Financial analysis in healthcare Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Financial analysis in healthcare - Coursework Example First, there is likely to a shortage of health care facilities. This is because the central government controls the health facilities. With such a low gross domestic income, the country may not be able to set up adequate health facilities to serve the public. WHO recommends that the health facilities should be at least five kilometres from where people live, in this case, this may not be possible making the health care centres inaccessible (Torrance, 2009, p. 34). As a result, the health care in this country can be described as poor Secondly, there is a shortage of health workforce team. Since the government is the sole employer, with the meager resources it is earning, it may fail to employ adequate staff to attend to people. As a result, there will be pooling of people at the hospitals without adequate staff to attend to them. Besides, with this shortage the workers can prefer to work in the private sector where the salary is promising. This will make the few workers at the hospital to be overworked and unable to deliver the services. With the majority of the workers without proper orientation on how to manage the health care finances, they may fail to meet the demands of the government and that of the citizens. Citizens as the consumers of health care suffer from the poor health care. First, they do not have adequate finance to pay for the health care services. This is because first they do not have access to insurance that would have made it easy to pay for the health care bills. For the few who can pay from their pocket in the private market or hospitals, the services are given based on the user fees. This will make the users not to get adequate health. Secondly, the health insurance that is provided by the private sector is not accessible to all. This is because only a few can afford the said insurance either because it is expensive or inaccessible. Besides, there is no mandatory insurance scheme. Without any cost sharing, there is likely to be a

Internet Research Project Topics (in US business law) Essay

Internet Research Project Topics (in US business law) - Essay Example limitations on punitive damages has the potential to wreak economic havoc by driving corporation after corporation out of the marketplace and, in so doing, discouraging business investments. From the ethical perspective, the issue is important both as regards corporations and consumers. As far as corporations are concerned, liability laws are intended to regulate corporate behaviour and ensure responsibility for their products and towards their customers. The threat of punitive damages arguably contributes to greater ethical compliance where corporations are concerned. Where consumers are concerned, however, the ethics of the issue assumes a very different hue. This is because consumers are becoming increasingly litigation minded and, indeed, more and more are seeking to profit by suing corporations and from punitive damage awards. A cap or limitation on the amount of damages which can be rewarded will curtail this tendency and contribute to the re-affirmation of punitive damages as a regulatory mechanism designed to ensure corporate responsibility. Added to the aforementioned, the issue is of particular significance to me since my father and I have corporate business interests in the United States. Even while recognizing that it is not a credible source which can possibly be included in this study, I commenced the research by accessing the Wikipedia website. The reason for doing so is that the said website provides concise overviews of topics, giving readers a sense of both sides of an argument. Reading through Corporate Liability and Punitive Damages on Wikipedia provided me with a good introduction to the topic and helped me identify possible search terms (Wikipedia, 2008). Following Wikipedia, I logged onto Google and executed a search for â€Å"corporate liability punitive damages.† Close to a quarter of a million results were returned. One of these was an article linked to a website titled Palm Beach Bar (http://plambeachbar.org). An exploration

How to manage your time Essay Example for Free

How to manage your time Essay Carl Sandberg said â€Å"time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.† Therefore, how to control your use of time? First and foremost, look cautious at your priorities and Identify your goals . According to Oxford Brookes University (2012), you have to identify what is important to you and to be realistic and definite about them. People in all walks of life will have different thoughts, each of them will have their own priorities, identify what you need. For instance, friends, family, getting a good degree, or your health. The great way to determine is by giving a rank to them in order from 1-10 that could help you to prioritise the time you give to the things that beneficial to you and things which will help you to achieve your goals. Then you can allocate a realistic amount of time to each. Being more realistic enables you to build in time to relax and can work more effectively. Furthermore, make a timetable, plan for your future. This is the most common way, yet is the most useful way. According to NUS (n.d.), if you have come to university from high school, it can be a shock to find that you are responsible for organising your study time by your own to complete all the assignments given by the lecturers. Making a timetable helps you to identify periods of potential study time. Ensure that this time is quality time where you can really concentrate, away from all the disturbances. According to TimeMan.com (2013), make a daily To-Do List can be make everyday. At the end of each day, you can organize and schedule your next day. In addition, follow your plan. According to TimeMan.com (2013), do not let peer pressure or the quest for short-term gratification dictate what you consider important. You just have to focus on the goals you have set for yourself and follow up on your true top priorities. Align your priorities with your long-term values and goals. Moreover, overcome procrastination. According to TimeMan.com (2013), without a deadline, you will surely procrastinate. For instance, whenever you get an assignment, set a time to start it off to avoid doing last minute works. Once you are given a due date on an assignment, count backwards from the due date to build up a start date. Take into consideration that you will be spending on other items like social events, sports and so on. Bear in mind that every tasks given is always better to start early to avoid from a panic finish. Last but not least, according to NUS (n.d.), take breaks to  relax. No matter how much you have to do, studying continuously without a break will not help you in the long run. You will simply lose your concentration and remember less. Sometimes, you just have to take a break, really chill out and have a deep breath, this will help you feel better. Remember not to stress up yourself !

Cinema In France Film Studies Essay

Cinema In France Film Studies Essay Select a national cinema of your choice to examine its position in articulating a cultural identity. Attempt to present your answer by a close reading of at least two films.   (2,000 words) Cinema in France has always been a key issue in society, the arts and culture in general. This can be understood through many different aspects. The first being the very invention of cinema in France by the Lumià ¨re brothers, with the first public projection in the world taking place in Paris in 1895. But also many other key elements such as George Mà ©lià ¨s being considered as the first director and inventor of scenarios and special effects, until more recent features such as the Nouvelle Vague, the movement of rejection by young film-makers against more academic ways of film-making and acting, influencing cinema worldwide until this day. In other words, cinema in France is well and very active, with production, exports, viewers, talented directors being steady. The number of Art Houses and Festivals are higher than anywhere else in the world, and France has the highest number of screens per million inhabitants, as well as the ceremony of the Cà ©sars, the equivalent of the Os cars in France. This places the French movie industry third in the world, behind the USA and India, which makes it the strongest in Europe, with 22% of European films being produced and having the largest market-share of nationally-produced films in Europe. This is due to its long history in the cinema industry, but also to its more recent policies concerning French films, and what is known as lexception culturelle. This French concept, basically meaning the French cultural exception, defends everything that is cultural, in opposition to a product and the market and protected from free enterprise and quotas. This is because French society, most culturally represented by its language, needs to protect itself against any competition that would harm the French culture and replace it by another one. Everything that refers to Culture in France; writers, musicians, film-makers, and more are protected against market laws and this is the States role; therefore there being a Minister of Culture. This is ultimately a reaction against globalization, seen as dangerous in this sense, and a will to maintain or reinforce a national identity. Before World War 1, Pathà © and Gaumont dominated the industry and French cinema was first worldwide in terms of quality, quantity and diversity. But after the war, this cultural status was replaced by American cinema. This struggle of course concerns the USA more than an y other, as they are the leading country in the industry, and the American hegemony in the rest of the world is evident. Therefore, France came up with a unique financing system to fight against the main threat for French cinema; television and North American cinema. In the 1980s the French State put in place quotas in television in favor of audiovisual and cinematographic oeuvres. The main television channels have to allocate 3.2% of their revenue to cinema, which includes 2.5%, minimum, to French films. A minimum of 50% of French films must be broadcast. And this is when the now very popular pay-channel, Canal+, helped a lot, as they must give 20% of their income to buy rights. And on each cinema ticket, a tax (11%) is billed to a support fund for foreign films, as long as they are co-produced with a French producer. In result, over 160 films per year are made, and France ranks third worldwide. Moreover, an important factor concerning television, is the amount of broadcast cultural programs on public channels, relating to the exception culturelle concept and that helps understand French cinema better, in the sense that, a movie in France is considered as a message made by the director, on top of the entertainment aspect of it. Compared to most countries, French audiences are very aware of their audiovisual landscape, and experience more films in cinema and on all television channels, often at primetime, giving them a very different cinematic experience, closer to culture. In the 1980s, the Socialist government of the time, and more particularly the Minister of Culture, Jack Lang, made many efforts to help and promote a more cultural cinema. A goal to marry popular and cultural cinema, and distribute French cinema domestically and abroad, also as a way to offset the Hollywood domination. Jack Lang wanted a cultural cinema for the masses, promoting films that were assimilated with French cultural heritage, but that could also provide popular entertainment for a wide public. These particular heritage films, or films de patrimoine, have played an important part in the French audiovisual landscape from the late 1980s. It was successful as the key aspects put together worked very well, not being too frankly popular nor too highly cultural. This genre, seems to dominate international perceptions of French cinema, although of course there is much more diversity. The first prominent example of this kind, was Claude Berris movie, Jean de Florette, in 1986, a box office success, and the first high budget film in France, including French stars, such as Yves Montand and indicative of old-school French cinema, Gà ©rard Depardieu, often compared as the contemporary equivalent of Jean Gabin or Maurice Chevalier, and the rising Daniel Auteuil, for which this movie marked the beginning of his career as a serious actor. It is drawn upon the very popular novels of French author, Marcel Pagnol, continuing and developing furthermore the tradition of literary adaptations. This combination of elements along with the natural locations in Provence, evoking nostalgia, and celebrating the landscape, the history and the culture of France, actually contemporizes the film as a whole. At the same time, Jean de Florette marks continuity in French cinema, with its central locations mainly being Paris and the South, often opposing them too. In this film the focus is on the past; past values and past issues. But a past that is not so far away as it has and still marks Frances national identity, and this film was made to reinforce this by a whole aesthetic of nostalgia, tending to idealize the past and the regions and the nations geography, taking part in the protectionist cultural imperatives. France relies a lot on its past to vehicle its national identity, and that is why canonical source-texts, by the greatest French authors were and are often used as basis for films. The past, in Jean de Florette, is used as a spectacle, the nations territory, the landscape of Provence evokes the nations nostalgia, as it idealises its rural past, showing the French industrys will to affirm itself through the representation of its past. This is because it offers a firm cultural point, marked in the nations history, in a time where notions of national identity were, and still are, unstable, with the globalization and issues of immigration in the 1980s.These concerns can be found in the story itself, with questions of greed, materialism, identity, exclusion concerning the main characters Jean, the outsider, and Papet Soubeyran and Ugolin, the established peasants, and at the time it was suggested that the way Jean was treated by the locals, represented the anti-immigration movement, growi ng at the time. Now, it could be said that in the film, the past, represented by Provence itself, is the main character. Through a mix of panoramic and static tableau shots, Berri shows it as an idyllic place, providing visual sites for national identification, as not only is it one of the most symbolic regions in France, but it often speaks to the spectator who in many cases may have childhood recollections of the journeys down south, to visit family. This feeling can be experienced in the opening sequence, where a car journey is shown, without showing the character, which gives a feeling of intimacy. The spectator has a view from the window, and a feeling of return to the past, going back to nature, from urban to rural, with many elements that could be seen as stereotypical, such as the long winding roads, the crowing cock in the morning, the magnificence of the mountains. Therefore the emphasis on the geographical setting is the most important aspect in the film, but also the somewhat stereotypic al images of Provence. The characters, first of all, include a patriarch, and loud southerners, an outsider, farmer, an introverted peasant, and a bad guy of course. These characters all take on traditional rural activities, and the action takes place in the most emblematic Provenà §al and rural places: the cafà ©, the market, the fountain, the square, as well as the main spaces of the action in the film, being Jeans house and garden, the Soubeyrans property, the village and the mountain, which build up a sense of place and identity. Of course another main aspect of the region is very much reliant on dialogue, which reinforces the specificity of the film within the region. The accent of Provence is very marked, and clearly illustrates the difference between the locals and Jean, with his standard spoken french, who represents frenchness for many foreigners through Gà ©rard Depardieu, and marks the binary of Paris/province, meaning anywhere outside of Paris. Similarities to some of Paul Cà ©zannes paintings can be found in some of the bar scenes, reminding the Card players series and The Smoker, but also the mountain panoramas, recalling his famous paintings of Mont Ste Victoire. The background characters also provide a local color and credibility, with the game of boules and the pastis also being typical associations. In essence, Berri used this film to emphasize Provence as a French, cultural, historical region, representing the past and everything the French can identify to the region. Right after Jean de Florette, the sequel, Manon des Sources, came out. They were filmed as a whole over the period of seven months. In the long term, they did much to promote tourism in the region, causing interest internationally, as the film was very successful, inspiring true authenticity of rural France. Of course, many successful films of the kind followed, most notably, Cyrano de Bergerac, with Depardieu, also a literary adaptation, which won Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1990, and contributed to expand and revive Frances historical national identity. Now, a binary opposition was mentioned above, and it comes with the notion of films in Paris. Paris, the capital, the city of love, arts, and of course of cinema. For many, Paris truly represents France, of course this is a more international perception, but it still maintains its position in Frances history and key elements in the nations culture. A film that recently played upon many key cultural elements, giving it a worldwide success in 2001, is Le Fabuleux Destin DAmà ©lie Poulain, by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Again it can be said that Amà ©lie Poulain celebrates nostalgia. The nostalgia of typically French and Parisian aspects of life. The action is set in Montmartre, a quartier of Paris, well known for being where many artists established themselves living la bohà ¨me, also a classic setting seen in many films, such as Les 400 coups (Truffaut, 1959), French Cancan (Jean Renoir, 1955), Lautrec (Roger Planchon, 1998) or Zazie dans le mà ©tro (Louis Malle, 1960). The particular element of the film is that it is seen through the eyes of the main character Amà ©lie, which gives it a romantic and idealized aspect, picturesque and clearly serving many stereotypes, a reason for its national and international success. Many key elements are present, the grocers, the cafà ©, the metro station, the scooter, the old painter, and the different views of Paris in general. At different moments in the film, Amà ©lie is watching Jules et Jim on television, a classic of Franà §ois Truffaut, which is a testimony of the importance of French cinema and the influence of the New Wave on current film-makers. The photography of the film is very special, and contributes to this nostalgic feeling, mainly displaying two colors, red and green. The story is very simple, and could be considered as a modern fairytale, but it is the way it is told, and the backdrop and atmosphere of the whole that give an aspect to it that can be considered French, culturally. This very atmosphere is also majorly due to its magnificent music that accompanies Amà ©lie everywhere she goes. The young composer, Yann Tiersen, used music from his earlier album, but also composed 19 songs and variants for the film. The main motive of the film appears in different variations, expressing different moods. Tiersens music, mainly includes accordion and piano, and what more can the accordion refer to than frenchness; a marker of the past, at the time of the guinguettes, open air dancing establishments outside the center. The accordion vehicles a known clichà ©, but also nostalgia and marginality, and is practically the real center of the film. This retrospective to guinguettes, is reprised in different ways, with references to the Moulin de la Galette, a Montmartre guinguette, which was painted by Toulouse-Lautrec, Renoir and Van Gogh in the 1870s and 1880s. The reference to Renoir is also repeated with the character of Dufayel, the old painter neighbour, who repeats the same painting every year, by Renoir, The Luncheon of the Boating Party (1881). This obsession and the repetition, aim to make what was in the past, present. This is also marked in the many repetitions of the accordion which anchor the film nostalgically in the period of the guinguettes, between 1880 and 1940. The accordion signifies a national identity, but that is very specific to Paris, and the imaginary this place evokes; romanticism, and a touch of exoticism. At the time, the two presidential candidates for 2002, Jacques Chirac and Lionel Jospin, publicly marked their appreciation of the film, and audiences were seen clapping eagerly at the end of the film in cinemas, a very rare happening in France, and which testifies the important role cinema has in French culture and society. France treats cinema very seriously,

black bear Essay -- essays research papers fc

Black Bears The black bear is the smallest North American bear. The adults are usually less than six feet long and stand about two to three feet tall at shoulders. The weight of a black bear varies between 125-500 ponds. They have small eyes and rounded ears. Also their snout is very long. Each paw has five very strong claws, which is used for tearing, digging, and climbing. One single hit from the front paw is enough to kill an adult deer. A black Bear is a true carnivore, but if not prevented the black bear could be a huge problem to humans. A black bear loves to eat fresh leaves, berries, fruits, nuts, roots and also Insects and small mammals. When fall comes near, a black bear must eat large amounts of food in order to gain enough weight to keep them through winter hibernation. During hibernation when a little bit warmer weather comes near the black bear must awaken and take short excursions outdoors, so they can get a drink or some food. This is so the black bear will be able to go back to sleep easier. During hibernation a black bear will stay in a cave or some kind of stone formation. Usually it will be near a creek or stream. The area around the cave will usually have a lot of vegetation. If the cave does not have any water or food around it the black bear will try to find another place to sleep through the winter. That place will have plenty of food and water. During the short excursions outdoors during hibernation the bear looks for replenishments, this is why the bear must be near food and water (Rieffberger 8). A black bear’s habitat usually depends on two factors. One is vegetation and the other is human activity. A black bear usually is not picky about a place to stay if it has got food and is not too close to human activity. A dense forest under story, which includes brushy territory or a lot of downed trees, which fell due to the weather, usually characterizes a black bear’s habitat. Once spring starts coming around, black bears start emerging from their hibernation. They move around the area a lot, because they are looking for a new place which has good cover to stay under and a lot of vegetation a round (Rieffenberger 8). Black bears are becoming more and more of a problem. If people have garbage or food that they have thrown out, a black bear may come and get it. To keep a black bear out of the garbage, you need to get rid of th... ... are calm at most times and are only angered mostly by humans. Black bears usually breed in the spring and the young leave their mothers in the second summer of their life. Because of their endangered species status, the DNR have established sanctuaries protect black bears. In 1944, a black bear season was established. Only during this time could hunters kill black bears. Due to this new protection law, the black bear population began to rise. In the future, it will be a common sight to see a few black bears in your county. Works Cited Houchins, Stephen C, James E. Craft, and Jerry R. Duffield. Procedures for Handling Nuisance Bears. Wildlife Resources Section 1999 How to Avoid Bear Damage and Nuisance Problems. West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. 1996 Rieffenberger, Joseph C. et. al. West Virginia Black Bear. Wildlife Resources Division. 1981 U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. American Black Bear. 1994. 28 October, 1999. http://frogweb.nbii.gov/features/kidscorner/bbear.html/>   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. 1899 Black Bear Hunting Season. Wildlife Resources Section 1999.

Nathaniel Hawthorne :: essays research papers

Nathaniel Hawthorne The 19th century had many great achievements happen within its 100-year time period. From the building of the Erie Canal, to the steel plow being invented. From the invention of the telegraph, to Thomas Edison creating the first light bulb. While all of these inventions have stood the test of time, one has lasted just as long; the inspiring tales a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1804. His name by birth was Nathaniel Hawthorne. He added the w to his name when he began to sign his stories. ("Nathaniel Hawthorne" American Writers II) One of Hawthorne’s ancestors was actually a judge in the Salem witch trials. The guilt and shame Hawthorne felt of his ancestors were included in some of his stories. (McGraw Hill, pg.67) Hawthorne’s father was a sea captain. He died of fever when Hawthorne was only four. Shortly after his father’s death, his mother was forced to move her three children into her parent’s home and then into her brother’s home in Maine. Hawthorne’s childhood was not particularly abnormal, as many famous authors have claimed to have. Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College and graduated after four years. After graduation, he returned to Salem. Contrary to his family’s expectations, Hawthorne did not begin to read law or enter business, rather he moved into his mother’s house to turn himself into a writer. Hawthorne wrote his mother, "I do not want to be a doctor and live by men’s diseases, nor a minister to live by their sins, nor a lawyer and live by their quarrels. So, I don’t see that there is anything left for me but to be an author." (" American Writers II, pg. 227) For the next twelve years Hawthorne lived in his mother’s house. He Seldemly went out except late at night, or when going to another city. " I had read endlessly all sorts of good and good for nothing boo ks, and in dearth of other employment, had early begun to scribble sketches and stories, most of which I burned." Reflected Hawthorne. (McGraw Hill, pg.68) Hawthorne’s first novel, Fanshawe, was published anonymously in 1828 at his own expense. Because of a lack of sales, Hawthorne recalled every copy he could find of the book and destroyed them. When a local printer delayed publishing his Seven Tales of My Native Land, Hawthorne withdrew the manuscript and burned it " in a mood half-savage, half-despairing.

OSI Model :: essays research papers

To hell with the OSI 7 Layer Model Back in the 1980's, when all music sucked and men dressed like fags, a bunch of sissy Europeans got together in a passionate effort to overstandardize computer networking. They created this thing called the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) networking suite. Anyone who has taken a CS (Computer Science) or CIS (Computer Information Systems) course knows this; they cram this fact down the student's throat from day freaking one. It is only when the student enters the real world do they realise that the OSI seven layer model is a sham. First off, what the hell is any European organization doing dictating standards that have to do with computers or networking? (Well...besides that paradigm shifting Linux stuff and all that other huge shit) Hello! How many bleeding edge computer or networking innovations have we seen come out of the European continent? Are they even participating in this revolution? Part of this is not really directly their fault; it probably has something to do with the fact that a minimum of venture capital spent in Europe even goes into high tech; most of it goes into high fashion and entertainment instead. No wonder we booger eating Yanks think the Europeans are sissies. Hey, we may be pigs, but at least we are running the Internet. Nah nah na-na nah. Secondly, the seven layers proposed by OSI are completely out of touch with reality. The defacto networking standard is TCP/IP. TCP/IP is the grandaddy of XNS, IPX/SPX, Banyan, AppleTalk, and a host of other protocols and pre-dates that seven layer thing because it was funded by the largest organization in the world devoted to maintaining Eurocentric socioeconomic domination; the US Military. And for some reason, that makes it better. Yeah. And yet this seven layer curse won't go away. Companies still have staffs of Marketing inspired artists drawing up elaborate maps of how their protocol maps to the OSI Seven Layer Model. Sham! Its a sham I say! To hell with the OSI Seven Layer Model! To its credit, we have found that there are indeed a few things in this world that actually follow the seven layer model; but none of them have anything relevant to do with today's high tech world.

Ota Essay

The role of an Occupational Therapy Assistant is to help people participate in the things they want and need to do through a therapeutic use of activities. The function of the OTA is not limited to other duties such as preparing materials and equipment, collaborate with health professionals, evaluate progress and maintain records, and clerical duties. The OTA works closely with the Occupational Therapist to assist in the development of treatment plans, carry out routine functions, and direct activities. Occupational therapy is useful in many areas of functional life.Helping children in their school environment is one example. A program can be designed to enhance a student’s ability to access and be successful in the learning environment. Curriculum may include tuning fine motor skills, handwriting skills, organizational techniques, and classroom modification in conjunction with the teacher to ensure successful participation. Another area suited for occupational therapy would b e assisting the elderly. The OTA may assist with everyday functions such as dressing and grooming. Focus is to adapt the environment to fit the patient.This can increase the chances of remaining in the home. Adults with limited vision can maintain their independence and complete daily activities with the help of the OT and OTA. Daily tasks can include showering, dressing, cooking, shopping, managing finances, and mobility. As an Occupational Therapy Assistant, I believe I can care for others personally, medically, and emotionally. I will be a productive and effective part of the dynamics between the OT, myself as the OTA, and the patient to achieve the quality of life that is my responsibility to provide.I communicate clearly, have compassion and reasoning, and thrive to become a rehabilitation leader. I can perform independently under instruction, possess organizational skills, and have sense of priority. Being part of the academic system for the past three years has conditioned me to balance life and college responsibilities. My anticipation of entering into a medical health program, such as Occupational Therapy, has allowed me to make adjustments and preparations in my life.I feel that this is an appropriate time in my life to devote myself and become the medical professional I have always wanted to be. I chose to enter this profession because I feel that I can be a productive member of a team and provide physical rehabilitation to others in need. I have the capability to perform all the duties required of the OTA. My goal is to successfully complete the program and become an important part of someone’s life. Further education is a long term goal and am looking forward to starting this new chapter in my life.

Professional Issues in Nursing Essay

As a nurse, I make judgement that would affect patient’s health every day, I am aware that I have a great duty to ensure my patient’s safety to maintain the public trust (Chitty & Black, 2011). After learning this module, it helped me acquire adequate knowledge to better manage legal and ethical issues at work. For the sake of providing a high quality of care to my patients, I must be knowledgeable in both (Croke, 2003). Nowadays, the public is aware of legal issues and organized information is available through the internet. As a result, medical litigation claims have been rapidly increasing. Most claims against nurses are due to medical negligence (Tay, 2001). I am liable for my own practice, and if I fail to act as a reasonable prudent person in certain conditions, I may be liable for medical negligence (Chitty & Black, 2011). Research shows several errors leading to nursing negligence. For instance, a nurse fails to follow standards of care, fails to use equipment in a responsible manner, fails to communicate, fails to document, fails to assess and monitor and fails to act as a patient’s advocate (Croke, 2003). In 1998, Hurwitz states in order to prove medical negligence, the patient plaintiff must prove: The defendant nurse owned the plaintiff a duty of care and breached in this duty of care by failing to provide the required reasonable standard of care. Thus this breach of duty of care caused the plaintiff damage. I would like to discuss a case encounter in my practice for example to reflect my knowledge. A 55 year old patient admitted for chest pain and on telemetry monitoring. This patient requested for shower, a nurse removed his telemetry and was ask to assist the patient during shower, but the patient insisted to shower on his own. Then the nurse left the patient alone without instructing him to call for help if he felt any discomfort. After a while, the nurse went back to check, patient was found collapsed on the toilet floor. The issue that came across my mind is â€Å"If I am that nurse, am I negligent?† Learning point 1: Duty of care A patient went to the hospital and hospital is agreeable for patient’s treatment, there will be a contract between the hospital and patient. The hospital has the duty to provide quality treatment to the patient. Nurse as the employee, if he acts badly, it can be reasonably foreseen that the  patient may be injured. Therefore the nurse owes a duty of care in treating the patient (Staunton & Whyburn, 1996). In this scenario, I have a bond with my patient; therefore I owe a duty to provide reasonable and competent care to my patient (Hurwitz, 1998). Learning point 2: Standard of care The nursing standard of care is what the reasonably prudent nurse did in the same circumstances (Staunton & Whyburn, 1996). In Singapore, we have the standard of care and code of ethics for nurses and midwifes as our guideline for practice, it is our responsibility to follow the standard ( Singapore nursing board, 2011). In this case, the patient’s determination to shower without assistance, is his autonomy (Tay, 2001). According to value statement of code of ethics, I respected the patient’s individual needs and privacy, and also respected and promoted patient’s autonomy by allowing patient to do so (Singapore Nursing Board, 2011). In this case, there is a conflict between respecting patient’s autonomy and providing care in a responsible and accountable manner. I need to make a choice between two alternatives. There is no absolutely right or wrong decision (Keilman & Dontje, 2002). The decision made by me is to respect the patient’s autonomy, but this may violate the principle of non-maleficence as this decision of allowing patient to shower alone may delay the time to find out patient has collapsed, then it unintentionally caused harm, so I failed to provide in a responsible and accountable care (Chitty & Black, 2011). If I choose to provide care in a responsible and accountable manner, I should have insisted to accompany patient, but by doing so I may violate patient’s autonomy. According to standard of care of nurses and midwives, I should communicate with client effectively and provide appropriate information to the patient (Singapore nursing board, 2011). I should inform patient that he is on high risk of developing heart attack and shall be monitored closely. Failure to communicate effectively leads a breach of duty. Learning point 3: Avoid medical negligence To avoid medical negligence, I think the most important is to prevent the breach of duty of care. According to Bolam test, I will not breach the duty of care if I followed the standard of care (Hurwitz, 1998). In order to meet the standard of care, I need to be a knowledgeable and a safe practitioner,  be technically competent, and keep up-to-date with current practice (Chitty & Black, 2011). We must be familiarized with the standard in nursing practice. When we use them to guide our daily practice, we are acting in the best interest of the patient (Singapore Nursing Board, 2011). When you do decision making, ask yourself, â€Å"have you followed the standard of care?† Nowadays, â€Å"the nurses are also being encouraged to act as advocates for their patients, to safeguard standards of care and to speak out where those standards may be at risk.† (McHale & Tingle, 2001, p36). I think, our role as an advocate needs to improve, as nurses do not have the courage to interr ogate the doctor’s order. Clinical improvement If this scenario happens again, what do you think will help the patient? I feel there are some good strategies to adhere: Set hospital policy and educate the staff to provide comprehensive information (Chitty & Black, 2011), for example, they must understand that for clients on telemetry monitoring, patient should not be left alone. The patient must be warned that he is at risk of heart attack. To persuade patient for his desired action, and for his own safety, he should allow assistance. If patient is stubborn and insists to shower without supervision, delegate a staff to standby at the shower door, the hospital need to ensure adequate staff patient ratio (Chitty & Black, 2011). References Chitty, K. K., & Black, B. P. (2011). Professional nursing: concepts & challenges (6th ed.). Maryland Heights, Mo.: Saunders/Elsevier. Croke, E. M., (2003). Nurses, Negligence, and Malpractice. American Journal of Nursing, 103(9). 54-63. Retrieved from http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/journalarticle?article_id=423284 Hurwitz, B. (1998). Clinical guidelines and the law: negligence, discretion, and judgement. UK: Radcliffe Medical Press. McHale, J. V., & Tingle, J. (2001). Law and nursing (2nd ed.). Oxford: Butterworth/Heinemann. Singapore Nursing Board. (2011). Codes of Ethics & Professional Conduct. Retrieved from http://www.healthprofessionals.gov.sg/content/dam/hprof/snb/docs/publications/Code%20of%20Ethics%20and%20Professional%20Conduct%20%2815%20Mar%201999%29.pdf

Eid Alfter

Eid Al-Fitr Every country has some days which are celebrated by people, and they are called festivals. In fact, most festival days in the world come from religion. In Saudi Arabia, Saudi people celebrate in Eid Al-Fitr, which comes after month of Ramadan, which is the Muslims fasting. Indeed, people usually dress new clothes, do some celebration in the morning, and eat special food. First of all, as every festival in the world ,people wear traditional clothes .For example, in Saudi Arabia men wear thoub which is white length, loose garment with long sleeved , and they wear a square shaped cotton, and it is folded diagonally to from a triangular shape in their head called ghutra. Also, old women wear gold and darraa which is same as thoub but it has a lot of decoration, but the young women follow the fashion, so they wear modern clothes. I personally prefer to wear modern clothes such as: dress, skirt, pants and blouse. In fact, every one buys new clothes, even rich or poor people. Se condly, people prepare for the next day that is Eid Al-Fitr .In the morning women and men go to the mosque, for they pray and listen to the speech of the Imam. After that, they greet each other warmly from person to the next person. Also, they exchange greetings by hugging each other, shaking hands and passing blessing. Then, every family visits each other. For example, in my family, my father and my brothers go to my grandfather`s house to meet all my uncles and their children in the morning. However the women meet each other in the afternoon because they need a lot of times to prepare themselves.Also, every family gives the children money as a gift or some candy that’s called bonus. In addition, food is very important in every festival, but Saudi Arabia does not have special dishes in Eid Al-Fitr. Indeed, the most important meal in Eid Al-Fitr is breakfast because people did not eat breakfast all month of Ramadan. So, some families such as my family make breakfast in the st reet and all the neighbors share the food together. Also, every family should prepare one or more dishes. Usually they make a lot of desserts such as: baklava, coffee cake and kunafa.In conclusion, any culture has one or more festival days, and the most important festival in Saudi Arabia is Eid Al-Fitr which comes once a year. Indeed, Eid Al-Fitr comes from Islam religion. Also, the first person who celebrated Eid Al-Fitr was Prophet Mohammed (Peace be upon him) with his family and his friends after first Ramadan in the Islamic calendar. Also, he urged the people to wear new clothes and meet each other in that day. I think Eid Al-Fitr is wonderful day because every person becomes happy at the end of the day.

10 Steps to Writing a Succesful Book Report

10 Steps to Writing a Succesful Book Report A book report should contain the basic elements, but a good book report will address a specific question or point of view and back up this topic with specific examples, in the form of symbols and themes. These steps will help you identify and incorporate those important elements in a process that takes three to four days. How To Write a Book Report Have an objective in mind, if possible. Your objective is the main point you want to argue or the question you plan to answer. Sometimes your teacher will offer a question for you to answer as part of your assignment, which makes this step easy. If you have to come up with your own focal point for your paper, you may have to wait and develop the objective while reading and reflecting on the book.Keep supplies on hand when you read. This is very important. Keep sticky-note flags, pen, and paper nearby as you read. Dont try to take mental notes. It just doesnt work.Read the book. As you read, keep an eye out for clues that the author has provided in the form of symbolism. These will indicate some important point that supports the overall theme. For instance, a spot of blood on the floor, a quick glance, a nervous habit, an impulsive actionthese are worth noting.Use your sticky flags to mark pages. When you run into any clues, mark the page by placing the sticky note at the beginning of the relevant line. Mark everything that piques your interest, even if you dont understand their relevance. Note possible themes or patterns that emerge. As you read and record emotional flags or signs, you will begin to see a point or a pattern. On a notepad, write down possible themes or issues. If your assignment is to answer a question, you will record how symbols address that question.Label your sticky flags. If you see a symbol repeated several times, you should indicate this somehow on the sticky flags, for easy reference later. For instance, if blood shows up in several scenes, write a b on the relevant flags for blood. This may become your major book theme, so youll want to navigate between the relevant pages easily.Develop a rough outline. By the time you finish reading the book, you will have recorded several possible themes or approaches to your objective. Review your notes and try to determine which view or claim you can back up with good examples (symbols). You may need to play with a few sample outlines to pick the best approach.Develop paragraph ideas. Each paragraph should have a topic sentence and a sentence that transitions to the next paragraph. Try writing these first, then filling out the paragraphs with your examples (symbols). Dont forget to include the basics for every book report in your first paragraph or two. Review, re-arrange, repeat. At first, your paragraphs are going to look like ugly ducklings. They will be clunky, awkward, and unattractive in their early stages. Read them over, re-arrange and replace sentences that dont quite fit. Then review and repeat until the paragraphs flow.Re-visit your introductory paragraph. The introductory paragraph will make the critical first impression of your paper. It should be great. Be sure it is well-written, interesting, and it contains a strong thesis sentence. Tips The objective: Sometimes it is possible to have a clear objective in mind before you start. Sometimes, it is not. If you have to come up with your own thesis, dont stress about a clear objective in the beginning. It will come later. Recording emotional flags: Emotional flags are merely points in the book that bring about emotion. Sometimes, the smaller the better. For example, for an assignment for The Red Badge of Courage, the teacher might ask students to address whether they believe Henry, the main character, is a hero. In this book, Henry sees lots of blood (emotional symbol) and death (emotional symbol) and this causes him to run away from the battle at first (emotional response). He is ashamed (emotion). Book report basics: In your first paragraph or two, you should include the book setting, time period, characters, and your thesis statement (objective). Re-visiting the introductory paragraph: The introductory paragraph should be the last paragraph you complete. It should be mistake-free and interesting. It should also contain a clear thesis. Dont write a thesis early on in the process and forget about it. Your point of view or argument may change completely as you re-arrange your paragraph sentences. Always check your thesis sentence last.

Canadas Provinces and Territories

Canada's Provinces and Territories Canada is the worlds second largest country based on area. In terms of governmental administration, the country is divided into ten provinces and three territories. Canadas provinces differ from its territories because they are more independent of the federal government in their ability to set laws and maintain rights over certain characteristics of their land such as natural resources. Canadas provinces get their power from the Constitution Act of 1867. By contrast, Canadas territories get their power from the federal government of Canada. The following is a list of Canadas provinces and territories, ranked in order of the 2008 population. Capital cities and area have been included for reference. Canadas Provinces 1) Ontario Population: 12,892,787 Capital: Toronto Area: 415,598 square miles (1,076,395 sq km) 2) Quebec Population: 7,744,530 Capital: Quebec City Area: 595,391 square miles (1,542,056 sq km) 3) British Columbia Population: 4,428,356 Capital: Victoria Area: 364,764 square miles (944,735 sq km) 4) Alberta Population: 3,512,368 Capital: Edmonton Area: 255,540 square miles (661,848 sq km) 5) Manitoba Population: 1,196,291 Capital: Winnipeg Area: 250,115 square miles (647,797 sq km) 6) Saskatchewan Population: 1,010,146 Capital: Regina Area: 251,366 square miles (651,036 sq km) 7) Nova Scotia Population: 935,962 Capital: Halifax Area: 21,345 square miles (55,284 sq km) 8) New Brunswick Population: 751,527 Capital: Fredericton Area: 28,150 square miles (72,908 sq km) 9) Newfoundland and Labrador Population: 508,270 Capital: St. Johns Area: 156,453 square miles (405,212 sq km) 10) Prince Edward Island Population: 139,407 Capital: Charlottetown Area: 2,185 square miles (5,660 sq km) Canadas Territories 1) Northwest Territories Population: 42,514 Capital: Yellowknife Area: 519,734 square miles (1,346,106 sq km) 2) Yukon Population: 31,530 Capital: Whitehorse Area: 186,272 square miles (482,443 sq km) 3) Nunavut Population: 31,152 Capital: Iqaluit Area: 808,185 square miles (2,093,190 sq km) To learn more about Canada visit Canada Maps section of this website. Reference Wikipedia. (9 June 2010). Provinces and Territories of Canada - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provinces_and_territories_of_Canada

T.V the Greatest Invention Ever essays

T.V the Greatest Invention Ever essays The Great and Secret Show Television while not the greatest invention of the century has managed to make itself the most prevalent and powerful. Television has become not just a means of entertainment, but has become the chronicler of our times, the shaper of it. Mass media has proved itself the single greatest weapon, instrument of our age. It wins the war of hearts and minds. For more on this click here. I tend to as a whole see serious problems with mass media, how more and more the "truth" is brought to us by fewer and fewer companies. How more and more our choices are being made for us, our options distilled to us. Over 20 people ran for mayor in the last Baltimore City Election only three got any airtime, only three were distilled to the people as true contenders. An election before the election, where the media decides for you the eligibility of candidates. Needless to say the candidates without airtime were disadvantaged, they became non-entities, and whether their message was good or bad we'll never know. We'll never know. Democracy is not supposed to work like that. This is why the public needs greater access to mass media, to protect their rights, and as a counterpoint to corporate interests. I believe public access channels is a right, and it should be implemented better than it is, true across the board visibility alongside the commercial channels, we should have public access over the air, via cable, via satellite, digital spectrums should have been given to the public, rather than given away to corporations. I think when our age is weighed and the times are judged, we'll see that the loss of those digital channels will be the true crime of our age, the gross and blatant robbery of the American people, and our representatives, those who were supposed to defend our rights, and our liberties, rolled over like dogs for a bone. That having been said I believe television when done right can do so much good. It can bri ...

How to Look More Stylish At Work to Make a Great First Impression

How to Look More Stylish At Work to Make a Great First Impression It might sound shallow, but you really are judged on what you wear. So often the visual is the first impression that matters most when impressing clients or potential hirers. But even everyday work outfits can be the hardest to plan. Never fear! Here are a few suggestions for how to style your work look to put your best and most professional foot forwards of good textures to try include: leather, cotton, chiffon, silk, satin, and waxy coated fabrics.3. Get a good fit.Next time you’re clothes shopping or pruning back your wardrobe, try the following tricks. Check to see whether you can push your elbows back in a button-down shirt without buckling and gapping (no one at work wants to see your bra), and whether you can wedge a finger space into your waistband. Leave it on the rack if it isn’t special and doesn’t meet this criteria. And, most importantly, avoid anything that isn’t comfortable! And if a few wonderful things don’t fit you to a T- consider alterations.4. Spend more to get more.A few quality pieces can go a really long way. Invest in good examples of the following, and you’ll almost always have a mix-and-match outfit half ready to wear: a pair each of straight leg and skinny leg pants, a patterned knee length skirt, a plain black and plain white tank top underlayer (not too thin, not too strappy), a blazer, a great dress, a pair of multipurpose pumps, and one pair of comfy flats. Supplement with a few trendy things here and there, but don’t break the bank to get them. Try Target or Cue for these instead.5. Jazz it up.Jazz up your classic (or even downright boring) look with a single statement piece fun shoes, a bag, a fabulous necklace, interesting watch, or even lip or nail color. It’s all in the little deets.6. Mix business and casual.Turn a casual looking outfit: feminine top, structured trousers or jeans, jacket, and professional bag into something truly fierce with a pair of killer shoes. The shoes and quality of the bag (and structure/fit of the major pieces of the outfit) will sell it, even make you look relaxed, hypercompetent, and oh-so-chic.7. Go for the careless combo.Mix textures and shapes, fabrics, femme/masculine pieces, fits, etc. Sex up the shoes to sell this- even if that means a really nice pair of oxfords or brogues. Embrace your inner hipster.8. Femme it up.Go ahead and wear your chiffon dresses- just make sure the hem comes to your knees or lower, add a statement piece and/or a jacket or cardigan and a nice pair of shoes, and you can feel free to be your flowy, feminine self- even at work.9. Bring the edge.If you work in a creative field, you have the option of really playing with your textures and pieces and sexing up your wardrobe. Think chunky glasses, statement pieces, and trendy sneakers. The sky’s the limit, as long as you keep consistent with the brand you’re trying to build yourself.

Organization Questions on SAT Writing Tips and Tricks

Organization Questions on SAT Writing Tips and Tricks SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The SAT Writing and Language section tests you on where to place sentences within a paragraph and where to place paragraphs within a passage. You may not know exactly how to approach these questions if you've never encountered these types of questions on other tests. Fortunately, organization questions aren't overly difficult if you know how to recognize and approach them. In this article, I'll do the following: Explain the different types of organization questions on SAT Writing Provide a step-by-step approach to answering each type of organization questions Offer tips to help you answer organization questions on the SAT. Organization Questions on SAT Writing Organization questions ask where a sentence or paragraph should be placed within a passage. To correctly answer organization questions, you must understand the passage to ensure that each sentence and paragraph is logically connected. Generally, there are about 2-3 organization questions on SAT Writing. How to Identify an Organization Question Being able to identify an organization question will help you figure it out efficiently. Luckily, organization questions are easy to spot. Bracketed numbers in front of the sentences in a paragraph signal an impending sentence order question: Similarly, numbers at the top of each paragraph signal a paragraph order question: If you see numbered sentences or paragraphs in a passage, you know that an organization question is coming. Cupcakes and organization questions come in different types.(Hungry Dudes/Flickr) The 2 Types of Organization Questions Here’s how most organization questions will be phrased. Type 1: Sentence Order Questions Most sentence order questions will look like this: Or you might see a question that looks like this: For both types of questions, you have to determine where the sentence should be placed within the passage. Type 2: Paragraph Order Questions This what paragraph order questions look like: Like sentence order questions, paragraph order questions are pretty straightforward. You just have to select where a paragraph should be placed to make the passage most logical. Step-By-Step Approach to Answering Sentence Order Questions I’ll go through the step-by-step process for how to answer a sentence order question. Take a look at this question from a passage about video game designers: #1: Determine What the Question is Asking Read these questions carefully so you know what to look for and how to go about answering the question. In this question, we have to determine where sentence 5 logically fits in the paragraph. #2: Go Through the Answer Choices Go through the answer choices to determine the best placement for the sentence. Let’s look at our options: A. Courses in psychology and human behavior help you develop emphatic collaboration skills, while courses in the humanities, such as in literature and film, should give you the background necessary to develop effective narrative structures. A designer also needs careful educational preparation. B. A designer also needs careful educational preparation. A basic understanding of computer programming is essential. C. Consider taking some general computer science courses as well as courses in artificial intelligence and graphics in order to increase your understanding of the technical challenges involved in developing a video game. A designer also needs careful educational preparation. D. DELETED from the paragraph If you need more information to determine if a sentence logically fits in the paragraph, you can skim the paragraph plugging in each answer choice. #3: Eliminate Wrong Choices The right choice should logically follow the sentence before and connect to the following sentence. Answer choice A doesn’t work. The sentence before discusses specific educational preparation a designer needs. Then, the following sentence says that a designer also needs educational preparation. That doesn’t make much logical sense. Similarly, in answer choice C, the first sentence mentions specific courses a designer should take, and the following sentence states that a designer also needs careful educational preparation. Therefore, we can eliminate choices A and C. #4: Review the Paragraph With Your Remaining Choices to Determine What’s Most Logical In answer choice B, the paragraph starts with the sentence that a designer also needs careful educational preparation. The rest of the paragraph is about the education that a designer needs to be successful. That sentence is a good introduction for the paragraph, and the rest of the paragraph makes logical sense. In answer choice D, the paragraph starts by claiming that a basic understanding of computer science is essential, but the paragraph is about all the different types of courses that a designer needs. Answer choice B would give the paragraph the best introduction and make it most logical. The correct answer is B. Step-By-Step Approach to Answering Paragraph Order Questions Sentence order questions are much more common, but you may encounter a paragraph order question on the SAT. You’ll go through a similar process to determine where a paragraph best fits in the passage. Take a look at this paragraph order question: #1: Determine What the Question Is Asking The question is straightforward. Where should paragraph 2 be placed to make the passage most logical? Also pay attention to the wording in the answer choices. We want to select which paragraph to place paragraph 2 AFTER. #2: Determine the Main Idea of the Paragraph Knowing the main idea of the paragraph will help you decide where the paragraph should fit in the passage. Let’s take a look at the paragraph in this question: Often, the main idea of the paragraph can be found in the first or second sentences. This paragraph is discussing the details of an extravagantly decorated living room from the era of French king Louis XV. In a passage, each paragraph should connect to the next; therefore, the main idea of one paragraph should logically connect to the main idea of the paragraph that follows. #3: Go Through the Answer Choices Use the main ideas of the other paragraphs and the general structure of the passage to determine if it would be logical to place paragraph 2 after a certain paragraph. Here are the main ideas of the paragraphs in the answer choices: A. Paragraph 1 is about the narrator’s favorite exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago, which was one of its tiniest: the Thorne Miniature Rooms. B.Paragraph 3 provides a description of the exhibit, which features miniature rooms 1/12 their actual sizes. The rooms are from different regions and eras, from the 13th to the 20th centuries. C. Paragraph 4 opens by stating that the plainer rooms are not as well-furnished, and then describes one of these rooms. D. Paragraph 5 describes a couple of examples of the level of the detail of the furniture in these miniature rooms. It closes with a concluding statement that the narrator isn’t surprised by the level of detail given the exquisite craftsmanship he’s seen in this exhibit. #4: Eliminate Wrong Choices Remember that each paragraph should logically transition to the next paragraph. The original placement of paragraph 2 doesn’t make the most sense logically because it transitions from talking about ornately decorated rooms to a general overview of the exhibit in paragraph 3 to discussing the plainer rooms in paragraph 4. It makes more sense to have the paragraph about the ornate rooms right before the paragraph about the plainer rooms. Those two paragraphs are more logically connected. Therefore, we can get rid of answer choice A. Also, it wouldn’t make much sense to have paragraph 2 after paragraph 4, especially because there is no logical transition between paragraphs 3 and 4. Furthermore, paragraph 5 is the only paragraph that works as a conclusion and sums up the narrator’s fascination with the exhibit. It wouldn’t make sense to have a paragraph after that focusing on the details of a salon from the era of King Louis XV. We can get rid of choices A, C, and D. #5: Skim the Passage With the Answer Choice You Selected The right choice should logically follow the paragraph before and connect to the paragraph after. We’re left with answer choice B: paragraph 2 should be placed after paragraph 3. Paragraph 3 ends by stating that there are rooms from various eras; that logically transitions to the description of the ornate room from the era of King Louis XV. Also, paragraph 4 describes the plainer rooms; that paragraph logically follows the description of ornate rooms. The correct answer is B. 5 General Tips for Organization Questions Here are some important tips to follow for all organization questions. Read the Question and Answer Choices Carefully Make sure you know what the question is asking. Determine if it’s a sentence order or paragraph order question. Figure out what you should be looking for before you attempt to answer the question. Review All ofthe Answer Choices For organization questions, you need to look at the various options you’re given for where to place a sentence or paragraph. Try the various options to determine if all of the sentences or paragraphs would be logically connected. For paragraph order questions, identify the main ideas of the paragraphs. Eliminate Wrong Choices If an answer choice results in sentences or paragraphs that aren’t logically connected, eliminate that answer choice as an option. Wrong answer choices in sentence order questions will result in a paragraph that is confusing or doesn’t make logical sense. Wrong answer choices in paragraph order questions result in a passage in which the main idea of a paragraph doesn’t logically connect to surrounding paragraphs. Getting rid of obviously wrong answers will make your task of selecting the right answer easier. Make Sure That the Answer Choice You Pick Logically Follows What Comes Before and Connects to What Follows For all sentence and paragraph order questions, the correct answer has to make the most logical sense. Check the surrounding sentences or paragraphs to determine that everything is logical and coherent. Use Chronological Order for Help Sometimes, relying on chronological order can help you with organization questions. The first paragraph may describe an event from the beginning, and each following paragraph will describe the next thing that occurred. By paying attention to the sequence of events, you can organize the paragraphs correctly. Similarly, within a paragraph, identifying the order of events can help you organize the sentences. For example, you can't dry off before you get wet. If a sentence about drying off comes before a sentence about getting wet, you'll likely have to change the order of the sentences. What's Next? Organization questions are new to the SAT Writing section. Find out how else SAT Writing has changed. Transition questions are the most common on SAT Writing. Learn how to tackle these questions and improve your score. Finally, make sure you know the most important grammar rules for SAT Writing. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Writing and grammar lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Definition of Indefinite Article

Definition of Indefinite Article An indefinite article, called an  artà ­culo  indefinido  in Spanish, makes a noun refer to a nonspecific item or items of its class. In English, there are only two indefinite articles, a and an. In Spanish, there are four indefinite articles,  un, una, unos, and unas. Spanish and English have different grammatical rules concerning when indefinite articles  are needed or should be omitted. Agreement in Number or Gender Matters In Spanish, number and gender make a difference. Is the word plural or singular? Is the word masculine or feminine? The Spanish indefinite article must agree with the gender and number of the noun that follows it. Singular Forms of the Indefinite Article There are two singular indefinite articles, un and una, translating to a or an.  Un is used when referring to a masculine word, for example, un  gato,  meaning, a cat. Una is used before a feminine word, as in una persona, meaning, a person. Plural Forms of the Indefinite Article There are two plural forms of indefinite articles in Spanish, unos  and unas, translating to a few or some. Unos is masculine. Unas is feminine. In this case, the correct form to use depends on the gender of the word being described,  for example, She is reading  some  books, can be translated to be  Ella lee  unos  libros.  Although a female is reading the books, the word being described is libros, which is a masculine word, therefore, the article uses the masculine form of the word. An example of unas  being used in a sentence would be,  Yo sà © unas palabras  en  espaà ±ol,  which means, I know a few words in Spanish. Although the word some is considered an indefinite article in Spanish, the word some is not classified as an indefinite article in English. Some is considered as an indefinite pronoun or a quantifier in English. Exceptions to the Rule With every language, there will always be exceptions to the rule. When a feminine singular noun begins with a stressed  ,  a, or  ha, the masculine indefinite article is used instead of the feminine indefinite article to aide in pronunciation. For example, the word,  guila, meaning, eagle, is a feminine word. When referring to an eagle, instead of saying una  guila, which sounds clunky in pronunciation, the grammar rule allows a speaker to say un  guila, which has a smoother flow. The plural form remains feminine because pronunciation is not affected when a speaker says,  unas  guilas. Similarly, the Spanish word for ax is hacha,  a feminine word. A speaker would say, un hacha, as the singular form and  unas hachas as the plural form.

The myth of American Dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The myth of American Dream - Essay Example The American dream is that America is the land of opportunity that all can equally avail of; with immense possibilities and opportunities for upward mobility. It is closely related to the myth of meritocracy that those who work hard â€Å"will enjoy and profit from these opportunities† (Loupe & Ojeda 1). Thesis Statement: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the American dream, and the myths related to the concept. The American Dream The American dream includes not only the hope for a brighter future and a formula for success, but also knowledge of outcomes from the fulfillment of the dream. The outcomes include home ownership, improving life chances for children which is today denoted as sending them to college, â€Å"having a chance to get rich, and achieve a secure and comfortable retirement† (McNamee & Miller 9). The prospects for making the American dream come true have declined in recent years, leading to American workers feeling pessimistic about the futur e. Social Mobility and Economic Success The American dream of the promised land of opportunities denotes the possibility and opportunity for social mobility. Economic prosperity is considered to result in upward mobility, with inceasing income leading to a better position in society. Social and economic mobility are mutually related, and both are closely related to income. The American dream is mainly based on the promise of mobility in the economic ladder. According to Browne (p.1), â€Å"the ability of American families to move up or down the income ladder within a lifetime or from one generation to the next, is a unifying and core tenet of the American dream†. Since opportunity is a core element in social mobility and financial success, education is a determining factor for getting opportunities. â€Å"Education is often considered to be at the heart of the social class equation† (Steinberg 269). In a society that values and rewards knowledge and associates it with power, education plays a crucial role in achieving social and economic success. Individualism as the Basis of the American Dream The American dream is founded on an emphasis on the individual and on individualism. Significantly, individualism as the basis of the American dream is deeply rooted in the â€Å"religious, political, economic, and cultural experience of America as a nation of immigrants† (McNamee & Miller 4). Toqueville defines individualism as â€Å"a mature and calm feeling which disposes each member of the community to sever himself from the mass of his fellow creatures† (p.118). He particularly distinguished individualism from egotism; and linked individualism to equality and the absence of aristocracy. Thus, in America people were free to achieve, not through hereditary title, but on their own merit. Therefore the emerging concept of the American dream included both political freedom from tyranny, and also economic freedom to achieve success through one ’s own merits (McNamee & Miller 7). The Myth of the American Dream During the European colonization of America, the indigenous people of America were eliminated, displaced or assimilated, while the imported immigrants who formed other minority groups were exploited for their labor to â€Å"develop the vast resources of America, generate incredible wealth, build its infrastructure and establish cities, towns and industries that would be administered by the

Interaction and Memory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Interaction and Memory - Essay Example An excellent case is the New Cooper Union Building at 41 Cooper Square. Designed and completed back in 2009 by Thom Mayne, it promises to be one of the more popular landmarks of New York with its striking design and well-thought concept. Seen from afar, say from the Cooper Triangle Park, the New Cooper Union Academic Building poses a stark contrast to the old buildings and some forgettable edifices within the vicinity. One will be immediately arrested with its modern design, characterized by sleek and shiny glass materials that declare "contemporary" and the "future" in bold letters while depicting a seemingly humungous art element straight out of a Picasso canvas. The overall impression is a forward-looking, solid and imposing structure that is also a point of convergence and a mecca for creative thinking – all at the same time. Indeed, Mayne emphasized that "the building is conceived as a vehicle to foster collaboration and cross-disciplinary dialogue among the collegeâ€⠄¢s three schools, previously housed in separate buildings." (p. 96) In this respect, it appears that the building designer achieved his objective triumphantly, at least in the battle for perceptions. As an academic structure it successfully integrated the crucial functional elements with the aesthetic and most things in between in order to establish a conducive environment for learning with the limited resources (i.e. space) it has in its disposal. A fundamental characteristic of the building is the breaking of the hierarchy of circulation into a burst of open spaces that serve different purposes. There is the vertical circulation concept in addition to the spaces for different functions designed so that people can move through and interact with lectures and perform other social/learning activity that could change into a different experience once one transfers into another space or meet another or hold a different conversation. The key concept in the design is space. This is the el ement that holds all the other design considerations together such as the desire to enhance learning, the attempt at achieving freedom, collaboration and interaction. From the outside the view is welcoming because it communicates a degree of openness that comes with the visual transparencies and the accessibility of the building to visitors or those outside. A passerby, for instance, will have no difficulty or reservations entering since the entrance and the entire ground floor is seemingly connected to the external environs such as the street and the community it is in. â€Å"The facade registers the iconic, curving profile of the central atrium as a glazed figure that appears to the carved out of the 3rd Avenue facade, connecting the creative and social heart of the building to the street. â€Å"[Architecture and Urbanism 2010 page 96] Then the glass materials allow the exposure of the activities inside to those from without especially in the ground level Once inside, there is t hen the vertical 20-foot grand staircase that connects all the four stories, functioning as the central atrium at the same time. Those students streaming out of their classrooms, their lectures, the library, and from wherever else within, converge at this atrium/staircase. This is fundamental why

Shia Political Islam and Its Sunni Counterpart Essay

Shia Political Islam and Its Sunni Counterpart - Essay Example On the one hand, throughout the history writers of Shia and Sunni revealed different approaches to reading Quran and understanding what exactly a good society is. Even though both sects agree on three fundamental Islamic principles (monotheism, Day of Judgement, and parenthood), they use these prerequisites differently in explaining ordinary events that appeared after Mohammed’s life (Ameli and Malaei 32). As Ja’fari explains the term ‘Shi’a’, the essence of it refers to â€Å"followers, party, group, associates, partisans, or in rather looser sense, ‘supporters’† (6). In this situation, the word ‘mawla’ the Shia understand as leader and patron. Hence, the Shia believe that Imam Ali is a successor of Muhammed they should worship as an authority (Ameli and Malaei 23). On the contrary, the definition of ‘Sunna’ refers to nobility and high moral qualities (Ja’fari 9). For them, ‘mawla’ is a friend, or the nearest kin (Ja’fari 23). Thus, they think Muslims had selected the leader after Muhammed, Abu-Bakr, among themselves, which underlines his equal status with other Muslims. This preposition leads to higher level of tolerance and acknowledgement. For example, Sunni commentators of religious texts tend to include the wives of Prophet while referring to his relatives. In fact, this different attention to the details signalizes of different degree of patriarchy within families.In this situation, such generally unequal understanding of the balance of power should lead to contradiction between two branches.

Case Study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Research Paper - Case Study Example This was however, made beneficial by incorporating the conditions into the forecasts of exchange rates. The forecasts were readily available as they were within the contact of managers. The case was expanded by including annual exchange relationships, as well as potential political events that indicated relations with exchange rate behavior. Although the process may seem to distract students, the simplifications utilized were essential for the provision of a sufficiently detailed analysis. The process also included a keen focus on the beneficial techniques, as well as financial aspects included in the case. Some issues were however over looked although an individual who reviews the analysis would easily reincorporate them. Political contemplations principal to investments were also initiated in the process. This was to help meet the requirements of a vast customer. Capital budgeting is the main subject matter of this case in regards to a multinational organization. Rudimentary comprehension of basic techniques in capital budgeting is essential in evaluation of the case (Bierman, Harold & Smidt, p. 382). However, some issues require advanced knowledge to analyze and the present resolution of the case. Automotive Specialties, Incorporated (ASI) is a multinational holding company classified as a domestic division. It has been delegated the role of building a new plant in Mesa Verde, a small country in South America by its largest customer. Jamie Miles an Assistant treasurer at ASI did the analysis and forecasts of the customer’s proposal. Uncertainty of the investment was done in collaboration with Fujimora Transport though the investment value was not determined. The management of ASI needed to consider some of the customer’s motives prior to commitment of finances in the implementation of the project. This case indicates the fact that capital budgeting involving multinational organization is similar to the basic capital budgeting that students are

TLMT313 WEEK 7 FORUM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

TLMT313 WEEK 7 FORUM - Assignment Example The flow of goods includes both incoming goods and outgoing goods. Mr. Canil assures its global partners the supplies will arrive on time. Further, the PPG Industries manufacturing headquarters is strategically located in Pittsburgh, USA (PPG, 2014). The company’s products include paints, glass products, optical supplies, coatings, and fiber glass items. Mr. Camil monitors and resolves delivery bottlenecks and delays. Consequently, the goods arrive on time. Furthermore, the Supply Chain manager and other officers of PPG Industries responsibly implement global health, safety and quality standards (Smith et al., 2013). The same manager ensures the production process as well as the final products comply with all environmental protection standards. Similarly, the supply chain manager complies with the global safety health standards. The Pittsburgh Plate Glass (PPG) Industries continually sets into motion a feasible global supply chain management plan. The company’s global supply chain is grounded on complying with global health and safety standards. The same entity delivers high quality environmentally compliant supply chain products. Evidently, the Pittsburgh Plate Glass (PPG) industries company implements timely effective and efficient supply chain delivery

Annual Report for Firm F Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Annual Report for Firm F - Assignment Example There are a lot unmet vehicle needs in the market and Firm F aims at filling this market gaps in accordance to its available resources. Pricing strategy The company did not have a specific product strategy. However, customer based pricing and competition based pricing have been used for the past 5 years. Using the customer based pricing; Firm F has had the flexibility of charging different prices to its different customers which either fell or rose depending on the size of the customer’s wallet. The customer target for Firm F includes people of different sizes of wallet though they have a common need. Therefore, exceptionally high sticker price was tagged on each car after which information about a prospective buyer was collected to gauge how the buyer is price sensitive. If the prospective buyer as found to be price sensitive, a negation on the price was done otherwise, the car was sold at the price given on the sticker. High price for cars leads to high demand and high sales for these target groups. The vehicle industry is highly competitive and so Firm F had to use competition based pricing as its pricing strategy. In this strategy, the firm checked out on the competitor’s prices and then set the price of its cars about the same level or lower with the main of attracting more customers hence increased sales. The idea behind the use of this strategy is that when the price of the cars is set close to the price of the rivals, the firm does not risk losing its market share to its competitors. In future, the firm plans to use customer based pricing strategy as it is more profitable than the competition based strategy. Products strategy The firm did not have any specific product strategy. However, when the company started in the first period, it preferred to work on the up grading of its existing cars after which it launched another car named Falier in the second period. The firm has also three new cars during the last 2 to three periods and in betwe en the periods, the firm was busy trying to do minor and significant upgrades on its cars. Upgrading of the cars was a product strategy used by the company to improve the features of its cars in comparison with those of its competitors, and this mainly to avoid losing its market share to its rivals. In the beginning, Firm F had some cars like Fantasy, Fish and Fast which existed and later produced other cars like Flop, Farce, Fizzle and Falier. This product strategy was also aimed at meeting the tailored needs of its potential customers. The firm plans to continue producing new products in future to enhance its performance. The organization’s outlook and plan for the next 5 years Given its current customer segment, Firm F has a potential for growth. For example, it has a large customer base when it comes to enterprises. Enterprises have different needs when it comes to the variety of cars needs for its business operation. This is an opportunity for Firm F to design new produc ts which will suit the changing needs of its customers. Firm F has a capacity of increasing its production to meet the increasing needs of its products. When it comes to pricing, the competition based pricing may be a business threat. This is because other competitors may be using the same strategy hence reducing the price of their products below the new price set by the firm. At the end of the day, the firm may end up making losses. The fact that

Identifying the actors in the courthouse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Identifying the actors in the courthouse - Essay Example Prosecutors. The best to describe the role of the Prosecutor in the Courthouse is through the given definition of Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct in Rule 3. (a). It states that, â€Å"The duty of a public prosecutor or other government lawyer is to seek justice, not merely to convict.† To clear from common misconception, prosecutors are not performing the tasks of lawyers. In Berger vs. United States (1935), it was implied that United States Attorney is the one that is regarded as the prosecutor. His sovereignty is to govern impartially. Their main interest is not about winning but to serve justice in the case particularly a criminal case. Defense Lawyers. Defense Lawyers’ specialization is criminal defense. They are the lawyers who are hired to defend the defendants in criminal cases. The necessity of the Defense Lawyer is one of the approaches in order to put balance in the trial system so that sides of both defendant and victim will be served in the court by legal procedure. They are often maligned particularly in prominent criminal cases for defending criminals. (Pollack, 2009) Judges. Judges during court trial interpret the law, and assess the evidence being presented. Judges also have the control on how the court trial will be executed. Most importantly, they are the decision-maker to serve justice in the case. (CSCJA, 2006) Defendants. Defendant is a party who is obliged to answer the complaint of the claimant. Defendants are the ones who are accused of the crime or civil lawsuit before the court. Defendants are the one being tried for a crime that they are accused of. Victims. Victims are the complainant in a case court trial. They are the ones whose rights had violated by certain criminal acts courtesy of the defendants or by the suspect in criminal case. They are the ones who are seeking justice in a case or lawsuit by filing charges against the

Corporate theory and pratice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Corporate theory and pratice - Essay Example ther regulatory bodies therefore acted urgently initiating a raft of new amendments aimed at halting firms from concealing underperforming portfolios through ingenious accounting practices (Brodie, 2008). Consequently the IASB and the FASB issued amendments to IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement and IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures that permit the reclassification of some financial instruments and require consequential additional disclosures in respect of any reclassification made.   These amendments were issued to address the current market conditions and, due to its urgency, were issued without the normal due process  (IASB & FASB, 2009). The Financial Statement Presentation is one of the seven joint IASB and FASB financial accounting projects set to concluded by the year 2011 in three phases [See Table 1]. The main preposition was the introduction of a cohesive, disaggregated, and liquid and flexible. The FSP Discussion Paper (DP) – Preliminary views on Financial Statement Presentation is founded on three premises which require a presentation of the FSP in such a way that: ‘establish a standard that will guide the organization and presentation of information in the financial statements...the management of an entity communicates financial statement information to users of financial statements, such as present and potential equity investors, lenders, and other creditors...improve the usefulness of the information provided in an entity’s financial statements to help users make decisions in their capacity as capital providers.’ (IASB and FASB, 2009, Pg.1) The board’s primary intention is for firms to present a singular financial statement with the objective of enhancing the financial presentation model that is analogous and uniform hence decipherable to the users. The projected presentation model necessitates a firm to present the financial information in a way that depicts how it operates its business disengaged from data

How does Anzia Yezierska's fictional project support your theoretical Essay

How does Anzia Yezierska's fictional project support your theoretical text's arguments about the social construction of raci - Essay Example that caused disorder to the white racial identity. Racially homogenous areas became present yet did not explain all the compromise that caused the development of pan-European whiteness in the country to be accepted by white Americans. It also did not explain how these European groups acknowledged these spaces as crucial to their sense of belongingness in the country (Winant 8). In association to the above statements, racial formation views race as a debated subject of the creation of meanings and social signification level. It is not merely a field of debate and resistance at the social structure level. The former talks of the methods of representing and ethnically figuring the concept of race. It is about the manner in which race becomes a significant illustration of individual or group experiences, social issues, and identity. The latter discusses concerns such as the racial extent of laws, political systems, institutional measures, and social distribution and stratification. Omi a nd Winant theorizes that racial formation is an unending course wherein historically positioned developments intermingle: in the overlap, accommodation, debate, and collision of these developments, social institutions and structures, and human awareness and bodies are structured and represented (81). One may argue that in any historical development, racial formation and meaning cannot be separated. To give meaning to race, and then signify, understand, or even embody it is to both openly and unreservedly trace it in terms of social organization. This association between structure and culture gives racial developments their harmony and coherence, and serves as the foundation of the process of racial formation. Therefore, once it is believed that racial diversity is a matter of what one determines for oneself, or that race is a false relic beyond the state’s observation, or that the U.S. is a natural white man’s territory, what follows it are fitting social and economic programs and political orientation (Winant 45-47). In this view, Yezierska’s written works could be considered as the embodiment of racial formation and modernism. It can be seen as the writer’s ambivalent meeting with Hollywood’s market values and film mores. It can also be seen as a sample of emerging immigrant feminism. The book â€Å"Bread Givers† by Yezierska provides a good reading in researching the events of compromise between the native and immigrant whites in the 1920s. The names of places in this book are fictional, but the story itself was largely inspired by the life of the white, particularly Jewish, immigrants in New York. This novel provides a good narrative of the vast experiences and beliefs of the immigrants who served as the novel’s inspiration. In this novel, Sara Smolinsky, is the female main character that shows independence by making voicing out existential opinions and exercising free will. This was even before the emergenc e of the European whiteness phenomenon. On a personal note, this novel challenges the usual vast benchmark of what is normally associated with ghetto rustic. However, one could also see that this text of consolidated immigrant life during that era takes one to a journey to the ghetto setting while sticking to the intimate geographical and regional borders of the imagined milieu. The constant move of Sara within urban space is the novel’

Score Normalisation in Voice Biometrics (CASE STUDY) Essay

Score Normalisation in Voice Biometrics (CASE STUDY) - Essay Example Standardisations of score distributions include Z-norm, and T-norm. Score normalisation helps achieve separation between score distributions of known and unknown speakers. A reduction in equal error rate is achieved by the use of score normalisation methods. Speaker recognition is required in applications, such as operating in environments that are uncontrolled or while transmitting speech over communication channels. Speaker verification involves assessment of similarity scores between registered or unregistered users and reference models. The expectation is that verification scores should be high for true speakers and low for impostors. However, true speaker verification scores could be adversely affected by background noise, speech variations of the speaker, variations caused by the recording apparatus, and/or effects caused by the communication channel. Score distribution plots enable observation of true speaker scores and impostor scores relative to each other. Test utterances from true speakers and impostors obtained experimentally can be used to generate score distribution plots (see fig. 1). Since, there is an overlap between true and impostor score distributions, an acceptance threshold is chosen. The accuracy of verification process is directly proportional to the distance between the score distributions. Overlapping of score distributions could result in errors, such as false acceptances and false rejections. False acceptances involve accepting impostors as true speakers. False rejections involve rejecting true speakers. Adjusting the threshold could result in reduction of one type of error while increasing the other. This could be overcome by setting the threshold, so that the two error types are equal. This technique is known as the equal error rate (see fig. 2), where false acceptance rate is set equal to false rejection rate. Variations in speech characteristics are caused

Week 10 and Week 12 Discussions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Week 10 and Week 12 Discussions - Coursework Example The effect is increasing in investments diverted to other uses other than agriculture. Japan being a manufacturing country due to its enormous amount of industries, this has resulted to huge investments in industrial projects hence the main income generating that drives the economy of Japan. The Japanese word is used to mean ‘group’ in Japanese. In the business world, the word is used to refer to a partnership or other forms of alliances. The partners work closely to ensure that they all succeed in the invested business. Partners work towards a common goal and are all involved in making decisions concerning their organizations. The Japanese essentially operate in quite a different manner when compared to other countries. They often consider others first before considering themselves. The other countries like the U.S believe that it is better off to consider themselves first before giving others room. The main consequences felt while the Korean War was sexual harassment as the women were badly exploited during wartime. Those who protested against the government were killed hence their cases of the unjust murder were reported in Cheju Island. The Koreans were made to be dependent on nuclear bombs and have the largest amount of a nuclear bomb in South Korea. The Korean people and the land in general have been overexploited that there are many reported cases of pollution in the two states. Dams help in flood control as noted by the Chinese government. The harmful gas released to the atmosphere as sulphur dioxide is reduced by dams as they are absorbed. Helps in water storage and there is a forecasting by the Chinese people that waste water can be in future treated and stored in dams for future use. Where any dam is constructed there is pressure exerted on the natives to relocate from their land. Dams constructed alter the surrounding environment and worse off threatens the river’s wildlife. The weight exerted by huge dams

Corporate theory and pratice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Corporate theory and pratice - Essay Example ther regulatory bodies therefore acted urgently initiating a raft of new amendments aimed at halting firms from concealing underperforming portfolios through ingenious accounting practices (Brodie, 2008). Consequently the IASB and the FASB issued amendments to IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement and IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures that permit the reclassification of some financial instruments and require consequential additional disclosures in respect of any reclassification made.   These amendments were issued to address the current market conditions and, due to its urgency, were issued without the normal due process  (IASB & FASB, 2009). The Financial Statement Presentation is one of the seven joint IASB and FASB financial accounting projects set to concluded by the year 2011 in three phases [See Table 1]. The main preposition was the introduction of a cohesive, disaggregated, and liquid and flexible. The FSP Discussion Paper (DP) – Preliminary views on Financial Statement Presentation is founded on three premises which require a presentation of the FSP in such a way that: ‘establish a standard that will guide the organization and presentation of information in the financial statements...the management of an entity communicates financial statement information to users of financial statements, such as present and potential equity investors, lenders, and other creditors...improve the usefulness of the information provided in an entity’s financial statements to help users make decisions in their capacity as capital providers.’ (IASB and FASB, 2009, Pg.1) The board’s primary intention is for firms to present a singular financial statement with the objective of enhancing the financial presentation model that is analogous and uniform hence decipherable to the users. The projected presentation model necessitates a firm to present the financial information in a way that depicts how it operates its business disengaged from data

Score Normalisation in Voice Biometrics (CASE STUDY) Essay

Score Normalisation in Voice Biometrics (CASE STUDY) - Essay Example Standardisations of score distributions include Z-norm, and T-norm. Score normalisation helps achieve separation between score distributions of known and unknown speakers. A reduction in equal error rate is achieved by the use of score normalisation methods. Speaker recognition is required in applications, such as operating in environments that are uncontrolled or while transmitting speech over communication channels. Speaker verification involves assessment of similarity scores between registered or unregistered users and reference models. The expectation is that verification scores should be high for true speakers and low for impostors. However, true speaker verification scores could be adversely affected by background noise, speech variations of the speaker, variations caused by the recording apparatus, and/or effects caused by the communication channel. Score distribution plots enable observation of true speaker scores and impostor scores relative to each other. Test utterances from true speakers and impostors obtained experimentally can be used to generate score distribution plots (see fig. 1). Since, there is an overlap between true and impostor score distributions, an acceptance threshold is chosen. The accuracy of verification process is directly proportional to the distance between the score distributions. Overlapping of score distributions could result in errors, such as false acceptances and false rejections. False acceptances involve accepting impostors as true speakers. False rejections involve rejecting true speakers. Adjusting the threshold could result in reduction of one type of error while increasing the other. This could be overcome by setting the threshold, so that the two error types are equal. This technique is known as the equal error rate (see fig. 2), where false acceptance rate is set equal to false rejection rate. Variations in speech characteristics are caused