Communication in Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Communication in Practice - Essay Example Her affect was inconstant, shifting from a blunted to euphoric to inappropriate, and his insight, as well as judgment, was partial. She did not have thought insertion, broadcasting, withdrawal, and no thoughts of reference. She often made comments that were grossly inappropriate and had problems engaging with peers. She had poor concentration, initial insomnia, and high energy. The manifestation of the mood disorder threw me aback leaving me in a situation of deep thought regarding the best way to handle the patient in a professional manner. I chose to draw lessons from Gibbs model of reflection, allowing me to make a quick description, analysis, and an assessment of the experience helping me to make sense of the experience at hand and examine my practice. The reflection was not enough, and I had to employ other skills gained during training to formulate an action plan. I knew that I had to apply logic to exhibit the fallacy of the hallucinations and delusions in the client, be neutral in case the service user neglected my contact and use non-verbal communication methods such as smiling, facial expressions, and tactile tactics to win the trust of the patient (Peschken & Johnson, 1997). I asked questions, made comments, and focused on what was happening. I also found it necessary to communicate acceptance to the patient, even though many people at the setti ng did not understand the perceptions and thoughts of the client. In this paper, I expound on the application of theories of reflection in the clinical practice to learn from experiences and to make the best decisions in stressful situations. Within the clinical setting, reflection is regarded as the active process of analyzing, reviewing, and evaluating experiences, drawing from theoretical models or past learning. The purpose of applying reflective models is to inform current as well as future actions in the healthcare milieu (Reid, 1993. A

Health Care Transparency Essay Example for Free

Health Care Transparency Essay Healthcare transparency has been defined by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) as making available to the public, in a reliable and understandable manner, information on the health care system’s quality, efficiency and consumer experience with care, which includes price and quality data, so as to influence the behavior of patients, providers, payers and others to achieve better outcomes (American College, 2010). Transparency allows consumers to make better informed decisions. It also helps health facilities convey information to the public. With more information in the open, there will be less overall confusion. People will be better equipped and facilities will know how they compare to other facilities. In the past transparency has been affected by lawsuits. With the risk of being sued, many physicians and hospitals did not want to divulge private information. Of course, this attitude is beginning to change. In the video â€Å"Healthcare Transparency† Dr. Patrick Cawley expresses that transparency in the future will be greatly increased (Dr. Cawley, P., 2009). More information will lead to better patient care. Eventually a patient will be able to review how well a hospital or physician is able to provide care. Everything from infection rates to waiting times will all be accessible to the public. I agree with all forms of medical transparency. Access to wait times will better prepare potential patients for their visits to a hospital. Knowledge of infection rates will affect how the public perceives a health institute. If infection rates are high, most likely public opinion will be able to change this. No longer will things of this nature be shrugged off as typical health care. If a facility is providing less than optimal care, people will be aware of this and know to avoid the facility. This means that poor health care facilities will rightfully fail, while prominent effective health  facilities remain active and prosperous. Thus means overall better patient care. If only the best health care facilities are able to thrive, more people will be able to receive optimal care. Patient satisfaction surveys will also help potential patients understand the environment they are about to enter. If a staff is rude and curt than the public will have access to this. Essentially, this will encourage health care providers to give optimal quality of service to each and every patient. Of course, it’s important that a patients expectations are not too grand. Nothing in life is perfect and people should understand this. Busy hours and numerous patients can cause fatigue. After all, health care providers are still human. Perhaps if all physicians were machines then we could expect them all to be perfect. Performance of medical procedures will enlighten a patient of how well a hospital is able to provide a service. This in turn will allow consumers to make the best choice when selecting a facility for providing care. Someone needing back surgery should be able to locate and choose a facility right for them. If a facility performs poorly with back surgeries, the public has a right to know so that they can avoid this. People have the right to make the most well informed decision. Facility treatment of patients should definitely be transparent. If a facility is trying to hide something it can’t be good. People have the right to know how well a facility treats their patients. This also encourages a facility to always do their best. Ultimately, everyone wants the best health care possible. With expanded information more people will be properly informed of all their choices. Transparency means freedom for consumers. It means more access to information, and more freedom to select the best choice. Without transparency health care is more of a guessing game. Does the facility perform well with back surgery? Who knows guess you’ll have to find out on your own. Of course, that’s risky. But why risk, when you can be informed? At least with information the public can make better decisions. Better decisions will ultimately lead to the best health care. The strong will survive, while the weak will perish. Poor health facilities will fail as more and more people choose the best facilities. As the best facilities succeed the health community will become stronger as a whole. A strong health community will lead to an overall better equipped public community. References American College of Physicians. (2010). Health Transparency. Retrieved from http://www.acponline.org/advocacy/current_policy_papers/assets/transparency.pdf Dr. Cawley, P. (2009). Health Care Transparency. Retrieved from https://portal.phoenix.edu/medialibrary/videodetails.05V130128092014044.html

Deconstruction And Methods Of Demolition Construction Essay

Deconstruction And Methods Of Demolition Construction Essay There are many advantages of deconstruction over standard demolition. These advantages include (1) conservation of landfill space; (2) makes recycling easier; (3) potential building materials available for reuse; (4) preserves natural resources that would otherwise have to be used. In order to minimise the amount of natural resources being used and the energy involved in manufacturing these materials, a cautious approach to the disposal of CD waste needs to considered. Reusing materials prevents the use of embodied energy. This is the energy that goes into the production and manufacturing of a new product. Reducing the amount of energy required in manufacturing, producing and transporting new products leads to a reduction in damage to the environment. The figure below shows a system which could be implemented in order to limit the number of materials being disposed of on construction sites. Waste Management Hierarchy for construction and demolition operations Challenges facing deconstruction There are a number of challenges which face deconstruction including (1) tools needed for deconstruction do not always exist; (2) disposal costs of CD waste is relatively low; (3) deconstruction takes up more time than conventional demolition; (4) building and design codes do not always cover the reuse of building materials; (5) buildings are not designed to be dismantled; (6) the environmental and economic advantages of deconstruction are not recognized. Deconstruction around the world Australia Volume of waste produced The total volume of waste produced in Australia almost doubled between 1997 and 2007. In 1997, the total volume of waste produced in Australia stood at 22.7 million tonnes while in 2007, the total volume of waste shot up to 43.8 million tonnes. While 29% of the total waste produced was directly from household waste, the CD sector accounted for almost 40%. (ABS, 2010) Demolition Procedure The Netherlands Waste Tax Waste taxes are placed on waste brought to the landfill or to the incinerator. The rate of tax can vary depending on the type of waste. In 1995, the Netherlands imposed a tax on the disposal of waste. The reason for this tax was to make other forms of waste treatment more appealing. Since the introduction of the tax the total volume of waste sent to landfills has decreased by a significant amount. The figure below shows how the huge decline in waste sent to landfills since the tax was imposed in 1995. (Oosterhuis et al, 2009) This landfill tax is always on the increase in the Netherlands. In 2009, the landfill tax was à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ã‚ ¬90 per toone. This is one of the highest landfill tax rates in the European Union. (defra.gov.uk, 2010) Waste production and treatment in the Netherlands Landfill Waste Ban Along with imposing waste taxes, the Netherlands also implemented bans on sending recyclable and combustible waste to the landfill. This came into operation in 1997. This included separated CD waste. The reason for this ban was to limit the amount of waste going to landfills which is seen as the least favoured method of disposal. The responsibility for implementing the ban lies with the landfill operators who are inspected regularly by the governmentà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s waste management agency, SenterNovern. The introduction of the ban in the Netherlands proved to be a success in cutting down the amount of CD waste sent to landfill. In 2009, 97% of CD waste in the Netherlands is recovered. (defra.gov.uk) Deconstruction Procedure Step 1 The first step in dismantling a building is to check to see if the building contains any hazardous substances. One of the main hazardous wastes which cause concern in Ireland is asbestos. This is a natural mineral which is used in many buildings for fire proofing or thermal insulation. The danger with asbestos is that if it breaks up, the fibres which make up asbestos may then be inhaled into the lungs as dust. This increases the risk of lung cancer and causes lung tissue scarring. Under EU legislation it is no longer allowable to re-use asbestos or to even buy products containing asbestos in Ireland. This means that asbestos cannot be recycled; it must be disposed of after it has been removed from the building. (citizensinformation.ie) Step 2 After a specialist contractor strips the building of all hazardous materials it is time to investigate the building and salvage any objects that can be reused as they are. This may include marble fireplaces, timber floors, radiators, doors, sinks and central heating boilers. Step 3 The building is categorised under one of the following three headings: Brickwork or block work buildings with timber floors and timber roof structure with roof tiles. Concrete frame buildings with prestressed concrete components. Steel frame buildings. Step 4: For all three categories above, the next step is to remove the flooring, tiles, plaster from the walls and ceiling. Windows are removed along with services installations (e.g. wall plugs, light switches). Metals are then removed and piping is also removed before the proper demoltion of the building starts. Step 5: There are a number of different types of waste that arise from stripping the building. These should be then split up into burnable and non-burnable materials. The burnable components brought to be incinerated while the non-burnables brought to the landfill. Step 6: Demolition: Brickwork or block work buildings with timber floors and timber roof structure with roof tiles. When every component of the building has been removed with the exception of the masonry works and the floors it is time to start taking the building apart floor by floor. Floor joists and timber floors are removed using a crane. These timber joists and flooring can then be reused. The advantage to using these second hand joists and flooring is that they are fully seasoned meaning they will not shrink. After the timber has been removed, the masonry blockwork is cut into sections and transported to be crushed. It may also be the case that the blockwork may be needed by the owner of the building in a new construction project. In this case the blocks are pulled down one by one and the mortar removed. Concrete frame buildings with prestressed concrete components. Prestressed concrete components in a building cause problems when it comes to disassembly because most of the time it is not known that the elements are actually prestressed. If prestessed concrete is cut up it may cause a structural element in the buiding to collapse. Steel frame buildings. The beams are dismantled one by one working from the top down. If the steel beams cannot be reused then they are cut and to be melted and remouilded. From time to time, steel structures like bridges are only partially taken apart and shipped overseas where the exact bridge is reused in another location. Step 7: The foundations of the building are th final step in the deconstruction of a building. Like the other elements of the structure the foundation is separated, broken up and transported to the crusher. In the case of concrete piles, they are removed by vibrating and pulling. If it is the case that wooden piles have been used as the foundation then it may be more difficult to remove as it will tend to break into pieves when being pulled from the ground. Demolition Techniques Balling This is the demolition technique where a heavy cast iron or steel ball is used to knock a building. The ball usually weighs between 500 to 5000kg. The balling technique can be used to demolish concrete, reinforced conrete and masonry. It has become less popular due to the level of disturbance which arises on site including vibrations, noise and dust.The ball can come into contact with the building in two ways (1) free fall (2) swinging. In the free fall process the demolition ball is lifted up into the air by a large magnet and then it is dropped onto the building which is to be demolished. In the swinging process the demolition ball is attached to a steel line which is attached to a machine with a rotating frame. Demolition Ball at work Demolition Breakers There are two types of breakers used in demolition (1) pneumatic (2) hydraulic. The difference between the two is pneumatic breakers are run using compressed air while hydraulic breakers use compressed oil. These type of breakers are used on concrete, brickwork and stone. Both types of breakers are mainly associated with minor demolition works, however they can also be attached to excavators for major demolition works. Pneumatic Breaker Hydraulic Shears Hydraulic shears are attached to excavators. They can be used in the demolition of any size structures and a wide range of materials like steel, concrete and timber. The two shears have toothed shears which slide past eachother to break up the selected material. Hydraulic Shears cutting steel Thermal Cutting Thermal cutting is used to cut steel and iron. Cutting torches are used for this process. There are three types of cutting torches (1) fuel/oxygen (2) powder (3) plasma. The fuel/oxygen cutting torches are run on a combination of oxegen and fuels such as natural gas, propane and acetylene which cuts at a maximum temperature of 3200 degrees Celsius. The choice of the fuel depends on the thickness of the metal. If the metal is too thick for a regular cutting torch then a powder cutting torch can be used. These can reach a maximum temperature of 4500 degrees Celsius. The powder cutting torch is more expensive than the regular cutting torches because there is an extra fed in the torch which allows aluminium and iron powder to be supplied. This is what increases the temperature of the flame. The plasma cutting is run by supplying electrical energy to gases such as helium and argon. These are used to cut alloyed steel which can be a slow process using the other two methods. Plasma cutting torches can cut up to four time faster than powder cuttinf torches. Explosives Explosives can be used in the demolition of buildings. Explosives can be set of using a wide variety of detonators which allows different detonation speeds. Explosions can be set off immediately or can be delayed by milliseconds if required. By blasting certain components of the building before others, it will allow the collapse of the structure to be carried out in a controlled manner. Even though this may help in accurately collapsing the building, there are still numerous examples of demolitions that have gone wrong when explosives have been used. This is why a large area must be cordoned off around the demolition site before blasting takes place. Crushing Separating CD Waste Immediately after a structure has been demolished it is transported a treatment plant where crushing and separating takes place. This enables new materials to be produced. The CD waste must go through a number of processes before it is recycled. It must get sieved, pre crushed to prevent the lager materials from damaging the main crusher and all material such as steel, glass, plastics and timber must be removed manually, by air separation or by washing. The materials must then be sieved at the end of the process in order to get the requied sizing for the new material. Jaw Crusher The jaw crusher is the machine use to pre-crush the CD waste. Large components such as reinforced concrete can be fed directly into the toggle crusher and are broken down into smaller piece by the moving jaw plate. Jaw Crusher Cone Breaker This type of machine cannot deal with large CD waste. After the waste has been pre-crushed the cone breaker is used as the main crusher. Inside this crushing machine is a cone that moves at high speed crushing waste material against fixed plates. Cone Breaker

College Admissions Essay: Music is Life :: College Admissions Essays

Music is Life    Music has always been an important part of my life. During high school I have developed areas of service and leadership through interests in children and gardening, which will continue to be major parts of my life.    I began taking violin lessons at the age of four and have since shared my music with others in many ways. I have been in the community orchestra at Jacksonville University and am in the first violin section of the University of North Florida's string ensemble. When I performed on violin for 4-H's Share the Fun event, I placed first at the county and district levels and second at the state level, and was later asked to play at the 4-H Foundation Dinner and two Volunteer Recognition Dinners. The most unusual playing job I have had was when I played for a sale at Rhode's Furniture!    I have had several wonderful opportunities to work with children. At my school I enjoyed helping teach a young children's music class by playing songs for them, telling them about the violin, and helping them develop a love of beautiful music. I would enjoy continuing this as an adult. Last year I helped a kindergarten teacher in an underprivileged school, stapling papers and supervising children. I most enjoyed helping small groups learn the alphabet, supervising two children at a time as they tried to match the capital and lowercase letters and identify each letter.    My interest in plants came through watching and helping my grandmother in her gardens. Last summer, Jacksonville's historic Cummer Gardens needed workers, so I began volunteering there for several hours each week, planting new flowers, removing old ones, mulching, and weeding. My work there has inspired me to volunteer in other public gardens, such as those in libraries and nursing homes, in the future.    Several years ago I became involved in 4-H and entered their Horticulture Identification and Judging Competition. This program helped me learn how to identify many plants by their leaves, flowers, and other distinctive parts. I placed high in both county and district events, leading my team to the state level competition two years in succession.    Last year I put my expertise to practical use when I organized a 4-H community service project and volunteered in the Cummer Gardens in Jacksonville. In my community service project I taught two 4-H clubs how to plant and take care of potted pothos vines.

Banner depicts earthly life Essay

Artifacts which are found in burial shrines and in tombs are often rich with cultural and religious imagery. Not only are the types of artifacts which are selected to be enshrined within a given tomb of significance for inferring historical and cultural information, but the aesthetics evident in the individual items themselves can be studied in order to discover important cultural, religious, and historical information. Such is certainly the case regarding the silk funeral banner known as the â€Å"name banner† which was uncovered as part of the Mawangdui â€Å"tomb of the Marquisite. † This banner, which is shaped like a â€Å"T† depicts a Chinese astrological configuration of the cosmos (including the afterlife) which can be understood as being â€Å"current† in the Han Dynasty. The top of the â€Å"T† section of the banner shows ‘heaven† while the middle section of the banner depicts earthly life. One interesting aspect of the sectional representation is that certain figures travel through the sections. There are â€Å"angels† of heavenly entities who descend to carry Lady Dai to heaven. The images of the banner suggest a cosmos in constant motion, a dynamic â€Å"interdimensional† universe which is both physical and spiritual in nature. Also depicted on the silk banner are images if Lady Dai’s earthly family, who perform rituals for her safe-passage in the afterlife. The funeral banner indicates a culture which believed in both life-after-death adn in the efficacy of ritual and prayer. There is a graceful harmony present in the banner which suggests that Chinese culture at the time of the Han Dynasty had a vision of life and death which was â€Å"seamless† and that death was viewed as a continuation of life — and life as a â€Å"prelude† to death. Viewed this way, the banner is an uplifting and spiritually exalting work of art, one which offers a dramatically different view of life and death than is prevalent in the Western world.

Bessrawl Corporation Essay

1). Inventory: – Under U. S. GAAP, Bessrawl Corporation is allowed to report inventory on its balance sheet at lower of cost or market. Market in this case is defined as replacement cost ($180,000) with net realizable value ($190,000) as ceiling and net realizable value minus a normal profit ($190,000 – $38,000 = $152,000) as a floor. Cost of inventory is $250,000. Since market is lower than cost, inventory is written down to replacement cost of $180,000 and reported on the company’s balance sheet at December 31, 2011. This also led to a loss of $70,000 reported on the company’s income statement for December 31, 2011. However, under IFRS, Bessrawl Corporation had the option to report inventory on its December 31, 2011 balance sheet at lower of cost of $250,000 and net realizable value of $190,000. Since the net realizable value is lower than the cost, the company would have reported $190,000 on its balance sheet for December 31, 2011 and a loss of $60,000 on its income statement for the same period. Thus, under IFRS, Bessrawl Corporation income would be $10,000 larger than reporting under U. S. GAAP, stockholder equity will also be $10,000 larger under IFRS than under U. S. GAAP. 2). Building: – Under U. S. GAAP, Bessrawl Corporation reported depreciation expense of $100,000 each on 2010 and 2011 financial statements. Depreciation expense = ($2,750,000 – $250,000)/25 yrs = $100,000/yr. Under IFRS revaluation model, the depreciation expense on the building was $100,000 in 2010 and the carrying value was $2,650,000 beginning 2011. The building was then revalued to $3,250,000, at the beginning of 2011 resulting in revaluation surplus of $600,000. The depreciation expense for 2011 would be ($3,250,000 – $250,000)/24 yrs = $125,000. So, under IFRS, Bessrawl Corporation would incur additional depreciation expense of $25,000 in 2011, leading to smaller income than under U. S. GAAP. Stockholders’ equity in 2011 will be $575,000 larger under IFRS than under U. S. GAAP. This is equal to the revaluation surplus of $600,000 less the additional depreciation expense of $25,000 in 2011 under IFRS, which will reduce retained earnings. 3). Intangible Assets: – Under U. S. GAAP, an asset is impaired when its carrying amount exceeds the future cash flows (undiscounted) expected to arise from its continued use and disposal of the asset. The brand acquired in 2011 has a carrying amount of $40,000 and future expected cash flows are $42,000, so it is not impaired under U. S. GAAP. Under IFRS, an asset is impaired when its carrying amount exceeds its recoverable amount, which is the greater of net selling price and value in use. The brand’s recoverable amount is $35,000; the greater of net selling price of $35,000 and value in use (present value of future cash flows) of $34,000. As a result, an impairment loss of $5,000 would be recognized under IFRS. IFRS income and retained earnings would be $5,000 less than U. S. GAAP income and retained earnings. 4). Research and Development Costs: – Under U. S. GAAP, research and development costs in the amount of $200,000 would be expense and recognized in determining 2011 income. Under IFRS, $120,000 (60% of $200,000) of research and development costs would be expensed in 2011, and $80,000 (40% of $200,000) of research and development costs would be capitalized as an intangible asset (deferred research and development costs). So the IFRS-based income at December 31, 2011would be $80,000 larger than under U. S. GAAP income. And since the new product has not been brought to market, there is no amortization of the deferred research and development costs under IFRS in 2011. 5). Sale-and-Leaseback: – Under U. S. GAAP, the gain on the sale-and-leaseback (operating lease) is deferred and amortized in income over the life of the lease. With a lease term of five years, $30,000 of the $150,000 gain would be recognized at December 31, 2011 and $30,000 each would be recognized in 2009 and 2010, resulting in a cumulative amount of $90,000 retained earnings at December 31, 2011. Meanwhile, under IFRS, the entire gain on the sale-and-leaseback of $150,000 accounted as an operating lease was recognized immediately in income in 2009. This will result in an increase in retained earnings of $150,000 in that year. No gain would be recognized in 2011. As a result, IFRS income at December 31, 2011 would be $30,000 smaller than under U. S. GAAP income, but stockholders’ equity at December 31, 2011 under IFRS would be $60,000 larger than under U. S. GAAP.

Iraq Genocide Brock Essay

Iraq Genocide Brock Essay Iraq Genocide Brock Essay Brock Needens Mackey 26 April 2011 Red 4 Iraq Genocide Many genocides have happened throughout the earth, and some are a lot worse than others but the Iraqi genocide is still pretty sad what happened. The genocide is known for the mass number of Kurdish people that were murdered under Saddam Hussein’s rule. In northern Iraq he directed mass evacuations, mass executions, and also chemical attacks on Kurdish men, women, and children. The Iraq genocide still affects the culture of the people because they still suffer serious sickness and deformities as a result of what happened, and also Kurdish people still worry that it is possible to happen again. Also Saddam treated people very poorly, and the Iraq genocide changed the life of not only the people involved but the people to come. The genocide has hurt many people in northern Iraq not only emotionally but also physically. Under Saddam Hussein’s rule many Kurdish people were killed in mass numbers by not only torture chambers, but also by chemical attacks. Many people did die because of this but some were just seriously harmed by the chemicals they got. â€Å"And the people of that area are still suffering serious illness and deformities as a result†(Genocide 1). Many families lost their loved ones as a result of the chemicals, but many would feel better loosing someone than having to see them live through the hardship of being ill and or deformed. This has cleared harmed people in Iraq physically, but if you think about it, it has hurt them emotionally also. Many people would say that Saddam was one of the worst dictators of all time. He did many things that are almost inhuman and would be impossible to hurt people the way he did. People use to worry that he would do more terrible things, until the day they were finally relieved with his execution. â€Å"History will certainly judge Saddam Hussein as amongst the cruelest and most dangerous dictators of all time†(Genocide 1). He was a crazy man that could go off and do totall y terrible things at any time he was angry. Even people in history believe that he was a terrible man, and that is why the Kurds could not feel safe until he was gone. Saddam Hussein treated the Kurdish people almost like they were worse than dirt, and that he could treat him however he wanted. He had not only chemical attacks on people, but he also had torture chambers where he did many horrific things to people. Hussein was an awful man whom had no feelings for other people that he was harming. â€Å"Applying hot irons and electric currents while nailed to a wall are standard treatments of torture†(Genocide 1). This shows how terrible and crazy he truly was that he could first of all nail someone to a wall, but also put hot irons on them. It is clear he did what he wanted because no one near him tried to put a stop to this which is really sad. Also Saddam had anger issues that could come up at any time if someone did or said the wrong thing. The way he killed people could v ary but the fact that he could just go off and do that made him a monster. â€Å"If Saddam became irked, that victim may well be thrown into one of the palace’s acid pools†(Genocide 1). Clearly Saddam Hussein had little control over himself considering he could just throw someone in an acid pool, and watch them die a terrible death. There is no doubt he has anger problems, and it would have been terrible to be the unlucky victim when he went off. Finally the genocide that occurred in Iraq affected not only the people involved but many people to come. Many people were killed or seriously injured and that really affected families and relatives that were close to that person. A lot of people