Relieving pain and inflammation Essay

1.1 The holistic approach is important as it focuses on relieving pain and inflammation without harming the body. It also promotes the bodies healing response so that the area of injury is healed as quickly and completely as possible. 1.2 One approach to alleviate and minimise pain and discomfort is to show the individual that you are concerned about them and their well being. Let the individual know you are here to help themand want what is best for them. Another approach would be to let the individual know that other people have had the same problem and its nothing to be ashamed or frightened of, some older people may feel they are being a burden and not want to bother anyone, it is important for them to know this isnt the case. Be sincere, smile hold the individuals hand if they are scared. 1.3 Below is an outline of the agreed ways of working to alleviate pain and minimise discomfort. Pain awareness, you should be alert to the possibility of pain and discomfort in older people and that older people are often reluctant to report the pain as they dont want to be a burden to anyone or may be afraid to tell anyone. Pain enquiry, it is impotant to enquire about pain it is helpful if you use alternative words like where are you sore? Have you got an ache anywhere? Are you hurting? Pain description, where pain is present it is important for a clinical assessment to take place. The sensory dimension, the nature (eg sharp, dull, burning), location and intensity of the pain. The affective dimension, the emotional part (eg fear,depression,anxiety) and response to pain. The impact, how is this effecting the individual participation in everyday activities. Pain location, an attempt should be made to locate the pain ask the individual to point out where the pain is. Pain intensity, pain assessment should be made using a numeric scale from 1 to 10 where 10 is the worst pain and 1 being the lowest level of pain, if the individual is able to use this.  Communication, every effort should be made to communicate with individuals with sensory impairments eg glasses, hearing aids etc. Assessment in individuals with impaired cognitive communications (eg dementia suffers) it might be needed for a regular carer and family members to help assess the pain as they will know what is a normal behavior of the individual and one which could suggest the individual is in pain. Cause of pain, a careful physical examination should take place to identify any treatable causes, however it is important to ba aware that pain can exist even if the examination is normal. Re-evaluate, it is important that the treatment is evaluated to make sure it has worked. Read more:  Understand Approaches to Managing Pain and Discomfort 2.1 Severe pain could have the ability to totally transform a person. It could affect the way a person eats and drinks, even putting them off their food completely. pain can cause frustration or unreasonable behaviour in someone who is normally calm and controlled. The individual could becone restless or suffer from sleepless nights all this could be signs of pain and could be used to help diagnois individuals who cant communicate they are in pain. Pain can cause many problems to an individuals well being and communication, pain and discomfort can make day to day life difficult causing limitations to a persons daily activities, this leads to a lower quality of life. Chronic pain causes a host of related problems a main problem can be depression the individual feels helpless and doesnt see a way out. It is important that pain is properly managed so the individual can get their quality of life back and help an individual get back their independance. It is important for none verbal people t o have a way of communication so that they can express their pain, providing the apprropriate pain management assures the dignity and well being of a patient. 2.2 You could encourage an individual to express pain and discomfort in a number of ways the best ways are to make sure the individual feels safe and at ease with you, smile sincerely, ask the individual an open ended question, be supportive make sure the individual knows they are not alone, let them take their time to open up to you. 2.3 There are a number of self-help methods of pain control it is important to make the individual aware of so they can use them. Some are more successful then others. The individual could be encouraged to do some gentle exercise or have some physiotherapy where possible. There is a distraction approach where individuals are incouraged to do something they enjoy such as reading, drawing, watching television or maybe listening to music to take there mind off their pain. Sometimes a lie down or rest can help relieve pain maybe the individual could be incourage to take a rest when the pain is really bad. It can sometimes help if the individual has a bath or shower the warmness of the water can ease pain in some cases. 2.4 Assist an individual to be positioned safely and comfortably, this may be different for different individuals it is important to consult the individuals care plan. Once an individual is moved according to their care plan and in compliance with safe moving and handling guidelines you may need to make them more comfortable using aids. The individual may need more cushions to make them more comfortable, they may need their feet elevating, the person may need to be seating in a recliner for comfort. 2.5 Measurements to minimise the individuals pain and discomfortmay include repostioning, adjustments to bedding, heating, lightening or noise, the use of specialist mattresses and pressure reducing aids, Also analgesias Pain killers) maybe requested for the individual all measures in the care plan must be followed. The ways pain and discomfort may be managed include massage, yoga, meditation and medication. 3.1 Carry out all monitoring according to the individuals care plan. The individual maybe on 15 min, 30 min, or hourly checks these need to be carried out. If the individual can communicate it is important for you to ask them about any pain, has the individuals mood or behaviour changed are the signs of pain and discomfort there. 3.2 Records should be completed in a required way as explained in the individuals care plan. All pain killers administered should be documented on the MARS sheet. 3.3 All findings and concerns should be reported correctly to the person in charge and documented in the care plan.

How Information Flows and is Used in an Organization Essay

Going through the three individual courses this week in regards to Data Storage, Security, Recovery and Disposal has given me a new set of eyes on how information flows and is used among an organization’s computer infrastructure. What I found amazing about these processes is just how far we have come in these last few years when it comes to the technology of Digital Data. I will go over the individual topics that show the benefits, but also the drawbacks of such technology the way it is used at my work place, which is one of the largest Financial Institutions in the United States. Data Storage When we look back years ago when computers did not exist, it always puzzles me how is it that banks stored our information. I can only imagine the vast amounts of bank records in immense rooms that if you needed to research a certain transaction you did a few years back, even though I’m sure paperwork was kept in a certain order, it would be a hassle to get to it. Once computers came into play in the recent years and no longer you had to go to your local branch to do all your business, no longer you needed to sign a Signature Card, things have simplified immensely. You can go into any bank location and if you needed a history of your recent transactions, statements from a few months or even years’ back, it is stored in the bank’s centralized mainframe where all data is stored. Data Security When we speak about Data Security today, we seem to forget how things were done back before computers came into play. One example I like to use is Frank William Abagnale Jr., who forged a vast amount of checks. (â€Å"Frank Abagnale – Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia†, n.d.). He was able to do all  that by finding the loopholes in our financial system and used it to his advantage. When you consider today’s digital financial system with credit cards, debit cards, it is of major convenience to everyone that uses it. I can now buy an item through the Internet and the company selling it to me is able to immediately put a hold on the funds at my banking institution, creating a positive experience for both buyer (transaction was processed) and seller (funds were deposited into their account). However, also creates the risk of identify theft if not used properly. Data Recovery I think of Data Recovery something that was non-existant back in the days before computers existed. If you had mailed a check or sensitive financial information over to someone, if it was lost or stolen, there was no way to recover it had the person in possession either burned or ripped the information to pieces. In today’s world, there are so many forms of legitimate back-ups that it doesn’t seem to be an issue anymore. If a certain hard disk where my information is kept ends up failing, there is a backup of it at another disk that will still tell me how much funds I have and my transaction history. And what’s amazing is that all that happens seamlessly without my knowledge. Data Disposal Data Disposal is something that hasn’t really changed with the computer age. However, we are now disposing of the physical item that holds our information, instead of the information itself. Back when I signed my Signature Card at the bank and they kept it at that location, once they moved it over to a digital system, they disposed of that card and transferred it to a digital file in a hard disk drive. Now if they wanted to dispose of the same â€Å"signature card† they can write bits of data over where my signature card was or physically destroy the hard disk where it was stored. It does create the problem where if it’s not properly disposed, another person could retrieve my information. Conclusion In conclusion, I can say that how information is used and flows through an organization today depends how well the people in charge of the system itself are aware of the risks of not properly handling the different terms involved: Storage, Security, Recovery and Disposal. With most organizations  today using computer information systems as opposed to paper how it was used years ago the terms have largely stayed the same, however, with a different focus on how the data is now handled. References Frank Abagnale – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Abagnale

Technology in the Healthcare Industry and Its Impact

I. Technology in the healthcare industry today and its impact The state of technology in the healthcare industry is that it is developing very rapidly. 10 or 20 years ago, you wouldn’t be able to find very many computers or technology at a typical doctor’s office. Most of the stuff was done with analog equipment and manual paperwork. Now, if you go into a doctor’s office, you will find it laden with advanced technical equipment and computer technology. You may not even find a pen or pad on the doctor’s desk! Technology has the ability to change the face of the whole healthcare delivery system and improve the quality of health and healthcare. Although there are many challenges that it represents, overcoming these challenges will lead to a more effective and better quality healthcare system in general. First of all, the use of technology in managing the healthcare system is currently in the stages of being implemented to a great extent. There is a big push to standardize medical records, for example, in an electronic format. The government is currently offering incentives for those who convert over to and put in use some form of electronic medical records system (Versel, 2011). They are also putting into place penalties for those who do not by 2015 (U. S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2011). In terms of the actual impact on the healthcare system, this shift to electronic records will not only reduce our premiums for insurance, but also streamline and speed up healthcare delivery twofold. It also cuts administrative costs for healthcare organizations and increases space, as they will no longer have to store bulky files or paperwork. They can replace all of that with digital records. In the long term, this transition to digital records will benefit everyone involved in the healthcare industry; however, in the short term there will be increased costs for all of us. The reason why is because there will be associated costs in developing and buying the systems to house the medical records. Not only that, but the training associated with getting everyone up to speed on how to use the new medical records system is an effort that will take both time and money. There will likely be some resistance to the change, but overall, this is a development in technology in the healthcare industry that stands to benefit all parties involved once it gets up to speed. Another way that technology is making an impact on the healthcare industry is in the treatment of patients. Complex microsurgeries and drug administration are a thing of the past. Now, a lot of the new facilities have specialized information systems and technology that utilize robots to administer medication and perform surgeries with a much higher level of accuracy than humans could do (Feder, 2008). Not only that, but technology and information systems are improving the treatment and diagnosis of patients for various diseases. We use technology to analyze blood and tissue samples, and also to take a look at internal parts of the body that normally would have required invasive surgery to diagnose and treat. This is clearly a move in the right direction for the healthcare industry in that the quality of care will improve without teaching human resources how to improve. We simply have to teach the human resources how to use the equipment and analyze the results. Unfortunately, not every facility has the latest and greatest technology. The drawback to this improvement technology has brought is that not all facilities will be able to afford the new equipment straight away. There are even places in other countries that really need the equipment the most, but don’t have the ability or the resources to afford them. Often at times, patients will need to be transported to other facilities to get the treatment that they need, and end up worsening in condition or dying along the way. The technology that drives the healthcare industry does have the power to save lives, however, it will take some time before the rest of the world is up to speed. II. Challenges in implementing technology In addition to the improvements technology is making in the healthcare industry, technology in general also poses some major challenges. For one thing, it does have a major impact on the delivery of healthcare services and their experience. For example, one of the positive points for many people in going to the doctor is the non-clinical aspect of talking and having an open forum in getting diagnosis and treatment. With the implementation of technology, however, there is an increasing concern that visits will become â€Å"less personal† and more about the diagnosis and treatment than the actual experience. According to an article in the McKinsey Quarterly, commercially insured patients tend to focus on the non-clinical aspects of a visit rather than the clinical (Grote, Newman, & Sutaria, 2007). However, a lot of the patients on Medicare and those that are uninsured tend to care more about the cost of delivery rather than the actual experience. Based on this, there is a concern that the shift towards more technological means will alienate one group of patients whereas they will welcome another. The shift to technological means will certainly mean a decreased cost in delivery. That is for certain. However, the shift to technological solutions won’t necessarily mean a decrease in the quality of the visit. More doctors will continue to use technology to drive their treatment methods, but overall it is up to the doctor to make a connection with the patient as the customer relations part of the job. In fact, I feel it will be more about customer relations than the actual treatment once technology has been fully developed. Doctors will spend less time writing down and crunching numbers on the computer and focus more on interacting with the patient and utilizing technology to drive a diagnosis and treatment. Technology will also make diagnosis more transparent as medical imaging devices will make things more visible to both the patient and the doctor. Overall, the shift to technological means will certainly bring on challenges in implementation. Doctors will at first have a hard time in getting up to speed on the new technologies and balancing that with the way they are used to doing things, and integrating it into their daily visits. However, as time goes on this will be less and less of an issue once doctors and patients accept new ways of treatment and technology in general. III. Technology in the development of medicine Technology has always had a place in the development of medicinal treatments and medical devices. Clinical trials are conducted all around the world with he promise of new and better treatments that will cure illnesses and increase lifespan and quality of life. The use of technology in clinical trials is helping to not only get safer and better drugs to the market faster, but also to ensure that there are no problems long term. It used to be that clinical trials were conducted on paper, but now technology is used to ensure both quality of data entry and also the monitoring of subjects in a trial. Technolo gy is also used to develop tests and experiments more efficiently than they were ever done on paper. The shift to technological means is definitely one of the mainstays in the development of medicine, and is a welcome addition that presents few challenges aside from the training of resources. In terms of development, technology has also helped to make processes more efficiently and easily to allow newer drugs to be developed at a lower cost than older traditional methods of conducting trials (ICON, 2011). Budgeting and analysis can be used to efficiently allocate supplies and funds, and the actual trial data can be run through information systems in order to analyze the data from a bird’s eye view and make decisions on its development. The impact of this is likely to be decreased costs for the consumer for drugs and medical products. IV. Recommended plans for the adoption of technology in healthcare organizations As mentioned above, there are likely to be some growing pains in the adoption of technology in the healthcare industry. Doctors will likely have a hard time with the shift to more technological means, and their staff will also likely suffer the same hardships. Ensuring a proper plan to implement a technological solution in a healthcare organization is therefore essential, and ensuring a smooth transition so that the customer is not affected in the process. Therefore, the following are my recommendations for a smooth transition: 1. Identify the technological solution to implement, and assess what modules of the business this will impact. 2. Notify the staff of what will be implemented, and create a training plan to bring everyone up to speed in advance of the implementation so that no one is taken by surprise. 3. Develop a plan to ensure smooth integration into the organization, so that delivery is not compromised. This may include implementing it in part so that the new technology is used alongside the old process that was used to perform the same function. . Develop a timeline for the actual implementation to be complete. This is so that the employees do not continue to follow old methods as a crutch for not getting used to the new technology, and so they know when the new process will be followed. The above 4 items will be absolutely critical in ensuring a smooth transition for any healthcare organization to technological means. The reason why these steps will aid technology implementation is because it ensures that there is enough time to train resources and integrate the technology into the organization. The reason why many organizations have a problem integrating technology is an ineffective change management plan. By introducing it slowly and getting all the required resources up to speed, there should not be an issue in change management. V. Final Thoughts Overall, technology is continuing to make an impact on the healthcare industry in a big way. Right now, there is increasing shift towards using technology to speed up services delivery and management of services. As the world becomes more technologically advanced, there will be an ever-increasing shift towards technological means. The key to implementing technology in any healthcare organization is a change management plan that gets everyone up to speed before the actual technology is implemented, and the communication of this change to all stakeholders involved. Once the change is communicated, steps will need to be taken to ensure training of resources and integration of the technology in the business practices. In terms of using technology in the healthcare industry, technology will lways continue to impact healthcare in development of products and delivery of services. Technology is always going to be used to develop the Healthcare organizations need to focus on change management and integration of technology rather than just implementation. Works Cited U. S. Department of Health & Human Services. (2011, April 20). CMS EHR Meaningful Use Overview. Retrieved June 6, 2011, from U. S. Depart ment of Health & Human Services Web Page: https://www. cms. gov/EHRIncentivePrograms/30_Meaningful_Use. asp Versel, N. 2011, May 31). Physicians Get Meaningful Use Payment Checks. Retrieved June 6, 2011, from InformationWeek Healthcare: http://www. informationweek. com/news/healthcare/EMR/229700213 Feder, B. J. (2008, May 4). Prepping Robots to Perform Surgery. New York Times . Grote, K. D. , Newman, J. R. , & Sutaria, S. S. (2007, November). A Better Hospital Experience. The McKinsey Quarterly , 1-10. ICON. (2011, May 1). Technology in Clinical Trials. Retrieved June 20, 2011, from Kris Gustafson: http://krisagustafson. com/gpage1. html

Personal statment Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Statment - Personal Statement Example The successful completion of this course served to whet my appetite for anything and everything connected with medicine and health care. In college I undertook a course in criminal justice. On being drafted into military service, I lost no opportunity to improve my medical knowledge. Thus, I completed the hospital A school, wherein I was exposed to nursing and paramedical procedures. In addition, I gained knowledge regarding cpr phlebotomy. Thereafter, I undertook field medical service school, where I learned triage, field sanitation, trauma care and surgery. Furthermore, I also garnered information regarding hazmat, dental and medical emergencies. These skills enabled me to develop a patient and balanced approach to the sick and injured. Some of these procedures are to be performed in critical situations and my interest and skill, developed right from my childhood, stood me in good stead. I can proudly declare that I have never lost my presence of mind, even in the most demanding situations. On many an occasion, the patient in the field will be severely injured and this could deter many people from providing emergency medical attention. However, I have never been overwhelmed or distressed by the sight of severe injuries. During such encounters, I always view the situation objectively and try to render the best possible medical assistance, to the best of my ability and in the shortest time possible. This trait of mine has been recognized and lauded by my superior officers on several occasions. It has always been my firm belief that providing medical relief to our armed forces is fraught with great difficulty. At present, the US intervenes militarily in many areas of the world. Some of these places are extremely dangerous, and our men face the risk of death or serious injury at every turn. The situation is rendered all the more difficult, due to the difficult and hostile terrain and the lack of proper

Intercultrual Communication in the workplace Paper Essay

Intercultrual Communication in the workplace Paper - Essay Example The American team is counting on bagging the contract and making a profit and they are very happy to know that their hosts speak fluent English albeit with a slight accent. Despite this reassurance they encountered problems almost from the beginning. During the first meeting itself they expected to cover significant ground yet the Japanese seemed to beat around the bush and not much interested in going ahead. In the second meeting too when certain issues were being discussed, the Japanese fell silent for a long time which the American found embarrassing and difficult to fill, ultimately they broke the silence by talking about the tourist spots of their city and the best way to get there. The Japanese even appeared to have some kind of telepathic abilities as all of them seemed to understand each other very well by a few gestures and nods, without exchanging a word amongst themselves before talking to the Americans. Though the Japanese agreed to the conditions set out and they took go od care of their guests and spent a lot of money on them, they always managed to wriggle out of signing the contract. Ultimately the Americans lost their patience and returned quite exasperated. Americans and Japanese are described as the "oddest couple in the world, at the opposite end of the cultural spectrum." ( http: //www.culturalsavvy.com / j

Business plan Miami Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business plan Miami - Essay Example With a good distribution of the medicines in the city hospitals and pharmacies, a new company can eye the fierce competition that is being faced in the industry. Baptist hospital is an important part of the health care system in Miami and is given the favorable demographics of the area. The hospital treats more than 75,000 patients every year and has more than 550 beds. There has been a high demand for aged care services in the hospital because of the change in demographics. The patient population comprises of 60% adults and 40% pediatrics. The average length of stay in the hospital is 3.4 days. There are 412 beds in Columbia Kendall Medical Center, 37 respiratory therapists and 561 other full time employees. Most of the patients arriving are of the age 55 and above and the child patients are about only 20 percent of the total patients arriving. The Mercy Hospital with 221 certified beds and employs 230 registered nurses, 27 respiratory therapists and 857 other full time employees. Significant number of patients arriving at Mercy Hospital is self-pay patients and many arrive without a proper documentation. The average length of stay in the hospital is 3.5 days. From 1993 onwards, there has been a decrease in the trend of hospitalization in the age bracket of 15 to 34 in Miami. However, the trend for the hospitalization of the older people has been significantly rising since the past several years in Miami. In 1993, the hospitalization rate of the age bracket of 45-54 was almost 8,000 and in 2002, it was roughly 11,500. The median age of the population has been almost 38 years. Elderly individuals make up a significant portion of population, as the number of people above the age of 60 is 80,000, which is 23% of the total population in Miami. The population has been getting more and more diverse with increasing

Systems project management- master level Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Systems project management- master level - Essay Example Project Managers are often employed to manage project that will satisfy the need of the organization to increase productivity and quality of products to increase profit or increase profit while maintaining productivity and quality of products. It is therefore important for Project Managers to satisfy the needs of employees in order for them to provide quality products to customers. Project Managers has the responsibility to manage this dynamics as his project gets implemented and rolled out. Q1.2 User requirements – are the list of functionality that users expect or demands from their system to make them more productive and for the users to efficiently respond to customer demands. In essence user requirements also respond to the three words enunciated above. User requirements satisfy the need of People meaning the employee and the customer. User requirements also satisfy the need of the product to be of the highest quality. User requirement also satisfy the need to increase if not maintain the profitability of the organizations. The user requirements needed by the case are as follows: Confidentiality – to ensure that only employees’ who have the right to access, change, edit and use documents can access them. Integrity – It is imperative that the system to be implemented can maintain, ensure and guarantee that the information contained or being accessed by employees have not been tampered with or is the correct one, if not the latest applicable version. Accessibility – is another user requirement that needs to be satisfied to ensure that the employees who need the document can access them as designed. Confidentiality, Integrity and Accessibility will solve and correct the experiences of the organization in the past that would include fraud, availability of data when and where it is needed, and for information to reach the right party when and where it is needed. The other technical user requirements for the new system should i nclude imbedded document change management process that should guarantee an audit trail and version control as well as document and process tracking. Another technical user requirement is the accessibility of the system from anywhere and anytime despite any environmental issues. Another technical user requirement is the sharing of one Outlook Directory within the organization. Q1.3 – WAN is a Wide Area Network often used to make information available across large distances and despite physical geographical barriers. Microsoft office is a set of product often used by organizations as productivity tools this would include MS word, MS Excel, MS outlook, power point and others. Microsoft Share point is a document sharing software that would enable organization to make its voluminous data, record or even knowledge to be accessible at all level of its organization. Q1. 4 – The most common problems experienced by commuters are the following; delayed or unreliable train schedu les, canceled train schedule and lack of information on what is happening or what caused the delay or how long will it take to resolve the issue. Commuters like any of other human being have a number of expectations. If those expectations are not met it would result to frustration and then eventually anger. Airlines or airports have long resolved the issue of angry commuters by

Factor of Implementation that Caused Toyota Company Assignment

Factor of Implementation that Caused Toyota Company - Assignment Example Toyota is a company that started in the year 1937 is successful globally. It is among the largest, known auto manufacturers in the world. It manufactures high-quality vehicles through the setting of high standards in the production. The company ensures that there is efficiency in the day-to-day life of all the people in the world. Since the company started, it has sailed through as a successful business through innovation and coming up with unique and modern products that do well in the foreign market. For the past 47 years since the company started, it showed the best sales income in all months. This success is attributing to the good implementation of the strategies set for the growth of the company. A lot of innovation took place in order to produce new and unique products that attracted customers. In the race of achieving the mission and vision of the company, the problem of poor implementation of one of the factors of strategic implementation led to a safety scandal of the products. The factor that the company did not realize that there was no proper implementation is the control factor. This lead to the production of vehicles with mechanical problems associated with braking systems that lead to acceleration when the driver is least aware. Control involves checking of the quality of the products produced. For the production of high-quality products, production system and management are vital and important. However, the quality of the production system and the materials used during production must reach the highest level of quality. Though the mission of the company is all about quality, safety, and expansion of the company globally, the company failed in ensuring that quality control was as before (Mohin, 2012). In the process of production, something went wrong in the fixation of the floor mats that made the brake pedals ineffective and caused unwanted acceleration that caused injuries and deaths to the users of the vehicles.  

Reading and write essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Reading and write - Essay Example Other scholars argue that, focus on population should rest upon the government, and its role will be to plan, and regulate the human reproductive activities (Weeks, 9). The media plays a role in this debate. It highlights circumstances where there is environmental degradation, and relates the situation to destructive activities of mankind. This is because man is looking for new habitats, and to get them, he has to clear forests or interfere with water catchment areas. The media equates this to a rise in population. This paper seeks to explain what this debate is about, and what it means. This paper explains where the main focus should be on, and the reasons. It has a concluder, which highlights the harmful effects of technological innovations as opposed to population growth. The last 100 years has seen a growth in population, due to technological innovations in medicine and agriculture (Weeks, 31). The rise in population is also as a result of an improvement on the living conditions of mankind brought about by the industrial revolution. This saw a degradation of the environment, in search of raw materials to satisfy the various industries in Europe. On this note, the environment population debate is an argument on the role of the population growth in the destruction of the natural resources. These resources are either minerals, fuels, forests, lakes and rivers, or even the climate. The debate takes place in two levels, the macro level, and the micro level (Weeks, 27). The Macro involves large units of analysis, such as the state, the region and the globe. This debate focuses on the role of governments and multi-national corporations in regard to protecting the environment (Weeks, 29). For instance, large companies in China, for purposes of making profits, they increase the emission of carbon in the air, causing the destruction of the ozone layer. On this

The oxidation of ethanol Essay Example for Free

The oxidation of ethanol Essay The purpose of this experiment is to oxidize ethanol and then to test the product to determine whether it has been oxidised to ethanal or oxidised to ethanoic acid. Method We added 6cmi of water to a pear-shaped flask, then added 2cmi of concentrated sulphuric acid, and set up the apparatus as shown below, but with a stopper in place of the dropping funnel. We ensured that all the glass joints were greased. We then had to make up a solution containing 5g of sodium dichromate in 5cmi of water and add 4cmi of ethanol. We had tom pour this mixture into the dropping funnel. We heated the acid in the pear-shaped flask until it was almost boiling and then turned off the bunsen burner. We then had to carefully remove the stopper and put the dropping funnel into the correct position, as shown in the diagram. We then added the mixture containing the ethanol at such a rate to maintain the boiling of the mixture in the pear-shaped flask. We collected the distillate and recorded our observations. After collecting the distillate we had to do two tests to see whether we had oxidised ethanol into ethanal or ethanoic acid. The first test was to put 5 drops of the distillate into a test tube and 5 drops of universal indicator solution. The second test was to put 5 drops of the distillate into a test tube and add a small amount of sodium carbonate. Both of these tests were tests for carboxylic acids. The test for an alderhyde was replaced with sodium carbonate test as we didnt have the resources to carry out the test with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine. Safety There were many hazards in the context of this experiment in some of the chemicals we used that we needed to be aware of. Using ethanol was a hazard as it was highly flammable above 13i C and had a narcotic effect as a result of inhalation of the vapour. It is also dangerous with oxidising agents as uncontrollable reactions take place. To prepare for these hazards we needed to keep the solution away from the bunsen flame and wear goggles in case any uncontrollable reactions happened. The sodium dichromate we used was very toxic and could cause cancer by inhalation and was harmful if swallowed or if contacted with skin sensitisation could occur. Ulceration also could have occurred on damaged skin. It is also dangerous with combustible materials as it forms explosive or vigorously burning mixtures. To prepare for this hazard we needed to be careful not to spill any and to wear lab coats and goggles. Sulphuric acid that we used is very corrosive and can cause severe burns. It is dangerous with sodium as dangerous reactions could take place and also water as vigorous reactions occur when the concentrated acid is diluted. To prepare for this hazard we needed to again make sure we wore lab coats and goggles to protect our eyes, skin and clothing. The sodium carbonate we used was an irritant on the eyes, skin and respiratory system so with this we needed to wear goggles to protect our eyes. With this experiment ethanal could have been formed. Ethanal is extremely flammable above -27i C and is harmful with risks or irreversible effects. It is dangerous with sulphuric acid as violent polymerisation reactions could occur. To prepare for this hazard we needed to keep the possible distillate away from the bunsen flame and wear lab coats and goggles. The other possibility was that ethanoic acid could have been formed. This is corrosive and can cause severe burns. It is flammable above 40i C and the vapour released is very irritating to the respiratory system. To prepare for this hazard we needed to again keep it way from the bunsen burner, wear goggles and lab coats. Observations Throughout the experiment there were many different observations. Whilst mixing the ethanol with the sulphuric acid and water solution the solution changed from clear to orange. It then changed to green and then to a very dark green. This therefore showed that an oxidation reaction was happening. The solution was maintaining boiling point throughout the experiment as it bubbled. To distillate we collected was a clear solution. The two tests we did with the distillate were to add the distillate to universal indicator. This turned the solution bright red. This therefore showed an acid was present. So according to this test we had produces ethanoic acid. The second test was to add sodium carbonate to the distillate. This showed a slight fizzing which also shows the distillate is an acid. Conclusion After doing the experiment my results show that a carboxylic acid has been formed. I have come to this conclusion as after doing both tests with this distillate my results show an acid has been formed. It was an oxidation reaction of a primary alcohol and with this reaction either an alderhyde or carboxylic acid can be formed. The carboxylic acid will have been formed as there would have been an excess of dichromate. The equation for this reaction is: CH3CH2OH + 2[O] CH3COOH + H2O I have made my decision as a carboxylic acid as two tests have shown this and test 1 with the universal indicator proved it was an acid by changing from colourless to red and test 2 showed fizzing which is also the sign of an acid being formed.

Models of Change Tasks at Tata Motors

Models of Change Tasks at Tata Motors Tata Motors Limited is Indias largest automobile company, with consolidated revenues of US$20.5 billion in 2009-10. It is the leader in commercial vehicles in each segment, and among the top three in passenger vehicles with winning products in the compact, midsize car and utility vehicle segments. The company is the worlds fourth largest truck manufacturer, and the worlds second largest bus manufacturer. The companys 25,000 employees are guided by the vision to be Best in the manner in which we operate, best in the products we deliver, and best in our value system and ethics. Established in 1945, Tata Motors presence indeed cuts across the length and breadth of India. Over 5.9 million Tata vehicles ply on Indian roads, since the first rolled out in 1954. Following a strategic alliance with Fiat in 2005, it has set up an industrial joint venture with Fiat Group Automobiles to produce both Fiat and Tata cars and Fiat powertrains. The companys dealership, sales, services and spare parts network comprises over 3500 touch points; Tata Motors also distributes and markets Fiat branded cars in India. Tata Motors, the first company from Indias engineering sector to be listed in the NewYork Stock Exchange (September 2004), has also emerged as an international automobile company. Through subsidiaries and associate companies, Tata Motors has operations in the UK, South Korea, Thailand and Spain. Among them is Jaguar Land Rover, a business comprising the two iconic British brands that was acquired in 2008. In 2004, it acquired the Daewoo Commercial Vehicles Company, South Koreas second largest truck maker. Task 1: a) Kurt Lewins change management model The concept of change management is a familiar one in most businesses today. But, how businesses manage change (and how successful they are at it) varies enormously depending on the nature of the business, the change and the people involved. And a key part of this depends on how far people within it understand the change process. One of the cornerstone models for understanding organizational change was developed by Kurt Lewin, a physicist as well as social scientist, Back in the 1950s, and still holds true today. His model is known as Unfreeze Change Refreeze, refers to the three-stage process of change he describes. Unfreeze This first stage of change involves preparing the organization to accept that change is necessary, which involves break down the existing status quo before you can build up new way of operating. To prepare the organization successfully, you need to start at its core you need to challenge the beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviours that currently define it. Using the analogy of a building, you must examine and be prepared to change the existing foundations as they might not support add-on storeys; unless this is done, the whole building may risk collapse. This first part of the change process is usually the most difficult and stressful. When you start cutting down the way things are done, you put everyone and everything off balance. You may evoke strong reactions in people, and thats exactly what needs to done. By forcing the organization to re-examine its core, you effectively create a (controlled) crisis, which in turn can build a strong motivation to seek out a new equilibrium. Without this motivation, you wont get the buy-in and participation necessary to effect any meaningful change. Change After the uncertainty created in the unfreeze stage, the change stage is where people begin to resolve their uncertainty and look for new ways to do things. People start to believe and act in ways that support the new direction. The transition from unfreeze to change does not happen overnight: People take time to embrace the new direction and participate proactively in the change. A related change model, the Change Curve, focuses on the specific issue of personal transitions in a changing environment and is useful for understanding this specific aspect in more detail. In order to accept the change and contribute to making the change successful, people need to understand how the changes will benefit them. Not everyone will fall in line just because the change is necessary and will benefit the company. This is a common assumption and pitfall that should be avoided. Time and communication are the two keys to success for the changes to occur. People need time to understand the changes and they also need to feel highly connected to the organization throughout the transition period. When you are managing change, this can require a great deal of time and effort and hands-on management is usually the best approach. Unfortunately, some people will genuinely be harmed by change, particularly those who benefit strongly from the status quo. Others may take a long time to recognize the benefits that change brings. You need to foresee and manage these situations. Refreeze When the changes are taking shape and people have embraced the new ways of working, the organization is ready to refreeze. The outward signs of the refreeze are a stable organization chart, consistent job descriptions, and so on. The refreeze stage also needs to help people and the organization internalize or institutionalize the changes. This means making sure that the changes are used all the time; and that they are incorporated into everyday business. With a new sense of stability, employees feel confident and comfortable with the new ways of working. The rationale for creating a new sense of stability in our every changing world is often questioned. Even though change is a constant in many organizations, this refreezing stage is still important. Without it, employees get caught in a transition trap where they arent sure how things should be done, so nothing ever gets done to full capacity. In the absence of a new frozen state, it is very difficult to tackle the next change initiative effectively. How do you go about convincing people that something needs changing if you havent allowed the most recent changes to sink in? Change will be perceived as change for changes sake, and the motivation required to implement new changes simply wont be there. As part of the Refreezing process, make sure that you celebrate the success of the change this helps people to find closure, thanks them for enduring a painful time, and helps them believe that future change will be successful. McKinsey 7S framework The McKinsey 7S model involves seven interdependent factors which are categorized as either hard or soft elements: Hard Elements Soft Elements Strategy Structure Systems Shared Values Skills Style Staff Hard elements are easier to define or identify and management can directly influence them: These are strategy statements; organization charts and reporting lines; and formal processes and IT systems. Soft elements, on the other hand, can be more difficult to describe, and are less tangible and more influenced by culture. However, these soft elements are as important as the hard elements if the organization is going to be successful. The way the model is presented in Figure 1 below depicts the interdependency of the elements and indicates how a change in one affects all the others. http://www.mindtools.com/media/Diagrams/mckinsey.jpg Lets look at each of the elements specifically: Strategy: the plan devised to maintain and build competitive advantage over the competition. Structure: the way the organization is structured and who reports to whom. Systems: the daily activities and procedures that staff members engage in to get the job done. Shared Values: called superordinate goals when the model was first developed, these are the core values of the company that are evidenced in the corporate culture and the general work ethic. Style: the style of leadership adopted. Staff: the employees and their general capabilities. Skills: the actual skills and competencies of the employees working for the company. Placing Shared Values in the middle of the model emphasizes that these values are central to the development of all the other critical elements. The companys structure, strategy, systems, style, staff and skills all stem from why the organization was originally created, and what it stands for. The original vision of the company was formed from the values of the creators. As the values change, so do all the other elements. The model is based on the theory that, for an organization to perform well, these seven elements need to be aligned and mutually reinforcing. So, the model can be used to help identify what needs to be realigned to improve performance, or to maintain alignment (and performance) during other types of change. Whatever the type of change restructuring, new processes, organizational merger, new systems, change of leadership, and so on the model can be used to understand how the organizational elements are interrelated, and so ensure that the wider impact of changes made in one area is taken into consideration. You can use the 7S model to help analyze the current situation (Point A), a proposed future situation (Point B) and to identify gaps and inconsistencies between them. Its then a question of adjusting and tuning the elements of the 7S model to ensure that your organization works effectively and well once you reach the desired endpoint. John P Kotters eight steps to successful change American John P Kotter (b 1947) is a Harvard Business School professor and leading thinker and author on organizational change management. Kotters highly regarded books Leading Change (1995) and the follow-up The Heart Of Change (2002) describe a helpful model for understanding and managing change. Each stage acknowledges a key principle identified by Kotter relating to peoples response and approach to change, in which people see, feel and then change. Kotters eight step change model can be summarised as: Increase urgency inspire people to move, make objectives real and relevant. Build the guiding team get the right people in place with the right emotional commitment, and the right mix of skills and levels. Get the vision right get the team to establish a simple vision and strategy, focus on emotional and creative aspects necessary to drive service and efficiency. Communicate for buy-in Involve as many people as possible, communicate the essentials, simply, and to appeal and respond to peoples needs. De-clutter communications make technology work for you rather than against. Empower action Remove obstacles, enable constructive feedback and lots of support from leaders reward and recognise progress and achievements. Create short-term wins Set aims that are easy to achieve in bite-size chunks. Manageable numbers of initiatives. Finish current stages before starting new ones. Dont let up Foster and encourage determination and persistence ongoing change encourage ongoing progress reporting highlight achieved and future milestones. Make change stick Reinforce the value of successful change via recruitment, promotion, new change leaders. Weave change into culture. Task 1: b) Change should not be done for the sake of change its a strategy to accomplish someoverall goal. Usually organizational change is provoked by some major outside driving force, e.g., substantial cuts in funding, address major new markets/clients, need for dramatic increases in productivity/services, etc. Typically, organizations must undertake organization-wide change to evolve to a different level in their life cycle, e.g., going from a highly reactive, entrepreneurial organization to more stable and planned development. Transition to a new chief executive can provoke organization-wide change when his or her new and unique personality pervades the entire organization. Tata Motors was predominantly a manufacturer of commercial vehicles, and that is a very cyclical business. The commercial-vehicle market in India shrank by more than 40 percent, with massive consequences for both the top and, more particularly, the bottom lines of the company. The 110 million US$ loss was the first time something on this scale had happened in the companys history, and it really shook everybody within the organization. They tried to understand what had gone wrong and wanted to create a path for the future to ensure that they never got into such a situation again. So they decided on a recovery strategy that had three distinct phases, each of which was intended to last for around one and half years and 5 years in all. Phase one was intended to stem the bleeding. Costs had to be reduced in a big way, and that was going to be a huge challenge for a company that was not only the market leader but had been used to operating in a sellers market and employing a cost-plus approach to pricing. Phase two was to be about consolidating their position in India, and phase three was to involve going outside India and expanding operations internationally. Task 1: c) To be an effective leader of an organization requires you to do five things: Understand and interpret the environment in which he operate Develop winning strategies Execute them brilliantly; Measure the impact of your strategies followers. If you get results, people will support you, systematically, adjusting strategies as often without caring too much about how you got indicated. Develop organizational, departmental; the world wont retain the support of your followers team and personal capabilities. Team building is an application of various techniques of Sensitivity training to the actual work groups in various departments. These work groups consist of peers and a supervisor. Task 2: a) In recent times Tata Motors have faced a lot of challenge especially from the growing competition and globalization. To fight back these external evils, Tata Motors came out with plans of expansion to fight back competition via mergers and acquisitions and to fight back globalization it decided to cut costs and thereby introduced the worlds cheapest car. But all these activities had severe implications on its internal organizational change. Change was seen both on the management and at the employee level. At the management level change was seen for cutting costs and providing the cheapest car to the world market and at the employee level change was seen because of the much needed Tata Motors to merge with Daewoo, which caused a lot of change in its employees. Task 2: b) Enterprise-wide change is undertaken as a matter of survival. It is not an option and it is not a whim. Change carries high costs in terms of human and physical resources, share prices, stakeholder insecurity, customer dissatisfaction, receivables and cash flow. The reality is often a painful period of change, during which resistance is high, morale is low, productivity is falling, and confusion is rampant. (Calvello Seamon, 1995) No organization undertakes this lightly. So, the question is, if the cause is just, the need is clear, the alternatives evaluated, and the path to success communicated so that anyone in the organization can see that the change is not optional but essential, why does the change fail? The answer, Just being right isnt enough: you have to win the hearts and minds of the people who will make the change happen. (Marsh, 2001) There is no disembodied organization that can be changed. Only the people within an organization can make planned change a reality by changing their behaviours and the ways they relate to one another. Implementing change in an organization forces people to alter how they relate to one another. Not only do their goals, processes, equipment, and reality change but the very way they deal with others in the organization changes. This causes anxiety and anxiety causes resistance. only people who instigate change enjoy it; other have to suffer it. (Marsh, 2001) Faced with forced change many employees feel threatened believing that they will lose power, prestige, competence, and security. They feel that what is happening is beyond their control, outside their sphere of influence, and they fear it. Depending on how the particular organization has managed past change, the fears may be well grounded in experience. Task 3: a) The changes that have happen within organizations around the world over the last five years, have revolutionized how organizations will continue to operate for the next five years.    Businesses have realized that people are more important, whether that be the customer or the employees.    Employees must be happy, self assured, educated, trained, motivated, and leaders in order to be able to create the type of business that produces quality product.    The customer must be happy, and if the employees are not happy, they have a hard time making the customers happy.    Task 3: b) Stakeholder Analysis is the process that: Is intended for group stakeholders and Understands what stakeholders expect from the project and what they need in relation to potential risks Identifies actions to minimize project risks and maximize benefits by working with the stakeholders. This covers organisational stakeholder analysis but you might ask What do I do about directly involving people? There are two basic approaches to this which can be summed up as Representation v Delegation. Both have advantages and drawbacks. Representation: Attempts to take in the full range of views, interest groups and organisational units as part of the full decision making process. Characterised by democratic, committee-type decision-making. Advantages Disadvantages Covers full range of views An obvious route to gain widespread acceptance of decisions Involves people who may have limited knowledge of the subject area Slows decision-making Can result in compromises which dont really represent best fit in any particular area Delegation: Delegates responsibility to those identified as being best suited to the job. Advantages Disadvantages Work carried out by those with appropriate skills and knowledge Permits project to move forward more rapidly Acceptance relies on trust in those delegated may be an alien approach in the education culture Needs care to ensure that all relevant issues are properly understood and covered Task 3: c) A change management strategy identify, prioritise, engage and assess stakeholders. Explicit areas of spotlight include: Ensure that all key stakeholders have an adequate understanding of the objectives, timeline and process. Ensure that stakeholders who will be significantly impacted by the initiative or the change resulting from it have a clear understanding of how and when they will be affected. Influence stakeholder attitudes to become more positive (or at least less negative) towards the initiative and/or the change that it will bring about. Establish an effective feedback loop between the stakeholder group and the project team. Task 3: d) The three greatest barriers to organizational change are most often the following. Inadequate Culture-shift Planning. Most companies are good at planning changes in reporting structure, work area placement, job responsibilities, and administrative structure. Organizational charts are commonly revised again and again. Timelines are established, benchmarks are set, transition teams are appointed, etc. Failure to foresee and plan for resultant cultural change, however, is also common. When the planning team is too narrowly defined or too focused on objective analysis and critical thinking, it becomes too easy to lose sight of the fact that the planned change will affect people. Even at work, people make many decisions on the basis of feelings and intuition. When the feelings of employees are overlooked, the result is often deep resentment because some unrecognized taboo or tradition has not been duly respected. Lack of Employee Involvement. People have an inherent fear of change. In most strategic organizational change, at least some employees will be asked to assume different responsibilities or focus on different aspects of their knowledge or skill. The greater the change a person is asked to make, the more pervasive that persons fear will be. There will be fear of change. More important, however, there will be fear of failure in the new role. Involving employees as soon as possible in the change effort, letting them create as much of the change as is possible and practical is key to a successful change effort. As employees understand the reasons for the change and have an opportunity to try the change on for size they more readily accept and support the change. Flawed Communication Strategies. Ideal communication strategies in situations of significant organizational change must attend to the message, the method of delivery, the timing, and the importance of information shared with various parts of the organization. Many leaders believe that if they tell people what they (the leaders) feel they need to know about the change, then everyone will be on board and ready to move forward. In reality, people need to understand why the change is being made, but more importantly, how the change is likely to affect them. A big picture announcement from the CEO does little to help people understand and accept change. People want to hear about change from their direct supervisor. A strategy of engaging direct supervision and allowing them to manage the communication process is the key to a successful change communication plan. Task 4: a) RELEVANCE OF THE MODELS OF CHANGE Kurt Lewin theorized that there are three stages to change: Unfreezing: Old ideals and processes must be tossed aside so that new ones may be learned. often, getting rid of the old processes is just as difficult as learning new ones due to the power of habits. Just as a teacher erases the old lessons off the chalkboard before beginning a new lesson, so must a leader help to clear out the old practices before beginning the new. During this part of the process you need to provide just a little bit of coaching as they are unlearning not learning and a lot of cheerleading (emotional support) to break the old habits. Changing: The steps to the new ideals are learned by practicing: W h a t I h e a r , I f o r g e t . W h a t I s e e , I r e m e m b e r . W h a t I d o , I u n d e r s t a n d . Although there will be confusion, overload and despair, there will also be hope, discovery, and excitement. This period requires a lot of coaching as they are learning and just a little bit of cheerleading due to the affect of Arousal Overloading. Refreezing: The new processes are now intellectually and emotionally accepted. What has been learned is now actually being practiced on the job. Just a little bit of coaching is required and a lot of cheerleading is used to set up the next change process. . . remember it is c o n t i n u o u s process improvement! Task 4: b) 1. Formulation of a clear strategic vision: In order to make a cultural change effective a clear vision of the firms new strategy, shared values and behaviours is needed. This vision provides the intention and direction for the culture change. 2. Display Top-management commitment: It is very important to keep in mind that culture change must be managed from the top of the organization, as willingness to change of the senior management is an important indicator (Cummings Worley, 2005, page 490). The top of the organization should be very much in favour of the change in order to actually implement the change in the rest of the organization. De Caluwà © Vermaak (2004, p 9) provide a framework with five different ways of thinking about change. 3. Model culture change at the highest level: In order to show that the management team is in favour of the change, the change has to be notable at first at this level. The behaviour of the management needs to symbolize the kinds of values and behaviours that should be realized in the rest of the company. It is important that the management shows the strengths of the current culture as well, it must be made clear that the current organizational does not need radical changes, but just a few adjustments. 4. Modify the organization to support organizational change: The fourth step is to modify the organization to support organizational change. 5. Select and socialize newcomers and terminate deviants: A way to implement a culture is to connect it to organizational membership, people can be selected and terminate in terms of their fit with the new culture. 6. Develop ethical and legal sensitivity: Changes in culture can lead to tensions between organizational and individual interests, which can result in ethical and legal problems for practitioners. This is particularly relevant for changes in employee integrity, control, equitable treatment and job security. Change of culture in the organizations is very important and inevitable. Culture innovations is bound to be because it entails introducing something new and substantially different from what prevails in existing cultures. Cultural innovation is bound to be more difficult than cultural maintenance. People often resist changes hence it is the duty of the management to convince people that likely gain will outweigh the losses. Besides institutionalization, deification is another process that tends to occur in strongly developed organizational cultures. The organization itself may come to be regarded as precious in itself, as a source of pride, and in some sense unique. Organizational members begin to feel a strong bond with it that transcends material returns given by the organization, and they begin to identify with in. The organization turns into a sort of clan. Marsh, Christine. (2001, March). Degrees of Change Resistance or Resilience. Performance Improvement, v40 n3 pp 29-33.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI is a procedure, in wide use since the 80s, to see the anatomy of the internal organs of the body. It is based on the phenomenon of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), first described in landmark papers over fifty years ago (Rabi et al. 1938; Rabi, Millman, and Kusch 1939; Purcell et al. 1945; Bloch, Hansen, and Packard 1946) (4 ). . The MRI is a valuable diagnostic and research tool with also practical applications for surgical planning and conquering diseases. This imaging procedure is painless and non-invasive although sometimes discomforting as the patient lies down in a body tube that surrounds them. For many years, closed MRI units have been the standard in helping physicians make a diagnosis. These closed MRI units featured a long tube that the patient would be placed inside during their procedure. This was often uncomfortable for many patients due to the "closed in" feeling and was especially stressful for patients who suffer from claustrophobia. The newest generation of MRI units is now open on all four sides which completely alleviates the "closed in" feeling, while still providing the physician with the most accurate information possible to aid in diagnosis (2).. A patient does not see or feel anything. A faint knocking sound may be heard as the machine processes information. Patients may choose to listen to music -- even having the option of bringing their own CDs to listen to. Most MRI procedures take less than an hour. MRI technology is based on three things: magnetism, radiofrequency and computers. The magnetic resonance machine, is a big and strong magnet. When the body is inside, every proton of the body is oriented in the same way (for instance, with the positive pole up). Water ... ...netic Resonance Imaging is one of the most accurate imaging modalities available today. It is an application of computer technology that has generated knowledge for the future and for practical application today. The field of imaging continues to expand as avidly pursued new dimensions in the acquisition of physiological and biochemical information occurs. WWW Sources 1) Principles of Functional Magnetic Resonance , http://www.mch.com/ 2) Consultants in Radiology , http://www.cirpa.com/Pages/OpenMRI.html 3) MIT Encyclopedia of Cognitive Sciences , https://cognet.mit.edu/login/?return_url=%2Flibrary%2Ferefs%2Fmitecs%2Fugurbil.html 4) Tracking Neural Pathways with MRI , https://cognet.mit.edu/login/?return_url=%2Flibrary%2Ferefs%2Fmitecs%2Fugurbil.html 5) MRI OF HIPPOCAMPUS IN INCIPIENT ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE http://www.uku.fi/neuro/37the.htm

Nursing Home Abuse Essay -- Elderly Care Nursing Essays Papers

Nursing Home Abuse With over 1.5 million elderly and dependent adults now living in nursing homes throughout the country, abuse and neglect has become a widespread problem. Even though some nursing homes provide good care, many are subjecting helpless residents to needless suffering and death. Most residents in nursing homes are dependent on the staff for most or all their needs such as food, water, medicine, toileting, grooming- almost all their daily care. Unfortunately, many residents in nursing homes today are starved, dehydrated, over-medicated, and suffer painful pressure sores. They are often isolated, ignored and deprived of social contact and stimulation. Because of insufficient and poorly trained staff commonly found in nursing homes. Care givers are often overworked and grossly underpaid that often results in rude and abusive behavior to vulnerable residents who beg them for simple needs such as water or to be taken to the bathroom. Federal and State laws require that nursing homes develop a plan of care and employ sufficient staffing to provide all the care listed on the care plan. Most corporate owned nursing homes today are not sufficiently staffed, and they can not provide all the care listed on the care plan. Consequently, residents are not taken to the toilet when necessary; they’re often left lying in urine and feces. They also develop painful and life-threatening decubitus ulcers, and are not fed properly, they’re not given sufficient fluids. They are also over-medicated or under-medicated, and dropped causing painful bruises and fractures, are ignored and not included in activities, are left in bed all day, call lights not answered. These are all forms of negligence, performed daily in nursing homes. Nursing homes who receive federal funds are required to comply with federal laws that specify that residents receive a high quality of care. In 1987 Congress responded to reports of widespread neglect and abuse in nursing homes during 1980’s, which enacted legislation to reform nursing home regulations and require nursing homes participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs to comply with certain requirements for quality of care. The legislation, included in the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987, which specifies that a nursing home â€Å"must provide services and activities to attain or maintain the highest practicable phys... ...al nurse on duty day and night? Nursing home care is expensive. Although prices vary, the basic charge for a double-bed room in a typical nursing home is in the range of $20,000 to $50,000 a year. Homes in rural areas tend to be slightly less expensive than those in cities. The costs of medications and physician visits are not included in the basic charge. Also, special treatments such as physical, occupational, and speech therapy often add to the cost. There are also possible additional charges for drugs, laundry, haircuts, and extra services. Some nursing homes are operated as nonprofit corporations. They are sponsored by religious, charitable, fraternal and other groups or ran by government agencies at the federal, state, or local levels. But many nursing homes are businesses operated for profit. Individuals or corporations may own them. Sometimes they are part of a chain of nursing homes. Now, you can see that Nursing Home abuse is a big problem in America. You might want to get involved in our local program against nursing home abuse. I will leave you with one last statistic, 1 out of every 8 nursing home patients are abused in some way. Wouldn’t you like to help them?

The Poems of Richard Wilbur :: Biography Biographies Essays

The Poems of Richard Wilbur Richard Wilbur's New and Collected Poems is full of poems that cover a huge multitude of subjects. The four poems this assignment covers represent that variety, with the topics including love, juggling, grace and music. Wilbur's poems take experiences and ideas (even a juggler) and through his mastery of the English language force the reader to take another look at what his preconceptions are. His poems allow for many different interpretations, and this paper will take a different angle to some of his works. "Love Calls Us to the Things of This World" sets up, in the first stanza, the feeling that something otherworldly is going to be in the picture. "The morning air is all awash with angels" brings in the image (or concept) of heaven, which Wilbur refers to again later in the poem. In the 2nd stanza, again the concept of not-of-this-world is brought into play with the mention of the halcyon, which is a mythical bird. One literary device that Wilbur seems to draw upon heavily in this poem is the use of oxymorons, contradictory terms together. The angels are rising together in "calm swells." When I think of swells, calm is not necessarily the word that comes to mind. He also states that the angels are "flying in place...moving/ And staying like white water." Flying implies movement, so "flying in place" is not a phrase that is commonly heard. Later in the poem he uses the term bitter love, and while I understand that this concept does in fact exist, it is still two words which are somewha t contradictory. In the last stanza he mentions the "heaviest nuns" trying hard to keep their "difficult balance." This reminded me of that concept of funambilism that we discussed in class. This work seems to utilize the idea of balance (indirectly) in many aspects. The use of the contradictory terms that I discussed earlier could be thought of as balancing each other out. This poem overall was very well put together, with sentences that caught your attention, and my favorite sentence was "The soul shrinks/ From all that it is about to remember." "Juggler" was probably the most elegant of the poems that were assigned. The other two discussed the concepts of love and grace, but "Juggler" made juggling a very beautiful act. I must state that the fact that I'm able to juggle probably had some influence on my understanding of this poem.

Personal Response- Forrest Gump (Film) Essay

This film follows the life of Forest Gump who struggles to live outside the barriers that society has given him. Forrest is a little ‘slow’; although his mental impairment doesn’t seem to bother him. In fact, the naivetà © that comes from his limited understanding of the world around him gives Forrest a uniquely positive perspective of life. Forest overcomes the challenges in his life, becoming a star football player, a war hero, a successful businessman, and something of a pop icon. Through it all, however, there is one defining element in his life: his love for Jenny. She is never far from his thoughts, no matter what he’s doing or where he is. I believe the director uses the character Forrest Gump to convey the thought that most people are too smart for their own good; he uses Forrest in order to show the audience that escaping from the realities and actualities of the world can have positive outcomes throughout life. While other characters in the film struggle with conflicts in society, Forrest remains unaware of them; this allows him to live in the moment. Forrest goes out of his way to do what is right, as opposed to what is easy, I believe that this movie asks me to look at the imperfections within myself and calls me to become a more selfless person. I highly recommend this film to year 12 students, Forrest has an ability to truly humble another human being, and his optimism, freshness, and emotional honesty are just a few qualities that he teaches us throughout the film. The movie does not seek to reduce every member of the audience to tears; it does however have moments where the true power of message comes from the simplest of things. For example, Forrest says to anyone that will listen, â€Å"Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.† Through this quote we see that Forest is able and  willing to go through life taking every opportunity given to him, I believe the way he sees the world is incredibly unique and that I have benefited from seeing his views of life, in many ways this f ilm has changed my perspective of life and I believe that year 12’s will find this film highly enjoyable and beneficial. I believe an aspect that makes this film beneficial for all year 12 students is that it addresses the perspectives of war. The movie shows the different perspectives of the Vietnamese war, in scenes we see thousands of protesters protesting and in the very next frames we see supporters rallying together and congratulating the returned men. This contrast is highly refreshing, it is not common in movies to show multiple perspectives on war; however the film Forrest Gump manages to show the audience three perspectives. During the 60s and 70s, no topic was of higher debate than that of the Vietnam War and those who were sent overseas to fight. Forrest, as might be expected, has a singular viewpoint on his time spent in Vietnam, he narrated during the film saying, â€Å"We took long walks and were always looking for this guy named Charlie.† In Forrest’s observation of the war we see that although he was fighting willingly, he did not know why or what he was fighting for. I believe that this is the underlying message that the Director is trying to portray, on one side of the line there are those for the War, on the other are those against it and in the middle is Forrest Gump. In many ways Forrest teaches us about governments exploiting its citizens, he was sent to a place where he may have died and yet he did not understand why he was there to begin with, however he did enlist himself for the war. I struggle with the double meanings throughout the movie, we see the positives and the negatives of war through the death of Forrest’s best friend, Bubba, and the medal Forrest receives for saving Lt. Dan. In the end I’m left just as confused about the war as Forrest Gump is about life. I challenge year 12’s to watch this movie, keeping in mind that everything Forrest says means something deeper than the definition of each word that leaves his mouth. I believe that the character Forrest Gump teaches me to treasure the moments in my life and to understand why I’m doing what I’m doing. Especially in scenarios that can affect other people. He is some sort of inspiration to me; this is however not in the usual context. He inspires me to never enter situations  where I do not fully comprehend nor understand the consequences of my actions, he inspires me to never let someone take advantage of me and he inspires me to just simply, be me. Throughout the entire film we see Forest Gump’s tragic life; nearly everyone he holds most dear to him dies. Life can be brutal at times, I found myself crying during the moments when Forrest’s life seemed painfully hard. In some ways I could see that with every loved one that he’d lost a part of him had died with them. I can understand this feeling as my best friend’s father passed away only three years ago this month. As she is growing up, she is realising the disadvantages of not having him with her, knowing that he is not there to teach her how to drive or help her get her first job. I see her pain and I know that there is nothing I can do to stop it, I am powerless. I believe that there is finality in death, however in this film Forrest teaches the audience that a part of us may die with a loved one, but that doesn’t stop life from coming back to us. The underlying message that Forrest has to offer on the subject of death is that you should nev er let heart-break or tragedies take over your life. Forrest accepts that dying is inevitable, â€Å"Momma always said dying was a part of life,† he says. â€Å"I sure wish it wasn’t.† Death occurs not only in Forrest’s personal life, but also in the larger community. This film has a historical setting and we see the main events of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s through the eyes of Forrest. In this era, death of high valued people within America rocked the foundations of its society; numerous assassinations took place including JFK, RFK and John Lennon. Forrest struggles with the necessity of death as he watches those he loves fall to illness and war and those he admires fall to random attack. During this time the death of Martin Luther King Jr. created the greatest conflict within society and he is still remembered to day for his fight against racism and war. The King family and others believe that the assassination was carried out by a conspiracy involving the US government and that James Ear l Ray was a scapegoat. At the time the thought of this alone was enough to spark a civil war within America, although this was avoided by Senator RFK, who spoke to a crowd directly after being informed of Martin L. King’s passing. In his speech he said, â€Å"I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man.† RFK’s attempts at avoiding  severe rioting based on race was only semi successful, however his speech is widely considered one of the greatest speeches in American history. King was a beloved leader in the civil rights movement, and also an advocate for nonviolence. His death led some people to feel angry and disillusioned; from his death they began to believe that the only effective resistance to racism is violence. King was used as a martyr, however his cause for non-violence was ignored and he was used as a reason for blacks to shed blood. Dying is a part of life, only two months after RFK said his speech he too was assassinated, this shows that it does not matter who you are or if you are ready to die because in the end death will come for you when your least expecting it . I don’t expect to die anytime soon. But Forrest’s life teaches me that it could happen this moment, while I am writing. Steve Jobs once said â€Å"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.† I believe this quote shows that death is inevitable, in the end we all die, we may try to avoid death but it will always come for us one day, it may be tomorrow, it may be in fifty years from now, but it’s coming for us all.

Technology Is Killing Creativity

Technology is not killing creativity. If it was, then Les Paul’s invention of the electric guitar, Bob Moog’s invention of the synthesizer, Kusek et al. ’s invention of MIDI, Pro Tools’ inventor as well as every effects pedal or electronic music enhancing piece of gear would have to be part of this destructive force. Thoughts like this are fun to debate but totally unproductive. The real issue to be discussed for which a solution must be found is how can those who produce great music be found, heard above all the clutter and find an audience large enough to sustain a career financially. How music will be discovered in the future will determine whether next generation major artists will ever be developed again or whether the fragmentation of the music space only allows for creation of a large middle class of artists struggling to survive. Today’s battle for discovery of great music is no different than it was over the past 60 years for innovative genres like Rock and Roll, R&B and Hip Hop. The innovator’s dilemma applied to those artists and entrepreneurs fomenting these musical revolutions. It all comes down to how the tools available at the time, both music and business, were employed by the innovators to create a force great enough to break through the same type of early technology adoption problems we have today. The world was much simpler in those days and today those trying to break through are faced with a much more challenging and complicated set of circumstances BUT the exact same problem. From the 50’s through the 80’s, the record business could develop great artists out of the trunks of their cars. One driven and focused person could make it all happen. Channels of distribution were easily controlled by those who knew how to utilize them. The press, radio and TV allowed massive marketing and promotion machines to be built that could break an artist over night. In the early days there was no one way to get it done. It took 25 years for a successful cookie cutter business model to be developed but there were always interlopers that could come in at any time and change the game. Unfortunately, the world in which great music must be found and nurtured is so fragmented and overwhelming to almost everyone that’s in it. We haven’t figured it out yet. One thing is very clear to me: moving forward no band or artist will be able to do it alone. Collaboration, better teamwork, and a better meld of technology with creativity, marketing and promotion are essential if success is to be found in the future. Outside the box thinking, new tools need to be tested for success and the new music business needs to evolve a system that makes the fragmentation more manageable and controllable to easier focus our attention on the great music that is really out there and the artists who play it.

Module Text Questions Essay

Review Questions 1. What are the four types of evidence in a criminal investigation? 1. Physical Evidence 2. Demonstrative Evidence 3. Documentary Evidence 4. Testimony 2. What are individual characteristics? Give an example of an individual characteristic? -Individual Characteristics is evidence that have special characteristics that make it possible to trace the evidence back to a specific person, place or item. Some examples are fingerprints, body fluids, tread from shoes, etc. 3. What is the difference between individual characteristics and class characteristics? -The difference between these two are that individual characteristics can be traced to a specific person and be almost exact while Class Characteristics are able to just be associated to a group. 4. What are physical and chemical properties? Give an example of each. -Physical Properties describe a substance or object. For example it could be the size, weight or color of a fragment of glass. -Chemical Properties describe what happen when a chemical reacts with another chemical. For example Heroin with Marquis Reagent turns purple and shows it presence of the drug. 5. What do forensic scientists do to collect and preserve soil samples? To collect the soil they impressions will be photographed with a ruler next to it to show the dimensions. To preserve the soil samples a whole shoe may be taken to the lab to test. Critical Thinking Questions 1. Why do you think forensic scientists are so careful that the tests they do are sensitive, reproducible, and specific? What might happen if they were less careful about this? -The tests are so sensitive because if something is not accurate it could change the outcome of a case. They must make sure that all test results are accurate a reproduce the same results multiple times for it to be reliable. 2. Which type of evidence do you think is most useful in an investigation? Why? -I think physical evidence is more important because it can be tested against suspects and establish what happened during the crime. 3. Why do you think that forensic scientists continue to look for  class characteristics given their limitations? I think they continue to look for class characteristics because even if they are hard to come by when you find them the can give great details about the crime. 4. What do you think would be some of the challenges in collecting and preserving impressions? Why? Making casts of an impression may be difficult because if it is in mud it could distort the tracks. 5. If you were on a jury, do you think you would expect individual characteristics in the evidence? Why or why not? What effects might it have if individuals expect to have individuals characteristics presented? -No, because most of the time criminals are very careful to make sure not to leave evidence of being there. If you expect there to be individual evidence you may be completely mislead during the whole case.

Black House For David Gernert and Ralph Vicinanza

You take me to a place I never go, You send me kisses made of gold, I ‘ll place a crown upon your curls, All hail the Queen of the World! -The Jayhawks. Right Here and Now . . †¦..RIGHT HERE AND NOW,as an old friend used to say,we are in the fluid present,where clear-sightedness never guarantees perfect vision. Here:about two hundred feet,the height of a gliding eagle,above Wisconsin's far western edge,where the vagaries of the Mississippi River declare a natural border.Now:an early Friday morning in mid-July a few years into both a new century and a new millennium,their way-ward courses so hidden that a blind man has a better chance of seeing what lies ahead than you or I.Right here and now,the hour is just past six a.m., and the sun stands low in the cloudless eastern sky,a fat,confi-dent yellow-white ball advancing as ever for the first time toward the fu-ture and leaving in its wake the steadily accumulating past,which darkens as it recedes,making blind men of us all. Below,the early sun touches the river ‘s wide,soft ripples with molten highlights.Sunlight glints from the tracks of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad running between the riverbank and the backs of the shabby two-story houses along County Road Oo,known as Nailhouse Row,the lowest point of the comfortable-looking little town extending uphill and eastward beneath us.At this moment in the Coulee Country, life seems to be holding its breath.The motionless air around us carries such remarkable purity and sweetness that you might imagine a man could smell a radish pulled out of the ground a mile away.

How does immigration affect the population structure in Los Angeles Research Paper

How does immigration affect the population structure in Los Angeles - Research Paper Example Immigrant population in Los Angeles promoted relevant changes in nation’s economic growth. Their taxes, lower-wage goods and services contributed better growth in local and regional economy. Manuel Pastor and Rhonda Ortiz examine the economic effects of immigrant population in Los Angeles. They rightly comment that ‘Finally, immigrants comprise 46 percent of the workforce in Los Angeles, making them integral to the growth of the local and regional economy’ (Pastor & Ortiz 7). Similarly, both Federal and state governments have spent a considerable amount of money for the welfare of immigrant communities through implementing schools and hospitals. Discussion and analysis Social effects of immigration Socio-economic effects of immigration in the United States have been a controversial issue among the policy makers and media in recent years. Analysing the immigrant population of Los Angeles County, California, it is obvious that some changes in the fields of culture, ethnic backgrounds, education, employment, gender perspective, housing and social customs among the Hispanic and Asian immigrants. Immigrants from Hispanic and Asian population contributed considerable amount of capital for the growth of GDP. In social and educational field, immigrant women in Los Angeles played remarkable role. After 1990, Immigrants from higher socio-economic backgrounds concentrated on cities and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds tend to select densely populated areas. Immigrants have occupied in skilled –jobs, lower-wages services, and farmlands. Women were concentrated in agriculture, fishing and weaving. Immigrant children often depend on private schools for education than mainstream education. â€Å"Over 40 percent of all students in Los...The census website for 1990 and 2000 gives relevant information about the growth of population and its major sources. Recent studies and researches have mentioned the fact that immigration plays a vital r ole in the process of increasing population and its effects are many and varied. Women contribute a higher proportion than men in immigrant population. Paul M. Ong and Edna Bonacich made some relevant observation in the field of immigrant population and they remark; ‘Women constitute a far higher proportion than in the past and now make up the majority of immigrants from some countries’ . Higher proportion of women population paved the way for high birth rates and population growth. Consequently, Federal government forced to spend maximum fund for immigrants. Immigrant population in Los Angeles promoted relevant changes in nation’s economic growth. Their taxes, lower-wage goods and services contributed better growth in local and regional economy. Manuel Pastor and Rhonda Ortiz examine the economic effects of immigrant population in Los Angeles. They rightly comment that ‘Finally, immigrants comprise 46 percent of the workforce in Los Angeles, making them integral to the growth of the local and regional economy’ (Pastor & Ortiz 7). Similarly, both Federal and state governments have spent a considerable amount of money for the welfare of immigrant communities through implementing schools and hospitals. Immigrants from Hispanic, Latino and Asian population have marked gradual growth in their population in recent years. Difference in higher socio-economic and lower socio-economic backgrounds of immigrants paved the way for a new social structure in society.

The art deco Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The art deco - Research Paper Example Mathematical geometric shapes formed the basis of the structure of most Art Deco design patterns. They were generally seen to have trapezoidal, zigzag and triangular shapes, chevron patterns, stepped forms and sunburst motifs . Floral patterns and images of botanical objects were also part of the design. Plain or geometric fabrics were mostly used in Art Deco. Smooth fabrics such as wools, silks that lacked texture were used. Cushions sometimes covered in fabrics that contrasted with the rest of the body were sometimes used to enhance boldness. Art Deco reflected a shift to lighter and more neutral shades that had a metallic undertone. Popular colors in this design are such shades as black, gray, silver, white and brown variations. Bolder colors such as yellow, red, gold, green and blue were used minimally and were muted. Exotic pastels were a popular accent color at the time when Art Deco was popular. Art Deco fashion formed the next fashion look after the decline of art nouveau. It had two phases between 1910 to 1924 and between 1924 to 1930 . The former was built around neoclassical/ peasant designs while the latter was more minimalistic, with a modern touch. The first phase was led by Paul Poiret . He launched his first works in 1908 which was slim, simple, high waisted dresses that were delicately layered and exotic in style. His use of shades of pink, purple, blue, green and gold was inspired by his interest in Fauve paintings. In 1911, Paul organized the thousand and one night Ball.

Critically discuss crowdfunding as a source of funding for technology Essay

Critically discuss crowdfunding as a source of funding for technology ventures - Essay Example The European commission is presently dedicated towards releasing the potential of crowdfunding in the European Union, with the aim of enhancing the longer-term funding of enterprises and encouraging innovation (EOS Gallup Europe, 2005). Technology ventures have been on the rise lately, particularly due to high public technology interest; these ventures rely on scientific and technological advancement, selection as well as development of new products, assets or their attributes (Berger & Udell, 1998:1). Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up a vast proportion of all the new jobs creations, with start-up companies introducing new ideas or processes of production that revolutionize ways of doing things. In the European Union, SMEs are considered to be non-subsidiary, autonomous businesses that employ fewer than 250 employees while in the US, SMEs entails firms with less than 500 workers. SMEs have gained increased attention in the previous years, as a result of their massive growth that has been attributed to the increased access to financing (Berggren, Olofsson, Silver, 2000). According to Grant Thornton, a guest speaker from Les Ross, SMEs get most of their funding from banks; given that SMEs account for the greatest number of businesses and jobs in the European Union (Kira, 2013), the commission projects that crowdfunding has the capacity to promote economic growth and job creation. This paper critically discusses crowdfunding as a potentially alternative source of funding for technology ventures, with particular attention given to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The global crowdfunding industry has experienced massive growth over the years, especially with the rapid growth of internet resources (Deakins & Freel 2012, p.9). By 2013, this industry had been estimated to be worth over $5.1 billion. The concept

Trends in Common Law Jurisdictions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Trends in Common Law Jurisdictions - Essay Example First, it must specify the requirements pertinent to the service subject matter of the contract. This often includes the date, time and length of the performance. (Each song must be in the length of 1-3 minutes). It is also important to clarify how many batches of songs is Finbar expected turn over before he gets paid. This can be expressed in terms of weeks or months. (Finbar should turn over three songs to TV8 in the first week of May. Finbar will get paid every two weeks for the ten weeks that the song will be used by TV8.) This will ensure that both TV8 and Finbar will know what is expected of Finbar to avoid disputes during the duration of the contract. The second thing a performance contract must contain is the manner of compensation for Finbar. This can be a guarantee ("TV8 will pay Finbar 60 Euros every week), incentive (TV8 will pay Finbar 5% of the total contract price if ratings of the children’s TV show rise by at least 2%). In this case, Finbar had no contract with TV8. There was no written agreement between him and Jenny McSwindle. McSwindle’s letter to Finbar could not be considered a contract. The letter was, at the very least, an offer to Finbar. Finbar did not expressly, and in writing, signify his assent or consent to the terms proposed by McSwindle in her letter. While it could be said that Finbar’s act of sending TV8 some material was an implied assent to the contract, the same act had actually no consequence. Jenny McSwindle had sent Finbar a letter withdrawing her â€Å"offer† on April 30 but Finbar apparently, unaware of this withdrawal, sent the material on May 01. From the foregoing, it could be said that there was â€Å"no meeting of the minds† between Finbar and Jenny McSwindle. McSwindle’s â€Å"offer† was not simultaneous with Finbar’s â€Å"acceptance.† Events which had transpired could be described only as a â€Å"negotiationsâ €  between the parties. Negotiations may or not end in a contract. In this case, it clearly did not end a contract.     Ã‚