Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Characteristics of Expository

Essays I read were on Lucy Stone and Cochlear Implants. Author Jone Johnson Lewis wrote a mini-biography about Lucy Stone using â€Å"time order† technique. She had lots of facts on Lucy Stone, starting with how Lucy Stone was the first woman in Massachusetts to earn a college degree and first to keep her own name after marriage. She then wrote when and where Lucy Stone was born and went into more details about Lucy Stone’s Life from her childhood till her death. Author Jamie Berke wrote about Cochlear Implants. He implemented â€Å"Topic† technique to write on Cochlear Implants. He began his introduction with how long Cochlear Implants have been around, and what Cochlear Implants (also known as internal hearing aid) are. He clarified on how Cochlear Implants work and for whom it is made for. In the end the author introduced himself, and explained the reasons he had for getting Cochlear Implants. Each author, Jone Johnson Lewis and Jamie Berke, preferred different approach in order to write a well written paper. The techniques, Jone Johnson Lewis used â€Å"time order,† so she can write about Lucy Stone’s struggle from birth till death for woman’s right. â€Å"Time order† organization helps in arranging information according to date or a specific time line. In this case, Jone Johnson Lewis did just the same. She used dates to help set up the writing process. On the other hand author Jamie Berke used â€Å"Topic† technique to get his audience's attention and to inform his audience about Cochlear Implants. Writing an expository essay using topic technique helps organize information about the subject you chose to write about. In this case, Jamie Berke did the same, by collecting all the information on Cochlear Implants and starting his paper with when they were first introduced. If author Jone Johnson Lewis and Jamie Berke would have decided to used another type of organization technique to write their essay, it might not have received as much attention from readers as they would have liked to or hoped for. Both essays are similar because they both used evidence and examples. Information was presented in a non-biased manner. These two expository essays are tailored to capture different audiences. Essay on Lucy Stone tries to capture the attention of female audience, and essay on Cochlear Implants tries to capture the attention of people who are hearing impaired.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Cardiorespiratory Focus On Hypertension Health And Social Care Essay

The scenario concerns the survey of blood force per unit area scientific discipline and ordinance in the content of high blood pressure. Following, each aim is stated and so analyzed. A 31 twelvemonth old adult male goes to his GP because he has started to hold terrible concerns that come on all of a sudden at assorted times during the twenty-four hours. He is a fiscal analyst who works in a bank in Canary Warf. Many of his co-workers have been made redundant but he has kept his occupation, although his line director has made it clear that he may lose it in the following few months if the state of affairs does non better. He says he works at least 15 hours a twenty-four hours and his matrimony is enduring because of this. He is seeking to give up smoke ( 1-2 battalions per twenty-four hours ) but the emphasis of work has made this hard. He goes with friends out to a wine saloon on a regular basis and admits to imbibing to a great extent one time or twice a hebdomad. Further oppugning reveals that his male parent died aged 61 from a shot. On scrutiny he is found to hold a BMI of 34 and a blood force per unit area of 190/125 mmHg. Retinal scrutiny shows some abnorma lcies ( â€Å" silvering † ) in the blood vass. After look intoing the blood force per unit area reading on two farther occasions the GP suggests that his jobs are related to conceal blood force per unit area and refers him to the local high blood pressure clinic. After undergoing farther trials at the clinic he is started on drug therapy and given lifestyle advice. What is blood force per unit area and how is it regulated? Oxford medical dictionary defines blood force per unit area as â€Å" the force per unit area of blood exerted on the walls of blood vass † ( 1 ) . The maximal blood force per unit area exerted during systole when blood enters the aorta is called â€Å" systolic † whereas the minimal force per unit area exerted when aortal valves near during diastole is called â€Å" diastolic † . Figure 1 shows the alterations in force per unit area in aorta during cardiac rhythm bespeaking the systolic and diastolic force per unit areas. Fig. 1 – Systolic and diastolic force per unit areas ( 2 ) Blood force per unit area in the organic structure must be maintained in the normal degrees non merely to keep perfusion of blood to all the organic structure but besides to forestall unwanted complications due to high blood force per unit area. Therefore, the blood force per unit area should stay inside a scope of values. However, blood force per unit area frequently changes. During physical exercising higher force per unit area facilitates greater perfusion in the musculuss providing them with more O. Blood force per unit area depends on two chief parametric quantities: Cardiac end product ( C.O ) : Cardiac end product which is the sum of blood pumped from the bosom per minute depends on the shot volume and the bosom rate. Entire peripheral opposition ( T.P.R ) : It is the entire opposition exerted by the peripheral vasculature. This chiefly depends on the radius of the vass – narrower vass exert greater opposition. The above are linked with the undermentioned equation: M.A.P = C.O x T.P.R From the above relationship it is obvious that by altering the values of C.O or T.P.R the blood force per unit area ( average arterial force per unit area ) can alter every bit good. Based on this, three chief mechanisms are used to modulate blood force per unit area when it lies outside the normal scope: Neuronal system – Baroreceptors This is chiefly used for short term ordinance of blood force per unit area. Baroreceptors are detectors found in the internal carotid arteria ( carotid fistula ) and on the aorta ( aortal fistula ) ( 3 ) . These are detectors that can observe differences in stretch in these arterias bespeaking differences in blood force per unit area. These detectors are innervated by the Vagus ( X ) and glossopharyngeal ( IX ) nervousnesss which travel up to cardioinhibitory and vasomotor centre in the myelin of the encephalon. Increase in blood force per unit area ( high blood pressure ) increases the fire of baroreceptors to the vasomotor centre. This causes a lessening in the sympathetic nervous outflow doing relaxation of the arteriolas, therefore diminishing T.P.R. In add-on, the cardioinhibitory Centre increases the parasympathetic activity decelerating down the bosom rate, therefore cut downing C.O ( 4 ) . Consequently the M.A.P is decreased. The contrary applies when blood force per unit are a is low ( hypotension ) . Figure 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the baroreceptor physiological reaction. Fig. 2 – Baroreceptor physiological reaction ( 5 ) Hormonal system – RAAS system This system is for longer term ordinance of blood force per unit area every bit good as blood volume. Figure 3 presents the Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System.AldosteroneSecretionAngiotensinogenAngiotensin IIAngiotensin IFig. 3 – RAAS ( 6 ) In the kidneys Low Na concentration in the distal tubing, which indicates low blood force per unit area, is detected by sunspot densa cells. Furthermore, autumn in nephritic perfusion is detected by the juxtaglomerular setup. A bead in either of these two causes the release of renin from the kidney. In the pneumonic circulation renin is used to change over angiotensinogen to Angiotensin I. Angiotensin I is so split into Angiotensin II which is a vasoconstrictive. It besides acts on the adrenal secretory organs to let go of aldosterone. Aldosterone is a endocrine that increases the synthesis of Na+/K+-ATPase, therefore increasing Na and H2O resorption. On the whole, this mechanism increases both the volume of the blood and T.P.R to overall increase the force per unit area ( 7 ) . Atrial Natriuretic peptide ( ANP ) This is once more a hormonal manner of blood ordinance. Specialized atrial myocytes can feel increased stretching of the atrial walls of the bosom due to increased blood volumes. These let go of the ANP endocrine which decreases the release of chymosin in the blood ensuing in a lessening in the activity of RAAS. In add-on, it causes increased force per unit area in the capsule of the kidney by coincident relaxation of the afferent arteriola and bottleneck of the motorial arteriola so as to increase glomerular filtration rate. Define and sort high blood pressure. How is high blood pressure measured? WHO on its ain definition of high blood pressure states the followers: â€Å" Blood force per unit area, like tallness and weight, is a uninterrupted biological variable with no cut-off point dividing normotension from high blood pressure. The uninterrupted relationship between the degree of blood force per unit area and cardiovascular hazard makes any numerical definition and categorization of high blood pressure slightly arbitrary. Therefore, a definition of high blood pressure is normally taken as that degree of arterial blood force per unit area associated with doubling of long-run cardiovascular hazard † ( 8 ) High blood pressure can be classified in different ways harmonizing to the standards of categorization. Depending on the cause high blood pressure is classified in ( 9 ) : Essential – Primary high blood pressure: the cause in unknown. Secondary high blood pressure: there is an underlying obvious cause. Depending on the existent blood force per unit area degrees, British Hypertension Society guidelines sort Hypertension as presented on the tabular array below ( Fig.4 ) : Fig. 4 – British Hypertension Society categorization of blood force per unit area degrees ( 10 ) Sphygmometer is used to mensurate blood force per unit area of the brachial arteria. However, a individual elevated reading on scrutiny does non bespeak high blood pressure. This might be due to anxiousness and addition of sympathetic activity. This state of affairs is called the â€Å" white coat syndrome † . As a consequence, blood force per unit area must be measured more than one time every bit good as measured at place when the patient is relaxed. What are the physiological causes of high blood pressure? To get down with, it is indispensable to understand the scientific discipline behind the haemodynamics in order to be able to understand the physiological causes of high blood pressure: Independently of the cause, high blood pressure develops as a effect of one of the followers: High Intravascular volume: This means that there is a high volume of blood in the circulation that increases the venous return in the bosom. Consequently, this increases the preload and therefore the C.O taking to elevated blood force per unit area as described in the first aim. High intravascular volume may be due to increased H2O and salt keeping because of high angiotonin II and aldosterone concentrations, or nephritic tissue harm. Increased venous return: In this instance the intravascular volume is normal but there is increased venous tone which once more increases the venous return to the bosom. Abnormal arterial wall: This implies either reduced radius of arterial lms or decreased conformity. The first is true in increased sympathetic activity and atheromatous plaques formation. The latter is true in reduced snap and collagen replacing due to increased age or harm due to substances such as smoke. Merely 5-10 % of instances have an underlying obvious cause of high blood pressure. As mentioned earlier high blood pressure is categorized based on cause as follows: Essential In indispensable high blood pressure there is no obvious cause for high blood force per unit area. There is a assortment of hazard factors taking to this type of high blood pressure that will be explained subsequently. Different researches over the old ages have concluded to some theories that might explicate indispensable high blood pressure. These are ( 11 ) : High sympathetic tone: Increased sympathetic tone even when the individual is relaxed causes vasoconstriction of the arteriolas and finally hypertrophy of the smooth musculus in the vass. High salt in diet: High salt in diet has been related to keeping of H2O, increased blood volume and therefore high blood pressure Stress: As in our instance, emphasis increases the activity of sympathetic system. Stress for long periods causes hypertrophy of smooth musculus in arteriolas and contracting of their lms so that high blood pressure remains even in stress free periods. A combination of the above may be. Secondary Secondary high blood pressure may hold several causes as explained below: Nephritic disease: On one manus secondary high blood pressure may be due to stricture of a nephritic arteria. This triggers the RAAS system and increases blood force per unit area. On the other manus there may be devastation of the nephritic tissue taking to inability of kidneys to egest necessary sum of H2O or salt taking once more to high blood pressure. Endocrinological tumors: Tumours of secretory organs that secrete endocrines such as aldosterone. Hyperaldosteroinism ( Conn ‘s syndrome ) can take to hyper-secretion of aldosterone doing greater resorption of H2O and Na than normal ( 12 ) . Congenital aortal deformity: This is constriction of aorta which is fundamentally the narrowing of aorta, ensuing in reduced nephritic perfusion and activation of the RAAS system Combined Oral preventive pills: This is a type of drug induced high blood pressure. In this instance oestrogen administrated as a portion of the preventive pill acts as a vasoconstrictive and besides increases angiotensinogen ( 4 ) . Eclampsia – Pregnancy: Although the grounds behind this are non wholly clear, pre-eclampsia may be due to placental disfunction every bit good as immune response of the female parent against the placental tissue conveying about high blood pressure ( 13 ) . Hazard factors There are a figure of hazard factors responsible for developing high blood pressure which have been supported by a assortment of surveies. A survey published on 2006 based on informations collected on a population of American Indians indicates some of the undermentioned as hazard factors for high blood pressure ( 14 ) . These can be extrapolated for the general population. Hazard factors are non merely familial but besides environmental factors. Most of the below are true in our PBL scenario: African lineage Sexual activity gender – males: A research published late on Hypertension diary provinces that mistake signals in commanding of the sympathetic system exist between the two genders giving differences in the controlling of blood force per unit area ( 15 ) . Increasing age Low societal category High salt consumption, high fat diet Stress Fleshiness Chronic conditions such as diabetes, nephritic diseases, sleep apnoea. High intoxicants intake Smoking No exercising What are the symptoms and what are possible complications of high blood pressure? High blood pressure is known as the â€Å" soundless slayer † as most of the times is symptomless until it develops sudden complications such as shots or bosom onslaughts that can take to decease ( 16 ) . Often, the high blood pressure is non detected until a random look into up modus operandi is taken. However some people may see the followers: Dizziness Blurred vision ( due to damage of the retina of the oculus ) Concern Long-standing high blood pressure will finally do coronary artery disease with all the possible effects of the disease. Furthermore, it causes reconstructing – hypertrophy of the bosom taking to more dangerous state of affairss. Serious complications of high blood pressure are: Nephritic decease ( 17 ) : It can take to weakened or narrowed blood vass in kidney impairing its map. Stroke: Vessels of the encephalon may split or non good perfused taking to stroke. Heart onslaught: The bosom has to work harder to pump blood against greater force per unit area. This may develop bosom failure and inability of the bosom to pump blood to cover organic structure ‘s demands. Aneurysms: May do pouching in arterias taking to tearing them Vision loss: Due to damage of the little fragile vass of the oculus. What are the intervention and lifestyle alterations for the patient? A combination of drug intervention and lifestyle alterations is necessary for bar of the complications listed above ( 18 ) . The following table lists interventions and the mechanism they work. Drug Category Drug name Mechanism ACE inhibitors Enalapril They block the transition of angiotensinogen to Angiotensin I and therefore barricade the RAAS. Diuretic drugs Thiazides They increase the sum of H2O and salts excreted in the piss so that they decrease blood volume. I ±-blockers Doxazosin They work by barricading I ±1-adrenoreceptors on the walls of blood vass so that they cause vasodilatation. I?-blockers Atenolol They block I?1- adrenoreceptors on the bosom diminishing bosom rate and shot strength, therefore diminishing cardiac end product and finally force per unit area. CaC blockers Nifedipine They block the Ca channels forestalling Ca come ining the cell. As a consequence they prevent vasoconstriction. In add-on to the drug therapy the patient has to watch his diet by cut downing the Na and fat consumption. Exercise should go portion of his life and surcease of smoke and restricting intoxicant ingestion are necessary. Patient has to restrict his emphasis every bit much as possible and regular monitoring of blood force per unit area can be life salvaging.

Alysis of Milkshake Essay

After careful analysis of the does this milkshake taste funny case, I believe that the managements social end ethical responsibilities chapter and the influence, power, and leadership chapter hold the solution to this problem. George Stein, a college student employed for the summer by Eastern Dairy is faced with an ethical dilemma. His co-workers don’t care about proper procedures required in ensuring that the milkshake produced during the shift is hygienic and safe for human consumption. The milkshake that is produced is usually delivered to fast-food restaurants and drive-ins. George had less than a minute to think about his choices and altruism and must decide if he is going to remove the filters from the plant’s piping and, thus, allow the current production run of milkshake mix to be contaminated with maggots or refuse to remove the filters, and report the maggot problem to management. This course of action will save the company money, at least in the short run, an d allow George’s shift to go home on time. George was disturbed by the mental image of children drinking contaminated milkshakes as he weighed his ethical options. Although he does not have much empowerment, he can still do something in regards to this matter if he consults with Paul. In this case, there are several instances of poor management including a lack of proper training, and accountability and adherence to manufacturing industry standards. A company as large as Eastern Dairy should have a manager on site and more than four employees on for the night shift, especially given how critical the night shift is in meeting production needs. Paul and George have different sets of values. Paul is worried about going home early and the cost impact to the company if product needs are not met for one night with his instrumental value. Paul’s decision to ignore the issues puts George in an extremely difficult situation. Paul should be worried about the issue and the fact that George could whistle blow and call the outside authorities upon the issue. Another issue to note is the management in the corporation. All too often, employees have self serving motives and conflicts of interest that essentially stems from culture of the organization and how it operates. When George initially brings the issue to Paul, we learn quickly from Paul’s  demeanor that he had encountered this problem in the past and had seen maggots several times. Paul could benefit from behavior modification to fix his normal actions when an issue like this one is brought up to his attention. Paul is essentially immune to the feeling that George experienced as he was headed home. George should have tried to influence Paul to clean the maggots and throw the 500 gallon mix away to assure the cleanliness of the batch even though he doesn’t have the power that Paul does. If the issue is thoroughly fixed, the boss should offer positive reinforcement to get them to keep making the right decision on what to do. The lack of ethical culture that was instilled by Eastern Dairy’s management is such that the employees just care about clocking in and out and do not take pride in their work at all, they need corporate social responsibility. The fact that Paul is in a position to oversee the night shift in and of itself is a significant issue. Furthermore, the company culture did not instill the ethical values that are required to best serve customers. If they did, people like Paul would not be in a position to make decisions that adversely impact the company’s quality of work and reputation. The third issue in this case involves ethical awareness and practical intelligence and how to instill that awareness in the workplace. It starts with strong leadership and a commitment to excellence by serving the best interests of your customers. It is a system that can not be understated. Most successful organizations have a strong ethical leadership team, that includes both formal leadership with official objectives set in place, and informal leadership with the goals that have not been set but are more unofficial and unsaid. The employees look up to this for guidance and also for direction.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Brief a case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Brief a case - Essay Example At one point the cars pulled up alongside one another and the drivers spoke to each other. A traffic stop involving the Ford discovered cocaine and DeLatorre had been observed driving by the traffic stop twice and slowing down to observe the scene. A search warrant executed on the home uncovered more drug-related evidence. DeLatorre was subsequently arrested and charged with conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine and aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute. Legal Issues: Delatorre appealed his convictions on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to substantiate the conviction on each of the counts. In particular, Delatorre argued that the probative value of the evidence against him was outweighed by its prejudicial effect. Delatorre also argued that the trial judge abused the discretion by allowing the prosecution’s expert witness to give evidence on issues that fell outside of the witness’s expertise. Legal Reasoning: Referring to the Federal Rules of Evidence, Rule 702, the appellate court ruled that experts may testify to any fact or opinion based on â€Å"specialized knowledge that will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue† provided the expert is â€Å"qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training or education† (Rule 702). Moreover, if the court errs in determining the expertise of a specific expert witness pursuant to the definition provided in Rule 702, the conviction will not be overturned if the error was harmless (United States v Carrazana, 921 F.2d 1557 (11th Cir. 1991). The expert witness testified to drug language and schemes characteristic of the illegal drug trade. The appellate court ruled that courts have allowed Drug Enforcement Officers to testify as experts relative to drug trades language and schemes. In this case the appellate court was satisfied that the expert witness, as a Drug Enforcement Officer had the necessary

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Managing Financial Risks With Derivatives Thesis

Managing Financial Risks With Derivatives - Thesis Example According to the research findings in the current business environment markets have become increasingly global. Global data is increasing very fast with the establishment of a number of multinational companies. Although financial risk has increased significantly in recent years; risk and risk management are not contemporary issues. The result of increasingly global markets is that risk may originate with events thousands of miles away that have nothing to do with the domestic market. Quick changes in market reactions can be expected with availability of instantaneous information. The economic climate and markets can be affected very quickly through changes in exchange rates, interest rates, and commodity prices. Counter- parties can rapidly become problematic. As a result, it is important to ensure that financial risks are identified and managed appropriately. Preparation is the key component of risk management. Derivative is the widely used strategy adopted for risk management. It t ends to avoid or minimize risk occurrences faced by the institutions. Usage of proper derivative instruments provides advantages of cheaper foreign exchange, cheaper interest rate and an opportunity to sell shares at flexible prices. Derivative instruments tend to transfer risk from the user to the providers. It is traded widely among financial institution and exchanges. Derivatives play a fundamental part an important role in the risk management of equity, bonds, or short term interest rates. Use of derivative instruments like futures, forward, hedging, and swaps comes into play for effective control of financial risks (grammar mistakes in this sentence). Derivative instruments like futures, forward, hedging and swap can be used effectively to control financial risks. Many The various financial risk (sense) Many risk elements that exist in the market are like credit risk which arises from the potential that an obligor is either unwilling to perform on an obligation or its ability t o perform such obligation is impaired resulting in economic loss to the bank. Besides market risk is the risk that the value of on and off-balance sheet positions of a financial institution will be adversely affected by movements in market rates or prices such as interest rates, foreign exchange rates, equity prices, credit spreads and/or commodity prices resulting in a loss to earnings and capital. liquidity risk is the potential for loss to an institution arising from either its inability to meet its obligations or to fund increases in assets as they fall due without incurring unacceptable cost or lose operational risks " is the risk of loss resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people and system or from external events " (Risk Management Guidelines for commercial Banks &

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 9

Assignment 2 - Essay Example In his book, Diamond argues against this notion, and in its stead, he proposes the environmental and geographical theory. In his postulates, he attributes Eurasian success on various environmental and geographical factors that played a significant role in their civilization’s development and advancement. These attributes are reflected in the book’s title, in the sense that their civilization produced guns, steel and germs that were used as weapons against other lesser civilizations. The dog is scientifically referred to as Canis lupus familiaris and as ‘man’s best friend’ due to the fact that it is a widely accepted that it was the first animal to be domesticated by man. Archeological evidence indicates that man began domesticating wolves approximately 33,000 years ago (Diamond 94). According to Diamond (88), dogs are a subspecies of the gray wolf, with DNA evidence indicating that there was an evolutionary split between wolves’ and dogs’ lineage at around 100,000 years ago (Diamond 211). This is attributed to disruptions and variations in climate, and the subsequent changes in the environment that led to genetic and morphological adaptations to facilitate continued survival of the species. This is reflective of Diamond’s postulate that the environment played a key role in influencing the supremacy of the Eurasian civilizations. Dogs are used for various purposes, uses and needs in the daily lives of humans, where they have been kept for working, as pets, for hunting, protection and in assisting handicapped people. The initial domestication of dogs was to aid in man’s hunting activities, which was one of his basic modes of acquiring food, with the other method being foraging or gathering of wild fruits, seeds, tubers and roots. According to Diamond (162), the Eurasian region was geographically conducive for the domestication of more wild animals than other in the world. The earliest signs of dog or wolf

Friday, July 26, 2019

Campaign Critique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Campaign Critique - Essay Example It also aims to demonstrate the world’s commitment to this priority area of health care† (WHO, 2013). Background problem: the spread and increase of life threatening healthcare associated infections Geographical location (which are the countries where the campaign is implemented?) Global (48 countries have participated in this campaign) Target audience(s) Health care workers Approach (advocacy, social marketing, participatory, multi-pronged) Encouragement of health workers using the following tools: 1. System change tool: Alcohol-based handrub planning & costing tool (WHO, 2013) 2. Training/education tool: Hand hygiene - why, how and when brochure (WHO, 2013) 3. Evaluation and feedback tool: Observation form (WHO, 2013) 4. Reminders in the workplace tool: Your five moments for hand hygiene poster (WHO, 2013) 5. Institutional safety climate tool: Sustaining improvement-additional activities for consideration by health-care facilities (WHO, 2013) Dissemination channels (pl ease list the channels or materials) Government health agencies for each participating country. Critique: SAVE LIVES: Clean your hands The WHO campaign SAVE LIVES: Clean your hands targets basic health practices which seek to prevent the transfer of bacteria and of infection from patient to patient and from health worker to patient and vice versa (WHO, 2013). Health workers are always exposed to bacteria, viruses, and other contaminants which in some cases may be infectious and transferrable to other patients, to themselves, and to other health workers (Groll and Grimshaw, 2003). Washing hands has long been part of the health care process, however, there are times when health workers fail to adhere to its appropriate practice. Barriers to hand washing including limited and/contaminated water supply, especially in developing countries can prevent the health workers from actually carrying out their hand washing procedures before and after managing their patients (Mani, 2010). The lack of opportunity to carry out hand washing procedures also interferes with hand washing, especially where there are inadequate facilities for hand washing and where there are numerous patients requiring attention from the health workers (Kampf, 2004). Issues in the inadequate observation of hand washing techniques are seen mostly in developing countries where their health resources and facilities are inadequate, and where the number of patients often overwhelms health worker population (Kampf, 2004). The goals of the WHO campaign on highlighting the importance of hand washing for health workers is an important goal, as it helps energize a health care practice which can potentially bring about significant benefits for the patients and health workers (Larson, et.al., 2007). The goals of the project are also clearly linked to the WHO’s First Global Patient Safety Challenge, referring to clean care and safety care (WHO, 2009). Through the campaign, the WHO has provided a necessary first step towards ensuring patient safety and welfare. Health care associated infections can easily transfer from one patient to another through the contaminated hands of healthcare workers. Improving the hand hygiene practices of health workers decreases infection in various settings (Curtis and Cairnscross, 2003). Public concerns on the increased levels of meticillin resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), as well as Clostridium difficile infection (CDR Weekly, 2003) are just some of the reasons why hand hygiene measures

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Ultimate axial bearing capacity of jacked pile in layered sand with Dissertation

Ultimate axial bearing capacity of jacked pile in layered sand with using Driven Program 1.0 - Dissertation Example The experiments are performed on three different water tables from dry level, cross-surface level and to the bottom of the 15m depth. Four different depths of steel and concrete piles are used for the experiment which is performed with the help of computing software Driven 1.2 providing all supposed calculation. Different depths of the surface are varying from medium sand to coarse sand with fine gravel. 8 tests were conducted for each of four piles making a series of tests manifesting the behaviors and measures of ultimate axial bearing capacity over the standards. A comparison of results manifests the consequences and derivations of the experiments as well as the supposed notions of the experiments. ... In fact, all the early eras of human faculty in constructions had been depending on pile engineering to provide them with the sufficient strength for lasting long enough. British Architecture and pile-engineering is considered to develop rapidly with the emergence of modern architecture techniques around the beginning of the eighteenth century which is also an era that brought new technologies to most of the Europe. A success of a civil work is always inherited in its performance over the forces of deformations. And the task of a foundation is obviously to provide the strength to the construction structure. Thus, the success of pile engineering resides in a toleration of all possible factors that deform the structure and lead to a failure. Therefore, pile engineering mostly circulates around the idea of toleration. The major mean of the piles is to provide a foundation that can tolerate the weight of the construction, deformation torques, and the supposed climatic and geographical ch anges expected to affect the construction during its life. In our current ongoing proceedings, we are setting up an experiment that will analyze the bearing capacity of two sets of piles. This experiment is performed to analyze particularly the ultimate bearing capacity of the jacked piles, as the jacking method is best usable for our supposed layered sand structure and is also very commonly used in most of the constructions popular today. We have chosen steel and concrete piles to be analyzed during the experiment. As a specimen of the behavior of the piles, this experiment manifests a comparative and analytical result that shows up the

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Lobbyists Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Lobbyists - Essay Example Lobbying is therefore, the practice of promoting, opposing, or in any manner influencing or attempting to influence the introduction, defeat, or enactment of legislation before any legislative body; opposing or in any manner influencing the executive approval, veto, or amendment of legislation. It is also the practice of promoting, opposing, or in any manner influencing or attempting to influence the enactment, promulgation, modification, or deletion of regulations before any regulatory body (Smith). A lobbyist is therefore a term that includes the following; a person who receives compensation from another person, group or entity to do the lobbying work. A lobbyist is also the person who lobbies as a regular and usual part of employment irrespective of whether there is compensation in addition to regular salaries and benefits is received. a lobbyist is also the a consultant to the state, county, or municipals parts of the government, they are employed to make an influence legislation or regulations irrespective of whether they are paid or not; in full or in part the funds that relates to these forms of government (Luneburg, William, and Susman). Lobbying is quite an important act given the experience they give to the Lobbyist groups. From research it is clear that experienced and successful lobbyists extensively understands the legislative process and therefore they have a strategic plan which enables them to ensure a close follow up that is quiet significant to the client or group that they present. The understanding of the process is quite complex due to the increased competition of the recent past in the field. Lobbying through the Lobbyists helps the congress to follow issues in a timely manner making issues to be handled quite in time due to the avoidance of the delay likely to be created. This is driven by the fact that opportunities and challenges often present themselves with quite a short time to respond to such allegations prompting the need for lobby ing and lobbyist groups. Ongoing, active representation in Canadian legal departments is critical to effectively responding to these situations (Luneburg, William, Thomas, Susman, and Gordon). Lobbying is therefore meant to help specialists groups which may be of a special religion, belief or industry to get their voices to be heard by members of any law making body of a nation. In addition, lobby groups of large amounts of money are able to influence the opinions of the crowds in their favor making politicians against them vulnerable (Smith). Currently, Lobbying has become a way for corporations, religions, and other private and special interest groups present their influence over the legislature and essentially circumvent the standard law-making procedure. Lobbying is therefore protected by the model of government in place and since corporations and other special interests are legally considered a singular entity, they are represented in the same context in Congress (Smith). The d ata from the office of the Commission of Lobbying of Canada shows us the various lobbying groups that exists in

Mal-Adapted Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mal-Adapted - Essay Example The mentioned contributions, however, are not exhaustive and are only intended to demonstrate the extent to which IT has become an integral part of corporate life and the business process. At the same time, however, IT functions as an organization's primary area of vulnerability as it is through their malicious use that attackers can infest an organization's system with viruses, worms, spyware and countless other types of malware (Gold, 2001; Rhode-Ousley, Bragg and Strassberg, 2003; Chen, Thompson and Elder, 2005). In light of dependency versus vulnerability, therefore, it is incumbent upon organization's and business entities to institute such protections as would shield the entity from such attacks. Sometimes, however, whether intentional or unintentional, the attack may come from within. Discussing the extent of my organization's vulnerability to malware with the head of the network and ICT department, I learnt that the company had been subjected to several attacks in the past, two of which were quite serious and, both caused by the activities of employees. As the head of the ICT department remarked as a prelude to his description of the attacks, two years ago and, in the wake of an external attacks which bordered on the catastrophic, the organization made a substantial investment in network security. At the department's recommendation, the organization's leadership consented to the implementation of third generation IA technologies which focused on in-depth defense. As explained by Liu, Yu, and Jing (2005, p. 112) this type of IA embraces all of as "(a) boundary controllers, such as firewalls and access control, (b) intrusion detection and (c) threat/attack/intrusion response." Upon the implementation of the defined system, the general assumption was that the organ ization was immune to external attacks and to malware. This, as evidenced by later events, was an erroneous assumption. The source of the first malware infestation suffered by the organization following the implementation of the defense in depth IA system, came from the Research an Development Department. The ICT department had initially recommended the securitization of the network against direct downloads from the internet, even at the explicit request and consent of users. The R&D department had vehemently argued against this, emphasizing that were such a security procedure to be implemented, their work would be literally brought to a standstill. The argument presented was persuasive and, therefore, the R&D department maintained the mentioned privilege. Less than two months following the implementation of the system, complaints regarding adware and spam email which contained malicious attachments, remained high, to the extent that it seemed as if the defense in depth system installed was ineffectual. Indeed, the department remained as engaged as ever in the removal of adware and in dealing with malicious spam. Needless to say, the cost of wasted time and effort was substantial since, as the employees whom I discussed this event with recalled, attempting to access the internet was futile. Pop-ups and constant redirections from addresses initially requested simply meant that getting any work done was a monumental task in itself. The ICT department, as the head informed me, determined to trace the source as the possibility of the installed system being ineffectual simply defied logic. As the

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

The Demand for Health Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Demand for Health Insurance - Essay Example Alarming policy is the policy involving market-oriented solutions regarding the health insurance. Since customers have the habit of sorting themselves in certain groups, the talks on how to change the policy is based on the aborting criterion (Morrisey 87). Here, strategies should be put in place so that all level of customer should be favored and that they should not sort themselves in groups. In doing the above, the strength part of it is that all the customers will benefit equally. Weakness here is that customers are hard to understand and they tend to oppose the whole procedure for their own benefits. In most cases, health care policy in the developing country entails a government-sponsored clinics and hospital networks. The above has a goal of primarily providing access of the universe. Often, the above exists alongside the private providers systems for which pockets are paid off by individuals. In addition, it is evident as per the researchers that another health care policy includes health care clinics being prioritize, increasing success, and certain special funds being made available (Manning 4). The above is seen when President Nixon Richard decided to tackle cancer, and he planned to channel some millions of dollars to cater research work. Similarly, other health issues like the aids, small pox just to mention but a few are other forms of health policy that Medicaid put up for the fight of the health care issues.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Swot Analysis Dakz Performance Apparel Essay Example for Free

Swot Analysis Dakz Performance Apparel Essay Well-established organisational structure, comprising a Board of Directors and an organization of dedicated and passionate employees  §Stable executive management team that has largely been in place since the companys commencement Will Winsome, CEO, leads the Dakz executive management team, and has been an involved and engaged leader, manager and mentor at Dakz. He is very popular with Dakz employees. They admire his persistence and resilience, as well as the way he always seems to achieve his goals The core group of early employees have been individuals who love sport and exercise Team of in-house designers and sports scientists. The seven designers come from a variety of professional backgrounds.  §Janes most recent career achievement was the establishment of the flagship Australian retail store of a well-known European fashion manufacturer and retailer.  §Janes experience assisting Australian businesses to develop new markets internationally. She worked with a popular Australian stationery retailer to expand into Asia via a joint venture, and also assisted an Australian travel goods brand to establish a product distribution franchise model in Asia  §Ewan to pursue his passion for assisting a medium-sized, entrepreneurial business to grow and be successful. Dakz provides a high degree of flexibility to its employees to attend training sessions, competitions and championships, both domestically and internationally.  §Dakz also provides a generous discount on products purchased by employees, and holds a number of ‘family and friends special clearance sales on sample and discontinued lines throughout the year. The culture at Dakz has typically been one of energy and excitement Employer of Choice in the 2011 Australian Human Resources Association Employment Awards  §Olympics and a national distribution deal with a major sporting goods retailer  §Wholly Australian-owned Australian business Through recent product development, the company has been able to achieve close to 40 per cent market share in the Australian market for compression apparel.  §Dakz invests a considerable amount of its financial resources in  research and development of its products.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Approaches to Strategic International HRM (ISHRM)

Approaches to Strategic International HRM (ISHRM) Managers are not aware of the severe consequences treating their employees like that? Is it because of a deficit in managing people within an opposed cultural working environment or is it because of an inconvenient HRM strategy? Skinner, B. (1971) argued, that people are simply a product of the stimuli they get from the external world. Interestingly, negative reinforcement causes behavioral change in undesirable ways, whereas positive reinforcement causes rather intended change. General management is therefore not only accountable for defining such stimuli according the corporate strategy, but also its degree of involvement is a prerequisite for a successful HRM (Baron, J. Kreps, D., 1999). What difference does it actually make to augment the word international to HRM? Needless to say, as corporations globalize, HRM activities like HR-planning, staffing, developing, and retaining employees goes far beyond a national scope. Thus, IHRM broadly covers all issues related to the management of people in an international context (Stahl, G. Bj rkmann, I., 2007). Morgan (1986) developed a three-dimensional model of IHRM (Figure 1), which expose firstly the broad human resource activities of procurement, allocation and utilization, secondly the national or country categories involved in IHRM activities (host, home, other), and lastly three categories of employees of an international firm (HCNs, PCNs, TCNs). Morgan defines IHRM as the interplay among these three dimensions. Generally, IHRM involves the same activities as domestic HRM, for instance, procurement refers to HR planning and staffing; however, domestic HRM focuses only on activities within only one national boundary. Many firms underestimate the complexities involved in international operations, a nd there is some evidence to suggest that business failures internationally may often be due to poor management of HR (Desatnick, R. Bennett, M., 1978). Strategic International Human Resource Management in Multinationals Alfred Chandler highlighted once, structure follows strategy. Hence, a holistic  corporate strategy is not only based on a precise knowledge of internal and external factors  or can be measured along financial and non-financial KPIs. In fact, a sustainable corporate strategy must be a reference point towards every part of the value chain. Thereby, the functional-level is typically concerned with maximizing efficiency; and particularly the HRfunction addresses the question, Are the current HRM policies sufficient enough to support the strategy? Schuler, R. Jackson, S. (1987), took up Porter s framework of competitive strategies in order to develop a model of its idea in SIHRM (Figure 2). Their model concludes that business performance will increase, if HR policies mutually reinforce the firm s strategy. According to Dowling, P. Welch, D. (2005), MNEs operate in the context of worldwide conditions, including the external contexts of industry, nation, region and interorganizational networks and alliances. De Cieri and Dowling (1999) developed the model of strategic HRM in MNEs (Figure 3). The internal organizational factors are shown in order of most tangible to most intangible. Pointed out by Dowling, P. Welch, D. (2005), following developments in the literature, such as that of Taylor et al. (1996), (), the model suggests that there are reciprocal relationships between organizational factors, SHRM and multinational concerns and goals. For instance, HR activities such as expatriate management are influenced by both factors of procedures from in- and outside the company. Contrasting Two Approaches of Strategic International Human Resource Management Any convergence will be balanced by divergence (Harzing, A. Ruysseveldt, J., 2004). Its sound so simple, however, since MNEs globalize and their structure change rapidly, managers should decide upon two major issues; firstly, to which extent key decisions have to be made at the parent-country HQ or at the subsidiary units and secondly, which type of management control system the parent could execute in the subsidiary unit. Thus, the main distinction is whether to standardize or customize SIHRM. In case of standardizing SIHRM, the HQ decides upon HR policies and standards independently from their foreign subsidiaries. Forces towards standardization are mainly driven by the need for control and sustain of competitive advantage. Assuming that a generalized approach leads to conformity and unity among all employees, while neglecting cultural differences, the standardization may ensure adoption of corporate values und promotes the corporate strategy above national boundaries. However, the probability of a successful standardized approach depends very much on the openness of the foreign subsidiary to cohere, for instance, with the corporate work practices and cultural differences (Dowling, P. Welch, D., 2005). Since a standardized SIHRM approach is not only influenced by cultural differences that may facilitate resistance of the foreign subsidiary, Bae, J. Lawler, J. demonstrated (Figure 4) comprehensively which factors influence standardization of work practices (2000). Discussing issues about customization, the statement `Think global and act local pops up frequently. As customization of SIHRM considers the specific demands of the hostcountry, the involvement of foreign subsidiaries in managerial decisions is in comparison to a standardized SIHRM very high. By involving host management, parent firms should do both, acknowledge different cultural attitudes and take actions in order to incorporate them when feasible. Obviously, there is more than one correct way to manage people; thus, the HQ and the foreign subsidiary can gain from customization due to knowledge-sharing, resulting in cross-cultural learning. Another interesting point is the implication of corporate language. Even though, within most MNEs English is the corporate language, Marschan-Piekkari et al. puts it, companies do not have languages, people do. Therefore, language standardization in contrast to customization increases burden on foreign subsidiaries since being competent in the c orporate language is considered to be important for career development (Dowling, P. Welch, D., 2005). Conclusion Effective ISHRM is expected to assist the firm in achieving its goals and objectives. The managerial challenge for HRM is thereby not only the implementation of the corporate strategy, but also to define a meaningful balance between standardization and customization of its activities and policies. Heading for sustainable corporate values, MNEs should focus on managerial consistency. However, due to thinking global and acting local, they should not deny regional and cultural differences; rather heading for knowledge-transfer in order to  achieve a comparative advantage. Clearly, like Dowling, P. Welch, D. argued, while the global nature of the business may call for increased consistency, the variety of cultural environments may be calling for differentiation (2005). Reference List Baron, J. Kreps, D. (1999). Strategic Human Resources. John Wiley Sons: Hoboken Bae, J. Lawler, J. (2000). Organizational performance and HRM strategies in Korea. Academy of Management Journal, 43(3): 502-517. Chandler, A. (1996). Strategy and Structure: Chapters in the History of the American Industrial Enterprise. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press. Clavell, J. (1983). The Art of War: Sun Tzu. New York: Dell Publishing. Desatnick, R. Bennett, M. (1978). Human Resource Management in the Multinational Company. New York: Nicholson. Dowling, P. Welch, D. (2005). International Human Resource Management: Managing People in a Multinational Context. Toronto: Southwestern College Publishing. Morgan, P. V., International Human Resource Management: Fact or Fiction. Personnel  Administrator, Vol. 31, No. 9 (1986) p. 44. Skinner, B. (1971). Beyond Freedom and Dignity. New York: Knopf. Stahl, G. Bj rkmann, I. (2007). Handbook of Research in International Human Resource Management. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. Schuler, R., Dowling, P.J. de Cieri, H. (1993). An Integrative Framework of Strategic International Human Resource Management. Journal of Management, 19(2): 419 60. Schuler, R. Jackson, S. (1987). Linking competitive strategies and human resource  management practices. Academy of Management Executive, 1(3): 207-9. Taylor, S., Beechler, S. Napier, N. (1996). Toward an Integrative Model of Strategic International Human Resource Management. Academy of Management Review, 21(4): 959 86.

Longitudinally Extensive Transverse Myelitis Patients

Longitudinally Extensive Transverse Myelitis Patients Characteristics of Longitudinally Extensive Transverse Myelitis patients: a retrospective analysis of 40 consecutive cases at a tertiary care hospital from North-West India Abstract Longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM), characterised by spinal cord inflammation extending three or more vertebral segments may be caused by multiple disorders most common being neuromyelitis optica(NMO). Such is the frequent association between these two entities that there is a growing concern to regard them as being practically synonymous with each other. However, all potential etiologies should be considered in the assessment of LETM. We conducted retrospective analysis (2010-2014) of 40 patients of LETM for demographic features, clinical presentation, laboratory investigations and neuro-imaging. Result: Majority of the patients presented acutely with bladder dysfunction and paraparesis. Ten out of 40(25%) were classified as NMO among which only 4 were serum NMO antibody positive. Among the rest, there were 6 patients of MS, 3 patients of tubercular, 2 patients each of ADEM, spinal AVM and postinfectious etiology, one patient each of SACD and SLE. A group of 13 pati ents remained in whom no causative factor could be identified from the available investigations. Conclusion: LETM even with optic neuritis does not universally represent a diagnosis of NMO and one needs to be cautious while making a diagnosis of NMO without consideration of other etiologies as the treatment and prognosis differs among different etiologies. Abbreviations: MS (multiple sclerosis); AVM (arteriovenous malformation); SACD (subacute combined degeneration); ADEM (acute disseminated encephalomyelitis); TM (transverse myelitis). Key words: Longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis; Neuromyelitis optica Introduction Longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (LETM) is a relatively recent term designating a transverse myelitis(TM) that extends three or more vertebral segments vertically. These lesions, which may occasionally span the entire length of the spinal cord, are much rarer and in general associated with greater morbidity than the typical lesions of idiopathic TM or multiple sclerosis (MS) associated TM(1). The key discriminating feature of LETM lesions is their length. The most frequent cause of LETM is neuromyelitis optica (NMO). In recent times the association between these two conditions has been so heavily emphasized that when LETM is encountered, an erroneous diagnosis of NMO may be made prior to careful consideration of other potential etiologies of LETM(1). Thus, early recognition and establishment of the aetiology of LETM from appropriate workup is essential for optimizing outcome and in some cases commencing appropriate treatment to prevent future attacks of central nervous system (CNS) inflammation. Studies comparing clinical, laboratory and radiological profiles of the LETM patients are scarce, especially from the developing countries. Thus, this study was conducted to review the characteristics of presentation and etiological classification of LETM at SMS Medical College and Hospital, Jaipur, a tertiary care centre of North India. Patients and Methods The study is a retrospective analysis (2010-2014) of 40 patients classified as having LETM on the basis of clinical manifestations of myelitis and spinal MRI finding of lesions typically extending three or more vertebral segments in length, admitted in SMS Medical College and Hospital, Jaipur with the following objectives:- To study the clinical, radiological and CSF profile of patients with LETM. To determine the aetiology of the myelitis. Patient demographics, presenting symptoms, clinical manifestations and investigations were recorded on data entry forms. The investigations included routine blood profile along with markers of connective tissue disorders (ESR, CRP, ANA, Anti dS DNA), MRI (of involved spinal cord segments in T2-weighted images of spinal MRI and MRI Brain), CSF analysis (including oligoclonal bands) and serum NMO antibody (NMO Ab) which was done by indirect immunofluorescence method. Results 40 patients were found to fulfil the LETM criteria. 22 among the 40 patients were less than 30 years age (55%). Overall Mean age was 28 years with male: female ratio of 1.8:1, suggestive of male preponderance. Apart from it no specific trend was observed among the study group in terms of their demographics. The majority of patients presented with bladder dysfunction, paraparesis and quadriparesis. Most of the patients had an acute presentation. Collectively, thoracic spinal cord segment was most commonly involved. 12 patients had clinically significant vision impairment at the time of presentation of which 10 were classified as NMO according to Wingerchuck et al criteria, one case was classified as MS and another was a case of SACD (Table 1). Table 1: Presenting Clinical features Table 2: Radiological Findings Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis was seen in 55 %( 22 out of 40 patients) ranging from 10 to 250 cells/cumm. Among 10 NMO patients, 5 showed CSF pleocytosis of which 2 had neutrophilic predominance. The maximum cell count among NMO patients was 35 cells with lymphocytic predominance. Apart from it, 3 patients of tubercular, 2 patients each of postinfectious etiology and ADEM , one patient of MS and 4 patients of undetermined etiology also showed CSF pleocytosis. The maximum CSF cell count was 250 cells in one of the tubercular patient with lymphocytic predominance. CSF proteins were elevated in 15 out of 40(37.5%) patients of which 3 patients were each of MS and tubercular etiology, 2 patients each of NMO and postinfectious etiology and 5 patients were of undetermined category. Out of 40 patients, 18 had extensive lesions involving >6 spinal cord segments .Among 38 patients in whom MRI brain was done, 10 showed abnormalities, of which 5 patients were of MS, two were each of ADEM and tubercular etiology and another one was NMO (NMO Ab positive) (Table 2).Among the MS patients, abnormalities were seen involving deep white matter of bilateral cerebral hemispheres, corpus callosum, brainstem and basal ganglia. Based upon the above-mentioned clinical presentation and investigations, patients were classified according to their etiologies (Table 3). Table 3: Etiology of LETM patients 10 patients were of NMO fulfilling revised diagnostic criteria for neuromyelitis optica by Wingerchuk et al (7). In 8 out of 10 patients NMO antibody was sent, 2 patients refused for it. 4 out of them were NMO Ab positive and remaining 4 were negative. Among 10 NMO patients only one patient had lesions in MRI brain typical of NMO (Figure 12)). Four of ten patients in whom serum NMO Ab was done showed positivity and one of the NMO Ab positive patient had brain MRI abnormality involving brainstem, posterior part of corpus callosum, left parietal periventricular white matter. Six patients were of MS fulfilling the revised McDonald criteria for diagnosis of MS. Three patients were of tubercular myelitis ,two patients each were of ADEM , postinfectious etiology, and spinal AVM. One was having nutritional cause in form of vitamin B12 deficiency and one patient had SLE (ANA dsDNA positive). Rest of the patients could not be categorised to a definite etiology from the available investigations. Discussion In our series, common presenting symptoms were bladder dysfunction, paraparesis, quadriparesis, and visual impairment. Majority of the patients studied suffered from bladder dysfunction and paraparesis. It is a difficult task to determine the underlying etiology of LETM and it is worth exploring each case for subtle clues that may point toward the correct underlying diagnosis as the prognosis and long-term treatment decision differs in each category. Till now there are no studies describing association of clinical features and demographic features with the etiology of the myelitis (2). In our series the maximum CSF cell count (250) was in tubercular patient. Maximum CSF cell count in NMO and MS patients was 35 and 30 respectively. It is now well established that LETM does not universally represent a diagnosis of NMO, even in the setting of optic neuritis. However, in our series demyelinating disorders were found to be the most common cause of LETM and NMO was the most common etiology among demyelinating disorders. All NMO patients fulfilled the criteria laid down by Wingerchuk et al (3). Among ten NMO patients, four were NMO antibody positive. Three main laboratory techniques are utilized in identifying the antibodies. In our patients it was done by the indirect immunofluorescence method which has the reported sensitivity and specificity of 86% and 91% respectively (4). At present, it is unclear whether there is truly a subset of patients with clinical NMO that are NMO antibody negative, or if this is a result of inadequate sensitivity of existing immunoassays to detect the antibody, or inadequately sensitive and specific diagnostic criteria, or a combination of all of these factors. Although a regular follow up was not available in all NMO patients, a telephonic survey revealed that four NMO patients, of which two were seronegative and in two NMO antibody was not done, had no relapse and are doing well. Apart from this, one patient died from subsequent relapse and one could not be assessed in follow up. Among the four NMO antibody positive patients, who were under regular follow up, two (50%) presented with relapsing- remitting form of illness. One was 25 years old male who initially had 4 episodes of paraparesis with near complete recovery each time and developed vision impairment in the fifth episode and another was a 12 year old girl who had four relapses with simultaneous occurrence of vision impairment and paraparesis in the first episode. Thus, 4 patients had a monophasic disease course in 1 year follow up. However, a diagnosis of monophasic NMO should be considered with caution, because more than 90% of patients with NMO ultimately develop a relapsing cou rse. One prospective Class I study found that the presence of aquaporin-4–specific autoantibodies (AQP4) predicts recurrence of TM or conversion to NMO(5). So was our observation in the form that out of the 3 patients who had relapse, 2 were NMO antibody positive. Therefore, we speculate that AQP4 antibody status, particularly seropositivity, has some predictive value. Median age of onset of NMO is in the fourth decade. In our series all NMO patients were below 40 years of age except one who was a 52 years old female (figure 3).Interestingly this patient apart from late onset, also presented with slowly progressive paraparesis of one year duration which has not been described earlier in the literature. In spinal NMO lesions, the central part of the cord is commonly affected, including both grey and white matter with peripheral sparing (figure 3). These imaging features may therefore help to differentiate MS from NMO in patients who present with LETM(6). Among the NMO antibody positive patients, one had typical brain lesions of NMO (Figure 1). In patients with clinical and radiological features otherwise typical for NMO, 60–85% of cases have been shown to have abnormal brain lesions. Lesions involving the diencephalon and brainstem distinctly atypical for MS have been commonly reported in NMO patients. These distinctive lesions predominately involve the hypothalamus and can extend to brain tissue surrounding the third and fourth ventricle and aqueduct of Sylvius and seem to be characteristic brain lesions of NMO(7). There were 13 patients in whom a definite etiological diagnosis could not be made from the feasible investigations. This group is usually described in the literature as ‘idiopathic’. However, the idiopathic nature is a diagnosis of exclusion. In our series whether these patients were belonging to the category of postinfectious or some other form of demyelinating etiology was not clear from the investigations that were done in these patients as these patients were also later lost to follow up. Among 3 patients who were classified as tubercular on the basis of reactive CSF and positive TB PCR, one had intramedullary spinal tuberculomas (Figure 4). Intramedullary tuberculomas (IMT) are seen in only 2 out of 100,000 cases of tuberculosis and 2 out of 1,000 cases of central nervous system tuberculosis, are even rare as a cause of LETM(8).Out of these three, one had complete recovery with ATT and remaining 2 had poor outcome with bedridden status. Among 40 LETM patients, we were able to categorise only two patients as ADEM on clinical and radiological grounds (Figure 5).Both patients were of paediatric age (14 and 16 years) group, had complete and rapid recovery with no recurrence on 6 month follow up, which made the diagnosis even more certain, and correlated with the fact that monophasic course is the hallmark of ADEM. MRI features of ADEM that are unusual in MS are symmetric bilateral disease, relative sparing of the periventricular white matter and deep grey matter involvement (9). However, 22% of ADEM patients had a periventricular lesion pattern indistinguishable from that seen in MS (10).Similar radiological features were observed by us in both patients (Figure 5 and 6). The radiological features of spinal cord involvement in ADEM in adults have not been well studied. In a small Dutch series, one-third of patients had lesions extending more than two vertebral segments on spinal MRI at presentation (11). Approximately 75 % patients with ADEM have a preceding infection, and by definition there will be evidence of demyelination within the brain, as well as in the spinal cord, as seen in our patients (Figure 6). These features may help to differentiate ADEM from NMO spectrum disorders. Among the metabolic causes, subacute combined degeneration (SACD) of the cord due to vitamin B12 deficiency can produce longitudinally extensive hyperintense signal on MRI imaging as seen in one of our patient (Figure 7). Generally T2 weighted scans demonstrate focal high signal abnormalities in the white matter of the dorsal and posterior columns in SACD (12). In conclusion, the differential diagnosis of LETM is broad. Although characteristically associated with NMO, this diagnosis accounts for less than half of cases of isolated LETM in adults, and may be even less common in children. Patients presenting with LETM require a thorough work-up to exclude other treatable causes particularly infectious and inflammatory. The management of LETM is dependent on distinguishing inflammatory from non-inflammatory aetiologies and in identifying patients who are at high risk of further attacks. Figure Legends Figure 1: MRI brain showing hyperintensities (arrowheads) involving brainstem, left parietal periventricular white matter, posterior part of corpus callosum in seropositive patient of NMO (12 year old girl) Figure 2: MRI cervical spine T2 weighted sagittal and axial images of same patient showing predominant involvement of central grey matter (arrowheads). Figure 3: MRI cervical spine T2 weighted sagittal and axial images of 52 years old NMO antibody positive female showing predominant involvement of central grey matter. Figure 4:T2 weighted sagittal and axial images showing hyperintensity (arrowheads) in cervical cord with contrast enhancement suggestive of tuberculoma. Figure 5: MRI cervicodorsal spine, T2 weighted sagittal and axial images of a 16 year old girl with ADEM.MRI brain of the same patient showed lesions (arrowheads) in basal ganglia, brainstem and cortex typical of ADEM. Figure 6: MRI brain and spine of a 14 years old male with ADEM showing hyperintensities in brain involving bilateral periventricular white matter and long segment hyperintensity in the cord extending upto conus. Figure 7: Hyperintense signal in posterior aspect (arrow) of cervicodorsal cord in T2 weighted axial and sagittal images of SACD patient. References Eckstein C., Syc S. and Saidha S., â€Å"Differential diagnosis of longitudinall extensive transverse myelitis in adults† ENJ 2011; 3 🙠 1). July 2011. Scott T., Frohman E., De Seze J. et al., Evidence-based guideline: Clinical evaluation and treatment of transverse myelitis. Neurology; December, 2011 Wingerchuk et al. Revised diagnostic criteria for NMO. Neurology 2006;66:1485-9 Waters P, Vincent A. Detection of anti-aquaporin-4 antibodies in neuromyelitis optica: Current status of the assays. Int MS J 2008; 15:99-105. Weinshenker B, Wingerchuk D, Vukusic S, et al. Neuromyelitis Optica IgG predicts relapse following longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis. Ann Neurol 2006; 59:566–569 Wingerchuk, DM. Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorders. Continuum Lifelong Learning Neurol 2010; 16(5): 105-121 Brain Abnormalities in Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder K. Woojun, K. Su-Hyun, H. So-Young and K. Ho Jin Multiple Sclerosis International Volume 2012. Imaging Diagnosis of Spinal Intramedullary Tuberculoma: Case Reports and Literature Review Lu Ming J Spinal Cord Med. Apr 2010;33(2):159 162 Kesselring J, Miller DH, Robb SA, et al. Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. MRI findings and the distinction from multiple sclerosis. Brain 1990;113(Pt 2):291–302 Dale RC, de Sousa C, Chong WK, Cox TC, Harding B, Neville BG. Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, multiphasic disseminated encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis in children. Brain 2000; 123(Pt 12):2407–2422 Ketelslegers I, Visser I, Neuteboom R, Boon M, Catsman-Berrevoets C and Hintzen R. Disease course and outcome of acute disseminated encephalomyelitis is more severe in adults than in children. Mult Scler 2011; 17(4): 441–448 Larner A, Zeman A, Allen C. MRI appearances in subacute combined degeneration of the spinal cord due to vitamin B12 deficiency. JNNP 1997;62:99-101.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Character Development in Lord of the Flies :: Lord Flies Essays

Character Development in Lord of the Flies The ability to create characters of depth plagues many a contemporary writer. Many of those writers should look to William Golding for expertise on this issue. Golding diverges from the path of contemporary authors and sets an example of how character development should be accomplished in his novel, Lord of the Flies. Golding's Ralph exemplifies this author's superior style of character development in this novel. At the commencement of the novel, the author introduces Ralph as an innocent boy far from adulthood. Almost immediately, Ralph is described as a "fair boy." This phrase indicates a stereotype of the perfect child--blonde hair and blue eyes with blemish-free skin--which the author manipulated to show innocence. Also, Golding used this to give the reader a feeling of Ralph's position on the scale of maturation. It guides the destination of the novel and how much Ralph needs to grow to attain complete maturity. Ralph's innocence is further implied when he says his daddy is "a commander in the Navy" and that "when he gets leave, he'll come rescue us." Clearly, Ralph's comments call attention to his inability to view matters, especially his current situation, realistically, and to show Ralph's simplistic thinking, as well. Later in the novel, Ralph views Piggy as a fat bore with "ass-mar" and "matter-of-fact ideas." Ralph is still at the point where he believes that he is on a schoolyard playground where teasing and handstands are an acceptable practice. Similarly, Ralph's thoughts are intended to show what a sheltered child he has been all his life. Thus far, Golding developed Ralph so that the reader interprets him as an ideal child without any indication of maturity. The author will build upon this to transform Ralph as a character and as a person. As the climax approaches, Ralph begins to mature slightly as chaos erupts. After Ralph discovers that a ship passed while the fire was out and Jack is culpable, Ralph confronts him and rather than acquiescing to Ralph, Jack takes out his anger, physically on Piggy, the only person at that time intimidated by Jack. Ralph responds by saying Jack's tantrum is a "dirty trick" and tells them to light the fire. All this infers that Ralph is becoming less gregarious and a bit more serious. He shows maturity when he takes up for the underdog and does not go along with the majority.

Friday, July 19, 2019

How to Write an Essay :: Process Essays

Process Essay - How to Write an Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Writing a college essay can be a very difficult task. However, there are techniques to help make this task easier. The writing process is a three stage approach to planning and creating a college essay. These stages are known as prewriting, writing, and revising. If a student follows this process, she will write a good paper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first stage of the writing process is called prewriting. There are five prewriting techniques that help writers to understand the topic and purpose of the writing assignment and limit the topic to a manageable and appropriate idea. The techniques are brainstorming, freewriting, diagramming, making a list, and preparing an outline. In brainstorming, you generate ideas for you writing. A writer might view a film and discuss or write their impressions, write a list of ideas for an essay, or discuss a topic with a group of students. You might ask yourself some questions such as What? Why? When? Where? How? and Who? In freewriting, you write non-stop about a subject for a certain amount of time. Spelling or punctuation, mistakes, and finding exact words do not matter. It helps you to get a clearer picture of what you are trying you say. Diagramming is helpful for people who think in a visual way. You can put your idea in a circle or block and branch off examples or other ideas pertaining to it. The fourth technique is making a list. You list as many items you can that has a relation to your topic. Your goal is to make details and to gather as much material as possible so you have something to start with when you go to write your paper. The last technique is preparing an outline. The thesis statement is clearly stated on the outline and a specific outline format is followed. Outlining gives you a sense of organization and allows you to see quickly if you have enough support for your ideas. After the writer is done prewriting, she moves on to the next step.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second stage for the writing process is called writing. In the writing phase, you make decisions about developing and organizing your ideas into writing and discover what you know about the subject. Insights gained from the prewriting phase help shape ideas into meaning for yourself and others. The writer may prepare a rough draft, focusing on the purpose of the writing and choosing a suitable form for a specific audience. You need a thesis to work with first. The thesis will be your guide while you write your essay.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Education and Business Studies Essay

1.0 Background to the study: The impact of Information Communication Technology (ICT) on learning business studies is currently in relation to use of digital media, primarily computers and internet to facilitate teaching and learning. These are the technologies used in conveying, manipulation, and storage of data by electronic means. They provide an array of powerful tools that may help in transforming the present isolated teacher-centered and text-bound classrooms into rich, student-focused and interactive knowledge environments. To meet these challenges, learning institutions must embrace the new technologies and appropriate Information Communication Technology tools for learning. The direct link between Information Communication Technology use and students’ study habit and academic performance has been the focus of extensive literature during the last two decades. Some of them help students with their learning by improving the communication between them and the instructors (Valasidou and Bousiou, 2005) . According to Leuven, (2004) stated that there is no evidence for a relationship between increased educational use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) and students’ performance. In fact, they find a consistently negative and marginally significant relationship between Information Communication Technology (ICT) use and some student achievement measures. In support to these, some students may use ICT to increase their leisure time and have less time to study. Online gaming and increased communication channels do not necessarily mean increased achievement. On the other hand, Al-Hawaj, Elali, and Twizell (2008), stated that ICT has the potential to transform the nature of education: where and how learning takes place and the roles of students and teachers in the learning process. Karim and Hassan (2006) noted the exponential growth in digital information, which changes the way students perceive study and reading and in how printed materials are used to facilitate study. The ability to use ICT effectively and appropriately is now seen as essential to allow learners to acquire, exploit information within every sphere of human activity. It can be assumed that specific forms of ICT will change with time. However, the need to be able to evaluate and use ICT purposefully will remain the key to full participation in an information society. The school curriculum already reflects the perceived value and importance of developing ICT literacy, and indeed, information literacy in all students. No wonder, the Lagos state government under Tinubu, decided to inculcate the ICT appreciation programs into the various secondary schools teachers. It is no longer strange for teachers to gather relevant information for the effective teaching and learning of business studies. However, research studies of information and communication technology (ICT) in business have shown that ICT facilitates the acquisition of important cognitive skills required for effective business analysis and evaluation. It provides the process of acquiring knowledge by the use of reasoning, or perception to understand the connection between them, which allows t eachers, and student to communicate both their thoughts and interests in the subject matter and offers a better match to students’ learning style. Moreover, students can observe the real-life implications of business theories through this medium. The proposition of business theory like all scientific theories is obviously deductions from a series of postulates. In addition, the chief of these postulates are all assumptions involving in some way simple and indisputable part of experience, relating to the way in which the scarcity of goods, which is the subject matter of our science, actually shows itself in the world of reality. It should be noted that computer as a tool for ICT has a wide application in education, which can be effectively used in the instructional system by the teacher to review skill already taught, also helps learners to go over the set of instructional procedures repeatedly, likewise helps to implement traditional instruction by reinforcing or expanding skills and knowledge. In addition, teachers’ increasingly use of ICT helps to prepare their work more effectively and achieve time gains. 1.2 Statement of the problem Majority of students in secondary schools and tertiary institutions are now getting closer to computers and ICT day by day, but even with that, some had little or no knowledge of computer and internet, which may make it impossible to use Information Communication Technology (ICT) for the teaching of business studies in secondary schools. These problems have become major concern to those concerned in the teaching and learning of business education. It is therefore pertinent to find a fast way of using computers and ICT generally to teach business education in secondary schools with a view of finding lasting solutions to the problems. 1.3Purpose of the study The general aim is to ascertain the effectiveness of ICT in teaching of business studies in secondary schools. Other objectives are to: 1) Determine the level of availability of Computer facilities to secondary schools in Lagos State 2) Provide students with adequate knowledge and understanding of the tools of business analysis and of the situations and problems to which these tools are applied. 3) Examine the positive influences of using Computers in relation to academic performance of secondary school students in Agege local government. 4) Examine the positive influences of using Computers in relation to academic performance of business education students in Agege local government. 5) Ascertain relationship between the usage of Computer Education and academic performance of secondary school students in Agege local government. 1.4Research questions 1) What is the level of availability of Computer facilities to secondary schools in Lagos State? 2)Can all business education topics be taught with the use of ICT? 3)To what extent can ICT be used in the teaching of business education in secondary schools? 4)Is there any influence of ICT on the teaching of business education in secondary schools? 5)What is the relationship between ICT and the teaching of business studies as a subject? 1.5 Research hypotheses Ho1: There is no significant difference in the use of ICT in the of business studies. Ho2: There is no significant relationship between teachers’ attitudes to ICT and students in business studies. Ho3: There is no significant relationship in teachers’ adoption of ICT in the teaching of business studies and motivation to learning. 1.6 Significance of the study The research exposes both the teachers and the students of business studies to the use of ICT as a tool in teaching business studies. This will increase motivation, which goes together with a positive learning attitude and leads to more examples and attention during lesson with students being more involved in the learning activities. This also enables the students to understand the term ICT and its uses in the teaching of business studies in secondary schools. 1.7 Scope of the study This study is focused mainly on the use, reaction (attitude) and performance of students and teachers in Lagos state towards the use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the teaching of business studies. 1.8 Definition of terms †¢Business Studies- The study of the activities involved in running a business, especially the financial and managerial aspect as well as the teaching of business in junior and senior secondary schools. †¢Information and Communication Technology (ICT) – It is the processing and distribution of data using computer hardware and software, telecommunications, and digital electronics. †¢Internet- Computer based global information system, a computer that allows millions of computer users around the world to exchange information. †¢Data- Information, often in the form of facts or figures obtained from experiments or surveys, used as basis for making calculations or drawing conclusions. †¢Computer- Is any electronic device (calculating machine) that solves problems by applying prescribed instructions on data presented to it. It also said to be a machine that is capable accepting information, processing the accepted information, and give the desired output. †¢Information- The meaningful material derived from computer data by organizing them and interpreting them in a specific way. †¢Communication skill- Academic performance; refers to how students deal with their studies and how they cope with or accomplish different task giving to them by their teachers. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.0Introduction It is ideal and pertinent that â€Å"any piece of research work should begin with a survey of existing literature in order to find out what is already known about a particular topic† (Adedoyin 1999). It is in the view of the above statement, therefore, a prior knowledge (no matter) how small about a particular topic or concept will enhance more meaningful contribution. 2.1Application of computer There are many are many areas of life where computers are being used today to perform feats that would have humanly impossible. We can validly say that there is no area of life that does not have its own share of computer utility. For the purpose of this research, only three aspects of these applications will be mentioned. These are gathered in the work of (Solanke, 1997) as follows: a.Scientific research: In most scientific research, it is often required to determine the values of complex equations, to also determine the behavior of objects under certain conditions and analyze a large number of samples collected from experiments. These functions are in most cases difficult to carry out. The computer has been used in this area as perfect tool for scientific research analysis. b.Education: Many education materials are being prepared using computer multimedia systems which combine voice, sound, graphics and other effects in preventives, to teach very difficult subjects. Computers are very useful in making instructions and skills available for learners to use at their convenience and as many time as possible. c.Communication: The ability to link people together for exchange of information is the goal of communication. The best of communication is today being done on computer networks. This aspect of computer application is the most paramount to this study, as most of the communication will be sent and received through computer. Apart from being a link between people in distant location, it also serves as a link for equipments and provides ready access to distant information bases. 2.2Computers in education Computer facilities creativity and productivity as it provides for individual learning and development. Sandy (1983) said â€Å"computers are brain extenders† and that â€Å"they help to strengthen our minds and also enable us to do many routines task easily and quickly.† Hawk (1990) assumed some reasons for the inclusion of computers in education among them was that computer provides for both catalytic and pedagogic rationale in education. By catalytic rationale, these aspects deal the improvement in education, while by pedagogic rationale; it deals with a better way of learning method. Having discussed about the importance of computers to the ICT world, it should be noted that teaching of business studies must be directed towards deductive and inductive reasoning, students will then be able to take materials dealing with business behavior and phenomena, and reason through their own analysis rather than passively describing business phenomena. The pedagogical emphasis should be on encouraging students to be inside the discipline, operating, in however limited a sense, as economists. In this way, business educationists are being faithful to the discipline and imparting business training to their students. 2.3Aims of business education: to think in a business way. Introductory business courses are run in educational institutions all over the world. Although their structure may vary, the aims of the courses are constituent. The general aim is to provide students with an adequate knowledge and understanding of the tools of business analysis and of the situations and problems to which these tools are applied. To facilitate students to think in a business way, the introductory business courses must promote learner autonomy, and provide access to the world of business concepts and ideas. Autonomy is a capacity – for detachment, critical reflections, decision making, and independent action. It presumes but also entails that the learner will develop a particular kind of psychological relation to the process and content of his/her learning. The capacity of autonomy will be displayed both in the way the learner learns and in the way he or she transfers what has been learnt to a wider context. It is a common place to note that learning depends on access to adequate facilities, informed teachers, illuminating materials, and so on. However, students also need to gain access to the academic business environment, Laurillard (1993), claims that every academic subject faces this same kind of challenge, to help students go beyond their experience, to use it and reflect on it, and thereby change their perspective of it, and finally change the way they experience the world. 2.4Evaluation of students’ performance as a result of ICT Use of computer alongside internet for teaching and learning purposes has received increasing attention over the recent years (Multra, 2000). A networked learning institution where students have easy access to computers could foster positive attitudes toward the use of computers in teaching and learning for a computer enriched learning environment was positively correlated with students attitude toward computer in general. (Mack, 1998). Perceived integration of computers into learning system as completes instructional system in which student learning is impacted by lecturers. A student with positive attitudes towards using computers also has positive attitudes toward using computers for learning. 2.5Factors that promote students’ positive attitude towards computer education * Constant interaction with information technology, alongside integration computer learning. * Sound foundation in computer education * To promote computer education effectively in schools, it should be ensured that technology supports the educational goals and methodology. * Use of technology at home should be encouraged * Creation of board of computer education * Build and operation computer laboratory The former University of Philippines president Senator Edgard J. Angara (2009) who led the senate in its pursuit of legislation curriculum of student in schools enlightens that in countering the depressing effects and problems facing computer education; Economic lost ground will be regain thereby student should be updated with latest advance technology. Youth should be scientifically and technically prepared to fully tap their inner talents and contribution to national development (Angara, 2009). 2.6Students’ attitudes toward technology Several studies have suggested that attitudes may be an important element in teaching children about computers (Woodrow, 1992 and Todaman Dick, 1993) stated â€Å"an important factor affecting the quality of the child’s experience of computer at school may be the teachers’ attitude toward computer acting to report by the office of Technology Assessment (OTA) there is a major problem with the exiting research assessing the import of technology. Most research relies on existing measure of students’ achievement. An important factor that needs to be included goes beyond student achievement and includes attitudinal measures. Student achievement is likely affected by their attitudes to school and learning (U.S congress, 1995). Another important variable may be the environment for student instruction in computer. In some cases the classroom tutor is in charge of computer instructions in the lab in which teacher may or may not integrate computer use with classroom instructions. There is also a need to ascertain the appropriate uses of computers in classroom and assess. The effect on teachers and students’ attitudes toward computer Nevertheless, throughout the review recurring solutions to student’s teachers attitudes to effective integration of technology is â€Å"Teachers Education in Schools as well as Readiness on students’ part. Olukemi, (2000) observed that since the teachers are the one who implement and impact computer Education knowledge, training should focus on them. Bukola, (2005) although it may not be agreed on how to involve technology in curriculum, one common goal is to foster favorable attitudes toward computers. If positive attitudes are developed in students, (Teachers) other objectives may become secondary. 2.7Opportunities and limitation of ICT in bus iness education. Research studies of ICT use in business education have shown that ICT empowers students and allows them access to the discipline. Various types of ICT tool are used in business courses: tutorial, testing, database, spreadsheet, and tools of local area network and the internet. Each provides opportunity for students to think ‘in a business way’. We should not dismiss the fact that traditional classrooms fast to support learner autonomy and provide access to the discipline; instead, taking the stance that ICT in an business/commerce class offers teachers more options to create learning environment that enables to think ‘in a business way’ whether these opportunities are perceived and taken up depends on the class participants, the tools and the learning environment. Perkins (1993) cites various studies to assert that it is erroneous to assume that ‘as long as a support system is available, people will more or less automatically take advantage of the oppo rtunities that it affords’. Dauite (1985) and Cochran-Smith (1991), in their studies of the use of word-processors in the classroom, observed that most students used them primarily to make minor stylistic, grammatical and spelling corrections to get nice print-outs. It was the more experienced writers that were able to utilize the powerful editing mechanisms of the word-processor. They used it to play their essays and make structural revisions that would have been done more painfully by hand. In their research, Ford (1995) states that most ICT packages do not have a significant effect on learning and teaching activities in schools because only a small proportion of their potential is used. The extent to which learning opportunities are actually taken up depends on where and how ICT is situated in the class. For decades, according to research, there has been a lack of delivery systems designed to adjust teaching to individual students in the class. Advocates of ICT in education argued that ICT packages provide students with learners’ autonomy that is crucial to the learning process. The following sections discuss that different aspect of learner autonomy, learner control, task orientation and critical reflection. 2.8Summary It should be noted from above discussion that the world is fast changing in terms of technologies. The traditional way of teaching business studies in the classroom should be upgraded to the modern ways where ICT and other electronic media are used in teaching. The advent of information and communication technologies (ICT) has made traditional formal educational no longer adequate to meet the needs of rapidly developing world and this fact motivated a burst into creative activities in designing appropriate non-formal methods as both an alternative and a supplement to the traditional ones. Through the ICT, the teaching of economics can be achieved in packaged instruction on some topics. This will go a long way in reducing stress on the part of the teacher and to create fun when handled by the students in and outside the classroom environment (osugbamide & Adebayo 2007). If the use of ICT initiated by the relevant school administrators is accepted completely by the teachers, then students learning habits will change for the better and their performance when evaluated will soar positively. CHAPTER THREE RESEARCH METHOLOGY 3.1Introduction This chapter describes procedures followed in achieving the goals and objectives of this research work: (The effectiveness of ICT in teaching of business studies in secondary schools. It refers to all the activities involved in the collection of necessary data needed for this research work. It includes research design, sampling plan, unit, frame, size, and method of collection and research instrument. The research methodology was discussed under the following headings: i. Research design ii. Population of the study iii. Sample and sampling technique iv. Research instrument v. Field testing of research instrument vi. Validity and reliability of research instrument vii. Method of data collection viii. Method of data analysis 3.2Research design The aim of this study is to find out the effectiveness of ICT in teaching of business studies in secondary school. 3.3Population of the study The population of teachers for this research was taken from fifteen (15) secondary schools in Agege local government Area of Lagos State. The selection was made based on the fact that, with the advent of Lagos ‘EKO PROJECT’ in 2010, there is no school in Lagos State without computer(s) and internet facilitates. 3.4Sampling techniques: Sampling is a process of measuring part of the population i.e. subset, which is subjected to intensive-study and analysis. The sample for the study comprised of fifteen randomly selected schools in Agege local government. They were selected using the simple random sampling technique. 3.5Research instrument: The instrument used by the researcher in collecting data for the study includes-: * A set of structured questionnaires. * Observation method was used for proper identification on the effectiveness of ICT in teaching of business studies in secondary school. * These questionnaires were used to collect information concerning the effectiveness of ICT in teaching of business studies in secondary school. Personal interviews were also conducted with a few teachers and the students to obtain views from them. 3.6Validity and reliability of research instrument: The researcher submitted the questionnaires to the supervisor for face and content validity after which the instruments were administered. 3.7Method of data collection: A total of Two-hundred (50) copies of the questionnaire were distributed by the researcher with the assistance of a research personnel or colleague to administer to Students in the various (selected) secondary schools. Retrievals were filled so as to avoid missing anyone and to give the researcher ample opportunity to respond on the spot to any likely question that may arise from filling the questionnaire. 3.8Method of data analysis: The collected completed questionnaires were coded and analyzed using the descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics of frequencies and percentages were used in analyzing demographic variables while the inferential statistics of Chi-square(x2) were used to test the stated hypotheses significance at â€Å"0.05† level of significance.