Tuesday, December 31, 2019

The Damaging Effect Of Sports On Women - 924 Words

The Damaging Effect of Sports on Women When it comes to the topic of sports, many people would assert that sports are a tool that can be used to bring people together. However, in her essay, â€Å"We Don’t Like Football, Do We?† Mariah Burton Nelson argues that sports have created a platform where men can be brought together to diminish the ideas and worth of women. Nelson argues that with the idea that men are meant to play sports that require more strength and force, women are beginning to increasingly suffer the consequences of this idea. Nelson asserts that if men and women do not work to change the ideas of women that sports are creating, the damage done to women due to these ideas will not stop. Nelson claims that women are taught from a young age that they are not meant to like sports. In order to enforce this claim, Nelson uses the rhetorical strategy of narrative. In this narrative, Nelson tells the story of her young niece asking her mother, who was making din ner in the kitchen, if women are supposed to like football after seeing her father and brother watching the game together (3). Due to this narrative, Nelson is able to demonstrate that even within a family, there is the idea that men are supposed to watch sports while the women perform other tasks. Furthermore, by Nelson saying that her niece’s father did not acknowledge her when she walked past him watching the football game, Nelson demonstrates the people do not think twice about this idea (3). Nelson thenShow MoreRelatedAn Investigation Into the Media Representation of Gender in Sport1303 Words   |  6 PagesAn investigation into the media representation of gender in sport. There have been many studies and investigations into the different types and intensity of the media coverage in sport involving both sexes. This investigation will look at previous studies and reports carried out by researchers to discover why different genders receive different media attention in sport, and to see whether this has an adverse effect on other issues such as participation. It is a clear fact that menRead MoreMedia s Influence On The Media Essay1587 Words   |  7 Pagesthose who partake of the media they produce. Entertainment media can be uplifting and enjoyable, however, media normalizes damaging gender norms for men and women. Gender norms are rules believed to govern how the different sexes should look and act. People develop these behaviors by observing the world around them specifically the media. The media shapes how men and women develop standard gender norms. â€Å"In a climate of 24-hour media cycle and the proliferation of infotainment and reality televisionRead MoreEssay about Steroids545 Words   |  3 Pagesmedical purposes. Theyre used in controlling inflammation, strengthening weakened hearts, preventing conception, and alleviating symptoms of arthritis and asthma. Unfortunately research has shown that steroids have been abused in almost every kind of sport. Although steroids contribute to a muscular body, usage should remain illegal because they physically deteriorate and mentally destroy the body. Many people are fascinated about steroids because of their ability to build up the body. Whether takenRead MoreThe Media And Its Portrayal Of Athletes1573 Words   |  7 Pagesdifferences in men and women athletes body perception in the media. To get their results they used multiple questionnaires that revolved around questions dealing with body shame, self-objectification and their appearance goal. Their conclusion said grade level and ethnicity do not play a significant role in the effects of the media on body perceptions† (Riebock Bae, 2013). However, what does play a role is gender. Women are in the media more for their looks than men are. Women athletes are put toRead MoreEssay on Child Development1286 Words   |  6 PagesOur sex saturated media is also generating conflict in young girls’ development. The portrayal of women as sexual objects is discussed in the article â€Å"The sexualization of Girls is Harmful† by Olivia Ferguson and Hayley Mitchell H augen. The article cites statistics of â€Å"prime-time television shows popular among children† remarking that â€Å"12% of sexual comments involved sexual objectification toward women† and â€Å"23% of sexual behaviors involved leering, ogling or catcalling at female characters†.(par 6)Read MoreAthletes And Professional Sports Athletes914 Words   |  4 PagesMany professional sports athletes historically took steroids to enhance greatly their overall performance, to furnish them with a reasonable edge against their opposing team. Most of the trained athletes who took or are trying anabolic steroids, do not grasp the additional complications they are taking mentally and physically with on themselves. In that respect there comes consequences with taking steroids, particularly with getting caught, these matters can be a problem for the sports athletes trustworthinessRead MoreThe Eating Disorder And Anorexia Nervosa1555 Words   |  7 Pagesinterconnected facto rs of life. Characterized by strict dieting, an unrealistic perception of body image, excessive exercise, depression, and OCD, this disorder has the ability to boycott the lives of many individuals (Pinel, 2014). In order to understand the effects that this disorder has, it is essential to look at the socio-cultural, psychological, and physiological factors this disorder can entail. In addition, gender discrepancy is evident in relation to anorexia nervosa, with females presenting anorexiaRead MoreBeauty Pageants : A Little Girl s Psyche987 Words   |  4 Pages2007 study conducted by the American Psychological Association found a link between the seemingly fun and harmless beauty pageants and the development of low self-esteem, eating disorders, and depression. In addition to being mentally damaging, pageants are also damaging to the wallets of parents. Families may spend thousands of dollars on artificial tanner, teeth whitening treatments and glitzy pageant attire. Beauty pagean ts send out a wrong, toxic message to young minds. â€Å"Pageant girls are taughtRead MoreAnabolic Drug Use Among Athletes1668 Words   |  7 PagesAthletes that use this drug typically take it with testosterone to help side effects such as a loss of sex drive, depression, and moodiness. The Sixth steroid is called Oxymetholone, also known as Anadrol. This drug comes in a tablet form. Anadrol improves red blood cell production and increases the amount of hemoglobin that helps to treat anemia. Although the FDA approves Anadrol, this drug still has serious side effects. These include breast cancer in males and females and reabsorption of the boneRead MoreStress topic outline1033 Words   |  5 PagesStress and Coping written in by Dr.Yochi Cohen-Charash, a Professor at Baruch College. Distress can be caused by too much negative stress. d. Side effects of too much negative stress include. Headache, stomach ache, diarrhea, irregular periods in women, irritability, over and under eating, and depression. Transition: However the effects of stress can be different for each gender. 2. Gender is a big factor on how stress affects someone. 1. According to the book Gender Stress

Monday, December 23, 2019

Fast Food Restaurants For The Obesity Epidemic - 1663 Words

Fast-food restaurants are very cheap and convenient way to get a quick meal and also in quick, convenient areas. Whether someone is in a hurry or just need something to eat, pulling through a drive through is very simple and a way to get food almost instantly. Obesity is a significant issue in the United States and having America plastered in fast-food chain restaurants does not help the fact, but we can not put them to blame. People need education on nutrition to learn what they need to eat and what they can enjoy in moderation. We also need many more healthy options in busy areas that also offer quick and simple meals at a reasonable price that give people the option to get a wholesome, nutritious meal. Many people want to blame fast†¦show more content†¦Another study done showed results that with a fast-food restaurant within a quarter mile of a school, resulted in a 5.2 percent increase in the incidence of obesity at that school and implied an increased caloric intake of around 30 to 100 calories per day. Another study done on pregnant women in close proximity of a fast-food restaurant showed an increase in the likelihood of gaining 20 kilograms (Currie, Dellavigna, Moretti, Pathania 2009). While the effects from these studies done in 2009 are still applicable today, I cannot help but think how the effects would not be amplified in our current society. People have only gotten busier and locations have only increased since then. Consuming the high calorie food served by fast-food restaurants on a regular basis can obviously lead to weight gain and eventually obesity. Some complications are not as obvious and can take people by surprise. Most people probably do not think of the long-term effects that can result from making regular trips to drive-thrus or stops at fast-food restaurants. Some more obvious consequences of obesity is cardiovascular complications and diabetes, but there are many consequences that people may not realize. It can lead to res piratory disorders, such as asthma. It can also lead to a numerous amount of different types ofShow MoreRelatedFast Food And The Obesity Epidemic933 Words   |  4 PagesFast –food Industries are to be Blame for Obesity Visualize the world somewhere a school-age child can step out of his school and walk into a McDonalds. Fast-food causes an array of problems in your body. The food is often high in sugar, fat, and calories while providing very few nutrients. The obesity epidemic Americans face today is a growing problem that affects more than half of the population with growing body sizes and serious medical problems associated with obesity. It is a problem thatRead MoreFast Food And The United States1279 Words   |  6 PagesDaniel Hernandez Professor Fay Lee English 1302 (TTh 10:10-11:35) 30 October 2014 Fast Food and Obesity in the United States Fast food restaurants have revolutionized the United States. It has helped people with low salaries be able to afford food for their family, but at the cost of their own health. Ever since the first fast food restaurant opened, health rates have dropped and keep continuing to drop. The visual argument I have chosen takes place in Africa in an environment that is a nice sunnyRead MoreThink Before You Eat673 Words   |  3 Pagespopulation obesity rates are not decreasing, the rates are increasing rapidly. The amount of bad food the population is consuming has affected the nation’s obesity rates, and there should be stop to this epidemic.† The percentage of obese adults has more than doubled over the last 30 years.†(Bad Food? Tax it, and Subsidize Vegetables). Obesity is a fast growing epidemic that we as a nation need to find ways to fight it and put a stop to the rapidly growing rates. â€Å"The rising epidemic of overweightRead MoreObesity Epidemic and Lack of Government Intervention Essay1085 Words   |  5 PagesIs the lack of government regulation causing an obesity epidemic? In America fast food is a staple of many people’s diets. As a result, the United States is now faced with a serious obesity epidemic that continues to grow worse every year. Along with impacting the economy, some of the impacts on people are cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and strokes which are all linked to obesity. According to the CDC, â€Å"The US Department of Health and Human Services discovered that the combination of a poor dietRead MoreObesity : A Top Problem For Public Health1706 Words   |  7 PagesA Review of the Literature Obesity, a top problem for public health, is a global epidemic that kills no less than 2.8 million people every year. Obesity is a significant factor for many diseases which include Type 2 diabetes, some cancers and cardiovascular diseases. Many at times, being overweight is mistaken for being obese. Being overweight or obese means having abnormal or excessive fat accumulations respectively that could have negative health effects. BMI, body mass index, was introduced toRead MoreThe Obesity Epidemic in America Essays1082 Words   |  5 Pages Obesity among Americans has been a growing issue in the United States predominantly over the past decade. Many may argue American’s are obese because of poor food choices, over-eating, genetic disposition, lack of exercise, or the environment which one lives, while others blame it all on fast-food chains and restaurants. Throughout my research I have come to find a lot of facts and statistics about fast food consumption causing obesity. Statistics show that without a doubt the United States isRead MoreChildhood Obesity Is The Constant Build Up Of Excessive Fats That Impair The Health Of A Child Essay1723 Words   |  7 PagesChildhood obesity is the constant build up of excessive fats that impair the health of a child. When children are obese, they have high cholesterol and high blood pressure that threatens their lives with CVD. It also causes extreme breathing problems, joint problems, and an increase in contracting type 2 diabetes. Nearly one in three kids in the Unite d States is obese and that is more than triple the amount from the 1960’s. Childhood obesity is taking control of many kid’s lives throughout theRead MoreChildhood Obesity : Obesity And Obesity Essay1671 Words   |  7 PagesFight to End Obesity Childhood obesity has increased drastically over the past years and has become a health risk to children. In fact, childhood obesity has doubled in numbers in the past thirty years (Childhood Obesity Facts). Obesity occurs when an individual becomes overweight and can be diagnosed by using the body mass index or BMI scale. Obesity causes many diseases in children which cannot be cured without a doctor, in result, childhood obesity drives high health care costs. The existenceRead MoreObesity Epidemic : A Growing Problem Within Our Population861 Words   |  4 Pages The obesity epidemic Americans face today is a growing problem within our population. With serious health issues associated with obesity, it is a problem that needs to be addressed and changed. While fast foods have been around for a long time, many people claim that fast food places are to blame. Each day people turn to fast food for a quick meal, wether it is breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even snacks. As fast foods begi n to expand and progress throughout the world, people especially in the UnitedRead MoreFast Food Essay816 Words   |  4 Pages Obesity is a major food epidemic. This food epidemic has become so global that it is a leading death cause in America. Many Americans have vouched for a sedentary lifestyle due to their unhealthy eating habits. What they do not realize is the unhealthy food choices that they make now will affect them in the future. The food industry is a major contributor to this. The food industry is affecting the health of future generations due to how easy it is for people to access and their over consumption

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Identification of Bloodstain Patterns Free Essays

The analysis of bloodstain patterns can be a decisive part of a forensic investigation. The patterns of bloodstains may concur with or challenge the sworn statements of witnesses, victims, and suspects. Such bloodstain patterns simply identify the source of the blood and the direction of the blood’s flight path, but during the process, the events of the crime can be reconstructed with reasonable accuracy. We will write a custom essay sample on Identification of Bloodstain Patterns or any similar topic only for you Order Now Unfortunately, the old method of analyzing bloodstain patterns, which uses strings, requires much time and effort. It is also subject to human error. To reduce human error, mathematical calculations are used instead, along with a computer software program known as Back Track. Yet, a three-dimensional representation of the results of bloodstain analysis will be more convincing in any court representation. Therefore, in an effort to revolutionize this aspect of forensic investigation, a concerted effort by four researchers from three agencies, Ottawa Police Service, Carleton University and Royal Canadian Mounted Police, was conducted using the AutoCAD software. The researchers were Kevin Maloney, A. L. Carter, Scott Jory, and Brian Yamashita. The results of their studies were reported in an article published by the Journal of Forensic Investigation, in 2005, volume 55, issue 6, and pages 711 to 725. The article attempts to demonstrate how the combined use of AutoCAD and Back Track programs can create three-dimensional representations of a bloodstain analysis. Summary and Critique The overall purpose of Maloney, Carter, Jory, and Yamashita is to explore the possibility of creating a three-dimensional representation of an analysis of bloodstain patterns. They utilize a simulated crime scene that is typically used at the Canadian Police College. The choice of this crime scene is to have known bloodstain patterns with which the results of the combination of Back Track and AutoCAD can be compared. Both the impact angles and the glancing angles of the bloodstain trajectories were incorporated into the program. The comparison shows that the computerized calculations of virtual strings created by the Back Track program match the known location of the blood source, with an average error of six centimeters only. These results prove the precision abilities of the said software. However, a major weakness of this study is its unquestionable reliance on the Back Track program. This program has many limitations and it was even pointed out later in 2006 by Andy Maloney (the relationship to one of the researchers is not described). For example, the Back Track is incapable of computing angled surfaces (Maloney, 2006). Yet, despite the limitations, the efficacy of using the program is grounded on established theory and supported by experimental validation (Carter, 2001). There would be expected errors but these are assumed to be insignificant in the overall investigation. At the same time, the software is known to undergo updates and modifications. The greatest strength of this research is the launching of a better interface between the laboratory science of the forensic team and the assessment abilities of the court. The AutoCAD program has a feature that locks the virtual strings and enables any user to view them from different perspectives. The three-dimensional representation of the analysis of bloodstain patterns is, as the researchers concluded, â€Å"extremely useful in court presentation† (Maloney, et. al. , 2005, p. 724). This article, as well as the research study that it describes, can be considered as a milestone towards a revolutionary aspect of bloodstain pattern analysis. Instead of numbers presented in tabular form or in picture graphs, the results of the analysis can be presented in three dimensions. In three dimensions, the court presentation becomes more realistic, more convincing, and more enlightening, such that the jury can make better assessments. But this article, as far as the advances in forensic science in general and in bloodstain pattern analysis in particular go, can be considered somewhat obsolete. There are now new software or computer programs that can be utilized to produce the same three-dimensional results (Kanable, 2006). This means that in conducting an analysis of bloodstain patterns, a forensic investigator has other options, aside from the combined use of the Back Track program and the AutoCAD. But this wider range of technological tools does not detract from the greatest significance of this article. This article, in great detail and with diagrams, shows how the observed and calculated data are translated into three dimensions. Thus, this article is a recommended reading for every forensic science student. Bibliography Carter, A. L. (2001). The directional analysis of bloodstain patterns theory and experimental validation. Canadian Society of Forensic Science, 34 (4), 173-189. Kanable, R. (2006). HemoSpat: New bloodstain pattern analysis software to hit the market. Law Enforcement Technology, August issue. Retrieved September 28, 2007 from the website of Officer. com at http://www. officer. com/publication/article. jsp? pubId=1id=32890 Maloney, K. , Carter, A. L. , Jory, S. , Yamashita, B. (2005). Three-dimensional representation of bloodstain pattern analysis. Journal of Forensic Identification, 55 (6), 711-725. How to cite Identification of Bloodstain Patterns, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Factors That May Affect Vitamin D

Question: Describe about the Factors that may affect vitamin D? Anser: Factors that may affect vitamin D status Geographical Location As the majority of vitamin D is produced in the skin and requires UVB radiation to initiate the process, latitude can have a pronounced effect vitamin D status. In countries with a latitude below 35N the body can produce sufficient vitamin D all year round (Tsiaras Weinstock 2011). At latitudes above 35N, which includes much of Europe including Germany; Italy and Amsterdam, sunlight exposure is limited during the winter months and therefore there is higher risk of vitamin D3 deficiency (Webb et al., 1988). A study conducted in the USA, at high latitude 44N, by Sullivan et al.(2005), found that approximately 28% of younger girls had a serum 25(OH) D level below 75nmol/l in cold places. In contrast, hypovitaminosis D can be infected people who live in sunny countries that can produce a high amount of vitamin D because of their lifestyle (Horani et al. 2011). Season In European countries, seasonal changes has significant impact on vitamin D as compared with countries located near equator, the concentration of 25(OH)D is higher in summer and gets lower in winter season (Levis et al., 2005 ). A cross sectional study was conducted by (Mavroeidi et al., 2010) to assess vitamin D status in 3000 postmenopausal women at different seasons, over a period of one year. Additionally the study assessed the incidence of hypovitaminosis D in participants from different cities in the UK (Aberdeen 57N, Surrey 57N). The data showed that vitamin D deficiency was higher in the north of the UK than in the south. In Surrey, 17.1% of Asian women were found to be deficient in vitamin D (These datas were based on the dietary and predictors. Hypovitaminosis with the highest rates recorded among residents of regions in Aberdeen by 25-26% in postmenopausal women during winter and spring, and decreased to 4.2% in summer. Similarly, in a study carried out by (Hypponen and Po wer, 2007) showed consistent findings, confirming that the incidence of hypovitaminosis D is higher in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK. In contrast, the survey conducted by Levis et al (2005) in Florida, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in 212 participants was 38% and 40% in male and female respectively, in the wintertime with mean serum 25 (OH) D was 24.9 8.7 ng/cc, whereas, the mean serum 25 (OH) D concentrations of sub-optimal group (just 99 people) was (31.0 11.0 ng/ml) in the end of summer. Skin type and Race Skin type and race considered as factors could effect on vitamin D status because the effectiveness of melanin to absorb UVB radiation could increase the effectiveness of cutaneous synthesis of vitamin D3 (Kift et al., 2013). In 2007, a study carried out by Chen et al. (DATE) indicated that the skin pigmentation could have an effect on D3 production in the skin. This study was conducted by measuring serum 25(OH) D concentrations in adults with different types of skin (Universal skin classification, II or White, fair, blue eyes, III or Mediterranean, blue or brown eyes , IV or Asian, brown eyes and V or Light-skinned black, Indian. At the end of study, serum 25(OH)D concentrations were increased dramatically in all types of skin. Actual recorded mean levels for types II, III, IV and V were 210%, 187%, 125%, and 40% respectively. The authors concluded that the production of previtamin D3 in Type II skin is (5-10 fold) more potent than the type V skin (highly pigmented skin). Table 1: Skin type, skin reaction to sun exposure Skin type Skin colour Skin reaction I White, red hair, or fair Always burns, never tans II White, fair, blue eyes Burns easily III Mediterranean, blue or brown eyes Mild burn, tans average IV Asian, brown eyes Rarely burns, tans easily V Light-skinned black, Indian No burn VI Dark-skinned black No burn From Lips et al (2014) Shaw Pal (2002) reported that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is increasing among minority groups living in Great Britain, particularly those are from India and Pakistan and this is due to their lifestyle or habit to stay indoors. Furthermore, studies carried out by de Roos et al, (2012) and Brough et al., (2010) state that skin pigmentation in those groups is not the only reason for reduced vitamin D production but it is s also due to wearing clothes that tend to cover their entire bodies and staying indoors for longer during the day thus limiting UVB exposure. (). Kift et al. (2013) carried out a prospective cohort study in South Asian people aged 20-60 years to assess vitamin D level and lifestyle factors and compare the result with study conducted in Caucasian people with same condition. Demographic factors, vitamin D level, UV exposure and vitamin D intakes were analysed with same methodologies in study conducted on South Asian and Caucasian people. The authors found tha t there was no difference in the percentage of body area exposed to the sun. Also, they reported that white people reach a mean vitamin D level of 65.3nmol/l in summer, whilst south Asians only reach a mean level of 22.4nmol/l. During the wintertime, it was reported that 40% of South Asians were found to be deficient (15nmol/l), due to their low vitamin D intake and increased skin pigmentation. They further stated that it should be noted that skin pigmentation could affect pre vitamin D3 production. The conclusions to this study state that future prospective studies need to find effective ways to address these apparent issues. Clothing and Sunscreen Clothing and sunscreen are known as cutaneous factors, as they are a physical barrier in absorption of solar radiation by the skin and thus effective in less production of vitamin D level (Tsiaras and Weinstock, 2011). Most of sunscreens are having a sun protection factor (SPF) 8 that helps to protect the body against UV B radiation and decreases vit. D synthesis by less than 95 %, whereas (SPF) 15 decreases by less than 99% (Webb and Engelsen, 2006). According to Holick (2004), when the skin is exposed to the sunlight, the amount of UVB photons well absorbed by Blocking out sunlight as a result of dress style is particularly associated with hypovitaminosis D amongst immigrant women in the UK and Europe (Gillie 2010). A previous study by (Glerup et al., 2000) indicated that the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is higher in immigrant women (veiled and ethnic Muslims women) than in Danish women due to limited sunlight exposure. Another study conducted in Turkish women examined three groups of women with different dress styles (Alagl et al., 2000). Group I wore a dress, which exposed the arms and lower legs to sunlight, group II covered whole body except hands and face, last group (III) wore a traditional Islamic style that cover whole body. The result reported that the serum 25(OH) D level was significantly high in group I than in groups II and III, where all of the women were under normal levels. Obesity There are several diseases that can affect vitamin D level including kidney disease and obesity (Tsiaras Weinstock 2011). The inverse relationship between obesity and vitamin D deficiency is well-established (Wortsman et al, 2000; Esteghamati et al., 2004; Holick Chen 2008). In fact, those who are obese, living in high-risk regions such as Scotland are considered to be at twice the risk of those living in lower risk regions of Great Britain (Hyppnen Power, 2007). A study was conducted by Wortsman et al (2000) to investigate the relationship between obesity and vitamin D production. It was shown that those who were obese participants (i.e. having a BMIover 30kg/m2) had 57% lower serum vitamin D concentrations than non-obese participants after exposure to ultraviolet D3 or receiving oral D2 supplements.. The authors suggested that this was due to increased vitamin D storage in adipose tissue. They further stated that although their findings are similar to another studies, they tend t o believe that obesity did not affect vitamin D production but rather the release of vitamin D3 from the skin into the circulation . A recent crosssectional study carried out by Turner, et.al. (2013) has confirmed the latter hypothesis suggested by Wortsman et al.(2000), showing that the deposition of vitamin D3 in body fat compartments results in decreased bioavailability of vitamin D3 from cutaneous and dietary sources. Bischof et al (2006) indicated that the serum 25(OH) D concentrations associated negatively with BMI (body mass index) in a study of 483 adults. Results reported that prevalence of hypovitaminosis (25(.OH)D 22.0 nmol/l) in participants with BMI less than 30kg/m2 was increased from 8.8% to 15% in adults with BMI greater than 30kg/m2. Lee et al.(2009) found in their study that the effectiveness of supplementation of vitamin D is dependent on BMI. The obese and vitamin D deficient patients may need a higher dose of supplement than non-obese to increase vitamin D level s. 95 subjects with (25(OH) D 6 ng/mL) were given 10.000 IU (cholecalciferol) for 1 week, the authors reported that 25(OH) D concentrations correlated negatively with BMI. Socio-economic status Several studies have linked low vitamin D intake with low economic status (Dealberto, 2006). In many of these associations, the authors cite issues such as poor nutrition, poor lifestyle and inability to afford supplements to treat the deficiency. For instance, poor dietary intake is prevalent in regions with a high poverty rate, mostly affecting middle-aged women of childbearing age (Brough et al., 2010). According to Brough et al. (2010) a socially deprived population cannot afford some of the basic nutrients such as vitamin D, which are essential for normal metabolic function. Therefore, some resort to what have been described as shortcuts of life (means shortage of essential nutrients); the impact of this is exposing their immune system to chronic diseases. A report released by the Greater Manchester Poverty Commission (GMPC) in 2002, identified Manchester as one of the regions with the highest incidence of extreme poverty with approximately 25% of its population living in abject poverty (GMPC, 2012). It also revealed that those who are socio economically deprived couldnt efficiently protect themselves from low winter temperatures, causing these individuals to stay indoors longer than other UK residents, compared to those with an average annual income. According to Grimes (2011) those who have a low income and are socioeconomically deprived are also burdened with a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency. Several campaigns such as the Glasgow campaign introduced free vitamin D supplements for the ethnic groups to improve their vitamin D status (Shaw and Pal 2002). According to Dunnigan et al (1985), the campaign was started in 1979 and ran for 5 years. The intervention gave Asian schoolchildren, up to 18 years, a low daily dose of vitamin D (100 IU). After supplementation, it showed that the prevalence of rickets decreased. This effort led to significant improvement amongst these communities, particularly those targeted cities in Northern England. However, the identification of a large number of deficient people in study conducted by Roy et al., (2007) suggests that the gains made 40 years ago are no longer visible, and more people have been diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency among the minority population than ever before. Vitamin D intakes from different sources in the UK Tedstone (2014) has published the most recent survey about food consumption, which showed that many of the UKs population are still suffering from vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency with 24% of adults aged 19 years and older and 22% of children not having sufficient vitamin D levels. In wintertime, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was found to increase to 40% in both groups. The reason for the hypovitaminosis D was attributed to the reduction in sunlight exposure (longer nights, less external activity and weather pattern), which gives the body 90% of its vitamin D requirement (OConnor and Benelam 2011). Natural and fortified food A startling statistic is that vitamin D dietary intake is much lower in Great Britain as compared to other western nations including United States and Canada (Calvo et al., 2005). Variance in dietary intake of vitamin D between Britain, the United States and Canada has been attributed to the differing extents to which mandatory fortification food occurs in these countries. In the UK only specific foods are fortified with vitamin D, these include margarine, breakfast cereals and infant milk (OConnor and Benelam 2011). According to Sinha et al (2013) there is still a debate between whether the vitamin D intake from food is adequate and enough to maintain serum 25(OH) D concentrations at an optimal level. Some of the most common food sources, which are rich in vitamin D, are fish, liver, fortified margarine and fortified cereals (see table 2.4). Table 2: Dietary source of vitamin D in the UK Source Contribution to dietary vitamin D intakes in women % Contribution to dietary vitamin D intakes in men % Cereal and cereal products Milk and milk products Egg Fat spreads (including fortified margarine) Meat products Fish and fish products 22 3 9 15 18 30 20 2 10 19 24 21 Adopted from OConnor Benelam (2011) Clinical nutritional assessments of natural food items suggest that with the exception of fish and cod liver oil, most natural food stuffs contain minimal vitamin D, if any (Brough et al., 2010; Sinha et al., 2013). According to Schmid and Walther (2013) although there are several sources of vitamin D, it is still difficult for people to meet their recommended intake of vitamin D through consumption of natural food alone. Conversely, Hill et al. (2004) stated that in countries with low levels of sunlight, vitamin D deficiency could be treated by ensuring individuals have an abundance of food that is rich in vitamin D. Additionally, a recent study carried out by Rizzoli (2014) has shown that an improvement in bone health and a reduction in the risk of fracture in later life could be achieved through dietary intervention. It is proposed that vitamin D deficiency can be addressed by consuming 3 servings of dairy products a day, which include milk and yogurt, both of which are rich sourc es of essential nutrients and include a substantial amount of vitamin D. Significantly, it is important to note that insufficient natural sources for vitamin D is a risk factor in itself, and should be taken into consideration when plans are put into place to tackle the problem. Vitamin D supplements There are a huge number of intervention studies that have considered vitamin D supplementation, taking into account factors such as in the different forms of the vitamin used and in the dosage levels applied (Sinha et al., 2013). The expression of the amount of vitamin D in food or supplements is micrograms (g) or International Units (IU). g is most common used by Europe (1 g is equivalent to 40 IU) (OMahony et al., 2011) A summary of these studies is given in Table 2.3. Reference Study participants Vitamin D Dose Length of intervention Study design Result Close et al. (2012) Athletes male Oral D3 125 g 8 weeks (RCT) Vitamin D3 supplementation improved some measures of musculoskeletal performance including vertical jump height and sprinting performance Vieth et al. (2001) 61 male and female Oral D3 4000IU 3 months (RCT) Vitamin D3 effectively increased 25(OH)D to high-normal concentrations in practically all adult Cipriani et al. (2010) 35 female, 13 male young adults 600.000IU oral D3 Single dose (Prospective study) Single oral high dose of vitamin D rapidly increase 25(OH)D and decrease PTH Armas et al.(2004) 30 healthy men 50.000IU Oral D3, D2 Single dose (RCT) Vitamin D3 raises and maintains 25OHD levels to a substantially greater degree than does vitamin D2 Aloia et al., 2008 262 healthy white and African American male and female (Oral D3) 50 g/d and 100g/d 18 Weeks (Randomized double blind) Determination of the intake required depending on basal vitamin D concentrations Cashman et al (2008) 221 men and women 200IU, 400IU and 600IU of oral D3/d 22 weeks (RCT) Higher doses of vitamin D would be required to maintain serum 25(OH)D concentrations in the normal level Heaney et al Table 2.3: vitamin D intervention trials Calcifediol supplement 25(OH) D3 is a vitamin D metabolite used to treat vitamin D deficiency, it is hydrophilic and has a shorter half-life than vitamin D3 (Jetter et al., 2014). Supplementation of calcifediol is a simple, safe and economic treatment to increase 25(OH) D concentrations more rapidly than vitamin D3 (Bischoff-Ferrari et al., 2012). Jetter et al (2014) evidenced in their study that the (HyD3) single or bolus increases the plasma 25 (OH) D concentrations more rapidly than vitamin D3. Where the plasma 25(OH)D was between 8 to 24ng/ml at baseline, after 15 weeks 70% of those taking vitamin D3 reached a 25(OH)D concentration of 30ng/ml whilst all of the women given HyD3 reached a plasma concentration 30ng/ml. Similar findings were reported by Cashman et al (2012), 58 old age people received vitamin D3 and calcifediol in doses equivalent to 20g or 7g HyD3 for 10 weeks. At the end of the study, only 29% of the vitamin D3 group increased their 25(OH) D3 concentrations after 5 weeks and no further increases by week 10. In contrast, the groups given HyD3 showed increased serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations within the 5 week period with further increases by week 10. The above studies have a limitation in that they examine the effect of calcifediol on increasing plasma 25(OH) D concentrations in old aged (50 to 70 years) and the refore the previous findings may not be generalizable to all adults. Further studies are therefore required in order to confirm these results in younger adults. References Alagl, F., Shihadeh, Y., Boztepe, H., Tanakol, R., Yarman, S., Azizlerli, H., Sandalci, . (2000) Sunlight exposure and vitamin D deficiency in Turkish women. Journal of Endocrinological Investigation, 23(3) pp. 173-177.Aloia, J. F., Patel, M., DiMaano, R., Li-Ng, M., Talwar, S. A., Mikhail, M., ... Yeh, J. K. (2008) Vitamin D intake to attain a desired serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 87(6) pp. 1952-1958Ann M. Coulston, Carol J. Boushey, Mario Ferruzzi (2012) Nutrition in the Prevention and Treatment of Disease. Academic Press.Bischof, M. G., Heinze, G., Vierhapper, H. (2006) Vitamin D status and its relation to age and body mass index. Hormone Research in Paediatrics, 66(5) pp. 211-215.Bischoffà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Ferrari, H. A., Dawsonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Hughes, B., Stcklin, E., Sidelnikov, E., Willett, W. C., Edel, J. O., ... Egli, A. (2012) Oral supplementation with 25 (OH) D3 versus vitamin D3: effects on 25 (OH) D levels, lower extre mity function, blood pressure, and markers of innate immunityl. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 27(1) pp. 160-169.Bischoff-Ferrari, H. A., Giovannucci, E., Willett, W. C., Dietrich, T., Dawson-Hughes, B. (2006) Estimation of optimal serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D for multiple health outcomes. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 84(1) pp.18-28Blair. M. (2012) 'Action needed on vitamin D levels'. [Online] [Accessed on 16th May 2014] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20710026.Brough, L., Rees, G. A., Crawford, M. A., Morton, R. H. and Dorman, E. K. (2010) 'Effect of multiple-micronutrient supplementation on maternal nutrient status, infant birth weight and gestational age at birth in a low-income, multi-ethnic population.' British Journal of Nutrition, 104(3) pp. 437-445.Calvo, M. S., Whiting, S. J. and Barton, C. N. (2005) 'Vitamin D intake: A global perspective of current status.' Journal of Nutrition, 135(2) pp. 310-316.Cashman, K. D., Seamans, K. M., Luc ey, A. J., Stcklin, E., Weber, P., Kiely, M. and Hill, T. R. (2012) 'Relative effectiveness of oral 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and vitamin D3 in raising wintertime serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D in older adults.' American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 95(6) pp. 1350-1356.Cashman, K. D., Hill, T. R., Lucey, A. J., Taylor, N., Seamans, K. M., Muldowney, S., Kiely, M. (2008) Estimation of the dietary requirement for vitamin D in healthy adults. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 88(6) pp. 1535-1542.Dawson, C., (2009) Introduction to Research Methods: A Practical Guide for Anyone Undertaking a Research Project. How to Books, Oxford.de Roos, B. Sneddon, A. and Macdonald, H. (2012) ' Fish as a dietary source of healthy long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) and vitamin D'. Food Health Innovation Service, available at https://www.abdn.ac.uk/rowett/documents/fish_final_june_2012.pdf.Dealberto, M.J. (2006) 'Why immigrants at increased risk for psychosis? Vitamin D insuffie ncy,epigenetic mechanisms, or both?' Medical Hypothesis, Vol. 68, pp. 259- 267.Dehghan, M., Del Cerro, S., Zhang, X., Cuneo, J. M., Linetzky, B., Diaz, R., Merchant, A. T. (2012) Validation of a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire for Argentinean adults.' PloS one, 7(5) pp. e37958.DeLuca, H. F., Prahl, J. M., Plum, L. A. (2011) 1, 25-Dihydroxyvitamin D is not responsible for toxicity caused by vitamin D or 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Archives of biochemistry and biophysics, 505(2) pp. 226-230.Dunnigan, M. G., Glekin, B. M., Henderson, J. B., McIntosh, W. B., Sumner, D., Sutherland, G. R. (1985) 'Prevention of rickets in Asian children: assessment of the Glasgow campaign.' British Medical Journal (Clinical research ed), 291(6490) pp. 239.Esteghamati, A., Aryan, Z. and Nakhjavani, M. (2004) 'Differences in vitamin D concentration between metabolically healthy and unhealthy obese adults: Association with inflammatory and cardiometabolic markers in 4391 subjects. Diabetes Metabo lism, [Online] [Accessed on 5 May 2014] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1262363614000469Gillie, O. (2010) 'Sunlight robbery: A critique of public health policy on vitamin D in the UK.' Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, 54(8) pp. 1148-1163.Glerup, H., Mikkelsen, K., Poulsen, L., Hass, E., Overbeck, S., Thomsen, J., ... Eriksen, E. F. (2000) 'Commonly recommended daily intake of vitamin D is not sufficient if sunlight exposure is limited.' Journal of Internal Medicine, 247(2) pp. 260-268.Greater Manchester Poverty Commission (GMPC) (2012) 'Research Report. The Centre for Local Economic Strategies. [Online] [Accessed on 16th May 2014] https://www.cles.org.uk/publications/greater-manchester-poverty-commission-evidence-and-recommendations-report/.Grimes, D. S. (2011) 'Vitamin D and the social aspects of disease.' QJM Oxford University Press, 104(12) pp. 1065-1074.Hill, T. R., O'Brien, M. M., Cashman, K. D., Flynn, A. and Kiely, M. (2004) 'Vitamin D intakes in 18- 64-y-old Irish adults.' European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 58(11) pp. 1509-1517.Hoffmann, M. R., Senior, P. A., Mager, D. R. (2015). Vitamin D Supplementation and Health-Related Quality of Life: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.Holick, M. F. (2004a) 'Sunlight and vitamin D for bone health and prevention of autoimmune diseases, cancers, and cardiovascular disease.' The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 80(6 Suppl) pp. 1678S-1688S.Holick, M. F. (2004b) 'Vitamin D: importance in the prevention of cancers, type 1 diabetes, heart disease, and osteoporosis.' The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 79(3) pp. 362-371.Holick, M. F. and Chen, T. C. (2008) 'Vitamin D deficiency: A worldwide problem with health consequences.' American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 87(4) pp. 1080S-1086S.Horani, M., Dror, A., Holland, D., Caporaso, F., Sumida, K. D. and Frisch, F. (2011) 'Prevalence of vitamin D3 deficiency in Orange County residents.' Journal of Community Health, 36(5) pp. 760-764.Hyppnen, E. and Power, C. (2007) 'Hypovitaminosis D in British adults at age 45 y: Nationwide cohort study of dietary and lifestyle predictors.' American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 85(3) pp. 860-868.Janet Houser (2011) Nursing Research: Reading, Using, and Creating Evidence. 2nd ed., Jones Bartlett.Jetter, A., Egli, A., Dawson-Hughes, B., Staehelin, H. B., Stoecklin, E., Goessl, R., Henschkowski, J. and Bischoff-Ferrari, H. A. (2014) 'Pharmacokinetics of oral vitamin D3 and calcifediol.' Bone, 59 pp. 14-19.Kift, R., Berry, J. L., Vail, A., Durkin, M. T., Rhodes, L. E. and Webb, A. R. (2013) 'Lifestyle factors including less cutaneous sun exposure contribute to starkly lower vitamin D levels in U.K. South Asians compared with the white population.' British Journal of Dermatology, 169(6) pp. 1272-1278.Lee, P., Greenfield, J. R., Seibel, M. J., Eisman, J. A., Center, J. R. (2009) 'Adequacy of vitamin D replacement in seve re deficiency is dependent on body mass index.' The American Journal of Medicine, 122(11) pp. 1056-1060.Levis, S., Gomez, A., Jimenez, C., Veras, L., Ma, F., Lai, S., Roos, B. A. (2005) 'Vitamin D deficiency and seasonal variation in an adult South Florida population.' The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism, 90(3) pp. 1557-1562.Lips, P., van Schoor, N. M. and de Jongh, R. T. (2014) 'Diet, sun, and lifestyle as determinants of vitamin D status.' 92-98-page Handout, distributed in lecture 1317 for moduleMavroeidi, A., Oneill, F., Lee, P. A., Darling, A. L., Fraser, W. D., Berry, J. L., ... Macdonald, H. M. (2010)' Seasonal 25-hydroxyvitamin D changes in British postmenopausal women at 57 N and 51 N: A longitudinal study'. The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 121(1) pp. 459-461.Maxwell, S. M., Salah, S. M., Bunn, J. E. G. (2006) 'Dietary habits of the Somali population in Liverpool, with respect to foods containing calcium and vitamin D: a cause for concern?.' Journal of Human Nutrition And Dietetics, 19(2) pp. 125-127.OMahony, L., Stepien, M., Gibney, M. J., Nugent, A. P., Brennan, L. (2011) ' The potential role of vitamin D enhanced foods in improving vitamin D status.' Nutrients, 3(12) pp. 1023-1041.O'Connor, A. and Benelam, B. (2011) 'An update on UK Vitamin D intakes and status, and issues for food fortification and supplementation.' Nutrition Bulletin, 36(3) pp. 390-396.Pal, B. R., Marshall, T., James, C. and Shaw, N. J. (2003) 'Distribution analysis of vitamin D highlights differences in population subgroups: Preliminary observations from a pilot study in UK adults.' Journal of Endocrinology, 179(1) pp. 119-129.Pearce, S.H. and Cheetham, T.D. January, (2010)' Diagnosis and management of Vitamin D deficiency'. BMJ, 11: 340.Peat, J., Mellis, C., Williams, K. and Xuan W (2002) Health Science Research: AHandbook of Quantitative Methods. London: Sage.Preece, M. A., McIntosh, W. B., Tomlinson, S., Ford, J. A., Dunnigan, M. G. and O'Riordan, J. L. (1973) 'Vitamin-D deficiency among Asian immigrants to Britain.' Lancet, 1(7809) pp. 907-910.Rizzoli, R. (2014) 'Dairy products, yogurts, and bone health.' The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 99(5), 1256S-1262S.Roy, D. K., Berry, J. L., Pye, S. R., Adams, J. E., Swarbrick, C. M., King, Y., Silman, A. J. and O'Neill, T. W. (2007) 'Vitamin D status and bone mass in UK South Asian women.' Bone, 40(1) pp. 200-204.Ruston D, Hoare J, Henderson L et al. (2002) 'The National Diet and Nutrition Survey: adults aged 19 to 64 years.' Volume 4:Nutritional status (anthropometry and blood analytes), blood pressure and physical activity. London: TSO.Schmid, A. and Walther, B. (2013) 'Natural vitamin D content in animal products.' Advances in Nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 4(4) pp. 453-462.Shaw, N. J. and Pal, B. R. (2002) 'Vitamin D deficiency in UK Asian families: Activating a new concern.' Archives of Disease in Childhood, 86(3) pp. 147-149.Sinha, A., Cheetham, T. D. and Pearce, S. H. S. (2013) 'Prevention and treatment of vitamin D deficiency.' Calcified Tissue International, 92(2) pp. 207-215.Sullivan, S. S., Rosen, C. J., Halteman, W. A., Chen, T. C., Holick, M. F. (2005) 'Adolescent girls in Maine are at risk for vitamin D insufficiency'. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 105(6) pp. 971-974.Tedstone, A. (2014) New National Diet and Nutrition Survey shows UK population is eating too much sugar, saturated fat and salt. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-national-diet-and-nutrition-survey-shows-uk-population-is-eating-too-much-sugar-saturated-fat-and-salt.Thuesen, B., Husemoen, L., Fenger, M., Jakobsen, J., Schwarz, P., Toft, U., Ovesen,T. and Linneberg, A. (2012) 'Determinants of vitamin D status in a general population of Danish adults.' Bone, 50(3) pp. 605-610.Tsiaras, W. G. and Weinstock, M. A. (2011) 'Factors influencing vitamin D status.' Acta Dermato-Venereologica, 91(2) pp. 115-124.Turner, C. B., Lin, H., Flores, G. (2013 ) 'Prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among overweight and obese US children.' Pediatrics, 131(1) pp. e152-e161.Utiger, R. D. (1998) 'The need for more vitamin D.' New England Journal of Medicine, 338(12) pp. 828-829.Van Teijlingen, E., Hundley, V. (2002) The importance of pilot studies. Nursing Standard, 16(40) pp. 33-36.Vieth, R. (2009) How to optimize vitamin D supplementation to prevent cancer, based on cellular adaptation and hydroxylase enzymology. Anticancer research, 29(9) pp. 3675-3684.Webb, A. R. and Engelsen, O. (2008) 'Ultraviolet exposure scenarios: Risks of erythema from recommendations on cutaneous vitamin D synthesis'.72-85-page handout, distributed in lecture 624 for module.Webb, A. R., Kline, L., Holick, M. F. (1988) 'Influence of Season and Latitude on the Cutaneous Synthesis of Vitamin D3: Exposure to Winter Sunlight in Boston and Edmonton Will Not Promote Vitamin D3 Synthesis in Human Skin'. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology Metabolism, 67(2) pp.373-378.W elman, C., Kruger, F. Mitchell, B. (2005) Research Methodology. 3rd ed., Oxford: University PressWHO. (2009) Global Database on Body Mass Index. World Health Organization, An interactive surveillance tool for monitoring nutrition transition. https://www.who.int/bmi/index.jsp?introPage=intro_3.html , Geneva (accessed 17, May 2010).Wortsman, J., Matsuoka, L. Y., Chen, T. C., Lu, Z., Holick, M. F. (2000) Decreased bioavailability of vitamin D in obesity.' The American journal of clinical nutrition, 72(3) pp. 690-693.

Friday, November 29, 2019

11 Popular Romance Tropes †and How to Make Them New Again

11 Popular Romance Tropes - and How to Make Them New Again 11 Popular Romance Tropes - and How to Make Them New Again â€Å"And they lived happily ever after.† This line alone should give you an idea that this article is talking about the romance genre. And while a Happily Ever After is really a non-optional feature of the genre, authors can choose to incorporate romance tropes to provide readers with instantly recognizable markers that help them immediately relate to the love story at hand.Tropes are plot devices, characters, images, or themes that are incorporated so frequently in a genre that they’re seen as conventional. â€Å"Trope† is often seen as a dirty word, because it feels interchangeable with the word â€Å"clichà ©.† And while authors shouldn’t simply duplicate story formulas that have proven popular, incorporating tropes can provide a signal to readers about what kind of book they’re dealing with. At their core, tropes are really just things that are familiar. And people enjoy the familiar.So if you’re an aspiring romance writer, do yo urself a favor by getting acquainted with the popular romance tropes out there. It will help you get an idea of what romance readers already like, and will help you write stories that feel refreshing and new. You can start with this list! 10 of the most popular romance tropes - and how to make them new again Character Development: How to Write Characters Your Readers Won't Forget Read post Develop unique characters, write meet-cutes that resonate with the theme of your story, pepper your narrative arc with conflict and tension that feel real. Most of all, pay attention to the love story you’re writing, and work on developing that in a way that draws readers in and encourages emotional investment. Finally, evaluate whether you’re using a trope simply because you know readers like it, or because it adds value to your story. There’s nothing wrong with including elements you know readers love, so long as it enhances the story in one way or another.With love, ReedsyIf you want even more amazing tropes, check out the following Reedsy Discovery posts on romance:The 25 Best Romance Authors (And Their Must-Reads)30+ Best Young Adult Romance Books That You Can't Miss Out On40+ Paranormal Romance Books with BiteAnd let us know your own favorite tropes in the comments!  Ã°Å¸â€™â€"

Monday, November 25, 2019

Dengue Fever Essays

Dengue Fever Essays Dengue Fever Essay Dengue Fever Essay In subtropical and tropical regions, the dengue virus represents a major threat to human health. The microorganisms natural hosts include mosquitoes, lower primates, and humans. Infection of the human host results in a biphasic fever with the potential to evolve into severe hemorrhagic disease. Over the past few decades, the virus genome structure, viral proteins, and viral antigens have been well characterized. Unfortunately though, the precise mechanisms by which the dengue virus causes disease remain unknown. Throughout history, major dengue fever epidemics have generally occurred at irregular intervals within the range of the mosquito vector. For instance, in 1922, one such epidemic may have affected between 1 and 2 million people in the southern United States. At present, dengue fever may cause more human morbidity and mortality than any other arthropod-borne viral disease (Henchal Putnak, 1990, pp. 376-396). The dengue viruses are currently endemic in most tropical areas of the world (Lanciotti, Lewis, Gubler, Trent, 1994, p. 65). It has been estimated that there could be as many as 100 million cases of dengue infection every year (Halstead, 1988, p. 476). The only natural hosts for dengue virus infections are mosquitoes, lower primates (e. g. , chimpanzees, rhesus monkeys, and macaques), and humans. Dengue Fever Dengue fever is a flu-like viral disease common throughout the tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world, mainly in urban and peri-urban areas. Today, it afflicts an estimated 50 million to 100 million in the tropics (Epstein, 2000). The virus has four antigenically related serotypes, which are named DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, and DEN-4. Each dengue serotype is a variation of the flavivrus genus. Dengue is spread by the aedes aegypti, a domestic, day-biting mosquito that prefers to bite humans. Currently, there is no vaccine available to prevent dengue. Each type of the dengue virus is re-emerging worldwide, especially in the Western Hemisphere. Research has shown that several factors are contributing to the resurgence of dengue fever such as uncontrolled urbanization, increased international travel, substandard socio-economical conditions, and finally global warming. Global warming has shown to be a major contributor o the spread of dengue fever. On a molecular level, dengue fever is classified as a flavivirus and appears as a spherical particle, about 40 to 50 nanometers in diameter Dengue fever Dengue fever, also known as break bone fever, is an acute febrile infectious disease caused by the dengue virus. Typical symptoms include headache, a petechial rash, and muscle and joint pains; in a small proportion the dis ease progresses to life-threatening complications such as dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome. Dengue is usually transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti, and rarely Aedes albopictus. The virus has four different serotypes, and an infection with one usually gives lifelong immunity to it but only short-term immunity to the others. There is currently no available vaccine, but outbreaks can be prevented by reducing the habitat and number of mosquitoes, and limiting exposure to bites. Treatment of acute dengue is supportive, using either oral or intravenous rehydration for mild or moderate disease and blood transfusions for more severe cases. Rates of infection have increased dramatically over the last 50 years with approximate 50–100  million people being infected yearly. The disease has become global and is currently endemic in more than 110  countries with 2. 5  billion people living in areas where it is prevalent. Classification The World Health Organizations 2009 classification divides dengue fever into two groups: uncomplicated and severe. [1][2] This replaces the 1997 WHO classification, which was simplified as it was found to be too restrictive, but the older classification is still widely used. [2] The 1997 classification divided dengue into undifferentiated fever, dengue fever, and dengue hemorrhagic fever. 3] Dengue hemorrhagic fever was subdivided further into four grades (grade I–IV), with the two most severe being classified as dengue shock syndrome. [2] Signs and symptoms Infections from dengue virus range from asymptomatic, to a simple fever, to life threatening. [1] The incubation period (time between exposure and onset of symptoms) is 4–10 days. Most infections are very mild, and many probably experience no symptoms at all. [1][4] Most commonly symptoms include: sudden onset fever, headache (typically behind the eyes), muscle and joint pains, and a rash; the nickname break-bone fever comes from the associated muscle and joints pains. 1] If fever or other symptoms developed more than 14  days after returning from an endemic area, dengue is very unlikely. [3] The course of infection may be divided into three phases: febrile, critical, and recovery. [5] The febrile phase involves high fevers, frequently over 40  Ã‚ °C (104  Ã‚ °F) and associated with generalized pain and a headache; this usually lasts 2–7  days. [5] Flushed skin and some petechia (point-like hemorrhages in the skin) may occur at this point. [5] The critical phase follows the resolution of the high fevers and typically lasts one to two days. 5] During this phase there may be significant fluid accumulation into the thoracic cavity and abdominal cavity due to increased capillary permeability and leakage. This leads to depletion of fluid from the circulation and decreased blood supply to vital organs. [5] During this phase, organ dysfunction and severe bleeding (typically from the gastrointestinal tract) may occur. [3][5] Shock and hemorrhage occurs in less than 5% of all cases of dengue. [3] Those who have previously been infected with other serotypes of dengue (secondary infection) have an increased risk of developing severe complications. 3][6] The recovery phase occurs next if the person survives with resorption of the edematous fluids. [5] The improvement is often striking, but there may be striking itching and a slow heart rate. [3][5] It is during this stage that a fluid overload state may present with symptoms of cerebral edema such as an altered level of consciousness or seizures. [3] Prevention There are currently no approved vaccines for the dengue virus. [1] Prevention thus depends on control of and protection from the bites of the mosquito that transmits it. [7][17] The primary method of controlling Ae. aegypti is by eliminating its habitats. 7] This may be done by emptying containers of water or by adding insecticides or biological control agents to these areas. [7] Reducing open collections of water through environmental modification is the preferred method of control, given the concerns of negative health effect from insecticides and greater logistical difficulties with control agents. [7] People may prevent mosquito bites by wearing clothing that fully covers the skin and/or the application of insect repellent (DEET being the most effective). [8] There are ongoing programs working on a dengue vaccine to cover all four serotypes. 17] One of the concerns is, that a vaccine may increase the risk of severe disease through antibody-dependent enhancement. [18] The ideal vaccine is safe, effective after one or two injections, covers all serotypes, does not contribute to ADE, is easily transported and stored, and is both affordable and cost-effective. [18] A number of vaccines are currently undergoing testing. [13][18][19] It is hoped that the first products will be commercially available as early as 2015. Warning signs[2] Abdominal pain Ongoing vomiting Liver enlargement Mucosal bleeding High hematocrit with low platelets Lethargic Flood In Pakistan 2010 Flood In Pakistan The devastating flood in Pakistan had destroyed more than half of the economy of the country. The country which was already facing several other crises including terrorism,poverty,corruption,illiteracy    has now hit by another challenge in the form of flood. At this crucial time ,the world has pledge to help Pakistan in any form . U. N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Pakistan on Sunday August 16 2010    to boost relief efforts as concerns grew about the 20 million people made homeless in one of the worst disasters to hit the country. Authorities said more flood surges were coursing down the River Indus and other waterways in southern Sindh province and were expected to peak later Sunday, causing fresh deluges. The river, which in better times irrigates the crops of millions of farmers, is 15 miles (25 kilometers) wide at some points- 25 times wider than during normal monsoon seasons. The United Nations said the rate of diarrheal disease continued to increase among survivors. Cholera, which can spread rapidly after floods and other disasters, had also been detected in the northwest, where the floods first hit more than two weeks ago. About 1,500 people have died in the disaster and more than 7. 9 million acres (3. 2 million hectares) of cotton, sugar cane and wheat crops destroyed. The International Monetary Fund has warned of dire economic consequences in a country already reliant on foreign aid to keep its economy afloat and one key to the U. S. -led war against al-Qaida and the Taliban. People are hesitating to give fund to Government    because of the corruption allegations against government as it was also seen at the time of Earth Quake disaster five years back.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Property Management in New Delhi-India Coursework

Property Management in New Delhi-India - Coursework Example According to the economic time's report, DFL- a real estate developer in New Delhi-India, is planning to outsource property management to third parties. It is close to coming into agreement and signing a contract with some companies to manage its commercial and retail spaces. The DFL enjoys ownership of huge commercial and retail space in the Indian capital and outside. From these properties, they earn good revenue that enables them to run its activities. Despite the huge revenues, they have accrued a debt which they have been trying to reduce by selling non-core assets (Sharma, 2013). Transfer of property management to third parties has several advantages accrued. It will facilitate the addition of value to the existing property, which can be achieved through proper maintenance of the buildings. This will, in turn, save the reputation of the property developer which is at risk (Sharma, 2013). Leasing, remittance or statutory dues and other related areas facilitate services for the property management. This will help real estate investors manage their assets without overdependence from family and/or friends. The transfer has also encouraged small parties and companies to capitalize on the opportunity to invest in specific asset category, hence thereof, earning periodical income. Above all, it will help salvage the debt shadow that they are currently being covered in (Sharma, 2013). On the coins other side, acts such as leasing or resale of buildings would sound costly to the real estate provider. For instance, an old building sold will not have the same income as when the building would have been renovated and rented to a tenant. Also leasing an apartment may end up in the hands of the wrong company. Such companies would provide fewer quality services as expected, which will, in turn, tarnish the name of the real owner. In addition, leasing or selling a property will, in the long run, result in a reduction of the company's revenues.  

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 8

Final - Essay Example Driven by the need to nurture my abilities and address my weaknesses I have focused on the resources addressed throughout this semester. Throughout the course, I have realized that I have what it takes to be a leader. This has been informed by various leadership tests I have taken and the reasonably high scores I have registered. However, lack of a guide and a model through which I can nurture the requisite skills has been a major challenge. All the same, I can now recognize a leadership theory that provides a rationale on what I need to work on to be a respectable and inspiring leader. This theory has also been critical in providing a means through which I can construct certain strategies that would provide a means of developing the attributes associated with the type of leader I envision. Authentic leadership theory is a contemporary leadership theory. It emerged in the late 1990s from a broad field of scientific inquiry that highlights positive organizational phenomena leading to enhanced human well-being (Marquis & Huston, 2009). The theory enforces that for one to be considered a leader he must be true to himself and his values and act accordingly. This explains why some scholars also refer to it as congruent theory this is because the leader must match his activities, deeds and actions with his values, beliefs and principles. There are five characteristics which differentiate an authentic leader with the other leaders. The first characteristic is purpose. An authentic leader understands clearly both his purpose and passion. This understanding is nurtured by an ongoing process of self reflection and self awareness. The second characteristic is values, an authentic leader has a clear link between purpose and passion as this is informed and sustained by a clear matc h with his beliefs and actions (Nichols, 2008). The other characteristic is heart an authentic leader looks after his own affairs and has a genuine concern for the

Monday, November 18, 2019

Ladies AdvoCare Organization Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ladies AdvoCare Organization - Term Paper Example The human mind realizes that it was much better off as a farmer, peasant, labor, and that all the free time and the relaxed atmosphere it now has does nothing but makes his life harder. In such a situation, a capable mind thinks of making most of the resources it has, namely, the technological advancement and the free time that it brings with it. The leaders of this era take up the scientific discoveries and use them to ease the lives of their fellow men in areas that most closely affect the efficiency of the human mind. One such group of today’s leaders is AdvoCare (2012). ...After all, there are hundreds of such franchises which claim the similar benefits may be cheaper rates. How AdvoCare then stands out? Well, it distinguishes itself from others in plenty of ways. First, AdvoCare (2012) is a well-endorsed company. Some of the most eminent sportsmen and award-winning athletes of the country regard it. Not only are these people using and getting benefit out of AdvoCare produ cts but also publicly recommend it to their fans and audiences. AdvoCare’s market is expansive and caters to people from a broad array of professions. some of the fields with notable champions using AdvoCare products are sports such as baseball, basketball, bodybuilding, Football Quarterback Club, football, golf, hockey, mixed martial arts, soccer, motorsports, entertainment and numerous other world-class leaders (AdvoCare, 2012). People like â€Å"World Champion Sprinter, Veronica Campbell, Medal Bobsled Drive, Steven Holcomb, and Crossfit Champion, Mary Beth Litsheim are one of the most prominent endorsers of the company† (AdvoCare, 2012). No other famous company has this much endorsement from these many relevant celebrities who do not only recommend AdvoCare on-screen but are regular users of AdvoCare products off-screen as well. This is the prime reason why AdvoCare has an edge over other competitors. Secondly, scientists whose credibility stays unchallenged design AdvoCare products. The excellent results of AdvoCare products come from the notable professionals from spheres of nutrition, pharmacology, biology, kinesiology, and medicine  working relentlessly to design and manufacture products that best meet the demands of AdvoCare customers.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

NHS and Community Care Act | Critiques

NHS and Community Care Act | Critiques Community Care is really care by families which is really care by women; and it always will be! Discuss Introduction When Margaret Thatcher came to power in the late 1970s one of her Government’s primary aims was to roll back the welfare state and cut spending on services. They argued that state services, and the health service in particular, were inefficient and costly. They further maintained that the introduction of market principles into welfare provision would increase efficiency, provide better services, and reduce costs. The Conservatives were anti-institutionalisation and began closing geriatric wards and psychiatric hospitals. The 1982 Government White Paper Growing Older emphasised the role of the family and that the role of Government was to enable, rather than replace that care. There was an implicit assumption here that much of this care would be provided by women. Twigg (1993) maintains that the 1988 Griffith Report which advised on more effective use of Government funds for community care also recognised that public services would only have a role where community and family su pport had broken down. Large numbers of the elderly and the disabled have always been cared for in the community, the state took over where this became a burden and the Tories were keen to discourage too much state provision. In 1990 the NHS and Community Care Act was introduced where the state was no longer the sole provider of care. Community care is the term used for both social and health care. Voluntary and Charitable organisations would also play a part and care packages would be organised by local authorities. This might include provision of services in a person’s home, residential care, respite care, day care and family placements, sheltered housing and group homes and hostels. This Act placed a much greater burden of care on those professions associated with healthcare e.g. social work, and at the same time resulted in further inequalities as care provision differed depending on what region of the country a person was in. It was argued that this kind of care would al low individuals to live with dignity and independence in their own communities. This paper therefore, aims to assess the statement that Community Care is really care by families which is really care by women and it always will be. Under the terms of the 1990 Act, responsibility for care in the community became the responsibility of local authority social services. Each authority has a duty to publish its care plans and has a duty to assess all those people who might need care. It is the authority’s responsibility to provide care and to promote the work of voluntary and charitable organisations by purchasing care from them. Local authorities are also bound to establish a complaints procedure and have the responsibility of checking out care packages.[1] There have been a number of problems with the terms of the Act. Since 1993 the number of old people need support has continued to grow while NHS short and long term care has continued to shrink (Filinson, 1997). At the same time it is actually cheaper for social services departments to keep a person in residential care than to support them in their own home. New policies such as the Carers Representations and Services Act 1995 and the introduction of Direc t payments which were intended to empower users and give them greater choice have been implemented without all the additional resources. Thus demands for service have increased while budgets have remained much the same. While there has been a lot of rhetoric about the needs of pensioners the focus has, necessarily been on the user, and carers needs are largely ignored. Unell (1996) points out that changes in community care: †¦simultaneously raised the profile of carers and made their needs more difficult to meet in the short term (Unell, 1996:9). Community Care and Familial Obligation Since the 1970s there has been an increasing emphasis on care in the community and care within the family. This does not always work well and the greatest burden usually falls on those families with the least resources. Familial obligation is defined in law. In the UK it usually refers to the nuclear family of husband and wife, parents and children and benefits and taxes almost always recognise these relationships (Millar and Warman, 1996). The provision of services are intended to support, rather than take the place of the care and support that is expected of the family. Although Britain and most other European countries give some recognition to gender equality much policy making stems from post-war understandings within the welfare state, of the male breadwinner and the female housewife/carer. Community care and familial obligation are based on these hidden gendered assumptions. In Britain these obligations only extend downwards i.e. parental obligation to their children. In some c ountries adult children have familial obligation to their parents but this is not the case in the UK (Millar and Warman, 1996). In spite of this the decreasing number of acute hospital beds means that there are more older people with chronic conditions in the community. They receive care from the local authority in their own homes but in many instances they rely heavily on informal carers, usually members of the family. Informal care involves a number of different activities and relationships and has been explained in the following way. Informal care: †¦normally takes place in the context of family or marital relationships and is provided on an unpaid basis that draws on feelings of love, obligation and duty (Twigg, 1993:2). Thus, this kind of care normally occurs within the family and Kirk (1998) states that data from the General Household Survey tends to suggest that the bulk of this kind of care is undertaken by women. Phillips and Bernard (1995) maintain that the kind of caring that many women give are the difficult tasks of physical and personal care. These carers may also have contact with a range of other community services and district nurses who might be involved in the caring process. The meaning of community care changes over time and during the 1970s and 1980s policy in this area brought changes to services for people with disabilities, people with learning disabilities, and people suffering from the frailties of old age (Kirk, 1998). Cost concerns meant that many institutions were closed and care was focussed on the community. Lewis and Glennerster (1996) maintain that during the 1990a community care was a policy shift to aid spending cuts. There was a change from residential care for older people to care in the community. How successful the shift from residential care to care at home has been is, Wistoe (1995) maintains still unclear. In the 1990s health policies in the UK have focussed on primary care, this has come about because of cost concerns, demographic shifts and changing patterns of illness. Many services that were provided in hospitals are now operating in the primary sector. This has resulted in complex nursing care being undertaken in a domicilary context. Which shifts the burden of care to informal carers, usually female family members with the help of district nurses. In some cases informal carers and the person themselves undertake some tasks such as intravenous injections (Conway, 1996). Costain and Warner (1992) maintain that if this continues then more dependent people with complex, intensive needs will be cared for at home thus increasing the burden on the family and on community care services. Manthorpe (1994) points out that informal carers are gi ven little choice over their caring role and there is little respite as they are not often presented with an acceptable alternative. There has been little research into how this kind of caregiving affects family members although feminists (Abbott and Wallace, 1997) have expressed concern over the hidden assumptions underlying the concept of community care. The Feminist Critique of Community Care Feminists have focused on the informal caring that women do and which is often ignored by the professionals. Caring for an ageing or disabled relative for twenty four hours a day is bound to have an effect on women and yet there is little available help for respite.. Furthermore, the Community Care Act of 1990 has imposed further responsibilities on women in the role of informal carers (Abbott and Wallace, 1997). Based on the gender roles that existed in the welfare state, the discourses of health take it for granted that when members of their family are sick a woman will care for them. It assumes that women will put the needs of their children before their own. Health care is defined as care that is given by doctors, nurses, and other health professionals and the caring that women do in the home is recognised only as a part of the role that a woman plays in the home. Not only is her caring role invisible but the impact of shouldering the burden of caring is also ignored (Graham, 199 3). The Office for National Statistics reports that in 1995 there were three times the number of female informal carers to male carers. Watson et al (1999) maintain women, who are the primary care givers in the family actually negate the view that the responsibility of care should primarily be in institutional structures. This is because as wives and mothers, even if they are employed full time, they still give care to other family members. Walby (1990) contends that women have been oppressed because of their biology and this is evident in the healthcare system. However, patriarchal control of women operates through an inter-related set of structures and practices through which women are oppressed by men, the state is patriarchal in its policies and practices and its interests are biased towards men. Thus it is not surprising that implicit in discourses of care in the community is the view that women will shoulder the burden of care. Abbott and Wallace state that: While it is rarely given official recognition, and the tendency is to see paid health workers as the primary providers of health care, women provide most health care, within the confines of the family (Abbott and Wallace, 1997:170). Conclusion Care in the community is care in the home and feminists are right to suggest that this largely means care by women. The gendered nature of care giving needs to be re-examined if policy continues to shift the greater burden of care to the community. While there are such things as carer’s allowances these are very low and means tested, therefore many people do not claim them. There seems to be a stigma attached to the idea that people should claim allowances for long term care within the family. Perhaps a better option, once a person was assessed as needing long term community care would be an automatic payment for informal carers. It might also be useful if Government debate on care in the community lauded the work undertaken by informal carers and promoted a positive image of care within the family. Those families where men are the informal carers could, perhaps, be promoted as positive models for other men to follow. This might not only bring a shift in the implicit assumptio n that women will do the caring, but might give a broader and less stigmatised view of caring within the family. Assessment packages for long term informal carers should have regular respite care built into them so that carers get a regular break. Free community nursing care and domicilary care should be provided so that informal carers can go on holiday without having to worry about what was happening at home. Government may be keen to establish policies that shift even more care into the community but should also recognise that truly cost effective care takes account of all eventualities. At present it seems as though the notion that problems may arise in informal care settings is ignored, so that when these problems do occur it actually costs more to rectify than if an allowance for such eventualities was made in the first place. Too much strain is placed on many women because of the expectation that they will be informal carers, community care, it would seem needs much more care ful planning than is presently the case. References Abbott and Wallace, 1997 An Introduction to Sociology: Feminist Perspectives. London, Routledge Conway A.1996 Home intravenous therapy for bronchiectasis patients. Nursing Times 92(45), 34 35 Costain D. Warner M.1992From Hospital to Home Care: The Potential for Acute Service Provision in the Home. Kings Fund Centre, London Filinson, R. (1997) ‘Legislating community care: the British experience, with U.S. comparisons’, The Gerontologist, 37,3: 333-140. Giddens, 2001. 4th ed. Sociology. Cambridge, Polity Press Graham, H. 1993 Hardship and Health in Women’s Lives Hemel Hempstead, Harvester Griffiths, R. (1988) Community Care: An Agenda for Action. A Report to the Secretary of State for Social Services, London: HMSO. Kirk, S. 1998 â€Å"Trends in community care and patient participation: Implications for the roles of informal carers and community nurses in the United Kingdom† Journal of Advanced Nursing Vol 28 August 1998 Issue 2 p.370 Lewis J. Glennerster H.1996Implementing the New Community Care. Open University Press, Milton Keynes. Manthorpe J.1994 The family and informal care. In Implementing Community Care (Malin N. ed.), Open University Press, Milton Keynes Millar, J. and Warman A. 1996 Family Obligations in Europe Family Policies Centre in association with Joseph Rowntree Foundation Moore, S. Scourfield, P. Sinclair, S. Burch, S. and Wendon, B. 3rd ed. 2002 Social Welfare Alive Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes. Phillips J. Bernard M.1995 Perspectives on caring. In Working Carers (Phillips J. ed.), Avebury, Aldershot. Twigg, J. (1993) ‘Integrating carers in to the service system: six strategic responses’, Ageing and Society, 13: 141-170. Unell, J. (1996) The Carers Impact Experiment, London: King’s Fund Publishing. . Walby,S. 1990. Theorising Patriarchy. Blackwell, Oxford. Walsh, I ed. 2000 Sociology: Making Sense of Society. Edinburgh, Prentice Hall. 1 [1] http://www.infosci.org/MS-UK-MSSoc/pubcca.html

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby :: essays research papers

The Great Gatsby   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the story of Great Gatsby there are many diverse individuals which make themselves heard in the book. Tom Buchanan is the one character that the reader loves to hate. He represents the materialistic views in and around the Jazz era. The question at hand is to consider the character and role of Tom Buchanan in the story. How is the reader meant to respond to this character. To answer the question Tom must be broken down and investigated in an in-depth manner.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The era the action takes place in is known as the Jazz era. It is well known as a very superficial time period. Tom is known as a very superficial character. Although Tom is well known as a wealthy man who seems to have the whole world at his beck and call. Despite his advantages which he has received in life it does not reflect his image which is ugly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People are constantly striving to be like him because of his social status. He is the apex of the society, a very powerful individual, with enormous wealth. He is openly aggressive towards people especially his wife whom he is abusive towards. He also shows abusive actions towards his mistress Myrtle when he meets with her in New York. Tom believes solely that he is more important than anyone else. He also has much hate towards Gatsby when he first meets him, since Tom is particularly jealous of Gatsby's wealthiness over his own. We see his jealousy when he gets a favour from a friend in New York City to look into Jay Gatsby and the life he has led.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The reader develops much hate towards Mr. Buchanan when we learn of his mistress. His disprovement grows when he strikes her across the face and severely hurts her for no apparent reason. His rude attitude towards others are also taken to heart when Tom is seen out in public trying to show off for his friend Nick Caraway of how much of a man he can be.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Ethical Issues Surrounding Walmart

Ethical issues surrounding Wal-Mart Ronald L. Reeves Columbia Southern University Ethical issues surrounding Wal-Mart Sam Walton, founded Wal-Mart over forty years ago, where it started as a five-and-ten store in Bentonville, Arkansas (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). Since then it has become one of the largest retail stores in the world, with an estimated annual sales of close to $300 billion (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). His business philosophy was to provide low prices to its customers everyday (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009).With such tremendous success in profits and growth, it has also brought many challenges relating to ethical issues in regards to; off-the-clock-work, sexual discrimination, health benefits, the role of unions, use of illegal aliens, and issues relating to child and labor laws. It is the intent of this case study to identify the ethical issues Wal-Mart has faced, as well as, discuss four questions of thought. Off-the-Clock-WorkFrom 2000 to 2007, Wal-Mart has been in cou rt facing numerous law suits, in which they have paid out millions of dollars, for violation of laws surrounding non-payment of overtime compensation to its employees (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). Several employees claimed that managers required them to work off the clock by requiring them to work after punching out their time card (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). If the employee refused to work after their shift and off the clock, then they would be threatened with termination of employment.One of the many complaints include the use of â€Å"lock-ins† (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). According to Stanwick and Stanwick (2009) they stated, â€Å"Managers would lock the doors after the store had closed and would force the workers to stay in the store until all the work had been completed† (p. 410). Employees were also told that if they could not complete their assigned work in their eight hour shift, that they would have to remain at work, off the clock, until their work was comp lete.It was evident that the mangers had no respect or appreciation for the employees, who should have been valued as stakeholders that contributed to the success of the store. Sexual Discrimination In 2001, Wal-Mart faced a lawsuit with regards to sexual discrimination for not promoting women to managerial positions and for not paying them a wage equivalent to what the male employees were making (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). Some of the facts that supported the lawsuit include; 65% of the hourly employees and 33% of the managers were women, and on average women received 6. % less in wages than their male counterparts received (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). One example of discrimination included a female employe being told that a man was promoted over her, who was qualified, because the man had to support his family (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). Another example of discrimination was when a women was told that a man was paid more becauase according to the Bible, Adam came before Eve. The managers involved in these and other sexual discrimination cases included in this lawsuit made poor ethical decsions by discriminating against its female employees.Health Benefits Stanwick and Stanwick (2009) mentioned, â€Å"In 2003 Wal-Mart’s policy of lower costs in every part of its operation was highlighted based on the type of health benefits that it offered to its employees† (p. 413). New employees had to wait six months before being eligible for the health care benefit, and retirees were not allowed to keep their benefit (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). Wal-Mart’s payout for employee healthcare benefits in 2002, were 40% lower than the average that all companies in the U. S. ere paying and 30% less than their competive retailers (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). In an effort to keep health care costs down, Wal-Mart recommended to the board of directors that it should hire more part time employees and try to discourage unhealthy employees by requiring all employe e’s responsibilities to include some type of physical activity (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). It is evident that Wal-Mart’s board of directors and upper management were more concerned with profit than the welfare of the employees. The Role of the UnionsIn an effort to keep low prices for its customers, Wal-Mart kept its labor cost low (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). There has been a constant battle between Wal-Mart and its employees, who wanted to create a union. The purpose of the union was to ensure that employees, who were members of the union, would receive a wage that was competitive to others in the workforce. Stanwick and Stanwick (2009) stated, â€Å"In 2002 a comparison of wages for unionized workers and Wal-Mart employees showed that unionized Kroger employees would get four to five dollars an hour more than the Wal-Mart employees† (pgs. 15-416). It was discovered that Wal-Mart would discourage employees from forming unions, by firing those that promoted it (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). Of the contrary, the Wal-Marts in China were allowed to have unions, as they received pressure from the All-China Federation of Trade Unions which is belived to be apart of Chinese Communist Government (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). Use of Illegal Aliens In an efforet to keep their costs low everyday for its customers, Wal-Mart used a campaign slogan of â€Å"Roll Back the Prices,† but agian it came at the sacrifices of its employees.Wal-Mart outsourced to third party contractors to hire janitors to clean its stores afterhours (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). To keep cost down, these third party contractors, with Wal-Mart’s knowledge, hired illegal aliens to clean the stores afterhours (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). This was discovered after federal agents, from the Immigration Servive, raided sixty Wal-Mart stores in an operations called â€Å"Operation Rollback,† in 2003 (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009).As a result of the raid, more than 250 i llegal aliens were arrested, and Wal-Mart faced thiteen felony indictments and paid $5 million dollars in fines (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). Some of the illegal aliens also filed lawsuits that claimed they were forced to work every night and did not receive compensation for overtime (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). This was not only a violation of federal law, it also showed a lack of the citizenship principle where every employee should respect the law (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009).Child and other Labor Laws From 2000-2005, Wal-Mart was faced with fines and lawsuits pertaining to violations of child and labor laws. It was identified by audits, that employees under the age of eighteen were working past midnight, working during school hours, and working more than eight hours a day (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). Discovered were employees under the age of eighteen operating machinery that was dangerous, which included chainsaws and cardboard balers (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009).Also, exposed wer e employees who were not taking their breaks or given time off for a meal period (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). Questions for Thought 1. Are the ethical issues Wal-Mart faces really any different from other large retailers? I don’t think the ethical issues facing Wal-Mart are any different than that of its competitors. I do believe though that since Wal-Mart is considered the largest retailer and it promises to keep the lowest prices everyday for its customers that they are misusing the reliability principle of taking care of its employees.Stanwick and Stanwick (2009) stated, â€Å"Traditional violations of the reliability principle would include breaching a promise or contract or not fulfilling a promised action† (p. 9). An example of this is when Wal-Mart managers did not pay their employees for working overtime. 2. Wal-Mart officials have stated that they don’t feel women are interested in management positions at the company. Do you agree or disagree? I disagre e. Based on the case study, it seems to me that women are discouraged from seeking positions in management through sexual discrimination.If women were not oppressed by comments such as a man needing the promotion over a qualified woman because he needed to support his family, or that a man works at Wal-Mart for a career and women do not, then they may feel more competitive for managerial positions (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). Wal-Mart’s managers in this case demonstrated a failure in the dignity principle by not respecting all of its employees (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). 3. Wal-Mart is continually criticized for its health care policy. Is this really and ethical issue?Why or why not? I do not think that Wal-Mart’s health care policy is unethical and meets the requirement of the fairness principle. Of the four types of fairness’s: reciprocal, distributive, fair competition, and procedural fairness, they demonstrate the distributive fairness (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). They do provide both part time and full time employees with a choice to enroll in its health care policy and at different levels of coverage (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). The also have provided a health savings account for its employees.Stanwick and Stanwick (2009) stated, â€Å"In a Wal-Mart survey of 220,000 employees, it was found that 90% were covered using Wal-Mart’s health insurance† (p. 415). The 10% that did not have their insurance were either covered under their spouse’s insurance, insured by Medicaid, or through a military health insurance plan (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). 4. Should Wal-Mart be concerned about unionization of stores since allowing unionization of workers in China? Wal-Mart should be concerned about unionization in stores outside of China, as they have allowed it in China.This is a double standard that is not fair to the other Wal-Mart employees throughout the world. The case study identified that employees who were in favor of a union were either discouraged or terminated (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). The National Labor Relations Board, ordered Wal-Mart in 2003 to negotiate with former employees of the meat market, whom formed a union, to bring back the meat department that was originally closed when the employees formed a union (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009).This thought encompasses the values of the fairness principle, with regards to the reciprocal fairness (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). Wal-Mart should address the thought of a union fairly as the employees seek a way to have competitive wages. Conclusion While Wal-Mart is considered to be one of the highest grossing retailers in the world, which strives to offer the lowest prices everyday to its customers, it has done so by adversely affecting their employees.The management’s efforts to keep prices down resulted in poor ethical choices which resulted in employees being forced to work beyond their normal working hours and not be compensated for their overtime. In addition, many employees were forced to work during their breaks or denied mealtime breaks, in which they were not compensated for either. Sexual discrimination was also an issue, as women were discouraged or discriminated against for seeking management level positions.Although Wal-Mart did offer health benefits to its employees, they were questionable and came at a high cost for low paid employees. Wal-Mart also set a double standard by allowing its stores in China to have a union, while it discouraged or terminated employees in other parts of the world who were in favor of developing a union. Child labor laws were another issue for Wal-Mart, as they required employees under the age of eighteen to work late at night, working during school hours, working more than eight hours a day, and operating dangerous equipment in some of its stores.The results of their unethical acts and violations of federal laws, has caused Wal-Mart to review its policies and identify ways to im prove its ethical principles concerning the treatment of its employees. Stanwick and Stanwick (2009) mentioned, â€Å"The managers at Wal-Mart agreed to meet with the ten rank-and-file workers every week from each of its 4,000 stores to get employee feedback† (p. 419). This program that Wal-Mart created is called â€Å"Associates out Front† (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2009). Reference Stanwick, P. A. , & Stanwick, S. D. (2009). Understanding business ethics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

The Academic Nature and Standards of School

It could be said the A. S. Neill began the reformation of liberal education when he founded Summerhill Free School in 1921. The academic nature was opposite of a standard school where students have a variety of classes that they are expected to attend. The voluntary attendance, absence of order as well as adult authority are just a few things that characterize Summerhill. Students are expected to gain more of an educational wealth by learning basic concepts of self-esteem, tolerance, integrity, fairness, and understanding rather than math quations and science functions. Because Summerhill is so popular and unique, it has received enormous amounts of criticism. Consequently, the Free School has been a victim to numerous According to Kristi Ruark from the website Summerhill School, Neill was just the fourth of 13 children, grew up under the stern hand of his schoolmaster father who ran his classroom with an iron rod (Ruark). Neil believed he could expand his pupils minds and horizons by providing a comfortable learning atmosphere where students can learn what they are interested in ompared to fixed schedules and classes. At the age of twenty-five, Neill went to Edinburgh University and took a degree in English. Afterwards he became a journalist, and later head of a small school in Gretna Green. Here, he began to compose his first book, A Dominie's Log, and form his ideas on freedom for children. After a year in the school he wrote: â€Å"I have converted a hard-working school into a playground, and I rejoice. These brains have had a year of happiness and liberty. They have done what they liked; they have sung their songs while they were orking at graphs, they have eaten their sweets while they read their books, they have hung on my arms as we rambled along in search of artistic corners (Neil p. 88) . † By 1927, Neil had moved to a city in southern England where he, along with the help of his second wife, Ena, ran Summerhill until Neil's death in 1973 and Ena's retirement in 1985. Zoe Readhead, daughter of A. S. Neill, was left with no other choice but to continue running In a recent interview with Zoe Readhead, Jerry Doe raised the question of advantages to optional class attendance. Readhead then explained how it doesn't destroy your love for learning and how the things you do, you do because you want to do them. She then goes on to state â€Å"you can't have a friendly relationship with somebody and then force them to go to a class they don't want to go to (Martin). † Further along in the interview Readhead discusses the conflicts between Summerhill and the Educational Department that could result in a termination. Due to the release of the self-titled book about Free School Movement in the 60's, Summerhill was emerging. Even though, the school was receiving tremendous criticism about the lack of management in the classroom and skills that the young students obtain. The clause â€Å"Letting them (the students) do what they want will eventually result in effective learning† was not widely accepted. The HMI inspectors said it was totally unacceptable for children at the age of nine not to be able to read or write. Readhead's response to this was â€Å"If they don't want to go to class and they don't want to learn to read or write, then that's fine with us (Martin). According to John Gummer, MP, â€Å"People should have the right to decide on the education that they like for their children† (Summerhill). However, like her father, Zoe Readhead believes the Summerhill staff can educate a well-rounded student based on creative works rather than rigid discipline and formal pedagogy. The emphasis is still the same today as when Summerhill was established. The schools operate with few constraints on students or teachers, so students are free to plan and execute their own learning experiences, thus developing self discipline and responsibility. In turn, parents seem guided by Neill's philosophy and a concern that public schools were not meeting their children's needs. Like many alternative or free schools, Summerhill is small with a total enrollment of fewer than sixty along with a limited number of teachers. Summerhill and freedom are two word that fit harmoniously in a sentence. The phrase â€Å"freedom but not license† was coined by Neill. This basically meant that you are free to do as you wish just as long as you don't interfere with someone else's freedom. This independence allows the students to be self-motivated so learning is natural and enjoyable. They mature and become socially responsible without being taught moral values. Also, the freedom creates self respect for the children. They will know what they think is important so others will listen in addition to a tight wavelength bond between the two. Summerhill has now been running successfully for over seventy-five years. The school is first and foremost a place where children can learn at their own pace and maintain self-direction. It's gave children a happy learning environment, time to develop naturally, but most importantly, power over their own lives.