ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
A Brief Biography of the Author St. Augustine of Hippo was born on November 13, 354, and died in August 430 AD. He became the Bishop of Hippo, a place known as Annaba today in Algeria. He studied Latin and eventually become a philosopher and a celebrated theologian from Africa. He influenced many ideas and concepts about ancient faith. This is the reason he was considered as one of the most influential people towards the development of Western Christianity. Many people today consider him as one of the greatest thinkers and philosophers on theological matters (Teske 18). He believed that anyone could access the grace of God given through Jesus Christ and be forgiven of their sins unconditionally. His book, ‘Augustine’s Confessions’, is a great theological work that has continued to touch the hearts of many people and inspire them to think deeper about the issues of religion, sin, creation, human memory, and human existence (Wetzel 36). This makes it one of the greatest works of theology that were ever written and widely read for years. It is therefore acknowledgeable that Augustine of Hippo was an interesting person whose role has had a great impact on the church, many years after his death. Some of his thoughts and ideas have been considered personal and are at times disliked, but they remain outstanding. They help in shedding some light on the knowledge of human faith and Christianity. An Overview of the Reading The reading ‘Confessions’ by St. Augustine is one of the masterpieces in the world of theological literature. Being a piece of work written from the introspective point of view and in the first person, this book is famous due to its ability to give a personal glimpse of the soul of man, and how the author related with his creator. The first nine parts of the book present the story of the author’s early life. They discuss the beginning of his life and his early education. During this time, the book presents the recounts of Augustine’s early lifestyle and the sins connected to it. During the early years of his life, Augustine has enumerated the grief in his mother, who was at pains to pray for him. Notably, the author was far from being a Christian, thus the reason his mother continued to pray hoping that some change would happen for Augustine (St. Augustine 37). In this part of the book, the author has managed to offer his thanksgiving because God sought him until the time he was converted to become a Christian. From part ten to thirteen, the book offers major issues related to the life of a Christian. In this part of the book, the author has offered an extensive analysis of the mind, human memory, and the consistent nature of the time. This is relevant because it offers a conclusive interpretation of the first book of the Bible, Genesis 1. Throughout this part, the author has managed to explore the issue of human nature. This also includes how it relates to mind time. In this part, Augustine has managed to explore his brilliance and intellect. The igneous part of the book identifies some of the major issues in
The article “Blood Clot Risk from Stents Seen in African-Americans” by Denise Mann deals with the recent discovery that African-Americans are more subjected to the blood clot development with drug-coated stents in comparison with non-African-American patients. In spite of the strong evidence that such tendency does exist, scientists cannot define the reason for it, though many of them assume that it may be based on genetics. Drug-coated implantation peculiarities Patients with clogged heart arteries should undergo the special procedure, angioplasty, which widens the damaged arteries. Implanting stents, very small mesh cylinders, reduces the risk of arteries renarrowing after such procedure. There are two major types of stents: bare metal stents and drug-coated stents. The drug-coated stents are more effective than bare metal stents in the majority of cases. However, drug-coated stent implantation may cause the blood clot forming, so-called “stent thrombosis”. To prevent clots forming over the stents, the patients should take anticlotting drugs during a year. The necessity of such long treatment is determined by the peculiarities of drug-coated stents. They do prevent scar tissues from developing over the stent, but they are usually taken by an organism as foreign objects and, as a result, the body tries to isolate them by forming clots around them. Thus, anticlotting medication plays the essential role in patients’ healing. The research findings The research was based on the data of 7,236 patients who were implanted the drug-coated stents during the period from the middle of 2003 up to the end of 2008. 22% of the patients were African-Americans. The research proved that African-American patients developed blood clots about three times as much as the rest of the patients. It is necessary to add that the African-American patients developed stent thrombosis even after increased use of anticlotting drugs and the risk was apparent in 30 days after the procedure. Many scientists insist that patients and physicians should know about this tendency. Of course, researchers admit that it is important to find out the reason for such increased risk since blood clots development often leads to serious health problems, such as heart attacks. Possible reasons for such tendency Unfortunately, scientist cannot explain the reasons why African-American patients are at a risk group. Of course, it is not because these patients are sicker. Many scientists suppose that such tendency may be associated with genetic issues. Thus, it is possible that stent thrombosis develops due to the differences in bodies’ reaction to the anticlotting drugs (clopidogrel in particular). Such assumption is based on the fact that clopidogrel (according to the warrant) may not be effective for those people whose bodies cannot convert this medicine to its active form. Thus, anticlotting medicine fails to prevent clots development and renarrowing. So, scientists think it is necessary to explore this very field and find the definite reason why anticlotting drugs are not effective for Afr
Introduction Climate change is probably the biggest threat to societies and communities. While skeptics hold the notion that climate change is overrated and non-existent, proponents articulate that effects of climate are already apparent. Studies have revealed that climate change is in fact a major cause of diseases, famines and droughts experienced in different parts of the world (DeWeerdt 2). Although there are many opposing views on the process of climate change, there is substantial evidence to show that climate change is real and skeptics have no grounds to suppose the opposite. This paper synthesizes various sociological concepts and perspectives to support its argument. They include globalization, human ecology, environmental justice and global stratification. Besides, the paper will pinpoint reasons for affirming that climate change is factual and is poised to worsen in the coming decades. Climate Change is real At the outset, it is important to assert that human ecology has exacerbated climate change across the world. According to DeWeerdt, the manner in which human beings interact with natural and social environments has historically been counterproductive (1). In fact, Herbert Spencer argues that human beings main goal and motivation is survival. In other words, he articulates that the cliché, ‘survival for the fittest’ continues to typify human societies and social organizations. As such, the world continues to witness unsurpassed level of environmental degradation as societies seek to reap maximum utility from nature. For instance, DeWeerdt argues in her article that human beings in various parts of the world have encroached water catchment areas (2). Subsequently, some parts of the world have recorded scarce rainfall leading to a decline in crop yields and famines. To that end, it is important to emphasize that human activities have led to a change in climatic and weather patterns. This entrenches the argument that climate change is responsible for deaths that result from adverse weather patterns. While many governments and societies advice communities to adapt to climate change, it is apparent that global stratification has made it impossible for some communities to cushion themselves from climate change. The rationale is that adapting to climate change is costly for many countries especially in the third world. For instance, severe drought and famine that the world witnessed in the early 1980s in Sahel region led to setting up of adaptive measures. In fact, Ethiopian government created water pans and reservoirs to connect myriad of people in the drought prone regions of the country. However, the adaptive measures led to unintended consequences including malaria outbreaks in areas where the dams and water pans were built. Not only did people die because
The article under consideration is “Factors Affecting Customer Satisfaction in After-Sales Service of Malaysian Electronic Business Market” written by Mohd Rizaimy Shaharudin et al. in Canadian Social Science journal. The main idea of the article is to consider the factors which influence customer satisfaction in after-sales services. The research was conducted in Malaysian company Permintex Electronic Sdn. Bhd. Mostly the workers of three departments were involved in the research, engineering department, marketing department and purchasing department. People were given questionnaires to respond. The main idea of the research was to consider three main questions, whether the delivery, installation, and warranty affected customer satisfaction. It should be mentioned that demographic data were also collected. The questions about age, working experience, sex, gender, ethnicity and job tenure were included in the first section of the questionnaire. Summary The results were analyzed with the Statistical Software Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 17. It should be mentioned that a number of analyses were provided. The authors of the research used pilot study, factor analysis, and regression analysis to get the most concise results (Shaharudin et al. 14). Thus, when the research had been conducted, it appeared that all those items, delivery, installation and warranty, influence customer satisfaction. The authors of the research come to the conclusion that delivery plays an important role. Customers want for their purchase to be delivered in time and in place which they stated. Moreover, it is important that the purchase should be without signs of damage. The authors state that “a good delivery system always derived from pull strategy where demand ‘pulls’ rather than ‘pushing’ the product through marketing channels to final customers” (Shaharudin et al. 14). It is also important that the customer should pay the price for the delivery established when the purchase was made. Furthermore, fast and professional installation of a product is a factor that influences customer satisfaction greatly. The results of the research show that customers were satisfied more when the installation was provided on the highest level (Shaharudin et al. 14). The installation services should also include some technical pieces of advice for use. It is important to state that the warranty also influence the customer satisfaction greatly. If the company offers its customers better warranty terms, it may be sure that the customer will be satisfied. It is really important to provide customers with the services the company has promised. The services should be on the highest level as this may increase customer satisfaction greatly, which leads to the increase in sales. It is important to remember that after-sales which lead to customer satisfaction “may generate more than three times the turnover of the original purchase during a given product’s life-cycle, and often provides profitability higher than product sales” (Shaharudin et al. 15). Analysis The article under consideration makes the assumption that to become a prof
Introduction Today’s business environment is highly dynamic and volatile. How business used to go about business yesterday is not as the same as today and neither do we have the luxury to assume that the future will be as the same as today (Boone 2010). Everyday there are new trends emerging in the business world which either influence or act as a force of initiating change in the business community. From that rationale, the creation of value and satisfaction, which consumers demand end up pushing companies to develop strategies that govern their marketing mix and overall business strategy and go a step further to create general corporate strategies that will preside over their whole business processes to make sure they succeed in today’s fickle business surroundings. Trends are not threats but rather frontiers of new business possibilities (Carsrud & Malin 2007). It therefore becomes the duty of the all those involved in both the business, social, economic, legal and political environments to come up with structures that will smoothly manage and embrace change smoothly. Recently, we have seen trends in business technology which have redefined how business is done with the possibility of social sites acting as business grounds. Furthermore, the green business trend can also be said to be a quite interesting and important trend in today’s business world (Katakota & Robinson 2001). The amount of turbulence and complexity that is present in today’s business environment can destabilize existing business models if not properly managed. While some people resist change and think of it as a problem others may often see it as an opportunity of creating a better enterprise (Czinkota 1998). Therefore, emerging business trends which bring complexities and may lead to ambiguity, which may be fatal if not well managed. The concept of globalization has increased the frequency of trends that end up being a benefit to the business community. A trend in today’s business world Current business trends show that consumers’ need for highly efficient and convenient products is on the rise and therefore majority of existing companies have been forced to step with their boots on the ground and lend their ears to consumers (Kotler 2003). This trend has translated to different implication for all those businesses that exist in the consumer electronic industry and also other highly competitive industries such as the auto mobile industry. A company which does not adapt to consumer trends will definitely sell less and even operate below break even. Therefore, research, planning and strategy has become a key pillar for such industries, and it is therefore no longer business as usual, because it is the company which has the most superior strategies and planning which will make it at the end of the day (Kourdi 2009). Figure 1: A diagram illustrating the assumed link that exists between profits and superior business strategy Corporate strategies are the highest level of strategies that define the specific
Introduction Rent controls emerged for the first time in Canada in the city of Ontario following several years of intense agitation. Their entry was ushered by the enactment of the national Housing Act. The enactment was as a result of a sharp increase in rental prices by landlords, relentless lobbying by unions, and a dramatic rise in demand after the Second World War (Anonymous 1). However several years later, following agitation by business interests the government bowed to their demands and the rent controls were withdrawn. In 1975 the construction of apartments was slowing down and the landlords were outraged by the idea of the government plan to reintroduce rental controls following a spate of sharp rent increases in the country. The landlords responded by ceasing construction of houses all together leading to a serious housing crisis. Many of the city mayors by mid 1975 seemed intent to implement the proposal if passed to save the tenants who were being exploited by the landlords. Advantages of rental controls Protection of tenants from exploitation Rental controls are argued to be the ultimate cure for the exploitation of the tenants by landlords. According to Friedman, Block, & Hayek (273), rental controls were instituted to curb the trend of profiteering by the landlords. Early in the Second World War, landlords had taken to evicting victims of the war who were moving where houses were becoming scarce (Bothwell, Drumond & English 54-55). Following continued lobbying by interest groups and a call for the politicians to implement their election campaign pledges made during the 1975 election, rental controls were reintroduced in 1986. Flexibility to inflationary pressures One of the major strengths of the rental controls is the ability to adjust to various inflationary pressures. By setting the rental cap at 3.8% which is composed of the consumer price index plus 2%, it gave room to cushion investors against economic shocks resulting from inflation. This was a very positive move considering that it was a major concern to the investors which became a major deterrent to investment in housing. This has contributed to the recent explosion in the construction industry with vacancy rates shooting up drastically to levels of about 7 to 12% and some markets recording up to 15%. This empowered the tenants as landlords scrambled for them leading to better quality housing and services. Major renovations and refurbishments were also carried out by property owners to attract the hard to get customers. Stabilization of the rental prices Proponents of the
One works best while performing the duties he/she likes and naturally suited. Every person has skills to execute roles in society. There is a correlation between justice in the society and an individual. If only justice can be found in a society, then justice in an individual will be an easy task. Finding justice in the society is easier than finding the justice in an individual. “Begin by looking for the virtues of character in a constitution before look for them in an individual” (Plato 215, par 3, L 1-3). Justice, which is suitable for the constitution of the country, is also beneficial to the people. An individual is jus a minute portion of a society. What pleases the community pleases the people? If a person does the task, he or she is well suited to then the person will be happy. This will eventually see the whole society happy and happiness is a concept in justice. Justice has different meanings to different people and societies. The Plato’s theory of justice tries to balance what people and societies practice. “Justice is the good of another” (Plato 42, par 2, L 12). The society upholds the virtues such as justice, piety, courage, friendship and fairness. The nation stipulates harsh consequences for people who are unjust. The society has legal institutions with skilled personnel to deal with the moral decadence in the community. Some people do wrong to others and go scot-free. It is better if they are not identified than if identified and fail to face the law. In such cases, injustice becomes profitable. “I say that injustice is profitable, and justice is not” (Plato 24, par 2, L 5). Today there are agencies e.g. Transparency International, which monitor the conducts of various institutions, then makes it public to the mass. Injustice is rampant among the rich than among the poor. The rich are happy ad respected while the poor are unhappy. Plato thwarts this argument by saying that justice is good, and injustice is evil irregardless of the status. “Call justice a virtue and injustice a vice” (Plato 24, Par 2, L 5). The society is also full of the unjust, but they are considered just due to the roles they play. The judicial system is regarded as the highest authority where justice should prevail. Plato argues that one is just if his duties require him to lie. This is why the judicial lawyers defend the criminals in the courts. People expect to get the best from their fellows. This equilibrium can be attained if each does the best to a colleague. There are those who hinder the justice levels in the society. These include the thugs, rappers, terrorists, prostitutes and other related actions. The society tries to be just, but the people in it can not allow it to achieve that standard. Different individuals have different meanings of justice. What one considers just may be considered unjust by the other. The American culture manifests the t
Abstract In my opinion person centered theory is a client centered therapy whereby the client is expected to play a major role in the therapeutic process. In this case the client becomes his/her own therapist and he / she is expected to make choices that lead informed decisions and hence move towards making positive changes in life. I expect the clients to apply supreme understanding of their innate behaviors so that they are able to develop a therapeutic guide for themselves. Developing a clear understanding of an individual’s personal theory results in an enhanced decision making process based on a therapeutic procedure which includes the contribution of a therapist. Understanding of personal attributes promotes the ability of intervening more efficiently even when a client’s personality is so different with the therapist’s personality. This helps the therapist to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their clients. The objectives of this research are to develop an individual theory which focus on personal theory and indicate how the theory improves therapeutic process. Secondly is to assess how the developed theory can be applied in order to help their clients who require counseling sessions. Understanding of a personal theory helps a therapist to better understand the interests of a client, their moral values, experiences, background, likes and dislikes. This helps a therapist to identify the client’s problems easily so that they can counsel them appropriately and come up with a definitive solution. Individual’s background and life experiences greatly influence the way of life of such an individual. When a therapist understands them s/he is able to offer unconditional advice to a client, thereby promoting trust between him/her and the client. Clients are also encouraged to understand their own personal theory as it may help them to make better options concerning the kind of therapies they would go for. This also helps them to better understand settings of their surrounding environment, create awareness of their values and ability to intervene more properly when other people have clearly different values with their own. The application of personal theory is fundamental in counseling of clients in order for therapists to achieve therapeutic goals. It motivates aspects of management and communication interaction geared towards an individual or others. Introduction I believe that proper understanding of individual personality is the key to a successful therapeutic process of counseling. Individuals understand themselves better and can easily identify what is appropriate for them. The aim of Person centered theory that I am developing is to help individuals to make discrete choices that help them to make informed decisions and to move towards making positive changes in life. With the understanding that personality involves supreme understanding of the innate behavior of human beings, I believe that the theory will be of great help to individuals seeking personal counseling. I expect therapist understands the personality of clients their so that they can help them to develop therapeutic measures which are appropriate