Pathophysiology of Diabetes Nephropathy and Atherosclerosis free essay sample

Nathan amp; Delhanty (2005, p. 42) maintains that these complications may be present at the time of diabetes mellitus diagnosis and refer to diabetes as a ‘silent killer† as diabetes can go unnoticed until a major health event occurs. Diabetes is a major risk factor in the development of diabetes nephropathy and atherosclerosis. The person with diabetes (PWD) is at increased risk of mortality and morbidity than the general population but these are further increased in the presence of complications. There is a crossover in pathophysiology of both nephropathy and atherosclerosis and the choice of these diabetes complications for this paper is purposeful as they have persistent hyperglycaemia over time as a common denominator (Fowler 2008; Chadban et al. 2009, pp. 32). The severity of hyperglycaemia and presence of hypertension were in evidence in the U. K. Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) (Adler et al. 2003, pp. 225-232). Hypertension from nephropathy also influences cardiovascular risk by exacerbating atherosclerosis. We will write a custom essay sample on Pathophysiology of Diabetes Nephropathy and Atherosclerosis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Although both type 1 diabetes (T1D) and type 2 diabetes(T2D) are affected by complications, the focus of this paper will be on T2D. Firstly, analysis on the microvascular complication of diabetes nephropathy will be discussed and secondly, the macrovascualr complication of atherosclerosis. Major risk factors associated with these complications will be discussed along with the pathophysiological processes of diabetes nephropathy and atherosclerosis. Management strategies for treating diabetes nephropathy and atherosclerosis complications will be discussed with one treatment strategy for each condition which may be delivered by a diabetes educator. The role of risk management for diabetes complications is to take a proactive multifactorial approach with better glycaemic and blood pressure control, the most common two strategies utilised. For the PWD making strategies sustainable achieves better outcomes (Thomas et al. 2006, pp. 140-144) Diabetes patient education of diabetic complications has proven to have beneficial positive health outcomes (Colagiuri et al. 009, p. 7). Promoting self-monitoring of blood glucose(SMBG), lifestyle education(diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol cessation) and increase in knowledge are some of the benchmarks. The National Consensus Report was introduced to address desired key outcomes and avoid criticism (Colagiuri et al. 2009, p. 8). In Australia Diabetes Educators work within their scope of practi ce to deliver patient education; in this paper the delivery of management strategies is within the scope of the diabetes educator(DE) and nursing practice. DIABETES NEPHROPATHY Diabetes nephropathy is a common microvascular complication of diabetes and is the leading contributor to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). In Australia, 20-22% of the patients with this condition will require dialysis and possibly a kidney transplant (Ali, 2011; O’Reilly; Bilious amp; Donnelly 2010). Nephropathy in persons with diabetes is more prevalent in Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) than Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) with a higher incidence in Indigenous Australians. statisics Progression is more clearly cut in T1D but has a significant impact on T2D(Chadban et al. 009, p. 31). Diabetes nephropathy is defined by proteinuria greater than 500 mg in 24 hours. Microalbuminuria is measured by the albumin excretion rate (AER) and levels between 30 to 300 mg/24 hr mark the beginning of renal involvement but without immediate intervention, the PWD will progress to proteinuria and nephropathy (Chadban et al. 2009,p. 33). Approximately 7% of T2D have microalbuminuria at the time of diagnosis, which can progress to ESKD (Fowler, 2008, p. 77-82; Bilious amp; Donnelly, 2010, p. 120). UKPDS incidence in T2D of microalbuminuria was 2% per year, with 10-year prevalence from diagnosis of 25%; which increases cardiovascular risk that has a cumulative incidence of 10 to 40% (Adler et al. 2003, p. 225-32; Bilious amp; Donnelly, 2010, p. 121; Chadban et al. 2009, p. 11). Diabetes nephropathy is the commonest cause of hypertension in patients with diabetes (Fowler, 2008, p. 77-82; Bilious amp; Donnell, 2010,p. 119). Kaartinen et al(2007, p. 778) indicate strong evidence that insulin resistance is present in even mild to moderate chronic renal insufficiency before any sign of kidney function impairment is manifested. It is not clearly understood why a PWD progresses to renal failure and others do not, as there does not appear to be a casual correlation between good or poor control. What is relevant is the amount of protein that contributes to progression of this condition. (Chadban et al. 2009; Gaede et al. 1999). Diabetes nephropathy is a chronic condition that takes years to manifest itself and it is approximately an average of 5 to 8 years before an initial diagnosis of diabetes is made, by which time microvascular and macrovascular damage has occurred (Nuovo 2007, p. 40; Pirart 1978, pp. 168-188). The early sign of renal impairment is the leakage of protein into the urine from abnormal GFR. However serious signs and symptoms are persistent hypertension, oedema, anaemia, hyperglycaemia, proteinuria, haematuria, oliguria and anuria(less than 100ml urine per day). The presence of overt proteinuria requires immediate intervention and early referral to nephrologist. Blood pressure and glycaemic co ntrol has been shown to decrease protein and stabilise renal function (RACGP Diabetes Management Guidelines 2011/2012, pp. 62-63). Risk Factors Hypertension and hyperglycaemia are seen as the major contributing factors to the development of nephropathy. The presence of central obesity with the addition of smoking, sedentary lifestyle all adds to the demand on the body that over stresses insulin to meet these demands. Genetic phenotypes, genetic susceptibility, has been indicated as risk factors, but past studies have been inconclusive. Other factors of elevated serum lipids and the amount and origin of dietary protein is crucial and ethnicity with increased incidence in indigenous Australians. The predictability of diabetes nephropathy can be gauged by the length of long standing diabetes from diagnosis (RACGP Diabetes Management Guidelines 2011/2012, pp. 62-63; Fowler, 2008). Pathophysiology of Diabetes Nephropathy Understanding the anatomy and function of the glomerulus is pivotal in understanding diabetes nephropathy. The glomerulus is a globular shaped capsule with numerous capillaries that actively work at filtering fluid from the blood to form urine. The glomerulus is one of the key structures that make up the filtration section of the nephron, the functional unit of the kidney which supports the mesangial cells and matrix. Diabetes cycle of care can also contribute to the reduction of diabetes complications if followed diligently (RACGP Diabetes Management Guidelines 2011/2012, p. 34). Thirdly, the DE can deliver relevant information on the correlation between risk factors and possible complications to promote self-management of regular medications and SMBG; making target levels available and recognising the relevance of their own levels. There is no point in self-monitoring without understanding. The target HbA1c is lower or equal to 7 %( Chadban et al. 2009, p. 30-35). Nuovo (2007,p. 45) states a 1% drop in HbA1c will lower mortality in total mortality by 14%, and significantly a 43% decrease in amputations with a 24% decrease in renal failure. ACE/ARBS ACE/ARBs slow the development of CKD and CVD. As a management strategy in T2D introducing angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors decrease blood pressure. Several studies have demonstrated reno protective effects of treatment with ACE inhibitor s and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and decreases risk of progression to microalbuminuria in patients by 60-70% (Adler 2003, pp. 25-232; RACGP Diabetes Management Guidelines 2011/21012, p. 58; Fowler 2008,pp. 77-82). Intensive intervention in T2D patients can reduce the progression of nephropathy and possibly slows progression of renal impairment(Schrier et al. 2007, p. 431). CARI recommends interventions including, â€Å"antihypertensive therapies, ACE inhibitors, and A II receptor antagonists, calcium channel blockers, dietary protein restriction and glucose control, and interventions to control hypercholesterolemia and hyperlipidaemia†(Chadban et al. 2009, p. 30-35). Diuretics may be considered to maintain urine output (Chadban et al. 2009, p. 30-35). Blood pressure control Hypertension is associated with an increased risk of many complications of DM, including cardiovascular disease, and the findings from the UKPDS indicate that any reduction in a person’s average blood pressure significantly reduces the risk of complications in nephropathy(Thomas 2006, pp2213-2234 ). Hypertension and diabetes should be diagnosed early and treated aggressively to prevent associated complications. The UKPDS showed hat blood pressure control helps to avoid cardiovascular complications in T2D and â€Å"†¦each 10 mmHg decrease in mean systolic blood pressure was associated with 12% reduction in the risk for any complication related to diabetes, 15% reduction in deaths related to diabetes, 11% reduction in myocardial infarction, and 13% reduction in microvascular complications† (Lago et al. 2007, p. 667). ATHEROSCLEROSIS The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) found PWD have an increased risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and peripheral vascular disease (PVD) with 60% reported they also had cardiovascular disease. Diabetes, kidney disease and CVD account for 25% of the burden of disease in Australia, and just under two-thirds of all deaths (AIHW 2004; AIHW 2009). Atherosclerosis leads to myocardial infarction, congestive cardiac failure (CCF) and cerebral vascular accident (CVA) stroke, PVD and lower extremity amputation (LEA). Atherosclerosis is 2 to 4 times more prevalent in T2D. Principally, the beta cells become insulin resistant, adding strain to the body and making it difficult for insulin to perform effectively(Bilious amp; Donnelly, 2010, p. ). Risk factors Risk factors that contribute to the development of and increase the risk for atherosclerosis are abdominal obesity, physical inactivity, hyperinsulinaemia, lipid abnormalities, altered platelet function, hypertension, smoking, microalbuminuria, increased fibrinogen levels and hyperglycaemia. Increased triglycerides and increased high density lipoproteins greatly impacting atherosclerosis(Maiti amp; Agrawal 2007, pp. 292-306). PWD with impaired kidney function and persons with metabolic syndrome are more prone to atherosclerosis (Kaartinen et al. 2007, p. 782). . Pathophysiology of Atherosclerosis Diabetes is a pro-inflammatory condition fuelling metabolic factors that contribute to atherosclerosis. Conventional risk factors are dyslipidaemia, hypertension, and coagulopathy as a result of the prolonged hyperglycaemic state of diabetes. Central to diabetes related risk factors for atherosclerosis is hyperglycaemia from insulin deficiency and insulin resistance. Diabetes specific risk factors play a role in the acceleration of atherosclerosis by increased levels of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), increased oxidative stress, altered matrix production and altered endothelium, smooth muscle cells and macrophages. Macrophages are converted to foam cells that secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines (Goldberg 2004 , pp. 613-615; Maiti amp; Agrawal 2007,pp. 292-306). Hyperglycaemia promotes oxidative stress and glycation directing release of free radicals. Subsequently, lipid perioxidation allows foam streaky cells to form on the arterial walls causing endothelial dysfunction. Creager et al. 2003, p. 1527). A precursor to atherosclerosis is impaired nitric oxide which breaks down in response to hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidaemia (Maiti amp; Agrawal 2007, pp. 292-306). Release of increased free radicals promotes increased platelet aggregation with elevated levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 and impaired fibrinolysis, allowing an increased inflammatory response to occur (Morgensen 2003, pp. 45-46; Maiti amp; Agrawal 2007, pp. 292-306). Growth factors cause a proliferation and migration of smooth muscle cells associated with thrombosis and Angiotensin II promotes endothelial damage. Diabetes is a thrombolytic state leading to an imbalance of atherosclerotic lesions and plaque instability, in turn increases the PWD risk of cardiovascular events.

Looking at characters’ from Erikson’s view Essay Example

Looking at characters’ from Erikson’s view Essay Example Looking at characters’ from Erikson’s view Paper Looking at characters’ from Erikson’s view Paper The firsts few thoughts that enter your head when you hear the word Hollywood is glamour, beautiful actors and actresses and wealth. From the first tape role, to the first cinema and movie Hollywood has portrayed this perfect, adventures, risk taking lives that all of us can just dream of. Of course in some of the movies and shows there is some little truth, but over all it is just a big fantasy world that we all escape to for a few hours. There are no super humans with super powers, cat-woman or batman, Hogward’s school where little wizards attend to learn more spells. Hollywood creates these movies for us to leave the reality for just a few hours and pretend we are someone or something else. Nothing wrong with a little bit of daydreaming, or imagination, but over all Hollywood is very misleading, especially with its characters. There are some shows, Disney shows, movies that really portray some characters as such, but it reality that would never be possible. In this paper I would like to discuss three stages of Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development. For each stage I have chosen, I have also chosen two characters that either enlighten this stage or mislead. The first stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development theory is infancy. During this stage the child developes a sense of trust or mistrust that is provided from a caregiver. During this stage the child’s age is from birth to about 18 months. The characters that I have chosen for this stage is Stewie from Family Guy and Tommy from Rug Rats. Stewie from appearance is an infant who isn’t capable of anything yet just as we would suspect of an infant. In this show they portray Stewie as diabolical infant son of ambiguous sexual orientation who has adult mannerisms and uses stereotypical archvillain phrases. He is very intelligent, capable of walking and master planning. He definitely does show no trust for his mother, which he constantly plans of killing in some ways. He always implies how she is terrible and a horrible mother. Perhaps he was/is ignored by her most of the time, which is causing him these negatives feelings towards his own mother. Stewie shows developmental stages of a young adulthood. He definitely shows isolation towards everyone in the family. He despites his mother, talk negatively and has no respect for his father, just ignores or disrespects his two siblings. He feels no love, no connection to any of the family members. He is isolated and just cares for himself. Although one character he seems to show some intimacy with is Brian the dog. Both of them spend most of their time together. There are some traits of intimacy, love, compassion Stewie has for the dog. While it is very funny to watch him do and say the things he does, in reality there is no infant capable of what Stewie is portrayed by Hollywood to do. This is very misleading because his abilities and capabilities are exaggerated and distorted for our entertainment. The second character I have chosen for infancy stage of Erikson’s stages is a courageous, adventurous one-year-old baby named Tommy Pickles from Rug Rats. Tommy, also very similar to Stewie, is an infant who is capable of doing a lot more than an infant should be. Tommy walks, talks and comes with up intelligent plans of how to resolve some of the issues he collides with on daily bases. Him and his few infant friends are portrayed to live this young adulthood lifestyle. Using their imagination, the babies transform routine tasks into surprising adventures. In some of the episodes it shows how Tommy and a girl live in the doghouse, transformed as their own small home. It shows that the infants have intimacy between each other. They show love and compassion to one another. They had a loving, husband and wife relationship. Of course, in real life this would never happen so therefore this is very misleading, again just for our entertainment. Also could be for middle childhood children to relate to and teach them different ways of solving some of the similar conflicts, because in some episodes it shows how Tommy and his friends learn new concepts and work together to accomplish them. It shows how these infants portray industry by over coming an obstacles and feeling the sense of competence. As we look at both of these characters from the stage of infancy, we can easily conclude that they both are very misleading, and strictly created for our entertainment. In our day to day life we certainly do not have babies’ who plot against their parents, with fully cognitive abilities of a full grown adult, or infants who wonder around by themselves at home having different role plays, talking and going on adventures in the backyards. The second stage that I have chosen is Erikson’s fifth stage adolescence. During this stage teenagers begin to try and identify themselves, but sometimes they are just confused. Every teenager goes through the identity versus role confusion. That is why we have different teenager behavior. Some teenagers lash out with anger and rebellion, and some pretend to be in the young adulthood stage even thou they are mentally not there yet. The two characters’ that I believe fit this stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development are Louis Stevens and Renee Stevens from Disney’s channel show Even Stevens. Louis is a wild, youngest sibling, viewed as immature, rude, and selfish. He always pulling jokes and is described as ruining everyones lives. He never seems to change with time. He is showing the perfect resemblance of what an adolescence child would do. He is a teenager who is still confused of what his role is and he is just discovering himself through different stages adolescence. As mentioned he is rude, lashed out with anger, unable to communicate with parents, these are all the perfect examples of teenagers and their unpredictable behavior. This character is definitely enlightening to Erikson’s stage of adolescence, because he is showing typical developmental abilities and issues of this stage. The second character I have chosen is Louis’s sister Renee Stevens. Renee is an intelligent, well-behaved, perfectionist. She is the classic overachiever, constantly running for hall monitor and class president while trying to keep Louiss schemes from becoming disasters. While she is in the adolescence stage, she seems to be acting out as a young or even middle adulthood. She is constantly watching over her brother, babying him like a mother would. She plays a role of an older woman not one of a teenager. Also, she shows lots of generativity from middle adulthood. Since she is a perfectionists and an over achiever, she believes she has accomplished a lot in her schoolwork. She feels like once she is out of there, everyone will remember her as the greatest through all the activities she has done. Even thou she is still just a teenager she lives this life of an older woman. She doesn’t show any interest in her brother as a sibling, but more as a teacher, a higher authority to him. We can clearly see she is still adolescence by her appearance and some ways of reasoning. I would say that Renee is a misleading character because her abilities and actions are much exaggerated through this TV show. Teenagers are difficult to deal with and while Louis shows the traits of adolescent and is enlightening to the fifth stage of psychosocial development, Renee has more of the middle adulthood behavior and is misleading to us because we clearly see that she is still in an adolescence stage. The third and the last stage that I have chosen is Erikson’s last stage, late adulthood. Movies and shows do shows lots of different scenarios of this stage. Every dult has created a family and a great career to feel the sense integrity, or other have created the absolute opposite of integrity. As I went through the different characters, it was a bit challenging to pick the right ones. The first one that popped right into my head was Ebenezer Scrooge. Just by hearing his name, we right away associate The Christmas Carol, and the mean, old, grumpy man. I think he is the perfect example of late adulthood and integrity. At first he doesn’t show any integrity, just pure despair. He is mean and hateful towards everyone and everything. He has forgotten all the good things in his life and was left with just bitterness and regret. But as we go through the movie and as we learn more about him through the 3 different ghosts, we see the change in Ebenezer. He becomes this full of life, loving, caring man. He strongly shows signs of integrity. He is proud of what he has achieved trough out his lifetime, and he shares his accomplishments and wealth with everyone he knows. This is a great enlightening example of an older man going through his life, reevaluating everything and feeling the sense of integrity. Another great example is Carl Fredricksen, an older man from a Disney movie Up. He also is an example of Erikson’s last stage, late adulthood. At first we see him as a grumpier man who isn’t just as happy as he used to be. He has lost his beloved wife and his life just isn’t the same without her. He slightly goes through the stage of despair. Feeling disappointed and mad at himself and everybody else. Mostly he is disappointed in himself by breaking the promise he has made to his wife Ellie before passing to take their home to the cliff besides Paradise Falls. He feels unaccomplished and bitter for not being able to do so as promised. Then he gathers all his courage and strong will to take the home of Ellie and his to the place where they both dreamed. He over came his despair and bitterness, and became this happy old guy. He felt the sense of accomplishment and full filament. He looked back at his life and felt the integrity, the kept promise to his wife. This is very similar to Ebenezer’s experience as both of the characters go through despair and into integrity. This, also, is a great enlightening example of developmental abilities of the character. As we watch these TV shows and different movies we do not really pay attention to how could the characters relate to us, or how the characters are misinterpreted. There are some movies that can teach us a lesson, but there are some that is pure fiction. As I went through different stages of Erikson’s psychosocial development and applied them to different characters, I realized how some of these shows have these characters that are misleading and if looked more in depth could give a wrong message. Over all, it is good to see the picture behind it all and kind of start connecting the dots and understanding the deeper meaning.

MSc International Marketing Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

MSc International Marketing Management - Essay Example ise has two--and only these two--basic functions: marketing and innovation." Chadwick (1998) predicted that marketing research would evolve from the role of merely providing ‘market and opinion research’ to a more vital function of furnishing a company’s tactical data, consultation, and communication with clients. Marketing research is a superior management technique that collects and analyses customer requirements and desires within the marketplace in an effort to ascertain how to satisfy them. Higgins (2008) defines marketing research as, â€Å"all techniques used to provide information that assists the firm in all of its decision-making processes relevant to customers or clients† (Higgins 4). Marketing research is one of the main branches of marketing which the American Marketing Association (2007) describes it as, "the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large."(AMA 1). AMA characterizes marketing research as ‘the systematic gathering, recording, and analyzing of data about problems relating to the marketing of goods and services.’ Kumar (2000), classifies international market research as â€Å"market research conducted either sim ultaneously or sequentially to facilitate marketing decisions in more than one country† (Kumar, 2000 p2). An exceptional export market research therefore involves collecting appropriate market information that enhances the export decisions to be undertaken. This includes unearthing the economic, socio-political and cultural factors that either encourage or hinder market penetration in the foreign market. Comprehensive market research assist the corporation correctly decide on, the fragmentation, zero in or position their merchandise in a foreign market appropriately. Market research consequently embraces the creation of goals, collecting information, analyzing and disseminating the

What factors determine a bond's rating Why is the rating important to Essay

What factors determine a bond's rating Why is the rating important to the firm's manager - Essay Example A manager must appreciate that when credit rating of a firm is low; it is more expensive to borrow money since firm has to pay high interest on bonds. As a result higher expenses mean lower earning per share. In the end company will earn low profits and low bond ratings.Calculation of bond rating depends on several factors, these factors are enumerated as under:- 1. If the firm is dependent on debt for its maximum operations its bond rating will be lower. 2. If firm is not making profits, it is obvious that its share value and bond rating will go down. 3. If a firm gives continuous production with little variations in output, its portfolio will be strong and bond rating will be high. 4. Big firms have strong financial reserves, these firms can absorb financial pressures and investors are comfortable to invest in these firms. Big firms have less chances to default than smaller ones therefore bond rating of these firms are generally high. Fortune 500 companies consist of big firms. 5. If loan payback capacity of a firm is high, its bond rating is high. 6. Quantitative analysis is a major factor in determining bond rating of a firm. It includes following assessment :- a. Capacity and ability of a firm to repay its debts and obligations. b. Determination of cash flow, financial stability, balance of payments and returns, capacity to pay interests, capacity to repay principle and financial cushion available to company. c. Evaluation of cash reserves, revenue, investment history and trends, market standing, current and future income trends, safe investment of its capital and projected future profits. d. History to pay back liabilities and projected capacity to pay debts. 7. Qualitative analysis is another factor in determining bond rating. It determines following :- a. Willingness and desire of the company to repay its debts. b. Overall management credibility, ongoing projects and investments, future planning and risk management. Why is the Bond rating important to t he Firm’s Manager. Bond ratings are not static and show variations depending on issuer’s financial position. Ratings are extremely important to a firm’s manager since firm’s existence depends on bonds ratings. Bond ratings are important to the firm’s manager due to following reasons:- 1. Bond rating is an indicator of default risk by the firm and therefore a measure of competence of the manager. 2. Bond rating has a direct influence on interest rate of bond and cost of debt for the firm. Low rated bonds are expensive for the firm and the manager to maintain. 3. Mostly institutions purchase bonds. These institutions are bound by law not to invest in low rated bonds. Therefore it is a matter for survival for the manager and his firm to keep bond ratings higher. 4. If the bond rating is high, investors will have confidence in the firm and invest in bonds. High bond rating indicates that it is less risky to invest in these bonds. 5. In order to succeed , a manager must display thorough understanding of markets where company’s bonds and shares are traded. Although sometimes speculative, bond ratings generally reflect approximate financial picture of a firm. 6. If a bond rating is going down, immediate corrections are required by firm’s manager. A firm manager must re evaluate for Tax shelters and avoid depreciation and losses. He must arrange assets to support borrowings and convert assets to cash if there is a requirement. 7. A manager has to appreciate that bond rating has far reaching implications for the selection and availability of capital structure and ultimate market standing of the firm. 8. A manager must realize that bond rating is an indicator for investors about future financial position of the firm. 9. There is another dimension to importance of bond ratings: many state laws demand minimum bond ratings for presentation as legal investment for insurance, pension funds, trusts and banks. If ratings are lowe r than acceptable value or fall within speculative range, firm’s market standing may collapse. 10. A firm’s desire to access capital markets is also displayed by its choice of bond rating objective.

Self-Analysis of Leadership Abilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Self-Analysis of Leadership Abilities - Essay Example This paper discusses that  the leadership style survey test helped to assess the leadership style I normally operated out of.   After taking the self-assessment test, I computed my highest score to be that of a participative or democratic leader.   Clark explained that the best leaders â€Å"operate out of the participative mode and use the other two modes as needed†.   He cites an instance when the firm would have a new crew or a temporary work force.   Such a leader has to practice a more authoritarian type of leadership in order to get the crew to work efficiently. But for a leader who is already working with professionals or a crew which knows more about the work than he does, then a leader can best apply a delegative style of leadership.   For these instances, a participative leader makes the necessary adjustments in leadership styles based on the situation he or she is faced with.This study declares that  for the leaders who want their members to grow beyon d their employee status and knowledge, the participative leadership style helps these employees adjust and grow into their jobs.   In the interim, these employees are usually given more authority over their jobs.  Some leaders may exemplify with an impoverished leadership style, where they are weak on both tasks and on people skills; some may be authoritarian, where they are strong on tasks and weak on people skills; some may be socialites and be weak on tasks and strong on people skills; and the rest may be on the middle-of-the-road leaders, and with more experience can later manifest with good team leadership skills.

Perceived User Experience of Interactive Animated Transition

Perceived User Experience of Interactive Animated Transition Perceived User Experience of Interactive Animated Transitions in Mobile User  Interfaces and Visualisation Animated transitions hold an important part of graphical user interface design practice. They can help to guide users attention and highlight changes in the interface. Also Information visualisation research has concentrated thus far on desktop PCs and larger displays while interfaces for more compact mobile device have been neglected. The aim is to investigate how user experience in mobile applications are perceived by different animation principles for animated transition and their visualisation before designing. In addition, the issue of visualisation is addressed by developing a set of low-level interface design guidelines for mobile information visualisation development. This is done by considering a basic set of interactions and relating these to mobile device limitations. The results of various tests on suitability of different animated transitions for the study are reported. The findings provide insights in users perception of animation styles, therefore having implications f or graphical user interface design practice along with the interface visualisation for different displays. KEYWORDS Interface design, visualisation, animation transition, user experience The beginning of the 21st century has been marked by the proliferation of increasingly powerful mobile computing devices. There are currently over 2.23 billion mobile phone users and over 1.75 billion smartphone users worldwide meaning that a remarkable 31% of the global population now own a mobile phone and around 25% already have a smartphone [Lee and Lee 2014]. Moreover, after Chang and Ungar promoted the use of animation for user interface (UI) design, a controversial debate on its influence on user experience (UX) emerged. Animation has become a standard design element in User Interfaces and figure in design guidelines of leading software companies such as Microsoft, Google and Apple after more than 20 years. Information visualisations help us to think using data. Information visualisation techniques have been found to be particularly useful for the analysis of large-scale data and complex data in areas such as gene expression analysis and financial data analysis. Indeed, this push towards larger scale data and more complex data analysis is a possible reason why information visualisation research has focused on larger displays, since larger displays are inherently more suitable for larger datasets. Also, Disneys cartoon animation principles are comparable to design guideline rules and help designing the style of an animation. To evaluate their influence on UX some of these principles have been investigated experimentally. The perception that there is essentially a proportional relationship between the amount of information that can be displayed in an interface, or at least an interface that is comfortable to use, and the dimensions of the display space. This leads some authors to conclude that a smaller display can only be used effectively for aggregates and overviews of the data [Chittaro 2006]. Animation can be applied to various design cases in User Interfaces. However, only appropriate use can enhance the experience. Different states of a User Interface are connected through the use of animation transition which are considered to be effective in guiding attention and explaining change. While there is certainly a strong case for limiting our expectations of what can be achieved on mobile devices, it is felt that this needs to be balanced by a realistic evaluation of the potential benefits of mobile device information visualisation and the opportunities to improve mobile interfaces through inventive and thoughtful design. While mobile devices, by their very nature, will continue to have limited display space. Other device limitations such as limited processing and graphics capabilities are rapidly disappearing. And other useful features such as global positioning, tactile feedback and voice recognition are being added. Moreover, the natural application domain of mobile devices has expanded from activities that need to be performed on a mobile device. People are now using increasingly sophisticated applications on mobile devices and application developers need to either cater to this trend or find themselves left behind. This undoubtedly includes information visualisa tion developers who need to leverage new and improved device capabilities to support mobile visualisation. To summarize, UX can be influenced positively by animations in User Interfaces, but the perception of it may depend upon its purpose and animation style. A wide range of animation styles are used in the literature on animation and UX which varies in design purpose used in the experimental tasks. With regard to UX within a constant design purpose, thorough comparisons of different animation styles are missing, making it difficult to distinctively evaluate the influence on UX. The changes in perception of UX would be clarified by conducting such a comparable study with animation style. There are indeed a number of researchers who recognize the potential of mobile visualisation and have proposed some useful general guidelines for their design. These tell us that the interface should be simple and user should be able to interact more directly with the data rather than have to operate menus and controls [Lee et al. 2012]. Others suggest that interaction should be fluid and flow seamlessly between different functions [Robertsetal.2014]. 2 EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS, RESULTS AND DISCUSSION For the underlying study, UX can be defined by relying on the working model as proposed by Hassenzahl. Hassenzahl developed the 2 questionnaire in order to measure perception of users of digital products with regard to pragmatic and hedonic quality as well as the overall goodness and beauty which is called attrakdiff. The attrakdiff lite version, a shortened questionnaire consisting of 10 items is used for the study. Each item consists of adjective pairs that represent opposite poles. 7point Likert-type scale ranging from -3 to +3 is used for rating items. In the planned study it is sought to clarify how different animation styles influence the perceived User Experience. The research in this area either failed to investigate only parts of objective User Experience or to examine this relation due to its methodological approach. Furthermore, there is very little knowledge about the principles of exaggeration in interface design. Therefore it can be keenly seen whether different animation styles differ in their effect on UX. Further, it has been sought to investigate whether the animation style or its combination with an animated transition are responsible for possible differences in UX. Also, in this paper guidelines are used to build some case study applications by taking a lower-level approach to consider how specific aspects of information visualisation design should be implemented on mobile devices. This allows us to draft a set of guidelines that can be used to either adapt existing information visualisation applications for mobile use or begin considering which techniques to employ in the design of new applications. Issues considered while implementation of interaction for development of a set of draft guidelines for mobile visualisation interface design are as follows: Inspection Selecting an object Selecting an area Moving an object Scrolling Entering text Be aware of the situations in which the application is likely to be used and adapt the interface accordingly for sporadic, hands-free or one handed use. Use techniques that make more efficient use of available screen space or do not require accurate selections. Keep text and selection targets above a constant device specific minimum size and scale other elements of these constraints. Dont display too much information on the screen at the same time. Use virtual buttons to switch between different types of selection. Dont allow important information to be hidden by the users finger during interaction. By conducting this study is sought to contribute to the research on User Interface animation with several insights. It is hoped to indicate whether users generally perceive differences in User Experience depending on animation style; know to which dimensions of User Experience, the compared animation styles may contribute; and find whether the animation itself or its combination with a transition is responsible for the evaluation of User experience. Furthermore, it is expected to provide implications for interface design. The insights into the perception of animation could help interface designers to apply animation principles more purposefully to their aim. Our findings could further contribute to the understanding of widespread animated transitions and indicate whether their perception differs between users of different mobile operating systems. Last, it is expected that this study to set the scene for related research on animated transitions, animation style and User Experience in graphical User Interfaces. Also, a set of guidelines for the design of mobile information visualisation applications has been drafted through an analysis of different forms of interaction and device limitations. These guidelines are applied to the design of various applications which use visualisation techniques that can be applied with inaccurate touch-screen selection and, crucially, make the display more interactive to allow the user to view more of the data over time without saturating the limited display space. The additional cognitive load of having to interact more with the data and having less of the data shown at any one time is reduced by using animation to smooth the transition between successive views. These early results suggest that information visualisation on mobile devices can be more capable than it was previously imagined and that interaction and animation will be a key part of the implementation of effective information visualisation interfaces for more challeng ing data-sets and more demanding user requirements. UI: User Interface UX: User Experience Benedikt Merz, Alexandre N. Tuch, Klaus Opwis. Perceived User Experience of Animated Transitions in Mobile User Interfaces(Santa Clara, California, USA-May 07, 2016) Paul Craig. Interactive Animated Mobile Information Visualisation(Kobe, Japan-November 02-06, 2015) Daniel Liddle.Emerging Guidelines for Communicating with Animation in Mobile User Interfaces(Silver Spring, MD, USA-September 23-24, 2016)

Toms Escape Essay -- Essays Papers

Toms Escape In The Glass Menagerie, Tom Wingfield is perhaps the most prominent character. He is burdened with not only being a main character of the play but the narrator as well. He is given the unenviable task of being the voice of reason in the Wingfield house. Almost every action of his reveals an important detail about his personality and motivation. Tom’s personality can be divided into two main parts. The first â€Å"give(s)†¦truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion† and speaks in vague details while the other side speaks bluntly and leaves no room for misinterpretation. Both parts are vital to Tom as a character since they show that he is a true three-dimensional character rather than a simple representation of a single idea. His motivation appears to change throughout the play. At times he acts out of his feelings of love and responsibility to his family while at other times he is driven by his sense of adventure. Tom’s personality traits reveal a great deal about his motivation and reasoning for his actions. The many traits of Tom’s personality are what drive him to his actions in the play. His sense of responsibility to Amanda and Laura are the sole reason he works at a job where he â€Å"makes a slave of himself†¦for sixty-five dollars a month.† His desire for adventure in his everyday life is what compels him to go to the movies every night and join the merchant marines. His need for adventure is so great that he is willing to leave his family behi...

Business Law in Accounting

Accounting is the system of recording, reporting and verifying financial information for individuals and businesses, including income, expenses, value of assets, and so on. However, Business Law I, takes what is normally known of accounting and moves into another arena, one which includes civil and criminal liabilities, contract law, ethics and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. By establishing the basics in Business Law, accountants are able to understand the risks of their particular profession. Accountants are faced with civil and criminal liabilities which are based on the accountant’s ability to do his or her job effectively and legally. Accountants face civil liabilities when they do not complete the work satisfactorially to what was agreed to. Even â€Å"Codes of Ethics† urge accountants to not agree to do work that they know they do not have the knowledge or time to complete. Competency is a key element to being a successful accountant, and not meeting competency goals can cause problems for young accountants entering the field. By understanding the basics of contract law, it is easier for accountants to find the necessary information to allow them to do their jobs competently. If accountants know that it takes mutual consideration, or a â€Å"meeting of the minds,† to begin contract negotiations, then they can figure if they are reviewing a contract, some type of mutual consideration must have occurred, as well as a proposal and acceptance portion of the conversation. Also, if an accountant knows that the contract is for the sale of goods, then the accountant would know that the UCC Article 2 has to be used, instead of simple contract law. Knowing this would help the accountant understand how the asset or products purchased needed to be accounted for, because without detailed information in the contract, UCC Article I gap filling procedures take place. These procedures are an attempt to take vagueness and give it some detail, but the gap filling detail is not much better than the original, thus the accountant can still be stuck, lost, not knowing how to account for a particular product, and not knowing at which time responsibility and risk for the product exchanges hands. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was signed into law in 2002 by George W. Bush. The original thought behind SOX was to regulate the accounting profession, due to the greed that had resulted in huge economic crashes amongst top corporations such as Enron and WorldCom. SOX assisted in setting up regulatory organizations for each facet of the accounting process. These organizations are designed to ensure that accounting practices and auditing practices are ethical, legal and professional for public U. S. companies. Unfortunately, SOX does not regulate private companies, but private companies cannot create financial hardships for outside investors, so private companies are not in need of these type of regulations. Business Law I helped create an understanding amongst the students regarding what is actually expected of them once work as an accountant begins. A naive accountant would believe that all he or she needed to do was ensure that the data being entered in is correct and if not, fix it through a series of journal entries. However, after taking this class, it is apparent that this is an incorrect assumption. Understanding the civil and criminal liabilities that can be charged due to negligence or fraud, whether intentional or not, is incredibly important to accountants and CPA’s. Without understanding these potential problems, an accountant would not be able to understand the level of the problem, or be able to assess the gravity of the situation, whatever that situation may be. Even though accounting is a financial profession that takes the value of income, expenses, assets, and other items, and reports, analyzes, records and verifies these amounts, Business Law allows for the review of the profession in general. Accountants have to understand what is legally expected of them when working with client’s records and reports, and how these legal expectations can be brought upon them, and what their rights are. Without understanding the responsibility and risk that takes place for a company, an accountant would not understand why it is so important to establish ownership and when that particular ownership exchanges hands. Accountants also must understand what risks and responsibilities their particular profession run as well, and ensure that they are competently performing their jobs so that there is no question as to if an accountant was negligent, or was derilect in the performance of his or her duty.

Computer Aided Instruction

COMPUTER-AIDED INSTRUCTION Douglas N. Arnold I. Introduction Computer-Aided Instruction (CAI), diverse and rapidly expanding spectrum of computer technologies that assist the teaching and learning process. CAI is also known as computer-assisted instruction. Examples of CAI applications include guided drill and practice exercises, computer visualization of complex objects, and computer-facilitated communication between students and teachers. The number of computers in American schools has risen from one for every 125 students in 1981 to one for every nine students in 1996.While the United States leads the world in the number of computers per school student, Western European and Japanese schools are also highly computerized. II. Types of CAI Information that helps teach or encourages interaction can be presented on computers in the form of text or in multimedia formats, which include photographs, videos, animation, speech, and music. The guided drill is a computer program that poses qu estions to students, returns feedback, and selects additional questions based on the students’ responses.Recent guided drill systems incorporate the principles of education in addition to subject matter knowledge into the computer program. Computers also can help students visualize objects that are difficult or impossible to view. For example, computers can be used to display human anatomy, molecular structures, or complex geometrical objects. Exploration and manipulation of simulated environments can be accomplished with CAI-ranging from virtual laboratory experiments that may be too difficult, expensive, or dangerous to perform in a school environment to complex virtual worlds like those used in airplane flight simulators.CAI tools, such as word processors, spreadsheets, and databases, collect, organize, analyze, and transmit information. They also facilitate communication among students, between students and instructors, and beyond the classroom to distant students, instru ctors, and experts. CAI systems can be categorized based on who controls the progression of the lesson. Early systems were linear presentations of information and guided drill, and control was directed by the author of the software. In modern systems, and especially with visualization systems and simulated environments, control often rests with the student or with the instructor.This permits information to be reviewed or examined out of sequence. Related material also may be explored. In some group instructional activities, the lesson can progress according to the dynamics of the group. III. Advantages and Disadvantages CAI can dramatically increase a student’s access to information. The program can adapt to the abilities and preferences of the individual student and increase the amount of personalized instruction a student receives. Many students benefit from the immediate responsiveness of computer interactions and appreciate the self-paced and private learning environment. Moreover, computer-learning experiences often engage the interest of students, motivating them to learn and increasing independence and personal responsibility for education. Although it is difficult to assess the effectiveness of any educational system, numerous studies have reported that CAI is successful in raising examination scores, improving student attitudes, and lowering the amount of time required to master certain material. While study results vary greatly, there is substantial evidence that CAI can enhance learning at all educational levels.In some applications, especially those involving abstract reasoning and problem-solving processes, CAI has not been very effective. Critics claim that poorly designed CAI systems can dehumanize or regiment the educational experience and thereby diminish student interest and motivation. Other disadvantages of CAI stem from the difficulty and expense of implementing and maintaining the necessary computer systems. Some student failures ca n be traced to inadequate teacher training in CAI systems. Student training in the computer technology may be required as well, and this process can distract from the core educational process.Although much effort has been directed at developing CAI systems that are easy to use and incorporate expert knowledge of teaching and learning, such systems are still far from achieving their full potential. IV. History In the mid-1950s and early 1960s a collaboration between educators at Stanford University in California and International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) introduced CAI into select elementary schools. Initially, CAI programs were a linear presentation of information with drill and practice sessions.These early CAI systems were limited by the expense and the difficulty of obtaining, maintaining, and using the computers that were available at that time. Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations (PLATO) system, another early CAI system initiated at the University of I llinois in the early 1960s and developed by Control Data Corporation, was used for higher learning. It consisted of a mainframe computer that supported up to 1000 terminals for use by individual students. By 1985 over 100 PLATO systems were operating in the United States.From 1978 to 1985 users logged 40 million hours on PLATO systems. PLATO also introduced a communication system between students that was a forerunner of modern electronic mail (messages electronically passed from computer to computer). The Time-shared Interactive Computer-Controlled Information Television (TICCIT) system was a CAI project developed by Mitre Corporation and Brigham Young University in Utah. Based on personal computer and television technology, TICCIT was used in the early 1970s to teach freshman-level mathematics and English courses.With the advent of cheaper and more powerful personal computers in the 1980s, use of CAI increased dramatically. In 1980 only 5 percent of elementary schools and 20 perce nt of secondary schools in the United States had computers for assisting instruction. Three years later, both numbers had roughly quadrupled, and by the end of the decade nearly all schools in the United States, and in most industrialized countries, were equipped with teaching computers. A recent development with far ranging implications for CAI is the vast xpansion of the Internet, a consortium of interlinked computers. By connecting millions of computers worldwide, these networks enable students to access huge stores of information, which greatly enhances their research capabilities. Contributed By: Douglas N. Arnold, A. B. , M. A. , Ph. D. Distinguished Professor, Pennsylvania State University. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE â€Å"Computer-Aided Instruction,† Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2000 http://encarta. msn. com  © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Make Your Own Crystal Geode

Make Your Own Crystal Geode Natural geodes are hollow rock formations that contain deposits of crystals. Assuming you dont have a geological timeframe to obtain a geode and dont want to buy a geode kit, its easy to make your own crystal geode using alum, food coloring, and either plaster of Paris or an eggshell. Crystal Geode Materials Alum (found with spices in the grocery store)Hot waterFood coloring (optional)Plaster of Paris (found in hobby shops) or an eggshell Prepare the Geode There are a couple of ways you can go here. You can crack open an egg and use the rinsed shell as a base for your geode or you can prepare a plaster of Paris rock: First, you need a rounded shape in which you can mold your hollow rock. The bottom of one of the depressions in a foam egg carton works great. Another option is to set a piece of plastic wrap inside of a coffee cup or paper cup.Mix a small amount of water in with some plaster of Paris to make a thick paste. If you happen to have a couple of seed crystals of alum, you can stir them into the plaster mixture. Seed crystals can be used to provide nucleation sites for the crystals, which can produce a more natural-looking geode.Press the plaster of Paris against the sides and bottom of the depression to make a bowl shape. Use plastic wrap if the container is rigid, so that its easier to remove the plaster.Allow about 30 minutes for the plaster to set up, then remove it from the mold and set it aside to finish drying. If you used plastic wrap, peel it off after you pull the plaster geode out of the container. Grow Crystals Pour about a half cup of hot tap water into a cup.Stir in alum until it stops dissolving. This occurs when a little alum powder starts to accumulate at the bottom of the cup.Add food coloring, if desired. Food coloring does not color the crystals, but it does color the eggshell or plaster, which causes the crystals to appear colored.Set your eggshell or plaster geode inside a cup or bowl. You are aiming for a container that is a size such that the alum solution will just cover the top of the geode.Pour the alum solution into the geode, allowing it to overflow into the surrounding container and eventually cover the geode. Avoid pouring in any undissolved alum.Set the geode in a location where it wont be disturbed. Allow a few days for the crystals to grow.When you are pleased with the appearance of your geode, remove it from the solution and allow it to dry. You can pour the solution down the drain. The alum is essentially a pickling spice, so while it isnt exactly good for you to eat , it isnt toxic either. Keep your geode beautiful by protecting it from high humidity and dust. You can store it wrapped in a paper towel or tissue paper or inside of a display case.

THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT IN THE GLOBAL WORLD Essay

THE IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT IN THE GLOBAL WORLD - Essay Example The logic behind employee's participation and empowerment is quite simple: by involving workers in those divisions that affect them and by increasing their autonomy and control over their work lives, employees will become more motivated, more committed to the organisation, more productive and more satisfied with their jobs. Empowerment is the authority to take decisions within one's area of operation without having to get approval; from anyone else. Here the operatives are encouraged to use their initiative to do things the way they like. To this end, the employees are given not just authority but resources as well so that they not only take decisions but implement them quickly. This empowerment means giving the employees the authority to make decisions and providing them with financial resources to implement these decisions (Koch & Godden, 1997 11). Employees participation and empowerment participation means sharing the decision making power with the lower ranks of an organisation in an appropriate manner (Lashley & McGoldrick, 1994, 35). When workers participate in organisational decisions they are able to see the big picture clearly and also how their actions would impact the overall growth of the company. They can offer feedback immediately based on their experiences and improve the quality of decisions greatly. Since they are now treated with respect, they begin to view the job and the organisation as their own, and commit themselves to organisational objectives whole heartedly. 3. Creating an Empowerment Culture Organization culture depends basically on its history, technology, industry, custom and practice, leadership style organization structure etc. All organizations are unique and therefore have unique cultures. However, if one examines the attributes of the majority of industrial organizations, there are a number of traits that are seen as desirable for effective organization. First, no organization can be isolated from cultural environment, that is, organization as a social unit must operate within the framework of the larger cultural system. As such, a congruency has to be maintained with the values of total culture. Second, organization may be considered as a subculture within the framework of total broader culture. No doubt, every organization develops its own norms and cultural pattern of behavior; these elements are developed within the context of the larger cultural pattern. No part of the system should go against it if both have to succeed. From this point of view, the creating an empowerment culture is important for the functioning of a modern organization. A model for understanding organizational culture is: Which effect

Companies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Companies - Essay Example Thus non-price competition prevails in the market and it is up to a particular firm to convince consumers that its product is superior. Only then can it charge a higher price vis-Ã  -vis rivals. Given a large number of sellers, collusion is practically impossible In the event of an increase in demand, leading to an increase in price, the firms in the industry may earn higher profits in the short run. However, over time, the existing firms in the market will increase their production capacity or new firms will enter the industry to take advantage of the higher price. Either way, the supply demand mismatch would vanish and the firms will earn normal profit only. The assumption of symmetry in monopolistic competition, which states that when a new firm enters the industry it draws customers equally from all firms, will lead to negligible change in the CR of the industry. The aforesaid discussion suggests that if J’s Assistant Living is to start operations, the company will have to offer a differentiated product. The company will not be able to compete on the price plank and will earn normal profits in the long run. In case J’s Assistant Living does not succeed, it will be able to exit the industry easily. The Concentration Ratio (CR) of 80 percent in industry B with 20 firms signifies that there is ‘high concentration’ in the industry. The industry is oligopoly as the few largest firms account for 80 percent of the market share. In an oligopoly, the market dominated by a relatively small number of large firms. These firms have considerable market power and may either sell standardized products or differentiated products. Each firm realizes that any move that it makes would be taken note of by competitors. As such, the decisions that a firm takes is strategic in nature as it invariably elicits a response from the rivals. The main characteristics of this industry type include barriers to entry and