Speech article 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Speech article 2 - Essay Example In the speech, Taiwan’s president, Ma expresses his firm support for the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and the need for reforms to let Hong Kong go democratic. Nearly a month ago, Hong Kong residents led by Hong Kong Federation of Students went to the street to protest the National People’s Congress decision on proposed reforms, which denied civil nominations. The movement termed Occupy Central demand the liberty to elect the next local head of their government. The movement calls for a democratic and direct chance to elect the Chief Executive of Hong Kong without Beijing’s interference. Ma states that China should take the recent occurrences as an opportunity rather than a problem and facilitate a democratic transition in Hong Kong. Further, he also advised China that as a step towards achieving constitutional democracy, the country should start by letting Hong Kong go democratic. In addition, Ma suggests that with the rapidly developing economy, China is becoming a more prosperous society, and consequently, the number of wealthy people is increasing. As the wealth increases people tend to desire a more affluent lifestyle, as well as greater rule of law and more democracy. Therefore, for China, it seems there is no way out, but to give Hong Kong autonomy because eventually, the heat will be too much to bear and they will give in to the demands. Moreover, Ma clarifies that contrary to the popular belief, the need for democracy is not a strategy of the Western countries: he says, â€Å"Such a desire has never been a monopoly of the West, but it is the right of all humankind† (Ying-jeou 1). Such sentiments from the president of Taiwan in favor of freedom are very relevant to the current situation because the state is also ethically Chinese as Hong Kong. Though Taiwan has been under self-rule since 1940s, the mainland China still claims sovereignty over it and vows to take control over it one day even if it means by force. Moreover, Taiwan was

Choo Bee Metal Industries Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Choo Bee Metal Industries - Coursework Example The company registered a marginally lower profit before tax of RM5 million in 2010 compared to the figure of RM18 million in 2009. This decrease is attributed to the fall in steel prices and dampened business activities. Because of the slumping price situation, the Group also adjusted their inventory net realizable value by taking on a write down of RM10.2 million. The company earned revenues of RM221 million in 2010, which was 13% more than the prior year's results (RM196 million in 2009). The net income fell at from RM14 million in 2009 to RM5 million in 2010. The dividends per share (Sen) remained fixed at 4.50 while the earnings per share (Sen) decreased from 18.49 (2009) to 14.80 (2010). Since most companies in the supplies and fixtures areas of construction do not pay a dividend, the positive trend Choo Bee Metal Industries has shown in dividend payments, deserves a special mention.

Main functions of GO4IT Sports Essay Example for Free

Main functions of GO4IT Sports Essay * The company has a warehouse which supplies goods to shops as well as to sports teams by mail order * The company sells a wide range of sports goods in it shops this includes clothing, footwear and equipment for sports. * The shops also sell exercise equipment; however these large items are not kept in stock but are ordered from the supplier as required. * The company supplies match strips, to order, in team colours for different sports * The company supplies other team merchandise with team logo; these are supplied through a mail order service. * Sell sports trophies which can be engraved if required. * The company also supplies sports clothing in bulk to schools Different types of customers for GO4IT Sports The companys customers include: * Schools * Sports teams for all sports such as football, rugby, tennis, athletics and golf * General customers * The shops which are supplied by the companys warehouse Describe the functions of each section within the shops and Head Office, paying particular attention to Administration in shops and Human Resources in Head Office Functions of each section within the shops Administration * Each shop has a Branch Manager who has overall responsibility for the running of the shop. * The assistant manager and head of administration section report directly the branch manager. * The staff keeps account of the money taken through the EPOS terminals by comparing money received with EPOS records. * The administration staff produce and send correspondence from the shop as well as receiving correspondence. * Organise for a trophy to be engraved by contacting the local engraver. * Emailing weekly orders for goods to the warehouse * Producing confirmation purchase orders for goods and services * Checking invoices against goods received and work done and passing these to Head Office for payment Clothing sales * The clothing sales section has a clothing sales manager who the clothing sales staff and footwear sales staff report to. * Clothing Sales staff assist customers in choosing appropriate clothing and provide advice for those who wish to purchase clothing * The footwear sales staffs assist customers and provide advice for those who wish to purchase footwear. Equipment sales * The Equipment sales section has an Equipment sales manager. The general sales staff and specialist sales staff report to the Equipment sales manager. * The General sales staff operate the EPOS terminals, they scan the barcodes of every items during purchase and handing of receipts. * The Specialist sales staffs provide assistance and specialist advice and information for customers purchasing more advanced equipment. Functions within the Head Office * The Managing Director of GO4IT sports is responsible for all aspects of the day to day running of the business. The two directors which are: sales marketing director and the finance and administration director report to the managing director Sales and Marketing * The sales and marketing director is responsible for the mail order operation as well as advertising and promoting the business * A buying manager is responsible for locating the goods to be sold and negotiating contracts for their supply. * The buying manager ensures the right volume and type of goods are supplied at the right time to maximise profit. Finance and Administration * The Finance and Administration director is responsible for all other functions within the Head Office. This includes administration, Human Resources(HR) and finance * The Administration assistant, HR executive, chief accountant and ICT support executive report to the Finance and Administration director Finance * Keep records of all financial transactions on the head office server, including the income from sales for each shop and mail order, payments for goods purchased, payments for engraving contractors and staff wages. * Records are used to produce monthly and annual accounts for shareholders and Inland Revenue. * Generate VAT (value added tax) returns once a quarter for customs and excise. * Arrange for the amount due to be paid. Human Resource (HR) The functions of the HR Department are; * Staff recruitment and training * Place advertisements for staff * Send out and receive application forms * Organise interviews and provide contracts for successful applicants * Keeping standard personnel records on a database along with records of training courses attended by members of staff and any qualifications they obtain. * Determine what further training each staff member requires and how best to provide it * Book the member of staff on an external training course/ if many members require training organise for a trainer to deliver the course in house. Task1 Identify different types of supplier to the shops and warehouse and describe relationships between these suppliers and the departments/individuals within the company Warehouse Supplier What is supplied Who orders it How and when it is ordered Wholesaler Clothing and footwear Warehouse manager Order is made by fax once a month but can place special order by telephone if stocks of a particular item falls faster then expected Specialist manufacturers Sports equipment Buying Manager The buying manager negotiates contracts at the beginning of each season either by telephone or visit, for the supply of a certain quantity. Shops Supplier What is supplied Who orders it How and when it is ordered Local Engraver (external Contractor) Engraved Trophy Administration Assistant Administration Assistant telephones local engraver. The engraver collects the trophy from the shop with a confirmation purchase order detailing work the required. Warehouse Clothing and footwear Administration staff Branch manager hands an annotated stock list to Administration staff who e-mails warehouse Task 2 An analysis of the processes for recording sales in a shop and for mail order sales in Head Office. Shop Information Required * Product bar code or numerical code if bar code unreadable * Quantity bought * If sale is to be paid by credit card * If paying by cash the Amount to be tendered From where this is obtained and how it is captured * product code by barcode scanner * numerical code keyed in using a keypad * quantity keyed in by till operator * credit card yes/no keyed in The processing and calculations required * look up item in computer * display item name and price on screen * multiply price by quantity * if on sale, reduce total price by 50% * display total on screen * if credit card = yes, generate credit card receipt for signature The form and content of any output * on-screen / display message * paper till receipt * paper credit card receipt * Contains prices. items, sales items highlighted with words ON SALE, store address, time of sale, till operator name Mail Order in Head Office Information Required * Team details e.g. team name, name and address of contact person, the sport, the colour(s) and design of shirt/vest, position of logo e.g. VTL(vest top left), picture of team logo and team number * Product colour * Product quantity required * Product code * Colour code/ X is entered If a non standard colour * Size and number of colours in logo * Amount of deposit paid From where this is obtained and how it is captured * Team details from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Product colour from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Product quantity required from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Product code from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Colour code/ X is entered If a non standard colour from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Size and number of colours in logo from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Amount of deposit paid from completed order form from a mail order brochure entered onto data screen on computer using input devices such as keyboard and mouse * Team logo captured using a scanner and stand alone computer The processing and calculations required * look up item in computer * display item name and price on screen * Calculate price of embroidery by multiplying number of logos by price * multiply price by quantity * Calculate sub total if less than à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100, à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5 is added for postage and packaging * Calculate and add VAT to give total price The form and content of any output * on-screen / display message * Invoice * Contains prices. items, store address, store phone and fax number, date of sale, invoice number, team contact person details, sub total, VAT, total, Less deposit, total due. Task 3 Outlining the current ICT systems used by GO4IT Sports, in particular, Finance within Head Office and Administration within a Shop Administration within a shop * Each shop has a number of Electronic Point of Sales (EPOS) terminals with barcode readers and card readers. * Telephone connection to banking system * Small Local Area Network (LAN) of three computers * Laser Printer * Branch managers computer acts as a server * Dial up modem Software used includes * Word processing * Spreadsheet applications Finance within Head Office * Number of workstations * Local are network (LAN) * Single Server * Fast laser printer * Slower laser printer * Bar code reader * ISND line Software used includes * Word processing * Spreadsheet applications * Database management software * Stock control software Task 3 Analysing the purpose and operation of the main ICT systems used for sales in each shop and the ICT systems using within the warehouse Shops * Each shop has an EPOS terminal with barcode readers and card readers. Stock data is held on dedicated server connected to the EPOS terminals. * There is also a telephone connection to the banking system for authorisation of the card payments. * The barcode reader is used to scan the barcode of each item and the product code it contains is used to look the product description and price from stock database * When items are scanned total price is calculated. This includes the VAT, the system calculates the net value of the items, and all of this is printed on the receipt. * If customer pays by cash, member of staff enters the amount tendered; the EPOS terminal calculates the change due. This is printed on receipt and given to customer * If customer wishes to pay by credit or debit card the member of staff swipes the card through the card reader. The card details are checked by the banking system and if the transaction is approved an authorisation code is transmitted to the EPOS terminal. * The authorisation Code and card details and amount debited are printed on receipt which is handed to customer to sign with card and items purchased. Warehouse * Stand alone computer * Scanner * Computer controlled embroidery machine * Workstation * Laser printer * Stock control software has separate screens for incoming and outgoing goods. * All goods have a product code which is contained in a barcode. When goods arrive in the warehouse the barcode of each product is read and the quantity entered via the keyboard. * This data is used to update stock database. * For every order picked up the staff use the barcode reader to input the product code and the keyboard to enter the quantity removed from stock. These items are deducted from stock database. Task 3 Recommending and explaining improvements/ extensions to shop systems Methods for improving stock control and the re-ordering of stock, as well as integration of systems within GO4IT sports. * A dedicated server could be used instead of the branch managers computer acting as a server, if the branch managers computer crashes then that would leave the other computers stranded without a printer and no access to the internet. * ISDN connection would improve communication giving workers a faster connection to send e-mails internally. Dial up connections are not as reliable and are slower so information being sent will be limited due to connection speed of dial up. * There should be a centralised database put into place. This is where all the companys data is held in one place and the computers in the company are networked. This central database can be used by anyone within the company provided they have been given access through a password. This will be a very resourceful way of storing company data, as it will prevent the problem of data duplication. * Sales based ordering where automatic re-ordering takes place of goods from the warehouse using the sales information from the checkouts. * To increase the efficiency of communication between the supplier and GO4IT sports I would recommend the introduction of EDI (electronic data interchange); the system is similar to email and allows users to exchange invoices, delivery notes, orders and receipts over the telephone network. Security * Log in pages requiring a specific unique user name requiring a private password to track who logs on and off to restrict users Possible problems for suggested improvements * One of the problems that may arise is the finance to cover the costs for the installation of the systems in place. * Also addition of new feature will mean that staff are not familiar with it and training for staff will be required. Benefits of using new technology EDI Advantages * It is much faster, as work does not have to be printed, it is on the screen * The EDI system is easy to use and work can be sent off very easily * Information can be sent to other companies, in less then a few minutes instead of days. * The company can be linked up with their bank, suppliers and customers. * Will minimize the amount of paperwork and business can be transacted much faster and more efficiently then is possible through the normal post. Disadvantages * For EDI, computers are relied on, therefore if the systems go down; it will have a huge of affect on the company. * It is very costly for the installation of EDI * The organization has to research into which system would be best for the company Ecommerce Advantages * Majority of the work of GO4IT sports can be done just through the internet, making it much easier. * This would means a lot less people will have to be employed this will result in huge savings for the company as most transaction will be electronic. * Currently GO4IT sports uses a lot of time to get into contact with suppliers by using the telephone, which can be tedious due to the telephone being engaged; by using e-commerce orders could be automatically electronically sent straight to the suppliers. * Team contacts currently have to post the payment to the company, which is very time consuming and not very secure and with using ecommerce an electronic funds transfer could be made. * Promotion of the company can be improved as it is all online presentation of online advertising can be enhanced. * This will also enable the company to advertise their products online and also allow customers to purchase the products directly from the site using their debit/credit card. They can place the desired items in the virtual shopping trolley. The company can be fully based on the internet, making it easier for the company and also for customers. Disadvantages * A close relationship between the retailer and supplier is required in order for the system to work * Returning products online will prove to be difficult. The customer may be put off when these areas are taken into account. As the customer will question how to send the goods back to their source? Who pays for the return postage? Will the refund be paid? Will I be left with nothing? How long will it take? Compared to offline experience of returning goods to a shop and it is frustrating for the customer. * Privacy, security, payment, identity, contract. Many issues arise privacy of information, security of that information and payment details, whether or not payment details (eg credit card details) will be misused, identity theft, contract, and, whether we have one or not, what laws and legal jurisdiction apply. MIS(management information systems) For the Buying Manager I would recommend the following improvements: * MIS could produce an analysis of patterns of sales in the company * MIS would be able to identify peak production needs * What if type questions could be applied to different patterns of sales The features of the MIS system that could be used by the branch manager are: * Production costs can be based on raw material costs * MIS could be used to carry out analysis automatically * Results could be displayed in graphs which are easy to understand * Monthly graphs could be produced of price comparison with competitors goods or services resulting from regular market research. * Planning, directing, controlling and forecasting decisions. Both managers would benefit from the following points of the MIS system: * Warnings could be set if production costs exceed budget. * Warnings could be set if stocks fall below fixed level.

Rare Earth Doped Upconverting Nanoparticles

Rare Earth Doped Upconverting Nanoparticles Rare Earth Doped Upconverting Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Application in Bio-Imaging Nidhi Malviya1, Vinita Rajput Chouhan1, Sudeshna Ray2 ABSTRACT Upconversion luminescence, a nonlinear process, which re-emits a photon at a shorter wavelength by the absorption of more than one photon, successively at longer wavelengths via long-lived intermediate energy states, is useful for important applications in various fields like fluorescence bio-imaging and lasers. This NIR-to-NIR up-conversion process provides deeper light penetration into biologicalspecimen and results in high contrast optical imaging due to absence of an auto fluorescence background and decreased light scattering. Excitation at long wavelengths also minimizes damage to biological materials. Herein, we report the different mechanisms responsible for the Upconversion process of rare-earth (Er3+, Ho3+, Tm3+) doped nanoparticle and methods that are used to synthesize and decorate up converting nanoparticle. I INTRODUCTION Upconversion is an optical process that involves the conversion of lower-energy photons into higher-energy photons. It has been extensively studied since mid-1960s and widely applied in optical devices. Over the past decade, high-quality rare earth-doped Upconversion Nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized with the rapid development of nanotechnology and are becoming more prominent in biological sciences. The main difference between Upconversion Nanoparticles and other nonmaterial’s is that they can emit visible light under near infrared irradiation. Upconversion nanoparticle (UCNPs), particularly lanthanide-doped nanocrystals, which emit high energy photons under excitation by the near-infrared (NIR) light, have found potential applications in many fields, including biomedicine and is found improved tissue penetration and higher photochemical stability as compared with traditional down-conversion fluorescence imaging. The unique Upconversion process of UCNPs may be u tilized to activate photosensitive therapeutic agents for applications in cancer treatment. Upconversion luminescence imaging in vivo is expected to be the next generation photoluminescence imaging technique since it provides high sensitivity and spatial resolution. Due to their multicolour emission, high brightness and long lifetime, lanthanide ions based luminescent nonmaterial have tremendous promise as indicators and photon sources for numerous application such as boilable, light-emitting devices, sensor technology, and low-threshold lasers. So it is very important to successfully prepare the rare-earth doped inorganic nanocrystals with good dispensability in organic solvents. The Up conversion phenomenon has been transition metals, actinides, but mainly in the rare earth elements, which contain the lanthanide (Ln) series, Yttrium, and scandium. Ln3+ ions heave special 4fn 5d0-1inner shell configurations that are well – shielded by outer shell and have unique energy level structures. These Ln3+ ions can exhibit sharp luminescence emission via intra-4f or 4f-5d transitions. Their luminescence properties, as narrow bandwidth, long-time emission, and anti-stokes emission, have been widely applied in lasers, solar cell, analytical sensors, optical imaging, and photodynamic therapy. Most fluorescent materials, including dye molecules, quantum dots, and dye-doped silica/gold nanomaterials, emit light by the down conversion process (emitting lower-energy photons under higher-energy irradiation). Although the uses of a conventional organic dye molecule or quantum dot (QD) based biomarker have achieved significant progress in real-time detection and bio imaging, they still have drawbacks. These fluorescent materials are generally excited by ultraviolet (UV) or visible light, which may induce auto fluorescence and photo damage to biological samples, resulting in low signal-to-noise ratio and limited sensitivity. These limitations prompted the development of a new type of high-quality and well-shaped nonmaterial’s known as up conversion nonmaterial’s (UCNs [1-7]. Lanthanide-doped Upconversion (UC) nanophosphors are promising optical contrast agents for biomedical applications due to their photo stability, sharp emission peaks, and long emission lifetime [8, 9]. Upon near infrared (NIR) excitation, UC nanoparticle exhibit intense visible emission via multiphoton processes involving the lanthanide ions within them [10-12]. For in vitro or in vivo imaging, the use of NIR excitation minimizes absorbance, scattering, and fluorescence from cells and tissues, allowing imaging against a dark background [13]. In contrast, commercially available labels, such as organic dyes and quantum dots, typically must be imaged against a background of Stokes-shifted tissue autofluorescence induced by UV, blue, or green excitation[14]. In addition, because of the existence of real intermediate energy levels in lanthanide ions, this Upconversion process can be much more efficient than in conventional multiphoton-absorption-induced fluorescence of organic dyes or qua ntum dots, where the intermediate levels are virtual. Bio-imaging is a term that covers the complex chain of acquiring, processing and visualizing structural or functional images of living objects or systems, including extraction and processing of image-related information. II MOTIVATION OF MY WORK Lanthanide-doped upconversion-luminescent nanoparticles (UCNPs), which can be excited by near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation to emit multiplex light, have been proven to be very useful for in vitro and in vivo molecular imaging studies. In comparison with the conventionally used down-conversion fluorescence imaging strategies, the NIR light excited luminescence of UCNPs displays high photostability, low cytotoxicity, little background auto-fluorescence, which allows for deep tissue penetration, making them attractive as contrast agents for biomedical imaging applications. In this review, we will mainly focus on the latest development of a new type of lanthanide-doped UCNP material and its main applications for in vitro and in vivo molecular imaging and we will also discuss the challenges and future perspectives. New materials with high Biocompatibility and more intense emission spectra are needed to be developed so for deep tissue imaging. III CONCLUSION The past decade a large number of scientists have investigated the potential application of UCNPs in bioimaging. Lim et al. firstly reported the use of UCNPs as in vivo Caenorhabditis elegans imaging agent. Along with the fast developement of UCNPs for biological applications. UCNPs have also been applied contrasts agents in positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray computer tomography (CT) for in vitro and in vivo multimodal imaging. Futhermore, UCNPs could also be combined with anti-cancer drugs, photosensitizers or gold nanostructures for potential therapeutic application. Up to now, a variety of Upconversion nanophosphors have been developed for bioimaging, and most of them are based on rare earth doped NaYF4. Other kinds of RE doped nanoparticles, such as NaGdF4, NaLaF4, Y2O3, GdF3, CeO2, LiNaF4, Ca3(PO4)2, ZrO2 and GdOF etc. have al so been considered as excellent UCNPs in recent years due to their strong Upconversion luminescence intensity an d good photostability. REFERENCES F. Auzel, Chem. Rev. 2004, 104, 139; F. Wang, X Liu, Chem. Soc. Rev. 2009, 38, 976; D. K. Chatterjee, M. K. Gnanasammandhan, Y. Zhang, Small 2010, 6, 278 M. Haase, H. Schafer, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, 5808. D. K. Chatterjee, A. J. Rufaihah, Y. Zhang, Biomaterials 2008, 29, 937 J. Zhou, Y. Sun, X. Du, L. Xiong, H. Hu, F. Li, Biomaterials 2010, 31, 3287; L. Xiong, T. Yang, Y. Yang, C. Xu, F. Li, Biomate ­rials 2010, 31, 7078. Wu SW, Han G, Milliron DJ, Aloni 8 S, Altoe V, Talapin DV, et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2009; 106: 10917-21. doi:DOI 10.1073/pnas.0904792106. Mai H-X, Zhang Y-W, Si R, Yan Z-G, Sun L-d, You L-P, et al. J Am Chem Soc. 2006; 128: 6426. doi:10.1021/ja060212h. Boyer J-C, Cuccia LA, Capobianco JA. Nano Letters. 2007; 7: 847-52. doi:10.1021/nl070235 Heer S, Kà ¶mpe K, Gà ¼del HU, Haase M..Advanced Materials. 2004; 16: 2102-5. doi:10.1002/adma.200400772. Chen GY, Ohulchanskyy TY, Kumar R, Agren H, Prasad PN. ACS Nano. 2010; 4: 3163-8. doi:Doi 10.1021/Nn100457j. Nyk M, Kumar R, Ohulchanskyy TY, Bergey EJ, Prasad PN. Nano Letters. 2008; 8: 3834-8. doi:10.1021/nl802223f. Wang M, Mi CC, Wang WX, Liu CH, Wu YF, Xu ZR, et al.. ACS Nano. 2009; 3: 1580-6. doi:Doi 10.1021/Nn900491j.

My Educational Philosophy Essay example -- Philosophy of Education Tea

My Educational Philosophy A question that I have heard from several people in my life ever since the school year started is, "Why do you want to be a teacher?" Originally, I thought I just wanted the summers off. The truth of the matter is, I just want to make a difference in the lives of students. I have had teachers in my life that have pushed me way beyond even my own expectations of myself, and have had a very big influence in my life. I have also had the teachers that just accepted mediocrity, that didn't push the envelope, and those teachers I can honestly say I did not learn anything from. It was one of the influential teachers that prompted my decision to enter the teaching profession. I was in a completely different program of study, heading towards a totally different goal, until one day he looked at me and said, "What are you doing? This isn't you. You have potential to do so much more, and you'll never reach it doing what you are doing." It was this statement that made me sit back and realiz e that something needed to change. It was that something that led me to the Teacher Education Program at Concord. Once I started thinking about the reason that I wanted to be a teacher, I realized how incredibly idealistic it sounded. When we discussed educational philosophies in class, and when we went over the idealist, I thought, "that is definitely the philosophy that is geared towards what I want to be and the environment that I want my classroom to have." My goal as far as what I want when I enter the teaching profession is to be an effective history teacher. I love History, and I believe that my interest in History spurs off of the fact that I had several excellent History teachers in high school tha... ...ld be free to test all their ideas and explore values. He believed that children should participate in determining what their education should be. Schools are public servants. They are there for the children, and if they don't meet the needs of the children, they have failed as a public service institution. Once I graduate from Concord, I hope to pursue a Master's Degree and further my educational prospects. I have no idea what kind of teacher I will be. My ambition of course, is to be the teacher that every student loves and respects. Furthermore, I want to be the teacher that someone will look back at one day and say, "I am part of what I am because I had her for a teacher." Idealistic, yes, but if I don't believe in myself, and my students then I am defeating my whole purpose as an educator, and that is to make a difference in the lives of my students.

The Effects of Occupational Stress on Physical Health and its Consequen

No matter the job, stress will always play a role in an individual’s life. Regardless of whether one is a waitress, a teacher, a corrections officer, or a doctor, avoiding stress in the workplace is nearly impossible, perhaps even impossible. And the effects of stress in the workplace are numerous. Stress can have both psychological and physical effects on the members of the workforce. And while the specific effect may differ from one individual to the next, and in particular the effect on physical health will certainly differ from one job to another, a construction worker will most certainly experience different health issues than a secretary, for instance, physical health. Research conducted in the field of occupational health psychology has found evidence linking health and mortality in individuals to the stress encountered in the workplace; in particular research has discovered a causal effect between work experiences and physiological responses (Macik-Frey, Quick & Ne lson, 2007). Stress in the workplace can have an effect not only on the safety measures employees engage in while on the clock, but can also affect how an individual behaves outside of the workplace, in fact, it is not uncommon for an individual to experience accidents and injuries outside of the workplace that can be linked back to the stresses they experienced not only in the workplace but other stresses concerning one’s employment (Macik-Frey et al, 2007). Estimates vary widely on the cost to organizations of poor health in employees, with some estimates reporting losses in the billions of American organizations, not only from the loss of productivity and sick-leaves, but also as a result of caring for these illnesses. Cardiovascular heart-disease (CDH... ...lsewhere, or they may just have no causal link. In the study of burnout and physical health, there is still much more research necessary to fully understand and prevent not only burnout, but cardiovascular disease, particularly in the workforce. The link is not always certain, but with new researches conducted the pathway between burnout and cardiovascular disorder, between stress as a whole and physiological symptoms, becomes clearer. The benefit is not only for mental health but also physical well-being of employees and overall increased production in organizations; it is not just the individual who benefits from burnout treatments in their well-being and overall job satisfaction, but the organization benefits from having a healthy workforce who are also happy, or at least not frustrated and dissatisfied, with their occupation and position in the organization.

Freshman Fifteen English Paper

First Draft The Future of America: Freshmen 15 Crisis As obesity rates continue to rise worldwide, the U. S. sets an example of culturally influenced weight problems and therefore ranks ninth out the ten of the fattest countries, according to the World Health Organization (Streib). College campuses in the U. S. are the perfect example of cultural weight gain. At Towson University, the large number of freshman gaining the stereotypical â€Å"freshman 15† can be explained by poor eating and exercising habits developed in college and the university's dining options. A lot of incoming students come into college already aware of what the freshman 15 is but still manage to develop horrid eating habits. A great way to help solve such an issue is to inform students about this health issue that is only continuing to flourish. To do this universities need to step of to this nationwide concern and include a health and wellness component to our Univ. 100 classes in which students will learn what they should eat and what habits to avoid. Despite what some optimistic researchers say, the freshman 15 is real. Some have argued that most freshmen are doing better with their diet now than in the past; however we are still gaining around eight pounds a year (â€Å"Some†). It is difficult to go from a controlled and routine schedule of eating and exercising at home to the free world of choices at college. In his recent work Daniel Hoffman, a professor at Rutgers University, points out that it is â€Å"perhaps most important for students to recognize that seemingly minor and perhaps even harmless changes in eating or exercise behavior may result in large changes in weight and body fat mass over an extended period of time† (Hoffman). The fact is that students are not leaving home prepared enough for the world of late night pizza and consumption of alcohol that characterizes most students’ college years. If a nutrition lecture or a healthy lifestyle class were mandatory for incoming students it would provide a new perspective on diet and health. After becoming notified on the issue students can find their own routine of a well balanced diet and an hour of exercise per day at school. If students were informed they could start researching nutritional facts on what food they should eat and what time of the day would best to consume it. Professor Elizabeth Klasen from the University of Wisconsin insists this national phenomenon can be â€Å"attributed to dorm food, and may be associated with altered meal and sleep patterns† (Klasen). Students are forced upon sleeping abnormal hours along with eating unhealthy food consumption at inappropriate times, making it difficult to for them to eat fewer than 2000 calories or even exercise the recommended 15 minutes a day. It is difficult to maintain a healthy balanced diet on a college campus that is filled with fast food like diners and limits students to only fifteen dollars of food a day, making the alternative of more expensive and healthier foods not an realistic option. This inconvenience of healthy food and convenience of junk food was â€Å"all it took for freshmen to gain seven pounds over two semesters† in a 2006 Rutgers study (â€Å"Some†). For those students, the difference between maintaining a healthy weight and gaining seven pounds â€Å"was about 112 extra calories a day. That's one soda or half a cookie a day, or 10 minutes less of exercise† (â€Å"Some†). For instance, to get a healthy meal at one of Towson’s diners, let’s say a pre-made salad, you have to pay six dollars and wait in a mile-long line. Then, as you are standing in that line you look over and see a non-existent line for that slice of pizza and start to think to yourself, Why should I pay three times more for this salad and wait in line for 15 minutes when I only have 20 minutes until my next class, when I could go grab that last piece of pizza? Unfortunately, college presents even more opportunities for students to eat poorly, since most students stay up late to study, do last-minute homework after procrastinating all day, or hang out with friends after a party. Whether or not college students are aware of what they are doing to their bodies, researchers know that the â€Å"food eaten between 8 p. m. and 4 a. m. [is] a leading contributor to weight gain,† making the most active part of a college student’s day the most detrimental to his health (â€Å"Some†). One study from the University of Wisconsin attempts to explain this phenomenon through â€Å"Night Eating Syndrome (NES), which is associated with overweight and obesity and involves consumption of over 50% of daily calories after 7 pm† (Klasen). What’s surprising is how easy it is to get food that late at night. Specifically, Campusfood. com, a common college food supplier, gives options for students to order 1000-calorie meals delivered conveniently to their dorm steps at 2:00 a. m. The number of fast-food delivery places that open at such a late time is absurd; these restaurants are helping America gain the freshman 15 one pizza at a time. During the first semester of their freshman year in college, students will be preoccupied with many things, like which classes they will take, how well they will do in those classes, which activities they want to devote their time to, which people they want to hang with, and whether or not they will have enough money to do fun things off campus (Gonzalez). People who believe that college weight gain is a natural occurrence argue that students need to focus on more important aspects of school such as their grades, making friends, and getting involved in clubs, rather than spending time worrying about an unproven stereotype of weight gain. However, the fact that students are gaining weight is proven. As the aforementioned studies show, the freshman 15 is real, and it is affecting the lives of college freshman across the country. Freshmen are gaining weight because of eating habits they develop during the first semester. Poor food options do increase the chances of gaining weight. Freshmen do gain weight because of the convenience and availability of unhealthy food on campuses. It is true that students should concentrate on grades and other college activities however this is not an excuse to pig out and throw health concerns out the window. Missouri Western State University did a study that showed â€Å"higher GPA was associated with less consumption of fast food and higher GPA was also associated with the amount of meals an individual skipped per day: the fewer meals skipped the greater the GPA† (Costa). Apparently students’ grades are affected by what they eat. The belief that students should not worry about the â€Å"freshman 15† because they should worry about their grades is incorrect. If students concentrate on eating well their grades will reflect their good habits. The â€Å"freshman 15† is a phrase that represents a bigger dilemma, because is not just something that takes place during the first year in college. It’s not just freshman gaining weight, sophomores and upper classmen do to. Researcher Elizabeth Lloyd-Richardson, assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University Medical School did a study that â€Å"found students are weighing in at two to three pounds heavier post-sophomore year† (Rosenberg). Bad eating habits and lack of exercise start with freshmen. But since nothing is done to correct those habits students continue through the rest of their college years and after. Fitness Director Stacy Trukowski is cited by Rutgers University’s newspaper, Relations, saying, â€Å"Most people fail to gain control of their weight gain from early adulthood. Although gaining an average of seven pounds is not as alarming as 15, the pounds will surely add up over time† (Rosenberg). Unfortunately college students see weight gain from the time they enter school to the time they leave. Trukowski credits this to â€Å"drinking and eating at night and lifestyle changes they are not used to† (Rosenberg). With this evidence of continuous lifelong weight gain resulting from habits developed in college, it is surprising that colleges are not doing anything to prevent this issue. This problem may be related to rising obesity rates in America. Professor Levitisky from the college of human ecology at Cornell University found that â€Å"freshman weight gain could be the same phenomenon that is contributing to the epidemic of obesity among all Americans–that a relatively small increase in calories each day or week has the cumulative effect of adding a significant amount of weight over the years†(Land). Professor Levitisky’s study puts into perspective how important freshman weight gain is. Eating habits learned as freshmen stick with them and are harder to change as years go by. Universities need to confront this issue and take precautionary measures to help prevent future concerns. A course for incoming freshman to learn about the â€Å"freshman 15† and how to avoid it would be a great first step. Long Island University’s freshman College 101 course sets a good example of what could be used at Towson University. The course had a great proposal to teach students by having nutrition communication students present information about freshmen weight gain in a mandatory orientation class (Thomas). Since Towson University already has freshman Health 101 lecture classes, the class should dedicate at least one day in the semester to diet and exercise education. This way teacher could reduce the number of freshman gaining weight during the first semester. A Univ. 101 health and wellness component lecture would teach students how to develop healthy eating habits that would then help them for the rest of their lives. For example, they would learn what foods to avoid and what time they should avoid eating. There could be seminars in which juniors and seniors majoring in nutrition come in and talk about available foods on campus and nutritional facts along with what a good college campus diet looks like and how it can be achieved. In this class students would also develop a weekly health plan. This health plan would be incorporated into a personal log in which students would record how have exercised that week and how many times they ate late at night. This would help students analyze their bodies and realize what a simple lifestyle change could do. Studies like ones done University of California at Berkley show students who record their eating habits are more likely to witness their mistakes and correct them (Hom). The overall goal for this class is for freshmen to stop picking up bad habits during their first semester and stick with their good habits for the rest of their lives. The freshman 15 is an issue that needs to be taken care through an education system that teaches healthy diet and exercise options. Learning about proper eating habits will stop students from initially gaining weight in college and help prevent future obesity problems. If colleges implement programs to help solve this dilemma then it might be possible to help reduce America’s growing obesity concerns.