Oil and Nigeria Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Oil and Nigeria - Research Paper Example This found it into formalizing its trade by joining organizations formed by the colleagues in the oil exporting field in 1977. This also led to the introduction and gazzetting of Nigerian petroleum Production Company in the same year which was owned and managed by the Nigerian government. The shell oil company commenced with the oil production I Aloibiri immediately after discovery leading to attainment of production levels of about 2 million barrels in a day of crude oil. The economic recession that was experienced world wide in the 80’s saw Nigeria income from oil to decline sharply but later on came to regain in the early 2000’s after the economic recovery up to 2.5 million barrels. Nigerian governments have been having developmental programmes among them being raising the oil production to about 4 million barrels in a day. As a result of this trade dominating as a Nigerian only source of accounting to 90% of the gross earnings implying that the other economic factor s that were initially regarded as the countries chief economic activities like farming were no longer paid attention for. Corruption in Nigeria oil There has been a series of corruption activities in the oil industry since the time Nigerians realized the monitorial strength the country has been having. This was brought about mostly by the greed developed by the major stake holders to mass wealth by altering of information and hiding of others (Kurtz 123). Nigeria having being ranked as the eighth largest producing company and its level of corruption especially when it comes to oppressing the public and hence led to a loud outcry through out the country. This led to the current president to take the initiative to provide strategies for ending corruption on oil as a tool to win voted in the upcoming elections. Nigerians oil content has an exemplary content of having a large gasoline content which made it to be a hot cake product especially by the American countries. This therefore att racted many foreign investors into this lucrative business whereby a lot of interests had to exchange hands for them to survive in the industry. Ironically, despite the quantities of money made daily in this field, Nigeria is one of the top countries in Africa to record extremely poor people in the rural areas having more than 100 million of its population surviving on less than 1$ in a day (Koehn 121). It has been an embarrassing figure from the UN statistics when the percentage of the population living in abject poverty in such a nation exceeding 60 %. The major reason was known to be corruption which led to the amassing of wealth by the few greedy and also creating loop holes for the looting of the nation’s natural resources at the expense of the poor citizens. A research by Reuters has shown that despite promises by the government to eliminate corruption and sealing all the loop holes there has been disappearance of resources worth billions of dollars due the corrupt deal s from both the Nigerian leaders and dubious foreign investors. This led to the population going to the streets early this year and protests the countries over involvement in corruption deals. The major cry was the concerned of a prolonged increase in prices of oil in a producing country as a result of the subsidized graft disappearing into the pockets of few greedy leaders .This

Culture And Crime Essay Example for Free

Culture And Crime Essay The crime rate of societies differs with each other. If the crime rates of European countries and American countries were compared, the results would be different. The same is true if countries from the East and West were compared in regards to their crime rates. This can be attributed perhaps to different norms and concepts on crime of different societies, as well as the overall way of life of the people in any given area. If this were analyzed further, it will be noted that culture plays a role in the way that crime is viewed in a given society. This essay deals with the concept of culture, especially in the way that it relates to crime. Culture, Society and Criminality Before juxtaposing crime and culture, however, it would be necessary to define the overly used and abused concept of culture. Generally, culture is the overall pattern of the way of life of a given community of people together with the structures of symbols and meanings that they attach to various aspects of their society. This also includes the morality of the society as well as the collection of acceptable and non-acceptable behaviors (Krober Kluckhohn, 1952). Since the moral system is included here, it impinges upon the conception of what is right, as well as the way that people in a given society view law, together with the commission of crimes. Given that culture affects the overall lifestyle of peoples in a society, it is inevitable that crimes are also affected by culture. For example, in a study conducted by Karstedt (2001), she mentioned that culture has been recognized by criminology as one of the factors influencing crime. The study took note of various social control means in Asian countries with low crime rate such as Japan. Karstedt called for the introduction of methods and ways through which cultures may be effectively compared to study the differences in culture and its impact on crime. By conducting an extensive survey in one of the Southern States in the US, Warner (2003) found out that cultural disorganization affect crimes. Her findings show that a prevailing culture conditioned by disadvantage in the society and the disconnection of social ties have significant impact on the level of social relationships and ties of the community. This in turn impacts informal modes of social control in the society. Without these informal social control, it would the tendency for crimes to be committed becomes stronger. On the other hand, Leonardsen (2002) investigated the apparent anomaly of Japan—an urban country with very low crime rate. In his study, Leonardsen pointed out to apparent loss of too much individualism in Japan while focusing on the overall community. He argued that although the loss of individuality can be seen in Japan, it has much to teach to Western countries, especially regarding identity, obligations and social connections. Conclusion Based on the studies mentioned above, it can be seen that indeed culture has a significant impact on crime. Crime cannot only be prevented through formal means such as law, police force, and the prison system. Rather, there are informal institutions and norms that help prevent or perhaps encourage the occurrence of crime. When social ties are severed and a â€Å"negative† culture of the disadvantaged spawns, social controls are weakened, thus increasing the likelihood of the occurrence of crime. A focus on the community’s norms, however, can result to a more orderly society with low incidence of crime. These studies are congruent with Black’s theory that if the culture and the means of informal social control in a society are weak, then the tendency for that society is to have laws that are more powerful as compared with other societies with stronger social control means (Black, 1976). A combination of effective laws and informal social controls, are however necessary so that order can be kept within the society. Reference Black, D. (1976). The Behavior of Law. San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Karstedt, S. (2001). Comparing Cultures, Comparing Crime: Challenges, Prospects and Problems for a Global Criminology. Crime, Law and Social Change, 36 (3), 285-308. Kroeber, A. L. Kluckhohn, C. (1952). Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions. Cambridge, MA: Peabody Museum. Leonardsen, D. (2002). The Impossible Case of Japan. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 35 (2), 203-229. Warner, B. D. (2003). The Role of Attenuated Culture in Social Disorganization Theory. Criminology, 41 (1), 73-98.

Physical Exercise Reduce Symptoms Depression Health And Social Care Essay

Physical Exercise Reduce Symptoms Depression Health And Social Care Essay The aim of this essay will be to discuss and apply selected evidence related to nursing practice within a chosen field. Evidence based practice is an approach used by clinicians to deliver the highest quality care to meet the needs of patients and their families. By finding appraising and using the best evidence, health professionals are able to achieve optimum outcomes for all. (Melnyk Finout-Overholt 2005). However, an alternative view suggests that evidence exists to inform and guide practice rather than dictate it. (McKenna et Al 1999). When clinicians apply an evidence based model, the best available evidence, modified by patient circumstances and preferences, is applied to improve the quality of clinical judgements. (McMaster Clinical Epidemiology Group 1997) A recognised framework will be used to identify a question and then a systematic literature search will be carried out to assist in answering this question. A copy of this search will be provided and search parameters will be applied to gain the most relevant literature. After applying these parameters the search will be narrowed down to the five most relevant pieces of research. A table will be provided to show the key findings from each piece of literature, and one piece of research will then be critiqued in depth using a recognised framework. The question identified in this essay is Can physical exercise or activity help to reduce the symptoms of depression in older adults, compared to other forms of treatment? Background and Formulation of Question The question was devised using the PICO framework. This framework often is used to formulate clinical questions (Craig Smyth 2002), and it identifies and defines the essential components of a good clinical question. PICO is an acronym for patient population of interest, intervention, comparison intervention and outcome (National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence 2007). Patient population of interest shall be older persons diagnosed with depression, intervention shall be physical exercise or activity, the comparison intervention shall be other forms of treatment for depression and the outcome will be a reduction in the symptoms of depression. A well thought out and formulated question maximises the potential for finding relevant evidence for a patient population (Craig Smyth 2002) Depression in older adults refers to depressive syndromes defined in the American Psychiatric Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) and in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) that arise in people older than age 65 years. In old age, the symptoms of depression often affect people with chronic medical illnesses, cognitive impairment, or disability. (Alexopolous et al 2002). For a major depressive episode to be diagnosed, five of the following symptoms must be present: depressed mood, diminished interest, loss of pleasure in all or almost all activities, weight loss or gain (more than 5% of bodyweight), insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue, feeling of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt, reduced ability to concentrate, recurrent thought of death or suicide. At least one of the symptoms must be either depressed mood or diminished interest or pleasure. The episode should last at least 2 weeks, lead to distress or functional impairment, and not be a direct effect of substance use, a medical condition, or bereavement. (Depression Today 2010). Two of the symptoms detailed above must be present for a minor depressive episode to be diagnosed. Between one and four percent of the general elderly population has major depression, and minor depression has a prevalence of between four and thirteen percent (Blazer 2003). Twice as many women as men are affected. Both the prevalence (Palsson et al 2001) and the incidence (Teresi et al 2001) of major depression double after age 70-85 years. Treatment for depression usually involves a combination of anti depressant drugs, talking therapies such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy or Interpersonal Therapy and self help. (NHS Choices 2010). A recent review concluded that physical exercise programmes can obtain have a beneficial effect on depressive symptoms in older people. Although not appropriate for all older people exercise may improve mood in those undertaking it. (Blake et al 2009) Systematic Literature Search A systematic review of the literature was carried out using the CINAHL and PubMed databases and the search terms depression physical exercise and old* were used. CINAHL was found to be particularly useful as it possible to specify the age group required in the literature search. For the purposes of this search age 65+ was selected. PubMed is the public access version of Medline, a comprehensive database which indexes thousands of journals in the medical sciences field. (TVU 2010a). The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature Indexes virtually all English language journals from 1983 onwards. This database covers midwifery, nursing and related disciplines (TVU 2010b). Initially the searches indicated a vast array of literature but by applying a systematic review this was reduced. By using a logical search strategy with Boolean techniques the number of documents was limited to thirty. These were then reviewed and five articles were then selected which addressed the ques tion of exercise as a form of treatment for older people diagnosed with depression. The search parameters were limited to studies written in the English language, the age and the subjects, and both sexes were to be included. Harvard (2007) suggests that by applying parameters such as these the most up to date and relevant literature can be sourced. A full record of this search history is attached in appendix 1 and 2. A summary of the findings in the five pieces of research selected is detailed in the table overleaf. This table follows a structure recommended by Timmins McCabe (2005). Author and Year Journal Type of Study Purpose Sample Design Data Collection Key Findings Blake et al 2009 Clinical Rehabilitation Qualitative To assess efficacy of physical exercise in 11 trials totalling 641 participants Varied Varied 1 Exercise not relevant 2009; 23: 873-887 systematic treating depression in older adults to all in group review 2 May improve mood 3 further research needed to establish medium to long term effects and cost effectiveness Mather et al 2002 British Journal of Quantitative To determine whether exercise is effective 86 participants split into RCT clinical 1 Modest improvement Psychiatry (2002) as an addition to anti depressants in reducing two groups interview in symptoms after 10 180:411-415 depressive symptoms in older adults weeks 2 older people should be encouraged to attend exercise classes Brenes et al 2007 Aging Mental Health Quantitative To test feasibility and efficacy of exercise and 37 participants, 32 completed RCT structured 1 Both exercise Jan 2007;11(1):61-68 anti depressants compared with usual the study clinical interview and medication were treatments for older adults with observed shown to be statistically minor depression self reporting more effective than current treatment 2 Exercise also aided physical functioning Kerse et al 2010 Annals of Family Quantitative To assess effectiveness of home based 193 participants, 187 completed RCT structured 1 exercise and social Medicine 8:214-223 (2010) physical exercise plan in treating older the study clinical interview visits showed similar adults with depressive symptoms compared effects in improving to social visits mood an quality of life 2 More research is required Blumenthal et al Archives of Internal Quantitative to assess effectiveness of exercise 156 participants RCT structured 1 after 16 weeks 1999 Medicine 159(19) (1999) compared to antidepressants for treatment clinical interview exercise equally effective of major depression in older as anti depressantsCritical Appraisal The following appraisal was structured by using an approved and recognised framework for completing such tasks. (Polit et al. 2001) The article selected for critical appraisal is Effects of exercise on depressive symptoms in older adults with poorly responsive depressive disorder. (Mather et al. 2002). A copy of the article is attached as appendix 2. The aim of the study was to determine whether exercise is effective as an adjunct to antidepressant therapy in reducing depressive symptoms in older people. This was clearly defined. In the introduction the authors stated that it is widely held that exercise is useful in depression, but that there were few studies on the potential effects that exercise may have as an addition to antidepressant therapies for older adults. The key finding of this study was that at ten weeks older people with poorly responsive depressive disorder showed a modest improvement in depressive symptoms and should therefore be encouraged to attend group exercise activities. The study conducted was a randomised controlled trial. Randomised controlled trials are the most rigorous way of determining whether a relation exists between treatment and outcome and for assessing the cost effectiveness of a treatment. (Sibbald Rowland 1998). Patients were randomly selected to attend either exercise classes or health education talks for ten weeks. Assessments were blind and were conducted at baseline, ten and thirty four weeks. The primary outcome was measured with the 17 item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD). HRSD is a multiple choice questionnaire used by clinicians to measure the severity of major depression in patients. (Hamilton 1960). The nature of both interventions is clearly described by the authors. All participants were outpatients recruited from primary care, psychiatric services and direct advertisement. 1885 patients were screened with a view to recruitment, and 86 were selected at random for the study. To be included patients were require d to have symptoms of depression, and to be older than fifty three years of age. In addition patients had to have been receiving antidepressant therapy for at least six weeks, without evidence of a sustained improvement in their condition. Patients were excluded if there was: alcohol or substance misuse, structured psychotherapy in place, or were already taking regular exercise. Patients with specific medical conditions preventing physical exercise were also excluded. Both groups were informed of the nature of the trial, and all patients gave written informed consent. The study was approved by a medical research ethics committee. There were two groups with 43 patients in each and were comparable in terms of age range and symptom presentation. There was however a heavy preponderance of women in the exercise group. The authors suggest that this may have introduced a bias into the results, and suggest a control group could be introduced in the future without either intervention. The outcomes for both groups were measured in the same way by the proportion of participants achieving a greater than thirty percent reduction in HRSD score from baseline. The results are shown in a statistical format and are recorded in a table. There are twenty four references in the report which support the evidence presented by the authors. The implications for the health service are that structured group exercise sessions can help to make a modest improvement in patients who are not responding to pharmacological treatment and that older people with depressive disorders should be encouraged to attend group exercise activities. It should be noted that one of the authors of the research is co-director of a company providing exercise classes for older people and whose profits support research into aging. Review of Literature This review of literature will show how the five main studies and all available literature assist in answering the set question. The first part of this review will concentrate on the five main studies and the second part will contain evidence from a wide range of sources and relate this combined information to government policy and guidelines. There will also be evidence of how all the information relates back to practice. It is well acknowledged that depression is widespread (Osborn et al 2003) and is the most prevalent mental health problem for older people (Age Concern 2007) The condition affects one in five people over 65 and rises to two in five in those over 85 (Mental Health Foundation 2008). The use of exercise to combat depression is well supported due to its effects on enhancing mood, improving cognitive function and reducing anxiety; it is also less expensive than medication (Louch 2008). A literature review was conducted to examine whether exercise could be an effective form of treatment for older adults with depressive symptoms. Article 1 (Blake, Mo, Malik and Thomas 2008) conducted a systematic review of eleven randomized control trials in order to establish whether physical activity interventions were successful in alleviating depressive symptoms in older people. Trials were included in the review when more than 80% of the participants were greater than sixty years old. In nine of the eleven studies short term positive outcomes were found, although the mode, intensity and duration of the exercise program differed across the studies. The medium to long term effects of exercise as an intervention were less clear. This outcome is backed up by Mead et al (2008) who concluded that exercise seems to improve depressive symptoms in people with a diagnosis of depression, but the effects are moderate and not statistically significant. However a randomized controlled trial conducted by Blumenthal et al (1999) (Article 2) had reached different conclusions. One hundred and fifty six men and women aged over fifty were split into groups randomly to a program of aerobic exercise, antidepressants (sertraline hydrochloride) or combined exercise and medication. After sixteen weeks of treatment the patients did not differ significantly statistically either on Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression or Beck Depression Inventory scores. The study concluded that antidepressant medication had the most rapid effect, but after sixteen weeks exercise was equally effective in reducing symptoms of major depressive disorder. Article 3 (Brenes et al 1999) conducted a pilot study designed as a randomized clinical trial to test the feasibility and efficacy of an exercise program and antidepressant treatment compared with usual care in improving emotional and physical functioning in older adults with minor depression. A total of thirty seven participants aged over sixty five were randomized to treatment: fourteen to exercise, eleven to sertraline and twelve to usual care. Patients who received either exercise or sertraline treatments demonstrated improvement both in clinician led and self reported measures of depressive symptoms. Those participants who received the usual package care experienced small or no improvement in mental state. There are some limitations to this study however. The sample size was small and thus the statistical power was weak. The diagnosis of minor depression was based on self diagnosis rather than clinical interview. It was also not stated in the report what the usual care was. Ther e were however significant trends to suggest that sertraline and exercise could be used as treatments for mild depression in older adults, and that a more in depth study should be undertaken. Article 4 (Kerse et al 2010) published a study comparing the effects of a home based exercise program with regular social contact in improving function, quality of life and mood in older people with depressive symptoms. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in which one hundred and ninety three people aged over seventy five with depressive symptoms received either an individualized physical activity program or social visits delivered over six months. The social visits were of the same time span as the exercise program. Outcome measures were obtained at three, six and twelve months. Both physical and mental well being was measured using a variety of techniques including a short function test, and the Nottingham Extended Activities of Daily Living Scale (Nouri Lincoln 1987). It was concluded that a structured activity program improved mood and quality of life for older people with depressive symptoms as much as the effect of social visits. There was however no control group bein g measured that was receiving usual care. Article 5 (Mather et al 2002) set out to determine whether exercise is effective as an adjunct to antidepressant therapy in reducing depressive symptoms in older people. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in which eighty six participants aged between fifty three and ninety one already receiving anti depressant therapy were given either exercise classes or health education talks over a ten week period. Assessments were made blind at baseline, ten and thirty four weeks using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression as the primary outcome. At ten weeks a significantly higher proportion of the exercise group (55% compared with 33%) experienced a greater than 30% decline in depression. In an article in The British Journal of Psychiatry in 2002, Jagadheesan et al critiqued this study and stated that it could have been more meaningful if a control group had been added which received no additional treatment other than continuing antidepressants. (Jagadheesan et al 2002). The majority of research above suggests that physical exercise reduces depression and depressive symptoms in the short term in older adults, but additional well controlled studies are required to determine the long term efficacy. A systematic review carried out by Sjosten Kivela supports these findings (Sjosten Kivela 2002). Direct comparisons between studies is difficult as they differ greatly in characteristics, nature of control comparison group, age of the participants, type and intensity of exercise and outcome measures used to follow up. National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines are set out to assist clinicians and patients in making decisions about appropriate treatment for specific conditions. The guidelines for depression suggest that for particularly for patients with mild or moderate depressive disorders, structured and supervised exercise can be an effective intervention that has a clinically significant impact on depressive symptoms. There is also evidence to suggest that individuals with low mood may also benefit from structured and supervised exercise. (NICE 2005). Conclusion Physical exercise is clinically beneficial in the short term for treatment of depressive symptoms in older people. Exercise, although not appropriate for all older persons with depression, may improve mood in this group. Evidence of the cost effectiveness of providing exercise interventions would be beneficial in helping decision making regarding service use and delivery. More well designed research studies are needed to examine the medium and long term benefits of exercise as a treatment for depressive symptoms in older adults, and to examine the types and duration of interventions that have the most positive effect. Word Count 3008 References Age Concern (2007) Mental Health Services Letting Down Older People. [On Line] Available at http://www.ageuk.org.uk/ [Accessed 12 May 2010] London: Age Concern. Alexopoulos, G.S., Buckwalter, K., Olin, J., Martinez, R., Wainscott, C., Krishnan, K.R. (2002) Comorbidity of late-life depression: an opportunity for research in mechanisms and treatment. Biol Psychiatry 2002; 52:543-58. Blake, H., Mo, P., Malik, S., Thomas, S. (2009) How Effective are Physical Activity Interventions for Alleviating Depressive Symptoms in Older People? A Systematic Review Clinical Rehabilitation 2009; 23: 873-887 Blazer, D.G. (2003) Depression in late life: review and commentary. J Gerontol Med Sci 2003; 56A: 249-65. Blumenthal, J.A., Babyak, M.A., Moore, K.A., Craighead, E., Herman, S., Khatri, P., Waugh, R., Napolitano, M.A., Forman, L.M., Appelbaum, M., Doraiswamy, P.M., Krishnan, K.R., (1999) Effects of Exercise Training on Older patients with Major Depression Archives Of Internal Medicine Vol. 159 No.19, October 25, 1999 Brenes, G.A., Williamson, J.D., Messier, S.P., Rejeski, W.J., Pahor, M., Ip, E., Penninx, J.H. (2007) Treatment of Minor Depression in Older Adults: A Pilot Study Comparing Sertraline and Exercise Aging Mental Health, January 2007; 11(1): 61-68 Craig, J.V. (2002). How to ask the right question. In J.V. Craig R.L. Smyth (Eds.), Evidence-based practice manual for nurses (pp. 21-44). Philadelphia: Churchill Livingstone. Depression Today (2010) DSM IV [Online] Available at http://www.mental-health-today.com/dep/dsm.htm [Accessed 8 May 2010] Hamilton, M (1960) A rating scale for depression. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry. 23: 56-62 Harvard, L. (2007) How to conduct an effective and valid literature search. Nursing Times 103, (45), 32-33 Jagadheesan, K., Chakraborty, S., Sinha, V.K., Nizamie, S.H. (2002) Effects of Exercise on Depression in Old Age The British Journal of Psychiatry (2002) 181: 532 Kerse, N., Hayman, K.J., Moyes, S.A., Peri, K., Robinson, E., Dowell, A., Kolt, G.S., Elley, C.R., Hatcher, S., Kiata, E., Wiles, J., Keeling, S., Parsons, J., Arroll B., (2010) Home-Based Activity Program for Older People With Depressive Symptoms: DeLLITE A Randomized Controlled Trial Annals of Family Medicine 8:214-223 (2010) Louch, P. (2008) Depression in Primary Care [On Line] Available at http://www.depression-primarycare.co.uk/ [Accessed 14 May 2010] Mather, A.S., Rodriguez, C., McMurdo, M.E.T. (2002) Effects of Exercise on Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults with Poorly Responsive Depressive Disorder The British Journal of Psychiatry (2002) 180: 411-415 McKenna, H., Cutliffe, J., McKenna, P., (1999) Evidence-based practice: demolishing some myths. Nursing Standard. 14, 16, 39-42. Date of acceptance: November 15 1999. McMaster Clinical Epidemiology Group (1997) Evidence Based Practice Resources [On Line] Available at http://hsl.mcmaster.ca/resources/topic/eb/nurse.html [Accessed 20 May 2010] Mead, G.E., Morley, W., Campbell, P., Greig, C.A., McMurdo, M., Lawlor, D.A. (2008) Exercise for depression. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008. Issue 4. Art. No. CD004366.   Melnyk, B. M., Fineout-Overholt, E. (2005). Evidence-based practice in nursing healthcare: A guide to best practice. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Mental Health Foundation (2007) Depression and Suicide in Later Life [On Line] Available at http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/information/mental-health-a-z/depression-and-suicide-in-later-life/?locale=en [Accessed 12 May 2010] London: Mental Health Foundation National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (2005) Depression: Management of depression in primary and secondary care National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence National Institute for Clinical Excellence (2007) Developing Clinical Questions [Online] Available at: http://www.nice.org.uk/niceMedia/pdf/GuidelinesManualChapter5.pdf [Accessed 8 May 2010] NHS Choices (2010) Treating Depression [On Line] Available at http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/depression/pages/treatment.aspx [Accessed 16 May 2010] Nouri, F.M. Lincoln, N.B. (1987) An Extended Activities of Daily Living Index for stroke patients. Clinical Rehabilitation 1987; 1:301-5. Osborn, P.J., Fletcher, A.E., Smeeth, L., Stirling, S., Bulpitt, C., Nunes, M., Breeze, E., Edmond, S.W.Ng., Jones, D., Tulloch, A. (2003) Performance of a single screening question for depression in a representative sample of 13,670 people aged 75 and over in the UK: Results from the MRC trial of assessment and management of older people in the community. Family Practice; 20: 6, 682-684 Palsson, S., Ostling, S., Skoog, I. (2001) The incidence of first onset depression in a population followed from the age of 70 to 85.Psychol Med 2001; 31: 1159-68. Polit, D.F., Beck, C.T., and Hungler, B.P. (2001) Essentials of nursing research methods, appraisal and utilisation. (5th Ed.) Philadelphia; Lippincott. Sibbald, B. Roland, M. (1998) Understanding controlled trials: Why are randomised controlled trials important? BMJ 1998; 316:201 (17  January) Sjosten, N., Kivela, S.L., (2006) The effects of physical exercise on depressive symptoms among the aged: a systematic review. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006 May; 21(5):410-8 Teresi, J., Abrams, R., Holmes, D., Ramirez, M., Eimicke, J. (2001) Prevalence of depression and depression recognition in nursing homes. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2001; 36: 613-29. Thames Valley University (2010a) Library Services Databases A-Z [Online] Available at: http://lrs.tvu.ac.uk/eresources/atozlist.jsp?id= [Accessed 2nd May 2010] Thames Valley University (2010b) Library Services Databases A-Z [Online] Available at: http://lrs.tvu.ac.uk/eresources/atozlist.jsp?id= [Accessed 2nd May 2010] Timmins, F. McCabe, C. (2005) How to conduct an effective literature search Nursing Standard November 23: vol 20 no 11 Appendix 1 Copies of Search Strategies

Existents In Alfian Saats Umbrella :: Alfian Saat Umbrella Papers

Existents In Alfian Sa'at's Umbrella In the short story "Umbrella", the author Alfian Sa'at relates the tale of a young Malay Singaporean secondary school student, Hafiz. Alfian uses an older Hafiz as the narrator who recounts his experiences retaking his 'O' levels for the second time. Hafiz tells us about his relationship with Chris, a tuition teacher hired by his father to help him pass his examinations. I feel that "Umbrella" is essentially a story about the imposition of certain norms and standards on members of society. It tells us how students are conscious of the need to fulfill society's notion of success. Through Hafiz's eyes, we are led to see how he is trapped in this system that forces certain standards upon him but yet does not give him the appropriate training and skills to reach the standards. Thus, Hafiz is unable to fit into the identity that he is pressured to accept. We also see how Hafiz himself desires to achieve success as society perceives it, but finally realizes his true identity and comes to terms with it, even though it may not be the norm. However, how does "Umbrella" cause such an effect on the reader? What tools are being utilized in the narrative that can invoke such feelings? I believe that the author uses what Seymour Chatman calls existents to bring out such an effect on readers. Thus, in this essay we will seek to discover how existents, namely charac ter and setting, are employed to draw out such an effect. Firstly, let us look at character. Tzvetan Torodov, a French structuralist, discusses two categories of narrative. He labels them as apsychological and psychological narratives. By apsychological, Torodov means narratives that are plot centered and by psychological, character centered (Chatman 113). Readers can discern that "Umbrella" is essentially psychological in nature. Most of the story takes place in Hafiz's room and is generally presented through the conversations between Hafiz and Chris and through Hafiz's thoughts. There are few characters in this story. We have the protagonist Hafiz and his tuition teacher Chris as the two main leads. Along with them are less important characters such as Hafiz's parents and a certain maths relief teacher. Chatman emphasizes that characters are important to a narrative and they should not be treated as "mere plot functions" (119). As such, these characters must play a crucial role in bringing out the effect of the narrative, and we will seek to decipher how this is done.

Argument Essay Essay

As students we all have been challenged to do our best. Throughout our lives we have been labeled with our grades; in high school, the ones with low grades were left alone in misery, while the ones with higher grades were praised as the leaders of this horse race. Then, the question that comes into mind is: is it right to categorize students, does grading contribute to educationa? It is assumed and stated in the philosophy of the current educational system that grading encourages learning and without it students would not study. That is far from being true and also expresses another flaw of our education system. The system is based on fear: the basic motive for students to study is fear of low grades. Furthermore, because the grades are the main criteria for passing courses, students do not study: they just develop methods of cheating. Thus, without learning the subject, they keep passing. Since grades received in exams are more important than learning the subject matter, all students have to do to pass their courses is memorize how a specific problem is solved. Without knowing why such a method is used, students cannot apply their ability to solve the problem to daily life. However, they pass exams without learning why, how or what of the matter. Another disadvantage of grading is that grades of a student are not updated. That means the grades of a student for the first year of school will still be valid in the last year, whether his knowledge about the subject has improved or deteriorated. Considering all the factors that affect a student’s exams and marks, even a small incident may have a great impact in the long run. Apart from these problems, which can be virtually solved by optimizing and improving the grading system, the most important defect of the system cannot be repaired without changing the whole system. The grading system causes inequalities, superior-inferior relations, classifications and even conflicts. It may be maintained that societies of the modern world are structured on these basic principles, but the fact that something exists does not justify it. Moreover, the people grown up in such an education system will not be able to see the other side of the walls, or will be afraid even to take a glimpse. To sum up, grading students is not a good practice and should be abolished. It is clear that education, especially education during childhood, has a great effect on one’s life. And if you bring the children up in conditions of conflict and competition, they will look for conflicts in the future too.

Sign Language Essays - Deafness, Deaf Culture, Sign Language

Sign Language Essays - Deafness, Deaf Culture, Sign Language Sign language Lab Report: Beginning ASL 3 & 4 Sign language is a method of communication of which I am becoming more and more familiar. This is in great part to a series of videos I am currently watching entitled ?The Bravo Family,? Beginning ASL 1-15. I have recently finished watching videos three and four. I have discovered there are many things that I did not know concerning such topics as the culture and grammar of the deaf community. I feel these are two aspects which deserve an abundance of credit and require a large amount of studying. The culture of the deaf community is still thriving and continues to grow in strength. This in spite of the years of suppression that people have enforced on these unique individuals. Technology has extended a great helping hand to all mankind, especially those of a deaf nature. Flashing lights are becoming a very useful tool in deaf peoples homes. For example, to help accommodate the special needs of those who can not hear the telephone or doorbell ring, systems can be installed into someone?s home which alerts them of someone?s presence at the door or on the phone. The flashing light is also used to help wake people up in the morning; alarm clocks can also be connected to the lights. There are also dogs that are trained for sounds. For years blind people have used these animals to help get them from one place to another. Now the people in the deaf community can use canines to help alert them of sounds or noises. Another grateful tool that is used to help the special needs of those who can not hear is a device known as a TTY or TDD. This is a device that helps two people communicate over the phone lines by typing on a machine. The message is transmitted over the phone lines and received by another person on the other line. The problem with this was communicating between a deaf person with a TTY and hearing person without one. To solve this problem many states offer what is known as a relay station. This is where a deaf person can type a message on a TTY, the message is run through a relay station, and the hearing person on the other line hears a voice which states the message. The opposite is also possible. A hearing person on one line says something. It runs through the relay station and is transmitted to the TTY in a typed statement. There is also the entertainment aspect of the culture. The TV set is a universal tool of education and entertainment. Almost all TV?s and stations offer closed captioning. This is a great service which scrolls white letters on a black background across the bottom of the screen. People can see what is being said and still watch a program. Another aspect of entertainment which is greatly incorporated with culture is folklore and storytelling. ASL incorporates very creative storytelling with body language, facial expressions, and the numbering system in number story telling. In this form of relaying a story numbers represent people, actions, or things. It is very entertaining to watch someone tell a story using numbers. As you can see the culture of deaf people runs deep and involves a great many things. The technical aspect of ASL is just as important as understanding the culture. Proper grammar is essential when communicating with other people. In ASL you are required to put the negative at the end of a sentence rather than first. This is opposite, in form, of English. Another rule of grammar is known as the topic comment rule. This states that the topic is established first and then what you want to say about the topic, the comment, is stated last. These rules are very important and can not be overlooked. I thoroughly enjoyed these two videos over The Bravo family. I learned new signs for oven, living room, couch, onions, shop, and many more. I am looking forward to watching more videos and learning more signs. The culture of deaf people is amazing to me and although the grammar is difficult for me to understand I plan to stick with it and learn and apply all or most of the rules.