Communicable Disease

Communicable Disease HCS 457 September 24, 2012 Heather Steiner Communicable Disease Tuberculosis is a communicable disease that affects a person’s lungs. Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium. Untreated TB can be fatal, in the past TB was the leading cause of death in the United States. There are two TB related conditions that exit: latent TB infection and Active TB infection. TB can be transmitted to others when an infected person coughs or sneezes. According to the â€Å"Center for Disease Control† (2010), â€Å"TB disease is caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis.The bacteria usually attack the lungs, but TB bacteria can attack any part of the body such as the kidney, spine, and brain. If not treated properly, TB disease can be fatal† (CDC, 2010, para. 3). Much like the common cold, TB is spread by an infected person breathing, coughing, speaking, or sneezing into the air; however, not everyone who acquires TB has symptoms. Latent TB infection occurs when one breathes in the bacteria can fight off the infection. Persons with latent TB have no symptoms and are not contagious unless the bacterium becomes active in one’s body.Once the illness is active it becomes active TB, and the person will become sick. People who have weakened immune systems because of other illness are more susceptible to contracting active TB. According to the â€Å"CDC† (2010), â€Å"The general symptoms of TB disease include feelings of sickness or weakness, weight loss, fever, and night sweats. The symptoms of TB disease of the lungs also include coughing, chest pain, and the coughing up of blood. Symptoms of TB disease in other parts of the body depend on the area affected† (CDC, 2010, para. ). According to U. S. National Library of Medicine (2011), † The following factors may increase the rate of TB infection in a population: Increase in HIV infections, Increase in number of homeless people (poor environment and nutrition). In the United States, there are approximately 10 cases of TB per 100,000 people. However, rates vary dramatically by area of residence and socioeconomic status. † (2011). A gap in care concerning TB patients is directly related to cultural beliefs and perceptions concerning disease.Cultural beliefs have a significant effect on the spread of disease and treatment options. For example, the Hmong in the United States represent a Southeast Asian minority group who immigrated to the United States. Many of the Hmong have settled in the Minneapolis metro area. The Hmong people experience an especially high rate of Tuberculosis (TB). Cultural influences play a significant part in diagnosing and controlling the spread of TB among the Hmong population. The language barrier is just one issue that health care workers have trouble with.According to â€Å"Culture Care Connection† (2010), â€Å"One persistent programmatic implication is that because the Hmong language lacks words for many biomedical or physiological concepts, communication requires proxy words to convey these ideas. New Hmong words may even need to be created in order to convey Western terms or concepts† (Culture Care, 2010 para. 6). To close the gap the Minnesota Department of Health needs to educate minority groups and health care providers about how to effectively communicate with one another.The study conducted by the CDC determined that although the Hmong were familiar with some TB symptoms the lack of education concerning the disease is a major roadblock to treatment. The study found that many Hmong believed that TB could not be transmitted through the air and that it could only be contracted by associating with â€Å"unclean† people. According to the â€Å"CDC† (2010), â€Å"Common misconceptions included that TB was transmitted by sharing eating utensils, through body fluids, or by kissing. Some participants believed TB was caused by unhygienic conditions† (CDC, 2010, para. 7).Many respondents said that TB is a source of shame in the community and that shame would prevent many from seeking out treatment. The Minnesota Department of Health has initiated a TB prevention and control program collaborates with local public health departments statewide. The program collects and analyzes surveillance data to monitor epidemiologic trends and provides consultation to clinicians and local public health departments to assure appropriate clinical management and adequate therapy for TB patients and persons exposed to TB disease† (2012). In conclusion, Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium.Untreated TB can be fatal. People who have weakened immune systems because of other illness are more susceptible to contracting active TB. A gap in care concerning TB patients is directly related to cultural beliefs and perceptions concerning disease. Cultural beliefs have a signific ant effect on the spread of disease and treatment options. To close the gap the Minnesota Department of Health needs to educate minority groups and health care providers about how to effectively communicate with one another. References CDC (2010). Common Perceptions, Attitudes, and Beliefs about Tuberculosis among the Lao Hmong. ttp://www. cdc. gov/tb/publications/guidestoolkits/EthnographicGuides/Hmong Culture Care Connection. (2010). Retrieved from http://www. culturecareconnection. org/matters/diversity/hmong. html McArdle, M. (2011, October). Resistance Is Futile.. The Atlantic, (), . doi:galegroup. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/ Minnesota Department of Health. (2012). Retrieved from http://www. health. state. mn. us/divs/idepc/diseases/tb/program. html U. S. National Library of Medicine . (2011). Pulmonary tuberculosis. Retrieved from http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001141/

Relationship between Religion and Voting and Political Behavior Essay

Religion is a powerful and very influential factor in people’s lives. It governs one’s actions, and it is considered when people are faced with difficult decisions. Even in politics, religion has an important role to fill. Various studies have been done in the past to determine the effects that religion has on the voting and political behaviors of people. Consequently, religion affects the voting and political behavior in the following ways: 1) by setting standards that guide believers in the realm of politics; 2) by indirectly leading the congregation in developing a common outlook on political issues; and 3) by serving as a source of motivation. Interestingly, the church (religion) is separated from the state (politics), yet religion is an influential factor with regards to political activities (Bryner). In fact, there are some countries whose religion takes precedence over government policies. For instance, there are countries where policies in reproductive health are being pushed by politicians. However, the church may intervene if it deems that the policies are against the teachings of the church. Religion, as described by Wald and Calhoun-Brown, â€Å"is a specialized institution with a limited public role, and religious affiliation is a matter of personal choice† (8). According to McDaniel, religion â€Å"permeates all aspects of American life,† including social and political lives (1). It has become a very important factor for the United States, compared to other developed countries such as Canada and Britain (McDaniel 3). By Setting Standards that Guide Believers in the Realm of Politics Interestingly, political parties in the United States recognized the power of religion as a political weapon. During campaigns before the election, political candidates used the strategy of appealing first to religious groups to gain their support, otherwise known as God strategy. Republicans are said to be more successful than Democrats in using this strategy (McDaniel 18). Most notably, presidential candidates of the recent elections John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and Barak Obama all expressed the importance of fusing God and the American country (McDaniel 22). However, this God strategy has not just sprouted recently. During the â€Å"Great Awakening† period, political campaigning made use of techniques for mass persuasion, which were originally used through preaching and worship styles. Political wannabes gained their supporters by endorsing parades and tent meetings, even door-to-door campaigning and public declarations. These were the same techniques that evangelists used to convert people into the religion being sponsored (Wald and Calhoun-Brown 42). In addition, past researches showed that churches and religious groups ranked first among other groups in having confidence in major institutions. Mass media, public schools, labor unions, and business fell behind. The most interesting finding is that people believed that Catholic priest are more honest and ethical despite cases of sexual abuse compared to government officials and business leaders. The truth of this finding could be seen in the amount of donations. In 2002 alone, $80 to $90 billion was spent on religious institutions. This indicates that churches are the number one recipient of private philanthropy. A portion of the budget is spent on education, health, community development, and others (Wald and Calhoun-Brown 10). Furthermore, religion affects the political behavior of the public as described by Martin Luther King, Jr. According to him, a religion that is â€Å"true to its nature† is not only concerned about the faith and salvation of the public but also includes social conditions. It means that the public sees religion as an aid against economic and social conditions that cripple it. The public is also confident that religion can aid in making conditions better (McDaniel 31). By Indirectly Leading the Congregation in Developing a Common Outlook on Political Issues Churches serve as political communities. In 1988, a study involved 21 Florida churches which believed that â€Å"the theological climate in the churches contributed strongly to the political conservatism of its members. † The authors stated that theology and practices in a church can lead to cohesion with regards to the political attitudes of the members (McDaniel 8). Past researches all showed one similarity in their results: religion affects the voting and political behavior of the public. In particular, religion has influenced the public’s political views, especially among Americans. For instance, Americans support the candidates based on the latter’s position on moral and social issues (Buras 3) such as homosexuality, abortion, and environmental and economic issues (Gibbs). A research study showing the connection between religiosity and voting behavior would best explain the influence that religion holds on its congregation. The study stated that voters would consider the issues that the candidate supports or does not support. In particular, economics and benefits are among the priorities of voters when choosing for their candidates. This shows that voters would first vote according to what would best benefit them and their group (Gibb). Another study provided evidence on the influence that religion has on the voting behavior of the public. It showed that majority of the respondents under the Evangelical category (70. 2%) registered to vote compared to non-evangelical Christian (65. 7%). The study also revealed that those who attended religious services on a regular basis are more likely to register. Also, 67. 5% of those who registered believed that religion is a very important factor in their lives, whereas 59. 2% expressed that religion is not important (Buras 7). Another issue that voters look into is related to gender. Gibb stated that among women, they would choose to support a candidate or would identify with a certain political party if it supports gender issues that are pressing such as female equality and reproductive rights. In addition, the author mentioned that cultural factors influenced why women support the Democratic Party while men support the Republican Party. The split between men and women in choosing the party to support is attributed to the implementation of newer policies for women’s rights that threatens a society that is largely based on tradition. The study further went deeper by examining factors that influence voting behavior. One of these factors was ideology, which serves as a reflection of the things that a person holds important such as ethnicity and gender (Gibbs). In the United States, religion has a say in how representatives vote. There are also denominations which are united in choosing which candidate to put to power. For example, when it comes to their beliefs about abortion, Jewish groups, along with Mainline denominations, would support pro-choice stances while Catholics and Mormons would support pro-life. In addition, religious denominations support their own candidates, as can be seen through the support of Evangelical Protestants on conservatism while Jews and Catholics support liberalism (Gibb). Additionally, Evangelical Protestants support the Republican Party because they believed that the party’s policies on privatization of social security, defense spending, and tax cuts, among others, subscribe to their beliefs. On the other hand, the Democratic Party supports public welfare, affirmative action, and universal healthcare (â€Å"Religion and its effects on Political Party Affiliation†). Another study involved the question of whether Catholics or Protestants or other religions vote with regards to their moral values. The study showed that more than 45. 5% of Protestants believed that the views of the candidates on moral issues are more important than economic policies. The percentage for Catholic almost reached 28. 6%%. However, other religions (52. 5%) disagreed to the idea that the views of candidates on moral issues are more important than economic policies. Interestingly, the Catholic registered a smaller percentage in agreeing compared to Protestants, as opposed to its strong stance on moral issues such as abortion. However, the Catholics would support the Democratic Party, as it includes economic policies that are aligned to the tenets of Catholicism (â€Å"Religion as a Variable†). Furthermore, several studies showed that evangelicals associate with their preferred parties. For instance, evangelicals would more likely support the Republican Party while non-evangelicals would support the Democratic Party. This shows the connection between the religion and the voting behavior of the public (Gibb). By Serving as Motivation Religious groups participate in politics for varied reasons. One is voice and equality. For instance, when churches support a particular political candidate, it gives the former a voice to encourage the public. It also presents an opportunity for the churches to communicate to the public about their faith and religion. Additionally, political participation sets the stage for equality (McDaniel 9). Religious groups also show that they have the capacity to participate in politics. However, participating means that there are some things required of them. One of these is time. Religious groups must spend a portion of their time to volunteer during campaigns. Another is money as support to the political cause that they endorse. The last thing is verbal skills necessary â€Å"to compose a convincing letter. † As mentioned already, churches serve as voluntary organizations. It means that they would need the assistance and training of members in order to achieve its goals or duties. Furthermore, churches are the best place where one can build skills needed in the political arena (McDaniel 11-12). Aside from capacity, churches have networks of recruitment. They have the ability to mobilize the public into participating in politics through these networks. As such, groups and activist can encourage people to participate in political activities. They also recognize that people â€Å"are more likely to participate when asked† (McDaniel 13). Furthermore, people can enjoy tangible and intangible benefits when they vote. Voting shows their cooperation towards the realization of their goals for the betterment of the country or government. Likewise, religion can be a source for motivation (McDaniel 15-16). Another reason involves the Americans’ journey towards identity that they can found in religion. For many years, Americans resorted to ways in order to improve their situations. By joining in religious activities and political parties, they believe that they can seek identity. Furthermore, several authors of previous studies stated that religious identity is an important factor which gives light to the question regarding people’s reasons for choosing a political party (â€Å"Religion and its effects on Political Party Affiliation†). From the facts and results of previous studies presented, it shows that religion indeed affects the voting and political behavior of the public through several ways. By setting standards that guide believers in the realm of politics, the public determines which candidate or political party to support. In addition, religious congregation that has things in common is more likely to act on their status with regards to political activities. Furthermore, religion serves as motivation for most people to participate in politics.

Stem Cells May Be Key to Cancer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Stem Cells May Be Key to Cancer - Essay Example The medical benefits of research are sufficient to justify and support the research in order to cure millions of people around the world. Self-renewal is one of the main benefits of the stem-cells in cancer treatment. The author argues that the stem cells are responsible for maintaining a tissue or an organ, so stem cells research will help to replace damaged and ill tissues by new ones. "Researchers hope that the cancer stem cells, because of their excessive activity, may be more dependent than normal cells on certain cellular processes and thus will be more vulnerable to drugs that block those processes" (Wade 2006). Stem cell research should be federally funded because this research and further developments in this field will help many people to treat incurable disease and preserve their health. Wade underlines that stem cell research requires huge investments because it is one of the most expensive areas of research. In many cases, private institutions and research laboratories c annot afford such long-term in embryonic cell stem research field. Thesis investments directed to stem cells and cancer problems only will help the state to save millions of dollars and achieve fast and successful results in this particular area of treatment. The government support and huge investments in cancer research and related fields of medicine are crucial for modern society as millions of people die annually because of tumors and cancer problems. ... f a bioethics committee or commission if that is at all possible; no one wants disagreement just for the sake of disagreement and these committees are set up with practical ends in view; they cannot be debating societies or academic seminars in which all possible points of view are given an airing and no practical guidance for decision-making is indicated. There is the fear that a lack of unanimity in a report will give policymakers who wish to maintain the status quo a good excuse for doing nothing. The second argument is that investments and development of cancer treatments will help the industry to generate more money and invest in other spheres of the stem cell research. Nevertheless, it is wholly to be expected that on the difficult and complex moral and social and legal issues posed by the new biotechnology there will be deep differences of view among even the most informed and rational people. Embryonic stem cell research should be federally funded because it will help the state to control the research process and control ethical issues. Embryonic stem cell research requires careful attention and considerations in order to avoid violation of natural laws and principles. In the field of bioethics critics are often faced with such dilemmas, so researchers should not try to hide the fact of negative and even dangerous consequences of the stem cell research The expectation that bioethics should reach some kind of agreement linked with the idea that there is, or ought to be, so me kind of ordinary morality or ethics, no matter how minimal it might be. Researchers who argue for such a scientific morality in modern society usually attack the excesses of individualism according to which everyone is free to follow their own lives in their own way. Stem cell research

The role of Social Media as a mode of Market Communication in the U.K Dissertation

The role of Social Media as a mode of Market Communication in the U.K - Dissertation Example TION 1.1: Introduction Marketing has been one of the most important aspects of creating awareness about different products and services. In last few years, the nature of marketing has changed a lot mainly because of the emergence of so many media tools capable of communicating with end users in an effective manner. One of the highly efficient and effective marketing communication tools that has gained immense popularity and acceptance in the global business environment is in the form of social media (Albrecht, 2006). Social media helps in connecting with different people in an easy and hassle free manner along with communicating wide arrays of messages in a simple and convenient manner. In the United Kingdom, almost two-third (65%) of the population has used Facebook, followed by YouTube (50%), and Twitter (23%). This shows that the acceptance level of using these social media is quite high among British people. Marketers too have realised the importance of social media and have been using them to promote their business products and services in a well planned and easy manner (Alderson, 2009). In the context of marketing communication, it becomes all the more important to deliver the messages to consumers in a clear and transparent manner along with enhancing the frequency and acceptance of the messages (Blanchard, 2011). Social media helps in connecting with large number of people along with spreading the message in a fast manner that further helps in communicating with consumers in a very fast and efficient manner. The major purpose of the research is to analyse and assess the role of social media as a mode of market communication in the United Kingdom (Alderson, 2009).For this purpose, the focus will be on the analysis of different social media tools and overall acceptance and usefulness in terms of enhancing the marketing appeal of different organisations in the UK. In this regard, the researcher has formulated the research aim and objectives being discussed further (Lovett, 2011). 1.2: Research Aim The primary aim of the research is to analyse and assess the role of social media as a mode of market communication in the UK. In order to achieve this proposed research aim; the researcher has formulated few research objectives discussed as follow. 1.3: Research Objectives The research objectives are as follow: To analyse the role of social media as a mode of market communication by comparing with other market communication tools To assess the usefulness and benefits of using social media tools in enhancing the market communication To identify the advantages and disadvantages of using social

Marriage equality and human rights violations Essay

Marriage equality and human rights violations - Essay Example The discrimination of the same sex marriage is a violation of human rights. President Obama accepted the same-sex marriage during the election campaigns which was controversial but helped in the achievement of the goal of re-election. According to the American president, the issue should be approached using the state to state approach. The advocating for a state approach to the problem would culminate in a national issue and finally lead to the success of the acceptance of the same-sex marriage. The impact of the approach would be different based on the legal implications of the problem. (Wolfson 23) The legal implications of the problem included a change in the legal direction of the country in relation to marriage and definition. Marriage equality is defined as same-sex marriage that is legally recognized in the society as the marriage between mature or adult persons. The major question posed by the proponents of the idea is based on the protection of human rights that is protected fundamentally by the constitution. The bill of rights stipulates the major issues that must be addressed in the protection of human freedom. Based on these freedoms including the freedom of association, it becomes challenging when defining marriage equality. Equality in marriage and marriage equality in the contemporary society means two different things today. Equality in marriage is the protection of the rights of individuals in marriage while marriage equality is the struggle to accept the new set of marriage partners resulting from homosexual and lesbian relationship in the society. In fact, the push for recognition has led to serious challenge in the society because of the resistance posed by conservatives (Casey 23). Despite the challenges in defining the term, it is widely accepted culturally to mean the relationship between same-sex partners and their intention to live together as a couple. Human rights violation in relation to marriage equality The protection of gay indivi duals in the society has been an issue of great concern. In fact, it involves the understanding of the bill of rights. However, despite the existence of the bill of rights, the acceptance of the same-sex marriage has been emotive issue and has led to various protests with an aim of seeking recognition. In fact, around the world, gays have conducted demonstrations seeking to be recognized and be accorded the necessary support compared to heterosexual relations (Olson 68). Consequently, a proposal by the conservative wing of the population believes that banning of the same-sex marriage could solve the already heated debate. However, it may create a more serious challenge as compared to the current problem. The freedom of association and relations will be affected in the event that the country decides to ban same-sex marriage (Pearson 6). Discrimination is the taking of the rights of the people by restricting or even denying people the right of association or relationship. The protecti on of gay rights in the society has been an issue of concern. They have been subjected to trauma and massive legal challenges.

The Attack On Pearl Harbor Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Attack On Pearl Harbor - Case Study Example The US did not want to suffer unavoidable consequences as witnessed in World War I, for example, loss of human lives, and the destruction of property among other negative effects.1 The history leading to the Pearl Harbor attack began as early as 1931. As the rest of the world was trying to recover from World War I, Japan cast its eyes on the natural resources available in Southeast Asia. As a result, most countries like US avoided getting involved with superficial conflicts with other countries; hence, they let them pursue their objectives provided they did not directly interfere with them. Therefore, the US was unprepared for the Pearl Harbor attack because they did not expect interference from the Japanese. They believed that all the countries observed their choice not to gear up for the next World War. Therefore, when Japan chose to attack Pear Harbor, US had no choice but to disregard their isolationist policies and get involved in the World War II. ... The Japanese, therefore, planned their attack in a way that the US would least expect it. This allowed them to wipe out most of the US entire naval base. Their plan proved successful because they were able to catch the US unaware.1 The Japanese carried out the attack in three different phases; however, only the first two attacks caused severe damage to the US’ Naval base at Pearl Harbor. The first wave consisted of 183 fighter planes equipped with general purpose and armor piercing bombs. Their main objective was to destroy all the high value targets, especially the US aircrafts, which when deployed would have made it difficult for the Japanese fleet to accomplish their goals. The second phase consisted of 171 planes, and their main priority was to complete the unfinished tasks of the first attackers. The Japanese also deployed submarines, which had the responsibility of launching torpedoes that would destroy the US battleships. The intention of the final attack was to cripple the entire US naval base entirely by causing irreversible destructions.2 Both the Americans and the Japanese learnt various valuable lessons from the attack on Pearl Harbor. Firstly, the Americans learnt to stay prepared at all times. the fact that the rest of the world was experiencing a volatile situation warranted the US to stay on its toes at all times. In addition, the US realized that it cannot turn a cold shoulder towards issues guaranteed to affect the safety of the entire world. The isolationist policies put in place proved to be insufficient especially when others did not acknowledge or respect them, as shown by Japan’s interference at Pearl Harbor. On the other hand, the Japanese learnt not to underestimate the US.1 In conclusion, the attack

Quiz II The Crusades Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Quiz II The Crusades - Essay Example For example, the First Crusade occurred between 1095 and 1099 with its origins being France. However, it was not an official Papal Crusade but was organized by individuals such as Robert Curthose, Baldwin of Bouilon, Hugh of Vermandois and Tancred de Hauteville among others (Runciman 1987, p.182). The First Crusade had several goals such as the need to battle the Turks and also persecute the Jews. Additionally, the group murdered Muslim inhabitants and captured Antioch to restore Christianity in those areas. Contrastingly, defense came from Muslims and Jews who engaged the aggressors in defending Jerusalem. A majority of the participants came from backgrounds that opposed the rise of other religions (Galgano et al 1993, p.123). Consequently, this increased the hatred for Muslims and Jews with participants of the First Crusade such Raymond of Toulouse and Bohemond of Taranto insisting on restoring lost territories taken by religious competitors. Notable personalities of the First Crus ade included Robert Curthose and Baldwin of Bouilon who came from Italy and France respectively with armies to reclaim the lost cities now dominated by the Jews and Muslims. They also led a crusade army that fought the Muslims and took control of all cities. First Crusade leaders and their followers gained significantly in the raids that persecuted the Jews and Muslims. They equally gained by capturing lost cities such as Antioch and Jerusalem and later established the Principality of Antioch and the County of Edessa. Conversely, the losers entailed the Turks who lost Antioch and the Jews who initially had defended Jerusalem. In terms of influences, the First Crusade had a lot for others that followed. Though negative, it resulted to revenge by Turks against the crusades under the name Crusade of 1101 (Kidner et al 2007, p.145). It was followed by the Second Crusade that equally failed to secure major cities under the leader of Bernard of Clairvaux. Therefore, the lasting historical legacies of the Crusade include a disharmony between Christians and Muslims that continues to affect humanity through acts of terrorism and religious intolerance from both sides. Northern crusades A political crusade, the Northern crusades happened between 1193 and 1290. In this crusade, revenge was organized against pagans found in Northern Europe led by Pope Celestine III. Another leader killed in battle was Bishop Berthold of Hanover who led the crusaders against pagans. The stated goals of the Northern crusades encompassed the pacification of pagans and also converting the remaining ones to Christianity (Runciman 1987, p.189). Similarly, the group protected Germany’s trade and commerce from external threats. Northern crusade’s participants came from various backgrounds. Pope Celestine III, for example, was the leader of the Catholic Church and felt the urge to convert all pagans into Christianity. On the other hand, Bishop Berthold of Hanover who died in the war a gainst Livonian Pagans came from Germany and believed in the power of Christianity in the entire Northern Europe (Runciman 1987, p.213). The pagans, however, came from Livonia while others from Prussia where another crusade was led by Pope Honorius III. The notable personalities in this crusade were Bishop Berthold of Hanover and Pope Celestine III who led a campaign to kill or convert all pagans. They also ensured that

Development during Middle Age Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Development during Middle Age - Essay Example As middle age is considered as the age of wisdom, emotional stability and social acceptance of an individual, the theories possess ample importance on human psychology and physiology. Here, an attempt is to assess the validity of foretold theories by analyzing the findings related to an interview with two middle-aged individuals. As it is not fair to disclose the identity of interviewees who co-operated with the interview, imaginary names and professions are used. The first person is George Thomas, my friend, a doctor and the second person is John Mackenzie, my relative, a professor of English Language & Literature. Louise Simmers makes clear that middle age shows emotional change and it may be either a period of satisfaction or crisis (Simmers, 2003, p. 197). Related to the theories of Erikson, Vaillant, Levinson, and Peck, which deals with the socio-emotional, physical, and cognitive development of middle-aged people, a questionnaire (see appendix-1) was prepared including fifteen questions that can be answered as yes /no. Then I informed them that they do have the right to refuse to answer any question posed to them. This helped the respondents to have a clear idea about the aim of the interview. The following part deals with the data manipulation and findings derived from the foretold interview. According to Erikson, there exist a conflict between generativity and stagnation among the middle-aged individuals. Neil J. Smelser & Erik H. Erikson concludes that: â€Å"Speaking of middle age, Erikson describes even generativity in terms of ego.† (Smelser & Erikson, 1980, p. 161)Erikson deals with problems of middle-aged people and describes generativity by relating it to the ego. The response to the first question proves that both the respondents are generative in their career but feel stagnant in their family life. Bernice Levin Neugarten reflects that middle-aged people possess different perceptions, related to their male/female role in the family (Neugarten, 1968, p. 4).

Survey of Mathematical Methods Essay Example for Free

Survey of Mathematical Methods Essay This week’s assignment is about the use of misleading statistics. Companies and individuals use statistics in a variety of way in order to provide information on certain things. The use of misleading statistics, while not ethical, could be viewed as valuable, if it increases profit margins or awareness of the stated topic of the statistic in a biased way. Question number 8 provides a statistic that Vitamin E is an antioxidant that may help fight heart disease and cancer. (Bluman, 2011) The phrase â€Å"may help† does not include any specific sample groups. It is not known in whom the vitamin will fight heart disease and or cancer in. the reader could imply that vitamin E would fight both cancer and heart disease without any concrete supporting evidence. The graph in question number 2 is considered misleading for representing sales of pumpkins in 2000 by using a much larger picture of a pumpkin than they did in 1990. It is using a 2D image, instead of a one dimensional bar. This could be misleading as we could look at the overall area of the pumpkin, instead of just the height, and see an extremely large increase in sale, and not the actual increase. (Bluman, 2011) I chose question 8 because of its prevalent use today. I have seen hundreds of TV and magazine advertisement that use the same exact phrase â€Å"may help†. With this study I have become more circumspect of those advertisements and would home that in the future I will not be as easily influenced by â€Å"may help†. Question 12 caught my attention also, as it is used primarily in print for implying small increases in the topic at hand. I tend to read fast and have many times, implied a large change due to the misleading graph. The two dimensional use of graphing is targeted at people such as myself. I usually glance at a graph, not taking time to look at the values for â€Å"x† and â€Å"y†. I am unsure of how many times this has occurred, but I will be more watchful for this technique and the other listed in this section.

Progesterone For Maintenance Tocolytic Therapy after Threatened Preterm Labour Essay Example for Free

Progesterone For Maintenance Tocolytic Therapy after Threatened Preterm Labour Essay What was the sampling technique used and what are the advantages and disadvantages of using that technique? The researchers used a two-stage sampling method that was non-random in the first stage and randomized in the second stage. The total population was made up of 137 patients who were admitted for preterm labour. Selection from this initial population was non-random because there were exclusion criteria. The seventy women included were randomised to their treatment groups by assigning randomly generated numbers. The main advantage of using the technique was its simplicity and straightforwardness. Every individual who fit the inclusion criteria had equal chance of being selected. The disadvantage of the technique was that there was bias in the initial selection. Such bias could have affected the accuracy of the experiment. Was there randomisation? There was randomisation in the second stage of sampling, where all those women who fit the inclusion criteria were part of the sampling population. Randomisation was done by generating random numbers and assigning numbers to the women included in the study. Was it biased? There were several sources of bias in the study. The fact that the patients were all from the same clinic is already in itself introducing bias. The study was not double blind, which could also be a source of bias. The use of exclusion criteria in the first stage of sampling lessened the bias. In the second stage of sampling, efforts were done to further remove bias by assigning treatment to all included patients. No patient also left the study, thus further reducing bias. Describe the validity and power of the study Based on the researchers’ desired results, the statistical power of the study for improving latency was initially calculated be 80% with an assumption of getting standard deviation (SD) of 12 days at 5% level of significance. However, when their results came out, the power was calculated to be lower (value for this was not presented in the paper). By checking the means and SD for latency, and assuming a two-tailed analysis, power was calculated to be 51% only. This could be attributed to the high standard deviation that could in turn be due to the relatively small number of samples tested. In other similar studies, the sample population is much higher. For example, another study testing the effect of vaginal progesterone on preterm birth used 413 women (Eduardo B. Da Fonseca, et al. , 2007). Despite the low statistical power, the results presented here are valid as preliminary data on the supplementation of tocolytic therapy with vaginal progesterone to control preterm labour. The study was able to show that progesterone treatment had an effect on the other outcomes that were measured (please refer to Table 2 in the text). Background information of the hypothesis Progesterone is a steroid hormone that is widely used in hormone replacement therapy in menopausal women. It is also used to induce menstruation in women who suddenly stop menstruating. Its capacity to control preterm labour was first reported in the 1980s. Oral administration of progesterone induces side effects like migraine, dizziness, vomiting and blurred vision. This was the usual mode of administration of progesterone, which was proven effective to reduce preterm labour (Meis, et al. , 2003). Since 2003, studies have reported on the use of progesterone vaginal suppository to treat preterm labour (E. B. Da Fonseca, Bittar, Carvalho, Zugaib, 2003) and even in high risk women (Eduardo B. Da Fonseca, et al. , 2007). Until this current study, there were no previous reports on the use of progesterone to supplement tocolytic therapy, using magnesium sulphate and intravenous ampicillin, on women who actually had preterm labour. Hypothesis of the study Null hypothesis: The use of vaginal progesterone after inhibition of preterm labour will not change latency period and recurrence of preterm labour. Alternate hypothesis (what the study really wants to prove): After the inhibition of preterm labour, treatment with vaginal progesterone will result in increased latency period and decreased recurrence of preterm labour. Methodology The study was conducted on 70 women who were had arrested uterine activity after they were treated for premature labour. The women were randomized to two groups; one was administered vaginal progesterone and the other, a placebo, until delivery. Subjects were monitored for days to latency until delivery, recurring preterm labour and other primary and secondary outcomes. Different statistical tests were used to determine if the treatments resulted in significantly different outcomes. Comparisons were done using Student’s t-test for quantitative data; chi-square and Fisher exact tests, among others, were used for categorical data. Conclusion of the study The study concluded that the use of vaginal progesterone after tocolytic therapy was effective in increasing latency to delivery but not in decreasing the incidence of recurrence of preterm labour. Is it a valid assumption based on the data of the study? Describe the applicability and relevance of the paper to clinical practice. The conclusion is valid based on the data of the study. The paper and the results presented are applicable and relevant to clinical practice because it proposes a new means of treating preterm labour for increased latency. Although the recurrence of preterm labour appeared not to be reduced with the treatment, this could be due to the advanced stage of the pregnancy when the preterm labour occurred or due to the small sampling population. It is significant to note that this is the first to report on the supplementation of tocolytic therapy with vaginal progesterone. Further studies can also be done to validate the results.

Review Of Related Literature Education Essay

Review Of Related Literature Education Essay The Problems of Indiscipline in Rivers State Secondary Schools: A Survey of Schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area. Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate The Problems of Indiscipline in Secondary Schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area. One hundred teachers constituted the study sample. Questionnaire was administered to teachers to obtain data for five research questions. The statistical tool used to analyse the raw data was percentage method. The results showed that lack of corporal punishment, irregular payment of teachers salaries, poor administration constitutes the major problems to indiscipline in schools. In this regard, it was suggested that corporal punishment should be introduced in schools; also, more and adequate incentives should be provided to the teachers. CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Background of the Study Education in any perspective finds its usefulness in the areas of moral, intellectual, social and spiritual development of the child. This development to a great extent is a function of the quality of the educational system, which is partly measured on the basis of students discipline. Discipline constitutes one of the fundamental, critical and challenging functions of the teacher. Mostly, when viewed from the fact that students whom they manage their affairs are drawn from different home background, accommodates the influence of peer groups and thus, were bound to exhibit different patterns of behaviour that may not conform with the instructional standard of the school. Discipline is an aspect of school function which if not well maintained can render the school system ineffective. School discipline as a matter of fact is seen as a vital element in the process by which students are enabled to function in the society. The general idea underlying this fact is that if the school is situated in the society and it is hoped that the products of these schools will be absorbed into the society, the students must therefore be made to develop rule-following and law, adding habits so that they conform to the general social expectations of the main culture absorbing its basic attitudes and beliefs, Sieber and wilder (1997:70) point out that a society without rules is inconceivable, and rules without attitude of disapproval towards them are inconceivable. In the English Elementary School, obedience was enforced mildly without any military goal in mind and in that discipline was seen essentially as a process of obedient training for society at large. On the other hand, thinking of discipline in terms of training for society, Docking (1990:4) says it may encourage a schooling for subordination where teachers use their disciplinary authority to satisfy some unfulfilled need within themselves so that they are to view children as a means rather than as ends. The promotion or maintenance of effective discipline is essential if organised group action is to be effective or productive whether the group is a club, society, a union, a company, a business or industrial concern or a nation. The word discipline connotes that the members or a group should reasonably conform to the rules and regulations, which is the code of behaviour which have been formed for it or by it, so that every one may benefit by them. Peoples morale or industrial peace are definitely proper by maintenance of discipline if the members of a group do not abide by the rules of the organisation, it may collapse. Chaos, confusion, disobedience, disloyalty and antisocial or anti-organisational activities develop to the detriment of every one. In the word of Spriegel (1997:34) discipline is the force that prompts an individual or a group to observe the rules, regulations which are seemed to be necessary to the attainment of an objective. It is a factor, which restrains an indivi dual from doing certain things, which are deemed to be disruptive for the group objectives. It is also the exercise of restraint or the enforcement of penalties for the violation of group regulations. Thus, discipline can be said as an attitude of the mind, a product of culture and a particular environment which promotes an individual to willingly co-operate in the observance of the rules of the organizational to which he belongs. School discipline is often seen as an important ingredient in the process by which children are enabled to function in the society because living in the society entails living in association with certain agreed rules, which govern ones behaviour. Thus, keeping order in the school is a multi-faced problem associated with range of interacting factors, such as the child himself, home and neighbourhood influence, changing societal values and expectations, the school and its natural environment, and the individual teacher. The problem of indiscipline is more apparent among secondary school students all over the world. Indiscipline among them has attracted serious attention of scholars and administrators. These scholars and administrators attributes to their state of development. They opine that when students notice certain biological changes signalling maturity in the course of the growth and development, they tend to misbehave by faulting school rules and regulations Mukhargee (1995:17). Indiscipline is a mode of life not in conformity with rules and non-subjected to control. By extension, the term connotes the violation of school rules and regulations capable of obstructing the smooth and orderly, functioning of the school system Adeyemo (1995:22). School rules and regulations in most cases affect students more than any other thing because they are made by the school authorities in order to guide and protect the students while in school. Statement of the Problem In the teaching and learning process certain identifiable problems of indiscipline militate against its success and achievements. That means for effective teaching and learning to take place there must be discipline in order to make reasonable achievements. In spite of the effort so far made by the government for the past eight years to curb indiscipline in our secondary schools, delinquency, truancy, disobedience, absenteeism, etc. are some of the problems of teaching and learning in our secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area. This study is therefore interested in addressing the problems of indiscipline so that teaching and learning will improve in our schools. Purpose of the Study The general purpose of this study includes the following: (a) Determine the factors underlying the problem of maintaining effective discipline in secondary schools. (b) Ascertain the effects of such factors on academic performance. (c) Make recommendation on the areas that would solve these problems. Research Questions The study shall be guided by the following research questions: What factors are responsible for school indiscipline? What are the effects of such factors on students academic performance? What are the strategies adopted by teachers to prevent classroom indiscipline? Does the rate of indiscipline among secondary school students increase or decrease for the past three years? Are girls more receptive to instruction than boys in secondary schools? Significance of the Study The importance of this study includes the following: (1) To provide information for government and school administrators about the solution to the problems of school indiscipline. (2) To provide relevant data about the causes of indiscipline from teachers perspective. (3) To make recommendations and suggestions that possibly could help solve the problem of indiscipline. Scope of the Study The study focus on school indiscipline from twenty-two (22) selected secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State. Definition of Terms For the purpose of this study, the following terminologies shall be defined thus: Student: A person who is studying in a school, especially a secondary school. Secondary School: This is a school for young people between the age of 11 and 16. Regulation: This is an official rule made by authority. Discipline: This is the practice of training people to obey rules and regulations. Indiscipline: This is lack of discipline, control in the behaviour of a group of people. CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE The chapter can be reviewed under the following headings. 2.1. Students discipline in Nigeria schools 2.2 Imperative of indiscipline in secondary schools 2.3. Causes of indiscipline 2.4 School indiscipline and academic achievement 2.5 School rules and regulations on student discipline 2.6 The concept of in loco-parentis and its relationship to students discipline 2.7 Student discipline and classroom management 2.8 Strategies of curbing indiscipline 2.9 Summary of the literature reviewed 2.1 Students Discipline in Nigeria Schools According to Matsoga (2003:54) violence and misbehaviour exist in Nigeria schools. This lack of discipline which interferes with the teaching and learning process, manifests itself in various ways including bullying, vandalism, alcohol and substance abuse, truancy, inability or unwillingness to do homework etc. Moswele (2004:146) and Matsoga (2003:53). Vandalizing school property is at rampart and this has influenced the government to introduce school fees in order to mend, that which was broken such as window, panes, furniture and walls. Theft is also common. For instance, in 2003 students in one senior secondary school broke into a biology laboratory to steal ethanol Banda (2004:16) some of these students lost their lives and others lost their sight. In another senior secondary school, 19-year-old boy committed suicide after fighting with another student over a borrowed plate Maleka (2003:162). These horrible acts left the nation speechless, not knowing where such behaviour originates. These incidents sprang the debate on the use of corporal punishment in schools which concluded that Nigeria cannot do away with it, but it has to be used guardedly Maleka (2003:162) and Keorang (2004:51). Experience had it that, teachers may ask for transfers; while parents withdraw their children from schools with numerous cases of student misconduct such as the one mentioned above. 2.2 Imperative of indiscipline in secondary schools Discipline in these schools is now passing through an eclipse. The problem of indiscipline is found everywhere, therefore, students do no longer believe in hard work as the only honourable path to success. Slangs connoting examination malpractice like choke exhibit, dagbo, omokirikiri and the like are common during examination time and they are expressed in such free but shameful that one somehow think that it does not mean anything. Children of the high and low, big and small, powerful and the downtrodden are involved in varying degrees. At this juncture, it would be worthwhile to highlight some of the prevalent cases and acts of indiscipline amongst secondary school students. 1. Cultism Cultism has suddenly become the giant monster that has swallowed up our ethics and morals; any student who fails to belong is quickly packed off the stage by either being intimidated out of school or killed. Many have been forced to join counter cultist group, which often produced fatal consequences. Section 329 (1) of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria defines cultism (secret cult) as an association that uses secret signs, oaths, rites or symbols and which is formed to promote a cause, the purpose or part of the purpose which is to foster the interest of its members and to aid one another under any circumstance without the regard to merit, fair or justice to the demerit of those who are not members. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦who members are sworn to observe oaths of secrecyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 2. Indecent Dressing Near naked and other forms of nudity is the order of the day in our schools. Kpakol (2004:62) argues that peer pressure, self-indulgence, and dress to kill-the deliberate habit of putting on seductive clothes to attract those of the opposite gender sexually or throw off balance emotionally. In this connection Bellow, (1993:3) states that school discipline is the training which produces in children self-restraint, orderliness, good conduct, operation and the habit of getting the best out of themselves. It involves intellectual and moral education as opposed to mere order and instruction. 3. Curriculum content Any society whose educational system is careless about the need of the society is doomed. It thus, not enough to have a curriculum. It is most important that the curriculum relates and adequately takes care of the entire societal aspiration. Our curriculum today is greatly deficient in moral education as contained in the curriculum is shabby and neglected. In some schools, it is not even taught. The subjects of History, Civic and Nature study and so on that immediately inculcates the ideal nation building to the youth are abolished social studies and integrated science that is fashioned in their stead has proved to be incapable in content and practice. 4. Parental Training Charity it is said begins from home. A parent who is not firm with his children and lets them go the bad is not kind to them. Parents do not often consider the future welfare and success of their children as of great importance. Firmness is not shown by constant scolding, beating and fussing, this is to many educators indicates weakness. In addition, some parents are always quarrelling and fighting. This definitely makes the students not to have affection and develop negative attitude to life. In school, that student may be and always picking quarrel with his peer because this is what he grew up with. 2.3 Causes of Indiscipline Indiscipline as we have noted elsewhere is not a new phenomenon. It has engaged the attention of many writers and authors at different levels. Causes of indiscipline in secondary schools are numerous. They include school society, wrong ideals, idleness, lack of good leadership, injustice, lack of realistic rules, bad home training and upbringing, etc. Okoroma (2000:1109) and Nwankwo (1991:67) note that the causes and symptoms of indiscipline are many and vary from school to school and from place to place. In their view, some symptoms of indiscipline include general unrest and deliberate breaches of school rules, peaceful and violent demonstration, mass disobedience, truancy, delinquency, absenteeism, drug use and abuse, as well as drunkenness. Shakaran (1997:47) and Nwankwo (1991:67) have identified the causes of indiscipline in secondary schools in Nigeria to include authoritarian methods, bad staff behaviour, harsh school rules, poor communication, results, lack of adequate school facilities, influence of home and society. In this paper, we however, proffer a multi-dimensional approach to this burning issue of indiscipline in our secondary schools; hence our consideration of the causes of indiscipline will be multi-dimensional. 1. Social Influence There has become a sudden shift from merit to lack lustre. Achievements are no longer measured by commitment and capability but influence and material wealth who you know than what you are measured up in terms of merit, is what determines promotion. Thus, a student need not burn the night candle. 2. Corruption This is the oldest son of indiscipline. This son has grown up that it often stands shoulder to shoulder with its father indiscipline. What permeates all the stretch of our society today is how to make it quickly. Public finance meant for welfare programmes that would have stemmed the aid of mal-behaviour in our youths and adolescents gets diverted to redundant programmes or private pockets. To such extent, there is no motivation in those who should be seen to be disciplined. With empty stomach, ragged dressing, hopeless accommodation, intolerable health, there is no way a person can resist temptation. 3. Rural-urban Drift Closely related to the issue of government policy and corruption is the issue of rural-urban drift. A writer once said that everyone is a village by root. The rate, at which our youths and adolescents migrate from the serene, quiet and less atrocious life in the village to the noisy, burdensome, busy and unnecessarily over populated cities, is alarming. One identified reason for this as outright lack of basic facilities and infrastructure in our villages. Where there is any, it is often in a state of despair so grossly inadequate that no youth would see his mate coming home from the city without being tempted to taste the city. This sudden transformation from the village to city life is bound to produce unpalatable consequences. This explains why secondary school students are engaged in crimes nowadays either to be able to sustain the tempo of life in the city or in preparation to get to the city. 2.4 School Indiscipline and Academic Achievement In classroom teaching, discipline implies the control of a class to achieve desirable behaviour. The concept of school discipline and school rewards has the similar objectives of assisting students to make maximum achievement in their academic pursuits. According to Nwankwo (1991:67) discipline behaviour involves characteristics such as self-sacrifice, diligence, co-operation, integrity, consideration and sympathy for others as well as the fear of God. He goes on to say that discipline is a system of guiding the individual to make reasonable and responsible decisions. In classroom teaching, discipline means the control of a class to achieve desirable behaviour. Discipline involves self-control; a disciplined person knows and takes the right course of action. He is guided not simply by self-interest, but also by consideration of interest of others. A disciplined individual is also guided in his behaviour by moral and social principles. Factors of indiscipline that lead to low academic achievement are common with student from socio-economic status families Alumode (2002:84). This is because teachers are often prejudiced against youth from low socio-economic status families and show preferential treatment to students from high socio-economic status families Manster (2001:297). Another reason is that peer influences on low socio-economic students are often antisocial and delinquency prone, emphasizing early marriage for the girls and gang activities for the boys Conger (1993:13). Blodsoe (2005:28) believes that the quality of interaction among members of the adolescents family influence the degree of discipline and success in school work. According to him, the studies of the family relationship of bright, high-achieving students versus under-achieving high school students shows that the high achievers more often than under-achievers describe their parents as typically sharing vacation and ideas as understanding, appro ving, trusting, affection etc. encouraging (but not pressuring) with respect to achievement and over restrictive or severe in discipline. 2.5 School Rules and Regulation on Discipline The Education Act of 1999 has documented some rules and regulations that govern student discipline in Nigeria schools. It stipulates methods and procedure for minor and severe disciplinary measures such as corporal punishment, suspension and student expulsion. Rules and regulations are drawn for the orderly conduct of the school affairs. Some of them are written and others are implied and they recognised by law. Addressing the issue of rules and regulations Nwangwu (2009:142) state that: The Schools Board and individual school authorities have the right to make any reasonable rules and regulations for the orderly conduct of school affairs in the interest of the entire school and school system. The fundamental point raised above is that those provisions are made by relevant authorized bodies to direct and spell out the relationship between teachers, student and school authorities. The responsibility is therefore on every member of the school system to respect and obey the rules, as any breach must be followed by the application of appropriate disciplinary measures. The courts of law shall always put into consideration the reasonableness and constitutional right of the school rules and regulations. Rules that encroached on a constitutional right of students will invariably be invalidated by courts. 2.6 The Concept of in Loco-Parentis and its Relationship to Students Discipline In educational circle, the special relationship which exists between students and the schoolteacher regarding discipline is termed in loco-parentis. It is assumed that the teacher in performing certain roles especially as it relate to control of parental jurisdiction. According to Remmlein and Wane in Igwe (1998:82) in loco-parentis means in place of the parent, charged with some of the parents right, duties and responsibilities. The implication is that schoolteachers or authorities stand in place of parents in respect to students education and discipline. By this it is expected that teacher have the invariably contracted with parents to perform some of the duties and functions of the latter. The teacher is therefore expected to act reasonably in this capacity. In present, the teachers acting in loco-parent is to discipline an erring student, and should ensure that the punishment was done reasonably and in good faith in order to avoid costly and embarrassing court cases. The teacher should act within the limit of this principle, because according to Eferakaya (1998:17), school officials who perpetuate acts of indiscipline can no longer be protected by the in loco parentis doctrines the courts are quite convinced that the school is incapable of assuming full parental responsibilities. 2.7 Students Indiscipline and Classroom Management The International Dictionary of Education formally defines discipline as a term to describe teacher classroom control or general restraint of pupils behaviour Lingworth (2004:18) argues that coercion can never be a method of educating in the sense that where teachers tend to interpret control of threats thereby forcing students to learn what he has taught them is far behind the truth. Another interesting aspect of discipline and administrative control is the use of scientific procedures known as behaviour modification based on the learning theory developed by Skinner who advocates some technique and positive reinforcement such as using rewards to bring about and maintain desired behaviour combined with extinction behaviour i.e. weakening undesired behaviour by ignoring it or by otherwise removing its reward consequences. However, the work of Lauwerys (1999:42) is discovered to be in contrast with the scientific procedures of behaviour modification and psychodrama work of Piaget. His work on classroom management focuses attention on the teachers public demonstration that he knows what is going on, his ability to facilitate smooth transaction from one activity to another and handle movement and type of demand he makes from pupil. There is bound to be conflict when administration in school is taken to be rigid and regimentation, where students have to fear administrations rather than respect them. Fagbula (2002:80) in his work concludes that teachers rather than settle their minor matters take them to the school administrators create a problem to administrative control of schools. Bad administrative control can hinder effective discipline tone in the school. These can take the form of giving bad and inadequate food to students, ineffective teaching, bad staff behaviour, authoritarian methods of administ ration, high school rules, arrogant attitude of the school prefects, unsatisfactory curricula, poor examination results, poor communication between administrators and school pupils. 2.8 Strategies for Curbing Indiscipline It is imperative to ensure that the best behaviours and conditions are inculcates, established and maintained for effective learning to take place in our secondary schools. This can be realised if we accept that the teacher has the power to impose discipline by using some sort of power over this students. However, this is only possible to a little extent, for it to have meaningful impact it must also take into account the psychological needs and development level of the student. A well-managed school begins with thorough advance planning by the school head and the teachers. Accordingly, extrinsic and intrinsic motivation should be used, positive and negative motivation, provision and satisfaction of students need the teacher having adequate knowledge of the subject, teaching students how to learn and making them to use their time effectively. The school environment should be busy, and an active place in which the students and teachers know that they are on the same side working together to achieve something worthwhile. Such an environment is likely to establish mutual respect, and a mild reproof or expression of disappointment on the part of the teacher will enhance discipline. Cleanliness and tidiness of surrounding, not being excessively noisy or disruptive when others are working, taking care of communal property, and punctuality exhibition of normal courtesies expected by the society to be observed. The rules can be established by quite persistence and good example by the teacher. In essence, good discipline enables the sort of psychological need proposed by Maslow and others to be satisfied. This is because most disciplinary cases are as a result of unfulfilled basic needs. The teacher should look carefully at each level including the most basic psychological one of nutrition and ventilation. 2.9 Summary of the Reviewed Literature The chapter examined the concept of indiscipline as it derived from the word discipline. Discipline here means a mode of life in accordance with rules, subjected to control. Therefore, indiscipline means lack of control in the behaviour of a group of people. Relating the above to the school environment, indiscipline could be referred to as inability of a person to live in accordance with school rules and regulation; it is the breaking of rules and regulations of institution. Imperative and causes of indiscipline were discussed from the multi-dimensional perspective, which include cultism, indecent dressing, curriculum content, parental training, societal influence, corruption and rural-urban drift. Again, school indiscipline and academic achievement, which implies the control of a class to achieve desired behaviour was discussed. The chapter also examined school rules and regulations on discipline, which are drawn up to regulate school activities for the orderly conduct of the school affairs. The concept of in loco-parentis and its relationship to student discipline, which is the special relationship that exist between students and the school teacher regarding discipline, because the teacher is expected to stand in place of the parent in respect to students education and discipline. Finally, strategies of curbing indiscipline which include pedagogical, social and psychological techniques of curbing indiscipline in secondary school were proffered. CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This chapter presents the research methodology to be adopted for the study. It is organised under the following heading: Research Design, Population of the Study, Sample and Sampling Technique, Instrumentation, Validity of the Instrument, Administration of the Instrument, and Data Analysis Technique. 3.1 Research Design The research design adopted for this study is the descriptive survey research design, which is concerned with condition or relationships that exist and practices that prevail. Specifically, it is concerned with identified the problems of indiscipline in secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area. 3.2 Population of the Study The population of this study is 440 persons, who are teachers in the twenty-two (22) secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area. 3.3 Sample and Sampling Techniques A stratified random sampling technique was used for the study. Out of twenty-two (22) secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government Area, ten (10) were sampled out through the ballot system; this represents 46% of secondary schools in Abua/Odual Local Government. In each school, ten (10) teachers were randomly selected to give 100 teachers, which represent 52% of the total number of teachers in Abua/Odual Local Government Area. Thus, the sample for this study is made up of 100 respondents. 3.4 Development of Research Instrument The instrument for this study is questionnaire titled Questionnaire for Teachers on indiscipline problems (QTIP). It was developed for this study and addressed to various respondents with structured questions developed based on the objectives of the study and the literature reviewed. The instrument is divided into two (2) sections (A and B). Section A deals with the personal data of the respondents; section B sought responses to items on factors, which militate against the effective maintenance of discipline in secondary schools. The questionnaire adopted the 4-point Likert summated rating scale with values: Strongly Agree (SA) = 4; Agree (A) = 3; Disagree (D) = 2; and Strongly Disagree (SD) = 1. 3.5 Validity of the Instrument The instrument was given to the supervisor and senior lecturers in the department who are experts in educational management to examine and make corrections. They scrutinize item by item and decide its validity to elicit the necessary information needed to provide adequate answers to the research questions. The final draft of instrument was designed to reflect corrections of the experts in the department. Also the researcher ensured that the five interested research problem areas, which militate against the effective maintenance of discipline in secondary schools to ensure that it is adequate enough to measure, what is supposed to measure and ensuring that the desirable result is achieved. 3.6 Administration of the Instrument The instrument for this study was administered personally by the researcher. The completed copies were retrieved on the spot while the others were retrieved later. 3.7 Data Analysis Technique The responses was based on the 4-point Likert summated rating scale will be analysed and presented in table by means of percentages. A decision on the research questions was made to arrive at by dividing frequency of occurrence by the total number of respondents and multiplied the product by 100, that is: Frequency of occurrence x 100 Number of respondents 1 CHAPTER FOUR: PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA In this chapter the data collected is presented and analysed as follows: Research question one: What factors are responsible for school indiscipline? Note: the following was used to analyze the work. Strongly Agree (SA) = 4 Agree (A) = 3 Disagree (D) = 2

Alphonse mucha - Cigarette Job :: essays research papers fc

Cigarette Job - Alphonse Marie Mucha The purpose of this Essay is to discuss an example of design from the late 1800s, I will relate it to the social, economic, technical and cultural context of that time. . I intend on delivering details of the artist and his life experiences as well as his style and possible interests. I will also evaluate the subject with my own opinion, likes and dislikes, with comparisons of work and artists from within that period up to the present date The design I have chosen to focus on is ‘Cigarette Job’ (1898) by the great Alphonse Marie Mucha. Alphonse Mucha was born in 1860 in Czechoslovakia and died in 1939. He is most often remembered for the prominent role he played in shaping the aesthetics of French Art Nouveau at the turn of the century, he was in fact the most famous artist of the Art Nouveau period. His imagery was so inextricably entwined with Art Nouveau that the entire movement was referred to by Goncourt as the 'Mucha Style'. Famous throughout Europe and the Americas, he inspired other artists and designers who copied him and plagiarised him so that for years the image of the Muchaesque beauty surrounded by her characteristic symbols was enshrined in advertising, magazine covers and illustrations, book jackets, posters, paintings and numerous artefacts. Art Nouveau is the Decorative style of the late 19th century and the early 20th that flourished principally in Europe and the USA. Although it influenced painting and sculpture, its chief manifestations were in architecture and the decorative and graphic arts. It is characterized by sinuous, asymmetrical lines based on organic forms; in a broader sense it encompasses the geometrical and more abstract patterns and rhythms that were evolved as part of the general reaction to 19th-century historicism. There are wide variations in the style according to where it appeared and the materials that were employed ‘Florated madness, liniar hysteria, strange decoratve disease, stylistic free-for-all’, such were the terms its contemporaries used to describe Art Nouveau, the first international design style. Art Nouveau was the rebellion against the entire Victorian sensibility, steeped as it was in the past. The exponents of the style hoped to revolutionize every aspect of design in order to set a standard that would be compatible with the new age. Art Nouveau was a direct descendant of the Arts and Crafts movement and influenced by celtic ornament as well as Japanese woodcut prints, all this resulted in an international style based on decoration.

Luxuries Even For the Environmentalist :: Essays Papers

Luxuries Even For the Environmentalist Imagine, instead ofbeing stuck in morning rush hour because you drive by yourself, youget to go in the HOV lanes simply because of the car you drive. This occurs within some states for those who own hybrids. Hybrids are the most practical vehicle for the majority of America ’s population because not only are they better for the environment but they also have almost all the features of luxury cars. Few individuals think of hybrid vehicles as a practical option when car shopping. With the combinedtechnology of electricity and gasoline, hybrid vehicles are more environmentally friendly then the standard gasoline driven car. However, most consumers worry more about their comforts than their effects on the environment, leading to disagreements on the best vehicle for the consumer’s needs. They argue that many luxuries are lost in the hybrids because hybrids are more expensive to manufacture, and are not as large as some conventional gas cars. This has changed though. Since hybridsbecame available there has been an increase in efficiencies, moreluxuriesand increased driver benefits. When first designed, hybrid vehicles aimed toreduce fuel consumption by half ofalready high gas mileage vehicles. The hybrid’s historystarted off rocky because the electric batteries, generators, and motorshad losses of 15-25 percent in energy, causing it to be more desirable toroute as much of the engine power directly to the wheels (Cheng 114). Doing so, however, was not sufficient for power. Since 1975, five improvements were made that rendered itmore available to the public. These included decrease in electrical losses down to 2-4%, improved shapes to produce far higher energiesand powers, magnetic bearings, new turbines from other materials to increasethermal efficiencies, and small turbochargers for piston engines (Cheng 114). Together these improvements made the hybrid more aerodynamic,efficient and lower in cost to manufacture. In a recentstudy by W. Chenget al, the hybrid was compared to gas turbine-engine vehicles. Their results showed that the hybrid engi ne would producevirtually no vehicle pollution during trips less than 30 minutes, and lessthan normal cars when trips were longer. The strongestcharacteristic of the hybrids is the higher gas mileage which allows it tobe more environmentally friendly and cost effective.

Abington Hill Toys

ABINGTON-HILL TOYS, INC. 1. INTRODUCTION Abington-Hill Toys’ new president, Vernon Albright, hires a new company comptroller, David Hartly. Hartly’s first task was to complete an analysis of the firm’s condition and generate financial planning for the company. 2. METHODOLOGY A. Current ratio B. Acid-test ratio C. Inventory Turnover Ratio D. Debt-Equity ratio E. Gross Margin F. Net Profit Margin G. Z Score 3. SOLUTION A. 280,000/290,000=. 97 B. 130,000/290,000=. 45 C. 900,000/150,000=6 D. 490,000/710,000=. 69 E. 300,000/1,200,000=. 25 F. 60,480/1,200,000=. 05 G. 1. (-10,000/1,200,000)+1. 4(60,480/1,200,000)+3. 3(126,000/1,200,000)+ 1. 05(1,200,000/1,200,000)=1. 46 4. CONCLUSION The current ratio of . 97 means for every $. 97 of current assets, Abington Hill Toys has $1 of current liabilities. Since the current ratio is less than the standard of 3. 5, Abington Hill Toys implies a high risk and a probable incapability to generate sufficient working capital to meet i ts short-term needs. The acid-test ratio of . 45 is less than half of its current ratio which means Abington Hill Toys’ inventory comprises of more than half of its current assets.The inventory turnover ratio of 6 is higher than 5 which is the standard for companies in this industry. Since this ratio is higher than average, Abington Hill Toys is showing strong sales. The higher than standard inventory ratio could also mean ineffective buying of inventory. The debt-equity ratio of . 69 means Abington Hill Toys has $. 69 of debt to every dollar of equity. This would put them in at a lower risk to enhance financial leverage. The gross margin is at 25%. This means Abington Hill Toys is only profiting 25% above their direct costs. This is equivalent to the standard of other companies in this industry.The net profit margin of 5% is less than the standard of 8%. Abington Hill Toys’ net profit margin means equity holders will only receive 5% from every dollar after all expense s, interest, and taxes are paid. The low Z score of 1. 46 would sway me to not lend the money. By Altman’s scale, Abington Hill Toys has a 95% chance of going into bankruptcy in 12 months. Along with the high probability of going into bankruptcy within 12 months, the net profit margin of 5% doesn’t seem worthwhile. I would rather invest in something safer for that low of a return.

Safety vs. Freedom

Americans take pride in their individual freedoms above safety. We as Americans have fought for our freedom since the building of our great nation. In the past, the people of America took pride in their freedom as a nation and a group of people. During the time, safety was an irrelevant issue. However, as time progressed to what we consider a contemporary society; safety became a co-existing factor in the systematic balance. Constant threats and dreadful attacks have been made by people because they were considered to have â€Å"too much freedom†.Safety in our everyday lives did not become prompted until people have taken drastic measures to ensure their freedom. Drastic measures have been taken by people because â€Å"too much† freedom was placed into the hands of the people. The correlation of freedom and safety now lingers onto a thin delicate balance that can be toppled when there is too much of freedom or safety. In today’s contemporary society, people not o nly want freedom, but they also feel the need for safety in their everyday lives. H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) wrote, â€Å"The average man does not want to be free. He simply wants to be safe.† His statement over the topic may have been true for the time, but in today’s society, matters have changed dramatically in that safety and freedom are needed. The topic of freedom and safety has been constantly debated. In order to fully understand the situation, definitions must be provided. Freedom is defined as â€Å"the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint†. In other words, freedom is a power that is passed down to the people from the local and national government. On the other hand, safety is defined â€Å"as the condition of being protected from or unlikely to cause danger, risk, or injury.†Interestingly enough, these definitions overlap. Ambiguity and confusion seem to be interwoven in this case. These defin itions are an underline proof that the average man desires both freedom and safety. No matter how the question is phrased, the same pragmatic, convoluted response should be given. Freedom and safety are relative to each other, usually tipping back and forth like a seesaw. The balance between each virtue is rather delicate, but always negotiable, depending on the influence of events at home or even internationally.Freedom is the benchmark of the American value system. As long as Americans remain to place importance on freedom, it will endure. Safety is equally significant, but often manipulated. Most Americans seem to be rather susceptible when it comes to the safety of the nation state and will usually agree with legislation that will â€Å"make us safer†. To this discussion, there are usually two opposing sides. The sides in this situation are people who stay faithful to pure freedom and people who are aficionados of safety.Some people have belief that freedom is the only th ing that matters and that freedom should be the prioritized factor across the nation. On the other hand, there are people who believe that safety is more important. On both sides, however, there is always an argument involved with gun control. Recently, there has been an uncontrollable force that has swept across America and that is the use of guns for mass murdering. The Sandy Hook incident left people traumatized. During this issue, people who stand true in safety want nothing less than the ban of wielding arms. â€Å"†¦the stronger our gun control laws are, the fewer acts of violence†¦. † (Sandy Hook quotes). At the same time, those for freedom still want to be able to wield arms even though such tragic events have occurred. Even though there is a constant heated debate over the topic of freedom verses safety, there always has to be a fine line that defines both freedom and safety. With the latest shooting tragedy in Colorado, gun control is undoubtedly on everyo ne's mind. People who have a stance with â€Å"pro-gun† seem to cite freedom, liberty and the 2nd amendment while talking about their right to carry guns.And people who are â€Å"anti-gun† might cite the safety and well-being of the general public, as criminals and people with mental disorders will not have such easy access to weapons that kill. People who say that freedom and safety have no correlations, and that safety is more important than freedom or freedom is more important that safety, have not considered it’s daily applications. In society today, people demand both freedom and safety. While more and more Americans demand freedom to do things as they please, they want the feeling of protection and safety.Safety is needed when more freedom is given. An example of this lies in our homes. As children have later curfews as they grow older, their parents demand for more of their own protection for their children. Ultimately, curfews are reasonable guidelines a nd should be followed. It is important to maintain respect for your parents and the rules they set throughout your adolescent years. â€Å"While it may seem unfair or unreasonable at the time, you will eventually realize how beneficial such rules were and will thank your parents for looking out for your well-being. † (Why Curfews Should Be Enforced).This correlation is evidence that with more freedom, people need more safety to keep them in check and to keep people in line. Freedom in this case cannot exist without the need for safety and safety is not necessary if there is no freedom. Freedom and safety are desired by everyone. However, unlike popular belief, they cannot be separated. Like a well-balanced formula, freedom and safety intertwine in a well-defined system. In this contemporary society, freedom is important for the liberties of the people; however, safety is important for the security of the people. Both freedom and safety are important factors for people today.

Forecasting the Adoption of E-Books Essay

The size of the market for e-books in the long-run: 293.7 million x 46.7% x 8% = 10.973 million (Total US population x percentage of US population reading literature x Percentage of traditional paper books purchased online in 2003) It will take 10 years to reach 95% penetration of the potential market. Question 2 I predict that the sale of the e-book when it first became available is 0.751milion (pm) (Assumption: each innovator buy one book.) Question 3 The long-run total adoption of e-books would be 10.973 million. (Total US population x percentage of US population reading literature x Percentage of traditional paper books purchased online in 2003) Question 4 I do expect the market for e-books tend to be guided by imitators rather than innovators. According to the table above, I found that the weighted average for e-book of q (0.0684) is larger than p (0.2990). In addition, the word of mouth takes an important role in the adoption of e-books. The information about the e-book from the innovators contribute much to the adoption of e-books since people tend to hesitate to change their old reading habit. Question 5 S(t)=[p+(q/m)N(t-1)][m-N(t-1)] Year 1: [0.0684+(0.2990/10.973) X (0)][10.973-0] = 0.751 million Year 2: [0.0684+(0.2990/10.973) X (0.751)][10.973-0.751] = 0.908 million Year 3: [0.0684+(0.2990/10.973) X (1.659)][10.973-1.659] = 1.059 million Year 4: [0.0684+(0.2990/10.973) X (2.717)][10.973-2.717] = 1.176 million Year 5: [0.0684+(0.2990/10.973) X (3.893)][10.973-3.893] = 1.235 million Question 6 The adoption of e-book will be very different from digital music obtained online. The adoption of e-books face more challenges when comparing to the adoption of digital music. To most of the listeners, there is not much difference in experience between listening to a song from an iPod and a CD player. Therefore, they have a relatively low switching cost and more willing to change their habits. On the contrary, to most of the readers, it is definitely very different from reading an e-book to reading a printed book. The feelings of holding a printed book and flipping over a physical book are irreplaceable. So readers are loyal to printed book and hesitate to switch from traditional books to e-books. Hence, it is reasonable to predict that the pace of adopting digital music is faster than the pace of adopting e-books. Question 7 I think both of the attitudes about reading and purchasing e-content have changed a lot in recent years. In the old time, people could read e-content via PC only. Nowadays, people are able to read e-content through various mobile devices. Therefore, they spend more time on reading e-content especially during leisure time and even commuting time. However, the quality of the reading effort is diminishing as the overload of e-content available on Internet. In addition, people tend to rely more on the e-content since it is very convenient, environmentally friendly, high mobility and high accessibility. For the attitude about purchasing e-content, more people are willing to pay for the e-content in recent years. The advanced online payment system plays an important role. People feel more secure and also convenient when dealing online ever than before. Moreover, more well-known and large-scale publishers offer more choices of e-content for readers. Besides, in the light of the prevalent of mobile device, people have more time and chances to read the e-content regardless of the time and places. Thus, people are more willing to spend on e-content than before. Question 8 The hardware plays a paramount important role in the adoption of e-books. No matter how amazing the e-content is, the e-books would not be popularized if the hardware were not user-friendly. However, a good hardware is very likely to boost sales of the e-books. It is because the hardware is a fixed cost while the e-books are the variable cost to the readers. A portable hardware with proper size of monitor and high capacity is very attractive to the readers. They no longer need to neither carry the bulky printed books nor spare some places for storage. Moreover, the hardware enables readers to read comfortably when comparing to read via PC or smart phone. It is good for the readers’ eyes. Last but not least, the hardware contributed to protecting the environment as it saves much paper. Only when the hardware preforms better than the tradition printed books, the adoption of e-books will be success. Question 9 I do expect the size and also the pattern of diffusion are quite different globally as compared to the United States. The size and the pattern of diffusion depend on many factors. Population, culture, attitude to new products, technology and even literacy could be one of the variables of the size and pattern of diffusion. Take Africa as an example; though the population size of Africa is much larger than The United States, the potential size of the market for e-books must be obviously different from the United States. So it is not difficult to understand that the size and pattern of diffusion of various places will not be similar to the United States.

Cultural Research Interview

This study seeks to explore the culture of Luo community in Kenya. It is not easy to study Kenya as a culture on its own due to its multi-cultural dimension. Therefore, one can only study it from the many cultures there are. It will explore Luo culture in various domains. The study will provide concrete examples to support the findings in each domain. It will also carry out a one-on-one interview with a Kenyan citizen and especially from Luo culture. The findings in the literature review will be compared with the data collected from the interview.This study also seeks to propose few recommendations and suggestions on applications to practice. Luo Culture in Kenya Kenyan as a multi-cultural nation has got forty two tribes with different cultures. Therefore, one can only explore certain aspects of Kenyan culture. This study narrows its scope to Luo Culture, whose community takes about 25% of the Kenyan Population hence being the third largest ethnic group (Ochieng, 2007). It is believe d that this community originated from the Southern part of Sudan, getting into Kenya through Northern Uganda and settled in Nyanza Province (Ochieng, 2007).It is also believed that their migration was in search of higher and cooler regions with adequate rainfalls (Isak, 1972). Today, they are popularly referred to as River-Lake Nilotes (Ochieng, 2007). This study chooses to explore on Luo culture due to its peculiar elements. In fact, it is considered to be one of those complicated cultures in Kenya especially on the issue of â€Å"wife inheritance† (Gay, 1981). When Kenya was still under British colonialism, the Luo people managed to defend their land; more so, they played a fundamental role in fighting for Kenya’s independence.It is also worth noting that this tribe produced and continues to produce a number of scholars and other educated men and women who have attained high levels of education from prominent universities all over the world (Liyong, 1972). Luo profes sionals are present in most parts of Kenyan economy; for instance, they serve in business and government ministries, educational institutions as professors, doctors, engineers and lawyers. Literature Review Communication The Luo community has got three languages.Two of the languages are widely used by all other Kenyan tribes, for instance, English and Kiswahili. English originated from the British colonial era and was declared by Kenyan government as the official language while Kiswahili is the national language (Sinaiko, 1995). The indigenous language of Luo community is referred to as â€Å"Dholuo† which is commonly used at home and in their everyday conversation (Sinaiko, 1995). In their culture, naming of children relate to where they were born, the exact time of day or the day of the week. This also includes the kind of weather at that time (Ocholla, 1980).For instance, the name Akoth (female) or Okoth (male) is given when one is born during a rainy season. In general, t he Luo culture names children on three formats, for instance, a Christian name like Peter or James then a second name like â€Å"Okoth† then a sir name like â€Å"Omondi† (Ocholla, 1980). Nutrition Luo community grows maize (corn), millet and sorghum. It also grows cash crops, for instance, tobacco, coffee, sugarcane and cotton. They also keep animals such as goats, sheep, poultry and cattle, which are later used to settle dowry prizes.Most importantly, fish in Luo culture means a lot; in fact, fishing is a major economic activity in Luo community (Parker, 1989). It is also worth noting that this community’s staple food consists of ugali (kuon) and fish. Ugali is prepared from maize meal mixed with boiled water until it becomes a thick porridge where fish becomes its preferred accompaniment. Additionally, the ugali food can be accompanied by green vegetables, meat or stew. Maize is a common food all over Kenya and most families grow it and sell it for a better i ncome (Parker, 1989).Luo culture abhors foods like rice and mixture of boiled maize and beans (Mboya, 1986). But sometimes, this mixture of boiled maize and beans which they refer to as (nyoyo) is typically consumed when the community members return from a hard day of work in the fields. The nyoyo can also be eaten with tea, porridge or stir fried vegetables (Mboya, 1986). This community likes traditional beer known as busaa which is prepared during special occasions or celebrations. Normally, they mix flour and water and leave it for sometime until it turns sour after which they heat it in a big pot.Men drink from the pot using long pipes while seated and women can join them or have their share on big mugs. They also feed on a mixture of milk and blood from slaughtered animals like cows or sheep. Family Roles and Organizations The Luo culture values family life and especially the gift of children. This culture believes that children belong to the father even in cases where both par ents separate (Mboya, 1986). In most cases, the father is left to take care of the children. The culture also expects men of great wealth to settle for many wives as a sign of social responsibility (Liyong, 1972).This notion is what has led to the issue of wife inheritance which is going to be explored later in this study. Once women get married they live in their husbands’ homesteads. Thereafter, married women are expected to build strong relationships between their family members and those of her husband. It is the women’s responsibility to nurture a warm and mutual relationship among all the in-laws. It is expected that married women will bear children for their husbands’ lineage (Southall, 1952). The more the wife bears more children the more she enhances her influence in the lineage of her husband.These children later take care of their interests. As indicated earlier, men pay the bridal dowry which allows women to maintain ties with their loved ones throug hout their lives (Southall, 1952). Polygamy is also acceptable in the Luo culture so long as traditional practices and regulations are adhered to, for instance, a special recognition of the first wife (Mboya, 1986). Normally, the husband has to separate the wives where the first wife’s house and granary are constructed behind the homestead opposite the main gate (Mboya, 1986).The rest of the wives’ houses and granaries are positioned to the right and left sides from the first wives’ premises and in the order of their marriage (Mboya, 1986). The same case applies to the sons who are given homes adjacent to the main entrance of the compound and in the order of their birth (Southall, 1952). The husband builds himself a house at the center of the compound (Southall, 1952). Luo culture believes that once the dowry has been paid in full and that the spouses have born children, divorce can no longer take place. Even if the two separate they are still considered to be m arried.In case the wife does not bear children, the husband can divorce her or replace her with another wife. The wife receives the blame in cases of infertility. Young girls are expected to help their mothers and their mothers’ co-wives in tilling the land owned by their fathers, brothers and paternal uncles (Ocholla, 1980). It does not matter whether the girl gets to school and attains good education she still has to help in tilling the land. On the other hand, boys and youthful men spend more time with livestock and engage in lots of social labor (Ocholla, 1980). Biocultural EcologyLuo community, just like many other communities in Kenya, consists of black people with strong physical structure. Malaria is considered to be a major killer in Luo culture. Moreover, kwashiorkor which derives from lack of enough proteins in the body, affects most children (Themes in Kenyan History, 1990). Most families do not afford to prepare a balanced diet neither do they have knowledge abou t nutrition and health standards (Themes in Kenyan History, 1990). In villages, preventive medicine is preferred and in fact most communities in the rural settings have clinics with medical workers.The medical workers try the best they can to help the communities maintain good sanitation, nutrition, prenatal care including other practices that can help reduce the risk of diseases (Themes in Kenyan History, 1990). Luo culture faces great challenges from HIV/Aids pandemic which has left many children orphans. Relatives to bereaved children adopt them with the hope that the enormity of HIV crisis will come to an end (IPAR, 2004)). It is however believed that the rate of HIV infection is very high in Luo Culture.Moreover, it suffers from food shortages and records the highest rates of infant mortality in Kenya (IPAR, 2004). It does not have good facilities for clean water supply a situation that has led many residents succumb to water-borne diseases, for instance, typhoid fever, amoebic dysentery and common dysentery including diarrhea (IPAR, 2004). Most girls suffer from teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (IPAR, 2004). High-Risk Behaviors As indicated earlier, Luo culture faces great challenges from HIV infections. This has been attributed to irresponsible sexual behavior among the youths.As such, Luo culture does not value male circumcision instead they remove their young men six front teeth both from the upper jaw and the lower jaw. Unfortunately, this right of passage does not meet dental health standards since it is done manually and in a very rough way (Stein, 1985). Wife inheritance is another strange cultural practice whereby a widow is remarried by the deceased’s brother who must meet all her marital requirements, for instance, conjugal rights. According to Luo culture, adolescent period should prepare a girl for marriage and family life.In the traditional settings, girls obtain tattoos on their backs and having their ears pierce d as well. The unfortunate thing is that the materials used to carry out these practices are never sterilized (Stein, 1985). Girls come together among peer groups where they get to share their sexuality, for instance, discussing boys and their personal attributes. On the same note, older women provide sex education to the teenage girls. Lovers secretly meet near these huts although pregnancy outside marriage is strictly prohibited (Southall, 1952). Fertility and Childbearing PracticesLuo culture discourages people from noting when a woman is pregnant for they believe that it would bring problems and troubles from jealous ancestors (Mboya, 1986). Older women and wives accompany expectant mothers throughout their pregnancy and during nativity. In this community, twins are not received very well. They believe that twins originate from the evil spirits and so they treat such cases with special attention. The twins’ parents are required to assume certain taboos. In order to preven t the calamity that may befall the twins’ parents, the community members engage in obscene dancing as well as using foul language.Only in this way can the burden of giving birth to twins be lifted (Gay, 1981). As mentioned earlier, women receive much of the blame in case of infertility in marriage. This culture believes that infertility is as a result of blasphemy in the ancestral lineage of the woman. They believe that unless the spirits and ancestors intervene, the woman will never give birth (Gay, 1981). As can be seen, it can be argued and justifiably so that control of fertility is attributed to the mercy of the ancestors. In other words, Luo culture believes that fertility is given by the ancestors to the favored ones.In a more traditional setting, incest has been associated with most pregnancy complications. However, the husband including other relatives should make sure that after the woman gives birth they slaughter a goat or sheep for her where she gets to eat it at intervals. This ritual is compulsory and if one fails to honor it either the mother or the child can experience more complications even to the point of dying (Mboya, 1986). Men shouldn’t watch women giving birth unless on serious conditions. They are supposed to be far away from the scene.If a woman gives birth traditionally, she has to sit on a stone with her legs apart where other women support her to give birth. Immediately she gives birth the child is rushed in the hut for other rituals which involve cleaning the umbilical cord and cutting part of it to be buried. This is believed to be a sign of appreciation to the ancestors (Liyong, 1972). Death Rituals It is worth noting that Luo culture performs about fourteen rituals for the dead (Wakana, 1997). Table 1 in appendix A summarizes the rituals from the first step to the last.Whenever a person dies women come out with long, quivering wail which is seconded by sound of drums. Strictly, the death announcement has to take p lace either in the morning or in the evening. Luo culture prohibits death announcement during the day although this varies across persons, age, sex and occupation (Wakana, 1997). If, for instance, a child dies in the morning the announcement follows immediately but in the case of elderly men, women have to wait until sunset to start wailing (Pritchard, 1965). The bereaved family stays throughout in the compound of the deceased until the burial day.Other members of the community gather to console the family (Wakana, 1997). Digging of the grave takes place at round 9 p. m. and goes until 3 to 4 a. m. of the burial day (Millikin, 1906). One or two weeks after the burial cholla begins where several relatives to the deceased take their cattle to his compound at around seven o’clock in the morning. It is however important to note that this ritual is only performed for dead men. The men gather there, kill a cock without using a knife and share its pieces of meat.They then blow horns of buffaloes and rhinoceroses (oporro) and play drums (bul) as well. These men later attract a long procession composed of more men, women and children; it becomes longer and noisier as communities sing and play the instruments even louder (Milikin, 1906). Spirituality It is believed that Christianity has penetrated the lives of Luo community hence changing some of their traditional religious beliefs. However, a greater part of Luo culture still engages in traditional rituals (Ocholla, 1980). The new Christian movements in this community are Catholicism and Protestantism.Despite their Christian beliefs, they still belief in the intercession of their ancestors in their lives (Ocholla, 1980). Traditionally, it is believed that the ancestors reside in the sky or underground and their souls undergo transmigration either through animals or new born babies (Themes in History, 1990). In actual fact, they carry out ceremonies whenever naming of a child takes place to determine if a particu lar spirit has been reincarnated (Themes in History, 1990). Additionally, it is believed that the ancestral spirits communicate with the living in their dreams (Ocholla, 1980).Luo Culture believes that failure to remember or respect the spirits may have adverse effects in their community (Sinaiko, 1995). It is worth noting that they refer to spirits as jouk which means â€Å"shadow† and they refer to God as Nyasaye which translates as â€Å"he who is begged† and also Were which translates as â€Å"certain to grant requests† (Sinaiko, 1995). Ancestral worship plays a predominant role in their traditional religion. Ancestral spirits are believed to be actively involved in the world. This strong belief is very evident in the belief system of many Luos (Sinaiko, 1995).Health Care Practices It is unfortunate to remark that Luo culture does not have elements that can promote community health. In other words, it is not a culture that motivates the Luo people to maintai n healthy standards. Most of the beliefs and practices are geared towards appeasing the ancestors and thus forget the well being of the entire community at present. This is why this culture cannot be regarded as a past or present oriented culture because many of its emphases lay on their destiny (Isak, 1972). Even in matters regarding health, they call upon their ancestors to intervene.It is also important to note that they believe that being healthy is a favor from their forefathers and being unhealthy is a curse from the same forefathers. It becomes complicated to guide them through a causal health understanding of their diseases. Inasmuch as healthcare practitioners would want to address the why of their health issues the big challenge would be to convince them out of their traditionally held beliefs. The elders who serve as traditional doctors are revered by this community and they rely on their guidance in curing certain diseases (Southall, 1952).However, with the HIV endemic t hat has swept away many families leaving most children orphans, has led Luo culture to seek other better ways to deal with their health issues. Obviously, given that HIV/Aids has no cure they started realizing that traditional practices cannot address the problem (IPAR, 2004). Although their folklore practices do not directly address health issues, they got some moral stories that can be useful in giving care to the sick. For instance, among the commonly told story is refereed to as â€Å"Opondo’s Children† which talks of a man who gave birth to monitor lizards instead of human babies (Mboya, 1986).With time, the parents decided to throw them away due to their inhuman conditions. One day, they decided to retain one of their babies who at the age of adolescence loved to bathe in the riverside. In the process of swimming the child turned into a fully functioning human being. Passers by noticed and ran back to the village with this news which pleased the community members . The child was accepted in the community and received a lot of love and support. From this story, Luo culture believes that they have a duty towards the sick especially the physically handicapped (Mboya, 1986).Client Interview Data This section discusses some of the findings established during the interview process. The participant is a Kenyan citizen and from a Luo culture. The impressive thing in this study is that much of the ideas established in the literature review were re-affirmed during the entire interview process. However, the interviewee was assertive that Luo culture has changed tremendously and that Luo people are becoming more scientific in their thinking. Communication According to the interviewee, communication in Luo culture just requires respect and clarity.In general, young ones should not scold their parents and the same case applies to husbands in respect to their wives. However, this study leant that Luo culture prohibits pointing another person using an index finger; to them it means fate to the pointed person. He confirmed that Luo culture has become an interactive one where people can share their feelings with one another. It had been mentioned that men could not interact with women or children could not interact with their elders, today things have changed. The format for giving names is still evident where children are given names according to seasons, events or calamities.Nutrition This study learnt that Luo culture will never have other preferred staple foods apart from fish and ugali. The interviewee confirmed that this is not only a matter of culture but it is also because of the meaning of such food to their lives. He believes that Luo has many intelligent people â€Å"genius† because of feeding on fish. Moreover, they are healthy and strong because of combining fish with ugali which is actually a carbohydrate. Family Roles & Organizations The interviewee remarked as follows, â€Å"if there is anything that Luo culture has failed in, it is its perception on family†.This study learnt that modern Luo families want to treat their family matters as personal. In fact, most families have begun migrating to urban places just to experience peace and autonomy. However, the interviewee remarked that most parents still uphold cultural values meant to discipline their children. In other words, most families still hold to those traditional ways of bringing up their children. Husbands still remain the heads of their families and with the duty of educating their children. But all the same, wives are supposed to help financially especially if the spouses are both working. Workforce IssuesThe interviewee remarked that Luo culture has evolved where traditional practices have become a collective responsibility. Today, men and women can go fishing and even engage in its selling. Moreover, all genders have become professionals in different fields. High Risk Behaviours Indeed, the interviewee confirmed that Luo c ulture still engages in high risk behaviors which in the interviewee’s opinion are backward. First he sighted the â€Å"wife inheritance issue†; here he said that most women or men contract HIV Virus due to this practice. He said the following, â€Å"I still do not understand why Luo culture has to push for wife inheritance.Somebody dies of HIV/aids and the community very well knows about it, but the brother to the deceased goes ahead to have intercourse with the woman. † He also said, â€Å"This does not apply only to HIV/Aids only but it also extends to other diseases like diabetes, asthma, epilepsy, and meningitis†. This study learnt that there are women who get re-married to their in-laws who have terminal illness hence affecting their health both physically and psychologically. This study also learns that Luo culture still faces serious problems with HIV/Aids due to unsafe sex among the youths and commercial sex workers where most of them are young g irls.The interviewee had this to say, â€Å"Sex is deeply entrenched in the Luo culture such that it cannot be comprehended in isolation†; he also said â€Å"females who are poor resort to sexually irresponsible behavior just to get money which is not even more than five dollars. † The interviewee also mentioned the issue of polygamous marriages where men engage sexually with many women hence contracting serious sexual transmitted diseases. This study also learnt that consumption of illicit brews and drugs and the growing establishments of entertainment houses have left many youths with poor health conditions hence dying at a very young age.As mentioned earlier, female genital mutilation and removal of teeth poses great risks. The interviewee had this to say: â€Å"these practices are very risky since they are carried out under unhygienic conditions and even the equipment used is never sterilized. This is why they keep on contracting germs and HIV virus†. Pregna ncy and Childbearing Practices The interviewee believes that causes of teenage pregnancies are as a result of ignorance on the side of the girls. According to him, most girls do not know how to go about their productive life.But, he was very happy to remark that nowadays women give birth in the hospitals and rarely will women give birth in traditional settings. There are no taboos associated with marriage in the Luo culture today, only that the husband should take very good care of the wife. He also remarked that among the most improved health practices among Luo women is care for the mother before and after birth. Apart from traditional food, anything to do with the medication of the mother and the child is as prescribed by a qualified doctor. Health Care Practices & PractitionersThe interviewee was very optimistic that in few years to come Luo culture will have the best medical practitioners ever. According to him, most Luo men and women have undertaken courses in medicine and oth er health care modules. â€Å"Today, Luo culture has evolved from a culture of traditional doctors to a culture of serious surgeons, physicians and mid-wives†. He informed this study that traditional medicine men cannot carry out any practices on complicated issues like pregnancy, eye-problems, heart failure, diabetes et cetera. They instead encourage the patient to seek professional help from a hospital.They only get involved in the treatment of minor illnesses like cold, flu, chicken pox, normal diarrhea, sore throats just to mention a few. Here, they prepare medicine from traditional herbs from different plants. Moreover, they make medicine for children using fat substances from the fish products. In fact, the interviewee remarked that Kenya’s medical sector borrowed from the Luo traditional doctors how to prepare medicine to prevent children from coughing. The medicine is popularly known as â€Å"cough syrup† which is a by product of fish in Luo culture. Res earch QuestionsThe research method selected for this proposed research study follows a qualitative approach. The qualitative method will be implemented because it follows the approach that allows for the collection and analysis of data that could not described through a quantitative approach. This approach is descriptive and inquisitive in nature, which is selected because of its relevance to the type of data collected and because of the purpose of the study. Contrary to the quantitative research method, participants from this study will be encouraged to use their personal experiences to interpret and answer interview questions.Their demographic background will also be significantly considered for the interpretation of the test answers (Leed & Omrod, 2005). Any form of quantifiable data that can be found in this study, will be analyzed according to descriptive statistics. Alise (2008) pointed out that under the qualitative research method, there is an interaction between the researc her and the participants. The following are the research questions: 1) To what extent does Luo culture hinder effective health safety measures? 2) How does Luo culture affect health care practitioners? Is there any competition between healthcare practitioners and traditional doctors?Recommendations for Research Based on the findings of this study, it further recommends that: a) There be an empirical investigation carried out in this community in order to ascertain the findings of this research b) Health agencies to study this culture more closely in order to help it improve on community health c) To explore other cultures in Kenya that might be having similar challenges Applications to Practice In order to carry out ethnographic fieldwork among Luo Community and generate information based on qualitative analysis, it would be beneficial to learn more from medical anthropologists and professors.Moreover, there should be more research from the libraries to gain more insight on Luo cult ure and to familiarize more on the best methods to gather and record information. Medical volunteers are traveling to work with the Luo community to cooperate with the traditional healers and record their conversations about herbs. They should make sure there is an interpreter available. The team can take pictures and identify herb clippings for their easier recognition. The volunteers can carry out prior research to compare with the current clinical use of the herbs and their dosages.Summary/Conclusion This study has established that Luo culture has got three languages namely: English, Kiswahili and Dholuo. However, Dholuo is commonly used. Luo culture gives names according to seasons, events, calamities or time. Luo are mixed farmers since they grow crops and keep animals at the same time. Luo culture values ugali and fish which serve as their staple food. Marriage is regarded in high esteem and especially when children come by. Children remain with the father even in cases of sep aration or divorce for that matter. Luo community constitutes of black people.Among the most common diseases affecting this community are malaria, malnutrition, kwashiorkor, typhoid, amoeba and HIV/Aids. The high risk behaviors include removal of teeth, tattoos, genital mutilation and other rights of passage that use non-sterilized equipment. Luo culture has got fourteen death rituals although their applications vary from age, sex, or occupation of the deceased. Moreover, this culture does not promote community health per se. Traditional doctors have an influential role although they recognize the role of professional medical practitioners.The folklore activities provide wonderful moral stories that encourage the community to take care of the sick and especially the physically handicapped. The client interview data strongly brings out Luo community as a changing culture, and in deed, for the better. However, the high risk behaviors still pose a great challenge to the health well bei ng of its members. 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