How Does Donatello Tell the Story of the Annunciation

Painting/Sculpture Essay- Ronan Carey Donatello, originally known as Donato, was given the name Donatello by his relatives and thus, wrote it that way on many of his works, was born in Florence in the year 1386. A gifted artist, he was not only an excellent sculptor and a marvellous statuary, but also prevalent in stucco, an able master of perspective, and a greatly admired architect who worked in virtually every medium possible during his long career, marble, bronze, low relief, pietra serena (dark stone), and even wood .And according to Vasari in his â€Å"Lives of the Artists†: â€Å"his works showed so much grace, design, and excellence, that they were held to approach more nearly to the marvellous works of the ancient Greeks and Romans than those of any other craftsman whatsoever. † The piece that shall be discussed in this essay is the work considered by many to be Donatello’s most important work in pietra serena, the â€Å"Annunciation (c. 1435)† fo r the Cavalcanti tabernacle, in the Santa Croce Chapel, Florence.The entire piece is 218cmx268cm, and is an architectural sculpture that takes the place of an altar in a family chapel, located in the right aisle of the Chapel following the renovation of the Original church and destruction of the original Chapel by Vasari. The Annunciation itself is a biblical scene that refers to moment in which the angel Gabriel delivers the news to Mary that she is to bear the child of Christ. In the Bible, the Annunciation is narrated in the book of Luke, Luke 1:26-38: Luke 1:26 and in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed ‘art' thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind wha t manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and ring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. It was the skill of Donatello to translate this scene into a sculpture so vibrant and powerful that generation after generation would look upon it and understand the power and significance of the depiction. According to Joachim Poeschke, author of â€Å"Donatello and his World†, like Leonardo da Vinci, Donatello felt that â€Å"the Distance between the viewer and the action had to be overcome in the emotional sense as well as the visual†.It is this mentality that causes the work of Donatello to sweep a viewer up and allow them to feel in the midst of the action, He did not have to â€Å"rely on realistic effects to create such brilliance but rather focus on his own imagination and creative control over his piece†. However, in this piece, Donatello does actually create a harmoniously realistic rendering of such a miraculous and often over-exaggerated scene. So how exactly does Donatello tell the story?Well the strength of the piece lies in its choice of subjects, their depiction, and the complex emotional brevity he applies to their story. The sculpture itself is carved from a single stone of pietra serena, a typically dark stone that is often avoided by sculptors for its monotony in tone and contrast but in the hands of Donatello he used exquisite gold gilding to create a rich and sensuous appeal to the carving. The gold would have glimmered high above the parishioners in the candlelight of the otherwise dark Franciscan church, notable for its one large external rose window.It is important to note the fact that the parishioners would have been looking up at the elevated sculpture as it plays a paramount role in our understanding of its depiction. Donatello used foreshortening in his rendering of Mary to the extent that on ground level, her right leg appears slightly shorter than it would be if it was anatomically correct. An article in â€Å"The Florentine† magazine by Jane Fortune discusses how this foreshortening allows the figures to stand out in what appears to be a much higher relief than one would expect. However, as Bonnie A. Bennett and David G.Wilkins say in â€Å"Donatello†, the use of a richly patterned and gilded background immediately behind the figures prevents the illusion of further depth, but this restricted spatial effect is very appropriate for Donatello’s annunciation as it architecturally justifies his omission of several iconic elements of the annunciation scene. If we look at the figures presented we see only the Angel Gabriel and Virgin Mary and her lyre back chair. It was common practice in the history of art in 15th Century t o depict Mary and surrounding with numerous symbols to increase the abject legitimacy of the art.Some of these elements include Mary reading or holding a book to display knowledge and wisdom, a lily for purity, a lectern for the word of God or a dove to show the Holy Spirit. In Donatello’s rendering of the Annunciation, however, there are none of these icons save for the Virgins’ book but there is also no loggia, no view into the virgin’s bedchamber, and no symbolic walled garden to represent her virginity. Florence’s museums and churches abound with portrayals that at times seem overcrowded with symbolism and icons to inform a viewer of the theological importance of the scene they are witnessing.Donatello has chosen to do with away with any imagery that may cloud the focus on the Virgin and Gabriel to allow a viewer to become swept up in the complex story at hand. These omissions only prove to make what Donatello has actually included all the more essent ial. If we look at how exactly he has illustrated the angel Gabriel we see that he has chosen the moment when Gabriel has literally just entered the room, his large, deep wings are still unfurled in manner that suggest he has only landed this very second to deliver his news.His drapery and ribbons are swept back behind him to accentuate this idea of swift movement and he appears to genuflect on one knee instead as he comes to a landing with his mouth slightly agape in the act of addressing the virgin. Donatello is transmitting the idea of the power and meaningfulness behind what Gabriel has to say. The Madonna herself is in a pose not usually seen up until that point in art history. According to Gerald S. Davies in the Burlington Magazine, â€Å"She is arrested at the precise moment when it expresses the most completely a condition of mental emotion†.She has been caught whilst reading a book; it is still held firmly in her grasp. We can tell she has just risen at the appearan ce of the angel as she has turned by impulse to leave, clearly taken aback by this miraculous apparition. Her right knee, already bent to take the first step, tells us this. Her left foot is planted firmly on the ground and is yet to be moved. With her right hand she is briskly yet still gracefully clasping for her mantle, which suggests it has fallen from her shoulders as she leapt up in commotion but also confirms that she is accepting of the Angel’s news as she places her hand on her heart.All of these subtle movements come together to express an emotional experience of hearing the message of an angel. Her face is turned downwards in a gracious pose reminiscent of Greek classical sculpture that places it almost completely in profile and away from the direction she is apparently walking. This one look, alone, tells us that what she is hearing is clearly an encapsulating and spellbinding message. In conclusion, Donatello has created something truly special in his depiction o f the Annunciation.His omission of several elements in this much re-created scene gave it its own individual appearance and personality, and although it is clearly indebted to the high-relief Greek classical sculptures of Donatello’s favour, it still remains utterly contemporary and even forward thinking in terms of renaissance sculpture. He has taken an otherwise difficult and unspectacular medium, pietra serena, and bent it to his will to create a spectacular piece of ecclesiastical sculpture.His contemporaries would have been so impressed by this work for its sheer courage if nothing else, Donatello did away with traditional conventions for the sake of expressing more genuine emotional in his art. His ability to allow the three essential elements of the story to occur simultaneously, that of the angel’s arrival and the virgin’s shock, his message being delivered, and Mary’s eventual acceptance, is what elevates this work of stone into another level of artistic expression for its time that would have amazed his contemporaries as well as the average citizens of Florence.References: Donatello- Bonnie A. Bennett and David G. Wilkins (pg. 32/147/148) Joachim Poeschke- Donatello and his world (pg. 32/56) Jane Fortune- Variation on a theme: Annunciation- The Florentine-published June 28, 2007 Giorgio Vasari- the lives of the Artists Tuscany Arts- Looking at Donatello’s Annunciation Gerald S. Davies – A Sidelight on Donatello’s Annunciation- The Burlington Magazine- published 1908

Hourly Rounding: Does It Really Make a Difference Essay

Hourly rounding is something that has been around for a while. One of the first things we learned in nursing school was that you should check on your patient every hour or every 2 hours (depending on nursing aid assistance). I started my research by looking at what hourly rounding entails. From there I found the majority of articles that think hourly rounding really does affect patient care and only a few opinion articles that think the opposite. Develop a focused question Since there were so many articles on hourly rounding, picking through them to find ones that related to the direction I was going with my research was really difficult. The main question that came into my head when thinking about hourly rounding was, does it really make a difference in patient care or just patient satisfaction? Hourly rounding is used for an assortment of reasons. Anticipating patient’s needs before they have to ring the call bell, along with patient safety are key reasons for hourly rounding. The majority of the articles I found focused on patient satisfaction. Although patient satisfaction is a huge deal, the direction I wanted to go was more with patient safety. Initial and related terms I started out my search by using phrases like â€Å"patient hourly round significance†, â€Å"why is hourly rounding important for patients†, and â€Å"how does hourly rounding affect patients†. This didn’t get me very many articles, so I tried a different approach. I broadened my search by just writing in â€Å"nursing hourly rounds† and â€Å"nursing rounds† and this got me a lot of articles on hourly rounding. Evaluation of articles I found after reading my four articles, the critiquing using the Johns Hopkins form was pretty difficult. To me the forms are confusing because I don’t have a lot of experience using them or doing much research. All four articles that I chose to use had adequate information to help me come to a conclusion for the question I formulated. All four articles supported at least one finding from the other articles. This helped me conclude that the research done was adequate information that could be used to evaluate the ore focus of my questions. The studies that were done or talked about in the articles were easy to pick out and straightforward. Identification of outcome Based on my research I learned that hourly rounding during the hours of 0600-2200 and 2-hour rounding from 2200-0600 is effective in providing patient safety, anticipating patients needs, decreasing the amount of call bell rings and increasing patient satisfaction. All of the articles had similar studies done to provide these conclusions. The article that I found most helpful was Hourly Rounding: A Replication Study by Todd Olrich, Melanie Kalman and Cindy Nigolian. This article clearly stated the three studies that were done and their results. All the articles though had similar results, which is how I came to the conclusion that hourly rounding during the day and 2-hour rounding during the night is effective. â€Å"Results indicated both hourly and every 2-hour rounding decreased call-light usage and increased patient satisfaction. Patient satisfaction increased significantly on the units from 79. 9 to 91. using a 100-point scale, patient call-light usage decreased significantly, and falls decreased only when rounding was done hourly† (Olrich, Kalman, Nigolian 2012). All but one of the articles talked about doing a base-line measurement first to see how often the call bells rang, how often patient’s fell and how satisfied they were with the care they were getting. The base-line measurement studies went on from 4-8 weeks before the actual studies began. This is a great way in my view to get an overall look at what happened before the hourly rounding was implemented and what happened after. In one of the articles I chose, nurses had a hard time following the hourly rounding format. â€Å"Registered nurses and TPs from both study units overwhelmingly viewed hourly rounding as more work instead of a proactive process that might have benefits for them and their patients. However, some staff members did feel that hourly rounding was a good idea but difficult to accomplish because of competing priorities and tasks† (Deitrich, Baker, Paxton, Flores, Swavely 2011). This is the only article I found that the nurses had a hard time following the hourly rounding protocol. All of my articles that I chose besides one were research articles. The only one that wasn’t was more of a review of other people’s work that had been done. Even though this article was only a review and only talked about the results that were found and not the actual studies that were done, the information was very relevant to my question and easy to understand. â€Å"In 5 of 6 studies (83%) that examined use of call lights, the use was reduced. Fall rates were reduced in 7 of 9 studies (77%) in which falls were evaluated. In 8 of 9 studies (88%), researchers discovered improvements in overall patient satisfaction and likelihood of recommending the hospital, as well as satisfaction with anticipation and attention to personal needs, timeliness of nurses’ response, and management of pain† (Halm 2009). All four articles stated what the nurses and nurse’s aids did during hourly rounding and they were all very similar. Two articles said they attended to the â€Å"4 P’s†: pain, positioning, potty (elimination) and proximity of personal items. The other two articles had similar actions during hourly rounding. Overall, the main actions done were: pain assessment, toileting, patient positioning and comfort, environmental check (call light, telephone, TV remote, water, tissue box within reach, bedside table close to bed, and floor free from clutter), and the last thing they all did was ask the patient if there was anything else they could do for them before they left the room and told the patient the next rounding would be in an hour. After doing all of these things, patients overall were more satisfied with the care they got, falls were recorded less because patients weren’t trying to get up on their own, and call bells were going off less. Learning that occurred While doing this research project I learned that patient rounding is significant in increasing patient safety, satisfaction and decreases call bell use. Before this project I had an idea of why nurses checked on patients hourly, but these articles helped me better understand what really needs to me done on these checks besides toileting. I also learned more about how to research a topic. I had a difficult time narrowing down my search but finally got the hang of it by going to the library for a little extra assistance. By being forced to use the Johns Hopkins forms, I learned more about filling them out. Although they are still a little confusing to me, this project helped me understand them more. Conclusion My conclusion from all of this research is that hourly rounding is necessary to help keeps patients happy, healthy and safe.  As a first year nursing student, a lot of the things we do in nursing are foreign to me and I’m constantly asking myself why nurses do things the way they do. This project helped me to pick one of those questions that I ask myself and really start to understand why. I really think this project helped to better my nursing career. Now that I fully understand hourly rounding, it will also help me to tend to my patients needs more.

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BRAC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

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Industry Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Use of cell phones in a workplace Essay Example for Free

Use of cell phones in a workplace Essay The use of mobile phones has become pervasive not only for social interaction but also in the day to day transactions. Tyrone Garage is a business where they are four (4) mechanics that travel around the country to repair customer vehicles 24 hours a day and also travel overseas to buy different car parts. Among the types of repair that Tyrone and his employees perform are tyre change or repair, tyre rotation, brake jobs, oil change , belt change etc . The use of nokia phones allow the mechanics to ommunicate with the garage, so they aware of where they are and can provide them with new customer information. The phones also allow the mechanics to communicate with customers such as getting the customer directions to their location. Although the garage and mechanics will call each other on the same network, the calls to customers will be on different networks. Tyrone Garage has a monthly plan with Digicel which includes 1500 minutes a month to be split between all the mechanics phones and this is used for communication between both the arage and the customers. Tyrone Garage employees use the nokia cell phones to set reminders of appointments that customer would have made. The nokia phones allows you to instantly check appointments you can also install an instant messaging chat whatsapp so you can communicate with an employee, or with the person you intend to meet at any time to confirm, clarify, or alter meeting details (e. g. location, time). This means that if meeting needs to be changed at the last minute, all parties involved can be informed quickly, even if on their way there. Three security features of Nokia phones that are useful to employees of Tyrone Garage are: Remote locking using SMS messages or security code Remote locking allows the device lock to be activated remotely where they will be a timing set on it where it can lock on it own. The end user themselves can do this by sending an sms from another user or sms emulator as long as a remote locking code is predefined in the terminal. Remote locking code can be from 5 to 20 characters or digits. If the device is lost the person who finds the phone still cannot activate any nformation on the phone even if they change the sim card because when they insert the new sim card and turn on the phone that person has to enter a security code before the phone is actually boot up. This feature reduces the risk of the device being stolen and increases the possibility of having the phone returned if misplaced or lost since it has the company label at the back of the phone. Call Barring This feature allows the employer to restrict all international outgoing calls from employees phone

Discovering Guinea Pigs Essay Example for Free

Discovering Guinea Pigs Essay I. Project Description and General Information Since the world of Science has evolved, the experiments of scientists and other researchers also improve and get more complicated and may sometimes sound ridiculous. In modern Psychology, specifically in studying certain behaviors, animals have become subjects of some experiments. Now, why do we use Guinea pigs or other animals like rabbits, rats, monkeys and others to conduct trainings or experiments? Well, majority of the scientists all over the world have been used to directing and conducting animal studies which have become very rampant nowadays and which serve as a field to focus on animal behavior in a variety of cross-disciplinary ways. Animals have often been used as subjects primarily because it is less expensive and it is more distant to unethical situations just like conducting physiological manipulations (to human beings) particularly brain lesions, sensory deprivations and more. Animals, especially those reared in laboratories can be easily controlled and observed which give way to the formation of more desirable data that can possibly be likened to those of the human beings. II. Project Statement This project will focus more about dealing with guinea pigs and getting know what it can do as well as training it to form its â€Å"cognitive map† or discovering its way out of the maze. It is expected that the trainers/students will be able to discover and grasp the behavior of the animal in order for them to get along with it easily and to successfully condition it to what it should do. III. Project Objectives Every experiment or proposal has its expected outcome(s). It is important that the expectations of the group will not selfishly depend on â€Å"what they just have to get or achieve.† Whatever the results are, it is significant that the learning and acquisitions from the experiment will be then applied in everyday situations. The following are the intentions, aims and goals of the students/trainers behind this project: †¢ To get to know more about the animal (Guinea pig) as well as its likes, dislikes and whatever that grabs its attention †¢ To train the animal with proper care and patience and help build its cognitive map to help it get out of the maze †¢ To build a healthy relationship between the animal and the trainers †¢ To give the animal proper attention and exercise its intelligence †¢ To provide the animal’s physiological and biological needs †¢ To be able to grasp and comprehend how the Guinea pig behaves and how it can be compare d to other animals and even to human beings †¢ To finally apply and practice the gained knowledge about the theories of learning †¢ To discover more about the importance of animal studies in Cognitive Neuroscience †¢ For the students/trainers: To pass 50% of the exam and 10% of the final grade What are the benefits of this project? †¢ The Guinea pig will have been able to exercise its learning. †¢ The students will be able to value cooperation, patience, perseverance, tenderness and determination toward the animal and toward each other in order to have a harmonious relationship. †¢ The animal care level of the students will increase tremendously especially when they have been able to realize how an animal should be treated and be taken cared of. †¢ Animal research and experiments will be widened and will be enhanced more when applied properly to everyday situations. †¢ Queries about some behavior will easily be observed easily by just the use of animals if one has already mastered how the experiments would run and what desirable attitudes he must invest. †¢ The theories of learning will be more elaborated, practiced and applied in day-to-day activities. †¢ The students will finally and fully appreciate the importance of animal studies in Cognitive Neuroscience. What are the theories of learning that could be possibly applied during the training? We will associate here the â€Å"The Three Theories of Learning† by Edward Lee Thorndike which are the law of readiness, exercise and effect. Before we start the experiment, we should first condition the Guinea pig and make it ready so that it will not be shocked or stressed about the activities that we are going to introduce to it. The assigned trainer should also be ready in handling the experiment to avoid any failure or any disruption. Whatever the successful activities and procedures are must be continued and exercised more so that the animal will easily forget the things that it has learned during the experiment. If the things related to the activity will be associated well, then there will be a good result. We will also apply here the â€Å"Classical conditioning† by Ivan Pavlov because we are going to associate food and a bell in order for the Guinea pig to pass through the maze easily. These stimuli when applied at the same time will grab the attention of the animal making it be more alert in the activity. IV. Do’s and Don’ts in handling Guinea Pig Do’s The guinea pig Project Implementation/Procedure We prepared a series of tasks and goals that should be achieved during the training. We will have it done one at a time until the Guinea Pig has mastered the maze as well as successfully going through the obstacles. The following are the tasks and goals that should be achieved during a specific week: First week of training: During the first week of preparation and training, we will first finalize the structure of the maze consisting of three entrances and three exits with at least six turns in entrance 1 to exit 1, entrance 2 to exit 2 and entrance 3 to exit 3 as well as placing corresponding obstacles. It is also important that we will observe the animal first before the training proper so that we can easily adjust to its weaknesses and its strengths. By then, we will let the animal explore the maze for a couple of minutes during its first encounter with it. We also plan to starve the animal first before we start every session (this will be done all throughout the project length). Afterwards, we will start the one-route training (starting with the easiest one) by using different strategies and techniques without hurting the animal. This is also the time that we will now associate the food and the bell. If ever the animal has mastered the first route or path, we will then start to position and introduce it to the second one. Second week of training: The procedure will be the same but the training will get even more difficult as the animal is being placed into a new path and letting it pass through an obstacle. When the animal has already mastered the second route, we will then introduce it to the third one. However, while we are training the animal to successfully go through the second one, there will be times that we will try to put it back to the first one so that whatever is installed in its mind will be made recent until the end of the training. Third week of training: By this time, the Guinea Pig should have mastered the first and second routes and should be finished with the third one. Once it has accomplished everything including obstacles, we will start to randomly assign it to any entrance. Fourth week of training: We will repeatedly continue the activities we have accomplished during the first three weeks. This will serve as the polishing part and so that the Guinea pig will enhance its cognitive map and for us to accomplish a successful training. We will also record some scenes during some sessions to serve as a back-up if ever the said animal will die or lose its mind before the final performance.

Leading causes of morbidity and mortality

Leading causes of morbidity and mortality Abstract Background: Communicable diseases can be the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among population affected by major disasters or public health emergencies. Cyclone Nargis which was the worst natural disaster in Myanmar hit the delta area during May 2008. The objective of this study is aimed to assess the situation of communicable diseases under national surveillance in the areas one year before and after the Cyclone Nargis incident. Methods: Monthly data during 2007 and 2009 from routine reporting system for disease surveillance of the Myanmar Ministry of Health (MMOH) were reviewed. Weekly reporting from Early Warning and Rapid Response (EWAR) were also used to compare with the routine reporting data of MMOH; and the data from some UN agencies, non-governmental organizations (INGOs/NGOs) and Tri-Partite Core Group (TCG) periodic reviews were also extracted for comparisons with Sphere and Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) for global health cluster communicable diseases control indicators. In addition, focus groups regarding community perception on health sector responses to Cyclone Nargis and hospital surveys on public health emergencies preparedness including surveillance capacity were conducted. Results: Among the communicable diseases, acute respiratory infection (ARI), diarrhea, dysentery and malaria were the most disease burden of the community in terms of both morbidity and morality. During the study period, mortality rate for diarrhea and malaria were decreasing while the mortality rate for ARI appeared to be similar before and after the Nargis incident. Community members also reported that diarrhea diseases, ARI and pneumonia were common health problems immediately after Cyclone Nargis but later declined. Other diseases under national surveillance were also changed. Tuberculosis control program reached the targets of 70% case detection and 85% treatment success rate in 2007 and 2008. Even though the morbidity for STDs such as genital ulcer rate and male urethral discharge rates were not change over time but the coverage of prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services was expanded in the year after Nargis. For the expanded program on immunization ( EPI), the coverage of DPT 3rd dose reached the target of around 90%, which was the highest, after Cyclone Nargis; but the measles coverage still did not reach the Sphere target. The sanitary latrine coverage in the Nargis affected area was 72% in 2009 as compared to the national sanitary latrine coverage of around 80%. Conclusion: In general, health services as well as prevention and control measures provided to the Nargis affected population had reduced the excess morbidity and mortality of the communicable diseases recommended by Sphere. However, the distribution of such health services varied among townships within the affected areas. There is still considerable need for equity in distribution of health services for the public health emergency management. Background There are approximately 450 to 800 major emergencies, disasters and crises per year; and these has been shown as increasing trends due to global warming, increase population movement, environmental damage, poverty and inadequate or underfunded public health system [1]. The general effects of disasters or emergencies include injury, death, infectious diseases outbreak, displacing a large number of people, disruption of essential services, destruction of property and infrastructure, economic loss and psychological effect [2, 3]. The magnitude and causes of excess morbidity and mortality caused by emergencies and disasters may vary according to the underlying demographic and epidemiologic profile of the population [4]. During emergency and disaster situation, communicable diseases can cause high mortality and morbidity because of disruption of health services, poor access to health care, malnutrition and inadequate logistic supply [5, 6]. Disaster-affected people are particularly vulner able to communicable diseases due to malnutrition, stress, fatigue and unsanitary living conditions [6]. Cyclone Nargis struck the coast of Myanmar on 2 and 3 May, 2008 and causing many deaths, destroying infrastructure, affecting on economic and social activities. It was the most devastating natural disaster in history of Myanmar and the most deadly cyclone in Asia since 1991 with 2.4 million people were severely affected by Nargis [7]. The common water and food borne diseases in the affected area before Cyclone Nargis were diarrhea diseases including cholera, typhoid, shigellosis, hepatitis A and E and acute watery diarrhea. Dengue and malaria has been the major vector borne diseases endemic in the affected area. Measles, acute respiratory infection (ARI), diphtheria, pertusis and meningococcal diseases were reported as associated with the overcrowding in the area. Others diseases endemic in the region were tuberculosis, snake bites and sexually transmitted infection (STIs) [8]. Early Warning and Rapid Response (EWAR) was set up after Cyclone Nargis with involvement of other national and international agencies working in Nargis affected area [9]. EWAR covers 16 common diseases and conditions in the affected area. This study was carried out to examine communicable disease burden and the changes in morbidity and mortality of the diseases under national surveillance in Cyclone Nargis affected area. The study also attempted to assess the effectiveness of control measures of these diseases employing health management information system indicators of the Sphere and Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) for global health cluster communicable diseases indicators [10, 11]. Materials and Methods Study sites The focus of data collection in this study included 10 townships in Ayeyarwady and Yangon divisions which were severely affected by Cyclone Nargis. These townships in Ayeyarwady division included Ngapudaw, Labutta, Bogale, Pyapon, Dedaye, Kyaiklat and Mawlamyinegyun townships while those in Yangon division Twantay, Kawnmu and Kungyangon townships. There were about 2.8 million people living at these townships in 2007 [12]. Secondary data sources In examining communicable diseases burden and changes in mortality and morbidity of diseases under national surveillance, system data were extracted from the Health Management Information System (HMIS) of the Myanmar Ministry of Health (MMOH). The HMIS is the routine reporting system for 17 diseases under national system in Myanmar, with monthly reporting from township to central level [12]. The official secondary data during 2007-2009 from the Department of Health, and Department of Health Planning regarding communicable diseases prevention and control programs such as immunization and water-sanitation program were also extracted for assessing the situations of such communicable diseases at the township level. In addition, other related data such as distribution of relief items from EWAR, Myanmar Red Cross Society and Myanmar offices (WHO, UNICEF, Save the Children, Merlin and MSF (Holland)) were also requested for exploring the strength and weakness in the communicable diseases man agement. Moreover, data from the periodic reviews released by Tri-partite Core Group (TCG) are also used for supplementation of population data [13]. Primary data Sources The study employed both quantitative and qualitative data collection method. The questionnaire regarding public health emergencies preparedness, particularly on disease surveillance capacity, was developed and sent to hospitals under Department of Health. The questionnaires were sent to 65 hospitals (25% of the total 252 hospitals in coastal Myanmar which includes all 5 states/divisions (i.e., Yangon, Ayeyarwaddy, Mon, Tanintharyi and Rakhine). The questionnaires were responded by hospital directors from those hospitals by means of self administered method. Focus group discussion was used to find out the community perception on health sector response to Cyclone Nargis. The totals of 6 focus groups discussion were carried out in 3 villages among the selected townships in the affected areas. Only issues related to communicable diseases were presented in this paper. The detailed analyses of hospital preparedness and community perceptions were reported elsewhere. Ethical Consideration This study received ethical approvals from Myanmar Ministry of Health and Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University. Results Disease surveillance in study areas For disease surveillance, MMOH sets up the coordinating health sectors for disease surveillance, outbreak detection and response. The diseases surveillance data were submitted form local level up to national health information management system (HMIS). After Cyclone Nargis, the MMOH also set up EWAR with rumor verification of the system for disease monitoring and management, particularly for early warning and rapid responses. It was recognized by the MMOH that there are still challenges regarding timeliness of notification and complete data reporting in both HMIS and EWAR. As shown in Table 1, among the 40 out of 65 hospitals that responded the survey, it was found that about 90% of the hospitals have surveillance system for 17 diseases under national surveillance [14]. More than 60% of the response hospitals have syndromic surveillance system but only 27.5% have microbiological surveillance system, with especially low percentage in primary referral hospitals with less than 10%. Insert Table 1 here- Diarrhea Dysentery Among the communicable diseases reported in the HMIS, acute respiratory infection, diarrhoea, dysentery and malaria are the highest diseases burden for the communities within the Nargis affected areas. Morbidity of acute diarrhea in 2007 was 571.40 per 100,000 person year and increased up to 755.80 in 2008 due to Cyclone Nargis while remained and was slightly higher than baseline in 2007 as 610.56 in 2009. From the EWAR Weekly Report, diarrhea cases after Nargis incident represented 6.30% of total consultation (4341 cases) in June 2008 (week 23-26) and reduced to 2.04% (3931 cases) in July 2008 (week 27-31). The number of cases was stable to less than 2.00% of total consultation during August to December 2008 (926 cases to 1601 cases). In contrast to normal monthly report of severely acute watery diarrhea (suspected cholera) of less than 5 cases, the suspected cholera was reported the highest during June 2008 (21 cases) and serge again a year after Nargis in March 2009 (15 cases). Th e participants from focus group discussion also revealed that diarrhea diseases, ARI, influenza and pneumonia are prevalence immediately after Cyclone Nargis. One participant mentioned that Villagers suffered mostly diarrhea and common cold. Pneumonia was common especially among children. Dengue and malaria were not common among villagers. (35 years old woman) Despite such increasing disease incidences, mortality rates for diarrhea were reducing during study period, from 0.68 per 100,000 person year in 2007 to 0.40 and 0.28 in 2008 and 2009 respectively. This finding was also corresponding to the high percentage of treatment with ORT among diarrhea children (>95%) in the health facilities and decreasing in severe dehydration among diarrhea children (2.31% in 2007 to Besides diarrhea diseases, dysentery was also one of the leading causes of morbidity among study population; about 350.90 per 100,000 person year was reported in 2007 and slightly increased to 475.40 and 374.39 during 2008 and 2009 respectively. However, mortality and case fatality rate for dysentery was quite low with nearly 0% during study period. Acute respiratory tract infection (ARI) ARI has been reported as the major cause of morbidity and mortality among communicable diseases at study townships. Morbidity of ARI in 2007 was 4041.91 per 100,000 person year among under 5 children, highly increased to 599,621 in 2008 due to Cyclone Nargis, and 4661.59 in 2009 which was slightly higher than that of at baseline 2007. For morbidity rate among under 5 years old children, as reported by EWAR showed that there were 7.93% of total consultation (5452 cases) after Nargis in June 2008 (week 23-26), and it dropped to around 5.00% of total consultation (8842 cases and 5131 cases) in July and August 2008 respectively., and subsequently back to normal stable level at less than 3.00% during October (3615 cases) to December 2008 (1991 cases). Interestingly, mortality rate for ARI was lower in Nargis year; that is 4.86, 3.14, and 4.11 per 100,000 person year in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively. On the other hand, case fatality rate for ARI has been improving from 0.12% in 2007 to 0.09% in 2009. Malaria and dengue Vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue cases were decreasing significantly in 2009, compared to 2007 and 2008. Malaria morbidity was more 324.44 and 352.51 per 100,000 person year in 2007 and 2008, and then dropped to 227.18 in 2009. Similarly, percent of malaria inpatient among general clinic attendance has been decreasing during study period, 3.17% in 2007 to 1.63% in 2009. In contrast, the mortality percentage among malaria inpatient was increasing, 1.16% in 2007 to 3.31% in 2009. It was shown, however, that malaria morbidity and mortality varied among different townships. From the EWAR report, malaria confirmed cases represented about 0.25% of total consultation (465 cases) in July 2008, then dropped to 0.10% of total consultation (77 to 237 cases) during August to December 2008. Dengue hemorrhagic fever cases are 35.65, 15.76 and 12.40 per 100,000 person year respectively. Confirmed dengue hemorrhagic fever cases were also surge after Nargis during July 2008 which was 273 cases or 0.14% to total consultations. Normally during other period the numbers of cases ranged from 1 to 95, making the rate of approximately less than 0.10% of total consultation. Mortality rate and case fatality rate for dengue hemorrhagic fever were decreasing trend during study period. Tuberculosis, HIV, and other diseases HMIS data also shows that morbidity and mortality rates for tuberculosis had been decreasing in the study area during the study period (67.11, 57.12, and 47.54 per 100,000 person year in 2007 to 2009). Morbidity for sexually transmitted infection (STIs) such as genital ulcer rate (>2 per 100,000 person year) and male urethral discharge rates (>1 per 100,000 person year) had not changed over time and thus it could be assumed that these diseases burden for STIs were the same before and after the Cyclone Nargis. According to EWAR, STIs constituted less than 0.5% of total consultations during June 2008 to May 2009. Interestingly, as part of the surveillance, mortality rates for snake bite had not changed much during 2007 to 2009 but case fatality rates for snake bite and meningitis were quite high in the study area. It was also found that vaccine preventable diseases such as diphtheria, pertusis, neonatal tetanus and measles were not the major causes of morbidity and mortality among the under 5 children during study period. Morbidity for viral hepatitis and typhoid constituted Insert Figure 1 here- Insert Table 2 here- Health services utilization Based on the data in HMIS, the general clinic attendance was 15.13, 23.18 and 21.33% in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively; this reveals that general clinic attendance had been increasing significantly since 2008 compared to 2007. However, percentage of average visit per patient attending clinic and referral hospitals did not change much during 2007 to 2009. The data from EWAR which includes statistics from international NGOs indicated that there was a total of 754,852 consultations in 15 townships at Nargis affected area one year after Nargis incident, from June 2008 to May 2009. It was also estimated that the total consultation per person was about 0.3, and there was a total consultation of more than 300,000 to mobile clinics sent by MMOH. As shown in Figure 2, monthly general clinic attendance did increase during May 2008 to July 2008 which was 3 months after Cyclone Nargis, and subsequently attendance slowly decrease start from August 2008. During 2009, monthly attendance appears t o be stable with not much variation in months. In assessing accessibility to health facilities, it was found that there was not significantly change during 2008 to 2010 for the presence of health personnel at health facilities at most of the time. In contrast, drugs availability at health facilities for most of the time has been dramatically increased from 76% to 92%. On the other hand, average number of clinic visit by household head count has decreased from 1.9 in July 2009 to 0.5 in 2010; this falls short when comparing to the international standard target of 2.0-4.0 (as set by Sphere). Insert Table 3 here- Insert Figure 2 here- Prevention and control measures During May 2008 to April 2009, there were a total of 50,000 pamphlets, 2,945 posters, 12,000 booklets about diarrhea diseases and childhood infections distributed to the Nargis affected areas by National Health Programs and other organizations. Interestingly, most of the participants in focus group discussion pointed that they were not interested in health education and went to health education only for receiving relieve items. Health education was given on dengue, malaria, diarrhea diseases, and other communicable diseases. Most of the villagers did not go because they were busy with activities such as building shelter. (57 years old farmer) It is found that rapid diagnostic test and artemesinin combination therapy (ACT) were available in about 70% of rural and sub rural health centers. The national health programs and other organizations distributed a total of 191,718 ACT strip and 282, 532 insecticide long lasting nets (ILLN) during May 2008 to April 2009. Availability of information education and communication (IECs) materials for dengue in health centers was high, with more than two-third of the health center have IECs materials for dengue. On the other hands, IECs material for malaria was present in about 50% of health centers. The vector-borne diseases control program distributed 37,000 pamphlets on vector-borne diseases during May 2008 to April 2009. Particularly in a malaria high endemic area, Ngapudaw, the training program for malaria case management was carried out for 80 hospital staffs. Insecticide residual spray had also been carried out in high endemic area with population coverage of 40,122. Mass larvicidi ng activities were carried out with population coverage of 347,231 in study area for dengue control. It was found that distribution of malaria drug was well covered as one health personnel mentioned that During Cyclone Nargis, a lot of malaria drugs supply was given to my health center but malaria is not prevalence in my area. I was afraid of malaria drugs to be expired. Tuberculosis control program reached the targets of 70% case detection and 85% treatment success rate before Nargis incident since 2007. However, the case detection in the Nargis affected area of 70% was slightly lower than the national average of 77%. It was found that the case detection was quite different among townships, in some townships is lower than 50%. During May 2008 to April 2009, the national health program distributed 2000 pamphlets, 1000 posters and 8800 booklets on education for tuberculosis to the study area. Coverage of prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services increased from 2 townships in 2007 to 7 townships in 2009. Performance of PMTCT services such as percentage of treatment taken by HIV (+) pregnant mother (61% in 2007 to 80% in 2009) and percentage of new born HIV (+) have been improved overtime (14% in 2007 to In terms of expanded program immunization (EPI) coverage, it was found that the coverage reached highest in 2008 after Cyclone Nargis; the DPT 3rd dose reached the target of around 90%. However, measles coverage was lower, around 84% during the study period. The EPI IECs materials were presented in around two-third of health facilities in the survey done by UNICEF during December 2008 [14]. One health personnel also confirmed in focus group discussion that immunization services were successful after Cyclone Nargis. The sanitary latrine coverage was increased after Cyclone Nargis in 2009 compared to 2007 both in urban and rural area. The sanitary latrine coverage for population was 72.36 in 2009. However, the sanitary latrine coverage on 2009 was still low in certain rural area, i.e., in Ngapudaw, Labutta and Bogale townships. During May 2008 to April 2009, the total of 316,891 pamphlets and 200,415 posters were distributed to disaster affected area by several organizations. The TCG survey reported that the population receiving improved drinking water has been increasing from 66% in December 2008 to 72% in July 2010, but there was approximately 43% for improved sanitation facilities which was contradict with MMOH surveillance data of 70%. The national health Programs also rehabilitated 4235 ponds, 1028 wells in study area. A total of 236 ponds, 760 shallow wells and over 200 deep tubes well were also constructed in study areas. Participants from focus groups discussion mentioned that sanitary la trine constructions by villagers were associated with the supply of both latrine pan and construction cost. Latrine pans were distributed. However, I could not construct latrine because I had no money. (25 years old man) and In our village, most of the villagers were constructed sanitary latrine because the organization () provided not only gave latrine pans but also provided the construction cost. (18 years old student) Insert Table 3 here- Insert Figure 3 here- Discussion MMOH had established HMIS for routine reporting disease surveillance system and the system has been fully functioning in almost all levels of hospitals. However, the hospitals especially in the secondary referral level should consider strengthen the microbiological surveillance because of weakness in laboratory capacity at such hospitals. Microbiological surveillance is important for early detection of public health emergencies especially communicable diseases outbreak. Currently, the there are only about 20-30% of hospitals that have microbiological surveillance system, compared to 64.5% of hospitals in China in preparation for public health emergencies [18]. World Health Organization recommended that major diseases/syndromes that should be included in emergency surveillance are bloody diarrhea, acute watery diarrhea and suspected cholera, acute respiratory tract infection (ARI), measles, meningitis, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, and neonatal tetanus [6]. Setting up of EWAR with participation of national and international organizations working in public health emergency response is best practice for public health emergency management and should be maintained in future public health emergency management. It was found in this study that surveillance system is also compatible with the diseases impact in the affected area but there are rooms to improvement for areas such as recording and calculation of actual proportion such as timeliness for surveillance and sensitivity for outbreak detection [12]. However, it is also recommended the necessity of setting up the database for logistic and drugs supply for health sect or with involvement of other organizations working in public health emergencies [17]. The national surveillance data coincided with the EWAR reports suggested that morbidity of communicable diseases highly increased for about 3 months after Cyclone Nargis. Diarrhea diseases, ARI and malaria have been reported as major communicable diseases, in this area. The diseases increased significantly during the months after Cyclone Nargis which was similar to other disaster incidents elsewhere in which the diseases that could cause major morbidity and mortality in emergencies including ARI, diarrheal diseases, measles and, malaria in endemic area, epidemic meningococcal disease, dengue, tuberculosis, tetanus, pneumonia, relapsing fever, yellow fever, and typhus [6,16]. With early diagnosis and prompt treatment with trained staff by using standard protocols at all health facilities, the management of communicable diseases would help solve the situation [5]. Thus, it might be due to the good predisposition of drugs for common diseases in risk areas and the strengthened preparatio n for disaster management by both governmental programs, international organizations and NGOs. The morbidity and mortality of common communicable diseases seem to be in better situations after the Nargis incident. In 2009, acute diarrhea diseases in the affected area have been compatible with the national average of morbidity and mortality of 667 and 0.65 per 100,000 person year respectively. Case fatality rate for diarrhea diseases such as typhoid, dysentery etc. was less than 1% and it achieved the standards set by communicable diseases management in public health emergencies [10]. This finding coincided with the observable fact of high percentage of treatment with ORT among diarrhea children in the health facilities, decreasing in severe dehydration among diarrhea children, and effective case management for diarrhea diseases as well as early diagnosis. The morbidity and mortality of ARI which was the most communicable disease burden revealed increasing trends in the study. Both ARI and diarrhea are still a public health burden and require effective prevention and control programs in this coastal area. In contrast, mortality and morbidity for vector-borne diseases, particularly malaria and dengue, reveal decreasing trends during 2007 to 2009, except high peak in months of Nargis incident. Malaria morbidity and mortality rates in study area were lower compared to national rate of 1075 and 1.84 per 100,000 person year respectively. Overall, major vector-borne diseases control in the study area has been functioning well. However, it was noted by healthcare providers that supply of drugs should be based on risk assessment of malaria in that area. The situation of other diseases also shows improving trends. Tuberculosis program reached the targets of case detection and treatment success rates but varied in different townships. More efforts are needed in townships that did not reached the national targets. Despite the fact that morbidity rates of sexual transmitted diseases did not change much, but the PMTCT coverage was improved. It was noted by healthcare providers though that PMTCT services should be secured at all townships by national health programs with financial and technical support. This involves many stakeholders that manage PMTCT services in the country. Immunization plus program with nutrition services has shown effective practice for public health emergencies management and it should be maintained or even improved not only for future emergency incidents. It was suggested that if measles vaccination coverage rates are lower than 90%, it should be given priority to prevent an outbreak of measles in emergency situations [5, 6]. Measles immunization coverage in the study area was at 84% but it was still considered not reaching the target of 95% coverage set up by Sphere [10]. On contrary, DPT 3rd dose coverage was about 90% reaching the target of national health program but was again less than the IASC indicators of 95% coverage [11]. In all, it was found that all immunizations coverage is slightly lower after Nargis incident in 2009 compared to 2008. Sustainability of immunization services should be considered as part of the routine national health program with involvement of donor agencies and township health department. Community awareness program should be strengthened because community awareness on early treatment and proper case management are important in reducing the impact of communicable diseases [6]. It is found that almost all of the organizations distributed several IEC materials regarding communicable diseases; however, most of the participants in the focus group discussion reported not interested in health education programs. The evaluation of effectiveness of health education programs should be then carried out to assess future public health emergency management. Utilization rate of health services such as general clinic attendance has been improving during the study period but it is still quite low in consideration with the target achievement of 50% target. Clinic attendance rates of some townships were less than 15% while TCG survey also reported that health services utilizations did not reach the Sphere target of 4 visits/person/year. It is necessary to research on factors influencing the utilization of health services. Sanitary latrine coverage in townships at the affected areas was still slightly lower than the national sanitary latrine coverage of around 80%. It was also found that distribution of water and sanitation items were quite varied among communities. Water and sanitation program should be strengthened in townships which are below the national average by cooperation among stakeholders. Conclusion Overall, health sectors have achieved the Sphere targets of management of communicable diseases in the coastal townships. The excess mortality and morbidity of the communicable diseases was reduced in the Nargis affected area by means of health services given by Department of Health, MMOH and other several organizations including NGOs and international NGOs. However, communicable diseases are still the high burden in these townships and health sectors including all stakeholders should strengthen the health services. Lesson learned in terms of strengths and weakness for communicable diseases prevention control during Cyclone Nargis could be applied for setting up policy and plan for preparation and management of public health emergency in Myanmar. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Authors contributions NWM, JK, PS were involved in the conceptualization and design of the study. NWM prepared research instruments and other study logistics, collected data in Myanmar. SLN and TTM assisted in study management and data support in Myanmar. KC, PS, AKM, PP provided conceptual framework and technical support for the study. NWM and JK performed analyses and drafted the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgements We

Use of Disguise in Homer’s Odyssey Essay example -- Homer Odyssey disg

Use of Disguise in Homer’s Odyssey   Ã‚  Ã‚   The difference between a wise and a foolish decision is often found in discerning when to conceal and when to reveal. This discretion in concealing and revealing is a major theme within The Odyssey. There is a proper time to deceive and a proper time to tell the truth; thus, it is crucial that one act accordingly. This importance is exemplified in Odysseus' life. When he is discreet in his timing, he achieves his goal. One example of this is the Trojan War. While the other men in the horse want to expose themselves when they hear their wives' voices being mimicked by Helen, Odysseus forces them to stay hidden within the horse (Book IV, lines 306-311). Because of this discernment and self-control, the Trojan War is won. However, when he is careless in his timing, troubles follow. In the situation with Polyphemus, Odysseus makes an improper decision. He gives his name to Polyphemus as he is leaving the island of the Cyclopes. Although his crew urges him to stop taunting Po lyphemus, he does not listen because of his pride in his skill of deception (Book IX, lines 519-552). As a result of this foolishness and pride, his return home is full of hardships and his companions die. Timing of concealment and revelation has such significant consequences because disguise is a powerful tool that needs to be handled carefully. From Books XIII to XXII, Odysseus uses it against the people of Ithaca to plan his revenge. In Book XIX, Homer employs the story of the scar and uses various literary techniques to highlight again on the power of disguise and importance of Odysseus' maintaining his disguise until the opportune time.    By beginning the story of the scar in the middle of a sentence, Homer... ...e. By Homer's art of story telling, the audience, like Odysseus, learns to discern from past experience when to conceal and reveal personal information.    Works Cited and Consulted Bloom, Harold ,   Homer's Odyssey: Edited and with an Introduction, NY, Chelsea House 1988 Crane, Gregory , Calypso: Backgrounds and Conventions of the Odyssey,   Frankfurt, Athenaeum 1988 Heubeck, Alfred, J.B. Hainsworth, et al. A commentary on Homer's Odyssey. 3 Vols. Oxford PA4167 .H4813 1988 Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. Murnaghan, Sheila, Disguise and Recognition in the Odyssey, Princeton UP 1987 Rengakos, Antonios. Homertext und die Hellenistichen Dichter. Hermes. Einzelschriften, Heft 64. Stuttgart, F. Steiner, 1993. Van der Valk, Marchinus. Textual Criticism of the Odyssey. Leiden: A.W. Sijthoff, 1949. Use of Disguise in Homer’s Odyssey Essay example -- Homer Odyssey disg Use of Disguise in Homer’s Odyssey   Ã‚  Ã‚   The difference between a wise and a foolish decision is often found in discerning when to conceal and when to reveal. This discretion in concealing and revealing is a major theme within The Odyssey. There is a proper time to deceive and a proper time to tell the truth; thus, it is crucial that one act accordingly. This importance is exemplified in Odysseus' life. When he is discreet in his timing, he achieves his goal. One example of this is the Trojan War. While the other men in the horse want to expose themselves when they hear their wives' voices being mimicked by Helen, Odysseus forces them to stay hidden within the horse (Book IV, lines 306-311). Because of this discernment and self-control, the Trojan War is won. However, when he is careless in his timing, troubles follow. In the situation with Polyphemus, Odysseus makes an improper decision. He gives his name to Polyphemus as he is leaving the island of the Cyclopes. Although his crew urges him to stop taunting Po lyphemus, he does not listen because of his pride in his skill of deception (Book IX, lines 519-552). As a result of this foolishness and pride, his return home is full of hardships and his companions die. Timing of concealment and revelation has such significant consequences because disguise is a powerful tool that needs to be handled carefully. From Books XIII to XXII, Odysseus uses it against the people of Ithaca to plan his revenge. In Book XIX, Homer employs the story of the scar and uses various literary techniques to highlight again on the power of disguise and importance of Odysseus' maintaining his disguise until the opportune time.    By beginning the story of the scar in the middle of a sentence, Homer... ...e. By Homer's art of story telling, the audience, like Odysseus, learns to discern from past experience when to conceal and reveal personal information.    Works Cited and Consulted Bloom, Harold ,   Homer's Odyssey: Edited and with an Introduction, NY, Chelsea House 1988 Crane, Gregory , Calypso: Backgrounds and Conventions of the Odyssey,   Frankfurt, Athenaeum 1988 Heubeck, Alfred, J.B. Hainsworth, et al. A commentary on Homer's Odyssey. 3 Vols. Oxford PA4167 .H4813 1988 Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Vintage Books, 1989. Murnaghan, Sheila, Disguise and Recognition in the Odyssey, Princeton UP 1987 Rengakos, Antonios. Homertext und die Hellenistichen Dichter. Hermes. Einzelschriften, Heft 64. Stuttgart, F. Steiner, 1993. Van der Valk, Marchinus. Textual Criticism of the Odyssey. Leiden: A.W. Sijthoff, 1949.

Gregor Johann Mendel :: essays research papers fc

Gregor Mendel was born in Heinzendorff in 1822 and died in 1884. Ever since Mendel was a boy he was very interested in science. Whenever his friends would come back from school they would tell Mendel what they studied and he would be so excited. Mendel was so interested about what his friends told him that he begged his father to let him study. This meant a great sacrifice to his father he because owned a small farm. Needless to say, he sent his young son Gregor, who was only eleven to school. At school Mendel showed great intelligence so much that his parents decided to deny themselves the pleasures of life to keep their son in school. When Mendel was a young man, he became a science teacher, and a monk. He had a pea garden, there he conducted his experiments that are renowned by science teachers today. People told Mendel that he looked like his father. He would think to himself, why do some people resemble their father and some people their mother? Many men before Mendel thought that very same question, yet with all their efforts to figure out this mystery only made things more complex. How does heredity work? Mendel chose to answer this question with peas. Because peas are easily bred, and grow quickly made them a perfect candidate for hereditary experiments. Mendel tried experiments with crossing tall pea plants with short pea plants, the results were tall ones. Mendel thought that this tallness trait must have been the dominant trait. Of course he did not let this matter rest here, He left the tall children alone until they formed ripe seeds. Then he took the seeds and planted them. Then the "grandchildren" plants grew. What happened surprised Mendel not all of the plants were tall, 1 out of every four plants grown were short. Mendel thought that shortness must be a recessive trait. Mendel tilled and grew more pea plants in groups of four. Yet something even more surprising came to be - the short plant of the four offspring had nothing but short offspring, and one tall plant had nothing but tall offspring, but the other two plants gave a mixture, one short offspring for every three tall ones. Mendel thought to himself how about the shape of the seeds? because some peas were rounded and some were wrinkled. He wondered if these followed the same pattern as did the height. It was an amazing discovery, and people began by shrugging and saying "so what, what does it amount to," "Does it concern raising peas, or even all plants.

Current Event Research Paper Essay

The research paper I found to discuss was a study done on motivation in the work place in a hotel in Konya, Turkey. Since I am currently in the hotel industry I find it very interesting that these individuals were able to conduct a mathematical analysis of what drives employees to stay committed in the work place. The three factors they tested to see which had the highest effect on employees were intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and work motivation. In this study they had employees fill out a survey based on a 5-point scale that consisted of a list of questions pertaining to their work environment and the outcome of certain situations. This study was based on a single 5 star hotel that contained about 500 employees, only about 120 participated in the study. Researchers broke the results down into a mathematical problem that started equal for each of the three factors but then increased/decreased based on test results. They also had a percentage breakdown of age range and gender so you knew the different variables they were working with. The problem they were trying to solve was to see how to keep employees from leaving a company since employee turnover is much more costly than keeping long term employees. I know from my experience that employees need motivation when at work especially in an industry as difficult as hospitality. This test was important to conduct because as managers and supervisors we need to know what keeps our employees going and striving. The result of this study proved to be very informative and helpful when better understanding employee’s basic needs. Researchers were able to find out what the most important factor is and what the least important factor is for employees when we are trying to keep them committed to a company. The first result of this study showed that intrinsic was the most important  motivational factor. This means that employees value being treated as a human more than anything else. Instead of treating employees like they are just a working piece of a machine, they want to know that they are viewed as a social human beings who are important to the organization as a whole. I know from personal experience in this industry that this result is spot on, you can give employees raises but if they don’t feel appreciated within your company or even just your department then they will shut down. This is a very important result to see so that management can see that basic respect of employees by their leaders makes all the difference. The second most important factor for commitment showed to be extrinsic motivation. I was surprised to find that this actually wasn’t the highest result since people generally work towards moving up at their job. This result showed that it is important to reward employees with promotions, salary increases, etc. which I feel is basic common knowledge that you should have as a manager. In my hotel I reward my employees with incentives for receiving good guest reviews which I feel is important to show them that not only are they doing a great job but I want them to be rewarded for going above and beyond for our guests. The outcome of this study shows that in fact employees do need to receive monetary compensation for a job well done alongside praise and respect for doing their job well. The last result was work motivation which showed to have absolutely no effect in this case study. In this specific study it presents that work motivation has no effect on employee’s commitment to a company thus making it irrelevant to this study. Work motivation is the basic internal and external factors management uses to keep their employees going at work. This did surprise me that it has no effect on employee’s commitment to their company since I would feel like if you are being motivated to do your work you would want to stay with that company. I found this entire study to be very interesting since I do work in this specific field so it is good to know as a manager what will make my employees want to stay with the company. I think all in all they went about this study the right way by breaking it down into three factors and calculating it down to percentages and using a 5-point system to rank from most important to least important. I would say that maybe if this test was conducted again that they break it down by department so it was more specified as well as ha ving more participants in the survey so the results  would be more validated.

Blended Families Essay

Cartwright (2010) found that couples who re-marry after divorce can often be led to that decision by the need for an intimate relationship and the benefits they receive from that relationship. The need for financial means also brought some to the decision that they would cohabitate before re-marrying. Cartwright also came to the conclusion that while a lot of the participants in the study were aware of the possible difficulties of becoming a blended family, most of them did not talk to one another about certain parenting issues such as discipline and rules. Most of the participants also did not discuss how they would handle this change for the children involved in the two families that were blending. Cartwright says that these findings supported earlier research that suggested that couples who are blending their families often avoid talking about difficult issues so as to avoid conflict. What Percentage of Households Have Blended Families? Studies have shown that about 9% of married couple households and 11.5% of households where the parents are living together but not married, have stepchildren who live in the home. (Teachman & Teadrow, 2008) A survey done, called the HILDA survey, showed that 13% of households in the third wave of the survey, have stepchildren that either live in the home or do not and on some occasions both. A longitudinal study was done and indicated that out of the 1265 people involved in taking the study, 18.6% of them had lived in a stepfamily between the ages of 6 and 16 years old. This study included participants where the household was either remarried or cohabitating. (Nicholson, Fergusson, & Horwood, 1999). Many stepfamilies find challenges that make it very difficult to have normal functional interactions amongst its’ members. What Areas of Concern Are There for Children in Blended Families? Through research studies on blended families there seems to be a much greater risk of negative outcomes for children that are part of a blended family, as opposed to other children around  them who are from a first time marriage. (Amato, 2000; Bray, 1999: Hetherington & Kelly, 2002). When researchers have done studies on stepfamilies post-remarriage, they have found out very little about how the couple prepares themselves and their families before they re-marry or move in together to live as a whole family unit. There are a couple exceptions. A study done in 1989 in the US was conducted specifically to find out what couples do to prepare themselves and their families for a re-marriage. (Ganong & Coleman, 1989). More recently than that a study was done in Britain that questioned both the mothers and the stepfathers to find out what it was they did, if anything, to prepare prior to the re-marriage. (Smith & Robertson, 2008) The findings were that many re-married quickly and did not discuss what each other’s role would be when it came to parenting. (Ganong & Coleman, 1989; Robertson, 2008; Smith, 2008). Evidence appeared that showed there was very little, if any, help given to the children to help them with the transition into this new family life. (Robertson, 2008). How Common is Re-Marriage? Research shows that almost 20% of Americans are divorced and remarried. It has become increasingly common over time. Stepfamilies are becoming the fastest growing family unit. (Berger, 1995; Walsh, 2003b). Studies estimate that one in every two couples in the United States will divorce (Derma, 1999). What Are the Legal Ramifications of a Blended Family? Legal battles can become very expensive and are very complicated. Centuries ago, it was said that the children â€Å"belonged† to the father and so when a marriage ended, the children would stay with the father (Knibiehler, 1995). This was due large in part to the father having to financially support, educate and protect his children much like the father figure of Christian Mythology (Friedman, 1995). Around the time of the Industrial Revolution came domesticity. With that came the idea and emphasis that a child’s need to be emotionally nurtured was more important. That did not change the father’s legal obligations to financially support, educate and protect his children. With that, the  father’s role became one more of support while the mother’s role took the lead as the one who provided the children with emotional nurturance (Jacob, 1988). The one exception to the rule that the mother should have custody of the children, was that she be proven to be the cause for the end of the marriage. If that could be proven, she risked losing her property and her children. Around 1975, the idea of â€Å"no-fault† divorces was starting to have an impact on legislation (Fogarty, 2001). While the arguments for this type of divorce were mostly moral ones, the leaders of politics and religion were arguing that we had lost what once held our society together. Another big part of â€Å"no fault† divorce proceedings that nobody gave much attention to for a long period of time, was how violence or abuse within the marriage and family should affect the outcome. Very slowly did family courts begin to take in to consideration the unacceptable behaviors towards spouses and children. Then they began to make decisions based more on those findings. What Things Help a Blended Family to Be Successful? According to Visher, Visher & Pasley, 2003, becoming a blended family is a very complicated process that involves transitioning from one’s previous life and household to a whole new life and possibly household where things may be very different than before. There are many things to be thought about when choosing to blend a family. Several things must be examined since they may influence how the new family blends together. It is important to know the experiences of the previous marriage, for both parties. It is also important to know how the continued contact with the previous spouse is handled. Also important is how each spouse differs when it comes to personal maturity, the experiences each has had throughout their lives and what social status they hold. Finally, knowing what each partner considers the norm and what each ones expectations are (Swenson, 1997). Understanding how to help families of remarriage to blend successfully is an important outline for research, intervention and prevention efforts within blended families (Von Eye & Schuster, 2000). Using this approach helps to guide families when they face challenges or difficult times within their blended family (Hawley, 2000;Walsh, 1998b;, 2003a). When talking about resilience in a blended family, a lot of things are brought into the mix. Risk factors such as stressful events or bad conditions are weighed against protective factors such a family and community support to help blended families and their children to be successful in working through the hard times (Norman, 2000). According to McCubbin and McCubbin, (1988), there are certain dimensions, characteristics and features that must be looked at in order to help a blended family be more resilient to the hard times. They look at resistance to disruption in the event of a change and how well a person adapts in a critical situation. Walsh (1996) came up with the idea of relational resilience. Models have been created to test these factors. The first model, the pre-crisis ABCX model looks at the A (stressor), B (resource), and C (definition of the stressor) which help families protect themselves and get through crisis. Second are the models that focus on before and after crisis factors and the FAAR Model that was developed by McCubbin and Patterson (McCubbin et al., 1996). Last is the Typology Model of Family Adjustment and Adaptation, developed by McCubbin and McCubbin (McCubbin et al., 1996). This model focuses on what patterns are used in the way the family functions and what each persons role is in adjusting and adapting during adversity or crisis. According to Walsh (1998b), making a blended family successful and helping them to stay together can be accomplished by encouraging the family’s belief system, a supportive community, communication with one another and support within the family structure, acknowledging that some adversity it very normal and standing together as a family and believeing that you can achieve what you set out to accomplish. How is Attachment in Stepfamilies Affected? Bowlby (1973) has found that while there is an endless amount of research done on attachment, very little of that has been done on stepfamilies. He found that the disruption of bonds that a child has may make it very hard to form secure attachments otherwise in life, therefore, leading to possible psychological disorders. Separation from a parent and conflict with a new stepparent may  cause problems with attachment and adjusting in the future (Henry & Holmes 1998). These types of situations often involve some form of threat (whether it be real or not) making one of the parents more unavailable (Kobak 1999). There was some speculation that a child being raised in a stepfamily would for sure have less secure attachments than those raised by their biological parents still together. They did state that insecurities may be part of the stress of divorce and remarriage (Love and Murdock 2004). As stated by Robert S. Feldman (2011), more than 5 million couples who are each others second marriages have at least one child that is a stepchild. He states that often times, a child’s role is unclear and they are not sure of what is expected of them. Children may not be sure what their responsibilities are as a part of the new family or how they should treat their new â€Å"parent† or â€Å"siblings†. Feldman also states that blending into a new family seems to be easier for children that are school age as opposed to teenagers. He states that it is due to several different things. The family’s financial situation usually improves with a remarriage and the addition of a second income. There are also more people in the family to share chores and responsibilities with as well as more people to have a social relationship with (Greene, Anderson, & Hetherington, 2003; Hetherington & Elmore, 2003). Though there is not much research on blended families and every aspect of the changes, challenges and success’s, it is clear that raising a blended family involves a lot of planning, preparing and nurturing on the part of the children to make it successful for everyone involved.

Types of Economic Systems

The 3 Types of Economic Systems– Centrally planned economy – Mixed economy – Market economyCentrally planned economySystem in which a nation’s resources are owned by the government. Came from the ideology that the welfare of the group is more important than individual well being, the idea came from Karl Marx. The decline of Centrally planned economies was in the 1980’s nations began to dismantle communist central planning in favor of market based economy. Mixed economyEconomic system in which resources are more equally divide between private and government ownership. It came from the idea that a successful system must be not only efficient and innovative but should also protect society. Most economies around the world are mixed economies but most mixed economies are trying to convert more of a market economy. This is called â€Å"Privatization† or â€Å"Privatizing†. Market EconomyThe majority of nations resources are privately owned. Economic decisions are determined by supply and demand. Based on the belief that individual concerns should be placed above group concerns. The best features are free choice, free enterprise and price flexibility. The governments role is enforcing antitrust laws, preserving property rights, providing a stable fiscal and monetary environment and preserving political stability. Personally I would prefer to live in a mixed economy. I say this because it is the best kind of economic system in my eyes. A mixed economy lies between a free market economy and a centrally planned economy. A mixed economy combines elements from free market and centrally planned to create a more favorable economy. Most nations operate mixed economies with varying combinations of capitalist and socialist features. Some benefits of a mixed economy are free enterprise, private ownership, a â€Å"safety net† and the ability for the government to step in if needed. This is very appealing because the benefits are unmatched from the other two main economic systems. I like the idea of private ownership and the government being able to step in during times of need, these two examples are the main reasons I prefer to live in a mixed economy.

Christians Should Not Take Part In Sport Or Shopping Essay

The important thing about this statement is that it can be argued two ways. Many people would see sport or shopping as a chore therefore related to work. Others would argue that it is a leisure activity and it is not work. With this in mind the church instated a law saying that all Catholics must attend mass on a Sunday. The Catholic Church itself has no laws or restrictions about shopping or playing sport on a Sunday. By tradition Sunday was the holy day separated and set aside by the fact the mass going was essential to the day’s activities. In The Old testament there is a saying in the book of Ecclesiastes saying there is a set and provide time for everything which basically means people should balance out there time between things. In today’s society were everything is on the move and rushed priorities should be examined and people should use the gift of time wisely. God himself as many believed set down the day of worship. Sunday has three main important events, wh ich coincide with this day. One: Jesus rose from the dead on this day.  Two: Sunday was the first Day of the week and the first day of creation.  Three: Jesus sent down the Holy Spirit On The Pentecost.  Sunday is also a day of celebration when Catholics come together to give praise to God and to thank God for what he has given all of them.  Sport nowadays has become big business for all involved. Among all the big names in sport no one objects to playing on Sundays because of all of the money involved. This is just a small list of all the sports that are being played on Sundays Although sport is played on money for reasons other the money many include because of TV rights and because of sponsors. Christians should not take part on sport on Sunday because sport is seen as work in the church’s eyes. Many values are expressed in sport such as sportsmanship, fairplay etc.  Shopping is the second of the changing faces of Sunday is becoming the most popular one. Many family lifestyles revolve around the parents work and therefore many parents only get to see their children at the weekends. The weekend is often regarded as the days to get the shopping done and many rely on Sunday heavily. Since seven day shopping was legalised in 1977, many have taken advantage over the law. Teresa Murray head of the N. Ireland Region Of Shopping Centres said â€Å"Sunday Shopping has become like a leisure pursuit for families and has become an important trading day for people in business.† Business provides a service and depending on the demand it either succeeds or fails and on Sunday nowadays shopping has become a demand so in order to make money business open for the maximum hours allowed which is six. Many working families don’t have much time to spend so end up using Sunday to spend time with there children or getting tings that they could get during the week such as grocery shopping. All the added time spend on Sundays has increased the employment needed for Sundays. Bob Gourley head of N. Ireland Shop Worker’s Union said â€Å"they had been opposed to the Sunday trading laws and had in fact boycotted them for many years but however hard they try Sunday trading has become a reality. Our workers only work on Sunday where it is done by agreement†