ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
An individual’s development has several stages, and this process is lifelong. One of the stages in the lifespan development is middle adulthood that is associated with the period between 40-45 and 60-65 years. The subject (N) selected for the developmental analysis is a 49-year-old male who is married, has no children, and performs the role of the head of the family. He currently teaches airframe and power plant studies at a local community college. N spent much of his life in Pittsburgh, PA, living in the Italian community, where he developed his morale and beliefs. N’s lifestyle can be described as sedentary, and he suffers from obesity, the heart disease, and hypertension. Still, it is important to note that N does not consume alcohol or smoke. In this paper, the specifics of the subject’s development at the stage of middle adulthood will be described with reference to existing theories, and possible unmet developmental tasks will be discussed along with the approaches to address them. Summary of Middle Adulthood Middle adulthood (40-45 to 60-65 years) is associated with the period when individuals go further in their maturity, and the signs of aging become obvious. However, during this period, people usually have stable family and interpersonal relationships, developed careers, demonstrate effective performance and productivity (Lally & Valentine-French, 2017). Noticeable physical changes are typical of this period, and in a social sphere, the focus can shift from work and relationships with friends to family and parenthood. When analyzing the characteristics of this period with reference to researchers’ and theorists’ views, it is important to note that only some of them mentioned middle adulthood in their models. Erik Erikson developed the psychosocial theory, according to which each stage of a person’s development is associated with a certain crisis. The effective resolution of each crisis is important for a successful movement to the following stage. In Erikson’s model, middle adulthood is related to the crisis of generativity versus stagnation, and a positive resolution is observed when an individual becomes interested in helping younger generations to develop (Dunkel & Harbke, 2017). Other researchers, such as Lev Vygotsky and Jean Piaget, were mostly interested in studying the development of children, and according to their views, adulthood is associated with developing abstract thinking, moral values, and maturity (Lally & Valentine-French, 2017). The complete theory of adult development was proposed by Daniel Levinson, who lin
Abstract Process improvement helps businesses review the different aspects of their work and make changes that will help provide a better quality of services, increase profits, and achieve the mission and vision of this company. United Healthcare is an insurance provider that has declared the decision to promote the population’s health as a part of its mission and vision. Moreover, United Healthcare places emphasis on addressing the care needs of the vulnerable populations who have diminished access to care services. This paper analyzes the balanced scorecard elements pertaining to United Healthcare’s operations and offers to invest in the development of community health programs, such as the aging population program that targets older adults. Additionally, United Healthcare should integrate mobile applications and services for health monitoring as part of its services since it helps reduce the number of visits to the care provider. This paper details the specific elements of United Healthcare’s strategic direction. Introduction Process Improvement allows us to examine the organization’s current operations, such as its financial statements, customer focus, internal processes, and a strategy for growth and compare these to its mission and values. For this paper, the analysis will be based on a healthcare insurer United Healthcare. United Healthcare is an insurance organization operating from Minnesota, which provides healthcare insurance services to U.S. citizens across the states. This paper will analyze United healthcare’s organizational structure, macro-level indicators, mission and values and offer a process improvement strategy. Existing Organizational Structure, Mission, Vision Analysis The organizational structure of United Healthcare is a matrix organization, which is defined as an organizational structure where there is a dual managerial responsibility and accountability (IntroBooks, 2018). With this, there are two lines of command that govern the operations of the organization. United Healthcare’s structure is the closest to that of a matrix since this organization has begun to incorporate other business models and brands into its structure. Apart from being an insurer, this organization has acquired several emergency care clinics under the brand name MedExpress. This company has a separate line of authority, although United Healthcare still defines the strategic direction and development targets for it. According to IntoBooks (2018), the definitive characteristic of this structure is that the employees report to two managers rather than one, which may be viewed as a negative aspect of this organizational structure because of the potential confusion and communication problems that might arise. However, the benefits of this structure are optimized resource utilization an
Abstract Effective strategies for learning and recalling new information have been widely studied by researchers in the educational field. This research examined recall and repeat techniques in 306 psychology students randomly chosen to participate in the experiment. By assigning each study participant a specific assignment for completion, it was found that their success in recall strategies was greater than the perception of their success, which is exhibited in the results section. Based on the conducted experiment, the study was beneficial for showing students how they can learn new information and recall it. Because there was no time limit assigned to the stage of recall, students showed impressive results on this stage of the experiment. Further research can be focused on various ways of improving problem-solving skills in situations that can occur in their future practice. Introduction The present research is focused on investigating students’ learning, their methods for comprehending, and memorizing new material. Because studies on the topic found that effective comprehension and memorizing techniques can improve students’ educational outcomes, helping students better navigate their learning abilities can be beneficial for elevating issues occurring during learning (Dunlosky, Rawson, Marsh, Nathan, & Willingham, 2013, p. 4). This report will focus on breaking down the essential components of the conducted study, presenting a new perspective on students’ learning strategies and their potential benefits. The conducted experiment included three hundred and six first-year psychology students that completed tasks that were assigned to them; the experiment targeted at finding their learning techniques to recall and repeat. Results Scientists have dedicated decades to determine the most effective strategies that help students learn and recall information (ACCA, 2016, para. 1). After conducting the experiment (described in the “Methods” section), which focused on the number of facts or propositions correctly recalled, it was found that some of the study participants had difficulties with remembering the initial message/image that was shown to them. Participants were asked to correctly recall new information given to them and then asked a question about how well they learned the information presented to them. Additionally, each participant was assigned one out of nine conditions of tasks. The table below presents the Recall variable (average number of facts/propositions correctly recalled) and JOL variable (the average of
Author’s Main Assertion The author’s central assertion regarding corporate bias in investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms is that the World Bank Group’s International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) favors corporate and commercial interests. Thus, the group pursues the goals of government and non-governmental non-corporate actors. The institution does not consider non-commercial interests which include the environment and public well-being (Broad, 2015). The author purports that these biases strengthen one another making ICSID incapable of dealing with current and future challenges. The group protects investors’ rights to file a case against the government in instances where future profits are at risk. However, the institution is unjust and it violates human rights. Evidence of Author’s Assertion The author presents evidence to reinforce her assertion by giving the Pan Rim Cayman LLC vs Republic of El Salvador case. The government of El Salvador was sued for refusing to grant the mining company an exploitation concession (Broad, 2015). Even though there are limited economic benefits in El Salvador, the state had numerous concerns about the environmental effects of gold mining. Some groups, such as local communities, the Catholic Church, and human rights advocates were against mining projects. Their argument referred mainly to the pollution of the Rio Lempa watershed by gold deposits (Broad, 2015). Pac Rim never received the concession for failing to fulfill all the requirements and sued El Salvador’s government. ICSID allowed the case to proceed, despite Pac Rim failing to meet all the necessary conditions. This situation showed how the institution unjustly favors the organization. My Opinion on the Author’s Assertion I agree with the author’s assertion and the evidence she provides to support her argument. The institution judges the Pan Rim case neglecting the El Salvador government’s views, local communities, and the Catholic Church. It does not prioritize the protection of the environment and human rights. Moreover, allowing the case to proceed despite Pac Rim not fulfilling the necessary gold mining conditions indicates the level of unfairness within the institution. Reference Broad, R. (2015). Corporate bias in the World Bank group’s International Centre for settlement of investment Disputes: A case study of a global mining corporation suing El Salvador. University of Pennsylvania Journal of International Law, 36 (4), 851-874.
Introduction Emile Durkheim 1858 to 1917 was a sociologist from France who proposed theories on sociology and anthropology. His works include subjects such as Crime, suicide, education, religion, and other aspects of society. This paper discusses his Functionalist theory on Criminology and how society contributes to Crime and gives birth to criminals. The Functionalist theory As suggested by Theodorson (1969) ‘Functionalist theory involves the analysis of social and cultural phenomena in terms of the functions they perform in a sociocultural system. In functionalism, society is conceived of as a system of interrelated parts in which no part can be understood in isolation from the whole. A change in any part is seen as leading to a certain degree of imbalance, which in turn results in changes in other parts of the system and, to some extent, to a reorganization of the system as a whole. The development of functionalism was based on the model of the organic system found in the biological sciences. Lukes (1985) points that there are three elements of functionalism, and they are: the general interrelatedness, or interdependence of the system’s parts; the existence of a “normal” state of affairs, or state of equilibrium, comparable to the normal or healthy state of an organism and the way that all the parts of the system reorganize to bring things back to normal. In analyzing how social systems maintain and restore equilibrium, functionalists tend to use shared values or generally accepted standards of desirability as a central concept. Value consensus means that individuals will be morally committed to their society. The concept of norms is a basic building block in sociological theory. Some important terms that relate to Social Problems are Positive Sanctions, Negative Sanctions, Informal Sanctions, Formal Sanctions, Folkways, Laws, and Mores. Emile Durkheim on Crime and Criminology Durkheim (1895) proposed that Crime is a socially constructed category and that different societies define behavior in different ways. So while women in scanty dresses and who consume alcohol or smoke are acceptable social behavior in Western countries, it would be a crime in certain societies such as Saudi Arabia. The same form of behavior may be defined differently at different times in the same society and as an example, till the 1960s, attempted suicide was a punishable offense in England, and if a person attempted suicide and failed, the person was liable for punishment. Crime is related to law, and the concept of power since someone must have the power to create particular laws / proscribe various forms of behavior. Durkheim proposed that the nature and distribution of power in the society would have some effect upon the way in which people understand the nature of law, Crime, and deviance generally. Wallace (1992) has pointed out that
The war and terror in the Middle East have been around for decades with thousands of innocent lives lost. We can not sit back and wait for things to get better by ourselves. The time to act is now. The clashing is a result of; insecure borders, access to water, Jerusalem’s mandate, land, and refugees’ rights. It all started when Nazis forced Jews to flee their homes in Europe (World War II). After the war, Jews needed a homeland of their own. The UN agreed to let them have Israel, which was then home to Arabs. Palestine’s were evicted, left homeless, hopeless, and living in refugee camps. That is what triggered the war. To bring peace to the Middle East, my solution would be to make Israel /Palestine one state, inhabited by both Arabs and Jews. The state would have a president and a prime minister. The president will be elected by citizens, if the president was a Jew, the prime minister elected by parliament would be a Palestine, and this will strike a leadership balance between the two communities. Terrorism will reduce because now each community can air grievances and ideas through voting and participating in government projects instead of bombings. Palestine’s will have their old land back which they feel was taken away from them. A democratic government made up of Israelis and Palestinians will be fair to both sides. The leaders of the government will learn to be fair to all citizens no matter which religion they follow. Many countries have successfully adapted this arrangement e.g. United States, Europe, Sudan. In my opinion, it is the best solution, otherwise, Palestine will keep attacking Israel until they reclaim their land back.
Preface The culture of any group of people is best of all reflected in its literature that may give both truthful and biased representations of these people. Concrete examples are drawn from the Los Angeles literature support this idea. There are a number of books that reflect Los Angeles culture, but it is the reader’s right to decide whether or not such reflections are stereotyped. Presenting Los Angeles culture in literature is a great challenge due to the complexity of this culture. The formation of the contemporary Los Angeles culture fell to the period of Great Depression when not only Los Angeles, but a number of other American cities (and world cities as well), experienced a severe economic decline that plunged their citizens into despair and made them use every single opportunity to earn money for living. Some cities were more successful in fighting the Depression while others less. As far as Los Angeles is concerned, Great Depression seemed to have influenced not only the economic welfare of the citizens but their culture as well. Great Depression has significantly affected Los Angeles culture and resulted in the birth of the American dream that a number of people in the world started pursuing; since then, Los Angeles culture started to be associated with the American dream, or striving for easy money that would allow living in idleness, money obtained for jobs that do not demand special efforts or earned in a dishonest way, money that is a guide to a beautiful life full of beautiful people with perfect bodies and faces, people who are the members of another, better, a world of movies, fame, wealth, drunkenness, and, again, idleness. These themes are common for the majority of books about the Los Angeles culture. Commentaries on Quotations  1. “Monty was an amateur cynic, and cynics are too cynical to dream. He had been born to a way of life that included taste, manners, and a jaunty aloofness from money beneath as though it were a gentleman’s notice.” (Cain 1989, 168)     This quote presents people’s attitudes towards non-supporters of Los Angeles culture. They are different from the majority of the population that is described in literature related to Los Angeles culture. As it will be mentioned in other quotations, this culture is represented by people looking for easy money and idleness in their lives. Monty is an exception. This person is referred to as a ‘cynic’ for he is not like everybody else. He does not adore money and luxury and he relies on his own taste rather than on something imposed on him by popular culture. The author’s presenting this character in this way shows that it was rarely that literature related to Los Angeles culture abounded with non-stereotypic representations of Los Angeles citizens.  2. Easy money, but so what? First here, he was stupid; used to hang with a mixed gang, but it was having its toll on his carnal. Saw his homies die at gunpoint… (Yamashita 1997, 80)     Similar to Rodriguez’s The R
First of all, I would like to point out that has been a long-going confusion regarding the meaning of Open Adoption Records as there are those out there who mistake it to mean the same thing as an Open Adoption. This is a glaring misconception that I feel has to be explained from the very start in order to understand the importance of Open Adoption Records. Open Adoption Records pertains to the legal documentation pertaining to the adoption process of an individual while Open Adoption refers to the method that an adopted child is raised. Usually allowing the biological parent to be present throughout the child-rearing process. Having said that, I would like to now explain why I believe there are tremendous social, medical, and psychological benefits when it comes to allowing an adopted child or adult open access to his adoption records. To begin with, we now live in modern times where adoption no longer carries a stigma for the parent who gave up the child for adoption, or for the child who was adopted. In fact, there have been studies that prove that since the rise in adoption cases, abortion statistics have gone down. In 2007, the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute released the results of a national study that indicated a trend towards backing open adoption records because, according to Adam Perlman, chief executive director for the institute: The reality is, in states with open records laws, there are fewer abortions, not more, and the number of adoptions increases. His statement is supported by their survey and study statistics from states such as Oregon, Kansas, and Alaska, where adoption records are open, as having lower abortion and adoption rates than the states that advocated sealed adoption records. More importantly, there is a medical reason that makes Open Adoption Records a necessity and a requirement for al
Craft Wolf uses the word craft to denote the kind of wit applied by writers by using words cleverly and cunningly to attract the reader. One thing about writers is that it does not matter what situation a text was written down, but rather how well the author is able to play around with words and come up with something that will either convince or confuse the readers. Each word has got its distinct meaning, and they are there to convey a message. However, despite people looking and reading the words and fully understanding their meanings, it is not always that they will end up heeding to the actual meanings of the words. This can be attributed to laxity in doing as per the words or it might be due to the ambiguity in meanings posed by the words. This comes because it is possible for a word to mean many possibilities. Phrases Craft is like a tool used by the writer to exonerate himself from the resulting actions as a result of people’s understanding of a word. It is possible to little the use of the words and still drives points home this is attained by incorporating sign language amid the use of words. An example is in rating movies, stars are used instead of words in ratings, one-star denote a good movie, while two stars denote a better one and that ascending tread. This makes literally work incorporating this, slimmer with more punch. New words are still being invented to describe something that can’ be described by the old English. Woolf says nowadays it’s easy enough to invent new words; this process is called springing to new lips whenever one sights a new sensation that can not be described using old language. This also calls for the writer to come up with weighty words that will surely befit the situation being described. Another way of being crafty is combining a series of words to come up with sentences and phrases that are exciting to read which also vividly describe the situation. In her work “The light House, Woof perfects that craft by coming up with moving descriptions of the happenings in the story. Quotes Wolf describes words as “The wildest, freest and most irresponsible and worst of all the most unteachable of all things, this is because words do not exist in written form but in people’s minds. Despite there being millions of words at times we find ourselves short of words.” Craftiness using words is a sure way of influencing things in the world, constitutions and other important world documents are in form of words; however, these are not the written words but the words that are stored in the individual’s mind. How well one is equipped with them and how crafty one can be, coin sentences, terms, and phrases that would make him gain advantage determine success to a greater length. After all, craftiness is only a question of finding the right words and putting them in the right order. (Cane 2007,