Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy Essay -- Biology Biological Essays

Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy Olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA) was first described in 1900 by Dejerine and Thomas. OPCA is a group of dominant inheritance and sporadic neurological disorders characterized by a chronic, progressive, cerebellar ataxia that begins in middle age. The cerebellum and its connections are the primary sites of the disease in chronic progressive disorders that often occur in familial or hereditary patterns. Postmortem studies indicate an atrophy of the cerebellum, pons, and inferior olives. This neuropathological neuronal cell loss permits classification of OPCA as a non-Alzheimer’s neurodegenerative illness. Gross postmortem inspection of the brains of patients with OPCA shows marked shrinkage of the ventral half of the pons, and disappearance of the olivary eminence on the ventral surface of the medulla. These brains also exhibit an atrophy of the cerebellum with degeneration of the middle cerebellar peduncles, and to a lesser extent, of the inferior peduncles. Thus, the cerebellum suffers mainly through atrophy of its afferent fibers. The neocerebellum and the olive undergo the primary degeneration. The purkinje cells of the cerebellar cortex are affected secondarily. Histological examination shows severe degeneration of Purkinje cells, reduction in the number of cells in the molecular and granular layers of the cerebellar cortex, severe loss of the number of cells in the pontine nuclei and olives, and demyelination of the middle cerebellar peduncle. The cerebellar nuclei are well preserved. The tegmentum of the pons, the corticospinal tracts, and the restiform body are also usually unaffected. In clinical cases involving extrapyramidal symptoms, degenerative changes in the striatum, espec... ...s Elevated in Brain of Patients with Dominantly Inherited Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy. Neuroscience Letters (submitted publication). Kish, Stephen J. et al : Brain Amino Acid Abnormalities in Dominantly Inherited Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy. Revised manuscript in preparation for resubmission to J. Neurochemistry. Kish, Stephen J. et. al. Cognitive Deficits in Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy: Implications for the Cholinergic Hypothesis of Alzheimer’s Dementia. Annals of Neurology: 24 (2), 200-206, 1988. Rowland, Lewis P. (ed.): Merritt's Textbook of Neurology, eighth edition. Lea and Febiger. Philadelphia, 1959, pp. 630--631. Snell, Richard S: Clinical Neuroanatomy for Medical Students. Little, Brown, and Company, Boston, 1957, pp. 220--222. Walton, Sir John. Brain's Diseases of the Nervous System. Oxford University Press. New York, 1955, pp. 365. Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy Essay -- Biology Biological Essays Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy Olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA) was first described in 1900 by Dejerine and Thomas. OPCA is a group of dominant inheritance and sporadic neurological disorders characterized by a chronic, progressive, cerebellar ataxia that begins in middle age. The cerebellum and its connections are the primary sites of the disease in chronic progressive disorders that often occur in familial or hereditary patterns. Postmortem studies indicate an atrophy of the cerebellum, pons, and inferior olives. This neuropathological neuronal cell loss permits classification of OPCA as a non-Alzheimer’s neurodegenerative illness. Gross postmortem inspection of the brains of patients with OPCA shows marked shrinkage of the ventral half of the pons, and disappearance of the olivary eminence on the ventral surface of the medulla. These brains also exhibit an atrophy of the cerebellum with degeneration of the middle cerebellar peduncles, and to a lesser extent, of the inferior peduncles. Thus, the cerebellum suffers mainly through atrophy of its afferent fibers. The neocerebellum and the olive undergo the primary degeneration. The purkinje cells of the cerebellar cortex are affected secondarily. Histological examination shows severe degeneration of Purkinje cells, reduction in the number of cells in the molecular and granular layers of the cerebellar cortex, severe loss of the number of cells in the pontine nuclei and olives, and demyelination of the middle cerebellar peduncle. The cerebellar nuclei are well preserved. The tegmentum of the pons, the corticospinal tracts, and the restiform body are also usually unaffected. In clinical cases involving extrapyramidal symptoms, degenerative changes in the striatum, espec... ...s Elevated in Brain of Patients with Dominantly Inherited Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy. Neuroscience Letters (submitted publication). Kish, Stephen J. et al : Brain Amino Acid Abnormalities in Dominantly Inherited Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy. Revised manuscript in preparation for resubmission to J. Neurochemistry. Kish, Stephen J. et. al. Cognitive Deficits in Olivopontocerebellar Atrophy: Implications for the Cholinergic Hypothesis of Alzheimer’s Dementia. Annals of Neurology: 24 (2), 200-206, 1988. Rowland, Lewis P. (ed.): Merritt's Textbook of Neurology, eighth edition. Lea and Febiger. Philadelphia, 1959, pp. 630--631. Snell, Richard S: Clinical Neuroanatomy for Medical Students. Little, Brown, and Company, Boston, 1957, pp. 220--222. Walton, Sir John. Brain's Diseases of the Nervous System. Oxford University Press. New York, 1955, pp. 365.

An Icon in the Window - An original biography on Bill Gates :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What does it take to become a cultural icon? Through the perspective of the world today, just a few of the basics might be fame, power, IQ, and enough motivation to utilize it all. But did we forget something? Perhaps. How about all of that, and also enough money and power gobble up any and every company that may stand in your way? This is especially true if you happen to be the CEO of an $18-million company called Microsoft, and even more so if you bare the name â€Å"Bill Gates† on your VISA card.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mr. Gates began his life in Seattle, Washington. He was born on the 28th of October in 1955. Being the middle child in his family, he found himself often working by his lonesome due to his differing interests from his siblings. As a boy, he was sent to Lakeside School; an all-boys prep school. Seemingly though, not even 40 years ago was the world safe from his genius, being that the school’s mini-computer was Bill’s primary source of amusement. It was at Lakeside that he first learned how to ‘hack’ code and write programs. In fact, his first program was not anywhere close the eloquent interfaces of Word 97, Encarta, or Windows. No fancy-shamncy monitor. Not even a keyboard or mouse. It was a tic-tac-toe game where he and other classmates would flip switches and wait for minutes to get the computer’s output. Nonetheless, everyone must begin somewhere, and it was here that it all started.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In his later school years, Gates met Paul Allen, and the two co-founded what would eventually become Microsoft. The dynamic duo’s first commercially-based job was to write up a program to manage payroll services. This first job worked out so well, that Gates and Allen later formed a pint-sized company called â€Å"Traf-O-Data† which studied traffic patterns for small towns around Seattle. Microsoft was slowly taking it’s first baby steps into the technology business.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gates was 19 when he graduated from high school and went on to Harvard. There he kept working with Paul Allen night and day in their dorm room to create one of the first micro-processors that would run the latest in computer technology: software. The computer was known as the MITs Altair, and was the first computer to be accompanied by the BASIC computer programming language, as well as Intel’s 8088 8 KHz processor.

Lrc Paper

1. What are the three ways that students may receive counseling services through the LRC? You can receive counseling from the student center in three different ways- over the phone, in person and online through their online counseling center. 2. What heading are the Health Tools and Health Challenges found under? Health tool and Health challenges can be located under the â€Å"Thriving† heading. 3. Where is the Assess Your Health tool located?To access â€Å"Assess Your Health† tool you go to thriving, then to health tool and assess health tool is located to the right of the page. 4. What are the five categories on the Live Healthy Page? The five categories are How healthy are you, lifestyle change, physical fitness, prevention and screening and lastly tips for healthy living. 5. Where can resources and articles about good nutrition be found on the LRC? Information about good nutrition can be found under healthy eating located in the thriving tab. . What are three of th e health topics that can be found on the LRC? There are many health topics on LRC but three of them are â€Å"action items to lower your blood pressure, action steps for sun protection, and kids in action. 7. What are two categories found under the Medical Care heading? Two categories found under medical care heading our medical and dental care. 8. Where on the LRC would a person find information on addiction and recovery?To find information on addiction and recovery you would go to the Balancing tab and it will be located at the very bottom labeled â€Å"Addiction and Recovery†. 9. Where on the LRC would a person find information about health issues related to aging? You would locate the aging tab and then select Health and there is a lot of information related to health and aging. 10. What are three psychosocial health topics that are available on the LRC? Under balancing and relationships there’s many categories that cover psychosocial health like friendships, rela tionships and divorce.

Boston Beer Analysis

Matthew Schreck Management 511: Financial Decision Making Boston Beer Company April 18, 2013 Amelia Drobile Boston Beer Company History and Financial Position Boston Beer Company (SAM) is a brewery in Massachusetts most commonly known for its Samuel Adams line of â€Å"craft† beers. The Samuel Adams line of beer was introduced in 1985. Since then the company has grown to do over 580 million dollars in revenue each year. 580 million is a very small piece of the food and beverage industry but the amount of shareholder wealth they are providing is impressive.Boston Beer Company has been named one of the top publically traded businesses to watch in 2013 by Forbes. Boston Beer Company is actually part of two markets. In the overall U. S. Beer market they have a mere one percent of the market. However, they own 22% of the craft beer market. In their industry, 66% of those competing in the craft brew market are brewpubs, which generally do not do mass distribution giving Boston Beer Company an edge. (Smith, 2011) Boston Beer Company has one major difference from its competitors. The company has no debt.The entire company runs on cash even though they have a 50 million dollar line of credit available to them, which they have never used. The company purchased Diageo’s Pennsylvania Brewery in June of 2008 for 55 million dollars cash so that they could produce 100% of their product without having to subcontract larger orders out. Boston Beer Company is capitalized with no bonds or preferred stock, only 13. 6 million shares of common stock. (Smith, 2011) Boston Beer Company’s cost of capital is 6. 60% since their weighted cost of equity is 6. 60% and their weighted cost of debt is 0. 00%. Market Grader Inc. , 2013) Price to Revenue Ratio (Price to Sales) Boston Beer Company’s price to revenue ratio (TTM) is 3. 54 The price to revenue ratio is usually applied in place of the price to earnings ratio. This ratio is usually applied to companies with in the same industry, however it excludes debt and expenses so the information the ratio provides is limited. Price to Cash Flow Ratio The current price to cash flow ratio for Boston Beer Company is 25. 76. The price to cash flow ratio is used to evaluate the price of a company’s stock as compared to the amount of cash flow it generates.The price to cash flow ratio is important for one main reason, it allows the comparison of companies from different jurisdictions because it removes depreciation (which may vary by country) and other non-cash factors. Therefore, it would allow an investor to compare Boston Beer Company’s stock to that of AB InBev along similar financial values. Price to Book Ratio (MRQ) The price to book ratio for Boston Beer Company is 8. 34. The price to book ratio measures a company’s market value in comparison to its book value.The price to book ratio indicates whether or not a company’s asset value is comparable to the market price of it’s stock. Because the price to book ratio for Boston Beer Company is well over one it may be an indicator that the stock is overvalued. An over valued stock for Boston Beer Company could imply the rapid decline in stock value in the near future, especially since the stock has climbed almost 25% in the last quarter alone. With the book value ratio as high as it is, a drop in stock price seems likely in the near future. Current Ratio (MRQ) Boston Beer Company’s current ratio is 1. 83.Current ratio is defined by a company’s current assets divided by is current liabilities. A company’s current ratio is a liquidity ratio that measures a company’s ability to pay short-term obligations. This ratio also takes into account inventory as current assets, although it may easily be converted into cash quickly. Because Boston Beer Company’s ratio is well over one, it means they have the assets and cash flows available to pay off any immediate debt shoul d it be made due. The company’s amount of inventory provides a great deal of assets that makes the company much more liquid when this formula is used.Quick Ratio (MRQ) The quick ratio for Boston Beer Company is 1. 33. A company’s quick ratio is an indicator of a company’s short-term liquidity. This ratio is a more conservative form of the current ratio because it does not take into account inventory of the company when determining its current assets. Boston Beer Company still has a favorable ratio well above 1. 0. While their current ratio is much better with all the inventory, Boston Beer Company is still a reliable company that can pay off its short term debts if need be. Measuring ReturnsPrimary Stakeholders Boston Beer Company has five primary stakeholders within company, Martin F. Roper (President and CEO), C. James Koch (Founder and Chairman), William F. Urich (CFO and Treasurer), John C. Geist (Vice President of Sales), and Thomas W. Lance (Vice President of Operations). Of the five of them C. James Koch holds more than 34% of the shares and is the sole holder of the class B common stock that gives him the right to appoint five of the eight members that are chosen to be on the board as seen in the following quote from the 2013 Proxy Statement. At the Annual Meeting you will be asked to elect three Class A Directors and cast an advisory vote on executive compensation. As the sole holder of Class B Common Stock, I will elect five Class B Directors and cast a vote to ratify the selection of our independent registered public accounting firm. † (Boston Beer Company, Inc. , 2013) While Koch may have stepped down from CEO in 2001 he has maintained a great interest in his company and has positioned himself to have great control over the Company with his position as Chairman of the Board.His actions and goals are seen laid out in all of the company’s press releases and the company is continuing to be grown and maintained the sam e as it always has been with the exception of Boston Beer Company running its own breweries instead of subcontracting out their orders. Capital Budgeting Boston Beer Company runs just like any cash business. They have no money tied up in debt and any investment they make is paid for in cash. There is an upside and downside to this method of running a company.On the upside, the company is very liquid, meaning they can pay for most investments on the spot without accruing any debt. However, no debt might deter some investors from buying into the company. Having no debt throws off a company’s ratios in comparison with other companies within the industry and can make it difficult for investors to trust in the company. A typical investment for Boston Beer Company would be opening a new brewery or purchasing an existing one to help the company keep up with the demands for their products.The acquisition of the Diageo brewery 60 miles outside of Philadelphia in 2008 was the companyâ €™s most recent investment. Since the purchase, Boston Beer Company has been pouring tens of millions of dollars into the facility that used to employ 220 people to make Smirnoff and now employs 260 people to brew Sam Adams. â€Å"Boston Beer's Breinigsville facility employs 260, up from 220 workers when the plant was purchased from Diageo. † (Richardson, 2012) Boston Beer Company now has three breweries.They are located in Cincinnati, Ohio, Breinigsville, Pennsylvania, and Boston, Massachusetts. Boston Beer Company has been weary to invest in the western half of the U. S. because they believe the craft beer market is oversaturated and they will not have much success, however, some market specialists believe they should do a trial batch with a brewery in the western market and measure real results. The only real measure of value for Boston Beer is the volume being sold. Boston Beer used to lease brewery locations in order to brew according to their demand.Within the last five years the demands for craft beers have grown significantly especially among the younger alcohol consuming demographic that is looking for something more the generic beer taste of the three big beer companies, Anheuser Busch InBev, MillerCoors, and Pabst. Boston Beer Company no longer has the need to lease other breweries after the purchase of the Diageo brewery. Now that they have the capacity to brew their own beer and staff accordingly Boston Beer Company has not only added value to the company, but have positioned them self to expand as the demands for their products continue to increase.The only place that Boston Beer Company seems to be struggling with is the money that they are leaving sit idle. While the company is very profitable and is run as a cash business, some of their cash flows could be invested to generate a better return than they are currently getting. Strategy and Governance The Boston Beer Company is currently governed by a board consisting of eight members. The board consists of C. James Koch, David A. Burwick, Pearson C. Cummin III, Cynthia A. Fisher, Jay Margolis, Martin F. Roper, Gregg A. Tanner, and Jean-Michael Valette.The board has a committee that reviews the current members of the board at least annually and determines what characteristics and skills should be sought in new board members to be elected. Board members for the Boston Beer Company board members are asked to limit the number of boards they are on in order to keep them focused. â€Å"The Chairman of the Board and the Chairman of the Nominating/Governance Committee should be advised in advance of a director’s intention to accept an invitation to serve on another board† (Boston Beer Company, Inc. , 2013) ManagementBoston Beer Company’s executives have deep roots within the company. C. James Koch founded the company in 1984 and was Chief Executive Officer up until 2001 when he stepped down and became Chairman of the Board. Martin F. Roper the Presi dent and Chief Executive Officer replaced C. James Koch as CEO in 2001. Martin F. Roper has been with the company since 1994 when he was hired as Vice President of Operations. In 1997 he became Chief Operating Officer and in 1999 he became the President of Boston Beer Company. William F. Urich is the CFO and Treasurer since 2003. Before joining Boston Beer Company Mr.Urich served as Vice President of Finance and Business Development for United Distilleries & Vinters from 1998 to 2000. From 2001 to 2003 Mr. Urich was Chief Financial Officer for Acirca, Inc. John C. Geist, the Vice President of Sales has been with the company since 1998 when he was first brought on as the National Sales Manager. He was made Vice President of Sales in February of 2007. David L. Grinell has been the Vice President of Brewing since 2008. Prior to that he started working as the Manager of Brewing Operations in 1988 before being promoted to Director of Brewing and Quality in 2001.The Vice president of Oper ations, Thomas W. Lance, joined the company in 2007 after leaving the Executive Vice President of Operations position at Ken’s Foods. A position which he held for five years. Ai-Li Lim is the Vice President of Human Resources. She joined the company in February of 2012 after leaving Vistaprint USA, Inc. as Senior Director of Human Resources. Robert P. Pagano, the Vice President of Brand Development joined the company in 2011. Prior to joining Boston Beer Company Mr. Pagano was the Managing Director at the brand strategy firm, Red Sky Insights, LLC, for five years. Kathleen H.Wade is the Vice President-Legal and Corporate Secretary. She joined the company in 1999 as Corporate Legal Director and Corporate Secretary. She became Secretary of the company in 2010 and was appointed to the vice president position in 2012. Average Ceo Compensation In This Industry Industry Range Salary686. 8K Bonus871. 2K Total Short Term Compensation1. 0M Total Value of Options4. 9M Key Executive Com pensation Boston Beer Company, Inc. SAM Name/Title 20082009201020112012 Key Executive Compensation10,037,7063,868,6674,181,5019,897,5693,718,707 Martin F. Roper/President and Chief Executive Officer ,415,9181,049,3031,094,238933,8181,052,493 William F. Urich/Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer 834,313766,768938,3183,437,998599,363 C. James Koch/Chairman of the Board 589,496546,005836,895754,163817,949 Thomas W. Lance/Vice President, Operations 449,636858,643479,857693,401721,454 John C. Geist/Vice President, Sales 748,343647,948832,1934,078,189527,448 *A publicly-traded company is only required to disclose information concerning the amount and type of compensation paid to its CEO, CFO, and the three other most highly compensated executive officers in a given year.Information about compensation for these individuals may be unavailable in prior years if they were not in their current roles or did not qualify as among the most highly compensated officers at the time. (MorningStar, 20 13) For the most part Boston Beer Company pays below the industry average with the exception of the executive bonuses that certain members of upper management received for reaching certain sales goals. Boston Beer Company is not nearly as large as the other beer conglomerates so it is expected that their executive compensation would be to scale.Corporate Social Responsibility Boston Beer Company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) is heavily mandated by the government. Because they deal in the alcoholic beverage industry there are numerous amounts of taxes and laws restricting their advertising and sales. â€Å"The alcoholic beverage industry is regulated by federal, state and local governments. These regulations govern the production and distribution of alcoholic beverages, including permitting, licensing, marketing and advertising, distributor relationships, sales, environmental, and occupational health and safety issues.To operate its breweries, the Company must obtai n and maintain numerous permits, licenses and approvals from various governmental agencies, including the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, the Food and Drug Administration, state alcohol regulatory agencies and state and federal environmental agencies. † (Boston Beer Company, Inc. , 2013) Growth and Opportunity Boston Beer Company has grown significantly in the last decade. It has grown organically through increasing sales and demand from their marketing campaigns.It has also grown a great deal through acquiring two more breweries, one in Ohio and one in Pennsylvania in addition to the original Massachusetts brewery. Boston Beer Company is known primarily for its Samuel Adams line of â€Å"craft† beers however they also compete in other segments of the alcoholic beverage industry for those that don’t prefer beer. Boston Beer Company also makes Twisted Tea and Angry Orchard Cider. The concept of making several types of beverages allows Boston Beer Company to be more diversified and attract more sales by appealing to a larger demographic by providing a wider selection of products.Boston Beer Company has what most market analysts would call a â€Å"niche market†, meaning they will never produce a large scale generic beer like the big three beer companies (Anheuser Busch InBev, Miller, and Coors). So the need to diversify is not a necessity for survival or growth for the Boston Beer Company. Of the three major lines of alcoholic beverages the company produces, there are 56 varieties of them combined. Boston Beer Company essentially has it’s own market because 66% of their competitors are brewpubs that do not mass distribute. The only thing limiting Boston Beer Company other than its sales are it’s distribution network.Since the firm operates entirely on cash the value of the company has skyrocketed. Boston Beer Company has plenty of capital to reinvest in itself and increase shareholder wealth all while maintaining a balance sheet with minimal debt. Boston Beer has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade, which is reflected by their total sales, volume of product produced (measured in barrels), and price per share, which is currently leveling out around $166. 00 per share. While companies like Anheuser Busch InBev have a much larger market cap (157. 93B) compared to Boston Beer Company (2. 1B), Anheuser Busch InBev’s price per share is only $98. 78. The overall value to the shareholders for Boston Beer Company is much greater because of the way the business operates and finances its investments. The company finances everything without debt controlling the company’s resources carefully and allowing rapid growth. Boston Beer Company will be one of the premiere firms to watch over the next decade to see how they will combat the much larger competitors within the industry as they try to compete in the craft beer market. References Smith, B. (2011, August 30). Buffett-Munger S creener Highlight – Boston Beer Company (Sam).Retrieved from Guru Focus website: http://www. gurufocus. com/news/144123/buffettmunger-screener-highlight–boston-beer-company-sam Market Grader Inc. (2013, March 30). Boston Beer Co. , Inc.. Retrieved from Market Grader Inc website: http://www. marketgrader. com/MG. Services/servlet/pdf. PDFServer? ticker=SAM Boston Beer Company, Inc. (2013). Proxy Statement 2013. Retrieved from Boston Beer Company website: http://www. bostonbeer. com/phoenix. zhtml? c=69432&p=irol-overview Richardson, T. (2012, January 27). Boston Beer pouring millions into Lehigh Valley. Retrieved from The Morning Call Website: http://articles. mcall. om/2012-01-27/business/mc-allentown-boston-beer-20120127_1_craft-beers-samuel-adams-beer-yuengling Boston Beer Company, Inc. (2013) Corporate Governance Guidelines. Retrieved from Boston Beer Company website: http://www. bostonbeer. com/phoenix. zhtml? c=69432&p=irol-governance MorningStar. (2013, April 18) . Boston Beer Company, Inc. Class A (SAM). Retrieved from MorningStar website: http://insiders. morningstar. com/trading/executive-compensation. action? t=SAM Boston Beer Company, Inc. (2012) 10-K Annual Report 2012. Retrieved from Boston Beer Company website: http://www. bostonbeer. com/phoenix. zhtml? c=69432&p=irol-overview

Religious Views on War Essay

1. To complete this Graded Assignment, retrieve the Religious Views on War DBQ. Use this document with its essay instructions and the DBQ Checklist to complete this DBQ essay. Please consult the rubric throughout the process. Using the documents, compare the views of major world religions on war. What additional kind of document(s) would you need to compare the views of major world religions on war? Essay: Three major world religons have their roots in India: Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism. Buddhism and Sikhism both grew from Hinduism. All three share the idea of non-violence (ahimsa). The term ‘non-violence’ was actually coined in English (about 1920) by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) as a direct translation of ‘ahimsa’, ‘avoiding harm to others’. The idea of non-violence was very important to Mahatma Gandhi’s thinking and actions as a Hindu leader during India’s approach to independence in 1947. He wrote: ‘I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent Hinduism is perhaps the oldest world religion; in some of its writings ahimsa has been considered the highest duty from the beginning of time. Jainism also grew out of Hinduism; Jainists believe that people should strive to become detached from the distractions of worldly existence; and that the practice of ahimsa is an essential step on the way to personal salvation Buddhism developed from the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama, called the Buddha (c.563 – 483 BC), who believed that human suffering could be overcome by following a particular way of life. The first precept of Buddhism is ‘non-harming’ (ahimsa): Buddhists reject violence. Buddhism is clearly pacifist in its teaching, and many Buddhists say quite bluntly that it is ‘better to be killed than to kill’. Some Buddhists have been very active in promoting peace, particularly during the Vietnam War (1961- 1975), when they  offered a ‘Third Way’ of reconciliation between the American and Communist armies. Some Buddhist monks burned themselves to death in self-sacrificing protest against the war. In the Guru’s house, religion and worldly enjoyment should be combined – the cooking pot to feed the poor and needy and the sword to hit oppressors.

Essential Skills for Higher Education and Healthcare: A Reflection

Abstract This reflective essay aimed to present the key learning and gaps in knowledge and practice of a student nurse. The Gibbs model of reflection was used to evaluate and analyse the learning needs of the author. An action plan is presented at the end of the essay to demonstrate the learning aims and activities needed to achieve these aims. These are needed to prepare the author in her future work as a registered nurse. Introduction Reflection allows student nurses and healthcare practitioners improve current and future nursing practice by learning from one’s experiences (Bulman and Schutz, 2013). This essay aims to present a reflective account on my role as a student in health education and as a future healthcare practitioner. Gibbs (1988) model of reflection will be used to reflect on my experiences as a student nurse. Description My work as a Health Care Assistant in the past six years helped me decide to pursue a nursing education. I was able to work in a busy environment and experience working with patients with different ethnic background and a multicultural healthcare team. Seeing patients improve as a result of the care they receive from healthcare professionals was one of the significant events that helped me decide to become a nurse. My life as a student nurse is challenging since I have to balance family life with work and my studies. I have to demonstrate key nursing skills, become a self-directed and independent learner, take responsibilities, manage my time and follow rules and regulations of the university. I also have to prepare myself to become a future healthcare practitioner. For instance, I have to acquire skills to meet the physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs of my patients. I also have to ensure that care received by my patients is evidence-based. In addition, I have to achi eve the competencies required by the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC, 2008) code of conduct. Feelings I am excited in my new role as a student nurse. My training in the past has been in accounting and business and my career shift brings some challenges. However, I am happy pursuing what I love to do. While I am passionate with my new role, I am also aware that becoming a nurse requires extensive training and study. Hence, I want to develop skills such as becoming an independent and self-directed learner in order to succeed as a student nurse. I also need to demonstrate key skills in order to prepare myself to become a registered nurse. At times, I am worried if I would be able to acquire all the skills needed to become an effective nurse. For instance, I feel that communicating with patients with different ethnic backgrounds could be a challenge. While I was able to witness how nurses communicate with patients of different ethnic backgrounds, I am aware that this would not be easy in actual practice. I also feel that I need to develop skills on how to deliver patient-centred care thi s is holistic. Analysis and Evaluation Developing the self-directed and independent learning style is crucial during the undergraduate nursing years. Kaufman and Mann (2010) suggest that problem based learning is common in medical education and helps students to become independent learners. Learning styles differ amongst adult learners. Biggs and Tang (2007) emphasise that an individual’s learning style is a result of affective, physical and cognitive factors. An individual’s learning preference is influenced by motivation, cognitive style, attitude, personality and a student’s stage of development (Cassidy, 2004; Biggs and Tang, 2007). On reflection, I have to consider my own motivation and cognitive style in order to become a successful independent learner. I also have to determine my own stage of development as a student. Learners are identified into at least four types of learners. These are the visual, aural, read, write and kinaesthetic learners (Cassidy, 2004). During independent learning, students should be able to identify their learning style in order to optimise the learning process. On reflection, I learn best through observation (visual), reading and writing (R) and practicing what I learned (K). I can use all forms during self-directed learning. For instance, I can participate in simulation training to visualise the skills that I need to learn. Next, I can read on the topic and write a reflection or notes on what I learned. Finally, I can report my learning to my supervisors or mentors through presenting clinical skills. While self-directed learning is only one method employed in my nursing curriculum as a means to acquire knowledge and skills, this learning method is very important in my future role as a nurse. It should be noted that the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC, 2008) code of conduct stresses the importance of providing quality evidence-based care to my patients. To meet the competencies contained in the NMC’s code of conduct, it is necessary that I inform my current nursing practice with current evidence from published literature. This is also emphasised in the NMC (2010) standards for nursing students in the UK. Evidence-based care (Greenhalgh, 2010) is described as the type of care supported by findings from published literature, personal experiences, expert opinion and patient experiences. Becoming an independent learner will help me in future role as a nurse since this will help me search for literature and evidence on the current and best form of intervention for specific healthcare conditions. Apart from becoming an independent learner, I also realised the importance of developing my communication skills. The NMC’s code of conduct states the importance of developing empathy to patients and providing them with quality care. This is only possible with effective communication (Purden, 2005). Barclay et al. (2007) suggest that effective communication is possible if patients have learned to trust their healthcare practitioners and are allowed to participate in healthcare decision-making. Communication involves listening to both verbal and non-verbal messages of the patients and identifying their healthcare needs (Barclay et al., 2007). It is noteworthy that language barriers may become a deterrent to effective communication (Leonard et al., 2004). This is especially evident when patients and nurses have different ethnic background (Leonard et al., 2004). These differences may contribute to misunderstanding especially if patient education is not culturally sensitive or nu rses fail to consider the patient’s preferences, cultural background, tradition and beliefs before introducing an intervention. As a student nurse, I am aware of the importance of communication and why it is necessary for me to develop communication skills that are sensitive to my patients’ culture, traditions and beliefs. Developing these skills during my student years will help me become more sensitive to the needs of my patients. It has been shown (Barclay et al., 2007) that effective communication is a prerequisite to quality care. Many patients (Majumdar et al., 2004) express that the time nurses spent with them allowed them to communicate their feelings and needs better since they were able to communicate in an unhurried environment. On reflection, it is essential that as a student nurse, I will learn how to listen to my patients and determine their needs. It is also essential that I receive training on how to develop cultural sensitivity when dealing with patients with different ethnicity. Majumdar et al. (2004) stress the importance of assigning patients with different ethnicity to healthcare w orkers who share similar ethnic background. However, this might not be achieved in all instances in actual healthcare settings. Hence, it is essential that nurses should be trained on how to develop cultural sensitivity. On reflection, I also learned the importance of developing skills on how to promote psychological, social, emotional, physical and spiritual care of patients. As a student nurse, I am still beginning to develop these skills and understand that it will take time to develop all these skills. I realised that these skills are best learned when working with other healthcare professionals. Hence, it is crucial that I learn how to collaborate effectively with other healthcare workers. Apart from developing effective communication skills, I also need to learn how to work with others and manage conflicts during meetings. It is suggested that conflicts (Leonard et al., 2004) do not lead to poor team working but provides an opportunity for team members to choose the best form of intervention for a specific healthcare condition. Conflicts also allow team members to view an issue from different perspectives. Conclusion In conclusion, there are many skills that I still need to develop as a nursing student preparing to become a registered nurse in the future. To date, I need to hone my skills in independent or self-directed learning. I also need to develop communication skills, cultural sensitivity and learn how to collaborate effectively with other team members. All these skills are necessary to help me observe the NMC’s code of conduct and gain competencies for registered nurses in the UK. Action Plan The following are the objectives of my action plan: Improve skills on how to carry out independent or self-directed learning. Develop communication skills. Develop cultural sensitivity. Learn how to collaborate effectively with team members Table 1. Action Plan AimActivitiesWeek(s)Mentor/Supervisor Comment(s) Improve skills on how to carry out independent or self-directed learningEngage in self-directed learning on specific topics in nursing.1-4 Develop communication skillsAttend simulations on how to communicate effectively with patients suffering from chronic or acute conditions; Observe/shadow senior nurses on how they communicate with patients suffering from different conditions5-8 Develop cultural sensitivityAttend simulations on how to develop cultural sensitivity; watch videos showing nurses demonstrate cultural sensitivity when caring for patients with different ethnic background; shadow senior nurses and observe how they show cultural sensitivity to patients with different ethnicity9-12 Learn how to collaborate effectively with team membersBecome part of healthcare teams/ shadow healthcare teams and observe how they collaborate with each other13-16 References Barclay, J., Blackhall, L. & Tulsky, J. (2007) Communication strategies and cultural issues in the delivery of bad news. Journal of Palliative Medicine. 10(4). p. 958-977. Biggs, J. & Tang, C. (2007) Teaching for quality learning at university. 3rd ed. England and New York: Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press. Bulman, C. & Schutz, S. (2013) Reflective Practice in Nursing. 5th ed. London: John Wiley & Sons. Cassidy, S. (2004) Learning styles: An overview of theories, models and measures. Educational Psychology. 24(4). p. 419-444. Gibbs, G. (1988) Learning by doing: A guide to teaching and learning methods. Oxford: Further Educational Unit, Oxford Polytechnic. Greenhalgh, T. (2010) How to read a paper: the basics of evidence-based medicine. 4th ed. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. Jarvis, P. (2010) Adult education and lifelong learning: Theory and Practice. London: Routledge. Kaufman, D. & Mann, K. (2010) Teaching and learning in medical education. In: Swanwich, T. (ed.). Understanding medical education. ASME: Blackwell Publishing. Leonard, M., Graham, S. & Bonacum, D. (2004) The human factor: the critical importance of effective teamwork and communication in providing safe care. BMJ Quality & Safety. 13. p. i85-i90. Majumdar, B., Browne, G., Roberts, J. & Carpio, B. (2004) Effects of cultural sensitivity training on health care provider attitudes and patient outcomes. Journal of Nursing Scholarship. 6(2). p. 161-166. Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2010) Standards for pre-registration nursing education. London: Department of Health. Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2008) The Code: Standards of conduct, performance and ethics for nurses and midwives. London: Nursing and Midwifery Council. Purden, M. (2005) Cultural considerations in interprofessional education and practice. Journal of Interprofessional Care. 19(1). p. 224-234.

Compare & Contrast – a Daughter Leaving Home

Compare & Contrast Essay The poem, â€Å"To a Daughter Leaving Home†, by Linda Pastan, depicts the scene of a mother teaching her little girl to ride a bike at the age of eight and watching her master it. Yvor Winter’s â€Å"At the San Francisco Airport† is about a father reminiscing about the memory of his daughter growing up and leaving him at the airport. Both these poems speak of the much dreaded time in a parent’s life where their daughter’s grow up and leave their homes. Although the poems appear to be similar because they address the same theme, they differ in form, tone, and imagery.The poems are different in form. In â€Å"To a Daughter Leaving Home†, Linda Pastan uses open form, with no identifiable rhyme pattern or meter. Maybe there’s no identifiable pattern because these are just the mother’s random thoughts. On the other hand â€Å"At the San Francisco Airport†, Yvor Winters uses a closed form that is very d istinctive. There are five stanzas and each stanza has five lines. All the lines rhyme; three have one rhyming ending and the other two also have a rhyming ending.For example: â€Å"This is the terminal: the light/Gives perfect vision, false and hard;/The metal glitters, deep and bright. /Great planes are waiting in the yard-/They are already in the night†. Light, bright and night rhyme, as well as hard and yard. Maybe the author chose the closed form because of its structure, controlled and intact, just like he wanted to keep feelings. The tone of â€Å"To a Daughter Leaving Home† differs from the tone in â€Å"At the San Francisco Airport†. The tone of â€Å"To A Daughter Leaving Home† is one of sadness, anxiety and nostalgia.Pastan’s poem is of a mother fondly remembering an earlier time when her daughter took a briefer departure from her, when she was taught to ride her bike at eight years old. The mother wasn’t quite ready to let the da ughter go, as was suggested when she said, â€Å"I kept waiting for the thud of your crash as I sprinted to catch up, while you grew smaller, more breakable in the distance†. This tells us she was anxious even then about her daughter growing up and being able to do things on her own. In contrast, the tone in â€Å"At the San Francisco Airport† is very gloomy, less emotional, but still nervous and scared.The father still looks at his daughter as his little girl even though he knows she isn’t and that this is the right time to let her go. He refers to her as â€Å"small, contained and fragile†. The lines: â€Å"But you and I in part are one: The frightened brain, the nervous will, the knowledge of what must be done,† demonstrates that they are both having similar thoughts and feelings but they are willing to accept this challenge. Though the father is trying to be strong, he confessed that he was momentarily devastated when he said â€Å"the rain of matter upon sense destroys me momentarily†.The imagery of â€Å"To A Daughter Leaving Home† also differs from the imagery of â€Å"At the San Francisco Airport†. All the images in â€Å"To a Daughter leaving Home† help us to see how the mother is feeling during this time, even though this poem is of an earlier time, foreshadowing what is to come in later years. As her daughter â€Å"wobbled away† on her bike, the mother ran right beside her, telling us the kind of mother she was, very supportive. She waited â€Å"for the thud† and â€Å"sprinted to catch up† to her daughter. She wanted to always be there to protect her daughter, even as she’s all grown up.Her daughter growing â€Å"smaller, more breakable† is her moving further and further away from her mother, getting older, more mature and able to take care of herself, eventually moving out and on with her life as an adult. On the other hand, the images in â€Å"At th e San Francisco Airport† didn’t show the father as anxious, just reluctant and apprehensive. The father mentioning the â€Å"terminal† means he looks at the airport terminal as a turning point in their lives, a place where he breaks off from his daughter, staying behind as she moves on with her life.He references planes that â€Å"are already in the night†, telling the reader that they are either taking off or already in the air, further emphasizing her leaving him behind. These images reinforce his â€Å"frightened brain† and â€Å"nervous will† even though he knows this â€Å"must be done†. Though both poems speak about their daughters leaving home, the mother speaks in the past, as if her daughter is still a little girl, but the father acknowledges that though he still views her as a â€Å"small†¦fragile† girl and this â€Å"destroys† him, â€Å"there comes what will come†.On the surface, the works of Linda Pastan and Yvor Winters can be interpreted as similar poems about parents losing their daughters to adulthood. When contrasting the poems, the reader comes to a much different understanding. â€Å"To a Daughter Leaving Home† presents an open form and tone that uses specific images and tone to present this mother’s sadness and anxiety towards the situation. Winters’ â€Å"At the San Francisco Airport† is a closed form poem that uses images and tone to convey the attempt of this father to keep his composure as he sees his daughter off to live her life and become an adult. Compare & Contrast – a Daughter Leaving Home Compare & Contrast Essay The poem, â€Å"To a Daughter Leaving Home†, by Linda Pastan, depicts the scene of a mother teaching her little girl to ride a bike at the age of eight and watching her master it. Yvor Winter’s â€Å"At the San Francisco Airport† is about a father reminiscing about the memory of his daughter growing up and leaving him at the airport. Both these poems speak of the much dreaded time in a parent’s life where their daughter’s grow up and leave their homes. Although the poems appear to be similar because they address the same theme, they differ in form, tone, and imagery.The poems are different in form. In â€Å"To a Daughter Leaving Home†, Linda Pastan uses open form, with no identifiable rhyme pattern or meter. Maybe there’s no identifiable pattern because these are just the mother’s random thoughts. On the other hand â€Å"At the San Francisco Airport†, Yvor Winters uses a closed form that is very d istinctive. There are five stanzas and each stanza has five lines. All the lines rhyme; three have one rhyming ending and the other two also have a rhyming ending.For example: â€Å"This is the terminal: the light/Gives perfect vision, false and hard;/The metal glitters, deep and bright. /Great planes are waiting in the yard-/They are already in the night†. Light, bright and night rhyme, as well as hard and yard. Maybe the author chose the closed form because of its structure, controlled and intact, just like he wanted to keep feelings. The tone of â€Å"To a Daughter Leaving Home† differs from the tone in â€Å"At the San Francisco Airport†. The tone of â€Å"To A Daughter Leaving Home† is one of sadness, anxiety and nostalgia.Pastan’s poem is of a mother fondly remembering an earlier time when her daughter took a briefer departure from her, when she was taught to ride her bike at eight years old. The mother wasn’t quite ready to let the da ughter go, as was suggested when she said, â€Å"I kept waiting for the thud of your crash as I sprinted to catch up, while you grew smaller, more breakable in the distance†. This tells us she was anxious even then about her daughter growing up and being able to do things on her own. In contrast, the tone in â€Å"At the San Francisco Airport† is very gloomy, less emotional, but still nervous and scared.The father still looks at his daughter as his little girl even though he knows she isn’t and that this is the right time to let her go. He refers to her as â€Å"small, contained and fragile†. The lines: â€Å"But you and I in part are one: The frightened brain, the nervous will, the knowledge of what must be done,† demonstrates that they are both having similar thoughts and feelings but they are willing to accept this challenge. Though the father is trying to be strong, he confessed that he was momentarily devastated when he said â€Å"the rain of matter upon sense destroys me momentarily†.The imagery of â€Å"To A Daughter Leaving Home† also differs from the imagery of â€Å"At the San Francisco Airport†. All the images in â€Å"To a Daughter leaving Home† help us to see how the mother is feeling during this time, even though this poem is of an earlier time, foreshadowing what is to come in later years. As her daughter â€Å"wobbled away† on her bike, the mother ran right beside her, telling us the kind of mother she was, very supportive. She waited â€Å"for the thud† and â€Å"sprinted to catch up† to her daughter. She wanted to always be there to protect her daughter, even as she’s all grown up.Her daughter growing â€Å"smaller, more breakable† is her moving further and further away from her mother, getting older, more mature and able to take care of herself, eventually moving out and on with her life as an adult. On the other hand, the images in â€Å"At th e San Francisco Airport† didn’t show the father as anxious, just reluctant and apprehensive. The father mentioning the â€Å"terminal† means he looks at the airport terminal as a turning point in their lives, a place where he breaks off from his daughter, staying behind as she moves on with her life.He references planes that â€Å"are already in the night†, telling the reader that they are either taking off or already in the air, further emphasizing her leaving him behind. These images reinforce his â€Å"frightened brain† and â€Å"nervous will† even though he knows this â€Å"must be done†. Though both poems speak about their daughters leaving home, the mother speaks in the past, as if her daughter is still a little girl, but the father acknowledges that though he still views her as a â€Å"small†¦fragile† girl and this â€Å"destroys† him, â€Å"there comes what will come†.On the surface, the works of Linda Pastan and Yvor Winters can be interpreted as similar poems about parents losing their daughters to adulthood. When contrasting the poems, the reader comes to a much different understanding. â€Å"To a Daughter Leaving Home† presents an open form and tone that uses specific images and tone to present this mother’s sadness and anxiety towards the situation. Winters’ â€Å"At the San Francisco Airport† is a closed form poem that uses images and tone to convey the attempt of this father to keep his composure as he sees his daughter off to live her life and become an adult.