Management Portfolio Essay

This portfolio task invites you to think holistically about the strengths you are developing and how these strengths might be applied, represented, and offered in service to your aspirations in the career field. You will demonstrate the competencies you have studied to comprehend and explain your personal strengths and present evidence of these strengths in a positive light for potential employers. Task: A. Write an essay (suggested length of 1–2 pages) in which you do the following: 1. Evaluate your top five strengths in relation to your chosen career. 2. Provide examples from your personal life, work, or school activities that support your evaluation. B. Write a career outlook report (suggested length of 1–2 pages) in which you summarize a specific career field that interests you. 1. Provide information such as salary range, employment outlook, types of positions available, and education required. C. Write an essay (suggested length of 3–5 pages) in which you reflect on how your education and past work and life experiences have prepared you for your future in the workplace. D. Provide your resume (no more than 3 pages). Note: Make sure the resume contains no grammatical or spelling errors and that it is formatted to be correctly viewed electronically and when printed. E. Provide five exhibits to include in your professional portfolio. Examples may include the following: †¢ Executive summary from your capstone (no more than 1–2 pages) †¢ Any artifact from your work experience if it applies directly to information that a potential employer would be interested in seeing (e.g., awards, certificates, letters of commendation, performance evaluations, other evidence of outstanding work performance) †¢ Any artifact from your university experience if it applies directly to information that a potential employer would be interested in seeing (e.g., transcripts, score reports, certificates, awards) †¢ Description of a work product †¢ Projects or assignments completed to meet requirements in the major F. If you choose to use outside sources, include all in-text citations and references in APA format. Note: Please save word-processing documents as *.rtf (Rich Text Format) or *.pdf (Portable Document Format) files. Note: For definitions of terms commonly used in the rubric, see the attached Rubric Terms.

History of disease Essay

In what ways did the understanding of the treatment of disease change in the years 1860-1945? The treatment of disease changed dramatically in the years 1860-1845 due to the changes of how people understand it, how each discovery such as Pasteur’s opens new doors, leading to other discoveries such Koch’s identification of germs, the magic bullet and discovery of penicillin. this has help society to understand the causes of disease, and the ways to tackle it. These discoveries began in the 1800s, where doctors at the time were just beginning to speculate about germs and microbes with a new invention, the microscope. the microscope can see what is invisible to human eye and it was good use for identifying micro organism as they were incredibly small. those doctors who believed germs existed thought they were the result of disease and not the cause of it, and this idea was called the spontaneous generation. However this was about to be proven wrong, in 1857 a wine maker Lo use Pasteur was the man that made a breakthrough that linked germs to disease. His discovery was made by accident when he was investigating why sugar beat became sour unexpectedly. he proved that sugar beat soured because of the germs carried in the air. the germs in the sugar beat infected by the air is eliminated by boiling it with fire, this is known as pasteurizing. although his experimental evidence supported his idea, people at the time refused he’s belief. its like saying to the community that i have discovered a treatment for cancer but they wouldn’t believe it because it wasn’t taken to account for. Pasteur’s discovery has made a huge influence to the treatment of medicine. His work led to the discovery of vaccines for chicken cholera 1880, Anthrax 1881 and Rabies 1995. Furthermore, Robert Koch a German physician took Pasteur’s work a step further. He spend his work looking to link particular germs to particular diseases. His first major b reakthrough came in 1875 when he identified the microbe that causes the Anthrax disease. With the development of technology, he discovered that there are microbes that are preciously invisible to the human eye, even to the most powerful microscopes. because of this factor he developed ways of staining the microbes with dyes so he could see them, calculate the microbe’s rate of reproduction and their lifespan. His discovery of the identification of different bacteria and the different disease it caused was a huge breakthrough in medical history and the understanding of the treatment of diseases, as his work proved that what  really caused diseases was. This is a significance to medicine as he discovered 21 different germs causing diseases. in 1882 he discovered a germ that causes tuberculosis, 1883 a germ that caused cholera and these were one of the top 3 deadliest diseases. this breakthrough paved way for other scientists to take up the challenge and conduct research leading to new discoveries as such. Koch’s assistant Emil Behring developed the first an ti toxin which could help to destroy the poison spread from bacteria in the blood stream. This was used for the successful treatment of Diphtheria in 1891 one of the top deadliest diseases. This led to a German Jewish scientist and physician Paul Ehrlich who worked on Koch’s bacteriology lab to take on a research during the 1890s on how certain dyes could stain certain bacteria and maybe find certain chemicals that can kill them. by 1914 his team had discovered several types of ‘magic bullets’, these different compounds would have a specific attraction to specific disease-causing microbe in the body and this would hit a specific germ (that has become visible because of a specific dye) and not damage anything else in the patient’s body. the magic bullets dye discovered were Methylene blue (for malaria), Trypan red (for sleeping sickness) and Salvarsan (for syphilis). This was a huge medical breakthrough because this will allow other scientists to developed specific drugs to target specific germs, attacking the cause of the disease rather than treating the symptoms. this is a significant discovery because it shows us an understanding on how bacteria behaves and how to treat a disease by target and kill. this gave a broad idea of treating medicine because not only they can target and kill syphilis, malaria but they can do this for other diseases. As a result, in 1928 a bacteriologist Alexander Fleming while cleaning his cluttered lab noticed that a culture of Staphylococus aureas had become contaminated with mould in his Petri dish. This mould was called Penicillium Notatum. The mould was in a shape of a ring, and the area around it seemed to be free of the bacteria staphylococcus. Fleming concluded that the bacteria on the plate around the ring had been killed off by some substances that had come from mould. He continued to experiment with the mou ld and found out (in controlled experiments) that the mould killed harmful bacteria and appears to be non-toxic to humans or animals . This was a huge scientific breakthrough because the mould is nontoxic and can kill all kinds of  bacteria; if it was isolated into a drug it can be used to treat patients. Unfortunately Fleming could not isolate the mould and could not make a usefule drug to treat humans. although he wrote his discovery in 1929 the science department remained uninterested. Not Until 12 years later a pair of young scientists Howard Florey and Ernst Chain, revisited and continued Fleming’s work as a way to help military effort in World War 2, since a lot soldiers die in infections than gun wounds, something needed to be done. So in Oxford University they finally isolated the bacteria-killing substance from mould. this creation has a huge significance in medical treatment because they have created the once known ‘wonder drug’ that could kill harmfu l pathogens as such, that can possibly cure syphilis gangrene pneumonia and tuberculosis. To prove its potential it needed to be trialed on a human. In 1941 a doctor Charles Fletcher heard of their work. he had a patient who was near death from an bacterial infection on wound. Fletcher used some of chain’s and Florey’s penicillin on the patient and the wound made a spectacular recovery. however the patient died a few weeks later because Fletcher did not put enough penicillin to eliminate completely the bacteria in the patient’s body. Despite this case, this had proven that penicillin could do what it’s made to do. the patient only died because he did not have enough penicillin, not that it did not work. Since a lot of people died in infections than gunshots in World War 2, they needed a drug that can effectively heal America’s soldiers. Florey then got the American drugs Company to mass produced Penicillin before D-Day, so American soldiers on the front have enough penicillin to treat all infections that will be inflicted among the troop s. This is a huge significance to medical treatment because not only they created a non toxic, bacteria killing drug, the drug can cure all bacterial based diseases such a syphilis , pneumonia and tuberculosis, since they can mass produce it the drug is therefore cheap and can treat almost everyone. Overall the understanding od disease and treatment developed greatly in the years treatment of disease change developed greatly in the years 1860-1945 as man were able to understand†¦

See the instructions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

See the instructions - Essay Example Nowadays, many men want to have a robust body with six packs, but they are looking for products that could give them what they desire. We can find that many ads these days are about bodybuilding and related supplements to enhance it. These ads work to give you the real reasons to buy it as indicated by the Versatile Whey Protein ad that states, ‘All-whey protein powder that mixes up rich and thick like an ice cream milkshake while delivering exceptional quality and value’(GNC 1) . There are many famous brands worthy trust like GNC products. GNC is everywhere; it is a high quality brand and it won’t make devastating stuff and sell it to the people. Proteins, vitamins and diets are what GNC produces. Many of us saw how these companies use logos, ethos and pathos. Sexy and strong men standing with vitalized body that is what most people see in sport magazines and that is a way of pathos. We also see how these ads talk about muscle support and how that is good for you r body. Cheap price on brand new products are also a form of pathos. Whey protein is one of GNC products. In Muscle and Body magazine there is an ad about performance which explains Whey protein. Most ads are dodgy to trust as they give false cause. Muscle and Body magazine uses fallacies to manipulate the reader into buying the performance booster Whey protein product (GNC 1). These adverts attracts the thinking of the reader by narrating about muscle support, easy mixing and the recovery. It does not show only a picture of a muscular man, it shows a famous person. It displays more than one picture of the products and explains how the product works. This marketing is false because there is no way that if we used whey protein we will be muscular and we won’t be famous. The Muscle and Body magazine won’t put you next to any product if you use it like that man in whey protein ad. The adjust wants to convince us by putting that muscular man. Many of us want

Definition of Progressive and Examples of Progressive Thinking in Essay

Definition of Progressive and Examples of Progressive Thinking in Terms Of History - Essay Example According to Lawson (357), progressivists tried to expose corruption and injustice in the government and undercut political machines. They wanted the citizens to have a direct rule through the power of their vote as well as including women in the political voting arena. In education there was a need to move from rote learning into child-centered and experiment-based learning. Parker argued that it was pointless to acquire knowledge without understanding it. Reforms The progressive era is basically the period between1895-1925. It was marked by social activism and reforms. Examples of reforms during the progressive era include the initiation of direct primary elections by the legislature. This gave voters the right and freedom to choose primary candidates instead of limiting it to party officials. This was a tool of reducing the power of political machines and bosses. This was accomplished by the progressive movement under La Follette’s governance. At this time also state forest s were preserved, monopolies were broken up and railroad taxes doubled. The government started to defend small farmers and small business holders by intervening on their behalf. This was through trade control which ensured that there was competition and free enterprise. In 1911, the first national workers’ compensation program was instituted, cooperatives were encouraged, laws governing factory safety were passed and state income tax was established. The income tax was directed to high incomes alone. Limited labor hours for children and women were also instituted. These were achieved under the governance of Francis McGovern (Lawson 421) In 1913, ratification was done to the Seventeenth Amendment. The ratification required that all senators be directly elected by voters instead of the state legislature. This served to reduce their power and ensure they served the interests of the people not particular individuals who put them in office (Lawson 364). Women were allowed to enjoy their rights to vote. This was achieved through the Nineteenth Amendment of the constitution of the US in 1920. There was a widespread formation of labor unions. These were meant to protect the rights of workers. A restriction in immigration was also passed to control the influx of foreigners into the US at this period. In terms of local governance, many cities instituted municipal reference bureaus to look into the local government’s administrative structures and budgets. Major reformations of state government were done in many states for example Illinois. In terms of educational reforms, a new curriculum was developed at the Lincoln School. This curriculum was meant to eliminate obsolete material while integrating material that could be adapted to the changing needs of modern living. The new curriculum was build on ‘units of work’ which reorganize subject matter in the previous curriculum to a design that considered development of children and their future rol es as adults. Major figures that advanced progressivism Some of the major figures that advanced progressivism include Robert La Follette. He was sparked into action when Philetus Sawyer, a Republican leader wanted to bribe him as an attorney so as to fix a court case. He spends the rest of the decade traveling around the state while making a stand and speaking against corrupt railroad interests, powerful lumber barons and crooked politicians.

Reagan Revolution Through President Obama Research Paper

Reagan Revolution Through President Obama - Research Paper Example The security threats within and outside the State were very much demanding the unanimous outbreak of the straightforward policies of the government but the political failure to take all parties on board also worsened the situations. Similarly one of the most important historical events was the cold war. The cold war ignited the hate culture between the Americans and the Russians and there was always a fight to stop the Russians to reach the hot water sea ports of South East Asia to minimize the chance of growth and put the fence to the stance of terror and hatred towards the American state. These importunate historical events shook the American policy making strategies andaffected the people on the overall grounds. The events continue to affect the people in some form or the other (Kettle, 2011). Changes in social, cultural and technologicalaspects can cause extensive changes Inthe attitude of the people because of the fact that the nirvana of intuitiveness of the technological progr essions of the modern world candrive the whole society in way that can change the pivotal aspects of the society for example the advent of the television technology has really changed the way of perception of the masses and now there is nothing in the sense of activity in the political corridors and important aspects that is hidden from the people. The elevation of social media around the world has also changed the attitudes of people. People can become more interactive and critical towards the general regimes around the world because everything is subject for open discussion in the social media and there is nothing that can be perceived in the wrong context. The changes and advancements in technology can drive the whole society in a specific way. The policies of government in the United States have effected largely on the social and historical aspects of people because of the fact that the government policy can embark huge effects on the vicinity of the people. For example the deci sion to take part in the cold war and support the Afghans back in eighties has changed the pivotal aspects of thoughts of people now. Most of the people are of the view that supporting the people of Afghanistan back in eighties was a wrong decision which has affected every single individual of the United States in some form or the other. Similarly, the policy to fund the technology park and boost up the technology advancement in the country has supported the people’s lives, created more jobs and elevated the progress of the individuals in all the contexts. The economic policies in the times of crunches have also affected the local living standards (Tradshad,, 2013). Being the â€Å"super power† has raised many questions at the legitimacy of American State affairs because of the fact that American has been at the threat of violence and internal conflicts after the furious 9/11 attacks that took 3,000 lives of the Americans and injured numerous. The effective winning of the Cold war back in nineties and the throttling effect of the incidents after that people have given the Americans a sense of responsibility to elevate the proper manifestation of the responsibilities of the Super power entity. The lives of the common man have not beeffected by turning of the American state into super power because there are augmented threats of terror

Analysis of Lidl's advertisement strategy Dissertation

Analysis of Lidl's advertisement strategy - Dissertation Example The history of this international supermarket chain dates back to 1930s when the company was established as a grocery wholesaler with headquarters in Neckarsulm, Baden-Wà ¼rttemberg, Germany. Currently, the company is amongst the major leading grocery retailers in Europe. During the 90s, Lidl started to expand its operations across Europe stepping outside Germany for the first time; and presently, Lidl outlets can be found in the majority of the countries in Europe. The company is very well-established as a major food retailer in Europe. As far as the discount sector is concerned, an extensive network of Lidl outlets is unmatched. The company has always believed in offering superior quality products at competitive prices to their customer base across Europe. As mentioned above, the company takes pride in providing superior quality products at a very competitive price to their customer base. The company regards themselves as the best in business, as far as the discount sector is conc erned and they convey the same message through their advertisements in order to influence the buying decision of their customers. The message that the company conveys through advertising, as can be noted on its website is, â€Å"Where quality costs less.† The company has implemented a very effective and efficient international marketing strategy of pricing their product competitively (at a lower level) and at the same time, enhancing the quality of their products and services with the sole motive of satisfying customers (Lidl, 2014b).

Motivation and leadership Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Motivation and leadership - Assignment Example It is one of the most vital reasons behind the success of any organization. The productivity of any organization depends upon the leadership skills that are exhibited by the managers at different levels. These skills help in improvement of the present business procedures. The managers have the ability to handle tough managerial situations by implementing the leadership theories and models within their functioning activities. Various leadership theories would help in the increase of productivity and maximization of the advantages of innovation followed by achieving competitive advantage over the competitors. It is the responsibility of the leaders to motivate the employees and improve their performance. Motivation acts as another important concept stimulating the performance of the employees thereby improving the overall performance of every organization. The project deals with implementation of leadership and motivational theories and models in RasGas. ... The company is renowned for being one amongst the top global energy suppliers in this world (â€Å"Global Energy Supplier Striving for Excellence†). It oversees or manages its business operations related to all the seven LNG trains and handles helium production related operations, sales-gas production related operations, various shipping contracts and international commercial partnerships (â€Å"RasGas sets Train 7 in motion†). The company puts great efforts in managing all the seven LNG trains effectively (â€Å"RasGas getting Train 5 on track†). 1.1 Issues or challenges faced by RasGas It is very important to determine the organizational structure of a petroleum or gas producing company. The structure helps in considering how authority is allotted and responsibility is assigned. The actual organization structure of the oil companies in the oil and petroleum industry differs depending upon its size and diversification in the business activities. The oil produces can also be categorized as integrated or independent companies. RasGas is an integrated company having various departments. Each department performs its functions in a distinct manner. There are separate procedures for completion of the business operations in every process. It is known that Qatar is a region enriched with huge natural resources. Thus, the company has huge scope to show its excellence. The company has functional organizational structure. A functional organization structure is the one which consists of series of activities within the structure. The activities include coordination, controlling, supervision followed by task allocation. This term ‘organizational structure’ relates

A multinational company maximises its competitive advantage by Essay - 1

A multinational company maximises its competitive advantage by controlling its own supply chain. Discuss - Essay Example Most numbers of the MNCs in the present business environment are likely to strengthen along with build wide network of their supply chain strategies in order to attain superior competitive position (Costinot, Vogel & Wang, 2011). With regard to the field of governance, the supply chain mechanisms that implement by the MNCs are often incorporated with complex systems due to the prevalence of different structure along with power proportion existing between the business partners. The organisations such as McDonald’s, Wal-Mart and Nestle S. A. among others are highly inclined with maintaining strong supply chain governance that enables them to proactively perform range of business operations across the global subsidiaries. In relation to increase the efficiency along with the business operations, organisations are significantly influenced by the aspect of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). According to the present increasing growth of globalisation, FDI portfolios have major bearing upon the competitive position of the MNCs. FDI has long been identified as an essential aspect for the countries, facilitating them to stabilise their respective economic position. The development of FDI can only be made through the accession of MNCs into respective business markets. The integration of MNCs generally enables the countries to obtain substantial direct investment and also radically develop their commodity along with technical trade facilities (Qin, 2011). In this context, the theories associated with the efficiency of the firms have greater influence regarding the success of an organisation (Kusluvan, 1998).Based on the competitive scenario of the modern business environment, the primary objective of this essay is to demonstrate an in-depth understanding about the conventional theories associated with the major attributes that can be observed to remain in an unconventional SCM process. The essay therefore, tends to critically assess and justify the importance of an e ffective set of SCM process along with its key roles that further lead organisations to accomplish greater competitive advantage. 2. Discussion 2.1 Theories of the Firms With respect to the unconventional changes along with rapid development of SCM strategies made by the global organisations, it is widely accepted that strategies are generally developed in order to attain long-term sustainability in the competitive market. A few of the major theories associated with firms’ long-term sustainability have been briefly demonstrated in the following discussion. Coase Theorem The concerns associated with building interpersonal relationship regarding the individual efficacy creeps through taking into concern the conventional theorem ‘The Problem of Social Cost’, which developed by Ronald H. Coase. In relation to Coase theorem, the issues associated with impossibility in terms of making scientific comparison of interpersonal individual efficacy can be considered as one o f the problems of social cost. In order to effectively deal with the problems of social cost, the Coase theorem and its disciples play an essential role for the modern entrepreneurs to reduce optimum influence of externalities such as air or noise pollution (North, 1992). The Coase theorem of the firms tends to define economic efficiency concerning economic allocation with the

Cover Letter for a Residency Program in Family Medicine Essay

Cover Letter for a Residency Program in Family Medicine - Essay Example I am confident that my combination of practical work experience and reliable educational background has prepared me for making an immediate impact on large public hospitals. Having worked in leading international hospitals in the health care, I am highly skilled in various clinical procedures and understand the level of professionalism and communication that should be displayed for the long-term success in the medical area. My background and professional approach to treatments made me responsible, punctual and extremely organized. During these years of high competition I developed leadership qualities with skills to motivate employees around me. I have proved my abilities to successfully carry out managerial tasks and actively react to emergency situations. I believe that I can be of significant and valuable contribution to the Canadian Medical facility as a physician. I hope that my professional dedication and hard-working attitude will serve the healthcare need and will provide the community with the respected health support.

Journal Writing Essay Example for Free

Journal Writing Essay Week 1 – Reflective Journal This was my first day in class for the unit Co Ordinate the Work Environment. Amongst the class mates each one introduced the self to others, and Adrian as a teacher for the unit introduced himself to all of us. Today’s lecture was based on housekeeping and overview of unit outline. I learned about different ways to contribute and practise effective workplace practises. I also learned about different leadership styles. I felt good throughout the class as I was an active participant in all topics. I felt good about taking on the knowledge about learning and sustaining workplace ethics and self morale. I believe that this knowledge will help during my job times. Week 2 – Reflective Journal In today’s session I learned about developing and implementing work plans. The idea behind is to integrate into and build a healthy, trustworthy and reliable relationship with colleagues. I listened the whole session carefully, gave my opinion at right time and respected to the opinion shared by other students. I also learned about how at a workplace we can maximise the performance and outcomes and yes how can i forget the amazing organisational theories, boring but important. I took proper notes throughout the session and kept myself attentive till the end. Week 3 – Reflective journal In this week’s class I learned about implementing various strategies to ensure that the communication in a workplace is effective. I think the information was very necessary to develop my own level of understanding of initiating and sustaining a healthy communication amongst colleagues. I also learned about different ways of resolving the conflicts at the workplace if and when they arise. I personally would always be proactive about it however at any times if i do face any such conflicts then the knowledge that I received today will help a lot. Week 4 – Reflective Journal This week Adrian told us about workplace environment in regards of the resistance, different ways to deal with it and how we can bring a change in an organisation. I think this week’s session was very important from the academic perspective but also will help me in future in my carrier. I was active throughout the session. We also talked about the decision making process that takes place in everywhere and i felt good about that how important all this info was. Week 5 – Reflective Journal This week’s class was the interesting one because i learned about how important it is to always add on to our existing skills and knowledge by undertaking various training workshops related to same work. It was good to learn that taking such training lessons keeps us synchronised with the latest in the world and that these should not be neglected. Then we were also taught about different ways how we can monitor our own progress and appraisals. I felt this week’s session was very important and the knowledge delivered will help me in future. Week 6 – Reflective Journal This week was an important time in class as i had my first assignment for this unit due. The assignment was to make a report on the overview of any organisation related with the same sector. While making the assignment and reflecting on various areas of the organisation i realised that it included mostly a lot of things that we covered in class and i was glad because i already had them in my mind and my notes.

Cognitiveâ€behavioural Syndromes of Neglect and Anosognosia

Cognitive–behavioural Syndromes of Neglect and Anosognosia Considering the neuropsychological diseases discussed during the course, critically compare and discuss theoretical interpretations of at least two syndromes Consciousness is one of the most interesting phenomena of the human mind. Consciousness refers to the integration of the cognitive experiences about self and the external environment (Orfei et al., 2007). However, when this psychological function is damaged, it may lead to dysfunctions in the attention and awareness of personal identity. The focus of the following essay is to provide insight into why the cognitive–behavioural syndromes of neglect and anosognosia for hemiplegia that occur following right hemisphere stroke develop, and to evaluate to what extent this is true, taking into consideration their theoretical interpretations. Anosognosia has been defined by Babinsky (1914) as an impairment leading to unawareness of neurological and cognitive deficits following a brain injury. Individuals who suffer from anosognosia present with motor impairments which lead to gait and self-care deficits and are unaware of their impairments in functioning (Kortte Hillis, 2010). The syndrome of anosognosia often co-occurs with visuo-spacial neglect (Prigatano et al., 2011). Heilman, Watson and Valenstein (1994) defined neglect as a deterioration in attention towards or in response to a stimuli, which is not attributable to a motor or sensory impairment. Neglect is presented as a spectrum, with a variety of forms based on the regions of the lesion, the mode of outputs, reference frame and the sensory modality (Hillis Caramazza, 1995). Alongside their co-occurrence, anosognosia and neglect also overlap in terms of lesion sites, to be more specific, the right temporo-parietal junction, the superior and middle temporal gyri and the right insula (Beschin, Cocchini, Allen Della Sala, 2012). The lesion in the right temporo-parietal junction is extremely important in mechanisms of selective attention. More recent neuroimaging studies have recommended that parts of the parietal and temporal cortex are creating a supramodal structure that interposes goal-directed attention in multiple sensory modalities (Chambers, Stokes Mattingley, 2004). Furthermore, neuroimaging studies show that the insula is very important in self-awareness and in one’s convictions about the functioning of their body parts (Karnath, Baier Nagele, 2005). Taking these in consideration, a lesion in these areas will lead to a dysfunction in directing attention towards a specific stimulus and about their beliefs of body parts functioning, therefore affecting the motor system. The two theoretical interpretations that provide a link between anosognosia and neglect, taking in consideration the dysfunctions presented earlier, are the attentional interpretation model for neglect and the feed-forward model for anosognosia. The attentional interpretation model is a model proposed by Heilman et al. (1993) which states that each hemisphere is provided with its own attentional neurological system, with the attentional system in the right hemisphere directing attention towards both sides of the visual field, whereas the attentional system in the left hemisphere directing attention only towards the right visual field. Therefore, if there is a damage to the left hemisphere, there won’t be a severe right neglect, whereas if there is a lesion to the right hemisphere, the patient will be unable to direct his/hers attention to the left visual field (Bisiach et al., 1998). Corbetta et al. (1993) conducted a PET study on 24 healthy volunteers in order to identify what are the neural systems involved in changing spatial attention towards a visual stimulus in the right or left visual field. Results showed that the right parietal cortex was activated when the participant was required to shift their attention in each visual field, whereas the left parietal lobe was active only when the participants had to change their attention to the right visual field. These finding suggest that the parietal and frontal regions control different aspects of special selection and also support the model proposed by Heilman et al. (1993). However, the attentional interpretation model cannot account for the dysfunctions in the motor system on its own. Therefore, we have to also take in consideration the attentional-arousal hypothesis and the directional hypokenisia. The attentional-arousal hypothesis suggests that neglect is predominantly a form of inattention emerging from the failure of triggering arousal that is needed to activate the neuronal systems necessary for spatial attention (Heilman Valenstien, 1972; Watson et al., 1973, 1974). Furthermore, the attentional hypothesis appears to be in close connection with the motor intention, since when one is directing his/hers attention towards a specific location, one is also ready to perform an action in that direction (Heilman Valenstien, 2003). Directional hypokenisia suggests that patients who suffer from neglect are reluctant in initiating movements towards the contralesional side. Moreover, even when patients are directing attention towards the neglected side and have imposed on them a strategy, their performance not only remained abnormal, but it doesn’t improve (Heilman Valenstien, 1979). In a study conducted by Heilman and Valenties (1979), six patients with neglect were asked to identify a letter that was presented either to the left or right at the end of a line, before bisecting it. The task included lines that were placed at either the left of the body midline, the right, or the centre. Results showed that participants performed significantly better when the line was placed to the right side of the body rather than the left side. These results suggest that the neglect syndrome is a defect in the orienting response. Heilman and Valenstien (1979) suggested that this response appears in anticipation of an action, using the increased arousal to lower the sensory threshold. Therefore, lesions inducing neglect are affecting the arousal (as previously mentioned via the attentional-arousal hypothesis), leading to the inability of the hemisphere to prepare for the action. Based on the same dysfunction of the computational model of motor control is the feed-forward model for anosognosia. More recent theories established on the recent computational models of motor control proposed by Frith et al. (2000), suggest that anosognosia results from an abnormality in motor planning. This theory suggests that, under normal circumstances, in order to develop the intention to move, â€Å"forward models† are being used in order to generate accurate indicators about the approaching sensory feedback. However, if an intended movement is not executed as planned, than a comparator will detect a discrepancy between what it was predicted and the absence of sensory feedback. Therefore, this error can be used to inform the motor system of a malfunction. Furthermore, Heilman and colleagues (1998) proposed that anosognosia is a ‘motor intentional deficit’ which appears from a failure to form motor intentions. Therefore, if the development of an intention t o move is deficient, then the comparator doesn’t receive any instructions about the outline of the movement and the patient considers that the movement has been executed, although no movement has taken place (Gold et. al, 1994). Fotopoulou et al. (2008) conducted a study in which they investigated the role of motor intention in anosognosic patients compared to non-anosognosic patients by detecting whether the anosognosic patients were able to identify the presence or absence of movement focusing only in the visual evidence. False visual feedback of movement in the left paralysed arm was used on four hemiplegic with and four without anosognosic patients. This false visual feedback was delivered using a prosthetic rubber hand. Results showed that patients with anosognosia were more likely than patients without anosognosia to ignore the visual feedback and believe that they moved they hand if there was an intention to move the hand (in the self-generated condition) than when the experimenter moved the rubber hand or when there was no movement. These results support that anosognosia reflects a dominance of motor intention prior to action over the sensory information received after the movement was made (Fotopoul ou et al., 2008). Although the studies presented above do provide a lot of insight in the computational model of awareness and provide an explanation of why these disorders have symptoms such as dysfunctions in directing attention towards a specific stimulus and also about their beliefs of body parts functioning, there are a few limitations to whether these theoretical interpretations can account by their one for the two syndromes. Firstly, although they may co-occur, anosognosia and neglect have also been observed separately. Cocchini, et al. (2009) investigated whether anosognosic patients present with unawareness in a group of 42 left hemisphere damaged patients, using a structured interview and the Visual-Analogue Test for Anosognosia for Motor Impairment (Della Sala, Cocchini, Beschin Cameron, in press). Their results showed that eight anosognosic patients and another twelve patients who were aware of their motor impairments didn’t showed signs of neglect. These results confirm that anosognosia couldn’t be thought of always co-occurring with neglect. Secondly, these results also suggest that there is a double dissociation between anosognosia and neglect (Bisiach et al., 1986). Dauriac-Le Masson et al. (2002) investigated this double dissociation by looking at two patients with a subacute right hemisphere stroke. Their investigation revealed that one of the patients suffered from a severe left hemiplegia which was associated with unilateral neglect and he showed signs of being aware of his motor impairment, whereas the second patient showed a severe anosognosia for hemiplegia, therefore with unawareness towards his motor impairment. These results suggest that although these two syndromes co-occur, they may rely on independent mechanisms because of their double dissociation. And lastly, both anosognosia and neglect are multifaceted processes (Marcel et al., 2004) and only the dysfunction in the computational model of motor control cannot account for all the symptoms of these two syndromes. To be more specific, even when patients who suffer from neglect and anosognosia are aware of their deficits, they still deny them. House and Hodges (1988) detail the case of an 89-year-old woman who suffered left-side paralysis after a right-hemisphere stroke. Although the experimenters demonstrated that her left arm was completely paralysed and her leg nearly paralysed, she failed to understand the severity of her condition and believed that she could still look after herself and walk, although she was in a wheelchair. Furthermore, Marcel et al. (2004) also described the case of several patients who although they were aware of their paralysed limbs, they still overestimated their abilities and believed they can perform bi-manual activities such as clapping their hands or tying a knot. These patients provide examples of another theory of anosognosia, the motivational theory which the patient denies his/hers deficit in order to maintain unharmed his/hers psychological balance (Weinstein Kahn, 1955; Weinstein, 1991). In conclusion, the focus of the essay was to provide insight into why the cognitive–behavioural syndromes of neglect and anosognosia for hemiplegia occur, and to evaluate to what extent this was true, by paying attention to their theoretical interpretations. As stated before, due to the lesions to the tempo-parietal region, the gyrus and insula there are dysfunctions in attention and beliefs about body parts functionality. The attentional intention model for neglect (together with the attentional-arousal hypothesis and the directional hypokenisia) and the feed-forward model for anosognosia provide a satisfactory explanation for these deficits by suggesting that there is a dysfunction in the motor system. For the neglect patients the lesions affect the arousal which leads to the inability to prepare them for action. For the anosognosic patients the lesions lead to a failure to form motor intentions, to be more specific if the intention to move is impaired , then the comparator doesn’t receive instructions about the planned action and the patient considers that the movement has been executed, even if that didn’t happen. However, these theoretical interpretations of dysfunctions in motor control cannot account on their own for all the symptoms of neglect and anosognosia. Previous literature suggests that although the incidence of co-occurrence is high, there are cases where anosognosia and neglect appear independently and present double dissociations. Furthermore, as proposed by Marcel et al. (2004) both syndromes are multifaceted syndromes and it can’t be possible that only one theoretical interpretation can account for these. In conclusion, both anosognosia and neglect are very interesting phenomena which have captured the attention of many researches, however fundamental issues of theoretical interpretations have not still been answered. References: Babinski J. (1914) Contribution a` l’e ´tude de troubles mentaux dans l’he ´miplegie organique ce ´re ´brale. Revue Neurologique 27, 845–847. Beschin, N., Cocchini, G., Allen, R., Della Sala, S. (2012). Dissociation between anosognosia and neglect demonstrated by mean of a treatment response bias. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 22(4), 550-562. Bisiach,E.,Vallar,G.,Perani,D.,Papagno,C.,Berti,A (1986).Unawareness of disease following lesions of the right hemisphere: anosognosia for hemiplegia and anosognosia for hemianopia.Neuropsychologia, 24, 471-482. Bisiach, E., Ricci, R., Modona, M.N. (1998). Visual Awareness and Anisometry of Space Representation in Unilateral Neglect: A Panoramic Investigation by Means of a Line Extension Task. Consciousness and Cognition, 7(3), 327-355. Chambers, C.D., Stokes, M.G., Mattingley, J.B. (2004). Modality specific control of strategic spatial attention in parietal cortex. Neuron, 44(6), 925-930. Cocchini, G., Beschin, N., Cameron, A., Fotopoulou A. Della Sala, S. (2009). Anosognosia for motor impairment following left-brain damage. Neuropsychology, 23, 223-230. Corbetta, M., Miezin, F.M., Shulman, G.L., Petersen, S.E. (1993). A PET study of visuospatial attention. Journal of Neuroscience, 12, 1202–1226. Dauriac- Le Masson, V., Mailhan, L., Louis- Dreyfus, A., De Montety, G., Denys, P., Bussel, B., Azouvi, P. (2002). Double dissociation between unilateral neglect and anosognosia. Revue neurologique, 158(4), 427-430. Della Sala S., Cocchini G., Beschin N., Cameron A. (in press).VATAm: Visual-analogue test for anosognosia for motor impairment: A new test to assess awareness for motor impairment. The Clinical Neuropsychologist Fotopoulou, A., Tsakiris, M., Haggard, P., Vagopoulou, A., Rudd, A., Kopelman, M. (2008). The role of motor intention in motor awareness: An experimental study on anosognosia for hemiplegia. Brain, 131, 3432-3442. Frith,C.D.,Blakemore,S.J.,Wolpert,D.M. (2000).Abnormalities in the awareness and control of action.Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 355, 1771-8. Gold,M.,Adair,J.C.,Daniel,H.J.,Heilman,K.M. (1994).Anosognosia for hemiplegia: an electrophysiologic investigation of the feed-forward hypothesis,Neurology, 44, 1804. Heilman, K. M. and Valenstien, E. (1972) Frontal lobe neglect in man. Neurology, 22, 660-664. Heilman, K.M, Valenstein E. (1979) Mechanisms underlying hemispatial neglect. Annals of Neurology 5, 166- 170. Heilman, K.M., Watson, R.T., Valenstein, E. (1993).Neglect and related disorders. In Heilman, K.M. and Valenstein, E. (Eds.), Clinical Neuropsychology. New York: Oxford University Press, Ch. 10, 279-336. Heilman, K.M, Watson, R., Valenstein E. (1994). Localization of lesions in neglect and related disorders. In: Kertez, A.,editor, Localization and Neuroimaging in Neuropsychology. San Diego: Academic Peers, 495-524. Heilman,K.M.,Barret,A.M.,Adair,J.C. (1998). Possible mechanisms of anosognosia: a defect in self awareness.Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 355, 1903-1909. Heilman K.M, Valenstein, E. (2003) Clinical Neuropsychology, Fourth Edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK Hillis, A., Caramazza, A.(1995). A framework for interpreting distinct pattern of hemispatial neglect. Neurocase, 1, 189-207. House, A. and Hodges, J. (1988). Persistent denial of handicap after infarction of the right basal ganglia: A case study. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 51, 112-115. Karnath, H.O., Baier, B., Nagele, T. (2005), Awareness of the functioning of one’s own limbs mediated by the insular cortex?. Journal of neuroscience, 25(31), 7134-7138. Kortte, K., Hillis A.E.( 2010). Recent Advances in the Understanding of Neglect and Anosognosia Following Right Hemisphere Stroke. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports, 9(6), 459–465. Marcel,A.J.,Tegner,R.,Nimmo-Smith,I. (2004). Anosognosia for plegia: specificity, extension, partiality and disunity of bodily awareness.Cortex, 40, 19-40. Orfei, M.D., Robinson, R.G., Prigatano, G.P., Starkstein, S., Rusch, N., Bria, P., Caltagirone, C., Spalletta, G. (2007). Anosognosia for hemiplegia after stroke is a multifaceted phenomenon: a systematic review of the literature. Brain, 130, 3075-3090. Prigatano, G.P., Matthes, J., Hill, S., Wolf, T.R. Heiserman, J.E. (2011). Anosognosia for hemiplegia with preserved awareness of complete cortical blindness following intracranial haemorrhage. Cortex, 47(10), 1219-1227. Watson, R.T., Heilman,K.M., Cauthen, J.C., King, F.A (1973). Neglect after cingulectomy. Neurology, 23(9), 1003-1007. Watson, R. T., Heilman, K. M., Millar, B. D. and King, F. A. (1974). Neglect after mesencephalic reticular formation lesions. Neurology, 24, 294-298. Weinstein, E.A. and Kahn, R.L. (1955). Denial of illness: Symbolic and physiological aspects, Springfield, IL: Thomas. Weinstein E. A. (1991).Anosognosia and denial of illness. In Prigatano G. P. Schacter D. L. (Eds.), Awareness of deficit after brain injury, 240–257.

The Crucial Role of Symbols in To Kill a Mockingbird Essay -- Kill Moc

The Crucial Role of Symbols in To Kill a Mockingbird  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   In To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee, themes and central ideas of the novel are emphasized by subtle symbols. Symbols shown throughout the novel not only represent concrete objects but also ideas, feelings, beliefs, and attitudes of the characters. Some symbols even represent more than one thing. Lee's recurring use of symbols contribute to the underlying themes and ideas of the novel. Lee's unusual title is a symbol itself and it keeps the reader in anticipation while waiting for a mockingbird to enter the story. Symbols contribute to literature by causing the reader to examine the piece of work and look for meanings other than the literal one. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the use of symbols play a crucial role in the development of the novel. One of the first major symbols that emerge in the novel is Tim Johnson, a mad dog who is infected with rabies. Just as the dog is infected with rabies, the people of Maycomb County are "infected" with racism (Jones 54). When Tom Robinson is brought to trial, convicted, and ultimately murdered for a crime he did not commit, no one in the town seems to show any compassion or regret for him other than Atticus. Atticus describes the people of Maycomb as "mad dogs that he must confront" by defending Tom (Lee 103). To prove the symbol further, Atticus is the person called upon to shoot and kill Tim Johnson. This action by the people of Maycomb, show their deep trust in Atticus. As Atticus shoots and kills the mad dog, he also shots and kills racism in Maycomb as he steps up and defends Tom Robinson with all of his power. Through this action, Atticus is attempting to protect his neighbors from rabies as he wishes he coul... ... and Boo are uncanny. It is obvious that Harper Lee chose both of them as her mockingbirds. Lee's choice of such an unusual title is simply another symbol present in the novel. Lee's use of symbols re imperative to the development of her novel. The symbols give structure and hidden meaning to the text. As the reader contemplates the use of symbolism, the main theme always emerges: it is a sin to kill a mockingbird. Works Cited Erisman, Fred. "The Romantic Regionalism of Harper Lee." Alabama Review April 26, 1973: 122-36. Johnson, Claudia. "The Secret Courts of Men's Hearts:Code and Law in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird." Studies in American Fiction (1991):129-139. Jones, Carolyn. "Atticus Finch and the Mad Dog." The Southern Quarterly Summer 1996: 56-63. Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. New York City, NY:   J.B.Lippincott Company, 1960.

Arthur Kornberg :: essays research papers

A. Personal Information Arthur Kornberg (1918-), American biochemist and physician, claims he has never met â€Å"a dull enzyme.† He has devoted his life to pursuing and purifying these critical protein molecules. His love of science did not spring from a family history rooted in science. He was born on March 3rd, 1918, the son of a sewing machine operator in the sweatshops of the Lower East Side of New York City. His parents, Joseph Aaron Kornberg and Lena Rachel Katz, were immigrant Jews who made great sacrifices to ensure the safety of their family. They had fled Poland, for if they had stayed, they would have been murdered in a German concentration camp. His grandfather had abandoned the paternal family name Queller, of Spanish origin. This was done to escape the fate of the army draft; he had taken the name of Kornberg, a man who had already done his service. His father used their meager earnings to bring and settle his family in New York City and was thrust into the sweatshops as a sewing machi ne operator. He, along with his brother Martin, 13 years older and sister Ella, nine years older, was encouraged by loving parents to obtain a good education. The public school reinforced this ideal. Education was the road of opportunity for social and economic mobility out of the sweatshops. His early education in grade school and Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn was distinguished only by his â€Å"skipping † several grades. There was nothing inspirational about his courses except the teachers’ encouragement to get good grades. When he received a grade of 100 in the New York State Regents Examination, his chemistry teacher glowed with pride. It was the first time in over twenty years of teaching that a student of his had gotten a perfect grade. Arthur was a brilliant student who graduated from high school at the age of fifteen. He enrolled in City College in uptown Manhattan. Competition among a large body of bright and highly motivated students was fierce in all subjects. His high school interest in chemistry carried over into college. After receiving his B.S. degree in biology and chemistry in 1937, and since City College offered no graduate studies or research laboratories at that time, he became one of two hundred pre-med students at the Universi ty of Rochester. All through college he worked as a salesman in his parents’ furnishing store, and earned about $14 a week.

Powerful Winter Imagery in Edith Whartons Ethan Frome :: Ethan Frome Essays

Powerful Winter Imagery in Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ethan Frome, the title character of Edith Wharton's tragic novel, lives in his own world of silence, where he replaces his scarcity of words with images and fantasies.   There is striking symbolism in the imagery, predominantly that of winter which connotes frigidity, detachment, bleakness and seclusion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Twenty-eight year old Ethan feels trapped in his hometown of Starkfield, Massachusetts.   He marries thirty-four year old Zeena after the death of his mother, "in an unsuccessful attempt to escape the silence, isolation, and loneliness of life" (Lawson 71).    Several years after their marriage, cousin Mattie Silver is asked to relieve Zeena, a gaunt and sallow hypochondriac, of her household duties.   Ethan finds himself falling in love with Mattie, drawn to her youthful energy, as, "The pure air, and the long summer hours in the open, gave life and elasticity to Mattie" (Wharton 60).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ethan is attracted to Mattie because she is the antithesis of Zeena. "While Mattie is young, happy, healthy, and beautiful like the summer, Zeena is seven years older than Ethan, bitter, ugly and sickly cold like the winter" (Lewis 310).   Zeena's strong, dominating personality emasculates Ethan, while Mattie's feminine, effervescent youth makes Ethan feel like a "real man." Contrary to his characteristic passiveness, he defies Zeena in Mattie's defence, "You can't go, Matt! I won't let you!   She's [Zeena's] always had her way, but I mean to have mine now -" (Wharton 123). To Ethan, Mattie is radiant and energetic.   He sees possibilities in her beyond his trite life in Starkfield, something truly worth standing up for.   Her energy and warmth excite him and allow him to escape from his lonely, monotonous life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While Zeena is visiting an out of town doctor, Ethan and Mattie, alone in the house, intensely feel her eerie presence.   The warmth of their evening together is brought to an abrupt end by the accidental breaking of Zeena's prized dish.   Zeena's fury at the breaking of an impractical pickle dish exemplifies the rage she must feel about her useless life.   "That the pickle dish has never been used makes it a strong symbol of Zeena herself, who prefers not to take part in life" (Lawson 68-69).   Ethan's response to Zeena's rage was Powerful Winter Imagery in Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome :: Ethan Frome Essays Powerful Winter Imagery in Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ethan Frome, the title character of Edith Wharton's tragic novel, lives in his own world of silence, where he replaces his scarcity of words with images and fantasies.   There is striking symbolism in the imagery, predominantly that of winter which connotes frigidity, detachment, bleakness and seclusion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Twenty-eight year old Ethan feels trapped in his hometown of Starkfield, Massachusetts.   He marries thirty-four year old Zeena after the death of his mother, "in an unsuccessful attempt to escape the silence, isolation, and loneliness of life" (Lawson 71).    Several years after their marriage, cousin Mattie Silver is asked to relieve Zeena, a gaunt and sallow hypochondriac, of her household duties.   Ethan finds himself falling in love with Mattie, drawn to her youthful energy, as, "The pure air, and the long summer hours in the open, gave life and elasticity to Mattie" (Wharton 60).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ethan is attracted to Mattie because she is the antithesis of Zeena. "While Mattie is young, happy, healthy, and beautiful like the summer, Zeena is seven years older than Ethan, bitter, ugly and sickly cold like the winter" (Lewis 310).   Zeena's strong, dominating personality emasculates Ethan, while Mattie's feminine, effervescent youth makes Ethan feel like a "real man." Contrary to his characteristic passiveness, he defies Zeena in Mattie's defence, "You can't go, Matt! I won't let you!   She's [Zeena's] always had her way, but I mean to have mine now -" (Wharton 123). To Ethan, Mattie is radiant and energetic.   He sees possibilities in her beyond his trite life in Starkfield, something truly worth standing up for.   Her energy and warmth excite him and allow him to escape from his lonely, monotonous life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While Zeena is visiting an out of town doctor, Ethan and Mattie, alone in the house, intensely feel her eerie presence.   The warmth of their evening together is brought to an abrupt end by the accidental breaking of Zeena's prized dish.   Zeena's fury at the breaking of an impractical pickle dish exemplifies the rage she must feel about her useless life.   "That the pickle dish has never been used makes it a strong symbol of Zeena herself, who prefers not to take part in life" (Lawson 68-69).   Ethan's response to Zeena's rage was

Disastrous Date

There was this time I went out on a blind date. OK, not totally blind, because I'd met this guy on the Internet, and had sort of seen pictures. But this is back in the day when Internet dating only first kicked off and digital cameras weren't what they are now. Anyway, you get the picture – the photos weren't that clear. I thought it was a bit weird that when we were corresponding the guy kept on asking how tall I was, making a real big deal out of it. In one email he said he even got out a measuring tape to convert (I only knew in cm's and he only knew in feet).Well my question was answered when I arrived (a bit late) at the fancy restaurant he had booked for us – he was tiny. OK, not that I have a problem with short guys, but I'm short for a woman, and he wasn't much taller. That and the fact that the guy was old enough to be my grandfather – early 60's at least – I was in my early 20's. In emails prior to meeting up he'd said he was older, but didn't gi ve out any specifics. I quite like older men, so it wasn't really something on the forefront of my mind, and I just assumed he'd be in the age category I had specified in my profile criteria.Well, let me just say this, there's older men and then there's just old. And this also has a lot to do with how much a guy looks after himself, his dress sense, his outlook on life etc. Dinner was long, drawn out and awkward as hell. We had zero things in common and the guy was really boring and from a totally different world and generation to me. He also had this habit of making a sort of ‘hmmmm' sound when he looked at me across the table which was totally creepy. I'm not sure if it was a nervous tick or if he thought it was a sexy kind of thing to do.At one point I had a brief vision of those small old hands touching my bare skin and I wanted to run out of there screaming. If a friend had told me this I would have said to her, why didn't you just leave? And the thing is it was such a fa ncy place, with the whole three courses, plus little things here and there from the chef, that it just didn't feel right to up and leave after the starters. Also, although we were unsuited to each other, this guy had clearly gone through some trouble to book a nice place and make it special, and I felt it would have been rude to just leave him stranded there.Finally dinner came to an end and I couldn't wait to beat it out of there. Outside he hailed a taxi for me and said in the same weirdly creepy old guy trying to be sexy voice, â€Å"You know, I don't have to be up early tomorrow morning, unless of course you want to be my alarm clock? † To which I replied (nervously laughing), â€Å"You know, unfortunately I do – have to be up early that is, maybe next time. † Before beating a hasty retreat. I guess I didn't come off much better in the date either, because I didn't hear from him after that.

Sleep Journal

Jennifer Nguyen Professor Perry Daughtry Intro to Psychology 09-28-2012 Sleep Journal Essay College students like myself often put off sleep for other activities like studying, doing homework or even just staying up all night with a friend. Our body follows the twenty-four hour cycle of each day and night through a biological clock called the Circadian rhythm. On the weekdays, staying up all night and skipping meals makes it difficult to focus in class. After lunchtime, I become sleepy and have difficulty focusing on my other classes.In the afternoon, this affects my body because it does not give me energy, but instead it makes me crash earlier in the day. David Myers, the author of Exploring Psychology the eighth edition, says, â€Å"Everyone needs to get eight hours of sleep† (Myers, 75). This quote I think is so underrated, because some people in our world today only get six to nine hours of sleep, on a daily basis. If you think about it, going to sleep is not that easy. Th ere are five unique stages to sleeping. In stage one, this cycle is considered to be between being awake and slightly dozing off.When you are in this cycle, you wake up, but you do not feel like you fell asleep. The brain produces theta waves, which makes the brain waves decrease when you go into other sleep stages. In stage two, the brain begins to relax more. The sleep spindles, which are rapid, rhythmic brain waves, are present in this cycle. Your body temperature starts to decrease and your heart rate starts to slow down. In stage three, this cycle is forwarded to deep sleep. In stage four, you are in a deep sleep, but not enough to dream.Also in this cycle, â€Å"some children might wet the bed or even sleep walk† according to David Myers. In stage five, also known as the rapid eye movement (REM), the heart rate increases and eyes begin to move under the eyelids. Most dreams occur here because the brain activity was increased. The importance of sleep is a big deal, that if you did not sleep, you would die from sleep deprivation. You need sleep so that your body can restore all its needs for the next day. Not enough sleep can produce a lot of problems like car accidents, memory problems, and sleep disorders.Two most known sleep disorders are insomnia and sleep apnea. Insomnia is a sleep disorder where you cannot fall asleep. Insomnia can happen to anyone and can be either a short term or a long-term process. Another sleep disorder is called sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is caused by irregular pauses in breathing, during sleeping. Both of these disorders, if not treated, can cause heart problems and even death in most cases. There are many reasons why we dream at night. An Austrian Neurologist named Sigmund Freud considered dreams the key to understanding our inner conflicts.Some researchers believe that the dreams can help sort experiences on a daily basis, while other researchers believe that dreams may also serve a physiological function. Other theorie s suggest that dreams flow from neural activity moving upward to the brainstem. The first three nights of sleeping in my sleeping journal, my dreams were nightmares. The first night I had a dream that my grandmother passed away and nobody was there to help me through the tragedy. From the feelings of abandonment, I just went psycho. Unfortunately almost two years ago, my grandmother in fact passed away.It is unclear to me why I dreamt of this memory. My second dream was that my psychology class had visited a local jail and our teacher created an experiment where every other student was a prisoner, and everybody else was a guard. I was one of the prisoners and the guards tortured me to a point where I could no longer think. My psychology professor Mr. Daughtry, told our class about this experiment on actual prisoners, which influenced to dream of this particular subject. My third dream was that I had rented a cabin with my friend.The owner was a psycho killer with the intention of ki lling us. We made it out alive. These dreams caused me to wake up with sweat all over my body and my head would spin a little bit. The next four nights of sleeping were fairly decent. The dreams consisted of dreaming about being in a fairytale and going back to high school because in that dream it was mandatory to go back to the high school. The last seven nights of my sleeping journal, I only had one nightmare, because I went camping with my church group and we were in the woods and we had told scary stories.My sleep patterns on the weekend are very different to my sleep patterns on the weekday because I usually go to bed really late and not wake up until late in the afternoon. During this journal, it was hard for me to get used to waking up on specific times, since I would stay up late to do homework or study for a test coming up. This is one of the reasons why my sleeping habits have not been normal. I have learned that my sleeping habits do have an affect on my daily life. I sho uld try and get enough sleep, so that my body can actually rest and not be so stressed out.I wish that I would not skip dinner for homework, because when I do wake up, my stomach hurts a lot from not eating. This problem also makes me crash during the day since I do not have enough time to eat, and so my production level decreases. Sleep Journal Entries Jennifer Nguyen Mr. Daughtry Intro to Psychology 09-09-2012 Day 1: I went to sleep at 1:00 am and woke up at 6:11 am. The dream was that my grandmother passed away and that I had nobody to confide in. It got to a point where I just went psycho and was led to a mental house. 09-10-2012 Day 2: I went to sleep at 12:00 am and woke up at 7:30 am.The dream was that my psychology class went to visit the local jail. My psychology teacher decided to do this experiment, where every other student was a prisoner and the rest were guards. I was unfortunately a prisoner, and the guards tortured me so bad that it broke my spirit. 09-11-2012 Day 3: I went to sleep at 10:00 pm and woke up at 7:00 am. My dream was that I went to go on a vacation on a remote island. I went with a friend and the person who owned the cabin was a strange man. We discovered that the strange man was a killer and he went after us. We called for help and we never saw that guy ever again. 9-12-2012 Day 4: I went to bed at 3:14 am and woke up ate 8:00 am. I could not remember this dream. 09-13-2012 Day 5: I went to bed at 1:20 am and woke up 6:52 am. I could not fall asleep. After twenty minutes had gone by, I dreamt that I was with my boyfriend and we had gotten into this big argument and he dumped me. The next day, he decided to show up to my house with a girl, and I cried. He said that he was just joking and that it was his friend. He wanted to g back out with me and we did. 09-16-2012 Day 6: I went to bed at 9:00 pm and woke up at 6:00 am. My dream was that I was getting married to a famous prince.Before this all happened, he proposed to me and he ha d this big secret. He did not tell that he was a prince and I inherited everything. This dream was a total fairytale! 09-17-2012 Day 7: I went to bed at 12:12 am and woke up at 6:32 am. My dream was that I was back in high school and that I had to go back to my high school because it was mandatory for all 2012 graduates. 09-18-2012 Day 8: I went to bed at 9:20 pm and woke up at 5:52 am. My dream was that I was in a theatre play and I was the main lead. I did so well that I was booked in Hollywood as a professional.I was basically a celebrity. 09-19-2012 Day 9: I went to bed at 1:18 am and woke up at 6:30 am. My dream was that I went to school and our school had won this lottery where we got to see Kate Middleton in person. She was really nice and sweet. 09-20-2012 Day 10: I went to bed at 11:20 pm and woke up at 6:25 am. My dream was that I had grown up and that I had my life all settled. I was a nurse and that I lived comfortably in a house with my husband and two kids. 09-21-12 Da y 11: I went to bed at 3:00 am and woke up at 8:00 am. My dream was that I was at camp and I happened to be all alone.Then all of a sudden, the killer came out and tried to kill me, but I managed to get to safety. 09-22-12 Day 12: I went to bed at 1:00 am and woke up at 7:45 am. I could not remember this dream. 09-23-2012 Day 13: I went to bed at 9:00 pm and woke up at 6:31 am. I could not remember this dream. 09-24-2012 Day 14: I went to bed at 9:00 pm and woke up at 6:15 am. My dream was that I was in a relationship with Ian Heccox and we have been dating for a long time. He got down on one knee after we have a very romantic boat ride in Paris. Of course I said yes. We got married in Paris and it was very magical.

Key Events in the Space Race Essay

The 60s were infamous for many rapidly changing aspects pertaining to different topics at the time. The subject of space was one not to be left behind. This decade would be one of the world’s golden ages of extraterrestrial research and every event during this time would be recorded into history. In a period most people know as the ‘Space Race’, the Soviet Union (USSR) and the United States (USA) would compete for supremacy in space exploration. Most events occurred in this decade, but the period of the ‘Space Race’ itself lasted from the 1957 to 1975. Sputnik 1, the world’s first artificial satellite, was launched on October 4th, 1957 by the USSR. Sputnik itself was a polished metal sphere, 23 in. in diameter, with four external radio antennae to broadcast radio pulses. It was sent into an elliptical, low-Earth orbit and provided scientists with information. Its purpose was to measure the density and composition of the upper atmosphere, as well as measuring solar radiation, magnetic fields, cosmic rays, etc. It travelled at about 18,000 mi. per hour, taking 96. 2 minutes to complete each orbit. Signals continued to reach Earth for 22 days until the transmitter batteries ran out of energy on October 26, 1957. Sputnik burned up on January 4, 1958 as it fell from orbit upon reentering Earth’s atmosphere. It travelled at about 43. 5 million miles and spent a total of 3 months in orbit. Although life had been sent into space before, Yuri Gagarin would be the first human to exit Earth’s atmosphere. He was born on March 9, 1934 in a small village in the Soviet Union called Klushino. The cosmonaut boarded onto Vostok, a craft that consisted of a spherical descent module, 2. meters in diameter, which housed the astronaut, instruments, escape system, and a conical instrument module, containing propellant and the engine system. Upon reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere, the cosmonaut would eject from the craft at about 7,000 m. and descend via parachute, while the capsule would land separately. Gagarin’s mission to circle the Earth on April 12, 1961 lasted for 1 hour and 48 minutes. He was only 27 years old at the time and that was the first and last time he went into space, since he was too valued to send on a risky mission again. Gagarin may have been the first human in space, but Alan Shepard became the first American to exit Earth’s atmosphere. He was born on November 18, 1923 in Derry, New Hampshire. Although the flight was originally scheduled for October 1960, delays by unplanned preparatory work meant that this was postponed several times, initially to March 6, 1961 and finally to May 5. On April 12, 1961, Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin had become the first person in space and to orbit the Earth. On May 5, 1961, Shepard piloted the Freedom 7 mission and became the second person, and the first American, to travel into space. The suborbital flight only lasted a mere 15 minutes, but the launch was seen live by millions. While the USSR was showering in fame and glory, ahead of the US in the ‘Space Race’, America’s President John F. Kennedy declared the dramatic and ambitious goal of sending a citizen safely to the Moon before the end of the decade on May 29, 1961. This was announced before a special joint session of Congress. This decision would soon change the world forever in 1969. The Soviet Union left the United States in the dust again when they sent Alexey Leonov, a Russian cosmonaut, to become the first human to conduct a spacewalk on March 18, 1965. He was born on May 30, 1934 in Listvyanka, Kemerovo Oblast, USSR. His walk in space was originally to have taken place on the Vostok 11 mission, but this was cancelled, and the historic event happened on the Voskhod 2 flight instead. He was outside the spacecraft for 12 minutes and nine seconds, connected to the craft by a 5. 35 m. tether. America was humiliated once again in early 1966 as it watched the USSR successfully land the world’s first spacecraft to achieve a soft landing on the Moon. Luna 9 was launched on January 31, 1966 and landed on the Moon’s surface on February 3, 1966. Its mission was to land safely on any planetary body other than Earth and to transmit photographic data back. Signals lasted for 6 days until the last transmission was sent on February 6, 1966. The spotlight was moved from the Soviet Union onto the US for once when the country launched the Apollo 11 mission, an event that would forever change history. The primary objective of Apollo 11 was to complete a national goal set by President John F. Kennedy on May 25, 1961: perform a crewed lunar landing and return to Earth. The crew consisted of Neil Armstrong as the Commander, Michael Collins as Command Module Pilot, and Edwin â€Å"Buzz† E. Aldrin, Jr. as the Lunar Module Pilot. Apollo 11 was launched on July 16, 1969 and successfully landed on the Moon on July 20, 1969. Millions of American watched the event live on television. Armstrong set foot on the moon and declared â€Å"That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. † A few minutes later, Aldrin joined him. Together they collected soil samples and took photographs. They stayed on the moon for 21 hours. Many experiments were tested and 22 kilograms of lunar samples were collected. On July 24, the astronauts returned home aboard the command module Columbia, landing in the Pacific Ocean. On August 13, they rode in parades in their honor in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Indeed, the time of the ‘Space Race’ is one not to be forgotten by the world. The Soviet Union and United States must be well acknowledged for all the effort spent on the study of space alone. While the USSR won some battles, the US won others. That, however, will never change the fact that they impacted the world, science, and history today.

Leap, Bryan Doyle Essay

Before the Leap In 2002, Brian Doyle, an editor for the Portland Magazine, wrote the critically acclaimed poem, â€Å"Leap†, in remembrance of the victims September 11th, 2001. Brian has also authored ten major books including The Grail, The Wet Engine, and the novel, Mink River. Doyle has written numerous essays and poems since 1999 including Credo, Saints Passionate & Peculiar, and Two Voices. Additionally, Doyle’s books have been finalists four times for the coveted Oregon Book Award and his essays have been featured in publications like The American Scholar, Harpers, and The Atlantic Monthly. Upon reading the title of the poem, â€Å"Leap†, by hailed author, Brian Doyle, and considering the title of the section in the text book, â€Å"Faith and Doubt†, I was thinking the poem would, more or less, concern taking the proverbial â€Å"leap of faith†. I was wrong. The poem revolves around the actual physical action of one leaping out into the air, more specifically, those â€Å"jumpers† who consciously made the incredible decision to leap from the blazing conditions in the Twin Towers to their deaths on September 11th, 2001. Doyle used a fair amount of imagery to add an incredible level of depth and to provide readers with a terrifying mental picture of that horrific day in America. Consider one of the opening lines describing the sight, â€Å"Many People Jumped. Perhaps hundreds. No one knows. They struck the pavement with such force that there was a pink mist in the air. † (1168). Doyle effectively implemented figurative language throughout the poem to provide the full effect of being a shell-shocked, stunned bystander at the sight of 9/11. Additionally, Doyle told of â€Å"A kindergarten boy who saw people falling in flames told his teacher that the birds were on fire. † (1168). This use of imagery made me feel as though I was there. I believe the author used the â€Å"couple† in the poem to symbolize the strength of human resolve. As readers, we are unclear as to who they were, where they came from, or whether they even knew each other before they grasped each other’s hands as they leaped to their deaths far below, to escape the intense heat, toxic gases, and engulfing flames. Doyle also made reference to different onlookers witnessing the â€Å"couple† as they leaped together, hand in hand. This was symbolic of the intense, far reaching, familiar pain shared by so many around the world as they watched the towers fall to rubble. Doyle also mentioned the couple’s hands quite a few times throughout the poem. I believe he intended the couple’s hands to be symbolic of the strength of the human bond, as well as, the courage that we gain, as humans, through our bonds. But he reached for her hand and she reached for his hand and they leaped out the window holding hands. † (1169). The author successfully makes use of the first person point of view to place himself right there, as a witness of the tragic event, along with the others mentioned in the poem. Again, while he is in the first person, Doyle focuses on the clinched hands. He recalls, â€Å"but I kept coming back to his hand and her hand nestled in each other with such extraordin ary ordinary succinct ancient naked stunning perfect simple ferocious love. † (1169). However, he too is unsure who the couple really is but he is intrigued by their hands, their bond, their strength, their agreement, and their courage to do, together, what has to be done. He mentions that, â€Å"Their hands reaching and joining are the most powerful prayer I can imagine. † (1169). At the end of the poem, Doyle writes, â€Å"Jennifer Brickhouse saw them holding hands, and Stuart DeHann saw them holding hands, and I hold onto that. † (1169). The author feels a sense of peace in knowing that the couple was witnessed by others. Their moment in time, their raw emotion, their true human characteristics took over and they leaped, together. Doyle makes use of a powerful simile towards the end of the poem that compares humankind finding and accessing their inner greatness to, â€Å"seeds that open only under great fires†. (1169). He continues to describe our lives as they almost instantly decay into an unknown state, our most powerful, instinctive human traits surface and are focused with an extreme intensity, enabling us to overcome our fears and do what is required. Doyle writes, â€Å"to believe that some unimaginable essence of who we are persists past the dissolution of what we were, to believe against such evil hourly evidence that love is why we are here. † (1169). As a reader, my emotion compels me to believe the couple, possibly nothing more than strangers, at the brink of their inevitable dissolution, experienced the miracle of love, compassion, and bravery that are all intertwined throughout the complexity of our human nature. I think that the author used the simile, â€Å"like seeds that open only under great fires†, to describe the epic effect that our human spirit is able achieve in even the worst possible scenarios. After reading the through the entire poem more than a few times, I realize that the title, â€Å"Leap†, truly is about realizing the power of the bonds we share as human beings. Even as our lives, in a complete state of disarray and chaos, are forced to come to an end, we are able to harness the miraculous strength of our bonds, and focus it in a way that allows us to achieve a sense of peace during our final moments. I believe the author intended for his readers to hope that the couple, in their final moments before they leaped into the â€Å"smoking canyon†, were able to experience this miracle and find that peace before they took the leap, together, into the unknown.

What historically (historical facts) inspired Patrick Henry to write Essay

What historically (historical facts) inspired Patrick Henry to write the speech Give me liberty or give me death - Essay Example One of the reasons for popularity the speech and the folk hero status of its speaker emerges from his firebrand persona – he was not so much an intellectual as he was an impassioned leader of men. For example, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson – prominent founding fathers – were both prolific writers. A compilation of their work brings up a tally of close to hundred volumes. While Washington and Jefferson were also known for their engaging public addresses, it was their writing prowess that would remain as lasting legacy. Patrick Henry, on the other hand, was not part of the pre-independence political establishment in America. He was one among the masses. The popular appeal of the person and his words is attributable to this heritage of Patrick Henry. It is in this context that poet Lord Byron referred to Henry as ‘the forest-born Demosthenes’ (Eddlem, 1990). Henry Stephens Randall, a clergyman, was present during Patrick Henry’s speech. He gives a first-hand account of the atmosphere during the speech. His account is consistent with the widely held view of Patrick Henry being a firebrand orator and an inspirational public speaker. According to Randall, "Henry rose with an unearthly fire burning in his eye. He commenced somewhat calmly, but the smothered excitement began more and more to play upon his features and thrill in the tones of his voice.

Constraints to the Development of Alternative Energy Essay

Constraints to the Development of Alternative Energy - Essay Example The cause of the problem has already been identified: the increase in the emission of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, chlorofluorocarbons and hydrofluorocarbons. Both the absence and increased volume of greenhouse gases are seen to be detrimental to the environment as less of it might cause negative temperature which disallows the earth to sustain life. On the other hand, increased volume of greenhouse gases is the primary source of global warming. Some greenhouse gases are emitted as a byproduct of some materials with significant use to our everyday life. The example of this is carbon. Energy sources are of paramount importance to our daily life. Since the industrial revolution, we have relied heavily on energy to run our transportation and communication and many other aspects of our needs and wants. For commercial purposes, the use of energy has been significant especially in terms of firms’ profit. It was also â€Å"the process of industrialisation that brought about the conversion of fossil fuels into power, heat and light, thereby releasing within a mere 250 years carbon that had lain dormant underground for millions of years†. â€Å"It is these fossil fuels that are responsible for the vast bulk of carbon output† â€Å"Fossil fuels, the energy of modernization, which constitute about 70 percent of global energy output, now threaten the survival of life on Earth† and people believe that â€Å"the key to survival lies in conserving energy and switching to carbon-free or, at least, low carbon sources†. ... On the other hand, increased volume of greenhouse gases is the primary source of global warming. Some greenhouse gases are emitted as byproduct of some materials with significant use to our everyday life. Example of this is carbon. Energy sources are of paramount importance to our daily life. Since the industrial revolution, we have relied heavily on energy to run our transportation and communication and many other aspects of our needs and wants. For commercial purposes, the use of energy has been significant especially in terms of firms' profit. It was also "the process of industrialization that brought about the conversion of fossil fuels into power, heat and light, thereby releasing within a mere 250 years carbon that had lain dormant underground for millions of years" (Blowers, p.208). "It is these fossil fuels that are responsible for the vast bulk of carbon output" (Blowers, p.210) "Fossil fuels, the energy of modernization, which constitute about 70 per cent of global energy output, now threaten the survival of life on Earth" and people believe that "the key to survival lies in conserving energy and switching to carbon free or, at least, low carbon sources" (Blowers, p.209). Two Approaches The government has two approaches against climate change: mitigation which is prevention of further changes and adaptation which is preparation for the possible effects of climate change. In this paper we would be dealing with the mitigation approach particularly the development of alternative sources of energy. "Mitigation strategies involve the reduction of greenhouse gas sources or the enhancement of sinks. Examples of mitigation strategies include switching from fossil fuels to alternative energy sources, improved energy efficiency and planting trees to

The Impacts of Sequestration on the Department of Defense Research Paper

The Impacts of Sequestration on the Department of Defense - Research Paper Example Reductions of federal funding across the boards, also known as sequestrations have had a considerable impact on the fiscal years prior to, and during 2014. It not only reduced optional operations, but also cut down on the direct spending of the federal budget (Epstein, 2013). This has led to widespread concerns about the Department of Defense’s personnel, reallocation budget, customer’s service and other such details. The federal budget cuts affected the Department of Defense Human Resources Management in several important ways. The former level of readiness, although sustained, has experienced an irrecoverable deficit due to a decade of counterinsurgency operations (Roulo, 2014). According to the Department of Defense website, the current President Budget promises to restore the equilibrium between readiness and planned force structure. The Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011 encumbers this shift to the mission of Department of Defense. This is due to the fact that the reduced funding levels have decreased not only the number of trained personnel, but also hampered the maintenance of ground vehicle and aviation. Furthermore, the flying hours of Navy and Marine Corps are to be decreased, which would also result in decreasing the levels of their readiness (Estimated Impacts of Sequestration-Level Funding, 2014). Such are the impacts of sequestration that there has been a radical expected drawdown to 450,000 active soldiers, 335,000 in the Army National Guard and 202,000 reservists by the end of 2015 fiscal year. (Roulo,2014) These reductions will further lead to the Department of Defense relying more on National Guard. The Army personnel and readiness are perhaps facing the greatest drawback as almost 70 percent of the total cut-downs are facing in its direction. The Army, for instance cancelled seven combat training sessions and skilled personnel was lost due to frozen salaries (Roulo, 2014). This reiterates the Department of Defense concern about

Obama and His Decisions on Deportations of Illegal Inmigrants Essay

Obama and His Decisions on Deportations of Illegal Inmigrants - Essay Example Both parties wrote this legislation in 2011. While the Democrats passed the Dream Act, the Republicans never approved of it. The republicans shunned the bill after it got 55 votes in the Senate (Bray, 2006). The bill did not change in any way only politics changed. Obama’s decision would have both a positive and negative effect to the undocumented immigrants in the US. It would make no sense expel the â€Å"dreamers† who might be talented and be of enormous benefit to the economic development of the Nation. This is because they were raised as citizens of the US and they understand themselves as a part of it. Expelling such young talent would be a loss and unjust because they would serve the military or contribute in the economy as businesspersons. The fact that they were born of undocumented parents is not their fault. It is better focusing the immigration enforcement in the rightful places. It is better prioritizing border security (Gerber, 2011). The Department of hom eland security should focus on lifting the shadow of deportation from these â€Å"dreamers†. Individuals who are not a threat to US security are free to apply for work authorization. The congress should act rightfully. This year there is time for the Dream Act to be passage, because this would give these kids time to plan their lives in more than 2-year increments. The passage of the comprehensive immigration reform that will address the 21st century security and economic needs is crucial. This reform will give the ranchers and farmers certainty about their works. This reform should give technology and science sectors confidence the young immigrants who come Earn Ph.D.s. They, therefore, will not be forced to migrate and start their businesses in other countries. These reforms should improve the US border security and maintain their heritage of immigrants and law. This is the same reform that Ted Kennedy, John Mc Cain championed (Lopez, 2005). I believe that president Obama d id the right thing because personally I have been with such groups of young people. These people are dedicated to hard work and talk about what is best for the US. I know that some of them have live under the fear of deportation. Some of them have taken great risks and to their futures to contribute to the status of America. There have been stories of Americans in churches and schools and societies across the country that have supported them and rallied behind them. The have all guide them for better futures and careers and from fear, because this nation is more than just deporting innocent children. This is the right thing to do because if given a chance to live in America, the children will be extraordinary contributions to the economy. I have a relative who is working in the military, doing his best to protect this country. There is, therefore, no reason to treat them as expendables. This move has come in an election year. It will boost votes from Hispanics in a critical state li ke Florida, Nevada and Colorado. However, Latinos have been tempered by the slow economic recovery and Obama’s inability to win support for overhaul of immigration laws and the aggression of the administrations deportation policy ((Lopez, 2005). Activists against this policy went on a hunger strike at his campaign office in Denver. Congressional Republicans are likely to be against this move and would perceive Obama’

The impact of Information Technology on a career Term Paper

The impact of Information Technology on a career - Term Paper Example I also propose that all companies should raise awareness of how information technology in HRM is needed in order to remain competitive. I first examine the current state of how IT is applied in HRM today. HRM today is becoming more influenced by Information Technology, but some companies are still using IT to cover older HR functions that have been in place for many years, and have not made use of best practices by fully utilizing IT. In the article â€Å"An Exploratory Analysis of E-HRM in the Context of HRM Transformation†, the author mentions how the focus for use and investment in IT with HRM has been for a limited number of functions such as basic database and spreadsheet uses, payroll, or other standard administrative functions but overlook better uses of IT such as using technology for corporate strategy (Foster, 3). As mentioned in a publication by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, some traditional ways of measuring employees by HR will always be needed despite the IT system involved, as in the case of personnel performance reviews. Yet, it is shown that the strategies of employee performance do not always match with departmental goals. This is an area that could be corrected through the use of IT. The article mentions that HR does not normally compile hard statistics or data to prove departmental successes, and hence there may be a lack of clear and documented evidence the benefits that IT provides. Also, HRM’s concentration on internal operations can have limiting effects in the way that senior management decides to use scarce IT investments (U.S. Office of Personnel Management, p. 22). In the article â€Å"The Future of Human Resources†, the authors outline how some companies are still in a traditional viewpoint with the role of Human Resources. Several key items mentioned are that the HR department is associated with processing activities (Dattner and Rothenberg, p.5). This would primarily include

Why Animal Experimentation Should be Banned Essay

Why Animal Experimentation Should be Banned - Essay Example This essay stresses that animal experimentation is an integral part of medical science. However, it seems to be that this is in part due to it being a scientific institution rather than something which is of great benefit. Medical research has relied on animals and animal models for such a long time that some scientists, perhaps, are unable to see the benefits of alternative means of experimentation. Animal models have been used for decades, and they are familiar, and even if they are not specifically accurate when it comes to modeling human disease, they are at least predictable and well-characterized. may be that many of the new techniques that have the potential to replace animal experimentation are simply not-well known enough to be considered acceptable replacements for animal models that are considered more reliable. This paper makes a conclusion that it is truly impossible to see how using animals in medical experiments can be considered ethical. When the results are so often misleading, sometimes to the point where harm is caused to humans, how can we possibly justify the suffering and slaughter of millions of animals worldwide every year? The simple answer is that we can’t. Animal testing is not effective or reliable enough, it is morally and ethically wrong, and there are increasing numbers of safe, accurate, and reliable alternatives to this practice. Animal experimentation must and should stop.

Wal-Mart and Union Membership Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wal-Mart and Union Membership - Research Paper Example The only advantage of having a union is that Wal-Mart will have to consult only the union when implementing its human resource policies rather than to consult the individual workers separately. It will also ease the government’s regulations in the industry as the government would know that the trade union is there to represent the interest of workers. Another advantage of Trade Unions for Wal-Mart is that it will make sure that all the grievances and resentment of workers are heard before they become an issue and hence it will result in better employee-employer relationship which will lead to smooth functioning of the organization.Hence, we can see that although Wal-Mart enjoys certain advantages when working with unions, but these are greatly outnumbered by the disadvantages of working with unions. 2) Employee gains a lot of advantages if they have union membership. The greatest advantage that it renders to the workers is strength in numbers. The bigger a group of workers demanding certain right, the more pressure it can put on the management and hence there are more chances that the management would give in to their demands. This encourages more and more employees to join the union and enjoy the benefits of being strong and more vocal. Another advantage for union membership is the Trade Union fund which is given in the form of allowances to its members in case they need them. It is disbursed to members who are going through a period of illness, trauma or any other kind of problem that requires them to use these funds of part of these funds. Similarly, Union membership allows the employees to communicate more actively with the government and press them to legislate for acts that promote workers’ rights and also increase job security. However, there are certain disadvanta ges of a union member also. Employees have to pay certain amount annually to the union as a membership fee. This puts an additional burden on employees. Individual employees cannot press for their demand and they lose their voice at the expense of what the large majority wants. Hence, one can say that although the union membership is beneficial for workers, it can also bring disharmony and conflict of interest among workers which can lead to other organization-wide problems. (Daft, 1996) 3) There can economics, social and ethical consequences of Wal-Mart trying to stop allowing its workers to hold a union membership. Many pressure groups will turn against Wal-Mart. They will declare Wal-Mart as an organization that does not support workers’ rights. This will lead to loss of goodwill and bad reputation for the company. Many customers might turn away from buying from Wal-Mart which will lead to loss of revenue for the company. It will also discourage workers joining Wal-Mart as they would see it as an organization that does not respect their rights and they are being treated not so well. This will lead to a decrease in supply of workers who want to join Wal-Mart and it will have to pay the workers who want to join Wal-Mart higher wages (Bamford, 2003). This can again lead to less of profitability in the income