Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Psychology - Essay Example The child learns to anticipate S and make R in anticipation of changes in S. For instance, in trying to reach for a dangling toy, the child makes adjustive steps or positions to reach it in the direction he finds most accessible. A bottle of milk is sucked at the end nipple which he has associated with the source of milk. The pre-operational thought period can be most understood by two concepts: Pre-conceptual stage (2-4 years) and Intuitive phase (4-7 years). During the pre-conceptual stage, the child starts to use different kinds of symbols in play behavior and in language. Wherein, play activities may take in the form of imaginary situations and objects. In the intuitive phase, the child is now able to respond to groups of objects. The child is able to classify objects’ size and shapes. There is now a finer distinction in specific concepts. The principles of reversibility and conservation are acquired. For instance, that the objects are not altered with change in the way they appear. The capacity for logic and reasoning are well-developed in the later stages with respect to concrete and specific objects. The child develops space concepts in the following geometric order: first, nearness, separation, enclosure (Geoghegan et al 1963). There are two characteristics of in the child’s intuitive stage. 1) Egocentricism – the child’s inability to take the point of view of another and 2) Emphasis on successive states of a situation rather than transformations by which one state grades into another. This means that the child doesn’t have a grasp of the facts that the situation can change gradually and grade into a new one; he only emphasizes the beginning and end states. In the period of concrete operations, the child is less egocentric and is able to group objects and events on concrete observations. At this stage, the child is able to think on various concrete

Child malnutrition Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Child malnutrition - Research Paper Example Some of the worst cases are in the regions of sub-Saharan Africa (in countries such as Botswana, Burundi and Nigeria) and in South Asia (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) but there are also packets of malnutrition in areas like Southeast Asia (Cambodia and Laos) or in Latin America (Bolivia, Guatemala and Peru). Child malnutrition can start at the infant stage when there is no or very poor breast feeding is available. This can persist as the child grows up and has an irreversible impact on a child’s health by age two. Malnourished children grow up into adults with some serious health problems such as tuberculosis and increasing the risk of infection to a variety of diseases. The issue of child malnutrition has a knock-on effect on an individual starting with lowered brain functions resulting in impaired educational achievement which in turn results into a failure to gain the right education in order to get decent jobs and earn a respectable income. This paper discusses the issue of child malnutrition from a global perspective, what the charities and aid organizations are doing to help kids and evaluate how effective these aid programs are. Discussion Child malnutrition has taken center stage in the world’s attention because it had crept up again, with the number of malnourished children increasing. Various causes of this are to frequent conflicts that destroy the delivery of basic government services. In the past period, especially during 1950-2000, there was a significant reduction in the prevalence of children’s malnutrition worldwide especially in the group of developing countries (Smith & Haddad 61). Vast improvements in women’s education, women’s social status, national food availability, a rise in incomes and attainment of democratic freedoms contributed to the reduction (ibid.) and the most significant improvements were achieved in the region of East and Southeast Asia. In these two regions lived some 2.1 billion inhabita nts (with China alone at 1.3 billion people). The reduction in child malnutrition prevalence was due extremely rapid reduction in the child mortality rates from migrations, urbanization, increased access to education and an aggressive family-health and maternal-health intervention program (Attane & Barbiere 7). Global Issue – child malnutrition has attracted the focus of efforts from the WHO as it is one of the leading preventable causes of death among children. In particular, about half of all child deaths (estimated between 4.6 and 5.0 million annually) are caused by malnutrition. Diarrhea is a major risk factor in child malnutrition that results from the lack of safe drinking water in developing countries, especially for children under five years old (Oloo 3). Diarrhea is the most prevalent in developing countries and accounts for a high proportion of sickness and death among children because of its strong correlation to malabsorption of nutrients (The World Bank 22). A la ck of iodine has been identified as a leading preventable cause of child’s mental impairment which is estimated to reduce the intelligence quotient by10-15 points in a case of another preventable cause of malnutrition that requires only little financial resources which developing countries could very well afford even without outside aid. Child Malnutrition in Somalia –

Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Proposal - Essay Example Online transactions are fast. E-coin being an online transaction technology, is, therefore, fast (Raszl, para.1). I am suggesting that Goldman should consider investing in E-coin technology. The reason is that Goldman’s may experience the threat of competition from its competitors who may use this technology and take way Goldman, existing customers. Goldman should do the implementation of the technology for the customers so that it may deter the loss of customers to its competitors (Thomas, p.9). The first benefit is that; many of the currencies worldwide lose value with time. With E-coin, it is slowly growing. There are only about twenty million E-coins globally. E-coin is not at the risk of losing the value like the currencies. A significant number of the user across the globe has adopted the E-coin technology. In fact, there are more than twenty million users of E-Coin worldwide. On top of that, there are many transactions done via E-Coin (About 120,000 operations per day) as by March, 2015 by those numerous users of E-Coin investment. Due to that reason, Goldman Sachs should introduce the technology to fly over its competitors by getting customers who are using E-coin. E-coin is also fast to use. Transacting with E-coin is faster since any customer can make payment of goods and services with no need of to visit the Goldman. An individual just need to make payment for the comfort of his/ her place. The speed of this online transaction makes E-coin more convenient. Due to a high rate growth of E-Coin various components, any business ought to react towards it (Thomas, pp.9-12). Many investment company executives are studying the E-Coin technology in order to see whether it is economically feasible to be in their company. It is, therefore, crucial for Goldman Sachs to take action before its competitors and get more customers just local. Since E-coin is not taxable by

Islamic history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Islamic history - Essay Example However, the study will be guided by such questions as where did Islam start and who were the first people to adhere to it? What are the main ideologies that define Islam and how has they evolved over time? When did Islam start and what historical significance has the ideology had over the course of its evolution to the modern day Islam? Islam started in the seventh century (C.E) as instituted by Prophet Mohammed and it took over the Arabic region, which was characteristically defined by polytheism. It is adherent to monotheism and as such the ideology stipulates that there is no other God to be worshiped but Allah. It therefore transformed greatly the religious systems of the traditional nomadic life that was characteristic of the Arabs from the extremes of worshiping many Gods as well as paganism to the faith in Allah. Prophet Mohammed was born in late sixth century and in the early seventh century; he is believed to have had an encounter with an angle of God where he became the pr ophet (apostle) of God (Nawwab, Speers and Hoye, para 1-5). Through divine revelations, Mohamed is said to have written the Quran as it is adhered to in Islam. Therefore, among other great ideologies that define Islam, Quran as it was written by the last prophet of Allah (Mohammed) is complete, infallible, perfect and eternal and thus holds eminently against any influence or modification. In religious matters, the tenets presented in Quran held and continuously holds to define Islam. Islam ascribes to various ideologies which include that God is transcendent and omnipotent, that there are angles, that Quran are words of God’s revelation through his prophets as well as there is the last day that awaits all and in which God’s judgment to mankind will be pronounced. Moreover, the Islam believes that God is all knowing and as such, he is omniscient (â€Å"The History of Islam† 1-3). Despite the great transformation that characterized the inception of Islam, as a rel igion in the Arabian countries in matters of polytheism believes, Islam held to the supremacy of Allah as god who was more impressive than the rest. Besides being the creator, Allah was and is believed to be the provider as well as the determiner to human destiny in eternity (â€Å"History of Islam† para 3). Besides, the Muslims have dispersed everywhere to occupy all the parts of the globe where Islam has been introduced. Little is seen to have changed in terms of believe systems and ideologies as they were instituted and depicted in Quran. The modern day Islam upholds five basic rules, which are prayer, fasting, faith, almsgiving as well as pilgrimage at Ka’bah (â€Å"History of Islam† 5). The evolution in Islam has been more in matters of spread and global acceptance as unlike in matters of systems of believes. Besides much of what is practiced in the modern day in Islamic circles is purely as it was practiced traditionally as instructed by Prophet Mohammed i n Quran (Nasr, vii-xix). In spite of the little evolutionally changes that has been shown in ideological aspects of Islam, misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the ideologies has led to wrong perception of the culture. It is increasingly being associated with acts of terror due to few of its teachings on Jihad and such political activism which has in the past led to political as well as religious conflicts in different parts of the globe

US Steel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

US Steel - Essay Example The US steel industry justification for its request for protection is loss of jobs of many workers in the steel industry, as far as the workers unions are concerned, due to closure of business or folding up of some steel producers, due to lower import prices of steel products than those locally produced. As to whether the justification is legitimate should be gauged by a declaration of a body authorized by law to make determination. As far as the Bush administration is concerned, it may have believed that the justification was legitimate when it decided to self initiate Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974. Section 201 is the law for the protection of domestic industry in addition to the antidumping and countervailing duty laws. Said law operates not on proof of unfair trade practices but by ITC determinations that the volume of a particular import constituted a substantial cause of threat of serious injury to a domestic industry. The president can impose a temporary import relief without violating the rules of the World Trade Organization and after initiating, in a give industry, the case will go straight to the ITC, which rules on the case and, if positive, will make recommendation to the President, who then has 60 days to come up with a remedy. The remedy could be no action at al l, a tariff, a quota, a tariff-rate quota or some form of trade adjustment assistance. The legitimacy as believed by the President is questioned by domestic steel consumers and free trade advocates, who claims that the tariffs were blatantly protectionist, and could damage US steel-using industries more than they would help producers, and were adopted for purely political reasons, such a gaining support prior to the November midterm elections, and positioning Bush for the 2004 presidential election [FN3]. Gerald O’ Dricoll, director of the Heritage Foundations’ Center for International Trade and Economic commented on the Bush administration self-initiating Section

Case assignment Rising Cost of Prescription Drugs and its affect on Essay

Case assignment Rising Cost of Prescription Drugs and its affect on MEDICARE - Essay Example In order for pharmaceutical companies to lower prices they must take a totally different view to how profits are made and how future research and development can occur. Currently they take the approach that they have a twenty year patent in which to research, develop, market, and profit from a new drug. After this time generic manufacturers can legally sell their products and compete for customers. The companies that develop these drugs need to cover their costs and continue developing new drugs. Their profit schemes have worked so far, but times have changed. Big name pharmaceutical companies may be forced to change their pricing policies for one simple reason—competition of generics from developing nations, such as India and China, that deliver effective, cheap drugs. Reverse engineering of name brands and marketing of these generic drugs is projected to make these new players majorly influential in the drug market in years to come. According to Johnson (2009) â€Å"†¦ inclusion of noninfectious diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease, into this little- or no-profit scenario could undermine innovation for chronic diseases,† (Drug Industry’s Doomsday Scenario section, para. 3). The ugly truth is that the expensive process of researching and developing new drugs may force giant pharmaceutical companies to either delay research and development or take the risky avenue of trying to sell cheaper drugs for long term profits, neither appeals to them. With patents on existing drugs running out, generic bra nds are well positioned to seize as much market share as possible. It is only a matter of time before these emerging giants can acquire a profit majority and then break into the research and development arena as well. Demand for a product usually raises prices, and the market for medications is no different. According to Walsh (1999) â€Å"†¦the pricing of newly

Tobacco Prevention Essay Example for Free

Tobacco Prevention Essay Over the past 50 years America has increased its level of knowledge towards the use of tobacco as well as enhanced its cessation techniques through the use of medication and researched programs. Despite these advancements smoking has continued to be a detrimental problem to the American public. According to the CDC, about 1,000 persons younger than 18 years of age begin smoking on a daily basis. 1 Many of the cessation programs directed at youths are still young and creating names for themselves. As a result of all the research that has been done regarding the cessation programs for youths, three effective steps have been found. First, screen for tobacco dependency within families; second, educate parents about the dangers of smoking and second hand smoke and third, counsel and the use of prescription medication. While these three techniques have been proven to be effective they are not a 100% guarantee and they dont address the major issue of actually getting the youths themselves to the programs. Research has extensively documented the harms of tobacco to people, specifically youths but none of it has stopped the tobacco industry from creating advertisements intended for youths. According to the World Health Organization Tobacco companies must attract a new eneration of tobacco users to survive. The industry constantly loses customers because many current smokers quit smoking or die from tobacco-related diseases. As a result, tobacco companies develop massive marketing campaigns to entice youth to smoke and become long-term smokers. 2 To parents, teacher and politicians the youth are the future of our country, to tobacco companies; the youth are the future of their business and their needs for survival. The problem of youth smoking is one that we cannot ignore and must continue to attack. As a whole Healthcare professionals, overnment lobbyist groups, insurance companies and most important the youth themselves all must re-commit themselves to exterminate this persistent problem at hand. Out of the 4,000 chemicals found in cigarettes, nicotine is often referred to as the most dangerous one. It is not regarded as being incredible dangerous to someones health but is feared by many people because extremely addictive. When smoke is inhaled that contains nicotine, the nicotine reaches the brain in a mere six seconds. When used in small doses nicotine acts as a stimulant to the brain or a substance that raises the levels of physiological activity in the body. In large doses it acts as a depressant and hinders the current of signals in the nervous system. Those substances which we call drugs cause their effects by mimicking some substance that naturally occurs in the body or by interfering with some process which naturally goes on. Nicotine acts in the former manner, by mimicking a naturally occurring substance in the body. 3 The substance that nicotine imitates is the chemical neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Each neuron has a protein, which is called a receptor, when nicotine is inhaled they attach on to these receptors in the place of acetylcholine. When nicotine binds to these receptors, like any other drugs they cause changes in the body. The primary changes that occur in the body due to nicotine inhalation are increases in the blood pressure and heart rate. Nicotine also nas psychoactive ettects or m -altering ettect upon use. The release of dopamine during the use of nicotine is a major contributor to the drugs highly addictive qualities. Dopamine is a chemical neurotransmitter that is naturally released in the body during a pleasurable experience. The nicotine released when smoking cigarettes release dopamine leaving the smoker with the feeling of extreme leasure, resulting in the desire to feel that way often. The evil genius of this drug is that while it produces dopamine it impedes the production of monoamine oxidase, which is responsible for the natural process of breaking down dopamine. The ability for nicotine to block the production of monoamine oxidase wears off short after the end of use, this fact causes the smokers to continue to get the urge to smoke and feel heightened levels of dopamine. 4 Nicotine dependence is defined as an addiction to tobacco products caused by the drug nicotine, meaning you cant stop using the substance despite the knowledge hat is causing you harm. The united States Department of Health and Human Services have concluded that for most youths its takes 2-3 years to become nicotine dependent but as few as 100 cigarettes to become addicted. In 2010 about 2. 6 American adolescents (aged 12-17) reported using a tobacco product in the month prior to the survey. In that same year it was found that nearly 60 percent of new smokers were under the age of 18 when they first smoked a cigarette. Of smokers under the age of 18 more then 6 million will likely die prematurely from a smoking- related disease. 6 There are two primary influences that cau se adolescents to susceptible to developing nicotine dependence, the first being peer pressure. Peer pressure is a fact of life and inevitable in your childhood and adolescence. Wheatear a person is conscious or not towards the pressure the choices and behaviors peers make affect the surrounding peers. According to Phillip Morris USA youths with at least three friends who smoke are 10 times more likely pick up the habit than youths who have friends that do not smoke. 7 The other influence that causes adolescents to be more susceptible to nicotine ependence than adults is not a psychosocial factor but a biological one. There are biological differences in adults and adolescents that leave adolescents more vulnerable to nicotine addition. Much of the research done in this sector has been executed with the use of adolescent rats and adult rats for safety reasons. Adolescent rats are more susceptible to reinforcing effects of nicotine that adult rats, and take more nicotine when it is available than do adult animals. 8 An animal study done by the National Institute on Drug Abuse has reported the negative affects that acetaldehyde has on smokers, specifically adolescents. The study found that acetaldehyde, an organic chemical compound found in cigarettes dramatically increases the reinforcing properties of nicotine and may also contribute to tobacco addiction. It was also found that acetaldehyde has an age- related effect and was far more drastic in the adolescent animals brains than the adult animals. 9 In 2009 the Philadelphia Department of Health conducted a study that found the high school smoking rate was higher in Philadelphia then any other large city. The smoking rate for high school students was 3. %, the racial breakdown of those statistics were 1. % of African Americans, 3. 1% of Hispanics and 15. 6% of Caucasians. 10 There are two main contributors that lead Philadelphia to have the highest high school smoking rate; cigarettes are cheaper in Philadelphia then any other major city and the prevalence of tobacco retailers in Philadelphia, there are 27 retailers for every 1,000 youth between the ages 10-17. 11 Pennsylvania ranked 19th in the country for price of cigarettes with an average of 5. 85 per pack, about 5$ behind New York which was ranked 1st. 2 To formulate national statistics the CDC uses the data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey. The National Youth Tobacco Survey is our countries most effective way of measuring youth tobacco use. It is a school- based, self- administered questionnaire given to middle school students (6th to 8th grade) and high school students (9th- 12th grade). It has been given every 2 years since 2000 and is used by the Healthy People Foundation to keep track of the 2020 goal it has set. In 2011 the use of all types of tobacco for middle school and high school 7. 1% and 23. % respectively and the prevalence of specific cigarette use was 4. 3% for middle school students and 18. 1% for high school students. 13 The Healthy People oals for 2020 were set in 2009 when the cigarette use rate for high school students was at 19. 5%, the overall goal is to get it down to 16% by 2020. 14 In or der to reach the goals set for 2020 it is crucial that the countries cessation programs are doing their part. Research has shown that the most effective method for youths to quit smoking is a binary method, both behavioral techniques and medication use. In terms of medication use there are two types of medicinal categories, first- line and second- line. First-line medications are the ones that tend to be used first by smokers trying to quit and second-line medications are used if the irst- line medications prove inadequate. The most simplistic first-line medications are over-the-counter and come in the form of nicotine gum, patches and lozenges. The gums, patches and lozenges all offers doses of nicotine, starting with the highest dose the smoker is supposed to reduce dose over-time with the hopes of eventual nicotine independence. Nicotine Inhalers and Nicotine nasal spray are also first- line medications that work in the same way as the gum, lozenge and patch but are prescription rather then over-the-counter. Bupropion and Varenicline are two other forms of first-line medications that are also prescription. Bupropion also known as Zyban and Varenicline also known as Chantix both work to reduce the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal and reduce the urges smokers feel. The two second-line medications are Nortriptyline known as Aventyl and Clonidine known as Catapres. Aventyl is traditionally used to teat depression but has also proved successful with tobacco cessation efforts and Catapres is generally used to treat high blood pressue, but like Aventyl has shown effective in tobacco cessation. 1 5 The behavioral techniques that are used in tobacco cessation come in two forms, an intervention style and a program style. The current research efforts that have been done regarding the intervention methods of cessation are deficient. There is simply a lack of evidence- based interventions, which makes it very difficult to Judge the success as well as improve the programs. This issue was addressed with the Canadian Tobacco Control Research Initiative, which came up with the better practices model. The better practices model is based on the idea that successful solutions to complex problems must draw from both science and experience. 16 The Canadian Tobacco Control Research Initiative came out with guidelines on what ssues should be used while developing cessation interventions. As time passes with these new guidelines and more evidence based interventions occur it shouldnt ta long to specify what are the best methods for success. 6 Programs can be more accurately researched because their data is much more accessible. A cessation program can mean many different things, ranging from face to face counseling, telephone counseling, Internet counseling and group counseling. The most effective forms of counseling have been face-to-face counseling as well as group counseling. Telephone counseling is relatively new but has showed success in its short life. Rega rdless of how the counseling has been delivered the technique that has been proved to be the most effective is the problem-solving approach. The problem-solving approach asks smokers to think of times they are likely to smoke and then planning what to do to distract themselves from the urge to smoke. 17 Social support such as encouragement and caring has not surprisingly been proven effective ways to help cessation. N-O-T, Not on Tobacco is the American Lung Associations voluntary rogram for teens that want to quit smoking has proven to be successful in the past. It is the most researched, most widely used and most successful program in the United States. (YTC) N-O-T has 7 major characteristics that have made it to successful: 18 1. Allows teens to volunteer to participate 2. Includes group activities 3. Has separate activities for boys and girls 4. Uses a total health approach 5. Consists of 10 session and can be used in school and community settings 6. Is based on more then 10 years of research 7. Is proven effective, has a 21% quit rate, higher then any other program N-O-T evelops skills, confidence and support system that teenagers need in order to quit. They understand that one of the keys to quitting smoking is to have the ability to keep your life the same without the use of cigarettes. By doing this and aiding the teens in other problems other then the smoking such as controlling weight after quitting and managing stress they have been successful. While there has been success in the cessation programs there is clearly an incredible amount of room for improvement. The most effective way to drastically improve success is creating a more accessible environment to programs. Although many youth think about and attempt to quit tobacco many are unaware of or unable to access cessation services. Also, many youth do not think quitting tobacco is difficult enough to warrant professional assistance. 19 The most important thing we can do moving forward is to better recruit youth who smoke and use tobacco. Recruiting for programs such as these should be very specific and focus are the target audience. Using the data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey it can be fgured out which ethnicity has the most smokers and recruitment techniques should be in accordance ith those number . An effective way to do this would be to tap in to previous existing social networks in a community, such as a club or a sports team. While your peers can be the reason you start smoking as a result of negative pressure they can also be the reason you quit as a result of positive pressure. Offering incentives can also be a useful technique for recruitment, offering something like pizza at meetings could raise the attendance and access. Even if the child goes into the meeting with the sole intent of getting the incentive they are still exposed to cessation efforts. One last ecruitment technique can be to use other teens as recruiters. It will give a more personalized appearance and give you the feeling that you will not be alone. It is also on the shoulders of the health insurance companies and the health care system to provide access to these youths. All health insurance policies should cover any cessation program or method used by teens to quit smoking, the high prices of some medications and some counseling practices can deter youths from making an attempt to quit. It should be the standard that all health care services monitor and care for nicotine dependency. It falls on a combination of the government, healthcare systems and public health agencies to formulate a system that can effectively treat youth nicotine dependence. It is also extremely important that high schools are smoke free; the majority of youths time is spent, as schools and creating a smoke- free environment will deter smoking amongst youth. Another way to improve the current youth cessation programs in to apply adult programs to youth specifically for interventions, the most lacking in research of all methods. Due to this lack of research on youth interventions we can use what has been proven effective with adults. The United States Public Health System has provided the public specifically adults with recommendations that have proved successful. These recommendations include: It is essential that clinicians and health care delivery systems consistently identify and document tobacco use status and treat every tobacco user seen in a health care setting, Telephone quitline counseling is effective with diverse populations and has broad reach. Therefore, clinicians and health care delivery systems should both ensure patient access to quitlines and promote quitline use along with eight other proven effective recommendations. 0 As spoken about previously there are biological differences are one of the many things that vary between youth and adults. These differences could lead to a lack of success and should encourage counselors to use adult recommendations carefully. As a country we should be encouraged by the amount of success youth cessations programs have had but also motivated to continue to improve them. While it is unrealistic to think there will be a time when there are no smokers on this earth that should be our goal. We should aim for a 0% high school smoking rate because that will drive people to continue to find successful methods. If we live with the goal of a 0% smoking rate five or ten years down the road when we look at what the youth smoking is and look at its decline, it will be drastic. If you think about it in terms of a professional baseball pitcher, he goes into each game with the mindset of pitching a perfect game and works each day towards that goal. In hindsight with a more realistic mindset he can look back on his performance and see that getting 24 out of 27 men out rather then 27 out of 27 is still a success. Cessation is not an easy process and the only thing that can make it easier is a more committed effort by all parties involved.