Systems Development Methodologies

Basic Design of Data Flow Diagrams A data flow diagram (DFD) is a process model that graphically represents data flow between entities in an information system and the relationship between the entities. A DFD, therefore, represents a logical or physical flow of data within a system. Typically, physical DFDs are developed from logical data flow diagrams.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Systems Development Methodologies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In context, therefore, DFD serve the purpose of modeling high-level details of any information system by detailing on data inputs into a system, data transformations, and information outputs from the data transformations, and the functions each component performs. The four essential components constituting a DFD include a data store (data sources and data sinks), data flows, processes, and entities. However, different DFD constitute different symbols in their design, but the syntax and fundamental principles for designing DFDs remain the same. Basic concepts to consider when designing DFDs include external entities that send and receive data, processes that transform the data from one form to another that have inputs and outputs, the flow of data within and outside of the system, and locations for data storage. Notations are used to represent modeling process. Notations show the graphical representation of functions in the DFDs. The five notations used include: Of critical importance are the data items used in the design, their sources, and destinations. In the design process, recommendations have it that tabulations of collected information is done as a first step in designing a DFD. A typical example appears in table 1 below. Table 1 Data Item Source of data Destination of data It is critically important, as the next step, to identify system boundaries by separating identified entities into entities that belong to internal an d external system boundaries. External entities belong to the outside of the system while internal entities provide typical locations for processes.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition to that, prior knowledge about the tasks performed at each level of the deeper levels of the system helps in designing the next DFD level. A context diagram developed at this level provides a simple representation of the system and its functionalities. That leads to an exploded data flow diagram showing more details considered when modeling the system. Typically, a DFD uses arrows to show how data flows from and into the system being modeled. The system captures data flowing between external entities and is represented using dashed lines. Other requirements to adhere to when designing a DFD include the use of arrowheads to show the flow of data within, into, and out of a system. Higher -level diagrams allow the usage of double arrowheads, which show two-way data flow. However, lower level data flow diagrams use unidirectional arrows only. In addition to that, is important to assign a reference to a data store designating its function or the type of data in its storage. Data flow can occur between external entities of a system and represented by a dashed line, while, it is important to note that data stores do not initiate processes. A strict numbering procedure when analyzing a system undergoing decomposition into lower levels is an important requirement with processes always linked to show clearly their ancestral routes. It is necessary to name processes using verb phrases, which focus on organizational needs. It is an important practice to place processes at the center, place inputs at the left side, outputs at the right, and data stores beneath processes. However, errors are bound to arise that need to be avoided when designing a DFD. Errors to avoid These incl ude avoiding showing data flowing from one data store directly to another data store, a situation that does not make sense. In addition to that, it makes no sense to have data flowing from a data store directly to an entity without going through a process. Avoid showing data flowing into asynchronous processes, as DFD processes do not have memory and crossing lines. Exploding DFDs Exploding a DFD, often referred to as functional decomposition, implies decomposing each of the processes in a context diagram by balancing input and output processes. Thus, processes are decomposed functionally into system primary processes, and subsequent decompositions of other lower levels into functional primitives. Thus, the decomposition begins from level O, then level two, and level three. Decompositions more often end at level three without any further decompositions. Decision tables and decision trees A decision tree is a tool used to support decision-making based on two or more decision alternat ives. A typical decision tree consists of small square decision nodes with the root node as the first decision, drawn at the left side of the decision tree. Decision trees also consist of chance nodes represented by use of circles susceptible to two outcomes.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Systems Development Methodologies specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, an end node determines the end or outcome from a decision. On the other hand, lines link nodes together from branches emanating from the nodes in the left to the right direction. On the other hand, a decision table is a tool used to model decision logic by associating conditions with actions to perform. Thus, a decision table constitutes four quadrants with conditions, alternative conditions, entries, and action entries. Business potential tool to use A decision tree is a business potential tool to use compared with a decision table. A decision tree p resents analytical solutions to which are easy to understand with minimal explanations, are more specific and categorical in data analysis, are flexible in analyzing using statistical models, and easy to use with large amounts of data. On the other hand, decision tables are complex, require detailed explanations, and not easy to understand. Thus, a decision tree is more suited in making business decisions than a decision table. Critiquing GUI A graphical user interface (GUI) should be able to reflect the psychological metal models to facilitate user goals and tasks. In addition to that, the GUI should reflect user thought process, based on the mental and conceptual models, characterized by susceptibility to change, internally inconsistent. On the other hand, conceptual models characterized by innovation, reflect interface components, and reflect object orientation. Thus, the critique of the GUI should be based on the principles of mental models and conceptual frameworks highlighted above. On the other hand, other factors to consider in critiquing the GUI includes identifying a model that reflects user behavior, cognitive control, visibility of the objects under consideration, ability to manipulate and replace objects, and be syntactically correct, underlying files, and desktop metaphors. In addition to that, it is important for the user to be provides the flexibility to identify the occurrence of any errors and recover from them. This essay on Systems Development Methodologies was written and submitted by user Juliet E. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Reforms Of Solon essays

Reforms Of Solon essays The world's first extended experiment in democracy took place in the ancient Greek polis (city-state) of Athens. In 594 B.C.E., Solon, a great statesman and lawgiver, was entrusted with special powers to revise the political, social, and economic structure of Athens. His work began the evolution from rule by an elite aristocratic clique toward a more egalitarian constitution; in short, Solon set Athens firmly on a course toward democracy. He successfully arbitrated a settlement between Athenian aristocrats and commoners and allowed for participation of many more citizens in the political process. In the first of the passages that follow, Plutarch outlines the reforms that Solon undertook and the kinds of opposition that confronted him/ Athens was in danger of violent revolution and tyranny appeared the only course by which to end civil dissension and stabilize the government. Solon first became prominent around 600 BC, when the Athenians were discouraged by ill success in war with their neighbour Megara for possession of the island of Salamis. Athens was in crisis by the sixth century. The peasants were easily driven into debt by bad harvests, resulting to seek loans from the aristocrats. There being no laws to prevent it, many sold their own children or were forced into exile by their creditors. The eupatridae, who owned the best land, turned to produce olive oil and wine for export. The military leadership was unsuccessful causing detrimental raids by Megara. The Eupatridae and the people of Athens recognised and agreed the need for reform, They handed all political power to an aristocrat, Solon. Solon had a reputation for integrity, wisdom and fair treatment of peasants. Solons mission was to reform the government to stem the tide of privation and exploitation and set up a system to assure that Athens did not get in such a bad state again. Solon immediately released all outstanding debts, and freed as many Athenians a ...

Carlinville Area Hospital Quality Improvement Plan Research Paper

Carlinville Area Hospital Quality Improvement Plan - Research Paper Example The researcher states that Carlinville Area Hospital will ensure that its Quality improvement plan is congruent with its key objectives that include but not limited to safety, patient-centered, effectiveness, equitable, efficiency, and timely healthcare service. Carlinville Area Hospital QI plan will cover a wide range of activities that include but not limited to Risk management activities Professional staff credentialing; automated drug-ordering systems; medical record review; prescription legibility; drug labeling and packaging; and patient education on prescribed medications. Carlinville Area Hospital will use six-sigma methodology for its QI implementation plan. The six-sigma methodology will allow the hospital to gather necessary information relating to the present organization’s medication management, which will give clue to management about the processes and activities that require improvement. After implementing the improvement plan the hospital will be forced to unde rtake the  annual evaluation of processes and activities to ensure that they are in line with the planned objectives. The Carlinville Area Hospital is, â€Å"a licensed 25-bed acute care clinic that accommodates a wide range of inpatient, outpatient, as well as emergency services†. Carlinville Area Hospital operates based on the slogan of â€Å"excellent care close to home†. Carlinville Area Hospital mission â€Å"is to always remain committed to the development of a state-of-the-art rural hospital facility.†... tient, outpatient, as well as emergency services† (Carlinville Area Hospital, 2011) Carlinville Area Hospital operates based on the slogan of â€Å"excellent care close to home†. Carlinville Area Hospital mission â€Å"is to always remain committed to the development of a state-of-the-art rural hospital facility.† Enhancing quality has always been one of the key objectives of the hospital and as such the management is looking forward to a favorable relationship between the staff to provide excellent healthcare close to home. Carlinville Area Hospital various services to patients on inpatient and outpatient basis through the hospital’s cardiopulmonary, imaging, laboratory, and rehabilitative services. Additionally the hospital provides daily primary health care to immediate emergency interventions in the local area. Goals/Objectives Promoting a state of art hospital with quality and safety as its major priority requires a lot of commitment. To ensure that th e hospital is on track to fulfill its mission the management of Carlinville Area Hospital has decided to focus on the following objectives: Safe- Carlinville Area Hospital will work tirelessly to ensure that mitigate injuries that patients may suffer from services that are meant to help them (Carlinville Area Hospital, 2011). Patient centered- Carlinville Area Hospital will provide services that recognizes patient’s dignity, worth, respectful and responsive to the needs, expectations, preference and values and above all ensure that medical decisions are based on patients values. Efficient- Carlinville Area Hospital will avoid services that are wasteful in terms of ideas, equipment, energy, and supplies. Timely- Carlinville Area Hospital health care services will emphasis on minimizing potential harmful delays and

The early 20th century USA, Latin America, and Africa Essay - 1

The early 20th century USA, Latin America, and Africa - Essay Example le, there three distinctive trends that they had; there was a tendency to be less and less accessible to the average person, a tendency to glorify art itself as well as to undercut traditional standards and values. A period before the 20th century, music was pretty easy for the average person to understand because they followed common harmonic patters that one could find to frequently popular tunes. (Hoffer, Charles pg. 67) However in the 20th century, composers began to move away from these patters toward what is called atonal music, that which has a pattern not easy to recognize. The century brought with it new freedom and wide experimentation with new musical styles and forms that challenged the accepted rules of early periods. Industrialization led to the inventions of electronic instruments and synthesizer that revolutionized popular music and speeded up the development of new form of music. A good case study is a Latin American music, which has a variety of styles that arrived in America and eventually become influential from the early Spanish and European Baroque to the different beats of the African rhythms.( Gopal, Sarvepalli pg. 102) On the other hand, in visual arts too, the three tendencies could be seen; artists could combine a multiple of perspectives, looking at an object from different points of view and sometimes at different times. It was not easy for an average person to interpret a simple piece of art rather than simply appreciating the art’s use of color, line, composition, as well as the artist’s feelings. They were also influenced by the various movements that fought for the people’s rights and freedom. Africans used various songs to mobilize their members against imperialisms; they also drew diagrams that could only be interpreted by them. But in the 20th century pieces of art have been used to give us, not unfamiliar images, but images that are as familiar as they can possibly be. People have been able to express their feelings in

Video Business Case Report Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Video Business Report - Case Study Example The company should look at improving the liquidity position. It can be done thorough reducing the operating cost. It can improve the valuation of the company by increasing the revenue of the company. acQuire can improve the profitability by reducing the operating cost and overhead. This will improve the production efficient of the company. It can decrease the debt equity ratio by in increasing the profitability. It will increase the cash position ultimately and lead to increase of liquidity position of the firm. The company can increase the current ratio by reducing the operating cost. It will ensure that the production efficiency of the company improves. This will have a direct impact on the profitability also. The board now wants to develop a sustainable strategy so that it can avid the repeat of the global financial crisis in 2008. For this the company should increase the core equity capital and lower its debt ratio. With more debt ratio the company will be in obligation to pay of f their dues else it can go bankrupt. The company tries to lower its prices of the products and reinvest its profits back to the company instead of giving dividends to the shareholders. It will help the company in maintaining liquidity position so that they don’t have to face cash crunch when credit in the market dries up. Introduction acQuire Technology Solutions is an Australian-based company which develops and delivers Geoscientific Information Management System (GIMS) called â€Å"acQuire†. acQuire Technology solutions is facing many issues in its operation. The profitability of the company is decreasing from fiscal year 2012 to 2013. The forecasted profit of the company is also decreasing. The main reason for decrease in profitability is the increase in operating expenses. Hence the company is not being able to maintain its cost down. The current ratio of the company is increasing which shows that the company’s liquidity position is improving. Share price o f the company has decreased from 2012 to 2013. This is because the net profit of the company is decreasing. The share profit of the company is also decreasing. There has been huge decrease in share profit from $ 792,551 to $ 319769. It is also predicted that the share profit of the company is also decreasing. The liquidity position of the firm is improving while the debt ratio of the company is decreasing. The company is using its cash balance to pay off its current liabilities. Foreign exchange gain of the company for the financial year 2013 was $ 26, 151 as compared to $ 93,960 for the financial year 2012. It indicates sufficient drop in profit for the company. Again it has been projected that the company will not earn any foreign exchange gains or losses. Discussion Decision Criteria acQuire Technologies Solution is facing a number of problem. The share of price of the company is decreasing because of loss of profitability. The current asset ratio of the company is increasing fro m 1.12 to 1.26. The company should look at improving the current ratio. Debt ratio of the company has decreased from 1.74 to 1.09. The ideal value of this debt ratio is 0.5. This shows that the company has high debt ratio. The company should look at decreasing the debt ratio. The profitability position of the company is decreasing. The net profit margin of the company has decreased from 11.3 % in FY 2012 to 4.8% in FY 2103. Again it is estimated that the ratio will further decrease by 2.9% in FY

Knowledge From Western And Chinese Philosophy Perspective Philosophy Essay

Knowledge From Western And Chinese Philosophy Perspective Philosophy Essay In this paragraph the authors will discuss different points of views towards the definition of knowledge. In literature we can find differences but also similarities between Western and Chinese philosophy. To work with Knowledge Management Systems it is necessary to understand how to capture, store, share, learn, exploit and explore knowledge. The Western world may already have more experience in this process since knowledge management in China has just recently developed. Ancient philosophers in both worlds already had ideas how to define knowledge and how to transfer it among society and individuals. This paragraph should clarify how those ideas can be made useful for Knowledge Management. 4.2 Knowledge in the Western world First the authors will give a short overview on the Western perspective of knowledge. For this it is necessary to have a look on Western philosophers and their understanding towards knowledge. On some of those philosophers we will be able to reflect their theories on modern Knowledge Management. The goal is to find out how modern Knowledge Management gets involved with some ideas of philosophers or react in an opposite way towards their ideas by not adapting them in Knowledge Management Systems. J. Kaipayil writes in his book The Epistemology of comparative Philosophy (1995, S. 32) about Western philosophy according to the critiques of P.T. Raju. He is an Indian writer on Chinese and Western philosophy. According to Raju, the main subject of Western philosophy is its intellectualism, united with humanism. The cosmological interests of the Ionian philosophers and the humanistic interests of the Sophists are the two starting-points of Western philosophy. These two tendencies met and blended in Aristotle and Plato and for them, humans are rational beings and their essence is reason (the rational soul). The Greeks philosophy established a rational (intellectual) analysis of reality, and in the consequences the Western world became strongly outward-looking. Epistemology, logic and scientific methodology developed. In his Nicomachean Ethics Aristotle presents five virtues of thought that can mapped to levels of knowledge. Epistà ©mà ©: Factual or scientific knowledge Tà ©chnà ©: Skills-based technical and action-oriented knowledge Phrà ³nà ©sis: Experiential self-knowledge or practical wisdom based on experience Noà »s: Intuition Sophà ­a: Theoretical knowledge of universal truths or first principles Butler (2006, pp. 1-9) argues that Aristotles tà ©chnà © and phrà ³nà ©sis need to be the core of knowledge management attempts, and while they are not able to be directly applied to IT applications, they must be among the elements upon which knowledge management is based. Tà ©chnà © deals with subjects that vary rather than the constant relationship found in epistà ©mà ©. The use of tà ©chnà © is one of the most challenging but at the same time one of the most fertile of knowledge-management pursuits. The dynamic nature of knowledge is reflected in tà ©chnà ©. Artificial intelligence and decision-support systems seek to automate tà ©chnà ©. From that point of view, Aristotle has given us a clearly defined and delimited type of knowledge that can be related to information technologies (c.f. D. G. Schwartz, 2005, pp. 1-11). Phrà ³nà ©sis is practical knowledge dealing with action and handling things to an end. According to Aristotle, phrà ³nà ©sis is obtained through experiencing the actions being learned and hands-on training. From a learning-through-action point of view the difference between phrà ³nà ©sis and tà ©chnà © lies in terms of each type of knowledge can be shared. Aristotle says that tà ©chnà © can be taught from practitioner to student, phrà ³nà ©sis on the other hand can only be shared through actual mutual experience. On the perspective of the value of knowledge, Sveibys (1997, pp. 3) focus on the knowledge-action value chain can find significant roots in phrà ³nà ©sis. In terms of knowledge management, phrà ³nà ©sis escorts us on the way of simulation, rich media, e-learning, and other types of the experiental presentation of knowledge or captivation on a virtual environment in which the experience rendering phrà ³nà ©sis can be realized (c.f. D. G. Schwartz, 2005, pp. 1-11). J. Kaipayil (1995, pp. 33) says that the Melesians understood the principles of the universe in terms of something outward no matter how the origin and substance of the world was conceived, be it water, the indefinite, or air. This tendency was continued by the Atomists to find the source of the world in something outward. On the other hand, the Pythagoreans developed the idea that what is given to reason and not to the senses is the truth about the world. The important thing about Pythagoreanism was that it did not regard reason as an abstract concept rather as an existential and ethical entity. Yet, that does not mean that the world-view of Pythagoreanism had a clear idea of inward spirit; the viewpoint was still outward and cosmic. Heraclitus not only mentioned some rational order in nature, he also spoke about the Logos, which is called as the primordial fire and this is responsible for the world order. Still, his interest was in its foundation cosmological and did not perceive t he differences between the inward and the outward, spirit and matter. Von Loh ( 2009, pp. 1-2) writes about Heraclitus who says Everything is in a state of Flux, by reflecting his words on modern knowledge management and on the foundation that the words of Heraclitus are true knowledge organizations systems (KOS) like classification systems, thesauri, nomenclatures are all objects of permanent change and all bibliographical records are in the state of flux as well, which is not widely accepted in information science and practice. In modern technology information can be stored even if it is in a state of flux. According to the problem statement of that paper this proves how important it is to use technology in knowledge management applications. The Sophists shifted the philosophical attention from the cosmos to human and took a new turn in Greek philosophy. The human being was the centre of their philosophy, but Socrates had to fight against subjectivism and skepticism raised by the standpoint of individualism. The criterion of philosophic activity according to Socrates, is objectivity and universality. This not only restored confidence in reason but also clarified the philosophical basis of morality and state. Socrates was insisting on the cultivation of the inner self, he was remarkably rationalistic but also deeply inward-looking. For the stable foundation of morals and politics Plato continued the Socratic search for this subject. Aristotle toned down the inwardness explained by Plato in order to safeguard the reality of outward to introduce the idea of an intelligent first cause (Kaipayil, J., 1995, pp. 34). In his article A Knowledge Management Environment for Research Centers and Universities (2006, p 652 667) Jonice Oliveira writes that for Socrates knowing a subject or concept of consisted of gathering the components of a singular thing, or of a real substance, and joining the similar ones, and separating the unsimilar ones, to form the concept or the definition of the singular thing. In his thinking, in order to join the similar ones it is necessary for somebody to have demonstrations, definitions, axioms and principles for a concept to be proved as true. Which means that the knowledge resulting from scientific activities, is scientific knowledge. Its goal is to demonstrate a solution to a problem by argumentation. Scientific language leads to three main interpretations: knowledge how (know-how), knowledge that (objective knowledge) and knowledge by acquaintance. R. Hagengruber (2008, pp. 6) gives an example on that. Socrates once mentioned that knowledge is not createt because of a concrete situation, in fact the human mind is able to create knowledge in ones own imagination. Literately he claims that You do not need to walk the correct road to Larissa, it is enough if you imagine it in the correct way. To prove his hypothesis Socrates shows how a completely uneducated child can solve a difficult mathematical problem. Even though the child fails at the beginning and gives a wrong answer still due to the way how Socrates asks the child questions and gives him orders, the child is able to get to the answer. So, apparently even on a base of minimum knowledge, through disciplinary processes it is possible to create complex knowledge. This is very useful for information technology which collects and stores data and makes it accessible. Through algorithm this stored data can be merged and can be made useful. This shows how ancient Western philosophers already knew how important it is to get knowledge by experimenting through science. It is necessary to find a logi cal way to solve a problem. This way of capturing knowledge is important to make information technology useful for knowledge management. Later this paper will show how the eastern philosophy thinks about logic and the way/road in itself. In the post-Aristotelian Greek understanding the ethical and political interest was continued, so it lost much of the taste of universality and inwardness and people became isolated from society and moved towards individualism during that time. During the Middle Ages there was a tendency towards the destroying of confidence in human reason and powers through Christianity and mare reason subservient to faith. In fact the medieval philosophy was not able to make much contribution to the growth of Western thought. The following period of the Renaissance gave back the lost confidence in Greek rationalism and humanism. Rene Descartes started to consider the human self to be thought of reason. But he had to face empiricist critique on its mind-body dualism for forgetting the inward in the name of the outward. J. Aarons (2004, pp.6) mentions the method of doubt developed by Rene Descartes. In his Meditations on First Philosophy (1640) he writes that the real challenge lies in skepticism so if there is any sign of doubt about so-called knowledge being true then it cannot be genuine knowledge. But Knowledge Management stays in clear contrast to that, for Knowledge Management there is much more than just personal certainty about the world, it must involve conceptual understanding as well as practical ability. Furthermore justification of knowledge doesnt play the biggest role, it is more concerned with storage, production and processing of knowledge in a group or shared sense. So, here it is to see that the Western philosophy cannot always deliver useful suggestions towards Knowledge Management. In the case of justifying knowledge, it is quite different from its relevant philosophers. Other than Descartes the empiricism laid emphasis on the outward through its doctrine of knowledge as derived exclusively from sense experience. The unfortunate consequence of all these was the unsuccessful attempt to tackle the question of human inwardness as if it was a problem of the outward and the failure to see the mind as the mediating link between inwardness and outwardness. Kant kept a balance between the inward (the transcendental ego) and the outward (the phenomenal world) from the side of human experience. He had to keep God out of theoretical knowledge to keep this balance. Human inwardness was left in the background or sometimes ignored or rejected by the explaining the law of nature in the wake of modern scientific attempts. As a result many thinkers wanted philosophy to follow the methods of science, especially of physics to liberate the outward from the inward. What gave importance to the world was pragmatism, positivism, and analytic philosophy. Here Kaipayil points out, according to Raju, to take its dominant movements and latest accomplishments into consideration, and may say that the general trend of Western philosophy was to liberate the outward from the entanglement of the inward, the subjective, by disregarding or lessening the importance of human inwardness, at least for philosophical reasons. This does not mean that the Western philosophy is exclusively outward-looking and absolutely dissipated in objectivity. The West did realize human inwardness but did not explain it completely and did not give it due importance. The West was more consistently outward-looking in its scientific-objective attitude and it sometimes confused inwardness with faith and preventing inwardness from having its proper role in philosophy. The value what Western philosophers achieved on the other hand lied in its rigorous scientific analysis and conceptual reconstruction of reality. Hence, the West was able to make significant progress in logic and epistemology. This chapter shows that the main influence on Knowledge Management had the ancient philosophers like Plato, Aristotle and Socrates. They point out that it is important to see knowledge as a very complex source and needs to be looked at form different views. Aristotle for instance points out that there are different types of knowledge which can be captured, stored and shared in different ways. Socrates came to a similar conclusion by saying that knowledge creation can be achieved in a way of process. Thinking in a logical way was one of the main legacies ancient philosophers gave to the modern world. Knowledge Management learned from philosophers of the renaissance era, such as Rene Descartes that emphasizing on technology development is necessary to integrate effective Knowledge Management in an organization of the modern information era. To manage knowledge in a right way is a very complex and takes a lot effort and concrete analysis. This also proves the hypothesis mentioned at the beginning of this paper. It needs long and intensive approach to manage knowledge. Besides using mind-based managing of knowledge it is also very important to understand the necessity of technology development whci already was mentioned in the problem statement of this paper. After getting an overview of Western philosophy, in the following pages the authors will show how Chinese philosophy had its impact on Knowledge Management. Knowledge in China After we discussed the Western point of view how to define knowledge, now the authors will give the reader and impression of the Chinese philosophy and the understanding of knowledge and how their ideas might be able to reflect on modern Knowledge Management. The goal is to understand what impact Chinese philosophy has on knowledge management systems and how companies are able to deal with it or what they can do in the future. The next pages will show the development of Chinese philosophy. On certain aspects the authors will get deeper in to detail and reflect some ideas on modern Knowledge Management. W. Riegler (2007, p. 219) mentions that the ancient Chinese philosophy is part of a culture which does not know a kind of Genesis. Hence, it is not necessary to ask a cause to understand an effect. In the understanding of Daoism there is an everlasting cycle of recreation by the effect of changing Yin and Yang by the rules of the 5 phases (wood, fire, earth, metal, water). It is kind of strange for those who are not familiar with this kind of thinking. However it is very natural and also pragmatic for those who are. Riegler also asks why this kind of thinking is so important for us longnoses too? Because we are also part of nature and we act by these rules too. Most important, it is a natural way of how our brain works and we can call this thinking too. The essence is that people can synthesize single parts of information to a whole that is bigger than its parts. After this short introduction the authors will now have a closer look on the complex development of Chinese philosophy. J. Kaipayil (1995, p. 28) writes in his book The Epistemology of comparative Philosophy about Chinese philosophy according to the critiques of P.T. Raju. He is and Indian writer on Chinese philosophy. As for Rajus understanding of Chinese philosophy, humanism is its main feature. It is said that the Chinese tradition is to be primarily humanistic, because human nature, both individual and social, was the basic subject of thought in China. The Chinese extolled life and wanted to live it fully. The question of Chinese wisdom was how to be fully human. But this interest in human person and society was characterized, not by a spiritual inwardness as in India or by an intellectual analysis as in the West, but by a pragmatic immediatism. What means that the Chinese humanism was not a metaphysical humanism interested in explication of human nature but a pragmatic humanism that put emphasis on immediate and concrete human relations. The Chinese thinker was concerned with practical affairs of society and life, and, accordingly, that which has immediate application to the benefit of people and society was considered good and true. All theories were meant for immediate application to people and society for their benefit. One could therefore say an immediatistic and humanistic pragmatism characterized the entire Chinese philosophy. Confucius exemplified Chinese philosophys confirmed purpose of explaining the ideal form of society and state. As a social reformer his goal was it to put order and stability into society and state. The foundation of a good society consist in every one following ren (human-heartedness) and discharging the duties of ones state of life and vocation. The ethics in Confucianism were more or less completely devoid of metaphysics. Heaven meant for Confucius a kind of moral order only. Zhu Z. (2004 p. 67 79) says when China realized that their competitors especially from Japan, U.S.A. and Europe all engaged in knowledge management, the Chinese companies were shocked and decided to welcome knowledge management. They created a connection to wuli-shili-renli (WSR) framework, which has its origins in Confucianism. In WSR: Wuli claims the material-technical aspect of managing knowledge. Shili is to facilitate the constructive-cognitive knowing process and Renli denotes in the governing of social-political relations among knowers. The Chinese style is less focusing on debating on the nature of knowledge, nor in expressing well-ordered processual knowledge creation models. For WSR technological and institutional dimensions of knowledge are equally important. Chinese found out how to reflect Confucianism on their organization structure and how to use it to manage knowledge. They realized that it is important to put more effort into technological development. Later in this paper this technological importance will be researched in detail. The Moists (Mohists) also developed a social ethics, but there goal was it more to gain social discipline. To mention Mencius, we find in him a tendency towards human inwardness, as he saw the basis of all morality in human nature (the mind). Nevertheless, his ethical idealism was not metaphysical. Mencius wanted to build a morality on the goodness of human nature. Xunzi on the other hand maintained that human nature is basically evil and it should be controlled by education and state laws so that a good society is made possible. He was the teacher of the Legalists Han Fei Zi and Li Si. The Legalists came to the conclusion to have harder demands for enforcement of laws with rewards and punishments (J. Kaipayil ,1995, p. 29). Deli Yang (2002, p.7) explains that legalism resulted in the consequences of central planning and anti-elitism in China. The ruler (which can be any authority in a hierarchical position) establishes the law without the participation of any individuals. This affected the performances of different governments and resulted in a high level of bureaucracy. These distinctive features we can still find in many modern Chinese companies. Bureaucracy can easily hinder a fluent knowledge transfer across the organization. Not having influence on making laws and rules is a disadvantage for knowledge creation. Another fact would be that the knowledge flow goes only from the top to the bottom, so potential knowledge from the bottom cannot be reached. Further in this paper the authors will explain more about knowledge sharing and the knowledge flow. The Logicians also were not uninterested in society and state. They emphasized the absoluteness and predominance of the universals over the particulars and thereby demonstrated the harmony of things and the need for universal love. The Daoists advocated individual happiness by a life of purity, simplicity, and spontaneous union with nature. They also were interested more in human things than in material things. The Dao is not any material principle external to human being but the principle internal to humans and inherent in nature (J. Kaipayil ,1995, p. 30). Ai Yu (2008, p.4) argues that many people believe that Laozis philosophy is primarily based on Wu Wei, which is a central thought of his Daodejing and means non-action or not-acting. But Wu Wei is actually more complex and also focuses on wholeness and partiality. Laozi explains the Way (Dao) is wholeness and infinity, while everything else is partiality and finitude. Based on Daodejing as the ideal of all existence the Way is unseen, not transcendent, powerful and also humble which means it is the root of all things. In fact humans should live their life in harmony with the Way for being as true and pure as an infant. Laozis concepts considers to emotions, knowledge, rationalities and sensations and not directing ambiguity, chaos and oppressions to the outside world. People should look into their minds and should try to find explanations. Ai Yu (2008, p.5) also says that today the field of knowledge management has been changed as a model of value creation to a great deal due to the shift of demanded resources. Edvinsson (2002, p.47) argues that value is usually more than just money, knowledge management should give value a second thought because it is a cross-disciplinary area. The modern Chinese business world is changing and in 2005 Hu Jintao came up with his policy of building a harmonious society. China Mobile and domestic Chinese insurance companies had to face extra-economic challenges like income inequality, environmental degradation, rural poverty etc. and for that the Chinese companies reacted with providing support for less-privileged citizens. According to Laozi this means paying more attention to the altered value preference and therefore discovering a new way of doing business. An alternative to both Confucianism and Daoism would be Buddhism but itself was transformed under their influence none the less. Buddhism is a philosophy based on human nature alone, and therefore it was easily assimilated by the Chinese mind with its characteristics pragmatic humanism and immediatism. Cheng-Fong Wu (1989, p. 90) already said that in Buddhism giving Dharma means to deliver wisdom to living beings without pay, wisdom is designed to mentally benefit others. Which means using knowledge to inspire the poor and teaching them the knowledge of a skill can make them stand on their feet by acquiring jobs. Those thoughts of Buddhism are possible reasons that the Chinese way of thinking about intellectual property rights is far different from the Western world. They might see China as the poorer country and count on the richer countries to share their knowledge with them without getting paid in return. Further in this paper the authors will get back to the topic of intellectual property rights in China. Another philosophy called Neoconfucianism also marked a very important development in the history of Chinese thought. With its rich metaphysics Buddhism stimulated the Chinese mind to an intense interest in metaphysical problems about nature and life. Together with the revival of the Daoists way of thinking, demanded on the part of Confucian scholars to provide a more systematic cosmology that would serve as the metaphysical foundation for Confucian ethics and political thought. In Zhou Dunyi the Daoist and the Yin-Yang conceptions combined with Confucianism to make a cosmology to defend Confucian ethics. Everything is created by the Dao, called this time the Great Ultimate (Taiji), from beginning to end of yin and yang forces; and human beings are the highest creation which continues this creative process by spiritual cultivation leading to wisdom. Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi were the brothers who developed the concept of li (principle), which became a major theme in Neoconfucianism. As the source of all the laws of nature and the principle of all diversified things, li is the same as the Dao. The rationalist wing of Neoconfucianism was developed by Zhu Xing who was following Cheng Yi. Lu Xiangshan who was following Mencius and Cheng Hao was founder of the idealist wing. According to Zhu Xi the Great Umtimate, which is the highest li , is found in each individual. This is the all-inclusive and wholly good Dao. Each particular thing is a combination of qi and li, and in humans this li is ren, and this is called spiritual cultivation if followed this inner nature. Lu Xiangshan and Hao on the other hand rejected the very idea of qi and focused that everything is composed to li and li is essentially the mind. Wang Yangming goes further with this idealist doctrine and says that the substance of mind is nature of things and this is li. Li is to understand by looking within, since all things, heaven, earth and humans are one. To exercise this unity is to love people (J. Kaipayil ,1995, p.32). J. Kaipayil writes on the prospect of philosophy in the post-Qing communist China, that Raju commended that the Marxian ideology with its activism and pragmatism agreed well with the naturalistic, humanistic, and pragmatic tendencies of the general Chinese tradition and it would be no wonder if a Confucian variety of communist philosophy should emerge at some future time that will meet the philosophical needs of the Chinese people perhaps more adequately than the communism of Marx, Lenin, and Stalin in its western robes. Raju supposed that the history of Chinese philosophy shows that the Chinese mind on the whole avoided the extremes of inwardness and outwardness. It is neither wholly inward-looking nor wholly outward-looking. It tries to get a balance between the inward and outward characteristics of human existence, and this attidue is best illustrated by the Daoist ideal of sageliness within and kinglingness without. The whole of human life was made the topic of philosophical investigation. The cultivation of inner human nature was insisted upon and not only for its own sake however for the creation and sustainment of a good society. All philosophical questions were used to find answers in a practical life and so China could create some of the best ideas of social and political thoughts and ethics. According to J. Kaipayil the previous words showed the positive side of Chinese philosophy but there also is another side of this philosophy. Kaipayil says that Chinese philosophy fails when ultimate qu estions are brought up. It accepted man and their life as basic facts for philosophy, not because it came to this sort of conclusion in the light of answers to ultimate questions, but because it did not come up with them and avoided these questions when raised, so that the life of human beings does not discover any foundation for its significance. Raju believed that Chinese philosophy lacked a metaphysical foundation and Chinese social thought a certain philosophical depth. The Chinese philosophy, compared to the Western philosophy, lacks logical rigour and is less epistemological and metaphysical. For the cause of not coming up with ultimate questions about human inwardness and outwardness, it is hard to find great systems of metaphysics and epistemology in China as in the West. It does not say that China lacked completely in logic, epistemology, and metaphysics. China had thoughts about that but they were explained only to that extent that was hardly enough to understand some prac tical human affairs, the hard facts of state and society. There were no serious efforts made to unknot the philosophical foundations of human existence. After getting an insight in Chinese philosophy, the authors will now highlight the more import philosophies. Confucianism, Daoism, Buddhism and Legalism are mentioned as high influential thinking schools. People learned from their philosophies what is useful or less useful to integrate Knowledge Management in an organization. One result in Confucianism suggests to realize the importance of technology which is also mentioned in the problem statement of this paper. Legalism can be a problem for Knowledge Management because it hinders knowledge flow and knowledge transfer. This is a very common problem in China, because society and organizations are often use legalism as their foundation. If Chinese companies want to achieve success by introducing Knowledge Management Systems into their organization it is necessary not to use Legalism as a companys philosophy. Buddhism also shows how Chinese express their feeling towards intellectual property and how Western companies might find some re asons for being afraid of the loss of their technology knowledge. Further research in this field would be highly recommended. On the other hand this paper shows that Daoism not necessarily means do nothing , it also animates to seek for the creation of value, which some Chinese organizations already adopted. To give a short conclusion about Western and Chinese philosophy, then next chapter will show how to compare those two different cultures and find out that they are not so different in some aspects. Comparison of Western and Chinese Philosophy The comparison of those two philosophies should show how Knowledge Management can react on the influence of philosophy on two different cultures. In modern Knowledge Management both cultures lies their focus on the development of technology to capture, store and share knowledge. The Western philosophy already realized the importance of logic and scientific approach while on the other hand the Chinese philosophy mainly concentrated on inner values which should be good for society. The West has a character of individualism while the East is trying to create a harmonies society by less focusing on individualism. Here Legalism can be seen as one of the biggest problems which results in not using all advantages of Knowledge Management. The problem that Chinese companies are focusing on technology has not necessarily to be seen as a problem. But leaving personal interaction behind can be seen as a major problem. The goal of Knowledge Management in China is to form transparent organizations to create knowledge and to share knowledge among their employees. As the hypothesis says it is important to take intensive care of Knowledge Management and this also cannot be realized in a short term period. Especially in China with their long history of philosophy and its great impact on their society it takes much longer to integrate Knowledge Management Systems in a company than it would take in Western company. Tacit and Explicit Knowledge After the discussion of certain perspectives on knowledge in Western philosophy and Chinese philosophy and their influence on Knowledge management, the authors will now explain the two important aspects of tacit and explicit knowledge. It is necessary to focus on the characteristics of tacit knowledge, since this is more difficult to access. During this work the reader should understand how important it is to get access to tacit knowledge and how to make it useful in a cross-cultural business environment. Faxiang Chen (2006, p.2) says that the term of knowledge refers two different forms: tacit and explicit knowledge. Explicit knowledge can be documented, transmitted, codified, stored, shared and learned indirectly. Tacit knowledge on the other hand originates from personal accumulated experience and learning and can be shared in direct ways vi

Natalia Ginzburgs The Son of Man Essay -- War World Philosophical pap

Natalia Ginzburg's The Son of Man In â€Å"The Son of Man,† Natalia Ginzburg asserts that while the war did irreparable psychological damage to its survivors, it also gave the young generation enough strength to confront the stark reality of the precarious nature of human existence. Passionately but concisely, through the use of repetitive imagery, fatalistic tone and lack of classic organization, Ginzburg shows how the war changed the world around Man and how Man changed his perception of the world. People cannot choose the time to live and die. Ginzburg had to live through the horrors of war: destroyed houses, air raids, arrests, and death. She shows how the war not only deprives people of their belongings, but also distorts the primary meaning of things and concepts. The world â€Å"police† no longer bears the meaning of protection and help but rather that of fear and suspicion. All pretty things that decorate a house, as well as the house itself, come to be viewed simply as raw material that will eventually turn to dust. Children of the war had seen too much terror and suffering in real life; therefore, Ginzburg asserts that this makes it impossible to raise children telling them fairy tales as the previous generations did. The only advantage the Ginzburg’s generation got from the war is the ability to see and speak the truth. As the generation of men they have no illusion they will find some peace or certainty in life, but they have found â€Å"strength† and â€Å"toughness† to â€Å"face whatever reality may confront† them and they are â€Å"glad of their destiny†. Ginzburg speaks on behalf of her generation appealing to everyone who is willing to listen. Her voice is full of passion and conviction. Appealing to a reader, she neither tells a ... ...part is reserved for Ginzburg’s generation: she calls it the â€Å"generation of men† as opposed to the previous generation of â€Å"foxes and wolves.† She uses this image comparison to show that the gap between two generations is insurmountable (lifestyle of men is very different from that of animals) and even though the war deprives her generation of any certainty, safety and rest it forces it â€Å"to seek out new strength.† Thus, her generation gets a higher status, the status of men, and a new world, the world of the unadorned truth. Ginzburg insists that time cannot heal the wounds of war and that her generation, tied to war by its suffering and by its destiny, uncompromisingly carries the truth. She effectively uses all her rhetorical tools: repetitive imagery, fatalistic tone, and purposeful lack of organization, to show how war makes people lose their world forever. Natalia Ginzburg's The Son of Man Essay -- War World Philosophical pap Natalia Ginzburg's The Son of Man In â€Å"The Son of Man,† Natalia Ginzburg asserts that while the war did irreparable psychological damage to its survivors, it also gave the young generation enough strength to confront the stark reality of the precarious nature of human existence. Passionately but concisely, through the use of repetitive imagery, fatalistic tone and lack of classic organization, Ginzburg shows how the war changed the world around Man and how Man changed his perception of the world. People cannot choose the time to live and die. Ginzburg had to live through the horrors of war: destroyed houses, air raids, arrests, and death. She shows how the war not only deprives people of their belongings, but also distorts the primary meaning of things and concepts. The world â€Å"police† no longer bears the meaning of protection and help but rather that of fear and suspicion. All pretty things that decorate a house, as well as the house itself, come to be viewed simply as raw material that will eventually turn to dust. Children of the war had seen too much terror and suffering in real life; therefore, Ginzburg asserts that this makes it impossible to raise children telling them fairy tales as the previous generations did. The only advantage the Ginzburg’s generation got from the war is the ability to see and speak the truth. As the generation of men they have no illusion they will find some peace or certainty in life, but they have found â€Å"strength† and â€Å"toughness† to â€Å"face whatever reality may confront† them and they are â€Å"glad of their destiny†. Ginzburg speaks on behalf of her generation appealing to everyone who is willing to listen. Her voice is full of passion and conviction. Appealing to a reader, she neither tells a ... ...part is reserved for Ginzburg’s generation: she calls it the â€Å"generation of men† as opposed to the previous generation of â€Å"foxes and wolves.† She uses this image comparison to show that the gap between two generations is insurmountable (lifestyle of men is very different from that of animals) and even though the war deprives her generation of any certainty, safety and rest it forces it â€Å"to seek out new strength.† Thus, her generation gets a higher status, the status of men, and a new world, the world of the unadorned truth. Ginzburg insists that time cannot heal the wounds of war and that her generation, tied to war by its suffering and by its destiny, uncompromisingly carries the truth. She effectively uses all her rhetorical tools: repetitive imagery, fatalistic tone, and purposeful lack of organization, to show how war makes people lose their world forever.

Technology Has Changed the Live of Teen Agers

DOI: 10. 1111/j. 1464-5491. 2006. 01868. x Glycaemic control Review Article 23 0742-3071Publishing, alcohol Diabetic Medicine and2006 consumption D. Ismail et al. DME UK Oxford, article Blackwell Publishing Ltd Social consumption of alcohol in adolescents with Type 1 diabetes is associated with increased glucose lability, but not hypoglycaemia D. Ismail, R. Gebert, P. J. Vuillermin, L. Fraser*, C. M. McDonnell, S. M. Donath†  and F. J. Cameron AbstractDepartment of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, *Wimmera Base Hospital*, Horsham and † Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Australia Accepted 10 June 2005 Aims To determine the effects of social consumption of alcohol by diabetic adolescents on glycaemic control. Methods Fourteen (five male) patients aged > 16 years were recruited from the diabetes clinic at the Royal Children’s Hospital. The continuous glucose monitoring syste m (CGMS) was attached at a weekend when alcohol consumption was planned for one night only.For each patient, the 12-h period from 18. 00 h to 06. 00 h for the night with alcohol consumption (study period) was compared with the same period with non-alcohol consumption (control period) either 24 h before or after the alcohol study night. Thus, each subject was his /her own control. Glycaemic outcomes calculated from continuous glucose monitoring included mean blood glucose (MBG), percentage of time spent at low glucose levels (CGMS < 4. 0 mmol/l), normal glucose levels (CGMS 4. 0–10. 0 mmol/ l) and high glucose levels (> 10. mmol/ l) and continuous overall net glycaemic action (CONGA). Results The mean number of standard alcohol drinks consumed during the study period was 9. 0 for males and 6. 3 for females. There was no difference in percentage of time at high and normal glucose levels in the study and control periods. During the control period, there was a higher percentage o f time with low glucose levels compared with the study period (P < 0. 05). There was an increased level of glycaemic variation during the study time when compared with the control period.Conclusions In an uncontrolled, social context, moderately heavy alcohol consumption by adolescents with Type 1 diabetes appears to be associated with increased glycaemic variation, but not with low glucose levels. Diabet. Med. 23, 830–833 (2006) Keywords adolescence, alcohol, glycaemic control Abbreviations CGMS, continuous glucose monitoring system; CONGA, continuous overall net glycaemic action; MBG, mean blood glucose; RCH, Royal Children’s Hospital Introduction Adolescents with Type 1 diabetes frequently engage in risk-taking activities [1].Amongst these activities is the social Correspondence to: Dr Fergus Cameron, Deputy Director, Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Royal Children’s Hospital, Flemington Road, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia. E-mail: fergus. [ema il  protected] org. au consumption of alcohol, frequently as underage drinkers [2]. Whilst the effects of alcohol consumption upon glycaemia have been well described in a controlled setting [3– 6], little is known about the impact on glucose levels of alcohol consumption by adolescents within an ambulant, social context.The purpose of this project was to utilize continuous glucose monitoring to study the impact of social alcohol consumption on glycaemic control in a group of alcohol-using adolescents.  © 2006 The Authors. 830 Journal compilation  © 2006 Diabetes UK. Diabetic Medicine, 23, 830–833 Review article 831 Patients and methods This study was approved by the Human Ethics Research Committee of the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH). That approval was contingent upon the fact that the investigators should not be seen to encourage underage drinking in adolescents.Consequently, we only approached adolescents who we knew were drinking socially and, despite our previous counselling, elected to continue to drink alcohol on a semi-regular basis. We recruited 22 adolescents with Type 1 diabetes from the RCH diabetes clinic. The adolescents were considered eligible only if > 16 years old and parental/patient consent was obtained. HbA 1c (Bayer DCA 2000 immunoagglutination method, Calabria, Barcelona, Spain) was measured, and diabetes duration and insulin doses were recorded. The MiniMed continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) was attached to the study patients over a weekend period.Patients were required to have an alcohol-free period for at least 24 continuous hours during the weekend trace period. A diary was kept of activities during the trace period (insulin injections, meal, snacks, dancing, alcohol consumption, sport). There was no change in insulin doses between study and control periods. In the evening when alcohol was consumed, patients were asked to recall how many and what type of drinks were consumed and how inebriated the y became. Patients recall of alcohol consumption was converted to ‘standard drinks’ (one standard drink contains the equivalent of 12. ml 100% alcohol) using The Australian Alcohol Guidelines [7]. CGMS data was recorded between 18. 00 and 06. 00 h on the evening when alcohol was consumed (the study period) and between 18. 00 and 06. 00 h on the evening when no alcohol was consumed (the control period). CGMS data were only analysed if there had been regular calibrations with intermittent capillary blood glucose readings at a maximum of 8-h intervals. Each CGMS trace was qualitatively and quantitatively analysed using mean glucose values, per cent time in glycaemic ranges and ontinuous overlapping net glycaemic action (CONGA) [8]. CONGA values were calculated to assess glycaemic variation over 1-, 2- and 4-h intervals. Low glucose values were defined as CGMS values < 4 mmol/ l, normal glucose values when CGMS values were 4– 10 mmo/ l and high glucose values when CG MS values were > 10 mmol/ l. Each patient acted as their own control with study periods and control periods being compared. Inter-individual values were grouped for comparison. Differences between study and control periods were analysed using paired t-tests. Analyses were done in Stata [9]. ales and nine females. The mean age was 18. 5 years (range: 17. 4 – 19. 5). The mean duration of diabetes was 9. 4 years (range: 3 – 16. 3). Six of our subjects took four insulin injections per day and eight took two injections daily. The mean insulin dose was 1. 1 units /kg/day (range: 0. 7 –1. 8), and the mean HbA1c was 9. 6% (range: 8. 2 – 10. 8). Activities during the study period Thirteen subjects had dinner before drinking and only one subject did not consume any food before going out. Three subjects ‘danced a lot’ and six subjects went dancing but did not dance a lot.Ten subjects had something to eat after drinking. Alcohol consumption during the st udy period The mean number of alcohol drinks consumed on the study night was 9. 0 (range 3–16) for males and 6. 3 (range 3–14) for females. All the females consumed pre-mixed sweetened alcohol drinks (5% alcohol), with only one consuming beer and one consuming wine. Four of the males consumed mixed spirits, one mixed spirits and beer and one beer only. Forty per cent of the males had more than seven standard drinks during the study and 67% of the females had more than five drinks.In total, 80% of the subjects had pre-mixed sweetened alcohol drinks at some point during the study period. Forty-three per cent of the subjects reported that they became inebriated and 14. 3% consumed alcohol to the point where they became physically sick. None of the subjects lost consciousness or took recreational drugs during the study period. Comparative CGMS data between study and control periods Results Patients There was no significant difference between the overall mean glucose levels of patients when comparing study and control periods (Table 1; P = 0. 43).Similarly, there were no significant differences in the amount of time spent with either normal or high glucose values between study and control periods (Table 1). A larger proportion of time was spent with low glucose values during the control period when compared with the study period (1. 9 vs. 16. 8%, P = 0. 03). A significantly larger degree of glycaemic variation was seen in the CONGA values in the study period when compared with the control period (Table 1). The difference in CONGA values were consistent and independent of whether glycaemic variation was assessed over 1-, 2- or 4-h intervals.Of the 22 subjects recruited, eight were excluded because their CGMS traces did not have sufficiently frequent calibration points with intermittent capillary measures of blood glucose. Of the 14 subjects remaining, we were able to obtain study period data on 14 patients and matched control period data on only 12 pat ients. The study period occurred on the night prior to the control period in nine subjects. There were five Discussion It has long been recognized that a prohibitionist approach is usually ineffective when counselling adolescents who engage in risk-taking behaviours [10].Many centres today, ourselves included, have instead adopted a harm minimization approach in dealing with such behaviours. An important component  © 2006 The Authors. Journal compilation  © 2006 Diabetes UK. Diabetic Medicine, 23, 830–833 832 Glycaemic control and alcohol consumption †¢ D. Ismail et al. Outcome measure Mean difference between Study period Control period study period and mean value mean value control period (95%CI) P-value 10. 6 16. 8 58. 6 24. 6 2. 1 3. 2 3. 7 1. 2 (? 2. 1, 4. 4) ? 14. 9 (? 28. 1, ? 1. 8) ? 0. 8 (? 27. 3, 25. 8) 15. 7 (? 4. 5, 35. 8) 0. 6 (0. 2, 1. 0) 1. 1 (0. , 1. 9) 1. 8 (0. 4, 3. 1) 0. 43 0. 03 0. 95 0. 12 0. 006 0. 01 0. 01 Table 1 CGMS outcomes, study and contro l periods Blood glucose levels (mmol/l) 11. 8 Per cent time low glucose 1. 9 Per cent time high glucose 57. 8 Per cent time normal glucose 40. 3 CONGA1* 2. 7 CONGA2* 4. 3 CONGA4* 5. 5 *CONGA calculated at 1-, 2- and 4-h intervals. CONGAn is the standard deviation of different glucose measures n hours apart for the duration of the CGMS trace. of counselling using a harm minimization approach is that the information provided be credible and reflective of ‘real’ or ‘lived’ circumstances.Continuous glucose monitoring provides a technique whereby the glycaemic consequences of various behaviours can be documented in an ambulant or non-artificial setting. Adolescents with Type 1 diabetes frequently consume alcohol in a social context [11]. Alcohol is known to inhibit the gluconeogenic pathway, to inhibit lipolysis, impair glucose counter-regulation and blunt hypoglycaemia awareness [3,4]. Previous studies in young adults with Type 1 diabetes have shown that modera te consumption of alcohol in the evenings without concomitant food intake may cause hypoglycaemia the following morning [5].Consumption of alcohol after a meal, however, has shown no similar adverse effects on glucose [6]. It is reasonable to assume, therefore, that alcohol consumption may be a significant risk factor for hypoglycaemia in adolescents with Type 1 diabetes [5]. Studies of the glycaemic effects of alcohol consumption in an ambulant adolescent/young adult population can be difficult. This is because such behaviours are uncontrolled, often spontaneous and usually in the context of other social activities (parties, dancing, etc. ).In order to ensure that we only reported accurate CGMS data during these activities, capillary blood glucose calibration was considered vital and those patients who failed in this regard were excluded from analysis. Just over 60% of the patients recruited were able to successfully wear and calibrate a CGMS unit during these activities. Given tha t patients who experience hypoglycaemic symptoms are more likely to perform capillary self measures of blood glucose, we feel that it is unlikely that those patients excluded from the analysis had a greater frequency of hypoglycaemia than those patients reported.We were unable to record our subjects’ alcohol consumption in a contemporaneous fashion and hence were reliant upon their recall. It is possible that their remembered patterns of consumption were not entirely accurate. This potential inaccuracy should not be seen as a weakness of this study, as we only set out to determine patterns of glycaemia in adolescents engaging in spontaneous and uncontrolled alcohol consumption. We neither specified the type nor the amount of alcohol to be consumed (our ethical approval was contingent on this not occurring).The data as to amount of alcohol consumed have been included for descriptive purposes only. The results of this study show that alcohol consumption by adolescents in a soci al context is associated with a greater degree of glycaemic variation and less time spent with low glucose values than evenings where no alcohol is consumed. Whilst the second of these findings appears counter-intuitive, there may be several possible explanations. Firstly, the vast majority of our study group ate a meal prior to going out and ate upon their return before going to bed.These are practices that we have instilled as harm minimization strategies to avoid alcohol-induced hypoglycaemia in our clinic. Secondly, most of the alcohol consumed was as pre-mixed spirit and sweetened, carbonated beverages. Finally, alcohol consumption was only associated with vigorous exercise (dancing) in a minority of our study group. All of these factors could have combined to negate the hypoglycaemic effects of alcohol. In a previous study of glycaemia during alcohol consumption in adult men [5], hypoglycaemia occurred most often 10–12 h after wine consumption when the evening before en ded at 23. 0 h. We analysed our data to see if a similar phenomenon occurred in this study and found that the per cent of time spent with CGMS readings < 4 mmol/l between 06. 00 and 12. 00 h on the morning after the study period (i. e. the morning after the drinking night) was only 1. 1%. Notwithstanding the fact that our cohort frequently consumed alcohol later than 23. 00 h, the factors that impacted upon glycaemic control during the study night appear to have carried over to the ‘morning after’. The findings in this study highlight the importance of ambulant testing.It is important to note that the findings of the group studied here may not be seen in adolescents who drink non-sweetened alcoholic drinks or in those adolescents with better underlying metabolic control. Whilst alcohol consumption in isolation may reasonably be thought to cause hypoglycaemia, alcohol consumption by adolescents in the context of meals, sweetened mixers and little activity did not result in more hypoglycaemia than an alcohol-free evening. Whether the increase in glycaemic variation seen on an evening  © 2006 The Authors. Journal compilation  © 2006 Diabetes UK.Diabetic Medicine, 23, 830–833 Review article 833 of alcohol consumption has negative clinical outcomes remains an area for further investigation. Competing interests CMM was a Novo Nordisk research fellow. FJC received fees for speaking at conferences and funds for research from Novo Nordisk. References 1 Cameron F, Werther G. Adolescents with diabetes mellitus. In: Menon, RK, Sperling, MA, eds. Pediatric Diabetes. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003: 319–335. 2 Frey MA, Guthrie B, Lovelandcherry C, Park PS, Foster CM. Risky behaviours and risk in adolescents with IDDM.J Adol Health 1997; 20: 38–45. 3 Avogaro A, Beltramello P, Gnudi L, Maran A, Valerio A, Miola M et al. Alcohol intake impairs glucose counterregulation during acute insulin-induced hypoglycaemia in IDDM patients. D iabetes 1993; 42: 1626–1634. 4 Kerr D, Macdonald IA, Heller SR, Tattersal RB. Alcohol causes hypoglycaemic unawareness in healthy volunteers and patients with type 1 diabetes. Diabetologia 1990; 33: 216–221. 5 Turner BC, Jenkins E, Kerr D, Sherwin RS, Cavan DA. The effect of evening alcohol consumption on next morning glucose control in type 1 diabetes.Diabetes Care 2001; 24: 1888–1893. 6 Koivisto VA, Tulokas S, Toivonen M, Haapa E, Pelkonen R. Alcohol with a meal has no adverse effects on postprandial glucose homeostasis in diabetic patients. Diabetes Care 1993; 16: 1612–1614. 7 National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian Alcohol Guidelines: Health Risks and Benefits. DS9. Available from: http://www7. health. gov. au/nhmrc/publications/synopses/ds9syn. htm. 8 McDonnell CM, Donath SM, Vidmar SI, Werther GA, Cameron FJ. A novel approach to continuous glucose analysis utilising glycaemic variation.Diab Tech Therap 2005; 7: 253–263. 9 Sta taCorp. Stata statistical software. Release 8. 0. College Station, TX: Stata Corporation, 2003. 10 Kyngas H, Hentinen M, Barlow JH. Adolescents perceptions of physicians, nurses, parents and friends: help or hindrance in compliance with diabetes self-care? J Adv Nurs 1998; 27: 760–769. 11 Patterson JM, Garwick AW. Coping with chronic illness. In: Werther, GA, Court, JM, eds. Diabetes and the Adolescent. Melbourne: Miranova Publishers 1998, 3–34.  © 2006 The Authors. Journal compilation  © 2006 Diabetes UK. Diabetic Medicine, 23, 830–833

Socialism Essays

Socialism Essays Socialism Essay Socialism Essay Essay Topic: Communist Manifesto Katie KleinHistory 102Section 009Socialism is, and has been since its creation, a misunderstood political philosophy, especially in the capitalistic Western world. The common view of socialism by democracy and its supporters is that it suppresses the voice of the individual in order to create a uniform society where the weak (the poor) feed off the strong (the rich). In reality, Marx’s aim in his socialist philosophy is not in the transformation of the political constitution of society, nor the elimination of disparities between the social classes, but rather the ability of many to have control of his own destiny. This is outlined in Marx’s Communist Manifesto, which attributes the realization of this autonomous power only through the reformation of the previously mentioned societal agents. The exerpt in study is one from the autobiography of Ottillie Baader, a German socialist woman whos lived during the turn of the 20th century. The root of Baa der’s accordance with socialism lies in her experience as a laborer, who is slave to the industrial system, which pits employee against his employer, his fellow employee, and his familly member, and ultimately results in the complete discontent in one’s life amassed by the tremendous struggle to survive. The aim of Marxist socialism is the eradicate the very hardhsips experienced by Baader, and many other laborers, that make life seemingly not worth living. The exerpt specifically adresses Baader’s experience as a worker in the industrial market alongside growing technology and capitalism. She describes her working conditions as arduous and tiring, working 11 hours a day, with a small break for lunch, along side 100 other women operating a sewing machine in the exact same way (Baader Lines 26-28). This type of working condition is mentioned in the Manisfesto when Marx describes the montony and simplicity of such factory jobs, which make the worker â€Å"an appe ndage of the machine,† and causes him to lose all

Free Essays on Informative Speech Objectives

Objectives: 1. Develop an Informative speech topic. 2. Develop and Apply effective research and organizational skills in preparing a speech. 3. Analyze your Audience and adapt your message to your audience 4. Develop and Effectively use a Visual Aid to assist you in clarifying and supporting your ideas. 5. Practice delivery and presentation skills. 6. Inform, teach, and create understanding in your audience. This speech is an informative presentation. Your goal is to inform and teach your audience about your topic. Focus on one type of informative speech: OBJECTS, EVENTS, CONCEPTS, OR A PROCESS. First and foremost select a topic that is interesting to you. It helps if you are knowledgeable on your topic, however, you can become knowledgeable on any topic through research. You want to also choose a topic that will be intellectually stimulating to your audience. Always Consider your audienceevery step of the way. Use the Audience Centered Approach to public speaking. All Topics MUST BE CLEARED WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! I want to know ASAP what your topic is so that I can help you prepare. The sooner I know what your topic is the sooner I can help you. A good place to start is on the Public Speakers’ Web Site on the Speech Preparation Page. Gathering Information: Hopefully, you will be knowledgeable on your topic already. However, part of your assignment is to find additional sources. You are â€Å"required† to have at least 4 sources. You are not an additional source. An interview (using your interview skills and a schedule) would be an excellent source and I encourage you to interview an outside source for your speech. There are many sources available in the Library and the Reference Librarians are waiting to help you find them. Include the sources that you will cite in your speech in your reference section. Please use complete citations. APA or MLA format is ... Free Essays on Informative Speech Objectives Free Essays on Informative Speech Objectives Objectives: 1. Develop an Informative speech topic. 2. Develop and Apply effective research and organizational skills in preparing a speech. 3. Analyze your Audience and adapt your message to your audience 4. Develop and Effectively use a Visual Aid to assist you in clarifying and supporting your ideas. 5. Practice delivery and presentation skills. 6. Inform, teach, and create understanding in your audience. This speech is an informative presentation. Your goal is to inform and teach your audience about your topic. Focus on one type of informative speech: OBJECTS, EVENTS, CONCEPTS, OR A PROCESS. First and foremost select a topic that is interesting to you. It helps if you are knowledgeable on your topic, however, you can become knowledgeable on any topic through research. You want to also choose a topic that will be intellectually stimulating to your audience. Always Consider your audienceevery step of the way. Use the Audience Centered Approach to public speaking. All Topics MUST BE CLEARED WITH YOUR INSTRUCTOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! I want to know ASAP what your topic is so that I can help you prepare. The sooner I know what your topic is the sooner I can help you. A good place to start is on the Public Speakers’ Web Site on the Speech Preparation Page. Gathering Information: Hopefully, you will be knowledgeable on your topic already. However, part of your assignment is to find additional sources. You are â€Å"required† to have at least 4 sources. You are not an additional source. An interview (using your interview skills and a schedule) would be an excellent source and I encourage you to interview an outside source for your speech. There are many sources available in the Library and the Reference Librarians are waiting to help you find them. Include the sources that you will cite in your speech in your reference section. Please use complete citations. APA or MLA format is ...

Steve Jobs Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Steve Jobs - Research Paper Example Jobs was smart but lacked vision and direction and hence he experimented with various pursuits before teaming up with Steve Wozniak in 1976 and therefore invented one of the first personal computers (Elliot & Simon, 2011). In addition, Steve Jobs was again a smart businessperson and therefore became a multimillionaire before attaining thirty years of age. Steve Jobs formed NeXT computers in 1984. He later purchased the division of computer graphics of Lucas film Ltd in 1986 and then started Pixar Animation Studios (Quinn & Tayal, 2012). Steve Jobs together with Steve Wozniak, who was the main designer, co-invented the Apple I and Apple II computers and others. The first line of personal computers that was noted as commercially successful is Apple II (Blumenthal, 2012). Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and others, in 1984, co-invented the Apple Macintosh computer, which was again the first successful personal computer that had a graphic user that is mouse-driven (Isaacson, 2011). From the above introduction it is evident that Steve jobs is one of the people who came up with innovations that changed the world in one way or another. Due to his influence music industries and mostly in the technology, he received several honors and public recognitions. He has been therefore referred to with numerous titles, according to Young, 1998, such as "legendary", a "futurist" and a "visionary" person, and has also been described as the "Father of the Digital Revolution", a "master of innovation", "the master evangelist of the digital ag e" and a "design perfectionist"(Blumenthal, 2012). He was born to two University of Wisconsin graduate students, Abdulfattah "John" Jandali and, Joanne Schieble, who was later known as Joanne Simpson on 24th February, 1955, in San Francisco, California (Isaacson, 2011). His parents gave him up for adoption and was therefore adopted and raised by Paul jobs and Clara who named him Steven Paul Jobs. Paul was

Nursing career Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Nursing career - Essay Example The roles of the different nursing specialties fall under either clinical or non-clinical practices. A nurse educator can perform is required to engage in both clinical and non-clinical practices. Despite the main role of a nurse educator being facilitation of the learning process, curriculum development, research, and inculcating professionalism among the learners, they are obliged to have clinical practice skills in order to guide the students on clinical practice effectively. Contrary to a nurse educator, a nurse informaticist’s roles are inclined more to the non-clinical practice; therefore, their clinical experience is limited. In the same way, a nurse administrator is not directly involved in clinical practices since their main role is coordination of the nursing practices in a healthcare setup such as staff management. The nurse practitioners are directly involved in clinical duties. A nurse practitioner plays a pivotal role in protection of health, health promotion, di sease prevention, treatment, and the provision of primary care to the patients. Despite the differential roles taken up by the different professionals, Rhodes, Morris, and Lazenby (2011) have observed that it is obligatory for all nursing professionals to be caring and knowledgeable. Â  Despite the differences among the nursing professionals with advanced practice, a number of similarities exist. All the specialties in nursing are required to adhere to professional ethics at all times in the execution of their duties.