Technology And The Education System Interaction - 1494 Words

Technology and the Education System Interaction Technology has been part of our lives in every different aspect ever since it was created and now we use it in our education system to boost up our knowledge rapidly. The usage of technology can be seen from the increased amount that numerous of each students posses, from smart phones to Ipads. Also in classrooms there are a significant increased amount of technology being used today from computer labs to online classes. Yet, many of these technologies can have disadvantages such as cyber bullying, sexting, and plagiarism, but many great positive advantages in the educational system can out maneuver these bad disadvantages. While many technologies are evolving from all over the schools from k-12, it helps disable students to continue their education with minimal assist, it prepares each students to use any technology out in the real world, and it also helps students to expand their knowledge about the world that they have obtain from th e usage of technology. Technology and education is promoting new individual ways of learning and mobile learning. Both students and teacher are benefiting from this new promotion of new technology for education because these new educational technologies are emerging to switch up the ways of learning. According to the U.S. Department of Education website states, â€Å"48 states and the District of Columbia currently support online learning opportunities that range from supplementing classroomShow MoreRelatedWhy We Expect More From Technology1577 Words   |  7 Pageslife, globally. Technology has advanced communications and economy. Ideas about interacting and talking robots are no longer dreams, but are part of reality. The world has become modernized and progress continues. And now the new generation is ready to enact another historical milestone, education. Davidson in her essay, â€Å"Project Classroom Makeover†, expresses the need and benefit that can come from merging technology and education together can bring. She realizes the educational system has remainedRead More Distance Education Essay1550 Words   |  7 PagesDistance Education Traditionally, in the field of education, courses have been designed and student/teacher interactions have taken place through the teaching/learning process where the student and teacher are in the same location at the same time discussing the same topic. Students and teachers usually meet in this predetermined location at a predetermined time to interact in a classroom setting. The absence of either party usually has a negative result. Distance education has captured theRead MoreThe Impact Of Technology On Education809 Words   |  4 Pageschannels that technology has been able to assert its influence is in the digitization of every perspective of human life. Most of the human activities have adopted a technology; a move normally referred to as digitizing, in their operation. Education has not been left behind. There has been an incorporation of the digital process of learning at all levels of education. The process has a very large influence on the field of education today. Before the introduction of technology in education, learningRead MoreThe Benefits and Challenges of Emerging Technologies in Distance Education641 Words   |  3 PagesI decided to research the benefits and challenges of emerging technologies in distance education for interaction and collaboration. The first report I read was written by Dr. Michael G. Moore, Web 2.0: Does It Really Matter? In this editorial Dr. Moore discusses emerging technologies and how they are â€Å"being adopted voraciously by â€Å"digital natives† who have grown up with the Internet. Moore concludes that â€Å"social networking should make constructivist, collaborative knowledge-making more naturalRead MoreThe Myth Of The Ant Queen By Steven Johnson1420 Words   |  6 Pages Technology has tremendously changed human social behavior, which has provided a convenient way for people to communicate and collaborate with each other. For instance, Cathy Davidson, the author of â€Å"Project Classroom Makeover,† points out, there is a need to renew the current education system so that it meets the new expectation of the digital era. She discusses how technology improves social interaction when students work collectively through crowdsourcing. In â€Å"The Myth of the Ant Queen,† Steven Read More Online Education Essay1173 Words   |  5 PagesOnline Education There is little doubt that a more extensive on-line education system would benefit extremely overcrowded campuses like Cal State Northridge. Although short-term costs may deter colleges from implementing distance learning programs initially, many colleges could save money in the long run. With the technology available, universities should make more efforts to offer more on-line classes. Distance learning is becoming more and more prevalent across campuses and is likely to continueRead MoreNursing Informatics: Telecommunications in Healthcare1618 Words   |  6 Pagescommunication systems such as telephone, internet, laptops, and other networking concepts in the improvement of services to the patients. This method is vital in enhancing the accessibility of the remote areas through provision of quality services, implementation of technology, emotional support, and interactive or educative environment. In this research paper, the focus will be on the description of telecommunications, advantages, disadvantages, and significance of the concepts and technologies in theRead MoreE Learning Is An Online Learning Method1393 Words   |  6 Pageslearners very effectively by application information technology and internet technology. Here ‘E’ stands not only for electronic, but also ease of use, effective, extension, engagement and so on. It is quite popular now. In the system of e-learning, there are lots of resources such as data, file information, programs, tutoring software and seminars. These resources form a highly comprehensive and centralized database. An e-learning system forms interaction between learners and teachers. It updates, storesRead MoreUsability, Interaction, And Visualization1090 Words   |  5 PagesUsability, Interaction, and Visualization The trends for usability, interaction, and visualization consider interoperability. Scholars showed that the European Commission (EC) are promoting networked enterprise information system interoperability (Agostinho et al., 2015, p. 5). They are complementing research in the U.S. and Asia to become â€Å"breeding environments towards novel knowledge-based approaches that could improve a future model-driven sustainable interoperability† (Agostinho et al., 2015Read MoreE Learning And Its Impact On Our Classrooms And How It Has Changed The Way We Grasp Information1292 Words   |  6 PagesAs we rewind back in time there was a point where technology was non-existing inside our schools and even our everyday lifestyles. We depended on our basic textbooks and daily newspapers to relay information in a detailed manner in which we can understand and learn. As time continued to pass learning has begun to flourish in every aspect imaginable.   Computers have made human’s life s o easy and comfortable like never before. Starting from communication to learning and shopping everything is so instant

COMM 320 Business Plan - 9055 Words

Business Plan Project WeRoll - Ridesharing made easy! Submitted to: Professor Judy Nagy 14 April, 2015†© COMM 320 BUSINESS PLAN Business Plan Project 1 Concept 4 Management Team Industry and Market Analysis 5 5 Industry Overview 5 Trends 6 Market Gaps 6 Product Lifecycle 7 Key Success Factors 7 Industry Forces 8 Target Market 10 Market Potential 11 Window of Opportunity 13 Marketing Plan 13 Marketing Strategy 13 Market Segment 14 Unique Selling Point 14 Competitive Advantage 15 Marketing Mix 16 Revenue Projection in Brief 17 Operations Plan 18 Human Resources 18 Service Flow 19 Production Capacity and Growth Plan 19 Facilities 19 Supplier Relationships 21†¦show more content†¦His academic background is in Graphic Design at UQAM and a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts at Concordia University. He attained his Master’s of Communication from UQAM in 2013 and has been working in and on startups throughout that whole time. Felix had always been interested in design as well as technology and combined the two by introducing the site WeRoll.net. Industry and Market Analysis Industry Overview The industry that WeRoll falls into is: Internet Service Providers, Web Search Portals, and Data Processing Services, and the NAICS code is 518 (FindTheData, 2015). This industry definition is a very broad one, meaning that industry competition can be very diverse, and indeed it is. The industry covers services and platforms with a vast variety of focal markets. The portion of the †© COMM 320 BUSINESS PLAN 2 industry that WeRoll will be most directly concerned with will be Ride Sharing, in which they work as a Search Portal and Data Processing Service to facilitate the discovery of ride sharing opportunities for individuals as well as processing accumulated data to create valuable insights for corporate or municipal clients of its Pro plans. Trends There are both Business and Environmental trends that influence the industry in which WeRoll will be competing in. In terms of Business trends, specifically for ride-sharing, or social transportation, there is currently a prevailing trendShow MoreRelatedIndividual Analysis Paper on Organizational Behaviour2511 Words   |  11 PagesIndividual Analysis Paper Albert Sherman September 30, 2011 MGMT 320-52 Robert J. Niemi, Ph. D 1. What is the brief history of the company and its line of business is it involved in? Background/History: The field of Social Services happens to be one of the many areas in the State of Minnesota that provide serves to people with Developmental Disabilities and also mental health/behavioral. It can be further complicated by the overwhelming number of service options, multiple homeRead MoreCheescake Factory2029 Words   |  9 Pageshome of Oscar and Evelyn Overton. The business was so successful that in 1971, they moved the cheesecake business to Los Angeles and named it â€Å"The Cheesecake Factory†. In 1978, their son David founded The Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills and 30 years later you can find their restaurant in towns and cities all over the United States with new businesses opening all the time. They do not offer franchise or joint venture opportunities and have no plans to do so in the future. They own andRead MoreMarketing11497 Words   |  46 PagesSchool of Business, Concordia 1450 Rue Guy Montreal, H3H 0A1 Re: Business plan, Ébà ©niste Jewelry Dear Professor Nagy, We have made the following plan as a business plan for Ébà ©niste Jewelry, in order to fulfill academic requirements as requested for the course of COMM 320 at John Molson School of Business. We would really appreciate feedback regarding this business plan. Thank you very much for your time. Sincerely, Ébà ©niste Jewelry team Ébà ©niste Jewelry Business Plan | COMMRead MoreThe Aviation Industry: Comparative Analysis of Boeing and Airbus with the Chinese Aircraft Manufacturer Comac3967 Words   |  16 Pageswould the Chinese investment in COMAC be viable? This is the question that the paper seeks to answer in light of the recent global downturn, the rising fuel costs, and the unconventional competition that the industry faces, especially in terms of business travelers, from the telecommunications industry, which has made teleconferencing and videoconferencing an attractively cost effective and less time-consuming option. Scope of Research The aim of this research is to understand the aero plane manufacturingRead MoreConvergys Case10226 Words   |  41 PagesCustomer Information Strategy Convergys Case 1. Convergys, a leader in contract-based business process outsourcing services, has been successful in acquiring high-profile customers (e.g. Verizon, FedEx Starbucks, among others) across a wide variety of industries. Despite Convergys’ impressive customer list, the company has seen its operating margin decrease about 20% over the past 5 years. Key decision makers within the company believe that this decline is due, at least in part, to issuesRead MoreOligopoly Market6759 Words   |  28 PagesAirAsia  and  Indonesia AirAsia  have hubs in  Suvarnabhumi Airport  and  Soekarno-Hatta International Airport  respectively (AirAsia, 2011). AirAsia believes in the no-frills, hassle-free, low fare business concept and feels that keeping costs low requires high efficiency in every part of the business. Through the corporate philosophy of â€Å"Now Everyone Can Fly†, AirAsia has sparked a revolution in air travel with more and more people around the region choosing AirAsia as their preferred choice. AirAsiaRead MoreVirginias Winery Business Plan18780 Words   |  76 PagesVirginia’s Winery Business Plan Example 111 Winery Lane Churchville, VA 11111 Phone: (111) 111-1111 Email: virginiaswinery@gmail.com Website: http://www.virginiaswinery.com Owners: William and Wendy Vine Table of Contents Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Executive Summary ....................................................................Read MoreNationalism and Transnationalism in the Context of the European Union28567 Words   |  115 Pagesthat symposium proved that European unification process came a long way from lofty ideas to reality. The Spring of Europe With the impetus given by The Hague Conference, advanced action towards integration was taken. On 9th of May 1950, Schuman’s plan was presented.[82] On that memorable day in Paris, against the background of the Second World War overwhelming the whole of Europe, the French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman read to the international press a declaration calling France, Germany andRead MoreEfficient Capital Markets, Corporate Disclosure and Enron12656 Words   |  51 Pagesrationally related benefits accruing to the stockholders); L.A. Hamermesh, The Shareholder Rights By-Law: Douhts from Delaware, 5 CORP. GOVERNANCE ADVISOR 9 (1997) (Delaware fully supports the proposition, dismissed in some quarters as myopic, that the business and affairs of a Delaware for profit stock corporation are to be managed so as to maximize the value of the invesunent of one group and one group only, its stockholders.); see also Margaret M. Blair Lynn A. Stout, A Team Production Theory of C01porateRead MoreInformation Technology Project Management Appendix Answers Essay19447 Words   |  78 Pagespeople who work on information technology projects. Leading by example is the most important trait of effective project managers. The job market for information technology project managers continues to remain strong, especially for those with strong business and leadership skills. 6. Briefly describe some key events in the history of project management. What role does the Project Management Institute and other professional societies play in helping the profession Some people say that building the Egyptian

Haitian Revolution free essay sample

A revolution is a forcible overthrow of a government or social order for a new system.One of the most important revolution is the American Revolution. The American  Revolution was led by the Sons of Liberty. They were the most prominent men of  Boston. Eventually, farmers and merchants joined the revolution as well. All these men  and women wanted political change. They wanted freedom from England. The  Americans wanted to fight for equality and liberty.  Another great revolutions that has happened was the Haitian Revolution. At the  time Haiti was known as Saint-Domingue and was under the rule of the French. Saint-  Domingue at the time was the richest colony in the West Indies. It produced sugar,  coffee, cocoa, indigo, and tobacco. Their production was driven by slave labor and  enabled by fertile soil and ideal climate. Saint-Domingue had a ten to one ratio. Ten  being slaves and one being free people. We will write a custom essay sample on Haitian Revolution or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The slaves of Saint-Domingue had to suffer  more cruel conditions than the North American slaves. Simply because of the more  harsh labors of being on a coffee sugar plantation. The slaves desperately wanted freedom. In August 1791, more than one  hundred thousand slaves revolted against the french. Their main reason to participate  in this revolution was not just for liberty, but for revenge as well. They wanted  revenge for having to go through the enduring pain of being a slave. During the  months of the revolution, the slaves would torch many sugar and coffee plantations.  They would also kill the slave owners. Two years later, the slaves were successful in  gaining their freedom. The convention abolished slavery throughout its Caribbean  colonies and in 1795 granted former slaves full political rights. (pg 626). The American Revolution and Haitian Revolution was a bit similar. The slaves of  Haiti wanted freedom just like the Americans. However, the slaves of Haiti wanted  more than freedom, they wanted revenge. Those who led the revolution in Haiti was  also those who fought in the movement. The leaders of the revolution were  once  slaves. They knew what the harsh conditions that the slaves had to go through.  Therefore, the result would be beneficial to both groups. They gained freedom and  was able to have their revenge.

The India Monsoon free essay sample

The Indian Monsoon The monsoon is a yearly cycle, where the direction of the wind changes, bringing storms and rainfall to the land, and when the wind changes again it brings drought to the land. This creates a wet and a dry season in some areas, such as the Indian region. However, this is not a set of wet and dry seasons, the monsoon varies from year to year and even from day to day. The word monsoon is believed to have originated from the Arabic word mausem, which itself means season (Fein Stephens, 1987, p. 3). During the wet season of the monsoon intensive, storms and ainfall occurs. In the case of the Indian monsoon, during the summer the temperature rises, this makes the air hot. When air gets hot it rises, because the density of the molecules decreases. This creates a low atmospheric pressure, this low pressure acts as a vacuum system, bringing more and more air up. We will write a custom essay sample on The India Monsoon or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Indian Ocean gets hot as well; this makes water to evaporate and making the air humid. As this humid hot air reaches the Tibetan Plateau, the Orographic effect occurs creating condensation, and therefore storms and precipitation, this makes the wet season. On the other hand the opposite happens during dry season. Because of the height and extent of the Tibetan Plateau, it acts as a mechanical barrier for upper tropospheric western winds. In addition, the lowering of the temperature during the winter creates high atmospheric pressure. As temperature of the air decreases it moves down changing the direction of the wind. These changes on the direction of the wind, brings cold and dry air from the Himalayas. This is why there is little to no precipitation during the dry season (Fein Stephens, 1987, p. 32). This constant cycle between dry and wet season, or Indian monsoon, greatly influences the activities and culture of this region. The people of India have great festivals to celebrate the coming of the monsoon. There are also beautiful poems dedicated to the monsoon dating thousands of years back, demonstrating how influential the Indian monsoon is to this region (Fein Stephens, 1987, p. 55). This is no surprise here, since a lot of things depend on the rain that the monsoon brings to this region. For example, the agricultural sector still ighly depending on the rainfall that the monsoon brings, even so, new technologies of irrigation have been introduced to this region. To put it in perspective, about 90 per cent of the rice production in the world comes from this region, and this is only possible thanks to the Indian monsoon (Wang, 2006, p. 651). However, if the monsoon has a late cycle, agriculture is affected in this region, since the people of India depends on its rainfall for production. It takes 20 centimeters of rain per month to cultivate rice; this demonstrates how much water is needed in this area for griculture production (Wang, 2006, p. 661). On the other hand, too much rain also affects the people of India. Floods and landslides tend to be common during the wet season of the monsoon. In the year 2006, about 6 million people were affected in the state of Gujarat, when the monsoon caused floods up to 20 feet high. This brings an estimated 100 million dollars loss on properties. Landslides are also responsible for taking lives and damaging properties. In some cases landslides do not take place right away atter neavvy raintall; it may take days, weeks, or even months betore a andslide take place (Bryant, 2005, p. 262). Living in a region with a monsoonal climate has particular implications, and especially with a fast growing and dense population, as in the case of India. According to the World Population Data Sheet, India is the second most populous country in the planet, with population of 1,171 million of people, and is expected to be the most populous country by 2050. This puts a toll on the natural resources in this region, as more resources are needed. As the population grows, urbanization takes places. A rapid urbanization is taking place in his region due to people moving from rural areas to urban areas to find Jobs, and thus creating a fast growing and dense population. This rapid urbanization has several implications. For example, as population grows and moves to urban areas some people are forced to live in hilly areas, where landslides are common due to the Indian monsoon. Other people move to lowlands, where severe floods occur due to the monsoon. People also are forced to live on land that otherwise could be arable. This represents a problem, because as the population grows and more urbanization akes place, having less land to grow food produces stress on the land available for farming as demand increases. Tropical cyclones are common in the coastal areas due to the monsoon. It has been predicted that climate change will increase the intensity of these tropical cyclones. This puts in risk peoples livelihoods in cities, such as Mumbai, which is the Indias financial hub. This also could hurt the productivity and economy of India. In addition, this increase the intensity of tropical cyclones will bring an uneven distribution of the monsoons water; more precipitation will occur in he coastal areas and less precipitation in the interior of India, creating droughts. This could bring devastating consequences to millions of people of this region; since agriculture is highly depended on the precipitation that the Indian monsoon brings. We can conclude that the Indian monsoon, and its yearly cycle brings the needed water to this region, but we can also see that it is a double-edged sword. Too much water, and floods can occur, to little water and droughts can occur. We can also see how the monsoon affects the culture from its poetry, to the agriculture, and we can ee the implication of living in a monsoonal climate.

Result of US

Result of US Introduction The United States has had an eventful relationship with countries of Latin America. Latin America has historically been the US’s backyard as far as foreign policy is concerned (Cottam 4).Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Result of US-Venezuela Relations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Given its diversity and active politics, various US administrations since Kennedy have focused on different issues including military operations to achieve predetermined political and social ambitions, narcotics control, humanitarian interventions and economic aid to Latin America. Sullivan reinforces Cottam’s suggestion that that US policy concerns in Latin America mainly center on US funding for democracy projects, oil issues, human rights concerns, counter-narcotics and concerns about Venezuela’s involvement in Latin American politics (3). US policy images on Venezuela Relations A keen observer can easily note that Venezuela features in all the above policy issues. Hugo Chavez has led the country since 1998 safe for a brief period in 2002 when he was overthrown through popular protests and pressure from the military. Given his position as leader of the country, his stance on US policies and his pursuit of populist policies in the country and elsewhere in Latin America, Chavez remains a key figure to success or failure of US policies in Venezuela. Despite close relations between US and Venezuela, there has been friction between him and various US administrations. During all those times, US foreign officials have been careful on their wording on Venezuela especially stressing on the need for Chavez to accommodate some of the opposition’s grievances and Chavez’s adherence to democratic principles. It is important to note that the US’s approach in Venezuela is chiefly aimed at ensuring a continued steady supply of oil to the US at a reasonable and stable p rice.Advertising Looking for coursework on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to Clemente, some scholars on US’s Latin American policy conclude that US foreign policy officials view Latin American people including Venezuela as temperamental, immature and incapable of self governance (60). There is reluctance or plain lack of effort on the part of US officials to try to learn the exact needs of people of Venezuela. Clemente further asserts that many at times, US officials will ascribe negative moral traits to Latin American leaders like Chavez when these leaders oppose policies fronted by the US in South America (60). The above view by US officials fuels the image of inferior people in Venezuela, who have to subscribe to superior and seemingly â€Å"correct† US direction in the region. This perhaps informed the Bush administration’s support of the coup in Venezuela and support for opponents of Chavez in the pretext of promoting democracy. Implications The result of the above approach has been formulation of a somehow flawed US policy on Venezuela that is characteristic of unequal footing and lack of mutual trust. It is fair to conclude that the above image on Venezuela by the US is a little misguided. As such, its policy on the country is also likely to be error prone which may not be helpful in the long-term to US interests in the country. The above image by US officials has always been a pretext for intervention in Venezuela (Domingue and Fernandez de Castro 1). As noted earlier, the US has intervened in Venezuela through assistance of anti-Chavez groups that apparently promote democracy. The approach based on the above image has so far elicited unwanted reactions from Venezuela whose leader has embarked on a diplomatic counter offensive in Latin America to counter US policies. Given the successful fueling of anti-US sentiment in Latin Ameri ca by Venezuela, it is highly likely that US policy in the region will continue to meet resistance on various quarters. There is need for a shift in the thinking of US policy makers concerning the region. Continued basing of the policies on the above images will likely fuel a more interventionist-oriented US approach in South America which is likely to lead to more backlash.Advertising We will write a custom coursework sample on Result of US-Venezuela Relations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Clement, Christopher. â€Å"Latin American Perspectives: Venezuelan Exceptionalism Revisited†. New Perspectives on Politics and Society. 32. 3 (2005): 60-78. Cottam, Martha. Images and Intervention: U.S. Policies in Latin America, Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh Press, 1994. Print. Domingue, Jorge, and Fernandez de Castro, Rafael. Contemporary U.S.-Latin American Relations: Cooperation or Conflict in the 21st Century, New York: Taylor and Franci s, 2010. Print. Sullivan, Mark. Venezuela: Political Conditions and U.S. Policy, Washington: US Congress, 2005. Print.

Jitney essays

Jitney essays The off-Broadway show Jitney is based on a dramatic play, written by August Wilson. The production is held at the Union Square Theater. The house has a very pleasant, cozy and warm atmosphere. The structure of the small theater and its thrust stage successfully achieves intimacy. It also creates a bond between the actors and the audience, enabling the audience to relate to the characters feelings and emotions. In other words, the house was perfectly chosen for the production. The production was created very cost efficiently; at least the set was. It accomplished that by using a constant set throughout the entire show. The design of the set was very simple and consisted of inexpensive props that were on stage from the beginning to the end. Characters brought small props on to the stage, like a cup of coffee, a magazine, even a gun. But that wasnt enough of visual stimulation. Watching the same settings for two and a half hour can make the spectator very tired and bored. I cant say that the set didnt serve the productions purpose, but it could have been better. In order to keep the spectators interested and capture their absolute attention, a variety of visual stimuli have to be introduced into the production. The constant set and lack of visual effects made the show dull and less exciting than it could have been. The show tried to introduce some kind of change to the set, by the use of lighting. Donald Holder, the lighting designer succeeded in achieving the perception of change from day to night and sunrise to sunset. But his greater accomplishment was the setting of the light in a certain way to establish the mood of the scene. As in the scene where Youngblood went to sleep on the sofa of the jitney station, the red-hot lights that illuminated the set, portrayed a feeling of resentment and anger. The costume designer, Susan Hilferty also did a remarkable job designing the costu ...

Desiree's baby by kate chopin literary analysis Essay

Desiree's baby by kate chopin literary analysis - Essay Example However, fate was soon to prove what kind of a lover Armand really was. Yet, the irony lies in how he quickly judged his wife, saying she was not white when in the end, he was to discover that he was the quadroon. After Armand’s mother died, his father brought him from France to Louisiana when he was just eight years old. He met Desiree when they first went to the place however he seemed to notice her or never felt any strong feelings toward her until the day he saw her standing against the stone pillar while he was riding by. The man is described to have such strong feelings toward the maiden such that he seemed to have been â€Å"swept along like an avalanche, or like a prairie fire, or like anything that drives headlong over all obstacles† (Chopin). Perhaps the love that the young felt toward the woman was really strong so that he did not mind her background but was even willing to get her the best gifts for her wedding, patiently waiting for them to arrive from Pari s. Moreover, Armand’s love for the woman made him a better man as exemplified by the way he treated his servants from the time he married Desiree. It is also mentioned that the man’s face â€Å"had not often been disfigured by frowns since the day he fell in love with her†. ... He accused his wife of being Black because of their child who was growing to show the features of black people. He became cold toward Desiree and never bothered to hold his son again. He even was very willing to let go her wife and son just because of his suspicions. He did not show any interest in his wife or his son and he showed how strongly decided he was with his perceptions about her race when he never even stirred to stop the woman when she left the house with her son. As mentioned earlier, Armand is seen as a racist whose feelings toward his wife changed because of the color of his son’s skin. He assumed that Desiree might have come from a Black bloodline and this made him dislike her. However, reading through the end of the story, one cannot help to think that Armand’s reactions toward Desiree might have been deliberately done to hide what he might have felt about himself. The story does not clearly show if the letter of Armand’s mother confessing about her race was discovered even before Desiree and her son left. It is possible that Armand might have felt ashamed about his forebears and was embarrassed to even admit about it therefore he might just have made his wife the excuse to explain the color of his son. Armand became a man who was too proud to admit he was black or he might have been afraid about how he would be treated if his family background became known. As a master who was hard on his Black servants, he might have felt ashamed about himself. It is also possible that Armand might have felt afraid that Desiree will leave him if she learned about his mother and henceforth, he chose to hurt her instead of waiting for her to hurt him. Perhaps he was too

Estimating power and privilege Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Estimating power and privilege - Essay Example When I think about my friend, I find that I use the same criteria to classify him. I think that the reason I do this is because it draws distinctions or highlights the differences between us and provides a framework for identifying both similarities and differences. He is a male, I am a female; there is a multitude of implied sociological, as well as biological, differences in that category. My family has lived in America for the last seven generations and his grandfather came to the United States from Mexico; the cultural identity distinctions are numerous, as is our reference grid for perceiving the world around us. I am single and he is married; this relationship status implies an enormous number of social factors that define us both in different ways. As for intelligence, we are both pursuing degrees in higher education; for this specific comparison, this is more of a distinction that highlights our similarities over our differences. Finally, I am here and he is in Los Angeles; which means that our daily lives look very different. These identity definitions ar e important for the purposes of understanding similarities and differences. I think the benefits of privilege, and certainly the abuse of power, are often found within these categories. In looking at the abuse side of things, i.e., discrimination based on gender or ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc., I can see that any classification system can be abused; but I don't see any other way to make the identifications and distinctions that help me perceive the world. b. Relative Power and Privilege. In a similar way as identity classification, my estimation of my own personal situation in terms of privilege follows similar distinction. On the whole, I would rate my personal circumstances as a seven. The criteria I use to give myself this rating are; living conditions, career opportunities, and recreational pursuits. I guess my thinking about my personal privilege status is guided by the things for which I am grateful. That is why I chose the categories above. I feel very privileged to have a safe and secure place to live, and plenty of food to eat; which makes me more privileged than much of the world's population. I am also very grateful for the career opportunities that lay before me, particularly after I finish my education. I know that I have more control over my future as a result of several privileges I enjoy. Finally, I chose recreational pursuits because those things make me happy. One reason my privilege score is so high is that I enjoy doing certain things and, when I engage in those activities, my quality of life and general mood are enhanced. If I were to have no time to play, because I had to spend every waking minute looking for food or working to stay alive, I would not be the privileged person I am right now. I don't know that I specifically rejected any other criteria for establishing my status, as much as I just followed my own internal logic. Certainly, there are many other categories of comparison that could be used to quantify privilege or power; but for me, the most important ones are those that directly impact my daily life and happiness. As I noted previously, my sense of privilege foll

U. S. student population Essay Example for Free

U. S. student population Essay The sources indicate that there are key individual differences among learners which standardized testing may not be sensitive to. Racial discrimination can occur within the confines of a testing facility when certain questions included in the test are more favorable to certain ethnic, religious, or social groups or if they are less favorable to others. This weakness of standardized tests have already been acknowledged back in the Clinton administration when the Educational Commission claimed that SAT scores do not reveal all of the competencies of those who take them. A particular example that depicts the failure of standardized tests in measuring individual work competence is the case of Hope who was an able education student who could not pass licensure testing despite of her high marks in practical examinations and demo teaching exercises because she has a disorder that makes her read slower than normal. Presentation America is the melting pot of human diversity. Its population is composed of so many different ethnicities, religions, cultures, socioeconomic and sociopolitical stratifications that its minorities are the majority. It is needless to say that these differences naturally find their way in all aspects of American life, especially in education. However the problem arises when the way that the school system expects students to perform is to be measured by standards that are not fair to all. Standardized testing is the administration of a single, uniform evaluation upon all the members of the population. From standardized tests, a performance of the individual relative to the group can be measured and inferences as to which college he or she qualifies in are made. This means that the results of standardized tests basically dictate what a student is good enough to do in the academic world. It is therefore of utmost importance that such tests are conducted in a fair, undiscriminating manner and that the tests themselves give equal chances to all to be able to show what they can do. However, the individual differences of students in terms of their language proficiencies, learning, styles, and social and cultural inclinations seriously lead to such standardized tests being biased towards or against certain groups. The American public school system is composed of a great many students who are using English as a Second Language. These people who come from Asia, the Middle East, or Latin America have as much right as the next student to be able to perform to the best of his or her ability during standardized tests. However, when it is considered that all such tests are worded in formal English, the discrimination against these groups becomes apparent. A student can be a genius at calculus but if he does not understand terminologies used because he is more used to dealing with their Spanish or Arabic counterparts, it can be expected that he would perform poorly in a calculus exam. There is no question that the English language should be a part of standardized testing and it is, but allowing students who cannot speak English so well no alternatives in taking tests on other topics such as science and mathematics means that the system is forcing them to take English exams regardless of what subject is written on the test booklet. In any subject, learning is not supposed to be limited within the confines of the pencil and the paper. In science, experiments are conducted in order to verify laws while enhancing students’ competence with various equipment. The competencies that students gain in this manner cannot be tested by multiple choice questions on an SAT examination. The worlds future rocket scientists may not be so keen at memorization but they could be excellent at practical application of theories and concepts. However, standardized testing may well cut off any chances that they could have to become NASA pilots just because they are not good at multiple choice tests, something that they would hardly need when they’re up in space! Different students have different learning styles, this applies to how students are evaluated as well. If standardized testing would restrict evaluation to just pencil and paper multiple choice items, then it is closing its doors to all the many other learners who just happen to be naturally attuned to other equally important aspects of learning. Lastly, points of discrimination can be within questions themselves. A standardized test that concentrates too much in using examples in football games when giving details to math problems would confuse those who do not follow the game from answering the questions correctly. Including opinionated, political details to questions about comprehension can distract students from responding. All of these biases should be weeded out of any test that is to be administered to the U. S. student population. Standardized testing is supposed to have the value of giving everyone an equal shot. It is supposed to promote equality among all existing groups and fairness towards obtaining opportunities. However, evidences sow that the exact opposite may be happening. The current use of standardizes testing is disenfranchising various lingual, learning, and cultural groups from being able to fully express their academic competence. This is a grave problem for the educational system which should be addressed promptly and effectively. Students, educators, and government should all work together to be able to revamp this system of evaluation to standards that are truly fair.

The Internet and Intellectual Property Laws Essay -- Internet Online

The Internet and Intellectual Property Laws With the emergence and growth of the internet, intellectual property laws are much harder to enforce and many people are saying that they are outdated and obsolete. Intellectual property allows you to own your ideas, thoughts, and creativity as you would own a piece of tangible property. The human mind is a creative tool that comes up with ideas, designs, schemes, and inspirations of all kinds. Intellectual property views these ideas as being property. The ideas must also have commercial value and be a tradable commodity otherwise there would be no point to protect it. Intellectual property is basically the ownership of ideas. If one were to write a novel, for which the idea was conceived in there mind, they could copyright that novel so that no other person could steal that idea and write another novel on it. Copyright is a type of intellectual property. The main types of intellectual property are patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyrights. There are many issues arising abou t copyright and intellectual property due to the technological advances in the past ten years or so. A patent is a way to protect your invention. A patent makes sure that no other person can make, sell, offer for sale, or import your invention for a certain amount of time, in Canada it is 20 years. Since you have put a lot of time and effort into creating and producing your product, a patent prohibits others from copying your creation so all of your time doesn’t go to waste. This allows you to properly market your creation and prevent competition in the early stages of your commercialization effort. Patentable material includes any â€Å"new and useful art, process, machine, manufacture or composition of ... .../31intell.htm> Intellectual Property. No date. Government of UK. 26 Jan. 2003 > Intellectual Property in Health Research. No Date. HRC 2 Feb. 2003 Levy, Steven. â€Å"Issues of Intellectual Property & Copyright for Educators†. Newsweek. 27 Feb. 1995. 26 Jan. 2003 McCullagh, Dean. â€Å"Judge: Kazaa can be Sued in US†. 10 Jan. 2003. 1 Feb. 2003 Overbye, Morten. â€Å"Teen Cleared in Landmark DVD Case.† 7 Jan. 2002. CNN. 26 Jan. 2003 FootNotes 1Baumer and Poindexter (pg42) 2http://www.bountyquest.com/patent/whatisip.htm 3http://news.com.com/2100-1023-980274.html?tag=lh 4http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/01/07/dvd.johansen/

Euclid: the Father of Geometry

In Alexandria, the second largest city in Egypt, one of the greatest mathematicians to ever exist on Earth was born in 325 BCE. This mathematician’s name was Euclid. He is said to be the son of Naucrates. Euclid was named after Euclid of Megara, a philosopher who lived one hundred years before him. Not only was Euclid a mathematician and a scientist, he was an author as well. Euclid’s most well-known writing was a series of books called â€Å"The Elements†.The Elements were on subjects like circles, irrational numbers, 3D geometry, plane geometry and number theory. The Elements consist of five postulates and definitions. These books explained simple theories to detailed explanations of what a line is. Although he did not discover most of these he was the first to publish a series about them. Euclid also wrote â€Å"Data†, â€Å"which looked at what properties of figures can be deducted when other properties were given. He wrote â€Å"On Divisions† â€Å"which looked at constructions to divide a figure into two parts with area of given ratio. † â€Å"Optics† â€Å"was the first Greek book on perspective†. â€Å"Phaenomena† was about mathematical astronomy. Euclid also wrote many other books that were lost in history such as Surface Loci, Porisms, Elements of Music, Conics, and Book of Fallacies. He is considered to be the father of geometry because of the theories he discussed in his books.Some of which still have not been proven to be true in this day and age. Although there is very little known about Euclid he is also considered to be the greatest math teacher in the world. In fact after he died in 265 BCE his fellow mathematicians continued to write books under his name.Worked sited: http://farside. ph. utexas. edu/euclid. html http://www. e271. net/~marina/euclid. html Quotes from: http://www-gap. dcs. st-and. ac. uk/~history/Biographies/Euclid. html

How to Break Up with Your Boyfriend

How to cope with being dumped by your boyfriend â€Å"I pray your brakes go out running down a hill, I pray a flower pot falls from a window sill, and knocks you in the head like I'd like to.. † Pray for you-Jaron and the long road to love. When you have a boyfriend whose cheating on you, you need to take certain steps to ensure that you make him as miserable as he made you. You will need to show him that the break up didn't hurt you (even if it really did), delete his phone number from his contacts and delete him off of facebook, and flirt with other boys and have fun!To show him that you didn't care about the break up call him up some day and ask him to go to lunch or a movie, when he says yes make sure you have enough time to get yourself looking super good before your date. Show up a few minutes late so you can make an entrance and just go in and sit down, after a few minutes of awkward silence say ‘I'm so glad we broke up, I've been seeing this other guy and I think it's going to work out really well, my family loves him. Don't explain any more and get up and walk away. He will be sitting there wondering what the heck he just threw out the window, and you being so happy about it will really hit him where it hurts. When you delete his phone number and delete him from facebook he will no longer be able to ‘check up' on you, which will drive him insane. Go out and have fun with your girls and show him that you're having the time of your life, and he's really missing out on it.If he texts you just reply with a simple â€Å"hey, who is this? † and nothing more, he'll wonder why you deleted his number out of your phone and realize you really are done with him.. Which will really hurt his ego. Flirt alot! if you ever see him out or around school act really playful with all of the guys around you, even his friends, if you have enough courage to do so.If he sits a couple seats behind you in class make a plan with one of your friends to tal k about this new mysterious guy you've been seeing and really make him wonder who it could be, and who could be so much better than he was? â€Å"I pray your birthday comes and nobody calls, I pray you're flying high when your engine stalls, I pray all your dreams, never come true.. † Pray for you -Jaron and the long road to love. So when you get broken up with the next time, and it's really hurting you, try these three easy steps in making it look easy, in the process!

Wentworth Medical Center Essay Example

Wentworth Medical Center Essay Example Wentworth Medical Center Paper Wentworth Medical Center Paper Essay Topic: Medical In this case we looked at data from a long-term study of individuals 65 years of age or older, sociologists and physicians at the Wentworth Medical Center in upstate New York investigated the relationship between geographic location and depression. A sample of 60 individuals, all in reasonably good health, was selected; 20 were residents of Florida, 20 were residents of New York, and 20 were residents of North Carolina. From the data collected we could know that the higher test scores indicate higher levels of depression. The descriptive statistics of the data collected are as following: GROUPSSIZESUMMEANSAMPLE VARIANCE FLORIDA2088.504.423.81 NEW YORK20131.536.583.95 NORTH CAROLINA20137.096.852.31 For the second part of this study, we considered the relationship between geographic location and depression for individuals 65 years of age or older who had a chronic health condition such as arthritis, hypertension, or heart ailment. A sample of 60 individuals with such conditions was identified. 20 were residents of Florida, 20 were residents of New York, and 20 were residents of North Carolina. The descriptive statistics of the data are as following: GROUPSSIZESUMMEANSAMPLE VARIANCE FLORIDA20284.7114.2415.88 NEW YORK20313.1515.669.82 NORTH CAROLINA20321.0116.0512.79 In both of the two tables above, we found that the residents in Florida shows the lowest mean scores than either of the other states, implying that the level of depression is lowest than others. Compare these two tables, we found that the depression mean scores and variance of health individual is far lower than the individuals with chronic health problem. First, we determine if there is any difference in depression means for the three states within the health individuals, we have conducted the following hypothesis test, with the level of significance 0.05: H0:  µ1 =  µ2 =  µ3 Ha: Not all are equal where:  µ1= population mean of depression scores in Florida  µ2= population mean of depression scores in New York  µ3= population mean of depression scores in North Carolina We use Analysis of Variance to determine whether the observed differences in the three sample means are large enough to reject H0. SSDFMSFF CRITP-VALUE TREATMENT70.75235.3710.543.160.00 ERROR191.38573.36 TOTAL262.1359 The sampling distribution of MSTR/MSE is an F distribution with numerator degrees of freedom equal to 2 and denominator degrees of freedom equal to 57. From the ANOVA table above, we found that the p-value for this test is equals to 0 which is less than the level of significance of ÃŽ ±=0.05. As a result, we reject H0 and conclude that the means of the three depression levels between difference states are not equal. For further test, we need to determine where the differences occur. We use Fisher’s LSD procedure to make three pairwise comparisons: Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 H0:  µ1 =  µ2H0:  µ1 =  µ3H0:  µ2 =  µ3 Ha:  µ1 ≠   µ2Ha:  µ1 ≠   µ3Ha:  µ2 ≠   µ3 where:  µ1=population mean of depression scores in Florida  µ2= population mean of depression scores in New York  µ3= population mean of depression scores in North Carolina We use the level of significance of ÃŽ ±=0.05. The value of LSD in this case is equals to 1.16. We only reject null hypothesis when test statistic |xÌ„i xÌ„j| LSD. The calculated results are as following: Test StatisticLSD Test 12.151.16 Test 22.431.16 Test 30.281.16 The difference between the mean for population 1 and population 2 are greater than LSD, which means we can reject null hypothesis and conclude that the mean for population 1 is not equals to population 2. Similarly, with the difference between the sample means for population 1 and 3 is 2.431.16, we can also reject null hypothesis. But in test 3, the difference between the sample means for population 2 and 3 is 0.280.05). As a result, we could not reject null hypothesis, and conclude that there is no difference between the mean of depression levels of the individuals who had a

US Presidents Religion According to the Constitution

US Presidents Religion According to the Constitution With all the rumors claiming former President Barack Obama was a Muslim, its fair to ask: So what if he was? Whats wrong with having a Muslim president? The answer is: not a thing. The No Religious Test Clause of the U.S. Constitution makes it perfectly clear that voters can elect a Muslim President of the United States or one belonging to any faith they choose, even none at all. In fact, three Muslims are currently serving in the 116th Congress: On November 6, 2018, Michigan Democrat Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar became the first Muslim women elected to the House, where the join Rep. Andre Carson, a Muslim Democrat from Indiana. In the general realm of Arab religions, all three Hindus who served in the 115th Congress were reelected to the 116th: Rep. Ro Khanna, (D-California); Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, (D-Illinois); and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, (D-Hawaii). Article VI, paragraph 3 of the U.S.  Constitution states: The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States. By and large, however, American presidents have been Christians. To date, not a single Jew, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh or other non-Christian has occupied the White House. Obama has repeatedly stated that he was and is a Christian. That hasnt stopped his most strident critics from raising questions about his faith and fomenting vicious innuendo by claiming falsely that Obama canceled the National Day of Prayer or that he supports the mosque near ground zero. The only qualifications required of presidents by the Constitution are that they be natural-born citizens who are at least 35 years old and have resided in the country for at least 14 years. Theres nothing in Constitution disqualifying a Muslim president. Whether America is ready for a Muslim president is another story. Religious Makeup of Congress While the percentage of U.S. adults who describe themselves as Christians has been declining for decades, a Pew Research Center analysis shows that the religious makeup of Congress has changed only slightly since the early 1960s. The new, 116th Congress includes the first two Muslim women ever to serve in the House of Representatives, and is, overall, slightly more religiously diverse than the 115th Congress. The number of Congress members who identify as Christian has declined by 3 percentage points. In the 115th Congress, 91 percent of members were Christian, while in the 116th, 88 percent are Christian. In addition, four more Jews, one more Muslim, and one more Unitarian Universalist are serving in the 116th Congress. The number of members who decline to state their religious affiliation increased by eight- from 10 in the 115th Congress to 18 in the 116th Congress. Despite their slight decrease, the number of self-identified Christians in Congress- especially Protestants and Catholics- are still overrepresented in proportion to their presence in the general public. As Pew Research notes, the overall religious makeup of the 116th Congress â€Å"is very different from that of the United States population.† Religions of the Founding Fathers Given the diversity of faiths held by America’s Founding Fathers, the fact that the Constitution places no restrictions on religious affiliation, or lack thereof. In his book â€Å"The Faiths of the Founding Fathers,† historian of American religion David L. Holmes notes that Founding Fathers fell into three religious categories: The largest group, practicing Christians who expressed a traditional belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ. Patrick Henry, John Jay, and Samuel Adams, as well as most of their wives and children fell into this category. The founders who, while retaining their Christian loyalties and practices, were influenced by Deism, the belief that, while God as the creator exists, he or she cannot perform miracles, answer prayers, or play any part in the lives of humans. These Deistic Christians included John Adams, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and James Monroe. The smallest group, including Thomas Paine and Ethan Allen, who had abandoned their former Judeo-Christian heritages and had become Deists who openly adhered to the Enlightenment period’s religion of nature and reason. Updated by Robert Longley

Health of Family Business' Consultant's Report Essay

Health of Family Business' Consultant's Report - Essay Example It took a time to establish a brand name in the competitive market. Still this a room for improvement in the operational and strategic issues and activities. Organizational structure is not clearly defined among the employees. There are no clear-cut hierarchy levels. When there are no managerial levels then defiantly there is a lack of role clarity among the employees. The customer base is segmented into different segments and then company may design different product lines in order to attract any particular segment. The Apparel store do not have a marketing department rather there is only a marketing manager who himself focus on all the marketing demands and then make strategic plans to fulfill that particular demand. Form marketing point of view the Apparel store is doing well as compare to the competitive businesses. Nevertheless, the Store may face certain challenges regarding their financial matters. Overall Zara apparel store is working in a good condition. There is a five-year plan to extend the branch of the Apparel Store in the next cities also. Zara Apparel store should focus on the distribution strategy because the customers are facing certain delivery problems. Zara Apparel Store is a local famous clothing family owned business, working successfully for the past decade in the local operational area. The famous person of the locality started this clothing business in 2001. The store was a small one at the time of inauguration but now the operations are so widen that it covers a major portion of the local market. In the next 5-7 years, the owners have a plan to expand the operational serving area into the near geographical boundaries. The owners of the family owned business Zara Apparel Store have also a planning to make an extension in the product lines of the business. Currently the business is serving a major portion of the customer market by offering desired

National Institute of Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

National Institute of Health - Essay Example And they are more inconsistent, affected by momentary events and dominated by objects in their immediate environment". However, when every function of the child is predominated by such behaviour then it is time to take cognizance. (Barkley, Russell. A, 1998). This disorder was first described by Heinrich Hoffman in 1845. A child with this affliction will either be hyperactive or will seem to be always lost in a brown study. The main causes for this disease are supposed to be neurobiological and genetic. A possible correlation between the use of alcohol and nicotine during pregnancy has been established by various studies. (Stock, Margaret, n.d). The hormone epinephrine (also known as adrenaline), is released during stressful situations producing an increased heart rate and increased blood flow to the muscles. Stimulants act similarly by increasing the levels of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. In addition they also act on the limbic system that reward behaviours like sexual intercourse, eating and drinking or in other words actions that are beneficial to the continuation of the species. These are normally accompanied by positive sensations due to increased levels of dopamine in the limbic system. Stimulants mimic this activity but at a much more enhanced level producing euphoric sensations by directly increasing dopamine level

The Constitution of the United States Assignment

The Constitution of the United States - Assignment Example It has long been the tradition of rulers to have a constitution that is used to form the basis of governance. Since the earliest recorded history, constitutions were used to define who held the authority to tax or hold property. Constitutions had the additional responsibility of defining what the public's rights were and designing a structure of law enforcement. The wording and intent of a constitution define the nature that the government will have and the limits of its authority over individual freedom, free thought, free thought, and the ability of the people to make any necessary change. These traditions carried over to the US Constitution, which is a written document that defines the structure of government and its relationship to the people. As with the constitutions that preceded it, the document sets limits on power and provides a means to enact and enforce legislation. The US Constitution presents an agreed upon set of principles that are acknowledged to be universal and a system to implement these beliefs. The US Constitution spells out the rights that the people have and the legal recourse available when these rights are violated. The US constitution is based on the principle of separation of powers, which divides authority among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. These basic principles were adopted from earlier European thinkers and constitutions, and form the foundation of the more eloquent expression that the legislative process is based on. In addition, the US constitution embodies the philosophical beliefs in equality and fairness that Americans have come to take for granted. While these principles were written into the original text, additional elaboration on individual rights and the need to accommodate a changing society have necessitated the addition of amendments.  

Converting Paper Records to a Computer Based Health Record Essay Example for Free

Converting Paper Records to a Computer Based Health Record Essay Traditional utilization of paper based medical records leads to the dispersion of clinical information as a result of the heterogeneous character of hospital systems. Due to this, the development of a clinical information system that can integrate hospital information as well as enable cooperation amongst legacy systems became a difficult task. System integration as well as the development of an efficient clinical information management system was thereby dependent upon the creation of conceptual and architectural tools that will enable such an integration. In line with this, many healthcare institutions are currently seeking to establish the integration of their workstations through the utilization of technological tools. Such tools are effective in the arrangement of clinical matters as well as in the arrangement of administrative and financial information. Clinical information systems are utilized by healthcare institutions in their integration of information. At this point, the utilization of electronic medical systems in healthcare delivery is evident in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Hong Kong, Canada, as well as Australia. The current shift from a human memory based paradigm to a technological paradigm can be traced to the recent emphasis given on health care quality improvement and cost reduction. In lieu of this, policymakers started to adopt health information technology such as the Electronic Medical Record (EMR). According to Tim Scott in Implementing an Electronic Medical Record System, most information regarding the use of EMR systems are derived from the Regenstrief Institute, Brigham and Womens Hospital, the Department of Veterans Affairs, LDS Hospital, and Kaiser Permanente. The information derived from the following medical institutions shows the following. First, success is dependent upon the organizational tools rather than on the type of technology used. Second, minimal changes were noted in terms of increase of quality and efficiency as a result of the system’s adaptation. Such findings thereby led to the slow adoption and implementation of EMR systems since majority of medical institutions as well as healthcare systems required the high verifiability of the systems utility. True enough, researches within these institutions also showed that EMR systems increase the quality of patient care as it decreases medical errors, however, the economic aspect regarding its use has not been well documented leaving most medical institutions adamant regarding its implementation. In lieu of this, the paper is divided into three parts. The first part will present the rationale behind the formation of the technology based medical paradigm. It will be formulated within the parameters of Thomas Kuhn’s conception of scientific revolutions. The second part present a discussion of the various EMR components and the problems encountered in its implementation at Kaiser. The last part, on the other hand, will concentrate on presenting possible solutions to the problems evident in the utilization of the EMR systems within the Kaiser program while giving specific emphasis on the role of the agent in successful implementation. Thomas Kuhn, in his work entitled The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, discusses the very nature and necessity of what he calls scientific revolutions. In this particular work, Kuhn sees an apparent parallelism between political revolutions on the one hand, and scientific revolutions on the other. Kuhn writes: â€Å"scientific revolutions†¦ (are) those non-cumulative developmental episodes in which an older paradigm is replaced in whole or in part by an incompatible new one† (2000, p. 50). On a preliminary note, paradigms are frameworks in and through which we approach phenomena, in general. They are models, so to speak. Naturally enough, different models employ different methodologies, different methodologies in turn, generate different types of knowledge, which, consequently, have different criteria of proof or validity. Scientific development, as Kuhn contends, may appropriately be characterized by paradigm shifts and this he calls scientific revolutions. It is important to note that scientific developments do not occur in a vacuum. For the aforementioned reason, there is a felt need to situate scientific developments in the historical context within which they are conceived, proposed and ultimately, institutionalized and integrated as part of society’s shared knowledge. This is to say that scientific revolutions are also proper objects of historical analysis and discourse in as much as political revolutions are. Kuhn contends that there is a parallelism between political and scientific revolutions. As pointed out earlier, it is important to note that he characterizes scientific revolutions as â€Å"those non-cumulative developmental episodes in which an older paradigm is replaced in whole or in part by an incompatible new one. † Kuhn’s characterization emphasizes two important points. First, â€Å"that there is a replacement of an old paradigm by a new one†. Second, â€Å"that the new paradigm is not merely something new; it is also incompatible with the old paradigm†. This is to say that the incompatibility or the irreconcilability of the new paradigm with the old paradigm serves as warrant for the necessity of such a revolution. Although there are significant differences in both scientific and political developments, Kuhn argues that one may be justified in using the notion of revolution as a metaphor for understanding them. He writes: Political revolutions are inaugurated by a growing sense, often restricted to a segment of the political community, that existing institutions have ceased adequately to meet the problems posed by the environment that they have in part created. In much the same way, scientific revolutions are inaugurated by a growing sense, again often restricted to a narrow subdivision of the scientific community that an existing paradigm has ceased to function adequately in the exploration of an aspect of nature to which that paradigm itself had previously led the way. (2000, p. 150) Kuhn’s parallelism is thus, founded on the idea that in both cases, a sense of malfunction (in our institutions as for the case of the political, and in our paradigms as for the case of the scientific) necessitates for the occurrence of a revolution. In relation to this, the shift from a human memory based paradigm to the technological paradigm may be likened to a revolutionary development within the field of medical data acquisition and retention. The difference between the human memory based paradigm as opposed to the technological paradigm stems from the ascription of greater subjectivity in relation to human memory based data as opposed to technologically maintained data. As was stated in the first part of the paper, the heterogeneous characteristic of medical institutions stems from the existence of various separate holistic systems within it. As a result of this, deriving and correlating clinical information becomes tedious. The main reason for this stems from human memory based paradigms utilization of paper based records which has a high probability of non-viability and unreliability. Examples of this are evident in evidence-based medicines non-adherence to the traditional methods of training and practice. Second, paper based records fall short of their original expectations. The objective of the healthcare record is to identify problems and to understand the impact of the illness on the individual thereby enabling the amelioration of the problem to the patients satisfaction, within the bounds of medical capabilities and society’s resource limitations(Simpson and Robinson, 2002, p. 115). The main limitation of the paper bound records, therefore, stem from their inability of being multiply accessible to members of society. On the other hand, Scott related the reasons for the development of a technology based paradigm with the high verifiability of the positive results of technologically determined medical care processes. According to Scott, new technologies make it possible to evaluate and intervene to improve care in ways not heretofore possible (2002, p. 2). In line with this, members of both the public and private sector lobby for the accessibility of technological improvements. For the members of the private sector, this is due to the inclusion of the medical industry within the business sphere. For the members of the public sector, on the hand, demands for greater accountability for health care stems from the prevailing belief that technological advancements must be made accessible to the general public. According to the IOM, information technologys role in the substantial improvement of the redesign of the healthcare system is important since it ensures the formation of a strong infrastructure in supporting efforts to reengineer care processes oordinate patient care across clinicians and settings and overtime, support multidisciplinary team functioning, and facilitate performance and outcome measurement for improvement and accountability (qtd in Scott, 2002, p. 4). The results of the success of the EMR are traceable to the developments within the field of e-Health. According to Silber, EMR serves as the fundamental building block for the development of va rious applications such as the use of ICT by the Primary Health Care Team. Others involve the use of ERM for validation of research or as an instrument in Continuing Medical Education. Information necessary for the functions ascribed above, in relation to the personal health record, are possible since the health record’s functionality enables the inclusion of the following: practitioner order entry, electronic patient record, document management, clinical decision support, administrative data, integrated communication support, as well as access to knowledge and resources. According to Raymonds and Dolds, the functions of each component are as follows. The electronic patient record presents the patients history. Document management, on the other hand contains the actions undertaken in relation to the patients diagnosis. Clinical decision support as compared to the later contains the alerts based on current data from the electronic medical record, evidence based practical guidelines or more complex artificial intelligence systems for diagnostic support†. Access to administrative related information such as admission and discharge are contained within the section encompassing administrative data. Integrated communication support however provides the tools for the facilitation of effective and efficient communication amongst members of the patients health team. The last part enables access to other sources of information regarding the patients condition (Scott, 2007, p. 4). The Kaiser Permanente EMR implementation presented one of the main problems in relation to the utilization of the components of the technologically based paradigm. It was recognized that the problems arose due to several factors which range from the software’s lack of efficiency up to the non adherence of specific qualities of the program with the social conditions in the region as well as the team’s lack of background in relation to the efficiency the program necessitates with regards to the division of the work flow as well as its dependence upon all the players within the medical institutions that the program was implemented. Scott however stated that what should be given credence with regards to the above failed project is not so much as the failure of the program but the possibilities it opened in relation to the creation and implementation of new EMR programs in the future. Scott states, success and failure are socially negotiable judgments, not static categories† (2007, p. 43). Hence if such is the case it is thereby possible to conceive of the problems noted by Hartswood et al (2003) in relation to the user-led characteristic of EMR. The social negotiability of judgments thereby ensures the possibility of reversals in judgments as soon as occasions arise wherein a perceived failure may be reconnected with an overall success. In line with this, the continuous developments within the various EMR systems produced and implemented within the country ensures the viability and possibility of a near success and perfection within the system which in a sense also ensures the possibility of another scientific revolution in the near future whose scope may extend beyond that of the technological sphere.

Pearl Harbor Essay -- American History World War 2 WWII

"Yesterday, Dec. 7, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." Exactly as Franklin Delano Roosevelt proclaimed in his speech to Congress, December 7th would indeed live in infamy. Pearl Harbor was the most pivotal foreign affairs incident for the United States since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Not only was it significant domestically, it had resounding consequences across the globe. It has lived on as one of the single most tragic events on United States soil. Early Warnings The United States had received many warnings stating there would be an attack on Pearl Harbor. In October, the Soviets top spy, Richard Sorge, informed Kermlin that Pearl Harbor would be attacked in sixty days. Moscow had then informed him that this had been passed on to the United States. The United States completely ignored all references to an attack on Pearl Harbor. On December 6th at 9:30pm, Roosevelt had read the first thirteen parts of the decoded declaration of war that the Japanese had sent to us. The document stated "This means war." This is when Roosevelt decided that it was time to proclaim war on Japan. Unfortunately, his decision did not reach Pearl Harbor in any helpful form before it was too late. Pearl Harbor has remained a controversial topic for these very same reasons. Franklin Delano Roosevelt has been blamed for not recognizing the seemingly obvious threats, but recently; a different take on the situation has surfaced. Historians have allowed for the possibility that Roosevelt was prevented from taking action by Congress. Some evidence to support this is an account by Harry Hopkins of the President'... ...concentration camps. These people were taken mainly from the west coast, apparently in case Japan invaded. Upon entering, they were searched, and stripped of any cameras or anything that might be construed as a weapon. Personal belongings were often taken, as well. Despite this, it is not often that you will hear a discussion of the American concentration camps during a history class in the United States. Conclusion Over the years, Pearl Harbor and all things surrounding it have been a controversial and sometimes tense subject. Some people would insist that FDR was a war-monger who could be held directly responsible for the loss of American lives. Others would say that he simply faced the facts. Both groups would be forced to agree that this country, indeed, this entire world, would be a much different place if the Japanese had not made their fateful sneak attack.

According to National Institute of Health

According to National Institute of Health (NIH) (2006), Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is caused by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) by gradually destroying CD4+ T cells (also called â€Å"T-helper cells†), which play a significant role in the immune response system.In a healthy subject the CD4+ T cells range between 800 to 1,200 cells/mm3 but when this count falls below 200 cells/mm3, the individual is most vulnerable to â€Å"opportunistic infections† and cancers typical of AIDS.From the above it is evident that body has its own mechanism to prevent infections i.e., immune response system comprising of CD4+ T cells which are actually attacked by HIV systematically destroying the CD4+ T cells. These cells are active in fighting back infections attacking the body, thus once their count falls abnormally the body is vulnerable to the so called â€Å"opportunistic infections† which are typical of AIDS.Grant and Cock (2001) stated that general symptoms i n the early stages include loss of weight, fever, sweating during nights, diarrhea and frequent skin disorders especially of varicella zoster, fungal infections and pruriginous dermatitis leading to itchy rashes resulting into ulcerations and healing with pigmented macules.However the expanded definition of AIDS states that in addition to the above mentioned symptoms an individual is stated to be suffering from AIDS if the test for HIV antibody gives a positive result subject to one or more of the following conditions:à ¼Ã‚   Weight loss of more than 10%à ¼Ã‚   Cryptococcal meningitisà ¼Ã‚   Pulmonary or extra pulmonary tuberculosisà ¼Ã‚   Kaposi’s Sarcomaà ¼Ã‚   Neurological impairment sufficient to prevent independent daily activities.à ¼Ã‚   Candidiasis of the oesophagus and oral region accompanied by dysphagiaà ¼Ã‚   Recurrent episodes of pneumonia with or without aetiological confirmationà ¼Ã‚   Invasive cervical cancerCandidiasis of the oesophagus and oral regio n is caused to infection by fungus in immunocompromised patients such as those suffering from AIDS and gradually no medication may be effective in future course of time ultimately leading to loss of appetite and weight.Cryptococcal meningitis is infection of the brain and is due to spread of fungus from lungs to the brain through blood circulation. People who have defects in their cell-mediated immunity such those suffering from AIDS, are susceptible to disseminated cryptococcosis. Cryptococcal meningitis is fatal. The fungus infects the nervous system causing inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord.The more frequent probable causes of HIV related diseases include cerebral toxoplasmosis and cryptococcal meningitis, â€Å"cerebral toxoplasmosis most often presents as a space occupying lesion of the brain, and cryptococcosis as chronic meningitis† thus brain gets effected in particular and nervous system in general.One of the important â€Å"opportunis tic infections† includes tuberculosis and may be detected at any stage in the course of immunodeficiency. Pulmonary tuberculosis is similar to non-HIV infected subjects in the initial stages of HIV infection, but the advanced stages of immunodeficiency exhibit â€Å"disseminated and multibacillary nature of tuberculosis† thus causing extensive damage to lungs in general and pulmonary system in particular.Pneumonia is an acute or chronic inflammation of lungs caused due to infection caused by a bacteria, virus or fungus. Patients suffering from AIDS easily get affected by opportunistic infections causing pneumocystis pneumonia or cytomegalovirus pneumonia.People suffering from AIDS are infected by various types of pneumonia affecting the lungs and respiratory system, thus respiratory system gets seriously affected along with the immune system.Kaposi’s Sarcoma is cancer of skin, mucous membranes and blood vessels. Kaposi’s Sarcoma is characterized by bleedin g at different sites on patient’s skin with the formation of round or elliptical lesions about quarter inch to one inch in size.

Research Methodology, Design and Process: Dementia Care

Abstract The ability to critically analyse literature is an important skill for evidence-based practice. This literature review aimed to critically analysed literature on dementia care. A search of literature was conducted on academic databases such as Pubmed and CINAHL. Three studies were finally retrieved for this literature review. Each of these studies was critiqued using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool for qualitative studies and the critiquing framework of Long et al. (2002). Findings of this literature review could be used to inform current and future community nursing practice. Specifically, this review revealed that music therapy could improve the mood of individuals with dementia and show evidence in improving memory function. While findings could not be applicable to a wider population, nurses could utilise findings and tailor these to the individual needs of their patients. Introduction Evidence-based practice (EBP) is heavily promoted in the NHS since this helps nurses and other healthcare practitioners apply findings of recently published literature to one’s current and future practice. The Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC, 2008) code of conduct also emphasises that healthcare decisions should be evidence-based and supported by published literature and current guidelines. Developing the ability to critically analyse literature is essential when developing evidence-based care (Greenhalgh, 2010; Aveyard, 2014). There is a wealth of information from published literature and current guidelines. Determining the relevance and quality of these findings will help inform nurses whether findings are credible and valid before they are applied to current practice. As part of community nursing, I am interested in improving my current practice in order to deliver quality care to my patients. The recent policy on community care from the Department of Health (2013a) emphasises the importance of allowing patients with chronic conditions and their carers to self-manage their conditions, achieve self-efficacy and lessen admissions in hospital settings. This policy, â€Å"Care in Local Communities-District Nurse Vision and Model’ (Department of Health, 2013a) emphasises the role of nurses in supporting patients and their carers to improve their health outcomes. While it is acknowledged that patients with chronic illnesses may never recover from their condition, nurses have the responsibility to help patients or their carers manage signs and symptoms of the chronic illness. As a nurse in community setting, I have cared for patients with dementia. I saw how this condition impacts the patient’s quality of life and even increase the risk of depression amongst their carers (Talbot and Verrinder, 2009). I always had an interest in caring for patients with dementia. However, I noticed that most pharmacologic treatments have little effect in delaying the progression of cognitive impairments amongst these patients (Miller, 2009). These treatments are also costly and place a considerable burden on the family members and the NHS (Department of Health, 2013b). Hence, I thought that familiarising myself with non-pharmacologic interventions and their effects on cognition or memory of the patient would be important in my role as a community nurse. A number of non-pharmacologic interventions to preserve memory or delay cognitive decline have been developed in the last two decades. Studies (Spector et al., 2010; Hansen et al., 2006; Vink et al., 2004; Teri et al., 2003) show that these interventions range from motor stimulation, exercise programmes, sensory stimulation and cognitive training. Amongst these interventions, music therapy has been suggested to be least harmful and relatively effective. Some investigators (Fornazzari et al., 2006; Cuddy and Duffin, 2005) have shown that even in patients with severe dementia, music memory seemed to be preserved. However, some studies (Menard and Belleville, 2009; Baird and Samsom, 2009) suggest otherwise and explain that some patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) suffer from impaired music memory. One study (Baird and Samson, 2009) however, explained that procedural memory, specifically for musical stimuli are not affected in persons with dementia. With the acknowledgement tha t most pharmacologic interventions have limited ability to treat the symptoms associated with dementia, it is essential to consider how non-pharmacologic interventions, such as music therapy, alleviate symptoms of this condition. In order to enhance my current and future nursing practice and to increase my understanding on the relevance of music therapy to dementia care, I have decided to research this topic further. Literature Search A search of literature from academic databases such as the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and Pubmed was done to retrieve relevant studies. CINAHL indexes more than 5,000 nursing and allied health sciences journals and contains almost 4 million citations. The depth of research articles indexed in this database makes it a database of choice for research on the effects of music therapy on patients suffering from dementia. Meanwhile, Pubmed was also used to search for academic literature. This database also contains millions of citations and indexes nursing and allied health journals. A quick search for ‘music therapy AND dementia’ was done in Pubmed since this database focuses on nursing and allied health journals. This search yielded 20 articles, most of which were available as full text journals. The same keywords were entered in the CINAHL database. The search yielded 14 articles, with almost all articles available as full text articles. A review of the abstracts of all articles was done to select only primary research studies conducted in the last five years. Polit et al. (2013) state that retrieving journal articles in the last five years will ensure that the most recent evidence is used to inform current and future nursing practice. Literature older than five years old may be outdated. However, this also increases the risk of excluding landmark studies (Aveyard, 2014). For the present review, the selection of studies was only restricted to the last five years to ensure that more recent evidence on music therapy were evaluated and critiqued. The re was also no restriction on the place where the studies were conducted since dementia affects people of different ethnicities. Learning from the experiences of other nurses or healthcare practitioners on the use of music therapy for dementia patients would also help improve nursing practice in the UK. The following articles were chosen for critique and evaluation: Simmons-Stern et al. (2012) ‘Music-based memory enhancement in Alzheimer’s disease: promise and limitations’ Sakamoto et al. (2013) ‘Comparing the effects of different individualized music interventions for elderly individuals with severe dementia’, Dermot et al. (2014) ‘The importance of music for people with dementia: the perspectives of people with dementia, family carers, staff and music therapists’ As previously stated, I am interested in how music therapy could help me assist my patients delay the progression of dementia and help them and their carers self-manage the signs and symptoms of dementia. Hence, all articles are relevant my work as a community nurse. To critique these studies, the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP, 2013) tool for critiquing qualitative studies was utilised. For the quantitative studies, Long et al. (2002) critiquing framework for quantitative studies was used. Both critiquing frameworks are easy to use and help researchers investigate the quality and rigour of research articles. Study 1: Simmons-Stern et al. (2012 A review of the title of the study shows that it reflected the main aim and objectives of the study. The title was concise and provided information to the readers that the study aimed to present the limitations of music-based memory enhancement as well as its possible application to nursing practice. Polit et al. (2013) emphasise the importance of creating a concise and clear title in order not to mislead readers and to inform stakeholders if the article is worth reading. A review was also done on the author’s background and shows that all had extensive background on dementia research and healthcare. This was essential since credibility of the authors’ background could increase the reliability of the findings of the study (Long et al., 2002). However, Hek and Moule (2011) emphasise that the authors’ background is not the sole criterion in assessing the credibility of the findings of the study. The abstract of the study failed to mention the type of study design used. While the abstract summarises the aims and main findings of the study, it did not follow the usual structure of an abstract in a journal article where the methodology or methods used are explicitly stated. Ellis (2010) reiterates that an abstract should provide a brief summary of the study’s background, aims and objectives, methodology, results and conclusion. Although it was difficult to determine why the researchers of this study failed to present the methodology in the abstract, readers of the study could have benefited from an abstract that states the methodology of the study. Reading of the body of the article would show that the quantitative study design was used. The study aimed to investigate the effects of music on the memory of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, one of the diseases grouped under dementia. Simmons-Stern et al. (2012) made excellent use of literature and related findings from previous studies with the current study. Apart from the excellent use of literature, there was also a very good review of the previous studies and a gap in literature was clearly presented. Hence, the literature review of the study was well written and provided the readers with good background on why there is a need to carry out the present study. Polit et al. (2013) emphasise that a well-written review of literature should be able to provide context to the study’s aims and objectives and argue why there is a need to address the gaps in literature. Importantly, Simmons-Stern et al. (2012) avoided the use of jargon when writing the paper. Burns and Grove (2013) explain that the use of jargon should be avoided since this excludes readers of the article that have no nursing or medical background. A good paper is one that is written for a general audience and not only for a scientific community (Burns and Grove, 2013). A total of 12 participants who were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and 17 healthy controls g ave their informed consents to participate in the study. Brown (2009) states the importance of obtaining the informed consent of participants before commencing the study. This would not only protect the rights of the participants but also ensure that the nurse researchers are observing the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC, 2008) code of conduct in protecting the patients or participants from harm. Part of obtaining an informed consent is the presentation of the study’s aims and objectives, possible side effects or benefits when participating in the study (Brown, 2009). An informed consent will also ensure that debriefing is provided to the participants to avoid any harm and psychological distress to the participants (Oermann, 2010). Apart from getting the informed consent, it was also crucial that an ethics committee has evaluated and approved the study protocol. An evaluation of the study reveals that this was observed and an ethics committee approved the study. On reflection, the study has a very small sample size (n=12 experimental group; n=17 control group). This would have taken a randomised controlled study design since a control group was used to compare the effects of music therapy on the patients with a healthy control. However, the investigators specifically state that this study was comparative. An inclusion and exclusion criteria were used when recruiting the patients, suggesting that participants were not randomly selected. Since the study was quantitative and employed the experimental study design, random sampling of the participants who have been more applicable (Crookes and Davies, 2004). It should be noted that it would also be difficult to randomise participants since this study was only conduc ted in one healthcare setting and it was crucial that participants have developed AD. While randomisation of participants was not observed, it is noteworthy that the investigators stated how many of the participants were excluded from the study and the reasons of their exclusion. This was essential since failure to explain why participants who gave their informed consents to participate in the study but were later excluded in the actual experiment would make the data collection process unclear (Moule and Goodman, 2009). Despite the small sample size, the demographic characteristics of the two groups were not significantly different when t-test was done. There were no significant differences in prior musical training, formal or informal, years of education and age between the participants of the two groups. This allowed the investigators to determine if there were differences after the study, this might have been due to the intervention employed. After informed consents were taken, the authors of the study declared that they paid the participants for the hours spent during the study. Compensating the participants for the time is considered as ethical since considerable time has been taken away from the subjects for their participation in the study (Hek and Moule, 2011). The interventions were clearly stated. This increased the rigour of the study since a clearly stated research method would help other investigators replicate the methods in future studies and verify whether similar findings are obtain ed (Hek and Moule, 2011). Simmons-Stern et al. (2012) also specifically outlined the lyrics used and where these were obtained and how music memory of the participants was tested. Results section of the study clearly presented the main findings of the study. Appropriate statistical tests were also utilised to test the hypotheses of the research. Polit et al. (2013) emphasise that statistical tests should be appropriate to the study’s aims and objectives and should rule out any biases in interpretation of the findings. Despite having a small sample size, the researchers were able to establish that music in patients with AD enhances memory in terms of familiarisation of sung lyrics but not in spoken stimuli. This suggests that in patients with AD, they can enhance their memory when familiarising with the lyrics or listening to music but not when they hear spoken language. There were also no significant differences in the healthy control and experimental groups in terms of memory after hearing the lyrics of a song compared to hearing the lyrics as a spoken stimuli. Since this study has a small sample size, the applicability of the findings to a larger and more heterogeneous population would be difficult (Burns and Grove, 2013). Although a control was used, it should be noted that participants in the experimental group are in the early stages of AD. This could have affected the findings of the study since it is unclear if patients with severe dementia would also yield similar reactions and results. At present, the findings are applicable to the sample population of the study and importantly, only on individuals in the early stages of dementia. While there were several limitations of the study, findings are noteworthy since these show that music therapy is promising as a non-pharmacologic intervention for enhancing memory in individuals with early stage dementia. The conclusion of the study was clearly presented and summarises the key points presented in the study. Although the discussion states future areas of study, there were no clear recommendations in the conclusion. Specific recommendations could have been made at the end to help future researchers identify areas of investigation. There were also no implications for future nursing and other healthcare practitioners’ practices. Despite the lack of clear recommendations, readers can still read through the study and identify areas that need further investigation. For example, there is a need to replicate the study in a larger and randomly selected sample population to strengthen the validity and reliability of the findings. There is also a need to compare findings with patients suffering from moderate to severe dementia to determine if music still has similar effects on the memory of those in advanced stages of the illness. There are a number of implications of the study in nursing practice. Nurses can use music to help enhance memory or prevent deterioration of memory amongst individuals with early stages of the disease. It is essential to consider the acceptability of music therapy in those suffering from dementia. As a whole, the study was of high quality and effort was made to reduce bias within the study. Although the investigators failed to blind assessors to the study, findings were presented objectively. It is also difficult to blind assessors because of the very small sample size (Burns and Grove, 2013). All investigators were familiar with the background of the participants and blinding them to the intervention was difficult since these investigators were also responsible in implementing the interventions. Finally, there were no conflicts of interest (Polit et al., 2013), ensuring the readers that bias in presentation of findings was avoided. Study 2: Sakamoto et al. (2013) An evaluation of the study’s title reveals that it was concise and clearly reflects the study’s aims and objectives. This was essential (Long et al., 2002) since this would present to the readers the main aim of the study. The type of study design chosen to answer the study’s aims was also appropriate. A quantitative study design would help investigators answer the research aims and objectives through experimentation, surveys or a randomised controlled trial (RCT) (Brown, 2009). In Sakamoto et al. (2013), the randomised controlled study design was used. Compared to other quantitative study designs, a RCT reduces risk of selection bias and bias in interpretation of findings (Moule and Goodman, 2009). Selection bias occurs when participants are not randomly selected and do no have equal chances of being assigned to a control or experimental groups (Crookes and Davies, 2004). This is avoided in RCT since all participants are randomly assigned to an experimental or c ontrol group. On the other hand, bias in interpretation of findings is lessened especially if investigators and assessors are blinded to the interventions and standard treatment (Oermann, 2010). A critical analysis of the study shows all participants in the study were randomly assigned to the treatment and standard care groups. However, a major limitation of this study was its relatively small sample size (n=39). It would be difficult to transfer findings to a larger and more heterogeneous group due to the representativeness of the sample population (Ellis, 2010). While it is difficult to transfer findings to other settings due to the relatively small sample size, community nurses may consider the applicability of the findings to their own practice. It is noteworthy that it would be difficult to recruit participants in the advanced stages of dementia since their ability to give their informed consent is severely limited (Department of Health, 2009). Further, their participation requires that their carers or immediate family members are aware of the study’s aims and objectives and should be able to assist the participants during the the study. While an ethics board app roved the study and informed consents were taken from the respondents or their representatives (Burns and Grove, 2013), involving individuals who suffer from severe cognitive impairment would be difficult. This also carries some ethical issues since their ability to understand the procedures of the study is compromised (Hek and Moule, 2011). Although the Mental Health Act in the UK acknowledges that carers can act in behalf of the individual with mental health condition, ethics regarding their participation in research studies remains debatable (Department of Health, 2009). Despite the possible ethical issues surrounding the study, investigators of this study used other means of evaluation to assess the participants’ responses to the interventions. For example, they used the Faces Scale (Sakamoto et al., 2013) to determine the emotions of the participants. A review of the study’s aims and objective shows that these were clearly presented in the beginning of the study. The introduction and review of literature also made excellent use of previous studies. It is also important to note the gaps in practice in recent studies were highlighted in the literature review section (Ellis, 2010). A good literature also argues why there is a need for the new study and how this could be applied to current healthcare practices (Ross, 2012). Methodology and methods used were also appropriate for the research question. Since the study aimed to determine the effectiveness of music therapy, it is appropriate that a RCT is used to compare music therapy with st andard care. Comparing music therapy with standard care is ethical (Ross, 2012) since all patients in the study received interventions. It would be unethical to withdraw treatment or assign participants to a control group that would receive no intervention (Crookes and Daives, 2004). The evaluation tools used to measure the responses of the patients were appropriate and have been previously validated and standardised. This was necessary to convey to the readers that validated measurement tools were used in the study (Moule and Goodman, 2009). A clear description of the research methods was presented. This would allow future researchers to replicate the present study (Oermann, 2010) and determine if similar findings could be observed. This also increases rigour of the study (Burns and Grove, 2013) since it is essential for other researchers to also test the hypothesis of the study and ensure that results are consistent across different healthcare settings. Results of the study were well presented and appropriate statistical tests were used. The discussion section of the study presented the strengths and limitations of the study. Polit et al. (2013) emphasise that presenting the limitations of a study will help inform other researchers on areas that need further improvement and presents areas for further research. Since weaknesses of the study were presented, readers and other healthcare practitioners can determine the extent in which the findings can be applied to current and future nursing practice (Burns and Grove, 2013) . The conclusion of the study succinctly captures the main points raised in the research study. This helped the researchers identify the main highlights of the study (Ellis, 2010). However, recommendations for other researchers and areas of improvement of the study were not cited. While the discussion section presented these limitations and areas for future studies, brief recommendations at the end of the study could have added rigour to the research study. Importantly, there were no conflicts of interest. This assured the readers that bias in reporting of data was reduced (Ellis, 2010). Findings of this study have important implications in nursing practice. All participants received either the passive or interactive music intervention while the control group received no music intervention. There was careful choice of music in the interactive group. For example, healthcare workers assigned to the interactive group helped investigators choose music for the patient participants. Music played during the intervention all had special meaning to the participants. All interventions were given individually for 30 minutes per session at once a week for 10 weeks. Those in the interactive group were allowed to clap, sing or interact with the music. Meanwhile, those in the passive group only listened to the music. The music chosen for the passive group also had special meaning to the participants. Those in the control group sat in silence for 30 minutes during the once a week session. Interestingly, findings show that music associated with special memories led to significant cha nges in the parasympathetic nervous system of the participants. Investigators note that music significantly increased relaxation of the individuals immediately after intervention when compared to baseline data. However, these were not noted in the control group. Significant changes were also seen on the emotional states of the participants in the interactive and passive music intervention groups. Music appeared to elicit pleasant emotional states. However, when passive and interactive groups were compared, the latter was significantly more relaxed following the music intervention. It should be noted that patients with severe dementia are more sensitive to environmental stimuli and may experience stress when placed in a new environment (Morris and Morris, 2010). Further, patients with cognitive impairments may express feelings of stress and fear through disruptive behaviour (Morris and Morris, 2010). The difficulty in verbalising their emotional needs could aggravate their responses to their surroundings (Department of Health, 2009). Hence, the st udy of Sakamoto et al. (2013) may have important implications in nursing care for patients in community settings. Nurses can encourage family members to play music that have special meaning to their loved ones suffering from dementia to illicit positive emotional states. The calming effect of music could be an advantage for patients cared in home or care settings since this would not only prevent stress but also allow patients to enjoy quality of life. Study 3: Dermot et al. (2014) A review of the study’s title shows that it also reflects the main aims and objectives of the study. Readers could easily understand that the study explored the experiences of individuals with dementia, their carers, staff and music therapists when music interventions are employed. The CASP (2013) tool for qualitative studies contains three screening questions that should be used to determine if a study is worth reviewing. The study of Dermot et al. (2014) suggests that music can help maintain the person’s interconnectedness and their quality of life. Findings have important implications in nursing practice since music intervention (Miller, 2009) is not costly and could yield positive results for patients suffering from early to advanced stages of dementia. Further review of the study shows that aims and objectives of the research were clearly stated. The main aim of the study was to explore the meaning of music in the lives of individuals suffering from dementia. Inves tigators of this study state that there is limited knowledge on why or how individuals find music beneficial to their wellbeing. Understanding the role of music according to the perceptions of the patients and their carers will help inform nursing practice on the relevance of music in the lives of people with dementia. A qualitative research methodology was appropriate for the study’s aims since the research aims to interpret the subjective experiences of individuals with dementia. Parahoo (2006) emphasises that a qualitative study allows researchers to explore the experiences and perceptions of individuals in more detail and depth. Since open-ended questions are used, investigators can use probing questions (Burns and Grove, 2013) to help participants articulate their experiences. One of the strengths of this study was the inclusion of participants’ family members, care home staff and music therapists. Individuals suffering from dementia were recruited from care homes and those living in the community. This allowed Dermot et al. (2014) to compare the perceptions of people with dementia living in care homes or in the community and determine if settings of the individuals impact their experiences with music therapy. Recruitment strategy employed was also appropriate for the research ai ms. There was also a clear explanation on the methods of data collection. Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were done. In the former, this would allow researchers to investigate perceptions of participants in more detail (Parahoo, 2006). However, this requires more time to complete especially if there are many participants in a study. A focus group discussion, on the other hand, requires little resources and could be completed in one setting (Polit et al., 2013). However, if a dominant member would be included in a focus group discussion, interactions would be limited (Burns and Grove, 2013). This could be avoided with a facilitator who knows how to redirect the discussion to all members of the focus group. A stregnth of the study of Dermot et al. (2014) is the presentation of a rationalisation on why they used a combination of focus groups and in-depth interviews. It should also be noted that participants with dementia might display cognitive impairments, depending on the stage of their illness. Hence, requiring these patients to explain their experiences in more depth might be challenging. However, the investigators tried to mitigate this challenge by including carers of the patients as part of the study participants. Inclusion of carers could provide researchers with more detailed information on how music impacts the wellbeing and quality of life of the patients since these carers are more acquainted with the individuals suffering from dementia (Miranda-Castillo et al., 2010). It is also noteworthy that music therapy was individualised to the patients in the study. Thi s suggests that comparison of music therapy received by the patients was not done. Instead, investigators focused on the impact of music therapy on the patients’ wellbeing. In addition, the study did not take into account the differences in music interventions and whether this shaped the individual’s reaction to music therapy. Despite the differences in music intervention, it was common for the music therapists to use songs that were well-known to the patients. They also supported active music therapy with exploratory improvisation. Dermot et al. (2014), however, failed to explain what is exploratory improvisation or how this was done during music therapy. There was also an explanation on the content of the guides used for the in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. This was essential to demonstrate the coverage of the interview guides and whether each guide reflects the aims and objectives of the study (Moule and Goodman, 2009). However, the relationship between the researchers and the participants was not thoroughly discussed. If the participants knew the investigators, this might lead to potential bias especially if the researchers hold positions of power (Oermann, 2010). Despite this limitation, Dermot et al. (2014) emphasise that only one facilitator guided the focus group discussions. There were changes in the methods used during data collection. For instance, where a focus group discussion was initially decided, this was then changed to individual interviews in the second group of patients and healthcare workers. Dermot et al. (2014) explain that the severity of dementia of the patients was considered in the choice of d ata collection. In-depth interviews were used when patients had severe dementia. There were also sufficient details on how participants were recruited and whether ethical standards were observed. Polit et al. (2013) state that ethics in research is crucial to ensure that the rights of the participants were observed and they were not subjected to undue stress or negative experiences during data collection. Confidentiality was also observed in the study and all participants remained anonymous. Approval was also sought from an ethics board in the community settings. Data analysis of qualitative data could be extensive and time consuming (Parahoo, 2006). Informing readers how data was analysed would help increase the rigour of a qualitative study. Dermot et al. (2014) provided an in-depth description of how data was analysed. Thematic analysis was also used to present the main findings of the study. There was also a clear description on how categories and themes emerged. For instance, the long-table approach was used during analysis of data. Verbatim transcripts wer e used to support the main themes. This ensures validity and credibility of the main themes generated in the study (Polit et al., 2013). Contradictory data were also taken into account. The researchers also critically examined their own roles in the research process and the potential bias that might arise during analysis of research data. While respondent was not done, validity and credibility of the data were observed through constant comparison of categories and themes. More than one researcher was involved in the analysis of data. Professors and doctoral students of the Doctoral Programme in Music Therapy were also consulted during thematic analysis and were involved in identifying categories. Importantly, findings were discussed with reference to the original research question. A discussion was also made on the relevance of the study to dementia care. Findings of this study suggest that music is a medium that is readily accessible to patients with dementia. Many of the patients, their carers and healthcare staff admitted that music promotes mental stimulation and is an emotionally meaningful experience. Almost all participants also remarked that song lyrics with personal meanings helped patients remember their personal history. It is also perceived to reinforce personal and cultural identity. Music is also perceiv ed to promote connectedness and building and sustaining of relationships. In addition, music has immediate effects on the mood of the patients. Most of the staff members who participated in the focus group discussions remarked that agitation of the patients decreased as a result of music therapy. It is also shown to promote a relaxing environment in the care homes. On the other hand, listening to music in the lounge area could be challenging since care home residents might have different music preferences. Hence, it would be a challenge for healthcare workers to address all the music preferences of the patients. Since the study was qualitative, transferability of the findings to a larger and more heterogeneous population is impossible (Polit et al., 2013). However, other healthcare practitioners could use findings to help build a peaceful environment for patients suffering from dementia. A further review of the study also shows that the conclusion summarises the main points raised in the study and provides recommendations for other researchers to consider in similar studies in the future. Implications of Findings in Nursing Practice Findings of this literature review could be used to improve nursing practice when caring for patients with dementia. All three studies (Simmons-Stern et al., 2012; Sakamoto et al., 2013; Dermot et al., 2014) included in this literature review demonstrate the impact of music therapy on patients with dementia. Music therapy could improve health outcomes and quality of life of the patients from early to advanced stages of the disease. In the latter, patients who have difficulty communicating their needs, react positively to music therapy. Many of the patients with severe dementia show less agitation when exposed to music that was once relevant to them before they suffered from dementia. This suggests that music therapy could even not only promote positive mood of the patients but might even reconnect them to ‘who they are’ (Dermot et al., 2014). This holds important implications in nursing practice in community settings. Music therapy could be introduced to families caring for a loved one with dementia and could be used to calm the patient, reconnect with their family members and create an environment that is less stressful for the individual with dementia. The type of music therapy, however, will be dependent on the preferences of the individual (Sakamoto et al., 2013). This is consistent with patient-centred care (Department of Health, 2009) where patient preferences are considered when creating a care plan or introducing healthcare interventions. It is suggested that interactive music therapy (Simmons-Stern et al., 2012; Sakamoto et al., 2013) might be more effective than passive music therapy in improving memory and mood of the patients with dementia. As a community nurse, I need to be aware of the different non-pharmacologic interventions for people with dementia. I can use findings of this review when caring for patients suffering from dementia. Music therapy is relatively easy to carry out and entails very little cost. Importantly, it has positive short and long-term impacts on patient’s mood, memory and quality of life. Hence, considering this type of intervention could also help ease the burden of carers who provide care to these patients on a daily basis. I could use information from this literature when conducting patient education. I can inform my patients and their family members of the benefits of music therapy and the sustainability of this type of therapy over time. I can also encourage family members to consider music therapy to help alleviate the mood of the patients and provide a calm environment. Conclusion This literature review has shown the feasibility and promise of music therapy in promoting wellbeing, improving memory and quality of life of patients with dementia. As a community nurse, music therapy could be employed with the help of a music therapist in community settings. Families and carers could be taught on how to use this type of therapy to improve the mood of the patient or to calm the individual when agitated. This type of therapy holds some promise in long-term care for people with dementia. As shown in the review, individuals with severe dementia still have the ability to respond positively to music therapy. However, consideration should still be made on the applicability of the findings of the three studies to a larger and more heterogeneous population. All studies recruited a relatively small sample size that might not be representative of the experiences of a wider group of people with dementia. Although this limits applicability, findings can be tailored to the needs of individual patients. Considerations should also be made on the preferences of the patients and their family members on whether music therapy is acceptable to them. Since there is a need to practice patient-centred care, nurses have to determine if patients or their family members are willing to employ music therapy. It should ne noted that this literature review is only limited to reviewing three studies. Literature on the acceptability of music therapy was not evaluated. Despite this gap in the present literature review, the positive responses generated after music therapy should help patients and their family members consider music therapy. References Aveyard, H. (2014) Doing a literature review in health & social care: A practical guide. 2nd ed. Berkshire: Open University Press. Baird, A. & Samson, S. (2009) Memory for music in Alzheimer’s disease: unforgettableNeuropsychology Review. 19(1), p. 85–101. Brown, S. (2009) Evidence-based nursing: the research-practice connection. Sudbury Mass: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Burns, N. & Grove, S. 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