Mental Problems

This article written by Shelton and Papakostas deals with the health problem of treatment-resistant depression (2008). This refers to a situation where at least one trial of an antidepressant has failed. More specifically, the study investigates the effectiveness of atypical antipsychotics in treatment-resistant depression. This subject was chosen due to the report by the recent â€Å"National Institute of Mental Health Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study,† which shows a very small percentage of people who actually recovered as a result of their first antidepressant treatment (Shelton & Papakostas, 2008).The subject of this study is very important for Health People 2010, as it deals with the issue of effectiveness of antidepressants. The authors noted that there are several new antidepressants available in the market, and yet, the data showing responses of patients as a result of these antidepressants are dismal. For example, there are signifi cant functional impairments found among patients who already had at least 50% improvement on the depression scale. Moreover, despite the relatively high mean dose of antidepressants, the fact remains that only few people actually recover from depression (Shelton & Papakostas, 2008).This condition deserves adequate attention because it comprises about ten to twenty percent of people who have major depressive disorders. Thus, about 10-20% of depressed people fail to respond to traditional antidepressant treatments (Greenberg, et al., 2004). Existing data, however, do not segregate the affected population based on demographical indicators such as age and gender. The factors affecting this condition are not addressed by extant literature, but some research suggests ways of addressing the condition. Thus, in this article, it is suggested that atypical antipsychotics be used instead of traditional antidepressants.Atypical antipsychotics include drugs such as aripiprazole, risperidone, ola nzapine, and ziprasidone. In order to determine how these drugs are relevant to treatment-resistant depression, the authors conducted a study consisting mainly of a study and review of clinical literature dealing with the use of such drugs to depressed patients (Shelton & Papakostas, 2008).From their review of clinical literature, the authors found two atypical antipsychotics that seemed promising based on controlled clinical trials. These drugs are quetiapine and olanzapine. The effectiveness of other atypical antipsychotics were either not supported by data or contradicted by a later study. Thus, the authors were not able to conclude that all atypical antipsychotics are effective for treatment-resistant depression, because existing clinical literature on the matter is decidedly mixed and unclear (Shelton & Papakostas, 2008).Nurses would play a significant role in the treatment of treatment-resistant depression, especially since the study showed how a lot of antidepressant medicati ons do not work on the patients. It is noted that nursing is a profession that plays a very important role in the provision of health care. Since nurses spend a significant amount of time with patients, especially when they conduct rounds and take direct care of the patients, nurses often become more familiar to the patients than the doctors.The nurses’ role in the recuperation or treatment of a patient is not limited to routine procedures and mechanical acts. More importantly, nurses could play a very important role in helping a patient recover psychologically from an illness. Nurses could help depressed patients by establishing a good, healthy, and strong relationship with the patient. More specifically, nurses should attempt to make patients comfortable so that they would be allowed by patients to treat them effectively.Depression and stress are natural consequences of an illness. These emotional facets of the healthcare profession require nurses to know how to attend to t hese emotional needs. Emotional sensitivity and proper communication with patients would allow nurses to inspire patients with treatment-resistant depression to recover, despite the difficulty and the lack of effectiveness of various antidepressants in the market today.Nurses interested in getting better on giving emotional support to patients could join nurses' associations, such as the NSW Nurses' Association. Details could be found at their website, http://www.nswnma.asn.au/nswnmamembers/benefits/. Organizations such as these provide support and assistance to nurses and give valuable information relating to the profession.ReferencesChambers, M. (1998). Interpersonal mental health nursing: research issues and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   challenges. Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing 5, 203-211.Shelton, R. C. & Papakostas, G. I. (2008). Augmentation of antidepressants with   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   atypical antipsychotics for treatment-resistant major depr essive disorder. Acta   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychiatrica Scandinavica 117, 253-259.

Autonomous Learning Essay

2.1 A General Review on Learner Autonomy Two classic definitions of autonomy influenced my study a lot when I set up my research programme.The first was put forward by Henri Holec in 1981, and the second by David Little in 1991. 2.1.1 Definitions of Autonomy â€Å"Learner autonomy is when the learner is willing and capable of taking charge of his/her own learning. The learner should be capable of determining the objectives;defining the contents and the progressions; selecting methods and techniques to be used; monitoring the procedure of acquisition, evaluating what has been acquired.†(Henri Holec,1981). â€Å"Autonomy is a capacity for detachment, critical reflection, decision making and independent action. It presupposes, but also entails, that the learner will develop a particular kind of psychological relation to the process and content of his learning†.(Little,1991). It is clear from this that autonomy is not a method of language learning – it is a capacity: the capacity to take control one’s own learning.(Benson, 2001:2)This seems to distinguish it from some other types of learning with which it is sometimes associated, such as: â€Å"self-study†, â€Å"distance learning† and â€Å"indepen dent learning†. The main point here is that most of these can be seen as ways of organizing learning, as methods. They may be more or less teacher-led and the degree of teacher control is not clear. Holec use the term â€Å"autonomy† to refer to a â€Å"capacity† and not a â€Å"method† It is a capacity that usually needs to be acquired, hence our emphasis is on â€Å"learning how to learn†. On a general note, the term autonomy has come to be used in at least five ways: the first is for situations in which learners study entirely on their own; the second is for a set of skills which can be learned and applied in self-directed learning; the third is for an inborn capacity which is suppressed by institutional education; the fourth is for the exercise of learners’ responsibility for their own learning; and the last is for the right of learners to determine the direction of their own learning. (Benson & Voller, 1997: 2) It is noteworthy that autonomy can be thought of in terms of a departure from education as a social process, as well as in terms of redistribution of power attending the construction of knowledge and the roles of the participants in the learning process. Autonomous language learning requires the learners to be responsible for their learning, including deciding their learning objective, choosing their learning materials, monitoring and adjusting their learning process and evaluating their learning results. There is broad agreement in the theoretical literature that learner autonomy grows out of the individual learner’s acceptance of responsibility for his or her own learning (e.g., Holec, 1981;Little, 1991). This means that learner autonomy is a matter of explicit or conscious intention:we cannot accept responsibility for our own learning unless we have some idea of what, why,and how we are trying to learn. The learner must take at least some of the initiatives that give shape and direction to the learning process, and must share in monitoring progress and evaluating the extent to which learning targets are achieved. The pedagogical justification for wanting to foster the development of learner autonomy rests on the claim that in formal educational contexts, reflectivity and self-awareness produce better learning. The autonomous learner shows initiative regarding learning, and shares in monitoring progress and evaluating the extent to which learning is achieved (Schunk, 2005).The ideas that cluster around the concept of learner autonomy have also been promoted under banners such as, â€Å"humanistic language teaching,† â€Å"collaborative learning,† â€Å"experiential learning,† and â€Å"the learning-centered classroom.† We prefer the term â€Å"Learner autonomy† because it implies a holistic view of the learner as an individual. This seems to us important for two reasons. First, it reminds us that learners bring to the classroom a personal history and personal needs that may have little in common with the assumed background and implied needs on which the curri culum is based. Second, it reminds us that the ultimate measure of success in second or foreign language learning is the extent to which the target language becomes a fully integrated part of the learner’s identity. In conlusion,some of the most well known definitions in present literature are: â€Å"Autonomy is the ability to take charge of one’s own learning† (Henri Holec,1981); â€Å"Autonomy is essentially a matter of the learner’s psychological relation to the process and content of learning† (David Little,1991); â€Å"Autonomy is a situation in which the learner is totally responsible for all the decisions concerned with his [or her] learning and the implementation of those decisions†. (Leslie Dickinson,1987); â€Å"Autonomy is a recognition of the rights of learners within educational systems†. (Benson,2001) 2.1.2 Theoretical Background of Learner Autonomy Autonomy is not developed by single, clearly defined theories or methods, its evolution has reflected a more general trend in language teaching; however, its independence from specific theories does not mean that theory is not relevant. In fact, many researchers in the literature seek justifications of learner autonomy from a wide variety of philosophical, psychological, and political sources. And some approaches to educational psychology— humanism, constructivism— had a profound impact on the advocacy of autonomous learning. A review of the two approaches to language education, especially to second language learning and teaching will be offered. 2.1.2.1 Constructivism Constructivism is one of the hottest topics in educational psychology. Constructivism is a new educational psychology school which is influenced by Piaget’s cognitive developmental psychology and Vygotsky’s social interactionism. Constructivism is described as a learning theory based on authentic and real-world situations. Students internalize and construct new knowledge based on past experiences. The constructivism theory is student-centered and encourages higher level processing skills to apply their working knowledge. In other words, â€Å"everyone makes their own sense of the world and the experiences that surround them. In this way the learner is brought into central focus in learning theory†(Williams M.&Burden R.L., 1997:2). The educational impact of constructivism is positive, in that instruction is based on student’s prior knowledge, allowing them to make significant connections and solve complex problems. Vygotsky’s point of view was that acquisition and participation were synergistic strategies in learning situations. Aspects of participation involved teaching in contexts that could be meaningful to students based on their personal and social history, negotiating, class discussions, small group collaborative learning with projects and tasks, and valuing meaningful activity over correct answers. Social Constructivism emphasizes that learning takes place through interactions with other students, teachers, and the world-at-large. (Vygotsky,1978) In terms of process of learning, acquiring and constructing new knowledge, the student plays an active role. The student brings past experiences and prior knowledge to the classroom and uses these to actively connect with new ideas or problems that are presented. ‘Knowing’ is being able to internalize the material, connecting it with things you already know. Students use higher level processing skills, such as evaluating, analyzing and synthesis to apply newly constructed knowledge to problems or situations. According to the theory of constructivism, student responsibility is greater, as they discover how new knowledge connects with prior knowledge. The learner continuously asks questions and guides their own learning process. Students learn that there is not just one way to solve problems, but rather multiple ways to finding answers. Typical classroom instruction, consistent with the constructivist learning theory may include: problem-based approach to teaching, hands-on activities, including the use of manipulatives, experimentation, and simulations. The constructivist theory allows teachers to be creative and innovative with teaching. In brief, constructivism believes that learning is a process in which learners construct new ideas or concepts based on their past knowledge. Constructivist learning theory advocates that learning is student-centered and instructed by teachers, which puts great emphasis on learners. Students are not passive receiver. Instead, they are active constructors. The learners select and transform information, construct hypotheses and make decisions relying on a cognitive structure. Cognitive structure (i.e. schema, mental models) provides meaning and organization to experiences and allows the individual to go beyond the information given. 2.1.2.2 Humanism Humanism is a school of thought that believes human beings are different from other species and possess capacities that cannot be found in animals. Humanists, therefore, give primacy to the study of human needs and interests. In humanistic view, the basic concern is the human potential growth and education is to enhance actualization and give free harness to one’s potential. â€Å"Humanistic approaches emphasize the importance of the inner world of the learner and place the individual’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions at the forefront of all human development†(Williams,M.&Burden, R.L. 1997:4). These aspects of the learning process are often unjustly neglected, yet they are vitally important if we are to understand human learning in its totality. There are five basic objectives of the humanistic view of education: the first is to promote positive self-direction and independence (development of the regulatory system);the second is to develop the ability to take responsibility for what is learned (regulatory and affective systems);the third is to develop creativity (divergent thinking aspect of cognition);the fourth is to arouse curiosity (exploratory behavior, a function of imbalance or dissonance in any of the systems);the last is to cultivate an interest in the arts (primarily to develop the affective/emotional system). 2.1.3 Teachers’ Role in Autonomous Learning In literature works there are many detailed descriptions of the teachers’ role in developing learner autonomy. According to Huttunen (1986), teachers should guide the learners in the process of their logical, psychological and ethical development towards autonomy. Their task is to enrich, balance, and clarify the learners’ experience and to help them to seek new experiences to structure and simplify experiences they need, and to find ways of associating the learners’ experiences with the various aspects of life in their culture, including its heritage; Higgs (1988) stated that in the process of learners’ autonomous learning teachers should act as a manager who is available as a resource, will create learners a supportive and nonthreatening learning environment, can motivate learners to achieve their potential and can help learners to be aware of institutional requirements and expectations associated with the discipline in which they are learning; according to Nunan (1993), teachers are readjusting their traditional roles and to the new ones. They become active participants, monitors, consultants and guides in the process of students’ language learning and help students to develop better learning strategies; Hill (1994) suggested that â€Å"since the decision to promote autonomy comes usually from the teacher, and the success of attempts to empower learners to become actively involved in their learning depends to a large extent on the teacher’s ability to redefine roles†; to Little (1999), he believes that teachers should be responsible for â€Å"deciding whether and to what extent it is possible for learners to determine their own learning objectiveness, select their own learning materials and evaluate their own learning process†; HuaWeifen (2001)believes that language teachers should enable students to set learning objectives, choose learning materials, develop the effective learning strategies, monitor their learning process and evaluate the learning results. She further proposes three roles of teachers in developing students’ independent learning: a counselor who helps learners to develop their own learning ability instead of making decisions for them, a facilitator who provides psychological, social support and technical support, and an information resource; Xiao Fei (2002) feels that teachers must adjust their counselors, roles from the â€Å"purveyors of language information’ to the organizers and managers of learning activities, and resource learning providing necessary help. Teacher serves as one of many resources for students, not necessarily the primary source of information. The teacher engages students in experiences that challenge previous conceptions of their existing knowledge. The teacher uses student responses in the planning of next lessons and seeks elaboration of students’ initial responses. The teacher encourages questions and discussion among students by asking open-ended questions. The teacher assists students to understand their own cognitive processes (metacognition) by using cognitive terminology such as classify, analyze, create, organize, hierarchy, etc. when framing tasks. The teacher encourages and accepts student autonomy and initiative by being willing to let go of classroom control The teacher makes available raw data and primary resources, along with manipulative and interactive physical materials. The teacher does not separate knowing from the process of finding out. Nouns and verbs. The teacher facilitates clear communication from students in writing and verbal responses, from the point of view that communication comes from ones deep structural understanding of the concepts being communicated. When they can communicate clearly and meaningfully, they have truly integrated the new learning. The teacher’s role is to anticipate and address student misconceptions while presenting authentic questions and real-world problems or situations. The teacher does not provide clear answers on how to solve these problems or questions, but guides students to make sense of how things work according to what their past experiences are and how it applies to the new knowledge they are constructing. 2.2 Input Theory 2.2.1 Krashen’s theory of language acquisition During the late 1970s Krashen put forward an account of SLA first known as the Monitor Model after its main claim about the role of monitoring in language learning (Krashen, 1979). In the early 1980s this was expanded into a broader-based model, described in Krashen (1981;1982), which consisted of five linked hypotheses: acquisition/learning, monitor, natural order, input, and affective filter. The aspect of the model that became most developed was termed the Input Hypothesis, the title of Krashen’s last major theoretical book (Krashen, 1985). In order to better understand the Input Hypothesis, it is necessary to have a general idea about the five hypotheses as they are closely related to each other. They are:The Acquisition-Learning Hypothesis;The Monitor Hypothesis ;The Natural Order Hypothesis; The Input Hypothesis ;The Affective Filter Hypothesis. Krashen summarizes the five hypotheses with a single claim: â€Å"People acquire second languages only if they obtain comprehensible input and if their affective filters are low enough to allow the input `in’ †¦In other words, comprehensible input is the essential ingredient for second language acquisition. All other factors thought to encourage or cause second-language acquisition work only when they contribute to comprehensible input and/or a low affective filter.† [pic] 2.2.2 Input hypothesis in second language learning The Input Hypothesis is Krashen’s attempt to explain how the learner acquires a second language. In other words, this hypothesis is Krashen’s explanation of how second language acquisition takes place. So, the Input Hypothesis is only concerned with â€Å"acquisition†, not â€Å"learning†. According to this hypothesis, the learner improves and progresses along the â€Å"natural order† when he/she receives second language â€Å"input† that is one step beyond his/her current stage of linguistic competence. For example, if a learner is at stage â€Å"i†, then acquisition takes place when he/she is exposed to â€Å"comprehensible input† that belongs to level â€Å"i+1†. Since not all of the learners can be at the same level of linguistic competence at the same time, Krashen suggests that natural communicative input is the key to designing a syllabus, ensuring in this way that each learner will receive some â€Å"i+1†in put that is appropriate for his /her current stage of linguistic competence. The Input Hypothesis is simply stated: â€Å"Humans acquire language in only one wayä ¸â‚¬by understanding messages or by receiving `comprehensible input†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ (Krashen, 1985ï ¼Å'2). That is to say, language acquisition depends upon trying to comprehend what other people are saying. Provided that the learner hears meaningful speech and endeavors to understand it, acquisition will occur (cited in Cook, 1993). The theory (Krashen 1981;1985; 1989) also makes the following claims, as Ellis (1994) has summarized:Learners progress along the natural order by understanding input that contains structures a little bit beyond their current level of competence. Although comprehensible input is necessary for acquisition to take place, it is not sufficient, as learners also need to be affectively disposed to `let in’ the input they comprehend. Input becomes comprehensible as a result of simplification and with the help of contextual and extralinguistic clues; â€Å"fine-tuning† (i.e. ensuring that learners receive input rich in the specific linguistic property they are due to acquire next) is not necessary. Speaking is the result of acquisition, not its cause; learner production does not contribute directly to acquisition. It is understood that to be useful to the learner, the input must be neither too difficult to understand nor too easy. This is conceptualized by Krashen in terms of the learner’s current level, called â€Å"i†, and the level that the learner will get to next, called â€Å"i+1†.For the learner to progress rather than remain static, the input has always to be slightly beyond the level at which he or she is completely at home; the gap between the learner’s â€Å"i† and the â€Å"i+1†that he or she needs is bridged by information drawn from the situation and from the learner’s previous experience. â€Å"We also use context, our knowledge of the world, our extra-linguistic competence to help us understand† (Krashen, 1982, 21).Krashen emphasizes that input does not need to be â€Å"finely tuned† in the sense that it is linguistically adjusted to contain â€Å"i+1†.It requires only rough tuning, which is automatic if the focus is on successful communication. 2.2.3 The web-based meltimedia language input for autonomous learning Students need accessible materialsï ¼Å¡comprehensible input, the underlying assumption is that the learner needs help identifying the critical features in â€Å"the wealth of the linguistic and nonlinguistic information they receive† (Plass & Jones, 2005, p. 470). This means that the supports embedded in a multimedia instructional approach should guide what students notice in a word, sentence, passage, or image. The autonomous leaners need to be provided with more and up-to-date language input in as many ways as possible, such as vedio and audio materials downloaded from the internet. This strategy can also be accomplished through immediate and focused teacher feedback. When a teacher highlights portions of an assignment that require revisions, the student’s ability to evaluate and revise her work increases. These strategies help the learner understand task directions and focus on pertinent informati on to comprehend or revise. 2.3 Web-Based Language Teaching and Learning 2.3.1.The development of web-based language teaching and learning Web-based language learning is developed from Computer-Assisted Language Learning. It may be defined as â€Å"the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning† (Levy, 1997:1).As for teaching, the lecturer presents a language teaching plan in a logical order and learns whether the students’ responses are correct or not correct by computers. As for learning, the language learners use computers to monitor their own progress, and provide themselves with proper lessons, materials, etc. Richards. J.C.(1998) also points out that CALL refers to the use of computer in the teaching and learning of second or foreign language. The CALL in the academic literature has been existed for about forty years. The subject is interdisciplinary by nature, and it has evolved out of previous efforts to find ways of using computer for teaching or for instructional purpose across a wide var iety of subjects areas, with the weight of knowledge and breadth of application in language learning ultimately resulting in a more specialized field of study (Levy, 1997). According to Warschauer and Healey (1998), CALL has experienced three stages in the last forty years: behavioristic, communicative and integrative. Each stage will be featured by its important projects and development despite the fact that there is in fact no clear-cut line among stages (Hu&Jiang, 2002:5 34-538). The first stage of CALL, Behavioristic Call, started from the 1950s and applied in 1960s and 1970s, was on the basis of the then dominant behaviorist theories of learning. Programs of this stage were repetitive language drills and can be concluded as â€Å"drill and practice†. One of the most complicated projects of this period is the PLATO (Programmed Logic/Learning for Automated Teaching Operations) system, which operates on its own special PLATO hard ware, including central computers and terminals. The vocabulary drills, brief grammar explanations drills, and translation tests at various intervals (Ahmad, Corbett, Rogers&Sussex, 1985)were included. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, behavioristic CALL was replaced because of two important factors. First, behavioristic approaches to language learning had been out of stage at both the theoretical and the pedagogical level. Secondly, the application of microcomputer provided a whole new range of chances. The stage was set for a new era of CALL-Communicative CALL. One of the main advocates of this new approach was John Underwood, who in 1984 proposed a series of â€Å"premises for `Communicative’ CALL† (Underwood, 1984:52). According to him, the Communicative CALL focuses more on using forms. The teacher uses the computer to teach grammar implicitly rather than explicitly; allow and encourage students to utter naturally rather than just manipulate prefabricated language; it does not assess everything the students do nor give them congratulatory message, lights, or bells; avoids telling students that they are incorrect and is flexible to a variety of student responses; it uses the target language exclusively and creates an environment in which using the target language feels natural, both on and off the screen; and will never try to do anything that a book can do just as well. Many types of CALL programs were developed and applied during this period. Integrative computer assisted language learning covers the more recent development of 1990s, and even the multimedia computers and the Internet. This period was greatly influenced by the growth of constructivist approach, which believes that knowledge is not obtained through the transmission of teachers, but the meaning construction of learners themselves in a certain social and cultural context with the others, including their teachers and their peers, and also the use of resources. Furthermore, this approach emphasizes that learners are the necessary component of learning main body in the cognitive process and the active constructor of knowledge meanings, and teachers take the roles as organizers, guiders and facilitators. Also, the importance of authentic learning environment and social interaction is emphasized. This phase is featured by the use of multimedia, hypermedia and interactive technologies to enhance comprehensive skills. 2.3.2 web-based language learning context and input thoery Compared with the traditional language teaching and learning context, web-based language learning would expose college students to greater amount of language information input. On the one hand, the colorful, multi-facet, and limitless information provided by the internet and computer programs attracts the learners’ attention. It could also make their English study much easier. It is obvious that, the multimedia, hypermedia and Internet enrich the information input and to a large extent promote the students’ curiosity, interest and motivation in English learning. On the other hand, the multi-facet or multi-channel information input may be in some way distract learners’ attention and make learners feel at a loss in their autonomous learning after class, thus weaken the learners’ productivity of English language. Therefore, to help learners to wisely choose the useful information to develop their own autonomous language learning models become the teachersâ₠¬â„¢ focuses. 2.4 Assessment in autonomou learning In a recent report, Dam and Legenhausen (1999: 90) claim that learners’ ability to reflect critically on their learning is a measure of the effectiveness of the learning environment. They use the term ‘evaluation’ to refer to the metacognitive activity of reviewing past and future learning experiences in order to enhance learning, and claim that: In an autonomous classroom . . . [evaluation] is viewed as the pivot of a good learning/teaching cycle . . . Evaluation has a retrospective and prospective function, in which the learning experiences of the past are reflected upon and transformed into plans for future action. The potential for learner autonomy increases as an individual’s learning awareness grows. Therefore activities which prompt learners to reflect on their learning aim to enhance learners’ insight into their learning processes. Assessments for autonomous learners may cover a wide area of knowledge,for example, reading an authentic languag e text or a small, tightly focused area ,for example, questions at the end of a worksheet on a specific grammar point. Assessments may serve one or more of a number of purposes, such as confidence building, demonstrating learning gain, or motivation, and they may be constructed in a number of ways, for example, by the teacher, by the learner, collaboratively or as a portfolio (Gardner and Miller, 1999). Assessments with any combination of the above criteria can be self-assessments because this term refers simply to the mode of administration, i.e., assessments which are self-administered. It is reasonable to assume that autonomous learners would benefit from feedback on chievements in their learning through engaging in some kind of assessment procedure. The individualised nature of autonomous learning makes large-scale, institutionalised assessments problematic although an autonomous learner may make the decision to include these as part of a personalised assessment regime. Self-assessment seems to accommodate itself much more easily to the diverse and flexible requirements of an autonomous learner. Indeed, it has been argued that self-assessment is an integral part of autonomous learning (Holec, 1981; Tudor, 1996; Thomson, 1996; Gardner and Miller, 1999) and that all learners engage in it (Holec, 1985) although not necessarily knowingly (Thomson, 1996). Dickinson (1987) argues that self-evaluation of performance is an important skill for all language learners but of particular importance to autonomous language learners. Thomson (1996) implemented a self-assessment project as a way of getting learners involved in self-directed learning. The effectiveness of self-assessment is detailed by Nunan (1996: 21), who states that, â€Å"Autonomy is enhanced when learners are encouraged to self-monitor and self-assess.† An important aspect of the monitoring process for learners is simply knowing how they are doing in their learning. They want to know if they are becoming more proficient as users of the target language. Brindley (1989: 60) says that self-assessment has five purposes. Firstly, learners have greater responsibility for assessment of their proficiency and progress; secondly it lets them diagnose their strong and weak areas; thirdly it lets them compare their present level with the level they wish to obtain; fourthly it helps them become more motivated; and lastly it helps them to develop their own criteria for monitoring their progress.However, Brindley (1989: 61) also points out that there are objections to self-assessment. â€Å"The idea that learners can be reliable judges of their own performance is by no means universally accepted.† Therefore self-assessment is a skill, that has to be learned. Brindley (1989: 83) divides this learning into technical training, and psychological training. Technical training is to help the students judge their own performance, and consists of self-monitoring of language use, development of criteria, definition of objectives, and knowledge about language learning. Self-assessments help learners monitor their level of success in specific learning tasks. A series of self-assessments will contribute to monitoring progress towards specific learning objectives. They can also have a motivational effect. Success breeds confidence. Self-assessment does not always demonstrate success but where it does, even on a small scale, learners’ motivation will be enhanced. Teachers also need to know how well learners are doing. They have a professional responsibility to help learners learn. Gardner and Miller (1999: 210) suggest the assessment should contain the following pieces of information: the purpose of the assessment, the benefit to the learner, the procedure for conducting the assessment, the procedure for marking the assessment, a suggested marking scale, a choice of follow up actions based on the score achieved.

Leadership and power Essay

We have described power as the capacity to cause change and influence as the degree of actual change in a target’s behaviors. Ho Ching’s power as a leader has been recognized by many, but would you describe Ho Ching as an influential leader? Why? Yes Ho Ching would be an influential leader because she has the capabilities to persuade others to follow her lead 2.Based on the excerpt from Ho Ching’s speech, what type of tactics does she use to influence the behavior of others? Ho Ching use coercive power to direct her followers 3. Ho Ching has been named one of the most powerful leaders in Asia. What are her major sources of power? Her major resource of power came mainly on her connections mostly her husband Review the Leader Motives in Ch. 5 of Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience. How would you characterize Ho Ching’s motives? Her motives were to build a better relationship with India and help Singapore grow. Review Highlight 5.3 in Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience. What role, if any, do managerial differences based on gender play here? There are managerial differences based on gender Females tend to act with the organization’s broad interests in attempt mind, consider how others felt about the influence, involve others in planning, and focus on both the task and interpersonal aspects of the situation. Male managers, on the other hand, were more likely to act out of self-interest, show less consideration for how others might feel about the influence attempt, work alone in developing their strategy, and focus primarily on the task alone. Malemanagers, on the other hand, were more likely to act out of self-interest, show less consideration for how others might feel about the influence attempt, work alone in developing their strategy, and focus primarily on the task alone. Female managers were less likely than male managers to compromise or negotiate during their influence attempts. The female managers were actually more likely to persist in trying to persuade their superiors, even to the point of open opposition. Although their managerial styles were different neither group was more effective than the other.

What does Volkswagens CSR(corporate social responsibility) history say Essay

What does Volkswagens CSR(corporate social responsibility) history say about the company as a brand and what does the future hold for Europes leading car manufa - Essay Example ides the private sector the company successfully operates of the sector of commercial vehicle, selling spans pick ups, busses and heavy trucks (Volkswagen, 2007). The main market of VW is naturally Europe but its brands successfully operate on the international market as well. Thus, company’s second largest market is China, where Volkswagen Group China can be called the Second largest Joint venture automaker. VW AG occupies a large part of the automaker industry and in 2006 is was reported to have a 9,7  % share of the passenger car market in the world, having sold 5.734 million cars compared with the 5.243 million in 2005 (Volkswagen, 2007). It estimated by the researchers that 19.9  % of cars, i.e. every fifth car, purchased in Western Europe, were produced by VW AG. Company shows good financial activities, having increased its group sales from 95.3 billion Euros in 2005 to 104.9 billion in 2006 (Volkswagen, 2007). As stated in the company profile the primary goal of the Company is to â€Å"offer attractive, safe and environmentally sound vehicles which are competitive on an increasingly tough market and which set world standards in their respective classes† (Volkswagen, 2007). In this paper I’ll try to present the company profile. I’ll recall the main historic facts about the company; describe its market policy and corporate social responsibility strategy. The issue of CSR is quite new and acquired its importance not as long as 30 years ago. First, corporate social reduced only to financial reimbursement of the company to its shareholders. However, soon it became apparently not enough and corporate responsibility developed a wider range of policies and actions. Nowadays, there are quite many definitions of CSR. We will mention those, which are most popular. Keith Davis definition related corporate social responsibility to company’s â€Å"decisions and actions taken for reasons at least partially beyond the firm’s direct economic or technical

War Crimes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

War Crimes - Essay Example Genocides and crimes against humanity have occurred in the past too but its form and content have profoundly changed in the new century so the agency of international community in its preventive and punitive measures. The Preamble of the Rome Statute limits the jurisdiction of the Court to only to "the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole" (Article 5(1) Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court). Genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes are considered to be the type of most serious crimes which affect the international community as a whole. The definitions of genocide and crimes against humanity are elaborated in the articles 6-8 are based on provisions in the preceding treaties. The term crimes against humanity appeared well before 1945 to describe the extermination of the Armenian community by the Ottoman Turkish state. The Nuremberg Charter and the negotiations on it led to the making of a provision named as "crimes against humanity". Besides the war crimes, Article 6 (c) of the Nuremberg Charter enumerates crimes against humanity as "murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts committed against anu civilian population, before or during the war or persecutions on political, racial, or religious grounds". The novelty of the conception of crimes against humanity lies in the fact that it includes the aggression caused by a state on its own citizens. There exists a dilemma in the existing conception of crimes against humanity as to whether to link these crimes with international armed conflict or not. If there is no nexus between crimes against humanity and international armed conflict, human rights violations of all types would c ome under the purview of crimes against humanity and thereby, loosing its specificity. Importantly, the Statute of the Rwanda Tribunal does not include an inherent link between crimes against humanity and armed conflict (Article 3 ICTR Statute). As a result of various reforms through tribunals and ad hoc committees, apartheid, enforced disappearances, rape, imprisonment, persecution too are enlisted as crimes against humanity and a loose concern of "other inhumane acts". It means that genocide and crimes against humanity thus defined are closely related to international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The definition of genocide delineated in the article 6 of the Rome Statute is based on its portrayal by Genocide convention of 1948. It does not differentiate between crimes committed at the times of peace and war. The law of genocide is essentially group based. To take account of genocide, the intent of the crime is duly considered. The legal definition of genocide includes crimes such s killing of the members of a group, causing bodily or mental harm to members of a group, measures for the destruction of a community in whole or in part, programmed prevention of births within a group and forceful transfer of children of one group to another.In crimes against humanity, the perpetrator possesses knowledge about the specific attack, it would be used to target a community, and the violence would be employed as part of widespread and systematic attack. The enforcement of the international law against genocide and crimes against humanity thus effectively challenges the notion that the app lication of violence by nation states is a priori legitimate and activates a

Measures of Effectiveness in BP Accident Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Measures of Effectiveness in BP Accident - Essay Example Managers must always therefore monitor the functionality of a company’s infrastructure often making renovations whenever necessary. This ensures that a company has an effective and updated infrastructure. Additionally, constant supervision of the infrastructure ensures early detection of malfunctions thus instituting timely remedies. Another equally important lesson from the oil spill is the need for a functional contingency plan coupled with adequate resources to facilitate such plans in case of eventualities. The British Petroleum took long to respond to the disaster a feature that enhanced the effects of the accident. Effective contingency plan ensures that a company responds appropriately to disasters. Response to disasters includes taking responsibility where necessary thereby responding appropriately to mitigate the undesirable effects of such accidents. An appropriate contingency plan coupled with adequate financial resources enhances effectiveness of operations in a company especially in times of disasters since the company takes control of such accidents thereby limiting their effects. BP incurred immense financial loses owing to its inability to institute a timely response to the disaster. Contingency plans are dynamic in nature and would therefore provide a timely response to a calamity thereby cushio ning a company from incurring similar

Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Corporate America Research Paper

Breaking the Glass Ceiling in Corporate America - Research Paper Example Also, in Fortune 500 companies only 15 women are present in leadership positions. Black CEOs are even fewer in number, while Hispanics and Blacks constitute 5 to 10% of a renowned law firm’s associates of first year. They also account for only 2% of such firms as partners (Gilgoff 2009). A lot of employers are working to alter these statistics. They are working together with retirement specialists of minority groups who offer help in improving minority professionals to hold leadership positions. Also, prominent business schools are doing the same by including more minorities in leadership positions. A lot more employers in the private and public sectors are coming up with internal strategies to get minorities into senior positions. Within four years, the number of companies that apply to be in the annual magazine, Diversity Inc. ‘Top 50 Companies for Diversity’ column has tripled to over 400. This magazine requires that the minority groups are represented; in orde r, for a company to be considered in the rankings. Also, a lot of companies have come to the realization that minority representation is necessary for any profit making organization. This means that companies working to narrow the gap of minority leaders are not doing so as an act of social justice; rather, they want to improve their rankings (Gilgoff, 2009). It is a challenge to any company to try and maintain a workforce that is diverse. A report compiled recently by the Korn/Ferry International recruiting firm established that U.S. companies are losing $64 billion annually by replacing employees that they lose due to diversity management failing. Also, shortage of leaders in minority groups is presenting... A lot of employers are working to alter these statistics. They are working together with retirement specialists of minority groups who offer help in improving minority professionals to hold leadership positions. Also, prominent business schools are doing the same by including more minorities in leadership positions.   A lot more employers in the private and public sectors are coming up with internal strategies to get minorities into senior positions.   Within four years, the number of companies that apply to be in the annual magazine, Diversity Inc. ‘Top 50 Companies for Diversity’ column has tripled to over 400. This magazine requires that the minority groups are represented; in order, for a company to be considered in the rankings. Also, a lot of companies have come to the realization that minority representation is necessary for any profit making organization. This means that companies working to narrow the gap of minority leaders are not doing so as an act of soc ial justice; rather, they want to improve their rankings (Gilgoff, 2009).It is a challenge to any company to try and maintain a workforce that is diverse. A report compiled recently by the Korn/Ferry International recruiting firm established that U.S. companies are losing $64 billion annually by replacing employees that they lose due to diversity management failing. Also, shortage of leaders in minority groups is presenting great challenges. Minority employees are against working in companies that top jobs seen to be off limits (Gilgoff, 2009).

How Its Made Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

How Its Made - Movie Review Example I do a lot of gardening and so I was curious about wood chippers. They were invented in Germany at the end of the 19th century. There are different types—the machines draw wood towards its shredding knives. Metal is carefully shaped to make wood chipper. Welding must be done. Knives must be sharpened. A computer ensures that the metal is properly balanced. This is especially required for such a potentially dangerous machine. A fan is also required. The hood is then attached and wheels too. The tires are masked with plastic while the machine is painted. This process seems very complicated, but I found it fascinating to observe. To be honest, my favourite part was the decal. Millions of people bowl. But how are bowling pins made. This is a question I have often wondered. It turns out that a governing authority decides how the pins are made. The measurements must be followed very carefully. The process that then unfolds is complicated as wood is glued together and then hollowed out and cut. The gluing is important as is the carving. The workers work hard to make sure everything is in place. Eventually it is painted and balanced. And then it is ready to go and be knocked down in a strike. This was by far the most boring of all the segments. I would hate my life if I worked in a bowling pin factory. Beef jerky starts from a lean cut of meat called beef rounds. The meat is cut into thin strips with just enough fat to give flavour. Then all the strips are loaded into a giant machine which looks a lot like a clothes dryer. Into the machine goes a lot of marinade. This is to provide seasoning to the meat. It looks like it consists of a great deal of salt. After marinating, the meat is put in a smoking booth to be smoked. The meat is cooked and smoked and then packaged with an expiration date. The packages are sealed to avoid having any oxygen in them. After watching this procedure I was filled with hunger. It was fascinating to learn that so much weight is

2 questions about Baroque and Rococo style Essay

2 questions about Baroque and Rococo style - Essay Example Baroque style also made the pictorial space extend infinitely, similar, and cosmologic concept that gained popularity in seventeenth century. Baroque style created satisfying relationship between depth and height as well as creating transition from dark to light. Baroque style widely used exaggerated and direct emotional involvement to produce drama that was encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church. The artists portrayed Christians as people from lower classes and down to earth approach to offend most viewers who believed that religious figures should be portrayed as idealized to signify their holiness. Linear style which was mostly used in Baroque was considered the best model in the modern painting. Classical landscape and the desire to appeal to the emotional states by appealing to the senses were also embraced. The following artwork shows the examples of Baroque style. Rocco art style is believed to have originated from France and was mainly used for interior design where painting and decoration characterized b lightness, delicacy and elaborate ornamentation was involved. Although its exact origin is obscure, the style corresponds roughly to the reign of King Louis XV of France and began with the French designer Pierre Lepautre who introduced arabesques and curves into the interior architecture of the royal residence to break with the heroic Louis XIV style. This style was as a representation of higher domestic life in the superior class individuals in the society. Rococo style included elegant dressings.

Ethical Problem Of Parental Nudity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethical Problem Of Parental Nudity - Essay Example This behavior is now so engraved in the societal structure of the Western world that people do not even begin to think that any negative consequences can be produced by roaming around naked in front of the children. In such a situation where not much hatred can be found against parental nudity, how can an innocent child question his/her parents about excessive nudity while being told all the time by them that this is nothing but human-friendly behavior and in fact portrays the broad-minded approach humans have developed over time about their bodies.It remains a deplorable fact that the Western world has almost completely developed immunity for parental nudity though still some loopholes are left and because of which ethical counselors and psychologists continue doing research about how this behavior can affect the children, in what way, and to what extent? Scholars and people arguing against the parental approach of walking all around the house barely covered and feeling absolutely u nashamed and unregretful claim that it is an unequivocal fact that nudity serves as a skilled driver of libido. It may also be one of the reasons why earlier than the necessary onset of puberty in the Western world is steadily increasing over time. Sexual simulations are certainly one of the worst consequences of parental nudity and even more sad is the reality that parents determined on nudity are least considerate about this tragic effect produced on children who are way immature and raw to understand anything related to sex.

Gegheis Khan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Gegheis Khan - Term Paper Example He was successful in uniting many of the dispersed tribal groups and made the Mongol empire the largest during his life period. Major portions of central Asia and China were under the control of Mongolia during his tenure as the greatest Mongolian leader of all time. No other king or emperor in the history was successful in conquering major portions of Asia as did by Gegheis Khan. In fact Mongol Empire was the second largest Empire in the history of the world. Even though his life and contributions are well known to the world at present, details about his death and his burial place are still unknown to the world. This paper analyses his life, conquest and the ways or strategies through which he expanded the Mongol empire. One of the major problems associated with getting more details about Genghis Khan and his war tactics and contributions, is the fact that his history was not written by anybody during his life period. In fact the only book wrote about him was published around hundre d years after his death. Thus, exact date of birth of Genghis Khan is still unknown even though different historians marked it in different years like 1155, 1162, and 1167. In Mongolia, his birth year is accepted as 1162 even though the controversies regarding his birth date still persists elsewhere. He was born in a noble clan and his father was the clan leader, respected by all the members of his clan. Shortly before he was born, his father, Yesugei, killed a man from an enemy tribe. Yesugei and his wife named their first son Temujin after that vanquished rival. At the time of Temujin's birth, most Mongols were nomadic hunter gatherers who herded sheep and horses. They travelled in clusters of tribal clans and subclans (Wilmore, p.18) Mongolians including the females were excellent horse riders and hunters. In majority of their wars, they used their horse riding expertise and hunting skills judiciously and earned many famous victories. Since ancient Mongolia was a place of differe nt clans and ethnic groups, bloody clashes between different ethnic groups were common in there. Genghis Khan’s clan was one of the most powerful clans in Mongolia and it succeeded in uniting other clans under their wings. The inborn or inherited talents for conducting wars helped them immensely in expanding their territories. When Temujin reached his 10 years of age, his father was killed in a fight by another enemy clan. As per the existing traditions in his clan, he should have become the leader of his clan after the death of clan leader; his father. However, the he was too young to assume the clan leadership and the members of his clan had chosen another person as their leader by expelling him and his family. It was difficult for a young person like Temujin to lead a peaceful life after the expulsion from his own clan. Threats from enemy clans were always in place and Temujin struggled to save his life. Temujin was a brave boy and he was not ready to give up. He fought ha rd for his own survival and his family’s survival. Each battle of survival made him tougher and tougher and educated him many survival principles. He was decided to regain his lost place as his clan leader and the first fight conducted by Temujin was for his clan leadership. Slowly Temujin’s bravery and leadership skills were accepted by his clan and they made him the unquestionable leader of their clan. Immediately after assuming the leadership

Latin America colonial times Essay Example for Free

Latin America colonial times Essay ?4. How does colonialism engage with notions of spirituality, witchcraft, and/or (ritual) intoxication? You may analyze how the distinctions between orthodox and unorthodox practices were distinguished (and oftentimes blurred). You may look at Staden, the readings on witchcraft and â€Å"superstition,† etc. Beginning in 1492 when the Spanish under the crown of Castile invaded the Americas, where their first settlement was in Santo Domingo, their main motivations were trade and the spread of the Catholic faith through indigenous conversions and economic gain. Due to these objectives they intervened and attempted to change every facet of the indigenous way of life including their ‘notions of spirituality, witchcraft, and intoxication’. The indigenous population had formally been removed from the jurisdiction of the inquisition by order of King Phillip the second in 1571, however the native people of Mexico and other invaded lands of the Americas were still prosecuted on accounts of witchcraft or being Nauatil (witches). Colonialism engaged with notions of spirituality and witchcraft by asserting their dominance in attempts to completely annihilate these practices. They attempted to make sense of what they did not understand by attributing these happenings to witchcraft and condemning those prosecuted as witches. Further, as previously mentioned, they attempted to spread the Catholic religion by deeming the religious practices previously ‘inherited’ (treatise on Heathen superstition) by the indigenous population as acts of witchcraft. In his letter to Reverend Don Francisco Manso de Zunga, Hernando Ruiz de Alarcon a Spanish navigator of the sixteenth centaury wrote that the reasons behind attempting to completely eradicate the superstitious ways of the people he regarded as Indians was that some of their practices such as â€Å"drunkenness was not permitted to them even in their heathen state† and was punishable by death. (39) His reasons behind â€Å"scraping of drunkenness from the memory of humanity† (39) is that even to those who are believed to be Pagans or non believers (heathens) (39) it was prohibited, therefore once baptised and accepted as Christians it is was a sin to indulge in these acts. To increase the spread and conversion to Catholicism within the Indians, Alarcon, validates the eradication of their customs. Further in his letter Hernando Ruiz de Alarcon explains how by indulging in these superstition practices the Indians are harming themselves. He states â€Å"This (their drunkenness) is the cause of the total destruction of the health of their bodies, and consequently the sufficient and principal barrier to their preservation and increase† (39). Alarcon explains that the deepness with which these practices have fastened into the native American culture leads him to believe that â€Å"the ministers have entered late into their parishioners’ language. † (40). Here we get an indication that despite their conversion to Christianity, Alarcon believes there is no hope to change the Indians’ superstitious ways. In light of the Spaniards determination to spread the Christian faith they attempted to eradicate all other religious practices within the Americas. In his letter Alarcon states in his letter â€Å"others (superstitions) have a weak foundation, because a traditions of their false gods is hardly found among their stories† (39). He explains their previous religion had no concrete roots, they worshiped ‘false gods’ and it was illegitimate; therefore, all rituals and practices for this cause were superstitious. It is important for us to note that the work of finding and documenting the acts of superstition in Mexico was bestowed on Alarcon and therefore it was in his best interest to exaggerate the evidence he supposedly finds. Further, he admits that he is not fully capable to undertake this task because of his â€Å"defective intellect and small experience with writing† (40). In his Treatise on the Heathen Superstition Alarcon explores many aspects of the Mexican native population’s way of idolizing their god’s or goddesses, he attributes this act to an act of worshiping the devil. This is another example of how the Spanish used the notion of witchcraft to propel the spread of Christianity. In his treatise Alarcon states â€Å"and by this means they usually communicate with the devil, because he usually communicates with them when they are deprived of judgement with the said drink and deceives them with different appearances† (48). In this example we can see how Alarcon uses Christianity and the threat of the devil to abolish drunkenness. Alarcon also uses the Devil to explain phenomenons that were beyond the scope of the Spanish understanding. He states in his treatise, â€Å"they (the sages in Mexico) are always deceitful and ceremoniatic and seek to persuade people that they are consummate in knowledge, since they profess to know what is absent and to foresee what is in the future, which, it may be, is revealed to them by the Devil, who can, through knowledge and conjecture, foresee many future events. † (45). Due to the fact that Alarcon and other Spaniards at that time could not make sense of why the prophecies or futuristic readings of the native Mexican sages were holding true, they declared it an act of the Devil and therefore a form of witchcraft. Another example of the Spaniards condemning the unexplainable acts in the Americas is in the document â€Å"On her Deathbed, Maria de la Candelaria Accuses Michaela de Molina of Casting Spells† produced in Guatemala in 1696. In this text different testimonies of various people that witnessed the sickness of Maria de la Candelaria a girl servant. In the testimony of Dona Juana Gonzalez a Spanish woman and mistress of Maria, she states, â€Å"the reason that she presumes this (that Michaela de Molina had casted spells on Maria) is because her servant, Maria had some fights with [Michaela] and not with anyone else. † (170) The Spaniards and even the natives of Guatemala could not fathom why or how Maria was dispelling such large amounts of blood and various objects like stones, rags and hair from her mouth and nose therefore attempted to reason it by condemning Michaela in the act of witchcraft. It is important to understand why the Spanish were interested in Maria’s sickness. In Spain and other parts of Europe the acts of witchcraft were highly condemned. People were afraid of loosing their power and therefore they feared the unknown. They condemned it by illegalizing all forms of witchcraft. Further, the act of ‘drunkenness’ and other practices not coherent with the beliefs of Christianity were also attributed to witchcraft therefore abolishing witchcraft became a means to spread the Christian faith specially since the indigenous population had formally been removed from the jurisdiction of the inquisition by order of King Phillip the second in 1571.

Neurofibromatosis Case Report

Neurofibromatosis Case Report Abstract Neurofibromatosis, though not discussed in depth, is not at all a clinical rarity. The condition has been reported in all races and does not exhibit specific clinical manifestations and features for occurrence. The hereditary nature has been recognized for long, though the depth of mutations is still a long way in short of understanding. It has got a chance occurrence of 50% mutation rate. It occurs with a frequency of 1 case in approximately 3000 births. Malignant transformation has been reported in a few cases, which underlines the importance of in depth analysis of this condition. Introduction Neurofibromatosis is one of the most common hereditary neurocutaneous disorders with an incidence of 1:3000. It is autosomal dominant and shows no race or sex predilection.1 30 to 50% are de-novo cases occurring due to spontaneous mutations.2The condition first documented in 1882 by the German pathologist Frederich Von Recklinghausen presents with protean clinical manifestations.3This case is reported due to the severe facial hemi hypertrophy associated with neurofibromatosis. Case Report A 12 year old female patient presented with swelling of left side of face since infancy. Swelling was first noted at one year of age after which it increased steadily and reached the present size. Speech was slurred. No family history of such a condition was observed. On extra oral examination severe hemi hypertrophy of the maxilla was noted with subsequent disfigurement of the face on account of deviation of the nose and mouth to the right (Fig 1). There was a soft painless mass on the left forehead measuring four centimeters in length and two centimeters in breadth. There was overgrowth of coarse, stiff hair on the mass. The skin showed patchy pigmentation. Left eye is pushed downwards and remained closed due to the pressure exerted by the mass (Fig 23). On palpation the mass was soft to firm with diffuse borders. No fixity to underlying tissue was noted. There was no associated regional lymphadenopathy. Cafà © au lait spots (CALS) of size one to two centimeters and blue black in color were distributed over the trunk and palms of hands (Fig 4). There was a large CALS of size 10 X 15 centimeters in the back of trunk which was irregular with diffuse borders (Fig 5). Intraoral examination showed a firm mass extending from right maxillary lateral incisor to left maxillary first premolar. The mass measured 3 X 2 centimeters in size and was firm and non – tender on palpation. Maxillary left central incisor was found embedded and the lateral incisor and canine were partially exposed. CALS were noted on the mass. Nodular masses were seen on the palate adjacent to right maxillary premolars, on the mass adjacent to right central incisor and on the left upper lip. There was hemi hypertrophy of the tongue and spacing of teeth on the left side resulting in malocclusion (Fig 6). CT scan shows the lesion extended well in to the brain- cerebrum, frontal sinus, and eye, nasal and maxillary sinus (Fig 7). Preliminary hematological investigations including serum calcium and alkaline phosphatase were carried out and values were found within normal limits. Incisional biopsy was performed from the anterior palate. Histopathological examination of H E stained sections showed cells with elongated, bent nuclei separated by abundant, fine and sinuous collagen fibers. There is presence of nerve bundles, mild vascularity and areas of hemorrhage. Overlying epithelium is orthokeratinized stratified squamous epithelium of normal thickness (Fig 89). Diagnosis of neurofibroma was made. Patient was referred to the department of oral surgery for further treatment. Discussion Present knowledge shows that neurofibromatosis consists of at least two diseases which show distinct clinical and genetic features, the peripheral form or neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1) and the central form or neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2). The more common one is the NF1. 4 This is autosomal dominant and 50% of cases are new mutations, 80% of which are of paternal origin. The NF1 gene, one of the largest in the human genome is a tumor suppressor gene located in the pericentromeric region of chromosome 17. It encodes the neurofibromin protein which consists of 2800 amino acids. Due to the large size of the gene and numerous mutations that may occur genetic testing is not a viable option in diagnosis. A protein truncation assay is used to detect stop mutations but this confirms the disease only in two thirds of cases and cannot predict the severity. 5,6 Diagnosis is confirmed if two or more of the diagnostic criteria are present. (Table 1) Hence clinical findings are imperative. Accurate correlations between the genotype and phenotype have not been possible because of the large size of the gene. Still it has been found that the severity of the condition increases with complete gene deletions with occurrence of large numbers of neurofibromas and a significantly higher lifetime risk for malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Familial spinal neurofibromatosis corresponds with mutations at the 3’ end of the gene. Somatic mosaicism may account for the segmental forms of neurofibromatosis.5 The clinical manifestations are first seen in childhood as small macules resembling freckles which slowly increase in size and deepen in color. Microscopically melanin pigment is seen in macromelanosomes. The number of cafà © au lait spots indicates the severity of the disease. In mild forms with fewer spots the neurofibromas occur late in life and may also be restricted to one part of the body. Secondary symptoms may arise due to occurrence of neurofibromas. An abrupt increase in size may indicate malignancy or may be due to pregnancy or onset of puberty.7The central nervous system may be affected with neurofibromas example the optic nerve glioma.8 The skeleton may be affected due to primary defects and also pressure effect from the tumors. Cystic lesions are noted within the bones histologically resembling non-ossifying fibroma.9 Renovascular hypertension occurs due to vascular stenosis. The varied symptoms of neurofibroma include growth disorders, abnormal sexual development and lung abnormalities. Certain forms of neurofibroma shows atypical or incomplete features compared to the classic form. These variants are segmental neurofibroma, gastrointestinal neurofibroma, familial spinal neurofibroma and familial cafà © au lait spots.8 Neurofibroma is a disease with diverse characteristics. Early diagnosis aids in proper monitoring of patient. Genetic counseling is also required in familial cases. Frequent reviews are needed as there is possibility of development of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) in a subset of NF1. Proper histologic evaluation is essential as it is difficult to differentiate a neurofibroma with atypical histologic features from a low grade MPNST. Germ-line mutations in genes encoding RAS-ERK signaling pathway components cause a set of related, autosomal dominant developmental disorders, termed â€Å"RASopathies† , which include Noonan syndrome . Noonan syndrome with multiple lentigenes (NS-ML; formerly known as LEOPARD syndrome), cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome (CFCS), Costello syndrome (CS), and neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1). RASopathy patients typically display short stature, facial dysmorphia, cardiac defects, developmental delay, and other variably penetrant features. 10 Conclusion Neurofibormatosis and concomitant symptoms are always associated with numerous manifestations. The condition including von Recklinghausen disease has to be understood in depth for proper diagnostic criteria and treatment protocols. Though, significant steps has been taken for analyzing the molecular pathway and genetic mutations involving the conditions, the finer details are still out of light as far as molecular origin and pathway is concerned. An extensive discussion and deliberation is needed in this regard so that debility and mortality rate

Effect of Adrenaline on Cardiac Arrests Survival

Effect of Adrenaline on Cardiac Arrests Survival Effect of Adrenaline on Survival in Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial Hem Patel The study shepherded by Jacobs et al juxtaposed the effect of adrenaline on survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests with a randomized double-blind placebo controlled trial. This study was the first of its kind to address the knowledge deficit of two majors goals: survival of the patient to a hospital discharge and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). Cardiac arrest occurring out of hospital is a significant public health issue causing fatality rates upwards of 90%, although improving in the recent decades.1 Thus, the researchers analytically examined the relationship between the uses of adrenaline in such patients through a randomized control led trial (RCT) in the region of Western Australia (WA), under government contract with St John Ambulance Western Australia (SJA-WA). Being on top of the studies’ hierarchy, RCT studies like this one, quite evidently fortified the experiment’s internal validity. The creation of comparable groups in the study allowed the control of confounding variables enhancing the internal validity. An investigationRandomized controlled trials, such aslike RCTthis one, decreases the sampling bias by decreasing the likelihood of chance results occurring, thus enhancing the internal validity of the study. which was evident in the Jacob study. Logistic regression modeling further augmented this investigation The investigation was further augmented by logistic regression modeling which was undertakenin order to control for the effect of potential confounders1 (i.e. the patients’ initial cardiac rhythm, age and ambulance response time). on the relationship between study drug and patient outcome.1 Although, as a result of a small sample size, often the case with RCTs, and specific geographical demographics, limited external validity was a given. Low external validity was evident in this study as only one major hospital in the region of WA took part in it. The other hospitals requested did not participate due to rejection from their hospital ethics board.This was evident in this study as four of the five hospitals requested to participate felt the ethicality of the study superseded their own ethical board, negatively. Hence, the total number of patients being able to participate in this study had quite drastically decreased, in turn hampering the power of the study. However, two very crucial experimental qualities in high precision and internal validity were upheld consistently throughout the experiment, in spite of the very limited external validity. All out-of-hospital cardiac arrests attended by SJA-WA paramedics between 11 August 2006 and 30th November 2009 were screened into the experiment for entry into the trialwere entered into the trial.1.1 Patients suffering a cardiac arrest from any cause, aged 18 years or older with resuscitation commenced by paramedics were eligible for entry as well; indicating a moderately strict eligibility and inclusion criteria. Patients were excluded based on having no resuscitation commenced, were of an age less than 18 years, and eligible patients’ personal declination. n and randomization number of patient lost/As noticed, the external validity along with confounding bias of the study decreased due to the increased criterion required for a patient to take part in the trial. It may look as if few categories were used to determine the eligibility of the patient, though many factors such as patient age, male gender, bystander witnessed, response interval, and the study drug were accounted for through univariate analysis. The only confounding variable, which was accounted for, stated by the study is the factor of initial shockable rhythm (when a particular type of cardiac rhythm is treatable using a defibrillation) – one that is not very significant (p-Value of 0.24) in changing the efficacy of adrenaline in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. Being able to eliminate thisese potential confounding variables and biases, internal validity increased showing that the lack of a causal relationship between effect of adrenaline and cardiac arrests was less likely to be an upshot of an uncontrolled confounding variable, rather than one accounted for. In regards to a This studyRCT study, has a sample size of 534 patients, one that is of a moderate size in comparison to other RCT studies., out of whichOut of 534 patients, 272 were randomly assigned to the group being treated with adrenaline and 262 to that of the placebo group.1.1 As eEach of the patients had an completely equal chance to be presented with either of the treatments, and this randomization of the participants controlled for a potentiality of a sampling bias – a chance yet again enhancing the internal validity. Additionally, although very diminutive confounding bias was associated with this study, the potential of selection bias was still present as the study took place only in Western Australia. it was unable to exclude the potential for selection bias as the participation in the study by the SJA-WA paramedics was voluntary, only 40% of eligible patients were recruited. However, trial patients were well matched on baseline characteristics (age p-value of 0.69, location of arrest p-value of 0.25, volume of trial drug versus placebo drug administered p-value of 0.28).1 , Henceforth, no reason to suggest that paramedics who participated in the trial were more likely to selectively enroll patients into the trial.1 . Furthermore, to reduce the possibility of confounding bias, all paramedics in WA underwent the same type of training familiarizing them of this trial protocol; even if they were not participating in the actual experiment. This further enhanced the internal validity of the study. As mentioned above, as resuscitation commenced by paramedics, the patients were eligible for entry, where if they were administered adrenaline it would be at a rate of 1mL every 3 minutes, with no other drugs entering through tracheal administration. Prior to the commencement of each trial to be presented with an equal chance of the level of treatment for each of these patients specific training of the pharmacology of adrenaline, familiarization with the trial protocol, further practice in intravenous cannulation and cardiac simulation exercises along with testing was undertaken to ensure the prerequisite resuscitation competency standard had been achieved. This training was provided to all of the paramedics in the WA area regardless of their intention to participate in the study; being able to decline confounding bias from the patient-care givers’ aspect, enhancing the internal validity.Analyzed above in this critical appraisal are many aspects of the study that allow for a s tudy it to be very well received by majority of the readers, although there were a couple of limitations. Firstly, the researchers were unable to achieve full patient recruitment as planned (4103 patients who had cardiac arrests attended by an ambulance). This study was designed as a multicenter trial involving a five-ambulance service. , Ddespite having ethical approval from the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of WA, four out of five hospitals opted out.otherwise. Thus, giving this gave the study a moderate sample size, increasing the chance of making a type two error and ; essentially decreasing both the internal validity and the power of the study. The failure to achieve an adequate sample size left the trial underpowered (power of 40%) to detect significant effects on survival to hospital discharge.1 The second limitation to the study was the ability for it to continue, as the study experimental drugs had gone past their expiry date and no additional funding wa s available. Granted,ing the patient as well as researcher blinding was well preserved in this study such that, the researchers can consider the likelihood of these factors being differentially distributed between the two study arms (placebo vs. adrenaline) to be small.1 The researchers claim that there is a significant (3.4 times) increase in the likelihood of achieving ROSC pre-hospital if the patients were administered adrenaline versus the placebo (23.5% versus 6.4%; OR 3.4; 95% CI 2.0-5.6; p-value 1).1 They base this conclusion on the oOdds ratio (OR), which were used to quantify the odds of achieving ROSC pre-hospital depending on the administration of the placebo or the adrenaline. how strongly the presence of the outcome was associated with the presence of the administered adrenaline versus the placebo saline solution2. After adjustment for confounders (age, sex, initial rhythm shockable, ambulance response interval and study drug) using the logistic regression model, there was little change in the effect of adrenaline on ROSC (OR. 3.5; 95% CI 2.1-6.0).1 The degree of precision that a study maintains is defined by a confidence interval. The experimenters claim that they are 95% confident that the odds ratio of being ROSC pre-hospital with the administration of adrenaline is between 2.1 and 6.0 indicates a moderately definite statement (explained further). However, there was insignificant evidence (OR 2.2; 95% CI 0.7 – 6.3; p-value 0.15) of the patient administered with adrenaline versus placebo to survive until hospital discharge. Because 1.0 is included in the confidence interval, the researchers acknowledge it as not statistically significant. However, from a clinical standpoint, 3.5 times greater chances of the patient achieving ROSC are significant and one should definitely consider applying such a method, if in the position to do so. Results indicated the OR for ROSC achieved pre-hospital patients at 3.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.0-5.6; P saline placebo. The outcomes dictate an approximate 16% greater advantage of a chieving ROSC pre-hospital with the administration of adrenaline than having the placebo. Statistical significance is generally considered at 20%, but in aspects dealing with topic as such, upwards of 5% could statistically mean more to the medical community; allowing to save more lives.3 At an OR of 2.2 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.7 – 6.3; P = 0.15) indicates no difference between the two testing groups with the p-value greater than that of the alpha value of 0.05. Results are further negatively supported by the CI including the value of 1, demonstrating statistical insignificance; decreasing the study’s precision in this aspect of the outcome, although balanced by the significance in the previous outcome. The findings of this study are equivocal to several other clinical trials designed the to assess the efficacy of adrenaline in cardiac arrest. The most dominant feature about this study is that it is the first ever-randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial of adrenaline in cardiac arrest, while others all have been non-randomized trials. Similar results were replicated through the Rresearch conducted by Olasveengen et al. also His study reported a doubling in the proportion of patients achieving ROSC with an OR of 1.99 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.48-2.67), and achieving similar non-significant increasing results in the proportion surviving to hospital discharge4..4 Although, Jacob’s study, although further expanded on the generality of the efficacy of drug to locations of arrests, ambulance response interval, cardiac arrest witnessed (bystander and paramedic) and airway management; bringing greater appreciation to this study..1 Three sources of Mill’s Canons were evidently utilized to support the causality. The strength of association was statistically significant, as noted by the greater effect of adrenaline in ROSC being achieved pre-hospital transportation. An increase dosage of adrenaline would directly increase ROSC, and possibly an increase number of patients survive to hospital discharge.1, 5Adrenaline stimulates ÃŽ ²-adrenergic receptors which stimulate the increase of blood flow indicates the final Mill’s Canon in biological plausibility. Thus, it can be noticed that a causal relationship can be agreed upon adrenaline and increased ROSC being achieved pre-hospital. Jacobs points out the importance of his study’s contribution to clinical research on adrenaline usage during cardiac arrests, and at the same provides suggestions to further research avenues. To be able to determine the optimal dose or timing of adrenaline administered during cardiac arrest are the two main areas of further research. In my opinion, the study was done welldone, extremely well, providing sufficient evidence for a relationship between the adrenaline and an increase ROSC in 18 and above out-of-hospital cardiac arrests. With the elimination of a majority of the biases, through the use ofwith logistical regression and creating comparable groups (placebo versus adrenaline), internal validity and the precision of the study was enhanced. .The findings of this study are clinically important in that it established efficacy for the continuous use of adrenaline in cardiac arrest as currently recommended.5 With a study related to such a topic, the sample size should adequa tely be increased to allow for a greater power and external validity in the study; allowing a generalization to a greater portion of the public. References Jacobs IG, Finn JC, Jelinek GA, Oxer HF, Thompson PL. Effects of adrenaline on survival in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.resuscitation2011; 82: 1138-1143. Szumilas, M. Explaining odds ratios.National Center for Biotechnology Information2010; 19(3): 227-229. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2938757/ (accessed 28 October 2014). Pocock, SJ. Clinical trials with multiple outcomes: a statistical perspective on their design, analysis, and interpretation.Elsevier1997; 97. Olasveengen TM, Sunde K, Brunborg C, Thowsen K, Steen PA, Wik I. Intravenous drug administration during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest: a randomized trial.JAMA2009; 302: 2222-2229. Vandycke C, Martens P. High dose versus standard dose epinephrine in cardiac arrest a meta-analysis.Resuscitation2000; 45: 161-166

Work Force Education or Literacy Development: Which Road Should Adult Education Take? :: Adult Work Education Job Essays

Work Force Education or Literacy Development: Which Road Should Adult Education Take? The world of work continues to change rapidly. Many workers will need to upgrade their skills and some will need to be retrained for entirely new jobs. Providing educational opportunities to these adult workers will lengthen their productive years and will also benefit the economy by creating a more flexible and more highly trained workforce. (U.S. Department of Education Strategic Plan, 1998-2002, 1997, p. 39) Our democratic institutions depend upon and are sustained by an educated citizenry. While moving from welfare to the workforce and creating economic advancement are valid outcomes of education, democracy demands much more. Democratic life requires critical inquiry, civic participation, and a commitment to the common good. (Auchter 1998, p. 2) During the past few years, the nations economic needs have driven many of the policy discussions within education. At the federal level, Congress has considered and debated bills that would consolidate a number of educational programs--including adult basic education and vocational education--into omnibus work force development and training bills. Provisions for block grants that would allow states greater autonomy and latitude in making decisions about how the funds are used have been included in these proposed acts. None of these education bills has passed, but the debate continues. In 1996, Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. More commonly known as the Welfare Reform Act, this legislation not only created sweeping changes in welfare policies that affected education and training, it also provided block grants that give states greater flexibility (Nathan 1997). A number of states have responded to the move at the federal level toward greater state autonomy and control by merging education, human services, and employment service agencies to create "super agencies" to oversee state work force development efforts, including adult basic education, welfare reform, and vocational education (Jurmo 1996). The increasing emphasis on work force development as a policy goal is bringing to the forefront a continuing debate within the field of adult basic education. Although adults frequently enroll in adult basic education for job-related reasons, the programs themselves have always had broader goals. In an effort to shed light on current perspectives about the goals and purposes of adult basic education, this Digest reviews recent literature and suggests solutions to what frequently becomes an "either-or" debate. The Current Context: Its Impact on Adult Basic Education

Understanding the Benefits of Ethnic Divide Essay -- Racial Ethnic Rac

Understanding the Benefits of Ethnic Divide Does society truly stand to gain from what some might call a breaking of racial and ethnic barriers? When we as a society propose the overly-voiced concepts of 'embracing racial equality' and the 'dissolving of stereotypical values' in an effort to support societal efficiency, do we consider that perhaps these revolutionary ideals will hurt more than help us in the long run? The average individual, in an effort to function properly in the society to which he or she belongs, will follow that which society generally accepts as politically correct, as normal. The downside to this is the possibility of a society's ignorance to the greater picture or, rather, the future effects on economy and the civilization towards which we hold such value. It is obvious, especially in light of certain economic and undying cultural facts, that this adamant dream of bringing together the varying mismatched groups of the world population is not only futile -- when considering that it is in our nature as human beings to define and rationalize our surroundings by recognizing the natural differences in what we see -- but is also illogical with respect to the imposing threat this societal revolution imposes on the capitalist system to which we all owe our lives. The settling of racial and ethnic indifferences is commonly seen as a problem handled effectively by government inventions. Affirmative action, established in 1965 by US president Lyndon Johnson, is a system designed to overcome societal discrimination of the past by forcing privileges into the hands of minorities (Brunner, par. 1). These privileges translate into unquestioned college enrollment, job opportunities, and additional resources. Hera... ...5 Jan. 2001 . Anonymous. Free Palestine. 1999. 30 Sep. 2002 . Bollyn, Christopher. ?The Real Cost of US Support for Israel.? Axis of Logic. 20 Sep. 2003. . Stauffer, Thomas R. ?The Cost of Conflict in the Middle East, 1956-2002: What the U.S. Has Spent.? Middle East Policy Council. Spring 2003 . Anonymous. ?The Arab-Israeli Conflict: Basic Facts: Arab Countries versus Israel.? Israel Science and Technology. 15 Nov. 2003 . Province, Jonathan. ?World?s Richest Countries.? cylist.com. 2003. .

Mechanics assignment friction

This lab was based on projectile motion and it was to prove the theory that was covered in lecture 5 to be correct. When dealing with projectile motion, it is the theory that when an object has been fired from its starting point into the air, it will come under the influence of gravity and is attracted to ground with an acceleration of g m/s squared.In the lab a projectile launcher was used to project two steel balls, one in the horizontal direction and one in the vertical direction. The ball that was launched in the vertical direction was ball 1 and the ball that was launched in the horizontal direction was ball 2. The purpose of this experiment was to investigate projectile motion through the use of a vertical acceleration apparatus which shows the independence of vertical acceleration from the horizontal velocity.Projectile motion is a form of motion in which an object or particle (called a projectile) s thrown obliquely near the earth's surface, and it moves along a curved path u nder the action of gravity only. The path followed by a projectile motion called its trajectory. Projectile motion only occurs when there is one force applied at the beginning of the trajectory, after which there is no force in operation apart from gravity. Introduction: Part B Part B of the lab was on Tractive Forces. Tractive force means the force available at the contact between the drive wheel tyres and road is known as ‘tractive effort' or tractive force'.As used in mechanical engineering the term tractive force can either efer to the total traction a vehicle exerts on a surface, or the amount of the total traction that is parallel to the direction of motion. The published tractive force value for any vehicle may be theoretical†that is, calculated from known or implied mechanical properties†or obtained via testing under controlled conditions. The example that was taken in the lab was of a train of 3 parts that were coupled together by couples (T 1) and (T2).Th e purpose of this lab was to prove the theory covered in lecture 6 was correct and to see the relationship between force, mass and cceleration in tractive forces which comes from Newton's 2nd law. We know that force = mass x acceleration and we also were giving the conditions to which the train was under. Table 1, Part A: recorded and calculated data Measured time and distance for the vertical ball and the horizontal ball projected from projectile launcher. Test 1st Ball (vertical) 2nd Ball (horizontal) Distance (s) (m) Time of flight (t) 0. 5 0. 93 0. 6 1. 38 0. 4 0. 51 1. 46 0. 43 0. 56 1. 36 0. 35 0. 57 1. 34 0. 60 0. 68 1. 39 0. 0 7 0. 40 0. 54 1 . 45 8 0. 28 1 . 31 9 0. 30 0. 47 10 1. 32 Average values 0. 391 1 . 387 Table 2, part A: Calculated Horizontal velocity, acceleration due to gravity, the % difference in the value of gravity, and the Vertical velocity. Horizontal velocity (Vh) (calculated) 2. 57 rrvs Acceleration due to gravity, g (calculated) 6. 38 m/s squared % diffe rence in the value of g -34. 96% Vertical striking velocity (W) (calculated) 3. 83 rms (Horizontal velocity) S = Vx T therefore S = 1. 39 = 2. 57 m/s T 0. 54 (Acceleration due to gravity) Sv = IJvT – 1 g(t)squared 2 Therefore = 2 (0. 93) squared T squared 0. 54 squared = 1. 86 = 6. 378 = 6. 8 rms 0. 2916 0. 2916 (% difference in the value of g) % difference = Calculated -g x 100 . 81 (Vertical striking velocity) V=U+GXT v = o + 3. 83571 v = 3. 83 rms Discussion part A =6. 38-9. 81 x 100 In this lab that was completed it was shown that the theory behind projectile motion is correct. It was proven that both balls came under the influence of gravity once they left the projectile launcher and that they were both attracted to ground. The two balls were launched from the same vertical height but the ball number 2 that was travelling in the horizontal direction travelled a further distance than ball number 1 in the vertical direction.Even though ball number 2 travelled a further dis tance the wo balls will hit the ground at the same time as they both come under the same force of gravity however this was not shown in our table 1 (Fig 1) because their was human errors such as, two people starting the stop watches at different times, the person pressing the trigger mechanism was releasing the balls faster sometimes than other times even though we would start the stop watches on the count of 3. The other factors that had to be taken into consideration is, if the projectile launcher was at any sort of an angle due to the work bench not been balanced or level or an even surface.However the readings that were taken were still very close to each other so experiment the initial velocity of each ball was O m/s. To calculate the acceleration due to gravity we manipulated the equation to find (g) gravity. When dealing with projectiles, we use the same equations as linear motion but the (a) for acceleration is replaced or substituted with (g) for gravity. The acceleration d ue to gravity was 6. 38 m/s squared. In theory this acceleration should have been 9. 81 m/ s squared but due to the human errors that occurred during the experiments there was a difference of -3. m/s squared these % errors came from miscalculating of the time taken for the balls to hit the ground and the distance travelled by the horizontal ball. When the steel ball number 2 is projected from the projectile launcher in the horizontal direction, the time it takes for the steel ball to hit the ground is independent of its initial horizontal velocity, the steel ball will continue to move in the horizontal direction with the same horizontal velocity in which it was projected from the projectile launcher with because there is no acceleration so it stays at a constant velocity.The distance that the steel ball number 2 travels in the horizontal distance before it hits the ground is dependent on the time of flight and the horizontal velocity that it was projected with. Projectile motion onl y occurs when there is one force applied at the beginning of the trajectory, after which there is no force in operation apart from gravity, this was proven in the experiment as ball number 1 was let fall from a height with no other force applied and ball number two was projected with a horizontal velocity from the projectile launcher and both balls were attracted to ground as they came under the nfluence of gravity.We found the value of acceleration using the average vertical height in which the ball was projected from and used the average horizontal time in which it took ball number two to hit the ground as ball number two was projected with an horizontal velocity it still should hit the ground at the same time as ball number one does as there both under the same force of gravity. If our measurements and calculations were 100% we should have got an acceleration of 9. 81 m/s squared. The horizontal component of the velocity of the object remains unchanged throughout the motion.The v ertical component of the velocity increases linearly, because the acceleration due to gravity is constant. It is important to note that the Range and the Maximum height of the Projectile do not depend upon mass of the projected body. The Range and Max Height are equal for all those bodies which are thrown by same velocity and direction. Air resistance does not affect displacement of a projectile; this is why we do not take the mass of the balls into consideration or the mass of any objects when dealing with projectiles. This experiment proves and supports the theory behind projectile motion to be correct.We do not take the mass of the balls or bodies into consideration when dealing with projectile motion as the air resistance does not affect the displacement of the projectile. The range and height are equal for all bodies which are thrown by the same velocity and direction. There was a small difference in calculating the acceleration due to gravity, this was because of the different readings and human errors that took place during the experiment. Both balls come under the influence of the same gravity and are attracted to ground and should hit the ground at the same time.In theory both balls should hit the ground at the same time, but because there were two people using stopwatches to record the times taking there was going to be a difference in the readings and calculation. The horizontal distance ball number two travels before it hits the ground is dependent of the time of flight and the horizontal velocity of projection. Ball number two will travel at the same horizontal velocity because there is no acceleration or any other force applied. The vertical component of the velocity will increases linearly because the acceleration due to gravity is onstant, so it picks up speed as it is falling from a height.