Nosocomial Infections

Remember your mother always reminding you to wash your hands? We have all been told to do so at one point in our lives or another. As children we grudgingly obeyed, not really appreciating the wisdom and love behind the statement. For most of us, the value of hand hygiene is superficial; a means to clean soiled, unsightly hands. We were not aware that washing our hands regularly was a primary defense against many types of diseases.As a child it was imposed upon us by our parents, but as we grew older, we realize its true value but no longer practice it on a regular basis, finding it inconvenient and a waste of time. The truth is that hand hygiene is one of our best defenses against diseases. The simple act of washing and rubbing our hands vigorously with soap and running water is an effective shield against bacteria-borne infections. And this is especially true for health care professionals who are exposed to bacteria on a regular basis.People go to hospitals and other healthcare ins titutions for medical attention and treatment of their ailments. However, while most people get well after a trip to the hospital, there are cases where people get worse because of exposure to harmful microorganisms that abound in these hospitals. In hospitals, bacteria proliferate because of the high concentration of ill people at one place at any one given time, and they can cause secondary infections to people going to the hospital. These types of infections are caught secondary to a hospital visit or stay, and are called nosocomial infections.The Center for Disease Control (CDC) defined nosocomial infections or healthcare-acquired infections as â€Å"infections that patients acquire during the course of receiving treatment.† (Boyce, 2002, 29) And because these patients did not initially harbor these nosocomial infections, they could only have been acquired while in the hospital, while in contact with doctors and nurses who go from one sick patient to another. These health care professionals become the main mode of transmission for nosocomial infections, and this is made even worse especially if doctors and nurses do not practice proper hand hygiene.It does not take a rocket scientist to figure it out. In hospitals, most patients are bed-ridden, not allowed to go from one place to another. Therefore, the risk of them directly infecting another patient is slim. Only doctors and nurses move about from one patient to another, in constant physical contact with the patients. Because the hands are their main point of contact, the hands become the main vehicle of microbes as well. They â€Å"stick† to the doctors and nurses hands, and remain there until they are â€Å"dropped off† somewhere else.This process goes on and on until the bacteria find a suitable host, which is almost always, the human body. Inside the human body, these microbes will colonize and proliferate, causing many types of health problems. These transient, disease causing ba cteria use the skin as temporary vehicles to get from one point to another. However, because these microbes are transient and non-colonizing on the skin surface, they are easily removed by proper and rigorous hand washing with an anti-microbial soap and water. Therefore, proper hand washing can halt the spread of disease-causing bacteria in their tracks. If doctors and nurses fail to clean their hands, they become virtual havens for microbes, transmitting and causing nosocomial infections.The figures are alarming. Studies have shown that one out of every 20 patients contract nosocomial infections because of inadequate hygiene practices in most American hospitals. These nosocomial infections â€Å"kill an estimated 103,000 people in the United States a year, as many as AIDS, breast cancer and auto accidents combined.† (McCaughey, 2005, 1) The World Health Organization says that nosocomial or healthcare acquired infections are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortalit y rates worldwide. (Ducel, 2002, 7) And all of this because of dirty hands. And all of these deaths and suffering are unnecessary. They can be easily remedied. If every healthcare worker would faithfully practice proper hand hygiene as they move from one patient to another, â€Å"there would be an immediate and profound reduction in the spread of resistant bacteria.†(Goldmann, 2006, 122)From every point of contact with patients, the hands of doctors and nurses are dirty, carrying infection-causing microbes; and as doctors and nurses attend to their patients’ needs, these bacteria move into the patients. While most of these bacteria can normally be fought off by the body, the compromised bodies of patients already weakened by an existing sickness become easy targets for these parasites, and nosocomial infections can easily set in. And because these infections attack a weak immune system, these can lead to more serious complications and even death.As the main vectors of nosocomial infections, doctors and nurses can prevent the spread through appropriate hand-sanitizing procedures. Hand hygiene is the single most important patient care practice that health care providers can do to prevent cross contamination and nosocomial infection. Some may say that hand hygiene is made redundant by wearing of antiseptic gloves on a regular basis. However, even if doctors and nurses wear gloves, it will also be contaminated if the hands are not clean in the first place. These gloves must be worn and removed using the hands, and so the cycle of contamination perpetuates itself in the hands of doctors and nurses with dirty hands.The premise of hand washing is very simple and very effective. Microbes are parasites. They depend on a host to live and reproduce themselves. However, bacteria are not mobile; they do have the means to move from one place to another. As such, they depend on outside help to move about and find new hosts to infect. This help comes in the form of doctors and nurse, who because of their many responsibilities, forget to clean their hands, or do so incorrectly. The anti-microbial property of soaps plus the rigorous friction of the rubbing of the hands can easily remove, weaken, or even kill these transient, infection-causing microbes before they can cause anyone any more harm. As such, a system-wide must be enforced, making proper hand hygiene mandatory for all doctors and nurses. Hand hygiene stations must be installed all over hospitals to make it easy for healthcare workers to clean their hands anytime.Indeed nosocomial infections can exact a high price. But what is even more unfortunate about nosocomial infections is the fact that it can be avoided. These healthcare associated infections are unnecessary tragedies that can be easily prevented with proper sanitation and hygiene procedures.Of course it is important to note that hand hygiene or hand washing is not enough. It must be done properly, following certain guidelin es. It is not enough to clean the hands; they must be disinfected. Normal or ordinary hand washing is the same as no hand hygiene at all. This means that hand washing must be done right, or not at all because it does not make any difference to harmful microbes or the health of the patients. Hand hygiene depends on the case and the area of the hospital involved. Normal hand hygiene should be done for at least a minute, with vigorous rubbing of the two hands against each other. Plain soap has been proven to effective against microorganism because the soap lifts the microbes off the surface of the skin to be rinsed off by running water.Hand hygiene need not be complicated or costly. All it takes is soap, running water, and friction, and the discipline to do it regularly and properly. The key is to make it a habit. There is no dearth of evidence showing that hand washing is effective in halting the spread of infections; the problem is that very few people in the health care industry pra ctice hand hygiene in compliance with regulations. Most wash their hands but do so inappropriately, which is useless in itself.While stopping the spread of nosocomial infections is complex, there is no denying the fact that the first line of defense against nosocomial infections is hand hygiene for nurses and doctors. Simple adherence to proper cleaning/disinfecting procedures is all that is needed to prevent needless infections from spreading any further and causing more harm. It is simply a matter of discipline.First do no harm†¦ that is the adage that all health workers swear by. It is ironic that nurses and doctors should also be the main vectors of nosocomial infections. These nosocomial infections are the shame of the healthcare system because it can be prevented with faithful compliance to proper hygiene procedures. The solution lies literally in our hands. If we don’t clean our hands, then it is dirty with the needless suffering and death of patients from nosocom ial infections. Our dirty hands are guilty hands.Works CitedGoldmann, Donald. â€Å"System Failure Versus Personal Accoutability–The Case for Clean Hands. New England Journal of Medicine. 355:121-3. 13 July 2006. 22 May 2007. https://content.nejm.org/cgi/reprint/355/2/121.pdfCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006). Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs).  Ã‚   Retrieved March 17, 2007, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/healthDis.htmlDucel, G., et al., eds. Prevention of Hospital Acquired Infections-A Practical Guide. Geneva: World Health Organization. 2002. 21 May 2007.   http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/drugresist/whocdscsreph200212.pdfGorman, Christine. â€Å"Wash Those Hands† How doctors and nurses can make you sick — and what you can do about it. TIME. 163. 1. 29 March 2004: Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomas Gale. Pasco-Hernando Community College Lib., New Port Richey, FL. 23 May 2007. http://www.time.com/time/magazi ne/article/0,9171,993710,00.htmlâ€Å"Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings† Recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Hand Hygiene Task Force. 51. 25. Oct. 2002: 1-44. Boyce, John and Diddier, Pittet. Het.comps Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). MMWR. Retrieved on 23 May 2007.   http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5116a1.htmMcCaughey, Betsy. â€Å"Coming Clean. (Editorial Desk) (Hospital Hygiene and Infections).† The New York Times. 6 June 2005: Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomas Gale. Pasco-Hernando Community College Lib., New Port Richey, FL. 23 May 2007. http://hospitalinfection.org/press/060505ny_times.pdf Nosocomial Infections Remember your mother always reminding you to wash your hands? We have all been told to do so at one point in our lives or another. As children we grudgingly obeyed, not really appreciating the wisdom and love behind the statement. For most of us, the value of hand hygiene is superficial; a means to clean soiled, unsightly hands. We were not aware that washing our hands regularly was a primary defense against many types of diseases. As a child it was imposed upon us by our parents, but as we grew older, we realize its true value but no longer practice it on a regular basis, finding it inconvenient and a waste of time.The truth is that hand hygiene is one of our best defenses against diseases. The simple act of washing and rubbing our hands vigorously with soap and running water is an effective shield against bacteria-borne infections. And this is especially true for health care professionals who are exposed to bacteria on a regular basis.People go to hospitals and other healthcare ins titutions for medical attention and treatment of their ailments. However, while most people get well after a trip to the hospital, there are cases where people get worse because of exposure to harmful microorganisms that abound in these hospitals. In hospitals, bacteria proliferate because of the high concentration of ill people at one place at any one given time, and they can cause secondary infections to people going to the hospital.These types of infections are caught secondary to a hospital visit or stay, and are called nosocomial infections. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) defined nosocomial infections or healthcare-acquired infections as â€Å"infections that patients acquire during the course of receiving treatment.† (Boyce, 2002, 29) And because these patients did not initially harbor these nosocomial infections, they could only have been acquired while in the hospital, while in contact with doctors and nurses who go from one sick patient to another. These health care professionals become the main mode of transmission for nosocomial infections, and this is made even worse especially if doctors and nurses do not practice proper hand hygiene.It does not take a rocket scientist to figure it out. In hospitals, most patients are bed-ridden, not allowed to go from one place to another. Therefore, the risk of them directly infecting another patient is slim. Only doctors and nurses move about from one patient to another, in constant physical contact with the patients. Because the hands are their main point of contact, the hands become the main vehicle of microbes as well. They â€Å"stick† to the doctors and nurses hands, and remain there until they are â€Å"dropped off† somewhere else. This process goes on and on until the bacteria find a suitable host, which is almost always, the human body. Inside the human body, these microbes will colonize and proliferate, causing many types of health problems.These transient, disease causing ba cteria use the skin as temporary vehicles to get from one point to another. However, because these microbes are transient and non-colonizing on the skin surface, they are easily removed by proper and rigorous hand washing with an anti-microbial soap and water. Therefore, proper hand washing can halt the spread of disease-causing bacteria in their tracks. If doctors and nurses fail to clean their hands, they become virtual havens for microbes, transmitting and causing nosocomial infections.The figures are alarming. Studies have shown that one out of every 20 patients contract nosocomial infections because of inadequate hygiene practices in most American hospitals. These nosocomial infections â€Å"kill an estimated 103,000 people in the United States a year, as many as AIDS, breast cancer and auto accidents combined.† (McCaughey, 2005, 1) The World Health Organization says that nosocomial or healthcare acquired infections are one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortalit y rates worldwide. (Ducel, 2002, 7) And all of this because of dirty hands. And all of these deaths and suffering are unnecessary. They can be easily remedied. If every healthcare worker would faithfully practice proper hand hygiene as they move from one patient to another, â€Å"there would be an immediate and profound reduction in the spread of resistant bacteria.†(Goldmann, 2006, 122)From every point of contact with patients, the hands of doctors and nurses are dirty, carrying infection-causing microbes; and as doctors and nurses attend to their patients’ needs, these bacteria move into the patients. While most of these bacteria can normally be fought off by the body, the compromised bodies of patients already weakened by an existing sickness become easy targets for these parasites, and nosocomial infections can easily set in. And because these infections attack a weak immune system, these can lead to more serious complications and even death.As the main vectors of nosocomial infections, doctors and nurses can prevent the spread through appropriate hand-sanitizing procedures. Hand hygiene is the single most important patient care practice that health care providers can do to prevent cross contamination and nosocomial infection. Some may say that hand hygiene is made redundant by wearing of antiseptic gloves on a regular basis. However, even if doctors and nurses wear gloves, it will also be contaminated if the hands are not clean in the first place. These gloves must be worn and removed using the hands, and so the cycle of contamination perpetuates itself in the hands of doctors and nurses with dirty hands.The premise of hand washing is very simple and very effective. Microbes are parasites. They depend on a host to live and reproduce themselves. However, bacteria are not mobile; they do have the means to move from one place to another. As such, they depend on outside help to move about and find new hosts to infect. This help comes in the form of doctors and nurse, who because of their many responsibilities, forget to clean their hands, or do so incorrectly. The anti-microbial property of soaps plus the rigorous friction of the rubbing of the hands can easily remove, weaken, or even kill these transient, infection-causing microbes before they can cause anyone any more harm. As such, a system-wide must be enforced, making proper hand hygiene mandatory for all doctors and nurses. Hand hygiene stations must be installed all over hospitals to make it easy for healthcare workers to clean their hands anytime.Indeed nosocomial infections can exact a high price. But what is even more unfortunate about nosocomial infections is the fact that it can be avoided. These healthcare associated infections are unnecessary tragedies that can be easily prevented with proper sanitation and hygiene procedures.Of course it is important to note that hand hygiene or hand washing is not enough. It must be done properly, following certain guidelin es. It is not enough to clean the hands; they must be disinfected. Normal or ordinary hand washing is the same as no hand hygiene at all. This means that hand washing must be done right, or not at all because it does not make any difference to harmful microbes or the health of the patients. Hand hygiene depends on the case and the area of the hospital involved. Normal hand hygiene should be done for at least a minute, with vigorous rubbing of the two hands against each other. Plain soap has been proven to effective against microorganism because the soap lifts the microbes off the surface of the skin to be rinsed off by running water.Hand hygiene need not be complicated or costly. All it takes is soap, running water, and friction, and the discipline to do it regularly and properly. The key is to make it a habit. There is no dearth of evidence showing that hand washing is effective in halting the spread of infections; the problem is that very few people in the health care industry pra ctice hand hygiene in compliance with regulations. Most wash their hands but do so inappropriately, which is useless in itself.While stopping the spread of nosocomial infections is complex, there is no denying the fact that the first line of defense against nosocomial infections is hand hygiene for nurses and doctors. Simple adherence to proper cleaning/disinfecting procedures is all that is needed to prevent needless infections from spreading any further and causing more harm. It is simply a matter of discipline.First do no harm†¦ that is the adage that all health workers swear by. It is ironic that nurses and doctors should also be the main vectors of nosocomial infections. These nosocomial infections are the shame of the healthcare system because it can be prevented with faithful compliance to proper hygiene procedures. The solution lies literally in our hands. If we don’t clean our hands, then it is dirty with the needless suffering and death of patients from nosocom ial infections. Our dirty hands are guilty hands.Works CitedGoldmann, Donald. â€Å"System Failure Versus Personal Accoutability–The Case for Clean Hands. New England Journal of Medicine. 355:121-3. 13 July 2006. 22 May 2007. https://content.nejm.org/cgi/reprint/355/2/121.pdfCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006). Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs).  Ã‚   Retrieved March 17, 2007, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/healthDis.htmlDucel, G., et al., eds. Prevention of Hospital Acquired Infections-A Practical Guide. Geneva: World Health Organization. 2002. 21 May 2007.   http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/drugresist/whocdscsreph200212.pdfGorman, Christine. â€Å"Wash Those Hands† How doctors and nurses can make you sick — and what you can do about it. TIME. 163. 1. 29 March 2004: Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomas Gale. Pasco-Hernando Community College Lib., New Port Richey, FL. 23 May 2007. http://www.time.com/time/magazi ne/article/0,9171,993710,00.htmlâ€Å"Guideline for Hand Hygiene in Health-Care Settings† Recommendations of the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee and the HICPAC/SHEA/APIC/IDSA Hand Hygiene Task Force. 51. 25. Oct. 2002: 1-44. Boyce, John and Diddier, Pittet. Het.comps Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). MMWR. Retrieved on 23 May 2007.   http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5116a1.htmMcCaughey, Betsy. â€Å"Coming Clean. (Editorial Desk) (Hospital Hygiene and Infections).† The New York Times. 6 June 2005: Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomas Gale. Pasco-Hernando Community College Lib., New Port Richey, FL. 23 May 2007. http://hospitalinfection.org/press/060505ny_times.pdf

Rock ‘N’ Hip, Hop ‘N’ Roll, and the Integration of Music

From bell bottoms to Barbies, every generation has its own distinct trends. While various fads have cropped up in each era, music has always been a key element of culture. Starting in the 1950’s, music became integrated within the American culture as the favored form of expression. The popular types of music found on the Top 100 lists today however, have changed dramatically since then. What has promoted this obvious change in music choice? While rock ‘n’ roll still holds its own in the music billboards of 2010, the general public now prefers the mechanical sounds of hip hop and pop. So which trends in music and in thought made the rebellious rock ‘n’ roll such a craze in the 1950’s, but not now? Each era has had specific trends, schools of thought and attitudes that have veered them into a specific genre of music. Rockin’ Out Before 1950, the American culture held firm social expectations. Males were expected to enroll into the military or work, and women were expected to stay in the kitchen. America was pulling out of the depression, and wealth and prosperity was not considered a necessity. As the United States prevailed in World War II however, America started to change startlingly. While many people were focused on conforming with their neighbors, the social structure was revolutionized. Soldiers returned, many experiencing traumatic psychological and physical problems. Women who had integrated themselves into the work force now found themselves replaced by returning soldiers. Most importantly, families started experiencing a great deal of economic independence. This increasing affluence gave teenagers a chance to break away from their parents’ lifestyles. Teens started creating their own clothing trends, dance fads, and hairstyles (Cox). As these new fads and styles starting breaking away from social norms, rock ‘n’ roll became the sound of change. Conservative parents viewed rock ‘n’ roll, and the hip gyrations that came with it, as a gift from the devil. Despite their parents protestations however, teenagers idolized musicians like Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Elvis. So what made rock ‘n’ roll the epitome of 1950 culture? Four recording companies-Decca, R. C. A. , Columbia and Capital-had a virtual monopoly over the popular music field in the early 1950’s. This control made rock ‘n’ roll wildly popular, simply because there was no competition (Lewis 47). As the 1950’s went on, their control weakened, yet rock ‘n’ roll still prevailed as the dominant music genre. A contributing factor to its increasing popularity was the lack of musicians being schooled in theory, technique and composition. Rock ‘n’ roll paved a golden road for a small, charismatic group of people. They provided music rapidly to the American public, without having to compose masterpieces rivaling the music of Bach, Liszt and Debussy. Rock ‘n’ roll also created an easy and fun way to express complex emotions through beating rhythms and twisting ostinato patterns. Simon Anderson explains, â€Å"The amplified bass seems to produce a kind of second-level rumble, a subsidiary moaning and groaning, an incantation of the adolescent subculture, where no one really knows or cares how they feel about life. † This â€Å"incantation of the adolescent subculture† spoke to the class, gender and racial conflicts tearing through America at the time. Rock ‘n’ roll introduced the American white culture to black music. Teenagers soon became addicted to the rhythm and blues and rock ‘n’ roll, all of which was black-inspired. The crossing of racial culture helped the disintegration of the color line. Appreciation of black music helped increase recognition of blacks in popular culture (Bertrand). Though the rhythms and beat of rock ‘n’ roll spoke to the carefree teenager life, often the lyrics promoted conventional values and strength in relationships. 83. 4% of songs in 1955 were love ballads in the conversational mode (Carey 723). Most songs told of lovers, yearning for each other in some type of sense. This theme reflects the attitudes of teenagers in the 1950’s, as this was the first generation people were allowed to marry for love. Women had more freedom to travel into the workplace and finally be on equal grounds with their husbands. Husbands did not have to leave their wives for war. Children had more autonomy as parents no longer dictated who and when they were going to love. However, as this freedom was increasingly integrated into American culture over time, the amount of love related songs dramatically dropped. In 1966, only 69. 5% of produced songs were about love and courtship (Carey 723). Rock ‘n’ roll provided the perfect form of expression in the 1950’s. It combined lyrical ties to radical social changes and catchy rhythms unique to its generation. What’s Hip Now? The change tearing through America in the 1950’s persists to this day. 2010 has brought a busier, more materialistic, culture than ever before. The trends of women working outside of the home and increasing teenage autonomy persists. American teenagers are given more discretionary time than ever before in history. Reed Larson studied this continuing trend and explains, â€Å"If we look back over the past 200 years, the most striking historic change in young people’s use of time is that youths spend much less time on labor activities today than they did in America’s agrarian past† (160). Some teenagers use this newfound source of time dedicated to structured voluntary activities such as sports, theatre, work, etc. others dedicate escalating amounts of time to mind-numbing entertainment. And with hundreds of new forms of mass media, it is hard to not get caught up in the technology tornado sweeping through the nation. The endless barrage of t. v. , facebook, internet sites, music, iPhone’s and iPod’s, video and computer games can easily overwhelm the distracted teenager. Mass media however, is not promoting enlightening or uplifting ideas or values. Instead, popular music now screams lyrics advocating ridiculous displays of wealth, substance abuse and the need for physical love. Top rated songs like â€Å"Billionaire,† â€Å"Raise Your Glass,† and â€Å"Low† are all examples of this. Misogynistic rap lyrics have become a dominant feature in the work of several artists. Often in hip-hop and pop music, â€Å"women serve as mindless props or accessories to be doused with expensive champagne or to shake their half-naked bodies to repetitive beats and sexist lyrics† (Murry 6). In Eminem’s recent hit to â€Å"I Love the Way You Lie,† his last verse reads, â€Å"I'm tired of the games/ I just want her back/ I know I'm a liar/ If she ever tries to f***ing leave again/ I'mma tie her to the bed/ And set the house on fire. Songs like this expressing control over women physically, sexually and emotionally predominate popular culture. How did songs depicting such unrealistic and immoral ideals become the rage in American teenage culture? Perhaps it is hip-hop’s diligent presence in pop culture. For the last two decades, hip-hop has â€Å"prided itself on being misunderstood; it lacks sentimentality and is not easily thwarted by moralizing efforts† (Murray 8). And for the last two decades, American teenagers have prided themselves on being misunderstood, and have not been easily thwarted by moralizing efforts. A mass culture trend has changed communication from the sincerity of face to face conversation to the simplicity of texting and Facebook. This has lead to a decrease in sentimentality and an increase in misunderstandings between people. Moral beliefs practiced by preceding generations have also disappeared. Ethics such as chastity, honesty and virtue have become unfashionable and undesirable. The change in lyrics from conventional love ballads in the 1950’s to the focus on money and sexual prizes reflects the changes in behavior and schools of thought throughout the generations. Lyrical Art The lyrics found in any genre of music influences the emotions of the listener (Krumhans 45). Martina McBride’s pop hit â€Å"Concrete Angel† is a fantastic example of emotion correlating with song lyrics. The heart-wrenching song tells the story of an little girl who is killed because of physical abuse in her home. The chorus reads, â€Å"Through the wind and the rain she stands hard as a stone/ In a world that she can’t rise above/ But her dreams give her wings and she flies to a place/ Where she’s loved/ Concrete Angel. Though the melody, key, tension or dynamics help create an emotional state throughout this song, the lyrics were what made this song so emotionally powerful. â€Å"Concrete Angel† acquires its emotional meaning through the association of events that the general audience can relate too. Though the majority of the listeners will not have experienced physical abuse first hand, they can sympathize because they are aware o f the emotional, physical and mental damage violence incurs. Musicians know of the power lyrics hold. Lyrics can tell stories that make hearts melt, enlighten schools of thought never explored before, or create strong physical reactions. But lyrics that the majority of the public can relate to, sell better. This is the reason why the general themes songs have expressed have changed so dramatically over the last sixty years. The teenagers in 1950 were just starting to experience economic prosperity and free love. To listen to music completely revolving around money and sex would be crossing a line they hadn’t invented yet. And the youth in 2010 will not easily relate to ballads focused around falling in love with that one person because most are not looking for one person to love. Both the love-bound lyrics of the 1950’s and the materialistic lyrics of pop songs today accurately reflect the culture they predominate. Rhythm ‘n’ Blues Several other factors influence what makes cultural music popular. Lyrics must be in a proper combination of rhythm, harmony, key, dissonance, tension and dynamics for a song to reach it’s full potential. Even the untrained ear can distinguish feelings associated with the mode of the piece. Major, fast paced songs are associated with happy feelings while minor, slow, soft songs are correlated with sad feelings. Dissonant, unstable, tense songs often invoke feelings of fear. These feelings can all be present without powerful lyrics. Much of the world’s music is instrumental, and most of these create powerful emotion in the listener (Krumahns 48). So which musical factors specifically influenced popular music in the 1950’s and today? The drumming beats found in most rock ‘n’ roll pieces created a powerful sound teenagers revolved around. The harsh rhythms, instability of sound and rockin’ dance moves associated with rock ‘n’ roll all helped increase its popularity. Popular music today features fast paced songs with mechanical sounds in the background. Songs incorporate an inordinate amount of words per second, often leaving the listener wondering what they just heard. In the new hit single â€Å"Love Like Woe,† the listener hears, â€Å"Cause I got some intuition/ Or maybe I’m superstitious/ But I think you’re a pretty sweet pill that I’m swallowing down/ To counter this addiction/ You’ve got me on a mission/ Tell me darling, can I get a break somehow? Could I say no? ,† all in a mere ten seconds. The fast pace of songs are easily correlated with the fast pace of teenagers lives today. Teenagers are expected to excel in school, extracurriculars, athletics, music, and family life all at the same time. Pop music is branching away from traditional instruments to a more machine based background. The popular song â€Å"Like a g6† even goes as far as making the chorus voices sound computerized. Classical music appreciation has severely declined and sounds symbolizing a mechanical, over the top life, have taken control of the musical industry. The Ensemble Musical preference is very much behavioral. In the words of Simon V. Anderson, â€Å"If music educators did not believe that musical preference is socially conditioned. . . They would not work in the public classrooms at all, but rather, they would spend their time and energy in the science laboratories searching for the virus . . . that impairs musical judgment† (39). Popular music preference has much to do with the language, values and beliefs of the teenagers perspective of popular culture. Trendy music will be the music that teenagers can relate to and create for them the feelings they desire. Music choice however also reflects how the music makes one feel while listening to it. Popular songs in 1950 and 2010 reflect the culture they predominate through the general theme of lyrics and background noises. In each culture, music has been a favored form of expression and creates emotion based on what the culture wants. As even now, popular culture changes from liking bell bottoms to skinny jeans and back again, pop music changes with it to accurately reflect the culture it has been rooted upon.

Gsm Specification & Air Interface

[pic] WHAT IS GSM GSM: GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications: originally from Groupe Special Mobile) is the most popular standard for mobile telephone systems in the world. The GSM Association, its promoting industry trade organization of mobile phone carriers and manufacturers, estimates that 80% of the global mobile market uses the standard. GSM Specifications-I RF Spectrum GSM 900 1. Mobile to BTS (uplink): 890-915 MHz 2. BTS to Mobile (downlink):935-960 MHz 3. Bandwidth: 2* 25 MHz GSM 1800 1. Mobile to BTS (uplink): 1710-1785 MHz 2. BTS to Mobile (downlink) 1805-1880 MHz 3. Bandwidth: 2* 75 MHz GSM Specification-II 1. Carrier Separation : 200 KHz 2. Duplex Distance : 45 MHz 3. No. of RF carriers : 124 4. Access Method : TDMA/FDMA 5. Modulation Method: GMSK 6. Modulation data rate: 270. 833 Kbps ADVANTAGES OF GSM: 1. GSM uses radio frequencies efficiently & due to the digital radio path the system tolerates more intercellular disturbances. 2. The average quality of speech achieved is better than in existing analogue systems. 3. Data transmission is supported throughout the system. 4. Speech is encrypted & subscriber information security is guaranteed. . Due to the ISDN compatibility, new services are offered compared to analogue systems. 6. International roaming is technically possible within all the countries concerned. 7. The large market toughens the competition & lowers the prices both for investments & usages. GSM SPECIFICATIONS The main idea behind the GSM specifications is to define several open interfaces which then are limiting certain parts of the GSM system. Because of this interface, openness the operator maintaining the network may obtain different parts of the network from different GSM network suppliers. Also when an interface is open it defines strictly what is happening through the interface & this in turn strictly defines what kind of actions/procedures/functions should ne implemented between the interfaces. STRUCTURE OF GSM: [pic] GSM Specifications: Before looking at the GSM specifications, it is important to understand the following basic terms: * Bandwidth —the range of a channel's limits; the broader the bandwidth, the faster data can be sent * Bits per second (bps) —a single on-off pulse of data; eight bits are equivalent to one byte * Frequency —the number of cycles per unit of time; frequency is measured in hertz (Hz) Kilo (k) —kilo is the designation for 1,000; the abbreviation kbps represents 1,000 bits per second * Megahertz (MHz) —1,000,000 hertz (cycles per second) * Milliseconds (ms) —one-thousandth of a second * Watt (W) —a measure of power of a transmitter Specifications for different personal communication services (PCS) systems vary among the different PCS networks. Listed below is a description of the specifications and characteristics for GSM. * Frequency band — the frequency range specified for GSM is 1,850 to 1,990 MHz (mobile station to base station). * Duplex distance —The duplex distance is 80 MHz. Duplex distance is the distance between the uplink and downlink frequencies. A channel has two frequencies, 80 MHz apart. * Channel separation —The separation between adjacent carrier frequencies. In GSM, this is 200 kHz. * Modulation —Modulation is the process of sending a signal by changing the characteristics of a carrier frequency. This is done in GSM via Gaussian minimum shift keying (GMSK). * Transmission rate —GSM is a digital system with an over-the-air bit rate of 270 kbps. * Access method —GSM utilizes the time division multiple access (TDMA) concept. TDMA is a technique in which several different calls may share the same carrier. Each call is assigned a particular time slot. * Speech coder —GSM uses linear predictive coding (LPC). The purpose of LPC is to reduce the bit rate. The LPC provides parameters for a filter that mimics the vocal tract. The signal passes through this filter, leaving behind a residual signal. Speech is encoded at 13 kbps. GSM Subscriber Services There are two basic types of services offered through GSM: telephony (also referred to as tele services) and data (also referred to as bearer services). Telephony services are mainly voice services that provide subscribers with the complete capability (including necessary terminal equipment) to communicate with other subscribers. Data services provide the capacity necessary to transmit appropriate data signals between two access points creating an interface to the network. In addition to normal telephony and emergency calling, the following subscriber services are supported by GSM: * Dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) —DTMF is a tone signaling scheme often used for various control purposes via the telephone network, such as remote control of an answering machine. GSM supports full-originating DTMF. * Facsimile group III —GSM supports CCITT Group 3 facsimile. As standard fax machines are designed to be connected to a telephone using analog signals, a special fax converter connected to the exchange is used in the GSM system. This enables a GSM–connected fax to communicate with any analog fax in the network. * Short message services —A convenient facility of the GSM network is the short message service. A message consisting of a maximum of 160 alphanumeric characters can be sent to or from a mobile station. This service can be viewed as an advanced form of alphanumeric paging with a number of advantages. If the subscriber's mobile unit is powered off or has left the coverage area, the message is stored and offered back to the subscriber when the mobile is powered on or has reentered the coverage area of the network. This function ensures that the message will be received. * Cell broadcast —A variation of the short message service is the cell broadcast facility. A message of a maximum of 93 characters can be broadcast to all mobile subscribers in a certain geographic area. Typical applications include traffic congestion warnings and reports on accidents. * Voice mail —This service is actually an answering machine within the network, which is controlled by the subscriber. Calls can be forwarded to the subscriber's voice-mail box and the subscriber checks for messages via a personal security code. * Fax mail —With this service, the subscriber can receive fax messages at any fax machine. The messages are stored in a service center from which they can be retrieved by the subscriber via a personal security code to the desired fax number. Supplementary Services GSM supports a comprehensive set of supplementary services that can complement and support both telephony and data services. Supplementary services are defined by GSM and are characterized as revenue-generating features. A partial listing of supplementary services follows. * Call forwarding —This service gives the subscriber the ability to forward incoming calls to another number if the called mobile unit is not reachable, if it is busy, if there is no reply, or if call forwarding is allowed unconditionally. Barring of outgoing calls —This service makes it possible for a mobile subscriber to prevent all outgoing calls. * Barring of incoming calls —This function allows the subscriber to prevent incoming calls. The following two conditions for incoming call barring exist: baring of all incoming calls and barring of incoming calls when roaming outside the home PLMN. * Advice of charge (AOC) —The AOC service provides the mobile subscribe r with an estimate of the call charges. There are two types of AOC information: one that provides the subscriber with an estimate of the bill and one that can be used for immediate charging purposes. AOC for data calls is provided on the basis of time measurements. * Call hold —This service enables the subscriber to interrupt an ongoing call and then subsequently reestablish the call. The call hold service is only applicable to normal telephony. * Call waiting —This service enables the mobile subscriber to be notified of an incoming call during a conversation. The subscriber can answer, reject, or ignore the incoming call. Call waiting is applicable to all GSM telecommunications services using a circuit-switched connection. Multiparty service —The multiparty service enables a mobile subscriber to establish a multiparty conversation—that is, a simultaneous conversation between three and six subscribers. This service is only applicable to normal telephony. * Calling line identification presentation/restriction —These services supply the called party with the integrated services digital network (ISDN) number of the calling party. The restriction se rvice enables the calling party to restrict the presentation. The restriction overrides the presentation. * Closed user groups (CUGs) —CUGs are generally comparable to a PBX. They are a group of subscribers who are capable of only calling themselves and certain numbers. AIR INTERFACE In cellular telephone communications, the air interface is the radio-frequency portion of the circuit between the cellular phone set or wireless modem (usually portable or mobile) and the active base station. As a subscriber moves from one cell to another in the system, the active base station changes periodically. Each changeover is known as a handoff. A cellular connection is only as good as its weakest link, which is almost always the air interface. Radio-frequency (RF) circuits are subject to many variables that affect signal quality. Factors that can cause problems include: * Use of the handheld phone set or portable wireless modem inside buildings, cars, buses, trucks, or trains * Proximity to human-made, steel-frame obstructions, especially large buildings and freeway overpasses * Abundance of utility wires that can reflect radio signals and/or generate noise that interferes with reception * Irregular terrain, particularly canyons and ravines * Inadequate transmitter power in phone set or wireless modem Poorly designed antenna in phone set or wireless modem In addition to these variables, some cellular networks have inadequate coverage in certain geographic areas. Usually this is because there are not enough base stations to ensure continuous communications for subscribers using portable (handheld) phone sets. As a network evolves, more base stations may be installed in a given region, and in that case, this problem will dim inish with time. Conversion of a network from analog to digital can result in dramatic improvement.

Dear Mrs. Ghosson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dear Mrs. Ghosson - Essay Example Our main concern is the registration of Xella at the Kuwait Stock Exchange. The registration process has not been completed since November although all documents have been provided by us in time. We are very concerned as to when the registration will be completed. You will kindly recall that the registration was a precondition for further dealings between us. Our experience in the past on similar projects has been that the 'as-built' situation sometimes differs from the drawings. This happens due to constraints on the site which were not foreseen while preparing the drawings and the drawings were not updated. These differences can lead to major complications during erection. Therefore, two of our engineers will visit the site in Taiwan next week to check the actual as-built situation against the drawings supplied by them. We had some misunderstanding with our contractual partner in Taiwan and had to postpone this site visit several times. Despite confirming to us that all required drawings have been sent it is only now that the drawings are adequate for preparation of final drawings. The general layout, equipment arrangement drawings and floor plans are 90% ready. If our engineers find the as-built situation to be very close to the drawings, and no major alterations are required we shall be able to send the drawings by the 9th December, 2005. If changes are required we shall send the drawings a couple of days later. During their visit to Taiwan our engineers will also discuss, in detail, the dismantling of the equipment and its transport to Kuwait. Thereafter the dismantling program will be executed jointly with our contractual partner on site. The goal, of course, is to adhere to the scheduled key dates for delivery. We are very sorry for the situation which has arisen due to factors totally beyond our control and assure you that we will make all efforts to ensure that the project schedule remains unchanged. Best regards Olaf Michelswirth Deputy General Manager *************************************************************** Intercem Engineering GmbH Simmeriss 59302 Oelde Germany Tel. 0049 2522 920 58 14 Fax. 0049 2522 920 58 20 Mobile 0049 170 73 41 275 Email O.Michelswirth@intercem.de *****************

Are fish and chips really british's national dish Essay

Are fish and chips really british's national dish - Essay Example Fish and chips are a traditional food in the United Kingdom and one of the few dishes that is distinctively British (Smith, 2006:103). The dish contains a piece of fish, usually cod, or haddock that undergo dipping in butterfat and then deep-fried. Cut potatoes that are deep-fried to produce a product named chips is the usual companion of the fish. The dish is served in paper, seasoned with salt and vinegar, and its consumption or eating is done using the fingers or a wooden fork. Most towns in the UK have numerous restaurants band fast food joints that serve fish and chips. Fish and chips have a long history because they existed during the Victorian era and by twentieth century; the dish had gained popularity and British regarded it as a symbol of British identity and class (Le Besco, 2008:33). More so, chips and fish were important form of sustenance during two world wars. In spite of fish and chips venturing in to diverse nations in the world, chips and the fish seemed to have sto len the hearts of the Britons (Smith, 2006:103). This is the case because the British have embraced it as their national food to the extent that they have formed annual awards that award the best restaurants that serve the best fish and chips. For instance, the National Fish & Chip Awards were held for the 25th time in 2013 this year, and The Bay in Stone haven, Aberdeen shire, got the awards as the best British fish and chips shop in Britain. To proof this point, scholars researched on the intensive perception of the British in consuming fish and chips in 1999. Their research findings claimed that the Britons consumed approximately 300 million servings of fish and chips. This is equivalent to six servings for everybody in the country. More so, statistics claim that there are around 8,500 fish and chip shops across the UK, and McDonald’s outlet is the favorite outlet that serves this dish (Smith, 2006:103). Argument against the fact that fish and chips are British’s na tional dish With current changes, the chips and fish perception seem to be changing as well. These changes are a result of stiff competition from other take away food such as pizzas and burgers. More so, the other major reason as to why British are opting for other food is because they are becoming health conscious since fish and chips contain and partly due to health concern over the high fat content of fish and chips (Smith, 2006:111). Still in this section, fish and chips have become more expensive as the days go by and that is why people are opting otherwise. Current survey, British cuisine boosts a wide range of tastes, which may vary from region to region. Many of their dishes are foods like meat, fish, potatoes, flour, butter, and eggs. Main dishes are products of beef, lamb, chicken, fish, or pork whose accompaniment is potatoes or carrots, peas, cabbages and onions. Some of the main dishes have strange names like Toad-in-the-Hole and Bubble & Squeak and. In addition, some o f the most common and typical foods, very popular in England are sandwiches, pies, trifle and roasts dinners (Smith, 2006:111). However, above all these dishes, sandwich tops them all. Sandwich invention came earlier than even the chips because it estimates claim that sandwich was invented in the mid seventeenth century. The sandwich idea came from a certain gambler who asked a waiter to offer him a piece of ham that he placed between the two

Turner Construction Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Turner Construction Company - Essay Example Turner Construction It was founded in the year 1902 by Henry Chandlee Turner with a start-up capital of $25,000 in New York City and one of its first jobs was to build a concrete vault for the Thrift bank in Brooklyn, value of which was only $600. From those humble beginnings, it started carrying out large scale projects both in the private and government sector throughout America, only pausing during the World Wars, when it diverted its focus in the construction of military camps and other government buildings. Tuner and his family members as well as representatives managed the company for close to 90 years, until 1999, when it was acquired by the German construction company HOCHTIEF Germany for $370 million. With the takeover by Hochtief AG, Turner Construction Company got access to majority of Hochtief’s operations in geographical territories like United Kingdom, Australia, etc., as well as to the clients in the heavy construction field. Thus, it is operating as the subsidiary of HOCHTIEF in o ver 40 countries, employing around â€Å"6,000 internal employees and tens of thousands of subcontractors working on up to 1,500 job sites at any given time in 30 states and multiple countries.† (Whitney 2007).... That is, according to some experts, construction industry comes under the manufacturing sector. As Valence (2010) states, as the construction industry provides services like management, coordination and other finances related activities, it has to be classified as a service industry. However, he (2010) further adds that as it also develops and delivers products like buildings and structures, it can be constituted under the manufacturing sector. Langford and Male (2008) validates this confusion by stating that although it is commonly known as a service industry, it is a misnomer to classify so because it comes up physical products in the form of constructions. However at the same time Langford and Male (2008) provides a balanced stance by stating that given the nature and diversity of activities carried out in the construction industry, it can be classified both as a service as well as manufacturing industry. When the service and manufacturing aspect of Turner is focused, it seems tha t Turner Constructions views itself as the service industry. Because, it is stated to offer â€Å"a broad range of construction services, including general contracting, construction management, project management, design-build, multiple building programs, maintenance services, planning and preconstruction and feasibility studies.† (morgan.experience.com). Although, it offers all the above services to clients in all sectors, however, starting from the recessionary period in 2008, it has restricted itself to focusing on certain sectors. That is, the Turner Construction â€Å"learned a tough lesson in diversification during the late 1980s and 1990s, when commercial contractors suffered from the overbuilding in that sector.† (Wood 2011). So, in

Federal Income Tax Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Federal Income Tax - Research Paper Example The total expenditure by Mr. Zimblist could be overviewed by his expenses like extending the garage area for vintage auto collection, donating a large amount to a university and collecting a professional certification by his wife. $45,000 has been invested for the garage area inorder to display the vintage auto collection which is debatable because 60% of it was paid by the company. Mr. Zimblist has donated an income of about $ 25000 to the university is on his behalf. Finally Mrs. Zimblist certification in advanced motivational psychology offered by the organization was worth $ 12,300, this includes the cost of the overall courses, bo foroks and marks. Efran lives in a house that is provided by the company. It is not only in his personal use bu,t also the requirement of the company to set it as an office house inorder to comfort, entertain and leave a good impression on the clients. House maintenance and others are also taken care by the company. His garage serves the same business purpose.  §162(a) states that the taxpayer is allowed to deduct the ordinary and necessary expenses paid in carrying a trade or business. In contrast  §262 provides no deduction to be made for personal expenses. However,  §162(a) (2) and  §280A apply of many restrictions on the expenses made on personal resident being used as office.  § 280A(c)(1)(B) allows deduction for a home office if it is in use for patient, clients or customers and they make meeting and dealings. The Green v. Commissioner, 705 F. 2d 404 (9th Cir. 1983) also claims how important it is to understand the use of the resident as personal or office.  

Animal Farm- George Orwell Orwell uses key characters in Animal Farm Essay

Animal Farm- George Orwell Orwell uses key characters in Animal Farm to satirise certain characteristics in human nature. How - Essay Example Significantly, Animal Farm has been recognized as a fairy story told by a great lover of liberty as well as animals, but it reflects the realities of Soviet Russia during the Stalin era. The fundamental themes of the novel, that have generated relentless controversies during the wartime, include the abuse of power, the erosion of civil liberties, democracy versus dictatorship, and, most importantly, the relationship between leaders and followers. Most essentially, â€Å"Animal Farm is not merely about Lenin and Stalin†¦ it has much to say to us today about the relationship between government leaders and followers.† (Rodden, 182) One of the basic concerns of the novelist in Animal Farm is to establish how true leaders inspire the followers while the false leaders deceive them, and the nature of this relationship has played a crucial role in the acquirement or loss of freedom and equality in the society. ... Significantly, the novelist presents the relationship between leaders and followers through the main characters of the novel who satirize various characteristics in human nature. Thus, Orwell presents pigs as taking over the command of the farm at the death of the Major, because they were â€Å"the cleverest of the animals.† (Orwell, 15) Thus, two young pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, become the leaders of the ‘Animal Farm’ and they allegorically represent Joseph Stalin and Trotsky. In a reflective exploration of the major themes and characters in the novel Animal Farm, it becomes lucid that the novelist exhibits the failure of leadership to offer freedom and equality to the followers. â€Å"In short, it can be regarded as the failure of leadership or how an intelligent, devoted leader of the revolution to better the miserable lives of animals on Manor Farm, Snowball, is driven out by a Napoleon that animals think is ‘always right’.† (Moeller and Moeller, 133) In a reflective exploration of the leaders in the work, it becomes evident that the two major leaders are presented in contrast to each other. In the novel, Snowball is presented as a more vivacious pig than Napoleon, quicker in speech and more inventive, but was not considered to have the same depth of character.† (Orwell, 15) On the other hand, Napoleon is presented as â€Å"a large, rather fierce-looking Berkshire boar †¦ [who is] not much of a talker, but with reputation for getting his own way.† (Orwell, 15) These leaders were not able to bring about freedom and equality to their followers, although their followers of ‘Animal Farm’ were expecting nothing else. Both Snowball and Napoleon were rivaling each other for power and they

Facebook and Human Resource Management Research Paper - 1

Facebook and Human Resource Management - Research Paper Example It is important to highlight that Facebook is a social networking website. Simply put, it is an online or digital community wherein its users can socialize virtually: meet, interact, share photos, videos, news, among other information. It is a network of close to a billion users, connecting friends, families, strangers, coworkers, and so forth, regardless of location and time. The framework is simple and appealing: Profile pages are created so that individuals can post and share information about themselves. Gunter (2010) explained that such architecture creates an environment that encourages members to log in regularly in order to keep track of what friends and colleagues are doing, sharing their own activities, interact about interests and hobbies, send messages, and join groups and networks, among other things (p. 1). These characteristics and capabilities underscore why Facebook can impact human resources management. They reveal how majority of the workforce logs in to the websit e daily. In the United States, there are close to 100 million Facebook users. A Pew Research Center study found that of those who use social networking sites, 92 percent use Facebook, followed by MySpace with a meager 29 percent (Hampton et al., 2011). The bulk of Facebook users are dominated by 18-44 year olds, able-bodied people that constitute the workforce or at least could qualify as workers (Statista, 2012). These user demographics access their Facebook account at least a month through different devices such as computers and mobile phones.

Following the publication of the Government's Sexual Violence against Essay

Following the publication of the Government's Sexual Violence against Children and Vulnerable People Report in July 2013 Using - Essay Example This paper seeks to analyse the SVCVP report as it was presented in July 2013. In view of this, it will highlight main features and the trends that have been realised in the operations as per the concerns of the different stakeholders involved in its implementation as well as future proposals. A few groups have been noted to champion the liberation of children from sexual pests. Some of these are; The National Group, Department for Children, Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs), Department of Health (DH) and other trusts that make sure that the children would be safe. Ministerial Statement The statements as were addressed by the Minister of State for Policing and Criminal Justice indicates that the government was truly involved in the operations on implementation of the act. His statements on the severity and obscenity of the violence meant to insinuate that it affects everyone in the society. Much as different societies have different cultural beliefs, issues relating to sexua l matters are purely universal. The statement that political issue can never handle the matter fully sends the idea that this is an issue that should be handled at the ground levels. The ground levels as proposed by Leach (2003) include all the socialization agents namely the family, school, church, mass media and peer groups. This is because sexual violence takes place in different forms and should therefore be understood by the different social groups in the society. Other violence oversight groups as indicated above have a role to play in mitigation of the rights of young children in the society. Sexual matters are of grievous concern and they also have a historical bearing meaning that the different agency groups mentioned may try to reach the grounds upon which these vices are created and developed. From an analytical perspective, it is therefore sound to intertwine the knowledge observed by the ministerial statement to the works of Friere (1998). It was indicated that lack of a co-ordinated and inclusive action by the society will render the actions of stopping the unethical practices void. Review of the National Group The national group was a collection of experts in policy making that was brought together and tasked with the work of looking into the history of matters related to child abuse. Why was formation of this group necessary? According to the observations of Francis, Skelton and Archer (2002), every matter that touches on a need for social change requires a homogenous approach. It would be better, in their perspective, if this approach is a co-ordination from the national centre. The co-ordination would create an integrated approach to the matter bearing in mind the different socio-cultural differences. From the report, there are other programmes that had been set over the years to try and tackle the issue at hand. This means that the national group had a very important uniformity in responding to the distress calls from the different parts of the country. From the works of the group as indicated in the report, big progressive steps have been taken in addressing matters of sexual violence from the traditional perspective to the emerging issues in the same field. The emerging trends, as has been recently stipulated by Bauman (2001) refer to the perpetrators devising repulsion

Early Childhood Development Management Essay Example for Free

Early Childhood Development Management Essay Early Childhood Development (ECD) is a holistic, integrated, inclusive approach to Programming, research and policy for young children up to 6 years of age and requires a healthy, safe and nurturing environment that includes opportunities to support the emotional, social, physical, cognitive, and spiritual aspects of children within the context of their community. It welcomes their participation and empowers them as a basis for their future. (â€Å"National Economic Development and Law Center†). Today’s early childhood educators face management and strategic challenges in an increasingly turbulent environment; rapid growth demands increased managerial proficiency. In order to meet these critical challenges, agency leaders must develop entrepreneurial competencies and a firm understanding of core management theories and principles. At times, even the most successful organizations need to redefine business goals and create innovative strategies to excel at a new level. This paper will address the key issues of financial management in an ECD center. Financial management of a school entails School financial analysis and reports, finance policy and procedures, finance resources, school funding, High Yield Investment Accounts, worksheets, taxation and schools education and training funding. (Grossman and Keyes, 231). Finance resources and school funding From National Economic Development and Law Center For the market feasibility analysis for income generation, the financial administrator need to assess what works most effectively for a particular area and the families being targeted. An advertising budget is Set-aside with determination on how to get the most out. A strong market feasibility analysis for a facility development project would prove that there are enough resources. According to (name of first ECD center) there is market demand for child care at rates sufficient to generate revenues to cover not only operating expenses, but also debt service on any loans incurred to develop the facility. Financial feasibility analysis assesses key areas concern with the day care; mainly the number of other child care programs (both center and family based) that already exist in the community; The number of child care spaces already provided in the area; The vacancy rate of other programs in the area; The average cost of care got by contacting and visiting existing providers to find out about their vacancy rates and the kinds of services they offer; The length of current waiting lists that other market-area child care programs currently have; (For existing programs) the length of the business’ waiting list; Age groups that are being served (infants, toddlers, preschoolers, school-age, or a Combination) or that are NOT being served by other programs; Locations of existing child care businesses in your vicinity; The services your proposed business or expansion can provide that other child care providers are not offering, and Types of services offered by existing child care busine sses. (Name of the second center) School financial analysis and reports The administrator describes how the funds being requested will be used. These expenditures should also demonstrate that the center is a good investment, and it shows that the business is financially sound and well managed. The financial analysis section contains four components: Firstly the Summary of financial needs that briefly describes why funding is needed, the type of funding required, total amount needed, and how the funds will be used. Secondly is the A well-prepared development budget showing that the costs involved have been carefully considered including both the line item costs and the known or anticipated sources of funding. Thirdly is financial projections which are financial statements used to predict the future profitability of a business. Projections should be based on realistic research and reasonable assumptions. They include cash flow projections; income (incoming money from parent fees, vouchers, state subsidies, etc. ), and expense projections (health care, tuition or anticipated). Lastly, It is necessary to include financial statements that reflect the businesses past financial activities, a statement of financial position, and a cash flow statement. Previous financial statements or projected statements. (Brealey et al, 1996) Conclusion From Children research, ECD centers ought to be warm nurturing learning environment with trained caring staff, nutritious meals, in a central location of a community having a large safe outdoor play area. These are key areas that a financial administrator should ensure maximum financial support is given as the backbone to the center. (â€Å"Early Childhood Educational Issues†). References: Grossman B, Keyes C Early Childhood Administration, Michigan: Allyn and Bacon National Economic Development and Law Center (2003) Child Care Center Financial Planning and Facilities Development Manual 22nd April 2008 http://www. buildingchildcare. org/CCC%20Manual%20FINAL. pdf Brealey, Richard A. and Myers, Stewart C, Principles of Corporate Finance, New York: McGraw-Hill, (1996). â€Å"Early Childhood Educational Issues. † National Association for the Education of the Young Children. 22nd April 2008 http://www. naeyc. org/ece/. (Name of first ECD center). Personal interview. 22nd April 2008. (Name of the second center). Personal interview. 22nd April 2008.

Kudler Fine Foods Problem Statement Essay Example for Free

Kudler Fine Foods Problem Statement Essay The following is a problem statement explaining what is currently wrong with Kudlers plans on expansion, and how they can improve these plans. Introduction After reviewing the strategic plan for Kudlers Fine Foods it is obvious there are several issues that will stunt the growth and success of the organization. The company is suffering from a lack of management and poor organization planning. The issues that will be discussed are the poorly developed expansion and growth plans, and the lack of risk management in preparation of a competitor entering the market. Problem Statement The management at Kudler Fine Foods is planning on opening a new location when all of the current locations are not successful, and the company has not done a proper analysis of the need for their services in the area. Also Kudler is not prepared for factors that may decrease the profitability of the company, or factors that can contribute to the failure of a new location. Solution With the Del Mar location not producing profit as expected this is the location management should use to create a market research and analysis plan. By using this location they will be able to determine the factors that are hindering the success of this location and then develop ways to counteract those factors. The benefit is they will improve the business done at that location before opening a new location. By looking at factors like population, socio-economic status in locations surrounding area and health factors in the area can determine what the need are for the community. Management should also look to see where people are purchasing food in the community and what types of food and products are selling at the local grocery. If there are gourmet products selling out of the supermarket than that is a factor that needs to be accounted for. Once the market research is done Kudlers management can the focus on a risk management plan. Before a risk management plan can be established they must know what risk are out there and the market analysis and research will help the company determine what risk and challenges they face. Risk management is a part of a basic business plan, I see where threats are outlined in the strategic plan but there are no alternative plans to minimize each threat nor are there any plans for how to be competitive should a competitor arise. Kudler only considers other gourmet shops as competition they should also consider, grocery stores that sell gourmet foods a competitor. Then they should focus on how to maintain their existing book of business. If Kudler developed their website so customers could place orders online that would give them a way to expand while working on the risk management plans and the online based business would also help with the market research. A high concentration of orders coming from a specific location may be an indicator used to determine where to open a new store. Desired Resolution Kudler Fine Foods will be able to expand all facets of the business and have a risk management plan in place to counter act competition entering the market. Kudler will expand in to locations where they will be successful. Kudler will also have an effective and efficient model for future expansion and growth. Conclusion The goal of Kudler Fine Foods is expansion and growth while increasing profit and the current book of business. By doing the extra research and implementing a risk management program before opening a new location will increase the success of all three current locations and ensure the success of any future locations. It will also help Kudler organize and develop other facets of the business like the website. A little extra work goes along way and with the risk management plan in place and a new location market analysis model being used Kudler Fine Foods should be able to grow and meet all the organizations goals.

Effect of the Media on Consumers

Effect of the Media on Consumers Do consumers shape media spaces or do they shape consumers. Discuss this notion alongside the concept of mobile lives. Introduction Nowadays, media spaces play an increasingly important role in shaping consumers in the digital age with the rapid development of media and advanced science and technology. This paper includes an exploration of how media space shape consumers in a modern way of life which is called mobile live. Technological revolution has hit the media industry in the world. During the past decade, the form of media has changed a lot. It is no longer confined to the traditional media like television and newspapers just unilateral transmit message to the public. The rise of new media provides the multiple media forms and the fast growing of media space. It is an undeniable fact that the advent of the mobile phone is a turning point for the development of media space. Especially media space brings a huge impact on the attitude or behavior of consumers, when mobile technologies and digital create a new kind of mobile life. Media spaces and the concept of mobile live Media spaces define new methods of communication, with novel and unforeseen uses and potentialities. Communication through a media space is more than an approximation of face-to-face communication — it has a richness and complexity all its own. Media is the most significant element of the information transmission. Media spaces can be seen as information spaces which can unlimited expansion. Media spaces including material spaces that shaped by traditional media and material conditions like schools, libraries, homes and so on, and also including the virtual spaces that shaped by multiple digital media forms. Nevertheless, traditional media were not meeting consumers’s need any more. Now the media space mainly developed by the virtual cyberspaces. Media spaces are established on the interactive connection between public and information of the new media. Electronic settings in which groups of people can work together, even when they are not present in the same place and ti me. In a media space, people can create real-time visual and acoustic environments that span physically separate areas (Stults 1986). In some ways, media spaces make people have new understanding toward time and space, which can across the distance between time and space. In the new media age, media more like a carrier in the virtual spaces to transmit information to the public. In fact, the virtual cyberspaces shapes the everyday life of people and real life with the mobile lives more than the traditional media in material spaces. According to Urry and Sheller (2003) â€Å"All forms of communication have been reconfigured by new technologies and the new spatio-temporal patterns of social life through which they are made effective.† Discuss the concept of mobile lives with media spaces, the development of mobile technologies influenced spatial and temporal distance and the boundary of private space and public space to create a new mobile life. Mobile lives are built on the advent of mobile phone, laptops or other latest digital technologies. Then the advent of wireless networks also pushed the development of networks and mobile technologies forward greatly. The good thing is Wi-Fi make computers no longer need to rely on cable broadband network and the phones also no longer need to spend lots of cost to supply network. Consumers are able to use the Internet become more convenient on the mobile phone and laptops because of Wi-Fi. Technology is implied as bringing modernity to any place and to anyone, no m atter how remote, serving as an equalizer of opportunities in an emerging and peaceful global civil society (Caletrà ­o 2012). In the digital mobile lives, the places have no longer as a reason to limit the use or search of the information in media spaces to public, whether you are at home, at school or on the way. Also people can get everything they want from the Internet in the current era of big data. Mobile technologies more yield the greatest effects on investment with the Internet. How media spaces shape consumers Mobile technologies have an intimate relationship with media spaces in everyday life. People can consider every smart phone as a media space and every smart phone has a consumer to some extent. Nowadays, it is incredible that how fast the messages transmit to consumers with cyberspaces. 1.0 Advertising and consumer behaviors Advertising is an indispensable part of media space, which is a propaganda to constantly transmit the messages to the public. Generally, advertising will impact or even change the behavior and attitude of consumers for the products or brands. Many consumers can feel that advertising is ubiquitous to occupy their space any time and anywhere, whether while they using any social Apps at home, play mobile games on the ways or surfacing the websites in working places. Although maybe sometimes you just ignore the advertising when you saw them. Nevertheless, advertising is the most important element to shape consumers in media spaces. 1.1 The encoding and decoding theory of Stuart Hall Stuart Hall is a sociologist and pioneer in the field of cultural studies whose work explored the concept of Britishness. Some people address him â€Å"godfather of multiculturalism†respectfully. In his notion of a mass communication theory Encoding and Decoding, encoding is the process of creating a meaningful message according to a particular code, while decoding is the process of using a code to decipher a message and formulate meaning (Brian Robert 2014). Hall define that encoder is the sender that can be seen as producer and the decoder is the receiver that can be seen as consumer. Every consumer maybe will have the different thinking with the same message which send from the same producer. According to Hall (1980) â€Å"The process in terms of a structure produced and sustained through the articulation of linked but distinctive moments production, circulation, distribution/consumption, reproduction †. This theory is appropriate for advertising. The occur of an advertising is able to shape the behavior of consumers. HM can be a good example to explain it. Production is the first step to create the advertising for the public. HM company start using many super model over the world to advertise their new style products in the world market, such as world-famous Chinese model Liu Wen. Circulation is how people receive the message. HM put the advertising on subway, Internet, television, billboards and many other media places to communicate the consumers. Also HM company will release some information about the new style products on the social media. The HM ads spread across the world market via those advertisements. And for distribution and consumption, individuals will have different understanding for the same information or advertisement. Hall suggested three hypothetical interpretative codes or positions for the reader of a text (Chandler 2014). Dominant readings are produced by those whose social situation favours the preferred reading. Negotiated readings are produced by those who inflect the preferred reading to take account of their social position. Oppositional readings are produced by those whose social position puts them into direct conflict with the preferred reading (Northumbria university n.d.). Linked to the example of HM, dominant is that some consumers will have interested in those HM new products and have a strong desire to buy them. Negotiated is that some consumers will maybe think those new products are looking good, but they should consider the price and if they have free time to shopping. And oppositional is that maybe some consumers will hate the design of those new produc t and they do not want to buy them. The last step is reproduction which is about the consumer’s action after they receive the message. Reproduction for HM is their advertising related to the sale of new products that decide consumers will take action to go to store browse and purchase or not. Consequently, this theory is described how advertising impact consumers behavior step by step. 1.2 Consumer capitalism Moreover, consumer capitalism is also an essential factor why advertising can affect the consumer behavior. Most commonly, consumer capitalism refers to the idea that consumption drives the capitalist economy through corporate manipulation of the consumer to purchase (and continue purchasing) material goods. The entire consumer capitalist framework is predicated on the idea that the value of a product is determined by the desire of the individual, regardless of the actual need of the product (Schrader n.d.). Propaganda means of Apple Inc is a very successful case as consumer capitalism. Apple enhanced their awareness through bombard users with advertising and word of mouth. It is made consumers believe the products of Apple are representing the top-class electronic products and top digital technologies. Apple succeed to lead a spending spree over the world to buy their IPhone, IPod and Macbook because of the consumer capitalism. Apple let most consumers believe that if you are use Ap ple’s products, you are the most fashionable people. It is certain that always media lead fashion instead of consumers lead fashion. 1.3 Dual coding theory Dual coding refers to information retained as conjoined being and words. This creates a stronger impression upon the reader of such information (Northumbria university n.d.). Generally for most people a product has images and slogans simultaneously are more help consumers to remember. For instance, the biggest Chinese micro-blogging Weibo typically use the dual coding theory. Every time if you close the app in the background on the phone, you will see the image and slogan of Weibo when you reopen this app. The image of Weibo is a icon represent people’s eyes and the slogan of Weibo translate to English is â€Å"find something new anytime and anywhere†. Although there are thousands of Apps on the smart phone now. But not too much Apps trying to do this. Weibo use the creative image and slogan simultaneously can catch up some consumers attention to some extent. 2.0 Mobile Lifestyle In the digital age, today’s society have already emerged a mobile life in the world. Most people even cannot imagine a life without mobile and the Internet. In the Educause Center for Applied Research (ECAR) conducts annual surveys and interviews in 2008, a student respondent illustrated the broader trends borne out of the data: I dont look at it as getting on the Internet. The Internet is a part of life. Its a lifestyle. Mobile lifestyle influences the everyday life of consumers in many ways in media spaces. 2.1 Relationships Media spaces have great influences to the interpersonal relationship. Particularly the mobile media spaces totally change the development of relationships between people. The interpersonal relationship can better develop and communicate through multiple media forms for mobile lifestyle, such as social media, email, phone call, SMS, video call and so on. It makes you keep in touch with your friends have no more need of face-to-face communication. Facebook always let you find some people who you have long time no see or long lost, even you can find your primary school classmates. It is good that Facebook build a more close connection with you and your friends or just people we know. Also the new media create many new interpersonal relationship. Some people are trying to date online, some people maybe have many online friend but never meet. Now the human relationships become more diversification because of media space. 2.2 Globalized Communication ways The advanced mobile technologies make the media spaces coming to globalization, which is a goal traditional media cannot accomplish. The almost all functions that consumers’ needs have included in a smart phone. Because media space is no longer have the distance of time and space, and the media communication ways remove the restriction of the region. For consumers, they can communicate everywhere over the world. Undoubtedly, media space is a space without borders that similar to the theory of cosmopolitanism. Cosmopolitanism is a western notion that epitomizes the need social agents have to conceive of a political and cultural entity, larger than their own homeland, that would encompass all human beings on a global scale. The Internet has brought about the possibility of a transnational imagined virtual community: a decentered cosmopolitan crowd, synchronized by cyberspace, interacting on real-time, and engaging in global commercial, cultural and political exchanges (Ribeiro 2001). If media spaces combine with the theory of cosmopolitanism, It will be different with the reality space that every consumer is equal and there is no nationality, regional or social class limitations. For instance, consumers of smart phone can use multiple social media to connect with the people in almost any countries in the world if they want. The lat est figures from Facebook suggest that the number of people actively using social media each month has now passed the 2 billion mark over the world (Kemp 2014). Those social media support a huge number of globalized social media users to exchange and transmit the information in media spaces. Furthermore, languages no longer be the biggest barrier of communication if you go to an unfamiliar environment with different language. The use of translation software is a good global communication ways. There was a report said an elderly Chinese couple, which cannot understand and say English, immigrate to Canada. They nearly have not felt any communication barriers. Because they said if they have some troubles when they going out, they always use the translation software to communicate with local people. It is a great example that the communication of consumers getting more simple and easy under the digital media space influences. 2.3 Online Shopping and Travel Online shopping also is a main activity for consumers in media spaces. The total monthly amount of trade on the large shopping website like Amazon, Ebay and Taobao is an incredible number cannot imagined. Consumers can buy everything you want in those shopping website whether clothes or any electronic products, new or old. Online shopping satisfies whatever needs of consumers. Sometimes It is spend too much time and cost shopping in the shopping mall. Online shopping is cheaper and fast than go window shopping. Online shopping has become a habit for many consumers and maybe it will become the mainstream way for consumption. In additions, the mobile lifestyle of consumers cannot be without travel.For many consumers, travel is a way to enjoy life. Media spaces make traveling more and more easy because of mobile lifestyle. Today travelers can finish it just use the computers or smart phone at home. Some traveling websites not only have traveling party services, but also provide the reservation for air tickets, railway tickets and hotel accommodation. And almost every airline has their own official website and official App to allow people booking online. Also if you use the smart phone, you can find many apps are providing travel strategies for each country. Media spaces offer lots of convenience for consumers. 3.0 Thoughts of consumers 3.1 Celebrity effects Companies usually use the media to shape the thoughts of consumers to achieve their goals. Celebrity effects are famous marketing tools in media spaces, which companies use the social influence of celebrity to promote their popularity and brand awareness. Celebrities also have an effect on the charity events and public service advertising. ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a successful example take advantage of celebrity effects in 2014. This example can describe through the mass communication model of Lasswell. Lasswell was a well-known American political scientist and communications theorist. Lasswell’s model, one of the first communication models, is summed up in five questions: Who, Says what, In which Channel, To Whom, With what effect. Who: the person who formulates the message What: the content of the message Channel: the medium by which the message is being communicated Whom: the person or persons who receive the message Effect: the outcome of the message. The initiator of ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates who is a disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patient. The content is this activity is ALS Ice Bucket Challenge promote awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and encourage donations to research. The rules of the Ice Bucket Challenge are either donate $100 to an ALS charity, or dump a bucket of ice water on your head or both. After, you can challenge a few people to join in too (Lecher 2014). For in which channel, Pete Frates post the video first and it through the social media spreed very rapidly. Then many world-famous celebrities, athletes, and tech CEOs like Mark Zuckerberg, Kobe Bryant, Taylor Swift and even President Obama all taking part in this activity to post their video on Facebook, Youtube and Twitter or donate the money for the ALS association. ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is reported by various media forms and lots of countries. This activity became globalization and had a huge impact that the receivers are the people around the world. The outcome of this challenge is raising millions of dollars and let ma ny people pay attention to the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. 3.2 hyperreality Baudrillard believed that a contemporary society, founded on media and technology, would see the spaces of imagery and reality merge. What follows is a world where the real is not layered with the imaginary. Rather that the world becomes a ‘simulation’ of imagery where the world favours the ‘more real, than real’ (Northumbia university n.d.). Media images, the Internet, online games, mobile games and virtual spaces are taking people usually spend time communicating with a hyper-real world. Many online games and mobile games use hyperreality enable people to be the characters they want to be. When consumers see the world through media spaces under the screen, they usually integrate the real world with the hyper-real world in their mind. Advertising sells the public through strong, desirable images, and many consumers buy into the brands point of view and products. The objective of hyperreality in the media is to shape the thoughts of consumers. Conclusion In conclusions, this paper explored that how media spaces shape consumers in mobile lives. Some theories show that advertising is constantly transmit the new information to consumers for shaping their behaviors and attitudes of consumption. Also the thoughts of consumers will influenced by the media. Definitely, media spaces changed the lifestyle of people. The exchange between people through mobilities become more and more fast and simple. And consumers have new lifestyles like online shopping and online dating. The rise of an intensively mobile society reshapes the self – its everyday activities, interpersonal relations with others, as well as connections with the wider world (ElliottUrry 2010). Media spaces always express as different forms all around us, make people feel like being a part of them, and mixed itself with social realities. In the future, media spaces will sustainable growth and keep playing the significant role to shape consumers in the society.

Health Problems and Your Food Essay -- Nutrition

Human bodies are naturally created to break down simple foods. As a growing population we have had to create technology that keeps up with the demand for food. In generating this technology we have created food that our bodies are not fully capable of breaking down without having some sort of negative health effect. The food industry uses thousands of chemicals and additives to preserve our food and our bodies are fighting back. Nitrates and nitrites are used in preserving meats and can cause numerous health problems that most of us are not aware of. Methemoglobinemia is a blood disorder where oxygen carrying molecules (hemoglobin) builds up and does not get the appropriate oxygen throughout your body. Methemoglobinemia can cause comas, convulsions, and cyanosis (a blue or purple discoloring of the skin due to lack of oxygen) According to the Agencey for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry not only are you at risk for Methemoglobinemia, but you are eating your way to potential cancer. â€Å"Elevated risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and cancers of the esophagus, nasopharynx, bladder, and prostate have been reported† ("Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (CSEM) Nitrate/Nitrite ToxicityWhat Are the Physiological Effects of Exposure to Nitrates/Nitrites?") Nitrates are also known to cause headaches, neasuea, vomiting, and asthma. So sit down and enjoy your nice juicy steak if you dare.Sucralose and Acesu lfame Potassium (Acesulfame K) are both put in a lot of sugar free foods to supplement the lack of sugar. Sucralose is used to counteract the after taste of Acesylfame K. Sucralose is most commonly Splenda and has reports of many side effects to the human body. Some side effects include shrunken thymus gland, enlarged liver and kidneys. ... ...oduced today. To avoid getting health problems associated with food we need to educate ourselves on what is in our food. Works Cited "Bromine (Br) - Chemical Properties, Health and Environmental Effects." Water Treatment and Purification - Lenntech. 2009. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. . "Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (CSEM) Nitrate/Nitrite ToxicityWhat Are the Physiological Effects of Exposure to Nitrates/Nitrites?" Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. USA.GOV, 24 Sept. 2007. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. . "Debating the Safety of Milk from rBGH-Treated Cows (sidebar)." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 12 Feb. 1999. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. . Health Problems and Your Food Essay -- Nutrition Human bodies are naturally created to break down simple foods. As a growing population we have had to create technology that keeps up with the demand for food. In generating this technology we have created food that our bodies are not fully capable of breaking down without having some sort of negative health effect. The food industry uses thousands of chemicals and additives to preserve our food and our bodies are fighting back. Nitrates and nitrites are used in preserving meats and can cause numerous health problems that most of us are not aware of. Methemoglobinemia is a blood disorder where oxygen carrying molecules (hemoglobin) builds up and does not get the appropriate oxygen throughout your body. Methemoglobinemia can cause comas, convulsions, and cyanosis (a blue or purple discoloring of the skin due to lack of oxygen) According to the Agencey for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry not only are you at risk for Methemoglobinemia, but you are eating your way to potential cancer. â€Å"Elevated risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and cancers of the esophagus, nasopharynx, bladder, and prostate have been reported† ("Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (CSEM) Nitrate/Nitrite ToxicityWhat Are the Physiological Effects of Exposure to Nitrates/Nitrites?") Nitrates are also known to cause headaches, neasuea, vomiting, and asthma. So sit down and enjoy your nice juicy steak if you dare.Sucralose and Acesu lfame Potassium (Acesulfame K) are both put in a lot of sugar free foods to supplement the lack of sugar. Sucralose is used to counteract the after taste of Acesylfame K. Sucralose is most commonly Splenda and has reports of many side effects to the human body. Some side effects include shrunken thymus gland, enlarged liver and kidneys. ... ...oduced today. To avoid getting health problems associated with food we need to educate ourselves on what is in our food. Works Cited "Bromine (Br) - Chemical Properties, Health and Environmental Effects." Water Treatment and Purification - Lenntech. 2009. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. . "Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (CSEM) Nitrate/Nitrite ToxicityWhat Are the Physiological Effects of Exposure to Nitrates/Nitrites?" Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. USA.GOV, 24 Sept. 2007. Web. 29 Mar. 2011. . "Debating the Safety of Milk from rBGH-Treated Cows (sidebar)." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 12 Feb. 1999. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. .

Thyroid Cancer Essay example -- essays research papers

The thyroid gland is the gland that makes and stores hormones that help regulate the heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and metabolism. Thyroid hormones are essential for the function of every cell in the body. They help regulate growth and the rate of chemical reactions in the body. Thyroid hormones also help children grow and develop. The thyroid gland is located in the lower part of the neck, below the Adam's apple, wrapped around the trachea. It has the shape of a butterfly with two lobes attached to one another by a middle part called the isthmus. The thyroid uses iodine, a mineral found in some foods and in iodized salt, to make its hormones. The two most important thyroid hormones are thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). The thyroid gland also makes the hormone calcitonin, which is involved in calcium metabolism and stimulating bone cells to add calcium to bone. Thyroid caner is a disease in which the cells of the thyroid gland become abnormal, grow uncontrollably and form a mass of cells called a tumor. Some tumors grow and enlarge only at the site where they began. These types of tumors are referred to as benign tumors. Other tumors not only enlarge locally, but they also have the potential to invade and destroy the normal tissues around them and to spread to other regions of the body. These types of tumors are called malignant tumors or cancer.() Malignant tumors of the thyroid gland tend to develop gradually and remain localized. The tumors usually appear as nodules or lumps of tissue growing on or inside the gland itself. Almost 95% of these lumps or nodules are non-cancerous (benign), and are usually caused by thyroid conditions such as goiters (Shin 422). The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be about 23,600 new cases of thyroid cancer in the U.S. in 2004 (Thackery 1057). Women are three times more likely to develop th yroid cancer than men. Although the disease also affects younger people, most people who develop thyroid cancer are over 50 years of age. Caucasians are affected more often than African-Americans (Rubin 88).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are four main types of thyroid cancers: papillary, follicular, medullary, and anaplastic. These tumors are identified by the type of cells seen under the microscope. Papillary thyroid tumors occur most often. This type of thyroid cancer develops on one or b... ... people with thyroid cancer have no known risk factors. Therefore it may not be possible to prevent it. However, inherited cases of medullary thyroid cancer can be prevented if radiation to the neck is avoided (Longe 3308). If a family member has had the disease, the rest of the family can be testes and treated early. The National Cancer Institute recommends an examination for anyone who has received radiation to the head and neck area during childhood at intervals of one or two years. It is also recommended that the neck and the thyroid should be carefully examined for any lumps or enlargement of the nearby lymph nodes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Work Cited Longe, Jacqueline L. â€Å"Thyroid Cancer.† The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. 2nd ed. 2001. Rubin, Alan L. Thyroid for Dummies. New York, NY: Hungry Minds, 2001. Shin, Linda M. Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders Sourcebook. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics, 1998 Surks, Martin I. The Thyroid Book. Yonkers, NY: Consumer Reports Books, 1993 Thackery, Ellen. â€Å"Thyroid Cancer.†