Monday, September 30, 2019

Children and Young Persons Development Essay

In the ECM agenda and Childcare Act 2006 it became an entitlement that all 3 and 4 year olds in England have free part time early years education, part time being 15 hours per week and 38 weeks a year. The government will pay funding to local authorities so that this part time education can happen. However should a parent want to their child to do any extra hours in the early years education they will have to pay for the extra hours that they do. In early year provision Child initiated play is encouraged when supporting very young children, this is not in the place of a formal education but works well alongside one. It allows the young children to play with their peers and `learn through play`. It’s been found that this type of learning is very important in young children The early years foundation stage is a framework for learning and development for children from birth to when they leave reception. Foundation stage take place when children are ages between 3 and 5 years old this includes children that are in nursery and reception in schools. This stage will be continued throughout their first autumn term when the children move into year 1. This is done make transition from nursery to school easier for the child. The different types of schools in relation to educational stage(s) and school governance There are four mainstream state school types meaning that they are funded by the local authorities, these schools have to follow the national curriculum. The four types of mainstream state schools are: †¢Community schools,run and owned by the local authority. They support the school by providing support services and developing links with the community. Foundation schools or trust schools are run by their own governing body and form a charitable trust with an outside partner where they have to buy in any support services. †¢Specialist schools tend to be secondary where they specialised in a particular subject. A large percentage of secondary schools in England have specialist status having this gains them additional government funding. †¢Voluntary schools are split into two: -Voluntary aided schools are mainly religious or faith schools and are run by their own governing body however the buildings are normally owned by religious groups. Voluntary controlled schools are run and funded by the local authority however the building is again owned by a charity or religious organisation. There are two types of schools which are not funded by local authorities. These types of schools are; †¢Independent schools – where parents pay fees which fund the school along with investments or charitable donations. They do not have to follow the national curriculum and the Head Teacher and governors decide on who gets in. †¢Academies – they are linked with the local authorities. However they have more freedom than state schools as they are not maintained by authorities.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Jurong Bird Park Essay

1.0INTRODUCTION The purpose of the report is research the concept and theories about the visitor behavior. This report is related to the concept of target market segment, motivation, and expectation, interpretation, satisfaction and risk analysis. Our group chooses JURONG BIRD PARK to do the case study. The reasons why our group chooses this attractions are we want to study more knowledge about the bird and there are some recreation activities in the bird park, we can enjoy it and study knowledge. The purpose of the report is to evaluate the tour guide professional knowledge, services of the attraction and research whether there have risk factors. 2.0DESCRIPTION OF TOUR We have four members in our group. Our tour is as educational tour. We choose Jurong Bird Park (refer to appendices A) to visit because we interested  about the bird and we want to learn more knowledge about birds and do the case study. We can study and play in the bird park. Before we go there, we hired eternal tour guide from travel agent because it does not provide tour guide in the bird park. The tour guide is named Wanling. (refer to appendices C) She is a Singaporean. Then we go to buy the ticket. (refer to appendices B). The tour guide can lead us to visit the bird park and teach us knowledge about the bird. The tour guide is going with us for 2 hours. 3.0TARGET MARKET SEGMENT The bird park is focus on different tourist such as the family tourist, the educational tourist and foreign tourist and. As for us, we are educational tourist, we go to Bird Park because we want to know more knowledge about the bird and do the case study; for family, parents take their children to play in the bird park, and some people are interesting the bird, so they would will to go there to play. 4.0MOTIVATION In1943, Maslow proposed the theory on hierarchy of needs based on deficiency and growth needs. He set up the human need in ascending order of physiological needs like water and food in life; safety needs which is the need for security; the need for belongingness such as love, friendship; ego need which is the need for recognition and esteem; and the final need for self-actualization which is the need for self fulfillment and to make use of the most unique abilities. (Ifedili & Ifedili, 2012) (refer to appendices H) We go to Bird Park because of our self-actualization need; we never go to the bird park, we want to visit the bird park, we interest about the bird and want to learn more knowledge about the bird. We also can play with bird; we can feed the food for bird like parrot. This is interesting; we can study more knowledge about and enjoy the travel. 5.0EXPECTATION Expectation have been produced in response to the assessment they may shape the individual’s view of his or her travel experience as attention is now crystallized and features perhaps not previously considered. (Pearce, 2005) Expectiation is what we want to see the palce or things. Before we go to the bird park, we hope the tour guide is friendly and have interactive with us; there are some beautiful views in the bird park and the service provider is good. 6.0INTERPRETATION 6.1Principles of interpretation Interpretation is important for tourist management; it can promote the understanding, positive impression, admiration. For example, it can teach visitor protect the historical relic, it also can teach more knowledge for visitor and change their attitude and behavior. (Rabotic, 2010)Interpretation is directly or indirectly through different media and means such as map, poster, exhibit, sketch, audio, visual guide, marked tourist trails and travel guide. Face-to-face interaction and communication between tourist and tourist guide during a visit to the site is included in direct or personal interpretation. (Rabotic, 2010) The tour guide is friendly. The tour guide introduced the bird park for us. Tour guide as a leader and tell the knowledge about bird in detailed. Tour guide has communicate with us, when we askes some questions, she answers us clearly. In the bird park, it aslo has cleraly direction sign (refer appendices E) , it use bright colour, picture and obvious words, I can clearly see it and know which place we want to go, what kinds of bird in that place. Without tourist guide, If we do not know the where we are, we can search the map (refer appendices D) and congnitive mapping. (refer appendices F) It use symbol pircure to represent the place, I look at it, I can clearly know how can get to the place. There are interpretation panels (refer appendices G) inevery place in bird park, it interprter what kind of the bird is, how does it groe up, what place it born and so on. I can cleatly know more about the  bird. Tourist guide’s interprtation, map, direction sign, cognitive mapping and interprtations panels are good ways to help me understand more about the bird and will not be lost in the bird park. 6.2Evaluation of the tour guide Tour guide’s duties and responsibilities are examined by the five roles. The five roles are the leader, the educator, the public relations representative, the host and the conduit. These roles are used to treat the professionalism of the tour guide. The leadership role is the most important aspect of the responsibilities of guide. Tour guide need to control the tour and interaction with traveler. Traveler can learn knowledge from travel. Tour guide is as educator, he/she must be knowledgeable. The public relation is also as important role of tour guide’s work. The tour guide is as ambassadors, he/she represent her/his organization, she/he needs to protect the environment and culture. When she/he communicates with traveler, she/he needs to know what should say, what should not say. The tour guide need to as host, they need to create an environment that can make people feel comfortable and enjoy it. The tour guide need to make the best for people, make the traveler feel satisfy. The tour guide as conduit is important for the visitor, local culture, and the travel experience rather than to focus on the guide’s performance. (Reinhold, 1993) As for our tour guide, Wanling is friendly; she introduced herself first, then communicate with us, she as a leaded to lead us to visit the bird park, she lead us go around the bird park and tell us the knowledge about different kinds of bird, when we ask she some questions about the bird, she answer interesting and professional, she is as educator, teach us more knowledge about the bird. I think she is a good tour guide because before we go to bird park, we just know there will have many different kinds of bird, we not really know the name and knowledge of the bird, after she interpret and we ask her questions then she answers in detailed, we know more about the bird. If evaluate the tour guide 1-10 marks, 10 is the highest mark, I will give her 7 mark. 7.0SATISFACTION Satisfaction is perception higher than expectation. Evaluate satisfaction level need through three classes affective, cognitive, and behavioral (or conative). The most critical in the formation of satisfaction is affective evaluation. Satisfaction is formed by emotional evaluations like feelings, emotions and moods. (Wicks & Roethlein, 2009) I feel satisfy in the tour because Wanling is friendly and her interpretation of bird is interesting and professional. The environment in the bird park is beautiful (refer to appendices A), and there are some interesting activities such as go around the bird park by train, feed the bird. We go to feed the bird, it is fun, the bird is lovely. (refer to appendicesI). In bird park, it also have souvenir shop, and it has services of taking photo. I went to take photo and pay it, the photo is nice and as good souvenir. (refer to appendices J) 8.0RISK ANALYSIS OF THE TOUR The guide/leader may also become a ‘marker’ for risk and safety. (Wang, Jao, Chan & Chung, 2010) There are three main aspects of risk: Identification of the sources of risks, Judgement of Probability and Analysis of the consequences. (Steene 1999) There three types of risk, time, physical and economic risk. In Bird Park, when you go to feed birds, sometimes the bird will peck you, you will be hurt, and it will have some virus, it will make people be sick. People also will hurt the bird when they casual touch or catch the bird. These are some risk factor in the Bird Park Tour. 9.0CONCLUSION AND SUMMARY To sum up, the report focus to analysis the related concepts in the bird park tour. The interpretation is the most important part, people can know the knowledge and more things through the tour guide, directional sign, map and so on. Evaluate the tour guide need to base on their professional knowledge, attitude, and interpersonal skill. As we research, we found the tour guide and the service in Bird Park. I think I will go to bird park again. 10.0BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Ifedili, C. J., & Ifedili, C. I. (2012, May). PERCEPTION OF MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS THEORY BY NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY WORKERS – A CHALLENGE TO UNIVERSITY ADMINISTATORS. Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research In Business4. 1 , pp. 79-85. 2. 7 Tourists’Reflections on Experience. In Pearce,P. L. (2005) Tourist Behaviour-Themes and Conceptual Schemes (pp. 162-172). 3. Rabotic, B. (2010). PROFESSIONAL TOURIST GUIDING: THE IMPORTANCE OF INTERPRETATION FOR TOURIST EXPERIENCES. In Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management in Opatija. Biennial International Congress. Tourism & Hospitality Industry (pp. 1157-1167). 4. (1993). Interpretation and the Role of the Guide. In Reinhold, K. L.†The Professional Guide-Dynamics of Tour Guiding† (pp. 65-85). New York. 5. Wicks, A. M., & Roethlein, C. J. (2009, Spring). A Satisfaction-Based Definition of Quality. The Journal of Business and Economic Studies15. 1 , pp. 82-97,110-111. 6. Wang, K., Jao, P., Chan, H.,Chung, C. (2010) Group Package Leader’s Intrinsic Risks. Annals of Tourism Research. Vol37 (1), pp154-179

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Managing Financial and Information Resources Coursework - 1

Managing Financial and Information Resources - Coursework Example Gross profit margin showed an upward trend throughout the period; it increased from 57.76% in 2011 to 63.31% in 2013. This implies that the company earns more cents per dollar of revenue, and this is favourable because more profit is generated to cover non-production costs. Operating profit margin increased in 2012 but decreased in 2013. Even though there is a decrease, the company is still profitable because it is generating enough money from its operations to pay for both variable and fixed costs. In general, the company’s profitability is improving as indicated by the increase in its profitability ratios (Kimmel et al 290). Efficiency ratios indicate how the company is managing its liabilities and using its assets to generate income. Fabrique AÃ ©rospatiale is relatively efficient in its operations. The debtor days increased from 59.33 days to 59.79 days in 2012, and further decreased considerably to 34.31days in 2013. This improvement in debtor days implies that the company’s efficiency in collecting its receivable increased (Kapil, 128). The company is, therefore, very liquid because it takes less time to collect its receivable hence increase in efficiency. Creditor days increased from 91.56 days to 97.5 days but decreased to 78.43 days. This indicates prompt payment to creditors. This reduction implies that the company is trying to take advantage of the discount that the suppliers is offering. Fabrique AÃ ©rospatiale is inefficient in managing its inventory. It has higher values of stock days that is not favourable for the business. Stock days increased from 134.21 days in 2011 to 142.5 day s in 2012 but decreased to 116.14 days in 2013. Even though the decrease is a good indicator, it is very minimal. The company has higher days’ inventory on hand. In terms of liquidity, Fabrique AÃ ©rospatiale is very liquid. Both its acid test ratio and current ratio have values greater that one for all the years. The company is able to meet its near-term

Friday, September 27, 2019

Managed care creating pressure to do more with less Research Paper

Managed care creating pressure to do more with less - Research Paper Example This paper deals with the flaws and issues in the field of health care. The drawbacks and the strategies are also explained. The paper describes the need for improvement in health care and the ways in which managed care can be improved. Then the strategies are also listed with supporting arguments. Managed care was initially developed to reduce the burden of people who seek the medical attention. Medical expenses are increasing day by day and due to this people find it difficult to deal with their medical expenses. These problems led to a situation where managed care becomes an important matter of concern. (Pre 2009). Managed care mainly deals with strategies that aim at providing quality treatments at a better cost. Even employed people find it difficult to manage their medical issues and hence managed care is considered to be an important concept. The concept of managed care takes different dimensions depending on the situation and place where it is portrayed. Managed care is commonly known as the technique used to minimize the medical expenses there by providing quality health care treatments. The main aim of managed care is to reduce the burden of the patient with the help of medical insurance and financial institutions. This is achieved by mitigating the risk to the insur ance company from which a person avails his insurance. This in turn reduces the cost incurred to the patient and transfers the rest of the monetary operations to the concerned insurance firm. Managed care has certain limitations and ethical concerns which form the major part of managed care. These ethical concerns depend on the type of problem and the way in which managed care is perceived. In an organization which provides medical benefits to an employee relies on an insurance company that helps the organization to reimburse the employee’s medical expenditure. This certainly reduces and minimizes the expenses of the employee. But this may not prove to be beneficial in all the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Transportation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Transportation - Essay Example Both public and private types of road transport are available for students and the public in Abu Dhabi. The government has also improved usability of both means through reduced traffic and low cost of rail transport (The Oxford Business Group 185). One can use a private car, taxi, a bus, or other types of transport. In addition to received value from a type of transport, which can be convenience, efficiency, or effectiveness, cost is a factor to selection and opinion over types of transport. The study aims at understanding usage of different types of transport systems by students of Abu Dhabi University. Focus will be made on type of transport that students use and amount that students spend on transport. Other variables of interest are age, number of vehicles owned, and kind of car owned by students. Questionnaires have been distributed to 40 students and stratified random sampling was used to ensure age and social status

Engaging with the Media Product Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Engaging with the Media Product - Essay Example The first one, filtering, occurred when I decided to ignore some aspects of the show and processed the rest of it, depending on what I was interested in. Next came meaning matching, during which I matched the concepts about vampires shown in the show with the ones I already had knowledge about. Finally, when I encountered a message of which I had no knowledge of, or which went against my previous knowledge, I constructed a new meaning for it after evaluating what I watched on this show. While watching The Vampire Diaries, I was particularly interested in a vampire named Damon. Therefore, whenever there was a scene involving Damon, I would pay extra attention to his way of talking, and his attitude to others. As a result of processing all the scenes involving Damon, I can now recall the phrases used by him depending on the situations he faces. Moreover, my mind took in all the information-old and new-that I gained about vampires and other supernatural beings in general, perhaps due to my interest in them. On the other hand, there were messages that I unconsciously filtered out, such as the dates of previous centuries which the show’s characters would state when they would recall instances of the past. Another message which I filtered out was the words used by Bonnie (the name of a witch in the show) whenever she casted a spell. This is because the words used by her were part of a different language which I did not understand. Thus, during the scenes she caste d spells, my mind automatically tuned out and instead focused on the outcome of those spells. Once my mind filtered in all the scenes and messages which I paid attention to, I automatically matched them with what I already knew from before. For example, whenever I think about vampires, I imagine someone who looks like a normal human being, except that he/she has longer and sharper canines and has a thirst for blood. I have learnt this concept because I

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Marketing Report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Marketing Report - Research Paper Example If the products are not presented accordingly to their needs there might be a shift towards other brands and products. Another important issue concerning the cosmetic industry is of misleading advertisements, L’Oreal two of its advertisement were banned as they were against the code of conduct and leads to purchase decision criteria of consumers. The solutions to these issues were through identifying the needs of the consumers and producing products, generating awareness through promotional tools and alternatively changing the marketing mix according to the needs and wants of the consumers. By conducting a research the consumer’s behaviour could be monitored their liking towards a brand, the reason for their preference and what different features they want in their brand. This would help the marketer to know about the taste and preference of the consumers and can work accordingly. One of the drawbacks that lead L’Oreal lose its market share was the misleading adv ertisement, thus to avoid such loses L’Oreal could endorse someone who actually is blessed with good skin and hair. Thus there would not raise a need to use artificial extensions and lastly in order to stay ahead the company needs to keep on innovating new products. Henceforth, L’Oreal can launch new product that would take care of the hands and feet of the consumer. Contents Contents 3 Introduction 4 Issue and problem 4 Analysis and Application 8 Psychological factors 8 Consumer Decision Making 10 Marketing mix 12 Recommendation 13 Reference 15 Introduction For more than centuries, L’Oreal has invented beauty and has met with the aspirations of millions of women and men. L’Oreal aims in offering the best quality of cosmetic along with safety and efficacy to everyone who wants to access to beauty (L’Oreal, 2011). L’Oreal is the largest cosmetic company, it had transformed from being a French company into a global renowned business in sectors like skin, cosmetics and hair care. The company was founded in the year 1953 as Cosmair, Inc. In spite of its origin from France, the company is French only when the need arises else it’s satisfied being Asian, African or anything that accounts to sales (Noel, 2008, p.48). The company is committed in carrying out the mission who is to make beauty universal in a way that would be sustainable and responsible. It is ranked among the top 100 ethical and sustainable companies globally (L’Oreal, 2011). The company has about 23 global brands in around 130 companies with 66, 600 employees. The brands annual sales turn up to be more than 50 million Euros. Some of the consumer products of L’Oreal are L’Oreal Paris, Garnier, Maybelline New York, soft sheen Carson to name a few. The brand has its presence felt globally and has been well accepted by the people. Issue and problem Consumer behaviour reflects the decision made by the consumer with the consumption, dispo sition and acquisition of goods, services and ideas (Hoyer, Macinnis & Dasgupta, 2008, p.4). In today’s context consumer behaviour has become extremely important for marketing decisions in deciding upon the marketing mix elements, segmentation or in exploring new ideas with the change in the environment. The luxury and leisure market such as for shampoos and creams have boomed in recent times. With a change in psychographic and lifestyle of the people, there has been a shift in the habits of the consumers.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Opinions of Experts in the Search for Knowledge Research Paper

Opinions of Experts in the Search for Knowledge - Research Paper Example his is where the expert and the ordinary individuals diverge, in the way they form their opinion, then acquire and interpret knowledge. Who is an Expert? According to Christine Hogan (2000), â€Å"an expert is a person with a high level of intelligence, skills or knowledge in a particular sphere, reinforced by publicity and honors by others, by research and publications† (57). A more complicated definition was posited by Kurz-Milcke and Gigerenzer (2004), who stressed that an expert is a social figure in the distribution of knowledge – those who, in comparison to most, not only have more knowledge but also are able to manage knowledge transfers (42). The authors further explained that an expert can only become an expert by way of his or her performances wherein he or she translates and integrates knowledge into popular meaning systems (42). And so, a learned person who has merely acquired knowledge but has not displayed or demonstrated his learning cannot be considered one. Society will not accord him or her the status of an expert unless work or several works were published that would support his being so. No one can claim such title or role without the explicit consent of many individuals, institutions, and organizations. It is, hence, easy, based on the previous two definitions, to identify whether one is interacting with an expert. An expert is someone who has previous knowledge or expertise on the subject and also he or she is known to have demonstrated those characteristics, one who built his reputation, translating it into status and recognition from the society he belongs. An individual will know that he is talking with an expert if that person speaks authoritatively, especially basing from his specialized skills and experiences in addition to the credibility he has earned in the society. The society reinforces this with recognition since its institutions value performance and contributions to the continuing search for knowledge. The above definitions also reveal an important variable - why an expert’s opinion is valuable and this is demonstrated in several areas of knowledge.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

The courts decisions over the last twenty-five years or so reveal a Essay

The courts decisions over the last twenty-five years or so reveal a remarkably confusing approach to the purpose of cross-examination under s.1(f)(ii) Criminal - Essay Example (ii) he has personally or by his advocate asked questions of the witnesses for the prosecution with a view to establish his own good character, or has given evidence of his good character, or the nature or conduct of the defence is such as to involve imputations on the character of the prosecutor or the witnesses for the prosecution; or the deceased victim of the alleged crime The intention of the Act was to ban the prosecution from cross examining a defendant on previous convictions, previous crimes they had committed and any evidence of bad character. The insertion of s1(f) (ii) removed the right not to be cross examined if the accused has attempted through his defence counsel to attack the character of the witness in order to diminish their evidence against him. This form of attack was frequently employed in rape cases where the defence would often resort to questioning the victim regarding their previous sexual experiences. According to Bohner et al (1998) part of the reason why rape is so infrequently reported is due to the ‘stereotypic beliefs about rape that blame the victim and exonerate the rapist’. It was always intended that the judge would have the discretionary power to refuse to allow the defendant to be cross examined on their previous convictions, but in reality this has very rarely happened1. Up until the recent introduction of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 bad character evidence of an accused was admissible only if the evidence could be regarded as similar fact evidence. This meant that the prosecution had to show that the defendant had committed similar crimes, using a similar method, in the past in order for these to be adduced in court. The impact of the 2003 Act has extended the similar fact requirement such that a propensity towards a particular offence can be adduced to demonstrate the guilt of the accused.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Operations Management Essay Example for Free

Operations Management Essay The case at hand is hinged on the efficiency of operations in the different facilities of Canbide Corporation. With all the pressing problems, the system of operations in the company needed to be re-designed to answer the problems in every area that needs attention. The four concerns of Mr. Iwani, which are: 1. There is a need to put up a distribution facility in the Pacific Northwest; 2. There are quality problems at a facility in Nebraska; 3.  Customer Service problems; 4. There are inventories / materials handling problem at Newark facility, could actually be consolidated as problems of Aggregate Planning. In the case of Pacific Northwest, which locates the plant S facility, where inventory problems and shipping concerns abound, the root causes of which is the not so good facility location planning. The expansion of the company was not able to be considered over the initial planning stage. Hence, some strategic solutions would be available for each of the facilities which could be centrally based on the Japanese’s â€Å"Just-In-Time (JIT) system which uses the Kanban and Lean Management System† First, on the Denver Facility, the production queuing model should be revised as to the process whether one â€Å"Work-In-Process flow†. When a customer had to pick up a product, it should be centrally ordered on one building alone and have to wait on a lounge until the orders are ready to be picked up on a central loading plant. The products are thus carried over to the central loading station for customers. This will eventually solve the problem of traffic inside the facility. Parking should be organized to be able to serve the first customers first. Further solutions would include the proper â€Å"facility lay-outing of future building plans† Secondly, on the Problem in the Oregon facility, the production process should be already automated since the increasing demands require such facility. In this way, using the Kanban system of the Japanese Toyota system or the Just-In-Time system which forge strong linkage over its suppliers and order system is placed in attention when inventory is kept at low. With this system, the storage facility could be converted into production facility because stocking of materials needed would be minimized or even eliminated through the use of the system. Also, this system will be beneficial to the firm because it would drive down the cost of materials especially in the value loss of inventorying at its warehouses. Problems on shipping inventories would also be minimized. Thirdly, on the issue on the Copier Rehab Facility near Charleston, the management should focus its attention on Knowledge Management and Information System. This would require an in-depth analysis on the problems of the copiers being brought in for repair and the time spent and behavior analysis of every customer. If this would be done, then the management would be able to note the materials needed to be inventoried in the rehabilitation center. The turnaround rate of seven days would even be minimized, and not just targeted. The Materials Requirement Planning would thus be needed by the company to cope up with the demands of the products to be repaired. In summary, the Oregon facility problems could thus be solve through re-structuring with the inception of the JIT system in each plant and revising the process workflow to ensure on time production and ensure the quality of the products made. Warehousing costs would also be minimized if not totally eliminated with the Kanban System, which is also hinged on the Just-In-Time system of the Toyota Company in Japan.

Friday, September 20, 2019

A Blood Brain Pharmacokinetic Model

A Blood Brain Pharmacokinetic Model Pharmacokinetics, an emerging field in BioPhysics and chemistry is the study of the time variation of drug and metabolite levels in various tissues and fluids of the body. Compartment models are used to interpret data. In our problem, we consider a simple blood-brain compartment model as shown in the figure below: k21 Input d(t) k12 K where, Compartment 1 = Blood Compartment 2 = Brain This model is made such that it can aid to help estimate dosage strengths of an orally administered antidepressant drug. The rate of movement of drug from compartment i to compartment j is denoted by the rate constant kji and the rate at which the drug is removed from the blood is represented by the rate constant K. A pharmaceutical company must deal with many factors like dosage strengths that will aid a physician in determining a patients dosage in order to maintain the right concentration levels and also minimizing irritation and other side effects (Brannan 208). If we assume that the drug is rapidly absorbed into the blood stream after it is introduced into the stomach, a mathematical representation of the dosage will be of a periodic square wave given as follows: Based on our model and the equations we can solve the problems: 1. If we let xj(t) be the amount of drug in milligrams in compartment j, j =1,2. The mass balance law states: (i) Using the mass balance law and the figure, we find: System in Blood compartment: System in Brain compartment: From (i) and the above equations, we can find the following: (ii) The systems above are the rates of drug over time in the compartments. 2. If we let ci(t) denote the concentration of the drug and Vi denote the apparent volume of distribution in compartment i, we can use the relation ci = xi/Vi in the equations of system (ii) to obtain: (iii) Dividing the above systems by V1 and V2 respectively, we get : 3. Assuming x1(0) =0 and x2(0) =0, and the various parameters listed below: k21 k12 K V1 V2 Tb 0.29/h 0.31/h 0.16/h 6L 0.25L 1h and with the numerical simulation program Maple , we can perform simulations of the system with given parameters to recommend two different encapsulated dosage strengths A=RTb. => Guidelines to use for recommendation of drug dosage: 1) Target concentration level in the brain should be kept as close as possible between levels 10 mg/L and 30 mg/L and concentration fluctuation should not exceed 25% of the average of the steady-state response. 2) Lower frequency of administration (once every 24 hours or once every 12 hours is best). Once every 9.5 hours is unacceptable and multiple doses are acceptable (i.e. taking two capsules every 4 hours) Analysis: Drug usage of more than 4 times per day is unacceptable which makes maximum allowable dose to be 3, making 3 doses at 8 hours interval per day the best choice. We can then simulate from Tp = 8 to Tp = 12, 16 and 24. From the numerical simulations obtained from Maple, we obtain the following data: Tp(h) R (mg/h) Steady-state variance Comments 8 4 9.04 mg/L to 12.5 mg/L Below effective therapeutic concentration 8 5 11.7 mg/L to 15.5 mg/L 8 6 14.4 mg/L to 19.2 mg/L 8 8 19.2 mg/L to 25.3 mg/L 8 9 21.1 mg/L to 27.9 mg/L 8 10 23.2 mg/L to 31.2 mg/L Above maximum therapeutic concentration 12 5 10.9 mg/L to 6.5 mg/L Below minimum therapeutic concentration 12 6 8.6 mg/L to 14.1 mg/L Below minimum therapeutic concentration 12 7 8.32 mg/L to 15.1 mg/L Below minimum therapeutic concentration 12 8 10.6 mg/L to 18.3 mg/L 12 10 13.2 mg/L to 22.8 mg/L 12 13 17.9 mg/L to 30 mg/L 16 10 9.11 mg/L to 19.5 mg/L Sharp fluctuations; Below minimum therapeutic concentration 16 12 10.7 mg/L to 23.5 mg/L Sharp fluctuations. 16 13 11.5 mg/L to 25.4 mg/L Sharp fluctuations. 16 14 12.5 mg/L to 27.3 mg/L Sharp fluctuations. 16 16 14.3mg/L 31.4mg/L Sharp fluctuations; Above maximum therapeutic concentration 24 15 6.19mg/L 24mg/L Sharp fluctuations; Below minimum therapeutic concentration 24 20 8.52mg/L 32mg/L Sharp fluctuations; Above maximum therapeutic concentration Obtained corresponding Graphs from Maple and their respective Tp and R values are listed below: Tp = 8, R = 4 Tp = 8, R = 5 Tp = 8, R = 6 Tp = 8, R = 8 Tp = 8, R = 9 Tp = 8, R = 10 Tp = 12, R = 6 Tp = 12, R = 8 Tp = 12, R = 10 Tp = 12, R = 12 Tp = 12, R = 13 Tp=16, R=10 Tp=16, R=12 Tp=16, R=13 Tp=16, R=14 Tp=16, R=16 Tp=24, R=15 Tp=24, R=20 Some Comments: When Tp= 8 and R = 4, the recommended dosage is below minimum therapeutic concentration range. When Tp= 8 and R = 10 , the recommended dosage is above maximum therapeutic concentration range. When Tp= 8 and R = 5 to 7, the recommended dosage is below effective therapeutic concentration range. When Tp= 8 and R = 4, the recommended dosage is below therapeutic concentration range. When Tp= 12 and R = 5 to 7, the recommended dosage is below minimum therapeutic concentration range. When Tp= 16 and R = 12 to 14, sharp fluctuation is seen. When Tp= 24 and R = 20, sharp fluctuation is seen and the recommended dosage is below therapeutic concentration range. =>Calculation and Analysis of dosage strength A Now we can calculate the dosage frequency for the remaining dosage frequency intervals of 8 hours and 12 hours: (8 hour interval) (R being from 5 mg/h to 9 mg/h) A = RTb = 5 mg/h x 1h= 5 mg A = RTb = 9 mg/h x 1h= 9 mg (12 hour interval) (R being from 8 mg/h to 13 mg/h) A = RTb = 8 mg/h x 1h = 8 mg A = RTb = 13 mg/h x 1h= 13 mg 4. From the simulation, we can know that it is best to skip the dose than to try to catch up and double the dose and ultimately overdose from the figures illustrated. If we assume the patient is at a 12 hour interval dose frequency, and R being 10mg/h, the following scenarios can be simulated:   Scenario: missed a dosage and skipped     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Scenario: missing a dosage catching up Analysis: From the scenarios simulations above, we can have a clear picture of what will go through the patients drug level. In the 1st scenario, where the patient missed a dosage and skipped, the concentration level in the brain of the patient stays within the recommended level. In the 2nd scenario, where the patient tries to catch up, the drug level will cross the recommended level and that also by a lot. Thus, skipping the dose is better than to catch up overdosing the drug level resulting in fatality.   5. Supposing the drug can be packaged in a timed-release form so that Tb = 8 hours and R also adjusted likewise, we get the following data from the Maple: Tp(h) R(mg/h) Steady-state variance Reasons 12 0.75 10.4mg/L 13mg/L 12 1 13.9mg/L 17mg/L 12 1.5 21mg/L 25.5mg/L 12 1.75 24.5mg/L 29.8mg/L 12 2 28.1mg/L 34mg/L Above maximum therapeutic concentration 16 1 9mg/L 14.3mg/L Below minimum therapeutic concentration 16 1.25 11.2mg/L 17.7mg/L 16 1.5 13.6mg/L 21.3mg/L 16 2 18.3mg/L 28.4mg/L 16 2.25 20.5mg/L 31.8mg/L Above maximum therapeutic concentration 16 2.5 22.8mg/L 35.4mg/L Above maximum therapeutic concentration 24 2 8.7mg/L 23.3mg/L Sharp fluctuation 24 2.25 9.86mg/L 25.9mg/L Sharp fluctuation 24 2.5 10.9mg/L 29mg/L Sharp fluctuation T=12, R=0.75 T=12, R=1 T=12, R=1.5 T=12, R=1.75 T=12, R=2 T=16, R=1 T=16, R=1.25 T=16, R=1.5 T=16, R=2 T=16, R=2.25 T=16, R=2.5 T=24, R=2 T=24, R=2.5 Analysis: If the drug can be packaged in a timed release form so that Tb = 8 and R is also adjusted likewise, we perform the simulations for the dosage of interval of a 12 hour frequency. We observe zero sharp fluctuations. Every graph seems to produce the concentration level within the recommended range of 10mg/L to 30mg/L when R is between 0.75 mg/h and 1.75 mg/h. =>Calculation and Analysis of new dosage strength A We can calculate the new strength level of the drugs as: (12 hour frequency interval): A=RTb = 0.75 mg/h * 8h = 6mg   A=RTb = 1.75 mg/h * 8h = 14mg Same analysis can be performed for 16 hour frequency interval. We observe zero sharp fluctuations and every graph produce the concentration level within the recommended range of 10mg/L to 30mg/L; R being in between 1.25mg/h and 2mg/h.   =>Calculation and Analysis of new dosage strength A We can calculate the new strength level of the drugs as:   (16 hour frequency interval): A = RTb=1.25 mg/h * 8h = 10mg    A = RTb=2.00 mg/h * 8h = 16mg Thus, this changes our recommendation. Simulation Program Maple: We used the following code and simulated varying R and P values. g :=t> piecewise(0 DEplot({diff(x(t), t) = (1/6)*g(t)+(1/6)*(.31*.25)*y(t)-x(t)*(.29+.16), diff(y(t), t) = (.29*6)*x(t)/(.25)-.31*y(t)}, [x(t), y(t)], t = 0 .. 40, x = 0 .. .50, y = 0 .. 80, scene = [t, y], [[x(0) = 0, y(0) = 0]], stepsize = .1, color = blue)

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Source 1: Essay -- essays papers

Source 1: This article discusses the future role of the library media specialist, which describes that they need to have a bigger role in education. Many believe that librarians are the original specialists so they call it â€Å"the information perspective† (Lowe, 2000). This is where the library media specialists look at the curriculum, assignments, and learning in terms of information resources, processes, and technologies required for student success. The library media specialists are going to be the â€Å"pioneers† in teaching information skills and integrating technology skills to the information for problem-solving process (Lowe, 2000). Gary Hartzell, a professor at University of Nebraska, â€Å"believes that the library specialists should participate in decisions affecting technology and the curriculum at the school districts.† Technology is increasing everyday, which is changing the role of educators as well as education. As technology is increasing, there is a greater need for information, libraries, and technology in the schools. Some steps for the library media specialists are to learn and absorb, which means they find information and share it with their colleagues. Secondly, get involved in the information and technology program. Lastly, be a leader, take an active role in decision making and planning. This article described many good ideas for the future of education involving library media specialists. Technology is increasing and they can be very helpful with information for students as well as other teachers. The article discussed many good examples how the specialists could get involved. I liked to see that they can help take a look at the curriculum, assignments, for student’s success. For the most part of ... ...is going to be a huge success in the future. I believe that this will help children out and improve children’s achievement. It is good that they have a curriculum for all ages and they do not focus on one age group. They are also focusing on the main subjects such as math, science, and geography. They are also making sure that the professionals are equipped and have enough information and resources to teach the children. References Fording, L. (2004, March 30). Education, 21st Century-Style. Newsweek. [OnlineNewspaper]. URL http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4633126/site/newsweek/ Lowe, C. (2000, November). The Role of School Library Media Specialist in the 21st Century. In Eric Digest [Online]. URL http://www.ericdigests.org/2001-3/21st.htm NASA. (2005, February 15). Classroom of the Future. [WWW document]. URL http://www.cet.edu/aboutus/cotf.html

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Writing with Rock with Blackberry Juice :: Teaching Writing Education Essays

Writing with Rock with Blackberry Juice I wanted to write in my own blood. I know where to find blood and I am familiar with its properties as a type of ink, thanks to one rather misguided seventh-grader. Unfortunately, the assignment forbade my first instinct and forced me to get a little more creative. Growing up, I was forced to pick berries with my parents every summer. All of my summer memories include stained, sticky fingers. The idea of using berries as ink was my next idea. Since berries grow in nature and not in my veins, they replaced blood as my ‘ink.’ My next task was to determine what I would use as a stylus. I didn’t think my dog would approve of me cutting his hair to fashion into a brush, so that idea was quickly discarded. While perusing my yard, I happened upon a stick. This small stick was a fortuitous find because each end of the stick could be used differently. One end was hard and even, so I could use it as a sort of chisel on soft material, or a stationary brush on hard material. The other end of the stick was a bit jagged and soft. This end would be like a painter’s brush on hard material, and virtually useless on soft material. Two of the three supplies I had in hand; the most challenging lay ahead of me. The produce section at my local Kroger provided some nice blackberries for ink, but I wasn’t getting much inspiration in the form of a writing surface. Lettuce? Too thin and flimsy. Corn husks? Same problem. Bananas? I felt that using a banana peel was worth a shot. If anything, I would have a nice, healthy snack while working. The area of my backyard that produced the stick stylus also produced two options for a writing surface: a rock and some bark. I choose the bark because it is a tree-product like the paper that holds this explanation.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Essay --

Aulia Akbar Ramadhan 2B3206 Walt Whitman Rostow is United Stated economist, and also a father of ecomonic theory and growth. In Rostow view through his Stages of Growth Model, there are five stages in the process of economic growth and development. The five stages are The traditional society, The precondition for take off. The take off, The drive to maturity and The age of mass consumption. In these stages Rostow point out that both of the precondition stage for take off and take off stages is very important for a country economy growth. Capital and Technology raising, is one of the most important factor for a country to achieve economic maturity for economic development. After the end of the take off stages, in general most of the economies experienced lower economic growth rates. Also at the end of the stages, the age of mass consumption, is only for country that the most people there already live in the prosperity. The country that already on these stage is mainly from West. In the case of Indonesia, Indonesia economy experience the Stage of Development when Indonesia lead by President Soeharto. Soeharto make Rostow theory as the foundation of his long term development plan. This long term plan was conducted every five years, it is called Pelita.In Pelita I which occurs between 1969-1974, Soeharto target is to raise Indonesia agricultural and food production. Based on Rostow view at this time Indonesia economy is at the traditional society stage, because many agriculture industry born in here, also people still farm with traditional way. In Pelita II 1974-1979, the growth still little, but it can bee seen that time Indonesia economy is on transtition to evolve to pre take off stage and to the take off stage. Indonesia economy f... ...untries. In indonesia case, demand side GDP is still larger than supply side GDP, this can be seen that people in Indonesia still very consumptive, also In Indonesia, the size of the domestic market have become the largest contributor to economic growth. Indonesia has relatively less affected and already immuned by the weakning of the global export market. The high consumption in Indonesia is negate by the acceleration of infrastructure, productivity, and efficiency of the national production chain in order to be not dependent on the import mechanism. There is also demand pull inflation happen. Demand pull inflation is inflation that is caused due to the increase in aggregate demand compared to the amount of goods and services offered. Because the quantity of goods demanded in Indonesia is greater than the goods offered, then there is an increasing on the price.

Natural disasters

December 28th 1908 barely three days after Christmas, the Messing earthquake would rock and forever change Italy. The earthquake registered a 7. 2 on the Richter scale. This by far has been one of the deadliest earthquakes In Europe, and for obvious reasons Is recorded as one of the most destructive. Given Italy's history of earthquakes, it's said to be one of the most prone areas In Europe. During that last 2,000 years, more than 400 destructive earthquakes have been documented in Italy and seismic activity varies considerably across the country due o the complex tectonics of the & Lead's). The fact that Italy sits on top of the plate boundary off the African Continental plate, leaves those to believe this was a true cause of the devastating earthquake. The plate Italy is sitting on is actually to this day continuing to push against the ocean floor and causing vertical displacement, in return causing earthquakes.The current population of Messing is somewhere around 242,000. At the t ime of the devastating earthquake the population was around 180,000. The earthquake claimed the lives of over 123,000 people that day and left over 59,000 homeless. A estimation of population for 2050 would be In the area of 279,000. The fact that after the earthquake hit and last for a duration of about seconds, a 12 meter tsunami struck the nearby coastlines which added to the destruction already experienced by Messing. The amount of debris and rubble left behind almost totally engulfed the area.There was no power or running water which as a result required evacuation processes to start. The fact that much of the city was unable to survive in these conditions lead to relief efforts from other countries. Russian sailors stepped in and ultimately some cost their lives due to the aftershocks which buried them amongst the rubble. The British sent two battleships and five cruisers along with a destroyer to the site. The US also was able to step In an support humanitarian efforts by bri ng in food off the Navy ships, and by making make shift hospitals for the Injured.Many residents at this point didn't have to means or funds to pay for all the major repairs needed, so they turned to the government to help. The ending result for Messing was that the ability to bounce back from such a terrible tragedy was not easy when the economy along with uninsured properties were at risk. As a consequence, very few homes and businesses had sufficient enough funds to cover the loss from the earthquake. This definitely but a strain on the rebuilding process for Messing. It was an estimated 60 million Euro for repair cost and rebuilding of Messing, however the true amount is still unknown.With little funding to be had, it was only possible at the time for the government to rebuild a much smaller city. The city as we know it today has fully recovered, but will forever be tragically impacted by the lasting effects. In the aftermath, and In the following year to come, Messing took reci tation to reconstruction and built architecture that would withstand earthquakes of various magnitudes. During this lengthy process of rebuilding, many of the survivors were taken to various parts of Italy until the building process was cargo ship Florida, which were brought into the New York Harbor to start a new life.In the year of 1887 a disastrous flood of the Yellow River in China became one of the world most devastating natural disasters. â€Å"Originating at the Banyan Hard Mountains in Western China, the famous Yellow River runs through several provinces before pouring into the Boohoo Sea†(The). The Yellow River is very prone to flooding based on the fact the river itself is elevated and runs between dyke's above the broad plains around it. The flooding that occurred in September of 1887 was so demoralizing and killed more than an estimated 900,000 people. Thus making it one of the world's most recorded deadliest natural disasters to date.Much of the flooding that occ urred in the 1887 floods, was said to be record spring rains and the melting of snow that allowed the river to topple of the 60 foot levees that had been set in place to help this type of disaster from happening. The heavy water flowing eventually eroded the levees and allowed for the mile wide river to then pour out in the floodplain areas. This barrage is what resulted in over 900,000 deaths. It was also said that the in ability for crops to grow due to flooding also played a huge role to many of these deaths as well. Since there is no international unit which to measure a flood's strength it is usually classified by the extent of the damage done, depth of water left and number of casualties†(Worlds Worst Disaster). The city hardest hit by the flood was said to be the Squeezing in Henna province. Due to the waters of the Yellow River potentially breaking through the dyke's in Handouts which flowed into Squeezing, the flood water spread very quickly throughout Northern China at an estimated 50,000 square mile area.Much of this area was said to be that of swamping agricultural settlements and commercial centers. The population in 1887 was estimated to be a little over 3 million. Today's population is that of 8 million. The projected population for 2050 is said to be around 11 million. With the flood claiming so many lives it is also to be known that there causes were contributing factors as well. Pandemics and lack of basic needs for survival was also a major factor to the death toll. China has since taken measure to secure the river in hopes that the floods never happen again.By this the government have built three damns that control the river and in return is also a source of hydroelectricity for the cities. On the afternoon of November 13th, 1985 the Volcano Nevada del Uric erupted in the city of Rammer, Columbia. The Volcanic eruption itself caused a massive mudflow that would practically whippet the entire city. When the Volcano became active and mo lten lava began to melt the snow and ice a chain reaction started to take place. This formed showers of ash in the air.This specific volcano is located some 5,389 meters above sea level, which puts it to be one of the tallest in Columbia. â€Å"All of these mountains are ice-capped extraneousness and are vulnerable to seismic activity due to lying at the intersection of four fault lines†(Suite). There were several precursors noticed before the eruption in 1985. Pumice fragments were seen at the beginning of the onset of eruption along with the ash. By several hours later the town had started an evacuation and the first signs of the molten rock had begun.When the Lars finally hit the city that dreadful night, the whole town was asleep. This resulted in over 23,000 deaths. The mudflow was rushing down at speeds of 30 help predict their eruptions. Special tools and equipment used are that of seismographs, tilt meters, and geometers and correlation spectrometers. All these tools are able to help find small earthquakes and possible swelling of volcanoes. The population of Rammer during this time was 27,300 which meant that less than one- .NET of the population survived. The population today is zero, as the town never rebuilt.The town today is considered a cemetery for all the people buried among the mud. As the town of Rammer never rebuilt, the efforts taken at the time of the disaster by the government and by the United Nations were of great help. Many people and family of the deceased were extremely upset at the government as the evacuation was not taken seriously. As relief efforts took place a great deal was to be held off till daylight in order to look for the live under buried rubble and mud. Relief efforts eased for well over three months lingering into February of 1986.Much of the deaths were blamed on the government for the cancellation of the evacuation, poor planning, human error and simple a lack of experience. † In fact, $1 billion of the Colombian Gross National Product was used for the recovery†. Though the city of Rammer was a good 74 kilometers away from the volcano Nevada del Uric, it only took a mere two and half hours before the city was completely covered. Since this deadly eruption , the volcano has had very little volcanic activity, however, the lasting effects f Nevada del Uric can still be seen today. Natural Disasters Why do Natural disaster occur : here you can include the reasons why natural disaster occurs. the reasons could be both man made and natural. i said man made because there is a theory called â€Å"Population theory of Malthus † where its stated that if the balance of population exceeds that of food supply many natural disaster would occur. you can google â€Å"Population theory of Malthus† for more details. and the natural ones could be earthquakes on which humans have no control. here you can give examples of earthquakes that frequently hits japan. Advantages of natural disaster: there are some advantages of natural disaster as well. for example with flood comes lots of silts which in turn makes the soil fertile. apart from that any population that faces natural disaster frequently builds a strong survival mentality. for example some countries in the Indian subcontinent gets hit by hurricane, tornadoes etc yet the destruction rate is very low due to their adoption of the environment. Disadvantages; There are psychological, social, economical disadvantages of natural disasters. Psychological could be that people might loose their loved ones, their hard earned property. social disadvantages could be after effects of the event like you know looting, robbery due to want of basic necessities etc. Economic disadvantages could be the spending to reconstruct the damaged infrastructures, damage of crops, damage of properties etc then you can include precautionary measures to better deal with natural disaster. So far thats all I can come up with. if anything else comes in my mind I will edit this answer further Natural disasters December 28th 1908 barely three days after Christmas, the Messing earthquake would rock and forever change Italy. The earthquake registered a 7. 2 on the Richter scale. This by far has been one of the deadliest earthquakes In Europe, and for obvious reasons Is recorded as one of the most destructive. Given Italy's history of earthquakes, it's said to be one of the most prone areas In Europe. During that last 2,000 years, more than 400 destructive earthquakes have been documented in Italy and seismic activity varies considerably across the country due o the complex tectonics of the & Lead's). The fact that Italy sits on top of the plate boundary off the African Continental plate, leaves those to believe this was a true cause of the devastating earthquake. The plate Italy is sitting on is actually to this day continuing to push against the ocean floor and causing vertical displacement, in return causing earthquakes.The current population of Messing is somewhere around 242,000. At the t ime of the devastating earthquake the population was around 180,000. The earthquake claimed the lives of over 123,000 people that day and left over 59,000 homeless. A estimation of population for 2050 would be In the area of 279,000. The fact that after the earthquake hit and last for a duration of about seconds, a 12 meter tsunami struck the nearby coastlines which added to the destruction already experienced by Messing. The amount of debris and rubble left behind almost totally engulfed the area.There was no power or running water which as a result required evacuation processes to start. The fact that much of the city was unable to survive in these conditions lead to relief efforts from other countries. Russian sailors stepped in and ultimately some cost their lives due to the aftershocks which buried them amongst the rubble. The British sent two battleships and five cruisers along with a destroyer to the site. The US also was able to step In an support humanitarian efforts by bri ng in food off the Navy ships, and by making make shift hospitals for the Injured.Many residents at this point didn't have to means or funds to pay for all the major repairs needed, so they turned to the government to help. The ending result for Messing was that the ability to bounce back from such a terrible tragedy was not easy when the economy along with uninsured properties were at risk. As a consequence, very few homes and businesses had sufficient enough funds to cover the loss from the earthquake. This definitely but a strain on the rebuilding process for Messing. It was an estimated 60 million Euro for repair cost and rebuilding of Messing, however the true amount is still unknown.With little funding to be had, it was only possible at the time for the government to rebuild a much smaller city. The city as we know it today has fully recovered, but will forever be tragically impacted by the lasting effects. In the aftermath, and In the following year to come, Messing took reci tation to reconstruction and built architecture that would withstand earthquakes of various magnitudes. During this lengthy process of rebuilding, many of the survivors were taken to various parts of Italy until the building process was cargo ship Florida, which were brought into the New York Harbor to start a new life.In the year of 1887 a disastrous flood of the Yellow River in China became one of the world most devastating natural disasters. â€Å"Originating at the Banyan Hard Mountains in Western China, the famous Yellow River runs through several provinces before pouring into the Boohoo Sea†(The). The Yellow River is very prone to flooding based on the fact the river itself is elevated and runs between dyke's above the broad plains around it. The flooding that occurred in September of 1887 was so demoralizing and killed more than an estimated 900,000 people. Thus making it one of the world's most recorded deadliest natural disasters to date.Much of the flooding that occ urred in the 1887 floods, was said to be record spring rains and the melting of snow that allowed the river to topple of the 60 foot levees that had been set in place to help this type of disaster from happening. The heavy water flowing eventually eroded the levees and allowed for the mile wide river to then pour out in the floodplain areas. This barrage is what resulted in over 900,000 deaths. It was also said that the in ability for crops to grow due to flooding also played a huge role to many of these deaths as well. Since there is no international unit which to measure a flood's strength it is usually classified by the extent of the damage done, depth of water left and number of casualties†(Worlds Worst Disaster). The city hardest hit by the flood was said to be the Squeezing in Henna province. Due to the waters of the Yellow River potentially breaking through the dyke's in Handouts which flowed into Squeezing, the flood water spread very quickly throughout Northern China at an estimated 50,000 square mile area.Much of this area was said to be that of swamping agricultural settlements and commercial centers. The population in 1887 was estimated to be a little over 3 million. Today's population is that of 8 million. The projected population for 2050 is said to be around 11 million. With the flood claiming so many lives it is also to be known that there causes were contributing factors as well. Pandemics and lack of basic needs for survival was also a major factor to the death toll. China has since taken measure to secure the river in hopes that the floods never happen again.By this the government have built three damns that control the river and in return is also a source of hydroelectricity for the cities. On the afternoon of November 13th, 1985 the Volcano Nevada del Uric erupted in the city of Rammer, Columbia. The Volcanic eruption itself caused a massive mudflow that would practically whippet the entire city. When the Volcano became active and mo lten lava began to melt the snow and ice a chain reaction started to take place. This formed showers of ash in the air.This specific volcano is located some 5,389 meters above sea level, which puts it to be one of the tallest in Columbia. â€Å"All of these mountains are ice-capped extraneousness and are vulnerable to seismic activity due to lying at the intersection of four fault lines†(Suite). There were several precursors noticed before the eruption in 1985. Pumice fragments were seen at the beginning of the onset of eruption along with the ash. By several hours later the town had started an evacuation and the first signs of the molten rock had begun.When the Lars finally hit the city that dreadful night, the whole town was asleep. This resulted in over 23,000 deaths. The mudflow was rushing down at speeds of 30 help predict their eruptions. Special tools and equipment used are that of seismographs, tilt meters, and geometers and correlation spectrometers. All these tools are able to help find small earthquakes and possible swelling of volcanoes. The population of Rammer during this time was 27,300 which meant that less than one- .NET of the population survived. The population today is zero, as the town never rebuilt.The town today is considered a cemetery for all the people buried among the mud. As the town of Rammer never rebuilt, the efforts taken at the time of the disaster by the government and by the United Nations were of great help. Many people and family of the deceased were extremely upset at the government as the evacuation was not taken seriously. As relief efforts took place a great deal was to be held off till daylight in order to look for the live under buried rubble and mud. Relief efforts eased for well over three months lingering into February of 1986.Much of the deaths were blamed on the government for the cancellation of the evacuation, poor planning, human error and simple a lack of experience. † In fact, $1 billion of the Colombian Gross National Product was used for the recovery†. Though the city of Rammer was a good 74 kilometers away from the volcano Nevada del Uric, it only took a mere two and half hours before the city was completely covered. Since this deadly eruption , the volcano has had very little volcanic activity, however, the lasting effects f Nevada del Uric can still be seen today.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Transaction Costs Economics

Introduction The conditions of doing businesses change dramatically for the past century and especially for the past 30 years. With the continuous improvement of the infrastructure marked by transportation, communications and technologies, as well as changing role played by the government and the financial markets, firms found new ways and equipped with new abilities to control their operations and interact with suppliers, customers, competitors and other stakeholders. Given the above infrastructure changes, vertical integration became a logical option for firms as the demand of product and market size increased tremendously which allowed the high-volume production since the early 90s. With the continuous advancement of the production and telecommunications technologies, it comes to a stage whereby market became a viable substitution of organisation as the exchange coordinator. Hence, one of the most important strategic decisions of firms is to define their boundaries and under what circumstances should they consider using market instead of internal organisation to coordinate exchange. This essay is to try to describe the key characteristics of Transactions Costs Economics (hereafter TEC) and with real life examples given as how it affects the decision of using market vs. organisation. Also, by quoting the example of Sony (battery), Apple (iPod) and firm that I am working with, we can see how firms define their vertical boundaries and what is the role played by coordination in a vertical chain. TEC One of the principle contributors to the study of TEC is Oliver E. Williamson. While Williamson drew on the earlier work done by Ronald Coase regarding the concept of transactions costs, he further advanced it and had developed the Transaction Costs Analysis (TCA) theory in the 1970s and the 1980s. In the neo-classical approach of economics study, firm is treated as a â€Å"black box†, and internal workings of which were not considered to be important. TEC, however, argued differently. It tried to explain why firms exist and why they existed in a particular form of structure and the extent to which it will integrate vertically, given the existence of transaction costs. Transaction costs can be aroused from: ? researching potential suppliers ?collecting information on prices ?negotiating contracts ?monitoring the supplier’s input ?legal costs incurred should the supplier breach contractual negotiations Another key characteristic of TEC is its underlying assumptions, namely bounded rationality and opportunism. Bounded rationality refers to the fact that people are bounded by the limits of their own knowledge and memories. People may also be bounded in their rationality when they are overloaded with information which is beyond their processing abilities. Opportunism refers to the possibilities that people might try to maximize their own benefit by lying about their true intentions or chances that people might exploit another party by taking advantage of unforeseen situations. It is worthwhile to mention that while TEC had tried to modify the assumptions under neo-classical decision theory by adding the deceitful human behaviour element in TCA, the core assumption of profit maximisation is still maintained. One of the key methods to maximize profit is to minimize costs. By assuming that management and the owners of the firms are rational, they must compare the cost of internal co-ordination, which includes the cost of internal production and the cost of governance, to the cost of using the markets, which includes external production cost and transactions costs. In essence, management is considering the â€Å"Make or Buy† decision when they do the cost comparison exercise. With the assumptions highlighted above, TEC then attempts to explain why a firm will integrate vertically by specifying three attributes that are used to characterize any transactions s, i. e. Frequency, Uncertainty and Asset Specificity. TEC argues that these attributes will determine whether transaction costs will be lowest in an organization or in a market. For frequency, it refers to the situation whereby firm will seldom integrate vertically if the services rendered or goods produced are rarely used. For uncertainty, it may be rooted from bounded rationality described above and from a situation whereby different parties involved had asymmetric information of the exchange. High uncertainty would generally lead to vertical integration, given the savings in transaction costs outweigh the costs incurred for vertical integration. For asset specificity, arguably it could be the most distinctive element in the TEC theory. As investment in relationship-specific asset that cannot be redeployed to another transaction without incurring extra cost or sacrifice in the productivity of the asset, it would lock the parties into the relationship to some degree. The level of specificity will increase if an asset has little value in alternative use. With the existence of this attribute, transaction costs may increase so much that it may push potential firm away from using market. In turn, firm will internalize the exchange by vertically integrating the firm that provided/offered the specific assets. With the notion of the investment in relationship-specific asset, it transforms the relationship between trading partners whereby parties which made investment in relationship-specific assets, the relationship changes from a â€Å"large numbers† bargaining situation to a â€Å"small numbers† bargaining situation. This situation is described by Oliver Williamson as the fundamental transformation. It gives raise to two important theoretical concepts, i. e. Quasi-Rents and the problem of Holdup. Both of these concepts affect the costs of arm’s-length market exchange and in turn affect the â€Å"Make or Buy† decision. Once a firm invests in a relationship-specific asset, it generates positive quasi-rent. The other party in the exchange may know this extra profit and will push for getting a share of it by holding up its trading partner. It can be done by renegotiating the terms of the exchange, or event breaching the contracts when they are incomplete. In view of the possible Holdup issue, the incentive for firms to invest in relationship-specific assets in the first place might be greatly reduced. Without the adequate supply of these assets, it might force the firm to make them by itself. Make Vs. Buy Cases Having the theoretical basis of the TEC theory described above, we can now see how the theory can be applied to the real life examples. The first example that I quote is the defect notebook batteries produced by Sony which resulted in recall in year 2006 and in 2008. In the personal computer (PC) manufacturing industry, most of the players, such as Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba and Dell, have been using the market and they buy most of the component parts required to make their desktops and notebooks instead of making them by themselves. One of the standard components of notebook is its battery. All of these PC firms buy their batteries from the market and one of the major battery suppliers is Sony. These PC firms made this â€Å"Buy† decision as they found Sony has attached economics of scale in producing notebook batteries which their in-house unit could not attain. Also notebook batteries are not relationship-specific assets and are not too difficult to coordinate in the production flows as it is a stand alone add-on that only required when the assembly of the notebook components is completed. So Timing and Sequence Fit are not a major coordination issue. In addition, leakage of private information is a non-issue as the raw materials of making battery cells are almost homogenous and relatively â€Å"low-tech† in the manufacturing process. Hence, these giant PC firms entered into contracts with Sony for the supply of their notebooks batteries. In year 2006, dozen of consumers worldwide reported Sony batteries were overheating and a few minor burns. The overheating batteries were shipped with Lenovo, HP, Toshiba and Dell notebooks. It resulted in a 9. 6 million notebook recall in year 2006. In this case, all PC firms were following the standard make vs. buy decision process and tried to reduce their production costs by using the market. However, all of them had underestimated the transaction costs related to the use of the market mechanism. With asymmetric information where Sony has more information that HP, Dell and other PC firms, it may subsequently use it opportunistically. The PC firms can reduce the problem by improving the quality control and contract terms of buying these batteries. However, it comes at a cost, transaction costs. While the compensations claims from these PC firms to Sony were not publicly disclosed, it certainly damaged the reputation of these PC firms and Sony. It also increased the costs of the contracts between them. While public expected this recall would not happen again, in year 2008, about 35,000 Sony notebook batteries were recalled in US after several reports of fire. Apparently, all parties involved had not taken into the transaction costs factor seriously enough given the 2006 recall. Vertical Integration I would like to illustrate the vertical integration strategy by referring to production of iPod by Apple Inc. While Apple Inc. claimed itself as a firm that designs and manufactures consumer electronics and computer software products, essentially it uses the market specialists as the coordination. It contracted out of all of its manufacturing functions and only kept the core design of its products in-house. Even its software was not entirely developed in-house. Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Inc. , ordered a team of hardware designers within the firm to design the hardware of iPod in year 2000. When Apple first launched iPod in the market on October, 2001, it used the software developed by a company called PortalPlayer. Apple also contracted another company, Pixo, to help on the user interface design and implementation. It is Apple Inc. hich continuously refined the look and feel of the software as the development progress. Regarding manufacturing, it was out-sourced to Taiwan companies with factories located in Mainland China. Component parts that made up of iPod are supplied by different suppliers, such as Samsung for microcontroller and storage medium and Cirrus Logic for audio chip. Interestingly, while Apple Inc. decided not to have forward integration for the manufacturing of iPod, it actively pursed the downstream integration by establishing its own distribution and retailing channel. It set up an online media store of iTunes Music Store on April 2003 and operates more than 250 retail stores in more than 9 countries. With the PC iTunes software that can access the iTunes Store and the special property right protection technology (Data Retention Management) that only allows iPod to play the contents (which include music, videos and games) purchased from the Store, the iPod, iTunes and on-line iTunes Store are well-coordinated in the downstream of the vertical chain. It also increased greatly the sales and profitability of Apple Inc.. Another case that I can refer to is my firm that I am currently working with. It is big law firm. When we decide whether we would outsource our supporting functions, such as data management and IT support, we always consider the chance of leakage of our private (client’s) information, which is critical to our profession. It will have negative legal and reputational consequence if our clients’ information is leaked to outsiders. As complete contracting is either infeasible or too costly, most of data management applications are developed in-house instead of buying from the market. Conclusion TEC is important as it represents one of the first and most influential attempts to develop an economic theory that look into the firm structure in a more serious manner. It is most often used to analyze vertical integration of firms. With the development of technologies and communications, transaction costs to use Market are reduced. However, the example of Sony batteries recall case shows that firms might underestimate these costs. While more firms are downsizing their structure and contracted out their functions, they strategically integrate to the functions which can enhance their overall profitability. The setting up of iTunes Stores and selling of proprietary contents by Apple Inc. for iPod is a good example. With possible leakage of private information and the failure to have complete contract, professional services firm is more likely to use the internal resources for its data and IT management.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Prisoner Abuse Essay

Introduction Prisoner Abuse is one of the biggest problems faced by the society. It is one serious problem in many countries worldwide. There are many kinds of abuse experienced by incarcerated men and women, with sexual abuse being the most serious case since the perpetrators is not only fellow inmates but jail guards and prison staff also. Overpopulation is also one form of abuse since the needs of the prisoners are not properly given due to the scarcity of resources brought about by huge population. Drugs and drug abuse are is still prevalent in the prison world. Drugs have been noted to have a detrimental effect to prisoners the impact which may last for a lifetime. These kinds of abuse should be given due punishments because the convicts, no matter how serious their crimes are, still deserve to receive treatment that is rightfully accorded to a human being. More and more inmates are stepping inside jails every year. Majority of them experience extreme abuse that even leads to death of some unfortunate inmates. It is saddening that these experiences of prisoners are hindered by many factors. They cannot demand for justice because their behaviors and emotions are controlled by authorities over them. There are also times when their complaints are not acknowledged since they are already imprisoned due to heavy crimes. This problem however needs to be solved since the effect of the abuse is not only physical; it also affects the sociological and psychological aspect of human beings. However, prisoner abuse is an unfortunate phenomenon that can still be prevented and controlled. Everyone is entitled to fight for his or her human rights. This also includes even the prisoners who are convicted with a crime, and they should not be denied of these rights. Defining Prisoner Abuse Prisoner abuse happens to incarcerated men and women through mistreatments. Incarcerated individuals suffer twice the punishment given to them because of abusive jail guards, jail employees, and co-prisoners. One of the ways in which inmates suffer abuse is through torture. As cited in the Human Rights website, torture in prison is defined as: any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity (Fathi, 2008). Violence among prisoners by fellow prisoners or jail guards and employees is also rampant. It is a great problem that should be addressed immediately. Prisoners of all cultures, races, ages, and social status experience abuse at some points of their lives in prison. The socioeconomic status and cultural background have a significant influence in the impact of prison violence. Poor prisoners are more likely to experience abuse because they cannot afford to hire attorneys to defend the kind of life they have in prison. Those who are not natives of one country are inclined to have hesitation when calling out for help because they are not speaking in that country’s language (Richie, 2000). Forms of Prison Abuse Prisoner abuse comes in various forms, all of which cause harmful effects to male and female inmates. It comes in the form of physical, psychological, sexual and verbal. Physical Abuse Physically, the prisoners are abused through hitting and continuous beating. Physical abuse may also manifest as forced work assigned to the victims which is not a part of their punishment when they are convicted. This also includes depriving them of their basic needs such as food and clothing by cruel jail employees. The growing population of corrections may also be considered as form of physical abuse. Due to the large population that results in scarcity of resources, the prisoners do not receive an adequate amount of their basic needs (Idaho Observer, 2006). One of the most controversial and disturbing issues regarding prisoner abuse is the ultimately degrading treatment of Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib in Iraq by American soldiers. A report made by Higham and Stephens (2004) at the Washington Post narrates how the Iraqi detainees were physically violated: Previously secret sworn statements by detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   describe in raw detail abuse that goes well beyond what has been made public, adding   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   allegations of prisoners being ridden like animals, sexually fondled by female soldiers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   and forced to retrieve their food from toilets (Higham & Stephens, 2004). Many of the prisoners who experience physical abuse, particularly those in the Abu Ghraib, are treated like animals. Prisoners are also out of touch with the real world. Their socialization is hindered by many factors. They do not have the capacity to fight back since they are already convicted for the crimes that they made. Other cases of physical abuse go as far as the prisoner’s death. Verbal Abuse There are also instances of verbal abuse to prisoners. They are called imbecile, idiot, moron, and other nasty words by jail guards in order to humiliate them (Higham & Stephens, 2004). Higham and Stephens (2004) add that â€Å"some of the detainees described are being abused as punishment or discipline after they were caught fighting or with a prohibited item† (Higham & Stephens, 2004). According to the Idaho Observer (2006), the guards tend to think that the inmates always do something wrong. One of the guards admitted that if they catch the prisoners’ lips moving, they assume that the latter are not telling the truth (Idaho Observer, 2006). Words that are usually thrown by jail guards to inmates are often harsh and hard to take. These words are more discriminating and humiliating. There are also instances when prisoners who commit mistakes in front of their fellow prisoners are being shouted at by jail guards and employees. These are really improper ways of treating prisoners because it damages their self-esteem and has bad effect on their mentality (Higham & Stephens, 2004). Psychological Abuse   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Discipline is far different from torture. However, some jail authorities resort to using psychological abuse and mask it as a method of discipline for prisoners. This happens to prisoners by means of taunting, white noise, and not allowing them to sleep. Such cases of psychological abuse may lead to mental disorders. There are also threats given out to prisoners which cause paranoia and mental and emotional torture. Drug usage in prison may also lead to psychological disorders (Idaho Observer, 2006). One good example of psychological abuse in prison is cited in the May 2006 Idaho Observer report. The said report states that the abuse in the prison may manifest subtly. Instead of inflicting physical harm on prisoners, they are being abused by toying with them psychologically and emotionally. For instance, the jail employees leave the lights on for 17-and-a-half hours straight (4:30 in the morning to 10 in the evening). The guards also disturb the prisoner’s sleep by pointing the flashlights on the latter’s faces every 60 minutes or so, slamming the doors, and speaking loudly (Idaho Observer, 2006). Obviously, lack of sleep will cause one’s mind not to function properly. This kind of maltreatment in prisons is still rampant until today. Sexual Abuse The most popular abuse among prisoners is sexual abuse. There are many cases of forced sexual intercourse inside corrections. This abuse leads to diseases like AIDS and HIV. Sexual abuse is done by forcing prisoners to have sexual encounter with jail guards, jail employees and even their co-inmates. Sexual abuse is not only limited to prison guards and employees. It also occurs inside jail bars, the co-inmate being the perpetrator. Male to male sexual encounter occurs because they don’t have any choice but to satisfy their sexual needs by abusing their fellow male inmates. On the case of female prisoners who were sexually abused, lack of power hinders them to report the incident. There are times when sexual abuse to female prisoners occurs with the consent of the victim. However, this is still a violation of the law (Idaho Observer, 2006). Types of Prison Abuse Cases of maltreatment and mistreatment inside corrections take place when jail guards, any prison employee, or co-prisoner does something inappropriate to other prisoners. It comes in many abusive forms depending on the type. Although something bad is done by the inmate it is still improper to treat them like animals.   It is still a case of abuse of power by jail personnel and a violation of human rights. Drugs in Prison Using illegal drugs, drug trafficking and other drug related cases cause individuals to be imprisoned. To end the promulgation of drugs, the drug pushers are detained in jails. However, the issue on drugs does not end here. Some correctional tolerate the use of drugs among prisoners. Others are forced to use it while those who are already users before entering the bars continue to use it. Addiction among inmates of the prohibited drugs is also attributed to stress that they experience in such environment (Uchtenhagen, 2007). Because of drugs being trafficked in jails, inmates who used to use drugs mildly prior to being imprisoned may become highly addicted to drugs.   On the other hand, those who do not have any history of drug use may turn out to be drug users as their method of coping with stress and depression (Managing Drugs in Prison, 2007). Source of prohibited drugs are jail employees, jail guards, and those inmates who still have contacts on drug suppliers outside. Other causes of drug abuse inside prison are related to other types of abuse. When one prisoner is abused sexually, he/she is bribed by things like drugs to avoid complaining about the incident. Those prisoners who are users of drugs being incarcerated are blackmailed by using the victim’s personal cravings to drugs to get their consent and agree to be molested. Those prisoners who are weak are being bullied and forced to use drugs by those who are superior inside their cells (Managing Drugs in Prison, 2007). The effects of drug abuse to prisoners are really pervasive. They cannot act and think normally because of substance abuse. Their relationship with each other is also affected as well as their relatives outside the prison environment (Managing Drugs in Prison, 2007). Overpopulation in Prison Every year, more and more people are being incarcerated because of many reasons. Some are guilty of their crimes while others are victims of injustice. The increase in the number of prisoners equates to greater demands for resources and space inside the prison vicinity. However, the inmates are being abused by corrupt prison personnel who ask help from the government to aid the scarcity of prison resources like food, beds and others. In some cases, normal and mentally ill prisoners are combined in one place which makes the situation worse. Prisons which are overcrowded are, more often than not, unsafe as they warn of a riot erupting any time (Idaho Observer, 2006). One of the reasons for prison overcrowding is the incarceration of pregnant women. Women who are giving birth in prisons also increase at the same time. The problem here is not only the condition of the female prisoner but the condition of the infant being born in that kind of environment. The problem arises before and during the delivery since medical support is also inaccessible inside prisons. Sexual Abuse in Prison In some cases of sexual abuse in prison, bribery is included to avoid reporting the bad incident made to prisoners. Those who were abused are given cigarettes, drugs, clothing, access to telephone and other prison privileges in replace of sexual encounters. Offering goods to prisoners makes the sexual abuse possible because prisoners crave things that they only experience outside. Food and drugs are commonly used to perpetrate the abuse. Threats is also involved when forced sexually abuse is done. However, sexual abuse perpetrated by female inmates does not fall in the context of rape. This is because there is no force used to perform the abuse. â€Å"Girls are often framed by probation officers as being overemotional and needy† (Gaarder et al., 2005, p. 578). Male rape is a common thing inside prisons, but as for female prisoners, the enemy is not their fellow prisoners but much worse. They are the male prison guards and correctional staff. Female prisoners who are sexually coerced by jail guards give in because of fear. Sexual abuse is also used in most prisons to cover up more serious problems like drug addiction and carrying of deadly weapons behind bars. There are also cases when sexual abuse serves as the key to escape from jail.   Correctional employees assist the escape of female prisoners with whom they have sexual involvement (Human Rights Watch 1996). The problem of sexual abuse among women prisoners is much worse precisely because of their sheer number. Research shows that the United States has earned the distinction of incarcerating the most number of prisoners.   Most of these prisoners are women and their number is increasing dramatically at a fast rate. According to studies, since 1980, the number of women entering U.S. prisons has been raised to almost 400%, which is roughly double the incarceration rate increase of males. According to current statistics, nearly â€Å"half of all female prisoners have experienced some form of sexual abuse prior to incarceration† (Human Rights Watch 1996).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most common sexual abuse in prison always incorporates violence in it. In a report made by the Department of Justice in 2004, there are 8,210 allegations of sexual violence according to correctional authorities, â€Å"the equivalent of 3.2 allegations per 1,000 inmates and youths incarcerated in 2004† (Department of Justice 2005). When violence is mixed with sexual abuse, it is really damaging on the part of the victim. There are physical disabilities that may occur, including broken bones and joints, skin injuries, and many more. The worst cases of prison rape lead to the death of prisoners.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rape cases also happen to male prisoners. There are male prison guards and correctional staffs that take advantage of the authoritative power and force male prisoners to have sex intercourse with them. Then they disguise their revolting act, by pretending as protectors of the prisoners. It often involves group of prisoners in order to scare the target prisoner to be raped. It is a setup made by having group of prisoners bully the victim and threatening him with body harm. At the point that they will hurt the victim, the so-called â€Å"protector† will try to defend the victim and scare the groups away. In order to repay the savior (a jail guard, a jail staff or a co-inmate), the inmate will be asked to do favors and be repaid sexually. Causes of Prison Abuse   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Abuse of power is the main reason why there is such thing as prison abuse. Those who are in authority take advantage of their power and demands many things from others. Such dominance causes abuse and torture to poor convicted criminals trapped behind bars. The lack of courage to speak for the truth and shout for justice is also a reason why the abuse is done over and over to prisoners. Cases of sexual abuse are included in this example and cited in the Human Rights Watch website. These are the words of a male prisoner who was raped inside the institution. As he recalls: â€Å"I’ve been sentenced for a D.U.I. offense. My 3rd one. When I first came to prison, I had no idea what to expect. I’m a tall white male, who unfortunately has a small amount of feminine characteristics. And very shy. These characteristics have got me raped so many times I have no more feelings physically. I have been raped by up to 5 black men and two white men at a time. I’ve had knifes at my head and throat†¦There is no supervision after lockdown† (Human Rights Watch 2006),   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When a prisoner looks appealing among the rest, there is a great chance of being molested by prison guards. Some prisoners use their charms to have access to other things like phone calls and extra food during meal times (Human Rights Watch 2006). Effects of Prisoner Abuse   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The effects of prisoner abuse can last a lifetime. The trauma and depression can be inculcated in the minds of prisoners who were physically, psychologically, verbally and sexually abused and leave them scarred permanently.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Those who were brutally abused through physical means have traces of scars and bone injuries that cannot be treated anymore. There are also cases of physical abuse when one inmate is forced to have a tattoo by their fellow inmates. The denial stage comes in when they are visited by their relatives and ask what happened to them. They will try to hide the fact that they are abused by people who should have looked after them and just discipline them instead of giving them torture. Most prisoners are afraid of telling the truth because harder punishments will be given to them by their perpetrators (Men in Prison, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mental illnesses are also developed as years go by inside prisons. This is because the wide spread of drug abuse is rampant. It is obviously known that prohibited drugs cause malfunction in the brain. Other diseases like STDs (Sexually Transmitted Disease) and AIDS are attributed to sexual abuse inside prisons. This is the reality in the prison system which has been institutionalized in the society—a kind of system that contributes to the perpetuation of violence inside prisons (Men in Prison, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Prisoner abuse also has sociological effects on the prisoner. The traumatic experience causes fear and trauma that will make him separate himself from everyone. The issue of women inmates giving birth to their child is also included because of prisoner abuse. The child is automatically separated from the mother once born inside the prison. In effect, the child may grow up without the necessary care and attention which is expected to be given by the biological mother. There are even cases of pregnant prisoners who are raped by prison guards. Such sexual abuse is really unbearable for the victim and their families. It does not only impact the prisoners but the institution as a whole. The reason why they are incarcerated is for them to be disciplined and not to be tortured and abused (Acoca & Austin, 1996). Sexual abuse makes the institution not credible in disciplining the prisoners. Instead, they themselves should be incarcerated as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When prisoners experience abuse, the effects can last a life time. The nightmare will forever haunt them and may lead to mental incapacitation or death at the worst. Those who experience sexual abuse and accumulate diseases find themselves committing suicide than suffer the illness daily. On cases of female prisoners who are raped, there is greater possibility of being pregnant. Being mentally ill is also an additional risk of being sexually abused (Acoca & Austin, 1996). Rights of Prisoners   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although a person is found guilty of a crime, there is still no reason for him/her to be abused inside prisons. There are several studies showing various changes regarding situations of prisoners. Most of the said report involve abuse without due punishment given to the perpetrators. Everyone has the right to seek for justice even if you are already set behind the bars. Inmates do not deserve any kind of abuse inside the correctional. They are placed there to be rehabilitated and disciplined, not to be punished twice for their misdeed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the report made by the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice, prison population in the United States has grown to 2 million inmates (Longley, 2007). The said research also shows that the escalating number of inmates heightens the problem of sexual abuse while incarcerated. Such demands about this problem should no longer be ignored; preventive measures need be done eradicate this problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The rights of prisoners as cited in the Human Rights Website (2008) are based from the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in 1992. These rights address the following: (1) All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person. (2)The penitentiary system shall comprise treatment of prisoners the essential aim of which shall be their reformation and social rehabilitation (Fathi, 2008). ICCPR also guarantees prisoner who were abused that there are remedies at hand to counter such violation of their human rights. The said covenant includes the following: (a) To ensure that any person whose rights or freedoms as herein recognized are violated shall have an effective remedy, notwithstanding that the violation has been committed by persons acting in an official capacity; (b) To ensure that any person claiming such a remedy shall have his right thereto determined by competent judicial, administrative or legislative authorities, or by any other competent authority provided for by the legal system of the State, and to develop the possibilities of judicial remedy; (c) To ensure that the competent authorities shall enforce such remedies when granted (ICCPR, Art. 2, sec. 3, as cited in Fathi, 2008). Solutions to Prison Abuse   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Aside from the rights and privileges mentioned above, there are a variety of solutions to end this abuse among prisoners. There are organizations and government groups that help victims of prison abuse. There are also preventive measures that can be followed so as to stop the occurrence of any kind of abuse. People against prisoner abuse are comprised of individuals who seek for justice for those abused prisoners. One of the organizations that have been fighting for inmate rights is the People Against Prison Abuse, organization established in 1994 to help inmates and their family. The said organization aims to assist the families and friends who are currently imprisoned (People Against Prison Abuse, 2008). It attempts to address the following concerns: The tax being paid by taxpayers over the past several years are said to be spent more on prison inmates than public education but it is not visibly seen. The medical care of inmates Overcrowding is always ignored which should not become a norm. Mentally ill prisoners are not properly taken care of and are often abused by guards because they are not trained on how to deal with such conditions. The physically challenged inmates do not have the medical care, equipment, and/or facilities to enable them to be a functional human inside the prison system (6)The vast number of industrial prison complex staff (wardens, guards, and medical staff) commit worse crimes than majority of inmates so they should be punished. (People Against Prison Abuse, 2008). The aforementioned concerns are few of the many appeals of people who want justice for prison abuse. It is also important to support organizations like this to make all people aware and to convince the government to â€Å"investigate conditions within our prisons and to pass legislation to protect prisoners from abuse† (Stop Prison Abuse, 2008). Conclusion It is saddening to note that the judicial system which is supposed to protect the oppressed likewise offers no solution to this problem as it would consider this problem as an internal matter and would rather allow prison officials to handle this matter amongst themselves. The indifferent attitude of the correctional officials to one inmate raping another is likewise depressing. It renders much harmful effects on the condition of the prisoner and the credibility of justice. Prisoner abuse is indeed a pervasive in penal institutions. This problem however is preventable and controllable if preventive measures will be enacted and the government will responsibly address the issue. The response need not be limited to their strict punishment as avoidance measures may be instituted as a matter of prison policy. â€Å"The governments often have limited resources on giving the right prosecution process for victims and offenders† (Hoffman, 1993, p. 1552). Prisoner abuse should be given immediate action so that it will never happen again. Abuse of authority should not be tolerated. This is a serious problem needed to be solved immediately.   Not only because the victim is already convicted, but because the victim is a human. Every human being has indelible rights. Conviction for a crime no matter how heinous it is will not strip him or her of these rights. References: Acoca, L. & James, A. (1996).The Crisis: Women In Prison. Draft report submitted to the Charles E. Culpepper Foundation. San Francisco, CA: National Council on Crime and Delinquency. Hoffman, Paul (1993).   The Feds, Lies and Videotape: The Need for an Effective Federal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Role in Controlling Police Abuse in Urban America. Southern California Law   Ã‚  Ã‚   Review, 66, 1522. Higham, S. & Stephens J. (2004). New Details of Prison Abuse Emerge. The Washington Post. Retrieved April 30, 2008 from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A43783-2004May20?language=printer Human Rights Watch. (1996). All Too Familiar: Sexual Abuse of Women in State Prisons. Retrieved April 30, 2008 from: http://hrw.org/reports/1996/Us1.htm Human Rights Watch. (2006). No Escape Male Rape in US Prisons. Retrieved April 30, 2008 from:http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/prison/report.html#_1_2 Idaho Observer. (2008). Seven Years Abuse in Idaho Prison. Pro-Liberty Network. Retrieved April 30, 2008 from: http://proliberty.com/observer/20060520.htm It’s Not My Problem. (2008) Men Stuff Organization. Retrieved April 30, 2008 from:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.menstuff.org/issues/byissue/jailhouserock.html Longley, R. (2007). U.S. Prison Population Tops 2 Million.   About.com. Retrieved April 30, 2008 from: http://usgovinfo.about.com/cs/censusstatistic/a/aaprisonpop.htm People Against Prison Abuse. (2008). People Against Prison Abuse. Retrieved April 30, 2008 from:http://www.peopleagainstprisonabuse.com/page1.html Richie, Beth. (2000). Exploring the Link Between Violence Against Women and Women’s Involvement in Illegal Activity. U.S. Department of Justice. Research on Women and Girls in the Justice System. Stop Prison Abuse. (2008) Stop Prison Abuse. Retrieved April 30, 2008 from: http://stopprisonabuse.org/ Uchtenhagen, A. (2008). â€Å"Drug Prevention Outside and Inside Prison Walls.† Joomla!. Retrieved April 30, 2008 from: http://www.drugtext.org/library/articles/97817.htm