Adam Smith During the Scottish Enlightenment Research Paper

Adam Smith During the Scottish Enlightenment - Research Paper Example On graduating, he successfully delivered a number of public lectures at Edinburgh. Those lectures led him eventually to cooperation with David Hume during the period of Scottish Enlightenment. Sharing both rationalist and humanist outlook of the European Enlightenment of the same epoch, the key thinkers and doers of Scottish Enlightenment maintained the fundamental importance of the reason combined with a rejection of all the authorities that cannot be vindicated by reason. They clang to an optimistic belief in the ability of a man to make changes for the better in both nature and social life, being guided solely by the reason. It was this very feature that added the Scottish Enlightenment the peculiar flavor that has distinguished it from its counterpart from over the Continent. Furthermore, Scottish Enlightenment was characterized by an extremely thorough empiricism and practically where the main virtues were held to be a practical benefit, improvement, and virtue itself of both societies a whole and an individual. By the middle of the 18th century, Scots had become hardly the most literate nation of Europe. Its level of literacy was estimated as high as 75%. Yet it was not many of them who were making Enlightenment. The whole culture of that time Scotland was oriented to books so spirited discussions were held at such places of intellectual gatherings as The Select Society and The Poker Club. Those places, in fact, were crucibles from which lots of ideas distinguishing Scottish Enlightenment developed. When teaching moral philosophy at Glasgow Smith received a chair, and during within this period of time, he published his work The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Later he received a tutoring position allowing him to travel over Europe where he used to meet other prominent intellectuals of the Enlightenment epoch.  

Widening a Bridge called Wonboyn River bridge Assignment

Widening a Bridge called Wonboyn River bridge - Assignment Example There will be the risk of the bridge construction falling. The transportation has to wait for the dry season for the slabs to pass through dry ground. The components of the bridge at this point require minimum tension until the slabs are laid and until they dry up. Alternatively, the constructors can transport the slabs across the river through the old pier. The pier is strong and can support the movement of all equipment and construction materials. If they must be transported across the river, then there must be large stable boats to carry them across the flowing river. Figure 1: Under bridge support 1.1. Safety of the transport The weights of the slabs have to be controlled so that the boat cannot capsize in the water. At the same time, the strength of the slabs and the shape has to remain intact. In the decision to pass the slabs through the old pier, the construction company can use larger stronger transport means such as Lorries. However, the construction company will have to ac quire a crane to enable them lift the heavy slabs during the actual laying of the slabs and the accompanying concrete. The progress of the construction cannot be interfered with by the transportation of then materials. The two processes can move on concurrently. The transportation of the slabs has to take care of other road users because the old bridge and the old pier are the only remaining alternative channels of transportation (Mecanismo, 2011). The weight of the post-tensioned slabs is a critical factor to consider when deciding on the means of transport. 1.2. Inspection After boring the piles, they are then left freely and out of the water, the site engineer inspects the progress and makes the plan for anchoring the structure. The anchors serve the function of reaching thee layer of shale on the Wonboyn River Bridge. It also provides tensile strength to support the piles of slabs and the structure above them. The anchors are made up of rock bolts. They are fixed in place before the concrete is added on the piles. 2. Fixing post-tensioned slabs to piers with dowel 2.1. Factors to consider The process of fixing the post-tensioned slabs is a heavy activity, which requires heavy equipment. The project managers must allocate the points at which the crane will be stationed such that the slabs will be able to reach both the pier and the dowel. The construction project heavily depends on the slabs because their lengths imply that they will have to hold the entire weight of the passing bodies. The project managers and the engineers have the mandate to select the regions their priority, which they have to report to the governing bodies controlling of the water resource management, electricity supply, gas supply and the provision of communications services. 2.2. Alternative routes for diversion During this construction phase, the road users have to seek alternative routes to avoid the pier and give enough space for the laying of the post tensioned slabs. This ensure s that there is no risk of miscalculating the position of the pier and the dowel by the engineers. They have to be aware of the impact of the services which they offer contact to the environment and the quality that is expected of the bridge. This process can consume around one month if all conditions are favorable. Figure 2: Support Structure of the bridge The activity that is most likely to follow it is the laying of bitumen and leveling the road. This can commence about two months later to provide adequate time for the post tensioned slabs to dry up. Incidentally, there is no mechanism of testing how strong the construction is when it is complete. The only test in this context is the actual usage of the road and that essentially means the road has

Into the Wild Essay Example for Free

Into the Wild Essay In writing â€Å"Into the Wild,† Krakauer’s intention was to uncover the facts (or at least get as close to the facts as possible) surrounding Christopher McCandless’ journey â€Å"into the wild. † Krakauer discusses and presents theories and explanations about McCandless’ reasons for going off into a potentially fatal journey, and also presents investigations into how McCandless came to such a state in his life. Krakauer gives us some idea of the direct cause of McCandless’ death, and his reasons for doing what he did. Krakauer aims to give readers with invaluable insight into the mind of McCandless—how McCandless came about the idea of going to the Alaskan wilderness, what his motivations were, how he planned and managed to survive the grueling trek, and most importantly, â€Å"why? † The author seeks to understand what happened to McCandless in the wild, and to explain why someone so full of promise, who seems to have such an ideal life and much of all that he could ask for, could do what McCandless did. However, Krakauer does not presume to be certain about McCandless reasons, but he presents some very good explanations and allows us to understand McCandless’ mind even more. By revealing many things about the reasons behind McCandless’ death, Krakauer shows us that McCandless was far more than a simple and reckless fool who wasted his life. McCandless, who was an intelligent young man, went off into the Alaskan woods to â€Å"find himself† and to reunite with nature. He was heavily influenced by the literature he had read, to such an extent that he became, most of all, a man in search of himself and of a purpose in life. In order to really â€Å"find† himself, he felt it necessary to cut all ties from society, from his family, and reinvent himself as Alexander Supertramp, thus cutting his ties with his old identity. Whether or not he found what he was looking for in the wild is open to speculation, however Krakauer describes McCandless’s psychological terrain by including anecdotes and quotations from people who were in a similar state of mind as McCandless, as well as drawing parallels with his own life as a mountaineer and adventurer. Each chapter presents different tales from others who have been in the same road as McCandless, people who have also sought the solitude of the wild. Krakauer also interviewed people who have come in contact with McCandless during his journey. By the end of â€Å"Into the Wild,† the readers gains significant understanding of McCandless’ personality. Whether McCandless was brave or foolish, his journey of self-discovery is something that almost everyone can relate with and understand on some level. However, while the book is accessible to anyone who could have some interest in the controversial life and death of Christopher McCandless, it is most geared towards those who have sentiments similar to those that McCandless held regarding society, nature, and how to live. â€Å"Into the Wild† helps us understand McCandless’ character, although by the end of the book, it is still up to the reader to decide if McCandless was â€Å"right† or â€Å"wrong† in having done what he did – whether he was courageoeus or merely foolish.

Literature on Capitalist Society

Literature on Capitalist Society Wake me when its quitting time (introduction in progress) Bureau of Labor Statistics reports on use of time on an average weekday in 2015, shows that Americans age 15 and over slept about 8.8 hours, spent 5.2 hours doing leisure and sports activities, worked for 3.5 hours, and spent 1.8 hours doing household activities. The remaining 4.7 hours were spent in a variety of other activities, including eating and drinking, attending school, and shopping (xxx). While every job includes some tasks that are not part of the job description, theres a discrepancy between position and what workers actually spend their time doing. A 2014 survey conducted by market research firm Harris Interactive, found that U.S. employees at large-sized companies (1000 employees or more) only spend 45 percent of their time on primary job duties (XXX). The other fifty five percent of the time? Email, meetings, administrative tasks, and interruptions. Among their chief complains, meetings that could be email and the most frustrating workdays are when all of the above pre vent a worker from doing their job. Distractions arent limited to being work related either. With virtually every workplace being connected to the internet or every worker having a smartphone in their pocket, miniature escapes from work are only a click away. Employers arent turning a blind eye to this A third of employers said that even if performance isnt affected, they care if employees spend time on non-work related emails and websites (http://www.careerbuilder.com/advice/cyber-monday-shopping-at-work). This obviously sets the employee and employer in an adversarial relationship. A sort of cat and mouse game where management is trying to squeeze every possible ounce of productivity out of their employees, who very often have little invested in the company besides time, given little motivation to do more than what is asked of them, if that. This adversarial view is a byproduct of what F. A. Hayek would describe as classical liberalism. In his book The Constitution of Liberty, Hayek lays out his defense of free market capitalism. Whoever desires the regular income for which he sells his labor must devote his working hours to the immediate tasks which are determined for him by others. (186). This sets up the two major classes, the employee and the independent, similar to the proletariat versus the bourgeoisie in Marxist philosophy. The employed, as Hayek sees them, are beholden to the Independents. They arent exploited in strict Marxist sense, but have made the voluntary choice to eschew greater responsibility for the security of a more-or-less guaranteed paycheck. For the independent, it is a question of shaping and reshaping a plan of life, of finding solutions for ever new problems. (188) The independents are the risk takers, the innovators, and the ones engaged with the world as a whole. What does this mean for the employed? When they made the choice for sell their time for money, did this also rob them of their engagement with their workplace or world? A quick web search results in thousands of hits regarding employee engagement. To management, it is the emotional commitment an employee shows for the organization and its goals (Kruse 2012). An engaged employee is one who cares and is passionate about his job and company goals. This employee exists outside of Hayeks labels, not just to working to get their paycheck rather their goals and the companies goals are aligned. Yet, a 2015 survey of employee conducted by Gallup Daily found that the employee engagement is stagnant. Gallup categorizes workers as engaged based on their ratings of chosen metrics, such as having an opportunity to do what they do best each day, having someone at work who encourages their development and believing their opinions count at work that predict important organizational performance outcomes. The majority (50.8%) of employees were not engaged, while another 17.2% were actively disengaged. Actively disengaged is the best possible description of the Dante Hicks and Randal Graves, the protagonists from the 1994 slacker-genera hit Clerks. The opening sequence is relatable to anybody whos ever called themselves employed. A faceless, nameless boss calls Dante to get him to open his convince store on his off day. However, he isnt directly told to, however the boss employs a management technique of asking him. Dante offers little resistance; his greatest concern is playing in a hockey game that afternoon. Of course, the boss promises him that he will only have to work until noon, a promise on which he later reneges and to which Dante has no recourse. This familiar scenario directly puts the employed at odds with the employer, whos intrusion into the work-life balance is disrupted. This balance between life and work, according to Hayek, is primarily a concern of the Independent class, For the independent there can be no sharp distinction between his private and his business life, as there is for the employed, who has sold part of his time for a fixed income (188). This distinction can be considered a separation between work and personal life, however the lines between the two have gradually become blurred, attributable to the technology advancements which allow people to be constantly connected and businesses to be active and accessible at all times without boundaries (https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/273280). This separation of work and life is complicated when we start to identify who we are by who we work for. In the Journal of Organizational Behavior, Prof. Daan Van Knippenberg wrote that When working in an organization, employees identify, to some extent, with the organization, as part of a collective group. (571). The ever minimizing of the life work balance increases how much the employee identifies themselves with what they do. Dante and Randal are represented as mostly intelligent, self-aware individuals struggling to find their identity in the employed class. The movie takes place over the course of one day, detailing with some exaggerated but clearly repeatable service industry woes. Long periods of boredom broken up by demanding and odd customers. Dante struggles to grin and bear it, going through the motions of a script. Throughout his day, hes forced to interact with all sorts of demeaning or aggressive customers, but because of his position, he capitulates, unable to confront them due to his position. This service role is known as emotional labor, which is defined as the management of feeling to create a publicly observable facial and bodily display; emotional labor is sold for a wage and therefore has exchange value (Hochschild, 1983). Where Dante is freely selling his emotional labor, Randall takes the alternate route. Randal vocally and sometimes violently reacts to the service work setting. Hes a working-class hero, acting out what many in the service industry can only fantasize about, his only active engagement in the workplace telling customer exactly what he thinks, and calling out Dantes passiveness. Hayek sees their status as a voluntary one, their minimal responsibilities are exactly what theyre looking for. Dantes active disengagement is a product of what Marx described as alienation. His mundane existence doesnt just lack genuine interaction, its in direct conflict with his role in customer service. Marx predicted This alienation in modern industrial production under capitalist conditions workers will inevitably lose control of their lives by losing control over their work. Workers thus cease to be autonomous beings in any significant sense. (https://faculty.frostburg.edu/phil/forum/Marx.htm), Employees, regardless of their position in life, are human, have lost control of their ability to express their humanity in their work. This loss of control, which Hayek argues is voluntary if not gladly given up, is a driving factor behind the lack of engagement at work. Marx saw this as Men no longer enjoyed the right to dispose of what they produced how they chose: they became separated from the product of their labour. Dante is miserable because he never sees the result of his labor, hes walk ed on daily, by company and customer alike, and is denied any recompense because of how utterly replaceable he is. At the end, Dante laments for change Im stuck in this pit, earning less than slave wages, working on my day off, dealing with every backward fuck on the planetà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I cant make changes like that in my life. If I could, I would-but I dont have the ability to risk comfortable situations on the big money and the fabulous prizes. (XXX) He sees his status as part of the Employed class as being inescapable. Randal essentially (and likely unknowingly) replies with Hayeks views Youre comfortable. This is a life of convenience for you, and any attempt to change it would shatter the pathetic microcosm youve fashioned for yourself. (XXX). Dantes situation is no better off than where he started, only realization that he is firmly entrenched in the world of the Employed, envying the independents. Point is-Im not the kind of person that disrupts things in order to shit comf ortably. He desperately wants change, but doesnt know how to change. The want/need for change is the drive behind Fight Club, a 1996 novel by Chuck Palahniuk. Palahniuk describes the real-life events that inspired the book in an interview with The Guardian (after getting into a fight) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I went back to work just so bashed, and horrible looking. People didnt ask me what had happened. I think they were afraid of the answer. I realized that if you looked bad enough, people would not want to know what you did in your spare time. This, along with other stories about the service industry told to him by friends inspired the creation of his main character(s) in Fight Club. They, specifically the narrator and Tyler Durden, became agents of change in their boring and tedious world. From the beginning of both the book and movie, the themes of repetition, alienation, tediousness, and inauthenticity are key. The narrator, a middle aged white male who in all interactions never gives his actual name, describes his occupation as a recall specialist for a major automobile company. He works a nine to five white collar desk job, where each move he makes is dictated by a boss. He then goes home to an apartment filled with junk he doesnt need where he continues to want more. His days are repetitive to the point where he can tell what day it is based off the color of his bosss tie. He feels detached from the world, his flat affect is exacerbated by insomnia and isolation. His entire world is set up in what he describes as single serving Everywhere I travel tiny life. Single-serving sugar, single-serving cream, single pat of butter (Palahniuk, 28) to a fellow passenger on an airplane that his job is apply a formula, one that that determines if the price of a recall is more than the cost to fix the defective parts and lawsuit settlements. He is essentially employed to apply his companys bottom line against the potential cost of human lives. The job is undoubtedly depressing and morally questionable. The loss of human life, a simple mathematical equation, the nature of the job practically calls for detachment. The narrator finds authenticity was in support groups for the sick and dying, as recommended to him by a doctor who he was seeing to treat his insomnia. Here, the narrator meets Bob, a former bodybuilder now testicular cancer survivor. Bobs openness and authenticity allow the narrator to compare true suffering to his own. He finds the only place where people are present, where they really listen to him, is in a place where they think he is just as sick as they are. Instead of appreciating the analogy and realizing that he is still healthy enough to change his life, to take a risk and find new employment, maybe even go out on his own, he instead becomes addicted to the meetings, finding ways to attend one a week. Nevertheless, he makes no meaningful changes in his life and despite searching for human contact, he is also exploiting or manipulating the members of these groups to gain the acceptance he cannot find elsewhere. The narrator, tired of his job vacations to a nude beach. After sleeping, he wakes up to see Tyler Durdan, pulling driftwood out of the ocean and forming a structure. He constructs a sculpture out of them that casts a shadow in the shape of a human hand. For one minute, one perfect minute, Tyler had sat in the palm of a perfection hed created himself The display of enjoying the work you created, even if it lasts for one minute, sets the stage for Tyler. He, like Randal Graves, is a walking fantasy for the everyday working man. He belongs to both the independent and employed classes, and moves seamlessly between the two. At nights, Tyler is a part time movie projectionist. Through the narrators description, we learn of the miserable conditions of working in older theaters that use multiple reel projectors that require changing during the film. The projectionist booth is soundproof because inside the booth is the racket of sprockets snapping film past the lens at six feet a second, ten frames a foot, sixty frames a second snapping through, clattering Gatling-gun fire (Palahniuk, 27). The projectionists shining moment comes through when they perform the changing of reels mid-film. The dark is hot from the bulbs inside the projectors, and the alarm is ringing. Stand there between the two projectors with a lever in each hand, and watch the corner of the screen. The second dot flashes. Count to five. Switch one shutter closed. At the same time, open the other shutter. Changeover. The movie goes on. Nobody in the audience has any idea. The alarm is on the feed reel so the movie projectionist can nap. A movie projectionist does a lot hes not supposed to. Not every projector has the alarm. At home, youll sometimes wake up in your dark bed with the terror youve fallen asleep in the booth and missed a changeover. The audience will be cursing you. The audience, their movie dream is ruined, and the manager will be calling the union. The implication is a well-done job is one that is completely unnoticed, the only time the movie watchers even consider the projectionist is if they make a mistake. This lack of appreciation in the work place severely impacts a workers engagement The single highest driver of engagement, according to a worldwide study conducted by Towers Watson, is whether or not workers feel their managers are genuinely interested in their wellbeing. Less than 40 percent of workers felt so engaged. (https://hbr.org/2012/01/why-appreciation-matters-so-mu). The idea that Tyler is waking up in the middle of the night, afraid that hes missed his cue to change reels when not even at work is also a sign of the ever-increasing intrusion of work on the life-work balance, despite not being the owner of the company. As member of the Independent, Tyler owns his own soap company. In describing the process of making soap, he details the history, likening the discovery and creation of soap to sacrifice. Tyler steals fat at first from the love interest in the book, Marla Singer, and later from liposuction clinics, processes it, and uses it to create his soap, which he then sells back to those who can afford it. Capitalism embodied. After an unfortunate incident leaving the Narrator homeless, he meets Tyler in a bar. Its here that Fight Club is born. They both admit to never having been in a fist fight, and at Tylers suggestion, has the narrator hit him as hard as he can. Others at the bar take notice, and the club is created. This community they create, like the support group the Narrator attended before, are a place to find acceptance. (marx alienation, club as employment?) With fight club in his life, the emptiness now seems to be filled. In fact, fight club has become the most important thing in his life. After some time, the damage to the Narrators appearance accumulates, cuts become scars, bruises are slow to disappear or are replaced by new ones. This is highlighted when his boss decides to deliver the presentation personally instead of the Narrator. During the meeting, he locks eyes with the Microsoft rep, Walter. Walter is described as having soft, clear skin and perfect teeth. Hes essentially a representation of what the Narrator was, or at least wanted to be: complete. This transformation and comparison to Walter denotes the transformation that the Narrator is taking part in. Hes discovering that his identity and value exists separate of his occupation. He sees his corporal and spiritual self-destruction as ways of discovering who we are, and what we are really capable of. Tyler explains this in a monolog Man, I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men whove ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collarsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Were the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great Wars a spiritual war our Great Depression is our lives. Weve all been raised on television to believe that one day wed all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we wont. And were slowly learning that fact. And were very, very pissed off (Palahniuk 75). This is where Hayek and Tyler both agree, there is something seriously lacking in a society in which all the intellectual, moral, and artistic leaders belong to the employed class (193). Tyler wants the men to feel like they are appreciated as both employed members of society and as individuals themselves. Though it only exists for a few hours a week, Fight Club is a total embodiment of a classless society because their possessions and social status do not matter for that one perfect moment. The members once had dreams and goals, however most eventually settle into Hayeks employed class because of the fear of failure, debt, or simply the lack of opportunity. This is exemplified by the sacrifice of Raymond Hassels life. Raymond is ambushed by the Narrator at a bus stop, after a late-night shift at a convenience store. Hayek surmised that its in societies best interests for the employed to change their station in life, even if they wanted to do so. It may indeed prove to be the most difficult task of all to persuade the employed masses that in the general interest of their society, and therefore in their own long- term interest, they should preserve such conditions as to enable a few to reach positions which to them appear unattainable or not worth the effort and risk (186). Tyler and the Narrator reject the notion that maintaining the status quo is best. Through fear of being murdered by the narrator, Raymond is forced at gunpoint to realize the value of his own life, and is encouraged to return to school and pursue his dream of becoming a veterinarian. This idea, that fear must be used to truly grant the masses their freedom, has sinister implications. While Raymond may now try to better his life, but is only motivated by corrosion. The conversation that takes place is similar to what happened between Dante and Randal in Clerks, only slightly more aggressive, and at gun point. Ironically, in the alternate ending of Clerks, Dante is killed after closing the store by a man after the small amount of money in the register. The narrators insurance job, the threat against Raymonds life, the human sacrifice origins of soap; death and work are a constant theme through the book. This brings us back to Bob, the narrators first friend in the support groups. In the Hayek sense of the word, Bob was an independent who took his chance and failed. Bob was a bodybuilder who at his peak, marketed a chest workout program sold on late night TV. His career path destroyed his body with anabolic steroids. After multiple divorces, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Then he went bankrupt. Hayek sees Bobs failure as the cost of freedom, When men are allowed to act as they see fit, they must also be held responsible for the results of their efforts (139). Bobs choices, much like the narrators, Dantes and Randals, are afforded to them because they live in a free society. This freedom to fail, is exactly what is stolen from Raymond in the narrators efforts to save him from his fear of failure. The consequences of this theft mark a turning point in the book, the fight club itself takes a darker turn, as does Tylers philosophy. Realizing the dependence on the employed, Tyler sets in motion a proletarian revolt. The people youre trying to step on, were everyone you depend on. Were the people who do your laundry and cook your food and serve your dinner. We make your bed. We guard you while youre asleep. We drive the ambulances. We direct your call. We are cooks and taxi drivers and we know everything about you. We process your insurance claims and credit card charges. We control every part of your life (Palahniuk p. 166). Their clubs purpose has change, their perfect moment has passed. Equality and appreciation were once their goals, now Tylers vision has become the independent focus of the organization. This is a vision of a new world that returns to a pre-agrarian way of life as his prescription for saving the planet. Project Mayhem is born out of what fight club was, now mo re of a cult where, with time and effort, members can graduate to the higher echelons of understanding. Fight club allowed the men to independently search for their identity separate from their station. This move from freedom to fascism, though fantastical, is warned against by Hayek, Freedom is thus seriously threatened today by the tendency of the employed majority to impose upon the rest their standards and views of life (186). Failure, fear, and complacency are dangerous, sometimes even fatal, but they are necessary prices to pay for a free system. Works Cited http://scholarship.sha.cornell.edu/chrpubs/155/ http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/875560685.html?FMT=AI Palahniuk, Chuck. Fight Club. New York: Henry Holt Co., 1996. Uhls. Jim. Memorable Quotes from Fight Club. International Movie Database. 1999. Singer, Peter. Marx: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, USA, 2001. Segal, Jerome. Agency and Alienation: A Theory of Human Presence. Rowan Littlefield, 1991 Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. Ed. Samuel H. Beer. Wheeling: Harlan Davidson, 1955. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/240076 https://www.bls.gov/tus/charts/ https://faculty.frostburg.edu/phil/forum/Marx.htm Palahniuk, Chuck. Fight Club: A Novel (p. 27). W. W. Norton Company. Kindle Edition.

Non-pharmacological Nursing Interventions Literature Review

Non-pharmacological Nursing Interventions Literature Review 5 METHODOLOGY A literature review is defined as a critical analysis of a segment of a published body of knowledge through summary, classification, and comparison of prior research studies, reviews of literature, and theoretical articles. In addition to that a literature review will be used for conducting the research. According to Fink (2010), literature review is an evaluative report that is a systematic, explicit and reproducible method for identifying, evaluating and synthesizing the existing body of completed and recorded work produced by researchers and scholars. In this literature review the main focus was to search the existing literature on non-pharmacological nursing interventions in order to be able to describe and analyze the similarities, differences, consistencies and inconsistencies and issues within the research topic. 5.1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria Inclusion criteria are characteristics that proposed subjects must possess in order to be integrated in the future study. On the other hand, Exclusion criteria are characteristics that help the researcher to eliminate subject from being integrated in the study. A clear comprehension of the inclusion and exclusion criteria ensures that the research yields accurate and genuine results (Fink 2010). The inclusion and exclusion criteria of this literature review are described below in table 1. TABLE 1. Inclusion and Exclusion criteria Inclusion criteria Exclusion criteria The research focused on the non-pharmacological nursing interventions of geriatric depression The articles which are not related to the research questions. Articles were limited from 2005 to present Articles were not related to the studies and carried out before 2005. The articles were in full text, abstract and within the keywords The articles without full text, abstract and within the keywords Languages used were English and Finnish. The articles which were not in English and Finnish. Evidence based research were used. Articles that were not related to nursing and were not scientific. 4.3 Data collection The research articles for the literature review were limited to a time frame between 2006-2015. The information was gathered using different computerized databases such as Ebrary, CINAHL, Ovid, SAGE Premier and Science Direct, to find scientific journals. Moreover web based publications such as WHO, kaypahoito and Terveyden ja Hyvinvoinnin Laitos were also used. In addition to that numerous articles were gathered from well known scientific journals such as Journal of Advanced Nursing and Journal of Nursing Education. Keywords used in the search were focused on the research topic, they included Geriatric Depression, non-pharmacological interventions and Signs of geriatric depression. The key words and the time frame were combined in order to constrict the range of articles; the materials obtained for this study were in both English and Finnish. 4.4 Data analysis The collected data will be analyzed through content analysis of the collected articles, journals and electronic web pages. All the collected data related to the topic will be divided into different groups to make analysis easy. 5 ETHICS AND RELIABILITY High ethics will be maintained throughout the research process. I will also consider a good scientific conduct to ensure that the research is ethically acceptable. The authors in the references will be respected and thus referred accurately. The research project is about finding out the effectiveness of non- pharmacological treatment methods when dealing with geriatric depression. I plan to follow the set thesis guidelines of Centria University of Applied Sciences while carrying out my research. Reliability will be ensured by only referring to recent research materials available concerning geriatric depression. The articles and other materials will be obtained from reliable electronic sources and the school’s library databases to ensure that valid results are obtained that can be used in the future. 6 FINDINGS 6.1 Non-pharmacological nursing interventions Physical Exercise In a study by Park, Han and Kang (2014), it was found that regular exercise for older adults suffering from depression increased their social contact and improved their self efficacy. Physical activities also had inverse relationship with depression among the elderly. This meant that older adults engaging in physical exercises were found to have improved mental and physical health. (Lee, Brar, rush and Jolley 2014.)Regular physical exercises reduced depressive symptoms and anxiety associated with aging and other predisposing factors such as chronic ailments. In additional to that, older adults involved in physical activities ended up having some positive thoughts and opinions on their own aging process. (Park et al 2014.) As a result of physical exercise physical exhaustion was also highly reduced as a result of improved cardiovascular activity, immune system and the endocrine system. These also translated to reduction of depressive symptoms and an improvement in psychological well being. (Tsang, Fung, Chan, Lee, and Chan, 2006). In another study by Stanton and Reaburn (2014), it was confirmed that aerobic and non aerobic exercises including outdoor walking and stationary cycles demonstrated a reduction in depressive symptoms among the elderly. Exercises were conducted three times a week for a total duration of twelve weeks. (Stanton et al 2014.) Furthermore, regular physical activities among the elderly were found to improve their quality of sleep. Poor sleep quality and related sleep disturbances were attributed to in active lifestyles and repetitive daily routines, which further lead to cases of depression, anxiety, agitation, fatigue and daytime drowsiness. In a related article by Cheng, Huan, Li and Chang (2014), found that elderly people who engaged in physical activities such as the senior elastic band exercise reported improved sleep quality and significant decrease in depressive symptoms. In additional to that, Chen et al (2013) developed the wheelchair-bound senior elastic band (WSEB) exercise program, which granted the depressed older adults bound on wheel chairs an opportunity to exercise too. (Chen et al 2013.) Cognitive Exercise According to a study by Khatri, Blumenthal, Babyak and Krishman (2001), it was determined that physical exercise impacts positive effects on the cognitive functioning among elderly people suffering from depression. The study was carried out on two different groups of randomized participants: medication group and the aerobic exercise group. All the groups underwent the tests for duration of four months. In the medication group they received antidepressants while the exercise group underwent aerobic training. In addition to depression cognitive functions were also assessed, for example memory, executive functioning, concentration and psychomotor speed. Assessment tools used in the study included Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS). It was established that participants in the exercise group exhibited greater improvements in both memory and executive functioning than those in the medication group. Furthermore, the exercise group also showed better improvements in the Wechsler Memory Scale visual reproduction delayed recall scores. However there were no significant differences in the verbal memory and concentration. (Khatri et al 2001.) Vasques, Moraes, Silveira, Deslandes and Laks (2011), found that despite physical exercise having significant effects on depression it also exhibited positive effect on the brain function. During their study neuropsychological tests were performed in the forms of Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Digit Span Test (DST)and the Stroop Color-Word Test (SCW) to assess the cognitive functions of their elderly participants suffering from major depressive disorder. After the participants walking on the treadmill for half an hour cognitive tests were performed before, during, after and 10-15 minutes after the training session. Similar cognitive tests were also performed on the control group but without exercise. There were no significant differences for both the control and the exercise group on the Digit Span Test. However in the Stroop Color-Word Test, the exercise group had improvements in their results when compared to the control group. The improvements were a clear indication that physical exercise had a positive effect on the cognitive functions of the depressed participants. (Vasques et al 2011.) According to Nicholas et al (2006), nurses used Problem solving therapy to help patients with depression to improve their cognitive functioning. Individuals were assigned certain tasks to handle in the form of games which varied from cheap to hard. This helped the individuals to think in a structured way which in turn improved their cognitive functioning. In additional to that it helped relieve depressive symptoms. (Nicholas et al 2006; Haggerty 2006.) Family Therapy In another study by Tanner, Martinez and Harris (2014), to examine the functional and social determinants of depression on community dwelling older adults it was concluded that support from family showed an improvement in general functions and a decrease in loneliness. In additional to that, family support satisfaction scale (FSSS) was used on the older adults to assess satisfaction with support received. The instrument consisted of 13 questions constructed to investigate the participant’s satisfaction with the family support they received from family members. The participants were expected to respond with either agreement or disagreement. It was found that those participants who had higher support scores had decreased levels of depression. Loneliness was also identified as one of the main causes of depression in addition to other predisposing factors. Older adults who were satisfied with the family support they received confirmed that it helped them cope with depression as well as chronic illnesses. (Tanner et al 2014). Nurses were found to play a crucial role in helping elderly people dealing with depression developed as a result of social isolation or bereavement. It was discovered that leaving these psychosocial factors not dealt with it made it difficult to make a lasting or complete recovery. (Hughes 2005). Nurses were found to play an important role in guiding, supporting and encouraging elderly people dealing with depression to keep contact with their family members. (Parello 2012.) According to a study by Merema (2014), it was found that older adults with good social network between them and their family members had higher levels of self esteem and self worth. In additional to that they were less likely to attempt suicide when compared to their counterparts with little or no social network at all. Music therapy According to a research carried out by Chan, Mok and Tse (2009), to determine the effects of music on depression levels in elderly people. The study was conducted on 47 elderly people (23 using music and 24 controls), majority of who were 75 and above. It was pointed out that music exerts psycho-physiological responses through influence on the limbic system. The limbic system is involved in our feelings of pleasure and emotions such as fear, anger as well as motivations. Therefore the limbic system is mostly affected by music rhythm as well as pitch and is also responsible for processing the music stimuli. It was found that music expends its effects through entertaining the body rhythms. In this context entertainment can be described as a tendency by two bodies locking together and vibrating in harmony. When an elderly person is going through a depressive phase they tend to experience mixed feelings of discomfort or agitation which in turn disrupts their body rhythms. The Body rhythm s is disrupted through change in breath, blood flow and heartbeat which further lead to changes in blood pressure levels and oxygen saturation. (Chan et al 2009). The music interventions used included four different types of music which included western classical, western jazz, Chinese classical and Asian classical. Each type of music was played for a duration of 30-min once per week for a duration of four weeks. The participants listened to the music without any interaction with the therapist. At the end of the study the depression levels of the experimental group had significantly decreased from form mild depression to normal levels. On the contrary there was no change in the depression levels for the control group within the four weeks. (Chan et al 2009). Furthermore, the physiological measures monitored including systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate of the elderly in the experimental group had reduced significantly in comparison to those of the control group. The findings demonstrated the benefits music has on older people suffering from geriatric depression. Music had a soothing physiological and Psychological effect on the elderly suffering from geriatric depression. This also support that music has the capability of to resonate with the listeners feelings. (Chan et al 2009). It was discovered that giving participants an opportunity to choose their music led to effective treatment. Chang, Wong and Thayala (2011), suggested that when the participants chose their own music it facilitated the entertainment process because the listener was in tune with their music of choice. The effects of music listening did not occur after one or a few sessions. In contrary to that, significant decrease in depression levels were reached after the participants had music listening sessions for a few weeks. In additional to that it was found that different kinds of music had similar effects on depressive symptoms among the elderly depending on the listener’s preference of music. (Chang et al. 2011). Music therapy was found to reduce irritability, agitation, and problem behaviors in people with geriatric depression. In additional to that it was also found that music therapy improves the sleep quality of people dealing with geriatric depression. (Rice et al 2010). Social activities While going through recent randomized trials it was found that social activities were effective interventions which improved depression outcomes among the elderly. (Merema 2014.) Social activities were provided in form of recreational group events such as day meetings, group outings and visits from family. These social activities generated social interaction and support among the elderly. (Hsu and Wright 2014). In additional to that it was found that through social activities the elderly were able to establish enduring relationships which in turn provided an effective method of reducing or limiting the severity of depression. It was also established that social activities improved the sleep quality and the cognitive functions of the elderly people. Social activities had a direct effect on the levels of loneliness faced by elderly people with depression. Furthermore it was discovered that depressed old adults felt much better when they were around other people. (Merema 2014.) Engagement in social activities was found to reduce cases of social isolation thus limiting worsening in the severity of depression. (Hsu et al 2014.) In a study by Hsu et al (2014), it was indicated that meaningful and enjoyable social activities lead to a decrease in depressive symptoms among institutionalized elderly living with depression. Social activities that were interesting to the elderly dealing with depression showed a decrease in depressive symptoms. It was found that a large number participated in social activities in the institution due to the positive emotions they experienced or out of personal interest. (Merema 2014.) The reduction in depressive symptoms was as a result of the psychosocial mechanism which includes a positive feedback where there is an improved mood due to pleasant events. Surprisingly it was found that institutionalized depressed elders participated more in social group activities. The institutional environment offered them an opportunity to participate in activities that led to more positive mental attitude and a decrease in depressive symptoms. (Hsu et al 2014.)

Hydrogels Essay -- Ethics, Bioprinting, Artificial Tissues

Tissue or organ printing approaches became popular due to lack of organ donors. To address this need, cells or biological molecules are embedded within hydrogels and these mixtures are printed with computer controlled rapid prototyping systems to yield printed organs (9). Bioprinting approaches are promising high-throughput techniques to create artificial tissues and organs for tissue engineering. Gels with or without cells/biological factors are printed on predefined positions layer by layer fashion (Figure 1) with the final goal of fixing damaged or diseases tissues (8, 9). Using this technique, cells can be homogeneously distributed within a hydrogel matrix on predefined positions. This technique is a potential remedy for the cases where cell seeding results in random cell distribution on solid scaffolds. Nozzle diameter, cell density, liquid rheology and operation temperature are the main factors, which affect printing quality in bioprinting based techniques (11, 33, 34). Patterning of cell or biological molecule loaded hydrogels have been widely performed by computer controll...

Early Childhood Education Field Essay -- Education, teaching, elementa

Introduction Due to an increased demannd for standards and accountability in the early childhood education field, policy makers have increasingly turned to the development of effective professional practice among early childhood educators (ECEs) as the predominant approach in securing better outcomes for children. ECEs have thus found themselves under increased pressure to develop professional practices through professional development which has been demonstrated to have a profound impact on children’s holistic development and their performance prospects in society. This essay will focus on the development of effective professional practice among ECEs. The paper will critically evaluate the importance of developing professional practice among ECEs, how it is developed and the application in ECE’s practice. The essay will highlight how professional practice and core beliefs of ECEs are shaped by factors such as professional and personal identity, beliefs and values and regulatory d ocuments and bodies. Development of Professional Practice The importance attached to the development of effective professional practice among ECEs can be seen in the Professional Support Coordinators Alliance of South Australia (PSCSA’s) definition of professional development. The PSCSA defines professional development as â€Å"continuous learning that enables practitioners to affirm existing understandings as well as acquire new skills and knowledge and thereby remain up-to-date with evolving developments in the field (PSCSA, 2008, p17).† The report also considers the development of professional practice among ECEs as any endeavor to improve service delivery to the families and the children that they are contracted to provide the service for. This def... ...n The development of effective self practice among early childhood educators has become an increasingly important aspect of quality management and improved service delivery in the ECE sector. The significance of professional development for ECEs is that it enhances the acquisition of professional knowledge, skills, and dispositions as well as the application of this knowledge in professional practice. Professional development is mainly through continuous learning and training and is dependent on the educator’s core personal and professional values and beliefs. These beliefs are shaped by publications of regulatory and professional bodies and through constant self reflection and evaluation. This then enables ECEs work on their beliefs that shape their professional practice as regards mode of teaching and also professional relationships with family and community.