ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Though hepatitis B can hardly warrant the title of the scourge of the 21 st century, it clearly has a very negative effect on the health rates all over the world (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012a). The disease quickly develops into a chronic one, thus, creating premises for more health issues to emerge in the next few years. The residents of Chicago are no exception to the rule; also stricken by the disease, numerous denizens of the local population need urgent help. By analyzing the issue closer and identifying the factors causing the increase in the number of hepatitis B patients, one will be able to locate the means of addressing the problem. Problem Background A lot has been done over the past few decades in order to address the issue regarding the hepatitis problem in the United States in general and in Illinois in particular. Unfortunately, the measures undertaken to address the issue of chronic hepatitis B rates are still high in the Chicago area. One must admit that, compared to the nationwide statistics, Illinois in general and Chicago, in particular, have shown rather impressive results, the rates of HBV having dropped by 30% from 2007 to 2011 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012a). According to the statewide statistics, the rates of chronic hepatitis B development have risen significantly over the past few years ( Illinois – 2013 state health profile , 2013). Nevertheless, the instances of HBV contraction are still very numerous, especially among children and infants (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012a). Figure 1. Hepatitis B rates in Illinois 2008–2012 According to the data in Fig. 1 above, the number of instances of hepatitis B contraction in Chicago dropped significantly in 2009 and has been comparatively stable since then; the specified change can be attributed to the promotion of vaccine against HBV suggested in 2008 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Nevertheless, the fact that the Chicago residents saw a rather sharp increase in the number of HBV contractions in 2012 proves in a quite graphic manner that the problem of HBV is yet to be solved. Chronic Hepatitis B: Descriptive Epidemiology Analysis Traditionally defined as “an extremely infectious virus that is spread when infected blood, semen, or another body fluid enters the body of a non-infected person and can also be spread from mother to infant at birth” (Alatrakchi, 2015) and also known as HBV, chronic hepatitis B poses a huge threat to the patient’s wellbeing and aff
The movie depicts the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis when humanity has been one pace away from a nuclear war. The movie makes a depressive impression on a viewer. Nowadays, it is rather difficult to imagine the feelings of people who have realized the consequences of the possible war. This documental film just represents in chronological order the events of those days with the impressions of participants who have been directly involved in this crisis resolution. It represents the positions of both sides – the USA and the Soviet Union, trying to remain neutral. For instance, one of the historians being interviewed stated that from the point of view of international law, the Soviet missiles were deployed legally in Cuba. At the same time, it was understood that such a situation was very dangerous for the USA. From the very beginning of this movie, a viewer feels an atmosphere of tension at that time. Sometimes, it is difficult to imagine the possible consequences of this conflict. If the leaders of the two nuclear-weapon states did not manage to heed the voice of reason, it would be the war without winners. According to the best estimates for the United States, even in case of victory, the country would lose one-third of its population. However, the most likely scenario in the case of the armed conflict was a complete demolition of both countries with inevitable consequences for the whole planet. The crisis began after the unsuccessful military operation of the USA against Cuba in the Bay of Pigs. In 1962, the Soviet Union deployed its nuclear-tipped missiles in Cuba. This decision adopted by the USSR was caused by a disposition of American missiles in Turkey, which was rather close to the USSR. This fact irritated the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. The deployment of missiles was realized in strict secrecy, but the U.S. government suspected that something was wrong. Soon an American scout aircraft identified the Soviet missiles in Cuba. As a result, the USA established a blockade of the island. During a long period of time, the government of the Soviet Union denied the fact of the presence of their missiles in Cuba. However, it was clear that the Americans were full of determination to get rid of these missiles. At last, Khrushchev had to recognize the fact of these missiles presence, assuring at the same time that the Soviet Union had no intention to attack the USA. The tensest moment of the Cuban Missile Crisis is considered to be the Black Saturday when Soviet troops shouted down an American scout aircraft. The situation became even more serious when Kennedy made a decision for the bombing attack of the island, and American troops were ready for invasion. Many Americans left big cities for fear of a response strike of the Soviet Union. Nevertheless, on Sunday, the government of the Soviet Union made a decision to come to terms with the USA. When Soviet missiles were removed from Cuba, the USA called off the blockade of the island. It seems to me that one of the reasons why we should study history is to avoid its mistakes. And this movie is the illustrative evidence of this statement. The his
Introduction The Drug Policy Dilemma is an issue that has raised concerns in many countries of the world including the United States of America (Thornton, 20007). This legal dilemma has been on whether to legalize drugs or not. Legalizing the use of drugs would mean that the production, distribution, and sale of drugs would not be prohibited. This is a moral issue because drugs have always been associated with such vices as violence and they have caused mortalities due to accidents and such incidences. Illicit drug use has always been on the high as many individuals crave for the feeling that is associated with it. Drugs usually have a mind-altering effect and may lead to addiction and abuse. The trading of illegal drugs is one of the biggest businesses worldwide. It has been estimated to be a $322 billion business. It has attracted various criminal organizations due to the potential profits associated with it. Another issue that is of great concern to many nations is the possibility of individuals taking advantage of drug trafficking to do other forms of crime or political insurgencies. This is due to the fact that drug trafficking across the borders brings about a lot of money that may be used to fund such activities. Some of the major illegal drugs that are usually trafficked include cannabis and heroin. Others include ecstasy and methamphetamine. It has been estimated that over two hundred million people worldwide use illicit drugs. Of this number, twenty-five million of them are problem users (Benjamin & Miller, 1991). The issue of criminalizing or decriminalizing drugs is a moral dilemma that is faced by many countries. Various countries such as U.N. and U.S. have held a position that drugs should not be made legal. They have also emphasized the need to clamp down on the trade of illicit drugs. This has led these countries to spend more on law enforcement and this explains why some of the prisons overflow with such criminals. In this paper, I will provide some of the views of certain individuals concerning this issue and support my position that drugs should not be legalized. My position I believe that drugs should not be legalized. This is because the use of drugs cannot be associated with any virtue. Drugs are only designed to make the user hooked up. This is because it leads to addiction and makes the user dependent on the drug. Since the individual would not be able to do without it, it becomes a form of bondage and enslaves the individual. Therefore, I support Wilson’s view that drugs enslave the mind and destroy the soul. James Wilson strongly protested against the legalization of drugs (Woo, 2012). He argued that even though people are aware of the harmful effects of drugs, they still want to support its legalization. He emphasized on the immoral nature of the drugs. He believes that they enslave the mind and destroy the soul. Califano, on the other hand, interpreted the results of a drug survey among students in high schools. He was troubled by the fact that drug abuse was common among these students as they easily traded on the commodity and used them on occasions such as parties. Califano ar
Introduction It is pivotal to be able to critically assess the results of research because there might exist some non-obvious nuances of it which have a considerable effect on these results (Suter, 2012). This paper provides such an assessment of a study by Boyle and Forchelli (2014). Multiple aspects of the article are analyzed. Strengths The strengths of the article by Boyle and Forchelli (2014) include a thorough analysis of the student’s notes and the use of rather precise measures of their quality. It should be noted that the results obtained were highly significant and of large effect size (Warner, 2013)–the minimal η p 2 was.32 (Boyle & Forchelli, 2014), which indicates considerable differences. Weaknesses The weaknesses include a relatively small sample, the convenience sampling from only one urban school, the inability to measure other factors which might have affected the results (cultural, racial differences, motivation, etc), the use of videotaped lecture only, etc. (Boyle & Forchelli, 2014). Overall Reaction The study provided interesting results, finding evidence for initial hypotheses that high-achievement students perform better than low-achievement learners and those with learning disabilities (Boyle & Forchelli, 2014). The authors recommend introducing specific instructions on taking notes (Boyle & Forchelli, 2014). Methodological Issues There are several methodological issues in Boyle and Forchelli (2014). For instance, there was no differentiation in the three groups of students (e.g., students with different types of disabilities were not measured separately). It was also impossible to assess many other possible external factors such as cultural differences, disposition towards verbal or visual learning (Kollöffel, 2012), etc. Instrumentation It might be possible to state that Boyle and Forchelli (2014) utilized high-quality instrumentation. For example, the scores given by different raters during notes assessment were almost the same (at least 95% of inter-rater reliability) (Boyle & Forchelli, 2014). An obvious limitation is that the instruments were created ad hoc, and their validity was not tested (Lissitz & Samuelsen, 2007; Moss, 1994). Generalization The generalization of the results by Boyle and Forchelli (2014) is highly problematic because a convenience sampling technique was utilized in the study (Field, 2013). Also, several other factors possibly affecting the outcome were not accounted for–e.g., the motivation. Alternative Explanation The authors stress that several alternative explanations of the differences are possible, for example, the cultural differences, the lack of motivation, the lack of interest because of the format (videotaped lecture), and so on (Boyle & Forchelli, 2014). However, the named phenomena could have
The social contract shows the relationship between the citizens and their government. It is the principle of right where governance in power employ intellectual deices to enhance this relationship. The social contract argument sparks a lot of criticism from both opposition and the government sides (Egan, 2011). In the article, ‘social contract,’ the government of the United States has developed a plan that will reduce budget cost (Krugman, 2011). This plan was pushed to the congress house by president Obama. This move will see to it that the wealthy in the society bear the cost of the budget by increasing the taxes for this social class. The plan will have succeeded in providing the citizens of the United States the best Medicare program in history (Krugman, 2011). Also, there were other several popular programs that the government was aiming to achieve via this social plan. This is rather a disagreeable move because the rich people will not take the move lightly. The Republicans responded to move by shooting down the motion. They demanded equal treatment of the rich and the poor by the government (Egan, 2011). Wealthy Republicans were pushing to be exempted from bearing any burden of sustaining government finances. According to this article, it is malicious for the government to rely on the hard work of its citizens to meet its financial obligation. The taxes collected from the citizens should be enough to allow the government carries out the mandate it was given by the same citizens (Krugman, 2011). The move of increasing taxes for the wealthy suggests that the government is incompetent (Krugman, 2011). Furthermore, dividing the country into the social class will result in the oppression of the minority. The wealthy will perceive that the government looks at them as the greedy geezers (Egan, 2011). The Republicans were justified to turn down the plan since the government had no authority to decide on their finances and tax payment. Also discriminating the wealthy in terms of tax payment would instigate social class war fare between the rich and the poor (Egan, 2011). Political analysts have termed the move to be audacious because the government had to divide the country in a bid to alter the social contract (Egan, 2011). Moreover, raising the taxes
Perspective is an important consideration in art, one that determines the way people look at a painting and what they see, how they see it, and how they interact with it. Additionally, it is responsible for the way people understand an image in its cultural context or intended meaning. While exploring the google arts and culture exhibit, I have been able to see a number of different religious paintings that use perspective in interesting ways. I think that the discussion of perspective is important for those both close and far from the art world, as it promotes engagement with paintings that can often be overlooked. To narrow down my search, I have looked up “Religious painting”, and went with the results that seemed most interesting to discuss. First, I want to take a look at The Adoration of the Magi, painted by Sandro Botticelli. The image depicts people adoring a number of “wise men” who were considered to be especially important in Florence, where it was painted ( The adoration of the magi – sandro botticelli – google arts & culture ). The linear perspective allows the audience to see everything that is happening from a detached angle, taking in the scenery and understanding the importance of the event to the people depicted. While the magi are being revered by the people of Florence, the audience also understands that they are close to their followers, therefore placing them in close perspective proximity to each other. Figure 1: The adoration of the magi – Sandro Botticelli – Google Arts & Culture. The second image I want to discuss is Adoration of the Trinity (Landauer Altar), painted by Albrecht Dürer in 1511. Figure 2: Adoration of the Trinity (landauer altar) – Albrecht Dürer – Google Arts & Culture. The figures made central in this painting is much more important than in the last, and the significance of the Trinity for Christian religion is enhanced with both the visual presentation and the perspective. The pose he makes is reminiscent of the crucifixion, and the father and the holy spirit are also included. We, the audience, are made to look at the Trinity from below, assuming a position of observation and awe. The difference in the way the gathered saints and the holy Trinity are framed make it clear what the central piece of the image is.
Determinism refers to the philosophical principle that all actions are pre-determined by a series of causal events and laws of nature. The theory pre-supposes that human decisions are a product of the conditioning of various factors. This presents several challenges to the concept of free will or moral responsibility. It would appear that, if all human decisions are pre-determined and caused by various laws of nature, then there is nothing like free will. However, these seemingly contradictory concepts of determinism and free will continue to co-exist today. One group of philosophers is convinced that determinism and moral responsibility are compatible (Pink, 2004). Another group believes that the two are inconsistent and thus, ought to not co-exist. The purpose of this paper is to show that determinism and moral responsibility co-exist and that human decisions or actions cannot contradict the pre-existing laws of nature. Determinism is generally described by philosophers as the concept of every event having a cause. This causation applies the quantum physics laws of cause and effect (Williams, 1980). A popular kind of determinism is the social determinism. It asserts that human behavior is influenced by, and is therefore a result of, social interactions and environment. Social determinism is one of three explanations for human behavior; the other two being free will and biological determinism. Free will as an explanation for human behavior depicts that human beings consciously choose to act the way they do and are responsible for their actions, whether good or bad. Biological determinism school of thought claims that human behavior is a result of heredity and genetic makeup (Kattsoff, 1965). In order to present how determinism and moral responsibility are compatible, it is essential to state several assumptions. The first assumption is that determinism is a materialistic worldview (Williams, 1980). This is especially in the respect to free will. What this means is that human beings have no control over the actions of quantum physics both in the world around them or in their own brains. Secondly, moral responsibility in this case is based on the theory that the concept of goodness is an objective fact (Williams, 1980). This means that goodness cannot be regarded as a product of language and is thus not subjective but is universal. In other words, the choice between what is moral or immoral is subject to an objective standard of good or bad which is outside the person making that choice. The first example to illustrate the compatibility between
A journey can be defined as a process of moving towards a certain point. Human life is also characterized as a continuous movement. Therefore, the concept of journey is very close to our lives. The questions related to searching for the sense of life and exploring the nature of existence are regarded as the ones that all human beings were looking the answers for since the beginning of the history. The process of discovering the nature of the being can be considered a journey with the ultimate point that is difficult to be reached. However, the process of such spiritual journey can help the person to gain the priceless knowledge about human life. Besides spiritual journey, physical journeys also contribute to the person’s ability to judge the objective reality in a proper way, as they help to look aside the everyday routine and promote the ability to see ordinary things in a different way. Analyzing the benefits of the processes of spiritual and physical journeys helps to reveal how they help the person to explore the nature of existence. Any attempt to focus on spiritual experience and explore the sense of being can be considered a spiritual journey. People go on such journeys while devoting their time to reading a certain kind of books, communicating with other people about spiritual themes, participating in spiritual practices or religious activities, etc. Any of these steps has the ultimate objective, which can be determined by finding the truth about the sense of human existence and defining the right way to live the life according to this truth. Reaching this ultimate objective appears to be a very complicated task, as the wisest men of different times tried to find the answers to the existential questions and did not succeed. However, all of these men gained the invaluable knowledge about the specifics of human nature and the laws of human life. Such spiritual journeys help to explore what it means to live truly and prevent being afraid of death. One of the rewards of any spiritual experience is the comprehension of the temporality of earthly life and understanding of the importance of focusing on eterna
Introduction This research paper is a close examination of the international business. It has tacked the management and governance structure found in international business and how each relates to the success of the international business. Those structures usually depend upon many factors when it comes to consideration of diversification of goods and services. They also (structure) dictate the kind of branding a business puts into the businesses across the globe. Still those structures have their strength and weakness which has been tackled as advantages and disadvantages. International Business International business is the business which describes all the transactions which are commercial in nature between the countries or regions. These transactions may include sales investment logistics and purchases. Many governments do engage themselves in international business as a collective decision or political reason which has been reached by the government officials. The government may sell the product or service in exchange of money for the purpose of completing the commercial activities. Private company can also get involved in international business but unlike the government their main role is to get profit, private company may invest in goods and services across the boarder in form of economic resources e.g. capital. Import is simply moving of good and services among nations. Exporting is regarded as moving of goods and services to other nations. Matrix structure This structure considers the complexity of business most likely the geography the functionability of the business and the technology. Matrix structure deals with internal complexity in the business as well as external complexities this is done by reflecting those external complexities by analyzing the structure of the business internally. This structure realizes and considers the importance of geography functional grouping of the customer product and technology. When using matrix structure it’s more emphasize on the clarity which yield more flexibility. Matrix cannot solve the complexities in business but working together of the people in the organization dictates the success or failure of the business. Global market structure According to Zinzaro (2010), this structure reflects the global philosophy which states that world is just one homogeneous market. The philosophy sees the world as a monolithic market with tastes and preferences which are similar. In Global structure it assumes that the national tastes and preferences are not different hence standardized products are put into consideration hence the structural process are integrated so that the coordination of activities are the same worldwide i.e. production marketing and planning. Decision making comes from the corporate headquarters and directed to the parts of the business. Hence decisions are centralized and for this matter the importance ones. For example they are decisions which are made at corporate level and not s