely split into two different states: The Eastern Roman Empire, and the Western Roman Empire. The Western Empire soon fell after the invasion of

Develop informal communication networks and roles in the workplace Essay - 3

Develop informal communication networks and roles in the workplace - Essay Example Informal communication is a workplace transmission of messages not official. Formal networks involve establishments formed to enable communication. A workplace system represents how communication flows in the institution. An informal network includes sharing of unofficial information through the workplace and social media (Drafke, 2009). Formal network communication entails communicating with other employees through official networks. Formal network in the organization reflects and shows the hierarchy of the management. In the case scenario of Osaga Chemical Company, grapevine would represent a crucial part in the informal communication network in a workplace. Grapevine is a network that is unpredictable in its operations because employees control it (Fevre, Lewis, Robinson & Jones, 2012). Grapevine Network is an informal network that employees use to communicate with each other. Management of an organization may use grapevine gain relevant information that will enable the organization reaches their target. As the individual in charge of implementing grapevine informal communication, there would be a proper communication channel. Grapevine is an effective way of communication because it helps an organization manage their employees efficiently (Guffey & Loewy, 2010). The system is useful in that the workers try to comprehend themselves. The managements of various organizations do not have consent of grapevines, and it makes it useful to get information. Grapevine is a network that is appropriate for the employees as a group. Employees get to connect and share their feelings without fear of judgments (Guffey & Loewy, 2010). Playing the role of a boundary spanner in a grapevine involves representing employees in the public. Boundary spanners develop external relationship with the employees of other companies to reach their set objectives (Walker, 2012). On the group, I play the role of a boundary

Health Organization Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health Organization Case Study - Essay Example The above portrays the national focus of the Group, as will be discussed below. UnitedHealth Group Inc., was created in 1977, and is currently the single largest health care in America having initially started with the introduction of the first seniors’ health plan that was network-based. By the year 1984, it was ready to join the securities exchange, becoming a publicly traded entity. J.D. Power and Associates’ recent rating of the entity, as having the highest employer satisfaction in terms of self-insured health plans, is one of its many accreditations, which continue to portray its positive presence in American society. Adding to this was its 2011 accreditation by the American Medical Association (UnitedHealth Group, 2014). According to the Fourth Annual Report Card, as portrayed by UnitedHealth Group (2014) out of the seven national health insurance firms evaluated; in terms of the accuracy and timeliness of claims processing, United Healthcare was placed in pole position. This is concerning metrics such as approval, processing and payment, where the firm led its industry peers in – Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) Accuracy and Contracted Fee Schedule Match Rate. The latter, is an indicator of how often insurance claim payments match the contracted fee schedules. The former pertains to measurements of the rate at which the physician practices’ projected allowed amount equals that of the insurer’s permitted amount. Thus, accordingly, the Business Insurance Magazine named the firm as the overall ‘readers last choice’ winner (2010) for its great role as the most excellent health plan provider. On the converse, the entity rated last, concerning the metric, which covers the required medications and procedures. Further still is the fact that a survey in the same year, of hospital executives who had interacted with the firm, resulted in the firm

Develop informal communication networks and roles in the workplace Essay - 3

Develop informal communication networks and roles in the workplace - Essay Example Informal communication is a workplace transmission of messages not official. Formal networks involve establishments formed to enable communication. A workplace system represents how communication flows in the institution. An informal network includes sharing of unofficial information through the workplace and social media (Drafke, 2009). Formal network communication entails communicating with other employees through official networks. Formal network in the organization reflects and shows the hierarchy of the management. In the case scenario of Osaga Chemical Company, grapevine would represent a crucial part in the informal communication network in a workplace. Grapevine is a network that is unpredictable in its operations because employees control it (Fevre, Lewis, Robinson & Jones, 2012). Grapevine Network is an informal network that employees use to communicate with each other. Management of an organization may use grapevine gain relevant information that will enable the organization reaches their target. As the individual in charge of implementing grapevine informal communication, there would be a proper communication channel. Grapevine is an effective way of communication because it helps an organization manage their employees efficiently (Guffey & Loewy, 2010). The system is useful in that the workers try to comprehend themselves. The managements of various organizations do not have consent of grapevines, and it makes it useful to get information. Grapevine is a network that is appropriate for the employees as a group. Employees get to connect and share their feelings without fear of judgments (Guffey & Loewy, 2010). Playing the role of a boundary spanner in a grapevine involves representing employees in the public. Boundary spanners develop external relationship with the employees of other companies to reach their set objectives (Walker, 2012). On the group, I play the role of a boundary

Pph Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pph - Assignment Example Data relating to previous pregnancies and postpartum hemorrhage were obtained from population-based linked birth and hospital-discharge records that were identified. These data with a population-based design study were consisted of 4,000 participants, in which 300 cases of hemorrhage was identified, including 50 cases of severe postpartum hemorrhage. Purposive random sampling was done for the sample selection. Snowball sampling was done to assure randomization. This sampling method is conducted where each member of a criterion-defined population has an equal opportunity to become part of the sample. All randomly selected participants were analyzed using medical files and medication administration records (which includes the dose, time and route given) that were used for data collection. The use of these records was aimed to determine the effectiveness of the pharmacological treatment for postpartum hemorrhage. Chosen respondents from the aforementioned sampling method were personally informed by the researcher through direct interview, emails and phone calls. The study was carried out on from the medical records of women who have given birth in which active management of labor was implemented which include the administration of uterotonic drugs. Maternal age, parity, gestation, mode of delivery, cause of postpartum hemorrhage and grade of doctor managing the case were recorded. Specifically, the medication administration records were the main sources of data. With this, administration of uterotonic drugs can be closely monitored, as to the time, dosage, frequency and intervals. Actual medical files are also accessed to assess effectiveness of the treatment methods and the actual patient responses to the treatment strategy. The data obtained will be treated unbiased and the confidentiality of the information and identity will not be disclosed. Patient names will not be used; instead codes will be assigned to

Differences Between Linear Block And Convolutional Codes Computer Science Essay

Differences Between Linear Block And Convolutional Codes Computer Science Essay Generally the coding theory is the detailed analysis of the properties of the codes and their suitable quality for the identified application. Codes are mainly used in cryptography, error correction , data compression and now a days it is also used for the network coding.this coding generally involves with the linear block codes, convolutional codes, turbo codes respectively. LINEAR BLOCK CODES: In coding theory, the linear block code generally referred as a error correcting code for which the obtained resultant codeword is the linear combination of any two codewords. In simple words, the linear block code possesss the linearity property that is the sum of any two codewords is also a codeword. These linear block codes are divided in to the block odes and convolutional codes, eventhough turbo codes is the combination of these two types. More efficient encoding and decodig algorithms are provided by the linear codes when compared with the other codes. (http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/linear codes). CONVOLUTIONAL CODES The main principle involved in the convolutional code is the weighted sum of the various input message symbols is the resultant codeword symbol. This resemblance the convolution used in the LTI systems where we find the output of a syatem by knowing the impulse response and the respective input. So hence the output of a convolutional encoder can be obtained by the convolution of the input bits with the states of the convolution encoder registers.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/convolutional codes). TURBO CODES In 1993, turbo codes are developed which are the class of high performance forward error correction codes and they are also the first practical codes to come nearer to the chgannel capacity for the code rate at which reliable communication is still possible while a specific identified noise level is given. Berrou glavieux and thitimajshima introduced these turbo codes in 1993 in their paper named near Shannon limit error correcting and decoding : turbo codes. Once after the introduction of these parallel turbo codes many other types are discovered which mainly includes repeat accumulate codes, serial versions. Even the conventional FEC systems are also been applied by the iterative turbo decoding methods. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/turbo ) 2. CORE OF THE PAPER 1. PRINCIPLES OF THE LINEAR BLOCK CODES A block code of length n and codewors is said to be a linear(n, k) code if and only if the k dimensional subspace of the vector space is formed by all the codewords of all the n- tuples over GF(2). A linear code of length n and rank K is the linear subspace C with dimension K of the vector space where is the finite field consisting of the q elements. Such tytpe of a code with parameter q is called a q ary code. The code is said to be as binary code or ternary code if and only if q =2 or q=3 respectively. Linear block codes are briefly described by their symbol alphabets (example: binary, ternary) and with parameters (n,m, ) where n is the codeword length in symbols. m is the total number of source symbols which are used for encoding. is the codes minimum hamming distance. Linear block codes are of many types they are: Cyclic codes Repetition codes Parity codes Polynomial codes Reed Solomon codes Algebraic geometric codes Reed muller codes Perfect codes. A. GENERATOR MATRIX AND PARITY CHECK MATRIX Since the linear codes could be considered as a linear subspace C of , so any codeword C can be represented as a linear combination of a set of basis vectors such that , C= ++.= mG Where G is the generator matrix and m is the message. B. THEORITICAL CONCEPTS: As linear subspace of , the span of the minimal set of codewords can be represented by the entire code word C. These obtained codewords are collected and combined in the rows of the matrix G known as generator matrix for the code C. Theoretically, it is the standard form of is given as G=(/A), where is the kk identity matrix and A is k(n-k) matrix. A check matrix is defined as the matrix which represents the linear function H: whose kernel is C. The generating matrix G in standard form, G=(/A), with C as a code then H=(/) is a check matrix for C. C .HAMMING CODES Hamming codes are the first codes developed for the purpose of the error correction. These are widely used in digital communication systems. For any positive integer r>=2, there exists a [-r-1,3] hamming code. Example: given the following generator matrix and parity check matrix, the linear block code is [7,4,3] hamming code. G= , D. HADAMARD CODE Hadamard codes is capable of correcting many errors and is a [, r,] linear code. Hadamard code has minimum distance and therefore can correct -1 errors. Example  : The linear block code with the following generator matrix is a [8,3,4]2 Hadamard code: E..MERITS: Linear codes are the very prominent calss of the error correcting codes. It generally includes the simple description, easy procedure for encoding, nice properties, conceptually easy decoding. If C is a linear code then the minimum distance d(c) is easy to compute. Linear codes possesss simple specifications. To specify the (n,k) linear code it is sufficient to list K linearly independent codewords where as for the non linear code words generally we have to represent with all the code words. The most important linear block codes are: Hamming codes, cyclic codes, reed Solomon codes, BCH codes, LDPC codes, turbo codes respectively. F. DEMERITS: The main drawback of the hamming code is that it has the fixed hamming distance and also it is very difficult to implement coders for large block. The detection of two error bits and ability to correct the single errored bit can be obtained from the fixed hamming distance.if we choose a code which generally allows the implementor to select the desired hamming distance will be useful or beneficial. Hammer coder practical largest possible allows for codewords of nearly 31bits only. G. APPLICATIONS (1) These linear block properties are used in many applications. Trellis shaping is generated by using the syndrome coset uniqueness property of linear block codes. (2) these are also used in sensor networks for distributed sourcecoding. (3)by using these codes phase shift can be easily corrected and detected and also multiple signals can be easily sent from onechannel. (4) some other applications include mobile phone systems which are used in CDMA. (references: William E.ryan and shu lin(2009) channel codes: classical and modern, Cambridge university press.,Thomas M. corer and joy A. Thomas(1991) elements of information theory john wiley and sons). 2.PRINCIPLES OF CONVOLUTIONAL CODES Convolutional codes comes under a category of error correction codes in which an n bit symbol consists of each m bit information symbol to be encoded where coderate is m/n (n>=m) and the transformation acts as a function of the last K information symbols, here the constraint lenghht of the code is denoted by K. A. .Convolutional encoder To encode data convolutinoally, we begin with K memory reegisters holding one input bit each. Until other value specified , the 0 is the initial value af all memory registers. The encoder includes n-modulo 2 adders( it can be put effort with single Boolean XOR gate ) and n generator polynomials- each adder has one of them. The left most register is feded with the an input bit m. By using those existing values in the remaining registers and the respective generatot polynomials the n bits are the encoder outputs. By bit shifting all register values to their right and have to wait for its next input input bit. The encoder continues output until all registers have returned to the zero state if there are no remaining input bits. The below figure shows the rate 1/3 of the encoder with k value (constraint length) of 3. And also the generator polynomials are =(1,1,1), =(0,1,1) and =(1,0,1) The calculation of the output bits are as follows n1 = m1 + m0 + m-1 n2 = m0 + m-1 n3 = m1 + m-1. Img.1. Rate 1/3 non-recursive, non-systematic convolutional encoder with constraint length 3. B. RECURSIVE AND NON RECURSIVE CODES The above figure shows the encoder where as the below one shows the recursive one respectively, Rate 1/2 recursive, systematic convolutional encoder with constraint length 4. It can be easily observed that the input which is encoded is included in the output sequence also. These codes are generally called as systematic. The another type of codes are generally called as non systematic codes. Generally the systematic codes are always recursive codes where as the non systematic codes are always non recursive codes. The name convolutional encoder came for it because it carry out a convolution of the input stream with the encoders impulse responses. = Where x is an input sequence, is an output sequence from output j and which is the impulse response of the output j. The discrete lineaqr time invariant system is also called as a convolutional encoder. The own transfer function itself describes the output of an encoder. The transfer function is connected by the impulse response through z transform. + (Z)= +, (Z)=1+. The second order transfer functions are: (z)= We Define m by Where for any rational functional, we define it as Where m is the maximum polynomial degrees of the . And the constraint length is defined as . C.TRELLIS DIAGRAM A convolutional encoder is also referred as finite state machine. An encoder with n binary cells produce states. Just imagine the encoder which is shown in figure 1 has 1 in left memory cell(m0) in right one. We will refer such a stete as 10. By considering input bit the encoder at the next turn can convert either to 11 state or 01 state or 01 state. from the below figure we get rhe idea of decoding if the received sequence doesnot suit this graph then it errors can be obtained and we should select closest correct sequence. All transitions which are possible are shown as below: The red line is the path of the trellis. The lines their indicate transitions where the dotted lines are 1 input and the proper lines rae 0 input. The path here represents an actual encoded sequence. One of the path is shown in red colour as an example. The figure provides an idea about the decoding. D.FREE DISTANCE AND THE ERROR DISTANCE The minimum distance between the different encoded sequences is called as the free distance. The number of errors that can be corrected by code is given as correcting capability. It is given as correcting capability. It is given as, F. DECODING CONVOLUTIONAL CODES Decoding the convolutional codes can be done by several algorithms . thye vviterbi algorithm is universally used for relatively small values of K as it is highly parallelizable and it also provides maximum likelihood performance. By using SIMD instruction set the viterbi decoders are easy to implement the software on cpu and also in VLSI hardware. Fano algorithm is the best one among the several sequential decoding algorithms through which the longer constraint lenght codes re more practically decoded. Unlike viterbi decoding sequential decoding is not have maximum probability but there will be the slight incresase in the complexity with their constraint lengfht. Giving the chance to us the long , short constraint Length codes. In early 1970s these codes are used in the pionner program in Jupiter and Saturn but made it shorter, these viterbi decoded codes, often connecyed with large reed Solomon error correction codes which generally steeps the complete bit error rate curve and it also produces the very low residual undetected error rates. These both sequential and viterbi decoding algorithm gives the hard decisions..The codeword which is most likely formed by the bits.by using the soft output viterbi algorithm an appropriate confidence measure can be added to each bit in use with the BCJR algorithm the maximum a posterior(MAP ) Soft decisions can be obtained. G. POPULAR CONVOLUTIONAL CODES The viterbi decoded convolutiona;l codes is used for the voyagev program which has a constraint length of K=7, and also rate=1/2. The more powerful codes are produced by the longer constraint lengths but the viterbi algorithm complexity increases exponentially with respect to the constraint lengths , controlling these more powerful codes to deep space machines where the extra performance increases decoder complexity. Cassine probe, mars path finder, mars exploration rover to Saturn use of K=15 AND RATE OF 1/6, 2DB Bbetter than the simplex k=7, code at a rate of 256* in decoding complexity iss performed by this code. H. MERITS To correct the errors in noisy channels these convolutional codes are frequently used. These convolutional codes perform well on very bad conditions also. These convolutional codes are generally used often in satellite communications, mobile telephony and also in voice band modems. Convolutional codes generally gives good results in lower noise environments. Convolutional codes are also used in the voice band modems( v.,32, v.17, v.34) and also in the GSM mobile phones. I. DEMERITS Even though the convolutional encoder has the simplest procedure, decoding of it is very complex task. Convolutional codes cannot provide more protection against noise. J. APPLICATIONS Convolutional codes are used in the number of the applications which aims to achieve reliable data transfer, including radio, mobile communications, digital video communications, satellite communications. By using hard decision code, these codes are implemented in concatenation( example: reed Solomon). These are more efficient. (references: tutorial on convolutional coding and decoding, the online text book: IT, inference and leaving algorithms by david J.C.Mackay). 3. PRINCIPLES OF TURBO CODES By using the block code with convolutional code and also withthe longer constraint length and large block length it is theortically possible to approach the Shannon limit. But this approach became impractical due to the processing power required to decode. By using the recursive coders and iterative soft decoders the turbo codes overcome this drawback. The main aim of the recursive coder is to make the convolutional codes with shorter constraint lengths which appears as a large constraint length of a block codes and iterative soft decoder efficiently improves the estimation of the obtained message. The below shown figure generally gives the encoder for implementation which describes a clasiical encoder which provides the general design of the turbo codes. The 3 bits of the subblock can be sended by using this encoder implementation. The m-bit block of payload data is in the first subblock. The n/2 parity bits for a well known permutation includes in the 3rd subblock which is once aga in computed with the RSC code. The total number of bits in the code are . Interleaver is a device which generally carry outb the permutation of the payload data. This turbo code encoder includes two RSC codes (identical) , , as shown in the figure. By using the concatenation scheme these are connected to each othere which is reffered as parallel concatenation. Here M acts as a memory register. The input bits are forced to appear in different sequences by the dealy line and interleaver. The input sequence appears at both outputs after completion of first iteration [, , ] because of the encoders systematic nature. = = DECODER The serial connection of two elementary decoders is said to be a decoder. Generally decoder only operates on the lower speed( ) , thus it is planned for the encoder and is for encoder. The produces delays and also hold a soft decision. Where as produces delay respectively. The error bursts which are coming from the output are scattered by the interleaver whicvh is installed between between the two decoders. Here DI refers to demultiplexing and insertion module here it acts as a switch, it generally redirects input bits to once and to at another. It feeds both , inputs with padding bits( zeroes) in off state. While considering a memory less AWGN channel and assumption is made that at the iteration, the decoder receives a pair of random variables. =(-1)+, =2(-1)+ . Here is a bit from output of encoder and , are independent noise components consists of same produces a soft decision ie; ) = and pass it to the . generally referred as logarithm of likelihood ratio. The posterior probability (APP) of bit data is defined as which shows the probability of explaining a received bit as i. But where as produces a hard decision which is a decoded bit. Viterbi algorithm is unappropiate to calculate APP, it is not used in a BCJR algorithm is used but where as for viterbi algorithm is an appropriate one. MERITS Up to now, we know so many practical error correction methods but turbo codes and low density parity check codes come very close to approach the Shannon limit , which is the theoretical limit of maximum transfer reate of information over a noisy channel. Turbo codes increases data rate with out increasing the transmitted power, or to transmit at a certain data rate they are used to decrease the amount of the power. It generally produces the best performance results pof the throughput and latency. DEMERITS Its main disadavantage is the complexity of the relative high decoding. It also has relatively high latency, which is not suitable for some applications. It is also not verymuch useful for the satellites why because the latency is produced by the transmission distance due to the limited speed of the light. These algorithms are complex in nature. APPLICATIONS 3G and 4G mobile telephony standards uses turbo codes widely. Examples: HSPA and LTE . Used in media FLO and QUALCOMM Turbo codes are also useful in NASA missions such as mars re connaissance orbiter which is another option to RS- viterbi codes. IEEE802.16 generally uses the block turbo coding and CTC(WIMAX) a wireless metropolitan standard. Turbo codes are used in the designs of the digital communication systems and also in detection, demodulation. Turbo codes in the field of the error correcting codes represents a significant development. The cable transmission, short distance communications or data storage are the future applications of the turbo codes. (references: Berrou, claude; glavieux, alian , punva, near Shannon limit error- correcting, Berrou, claude, the ten years old turbo codes are entering in to the service, france). 4. CRITICAL COMPARISION LINEAR BLOCK CODES AND CONVOLUTIONAL CODES: Convolutional codes have a regular, natural, trellis structure which are useful in the implementation of the viterbi algorithm. Where as the linear block codes have a natural but it has minimal trellis structure. In both convolutional codes and linear block codes, the estimation of viterbi algorithm can be done by number of trellis edge symbol per encoded bit. Generally convolutional codes does not provide more protection against noise than the linear block codes. Convolutional codes offers greater simplicity of implementation over a linear block codes in many cases. Convolutional codes may not have minimal trellis representation but where as the linear block codes has the minimal trellis structure. The main differences between the linear block codes and convolutional codes is that a system which is using the block codes will transmits the k data bits and then transmits the n-k reductant bits. Where as the system which uses the convolutionla codes produces n coded bits from k data bits and the codeword need not contain unaltered k data bits. The main difference between the convolutional encoder and the block encoder is that the block code related not only to the current , but also on the previous (u) number of fixed information blocks ,, That is given as, =++.. With out the memory a linear block code is merely a convolutional code. The theory of the linear block codes seems to be degenerate of the theory of the convolutional codes, the usual approach of the convolutional codes is to note the small and fixed values of n and k and also the varying values of . TURBO CODES V/S CONVOLUTIONAL CODES: There are some differences between the behaviour of turbo codes and the convolutional codes. As we know that the performance of the convolutional codes imcreases with the increasing constraint length( code complexity). This is not for the turbo codes where the best codes of the turbo codes have the small constraint lengths . With decreasing code rate the performance of the convolutional codes doesnot improve significantly. Where as for the turbo codes even for the lower coding rates it achieves a very significant coding gain. While seeing from the implementation point of view, soft output encoders and recursive decoders are essential in turbo code schemes, where as they are not that much essential in convolutional codes excluding the concatenated configuration. Criteria Convolutional codes turbo codes Larger constraint length good bad Lower coding rate indifferent good Larger free distance good indifferent Soft output decoders indiffernt good Recursive encoders Indifferent good Both the linear block codes and convolutional codes are most frequently used type codes in the practice of enginnering for the designing of the most useful codes. TURBO VS LINEAR BLOCK CODES: The turbo codes are the hybrid model of the both the linear block codes and the convolutional codes respectively. The linear block codes used in the turbo codes instead of the convolutional codes to form a turbo product code(TPC). Two hamming codes are concatenated serially with the absence of an interleaver in between them. They can perfoem well in low SNR and can be formed by any block code. The convolutional codes used in the turbo codes usually forms a parallel concatenated convolutional code(PCCC) which have the small constraint length. They are systematic. 5. SIMULATION RESULTS The simulation results of linear block codes are as follows : The dual adaptive importance sampling (DAIS) technique evaluates the word and bit error rates of linear block codes down to extreme low values. (reference: Slin and D. Costello, error correction coding : fundamentals and applications). T,he simulation of the convolutional codes are as follows: Simulations with two recursive , equal convolutional codes with an interleaver whose length is 400 and k=50, this generally provides manufacturer interoperability, because this technique achieves the improvements which is over 3.5 dB respectively over the trellis codification modulation. (reference:Concatened trellis/reed Solomon coding in DMT systems- Kschischarg). The simulation results of the turbo codes are as follows: At a rate of R=1/2 the simulation results of the turbo codes are obtained. Here length of the data block is 400 bits( assumption) and also a MAP decoder used in the simulation. From the results it is observed that for the first few iterations yield the most significant improvements in BER for any given value of . After that the results appear to converge on to a BER for each value of . ( reference: Andersen JD and zyablov vv, interleaver design for turbo coding). 6. CONCLUSION So, hence in this research paper we have discussed the principles, applications, merits and demerits of the linear block codes, convolutional codes, turbo codes respectively. We also discussed the main differences between the block codes, convolutional codes, turbo codes and presented their respective simulation results. Personally, by doing this research i learned a lot on this coding theory and also came to know the importance of these codes in the present world. The future applications of these codes are to provide the substantial improvements in communication for the satellites. 7. REFERNCES (1) code tables: bounds on the parameters of various types of the codes. (2) q- ary code generator program. (3) error correcting codes (ECC) page (4) Wikipedia articles in corporating text from the federal standarad convolutional codes with a 1037c. (5) turbo decoding as an instance of pearls belief propogation algorithm,. (6) IEEE journal on selected areas in communication- Robert J Mackay, David J.C. (7) Turbo equalisation : principles and new results an IEEE paper on communications.

Democracy in the novel Lord of the Flies :: essays papers

Democracy in the novel Lord of the Flies M.E. Sullivan said, â€Å"Democracy is only as successful as the people who make it work,† proves itself in the novel Lord of the Flies. I agree with this statement because, if there are to many people opposing one thing there will be war. The boys in this book struggled back and forth trying to establish a stable government. Democracy was forming in the group but, dictatorship was quickly sneaking up behind. Democracy was an essential thing for the boys to survive on the island. Ralph tried to form a democratic nation from the beginning using the conch as a symbol. Everyone listened when the conch was blown. The system was working but after a couple months people started to get different ideas of ruling. Jack, who was basically the leader of the underworld tried to replace democracy with a strong dictatorship. Since the idea of a new type of government, democracy was losing power quickly. Jack and his followers tried to bring down the democracy quickly because he or they wanted to be ruler. Jack did not want to be ruled by someone less superior than him. Jack and his group stopped obeying Ralph’s orders, and also they stopped going to the meetings when the conch was sounded. Jack started a rebellion against Ralph. Since the rebellion most of the kids joined Jack, and some stayed with Ralph. Two tribes were formed the democratic and the dictatorship tribes. Once the tribes formed, democracy was abolished. Jack didn’t have everyone under his rule so, he was still unhappy. To get the children of the island to follow him, he went to the extent of murder. Simon and Piggy were victims of two different governments colliding together. After the death of Simon and Piggy, Ralph was alone. The democratic group was finally gone. The dictators had taken over. In conclusion, democracy in this novel was over thrown by a dictatorship.

Receiving the proper training :: essays research papers

Athletes throughout the United States have so much devotion and dedication to their sport than anything else in the world. For most people their sport comes first even over their families and school. In order for me to enhance in the sport of swimming, training had to be my number one priority, and school and family was no where in my mind. Competing as a swimmer at Conference Championships representing Golden West College to try and earn a spot on the State Championship team was my major goal for the year. I knew I had my races handed to me, just that fact of being placed as the top seed of all of my races, but knowing in the back of my head, the intense workouts and pain to be standing here but not receiving the right taper from my coaches cost me to earn a spot. At the beginning of the season training was just conditioning for your body to get into shape for the grueling workouts ahead. The coaching staff doesn’t really have much enthusiasm to motivate their swimmers. For example, cheering us on while swimming is a major factor because it paces your race while you swim and also gets your adrenalin up and that’s what they lack. The coaches just like to sit in their chairs and jot down times and rarely respond to you about your swim whether it’s good or bad. If you’re ahead of the pack they say you could have done better, they reply the same statement to the losers, so their comments are meaningless. Well soon enough Conference Championships comes around which consist of the local colleges of our surroundings. (OCC, RCC, Saddleback etc..) Once this starts training becomes much and much easier for some athletes who have a less chance to earn a spot on the State team. But for the remaining of the athletes training stays the same. For some of us that didn’t suit to well with our performances. For some swimmers they need to have a longer taper then others because of the amount of muscle they have. So our coaches asked if you truly believe in having a long taper then let us know before workout today so we can plan your schedule. For me, throughout my swimming career I have had two to three week tapers and my performance is at the top.

Modern Architecture

Rakhshaan Qazi-Â ­? Modern Architecture, Essay two Four of the leading architects of the modernist period were Adolf Loos, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ludwig Mies Van der Rode, and Louis Kahn. These architects drew significantly from each other and explored similar ideas in their establishing of a new standard in approaching architecture. Decoration became a taboo while simpler and more functional forms took their place. I am going to be talking about Loius Kahn and how he is talked abut in different texts. Loius Kahn was both more subtle and radical than all the rchitects mentioned din his book so far. From early on Kahn was interested in housing reform movements and working on mostly government housing projects. Kahn strongly believed that there was a dire need for civic architecture, which would eventually ignite a sense of common purpose and democratic participation. Kahn went from the modernist tradition to a fusion of Viollet-Â ­? de-Â ­? Duc and neoclassicism. And eventually to a m ore or less, unchanging form types. His convergence between the two was suggested by platonic geometries found in nature. He strongly isagreed with the concept of a free plan, and believed in the aggregation of identical rooms, which broke down architecture to its most primitive unit of meaning. When Louis Kahn worked on a space, he would try to understand the spiritual quality of the spaces and put that into the materials that he used for the place. He’d pay specific attention to technical aspects of things and to work precisely. He had great control over the materials he used. He liked to think of his spaces as servant spaces, meaning that these were spaces in buildings that would erve other spaces and allow each other to exist. He believed strongly that architecture appeals to the community it serves as well as the already recognized structural functionality. He added that architecture should reveal the story of the construction through materiality. His major mission was t o put the spiritual sense of the space into the material. He was trying to figure out how to materialize the spirituality of the space. He had a mastery of monumentality; he understood attempted to integrate as much of nature as possible into his urban work. He hought that nature should become a basis on which American modern architecture should emerge. A lot of his work into the 30s was focused more on giving American society a social form during times of crisis, working on things like decentralized utopia, including cheap single family dwellings, the Usonian houses. These were for middle class families and encouraged them to gather in the same place. This encouraged the concrete slab roofs for the practicality and suggested a new concept for independent living. He was strictly at odds with the international odern movement. Although his use of slabs can be related to this movement, they were, in actuality, at odds with it due to this specifically American idea of living free in nat ure. He wanted to fuse function, structure, and idea while being inspired by natural forms. His whole obsession with community planning was based on the idea of spreading away from cities and moving more into suburban areas. He fantasized that people would be able to access the service aspects of urban communities and the facility aspects of rural areas all at the same time.

Discrimination Against Homosexuals in the Military Essay

Since 1993 more than 14,500 service members were fired under the law of †Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell† (sldn. org). In 1950, President Harry S. signed the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which set up the discharge rules for homosexual service members. People wanting to serve their country were being discriminated and discharged because of their sexuality. Then in 1982, Ronald Reagan proposed a defense directive that states â€Å"Homosexuality is incompatible with military service† and people who engaged in homosexual acts or stated that they were homosexual or bisexual were discharged. In 1992, Bill Clinton, as a presidential candidate, promised to lift the ban. Finally in 1993, when Bill Clinton was elected president, he proposed a compromise that he named â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell†. This law issued a defense directive that military applicants should not be able to be asked about their sexual orientation (Washington Post). Homosexuals being discriminated in the military have grabbed the attention of people all around the world. The question on whether or not homosexuals should have the right to serve in the military was a hotly debated topic in politics for the past few years. Even after the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, will our society be ready to accept others? The research started with searching â€Å"Homosexuals in the military†. Then â€Å"Don’t Ask Don’t Tell† and personal stories of gays in the military was found. Unfortunately, no books could be found on this topic, but articles from top newspapers became a valid choice. Documentaries and podcasts were also looked at. Good sources were easy to find because the topic was so controversial in the US, so the news articles came in handy. The repeal of â€Å"Don’t Ask Don’t Tell† was all over US news websites, and news clips from YouTube were found. Last fall, a pentagon study was released that said a majority of the US forces, more than 70%, said that serving with homosexuals would have no negative effect on them. Forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan had a different response. 58% of combat marines said that they would prefer not to serve with homosexuals. Since the repeal in late September, the effect has been positive on quite a lot of people. The main people who are opposed to the repeal are the military chaplains. The majority of the 3,000 active chaplains are conservative Christians. A retired chaplain, named Brigadier General Douglas Lee, is one of the 66 retired chaplains that wrote a letter to President Obama, urging him to not go through with the repeal. In a video showing the effects (positive and negative) of the repeal, shows Brigadier General Douglas Lee talking about â€Å"Don’t ask, Don’t Tell†. He says, â€Å"Homosexuality is one of a multitude of sins. Chaplains help people wrestle with the sins that bisect them and their lives. The problem with this repeal is that this particular sin is being legitimized as being normal and okay†. The problem with the non acceptance of the chaplains is that many and most conservative Christians believe that homosexuality, like all of the other sins in the bible, is a lifestyle choice (Pbs. org). According to another Pentagon Study, thirty-five other countries allow homosexuals to serve openly with no negative effect (Sldn.  org). Consider two men, both wanting to serve their country, one is gay and one is straight. They get all of the same test scores, and pass, yet only the straight guy is let in, not because of anything else other than his sexuality. If the same circumstances had happened, instead with a man and a woman, it would be sexist. If one was white and the other was black, it would be racist. All of the victims of these situations would have protection under the law and could sue, except for the homosexual. The homosexual has no legal protection from the government (Library in a book: Gay Rights). The repeal could be the first step to changing this. September 20th 2011, Obama stated, â€Å"As of today, our armed forces will no longer lose the extraordinary skills and combat experience of so many gay and lesbian service members. And today, as Commander in Chief, I want those who were discharged under this law to know that your country deeply values your service†(UStoday. com). Military bases around the US have been holding sessions for service members to educate them on the repeal of â€Å"Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell†. They say, â€Å"You are not expected to change your religious or moral beliefs, however you are obligated to treat all others with dignity and respect† (Pbs. org). It seems as though that our society has been coping positively since the repeal. There are always going to be some people who will not stray from their views, but the percentages are going up and more and more people are willing to except homosexuals serving freely in the US.