ShantanuT01/DACTYL-Pretraining huggingface dataset:
Introduction The community of the Bronx is highly diverse, and many of the local neighborhoods have similar strengths and weaknesses related to health and social factors. The region of Williamsbridge is not an exception – this neighborhood was historically known as a settling place of Jewish and Italian immigrants, but now it has a dominant African American population (“City living,” 2014). Interestingly, the majority of current residents are native-born, although their ancestry reveals a variety of locations, including Caribbean, Jamaican, and Dominican roots (“Williamsbridge demographics,” 2014). The combination of cultures and traditions created a neighborhood that has many different flavors – local bakeries and stores offer a range of products with their own historical meaning. However, Williamsbridge also shares the problems typical for the city and the county. The rate of type 2 diabetes among adults of 45-64 years old living in Williamsbridge is higher than in many countries. In fact, more than 10% of all adults have type 2 diabetes in this region, while approximately a third of all adults have obesity (King et al., 2015). The results of the windshield survey and analysis show that these rates may be connected to the fact that Williamsbridge’s population does not have access to healthy foods and healthcare due to socioeconomic reasons. Windshield Survey Findings and Demographics The surveyed community is represented by adults in the age range of 45-64 years living in Williamsbridge, Bronx, NY. This portion of the area’s population constitutes a quarter of all people, with adults between 25 and 44 being the only group with a higher number (King et al., 2015). Another quarter of the neighborhood’s population is children between 0 and 17 years old. Thus, one can see that the region has a variety of age groups. More than 60% of all residents identify as Black, and more than 20% are Hispanic (King et al., 2015; NYAM, 2014). Other ethnicities are a minority in the region, although the diversity remains high with people having different countries of origin and family immigration histories. In Williamsbridge, more than half of the adult residents have a high school education, and a third possess a college degree. This percentage is lower than that in New York City as a whole, although the Bronx has lower rates of college and high school graduates (King et al., 2015). Overall, the rates of unemployment, poverty, and financial problems in the neighborhood are similar to those in the county and higher than those in the city. In fact, “one in five Williamsbridge and Baychester residents lives below the Federal Poverty Level,” which shows how economic problems may impact the region (King et al., 2015, p. 6). The windshield survey also reveals that many houses in the area have maintenance problems. S
Introduction: The Significance of the Article Diagnosing fractures on a thoracic spine is extremely hard; given the fact that a patient’s life often depends on the results clarity and correctness, it is crucial to figure out which method is the best. Moreover, the issue of radiation and the associated health problems should be raised. Hence, it can be concluded that the given article is of high significance. Objectives: What Had to be Done The key purpose of the research was to figure out which of the specified methods for diagnosing fractures on a thoracic spine is more accurate and less harmful for the patient, the MDCT, or biplane radiography. Concepts and Their Definition: The Key Issues Karul et al. introduce several basic concepts required to handle the issue professionally. Among them, MDCT, biplane radiography and sagittal reformation must be mentioned. Though Karul et al. do not provide the definitions for the terms, they offer an extensive description of the first two. Central Argument: MDCT vs. the Biplane Radiography As one might have guessed, the key argument of the paper revolves around the necessity to conduct both the biplane radiography and the MDCT tests in diagnosing the patients in case of fractures in thoracic spine. Because of the associated difficulties, it is considered preferable to use both methods; however, due to high radiation level, the outcomes can be deplorable. Therefore, the key argument is that the MDCT is the most efficient method. Methodology: The Power of Flat Detector Direct Digital System To the researchers’ credit, one must admit that the methodology is almost impeccable. Applying several (seven, to be exact, i.e., experimental group analysis, biplane radiography analysis, comparison of the two methods, dose calculation, image analysis and statistical analysis) methods at the same time, Karul et al. have managed to provide objective results. The Provided Evidence: Experimental Group Results According to Karul et al., out of 107 patients, 65 (60.7%) have been diagnosed with thoracic vertebral fractures. In its turn, the biplane radiography proved efficient only in 32 cases out of 107. The authors also offer extensive statistical data concerning the efficiency of the two diagnostic methods. Generally speaking, the provided evidence seems adequate and all-embracing. However, it would also be desirable that the authors should also provide the patients’ body mass indices, since the latter, according to Karul et al., seem to have had a tangible influence on the outcome of the research: “The wide variation in DLP (1.9–97.8 on biplane radiography/80.2–871 on MDCT) was primarily due to the varying body mass index of the patients” (Karul et al., 2013, 3–4). Value Positions and Their Clarity: Concerning the Veracity It
The diagram below represents the Local Area Network that is equipped with six workstations. The twisted-pair cable is used in the given diagram, which is considered the most common type of cabling for LAN. The magnetic fields around the wire interfere with signals on the nearest wires, creating noises. In order to avoid crosstalk and statics, the pairs are twisted, thus forming a circuit for data transmission. In the given Network Diagram, the unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable is used. The cable consists of 4 copper wires that are tightly twisted together. The UTP was used due to technical and safety reasons. It has a smaller diameter because of thin pairs of copper wires and does not require grounding. The distance between connections is 80-95 m to ensure safety since the standard for any twisted-pair cables is no more than 100 m. The standard of wiring which stipulates the division of twisted pair categories is the American TIA-EIA-568B Standard.
Interprofessional Collaboration Interprofessional communication and collaboration are essential in nursing, as nurses work with other healthcare professionals to provide high-quality care. According to Lomax and White (2015), “participation in collaborative teams provides safe, high-quality, and accountable care” (p. 60). Thus, by improving interprofessional communication and collaboration, organizations can achieve better outcomes in patient health and safety, as teams of specialists would be working together to accomplish a shared goal. Another reason why collaboration has a positive influence on patient safety is that it reduces the incidence of unprofessional conduct among medical specialists. As explained by MacLean, Coombs, and Breda (2016), it is recommended that organizations facing problems because of employee misconduct improve workplace collaboration. A report by the Joint Commission (2016) supports this opinion, showing that increased cooperation helps to prevent bullying. Improved conduct of employees in the workplace enhances patient safety by minimizing medical errors and promoting a safety culture. Changes in the Healthcare System Because of various sociopolitical influences, the healthcare system in the U.S. is expected to transform over the next few years. Some of the planned changes could contribute to the development of a safety culture. Firstly, efforts to address increased diversity among healthcare professionals could promote a safety culture by creating a supportive and empowering environment (Aurilio, 2016). Secondly, due to multigenerational nursing workforce, experienced nurses will be able to share their knowledge on patient safety culture with younger nurses (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2013; Barry, 2014). The level of education among nurses is also expected to rise, which will contribute to patient safety (American Public University, 2012). Lastly, the focus on patient experience during healthcare system transformation will also ensure that patients receive safe and effective care (Institute for Healthcare Improvement, n.d.). Therefore, increased interprofessional communication and collaboration, as well as future changes to the healthcare system, will help U.S. medical institutions to achieve patient safety goals.
The paper by Lim dubbed ‘the status of transportation demand management in Greater Vancouver and energy implications’ provides a clear and well-organized strategy to be employed towards improving the transportation system in the Greater Vancouver region. The author has presented the problems of the deterioration in the transport system as the resources become limited in order to show the need for improvements in the near future in order to secure the needs of the future generations. Transport demand management was proposed as the best strategy (tool) to employ in order to provide the needed change in the transport system in Vancouver. The author did well to assess the current regional transportation performance. This way the readers could understand the way in which the transport system is utilized by the residents. He looked at the number of times the private vehicles plied the routes. He also did the same for public transit and for those who went by foot or bicycle. Using previous studies, the author was also able to tell that the overall automobile occupancy (persons per vehicle) had dropped over time. This statistic only implies that the number of vehicles were on the increase since each vehicle is being used to carry less number of people than before. With such changes, the performance during the peak periods has been altered since it has greatly diminished. This is in terms of trip length, trip speed and trip time. The author identified this as one of the reasons for the need for a new transport system in Vancouver. One of the strengths of the paper is in the way the author presents transportation demand management (TDM) as a solution to many of the issues facing the transportation system in Vancouver. Firstly, he provided a definition of transport demand management as a means of influencing the quantity, composition and time of the demand for transport. This required the planning and implementation of certain programs. The paper proposes that this would help reverse some of the trends and try to encourage the citizens to be less dependent on the automobile. This should be done through focusing on the demand for energy. The people should also be encouraged to be more efficient and to be conscious about the environment. An area that is also covered well is the area on the environmental impacts caused due to poor planning in transportation. With more vehicles on the road, there is increased congestion and consequently more air pollution due to transportation. Another problem is the energy consumption. A large percentage of the transportation needs is due to transport needs. Due to the ever-increasing numbers of automobiles, the demand for more energy is increasing and so does the effects to the environment. Therefore, the author identified one of the priorities as a means of maintaining a healthy environment. There is also a misconception about the issue of demand and supply. The suppliers have addressed the issue of high demand by requesting for the development of more infrastructures. This only causes negative environmental impacts and also negatively impacts the land uses. The proposed strategy (TDM) is one of the strengths o
Identification of the Problem Background On the morning of December 14, 2012, a mentally disturbed youth named Adam Lanza gained access to Sandy Hook Elementary School and killed 26 individuals using a Bushmaster rifle, before taking his own life with a single shot from a Glock handgun (Barron, 2012; Chaney & Robertson, 2013; Semeiks, 2013). Although the unprecedented shootings took 11 minutes to complete, they attracted widespread condemnation as various media outlets published as much information as possible, some even without following the protocols for accurate reporting. For example, some reputable media outlets such as CBS and Fox News wrongly reported that the killer’s mother worked at the school’s kindergarten and that she was killed as she taught the children (Folkenflik, 2012). However, school administrators later clarified that Lanza’s mother was not an employee of the school and had been killed at her home. The proposed project uses Kenneth Burke’s theory of dramastitic pentad to undertake an analysis of the Sandy Hook shootings with the view to illuminating the local and national media coverage of the massacre. Rationale The proposed project is embedded in the justification that whatever is published by mainstream media outlets heavily influences how Americans perceive events, policies, individuals and groups, and that there is an urgent need to analyze how these media outlets primarily exhibited the diverse groups of individuals in the tragedy as well as the various policies that allowed the shooter to have access to guns. Lastly, it is felt that understanding how an individual with a mental condition was allowed to purchase guns is critical to understanding how blame shifted from particular social systems to the shooter as a single entity. Value of Project The proposed project has immense contribution to the existing literature, particularly in distilling the knowledge on media reporting of shooting incidents, American gun rights, and employment of mental illness to explain national tragedies. Burke provides useful insights in his dramastitic pentad criticism model, where he focuses on “a flawed individual and an imperfect society as rhetoric dominated by scene-agent ratio” (Zafis, 2013, p. 5). Drawing from this elaboration, the Sandy Hook massacre can be explained within the realms of gun control supporters assuming that the American society (scene) permits individuals (agents) to arm themselves with dangerous weapons, hence making shooting incidents to be perceived within the context of imperfect systems or a deficient gun rights scene (Rosenberg, 2014). Conversely, gun rights advocates employ the mental illness frame to insinuate that an imperfect society allows
Introduction Counter-intelligence (CI) in most cases refers to the overall efforts that are made by intelligence based organizations. These efforts are normally made in prevention of adversary based organizations from any successful collection of intelligence. This intelligence in most cases can be gathered against the local intelligence organization. Research reveals that governments form counter-intelligence agencies to assist them in carrying out these operations. These agencies are normally distinct and separate in relation to the services collected in intelligence for special purposes only. Research reveals that nations all over the world have their counter-intelligence operations quite widespread. This is done all over various organizations that are found in the nation. In United States, one of the major organizations that give counter-intelligence service is the FBI. In most cases military organizations own various counter-intelligence forces. 1 All these are normally capable of carrying out protective operations within the nation. In United States, there is both military and civilian counter –intelligence operations. This paper illustrates three United States counter-intelligence operations. It further discusses and also analyzes the lessons that are learned from these operations. There is a clear elaboration of the successes and the failures of these operations. Defensive counter-intelligence operations Issues of counter-intelligence in United States are taken with much seriousness. One of the major operations in United States deals with defensive counter-intelligence. In United States, this operation deals with checking for various places within organizations therein that have the loopholes of exploitation by other foreign organizations. In this case the defensive counter-intelligence operations check out for other nations that can take advantage of the organization(s). This is not only carried out against foreign nations, but also other internal organizations that can thwart the operations of the company. Defensive counter-intelligence operations in United States are carried out against criminal organizations that are transnational based and also terrorist groups. Examples of criminal organizations that are transnational based include; money laundering and drug trade. 2 Analysis Looking at United States defensive counter-intelligence operations, there are lessons that can be learned from it
Motive Members of the middle and upper classes have popularly held the belief that America is a land of opportunity. They have assumed that a person can start from the lowest ranks in employment and slowly climb to the top. This notion of self-determined prosperity is what many use to describe the American Dream. However, before one assumes that the country is a land of opportunity for all, one must first examine the practicality of social mobility if a person started with a minim-wage job. The book Nickel and Dimed provides audiences with an opportunity to experience what it is like to do a minimum wage job. The protagonist’s encounters as well as that of the rest of her colleagues indicate that social mobility is locked out to many in the lowest stratum of the working population. Thesis Capitalism as a tool of social discourse is still as relevant today as it was several decades ago, when Weber and Marx came up with their theory. Marx affirmed that the human population will always be characterized by a struggle between social classes: the oppressed and the oppressors (Aron 151). The composition between these ruling classes is what changes but the existence of the distinctions does not change. Owners of capital are constantly coming up with better methods of production but the distribution and ownership of wealth does not alter in relation to this fact. A contradiction between the relations of production and the means of production causes these two classes to constantly antagonize one another. In present society, these contradictions are still eminent. The state and owners of capital continue to oppress the working class by using their input without giving them due compensation for it. Restaurant franchises, retail stores and service enterprises are the new form of capitalism; their low pay sustains their businesses by keeping their workers dependent. They have no opportunity to save and are thus doomed to a life of mediocrity. Evidence Barbara Ehrenreich found that minimum wage workers had no option but to continue working their jobs. Many of them had just joined the labor market after welfare reform had taken place. In the 90s, the country reduced welfare support after groups complained that welfare programs caused beneficiaries to become lazy or have more children than they needed. Laborers were propelled into the working population without due preparation. The lack of alternatives for the working class is recurring theme in Weber’s and Marx’s work. The author of Nickel and Dimed realized that it was close to impossible to live on a minimum wage. Not only was it difficult for her to find a house at that salary, Barbara also realized that she had little money left to afford nutritious meals or even pay for health insurance. What is even worse is the hostility of the
Individual Characteristics and Organizational Contexts Many individuals develop unique behaviors, ethical beliefs, and intentions. Such behaviors will determine their effectiveness as employees. Some personal characteristics impact “ethical beliefs, behaviors, sensitivities, and intentions” (Collins, 2012, p. 76). The “first characteristic is moral maturity” (Collins, 2012, p. 72). This aspect determines the decisions, behaviors, and religious values embraced by an individual. A person’s ego will also determine his or her practices and behaviors. A person’s “ field dependence will also describe how he or she makes certain decisions” (Collins, 2012, p. 76). Some attributes such as “age, gender, culture, and background will also determine the sensitivities portrayed by different individuals” (Collins, 2012, p. 76). Icek Ajzena’s planned behavior theory is relevant because it explores the beliefs and behaviors of different individuals. Human beings can use the theory to analyze their beliefs. This process is possible because there is a link between human behavior and beliefs. The “ Theory of Reasoned Action also benefits a lot from Icek’s model” (Carpenter, Bauer, & Erdogan, 2009, p. 47). According to the theory, people can predict their behaviors and sensitivities. Perceived Behavior Control (PBC) also makes it easier for psychologists to predict the actions of different individuals. According to the
Introduction Nike Incorporation has been successful in designing, developing and marketing diverse products such as apparels, footwear and other accessories. In its operation, the firm contracts manufacturing of most of its products to firms which are located overseas. This has enabled the firm to attain a high bargaining power over its suppliers (Lussier & Kimball, 2009, p. 90). The firm has effectively positioned itself in marketing its products on a global scale. In the United States, the firm has established a strong distribution network through a number of retail outlets. For example, the firm runs approximately 20,000 retail accounts around the 110 countries in which it operates. Most of the firm’s products such as bags, bats, gloves, sports wear and other sports equipment are marketed under the Nike brand name. Nikes success can be attributed to its efficiency in implementing its internationalization strategy. Findings of a study of 132 organizations conducted by Veronica Wong and Professor Peter Doyle in 1998 revealed that marketing is one of the core drivers in the performance of business entities (Blythe, Coxhead, Lashwood, Partridge, Reed & Simms, n.d, p.23). The American Marketing Association (AMA) defines marketing as the process which involves a number of elements such as planning, execution, promotion, pricing and distribution of the ideas conceived. Marketing is made up of a number of components such as product development. In addition, marketing must ensure that the businesses’ and customers’ needs are met. Finally, marketing must result into creation of value between the two parties (the business and the customer). Marketing is therefore considered to be a highly invaluable business activity (Kaser & Oelkers, 2007, p.4).This paper is aimed at illustrating the various marketing strategies adopted by Nike Incorporation. Industry analysis The United States apparels industry is relatively large. In addition, the industry is in its maturity stage which is evident by the slow growth rate and a high level of fragmentation. Demand for apparels in the US is satisfied by both domestic and international markets. Similarly, the US footwear industry has experienced a significant growth over the past few years as a result of growth in demand. This has led into the industry reaching its maturity stage. In addition, the market has become very saturated. One of the reasons to explain this is the rise in intensity of competition. Some of the firm’s core competitors include the recently formed Addidas-Reebok merger, PUMA, Under Armour, Fila and New Balance Athletic. All these firms specialize in the production of sportswear. The global apparel and footwear market has become flooded with various sportswear brands. This has culminated into an increment in the consumer bargaining power. Consumers can easily switch from one product to another (Lus