Critical Article Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical Review - Article Example In order to understand this to a more effective and complete degree, the following analysis will discuss the means through which the public school system within the United States experiences what is known as fiscall limitation with regards to the provision of local education. This limitation necessarily refers to the way in which secondary education within the United States is overly reliant upon regional funding; thereby evoking a situation in which disparity is more readily reflected within the educational system as compared to how it would be in a situation in which the federal government itself was responsible for funding the process (Clemings, 2006). Through such analysis, it is the hope of this author that the reader will gain a more informed understanding of how the educational system work in the United States, what determinant factors constrain it, and how improvements with regards to the shortcomings that have been previously mentioned might be affected within the future. Th e particular piece in question first references the fact that a case study which will be performed is concentric upon the state of California. Naturally, this choice of tests case analysis is especially important and useful due to the fact that California is the largest state by population and represents perhaps the greatest level of regional diversity that any state within the system has to offer. As such, the article itself increases the level of believability and relevance due to the fact that it has chosen to analyze the most diverse and populous state as a means of proving the fact that regional and state funding alone is ultimately a limitation to the way through which education can be provided to the end student (Wassmer & Fisher, 1996). Accordingly, the first main argument that is made is with regards to the limitations upon maximum and minimum millage rates with regards to property taxes (Winkler, 2009). Such an in-depth primary approach has to do with the fact that the Uni ted States education system disproportionately targets as one of its main funding streams property taxes. In such a way, the authors reference the fact that disparity is innate within the system due to the fact that income from property taxes is a direct means through which the poorest regions will have inordinately less funding to allocate as compared to the richer regions. Although the casual observer might be quick to point out that millage rates within the poorest regions merely be increased as a way of generating further revenue for the school systems, this does not reflect a level of fairness and ultimately punishes the poorest property holders within a given region (Ellis, 1976). Similarly, the authors target the fact that the poorer regions within California, the state in question, reflect a greatly increased percentage of renters as compared to other regions throughout the state. The increased percentage of renting families means that this funding stream ultimately begins t o dry up and disappear with respect to an ever increasing percentage of poverty that may be exhibited. Further focusing upon the issue of property tax, the authors discuss the minimum and maximum limits on the property tax rate with respect to what is deemed as a â€Å"per pupil limit† many individuals outside the education system are wholly unaware of the fact that such

Report on Herbal Medicine Essay Example for Free

Report on Herbal Medicine Essay 1. Herbal medicine is the oldest form of healthcare known to mankind. Herbs had been used by all cultures throughout history, In 2735 B.C., the Chinese emperor Shen Nong wrote an authoritative treatise on herbs that is still in use today. 2. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 4 billion people, 80% of the world population, presently use herbal medicine for some aspect of primary health care. indeed, about 25% of the prescription drugs dispensed in the United States contain at least one active ingredient derived from plant material. 3. Today, research confirms that the herb boosts the immune system by stimulating the production of disease-fighting white blood cells. 4. WHO notes that of 119 plant-derived pharmaceutical medicines, about 74% are used in modern medicine in ways that correlated directly with their traditional uses as plant medicines by native cultures. 5. Herbs take many forms like capsule, tablet, tea, tincture, bath, compress, poultice and ointment. 6. Like any kind of remedies Herbs have advantages and disadvantages you have to ask your Doctor before take any of it, Generally Herbs dont have any serious dangerous on our health thats the reason why millions of people use it around the world. Conclusion Scientific experts and users of the Herbs are divided about its benefits. However, Herbal medicine is considered to be safe. Recommendations 1. Any medicine herbal or otherwise has the potential to have a adverse effects (or side effects). 2. Herbal medicines can also interact with other medicines you are taking. This could result in reduced or enhanced effects of the other medicines, including side effects. If you are consulting your doctor or pharmacist about your health or are about to have surgery or an operation, always tell them about any herbal medicines you are taking. 3. As with all medicines, keep herbal medicines out of the sight and reach of children.

Study On The Cardiac Causes For Chest Pains Nursing Essay

Study On The Cardiac Causes For Chest Pains Nursing Essay The relation of chest pains with cardiac causes responsible for the pain was one targeted area for studies. From the previous researches chest pain was observed to be one common complaints in children and previous findings reported it to be more prominent in old ages with mean age of 13 and cardiac causes was responsible for less than 20% of chest pain complaints in younger children and in community which was supposed to exist because of ischemic vertical dysfunction, myocardial and pericardial inflammatory process or arrhythmia but exact cause for cardiac chest pain was still in dark. Specialised methods like echocardiography, Holter monitoring, excercise stress test, electrophysiological studies were reported to be required to assess cardiac diseases in children responsible for chest pain but still it may not be able to give exact causes of chest pain. The purpose for this study was to identify cardiac diseases and to explore cardiac causes which were directly associated with chest pain in children.(Cagdas and Pac, 2009) Methods: In this study 120 children with ages in between 5-16 years who were frequently reported to pediatric cardiology clinic regarding chest pain were analysed in a tertiary subspecialty clinic from March 2005 to May 2006. The reason for selecting children with ages 5-16 years having chest pain complains was based on previous findings of studies and was good choice of selection for assessment of cardiac diseases related to chest pain as it was targeted group for chest pain and further in this study it was divided in two age groups that was 5-12 years age group and 13-16 years age group because of psychogenic pain consideration in children older than 12 years age which was good reasoning for dividing groups. Thus it was cross-sectional and a retrospective assessment but as it relies on previous findings and data from other clinics it might have limitations in selection and number selected that was 120 subjects seems to be very less for this type of assessment thus it might lead in error.(Ca gdas and Pac, 2009) The strength of this study was dependent on the outcomes of methods used for analysis of cardiac diseases associated with chest pain. All selected patients were subjected to Echocardiography, Electrocardiography(ECG) and Chest X-Ray and analysis of Hemogram, serum glucose and electrolytes was done. In Chest X-Ray all necessary images to diagnose heart, lung, chest wall and big vessels are generated by ionising radiation in X-ray form (P.A.Mahesh, 2006). In Electrocardiography functioning of different parts of heart muscles are measured by recording in skin electrodes placed on different positions of heart and it displays in ECG as electrical signal. The display of ECG shows rhythm of heart and damage of any heart muscles can be concluded(Meek and Morris, 2002). Echocardiogram generates two-dimensional pictures using ultrasound techniques for cardiovascular systems. In Echocardiography echoes of sound waves are picked by transducer and are transmitted as electrical impulses which are then converted to motion pictures of heart by Echocardiography machine and also movement of blood via heart is recorded by Doppler probe. Different types of cardiac diseases can be identified by this methods.(Quinones et al., 2003) Also excercise and tilt table test and twenty four hour Holter monitoring was carried out in some required cases which also gave detail regarding cardiac diseases. In 24 hour Holter monitoring test for 24 hour an electrodes are attached on chest of the subject to be monitored by which electrical activity of heart is recorded to an attached small battery operated monitor. Note of all activities carried out by patient during 24 hours is required and results after 24 hour of test are analysed to see any irregular changes in rhythm of heart and for further analyses of cardiac disease (Hilbel et al., 2008). Different ways are developed to perform tilt table depending on individual patient generally patient is obstructed to any physical movement of body and kept flat on tilt table and it is then suspended or tilted at different angles. Records of symptoms, blood pressure, pulse, electrocardiogram etc are kept during test which can be use for analysis of cardiac disease(Benditt et al., 1996 ). Actually this study was designed and conducted on algorithm setup in which depending on types of symptoms observed from physical examination and history of patients it was further evaluated using different methods to identify cardiac causes.(Cagdas and Pac, 2009) SPSS 11.0(SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) software was use to carry out statistical assessment in which Chi-square test was selected for analyses of difference in variables of groups in which significant level p value was kept less than 0.05 and risk between groups was compared by odds ratio value(95% Confidence Interval). Here the total number of patients was 120 which is quite large thus selection of Chi-square test to analyse difference in variables of two groups was perfect.(Cagdas and Pac, 2009) Results: In this study out of 120 patients depending on history and physical examination evaluation of further detail assessment by performing stated techniques as required 52(42.5%) patients were found to have cardiac diseases out of which 11(9.2%) patients on admission were found to have history of cardiac disease and in 28(23.3%) patients chest pain was supposed to be directly associated with cardiac disease and out of 28 patients 14(11.6%) were reported with different types of arrhythmias as shown in table 2.(Cagdas and Pac, 2009) On complete assessment of all patients for cardiac disease according to the age group that is 5-12 years of age and 12-16 years of age the children were analysed with structural Cardiac Disease and types of arrhythmia as shown in table 1 and 2.(Cagdas and Pac, 2009) Different types of Cardiac diseases found to be associated with chest pain is also listed in table 1 and 2. In table 2 patients with infrequent supraventricular ectopy and ventricular ectopy were excluded.(Cagdas and Pac, 2009) Table.1. SPSS result for frequency and risk of structural cardiac disease according with age in patients with chest pain(Cagdas and Pac, 2009) Groups Structural Cardiac Disease pÃŽÂ ± Present Absent Type N Total,n(%) Total,n(%) 5-12 years old (n=55) RVHD 5 11(20) 44(80) 0.011 MVP 3 CMP 1 ASD 1 PFO 1 13-16 years old (n=65) RVHD 12 27(41.5) 38(58.5) MVP 4 CMP 3 VSD 3 AS 3 ASD 1 PFO 1 ÃŽÂ ±Chi-square test, ÃŽÂ ²Risk analysis, ÃŽÂ ´Reference group is taken as 5-12 years age group AS- valcular aortic stenosis, ASD- atrial septel defect, CMP- cardiomyopathy, MVP- mitral valve prolapse, PFO- patent foramen ovale, RVHD- rheumatic valvular heart disease, VSD- ventricular septal defect Ref: CAGDAS, D. N. PAC, F. A. (2009) Cardiac chest pain in children. Anadolu Kardiyoloji Dergisi-the Anatolian Journal of Cardiology, 9, 401-406. As shown in above SPSS result the risk of structural cardiac disease in elder age group was 2.84 times higher as compared to younger age group and significant p value was 0.011 which was less than 0.05 which states that there was significant difference between variables of two age groups with structural cardiac disease.(Cagdas and Pac, 2009) Table.2. SPSS result for Frequency and risk of arrhythmia with age in patients with chest pain(Cagdas and Pac, 2009) Groups Arrhythmias PÃŽÂ ± Present Absent Type N Total,n(%) Total,n(%) 5-12 years old (n=55) Frequent VE and SVE 3 3 (5.5) 52 (94.5) 0.05 13-16 years old (n=65) Frequent VE and SVE 7 11 (16.9) 54 (83.1) WPW Syndrome 2 Sinus bradycardia 1 Sinus pause 1 ÃŽÂ ±Chi-square test, ÃŽÂ ²Risk analysis, ÃŽÂ ´Reference group is taken as 5-12 age group SVE supraventricular ectopy, VE ventricular ectopy, WPW Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome Ref: CAGDAS, D. N. PAC, F. A. (2009) Cardiac chest pain in children. Anadolu Kardiyoloji Dergisi-the Anatolian Journal of Cardiology, 9, 401-406. As shown in above SPSS result the risk of arrhythmias in elder age group was 3.53 times higher as compared to younger age group and significant p value was 0.05 which shows borderline significant difference in variables of two groups with arrhythmias.(Cagdas and Pac, 2009) Overall analysis of arrhythmias and structural cardiac disease reported 4.12 times higher risk of cardiac disease in elder age group (12-13 years age) as compared to that with younger age group (5-12 years age).(Cagdas and Pac, 2009) Discussion: The results of this study was compared with other studies and different required methods were performed for analyses of cardiac disease related to chest pain which was not performed in previous studies. In previous findings majority of patients were assessed by only echocardiography without performing 24 hour holter monitor test to any patients while in this study echocardiography was performed to all children and holter monitoring was done for 38(31.6%) patients out of 120 as required and also frequencies of arrhythmias was found to be 11.6% and same ratio for structural cardiac disease which as compared to other studies was high. Thus use of various methods for assessing cardiac diseases associated with chest pain was good effort made in this study.(Cagdas and Pac, 2009) One finding of this study was that chest pain complains was more in the elder children which was supported by previous epidemiological studies for the chest pain complaints. Cardiorespiratory problems in young children and psychogenic pain in children older than 12 years of age was reported from previous studies while from this study 4.12 times more risk to cardiac disease was found in elder age group on analysing all cardiac diseases and was explained because of aging related risk of arrhythmias or increase in structural cardiac diseases symptoms or increase in level of consciousness with increasing age regarding cardiac chest pain symptoms which was satisfactory reasoning given in this study. From the SPSS results it concluded that older children were at high risk to structural cardiac disease (p=0.011) and 3.53 times more frequent to arrhythmias. Thus use of SPSS results in analyses of cardiac disease was one very important part of this study as it explored some critical and diffe rent results compared to other studies.(Cagdas and Pac, 2009) In 28(23.3%) patients chest pain was supposed to be directly caused by cardiac diseases and which was assumed because of high frequency of some cardiac diseases in patients selected but clear reasons for chest pain was still not proved. From previous studies majority of non-cardiac chest pain was reported because of gastro-esophageal reflux diseases and in this study total 40 patients were suffering chest pain because of similar reasons like abdominal pain, epigastric tenderness etc which highlighted one important conclusion that their may exist more than one cause for chest pain not necessary that its always related to cardiac disease. This study also gave example of important application of echocardiography in diagnosis of rheumatic valvular heart disease as it was detected in 17 children as compared to analyses done by clinical examination for existence of rheumatic valvular heart disease.(Cagdas and Pac, 2009) In this study following the particular algorithm the study groups were analysed from which many results reported was different from that concluded by physical examination like in 16 patients physical examination showed it to be innocent murmur but was found to have structural cardiac disease on further analyses. Thus though this type of algorithm requires some extra excercise but it made analyses to identify cardiac disease more clear.(Cagdas and Pac, 2009) Overall this study concluded that risk of cardiac disease was increased with age and it also gave percentage of cardiac disease that was 42.5% which was high as compared to other studies. The study also highlighted importance and use of different methods that can be used for detail analyses of cardiac disease that was not covered in previously performed studies but this type of evaluation was to be carried out with larger number of patients to get more clear with results and draw important conclusion because by analysing only 120 children with chest pain one common conclusion can not be given. Selection of proper SPSS tests was done which gave important results for this study. This study attempted very well to identify cardiac diseases causing chest pain with all good planning and reasoning behind all steps and methods used but still research in area of cardiac diseases will not be clear unless any sure and specific result for particular cardiac disease can be taken as reference to i dentify and to draw conclusion.

George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984 :: Free Essay Writer

1984 is a story about dictators who are in complete control of a large part of the world after the Allies lost in World War II. The government in this novel gives no freedoms to its citizens. They live in fear because they are afraid of having bad thoughts about the government of Oceania, a crime punishable by death. Winston the main character, is an ordinary man of 39 who is disgusted with the world he lives in. He works in the Ministry of Truth, a place where history and the truth is rewritten to fit the party's beliefs. The facts--significant and insignificant are rewritten, they thoroughly destroy the records of the past, and they print up new, up to-date editions of old newspapers and books Their goal is to make people forget everything- facts, words, dead people, the names of places. People guilty of crimes (free thought) are erased from having ever existed. The Ministry of Truth allowed the controling powers to have control over its citizens using memory erasing techniques (c cognitive psychology). Winston is aware of the untruths, because he makes them true. This makes him very upset with the government of Oceania, where Big Brother, a larger than life figure, controls the people. Big Brother is the figurehead of a government that has total control. The Big Brother regime uses propaganda and puts fear in its citizens to keep the general population in line. Big Brother has a army of informers called thought police, who watch every citizen at all times for the least signs of thought that the goverment would not agree with(a thought crime). His dissatisfaction increases to a point where he rebels against the government in small ways. Winston's first act of rebellion is buying and writing in a diary. This act is known as a thought crime and is punishable by death. Winston starts writing in a diary so he can difereniate between what has actually occured and what he is being programmed to believe. The other reason for the diary is so that people in the future will be able to read what really went on during Winston's time. Winston commits many thought crimes and becomes paranoid about being caught. Meanwhile he notices a young woman paying him a great deal of attention, she is actively involved in many community groups and he feared that she had something to do with the thought police.

Reasons Behind the High Rate of Dropouts

A great majority of Houston†s children enroll for school after they have enjoyed summer vacation. Houston area dropout rates list starts at full capacity, even by Christmas vacation the enrollment list has reduced to half of the students. The reason for high dropout rates is not because Houston area schools do not care about education, they are not taking it serious. According to the Houston Chronicle, a Houston area newspaper, † the Houston Independent School District, for example, failed to account for 2,131 students who were enrolled in 1997-98 but not in 1998-99. By no means will that number decrease, if adults do not find what is taking our kids out of schools. A young mind only stops learning when obstacle are put in the way. Obstacle, such as juvenile crime and drug actitives, teen pregnacy, lack of family funds, and parents who do not care. Texas Education Agency reported in the Houston Chronicle, that the leading reason students dropout of school is crime and drug actitves. Children bring weapons along with homework to school every day. Some youngster do not make it to juinor high without a murder case. Majority of dropout will end up in prison and never see the front day of a college. Drug also taking the minds of our young kids. They look for anything that will help them cope with every day problems. While their problems are only grooming the addiction only get stronger. Half of the students will become additive to some type of drug, and become dropouts. Another obstacle that causes high dropout rates is teen pregnacy. Sadly, a large percent of younger learners become parents during high school. This obstacle usually affect females due to the fact that most male students do not stick around to support their child. Then the female has to figure a way to attend school and pay for a babysitter. Since, it takes money to raise a baby the mother only choice is to dropout of high school and maintain a full time job. Why do children decided to raise babies, instead of doing simple daily homework? That question remains to be a mystery to many adults. The third obstacle would be lack of family funds. Few families in today†s society still consist of a father and a mother. One parent struggling to support a family is not an easy thing for a child to watch. Eventually that youngster finds any methods to bring money into the house. Some students will find legal ways such as a job for extra money; the other half of the student particpate in illegal actitives to support their family. That child is worried about stopping his mother or father from crying over money problems every night. Last but not least, one of the problems is parents who do not care or unable to give proper care to their children. There are parents who have two or more jobs and feel that their children can watch themselves. Then other parents just can not control their kids. He or she leaves home that morning for school and the parent will not see them until two days later. The father or mother wants to help their children, but parents can only do so much. Even the laws do not take extreme measures on teen run away. The police brings the youngsters home so they can run away again the next morning. There also parents who have drug or criminal problems themselves. The parents are to worried about getting more drugs or stealing a car to care if their child is attending school. What happened to parents being the best role models they can be. Until Houston realzies the obstacles in younger learner lives the dropout statistics will only increase. While the numbers are rising our city will consist of uneducated people who did not finish high school. What type of city will Houston become if most of the citizens are high school dropouts? The city can only grow if there are educated people running it. Also, children being allowed to make the decision to dropout of school will only make the problem repeat itself. When parents are dropouts they usually do not have enough money to stop the cycle. If a parent drops out due to poverty most of them never get out of poverty. With out an education high paying jobs do not drop out of the sky, so that parent is raising his or her child like they were. What stops children from dropping out when they own parents were dropouts? Another effect of dropping out of school is going in and out of correctional system. According to America Skips School, an article by Benjamin Barber, â€Å"the government spends up to $35,000 a year to keep a young black male behind bars but a fraction of that to keep him in school. When he is released back to society it will be difficult to find a job, because he is an ex-criminal and a dropout. Many ex-criminals go in and out of prison due to the fact they can not find a decent job. As Barber states in America Skips School, â€Å"if Americans were serious parents, teachers, politicians, and kids themselves would find solutions to high school dropouts. Parents should have dreams that they child life will be better than their own. If a mother was a dropout why do her daugther has to be a dropout? Parents caring and showing it will also help dropout rates. Turning the television off and talking to their child for one hour will only make their relationship stronger. When that child makes the decision to drop out of high school they could talk it over with their parents first. Then the parents could point out the effects of not having an education. If a parent talks to their children they will know that they are serious about school. Teachers play a major part with children attending school. Many teachers have stopped teaching with their hearts, but teaching for a paycheck. They must go beyond the classrooms to counsel at-risk students and their families. Teacher may not earn the highest salaries, but teaching should be an award by it†s self. They could also help by making the classroom a fun place to be. Children will start to drift off when the classroom is boring or they feel dumb. What can a student learn if a teacher†s only method of teaching is sitting behind a desk a reading a book to them? Teaching with a loving heart will let the students know that teachers are serious about school. Politicians can put an end to a lot of school problems by changing a few laws. The government could bring poorer communities up to standard by finding other sources of funding for Houston schools besides property taxes. Instead, of spending taxes to build a new dome for entertainment; politicians should have fought for the taxes to build and improve schools. Government should offer more programs for student before they dropout. When a student decides to drop out of school they should have to attend a one day program that will show them the effects of dropping out of school. When they complete the program if they still decided to drop out of high school they should have to sign a wavier reading: â€Å"By signing this, I realize I will not have the skills to survive in the 21st century. † They are then presented with a † Certificate of Dropping Outing. † If politicians were to make it harder to drop out of school then the student would know that they are serious about school. Children themselves could put an end to dropping out of school. They could set goals and stuck with them no matter what peer pressures come their way. Kids could become members of some type of peer support groups, so they would have someone to talk to when they need a listening ear. They could also be more active in church, instead of hanging on the street corner getting in trouble. Youngster should strive for the top and do not give up because of obstacles standing in the way. When students start to take school serious then the other parties will perform their roles. Everyone places a part in children getting an education. If one person fails to do their part then the dropout rates will only increase.

Benefits of Data Mining

Data mining is defined as â€Å"a process that uses statistical, mathematical, artificial intelligence, and machine-learning techniques to extract and identify useful information and subsequent knowledge from large databases, including data warehouses† (Turban & Volonino, 2011). The information identified using data mining includes patterns indicating trends, correlations, rules, similarities, and used as predictive analytics. By employing predictive analytics, companies are actually able to understand the behavior of customers. Predictive analytics examines and sorts data to find patterns that highlight customer behavior. The important behavioral patterns are those that indicate what customers have responded to and will respond to in the future. Also, patterns can indicate a customer base that is in jeopardy with the company, customers that are not company-loyal and are easily lost. Predictive analytics of customer behavior can be of great benefit to the business (Turban & Volonino, 2011). Companies are able to build specific marking campaigns and models such as direct mail, online marking, or media marking based on customer preference and are better able to sell their products to a more targeted customer base. Knowing what the customer wants, what they will respond to, and which customer base to focus on takes the guesswork out of marking and product development. Taking the information retrieved and using it correctly will only increase profits (Advantages, 2012). Association discovery using data mining provides a huge benefit to companies. Association discovery is finding correlations or relationships between variables in a large database. For example, in terms of a supermarket, it is finding out that customers who buy onions and potatoes together are also highly likely to buy hamburger meat. These correlations where one set of products predict the buying of another is referred to as associations. Data mining can employ association discovery allowing business to predict buying patterns and allow for more effective operations management and can better pinpoint marketing strategy of coupons and incentives (Association Rule 2012). Web mining is another aspect of data mining. Web mining uses the data collected on the Internet to analyze customer data and gather information beneficial to the company. Any time someone visits a website, uses a search engine, clicks on a link, or makes an electronic transaction data is generated subject to analytics. Companies use web mining to gain customer preference and insight. The information gathered is used to improve websites and create a better user experience for the customers. Web mining can also be used alongside of predictive analytics. For example, on e-commerce sites every transaction is analyzed. When a customer clicks on a product, web mining tools can present a list of products he/she may also be interested in because of other customers with the similar buying interests/habits. This tool can be extremely effective in gaining business intelligence of the buying habits and preferences of customers (Turban & Volonino, 2011). Data mining also employs clustering to find related customer information and to provide valuable information to the company. Clustering gathers information and designates clusters of similar products and objects. In data mining, clustering is usually the first step. It identifies similar information and groups them to be further examined. Customer information and demographics are an example of these clusters. The group characteristics are analyzed against desired outcomes to understand the buying habits of customers and what marketing campaigns will enhance customer response (Ali, Ghani, & Saeed). Reliability of Data Mining The benefits of data have been examined, but it is important to look possible implications as well. Data mining uses algorithms to predict patterns and customer behaviors. Constant measures are needed to make sure the algorithms are working correctly, but the issue of reliability stems a little deeper. Algorithms and data analysis can only be as reliable as the actual data analyzed. Data gathered from different sources can potentially be t or even conflicting. This greatly affects the validity and result of algorithm, especially predictive analysis. It could alter the customer’s historical purchases or demographic information rendering the information useless and even costly. Data mining is a useful tool and should be trusted up to a point. It should not be the only solution. Companies should not only use data mining for marking and operations decisions. The costs of mistaking customer preference and predicting behavior could be catastrophic (Data Mining). Privacy Concerns of Data Mining. One of the major disadvantages of data mining is the privacy concerns associated with the technique. Three major privacy concerns raised by consumers are identity theft, misuse of personal information, and the â€Å"big brother is watching you† feeling (Orwell, 1954). The first concern is identity theft. With the increasing trend of e-commerce and electronic funds, identity theft has been a huge issue. The sheer amount and speed of information processing through data mining has led to a rise in identity theft making this valid concern. The information could easily fall into the hands of anyone (Exforsys Inc, 2006). The second concern is the misuse of personal information. Companies gather information as specific to customer purchases, names, phone numbers, addresses, and other information then store it in a database. Once obtained, copies can be made with little effort. Companies can easily sell this information to other companies. This is the exact concern of consumers. Consumer information can certainly be misused, exploited, or for discrimination making this a valid concern (Advantages, 2012). The last concern addressed in this paper is the total loss of privacy, feeling controlled or watched. The government uses data mining to track patterns of criminal activity have considered using the technique to track the movement of people. Some people feel this goes too far, and not giving the consumer the choice of having his/her information in the database takes away personal freedom. This concern is tied into the misuse of information because what stops companies to selling information to governmental or private agencies with the sole purpose being to control or watch an individual. With the volatile nature of crime, and the increasing use of technology by government agencies, this concern is also valid (Advantages 2012). Measures have been taken to alleviate these concerns. Companies that utilize data mining are required to take certain actions that protect their customer’s privacy. One of these actions is to remove and identity related attributes from each customer record before the data is transferred to analysts. Also banks allow for identity theft protection services to alleviate the concern of financial security. All of these concerns are still important and steps will have to be continuously made and adjusted to protect the security and privacy of personal and financial information (Li & Sarkar, 2006). Real World Examples of Predictive Analytics Predictive analysis and how it is beneficial to companies has been discussed above in theory. To completely understand how predictive analysis is used is to look at real world examples. The first example is how a fast food restaurant used HyperActive Technologies to predict what customers might order. HyperActive Technologies developed a system that allowed cameras to track vehicles pulling into the parking lot and track customers through the entire ordering process. Using predictive analysis of the data gathers from the cameras, the restaurant was able to conclude that at lunchtime; approximately twenty percent of cars entering the parking lot would order at least one cheeseburger. With this information, the cooks were able to get a head start in food production cutting down on wait time for customers and increasing overall productivity (Turban & Volonino, 2011). Another example of a company that uses predictive analysis is that of INRX, the leading provider of traffic information. INRX uses data mining by evaluating real time traffic measuring traffic problems and congestion. This data is collected from road censors, toll tags, traffic incident data, and commercial vehicles equipped with a GPS that continuously report their speed and location. Using predictive analytics, the data is studied to determine traffic patterns at certain locations and times. Drivers now have access to real time traffic information. This information has proven to be extremely effective and useful to drivers allowing them to make better decisions and avoid unnecessary delays (Turban & Volonino, 2011). The flower company, 1-800-FLOWERS. om, has also used data mining techniques, specifically predictive analytics. The company collects and analyses data at all contact points. Data collected includes historical purchases to discover trends, anticipate customer behavior, and meet customer needs and preferences. This technique has proven to be an effective way of increasing the response rate to customers, identifying profitable customers, and establishing customer loyalty. Customer reten tion increased by over fifteen percent after the implementation of predictive analytics solidifying its effectiveness (Turban & Volonino, 2011). As shown through academic research and real world examples, data mining is a real and effective way of predicting customer behavior and buying patterns. Measures need to be taken not only to overcome the stigma that data mining is unsecure and takes away personal freedom, but to make sure individual information is, in fact protected. If these measures are taken, data mining is a win-win for both businesses and consumers. Consumers will feel heard, understood, and taken care of. Businesses can actually focus resources on building that business-to-customer relationship and will be able to give the people what they need. References Advantages and disadvantages of data mining (2012). Retrieved December 9, 2012 from http://www.dataminingtechniques.net/data-mining-tutorial/advantages-and-disadvantages-ofdatamining/ Ali, R., Ghani, U., & Saeed, A. (n.d.) Data clustering and its applications. Retrieved December 5, 2012 from http://members.tripod.com/asim_saeed/paper.htm Data mining: issues. (n.d.) Retrieved December 7, 2012, from http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/faculty/jason.frand/teacher/technologies/palace/ issues.htm Exforsys Inc. (2006). Data mining privacy concerns. Retrieved December 5, 2012 from http://www.exforsys.com/tutorials/data-mining/data-mining-privacy-concerns.html Li, X. & Sarkar, S. (2006) Privacy protection in data mining. Retrieved December 6, 2012 from http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1245621 Turban, E., & Volonino, L. (2011). Information technology for management improving strategic and operational performance (8th ed.). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

A Stick of Dynamite Essays

A Stick of Dynamite Essays A Stick of Dynamite Essay A Stick of Dynamite Essay The interior, which contains great potential for change and the ability to quickly adapt to changes, is enclosed in a protective outer covering and at its tip is a fuse. This is the power of youth. The resilient nature of young people is like a stick of dynamite; it is highly explosive as it detonates rather than deflagrates. According to Mary McLeod Bethune1, We have a powerful potential in our youths and we must have the courage to change old ideas and practices so that we may direct their power toward good ends. Dynamite is capable of great good when its power is utilized in the right way. This fact can be applied to the power of young people. Like the dynamite, their spirited nature and their eagerness can be used to pave the way for positive new developments in society, to build bridges and link people together for a common cause, to construct highways so that there is a faster more efficient route in attaining dreams and to create numerous other projects that will benefit mankind. However, in the wrong hands the dynamite can be used to destroy instead of to create and young people have that same propensity for good or bad, therefore the strength of youth should never be underestimated or taken for granted. Young people are better suited for invention than judgement, execution than counsel, and new projects than settled business. The vivacity and charisma exuded by our youth has a similar effect on older people like the effect that the flame has on a moth. They are attracted to our colourful display of eagerness for life and our charm. The energy and strength of young people are resources that can be tapped into to produce positive results. Young people are idealistic as they untainted by the harsh cruelties of life. They are not aware of what cannot be done and so they often achieve greater things, as they are not limited by mental barriers. They have boundless energy; they never tire in working for dreams and ideals that they are passionate about. Also young people, tend to approach situations with a clean slate as they do not possess the prejudices of older adults. They do not hold grudges but instead work at maintaining long lasting relationships. The former Secretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan2 once said that Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. they can be key agents for development and peace. If. they are left on societys margins, all of us will be impoverished. Therefore, we should utilize the power of these sticks of dynamite, which are our young people, for good, by lighting each fuse with a positive flame so that the world will explode into a profusion of prosperity and creativity.

Donald Trump Promises - List and Details

Donald Trump Promises - List and Details President-elect Donald Trump made a lot of promises while he was running for office in the 2016 election. Some political observers counted hundreds of Trump promises. Trump promised major action on everything from illegal immigration to coal mining to bringing jobs back from overseas to building a wall along the Mexican border to launching an investigation of his opponent in the presidential election, Hillary Clinton. Which promises has Trump kept in the days since he  took office on Jan. 20, 2017? Heres a look at six of the biggest, and probably the most difficult to keep, Trump promises. Repeal Obamacare This was a biggie for Trump and his supporters. Trump repeatedly called the Patient Protection Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare, a disaster.   One thing we have to do: Repeal and replace the disaster known as Obamacare. Its destroying our country. Its destroying our businesses. You take a look at the kind of numbers that that will cost us in the year 17, it is a disaster. Its probably going to die of its own weight. But Obamacare has to go. The premiums are going up 60, 70, 80 percent. Bad health care at the most expensive price. We have to repeal and replace Obamacare. Trump has promised a full repeal of Obamacare. He has also promised to replace the program by expanding the use of Health Savings Accounts;  allowing policyholders to  deduct health insurance premium payments from their tax returns; and permit shopping for plans across state lines.   Build a Wall Trump promised to construct a wall along the entire length of the United States border with Mexico and then force Mexico to reimburse taxpayers for the cost. The president of Mexico, Enrique Peà ±a Nieto, has openly stated his country will not pay for the wall.  Ã‚  At the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump, he said in August 2016, I made clear that Mexico would not pay for the wall. Clintons position on immigration was much different; she mocked the wall and supported a path to citizenship. Bring Jobs Back   Trump promised to bring thousands of job back to the United States that had been shipped overseas by American companies. He also promised to stop American companies from shifting positions overseas through the use of tariffs. I will bring jobs back from China. I will bring jobs back from Japan. I will bring jobs back from Mexico. Im going to bring jobs back and Ill start bringing them back very fast, Trump said. Cut Taxes On the Middle Class Trump has promised to drastically cut taxes on the middle class. A middle-class family with 2 children will get a 35 percent tax cut, Trump said. He promised the relief as part of a Middle Class Tax Relief And Simplification Act. Isn’t that nice? Trump said. It’s about time. The middle class in our country has been devastated. End Political Corruption in Washington His battle cry: Drain the swamp! Trump promised to work to end corruption in Washington, D.C. To do that, he said he would seek a constitutional amendment imposing term limits on members of Congress. He also said he would ban White House and congressional staffers from lobbying within five years of leaving their government positions, and place lifetime bans on White House officials lobbying for foreign governments. He wants to also prohibit foreign lobbyists from raising money for American elections. The proposals were outlined in his Contract With the American Voter. Investigate Hillary Clinton In one of the most startling moments in the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump promised to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Hillary Clinton and the many controversies surrounding her. If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation, because there’s never been so many lies, so much deception,† Trump said during the second presidential debate. Trump later backed down, saying: â€Å"I don’t want to hurt the Clintons, I really don’t. She went through a lot and suffered greatly in many different ways, and I am not looking to hurt them at all. The campaign was vicious.†

Analysing The Challenges Facing Multilateral Organisations Today Politics Essay

Analysing The Challenges Facing Multilateral Organisations Today Politics Essay War is often the result of non negotiable problems/disputes. Since the end of the Second World War, liberal international theory advanced the establishment of international organizations such as the United Nations (UN) and its sub bodies, in the belief that such international forums were where state members have a chance to discuss and air their common issues and grievances and could prevent war and, widen the corporations between nation states. However, since its creation, the legitimacy as well as the effectiveness of these multilateral institutions has always been questioned. The end of the Cold War marked a new era of world politics where the United States (US) became the predominant power in the international system. In addition, the Iraq war of 2003, led by the US, but was not authorised by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and the issue raised a question about the hegemonic position of the US over the United Nations. This is just one of the many challenges multilater al organizations like the UN are facing today. The terrorist attack on 9th November on the US and similar attacks elsewhere in the world, as well as the increasing threat of weapon of mass destruction (being used by either a rogue state such as Iran or a terrorist group) in the 21st Century is another major challenge for the United Nations and its administrative departments. Moreover, with the increasing involvement of non state actors and non governmental organizations nowadays, the value of formal institutions like the UN is clearly affected in adverse ways. To clarify if multilateralism is in crisis or not, it is essential to firstly look at the difficulties posed by these new dimensions to multilateralism, then evaluate its reaction and effectiveness at tackling them. In this essay, the focus will be on UN as this is often seen as the vanguard of multilateralism. Firstly, the essay will examine what multilateralism can be defined as and will name the current challenges which Mul tilateralism faces, it will then go on to give analysis of the sources of those troubles. Finally, it concludes that such multilateral institutions like the United Nations are under real challenge to the effectiveness of their multilateralism; however, it is not yet in a crisis situation. The leaders of these organizations can no long presume their exchanges to be â€Å"business as usual† but need to take into account these growing troubles and think more about â€Å"reform† if multilateralism is to continue to function in a stable way. Before discussing whether multilateralism is effective one needs to consider what exactly multilateralism is. For Paul Nielsson, UN Commissioner, multilateralism is about ‘all parties’ carrying out ‘concerted efforts’ to strengthen the international regulatory framework’ (Jorgensen, 2007, p.2) and involves states ‘pooling’ both resources and sovereignty. The problem for many participants in multilateral processes is that the processes themselves are ‘often slow and difficult, and rarely do their results satisfy every participant’ (ibid). Thus, multilateralism is by definition a process where participants cannot expect a zero-sum outcome, where they can clearly identify their gains or losses and say it was a success or failure. Multilateralism is a compromise between states where its greatest success is that everyone is a winner and everyone is a loser, because nobody gets everything they want.

Developing Professional Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Developing Professional Practice - Essay Example But in order to become professional accountants or future business leaders, it is very important for the academic students to maintain the ethics and codes of conduct. Several researchers have made researches in order to find out the impact of ethics standards on the accounting students. It has been found that the ethics and standards could not change the overall moral capability of these students to a great extent. It is an important factor associated with the ethical codes and standards set for the accounting students. It has also been stated that the lack of awareness of the term ‘plagiarism’ is another serious educational misconduct, which additionally contributes to student plagiarism. The third factor was related to excessive pressure, which influences the students in conducting plagiarism. However, research on this ground suggested that students who are above 25 years of age have less pressure as compared to the younger ones. It has been recommended that the educa tors must have a supportive approach for motivating the students in acting consistently throughout their academic life. Critique The purpose of the paper is to critically analyze the reason behind conducting plagiarism. The paper has developed several hypothesis based on the factors associated with plagiarism and done research on such hypothesis. It has helped in evaluating the reason mainly responsible for this plagiaristic behaviour of the students. This would help in reducing the scope of occurrence of this activity in future by eliminating or reducing the associated factors. This can be counted as the strength of the research paper. The paper failed to find a conclusion related to the hypothesized factor- new technology. This factor has been removed from the paper totally as it failed to relate with the other factors. This can be counted as the weakness of the research paper. The methodology that was adopted for conducting the research included questionnaire survey and other dat a analytical techniques. The method have been appropriate for finding out the key issues as well as recommending that how the issues related to plagiarism can be resolved. It has accurately drawn the correlation between the associated factors and plagiarism. However, the study still needs to advance its methodology portion in order to reach to a conclusion related to the hypothesized factor ‘new technology’. There have been several researches made on the topic of plagiarism and its associated factors. It has been found that there are various factors which are responsible for conducting activities such as plagiarism. Among them moral capability is one of the factor. The major reason behind the non conduct of plagiarism was that it is a dishonest and immortal activity. It is a common scenario that the students doing any project in a group often copy small portion of text from the others in the group, without having appropriate acknowledgement. Another factor was the aware ness of plagiarism. Reduced knowledge of plagiarism is the reason behind conducting plagiarism even if the students do not intend to do so in reality. According to several researchers, the students having poor integration to the academic environment possess higher chances of performing plagiarism. Moreover, it has been stated that the pressure created on the students also influence them in conducting such activities. The students who rely on their family for continuing their studies have high chance of conducting

Briefly discuss an activity or organization that you have participated Essay

Briefly discuss an activity or organization that you have participated in outside a cultural group - Essay Example Emergencies and calamities are to be dealt with immense care and I learned this from my experience. In my activity I was involved with all the happenings of the hospital. At first I had to understand the concepts of healthcare so I could lend a volunteering hand to the individuals. I made it a point to work with doctors so I could understand as to how they were completing their tasks. I accompanied different doctors to see how they were performing at different levels. In emergency treatment I noticed that the doctors were handling the situation calmly so that the patient did not undergo severe stress. All the doctors had a different way of working through which they were satisfying their patients. It was by accompanying the doctors that I learned to satisfy the patients too. I took care of the patients by volunteering as a nurse and provided with the care that they required. I stood with the patients for long looking to their needs and informing the relevant authorities as to what wa s lagging for every patient. I also helped in providing the patients with the relevant medicines as prescribed by the doctor. Comforting the patients was of utmost importance and I fulfilled that task successfully. I sat with patients and talked to them for long when they were distressed so that they did not feel alone.

Moral Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Moral Development - Essay Example At this level the child determines goodness or badness of an action by the physical consequences, rather than by thinking about respect for others. The second stage there may be some consideration of others but there must be reciprocity, â€Å"you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours† (Kohlberg 53). In the conventional level an understanding of norms and conventions necessary for the society is developing. People in stage 3 in this level are aware of others’ feelings; they define right and wrong based on what other people close to them expect. They begin to appreciate values such as trust, loyalty and respect. At stage 4 the circle of people to be considered is widening. People now define right in terms of the wider society. Kohlberg called this the ‘law and order’ orientation. In the postconventional level reasoning is based on principles. In stage 5 reasoning is based on ethical fairness principles. Stage 6 represents a high regard for life and human welfare that is universal and not dependent on any particular culture or society. People at this level are thought to act with great conscience and follow abstract ethical principles.

Leadership (Task oriented and People oriented) Essay

Leadership (Task oriented and People oriented) - Essay Example People-oriented leadership is quite different from task-oriented leadership, involving a focus on interpersonal relationship development between leader and subordinates. There is an emphasis on team-building and facilitating an open system of communications in order to motivate employees. People-oriented leadership works to create positive psychological or sociological connections with employees, a type of transformational leadership, with much more human resources-based policies and practices designed to gain commitment and ensure that there is no resistance to change. Having defined both task-oriented and people-oriented leadership styles, there are several circumstances where each would be applicable. Task-oriented leadership would be most relevant within an organization where there are strict quality standards and performance expectations. For instance, Toyota, a leader in quality, would be concerned with compliance to specific rules and regulations associated with production and achievement of quality outputs. A task-oriented leader would develop rigorous schedules in order to produce quality results. In this type of production environment, there would be established important quality expectations that are expected to be met, creating a system of rewards or punishments for failing to produce quality products along the production system. The task-oriented leader at a company such as Toyota would have strict deadlines in place to ensure timely delivery of quality products and then working to monitor and evaluate whether the employees have met with delivery and performance expectations. A people-oriented leader would be relevant within an organization where service delivery is highly important for ensuring business profitability. This people-oriented leader would begin emphasizing training importance and working as a coach to help individuals in the organization become self-actualized, the achievement of their maximum potential. It is about building a positiv e organizational culture where focus is placed on building self-confidence, better inter-organizational relationships, and where social belonging is an important part of building a team necessary to carry out positive customer service models. To develop this type of culture, the manager must be visible throughout the organization, role model positive behaviors related to service delivery, and open effective and regular lines of communication for shared decision-making (Fairholm 26). Task-oriented leadership is also found outside of the workplace, such as in academics when students are granted opportunities to coordinate and lead a team of study or in special academic projects. Many universities establish strict deadlines by which a team is expected to return a positive end result after collaborating with one another. A task-oriented leader would develop specific job roles required to achieve a group project, such as delegating research efforts, conducting market research, and the ac tual writing of the project to different members. It would then become a step-by-step process with clearly defined roles and then establishing a system by which to monitor and control activities to ensure maximum productivity. People-oriented leadership is also relevant outside of the workplace and an appropriate example of this would be when working as a grief counselor at the local charity. Individual staff members

Corporate Finance and Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Corporate Finance and Governance - Essay Example "It has long been recognised that the recognition of risk is an important component in capital budgeting decisions. The future is uncertain and investment appraisal techniques that fail to recognise this fact will almost certainly lead to incorrect conclusions and erroneous recommendations." (Brookfield, 1995) "In a longitudinal survey of capital budgeting practices of large UK companies between 1975 and 1992, substantial increase in the usage of discounted cash flow (DCF) and risk appraisal techniques were reported. Despite the increased usage of the more theoretically sound discounting techniques, several writers in both the UK and US have claimed that companies are underinvesting because they misapply or misinterpret DCF techniques. It has been asserted by several writers that firms are guilty of rejecting worthwhile investments because of the improper treatment of inflation in the financial appraisal. Many firms are understating NPVs and IRRs because of the incorrect treatment of inflation and the use of excessively high discount rates. Concern has also been expressed by various commentators that many companies are failing to invest in advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT) as fully as they should. Financial appraisal techniques have been cited as a major reason for the under-invest ment in new manufacturing technology. DCF procedures should not be ignored or relegated in importance merely because they might be used incorrectly. Instead, decision-makers should recognize potential problems and be careful to ensure that the financial appraisal is performed correctly." (Colin and Mike, 1986) "In a world in which information is not costlessly and symmetrically available to all economic agents, corporate project choices do not abide by the golden rule that all positive NPV projects should be accepted. In a sense, this is somewhat unsettling because it is difficult to prescribe simple rules for managers, and there has been little normative research into optimal capital allocation policies in different types of informationally constrained environments. However, the contemporary research highlights the pitfalls of policy-oriented discussions about corporate investment behaviour and managerial compensation packages that rely on the prescriptions of the traditional, symmetric-information paradigm of capital budgeting and financing. The research done to date indicates that many interesting things can happen under asymmetric information, none of which may be irrational, but some of which could be deleterious to the shareholders' welfare." (Thakur, 1993) Given these observations about investment appraisal techniques and DCF techniques, in particular, this report aims to assess the feasibility of using traditional investment appraisal techniques, while incorporating real-time variables such as risk and uncertainties. In particular, the report focuses on NPV as a basis for capital budgeting and evaluates how the concepts of risk-adjusted discount rates and sensitivity analysis can bolster traditional NPV estimation and thus provide business managers with realistic and flexible options when it comes to assessing the suitability and profitability of a particular investment or project. Accordingly, the  management approach should not be limited to using a fixed number of investment appraisal techniques; rather they should be more flexible while appraising the gains from a particular investment.     

Moral Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Moral Development - Essay Example At this level the child determines goodness or badness of an action by the physical consequences, rather than by thinking about respect for others. The second stage there may be some consideration of others but there must be reciprocity, â€Å"you scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours† (Kohlberg 53). In the conventional level an understanding of norms and conventions necessary for the society is developing. People in stage 3 in this level are aware of others’ feelings; they define right and wrong based on what other people close to them expect. They begin to appreciate values such as trust, loyalty and respect. At stage 4 the circle of people to be considered is widening. People now define right in terms of the wider society. Kohlberg called this the ‘law and order’ orientation. In the postconventional level reasoning is based on principles. In stage 5 reasoning is based on ethical fairness principles. Stage 6 represents a high regard for life and human welfare that is universal and not dependent on any particular culture or society. People at this level are thought to act with great conscience and follow abstract ethical principles.

Corporate Finance and Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Corporate Finance and Governance - Essay Example "It has long been recognised that the recognition of risk is an important component in capital budgeting decisions. The future is uncertain and investment appraisal techniques that fail to recognise this fact will almost certainly lead to incorrect conclusions and erroneous recommendations." (Brookfield, 1995) "In a longitudinal survey of capital budgeting practices of large UK companies between 1975 and 1992, substantial increase in the usage of discounted cash flow (DCF) and risk appraisal techniques were reported. Despite the increased usage of the more theoretically sound discounting techniques, several writers in both the UK and US have claimed that companies are underinvesting because they misapply or misinterpret DCF techniques. It has been asserted by several writers that firms are guilty of rejecting worthwhile investments because of the improper treatment of inflation in the financial appraisal. Many firms are understating NPVs and IRRs because of the incorrect treatment of inflation and the use of excessively high discount rates. Concern has also been expressed by various commentators that many companies are failing to invest in advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT) as fully as they should. Financial appraisal techniques have been cited as a major reason for the under-invest ment in new manufacturing technology. DCF procedures should not be ignored or relegated in importance merely because they might be used incorrectly. Instead, decision-makers should recognize potential problems and be careful to ensure that the financial appraisal is performed correctly." (Colin and Mike, 1986) "In a world in which information is not costlessly and symmetrically available to all economic agents, corporate project choices do not abide by the golden rule that all positive NPV projects should be accepted. In a sense, this is somewhat unsettling because it is difficult to prescribe simple rules for managers, and there has been little normative research into optimal capital allocation policies in different types of informationally constrained environments. However, the contemporary research highlights the pitfalls of policy-oriented discussions about corporate investment behaviour and managerial compensation packages that rely on the prescriptions of the traditional, symmetric-information paradigm of capital budgeting and financing. The research done to date indicates that many interesting things can happen under asymmetric information, none of which may be irrational, but some of which could be deleterious to the shareholders' welfare." (Thakur, 1993) Given these observations about investment appraisal techniques and DCF techniques, in particular, this report aims to assess the feasibility of using traditional investment appraisal techniques, while incorporating real-time variables such as risk and uncertainties. In particular, the report focuses on NPV as a basis for capital budgeting and evaluates how the concepts of risk-adjusted discount rates and sensitivity analysis can bolster traditional NPV estimation and thus provide business managers with realistic and flexible options when it comes to assessing the suitability and profitability of a particular investment or project. Accordingly, the  management approach should not be limited to using a fixed number of investment appraisal techniques; rather they should be more flexible while appraising the gains from a particular investment.     

Salt Paper Essay Example for Free

Salt Paper Essay In its mineral form sodium chloride, NaCl is known as common salt. It is important because it is essential to the health of human beings and of animals. For domestic use it is fined down to what is known as table-salt and small quantities of other chemicals are added to it to keep it free-flowing when in contact with the atmosphere. Salt and potassium are combined to produce iodized salt, used when iodine is lacking in diet. It s absence causes goiter, the swelling of the thyroid gland. Livestock as well as humans need salt, and this provided in the form of solid blocks, known as salt-licks. Salt is also crucial to the food industry. It is used in meatpacking sausage-making and fish-curing both for seasoning and as a preservative. It is also used in the curing and preserving of hides and in the form of brine of brine for refrigeration purposes. Salt is extensively used in the chemical industry; in the manufacture of baking soda, sodium bicarbonate; of caustic soda, sodium hydroxide; of hydrochloric acid, of chlorine etc. It is also used in soap-making, and in the manufacture of glaze and porcelain enamel. It also enters metallurgic processes as flux, a compound used to assist the fusing of metals. Salt lowers the melting point of water, so in combination with grit, it is used for clearing roads of snow and ice. It is also used for water-softening by means of removing calcium and magnesium compounds from tap water. â€Å"Children who eat a lot of salty food also tend to down more sugary drinks which, in turn, might be related to their risk of obesity, a new study suggests. The findings raise the possibility that curbing kids salt intake could end up benefiting their waistlines, researchers report in the Dec. 10 online and January print issue of pediatrics. The study, of nearly 4,300 Australian children and teens, found that the more salt kids ate each day, the more fluids they drank. The same was true when the researchers zeroed in on the nearly two-thirds of kids who drank sugary beverages: For every 390 milligrams (mg) of sodium they got each day, they averaged an extra 0.6 ounces of sugar-sweetened soda, juice or other drinks. Kids who had more than one sugary drink in a day were 26 percent more likely to be overweight or obese than their peers who avoided sweetened drinks. That connection, however, weakened once the researchers factored in exercise habits. Its not exactly surprising that kids with a taste for salty foods would also be fans of soda or other sugary drinks, according to Lana Shandon, an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the University Of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. But its not clear that extra sodium actually made kids drink more sweetened beverages, she pointed out. These data dont tell us anything about cause and effect, Shandon said. We dont know that if we got kids to lower their sodium intake, theyd drink fewer sugar-sweetened beverages. Overall, 62 percent had had at least one sugar-sweetened drink. Those kids averaged over 2,500 mg of sodium a day, and just over 5 percent were obese; of their peers who steered clear of sugary drinks, just over 3 percent were obese, and the average sodium intake was a little less than 2,300 mg. When the researchers looked at obesity risk, they found that kids who had at least one sugar-sweetened drink per day were 26 percent more likely to be overweight or obese. That was with factors like family income and overall calorie intake taken into account. But then the researchers looked at a subgroup of kids whod reported on their exercise habits. And once exercise was factored in, the obesity/sugary drink link was no longer statistically significant which means it could have been a chance finding. Still, the researchers noted, the findings suggest that keeping kids sodium intake down could end up having some impact on their weight. Shandon was skeptical. Its a bit of stretch to say that, she said. Kids who like their salty snacks may be reaching for those sweet drinks because they like the taste of sweet drinks, Shandon explained and not because the sodium is making them do it.† News article from http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/12/10/could-kids-salt-intake-affect-their-weight . â€Å"Most people are only too aware of the damage and corrosive effects of salt on automobiles. On heavily traveled highways from 40 to 80 tons of salt per lane mile per year may be applied. Landowners along these roads also are aware of the damage to plants that such salt can cause. Deicing salt is usually refined rock salt consisting of about 98.5 percent sodium chloride, 1.2 percent calcium sulfate, 0.1 percent magnesium chloride, and 0.2 percent rock. Calcium chloride is reported to be less toxic to plants but is seldom used because it is much more expensive than rock salt and more difficult to handle. When sprayed onto plants from passing cars and plows, salt may enter plant cells or the spaces between the cells directly. One result of this salt application is that buds and small twigs of some plant species lose cold hardiness and are more likely to be killed by freezing. Salt accumulation in the soil also may cause plant injury. This frequently occurs when salt-laden snow is plowed off streets and sidewalks onto adjacent lawns. Anyone who has tried to get table salt out of a wet shaker knows how readily salt absorbs water. Rock salt exhibits the same property in the soil and absorbs much of the water that would normally be available to roots. Thus, even though soil moisture is plentiful, high amounts of salt can result in a drought-like environment for plants. When salt dissolves in water, sodium and chloride ions separate and may then harm the plants. Chloride ions are readily absorbed by the roots, transported to the leaves, and accumulate there to toxic levels. It is these toxic levels that cause the characteristic marginal leaf scorch. Measures to prevent or lessen injury from salt include using calcium chloride, where feasible, or using sand or cinders. Late season applications (after March 1) are most detrimental and should be avoided if possible since this is the time plants are coming out of dormancy and are most susceptible to injury.† http://www.uvm.edu/pss/ppp/articles/salt1.htm

Brief History Of Positive Psychology Psychology Essay

Brief History Of Positive Psychology Psychology Essay The advent of positive psychology as we know it today can be traced back to Martin E. P. Seligmans 1998 Presidential Address to the American Psychological Association (Seligman, 1999). Following a serendipitous holiday meeting between Seligman and Csikszentmihalyi in winter 1997 (Csikszentmihalyi, 2003), and an epiphanic moment when gardening with his daughter Nikki (Seligman Csikszentmihalyi, 2000), Seligman realized that psychology had largely neglected the latter two of its three pre-World War II missions: curing mental illness, helping all people to lead more productive and fulfilling lives, and identifying and nurturing high talent. The advent of the Veterans Administration (in 1946) and the National Institute of Mental Health (in 1947) had largely rendered psychology a healing discipline based upon a disease model and illness ideology (Maddux, 2002; Maddux, Snyder, Lopez, 2004). With this realization, Seligman resolved to use his APA presidency to initiate a shift in psycholo gys focus toward a more positive psychology (Seligman, 1999). Seligmans presidential initiative was catalyzed by a series of meetings in Akumal, Mexico, of scholars who could inform the conceptualization and early development of positive psychology, and the establishment of the Positive Psychology Steering Committee (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ed Diener, Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Chris Peterson, and George Vaillant). From this followed the Positive Psychology Network, later to become the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, the first Positive Psychology Summit in Washington, DC, and a special issue of the American psychologist on positive psychology to mark the new millennium. Further, in the 7 years since Seligmans presidential address, there have been numerous positive psychology books, journal special issues, and the establishment of regional positive psychology networks that span the globe (Seligman, 2005). Now, in 2006, we have the first dedicated positive psychology journal, The Journal of Positive Psychology. These are remarkable achievements for any psychology movement in such a short space of time. Many readers may well be wondering why, and below we offer some thoughts in response to this question. As the leading advocate of positive psychology, Seligman has been exceptionally successful at catalyzing and uniting the efforts of the many distinguished scientists who have become some of the key players in the positive psychology movement. These include the Positive Psychology Steering Committee (Csikszentmihalyi, Diener, Jamieson, Peterson, and Vaillant) and the leaders of numerous positive psychology research centres, research pods, and grant holders (Seligman, 2005). Other notable figures include C. R. (Rick) Snyder, who edited the special issue of the Journal of social and clinical psychology (2000) and the influential Handbook of positive psychology (2002); Chris Peterson, who headed up the Values-in-Action project that led to the VIA classification of strengths and virtues (Peterson Seligman, 2004); and the winners of the prestigious Templeton Positive Psychology Prizes: Barbara Fredrickson (2000) for her work on positive emotions; Jon Haidt (2001) for his work on the posit ive moral emotion of elevation; and Suzanne Segerstrom (2002) for her work on the beneficial effects of optimism on physical health. A further critical factor in the success of many of these initiatives was the financial support that made them possible, provided by such donors as the Templeton Foundation, The Gallup Organization, the Mayerson Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, and the Atlantic Philanthropies, among others. And given the research imbalance between psychopathology and disease, relative to human strengths and well-being, positive psychology also offered excellent opportunities for rapid scientific advances, simply because many topics had been largely ignored (Gable Haidt, 2005). Thus, the development of positive psychology was clearly shaped and energized by the considerable efforts of Seligman and the other major players in the field. Their deliberate sociology of science approach, recognizing and building on the structural forces that shape the discipline of psychology, cemented positive psychologys place through bringing in major research funding, providing considerable research leadership, engaging the wider public media, and attracting some of the brightest early career scientists through the provision of training institutes, research collaborations with senior scientists, and funding support for their work. However, it is also eminently clear from a cursory examination of the research literature that positive psychology did not begin in 1997, or 1998, or 1999, or 2000 (McCullough Snyder, 2000). In fact, positive psychology has always been with us, but as a holistic and integrated body of knowledge, it has passed unrecognized and uncelebrated, and one of the major achievements of the positive psychology movement to date has been to consolidate, lift up, and celebrate what we do know about what makes life worth living, as well as carefully delineating the areas where we need to do more. Research into positive psychology topics has gone on for decades, and might even be traced back to the origins of psychology itself, for example, in William James writings on healthy mindedness (James, 1902). In broad terms, positive psychology has common interests with parts of humanistic psychology, and its emphasis on the fully functioning person (Rogers, 1961), and self-actualization and the study of healthy individuals (Maslow, 1968). Indeed, we note that more than 50 years ago, Maslow lamented psychologys preoccupation with disorder and dysfunction: The science of psychology has been far more successful on the negative than on the positive side. It has revealed to us much about mans shortcomings, his illness, his sins, but little about his potentialities, his virtues, his achievable aspirations, or his full psychological height. It is as if psychology has voluntarily restricted itself to only half its rightful jurisdiction, and that, the darker, meaner half (Maslow, 1954, p. 354). Initially at least, positive psychology may not have paid sufficient tribute to its historical antecedents, leading to some criticisms (Taylor, 2001; Tennen Affleck, 2003). However, there is now a growing recognition that positive psychology can learn useful lessons from earlier research and theorizing, and we hope that the animosity that has sometimes characterized previous exchanges will be replaced with increasing respect and collaboration (Joseph Worsley, 2005), not least so that positive psychology can prosper through integration, rather than whither through isolation. WHAT IS POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY? In asking this question, one is faced with the inherent danger that 10 positive psychologists would provide 10 different answers. Should this be taken to suggest that nobody really knows, exactly, what positive psychology is? We would argue that this is actually far from the case, yet equally we have a very real sense that positive psychology might often be interpreted as being all things to all people. Indeed, in the course of numerous presentations to hosts of different audiences, psychologist and non-psychologist, academics and practitioners, we have the consistent experiences of eyes lighting up and people saying Ah, positive psychology, thats what we need. And when we ask what they understand by positive psychology, we receive different answers every time. In this sense, positive psychology is perceived of as a panacea for many modern ills. It is not. But, by providing a different interpretative lens, it offers a different worldview and thereby novel answers to some questions th at have been around for a long time, and shines the light of scientific inquiry into previously dark and neglected corners. Consider, for example, the following definitions of positive psychology, all taken from authoritative positive psychological sources: The field of positive psychology at the subjective level is about valued subjective experiences: well-being, contentment, and satisfaction (in the past); hope and optimism (for the future); and flow and happiness (in the present). At the individual level, it is about positive individual traits: the capacity for love and vocation, courage, interpersonal skill, aesthetic sensibility, perseverance, forgiveness, originality, future mindedness, spirituality, high talent, and wisdom. At the group level, it is about the civic virtues and the institutions that move individuals toward better citizenship: responsibility, nurturance, altruism, civility, moderation, tolerance, and work ethic (Seligman Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). What is positive psychology? It is nothing more than the scientific study of ordinary human strengths and virtues. Positive psychology revisits the average person, with an interest in finding out what works, what is right, and what is improving . . . positive psychology is simply psychology (Sheldon King, 2001). Positive psychology is the study of the conditions and processes that contribute to the flourishing or optimal functioning of people, groups, and institutions (Gable Haidt, 2005). Positive psychology is about scientifically informed perspectives on what makes life worth living. It focuses on aspects of the human condition that lead to happiness, fulfilment, and flourishing (The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2005). There are certainly core themes and consistencies, but also differences in emphasis and interpretation. In thinking about how best to represent positive psychology, and how best to position its understanding in the first issue of The Journal of Positive Psychology, we believe it would be helpful to provide what we see as a definition of positive psychology that identifies and delineates the different things that it might mean to different people. We also specify what positive psychology is not, in the hope that we can lay to rest some of the ghosts of criticism that have haunted positive psychology (sometimes with justification, often with misunderstanding) since its inception. Further, as will become clear later in the article, this definition and understanding of positive psychology helps to inform and develop the potential future pathways and applications of positive psychology that we map out below (Linley et al. 2006). PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING INTRODUCTION Historic Introduction to Positive Psychological Functioning Throughout history, psychologists have offered different descriptions of positive psychological functioning, or well-being, in the context of the different branches of psychology, such as developmental or clinical psychology. From the perspective of developmental psychology, Erikson [1950] presented the concept of a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ healthy personality in the context of Freudian theory. Erikson perceives development of the personality as a process in which each personality factor is related with the others, in such a way that the personality as a whole depends on the correct development of each of its components. In his analysis of the growth process, this author talks about how the components of mental health develop over the following series of sequential stages: a sense of basic trust, a sense of autonomy, a sense of initiative, a sense of industry, a sense of ego identity, geniality, generativity and integrity. During each of these stages a conflict takes place, and the persons development will be more or less healthy, depending on how this conflict is resolved. According to Eriksons vision, development of the ego is a continuous growth process, which progresses, throughout a persons lifespan, towards a superior capacity. This same perspective of continuous growth throughout the lifespan can be found in Bà ¼hlers theory [1935], which speaks of the so-called à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢curve of life. Buhler concluded that, in spite of individual differences, there is a regular sequence in which events, experiences and achievements appear in peopleslives, and that improvement or deterioration in psychological well-being does not necessarily occur at the same rate as changes in physical well-being. From the perspective of clinical psychology, authors such as Maslow, Allport and Rogers have offered other descriptions of well-being. In his well-known pyramid, Maslow [1958] includes 5 basic needs that a person must fulfill to become fully-functioning. A person begins by satisfying the most basic needs and after fulfilling the first one, then moves on to the next, on the level immediately above. Firstly, the most basic needs for an organism are considered to be physiological ones. These are, undoubtedly, the most important in the pyramid, in that when a person loses everything in life, his strongest desire is to satisfy this type of need. The most important goal in a person without food, love or safety, will most certainly be to find food before anything else. When none of the needs are satisfied and the organism is dominated by physiological requirements, the other needs cease to exist or become less important. In second place, when the physiological needs are satisfied the need for safety takes over. When a person is in this stage, safety becomes more important than anything else, even than the physiological needs that are already covered. Maslows third need concerns the requirement to belong to a group, and for affection and love, which comes into play when the previous two needs have been satisfied. The person is now interested in forming relationships with others and becoming part of a group, and will work hard to achieve this. The person is now more interested in doing this than in anything else and forgets the little importance he attributed to this when he was hungry. Maslows fourth need corresponds to a persons self-esteem. This author considers that everyone (with the exception of some mental illnesses) needs a positive opinion of himself, self-respect and self-esteem and also to be valued by others. These needs can be classified into two sub-groups: on the one hand, a desire for fortitude, achievements, independence and freedom and, on the other hand, a desire to earn a good reputation or prestige, defined as having gained the respect or esteem of others. Finally, we come to the need for self-actualization, defined as a person realizing his full potential, which comes into play when all the other needs are satisfied. According to Maslow à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ what a man can be, he must be, and he calls this need, self-actualization. If a person has the talent to do something, he will be unsatisfied or unhappy if he cannot fully develop this part of himself, in other words, a musician must make music and a poet must write poems. This need refers to the desire for a person to develop his full potential, to seek personal growth and to become everything he is capable of being. Clearly, these desires vary greatly from one person to the next. Some people may feel self-fulfilled by becoming top sportsmen, while others will acquire a feeling of self-fulfillment by being good parents. MULTIDIMENSIONAL MODEL OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING In relation to the concept of psychological well-being, Ryff [1989a] proposes a multidimensional model composed of 6 different dimensions: Self-acceptance, Positive relations with others, Autonomy, Environmental mastery, Purpose in life and Personal growth. These 6 dimensions of psychological well-being can be defined as follows: Self-acceptance: This is a key part of well-being and concerns the positive opinion a person has of himself. It does not refer to narcissistic self love or superficial self-esteem, but instead to a constructed self-regard that includes both positive and negative aspects [Ryff and Singer, 2003]. Other authors spoke about this previously, [Jung 1933; Von Franz, 1964] emphasizing that only a fully-individuated person can accept his own failures. The concept of ego integrity introduced by Erikson [1959], also refers to a person coming to terms with his own triumphs and failures in past life. This acceptance of self is constructed with an honest self-assessment; the person is aware of his personal failings and limitations, but has the love to accept and embrace himself as he is. High scores in this factor are indicators of people with a positive attitude, who recognize and accept the multiple aspect of the self, including their good and bad qualities, and can look at the past with positive feelings [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Low scores in this factor appear in people who are largely unsatisfied with themselves; they are uncomfortable with what has happened in their past life, are concerned about some of their personal qualities and want to change [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Positive relationships with others: These include the fortitude, pleasures and human delights that come from close contact with others, from intimacy and love [Ryff and Singer, 2003]. Theories about the stages of adult development also emphasize close relationships with others (intimacy) and the guidance and care of others (generativity). The importance of having positive relationships with other people is repeatedly emphasized in definitions of psychological well-being [Ryff and Singer, 1996]. High scores appear in people who have warm, satisfactory and trusting relationships with others, who are concerned about the well-being of others and have the capacity to feel empathy, affect and intimacy and understand the give and take in human relationships [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Low scores indicate that a person has few close and trusting relationships with other people, finds it difficult to be warm, open and to feel concern for the wellbeing of others. They feel isolated and frustrated with social relationships. These people do not want an important commitment with others [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Autonomy: This refers to a persons ability to march to his own drum and to pursue personal convictions and beliefs, even if these go against accepted dogma or conventional wisdom. It also refers to the ability to be alone if necessary and to live autonomously [Ryff and Singer, 2003]. Also, in theories about self-actualization, the self-actualizers are described as functioning autonomously and as being resistant to enculturation. In studies into the concept of a fully functioning person, this person is someone with an internal frame of assessment, who is mainly uninterested in what others think of him, but will evaluate himself according to his own personal standards [Ryff and Singer, 1996]. High scores in this factor show people who are self-determined and independent, capable of resisting social pressure and of acting by regulating their behavior from an internal frame of assessment. These people self-evaluate according to personal standards [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Low scores indicate people who are concerned about the expectations of others, they depend on other peoplesjudgments before making important decisions, and their thoughts and actions are influenced by social pressures [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Environmental mastery: This is another essential factor in well-being and concerns the challenge of a person mastering the environment around him. This ability requires the skills of creating and sustaining environments that are beneficial to a person [Ryff and Singer, 2003]. The ability of an individual to choose or to create environments appropriate for his mental state is defined as a characteristic of mental health. According to life-span developmental theories, for a person to adequately master his environment, he needs the ability to manage and to control complex surroundings, emphasizing from this perspective the need to move forwards in the world and to change it creatively with physical and mental activities [Ryff and Singer, 1996]. High scores in this factor are obtained by people with a sense of mastery and competence of their surroundings, who can make effective use of opportunities that arise and can choose or create contexts appropriate for their needs and personal values [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Low scores indicate a difficulty in managing daily affairs, or changing or improving their environment and making the most of opportunities that arise, and a lack of control about the world around them [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Purpose in life: This is a persons ability to find a meaning and a direction in his own experiences, and to propose and set goals in his life [Ryff and Singer, 2003]. The definition of maturity also clearly emphasizes an understanding of the purpose of life and the presence of a sense of direction and intentionality. A positively functioning person has goals, intentions and a sense of direction, and all of this helps to give a meaning to life [Ryff and Singer, 1996]. High scores in this factor appear in people who have goals in life and a sense of direction; they feel that both the past and the present of their lives has a meaning, they hold beliefs that give their lives a purpose and have goals and reasons to live [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Low scores appear in people who feel their life has no meaning and have no goals or sense of direction; they cant see any point in their past experiences [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Personal growth: This factor concerns a persons ability to realize his own potential and talent and to develop new resources. It also frequently involves encounters with adversity that require one to dig deeply to find ones inner strength [Ryff and Singer, 2003]. It is associated with being open to new experiences, which is a key characteristic of the fully functioning person. Life-span theories also explicitly emphasize the importance of continuing to grow and to tackle new tasks or challenges in the different stages of ones life [Ryff and Singer, 1996]. High scores indicate people who want to continue to develop. They regard themselves as growing and expanding, are open to new experiences, feel they are fulfilling their potential, they can see improvements in the self and in their behavior over time, and change towards ways that improve their self-knowledge and effectiveness [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. Low scores appear in people with a sense of personal stagnation, with no improvement or growth over a period of time, they feel bored and lack interest in life. They feel incapable of developing new attitudes or behaviors [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. This model was studied in a representative sample of 1108 adults over 25 years old. In the confirmatory analysis of the factors, it was found that the results supported the multidimensional model proposed, and was the model which best fitted the six factors combined together to form a factor of higher order, called psychological well-being [Ryff and Keyes, 1995]. In this same study, it was found that the factors self-acceptance and environmental mastery were highly correlated, so it was proposed to combine these factors to obtain a model with 5 factors. In any case, the authors concluded that well-being is more than simply feeling happy or satisfied with life; nor is it merely an absence of negative emotions or experiences which define the well-lived. Instead it entails having a rich perception of these experiences and successfully managing the challenges and difficulties that may arise [Ryff and Singer, 2003]. MEASURES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING Bradburn Affect Balance Scale One of the first scales that could be used to measure psychological well-being, which later served as a reference to validate subsequent scales is the BABS (Bradburn Affect Balance Scale) [Bradburn, 1969]. This is a ten-item scale divided into two subscales, one that evaluates positive affect and the other that evaluates negative affect. Each of these subscales has 5 items. These items refer to pleasant or unpleasant experiences over the past few weeks which are intentionally treated with a degree of ambiguity [Bartlett and Coles, 1998]. The score is obtained by adding one point for every yes answer and summarizing separately the responses to the positive and negative subscales, respectively. After this, the difference between the scores is calculated and a constant is added to eliminate possible negative results. The test-retest reliability was evaluated by Bradburn [1969], and in a sample of 200 people with an interval of 3 days the reliability calculated for positive affect, negative affect and the affect balance were 0.83, 0.81 and 0.76, respectively. The Short Form 36 The Short Form 36 (SF-36) was developed to measure the services provided by different health departments in the United States [Ware, Snow, Kosinski et al. 1993]. It is a self-administered scale comprised of 8 different subscales that contain Likert-type items. The 8 different concepts are each evaluated by their own scale: Physical functioning. Role limitations because of physical health problems. Bodily pain. Social functioning. General mental health (psychological distress and psychological well-being). Role limitations because of emotional problems. Vitality (energy/fatigue). General health perceptions. Both the General mental health and the Vitality subscales have psychological implications. The authors of the SF-36 scale understand mental health (measured by the General mental health scale) as part of a construct of psychological well-being with a positive pole and another negative pole [Bartlett and Coles, 1998]. This scale has received some criticism, such as that from Hunt and McKenna [1993] who question the design of the scale, both in the selection of its items and also its objective. For example, Hunt asks how many British people could answer the question à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Does your health limit you in your ability to do vigorous activities, such as sports, running, lifting heavy objects? when most of them dont even do this kind of activity. Hunt uses another example with the question Does your health limit you in your ability to walk a mile?. He considers this question is complicated with the factor of necessity. He explains that some people wont walk a mile even if they are in good health, while others, from necessity, because they live in the outskirts or for other reasons, will walk the mile in spite of having poor health. McHorney, Ware and Razcek [1993] provided evidence to support the validity of SF-36, showing that the mental health scale can discriminate between groups by using the mean scores. A group with minor medical conditions has a mean score of 83, a group with a serious medical condition would have a mean score of 78 and a group with a serious medical condition with psychiatric comorbidity would obtain a mean score of around 53. Satisfaction with Life Scale (Swls) This is a self-administered scale with 5 items relating to level of satisfaction with life. The possible responses are 1 to 7, where 1 indicates that the person strongly disagrees with the statement and 7 that they strongly agree [Diener, Emmons, Sem et al. 1985]. The score is the total of the responses to these 5 items and can be used to classify the person into one of the following categories: 30-35: extremely satisfied, well above average. 25-29: very satisfied, above average. 20-24: quite satisfied, average for adult United States citizens. 15-19: slightly dissatisfied, a little less than average. 10-14: dissatisfied, clearly below the average. 5-9: extremely dissatisfied, far below the average. The test-retest correlation was carried out with 2 months difference and gave a result of 0.82. The alpha coefficient of the scale is 0.87 [Diener, Emmons, Sem et al. 1985]. This is a scale to measure subjective well-being and in its original validation the authors calculate the correlation existing between SWLS and other scales to measure subjective wellbeing, including the Bradburn scale (BABS) described previously. The coefficient of correlation for Bradburns positive affect subscale is 0.5 and that for the negative affect subscale is -0.37. Psychological General Well-Being Index Short (PGWB-S) The PGWBI scale is a 22-item scale that evaluates self-perceived psychological wellbeing, each item is evaluated on a 6 point scale. The scale assesses 6 dimensions of quality of life relating to health: anxiety, depression, positive well-being, self-control, general health and vitality [Grossi, Groth, Mosconi et al. 2006]. There is a considerable amount of information about the original scale since it was used widely in studies in the United States and worldwide, and has been translated and validated in several languages, for example to Spanish by Badia, Gutierrez, Wiklund et al. [1996]. The short version of the PGWBI aims to reduce the number of items but to maintain the validity and reliability of the scale. In its final version, the PGWB-S has only 6 items that reflect 5 of the 6 items assessed in the original version (except for general health) and reproduces 90% of the variation in the result of the PGWBI. The high Cronbach alpha value (between 0.8 and 0.92) indicates a good reliability when compared with the original scale. Psychological Well-Being Scales (PGWB) One of the most widely used scales to measure psychological well-being is Ryffs scale [1989a]. This scale breaks down the construct into 6 different dimensions [Ryff, 1989b] that are analyzed separately, each with their own subscale. The dimensions analyzed are: Self-acceptance, Positive relations with others, Autonomy, Environmental mastery, Purpose in life and Personal growth. Each of these subscales has 20 likert-type items in which the patient self-assesses himself by choosing from the six possible responses, from strongly agree to strongly disagree. This test has high test-retest reliability and a high internal consistency. Moreover, its convergent and discriminate validity with other measures have also been studied. The test-retest coefficients per subscale (with a retest of 6 weeks) were self-acceptance 0.85, relations with others 0.83, autonomy 0.88, environmental mastery 0.81, purpose in life 0.82 and personal growth 0.81. The alpha coefficients for the subscales were: self-acceptance 0.93, relations with others 0.91, autonomy 0.86, environmental mastery 0.90, purpose in life 0.90 and personal growth 0.87. Ryffs article gives an in-depth explanation of convergent validity [1989a]. Here, we indicate the convergent validity values for the different dimensions with Bradburns Affect Balance Scale: self-acceptance 0.55, relations with others 0.30, autonomy 0.36, environmental mastery 0.62, purpose in life 0.42 and personal growth 0.25. The fact that this covers 6 scales (120 items), combined with its good psychometric qualities have given rise to the development of shorter versions, which still maintain good fits and consistency. These versions include the one by Van Dierendonck [2004] which, with only 39 items, obtains a goodness of fit indicator (GFI) of 0.88 and Cronbachs alpha between 0.84 and 0.70 (depending on the subscale). CONCLUSION Overall, Positive Psychologys goal, as by Seligman (2002), is to develop the individual strengths of our young people so they may realize their personal potential and fulfill the second goal, that of creating a thriving community of civically responsible and productive members. Psychological well-being has been reviewed immensely. Moreover, the take-home message is that positive emotions are worth cultivatin