Friday, June 7, 2019
Essay on Tension Essay Example for Free
Essay on Tension EssayThe Turn of the Screw, which was written in the late nineteenth century, is acclaimed by critics for the build up of tension and the distrustful atmosphere that its author, Henry James, creates throughout the novella. James achieves this by exploiting several characters and features of the book. James manipulates the prologue of the novella by creating a mathematical group of listeners who argon in foretelling for the tarradiddle furthermore the character who narrates the story is not immediately able to retrieve the manuscript, this deliberate slow down of tempo, builds suspense preceding the tale and it prep ares the subscriber for a thrilling story. The setting of the novella is withal used to build atmosphere, a technique that James regularly employs is differentiate a moment of tranquil with one of danger. This produces a sharp difference and thus makes the scene of peril bring downm even more suspenseful. The ghosts of Quint and Jessel are per haps the largest contributors to the atmosphere and tension within the novel James uses both ghosts to create a threat to the children which causes tremendous tension and it is the central plot in the book.The children themselves are also manipulated by James to create atmosphere, their behaviour is continually reiterated as perfect and virtuous to such an extent that the reader is almost persuaded to come back that their is something not quite natural about them. James uses the prologue to introduce the story and also to create a suspenseful atmosphere about what is to follow. During the prologue there are a group of guests who James uses to create tension. These listeners evidently enjoy listening to stories, especially if they involve ghosts and horror. sufficiently hintless, no comment was uttered are phrases which are used to describe their attitude towards the stories, clearly conveying the interest and avidness that the guests and frame narrator have for the stories being t old. The listeners create an atmosphere of eagerness for the story which is very effective since James readers might also imitate this feeling. The character of Douglas plays a pivotal to the build up of tension in the prologue.Upon the first extension of his story, he plays on the emotions of the listeners by continually reiterating how horrifying and terrible the story that he has all of them waiting in anticipation for is. It is quite too horrible, zero at all that I know touches it Douglas is gradually building up the suspense before his story by mentioning how horrible it is, this feeling of impending misadventure that the other guests wait in buoyant expectancy for, before knowing the full details of the story adds to an atmosphere of suspense.The combined facts that the manuscript has to be dis appear for and further compounded by the knowledge that is locked away also contributes to the same effect, the prolonged wait for the manuscript adds to a feeling of avidness for t he story and also the fact that it is locked away has cryptive connotations which suggest that its contents are so terrible that it must be kept away from the world. By now it seems that Douglas appears to have his listeners spell-bound upon him and have necessity to listen to his story.The interjection, oh how delicious which was cried by one of the women present the term delicious possibly infers a feeling which is almost desperation for the story. in any case the way, in which the audience gives a unanimous groan, when the telling of the tale is delayed suggests that they long to hear the story. This deliberate slow down, builds up the tension to what the audience and reader are prepared for a gruelling tale. The gradual build up of suspense through the prologue preludes the main story, in order to exemplify an atmosphere of anticipation and dread of what is to follow.James now uses the setting of the novella to create tension. He allows us to see into the Governess mind and we , like her anticipate Bly to be a place of dread since she had expected something so melancholy. It is usual for one to expect that a large country estate which is the setting of a ghost story depart be isolated, old and gothic. James cleverly manipulates our assumptions to create an atmosphere of tension. Instead of the gothic building that we expect, we are introduced to something much more pleasant the Governess upon her arrival is move and delighted at what she sees what greeted me was a good surpriseI remember as a most pleasant impression. This peaceful setting lulls the reader into a false sense of security, however at the back of our minds is the idea from the prologue that the story will be horrifying which makes the reader suspicious of the circumstances surrounding the pastime events thus creating an atmosphere of tension. This same technique is used before the introduction of Peter Quint. In the pages preceding his apparition there is a vivid comment of an idyllic se tting such as the beauty and dignity of the place golden sky.James does this in order to produce a sharp severalise when the ghost appears, making the emergence of the ghost more of a shock and whence more terrifying for his audience. With the ghost of Peter Quint now steadfastly entrenched within the story, James uses him as a key contributor for creating an atmosphere of tension. James uses Miss Groses detestable presentation of Quint while he was alive in order to create tension. She describes him as Impudent and depraved, spoiled, these quotations give a negative impression of Quint and portray him as an antagonist.However perhaps worst of all he is also related by Grose as clever and deep, exemplifying him as calculating and sinister. Because of his negative introduction the reader is therefore continually persuaded to think of Quint as a dangerous to the children. Upon each appearance Quint is seen closer to the Governess and hence successively more threatening and horrifyi ng. to boot each time Quint appears he is closer to the children, leading us to suspect that his apparitions are with some sort of intention rather than random.As a result of our perception of him as somebody dangerous and also because he is getting closer and closer to the governess, the reader feels the suspense gradually building since we see him as a threat to both the Governess and the children. The first time she sees him he is distanced at the top of a tower although still narrating the scene as smitten with death suggesting dread, horror and fear. The second time there is only a window separating them and the governess by saying A nearness thatMade me catch my breath and turn cold, makes the point clear that it was the closeness that made it more fearsome. However on the third appearance which is described as the most formidable, they are beside to one another, it is this that made the experience so terrifying according to the governess, At such close quarters that gave th e whole horror. By making Quint continually more frightful James creates tension because the reader is constantly anticipating more horrifying encounters.
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Environment Pollution Essay Example for Free
Environment Pollution EssayAs you know, China is well cognise on its 5000 years history, and its also famous for producing poisonous food and the worst environment pollution. Living in a perplexing country, Chinese develop industry and handicraft industry, and making money as much as they can. Compare with environment pollution, Chinese business man more care close how much money they could make per day. There are millions of factories in China mainland. And thousands of factories are being built right now.Before factories were built, owner or originator unremarkably choose the factory location which nearby the river or lake. Locals usually drink and take pee from the river or lake. Some rivers even provide water to several cities. Usually, an industry factory could produce poisonous waste water 350 m? /h and exhaust gas or smog 14000m? /h. But for each one factory could treat poisonous waste water 30m? /h. that means over 300m? /h poisonous waste water cannot be treated and be dispatch into river or lake.In each factory, the equipment for exhaust treatment is required, but the most factories discharge exhaust treatment into air without treatment. Industry community usually is the lofty incidence area of cancer and oaf. Animals which are living nearby or living in the rivers and lakes, are bigger or with strange appearance. Farmers who are local, usually take water from river or lack for irrigation and raising livestock. Locals get disease on drinking poisonous water, eating poisonous food, and breathing in soberly polluted area.In China, living fitter become peoples dream and hope. Everybody hopes long live and having a healthy life. Over 70% Chinese are not covered by health insurance, and medical bill is going higher and higher, over 85% locals cannot handle it. populate usually tour at home and wait for death when they get disease. Living in polluted area make people more worry about their descendants. People start to move to foreign countr y for a better environment. Let descendants have a chance to live in a healthier living environment also become their goal.
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Differences between essentialism and perennialism
Differences between intrinsicism and perennialismPerennialists debate that the focus of education should be the ideas that have lasted over centuries. They believe the ideas be as relevant and meaningful today as when they were written. They recommend that students learn from reading and analyzing the works by historys finest thinkers and writers. Essentialists believe that when students study these works and ideas, they go out appreciate learning. Similar top perennialism, essentialism aims to develop students intellectual and honourable qualities. Perennialist schoolrooms are in like manner centered on teachers in order to accomplish these goals. The teachers are not concerned around the students interests or experiences. They use tried and true teaching methods and techniques that are believed to be about beneficial to disciplining students minds. The perennialist curriculum is universal and is based on their consume that all human macrocosms possess the same essential nature. Perennialists think it is important that individuals think deeply, analytically, flexibly, and imaginatively. They emphasize that students should not be taught development that may concisely be outdated or found to be incorrect. Perennialists disapprove of teachers requiring students to absorb massive amounts of disconnected information. They recommend that schools spend more time teaching about concepts and explaining they are meaningful to students.Perennial means everlasting, like a perennial flower that comes up year after year. Espousing the notion that some ideas have lasted over centuries and are as relevant today as when they were first conceived, Perennialism urges that these ideas should be the focus of education. According to Perennialists, when students are immersed in the study of those profound and enduring ideas, they impart appreciate learning for its take sake and become true intellectuals.For Perennialists, the aim of education is to ensure that studen ts acquire understandings about the great ideas of Western purification. These ideas have the authorisation for solving problems in any era. The focus is to teach ideas that are everlasting, to seek enduring truths which are constant, not changing, as the inwrought and human worlds at their most essential level, do not change. A Perennialist views nature, human nature, and the underlying principles of existence as constant. The principles of knowledge are enduring. Truth never changesTeaching these unchanging principles is critical. world are rational beings, and their minds indispensability to be developed. Thus, cultivation of the intellect is the highest priority in a worthwhile education. The demanding curriculum focuses on attaining cultural literacy, stressing students growth in enduring disciplines. The loftiest accomplishments of humankind are emphasized- the great works of literature and art, the laws or principles of science.The study of philosophy is thus a crucial p art of the Perennialist curriculum. Perennialists regard essentialism, and its view that knowledge stems primarily from the empirical musterings of scientists, as undermining the importance of our capacity to reason as individuals that is, to think deeply, analytically, flexibly, and imaginatively.Perennialists emphasize, though, that students should not be taught information that may soon be obsolete or found to be incorrect because of future scientific and technological findings.Perennialists criticize the vast amount of discrete factual information that educators traditionally have required students to absorb. Perennialists urge schools to spend more time teaching about concepts and explaining how these concepts are meaningful to students. Particularly at the high school and university levels, Perennialists sentence undue reliance on textbooks and lectures to communicate ideas. Perennialists suggest that a greater emphasis be placed on teacher-guided seminars, where students an d teachers engage in Socratic dialogues, or mutual inquiry sessions, to develop an enhanced understanding of historys most timeless concepts.In addition, Perennialists recommend that students learn directly from reading and analyzing the Great Books. These are the original works by historys finest thinkers and writers, which Perennialists believe are as profound, beautiful, and meaningful today as when they were written. Perennialists lament the change in universities over the centuries from places where students (and teachers) pursued truth for its own sake to mere glorified training grounds for the students careers.They believe that there is a common core of knowledge that needs to be transmitted to students in a systematic, disciplined way. The emphasis in this conservative perspective is on intellectual and moral standards that schools should teach. The core of the curriculum is essential knowledge and skills and academic rigor. culture should be practical, preparing students to become valuable members of society. It should focus on facts-the objective reality out thereand the basics, training students to read, write, speak, and compute clearly and logically. Schools should not try to set or influence policies.A Perennialist asks, What are the essential things a student must(prenominal) know? Within a Perennialist curriculum, activities are tied to the past and not to what is essential right now. The Perennialist values the past still he or she likes the back to basics movement inasmuch as the basics are the learnings of the great minds of the past.Students should be taught unexpressed work, respect for authority, and discipline. Teachers are to inspection and repair students keep their non-productive instincts in check, such as aggression or mindlessness.For the Perennialist, a great education is a study of the classics. A Perennialist teacher holds fast to a constant curriculum and holds fast to concrete materials that define what he or she testam ent teach (rather than assessing the class and meeting the students needs).A great proponent of Perennialism is Mortimer Adler, Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University. He wrote the Paidea Proposal. His basic tenant is that an individual learns best by studying the classics. The Paideia program seeks to evidence a course of study that is general, not specialized liberal, not vocational humanistic, not technical. Only in this way can it fulfill the meaning of the address paideia and humanities, which signify the general learning that should be in the possession of every human being.The child should be taught certain basic subjects that will acquaint him/her with the worlds permanencies English, languages, history, mathematics, natural sciences, the fine arts, and philosophy. The child should learn reading and writing, how to speak and how to listen. He is a social being and lives in a community of men. Thus he must use his reason his powers of rationality to communicate wi th other men. The three Rs ARE important.Perennialists hold that subject matter should be the center of the curriculum. They feel that greater educational opportunities have lowered standards in the schools. They are particularly critical of the progressives who have placed emphasis on the interests of the child and teaching through activity and freedom. gentility should introduce the pupil to the universal concerns of mankind thorough the study of the great works of literature, philosophy, history, and science. Such works represent mans finest insights into his own nature. The insights presented in these works are eternal. They do not change they are never dated. In this way, s/he learns truths that are more important than any s/he could find by dipping into this or that in the contemporary scene, or by pursing his own interests.Education requires hard work and effort. If the student is interested in the subject, well and good, but if not, s/he still must be required to do the tas ks. After all, the student does not know what s/he will need in the future. Motivation is fine, and if the teacher can provide it, well and good, but if not, the student must work at the task regardless.Discipline in the classroom is essential to learning. A noisy classroom is not a desirable place for learning to take place. Order is vital. Students cannot always think of the future. Consequently, teachers and parents must help students overcome their desire for immediate ends and direct them to future objectives. Self-discipline is fine, but most of the times it is insufficient. Adults therefore must give direction. The classroom is teacher-centered. The teacher as a professional is far more likely to know what her students will need to know in the future than do they. S/he is answerable for the education and intellectual growth of his/her students. Education requires the mastery of content, of subject matter.Education requires mental discipline. Study is hard work. Concentration and effort is required. Students must therefore being culturated in the process.EssentialismEducational essentialism is an educational philosophy whose adherents believe that children should learn the traditional basic subjects and that these should be learned thoroughly and rigorously. An essentialist program normally teaches children progressively, from less multiform skills to more complex.An Essentialist will usually teach some set subjects similar to Reading, Writing, Literature, Foreign Languages, History, Mathematics, Science, Art, and Music. The teachers role is to instill respect for authority, perseverance, duty, consideration, and practicality. Essentialism strives to teach students the accumulated knowledge of our civilization through core courses in the traditional academic disciplines. Essentialists aim to instill students with the essentials of academic knowledge, patriotism, and character development. This traditional approach is meant to train the mind, promote re asoning, and ensure a common culture.Essentialism tries to instill all students with the most essential or basic academic knowledge and skills and character development. Essentialists believe that teachers should try to embed traditional moral values and virtues such as respect for authority, perseverance, fidelity to duty, consideration for others, and practicality and intellectual knowledge that students need to become model citizens. The foundation of essentialist curriculum is based on traditional disciplines such as math, natural science, history, foreign language, and literature. Essentialists frown upon vocational courses. In the essentialist system, students are required to master a set body of information and basic techniques for their grade level before they are promoted to the next higher grade. The content gradually moves towards more complex skills and detailed knowledge. Essentialists argue that classrooms should be teacher-oriented. The teacher should serve as an inte llectual and moral role model for the students. The teachers or administrators decide what is most important for the students to learn with little regard to the student interests. The teachers also focus on achievement test scores as a means of evaluating progress. The essentialist classroom is centered on students being taught about the people, events, ideas, and institutions that have make American society. Essentialists hope that when students leave school, they will not only possess basic knowledge and skills, but they will also have disciplined, practical minds, dependent of applying lessons learned in school in the real world. Essentialism is different from what Dewey would like to see in the schools. Students in this system would sit in rows and be taught in masses. The students would learn passively by sitting in their desks and listening to the teacher. An example of essentialism would be lecture based introduction classes taught at universities. Students sit and take not es in a classroom which holds over one hundred students. They take introductory level courses in order to introduce them to the content. After they have completed this course, they will take the next level course and apply what they have learned previously. English 101 and English 102 are a specific example of essentialism.
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
COPD with Cognitive Status in an Elderly Sample
COPD with cognitive Status in an Elderly SampleCOPD with Cognitive Status in an Elderly Sample using the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination SurveyDean Sherzai, MD MAS PhD(c), Rachel Schade, Sonia Vega, Ayesha Z. Sherzai, MDAuthors Affiliations 1Department of clinical neurology and Neurological Sciences, Cedar Sinai Health System, Los Angeles, CA, USA 2Keck Science Department, Pitzer College, Claremont, CA, USA 3Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Loma Linda School of Public Health, Loma Linda, USA Department of Neurology, The Neurological Institute of New York, Columbia University checkup Center, New York, New York, USA.Keywords COPD, cognitive posture, delirium, agingAbstractPurpose Chronic obstructive pneumonic indisposition (COPD) has been associated with dementia and cognitive impairment. We attempted to assess the family betwixt COPD and cognitive impairment in a nationwide database, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES ter cet).Methods Data was analyzed from the NHANES III database, a nationally representative cross sectional observational study among older pornographics. The diagnosis of COPD was ground on calculation of FEV1/FVC ratio, with a cutoff of 0.7. The odds of having ugly cognitive status was assessed using logistic regression models between COPD and three cognitive tests ( immediate recall, delayed recall, and straight subtraction tests), adjusted for demographic variables and medical comorbidities.Results We set 17,181,182 individuals with a diagnosis of COPD. The mean age of was 71.5 0.19 years. In the crude model, there was a strong blood between those with COPD and poor cognitive test scores. This relationship was strengthened in the multivariate model adjusted for demographic variables and vascular comorbidities, such that those with COPD had a higher odds of having impaired immediate recall (OR 2.56, 95% CI 1.44- 4.53), delayed recall (OR 3.10, 95% CI 1.73- 5.52), and serial s ubtraction tests scores (OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.17- 6.40).Conclusions Individuals with COPD have a higher odds of having cognitive impairment in this large nationally representative database.IntroductionApproximately 35.6 million currently suffer from dementia worldwide, and this number is expected to double by 2030 and triple by 2050 1. In the last few years we have become more cognizant of the importance of identifying cognitive decline at the preliminary stages when it is more amenable to treatment. We have also become more knowledgeable ab step up possible comorbidities that may propagate the process of cognitive decline and last dementia.Causes of cognitive decline, and possible progression to dementia, are believed to be multifactorial. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive illness that affects more than 13.5 million good deal in the United States and has been associated with cognitive decline 2. To date, there are no definitive treatments for dementia t he readerore, much emphasis had been placed on the prevention of dementia, and identification of modifiable attempt factors early in the disease process. Multiple studies have reported the draw between COPD and either global cognitive deficits with the most difficult deficiencies in specific cognitive domains such as perception, motor function or memory 3. Despite the current body of evidence, the majority of studies are based on a single region, and there are a few studies that utilise a nationally representative data (Health and Retirement Study). Given that rules of order is facing an increase in the rate of chronic diseases of aging 4, and the lack of large scale investigation on the relationship between COPD and diminished cognitive status, we analyzed this nationwide database, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), to better elucidate this relationship.Materials and MethodsNHANES III is a cross sectional wellness flock conducted by the Nation al Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), performed from 1988 to 1994 in persons aged two months and older in the United States. NHANES has a multistage, probability sampling design used to select participants representative of the civilian, non-institutionalized US population. Our study population consisted of 39,488,973 adults 60 to 89 years. Of these, participants were included if they had measurements for spirometry and the cognitive tests. Based on The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (GOLD) standards, cases of COPD were defined based on the patients ratio of forced expiratory volume (FEV1) to the forced vital capacity (FVC). Patients with a ratio of slight than 0.7 were classified with COPD. Our control group, patients with unwrap COPD, was classified by a ratio greater than 0.7. For the older population, NHANES-III measures cognitive status with three cognitive tests an immediate and delayed logical communicatory memory test from the East Boston Mem ory Test, a three word registration/memory task (apple, evade and penny) and five serial subtractions by intervals of three. A point was awarded for every correct answer from the three word memory task and the logical verbal memory test. For immediate memory, using a summary score of logical memory (0-6 points) plus three word task (0-3 points), we considered less than 5 out of 9 points to be impaired (low), such that individuals with 0-4 were score low, and those scoring 5-9 were scored high. For delayed memory, a summary score of less than 4 out of 9 points was considered impaired (low). Both summary scores are consistent with previous NHANES-III reports. For the test of serial subtractions, any miscalculation during the five trials was considered impaired, and only a perfect score was considered high.The reported race and ethnicity includes non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, Mexican-Americans and other. Smoking was defined by a yes response to the following two questions Have you smoke at least 100 cigarettes during your entire life and Do you smoke cigarettes now. These questions can be found on the NHANES III household adult questionnaire. Education was stratified in three categories 12 (some college and beyond).We performed an X2 and t-test analysis to compare demographic characteristics between patients with COPD and patients without COPD. To assess the association between COPD and a low cognitive test score (with high score as reference) crude and adjusted logistic regression analysis were performed. Adjusted potential confounders were age, race-ethnicity, sex, BMI, education status and smoking. confiscate NHANES-III weighted sampling was applied during this analysis. All data analyses were conducted using SAS (v 9.3 SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC).ResultsTable 1 presents the demographics of the population. There were 17,181,182 individuals with COPD 50.1% were females, 49.9% males and 85.9% were non-Hispanic White. The mean age for patients w ith COPD was 71.50.19. In both groups, patients had less than a high school education, were non-smokers and had both hospital and medical coverage. Majority of individuals with COPD scored low on each cognitive test as compared to those without COPD (Table 1). Coronary arterial blood vessel disease was the most prevalent comorbidity in patients with COPD (31.9%) and in patients without COPD (30.4%).In the unadjusted model, participants with COPD had increased odds of impaired scores on each of the three cognitive tests the immediate recall (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.81- 2.62), delayed recall (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.87- 2.70) and serial subtraction test (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.10-1.90).We then examined the association between COPD and the cognitive tests, initially adjusted by age and race, which diminished the relationship slightly for all three tests, but the relationship was rendered insignificant for the serial subtraction test (OR 1.29, 95% CI 0.95-1.69) (Table 2). Then, we adjusted for age, sex, height, body mass index and education, which did non change the relationship significantly. In the third model, further enrollment for race, poverty income ratio, and medical coverage did non appreciably change the relationship. In the last model, we to boot adjusted for vascular risk factors such as smoking, stroke, hypertension, CHF, diabetes and coronary artery disease. This increased the odds for poor scores for all three tests immediate recall (OR 2.56, 95% CI 1.44- 4.53), delayed recall test (OR 3.10, 95% CI 1.73- 5.52), and serial subtraction (OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.17- 6.40).DiscussionWe were able to identify a strong association between COPD and diminished cognitive status across three common cognitive tests. Individuals with COPD had significantly greater odds of impaired verbal memory, and this relationship remained robust after adjusting for potential sociodemographic and vascular risk factors. The relationship between COPD and the serial subtraction test scores was rende red significant after it was adjusted for vascular risk factors. Despite evidence in the existing literature showing an association between race with cognitive status 10, race was not a factor in the relationship between COPD and cognitive status.Our results are consistent with a growing body of evidence that has revealed a strong association between COPD and poor cognitive function. In unmatchable of the largest epidemiologic studies, The Health and Retirement Study (n=4,150), patients with severe and non-severe COPD had significantly turn down cognitive test scores compared to healthy controls. In adjusted models, only patients with severe COPD had the lower scores on the cognitive tests 5. advancemore, a dose-response relationship between COPD severity and cognitive dysfunction was previously established, with more severe COPD cases performing worse on the cognitive tests 6. Notably, a 2013 study manifest significantly reduced memory tests scores on the Mini Mental State Ex am (MMSE) among patients with COPD but without hypoxemia 7. Further evidentiary support for global cognitive impairment in patients with COPD was also shown in a study that observed significant differences in executive functioning, work memory, episodic memory, processing speed, and visuospatial ability 8. Recently, several COPD studies have combined cognitive testing with neuro tomography, which have revealed significant white matter pathology in this population, with varying degrees of cognitive impairment 8,9,10,11.The mechanism by which COPD causes cognitive decline is not very clear. COPD results in hypoxemia and hypercapnia, which has been implicated in diminished cognitive status 3,5. Recent imaging studies have pointed to possible microvascular damage 3, and other studies have implicated chronic inflammatory process causing cognitive decline 12. Yet others believe that the hypoxic process may cause direct neuronal damage, glial activation and the generation of free radicals which could affect cognitive functioning 13. Given the prevalence of both COPD and cognitive decline in the elderly population and a probable causal relationship, it is important to further investigate the mechanism underlying the relationship.LimitationsAs all studies, this one has many limitations that need to be visited. One of the limitations unique to our study was that majority of the individuals in our elderly NHANES population had less than high school education. Given that educations has repeatedly been found to be strongly correlated with resilient cognitive function as well as less susceptible to neurodegeneration, our results could have been confounded by the lower mean education level in our population14-18. Another limitation lies with the cognitive testing used by NHANES. Only three cognitive tests were utilized, which does not provide a comprehensive assessment of cognitive function. In addition, the cognitive tests used most likely overlap in the cognitive function they measure, not allowing for specificity. However, the cognitive variables have been validated as a good tool for testing memory 19. Furthermore, the cross-sectional nature of this paper does not allow us to make a causal link. In addition, the restricted scope of lifelong socioeconomic status is a limitation, which is strongly associated with both cognitive impairment and COPD. However, it has been demonstrated that individuals with poor socioeconomic status may have a higher risk of developing COPD and lower cognitive reserve 20,21. The strengths of this study are its large, different representative sample, that provided extensive medical history and allowed for control of confounding variables, as well as the objective measure of cognitive impairment and COPD. Also, the spirometry data from NHANES III allowed for more accurate diagnosis of COPD.ConclusionWe were able to demonstrate a strong relationship between COPD and diminished cognitive status. We were not able to demonst rate any effect of gender, race, as well as sociodemographic or vascular risk factors on this relationship between COPD and cognitive status. The independent relationship between COPD and cognitive status may provide us an important clue into the pathophysiology of dementia, which needs to be further explored.Declaration of InterestReferencesPrince M, Bryce R, Albanese E, et al. The global prevalence of dementia a systematic review and meta-analysis. Alzheimers Dementia 20139(1)63-75.Ford ES, Croft JB, Mannino DM, et al. COPD Surveillance- United States, 1999-2011 COPD Surveillance. Chest 2013144(1)284-305.Dodd JW, Getov SV, Jones PW. Cognitive function in COPD. Eur Resp J 201035(4)913-922.Dall TM, Gallo PD, Chakrabarti R, et al. An Aging Population And Growing Disease Burden Will Require A Large And Specialized Health Care Workforce By 2025. Health Aff 201332(11)2013-2020.Rusanen M, Ngandu T, Laatikainen T, et al. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma and the risk of mi ld cognitive impairment and dementia a population based CAIDE study. Curr Alzheimer Res 201310(5)549-555.Li J, Huang Y, Fei GH. The evaluation of cognitive impairment and applicable factors in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Respiration International Review of Thoracic Diseases 201385(2)98-105.Gupta PP, Sood S, Atreja A, Agarwal D. A comparison of cognitive functions in non-hypoxemic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and age-matched healthy volunteers using mini-mental state examination questionnaire and event-related potential, P300 analysis. Lung India official organ of Indian Chest Society 201330(1)5-11.Dodd J, Van Den Broek M, Jones P, Charlton R. S92 cognitive function intellectual white matter tract microstructure in COPD. Thorax 201166(Suppl 4)A43-A44.Charlton RA, Dodd JW, van den Broek M, et al. Can brain MRI explain cognitive decline in COPD? A pilot study. Eur Resp J 201038(Suppl 55)29-36.Chung A, van den Broek MD, Charlton RA, et al. Cognitive Function And Cerebral Functional Connectivity In COPD A Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance tomography Study. Age 201265(68)20-27.Dodd JW, Chung AW, van den Broek MD, et al. Brain structure and function in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease a multimodal cranial magnetic ringing imaging study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2012186(3)240-245.Borson S, Scanlan J, Friedman S, et al. Modeling the impact of COPD on the brain. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis 20083(3)429-434.Singh B, Mielke MM, Parsaik AK, et al. A Prospective Study of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and the Risk for Mild Cognitive Impairment. JAMA Neurol 201471(5)581-588.Schmand B, Smit J, Lindeboom J, et al. Low education is a genuine risk factor for accelerated memory decline and dementia. J Clin Epidemiol 199750(9)1025-1033.Stern, Y. Cognitive reserve and Alzheimer disease. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord 200620(2),112-117.Ngandu T, von Strauss E, Helkala EL, et al. Education and dementia What l ies behind the association? Neurology 200769(14)1442-1450.Scarmeas, N, Stern, Y. Cognitive reserve and lifestyle. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 200325(5)625-633.McDowell I, Xi G, Lindsay J, et al. Mapping the connections between education and dementia. Journal of clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology 200729(2)127-141.Albert M, Smith LA, Scherr PA, et al. Use of brief cognitive tests to identify individuals in the community with clinically diagnosed Alzheimers disease. Int J Neurosci. 199157167-178.Eisner, MD, Blanc, PD, Omachi, TA, et al. Socioeconomic status, race and COPD health outcomes. J Epidemiol Community Health 201165(1)26-34.Stern, Y, Tang, M X, Denaro, J, et al. Increased risk of mortality in Alzheimers disease patients with more advanced educational and occupational attainment. Ann Neurol 199537(5)590-595.Table 1. service line characteristics by COPD status in the NHANES III population* p values derived from t test comparison of means of COPD by population characteristicsS D = Standard varianceTable 2 Crude and adjusted odds ratio for COPD and cognitive tests among 17,134,886 individuals in the NHANES III populationOR = odds ratio, CI = confidence interval, ref = referenceModel 1 adjusted for age and raceModel 2 adjusted for age, sex, height, BMI and educationModel 3 Model 2 additionally controlled for poverty income ratio, race, and medical coverageModel 4 Model 3 additionally adjusted for stroke, coronary heart disease, hypertension, congestive heart failure, diabetes.1
Monday, June 3, 2019
Remuneration Strategies and Employee Turnover
Remuneration Strategies and Employee TurnoverCOMPARATIVE STUDY ON THE REMUNERATION STRATEGIES AND EMPLOYEE TURNOVER BETWEEN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS A SURVEY OF PUBLIC AND PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN NAIROBI COUNTYBackground of the watchPublic sector function accounts for a significant portion of wage employment in developing countries (Mizala, et al.,2011 Ramoni-Perazzi and Bellante, 2007). The ability to attract and retain highly skilled personnel is a major challenge in increasing government potentiality to produce and implement good policies, including wage determination policy. In employment, a major debate revolves around familiar-private sector wage differentials that be significant for attracting and retaining talent. charter determination processes within the two sectors argon distinct and (have the potential to) give rise to differentials in pay rewards between comparable worker categories (Hyder and Reilly, 2005 Skyt Nielsen and Rosholm, 2001 Van der Gaag and Vi jverberg, 1988). plot of land surveys from developed countries show that humanity sector wages are on average high than those in the private sector, evidence from developing countries is often special or entirely lacking.The customary perception is that employees in the private sector, particularly the highly skilled ones, earn much higher salaries than their unrestricted sector counterparts. The fountain tend to negotiate for higher salaries whenever they move from the public to the private sector. These perceptions do not, however, take into consideration the fact that although salaries in the public sector may be lower, the total compensation package may allow transactional and relational returns, which are not available in the private sector. The higher packages to private or public sector workers are likely to introduce wage distortions and disparities in public-private sector wage employment, while leading to low morale and output in the modify sector.Statement of the problemA recent survey by KIPPRA (2013) indicated that the general public sector pays slightly higher than the private sector when comparing base salary and allowances. However, the private sector pays a higher basic salary. Further, there is a large vertical wage inequality in both the public and private sector between the lowest and highest cadres. These wage differentials have caused a distortion in the wage economy, defying the principles of wage determination. The report indicates that education and experience are no longer major considerations in wage determination. Moreover, the current employment policy seems inadequate in addressing issues around wage differentials within the public sector and between public and private sectors. The report further reveals that there is a positive correlation between wage differential and the cost of labour, as the higher the wage differential the greater the likelihood for agitation for higher wages. The report also shows that basic salar ies alone are not a sufficient inducing for retaining employees. Incentives and allowances play a significant role in ensuring employee retention within the public sector. Non-monetary incentives such as working environment, challenging assignments, job security and compromising working hours have contributed to high employee motivation. In addition, motivation is upped due to the wide range of allowances available to the employee in the public sector. In most cases, the proportion of allowances accounts for at least 50% of the total take home pay crossways the public serveDue to lack of an explicit Kenyan policy on wage determination, distortions exist between employees bearing similar qualifications, experience and levels of competence. According to work done by the Institute of Economic Affairs (2006), there are substantial differences in the remuneration of individual public sector workers across different departments and institutions. A comparison of wages in the public secto r across the central government, the Judiciary, Parliament, Local Authorities, Disciplined Forces, and State Corporations shows that the basic pay in central government is substantially lower for the same educational qualifications, experience and ability. urther, the study notes that there are discrepancies across the operational pay scales.Despite the overall implications of wage differentials, limited studies have been undertaken in the recent past to establish whether the remunerations strategies differ between public and private in Kenya, the nature and size of their distorttionary effects, and how their influence employee employee turnover level .Specific objectivesTo explore various remuneration strategies employed in both private and public institutionsTo establish the turnover rate in both private and public institutionsTo determine the effect of remuneration strategies on turnover rate in both private and public institutionsTo establish the effect of employees remunera tion satisfaction level on turnover rateTo determine theReasons For and logical implication of the StudyThe performance of the public sector workers in Kenya has been a major concern to the Kenyan people. It has been characterized by low work performance and poor servicing delivery. The problem indicators include absenteeism from work, lateness, corruption, theft, a high rate of complaints, low quality work output and high turn-over of professional ply. There is need therefore to undertake research aimed at developing renumeration strategies for motivating the public sector workers in Kenya. The main objective of this research study allow be to develop strategies for enhancing rung retention in order to improve the work performance of the public sector workers. Opiyo (2004, p. 18) observes that the public service wage bill is 9.6 per cent of the GDP. He states that every further increase in the wage bill could lead to negative economic consequences, such as the rise in inflatio n rates and general increase in price levels of goods and services. The government therefore is not in a position to spend more money in salary increases to upraise motivation. This is because at the moment the government has no resources to offer salary increase and any further increases (as indicated above) go out cause negative economic impact. Therefore, a strategy that will assist in enhancing motivation of employees in the public sector without spending more resources becomes even more appealing.MethodologiesStudy AreaThe research will be carried out in Nairobi. As the capital city of KenyaResearch designThis study will adopt a comparative research design. A comparative study will enable the researcher to assess the difference that exists on remuneration strategies between in private universities and those used in public universities to gain competitive advantage (Orodho, 2003).Target PopulationThe main target unit for analysis of the study will be both teaching and non-tea ching cater and human resources top management officials of the selected universities. The non-teaching staff and other staff will serve as key informants to provide more information in see to it to the remunerations strategies employed in their institutions to retain employeesSampling Design and ProcedureThe study will employ stratified, simple and purposive sampling technique to select a private university and a public university and teaching and non teaching staff respectively.Data Types and SourcesThis research study will be conducted using two sources of data pristine and secondary dataPrimary DataPrimary data will be collected by conducting interviews with the senior administrative staff and HR staff respectively. On the other hand, questionnaires will be issued to the non-teaching and teaching staff .Secondary DataSecondary data will be gathered from a bod of sources including analysis of case studies, reviewing websites, books, journals, and brochures of universitiesData Collection InstrumentsThe researcher will use questionnaires and interviews as the main instruments for collecting data.Validity and ReliabilityValidity and ReliabilityIt will be done through piloting of instruments to improve their efficiency in data collection. The researcher will issue 30 questionnaires to a university other than the ones selected for the study. Reliability, which entails the truth and precision of the measurement procedure, will be carried out using the cronbachs alpha test, whereby a coefficient of 0.7 will indicate dependableness of the questionnaire. Cronbachs alpha is widely believed to indirectly indicate the degree to which a set of items measures a single uni-dimensional latent construct. Cronbachs alpha generally increases as the inter-correlations among test items increase, and is thus known as aninternal consistencyestimate of reliability of test scores. Because inter-correlations among test items are maximized when all items measure the same constr uct, that is, the higher the coefficients, the better the measuring instrument (Zinbarg et al., 2005).Data AnalysisThe data that will be collected will be analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of statistical package of social sciences (SPSS) and Microsoft Excel package too. Descriptive statistics include frequencies, percentages, pie charts and graphs, which will enable the researcher to meaningfully describe distribution of measurements using a few indices or statistics. Inferential statistics will be important in determining the nature and magnitude of the relationship between the marketing strategies used in public university and private university for competitive advantage. The researcher will calculate a co-relation co-efficient (r) using pearsons corelation co-efficient method, whereby a coefficient of more than +1 will indicate a positive relationship between marketing strategies and competitive advantage.A coefficient (r) of 0 will indicate no r elationship, and a coefficient (r ) of -1 will indicate negative relationship between the variables being tested.
Sunday, June 2, 2019
Not Just For Kicks: Expressing Difficult Content Using Comics Essay
A common description of comic books comes from their appearance in cartoons and comic strips, where a teacher catches a child reading a comic book tucked between the pages of their schoolwork. Prevailing attitudes formed off of this kind of perception render the idea of the comic form as a diversion, lacking serious content, and perhaps immature. However, the comic form uses many techniques to explore subject matter that is rugged to deal with in traditional educational ways. This study will look to examine how immersion and symbolism within the comic form spate be an effective tool to reproduce these otherwise difficult situations, concepts, and ideas by using examples of texts from our class that make excellent use of these techniques, in particular Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, The photographer, and Bound by Law.The graphic novel is grounded in stereotypes that misrepresent their true expressive power, and the deconstruction of those stereotypes is the first step in acc essing concepts that are misconstrued and difficult. As Scott McCloud states in Understanding Comics Sure, I realized that comic books were usually crude, naughtily drawn...but they dont have to be (McCloud 3), something we have witnessed through the sophistication of our texts this semester. By investigating how the comic form interacts with the reader, we buttocks find many benefits that often position comics as an optimal vehicle for delivering informative and educational content where other mediums only barely suffice. However, separating the medium of comics from the content widely associated with them is a difficult task, and one that can only be changed by effective content delivered with effective comic technique. The main benefits of the graphic novel and... ...red towards delinquent children. While difficult material can be expressed in other methods than comics, these examples prove that with proper use of techniques and an awareness of the content itself, comics can p rovide a much deeper and enriching experience than barely text or visual representation alone. Works CitedMcCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics The Invisible Art. New York William Morrow Paperbacks/HarperCollins, 1994. Print. Miyazaki, Hayao. Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind. Volume 1. San Francisco, CA Viz Communications, Inc., 1995.2nd Ed. 2004. First published by Nibariki/Tokuma Shoten, Japan, 1994. Print. Guibert, Emmanuel, et al. The Photographer Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors without Borders. New York and London First Second, 2009. Print.Aoki, Keith, James Boyle, Jennifer Jenkins. Bound by Law. Duke Law School. 2006. Print.
Saturday, June 1, 2019
Should The Harris Superquarry Go Ahead? :: essays research papers
Should The Harris Superquarry Go Ahead?TABLE OF FIGURESFIGURE 1 LOCATION OF THE SUPERQUARRY31 SUMMARYThere is considerable environmental opposition to the development of the Harrissuperquarry. This is unlikely to stop the development on its own, but if theScottish Office decides that the project brush off go ahead environmentalrestrictions are likely to be imposed on the operation to minimise, as far aspossible, the impact. The reasons for the development centre rotund the needfor economic development to bring jobs and prosperity to this remote area. Thelife of the quarry is expected to be around 60 years and provide an sign 30jobs, rising to 80 as the quarry reaches peak production. The question is ifa superquarry is the best solution to the problems of a remote rural area.What entrust pass when the jobs come to an end and would another form ofinvestment not be more appropriate to their needs? Would the presence of aquarry restrict the pickax for further development? Could an integratedapproach be adopted and a 2nd generation quarry planned? The decision ofwhether or not to go ahead cannot be delayed indefinitely as Norway and Spainare looking at developing their own. If it is to go ahead then an early startwill give Harris a stronger position in the market.2 INTRODUCTIONThis report examines the controversy and key issues surrounding the superquarryat Rodel, Lingerbay on the southern coast of the islet of Harris (Figure 1) andattempts to find an acceptable solution. The quarry will hollow out the heartof the mountain but leave enough of a shell to leave the horizon largelyunaffected. The whole question of whether or not it should go ahead or not isthe subject of the current public enquiry in Stornaway. A decision must bemade soon. The market for aggregates is limited, Norway and Spain (Section 3.1,1991) have their own sites and are also looking at the potential for developingthem.FIGURE 1 LOCATION OF THE SUPERQUARRY(Glasgow Herald, 20/10/94)3 THE ISSUE S SURROUNDING THE DEBATE3.1 History1927A detailed geological survey identified the deposit of anorthosite.1965Planning license was given in principle to quarry the rock. Theremit covered a larger site than is planned today.1966Some small scale quarrying took can but found an on site rock crushingplant and a deep harbour were necessary for economic viability.74-76Outline planning allowance was given for quarrying, shipping andloading facilities but this was never acted on.1977The Scottish Office issued National Planning Guidelines. Harris wasidentified as one of 9 potential sites. (The Scotsman 18/7/93)
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