ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The book that brought Richard Dawkins into prominence was named The Selfish Gene . It relates to evolution and was in print by 1976. It builds on the foundation theory which was presented in the volume Adaptation and Natural Selection authored by George C. Williams’s. His theory indicates that the motif behind evolution is true altruism but for a greater cause. An organism tries to evolve to capitalize on its inclusive fitness i.e., the numerous replicas of its genes passed on globally rather than by a certain individual. This leads to populations being headed towards an evolutionarily stable approach. The book introduces the term meme as an element of human cultural evolution parallel to that of the gene, proposing that such “selfish” copying may also represent human culture, in a distinct manner. Memetics has emerged as the theme of numerous researches after the publication of this concept. Main Text By calling genes as being “selfish”, Dawkins should not be misinterpreted that his intent is to imply that genes are determined by any motive or will and should be understood that only their impacts suggest as if they are really “selfish”. (Dawkins, 2003) The argument is that the genes which are passed on are the ones whose outcomes serve their own inherent interests to carry on being duplicated and not essentially those of the organism which contains it. This viewpoint makes obvious the occurrence of altruism at the personage level in existence, mainly in family relations when an entity relinquishes its own existence to safeguard the lives of relatives, and by doing so it acts in the goodwill of its own genes. There is a range of approaches explicitly oriented towards the moral and normative basis for behavior some of which address pro social behavior, and its subset altruism, as predictors of environmentally friendly behavior. For example, Borden and Francis (1978) suggest that individuals with a selfish and competitive orientation are less likely to act in environmentally favorable ways and that individuals who have met their basic needs will act in more environmentally responsible ways because they have the resources to do so. Another approach which examines an explicitly pro environmental value orientation is the New Environmental Paradigm which when first developed in the mid 1970s held that implicit within the growing practice of environmentalism there was a fundamental reorientation of views about the interrelation of nature and humans (Dunlap et al., 2000). Despite becoming the foundation for a widely used measure of environmental concern, the New Environmental Paradigm has been criticized for being too ambiguous in nature; this is not surprising since it is used as a way of assessing not only an endorsement of a worldview, but also of assessing attitudes and even lower level values (Stern et al., 1995). Another influential approach which falls under the heading of moral and normative approaches is that of Schwartz (1977) which suggests that pro social behaviors are a function of personal norms. As shown in Fig 4, there are two
The present article dwells upon a way to improve funeral service and help people cope with grief. The author starts the article with a brilliant comparison as he compares the funeral service by taking medicine. The author refers to the experience of Mary Poppins (a fictional character) who tried to give a spoonful of sugar to make the medicine “go down” in “the most delightful way” (qtd. in Clock par. 2). It is noted that even the most disgusting medicine can be taken with the comforting spoonful of sugar. Therefore, the author stresses that those in the funeral profession have to provide people with such ‘sweet’ thing to help the funeral go smoothly. Clock also compares most of the present funeral services with a strict nurse from black-and-white movies trying to give medicine to a child. Notably, there is a great video at the end of the article that shows children trying to swallow the horrible medicine and one little boy refusing it. At the end of the video, the child waved away, and the spoon got in the mouth of one of those who tried to give the medicine. Likewise, people are trying to wave away and find new ways to cope with their grief. The author notes that people tend to “move away from funeral homes” (Clock par. 17). It is emphasized that the best way to cope with grief is to gather together and start talking, telling stories about the diseased. The author states that people need to feel free, which is impossible during the funeral service, which is common for the present US society. Existing services have already become a simple ritual which does not help and may even harm people. Therefore, the author suggests that people involved in the funeral business should take into account people’s major feature, which is the need to talk and share emotions to cope with grief. I believe the article addresses one of the most complex issues in the field. Admittedly, there are a variety of concerns and people who lost their close one have to make numerous choices (burial or cremation, for instance), but the major question remains the same. How to cope with grief? Notably, this issue is seen as a priority for those involved in the funeral business as they want to make the experience as tolerable as possible (“Sociology for Funeral Service” 4). I am also sure that I (being in the funeral profession) have to focus on this social as well as psychological aspect. I would like to change the service. I think the present article is good, but it lacks some information. Thus, I think the author could have expanded his ideas on improving the funeral service. Admittedly, he unveiled the problem, but I would also like to see a particular step (or steps to be made). At the same time, I would not say that the article is insignificant and helpless. It can start a discussion which will lead to the development of numerous solutions. I deem that the article will help people in the funeral business address the issue as well. The article unveils the major wrong in the business. Funeral service is often associated with quite a de
It is important to deteermine the effects that privatization of banks have on the general public interms of whether it makes banking services better or not. To assess how individuals from different bank sectors, both private and public, view privatization in terms of efficiency of service delivery and employment creation, a sample of 30 active individuals were investigated. The hypothesized scenario is that privatization is seen as a tool to increase performance/efficiency and create more employment opportunities. There was a need for carrying out a study to test this hypothesis. Data was collected from the sample obtained so as to test the hypothesis. The data was collected through use of questionnaires which provided all the required information for the test. The data contained four different variables namely privatization (Yes/No), Efficiency (Yes/No), Employment (Yes/No) and Type (Private/Public) (Klugh, 1986). A regression analysis was carried out to determine if there was any relationship between privatization and efficiency. The test would hence prove whether privatization actually resulted to an increase in the efficiency of services rendered. The regression analysis produced the following output: Regression Analysis Output from STATA Software From the results obtained, the correlation coefficient for the test between privatization and efficiency was 3.61e-15 with a p-value of 0.000. at 5% level of significance, the p-value is greater than the critical value, 0.05. Hence the correlation is significant and so we conclude that there is a significant correlation between privatization and efficiency. This simply means that privatization results to increased efficiency and hence should be embraced if there is a need for improvements in service delivery (Klugh, 1986). The correlation coefficient for privatization and type of bank is also significant at 5% level of significance since it is less than 0.005. Hence, the type of bank, whether private of public, determines the views pertaining to whether it is important to privatize banks (Triola, 2009). However, since the correlation coefficient for privatization and employment, 0.215, is not signifiocant since it is greater than 0.05 at 5% level of significance, then there is no significant change in employment as a result of privatization of banks. This implies that privatization of banks cannot have a significant effect on the rate of employment. Generally, the regression analysis has provided enough evidence to prove that the main way in which service delively by banks would be improved would be through privatization of the banks. Since the private sector is usually characterized by more competition and advancement in technological utilization, then there is no doubt that there is improved efficiency in thquality of services provided. Therefore, it is important for all the stakeholders to seek for more ways of ensuring privatization of banks so as to improve service delivery to customers (Triola, 2009). List of References Triola, F.(2009). Elementary Statistics (11th ed) . New York, ACM Klugh, H. (1986). Statistics: The Essentials for Research . London: Academic Press.
Michelle Obama was the guest speaker in the NAACP National Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. She started her speech by remembering the reason for the creation of the NAACP. She said that the NAACP was created in pursuit of the ideals of the nation’s founding fathers. She added that the main goal was to secure the blessings of liberty and to bring about the fulfillment of the promise of equality (Obama 1). It was merely her introductory remarks. She went on to tackle an issue that seems to have no direct bearing regarding the issue of liberty and equality. She talked about obesity. She talked about obesity because she is familiar with the topic. It can be argued that she was not equipped to talk about complicated issues like equality and liberty in the context of popular American culture. She was in her comfort zone when she talked about planting a garden in the South Lawn of the White House. She was in her comfort zone when she talked about the lack of access to fresh produce. She pointed out the reason why most people are unable to buy fruits and vegetables. She said that there are many communities across American wherein people have to walk long distances or commute long distances in order to purchase fruits and vegetables. It was heartwarming to talk about those things. However, it seems inappropriate considering the fact that the NAACP is an icon of African American struggle for liberty and equality. In addition, it was not an ordinary
Introduction The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast two religions namely, Buddhism and Hinduism. These religions have their roots in the Indian subcontinent where they are highly influential (Oxtoby and Amore 30-150). Hinduism and Buddhism have distinct philosophical, religious, and ethical teachings, which determine the behaviors of the people who follow them. Ethical teachings are an integral aspect of the two religions because they are the basis of righteousness. Concisely, ethical principles distinguish good conduct from immoral behavior in the two religions. Hindus and Buddhists usually observe the ethical principles to live in harmony with their neighbors and to attain righteousness. This paper focuses on Hindu and Buddhist ethical teachings. In this regard, it will explain how Hinduism and Buddhism share some ethical teachings and differ in others. The explanations will be based on the premise that the application of ethical principles depends on the belief system of specific religions. Hindu Verses Buddhist Ethics The similarities and differences in the ethical teachings of Hinduism and Buddhism include the following. First, the basis of ethics is different in the two religions. In Buddhism, ethics leads to the development of moral and spiritual life through personal effort and realization. The ethical teachings are clear, comprehensive, rational, and impartial sets of guidelines that combine moral thought and action. These guidelines are universally accepted, and their role is to enable individuals to engage in good deeds in order to attain the highest level of freedom, peace, and happiness (Oxtoby and Amore 200-350). Thus, Buddhist ethics determine the social status of an individual in society. In Buddhism, moral development does not depend on external factors such as caste system, gender, or ideology. Hence, individuals should show impartiality in their judgment of human actions. Hindu ethics, on the other hand, are based on the Law of Manu, as well as, the Dharmastutras. The ethical teachings in Hinduism mainly focus on karma, purification, and restoration. They define the social and spiritual responsibilities of the individuals who belong to various castes (Coomaraswamy 20-100). Thus, the caste system is the basis of Hindu ethics. The higher castes are associated with purity and holiness, whereas anything that is associated with lower castes is considered to be impure. Second, Hinduism and Buddhism prohibit the killing of human beings. According to Buddhist ethics, taking the life of an individual is the most serious offense (Coomaraswamy 20-100). Individuals are not only advised to avoid taking the lives of others, but also to refrain from inciting their colleagues to kill. Buddha encouraged his followers to focus on rescuing other people’s lives. Furthermore, committing suicide is not allowed
Every day consumers come across different brands and products that are presented in a way by their manufacturers / suppliers that they distinguish from each other and assist in consumers making their buying decisions. These buying decisions are based on different determining factors which may include pricing of the product or service, its quality and specifications or features. In addition to these factors consumers buying decisions are also mainly driven from consumers’ own choice, behavior and perception regarding a product or service (Kotler & Keller, 2008). This paper will highlight a decision process which involved a selection of a restaurant and the desired food menu and identification of the basis for such decisions. It was last weekend when the author had the chance to have a night out with his friends and it was decided to go to a restaurant in London. Selecting a restaurant was a difficult process as every individual gave a different opinion regarding the type of restaurant and menu that it should be serving. However, a common factor which helped us to remove differences in our opinions was that we all opted for healthy food rather than fast food or curries. The next step was to decide between a list of restaurants available off the internet which were serving food under the category of healthy foods at a reasonable price. This involved examining online serving menus available of different restaurants and even calling a few restaurants in Central London area. Furthermore, we read through reviews of different restaurants by individuals who had already visited these restaurants and have either enjoyed eating there or regretted it. This process helped us to narrow further down the choice of restaurants where we could go. We made a small list of restaurants with their addresses and made a trip to Central London ourselves couple of hours ahead of dinner time to observe the restaurants which we had short listed. It was not surprising that some restaurants had posted
Introduction Today’s use of the new media, such as social networks, has resulted in the emergence of a new type of culture: the participatory culture, where everyone can create their own content. This paper defines the participatory culture and compares it with broadcast culture, indicates some factors that allowed for the spread of the participatory culture, and identifies some aspects of its impact on the society. It has been shown that participatory culture plays an important role in democracy but has some significant limitations. This should be taken into account if it is to be used for democratic purposes. Discussion Definitions of Broadcast and Participatory Culture: Their Elements and Traits The term “participatory culture” refers to a culture where the members of the public not only consume but also create the content of the media. Such a culture can be juxtaposed with broadcast culture, in which only certain people or institutions (such as public figures or governments) can publish content. Jenkins et al. (2009) identify the following traits of participatory culture: (a) relative simplicity of artistic expression and participation in the civil processes and encouragement of such participation; (b) conviction of participants that the materials that they publish matter; (c) more experienced participants can teach less experienced ones; (d) participants feel socially tied to one another, at least when it comes to others’ opinions about the products they published. Clearly, broadcast culture cannot be described using these traits. On the whole, it might be possible to characterise broadcast culture as one in which consumers are clearly separated from publishers and which requires certain resources, such as the social capital or institutional affiliation, for participation. While a broadcast culture requires that the representatives of the public have the means to consume the published products (for instance, literacy skills to read newspapers, radios or TV sets to listen to or watch programs, etc.), a participatory culture, in addition, requires the existence of the means of publishing one’s creations and sharing them with others. Such means became available with the d
Impaired functional ability refers to the difficulties in carrying out typical daily tasks. The physical, physiological, and cognitive capacity to do needed tasks can help determine the traits that reflect the optimum degree of functional ability. Some of the risk factors that lead to impaired functional ability include disease burden, abnormal Body Mass Index (BMI), and limited social contacts. While disease burden results in major delays in reaching milestones, abnormal BMI limits the individual’s ability to integrate within the social setting (Giddens, 2021). Such problems can result in limited social contact that affects the typical daily tasks. The high financial, social, and psychological costs of functional limitations make impaired functional ability an issue of great concern. According to Giddens (2021), these deficits can be seen in daily tasks, social functioning, reasoning, and concentration. Judgment and stress adaptability are also essential indicators in identifying the level of reduced functional capacity (Giger & Haddad, 2021). In most cases, health care providers can intervene to help improve the patient’s quality of life (Swan et al., 2020). Such efforts need extensive management of the victim’s immediate environment. Therefore, it is crucial to have good family dynamics that can help implement the plan of care. Some of the family dynamics that can be applied include addressing family members’ personalities and establishing a particularly soft nature of the patient’s parents’ relationship (Phiri, Kafulafula & Chorwe-Sungani, 2019). Giddens (2021) recognizes that establishing good family dynamics can be effectively applied to diverse patient populations. However, there are personal concerns about delivering care to culturally diverse families. For instance, several cases of poorly built healthcare systems fail to fulfill the demands of varied patient groups. Such cultural insensitivity can be addressed with proper transformational leadership in healthcare facilities.
The inevitable rise in the prevalence of obesity in adults over the last couple of decades, followed more recently by a comparable increase in children and adolescents, is not only alarming in its own right (Cole, 2006 ), but it continues to place significant public health challenges, not only in the United States but also globally (USDHHS, n.d.). It is against this background that the present paper aims to discuss the issue of childhood obesity with a view to elucidating evidence about the significance of this topic to the discipline of public health. The paper will also touch on the prevalence of the health challenges in statistical terms, how childhood obesity relates to communities, the financial impact of childhood obesity, and the goals and objectives for the future. According to Cole (2006), “…obesity is at its simplest excess adiposity” (p. 4). Reilly (2006) defines obesity as an excess of body fat; that is, accumulation of a certain level of body fat that is considered harmful to the correct functioning of the body and its vital organs, such as the heart, lungs, and liver. Despite the simplicity of its definition, the rate at which obesity has been causing health challenges in both developed and developing worlds guarantees its significance to the broad discipline of public health. As a matter of fact, there has been an ongoing debate in the United States about the possibility of obesity surpassing smoking as the leading cause of death, and it has come to the attention of researchers that some developing countries are being increasingly confronted with the double burden of undernourishment or under-nutrition in some sections of the population and obesity or over-nutrition in others (Eriksen, 2006). Cole (2006) notes that accumulating evidence has associated obesity with morbidity and mortality from a broad range of chronic illnesses, “…including heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and, more recently, cancer, making obesity one of the most serious public health issues of our time” (p. 3). The above presentation informs the significance of the selected topic to public health. Current global statistics on childhood obesity are, at best, heart-breaking. For the developed countries, approximations from the year 2000 onwards using all-inclusive national definitions suggest between 10 percent and 25 percent of the pediatric population is obese (Reilly, 2006). Quoting the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 1999 and 2002, USDHSS (n.d.) notes that the number of adolescents who are overweight in the United States has more than tripled since 1980, while the prevalence among young children or pediatric population has more than doubled. Going by the NHANES study findings, it is generally assumed that 16 percent of American children aged 6-19 years are overweight, with the figures expected to rise due to poor dietary habits and lack