Saturday, August 31, 2019

Research Study on Gender Bias in Education

Gender Biases in Education: Math Nicole S. Tester Bryant University Abstract This research project conducted was to find out whether women were more affected by gender based expectations than men. This was done by giving both young men and young women a simple standardized math test which most likely they had all been taught and exposed to in the past. This particular test was designed to be at or below the performance level of most college students. There was two versions of the test instructions, with one version providing information about men typically outperforming women on the test, and the other version stating the opposite.These instructions were used as a form of deception to prove my hypothesis. My hypothesis was that women would be more affected by this deception than would the men. My results proved otherwise. Results showed there was little difference in the way the women and men performed on these tests on either version. The ANOVA testing showed these clear results. Do es Performance Reflect Success? Gender biases are present in the American culture. Women are put in a stereotype as the one to stay at home cleaning and cooking while men are believed to have to bring home the paychecks. How we live though is not the only area with gender biases.There are biases when it comes to sports, who can do what jobs and even education. Women are believed to be better at the education aspects having to do with words and comprehension while men are believed to be better at numbers or math. In the research world there is much controversy on whether the bias presented is true or not. Researchers have not been able to support this belief or disregard it due to the many conflicting results. A study done with the purpose of determining whether gender expectations still exist in present time, resulted in the idea that more and more genders are becoming equal in education (Jordan 2008).It was found that both sexes are more likely than ever to complete their high scho ol education and even be able to obtain higher degree. The study also showed the gender gap in scores on the National Association of Education Progress becoming more and more narrow over time. Jordan does not refute the idea of gender bias in education but supported the idea that it is diminishing. These two researchers on the other hand, Fisher (2008) and Johnston (2005), have studies supporting their beliefs that gender biases in teaching are simply a myth.Both constructed research to support the idea that neither females nor males perform differently according to gender expectation or that these gender expectations are implemented at all. Fisher more, specifically, researching in math and Johnston in math and education. Chapman (2012) and Goetz (1996) though, both have studies that seem to prove otherwise. Chapman conducted a study, in Canada, which lead to the belief that gender discrepancies in teaching and education focus more positively on females. Chapman believes males are the ones taking losses in education expectancies.Goetz on the other hand, researched and came up with results which led him to believe American educators focus their attention more on males allowing them a positive advantage. After learning so much from previous research it can be accurately inferred that the gender bias in education does exist. A psychologist, Ghandi (2006) stated in his study the truth behind the bias. He used this truth to conduct a study in which he found that women not only believe the bias but are subject to it when they are told they will fail due to their gender.This particular study is what laid down the foundation for my research study. All of the above researchers knew the biased existed and all tried to support it or disprove it. This research project has one purpose; to find out not if gender biases exist but whether women are affected by these gender based expectations more than men. In many colleges and universities women are very comfortable with the ir gender; they are powerful, and successful. There are clubs devoted to women’s sexuality, success, and even fashion senses.There are awards given to women who have gotten superior grades, been offered great jobs, or are simply a success. Knowing this, what I want to learn is whether these women who are so highly praised and allowed the same success as men are still subjects to gender based expectations, more specifically in learning and education. In my study I will be deceiving the participants into thinking that only women will be successful in this study or to another group I will be saying only men will be successful. The way this will be done is by using simple high school level math tests. Before he test I will be falsely informing half of my participants (equal number of females and males) that only men will pass this test, and then I will repeat this with the other half of my participants but falsely informing them of the opposite. The fact that I will play on women ’s vulnerability will allow me to learn whether these very empowered and successful women will still be so after being told they will fail before even trying. My hypothesis is that these women will be affected by such a statistic and depending on the false statistic they get, they will fulfill it. Methods ParticipantsForty eight undergraduate volunteers (24 males and 24 females) from Bryant University took part in this study. The average age of participants was recorded at 20. 22 years (SD=1. 13). No cultural or ethnic backgrounds were recorded. With help from different psychology professors a general description was given out within psychology classes and volunteers were recruited. To these participants in particular extra credit was allotted. The rest of the participants were recruited through word of mouth and e-mail in which they were once again given a general description of the study and asked whether they would be willing to volunteer.Each participant was tested indivi dually and required approximately 15 minutes to complete study. Materials The study consisted of participants completing a standardized math test, four survey questions, and a deceptive article which can all be found in the appendix. The math test was found in an SAT math test practice site. This math test worked as the channel for the dependent variable (result on the test). The survey questions asked were simply used for collecting information. The questions did not ask sensitive information or anything that would put any participant at risk.Finally, the short article was written by myself and is completely fictional. It falsely informed the participants on information regarding SAT tests and reported false statistics on men outperforming women for half of the studies and the opposite for the other half. This was used as the deception part of the research which inconspicuously provided the participant with the independent variable (whether females or males pass this test) Procedur es Forty eight students were recruited (24 females and 24 males) from Bryant University as the participants of my study.They were all recruited through psychology classes in which Professors gave a brief overview of what my study entailed and from there proceeded to recruit. The participants recruited in such a manner were rewarded with extra credit points in their class. The rest of the participants were recruited through word of mouth and group e-mails. With each participant recruited I have a brief explanation of what the study was comprised of, what it entailed, and more specifically what each participant would have to contribute. Once I recruited all participants which were necessary I began the research itself.At the start of their participation, each participant was handed a consent for in which they were asked to read thoroughly and if they agreed to the terms and conditions they were to sign and date. In the consent form participants were informed of their ability to leave the study at any time, their entitlement to any information and debriefing, on the confidentiality of the study and many more safety factors. To show the validity of the form I signed and dated on the same page each participant did right in front of them.Each participant agreed to the consent form allowing the study to continue. Once the consent form process was finished I would hand each participant the study packet. At this point they were told that each study was to be completed alone. The packet started off with an article which was entirely false and used to deceive each participant. On it there was made up information on the performance of genders on the SAT test throughout the past years. Each participant was informed that they would not be able to continue with the packet if they did not read these instructions.Once the instructions were read each participant could continue to the next section which consisted of the survey questions. These questions were purely used to colle ct data for analysis. Once the second part was completed each participant would continue on to the math portion of this study. The math portion of the test was a high school level standardized math test previously tested by college level participants. Each participant completed the math portion and would come to me to hand it in. when each individual would approach me I made sure to let them know the true nature of the study and informed them of the deceit.It was very important that no participant left the study with the false idea of one gender outperforming the other. I made sure each participant was thoroughly debriefed and had any questions they had answered. Results The data were analyzed using an ANOVA with the alpha level set at . 05. The main effect of gender participation was not significant, ? (1,44)=. 12, p=. 73, ? 2=. 003 and the main effect of gender test taking was not significant, ? (1,44)=. 00, p=1. 0, ? 2=. 00. However, the interaction between the gender participati on and gender test was marginally significant, ? (1,44)=2. 97, p=. 9, ? 2=. 06. Figure 1 shows a cross-over interaction in which the two variables almost perfectly interact. My hypothesis stated that women’s scores would be more affected by the test gender and the deception then would the men’s. The results of the tests did not vary according to the gender of the participant or gender of the test. My hypothesis was not supported by the above data. There was, however, a notable factor in the results and the fact that they were similar in score for both genders. Discussion No significant main effect for test gender or participant gender occurred in this study.When taking a math test right after reading a deceitful article about the tendency of males or females to outperform the opposite sex, neither gender’s score seemed to be affected. This particular result is not what I predicted in my original hypothesis. Straying away from my belief that women would underperf orm the men once they were deceived into believing they would be outperformed, the results disproved my hypothesis. This outcome is consistent with the research of Fisher (2008) and Johnston (2005) in finding there is no significant gab in the performance of females and males in the subject of math.The results are not consistent though with those findings by Ghandi (2006) a researcher whose findings state that women do poorly on math when they are told their gender is to blame. Some factors which may have led to the inconsistency between my hypothesis and my results can be attributed to the limitation when conducting this research. Being part of such a small university, my research was very limited in the sample size it could use. Three thousand undergraduate students was a small population to choose just forty eight participants from.This also lead to what I believe was a biased sample since each and every participant was also my friend. The fact that the participants had a relatio nship with me could have caused an over performance level which would not usually happen. Some internal validity which should be looked at was the fact that many variables were simply not recorded. These factors include the race and ethnicity of the participant, whether English was their native language, if they understood the deceiving article in the start, and whether they understood every question asked in the math portion.Another internal validity factor is the way in which data was recorded. If this study were to be repeated, observation should definitely be an alternative way of recording data. There was so much happening as I observed each and every participant complete my study. Participants would get frustrated or smile the whole way through. Sometimes they would try to help each other out when I looked the other way or simply just guessed the answers since they did not want to be taking a math test.Using a standardized that does not give anything in return to these partici pants, should not have been my only source of data since it was not the best way to find results. Regardless of the limitations, new studies and research in the field of gender differences in education have resulted with outcomes very similar to mine. Although my hypothesis was not supported, the consistency it has with the studies of Fisher (2008) and Johnston (2005) only come to show that this study will be supporting much research in the psychology world.My results will be one more way to support the idea that there is little or no difference in gender performance in math. In addition to replicating my results, future research might extend the finding by examining other subjects in the world of education. Expanding the testing to be possibly in language, critical thinking, sciences and also math may give a better understanding on whether there is a discrepancy in women’s performance when they are told they are going to fail. Future research might also want to expand their sample by moving to younger generations in school, possibly in igh school, and older generations in and out of school. By doing so the outcome may result more accurately and allow a better understanding of the prediction. In conclusion, gender performance on standardized math tests do not have a direct link to the subject or the belief that one gender will outperform the other. After testing 48 participants (24 female and 24 male), giving each the same exact standardized math test but deceiving each to think they would outperform or underperform the opposite sex, no gender seemed to truly outperform. Each gender resulted close to equal.The results did not support my hypothesis but it led the way to a new hypothesis and a completely new approach to this study. References Goetz, J. (1996). In Education Expert: Classroom Gender Bias Persists. Cornell Cronicle. Retrieved from http://www. news. cornell. edu/chronicle/96/4. 25. 96/gender. html. Jordan, J (2008) The Myth of Gender Bias in School. Retrieved March 8, 2012. From http://www. parentdish. com/2008/05/20/the-myth-of-gender-bias-in-school/ Fisher, M (2008) Study: No gender differences in math performance. University of Wisconsin-Madison News. Retrieved from http://www. news. wisc. edu/15412Johnston, T (2005) No evidence of innate gender differences in math and science, scholars assert. Stanford University News. Retrieved from http://news. stanford. edu/news/2005/february9/math-020905. html Gandhi, U. (2006) Gender bias in math skills doesn’t add up, scientists say. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from http://www. theglobeandmail. com/news/technology/science/article197902. ece Chapman, A. (2012) Gender bias in education. Research Room. Retrieved from http://www. edchange. org/multicultural/papers/genderbias. html Table 1 Cross over interaction [pic] Appendix Survey questions Male/ Female (circle one)Date of Birth __________ Anticipated graduation year __________ Have you ever taken a standardized test (e xample: SAT) Math questions (standardized test) http://www. majortests. com/sat/problem-solving-test01 1. Of the following, which is greater than ? ? [pic]A. 2/5 [pic]B. 4/7 [pic]C. 4/9 [pic]D. 5/11 [pic]E. 6/13 2. If an object travels at five feet per second, how many feet does it travel in one hour? [pic]A. 30 [pic]B. 300 [pic]C. 720 [pic]D. 1800 [pic]E. 18000 3. What is the average (arithmetic mean) of all the multiples of ten from 10 to 190 inclusive? [pic]A. 90 [pic]B. 95 [pic]C. 100 [pic]D. 105 pic]E. 110 4. A cubical block of metal weighs 6 pounds. How much will another cube of the same metal weigh if its sides are twice as long? [pic]A. 48 [pic]B. 32 [pic]C. 24 [pic]D. 18 [pic]E. 12 5. In a class of 78 students 41 are taking French, 22 are taking German and 9 students are taking both French and German. How many students are not enrolled in either course? [pic]A. 6 [pic]B. 15 [pic]C. 24 [pic]D. 33 [pic]E. 54 6. If f(x) = Â ¦(x? – 50)Â ¦, what is the value of f(-5) ? [pic]A. 75 [pic]B. 25 [pic]C. 0 [pic]D. -25 [pic]E. -75 7. ( v2 – v3 )? = [pic]A. 5 – 2v6 [pic]B. 5 – v6 [pic]C. 1 – 2v6 [pic]D. 1 – v2 pic]E. 1 8. 230 + 230 + 230 + 230 = [pic]A. 8120 [pic]B. 830 [pic]C. 232 [pic]D. 230 [pic]E. 226 [pic] 9. Amy has to visit towns B and C in any order. The roads connecting these towns with her home are shown on the diagram. How many different routes can she take starting from A and returning to A, going through both B and C (but not more than once through each) and not travelling any road twice on the same trip? [pic]A. 10 [pic]B. 8 [pic]C. 6 [pic]D. 4 [pic]E. 2 [pic] 10. In the figure above AD = 4, AB = 3 and CD = 9. What is the area of triangle AEC ? [pic]A. 18 [pic]B. 13. 5 [pic]C. 9 [pic]D. 4. 5 [pic]E. 3

Friday, August 30, 2019

Total Rewards

The first advantage of a total rewards approach is self fulfillment so that people are recognized for what they do and encouraged to reach their potential through effective learning and development processes and given feedback on their performance. The second advantage is an organization culture where roles are clear and organizational and personal values are in alignment so that employees engage and enjoy work.Another way to consider the necessary components of rewarding people is to view them as individuals, within their team, in the organization and generally in the workplace. The fourth advantage is recognition, you must make sure that the employees are being appreciated, and not taken for granted. The last one is Organizational culture which is being able to engage and fit with the organization in terms of its values and how things are done. Describe five (5) common ways a total rewards strategy can go astray.The five common ways a total rewards strategy can go astray is simply copying another organization’s reward practices can lead to disaster, It would be harmful for either firm to adopt the reward practices of the other, Not implanting an effective award strategy, No considering the employees communication strategy, and Not following the strategy the way is was implemented. Describe the six (6) steps in designing a total rewards program. Developing a total rewards strategy specific to your institution’s needs requires some initial homework to establish a baseline of what you already offer and to develop a more strategic approach to rewards.The first step is Inventory rewards, it will conduct a full, detailed, and accurate inventory of the rewards currently offered by your institution. This inventory should include both formal programs and informal practices. Some of this information is readily available but some of it will require investigation, particularly in large, decentralized institutions. To be effective, a total rewards strategy s hould reflect your institution’s strategy and goals for attracting, retaining, and engaging qualified talent.The second step is Measure investment, this is where you calculate the current level of investment in each element to establish a baseline and to track changes. The third step is Increase information because through clear communication, it helps employees understand the full suite of rewards available to them. The fourth step is Implement improvements, this implementation and execution is essential to a fully realized total rewards strategy. Vague practices, inconsistent implementation, and unclear communication will contribute to a less-than-effective strategy.Setting priorities for developing or enhancing rewards and communicating these improvements will demonstrate an institutional commitment to employees. The fifth step is Measure impact, which is a total rewards strategy that constitutes a vibrant plan. Maintaining the plan’s relevance requires regular revi ew of your institution’s initiatives and external influences. Lastly the sixth step is Involve the community. Involve leadership, faculty, and staff in understanding the total rewards strategy and how it supports the institution’s overall strategic direction. Describe the eight (8) steps in the communication process.Communication plans can be prepared for a variety of activities – internal and external. Interestingly, though, many companies overlook the value of creating formal communication plans to outline their overall internal communication objectives – and to provide a framework for activities, with measures to help determine whether the tactics used are really making a difference. The eight steps in the communication process is Situation analysis/background, Quantifiable objectives/goals, Target audience, Key messages, Strategies and tactics to meet objectives/goals, Responsibility/accountability for completing tactics, Budget, and Measurement.The s ituation analysis or background section of your communication plan should provide a high level overview of the situation or communication need with sufficient detail that someone not directly involved would understand the issue driving the need for communication and the desired outcome. The next step in developing your communication plan is to identify objective/goal statements that indicate the â€Å"end state† you hope to achieve. It’s critical that each of your objectives/goals has a specific, targeted â€Å"end point† or outcome.This both helps you determine the amount of resources that must be allocated to achieve the goal and also provides an indicator of success. The next step is to target your audience because you will need to remember that your challenge will be finding a balance between exerting more effort than is required to communicate to various audiences and not exerting enough effort to impact the appropriate audiences. A good starting point in i dentifying target audiences is to consider the various stakeholders that the message impacts. Each identified target audience has different communication needs.The content, order and number of key messages are likely to vary by group. The fewer and more specific your key messages can be, the better. Three key messages are a good number to aim for more than that will broaden your focus and minimize the impact of your communication. Objectives/goals identify the end points you hope to achieve. You will have to go beyond these broad objectives to identify specifically how you will achieve those end points. This involves developing strategies and tactics. Strategies are broad statements of activity.Tactics are more specific statements of activity that are actionable. When identifying strategies and tactics, it’s important to be realistic. Assigning accountability for the accomplishment of that plan is critical. Unless specific areas of the organization – and individuals wi thin those areas recognize that they are being held responsible and accountable for completing specific tactics that drive your ability to achieve your strategies and objectives. You have to achieve your communication plan objectives, you may also need to address the budget resources needed.While some communication plans will require no additional budget and can be accomplished with existing staff within standard work hours, other plans will require additional staff or the development of communication materials. To be effective, communication needs to be part of a carefully considered process, focused on achieving clearly identified, measurable results. It is not difficult to communicate effectively, but it does take some thought, a clear focus on objectives, an understanding of the tools available to communicate your messages and a strong partnership between you and your internal customer.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

A Report On Effectiveness Of Ultrasound Education Essay

Title of this survey is:Effectiveness of Ultrasound ( US ) imaging in Genito-urinary system ( GUS ) for diagnostic intents: A comprehensive comparing with other modes in position of safety and handiness.Every mode has some sort of restrictions and advantages. Safety is a major issue in utilizing imaging techniques. Ultrasound is considered as one of the safest and most readily available imaging mode ( Bates, 1999 ) . However, these advantages do non warrant the undermining of the other modes, because restrictions in ultrasound can be overcome by other modes for patient directions. GUT is prone to many diseases in which some of them are life endangering ( Ref ) , patient directions require an efficient method for diagnosing. Sonography plays a great function in this respect. Some of the common GUT diseases: Infection, Glomerular disease, Diseases related to blood circulation:Atherosclerosis can do hypofunction. High blood pressure can take to mortification of the glomeruli. Metabolic disease:chronic nephritic failure, diabetes. Cysts:lone, multiple, inborn Tumors:affects kidney, ureter, vesica and urethra Renal cell carcinoma:Wilm ‘s tumor Bladder tumors Nephritic rocks and urinary piece of land obstructor Survey Purposes: Advantages and disadvantages of US imaging in GUT. Can US be the first mode of pick in GUT imagination? Study Aims: Study the usage of US imaging in GUT. Study the restriction of US imaging in GUT. Accuracy of US imaging for diagnostic intents. Cover the latest engineering in US imagination. Background Ultrasound is a sound wave that can non be heard by human ears, it uses a frequence above 20,000 Hz ( Ref ) . The moving ridges are converted by engineering to enable us to see constructions within our organic structures, which is really utile for medical intents ( Szabo, 2004 ) . Ultrasound attenuates otherwise in human organic structure depending on tissues ‘ fading coefficients, and tissues reflect wave otherwise, in which a assortment of strength and contrast images are produced. Main advantages of ultrasound compared to other modes that justify this survey are: No major known hazard Immediate diagnose or referral for farther scrutiny Readily available Short waiting clip Patient convenience Cost effectual Real clip image Non-invasive Good contrast of soft tissue Can separate between stable and traveling tissue ( Doppler consequence ) Ultrasound scrutiny in GUT has a broad scope of usage. Imaging starts from kidneys down to bladder, urethra, and venereal variety meats. Ultrasound can observe many pathologies and abnormalcies in this system without the demand for farther scrutinies. In fact, some pathology such as obstructors and tumors can be detected without intercessions, while other modes intervene such as utilizing contrast agents ( Ref ) . Other modes used in GUT X-ray utilizations ionizing radiation as the rule of bring forthing radiogram, widely used in initial GUT scrutinies for being convenience and fast with high rate of diagnostic value images ( ref ) . Computed Tomography ( CT ) Scan, uses ionizing radiation as the rule of bring forthing radiogram, widely used for farther scrutiny in GUT system. Produces high-resolution two-dimensional images ( can be reconstructed to 3-dimension ) . Very sensitive in observing different lesions, concretion, obstructor and bleeding. Main concern about utilizing CT is the high radiation dosage to the patient ( Ref ) . Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( MRI ) , uses a strong magnetic field to aline H atoms in the organic structure, pulsations of wireless moving ridges sent to realine and aline H atoms, during this, H atoms let go of energy, which is detected to bring forth great contrast images peculiarly of soft tissue. MRI scan can supply definite reply to uncertain instances because of its superior soft-tissue contrast when other mode can non. The function of MRI in GUT is largely in distinguishing benign lesions from malignant if CT has contraindication to the patient ( Ref ) . Nuclear Medicine Imaging ( NMI ) , Radiopharmaceuticals administered to the patients so that the patient become radioactive, Gamma camera scan the patient and detects gamma beam emitted from the radiation and so concept images from these informations. NMI chiefly used to analyze the map in GUT system and look into the obstructors ( Ref ) . This thesis reviews literature in relation to ultrasound scrutiny in GUT system. Comparing the usage of other mode while look intoing pathology of a patient. Why in some instances ultrasound is the first pick of usage, why it is non in other instances? This paper can heighten the advantages of the scrutiny and reexamine the progresss in this engineering, these can back up patient directions and besides be used in instruction. The inquiry needs to be answered in this survey: is US effectual plenty to be the first pick scrutiny in GUT system issues? What makes it to be the first pick? What makes it non to be? The survey efforts to analyze the conditions in which US scrutiny can supply doubtless replies to indicants. All beginnings that have relevant information will be used, and the chief database hunt will be Medline, CINAHL, Psycinfo, Embase, AMED, PubMed and e-books. A Report On Effectiveness Of Ultrasound Education Essay Title of this survey is:Effectiveness of Ultrasound ( US ) imaging in Genito-urinary system ( GUS ) for diagnostic intents: A comprehensive comparing with other modes in position of safety and handiness.Every mode has some sort of restrictions and advantages. Safety is a major issue in utilizing imaging techniques. Ultrasound is considered as one of the safest and most readily available imaging mode ( Bates, 1999 ) . However, these advantages do non warrant the undermining of the other modes, because restrictions in ultrasound can be overcome by other modes for patient directions. GUT is prone to many diseases in which some of them are life endangering ( Ref ) , patient directions require an efficient method for diagnosing. Sonography plays a great function in this respect. Some of the common GUT diseases: Infection, Glomerular disease, Diseases related to blood circulation:Atherosclerosis can do hypofunction. High blood pressure can take to mortification of the glomeruli. Metabolic disease:chronic nephritic failure, diabetes. Cysts:lone, multiple, inborn Tumors:affects kidney, ureter, vesica and urethra Renal cell carcinoma:Wilm ‘s tumor Bladder tumors Nephritic rocks and urinary piece of land obstructor Survey Purposes: Advantages and disadvantages of US imaging in GUT. Can US be the first mode of pick in GUT imagination? Study Aims: Study the usage of US imaging in GUT. Study the restriction of US imaging in GUT. Accuracy of US imaging for diagnostic intents. Cover the latest engineering in US imagination. Background Ultrasound is a sound wave that can non be heard by human ears, it uses a frequence above 20,000 Hz ( Ref ) . The moving ridges are converted by engineering to enable us to see constructions within our organic structures, which is really utile for medical intents ( Szabo, 2004 ) . Ultrasound attenuates otherwise in human organic structure depending on tissues ‘ fading coefficients, and tissues reflect wave otherwise, in which a assortment of strength and contrast images are produced. Main advantages of ultrasound compared to other modes that justify this survey are: No major known hazard Immediate diagnose or referral for farther scrutiny Readily available Short waiting clip Patient convenience Cost effectual Real clip image Non-invasive Good contrast of soft tissue Can separate between stable and traveling tissue ( Doppler consequence ) Ultrasound scrutiny in GUT has a broad scope of usage. Imaging starts from kidneys down to bladder, urethra, and venereal variety meats. Ultrasound can observe many pathologies and abnormalcies in this system without the demand for farther scrutinies. In fact, some pathology such as obstructors and tumors can be detected without intercessions, while other modes intervene such as utilizing contrast agents ( Ref ) . Other modes used in GUT X-ray utilizations ionizing radiation as the rule of bring forthing radiogram, widely used in initial GUT scrutinies for being convenience and fast with high rate of diagnostic value images ( ref ) . Computed Tomography ( CT ) Scan, uses ionizing radiation as the rule of bring forthing radiogram, widely used for farther scrutiny in GUT system. Produces high-resolution two-dimensional images ( can be reconstructed to 3-dimension ) . Very sensitive in observing different lesions, concretion, obstructor and bleeding. Main concern about utilizing CT is the high radiation dosage to the patient ( Ref ) . Magnetic Resonance Imaging ( MRI ) , uses a strong magnetic field to aline H atoms in the organic structure, pulsations of wireless moving ridges sent to realine and aline H atoms, during this, H atoms let go of energy, which is detected to bring forth great contrast images peculiarly of soft tissue. MRI scan can supply definite reply to uncertain instances because of its superior soft-tissue contrast when other mode can non. The function of MRI in GUT is largely in distinguishing benign lesions from malignant if CT has contraindication to the patient ( Ref ) . Nuclear Medicine Imaging ( NMI ) , Radiopharmaceuticals administered to the patients so that the patient become radioactive, Gamma camera scan the patient and detects gamma beam emitted from the radiation and so concept images from these informations. NMI chiefly used to analyze the map in GUT system and look into the obstructors ( Ref ) . This thesis reviews literature in relation to ultrasound scrutiny in GUT system. Comparing the usage of other mode while look intoing pathology of a patient. Why in some instances ultrasound is the first pick of usage, why it is non in other instances? This paper can heighten the advantages of the scrutiny and reexamine the progresss in this engineering, these can back up patient directions and besides be used in instruction. The inquiry needs to be answered in this survey: is US effectual plenty to be the first pick scrutiny in GUT system issues? What makes it to be the first pick? What makes it non to be? The survey efforts to analyze the conditions in which US scrutiny can supply doubtless replies to indicants. All beginnings that have relevant information will be used, and the chief database hunt will be Medline, CINAHL, Psycinfo, Embase, AMED, PubMed and e-books.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Liverpool Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7000 words

Liverpool Tourism - Essay Example The various features of its development have also been elucidated. These, plus those made within her tourism industry has greatly contributed to Liverpool's economy and what we see as modern Liverpool of today. As shown in the UK map above, Liverpool, a coastal city lying alongside the north shore of river Mersey, is an important city and seaport of England. The centre of the city forms the nucleus of Merseyside County, and constitutes a part only of the greater Lancashire. The proper city of Liverpool, therefore, makes up for a borough of the metropolitan county of Merseyside forming an irregular crescent along the estuary of river Mersey, only a few miles away from the Irish Sea. The population of Liverpool is 439,476 and its met. area population is 1,362,034. Liverpool city is a large manufacturing and commercial place in England and is the major city of the metropolitan area of Merseyside. Liverpool's City Centre district is one the biggest shopping centres in the United Kingdom. Since it lies on the banks of river Mersey it has many buildings that form UK's important landmarks. These conspicuous buildings include the Royal twin-tower Liver Building with each of the tower crested by the "liver bird" sculpture. It was after this mythical bird that the city is known to have been named. The other notable buildings within the premises of commercial area include: 1. The Town Hall, which was built in 1749, and 2. The St. George's Hall, which was built in 1842. This building of St. George's Hall is now used as a public hall and the famous court building. (Anthony S., n.p.n.d.) Liverpool's inner city area is located at the outskirts of commercial center. The centre of inner city, which in the past was considered a suburban area, abounds with many old buildings and houses. Nevertheless, one part of the inner city area also has the Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral; the Liverpool University, and the Anglican Church, while the suburban area now lies outside the inner city. There is a Walker Art Gallery within the Liverpool city, which has one of UK's remarkable collections of paintings apart from those kept in London. Liverpool has a number of theaters, orchestra and most professionally skilled football teams. The normal English accent in which the people of Liverpool speak is called the 'Scouse'. During England's famous Industrial Revolution of 1700s, it was this city of Liverpool that played the role of an important port city of the United Kingdom. With shipping remaining as England's major economic activity throughout 1960s, most of it took place at the port of Liverpool city. The main industries of Liverpool included: a)

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Mrketing orienttion in reltion to sles orienttion nd production Essay

Mrketing orienttion in reltion to sles orienttion nd production orienttion - Essay Example Pillsbury on the bsis of vilbility of high-qulity whet nd proximity of wter power. Mjor concern ws with mnufcturing-not mrketing. ccording to compny executive, compny philosophy in the er of mnufcturing dominnce might be stted s follows: "We re professionl flour millers. Blessed with supply of the finest North mericn whet, plenty of wter power, nd excellent milling mchinery, we produce flour of the highest qulity. Our bsic function is to mill high-qulity flour, nd of course (nd lmost incidentlly), we must hire slesmen to sell it, just s we hire ccountnts to keep our books." The second er ws one of sles orienttion. In the 1930's, competition hd become more significnt nd the problems of reching the mrket hd grown much more complex. Compny officils becme somewht wre of consumer wnts nd needs, nd formed commercil reserch deprtment to develop fcts bout mrkets. More ttention ws given to strengthening the distributing orgniztion, consisting of wholesle nd retil grocers. Compny philosophy in this er is described s follows: "We re flour milling compny, mnufcturing number of products for the consumer mrket. We must hve first-rte sles orgniztion which cn dispose of ll the products we cn mke t fvorble price. We must bck up this sles force with consumer dvertising nd mrket intelligence. We wnt our slesmen nd our delers to hve ll the tools they need for moving the output of our plnts to the consumer."third er of mrketing orienttion did not begin until the erly 1950's. The compny hd experienced substntil post-World Wr II sles growth in new products, principlly cke mi xes. It relized tht it could produce hundreds of new products, nd fced the necessity of selecting the best ones. It ws considered essentil to build into the compny orgniztion new function which would coordinte the heretofore seprte compny responsibilities of selling, dvertising, mrketing reserch, nd product plnning, nd provide guidnce for other res. This function ws clled "mrketing," nd mrketing developed the criteri for determining which products to mrket. Emphsis shifted from mnufcturing nd mere sles considertions to determintion of which products would best fit the needs of the compny's customers. Compny policy for the 1950's ws stted s follows: "We mke nd sell products for consumers."mrketing oriented firm is now defined s n "orgniztion culture tht most effectively cretes the necessry behviors for the cretion of superior vlue for buyers nd, thus, superior performnce for the business." (Nrver nd Slter, 1990, p. 21) This definition implies tht the firm needs to understnd buyer nee ds nd competitive cpbilities nd weknesses, nd it needs to perform ctivities gered to chieving superior customer stisfction. The firm's corporte culture is systemticlly committed to creting customer vlue. The rtionle is tht the more compny understnds nd meets the rel needs of its consumers, the more likely it is to hve hppy customers who come bck for more, nd tell their friends. This process cn entil the fostering of long term

Monday, August 26, 2019

Destination Alliances Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Destination Alliances - Article Example The article "Destination Alliances" talks about the alliances - market strategies whereby two or more organization join to share marketing strategies or to promote concepts, services, or products. Alliance marketing is suitable for any business as long it finds an organization that shares mutual goals.A destination marketing organization (DMO) or convention and visitors bureau (CVB) is an organization that supports a town, city, region or country with the aim of increasing the number of visitors. DMO and CVB also promote the development or markets a destination through convention sales, tourism marketing, and services. Apart from targeting a high number of visitors, DMO and CVB also targets increase of business travelers which brings about overnight lodging for a destination, shopping revenues, and visits to restaurants. These organizations are funded by the country’s taxes. Convention and visitors bureau is considered to be the most important tourism marketing organizations i n their respective tourist destination. Philadelphia is referred as the world heritage city in the United States of America. It is a home to many national historical sites related to the foundation of the United States and it is among the 22 UNESCO World Heritage sites. It is in Philadelphia courageous visionaries crafted the modern day democracy. It harbors the independence hall, the liberty bell, the first and second bank of the USA, the president house where George Washington and John Adams spent most of their presidencies.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Two Types of Groups in Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Two Types of Groups in Society - Essay Example The people that I work with have been participating in the volunteer group since its inception. The second primary group I belong too is the card playing group. Typically such a group would be considered a secondary group, but in my case, it is a primary group because all the members of the group are immediate or extended family members. We meet every Saturday from 6:00 P.M to midnight to play cards while enjoying a home cook meal and a few drinks. These two primary groups are very important to me because they help me engage in social activities that I value. The primary groups provide me with moral support. I usually discuss my problems with my church buddies and with my family member during our meetings. Both groups are important for me and I value their existence. Secondary groups also serve a social purpose in life. The main difference between the primary and secondary group is that the person that compose the group are acquaintances or people we know such as co-workers. Also, these types of groups seem to be temporary. A secondary group I currently belong too is a team that formulated in school to complete a classroom project. The members of the group are fellow students who I just recently met. My behavior and the behavior of the other members of the group are impersonal. Our objective is to complete the classroom project on time and to get the best grade possible with the minimum requirement being that we obtain a passing grade. A second secondary group I belong to with a subgroup within my Facebook account. There are many secondary groups that a person can enter when they sign up for a social network. After the Haiti earthquake joined a secondary Facebook group called â€Å"Help for Haiti†.  

Classroom Management In The Early Childhood Setting Research Paper

Classroom Management In The Early Childhood Setting - Research Paper Example The topic of Classroom Management In The Early Childhood Setting covers the issues of dealing with behavior problems of preschoolers. This topic is relevant to the author, being a preschool teacher of four and five year old children. With only two years of teaching experience, the author believes this paper will be able to help her, as well as other new teachers in their challenges in managing their early childhood classes. It will derive wisdom from the thorough literature review as well as surveying other more experienced teachers on their classroom management styles. Statement of Problem This paper will deal with factors that contribute to an effective classroom management plan. Specifically, the problem is stated as thus: â€Å"How do beginning teachers achieve a well-managed class in an early childhood education setting?† Purpose of the Study This study purports to study various factors that contribute to effective classroom management techniques that early childhood educators should consider in order to manage their classes better. It hopes to educate new teachers with the possible reasons why children may misbehave in classrooms and what can be done to dispel such misbehavior and encourage a smoother flow of activities in the early childhood classroom. This would result in a more conducive learning environment where the children ‘s learning potentials are maximized.... Importance of the study Knowledge and eventually, mastery of effective classroom management strategies are essential skills teachers need to be successful in their careers. Hence, this study will prove relevant in helping teachers, especially those with little experience, in handling very young children. Empowering teachers with information from this study is believed to derive positive outcomes which will benefit their young students, as they will be more able to learn from and with each other. Definition of Terms Classroom Management- management of the class during class hours including preparation for the class day and what transpires during the day and even up to when the students leave (Crosser, 2002). Positive Student-Teacher Relationships- warm, nurturing relationships between students and teachers that positively influence the discipline and education of children (Maddox & Prinz, 2003). Physical environment- the place where children learn, equipped with furnishings, equipment and learning materials Routines- activities that usually happen within the school day scheduled in a predictable manner. Procedure Aside from learning from research done on classroom management from previous studies, this study will be using a portion of the Evaluation of Quality Teaching taken from Shalaway (1998) (see Appendix 1), specifically on Classroom Management. The instrument proposed for evaluation of teacher effectiveness is based on a general philosophy of how effective teaching should be. It has three main components: classroom management, active teaching and instructional techniques and teacher-student interaction. This study will only take the component on classroom management. However, the survey will include

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Stereo Electronic Effects in Fuel Dehydrating Icing Inhibitors Research Paper

Stereo Electronic Effects in Fuel Dehydrating Icing Inhibitors - Research Paper Example The solubility of water in most hydrocarbon jet fuels often decreases by roughly 2 ppm v/v per 1 °C. In this regard, the dissolved water components of the jet fuel may freeze to form tiny ice crystals and blocking fuel feeds, enhance corrosion as well as supporting microbial growth. A number of plane crash incidences attributed to fuel starvation due to icing have been recorded. For example, during extended high latitude flights, fuel temperatures often fall to extremely low levels thereby causing the water components of the jet fuel to freeze. In most cases, the ice crystals thus formed may not only clog jet fuel filters but can also lodge into the fuel with potential implications such as engine malfunction or flameout (Repetto et al., 2013, p.556). However, there are currently a number of possibilities of effective elimination of the potential hazards associated with jet fuel water contamination. According to Trohalaki and Pachter (2009, p.79), although the application of organic molecules as potential dehydrating agent remains underutilized due to their complex chemical refining requirements, a number of organic molecules with efficient dehydrating properties such as ortho esters, ketals, hemiketals, acetals, hemiacetals are increasingly being seen as potential candidates for the development of novel and effective fuel dehydrating Icing Inhibitors (FDII). This research proposal investigates the feasibility of using stereoelectronic effects of organic molecules such as ortho-esters in the management of both jet fuel water contamination as well as ice formation in jet engines during high altitude flights. Stereoelectronic effects play a critical role in the hydrolytic processes of the organic water scavenging molecules such as ortho esters (Chiang et al., 2003, p.58). According to many experts, orthoesters are organic molecules that contain a functional group consisting of three alkoxy groups attached to one of the carbon atoms. Orthoesters generally work as water scavengers by getting rapidly hydrolysed when in contact with the free water thereby acting as an ace inhibitor.  Ã‚  

Friday, August 23, 2019

Human Trafficking Policy Development Paper Essay

Human Trafficking Policy Development Paper - Essay Example However, only 49,105 cases of human trafficking victims across the world have been identified with only 4,166 of these cases being successful prosecuted in 2009 (Cullen-DuPont, 2009). 335 of the successful prosecutions were related to forced labor. Previous research revealed that1.8 per 1,000 inhabitants was incidence of trafficking casualties in the world. Globally, the ratio of labor trafficking victims to sex trafficking victims currently stands at 9:1. Surprisingly, there are about 800,000 people trafficked across the international borders each year, as of 2007. Nonetheless, the number increased to 1.2 million people trafficked globally by 2013. Human Trafficking is undoubtedly the world’s fastest-growing concern in the criminal industry. It destroys the lives of so many women, children as well as young men each year in the globe. The public acknowledges that as a mother, grandmother, a sister, a relative, a brother, or a friend, it sickens to think that millions of our kin aged below 18 are sold to other parts of the world as victims of sex and/ or labor trafficking every year across the globe. The most horrible thing is that 80 percent of these trafficking victims are usually sexually exploited. Senators from most states, judges, defense attorneys, prosecutors, administrators, law enforcement officers and law-abiding citizens I’ve agreed all too well that indeed traffickers have no respect to gender, age or economics. Thus, they all advocate and support my proposed policy to help eradicate this inhuman act. My proposed policy focus to give a renewed attention on prevention overseas, a non-porous border at every state, tougher action on perpetrators as well as better identification of victims and care for these victims. This policy adopts a comprehensive approach as far as tackling trafficking is concerned. It will lay down legislations to: framework

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Psychological Abnormality Essay Example for Free

Psychological Abnormality Essay There are many ways of defining psychological abnormality; the two I will be discussing is deviation from social norms and failure to function adequately. Deviation form social norms is a person’s thinking or behavior being classified as abnormal if it violates the rules or norms about what is expected or acceptable behavior in a particular social group. An example of this can be anorexia, more common in females where the person sees themselves as overweight even when extremely thin and person is terrified of weight gain. The media create unrealistic, and for most people ideal images, especially of women. Most models are well below normal weight for their age and height Sufferers desperately want to be accepted and valued and tend to feel that they are not. However self-starvation is seen as abnormal in terms of social norms. Strength of deviation from social norms is that this definition takes into consideration the effect that behavior has on others in which deviance is defined in terms of breaking social rules which are usually made in order to help people live together. There are many limitations with the definition of deviation from social norms, beliefs about abnormality and social norms or morally acceptplable behavior changes over time for example homosexuality was included in the American classification system for disorders up to the 1960s. Since then attitudes have changed and homosexuality it no longer seen as a disorder. Another limitation is that context is import as we distinguish between normal and abnormal according to social norms of the time. Much of our behavior is context specific and take out of context may seem bizarre for example if you saw a person suddenly jump up from a park bench and start talking to themselves you might think of them as being very strange on the other hand if you saw a camera crew you would have thought of it being bizarre. Also culture relativity can be a limitation as different cultures have different ideas about acceptable behavior fro example some African societies cut themselves as a sign of inner beauty but in Western societies we se it as self harm. Another definition of abnormality is failure to function adequately this is when abnormal behavior interferes with daily life/functioning i. e. people are unable to live a normal life. An example of this can be when people cannot work and lose the motivation to care for themselves properly and agoraphobia or fear of crowds which is defined as an abnormal behavior where a person may have a fear of open space and can’t go shopping, school and do other everyday things because they have a fear of crowds. Strength of this definition is that it is easy to judge who is failing to function adequately because it is easy to . ist behaviors that show people are not functioning properly in their everyday lives e. g. unable to dress themselves, can’t get up in the morning etc. Limitations of this definition can be the context as starving yourself is irrational, unpredictable and maladaptive. However it is understandable when political prisoners go on hunger strike as a political pro test, so context is important. Also some people may not have psychological disorder but still have failure to function adequately e. g. dues to economic conditions it may not be possible to hold down a job and support family. Another limitation is that some people are able to maintain an adequate or high level of functioning even if they have a psychological disorder for example some people with anxiety or depression can still function. Similarity between both definitions is that they both have a limitation of culture relativity as different societies have different rules and norms of what’s normal and abnormal. A problem with both definitions is that context is important as we distinguish what is normal and abnormal behavior according to what is expected in a given situation according to the social norms at the time.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Tet Holiday Essay Example for Free

Tet Holiday Essay According to our traditional custom, the Tet holiday is the Lunar New Year Holiday – the most important holiday in Vietnam. It is around late January or early February, depends on each year. We celebrate three days beginning of the new year, the first day of new year marks the beginning of Tet . This year, the New Year Day is in January 26th. People will have about two weeks off. Although there are three days which are the main days of Tet but we usually start to prepare much time before. There are many things to do such as clean and redecorate our houses, try to pay all our debts or everything we borrowed before the Tet, buy new clothes and presents for our relatives On this special occasion, everybody wants to return to their families, to where they grew up. The people, who are married, manage to take their families to visit or stay with their parents. Tet is the occasion to everybody gathers in warm atmosphere. We prepare for get-together meals, talk about the good things. People try to avoid arguments, or saying any bad things. There is a funny thing that people try not to sweep their house during Tet, because they believe that sweeping means put the good luck away. We forget all the troubles in past year and hope for a better new year. The first person comes to our houses on the New Year Day, who is called the first-foot is very important. People believe that they will bring our good luck or bad luck for the new year, so people usually choose who will be their first-foot. We spend time on visiting our relatives, friends, colleagues and go to pagodas or temples to pray health, happiness ans success for our families. When coming others’ houses or meeting anybody at Tet, we usually wish each other health, happiness, success and many good things. Children are the happiest at Tet. They are usually received presents, especially little red envelopes with money in as New Year’s Wishes, which people believe that will bring good things to children in the new year. People usually say â€Å"the First Day is Father’s Tet, the Second Day is Mother’s Tet and the Third Day is Teacher’s Tet†. On the First Day morning (New Year Day), after finishing what we have to do in our houses , we go to our parents house to give New Year’s greeting. People who are married manage to visit their parents on the husband’s side on the First Day, and then their parents on the wife’s side on the next day. People usually spend the Third Day to visit their teachers. Tet is time to hold get-together parties.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Co Action Effect And The Audience Effect Psychology Essay

Co Action Effect And The Audience Effect Psychology Essay The co-action effect occurs when a higher level of performance is present when surrounded by other individuals performing the same task. It can be applied to a variety of tasks competitive and non-competitive e.g. Sports, multiplications, spelling etc. It is also perceived that an individuals work rate can alter by merely watching the individual carry out a specified task. This is known as the audience effect. This theory however has positive and negative effects based on the degree of competence with the task given to the subject. If they are skilled in the task, their level of performance will heighten. However, the opposite will occur if the subject is not very capable with the task. These two theories are categorised under Social facilitation. Q2. Describe two psychology studies on this area of human behaviour stating their findings and conclusions. The co-action effect was first perceived in 1898 when a test was carried out by Norman Triplett. His theory was on cyclists and the speeds they reached when firstly, racing against each other and then racing individually against a stopwatch. He noticed that racing against each other rather than against the clock alone increased the cyclists speeds. He then tested his thesis in a controlled lab experiment where he gave children simple tasks to perform on their own and then with a partner. He again found that co-action resulted in improved results in the children. He concluded that the bodily presence of another contestant participating simultaneously in the race serves to liberate latent energy not ordinarily available (Triplett, 1898). An example of the audience effect was noted when psychologist J.Michaels 1982 carried out an investigation on pool players. First he assessed their ability and rated them either above or below average. He then stood by them to see if his presence had any effect on the way they played. The conclusions of the investigation showed that the more abled players performed to a higher calibre and the less abled decreased in ability proving that in fact even though the audience effect can have positive results, they can also facilitate negative ones too. The presence of an audience arouses humans and affects our ability to perform a task. This arousal stimulates us, so that if we are doing something we are good at, we do it better. However, we are already aroused when performing tasks in general. An audience overseeing the task can sometimes act as an over stimulant to certain individuals and interfere with the task at hand. Q3. Evaluate theories and research into the basis of social power including obedience and conformity. Power was found to be one of the most effective reasons as to why an individual feels the need to follow through with what another says to them. Psychologists have undertaken many years of experiments to try to figure out what types of powers are in our society and how they shape and influence the way we live today. There are two main points in social power that can alter an individuals thought process. Obedience and Conformity. Throughout this essay you will read how Psychologists have discovered the roles in which these two influences affect the society we live in. Conformity is described as the type of social influence involving a change in belief or behaviour in order to fit in with a group.  This form of influence can occur in two separate ways. A majority influence whereby the feelings and behaviours of a collective set of individuals within a group can alter or change the opinion of the minority, and the minority influence whereby an individual will change the opinions of the masses in a group. One way in which a majority may influence is known as public compliance. Solomon Asch (1956) set out to encompass what this type of conformity was by using a simple exercise. The aim of the experiment was to see how subjects reacted when faced with an unambiguous task. Would they be influenced by a groups behaviour or would they stick to their own belief that they knew to be true. Aschs test was carried out on 123 participants and all were American males. The subjects were asked to distinguish between three lines and pick a line that was of the same size as a fourth individual line. The procedure was carried out with the individual subject sat around a table of confederates all instructed to give incorrect answers with the subject having to answer last. The procedure was conducted 18 times and out of the 18 guesses, the confederates were told to guess incorrectly 12 times as to add a sense of validity to the experiment. The results showed that 75% of the participants gave incorrect answers at least once suggesting that they had conformed to the group ideology of thinking. Asch then repeated the test and altered a control of no confederates giving wrong answers. Asch found that there were mistakes made about 1% of the time. The conclusion of the experiment shows that there was a high amount of conformity when faced with pressures from a collective group. Questions must be asked however on the actual validity of the experiment itself when looking at real life and moreover the demographic used in the experiment. The participants were asked a simple question, yet if faced with a question that holds more substance, would the participant still conform to such a degree? The experiment has been repeated on many occasions by changing the type of sample used to English scientists (Perrin and Spencer 1980) and youths on probation (Perrin and Spencer 1990). Some more recent research suggests that Aschs experiment is merely an unpredictable phenomenon (Lalancette and Standing 1990). The ethics involved are quite negligible when considering other experiments that will be discussed later in the essay. Participants must have felt tricked once they found out the other participants were actually confederates, and perhaps the subjects may have felt distressed when being put in a difficult situation. We can go back further in the 1900s and see other forms of experiments used to analyse the use of majority conformity. Muzafer Sherif (1935) investigated responses to ambiguous statements by using the auto kinetic affect. This is when very small movements of the eye make a spot of light in a darkened room appear to move because the eyes lack a stable frame of reference. Sherifs participants were tested individually, being asked to say how far the light moved and in what direction. Their answers varied considerably. However, Sherif then requested the participants work collectively to estimate the movements. Their answers started to become quite similar demonstrating the influence of a groups ideology on an individual. The results of this study can also be questioned too. As the answers were ambiguous and there wasnt an obvious answer it could be argued that participants are more likely to conform as they are never completely certain of their answer. This methodology therefore affects Sherifs interpretation of conformity as it is not very reliable. The same ethical questions can be asked when looking at this experiment. The participants were deceived and additionally put under pressure to conform to a groups way of thinking which can cause stress. We can also analyse conformity through the use of a minority influence. Although conformity is generally led by the influence of groups, individuals are occasionally able to reverse this tendency and change the opinions of people around them. This is known as the minority influence. If an individual makes a strong, convincing case it can increase the probability of changing the majoritys beliefs and behaviours. One iconic example of this occurring was the suffragette movement at the start of the 20th Century. The faction started out with a very limited amount of members with strong opinions that women should have the equal rights. Initially their opinions were unpopular but as time went by, the minority influenced the majority with their concise and logical arguments and eventually it led to the majority conforming to the same beliefs. To test this theory a Psychologist known as Moscovici (1969), conducted an experiment similar to that of Asch. 32 groups of 6 were chosen with 2 confederates in each group. The groups were shown a slide of varied shades of blue and asked to convey what colour was perceived. Moscovici et al proposed that if the confederates had that of a different opinion to the group and stuck to that opinion consistently, they could alter the groups views. The confederates consistently said the slides were green. The findings of the experiment showed that 32% gave the same answer as the minority at least once. This suggests that although it is a minute amount of impact on the results, there is some kind of conformity to the minoritys way of thinking. This experiment unusually doesnt hold many ethical problems. Although participants were deceived initially, the deception was moderately low and the tasks given were of a low level of stress. We could go as far as to say that this study was ethically acceptable. However, there are a few criticisms of study. The participants were females, Eagly and Carli (1981) study suggests that females are more likely to conform to ideologies of a group than that of men and so this questions how reliable the study actually is. And so we understand that conformity doesnt necessarily have a boundary that requires a person to act in a certain way. Obedience can be considered entirely different. Conformity does not require us to react in a specified manner whereas with obedience we are instructed or ordered to do something and these orders stem from a higher authority. We can relate this to history when we look at the atrocities that shaped Nazi Germany in World War I and II. Millions of defenceless Jewish people (and many other ethnicities) were slaughtered by Nazi soldiers under the influence of the government ran by Hitler. The heinous crimes committed had many questions to be answered but mainly how were the crimes committed and why?! During the Nuremberg trials, many of the high ranking officials were put to trial over what they had done with the only claim to their innocence being that they were simply, obeying orders. These claims were blatantly thrown out of court and a stereotype was claimed stating t hat a Germans DNA was simply different to that of every other human. Yet a man named Stanley Milgram wanted to understand if there were any truth to these claims. In 1963 he set up a psychology experiment to test if any human, not just German, could be put under such strict obedience pressures, that they could commit these horrific crimes against humanity. His participants were American men aged 20-50 and were from various occupation backgrounds. The study was carried out at Yale University, where they were taken to a lab and introduced to an experimenter dressed in a lab coat (confederate). They were then introduced to what the participant thought was a fellow experimenter however he would be the accomplice in the experiment. These gentlemen had fabricated that he had a heart problem to add to the validity of the study. Participants were then given a summary of the experiment. The mock investigation was to distinguish the roles between teacher and learner. A fake ballot would decide what role would be decided for the two subjects with the actual participant always allocated the teacher role. The procedure of the experiment consisted of a simulated electrode machine in the room the teacher was placed in that would be used to administer an electric volt to the student in another room. The isolation from the two subjects was to add to th e already dissociation created. Every time the student answered a question incorrectly from a sheet the teacher, (participant) was given. The participant would control the shock machine and the teacher would purposely answer the questions incorrectly. The experimenter would push the participant and provoke them to administer the shocks even if they insisted on stopping. Surprisingly, some 65% of the teachers gave what they thought was the maximum amount of punishment (450 volts of electric shock). Based on these results, Milgram suggested a theory known as the Agency Theory. He states that when faced with a stressing situation, humans attribute their responsibilities to an authority figure. This experiment completely changed the impact on social policy, but came with many ethical and situational complications. The ecological validity of the experiment should be questioned as the experiment was conducted within a laboratory and it could also be argued that the participants used were more suggestible as they volunteered for the experiment. Although participants were debriefed to a satisfactory manner (84% felt glad to have participated), the stress endured within the experiment could have possibly had long-term affects to the subjects. Milgram himself states, The degree of tension reached extremes rarely seen in experimentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Subjects were sweating, tremblingà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦on one occasion we observed a fit so violent that it was necessary to call a halt to the experiment. Deterred by the ethical background of the experiment mentioned a man known as Zimbardo wanted to carry out an experiment to back up Milgrams study to add validity through using a less controlled environment. Male students applied for a study about prison life. 21 participants were chosen to be guards and prisoners (10 prisoners, 11 guards). The prisoners were arrested at home unexpectedly and blindfolded to disorientate them whilst taking them into their controlled prison cells (the basement of Yale University). Many symbolic items were used to associate the prisoners with their roles (ID numbers, nylon caps, orange jump suits). The guards also had many garments so they could associate themselves with their specified role (clubs, mirrored aviators, handcuffs). Over the two week period, the subjects became more and more connected to their specified role. The guards became more autocratic and the prisoners became tolerant of being punished for the miniscule of issues. The study shows how the guards and prisoners conformed to their roles given especially the prisoners through the use of obedience. However, the ethical issues developed throughout the case were even more severe than that of Milgrams. Five prisoners had to be released early due to depression and the whole experiment had to be cancelled only 6 days into the study out of an initial two weeks. So here we have seen how obedience and conformity influence humans and the test we have created to observe how these characteristics can be measured and implemented in real life. On the way we have seen many ethical questions arise as well as the validity of the actual experiments. If we can understand anything from the theories present, we must understand that the experiments involve human beings, who are probably, the most unpredictable sources to all the theories. Thankfully, we now have Ethical guidelines as a result of these experiments; human beings are malleable objects and must be handled with care. Hopefully the results from these investigations on obedience and conformity are used to help human beings in the future and not control them.

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Importance of a Role Model in The Adventures of Huckberry Finn by M

â€Å"The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me† (Twain 1). The role of a parent is important in a person’s life, as they learn the acceptable way to live their lives, and even how to act spiritually. As people begin to grow up, they remember the traits and guidelines given by their guardians, and use them to establish their own beliefs and shape their actions. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain exemplifies the influence of morals and religion that the Widow Douglas teaches young Huck and he returns to throughout the novel. Mark Twain begins by describing Huck staying in the Widow’s home and conforming to the social norm of civilized behavior he says he â€Å"was getting sort of used to the widow’s ways, too, and they warn’t so raspy on me† (Twain 19). Huckleberry is beginning to appreciate the lifestyle of the widow. He begins to like his education, and the love that he receives from the woman. He learns how to be a more respectable human being as he sees the goodness of the Widow’s ways, but as the good characteristics begin to appear they are hindered by the maleficent aspects of his poor initial upbringing. Huck recounts "Pretty soon I wanted to smoke, and asked the Widow to let me. But she wouldn't. She said it was a mean practice and wasn't clean, and I must try to not do it anymore" (Twain 2). The Widow passively attempts to control Huck and force him to conform to the society that he has been attempting to avoid by sneaking away. The idea of smoking represen ts all the things that Huck use to do in his old life, however the things that are comfortable to Huck are not accepted by the world, and society endeavors to remove the controversial subject or make it change to fit... ...shows that the boy wishes to be accepted into the religion of the Widow and will do things to help him reach the next life. Huckleberry also remembers that the good people help even the criminals and that he should try to help all sorts of people who are in need. The Widow’s teachings of Christianity have a lasting affect on Huckleberry Finn as he tries to live his life according to the rules he was given and experiences the impact of prayer. The Importance of Widow in Mark Twain’s novel is shown as Huck Finn experiences the rules and spiritual guidelines the widow has taught him, and they impact his actions in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. People often use the morals they remember from the role models they had when growing up. But, however people remember the teachings of their role models, ultimately they are free to make their own decisions in their lives. The Importance of a Role Model in The Adventures of Huckberry Finn by M â€Å"The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me† (Twain 1). The role of a parent is important in a person’s life, as they learn the acceptable way to live their lives, and even how to act spiritually. As people begin to grow up, they remember the traits and guidelines given by their guardians, and use them to establish their own beliefs and shape their actions. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain exemplifies the influence of morals and religion that the Widow Douglas teaches young Huck and he returns to throughout the novel. Mark Twain begins by describing Huck staying in the Widow’s home and conforming to the social norm of civilized behavior he says he â€Å"was getting sort of used to the widow’s ways, too, and they warn’t so raspy on me† (Twain 19). Huckleberry is beginning to appreciate the lifestyle of the widow. He begins to like his education, and the love that he receives from the woman. He learns how to be a more respectable human being as he sees the goodness of the Widow’s ways, but as the good characteristics begin to appear they are hindered by the maleficent aspects of his poor initial upbringing. Huck recounts "Pretty soon I wanted to smoke, and asked the Widow to let me. But she wouldn't. She said it was a mean practice and wasn't clean, and I must try to not do it anymore" (Twain 2). The Widow passively attempts to control Huck and force him to conform to the society that he has been attempting to avoid by sneaking away. The idea of smoking represen ts all the things that Huck use to do in his old life, however the things that are comfortable to Huck are not accepted by the world, and society endeavors to remove the controversial subject or make it change to fit... ...shows that the boy wishes to be accepted into the religion of the Widow and will do things to help him reach the next life. Huckleberry also remembers that the good people help even the criminals and that he should try to help all sorts of people who are in need. The Widow’s teachings of Christianity have a lasting affect on Huckleberry Finn as he tries to live his life according to the rules he was given and experiences the impact of prayer. The Importance of Widow in Mark Twain’s novel is shown as Huck Finn experiences the rules and spiritual guidelines the widow has taught him, and they impact his actions in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. People often use the morals they remember from the role models they had when growing up. But, however people remember the teachings of their role models, ultimately they are free to make their own decisions in their lives.

Macbeth Issues Essay -- essays research papers

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, there are many issues that may have had an affect on the play. The complex marriage between the power hungry Macbeths, lady Macbeth’s dominant character directing Macbeth in the murders, the role reversal during the murders, Macbeth’s reaction to his wife’s death, and male and female marriages for authority. When analyzed these issues help describe the Macbeth’s relationship. They are the very issues that eventually lead to the â€Å"Great Tragedy†. The relationship of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth is a complex one. Macbeth in the beginning does not come across to us as dominant. He more so looks to Lady Macbeth for comfort, assurance, and direction.†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Go get some water And wash your hand. Why did you bring these daggers from the palace? They must lie there. Go, carry them and smear The sleepy grooms with blood.† (Act II, Scene 2) Here Lady Macbeth directs Macbeth what to do after the murder of Duncan. Lady Macbeth takes control of their situation. †Lady Macbeth brought a directness, a practicality, an inability to see difficulties in a good cause†. Says Barbara Everette in â€Å"Macbeth As A Married Couple†. This shows how much Lady Macbeth’s views were a major part in their relationship. Both Lady Macbeth and Macbeth corrupted their relationship with their struggle for power. They both felt the need for authority, which as a result lead to their downfall. In the beginning of the play Lady Macbeth comes across to us as evil-willed and ready to do any and everyt...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Brazil Why We Fear the 20th Century Essay -- essays papers

Brazil Why We Fear the 20th Century Why We Fear The 20th Century In the early 1980's, a vision of dystopia was lying in the mind of Terry Gilliam. That vision was his future film Brazil to be written by Tom Stoppard, Charles McKeown, and himself. The movie was filmed in Wembley, England by Lee International Film Studios. After being a remarkable success during its release in Europe in 1984, Brazil had much more difficulties with its release in the United States. Terry Gilliam had previously signed a contract with Universal Studios for an expected 132-minute movie. Brazil, as released in Europe was 142 minutes long. Universal Studios took this opportunity to edit the film as they chose to make it a more marketable film from their perspective. Unfortunately for Terry Gilliam, this meant that they would completely reconstruct the meaning of the movie. He quickly took to doing his own re-editing of the movie to fit it in the 132 minute prerequisite and turned it over in January of 1985. Once this was done, Universal Studios no longer had the right to change Gilliam's movie and instead insisted on not releasing it. Infuriated by his work being put on the shelf, Terry Gilliam took out a full-page advertisement in Variety magazine with the words: Dear Sid Sheinberg,when are going to release my film 'BRAZIL'? Although this advertisement did not get his film released it did create quite a stir among the Los Angeles movie critics. In fact, they were so curious about the movie that the film was played privately in their homes and getting fantastic reviews. The movie did so well, that it ended up winning Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Direction. With much reluctance and little advertising, Universal Studios to released the movie in December of 1985. (http:home.sol.no~frittz) This final release is what still holds the fans of today. Every frame of the movie is speaking to its audience about the issues surrounding the twentieth century and particularly the late seventies and early eighties. It can speak so well of the entire century because the setting itself is unclear about when the events of the film are occurring. In the opening sequence to the movie, 8:49 pm (pause) somewhere in the 20th century, appears across the screen. The people are dressed in 1930's fashions using technologies, some of which are beyond the ... ...ther, who wore the hat, was the ‘perfect’ individual in Brazil’s society. She spent lots of money and felt the government was doing a wonderful job by making it possible for her to think about nothing but her plastic surgery. Reagan not only increased the gap between the classes, he dramatically increased peoples urge to buy because it was the popular thing to do. America’s government was frighteningly close to the Ministry of Information when it came to pushing products. Slogans about buying and being American were one and the same. Brazil tackles an enormous amount of concerns about progress in the twentieth century. Those issues included: government control, the internet, invasion of privacy, separation of classes, consumerism, and technology. Though the specifics of the issues were different between decades, they were always on the forefront during this century. In about two hours, Terry Gilliam managed to name them all. Though Brazil itself seems very detached from the real world, the amount of parallels is astonishing. Overall, Gilliam encourages awareness. That progress and its brothers are not inherently evil but that they must be controlled, cared for and attended to.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Art Hist Paper 1

I chose to write about the â€Å"Sarcophagus Depicting a Battle Between Soldiers and Amazons (Warrior Women)†. A sarcophagus is a stone coffin usually bearing sculpture or inscriptions. Supposedly, This Roman cultured sarcophagus was dedicated for an important Roman soldier. It was built some time in between 140 A. D. to 170 A. D. and made out of marble. Sarcophagus were officially made by the Greeks, hence the pediment. Although this sarcophagus was built by the Romans they still added the triangular roof at the top of the coffin, which was also invented by the Greeks.The scene on this coffin is of a battle between men soldiers and female warrior amazons. The battle scene that takes place on this casket is very interesting; it depicts different kinds of symbolism, emotion, and is more expressive. As i started to analyze this sarcophagus, the first thing I noticed was the five columns at the top of the pediment running downwards, having a loons head at the end. That being the first part, and the vivid battle scene displayed right under that.The first thing that came to my mind when i saw the lions was how lions were used as a protective guardian figure in the ancient egyptian times, and it seemed as if these lions, or guardian figures, were watching over from up above, and protecting them. Also another thing i found interesting that was a little out of place to be put on this battle scene'd coffin was the image each four corners had. They all had the same image of a man and a woman kneeling down and also both faced down. he man is higher and looks as if he's on top of the woman, and it seems as if they're praying, or may even be asking for forgiveness.Their facial expression seems very focused and determined as to what they are doing. The four corners seem the most calm from the whole scene. As for the battle, which is completely opposite, has a very violent and vulgar environment being shown. The battle scene has a lot of raging actions being shown. The horses really caught my attention, because they all are in somewhat of a different stance. noticed the horses that are standing over the dead bodies look a little less energized and and ready to fight compared to the other horses. the horses over the dead body are looking down at the bodies and seem to have a depressed/gloomy look or expression. although the other horses are so full of energy and ready to win a battle. not only do the horses expression show that but the Amazons body structures! their body postures and positions show more aggressiveness than the soldiers.The soldiers look as if they are being attacked and were caught off guard. They seem to be moving back and away from the Amazons, while on the other hand the Amazons are not stopping and going to attack. Also the women riding the horses symbolizes somewhat of a powerful characteristic for them, since they are in control of the horses. it can very easily be compared to a Equestrian portrait type, in which a young, en ergetic horse is being controlled by a strong powerful person. Also being noticed is the weapons being used in this battle.Both are wearing helmets, and tunics. the Women are using swords and the men are wearing plates of body armor and are using shields. The soldiers seem to have a relaxed pose for them being in the middle of a battle. They don't seem to be too tensed, they are just simply leaning back and holding up their shield rather than facing the warrior women and actually fighting back. they seem to be in a composite, contrapposto stance. The dead bodies of the women's seem to be more idealized, rather than individualized. hey each have the same posture on the ground and look as if they died peacefully, even though the environment wasn't peaceful. Not only does this sarcophagus environment not seem smooth, but neither is the texture. The battle scene seems to have a rigid kind of texture due to the drapery looking effect from the tunics and also the detailed work on the anim als and human figure, for example the horses hair and the humans helmet. Although the top of the coffin, the pediment, seems very smooth since there is not much carved into in that area.This funeral bed uses a high relief technique, instead of the images being carved into a flat surface they seem to project out towards the viewer. Although there is no color used, the high relief causes a shadowing effect. Even though this sculpture is not in color you can still tell that there is movement taking place in this scene. You can tell the horses and the women riding the horse are in movement because most of the horses front legs are bent in the air while the back legs are bent on the ground, positioned like they are currently mobile. nd Also you can tell that they are in motion because the Amazons capes and tunics are being blow by the wind. the soldiers seem to be mobile opposed to the women seeming to be more immobile. The women are on horses while the soldiers are standing with both fe et on the ground. I also noticed that the coffin has a design going all around the bottom and the top of the scene, which reminded me of the Greek ionic order, as to being more decorative and having the pediment.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Food Security of Bangladesh Essay

Though they have taken so many initiatives for food security recently, but those are not sufficient comparatively to our growing population. Although food grain is more available in good harvest years, Bangladesh as a whole still has a very low level of nutrition. This means many households and individuals do not eat a balanced, nutritious diet, even in good years. According to the World Bank, approximately 33 million of the 150 million people in Bangladesh cannot afford an average daily intake of more than 1800 kilocalories (the minimum standard for nutrition as set by the World Food Program). For people in most developing countries, the daily calorie average is 2,828. In Bangladesh, that average is only 2,190. Poverty is the major factor effecting food security in Bangladesh. Despite the impressive increases in food grain, around half of Bangladeshis remain below the established food based poverty line. And, as many as one third are living in extreme poverty and severely undernourished. Recent food price increases, regular natural disasters, and strains on the global economic market have caused additional destabilization. Bangladesh is a agricultural land. And our country comprises 30% of GDP by producing food. Rice is our main food and our population requires 55. 0 million tons of rice per year. However our country is now producing 27. 32 million tons for more than 140 million people (BBS and DAE, 2007). Though the growth of productivity goes up, but these growths of productivity cannot reduce the poor people’s hunger of our country. Without rice, Bangladesh cultivates other crop, vegetables and fruits. Though having natural calamities production of these things are well. But to distribute all over the country Bangladesh has to import some. And for this reason market price of these foods remain high for some corrupted business, tax and for unplanned steps of government. For this reasons people of our country suffer a lot recently. Not only this, imbalanced and unequal livelihood is quite responsible for food security. There are so many rich peoples in Bangladesh who leads luxurious life, eat rich and expensive and at the same time waste a lot. And they don’t have any concern about the poor people of their country!

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Vampire Academy Chapter 11

ELEVEN â€Å"YOU NEED SOMETHING TO WEAR?† Lissa asked. â€Å"Hmm?† I glanced over at her. We were waiting for Mr. Nagy's Slavic art class to start, and I was preoccupied with listening to Mia adamantly deny the claims about her parents to one of her friends. â€Å"It's not like they're servants or anything,† she exclaimed, clearly flustered. Straightening her face, she tried for haughtiness. â€Å"They're practically advisors. The Drozdovs don't decide anything without them.† I choked on a laugh, and Lissa shook her head. â€Å"You're enjoying this way too much.† â€Å"Because it's awesome. What'd you just ask me?† I dug through my bag, messily looking for my lip gloss. I made a face when I found it. It was almost empty; I didn't know where I was going to score some more. â€Å"I asked if you need something to wear tonight,† she said. â€Å"Well, yeah, of course I do. But none of your stuff fits me.† â€Å"What are you going to do?† I shrugged my shoulders. â€Å"Improvise, like always. I don't really care anyway. I'm just glad Kirova's letting me go.† We had an assembly tonight. It was November 1, All Saints' Day – which also meant we'd been back almost a month now. A royal group was visiting the school, including Queen Tatiana herself. Honestly, that wasn't what excited me. She'd visited the Academy before. It was pretty common and a lot less cool than it sounded. Besides, after living among humans and elected leaders, I didn't think much of stiff royals. Still, I'd gotten permission to go because everyone else would be there. It was a chance to hang out with actual people for a change and not stay locked in my dorm room. A little freedom was definitely worth the pain of sitting through a few boring speeches. I didn't stay to chat with Lissa after school like I usually did. Dimitri had stuck to his promise about extra trainings, and I was trying to stick to mine. I now had two additional hours of practice with him, one before and one after school. The more I watched him in action, the more I understood the badass-god reputation. He clearly knew a lot – his six molnija marks proved as much – and I burned to have him teach me what he knew. When I arrived at the gym, I noticed he was wearing a T-shirt and loose running pants, as opposed to his usual jeans. It was a good look for him. Really good. Stop looking, I immediately told myself. He positioned me so that we stood facing each other on the mat and crossed his arms. â€Å"What's the first problem you'll run into when facing a Strigoi?† â€Å"They're immortal?† â€Å"Think of something more basic.† More basic than that? I considered. â€Å"They could be bigger than me. And stronger.† Most Strigoi – unless they'd been human first – had the same height as their Moroi cousins. Strigoi also had better strength, reflexes, and senses than dhampirs. That's why guardians trained so hard; we had a â€Å"learning curve† to compensate for. Dimitri nodded. â€Å"That makes it difficult but not impossible. You can usually use a person's extra height and weight against them.† He turned and demonstrated several maneuvers, pointing out where to move and how to strike someone. Going through the motions with him, I gained some insight into why I took such a regular beating in group practice. I absorbed his techniques quickly and couldn't wait to actually use them. Near the end of our time together, he let me try. â€Å"Go ahead,† he said. â€Å"Try to hit me.† I didn't need to be told twice. Lunging forward, I tried to land a blow and was promptly blocked and knocked down onto the mat. Pain surged through my body, but I refused to give in to it. I jumped up again, hoping to catch him off guard. I didn't. After several more failed attempts, I stood up and held out my hands in a gesture of truce. â€Å"Okay, what am I doing wrong?† â€Å"Nothing.† I wasn't as convinced. â€Å"If I wasn't doing anything wrong, I'd have rendered you unconscious by now.† â€Å"Unlikely. Your moves are all correct, but this is the first time you've really tried. I've done it for years.† I shook my head and rolled my eyes at his older-and-wiser manner. He'd once told me he was twenty-four. â€Å"Whatever you say, Grandpa. Can we try it again?† â€Å"We're out of time. Don't you want to get ready?† I looked at the dusty clock on the wall and perked up. Almost time for the banquet. The thought made me giddy I felt like Cinderella, but without the clothes. â€Å"Hell, yeah, I do.† He walked off ahead of me. Studying him carefully, I realized I couldn't let the opportunity go by. I leapt at his back, positioning myself exactly the way he'd taught me. I had the element of surprise. Everything was perfect, and he wouldn't even see me coming. Before I could make contact, he spun around at a ridiculously high speed. In one deft motion, he grabbed me like I weighed nothing and threw me to the ground, pinning me there. I groaned. â€Å"I didn't do anything wrong!† His eyes looked levelly into mine as he held my wrists, but he didn't look as serious as he had during the lesson. He seemed to find this funny. â€Å"The battle cry sort of gave you away. Try not to yell next time.† â€Å"Would it have really made a difference if I'd been quiet?† He thought about it. â€Å"No. Probably not.† I sighed loudly, still in too much of a good mood to really let this disappointment get me down. There were some advantages to having such a kick-ass mentor – one who also happened to have a foot of height on me and outweighed me considerably. And that wasn't even considering his strength. He wasn't bulky but his body had a lot of hard, lean muscle. If I could ever beat him, I could beat anyone. All of a sudden, it occurred to me that he was still holding me down. The skin on his fingers was warm as he clutched my wrists. His face hovered inches from my own, and his legs and torso were actually pressing against mine. Some of his long brown hair hung around his face, and he appeared to be noticing me too, almost like he had that night in the lounge. And oh God, did he smell good. Breathing became difficult for me, and it had nothing to do with the workout or my lungs being crushed. I would have given anything to be able to read his mind right then. Ever since that night in the lounge, I'd noticed him watching me with this same, studious expression. He never actually did it during the trainings themselves – those were business. But before and after, he would sometimes lighten up just a little, and I'd see him look at me in a way that was almost admiring. And sometimes, if I was really, really lucky, he'd smile at me. A real smile, too – not the dry one that accompanied the sarcasm we tossed around so often. I didn't want to admit it to anyone – not to Lissa, not even to myself – but some days, I lived for those smiles. They lit up his face. â€Å"Gorgeous† no longer adequately described him. Hoping to appear calm, I tried to think of something professional and guardian-related to say. Instead, I said, â€Å"So um†¦you got any other moves to show me?† His lips twitched, and for a moment, I thought I was going to get one of those smiles. My heart leapt. Then, with visible effort, he pushed the smile back and once more became my tough-love mentor. He shifted off me, leaned back on his heels, and rose. â€Å"Come on. We should go.† I scrambled to my own feet and followed him out of the gym. He didn't look back as he walked, and I mentally kicked myself on the way back to my room. I was crushing on my mentor. Crushing on my older mentor. I had to be out of my mind. He was seven years older than me. Old enough to be my†¦well, okay, nothing. But still older than me. Seven years was a lot. He'd been learning to write when I was born. When I'd been learning to write and throw books at my teachers, he'd probably been kissing girls. Probably lots of girls, considering how he looked. I so did not need this complication in my life right now. I found a passable sweater back in my room and after a quick shower, I headed off across campus to the reception. Despite the looming stone walls, fancy statues, and turrets on the outsides of the buildings, the Academy's insides were quite modern. We had Wi-Fi, fluorescent lights, and just about anything else technological you could imagine. The commons in particular looked pretty much like the cafeterias I'd eaten in while in Portland and Chicago, with simple rectangular tables, soothing taupe walls, and a little room off to the side where our dubiously prepared meals were served. Someone had at least hung framed black-and-white photos along the walls in an effort to decorate it, but I didn't really consider pictures of vases and leafless trees â€Å"art.† Tonight, however, someone had managed to transform the normally boring commons into a bona fide dining room. Vases spilling over with crimson roses and delicate white lilies. Glowing candles. Tablecloths made of – wait for it – bloodred linen. The effect was gorgeous. It was hard to believe this was the same place I usually ate chicken patty sandwiches in. It looked fit for, well, a queen. The tables had been arranged in straight lines, creating an aisle down the middle of the room. We had assigned seating, and naturally, I couldn't sit anywhere near Lissa. She sat in the front with the other Moroi; I was in the back with the novices. But she did catch my eye when I entered and flashed me a smile. She'd borrowed a dress from Natalie – blue, silky, and strapless – that looked amazing with her pale features. Who'd known Natalie owned anything so good? It made my sweater lose a few cool points. They always conducted these formal banquets in the same way. A head table sat on a dais at the front of the room, where we could all ooh and ahh and watch Queen Tatiana and other royals eat dinner. Guardians lined the walls, as stiff and formal as statues. Dimitri stood among them, and a weird feeling twisted my stomach as I recalled what had happened in the gym. His eyes stared straight ahead, as if focusing on nothing and everything in the room at once. When the time came for the royals' entrance, we all stood up respectfully and watched as they walked down the aisle. I recognized a few, mostly those who had children attending the Academy. Victor Dashkov was among them, walking slowly and with a cane. While I was happy to see him, I cringed to watch each agonizing step he took toward the front of the room. Once that group had passed, four solemn guardians with red-and-black-pin-striped jackets entered the commons. Everyone but the guardians along the walls sank to our knees in a silly show of loyalty. What a lot of ceremony and posturing, I thought wearily. Moroi monarchs were chosen by the previous monarch from within the royal families. The king or queen couldn't choose one of his or her own direct descendents, and a council from the noble and royal families could dispute the choice with enough cause. That almost never happened, though. Queen Tatiana followed her guards, wearing a red silk dress and matching jacket. She was in her early sixties and had dark gray hair bobbed to her chin and crowned with a Miss America-type tiara. She moved into the room slowly, like she was taking a stroll, four more guardians at her back. She moved through the novices' section fairly quickly, though she did nod and smile here and there. Dhampirs might just be the half-human, illegitimate children of the Moroi, but we trained and dedicated our lives to serving and protecting them. The likelihood was strong that many of us gathered here would die young, and the queen had to show her respect for that. When she got to the Moroi section, she paused longer and actually spoke to a few students. It was a big deal to be acknowledged, mostly a sign that someone's parents had gotten in good with her. Naturally, the royals got the most attention. She didn't really say much to them that was all that interesting, mostly just a lot of fancy words. â€Å"Vasilisa Dragomir.† My head shot up. Alarm coursed through the bond at the sound of her name. Breaking protocol, I pushed out of my position and wiggled over to get a better view, knowing no one would notice me when the queen herself had personally singled out the last of the Dragomirs. Everyone was eager to see what the monarch had to say to Lissa the runaway princess. â€Å"We heard you had returned. We are glad to have the Dragomirs back, even though only one remains. We deeply regret the loss of your parents and your brother; they were among the finest of the Moroi, their deaths a true tragedy.† I'd never really understood the royal â€Å"we† thing, but otherwise, everything sounded okay. â€Å"You have an interesting name,† she continued. â€Å"Many heroines in Russian fairy tales are named Vasilisa. Vasilisa the Brave, Vasilisa the Beautiful. They are different young women, all having the same name and the same excellent qualities: strength, intelligence, discipline, and virtue. All accomplish great things, triumphing over their adversaries. â€Å"Likewise, the Dragomir name commands its own respect. Dragomir kings and queens have ruled wisely and justly in our history. They have used their powers for miraculous ends. They have slain Strigoi, fighting right alongside their guardians. They are royal for a reason.† She waited a moment, letting the weight of her words sink in. I could feel the mood changing in the room, as well as the surprise and shy pleasure creeping out from Lissa. This would shake the social balance. We could probably expect a few wannabes trying to get in good with Lissa tomorrow. â€Å"Yes,† Tatiana continued, â€Å"you are doubly named with power. Your names represent the finest qualities people have to offer and hearken back in time to deeds of greatness and valor.† She paused a moment. â€Å"But, as you have demonstrated, names do not make a person. Nor do they have any bearing on how that person turns out.† And with that verbal slap in the face, she turned away and continued her procession. A collective shock filled the room. I briefly contemplated and then dismissed any attempts at jumping into the aisle and tackling the queen. Half a dozen guardians would have me down on the floor before I'd even taken five steps. So I sat impatiently through dinner, all the while feeling Lissa's absolute mortification. When the post-dinner reception followed, Lissa made a beeline for the doors leading out to the courtyard. I followed, but got delayed having to weave around and avoid the mingling, socializing people. She'd wandered outside to an adjacent courtyard, one that matched the Academy's grand external style. A roof of carved, twisting wood covered the garden, with little holes here and there to let in some light, but not enough to cause damage to Moroi. Trees, leaves now gone for the winter, lined the area and guarded paths leading out to other gardens, courtyards, and the main quadrangle. A pond, also emptied for the winter, lay in a corner, and standing over it was an imposing statue of St. Vladimir himself. Carved of gray rock, he wore long robes and had a beard and mustache. Rounding a corner, I stopped when I saw Natalie had beaten me to Lissa. I considered interrupting but stepped back before they could see me. Spying might be bad, but I was suddenly very curious to hear what Natalie had to say to Lissa. â€Å"She shouldn't have said that,† Natalie said. She wore a yellow dress similar in cut to Lissa's, but somehow lacked the grace and poise to make it look as good. Yellow was also a terrible color on her. It clashed with her black hair, which she'd put up into an off-center bun. â€Å"It wasn't right,† she went on. â€Å"Don't let it bother you.† â€Å"Kind of late for that.† Lissa's eyes were locked firmly on the stone walkway below. â€Å"She was wrong.† â€Å"She's right,† Lissa exclaimed. â€Å"My parents†¦and Andre†¦they would have hated me for what I did.† â€Å"No, they wouldn't have.† Natalie spoke in a gentle voice. â€Å"It was stupid to run away. Irresponsible.† â€Å"So what? You made a mistake. I make mistakes all the time. The other day, I was doing this assignment in science, and it was for chapter ten, and I'd actually read chapter elev – † Natalie stopped herself and, in a remarkable show of restraint, got herself back on track. â€Å"People change. We're always changing, right? You aren't the same as you were then. I'm not the same as I was then.† Actually, Natalie seemed exactly the same to me, but that didn't bother me so much anymore. She'd grown on me. â€Å"Besides,† she added, â€Å"was running away really a mistake? You must have done it for a reason. You must have gotten something out of it, right? There was a lot of bad stuff going on with you, wasn't there? With your parents and your brother. I mean, maybe it was the right thing to do.† Lissa hid a smile. Both of us were pretty sure Natalie was trying to find out why we had left – just like everyone else in the school. She sort of sucked at being sneaky. â€Å"I don't know if it was, no,† Lissa answered. â€Å"I was weak. Andre wouldn't have run away. He was so good. Good at everything. Good at getting along with people and all that royal crap.† â€Å"You're good at that too.† â€Å"I guess. But I don't like it. I mean, I like people†¦but most of what they do is so fake. That's what I don't like.† â€Å"Then don't feel bad about not getting involved,† Natalie said. â€Å"I don't hang out with all those people either, and look at me. I'm just fine. Daddy says he doesn't care if I hang out with the royals or not. He just wants me to be happy.† â€Å"And that,† I said, finally making my appearance, â€Å"is why he should be ruling instead of that bitch of a queen. He got robbed.† Natalie nearly jumped ten feet. I felt pretty confident her vocabulary of swear words mostly consisted of â€Å"golly† and â€Å"darn.† â€Å"I wondered where you were,† said Lissa. Natalie looked back and forth between us, suddenly seeming a little embarrassed to be right between the best-friends dream team. She shifted uncomfortably and tucked some messy hair behind her ear. â€Å"Well†¦I should go find Daddy. I'll see you back in the room.† â€Å"See you,† said Lissa. â€Å"And thanks.† Natalie hurried off. â€Å"Does she really call him ? ®Daddy'?† Lissa cut me a look. â€Å"Leave her alone. She's nice.† â€Å"She is, actually. I heard what she said, and as much as I hate to admit it, there was nothing there I could really make fun of. It was all true.† I paused. â€Å"I'll kill her, you know. The queen, not Natalie. Screw the guardians. I'll do it. She can't get away with that.† â€Å"God, Rose! Don't say that. They'll arrest you for treason. Just let it go.† â€Å"Let it go? After what she said to you? In front of everyone?† She didn't answer or even look at me. Instead, she toyed absentmindedly with the branches of a scraggly bush that had gone dormant for the winter. There was a vulnerable look about her that I recognized – and feared. â€Å"Hey.† I lowered my voice. â€Å"Don't look like that. She doesn't know what she's talking about, okay? Don't let this get you down. Don't do anything you shouldn't.† She glanced back up at me. â€Å"It's going to happen again, isn't it?† she whispered. Her hand, still clutching the tree, began to tremble. â€Å"Not if you don't let it.† I tried to look at her wrists without being too obvious. â€Å"You haven't?†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No.† She shook her head and blinked back tears. â€Å"I haven't wanted to. I was upset after the fox, but it's been okay. I like the coasting thing. I miss seeing you, but everything's been all right. I like†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She paused. I could hear the word forming in her mind. â€Å"Christian.† â€Å"I wish you couldn't do that. Or wouldn't.† â€Å"Sorry. Do I need to give you the Christian's-a-psychopathic-loser talk again?† â€Å"I think I've got it memorized after the last ten times,† she muttered. I started to launch into number eleven when I heard the sound of laughter and the clatter of high heels on stone. Mia walked toward us with a few friends in tow but no Aaron. Immediately my defenses snapped on. Internally, Lissa was still shaken over the queen's comments. Sorrow and humiliation were swirling inside of her. She felt embarrassed over what others must think of her now and kept thinking about how her family would have hated her for running away. I didn't believe that, but it felt real to her, and her dark emotions churned and churned. She was not okay, no matter how casual she'd just tried to act, and I was worried she might do something reckless. Mia was the last person she needed to see right now. â€Å"What do you want?† I demanded. Mia smiled haughtily at Lissa and ignored me, taking a few steps forward. â€Å"Just wanted to know what it's like to be so important and so royal. You must be so excited that the queen talked to you.† Giggles surfaced from the gathering group. â€Å"You're standing too close.† I stepped between them, and Mia flinched a little, possibly still worried I might break her arm. â€Å"And hey at least the queen knew her name, which is more than I can say for you and your wannabe-royal act. Or your parents.† I could see the pain that caused her. Man, she wanted to be royal so badly. â€Å"At least I see my parents,† she retorted. â€Å"At least I know who they both are. God only knows who your father is. And your mom's one of the most famous guardians around, but she couldn't care less about you either. Everyone knows she never visits. Probably was glad when you were gone. If she even noticed.† That hurt. I clenched my teeth. â€Å"Yeah, well, at least she's famous. She really does advise royals and nobles. She doesn't clean up after them.† I heard one of her friends snicker behind her. Mia opened her mouth, no doubt to unleash one of the many retorts she'd had to accumulate since the story started going around, when the lightbulb suddenly went off in her head. â€Å"It was you,† she said, eyes wide. â€Å"Someone told me Jesse'd started it, but he couldn't have known anything about me. He got it from you. When you slept with him.† Now she was really starting to piss me off. â€Å"I didn't sleep with him.† Mia pointed at Lissa and glared back at me. â€Å"So that's it, huh? You do her dirty work because she's too pathetic to do it herself. You aren't always going to be able to protect her,† she warned. â€Å"You aren't safe either.† Empty threats. I leaned forward, making my voice as menacing as possible. In my current mood, it wasn't difficult. â€Å"Yeah? Try and touch me now and find out.† I hoped she would. I wanted her to. We didn't need her messed-up vendetta in our lives just now. She was a distraction – one I very much wanted to punch right now. Looking past her, I saw Dimitri move out into the garden, eyes searching for something – or someone. I had a pretty good idea who it was. When he saw me, he strode forward, shifting his attention when he noticed the crowd gathered around us. Guardians can smell a fight a mile away. Of course, a six-year-old could have smelled this fight. Dimitri stood beside me and crossed his arms. â€Å"Everything all right?† â€Å"Sure thing, Guardian Belikov.† I smiled as I said it, but I was furious. Raging, even. This whole Mia confrontation had only made Lissa feel worse. â€Å"We were just swapping family stories. Ever heard Mia's? It's fascinating.† â€Å"Come on,† said Mia to her followers. She led them off, but not before she'd given me one last, chilling look. I didn't need to read her mind to know what it said. This wasn't over. She was going to try to get one or both of us back. Fine. Bring it on, Mia. â€Å"I'm supposed to take you back to your dorm,† Dimitri told me drily. â€Å"You weren't about to just start a fight, were you?† â€Å"Of course not,† I said, my eyes still staring at the empty doorway Mia had disappeared through. â€Å"I don't start fights where people can see them.† â€Å"Rose,† groaned Lissa. â€Å"Let's go. Good night, Princess.† He turned, but I didn't move. â€Å"You going to be okay, Liss?† She nodded. â€Å"I'm fine.† It was such a lie, I couldn't believe she had the nerve to try to put it past me. I didn't need the bond to see tears shining in her eyes. We should never have come back to this place, I realized bleakly. â€Å"Liss†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She gave me a small, sad smile and nodded in Dimitri's direction. â€Å"I told you, I'm fine. You've got to go.† Reluctantly, I followed him. He led me out toward the other side of the garden. â€Å"We may need to add an extra training on self-control,† he noted. â€Å"I have plenty of self contr – hey!† I stopped talking as I saw Christian slip past us, moving down the path we'd just come from. I hadn't seen him at the reception, but if Kirova had released me to come tonight, I suppose she would have done the same for him. â€Å"You going to see Lissa?† I demanded, shifting my Mia rage to him. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and gave me that look of bad-boy indifference. â€Å"What if I am?† â€Å"Rose, this isn't the time,† said Dimitri. But it was so the time. Lissa had ignored my warnings about Christian for weeks. It was time to go to the source and stop their ridiculous flirtation once and for all. â€Å"Why don't you just leave her alone? Are you so messed up and desperate for attention that you can't tell when someone doesn't like you?† He scowled. â€Å"You're some crazy stalker, and she knows it. She's told me all about your weird obsession – how you're always hanging out in the attic together, how you set Ralf on fire to impress her. She thinks you're a freak, but she's too nice to say anything.† His face had paled, and something dark churned in his eyes. â€Å"But you aren't too nice?† â€Å"No. Not when I feel sorry for someone.† â€Å"Enough,† said Dimitri, steering me away. â€Å"Thanks for ? ®helping,' then,† snapped Christian, his voice dripping with animosity. â€Å"No problem,† I called back over my shoulder. When we'd gone a little ways, I stole a glance behind me and saw Christian standing just outside the garden. He'd stopped walking and now stood staring down the path that led to Lissa in the courtyard. Shadows covered his face as he thought, and then, after a few moments, he turned around and headed back toward the Moroi dorms.