Calibration of Volumetric Glassware Essay

Summary In this experiment, The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the measurement of the actual volume contents of volumetric glassware. In the beginning of the experiment, the volumetric glassware should be clean and dry before used. The volumetric glassware, measuring cylinder and pipette should be handled with care and all the precautions were be taken during the experiment was held. This was to ensure to avoid any errors such as parallax error especially while reading water meniscus. This experiment must be repeated three times or more and take the average reading to get more accurate data. By using the formulae, the standard deviation and relative standard deviation could be calculated. As the result, the lower the standard deviation, the higher the consistency of an instrument. Although the instrument may measure a given sample, the value might need to be altered due to various conditions and errors. Objectives The objective of the experiments was to; Calibrate a 10 mL volumetric pipette. Calibrate a 25 mL volumetric pipette. Calibrate a 100 mL volumetric flask. Calibrate a 50 mL measuring cylinder Introduction Volumetric glassware is used to accurately measure volumes. Despite all of the tools and instruments available for the use of measuring values of various data, it is impossible to measure the true value of anything. This experiment is intended to develop a person’s capacity to handle volumetric glassware. One must understand how to handle volumetric glassware to acquire  the best possible data from the equipment used in lab. Although the instrument may measure a given sample, the value might need to be altered due to various conditions. However, with practice and experience, we can reach very close to the true value, gaining the ability to measure with both high accuracy and precision. The objective of this experiment is to calibrate a 10mL burette and other volumetric glassware by calculating their correction values. By doing so, we can correct systematic errors caused by the burette’s or glassware’s values. A systematic error is an error in reading the scale when a physical quantity is being measured. Systematic errors are caused by the instrument, observer and surroundings. Another main type of error is random error. Random error is an error which occurs when the observer is reading the scale on the measuring instrument. Volumetric glassware is used to accurately measure volumes. In any given experiment, students may come across systematic errors or random errors. Random errors are not able to be corrected by a standard mean because they are not consistent. However, systematic errors are consistent and is able to be detected which allows students to correct the error that was found. So, using uncalibrated glassware will cause a systematic error. This error occurs because the volume reading given by the glassware is slightly different than the actual volume that is obtained in the glassware. In order to avoid systematic error, it important to calibrate the measuring instrument so that there is a standard value for zero which allows the measurement to be more accurate. Calibration of volumetric glassware such as burette is carried out by weighing the amount of water delivered. The temperature of the water used in the calibration must be known since the density of water changes. The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the measurement of the actual volume contents of volumetric glassware. If there is a slight variation in this instrument, it would cause systematic error and thus, the accuracy of results of an experiment or investigation would be affected. All volumetric glassware has marking on it. It is either being marked with TD or TC, which brings the meaning of ‘to deliver’ and ‘to contain’ respectively. For example, a pipette has a marking of TD, which means a pipette is marked  as a ‘to deliver’. Whereas, volumetric flask has TC as its marking, meaning it is marked as a ‘to contain’. A volumetric pipette & measuring cylinder can be calibrated by just weighing the water they deliver. As for volumetric flask, the weight of an empty flask is recorded. Next, weigh the flask after filling it with water to the mark. After that, it is crucial to convert the mass to volume. The water density at a t emperature will aid this process. The compliance of the Volume Occupied by 1.000g of Water Weigh in Air table is deemed necessary throughout the comparison. In order to obtain the true volume of volumetric glassware holds, this formula will be used. This experiment shall be repeated twice or more to enhance accuracy of the results obtained. Besides detecting systematic errors, this experiment would aid on the technique and understandings to the correct use of these equipments. Materials Transfer pipette, cleaning solution/detergent, beaker, thermometer, distilled water, top loading balance, 10ml volumetric pipette, 25mlvolumetric pipette, 100ml volumetric flask, 50ml measuring cylinder. Procedure 1) Calibration of a volumetric pipette (10ml and 25ml) a) Transfer pipette was obtained. The pipette was cleaned because distilled water does not drain uniformly. A cleaning solution or detergent was used to clean the pipette. b) An empty beaker was weighted. Then, water was filled in the beaker. The temperature was recorded at uniform intervals. c) The 10ml pipette was filled with distilled water until it reaches the calibration mark. d) Water was drained into another beaker e) The beaker filled with water was then weighted to find the mass of water delivered from the pipette. f) The following equation was used to convert mass to volume : Volume(actual) = (grams of water) x (volume of 1g of water in table1) g) Step a – f was repeated using 25ml pipette. 1) 2) Calibration of volumetric flask (100ml) a) A 100ml volumetric flask was cleaned and dried. b) The flask was weighted. Then, water was filled into the flask. Transfer pipette was used to remove the excess amount of water filled in the flask so that it exactly reach the calibration mark. c) The flask filled with water was weighted to find the mass of water contained in the flask. d) Mass of water was converted to volume using the equation above. 3) Calibration of a measuring cylinder (100ml) a) A 100ml measuring cylinder was cleaned and dried. b) The measuring cylinder was weighted. Then, water was filled into the measuring cylinder until it reached the calibration mark. Transfer pipette was also used to remove the excess water. c) The measuring cylinder filled with water was weighted to find the mass of water contained in the measuring cylinder. d) Mass of water was converted to volume using the same equation. Result and Discussion Result: a) Data 10mL pipette Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Mass of flask + water (g) 42.64 42.66 42.66 Mass of flask (g) 32.72 32.72 32.72 Mass of water (g) 9.92 9.94 9.94 Temperature (oC) 28 28 28 Actual volume (mL) 9.97 9.99 9.99 Average volume (mL) 9.98 Standard Deviation, 0.012 Relative standard deviation ,/ 0.001202 50mL pipette Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Mass of flask + water (g) 121.08 121.06 121.04 Mass of flask (g) 96.60 96.60 96.56 Mass of water (g) 24.48 24.46 24.48 Temperature (oC) 28 28 28 Actual volume (mL) 24.60 24.58 24.60 Average volume (mL) 24.59 Standard Deviation, 0.012 Relative standard deviation ,/ 0.00049 10mL pipette Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Mass of flask + water (g) 158.42 158.44 158.42 Mass of flask (g) 57.18 57.16 57.16 Mass of water (g) 101.24 101.28 101.26 Temperature (oC) 28 27 28 Actual volume (mL) 101.73 101.77 101.75 Average volume (mL) 101.75 Standard Deviation, 0.02 Relative standard deviation ,/ 0.000197 50mL measuring cylinder Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Mass of flask + water (g) 116.48 116.48 116.48 Mass of flask (g) 68.18 68.17 68.18 Mass of water (g) 48.30 48.31 48.30 Temperature (oC) 28 28 28 Actual volume (mL) 48.53 48.54 48.53 Average volume (mL) 48.53 Standard Deviation, 0.007 Relative standard deviation ,/ 0.000146 Discussion: According to the tables above, when using 10mL pipette, the actual volume delivered is 9.98mL and the standard deviation is 0.012. The lower the standard deviation, the higher the consistency of an instrument based in a physic’s book. Consistent measurements consist of readings that have little or no relative deviation among them. So, when the standard deviation is nearer to zero then this shows that the readings taken are consistent. In order to get a good accuracy, the experiments are done until trial 3. Temperature are remain consistent for all three trial for different glassware that 28 °C. This experiment expectation is that the glassware will be used to measure liquids at room temperature. Since liquids have a tendency to change volume (at the level of precision of calibrated instruments), then we want the liquid to be at the temperature we are most likely to use so that the calibration will have the most accuracy and we used water since it is thermal equilibrium in su rrounding. Another factor that may interrupt the reading is parallax error during the experiment is held. In order to avoid parallax error is the glassware must be weight for another two times. Every scale on the reading instrument must be read properly, it may reduce the fact. The eyes must be perpendicular to the reading scale on the same level as the bottom surface of the water meniscus to avoid parallax error. Besides, the weighing bottles are always being capped to avoid evaporation since it is important precaution. Conclusion Based on this experiment , we can conclude that this experiment are to study the calibration to measure the accuracy of volumetric glassware. This experiment also ensure the accuracy of the volumetric glassware for 10 ml and 25 ml pipette, 100 ml volumetric flask and 50ml measuring cylinder References * http://gula-gulakapassikecik.blogspot.com/2012/04/calibration-of-volumetric-glassware_24.html?m=1 * www.studymode.com * Lim Peng Chew, Lim Ching Chai, Nexus Bestari Physics, Sasbadi Sdn. Bhd. , 2013, Pg 18,19

Gay Ane Lesbian Exam Being Worked

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A Definition of Collaborative vs Cooperative Learning Essay Example for Free

A Definition of Collaborative vs Cooperative Learning Essay ? I have been searching for many years for the Holy Grail of interactive learning, a distinction between collaborative and cooperative learning definitions. I am getting closer to my elusive goal all the time but I am still not completely satisfied with my perception of the two concepts. I believe my confusion arises when I look at processes associated with each concept and see some overlap or inter-concept usage. I will make a humble attempt to clarify this question by presenting my definitions and reviewing those of other authors who have helped clarify my thinking. Collaboration is a philosophy of interaction and personal lifestyle whereas cooperation is a structure of interaction designed to facilitate the accomplishment of an end product or goal. Collaborative learning (CL) is a personal philosophy, not just a classroom technique. In all situations where people come together in groups, it suggests a way of dealing with people which respects and highlights individual group members’ abilities and contributions. There is a sharing of authority and acceptance of responsibility among group members for the groups actions. The underlying premise of collaborative learning is based upon consensus building through cooperation by group members, in contrast to competition in which individuals best other group members. CL practitioners apply this philosophy in the classroom, at committee meetings, with community groups, within their families and generally as a way of living with and dealing with other people. Cooperative learning is defined by a set of processes which help people interact together in order to accomplish a specific goal or develop an end product which is usually content specific. It is more directive than a collaboratve system of governance and closely controlled by the teacher. While there are many mechanisms for group analysis and introspection the fundamental approach is teacher centered whereas collaborative learning is more student centered. Spencer Kagan in an article in Educational Leadership (Dec/Jan 1989/1990) provides an excellent definition of cooperative learning by looking at general structures which can be applied to any situation. His definition provides an unbrella for the work cooperative learning specialists including he Johnsons, Slavin, Cooper, Graves and Graves, Millis, etc. It follows below: â€Å"The structural approach to cooperative learning is based on the creation, analysis and systematic application of structures, or content-free ways of organizing social interaction in the classroom. Structures usually involve a series of steps, with proscribed behavior at each step. An important cornerstone of the approach is the distinction bet ween â€Å"structures† and â€Å"activities†. â€Å"To illustrate, teachers can design many excellent cooperative activities, such as making a team mural or a quilt. Such activities almost always have a specific content-bound objective and thus cannot be used to deliver a range of academic content. Structures may be used repeatedly with almost any subject matter, at a wide range of grade levels and at various points in a lesson plan. † John Myers (Cooperative Learning vol 11 #4 July 1991) points out that the dictionary definitions of â€Å"collaboration†, derived from its Latin root, focus on the process of working together; the root word for â€Å"cooperation† stresses the product of such work. Co-operative learning has largely American roots from the philosophical writings of John Dewey stressing the social nature of learning and the work on group dynamics by Kurt Lewin. Collaborative learning has British roots, based on the work of English teachers exploring ways to help students respond to literature by taking a more active role in their own learning. The cooperative learning tradition tends to use quantitative methods which look at achievement: i. e. , the product of learning. The collaborative tradition takes a more qualitative approach, analyzing student talk in response to a piece of literature or a primary source in history. Myers points out some differences between the two concepts: â€Å"Supporters of co-operative learning tend to be more teacher-centered, for example when forming heterogeneous groups, structuring positive inter- dependence, and teaching co-operative skills. Collaborative learning advocates distrust structure and allow students more say if forming friendhip and interest groups. Student talk is stressed as a means for working things out. Discovery and contextural approaches are used to teach interpersonal skills. † â€Å"Such differences can lead to disagreements†¦. I contend the dispute is not about research, but more about the morality of what should happen in the schools. Beliefs as to whast should happen in the schools can be viewed as a continuum of orientations toward curriculum from â€Å"transmission† to â€Å"transaction† to â€Å"transmission†. At one end is the transmission position. As the name suggests, the aim of this orientation is to transmit knowledge to students in the form of facts, skills and values. The transformation position at the other end of the continuum stresses personal and social change in which the person is said to be interrelated with the environment rather than having control over it. The aim of this orientation is self-actualization, personal or organizational change. † Rocky Rockwood (National Teaching and Learning Forum vol 4 #6, 1995 part 1) describes the differences by acknowledging the parallels they both have in that they both use groups, both assign specific tasks, and both have the groups share and compare their procedures and conclusions in plenary class sessions. The major difference lies in the fact that cooperative deals exclusively with traditional (canonical) knowledge while collaborative ties into the social constructivist movement, asserting that both knowledge and authority of knowledge have changed dramatically in the last century. â€Å"The result has been a transition from â€Å"foundational (cognitive) understanding of knowledge†, to a nonfoundational ground where â€Å"we understand knowledge to be a social construct and learning a social process† (Brufee, Collaborative learning: Higher Education, Interdependence, and the Authority of Knowledge, 1993). Rockwood states: â€Å"In the ideal collaborative environment, the authority for testing and determining the appropriateness of the group product rests with, first, the small group, second, the plenary group (the whole class) and finally (but always understood to be subject to challenge and revision) the requisite knowledge community (i. e. the discipline: geography, history, biology etc. ) The concept of non- foundational knowledge challenges not only the product acquired, but also the process employed in the acquisition of foundational knowledge. â€Å"Most importantly, in cooperative, the authority remains with the instructor, who retains ownership of the task, which involves either a closed or a closable (that is to say foundational) problem ( the instructor knows or can predict the answer). In collaborative, the instructor–once the task is set– transfers all authority to the group. In the ideal, the group’s task is always open ended. † â€Å"Seen fr om this perspective, cooperative does not empower students. It employs them to serve the instructor’s ends and produces a â€Å"right† or acceptable answer. Collaborative does truly empower and braves all the risks of empowerment (for example, having the group or class agree to an embarrassingly simplistic or unconvincing position or produce a solution in conflict with the instructor’s). † â€Å"Every person, Brufee holds, belongs to several â€Å"interpretative or knowledge communities† that share vocabularies, points of view, histories, values, conventions and interests. The job of the instructor id to help students learn to negotiate the boundaries between the communities they already belong to and the community represented by the teacher’s academic discipline, which the students want to join. Every knowledge community has a core of foundational knowledge that its members consider as given (but not necessarily absolute). To function independently within a knowledge community, the fledgling scholar must master enough material to become conversant with the community. † Rockwood concludes: In my teaching experience, cooperative represents the best means to approach mastery of foundational knowledge. Once students become reasonably conversant, they are ready for collaborative, ready to discuss and assess,†¦. † Myers suggests use of the â€Å"transaction† orientation as a compromise between taking hard positions advocating either methodology. â€Å"This orientation views education as a dialogue between the student and the curriculum. Students are viewed as problem solvers. Problem solving and inquiry approaches stressing cognitive skills and the ideas of Vygotsky, Piaget, Kohlberg and Bruner are linked to transaction. This perspective views teaching as a â€Å"conversation† in which teachers and students learn together through a process of negotiation with the curriculum to develop a shared view of the world. † It is clear to me that in undertaking the exercize of defining differences between the two ideas we run the risk of polarizing the educational community into a we versus them mentality. There are so many benefits which acrue from both ideas that it would be a shame to lose any advantage gained from the student-student-teacher interactions created by both methods. We must be careful to avoid a one-size-fits-all mentality when it comes to education paradigms. As a final thought, I think it behooves teachers to educate themselves about the myriad of techniques and philosophies which create interactive environments where students take more responsibility for their own learning and that of their peers. Then it will become possible to pick and chose those methods which best fit a particular educational goal or community of learners. A Definition of Collaborative vs Cooperative Learning. (2017, Mar 13).

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John Steinbeck and his book Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

John Steinbeck and his book Of Mice and Men Essay John Ernst Steinbeck was born on February 27, in 1902 in Salinas, California, He came from a reasonably well off family. He worked his way through college at Stanford University, but never graduated, so in 1925 he set off to New York where he tried to start his career as a writer, but he failed to have any of his writing published and returned to California. He then published a few books and short stories. His first novel, Cup of Gold was published in 1929, but attracted little attention. The readers also poorly acknowledged his following two novels, The Pastures of Heaven and To a God Unknown. Steinbeck then married his first wife, Carol Henning in 1930. But he still wasnt recognised in the world of literature until 1935 when Tortilla Flat was published. It received the California Commonwealth Clubs Gold Medal for best novel by a California author, and then his work became recognised far and wide. 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I enjoyed reading all of these books, because even though in some ways they were very similar, they all had a different storyline, so I didnt find the second and third story boring after reading the first one.

Research Critique of Quantitative Research on Nursing Practice

Research Critique of Quantitative Research on Nursing Practice Nurses are expected to provide the best standards of care possible for their patients and clients, and in order to do this, they are required to provide evidence-based practice wherever possible. Part of this process of providing care based on the best available evidence involves appraising primary research (Elliott, 2001, p 555). If nurses are to improve their practice, and apply evidence to improve their clinical and theoretical knowledge and skills, they must be able to assess the quality of the available research which is relevant to their practice (Freshwater and Bishop, 2003k p23; Hek, 2000, p 19). According to Hek (2000 p 19-21), evidence based practice incorporates professional expertise, patient need and preference, and the best available evidence. But in order to identify this best evidence, the nurse must undertake an evaluation and critical review of research studies, to see if the research is useful and of sufficient quality to be applied to their practice (Fink, 2005). This essay evaluates a quantitative research article which has relevance to nursing practice, because it deals with a chronic condition and one which is prevalent in worldwide populations. The author will review Tangkawanich et al (2008 p 216) Causal model of health: health-related quality of life in people living with HIV/AIDS in the northern region of Thailand. This article is published in a reputable journal, The Journal of Nursing and Health Sciences which addresses issues of interest and concern to nurses internationally, and as such, offers specific insight into HIV/AIDS and nursing within a global context. There are a number of appraisal tools available to healthcare practitioners to assist them in analysing and critiquing primary research articles. Such models are developed over time in relation to standardised conceptualisations of what constitutes quality and rigour in research and in its reporting. For the purposes of this essay, the primary tool used is that proposed by Cormack (2000), but the author will make reference to other critiquing guides and information, including the popular CASP tool (PHRU, 2009, online) Discussion 1. Title The title is concise (Cormack, 2000) and describes the focus of the research itself. While it clearly indicates what the purpose of the study was (Cormack, 2000), it could be clearer and more indicative of the nature of the study. While the nature of the research in setting out to examine the causal relationships between age, antriretroviral treatment, social support, symptom experience, self-care strategies and health related quality of life (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 216) in the chosen sample and population, is apparent in the abstract, there is little indication of these particular variables in the title, although the description of the causal model (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 216) does indicate the nature of the research. The use of the word causal (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 216) also suggests that this is a quantitative research article. It does not clearly indicate the research approach used (Cormack, 2000). To the less research-aware reader, it would be difficult to divine t his information from the title alone, and it could be argued that it would be better to include in this title a clearer indication of the nature of the study. This would then help the reader to identify if this is the type of research study that would be applicable to their own practice or learning. 2. Authors The authors qualifications are provided, and they all are registered nurses, all of which have postgraduate degrees, and two of which have doctorates. They all work within nursing education within a University context. This would suggest that they have the research skills and expertise to carry out such a study. However, there is no indication in the author list whether or not any of them have the statistical expertise for the study. 3. Abstract Tangkawanich et al, (2008 p 216) provide an abstract, which is identified by Cormack (2000) as an important introduction to the article. The study effectively summarises the research, by identifying the variables being tested. The authors do not, however, present the hypothesis in the abstract (Cormack, 2000). The abstract contains a summary of the study sample, and also identifies the research tools that have been used. They include the results and a summary of conclusions from these findings. As such, the abstract does represent the article itself (PHRU, 2009, online), and for the reader, it does make it easy to identify whether or not the article is relevant to their interest. In particular, it does indicate clearly that it is a quantitative paper which uses recognisable data collection tools. 4. Introduction and Literature Review Although Cormack (2000) separates these two into distinct subheadings, within this article, the introduction and literature review are contiguous. The author has noted that this is often the case in the reporting of such studies, but this may simply be a convention of the publication itself, and not the preference of the authors of the study. The authors use the introduction to contextualise the problem in relation to published research, stating the importance of health-related quality of life (HRQL) for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), because of the impact of the disease on these individuals daily lives (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 216). They discuss changes and advances in treatment options for this condition, and relate this to HRQL, and then discuss the disease itself, and how these impact upon HRQL (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 216). They summarise some research about this topic, and also look at self-care strategies, symptom management and treatment (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 216). There is some exploration of HRQL and its relationship to nursing and to existing literature on this topic, which aids understanding of the concept prior to reading the rest of the article. They highlight some important topics in relation to the focus of the article, including treatment, social support, and other issues (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 216). Although the introduction/literature review contextualises and introduces this study, this author believes that a more detailed critical analysis of the literature would be warranted here. It is not enough to cite previous research as a means of establishing the credentials of the study, as it were. A wider range of research could have been included Gerrish and Lacey, 2006, 38; Fontana, 2004, p 93), and this research could have been evaluated to identify its quality. It is left to the reader to pursue this matter and determine the quality of the research upon which they base the premise and justification for this study. This could be considered a limitation in the reporting of this research. 5. The Hypothesis The authors do not state a hypothesis (Cormack, 2000), as such, but instead present a research question. The purpose of this study was to examine the causal relationships between age, antiretroviral treatment, social support, symptom experience, self-care strategies, and the HRQL in Thai PLWHA (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 217). The nature of this statement would suggest that it is not an experimental study, but that it is within a quantitative research paradigm. 6. Operational definitions Cormack (2000) suggests that people appraising research question whether operational definitions are clearly presented. In this study, operational definitions are explained within the introduction but in language that would make it inaccessible to the less experienced or less knowledgeable reader. 7. Methodology The methodology section does not clearly state or discuss the choice of a quantitative approach (Cormack, 2000). The focus of the section on Methods is rather on the instruments that are being used. The quality of this study seems to rest in the choice of a quantitative approach, and the choice of data collection instruments. Quantitative research approaches offer a better standards of evidence, with generally greater ability for replication and greater rigour (Kitson et al, 2000 p 149; Duffy, 2005, p 233). As far as research for healthcare practice is concerned, quantitative studies hold better status than those based with a qualitative paradigm (Hek, 2000 p 19; Newman et al, 1998 p 231; Pepler et al, 2006, p 23). There is however no real discussion of the underpinning principles of quantitative research (Parahoo, 2006). It is good that the research instruments are explained in such detail, because it helps overcome one of the limitations of quantitative research, that of not asking the right questions to elicit answers that relate to person al experience (Johnson and Onwuegbuzie, 2004 p 14). 8. Subjects There is very limited detail given of sample selection, save stating that eight hospitals were randomly selected using a lottery method without replacement and that the 422 participants were randomly sampled (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 217). This could constitute a limitation of this research, as it is not possible to identify if there was any sampling bias, how participants were recruited, who recruited them, and any ethical issues in relation to participant recruitment (Hek, 2000, p 20; PHRU, 2009, online, Bowling, 2002). This author would argue that this is a weakness of the study, as these are crucial elements of quality measurement in primary research within healthcare (Austin, 2001 p 1; Cooper, 2006, p 439; Nuremberg Code, 1949, online). 9. Sample selection Sample selection is not discussed in any detail, which could be a weakness of the study, as mentioned above (Cormack, 2000). Sample size is stated, but it is not stated whether this was statistically determined, which could also be considered a weakness, as achieving a statistically sound sample size is important within quantitative research (Daggett et al, 2005, p 255; Donovan, 2002). 10. Data Collection Data collection procedures are not adequately described in this study (Cormack, 2000). This would be problematic for replication and for rigour. There is no indication who administered the questionnaires, whether or not they were self-report in the participants own time and convenience, or whether a researcher was present at the time of completion. This could be considered a weakness of this studys reporting. The issue of researcher bias is important in the completion of data collection tools, and while questionnaires may be considered a way of avoiding this, if they are remotely administered, it is not always possible to check they are full, or honest, or completed by the intended target (Gillham, 2000, p 48). Having the researcher present, however, could introduce bias or influence of some kind, particularly in vulnerable people (Bowling, 2001). As these are vulnerable adults attending clinics for their chronic condition, not discussion how the data was collected from them is a ser ious failing and may also constitute an ethical issue. However, a strength of this study could be considered to be the use of multiple data collection instruments, and the detail with which they are described, and their provenance accounted for. They have used the Social Support Questionniare, the Symptom Experience Questionnaire, the Self-Care Strategies Questionnaire, and the Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 217). These are described in detail, and where they are based on previously developed research or derived directly from previous studies, this is also described. As these are established research data collection tools, this would suggest they have been previously validated, which adds to the quality of the research (Yu and Cooper, 1983 p 36; Oppenheim, 1992; McDowell and Newell, 1996; McColl et al, 2001 p 1). The demographics of the sample are addressed to some extent, and the use of multiple tools also helps to address potential confounding variables or factors (PHRU, 2009, online). 11. Ethical Considerations It is clearly stated within the study that ethical approval was derived from an appropriate body, and that informed consent was achieved, both of which signify good ethical consideration here (Cormack, 2000). However, there is no explanation of what information was given to the participants, how informed consent was achieved, or if there was any issue with communication or accessibility for people with different communication needs. It does not specifically address issues of anonymity and confidentiality (Cormack, 2000), but instead seems to focus on safety (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 218). 12. Results The results of this study are presented in tables, diagrams, and in great detail within the text of the paper. The key results and demographic issues are presented, but data presentation is summarised in a results section and then in more detail in the discussion. The findings are not very accessible, but p values are clearly stated, which is important in a study of this kind. PHRU (2009, online), within the CASP tool, poses the question of do you believe the results?. This is an important question. The results seem plausible, and relate to established statistical analysis procedures (see below). But because of the lack of detail about the sample, and the selection method, it is not possible to eradicate the doubts about these findings, in relation to potential bias. But in the context of the authors wider knowledge and understanding about people living with HIV/AIDS, the results seem believable. However, the issue of bias cannot be overlooked. More transparency in reporting of key e lements of this study would have made it easier to determine whether these results constitute good evidence for practice (Rosswurm and Larrabee, 1999 p 317; Pepler et al, 2006, p 23). 12. Data analysis The authors carried out the statistical analyses using SPSS, which is an established statistical programme, and LISREL, which is not a programme this author is familiar with. They describe generating descriptive statistics for each of the variables under consideration, but do not present these in any detail (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 218). They then describe the use of multivariate analysis for specific model development, and using other tests, some of which are familiar to the author, some of which are not. While the multivariate analysis and X2 tests are acceptable tests of inference or relationships between variables (Duff, 2005 p 234), anyone who does not have the specialist knowledge of the other tests would find it hard to determine their appropriateness here. The level of specialist statistical knowledge required to understand this would be significant. More transparency could have been achieved by including an explanation of these tests. 13. Discussion The discussion appears quite balanced (Cormack, 2000), and is very detailed, which is good, given the complexity of this study, involving as it does multiple data collection instruments. The study relates the findings back to a wide range of other research studies, which is a strength of this part of the report, showing congruence with many other findings in relation to quality of life, age, socioeconomic status, social support, antiretroviral treatment, symptoms, and self-care (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 219). Limitations of the study are also acknowledged (Cormack, 2000). However, the implications for practice are presented in a separate section. 14. Conclusions The conclusion supports the results obtained (Cormack, 2000), although it is not a very detailed summation of the complexity of the findings. However, this is referred to in the Implications and Recommendations section. (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 217). 15. Recommendations The authors of this study suggest that social support would have the strongest effect on HRQL(Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 220). They recommend a wide range of strategies to support this, and also look at all the other factors, making recommendations for improving care for this patient population. These are all consistent with the study. However, the only recommendation for future research is that it should be longitudinal rather than cross-sectional (Tangkawanich et al, 2008 p 217). Conclusion It is apparent from this study that social and other factors have a serious impact upon the lived experience and quality of life of the target population. It is also apparent that social factors may outweigh medical factors, other than in the provision of antiretroviral therapies for these patients. It would appear, therefore, that understanding these factors and the relationships between them could improve nursing and healthcare practice for people living with HIV/AIDS. However, this author would also conclude that because of some methodological and reporting weaknesses in this study, it would be better to find other research confirming these findings before using it as evidence for practice.

Physics of Music Essay example -- physics music sound

Fluid Behaviors of Sound Waves Sound is capable of being produced only if a medium is present. By this, I mean that, for there to be sound, there must be air. For a sound wave to be emitted by an instrument and be received by a listener, the instrument must excite the air around it and propagate its energy through the air, in the form of compression/longitudinal waves. When received by the listener, the waves pulse the eardrums with the same varying frequencies as they were emitted. An instrument shakes to produce its tone In instruments, air is excited and set into oscillation by vibrations. Instruments use such mechanisms as strings (violin and guitar), bars or rods (marimba and chimes and reeds), membranes (drum heads), plates or shells (cymbals or gongs), air in tubes (woodwinds and brass), or volumes of air enclosed in vessels (drum and string bodies) to produce vibrations. Sound oscillations are created as the oscillating instrument vibrates a column of air and â€Å"bumps† the air that is within immediate proximity. This bump sends out a compression, also called longitudinal, waves in all directions. The tone of a brass instrument is produced as a player contracts their embouchure and expels a jet of air in order to vibrate their lips, and thereby vibrate the air in the tubing of their horn. The tone of reed instruments (single or double) is produced by holding a reed rigid and forcing air over, or through. When this happens, the reed vibrates, creating an oscillation. The tone of flute instruments is produced when air blown over the mouthpiece hole excites surrounding particles. When the vibrations of these surrounding particles match the natural frequency of the instrument, the column of air inside the ins... ...requency higher and into a higher row of harmonics. How Does Any of this Relate to Music? Okay, so I just spent the last several pages expressing fluid, energy, and math properties of how sound is put through air. But this essay is dedicated to the physics of music! Simply, none of the attributes of sound, as I have described them in the other pages in terms of physics, are not in any way musical. Music and physics really only have one point of connection, that music is made by manipulating the mechanics of air oscillations--how the signals are emitted by the instruments and received by the listeners. Music itself, however, is made by how the listener interprets or experiences those signals. As stated in Levarie and Levy's, Tone, A study in Musical Acoustics, "Music is not 'something that happens in the air.' It is something that happens in the soul."

Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown - Goody Cloyse and Catechetical Ministry :: Young Goodman Brown YGB

â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† Goody Cloyse and Catechetical Ministry      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This essay intends to compare the author’s disparaging slur of Goody Cloyse, Puritan catechism teacher, Deacon Gookin and the minister – all of whom are catechists - in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† with â€Å"In Support of Catechetical Ministry - A Statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops† from June of 2000.    The influence of Puritan religion, culture and education is a common topic in Nathaniel Hawthorne's works. Growing up, Hawthorne could not escape the influence of Puritan society, not only from residing with his father's devout Puritan family as a child but also due to his study of his own family history.   The first of his ancestors, William Hathorne, is described in Hawthorne's "The Custom House" as arriving with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 "with his Bible and his sword" (26). A further connection can also be seen in his more notable ancestor John Hathorne, who exemplified the level of zealousness in Puritanism with his role as persecutor in the Salem Witch Trials. The study of his own family from the establishment of the Bay Colony to the Second Great Awakening of his own time parallels the issues brought forth in "Young Goodman Brown."   In looking into the history of early Puritan society, Hawthorne is able to discuss the merits and consequences of such zeal, especi ally the Puritan Catechism of John Cotton, and the repercussions of The Salem Witch trials.   Hawthorne sets â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† into a context of Puritan rigidity and self-doubt to allow his contemporary readers to see the consequences of such a system of belief.    Hawthorne’s tale places the newly wed Puritan Brown in a situation, where he has agreed with an evil character to participate in a coven, a witch’s ceremony, a devil-worship liturgy. The experience he has at this liturgy easily translates into the dream allegory of Hawthorne’s work and allows the author to use Puritan doctrine and the history of Salem to argue the merits and consequences of the belief in man’s total moral depravity. As Benjamin Franklin V states in "Goodman Brown and the Puritan Catechism," Hawthorne used John Cotton's Milk for Babes as the education source of Goodman Brown.   It was the Puritan belief that man must be instructed to realize his own depravity, and therefore at childhood the education began. The child was taught that he was†conceived in sin, and born in iniquity† (70).

Small Soldiers, Ally Mcbeal, Junger’s The Perfect Storm, and Otto’s How to Make an American Quilt :: Comparison Compare Contrast

The Movie Small Soldiers, The Television Show Ally Mcbeal, Junger’s Novel The Perfect Storm, and Otto’s How to Make an American Quilt The movie Small Soldiers, The television series Ally Mcbeal, Junger’s novel The Perfect Storm, and Otto’s How to Make an American Quilt fall into the larger category of methods of entertainment. All of these methods of "entertainment" are stories, each have common elements of stories, and are writings in themselves. The Movie and show started out as screen plays, so they have the elements that plays and novels have. To learn from these elements you must look at the good and the bad, and sometimes you find that you learn more from the bad ones than from the good. Small soldiers uses imagination to get its story across. Mainly written for entertainment purposes and because small fighting toys sell with little kids that all wish that their toys could come to life. That ever captivating written action or violence that keeps our short attention spans is used constantly in this movie, and is basically what the movie is about. The movie although having much of the trash elements of a bad action film, does have a meaningful moral, mainly, just because something looks monstrous or grotesque doesn’t mean that it is evil. The good guys, GI Joe buff fighters, who are ruthless killers for the American way and look human are the toys with the real evil side, loving torture and killing and doing anything to kill the enemy. The Monsters lead by Archer a furry wolf like creature who does not look human and are grotesque in some ways are really sweet, adorable, good, and help a little boy sort through his problems with girls and his dad. Small Soldiers kept the attention of the audience, especially the younger audience, and still, in a way, got the moral message across. While to some it might have been a waste of time, the way that it kept the attention of a particular audience, catering to a specific watcher, is important, for these things must be taken into consideration when I am writing. I must know my reader, and my reader’s main thoughts and feelings, what will keep my readers attention so that I can most effectively get my message across. Tone in writing is very important in this way. If I was writing for a bunch of children

The medicine world has been the very first of those which has entered this technological arena

With the advent of technological advancement, it is true that man is pushing off his limits in a way that he unlocks the mysteries in his world and the environment around him.But along side this furtherance in almost every sector of the society, various maladies press on. And because man is by nature inquisitive and discontented of the things laid before him, and plus the fact that he just can’t withstand the consequences of his acts, that may lead him to suffering, he would continue to discover things even beyond his will.The medicine world has been the very first of those which has entered this technological arena thus setting its goals towards impalpable possibilities in medicine. And when I’m talking of the possibilities and technology, computer chips will be at its own best to draw attention from the most curious human minds.These chips are more properly called integrated circuits, or IC’s. They are electronic devices that contain transistors and other compo nents that are made of semiconductor materials, like silicon.(http://www.chipscapes.com/chipscapes/CS02.htm, 2008) Over the last four decades, computer chips have found their way into virtually every electronic device in the world.During that time they have become smaller, cheaper and more powerful, that it even penetrated to the medicine society.   Gene Chip, Biochip, DNA chip and a lot more can make a way into almost anything tangible.Biochips are among the most important instruments used in the miniaturization and automation of biology. But the most grand among the nowadays is the DNA chip which is DNA chips. They are likely to serve the most varied of purposes ranging from basic research in biology through diagnosis of disease to water ecology.(http://www.roche.com/dna_e.pdf,2003).Like the saying that goes, â€Å"necessity is the mother of invention†, this only implies that since we have a demand over something, then we create something prior to our demand.   But ever ything is interconnected to one another.   We may never know the limitations of these things unless a certain consequence.We may opt to open our mind to a possibility that since the world is so sick, many people die of the revenge of the Mother Earth, what will possibly happen to us who most of the time nowadays are relying on and holding on to the small but terrible capacity of computer chips? Will the world stop?Will we just remain dumb and wait for the end? What will really possibly happen to the entire human race? Simple, we may opt to go back to normal, most simple way of living and curing ourselves. We may not be able to diagnose ailments, keep track of the progress of an ailing patient, inventions will be at zero, and worst, since computer chips are connected to the world in which we live, the possibility of worsening the condition of the ills will be unimaginable.Everything that revolves around computer chips will be totally limp in such a way that the uncomplicated situat ions of those who rely mainly on them will find their way to a very conventional way of living.These are but anticipations of the possible of end of something that has started we got used to.   Nevertheless, we have been given such a powerful mind that can outdo things that may have affected us. We can see that movies featuring the use of these highly powerful and technological things are not just simple result of a creative mind. But of course, we have to think again. With everything around us, with the long way we have paved and with the future waving at us, can we still afford to go back?Works CitedWhat is a Computer Chip?, Retrieved May 7, 2008, from http://www.chipscapes.com/chipscapes/CS02.htm DNA-based medicine . creating value for patients, Retrieved May 7, 2008 from http://www.roche.com/dna_e.pdf,2003  

Media influence on modern culture Essay

In the last 50 years or so technology had contributed to the exponential growth of the mass media where what started out with the telegraph was subsequently followed by the radio, the newspaper, magazines, television and the new arrival the Internet. The outcome of all these subsequent introductions had made society to be dependant on information and communication for all the major steps they are taking and areas such as work, health care, education, interpersonal relationships, leisure time such as entertainment, travelling etc., doing business, investing, and most of the things people are doing are based on facts, information and recommendations they get from the various mass media. This means that, although while working it is possible that people depend on what they learned and the subsequent experience they gained, when it comes to their daily lives they, for the most part, rely on the media to find out as to what is current in the news and other facts that might affect their lives, the society as a whole and if there are areas that they have to be aware of. Because of that it is possible to extrapolate that society had developed a trust towards the media over time to such an extent that it has become an authority in providing up to the minute news, entertainment, education, information etc. to the point where the influence of mass media on society and culture had become very significant. This study will try to highlight some of the influences affecting culture directly and which one of them have positive outcomes or otherwise. Historical Background Throughout the years people had their own ways of communicating amongst each other and when the mass populous of any given community is involved the crude form of communicating, exchanging information and knowledge had been evolving over the years. The very early form of communication involved one able individual who could have a special training and would be at the service of the king or the religious establishment that mostly used to be the ones who would have some important message that is beneficial to a large mass of people. Whether what is communicated is a message or news that the public will be interested in, using a single individual to address the public at a gathering was the most popular way to relay anything of interest to a gathered public that had been invited to attend such gatherings or it might take place where people gather to do other things such as trading. The most critical announcements of the olden days were news about faraway colonies, if there happened to be a sudden death among the public figures such as kings or queens or if there is an activity such as a war that requires the participation of some of the members of the populous. What replaced this old method of communication was putting the news in some kind of print format where instead of people converging at a given place to receive messages, news, instructions, etc. whatever was to be communicated started to go wherever the people are in a form the earliest news letters. When looking at what is taking place in modern days, the emergence of the modern mass media was the outcome of an advancement in technology where the convergence of various technologies such as print media, electronic media, advertising, public relation and currently the Internet formed what is today’s mass media. The current mass media has various outlets such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines and Internet that are easily accessible by the public and what is communicated through such mediums and how it is communicated had become very complicated. Since the cost of acquiring such mediums had become affordable by the masses, the cost of communication had also gone down making communicating among people or those who have particular messages to the mass easy and can be done at a desired frequency without worrying about a very high cost. When looking at culture it is possible to perceive it as values that follow certain pattern and could have certain goals, beliefs, behaviours coupled by knowledge and experience that a given group will concede to share among themselves. The same could apply to establishments that are out to accomplish certain tasks where they will have certain values or missions that make up their corporate culture and they will have to put to work these values and mission statements in order to meet the expectation of the public and community they are serving. That being as it is modern media has a considerable influence on such cultures to the point where it could dictate what the public as well as institutions should be doing to the point where the media might become authoritative and a force to reckon with. If that is not the case a certain member of society or an institution could get a bad coverage that would affect the image of those involved and since the media had attained an authoritative status it can influence the culture of people, communities, as well as establishments that are out to serve the public. If that public has bad opinion about them because of what the media reports or preaches they will find it difficult to carry out their duty. This demonstrates that there had been interdependence among media and culture that was outcome of the media dictating what the public and others that have various roles to play should do or adhere to. Since the number of media outlets had increased the outcome had been the sources where people are getting their information had also increased. This by itself had forced individuals to identify with some of the information and messages they get from the various media outlets and that had result in influencing how they do things and their overall culture. Media Influence on Culture McQuail (2000) uses the gratification model why the public or a given audience would want to consume what the media avails through a given medium. Society as a whole, groups or individuals want to reinforce their basic behaviour and to accomplish that they start out by identifying themselves with roles or role players, the kind of value they hold or communicate and sometimes their gender and ethnicity might also be taken into consideration. Another reason why whatever the media comes up with is consumed by members of society is there is always a need to interact with other people through what the media avails, whatever medium is used such as television, newspapers, magazines, movies, Internet etc. It is also possible members of a given society as a group or individually would need some kind a security source that will enable them to enhance their knowledge about the world they are living in or they might need information to carry on with their lives or with whatever they are doing. When that is the case there is no better source to resort to other than the media and its various mediums or outlets that include books. It is also possible from a very early age people had been reliant on some form of entertainment so that they can use it to pass time, as an escape or they might need emotional release such as excitement, suspense, laughter etc. Based on such findings it is not difficult to surmise that the influence of the media on culture is at the very high level currently, because the earlier days did not have to deal with such barge of media broadcasting using various mediums on a daily basis. Because of the high level of exposure people are getting to modern media they cannot avoid their culture being heavily influenced by what they consume from the media. This will make it possible to say that the way people behave in modern times is the reflection of the kind of influence they receive from the modern mass media. The modern media deals with daily politics, current affairs, it is the major source of entertainment and the like where people that interact with a certain medium would also pass what they encountered to others that could result in shaping how such individuals interacting with each other would behave. Use of Entertainment to Influence Cultural Practices Entertainment had been one of the effective vehicles the media uses to influence culture. All entertainment programs aired on television, the music played at the home, workplace, in vehicles and at entertainment venues, all the stories written on newspapers, magazines, even books will affect the participating public’s culture to the point where it is possible people could learn new and better things that will force them to drift away from the older values their culture holds that will result in people adopting new behaviour. What had been taking place was that the media had managed to bring together what is taking place around the world on one platform so that people can compare various cultures, outlooks, and way of doing things and adapt to the ones they find to be palatable to their taste and understanding. This is accomplished on the part of the media by employing surveillance on what various groups of people are doing and exposing these activities to others using various mediums to an extent that some groups could be encouraged to showcase their culture to others who could eventually adopt them if they attain a liking for them. How Media Educates People to Handle Their Daily Activities The media could also educate people how to do certain things by showing them how to handle it better or conduct certain activities where it is possible to show people to conform to certain ways of doing things that could result in changing their way of life. This would enable people to adapt to what is taking place in the grater world in stead of being confined in their own culture only that will result in people adopting new cultures because of their being exposed to the modern media. New ideas will not only be limited to those who will only have a firsthand encounter to various happenings, as these people will pass what they saw or learned to others. Such transferring and communicating of information had been made faster because of the coming into the picture of the Internet, mobile telephones, TV that can be accessed from anywhere as long as there is Internet connection, radio that could be broadcast globally and magazines that could find their way into the global marketplace. Conflict Resolution Among the various advantages media avails to communities one of them is conflict resolution. Most world communities are afflicted by various kinds of conflicts that could be the outcome of competition or rivalry among various groups. Such conflicts will result at times in mass killing or unjust practises taking place that would affect innocent civilians. In a situation like this, the media can play an intermediary role by exposing bad practices and by coming up with just solutions where it could possible to implement the introductions to solve conflicts. The media is in a position to use effectively various mediums such as films or stories written on newspapers, magazines, news broadcast etc. to serve a given purpose in curbing violence and bring back normalcy to besieged communities. The media had also been actively influencing the political sphere and can put pressure on various governments, especially in democratic countries such as the US and the UK as to how to implement certain policies they come up with. Whenever there is an election the media also plays a crucial role by allowing the candidates and electorate to interact with each other through interviews, debates or question and answer secessions where the audience participates live. This kind of an exposure is capable of affecting the culture a certain group is practising, including the stand of political parties and their leaders. Furthermore, occasions such as debates, question and answer periods or broadcasting speeches made by prominent individuals for mass consumption will all result in nurturing the thinking, the outlook and the culture of the participating public that will lead in enabling the participants to take certain actions that are mutually beneficial The media also had been playing a crucial role in improving people’s lives, by advocating that the public as a whole has to be responsible about what would happen to the environment. The media had also been intervening in drug abuse, certain immoral behaviours, violence and the like that would result in brining down the occurrences of such incidents and eventually people could make the positive outlooks communicated part of their culture and could refrain from violence or would avoid abusing drugs that will result in enhancing a given community’s long held culture. In all this, there are three highlighted stages through which the interaction and media consumption can take place. The first is direct consumption where the individual will directly be involved in using the medium used such as TV, reading newspapers or surfing the Internet where there is no interference or destruction from any other source. The second type of media consumption is when there is another tool or anything of such nature interfering with the direct consumption of what a given medium communicates such as talking on the phone while watching TV or cleaning utensils while watching TV etc. The third consumption method is when the individual is not directly using the medium because some of the things the individual is doing are interfering directly where the individual cannot pay attention to the point there will not be any new information learned to affect the individual’s culture or behaviour. When looking at various findings there had not been certain indications as to whether the media is beneficial or otherwise in spite of the numerous debates that had been staged to arrive at the reality and there is no certain indication that the escalated media consumption has affected the long standing cultures of communities positively or negatively. However, when looking at some of the mediums that have become largely available for use by the public such as the telephone, Internet, computers, television, radio etc. it possible to say they have positively enriched people’s lives, hence their culture, although there are negative impacts too. In modern days people have a much better means of communication that were not available a few decades ago enabling them to communicate with family members, friends, employers and co-workers in such a way that it had become possible to do so without incurring a high cost. When looking at what is taking place in modern media such as 24-hour access to television and radio broadcasting and programming, or participating in a given medium through talk-shows that are open to the public, or simply writing an article and having it published on newspapers, magazines, newsletters or on the Internet had become much easier and could result in many people communicating their ideas where they can interact on blogs and chat rooms in real time. All new ideas and suggestions communicated using such channels had become useful as they will end up influencing existing cultures. The outcome of such interaction had been seen as a major contribution to modern culture where various programmes such as news, documentaries, interviews, advertisements etc. will all contribute to the modern culture because they can reach a big number of people. They could serve as a catalyst that will create a streamlined outlook that will result in making the world culture more-and-more similar. Peculiar cultures such as circumcising young girls that takes place in cultures such as Kenya could be put in check because people will know it is harmful, as well as affects the normal life of the girls as they grow up. Furthermore, access to a vast amount of media such as TV or affordable Internet access has enabled people to improve their vocabularies and thinking pattern because their chance of being exposed to experts, role models, politicians and the like has become much higher. Accordingly, such exposures will enable them improve their perception as well as their linguistic ability, which is more so to younger students. Interpersonal relationship had also got a boost because individuals could learn more positive manners from the media that improves their behaviours and would enhance the socialising capability of individuals enabling them to meet more people, whose interaction will always enhance one’s culture. Consuming what modern media avails also encourages individuals to be socially responsible, because there are factors such as opinion polls that will shape how people think or see things and the outcome will be they can take better control of their daily life and if they happen to be in a position of authority they will always pay attention to how the media is portraying them. In spite of the benefits the media brings to the fore there are certain areas that have negative impact on society such as violence that could originate from media outlets that are not regulated. The side effect of such exposure could be it will raise the level of violence in a given society since most people, especially younger ones are always prone to imitate those who they consider to be role models. Another area that has a negative impact is the escalated immorality level in modern society that is the outcome of interacting with modern media. It is so because of the assumption that as long as certain acts originate from socially accepted sources such as the media, the fact that a certain act is immoral could be side-stepped. This could lead to certain diseases such as aids and other sexually transmittable diseases, early teen pregnancy and unprotected sex to go unchecked because if the media portrays such incidents as not grave problems there are many that will be victimised (Shaw and McCombs, 1972). The media is also constantly exposing people to fancy outlooks or lifestyles and this will affect the culture of communities because their members could disregard their cultural values and could end up chasing what the media is exposing them to. Modern media had increased the rate of criminal activities in many societies, because most media outlets portray numerous criminal activities as good, acceptable and normal leading some to succumb to committing crimes. There are scenes in the media that show abusing drug as a good act or at least as not a dangerous engagement or using dangerous weapons could be portrayed as a normal thing to do leading the youth of certain communities to be caught imitating these acts. The media also ends up portraying certain races or ethnic groups better than others resulting in discriminatory behaviours. Criticisms to Correct Wrong Outlooks Sources such as Ganutlett (1998) had refused the upheld belief concerning modern media being the source of violence. He had stated that the first task to accomplish is to focus on the so called social violence and examine the causes based on the identity of those who commit such violence, their background, character etc. before blaming all incidents on media. On the other hand, when looking what effects theory has to say it promulgates that commercials, advertising, as well voter campaign and the like influence behaviour and culture. Some examples to cite are trials of celebrities and prominent individuals that had attracted mass attention and had ended up shaping opinions and to an extent behaviours, but it is not possible to say that will always be the case. What the critics of media effects theory had been advocating was that when examining most incidents labelled as copycat murders, suicides or violent acts the contributing factors had been upbringing harbouring that it must have been abnormal for the most part. More than media environments that were violent, emotionally not fulfilling and a prolonged exposure for a prolonged period to aggressive environments are more contributing factors than watching movies, commercials, listening to certain music etc. It is also important to look at mental instability, as it had been a major cause for most violent crimes. This means that findings indicate that any kind of violence or any act deemed immoral such as abnormal sexual interactions are not at all considered as influencing factors, because most people who grew up bombarded with such acts have finished to be normal members of society, although there are few that had been victimised. According to sources such as Baker (2001), the major source of violence is background and upbringing instead of watching movies on various mediums that depict violence or other indecent acts. According to him daily news consumed by many people could also be full of violence, but that does not instigate many people go out and copycat the acts and if that happens the main reason would be the social background of those who commit such acts instead of what they consume from various media outlets. Freedman (2007) was among researchers who had shown evidence by showing what took place in the US and similar countries where crime had increased sharply between 1965-1980 blamed on the violence originating from various media. The same violence act precipitated at around 1992 although the usual media outlets that were releasing violent material were doing it at a much higher level showing that societal violence is not a direct outcome of consuming violent or immoral material availed by various media outlets forcing critics to look elsewhere for the cause. In stead, there are other areas where the media has a major influence on how people behave, act or perceive certain things. One such area is agenda-setting that is the outcome of how news is gathered and dispensed ((Shaw and McCombs, 1972). Good examples cited are the four major news agencies such AP, UPI, Reuters and Agence-France that are responsible at least for around 90% of news consumed through various media outlets. The material such agencies come up with had impeccable reliability over the years to the point where they had gained some public respect and authority. However, critics eye this interaction as a close collaboration of the news agencies and existing establishments, where in tandem they are out to manipulate society, culture, behaviour and thinking so that existing status quo will continue to reign. This means that media could be instrumental rather than being true agents of propaganda. Such a stance will always make them finish as supporters of those who have economic power who in fact are spending money on the media agencies in a form of advertising, airtime etc. so that they will go out and influence the culture on their behalf, altering their habit of doing things such as spending, buying, voting, leisure activities etc. which are part of the components that make up modern cultures. Whatever the cause and drive behind the measure the media takes, at the end of the day the media would end up influencing culture reforming it to serve a certain purpose the media wants that will reflect the desire of those who are responsible for oiling the machine of media such as politicians, big business, government and interest groups showing that there is interrelation in what is taking place and certainly media is impacting culture on a daily basis. There are sources that emphasised how media had become instrument of control. New media such as the Internet is facilitating more than ever such social control because, currently the number of the participants had exploded by the emergence of such new media tools such as blogs that are having impact on culture as society members are not consumers only anymore and they have become participants and have become responsible in affecting their own culture. That does not, however, means they take the place of the mainstream media that always had influential power as witnessed from what took place in geographical locations such as Asia where a rapid social change had taken place that had been attributed to be the effect of media on culture. This shows that wherever the modern media penetrates it will affect the culture of backward communities for the better creating a more or less global village and such outcome had been noted when television had been introduced in Bhutan where the culture had undergone a rapid Westernisation. It does not mean everyone sees such changes positively as Schiller (1976) had called such impact cultural imperialism, where those who have economic and political power could end up imposing their will and culture on weaker societies by manipulating the media effectively. In a situation like this it is possible to see media as a means of social control, in spite of the fact such imposition will also be accompanied with higher standard of living, urbanisation, literacy etc. requiring more fortified exposure to mass media so that what is gained will not be reversed. Because of that if there is going to be some gain attained, there has to be some degree of adaptation to make and that might end up altering a given culture. Whether the introduced change is good or bad it is up to the onlookers to judge, but the reality is willingly or otherwise, modern media could affect culture to the point where those affected could lose control their indigenous culture. However, what puts the fear to rest is governmental intervention at every level is available in any community where there is censorship to weed out offensive material, where there could be licensing laws in place that will take measures for failing to comply with the agreed upon rules showing that all objectionable material could be kept out of the reach of people. However, with the advent of mediums such as the Internet that might not be totally possible, but the responsibility could shift to the participants where they can congregate and critically assess what they are encountering on the new medium that are accessible through an Internet connection, where discussing the merits and demerits of what are made available will be possible. This means that the consuming public had been the sole decision maker when it comes to what to consume or what not to consume on the Internet to such an extent reason, logic and good judgement had become the regulators instead of governmental decrees, although still governmental decrees also dictate what cannot be made available on the Internet and at the end of the day it is what the public and others are doing that will end up influencing behaviour, thinking and culture. It is no longer media alone, for the most part, that would impact culture as it used to be because the media would have to share the prevalent platform with the participants who are gaining more control. In spite of the independence individuals attained to act on their own, when looking at the public sphere, media could still have a stronghold where it can form public opinion which could also be applicable in the public’s consumer behaviour scene where those who claim to be connoisseur could influence how the public reacts to what is directed at it in a form of goods and services. However, when it comes to politics findings indicate that even if there are those who say media simply fixes or confirms what people held as their strong conviction, the reality could be a large number of people could lack political experience and correct perception making them heavily reliant on the trusted and autocratic media and in the long term it will dictate their behaviours, thinking and culture. Yet, there are sources such as Thompson, (1995) who claim one-way communication, which had been the media approach and mainstay does not work effectively when compared to where there is interaction through telephone and currently blogs, chat rooms etc. where live interaction could be involved, including posting photos and videos or using web-cam to directly access someone important such as a politician privately. When examining the effect the media has in a free enterprise society, items such as news, commentaries, documentaries and similar informative programmes could be dealing most of the time with controversial and real world problems and subjects. Whereas, the rest of media is mainly entertainment or it is advancing the cause of sponsors without whom the private broadcasting companies would not exist. Therefore, the second genre of what media represents is the advancing of the interest of the various enterprises that have products or services to the viewing public and their main concern is selling what they are bringing into the marketplace. With the same token, they would want to influence the public to use their products, because most products require getting used to in order to pay money for them. Looking at the prevalence of telephone service in an advanced community is a good example, because starting from the homes, workplaces, public meeting places, various shops, malls and streets all can be fitted with some kind of telephone service that include cars. Amongst all these possibilities there are mobile phone manufacturers that should convince the public to use cell phones in addition to whatever they are using demonstrating that they might not need anything else since the device can go with them everywhere. In order to change people’s view who used to using the traditional telephone system the makers of such phones and service providers have to spend a lot of money on media ads to educate the public whose outlook, habit, usage and culture will be affected both by the ads, as well as the new products showing that whatever way it is looked at and whatever source or interest group uses the mass media to serve it certain purpose, people’s outlook, thinking and culture should go some kind a transformation ascertaining to a good extent mass media, whoever employs it, in the long run it will affect culture. REFERENCE Barker, M. â€Å"the Newson Report: a Case Study in Common Sense III : Effects in the Media /Violence Debate, (second edition), ed. Martin Baker and Julian Petley (London: Routledge, 2001), pp. 27-46. David Gauntlett (1998). â€Å"Ten things wrong with the ‘effects model’†. Approaches to Audiences – A Reader. Available online: http://www. theory. org. uk/effects. htm. Accessed July 23, 2010 Freedman, Jonathan. ‘No Real Evidence for TV Violence Causing Real Violence’ First Amendment Centre, 2007, online, Available: http://www. firstamendmentcenter. org/commentary. aspx? id=18490 Accessed July 23, 2010 McCombs, M & Shaw, D. L. (1972), ‘The Agenda-setting Function of the Mass Media’, Public Opinion Quarterly, 73, pp176–187 Mcquail, Denis (2000) McQuails’s Mass Communication Theory (fourth edition), Sage, London, pp. 16-34. Schiller, Herbert I. (1976). Communication and cultural domination. International Arts and Sciences Press, 901 North Broadway, White Plains, New York 10603. pp. 9–10 Thompson, J. (1995), The Media and Modernity

Keri 2006 Advertising Campaign Essay

This is a 2006 advertising campaign of Keri new skin-care product, Keri Nourishing Shea Butter lotion. It is a remake and reproduction of a well-known painting â€Å"La Grande Odalisque† by French artist Jean-August-Dominique Ingres. The written message states this â€Å"experience the timeless beauty of being a woman with Keri Shea Butter. Enriched with nourishing Vitamin E, it makes skin feel truly touchable†. It seemingly means that this new product can help improve the consumer’s skin performance. But indeed, this ad contains intended meanings which include symbolic properties and commodity fetishism. First of all, this Keri’s ad produces symbolic meanings. In this ad, it is not a simply a case that the conventions and themes of an artist or a style are copied, but rather it is a carefully and close reproduction of the original painting. If we compare it to the origin, the head cover, the fan and pose of the nuked woman is almost the same. The product itself has no meaning. However this careful reproduction of particular elements obvious makes the ad as a reference to the original painting, a classic and wide international recognized work of art which is meaningful to most consumers. As a masterwork of art in the history, the painting is regarded as an important icon of an immortal and timeless signifier of classical female beauty. By creating correlation between the ad and Ingres’ painting, the image, ideas of Ingres’ panting become attached to Keri’s new product. The sexy female nude, the material object, becomes the signifier, and it signified the idea of timeless female beauty. Therefore, Keri’s new product becomes a sign of timeless female beauty. Moreover, the advertisement creates differentiation between new product and the other products in the same series (Williamson, 1978, p24). Keri’ ad introduces a new product that is enriched with nourishing Vitamin E, an important element to make skin smooth and vibrant. In fact, there are more six more products in this category. The function and content of Keri Nourishing Shea Butter make it unique and independent to other product, such as Original, Advanced and Moisture Rich Oil. In addition, the advertisement makes the product and a feeling of â€Å"experience of the timeless beauty of being a woman† equal in value. Every woman wants to be beautiful and timeless. However money cannot buy you beautiful and timeless. Thus, by generating a connection between Keri’s product and feeling, it adds a value to timeless beauty, because money can buy Keri’s product. Secondly, the Keri’s lotion product exists as a commodity in the market place. The lotion has a nature priority of making skin smooth. As Marx says the nature priority decides the use value (Marx, 1867). The use value of Keri’s product is to improve your skin quality. In Capital, Marx says the objective form of social relations is called reification (1867). As the advertising campaign says â€Å"experience the timeless beauty of being a woman with Keri Shea Butter†, the consumers will experience â€Å"timeless beauty of being a woman† if they purchase and consume the product. The human relationship of timeless beauty is expressed in a commodity form of lotion. The abstracted social relations are taken out of their actual organic context†, abstraction separates the use value and exchange value of a commodity (Goldman, 1992, p21). In this ad, the meaning of using its product is transformed into the experience of timeless beauty. In this process, the exchange value of Keri’s product now refer to the timeless beauty. It equivalents the value of the product and the value of a history work of art of beauty female by putting the product and reproduction image together into the same frame.