ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Claude Debussy (1862-1918) was a French pianist and composer whose exceptional work in technical composition made him one of the most prominent composers of his era. He is considered to be the founder of modern sensualist compositions, creating a new trend in musical performance by use of contemporary scales and a diversity of tonal arrangements, greatly influenced by Russian compositions and Eastern cultures. He had the unique ability of collectively assimilating different tonal variations simultaneously to form a richer unified reminiscent resonance which earned him the title of a musical impressionist. His mastery in solo piano saw the addition of Preludes to his repertoire, which until his contribution were not regarded as important in musical composition. Debussy composed the entire collection of preludes over a period of three years (1910-1913) and divided them into two separate books, each book containing twelve preludes. Preludes The 24 Preludes composed by Debussy in book 1 and 2 are short musical pieces that are meant to put across a specific atmosphere or feeling which is pointed out by the title of each piece. The titles are placed at the foot of each peace to allow the pianist and the audience to inwardly interpret the music before they get to understand the composer’s perspective (Harpole 1986). The Preludes are considered to be among the epitome of the composer’s keyboard mastery, but even Debussy himself admitted that not all the preludes received the commendation he had hoped for. West wind What the West wind saw (Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest) is the seventh of the twelve preludes in Claude Debussy’s first book of preludes. The piece begins with tension preceded by a metrical build up of the bass which elevates the tension present in the music (Roberts 1996). The build up of the bass is gradual and then rapidly explodes with two tonal variations the high pitched tones in the registry giving out a howling sound while a growling sound emanates from the lower pitch tones to give a cumulative effect of rage and destruction (Harpole 1986). Like most of the other preludes, Debussy withholds from the latent use of imagery and instead bases What the West wind saw entirely on musical and harmonic texture. He creatively replicates the natural sound of wind to produce the wailing, loud and moving sounds of a powerful wind (Muller, nd). This three minute prelude is supposed to induce the violent and overwhelming power of an aggressive wind. The piece is also particularly potent in tritones and whole-tone motifs which can be found in all of the aggressive chords and fast comprehensive arpeggios (Roberts 1996). Debussy’s virtuosity is evident in the rapidly alternating tonal variations and the low range tremolos (Weiss 2003). Book 1 is made up of 12 preludes, What the West wind saw being one of them. Most of the preludes in book one are of a light texture though there are some preludes that come close to What the West wind saw (Park 1967). The first prelude, Danseuses de Delphes (Dancers of Delphi) sharply differs from West Wind in melody and harmony. The harmonies are of
Developmental assessment of children aims to determine if the child develops at the same pace as other children of the same age (Bellman, Byrne, & Sege, 2013). In the developmental assessment, “The comparison group is obtained from a representative sample of the population that the child comes from” (Bellman et al., 2013, p. 1). The assessment process usually involves the evaluation of the child’s performance by four developmental domains: gross and fine motor skills, speech and language, social and personal activities of daily living, and performance and cognition (Bellman et al., 2013, p. 1). Developmental assessment is essential for a pediatric care provider as it provides an opportunity to produce “a definitive diagnosis and a more individualized approach to guide the plan of care and manage the child’s concerns” (Burns, Dunn, Brady, Starr, & Blosser, 2013, p. 51). Assessment is a lengthy process that involves monitoring the child’s development over time, which is why it also makes it possible for the care provider to determine if the proposed care plan is yielding results, as well as to tailor the plan to achieve a higher level of effectiveness (Moodie, Daneri, Goldhagen, Halle, Green, & LaMonte, 2014). Finally, the results of the assessment can be used by the care provider to supply the parents with suggestions and provisions for home care. The developmental screening and assessment are composed of several key components, including “the child’s attention, activities, verbalization, connection with the parent, processing of information, quality of movements, cooperation, and ability to follow requests” (Burns et al., 2013, p. 52). Each one of the components is evaluated based on the child’s age (Burns et al., 2013). The choice of the most accurate tool for use in the assessment process depends on the developmental components evaluated, as well as on the age of the child. For instance, in order to assess the communication, motor and social skills of an English-speaking 3-year-old child, I would choose Ages and Stages Questionnaire, because it co
In times of agricultural society, when men were farmers and their wives milked cows, which their children then drove to pasture, most families believed that “the more children, the better” (Boyer et al. 287). By 1800, the US faced one of the highest birth rates the country ever had – an average woman bore approximately 7.04 children. When the United States moved away from an agricultural society, children became less economically valuable and wanted, and many families simply could not afford them; that is when contraception gained its widespread popularity, lowering fertility rates to the value of 5.02 in 1850, and less than 4 in 1900 (Boyer et al. 287). The Forms of Contraception that Existed before 1860 Although the statistics provided above proves that Americans tried to limit the number of children they had, no organized birth control policy existed in those times. Moreover, the topic of contraception and family planning was considered as the taboo (“Family Life” par. 8). It was rarely discussed, women could hardly talk about it with their doctors since those were males, and Americans who wanted to control the size of their families had not many possibilities to get to know about the ways to do this. However, in 1831, two important books in this area were published: Knowlton’s The Private Companion of Young Married Couple , which focused on the importance of birth control and family planning, and Owen’s Moral Physiology that contained frank discussion about contraception (Ciment 228). Gradually, the topic became much less the taboo. The primary methods of contraception men used were withholding ejaculation and so-called withdrawal technique (Ciment 231). Women practiced numerous techniques, from the rhythm method, which was hardly reliable since people did not know for sure when ovulation occurred, to ineffective barrier methods, such as diaphragms, cervical caps, or vaginal sponges (Ciment 231). As for condoms, they also existed but were too expensive at first, which is why it was hard for many people to buy them (Ciment 231). The last birth-control method was abortion. Actually, people at that time did not see any difference between abortion and contraception, and it was “a largely tolerated practice” in many states (Ciment 231). The Reasons for Contraception in the Nineteenth Century By 1800, America had one of the highest birth rates, and an average woman had up to seven or eight children, excluding stillbirths and miscarriages (Boyer et al. 287). Actually, every married woman “had become pregnant as often as possible” (Boyer et al. 287). At that time, with the farm economy, children from early age helped on the farm and then, after getting older, started their own families and took care of their parents. When at the beginning of the 1800s, American society transformed from an agricultural to industrialized one, the need for many children who could help their parents on the farm gradually disappeared (Ciment 228). As farmers became merchants, and many new professions began to appear, fathers could no l
Introduction The Road is a post-apocalyptic novel written by an outstanding American author Cormac McCarthy in 2006. It depicts the world destroyed by a global disaster, horrible activities of survived people, violence, and the unexpected love of the father and his son who travel across the country to the sea. This is the story of lost humanity and the offensive side of human nature, on the one hand, and self-sacrifice, compassion, and hope, on the other hand (Hillier, 2015). In this work, The Road will be reviewed with the provided summary, the description of the main characters and themes of the novel, and personal opinion. Summary of the Novel An unexpected cataclysm, probably a nuclear war, destroys cities and causes the death of people, animals, and plants. The main characters, a father and son, try to cross the former territory of the United States on foot and reach the sea to survive the winter (Beathan, 2019). They are suffering from diseases and hunger, and they avoid other people as they can appear to be gangsters or marauders. The pair has a supermarket cart to carry their supplies and a revolver with only two bullets for defense. The father and son visit the town and the house of the father’s childhood. When the weather is turning colder, they meet a group of marauders. One of them threatens the boy, and the father has to shoot the marauder down; escaping from the gang, they abandon their cart. In the ruins of the town, the main characters meet another boy who flees from them. Afterward, they enter the territory of a powerful gang, and they notice the army of equipped bandits with slaves and supplies. When the pair are searching for food, they discover crippled people locked in the cellar of an ancient manor. The father realizes that they are in the house of cannibals and quickly takes his son away. Later they discover an invaluable storage bunker with food and other supplies. After several days of regaining strength, they continue their route with a new cart and provisions. They encounter a ninety-year-old man who is very unfriendly, frightened, and suspicious of other survivors. The boy insists on sharing food and staying with him for a short time, and the older man unwillingly speaks about himself. Afterward, the father and son observe three passing men and a heavily pregnant woman. Soon, they find an abandoned camp with the remains of an eaten newborn child. The main characters begin to starve until they discover another hiding place containing supplies. The father and son finally reach the sea, where the man investigates a boat driven ashore and discovers supplies and a signal flare pistol. The son catches a chill, and while the f
Gaps in the System that May Contribute to the Spread of Ebola The Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak emerged as a significant threat to the lives and safety of both the countries of West Africa and the overall global community. The deaths of a significant number of citizens of West African countries might have been averted if several systematic and organizational issues have been implemented promptly. Unlike countries of equatorial Africa, West African states had never experienced EVD before 2014 and were unprepared to identify, treat, or epidemic management of the disease (World Health Organization [WHO], 2015a). The overall underdeveloped and underfinanced system of health care in these countries significantly contributes to the spread of the illness. In particular, the public health system lacks funding, a scientific base, and experts. Also, “ineffective diagnostic and case management services” obstruct the opportunity to detect the first cases of EVD in time and prevent its international spread (Shrivastava, 2016, p. 105). Also, the unproductive cooperation of facilities and organizations at the community level complicates the possibility of united adherence to the same pattern of dealing with an outbreak and threatens the success of the implemented interventions. Strategy for Addressing Ebola within the Structure of the Health System Considering the factors that contribute to the spread of EVD in West African countries, the strategy for addressing the disease should be concentrated on the elimination of the identified problems. In general, the overall health care infrastructure of the developing countries has to be improved by means of international support and governmental programs. Firstly, scientific evidence-based health care needs to be advanced, which may be achieved through the attraction of foreign experts and the improvement of educational efforts. Secondly, better management and technology implementation is needed to ensure effective diagnostics and disease management. For that matter, new laboratories need to be launched, as well as the number of facilities specializing in infectious diseases should be increased. Thirdly, community-based initiatives need to be implemented to ensure sufficient local work on the identification and treatment of EVD. Fourthly, the countries of Western Africa need to develop an effective preventative program. All countries must be “ready to safely and effectively detect, investigate, manage and report potential Ebola cases” and act within the coordinated guidelines (WHO, 2015b, p. 12). Finally, an effective technology-driven and internationally supported monitoring program is required to ensure virus transmission surveillance (WHO, 2015a). All these steps are aimed at the strategic restructuring of the current health system of the countries significantly inclined to Ebola outbreaks. The implementation of the strategy requires proper financing for the effective achievement of anticipated results. Options for Financing the Strategy The issue of Ebola outbreaks in countries with ineffective health care systems imposes significant safety concerns for the whole
Introduction The main objective of this report is to investigate the relationship between the gross income of movies and the type of movie. There are several movies at the box office that are highly rated. The preference of people to watch certain types of movie impacts their gross income. The movie industry generates billions of dollars each year through producing movies. The earning of a movie is affected by its cinematic hype, audience expectations, ticket sales, and other factors that also affect the movie ranking at the box office. With the passage of time, the film genre is often linked with the gross income of movies. Therefore, it is critical to assess the relationship between the type of movies and their gross income. In this report, Pearson Correlation, Chi-Square Test, and linear regression are calculated to investigate the stated relationship. Information/measurement The data of fifty-three (53) top rated movies is gathered from a reliable website. The movies are randomly selected based on their box office ranking and income. The data of movies was gathered from IMDb.com, which is a well-known website for film rating and reviews and has a reliable and comprehensive database of all movies released in the U.S. Therefore, it could be stated that the data collected for this research is reliable. The data is analyzed to determine the relationship between the two selected variables including “gross income” and “type of movie” (genre). The type of movie is selected as the independent variable, and gross income is the dependent variable. The two values assigned to the type of movie are drama as 1 and comedy as 2. In particular, correlation matrix and linear regression are used investigate this relationship. For Pearson Correlation and linear regression model, the p-value is used as a standard measure to test the significance level of the relationship between the two selected variables. Moreover, coefficient beta values are used to determine the strength of the relationship between the tested variables. Chi-Squared is also calculated in this report to test the differences in the gross income based on the type of movie. The following hypothesis would be tested in this research by using mathematical tools. H0: There is an insignificant, negative relationship between gross income and type of movie. H1: There is a significant, positive relationship between gross income and type of movie Mathematical Processes Standard Deviation The standard deviation of the two film groups identified on the basis of the type of film is cal
The recent recession and global credit problems in the United States and Europe have led to many workers being laid off and consequently slowing down economic growth. The level of unemployment in the United States and Europe has continued to push the recession to unprecedented levels. Major causes of continued recession in the US and Europe are attributed to low spending levels occasioned by high unemployment and low spending power (Addison, 2003). Many companies had to lay off workers due to increased operating costs while at the same time the low demand in the market-leading to low sales affected most companies. Most of the jobs that were lost in the United States and Europe were in the private sector with many jobs being lost in the industrial and agricultural sectors. Some European governments and the United States laid off public workers due to increasing public debt and budget deficits that necessitated jobs cuts as a cost-saving measure (Buti, 2009). Many of the jobs that were lost in the US and Europe consisted mainly of semi-skilled workers who worked in different industries across these countries. To reverse the unemployment trend in the US and Europe, governments have implemented stimulus packages aimed at rescuing several industries and ultimately saving their economies. However, jobs revival has not picked up because most American and European industries face competition from producers in Asia, cheap goods from China and Asia have flooded European markets hurting local producers. Western organizations should adopt strategies such as outsourcing some of their production to low-cost areas as means of making goods cheaper (Gassler, 2003). These organizations could pressurize their governments to lower taxes and offer incentives for them to remain competitive.
Leadership is generally referred to as being the course of social influence by one individual over another, or others; towards the accomplishment of a common task or goal. According to other definitions of leadership; the art of leading is the process of creating a means through which different people put in their efforts in making something extraordinary happen. According to other proponents of the definition of leadership; the art of leading is being capable to listen, observe and apply influence; skills and expertise as a stating point in promoting dialogue between various levels of decision making. This is done so as to realize a course of action and transparency in the decision making process and expose or extract the values and visions of the different individuals, without having to impose yours on them (Wallace et.al. 23-134). Bill Gates being a major shareholder of the Microsoft Company, the wealthiest individual in the world for a period of more than 10years between 1995 and 2009; and a major world investor, is fully indicative that he could only have flown this far through being an individual who can get things done. This in simple terms means that he is a good, effective efficient leader (Wallace et.al. 23-134). The first predominant characteristic of Bill Gates which can be argues as the most obvious of all is that he is an authoritative leader. In general an authoritative leader can be used to refer to individuals who are professionals in their line of work; which enables them to clearly articulate and draw a line of vision, which in simple terms is the route to success or business breakthrough. Combined with the ability to focus and articulate the vision; is the ability to distinctively mobilize other people towards actualizing the goals and vision. The case that allows this type of leaders to best perform or get recognized is the instance when the vision to be pursued is not very clear and definite. At this point, the other strength of these kinds of leaders is manifested; as despite the fact that the leader forms a part of the authority line, he is able to bend low to allow the members of staff or the group he is leading; to decide which approach is best used to pursue their goals (Wallace et.al. 23-134). Some of the pros of this leadership attribute are that these leaders have the most positively felt impact on the work climate or the employee operating enviro
Introduction Cornelius Tacitus was a renowned historian and senator in the ancient Roman Empire. Apparently, there are only two of his major works in the world today. These include the annals and the histories. These two major works were meant to examine the conduct of three Roman emperors: Tiberius, Claudius, and Nero. Similarly, he examined the conduct of those in the reign in 69 AD, a year that many historians refer to as the Year of Four Emperors. His works mainly reflect on the history of the Roman Empire from the death of Emperor Augustus in 14 AD to 70 AD, which was known as the Year of the Initial War between the Jews and Romans. It is worth pointing out that there also exist some gaps in Tacitus’s works, especially in the annals (Ash 12). His other works display an oratory, which is a form of speech to the entire public. These oratory statements are meant to educate, influence, and entertain the audience. This rare style of writing leaves a lot to the imagination as any reader would want to summarize the works of Tacitus. His works also cover various topics including Germania, his father-in-law’s life, and the general responsibility of Romans. Analysis Tacitus is one of the most coveted historians in the Roman Empire. When taking a closer look at his historical writings, he is often viewed as a pessimist. This is seen in his approach to various topics including psychology and the power of politics. Although Tacitus is pessimistic in his writing, he blends those writings with straightforward events and moral lessons at that time. He is a historian who is focused on dramatic accounts in every historical event he writes about. Secondly, Tacitus is a historian that focused on facts in every event, unlike some other renowned historians who would sway from facts. This makes his writing interesting and real as the readers decipher what the writer has to tell (Ash 15). Tacitus exposes his facts with the brevity of description, which ensures the reader is in the plot of the story. For instance, he explains the events that took place when the Roman army was almost defeated in the war. Consequentially, his writings display utter bravery, especially when stating the events that exposed the Roman army. Thirdly, Tacitus writes the events in a chronological order, which makes his writings easy to follow and understand. He is a writer that focused on understanding events from the reader’s perspective. As such, his approach was to organize the events while at the same time ensurin