Comparison of Setting between Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre Essay

In two literary works, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, setting plays an important role. Setting can be described as the time [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=time&%3Bv=56] and place in which an event occurs. It helps the reader to understand the story and where the character is coming from. Both the authors associate setting to the characters in the story. In Wuthering Heights, the setting represents the nature or characteristics of the characters; while in Jane Eyre, the setting has a function to show the character’s development throughout the story. Throughout the novel Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte effectively uses weather [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=weather&%3Bv=56] and setting to give the reader the inside of the personal [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=personal&%3Bv=56] feeling of the characters. The setting used throughout the novel, helps to set the mood to describe the characters. There are two main settings in Wuthering Heights: the houses [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=houses&%3Bv=56] of Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange. Each house represents its inhabitants. The wild, uncivilized manner of Wuthering Heights and the high cultured, civilized nature of Thrushcross Grange are reflected in the characters who inhabit them. Wuthering Heights is a house [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=house&%3Bv=56] set high upon a hill where is exposed to extreme weather [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=weather&%3Bv=56] conditions. The name of the place itself is symbolic of its nature, â€Å"Wuthering being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=weather&%3Bv=56].† (page 2). Heights is a bleak, thick-walled farmhouse surrounded by wild, windy moors. The Heights is â€Å"strong,† â€Å"built with narrow windows [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=windows&%3Bv=56] and jutting  cornerstones,† and is â€Å"fortified to withstand harsh conditions† (page 2). The path that is nearest to the Heights is long and winding, with â€Å"many pits, at least, were filled to a level; and entire ranges of mounds, the refuse of the quarries . . . blotted from the chart† (page 19). The description of, â€Å"a few stunted firs at the end of the house [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=house&%3Bv=56],† and, â€Å"a range of gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun.† (page 2) proves that even the vegetation surrounding the structure conjures images that lack warmth and happiness.[1] Moreover, as the story goes on, the image of â€Å"a range of gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun† is similar to the condition of Heathcliff (the thorn) as he tries to ‘reach’ Catherine (the sun) The Heights’ appearance is wild, untamed, disordered, and hard. The characters at Heights tend to be strong, wild, and passionate, much like the house [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=house&%3Bv=56] itself. Heathcliff is Wuthering Height’s human incarnation. He is abusive, brutal and cruel, and as wild and dark as the moors surrounding Heights.[2] Catherine is stubborn, mischievous, wild, impulsive, and arrogant; Hindley is wild, uncontrollable, jealous and revengeful. In Heights, everyone shouts; pinching, slapping and hair [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=hair&%3Bv=56] pulling occur constantly. Catherine, instead of shaking her gently, wakes Nelly Dean up by pulling her hair [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=hair&%3Bv=56].[1] â€Å"The bleak and harsh nature of the Yorkshire hills is not a geographic accident. It mirrors the roughness of those who live there†[2] As a whole, Heights symbolizes hate, anger, and jealousy. Opposite of Wuthering Heights, Thrushcross Grange is set within a lush, protected valley and is covered by a high stonewall. It is filled with light and warmth â€Å"Unlike Wuthering Heights, it is elegant and comfortable-‘a splendid place carpeted with crimson, and crimson covered chairs and tables, and a pure white ceiling bordered by gold’.†[1] It is surrounded by neat, orderly parks and gardens. The Grange is extremely luxurious and beautiful; filled with music [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=music&%3Bv=56],  books [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=books&%3Bv=56], and other lovely objects which express a civilized, controlled atmosphere. The house [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=house&%3Bv=56] is neat and orderly, comfortable and refined, and there is always an abundance of light.[2] The characters at the Grange are passive, civilized, and calm, which personifies the house [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=house&%3Bv=56] they live in. The Lintons are all very polite, respectable people [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=people&%3Bv=56]. They are characterized as having, â€Å"pure, pale skin,† and â€Å"light hair [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=hair&%3Bv=56].† The residents of this house [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=house&%3Bv=56] have much lighter-sounding names than those in Heights — Edgar and Isabella. Isabella and Edgar Linton are well behaved and gentle, as refined and civilized as the Grange; Catherine Linton is energetic and warm-hearted, relating to the bright, cheery air of the Grange.[2] In contrast, Heights is governed by natural elements, especially wind, water [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=water&%3Bv=56], fire, and animals. The world at Grange, however, revolves around reason, formality, and money [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=money&%3Bv=56].[2] Heathcliff and Catherine belong to the natural and immaterial world while the Lintons live in a purely material society. Moreover, the inhabitants of Heights were working-class, while those of the Grange were upper-class society. All of the characters in the novel also reflect the masculine and feminine values of the places they live in. Heights is extremely masculine in that it is strong, wild, and primitive, whereas the Grange is seen as more feminine with marked decadence and gentility.[2] Catherine Earnshaw is willful, wild, and strong (masculine) while Edgar Linton is described as weak person (feminine). Heathcliff is always out of place at Grange because he is absolutely masculine. The Lintons are a contrast to Catherine and Heathcliff in that they are safe, spoiled, and cowardly as opposed to being self-willed, strong, and rebellious.[2] When Edgar Linton insults  Heathcliff, Heathcliff throws a bowl of hot applesauce on Edgar, and in response Edgar whines and cries instead of fighting back. While Heights was always full of activity, sometimes to the point of chaos, life at the Grange always seemed peaceful. Heights was always in a state of storminess while Grange always seemed calm.[1] Brontà « made Heathcliff and Wuthering Heights as one, making them both cold, dark, and menacing, similar to a storm. She also made Thrushcross Grange parallel with the Lintons, which has more of a welcoming, peaceful setting. The marriage of Edgar and Catherine is doomed from the very beginning not only because she does not love [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=love&%3Bv=56] him, but also because each one is so strongly associated with the values of his or her home [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=home&%3Bv=56]. Only Hareton and Catherine Linton can sustain a successful mutual relationship because each embodies the psychological characteristics of both Heights and Grange.[2] Catherine appears to display more Linton characteristics than Earnshaw, but her desire to explore the wilderness outside of the Grange links her strongly to the wild Heights people [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=people&%3Bv=56]. Hareton is rough on the edges because of the influence Heathcliff has had on him, but he has a kind and gentle heart as well as a desire to learn and better himself, which makes for an interesting combination of the characteristics of each household. At the end of the story, the garden that Cathy Linton planted is filled with twisted fir trees and domestic plant. These two kinds of plants joining together represent her personality very well. She has wildness, as the twisted fir tree like her mother, and civility as the domestic plants like her father.[2] Emily Bronte also uses weather [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=weather&%3Bv=56] and seasons to create atmosphere and reflect the feelings of the characters. For example, after Heathcliff runs away: â€Å"There was a violent wind, as well as thunder† and a â€Å"storm came rattling over the Heights in full fury† (page 53). This  emphasizes the storm of feelings in the characters concerned.[3] Bronte is able to allow the outer weather [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=weather&%3Bv=56] to symbolize the inner emotional state of Catherine.[4] Other example of changes in the weather [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=weather&%3Bv=56] is when Cathy’s mood changes after her meeting with Heathcliff: â€Å"The rain began to drive through the moaning branches of the trees, and warned us to avoid delay†¦Catherine’s heart was clouded now in double darkness† (page 148).[3] Toward the end of the novel, around the time [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=time&%3Bv=56] of Lockwood’s return to visit Heights, the weather [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=weather&%3Bv=56] suddenly becomes kinder and the setting is friendlier[4] â€Å"It was sweet, warm weather† (page 192). There was â€Å"a fragrance of stocks [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=stocks&%3Bv=56] and wall flowers [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=flowers&%3Bv=56], [that] wafted on the air, from amongst them homely fruit trees†. This represents the peaceful in the Heights. Fundamentally, Bronte’s Wuthering Heights is a tale of two very different households that produce two very different types of people [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=people&%3Bv=56]. As its name suggests, Wuthering Heights is exposed to the wildness of the elements, and it first generation characters are associated with the ‘heights’ of passion. Thruscross Grange has gentler, more cultivated, perhaps Christian (‘cross’) connotations, and it first generation characters are more civilized. In the second generation, the contrast becomes blurred, as Cathy and Hareton plant flowers [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=flowers&%3Bv=56] from the Grange in their garden at the Heights, and finally move to the Grange.[3] Connecting the setting with the time [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=time&%3Bv=56] the novel was written, the contrast between the houses [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=houses&%3Bv=56] portrays the death or decline of Romanticism. Heights is representative of Romantic excess;  wild, passionate, hard. Romantics worshipped nature and were quick to show emotion and/or passion. The Heights is Romanticism taken to excess. Grange, on the other hand, represents the predominant Victorian values of the time–repression of emotions, education [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=education&%3Bv=56], and money [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=money&%3Bv=56]. The end of Wuthering Heights (Cathy and Hareton abandoning Heights and moving [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=moving&%3Bv=56] to Grange) represents the end of Romanticism, and the ultimate dominance of Victorian values.[5] For Jane Eyre, the settings describe the development in Jane’s life. Charlotte Bronte sets her story in the 1840’s, a time [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=time&%3Bv=56] often referred as the Victorian age. By doing this, the reader can get a sense of how women were treated, and what responsibilities they were required to maintain in society. Jane lives in a world and in a time [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=time&%3Bv=56] where society thought women were too fragile to ponder. Women at the time [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=time&%3Bv=56] have barely any rights at all and are not allowed prominent positions.[6] Jane was a very strong woman for her time [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=time&%3Bv=56], as she did not allow people [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=people&%3Bv=56] to mistreat her. She is on a constant search [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=search&%3Bv=56] for love [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=love&%3Bv=56] and goes to many places to find it. Throughout Jane Eyre, as Jane herself moves from one physical location to another (Gateshead Hall, Lowood Institution, Thornfield Manor, Moor House [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=House&%3Bv=56], and Ferndean Manor), the settings match the conflicting circumstances Jane finds herself in at each. â€Å"Each time [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=time&%3Bv=56] Jane moves from one locale to another the narrative breaks to set the scene and stress [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=stress&%3Bv=56] that this setting  will form a new stage in Jane’s life†[7] As Jane grows older and her hopes and dreams change, the settings she finds herself in are perfectly accustomed to her state of mind, but her circumstances are always defined by the walls, real and figurative, around her.[8] As a young girl, she is essentially trapped in Gateshead. Her life as a child is sharply delineated by the walls of the house [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=house&%3Bv=56]. She is not made to feel wanted within them and her emotional needs were ignored. Another place, Lowood, is bounded by high walls that sharply define Jane’s world. Except for Sunday services, the girls of Lowood never leave the limits of those walls. Jane has always lived within physical walls and even as a teacher at Lowood had to get permission to leave. Thornfield is in the open country and Jane is free [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=free&%3Bv=56] from restrictions on her movements. She is still restricted, in a sense, but now she is living with relative freedom.[8] This home [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=home&%3Bv=56] was a turning point in Jane’s life because it was the place that major maturing took place in Jane’s life. She finally was able to feel true love [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=love&%3Bv=56] and be loved back, and the love that she had was true love. At Moor House [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=House&%3Bv=56], the walls that Jane finds herself within are attractive because of the companionship of Mary and Diana. In the end, she returns to Rochester at Ferndean and, she thinks, to the walls that suit her best. All the walls that had restricted her are gone. She has moved beyond the walls and can be the person that she truly is.[8] This home [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=home&%3Bv=56] was very different than the other ones that Jane lived in; it was the one that she was truly happy in although it was just a simple home [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=home&%3Bv=56]. Each setting is dominated by different tone. At Gateshead, the tone is passionate, superstitious, and wild. This shows us the irrational elements in Jane’s character. The tone at Lowood is cold, hard, and constrained and reflects the limitations placed on young women by religious thought and social convention. At Thornfield, the setting is personal [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=personal&%3Bv=56] and symbolic, for instance the house [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=house&%3Bv=56] itself is identified with Rochester.[7] At Moor House [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=House&%3Bv=56] the tone again becomes more stifling and oppressive as Jane slips back into a more conventional way of behaving, and begin to feel the limitations of St John’s urge to self-sacrifice.[7] When we finally reach Ferndean, we move at last from fear and anticipation to delight. The novel therefore swings between the irrational – Gateshead and Thornfield – and the ratio nal – Lowood and Moor House [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=House&%3Bv=56] – reflecting the division within Jane herself, until resolution is achieved at Ferndean.[7] Here, we can see that Bronte uses setting as an important role in the search [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=search&%3Bv=56] for domesticity. Instead of returning to her childhood home [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=home&%3Bv=56] to find domesticity, Jane cannot find home [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=home&%3Bv=56] until she moves to a totally different place. Setting plays an equally important role as she moves from Gateshead Hall to Lowood to Thornfield to Moor House [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=House&%3Bv=56], and finally to Freudian Manor. She cannot find her native ideal at Gateshead Hall, the site of her childhood torment; or Lowood, a boarding school; or Thornfield, where Rochester hid his first wife and almost became a bigamist; or Moor House [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=House&%3Bv=56], where St. John’s presence constantly reminds her of true love [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=love&%3Bv=56] rarity. She and Rochester can on ly create their own domestic haven in a totally new and fresh setting. Consequently, by allowing Jane to go through so many different settings, Bronte is showing the growth that she undergoes. This growth is from a temperamental young girl to a strong married woman. From those two novels discussed here, we can see that both authors use setting as an important mean in building the characters. If in Wuthering Heights the setting has a function to tell about the character’s nature; where each character distinctly represents the house [http://www.ntsearch.com/search.php?q=house&%3Bv=56] he or she lives in and the values associated with it; then Jane Eyre uses setting to show the development happens in the character’s life. From here, we can see that the setting seems to mimic the feeling of the individuals that are within the novel.

Act of Union Essay

Assess the causes of the Act of Union of 1800, and consider the ways in which the Articles of Union themselves were intended to solve the apparent problems in Ireland’s constitutional, political and religious relationship with England. Your essay must make reference to the relevant document studied in seminar 5. There were several significant causes of the Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland in 1800, most notably, the United Irishmen rebellion of 1798, along with the French landing at Killala in North Mayo. The United Irishmen, a radical mixed religious group, had began a campaign against British rule in Ireland in 1798. This rebellion was centered around Wexford, Wicklow and a protestant linen worker rebellion in Antrim. The rebellion was poorly organized and coordinated, and many parts of the country were left undisturbed. Although it was yet another rebellion by the Irish that was defeated, it fast forwarded the long standing idea that a political, constitutional and military union was needed between the two countries to prevent further war, or even worse, for Ireland to become a stepping stone in a French invasion of The British Isles. The worry about a French invasion starting in Ireland was compounded by a small French landing in north Mayo, that led to two battles, at Castlebar and Ballinamuck. The French landing was requested by Wolfe Tone, a protestant who was viewed as the leader of the United Irishmen. Wolfe Tone was influenced by the French and American Revolutions, and passed this influence onto the United Irishmen. The fact that the American Revolution had occurred so recently also had another major bearing on the Act of Union. the British parliament did not want to lose another colony, especially not one this close to home. This most likely would have being seen as a major weakness by the other European powers of the time. The French revolution, which promised freedom to all religions and races, and equal rights to all men would also have being seen as a threat to George III, the current monarch, who’s Coronation Oath held him to uphold and secure the Protestant faith. Article Fifth of the Act of Union combined the Church of Ireland and the Church of England into one central Protestant Episcopal Church. It also made the protestant faith the official religion of Ireland. The unity of the churches would also have bred the hope that more of the Catholic majority in Ireland would be converted. This would have being a vital cause for the union getting voted through the all protestant Irish parliament, as the protestants were outnumbered by Catholics in the general population at a ratio of 3:11. Should the Act of Union pass, they would be on the opposite side, it would be a 3:11 protestant majority. On a related topic, Robert Peel had earlier being responsible for the ending of several of the penal laws, all since the threat of war began in France. In 1793 Catholics could vote and become lawyers for the first time. He also played a part in the repeal of Poynings Law, which allowed the Irish parliament to enact its own laws without influence from London for the first time since the Norman Invasion. However, vitally, he could not hold his nerve to repeal the Penal law that stopped Catholics from holding a place in parliament and many Irish people would have thought this was the most important, as they could only vote for the entirely protestant government. Pitt had supported the Act Of Union in 1800, but had originally planned to follow it with more far reaching ideas, such as Catholic emancipation. However George III, after signing the Act of Union into law in August 1800, refused to support full Catholic emancipation on the basis that it would be contrary to his Coronation Oath. While the Act of Union was defeated the first time in the Irish parliament, it was passed on the second time of asking. Certain peerages, pensions and certain honors were offered to Irish politicians and Irish critics in return for voting for the act in the second time of asking. The first attempt to pass the law was beaten 109 votes against to 104 votes for, but, on the second time of asking in 1800, the results showed 150 for, compared to 115 against. Also, since the repeal of Poynings law, the Irish had being in charge of their own finances, and had bankrupt the country. When much the same thing had happened to Scotland in the 17th century, a Union with Britain had helped the Scottish overcome their financial difficulties. The Act of Union was intended to solve many of Irelands problems in different ways. Article first stated that Ireland and Britain would ‘be united into one Kingdom, by the Name of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland’. This essentially made Ireland a sister kingdom to Britain, with the same laws, religion and parliament. However as time showed, these sister kingdoms were not treated equally, with very little worry being given to the Great Famine of 1845-49. Although it may initially have being seen to calm some insurgency in Ireland, it was not a suitable long-term arrangement unless great measures were taken to assimilate the large Catholic majority. These measures were not taken, and Catholic Ireland still felt like it was being given the short straw without emancipation. Article Second simply stated that the continuation of the Imperial Crown ‘shall continue limited and settled in the same manner as the Succession to the Imperial Crown of the said Kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland’. This was to ensure that a protestant was always going to be in power as a monarch in Great Britain, and that the new Union with Ireland would not have an influence on the process of picking a new king or queen. The third article was perhaps the most important in terms of change, as it was the article that fully combined the two parliaments into a single entity. This was the most influential article, as it caused many of the upper class representatives that Ireland would have to move out of Dublin and over to London, to be closer to political affairs. This caused a decline in the importance of Dublin as a major European city, and shifted most of the influential Irish people out of the country. It may also have lead to the idea of Absentee landlords, another thing that was seen by the Irish as a cause of the Great Famine. Article Fourth was simply involved in the representation of Ireland in the new parliament. The election of 28 Electoral Lords for life would have guaranteed a continuation of protestant ascendancy in the British House of Lords. This would not have went well with the catholic majority of Ireland as they would have zero representation in the House of Lords, which had the ability to veto any laws passed by the House of Commons. Any chance of a law hat passed a pro-Catholic law would have being immediately put down by the protestant powers in the House of Lords, so even if George III did not veto the hopes for Catholic emancipation then the House of Lords would surely have. The 8th article was a constitutional article that ensured the continuation of all laws from before the act, in both Britain and Ireland. It stated ‘That all Laws in force at the time of the Union, and all the Courts of Civil and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction within the respective Kingdoms, shall remain as now by Law established within the same’ This was a safety mechanism to prevent any problems with the transition between separate and united kingdom’s. If this article had not being put in place then, theoretically the parliament in London would have had to enact new laws that could potentially damage the political and hostile situation in Ireland. As you can see, the Act of Union was hoped to be a permanent solution to the problems in Ireland, and planned to consolidate the British Isles under one rulership. The Articles in the Act of Union attempted to promote the protestant faith, in particular the Anglican faith, in Ireland, and in the long term hoped to transform the rebellious Catholic majority into equal citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Although it was unsuccessful in the long run, it was a historic event that worked in other parts of the empire, such as Scotland.

Gender Related Issues Essay

Complete a search for journal articles (professional) that include gender related cognitive issues. Report back to the group through the discussion forum on an understanding of the gender related cognitive abilities. Look for flaws and strengths in specific examples and applications. Thinking is a normal process in everybody’s life. The activities of the neurons giving signals to the brains are helpful in giving the body commands to act on a certain activity or to feel and even to think. Men and women think in every part of their lives, except when they are under comatose by which patients remain unconscious for over a certain time. Studies often say that men and women think very differently. Many various tests in college and even in high schools show that men are far more different in abilities in math than of women; this is also the same reason why men are more selected on job opportunities, especially to those in depth analysis. Women are often regarded as underdogs in the fields where numbers exist. An article from â€Å"Think Again† says that the old belief of the big thinking difference among men and women is a bluff. It suggests a cultural shaping wherein minds of the people are programmed to expect less from women in terms of thinking. Evidences from the article say that the shaping mentioned above is a controlling factor to the performance of many. With the psychological mind – set that men are better than women, women tend to perform and feel insecure about them and in turn would result to grades that are really degrading. The article focuses on the factors that are apparent in the 18th to the 21st centuries by which the â€Å"shaping† is already present. It could have presented or showed us factors from the time before Christ or in the Middle Ages to greatly describe the so-called cultural reasons. It could have given a proof why girls are often regarded for household chores and not with jobs that they can participate with boys. On the other hand, the article may be a helpful guide to parents and teachers to mold the children without inculcating the notion of men being superior in analyzing and solving things. The statements that tell about performances after giving the biases may be true for people around the world and should be avoided to have optimum performance in different work places. 2. Complete a search for journal articles (professional) that include gender related communication issues. . Report back to the group through the discussion forum on an understanding of gender related communication. Look for flaws and strengths in specific examples and applications. Emotions are part of a well-being. It is also a measure if a person is healthy or not. Girls tend to have more emotions than boys, or have it something to do with the misinterpretation of the crowd? As girls or women are termed to be good in emotions, they are also termed as good communicators than men. Girls are very vocal with their ideas and feelings. An article of Cynthia Burggraf Torppa says that the idea of women having an edge with communicating with other people is a misnomer. It said that men and women just don’t understand each other with the lines that they say. Also, there are terms given such as â€Å"rapport talkers† which women are experts on. Women communicate with other people that trigger emotions and feelings while men are termed â€Å"report talkers† that focus on facts and details about a certain topic. Indeed, there are differences about men and women as also stated in Men are from Mars, women are from Venus. The article mentioned can help readers understand more others. That is to say, men and women should practice listening between the lines so that misunderstandings will be avoided. Since women are really emotional, they must be sensitive also with what their men are feeling. The differences matter mostly on marriages, so I recommend that the article could have started and stated on something that happens in childhood and teenage life so that readers will also be guided when and where to hit their punch lines. Men and women must be treated equally as they are all created with the same will and love of the Lord Almighty. References Cynthia Burggraf Torppa. Gender Issues: Communication Differences in Interpersonal Relationships. 2002. Retrieved 11 April 2008 from http://ohioline. osu. edu/flm02/FS04. html. American Psychological Association. Psychology Matters. Think Again: Men and Women Share Cognitive Skills. 2006. Retrieved 11 April 2008 from http://www. psychologymatters. org/thinkagain. html

The Emergence and development of landscape painting Article

The Emergence and development of landscape painting - Article Example The essay "The Emergence and development of landscape painting" explores landscape painting, its development, and emergence. A painter must capture the actual features of the scenery ensuring the use of appropriate colors among other elements of the art. The art has grown progressively to become a fundamental aspect of nearly every form of painting, landscape painting often form appropriate backgrounds for numerous paintings. Landscape painting has been an integral aspect of panting among other types of art for numerous years. However, the first actual landscape paintings were the frescos developed in Greece around the 1500BCE. Such were a series of paintings that had no human depiction. Besides the frescos, numerous other paintings at the time had depicted natural scenery owing to the importance of nature. Painters captured hunting scenes provided a detailed representation of the natural scenery thus giving rise to landscape painting. Landscape painting thus changed throughout the h istory of art. During such periods as the medieval, the renascence and earlier centuries, numerous artists contributed to the development of the landscape maintaining by adding new twists thus contributing to the development of the contemporary landscape painting. During the medieval times, landscape painting remained a reserve as backgrounds in other paintings. Most painters at the time depicted natural scenery only as part of other paintings. As explained earlier, natural scenery forms appropriate backgrounds for painters.

Parents Sexuality Influence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Parents Sexuality Influence - Essay Example The discussion of the sexuality of children with their parents is least common. However, many people think that sexuality education must be taught from the parents. Neither the parents nor the children are not prepared to talk with each other on issues which are common at teenage like drinking, sex, drug usage etc. Many of the parents do care about such issues, want their children to have safe and healthy sex, but they don't get the appropriate time to discuss, thinks talking on sex is a vulgar subject, and do not feel comfortable in discussion it. This may be because of big generation gap between them. However, the daughter consults more than the sons do. Most of the teenagers prefer to consult sexuality education centers for their problems. These centers are quite useful as they keep young people aware of the consequences and risks of premature sex. Having sex at young age can be both harmful physically and psychologically. The society in which people are living also influences in parent-children relationship. Some society, which are conservative and are more under religious influence find it a bit easier to discuss than in socially affected place. However, it is the duty of the parents, at a certain age i.e. 14-18 years of their children, the parents must take their children into confidence and discuss on their sexual development. This is the age where sexuality becomes more common among teenagers. The people need to make it clear that sexuality is the part of maturity of humans. The parents need to talk with their children and discuss sexuality issues. The fathers can talk with the sons, similarly the mothers with their daughters, discuss about the consequences of sexuality and advice them on periodic basis i.e. after six months or yearly basis of the consequences of sexuality. In this way, if children face any serious problems, the parents can consult medical consultants or may require regular treatments. The parents need to show more frankness, openness, and attentiveness in their attitude when discussing sexuality with the children. The parents need to keep their tone cool and humble, and answer them seriously. The privac y of the child must be kept intact. The father can tell the sons about the usage of condoms and mothers can help daughters when they are in their sexual periods. However, children think their parents can help them in making their sexual decisions. Awareness Among Younger generation: The parents and sexuality centers need to provide awareness among the younger generation about the sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) such as HIV/AIDS etc. If not dealt properly with such diseases, improper pregnancy, inappropriate sex etc can be very deadly. In many European countries like Netherlands and Germany they have started sexuality awareness programs through electronic media, where parents come and give useful information to young masses. These sexuality communities can also help the parents in making them better sex educators. However in France, the children are send to such centers, and the parents cannot withdraw them before the age of 13. Although sexual education can be taught from other sources, but the love and care parents can give, children cannot get it from anywhere. Bibliography: Press Release TeenPregnancy.org. Teens Say Parents Most Influence Their Sexual Decisions.

Define qualitative research, and consider its appropriateness to your Essay

Define qualitative research, and consider its appropriateness to your own educational research - Essay Example Qualitative research focuses on the collection of non-numerical data such as narratives and unstructured interviews. The qualitative approach is often associated with post-positivist, hermeneutic or constructive schools of thought (Evers and Walker, 2005: 42). Each of these approaches provides researchers with different paradigms or conceptions and views of research problems and methods. As a result, the conclusions generated from each of these methodologies are different. Accordingly, methodology deals with the methods and principles used in an activity, the researcher explain how he did the research, the methods of data collection, materials used, subjects interviewed, or places he visited. Give a detailed account of how and when he carried out his research. Explain why he used the particular methods, which he did use, rather than other methods. Once a person has decided upon a research topic, the next important step is to choose an appropriate method. He may decide on a qualitative study, collecting data by interview, or you may choose a quantitative method, carrying out a survey by means of a self-completion questionnaire. In order to have a good piece of research, a researcher must have a detailed plan of how the research will be conducted. A good research design not only will anticipate and specify the seemingly countless decisions connected with planning and carrying out data collection, processing, and analysis, but also will present a logical basis for these decisions. As a researcher, several different questions surface concerning which design to choose. The distinction between design and method must be made clear. The design is your plan, whereas the method is the means by which you investigate your research interest (Bassey, M. 1999, 24-26). One of the key decisions a researcher must make is how to operationalize their research study. Often, a researcher decision to choose

Significant event in your life Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Significant event in your life - Assignment Example My liking for horses became stronger with every passing day. I repeatedly asked my parents to get me a horse, but they kept giving me the same answer: that a horse was expensive, and that I needed money that I would use to was and feed it. This information almost dashed my hopes of ever riding a horse, let alone owning one. I reverted to my television shows, every day seeing someone on horseback, galloping away. Somewhere deep down in my heart I knew that one day I would ride a horse across the plains and into the jungle. A few years later, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, I was taking a walk in the country. The air was humid and the sky was clear. The strong wind blew dust into my eyes as I turned my eyes towards a group of people gathered in some field. I quickly rubbed my eyes to have a clearer view. On looking, I saw a group of people on horsebacks and in helmets, with a stick that appeared to be a hockey stick, chasing at a ball-like thing. I innocently inquired from a stranger what they were doing, and the stranger whispered the word ‘Polo’. I decided to go back home, excited at hearing a new word which I was sure was connected to the horses that I had just seen. I searched the dusty magazines that my father stacked in the library adjacent to his room. At first, I almost gave up because of the huge piles of books, some of which spread all over the floor. I took a deep sigh and embarked on my search. Almost an hour later, I found an old magazine, tattered at the borders. The magazine was in bad shape; the cover page, which had a woman in a helmet that resembled the ones I had seen the riders in earlier that day, had coffee spilt all over it, some pages were missing from the inside and some were folded at the edges. I dusted it off and looked inside. That was my first encounter with Polo. Since that day, I always talked about Polo with every chance I would get. I kept saying to my friends that I wanted to play Polo

Academic Misconduct Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Academic Misconduct - Research Paper Example Through such a level of discussion and analysis, it is the hope of this author that the reader will gain a more informed and rational understanding with respect to societal norms, the means through which individuals seek to engage with cheating as a means of benefiting themselves The innate and tacit drive for cheating (as well as what causes it), the benefits as compared to the risks, and the types and variety of cheating that is represented throughout scholastics within the current era. Further, a cursory analysis with regards to the scope and impacts of unlimited cheating will be discussed. Firstly, it must be understood cheating is something of a social phenomena within the world. Although the impacts of cheating within scholastics have only recently come to a broad level of understanding, the fact of the matter is that cheating is a type of social problem that traces its origins back to the innate desire for an individual to gain a competitive advantage over his/her peers with the least amount of effort. Ultimately, the human spirit is one that continually seeks for self betterment and a level of advantage over their fellow students (Bing et al. 29). Oftentimes, this desire to be better engages the individual to try harder and exert their selves more fully. However, oftentimes, the case is that the individual seeks a shortcut with regards to maintaining an advantage and reaching a desired goal. This shortcut can either be the reduction in the overall quality of the work that they represent or it can be referenced with regards to the fact that the seek to cheat in one form or the other as a means of providing themselves the benefits that had previously been mentioned. Regardless of the way in which cheating is defined, it must be understood cheating is not localized to the University or secondary education systems. Rather, from an early age, children are made aware

Micronutrien metabolism past and present (synthesis of vitamin A from Essay

Micronutrien metabolism past and present (synthesis of vitamin A from beta carotene) - Essay Example In addition, the evolution of the recommended dietary intakes of vitamin A will be discussed. Elmer V. McCollum and M. Davis discovered vitamin A during 1912-1914. In 1913, Yale researchers, Thomas Osborne and Lafayette Mendel discoveredthat butter contained a fat-soluble nutrient soon known as vitamin A. Scientist of this era had determined that there was vitamin A activity from yellow pigmentation in plants that was similar to the yellow in butterfat. Early researchers went on to deny the possibility of a relationship between yellow coloration in plants and vitamin A activity based on findings from Palmer and Eccles, 1914. Palmer and Eccles achieved success in rearing chickens and rats up with diets almost devoid of carotene. In addition, Stephenson [1920] found that butter fat could be completely stripped of color by charcoal without losing its retinol activity. It was not until 1929 when the link between carotene and vitamin A activity was reestablished. Thomas Moore in 1929 continued research between carotene and vitamin A activity in rats from carrot root. In Moore's experiment test rats were fed a vitamin A restricted diet until definite signs of deficiency become obvious, Xerophthalmia (night blindness) and slowed growth. Fresh carrot root cut into pieces of 50, 100 or 200 mg. were added to the rodents daily intake. In all rats receiving 200 or 100 mg. of carrot xerophthalmia was cured and steady growth was resumed. In one rat receiving 50 mg. of carrot no response was observed. In addition, the experiments carried out by Moore in 1929 (T, 1929) confirmed the appearance of vitamin A in liver upon the oral dose of carotene. It was assumed that conversion occurred in the liver but direct evidence to prove the fact was not known. In 1931, the first claim of the conversion "in vitro" was brought into account from experiments by Olcott and McCann. They incubated carotene in an enzyme preparation, carotenase, for 24 hours. The product of this experiment became colorless with an absorption band at 3280 under specrspoic examination. The results of this experiment were not duplicated in subsequent procedures when the carotenase had been deactivated by heat. There was evidence that carotene went through some sort of enzymatic process but the specifics were still unknown. Since the early 1900's much has evolved in our knowledge of how -carotene is converted into vitamin A. Olson JA in 2008 discussed the Provitamin A of carotenoids with respects to the conversion of -carotene into vitamin A. Two pathways have been suggested for the conversion of carotenoids to vitamin A in mammals, central cleavage and eccentric cleavage. -carotenoid-15-15-dioxygenase convert -carotene into two molecules of retinal in good yield. The reaction requires molecular oxygen but, is inhibited by sulphydryl-binding and iron binding reagents. This enzyme is responsible for cleavage of most provitamin A carotenoids to retinal. The excentric cleavage occurs in plants and some microorganism and might also occur in mammals. In Microcystis species, there is a highly specific and essential stochiometric conversion of -carotene to cyclocitral and to crocetin-dial. But, till this report was published no mammalian carotenoid dioxygenase with excentric bond specificity was identified an d characterized. The

Americas Free

Americas Freedom Essay Two hundred thousand people stood out in front of the Lincoln Memorial Monument on the 28th of August, 1963, lead by the tongues of musicians, artists, poets, and writers rather than politicians and leaders. It was the dawn of a new age in American history, a novel dawn of reason. Mostly young people, who were able to overcome religion, race, sex and all other physical aspects of the human kind stood in search of freedom and liberty, as was promised to their ancestors in the words of the Declaration of Independence. Ever since the great migrations at the beginning of the 20th century, when over 1. 2 million immigrants came rushing in through Manhattans doors in seek of a better life, Americas society has stirred and evolved more than that of any other nation on the planet. It was the harsh economic situation, which followed Napoleons defeat in 1815, and the stench which had foreshadowed the beginning of a new war which had forced the peoples of so many European countries to move out of their homes and settle into a new and more promising land. America was not only a new world in physical means; it was a world which had new, better rules. Freedom had been promised to all who were to step on its lands. Its constitution had spoken in a most loud and proud manner; All men are created equal. Unfortunately, this truth was not visible, even in the cracks and nooks of society. In that time the people did not give attention to problems such as discrimination. In Bob Dylans unpublished notes, he states; It was too cold to be rebellious. The weather had equalized everything. There was not much philosophy; and it was a more simple time. There was simply no idiom, or ideology to go against. However, the first step to fulfilling societys equality was on the horizon, for the first protests for womens equality had begun. It took a whole six decades before women gained the right to vote. The movement had been divided by fighting all until 1848, when pioneer feminists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott had organized the Seneca Falls Convention to push for womens rights, uniting in 1890 under the banner of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. The association later evolved into the League of Woman Voters, which still plays a significant role in the U. S. election process. Overall, the Nineteenth Amendment was the product of nonviolent organized effort of women suffragists, and it was much more than the welcoming of both genders at the poll. It was the beginning of a century long process known as the forming of a new and libelous America.

The Israeli Palestinian Conflict Analysis

The Israeli Palestinian Conflict Analysis The Israeli Palestinian conflict is the conflict that has been going on between Israel and Palestine. It refers to the political tensions and hostilities between the Arab and Jewish community in the Middle East that lasted over a century. The conflict started in the late nineteenth century. This was the period that Ottoman Empire rule where Arabs at the ottoman Palestine considered themselves part of the overall Arab territories which were under the rule of the same empire. The disputes that arose in this time were caused by religious affiliations. Discussion The start of the conflict is traced to Jewish immigration to Palestine after the Zion movement was established. It is seen as part of Arab nationalism. The central argument is that the people of the Arab universe constitute one nation that is brought together by a common language, culture, religion and historical heritage. The conflict started as a political and national affair that was about competition for territorial issues following the failure of the Ottoman Empire (Milton-Edwards 15). In 1917 to 1948 the Jewish Arab conflict arose over the land of the Palestine. Both parties were under the British rule. Between 1948 and 1967 Israel was declared a state and was followed by a war that lasted six days. British mandate was terminated from Palestine. For armies from Jordan, Syria, Iraq sand Egypt invaded the then formed Israel. The war ended with Israel winning. It took territory beyond borders for a proposed Jewish state and the borders for a proposed Palestinian state. From 1967 to 1973 Arab leaders met in Khartoum to try and respond to the war. They resolved not to recognize, not to initiate peace and not to negotiate with Israel but instead started the attrition war in order to make Israel give in the Sinai Peninsula. The war ended in 1970 after the death of Nasser. In 1973 Egypt and Syria attacked Israel. The Israel army was not prepare and took sometime to get themselves organized. The use and the Soviet Union joined. When Israel started taking control of the war USSR threatened to intervene with its military. The USA made a cease fire in October 1973 avoiding the nuclear war. Egypt signed a treaty with Israel in 1979 to end the conflict. The Sinai Peninsula was given back to Egypt and the Gaza strip remained with Israel. Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994. In 1981, Israel attacked Iraq and decoyed the nuclear equipment that had been created. The gulf war erupted and Iraq fired 39 missiles to Israel which did not respond to this to eliminate chances of encouraging a great war (Gunderson 93). In September 1970, on the black September, thousands of people died mostly Palestinians when Hashemite king Hussein quashed the autonomy of Palestinian organizations. From 2000, violence between Israel and Palestinian armies intensified. The violence has mainly featured Hamas militants, Hezbollah fighters, and Palestinian and Israeli soldiers. Groups on the two sides including Hamas and gush emunim created religious arguments on their uncompromising beliefs. Israel through the likud party puts forward that they have a biblical right over the land of Israel and its attachments. Christian zonists support the Israelites because they agree with the ancestral right of land for the Jews to Israel. Muslims also claim that they have a religious connection to the land of Israel through the Quran. The Muslims argue that Israel was promised to all descendants of Abraham including the children of Ishmael, Abrahamà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s eldest son. The Jewson the other hand claim that Israel was given to the descendants of Abraham`s younger son Isaac only. The Muslims despise all holy places that Jews bring out from the bible for example the temple mount and put their own such as the dome of the rock. Thus Muslims claim that Muhammad passed through Jerusalem when he was going to heaven making Israel the Islamic waqf that must be ruled by Muslims. Apart from the religious issue, the land issue also aggravated the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The two nations have been for a long time been involved in conflict over land issues. Israeli settlement in the western part has been the main land issue. The occupation of the wet bank and Gaza strip has been the main focus. Palestine wanted Israel to return all the land that it conquered in the 1967 war. Israel refused to do so and instead continued to develop settlements through out the peace process. Refugees that were pushed away from their homes in 1948 when Israel was created and others who were affected in 1967 has been an issue in the conflict. Palestinians want these refuges to be resettled at their original homes in Israel. Israel has opposed the resettlement of these refuges claiming that it will result to Arab Palestinian majority and would finish Israel as a state for Jews (PappÃÆ' © 188). The Palestinian state has also been an issue of concern. The Palestinian liberation movement wanted a two state solution which Israel is against. Mainstream Palestinian wants a state to be created in the west bank and Gaza. Israelis are opposed to this because they think it will act as a breeding ground for terror associations. Israel repression in response to Palestinian violence became a major issue of concern in the conflict. It did this first by reducing the entrance of Palestine at the border. This brought down Palestinians standards of living and was humiliated at the check points. Following terror attacks, Israeli forces opened fire quickly sometimes killing innocent civilians (Gelvin 123). The conflict between Israel and Palestine has had some serious implications. Monetary implications have been great for the two countries. Much money and funds have been used to purchase arms and equipment used in the war. Millions of dollars have lost, stagnating the economic growth of the two countries. Heavy budgeting on the war has had a negative influence on the economies of the two countries. The conflict has contributed to a water crisis in the Middle East. Population growth has exuded the water available for the two nations. Water is perceived as a gift from God to which people should have an inalienable right. The Dead Sea which is located at the lowest elevation is slowly vanishing. This is due to the gradual water loss. The sea ha split in to two separate lakes and its coastline resided considerably. Israel and Arab governments have diverted the water for agricultural and industrial purposes. This replenishes the red sea. The Palestinian government has demanded that it wants a fare share of the water. Official and unofficial actors from the international community should seek to create forums and time to promote brainstorming and exchange of ideas that involve Israeli and Palestinian communities with regard to peace and ways of achieving it. This not only raises the awareness of each others grievances but also formation of equal and strong networks where ideas are voiced without consequence. Communities and leaders must be ready for and be encouraged to make compromise in order to achieve peace. Arab states are supposed to help Palestinians in this process. Americans and Europeans are supposed to work through political options ahead of negotiations. This support would enable Palestinian leadership to pick up on the positive Israel gestures and proposals as well as pressure Israeli leadership to respect international momentum towards peace. Conclusion Lastly there is need for leaders and communities to face the hard truths of the conflict. The basic issues such as the borders, security, refugee return and settlement are not going away but must be faced in peace efforts. Efforts must address the security of Israel and the finality of the agreement, making clear to Palestinians Arabs that it is final.

Association of Lipid Profile in Pregnancy with Pre-eclampsia

Association of Lipid Profile in Pregnancy with Pre-eclampsia Association of Lipid Profile in Pregnancy with Pre-eclampsia, Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and Preterm delivery Babita Ghodke*,1, Raghuram Puskuru2, Varshil Mehta3, Kunal Bhuta4 1Associate Professor, 2Senior Resident, 3Intern, 4Junior Resident Department of Medicine, MGM Medical College, Navi Mumbai, India. Abstract Introduction: During last two trimesters of pregnancy, glucose is spared (for the foetus) while the concentration of fatty acids in plasma increases which can create complications like Preeclampsia, Gestational diabetes mellitus and preterm delivery. Aim: To study the association of serum lipid levels during second and third trimester with the development of pregnancy associated diseases like preeclampsia, GDM and preterm. Methods and Materials: The present study was carried out at MGM Hospital, Navi Mumbai, India.   200 antenatal cases from October, 2012 to October 2014 were enrolled after taking an informed consent. Statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. All reported p-values are two-tailed, and confidence intervals were calculated at the 95% level. Results: In pre-eclamptic patients, the mean Systolic Blood Pressure was 151.40 mm/Hg and mean diastolic blood pressure was 74.03 mm/Hg in third trimester. In pre-eclamptic patients, the mean serum triglyceride levels in second trimester was 204.00 mg/dl while 243.20 md/dl in third trimester. In Gestational Diabetes Mellitus patients, the mean serum triglyceride was 214.33 mg/dl in second trimester while 230.50 mg/dl in third trimester. In patients with preterm, the mean triglycerides levels 212.83 mg/dl and 240.16 mg/dl in second and third trimester respectively. In pre-eclamptic patients the mean serum cholesterol levels in second trimester was 210 mg/dl, while in third trimester, it was 243.60 mg/dl. In GDM patients, the mean serum cholesterol was 223.50 mg/dl and 242.83 mg/dl in second and third trimester respectively. 213.33 mg/dl and 243.66 mg/dl were the means cholesterol levels in second and third trimester respectively in patients with preterm. Out of total 200 patients 168 had no complications, while 20 {10%} had preeclampsia, 6 {3%} had Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and 6 {3%} had preterm deliveries. Conclusion:An association between maternal early pregnancy triglyceridaemia, and the subsequent risk of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and preterm deliveries was observed. Occurrence of Preeclampsia, Gestational Diabetes and Preterm deliveries cannot be predicted based on the values of Serum Cholesterol, HDL-Cholesterol, LDL-Cholesterol and VLDL-Cholesterol. Hence estimation of lipid profile is strongly recommended during pregnancy to prevent deleterious effect of hyperlipidaemia associated with pregnancy. Keywords: Lipid Profile, Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Preterm, Preeclampsia, Pregnancy related disease. 1. Introduction Pregnancy is a physiological process which causes profound changes in the body. It leads to an increase in demands for metabolic fuels and also causes alteration in hormonal levels which may cause few changes in lipid profile during pregnancy [1]. During last two trimesters, glucose is spared (for the foetus) while the concentration of fatty acids in plasma increases which leads to Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) and Gestational Hypertension (GHTN) respectively. Freinkel had described this process as accelerated starvation, and facilitated anabolism [2]. GDM and GHTN can lead to peri and postpartum complications. Pregnancy is often also complicated with diseases which can hamper Cardio-Vascular System. GDM and GHTN are few of them which can develop type 2 diabetes and systemic hypertension in later part of life [3,4]. In our previous study, we showed that total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol increases in last two trimesters. The increase is even greater in third trimester, when compared to the second. However, HDL-Cholesterol levels are decreased in third trimester when compared to that of second. The study concluded that the estimation of lipid profile is highly recommended during pregnancy due to its association with high levels of triglycerides which may lead to Pre-eclampsia, GDM and preterm delivery [5]. The present study is a continuation of our previous study and here, it evaluates the clinical significance of the lipid profile level in pregnancy and its effect on the development of pregnancy induced diseases like GDM, pre-eclampsia and preterm. 2. Aim To study the association of serum lipid levels during second and third trimester with the development of pregnancy associated diseases like preeclampsia, GDM and preterm. 3. Material, Methods, Ethics, Statistical Analysis, Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria The present study is a continuation of our previous study and the material, methods, ethics, inclusion and exclusion criteria could be obtained from our previous study [5]. In brief, the present study was conducted at Mahatma Gandhi Mission Hospital, Navi Mumbai, India. A total of 200 pregnant local women were enrolled from October 2012 to 2014. Out of the 200 subjects, 10 developed GHTN in late third trimester which was detected after 32nd week during follow-up which were also included. The venous blood sample was collected from all subjects for measurement of lipid profile in the 16th week and 32nd week of gestation for analysis. All pregnant women with a singleton pregnancy with a gestational age of 13-28 weeks, irrespective of parity and gravida were included. Pregnant women in whom hypertension (HTN) was detected before 14 weeks and those with diseases or complications like chronic HTN, Diabetes, Renal Disorders and Thyroid Disorders, Obstetric and Foetal Complications (Hydrops foetalis, congenital foetal anomalies) were excluded. Statistical analyses were performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0. All reported P values are two-tailed, and confidence intervals were calculated at the 95% level. The data was presented using frequencies, percentages, descriptive statistics followed by charts and graphs. Level of significance was set at 5%. All p-values less than 0.05 were treated as significant. 4. Results The mean age of patients was 24.87 years with a SD of 2.7 years. The minimum age was 18 years and the maximum age was 30 years. 4.1 Blood Pressure The mean Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) in second trimester was 117.03 mm/Hg with a SD of 10.33 mm/Hg. In third trimester, it was increased to 120.77 with a SD of 14.675. In pre-eclamptic patients, the mean SBP was 151.40 with a SD 6.05. (p =0.00) in third trimester. There was a highly significant statistical difference in the mean blood pressure values among normal and pre-eclamptic women in third trimester. The mean Diastolic Blood Pressure in our study in third trimester was 72.11 mm/Hg with a SD of 6.88 mm/Hg. In third trimester, the mean SBP was increased to 74.03 with a SD of 8.616. In pre-eclamptic patients the mean was 92.00 with a SD 2.59 (p =0.00). There was a highly significant statistical difference in the mean blood pressure values among normal and pre-eclamptic women in third trimester. Out of total 200 patients 168 had no complications, while 20 had preeclampsia, 6 had GDM and 6 had preterm deliveries. 4.2 Association of Triglycerides with Preeclampsia, GDM and Preterm The below table (figure 1) indicates the 95% confidence interval for triglyceride levels for patients with outcomes of Preeclampsia, GDM and Preterm. The mean triglyceride level in second trimester was 188.68 mg/dl with a standard deviation of 20.88 mg/dl. In third trimester, the mean triglyceride (TG) level was increased to 216.78 mg/dl with a standard deviation of 20.09 mg/dl [5]. In pre-eclamptic patients, the mean serum triglyceride levels in second trimester was 204.00 with a SD 18.904 (p =0.00), while in third trimester, the mean was 243.20 with a SD of 15.58 (p =0.00). There was significant statistical significance observed between serum triglyceride levels and pre-eclampsia in both second and third trimesters (figure 1). Outcome Trimester Mean N SD SEM 95 % CI Lower Bound Upper Bound Preeclampsia Second Trimester 204.00 20 18.90 4.23 195.71 212.29 Third Trimester 243.20 20 15.58 3.48 236.37 250.03 GDM Second Trimester 214.33 6 18.64 7.61 199.42 229.25 Third Trimester 230.50 6 17.03 6.95 216.88 244.12 Preterm Second Trimester 212.83 6 11.99 4.90 203.24 222.43 Third Trimester 240.17 6 7.73 3.16 233.98 246.35 Figure 1. Association of Triglycerides with Preeclampsia, GDM and Preterm 4.3 Association of Cholesterol with Preeclampsia, GDM and Preterm The below table (figure 2) indicates the 95% confidence interval for cholesterol levels for patients with outcomes of Eclampsia, GDM and Preterm. In pre eclamptic patients the mean serum cholesterol levels in second trimester was 210.75 with a SD 24.248 (p =0.320), in third trimester, the mean was 243.60 with a SD of 25.84 (p =0.826). There was no statistical significance observed between serum cholesterol and pre-eclampsia in both second and third trimesters. Compared to the normal value of 200mg/dl, cholesterol level is raised in normal pregnancy. In pre- eclamptic women cholesterol level is raised more than the values in normal pregnancy. Outcome Trimester N Mean SD SEM 95% CI Lower Bound Upper Bound Preeclampsia 2nd Trimester 20 210.75 24.25 5.42 199.401 222.10 3rd Trimester 20 243.60 25.85 5.78 231.50 255.69 GDM 2nd Trimester 6 223.50 25.16 10.27 197.09 249.90 3rd Trimester 6 242.83 27.14 11.08 214.35 271.31 Preterm 2nd Trimester 6 213.33 20.23 8.25 192.10 234.55 3rd Trimester 6 243.66 27.200 11.10 215.12 272.21 Figure 2. Association of Cholesterol with Preeclampsia, GDM and Preterm 4.4 Association of HDL Cholesterol with Preeclampsia, GDM and Preterm The below table (figure 3) indicates the 95% confidence interval for HDL cholesterol levels for patients with outcomes of Preeclampsia, GDM and Preterm. In third trimester, the mean serum HDL Cholesterol (HDL-C) level in normal patients was 42.78 with a SD of 4.31, in pre eclamptic patients the mean was 45.60 with a SD 4.12 Compared to the normal value of 40-60 mg/dl, HDL-Cholesterol level is within normal range in normal pregnancy. In pre-eclamptic women HDL-C level was higher than normal pregnancy but within normal range. In pre eclamptic patients the mean serum HDL Cholesterol levels in second trimester was 51.8 with a SD 5.8 (p =0.040), in third trimester, the mean was 45.60 with a SD of 4.1 (p =0.006). There was significant statistical significance observed between serum HDL -Cholesterol and pre-eclampsia in both second and third trimesters. Outcome Trimester N Mean SD SEM 95% CI Lower Bound Upper Bound Preeclampsia 2nd Trimester 20 51.80 5.84 1.30 49.06 54.53 3rd Trimester 20 45.60 4.12 .92 43.67 47.52 GDM 2nd Trimester 6 52.00 7.07 2.88 44.57 59.42 3rd Trimester 6 41.16 7.27 2.97 33.52 48.80 Preterm 2nd Trimester 6 49.00 6.13 2.50 42.56 55.43 3rd Trimester 6 45.50 4.03 1.64 41.26 49.73 Figure 3. Association of HDL Cholesterol with Preeclampsia, GDM and Preterm 4.5 Association of LDL Cholesterol with Preeclampsia, GDM and Preterm The below table (figure 4) indicates the 95% confidence interval for LDL cholesterol levels for patients with outcomes of Preeclampsia, GDM and Preterm. In third trimester, the mean serum LDL-Cholesterol level in normal patients was 137.80 with a SD of 13.67, in preeclamptic patients the mean was 137.80 with a SD 11.5.   Compared to the normal value of 130 mg/dl [5], triglyceride level is raised in normal pregnancy. In preeclamptic women LDL-C level was same as in normal pregnancy (figure 4). In preeclamptic patients the mean serum LDL-C levels in second trimester was 92.7 with a SD 18.2 (p =0.943), in third trimester, the mean was 137.8 with a SD of 11.5 (p =0.996). There was no significant statistical significance observed between serum LDL-C levels and pre-eclampsia in both second and third trimesters. Outcome Trimester N Mean SD SEM 95% CI Lower Bound Upper Bound Preeclampsia 2nd Trimester 20 92.70 18.22 4.07 84.17 101.23 3rd Trimester 20 137.80 11.59 2.59 132.37 143.22 GDM 2nd Trimester 6 96.83 31.39 12.81 63.89 129.77 3rd Trimester 6 150.16 9.88 4.03 139.79 160.54 Preterm 2nd Trimester 6 84.50 6.12 2.50 78.07 90.92 3rd Trimester 6 127.83 10.64 4.34 116.66 139.00 Figure 4. Association of LDL Cholesterol with Preeclampsia, GDM and Preterm 4.6 Association of VLDL Cholesterol with Eclampsia, GDM and Preterm The below table (figure 5) indicates the 95% confidence interval for VLDL cholesterol levels for patients with outcomes of Eclampsia, GDM and Preterm. In third trimester, the mean serum VLDL-Cholesterol (VLDL-C) level in normal patients was 35.88 with a SD of 6.5, in pre eclamptic patients the mean was 39.7 with a SD 7.1.   Compared to the normal value of 35 mg/dl [5], VLDL-C level is raised in normal pregnancy. In pre- eclamptic women VLDL-C level was increased more than that in normal pregnancy. In pre eclamptic patients the mean serum VLDL-C levels in second trimester was 30.9 with a SD 7.9 (p =0.93), in third trimester, the mean was 39.7 with a SD of 7.1 (p =0.016). There was no significant statistical significance observed between serum VLDL-C levels and pre-eclampsia in second trimester but significance was found in third trimesters. Outcome Trimester N Mean SD SEM 95% CI Lower Bound Upper Bound Eclampsia 2nd Trimester 20 30.95 7.93 1.77 27.23 34.66 3rd Trimester 20 39.70 7.11 1.59 36.36 43.03 GDM 2nd Trimester 6 27.16 6.01 2.45 20.85 33.47 3rd Trimester 6 34.00 5.65 2.30 28.06 39.93 Preterm 2nd Trimester 6 25.66 3.98 1.62 21.48 29.84 3rd Trimester 6 36.83 6.96 2.84 29.52 44.14 Figure 5. Association of VLDL Cholesterol with Eclampsia, GDM and Preterm 4.7 Mean values of lipid parameters with outcome in 2nd and 3rd trimester The mean values of Serum cholesterol, Serum TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, VLDL-C are given in figures 6 and 7. Trimester Outcome Serum Cholesterol {mg/dl} Serum Triglycerides {mg/dl} HDL-CHOLESTEROL {mg/dl} LDL-CHOLESTEROL {mg/dl} VLDL-CHOLESTEROL {mg/dl} Second Trimester Preeclampsia 210.75 204.00 51.80 92.70 30.95 GDM 223.50 214.33 52.00 96.83 27.16 Preterm 213.33 212.83 49.00 84.50 25.66 Third Trimester Preeclampsia 243.60 243.20 45.60 137.80 39.70 GDM 242.83 230.50 41.16 150.16 34.00 Preterm 243.66 240.16 45.50 127.83 36.83 Figure 6. Mean values of lipid parameters with outcome in 2nd and 3rd trimester Figure 7. Comparison of Lipid parameters between second and third trimester 4.9 Complications outcome distribution Out of total 200 patients 168 had no complications, while 20 {10%} had preeclampsia, 6 {3%} had Gestational Diabetes Mellitus and 6 {3%} had preterm deliveries (Figure 8). Complication No of Cases Percentage No Complication 168 84% Pre-eclampsia 20 10% GDM 6 3% Preterm 6 3% Total 200 100% Figure 8. Distribution according to Complications 5. Discussion Hypercholesterolemia is known to cause excessive lipid peroxidation and coexistent diminution in antioxidant activity which may result in an imbalance between peroxidases and antioxidants, leading to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress and elevated atherogenic index may lead to atherogenicity in Pre-eclampsia [6]. 5.1 Triglycerides In a study conducted by Arnon Wiznitzer et. al., to prove the association of lipid levels during gestation with preeclampsia and GDM in 9911 pregnant women, they observed that the composite endpoint (GDM or preeclampsia) occurred in 1209 women (12.2%). During the index pregnancy, GDM was diagnosed in 638 women (6.4%) while Preeclampsia was diagnosed in 625 pregnancies (6.3%) [7]. In a study by Lorentzen et al., it was observed that the mean triglyceride concentrations of pre-eclampsia patients were higher than normal pregnant women at 16-18 weeks [8]. Later, a large prospective cohort study conducted in Norway by Clausen et al. (2001) also demonstrated that women with triglycerides above 212 mg/dL (2.4 mmol/L) had a five-fold increased risk (95% CI 1.1-23.1) of early onset pre-eclampsia (onset before 34 weeks) compared with those with triglycerides levels 133 mg/dL [9]. A study done by S. Niromanesh et. al., to compare the outcomes of forty five pregnant women who had high TG levels (>195 mg/dl) with 135 pregnant women having TG levels [10]. In a study done by Kandimalla et. al., comprising 156 pregnant women attending antenatal clinic visits were included prior to 20 weeks and were analysed for lipid levels. 102 participants were followed until delivery and were monitored for pre-eclampsia. They reported that mean triglyceride levels were found significantly higher in the pre-eclampsia group. Women with triglycerides above 130 mg/dL had increased risk of pre-eclampsia compared with those with triglycerides levels of 91 mg/dL or less [11]. In the present study, compared to the normal value of 150 mg/dl [12], during second trimester, the 95% CI for triglyceride level with Preeclampsia was between 195.71 and 212.29, the 95% CI for triglyceride level with outcome GDM was between 199.42 and 229.25; while the 95 % CI for triglyceride with preterm outcome was between 203.24 and 222.43. Hence, we can conclude that triglyceride level of more than 195 mg/dl during second trimester can lead to complications like Preeclampsia, and triglycerides greater than 199.42mg/dl lead to GDM and levels above 203.24mg/dl lead to Preterm delivery. During third trimester, the 95% CI for triglyceride level with Preeclampsia was between 236.37 250.03, the 95% CI for triglyceride level with outcome GDM was between 216.88 244.12 and the 95 % CI for triglyceride with preterm outcome was between 233.98 and 246.35. Hence, we can conclude that triglyceride level of more than 236 mg/dl during second trimester can lead to complications like Preeclamps ia, triglyceride level of more than 216.88 mg/dl leads to GDM and triglyceride level of more than 233.98mg/dl leads to Preterm delivery (figure 1). Our findings correlate with the findings of a study done by Kandimalla et. al [11]. 5.2 Cholesterol

Embryos :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mechanisms of Epiboly of ectoderm in the Xenopus Laevis embryo Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Epiboly is a movement of gastrulation in the amphibian embryo, whereby ectodermal precursors expand to cover the entire embryo. This process occurs in the surface and deep layer cells in the animal and marginal regions. Three rounds of cell division occur in the deep cells, while they also rearrange to form fewer layers. Superficial cells elongate by cell division while flattening, which gives them greater surface area and thinner depth. The ectoderm eventually covers the entire embryo, internalizing the endoderm. This process sets up the correct position for the three germ layers, with the ectoderm on the outside, mesoderm in the middle and endoderm on the inside. Keller (1980) found that superficial cells spread, divide, and undergo rearrangements and a temporary change in shape, which produces an increase in area. The deep cells become thinner and decrease in the number of layers. They do this by a process called radial interdigitation. Radial interdigitation is when the deep cells elongate, extend protrusions between one another along radii of the embryo and interdigitate to form fewer layers with greater area. Once this process is complete, the deep region consists of one layer of columnar cells, which flatten and spread to further increase area. In the dorsal marginal zone the cells also undergo a shape change, which is not seen in the cells of the animal region. The difference may be due to the uniform spreading in the animal region contrasted with extension and convergence that occurs in the dorsal marginal zone. In his work on time-lapse films of exogastrulae, Keller (1980) found that the ectoderm becomes corrugated by rapid constrictions of the apices of superficial cells and by the appearance of holes in the epithelium. From this, he suggested that shrinkage, rather than expansion aids in epiboly of the ectoderm. He presents a model (see Figure 1) in which the superficial layer is under tension and the force for expansion must come from the deep cells. The expansion of the deep region is resisted by the tension in the superficial layer resulting in an outward curling of the bilayer (deep and superficial layers).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An alternative model (see Figure 2) is also proposed, in which the superficial epithelium is stretched by tension at the margin of the blastopore, which initiates the superficial cells to spread passively (Keller, 1980). While the deep cells rearrange themselves to occupy the areas now available that were once occupied by the superficial cells.

Classroom Behavior Essay -- essays research papers

Would you be surprised to learn that in today’s classroom children sometimes aren’t learning due to behavioral issues? Teachers are attempting to teach classes in which students can be disruptive, disrespectful and defiant. Classrooms are often overcrowded which adds to the frustration of the situation. Teachers are often tempted to take the easy way out, using antiquated strategies that will usually not help the child to learn. In fact, some types of punishments can actually cause the child to become even more rebellious. The child can experience a sense of worthlessness after being punished again and again. Children do not act out because they are â€Å"bad.† They act out in the hopes of receiving some kind of response or reward. In the past, children who acted out were classified as â€Å"bad kids† therefore were isolated or punished and often wound up slipping through the cracks of the educational system. Recently, some teachers have been attempting to help the behaviorally challenged child. Instead of isolating, punishing, labeling or ignoring a child, with work we can help them to become a part of the class. Teachers also have the power to help the child who would have once been considered a â€Å"lost cause† to learn. Many researchers have worked on learning about the causes of behavioral problems and possibly more importantly, have suggested some solutions to the problem. Behavioral theorists include B.F. Skinner, E. Thorndike, and William Glasser to name a few. Although their research and theories go by different names they all have one thing in common. All o f the above theorists are, in effect, saying that we are not going to change the child’s behavior by changing the child. We must change our reaction to the behavior in order to change it. The idea that bad behavior should not be rewarded is a basic concept. When one rewards any kind of behavior, bad or good, that behavior will continue. Children are especially quick to catch on to what kind of behavior will get them the result that they desire. B.F. Skinner, a behavioral theorist, says that â€Å"when a particular Stimulus–Response (S-R) pattern is reinforced (rewarded), the individual is conditioned to respond.† Skinner’s theory is known as Operant Conditioning (Skinner, 1950-71). Although it seems basic or common sense it is easy to forget that each behavior displayed addresses a need. That need may be attention... ...t every student will understand or grasp every lesson. The important thing to remember is that the student who tries needs to be rewarded too. When using the reward system, teachers need to make the result that we desire the same result that the child desires. This is very tricky. William Glasser’s â€Å"having fun† need comes into play here. The lessons have to be fun for the student that participates. On the other hand the student who is disruptive or refuses to participate should be uncomfortable due to his or her â€Å"attitude.† The norm should be participation and appropriate behavior. If teachers continue to try different strategies in the classroom and pay attention to the theorist’s research and suggestions, they will find that there are less children falling through the cracks of the educational system. References Boeree, George C. (1998). Abraham Maslow. Personality Theories http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/maslow.html. Boatman, Andrew Mclain. (1998). Educational Theory Handbook. http://www.theshop.net/aboatman/edtheory.htm. Skinner B.F. Operant Conditioning. 1950-1971. http://tip.psychology.org/skinner. Thorndike, E. Connectionism. (1913-1928). http://tip.psychology.org/thorn.html.

Air Asia Essay

INTRODUCTION : Marketing Mix : Air Asia as a brand concept be similar to or is associated with service stipulation, the 8Ps method adopted for service marketing may be competently espoused for its advertising. The 8Ps are: Product – This refers to the stuff or services to be offered by the company. In the case of Air Asia, their services is about low-priced airline services, thus the need for constant review should be bear in mind in order to meet the changing customer expectations. Place –Air Asia are considering the issue regarding availability of services needed by the target market, i.e., current and prospective clients. As seen, Air Asia are now doing the online booking and online ticketing in which clients can avail the services of Air Asia. Aside from this, the company was also committed in extending their services all over Asia. Price – In terms of price, Air Asia fees were priced competitively and guaranteed at low price. Promotion – Air Asia’s most effec tive ways to communicate to the various target groups to stimulate greater awareness, interest and patronage are somewhat good but not exceptional. Air Asia are also using TV advertisement, Internet marketing, and billboard advertising. Physical Evidence – In terms of presentation, Air Asia’s services are exceptional. As seen in their offices and aircraft board, Air Asia are known with their well-dressed staff, logos on office doors/ business centers, letter heads, brochures, complimentary cards, consultancy reports, etc. Process – With regards to the process, the business of Air Asia are well management in which makes their business system flawless and customer complaints are easily handled. People – When it comes to people, Air Asia chooses the best suitable person needed by the company. This means that Air Asia expertly identify the capabilities of a person that will reflect the value of Air Asia services. Public Relations – Air Asia stakeholders carefully identify the various publics that can impact on Air Asia to which PR communications can be directed. Such publics  include individual c onsultants, clients, big practices, small practices, other related professional associations, relevant agencies of the United Nations, financial institutions, etc. AirAsia Key Strategies :Safety First : Partnering with the world’s most renowned maintenance providers and complying with the world airline operations. High Aircraft Utilization : Implementing the regions fastest turnaround time at only 25 minutes, assuring lower costs and higher productivity. Low Fare, No Frills : Providing guests with the choice of customizing services without compromising on quality and Services.Streamline Operations : Making sure that processes are as simple as possible. 5.Lean Distribution System : Offering a wide and innovative range of distribution channels to make booking and travelling easier. 6.Point to Point Network : Applying the point-to-point network keeps operation simple and lower costs. Gaps Model : PerceivedServiceExpected Service CUSTOMERCOMPANY CustomerGapGap 1Gap 2Gap 3External Communications to CustomersGap 4ServiceDeliveryCustomer-Driven Service Designs and StandardsCompany Perceptions of Consumer Expectations The main aim of any organisation is to reduce the gap between the expected service and the perceived service i.e. the customer gap,which can be reduced by minimising the four providers gap from the company side. Customer Gap :ExpectedservicePerceivedserviceCustomer Gap AirAsia manages the customer expectation by using the following strategies: Customer Satisfaction Towards service quality in AirAsia :Five dimension through which the service quality is measured are the following ways: 1.Reliability2.Assurance3.Empathy4.Tangibility5.Responsiveness. In order to fulfill the customers’ needs, the ultimate concern for Airlines Corporation is the service offered. The contributing factor for the latter is due to the fact that only satisfied customers will have the intention of repeat purchase (coming back again to avail the service). Additionally, they will tend to share their great experiences and benefits with their network of friends. Many people would argue that price is the most crucial element of concern among the customers. However, the service provided is closely  related as the most significant concern in the airlines industry. Continuous improvement in the service provided to the customers should be planned and executed to maximize the b usiness performance. The improvement in CS for airlines industry can be linked with the measurements of service quality such as tangible features (TF), schedule, services provided by ground staff (GS) and flight attendants (FA), online services (OS), food services (FS) and level of passenger satisfaction. According to Brown (1991), SQ is difficult to define because of the intangible nature of the service offering. The definition of quality may differ from situation to situation and from person to person. In this study, CS towards SQ was focused on AirAsia Malaysia. By applying the measurements of SQ like TF, schedule, services provided by GS and FS, OS, FS and level of passenger satisfaction, the researchers have identified the dimension of SQ that affects the CS. This dimension serves as the most critical dimension for AirAsia. By conducting this study, the information and results have practical implications for AirAsia’ managers as they can manage company resources to make improvement for CS. Business Model :LOW COST CARRIER (LCC) BUSINESS MODEL The low cost airlines like AirAsia have changed the definition of airlines that air travel is a luxury and it is only for the upper segment of the population. The key objective of low cost carriers is to increase their reach and provide the services to a large segment. However, the low cost carriers are now facing some challenges in the market. AirAsia follows the Low-Cost-Carrier (LCC) business model in the airline industry, which can be characterized as below: Low Cost Carrier (LCC) Business Model Simple Product Catering on demand for extra payment Planes with narrow seating and only a single class No seat assignment No frequent flyer programmes Positioning Non-business passengers, especially leisure traffic and price-conscious business passengers Short-haul point to point traffic with high frequencies Aggressive marketing Secondary airports Competition with all transport carriers Low Operating Costs Low wages Low airport fees Low costs for maintenance, cockpit training and standby crews due to homogeneous fleet High resource productivity Short ground waits due to simple boarding processes No air freight, no hub services, short cleaning times, and high percentage of online sales MAJOR CHALLENGES Increasing competition because of increasing number of low cost airline competitors, and aggressive competition against the large or traditional airline companies Customer decrease because of poor economy Rising of the fuel prices Higher labor cost Inadequate infrastructure Route and flight utilization Safety and security issues of aircraft crash or being attacked WAYS TAKING TO IDENTIFY THEIR TARGET MARKET: For AirAsia, the following are some of element identified that AirAsia used to identify their target market and formed a niche market Branding: AirAsia went into intensive General advertisements and other high profile activities, which contributed, to the high offering of their company’s image. They came with a brand â€Å" Now every one can fly† These points of contact with their target customer help them to mold their image, which in turn created loyalty from their customers. Philanthropy: Donating money, services, and/or time can build trust and a positive image for your business. Philanthropy contributes both toward your branding efforts and toward your company’s internal well-being. AirAsia embark on this to build and attract more customers. In early 2005, AirAsia Sdn Berhad flights to select Southeast Asian destinations. The airline said that was its way of celebrating the completion of three years of successful flying and of saying thank you to the people for their support. â€Å"AirAsia’s accomplishments and success today is a reflection of the public’s trust and faith in the  company,† said Tony Fernandes (Fernandes), CEO of AirAsia. (Refer Exhibit I for AirAsia’s Free Seats Offer)5. With this incentive and philanthropy, more and more customers are attracted to their business New Product/services Pipeline: New products in development represent your future sales. AirAsia has extended its services to different part of the world. AirAsia was initially a local company but it has become international with its extension of its services to different part of the world to meet up with their market. AirAsia get feedback from their customers or potential target market, and they designed new services to meet their needs, this practice is ensuring a demand for their products in the future. Reduced Price Sales: This was one of the basics of securing a target market for AirAsia. They reduced their price to suit their class of customers. AirAsia saw a need for a lot of low pay salary citizens who could not afford the money to travel home. With the introduction of their services of low fares, most people can travel home and most people that can only afford to travel once could travel up to three times with their cheaper fares. This Limited time sales encourage customers to act. You likely have customers intending to buy but have not â€Å"gotten around to it†. Holding a reduced price sale will give them incentive to purchase. Group Discounts and Offers. Discounts or other offers to a specific group can help exposure your business to new customers, resulting in a sales surge. AirAsia is a ticketless Airline that allows customers to purchase their ticket online with at a discounted rate. They also have a scheme of group discount and this help to get more target market, especially internet based customers. Foreign workers and Contractors strategy AirAsia also target most foreign workers from Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, China, Macau who may not afford the expensive flight home and offer them the cheap fare which attracted most of them as would go home very often without paying much. PROMOTION : In the context of the marketing mix, promotion represents the various aspects of marketing communication, that is, the communication of information about the product with the goal of generating a positive customer response. Marketing Communication decisions More recently, AirAsia struck an advertising deal with Time, which will have the local mobile phone operator’s logo painted on one of AirAsia’s planes. Moreover, there will be more of these, as well as advertisements on pull-down trays. Again it is obvious that AirAsia started offering fares that were unheard of in Malaysia, people were lining up for hours Provider Gap-1 :Listening Gap :  CUSTOMERCOMPANYCustomerGapGAP 1Company Perceptions of Consumer ExpectationsPerceived ServicesExpected Services Customer Relationship Management (CRM) :In long term, customer relationships should be fostered for AirAsia to maintain competitive advantage and profitability. When planning and implementing CRM application, management is recommended the following approaches: 1. Customer segmentation – mileage-based segmentation is inadequate, rather should focused on value-based and needs-based approaches can guide investment decisions and drive greater insight into the needs of highvalue customers. 2. CRM initiative development – to differentiate from other competitors, AirAsia should not adopt the â€Å"fast follower† approach to CRM initiative development, i.e. learning from other competitors’ approach (e.g.installing kiosks for fast check-in). AirAsia should implement CRM program in favor of investing in initiatives with a high return, which respond to the needs and desires of their own customers 3. Organizational design and management – AirAsia needs to train the employees, empowering them with a complete view of the customer and clearly articulating the employee’s role in the CRM strategy. Customer Relationship Program (key Functions) :Traveling planning Site personalization for on-line customer to create travel plan, bundled services information, flight notification systems, and gate information displays etc. Reservations and ticketing ITA search engines, roving agent check-in, kiosks, internet check-in, and phone check-in etc. Frequently flyer program membership-based or point-based rewarding scheme offering to the applicable customers.Campaign management Email campaigns and promotion. Customer care Web-based self service such as e-ticket booking and reservation, online baggage tracing, RFID baggage tags, internet in lounge, and in air Internet services. Business intelligence Dynamic, updated, multi-dimensional reports that helps management to do analytics in various areas such as customer profiles.AirAsia Brand value Pyramid : Employees And Customer Role In Service Encounter : 1.Customer Role : The Consumer Role of Dependence One experiential role for some consumers is being dependent while receiving service. The theme of dependence arose during informants’ discussions of consuming a service in which they have limited knowledge or expertise. The dependent consumer feels vulnerable and uncomfortable in the service setting and needs the service employee to provide guidance and assistance during consumption as illustrated in the following interview excerpts: â€Å"I felt more secure because I’m getting a service done that I have no idea about. He made me feel at ease like he was in control, like he knew what was going on. When you don’t know anything about something you want to feel that way. You know like a doctor should make you feel that way. It’s the same kind of thing.† â€Å"When you buy a tennis racket there’s a lot of stuff you want to know. At  first I was nervous to ask this guy. He’s a pro. What if I ask him a stupid question. Will he think I’m an idiot or something. I didn’t want to ask him any questions. Then he started talking to me, explaining about the tension of the racket, stuff like that. He made me feel more comfortable right away. It makes you feel more comfortable to ask questions.† The Consumer Role of Autonomy In contrast to the dependent consumer stands the autonomous consumer. The theme of autonomy was revealed most frequently in informants’ descriptions of shopping in retail stores, where they indicated a desire to be on their own while shopping for clothing. Self service is an essential and desired part of their consumption experience. 2.Employee Role : The Consumer Role of Mutuality – The Employee Role of Cooperation The emergent themes of mutuality and cooperation are discussed together to emphasize their close interrelationship. It is difficult to tease apart differences in the meaning of mutuality and cooperation since the two themes flow together within the interview dialogue. Mutuality represents the consumer’s role in the service encounter, while cooperation describes the service employee’s role. The themes of mutuality and cooperation emerged for the most part while informants were describing satisfying service experiences. Consumers received their desired service with the mutual cooperation of the service employee. The service encounter takes on an air of synergy and coordination as exhibited in the following two passages: â€Å"It’s satisfying because of the interaction by the waiters. They make the fondue at the table. They explain all the different ingredients that they are putting in there. It makes you feel important since they’re taking the time to talk to you. It’s the interaction rather than at a place where they just come and take your order and then come back with your food.† (wf, mid 20s) â€Å"I went to a car stereo place. The person there like totally helped me. I could tell he wasn’t just trying to get me to buy the most expensive one. He was looking for what I wanted. He didn’t immediately start showing me top of the line things. He said, what was it about your old car stereo that you liked? What features were the most important to you? That made me feel comfortable that he was not just trying to make a buck. He was really  looking to get what I wanted and needed.† These passages reveal a sense of care and concern for the consumer by the service employee. The consumer is given a sense of status and importance that results from the service employee’s treatment. The relationship moves beyond the mere interaction of consumer and service employee to a mutual process of human cooperation and coordination. The roles of mutuality and cooperation may come closest to representing the ideal of service quality. Consumers and service employees understand their roles and work together in giving and receiving service. Informants’ satisfying experience arose from interacting with employees who were responsive, assuring, and empathetic while providing service.

Hearing Loss Attributed to the 21st Century use of Personal Music Player Essay

In the recent few years leisure noise has become one of the threats to the hearing as it can reach high volumes and an increasing number of people are exposed. The danger is not only exposed by the music from the clubs but also it has been extended to the new generation of music players which are known to produce sounds at high volumes. Across Europe it is estimated that millions of people are using personal music players on a daily basis and in most of the cases these gadgets are being used inappropriately putting the user at a great risk of ear damage. This is a serious concern as the emerging technology may cause numerous problems to the people who are fond of using these entertainment gadgets. To add salt into the injury the users are exposing themselves to this particular danger for a long time as they are spending substantial time listening to music using ear phones. The amount of time one exposes to the sound of loud music from the personal music players increases the chances of hearing loss. The children and the youth are at risk as they have been noted to constitute the highest proportion of users. In this paper I will discuss the dangers involved in the use of personal music player and at the same time bring into the understanding who should be blamed for the hearing loss as a result of the constant use of these gadgets. Is it the makers of the personal music players or should we blame the users for putting their life at risk? A scientific study that was carried out for the European Union revealed that noise from the personal music players is a routine pollution for many people. It threatens permanent damage of the ear to as many as hundred million people in Europe and other parts of the world. The report indicated that those people who listened to the music for a continuous five hours per week on high volume were exposing themselves to high noise than it is allowed in the factory work places. This means that users of the personal music player who prefer to listen to their music on high volume are at a worse position than workers who are located in a noisy factory in an industrial hub. (Linkov,I and Steevens,J 2009 359) Experts argue that the maximum volume from these equipments can generate as much noise as an aero plane that is taking off. That kind of noise is enough to make a person have a quick and permanent hearing loss. The worst thing according to this report is that the users do not realize the problem until very late. This is the time when the damage has already been caused and nothing can be done about it. It is a very sad situation where a young person with bright future prospects losses his or her ability to hear at such an early age, it can be a very devastating experience but whom do we blame? Do we pass the buck to the manufacturer of these gadgets fro their neglect or do we blame the users for sometimes knowingly exposing themselves to dangers through their constant use of the music players. (Jameson,P and Romer,D 2008 347) The MP3 generation is headed for permanent hearing impairment in the cause of their lives. The youth are at the greatest risk as well as the older people too, in twenty seven countries across Europe it is estimated that fifty to a hundred million people out of five hundred people may be listening to a portable personal music player at any given time. Equivalents of five percent listeners who expose themselves to these new generation entertainment gadgets for more than one hour are at the greatest risk. These statistics have raised fears among some people prompting them to take some actions so as to avoid a future generation which has numerous problems which has been caused by things which can only be described as luxurious. In the year 2006 a man in Louisiana sued one of the manufacturing firms, The Apple claiming that this company had failed to take enough steps to prevent the problem of hearing loss among the users of one its popular product, the iPod. The suit which was filed in a federal district court in California city of San Jose claimed that iPod produces a sound which is as loud as one hundred and fifteen decibels when the maximum sound that is considered safe for listening is eighty five decibels. To this man the Apple Company was to blame for the problem that is threatening to have millions of deaf people in some years to come. I tend to disagree with his sentiments as it is clearly evident that the ipods sold by this company and many other manufacturer comes with a warning in the manual where the users are warned about the dangers they expose themselves into through playing the music in high volumes from their personal music players. It is blatantly clear that the users expose themselves to the risk of hearing loss through ignoring the warnings given by the manufacturers. The companies can not escape blame too, such warnings are printed using very tiny fonts such that not all the users might get a chance to read the small inscriptions which are usually placed on a page where the user might not even see. (Kirk,R and Mayshork,C 2007 73) The risk involved do not only come from ipods, the portable phones and personal stereos pose a similar problem as their earphones leads to a high sound exposure than any other type of a listening device. It has been stressed that young people who continue to expose themselves through listening to the high volume music from their music devices usually run into the risk of developing some hearing complications by the time they hit their twenties. Problems such as persistent tinnitus which is induced by high volume music has been reported common among the people in their youth and are constant users of the personal music devices. Despite this problem the same people continue using these devices. Therefore the problem squarely lies with the users, they are clearly aware of the risks involved, they have gone through numerous problems which have been as a result of their insatiable appetite for entertainment but they still continue to expose themselves to the risk. This can only be termed as deliberate move by these users to harm themselves and it is for this reason we can not blame the companies for the problems that are being experienced by the MP3 generation. The manufacturing firms only came to fill the gap that existed; they offer satisfaction to the people who are keen on entertainment especially when they are on move. They have clearly indicated the dangers one can expose him or herself to if the device is not used properly, that is if it is put on high volumes but the users choose to ignore such information for their personal reasons. (Tulchinsky,T and Varavikova,N 2000 285) The choices we make in life determine the direction we head, if we make the right ones we will always be on the right direction, if we happen to take the wrong choices as we mostly do then we are bound to blame others for the trouble we may get ourselves into later in our lives. It is extremely important for us to make the right decision as pertaining what we do as the opposite can lead to devastating effects. People have a choice of either buying a personal music player or any other similar device, they make a choice as to whether they will listen to the music high or low, it is basically a matter of choice. There is nothing about MP3 technology that can directly lead to hearing loss. It is the choice we make. For those users who choose to always put their devices at manageable and recommended sounds the problem of hearing impairment might not affect them but for those who choose to ignore the warnings given by the manufacturers, this problem will affect the rest of their lives. They just make a mistake of listening to the music on loud volumes for too long therefore exposing themselves to al manner of dangers associated with the noise. (Chan,S and Kwok,S 2003 34) The European Union is planning to regulate the volumes on personal music players and other stereos due to the fears that usage of these devices is causing the damage to the ears. This action has been precipitated by the findings of the scientific commission which was given a task of coming out with ways in to which this problem that is threatening the ability of million to hear can be tackled. In normal circumstances the personal music players are allowed to go up to one hundred decibels but when it used with an inbuilt headphones the sound can go up to one hundred and twenty. This is way above the recommended safe sound volumes which are close to eighty five. The recommended sound levels by the European Union committee are eighty, a figure which has been pointed out as safe enough to warrant any fears. This clearly points out that it is only a matter of educating the users on how they are supposed to go about listening to music using their sophisticated technology. If someone decided to ignore the message, he or she can not blame the manufacturing company for the problems that hearing problems which might occur later in life due to inappropriate use of the device (Linkov,I and Steevens,J 2009 359) For the sake of those who ignore the information given by the manufacturers, the makers of these devices should be advised to limit the volume levels so that they do not exceed the recommended limits. Though this might affect their sales it is the right thing to do as it will save those who have a problem following the given instructions. The company will in the short term suffer minimal losses but in the long term they will have more users as they will have expanded the markets as the effects of these devices to the ears will be minimal. The users will have won the confident of the music players as they have been set according to the standards which are considered safe for average use. (Davis,G 2004 40) The government can not limit the time a given person will spend on the personal music player. This is an individual choice; we spend as much time as we can get on these entertainment gadgets. Therefore it is up to the users to limit themselves as to how long they are going to be exposed . The user should ensure that they spend less time listening to the music through their devices to minimise the risk involved. All these points indicate that the manufacturing companies have no role to play as far as the usage of the personal music player is concerned. Their duty is to inform the users of the dangers involved through playing it loud and continuos exposure over a long period. The rest lies with the person using the gadget to decide how much time he or she is going to spend listening and on what volume they will get their music. If one decides to put his or her health at risk you can not turn at the company and blame it for the presonal problems which were as aresult of own volition. The government has the responsibility of ensuring that the manufacturing company follow the standards as far as making of the personal music players is concerned. This will go a long way in saving the users who are conscious about their health. The recommeded standards should include limiting the volume settings to a particular level which can not harm the user even if the decide to ignore the warnings. People need to take a responsibility as far as their actions are concerned. There is a need for every user to take precautiosn as far as usage of these devices is concerned. Inappropriate use can lead to devastatiting health effects which would have been prevented if the user was careful. Technology advancement has come to make our lives easier and more enjoyable. This can only be achieved if we use this technology appropriately,use of personal music player beyond the recommended sound volume can lead to seroius effects which are not related to the manufacturing. The user have all the responsibility to ensure that this piece of sophistication does not harm him or her rather it serves the right purpose which is entertainment. (Markel,G 2007 25) The manufacturing company should carry a warning on the users who violate the instructions which comes along with the product. They have a responsibility to save the end users from their own ignorance. They can do this through offering and sponsoring sessions where users get to be taught on the proper methods of handling these entertainment equipement. This can help save some people but the biggest part should be played by the end user,they must use the device responsbly so as to avoid complications that might be brought by high sound volumes besides the time spent listening to the music at the expense of other important actiivities such as studying. The sole responsbility of the hearing loss as a result of inappropriate use of the personal music player and other related devices lies squarely on the user. He or she has the ability to control its use and therefore ealding a healthy life. 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