Reading Skills Essay Example for Free

Reading Skills Essay Reading daily, Reading deeply, Reading widely are the few important skills of reading from which we can enhance our understanding of passage, ameliorate our vocabulary, correct our grammatical mistakes, increase our thinking capacity and helps in improving or learning any part of a language. The more you read the one thing you realize the key to doing well in the examination, and the key to perform or present any task in a well equipped way. There are many techniques used in reading to get and understand whole idea or summary of the passage to improve reading. But few important skills of reading are given below to improve reading. 1. Styles of reading 2. Active reading 3. A tip for speeding up your active reading 4. Spotting authors navigation aids 5. Words and vocabulary [pic]1. Styles of reading There are three styles of reading which we use in different situations: Scanning: Scanning is what you do to find an answer to a specific question. You may run your eyes quickly down the page in a zigzag or winding S pattern. If you are looking for a name, you note capital letters. For a date, you look for numbers. Vocabulary words may be boldfaced or italicized. When you scan for information, you read only what is needed. Its useful to scan parts of texts to see if theyre going to be useful to you: †¢ the introduction or preface of a book †¢ the first or last paragraphs of chapters †¢ the concluding chapter of a book. Skimming: for getting the gist of something Skimming is covering the chapter to get some of the main ideas and a general overview of the material. It is what you do first when reading a chapter assignment. You don’t read for details at this point. Here is how you skim a chapter: . To preview a passage before you read it in detail  · Read the first paragraph of the chapter line by line.  · Next, read all the bold print headings starting at the beginning.  · Read the first sentence of every paragraph.  · Study any pictures, graphs, charts, and maps.  · Finally, read the last paragraph of the chapter. As you skim, you could write down the main ideas and develop a chapter outline. Detailed reading: for extracting information accurately Where you read every word, and work to learn from the text. In this careful reading, you may find it helpful to skim first, to get a general idea, but then go back to read in detail. Use a dictionary to make sure you understand all the words used. [pic]2. Active reading When youre reading for your course, you need to make sure youre actively involved with the text. Its a waste of your time to just passively read, the way youd read a thriller on holiday. Always make notes to keep up your concentration and understanding. Here are four tips for active reading. Underlining and highlighting Pick out what you think are the most important parts of what you are reading. Do this with your own copy of texts or on photocopies, not with borrowed books. If you are a visual learner, youll find it helpful to use different colours to highlight different aspects of what youre reading. Note key words Record the main headings as you read. Use one or two keywords for each point. When you dont want to mark the text, keep a folder of notes you make while reading. Questions Before you start reading something like an article, a chapter or a whole book, prepare for your reading by noting down questions you want the material to answer. While youre reading, note down questions which the author raises. Summaries Pause after youve read a section of text. Then: 1. put what youve read into your own words; 2. skim through the text and check how accurate your summary is and 3.fill in any gaps. [pic]3. A tip for speeding up your active reading You should learn a huge amount from your reading. If you read passively, without learning, youre wasting your time. So train your mind to learn. Try the SQ3R technique. First developed by researchers at Ohio State University, SQ3R is a useful technique for absorbing written information. It helps you to create a good mental framework of a subject, into which you can fit the right facts. It helps you to set study goals and prompts you to use the review techniques that will help you to remember. The acronym SQ3R stands for the five sequential techniques you should use to read a book: Survey, Question, Read, Recite and Review. Survey Gather the information you need to focus on the work and set goals: †¢ Read the title to help prepare for the subject †¢ Read the introduction or summary to see what the author thinks are the key points †¢ Notice the boldface headings to see what the structure is †¢ Notice any maps, graphs or charts. They are there for a purpose †¢ Notice the reading aids, italics, bold face, questions at the end of the chapter. They are all there to help you understand and remember. Question  Help your mind to engage and concentrate. Your mind is engaged in learning when it is actively looking for answers to questions. Make questions that can be answered during the reading of the material. This will give a purpose to your reading. Take a heading and turn it into a question. For example, if a heading in a chapter about Cell Division is in your biology text, make a question by turning the title around: â€Å"How does cell division occur? † or â€Å"How many steps are involved in cell division? † Read Read the first section with your questions in mind. Now you read the material trying to find answers to your questions. This is a careful reading, line by line. You may want to take notes or make flashcards. Recall As you read, look away from your book and notes and try to answer your questions. This checks your learning and helps put that information in your memory. After each section, stop and think back to your questions. See if you can answer them from memory. If not, take a look back at the text. Do this as often as you need to.. Review To check your memory, scan portions of the material or your notes to verify your answers. Review the material and note the main points under each heading. This review step helps you retain the material. The SQ3R method is just one technique that can be used to retain information you collect while reading. Students learn in different ways. Therefore they should be aware of their learning styles. Knowing whether you are an Auditory (learn by hearing), Visual (learn by seeing) or Kinesthetic (hands-on) learner helps you to understand your best learning environment. The SQ3R technique of reading can help to enhance your reading skills no matter what your style is. [pic]4. Spotting authors navigation aids Learn to recognize sequence signals, for example: Three advantages of or A number of methods are available leads you to expect several points to follow. The first sentence of a paragraph will often indicate a sequence:† One important cause of followed by Another important factor and so on, until The final cause of General points are often illustrated by particular examples, for example: General: Birds beaks are appropriately shaped for feeding. Particular: Sparrows and other seed-eating birds have short, stubby beaks; wrens and other insect eaters have thin pointed beaks; herons and other fish hunters have long, sharp beaks for spearing their prey. Whatever you are reading, be aware of the authors background. It is important to recognize the bias given to writing by a writers political, religious, social background. Learn which newspapers and journals represent a particular standpoint [pic]5. Words and vocabulary When youre a graduate people expect you to use a vocabulary which is wider than a school-leavers. To expand your vocabulary: Choose a large dictionary rather than one which is ‘compact or ‘concise. You want one which is big enough to define words clearly and helpfully (around 1,500 pages is a good size). Avoid dictionaries which send you round in circles by just giving synonyms. A pocket dictionary might suggest: ‘impetuous = rash. A more comprehensive dictionary will tell you that impetuous means ‘rushing with force and violence, while another gives ‘liable to act without consideration, and add to your understanding by giving the derivation ‘14th century, from late Latin impetuous = violent. It will tell you that rash means ‘acting without due consideration or thought, and is derived from Old High German rasc = hurried. So underlying these two similar words is the difference between violence and hurrying. There are over 600,000 words in the Oxford English Dictionary; most of them have different meanings, (only a small proportion is synonyms). Avoid dictionaries which send you round in circles by using very complicated language to define the term youre looking up, leaving you struggling to understand half a dozen new words. Keep your dictionary at hand when youre studying. Look up unfamiliar words and work to understand what they mean. Improve your vocabulary by reading widely. Reading skills in a precis form Comprehensions Reading comprehension is a basic skill that each college student must possess. Believe it or not, reading is a complex, accrued skill—not acquired overnight learning to read and comprehend takes practice. Comprehension involves obtaining information from written text. A reader who comprehends a text accurately understands what the writer intended to communicate. She understands the purpose and the main idea. Comprehension cannot be observed directly, but a reader who is able to retell, paraphrase or summarize a text demonstrates comprehension. Interpretation †¢ When a reader interprets a text, he is employing a critical thinking strategy. He uses evidence and clues from the text to draw conclusions and looks for larger or more universal principals in what he has read. Interpretation requires going beyond the initial impression of what he has read to develop a more complex and complete understanding. Analysis †¢ When a reader analyzes the text, she identifies the assumptions of the writer and examines the structure of the argument. She asks questions such as, Does the evidence support the argument? and Does it support the conclusions the writer draws? She is looking for evidence of a logical and/or consistent argument. Synthesis †¢ With synthesis, the skilled reader is able to show how a text develops or builds meaning. He sorts out and reconstructs ideas in a text to point out how they are interrelated. He compares and extends meaning from multiple sources. Evaluation †¢ Evaluation, determining the quality and effectiveness of a text, is the highest level of critical thinking associated with reading, according to Lesley Thompson, Senior Assessment and Accountability Program Associate at the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory. An effective reader evaluates the merit of the text by drawing on her own experience and knowledge and considering whether other sources provide evidence that agrees with or contradicts the writers argument.

Assessment of UK Policy Approaches to Poverty Reduction

Assessment of UK Policy Approaches to Poverty Reduction Compare, contrast and critically assess two differing approaches to the relief of poverty. Introduction Poverty is a social problem and how best to deal with it has been the object of study and research since the nineteenth century. Townsend (1979) has defined poverty thus: Individuals, families and groups in the population can be said to be in poverty when they lack the resources to obtain the types of diets, participate in the activities and have the living conditions which are customary, or at least widely encouraged and approved, in the societies to which they belong. Townsend (1979:31). This paper will look at two approaches to the relief of poverty. The Beveridge approach of full employment and social ensurance, and the welfare to work approach of the New Right and New Labour. There will be a comparison of the differences between these two approaches in terms of their underlying ideologies. The strengths and weaknesses of both approaches will then be examined in the light of a feminist critique. Beveridge and the Welfare State In 1906 what is known as social protection, a range of state benefits aimed at relieving poverty in the general population, began with various Acts, the most important being the introduction of pensions. The Welfare State as we know of it today became fully established between 1946 and 1948 following the 1942 publication of the Beveridge report. This said that there were five giants which were the underlying causes of poverty, these were disease, ignorance, squalor, idleness and want. The report suggested a system which was aimed at relieving poverty through the introduction of a number of measures including National Assurance. This was a system of benefits that were based on everyone paying some money out of what they earned to the Government. This was National Insurance, those who did not pay this were entitled to the safety net of National Assistance. This was to be made available to all people at times of greatest need. It was never envisaged that people would be reliant on it fo r a good part of their adult life. National Assistance eventually became known as social security (Moore et al, 2002). At the same time the Government also introduced the National Health Service. In addition to this it extended the state education system in 1944 to include secondary education, raising the school leaving age to fifteen. The policies that resulted from the Beveridge Report tried to ensure that people would be looked after from the cradle to the grave. Post-War welfare reform was basically a war on poverty and was based on a vision of full employment and a social contract between the Government and the members of society each of whom had equal responsibility for their welfare.The system grew out of the thinking of the economist John Milton Keynes. It became known as universal welfare provision where the state was involved in people’s lives at all levels (Giddens, 2001). The post-war government also introduced a system of benefits for couples with children in the Family Allowances Act of 1945, this later (1975) became known as Child Benefit which replaced family allowance and tax benefits for families with children. It was payable to all families for each child. The National Health Service grew out of the publishing of a National Health Services Bill by Anuerin Bevan in 1946. Healthcare and hospitalisation were envisioned as being free at the point of access but by the 1950s the Government were forced to introduce some charges for dentistry, spectacles and prescriptions to ease the growing tax burden (Marsh et al, 2000).. The Post War welfare state was based on theories of full employment. It had not envisioned massive unemployment and the resultant reduction in tax revenue. Butler (1993).notes that there have been differing views on government’s role in welfare provision and it is only in recent years that there has been a consensus on this. It is not however, a consensus that benefits the vast majority of the population. The New Right and New Labour In 1979 the Conservative Government headed by Margaret Thatcher came to power. Government debastes centered around a free market economy versus the welfare state. The new government introduced measures that would roll back the welfare state and control spending. They did this by introducing marketing concepts and business strategies into policy making. They also began an intense process of privatization because it was thought that public ownership of companies, and the public sector in general undermined market forces. Introducing marketing principles into social care allow Governments to (hypothetically at least) improve services. It also enables a government to retain a greater degree of control. Giddens (2001) says that: †¦the momentum of Thatcherism in economic matters was maintained by the privatising of public companies†¦..(this)..is held to reintroduce healthy economic competition in place of unwieldy and ineffective public bureaucracies, reduce public expenditure and end political interference in managerial decisions (Giddens, 2001:434). The introduction of market forces into social care was considered the best way of allocating resources because free markets were considered to be self organising (Olssen 2000).It was anticipated that this would increase productivity and improve care while at the same time being cost efficient. Government discourses, both Conservative and New Labour have revolved around the notion that the introduction of market mechanisms would result in a more equitable system. Alcock (1994) has argued that the Conservative policies which rolled back the welfare state and introduced changes into social care and the benefits system resulted in greater unemployment, a rise in the number of homeless people, and a general growth in social inequality. In 1997 the Conservative Government was voted out and New Labour came into power, with its New Deal promising a hand up not a hand out. It was believed that the introduction of market forces would improve the economy. In reality it has had the effect of excluding some people from mainstream society and led to the setting up by the present Government of the Social Exclusion Unit in 1997. This Unit is an example of the contradictions engaged in by policy makers in a free market economy. On the one hand the general philosophical approach of both this Government and its predecessor has been on the responsibility of the individual. This is nowhere better expressed than in Labour’s New Deal Documentation. The present Government with its talk of a third way have continued to build on the policies introduced by the Conservatives and it is here that theorists maintain there is a new consensus. Means testing has not only continued but increased and this is nowhere more evident than in the Government’s policy on employment. Job seekers allowance is dependent on a person actively seeking work and Job Centres now have the powers to stop a person’s benefits if they are not seen to be pro-active in finding a job. Under New Labour many of the welfare reforms introduced by the Conservatives have been continued yet the Prime Minister maintains that his party differs from the old way of universal provision and from the New Right policies of the Conservatives. New Labour, he maintains, offers a third way. This draws on ideas from a number of areas and stresses the importance of business success in providing wealth for society and reducing unemployment. This view also promises freedom from discrimination based on gender, race, age and disability. Critics maintain that this view is little more than conservativism with some bolt ons. Universal Provision or the New Right? Welfare provision arises from society’s concerns for social justice and the redistribution of wealth (Sears, 2001)The post-war welfare state claimed to be based upon the idea of universal provision. That is to say that everyone in a certain category would receive a given benefit rather than having to prove their entitlement by means testing. In reality even in the early days of the welfare state few provisions were truly universal because most of them were means tested (Moore et al, 2002). Post-War welfare provision was largely a result of the activities of the social democrats. In this approach the Government in power should ensure that every citizen has the right to be free of poverty and healthcare should be provided on the basis of need rather than the ability to pay. Poverty stems from the idea that modern society produces people who are victims, the unemployed, the disabled, and those who suffer from long term illness. The duty of the state is to look after such people ( Giddens, 2001). Many commentators however are of the opinion that the welfare state failed to deliver its promises. Alcock (1994) has argued that while the post-war welfare state may not have been successful it had attempted to bring about equality in society. He maintains that the Conservative Government that was in power from 1979-1997 arguably actively pursued policies that created greater inequalities. Conservative and New Right thinking (and in this one should include New Labour) do not subscribe to the victims approach but believe that each individual is largely responsible for their own welfare. This approach is not really new, it dates back to the Elizabethan Poor Laws and most particularly to the reforms of that law in the 1830s. it argues that state services are not efficient and that welfare should be provided through the market, the family and charity, this encouraged self-reliance. New Right policies, it is argued, hit the poorest in society. Under the Conservatives the wages of those at the lower end of the labour market fell to an extent where some people were earning less than they would have receive on benefits. As a result of this the Government introduced benefits such as the Family Credit system to subsidise wages (Deakin, 1994). These kinds of policies harked back to the Poor Law where the poor were required to work for the poor relief that they received, such policies also make a distinction between the deserving and undeserving poor, whereas the welfare state in many ways appeared more equitable. However, some theorists maintain that this type of provision was only possible because it was based on the subordination of one set of people to another. Feminist Approaches Feminists argue that we live in a society that for centuries has worked for the benefit of men and that the cost has been borne by women. Thus social policy is based on an existing set of social inequalties (Abbott and Wallace, 1997). Oakley (1982) has long maintained that the welfare state and its legislation operates for the benefit of the wider economy and for the worker. As a result of the nineteenth century distinction between the public and private spheres, and women’s banishment from the workplace, those who benefit from this legislation are men. The whole system is based on traditional notions of the family where the man is the breadwinner and his wife and children are dependants. This concept if the family and the fact that both males and females are socialized into different gender roles means that women have been disadvantaged in the education system, in the workplace, and in the wider society. Feminists have lobbied for equal pay for equal work and against sexual h arassment and discrimination in the workplace. While feminists will allow that the welfare state has played some role in advancing women’s independence e.g. the provision of benefits to women who leave violent partners, and legislation on pay, it also tends to reinforce traditional gender roles. (Moore et al, 2002). Conclusion This assignment has looked at different types of welfare provision and then compared their ideological underpinnings. It has also given a feminist critique of welfare in general. It would seem that there is no easy answer for policy makers, and perhaps nothing short of a total redistribution of wealth in society would alleviate the increasing spread of poverty in the world. Bibliography Abbott, P and Wallace, C (1997) An Introduction to Sociology, Feminist Perspectives Routledge, London. Alcock, P. 1994 â€Å"Back to the Future: Victorian Values for the 21st Century† in Murray, C. 1994 Underclass: The Crisis Deepens London, IEA Beveridge, William (1944). Full Employment in a Free Society. London: Allen and Unwin Butler, A. 1993 â€Å"The end of post war consensus† Political Quarterly Vol 64 No. 4 pp 435-446 Deakin, N. 1994 The Politics of Welfare Hemel Hempstead, Harvester Wheatsheaf Giddens, A. 2001 4th ed. Sociology Cambridge, Polity Press Marsh, Keating and Eyre et al 2000 2nd ed. Sociology: Making Sense of Society Essex, Pearson Education Moore, S. Scourfield, P. Sinclair, S. Burch, S. and Wendon, B. 3rd ed. 2002 Social Welfare Alive Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes. Oakley, A (1982) Subject Woman, Fontana, London Olssen, M. 2000 â€Å"Ethical liberalism, education and the New Right† Journal of Educational Policy Vol 15No. 5 2000 pps 481-508 Sears, M 2001 â€Å"Welfare with or without the state: British Pluralists, American Progressives, and the Conditions of Social Justice† The European Legacy Vol 6 No. 2 pp. 201-213 2001 Townsend, P. 1979. Poverty in the United Kingdom. Harmondsworth, Penguin. http://www.victorianweb.org/history/poorlaw/elizpl.html

Fact And Truth ? Regarding The Difference Between Them :: essays research papers

<a href="http://www.geocities.com/vaksam/">Sam Vaknin's Psychology, Philosophy, Economics and Foreign Affairs Web Sites Thought experiments (Gedankenexperimenten) are facts in the sense they have a â€Å"real life† correlate in the form of electrochemical activity in the brain. But it is quite obvious that they do not relate to facts. They are not a true statement. A question can be posed: do they lack truth because they do not relate to a fact or are the two facts disjointed? How are Truth and Fact interrelated? One answer is that Truth value is a shorthand to describe the possibility that an event will occur. If true – it must occur and if false – it cannot occur. This is a binary world of extreme conditions of being. Should all possible events occur? Of course not. If they do not occur would they still be true? Must a statement demonstrate a real life correlate to be true? Instinctively, yes. We cannot conceive of a thought without brainwaves. A statement which remains a potential seems to exist in the nether land between truth and falsity. It could become true by materializing, by occurring, by matching up with real life. If we had the ability to show that it will never do so (ad infinitum), we would have felt comfortable to classify it as false. This is the outgrowth of millennia of concrete, Aristotelian logic. Logical statements talk about the world and, therefore, if a statement cannot be shown to relate directly to the world, it is not true. This approach, however, is constructed upon some underlying assumptions: First, that the world is finite and not only finite – but also close to its end. To say that if something did not happen than it is not true is to say that it will never happen (meaning that time and space – the world, in one word – are finite and are about to end momentarily). A second assumption is that truth and falsity are mutually exclusive. Quantum logic has disproved this one. There are real world situations that are in both realms, the true and the â€Å"not-true†. A particle can â€Å"be† in two places at the same time. This fuzzy logic is incompatible with our daily experiences but if there is anything that we have learnt from physics in the last seven decades is that the world is incompatible with our daily experiences. Thirdly, that the psychic realm is but a subset of the material one.

The Effect of Technology Over Time :: Personification Essays

The Effect of Technology Over Time It's amazing to see how times have changed. Since I am an old schoolhouse, I've seen a lot of changes within the last 80 years. There have been little changes within me such as new wallpapering and windows, but this isn't all about me. Technology in education has really startled me. I never thought technology would have advanced this far. I still have to laugh to myself every so often. Kids now-a-days talk about how hard school is and how hard their teachers are on. However, I know differently. December 1920-- It's a cold, cloudy winter day. Boys and girls from all over the city are fighting the snow as they come up my wooden steps to the cold hallway. Overcoats and boats are drying as they are stacked against the wall. Kindergarten to fourth grade inhabits three small rooms, which are heated by a radiator. The main source of heat comes from a coal stove that is centrally located in the middle of the building. A little boy stokes the stove each day before and after school. Rooms are poorly lit, especially in the winter. Oil lamps and sunshine are the only source of light. Each class is taught by a middle to elderly age woman. If she happens to get married or pregnant, this is the last time we see her. Teachers always seem to give homework unless it is a holiday or something is happening in the town. There are 8 classes a day, one of which is Penmanship. There are no pens or pencils, just ink wells. If a pen is pressed too hard, it would then splatter and turn th e whole paper black, leaving the student to re-do his/her project. April 1946-- It's a beautiful spring day just a couple years after the Great Depression and my school and peoples' lifestyles are really looking up. I'm completely heated by a furnace, and lighting has never been better, thanks to the installation of light bulbs. Wooden pencils have become popular, leaving ink wells a thing of the past. Some of the more fortunate people have automobiles now, which provides some kids with an easy way to school. While my life was improving, a schoolhouse, up the road about two hours, seemed to be stuck back in 1800's.

Gustav von Aschenbachs Death in Venice Essay -- Thomas Mann Literatur

Gustav von Aschenbach's Death in Venice Prior to his encounter with Tadzio, Gustav von Aschenbach in "Death in Venice" is not an artist to be creatively inspired by sensuous beauty. Rather, his motivation derives from a desire to be accepted and appreciated by his audience, his "whole soul, from the very beginning, [being] bent on fame." [1] Nor does Aschenbach create in moments of ecstasy: being called to the constant tension of his career, not actually born to it (9), he is able to write only through rigid isolation and self-discipline. But though he is able thereby to win "the adhesion of the general public and the admiration, both sympathetic and stimulating, of the connoisseur" (9), Aschenbach reaches a creative impasse, getting "no joy of [his work]-- not though a nation paid it homage" (7). And, one day, unable to check the motus animus continuus or source of eloquence within him, be wanders to the North Cemetery where be encounters a mysterious vagabond; and then, impelled to travel further, journeys to Pola and f inally to Venice. On the steamer to Venice, Aschenbach asks his "own weary heart if a new enthusiasm, a new preoccupation, some late adventure of the feeling could be in store for the idle traveler" (19). He finds a positive answer in the person of Tadzio, the strikingly beautiful Polish boy with whom be becomes increasingly infatuated to the extent that he is unwilling to leave Venice despite its ominous forebodings. At the end of the novella's third chapter, Aschenbach, realizing that leaving Venice is too difficult "for Tadzio's sake" ( 40), forsakes his4C closed fist" discipline and surrenders to his growing passions; the fourth chapter culminates in his confession "of love and longing" for Tadzio. In ... ... Erich, The Ironic German: A Study of Thomas Mann (Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1958). Heller, Peter, "Thomas Mann's Conception of the Creative Writer," PMLA, 69 (September 1954), 764. Mann, Thomas, "Death in Venice" and Other Stories, trans. H. T. Lowe-Porter, (New York: Vintage). Mann, Thomas, Letters of Thomas Mann, selected and translated by Richard and Clara Winston, (New York: Knopf, 1971). Plato, Phaedrus, trans. R. Hackforth, in Edith Hamilton and Huntington Cairns, eds. The Collected Dialogues of Plato (New York: Pantheon, 1966). Rey, W., '"Tragic Aspects of the Artist in Thomas Mann's Works," Modern Language Quarterly, 19 (September 1958). Rosenthal, M. L. "The Corruption of Aschenbach," The University of Kansas Review, 14 (1947), Traschen, Isadore, "The Use of Myth in 'Death in Venice,"' Modern Fiction Studies, 11 (Summer 1965).

Parkinsons Disease

PD normally affects people over the age of 50. It becomes more common with increasing age. ‘About 5 in 1,000 people in their 60s and about 40 in 1,000 people in their 80s have PD'1. It affects both men and women but is a little more common in men. PD is not usually inherited, and can affect anyone. However, genetic factors may be important in the small number of people who develop the disease before the age of 50. PD therefore affects a lot of people in the UK and I have chosen this topic so I have a greater understanding of what they go through and how we can help those affected. Background: Biology of Parkinson's disease? Parkinson's disease is a chronic disorder of part of the brain called the substantia nigra. It mainly affects the way the brain co-ordinates the movements of the muscles in various parts of the body. This area of the brain sends messages down nerves in the spinal cord to help control the muscles of the body. Messages are passed between brain cells, nerves and muscles by chemicals called neurotransmitters. Dopamine is the main neurotransmitter that is made by the brain cells in the substantia nigra1.Muscular System: Muscle Metabolism In PD, cells in the substantia nigra are damaged and die. The cause is unknown. Over time, more and more cells become damaged and die. The more cells that are damaged the less dopamine is produced. The reduction of cells and the low level of dopamine in the cells in this part of the brain causes nerve messages to the muscles to become slowed and abnormal1. In the long term PD will ultimately lead to death. Causes We are still unsure of the causes of PD but here are the most likely and most talked about suggestions: 1. The hereditary form of PD occurs in fifteen per cent of cases2. The genes affected help clear nerve cells of excess proteins. Scientists are not sure but it is thought that when the ‘production process for protein manufacture breaks down, little clumps of ill-formed proteins begin to accumulate in cell' 17, causing cell death. Tests carried out on rats using rotenone imply that pesticides and toxins may lead to PD. The rats experienced shaking and a loss of muscle control as well as developing Lewy bodies (spherical lumps found in dying brain cells), which are commonly associated with Parkinson's disease. However, researchers are yet to find evidence for any definitive link to a particular toxin or drug in humans. 2. There seems to be a link between variants of the mitochondrial genes and PD. The Parkinson's Disease Research Agenda states that â€Å"mitochondrial dysfunction has numerous consequences, including energetic failure, generation of reactive oxygen species, disregulation of calcium homeostasis and induction of apoptosis, each of which may be important in Parkinson's disease†3. 3. High concentrations of free-radicals in the body and a lack of antioxidants. Free radicals damage cells and if too many dopamine-producing cells were damaged then this could lead to PD. Antioxidants prevent the production of free radicals and repair damage done by them. Symptoms and effects There is no easy test to diagnose PD, so it is diagnosed by ruling out other diseases and looking for the classic symptoms: * Slowness of movement (bradykinesia)1. It will become more of an effort to walk or get out bed. People may just think they are getting old and it is not till other symptoms develop that you may think about PD. * Stiffness of muscles (rigidity) and muscles may feel tenser. Also, your arms do not tend to swing as much when you walk. * Shaking (tremor) is common, but does not always occur. It normally affects the fingers, thumbs, hands, and arms, but can affect other parts of the body. It is most noticeable when you are resting and may become worse when you are anxious or emotional. It's generally less obvious when you use your hand to do something such as picking up an object or writing. Symptoms will tend to get worse and worse and as the disease develops. Some other symptoms may develop due to problems with the way affected brain cells and nerves control the muscles. These include: * Fewer facial expressions such as smiling or frowning. Less blinking. * Difficulty with fine movements such as tying shoe laces or buttoning shirts. * Difficulty with writing (handwriting tends to become smaller), balance and posture and swallowing. * Speech may become slow and monotonous. * Tiredness aches and pains. As PD gets really bad, symptoms such as the following might develop, dependant on the individual: * Constipation- †PD prevents the proper transmission of the neurological messages that tell the rectal sphincter muscles to open†7 * Hallucinations (seeing, hearing or smelling things that are not real) * Sweating- PD can affect the autonomic nervous system8 that controls the autonomic functions (functions done automatically by the brain and body without conscious thought) such as sweating, breathing etc. * Difficulties with sleeping * Weight loss- there is a generally decreased appetite associated with PD. This may largely be due to swallowing difficulties and other gastrointestinal disturbances8 * Pain * Depression & Anxiety- anxiety disorders occur in up to 40% of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD)9. The article states †Current evidence suggests that anxiety may not be a psychological reaction to the illness but rather may be linked to specific neurobiological processes accompanying PD.† * Problems with controlling impulses (for example compulsive eating, shopping or gambling) Most people will only suffer form a few of these symptoms and which ones will get worse and the speed at which they get worse varies hugely from person to person. Some rare brain diseases can have very similar symptoms in which case a specialist brain scan can often be used to distinguish between them. The Treatments At the moment there is no cure for PD and most treatments simply have the job of relieving symptoms. 1. Drugs Intro: there are two main types of drug used in PD treatment. Firstly, drugs that target the neurotransmitter systems (e.g. dopamine) or secondly drugs that are designed to interfere with steps in the neurodegenerative processes (they may aim to sustain nerve cells or tackle the issue of free radicals). Drugs are cheap and effective, especially in relieving symptoms but show little potential as a full cure to the disease. Most also need to be taken daily for the remainder of a patients lifetime. Many drugs may have minor side affects. Some side affects have social impacts such as mood swings or may not allow the user to fly or travel to certain places. Dopaminergic Agents- use to activate the production or use of Dopamine. Levodopa- is an amino acid that is converted in the brain into dopamine. According to the WE MOVE website10 ‘Levodopa was introduced as a PD therapy in the 1960s, and remains the most effective therapy for motor symptoms' although there are many drugs that do a similar job such as Rasagiline. It reduces the effect of and helps control the symptoms of PD. Like most amino acids levodopa is absorbed into the blood stream through the wall of the intestines. Amino acids require a ‘transporter' to transfer them across the membrane of the intestines and into the blood stream. These transporters can only work at a certain rate and so diet is important. To much dietary protein can slow the transport of levodopa into the blood stream meaning the dose may be ineffective. Alternatively to avoid the competition with other amino acids, doses should be taken between meals. Levodopa has to cross from the blood stream into the brain using the same transport system again, making diet and timing doubly important. MAO-B Inhibitors- slow the breakdown of dopamine in the brain and aim to prevent or slow the death of neurons. ‘MAO is responsible for the mitochondrial metabolism of monoamine neurotransmitters, including dopamine and serotonin.'11 Ethical implications Some of the many ethical issues revolve around the decision to move from testing on artificial tissue (often grown from stem cells, which may in the future replace animal testing altogether. Stem cells, however create there own ethical issues) to animals, and further on the line, of animal testing to trails on human patients. The graph below shows the stages involved in developing a new drug and is taken from the MSD website (21/3/10): (http://www.msd.com.hk/health_info/drug_education/e_ddp_introduction.html) Animal testing is very closely regulated in the UK however many, often false, accusations of animal abuse have lead to darkened perceptions of animal testing in the public eye. Animal abuse is definitely a reality but ‘improved transparency, accountability and regulations'12 should reduce it happening and make sure those responsible are prosecuted. Unlike humans, animals are unable to consent to testing. It is forced upon them and often involves a certain amount of pain, stress, suffering and discomfort. Researchers will try to reduce this, possibly using anaesthetics although this can often interfere with the drug being tested so the animal may have to suffer the full amount of pain. Unfortunately, in PD, a number of animals are tested on normally starting with mice or rats before moving on to monkeys and finally human trails. Some people believe that animals like monkeys and most primates shouldn't be experimented upon as they aren't in the same plentiful supply that rats and mice are in, nor are they considered pests. However, for potentially dangerous drugs it is essential animals with a similar genetic make up (primates) are tested on to greatly reduce the risks in human clinical trails. Economics of drugs in PD As shown in figure 1.2 drug development requires a huge amount of research and testing and can take more than 10 years before a useable drug is created. This obviously requires a huge amount of investment and general drug development costs vary between 500 and 2,000 million dollars. R;D is often done by independent companies or government organizations. Most companies or organizations will link with universities to share information and facilities and hopefully quicken to process of discovering a new drug. ‘After approval, pharmaceutical companies have a short period of exclusivity before patents expire and other companies can market the same drugs as generics. This time is used to recoup the massive investment required to develop and launch a new drug. However, the companies must also continue to test their drugs and monitor the feedback from healthcare professionals in order to identify undiscovered side effects, risk factors and interactions.'13 Drug companies are some of the most profitable industries in the world and although a large amount of money is needed in research and development (R;D) only 1 in 5 dollars made is then invested in further research. Many companies spent nearly twice as much money on advertising and marketing than R;D and demand is so much higher than it needs to be that companies can afford to boost prices to maximise profit. Luckily with PD this becomes less of a problem as people are unlikely take and therefore buy drugs that are meant for PD when they don't actually need it. This is because the symptoms tend to be quite clear and drugs like levodopa are not readily available unless prescribed. Benefits to humans Drugs can have a massive impact on people suffering from PD and they aim to do a number of things: 1) Improve standards of living- by reducing the affects of PD and slowing the process of neurodegeneration it should allow the person suffering to do basic things (such as tying shoelaces, writing etc) more easily and for longer before they require full time medical care. This allows them to be more independent. 2) The use of drugs such as levodopa, in the long term, will reduce the affects of symptoms such as tiredness, aches and pains. Painkillers like amantadine will also be used for more short term relieve along side drugs like levodopa. This will simply make life less painful for a PD patient. 3) Drugs are the most well know and reliable of PD treatments. This reduces the risks of any unknowns or mistakes and far fewer mistakes will be made than in using other treatments. Risks to humans 1) Unfortunately Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of using levodopa that are due to the building up of dopamine in the bloodstream. The most serious and severe effect of this treatment is dyskinesias. ‘Dyskinesias are uncontrolled movements, including writhing, twitching, and shaking. Dyskinesias result from the combination of long-term levodopa use and continued neurodegeneration. They typically begin to develop in milder forms after 3 to 5 years of treatment, but are more severe after 5 to 10 years of treatment.'10 2) There is always risk of allergies when using drugs and for some unfortunate people drugs may do more damage than good. 3) Side affects of drugs vary from person to person and it is impossible to know beforehand how a certain drug will affect an individual. For some, side affects may be far worse than for others. 4) Dosages need to be got right and it is a common problem that people take to little and don't get the full benefit of the drug or take to much and suffer more/worse side affects. A massive overdose will likely lead to death. Alternative Cures? 2. Gene therapy- is still in early research stages and it is likely to be a while before this technique is actually used on humans. Like stem cells it has exciting potential to provide a future cure and avoid the ethical issues associated with stem cells. How it works? Gene therapy aims to introduce new and functioning genetic material into cells that have abnormal genes that are causing proteins (in the case of PD, dopamine) not to be created or created faulty. The genetic material can normally be inserted into the cells using viruses. ‘Some types of virus, such as retroviruses, integrate their genetic material (including the new gene) into a chromosome in the human cell. Other viruses, such as adenoviruses, introduce their DNA into the nucleus of the cell, but the DNA is not integrated into a chromosome.'13There is still much development needed as scientists are still unable to target specific cells and there is the potential threat of virus mutation which may cause even further problems. There is also major worry about the potential for gene therapy to be used to improve basic human traits such as height, intelligence etc. People could simply choice characteristics and this in many people's eyes could be used for the wrong reason. For example, this may be used to give some athletes a major advantage over others or possibly creating super humans. 3. Stem Cells I think stem cells have shown exciting potential and will hopefully provide a full time future cure for the disease. How they work? Stem cells are unspecialised cells that have the ability to develop into highly specialised cells like nerve cells. They can also self-renew, which means they are capable of replenishing themselves for long periods of time by dividing4. For Parkinson's disease it is hoped that large numbers of the brain cells that produce dopamine can be produced and inserted, through transplantation, into a patient's brain. Therefore, nerve messages to all parts of the body will be normal again. However, stem cells not been successfully used to cure PD yet and there are many problems facing researchers. Therefore stem cells are relatively useless for PD at the moment but may be able to provide an easy and affective cure in the future. Problems with the types of Stem cells There are three main types of stem cells: 1. Adult stem cells can come from Skin, Bone marrow, Brain, Blood vessels, Liver and Skeletal muscle. However, adult stem cells are found in such small quantities it is difficult to identify and isolate them in viable numbers. Because adult stem cells aren't as ‘young' as embryonic stem cells, they contain more DNA abnormalities acquired with age4. These can be caused by the environment, toxins or errors in DNA replication. Adult stem cells have limited potential because unlike embryonic stem cells they can not differentiate into any specialised cell in the body. 2. Cord blood cells are normally found in the umbilical cord and placenta after the cord is cut. One problem is the lack of cells obtained and these may not be enough relative to a patient's size. Cord blood cells generally take longer to grow, therefore completion of therapy will take longer. It obviously requires a pregnant woman to donate the cells. 3. Embryonic stem cells are found in human embryos and have a seemingly unlimited potential to develop into any cell in the human body. However they are surrounded by a number of ethical issues. Many people and especially religious group condemn the use of embryonic stem cells as they believe it is destroying a life. They believe it is immoral to save a life at the expense of another. However new developments in stem cells research means that Totipotent* stem cells can now be collected without the loss of embryo life: Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) – nucleus is removed from a somatic cell and is then implanted into a donor egg that has had its nucleus removed6. It divides just as normal before forming an embryo. Cells from the inner cell mass are extracted and cultured to provide embryonic stem cells but the technique destroys the embryo. Although the embryo is destroyed it is a created clone and so may not be considered the loss of new, individual life. Altered nuclear transfer (ANT), however, prevents an embryo from actually being created. The nucleus of the somatic cell is altered, or genetically reprogrammed, before being transferred into the egg. The alteration consequence is that the somatic cell DNA still produces stem cells but does not generate an embryo. Blastomere Extraction is performed on a two-day old embryo, following the division of the fertilized egg into eight blastomeres (cells). One blastomere is removed and can be triggered to divide and the resulting stem cells could still be used for research and disease treatment. The embryo, ‘now with only seven blastomeres can still be implanted into the mother and assuming no defect has been found these embryos will still grow into healthy babies'4. 1. Name of article: Parkinson's Disease Url: http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Parkinson's-Disease.htm Date accessed: 15/2/10 Evaluation: The article is certified as a reliable source of health and social care information. It certificate states- ‘The authors and editors of this article are employed to create accurate and up to date content reflecting reliable research evidence, guidance and best clinical practice. They are free from any commercial conflicts of interest.' The article states that Parkinson's disease affects the part of the brain know as the substantia nigra. WE MOVE (Worldwide Education and Awareness for Movement Disorders- http://www.wemove.org/par/par_subn.html) states: ‘In PD, cells of the SN (substantia nigra) degenerate, and therefore can no longer produce adequate dopamine.' This information is further backed up on the Parkinson's Disease Research Agenda that states ‘cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine die in a small brain area called the substantia nigra.' As the information provided is backed by what I consider to be reliable resources I think that the i nformation on the website is also therefore reliable, but should be checked with other sources before being used. 2. Name of article: Possible Causes of Parkinson's Disease (PD) Url: http://www.healthtree.com/articles/parkinsons-disease/causes.php Date accessed: 20/2/10 3. Name: Parkinson's Disease Research Agenda URL: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/about_ninds/plans/nihparkinsons_agenda.htm#Parkinson Date accessed: 20/2/10 Evaluation: Parkinson's disease Research Agenda is written by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). It primary aim is to †reduce the burden of neurological disease – a burden borne by every age group, by every segment of society, by people all over the world.† It is funded by the government so should provide no bias and the site aims to educate people about various neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease. It states â€Å"mitochondrial dysfunction has numerous consequences†¦ each of which may be important in Parkinson's disease.† This is also backed by an article: http://www.nature.com/nrneurol/journal/v6/n2/full/nrneurol.2009.221.html that states † dysfunctional energy metabolism might be a central element of the pathological process underlying the development of PD.† The site was last updated on the 25th of July 2008. As the site is run and updated by the government with no other purpose but to inform I think it can be used a very reliable source of information.

Importance of Financial Decision-Making in the Business World

In the business world, financial decision-making is important. Some organizations have trouble with accounting and the financial decision-making process in today’s diverse organizational ethics. In this world’s current economy, the expectation for organizations is to behave in an ethical manner. The business world consists of people with different ethical belief systems, which makes it difficult to define ethics (The Journal of Accountancy, 2007). Organizations that do enforce a code of ethics can create unwanted behaviors within the organizations. These unethical behaviors can affect every individual associated with the organization. When an organization instills good ethical behaviors, its rate of success and longevity is more likely to be high. Organizational ethics are a significant part in financial decision-making and accounting. Ethical principles set the foundation on which a cultured society exists. An exceptional illustration of ethics in accounting and finances is the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. After several financial frauds reported in 2001 and 2002, the president signed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in July 2002. This act established major modifications to the financial practices and corporate governance regulations. According to n. d. 2006), â€Å"The given name is after Senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Michael Oxley, who were its main architects, and it also set a number of non-negotiable deadlines for all organizations to comply† (para. 1). The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, known as the corporate responsibility act, act gives considerable supervision responsibilities and control to the Securities an d Exchange Commission (SEC) above organizations external auditors and distribution of financial statements. The SEC must employ a public company accounting oversight board (PCAOB) with the authority to control the public accounting (Albrecht, Stice, Stice, & Swain, 2005, p. 01). This law was put in place because of the involvement of Enron and Tyco International in several accounting scandals. For most organizations, making money is important; money is what makes the business successful. However, a business that becomes greedy and decides to make money illegally will eventually fail. In the article â€Å"Beyond Sarbanes-Oxley†, Neil S. Lebovits, advises businesses to ensure their ethical health by doing several things. Lebovits suggests that organizations must employ the following three ethical best practices to be successful: â€Å"cultivate ethical role models, demonstrate ethical ecision-making, and encourage pushback† (Lebovits, 2006, para. 5). The Directorate of P lanning, Training, Mobilization, and Security (DPTMS) organization that I work for employs these three ethical best practices daily. The management always ensures that workers behave professionally while serving soldiers and making the right decisions that could affect the soldiers training during this time of war. The DPTMS leaders provide explanations on how to make decisions and why the selection of the judgment. The organizational managers have an open-door policy to listen to the workers concerns. Additionally, managers walk throughout the day asking employees if he or she has any issues that the managers could assist on. These types of actions create a sense of trust in the leadership that everyone worker wants to emulate. Lebovits also proposes that organizations can do more to ensure the organization workers behave ethically at all levels. Lebovits suggests that, first, organizations cultivate ethical role models. These role models structures’ must include natural influencers who exhibit strong ethical behavior in their day-to-day work in the financial departments of the organization. Organizations must give influencers proper recognition on every occasion possible. By involving influencers in assignments, the individuals can have an encouraging impact in the organization. When an organization rewards its influencers efforts’, the organization can cultivate ethical conduct (2006). Organizational ethical behavior starts at the top of the organization. The leadership must motivate individuals to follow its behavior. Employees watch and listen to their management carefully for signs of how to act. Leaders should behave accordingly and set the example for the workers to follow. When suitable, leaders must tell workers examples of their business decisions involving their ethics and how they used good judgment. This type of honest conversation provides employees with a quick look on how leaders act and think while representing the organization (2006). Moreover, Lebovits proposes that organizations should also encourage pushback. In other words, companies should encourage their employees to speak up if they question financial actions and decisions that affect them. Ethics hotlines, anonymous e-mails and â€Å"approachable† managers are ways for companies to obtain this type of feedback. Organizations and their key personnel should always conduct themselves ethically and legally. They should promote an environment in which employees can articulate work-related concerns without negative effects and free exchange of information (2006). The organizations that decide to implement and follow good ethical behavior will achieve success and an excellent status as ethical and fair instiution to the clients, employees, and the shareholders. These benefits will assist the organization in the financial phase, and when organizations fail to execute will result in poor financial performance. References Albrecht, Stice, Stice, & Swain, (2005). Accounting: Concepts and Applications (9th Ed. ). Quebecor World, Versailles, KY: South-Western, Thomson. Lebovits, N. (2006, August, 2006). Beyond Sarbanes-Oxley: Three best practices to adopt in your organization. Retrieved March, 2011, from http://www. aicpa. org/pubs/jofa/aug2006/lebovits. htm N. D. (2006). The Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Retrieved from http://www. soxlae. com The Journal of Accountancy (2007). Retrieved March, 2011, from http://www. aicpa. org/pubs/jofa/joahome. htm