ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Only twenty years ago, the global community viewed the United States as the most economically and democratically developed country where all people are granted equal freedoms, rights, and opportunities. Today, the vision has changed to include fear of terrorism, war in Iraq, and… eating disorders. American nation is the most obese nation in the world with the greatest number of overweight citizens. The most terrifying fact is that Americans are not concerned about their unhealthy eating habits. Anorexia nervosa becomes increasingly widespread among teenagers and young individuals who starve themselves to be thin and beautiful, as models in commercials and celebrities in movies. Eating disorders are caused by the desire of people to correspond to the beauty standards imposed by society. For individuals with eating disorders, there a always a gap between the way they see themselves and the way they do look. I can still remember the first time I saw my friend going through anorexia. I could almost feel her physical and emotional pain; however, I did not know how to help her. I do not know what terrified me more: the sight of a suffering friend or my inability to help her. I realized that eating disorder is not only a physical diseases but also has serious complications on mentality. As my friend got thinner and thinner, she kept feeling very fat. Eating disorders affect not just the person, but also his whole family. Moreover, the lack of sufficient funding, insurance coverage, and outlets for people with eating disorders contribute to progressive development of anorexia, bulimia, and other health-related problems. Children with anorexia experience dehydration, inability to concentrate, and dizziness. Obese adults suffer behavioral problems such as drug and alcohol abuse, s
Figure 1. An image of a plowshare tortoise The plowshare tortoise, Astrochelys anaphora, is a critically endangered species found in Madagascar. It was listed as critically endangered in 2008. Other synonyms include Angonoka anaphora, Geochelone anaphora, and Testudo anaphora. The last remnants of this species estimated to be around 600 in number are found within the area of approximately 25 to 60 square kilometers. This is in northwestern Madagascar in Baly Bay. The surviving ones are divided into five subpopulations. Two groups are found east of the Andranomavo river while the remaining three groups are found west. The habitat they can survive in consists of mangrove swamps, savanna, and dry deciduous forest. It experiences distinct seasonal rainfall as its climate is tropical. The elevation of the habitable land is approximately 50 meters above sea level (Leuteritz and Pedrono, 2008). Female tortoises are smaller and lighter than males. The average length and weight of the females are 370.1mm and 8.8kg respectively. The average length and weight of the male are 414.8mm and 10.3kg respectively. They feed on shrubs, forbs, and herbs which are found in the bamboos scrub especially in the open rocky areas. They can also feed on dead bamboo leaves. The tortoises reach sexual maturity when they are at least 15 years old. The mating period falls between mid-January and the end of May. The females lay an average of two clutches per season and a mean of three eggs per clutch. With a hatching success rate of 54 percent, a female produces at least four hatchlings during the season (Leuteritz and Pedrono, 2008). Taxonomy The plowshare is in the kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Reptilia, order Testudines, and family Testudinidae. The central species of Astrochelys anaphora is Testudo anaphora (Vaillant, 1885). The current taxonomy matches the phylogenies. Fritz and Binnida-Edmonds (2007) describe that due to the morphological similarities between G. anaphora and G. radiata, they should be classified under the same genus of Astrochelys. Phylogeny In 2006, Le et al. had conducted a molecular phylogeny. The study aimed to produce a phylogeny of the family Testudinidae through the analysis of five molecular sets: three genes in the mitochondrial DNA and two genes in the nuclear DNA. Nuclear DNA i.e. Rag2 and Cmos had been utilized in previous molecular phylo
Drugs and substance abuse can lead both to physical and psychological dependency. As a result, drug-addicted patients can experience various side effects depending on the frequency and amount of drugs taken at a time. Investigating patterns of behavior of alcohol and drug-addicted individuals is important because it allows a drug addictions counselor to predict possible consequences and potential risks to health. It has been found out that duration effect of smoking marijuana is about 4 hours (Coon and Mitterer, 2008). In contrast, large amounts of alcohol consumption can cause significant impairment of the brain, or even loss of consciousness. Six packs of beer exceed the accepted norms for a person and, therefore, it is more dangerous for a person consume alcohol in such dozes as compared to two cigarettes of marijuana, which is accepted (Coon and Mitterer, 2008). Therefore, as a drug addictions counselor, I would rather take control of the alcohol-addicted patient and focus on the patterns of his behavior to avoid complications and risks to the patient’s health. At the same time, the patient who smokes marijuana should also be monitored to make sure that he/she is not dependent on drugs. Exploring patterns of alcohol consumption is helpful in understanding the main risks it can have for human health. The levels of alcohol abuse are associated with a number of disorders and diseased. In particular, such disorders as hypertension, liver disease, and neurological deficits relate primarily to patterns of alcohol consumption (Grant, 1997). As such, there are specific signs of alcohol abuse which should be highlighted to prevent complications. The most serious concern should be with binge drinking, which is defined “…as downing five or more drinks in a short time (four drinks for women)” (Coon and Mitterer, 2008). This level of alcohol abuse is of particular attention to teenagers whose brain still develops. In addition, binge drinking makes alcoholics be physically and psychological dependent on substance. As a result, they can face serious challenges while reducing the amount of the consumed alcohol (Craig, 2004). The role of the counselor, therefore, is to define psychological reasons for alcohol addiction and prevent further consumption. He/she should also provide
In this paper, I will strive to show the significance of characterization, at the expense of other elements of literature, towards the successful revelation of the deeper meaning of the following two short stories: “War” By Luigi Colette and “The other Wife” by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. As we shall see characterization can be employed as the main vehicle towards the realization of a writer’s thematic concerns. “The Other Wife” by charlotte is about a woman, who is married to a rich husband; the story has three characters, Marc, Alice and Marc’s ex-wife (Colette). The bulk of it comprises of dialogue between Marc and Alice who have just arrived at a hotel for lunch. Incidentally, Marc’s ex-wife is in the same hotel. Through exchanges of pleasantries that reveal the traits of Marc and Alice, Calotte foregrounds the themes of patriarchy and sexual love. Marc is a controlling husband. He finds pride and power in dominating his wife and feeling needed. For instance, when his wife lets him order lunch for both, he is so pleased that: “He sighed as if he had just moved an armoire, gazed at the colorless midday sea” (Colette). This simple act gives him great pleasure. His wife, Alice, on the other hand is emotionally dependent on him. She is passive and unobtrusive. She willingly lets Marc make even the smallest of decisions for her. For example, when Marc asks her what she would like for lunch, she so naturally lets him order dinner for both: “Whatever you like, you know that” (Colette). She is so proud of his complements that she seems to rely on them to reaffirm her self-worth: “Her firm, round breasts rose proudly as she leaned over the table” (Colette). It is through the characterization of Marc and Alice, the contrasting of Alice with Marc’s ex-wife, that the story’s themes are revealed. By characterizing Marc’s ex-wife happy and contented and Alice as timid and dependent, the story’s themes are realized. “War” on the other hand is a longer piece. It’s about how parents who have children at the battlefront view war (Pirandello). The horrors that are committed during war can never be justified by simply invoking patriotism. It is through the characterization of the fat red faced man that the main theme of this story is communicated. At first, we think him stoic and patriotic and the other parents are embarrassed when he says such things as: “Why then should we consider the feelings o
Introduction Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray shows the ruinous journey of a young man, who, grappling with the ideals of aestheticism, takes on a fatal role. The main hero is described as handsome and naïve, at least until he falls under a malign sphere of influence, which absolves him of his wrongdoings. The author makes the “confrontations between art and artist; reality and art; and spectator and art” most important throughout the novel (Scheible 132). A notable cornerstone is individuality (mostly offered through art), which, when sacrificed brings about the ruin of those, unable to protect their integrity. Wilde’s work made such themes of aestheticism most important, shifting away from the Victorian ideal of art as a medium for morality. His novel, still, while pursuing this ideal, portrays an almost Victorian cautionary tale that punishes those that do evil, in the end. One cannot remove the ideals of aestheticism from the subject they occupy, just as the link between portrait and main character shows when the destruction of one leads to the death of the other (Eastham 32). However, according to Wilde’s epigrams to the novel, defending it from claims that painted it as immoral, state that it is art, and hence has no purpose but to be art. The development of the story throughout the novel shows the seeming impossibility of this project, which tries to free itself from Victorian constraints, but entangles itself in the author’s philosophy. The story, as a monument to aestheticism, however, is supportive of the idea of individuality and shows not the Victorian disciplining of evil, but the aesthetic punishment of likelihood (Livesey 267). Society does not punish Dorian Gray for his evildoing, but his lack of restraint punishes him for blindly following the ideas of Lord Henry. Lord Henry: Friend or Foe? The character of Lord Henry Wotton raises many questions about his motives in the story, as while he is an advocate for hedonism, he is comparatively more of a theorist than a practitioner. Nonetheless, he acts as a catalyst for the plot, as he is the person who first talks to Gray about the nature of man, starting the thought process of questioning the essence of humanity (Wilde ch. 2). Preying on the protagonist’s vanity, he instills in him the idea of youthfulness at the very beginning of the book. Likewise, towards the middle of the storyline, he is the one to bestow a book upon Gray that solidifies his downfall, fully introducing him to a new, hedonistic world (Wilde ch. 10). Even stating in chapter 19 that murder is to the lower classes, as art is to the higher, he supports Gray through each moral blunder, steering him towards feeling forgiven each time. The ideas of hedonism corrupt Gray, who, unwilling to resist this influence, even
Introduction Throughout the years, marriage has often been considered a desired and, often, a necessary custom that protected the spouses socially and financially, and the mutually advantageous alliance between families was often secured by marriage. Therefore, it is no surprise that when Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Wife of Bath’s Tale in the XIVth century, marriages often had little to do with love. Instead, they were often built on practicality that the alliances brought, elevating or preserving one’s social status, securing financial stability, or both. On the other hand, in Twelfth Night, written in the early XVIIth century, the reader is shown the more romantic side of a marital union. Nevertheless, the social status was still very relevant in the Elizabethan and Jacobean times, when Shakespeare was writing his plays. In both the XIVth and the XVIIth centuries, what remained true is the economic security women gained from marrying a wealthy man and the financial uncertainty they experienced from staying unwed. Historical and Literary Discussion of The Wife of Bath’s Tale ’s XIVth century During the Medieval era, the women were often only viewed together with their husbands instead of as separate entities. According to Lynda Telford, women were expected to be “courteous and obliging” to their spouses, modest and quiet in their existence (1). Throughout their lives, women first belonged to their fathers and then passed on, often with a hefty dowry, to their spouses. In the Medieval years, men were expected to prove they were men constantly, be it by controlling their women or playing drinking games (Telford). Unsurprisingly, there was little romance in such unions, which more resembled the passing of goods from one pair of hands to another than matrimony as it is known today. Financially speaking, the women with bigger dowries were in a better position for marriage. However, although they were more desirable to the men, they themselves had no claim to their own dowries. Without a husband, a Medieval woman had nothing, which explains why it would be a necessity to find a prospective bachelor as soon as the girls turned into women. In The Wife of Bath’s Tale, the narrator is what would be considered a promiscuous woman who has already had five husbands. The prologue that she uses to narrate her life story opens the sexual and sensual side of the marital relations in those times, as well as the financial gains one might have hoped for. Literary Analysis of The Wife of Bath’s Tale The story, which is a part of The Canterbury Tales, starts with an unusually long prologue, which serves as the real focus of the narrative. In the prologue, the narrator, the Wife of Bath, relates the stories of her previous marriages and expresses her attitudes about love, marriage, and virginity, amongst other things. The Wife proudly talks about manipulating the marital system and, as a result gaining property and money from her first three husbands. It is as if she was mocking them after having fooled them into giving up their power to her. Furthermore, she argu
Solution and Expected Outcomes The failure to breastfeed a child may present a significant threat to his/her health as well as long-term development. Moreover, this problem may produce detrimental impacts on the physical wellbeing of mothers. In their turn, nurses and physicians should take measures that can address this issue or at least minimize its impacts. To achieve this goal, medical workers should focus on prenatal and postnatal education. The evidence gathered by researchers suggests that the combination of these two strategies is vital for increasing the rate of breastfeeding (Schreck et al., 2017; Vural & Vural, 2017). The critical task is to select educational interventions that can modify health behaviors of mothers. There are several teaching techniques that can help medical workers attain their objectives. During the prenatal stage, healthcare providers should rely on individualized breastfeeding counseling provided by nurses (Kim, Park, Oh, Kim, & Ahn, 2018). In particular, they should stress the benefits of breastfeeding as well as the risk of not doing it. Furthermore, during these lessons, they should answer various questions that mothers may ask. Nurses should teach these lessons when pregnant mothers visit the clinic (Kim et al., 2018). Additionally, researchers argue that it is possible to incorporate information technologies in the learning activities undertaken at the prenatal stage (Pitts, Faucher, & Spencer, 2015). For instance, medical workers can compile a list of online information resources that highlight the importance of breastfeeding for the health of babies and mothers. The study of these websites can also prompt women to recognize the importance of breastfeeding. At the same time, it is essential to focus on the educational methods adopted during the postnatal stage. Medical workers should hold group sessions for mothers who experience some problems during breastfeeding (Schreck et al., 2017). Nurses and midwives should help these women acquire the knowledge and skills needed for overcoming possible challenges. This educational intervention is beneficial because it can address the most urgent needs of patients. Furthermore, this approach ensures that a relatively small number of medical workers can help many women. On the whole, by combining postnatal and prenatal education, nurses can enhance women’s commitment to breastfeeding and increase their confidence. These educational interventions are intended only for those mothers who do not experience any serious physiological problems that can prevent them from breastfeeding their babies. It will be the main exclusion criterion used for selecting the participants of the project. At this poi
Introduction For about two decades, the Japanese economy has been stagnating. The average growth rate for the period between the year 1993 and 2003 was just above one percent (Taylor 2003, p.35). Whether measured by the GDP or the consumer price index (CPI), the inflation rate has been negative for almost two decades (Hayashi, & Prescott 2007, p. 212). There are many problems that scholars consider responsible for this situation. In fact, they have regarded the period as the ‘lost decade’ in Japan. Among these problems are the burst bubble and the nonperforming loans (Mishkin, & Posen 2004, p. 36). Since then, critics have held policy mistakes responsible for failure to find a viable solution for the deflation that has lasted for two decades. For instance, the consumption tax rate, as well as the repeal of income tax cut enacted in April 1997, is also one of such fiscal mistakes that have made it impossible to deal with the problem. With this hint in mind, this paper aims at evaluating the reasons why the numerous efforts by the Japanese government and the Bank of Japan (BOJ) have failed miserably in rescuing the economy of the country. Considering deflation as a repercussion of failure in monetary policy, this report highlights the flaws in the monetary policies that the BOJ has implemented so far. Despite its numerous efforts, the BOJ has miserably failed when it comes to stopping the inflation rate from turning negative. The paper will also give a personal opinion on the possible ways in which Japan can deal with the deflation problem. The Deflation and Japanese Monetary Policy Bubble and Burst Many researchers consider the bubble period in the Japanese economy, which lasted during the years 1985-90 as the main source of the Japanese stagnation experienced in the 1990s (Taylor 1999, p. 426). Since the dawn and the burst of the bubble, the economy got into a difficult position characterized by nonperforming loans (Kuttner, & Posen 2010, p.233). This nonperformance resulted into a crisis in the banking industry. According to some economists, a mistake in monetary policy that occurred then is responsible for the powerless monetary policy of the years that preceded the burst bubble. As claimed by Ito, this was majorly because “the transmission channel from the interest rate policy to the real economy was no longer operational” (2008, p. 147). Therefore, it is crucial to consider the most likely causes of the deflation, which people consider as the monetary policy mistakes of the bubble years. There is an urgent need to come up with the likely reasons why there is no success yet in rescuing the Japanese economy from the deflation. The Japanese economy was obviously experiencing a bubble economy between the years 1983 and 1989. During these years, “both the stock price index and the land price index quadrupled” (Summers 1996, p. 629). For instance, the stock prices index in 1983 was 10000 yen, which quadrupled to 40000 yen by 1989 (Hoshi, & Kashyap 2005, p. 169). The
Diabetes patients present with very different management problems and unraveling the specific factors which are contributing to the individual’s difficulty controlling weight and cholesterol and insulin level, and which of these factors it is feasible for the patient to modify, is an important aspect of the assessment process. In recent years, special attention is given to the individualization of dietary patterns and unique approaches to every patient and his disease history. This approach is based on cultural and regional differences, personal preferences, and style of life (Shaw, 2006). Current dietary patterns suggest that cholesterol levels in food should be less than 300 mg/day. Fat appears to exert its greatest influence on energy balance through its effects on appetite. In studies where people have been allowed to eat as much as they like, the same quantity of food is generally eaten with high fat as with high carbohydrate meals, but because fat gram for gram contains more than twice the number of calories as carbohydrate, considerably more calories are consumed. Patients should reduce intake of trans fatty acids. It is highly recommended to use current fat replacers. also, patients with type II diabetes should consume saccharin, acesulfame potassium (K), aspartame, and sucralose instead of sugar (Clark, 2004). For instance, in their research, Shaw et al (2006) single out a specific diet and general diet for patients with diabetes. These researchers claim that a specific diet is based on self-care management aimed to help patients deal with dietary changes themselves. This diet involves fruits and vegetables, high-fat foods such as red meat, or full-fat dairy products. Doctors admit that an increasing amount of fruits and vegetables help patients to deal with diabetes and maintain a healthy way of life. Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat, high in fiber, and are rich sources of vitamins and minerals, particularly antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin C, beta-carotene, selenium, and others such as lycopene. Epidemiological studies suggest the antioxidant and fiber content of fruit and vegetables protects against disease, particularly cardiovascular disease and cancer. The mechanism behind this protective effect is believed to be the capacity of antioxidants to scavenge free radicals, preventing DNA damage and subsequent mutation and decreasing atherosclerosis. The model divides food into five food groups and the size of the plate divisions represents the balance of foods needed to make up a healthy diet. It emphasizes the large contribution of fruit and vegetables, the need to increase starchy foods, and the importance of limiting, although not removing completely, foods high in sugars and fat. Regular eating is the main tool for diabetes treatment (Shaw, 2006). Researchers suggest eating 4-5 times a day instead of 3 times. Patients may skip meals as a means of controlling weight, turning to ‘grazing’ patterns of eating. To many, it may seem logical that one less meal a day would result in quicker weight loss. However, evidence suggests the reverse; meal sk