Multimedia Technology Essay

This paper critically examines the affects of eCommerce on organisations and the significant growth of the technology. Many organisations are adopting the new technology to retain excellent relationship with customers, and the significant growth of eCommerce application is discussed and noted in this paper. This growth has raised numbers of security concerns and this paper outlines the security risks that associates with eCommerce and describes a number of ways to maintain and reduce the risks. In this paper, it is demonstrate how Cascading Style Sheet can be used to control the appearance and structure of the web-site, and also examine the use of open source reflective programming languages mainly used to develop server-side application and dynamic web content. This paper also examines the use of open source MySQL database application and its ability to store, retrieve and search data. By creating the web-site application, it shows how Cascading Style Sheet can control the appearance and structure of web-sites, and PREFACE The purpose of this project is to describe the essentials of eCommerce, how it is conducted and managed as well as assessing its limitation, issues and risks. An eCommerce is an interesting topic and it interest people in government, educational, heath services and other areas will benefit from the knowledge of eCommerce. Today eCommerce is going through a period of change for new technologies and ideas to be adapted to strategy implementation and profitability. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, my most heartfelt thanks go to the lord (Allah), for given me strength and knowledge to complete this project. Next, I thank my family especially my parents for showing concern and frequently enquiring how well I was doing and frequently asking when I was going to finish my project. Next is my partner Shada Abood who has been the most supportive, enthusiastic and constantly trying to help to test my product and spotting any mistakes in this report. I also thank my supervisor Nigel Newbutt, who was very supportive and was there to advise me when I had a family problem. Special thanks go to the technicians at King William Lab; I appreciate their support and valuable contribution. Finally, I would like to thank my friends for understanding for being antisocial to complete this project.

People Led District Disaster Management Essay

Soon after the Orissa Cyclone and thereafter the Gujarat earthquake the Government of India prioritized a national policy on disaster management and advocated a change of direction from a post disaster reactive approach to a proactive stance before the occurrence of disasters, provided a new legal framework and greater harmonization of disaster management efforts. The policy set forth principles (including significant community role and active civil society participation), objectives (including emphasis on prevention, DRR and promoting regional and national cooperation), strategies and provisions for promoting inter-sectoral complementarities. The Disaster Management Act 2005, mandates National, States and district authorities to develop policy, guidelines, plans for proper implementation of Disaster management plans to reduce adverse impact on communities and to facilitate timely and effective response. It stresses upon inclusion of mitigation, preparedness and DRR measures into development. As a result SDMAs in various states initiated development of district disaster management plans. However, some plans were merely a collection of contact phone numbers of important authorities and departments from the district. There were significant gaps in these operational plans mainly due to non availability of a standard framework, lack of expertise and dedicated resources. Lack of community participation and that of relevant stakeholders in the preparation process has resulted in lack of ownership among intended users and beneficiaries. Disasters tend to happen to people at risk. People are at risk because they are vulnerable to hazards. This vulnerability can be best reduced by increasing people’s capacities to deal with underlying social, cultural and physical factors. The key to successful disaster management plan is to ensure involvement of people who are victims and who are at risk or could be potential victims. If this is not practiced it is often unsustainable, costly and ineffective. Most DDMPs in the country lacked participation of affected communities and civil society. A participatory community level disaster management involves a cross section of people in the design and development process of the plan. When local people develop these plans there is more interest, greater ownership and understanding resulting in successfully reducing suffering and losses. The key principles of this approach thus are: * Community themselves are best placed to prioritize threats and take effective risk reducing actions. The best time to reduce the impact of disasters is before the next disasters occur. Hence, preventive actions should be integral part of the effective disaster management plan. * The identification and mapping of hazards along with who and what may be affected is necessary before risk reduction plans can be made. * Progress has to be well publicized to maintain interest and strengthen the culture of disaster reduction. An example of this is found in the recent NDMA/SDMA collaboration with civil society coming together to develop community led DDMP in Madhubani. One of the basic highlights of the Madhubani DDMP process is that though it oriented towards response but it also incorporates reduction and prevention thrust. Incidentally, prevention has been recognized as an important aspect of DDMP by the district and state/SDMA but also in the poverty reduction strategy. As a result of DDMP several agencies/departments in Madhubani have shown willingness to incorporate prevention measures in their regulations, such as the building codes by the town planners that regulate development of settlements. It was encouraging to note high level of commitment from various stakeholders to improving DRR mechanism. Tearfund has been working along with its partners to lobby with governments at all levels for influencing the policies and development of effective people friendly plans. The Madhubani DRR project implemented by its partner organisation EFICOR in 30 villages in Madhubani was instrumental in development of pilot District Disaster Management Plan (DDMP) along with support from SPHERE India. The strength of this pilot has been the process it has embarked upon wherein involvement and participation of all level of stakeholders from community to district/state/national government authorities in development process of this DDMP. In view of intensive involvement of all relevant stakeholders the pilot has received good response and acceptance from the NDMA and SDMA. This is considered as the first ever attempt in developing a DDMP which has come up from the active involvement of first respondent in any natural disasters. As mentioned above the thrust of development of DDMP is that it is being developed involving affected community, hence, the approach has been bottom-up, however at the same time, all relevant stakeholders, be it government departments or the NGOs and other actors have been involved and participated at all stages of development of the plan. This is truly a plan developed by the people and for the people. This plan has also influenced many other civil socieities to take up similar preparations for other districts and states with the support of NDMA.

Minimizing the Impact of a Natural Disaster - The Risk Mitigation Research Paper

Minimizing the Impact of a Natural Disaster - The Risk Mitigation Phase - Research Paper Example While FEMA and other government agencies will aid in the response and recovery phases of the disaster, the planning and initial response will largely be a function of local officials. The need for response and recovery can be greatly reduced by adequate planning and risk mitigation. The emergency planning manager will need to be highly skilled in a wide variety of disciplines to be effective. They will need intense knowledge in fields as diverse as geology, political science, and social theory. The purpose of this paper is to better prepare the disaster manager by examining the steps necessary to implement a risk mitigation program and what role it has in the planning for and responding to a natural disaster. Planning for, and responding to, a natural disaster will differ considerably from a man-made disaster. Natural disasters are somewhat predictable and foreseeable, happen based on natural patterns, and their effects can be anticipated. Typical disaster planning and response include the phases of risk assessment, mitigation, planning, response, and recovery. However, natural disasters tend to be overlooked when budgets are tight, the weather is clear, and there has not been a disaster in recent memory. The type and severity of disaster exposure will vary depending upon the geographical location and time of year. Communities may be exposed to hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires, volcanoes, or floods. Recent construction sites may be prone to landslides, erosion, and runoff. These threats are often neglected as "the core concept of risk arising from natural hazards is not a fundamental mode of thinking or discourse for policymaking, and in addition is greatly overshadowed nowadays by the issue of terrorism" (Basher, 2008, p.938).  

Best Companies to work for Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Best Companies to work for - Essay Example uch as ‘Shrek,’ ‘Madagascar’ and ‘Kung Fu Panda,’ including other popular animated films like ‘Shark Tale’ and ‘Chicken Run’ to name a few. DreamWorks Animation SKG did a great job of communicating the work philosophy of the company. They in fact included a comprehensive statement on the website where a link was provided titled careers on the bottom part of the main page. â€Å"We are committed to fostering a culture that embraces innovation, creativity, collaboration, and a solid dose of fun† (DreamWorks Animation SKG, par.1). The company provides a very flamboyant take on attracting potential employees. The website also has a link to a picture gallery of the office grounds which has landscaped gardens, a basketball court, lobby with a huge replica of Po from ‘Kung Fu Panda,’ snapshots of employees happily at work, a lounge equipped with a pool table and outdoor eating area, its total area amounting to six acres. There were also testimonies from employees on what their job entails and how it affects the films the company makes. The company does follow through with a number of perks they offer to employees including free breakfast and lunch, exclusive movie screenings and other complimentary facilities like yoga classes, company parties and art classes to nurture creativity where everyone is encouraged to join, at times even personally by the company’s CEO Jefferey Katzenberg (Fortune, pars.1-2). The company puts emphasis on the diversity of their employees where there is a multitude of nationalities from all over the globe. DreamWorks maintains that they â€Å"are constantly searching for experienced leaders and enthusiastic emerging talent who share a passion for telling stories and making movies to join our ever growing DreamWorks family† (par.3). The company is the kind of employer that allows its employees to explore their creativity and would be an ideal place to work in and a company to work for. I would definitely consider working

Discuss the importance of recruitment and selection of sales people Essay

Discuss the importance of recruitment and selection of sales people. Explain the possible problem that you may encounter in selecting the wrong person for the job - Essay Example And in spite of the considerable expansion of the indirect sale, supported by the fast and phenomenal development of new technologies, the direct sale remains a privileged tool in the global sales process. Nevertheless, it is will be assigned here that even the sale is done by direct or indirect way; the salesman plays a major role in this process that we will try to highlight along this paper. In an intuitive way, we can say that â€Å"it is somebody who succeeds in convincing a customer to buy his product or his service at his price and his conditions†. We will be able to discourse a long time on the subject, but the real fact is that the salesman is currently engaged in order to achieve this objective and to improve the results continually (Doney and Canon 1997). Thus, the real mission of salesman is to accomplish a work with innovation, motivation and high confidence. Doney and Canon (1997) state that, more and more people beginning their sales career adopt an attitude which is harmful for themselves with respect to their work. They identified a series of reasons that lead to this kind of behaviors. Among those reasons they mentioned the lack of confidence in a product, the difficulty in making a final choice by the absence of priority sense, etc. More emotive reasons like personal rejection or fidelity towards their current supplier are also present and they are often among the most difficult to counter to. The internal conflicts at the various stages of intervention in large organizations are omnipresent and constitute serious problems but not insurmountable obstacles for salespeople (Forsyth 1980). We must remember here that in 67 % of the cases, the first objection of the customer is not "the true objection" and that the sale starts when the customer says "not". We wish to warn against the reflexes of defense which come with the rejection and which tend to

Electro-Magnetic Wave Propagation for the course Propagation and Research Paper

Electro-Magnetic Wave Propagation for the course Propagation and Antennas - Research Paper Example This paper discuss the properties of waves during propagation. I. Introduction Electromagnetic radiation otherwise abbreviated as EMR refers to forms of energy which are produced by oscillating magnetic and electric disturbances or by movement of electrically charged particles travelling through matter or a vacuum [1]. Electromagnetic Radiation is in the forms of waves. These waves include: Radio Waves, Microwaves, Infrared, X- rays and Gamma-rays [1]. The magnetic and electric fields resulting in the electromagnetic waves interact by coming together at right angles to each other and these combined waves move perpendicular to both electric and magnetic oscillating fields and as a result, the disturbance is caused [2]. The resulting electron radiation is released in bundles of light energy which travel at a speed of 299Â  792Â  458 m / s, equivalent to the speed of light, as quantized harmonic waves. These electromagnetic waves are grouped according to their wavelength and these res ults in the electromagnetic spectrum [3]. The resultant magnetic and electric waves move perpendicularly to each other having certain characteristics which are Amplitude, frequency and wavelength [2]. From the origin of the electromagnetic wave, it is propagated outwards in all directions however depending on the type of medium in which it is travelling [2]. For instance if its air, the wave spreads out in a uniform manner in all directions in the medium [4]. After the wave has moved far from its origin, the wave is considered to have spread enough and it appears as though it has it has the same amplitude everywhere which is perpendicular to its direction of flow [4]. And this results in a plane wave. The electromagnetic wave’s speed is equivalent to light speed in a vacuum. When the waves travel in other medium such as water air, and glass, the speed is slower as compared to that in a vacuum [4]. Characteristics of these electromagnetic waves during propagation include; II. Interference This is the process in which two waves superposes to form one resultant wave. For interference to occur, the source of the waves must be coherent [5]. If two electromagnetic waves having the same frequency get together i.e. they superpose, it results into a wave which has the resultant magnetic and electric field strength equal to the sum of fields of the two waves [5]. When two strong waves moving that have their fields moving in one direction, i.e. same direction in time and space, the resulting waveform is twice that of each individual waveform. This results in constructive interference. However, the superposition of a wave having an electric field in one direction in space and with another electromagnetic radiation wave which has the same frequency but with an electric field in the opposite direction in space and time results in cancellation and a result, there is no formation of a waveform [6]. This implies that the two waves are not in phase. The resultant effect is termed as destructive interference. In summary, superposition of wave’s results in destructive, constructive or partial interference considering the magnitude of the waves being superposed [1]. III. Reflection During the transit of electromagnetic wave from one medium into another, and the two media having different refractive index, the speed of the wave changes the transmitted is made to change

Spoon ringartist statement Personal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Spoon ringartist - Personal Statement Example The inspiration for this format was the idea of a child tying a balloon to her finger, and watching it bobbing along as she walks. The round head of the spoon represents the balloon, and the twisting silver parts below are designed to wrap around the finger like string. It can be worn as a ring with the spoon part as decoration, or it can be actually used just like an ordinary spoon. There is a small gap between the twists of the silver which allows the spoon ring to be attached to the rim of a teacup or coffee mug. This particular use of the spoon ring turns it into an unusual piece of tableware which creates a striking sculptural outline, rising up from the level of other pieces of china on the table just as a balloon naturally rises in the air. A third functional feature of the spoon ring is that it can be set down on the table with the spoon part up in the air. The twists form a secure cylindrical base, and this ensures that the spoon, with any sticky or wet substances attached to it, will not touch the table cloth. This is practical and hygienic, solving the problem of stains and contamination passing to and from the spoon and the environment. Overall, the piece is intended to be fun. It is a talking point and a demonstration of thinking in unconventional ways about everyday objects. The owner of the spoon ring can slide from one application of the object to another, starting with the conventional appearance of the ring, and moving to a practical use in tea or coffee drinking, and then finally showing two different ways of storing the object after use – on the table or on the cup. This reveals that things are not always what they seem, and that there are multiple ways of enjoying everyday

Critiquing a piece of paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Critiquing a piece of paper - Essay Example s the authors indicated the aim of the discourse as â€Å"to discuss the ethical issues highlighted by the case (where a patient had longstanding medical issues which led to her four months’ stay at the ICU and reportedly dependent on ventilator support, haemodialysis and total parenteral nutrition) and to provide a course of action for the patient that suitably addresses these issues† (DeMaio and Clendenen par. 2). In doing so, the authors established evaluating ethical issues, as well as end of life principles of care. To support the line of argument, it is commendable for the authors to have used simple and concise words and language that could be easily comprehended by readers of diverse educational backgrounds. The structure of the discourse was also effective in enhancing the readers’ understanding of the arguments through subdividing the article in sub-headings, such as the definitions of core principles in medical ethics; current guidelines for the transition to end-of-life care; and the ethical issues facing patients who manifest symptoms and in the situations provided within the guidelines. To evaluate the authors’ choices of secondary sources of information to support their contentions, one could deduce that from the 29 references, only 10 references were sourced from 1990 to 2000 (which could be considered outdated) and the rest, 19 was sourced from 2001 to 2010, where 15 or 79% were fairly recent (from 2006 to 2010). Of those sourced from references beyond 10 years ago, majority were guidelines from the American Medical Association which could be deemed applicable until contemporary times, unless otherwise revised. There is therefore enough credible evidence to support and prove the contentions in the identified case through expounding on patient’s autonomy, a patient’s quality of life, and medical futility. The discussion on the role of decision-makers in cases of surrogates and any conflicting interests regarding transitions to palliative

General principles Essay Example for Free

General principles Essay 1. Film theory is how we study movies based general principles. It serves as a model for understanding movies and their different meanings. It is looking at film using a particular perspective, much like using different approaches in analyzing literature. Film criticism meanwhile, is focused more on the artistic value and appeal of the movie to the viewing public. It has two forms: reviews for the common viewer and critical essays for scholars. 2. Realist theory explains that our experiences can be emulated in movies by the help of cinematic language and technology, meaning movies as a representation of reality. Formalist theory explains films are more than a representation of reality. The film artists give form to reality 3. Explicit meaning is what the movie presents on the surface. Meaning the movie clearly shows what it is trying to project, viewers instantly get it without much effort. Implicit meaning is the message within the movie that is not obvious. It is the meaning behind the actions of the film. It is the message of the filmmaker that requires more or less critical analysis. 4. Mimesis is the Greek word for the imitative representation of the world in art and literature. It is basically the violence portrayed in films, suggesting that it is part of reality. Katharsis (catharsis) popularized by Aristotle in his Poetics, on the other hand is what Aristotle used to describe tragedy, it produces emotions of pity and fear. 5. Kathrarsis (catharsis) means purgation or purification. Aristotle used this Greek term in his definition of a tragedy in his Poetics, he said that tragedy must have katharsis, meaning tragedies should produce emotions of pity and fear from the audience. Looking for catharsis in movies is beneficial because it can either have a positive or negative effect on the viewers. 6. Ideology does not simply mean an idea. Ideology means a variety of related ideas, how humans see life and culture. In film, ideology is the ideas of individuals, group, class, or culture that reflects their social needs and aspirations. Ideological meaning in movies is the beliefs depicted in it. It is the belief of the filmmakers, the belief of the characters, or the population’s belief during the movie was made. Feminism, Marxism, and cultural studies are considered ideological theories because they represent ideas that attempt to explain how people and societies function. 7. Auteur theory states that the director is the author of a film. Its application has two forms: the director is judged by looking at all the films he or she has made as a whole, looking at style. The other is a classification of great directors based on a hierarchy of styles. The director must have directed numerous films to be an auteur. The style of the director should be as unique as novelist’s 8. Genre study is the process of understanding some basic ways of how genre functions to develop interesting critiques of genre films. The evolution of major film genres made filmmakers conscious about genre history and conventions, thus the remakes, parodies, sequels, and hybridization that we see today. 9. The study of the phenomenon (or art) known as film and studying film using a certain perspective or approach are involved in the study of film history. 10. Aesthetic approach evaluates movies and directors by looking at how artistic they and their films are. It is sometimes called the masterpiece approach or great man approach. Social approaches evaluate movies on the criteria of how significant they are in relation to the society. Questions when evaluating film are: What is the film’s significance to the society? What social issues does it present? and if it provides solutions.

Designing a process of Intercultural aspects of conflict resolution Essay Example for Free

Designing a process of Intercultural aspects of conflict resolution Essay In the course to evolve a systematic cultural response to conflict, the first step is to breed familiarity among cultures that adds plurality and multicultural dimension to broaden existing views. In the process of evolving cultural familiarity communication, approaches towards conflict, cultural interpretation of life and identities and roles are identified as essential parameters (Carbaugh, 1990). Out of these, role and range of communication has already been discussed. Now it is time to look at rest of three factors. Responses towards a conflict situation are largely culture dependent, guided by the ways each culture has systemized itself towards conflict. Direct and straightforward ways of approaching conflict, generally acceptable in western society, may seem threatening and offensive in eastern cultures accustomed to third party negotiations. Similarly, cultures that follow calm and reasonable response to conflict, may feel intimidated by emotional and passionate response to conflict situation (Carbaugh, 1990). Cultural interpretation of life sets the starting point for people that forms basis of their thinking, values and philosophy, eventually deciding the role they would play in every conflict and their outcome they come across. It is the cultural orientation that makes societies disciplined or diffused, generalized or specific, value oriented or bohemian, and cooperative or isolated (Carbaugh, 1990). Hence cultural conflict resolution ultimately depends on the depth of understanding attained through interaction. References Burrel, N. A, 1990. Theory and Research in Conflict Management. edit M. Afzalur Rahim editor. Praeger Publishers. :New York Rahim, M. A (2001), Managing Conflict in Organizations. Contributors: M. Afzalur: Quorum Books. Westport, CT Handbook of Conflict Management. (2003) . Jerri Killian ,William J. Pammer Jr. (edits): Marcel Dekker. New York. Womack, D. F, 1990. Theory and Research in Conflict Management. edit M. Afzalur Rahim editor. Praeger Publishers.:New York. Leborn, M. 2003. Culture and Conflict. Accessed online on 17. 11. 2007. http://www. beyondintractability. org/essay/culture_conflict/ Grosse, C. U. 2002. Managing Communication within Virtual Intercultural Teams Business Communication Quarterly, Vol. 65, 2002. Holliday, A. , Hyde, M. ,, Kullman, J. 2004. Intercultural Communication: An Advanced Resource Book; Routledge, Carbaugh, D. 1990 Cultural Communication and Intercultural Contact; Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

A sociological perspective on ADHD

A sociological perspective on ADHD in educational and specialization communication. According to Ideus this is not only due to the politicisation and medicalisation of the condition, but also due to the current cultural respect to medical and psychiatric subjects. She argues that more and more popular belief is polarised in the United States by the advocacy groups and the media into ADHD group and ADHD sceptics. She argues that it is not that sociologically conscious and scientifically sceptical ADHD cliques do not exist, but their efforts have been marginalised as counterproductive to ADHD activism welfare (Myers, 2007). The problem with those who use sociological approach to ADHD is that they fail to accept the biological determinism and pseudo-objectivity of the main approach. Major works have attributed the origin and the growth of ADHD with the cultural imperatives than it is related to neutral science. Schachar established that the origins of ADHD lie in the specific political and economic climate of the United Kingdom as the century turns. According to him, ADHD had its basis in the values of Social Darwinism which had dominated the United States by then. According to Conrad established that cultural and political factors were significant in the appreciating and defining of Social Darwinism which was a forerunner to ADHD. According to his investigation, the growth of ADHD can be associated with the theories of children medical treatment through the 50 and 60s, the development in boldness of pharmaceutical businesses in the sixties, and the US governments initiatives to control drug treatment. He further noted that while the classification existed and developed from, both the medical label and treatment were not extensively used until the finalization of the social factors. This implies as per him, this condition worsened due to particular needs and forces in the United States society. The sociological perspective on ADHD shows the significance of cultural, political and economic priorities in the reception of the group in different national and cultural environments. A research by Yelich and Salamone has showed that as the procedures and knowledge in treating this disorder have improved it has continued to grow rapidly as compared to other disorders. They hypothesize that this raises major issues about the position of the situation as a purpose medical group. Additionally, they also note that problems occur mainly on entering the school environment and for distinct disorder there is a huge disparity in problems across diverse sites. They also argue that, ADHD pervasiveness and severity has significant associations with inferior socio-economic class. Zametkin study, which employed the use of brain mapping techniques shows the inadequacies in the initial study but it also claim that the outcomes did not implicitly provide a proof of inexistence of the biological bas is of ADHD (Zametkin, 1989). They also disprove opinions for making ADHD a kind of disability in education on the grounds since it cannot be clearly be diagnosed, that it is not considerably dissimilar from other conditions at present getting services, and there is no irrefutable proof of its natural basis. In reaction they reiterate that while a practical medical category its stress on shortage does not inevitably transform well into professional schooling environments. The latest review by Du Paul and Eckert in the year 1997 shows that less than ten percent of studies accomplished on ADHD concentrated on the area in which the preponderance of difficulties are experienced, that is the school. Biological perspective Biologically the cause of ADHD is the brain structures. According to a research which was performed using advanced imaging techniques shows that there exists dissimilarity in the size of some parts of the brain in children with the ADHD disorder as compared to those who do not inhabit the disorder. In their prefrontal cortex, found in the front part of the brain is less active. It controls the ability of the brain to block some responses. The caudate nucleus and the globus pallidus, which is found at the centre part of the brain and which is known for its ability to increase the speed or to stop the orders emanating from the front part of the brain has been found to be smaller in the children who happens to be victims of ADHD but it seems to get back to normal as the age of the child increases. These abnormalities usually impair a childs ability to discontinue some actions and hence impulsivity in the people with the disorder. In the area above the stem of the brain which is referred to as the cerebellum, it is found to be smaller in children with the disorder. This part enables the control of the muscle tone and their balance and also synchronizes the activity of the muscle (Ellenberger, 1970). This disorder is mostly found with the boy child but as per the statistics it is also underdiagonised in girls. But the ongoing research has enough evidence to show that both genders are in the same position in getting the disorder. Although this disorder is common in children ADHD in adults has also been noted. Ritalin was administered for about 800,000 adults in America in 1997 which is about three times the figure in 1992. As of 2005, experts expected that ADHD affects about 4.1% of adults ages 18 44 years in a specified year. Research shows that ADHD affects 2 6% of population of the adults, taking assumptions that that 1-2/3 of cases continue into adulthood. ADHD in adults mostly occurs as an extension of the childhood condition. Adult-onset symptoms are probable to be because of other factors. Since hyperactivity typically wanes as children get older, it can be a difficult to diagnose it in adults. It is therefore evident that the number or the percentage of the adults with this disorder is underestimated. The following are some signs of adults with this disorder: inattentiveness and problems with the memory which includes: failing to finishing things, judging time wrongly, diverting from projects when nearly completion, being absent minded, and easily forgetting things (Conrad, The Sociology of Health and Illness, 2008). They are also hypersensitive and being restless examples of this is: they are risk takers they have also been found to be less impulsive and their emotions are instable by interrupting others, are easily frustrated, mostly drive recklessly, and have unpredictable moods. These adults have a problem with their self worth such that they do not entertain the occurrence of fresh challenges and mostly they seem to place so much confidence in other people that in themselves In treatment of adults doctors normally revisit their childhood reports on their conducts and experiences. Amusingly, the disorder appears to be equally distributed among adult men and women. Supplementary emotional, personality, and learning disorders have it that amid 19 37% of adults with ADHD has dejection disorder. Between 25 50% have an anxiety disorder. In learning disorder, about 20% of adults with ADHD have dyslexia and auditory dispensation problems which must be considered in which ever plan of treatment to be employed. The adults with the disorder do not mostly attain high academic levels; they earn less money, and have higher chances of being fired in their work places. It has been noted that by the age of approximately 30 most of them are self employed (Conrad, The Changing Social Reality of ADHD, 2009). Research also has it that about 32 to 53% of alcoholics are the ADHD victims. 8 32% are marijuana smokers or cocaine takers. A study in year 2003 shows that the adults and the young people who are at the risk of drug abuse are the ones with the ADHD disorders or those who had had behavioural problems in their childhood days. Both adults and children with this disorder seems to lack sleep with a disorder commonly called restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea. In the sleep apnea one is unable to breath for temporal period when a sleep. Most people do not recognize but the victim wakes and start grasping for breath. This is usually coupled with snoring. It has been known that treatment of sleep apnea reduces the symptoms of ADHD by 50%. ADHD in adults is treated with the Atomoxetine which is not a stimulant. It reduces the symptoms as hyperactivity, inability to concentrate, and inclination in adult victims. This treatment is normally discontinued in early signs of liver problems. It i s therefore advisable to be used in adults compared to the adolescents and children since they can trigger suicidal thoughts. Bupropion may be a chiefly good quality option for some ADHD adults, as well as those who also have bipolar disorder or a history of drug abuse. Tricyclic antidepressants are also effective with both depression and ADHD disorders. The standard psycho stimulants, methylphenidate (Ritalin) and Adder all are also good in the same. These patients can also be treated by nicotine replacement. This improves ADHD symptoms and seems to have special effects in the brain that similarly to those of stimulants. It is also difficult to identify presence of this disorder in children since there exists no laboratory or imaging for perfect diagnosis of ADHD as it majorly depends on the symptoms of behaviours and the process of discriminating other disorders. Many professionals believe that is under and over diagnosed in most cases. The difficulty is due to: misconception of parents who ends up to pressurizing the doctors to administer methylphenidate to their children who seem to perform poorly in school and who are usually aggressive which as per the statistics shows that out of the 18% and 20% of Caucasian boys treated with Ritalin only 11% were ADHD victims. In other cases most children were young for their level of grades which shows that they may be immature intellectually and socially. It is also known that children from poor backgrounds and those who have grown up in single parent households are likely to have behaviour and emotional problems which has increased in the level of the victims of the ADHD victims. In treatment the doctor will need the history of the behaviour of the child and he/ she will compare the behaviours with the standardized list which outlines the symptoms of the ADHD. Parent must provide the following information to the physician: the particular problems from as early as they can remember in their child growth more so the report from school, relationship between the child and other siblings, changes that have occurred of late, information on whether the family have had a history of ADHD, the eating habits of the child, the sleeping patterns, speech and the language development, and any other problem the mother experienced during delivery or during the pregnancy. The mother should also include any other history of allergies, terminal ear problems, and hearing problems. Finally it is crucial that the doctor understand how the parent6 handle the child when interacting with the child. There are various tests that may be administered to a child in order to test any signs of ADHD. These include CPT which is a test referred to as continuous performance test where a child is sat before a computer and he/she is asked to press some keys and not to press others as per certain images in the screen. Some other tests may be done in order to test the neural, emotional and intellectual growth. They mostly include studying and problem solving assignments with the aim of determining the disabling areas. Tests of blood samples may be taken in the situations of doctors suspecting presence of lead toxics in the blood of the child. Research has shown that ADHD does not in most cases exist alone but it is accompanied by other disorders. Scientists have it that it is only 1/3 only pure ADHD that exist. The following disorders also exist parallel to it. Attention-Deficit Disorder without Hyperactivity. In this type of disorder, the childs initial signs are inability to persist in assignments and the ability to be distracted is very high. Oppositional-Defiant Disorder (ODD): statistics shows that about 36% of the ADHD children also have ODD. The child is defiant, hostile towards authoritative people lasting for about six months and they have a negative pattern of life. Additionally, they are aggressive and have frequent tempers tantrums and in most cases they display antisocial manners. ODD patients have other phobia disorders which must be treated disjointedly (Leo, 2009.). Psychological perspective Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a universal neurodevelopment psychiatric problem the greatest part of research in this field has focused on genetics and neuropsychological or the behavioural signs for the disorder. It exists as the most genetic psychiatric disorders, with genetical inheritance being approximately 77%. Despite of the scientific research that various genes can be associated with ADHD their impacts are minimal and hence the cause of this disorder cannot be pegged entirety on gene theory. Today research is expanding in order to investigate the role of environmental factors and their association with some genes and epigenetic processes in the expansion of the ADHDs symptoms. The analysis of ADHD is founded on the assemblage of symptom arrangement (impulsivity-hyperactivity and lack of attentiveness) and provides room for three subtypes impulsive-hyperactive, lacking concentration and combined-type. These subtypes may have diverse aetiologies and behavi oural profiles. Psychiatrists and Psychologists have come up with a variety of theories to give details of the behaviour of patients of ADHD. It should be clearly noted that any key psychological theory of ADHD ought to be able to explain these analytical symptoms. The psychological perspective takes into account four theories to explain the existence and the development of ADHD. Below is the outline of the same. The Delay Aversion theory which was introduced in 1990 argues that children who harbor this disorder are capable of waiting but they dont want to. Its earlier version stated that ADHD children arent impulsive in terms of opting for an instant reward at the expense of the overall reward but it happens when there is a shorter delay. Inattentiveness and hyperactivity are well thought-out to show trials to decrease prejudiced knowledge of delay in situations when it cant be avoided. The Dynamic Developmental Theory (DDT) of ADHD was developed for the past 20 years and which has raised different views amongst various psychologists. This complete theory tries to elucidate the behavioural manifestations of ADHD from a neurotransmitter up to a community level and aims to give details about all symptoms of ADHD. This theory argues that there exist two major behavioural mechanisms reinforcing a lot of symptoms of ADHD: altered reinforcement of original behaviour and poor extermination of insufficient behaviour. The State Regulation hypothesis suggests that a non-optimal vigorous situation can clarify performance lack in children with ADHD. It is founded on a study using the Cognitive vigorous model of Sanders. In this model, the competence with which a duty is done is considered to be a creation of elementary cognitive stage and their energy allotment. The basic stages are spur encoding, memory hunt, binary choice and motor training and may be viewed as structural computational in sequence processes. The accessibility of these processes is connected to the stimulation and launching levels of the subject. Stimulation is defined as a time-locked phasic physiological answer to effort, whereas launching refers to a long-lasting intentional preparedness for action The Executive Dysfunction theory of ADHD argues that the symptoms of ADHD occur entirely due to a decrease in executive power, caused by abnormalities in the arrangement, purpose and biochemical process of the fronto-parietal and fronto-striatal neural networks Neuropsychological tests that are susceptible to the mechanism of the decision-making purpose system have been used to evaluate children with ADHD. The outcomes of these tests have been unswervingly and ultimately linked back to the physiological, anatomical and biochemical dysfunctions in the frontal cortex, the fronto-parietal and fronto-striatal circuits in ADHD. Summary and Conclusions: It is evident that the three disciplines concerning the issue of ADHD communicate the same thing or they tend to explain the same concept but they use different approaches. According to the discussion above, the biological cause of ADHD is the deformation in the brain structures. It implies that children and adults with ADHD disorder have either small brain size or even deformed brains as compared to the normal adults and children. This approach cannot be ignored since it bases its facts on a practical example i.e. on an experiment that has been done by medical professionals. This can be objected on the basis that the experiment that was done just happened to be a coincidence and for those who do not believe to believe in scientists, they may find this perspective not fulfilling like the sociological perspective The sociological perspective rotates about the education factor as a determinant of whether the chid is suffering from ADHD disorder. Children who fail to perform well or those who conduct their selves in abnormal manners tend to be judged to have the ADHD disorder and in most cases as I discussed earlier they form about 11% while there are others who perform poorly in class not because they have these disorders but they are poor learners. Maximum investigation must be performed in order to differentiate between a disorder and inability to learn. As earlier discussed, sociologists fails to recognise the biological perspective and pseudo-objectivity of the biological approach as they object the origin theory provided by the neural scientists. They normally attribute the growth and the origin of this disorder with the environment around the child. This environment is the: cultural, political and the immediate society of the child. It also depends on the economic status of the family of the child. The psychological perspective on the other hand focuses on the key psychological theories which include: the Executive Dysfunction theory, the State Regulation model, the Dynamic Developmental Theory (DDT), and the Delay Aversion theory. These theories only try to explain this disorder in just but a theoretical way without providing actual practical examples on the application of the same. Therefore these theories have the same definition but they sound differently depending on the field of study (Erkulwater, 2009. ).

picking a college Essay -- essays research papers

Picking A College Picking the right college is an important step in contributing to the outcome of a person’s life. But finding the right college to suit the needs and desires of a young individual poses a difficult task.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Much time and effort must be spent on deciding which college to attend. Avoid making a horrible mistake by rushing a decision and going somewhere not compatible with one’s aspirations. Visit the college, ask for information, look at the courses offered, and research its reputation for education. Check out the dorm rooms and campus life. Is it a beautiful campus, or just filled with buildings? Find quiet places that time could be spent reading and studying. Also look at its strengths, along with the weaknesses. Meeting with the professors and discussing what is offered are magnificent ways to learn more about the college. By thinking with a broad frame of mind, one doesn’t look just at colleges with the big names. Though these institutions may be wonderful colleges, they might not offer specific courses. Maybe the smaller, private schools -- with their much smaller professor to student ratios -- are more desirable places.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next, considering the location of the college is crucial. For instance, interests in outside sports, such as golf, should be concentrated toward the lower half of the country. Texas, Arizona, Louisiana, and Mississippi are prime states regarding golf. A school without a strong go...

Mark Rothkos Subway Scene :: Art Artisits

Mark Rothko's Subway Scene "Subway Scene" (1938), by Mark Rothko, depicts the inside of a subway station. At the front of the painting are two pillars, behind them is a staircase used by two faceless characters, decending into the underground. The staircase is surrounded by a cage-like grid. Behind the staircase are another two pillars next to a gate similar to the one around the staircase. On the left side of the gate is a wall where half a door is visible. Just behind the gate are two swing-doors and a booth with a man inside. Two men appear to be waiting in front of the booth. On the left and right sides of the booth is what seems to be a wall. There is also what could potentially be an advertisement, on the bottom left side of the wall. Above the wall are strings of the letter "N", which could maybe stand for "Northern". Left from the advertisment, is another flight of stairs, which could be leading down from the street. On the stairs is another person who is only half visible. The characters in the painting appear to have no faces, except for the man standing in the booth, which is quite a symbolic portrayal of a subway station. There are constant floods of people coming in from the city streets, many who appear only for short periods of time, whereas, the man in the booth remains there for a long time, therefore his face becomes familiar. The people also appear to be wearing hats, this could suggest that it takes place during winter. The artist, Mark Rothko, uses various shades of green, brown and grey to capture the bleak reality of an underground subway station. For example the sweeping grey floor and dull brownish walls. However, there is also use of striking colour, like the burgundy jacket and hat worn by the man decending the stairs and the bright green grid surrounding him. There also seems to be a frame constructed out of the two front pillars in the painting where all the action takes place. It is also where the artificial light sources are coming from, like the booth, the staircase at the front of the painting and possibly some lights on the ceiling which cannot be seen. Everything outside of the frame seems alot darker in contrast, isolated and not so clear.

Increasing Hate Crime Awareness in the US Essay

Though latest report released last October 2006 by the US Department of Justice – FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program showed a decrease in total number of reported incidents, 7,163 in 2005 vs. 7,649 in 2004 (Hate Crime Statistics 2005), there has been an inversely growing awareness on this topic among various stakeholders – legislators, law enforcement officials, and the American public – such that term â€Å"hate crime† has become a part of everyday vernacular among Americans. Three factors contributed to this growing awareness. Firstly, the organizational initiatives, normally the offended party group in order to protect their civil rights, are taking active roles, through their advocacy campaigns, support services and education programs. Prominent proponents, among others, are American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) for all Americans, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for the Jewish, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), Massachusetts Office on Disability (MOD), La Alianza Hispana for the Latin-Hispanics and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for African-American group. Secondly, the Federal Government on its part, through the DA’s Office has a Civil Rights Unit composed of attorneys for education and intervention services, working in cooperation with victim-witness advocates. In addition, Governor’s Task Force on Hate Crime has its ‘Stop the Hate Website’ Campaign promoting awareness of hate crimes and providing resources for responding to and preventing such acts. Thirdly, concerned group initiatives, such as NGOs in the likes of Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) that combats hate, intolerance and discrimination through education programs and litigations, play an independent, third-party role in increasing hate crime awareness.

Isobelle Carmody’s “The Gathering” Essay

The book â€Å"The Gathering† by Isobelle Carmody explored the theme of â€Å"Good VS Evil† in such an intricate manner that every aspect of the text, the characters, themes and her own message portrayal, all become involved. This means that the reader can understand the plot of the book, and will be able to clearly read the message being revealed by the three main aspects of it. Other minor things, such as the title of the book itself, contribute to the feelings of the reader, all of which are designed by Carmody to make the book exactly what it is. By using the characters to develop the readers understanding of â€Å"Good VS Evil†, the themes to allow the reader to grasp the message being sent by Carmody and her style of writing, and the purpose of Carmody’s presence in the text itself, â€Å"The Gathering† has proven to be one of the most fascinating book of its kind. The characters in the book â€Å"The Gathering† help us to grasp the message which is being sent by the author, that is, â€Å"Good VS Evil†. Nathanial (Nat) Delaney, who stars in the novel as the main character, depicts the image of the good character. One who has found his place, and has managed to establish himself as a crucial role in the development of his own life, and that of those around him. In the fight against the current Kraken, Nathanial, as a character in the text, has helped the reader understand who the people around him are fighting for, whether it is good or evil. His relation to the book outside the Chain would be very minimal, as most of the text’s relation to him is connected in some manner. His study on Anna Galway as a veteran of Cheshunt exposed the truth about her past, that is, that she was part of a previous Chain, one which failed to do its job. Carmody uses these â€Å"two separate† issues in Nathanial’s life to create a feeling of hope and understanding, but also confusion, as to why that Chain had failed. The characters around Nathanial, although star a very important role in the progression of the story, are not focused on in the same way as that of Nathanial, and therefore are only know through the Chain. They, being Nissa, Indian, Nathanial, Danny and Seth, all relate to the â€Å"Good† side of the story, and the true meaning of being â€Å"Good† is developed in a very intriguing way by Carmody. The use of making these main characters â€Å"Good† rather than â€Å"Evil† creates a connection between the reader and the text. When this connection is made, through a series of hardships and moments  which make the reader realize just what role they are playing in the plot, the reader then begins to feel the same things as are being described by Carmody, the emotions, the desire for everything to turn for the better. The â€Å"Evil† side of the book â€Å"The Gathering† is also shone through the characters, particularly those fighting against what the reader and the Chain desire. While there is â€Å"Evil† present in a physical way through characters like Mr. Karle and Buddha, â€Å"Then the Kraken stepped forward and slapped her across the face. A trickle of dark blood ran from the corner of her mouth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  , â€Å"The match landed on his tail and flames swept forward up over him.† , there is still an ever strong emotional, physiological evil. For example, when the final fight between â€Å"Good† and â€Å"Evil† was set up at the abattoir, Mr. Karle uses his advantage of knowing each of the members of the Chain’s mental weakness. By picking at their weaknesses, the reader feels the sympathy and sorrow felt amongst the characters. â€Å"(Nissa) No one could ever love such a creature except out of pity† , â€Å"(Indian) you would recognize the signs of concussive brain damage.† , â€Å"†¦ (Nathanial) her only begotten son is going the way of the father. So terribly sad. So ironic.† , â€Å"(Danny) I think you truly must have damaged your brain in that field. The dogs must have bitten into it† . This makes the reader fully understand how the â€Å"Good VS Evil† is present within the text, as they are fully taken in to the emotions of their own understanding as to what is being done by the Evil. The themes in the book â€Å"The Gathering†, namely love, friendship, suspense, and believability, allow the reader to grasp the concept of â€Å"Good VS Evil†. The theme of love is explored and expressed through the characters of Nathanial and Nissa. Nathanial, throughout the text, has started to develop a fond affection toward Nissa. Although Nathanial initially regarded her as â€Å"†¦a girl up the far side with odd spiky red hair sticking up in all directions.† ,as the story progressed, the Chain was re-created, and issue arose which (to lay to rest) depended on the support and encouragement of one another, Nathanial fell more and more in love with Nissa. This ploy by Isobelle Carmody is an attempt to create a relationship between both them as a couple, and the reader with them as a couple. The reader then feels more for the success of the side in which this couple is committed to. This  connection between reader and characters is then played on by Car mody as they face struggles, and almost an absolute failure as the Chain. Another theme in the text is friendship. This ever strong theme is present throughout the whole book, one which supports the structure and plot of the text. The friendship and trust which is needed to create and hold the Chain was immense, and was evident throughout; â€Å"†You’re not one of us† Nissa was saying to Seth.† â€Å"†Nissa, we’re the Chain,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å"†The five of us make up the chain and he’s trying to break Seth away from us!†Ã¢â‚¬  . This shows that through hardship and times of struggle, friendship will bond one another together, and will prevail. Though not as clichà © as love, suspense plays the most important role in the story. Carmody uses suspense throughout the story, specifically when the text is nearing a rise in tension, a chapter conclusion, or a climax. This is so that when the reader has reached any of these points in the text, they do not want to put it down because there is a hook, te lling the reader that more information will be revealed, or leaving them on a â€Å"cliff-hanger†. Suspense is also used in the description of important scenes in the plotline. To do this, Carmody would, momentarily, leave the dialogue to give a description of the surroundings, or such, so that the reader can grasp the importance, or the feeling trying to be sent by her. â€Å"It was a grim joke, considering why I had come. She hummed to herself as she emptied the blackberries into a double boiler.† This shows us how something so irrelevant, as blackberries, can give an effect, and the effect in said situation was the fact that she was just an old woman, a genuine person. The last, but as important as all other themes, is believability. Carmody uses the technique of believability to connect the reader to the text, so that we feel what the characters are feeling, and we feel for them. She does this by making the reader understand the position they are in, and how each character depends on one another. Also, by influencing the reader to love the â€Å"Good† characters of the text, there is then a vile hatred for that that is evil, as with the characters. The contrast is then able to become more evident, between â€Å"Good VS Evil†. Throughout the book â€Å"The Gathering† by Isobelle Carmody has proven to explore the theme â€Å"Good VS Evil† in a very detailed manner, that is, by using things like the themes, characters, and Carmody’s own message, which seeps into the  text all through the story. This is the message of â€Å"Good VS Evil†, it is the message of the superior themes within the story, which help dictate everything from emotion to decisions. The text â€Å"The Gathering† by Isobelle Carmody has, in no doubt, managed to explore and enlighten the reader of the theme, â€Å"Good VS Evil†.

Ironies of Emancipation Essay

The article â€Å"Ironies of Emancipation: Changing Configurations of Women’s Work in the ‘Mission of Sisterhood’ to Indian Women† by Jane Haggis is an article that was written from a feminist perspective to ask specific questions about how the influence of the mission of sisterhood either helped or hurt Indian women in the 1800’s. The author takes the position that Indian women were confined to marriages more acutely because of the presence of female missionaries in India. The author points out that the female missionaries became almost a â€Å"symbol of emancipation in terms of British imperial feminism† and for this reason alone, the Indian population was unhappy with the way the females presented themselves and did not change (Haggis123). The missionary work, in of itself, was â€Å"women’s work† and was a way in which the British women were able to exert their own independence while doing the will of God. This article focuses a great deal on how the religion of the time affected the way in which British and Indian women communicated and interacted with each other and was a reason for the outcome, either the failure or the accomplishments, of the Mission of Sisterhood. The author describes how these women were expected to carry out their â€Å"women’s work† despite the domestic duties that were expected of a Victorian wife and mother, mostly because in Travencore women had a different role in terms of motherhood because their children were often sent away to school to get a proper British education. This left them able to pursue other duties, such as their mission to the Indian women (Haggis 119). This article makes a lot of good points about how British women were involved in missionary work in India in Victorian times and explains their role in their society, both at home and abroad. It’s interesting to note that the Indian women were perhaps kept back because of the influence of these women on their culture, instead of being converted. Work Cited Haggis, Jane. â€Å"Ironies of Emancipation: Changing Configurations of ‘Women’s Work’ in the ‘Mission of Sisterhood’ to Indian Women. † Feminist Review 65 (2000): 108-126. JSTOR. 5 Feb. 2007.

The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Anton Ermakov Period 4 US History Essay The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki On August 6th, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, and then, three days later, dropped another bomb on Nagasaki. Since both bombs were dropped, there has been controversy over this important event. Some people feel strongly that the United States was justified in the decision to drop the bombs, whereas many other people believe that it was not necessary to bomb Japan at that point in the war.Write a five-paragraph essay in which you state your opinion on this difficult issue and then explain, describe, and support your point of view with examples and details. The atomic bombings of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki occupy an important place among the most controversial events in the history of humanity. Even though almost seventy years passes since these events, their morality and justification are still questioned extensively by both scholars and ordinary people. In my opinion, the bombings were a grim necessity, which gave the US an opportunity to avoid heavy casualties and conclude the war triumphantly. In this essay, I am going to explain my views and provide arguments in favor of my point of view. Personally, I believe that using the deadliest weapon ever created by a man played a crucial role in crushing the Japanese morale and battle spirit. At the end of World War II, the Japanese society was heavily militarized and fanatically devoted to serving Emperor Hirohito, who was viewed as a living god by his subjects.Therefore, the entire country of Japan lived by the warrior code of bushido, ready to fight for the defense of their mainland. Despite this fatalistic readiness for a final fight, the Japanese were not ready for experiencing the terror of nuclear warfare. The tragic events at Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced the Japanese nation to abandon their will to fight to death, causing the Japanese government to agree with the American terms of surrender. Second of all, I believe that the bombings actually helped save tens of housands of lives from both sides of the conflict by helping the US military to bypass the need for a massive invasion of the Japanese mainland. Before the completion of the Manhattan Project, the military planned to mount an invasion from the newly-captured islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Considering the scale of the defensive preparations conducted by the Japanese government leads to me to believe that a conventional invasion of Japan would result in a massive number of American casualties. The operation of this magnitude would also be extremely harmful for the civilian population of Japan.These reasons make me believe that the unfortunate eradication of the two Japanese cities was a lesser evil. Finally the atomic bombings provided the United States with an opportunity to establish its position as a new superpower, demonstrating its military might to the prospective rival superpower of the USS R. Even though demonstrating the capabilities of a weapon of such destructive power on the civilian population is definitely immoral, it was the best way to showcase the atomic bomb, which eventually became an important asset in keeping the Soviet aggression in check.By using nuclear weapons in combat, the US managed to get an upper hand in an early arms race with the Soviet Union and maintain that position until the testing of the first Soviet nuclear bomb in 1949. In conclusion, I would like to say that, even though the bombing raids on Hiroshima and Nagasaki resulted in tens of thousands of civilian deaths, they were instrumental in overcoming the stubborn resistance of the Japanese government, bringing the war to an end, and saving a far greater number of lives in other Japanese cities. Beyond all doubt, these events are tragic, but they should not be perceived as a horrible and unnecessary atrocity.

Case Study Healthcare Provider Essay Example for Free

Case Study Healthcare Provider Essay Game (151) , Plan (45) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints A large, regional healthcare provider is developing a new, integrated wellness and prevention program (IWPP) for their patients. This involves developing an overarching strategy and aligning existing prevention capabilities. The client has employed Point B to facilitate the development of the plan’s strategy, conceptual design, and roadmap for initial implementation. Describe how you would approach this effort. Broadly, the approach has three steps starting with the leadership team and then engaging the entire organization: I. Leadership Strategy Development and Plan II. Organization Engagement and Strategy Refinement III. Initial Implementation I. Leadership Strategy Development and Plan Once the leadership participants are confirmed with the sponsor, facilitated workshops will be structured to shape the key deliverables: business strategy, conceptual design and roadmap. Workshops will focus on: Finding a common understanding of what is a successful IWPP. This includes: †¢ Identifying current challenges for the healthcare provider as a whole and specific to an IWPP †¢ Agreeing to the existing strengths overall but with a focus on existing prevention capabilities †¢ Understanding what has and has not worked in the past †¢ Defining a common IWPP vision and values Defining what capabilities are needed and how to measure a successful IWPP. Capabilities will shape the conceptual design and span such things as: †¢ Technology †¢ Business processes †¢ Applications †¢ People/organization structure †¢ Information †¢ Geographic location Identifying the activities (immediate and future) to create a new IWPP. For example: †¢ People – assessing the organization’s culture and behaviours for integrative wellness, prevention and medical care †¢ Process – redesign business processes to emphasis case management and cross organization collaboration per patient(s) or member(s) †¢ Technology – data conversion to a common rollout schedule for compliance standards across the network e.g. ICD 10 Activity timing will determine when capabilities are in place to chart a roadmap of changes to the organization. II. Organization Engagement and Strategy Refinement The second step is the most intensive and often the most overlooked when developing strategy. The leadership team will be required to engage the broader organization to test the strategy, conceptual design and roadmap. This requires cascading participation from management, team leaders and front-line staff. For a healthcare provider this is critical given the complexity and diversity of the network (complementary service providers, insurers, medical providers, members and patients). Input is also required regarding how best to monitor progress, to measure outcomes and to continuously collect feedback once implementation is  underway. Step II has the following benefits: †¢ Improve the leadership team’s work by adding operational detail †¢ Create strategy awareness so the organization’s day-to-day decision making better aligns with the strategic vision and intent. †¢ Start to foster ownership and champions for IWPP changes The third step focuses on identifying the activities that can be implemented first. Activities will be assessed by not only business value to achieve a new IWPP but also by other planning constraints such as the availability of people with the right skills, funding and interdependencies with existing project work. Step III also requires the establishment of implementation processes to monitor progress, to measure outcomes and to continually improve implementation methods based on feedback. Case Study Healthcare Provider. (2016, Mar 25). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

The Days Of The School Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Days Of The School Life - Essay Example Well, bullies usually feel good about their actions while the victims, on the other hand, are tied to the beliefs that they cannot escape this fate/bullying. I came to believe that this is what keeps bullying going at school and in other environments. While interventions are great, I know that from my experience that bullies are tied to social groups that crown these bullies with dominance and success. The society at large also believes in aggressive and controversial maneuvers as ways of achieving dominance and success. I believe that despite this, it is possible to end bullying. The best way to do this is to make bullies aware of their aggressive actions, and the pain the actions cause on their peers. In addition, victims should also be encouraged and made aware that change can always happen.Change in the bullying culture can be spearheaded by all of us. Even fourth graders can do it. Parents too can take part in effecting this change. We can all partner and promote campaigns again st bullying. These campaigns can allow kids and even adults who have once undergone bullying in their lives or are undergoing bullying to tell their stories so as to create awareness to everyone on the damaging effects of bullying, thus encourage them into taking action against this act. Young people can also hold meetups and discuss the impact of bullying, as well as create more solutions to bullying. The solution to bullying is a community-wide thing. Blaming bullies or being on their necks is not the way out of this problem.

Response to the environmental impacts of tourism on Brecon Beacons Research Paper

Response to the environmental impacts of tourism on Brecon Beacons National Park - Research Paper Example The environment of the national parks have been providing great benefits to the government since it can help in developing business opportunities as well. Though national parks are considered a tourist places in most of the countries, it has its own problems. Places where tourism is given more importance have been prone to problems like pollution. The studies, researches and surveys reveal that tourism has a great impact on these national parks. Due to poor maintenance and business like activities, the parks have been affected by the environmental changes. Planning, management and maintenance of tourism will yield monetary benefits and will also lead to a better environment and protect them from harmful impacts. (Cohen & Amnion, 1994). The government must incorporate certain techniques which will control the problems related to environment and this in turn will reduce the impacts. The available resources can be utilized to maintain the national park in a much better way there by strengthening the resources. The research that was carried out earlier aimed at finding out the problems in Beacon national park as a result of the tourism impact. The impact of tourism on the environment and the study also concentrated on how the management maintains and manages the effects of the impacts. The research also included certain objectives which analyzed the effects of tourism and its related activities on places like national parks. The negative effects of tourism were also examined and the suitable methods were suggested. This was accomplished by conducting several researches and studies. These studies helped in investigating the problems that resulted due to tourism. The survey conducted among the residents of national park exhibited various results. Though certain results were contradictory, the outcome of the survey indicated that tourism will definitely have an impact on the Brecon Beacons national park. The best way to handle the tourism problem

Estate Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Estate Management - Essay Example Short-Term (1-5 years) Action Plans 2. CHA must include the target of achieving 100 % tenant profile within the year in order to allow for a more thorough assessment of the organization’s performance in terms of providing Equality of Opportunities to all tenants, by the next reporting period. 3. Based on the available 81 % of Tenant Profile, there is a need to produce a set of questionnaires that will enable the Staff to gather feedback from each of the categories. The feedback ought to be about how well CHA performed the expected and prescribed services for customers. This will then result in a summary according to each category. 4. Within the first round of releasing, following up, and collecting, summarizing, the management should publish informative materials that every tenant should know so that all tenants will be aware of the opportunities made available to them by the government and CHA. This will at least give the Staff a chance to answer YES to the Self-Assessment Qu estionnaire that inquires if the organization has â€Å"published documents that clearly and specifically set out our commitment and approach to equalities issues† as found in the website of the SHR. However, the publication should be very careful not to communicate any hint of discrimination to any category of tenants. 5. In order to meet its moral obligation to every tenant under each category, another set of Survey Materials that are relevant to each category should be developed for the purpose of clarifying the perception or tenants. It will enlighten the management when it is able to find any discrepancy against the perception of the management concerning the way a category of tenants can be satisfied with products and services. 6. To expedite the gathering of survey results, providing restricted, online questionnaires would be a workable recommendation. Tenants should be emailed their Username and Password to access the survey questionnaires. This will prevent just anyb ody from being able access the private questionnaires. 7. But even before the formulation of questionnaires, the Staff should know under what category each tenant will fall under. There should be a more specific set of questions meant for each category. For example, if a tenant is gainfully employed, questions related to Equality of Opportunity may be phrased based on the assumption that the tenant can afford to spend for a higher end design, and will have options to choose loans to access. Those available financing facilities should be communicated to the gainfully employed tenant. If the tenant is unemployed, CHA can offer grants made available by the government. And the options for these people would be the more affordable designs. Equal opportunity should be defined as the relative chance to have a home that complies with the Decent Home Standards with the available means that tenants can afford to utilize. It should not be made to mean that everybody will be offered grants, sin ce grants are limited. If the people who are employed are the tenants notified about grants and they avail of it, what can be utilized for the unemployed to refurbish their homes in order to comply with the Decent H

Effective Communication as a Code Enforcement Officer Term Paper

Effective Communication as a Code Enforcement Officer - Term Paper Example For Code Enforcement Officers to learn and practise effective communication in their work, it is recommended that efforts at the personal and organizational level must be shown. While the employers of Code Enforcement Officers should offer free training on effective communication, the officers themselves must reflect on their weaknesses in communication and develop personal strategies of overcoming them in order to be effective communicators. Effective communication is the core of healthy relationships and is important for all professionals. Code Enforcement Officers work with communities and their tasks are centred on people with whom they interact with daily. For Code Enforcement Officers, therefore effective communication is mandatory in order to ensure good outcome from their work. This paper discusses effective communication as it applies to Code Enforcement Officers. The main argument is that effective communication is necessary for all Code Enforcement Officers, as each of the tasks they perform can only be executed effectively when effective communication is involved. This paper will add value to the knowledge on effective communication and Code Enforcement Officers. In addition, this has implications for individual Code Enforcement Officers, the state governments that employ the Code Enforcement Officers as well as any other individual interested in effective communication. This paper is also meaningful to me as this has widened my knowledge on effective communication through the diverse sources that I have utilised for my research to develop the paper. This paper also draws on concepts taught in class especially on communication, thus is an application of concepts learnt in class. The choice of topic of this paper was motivated by the fact that Code Enforcement Officers play an important role in society and work selflessly for the good of other people notwithstanding the

Midterm 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Midterm 1 - Essay Example y to make friends who can lead you through your investigation if an anthropologist identified himself as a freshman as opposed to declaring his mission in his introduction.th factor of age difference between the student at the university and the anthropologist means that there will be communication barrier. The fact that the anthropologist is in a fact finding mission, requires that he employees a disguised identity all along if the mission is to bare any results. An authoritative voice is a voice that speaks more of an insight that is full of self-believe, and disregard for advice from other. Perhaps, a person with an authoritative voice will always define the destiny of a team regardless of the position of the team in the same. Naturally, people are not impressed with being directed to do something especially if they know that it is not right as far as their understanding of the same is concerned. For instance, if a woman fears of her capacity to give birth in the natural way, they will insist on undergoing a caesarian delivery method. The other way it relates to the eight logics is in the commitment students show towards their education, some students may not heed the call to read a chapter before entering a discussion and still insist that they know what they are doing. The ideology that authoritative voices conflict is true in the sense that, anyone who speaks with authority, will want to be the final decision maker and in that regard, consensus is never arrived at under that leadership. Virginity for instance, in some cultures like the Islam, it is highly regarded, and everybody is expected to be a virgin before he/she gets married. While male counterparts from the same religion are not restricted by culture, the same prize seems to be an infringement on the side of the female. Decision on the same is a responsibility of the men in that society which sparks a conflict of interest as to why would someone who is not a virgin be a custodian of the same. While

Person- Centred counselling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Person- Centred counselling - Essay Example This long-standing focus on the importance of the relationship between the client and the practitioner paved the way for the development of Roger’s person-centred therapy. Much of Roger’s work on his person-centred approach is heavily based in his beginnings as a psychotherapist, arguing that each individual possesses the powers of self-knowledge and self-healing within themselves, and they can utilise these resources to promote personality development and change. Rogers posits that a person benefits from their self-directive processes, as they enable greater self-differentiation and promote better self-understanding, self-regulation and acceptance. A key term integral to the person-centred approach is the notion of ‘actualising tendency’, which explains an individual’s motivation to realise and enhance their inherent potential (Witty, 2007).While person-centred therapy places the burden of change and improvement upon the client, it is the therapistà ¢â‚¬â„¢s job to provide an environment consisting of three necessary and sufficient conditions for change, which are conducive to the client’s improvement (Worsley, 2002). These integral conditions are congruence, empathetic understanding, and unconditional positive regard (Witty, 2007). In the recent past the person-centred therapy has faced numerous drawbacks as many people have criticized it of emphasising on the trustworthiness of the human organism as too optimistic even naà ¯ve. (Worsley, 2002).  

Surviving Infidelity in a Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Surviving Infidelity in a Marriage - Essay Example This essay will focus on critical review of two professional journal articles related to child abuse and the way counseling helps them. In the article, â€Å"Rape, statutory rape, and child abuse: legal distinctions and counselor duties† Mitchell and Rogers (2003) tries to find out the responsibility of a counselor in case of rape and child abuse. Child sexual abuse is a common phenomenon which the counselors have to face very often as they deal with school children. Child Sexual Abuse is defined as when the care taker of the child participates in or assists in forceful molestation of the child for gratification of the self. It may be seen if the legal duties are taken into consideration of the counselor there will be a lot of contradictions between the legal duties and between what the counselors ethically thinks is correct. There are a lot of differences existing in the laws regarding child sexual abuse, rape and statutory rape and it becomes difficult for the counselors to understand which cases they should report as cases of child sexual abuse. They get confused. So it is advised that the counselors are w ell aware of the laws of their particular state and should also be aware of the situations when they should report the cases to the adequate authority. It is also advised that when the counselors are confused they should take the advice of the legal authorities regarding their duties. In case the school counselors are confused about the age differences and are not very sure whether to report it as child sexual abuse or rape then they should seek the help of a concerned attorney or the child services department and accordingly should report the case formally. Child sexual abuse and child rape involves a lot of feelings like guilt, shame, depression, anger and insecurity, therefore it is must that the counselors are well equipped to deal with these issues and try to relieve the victims of all these feelings

Service to Mankind Essay Example for Free

Service to Mankind Essay Not much over a hundred years ago, electricity, except in the form of lightning, was an unknown force. Its discovery was due to Michael Faraday, the great English scientist. On one occasion, about 1830, he was showing one of his early experiments to a distinguished company at the Royal Institution in London. He showed that when a magnet was brought suddenly near a coil of wire, a slight current of electricity was produced in the wire. Afterwards a lady said to him, But, Professor Faraday, even if the effect you explained is obtained, what is the use of it?† Madam, replied Faraday, will you tell me the use of a new-born child? The new-born child has grown to be a full-grown giant; for it is now one of the greatest natural forces that man has tamed to his own service. The ways in which men have learnt to use this great force are so many those only a few can be touched upon here. The first result of Faradays discovery was the electric telegraph, by which messages can be sent to a distance by means of an electric current sent along a conducting wire. Telegraphy means writing-at-a-distance. The first telegraph was installed in England, in 1835. Since then it has spread all over the world. Not long after, the submarine electric cable was laid under the Atlantic Ocean, connecting England with America. The next great invention was the electric telephone, first installed in England in 1876. The word telephone means speaking-at-a-distance; for by the telephone the human voice is carried to a distance by an electric current carried along a conducting wire. By its means we can talk to people, and hear them talking to us, hundreds of miles away. In our own time has come the wonderful invention of radio or wireless. Marconi found that messages could be sent by the electric waves in the ether, without any conducting wires. This led to broadcasting, by which we can hear music and speeches from countries hundreds and even thousands of miles away. Electric light came into use in the 19th Century, and it is the most used form of lighting today. Then electric power was applied as a motive force to machinery; and electric trams, electric trains, and electrically driven machinery came into use. Electricity is used also for heating houses, for cooking, for refrigerating, and in many other useful ways. If the nineteenth century was the age of steam, the period in which we are now living is the age of electricity.

Dementia Sufferer Mental

Dementia Sufferer Mental Introduction Dementia is a loss of mental function in two or more areas such as language, memory, visual and spatial abilities, or judgment severe enough to interfere with daily life3. Dementia is not a disease itself, sufferers show a broader set of symptoms that accompany certain diseases or physical conditions3. Well known diseases that cause dementia include Alzheimer’s disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and multi-infarct dementia3. Dementia is an acquired and progressive problem that affects cognitive functions, behavior, thinking processes and the ability to carry out normal activities. Vision is one of the most important primary senses, therefore serious or complete sight loss has a major impact on a individuals ability to communicate effectively and function independently. Individuals who suffer from both dementia and serious vision loss will inevitably be subject to profound emotional, practical, psychological and financial problems. These factors will also influence others around the sufferer and will extend to family and the greater society. As we get older both dementia and visual problems inevitably become much more prevalent. Current demographic trends show the increase of the number of very old in our population. Therefore it is inevitable that dementia and serious sight loss either alone or together, will have important consequences for all of us3. The vast majority of people are aware that dementia affects the memory. However it is the impact it has on the ability to carry out daily tasks and problems with behavior that cause particular problems, and in severe cases can lead to institutionalization. In the primary stages of dementia, the patient can be helped by friends and family through ‘reminders’. As progression occurs the individual will loose the skills needed for everyday tasks and may eventually fail to recognize family members, a condition known as prospagnosia. The result of such progression is that the individual becomes totally dependent on others. Dementia not only affects the lives of the individual, but also the family9. Dementia can present itself in varying forms. The most common form of dementia in the old is Alzheimers disease, affecting millions of people. It is a degenerative condition that attacks the brain. Progression is gradual and at a variable rate. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease are impaired memory, thinking and changes in behaviour. Dementia with Lewy bodies and dementias linked to Parkinsons disease are responsible for around 10-20% of all dementias. Dementia with Lewy bodies is of particular interest as individuals with this condition not only present confusion and varying cognition, but also present symptoms of visual hallucinations9. Another common conditions that causes dementia is multi-infarct dementia, also known as vascular dementia. It is the second most common form on dementia after alzheimers disease in the elderly. Multi infarct dementia is caused by multiple strokes in the brain. These series of strokes can affect some intellectual abilities, impair motor skills an d also cause individuals to experience visual hallucinations. Individuals with multi infarct dementia are prone to risk factors for stroke, such as high BP, heart disease and diabetes. Multi infarct dementia cannot be treated, once nerve cells die they cannot be replaced. X3 In most cases the symptoms of dementia and serious sight loss develop independently. However some conditions can cause both visual and cognitive impairments, for example Down syndrome, Multiple sclerosis and diabetes. Dementia is most prevalent in the elderly, as is sight loss. Therefore it is inevitable that a number of people will present dementia together with serious sight loss. There have been many studies into the prevalence of dementia in the UK. An estimate for the prevalence of dementia in people over 75 years of age is 15% of the population9. The Alzheimer’s society suggest that 775,200 people in the UK suffer from dementia (figures taken 2001). The Alzheimer’s society also calculates that the prevalence of dementia in the 65-75 years age group is 1 in 50, for 70-80 years 1 in 20 and for over 80 years of age 1 in 5. Estimates suggest that by 2010 approximately 840,000 people will become dementia sufferers in the UK. Estimates suggest that around 40% of dementia sufferers are in residential institutions. One study from 1996 showed that dementia sufferers are 30 times more likely to live in an institution than people without dementia. At 65 years of age men are 3 times more likely than women to live in an institution and at 86 men and women are equally likely to be institutionalized10 Visual impairments are not associated general diagnostic features of dementia. However recent research has shown the change in visual function and visual processing may be relevant. Alzheimer’s disease patients often present problems with visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, stereo-acuity and color vision. These problems are believed to be more true of cognitive dysfunction rather than any specific problems in the eye or optic nerve9. Early diagnosis is essential to both dementia and sight loss patients, as drug treatments are becoming more and more available. Therefore maximizing the treatment and care for the individual. On the other hand early diagnosis of visual conditions is also essential, so that progression is slowed and treatment is commenced, therefore further progression is prevented if plausible9. The Mini-Mental State examination MMSE, is the most commonly used cognitive test for the diagnosis of dementia. It involves the patient to undertake tests of memory and cognition. It takes the form of a series of questions/answers and uses written, verbal and visual material. Poor vision or blindness is the most common cause of poor performance on this test other than dementia itself9. Research, development and investment in the future will help to contribute to improved care for dementia and sight loss sufferers. A better understanding of the daily lives and experiences of these people will give us a greater insight into the problems faced and will help to improve the quality of care available9. Alzheimer’s disease The aim of this paper is to provide information about current knowledge on the topic on visual function dementia. With regards to Alzheimer’s disease there will be an inclination to several main foci of research, namely anatomical/structural changes, functional visual changes, cognitive brain changes and other changes such as the effects of diagnostic drugs on Alzheimer’s disease patients. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia amongst older adults. The Alzheimer’s research trust estimates that 700,000 individuals in the UK currently are afflicted. This number will inevitably increase exponentially in the near future with the trend of an increasingly aging UK population. Therefore it must be of the utmost of importance worldwide to have an understanding all behavioral, anatomical and physiological aspects of this disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a degenerative disease that attacks the brain, it begins gradually and progresses at a variable rate. Common signs are impaired thinking, memory and behavior. Health professionals and care givers agree that the memory deficit is usually the initial sign of the disease. However researchers have long known that Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by impairments of several additional domains, including visual function11. However these findings have not yet appeared in the diagnostic guides consulted by healthcare professionals, for example the most recent addition of the Diagnostic Statistical manual of mental disorders states that few sensory signs occur in early Alzheimer’s disease2. Therefore we still have a limited understanding of the true extent to which visual impairments affects Alzheimer’s disease. The current web site of the Alzheimer’s association1 and National Institute of Aging4 make no mention of the topic of sensory changes in Alzheimer’s disease. It has even been said that patients with Alzheimer’s disease report visual problems to their healthcare professionals less frequently than do healthy elderly individuals5. Nevertheless visual function is impaired in Alzheimer’s disease6. In terms of cognitive changes, the neuropathology of this disorder affects several other brain areas which are dedicated to processing low level visual functions as well as higher level visual cognition and attention11. These neuropathological cognitive changes are more dominant however in the visual variant of Alzheimer’s disease known as posterior cortical atrophy, however visual problems are also present in the more common Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease begins when there are deposits of abnormal proteins outside nerve cells located in the brain in the form of amyloid. These are known as diffuse plaques, and the amyloid also forms the central part of further structured plaques known as senile or neurotic plaques3. Buildup of anomalous filaments of protein inside nerve cells in the brain can also take place. This protein accumulates as masses of filaments known as neurofibril tangles. Atrophy of the affected areas of the brain can also occur as well as the enlargement of the ventricles3. There is also a loss of the neuro transmitter Serotonin, Acetylcholine, Norepinephrine and Somatostatin. Attempts have been made to try to slow the development of the disease by replacing the neurotransmitters with cholinesterase inhibitors, such as donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (excelon), galantamine (Reminyl) and memantine (Namenda)3. These drugs work by increasing the levels of transmitters between cells, which otherw ise become lacking in Alzheimer’s disease. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence NICE conducted a review of these drugs in March 2005 and concluded that none of these drugs provided sufficient enough advantages to the patient in order to justify their cost. They recommended against the use of such drugs in the Nhs, though the Department of Health later overturned this ruling. Visual Changes in Alzheimer’s Patients Loss of vision is a key healthcare dilemma amongst the elderly. By the age of 65 approximately one in three people have a vision reducing eye disease. Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease patients and elderly patients, consequently have many visual conditions in common. Alzheimer’s disease impairs visual; function early in the course of the disease and functional losses correlate with cognitive losses. There are several common visual functional deficits that are frequently identified in Alzheimer’s disease. There is evidence for deficits in Motion perception32,33 contrast sensitivity31 colour discrimination of blue short wavelength hues34 and performance on backward masking tests31 In Alzheimer’s disease the secondary point of damage is usually the visual association cortex and other higher cortical areas as well as the primary visual cortex 35,36. Some of the main changes that occur in the eye with aging inlclude7: The crystalline lens increases in thickness, therefore decreasing its transparency and elasticity; therefore there is a tendency for cataracts to appear. The conjunctiva can become thicker and wrinkled, therefore is subject to deposits such as pinguecela. The iris can atrophy, therefore pupils become constricted and their response to light becomes sluggish. The eyes ability to dark/light adapt is affected. Refractive index of the cornea decreases and it becomes less transparent. Arcus senilis can appear. The ocular globe and eyelids can shrink leading to conditions such as entropian, ectropian and trichiasis. Also while the lachrymal production is reduced the puncta lachrymalis can become stenosed and provide less drainage which gives rise to chronic watering of the eyes Anterior chamber usually becomes more shallow and the sclera more rigid, increasing the prospects of glaucoma. These changes summed together not only diminish the quality of vision, but many of them also make the examination of the eye much more complicated. In conjunction with the general visual symptoms of aging, Alzheimer’s patients can also experience visual disturbances caused by the brain rather than the visual system alone. This means that they can have problems and difficulties perceiving what they see rather than how clearly they see it3. Difficulties are usually experienced in the areas mentioned earlier, namely depth, motion, color, and contrast sensitivity. Visual hallucinations are also a common problem with linked to loss of vision in Alzheimer’s disease patients38. Another common disorder linked to patients with Alzheimer’s disease is a variant of motion blindness. The patient can appear to be confused and lost; the individual will see the world as a series of still frames8. Visual changes in Alzheimer’s disease may also be dependent upon which brain hemisphere is more severely damaged; this factor can often be overlooked. An individual with Alzheimer’s disease could have damage to a greater extent on their left brain hemisphere from plaques and tangles. This would therefore cause subsequent retinal changes in only the left hemi-retinas of each eye i.e. the right visual fields. The right eye visual field would be affected in the temporal side (right) and the left eye visual field would be affected nasally (right)51. When only half the retina is impacted, smaller regions of the optic nerve and nerve fiber layer show losses. The left eye with affected temporal retina would show optic nerve damage in differing regions of the nerve than the right eye with nasal retinal damage.51 Alzheimers patients commonly show selective degeneration of large ganglion cell axons located in the optic nerves. This suggests that there would be impairment of broadband channel visual function. Conversely studies have shown that broadband visual capabilities are not selectively impaired in Alzheimer’s disease. The magnocellular and parvocellular neurons are greatly affected in Alzheimer’s patients, this has been proved by studies of the dorsal Lateral geniculate nucleus(LGN)3. The geniculostirate projection system is split both functionally and anatomically into two sections. They include the parvocellular layers of the Lateral geniculate body and also incorporates the magnocellular layers. These systems are mainly divided in the primary visual cortex and go through further segregation in the visual association cortex. They conclude in the temporal and paritetal lobes3. The parvocellular layers contain smaller, centrally located receptive fields that account for high spatial frequencies (acuity), they also respond well to color. On the other hand these cells do not respond well rapid motion or high flicker rates. The magnocellular cells have larger receptive fields and respond superiorly to motion and flicker. They are however comparatively insensitive to color differences, the magnocellular neurons generally show poor spatial resolution, although the seem to respond better at low luminance contrasts. To summarize the parvocellular system is superior at detecting small, slow moving, colored targets placed in the centre of the visual field. Meanwhile the magnocellular system has the ability to process rapidly moving and optically degraded stimuli across larger areas of the visual field3. The parvocellular system projects ventrally to the inferior temporal areas, which are involved in visual research, pattern recognition and visual object memory. The magnocellular system projects dorsally to the posterior parietal and superior temporal areas. These are specialized for motion information processing. The cerebral cortical areas to which the parvocelluar system projects receives virtually no vestibular afferents. Alternatively the cerebral areas to which the magnocelullar system projects receives significant vestibular and other sensory inputs. These are believed to be involved in maintaining spatial orientation. Research shows shows that the magnocellular system is more involved in Alzheimer’s disease3. Oddly, many individuals experience difficulties at low spatial frequencies instead of high frequencies as in old age. This suggests that areas controlling the low spatial frequency processing in the primary visual cortex would be affected more than those for higher frequencies processing39 After neuropathilogical studies in 1997 by Hof et al were carried out on brains with visual impairments they concluded that cortical atrophy dominated on the posterior parietal cortex and occipital lobe40 Glaucoma is also a neurodegenerative disease that has similar effects on the visual system. Lower spatial frequencies in the contrast sensitivity, deficits in the blue short wavelength color range as well as reductions in motion perception are all linked to glaucomatous patients16. When patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease also have glaucoma, the deterioration of vision related to glaucoma is much more rapid and progression is more aggressive than in people with glaucoma solely and not Alzheimer’s disease as well.19 Glaucoma is different from Alzheimer’s disease in that it affects the visual function at the early sites of neural activity, namely, the retinal ganglion cells. Glaucoma destroys the afferent axons at the nerve fiber layer in the retina. This loss of axons ultimately leads to added atrophy further up the visual pathway due to decreased neuronal input. Alternatively Alzheimer’s disease impacts the cells that are located terminally or intermediary in the visual pathway of the brain. The result is again reduced neuronal input due to loss of nerve fibre connections and atrophy along the visual pathway. When the two diseases exist in the same individual together it can be seen that there is likely to be a greater disruption to the visual system20, one key difference between the two diseases is that they affect the visual pathway at different points. Glaucoma is a degenerative disease starting at the beginning of the visual pathway, whereas Alzheimer’s disease is a deg enerative process starting relatively late in the visual pathway. When the two diseases coexist then the neuronal and functional losses of vision are cumulative. Optometric examination of dementia patients Dementia patients present special problems for optometrists. A standard eye test can be an audile to even the best of us. The patient is placed in an unfamiliar environment surrounded by unusual equipment, machinery and is subjected to probing questions about he medical history which will inevitably tax their already flawed memory. Dementia patients are most likely to be from the elderly. Therefore several difficulties are presented while conducting an ocular examination. The patient is required to maintain a position and has to maintain concentration throughout the testing procedures, which can be very difficult. Subjective examination requires responses from the patient, they are expected to remember and follow complex instructions given to them by the optometrist as well as make many precise discriminatory judgments in a short space of time. The multiple tasks required to be completed during the examination are often beyond dementia patients as they are limited by the disease. The refore it is common that patients with even a minor degree of dementia fail to provide valid answers, provide unpredictable responses to the subjective examination and retreat into an apathetic state3,9. During the visual examination of Alzheimer’s disease patients, several key visual problems can be detected. Moderate dementia patients will often experience problems such as topographic agnosia, alexia without agraphia, visual agnosia and prospagnosia3. Such patients often cannot describe individual components of photos and routinely fail to recognize family members. The degree to which such problems are experienced is consistent with the level of cytochrome oxidase deficits in the associated cortical area. In conjunction with these problems dementia patients often have problems with texture discrimination and blue violet discrimination3. During examination of the elderly dementia patients there are two contradictory requirements, firstly is ‘assurance’. The patient’s responses will be delayed and the patient may feel anxious in such an unfamiliar situation, therefore constant reassurance is required and they cannot be rushed. Alternatively time constraints are important, a dementia/elderly patient is likely to have a short attention span. Therefore the two factors above much be considered and balanced. The examination must be thorough yet carried out as quick as possible. Often when examining a dementia patient a family member of the carer must be present in order to aid the communication between optometrist and patient, for example difficulties are likely to occur when recording history and symptoms without a carer present. All factors need to be considered such as family history, medication, eye treatment and knowledge of any medical conditions and if so how long they have suffered from them. In terms of an external examination firstly, gross observations should be recorded for example does the patient have an abnormal head position or is there any lid tosis. Many external observations can also be detected with the aid of pupil reflexes. Upon carrying out the external examination the optometrist must be carful to explain exactly what each procedure will involve so as not to intimidate the patient. Internal examination Internal examination of an elderly patient often presents many problems. Older patients tend to have constricted pupils and often opacities in the media such as cataract. Patients with dementia also show poor fixation as well as lack of concentration. Pupil dilation is often used to aid external examination however many older patients can have a poor response to the insertion of mydriatic eye drops. There have been many studies into the affects of diagnostic mydriatic and miotic drugs. Many studies have shown excessive mydriatic pupil response to trompicamide (a pupil dilating drug) in patients with Alzheimer’s disease when compared to control individuals.))) on the other hand studies into the use of Miotic drops, particularly Pilocarpine have shown an increased response of pupil constriction in Alzheimer’s disease patients in comparison to normal control patients. These findings suggest a defect in pupillary innervation with Alzheimer’s disease individuals. Studies of post mortem individuals with exaggerated mydriatic pupil responses to Tropicamide found a definte disruption to the Edinger-Westphal nucleus. The Edinger-Westphal nucleus is one of the key structures of the brain involved in the autonomic nervous system, it mediates the sympathetic and para-sympathetic pupil responses. Research by Scinto et al found amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in all individuals tested with excessive mydriatic pupil responses. The conclusion was that the Edinger-Westphal nucleus is targeted early in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. In terms of intraocular pressures use of the goldman an Perkins tonometers will be limited for the elderly dementia patients, due to health an safety reasons. Sudden movements whilst carrying out pressure tests on such equipment may be dangerous. Therefore this can be overcome to a degree by the use of handheld instruments such as the pulseair. However even with the pulseair problems can still be faces with uncooperative patients. Objective examination With uncooperative and awkward patients objective refraction through retinosopy may be difficult. Factors such as opacified media, miotic pupils, and poor fixation will influence the accuracy of the refraction. The recent introduction of hand held optometers has contributed to somewhat overcoming such problems. Instruments such as thee Nikon Retinomax are excellent for obtaining an objective refraction of the elderly patient with miotic pupils and cloudy media. When presenting the Snellen chart to a patient, the quality of their response will inevitably depend upon the degree of their dementia. Depending on which stage of dementia they are suffering from, responses could range from routine reading of the chart to no response at all. The later presents the optometrist with greater problems; however a visual acuity can still be measured via other techniques. Treatment of Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer’s disease is often widespread and a prevalent problem, however it is often an untreated disorder. A reason for this impairment to be overlooked could be that visual function is typically only measured in terms of visual acuity in the majority of cases, which in Alzheimer’s patients is often normal. However, studies have shown that up to 60% of people with Alzheimer’s disease show deficits in on or multiple visual areas such as depth perception, motion perception, color discrimination or contrast sensitivity31, 32. Therefore detection and treatment of Alzheimer’s patients must include these other visual capacities and not only visual acuity tests. Deficits in depth perception have accurately been demonstrated in Alzheimer’s individuals33-37. Decline in this visual capacity is even seen at the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, independently of the other visual capacities36. Impaired depth perception will inevitably cause problems in performing everyday tasks33,36 eg walking, cleaning and stair climbing. Motion perception is also a common deficit seen in Alzheimer’s disease41-45. Studies have shown that individuals with Alzheimer’s take significantly longer to identify stationary objects that can be identified by motion cues41,43. A study by Rizzo et al42 found that 33% of Alzheimer’s patients had car accidents when put through a set of driving scenarios in a virtual simulator, compared to 0 accidents with non demented age match participants. The decreased ability of Alzheimer’s patients to accurately process visual motion cues was a significant factor in avoiding accidents. Contrast sensitivity can be defined as the smallest difference in intensity that a person can resolve between an object and its immediate surround. Most elderly patients are impaired at high spatial frequencies. However Alzheimer’s sufferers are impaired at low spatial frequencies as well46,47,48,49-51. Problems with contrast sensitivity will have a subsequent impact on how a person with Alzheimer’s disease perceives their environment, and will adversely affect their ability to perform many everyday tasks such as dressing, washing and eating to name but a few. Contrast sensitivity problems cannot be cured or overcome by means such as optical correction through spectacles, medication or surgery. However individuals can be helped by environmental modifications. We will now go on to discuss a handful of simple environmental modifications that can be made for dementia patients in order to increase their quality of life. Firstly there are several key simple principles relating to colour and light that should always be considered when modifying a living area for a dementia individual. Color Light Use sharply contrasting color between back ground and foreground. Always have even distribution of light within a room. Use solid colors rather than stripes or multi color patterns. Good to have as much natural light as possible. Do not use ‘like’ colors next to each other Minimise glare Task lighting when applicable Place light behind reading or television chair to enhance vision. In the bedroom the main point of concern is not to bump into objects and not to fall out of bed. Caregivers can also find it problematic to get the patient into their bedroom at the end of the day. Enhancing the contrast of objects in the bedroom will help patients to recognize areas of their room and intern make care givers jobs much easier during care. In order to draw the patient into a room in a common technique many institutions or caregivers use is to paint the furthest most wall in the bedroom in a contrasting color to the rest of the room, for example in a light colored room (magnolia) it would be advantageous to paint the far wall in a dark contrasting color such as brown. This will provide a depth cue for the patient and will encourage them to enter the bedroom. Once in the room dementia patients can often have problems locating the bed. Again this problem can be aided by a simple modification of using a bed spread that is of high contrast when compared to the surrounding w alls and floor of the room. This simple modification will draw the patient towards the bed and help prevent them from tripping or stumbling over the bed. Other simple tips can be to modify appliances within the bedroom such as telephones, clocks and radios with different colored buttons to encourage independence. The bathroom is another frequently used area within the household and there are many simple modifications that can be made within this area to aid the user. Firstly placing a fixed bath mat of the same color as the floor is a simple useful modification. The matt with low contrast to the floor will decrease any depth perception problems and will aid the user when getting in and out of the bath tub. Also a fixed mat can be placed inside the bath tub, however in this case the matt should be of a contrasting color to the tub. The reasoning behind this is that the contrasting bath mat will provide a excellent depth cue for the user who would other wise would be unsure to about how deep the floor of the bath tub is. The bathroom can be a hazardous place for a dementia individual as there are many risks within this room especially the risk of hot water. Therefore an extremely important modification in the bathroom is to ensure all taps have different colored knobs on the hot and cold compon ents. The colored taps will provide a color cue and help the user to distinguish between the two. The kitchen can be a dangerous place, especially for the elderly and dementia su