Service Quality and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Service Quality and Leadership - Essay Example revealed that comprehending the novel distribution, as well as marketing trends currently will help businesses to make better decisions and reach more individuals. I have learned that when companies want to prepare their online stratagems, hoteliers usually approach companies who have the capacity to guide them on selecting the top trends that their businesses can follow. These include mobile, conversations on social media, along with channel management where a number of the most important trends for the hospitality industry are emerging. I have come to ascertain that the mobile trend is the primary reason as to why communications have turned out to be increasingly individualized and client-customized. This trend can refer to not just smartphones that have the capacity to access the Internet. Perceptibly, hoteliers are supposed to take mobile into consideration as a significant marketing channel, but ought to additionally be conscious of the trend to develop on-property in the midst of the introduction of NFC, along with additional device-activated services. The hospitality service industry has been able to make use of the mobile trend by starting with an optimized website for mobile along with booking engine that consider client experience across manifold mobile pieces of equipment, counting tablets. Companies today make the most out of the mobile trend with an exceptional website that is specifically designed to obtain mobile guests to whatever they are looking for swiftly and effectively with the capacity to have bookings on various pages. The hospitality service industry thinks of the mobile trend as its individual channel so that companies have the aptitude to present special rates, endorsements, product depictions, in addition to the tracking particularly for these marketplaces. Most hospitality companies function with websites that have geo-locality services, for instance, Gowalla and Foursquare to give promotions. Companies also take part in free

Right and choices for individuals with dementia Essay Example for Free

Right and choices for individuals with dementia Essay Human Rights Act 1998 Under this act residents of the United Kingdom are entitled to seek help from the UK courts if they believe that their human rights have been infringed. The human rights act guarantees: †¢The Right to life †¢The right to freedom from torture and inhuman or degrading punishment †¢The right to freedom from slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour †¢The right to liberty and security of person †¢The right to a fair and public trial within a reasonable time †¢The right to freedom from retrospective criminal law and no punishment without law †¢The right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence †¢The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion †¢The right to freedom of expression †¢The right to freedom of assembly and association †¢The right to marry and found a family †¢The prohibition of discrimination in the enjoyment of convention rights †¢The right to peaceful enjoyment of possessions and protection of property †¢The right to access to an education †¢The right to free elections †¢The right not to be subjected to the death penalty see more:describe how a conflict of interest can be addressed between carer and individual with dementia Because of the introduction of the Human Rights Act, the Government had to show commitment to protecting the most vulnerable adults as well as children so now that everyone can access their rights. In the Health care sector lots of organisations are covered by the Human Rights Act. Anyone working in health and care will be working within the requirements of the legislation on a daily basis. The act is about respecting and promoting the rights of individual people. Within social care making sure peoples’ rights are protected is a key part of your professional role. Just because an individual has dementia does not mean they don’t have the same human rights  as anyone else. Their rights are not any less important just because they are unable to defend them. The act clarifies exactly how public services should be delivered and interpreted and ensures that the people delivering the service know what their responsibilities are. The legislation states that all public bodies ensure that human rights are at the core of their day to day work. Equality Act 2010 The Equality Act sets out the different ways in which it is unlawful to treat someone, such as direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, victimisation and failing to make a reasonable adjustment for a disabled person. This act replaces many other previous acts and protects different kinds of people under just one act. †¢Age †¢disability †¢gender reassignment †¢marriage and civil partnership †¢pregnancy and maternity †¢race †¢religion or belief †¢sex †¢sexual orientation The equality act helps protect people with dementia by ensuring they can maintain their independence by enabling them to continue to work for as long as possible. The Act ensures that employers must make reasonable adjustments to enable and individual to do their job and ensure that they cannot be discriminated against because of their condition. Mental Capacity Act 2005 The primary purpose of the MCA is to promote and safeguard decision-making within a legal framework. By empowering people to make decisions for themselves wherever possible and by protecting people who lack capacity by providing a flexible framework that places individuals at the heart of the decision making process By allowing people to plan ahead for a time in the future when they might lack the capacity for any number of reasons This Act is very important for people with dementia. Because of the MCA people must  now have the opportunity to consider and make decisions for themselves wherever possible. Just because an individual has dementia it should not be assumed that they cannot make decisions. It is not the outcome of the decision that a person makes that is looked at but the persons ability to go through the process of making the decisions. Deprivation of Liverty Safeguards (Dols) These safeguards are in place to ensure that assessments are carried out before anyone can be detained in hospital, residential care or any other facility ensuring that someone who is unable to give or refuse consent cannot be detained. People that do have their liberty restricted must have a Relevant Person Representative. This is usually a family member or friend. Their role is to ensure that the persons rights are respected and that they understand as much as they possibly can why their liberty is being restricted. Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 The SVG act is intended to prevent unsuitable people from working with vulnerable people and to reform current vetting and barring practices. Mental Health Act 2007  This act protects the rights of people in England and Wales who are assessed as having a mental disorder including dementia. If an individual is considered to be in danger or harming themselves or others then they can be detained or sectioned under the mental health act. The act also allows individuals to appoint someone as their guardian to make decisions on their behalf. Previously this would have been the nearest relative, now an individual can request someone they want. 1.2 Here at Omega Oak Barn and in any other organisation that you might work in there will be policies and procedures in place to ensure that peoples right are protected and that you are working within the law and national guidelines. This is called a Duty of Care and it is there to ensure that people can make their own choices and decisions about how they want to live, it does not mean taking their rights away and wrapping them up in cotton wool. As a duty of care you should ensure an individual has their needs met whilst if they have capacity they have the right to refuse help if they wish  too even if you don’t agree with their choice. Within the social care field in the UK we have what is called Codes of Practice for both employers and the workforce/carers. For employees these are a list of statements set out to ensure that the best practice and professional standards are achieved by care works as they go about their duty. They Codes of Practice for employers sets out the responsibilities they have in the regulation of social care workers. Employers must follow the standards set out in the codes and help employees to follow there codes. If employees are not meeting the codes and standards then employers must take action. I think that the codes of practice are a good idea. It sets out for everyone just exactly what they should be doing. Explaining what is expected of them. This helps to ensure that all service users receive the same treatment and a higher standard of care. If it wasn’t in place employers and employees would treat people how they thought was correct rather than letting them have their own opinions. Rights covered by code of practice: Confidentiality Diversity and respect for differences Right take risks Equality in care practice Anti-discriminatory practice Control over own life, choice and independence Dignity and privacy Effective communication In the UK we also have what is known as National Minimum Standards. In England we have the Care Quality Commission. They are responsible for inspecting all social care facilities to make sure they comply with the standards. There are different types of standards for different types of services. The standards set out the minimum quality of care that an individual can expect to receive for an organisation and also sets out that they have to provide information there services that is easy to understand so that service users know the level of care they should expect to receive. This is important as it ensures that people know the minimum standards. If they know what they are expected to receive then they know if the service is failing them or not meeting the proper requirements so then they can make a  complaint. The national minimum standards also help care workers as they set out what should be delivered to the service user in your work setting. Here at Omega Oak Barn we also have policies and procedures in place to ensure the rights and choices of individuals that we care for. Moving and Handling – this sets out how people should be moved and handled, using aids such as hoists or slide sheets where needed ensuring that the service user and ourselves are not injured in anyway. All staff must receive training in moving and handling before they attempt to assist somebody. This is an important policy as it ensures that no one gets hurt. If it wasn’t in place carers could seriously injure themselves or someone else by pulling them about or not know correct techniques. Policy and guidelines for medication – This is an extremely important policy as it sets out how medication should be stored, how it should be administered and who can administer it, how it should be recorded on MAR sheets and how it should be disposed of. It also explains how individuals have a right to refuse medication. If this policy didn’t exist medication could fall into the wrong hands, the wrong individual could end up taking it or an individual may administer something when they are not trained to do so. Confidentiality – this sets out how an individuals’ confidentiality can be protected Whistleblowing – this is another important policy. It explains what you can do if you are concerned about an individual. Such as about how they are being cared for or perhaps if you suspect abuse. It explains what procedures to go through and who you can talk to about it. This is of great importance. It ensures that everyone knows the correct procedure, ensuring that everybodys welfare is protected. There are many other policies and procedures and they are all extremely important and ensure that the care received is of a high standard. They are available for staff to read at all times. If a member of staff is unsure of something they can refer to them when needed. 1.3 Caldicott Standards The Caldicott Standards are based on the Data Protection Act 1998 and are set out in the form of Principles. Caldicott Principles 1) Justify the purpose for which the information is needed. 2) Only use personally identifiable information when absolutely necessary. 3) Use the  minimum personal identifiable information possible – if possible use an identifier number rather than a name. 4) Access to the information should be on a strict need to know basis. 5) Everyone should be aware of his/her responsibilities to respect clients confidentiality. 6) Understand and comply with the law. The most relevant legislation is the Data protection Act 1998, the Police Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the Human Rights Act 1998. Data Protection Act 1998 The Act sets out in principles, how personal information must be handled and gives clear rules on how any processing of that information should be carried out. the information should only be used for the purposes explained when it was collected the information should not be disclosed to anyone who has no right to see it the information collected should be relevant and contain no more than is necessary for its purpose the information should be accurate when collected and where necessary kept up to date individuals should have access to the data held about them  appropriate security measures should be taken to prevent unauthorised access to data. All information given by an individual or on behalf of an individual is confidential and should and cannot be disclosed to anyone without their consent. It is important that the people you support especially if they have dementia understand that there will be records and reports about them and that confidentiality affects them. With an individual with dementia you may need to tell them often that the information they share is confidential as they may forget or explain in a different way so that they can understand you. If you need to share information with other professionals you must always seek agreement from the person concerned even if relates to their health. It is good practice to ask an individual if you can let other people know about their situation. Unless they say it is acceptable to do so then everything should remain confidential. In some circumstances information can be passed on to others on a need to know basis. This could be for example to others involved in caring for or supporting the individual, such as other colleagues, manager or other professionals working  with the person. Even then consent should always be given and it should be explained to the individual that relevant information will be passed on. When information is passed on to others it is also on the understanding that it remains confidential. It is important that you check who you are giving information too such as checking proof of identity so that information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. In some circumstances you may find that you have to pass on information because keeping it to yourself could result in harm to the individual you are supporting or someone else or even yourself. This is always difficult when dealing with people who have dementia. Because of the illness a persons capacity needs to be continually re-assessed as to whether they can make their own decisions and review risks taken when they make them. The well-being of the person should help you to decide whether or not to pass information. 2.3 Individuals with dementia may need support to make decisions but this does not mean they are unable to make them. They may be able to make decisions on a day to day basis about what they want to eat and drink, or what they want to wear or watch on the television but may have difficulty with sorting their finances or paying bills. Just because an individual lacks capacity in one area does not mean they lack capacity to make all decisions. This is set out as one of the principles in the Mental Capacity Act 2005. It also states that unless proven otherwise then it should be assumed that everyone has capacity to make their own decisions. If an individual has communication problems and has trouble explaining what they want then all necessary support should be provided such as using alternative measure like flash cards or pictures. It is important even with individuals that suffer from dementia that they feel in control of their own lives. It is part of our human rights to be able to make our own choices. It is also good for self esteem and overall well-being. Individuals with dementia can also make advance decisions. These are recorded and usually called an advance care plan. These are often done before dementia progresses and while they are still able to make decisions for themselves. Advance care plans can be about any decisions the individual wants to make in advance. Such as where they want to live, what future care they wish to receive, medications they want to take and even how they wish end of life care to be given. All this  can be referred to and looked back on by professionals when needed. It also helps the individual to feel involved in all decisions being made and takes into account their wishes. 2.4 Individuals with dementia often have a fluctuating ability to make decisions. They have good days and bad days or even change their moods within the same day which can result in them not being able to make a constant decision. Because of this they may be able to make a decision about something one moment but not even remember it an hour later. Physical factors can also be accountable for an individual with dementia fluctuating with decisions. It could be that there not feeling well or are in pain. Being tired also affects people with dementia. They are often more unsettled on an evening so less able to make decisions that they could of made earlier in the day. Also emotions can affect how a person with dementia understands the information given in order to make a decision. If they are feeling anxious, depressed, frustrated or angry they may find it hard to retain information. 3.2 Conflicts between carers and a person with dementia often occur. This could be because the individual with dementia may want to be involved in activities, do things that give them independence and make their own decisions resulting in exposing themselves to risk or harm. The individuals family/carers may disagree with them doing these things and want to protect them and not want them to any risks so try to stop them. This is a conflict of interests. Even when working with individuals with dementia it is there right to make their own decisions if they have the capacity to do so. It is your duty to support he individual with dementia but at the same time you have a duty to the persons carers/family to try and resolve the situation. A capacity assessment can be carried out although it still may not be easy for a family to accept the outcome if the decision goes against them or seems foolish to them. 3.3 All service providers or organisations have complaints procedures. There is always clear imformation about how to complain and who too and the timescale for the matter to be dealt with. Organisations learn from complaints they  can be used as a way to improve the services offered. If nobody complained then organisations wouldn’t know they are offering poor service. Complaints procedures should be made available for people to use. As a carer it is important that you make service users and their families aware of complaint procedures or even support them to make a complaint. Individuals and carers/families may find that decisions are being made on their behalf even though people with dementia should be in charge of their own decisions. People may find it hard to challenge a decision or complain. They fell intimidated by professionals or not realise that they have a right to complain. They may not know how to go about it or just simply lack confidence to do so. You should offer practical help and advice and encourage and support individuals with dementia and their carers to speak out and exercise their rights. Everyone has the right to complain about poor service. It should be made clear that to operate to high standards complaints are used as a process to monitor and improve services. At Omega Oak Barn we have our own complaints procedure and this is readily available to anyone who wishes to use it. 4.1 If an individual needs help with personal care it is important that they maintain privacy and dignity. You should ensure that you knock on the door before entering their room an do not assume it is ok to just walk in. Before carrying out any form of personal care it is important that you ask permission and explain exactly what you intend to do. Do not just take over and do everything for them. Support them with the things they are able to do for themselves and assist where needed. Perhaps they just need prompting to have a wash rather than having it done for them. If someone does need maximum support with personal care privacy can still be maintained. Towels and sheets can be used to cover them as much as possible so that they aren’t totally naked an embarrassed. Also make sure that the door is shut and that you are uninterrupted. If they are using the toilet shut the door and let them have privacy, give them a buzzer to ring when they need assistance or explain that you will come back in a couple of minutes don’t just stand and watch.

Building Information Modelling Analysis Construction Essay

Building Information Modelling Analysis Construction Essay Building Information Modelling (BIM) allows constructing a building virtually in a detailed form. During the design phase, the materials that will make up the finished structure including concrete slabs, rebar, steel structure, wall and ceiling components, HVAC, plumbing and electrical can be selected and placed. But tests can be carried out to ensure everything will come together without a glitch. The 3-D building model can be used to analyze the designed buildings energy efficiency by running scenarios to determine the best of possible solutions. In addition, depending on the detail of the model, you can automatically take off all items contained in the model and that way produce an impressively precise estimate. The software and database management technology exists today to accomplish exactly this. The degree of collaboration and coordination between the various construction disciplines that BIM calls for has to be bought into notice. Not only the owners and architects, but engin eers, contractors and, ideally, subcontractors as well, need to be involved in the project from the outset; in other words, during the design of the building. This, of course, invariably means some form of design-build rather than the currently prevailing design-bid-build process. BIM is an entirely new way of looking at the design and construction of a building. Many quarters are hailing BIM as the solution to most, if not all, construction industry ills, solving both design and construction problems while also providing a complete 3-D building model as a property management facility upon completion of the project. AN OVERVIEW The concepts and methodologies of BIM date back as far as 30 years-and then primarily within the manufacturing and aerospace industries. BIM as design and construction term was introduced about 15 years ago to set the then-emerging, information-rich, architectural computer-3-D modelling apart from traditional, and mainly paper-based, 2-D design and drawing. BIM intended to assign both software approach and method of designing and constructing a building by the use of highly coordinated and internally consistent computable information about the building; all the way from conceptual design, through construction, to post construction and asset management. A correctly assembled BIM is a reliable, digital, three dimensional, virtual representation of the project to be built, for use in design and in construction document production, scheduling, planning, performance predictions and in cost estimates. Three-dimensional demonstration of a centralized database containing all items that will consist of the actual building including their location, dimension, relation to other items, composition and cost in a digitally interpreted environment for engineers and architects. Assumption is done in such a way that all the input is accurate and resolves the builder in an easy assimilated view of the intact representation, its interrelations, and of any positional issues. And most importantly, it will also provide the information and the understanding necessary to resolve positional conflicts and other issues during the design phase, rather than later, on the building site. COMPONENTS OF BIM BIM is composed of several data involving legal, geospatial, financial, designer, owner/occupier, sustainers, Specifier and environmentalist data. Fig 1 Components of BIM Key features of BIM includes Ability to hasten design-to-build including starting projects from pre-approved project templates, supplier management and virtual commissioning designed to accelerate project execution. 3D visualization of the logical definition and the complete 3D physical definition, together in an environment to simulate and analyze equipment positioning and clash detection. Information management of all types of enterprise data including contracts, compliance documents, requirements, manufacturing processes, costing and procurement information. A global collaboration environment that enables full traceability, knowledge reuses and process automation for design, engineering and construction planning. Prepare the models for fabrication and construction with tools that support project work breakdown structure management including project status reports, task lists, approved vendor lists, workforce resources, etc. THE PLAYERS The field of BIM players breaks down into makers of three distinctly different sets of tools: 3-D modellers. Viewers/Surface modellers. Analyzers. The 3-D modeller is the true BIM tool, working with solid, parametric objects in sufficient detail to virtually construct the building. Not all views of the project have to be in that detail, however. The financing entity may want to see what the building will look like-as may the owner- and for that all you need is a surface modeller-or a viewer-to which all shapes are hollow. All it knows about is surfaces, which is all it needs to recognize in order to show concepts, and detect clashes for instance, and as such is of tremendous value. Analyzers are normally third-party software that speaks to the main BIM tool, meaning it can import and then analyze data from the 3-D modeller to determine the models energy efficiency or day lighting, among other things. BIM is an approach which essentially requires a technology to be implemented effectively. The combination of CAD, Object CAD and Parametric building modelling with respect to the effect and effort makes the building information modelling possible. Fig 2 shows the graphical representation of all these technologies which leads to BIM. Fig 2 Graph showing the technology The figure preceding shows the entire effect of each of these technologies shown in vertical axis measured against the effort required for those results in the horizontal axis. BIM has been consistent in the industry with its competitive advantages Increased speed of delivery Minimizes the errors Saves money Greater output High workability New revenue and business opportunity Design visualization Collision detection Quantity take-off 4D constructability 5D cost estimation Facility operations Fig 3 Hierarchy of BIM phases Building information modelling supports the continuous and immediate availability of project design scope, schedule, and cost information that is high quality, reliable, integrated, and fully coordinated. But it is not itself a technology, it is supported to varying degrees by different technologies. Building information modelling is based on intersection of 2 critical ideas: 1) Keeping critical design information in a digital form makes it very simple for updating and sharing .It is more valuable to the firms creating and using it. 2) Creating real-time, consistent relationships between digital design data using innovative parametric building modelling technology can save significant amounts of time and cost and increases the project productivity and quality. Below given is a detailed look at how Building Information modelling works and how the different phases such as design, construction and management of building lifecycle are benefitted. BENEFITS IN THE DESIGN PHASE During the course of a building project, an architect must handle the project scope, schedule, and cost evenly. Changes to any of these variables can have a negative effect on cost, time and money. Using the traditional methods, access to design and geometry related information is usually fairly steady. But cost and scheduling information is only occasionally available because of the period and attempt necessary to create it. By means of building information modelling, all of this significant information is immediately accessible, so that project-related decisions can be made more rapidly and effectively. Building information modelling allows changes to the project at anytime during the designing or documentation process without difficulty, thus the team gets more time to work on other high-value architectural problems. This leads the documentation and designing work of the building to be carried out simultaneously, instead of doing successively, this is due to the design plan is captured at the point of conception and embedded in the documentation as the work proceeds. Whenever a change is made to a project, all the consequences of that alteration are automatically coordinated throughout the project and is documented. This allows the design team to function faster, because this consumes the time and effort spent on delivering the visualisations and regulatory approval documents. The automatic coordination of changes offered by this building information modelling eradicates the coordination mistakes thus it improves the overall quality of the project and helps companies with more repe at business. BENEFITS IN THE CONSTRUCTION PHASE In the construction phase of the project lifecycle, building information modelling makes available the real-time informations on building quality, schedule, and cost. The builder can accelerate the quantification of the building for estimating and value-engineering purposes and for the production of updated estimates and construction planning. The cost and consequences of proposed products can be studied and understood easily thus the builder can prepare plans showing site use or renovation phasing for the owner. Building information modelling consumes less time and money is spent on administration process in construction because document quality is high and construction planning better. Thus the end result is that more of the owners construction money goes into the building than into overhead costs. BENEFITS IN THE MANAGEMENT PHASE Building information modelling also makes available the concurrent information in the management phase of the building such as performance of the building, its occupants and contents, and the economic aspects of the building. Building information modelling provides a digital record of renovations and improves more planning and management. It accelerates the alteration of standard building prototypes to site conditions for businesses, such as retail, that require the construction of similar buildings in many different locations. Physical information about the building, such as tenant or department assignments, furniture and equipment inventory, and financially important data about leasable areas and rental income or departmental cost allocations are all more easily managed and available. Reliable access to these types of information improves both revenue and cost management in the operation of the building. OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE BIM is updated during construction to create as build record. Geometry is linked with the text and tabular information in equipment and maintenance manuals and it becomes a record to support the facilities management. Fig 4 BIM model (L) and Prototype (R) Features of facility management Improved asset definition The allocation is done so as to include the cost and work order data with respect to the required time. Simplified order provision Improvements are to be made in allocating the time and cost data. Extended cost model It enables the costing of any product throughout the lifecycle which includes captured costs, budgets, estimates and cost roll up. Condition monitoring The condition data are to be captured by two different means namely instrumentation and visual inception. Request capture Additional captures for operations and maintenance works and also dealt with work order requests. Service life data It should include the management and service life capture; taking prior notice to perform the analysis using the standards. Environmental impact Sustainable working atmosphere must be given consideration for all the environmental data which allows the total impact assessment all the process. Permits The proper access, security and work must be done which is possible only by providing the permit captures. Operating and maintenance information Provisions must be given to analyse the operations and maintenance information as per the relevant standards. The above mentioned are the major features of the facility management which must be taken into account while the operations and maintenance sequence is carried out. CASE STUDY The below mentioned is significant case study carried out in BIM at Canary Wharf located at the Churchill place, London. This building is located in Churchill place, London. It comprises of around 30,000 m2 with expedient access to major facilities of Canary Wharf, Docklands Light Railway station Jubilee line. It consists of 4 basement level, ground and six trading floors. The concealment is characterized by steel and Granite mixtures. Depending from where we view the building appearance varies; from a point it appears as a steel building from another view it appears as a predominately stone building. Foremost goal of the designing is its sustainability level. Built on a Brownfield site, a BREEAM rating of Excellent was achieved for this building. Use of the IFC beam BIM models of the new and existing buildings where built by HOK and WSP using the software named Revit Architecture and Revit Structural correspondingly. Autodesk .RVT files where used for the purpose of all the data exchange in the entire project. By merging the supply chain steel fabrication model which was shaped using Stru CAD software by a Dutch steel fabricator was one of the momentous underscore. The project was further imported to the Revit using a 3D DWG format which therein relates the HOK produced a construction design. A high degree of significance was shown in all the results achieved using traditional non-BIM methods.   Design reviews have benefit from using 3D Revit and Navisworks review which is possible only through regular project meetings with client and design team.   The main contractor has modelled the services in 3D using CAD Duct and is coordinating all BIM models using Navisworks to coordinate the Services supply chain design.

Life :: essays research papers

1. Evolutionary Psychology assumes that human behavior, just like human anatomy and physiology has been shaped by the evolutionary process. A. Can you justify that assumption? Yes, because it is saying that the mental mechanisms that underlie human behavior are held in common among people all over the world. These mental organs constrain and shape people's thoughts, perceptions and behaviors. Also, evolved mechanisms in the brain channel the evolution of human societies and human culture that make some outcomes more likely than others. B. Don't the advanced learning capacities of humans negate the relevance of an evolutionary approach to human behavior? No, because not all behavior is learned or just there from the beginning. According to human behavioral ecology, peoples' interests are defined in evolutionary terms: as wanting to maximize their fitness. 2. Evolutionary psychology assumes that the brain is composed of many domain-specific cognitive modules. A. What does the phrase â€Å"domain-specific† mean? It means that there are socialized cognitive mechanisms designed to solve problems important in the EEA. B. Why is this assumption justified theoretically? Because empirical evidence shows that animals are predisposed to learn some things and not others. C. What empirical evidence exists to suggest that it is correct? A study on rats concluded that their food aversions are based solely on the taste of foods that have made them sick, not the food's size, shape or color. However, there are certain foods that rats won't touch because their diet is strictly controlled by genes. 3. Human mating and parenting behaviors are critical to fitness and should have been responsive to selection. A.Do you expect men and women to have the same mating and parenting adaptations? Why or why not? No, because with women and men are predisposed to certain types of mating and parenting adaptations. Women tend to mate with fewer people and are more inclined to heavily partake in parenting of the offspring. Men are generally inclined to mate with whomever, whenever, and however often they can and because they aren't sure of paternity, they are less inclined to parenting the offspring.

Too Many People :: Populating Environment Papers

Too Many People Introduction Do people realize that there is a population problem? Can our earth support and sustain the incredible number of 5.6 billion people, constantly increasing at the rate of 1.7 percent each year (conservation 67). At this rate 95 million people are added to our world every year. To bring this into perspective, every month 11,000 new babies are born, every second, three new people are added to the already over populated planet (Ehrlich 14). Every person added to the world has a claim to the earth's food, energy and other resources. We must also realize that there is not a single factor that limits how many people the earth can support. The rising population will only aggravate the problems staring us in the face right now, such as food shortages, and damage to the environment. The Club of Earth, whose members belong to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, released this statement in 1988. Arresting global population growth should be second in importance only to avoiding the nuclear war on humanity's agenda. Over population and rapid population growth are intimately connected with most aspects of the current human predicament, including rapid depletion of nonrenewable resources, deterioration of the environment and increasing international tensions. (Ehrlich 18). The human population has drastically increased in the last couple of centuries. The earth will not be able to sustain the growing population due to increasing environmental and economic stresses. We must confront the issue and come up with workable solutions. Why Are People Not Scared. In order to come up with solutions, one must first realize the problem. Why are people not aware of the population crisis? Up until just recently, in Cairo, Egypt where a dialog and a Programme of Action was established to confront overpopulation by the United Nation International Conference, there has not been much talk on this issue. One of the main reasons people do not recognize overpopulation to be a problem is it's slow developing nature. Over two thousand years ago there was an estimated 250 million people. It took 1650 years before the population first doubled. Since then the doubling time of the population would shrink to 200 years, and continued to shrink to a time span of just 35 years. But even with these incredible increasing growth rates, it is impossible to notice these "slow motion changes" as compared to an every day event (Ehrilich 15).

Heart Essay -- essays research papers

Coronary Artery Disease Heart Disease Heart disease can take many forms. The form of heart disease I am focusing on is coronary disease. Different arteries supply different areas of the heart with oxygenated blood. If one or more of these arteries become narrowed or clogged as a result of coronary artery disease, or atherscelorosis the artery cannot fully supply the part of the heart it is responsible for. The heart is an effective pump only when good blood supply is maintained to all heart muscles. If an artery becomes so clogged that blood cannot flow through it, the result is chest pain which could progress to a heart attack, or myocardial infarction (MI). "Myocardial" is a medical term that means "having to do with the heart" or "heart muscle". "Infarct" is a medical term for tissue death. During a myocardial infarction, the portion of the heart that is supposed to get blood from the diseased artery dies. However, cardiologists are trained to recognize symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue of coronary artery disease in patients before the symptoms becomes severe. A cardiologist is often able to treat coronary disease before it causes an MI. – http://myweb.com/contents/dmk_article396168 Coronary Artery Disease Healthy arteries are flexible, strong, and elastic. Their inner layer is smooth and blood flows freely. As you get older, your arteries become thicker, less elastic, and deposits build in them. This leads to a general hardening of the arteries, which is also called atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis is the main cause of coronary artery disease. Atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis is the gradual buildup of cholesterol inside the artery. When this happens in a coronary artery, the space inside the artery where blood flows becomes narrow, making it difficult for blood to flow freely. The result is less blood flow through the artery and less blood supply to heart tissue. Symptoms can include chest pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue that can be mild, or abrupt and severe, such as a heart attack. –http://www.heartpoint.com Symptoms of Coronary Disease More than 6 million Americans have symptoms due to coronary artery disease (CAD). As many as 1.5 million Americans will have a heart attack this year. As a result, almost one-third will die. The most dramatic symptom of... ... LDL and total cholesterol levels. Â · Eat only small amounts of sweets. Â · Eat 1 to 2 servings of fish or seafood each week if you have coronary artery disease. People with coronary artery disease seem to benefit from eating fish and seafood. Â · Cook with garlic. Several studies have shown that garlic reduces LDL cholesterol and lowers blood pressure. Â · Eat moderate amounts of nuts that are rich in monounsaturated fat, like hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, walnuts and macadamia nuts. These nuts have been shown to improve cholesterol levels. Avoid eating nuts by the handful. Instead, garnish food with one tablespoon of chopped nuts per person. What else can I do if I have coronary artery disease? Besides changing your diet, you should talk to your doctor about an exercise program that's right for you. If you smoke, quit. If you're overweight, try to lose weight (changing your diet and exercising will help you lose weight). Talk with your doctor about reducing other risk factors, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. – Dr. Donnely; Cody Family Practice Center

Discuss the Importance of Visual Perception Essay

Sexual development is an important personal characteristic that contributes to ones self-worth. It is the way one sees him or her independent of one’s anatomic appearance. The way one feels and the way one is acknowledged by society and the environment can make the difference between being happy or unhappy. Whether or not one’s choice is accepted by others can also influence how one lives. Unfortunately, sexual development is often confused because it is most often assumed to agree with one’s appearance. Very often, it does but sometimes it differs. Simply because something seems or is supposed to be a certain way due to one’s societal expectations, does not mean that it always will be. Things are not always the way they appear and it takes much greater knowledge and understanding to accept people for what they are, even if it does not go along with what one learned. Keywords: Gender, male and female, hormones, environment Sexual Development Everyone possesses a gender identity, which most often matches one’s anatomic appearance. One’s sexual development can be either male or female or even something in between. Is sexual development truly so important or does it not play that significant of a role? Maybe this example will help everyone come to a better conclusion about this subject. A healthy baby boy was born to very happy parents. However, about eight months into his life, something happened and his genitals were horrifically destroyed. His biggest male appearance at that age, his penis, did not exist anymore. His parents, completely disturbed by the accident, heard about a psychologist who was able to assign sex to children whose genitals were destroyed or not there for another reason. According to Culbertson (2009), â€Å"If it is not created, then the child will be assigned a grammatical gender (in the Western world, all children must be either a boy or a girl), which may or may not match that childà ¢â‚¬â„¢s social gender as it evolves over the course of childhood† (para. 14). Very often, when a parent chooses the sex for his or her own child due to the circumstances, it seems to work very well. However, prenatal hormones also influence these factors in either working or not. Nevertheless, it did not work in this case and this boy began to live  an unhappy life as a girl. Time went by and many problems occurred until she saw another psychologist. Her parents finally told her what happened and she began the transformation into a male. It seems like being a male made him happier once again and he even married and became a stepfather. However, this story does not have a successful conclusion, as David Reimer committed suicide at the age of 38 (New York Times, 2004). This tragic story shows that one’s sexual development matters. It also explains that there is more than one factor that contributes to one’s sexual development. Therefore, the author of this paper will try to provide a better understanding into how gender identity and sexual development happens. The interaction between hormones and behavior will be explained and what role it plays in finding his or her own gender indentify in sexual development. As usual, it will also use the help of biopsychology and the environment to provide a better answer for the reader. The author hopes that the reader will not only establish a deeper knowledge about this subject but mostly that he or she will walk away with more understanding for individualism. Determination of Sexual Development Many different factors come into play determining one’s final sexual development. It is very important to acknowledge that not everything that appears a certain way also will perform as such. One’s anatomy might indicate being a male or female; however, this does not mean that this is actually how a person views him or herself. Chromosomes play a very important role in developing sexual organs. Sexual chromosomes, such as XX and XY, help determine sexual differentiation. For instance, XX chromosomes will lead to the development of a female while XY chromosomes develop a male. In addition, the sexual X chromosome and non-sexual chromosomes can do more and possess the ability of developing either sexual genitals. This is why the exposure to hormones before and after one is born is so significant. Hormones are responsible for one’s biological development. Therefore, it is very interesting to find out that the Y chromosome directs the glands to releases male sex hormones. Furthermore, hormones present during pregnancy will most likely affect the nervous system. It is important to acknowledge that every embryo is bisexual and has the ability to develop into a male or female until the end of the first trimester and  the ability of hormones, which will the determine the kind of system, the Mà ¼llerian system or Wolffian system, one develops (Carlson, 2007). It is clear that hormones influence sexual development and help one to not only view him or her as male or female but also feel as such. For instance, hormones also influence feminine and masculine characteristics. As stated by Berk (2004), â€Å"Masculine and androgynous children and adults have higher self-esteem, whereas feminine individuals often think poorly of themselves, perhaps because many of their traits are not highly valued by society†(p. 263). Children and Sexual Development One is not born knowing everything about him or herself. The way one is brought up, the environment, and different beliefs, just to mention few, all help one come to that conclusion. Children are not born with the knowledge of what his or her anatomy and gender identity is; they learn it at a certain age. To be even more exact and according to Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus (2008) â€Å"Most children first become aware of their anatomic sex by about the age of 18 months. By 36 months, most children have acquired a firm sense of gender identity† (p.167). Therefore, one’s social learning and cognitive development also affect gender identity and sexual development. Children are influenced first by their parents and then by other authorities, peers and even the media. Another very important theory that should be considered in how one comes to their gender identity is the gender schema theory. This theory knows the strong influence one’s cognitive development and the environment play together. This happens by setting either masculine or feminine categories with which one can identify more. So for instance, boys play only with specific toys and girls do the same. Either gender is criticized by not following these rules or these rules are even pre-set by others. Parents buy gender specific toys and stores even categorize their sections by age and gender. These examples show how much other factors help one choose his and her gender identity and therefore influence one’s sexual development (Berk, 2004, p. 263). Still, even though one’s appearance normally goes along with one’s preference, there are times when this does not happen. Maybe this is one of the reasons why it takes so many to open up and let everyone know how he or she truly  feels. This may also be one of the reasons why so many never say anything and hurt themselves or even end their lives. This is why it is especially important for parents and other authorities’ roles to avoid stereotyping and allow the possibility of acceptance even if it does not go alone with one’s thin king and the social agreement. Furthermore, this can be explained by examining the behavior of intersexuals. Intersexuals’ gonads differ from their sexual appearance yet they are brought up by how they look. However, many express difficulty indentifying with being either male or female. This provides the clear evidence of the interplay of biological factors and the environment contributing to one’s sexual development (Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus, 2008). However, indentifying with either one seems to be important. Quoted by Gross: Both males and females reported that gendered expectations at home involved educational success. For females, gendered expectations at school involved being interested in fashion and boys. For males, gendered expectations at school involved being interested in girls and participating in non-academic activities like sport (Gross, 2009). Biological Psychology Biological psychology plays an important role and considers different factors when explaining what and how sexual differentiation and sexual development is determine. It acknowledges that a person’s brain influences one’s behavior; this behavior resembles male or female characteristics and will be categorized as such. However, biological psychology also knows that it is not so simple explaining a human and there are many other important aspects in one’s life, which cause certain things to occur. Therefore, not only the brain but also, hormones, heredity, the environment, cultural upbringing, and one’s choices will determine either a traditional or a non-traditional role with which one can better identify. Determination of Greater Influence As everyone differs from each other, so too differ each individual’s influence. For instance, someone could have been exposed to prenatal hormones that normally would determine how one turns out to be, but then they were prone to the influences of his or her environment and turned out completely opposite. Therefore, saying which has the greater contribution  is a difficult decision to make. There is evidence for both such as, being raised as a male and resembling one should surely let one know that is how they should feel. That does not happen all the time. If the answer would be so clear, then one should be able to know what causes female homosexuals to have higher levels of testosterone, as human biology or a certain lifestyle can increase the level. This is why it is, most likely, the interplay of both that contribute to this occurrence, leading to uncertainty of the main cause. Conclusion One’s looks do not indicate how one feels and certain important factors contribute to one’s sexual differentiation, gender identity, and sexual development. Surely, it matters to try to find the correct answers because they may provide more understanding to human nature. So maybe one day, much clearer resolutions can be provided. However, in the mean time, one should always keep in mind that every individual tries to be his or her best and to be acknowledged is what, in the end, counts and makes a truly good person. One way of doing so is â€Å"by making it illegal to discriminate in employment, public accommodation, credit, housing and education based on a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity†( Journal of Property Management, 2007).