ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Banking sector is highly essential to the development of UK economy. The sector connects savers and borrowers. In addition, it enables transfer and store of value. Banks help in managing fiscal risks as well as in providing basic infrastructure for transactions. In essence, the sector plays a significant role in the development of United Kingdom. Other markets cannot accomplish these roles as effectively as banks do. However, it is also important to note the sector’s significance to the UK economy. In addition, whenever the sector faces unexpected obstacles, it usually leads to consumer detriment. This paper will explore competition in the banking sector (Fingleton, 2012, pp. 1-9). Over the years, competition has been insignificant in UK’s banking sector. However, if results from the 2012 market activity are to be believed, this trend is changing. According to Cruickshank’s report, competition in UK’s banking industry lacked effective competition as late as the year 2000. This has caused competition authorities, the government, and other stakeholders to intervene. However, progress has not been forthcoming even in areas of success. Of great concern to stakeholders is the performance of markets as well as their competitive structure. Issues like financial crisis have not made things better. Moreover, the long-standing issues such as low competition have made it difficult for banks to increase their market share. For instance, banks that offer better services have still found it difficult to increase their market share. In addition, this has made it increasingly difficult for new entrants to gain recognition in the industry. Nonetheless, there has been strong competition for specific groups of consumers. However, this has not compelled banks into improving efficiency, innovation, or consumer support. In essence, consumers do not have control over banks’ dealings. This has made it difficult for banking sector to create effective competitive structures (Fingleton, 2012, pp. 1-9). Report conducted on UK’s banking sector showed that customers were being overcharged. Moreover, there was lack of innovation. In addition, UK’s market was highly concentrated to allow for effective competition. This was especially a concern in the SME banking where information concerning personal customers was inadequate to allow for switching current accounts. Customers also suffered from issues like barriers to entry as well as non-standardised
Health problems that interfere with cognitive functions are always been a concern for patients and medical professionals. This is because of their severe pathological complications that are adding to the growing incidence of the disease. Although various therapeutic strategies have been in progress to curtail this ever-growing problem, considerable interest was centered on herbal therapy. So, the present description is concerned with Alzheimer’s disease and its management with Ginkgo Biloba. Alzheimer’s disease is a neurological disorder as its pathophysiology is strongly believed to originate from the aberrations in the central nervous system due to the detection of markers in the brain tissue from the patients (Dora Dias-Santagata et al., 2007). Katharina Schindowski et al. (2006) conducted transgenic studies to investigate the neuropathology of Alzheimer’s disease. They observed hippocampal synaptic transmission and impaired behavior characterized by increased anxiety, delayed learning from 3 months, and reduced spatial memory at 10 months as the pathophysiological disturbances during neurofibrillary degeneration. These changes are believed to originate due to the role of tau protein. Therefore, it was indicated that cognitive defects in Alzheimer’s disease may be better understood during pathogenic tau aggregation (Katharina Schindowski et al., 2006). These mechanisms may also clearly indicate that cognitive impairments are prevalent in Alzheimer’s disease. Next, although Alzheimer’s disease is a non-inflammatory disease, the involvement of inflammation has also been reported due to the increased production of the proinflammatory cytokine, TNFα and decreased production of the anti-inflammatory cytokine TGFß (Tarkowski et al., 2003). The other change that serves as an important pathological barrier is synaptic dysfunction. It was reported that amyloid-beta (Aβ) the chief component of senile plaques contributes to the significant reduction in the dynamin 1, a protein that is essential for synaptic vesicle recycling, and hence, for memory formation and information processing. It may indicate that amyloid beta plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (Brent, Robert Vassar &, Adriana Ferreira, 2006). Jose et al. (2005) explored interactions and folding of protein amyloid β-protein Aβ that are regarded as important pathogenic events in the process of neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease. They suggested that the Oligomeric assemblies concerned with the 21-30 region the Aβ may serve as a primary source of neurotoxicity. It was previously described that the deterioration in Alzheimer’s disease appears to be driven by the neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques (Guilloze et al
Introduction The study of religion can be in relation to many disciplines. The sociological study of religion is the critical inspection of the spiritual beliefs and religious patterns using sociological approaches. Both qualitative and quantitative measures are necessary during the sociological study of religion. Sociologists, who specialize in religious issues, focus on the different elements of religions like methods of worship, cults, sects, and the effects of these elements to different social groups (race and gender). Although people practice religion in privacy, it is a societal phenomenon. The following paper discusses the impact of religion to the society in relation to the views of some theorists. The origin of sociological study of religion Historically, theorists like Max Weber, Karl Max, and Emile Durkheim put forward ideologies about society and religion. For instance according to Karl Marx, religion not only alienates human beings from behaving naturally but also denies what rightly belongs to them. Instead of people enjoying their social and economic benefits they throw them away to unknown gods. While Durkheim views society as the element, which propelled the establishment of religion. On the other hand, Weber cites modernization and subsequent bureaucracy as the major elements, which motivated people to form religions in the world (2002, p.40). Finally, Berger cites religion as a social product that encompasses all human thoughts, believes and structures in order to understand strange phenomenon like death, evilness and sickness among others (1990, p.70). Therefore, the early sociologists initiated the sociological study of religion in the current society. Description of religion by sociologist In the contemporary world, there are many religion groups, which attract different social groups. Sociologists put religions into four categories. The first group is the ecclesia, which include the Roman Catholic Church and the Islam. Islam has strong roots in the Asian world especially in the Middle East. The second group is the denomination, which include the Seventh – day Adventist, the Lutheran church and the Methodists church. Thirdly, sect comes into existence after a group of people rebel against a core religion. Commonly, the people who hail from a low social and economic backgrounds form sect groups, but the religious practice may dissolve, grow into a denomination or an institution. Hutteristes, Iglesia, and Amish are some of the sects, which broke away from the Lutheran and Anglican Church respectively (Johnstone, 2007, p. 20). Finally, cults are new worship groups that embrace religious practice from different sources including cultural patterns. Although they may culminate into denominations, most states decline to offer them denomination status be
In the era of globalization, tremendous changes have been observed in all aspects of human life, including education sector. In his article “Students as change partners: A proposal for educational change in the age of globalization” Zhao reinforces an argument that was previously echoed by Andy Hargreaves and Dennis Shirley (2009) that students should be regarded as partners rather than consumers of educational changes in the era of globalization. Zhao expounds on Hargreaves and Shirley (2009) concepts that were explored in their book “The Fourth Way: The Inspiring Future for Educational Change” and utilizes them as a foundation to expound his own ideas that students should be regarded as active participants in educational changes in this era of globalization. The latter authors underscored that the recent move toward educational curriculum standardization and homogenization changes around the world are not effective in preparing students to be well aligned in the globalised workforce. Similarly, Zhao (2011) is against educational changes that are so evident in this age of globalization. This is because the entire process isolates students from decision making, even though the resolutions directly impacts on their future lives. On the same note, Zhao (2011) agrees with Hargreaves and Shirley (2009) proposition that students should be regarded as global entrepreneurs; thus education stakeholders should involve them in decision making to ensure that they acquire relevant skills suitable to meet the challenges of globalised world. Correspondingly, a similar view is echoed by Armando & Arthur (2009) who underscore that the current mindset that perceives students as passive consumers is not effective in the 21 st century. Apparently, the move towards curriculum standardization might effectively prepare students to pass standardized tests, but it is not relevant in preparing students to face the workforce challenges in the globalization era (Tapscott & Williams, 2010). The above claim further supports Zhao (2011) worries that the current education system has remained irrelevant amidst globalization because students are ill prepared for the changing world. Furthermore, he concurs with Hargreaves and Shirley (2009) proposal that educational changes should accord students the power to decide their own destiny to ensure that they remain relevant in the globalized workplace environment. Zhao (2011) further exemplify that the current educational system gives students little or no choice at all in deciding the kind of knowledge and skills at their disposal; instead it forces them to acquire whatever is availed to them by the government. The fact that Zhao views are echoed by other authors elevates the credibility of his article. Against this background, Hargreaves and Shirley (2009) and Zhao (2011) presents a solution to this problem by proposing that education institutions should only provide resources that students can utilize to shape their future life. However, al
The human species have gone extinct since the beginning of life, but human fingerprint is a useful marker that differentiates current and past extinctions. Environmental factors have been shown to cause human threats with regard to biodiversity (Duffy 440). Human species are threatened when they come under pressure from different factors in the environment. It has also been shown that some factors act in a synergistic manner to cause combined threats. For example, research was conducted in Ontario to investigate the impact of climate change and acid rain on lakes. The study found that the two environmental factors acted in a combined way to make water more penetrable by UV. The observation was that the climate change and acid rain removed materials that acted as barriers to UV. The materials that acted as barriers to UV were identified as organic carbon and other natural products from soils and plants, which protect biological activities of aquatic organisms from the harmful effects of UV (Bradshaw, Sodhi, and Brook 80; Chivian and Bernstein 30). Habitat loss: On land Human beings have caused varying degrees of changes on the earth’s surface due to their activities. It is expected that the level of habitat destruction will increase by about 70% in the next few decades (Chivian and Bernstein 34). This causes an alarm because habitat for many organisms will be destroyed in the near future. Human activities have resulted in varying degrees of deforestation, which has resulted in the loss of habitat for many big and small animals. This has also contributed to disturbances of ecosystems. Some of the human activities that cause deforestation include tree cutting, selective logging, wood harvesting, and forest fires, among others. Most of the deforested areas do not grow back and are left as land with limited capacity to support diversity. In the recent past, an increasing number of natural endemics have contributed to significant losses of forest cover on the surface of the earth. It has been asserted that a good understanding of localization of natural endemics will be essential in deciphering recent and future extinctions due to deforestation (Chivian and Bernstein 35). Habitat loss: In the oceans Although the level of marine biodiversity has not yet been established, it is widely acknowledged that human beings cause significant impacts on the oceans (Duffy 440). It is evident that about 50% of the total world populations live within a distance of about 60 kilometers from the oceans. Thus, human activities have caused high levels of water pollution and large scale losses of wetland habitat. Most of the marine biodiversity is found in the tropics, especially coral reefs that support the growth of organisms (Bradshaw et al 83). In fact, coral reefs support the growth of about 100,000 species of organisms in the oceans. Twenty percent of the world’s coral reefs have already been destroyed by humans. Also, 50% of the remaining coral reefs are at risk of collapse due to increasing human activities around the oceans (Chivian and Bernstein 38). Habitat loss: Fre
Summary This essay intends to address the essential requirements of teaching and learning online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It will further demonstrate the application of existing institutional resources in transforming classroom education to online learning and teaching using virtual classes and other effective techniques. The paper applies quantitative and qualitative techniques in studying students’ and teachers’ perspectives in adopting technology for learning and teaching. Also, this paper highlights the processes of implementing technological material in learning and teaching. Case Study COVID-19 is the most significant health crisis affecting today’s world, causing economic and social stagnation among communities and institutions. To control the spread of the disease, institutions and social events had to lockdown, limiting social interactions. Additionally, the health sector set up precautionary measures such as social distancing, victims’ isolation, and frequently sanitizing to prevent contraction of the illness. As a result, most educational institutions closed down, affecting teaching and learning processes globally. Some of the impacts of school closure include a high dropout rate, decline in the quality of education, and exposure of learners to abusive practices making governments and institutions support learning (Wolhuter & Jacobs, 2021). Furthermore, the pressure facing students and teachers in continuing the learning process demands embracing technological material for effective service delivery. Therefore, the education system needs redesigning to accommodate the current and future situations that require technological resources in learning and teaching. This study addresses the perspectives of teachers and learners towards adopting various educational technologies in enhancing online and virtual classes and their impacts in improving the learning and teaching processes. Vision For Implementing Educational Technologies Implementing educational technologies intends to improve education efficiency and quality and promote changes in learning and teaching methods. Assessment of Educational Technologies Online learning involves different methods according to the user’s preference. The participants’ preferred technology for educational service delivery includes virtual classrooms, emailing, text chatting, and pre-recorded audio and videos. The recommended platforms for online learning include google classrooms, YouTube videos, live streaming using Facebook or YouTube, skyping, email messages, telegram, mobile phone communication, zoom, and the school’s e-learning programs. Most students advocate using Facebook and YouTube streaming for virtual classes, whereas teachers prefer mobile phones in teaching as it is more connecting and personal. Learners and Faculty Perspectives in Adopti
With the challenges of modern day living, most individuals have to go to all possible lengths to earn a basic living. This is an element that has been well presented in authors Barbara Ehrenreich and Lars Eighner in their essays titled Nickel-and-Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America and On Dumpster Diving respectively. Ehrenreich assumes the life of a struggling low-wage earner while trying to find out how individuals in such levels cope with life. Eighner on the other hand finds himself in a tight spot after losing his job and has to contend with feeding off other people’s rubbish. His essay is more of a guide on the ‘profession’ of dumpster diving and he tries to present the lifestyle in positive light. However, the unifying theme for both essays is poverty and the challenges that it brings along. The two authors spend a great deal of time trying to show how average and lowly individuals get by in life with or without a well defined income. This theme is well presented using such literary elements as style of narration and progression. As far as the progression of the narrative is concerned, both authors begin by providing the readers with an explanation of how they find themselves in their current situation. Eighner dedicates a number of paragraphs explaining that she is a successful writer who however prides in experiencing the challenges that befall her subjects of study from a first-person point of view. She goes ahead to explain the flow of events between the time she leaves her home and gradually takes the author through her experience as a low-income restaurant waitress upto the time that she throws in the towel and goes back to her old life. The challenge of finding a decent place to live in at her income as is testament of how average unskilled female Americans have to contend with deplorable working conditions just for basic sustenance. The process of finding a job is equally tasking and it takes the author through disappointment after disappointment (Ehrenreich 174-175). She answers the numerous call-outs for which she qualifies basing on the fact that she has no previous experience whatsoever and it takes some waiting before she secures one. The job search reveals the rot in the human resource departments of various companies when she learns that most of the job call-outs in newspapers are placed by companies as a way of finding easy replacements for the members of staff who quit or are sacked. Eighner’s story has an equally well laid out narrative structure and he starts by elaborating his fascination with dumpster’s leading to a proper transition to the revelation that he went into dumpster diving even before he became homeless. He then directly
Airports witness countless crashes, fire outbreaks, and other avoidable accidents that may derail the operation of aircraft. Due to these crises, each respective airport has to establish an Airport Emergency Planning (AEP), which aims at reducing hazards, thus providing prompt solutions to each emergency. Precise strategies are employed in AEP, which are specific to certain airbases. Moreover, a Comprehensive Emergency Plan (CEP) provides efficient emergency forecasting approaches by involving various organizations or groups in the AEP. Various strategies are applied at airports for the planning of emergencies. The proactive strategy is a control technique that involves the airport units being pre-emptive about any emerging risks by endeavoring to reduce any airport crises before they cause disaster. In this case, the approach encompasses the application of past backup data to isolate problem areas and conditions in which an emergency may ensue. Therefore, the strategy guarantees that the complications are mitigated to ascertain that airport disasters do not transpire. Conversely, the reactive strategy involves a series of such actions as rules and guidelines which outline activities and processes necessary for addressing a specific emergency. For instance, reactive strategy is used in such emergencies as terrorism, fire outbreak, or aircraft crashing and explosion. For both proactive and reactive strategies to be successful in mitigating airport emergencies, proper area assessment is mandatory. Airport assessment involves evaluation of the existing area settings under which the military aircraft are working. Moreover, the airport operational budget and the availability of appropriate airport equipment are necessary for meeting the minimum required standards for various state regulations. Most assessments comprise comprehensive maps and grids of the airfield to ascertain that all crisis operators are accustomed to them, thus enabling quick response within the required minimum of three minutes during emergency events. CEP as an AEP provides efficient methodologies for airport planning purposes. It includes four phases, which epitomize a structure through which crisis planning is implemented (Stolzer et al., 2013). The mitigation phase delivers airports with awareness of precarious airfield situations (Federal Aviation Administration [FAA], 2020). The phase validates airports’ settings which need to be addressed to minimize risk factors. The second phase is the preparedness and readiness stage, which sanctions the airbases to preserve particu