ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction Substance abuse has been a serious challenge in the United States. Illicit drug use has been on the increase in recent times though a decreasing trend was generally observed from 1979 to the 1990s. There are some instances where illicit drugs are considered culturally acceptable, especially for medicinal and ritual purposes. Despite all these, substance abuse has led to many health and social problems in the U.S., mainly due to the addiction thereof. Some of the illicit drugs in question, in this case, include cocaine, marijuana, tranquilizers, and analgesics used for non-medical reasons, hallucinogens, and heroin, among others. Substance Abuse in the United States From 1999 through 2001, the number of individuals who were at least 12 years old and had used illicit drugs during the previous 30 days increased from 6.3% to 7.1%. Also notable is that the prevalence of substance abuse in the general population in the U.S. for persons aged 12 years and older was 14.1% compared to 7.1% in 2001. For persons aged 12 to 17 years old, the prevalence of substance abuse reported for the previous one year decreased from 24.3% in 1979 to 10.8% in 2001. It is, however, evident that as of 1993, illicit drug use had been on an increasing trend from 11.9% in 1993 to 20.8% in 2001. Among individuals aged 18 to 25 years, substance abuse over the past year was 45.5% in 1979 and decreased to 24.2% by 1993 and then increased gradually to 31.9% by 2001. The prevalence of illicit drug use among persons aged 26 to 34 years was 23.0% for the past year as of 1979, and this decreased to 12.7% in 1998 and then increased to 16.1% by 2001. For persons aged 35 years and older, substance abuse in the past year has increased from 3.9% in 1979 to 6.3% in 2001 (ONDCP, 2006). As of 2001, up to 0.7% of all persons aged 12 years and older used cocaine and crack in the previous month. This proportion was highest (9.9%) among persons aged 18 to 25 years in 1979. The use of marijuana was reported to be 5.4% in 2001 in the whole population aged 12 years and older. The highest rates were, however, recorded in 1979 for 12 to 34 years old persons. Despite a decrease in marijuana use from 1979 to 1998 in all age groups, the trend has been increasing gradually in all age groups but at least among 35 years and older individuals (ONDCP, 2006). Despite the fact that illicit drugs are generally considered unacceptable in society due to the harms that they cause, there are cases where the same illicit drugs are considered culturally acceptable.
The significance of Galileo’s discoveries of the moons of Jupiter and of mountains and valleys of the earth’s moon is considerable. Galileo illustrates the importance of science by interconnecting it with other areas of people’s life. In addition, he shows that scientific conclusions can influence people’s vision of the surrounding world by overthrowing previous mistaken ideas and revealing the real place of humans in the universe. The importance of Galileo’s finding regarding the moons of Jupiter is huge. It appeared as one of the first revelations demonstrating the deception of the church (Bre
Strategy designing and management is a process through which organizations, at whatsoever level of growth, guarantee desired results in the future. It provides long term goals and defines ways of attaining the desired. Proper strategy designing and implementation ensures start ups break even and compete favorable as they grow to maturity. Failure to plan is recipe of failure. To succeed in the long run, long term plans and strategies or tactics have to be instituted or put in place. The strategy process is standard whether the business in question is a start up or an established entity. Business strategy begins environmental scanning and then business modeling so as to suit into and control the business environment (Dess & Taylor, 2004, p. 68). It is the control over the business environment i.e. capacity to influence environment in own favor that is widely known as a competitive edge. When it comes to a business start up, there is no historical data or experience to rely on. Much strategic options for start ups are derived from environmental scans and tested business models that allow for benchmarking against best practices in industry. Due to the lack of experience in the industry; a weakness of most start ups, planning has to be taken very seriously. This is why all business start ups have to prepare a good business plan. Start ups have to be clear on what they are about. Therefore, the planning process begins with spelling out a clear vision. Defining the business vision offers a long term focus that will direct the business. The vision for a start up should in line with how they want to differentiate themselves in the market (Dess & Taylor, 2004, p. 45). Differentiation in the market is about uniqueness or specialty in offering. It is this uniqueness or proper differentiation that will give the start up a competitive advantage. It is the reason why customers will choose the start up over already established business or products. Once a start up has defined clearly what it is about i.e. the vision, the next step is defining the vision in terms of a mission. The mission statement connects vision to actionable undertakings (Joyce & Woods, 2001, p. 64). In other words, the mission explains what the business is about and what ought to be done for the business to achieve desired status as stated in vision statement. Once the actionable aspects of the vision are clear, this should be broken down into objectives or goals. Objectives are the issues to be looked into or actual action details that fulfill the mission. Start ups have to identify the particular goals to be achieved and describe in detail what the action items are about. For start ups, more focus is given to the short term goals (Dess & Taylor, 2004, p. 115). It is the attainment of this short term goals that will enable the start up to break even. Values, often neglected or assumed, are an integral part of strategy formulation. For an organization to attain a competitive advantage, people are of critical value. It is people who translate plans into results. People also act as organizational interface with customers i.e. their experience with customers either keeps th
This paper outlines several aspects in the film ‘Gone Baby Gone’ that has been directed by Ben Affleck. It highlights various issues that relate to urban planning as captured by the film. It discusses the themes of family structure, limited mobility in urban areas, urban crime, morality and the social networks that exist in urban neighborhoods. Family Structure The film’s setting in Boston brings out several issues that affect the residents of a big urban settlement. The kidnapping of Amanda, a four year old girl, from an apartment where she lives with her mother shows the struggles various parents have to go through to raise their children in an urban neighborhood. The neighborhood which Amanda calls home is ridden with crime and its working class residents have to contend with its rough nature on a daily basis. Amanda’s abduction shows the insecurity that exists in most urban areas, which poses a great risk to the families that live in such places (Prince, 2008, pp.1-2). The tough neighborhood in which the girl is kidnapped is portrayed as an area with many social vices that make life difficult for the residents. Beatrice McGready, Amanda’s aunt, seeks the help of two detectives who are familiar with the neighborhood to help uncover the mystery behind her niece’s kidnapping. Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are a couple that works as private detectives in the neighborhood, specializing in cases of missing persons (Prince, 2008, pp.1-2). Amanda’s aunt gets involved in the search for the kidnapped girl unlike her sister whose activities leave a lot of unanswered questions. Helene, Amanda’s mother, steals money from drug dealers and this is suspected to be the major reason behind the abduction of her daughter. Negligent parents in tough urban suburbs as shown in the film expose their children to the several hazards that exist in such environments. Limited Mobility The nature of the urban settlement in which the film is set obstructs effective mobility for the residents. The residents have to contend with high crime rates that make it dangerous for them to move freely in the area (Robledo, 2008, pp.1-2). The residents of the area are also suspicious that the police are not honest in their dealings and this makes it difficult for the two detectives to resolve Amanda’s abduction. This distrust motivates Beatrice to hire Patrick and Angie to investigate the crime. Their excellent knowledge of the area also gives her the hope of getting Amanda back. Dorchester in Boston as shown in the movie is a terrible neighborhood that has a lot of problems that the residents have to struggle with each day. The neighborhood has menacing streets full of dangerous individuals who can stop at nothing to cause harm to passersby. At first, this makes the two detectives reluctant to pursue the case because they are aware of the hardships that they are likely to face as they try to bring Amanda and her family’s problems to an end. The vicious criminal acts that go on in the nei
The given essay is a review article written by Henry D. Smith to The Book in Japan: A Cultural History from the Beginnings to the Nineteenth Century by Peter Kornicki. The work written by Kornicki is a compendium of information from the books of Japanese history. The author made serious scientific research in different spheres of the book history in Japan both printed and manuscript. He researches provincial publishing, books printed in the Tokugawa period, as well as Edo books reprinted in the Meiji period. As a result, Kornickis work may be considered as a short encyclopedia of the history of Japanese texts of different topics. Kornicki paid special attention to the history of Japanese manuscript culture, emphasizing the fact that in the time of printing appearance, Japanese manuscripts did not linger, but continued to serve as a function of transmitting secrets. Most of them were not used for transmission for the next generations, but some of them served this very purpose. The author points out the fact, that among the huge amount of handwritten materials, only a small part is still extant, that is why they demanded special detail
Introduction In 1948, George Orwell wrote a masterpiece book with the title 1984. In the book, Orwell explores different issues affecting the then society, but it appears that contemporary society is reliving the Orwellian moments. This paper explores the similarities and dissimilarities between the book’s events and the occurrences of contemporary society in 2014. The similarities between the two are more as compared to the dissimilarities. Similarities The first striking similarity between the two eras above is the issue of surveillance by the government. Orwell posits, “…there was always the danger of concealed microphones by which your voice might be picked up and recognized” (148). In contemporary society, the government is watching over people even in their private lives. Edward Snowden’s unraveling of how the government is following the citizens is chilling. The streets are littered with surveillance cameras, which resemble the microphones mentioned in Orwell’s account. Also, the government can hack into any computer and access people’s lives and so as Orwell notes, “the big brother is omnipotent” (262). In the Orwellian case, “…in the vast majority of cases there was no trial, no report of the arrest…people disappeared” (Orwell 27). In 2014, people were being killed without facing trial. The predator drones being used to stalk and kill individuals, whether criminals or not, resemble Orwell’s narration. The endless wars in contemporary society are also evident in 1984. Orwell posits, “Oceania had always been at war with Eurasia” (359). In contemporary society, war has been the rule of the day. The war on terrorism has become timeless, and the United States has been at the center of it. Apart from the war on terrorism, different kinds of wars are being witnessed in contemporary society. The Crimean Peninsula where pro-Russian militants are at arms with the Ukraine government, the Syrian war in Asia, the Israeli-Palestine war in the Middle East, and the Southern Sudan civil war coupled with the Central African Republic crisis in
Introduction The household registration system (hukou) was introduced in China to regulate the number of people moving from rural to urban areas. Its main functions were to control the migration of people and to help enforce the one child family planning policy. Through this system, it was difficult for the people residing in rural regions to enjoy the facilities available in urban areas. Because of its discriminatory nature, it faced a lot of opposition and some reforms had to be conducted. The reforms have led to a slight alteration of its functions in contemporary mainland China although the main one still remains as migration regulation. This paper is going to look at the functions of the hukou system in mainland China today. Discussion Although the system is currently not as powerful as it was in the 1950’s, it continues to exist in some parts of mainland China. One of its functions is resource allocation among citizens. Through this system, the government decides how national resources are to be distributed. An example is the sharing of gasoline between those in rural and those in urban areas. People in rural areas can access more of it than their urban counterparts. The urban dwellers are encouraged to use public transport since it is in good condition and it is cost effective. They therefore receive lower gasoline rations than rural citizens. Economic development in mainland China has been achieved because of this function of resource allocation. This is in contrast to the past where those with rural hukou were denied access to a number of facilities (Fan 40). The household registration system performs the vital function of population registration. Through the system, government is able to collect important data regarding its citizens. Such data is important for economic planning and resource allocation. The hukou system serves the same purpose as the national identification systems used in other countries. It is also used to regulate business activity within mainland China. This is because it is a prerequisite for getting a business license. Therefore, before any citizen can start operating a business, the authorities can first assess the person through the information provided by the hukou and determine whether it is appropriate to give the license (Yusuf 81). Regulation of inte
Wireless technology has been widely used in industrial processes because of its benefits that contribute to total quality management. Chemical and manufacturing industries have particularly used wireless technology because it adds value to the industries. Like other information technologies, wireless technology has many business related benefits, which include contributions to “customer service, finance, sales and marketing, information and technology operations, and operations management” among others (Baltzan and Philips 7). These benefits help in achieving cost effectiveness, higher customer satisfaction, business growth, and improved competitiveness (Baltzan and Philips 7). Chemical and manufacturing companies use wireless technology to enhance their efficiency in time utility. This is because the technology helps in saving time, facilitating faster response, and improving productivity (Baltzan and Philips 7). Other manufacturing applications that benefit from the technology Other manufacturing applications that benefit from wireless technology are branding and packaging applications (Baltzan and Philips 7). Why they benefit The two applications benefit from wireless technology because they form part of the manufacturing industry (Baltzan and Philips 7). Business benefits of wireless technology in finance and investments Business benefits of information technology are also realized in the finance and investments sector. Finance and investments involve activities for enhancing an enterprise’s worth through financial avenues and information technology helps in monitoring trends and changes in market factors. The use of wireless technology to gather information about a target market is therefore important in identification of new products and market segments (Baltzan and Philips 7). Other recommended application Other suitable applications for finance and investments include internet applications through mobile phones and computers (Baltzan and Philips 7). Reason for recommending the applications This is because the technologies are significantly effective in enhancing communication and tracking online information (Baltzan and Philips 7). Business benefits and challenges of using wireless technology in retailing Retailing has also been a major beneficiary of the wireless technology. Economic benefits, derived from time and operational efficiencies, have been realized in the sector as the technology is used to facilitate communication in retail enterprises. Using the technology in stocktaking has also enhanced their advantage through time efficiency and accuracy in records keeping. Economic implications of wireless technology have however been its major disadvantage with its high installation cost making it too expensive for some retailers. This has limited its use. Complications in supply c
Standards and Standardization Over a period of time, standardization has been widely known as a process that entails developing and implementing technical commodities standards. Commodities in this case include services and products. Standardization as applicable in social sciences is closely allied to the good-natured solutions for harmonizing problems (Barker & Aydin 1991, p.21). Often, the term refers to a state where each partaking party is bound to realize shared gains by making mutually consistent decisions. Standards can only be achieved when appropriate decisions are ratified and consistent decisions are made. Standardization is regarded as an obligation in the current organizational backgrounds. It represents one of the most proficient techniques used to maximize on the utilization of organization resources. It has been embraced at international levels by multinational corporations that are compelled to do so by the globalized markets. In fact, market globalization call for regulations and standards that have the capacity to provide corporations with eminence unification conditions that are integral in a wide-range of marketable products. Standardization has been used by multinational corporations for recognitions as well as to take standards elaboration and implementation initiatives (Barker & Aydin 1991, p.21). This is necessary since commercial enterprises and clients attitudes are based on standardization, believing that corporations that give priorities to standardizations have the chance to dominate the market. Basically, consumers materialize to be an imperative force which pushes for standardization. They always require commodities that have high market standards. This implies that corporations are obliged to implement standards which link up with product qualities being presented to the market. Thus, corporations find it a conditional practice that must be approved in order to expand and maintain their consumer bases. The consumer demand impacts are apparent in standardized activities that corporations assume in order to harmonize the efforts of the producers so as to accomplish the individual client complex needs (Barker & Aydin 1991, p.28). Consumers similarly struggle to stimulate collectivities via selecting products which nearly reflect and correspond to the recipients’ requirements. Selecting an adequate solution for a need requires familiarity with the market atmosphere and the consumers. For instance, consumers always choose an ambient cost-effective product from a corporation besides gauging its operational efficiency. The precise and clear definitions of the characteristics of a particular product quantity always tend to amass the consumers loyalty and faith with respect to enterprise, trade and economic ventures within the entrepreneurial purlieu. It allows for the commercialization and development of markets procedural precincts considering client-provider relations. Su
Introduction American society has been experiencing some sort of dynamism which has been marked by various aspects of the people’s lives. In this article the author highlights the issues that have brought about social change in the American society. Decline in congregations by the people for instance in clubs for social endeavors has been noted to be on the decline with the passing of a few decades. The author of this article aims at bringing out the picture of the changing phenomenon of social capital in the American society. He achieves his objectives by first of all distinguishing social capital from the other forms of capital like the human capital and the physical capital. The author raises the fact that just like the other forms of capital that have value to the society social networks too are of value and have indeed being undergoing transformation. The origin of social capital is explained in this article and furthermore there is an explanation on what kind of society can be said to be in possession of social capital. This according to the author started in the 20 th century and was meant to reiterate on how human life can be made even more productive by the use of social connections between the people of America. The various aspects of social capital are well elaborated in this article with the writer pointing out that there are individual and collective components of social capital. The private and public aspects of social capital are also mentioned with the author explaining that the benefits of social capital are varied and can come in different forms for instance there are certain external factors that affect this phenomenon and they touch on the wider community other than the individual who makes the social connections that characterize social capital. There is emphasis on the fact that social capital benefits both the public and private entities. This is evidenced when the author mentions that even bystanders stand to benefit from an investment that has been made in social capital. Issues of reciprocation are also characteristic of the social change in the American society. This is because there is a norm that someone does the good for others in anticipation that they will do the same in return. For instance it has been mentioned that if one does not attend other people funerals then they too will not appear in his funeral. With this kind of reciprocity efficien