Henrik Isbens A Dolls House Essay -- A Dolls House Essays

Ibsen's "A Doll's House" In Ibsen’s â€Å"A Doll’s House†, in Act Two Scene 6, Nora’s deceptive behaviour and desperation reaches its climax due to the arrival of the letter. This is because the letter contains the means she used to get hold of the money. During the time when the play took place, society frowned upon women asserting themselves. Women were supposed to play the role in which they supported their husbands, took care of their children and made sure that everything around the house was perfect. Work, politics and decisions were left to the males. Nora broke the law and decided to borrow money to pay for her husband’s treatment. She did not borrow the money in the ‘right’ way instead she forged her father’s signature. By doing this, she not only broke the law but also stepped away from the role society had placed on her, being totally dependent on her husband. In this scene, she faces the truth in the letter. The person from whom she borrowed the money, Krogstad, wants payment on the loan. He also blackmails her about influencing Helmer to give him a better job at the bank and hence increase his position in society. This causes Nora to try to keep the letter away from her husband; but what is the significance of the letter and what does it mean to Nora? Possibly, this letter catalyses how Nora acts and how she thinks and she has been deceiving Helmer for the whole of their marriage. This included all sorts of deceptions. One thing that a good audience can recogn...

The American Dream in Lorraine Hansberrys A Raisin in the Sun and Arth

Centuries ago, Americans were fighting for their freedom from Britain. Then, the American dream was to have freedom. To American then, being free and having their own individual country was enough. Up until a few decades ago, African Americans were fighting to have equal rights. They thought this was all they needed and they would be truly happy. Somewhere over the course of time; happiness had a new meaning for all Americans. Now material possessions are what it takes to be happy. The American dream is to be rich. A Raisin in the Sun, written by Lorraine Hansberry, and Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller, both address the American Dream. Both plays discuss the desire for wealth and how the desire may lead to one’s downfall. However, each play is very different in addressing issues such as race and feminism. A Raisin in the Sun and Death of a Salesman have the same major theme of the American Dream, but address other issues differently along the way. A Raisin in the Sun is about an African American family in Chicago. Living in the same old broken down house is Lena Younger, who is the mother to both Beneatha and Walter, who also live in the house. Walter is married to Ruth and is the father of Travis. As the play begins, the family is about to inherit an insurance check for 10,000 dollars. This money comes from the death of Lena’s husband. Each member of the family wants to do something different with that money. Lena wants to buy a bigger house in a nicer area, and Ruth agrees with her. Beneatha wants the money to go to tuition for medical school. Walter wants to invest the money in a liquor store, so he can own the store, and become successful and rich. He is tired of just being a cab driver. However, Lena inten... ...e almost called Mr. Linder and made that deal with him when he found out that he lost the money, but his family was there to help him figure out that that would not be the right thing to do. On the other hand, Willy’s relationship with his family is what led him to suicide. The role of woman is also handled differently in the two plays, along with the role of age and race. The two plays had similar points, but were also quite different. Works Cited Cleage, Pearl. â€Å" Black Issues Book Review†. Playright’s Choice 3 (1995): 20- 23. Evans, Everett. â€Å"What’s Hot on Stage†. Houston Chronicle. 28 Oct 1994: Pgs 10- 12. Laban, Linda. â€Å"Raisin in the Sun Raisin’s in the Rounder†. Boston Globe. 5 Apr 2001: pgs 8-11. Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. New York: Penguin Books, 1992. Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. New York: Penguin Books, 1949.

Knowledge acquisition Essay

Jegrins Insurance Company is one of the largest insurance companies. Jegrins Company is a group of six other companies that deal with life insurance, property insurance, insurance exchange, property insurance and management. Jerkins Insurance Company is one of the largest casualty or property insurers and has so many policies. It deals with life insurance, asset management and casualty and property Insurance. Insurance companies have to maintain a competitive advantage in order to ensure growth. Jergins is one of those insurance companies that need to maintain a competitive advantage. The company has a very stable financial condition, works towards superior targets hence attains the aim of providing superior services. The employees of Jegrins Insurance Company are a very committed group who work towards the success of the company and ensure that the company grows. Jegrins Company has policy holders too that always set specific targets to be met by the company. They either set long term targets or short term targets depending on what they want to accomplish, agents of the company work hard in order not only to meet these targets but also to exceed them as a challenge to their policy holders. This company uses all these to ensure growth in the market as well as maintaining a competitive advantage. The company uses the capitalization’s risk adjustment as one of the ways of ensuring growth. It has a unique solid operating performance system as well, that it makes use of and views this as very important in the growth of the company. Another design in place for the Jegrins Insurance Company is the availability of the regional market that is well established. The advantage of the regional market, the employees attitude towards working hard, the adjustment of risk capitalization and the policies of the company that have to be met, place the company in a very high class among other insurance companies and enables it maintain a competitive advantage apart from just company growth. There are other factors that contribute to the growth hence high rating of the Jegrins Insurance Company. These are factors such as improvements on technology which has enabled the company growth on performance and service offering, low operating costs, a solid income investment, an increased sophistication on pricing and a well organized and well mannered underwriting. Jegrins Company cannot only depend on the already mentioned factors to be successful and to maintain a competitive advantage. It has to look for knowledge and how to manage it for the benefit of the company. The company therefore tried to change or implement ways of getting knowledge which it realized was a very important factor in maintaining competitive advantage. The company realized that by gaining knowledge from outside about other companies or competitors, it would be better placed, and apart from that, internal knowledge was noticed as essential for the general growth of the company. The company manager therefore decided to implement knowledge strategies to use for the companies benefit and be well informed about competitive advantage issues. The knowledge strategy of a company is the approach the company gives to the knowledge capabilities and knowledge resources to the company’s strategy in order to achieve what the company targets are. A knowledge strategy enables the company to increase its knowledge in a specified area be it internal or external knowledge of a company. Companies choose from the knowledge sources which are either internal or external or can choose to use both. Jegrins Company decided on a knowledge strategy that uses both the internal knowledge sources and the external knowledge sources. Jegrins company internal knowledge sources are those that the employees have in their minds, that is, in their behaviors, the duties and procedures they conduct everyday, the company equipments and the software of the company that they handle. Jegrins internal knowledge sources also lay in the various documents that the company has, the databases and the on line repositories. The external knowledge sources that Jegrins decided to use are such as consultants, from brokers of knowledge, universities, publications, personal relations and from professional associations. Jegrins company manager found out that internal knowledge source could be used to prevent imitation by other companies and to maintain the required level of knowledge requirement for executing the company’s strategy and maintaining its current position. The manager then decided to go to an extent of looking for external knowledge sources to avoid being beaten by competitors since competitors too have knowledge levels. The company has to ensure the gap between the competitors level of knowledge is closed down to ensure it is not down and cannot be out done at any time. Jegrins also creates new knowledge to keep in pace and to maintain a competitive advantage position. This extra knowledge, the manager feels is very important since the company will be better placed that the other companies. The company exploits knowledge to keep pace by looking for more information that is relevant. Jegrins insurance Company Internal knowledge management and knowledge acquisition: Without a knowledge strategy, the success of a company can be jeopardized. The company has since implemented a strategy of knowledge acquisition. This strategy has various processes that the company follows. The knowledge of the company since it was initiated was made available to the company employees for them to get to know more about the company. In knowledge management, employees are very important. Jegrins encourages its employees to get the information about the company and perform there duties on the basis of knowledge that they have gained. Internal knowledge is based on the employee knowledge, about their experiences, the soft ware in the company and other company documents. Since the company already had these, it was easy for the manager to go through this step of knowledge acquisition because the employees already had knowledge about the company, the software and had experiences in vast areas of the company. On the basis that this is a large company that provides services to other members and has so many policies, Jegrins has a lot to be termed as internal knowledge. It is therefore an important task to take a long term plan to ensure knowledge acquisition is not stopped after a short time but is continued over a long period of time. Jegrins made this decision just based on the nature of the business or company that does not go for days then close down. The manager decided on long term plans to avoid failure during operations in the future. Apart from the company knowledge that was readily available, the manager still implemented ways to encourage the employees to share the experiences they had and other organizational issues as a way to improve the company’s operational system. By this he encouraged learning through experience hence acquiring more useful knowledge to what his targets of the company are knowledge. External sources of knowledge: Jegrins acquires knowledge too from the external environment as has been stated. It gets information from consultants about the company’s operation steps whenever the manager feels there is a point where consultation is required. The company has evolved to an extent of looking at the other company’s successful methods and learning about them for the benefit of the company and to bridge the gap between the competitor and the company itself. When the company manager does this, he realizes that the other companies do not have more knowledge than the company does, and therefore are at almost the same level of knowledge and not left out yet the company still ranks above the competitors. This he realizes is important in maintaining a competitive advantage since knowledge about other companies is available to him and he knows the steps to make to avoid problems or going down the competitive advantage. The manager also involves the company in looking for information about the environment to which the company operates apart from the competitors’ information. The market is very important to the management of the company since the basis of the company being set up is to provide services to a specified market. Jegrins manager encourages research on the market for the advantage of the company. This though has been the company norm even before the manager decided on taking to knowledge strategy since it offered a lot of information about the steps to be followed for the success of the company. The manager realized that there was need for a strategy or method to be used to acquire just more information relevant for development. This kind of information gaining was meant for the purpose of just keeping in pace with others or being ahead of them which would be to the advantage of the company. The company therefore looked for external sources of information from universities, publications about the successful insurance companies, and other related information professional sources. Jegrins Information distribution: The manager of Jegrins Insurance Company adopted a system in the company that stored valuable information in an order that could be easily retrieved for reference. He also adopted the system of allowing information to be shared among the employees depending on the ranks and area of work so that when an employee does not accept an issue, he/she can explain it to others, discussed and a conclusion made. All these steps the manager considers as a good knowledge management strategy that has shown great success to the company after implementation. After knowledge acquisition, distribution, interpretation and general storage, the company’s knowledge management can be discussed. The manager so far has used this strategy to manage the company knowledge and is able to realize some bit by bit improvements from the previous level in which the company was before. The company though was at a high level, the manager had intentions of improvement and not just sticking to one level forever that may fall down in one time. The manager decided therefore to implement the knowledge management strategy to improve company performance and maintain competitive advantage. In all the knowledge management procedures, the manager had to take time to make sure that strategic knowledge creation is correctly done. He had to make the short term decisions in some cases and long term decision in others to make sure that there is a balance. This is because in some cases like the maintenance of the competitive advantage by the company, the manager had to decide on long term strategy since the future of the company has to be considered. After implementing a knowledge management strategy, the company has come to realize that knowledge is the key issue in the basis of competition. The company is always aware of any competitor steps that are relevant for the company in order not to be beaten by the competitor. Additional knowledge places the company at a higher class since more improvements have been made based on the acquired knowledge. Internal knowledge proved to be very advantageous to the company since it made the employees share the ideas out of the strategy that the manager created that allowed them to share ideas on the companies operations and make corrections and improvements where it was necessary. The result of these steps by the manager was tremendous, easy maintenance of the competitive advantage, noticeable growth, and increased class when compared to other companies and just being informed in terms of knowledge. It was success for Jegrins. Jegrins manager feels that knowledge strategies that suit respective companies are one of the ways to maintain competitive advantage in insurance companies since knowledge is the basis of competition and improvement. According to Jegrins’ manager, when the company has knowledge from the external environment, there are very high chances of improvement and maintaining a competitive advantage. Internal knowledge also contributes to the improvement and competitive advantage too since the main subject here is the employees and the employees have a big role to play in the company. They are the one who run it through their routine duties and experiences.

Case Study Of Hypertension Health And Social Care Essay

A 55 twelvemonth old male named Nicholas Manners, is admitted to the ward for direction of his high blood pressure. Upon reaching, he appears rather ruddy in the face. He was referred to the exigency section by his GP as he was kicking of a concern and giddiness. He was stabilised and has been transferred to the ward for farther direction. He tells the nurse, he has had a concern for the last three yearss and has had really small slumber. Mr Manners is a Chief executive officer of an advertisement bureau and works long hours. Nicholas has two boies aged 15 & A ; 17 and his married woman Lucy, who is really supportive. Lucy tells the nurse that Nick chows on the tally due to his busy agenda and frequently chows at eating houses when entertaining clients. Nick smokes 10-15 cigarettes/day and has had multiple efforts at discontinuing. He has a household history of coronary arteria disease, his male parent died of a bosom onslaught 5 old ages ago at the age of 75. Observations on admitta nce ; BP 160/90, SaO2 97 % on room air, Temp. 37.1, Pulse 95, RR 19 beats per minute, wt 90 kilogram, ht 170 centimeter, Nil Known Allergies ( Jennings, 2010 ) . Blood force per unit area refers to the measuring of force that is applied to the walls of the arterias as the bosom pumps blood through the organic structure. The force per unit area is determined by the force and the sum of blood pumped, and the size and flexibleness of the arterias. High blood force per unit area, besides known as Hypertension, is considered as above 120/80 mmHg ( PubMed Health, 2011 )PathophysiologyArterial blood force per unit area is a merchandise of cardiac end product and systemic vascular opposition. A alteration in the vascular wall thickness affects the elaboration of peripheral vascular opposition in hypertensive patients. This consequences in the contemplation of moving ridges back to the aorta and hence increasing the systolic blood force per unit area ( Medscape, 2011 ) . Although 90 % of high blood pressure instances, the cause is non truly known ( Moser, p.11 ) , harmonizing to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare ( AIHW ) , the causes of h igh blood force per unit area are both biomedical and lifestyle oriented. Major causes include ; being overweight, dietetic salt consumption, and nutrition forms which involve low consumption of fruit and veggies and an high consumption of saturated fat ( Australian Institue of Health and Welfare,2010 ) . Although most of the clip there are no marks and symptoms, such may happen ; confusion, ear noise or buzzing, weariness, concern, irregular pulse, epistaxis, vision alterations. These marks are known as marks of complication or perilously high blood force per unit area called malignant high blood pressureNursing AppraisalAs a patient is admitted to the infirmary, it is critical to execute a nursing appraisal on admittance to garner baseline readings of the patient. The Systems Approach Framework was used to buttockss Mr Nicholas Manners from caput to toe in a mode of subjective and nonsubjective informations. The classs used are as follows ; Central Nervous System, Cardiovascular S ystem, Respiratory System, Gastrointestinal Tract, Renal System, Integumentary System and Metabolic System. CNS – patient is able to communicate-states he has a concern, assess motion of limbs, esthesis to fringes and trouble if any. CVS – HR 95, BP 160/90, assess capillary refill, patient is red in the face – assess circulation of the remainder of the organic structure including warmth and coloring material. RESP. – RR 19 beats per minute, SaO2 97 % on room air, auscultate his chest- listen for abnormalcies in the lungs as he is a tobacco user, measure his work of external respiration. GIT – farther buttocks appetency and eating wonts, auscultate for intestine sounds, buttocks and record intestine direction. RENAL – buttocks input and end product and record observations if needed, utilizing a unstable balance chart. INTEGUMENTARY – buttocks tegument for cicatrixs, waterlessness, integral and skin turgor. METABOLIC – buttocks Hb, BGL and liver map through a blood trial.Education and Psychosocial supportEducation and support that can be offered to Nicholas to help him in deriving more information and support for his Hypertension include: Dieticians which Nicholas can be referred to during his stay in infirmary, to educate him about a healthy diet and besides supply support. Social worker to supply support for Nicholas and his household if needed. Information brochures can be retreived from the infirmary, to educate Nicholas on Hypertension. Web sites such as Better Health Channel, Hypertension Education Foundation and the Heart Foundation, all provide instruction and information about support for patients about high blood pressure.Nursing DiagnosisGoalsInterventionsRationaleEvaluationIneffective wellness care related to incapableness to change life style Short term: Introduce low-sodium and low fat nutrients into Nicholas ‘ diet Refer Nicholas to a dietitian for instruction of low-sodium and low-fat nutrients. To cut down the sum of high-fat nutrients Nicholas is devouring. Nicholas ‘ diet presently consists of less high-fat nutrients. Short term: Aim to cut down blood force per unit area readings to less than 150/80 by the following GP visit in a hebdomad. Teach Nicholas to take Nicholas ain blood force per unit area daily at place and record it. To brace Nicholas ‘ blood force per unit area at a lower degree. Nicholas ‘ blood force per unit area readings have now stabilised to a lower degree. Long term: Develop a regular exercising program for Nicholas to follow. Promote Nicholas to walk for an hr each twenty-four hours. To promote Nicholas to prosecute in a healthy life style. Nicholas participates in an hr of physical activity each twenty-four hours. Long term: Aim to discontinue smoke in the following 8-12 months. Refer Nicholas to back up plans such as ‘QUIT ‘ to back up and help Nicholas in discontinuing smoke. To cut down Nicholas ‘ hazard of holding blocked arterias and therefore increasing Nicholas blood force per unit area Nicholas has now quit smokeNursing DiagnosisGoalsInterventionsRationaleEvaluationFatigue related to the effects of high blood pressure and the day-to-day life stressors. Short term: Aim to command side effects such as weariness. Educate Nicholas on the side effects, to help him in commanding them. To help Nicholas in deriving cognition of the side effects and how to command them in instance they are experienced after discharge. Nicholas is able to command his small if any side effects experienced. Short term: Aim to keep a stable degree of fluids in the organic structure. Ensure Nicholas drinks plentifulness of H2O throughout the twenty-four hours. To maintain Nicholas hydrous and cut down weariness. Record amounts utilizing a unstable balance chart if needed Nicholas ‘ weariness degrees have decreased as he is imbibing plentifulness of H2O throughout the twenty-four hours. Long term: Reduce the emphasis degrees experienced throughout the twenty-four hours. Discuss emphasis cut downing methods applicable to Nicholas. To cut down the hazard of increasing Nicholas ‘ blood force per unit area. Nicholas has reduced his emphasis degrees utilizing the methods discussed Long term: Develop a healthy feeding program to utilize one time Nicholas is discharged Refer Nicholas to a dietician to help in educating him in the importance of a healthy diet and developing a program. To cut down weariness related to an unhealthy diet. Nicholas has continued his healthy feeding program and does non endure from weariness.Nursing DiagnosisGoalsInterventionsRationaleEvaluationImbalanced nutrition related to deficient cognition of the relationship between diet and the disease Short term: Brace the instabilities of nutrition Provide Nicholas with a scope of fruits and veggies To supply Nicholas with a assortment of foods from a scope of nutrients. Nicholas ‘ diet now chiefly consists of fruit and veggies Short term: To do Nicholas ‘ cognition on the disease Provide Nicholas with information such as booklets about high blood pressure To guarantee Nicholas has a good cognition of high blood pressure Nicholas is now good educated on his disease Long term: To brace Nicholas ‘ weight within 6-8 months of discharge Refer to dietician to measure and supervise his diet and aid with his weight loss To guarantee Nicholas has the support required to run into his end Nicholas is now within a healthy weight scope for his gender, tallness and age Long term: Derive more cognition on the effects of smoke Educate Nicholas on the effects of smoking to his organic structure To guarantee he is cognizant of the harm smoke is making to his organic structure Nicholas is good informed on the effects of smokeNursing DiagnosisGoalsInterventionsRationaleEvaluationNon-compliance related to the side effects of the intervention ( Ackley & A ; Ladwig, p.315 ) Short term: Maintain stableness of side effects Monitor Nicholas and supply advice when non following instructions of intervention To guarantee Nicholas ‘ intervention continues on the right way. Nicholas ‘ side effects have decreased. Short term: Long term: Long term: Maintain conformity of intervention Educate Nicholas on hazards if intervention non followed as required To guarantee Nicholas ‘ wellness does non deteriorate Nicholas is compliant with his interventionDiagnostic TrialsDiagnostic trials that will help with the appraisal and direction of Nicholas include: Electrocardiogram ( ECG ) – This trial determines if the bosom has sustained nay harm due to untreated high blood pressure ( Cardio Connection, n.d ) . This trial assists with the direction of Nicholas ‘ high blood pressure by supplying moving ridges of the electrical current of the bosom. Urinalysis – This trial is used to test the causes of high blood pressure and expression for any harm to the kidneys as a consequence of untreated high blood pressure ( Cardio Connection, n.d ) . The trial assists with the direction to derive information about the wellness of Nicholas ‘ kidneys. Blood Glucose – This trial determines the sugar degrees in the blood and screens for secondary causes of high blood pressure and the hazard factors involved with more accelerated diseases such as diabetes. Both diabetes and high blood pressure are associated with the rapid patterned advance of arterial sclerosis and harm to the kidneys ( Cardio Connection, n.d ) . This assists in keeping a stabile sugar degree of the blood to cut down the hazard of harm to the kidneys. Serum K – This trial looks for a treatable cause of high blood force per unit area and finding the baseline degree prior to utilizing medical specialty for intervention ( Cardio Connection, n.d ) . This assists in finding a baseline to compare to if it were to promote.Hazard AppraisalUpon admittance, a hazard appraisal must be completed to find the patient ‘s hazard of holding a autumn. This appraisal besides assists the nurses in guaranting the patient has their properties or AIDSs within range to guarantee the patient ‘s safety and to diminish their hazard of hurt. The appropriate appraisal tool for Nicholas would be a Falls Risk Assessment Tool ( FRAT ) . This relates to Nicholas as he complained of giddiness and deficiency of slumber. This is needed to measure his hazard of hurt. Mention to Appendix 1 for a Falls Risk Assessment Tool.MedicinesNifedipine – Antihypertensive agent – as stated by Tiziani, 2006 Action: Besides known as Ca adversaries, these agents impede the inflow of Ca ions during depolarization of cardiac and vascular smooth musculus, doing betterment in the myocardial O supply and cardiac end product, and a decrease in myocardial work by cut downing afterload ( Tiziani, 2006 ) Use: Angina pectoris Mild to chair high blood pressure Nicholas has been prescribed this medicine to help with bracing his blood force per unit area. Interactions: Contraindicated with rifampicin May do bosom failure if used with beta-adrenoceptor-blocking agents Serum concentrations may be increased if given with Tagamet, Quinidex or Cardizem. Excessive cardiovascular depression may happen if given with inspiration anesthetics. Adverse effects: Headache, giddiness, dizziness, flushing, weariness, dizziness. Anorexia, sickness, irregularity, abdominal hurting, dry oral cavity. Muscle spasms. Nursing points/precautions: Note and study thorax hurting because thie requires stoping the drug. Patient should be advised to avoid drive or operating machinery if giddiness or dizziness is a job. Caution if used in those with aortal stricture, bosom failure, liver damage, discrepancy or Prinzmental angina, unstable angina, or recent myocardial infarction. Atorvastatin – lipid-regulating agent – as stated by Tiziani, 2006 Action: Reduce cholesterin significantly in patients with type II lipemia and hence besides significantly cut down the hazard of coronary arteria disease Use: Hypercholesterolaemia Nicholas has been prescribed this medicine to take down the entire cholesterin and low-density lipoproteins ( LDL ) Interactions: May addition plasma concentration of Lanoxin, increasing the hazard of toxicity. Caution if used with Tagamet, Aldactone or ketoconazole. Adverse effects: Headache, insomnia. Constipation, flatulency, abdominal hurting, sickness, diarrhea. Back hurting Nursing points/precautions: Liver map trial should be performed before get downing therapy and at 6 and 2 hebdomads, so twice annually. Advise patient to describe any musculus hurting, spasms, tenderness or failing, unease or febrility. Should be withheld if any status occurs that predisposes the patient to rhabdomyolysis, such as injury, sepsis, uncontrolled epilepsy or metabolic, or endocrinal instabilities.

Psychopathology And Traumas Essay

Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper is a literature review of studies and discussions of the effect of various stressors to children, such as violence, sexual abuse, and trauma. There are also some articles that explain how the human brain processes and adapts to these various factors. The goal of all these articles is to understand and explain the relationships between different stressors in the way that a child’s brain develops. They presume that the brain is the organ responsible for causing different children from reacting differently to the various stressors in their childhood. There is also a discussion analyzing the relationship between the size of the hippocampus and exposure to stress. These articles provide valuable insight into a very important aspect of human life, specifically, coping with trauma.            The article of Friedrich, Fisher, Broughton, Houston and Shafran discussed sexual behavior in children, with the goal of understanding the relationship between sexual behavior and sexual abuse. The authors of this article believed that the existing literature had gathered limited knowledge on the topic of normative sexual behavior among children (Friedrich, Fisher, Broughton, Houston & Shafran, 1998).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to achieve an understanding of normative childhood sexual behavior, the authors conducted a study of children between the ages two and twelve, whose sexual behaviors were rated by primary female caregivers, such as their parents and day care providers. The children were screened on whether they were sexually abused. The authors likewise used a 38-item scale called the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory, Third Version, to assess the children’s sexual behavior, the diversity of which could cover a wide range (Friedrich, Fisher, Broughton, Houston & Shafran, 1998).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After the study, the authors found that the children exhibited a broad range of sexual behaviors, such as such as exhibitionistic behavior or excessive modesty. Sexual behaviors also had different frequencies, and these are influenced by the age groups of the children, as well as other factors, like maternal education, family stress and violence, and number of hours spent in day care (Friedrich, Fisher, Broughton, Houston & Shafran, 1998).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Specifically, the authors noted that â€Å"a review of the reported endorsement frequencies indicated that for each age and gender group, there are 1  to 5  items that at least 20% of the parents endorsed.† This led the authors to conclude that the behavior of the children could be considered development-related sexual behaviors, and not too far removed from the mean (Friedrich, Fisher, Broughton, Houston & Shafran, 1998, p. 3).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the other hand, the article by Ford and Kidd on Early Childhood Trauma and Disorders of Extreme Stress as Predictors of Treatment Outcome with Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) sought to determine whether early childhood trauma could be considered as a predictor of the outcome of treatment for people with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. This goal is influenced by studies showing the prevalence of early childhood trauma in cases of people with recurring PTSD (Ford & Kidd).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A study with participants from patients in a PTSD live-in rehabilitation facility, who were exposed to trauma, was conducted. Most participants were classified as trauma-exposed since they came from war zone military duty. Others who did not show â€Å"pervasive avoidance and emotional numbing symptomatology† were considered people who had to trauma-related experience. Structured interviews were conducted to classify patients to determine their classification as a person with PTSD or Disorders of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified (DESNOS). Participants were asked in interviews whether they were exposed to certain traumatic events, such as witnessing the death of a family member or experiencing sexual abuse. On the other hand, DESNOS was a good empirical basis for treatment planning of PTSD. DESNOS is considered a good instrument in assessing trauma and treatment planning for PSTD because it has been observed in previous studies that most war veterans with PTSD also had histories of DESNOS symptoms (Ford & Kidd).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On a different aspect of trauma and its effect on children, Gilbertson, Shenton, Ciszewski, Kasai, Lasko, Orr and Pitman (2002), investigated the validity of the hypothesis that Smaller Hippocampal Volume Predicts Pathologic Vulnerability to Psychological Trauma and conducted a study to determine the relationship between the volume of the hippocampus and the tendency of a person to develop PTSD. The researchers’ hypothesis focused on the hippocampus of animals that the hippocampus gets damaged by severe stress and that humans with stress-related psychiatric conditions have smaller hippocampal volume. Hence, the researchers investigated whether the smaller hippocampal volume comes before or after a severely stressful event. If smaller hippocampal volume comes before the event, then it would mean that it is a preexisting condition of the person and not influenced by trauma, violence or stress. On the other hand, if the smaller hippocampal volume comes after the event, then it means that it is a result of the trauma caused by the experience (Gilbertson, Shenton, Ciszewski, Kasai, Lasko, Orr,   & Pitman, 2002).    Using a â€Å"case-control† design, Gilbertson, et al. conducted a study to analyze the the hippocampi volume of monozygotic twins. The twins have the same genetic makeup, which the researchers theorized any difference in the volumes of their hippocampi may be caused by external factors, such as stress. Thus, the study involved twins, where one is exposed to a traumatic event such as combat, and the other one is not exposed (Gilbertson et al, 2002). After comparison of images taken through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the researchers concluded that the volumes of the hippocampi of the twin subjects are preexisting vulnerability factors. This means that smaller hippocampal volumes are not caused by mere exposure to stress. There conclusion was based on the finding that there was no significant difference between the hippocampal volumes of twins who were and were not exposed to traumatic events (Gilbertson et al., 2002).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the next article however, no case study was conducted, but Perry (1997) explained the workings of the human brain in relation to exposure to violence. In Incubated in Terror: Neurodevelopmental Factors in the ‘Cycle of Violence’ In: Children, Youth and Violence: The Search for Solutions introduced the concept of a person’s adaptability to experience through a brief discussion of the process of development that began centuries ago. Perry traced the development of the human brain through a process called sociocultural evolution. Perry pointed out the human existence had long been pervaded by violence, which began from interspecies violence to interspecies violence, from prehistoric times. Perry believed that up to the present, different forms of violence, such as physical abuse, victimize of children. Thus, Perry sought answers on matters relating to the effect of violence on parents and children, particularly in the c ontext of neurodevelopment (Perry, 1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perry discussed how violence affects children. This effect depends on various factors, such as the pattern and type of violence and the presence of support systems or caretakers for the child. Furthermore, Perry considered the age of the child an important factor that affects the child, considering that the human brain develops in a linear fashion, and certain developments only occur when a child reaches a specific age. Perry also believed that humans are capable of adapting to violence or trauma (Perry, 1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perry also discussed the organization and function of the human brain. The brain has a hierarchical organization that functions to promote a person’s survival. Perry described that the brain matures throughout the life of a person. In relation to this development, Perry explained that there are factors affecting the process that lead to a child’s predisposition to violence. For Perry, violence is rooted in neurobiology, and factors that affect activity in different parts of the brain would affect a person’s propensity toward violence. Specifically, Perry explains that changes in the activity in the brainstem, such as stress, would increase a person’s propensity for violence (Perry, 1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Furthermore, Perry discussed different pathways to violence to which children may be exposed. Perry suggested that it is most dangerous when all different negative experiences, such as lack of care in childhood and physical abuse, combine and affect a child. Another important part of Perry’s observations are his discussion on the implications of the theory to the formulation of public policy. He purports that ultimately, the solution to problems of violence lie within primary prevention, through the transformation of violence (Perry, 1997).      In another article written by Perry (2001b), in â€Å"The neurodevelopmental impact of violence in childhood, in Schetky D & Benedek, E. (Eds.) Textbook of child and adolescent forensic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   psychiatry, he discussed how violence affects the development of a child’s brain. Perry noted that violence pervades American society despite its many technological advances. Thus, while violence is abhorred by many, there are a few solutions presented for its avoidance (Perry, 2001b).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perry noted that violence is multidimensional and complex. It has different effects, both on adults and children. In particular, Perry pointed out that violence causes fear in children, which has negative consequences on the neurodevelopmental changes of a child, such as causing a child to become more susceptible to being violent (Perry, 2001b).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perry further noted that violence could be seen in various situations, such as in the home, community, school, and media. It seems that violence is everywhere. Most especially in the United States, violence can be seen in the home, as shown by statistics (Perry, 2001b).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perry then discussed how the brain works and develops in general. He stated that the brain grows more complex with age. Such development may cause some areas of the brain, such as the higher, sub-cortical and cortical areas, to become less impulsive. In turn, this may cause the brain to have lower excitatory activity. These tendencies may lead to increased tendencies of an individual to become aggressive and violent   (Perry, 2001b).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Perry then noted the growing body of evidence supporting the position that the neurodevelopment processes of an individual’s developing brain is hindered or altered by exposure to violence. Thus, exposure to violence leads to the stimulation of responses from a child’s brain, causing alterations in the brain’s development and consequences as related to the brain’s function   (Perry, 2001b).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A similar discussion on the effect of trauma on the development of the brain is provided by Perry, Pollard, Blakley, Baker and Vigilante (1996). In an article entitled â€Å"Childhood Trauma, the Neurobiology of Adaptation & Use-dependent Development of the Brain: How States become Traits,† the authors provided observations on childhood trauma and its effect on the essential functioning of affected children. The researchers theorized that a mature brain is born out of developmental experiences. Therefore, neurodevelopment is important, and this occurs in a very critical point in a human’s life, which is his childhood. However, neurodevelopment is disturbed by experiences that disrupt the brain’s processes of organizing information, such as traumatic experiences (Perry, Pollard, Blakley, Baker & Vigilante, 1996).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The researchers believed that given an understanding of the effect of traumatic experiences on a child’s neurodevelopment, that modifications in public policy and societal perspectives may occur. Therefore, more research should be undertaken to explore this field of study (Perry, Pollard, Blakley, Baker & Vigilante, 1996). Conclusion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All the articles provide insight on the relationship of various factors with children’s mental development. In particular, the articles endeavored and succeeded in analyzing data on the relationship between children’s brain development and traumatic events. There were detailed accounts on the specific brain areas that were affected by exposure to stress, such as the hippocampus and the brainstem. The time of exposure to trauma was also investigated to determine whether the size of a person’s hippocampus is predetermined prior or consequent to the exposure to stress. However, some of the articles did not discuss specific studies conducted that established the conclusions, but only discussed theories based on other studies. Therefore, more studies should be conducted, or more research made, to provide basis for some of the given conclusions. References Friedrich, W. N., Fisher, J., Broughton, D., Houston, M. & Shafran, C. R. (1998).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Normative Sexual Behavior in Children: A Contemporary Sample. Pediatrics    101(4). Retrieved February 23, 2008, from   Ã‚   http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/101/4/e9.  Ford, J. D. & Kidd, P. Early Childhood Trauma and Disorders of Extreme Stress as   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Predictors of Treatment Outcome with Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.  Gilbertson, M. W., Shenton, M. E., Ciszewski, A., Kasai, K., Lasko, N. B., Orr, S. P.,   Ã‚  Ã‚   Pitman, R. K. (2002). Smaller Hippocampal Volume Predicts Pathologic   Ã‚   Vulnerability to Psychological Trauma. Nature Neuroscience 5(11), 1242-1247.  Perry, B. D. (1997).   Incubated in Terror: Neurodevelopmental Factors in the ‘Cycle of Violence’ In: Children, Youth and Violence: The Search for Solutions (J Osofsky,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ed.). New York: Guilford Press,   124-148, Perry, B.D. (2001b). The neurodevelopmental impact of violence in childhood. In   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Schetky D & Benedek, E. (Eds.) Textbook of child and adolescent forensic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   psychiatry. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Press, Inc. (221-238) Perry, B. D., Pollard, R. A., Blakley, T. L., Baker, W. L. & Vigilante, D. (1996). Childhood   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Trauma, the Neurobiology of Adaptation & Use-dependent Development of the Brain: How States become Traits. Infant Mental Health Journal.      

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Report - Essay Example GSK also owns and markets Aquafresh range of toothpastes, which may help smokers quit smoking. GSK’s principal pharmaceutical products include medicines in the therapeutic areas, such as respiratory, central nervous system, anti-virals, anti-bacterials, metabolic, vaccines, cardiovascular and urogenital. GSK has operated its business in 114 countries and sold products over 150 countries. The GSK operates in two segments: Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Healthcare. On June 5, 2008, GSK acquired Sirtris Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company. On October 14, 2008, group also acquired the Egyptian mature products business of Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS). Reuters reported that on Tuesday, 31 Mar 2009, Shire plc has entered into a joint promotional agreement with GlaxoSmithKline plc for VYVANSE (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) capsules. The aim behind this promotional agreement is to improve recognition and treatment of ADHD in adults. (Reuters, 2009) On Wednesday, 25 Mar 2009 Reuters reported that GSK plans to take a significant stake in Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited. The reason behind this stake is to cement its current relationship into a long term bond which really makes a significant impression on the equity of both the companies. (Reuters, 2009) Issues related to the Environment, health and safety are subject to the primary and core issue because the business in which GSK deals is very much sensitive due to its attachment with the humanitarian side of the picture. So GSK’s needs to ensure that their products are neither injurious for health and nor for the environment. Lawsuits filed by patients, can be a result of adverse after-effects of any drug, which may bring a bad name and reputation for the firm, hence they need to ensure that no such window of risk is left open. The directors and senior management should give keen emphasis on practicing the corporate

Is Radical Enhancement of the Human Species Ethically Justified Term Paper

Is Radical Enhancement of the Human Species Ethically Justified - Term Paper Example To discuss on this topic, this essay shall compare and contrast two texts; ‘Humanity’s end’ by Nicholas Agar and ‘Better than human’ by Allen Buchanan. Arguments for this paper get based on the works of the two authors who get to provide a little more insight into bioethics. In ‘humanity’s end’, Agar argues against radical enhancement of the human species. He explains the destructive consequences that may arise out of radical enhancement of the human species. In his book, Agar argues against the ideas proposed by four radical enhancement thinkers (Agar 11). He explains that the results of radical advancement may have more negative outcomes than positives proposed by the four thinkers. Agar argues that some radical enhancements, especially germline engineering, may end the human species. In ‘better than human’ Allen Buchanan argues for radical enhancement. He proposes that human beings should become open to the idea of getting better than they already are since the human body design does contain flaws. He argues that radical enhancements could make the human species smarter, stronger, have more stamina, live longer and have better memories. Buchanan argues that people reject biomedical enhancements due to a poor understanding, misleading information or false assumptions (Buchanan 19). In his book, Agar argues against radical enhancement by claiming it has the potential to destroy human species. Agar argues that radical enhancement technology may re-speciate human beings (Agar 46). He claims the advances made by technology can define a new breed of human species. This species will pose a threat or endanger the already existing human species that belongs to Homo sapiens. Agar argues that there is no evidence that creation of post humans through radical enhancement will share values, relationships or culture with humans. There is the possibility that gene mutations may occur later and significantly a ffect the enhanced species. Meanwhile in his book, Buchanan arguing for radical enhancement postulates that making small changes to the structure of humans does not mean that the entire human structure gets changed. He also argues that alterations to the human species do not entirely mean that it would have a negative effect to the species. He states that these alterations become simply targeted at creating and improving the performances of current human capacities (Buchanan 65). He views enhancements as a means of relieving pain and suffering from human lives and not species endangerment. Enhancements according to Buchanan will be a way of improving the quality of human life. According to Buchanan, radical enhancement makes human life to be easier. He argues that through radical enhancement, human beings get to be able to improve their operation capacities. He argues that radical enhancement will increase human intelligence, physical strength, and lifespan (Buchanan 139). Buchanan questions why humans should be against these advances when they are only going to improve their life. He argues that radical enhancement will make life become more convenient for humans. Arguing against these advances, Agar pinpoints that human beings may in the process loose a valuable human experience. By increasing human intelligence levels and lifespan there is the possibility that human beings will delete experiences of great value from their lives (Agar 140). Increasing human in