An Epidemiology Of Two Diseases Health And Social Care Essay

Tuberculosis is an infective disease that is considered as one of the greatest slayer of all clip which is caused by bacteriums whose scientific name is Mycobacterium TB besides known as Koch ‘s B. Tuberculosis is characterized by the formation of tubercles on the lungs and other tissues of the organic structure. Harmonizing to the Health Protection Agency, TB normally causes disease in the lungs ( pneumonic ) , but can besides impact other parts of the organic structure ( extra-pulmonary ) . Merely the pneumonic signifier of TB disease is infective. Transmission occurs through coughing of infective droplets, and normally requires drawn-out close contact with an infective instance. Terbium is curable with a combination of specific antibiotics, but intervention must be continued for at least six months The Health Protection Agency is one of the bureaus that are involved in advancing the wellness of persons that are affected by the disease. The wellness protection bureau intends to advance the riddance of TB in England by the support of the National Health Services and the Department of Health by developing a BCG ( Bacillus Calmette-Guerin ) Immunisation Programme. The marks of this programme are the persons who are at great hazard of geting the disease such as babes and older peoples who are most likely easy affected by the disease. Lung malignant neoplastic disease is the most common malignant neoplastic disease in the universe but it is one of the most preventable types of malignant neoplastic disease. Nine out of 10 people who have lung malignant neoplastic disease are caused by smoking but some people who are non non-smokers are besides affected. Many people believed that lung malignant neoplastic disease can non be treated but it can merely by descrying its early marks such as relentless cough for two hebdomads, repeated chest infection, relentless thorax or shoulder strivings, weight loss, declining cough, and fatigue or loss of energy. On the study of BBC News Network UK, it says that West Scotland has the highest rate of people diagnosed with lung malignant neoplastic disease than those people populating in the remainder of United Kingdom because smoking rates are 5 % higher in Scotland than the remainder of the UK, said Professor David Forman of Leeds University. The National wellness services said that the most effectual manner of forestalling lung malignant neoplastic disease is to non smoke or if you have been smoking and have serious wellness conditions better quit smoking every bit early as possible. In order to understate the rate of lung malignant neoplastic disease in the state the National Health Services have come up with a programme called, Go Smoke Free Programme, this programme is intended to assist those people to discontinue smoke and it besides provides free group or one on one support from trained advisers, and entree to four hebdomads nicotine replacing therapy. It is besides suggested by the National Health Services that a diet rich in fruits and veggies and regular exercising can cut down the hazard of holding lung malignant neoplastic disease ( http: //www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Cancer-of-the-lung/Pages/Prevention.aspx ) .Epidemiology OF THE TWO DISEASES:TUBERCULOSIS EPIDEMIOLOGYFigure 1. Tuberculosis instance studies and rate s by age group and sex, UK, 2008hypertext transfer protocol: //www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb & A ; HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1225268898745 The figure shows the instances of TB by rate and age of male and female in the United Kingdom by the twelvemonth 2008. It is noticeable in the graph that between the ages zero to twenty nine the instances of TB is bit by bit increasing. It besides shows that from the ages runing from 0-4, 10-14, and 15-19 the figure of female instances are higher than the figure of male instances which indicates that these age groups are easy transmitted by TB but it shows that the lowest instance of TB is from the age of 90 and above because nowadays lifetime alterations and there are few who are able to last at this age. From ages between 30-89 old ages old the Numberss of male and female instances of TB were diminishing from about 680 instances down to 5 Numberss of instances. In footings of rate, the figure shows that the highest rates were in immature grownups and these rates shows that males are more prone to TB than females. Higher rates were besides seen in persons aged 75-90 old ages because that at this age their immune system is weaker than the younger aged that is why the disease can be easy transmitted.LUNG CANCER EPIDEMIOLOGYhypertext transfer protocol: //info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats/types/lung/incidence/uk-lung-cancer-incidence-statistics The figure shows the Numberss of new instances and age specific incidence rate between male and female diagnosed with lung malignant neoplastic disease in the UK in the twelvemonth 2006. Lung malignant neoplastic disease is seldom diagnosed below 30 old ages of age. The figure shows that get downing from the age of 40 until the age of 70 nine the figure of instances between male and female diagnosed with lung malignant neoplastic disease are invariably increasing as the figure of rate in male and female per 100,000 population additions but at the age between 79-85 the figure of instances were diminishing from about 4,500 instances to 2,000 instances. It is besides noticed in the figure that the figure of instances and rate of people diagnosed with lung malignant neoplastic disease are higher in male than in female of all age groups.APPROACHES AND STRATEGIESTobacco is the individual largest preventable cause of malignant neoplastic disease in the universe today. It causes 80 %  œ 90 % of all lung malignant neoplastic disease deceases and about 30 % of all malignant neoplastic disease deceases in the development states. A comprehensive scheme including prohibitions on baccy merchandises, advertisement and sponsorship, increased revenue enhancement on baccy merchandises and surcease programmes can cut down baccy ingestion in many states. In Addition, In order to understate the rate of incidence of lung malignant neoplastic disease in the state it is besides of import that wellness professionals would inform the people in the community about the side consequence of smoking to the wellness and good being of single such as developing tummy ulcers, decreased circulation of blood flow to the appendages like the fingers and toes, the hazard of developing upper respiratory piece of land infections would be increased, and developing different sorts of malignant neoplastic diseases. Another important attack to command the incidence of increasing rate of malignant neoplastic disease more specifically lung malignant neoplastic disease is the alteration of diet. Low fat high fiber diet can assist cut down the hazard of developing certain sorts of malignant neoplastic disease. Regular exercising and care of normal organic structure weight along with a healthy diet will assist understate the happening of malignant neoplastic disease. National policies and programmes should besides be implemented to raise consciousness and cut down exposure to malignant neoplastic disease hazard factors that people are provided with the information and back up them in order to follow a healthy life style.INVESTIGATE CURRENT PRIORITIES AND APPROACHES TO THE PROVISION OF SERVICESSince smoke is one of the major causes of lung malignant neoplastic disease and it is evitable the National Health Services developed a programme called â€Å" Go Smoke Free † Programme, this programme he lps persons who are tobacco users to actuate themselves to discontinue smoke by supplying one to one or group support. The â€Å" Go Smoke Free † Programme identifies the benefits of non smoking and helps people in bettering their wellness like cut downing the hazard of certain unwellness, disablement or disease caused by malignant neoplastic disease, bosom disease, and lung diseases ( hypertext transfer protocol: //smokefree.nhs.uk/why-go-smokefree/quit-smoking-and-start-living/ ) .

Case Study †Angus Cartwright III Essay

I. Case Overview Angus Cartwright III, an investment advisor, was asked to provide investment advisory services for two clients, John DeRight and Judy DeRight. They both wanted to purchase a property that (1) is large enough to attract the interest of a professional real estate management company and (2) has a minimum leveraged return on their investments of 12% after tax. Their major goals are: Diversification of investment portfolio Protection from future inflation Take some tax advantages (especially for John) Mr. Cartwright selected four properties and performed various financial analyses to best match the needs of his clients with the characteristics of the properties and the returns they offered. II. Assessment of the Analyses and Assumptions: Cartwright employed three stages of analysis: Preliminary Analysis (Exhibit 1 to 3), Risk Analysis (Exhibit 4) and Financial Analysis (Exhibit 5 to 10). Preliminary Analysis starts with gathering key facts and data such as purchase prices, current and future income, depreciation, estimated sales price and cash flows, loan and its rate and amortization, taxes and etc. The 1st year setups (Exhibit 2) for each property were developed and major comparable statistics (Exhibit 3) were calculated. Such analyses serve as a foundation for identifying directions and strategies for further detailed analysis, including financial analysis, physical inspection and an examination of day-to-day operations of potential investment properties. Risk Analysis consisting of a review of financial leverage (loan to value ratio) and operating risk (debt coverage ratio) can help a real estate investor to weigh the level of risks in relation to his investment objectives. In this case, Fowler had the highest leverage of 74.47%, while Alison Green had the highest Debt Coverage Ratio of 2, followed by Ivy Terrace(1.92), Stony Walk(1.46) and Fowler(1.26). The cushions they had are all sufficient for most lenders. The Break-Even Analysis, shown in Exhibit 4, was valuable to understand how a small change in occupancy levels can make a corresponding change in a property’s financial performance; most real state analysis assume the initial occupancy rate to remain at the same level through the investment period. Once all the relevant and key financial data is gathered, a number of effective financial analyses were performed; they are capitalization rate on both purchase and sale, cash-on-cash return rate, Internal Rate of Return (â€Å"IRR†), Net Present Value (â€Å"NPV†), Profitability Index and Cash Flow Analysis. The Quality of the financial analysis outcome heavily depends on the quality and accuracy of implicit assumptions used. However, applying financial analysis is still the best way to estimate the future performance of investment properties and comparing or prioritizing multiple investment opportunities. IRR is the most important and frequently used investment analysis indicator. Understanding various components of an IRR (Exhibit 8, 9 and 10) can help to carefully plan the timing, the sequence and size of events within an investment that will  impact the performance/outcome of the investments. In his analysis, Cartwright used the following assumptions: Annual increase in cash flow from operations: 4% for Fowler and 3% for the others. Vacancy rate: 5% for Alison Green and Stony Walk, 7% for the others. Capital reserve: $250 per apartment p.a., timing of when to disburse the reserve and its tax implication Sufficient funding of the equity investment Tax laws remain stable with ordinary tax rates: 35%; Capital gain tax rate: 15%; tax rate on the depreciation related gain: 25% Cartwright made, in general, conservative assumptions to simplify his analysis, and therefore, no particular assumption stood out to be unreasonable. As a continuing effort to improve quality of his assumptions, we could revisit and review his assumptions with the following generic questions: Is 3% or 4% increase in cash flow reasonable in current market/economic condition? How realistic is it to negotiate a rental guarantee with developers to be at 93% occupancy rate? How realistic is it that the capital reserve will remain at the same level for the next 10 years? How realistic is it that the leasehold payment will remain at the same level for the next 10 years? Should there be any significant changes in the outcome of the analysis, if the timing of the reserve disbursement is not assumed to be at the end of the lease term? Will there be any trend or expected government legislating new tax laws that will have significant impact on real estate investments? All properties appear to be large enough to attract the interest of professional real estate management companies and all exceeded the minimum leveraged return on investments of 12% after tax. On the simple return measures, Stony Walk had the highest Capital Rate on Purchase where Fowler ranked at the highest in Capital rate on Sales; Alison which had a high cash flow with low vacancy rate, and thus a high effective gross income was ranked in first for the Cash-on-Cash Return; Fowler which was still under construction and appeared to be undervalued had largest increase in capital value. On the discount return measures, Fowler had the highest IRR at 15.38 while Stony Walk had the lowest rate at 14.54, with a difference of 0.84; Alison had largest NPV with a difference of $115K comparing with the lowest NPV; Fowler which required the smallest equity investment had the highest Profitability Index. While the two residential properties have higher returns from their on-going cash flows, the increase in the investment value of the other two commercial properties will come from future value increase – see Exhibit 9. Completed exhibits for all four properties are included in the Appendix. The relevant analysis of other financial exhibits is integrated in the following chapter as reasoning of the recommendations. IV. Recommendations If we simply select an investment choice based on the highest IRR rate, Fowler should be recommended for both clients. However, as we better understand the components of the IRR (see Exhibit 9 in Appendix), we should try to best match each client’s ultimate investment goal to distinct character of each property instead of recommending an investment base only on the highest IRR rate. Exhibit 9. Percent of Total Benefits (@IRR) For John, our team recommends Alison Green with the following reasons: John is a retired, passive investor who wants to live comfortably from stable income/returns from the savings he accumulated, and was particularly interested in taking advantage of the new tax law, which will give him a favorable capital gain’s tax. As we can see from the breakdown of IRR, Alison Green and Ivy Terrace were projected to have higher steady income streams than the other two properties. Between them, Alison, although with a lightly lower IRR, has much higher tax benefit than the Ivy. Alison requires a higher initial equity investment than Ivy. However, Alison is estimated to be appreciated more at the end of 10 year and therefore will produce higher capital gain. Since John wants to take advantage of the new tax law and pay his capital gains at the newly enacted 15% rate, Alison is a better choice than Ivy. For Judy, our team recommends Fowler Building with the following  reasons: Unlike John, Judy is an active executive who can be a more aggressive investor and has some available fund for outside investment to diversify her portfolio. She may not care about the stable incoming cash flow as much as John. She will be more tolerant on any fluctuations such as a short-term, negative operating risks such as lower occupancy rate or lower investment value at the beginning as long as her investment will appreciate adequately at the end. We consider Judy as an investor focused more on ‘growth’ than ‘value/steady income’ seeking investor, and therefore we recommend Fowler because of its highest Profitability Index (=NPV/Equity).

Effectiveness of National and International Efforts Essay

Discuss the effectiveness of national and international efforts to tackle the problem of global climate change. Since the late nineteenth century, the view that global climate change is directly influenced by human behaviour has become increasingly accepted as scientists have provided better evidence for the relationship between the level of global carbon dioxide concentrations and global temperatures. A large number of natural phenomenon and processes are affected by climate change, and these in turn can have a negative impact on groups of people living around the world; i.e. The melting of the ice-caps is responsible for the decrease in the number of polar bears in the arctic, rising sea levels increase the risk and regularity of floods in low-lying areas like Bangladesh, and the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone failing to reach Niger, Chad and Sudan was responsible for a large prolonged famine in the 1980s. The magnitude of the number of countries affected mean that climate change is not just applicable to one nation; it is of international importance. Therefore, as climate change has increasingly become a global issue in recent years, a number of international organisations have been formed to monitor global climate change and to reduce and possibly reverse global climate change. International efforts incorporate a greater number of people than national efforts, and therefore they can have a much larger impact on trying to tackle climate change. However, tackling climate change is expensive, and for certain less economically developed countries- (LEDC’s), it would be unreasonable to insist that they should prioritise tackling climate change over some of their national problems, such as lowering the infant mortality rate and establishing a good healthcare system. Furthermore, international efforts to tackle climate change also face problems from the disparity of natural resources, which means that different solutions have to be used in different countries. Britain has a large amount of coastline, and can therefore generate s ustainable energy by using tidal barriers; a solution not available to land-locked countries such as Switzerland. The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group is a network of 59 cities ranging from Los Angeles in the U.S.A to Addis Ababa- the capital city of Ethiopia. Despite the aforementioned problems facing international efforts to tackle climate change, cities are ideally placed to influence climate change, as they consume over 2/3rds of the world’s energy and are responsible for around 70% of global carbon dioxide emissions. The C40 Group was formed in 2005 to give support to mayors hoping to cut greenhouse gas emissions in their own individual cities. The group is extremely effective, as increased discussions and communications between the leaders of a network of cities mean that the best and most effective ways of cutting greenhouse gas emissions can be copied from city to city. The group aims to ‘use collaboration, knowledge sharing and metrics to drive meaningful, measurable and sustainable action’. So far the group have put in place a range of policies such as using more-efficient lighting and building codes, and capturing methane from landfill sites; these should cut 248 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. In addition, as these cities grow and develop, so too does their capacity to tackle climate change, with the New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg claiming that they have the capacity to cut their carbon output by one gigaton (a billion tons) by 2030 in relation to the current predicted levels of carbon output for 2030. The achievements of the C40 group are in stark contrast to the results of international negotiations between countries, the majority of which have failed to reach binding targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and thus tackling global warming. In addition to the C40 group, a number of other international organisations work with cities to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. EMBARQ (The World Resources Institutes Centre for Sustainable Transport) has worked with Rio de Janeiro (a C40 cities member) to develop a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor. This public transport system will not only reduce pollution, but is also expected to help hundreds of thousands of Rio’s residents, providing them with safer transport and shorter commutes. The first corridor became operational on June the 6th, 2012, servicing around 220,000 people. The buses themselves are energy efficient, and therefore reduce the amount of energy used for public transport, and their emissions are also regulated to ensure that harmful gas emissions are minimized. In addition, the time taken to complete a journey has been cut dramatically through the introduction of bus lanes; this means that traffic congestion in the city has been eased, and the improved buses with their shorter journey times will encourage more of the city’s residents to use public transport, thereby reducing the number of vehicles on the road and further cutting greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. The city has plans for another 3 corridors, to further improve the public transport system, cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce energy consumption, thus continuing to tackle climate change. The BRT scheme in Rio de Janeiro was a local idea, completely funded by the city council, but it had international advice in how to set up and manage the system. One of the reasons why the scheme was put into place so quickly and effectively was because the international organisation it dealt with was an non-governmental organisation (N.G.O- EMBARQ) which specializes in sustainable transport, and much like the C40 cities group, EMBARQ was able to take ideas which had previously been applied in other countries and reproduce them in Rio de Janeiro. As an international co-operation between two organisations which were reasonably small, (as opposed to two countries), the target set was much more specific- reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption through improving the public transport . However, when a number of countries meet, such as at the RIO+20 conference (the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development), outcomes from discussions are vague, and whilst some ideas may start to be formed, very few actual schemes emerge from such discussions. For example, the primary outcome from the Rio+20 was the document ‘the future we want’, in which the heads of governments attending the conference simply renewed their political commitment to sustainable development. The document re-affirms their commitment to Agenda 21 and other action plans for sustainable development, which were agreed 20 years ago in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. This lack of action and inefficiency compares poorly against the effectiveness of collaboration between EMBARQ and Rio de Janeiro’s city council. The one major exception to this trend is the Kyoto Protocol dating from 2005, when 191 member countries collectively agreed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% on average for the period 2008-12. Despite what may seem an initially very promising agreement, the Kyoto Protocol does fall short on some aspects; it encourages use of bio-fuels and allows member countries to use land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF activities) in meeting their targets. Whilst bio-fuels do cut greenhouse gas emissions, huge areas of forestry (particularly in Indonesia) are being de-forested in order to make space for the production of crops to be used for bio-fuels. This practice is ultimately unsustainable, but has been encouraged by the Kyoto Protocol. Although the majority of international summits and discussions fail to result in collaboration amongst countries with regards to tackling climate change, a large number of national schemes have been formed due to Agenda 21 and other such documents. An example of this is the ‘carbon action plan’ introduced by the U.K government in December 2011. It has broken down the need to cut greenhouse gas emissions into a number of criteria, as detailed by Agenda 21, such as ‘reducing emissions from business and industry’ and ‘saving energy in homes and communities’. From these the UK government has established steps which will help it achieve the criteria set, and achieving these in turn will then cut greenhouse gas emissions. By breaking down the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions sustainably into achievable stages, the UK government can focus on specific targets which, once achieved, will result in them achieving their end objective. In addition, rather than dramatically changing current systems, or spending lots of money on one way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Carbon Plan takes into account a large range of solutions, which will be implemented gradually. This, like the step by step approach for the Bus Rapid Transit system in Rio de Janeiro, means that progress can constantly be reviewed to make sure that the carbon plan is on track, and that they are going about cutting greenhouse gas emissions the most sustainable way. Furthermore, the research done into preparing the carbon plan has also generated a number of other initia tives, such as the Green Investment Bank (GIB). This is a funding scheme initiated by the U.K government to attract private funds ‘for the financing of the private sector’s investments related to environmental preservation and improvement’. In short, they intend to set up a fund financed by major banks which will make investments in environmental technology, such as off-shore wind farms; this will help the UK government meet its target for reducing carbon emissions, and yet will be funded not by the U.K, but by a collection of banks, who will hope to make a long-term gain in their investment in environmental technology. However, the effectiveness of this scheme has been debated, with the World Development Movement claiming the GIB would be too small to attract the kind of investment needed to generate green jobs and industry in the U.K. In conclusion, the effectiveness of national and international efforts to tackle global climate change strongly depends on whether the solution used is realistic, well planned and appropriate to the context. Where the solution is all of the above, such as the BRT system and the Carbon Plan, they can be extremely effective; tackling global climate change and making other improvements, such as that to infrastructure in Rio de Janeiro. Unfortunately, despite incorporating a larger number of people, international programs tend to be less effective than national efforts, as the latter are normally focused on specific outcomes rather than just the goal of ‘reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% a year’- as set by the Kyoto protocol. Nevertheless, some international co-operation has been shown to produce results, and the international aspect of tackling climate change shows governments and N.G.Os that they are working alongside a larger body of people to achieve the same end goal; therefore providing a framework upon which national schemes are shaped.

Extra credit Human resources development Assignment

Extra credit Human resources development - Assignment Example Therefore, it can be safely inferred that certain methods of recruitment are superior to others due to a variety of reasons. The power of the internet can be emphasized by the fact that it has found widespread application in nearly all aspects of human lives. From grocery shopping to international import/exports, the usefulness of the internet cannot be denied. The aspect of online recruiting is one of these, and it seems that internet has to a great extent molded the face of modern recruiting activities. The process of shortlisting the candidates has greatly been simplified as seen in the selection process of very famous firms like Coopers & Lybrand where one-fourth of the applicants are eliminated during the initial process of selection online (College Press Service, 1997). The HR management teams identify a number of parameters for which the applicants have to be tested. Once this is done, it becomes possible to conduct the test online and manage the selection of eligible candidates (Vecchio, 1996). Another important benefit of using the online recruitment systems is the widespread availability and accessibility of internet. This has removed the concept of international borders to some extent as employers are free to hire capable individuals from all around the globe for the specific job at hand. Similarly, in the virtual world, nearly everyone is able to promote and sell his/her skills online, and employers have the choice of limiting their selection to the most appropriate employee. One of the negative aspects of internet recruiting is the fact that for the demanding jobs on the internet, HR managements of companies are flooded with applications once a job is advertised, this makes it impossible for humans to manage such huge amounts of data thereby making it possible for computers or softwares to replace humans in the future. A number of legal issues are likely to arise as the practice of internet recruiting is

The Advertising Effect on Adolescents in Saudi Arabia Essay

The Advertising Effect on Adolescents in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example The availability and effect of modern media, particularly from Western sources of production, such as television, movies, and music in Saudi Arabia will be reviewed from contemporary reports and placed in the context of wider social change movements such as the â€Å"Arab Spring†, democratization, and reform that seemingly threaten traditional values and identities in the Kingdom. The introduction of Western and modern values or identity constructs through commercial advertising will also be analyzed with reference to youth movements and new developments in the Saudi economy resulting from lifestyle pattern changes. The economic and social results of this process will be further related in context to the issues of globalization, democratization, and modernization as they portend a change in values in Saudi Arabian culture. The emphasis of this study will be in analyzing the effect of advertising on Saudi adolescents particularly, as this is psychologically when the most import ant aspects of personal character definition are formed, and socially this represents the time period when human individuals are most open to experimentation with patterns of identity, character, and personality formation.The research methodology of this essay will include a comparison of research into adolescent identity structures and behavior in the U.S. and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in order to determine the similarities and differences between the two experiences both subjectively and objectively. Rather than assuming that Saudi and American youth culture will develop on the same patterns of expression.

Varying of Contract Terms Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Varying of Contract Terms - Case Study Example Consideration is an important principle for a contract as the English courts take that into when determining the legal enforceability of a contract. McKendrick states that the purpose of consideration is to give the ‘badge of enforceability’ to agreements. The definition of consideration can be found in the case of Currie v. Misa which revolves around the concept of benefit to the promisor, or detriment to the promisee, thus the requirement is mutually exclusive.Another important aspect of consideration is that it must be sufficient and need not be adequate that is it must be something which the court would consider to be legally capable of constituting consideration. The position that was found to be problematic for business practices in respect of consideration whether an existing obligation could be treated as good consideration or in other words could the terms of the contract be changed without any additional consideration being provided for such variance. The three aspects that require an analysis there are possibly three different types of existing obligation which can arguably constitute to be a consideration. The first one is of an obligation which arises under the law, and there are independent of any contract. The second one is that of obligations that are owed under a contract with a third party. Finally, the obligations which are existent by way of a contract with the person who makes the new promise, for which it is alleged that the existing obligations should be held to be a good consideration.

(GC Instrument Experiment) Determination of Ethanol Concentration in Lab Report

(GC Instrument Experiment) Determination of Ethanol Concentration in Biological Fluids using Gas Chromatography - Lab Report Example The BAC level in all 50 states of the US is set by law at 0.08% w/v a value, which is much higher in comparison to other countries. Other countries have BAC limits of 0.03% w/v or even less (International Center for Alcohol Policies). The use of gas-liquid chromatography in the modern science has eliminated the complex nature of the matrix affecting the analysis of ethanol in blood previously (Jones and Pounder 12). The sample size employed in gas-liquid chromatography is also small hence making the method convenient for analysis of small samples. In gas chromatography, the gaseous mobile phase, which is referred to as the carrier gas, conveys the analyte in the column (Harris 528). Mostly, inert gas such as helium and nitrogen are used as mobile phase while non-polar liquids such as polyethylene glycol can be used as stationary liquid phase (Harris 528). Separation is founded on the dispersal of the analytes between the mobile and stationary phases. The analyte concentration in the gas phase affects its elution since high analyte concentration means more time is spent in the mobile phase as well as the stationary phase (Colin 19). Short analysis time and high precision make it a method of choice. A comparison between flame ionization detectors (FID) and electron capture detectors (ECD) shows that FIDs are highly sensitive to almost all organic compounds, have a wide linear response range that surpasses 107, have low maintenance requirements and are less expensive to acquire and operate compared to ECDs (Harris 543). Five ethanol standards were prepared in a 20 mL gas-tight vial by mixing ca. 0.5% w/w ethanol and ca. 0.5% w/w of tert-butanol in water. The table below summarizes the preparation. tert-Butanol was used as the internal standard. A Shimadzu 14A GC with a flame ionization detector was used. Polyethylene glycol was used as the stationary phase, and the column temperature

GNLD and its product Nutritional Supplements Assignment

GNLD and its product Nutritional Supplements - Assignment Example It is through the fast changing health industry that new ways and methods of diagnosis and promotion of better health has been implemented. All these proceedings have brought about patient care, worker efficiency, and hence better health. To achieve these objectives, several companies like GNLD, which manufacture and sell nutritional food supplements, have been introduced. This product has however been impacted by market forces as discussed in this paper. Degree of Rivalry With the increased need for better health, and the extensive research being carried out in the health industry, rival firms have increased competition drawing the profits that GNLD used to make initially. This has made the competition imperfect; hence, each other firm is struggling to achieve competitive advantage and a higher market share than its rival company. In addition, the controversy on the quality of products of the increasing nutritional food supplements companies and slowed down the market growth. This h as consequently led to need for storage of the products hence high cost. Further, some of the products are perishable thus; the company decides to sell the products at relatively lower prices. The exit barrier in any health related firms are high. This is because the costs of plants and machinery cannot be forgone thus the firm decides to keep competing no matter the state in the market. Though successful, GNLD has been forced to keep competing due to this factor (http://www.mlm-home-business-training.com/GNLD-Int-mlm-leaders-call-team-money-training-scheme-scam/secretsuccess.htm). Threats of Substitutes In a free market economy, restriction of entry into, and exit out of the market is not prohibited. This means that competitors with related commodities will venture in to the market. This threat will definitely occur since the demand of the products of GNLD has been affected by the prices changes in substitute product. For instance, a survey carried out in Kenya showed that GNLD pro ducts are highly affected by the prices from TIASHI, a competing food supplement company. From the research, it was found out that to become part of the marketing team in GNLD, a sum close to $36 is required then the individual should purchase products of high value. For TIASHI, a sum of $18 is required and the initial purchase is relatively lower. This determines the prices at which each the products are sold. Evidently, the close substitute products have constrained the ability of GNLD to raise prices (http://www.healthybusiness.co.za/GNLD%20Products%20Guide/introduction/i3.html). Buyers bargaining power This is the power potential buyers have on any industry that is producing commodities. In many market structures, the forces of demand and supply determine prices of commodities. It is obvious that buyers will expect such market structures. Since GNLD does not exist as a monopoly, the prices at which the food supplements are sold should be dependant of the market mechanisms. On th e contrary, the food supplements from GNLD have fixed prices. The only advantage extended to the buyer is the ability to buy smaller quantities. This means that the buyer does not have bargaining power. It is thus possible in such a case to shift to other substitutes which give the

The California Wine Cluster Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The California Wine Cluster - Assignment Example Technology and innovation played a basic part in bridging the quality gap between European and California vintners (Porter 1998). Conventionally, European vintners had depended intensely on flavor (qualitative) and time-tried practices. Then later on, California winemakers started utilizing quantitative analysis to transform higher, more consistent quality of wines. Innovations rushed quickly right around the state's vintners, particularly in Napa, where the majority of the wineries were found alongside. Besides, U.C. Davis, one of the world leading wine research institute, assisted explore some new technologies i.e. mechanical harvesting, trickle watering system, and field transplanting. All of this upgraded the quality of Californian wines. By the mid 70s, California’s premium wines gained international fame (Porter and Bond 2008). Question 3 France experienced intense over production. The EU, under the Common Agricultural Policy for wine, had taken many steps to diminish wine yield in its member states thru an exhibit of subsidies. New vineyard planting of table wine grapes was precluded and re-planting of existing vineyards was permitted just each eighth year. Most EU underpin headed off to subsidized "bumming-up" of lower quality vineyards, having permanently uprooted over 1.2 million acres from production. Moreover, compulsory and voluntary refining, which changed wine into liquor for human utilization or fuel, uprooted wine from the open business. The labor costs in France also exceeded much. All of these factors stagnated France’s production (Porter and Bond 2008). Question 4 A great part of Australian wine business' success is generally accredited to substantial investment in innovations in viticulture engineering. Rare water assets empowered much of this movement. By the 1990s, Australia had established its elf as a cost competitive manufacturer of high caliber wines, with 3,000 cultivators and 1,000 wineries. Australian government had also furnished subsidizes for exports promotion commonly used for wine tasting in target advertises. Australia had likewise secured Wine Bureaus in numerous nations incorporating the United Kingdom, The United States, and Germany to organize promotional exercises. This has led Australia to be emerged as a leading wine-exporting nation (Porter and Bond 2008). Question 5 Wine clusters of California faced different issues in the 90’s and 00’s decades. These include remarkable variations in the quality and quantity of each year’s grape harvest due to fluctuations in weather and space constraints for new vineyards in the North Coast which along with emerging demand for vineyards raised the average price of undeveloped land in the Central Cost of California. Many premium growers of wine grapes preferred closer spacing to boost grape qualit y which increased the yields; however, these high-density plantings posed threats of increased operating costs up due to increased costs for labor and materials. Then, the supply constraints for high quality grapes impelled premium wine producers to

Issues in international politics (EU) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Issues in international politics (EU) - Essay Example This research essay will aim to offer and evaluate the EU’s role in its fight against international terrorism. In this research paper, I wish to stress that despite all these counter terrorism initiatives, the menace from terrorism remains one of the vital European issues and challenges, and EU’s anti-terrorism strategies are to be overhauled completely. (Prezelj 2007:16). Whether EU’s Anti –Terrorism is effective and efficient? - An Analysis Terrorism is not a new phenomenon, and it is a technique customarily used by a weaker section or actor against mighty or stronger one. Terrorism can referred as a by-product of the growth of democracy, as governments and leaders became subject to public pressure. The terrorism was first known to be used in the context of the French Revolution, and later it became very famous on 11 September 2011 happenings. With the establishment of the Terrorism, Radicalism, Extremism and international Violence group (TREVI group) in 1975 and with the European Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism (ECST) of 1977, the source of European co-operation on counter-terrorism can be recognised in the 1970s. (CEDAT: 115) There are many elements that make terrorist actions as unacceptable and unfair among them, the clandestine nature and the fact that the terrorists do not show themselves engage in open dispute and do not show themselves openly. The most abhorrent issue is killing of non-combatants or innocents. When killing an Israeli, a Palestine terrorist may argue that they are involved in a fight against all Israelis, including women and children as they would claim that they are involved in a battle against all Israelis. The same could be true for other terrorist groups, be they in Chechnya, Spain, Sri Lanka or Northern Island. (Mahncke & Monar 2006:14). EU has defined terrorism as the principal menace to European security, Terrorism is characterised as global in its scope and associated to aggressive religio us extremism. Europe is both a base for terrorism and a potential target. The menace of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction was also within the EU’s terrorist context. The most worsening scenario is if a terrorist group obtains and employs weapons of mass destruction, then the outcome will be of devastation. (Prezelj 2007:21) The real fact is that Anti-terrorist measures in EU are not supported by all member states, mainly due to differences in threat perception. For instance, UK and Spain may want to place terrorism as the core issue of the EU agenda and to arrive at an anti-terrorism measure that they conceive to be significant. However, for non-Spanish and non-British policy-makers, this may not be relevant and could be costly and far-reaching like the idea of data retention. (Mahncke & Monar 2006:40). Divergence in threat perception may also help to assist to demonstrate the difference in cooperation and speed in implementing EU-level anti-terrorism cooperati ve agreements. EU member states that does not visualize terrorism as a significant issue lags behind in implementing and approving new cooperation agreements and laws contrasted to nations where government witness populations that feel more intimidated by terrorism. Thus, it appears

Colorado Creative Music Case Study Essay Example for Free

Colorado Creative Music Case Study Essay Large differences among competitors (advertisement) Necessity of touring across the country (more personal approach) Driving forces Financial Lowered initial investment (technology) Easy to enter the market Digitalization (fixed costs) Non-financial (art) To create a better piece of art Essential for business to happen Attractiveness of the industry from the standpoint of good long-term profit prospects Health problems of Mr. Darren Skanson Instead of 2 planned CDs only 1new CD He found new musicians Need to sell more CDs (no more sales, no profit) for acceptation of the CDs by distributors Direct sales are big part of sales Finding of some responsible and skilful person SWOT analysis strengths decreased expenses due to digital revolution position on the market Darren’s presence at shows the direct sale weaknesses lack of managerial skills insufficient distribution channel reducing profit SWOT analysis con’t opportunities reaching broader audience with promoting various artists and music styles music events outside Colorado cooperation with retail outlets nationwide threats new entrants existing competition minor position on the market iracy Assessment of CCM’s financial performance Not very various financial performance of the company Trends in each year: increasing gross profit of the company/expenses are increasing/net income is decreasing except 1998/sales are increasing – but not very – problem Increased number of work – increased number of money for hiring of new people. He need to sell more CDs if the company wants to be a part of national distribution he had several options: 1. To have several artists and to play as record label 2. Compete with artists on a recording label with Sony Classical 3. To make a new good selling product and to use money from sales for first two goals He found out that needs to increase promotion and publicity process (not quality but image) The biggest dilemma – after having health problems – need to find responsible and skilful person Uncertainties – manager on his position can be weak and not such good as Darren – not beneficial for the company – no profit.

Assess the idea that globalisation leads Essay Example for Free

Assess the idea that globalisation leads Essay Globalisation leads to transnational organisations such as the European Union and the United Nations. Also transnational companies such as Nike. Globalisation also leads to the developments in new technologies such as internet, fibre optics, and jet planes, this means there can be an instant link between one person searching on the internet about one specific culture and finding out everything they need to know whereas before this was not possible. This leads to the relativity of truth, the decline in Meta narratives and also mass tourism. These transnational companies such as Nike, Ford, Enron etc all cause developments around the world due to the fact that they can move around freely around the globe. This is called industrial migration. Big companies such as these move to places where labour is cheap and they build big, new developments such as city centres with big industrial buildings, and mines where they can exploit the local cultures. An example of this would be the kayapo, where they found that a gold mine was situated on their land and so they group was therefore split in two as one group wanted to sell the gold to the big corporations and get wealth for it, whereas the other half did not want to sell their land to the foreigners and so the culture of the kayapo was destroyed and the industrial companies exploited the native kayapos for their surplus value. These developments also spread to places such as conservation parks such as in Peru where the sacred ground of the michu pichu was made into a world heritage site and so the michu pichus could not afford the entry price and so could not worship or pay their respect, even on a Sunday when the entry prices are taken away there is no silence and so they cannot pray still. Therefore this meant that the culture of the michu pichus has broken down and the main beliefs of their culture have been taken away from them and so leading to the slow eradication of that culture. A similar thing has happened in the safari parks in Botswana where bushmen where pushed off their lands unfairly to make room for rich upper class tourists who want to hunt ‘big game’. So the Bushmen who lived in peace with the animals were forced to work for the safari park as rangers and guides for the tourists who pushed the natives off their land changing their culture from hunter gatherers to capitalistic workers. A similar thing has happened to ayers rock in Australia where for sixty thousand years the native aborigines paid their respect to the rock, where they believed that it is where the souls of their ancestors go after they die and the rock has been turned into another world heritage area where many tourists come to see and disrespect the rock by climbing all over it. This has made it increasingly difficult for the aborigine people to pay their respect to their ancestors as there are many people around all the time and disrespecting it often. The masaai Mara where hired by the mayers to perform their native dances for the mayers regular guests. The Mayers founded the group to show the masaai in their traditional culture, houses, and dress ware, but were severely exploited by the Mayers for their surplus value as they were not paid properly instead were given food and told that the food that they eat and the fact that they live in the Mayers residence was payment enough. The Mayers hired the masaai as the western tourists wanted to see firsthand the cultural beliefs, and also rituals in a traditional manner, even when it was their ancestors who had intentionally destroyed the culture of the masaai. The Mayers residence was closed down as the government thought that the Mayers were exploiting the masaai far too badly and so closed them down. The exploitation of the masaai is imperialism as the masaai people were hired as pretty much slaves and made to work for the people who had taken away their culture in the first place but made the masaai men and women show their traditional dances and lifestyle.

A Study About Blue Eye Technology

A Study About Blue Eye Technology Blue Eyes system provides technical means for monitoring and recording the operators basic physiological parameters. The most important parameter is saccadic activity1, which enables the system to monitor the status of the operators visual attention along with head acceleration, which accompanies large displacement of the visual axis (saccades larger than 15 degrees). Complex industrial environment can create a danger of exposing the operator to toxic substances, which can affect his cardiac, circulatory and pulmonary systems. Thus, on the grounds of plethysmographic signal taken from the forehead skin surface, the system computes heart beat rate and blood oxygenation. The BlueEyes system checks above parameters against abnormal (e.g. a low level of blood oxygenation or a high pulse rate) or undesirable (e.g. a longer period of lowered visual attention) values and triggers user-defined alarms when necessary. Quite often in an emergency situation operator speak to themselves expressing their surprise or stating verbally the problem. Therefore, the operators voice, physiological parameters and an overall view of the operating room are recorded. This helps to reconstruct the course of operators work and provides data for long-term analysis. BlueEyes consists of a mobile measuring device and a central analytical system. The mobile device is integrated with Bluetooth module providing wireless interface between sensors worn by the operator and the central unit. ID cards assigned to each of the operators and adequate user profiles on the central unit side provide necessary data personalization so different people can use a single mobile device (called hereafter DAU Data Acquisition Unit). The overall system diagram is shown in Figure 1. The tasks of the mobile Data Acquisition Unit are to maintain Bluetooth connections, to get information from the sensor and sending it over the wireless connection INTRODUCTION: Imagine yourself in a world where humans interact with computers. You are sitting in front of your personal computer that can listen, talk, or even scream aloud. It has the ability to gather information about you and interact with you through special techniques like facial recognition, speech recognition, etc. It can even understand your emotions at the touch of the mouse. It verifies your identity, feels your presents, and starts interacting with you .You ask the computer to dial to your friend at his office. It realizes the urgency of the situation through the mouse, dials your friend at his office, and establishes a connection. Human cognition depends primarily on the ability to perceive, interpret, and integrate audio-visuals and sensoring information. Adding extraordinary perceptual abilities to computers would enable computers to work together with human beings as intimate partners. Researchers are attempting to add more capabilities to computers that will allow them to interact like humans, recognize human presents, talk, listen, or even guess their feelings. The BLUE EYES technology aims at creating computational machines that have perceptual and sensory ability like those of human beings. It uses non-obtrusive sensing method, employing most modern video cameras and microphones to identifies the users actions through the use of imparted sensory abilities . The machine can understand what a user wants, where he is looking at, and even realize his physical or emotional states. EMOTION AND COMPUTING: Rosalind Picard (1997) describes why emotions are important to the computing community. There are two aspects of affective computing: giving the computer the ability to detect emotions and giving the computer the ability to express emotions. Not only are emotions crucial for rational decision making as Picard describes, but emotion detection is an important step to an adaptive computer system. An adaptive, smart computer system has been driving our efforts to detect a persons emotional state. An important element of incorporating emotion into computing is for productivity for a computer user. A study (Dryer Horowitz, 1997) has shown that people with personalities that are similar or complement each other collaborate well. Dryer (1999) has also shown that people view their computer as having a personality. For these reasons, it is important to develop computers which can work well with its user. By matching a persons emotional state and the context of the expressed emotion, over a period of time the persons personality is being exhibited. Therefore, by giving the computer a longitudinal understanding of the emotional state of its user, the computer could adapt a working style which fits with its users personality. The result of this collaboration could increase productivity for the user. One way of gaining information from a user non-intrusively is by video. Cameras have been used to detect a persons emotional state (Johnson, 1999). We have explored gaining information through touch. One obvious place to put sensors is on the mouse. Through observing normal computer usage (creating and editing documents and surfing the web), people spend approximately 1/3 of their total computer time touching their input device. Because of the incredible amount of time spent touching an input device, we will explore the possibility of detecting emotion through touch. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENT SPEECH RECOGNITION: It is important to consider the environment in which the speech recognition system has to work. The grammar used by the speaker and accepted by the system, noise level, noise type, position of the microphone, and speed and manner of the users speech are some factors that may affect the quality of speech recognition .When you dial the telephone number of a big company, you are likely to hear the sonorous voice of a cultured lady who responds to your call with great courtesy saying Welcome to company X. Please give me the extension number you want. You pronounce the extension number, your name, and the name of person you want to contact. If the called person accepts the call, the connection is given quickly. This is artificial intelligence where an automatic call-handling system is used without employing any telephone operator. THE TECHNOLOGY: Artificial intelligence (AI) involves two basic ideas. First, it involves studying the thought processes of human beings. Second, it deals with representing those processes via machines (like computers, robots, etc). AI is behavior of a machine, which, if performed by a human being, would be called intelligent. It makes machines smarter and more useful, and is less expensive than natural intelligence. Natural language processing (NLP) refers to artificial intelligence methods of communicating with a computer in a natural language like English. The main objective of a NLP program is to understand input and initiate action. The input words are scanned and matched against internally stored known words. Identification of a key word causes some action to be taken. In this way, one can communicate with the computer in ones language. No special commands or computer language are required. There is no need to enter programs in a special language for creating software. SPEECH RECOGNITION: The user speaks to the computer through a microphone, which, in used; a simple system may contain a minimum of three filters. The more the number of filters used, the higher the probability of accurate recognition. Presently, switched capacitor digital filters are used because these can be custom-built in integrated circuit form. These are smaller and cheaper than active filters using operational amplifiers. The filter output is then fed to the ADC to translate the analogue signal into digital word. The ADC samples the filter outputs many times a second. Each sample represents different amplitude of the signal .Evenly spaced vertical lines represent the amplitude of the audio filter output at the instant of sampling. Each value is then converted to a binary number proportional to the amplitude of the sample. A central processor unit (CPU) controls the input circuits that are fed by the ADCS. A large RAM (random access memory) stores all the digital values in a buffer area. This digit al information, representing the spoken word, is now accessed by the CPU to process it further. The normal speech has a frequency range of 200 Hz to 7 kHz. Recognizing a telephone call is more difficult as it has bandwidth limitation of 300 Hz to3.3 kHz. As explained earlier, the spoken words are processed by the filters and ADCs. The binary representation of each of these words becomes a template or standard, against which the future words are compared. These templates are stored in the memory. Once the storing process is completed, the system can go into its active mode and is capable of identifying spoken words. As each word is spoken, it is converted into binary equivalent and stored in RAM. The computer then starts searching and compares the binary input pattern with the templates. t is to be noted that even if the same speaker talks the same text, there are always slight variations in amplitude or loudness of the signal, pitch, frequency difference, time gap, etc. Due to this reason, there is never a perfect match between the template and binary input word. The pattern matching process therefore uses statistical techniques and is designed to look for the best fit. The values of binary input words are subtracted from the corresponding values in the templates. If both the values are same, the difference is zero and there is perfect match. If not, the subtraction produces some difference or error. The smaller the error, the better the match. When the best match occurs, the word is identified and displayed on the screen or used in some other manner. The search process takes a considerable amount of time, as the CPU has to make many comparisons before recognition occurs. This necessitates use of very high-speed processors. A large RAM is also required as even though a spoken word may last only a few hundred milliseconds, but the same is translated into many thousands of digital words. It is important to note that alignment of words and templates are to be matched correctly in time, before computing the similarity score. This process, termed as dynamic time warping, recognizes that different speakers pronounce the same words at different speeds as w ell as elongate different parts of the same word. This is important for the speaker-independent recognizers. THE SIMPLE USER INTERST TRACKER (SUITOR): Computers would have been much more powerful, had they gained perceptual and sensory abilities of the living beings on the earth. What needs to be developed is an intimate relationship between the computer and the humans. And the Simple User Interest Tracker (SUITOR) is a revolutionary approach in this direction. By observing the Webpage a netizen is browsing, the SUITOR can help by fetching more information at his desktop. By simply noticing where the users eyes focus on the computer screen, the SUITOR can be more precise in determining his topic of interest. It can even deliver relevant information to a handheld device. The success lies in how much the suitor can be intimate to the user. IBMs BlueEyes research project began with a simple question, according to Myron Flickner, a manager in Almadens USER group: Can we exploit nonverbal cues to create more effective user interfaces? One such cue is gaze-the direction in which a person is looking. Flickner and his colleagues have created some new techniques for tracking a persons eyes and have incorporated this gaze-tracking technology into two prototypes. One, called SUITOR (Simple User Interest Tracker), fills a scrolling ticker on a computer screen with information related to the users current task. SUITOR knows where you are looking, what applications you are running, and what Web pages you may be browsing. If Im reading a Web page about IBM, for instance, says Paul Maglio, the Almaden cognitive scientist who invented SUITOR, the system presents the latest stock price or business news stories that could affect IBM. If I read the headline off the ticker, it pops up the story in a browser window. If I start to read the story, it adds related stories to the ticker. Thats the whole idea of an attentive system-one that attends to what you are doing, typing, reading, so that it can attend to your information needs. PARTS OF A BLUE EYE SYSTEM : The major parts in the Blue eye system are Data Acquisition Unit and Central System Unit. The tasks of the mobile Data Acquisition Unit are to maintain Bluetooth connections, to get information from the sensor and sending it over the wireless connection, to deliver the alarm messages sent from the Central System Unit to the operator and handle personalized ID cards. Central System Unit maintains the other side of the Blue tooth connection, buffers incoming sensor data, performs on-line data analysis, records the conclusions for further exploration and provides visualization interface. THE HARDWARE: Data Acquisition Unit Data Acquisition Unit is a mobile part of the Blue eyes system. Its main task is to fetch the physiological data from the sensor and to send it to the central system to be processed. To accomplish the task the device must manage wireless Bluetooth connections (connection establishment, authentication and termination). Personal ID cards and PIN codes provide operators authorization. Figure Showing Jazz-multi Sensor Communication with the operator is carried on using a simple 5-key keyboard, a small LCD display and a beeper. When an exceptional situation is detected the device uses them to notify the operator. Voice data is transferred using a small headset, interfaced to the DAU with standard mini-jack plugs. The Data Acquisition Unit The Data Acquisition unit comprises several hardware modules figure showing data acquisition unit  · Atmel 89C52 microcontroller system core  · Bluetooth module (based on ROK101008)  · HD44780 small LCD display  · 24C16 I2C EEPROM (on a removable ID card) CENTRAL SYSTEM UNIT : Central System Unit hardware is the second peer of the wireless connection. The box contains a Bluetooth module (based on ROK101008) and a PCM codec for voice data transmission. The module is interfaced to a PC using a parallel, serial and USB cable. The audio data is accessible through standard mini-jack sockets over view of central system unit To program operators personal ID cards we developed a simple programming device. The programmer is interfaced to a PC using serial and PS/2 (power source) ports. Inside, there is Atmel 89C2051 microcontroller, which handles UART transmission and I2C EEPROM (ID card) programming. THE SOFTWARE: Blue Eyes softwares main task is to look after working operators physiological condition. To assure instant reaction on the operators condition change the software performs real time buffering of the incoming data, real-time physiological data analysis and alarm triggering. The Blue Eyes software comprises several functional modules System core facilitates the transfers flow between other system modules (e.g. transfers raw data from the Connection Manager to data analyzers, processed data from the data analyzers to GUI controls, other data analyzers, data logger etc.). The System Core fundamental are single-producer-multi-consumer thread safe queues. Any number of consumers can register to receive the data supplied by a producer. Every single consumer can register at any number of producers, receiving therefore different types of data. Naturally, every consumer may be a producer for other consumers. This approach enables high system scalability new data processing modules (i.e. filters, data analyzers and loggers) can be easily added by simply registering as a costumer Connection Manager is responsible for managing the wireless communication between the mobile Data Acquisition Unit the central system. The Connection Manager handles:  · communication with the CSU hardware  · searching for new devices in the covered range  · establishing Bluetooth connections  · connection authentication  · incoming data buffering  · sending alerts Data Analysis module performs the analysis of the raw sensor data in order to obtain information about the operators physiological condition. The separately running Data Analysis module supervises each of the working operators. The module consists of a number of smaller analyzers extracting different types of information. Each of the analyzers registers at the appropriate Operator Manager or another analyzer as a data consumer and, acting as a producer, provides the results of the analysis. Visualization module provides a user interface for the supervisors. It enables them to watch each of the working operators physiological condition along with a preview of selected video source and related sound stream. All the incoming alarm messages are instantly signaled to the supervisor.The Visualization module can be set in an off-line mode, where all the data is fetched from the database.Watching all the recorded physiological parameters, alarms, video and audio data the supervisor is able to reconstruct the course of the selected operators duty. The physiological data is presented using a set of custom-built GUI controls:  · a pie-chart used to present a percentage of time the operator was actively acquiring the visual information · A VU-meter showing the present value of a parameter time series displaying a history of selected parameters value. BLUE-EYES BENEFITS: Prevention from dangerous incidents Minimization of ecological consequences financial loss a threat to a human life Blue Eyes system provides technical means for monitoring and recording human-operators physiological condition. The key features of the system are:  · visual attention monitoring (eye motility analysis)  · physiological condition monitoring (pulse rate, blood oxygenation)  · operators position detection (standing, lying)  · wireless data acquisition using Blue tooth technology  · real-time user-defined alarm triggering  · physiological data, operators voice and overall view of the control room recording  · recorded data playback Blue Eyes system can be applied in every working environment requiring permanent operators attention:  · at power plant control rooms  · at captain bridges  · at flight control centers. APPLICATIONS : One of the main benefits of speech recognition system is that it lets user do other works simultaneously. The user can concentrate on observation and manual operations, and still control the machinery by voice input commands. Another major application of speech processing is in military operations. Voice control of weapons is an example. With reliable speech recognition equipment, pilots can give commands and information to the computers by simply speaking into their microphones-they dont have to use their hands for this purpose. Another good example is a radiologist scanning hundreds of X-rays, ultrasonograms, CT scans and simultaneously dictating conclusions to a speech recognition system connected to word processors. The radiologist can focus his attention on the images rather than writing the text. Voice recognition could also be used on computers for making airline and hotel reservations. A user requires simply to state his needs, to make reservation, cancel a reservation, or ma ke enquiries about schedule. CONCLUSION: The nineties witnessed quantum leaps interface designing for improved man machine interactions. The BLUE EYES technology ensures a convenient way of simplifying the life by providing more delicate and user friendly facilities in computing devices. Now that we have proven the method, the next step is to improve the hardware. Instead of using cumbersome modules to gather information about the user, it will be better to use smaller and less intrusive units. The day is not far when this technology will push its way into your house hold, making you more lazy. It may even reach your hand held mobile device. Any way this is only a technological forecast. In future it is possible to create a computer which can interact with us as we interact each other with the use of blue eye technology. It seems to be a fiction, but it will be the life lead by BLUE EYES in the very near future. ordinary household devices such as televisions, refrigerators, and ovens may be able to do their jobs when we look at them and speak to them.

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT ADVISOR :: essays research papers

Abstract The Traffic Management Advisor (TMA) is part of the FAA’s Free Flight program which has been on going for the past 12 years in an attempt to enable controllers the means in which to manage airspace and reduce delays at airports safely and more efficiently. It uses flight plan information along with environmental concerns to aide controllers in sequencing arrivals at airports and makes recommendations for traffic patterns to aide in undue congestion. The TMA has boosted efficiency of the air traffic controllers and helped in fuel efficiency and safety for the airlines, passengers and crews. The Concept of the Traffic Management Advisor   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Traffic Management Advisor (TMA) is used to aide the air traffic controllers and coordinators thru graphical map, which display alerts, when dealing with aircraft when they are on the outer meter, meter fixed, final approach and threshold for landing at an airport. The TMA schedules and sequences times for their orbits and landings at airports which take a lot of the stress and calculations away from the controllers. It also schedules their landing runways for the aircraft which helps with separation and safety of the aircraft. It does this by computing their speed and approach angles which can be seen on a live Doppler type of screen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The TMA system relies on eight processes which include the following: 1) the communications manager which shares information between its databases, 2) the radar daemon which has a link between the TMA and the controllers computer, 3) the weather daemon which uses weather information from the national weather service, 4) the timeline graphical user interface which receives and uses information from the traffic management controllers computer, 5) the route analyzer which decides which route the aircraft will use, 6) the planview graphical user interface which uses input from the controllers and displays the information, 7) the trajectory synthesizer which determines the estimated time of arrival and the descent profile of the aircraft, and 8) the dynamic planner which determines the runway and the sequences of the other incoming traffic.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The TMA computes the aircrafts schedule and sequencing between 40 and 200 miles from the airport, even before they have reached the airports controlled airspace. All of this information comes from the aircrafts flight plan and the TMA has the ability to adjust runway assignments and the sequencing of the aircraft also due to environmental conditions or in response to the input by the controllers.

Dealing With Having Back Surgery :: Personal Narrative Athletics Medical Sports Essay

Dealing With Having Back Surgery Starting my freshman year at County High School, I played basketball and loved every minute of it. I wouldn’t be conceited enough to say I was good, but God did bless me with the talent to play. My life revolved around the sport of basketball; some would say I slept, ate, and breathed every part of it. I spent all my time training and practicing to make myself a more dedicated athlete. This dedication not only helped me as a player, but also molded me into the person I am today. It somehow helped to prepare me for what defeat I would face with back surgery in the future. Beginning as a freshman I started every game never, but to sit on the bench unless there was a major problem. This repetitious cycle mirrored itself over and over again until there was a problem, physically, with my body. I had felt a pain in my back that ran down my leg for some time, but no one other than me knew of this pain. I am a very strong willed and determined person, not letting pain stand in my way. The pain started to vaguely effect my everyday activities, such as walking across Wal-mart which put me in agonizing pain. The only way I played basketball with this pain was by focusing on the goal I was out to achieve. My mother took me to see a back specialist named, Dr. Johnson at the Knoxville Orthopedic Center in Knoxville, TN who explained this pain I was having generated a major problem. It never came to my realization how serious this could be, or what it could do to my basketball career. Tests after tests including MRI’s, X-rays, and experimental procedures were performed to show I had five ruptured disks in the lower lumbar section of my back. Tedious Examination done by a group of doctors concluded I had a crippling disease of the spinal column called spinal stenosis. Spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal that causes compression of the spinal cord. (Lohr,1) If this disease was ignored any longer, it would lead to many other problems affecting other areas of my back to help support this weakness. It was an extremely rare case for an athlete my age.

tragoed Oedipus the King (Oedipus Rex) as Greek Tragedy :: Oedipus the King Oedipus Rex

Oedipus The King as Greek Tragedy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The genre of drama is wide and contains works of varied forms and subjects. The first drama, on which all later works are based, developed in Greece and dealt with religious and social issues. According to AristotleÕs The Poetics, a Greek Tragedy must deal with a serious purpose, arousing a sense of pity or fear in the audience. The emphasis must be on plot over character development and the playwright must utilize suspense and unity of time, place and action. Aristotle writes that a tragic hero is a character who is renowned and prosperous, not necessarily perfect, but not an evil person either. The tragic hero must meet with a reversal of fortune brought about by either folly or fate. Based on these criteria, Oedipus the King by Sophocles is considered the prototypical Greek Tragedy. Oedipus, the playÕs main character, is also considered the model of a Greek tragic hero. Oedipus the King deals with several serious purposes, the greatest of which being the agnosticism Sophocles perceived in his community. Through Iokaste who ÒÉwould not waste a second thoughtÉÓ on oracles, Sophocles shows his audience the perils of disbelief in the gods, since each prophecy made by oracles in the play ended up coming true (l. 813). Sophocles uses his play to perform serious religious functions as well as to entertain theatre-goers. The fulfillment of the predictions made by the oracles led to the downfall of Oedipus, which created a catharsis in the audience, brought by arousing feelings of pity and fear for the fallen king. The Choragos gives the lesson, ÒÉlet none presume on his good fortune until he find life, at his death, a memory without painÓ (l. 1473-5). This scene allows the audience to leave the theater feeling purged of their pity and fear. The plot is the most important component of Oedipus the King, as it is of every Greek Tragedy. Development of characters is secondary, and the audience rarely Ôgets insideÕ any of the characters. Only characters crucial to the plot are introduced; there is no extraneous action on stage. This development of plot is a challenge. A tragedian must present a story with which the audience is already familiar and still make it interesting

You Never Know When

â€Å"Come now,† her text read. That was all she needed to say. Within seconds, I was in my mom's car. As I drove, I concentrated on keeping my eyes dry, trying not to think about what I was about to do. My muscles were tense, my teeth were clenched, and the closer I got to her house, the faster the blood pumped through my body. Confusion and terror took over my thoughts, making my attention to the road unreliable. I had never had to use so much willpower to focus on my driving. The world seemed to be standing still at this very moment.That feeling I have never felt before, of total sadness. I felt faint and dazed as if I were falling or dreaming. I expected this was going to happen, but I could never be prepared for it. I didn't know what to say, I was totally speechless. I was burning up, I felt dizzy but not much tears were coming down my face. I had to hurry and get there. I wanted to escape or runaway anything to make this feeling fade. But I knew it was time once I got t he text. I Just didn't want to believe it was happening after everything.Part of me wanted to scream my heart out and the other part wanted to hit something with the anger that was raging inside of me. I was angry because I couldn't help her even though I esperately wished I could. I felt defenseless because I knew there was nothing I could do. Once her house finally appeared, I ripped the keys from the ignition. As I ran to her front door, I wondered if I should be sprinting toward this daunting event, but my trembling hands were already turning the doorknob. â€Å"She's dying,† she told me a couple of weeks before.I don't remember hearing anything after that. Maybe it was because her sobs made her words inaudible, or maybe I had stopped listening, but either way, I had not believed her. Being best friends with a straightforward girl whose mother was battling sickle-cell gave me many speechless oments. This was one of them. I held the phone to my ear as I listened to her cry painfully. Finally, I managed to whisper, â€Å"No †¦ † I wanted to say, â€Å"That's not true,† or â€Å"It'll all get better soon,† but how did I know that?Each time I promised her that she would get better; my words were contradicted by her doctors. The hospital visits were ending with more depressing news, but I still had not believed her. I wasn't willing to accept that things like this happened to people I knew. Now here I was, standing in her laundry room. She hugged me and whispered, â€Å"Be strong. † Then she pointed to her mother's bedroom. Entering the room, my emotions escaped from me as if I had taken too big of a breath and let it loose. Insuppressible sobs shook my body as I reached for her hand.But this wasn't the woman I knew – the lady who taught me how to speak a second language, the silly lady who sang along to â€Å"Keep It To Myself† while bringing us home from school which was three minutes away, or even the wom an who became my second mother during a trip to New Orleans Just six months earlier. I was holding the hand of sickle-cell. Pimples peppered her darkened face, and her skin was loose from the weight she had lost. I couldn't believe t had actually happened. The past few months had been like an incredible Journey and this was now the end.The end being she was no longer here, never to be seen again. How do you say good-bye to someone who knows she's dying? I didn't want my last moments with her to be heavy-hearted. Fighting my irregular breathing, I began to list all the nappy times we nad snared. I thanked ner tor the vacations I went on, and for the compassionate, strong, beautiful daughter she had raised. When I finished, I said, â€Å"l will miss you. I love you. † I was no longer shaking as I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. That day shaped the way I live. I realized that no one is invincible.It was a terrifying awakening, and initially I lived in a world of â€Å"what ifsà ¢â‚¬  – making fear a routine feeling. In time, I came to a different conclusion: I need to appreciate life; I cannot allow myself to take it for granted, because I don't know when my life and the lives around me will come to an end. My continued decision to be chemical-free comes from my realization that I am lucky to have a body that sustains me. I have learned to forgive easily. We've all heard the phrase, â€Å"Our time is precious; we shouldn't waste it,† but it wasn't until I held death's hand that I learned to live that way.

Adults with Mental Retardation

Mental retardation is considered to be a condition where in the development of the brain is behind most of the people and disorderly, which also comes before the age of 18 that impairs the ability to learn adequate and relevant skills and knowledge (Ainsworth & Baker, 2004).In more simple terms, the condition of mental retardation is where a person’s mental capabilities are behind most people for the particular age group he/she belongs to (Patel, 2002). As these are life-long illnesses, these lasts up to the stage of people where they live as young and adults.Mental retardation is indeed a serious condition in which the people with such case are suffering from different difficulties. Normally, a person that is diagnosed with such case, is seem to be of a lower capability to developed mentally, learn and solve problems on their own.As such, mental retardation has within its scope the conditions wherein the person or individual with this diagnosis has a lower than average physic al capability.There are different types of mental retardation. First, clinical retardation is considered to be the type of mental retardation which is a result of a particular medical cause (Shepherd, 1982). It can be detected early and that this is associated with insufficiencies in terms of â€Å"neurological, metabolic, or physiological† (Shepherd, 1982, p. 174). The intelligence quotient of the individuals suffering from this is commonly lesser than 50 (Shepherd, 1982).Second, there is also a form of mental retardation that is referred to as social cultural retardation that is milder and usually involves people who have intelligence quotient that ranges from 55 to 69 (Shepherd, 1982). There are several differences that are noticed from that of the first and this classification especially in terms of the degree to which they are disadvantaged (Shepherd, 1982).Needs of Adults with Mental RetardationWith the several types of mental retardation and the broad range of illnesse s associated with it, there are also different needs that are realized in light of these illnesses (Drew & Hardman, 2000).There are several general needs that are required by the adults with mental retardation and while it can be seen that most people also have the same type of need, there are specific types of special attention that are required in light of the disabilities that they have.First, there are residential services that are given to the young and old adults who are suffering from mental retardation (Hersen & Van Hasselt, 1998; Fluharty, 1988; Melillo & Houde, 2005).It is realized that these adults require more time and a form of special medical attention that could not be given at home, there are shelters which provide for services for a fee.There are changing patterns of familial relationships and set-ups especially with the greater demands such as the need of people to earn a greater rate of income. Likewise, lesser time is spent at home with more people being required to take additional hours at work to finish certain tasks and responsibilities.Second, this particular group of people should have access to information (Walling & Irwin, 1995). The situation of these people is that their mental conditions are retarded or are impaired but it has to be realized that it is not totally absent.While it may take them time for them to learn and acquire the necessary skills, knowledge, and abilities, patience would lead them to reach the normal condition where they are able to live a life that is near normal. Their state of mental retardation should not be the cause of them being deprived for information services. Rather, they should be the ones who are given a privilege and consideration for such to enable them to accomplish and live the life they are expected to live.Third, there is a need for their mental health to be constantly monitored and given ample medications for individuals suffering from mental health conditions have a greater likelihood of acq uiring mental problems (Thyer & Wodarski, 2007).In cases where it is applicable, regular monitoring with a doctor is needed to ensure that the condition of the person is maintained to a healthy level and the risk of acquiring mental problems are kept at bay. It is proven that prevention is definitely better than cure and this holds true for mental health.Fourth, the government should be able to provide a subsidy for the young and old adults in terms of their basic and medical needs. There are several programs that intend to provide for care with regard to the mental health of patients and it would be helpful if there are specific health advocacies which are intended mainly for the young and old adults and their needs.This step would take a considerable amount of public lobbying especially for the funds that are required for it. Relevant studies and public policy analysis would have to be made for them with experts on the said field converging together with other authorities in order to come up with a comprehensive and implementable plan for the people with regard to their mental health and other needs.With regard to their basic needs, identification and provision of such would also have to go through the same process in lieu of a stakeholder analysis.Lastly, people with mental retardation also need a greater social sphere where they could interact and learn (Luchterhand & Murphy, 1998). They should not be deprived of the right to have social development and should not be isolated from other people simply because of the condition that they have. In fact, the social surrounding that is built for them would greatly help as they cope with the difficulties that they have to face.Community InvolvementThe primary factor in reaping community involvement is that of a heightened awareness in terms of the real setting that people with mental health retardation have to live in. There are several stereotypes that should be cleared and these include â€Å"lack of inhibitio ns and moral sense, rigidity, and attention seeking† (as cited in Wiener & Dulcan, 2004, p. 238).Members of the community should be involved with programs that are intended to uplift the self-esteem and the living condition of young and old adults with mental retardation.This should require them to deal from the first stage, which is the identification of the problems or the planning stage until the time where these programs are implemented. The members of the community could serve as volunteers and friends of young and old adults with mental retardation, which also broadens the social sphere of both groups (Switzky, Hickson, & Schalock, 2006).Constant evaluation through the help of key persons in the community is also necessary to oversee the different problems and achievements that would serve as the constant motivating factor for the members of the initiative.ReferencesAinsworth, P. & Baker, P. (2004). Understanding mental retardation: A resource for parents, caregivers, an d counselors. USA: University Press of Mississippi.Drew, C. & Hardman, M. (2000). Mental retardation: A life cycle approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.Fluharty, S. (1988). International review of research in mental retardation. Vol. 20. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.Luchterhand, C. & Murphy, N. (1998). Helping adults with mental retardation grieve a death loss. NY: Brunner-Routledge.Melillo, K. & Houde, S. (2005). Geropsychiatric and mental health nursing. Sadbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.Patel, V. (2002). Where there is no psychiatrist: A mental health care manual. London: Royal College of Psychiatrists.Shepherd, M. (1982). Handbook of psychiatry. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Switzky, H., Hickson, L., Schalock, R. (2006). Mental retardation, personality, and motivational systems: Mental retardation, personality, and motivational systems. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.Thyer, B. & Wodarski, J. (2007). Social work in mental health: An evidence-ba sed approach. NJ: John Wiley & Sons.Walling, L. & Irwin, M. (1995). Information services for people with developmental disabilities: The library manager’s handbook. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.Wiener, J. & Dulcan, M. (2004). Textbook of child and adolescent psychiatry. 3rd ed. USA: American Psychiatric Publishing.

Food Pyramid Essay

All of us today are facing an increasing array of nutritional challenges due to the way in which we eat; what we eat; how much we eat; and the way that we live our lives. Eating a right amount of food may sound daunting, but for many, just a few small changes can make a big difference to our overall health – and you don’t need to compromise on taste and enjoyment. When we talk about balance diet, the first that came in our mind is the food pyramids. Do you know what is food pyramid and how it was invented? A food pyramid is a pyramid shaped guide of healthy foods divided into sections to show the recommended intake for each food group. The first food pyramid was published in Sweden in 1974. The most widely known food pyramid was introduced by the United States Department of Agriculture in the year 1992, was updated in 2005, and then replaced in 2011. Originally, the food pyramid was invented because of the high food prices in 1972, and it was to deliver the idea of â₠¬Å"basic food† that were both cheap and nutrious. Anna Britt Agnsà ¤ter, head of the test kitchen at KF, a consumer co-op that worked with the Board, held a lecture the next year on how to illustrate these food groups. Attendee Fjalar Clemes suggested a triangle displaying basic foods at the base. Agnsà ¤ter developed the idea into the first food pyramid, which was introduced to the public in 1974 in KF’s Vi magazine. As we go through the pyramid, there is actually about six classes of food. At the base of the pyramid, is where the carbohydrate is. It takes the biggest area of the pyramid compared to other classes of food. This is because, carbohydrate provide the most energy to our body. Therefore we need to consume carbohydrate liberally. The recommended amount of serving for carbohydrate is about 6-11 serving a day. Next, we go to the vitamins and dietary fibre. Vitamin is essential to our body to protect the body from various types of diseases and maintain the health of the body and it is divided by two categories : water soluble vitamin, B, C and fat soluble vitamin, A,D,E and K. Dietary fibre is made up of cellulose which cannot be digested by the body. It is required in small quantity as it is use to prevent constipation. The recommended serving for each group is 3-5 serving a day. Now, we move to the upper level, which is called the protein group. Protein is required for building new cell for growth and to replace damage tissue. Basically, protein is made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen. Lack of protein my cause a person to have kwashiorkor. It is necessary to take protein 2-3 serving per day. Last but not least, the fats group. Fat is the group of food that we need to consume sparingly. This is because, fat has the most slowest rate of digestion. Fat functions as heat insulator. It also provide energy and function as a protector for the internal organ such as heart and kidney. Therefore, food pyramid is a great guide to good nutrition. So if you’re not sure you’re eating the fruits and vegetables that you need, or think your diet is a little heavy in fat, take a glance at the bright stripes of the food pyramid — they’ll help keep you on track to make sure you’re achieving your nutrition goals.

Explain Concepts

Explaining Concepts Concepts of Dating According to the article Dating, by Beth L. Bailey. We know dating is a new style of courtship, which was started in the early twentieth. With the emergence of this new style of courtship, the old one was replaced. What I remembered as an example of good explanatory writing is the writer using time order to tell the history of old courtship and when the new system of dating was emerging.And the readers probably are young people they don’t know how the old courtship worked, then the authors cited many resources for comparing and contrast how women lead the old style courtship and after the dating system was created, men have more initiative in the dating. By describing the changing of American courtship to explanatory the concept of dating.One example of effective explanatory part I remember is the â€Å"feminine† power, young women and young men cannot stay alone in public, and one older woman called chaperonage would create a bala nce of power and control the old dating system and the chaperonage could indicate to the man that his attention were unwelcome. Probably like the movie Titanic every time Rose and her fiance Cal have dinner together her mom always seat between them, and them never stay alone.Courtship took place within the girl’s home- in women â€Å"sphere† or at entertainments largely devised and presided over by women. After the mid-1910 on dating, young couples would go to theater, dance or restaurant has more freedom and possibility. After the dating system was created, men have more power in the courtship, not simply because dating took place in the public sphere, but because dating moved courtship into the world of the economy. Money– men’s money—was the center of the dating. Different classes men may choose the different sphere for date.Movie Titanic still is a good example, Rose and her fiance were living in first class, her fiance gave Rose a diamond neck lace— The Heart of Ocean, this is how rich people dating. When Rose and Jack backed to the steerage, they had drunk beer and dance with other people. This part shows how worker-class dating. In the new dating system men can decide where they can date based on their income. In this article, the author using more cited from the newspapers and magazines to support his describe the dating system improve and the history of courtship tell readers the concept of dating.

A Look At The Dualism Concept Between The Body And Soul As Depicted In Meditations On First Philosophy By Rene Descartes

A Look At The Dualism Concept Between The Body And Soul As Depicted In Meditations On First Philosophy By Rene Descartes Body and Soul Rene Descartes presents in his Meditations on First Philosophy the idea of dualism, the belief that the body and the soul exist separately from each other. Physical human bodies are composed of cells, tissue, blood, organs, skin, a brain and the like. From the brain, humans have thought. The mental capacity to think is what creates human personality and allows humans to reason and form ideas. The question of whether or not the body and soul are separated or not is a vital philosophical question, especially to Descartes as he grapples with meditation and the feeling that nothing is real or certain. This leads him to question his own existence and who he is. In this paper, I will argue against Descartes’s belief on dualism as the body requires the soul to live. The soul and body are tied together in order to grant humans the ability to exist, create goals to chase after and grow as individuals. The main argument is that the body and soul are individual forms. Descartes presents three main premises. The first premise of this argument begins with Descartes stating â€Å"if I convinced myself of something then I certainly existed†¦I am, I exist† (Descartes 110). This pertains to the soul and that if a human is capable of thought, they exist. Even if a person is unsure of their actual existence, it does not matter as long as they themselves believe they are alive and existing. This leads into the second premise where it is discussed whether humans are being deceived by God over their existence. Descartes argues that if even if God, or some creator, is deceiving us, if we think we exist we do. However, if God is the perfect creator of the universe it would makes sense that He gave his creation souls and a sound existence. The third premise describes the body and soul separately, showing how the two are different. Descartes labels the body as simply being our physical self, that has hands, feet and a solid figure. He writes how the soul has features like sense perception and the ability to fabricate thoughts. The body and soul are presented as being unique from each other, thus the concept of dualism is confirmed. These premises come together to shape the conclusion that confirm duality and that the body and soul are apart from one another. I agree with Descartes’s first premise on the grounds that if we think we exist, we do. It is impossible to definitively find out if everything is a faà §ade or if humans truly do exist in a real universe. But due to the fact that humans are alive and can think, it is presumed that humans do exist, at least to a certain extent. I also agree with his third premise on the body and soul being different. The soul is not something that is visible but rather an abstract concept used to describe what governs the body and allows humans to speak, think and act. However, I do not agree with his overall notion of duality. Descartes presents his argument without sufficient evidence but rather relies on his own opinion. Typically, a body without a soul cannot be called an existing being. The body might be alive but with no soul there is no person, no identity or personality. Similarly, without a physical body the soul cannot exist. If there is no body there is no person to speak of. Upon birth and death, the body and soul arrive and leave together, leading to the conclusion that they are linked together and rejecting dualism.