University of Richmond Acceptance Rate, SAT/ACT Scores, GPA

The University of Richmond is a private liberal arts university with an acceptance rate of 30%. Founded in 1830, and located six miles from downtown Richmond, Virginia, the University of Richmond is a nationally ranked liberal arts college. Richmond has an impressive 8-to-1 student to faculty ratio and an average class size of 16. Undergraduates can choose from over 60 majors. The schools strengths in the liberal arts and sciences earned it a chapter of the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. Campus life is active with a wide range of student clubs and activities. In athletics, the Richmond Spiders compete in the NCAA Division I Atlantic 10 Conference. Considering applying to University of Richmond? Here are the admissions statistics you should know, including average SAT/ACT scores and GPAs of admitted students. Acceptance Rate During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, University of Richmond had an acceptance rate of 30%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 30 students were admitted, making University of Richmonds acceptance rate competitive. Admissions Statistics (2017-18) Number of Applicants 11,882 Percent Admitted 30% Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 23% SAT Scores and Requirements University of Richmond requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 53% of admitted students submitted SAT scores. SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile ERW 640 710 Math 650 750 ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing This admissions data tells us that most of University of Richmonds admitted students fall within the top 20% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to Richmond scored between 640 and 710, while 25% scored below 640 and 25% scored above 710. On the math section. 50% of admitted students scored between 650 and 750, while 25% scored below 650 and 25% scored above 750. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1460 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at University of Richmond. Requirements The University of Richmond does not require the SAT writing section or SAT Subject tests. Note that Richmond participates in the scorechoice program, which means that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. ACT Scores and Requirements University of Richmond requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 47% of admitted students submitted ACT scores. ACT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile Composite 30 33 This admissions data tells us that most of Richmonds admitted students fall within the top 7% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to University of Richmond received a composite ACT score between 30 and 33, while 25% scored above 33 and 25% scored below 30. Requirements Note that the University of Richmond does not superscore ACT results; your highest composite ACT score will be considered. The University of Richmond does not require the ACT writing section. GPA In 2018, the middle 50% of University of Richmonds incoming class had high school GPAs between 3.6 and 3.96. 25% had a GPA above 3.96, and 25% had a GPA below 3.6. These results suggest that most successful applicants to the University of Richmond have primarily A grades. Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph University of Richmond Applicants Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph. Data courtesy of Cappex. The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to the University of Richmond. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in with a free Cappex account. Admissions Chances The University of Richmond has a competitive admissions pool with a low acceptance rate and high average SAT/ACT scores. However, like many of the countrys most selective colleges, University of Richmond has a  holistic admissions  process involving other factors beyond your grades and test scores. Strong application essays  and  glowing letters of recommendation  can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful  extracurricular activities  and a  rigorous course schedule. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their test scores are outside Richmonds average range. In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent accepted students. The data show that the majority of successful applicants had high school grades of A- or better, combined SAT scores of 1250 or higher, and ACT composite scores of 27 or better. Your chances are best if you have a solid A average and an SAT score of 1400 or better. If You Like University of Richmond, You May Also Like These Schools University of VirginiaGeorgetown UniversityVanderbilt UniversityDuke UniversityBoston CollegeEmory UniversityUniversity of Cincinnati All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and University of Richmond Undergraduate Admissions Office.

George W. Bush s The War On Terror - 2546 Words

On the 9th November 2001, George W. Bush declared the War on Terror a response to the terrorist act on 11 September 2001. However, the response was not only based on the breach of national security that endangered the lives of Americans. If it had been, his response would have been purely targeted at ‘terrorists’ and not the abstract concept of ‘terror’ that engages with a wider pool of people (that we will later see to be affiliated with the Orient/Other). Orientalism, according to Said, is ‘the corporate institution for dealing with the Orient – dealing with it by making statements about it, authorizing views of it, describing it, by teaching it, settling it, ruling over it: in short, orientalism as a Western style for dominating,†¦show more content†¦Therefore, this essay will argue that fundamentally the justifications for the policy in the War On Terror is to a large extent a reflection of Orientalism and US domination, intertwine d with aspects reflecting national security and economic interest. To a large extent Bush’s declaration of the War on Terror followed by the establishment of Guantanamo Bay is by far the largest reflection of Orientalism since it defines the ‘terrorist’. Bush’s speech on the War on Terror, not only defined the ‘terrorist’ but directly associated it with the East, creating the ‘other’ as the enemy. Orientalism can be seen by the Bush’s administration to define, and arguably create the ‘terrorist’ since he characterizes them through an orientalist perspective. It can be argued that the War on Terror was an orientalist instrument used to create the image for ‘knowing’ the Terrorist. This is crucial as knowing the terrorist, legitimizes any policy of action to eradicate the perceived terrorist. This can be seen most prominently in Bush’s speech on the War of Terror where he tactically separates the West from the East. Said’s book would support this argum ent as it can be perceived that the created an ‘imaginative geography in which the Occident and Orient are separated’. Therefore, Bush divides the US and the ‘others’ by labelling them as ‘evil’ and uncivilized beings that hate western values of freedom

Smoking Work Cited Free Essays

English 103 November 7, 2012 Works Cited Bailey, William Everett. The Invisible Drug. Houston: Mosaic Publications, 1996. We will write a custom essay sample on Smoking Work Cited or any similar topic only for you Order Now Print. William Bailey wrote this book on cigarettes with many views from doctors and other professional advisors to show the effects and complications from smoking cigarettes. This book had a lot of information from previous books the was further reviewed and more recent. However, because this book is from 1996 I used it for a place to start and find more information about the subject. Das , B. C. et al. Smoking And Cardiovascular Health: A Review Of The Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, Prevention And Control Of Tobacco. †Ã‚  Indian Journal Of Medical Sciences  63. 11 (2009): 520-533. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Oct. 2012. From this journal I learned more about the direct risks from smoking cigarettes and how it increases the chances of getting some sort of cardiovascular disease. Also how smoking has been claimed to cause eleven percent of cardiovascular deaths. Haustein, K. O. Tobacco or Health? : Physiological and Social Damages Caused by Tobacco Smoking. Berlin: Springer, 2003. Print. This book gave me a lot of information about smoking and many statistics as well. It is an older book so it was a base and gave me a lot of information to further research for the rest of the project. It told me of all the organs and systems affected by smoking cigarettes so it was a good place to start. â€Å"Heart Disease Facts. †Ã‚  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23 Mar. 2012. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. From this website I learned that nearly 20% of all deaths from heart disease in the U. S. re directly related to cigarette smoking. Coronary heart disease is the reason of death for over 616,000 people died of heart disease. I know this is a credible source because it is a government based site. Lemonick, Michael D. , Dan Cray, and Harlene Ellin. â€Å"The Other Lung Disease. †Ã‚  Time  163. 16 (2004): 62-63. Academic Search Premier. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. This article gave a lot of informat ion about emphysema and lung cancer both. Lung  cancer is deadlier, it killed 150,000 Americans in 2000, while COPD killed  120,000, but COPD is more common in smokers and even non smokers by a long shot. Lung cancer is the number one killer because is it so hard to detect, by the time it is detected it is often too advanced to reverse. Emphysema is not reversible. â€Å"Lung Cancer. †Ã‚  Pub Med Health. U. S. National Library of Medicine, 24 Aug. 2011. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. From this website I gained information on lung cancer and how cigarettes cause more than half of the diagnoses. Cigarettes contain chemicals that are known to cause cancer, including hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, arsenic, and ammonia. When inhaled, instantaneously your chances of getting lung cancer become higher. â€Å"National Cancer Institute.   Harms of Smoking and Health Benefits of Quitting. NCI, 25 Apr. 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. From this website I learned that within the past year, roughly 226,160 cases of lung cancer have been diagnosed. Also in the past year lung cancer has caused 160,340 deaths. In doing the math, that’s over 50% of those who were diagnosed with lung cancer passed away. â€Å"NATIONAL EMPHYSEMA TREATMENT TRIAL. †Ã‚  NATIONAL EMPHYSEMA TREATMENT TRIAL. NETT, 20 May 2003. Web. 4 Nov. 2012. This website gave me most of my information on emphysema. I learned more about what it is and how smoking causes it. Emphysema is a condition in which the small bags in the lungs become filled with too much air, causing breathing difficulties and can lead to death. I know this is a reliable source because it is a government based site. RAMZI ZEMNI, et al. â€Å"Role Of CYP1A1 (T6235C) Polymorphism And Cigarette Smoking In The Development Of Coronary Heart Disease In Tunisian Population. †Ã‚  Journal Of Genetics  90. 2 (2011): 303-307. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 Oct. 2012. From this academic journal I learned that while other things may cause coronary heart disease the main reason is from smoking cigarettes. I also got to view graphs and how certain people, depending on their lifestyle and how much they smoke, develop it fast or have more severe cases. Taraseviciene-Stewart, Laimute, and Norbert F. Voelkel. â€Å"Molecular Pathogenesis Of Emphysema. †Ã‚  Journal Of Clinical Investigation  118. 2 (2008): 394-402. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. As a cigarette is inhaled the toxins in a cigarette leave behind deposits of chemicals from the tobacco. These chemicals remain in the lung cavity and start the damaging lungs almost immediately, breaking the smaller bags and creating a fewer amount of larger bags in the lungs. While only fifteen to twenty percent of smokers develop emphysema smoking causes your chances of getting it to go up more than 85%. Tuder, Rubin M. , and Jeong H. Yun. â€Å"It Takes Two To Tango: Cigarette Smoke Partners With Viruses To Promote Emphysema. â€Å"Journal Of Clinical Investigation  118. 8 (2008): 2689-2693. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. Emphysema is one form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) the fourth leading death in the world and still rising. Emphysema causes at least 100,000 deaths per year. â€Å"What Is Coronary Heart Disease?   NHLBI. N. p. , 23 Aug. 2012. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Facts from this heart disease website show me that one in every four deaths is caused from a cardiovascular disease. Also that nearly half of cardiovascular diseases are caused by smoking cigarettes. I also read that Carbon monoxide and nicotine in the cigarettes cause the blood to clump together, making the blood more â€Å"sticky†, which makes blo od more prone to clotting. The clumping platelets in your blood can block your coronary arteries that cause heart attacks, a trigger of Coronary heart disease. How to cite Smoking Work Cited, Essay examples

Environmental Health and Safety Management System free essay sample

Policies which safeguard Schools must develop a range of policies which ensure the safety, security, and well-being of their pupils. These will set out the responsibilities of staff and the procedures that they must follow. Policies may be separate or incorporated into one health and safety policy, but they must include sections which cover the following issues of: safeguarding and protecting, and procedures for reporting e-safety bullying, including cyber-bullying All adults within the school have a responsibility to safeguard the welfare of children. There must also be a named member of staff with particular responsibilities for safeguarding children and for e-safety.Schools have a responsibility to:†¢ develop children’s awareness and their knowledge of what is acceptable and not acceptable behavior, including when using the Internet†¢ know, support and protect children who are identified as being at greater risk – that is, on the ‘at risk register’†¢ provide opportunities for professional training of all staff relating to Safeguarding†¢ put into place policies and security systems for e-learning activities, for example, provide training for children and use filtering software†¢ observe for signs that abuse may be happening, changes in children’s behavior or failure to thrive, and refer any concerns†¢ monitor, keep records and share appropriate information with other agencies. We will write a custom essay sample on Environmental Health and Safety Management System or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Department for Education (DfE) provides guidance for local authorities including schools. Schools use this guidance to develop their own policy and procedures which must be followed. Two of these are listed below.Working Together to Safeguard ChildrenThis is guidance which sets out the duties of organizations and how they must work together to safeguard children and young people. What to do if you’re worried that a child is being abusedThis is guidance to help those working with children safeguard and promote their welfare. It also looks at the actions which all adults working with children should take if they are concerned.Children Act 1989 Parents and professionals must work to ensure the safety of the child. Local Authority has ‘a duty to investigate when there is a reasonable cause to suspect that a child suspect that a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm.The Education Act 2002 This sets out the responsibilities of Local Education Authorities (LEAs), Governing bodies, head teachers and all those working in schools to ensure that children are safe and free from harm.Children Act 2004/2006 This provides the legal framework for Every Child Matters. It includes the requirement for Services to work more closely, forming an integrated service.

170210180096_Yeremia Theofilo Alexandro Budhi Essays - Free Essays

170210180096_Yeremia Theofilo Alexandro Budhi Essays - Free Essays BAHASA INDONESIA KESETARAAN GENDER DALAM BIDANG PENDIDIKAN 15392403344400 Disusun Oleh : Yeremia Theofilo Alexandro Budhi (1702101800 96 ) MAKALAH BAHASA INDONESIA TUGAS PERKULIAHAN BERSAMA UNIVERSITAS PADJAJARAN 2018 KATA PENGANTAR Dengan menyebut nama Tuhan Yang Maha Esa . Segala puji hanya milik Tuhan Yang Maha Esa semata, pertama-tama penulis panjatkan puji serta syukur kehadirat Nya sebagai yang Maha Kuasa atas segala yang ada di langit dan di bumi, serta Maha Penentu atas kelangsungan seluruh hidup hamba-hambanya. Karena atas segala rahmat dan hidayahnya, saya sampai saat ini masih diijinkan menikmati segala keindahan dan keindahan-Nya. Atas segala rahmatnya, saya dapat menyelesaikan tugas Makalah Pendidikan Kewarganegaraan berdasarkan Sustainable Development Goal's yang berjudul "Kesetaraan Gender dalam Bidang Pendidikan". Judul ini diambil dari tema Tujuan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan poin ke 4 yaitu "Pendidikan Berkualitas"dan poin ke 5 yaitu "Kesetaraan Gender". Dengan dibuatnya makalah ini, semoga para pembaca dapat memahami mengenai pembahasan yang penulis sajikan. Jatinangor , Desember 2018 Penyusun DAFTAR ISI HALAMAN SAMPUL...................................................................... . . . .....1 KATA PENGANTAR.................................................................... . ..........2 DAFTAR ISI.............................................................................................3 BAB 1 PENDAHULUAN.........................................................................4 Latar Belakang....................................................................................4 Rumusan Masalah...............................................................................4 Tujuan............................................................................................ . .....5 BAB 2 PEMBAHASAN.................................................................. . ........5 2.1 Persepktif Gender......................................... .......................................5 2. 2 Kesetaraan Gender.............................................................. ............. . ...6 2. 3 Peran Dalam Dunia Pendidikan... ................................................... . . ...6 BAB 3 PENUTUP.................................................... ...............................7 3.1 Kesimpulan.......................................................................................... 7 3.2 Saran....................................................................................... .............8 BAB 1 PENDAHULUAN Latar Belakang Perlakuan yang kurang adil terhadap perempuan masih sering kita temui di berbagai penjuru dunia. Perlakuan yang tidak seimbang ini acap kali terjadi diberbagai lapisan masyarakat. Alasannya sangat jelas dan belum berubah, yaitu karena budaya yang turun temurun dan mendarah daging dan sudah ada selama beribu tahun , dimana dunia terjebak dalam konsep bahwa wanita akan selalu berada dibawah kekuasaan pria. Bukan tanpa sebab jika wanita memerlukan pendidikan yang tinggi. Karena para wanita ini akan menjadi sekolah pertama bagi anak-anak mereka kelak. Wanita memiliki peran penting dalam kehidupan ini, yaitu dalam peningkatan kualitas generasi muda . T anpa wanita, pria pun tidak akan bisa berdiri dengan sukses. Sebab, dibalik pria sukses sudah pasti ada wanita hebat yang berdiri disampingnya. Dengan demikian, sudah seharusnya kita membuka mata dan pikiran kita untuk selalu memberikan ruang kebebasan agar para wanita bisa memperoleh hak nya untuk menempuh pendidikan setinggi mungkin. Kita juga harus merubah stigma yang beranggapan wanita tidak perlu bersekolah tinggi. Mengingat, seorang wanita adalah pendidik pertama dan utama. Sudah menjadi takdir bahwa seorang wanitalah yang akan melahirkan, membesarkan, dan mendidik seorang anak. Para wanita hebat ini juga m embantu tumbuh kembang generasi penerus bangsa yang secara alamiah memiliki keterikatan batin yang sangat kuat antara diri mereka sendiri dan anak mereka . Namun amat disayangkan, ruang gerak perempuan dibatasi oleh perspektif yang kurang adil dalam kedudukan mereka sebagaimana mestinya, termasuk dalam hal pendidikan. Masih ada segelintir wanita yang memegang teguh budaya dan pengukuhan bahwa mereka tidak butuh pendidikan yang tinggi, sebab pada akhirnya, mereka akan berujung bergulat di dapur. Rumusan Masalah Apa itu gender? Seperti apa kesetaraan gender itu? Bagaimana perannya dalam dunia pendidikan? Tujuan Dalam penulisan ini, penulis mengidentifikasi beberapa ketidakadilan terhadap kaum wanita, khususnya di bidang pendidikan. Juga agar pembaca dapat memahami dan terbuka pikirannya bahwasanya wanita sangat perlu pendidikan yang tinggi dengan tidak membeda-bedakan dan bersikukuh pada budaya yang sudah turun temurun tersebut . BAB 2 PEMBAHASAN 2.1 Perspektif Gender Gender secara umum dapat diartikan sebagai pembeda antara jenis kelamin pria dan wanita. Dari pemahaman tersebut muncullah paham mengenai perbedaan - perbedaan pria dan wanita. Pemahaman ini kebanyakan menganggap wanita merupakan bentuk manusia yang lebih lemah dan akan selalu berada dalam naungan seorang pria. Juga d imana , pria merupakan bentuk manusia yang lebih kuat yang memiliki kekuasaan diatas wanita , b aik secara sosial maupun budaya. Perspektif gender itu sendiri sangat mempunyai ketimpangan sosial didalamnya . Salah satu contohnya adalah dimana wanita dan pria selalu dibedakan dalam pencapaiannya di dunia pendidikan. Sebab masyarakat luas masih memandang bahwa wanita hidupnya hanyalah untuk mengabdi sebagai istri dan berdiam di rumah, mengerjakan pekerjaan rumah, dan mengurus anak. Sedang kan pria, mencari nafkah sebanyak-banyaknya agar dapat memenuhi kebutuhan keluarga dan terlihat di khalayak luas sebagai keluarga ideal. Amat disayangkan, karena hal tersebut kini kaum pria cukup semena-mena karena merasa sebagai " yang mencari uang ", bahkan sampai dalam beberapa kejadian memperlakukan istrinya layaknya pembantu. Wanita yang dipanggilnya sebagai

Development of Democracy Dbq Essay Example

Development of Democracy Dbq Essay Example Development of Democracy Dbq Essay Development of Democracy Dbq Essay History 8, November 2012 Development of Democracy DBQ The emergence of democracy would change the United States forever. Our country today wouldn’t be what it is today without democracy in place. During the 1820s-1850s democracy truly started to appear in the nation. With ideas of every man should be equal and the uprising of the abolition movements. Women didn’t keep their thoughts out of it either. In 1828 President Jackson was elected and with this he brought the idea of everyman should be equal. He also believed in that whatever he wanted, he would get and take it by any means. Also during this time abolitionist started voicing their ideas about how there should be no slavery and that all slaves are on an equal level as the white man. Woman also felt this was the perfect time to voice their opinion as well. Not all women but some felt like they were being pushed to the side and not even looked at for any decision. The women started protests and took legal action on this and fought for their right to be acknowledged in the social and political society. All these events helped develop democracy. During the early 1820s Andrew Jackson was making a push to become president of the United States. People loved him because of his background. He was from a simple beginning, working his way up through the military and eventually becoming a politician. When he ran in 1824 election, he lost because Henry Clay and john Quincy Adams teamed up and helped Adams become president. This became known as the corrupt bargain. In 1828 Jackson ran again and won the Presidential election. Once in office he saw that the regulations for the ability to vote were too much for some people, so Jackson went ahead and took away the provision of needing to own land to vote. After he did this he saw a drastic increase in voting especially with the poorer people. This is one of the reasons why people loved him and also how democracy was further developed. The people now had a voice. (doc. A) Once in office he looked to help more of the lower class. He noticed that most of the lower class were being cheated by the rich elite people, so he set out to help out the lower class. Jackson felt the second national bank was one of the main causes of the lower class being in poverty and turmoil. When it came down to deciding the outcome of the bank, Jackson vetoed the bank and said that the bank gave wealthy Americans the opportunity to take advantage of poor farmers and factory workers. He believed that the bank could hurt the nation by limiting the loans it gave out and make money tight. (doc. D) Also he believed that the bank could soon alter elections because it favored certain congressman because that congressman would have lower interest loans. doc. D) Jackson wanted to show congress that he was the man going to make the decisions and that they weren’t going to cheat the common man out of money and that they need to do good business for all. The abolition movement kicked off in the early 1830s during Jacksons First presidential term. The movement was dedicated to outlawing or abolishing the institution of slavery in the United States. Opponents in sl avery had always existed in the United States. However abolitionists called for an immediate end of slavery. Many women were involved in the movement and had a particularly active role because they wanted to be part of something that could make a difference. Jackson supported the abolition movement even though he was a slave owner. The south was against allowing slaves to be free. Many abolitionist societies and publications started showing up in the north around the early 1830’s. William Lloyd Garrison wrote a weekly anti slavery newspaper titled â€Å"The Liberator†, he spoke about how he hated slavery and how it should not exist. It was very odd at the time for Garrison to be writing about freeing slaves because he was a white man and that’s something white men don’t do. (doc. G) There were always white people that felt a sense to help because they felt bad but it was mostly in the north and Midwest. They felt that the institution of slavery was bad but the people didn’t let go of their racist thoughts about blacks. Due to the number of free blacks in the north, even though it was a small amount of blacks the Philadelphia area started to see a rise in blacks in the middle class. The blacks started to get jobs as shoemakers, bakers, cooks, and barbers. the white people saw this and this created a â€Å"Negro Phobia†, which was a anti black sentiment created in many ways. (doc. H) Slaves and free blacks were feeling sorrow because they couldn’t understand how whites could do this to another human, another man with a heart. (doc. B) The voices being heard throughout this movement were very ground breaking. This promoted democracy because people were trying to make a change in the social aspect of the government. Another huge reform during this time was women’s suffrage. Women felt they were being pushed aside like rag dolls. They wanted men to know that they mattered to this nation for more than just the ability to conceive a child. It was like how it was when the U. S. was fighting for its independence, the women were looked at with no threat but then once they started fighting back they were taken differently. Men thought of women as very inferior to themselves. Men thought that a women couldn’t handle being in politics because they would get confused and make a mess of things. doc. F) Once women felt the ability to stand up for themselves, they started telling the men what they wanted. Men were looked at on the same level as women by women. (doc. E) The women took a stand against men with the temperance movement. The women wanted their husbands to be sober well men and not become drunks. They saw that if the father is a good man then most likely the son will learn from the f ather. This movement of women caused an uproar but due to the uproar the society finally knew women were here to make a difference.

Dry Bones Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dry Bones - Essay Example It would also seem that this subject may have been a victim of an accident with the hole occurring in the frontal lobe which is just under the browline. This person could also have been a subject of a lobotomy with respect to psychiatric assessment to deal with dementia. The scapular spine differences where the spine supports the acromion process; it divides the posterior surface of the scapula into a supraspinatous fossa and an infraspinatous fossa which may mean that this person was a deformed person through the shoulder bone malformities. Judging from the size of the femur bone, which gives us the approximate height of the person, being adult or child, it would seem that this was of an adolescent and quite possible pre-pubescent based on the narrow pelvis and outlet being small means that this was a female subject prior to any childbirth. Since the bone density is heavy, this subject has not been afflicted with any forms of osteoporosis which generally happens upon the onset of middle age or for women, during menopause.

Popular Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Popular Culture - Essay Example In particular, many advertisements connote popular culture adopted by communities across the globe. The advert â€Å"Every Woman Wants A Bailey Box†, consisting of two modern women fighting over a Bailey product represents the place of women in popular culture. This essay will analyze the advert by applying storytelling method, gender and sexuality method and finally discussing a source related to the advert. In summarizing the â€Å"Every Woman Wants A Bailey Box† advert, it is possible to draw several aspects that represent popular culture in the community. The advert consists of two contemporary women fighting over a baileys product. Several aspects in the advert indicate that the women represent the modern society. The dressing codes used by both women in the advert indicate modern culture. One woman is dressed using a shorter dress that is mostly used by youthful women in different parts of the world. The second woman is dressed up using an outfit that perfectly fi ts in her body, an outfit that is popular among youthful and classy women. In addition, both women in the advert are groomed using high heeled shoes, which are trendy among classy women in the society. Further, the advert portrays a Bailey product being wrapped using a gift box, something that is commonly associated with women because the majority of women in the society like to receive gifts. Finally, the advert includes a picture of beautiful jewelry indicating that Bailey’s Fine Jewelry is capable of producing quality and attractive products for women in the society. This print medium used in the â€Å"Every Woman Wants A Bailey Box† advert has several primary strengths that make the advert to be successful in attracting the target segment to purchase Bailey’s Jewelry. To start with, the advert incorporates emotional appeals that play an important role in attracting the target audience.  

Nursing Informatics- evidence-based practice and technology Article

Nursing Informatics- evidence-based practice and technology - Article Example Health information technology has made it possible for medical researchers to create a database of information gleaned from the research. It is possible to use health information technology to search online journals for evidence-based practice on how to optimize the flow of patients in and out the emergency rooms. Evidence-based practices that are used to optimize patient flow in other hospitals can be accessed via different databases (Thede, 2008). The flow of patients in the emergency rooms is a key component of quality care in any emergency department. Health Information Technology supports evidenced based practice by allowing medical practitioners to publish research results in online databases. Medical professionals from different places can access these databases (Thede, 2008). Health Information Technology has made it possible to disseminate information fast, which helps in improving efficiency in evidence-based

Nanogels for Anticancer Drug Delivery

Nanogels for Anticancer Drug Delivery The applications of Nanogels in the field of medicine are currently under rapid growth of interest with more focus given on improving current therapies and diagnostic modalities. Nanogels composed of ionic or non-ionic network of amphiphilic polymer chains, when dispersed in aqueous media swell to considerable volume. Biological agents and drugs can be loaded into the nanogel by physical and chemical interactions between the agent and the functional group in the polymer matrix, resulting in unique class of polymeric nanocarrier with high dispersion stability. The most attractive features of the nanogels include high biocompatibility, versatility in design, and controlled release of payload with wide range of drug loading and release, the specificity and ability to physically protect biological molecules from degradation invivo and have been preclinically investigated for different anticancer drugs. In a study on targeted nanogels done by Baklaushev et al, the therapeutic efficacy of cisplatin loaded nanogels was checked on glioma cells 101/8. Nanogels synthesised using PMAA polymer cross-linked with CaCl2. Nanogels upon EDC activation cross-linked to monoclonal antibodies Cx43 and BSAT1 specific for targeting gliomal cells along with flexible PEG linker resulting in a size of 123 Â ± 5 nm, with a zeta potential of -15Â ±5 mV. Targeted nanogels significantly reduced the intrastriatal glioma compared to the control group receiving 5% dextrose up to the 30th day of the study. But no significance was observed for animals treated with targeted nanogels and free cisplatin. Heparin-polyethyleneimine (HPEI)nanogels loaded with cisplatin along with shRNA were synthesised by Lili Liu et al for targeting CLDN3 gene up regulated in ovarian cancer. These nanogels showed superior biodegradability, excellent blood compatibility and low-toxicity. Western blot analysis and CLDN3 immunostainin g were done to check the knockdown efficiency. Nude mice bearing intraperitoneal ovarian carcinomas were treated with drug loaded nanogels and the results showed that pshCLDN3/HPEI effectively suppressed the expression of CLDN3 in ovarian cancer along with synergistic antitumor activity when compared to cisplatin alone, along with low systemic toxicity. Nukolova NV et al loaded cisplatin into PEG-b-PMAA nanogels conjugated with (D-Lys6)-LHRH. With a loading efficiency of 35%, the nanogel showed receptor based cytotoxicity cells positive for LHRH showed greater uptake and cytotoxicity compared to LHRH negative ovarian cancer cells. Invivo antitumor activity was more for LHRH-nanogels with less toxicity compared to equimolar dose of free cisplatin and untargeted nanogels. A pH and thermal responsive nanogelwas developed for cisplatin delivery by conjugating the MAA, NIPAm, mPEGMA with MBA as the cross-linker. The pH response is achieved with breaking the bond between COOH and cisplati n in presence of the chlorine ion present in the human body. The acidic response is modified by incorporating thermal responsive NIPAm, this will slow down the cisplatin release from the nanogel structure. Cellular uptake was mainly localized in cytoplasm. Invivo antitumor activity using breast cancer mice modals showed better activity with longer circulation time. In the study by Jin et al, controlled delivery of cisplatin to ovarian cancer cells SKOV-3 were achieved using a biodegradable nanogel made by cocondensation polymerization of piperazine with 2,2-bis(acryloxymethyl)propionic acid, PEG 2,2-bis(acryloxymethyl)propionate macromonomer (mPEG). Carboxylic acid-functionalized poly(beta -aminoester)graft-poly(ethylene glycol) nanogels were size of around 200nm, negatively charged with water soluble nature. The cytotoxicity of nanogels on SKOV-3 cells were significantly lower than the free cisplatin whereas the invivo activity towards SKOV3 tumor xenografted immunecompromised mice was same. According to Jin et al, this decrease in cytotoxicity of cisplatin loaded nanogel on SKOV-3 cells due to the drug release kinetics which showed an initial burst release,making the response of cisplatin similar to that of free cisplatin. Also negatively charged nanogel will limit the cellular internalization delaying the cisplatin response. Only with biodistribution studies the similarity in the activity of free cisplatin and nanogel loaded cisplatin be proved. Maeda et al synthesised water soluble ÃŽ ²-1, 3-glucan schizophyllan (SPG) nanogel which can be recognized by an immunocyte receptor called dectin-1. When naphthalene introduced into the side chain of SPG (nSPG), it formed nanogel by physical cross-link and gained capability to ingest hydrophobic compounds such as doxorubicin. The in vitro assay revealed that this nanogel can be used as specific delivery of anti-cancer drugs to immunocytes. A dual-responsive prodrug nanogel system that shows very low unspecific drug leaching, but efficient intracellular release of the payload triggered by the intracellular conditions.This dual-responsive prodrug nanogel was prepared by an inverse nanoprecipitation method, which is mild and surfactant free, and based on a thiol-disulfide exchange reaction and thiol-Michael addition reaction. Highly biocompatible hyperbranched polyglycerol (hPG) was cross-linked with disulfide bonds, to obtain biodegradable nanogels, which could be degraded under intracellular reductive conditions. Doxorubicin (DOX) was conjugated to the biodegradable nanogel matrix via an acid-labile hydrazone linker. Two different prodrug nanogels were prepared with a size of approximately 150nm, which is big enough to take the advantage of the enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect in tumor tissue . Cell culture analysis by microscopy and flow cytometry revealed that the prodrug nanogels were efficiently internalized by tumor cells. Distinct release profiles of DOX were achieved by adjusting the nanogel architecture, and online detection of cytotoxicity showed that, unlike free DOX, the dual-responsive prodrug nanogels exhibited a delay in the onset of toxicity, indicating the different uptake mechanism and the need for prodrug activation to induce cell death. To achieve effective intracellular anticancer drug delivery, the polymeric vesicles supplemented with the pH-responsive outlayered gels as a delivery system of doxorubicin (DOX) were developed from self-assembly of the lipid/polypeptide adduct, distearin grafted poly(ÃŽ ³-glutamic acid) (poly(ÃŽ ³-GA)), followed by sequential deposition of chitosan and poly(ÃŽ ³-GA-co-ÃŽ ³-glutamyl oxysuccinimide)-g-monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol) in combination with in situ covalent cross-linking on assembly surfaces. The resultant g el-caged polymeric vesicles (GCPVs) showed superior performance in regulating drug release in response to the external pH change. Under typical physiological conditions (pH 7.4 and 37 Â °C) at which the ÃŽ ³-GA/DOX ionic pairings remained mostly undisturbed, the dense outlayered gels of GCPVs significantly reduced the premature leakage of the uncomplexed payload. With the environmental pH being reduced from pH 7.4 to 4.7, the drug liberation was appreciably promoted by the massive disruption of the ionic ÃŽ ³-GA/DOX complexes along with the significant swelling of nanogel layers upon the increased protonation of chitosan chain segments. After being internalized by HeLa cells via endocytosis, GCPVs exhibited cytotoxic effect comparable to free DOX achieved by rapidly releasing the payload in intracellular acidic endosomes and lysosomes. This strongly implies the great promise of such unique GCPVs as an intracellular drug delivery carrier for potential anticancer treatment. The tripl e layered nanogel developed by Xiong MH et al, can deliver the drug doxorubicin specifically in the bacteria accumulated tumor environment. The bacteria SBY1 can selectively infect and proliferate in tumors owing to the unique environment within solid tumors, including hypoxia, aberrant neovasculature, and local immune suppression is more in tumor compared to the normal tissue; upon nanogel administration these bacteria will trigger the selective degradation of the PCL fence of TLND resulting in DOX release and thus killing tumor cells. Chitin PLA composite nanogel were loaded with Doxorubicin (Dox) for the treatment of liver cancer. Nanogels were of size of around 270Â ±20 nm with higher swelling and degradation in acidic pH. Drug entrapment efficiency and in vitro drug release studies were carried out and showed a higher drug release at acidic pH compared to neutral pH. The cytotoxicity of the composite nanogels was analysed toward HepG2 (human liver cancer) cell lines.

Crying Souls in The Slave Dancer :: Slave Dancer Essays

Crying Souls in The Slave Dancer It all began in the cold month of January, 1840, in a town familiar to many; New Orleans. Fog laid a heavy blanket on the streets and alleyways of the city. Rain steadily engulfed the seaside locality, and the sound of drunken riverboat men and the slaves celebrating their terrible festivities surrounded the area. New Orleans was the location where Jessie Bollier lived, and 'tis the place where he was captured on that dark January evening. Jessie then found himself aboard The Moonlight, the slaver with its towering sails and masts, cabins and storage space under the deck. For these were places where Jessie had to 'dance the slaves' and where the captain and crew would spend many weeks living in fear of the slaves, of each other, and of getting caught. The story then briefly took the ship's crew and captain to Whydah in the Bight of Benin, the rugged coasts of Africa, where the multitudes of slaves were captured and mistreated. They then made their way across the Atlantic once again to land in the Gulf of Mexico. The Moonlight was anchored there and stayed because it was here where the ship submerged. Two passengers then washed up to the shores of Mississippi where Jessie and Ras meet Daniel, their soon to be friend. Finally, the story concludes in the place it began...the clamoring streets of New Orleans. The Slave Dancer is written in first person point of view, through Jessie's eyes, and projects a depressing, melancholy mood. It is the tragic song of the slaves. The hero of the story is the thirteen year old boy, Jessie Bollier. "He's a fearful runt," comments Captain Cawthorne. He is brought on board the slaver to make the slaves dance, to keep them healthy. Jessie innocent and does not fully understand his purpose. "My life h ad turned upside down. My friend was a man who pressganged me. I disliked the man who befriended me." Jessie does not realize what is going on within him. He does not realize that these men, these women, and children are slaves...are owned. He does not perceive the cruel treatment of the slaves, but does not know why. Jessie himself puts it best, "My stomach rebelled." The antagonist is surprisingly Jessie, but after the voyage. He went through many changes after the excursion. "At first, I made a promise to myself: I would do nothing that was connected with the use of slaves.

How the Visual Media Affect People

In modern society, media Is everywhere, and It Is almost Impossible to avoid. The mass media have become such an ordinary, everyday part of society that many people fail to realize the immense impact which the mass media have on all aspects of society – including political, economic, and ideological aspects. The mass media influence the way we vote, the things we buy, the way we act, the values we hold, and the way we perceive reality. The media can be very helpful to people and their children who carefully choose he movies and shows that they watch.With high-quality programming in various fields of study-?science, medicine, nature, history, the arts, and so on-?TV and videotapes increase the. Knowledge of the average and the well-educated person; they can also improve thinking ability. Moreover, television benefits elderly people who cannot go out often, as well as patients in hospitals and residents of nursing faceless. Additionally, It offers language learners the advantage of ‘real-life' audiovisual Instruction and aural comprehension practice at any time of day or night.And of course, television and video can provide almost everyone with good entertainment-?pleasant ways to relax and spend free time at home. Nevertheless, there are several serious disadvantages to the visual media. First of all, some people watch the tube' for more hours In a day than they do anything else. In a large number of homes, TV sets-?as many as five or more In a single household – are always on. Instead of spending time taking care of their kids, parents often use the tube as an ‘electronic baby sitter. As a result, television and video can easily place family communication as well as physical activity and other interests. Secondly, too much TV-?especially programming of low educational value-?can reduce people's ability to concentrate or reason. In fact, studies show that after only a 20. Minute minutes or two of visual media, a person's mind ‘rel axes' as It does during light sleep. Another possible effect of television and videotapes on the human brain is poor communication. Children who watch a lot of TV may lose their ability to focus on a subject or an educational activity for more than ten to fifteen 24. Mute minutes. Maybe it is because of the visual media that some kids-?and adults too-? develop attention deficit disorder ADD, a modern condition in which people are unable to pay attention, listen well, follow Instructions, or remember everyday things. A third negative feature of the media is the amount of violence or horror on the screen-?both in real events in the news and movies or TV programs. It scares people and gives them terrible nightmares; the fear created by media images and language can last for a long time.On the other hand, frequent viewers of ‘action programming' unusual about violent crime, fight, killing, and other terrible events and behavior. Studies show that certain personality types are like ly to have strong emotional reactions or dangerous thoughts after some kinds of ‘entertainment. ‘ They may even copy the acts that they see on violent shows-?start fires, carry and use weapons, attack people in angry or dangerous ways, and even worse. Because of the visual media, some people may become dissatisfied with the reality of their own lives.To these viewers, everyday life does not seem as exciting as the roles actors play in movies or TV dramas. They realize they are not having as much fun as the stars of comedy shows. Furthermore, average people with normal lives may new famous media personalities, who seem to get unlimited amounts of money and attention. Also, media watchers might get depressed when they cannot take care of situations in real life as well as TV stars seem to. On the screen, they notice, actors solve serious problems in hour or half-hour programs-?or in twenty- second commercials.Yet another negative feature of modern television is called tras h TV. ‘ These daily talk shows bring real people with strange or immoral lives, personalities, or behavior to the screen. Millions of viewers-?including children-?watch as these ‘instant stars' tell their most personal secrets, shout out their angry feelings and opinions, and attack one another. TV watchers seem to like the emotional atmosphere and excitement of this kind of programming-?as well as the tension of the real but terrible stories on TV ‘news magazine' shows.What effect does frequent viewing of such programs have on people's lives? It makes television more real than reality, and normal living begins to seem boring. Finally, the most negative effect of the tube might be addiction. People often feel a strange and powerful need to watch TV or play a CD even when they do not enjoy it or have the free time for entertainment. Addiction to a TV or video screen is similar to drug or alcohol dependence: addicts almost never believe they are addicted. Even so, tr uthful media addicts have to give yes answers to many of these questions.

Goals of Linguistic Essay

Mr. 1. Introduction 1. 1. Approaching the issue The task of setting out (to use a neutral word) the goals of a human activity may be approached in a variety of ways depending on conditions such as who is involved in the activity and who has the power to determine the goals. In the case of the goals of a scientific discipline, the question may, in principle, be approached by established scientific methods: * Deductive approach: The highest and most general goal is taken as an axiom, more specific and lower-level goals are deduced from it. * Inductive approach: By methods of the sociology of science, the goals actually pursued by scientists may be ascertained; by sociological methods, it may be ascertained what goals a community thinks should be pursued by the sciences that it entertains. The deductive approach suffers at least from the following shortcomings: * The postulation of the highest goal is itself outside the scope of science. * Clean deduction is only possible in the logical disciplines. What is called deduction in (the rest of) philosophy, the humanities and social sciences is really informal and heavily dependent on the interpretation of words. The inductive approach suffers at least from the following shortcomings: * Just like other people, scientists occasionally pursue selfish or idiosyncratic goals, which a purely inductive approach would not be able to separate out. * The extra-scientific members of a social community – be they politicians or citizens – have limited presuppositions of making a rational contribution to the discussion of the goals of a science, lacking both knowledge and experience of the nature and possibilities of scientific work and presuppositions for appreciating the spiritual side of objective knowledge (see below). On the basis of available evidence, it is safe to say that few of them can distinguish between scientific insight and technological â€Å"progress†. Thus, if one wants at all a scientific approach to the problem of the goals of a discipline, one would have to combine – as usual – deductive and inductive methods, hoping that they will compensate for each other’s shortcomings. It would certainly be reasonable to do this scientific work (from time to time). However, it has apparently not been done. I will therefore abide by taking a common-sense approach to the problem, informed both by some epistemology of linguistics and by some experience with linguistic work. 1. 2. Fundamentals Like any human activity, linguistics has a place in a teleonomic hierarchy (see teleonomische Hierarchie) which is headed by its ultimate goals. Science is the pursuit of objective knowledge/understanding (Greek episteme, German Erkenntnis). The attainment of such knowledge is its ultimate goal. This goal is itself subordinate to the goal of human life, which is the improvement of the conditio humana. It is in the nature of human cognition – as opposed to God’s cognition –, that it can be fully achieved only in communication. To say that the goal is objective knowledge is therefore almost tantamount to saying that it is rational communication. This rephrasing also serves the purpose of avoiding a static conception of ‘objective knowledge’. In the more specific discussion below, the role of communication in the achievements of the goals of a science will come up again. Understanding has two sides, a spiritual and a practical one. * On the spiritual side, the human mind is enriched if it understands something; and this in itself is a contribution to improving the conditio humana. * On the practical side, understanding something is a presupposition for controlling it. Controlling1 the world in which we live is another contribution to improving the conditio humana. Some sciences make a stronger contribution to the spiritual side, others make a stronger contribution to the practical side. This is the basis for the distinction between pure and applied science. Linguistics is the study of human language. Understanding this object has a purely spiritual aspect, which constitutes what might be called â€Å"pure linguistics† and what is more commonly called general linguistics. It also has a practical aspect, which concerns the role of languages in human lives and societies and the possibilities of improving it. This epistemic interest constitutes applied linguistics. Given the divergence in the epistemic interest of pure and applied science, there can be no universal schema by which the goals and tasks of a science should be systematized. As discussed elsewhere (see Wissenschaft), there is a basic distinction between logical, empirical and hermeneutic approaches. Linguistics shares components of all of them. Here we will focus on the tasks of linguistics as an empirical discipline. For such a discipline, the main tasks are: 1. elaboration of a theory of its object 2. documentation and description of its object 3. elaboration of procedures for the solution of practical problems in the object area. In what follows, the main goals of linguistics will be characterized, at a general level, according to this schema. 2. Theory: the nature of human language The spiritual aspect of the human understanding of some object is realized in the elaboration of a theory of that object. In this respect, the task of linguistics consists in the elaboration of a theory of human language and its relation to the languages. Its most important aspects include * the structure(s) and function(s) of human language and languages * the relationship between unity and diversity of human languages * linguistic change * acquisition of one’s native language In characterizing the nature of human language, linguistic theory also delimits it against other kinds of semiosis, both synchronically in the comparison of spoken and written languages with sign languages, whistling languages and, furthermore, with animal languages, and diachronically in the comparison with primate semiotic systems from which human language may have evolved. 3. Empiry: documentation and description of languages As recalled above, linguistics is (among other things) an empirical science. In such a discipline, there is a necessary interrelation between the elaboration of a theory of the object and the description of the object; one informs the other. Furthermore, since speech and even languages are volatile, they have to be documented. The tasks of linguistics in this area may be systematized as follows: 1. language documentation: recording, representation, analysis and archiving of speech events and texts that represent a certain language 2. language description: 1. the setting of the language * ethnographic * social/cultural * genealogical 2. the language system: * semantic system: grammar, lexicon * expression systems: phonology, writing The documentation of a language must be such that people who do not have access to the language itself can use the documentation as a surrogate for as many purposes as possible. In particular, it should be possible to develop a description of a language on the basis of its documentation. The description makes explicit the meanings that the language expresses and the functions it fulfils – what it codes and what it leaves uncoded –, and represents the structure of the expressions that afford this. It does all of this in the most systematic and comprehensive way possible. Such a description may be used for a variety of purposes, most of which are mentioned below in the section on applied linguistics. Both documentation and description take the historical dimension of the object into account. That is, in the synchronic perspective, they are systematic, while in the diachronic perspective, they are historical. 4. Practice: application of linguistics The daily use of language for communication and cognition is replete with all kinds of tasks and problems that require science for a proper solution. Some of them are: * compilation of grammars, dictionaries and text editions for various purposes * native and foreign language teaching * testing of linguistic proficiency * standardizing and planning languages * devising and improving writing systems * development and maintenance of special languages and terminologies * analysis and alleviation of communication problems in social settings * diagnosis and therapy of aphasic impairments * intercultural communication, translation and interpreting * communication technology: speech technology, automatic speech and text production and analysis, machine translation, corpus exploitation †¦ The descriptions produced in â€Å"pure† linguistics – not only descriptive linguistics, but also socio-, psycho-, neuro-, ethno- etc. linguistics – are exploited for the formulation of technical procedures by which tasks arising in the fields enumerated may be solved. And contrariwise, the demands arising from those practical fields are taken as challenges by theoretical and descriptive linguistics to produce theories and descriptions that respond to them. 5. Methodology: epistemological reflection and working tools The nature of the goal of science – objective knowledge – requires the elaboration and testing of methods by which putative knowledge may be attained, verified/falsified and applied in the solution of practical or interdisciplinary problems. * The epistemological side of this activity is a stock-taking of the particular nature of the activity of the linguist, its goals, conditions and possibilities. There will be reflection on the logical, empirical and hermeneutic nature of the object of linguistics and the approaches appropriate to each facet. * The operational side of methodology is the elaboration of particular methods within such a methodological frame of the discipline. Given the interplay of specific aspects of the linguistic object with specific problems and purposes, specific sets of methods may be developed to deal adequately with such aspects of the object, to solve such problems and serve such purposes. This involves * in the deductive perspective, the operationalization of concepts and theorems and the elaboration of tests * in the inductive perspective, the elaboration of standards of representation of linguistic data and of tools for processing them. While a contribution from general epistemology may be expected for the epistemological side of linguistic methodology, its operational side is entirely the responsibility of the particular discipline. Its status as a scientific discipline crucially depends on its fulfillment of this task. 6. Cooperation: interdisciplinary fertilization. The articulation of science into disciplines is, first of all, a necessity of the division of labor. As observed above, a particular discipline is constituted by the combination of an object with an epistemic interest. The object is just a segment of the overall object area susceptible of scientific insight, the epistemic interest depends on all kinds of factors, and the combinations of these two elements are consequently manifold. In other words, no discipline is autonomous and self-contained. The contribution that it makes to human understanding can only be assessed if it is compared and combined with other disciplines. The theories developed by a discipline must define their object in such a way that it becomes transparent where they leave off, i. e. where the interfaces for the combination of related theories are. And they must be formulated in such a way that non-specialists can understand them and relate them to the epistemic interest pursued by them. Thus, a linguistic theory has to make explicit what it purports to cover and what not – for instance, only the linguistic system, not its use –; and linguists should say what they think is required for taking care of the rest. Moreover, the products of linguistic description and documentation must be represented in such a way that non-linguists may use them. For instance, there must be * grammars usable by foreign language curriculum designers * semantic descriptions usable by ethnographers * models of linguistic competence testable by neurologists * formal grammatical descriptions usable by programmers. Finally, linguistics must be capable of and receptive in taking up insights and challenges from other disciplines. For instance, * phonological concepts must be related to phonetic concepts * models of linguistic activity must be inspired by findings of psychology and neurology * models of linguistic competence must be able to account for the performance of plurilingual persons. Interdisciplinary cooperation is the touchstone of the communicative capacity of a scientific community. A discipline that can neither inspire other disciplines nor be inspired by them gets isolated and unnecessary. 7. Conclusion Above, five areas of goals of linguistics have been identified: 1. Theory: the nature of human language 2. Empiry: documentation and description of languages 3. Practice: application of linguistics 4. Methodology: epistemological reflection and working tools 5. Cooperation: interdisciplinary fertilization These goals do not belong to the same level. Goal #1, the elaboration of a theory of its object, is the highest goal of any science. As already mentioned, goal #1 is interdependent with goal #2, because a theory of an object area presupposes its proper description, and a proper description presupposes a theory on which it can be based. Furthermore, the production of documentations and descriptions is a service to the society. This is even more true of goal #3: The solution of daily-life tasks and problems is a practical contribution to the improvement of the conditio humana. It has to be done by someone, and if it is done by the discipline that has the relevant know-how, it is both better for the solution of the problem and better for the social standing of the discipline. Finally, the demands emerging from extra-scientific practice may feed back into the content and form of descriptions. Goals #4 and #5 are more science-immanent. Neither the elaboration of a methodology nor interdisciplinary cooperation are anything that would be of direct relevance outside a scientific context. They are, however, preconditions for the attainment of goals #1 – #3. As said before, no serious theory can be developed, no adequate descriptions and documentations can be produced, and no practical problems can be solved, without an arsenal of pertinent methods and without a systematic interchange with disciplines that partly share the object area or the epistemic interest.

Caribbean region climate Essays

Caribbean region climate Essays Caribbean region climate Essay Caribbean region climate Essay Introduction ‘’ A tourist who moves about to see and hear and open himself to all influences of the places which condense centuries of human greatness, is only a man in search of excellence ‘’ Max lamer 1990 The study of tourism geography is essential to the tourism industry as it illustrate ways in which man impact the environment and also how the environment influence man. According to wiki pedia , tourism geography is that branch of science which deals with the study of travel and its impact on places This research seek to unfold how the knowledge of the sub sectors of tourism and geography can help the tourism and hospitality industry cater to the psychological demands and purpose of travel of potential tourist Though there are many sub sectors of tourism and geography, the sub sectors that will be my primary focus in this research are as followed: Sub sectors of geography Climatology, biogeography, political geography Sub sectors of tourism Eco tourism, sport tourism, special tourism Sub Sectors of Geography Impact on Tourism Climatology In definition, climatology is the studies of climate scientifically define as weather condition average over a period of time and is the branch of the atmosphere science. en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Climatology For many of the world, climate is the main motivation for attracting visitors; any change in climate affect the resources. In the Caribbean region, we have a tropical climate with little variation in temperature regardless of the time of the year. Jamaica enjoy sunshine all year round with sunshine divided into dry and wet season with the last six month of the year(June November) being the wettest and the first six months (Dec – May) being the driest. The Caribbean hurricane season begins June and end November. With the knowledge of climatology, the tourism and hospitality industry would be able to identify the best time of the year for tourist to visit our country and also know when is the ideal time tourist may want to escape there country just for a while to experience something difference. For example, tourist who is coming to Jamaica for the beautiful weather, relaxation, adventure and a fun-filled vacation may not want to visit Jamaica in the hurricane/wet period which is from May – Nov. Most countries have a fairly good climate at this time of the year so these tourists may have no need to come to Jamaica in that peiod. However, visitors would much prefer to come to Jamaica in the dry period which is from Dec – May, because (in some counties that our tourist come from ) there climate may change from being hot /warm to very cold/ snowy, while in Jamaica our climate remain pretty much the same ,only with less rainfall and no danger of hurricanes Biogeography According to the American heritage science dictionary, biogeography is the scientific study of the geography distribution of plant and animal. Biogeography is essential to tourism as it to seeks enlighten the public about the importance of the existence of species, animal and plants to a country/region and factors affecting the extinction / distribution of it. Today, there is a growing amount of tourist who is interesting in the world of nature. As a result, eco-destinations that informs people about the natural environment and promotes its welfare, has boomed in some countries. A knowledge of biogeography can aid the tourism industry in catering for potential tourist in that, the industry can protect and promote our natural habitant for those tourist whose main purpose of traveling to un-known land, is to enjoy an environment with little/ or no man made damage. Jamaica has many natural resources that is home to many species, plan life, and animals. Example of these are the Negril Marine Park, black river morass, royal palm reserve, dolphin head reserve, ocho rios marine park, cockpit country reserve, port Antonia marine park. One way a tourist and hospitality industry can cater to those environmental fanatic tourists is to promote the blue mountain as adventure tour. Example, an experience tour guides could facilitate a wonderful camping/hiking experience filled with information about the history of the mountain, the wild life and species that is in existence and could still be found in the mountain. Political Geography Political geography is the field of human geography that is concerned with the study of outcomes of political processes and the ways in which political processes are themselves affected by spatial structures. Knowledge of Political geography can help the tourism and hospitality industry cater to potential tourist by educating guest of political changes that is in effect and its impact on the tourist and the industry (if any). E. g. he Tivoli Raid, which causes the country to go into, a state of emergency, tax increase on airfare etc. In the case of the Tivoli operation, the tourism/hospitality industry could educate a potential guest (who may want to visit Jamaica for recreation/relaxation purposes but is however unsure of his/her safety in the country) about the geographical division of the island, and the distance between the parish being affected and the parish of interest to the tourist . Special Event Tourism Special Events Tourism? is the Creation and organization of activities that may or may not be designed for attracting tourists. These may be sporting events, conferences, music and culinary festivals. There are a growing number of special events tin Jamaica that encourage travellers to go to areas to which they may not otherwise go. Many of these events are so successful that they have become national or international attractions. For example, the jazz and blues festival, reggae sum fest and ATI / Dream Weekend were thousands of foreigners come to Jamaica yearly With the knowledge of special event tourism, the hospitality industry can cater to those tourists who want to come to Jamaica for a special even by providing excellent accommodation along with good security with the convenience of transportation to take visitors to and from the event. Promoting special events so that potential guest can be aware of the events o be taking place is another way of catering to the needs of potential visitors, it is also a way in attracting visitors to come to the country all year round. Eco Tourism The International Ecotourism Society defines Ecotourism as:Â   responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the welfare of local people. The tourism and hospitality industry can cater to the physiological needs of those environmental fanatic tourists, by providing guided tours of the countryâ €™s natural environment. e. g. Dolphin cove, Mystic Mountain, May field falls . Ecotourism means education, for both tourists and residents of nearby communities, therefore its essential for the tour guide to be well trained so that he can adequately impart knowledge to the tourist about the natural and cultural history, environment interpretation and ethical principles of the area being toured. Sport Tourism Sport tourism is when an individual and/or groups of people whom actively or passively participate in competitive or recreational sport, whilst travelling to and/or staying in places outside their usual environment (Gammon Robinson, 2003). A sport tourist is among the top ten spending tourists in the world, they are more adventurous, they like to travel, and they tend to take family along since sport is such big entertainment. Ways in which the tourism and hospitality industry can cater to the needs of potential tourist is to set up infrastructures to accommodate major sport activities. Jamaicans are well known in the world for having good sprinters; Jamaican can capitalize on team Jamaica by supporting track events that may attract tourist to visit the island, e. . boys and girl championship, diamond league. On a larger scale, the country could invest into putting up an international stadium that can accommodate e. g. the world Olympics; this would be a boom in sport tourism in Jamaica. References Received by: Tourism geography a new synthesi (bookgoogle. com) Received by: Impact of climate on tourism demand (Hamburg university research by wietze lisel and Richard) fnu. zmaw. e/fileadmin/fnu-files/modelsdata/htm/cctou rism. pdf Received by: Conterbury-nz. academica. edu/island-biogeographic approch Received by: Hospitality Jamaica: legacy from world camps and Olympics hospitalityjamaica. com sportl. html. Received by: sport tourism-Wikipedia free encyclopedia Ministry of tourism www. tourismjamaica. com Tourism geography Sub-sectors of tourism and Geography and how the knowledge of these sub sectors may elp tourism/ hospitality industry to cater for the psychological demands and the purpose of travel for potential tourist. By Kennola Slater ID#:10T10283 An Essay Submitted in Partial Fulfilment for Tourism Geography TOUR2301 as a Requirement in the Hospitality and Tourism Management Programme for the Associate of Science Degree Programme at Excelsior Community College, Jamaica. School of Hospitality Entertainment and Tourism Management Excelsior Community College, Jamaica Lecturer Name: Duane Daley

Deportation at Breakfast (1991 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Deportation at Breakfast (1991 - Essay Example It initially looks like an enigma, is the pivotal point of the story around which the future of the protagonist revolves and evolves! The protagonist has distanced himself from others and placed himself in the middle of the action, willing to face the uncertainties and eventualities. The other characters are engaged in carefree gossip, and are unable to appreciate the important developments that will take place at the counter, shortly. It is going to be a decisive moment in the life for the protagonist. The police invade the diner, none notices it except the protagonist. Javier is led away from behind the counter, and a new phase in his life begins. It is a moment of decision for the protagonist and he takes the right one according to his well-guided conscience, gets off the sidelines, he is no more a fence-sitter, and he is in to the game by crossing over to the counter to assume the responsibilities held by Javier, until police whisked him away. Thus, the protagonist fills in the r ole previously held by Javier, admirably,is there well in time to make the life changing decision. What happens to the protagonist once he crosses over to the other side of the fence, is altogether a different issue. For example, the mighty mountain remains under the feet of the conqueror. Success, however, is not the level of ones achievements in life. It is the process of living—how boldly one meets the challenges of life! No individual is a failure unless one admits defeat! Protagonist deserves full appreciation, for he honors the process of living and does what is right for his future, under the circumstances. Readiness is what matters in life, whether at the individual level or at the highest level to decide an issue. In his inaugural address after taking oath of office on 20th January 1961 John Kennedy said, "For only when our arms are sufficient beyond

Discovery Timeline Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discovery Timeline - Essay Example Up until the 16th century, people thought that heavy objects fell faster. Galileo Galilei, in 1585, climbed to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa and dropped two objects. One object was heavy and the other was light, but both reached the ground at the same time. Thus, he proved that objects fall at the same rate and accelerate as they fall. (Ed-Helper, n.d) Later on, Galilei expressed his theories with equations, and his discoveries and equations served as a guideline for Newton's equations of gravity, which are still used to date. In 1752, Benjamin Franklin discovered electricity. 'Ben suspected that lightning was an electrical current in nature, and he wanted to see if he was right. One way to test his idea would be to see if the lightning would pass through metal. He decided to use a metal key and looked around for a way to get the key up near the lightning. he used a child's toy, a kite, to prove that lightning is really a stream of electrified air, known today as plasma. His famous stormy kite flight in June of 1752 led him to develop many of the terms that we still use today when we talk about electricity: battery, conductor, condenser, charge, discharge, uncharged, negative, minus, plus, electric shock, and electrician.' (AmericanRevolution, n.d) In 1879, Thomas Edison discovered the incand... Incandescent light bulbs or lamps are sources of artificial light which use electricity to emit light. With this discovery, he enabled portable lighting, such as table lamps, some car headlamps and electric flashlights, and decorative and advertising lighting. References 1. Bill Arnett (last updated: 2007 Jun 02) Appendix 3:Chronology of Solar System Discovery. Retrieved May 29, 2008 from http://www.nineplanets.org/history.html 2. The Age of Discovery - Gravity and Gauss. Retrieved May 29, 2008 from http://edhelper.com/ReadingComprehension_35_204.html 3. Benjamin Franklin and Discovery of Electricity. Rerieved May 29, 2008 from http://www.americanrevolution.com/BenjaminFranklinElectricity.htm. 4. Tom Edison (n.d). Incandescent Light. Retrieved May 29, 2008 from

Teaching and Learning Issues within a Cognitive Context Research Paper

Teaching and Learning Issues within a Cognitive Context - Research Paper Example It can also include delay in language development and inability to start conversations or participate in them properly Restricted and repetitive patterns of interests, thoughts and physical behaviors including making repetitive physical movements such as twisting or hand tapping and getting easily upset when these routines are disrupted. Autism is a major concern in education as approximately half of those suffering from ASD have learning difficulties that vary from one individual to another. Children with this condition may experience problems in understanding or communicating their needs to fellow students and their teachers. They can experience difficulties in understanding some classroom instructions and directions, along with facial and vocal cues of their teachers. Lack of appropriate social interactions my cause challenging behaviors, ostracizing and bullying. Problems with creative or imaginative play inhibit interactions with other students, and this means that most teaching strategies will not be effective. Sensory issues mean that the student may not cope well with noisy surroundings, maintaining eye contact or being touched by others. This incapacity to fully decode the world around them usually makes learning stressful for the student, and teachers commonly report that they find it challenging to satisf y the needs of students with autism. (Dunlap & Fox, 2003) This type of hearing loss interferes with the sound conducting paths of the middle and outer ear. The degree of loss can be minimized by use of hearing aids or through surgery. Individuals with this kind of hearing loss usually speak softly, hear better in noisy environments than individuals with normal hearing, and often experience ringing in their ears (Disability.illinois.edu, 2014) This type of hearing loss interferes with the auditory nerves and the inner

An Analysis of the Evolution of the E-Business in America Essay Example for Free

An Analysis of the Evolution of the E-Business in America Essay Economic transactions have taken a toll of revolutions and evolutions from the most historic barter deals to currency minting to bank-to-bank transactions, and finally, electronic business. Undeniably, the phenomenal effect of information technology to the lives of common man has caught the complexities of all branches of science and economics in a single matrix. Similarly, it has extinguished spatial boundaries in the business arena. Upon the advent of the accessibility of the internet or the World Wide Web to the public in 2004, it has been deemed that e-commerce will shortly follow through. So thus soothsayers and journalists manifest into the world this forecast. Company websites and internet servers sprouted like wild mushrooms here and there, flooding the virtual world with what’s it’s’ people cannot usually find for themselves. A unique gadget which can be found nowhere at a shopping mall is now easy to find at Ebay or Amazon. om, or shopping for clothes can also be done via ordering online, and sending emails or conversing with another entity half an earth away through instant messengers now became a common activity to the technologically savvy. A worldwide acknowledgment of this phenomenon has now slowly shifted every human paradigm there is. This evolutionary way of business ‘anytime-anywhere scheme’ or transacting across the planet in only a matter of seconds has put leverage to the face of business vis-a-vis human technology. E-business or e-commerce, also known as EC, has now penetrated all elements of life, particularly the world of commerce and economics. Today, e-business is now the most preferred way of dealing with and between firms. In the fields of traveling, media, logistics, telecommunication, and manufacturing, as identified by Horsti, Tolonen and Brannback (2003) in their study of five electronic business models, it showed that operating a business backed by ecommerce and proper management of personnel skills and customer relationships is a critical success factor (CSF) and always has a direct correlation to business success. This gives light to the logic as to why bankers and corporations alike have resorted to sending orders and invoices via internet instead of sending messengers or bulky packages to each other and wait for days before the same arrives at each other’s doorstep. On an individual basis, transacting with another online instead of going to a bank and undergoing the tedious process of lining-up and filling out slips and various withdrawal or deposit forms has been the hip. Online credit card transactions has also been the trend nowadays especially to the technologically savvy. As Moslein (2001) would argue, the rise of ecommerce has extinguished traditional boundaries and spatial constraints of conducting business. So what really is it behind e-business and what makes everyone indubitably caught up with this intertwining net of transactions? In this paper, the aforementioned is put to a limelight along with a detailed analysis of the e-business phenomenon. A projection as to how e-business in America will perform in the short-run is also forecasted. Pros and cons of doing e-business as well as important dissections of it are also included herein. The first part of this paper shall serve as a guideline as to how discussion will flow and what models and methods were used in shedding light to the subject matter at hand. It also serves as briefer to the latter portions which delve deeper to the subject matter. The latter portions shall plainly consist of the author’s own views with regard to the topic, however, with sources to buttress proof of claims. The summary and conclusions are second to the last parts before providing a list of references used in this research. Statement of the Issues/Problems The dawning of the internet and the birth of ecommerce in which e-business arose forthwith has also given birth to online corporations and rebirth to traditional enterprises. However, the new age technology has also given birth to various risks and opportunities for misers to tamper with the gifts of technology to the disadvantage of those who are faithful in their dealings. In this regard, the primary thrust of this paper is to analyze the gradual paradigm shift of business in America to the modern e-business taking into consideration the management decisions of enterprises vis-a-vis the costs and risks in engaging into e-business. Further, this paper rests with the issue on how ecommerce evolved to what it is today. Given these matters, the ultimate question this paper aims to answer is: Why do businesses continue to prefer to do e-business despite online security threats and risks? Hypothesis E-business is a response of various industries to the market forces affecting it, and amidst costs and risks, the benefits of e-business to enterprises prove to shape corporate success, help industries maximize benefits and positively affect the entire business industry as a whole. Methodology This paper is a result of a collaboration, compilation, corroboration and interpretation from various sources of information gathered mostly through the internet. Various theories in economics and business management are also used to prove certain stands pertinent to the subject matter. The author has also included newspaper articles and opinions from renowned columnists all of which can also be accessed through the internet. The said sources were streamlined for this purpose of incorporating into this subject matter all indispensable elements of e-business. It is important to highlight that this paper is not to measure e-business per se because of the very volatility and fast speed of growth and advancement of the e-business itself. As stated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), measuring e-business and quantifying the elements of convenience and easy access to information is impossible given the current fast-changing nature of the market (OECD, 1998). Hence, this paper has enumerated the costs and benefits instead and weighed both in the light of the evolution of e-business to the stage. Degree of Reliance of Statistical Data/Literature Search The author has chosen only those sources which are strongly correlated and are very pertinent to e-business. For statistical data, there is an interim degree of reliance from high to medium degree, since statistics were conducted by professional research institutions and quoted from high grade literature. With regard to articles and sources, most of the studies consulted where products of doctorate and master’s degree holders who are expert in this field notwithstanding those who gave garnered distinctions (i. e. Nobel Prize, Pulitzer, etc. in the field of economics. Therefore, there is a high level of reliance on their studies. A Description of the Research Design This paper is purely research based and one which does not involve interpretation of raw statistical data. Due to the broad and constantly changing nature of e-business, a survey of the entire America is implausible. Thus, it is best to resort to data that have been gathered by reliable research institutions concentrating on the same subject matter. The literatures used herein are mostly second-hand ones and are retroactive in its nature such that theories used are identified as paradigms. Despite being cited and further cited in various citations, the theory is not eroded. Thus, citations of the same coming from other citations, or a chain of citations in one citation, are valid. It is also important to note that despite the varying nature of the sources used in this paper, the discussion shall not be deprived of important knowledge as regards the subject matter. Models Followed The paper follows three specific models in economics: the law on supply and demand, the model on cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and the game theory. This is because these three easy-to-understand theories are also the primary considerations of CEOs in choosing management decisions and doing other management strategies. In accordance with the objectives of this paper, various researches shall also be inculcated herein to give various theories and conceptions an equal footing as regards the topic. As a clarification, there are no current researchers who have analyzed the nature of e-business extensively and collaboratively using the aforementioned theories. Therefore, literature reviews are primarily based on historical findings on the evolution of e-business, analyses of various researchers on the nature of economics vis-a-vis ecommerce and not on concurrent ecommerce theories. This is also because majority of ecommerce theories are offspring of the theories on economics. Moreover, ecommerce theories may be relevant to the subject matter but are not directly connected to the topic such that answers to the research questions as aforementioned were more founded by basic economic theories rather than the specialized ecommerce theories on web-hosting and online selling.

Language transfer

Language transfer Introduction The title of this research article has caught my attention because it talks about language transfer which is an area I am always interested in knowing more about it. Also, being an ESL teacher, it is definitely beneficial for me to study this article as it specifically investigates the cross-language and writing system transfer between Chinese and English. This paper consists of two main parts. Part one is a description of the article itself. The background and details of the research will be summarized and presented here. Part two is a critique of the article. Various parts of the research will be analyzed and, hopefully, modifications and suggestions can be made to better the research design and generate ideas for further investigation into this topic. Part One: The article itself Contextualization According to the introduction made by Wang, Perfetti, Liu (2005), various studies conducted in the 1990s have tried to investigate whether there is a relationship between learning to read and the orthography and phonology of a language. As cited in Wang et al. (2005), certain studies (Adams, 1990; Perfetti, 1992; Treiman, 1993) have said that learning to read is actually learning to match the phonological form with the orthographic form of the language. This has also been claimed as language-specific, i.e. subject to the nature and writing system of the language (Chen Tzeng, 1992; Feldman, 1987; Frith, Wimmer, Landerl, 1998; Goswami, Gombert, Barrera, 1998; Leong Tamaoka, 1998; Perfetti, 1999; as cited in Wang et al., 2005). However, recent studies (Cisero Royer, 1995; Durgunoglu, Nagy, Hancin-Bhatt, 1993; Durgunoglu, 2002; as cited in Wang et al., 2005) have found that cross-language transfer of phonological skills does take place when one is learning to read two alphabetic languages, like Spanish and English. These findings have aroused the researchers (Wang et al., 2005) interest in investigating whether there is cross-language and writing system transfer when one is learning to read Chinese and English, i.e. acquiring biliteracy. Background in the Literature To prepare for their in-depth research on the topic, Wang et al. (2005) have conducted a literature review focusing on the following three aspects: (i)The orthography and phonology of Chinese A number of studies (Perfetti, 1999; Perfetti, Zhang, Berent, 1992; Defrancis, 1989; Mattingly, 1992; Perfetti, Liu, Tan, 2005; as cited in Wang et al., 2005) have been reviewed by Wang et al. (2005) in order to produce the following general overview of the Chinese orthography. It has been found that Chinese is a nonalphabetic writing system, in which the basic unit is the character. Each character consists of basic strokes, which can be combined to form one or more component radicals. A character which is composed of two or more component radicals is called a compound character. The structure of the component radicals in these compound characters are usually left-right or top-bottom. Wang et al. (2005) have also reviewed certain studies (Hanely, Tzeng, Huang, 1999; Taylor Taylor, 1995; as cited in Wang et al., 2005) so as to offer a clear introduction of the Chinese phonology. It is now being summarized below. The basic speech unit of Mandarin Chinese is the syllable which is made up of the onset and the rime. Very often, the onset is a single consonant while the rime is composed of vowels. As a result, the number of syllables in Mandarin Chinese is pretty small (i.e. around 400) whereas the number of homophones is quite large. Fortunately, the use of the four tones in Mandarin Chinese (i.e. 1. high level; 2. high-rising; 3. falling-rising; 4. high-falling) have successfully reduced the large number of homophones. Yet, one should note that the tones are not shown in written Chinese, i.e. they are not part of the written characters. Thus, they will not help learners distinguish the characters. (ii)Different cognitive demands involved in learning to read the Chinese and English writing systems According to Wang et al. (2005), there are three main contrasts between the two target language and writing systems. Contrasts Chinese English Grapheme mapping principle syllabic morphemes phonemes Graphic form and special layout nonlinear linear Tonal feature tonal nontonal **This table is a simplified version of Table 1 (Wang et al., 2005, p. 69) As suggested by Wang et al. (2005), these contrastive differences are bound to cause differences in learning to read these two languages. First, studies (Byrne Fielding-Barnsley, 1995; Hulme et al., 2002; Lundburg, Frost, Peterson, 1988; Muter, Hulme, Snowling, Taylor, 1998; Huang Hanley, 1994; as cited in Wang et al., 2005) have discovered that childrens ability to read English can be predicted by their skills in processing the phonemes (i.e. the small phonological units) and phonological awareness. On the contrary, studies about Chinese reading (Perfetti et al., 2005; Taft, Zhu, Peng, 1999; as cited in Wang et al., 2005) have found that the phonological and meaning information can only be activated after the orthographic representation has been recognized. Then, Wang et al. (2005) have concluded that graphemic information and visual skills are essential for learning how to read Chinese. Despite these previous studies, Wang et al. (2005) have mentioned that recent studies (Ho Bryant, 1997; Hu Catts, 1998; McBride-Chang Ho, 2000; Shu, Anderson, Wu, 2000; as cited in Wang et al., 2005) have indicated that phonological information and early phonological skills such as rhyme processing do play a part in Chinese reading acquisition. (iii)Cross-language transfer in bilingual and biliteracy acquisition Wang et al. (2005) have obtained two key findings about cross-language transfer through reviewing numerous studies (Durgunoglu et al., 1993; Cisero Royer, 1995; Ganschow Sparks, 1995; Comeau, Cormier, Grandmaison, Lacroix, 1999; DAngiulli, Siegel, Serra, 2001; Geva Siegel, 2000; as cited in Wang et al., 2005). First, Wang et al. (2005) have found that a clear phonological relationship exists between two alphabetic languages such as Spanish-English, French-English, English-French, English-Italian, etc. This means the phonological skills of one language are highly related to those of the other language. Second, Wang et al. (2005) have discovered that phonological skills of one language can help with the word reading skills of the other language. Yet, Wang et al. (2005) have failed to figure out whether there is such cross-language transfer existing in Chinese and English as there is little research done in this area and the two language systems are contrastive in nature. Besides that, certain studies (Wydell Butterworth, 1999; Liow Poon, 1998; Liow, 1999; as cited in Wang et al., 2005) have tried to argue that there is dissociation or even a negative transfer from the nonalphabetic first language (L1, Chinese) to the alphabetic second language (L2, English). Nevertheless, Wang et al. (2005) have finally justified their research topic by saying that these previous studies have failed to test the cross-language and writing system transfer as they did not investigate the phonological and orthographic processing skills of the learners L1 and L2. Research Hypotheses Wang et al. (2005) have hypothesized that ‘bilingual reading acquisition is a joint function of shared phonological skills and writing system specific skills (p. 72). They have particularly predicted that ‘sensitivity in English and in Chinese to onset and rime, common linguistic units in both languages, will be correlated and ‘Pinyin reading skills will correlate with English word reading, since the two systems share the alphabetic principle (p. 72). However, Wang et al. (2005) have estimated that orthographic skills ‘are writing system and script specific skills (p. 72). Details of the Research (i)Research design The design of this research is mainly quantitative in nature. A number of experimental tasks were completed by the participants in order to obtain data in objective ways. (ii)Setting Participants As reported by Wang et al. (2005), the forty-six participants came from the Washington, DC area and they were Chinese immigrant children consisting of 24 boys and 22 girls with the mean age of 8 years and 2 months (SD = 9.1 months). All of them learned Chinese as their first language and had developed normal English proficiency. They attended English classes in public schools and weekend Chinese schools in which the Pinyin systems and a simplified version of Chinese characters were taught and used. It should be noted that forty-two of them spoke both Mandarin Chinese and English at home while the other four only spoke Mandarin Chinese at home. (iii)Methodology Referring to the description given by Wang et al. (2005), the participants were tested in two 30-minute sessions in which they had to complete a set of Chinese or English experimental tasks in each session in a language laboratory. The list below has summarized the various experimental tasks adopted by Wang et al. (2005). Chinese experimental tasks Focus Reference Phonological tasks onset, rime, and tone matching Participants ability to manipulate and distinguish between the phonological units in spoken Chinese characters. Wang et al., 2005, p. 72-74 Orthographic choice task Participants sensitivity to the legality of the radical position and form. Character naming Participants familiarity with the characters. Pinyin naming Participants ability to match letters with sounds in Pinyin. English experimental tasks Focus Reference Phonological tasks onset and rime matching Participants ability to manipulate and distinguish between the phonological units in spoken English words. Wang et al., 2005, p. 74-76 Phonological task -phoneme deletion Not given Orthographic choice task Participants sensitivity to various orthographic patterns in English. Real word naming Not given Pseudoword naming Not given According to Wang et al. (2005), there was also a nonverbal skill test which was used to test the participants nonverbal ability. (iv)Analytic procedures As mentioned by Wang et al. (2005) in the presentation of the research results, several measures were adopted to analyze the quantitative data collected from those experimental tasks. First, means and standard deviations were used to show the participants performance in the Chinese and English language and reading tasks. Second, the bivariate Pearson correlations were used to measure the correlations Chinese and English tasks. Third, the stepwise regression analyses were adopted to find out the best predictors for Chinese and English reading. Finally, the hierarchical regression analyses were used to explore (a) whether Chinese phonological and orthographic processing would affect English word reading; and (b) whether English phonological and orthographic processing would affect Chinese character reading. (v)Results With the help of the bivariate Pearson correlations, Wang et al. (2005) found that there was a significant correlation between the Chinese onset matching skill and English onset and rime matching skill. Moreover, another significant correlation was found between Chinese orthographic choice and Chinese character naming. Furthermore, Pinyin was found highly correlated with the pseudoword reading in English whereas the English phoneme deletion task was also found highly correlated with English real word and pseudoword naming. Last but not least, Chinese tone was found correlated with character reading as well. Through the stepwise regression analyses, Wang et al. (2005) found Chinese orthographic processing to be the best predictor for Chinese character reading while the phoneme deletion skill was the best predictor for English real word and pseudoword reading. Consequently, by using the hierarchical regression analyses, Wang et al. (2005) found that only Chinese tone processing skill, but not orthographic skill, could affect English pseudoword reading. They could not find any cross-language influence of the English tasks on Chinese character reading. (vi)Discussion Wang et al. (2005) have concluded that the findings of this research do support their hypothesis. Specifically, Wang et al. (2005) have discussed the three significant findings (i.e. the significant correlations between Chinese onset, English onset, and rime matching skills; the significant influence of Chinese tone processing skill on English pseudoword reading; and the significant correlation between Pinyin and English pseudoword reading) and derived the implication that phonological awareness and skills are not language-specific but shared between Chinese and English reading when bilingual reading acquisition is taking place. Besides that, based on Wang et al. (2005), the finding of orthographic skills being unable to affect English reading skills has also supported the hypothesis proposed by Wang et al. (2005). This has been explained by Wang et al. (2005) who has cited a study (Liu Perfetti, 2003; as cited in Wang et al., 2005) to show that the orthographic skills of Chinese and English are language-specific as Chinese reading requires the use of both the left and right occipital brain areas while English reading mainly involves the use of the left occipital brain area. Part Two: The Critique Assessment of the Researchs Internal Validity Based on my analysis, this research done by Wang et al. (2005) is considered to be a good research which has demonstrated a high level of internal validity. The following is a detailed critique of the various parts of the research. (i)High correspondence between the research hypotheses and the findings As reflected from the previous session, the findings generated from this research are highly related to the research hypotheses established beforehand. Actually, they have successfully confirmed the hypotheses, proving that there is a certain degree of cross-language transfer in Chinese-English biliteracy acquisition. (ii)In-depth literature review Wang et al. (2005) have done a detailed and in-depth literature review on Chinese phonology and orthography, and previous studies related to the cross-language transfer in bilingual and biliteracy acquisition. This certainly helps lay down a good foundation for the later data analysis and discussion. However, it may be better if Wang et al. (2005) can provide the audience with a more comprehensive literature review by describing the English phonology and orthography in greater detail. In this way, the audience can have a clearer picture of the phonology and orthography of these two language systems. This can then enhance the audiences understanding of the research findings. (iii)Well-constructed and clear research hypotheses The research hypotheses of this study are well-constructed with clear predictions made about the relationship among the variables mentioned. This can certainly help increase the internal validity as this has given clear directions for the development of research design, measurement tools and analytic procedures. (iv)A well-selected group of participants The participants are well-selected with little variation in their background and learning profile. It is very wise for Wang et al. (2005) to study bilingual children as this can minimize the dominance of L1 over L2, which might affect the findings of the research. Moreover, the sample size is big enough for making generalizations. And, the number of male participants is similar to that of the female participants. This can help reduce the gender influence on the findings. (v)Carefully-designed measurement tools Obviously, the large number of Chinese and English experimental tasks and methods for data analysis are carefully designed and chosen. As shown from the results, the Chinese and English tasks are highly correlated, indicating a high level of internal validity. Nevertheless, it is thought that the tasks are cognitively or mentally too demanding for the young participants. This is because they are required to process a number of tasks and a large amount of information and instructions within a short period of time. (vi)Variable overlooked gender difference According to Skaalvik Rankin (1994), girls have been found to be more motivated to study language than boys. One may then wonder if this gender difference would affect the level of cross-language transfer in bilingual reading acquisition. Since Wang et al. (2005) have recruited a similar amount of boys and girls as participants, they may also take a look at the influence of this variable. Assessment of the Researchs External Validity Although this research enjoys a high level of internal validity, its external validity is relatively low and limited. The reasons are as follows: (i)Findings are limited to learners with a similar background or learning profile As mentioned in the above, the background (e.g. age and family background) and learning profile of the selected participants are more or less the same due to the careful selection done by Wang et al. (2005) to avoid the research findings being affected by the individual differences among the participants. As a consequence, the research findings derived from this specific group of participants can only be applied to learners with a similar background and learning profile. (ii)Findings may not be able to make generalizations in the actual learning context In this research, Wang et al. (2005) have conducted all the Chinese and English experimental tasks in a language laboratory in a bid to minimize the influence of the numerous factors which may affect the participants cross-language transfer in the actual learning context. For instance, in the real learning context, learners cross-language transfer in the process of language acquisition can be affected by their learning environment, teachers teaching methodologies, peer influence, learning materials, etc. Hence, the research findings derived from tasks conducted in the language laboratory which keeps the other factors constant may not be able to contribute to making generalizations in the actual learning context. (iii)Few implications can be derived for language learning and teaching Few implications can be generated from this research for language learning and teaching as the findings can only be applied to a specific type of learners (i.e. bilingual Chinese-English learners with a particular background and learning profile). Besides that, the experimental tasks conducted are all at word level and this definitely does not resemble the actual reading acquisition in language learning, which is usually at sentence level or discourse level. Suggested Modifications for the Research With reference to my analysis shown in the above, certain modifications can be made in the different parts of the research mentioned below. (i)Literature Review It is suggested that Wang et al. (2005) may also give the audience an introduction on the English phonology and orthography instead of simply describing English as an alphabetic, nontonal language with phonemes as the smallest basic speech units in the language. This is because this introduction can help to make this research more complete as the audience are then allowed to make a clearer comparison between the two target language systems and better understand the findings obtained from this research. (ii)Measurement tools As mentioned previously, the Chinese and English experimental tasks can be cognitively or mentally too demanding for the young participants as they need to process a lot of information and instructions within a short time. Therefore, it is suggested that Wang et al. (2005) may either simplify the content and instructions of the tasks or lengthen the period of time given to participants for completing the tasks. In this way, the influence of frustration and fatigue on participants performance in the tasks can be avoided. (iii)Discussion For the discussion part, it is recommended that Wang et al. (2005) can also analyze the data collected and see if there is any influence of gender difference on the cross-language transfer between Chinese and English reading acquisition. By doing so, significant implications may be derived and this will in turn provide useful implications for language learning and teaching in the real learning context. Suggestions for an Extension Study After having studied this research and its findings, it is believed that further research can be done in the following areas in order to derive more implications for language learning. (i)Chinese and English reading at sentence level or discourse level Referring to what mentioned beforehand, this research done by Wang et al. (2005) focuses on Chinese and English reading acquisition at word level only as all the experimental tasks are designed at word level. However, it is a well-known fact that learning to read may proceed to sentence level or discourse level. Thus, it is definitely worth investigating whether cross-language transfer still occurs when Chinese and English reading acquisition is done at sentence level or discourse level. (ii)Bilingual children whose first language is English Since bilingual reading acquisition is the main focus of this research, it is believed that similar research can also be done to study bilingual Chinese-English children whose first language is English and see if similar findings about the cross-language transfer can be generated. In this way, the findings generated may help confirm the findings produced by Wang et al. (2005) and enhance the external validity of the study done by Wang et al. (2005). (iii)Children with dyslexia or other language learning problems Likewise, will there be any changes to the present findings of the research conducted by Wang et al. (2005) if the bilingual participants suffer from dyslexia or other language learning problems? It is thought to be a good idea to further research on this group of participants. Hopefully, useful implications can be derived to help enhance the learning effectiveness for this group of learners. (iv)Reading fluency and comprehension As mentioned in the above, research on bilingual reading acquisition should not be limited to word-level as reading occurs more often at sentence level or discourse level. In addition, reading acquisition should not be limited to phonological and orthographic skills of individual words only. Actually, reading fluency and comprehension are two important aspects in reading acquisition. So, it is worth researching on these two aspects and figure out if there is any cross-language transfer in these areas of Chinese and English language learning. Conclusion Critiquing a research article is indeed a challenging but thought-provoking task to me. Through working on this assignment, I have learned about how a quantitative research can be conducted in the area of language acquisition, and gradually developed a better set of critical analysis skills when writing the critique. I would surely bear in mind the research and analytical skills that I have learned from the study of Wang et al. (2005) and put them into use when I am given a chance to conduct a research on my own.