Health Promotion and Nursing practice Essay

Heath promotion as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2013) is â€Å"the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve health. It moves beyond a focus on individual behavior towards a wide range of social and environmental interventions. † It is the intention of this writer to present health promotion in nursing practice and relate this to methods implemented that encompass nursing. For the purpose of this paper the writer will use stroke to exemplify the issues. Influential forces effecting health can be political, social, physical, and economic. Internal factors affecting health can be emotional, intellectual, spiritual and psychosocial. Ones own lifestyle guides the way for health promotion or health destruction. The American Nurses Association (ANA) guides the scope of practice by advocating safe quality care. Included is the necessity to provide interventions that include health promotion and prevention of sickness and disability. The patient today is more complex and the focus includes family and community. Three levels of nursing prevention primary, secondary, and tertiary should involve consumers (ANA, 2007). The purpose of health promotion in nursing practice it to educate, influence and assist the patient to maintain an existing quality of life by preventing illness, slowing the progression of an illness or managing an illness. Public health promotion is an organized response to populations to prevent injury, disability, and address social conditions and problems . To have a well functioning society it is important to maintain a healthy community. Nursing Interventions assist the patient to make educated choices regarding lifestyle changes. According to Edelman and Mandle (2010) these various levels of health promotion introduced by Leavall and Clark are primary, secondary, and tertiary. They are on a continuum but may overlap. Prevention at the primary level is to protect and promote health of the community or person from injury or disease (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). Community support is important at this level for the individual to incorporate and maintain healthy habits. Nursing plays an important role in education at this level in hopes of producing healthy behaviors. According to Martinez and Kravitz (2010), education for cardiovascular health would include, healthy weight, smoking cessation, maintaining blood pressure, and a healthy diet. These health facts could educate the patient and guide in the prevention of stroke or myocardial infarction. Warning signs of stoke listed in this article are numbness/weakness, confusion/odd speech, visual problems, dizziness/ loss of coordination, and headache without a cause. Education implemented in the community regarding chronic disease is proactive. According to Alspac (2013) we still have a lapse in the use of calling 911when stroke symptoms are recognized. They imply professionals need to provide better education on placing warning signs of a stroke as a â€Å"medical emergency by calling 911. † Nursing can provide these implementations in a variety of settings. As we move forward to the secondary level of health promotion prevention as stated previously it can overlap with another level. This writer has experience in her work setting with a stroke alert team. Borrowed from the National Stoke Association is the acronym FAST (F=face, A= arm, S=speech, and T=time). At the secondary and primary level this could be recognized as a useful tool primarily for education and secondarily for assessment. The secondary level is where interventions treat an early stage of a disease or provide screening. Screening gives one the ability to reduce disease progression by early detection. Nurses can influence by educating during screening (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). According to Bergman (2011) stroke is a major cause of long-term disability. By treating early one would hope not to progress to the tertiary level. Bergman (2011) states, †Modern stroke care poses unique challenges to the nurse practitioner (NP) in diagnosis, care, risk prevention, patient education and, follow-up. † (p. 659). The writer notes this must pertain to the type of stoke occurring. One needs to do a thorough evidence-based evaluation for appropriate interventions. Recommendations at the secondary level are for life style changes and treatment of any other existing diseases (Bergman, 2011). Screenings at the secondary level would include blood pressure checks, cholesterol level checks, assess physical activity level. Interventions may be to treat elevated blood pressure, lower cholesterol, treat diabetes appropriately, and start anticoagulants if warranted. A patient encountering a stroke can have mild to profound disabilities. The tertiary level of health promotion is of great importance to a stroke patient and their family. Tertiary prevention is a process of minimizing effects of disability by preventing further decline. Tertiary promotions focus is rehabilitative measures and management of the disability by helping the patient achieve and maintain an ideal functioning level (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). Education is a continuum from the secondary level to the tertiary level with patient and family. According to Cameron (2013) the family educational needs may differ from the patients needs including changes at home after discharge, altered roles, and stressors with available resources. At the tertiary level of stoke rehabilitation there is a great emphasis on multidisciplinary collaborative education (Cameron, 2013). This writer practiced rehabilitative nursing and the facility had a transition room. This room mimicked a home setting with bedroom and kitchen. The patient’s family would provide all care prior to discharge in preparation for home care. It tremendously helped in planning further educational needs and discharge readiness. Jarmer and Fielding (2010) interventions include improving mobility and independence and assisting to cope with change. Treatment plans must be individualized to the type of disability. The biggest issue after discharge is safety. Nurses make up the majority of health care providers patients interact with. Nurses are a major resource for education and health promotion. The future of nursing is changing from an acute care based practice to a community based health promotion practice. The role of the nurse in this new practice will be multifaceted. Public health nursing will be an expanding role. The shift in role to public health nurse will require analytic assessment skills, cultural competence, program planning skills and, community dimension skills (Kulbok, Thatcher, Park, & Meszaros, 2013). Cultural competencies assist the nurse to understand health promotion from the community’s viewpoint. This can includes values, beliefs, traditions and, attitudes. Program planning is used to optimize health through evidence-based programs made possible with analytic assessment skills (Kulbok et. al. , 2013). Community dimensions skills refer to collaborative efforts among community leaders and stakeholders. The United States is a melting pot of cultural diversity nurses need to be prepared at all levels. There are many aspects of emerging roles of future nursing most notable is the ability to lead. References Alspach, J. (2013). Improving recognition and response to onset of stroke. Critical Care Nurse, 33, 9-13. doi:10. 4037 /ccn2013909 American Nurses Association (ANA). (2007). Health of the public. Retrieved from http://web. archive. org/web/20071027171411/http://www. nursingworld. org/ MainMenuCategories/HealthcarePolicyIssues/HoP. aspx Bergman, D. (2011). Preventing recurrent cerebrovascular events in patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack: The current data. Journal Of The American Academy Of Nurse Practitioners, 23, 659-666. doi:10. 1111/j. 1745-7599. 2011. 00650. x Cameron, V. (2013). Best practices for stroke patient and family education in acute care Setting: A literature review. MEDSURG Nursing, 22(1), 51-55. Edelman, C. , Mandle, C. (2010). Health promotion throughout the life span. Retrieved From http://pageburstls. elsevier. com/books/9780323056625/id//B97803230566 25000103_p1005 Jarmer, L. , & Fielding, R (2010). After the stroke. Rehab Management : The Interdisciplinary Journal Of Rehabilitation, 23(5), 18-21. Kulbok, P. A. , Thatcher, E. , Park, E. , Meszaros, P. S. (2012). Evolving public health nursing Roles: Focus on community participatory health promotion and prevention. The Online Journal Of Issues In Nursing, 17, doi: 10. 3912/OJIN. vol17No02Mn01 Martinez, A. , & kravitz, L. (2010). Cardiovascular health goals. IDEA Fitness Journal. 7(5), 14-17. World Health Organization (WHO). (2013). Health Promotion. Retrieved from http://www. Who. int/topics/health_promotion/en/

Organizational Culture Analysis Essay

Each organization has a different culture. The culture can help shape how an organization functions and has the potential to set it apart from the competition. There are three levels to culture: observable artifacts, espoused values, and enacted values (Baack, 2012). Each level plays a different part within an organization. State Farm Insurance is the larges mutual property and casualty insurance carrier in the United States. The company was founded over 90 years ago and has had plenty of time to develop their layers of culture. Observable artifacts are the outward viewable signs of an organization. Observable artifacts are viewed not only by the employees of the company but also by outsiders. State Farm has a various artifacts. The company has a recognizable logo and slogan, â€Å"Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there†. These have artifacts are recognizable in most households. On an internal level, yearly there are ceremonies that the company conducts to reinforce the feeling of family. Yearly the company holds Christmas in the Atrium where Santa comes for all of the employees and their families to visit. Annual Easter parties and Founder’s Day celebrations also encourage the neighborly atmosphere, keeping in line with the slogan. According to Baack (2012), espoused values are aspirational opposed to the actual outcome. The values set forth by the company are to act as a guide but are not always achievable. State Farm includes its values within the mission statement, â€Å"†¦quality service and relationships, mutual trust, integrity and financial strength† (State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, 2013). The most recent value set by the company is to be remarkable. Employees not only need to strive to give remarkable service to the agents and the policyholders but also be remarkable in the interactions with fellow employees. The idea of providing remarkable service guides how employees are to work everyday. It defines the product being sold and the interaction with policyholders. The last layer of culture is enacted values. These values are the actual behaviors exhibited by the employees. Rick Darby of Safety Culture (2012) stated, â€Å"the enacted values of an organization†¦may be at a considerable distance from those proclaimed in official statements and public relations material†. In the case of State Farm and being â€Å"remarkable†, employees are having a hard time providing the remarkable service. Slow systems, being short handed, and a disconnect between operation employees and agents, contribute to less than remarkable service. These enacted values differ from what the company would like but not much has been done to rectify the situation. Darby (2012) believed if a great gap was found between enacted values of the employees and the espoused values of upper management, there could be confusion and dissatisfaction. The dissatisfaction found in employees can start to alter the observable artifacts of the company. The recognition of State Farm for being an admired company will stop being awarded if management does not address the enacted value of its employees. The three levels of culture contribute to how an organization is presented to the public. Observable artifacts, espoused values, and enacted values all supply a foundation for the organization’s culture. The culture of the organization is part of what defines their success and growth. State Farm is known as the good neighbor company but needs to address the enacted values of the employees in order to provide the remarkable experience it is striving for. References Baack, D. (2012). Organizational Behavior. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Darby, R. (2012, April). Pyramid Building. Safety Culture , pp. 52-55. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company. (2013). State Farm. Retrieved February 25, 2013, from State Farm web site: www.statefarm.com

Gps Based Train Tracking

GPS/GSM based train tracking system – utilizing mobile networks to support public transportation. Dileepa Jayakody, Mananu Gunawardana, Nipuna Wicrama Surendra, Dayan Gayasri Jayasekara, Chanaka Upendra, Supervisor, Rangana De Silva Abstract : The paper presents a solution implemented at Sri Lanka, to provide an intelligent train tracking and management system to improve the existing railway transport service.The solution is based on powerful combination of mobile computing, Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographical Information System (GIS) technologies and software. The in-built GPS module identifies the train location with a highest accuracy and transfers the information to the central system via GSM. The availability of this information allows the Train Controller to take accurate decisions as for the train location. Location data can be further processed to provide visual positioning using maps granting a wholesome view on train location.Positioning data along with train speed helps the administration to identify the possible safety issues and react to them effectively using the communication methods provided by the system. Additionally, the location information can be used to facilitate accurate scheduling with regard to train arrival and departure on each station. Introduction Rapid growth in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a worldwide phenomenon experienced today. Emergence of wireless and mobile technologies plays a key role in the global ICT boost, unfolding a new era of communication technology.Global private sector was the first to explore the endless opportunities and potential of wireless technologies, by redesigning the business processes with the integration of latest wireless and mobile technologies to have the competitive advantage in the business world. Today, the ability to achieve organization’s goals depends purely on the availability, accuracy an d reliability of the information. Governments worldwide have also recognized the high potential in the ICT sector and are using it as a core instrument to facilitate government processes and functions with the goal of uplifting the current standards of living of the society.Governments today are inspired by the concepts like eGovernment and mGoverment where governments are driven by the innovative and intelligent use of ICT as a service provider for government activities and distribution of public information. ICT combined with latest mobile and wireless technologies can be used effectively to streamline government activities and public service delivery process to improve productivity and drastically reduce capital expenditure, time and effort. Many governments have identified potential areas to be developed via the effective implementation of ICT based solutions that will meet the demands of the future world.The transportation infrastructure is one such area, which can be improved to provide an efficient, dependable and safe service to the general public with the integration of advanced communication technology. Appropriate adoption of technology would assist seamless administration of resources that would positively impact the country’s economy. The railway services in Sri Lanka are rendered by the Sri Lanka railways Department, which is wholly owned by the public sector of the country. The government is seeking methods to improve the efficiency of this service with the main objective of providing a better service to the train commuters.However, the effort of the government is constrained by the lack of funding and inappropriateness of the current solutions. But the development of ICT has revealed many options to uplift the railway service at a lower cost. Accurate train positioning has been a fundamental requirement to improve the efficiency of the service. The current switch based train-tracking system used by Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) supports the t rain controllers to manage the train operation by providing the train’s location. The location data provided by this system lacks in dependability.Furthermore, the maintenance of the system accounts to a large portion of total cost incurred on the railway service. Majority of these systems (especially outside the Colombo Suburban Area) offers low accuracy in terms of indicating the location of a train to the Train Controllers. Installing the systems, which can accurately provide such readings are really expensive and the total cost of ownership is unbearable for SLR. The train safety has been an issue with the increasing number of incidents being reported that has caused death and injury.Majority of deaths on the railway involve third parties with the incursion onto the level crossings. Average train accident would cost millions of Sri Lankan rupees and these can be avoided if there is a mechanism to track the train location and speed and warn the locomotive drivers about pos sible safety issues. Additionally, the train commuters also face difficulties due to frequent train delays, as the administration is unable to provide accurate schedules based on train’s location and speed.The solution is a comprehensive GPS/GSM based train tracking system, which provides accurate, dependable and timely information to the controller. The inbuilt GPS module identifies the train location with a highest accuracy and transfers the information to the central system via GSM. The availability of this information allows the Train Controller to take accurate decisions as for the train location. Location data can be further processed to provide visual positioning using maps granting a wholesome view on train location.Positioning data along with train speed helps the administration to identify the possible safety issues and react to them effectively using the communication methods provided by the system. Additionally, the location information can be used to facilitate a ccurate scheduling with regard to train arrival and departure on each station. This information can also be made available for the commuters to identify any train delay in advance making this service more reliable. Railway services in Sri Lanka The Sri express, Lanka Railways Department provides long distance and intercity Colombo commuter, parcel and mail, freight and provision of special harter trains. This accounts to a provision of services to 105 million passengers and transfer of 1. 6 Million metric tonnes of freight per annum. The railways are a vital part of the country's transport infrastructure. As the economy grows, demand for efficient transport services increases, which the rail industry has an important role to play in meeting. The rail industry is making progress in increasing the number of passengers carried, as well as its share of the freight market, and in improving its customer focus and its levels of performance and safety.Railway Today In 2008, railway losses a mounted to LKR 4,553 million and state bus transport losses amounted to LKR 3,554 million, giving a total of LKR 8,107 million losses on state transport. This is not just a one- time phenomenon, but has been the trend for the last few decades. The total losses from the railway alone since 1999 have been LKR 28,052 million. That means, on average, the railway lost LKR 234 million every month over the past ten years; or, to make it even more graphic, LKR 7. 79 million every single day for the last ten years [1].This depicts the current state of the railways system in Sri Lanka as for the efficiency and general acceptance of the service. Reliability matters to the railway’s customers and to the economy at large. Train delay, a common phenomenon in Sri Lanka is considered to be inevitable and an acceptable scenario. A train delay might wary from 15mins to many hours. There are occasions where this has caused disputes among the commuters and the administration but the problem stil l remains unresolved. Railways department maintains a fixed schedule on train arrival and departure but does not pre-update based on potential delays.As a result the commuters face many problems and waste time and energy that can be used more productively. The provision of safe and reliable services is a fundamental requirement of the railway as thousands rely on this service as their prime mode of transportation. The railway accidents accounts to death, injury and a large cost to the government. Most of the accidents are in form of derailments, which occur infrequently but have the potential to result in a large number of casualties. The most significant contributors of these accidents involve track and signaling faults.Lack of communication between the controllers and the drivers might prevent the preliminary precautionary actions being taken to avoid such accidents. Additionally, the danger relies on the fact that there would be no mechanism to identify the potential safety issue s as for the unawareness of trains speed and location. The railways department has set itself several objectives to address this situation through a quantitative improvement of its services. It is planned to increase railway share of passenger transport from percent 5% to 10% and Modal share of freight transport from 2% to 10% by 2010[2].Additionally, the department has identified the importance of improving the safety and efficiency of the service and has set the following objectives in its strategic plan; †¢ Improve cleanliness & quality of coachers / stations †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Reduce train delays by 25 % and accidents/ derailment by 50% Remove all speed restrictions less than 8 Km Ph Establish management structure based on performance evaluation and monitoring process Enhance the percentage of efficiency Put in place a methodology for utilization of public funds corresponding to specific services to make the present negative contribution in to a positiv e oneThere’re several constraints that needs to be addressed in order to achieve these objectives as this might even require complete reengineering of certain technological aspects of the current system. The main constraint of course is the lack of funding. Railways are suffering from historic under-investment stretching back for decades that could be assumed to be so for the foreseeable future as well. However, it’s possible to develop effective solution that is economically feasible to the government. This would only be possible with the appropriate introduction of new technological solutions that achieve both performance and cost goals.Provisions for the future Setting objectives won’t be adequate for the development of the railway service in Sri Lanka. There should be effective and appropriate steps taken with a vision on addressing future demands and expansion. These steps should involve further planning, extensive designing, implementation of solutions and maintaining such systems in order to sustain the service. There are several potential steps that can be taken in order to address most of the aforementioned issues associated with the railway service that in turn would assist the Railways department in achieving its strategic goals.Improving Safety The Railway department of Sri Lanka carries about 150 million passengers per annum and the safety of such service can never be taken for granted. Passengers are entitled to expect to travel in safety throughout their journey and the government should be committed to protect the passengers and employers form any safety issue that might rise during the journey. Effective safety planning requires a detailed understanding of key risk areas; the activities or circumstances where the safety risk to passengers, the workforce and the public is greatest.This allows resources and effort to be concentrated where they will have the greatest impact. Following are the main security issues identified i n Sri Lanka; †¢ †¢ Infrastructure engineering issues – derailment, signaling, points and crossings Public behavior – Assault, objects on line, objects thrown at trains, accidents at level crossings †¢ †¢ Passenger behavior – Struck against fixed objects, falling from train in running Workforce issues – maintenance error, control errors The main safety issues are in the form of accidents that mostly involve third parties other than the passengers and the employers.However, infrastructure safety threats and workforce issues accounts to a considerable amount identified in Sri Lanka. Most of the infrastructure issues are associated with signaling and accident. This can be addressed by developing a communication channel between the train and the control center. The control center should be able to identify the train’s location and speed to recognize possible safety threats; such as collision domains, speeding and noncompliance to sig nals. The control center should also be able to notify the locomotive drivers of the security threat.This will allow the drivers to avoid or at least minimize the harmful consequences. New system-management technology combined with accurate knowledge of train position will give the opportunity to present drivers with advisory speeds as well as safety-critical speeds, aimed at maintaining the flow of traffic by regulating trains in advance of points of conflict so as to avoid or minimize the need to stop trains to await paths. Human intervention at control centers can lead to accidents due to human error or negligence.For an instance if the cross point calculation is done manually it can lead to accidents if an erroneous value is communicated. These problems can only be solved via an automated system, which will handle these tasks and would consequently avoid human error. Improving Reliability & Availability The trust on the railway as a reliable service has degraded over the last fe w decades due to poor provision of services to the general public. This is mainly due to the frequent delays experienced specially in long distance services. A reliable railway is the single most important requirement of passengers.Delays are an unproductive use of people’s time, and serious delays might disrupt their travel plans. The initial cause of a delay can be: †¢ †¢ †¢ An infrastructure problem for which railway department is responsible (for example, a signaling problem or a speed restriction imposed in response to a track defect); An operational problem for which a train operator is responsible (for example, the breakdown of a train); and An incident that is largely beyond the railway’s control (for example, an accident involving a third party)The signaling problems and accidents involving third parties can be minimized using a communication channel between the drivers and the control centers. The control center should be informed of the trainà ¢â‚¬â„¢s current position and speed that should be based on an accurate, dependable source of data. Delays can be minimized with driver advisory speeds, improved platform departure times, backed by predictive routing algorithms and supporting regulation of train movements through junctions, can ensure presentation of trains just in time to utilize a free path, rather than stopping and starting from rest when a path becomes available.None of these solutions will be possible unless the current tracking system is replaced by a dependable and a more informative system that is capable of providing accurate train position and speeds of the entire network. The cost of train control should fall rapidly once real-time train location systems that are suitable to the local context is identified and are implemented.It is likely that operations on most regional lines will be controlled from an operations centre, through low-cost wireless technology such as GSM, the future development of which wi ll allow increased capacity for train control systems, regulation, and improved passenger safety services. Improving Communication and Public Awareness Lack of information regarding train schedules, delays, and low accuracy of the schedules are to become worse within the context of expansions and would only result in more time spent on the platform, consequently resulting in public dissatisfaction and frustration.There are several constraints identified that would prevent the railways from providing accurate schedules and other information. †¢ †¢ The static nature of the information sources (ex: static web pages and notifications at stations) Deficiencies of the current tracking system General public is made aware of the train schedules using notifications at train stations and via the official web site of the railways department.However, none of these methods will provide accurate data as for the static nature of the web site and the notifications at the station. Addition ally, the deficiencies of the current tracking system impose constraints on providing accurate, dependable and timely information to the user. The switched based tracking system used by the railways department is yet to cover the entire network but would cost a considerable amount for expansion and maintenance thus, emphasizes the need of an alternative that would be more accurate and cost effective.This limits effective decision-making due to inaccuracy and would also lead to accidents. Additional train capacity and better service performance will be the key for success, but the coherent use of technology to deliver information on train status in real time will not only improve utilization, but also offer seamless planning as well as accurate information on availability of passenger services.Further enhancements of such system would even grant passengers capabilities such as text messages informing accurate arrival and departure times and even the seating capacity of the train. GPS /GSM Based Train Tracking System We strongly believe that the correct combination of latest information and communication technologies can provide an effective and feasible solution for the requirement of a reliable and accurate train tracking system to improve the efficiency and productivity of Sri Lanka Railways.The solution we propose encompasses a powerful combination of mobile computing, Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), Global Positioning System (GPS), Geographical Information System (GIS) technologies and software to provide an intelligent train tracking and management system to improve the existing railway transport service. All these technologies are seamlessly integrated to build a robust, scalable architecture as illustrated in Fig. 1. Fig. : High Level Architecture The fundamental process in our system is obtaining train location using GPS technology and transmitting the data via GSM network to the central control unit for data processing and information anal ysis. Real- time positioning information received by the server is made meaningful and extremely useful for the end user through integration of GIS technology where the end user can better organize and utilize information from a graphical view point. Our system consists of 3 main modules. †¢ †¢ †¢ The portable hardware unit (GPS/GSM train locator unit) Central server which andles receiving information from train locators and concurrent user requests Graphical User Interface (GUI) to provide services to our stakeholders The train locator unit planted in the train is designed and implemented, considering the cost factor, size of the module, durability and low power consumption. The power supply unit of the module is a main factor which decides the feasibility of the unit, as it should sustain a seamless supply of electricity at a low voltage for the locator module to function properly.The GPS receiver of the unit is capable of identifying the latitudinal and longitudina l position and ground speed of the specific train by receiving information from the GPS satellites. The position data is periodically sent to the central server through the GSM transmitter of the module. The device is capable of storing data in a buffer at a time of GSM connectivity failure, and can synchronize with the remote server when GSM is back online. The device can also respond to commands and data calls from the remote server as per administrative requirements of the train controllers.We have chosen GSM as the communication medium between the train locator and the central server to improve availability of our system by utilizing the existing GSM network which covers the whole country. The use of GSM over GPRS significantly improves the feasibility and availability of our system. Despite the high mobile penetration and number of mobile telecom service providers (GSM) covering the island, GPRS usage and the coverage is poor in many rural parts of Sri Lanka. Thus, selection of GSM over GPRS data communication is feasible and enables island wide service provisioning.The competition between the GSM service providers has also lead to high quality GSM services at fair rates. The central control system includes a server for handling and processing all the position information received from train locators via the GSM network. The server automatically updates the database with latest position, speed and direction information of each train. The server carries out information processing and analyzing in order to cater for different requirements of the users of our system.The main stakeholders of our system are the railway Department), locomotive drivers and the train administrators (Railway commuters. Our main objective is to be instrumental in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Sri Lanka Railway services by fulfilling the fundamental requirement of reliable and real time information of train positioning for monitoring and administration purposes by th e Railway Department. The end user of our system is offered with an easy to use graphical user interface for information analysis and administration tasks.The web based access and extensible mobile access to our software is designed to be intuitive for the end user to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of our system. We have incorporated GIS techniques to provide location specific data organized in layers so the end user can better apprehend the information provided by the system. a very good Satellite images providing visual positioning can serve as background when used in conjunction with map data specifying the location.Our system essentially provides functionality for the railway administrator to monitor the progress of a particular train or a group of trains operating in a geographical area. The user can search and locate trains by the train ID, train name, current location or nearest station etc. Information such as train speed, direction can also be given along with re al time train positioning data. The train control and management process includes management of heavy traffic of passenger and freight trains, which operates in complex running patterns on the railway network.The train controller needs to ensure that passenger trains are adhering to the schedules as well to find efficient routes for unscheduled freight trains. Recording the train movements, arrival/departure at railway stations, fuel status, railway track conditions, and passenger information is a tedious task for the train controllers and would be time consuming if done manually. The accuracy of this information is very important to ensure smooth functioning of the railway service as well as to optimize resource planning.For example at a point of a railway-track failure or an accident, train controller should be able to decide on how to utilize existing resources and efficient alternative routes to ensure system availability of the railway service in that region. Thus our train tra cking system can be enhanced to automate the train control and management process of the Railway Department in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the railway services provided. Following is a list of facilities that can be offered by our system to automate the train control and management process. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢Automatic record keeping of train operations and events Functionality to generate time-distance graph for trains which can be used to control and plan the train movements Facility to generate user defined reports and graphs on train movements, arrival-departure at each station, schedule adherence etc. Facility to playback the progress of each train and events for review purposes Automated schedule regulation Forecasting functionality on train arrival-departure at different stations Automatic detection of over speeding, non-adherence r egulations, rail-track failures, train delays etc. o traffic Facilit y to send alerts/warnings to particular train drivers on possible collisions, derailment through the system Automatic rail crossing control By automating the process of record keeping of train traveling, the load of paper work on the train controller is dramatically reduced. This would also ensure accuracy and integrity of the data eliminating human error when documentation is done manually. A single entry point of data ensures there’s no ambiguity of the data recorded in the system.The logged data on arrival-departure time at different stations, number of passengers onboard, freight details, signaling and fuel status at different stations, are instrumental for railway administration when evaluating performance of trains and locomotive drivers. Graphical representation of these data with ability to compare with historical data will be instrumental for the administration to take effective decisions. Various user defined reports on train activities, driver performance, passenge r and freight information also support timely and accurate decision making by the administration.Time-distance graph is vital for the train traffic regulation process. The graph gives the user a wholesome view of the train circulation, railway infrastructure state in different regions and enables the user to detect abnormal conditions and conflicts. The graph is useful for the train operator to identify traffic problems in advance and take precautions to resolve the problems. Data mining is a method of extracting patterns from data [3].The use of advance data mining techniques combined with complex algorithms such as neural networks, genetic algorithms and rule induction can be instrumental in identifying hidden patterns from enormous amount of data. Spatial data mining technique combines data mining with GIS to find patterns in spatial data, which could be a powerful tool for applications using geographical information such as our system. With the huge amount of data pertaining to train operations collected daily, process of information analysis using conventional methods would be a difficult task.Hence, the use of spatial data mining techniques would drastically improve the productivity and effectiveness of the train control and management process carried out through our system. Facility to playback past activities on the railway, enables the user to review and analyze operational situations in the past. Data mining operations can be used effectively in combination with the playback function to identify sequential patterns of particular activities and their impact on the railway traffic.For example, at an unfortunate incident of a train collision, train controllers can use the playback feature combined with the data mining techniques to analyze and identify the sequence of activities which resulted in that accident. With that knowledge, railway administrators can take necessary precautions and trigger alerting mechanisms to avoid such unfortunate accidents i n future, making the railway transportation much safer. Improving safety and availability of railway transport service requires detection and triggering of alerting mechanisms to avoid possible train collisions and other forms of adverse incidents.Constant monitoring of train location, speed, traffic conditions, rail-track conditions and adherence to traffic regulations helps the train controllers to detect potential collisions and derailments. A proper alerting framework is vital in order to avoid such adverse incidents by alerting the locomotive drivers in advance. Our system facilitates a comprehensive alerting mechanism by enabling the train controllers to send alerts/ notifications to locomotive drivers via GSM connection.The hardware unit planted in the train can be enhanced to prompt the alerts to the driver in graphical and audible forms. A LED display unit and an alarm bell to signal adverse conditions can be integrated with the hardware unit to provide a complete alerting framework. The unit can be further enhanced to support voice communication between train controllers and locomotive drivers in order to provide guidance and important messages to the particular driver. This would also enable locomotive drivers to contact the control unit at a state of emergency.Furthermore the system can be incorporated to significantly improve safety at railway and road intersection points. Over the years, many road accidents have occurred at railway crossings imposing a critical safety threat to both train commuters and passengers in vehicles. Such accidents are caused mainly by the unreliability of the safety mechanisms such as blocking arms and signal lights used at the crossing point. Thus our system can be extended to improve the reliability of such safety mechanisms by synchronizing the railway crossing control process with the incoming train’s position.We can provide accurate real time information on train position, speed and length of the train to sy nchronize the functions of rail crossing with the train movements. The productivity of the service can be significantly improved by providing accurate predictions on approaching train at the rail-road crossing and displaying amount of remaining time to clear the crossing from train traffic. Alarm triggers to alert road vehicles approaching too close to the rail-road crossing at a point of train approaching, can also be incorporated to improve the effectiveness of our solution.Thus the system is instrumental in improving safety of both railway passengers and people crossing rail-road cross points. Integrating an intelligent forecasting mechanism on arrival-departure time at different railway stations can further enhance the efficiency and productivity of our system. Train schedule is inevitably subject to train delays which can occur due to various reasons such as excessive train load, rail track failures, train traffic, adverse weather conditions etc.A number of operational paramete rs such as railway traffic, train priority, efficient routes, and railway infrastructure conditions have to be taken into consideration to accurately forecast train arrival time at various stations. Here also data mining with other complex algorithms can be instrumental to provide accurate forecasting on train arrival-departure at stations. The train schedule regulations are automatically updated and stakeholders can be notified. One of the main purposes of our system is to facilitate accurate public information istribution with regard to railway services and operations. Thus, our system can be incorporated to design and implement innovative Passenger Information Systems (PIS) based on real time information of train positions. LED-Display panels put up at railway stations can display arrivaldeparture time of each train enabling the public user to make informed decisions on their journeys. Route number, destination of the arriving vehicle and waiting time can be displayed with real t ime information.With accurate forecasting of train arrival-departure at stations, Railway Department can improve the loyal customer base and also attract new passengers to railway transport service by winning their trust and reducing user uncertainty of using public transport facilities. The user experience can be further enhanced by introducing information Kiosks which can provide information to travelers in an intuitive and interactive manner to make informed decisions on selecting train routes and departure time.The interactive kiosk can be used to obtain travel information such as alternate routes to specified destination, route details on the railway map and latest information on train schedules etc. As a marketing strategy, information regarding the particular city, culture and commercial activities can also be provided to the user through the kiosk. Another extension of the PIS system is delivering real time train information to handheld devices such as mobile phones and PDAs .With the increasing interest on mobile applications, access to latest train schedule information via mobile connection can be influential for improving customer base of the railway service. Easy to use mobile applications can be designed and implemented to enable train commuters to easily subscribe to our service and obtain latest train schedule information via mobile devices. Reliability and customer loyalty of the railway services can be significantly improved by taking such action to improve accurate public information distribution of the current status of railway services.Conclusion After seeing many advancements and changes in the location tracking technology, Sri Lanka Railways now has the ability to pin point the location and other attributes of an operational train in an economical accurate manner. Thus it is visible that to keep up with the today’s demand for information and to comply with the citizen centric governance, technological advancements is essential for a 3rd world country, as after all the deciding factors of a country’s success would be on the how ollaborative and duplex the governance framework in terms of seamless information flow of accurate and timely information between governance ecosystem. Reference [1] Rohan Samarajiva, May 2009, Ideas to win the war: Sri Lanka's main line railway, http://www. lankabusinessonline. com/print. php? nid=1238565096 [2] Sri Lanka Railway Department 2007, n. d. , Future Plans, http://www. railway. gov. lk/future_plan. html

Cash Flow Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cash Flow - Essay Example It (comparison) also identifies the differences in timing between cash payments and expenses. Through the direct method of cash flows, reconciliation of the actual cash flows from operating activities with the accrual-based accounting net income can be done. The company’s stated profitability and its cash holding position is therefore clearly presented to its stakeholders in this manner. The indirect method of cash-flow preparation requires a well-established link between the balance sheet and the income statement. The statement users are therefore, able to systematically and logically view the company’s financial statements. The company’s current assets and liabilities reflected on the balance sheet are easily traced back to its operations summarized in the income statement. The use of indirect method makes it possible to disclose the company’s non-cash transactions. The statement users are therefore, in a better position to understand how non-cash transactions are not sources of cash flows but factors of net income. Direct method is an alternative to the indirect method of cash flows. The company’s cash payments and receipts with detailed categories are disclosed separately when using the direct method. Such a practice can make the financial statement to appear clustered. Auditors also tend to ask for an additional reconciliation schedule on cash flows and income from company’s using direct method. However, accounting rule-setting authorities allows companies to use indirect method by disclosing, in a simpler statement format, changes in current assets and liabilities. As a CFO I would prefer the indirect statement of cash flows method. The indirect method starts by identifying the companys net income or loss. Subsequently, any non-cash expenses, such as depreciation, amortization, loss provision for accounts receivable and any losses on the sale of a

The problems regarding lack of leadership skills and inadequate job Essay

The problems regarding lack of leadership skills and inadequate job designning for the new employees - Essay Example The paper tells that job design is refered to as the contents of the job. It facilitates to analyse the various duties and tasks of the job and the methods required to perform the job in an efficient and effective way from the perspective of human process intervention as well as from the HRM intervention. Thus, job design includes the descriptions and the provision of the job which helps in evaluation of the performance as well as enhancement of profitability of the firm. Similarly, in case of ‘Lentil as Anything’, after recruiting the new migrated employees, Shanaka Fernando, the owner of ‘Lentil as Anything’ should offer them specific job related trainings in order to describe the various specifications, rules, responsibilities and requirements. This would assist in enhancing the motivation as well as the eficiency of the employees. Senior & Flemming, stated that it is through job design that the roles and responsibilities are clearly described according t o the past skills and knowledge of the employees. Moreover, it can be identified that the induction training programs are utilized to present the actual procedure of the particular jobs so as to acquire competency and accuracy in the performance. Parker & Wall highlighted that the job design intervention is essential to assess the specific skills and knowledge of the new entrants and helps to evaluate the proficiency level and the expertise gaps as well. Therefore, in order to reduce the skill gaps, various induction tranning programs are offered to the employees to increase their aptitudes and capabilities. Thus, it is essential for ‘Lentil as Anything’ to motivate the employees towards the job by communicating an appropriate design of the jobs. Proper job design helps to accomplish the task responsibilities in a specific time frame and in an skilled manner which ultimately proves beneficial for the employee as well as for the company. Hence, it is obligatory to develo p a particular job design statement for ‘Lentil as Anything’ which might be beneficial for the new employees and the restaurant as well (Accel-Team, 2011; Parker & Wall, 1998). The paragraph mainly highlights the facts about the techno-structural intervention required for the restructuring of the organization. While taking decisions for ‘Lentil as Anything’, Mr. Shanaka Fernando should involve all the employees so as to evaluate the varied viewpoints regarding a particular decision. It also offers proper contribution of the employees regarding a specific circumstance which is clearly observed in the documentary of ‘Lentil as Anything’. In order to sustain in the crisis situation, Mr. Shanaka Fernando decided to expand Lentil in Sydney in order to serve high quality of foods and services to the customers which can enhance the cash inflow and thus, assist in lessening the burden of heavy debt. Notably, this is a strategic decision on his part but without the involvement of the other employees (Cummings & Worley, 2008). Moreover, it can be determined that the involvement of all the employees in the decisison making process leads to increase in the confidence level and the morale of the employees which in turn enhances the employee performance and productivity of the organization. It can be depicted in terms of four elements such as power, skill, information, knowledge and rewards. Power helps to offer enough ability to make job related decisions where timely access to any pertinent information is essential to make any

US Cultural Wars Gone Global Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

US Cultural Wars Gone Global - Article Example In this article, the issues of cultural differences have been featured in two main ways. The first aspect is the American culture versus Ugandan culture. Secondly, is the concept of Sexual minorities, which include LGBT versus the sexual majority. In the article, Emily Cody discusses the move that was made by the Sexual Minority Uganda (SMUG) to file a case against American Minister Scott, with the assistance of the Alien Tort Statute. In the subsequent sections of the paper, the author illustrates the legal brief of the case and how they have experienced discrimination on all meaningful parts of their lives. The article resonates with the current occurrences in Uganda and some other parts of Africa. In Uganda, homosexuality has been criminalized. This law stems from the understanding that such sexual orientations are not Africans and therefore are not acceptable in African society. The article brings about the concept of validation and how some of the religious concepts by individual Americans are used to promote hatred towards the Sexual minorities. In the article, one is able to understand the legal red tapes that validate oppression of the LGBT. The references being created by the oppression is drawn from the legislative measures that have been taken by the Ugandan government which condemns gays and lesbian on the grounds of cultural intolerance.

Business law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business law - Coursework Example Most contracts generally pose no major problems as they address the simple interchange of goods from the seller and cash from the buyer. However, there are contracts that could get complicated and pose serious consequences. The chances of this happening are therefore minimized if the parties contracting understand the concept of what they are agreeing to, the rights, the obligations and the how to foresee potential problems. Under law, a contract is a legally binding promise or set of promises between two parties (Young, 2010), in this case Simon and Lady Gaga. However, there are certain contracts that must, by law be in writing. Examples include insurance contracts or contracts that involve the sale of land. Verbal contracts have one main shortcoming. Whenever there is a dispute over the terms of the contract, it may be very difficult to prove the terms and conditions on which the contract was founded. Parties may deliberately or accidentally forget what they had agreed to. In such a situation, it would be Simon’s word against Lady Gaga’s in the case of a breach. It would therefore be advisable for Simon to enter into a written contract. The foundation of the law of contract is based on a wide body of equity and common law. In order for a contract to be legally binding, there are several requirements that must be met. These were developed under the principles of the common law (Fray & Frey (2001). They are: agreement, consideration, intention, capacity, and legality. These are the requirements on which my advice to Simon is based. Agreement The law considers the distinct aspects of an agreement in a contract. These aspects are two and they must be present for any contract to be considered binding at law. They are offer and acceptance (Richards, 2007). Simon must make an offer that Lady Gaga will clearly and unmistakably accept. The offer would be an indication by Simon that he intends to be bound in a contract with Lady Gaga if she does accept it . In this case Simon is the offeror. a) Invitation to Treat The offer must however be clear and not just an invitation to treat. An invitation to treat would just an indication that he would be wiling to negotiate an offer on the terms of a contract for Lady Gaga to perform in the show. Simon would thus be the one to accept the offer for it to be legally binding. Similar views were held in the case of Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain V. Boots Cash Chemist (Southern) Ltd (1953) 1 QB 401. In this case, the legislation required that there must be a pharmacist present whenever there is a sale of a drug at a self-service store. The question that rose was whether the sale took place when the customer took the drugs from the shelves or at the counter on checkout. It was ruled that the sale actually occurred at the counter when the customer offered to buy the drug at the stated price and the owner accepted the money. This meant that the display was just an invitation to treat and not an offer to sell. b) Counter offer The contract is established when the acceptance has been made. It is therefore important that one is able to identify when the acceptance has actually been made. This is because when Simon makes an offer to Lady Gaga, she may choose to accept it, reject it or try to negotiate for a better deal. For the acceptance to be effective it has to be clearly

The Diverse Nature of Counseling Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Diverse Nature of Counseling - Essay Example Psychoanalytic therapy was the first to develop in the area of counseling. It was created by an Austrian doctor by the name of Sigmund Freud. He wrote many aspects of the personality such as the id, ego, and superego. He also came up with the idea of reaction mechanisms in response to anxiety as well as thoughts of the consciousness and unconsciousness. In regards to therapy, the goal of therapy in psychotherapy is to bring the unconscious into the conscious realm through dream interpretation and talking therapy. In addition, it focuses on the strengthening of the ego so that the person becomes more integrated with reality. This was the foundation for all of the other therapies in psychology. The next major form of therapy to develop in counseling was Alderian therapy. It was started by Alfred Adler, who was a student of Freud’s, so there is some psychoanalytical influence on this theory. His basis for this therapy was that people are strongly influenced by the events of the p ast in which they either witnessed or experienced. Unlike in psychoanalysis which is purely deterministic, Alderian therapy acknowledges that both biological and environmental factors can impact a person. Many times, Alderian therapy is used in family and child therapy due to the emphasis on birth order and family constellations. Many times the goal in therapy is helping the person overcome inferiority and modifying faulty lifestyles and motivation. (Rule, & Bishop, 2006). Existential therapy is one of the theories which is more derived from philosophy rather than the behavioral sciences. It was created and supported by Victor Frankl and Rollo May. They reject the deterministic behavior of psychoanalysis in favor of the idea that we have the freedom to choose who and what we want to be. It is in this attempt to find oneself in which the therapy is developed. Logotherapy, the search for meaning, was created using this philosophy on counseling. The goal in counseling is helping the in dividual discover themselves and allowing them to redefine themselves through personal expression and genuineness expressed by the therapist (Yalom, 1980). Person-centered therapy was started by Carol Rogers. Again, rather than the purely biological nature of psychoanalysis, person centered therapy relies on concepts from the humanistic psychology. The main aspects of person centered therapy, as a therapist, are to have unconditional positive regard for a person, congruence, and be able to be empathetic towards the individual. The idea behind person centered therapy is that growth in the client is attained by the genuineness of the client-therapist relationship. This was unlike many of the prior therapy philosophies in that the main goal of therapy is based on the client-therapist relationship (Tudor, & Worrall, 2006). Gestalt therapy is the based on the here and now. According to Fritz Pearls, the goal in helping the client overcome neuroticism is by making them experience their pa st emotions and experiences as if they are a current feeling. Some of the principles of Gestalt therapy included

Global marketing mix of McDonalds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global marketing mix of McDonalds - Essay Example Reason for selecting this brand is that it employs a unique marketing mix that is based on quality of its product, store ambience, service quality and other parameters. This report will focus on the marketing mix of McDonalds. STEP 2. ANALYSIS OF THE BRAND AND IPT APPLICATION In this step, the marketing mix of McDonalds is analysed. A brief overview of the firm is provided followed by an analysis to assess if the marketing mix is standardised or adapted across international markets. Also discussed is the Internationalisation Process Theory - Uppsala theory for its international operations. 2.1. About McDonalds McDonalds operates in the restaurant sector and its products are fast food items, soft drinks, milk shakes, salads, breakfast, meals and other food items. In 2012, the firm had revenues of 27.56 billion USD. It has more than 34,000 outlets in 118 countries. It employs more than 1.7 million people in its stores and offices. Outlets are operated using different models of as an affiliate, franchisee and directly by the firm. The firm earns its income from royalties, rent, fees from franchises and from sale of food products. Franchise operators are monitored strictly for the service levels and to ensure that the brand image is not spoilt. Outlets have different styles such as counter service and drive-through/ walk through service. It has also opened McCafe, a cafe style of outlet that competes with Starbucks (McDonalds, 2013). 2.2. Assessing the7Ps of marketing mix The marketing mix is a marketing practice and business tool that helps to assess the brand's offer to customers. It combines a set of activities that the organisation must take up so that the target customers are identified and their needs satisfied (Albaum and Duerr, 2011). The earlier marketing mix consisted of the 4Ps and these were called as product, price, place and promotion. For service firms, that offer specific products, another 3 Ps were added to form the 7Ps of marketing mix. These extra Ps are people, performance and processes. For this paper, the 7Ps of marketing for McDonalds is discussed (De Mooij, 2010). Since the global branding practices are under discussion, the efforts of McDonalds in overseas markets is also analysed to assess the consistency of its business practices. 2.2.1. Product Product is a tangible and main offering of a firm and it generates revenue through sale of its products. For a firm to succeed, the product mu st have a unique selling proposition and it must be difficult for others to copy. Product is made of the core product and augmented products and these are packed together to increase the portfolio range. International firms must ensure that there is consistency in product offerings in terms of quality, taste, appearance and delivery (Anderson and Buvik, 2002). McDonalds offers the same range of products across all its outlets. In almost every location, one would see burgers, fries and these are the core products, augmented by milkshakes, coffee and ice creams. Thus, there is sufficient breadth and depth as indicated in the following figure. However, some amount of localisation is done since pork is not served in Middle East and Muslim nations and beef is not served in India. In addition, products in Asia are spicier than similar products in western nations (Vignali, 2010). Thus, McDonalds has standard products that are adapted to suit local conditions. Figure 2.1 Product range of Mc Donalds (Vignali, 2010) 2.2.2. Price Price refers to the money a customer's pays to procure the product. While lower prices could increase sales, it lowers public perception of the product quality besides reducing earnings. Higher price would keep people away (Andrews and Kim, 2007). Since

Medical law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Medical law - Essay Example Debates surrounding the law have been noted to have come from two major perspectives, the first of which is a legal and professional perspective, and the second being humanity and ethical perspective.1 It has been said that the controversies surrounding the laws have always arisen from a perspective where people have looked at the law from a human and ethical perspective rather than from a legal and professional perspective.2 The reason much controversy is said to arise when the law is viewed from humanity and ethical perspective is that it gives way for people to judge the law mainly from how wrong and dehumanising it is to take organs from a dead person, especially when the person did not leave any living proof of consent.3 Meanwhile, there is the legal and professional perspective which also looks at the impact of a refusal to engage in the supply of human organs for transplantation on the living. For example, the right to live has been argued to apply to the living rather than the dead and so it is important that as far as there is a professional medical intervention that can save a living person rather than a dead person, that intervention must be applied4. In this paper, the writer combines both sides of the argument and critically evaluates recent changes to the law, while giving alternative responses that can help increase the supply of human organs for transplantation. The Human Tissue Act 2004 is the current set of laws regulating the supply of human tissue for transplantation in the U.K. The Human Tissue Act 2004 is generally in place to regulate the activities bordering on the removal, storage, use and disposal of human tissue5. The laws were established by the Human Tissue Authority, which currently puts emphasis on consent. By consent, reference is being made to the need for a person, whiles alive to agree that once he or she dies, there can be a supply of part of his or her tissue for issues of medical purposes prescribed under the Act.

Einstein for Aspergers Essay Example for Free

Einstein for Aspergers Essay Einstein a Case Study for Aspergers Christina Parker PSY 410 February 6, 2012 Dr. Melda Jones Einstein a Case Study for Aspergers Mental illness has existed as long as humans have, but only in the last hundred years or so have psychologist started to truly understand mental illness. There is still much, that is unknown about mental illness and human behavior. One mental disorder that was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) in 1994 is Asperger’s Disorder. This disorder is usually diagnosed in early childhood, but in Albert Einstein’s time Asperger’s Disorder was unknown. Einstein had many of the diagnostic criteria for Asperger’s Disorder but was not diagnosed. Einstein was quiet and withdrawn, but had an amazing mind for mathematics. In comparison, Temple Grandin was diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder and has many of the same mannerisms as Einstein. Overview of Asperger’s Disorder’s History Dr. Hans Asperger studied children that acted differently from others in the 1940s. Dr. Asperger called these children â€Å"Little Professors† because they were so interesting. In 1980s Dr. Lorna Wing called children with Asperger’s (AS) high-functioning autism individuals. In 1994, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) added AS. Asperger’s Syndrome (ASD) is a distinct group of neurological conditions characterized by greater or lesser degrees of impairment in language and communication skills with repetitive or restrictive patterns of thoughts and behaviors. There is no known cause or treatment for AS. The parents of children with AS often by or before the child’s third birthday sense that something is amiss in his or her child’s behavior or developmental skills. Two out of 10,000 children statistically diagnosed with AS or ASD. Boys are three to four times more likely than girls to have AS or ASD. The children exhibit delayed psychomotor skills (crawling and walking), and have problems with communicating and socializing with other children. AS children have an obsession with one topic or interests excluding other topics and interests. AS children have a formal speech that lacks rhythm and modulation. AS children appear clumsy when they walk and may have delayed motor skills (catching a ball, pedaling a bike, and other skills). The cause of AS or ASD is unknown but is thought to be genetic because AS tends to run in families. The part of the brain that controls social behavior functions differently or develops differently from other children without AS. The part of the brain that controls body movements and balance are also different in AS children than other children. ASD is a high-functioning autism disorder. Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome Explained There is no known cause of autism. Research today is using MRI imaging to determine how the Autism brain is structured. Dr. Grandin explains her condition like this: The brain is an office; the frontal lobe is the office manager. The other compartments of the brain are like the many departments in an office. The office departments do not communicate well between the other offices such as sales, product development, management, and so on. The autistic brain has to be understood and trained in a way that works best for the individual. No one treatment works for every autistic individual. Finding what motivates the individual’s fear and helping the individual to overcome or change the environment to a less chaotic one will help the individual to learn and progress. Autistic individuals do not understand facial expressions or tone changes in voices. Behavioral issues such as defecation and twitching are common with Asperger’s and Autism. Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome are high-end functioning Autistic individuals. To understand Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, Dr. Grandin suggests that people move away from language. The nonverbal child does not understand language. The nonverbal child is sensory-based and has a complex disorder that is based on sights, sounds, smells, and touch. Cultivating the way the individual’s method of thinking will prevent fear that causes anxieties will help the individual progress. Autistic individuals have high IQs and the ability to concentrate on one subject for a long time. Most autistic individuals are gifted in math, sciences, computers, tables, astrology, and other nonsocial areas that rely on thinking skills. A Look at Einstein and Grandin Albert Einstein Albert Einstein was born in 1879 to Hermann and Pauline Einstein (a middle-class German-Jewish family). Einstein scarcely spoke and was quiet more than backward as a young child. His sister remembers his concentration and ability to build tall houses and multiple storied levels of playing card houses. At age 4 or 5 Einstein marveled at how a magnetic compass needle invariably swung northward. This caused Einstein to conclude that something invisible was behind everything sparking his interest in Physics at a young age. As late as age nine Einstein was hesitant to speak, and did so pausing to select his words carefully. His parents feared that he was below average in intelligence. At the age of 12 Einstein’s love for mathematics and physics was sparked by a booklet on Euclidian Plane Geometry. This booklet proved to Einstein that there was a lucidity and certainty in theory and made an impression on him permanently. School depended on memorization and arbitrary authority of the teachers and faculty and was not conducive to Einstein’s way of learning. At 15 Einstein quit school and moved to Italy with his family where his family was trying to start a business. He studied Mathematics, Physics, and Philosophy at home. His uncle, an engineer, and a medical student who ate with his family once a week are credited with stimulating Einstein’s young mind. Was Einstein’s brain different? Einstein died in 1955 and gave his brain to science. A pathologist named Thomas Harvey quickly preserved his brain, and made samples, and sections. Pathologists Harvey concluded that other than Einstein’s brain seeming smaller than most brains, his was not unusual. Sandra F. Witelson and colleagues studied Einstein’s brain again in 1999, and discovered that it lacked a wrinkle found in other brains (the parietal operculum), and other regions on each side of Einstein’s brain appeared to be larger and unusual features in the inferior parietal lobes thought to be the area of visual imagery and mathematical thinking. This concludes that Einstein’s brain was more equipped by this region than most individuals. Does this prove or disprove that Einstein had Asperger’s? There is no conclusive historical evidence to determine if Einstein had Asperger’s. What we do know is Einstein was capable of deep concentration, and had perseverance. He graduated without distinction, his learning style and the school learning system of his time did not get along. He sought physics because he could seek out paths that led to the depths. In other words Einstein preferred to be free to think on the invisible things behind things. It was Einstein’s ability to think deeply on physics that put him first in the race to the theory in relativity. Einstein made friends with colleagues like Marcel Grossman, Michele Besso, Paul Ehrenfest, and Freidrich Adler. His wife Mileva Maric was the only female in his physics class. Even though Einstein renounced his German citizenship when he left Germany for Italy, he could not resist the invitation to Berlin’s Prussian Academy of Sciences, he had no teaching duties and access to the greatest scientific minds of his day. Fame in physics starved and destroyed his marriage to his wife Mileva, and then divorced in 1919. The same year of his divorce Einstein married his cousin whom he had an affair with since 1914 and settled with Elsa Lowenthal and her two daughters until his death in 1955. Einstein as a young boy, a young teen, a young man, and an older man (Image  © The Albert Einstein Archives, The Jewish National ; University Library, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. ) Temple Grandin Dr. Temple Grandin was thought to be different by her Mother from a very early age. At two Dr. Grandin could not speak and exhibited behavioral issues. Her Father and consulted doctors wanted to put Dr. Grandin in an institution. Dr. Grandin’s Mother would not have her daughter put in an institution. Instead, Dr. Grandin’s Mother sent her daughter to private schools and to private speech therapy. Dr. Grandin was teased as a child in school. Dr. Temple states that early intervention is vital to best outcomes in autistic children. According to Dr. Grandin there are three types of Autism thinkers: Visual, Pattern, and Word. Visual thinkers are terrible at algebra and good at geometry. Pattern thinkers have difficulty with reading. Word thinkers are good with facts in favorite subjects. Dr. Grandin thinks in pictures, sees a series of slides like a search engine. During her lecture Dr. Grandin was tired from air travel and this caused her to lose train of thought if movement or noises were made by audience. Dr. Grandin explained that she cannot screen out the sensory issues that trigger her distractions. Dr. Grandin admits to having panic attacks, and anxiety. Anti-depressants help autistic individuals overcome anxiety, panic attacks, and OCD issues. Dr. Grandin correlates animal behaviors and fears with autism and how people handle animals also can be used to handle autistic individuals. When Dr. Grandin was born her parents were told she had infantile schizophrenia. Since her birth two Doctors one in the United States named Dr. Leo Canner and one in Canada named Dr. Asperger began studying children who displayed certain characteristics: no facial expression, lack of social skills, the ability to concentrate on one subject, and certain other emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. Dr. Grandin was born in Boston, Mass. on August 29, 1947. Dr. Grandin has earned degrees from Franklin Pierce College, Arizona State University, University of Illinois, and has earned Honorary Doctorates from McGill University, University of Illinois, and Duke University. The United States and Canada Meat Plants use Dr. Grandin’s equipment designs developed for Animal Welfare Guidelines. Dr. Grandin’s focus of study is in alleviating anxiety of intense fear and hypersensitivities to sound in Human and Animal populations. Dr. Grandin wrote autobiographies of her life with autism, which amazed the autistic community (Thinking in Pictures and Other Reports from My Life with Autism- 1995, and Emergence: Labeled Autistic – 1986). Dr. Grandin, has acquired many awards, lectures all over the United States, was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame and is a member of the board of directors Autism Society of America. Dr. Grandin has developed her own website: www. grandin. com to communicate with people on the subject of autism, and animal handling. Humane groups recognize Dr. Grandin’s work to alleviate animal fears, and her biography featured on HBO has won several Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, and Peabody Award in 2011. Dr. Grandin has written several books, chapter books, journals, and other publications proving that people with Asperger’s and Autism can succeed. Conclusion There is so much that humanity does not know about human behavior and mental illness, but psychology continues to make advancements in the area. Asperger’s Disorder is just one example of how psychology has advanced. In Einstein’s time there was not a name for his â€Å"weird quirks†, but by the time Temple Grandin was born these similar â€Å"quirks† were known as Asperger’s Disorder. Einstein was brilliant in mathematics and similar fields of study, but could not form true intimate bonds with other people. Dr. Grandin was also brilliant but in another area of study and she also cannot form true intimate bonds with people.

The American image of Thanksgiving Essay Example for Free

The American image of Thanksgiving Essay The American image of Thanksgiving is much different from the historical facts. The American vision is a big happy celebration with many people sitting around a long, wooden table. This, sadly, is not historically accurate at all. In this essay I will explain the current American’s Thanksgiving story as well as the historically accurate version. Today, Thanksgiving in America consists of big family gatherings, plentiful food, and giving thanks. One of the more obvious differences between the current Thanksgiving and the first on is the food. Today, everyone has an electric oven to bake breads, pies, and cakes. In the early American days electricity had not been invented yet. This meant that cooking meat was long, tedious, and over a fire. The early pilgrims and Native Americans had no way to bake all the foods we have today. In the earlier days, the people would hunt their food. The first Thanksgiving probably consisted of wild turkey, deer, fowl, and fish. This is very different from the big, farm-raised, store-bought turkeys that sit on our tables today. If you ask any elementary student, they will describe Thanksgiving as many happy pilgrims and Indians around a big table with plenty of food to go around. This, again, is incorrect. The Native Americans and pilgrims were quite hostile during this time. Several pilgrims had died by cause of disease and malnutrition. Many of the Native Americans had also been killed off because of Indian raids from the pilgrims. Some fragments of the current American’s story of the first Thanksgiving are correct. The famous Native American, Squanto did help the pilgrims learn how to plant food. He was there, helping create peace between the two groups of people. The pilgrims were very thankful for Squanto and his help, as we give thanks today. The meal eaten at the first Thanksgiving was similar to the Thanksgiving meal we eat today, with few differences. They ate wild turkey, along with other hunted meat and vegetables. The differences between the American’s view of the first Thanksgiving and the historically accurate version are abundant. The pilgrims and Native Americans were very hostile toward each other at the time of the first Thanksgiving. Food was not as plentiful as it seems. There were far less  people than thought at the first Thanksgiving due to disease, malnourishment, and Indian raids.

Developing Countries’ Healthcare Systems

Developing Countries’ Healthcare Systems Question: Global Fund in the recent past suspended the funding to Uganda government citing gross financial misappropriation especially by Ministry of health officials. As a financial consultant, identify and discuss the practices and policies that could have led to this financial loss and suggest both internal and external controls that should be put in place to minimize the reoccurrence of such scenarios. Introduction Developing countries’ healthcare systems are often funded by the donors’ grants in addition to public funds from the governmental budgets. But in some cases, these funds may be mismanaged and this could lead to heavy financial losses hence depriving its beneficiaries. The mismanagement of those funds may take different forms: misspending, fraudulent misappropriation or embezzlement (The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria). In this essay, we review the case of Uganda where The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in 2005 suspended the country’s funding following a release of an audit report that showed gross mismanagement of funds that were supposed to support the government of Uganda in its efforts to tackle AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Kapiriri Martin, 2006). The practices and policies that could have led to this mismanagement and embezzlement are identified and discussed together with the control measures, both internal and external, that should be undertaken to prevent such financial diversion in the future. 2. Practices and policies that could have led to financial mismanagement The problem of financial resources mismanagement seems to be widespread not only in developing countries but also in developed ones (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1997). Several inadequate practices and policies are reportedly involved in the occurrence of this problem. 2. a. Non-existing clear financial norms and regulations/none compliance to financial norms and regulations The lack of clear norms and regulations to provide guidance to those involved in the management of financial resources can create a way for them to mismanage the funds that they are supposed to manage. Taking into consideration the case of Uganda, the lack of clear norms and regulations on how funds would have been used possibly created a financial managerial chaos that facilitated those who were in the positions of funds management, at each level of administrative ladder, to misappropriate or misuse them. On the other hand, financial norms and regulations might have been in place but probably the management team, at different levels, was not compliant with them. 2. b. Lack of transparency in administrative hierarchy, roles and responsibilities Undefined organisational and reporting structure, unclear roles and responsibilities among members of various teams involved in funds management might also have created managerial disorder which led to lack of financial accountability. 2. c. Poor communication Poor communication among members of different teams might also have been a key factor in funds financial management failure. Possibly, teams did not share key project documents about funds management for reviews before being released as official documents. Further, they might not have coordination forums in which they should have discussed financial issues with key stakeholders in the implementation of the projects. 2. d. Managerial incompetence and unskilled financial/accountant officers Incompetence in the management of funds and implementing the planned activities might also have led to the above financial loss. Financial procedures might not have been observed, this might have been the results of incompetent managers coupled with unskilled financial officers and accountants. Further, according to Global Fund’s 2009 Office of the Inspector General report on Lessons learnt from the country audits and reviews undertaken, Uganda’s case, Principle Recipient’ management of Sub-Recipient was poor as was shown by evidences in the report and this was one of the issues that the grant was suspended. Stating the same source, there were poor internal controls at different levels either at Principle Recipient level or at Sub Recipient level as was evidenced by the report. For example, some amount of money estimated at 4,939,497 US dollars were not accounted for, adequate supporting documents for several transactions were missing, work plan and budgets were not abode by which resulted in several expenses not related to the programmatic budget and work plan. In addition, records related to the expenses like books of account were not properly kept. There were also cases of unsupported expenses and when supporting documents were found, they were actually counterfeit. It is reported that professional financial management necessitates impeccable financial and auditing tools. Deficiency in financial supervision and control mechanisms leads to financial mismanagement like diversion or misappropriation of funds (Mobegi et al, 2012). 2. e. Lack of active involvement of some key stakeholders According to Kapiriri and Martins (2006), one of the reported possible causes of mismanagement of Global Fund grants in Uganda was low levels of civil society participation. According to Global Fund’s requirements for grant eligibility, the participation of various stakeholders in the decision making is of paramount importance. But in Uganda, it was reported that part of key stakeholders, including civil society, who were supposed to be represented in Country Coordinating Mechanisms were not either involved or were lacking the capacity to provide meaningful inputs (Kapiriri Martins (2006). 3. Internal and external controls that should be put in place to minimize the reoccurrence of such scenarios It is stated that there is one common thing in all businesses either in public or private businesses: â€Å"To be successful, they must control their operations†. This means hiring the right people, pay them the right amount of salaries, order and receive the right products and services, etc (Libby et al, 2009). To achieve this, it is important to establish and comply with specific procedures and policies which describe how the business should be run. These specific procedures and policies are controls which can be either internal or external. This theory is applied to the case under discussion. 3.1. Internal controls Internal controls are defined as set of methods an organisation puts in place in order to protect the theft of its assets, ensure the accounting information is reliable, boost effective and efficient operations, and ascertain that applicable laws, regulations and codes of ethics are complied with (Libby et al, 2009). For the case of Uganda, given the shortcomings that were identified, internal control mechanisms should be enhanced and set to target them. The internal measures would include: Regular compliance audits: these audits would ascertain that the specific procedures, rules or regulations-set out by Global Fund and as described in grant agreement-to ensure the good management of grants are observed at every level of the management. Regular operational audits: these audits would study all operating procedures at all management levels in order to measure their performance in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. According to Hayes et al (2005), operational audits are not only limited to financial issues, they might also put more emphasis on other areas of the organisation ; structure, working approaches alike or other areas where evaluation is needed. Regular audits of financial statements: these audits would analyse the financial statements to ensure that they are accurate and in accordance with set criteria. Involving stakeholders in decision making process and enhanced communication: The involvement of stakeholders and improved decision making process concerning the implementation of Global Fund programmes could have been a cornerstone in the prevention of grants mismanagement. It is argued that if legitimate and fair decision making process were used, the suspension of grants could have been averted (Kapiriri Martins (2006). Given that the poor communication between members of Country Coordinating Mechanism (CCM) was cited among the causes of grant mismanagement in Uganda, enhanced communication within CCM and with other stakeholders would be equally important in preventing such gross financial loss. 3.2. External controls To minimise opportunities for grants mismanagement in the future, external control mechanisms should also be enhanced. These include: Global Fund should conduct regular and timely audits and reviews to ensure that the set guidelines for the management of its grants are observed. Independent auditors should be appointed and conduct audits on different levels of grants management. It is recommended by the Global Fund’ Office of the inspector general that the external audit reports should be submitted to Global Fund not later than six months after the period to be audited ( Global Fund, 2009). Global Fund should update its guidelines regarding the management of grants to fill the gaps when they are identified. 4. Conclusion Proper Global Fund grants management is crucial in fighting against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria whose mortality and morbidity rates are still unacceptably high in developing countries. Government of Global Fund-supported countries have the mandate to ensure that the grants are used in accordance with the set guidelines and the agreements signed between them and the Global Fund. Thus, this will avoid grants mismanagement or embezzlement cases and consequently reduce mortality and morbidity rates due to the above mentioned diseases.

Frankenstein Essay -- Literary Analysis, Mary Shelley

Organic: A Very Lucid Concept Will it ever be possible for a machine to be an organic being? It is an interesting question and one that is addressed in Frankstein by Merry Shelly, RUR by Karel Capek and The Defecating Duck by Jessica Riskin. These three texts provide insight into what makes a creature an organic being. From these readings one may construe that the duck in The Defecating Duck, along with the robots at the beginning of RUR cannot be considered organic beings, while the monster in Frankstein and the robots at the end of RUR can. An organic robot is an oxymoron; a robot does not have the chemical capability to be considered biologically organic. Although a chemical process was alluded to in both it Frankstein and RUR, it was very brief, a short paragraph in each case, and did not give enough information to be able to classify either as an organic being. However, there is a definition of organic that can be applied to prove that robots have the capability to be organic,â€Å"[10th definition of organic] something as having a growth and development analogous to that of living organisms† (Merriam Webster Dictionary). In other words, to be considered organic one must have the ability and desire to live. To long for a companion shows that one has a desire to connect with someone in their life, and therefore proves that person has a longing to be apart of the world. The monster in Frankstein has a desire to find a person he can connect with, and ends up going on a journey to find one. This journey begins with the monster observing and eventually falling in love with a farm family. â€Å"I formed in my imagination pictures of presenting myself to them†¦I imagined that they would be disgusted, until, by my gentle demeanor and con... ...ple. They are mechanically more perfect than we are†¦ but they have no soul† (Capek, 9). This quote by Domin explains to Helena how robots are not human but just workers. Domin further expresses this point by saying that. â€Å"Everything will be done by living machines. People will do only what they enjoy† (Capek, 21). These robots, for the time being, are complicit with their place and show no desire to live. The robots, and duck fail to show a desire to live and therefore cannot be considered organic beings. The robots from the end of RUR and the monster in Frankstein, unlike the robots at the beginning of RUR and the duck in the Defecating Duck, can be called organic beings because of their desire to live. These three texts brought up interesting points to a confounding question of organic robots. Making one believe that only time will be able to solve this riddle.

Comparison of Shall I Compare Thee? and My Mistress Eyes are Essay

1 Shall compare thee to a summer's day? ======================================= Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of maie, And summers lease hath all to short a date: 5 Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines, ============================================= And often is his gold complexion dim'd, --------------------------------------- And every faire from faire sometime declines, --------------------------------------------- By chance, or natures changing course untrim'd: ----------------------------------------------- But thy eternal summer shall not fade, -------------------------------------- 10 Nor loose possession of that faire thou ow'st, Nor shall death brag thou wandr'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st, So long as men can breath or eyes can see, So long lives this and this gives life to thee. In this sonnet, Shakespeare is creating a mental picture of spring and summer to compare against his loved one. He uses the fact that fine and beautiful days are the creation of nature, and nature is constantly changing all the time. Fine days never stay the same: 'rough winds' or the sun obscured by clouds, 'and often is his gold complexion dim'd', can easily mar a fine day. He talks about these negative factors of change in the first eight lines, and Shakespeare then uses these ideas to claim that his loved one will always remain untarnished, speaking of how 'thy eternal summer shall not fade' and how his loved one has lasting qualities that will outshine death: 'Nor shall death brag thou wandr'st in his shade' These thoughts come to a confident, final... ... Compared to the first few lines in the second sonnet: "My mistress eyes are nothing like the sun coral is far more red than her lips red" And this shocking feeling of offense and harshness continues through to line twelve in the second sonnet. However, there are some dark points in the first sonnet as well, as death is mentioned in line eleven "Nor shall death brag thou wandr'st in his shade" And "rough winds" in line three. However, how harsh and sincere these sonnets may be, both have the conclusions with the similar idea that Shakespeare loves his woman so much that he doesn't need to give her false comparisons to do with beautiful items or beautiful things that don't last forever - his love lasts for eternity in the sonnet: "So long as men can breath, and eyes can see So long lives this, and this gives life to thee."

breaking the norm Essay -- essays research papers

Breaking the Norms  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When each of us was conceived, we did not have anything influencing our perception of the world. While we were growing up and still do this day, our surroundings influenced the way we think and the how we behave in our daily lives. We get ideas about gender roles from our parents, our teachers, television, books and even subconsciously. As part of a project to break the norms of society and push past peoples thresholds, I needed to figure out what made people feel uncomfortable. I thought for a moment and decided to tackle homophobia. I choose this topic because very few men are comfortable talking about the subject of gay men. It is my objective to better understand why men think the way we do. In order to get started I needed to brainstorm.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After a little bit of deliberation, Juan and some other male classmates decided to hold hands and walk through the student union. Picture four grown men holding each others hands, walking through the middle of campus. As you can imagine, we received a lot of looks. We walked around for about five minutes as if nothing was going on. People seemed to be staring at us for a moment saying to themselves â€Å"what are they doing?† This is something that never happens in society. You hardly ever see men holding hands, much less four grown men swinging each others arms. Honestly, my first thought was that we would look so gay if we did this. Others in the group were skeptical at first to do this as well. When we walked into class, the students seem to cringe when they saw us take our seats.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After that day I decided to take my project one step farther and push past everyone’s threshold. In order to break the norms of society and truly make people uncomfortable, I decided to wear the color pink for the entire day of school. I went to the local Savers and purchased several items that were very feminine. I bought a pair of pink and yellow striped bellbottoms and a tight pink collared shirt. I wore the clothes to school in the hopes to witness the students reactions to me wearing clothes completely out of the ordinary. After attending two classes that day, I decided to talk to some friends of mine. They all told me that I looked like a â€Å"fag.† I finally had broke the norms of society and at the same time caught my friends stereot... ...ey take it in the rear!† Some of the men I asked even said they felt â€Å"homosexuality is like a disease that you might rub off on you if you get too close.† Many of these men felt like their families would disown them. My feeling is that if you are not gay then you have no reason to be afraid of someone who is. I feel that if you have no doubt in your sexuality then you wouldn’t feel threatened by someone who is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I don’t feel that men are truly independent or confident enough to let go and feel as comfortable as females do. I feel that the social construction of our society needs to be modified. Men need to be taught that it is okay to show emotion and that whatever their sexuality is, it doesn’t matter. To be more masculine we should learn to cope with our sexuality, and not be afraid. Masculinity does not mean without feeling, it means being strong and coming to terms with who you are. Wearing a pink shirt or holding hands with someone doesn’t mean anything then just that. With so many influences changing our perception of the world, its hard to make the right choices. You should not be so quick to judge someone, and in this case, why does it matter?