Patriotism Essays (2410 words) - Nonviolence, Pacifism, Peace

Patriotism Patriotism By Charles Eliot Norton Address before the Men's Club of the Prospect Street Congregational Church, Cambridge, Mass., June 7, 1898. There are moments in every man's life, in the life of every nation, when, under the excitement of passion, the simple truths which in common times are the foundation upon which the right order and conduct of life depend are apt to be forgotten and disregarded. I shall venture tonight to recall to you some of these commonplace truths, which in these days of war need more than ever to be kept in mind. There never was a land that better deserved the love of her people than America, for there never was a mother-country kinder to her children. She has given to them all that she could give. Her boundless resources have lain open to them, to use at their will. And the consequence has been that never in the history of man has there been so splendid a spectacle of widely diffused and steadily increasing material welfare as America has displayed during the last hundred years. Millions upon millions of men have lived here with more comfort, with less fear, than any such numbers elsewhere in any age have lived. Countless multitudes, whose forefathers from the beginning of human life on earth have spent weary lives in unrewarded toil, in anxiety, in helplessness, in ignorance, have risen here, in the course of even a single generation, to the full and secure enjoyment of the fruits of their labor, to confident hope, to intelligent possession of their own faculties. Is not the land to be dear ly loved in which this has been possible, in which this has been achieved? But there is a deeper source of love of country than the material advantages and benefits it may afford. It is in the character of its people, in their moral life, in the type of civilization which they exhibit. The elements of human nature are indeed so fixed that favorable or unfavorable circumstances have little effect upon its essential constitution, but prosperity or the reverse brings different traits into prominence. The conditions which have prevailed in America have, if broadly considered, tended steadily and strongly to certain good results in the national character; not, indeed, to unmixed good, but to a preponderance of good. The institutions established for self-government have been founded with intent to secure justice and independence for all. The social relations among the whole body of the people, are humane and simple. The general spirit of the people is liberal, is kindly, is considerate. The ideals for the realization of which in private and public conduct there i s more or less steady and consistent effort, are as high and as worthy as any which men have pursued. Every genuine American holds to the ideal of justice for all men, of independence, including free speech and free action within the limits of law, of obedience to law, of universal education, of material well-being for all the well-behaving and industrious, of peace and good-will among men. These, however far short the nation may fall in expressing them in its actual life, are, no one will deny it, the ideals of our American democracy. And it is because America represents these ideals that the deepest love for his country glows in the heart of the American, and inspires him with that patriotism which counts no cost, which esteems no sacrifice too great to maintain and to increase the influence of these principles which embody themselves in the fair shape of his native land, and have their expressive symbol in her flag. The spirit of his patriotism is not an intermittent impulse; it is an abiding principle; it is the strongest motive of his life; it is his religion. And because it is so, and just in proportion to his love of the ideals for which his country stands, is his hatred of whatever is opposed to them in private conduct or public policy. Against injustice, against dishonesty, against lawlessness, against whatever may make for war instead of peace, the good citizen is always in arms. No thoughtful American can have watched the course of affairs among us during the last thirty years without grave anxiety from the

Awareness of action discrepancy and action authorship in schizophrenia The WritePass Journal

Awareness of action discrepancy and action authorship in schizophrenia Introduction Awareness of action discrepancy and action authorship in schizophrenia Introduction1. Background of the Project:2. Questions to be answered:3. Plan of Investigation:3.1. Subjects3.2. Stimuli Procedure3.3. Image Acquisition and Analysis4. Details of Data Analysis:5. Expected Outcomes:6. Details of any difficulties that can be foreseen:7. Future purpose and Theoretical Implications:References:Related Introduction This study builds on previous research which has investigated the awareness of agency in schizophrenia patients with and without delusions of control. Individuals suffering from schizophrenia can show delusions which cause them to believe that their thoughts and actions are in control of external forces. In such individuals, previous research has shown that there is increased and abnormal activity in certain brain areas when compared to healthy subjects. This fMRI study therefore investigates how these brain areas respond in two different tasks: 1) awareness of action discrepancy, and 2) awareness of action authorship. An experimental paradigm used by Farrer et al (2007) will be replicated, using a manual peg removal task. It is expected that in healthy individuals and schizophrenics without delusions of control will show normal activity in the specified brain areas in both of the studies. However, schizophrenics with delusions of control will show abnormally high activity in both st udies, demonstrating an abnormality in brain function. Scientific Summary (max 200 words): Currently, there is a wealth of research investigating action authorship in healthy individuals and schizophrenics. These have shown that the rIPL, specifically the Ag, and the TPJ in healthy subjects and schizophrenics without delusions of control show increased BOLD signals to the experience of agency (self or other). However, it has been found that schizophrenics with delusions of control exhibit hyperactivity in these areas, and are more likely to misattribute an action to themselves or an external force. An experimental paradigm used by Farrer et al (2007) will be replicated, using a manual peg removal task – as research is somewhat ambiguous when it comes to brain activity relating to awareness of action discrepancy and awareness of action authorship, the two will be separated into two studies. It is expected that in both studies healthy subjects and schizophrenics without delusions of control will show normal brain function – rIPL activity to detecting a delay in the first study, and TPJ activity to the experience of agency uncertainty. However, the schizophrenics with delusions of control in study 1, will show hyperactivity of the rIPL and TPJ BOLD signals due to their perceived ambiguity of action agency, and study 2, will show similar results as they misattribute the action to external forces more so than the other subjects. 1. Background of the Project: Distinguishing oneself from others is something we all take for granted and give the self-other distinction and the source of our perceptions very little explicit thought in everyday life. It seems that the self-other distinction is automatic and operates via non-conscious cognitive processes and aids us in daily social interactions and situations (van den Bos Jeannerod, 2002). However, this ability is not clear-cut and definite in all individuals as it can be impaired to varying extents in a range of pathological and psychiatric disorders, i.e. schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is characterised by irregular beliefs, behaviours and experiences. Additionally, patients can typically exhibit symptoms which indicate abnormalities in self-attributing their own actions and thoughts: symptoms such as acoustic or verbal hallucinations and delusions of alien control can all relate to a sense of losing authorship/agency and giving the feeling of being controlled by external forces (Mellor, 1970; Spence et al, 1997). Schneider (1995) classed these as the first-rank symptoms and these were explained by the individuals losing their normal capability to monitor their self-generated intentions and actions (Feinberg, 1978; Frith, 1992). Before considering where these deficits lie in schizophrenia individuals, it is important to establish how the brain areas of healthy subjects function in response to agency tasks. Functional neuroimaging has allowed the neural correlates of motor control to be examined in great detail. In healthy subjects, awareness of action has been associated with the right inferior parietal lobule (rIPL) (Frith et al, 2000; Sirgu et al, 2004). Additionally, increased activity has been reported in specifically the right angular gyrus (Ag) of the rIPL when healthy subjects show an awareness that they are not in control of a certain motor action (Farrer Frith, 2002; Farrer et al, 2007). Further evidence has found that the Ag activity is correlated with the degree of discrepancy between the intended consequence of the action and the actual consequence of the action (Farrer et al, 2003). Other neuroimaging research has demonstrated that when healthy subjects do not feel authorship of an action or when they sensed a discrepancy between predicted and actual movements, activity in the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) was increased (Leube et al, 2003; David et al, 2007; Farrer et a l, 2008; Spengler et al, 2009). This suggests that the TPJ has a very important role in whether we feel a sense of authorship of an action or if there is a discrepancy present. The first model which accounts for the mechanisms underlying the sense of agency is the Predictive Forward Model of motor control (Wolpert et al, 1995; Frith et al, 2000; Haggard, 2005). This model states that when an action is performed, predictions are made about the sensory movement consequences; this is based on the motor efference copy (von Holst Mittelstaedt, 1950). Next, such predictions are compared with real sensory feedback signals which arise as a consequence of the movement and these contribute to a sense of agency if no error signals are arise. If the comparison fails, and error signals occur, then the action is experienced as other-generated, or as action failure which can be corrected without conscious awareness (Slachesky et al, 2001). Now, considering schizophrenia individuals, delusions of control can comprise the belief that one’s actions are being influenced by an external force/agent (e.g. an alien, spirit or machine) (Mellor, 1970). When patients with such delusions are compared to schizophrenics without delusions of control they show impaired motor performance (Mlakar et al,, 1994; Spence et al, 1997). Recently, neuroimaging studies have allowed motor control and any dysfunctions in the neural correlates to be investigated. Firstly, research has shown that like healthy subjects, schizophrenic patients show increased activity in the rIPL when looking at action authorship; however, a different pattern is seen. The spontaneous resting activity of the rIPL is significantly higher than that of healthy subjects (Spence et al, 1997; Whalley et al, 2004; Jeannerod, 2009; Jardri et al, 2011) and additionally, this activity is poorly modulated by a discrepancy between predicted movement and actual movement cons equences (Farrer et al, 2004). This would suggest that there is a deficit in the parietal mechanism which could be responsible for the impaired sense of agency found in schizophrenia. In relation to the TPJ, there have been anatomo-functional changes which have been reported in schizophrenia (Torrey, 2007; Wible et al, 2009), and sulcal displacements and volume reductions in this region were evidenced in patients who reported delusions of control (Maruff et al, 2005; Plaze et al, 2011). Previous studies have not been able to disambiguate between brain activity related to awareness of action discrepancy and awareness of action authorship in schizophrenic patients. Therefore, the present study is going to use a slight modification of Farrer et al (2007) experimental paradigm in order to clarify which brain areas are functioning or functioning abnormally in response to the task. It is unclear specifically which process recruits which aforementioned brain regions and this can be achieved by using an experimental design which breaks down the processes into two separate methods. Two fMRI studies will be undertaken and manipulations will include: 1) the awareness of one’s own action being consistent with the predicted action and 2) the experience of being the agent or not being the agent of an action (i.e. authorship/agency). Study 1 will include delays in visual feedback of actions to manipulate the relationship between predicted and actual sensory consequences of the action. Therefore, brain activity can be monitored to see when subjects are aware vs. unaware of these discrepancies with no bearing on authorship. Uncertainty of authorship will be introduced in study 2 to allow the observation of brain activity in response to manipulations of action authorship. 2. Questions to be answered: Will a difference be found in rIPL and TPJ activity of healthy subjects, schizophrenics with delusions of control and schizophrenics without delusions of control in study 1? Will a difference be found in rIPL and TPJ activity of healthy subjects, schizophrenics with delusions of control and schizophrenics without delusions of control in study 2? Will there a difference in brain activity between studies 1 and 2? 3. Plan of Investigation: 3.1. Subjects In accordance with medical research guidelines, after complete description of the study, written informed consent will be obtained from each participant. 12 schizophrenics with delusions of control (6 male, 6 female), and 12 schizophrenics without delusions of control (6 male, 6 female) will be recruited from London teaching hospitals, satisfying the DSM IV-R criteria for schizophrenia. Additionally, 12 healthy subjects (6 male, 6 female) will be used as controls, matched on age, sex and IQ. Each participant will be identified as right hand dominant. A quantitative assessment of the schizophrenia symptoms will be performed using the PANSS (Kay et al, 1987). Criteria for the schizophrenic patients with delusions of control are that they score 4 or 5 on the â€Å"delusions of control† item in the Scale for Assessment of Positive Symptoms (Andreasen, 1984). The criteria for the schizophrenics without delusions of control will be that they have never experienced such delusions. Exclusion criteria will include any history of substance abuse or dependency, as well as any history of serious head injury or any other neurological or psychiatric disorders. 3.2. Stimuli Procedure As stated before, the experimental paradigm is very similar to Farrer et al (2007). Study 1: A manual peg task will be performed with visual feedback delayed by 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 300 or 300 ms. A board with 33 holes and 25 pegs will be used. For each experimental block the placement of the pegs will be different to avoid any recall of peg positioning. An infrared camera will film the grid and this image will be sent to a delay unit and be delayed for the required time. The feedback image will then be linked to the LCD projector so that the subjects are able to see the delayed action feedback on the rear projection screen at the head of the bore. Therefore there are 7 conditions: 1 with no delay, and 6 with varying delays. A block design will be used with 8 blocks (20s each); the subjects will have to remove the pegs from the board for the 20s duration – this will then be followed by a rest condition with no action required or stimuli present. Each run involved the 7 conditions in a counterbalanced order. After each block finishes, each subject will be asked to state whether they perceived delays in the visual feedback of their movements: the right hand thumb down for â€Å"no† and thumb up for â€Å"yes†. Study 2: The procedure and stimuli will be the same as study 1. However, the subjects will be required to perform index and middle finger alternating actions without pause whilst watching the feedback screen. The delays used will be 800 and 1000ms. Each run will consist of 120s of alternating finger movement, and 30s rest and will be repeated 5 times. The subjects will be told that they can either see their own or another’s movements after the delay, and this would occur randomly. However, in fact subjects will only be able to see their own movements delayed, causing them to switch from self to other. They also will be required to assert whether they think they see themselves or another individual carrying out the action. They will be required to press one of two buttons to show this. To prevent any other source of recognisable information that could give away the authorship of the movement, subjects will be required to wear a snug fitting glove to prevent any recognition cues . 3.3. Image Acquisition and Analysis Studies 1 and 2 used the same functional imaging acquisition procedure. A 1.5-Tesla MRI scanner with a SENSE head coil will be used. For each run an ultrafast echo planar gradient echo imaging (EPI) sequence sensitive to blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) contrast will be used to obtain 25 slices per time repetition, (4.5mm thickness, 1mm gap, in plane resolution, 3.125 x 3.125mm). TR = 2500ms, TE = 35ms. A co-planar, T1-weighted, axial fast spin echo sequence will be used to acquire 25 slices (4.5mm slice thickness with 1mm gap), TE = Min full, TR = 650ms, ET = 2, field of view = 24cm. A whole brain T1-weighted structural image will also be acquired (0.940.941.2mm) (Farrer et al, 2007). A head restraint will also be used to reduce any head movement during the scan in order to reduce any motion artefact. 4. Details of Data Analysis: Both studies 1 and 2 will perform image analyses and statistical analyses using the SPM99 (http://fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/spm/software/spm99). Functional scans will be realigned, spatially normalised and smoothed using a Gaussian kernel to remove any movement artefacts and to place the data from each subject into a common anatomical frame. The statistical analysis is similar to the analysis carried out by (Farrer et al, 2007). Study 1: Two statistical analyses of the fMRI data will be performed. Firstly, movement-related activity, a simple contrast between the experimental blocks and the rest blocks. Secondly, delay-detection activity, the subjects’ responses in the detection of the delay will allow the assessment of between trials where subjects did or did not perceived the delay (Farrer et al, 2007). Study 2: Two statistical comparisons will be performed. Firstly, movement-related activity, the experimental blocks across all conditions for each subject will be grouped and the main effect of task will be created. Secondly, perturbed agency, the subjects’ response to the visual feedback will allow differentiation between trials where the subject experienced self or other action authorship. (Farrer et al, 2007). For both studies, one-tailed t-tests will be used for each of the contrast images. The set of t-values obtained will constitute a statistical parametric map which will show significant areas of BOLD signals. 5. Expected Outcomes: The Expected fMRI Results: Study 1: Consistent with prior research, it is expected that the healthy subjects will show significant activation in the in the rIPL, specifically the Ag, when detecting a discrepancy (detection of delay) (Frith et al, 2000; Sirgu et al, 2004; Farrer Frith, 2002; Farrer et al, 2007). No TPJ activity is expected in the healthy subjects as study 1 is not meant to bring about the experience of agency uncertainty; this will be supported by previous research which shows the TPJ to have a role in determining if an action is not ours (Leube et al, 2003; David et al, 2007; Farrer et al, 2008; Spengler et al, 2009). Schizophrenics without delusions of control are predicted to show very similar brain activation to the healthy subjects; this can be justified because they have had no prior experience of delusions of control and shouldn’t have any problems with determining action authorship (Spence et al, 1997) – however, this is not entirely certain, and only a prediction. As for the schizophrenics with delusions of control, it is expected that brain activity will be abnormal; the delay detected by the patient could elicit hyperactivation in the rIPL, specifically the Ag, and the TPJ and give rise to misattribution of agency (Spence et al, 1997; Whalley et al, 2004; Jeannerod, 2009; Jardri et al, 2011). Unlike the healthy controls and schizophrenics without delusions of controls, it is predicted that they will be unable to attribute the movement to themselves after the delay. Study 2: It is expected that because of the ambiguity of the movement in terms of agency, healthy subjects and schizophrenics without delusions of control will show increased activity in the rIPL, but also in the TPJ due to the uncertainty of agency (Frith et al, 2000; Sirgu et al, 2004; Farrer Frith, 2002; Farrer et al, 2007; Leube et al, 2003; David et al, 2007; Farrer et al, 2008; Spengler et al, 2009). After being told that the action is ambiguous (i.e. self or other) it is predicted that the schizophrenics with delusions of control – similar to study 1 will be more likely to misattribute the movement to another agent with a greater perturbation of their sense of agency compared to the other subjects. Additionally, the activity in the rIPL and TPJ is expected to show hyperactivation in comparison to the other subjects. (Spence et al, 1997; Whalley et al, 2004; Jeannerod, 2009; Jardri et al, 2011). Finally, it is expected that there will be a greater overlap between brain areas ac tive in both studies for the schizophrenics with delusions of control compared to the other subjects. 6. Details of any difficulties that can be foreseen: Although the subjects will be paid for their participation in the study, locating both schizophrenics with and without delusions of control may prove to difficult as they must be situated near the fMRI site as it is very unlikely that they will wish to travel long distances due to time and other issues. The criteria provided will narrow down the potential sample further. When using fMRI, it is important to acknowledge that the BOLD signals are considered to be an indirect measure of brain activity, therefore potentially, all brain responses may not be recorded for each of the stimuli. However, fMRI is viewed as one of the most effective ways to investigate brain activity without invasive procedure in this paradigm. It will be made certain that all precautions are met, and imaging acquisition and analysis are meticulously carried out. Due to the nature of schizophrenia and the wide variety of symptoms shown, it is possible that during the scanning process, certain subjects might experience symptoms that are debilitating to the scanning process which are out of the control of the experimenter. Medical staff will be on standby in case any violent/aggressive symptoms occur. There is a small chance of such an incident happening, but careful preparation can minimise the risk. 7. Future purpose and Theoretical Implications: If the results are as expected, this will have significant implications for several research areas. Firstly, it will add to the abundance of literature on the involvement of the rIPL and TPJ in response to action discrepancy and authorship in healthy individuals (e.g. (Frith et al, 2000; Sirgu et al, 2004; Farrer Frith, 2002; Farrer et al, 2007; Leube et al, 2003; David et al, 2007; Farrer et al, 2008; Spengler et al, 2009). Furthermore, it will demonstrate that symptoms vary massively across schizophrenia patients – there are deficits in the functioning of neural correlates (i.e. the rIPL and TPJ) between those with and without delusions of control, and will add to the relevant literature (e.g. (Spence et al, 1997; Whalley et al, 2004; Jeannerod, 2009; Jardri et al, 2011). Future research could delve into the severity of the symptoms of both the schizophrenics with and without delusions of control, and investigate whether it has an effect on subsequent brain activity. If a significant correlation is found it could be used as a â€Å"state-marker† of schizophrenia. As Jardri et al (2011) suggested such an increase in activity of the rIPL and TPJ in those with delusions could demonstrate a neuro-physiological signature in those suffering from the disease. Additionally, it gives further evidence that the deficient parietal mechanism is responsible for the impaired sense of agency demonstrated in schizophrenics with delusions of control. Therefore, as they have problems linking their intentions to their actions, it suggests that for future research the disconnection should not be looked for at the sensorimotor level, but rather, like this experiment, it should be looked for within the cortical network which is known to be responsible for the representations of motor function. References: David, N., Cohen, M., Newen, A., Bewernick, B., Shah, N., Fink, G., Vogeley, K. (2007). The extrastriate coretex distinguishes between the consequences of one’s own and others’ behaviour. Neuroimage, 26, 1004-1014. Farrer, C., Frith, C. (2002). Experiencing oneself vs another person as being the cause of an action: the neural correlates of the experience of agency.Neuroimage, 15, 596-603. Farrer, C., Franck, N., Georgieff, N., Frith,C., Decety, J., Jeannerod, M. (2003). Modulating the sense of agency: a PET study. Neuroimage, 18, 324-333. Farrer, C., Franck, N., Georgieff, N., Frith, C., Decety., d’Amato, T., Jeannerod, M. (2004). Neural correlates of action attribution in schizophrenia. Psychiatry Res, 131, 31-44. Farrer, C., Frey, S., van Horn, J., Tunik, E., Turk, D., Inati, S., Grafton, S. (2007). The angular gyrus computes action awareness representations. Cereb Cortex, 18, 254-261. Feinberg, I. (1978). Efference copy and corollary discharge. Implications for thinking and its disorders. Schizophr Bull, 4, 636-640. Frith, C. (1992). The cognitive neuropsychology of schizophrenia. Lawrence Erlbaum Assocaites, Hove. Frith, C., Blakemore, S., Wolpert, D. (2000). Abnormalities in the awareness and control of action. The Royal Society, 355, 1771-1788. Haggard, P. (2005). Conscious intention and motor cognition. Trends Cogn Sci. 9, 290-295. Jardri, R., Pins, D., Lafarge, G., Very, E., Ameller, A., Delmaire, C., Thomas, P. (2011). Increased overlap between the brain areas involved in self-other distinction in schizophrenia. Plos One, 6, 3. Jeannerod, M. (2009). The sense of agency and its disturbances in schizophrenia: a reappraisal. Exp Brain Res, 192, 527-532. Kay, S., Fiszbein, A., Opler, L. (1987). The positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS) for schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull, 13, 261-276. Leube, D., Knoblich, G., Erb, M., Grodd, W., Bartels, M., Kircher, T. (2003). The neural correlates of perceiving one’s own movements. Neuroimage, 20, 2084-2090. Maruff, P., Wood, S., Velakoulis, D., Smith, D., Soulsby, B., et al. (2005). Reduced volume of parietal and frontal association areas in patients with schizophrenia characterised by passivity delusions. Psychol Med, 35, 783-789. Mellor, C. (1970). First rank symptoms of schizophrenia. Br J Psychiatry, 117, 15-23. Mlakar, J., Jensterle, J., Frith, C. (1994). Central monitoring deficiency and schizophrenic symptoms. Psychol Med, 24, 557-564. Plaze, M., Paillere-Martinot, M., Penttila, J., Januel, D., de Beaurepaire, R. Et al. (2011). Where do auditory hallucinations comes from? A brain morphometry study of schizophrenia patients with inner or outer space hallucinations. Schizophr Bull, 37, 212-221. Sirgui, A., Daprati, E., Ciancia, S., Giraux, P., Nighohhossian, N., Posada, A., Haggard, P. (2004). Altered awareness of voluntary action after damange to the parietal cortex. Nat Neurosci, 7, 80-84. Slachevsky, A., Pillon, B., Fourneret, P., Pradat-Diehl, P., Jeannerod, M., Dubois, B. (2001). Preserved adjustment but impaired awareness in sensory-motor conflict following prefrontal lesions. J Cogn Neurosci, 13, 332-340. Spence, S., Brooks, D., Hirsch, S., Liddle, P., Meehan, J., Grasby, P. (1997). A PET study of voluntary movement in schizophrenic patients experiencing passivity phenomena (delusions of alien control). Brain, 120, 1997-2011. Spengler, S., Yves von Cramon, D., Brass, M. (2009). Was it me or was it you? How the sense of agency originates from ideomotor learning revealed by fMRI. Neuroimage, 46, 290-298. Torrey, E. (2007). Schizophrenia and the inferior parietal lobule. Schizophr Res, 97, 215-225. Van den Bos, E., Jeannerod, M. (2002). Sense of body and sense of action both contribute to self-recognition. Cognition, 85, 177-187. Von Holst, E., Mittelstaedt, G. (1950). Das reafferenzprinzip. Naturwissenschaften, 37, 464-476. Whalley, H., Simonotto, E., Flett, S., Marshall, I., Ebmeier, K., Owens, D., Goddard, N., Johnstone, E., Lawrie, S. (2004). fMRI correlates of state and trait effect in subjects at genetically enhances risk of schizophrenia. Brain, 127, 478-490. Wible, C., Preus, A., Hashimoto, R. (2009). A cognitive neuroscience view of schizophrenic symptoms: abnormal activation of a system for scoail perception and communication. Brain Imaging Behav, 3, 85-110. Wolpert, D., Ghahramani, Z., Jordan, M. (1995). An internal model for sensorimotor integration. Science, 269, 1880-1882.

Choose what you want Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Choose what you want - Coursework Example The DIAD has also been put under tests that most smartphones cannot survive, and these include; heat, cold, torrential rain and drop from six feet. UPS’s investment in IT will help it achieve strategic business objectives in the following ways. Financial Strategic Objectives: UPS will be able to achieve its financial objectives since investment in IT will win it more loyal customers. More customers mean more profits and UPS will experience a financial growth. Customer Strategic Objectives: by investing in IT, UPS is improving its customer’s service approach. Customers are enjoying working with UPS with every technological advancement that they make. Customer satisfaction is important to customer retention and obtaining new customers. Operational Strategic Objectives: UPS’s investment in IT will see the parcel delivery company grow into the most technologically advanced company and thus will always be ahead of its competitors in the market. Their services will also be of high standard due to the efficiency of IT in business, for example, the use of cameras to document the extent of damage on a parcel will improve the handling of packages by the drivers. Moreover, UPS will be able to realize improved communication with the improvement in IT that is important in the development of operational strategic objectives as communication between a customer and the company improves the efficiency of any business. Ultimately, learning Strategic Objective: drivers employed by UPS have to learn how to use the new technology in package delivery and they have to be good at it. Good performance by the drivers and other staff members in use of IT in their job. The company will, therefore, be able to achieve its Learning Str ategic Objectives by training its employees on emerging trends in the IT

History of Informatics and Areas of Practice - Entity Ranking Term Paper - 1

History of Informatics and Areas of Practice - Entity Ranking - Term Paper Example nformatics Association (AMIA), the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), and the American Nursing Informatics Association (ANIA). I will proceed to describe each group and give required reasoning as to why each is important to me. First to me is the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA). One of its missions is to provide information on the electronic health records, compliance and reimbursement. Rather recent in its development (1989) by the merger of three older groups, the organization concentrates on the holistic study of informatics, with specific concentration in five specific areas. Translational Bioinformatics is basically that which deals with analyzing and finding new ways of storing medical data. Clinical Research Informatics involves the management of trials and discoveries related to health maintenance and disease prevention. Clinical Informatics is concerned with the application of information technology in the treatment arena. Not solely for physicians, its disciplines could also apply to other healthcare professionals such as dentists and veterinarians. Consumer Health Informatics is the branch concerned with the public information and educations and also is responsible for EMR. Publi c Health Informatics is where the CDC would be involved, as it is mainly concerned with such things as infectious diseases and bioterrorism (AMIA). Therefore it can be seen that the AMIA is involved in all areas of informatics and as it states in its own bylaws â€Å"AMIA aims to lead the way in transforming health care through trusted science, education, and the practice of informatics†. The core of their beliefs is the science of informatics, which in a nutshell is enhancing the health of the patients, while providing the best in quality and safety of care through the use of information technology. As a nonprofit, most of its monies can therefore be dedicated to promoting informatics. The AMIA also has its own journal,

The Ukrainian Genocide Essay Example for Free

The Ukrainian Genocide Essay â€Å"Holodomor† means fake famine or slow killing by starvation in Ukrainian. Joseph Stalin, the premier of the Soviet Union, created an artificial famine to destroy the will of the Ukrainian people that sought independence from his rule. This famine lasted for three years killing an estimated seven to ten million people. Ukraine was known as the breadbasket of Europe before this happened. This was one of the worst cases of mass killing ever recorded. It also is one of the worst cases of food, or lack of it, being used as a weapon. Some people to this day ignore the fact that this artificial famine even existed. Ukraine had been under the domination of the Imperial Czars of Russia for two hundred years. Finally freedom had arrived in March of 1917. Some optimistic Ukrainians declared Ukraine to be an independent nation and began to re-establish Kiev, the nation’s capital. However, they did not stay free for long. Vladimir Lenin, the first leader of the Soviet Union, wanted to reclaim Ukraine. Four years of chaos and fighting followed. By the end of 1921 the Soviets were able to crush the Ukrainian people and win the war. Half of Ukraine was then divided up between Poland, Romania, and Czechoslovakia. The rest of Ukraine was kept by the Soviet Union. The Soviets began shipping grain out of Ukraine to satisfy hungry Russians. While the Soviets banqueted, Ukrainians suffered. Then a drought occurred resulting in widespread hunger and popular resentment towards Vladimir Lenin and the Soviets. To lessen this animosity, Lenin lessened his grip on the Ukrainian people and even encouraged a free-market. People started to relax and renewed their interests in independence, folk art, music, and literature. The Soviets began slowly losing control of Ukraine because of this revival. However, when Lenin died Stalin, one of the most cold-blooded humans to ever hold this much power, took over. Stalin thought the gradual loss of Ukraine was completely unacceptable. To crush the free spirited revival he started using the same ruthless methods used on the Soviet Union. In the beginning of 1929 over five thousand Ukrainian scholars, scientists, cultural and religious leaders were arrested with false accusations of planning an armed revolt against the Soviets. Everyone that was arrested was either shot or deported to prison camps where they would be tortured with out a trial. Stalin also disapproved of Ukraine’s system of land management. He began seizing all privately owned farms in a country where eighty percent of its people are farmers. There was a class of farmers called â€Å"kulaks† by the communists. Kulaks were wealthy farmers who made a profit by themselves. Stalin believed that all farms should be collective farms run by the government. Stalin started forcing people to join these collective farms or else they would be classified as Kulaks and put into jails, which began appearing in most Ukrainian villages. By the summer of 1932 eighty percent of Ukraine’s population started working in collective farms. They were afraid of seeing their own children die of starvation so they gave in. He thought that any revolt in the future would be led by the Kulaks so he began destroying them as a class. Kulaks were declared â€Å"enemies of the people† and were left beaten in the streets with out any possessions of their own. The Red army stole all of the kulaks possessions. It was against the law to help Kulaks or their families in any way. Millions of people were put onto railroad boxcars and were shipped to prison camps in the wilderness of Siberia. One-third of the people sent to these camps died because of the horrible conditions. Back in Ukraine things were getting worse and worse each day. Stalin sent out henchman Lazar Kaganovitch to destroy all Ukrainian resistance. He made quota shooting 10,000 innocent Ukrainians weekly. Eighty percent of all intellectuals were executed. Stalin began stealing food that was made from the Ukrainian’s own hands. All farms were raided for any possible food, blankets, cattle, and fuel. The secret police looked for â€Å"hidden grain† under men and women’s clothing. Even the smallest amounts of grain were confiscated. They blocked all railroads and streets so nothing could get in or out of Ukraine. Ukrainians began to quickly die of starvation, cold, and sickness. During the winter of 1932-1933 the famine hit full force. Soon people were eating shoes, belts, tree bark, pets, and some even ate infant children and dead bodies to stay alive. Many begged neighbors for potato skins and other scraps, but they found their neighbors equally starved. There were unbelievably emaciated bodies in the street. I remember all this I was swollen from hunger; my brother was even in the worst condition He was dying; his swollen body was leaking fluid. I was sitting beside him, he was gritting his teeth and kept asking for a cucumber Then he died His dead body had been wrapped in a blanket, the color of this blanket is still in my memory. This is the testimony of Hanna Nelasa, born in Luhansk region. She was one of the few people brave enough to give her testimony about the famine. In Russia it has been made illegal to commemorate this event. To this day people do not know the exact amount of people that died during this tragic time. At the famine’s height 25,000 people were dying per day. They estimate the number of people that died to be around seven to ten million. In the end the Soviet collective farms never succeeded. The livestock were poorly cared for on these farms and the conditions were very unhealthy. Inexperienced young communists ran all the farms. They became jokes throughout Ukraine about how uneducated they were on simple things like farming and cleaning. An American Journalist wrote this horrifying description of what he saw: â€Å"About twenty miles south of Kiev (Kyiv), I came upon a village that was practically extinct by starvation. There had been fifteen houses in this village and a population of forty-odd persons. Every dog and cat had been eaten. The horses and oxen had all been appropriated by the Bolsheviks to stock the collective farms. In one hut they were cooking a mess that defied analysis. There were bones, pigweed, skin, and what looked like a boot top in this pot. The way the remaining half dozen inhabitants eagerly watched this slimy mess showed the state of their hunger. † On a personal note, my grandfather lived through this time. He was once walking and thought he saw a log and went to go sit on it, but it was a frozen body. They were living at the edge of the woods so his father buried potatoes and grain two hundred feet deep in the back of the woods. The Secret Police came to their house and took bayonets poking them into the soil looking for any food they had. Adults and children constantly came begging to their house for scraps of food and they gave it to them. This is why I chose this as my topic because my grandparents told me hundreds of stories about growing up during these times.

Template for Departments Injury and Illness Prevention Program at the University of California, Berkeley :: essays research papers

Template for Departments' Injury and Illness Prevention Program at the University of California, Berkeley (Note: This template was downloaded from the web site of the Office of Environment, Health & Safety at the University of California, Berkeley, http://ehs.berkeley.edu/. The forms mentioned in this template can also be downloaded from the web site. Click on â€Å"Injury & Illness Prevention Program† under the â€Å"Services, Programs, & Compliance Assistance† heading on the EH&S home page.) Departments at the University of California, Berkeley can use the following template to create a written Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) that meets the requirements of state law. (Each department at UC Berkeley is required to have its own IIPP.) Putting the written program into action will help to ensure a healthful and safe workplace for department employees. To use the template, replace any italicized text with your department's specific information. Then send a copy to the Office of Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) at 317 University Hall #1150 for review. (You may also send it as an e-mail attachment to ehs@uclink.berkeley.edu.) EH&S will review the draft against applicable legal requirements. The next step is to put the program into action. An IIPP's benefits will be realized only through effective implementation. University of California, Berkeley (Department Name) Injury and Illness Prevention Program (Date adopted) University of California, Berkeley (Department Name) Injury and Illness Prevention Program TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE II. RESPONSIBILITIES III. IDENTIFYING WORKPLACE HAZARDS IV. COMMUNICATING WORKPLACE HAZARDS V. CORRECTING WORKPLACE HAZARDS VI. INVESTIGATING INJURIES AND ILLNESSES VII. EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING VIII. ENSURING COMPLIANCE IX. RECORD KEEPING X. CAMPUS SAFETY RESOURCES APPENDICES University of California, Berkeley (Department Name) Injury and Illness Prevention Program I. INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE It is the policy of the University of California, Berkeley to maintain a safe and healthful work environment for each employee (including student and contract employees), and to comply with all applicable occupational health and safety regulations. The (Department Name) Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) is intended to establish a framework for identifying and correcting workplace hazards within the department, while addressing legal requirements for a formal, written IIPP. II. RESPONSIBILITIES ( Department Head's title, and name) (Name of department head) has primary authority and responsibility to ensure departmental implementation of the IIPP and to ensure the health and safety of the department's faculty, staff and students. This is accomplished by communicating the Berkeley campus's emphasis on health and safety, analyzing work procedures for hazard identification and correction, ensuring regular workplace inspections, providing health and safety training, and encouraging prompt employee reporting of health and safety concerns without fear of reprisal.

The Role of Race in Othello

â€Å"Although the plots of Shakespeare's plays are specific, the motivations of the characters — as well as of Shakespeare himself — have been the source of much debate. Arguments continue over interpretations of Shakespeare's intentions in part because his plays remain so profoundly relevant. † (www. pbs. org, Teachers’ Guide, Othello : Essay on race, web. ) Othello is the story of a Berber who in the fourteenth century, has reached the top of the pyramid in the Republic of Venice thanks to his value as a valiant general of the army. However, his life ended prematurely and tragically in the darkness of jealousy and crime. Othello is the only one able to defeat the Turks on the Cyprus battlefront. This is why the Doge sent him for this mission and, incidentally, gives him approval to bond with a woman from the nobility of Venice , Desdemona, daughter of Senator Brabantio, despite the reluctance of the latter, which obviously does not this â€Å"Moor† in his family. The drama takes place at the couple's arrival in Cyprus and victorious of the Turks – without a single fight since it is served by the storm which swept the enemy fleet. Othello becomes the governor of the island and is at the height of his military and personal life since he won the heart and selflessness of Desdemona who even strongly opposed her father to stay with him. From there, it's a highway to hell that Shakespeare offers us, and we are right to ask the question of why such a tragedy, when Othello had just made an exceptional course and that nothing, could predict such a fall? In the play, the Venetian society claims not to be racist, what is true because it allows Othello to become a governor of Cyprus. But just like our western and modern society, this racism rises under a speech of tolerance and opening. And it re-appears on the occasion of social struggles, of political or economic crises. It is the case in the play on the occasion of the fight between Iago and Cassio. But this racism is also interiorized by Othello. Why does not he speak to Desdemona? Why does not he rely on her? Because he built his life in a violent fight against exclusion, so that he cannot believe in his happiness. His class is printed for ever in the face. Othello is a text on otherness, on the impossibility for a Southerner, a Moor, a Berber from North Africa to find his place in Venice at that time without denying all of the above. But if this denial — and that is the demonstration made by Shakespeare — can last a while, then it turned against its author whose life turns to a tragedy. The play rises the question of the status of the stranger in our human society in general. Similarly, Othello may sound like a denunciation, a text that Shakespeare would have made masked in a classical tragedy that could please his audience. But we can also consider that the work, with its multiple facets exceeded its own author. It seems t that the idea there is probably a reflection on the question of otherness and the need of human societies to be open to the Other, to avoid the risk of dying themselves from the isolation in which they stand, is widespread with regard to this text. The heart of this tragedy is the question of â€Å"acculturation†. To take a place in society, the Stranger or more precisely â€Å"the dominated†, is obliged to begin this process which is to adopt the dominant culture to be recognized in the world of mainstream. The question of the disappearance of the original culture becomes glaring, because without it the â€Å"dominated† loses its soul and so a part of his life. Returning to the text, we can notice first that Othello is often referred to its origins, the color of his skin, his â€Å"strangeness†, in short, non-membership in the Republic of Venice, this irrespectively of the invaluable services he could have render. In the first scene of Act I, Iago, Othello’s â€Å"faithful† servant, who could not bear not to have been appointed by him as lieutenant, is trying to oppose the Senator Brabantio, Desdemona's father , to the love affair between his master and Desdemona. Iago’s terms would today lead to court prosecution for racism : â€Å"You’ll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse; You’ll have your nephews neigh to you, you’ll have coursers for cousins, and gennets for germans†. A little further the remarks are no less moderate: â€Å"I am one sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the moor are making the beast with two backs â€Å". We also learn in this first act, when Othello is obliged to explain the circumstances of his love with Desdemona (â€Å"strange and against nature†), that Brabantio that was linked to him in some â€Å"friendship â€Å"but we understand that it was true as he remained in the place which was his own, without going to compete with the Venetian nobles and hope to enter, for example, in the family. In this situation, the witch trials is already wielded by Brabantio accusing Othello of magic. Othello: â€Å"Her father loved me, he often invited me, he asked me the story of my life †¦ †. This is in sharp contrast to the despair and violence of the father when he learns that his daughter left with Othello. He even make explicit reference to skin color and supposed ugliness of the stranger: Scene 2 of the first act: â€Å"Can a girl so tender, so beautiful would [†¦ ] never ran from the tutelage of her father in a black soot to be like you, to fear, not to delight. . Scene 3 of the first act: â€Å"†¦ become, despite his love of nature [†¦ ] she was afraid to look! â€Å". Othello’s forced denial is complete: he converted to Christianity and blames himself the Turks who represent Muslim revivalism, until his last words which will be discussed further. No word on his Berber origins nor his first religion which is Islam in all likelihood It seems to devote a genuine hatred for the Turks in the name of this total feeling of belonging to the Republic of Venice. He understood that his ascent is the price. It is simply swept away, erased its own and profound identity in its very essence. We can see in the same time as the others always refer to the â€Å"particuliarities† that are his, his â€Å"strangeness,† and then only when it comes to belittle, humiliate and to remove any legitimacy on this earth for which he fought body and soul. His denial is the cause of Othello's descent into hell, into a kind of belated recognition that he was at the zenith of its glory. The â€Å"homecoming† seems to be inevitable for all of us, especially one who is living an important moment of his life and history. At the peak of his life, the Moor of Venice is undoubtedly aware of his confinement in this gilded citadel – military glory and carnal love. Then he givse up, probably unconsciously, self-destruction and easily falls into the trap of his so called faithful villainous Iago. There is a strong moment in this play, the only one to make a positive reference to the origins of Othello: it is the episode of the handkerchief, a crucial object that comes from his mother when she was on her deathbed. Othello's mother is quoted there for the first time, as a remnant of that origin killed out of necessity †¦ This hences the importance of the handkerchief Othello and focusing on its loss. The fact that the object has been given to Cassio, Desdemona's supposed lover, therefore appears quite high. The behavior of Lodovico, the Doge's sent to Cyprus to recall Othello, is the most emblematic of the shaky status of Othello in this society he wanted to endorse with all his heart: it is as if Othello man considered and respected, was expected at the turn, as if it were enough for him to make any mistakes so that everybody will sound the most negative about him and forget immediately all its virtues. That's what it feels well in Act 4, Scene One: Lodovico, ironic, after seeing Othello in the grip of jealousy hit Desdemona: â€Å"This would not be believed in Venice, Though I should swear I saw it † . Othello seems to be the subject of a hostile nature, a sort of presumed guilt until he proves he is innocent The tragedy of Othello is that he felt one day that his meteoric success was insignificant because it was really and deeply – socially and culturally — was denied by a block of domination in a society which he lived in and which he has become, paradoxically, one of the banners. Irreversible process, there remained to be a good reason for the man to end the world, and he is guided by hatred Iago who is going to serve him a dish of lies and machinations . Othello then gives up again. Iago does not kill Othello, but gives him the means to destroy himself. After his credit tainted by political and military actions that Venice could not accept, he decides to kill the woman who deeply loved him and to end his own life with these words that clearly show his awareness of the † wrong way â€Å"it has made in his life :† †¦ f one whose hand, like the base Judean, threw the pearl away richer than all his tribe; of one whose subdued eyes, albeit unused to the melting mood, drops tears as fast as the Arabian trees their med’ cinable gum. Set you down this. And say besides that in Aleppo once, where a malignant and turbaned Turk beat a Venetian and traduced the state, I took by th’ throat the circumcised dog and smote him — thus (He stabs himself). † Everything is here, up to the tribe of Othello's origins and thus he has â€Å"betrayed† †¦ And we might think that â€Å"circumcised dog† is Othello himself. As we said in the beginning, Shakespeare’s work have always been the source of much debate and of many interpretation. In deed, let’s conclude with a quote from the critic Harold Bloom in his book Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human notes, â€Å"We can keep finding the meanings of Shakespeare, but never the meaning. As each generation re-interprets Shakespeare, it's likely that these issues will continue to challenge, infuriate, and intrigue audiences.