Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Article response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article reaction - Essay Example The protection of use ought to be monitored firmly and securely against unlawful use and assortment; that is without the assent of the gadget and application clients. This is on the grounds that it leaves the clients defenseless against misuse and maltreatment by application owners and designers, who gather the said data. In that capacity, the report suggested by the FTC ought to be seen through to its end in execution and requirement as without it many will endure under absence of protection. Particularly influenced are those that are as yet thought to be underage kids as organizations will in general gather their information significantly more than grown-ups. This shows infringement of rights since kids don't have the ability to know and even make legitimate move against the organizations willingly as observed in â€Å"indicated that they were under age 13 without authorization of their folks or revelation of how it would utilize the information† (Wyatt). Accordingly, the mo ve is firmly prescribed to ensure the security of web clients on their cell phones. Notwithstanding, the report has some critical defect that can't be neglected which goes about as a major issue for me. This is the rule made to guarantee that application engineers adhere to the characterized implicit rules, which incredibly meddles with the feeling of inventiveness and income age for designers, just as the surprising inability to meet prerequisites. This is of impressive concern following that all things considered, a portion of the organizations giving application may give a valiant effort to fulfill the needs of the report, and still miss the mark regarding the prerequisite. The above is unexpected and may lead in troublesome ramifications for merchants and not on the designers since sellers shoulder the risk of the disappointments of the engineer. The issue of assortment of information without the clients assent is certifiably not another thing since most application found on the android stage, and particularly those created by Google tend to

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Uniformity and Deformity in Harrison Bergeron Essay -- Harrison Berger

Consistency and Deformity in Harrison Bergeron In this paper, I will endeavor to investigate what Kurt Vonnegut represented in his short story Harrison Bergeron- - the way that consistency (of any sort) prompts the loss of independence, and consequently to supreme disfigurement of humanness. It was 2081, and everyone was at last equivalent, the story starts. They weren't just equivalent under the watchful eye of God and the law. They were equivalent in all over. (Vonnegut 1968:7) In this unpleasant story, Vonnegut likely needed to caution our general public of comparative sort of correspondence, equity that can be deadly for human race. The subject of supreme uniformity has just seemed two years before Harrison Bergeron was distributed without precedent for Fantasy and Science-Fiction Magazine (1961). It was Vonnegut's tale The Sirens of Titan. Be that as it may, in this work the topic is just a minor element and isn't generally evolved (see Vonnegut 1975:158). The thought likely fascinated Kurt Vonnegut and constrained him to form it into a short story. The individuals who know about Kurt Vonnegut's composing will surely perceive some different topics of this story. For instance the dread of de-refinement of individuals, being stuck in golden (Harrisons powerlessness to topple the framework, etc. In Harrison Bergeron, Kurt Vonnegut introduced an alarming perspective on a future society, where everybody was equivalent. No one was more brilliant than any other individual. No one was preferable investigating any other individual. No one was more grounded or faster than any other individual. (Vonnegut 1988:7). It was the activity of the specialists of the United States Handicapper General to keep it along these lines. Wonderful individuals needed to wear u... ...g speciesism, we can wind up like in the short story by Kilgore Trout Hail to the Chief, where a chimpanzee turned into the President of the United States. The chimpanzee wore a little blue coat with metal catches, and with the seal of the President of the United States sewed to the front pocket. Wherever he went, groups would play 'Hail to the Chief.' The chimpanzee cherished it. He would bob here and there. (Vonnegut 1992:88) References: Sturgeon, Theodore Godbody New York: Vonnegut, Kurt Jr. Breakfast of Champions London: 1992; Cox and Wyman Ltd. Vonnegut, Kurt Jr. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater New York: 1978; Dell Publishing Vonnegut, Kurt Jr.The Sirens of Titan London: 1975; Coronet Books Vonnegut, Kurt Jr.Welcome to the Monkey House New York: 1988; Bantam Doubleday, Dell Publishing

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

Industry 4.0 Definition, Design Principles, Challenges, and the Future of Employment

Industry 4.0 Definition, Design Principles, Challenges, and the Future of Employment THE HISTORY BEHIND INDUSTRY 4.0 Industry 4.0 is a term often used to refer to the developmental process in the management of manufacturing and chain production. The term also refers to the fourth industrial revolution.The term Industry 4.0 was first publicly introduced in 2011 as “Industrie 4.0” by a group of representatives from different fields (such as business, politics, and academia) under an initiative to enhance the German competitiveness in the manufacturing industry. The German federal government adopted the idea in its High-Tech Strategy for 2020. Subsequently, a Working Group was formed to further advise on the implementation of Industry 4.0.In 2003, they developed and published their first set of recommendations. Their vision entailed that“these Cyber-Physical Systems comprise smart machines, storage systems and production facilities capable of autonomously exchanging information, triggering actions and controlling each other independently. This facilitates fundamental improvements to the industri al processes involved in manufacturing, engineering, material usage and supply chain and life cycle management.” © Shutterstock.com | chombosanIndustry 4.0 remains a term well-known in German-speaking areas. Consequently, this guide will aim at attempting to define the term, exploring the design principles, the advantages and the challenges facing such an approach, and try to quantify the potential lying underneath.THE HISTORY BEHIND INDUSTRY 4.0To be able to understand how Industry 4.0 became today’s buzzword, a look at its predecessors might give us a perspective on how this revolution in particular is different. The following diagram shows a timeline of the evolution of manufacturing and the industrial sector in general (Source: Deloitte). The First Industrial RevolutionThe industrial revolution in Britain came in to introduce machines into production by the end of the 18th century (1760-1840). This included going from manual production to the use of steam-powered engines and water as a source of power.This helped agriculture greatly and the term “factory” became a little popular. One of the industries that benefited a lot from such changes is the textile industry, and was the first to adopt such methods. It also constituted a huge part of the British economy at the time.The Second Industrial RevolutionThe second one dates between 1870 and 1914 (although some of its characteristics date back to the 1850) and introduced pre-existing systems such as telegraphs and railroads into industries. Perhaps the defining characteristic of that period was the introduction of mass production as a primary means to production in general.The electrification of factories contributed hugely to production rates. The mass production of steel helped introduce railways into the system, which consequently contributed to mass production. Innovations in chemistry, such as the invention of the synthetic dye, also mark such period as chemistry was in a rather primitive state then.However, such revolutionary approaches to industry were put to an end with the start of World War I. Mass production, of course, was not put to an end, but only developments within the same context were made and none of which can be called industrial revolutions.The Third Industrial RevolutionPerhaps the third one is much more familiar to us than the rest as most people living today are familiar with industries leaning on digital technologies in production. However, the third industrial revolution is dated between 1950 and 1970.It is often referred to as the Digital Revolution, and came about the change from analog and mechanical systems to digital ones.Others call it the Information Age too. The third revolution was, and still is, a direct res ult of the huge development in computers and information and communication technology. THE DEFINITION OF THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION AND HOW IT IS DIFFERENT FROM THE THIRDThe fourth industrial revolution takes the automation of manufacturing processes to a new level by introducing customized and flexible mass production technologies.This means that machines will operate independently, or cooperate with humans in creating a customer-oriented production field that constantly works on maintaining itself. The machine rather becomes an independent entity that is able to collect data, analyze it, and advise upon it.This becomes possible by introducing self-optimization, self-cognition, and self-customization into the industry. The manufacturers will be able to communicate with computers rather than operate them.How will machines communicate?The rapid changes in the information and communication technologies (ICT) have broken the boundaries between virtual reality and the real world. The idea behind Industry 4.0 is to create a social network where machines can communicate with each other, called the Internet of Things (IoT) and with people, called the Internet of People (IoP).This way, machines can communicate with each other and with the manufacturers to create what we now call a cyber-physical production system (CPPS). All of this helps industries integrate the real world into a virtual one and enable machines to collect live data, analyze them, and even make decisions based upon them.INDUSTRY 4.0 COMPONENTSAlthough “Industry 4.0” is the common term referring to the fourth industrial revolution, academics still struggle to properly define the approach. This makes it even harder to distinguish the main components of such an approach. In their Literature Review, Hermann, Pentek, and Otto take it upon themselves to find out the main components of the industry.Given the fact that the term originated in a German-speaking area, they set out to find out the most frequently cited terms and definitions relating to the industry.In their research, of course, the German equivalent of each term (or perhaps the English equivalent) was used. The results were as follows (Source: “Design Principles for Industrie 4.0 Principle” by Hermann, Pentek, and Otto):Search Term (Group)Number of Publications in Which Search Term (Group) OccuredCyber-Physical Systems, Cyber-Physikalische Systeme, CPS46Internet of Things, Internet der Dinge36Smart Factory, intelligente Fabrik24Internet of Services, Internet der Dienste19Smart Product, intelligentes Produkt10M2M, Machine-to-Machine8Big Data7Cloud5Cyber-Physical Systems, Internet of Things, Smart Factory, and Internet of Services are the most common four terms cited in academic research publications related to the industry. Consequently, and given its initial stage, these are the four main components of the industry.Cyber-Physical SystemsAs mentioned above, a cyber-physical system aims at the integration of com putation and physical processes. This means that computers and networks are able to monitor the physical process of manufacturing at a certain process. The development of such a system consists of three phases:Identification: Unique identification is essential in manufacturing. This is the very basic language by which a machine can communicate. RFID (Radio-frequency identification) is a great example of that. RFID uses an electromagnetic field to identify a certain tag that is often attached to an object. Although such technology has been around since 1999, it still serves as a great example of how Industry 4.0 operated initially.The Integration of Sensors and Actuator: This is essential for a machine to operate. The integration of sensors and actuators simply means that a certain machine’s movement can be controlled and that it can sense changes in the environment. However, even with the integration of sensors and actuators, their use was limited and does not allow them to commun icate with each other.The Development of Sensors and Actuators: Such development allowed machines to store and analyze data. A CPS now is equipped with multiple sensors and actuators that can be networked for the exchange of information.The Internet of Things (IoT)A cyber-physical system still sounds familiar to us today. Machines can exchange data and, in a lot of applications, can sense the changes in the environment around them. Fire alarms are a good example of that. The Internet of Things, however, is thought to be what truly has initiated Industry 4.0.The Internet of Things is what enables objects and machines such as mobile phones and sensors to “communicate” with each other as well as human beings to work out solutions. The integration of such technology allows objects to work and solve problems independently. Of course, this is not entirely true as human beings are also allowed to intervene.However, in case of conflicting goals, the case is usually raised to higher posi tions. According to Hermann, Pentek, and Otto, ““things” and “objects” can be understood as CPS. Therefore, the IoT can be defined as a network in which CPS cooperate with each other through unique addressing schemas. The Internet of Services (IoS)It is easy to see that in today’s world each and every electronic device is more likely to be connected to either another device, or to the internet. With the huge development and diversity in electronic and smart devices, obtaining more and more of them creates complexities and undermines the utility of each added device.Smart phones, tablets, laptops, TVs or even watches are becoming more and more interconnected, but the more you buy, the added value of the last device becomes unrecognizable. The Internet of Services aims at creating a wrapper that simplifies all connected devices to make the most out of them by simplifying the process. It is the customer’s gateway to the manufacturer.Smart FactorySmart factories are a key feature of Industry 4.0. A smart factory adopts a so called Calm-system. A calm system is a system that is able to deal with both the physical world as well as the virtual. Such systems are called “background systems” and in a way operate behind the scene. A calm system is aware of the surrounding environment and the objects around it.It also can be fed with soft information regarding the object being manufactured such as drawings and models. According to Hermann, Pentek, and Otto“the Smart Factory can be defined as a factory where CPS communicate over the IoT and assist people and machines in the execution of their tasks.”INDUSTRY 4.0 DESIGN PRINCIPLESThe design principles allow manufacturers to investigate a potential transformation to Industry 4.0 technologies. Based on the components above, the following are the design principles:Interoperability: Objects, machines and people need to be able to communicate through the Internet of Things and the Internet of People. This i s the most essential principle that truly makes a factory a smart one.Virtualization: CPSs must be able to simulate and create a virtual copy of the real world. CPSs must also be able to monitor objects existing in the surrounding environment. Simply put, there must be a virtual copy of everything.Decentralization: The ability of CPSs to work independently. This gives room for customized products and problem solving. This also creates a more flexible environment for production. In cases of failure or having conflicting goals, the issue is delegated to a higher level. However, even with such technologies implemented, the need for quality assurance remains a necessity on the entire processReal-Time Capability: A smart factory needs to be able to collect real time data, store or analyze it, and make decisions according to new findings. This is not only limited to market research but also to internal processes such as the failure of a machine in production line. Smart objects must be ab le to identify the defect and re-delegate tasks to other operating machines. This also contributes greatly to the flexibility and the optimization of production.Service-Orientation: Production must be customer-oriented. People and smart objects/devices must be able to connect efficiently through the Internet of Services to create products based on the customer’s specifications. This is where the Internet of Services becomes essential.Modularity: In a dynamic market, a Smart Factory’s ability to adapt to a new market is essential. In a typical case, it would probably take a week for an average company to study the market and change its production accordingly. On the other hand, smart factories must be able to adapt fast and smoothly to seasonal changes and market trends.THE BENEFITS AND THE CHALLENGESIndustry 4.0 will truly revolutionize the way manufacturing processes work. However, it’s important to weigh the advantages and the challenges that companies may face.Advantages of Industry 4.0Optimization: Optimizing production is a key advantage to Industry 4.0. A Smart Factory containing hundreds or even thousands of Smart Devices that are able to self-optimize production will lead to an almost zero down time in production. This is extremely important for industries that use high end expensive manufacturing equipment such as the semi-conductors industry. Being able to utilize production constantly and consistently will profit the company. According to a study published by PwC,“Digitized products and services generate approximately €110  billion of additional revenues per year for the European industry.”Customization: Creating a flexible market that is customer-oriented will help meet the population’s needs fast and smoothly. It will also destroy the gap between the manufacturer and the customer. Communication will take place between both directly. Manufacturers won’t have to communicate internally (in companies and factories) and externally (to c ustomers). This fastens the production and delivery processes.Pushing Research: The adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies will push research in various fields such as IT security and will have its effect on the education in particular. A new industry will require a new set of skills. Consequently, education and training will take a new shape that provides such an industry will the required skilled labor.Challenges facing Industry 4.0Security: Perhaps the most challenging aspect of implementing Industry 4.0 techniques is the IT security risk. This online integration will give room to security breaches and data leaks. Cyber theft must also be put into consideration. In this case, the problem is not individual, but can, and probably will, cost producers money and might even hurt their reputation. Therefore, research in security is crucial.Capital: Such transformation will require a huge investment in a new technology that doesn’t sound cheap. The decision to make such transformation will have to be on CEO level. Even then, the risks must be calculated and taken seriously. In addition, such transformation will require a huge capital, which alienates smaller businesses and might cost them their market share in the future.Employment: While it still remains early to speculate on employment conditions with the adoption of Industry 4.0 globally, it is safe to say that workers will need to acquire different or an all-new set of skills. This may help employment rates go up but it will also alienate a big sector workers. The sector of workers whose work is perhaps repetitive will face a challenge in keeping up with the industry. Different forms of education must be introduced, but it still doesn’t solve the problem for the elder portion of workers. This is an issue that might take longer to solve and will be further analyzed later in this report.Privacy: This not only the customer’s concern, but also the producers. In such an interconnected industry, producers need to collect and analyze data. To the customer, this might look like a threat to his privacy. This is not only exclusive to consumers. Small or large companies who haven’t shared their data in the past will have to work their way to a more transparent environment. Bridging the gap between the consumer and the producer will be a huge challenge for both parties. THE FUTURE WORKFORCEIndustry 4.0 has a lot to promise when it comes to revenues, investment, and technological advancements, but employment still remains one of the most mysterious aspects of the new industrial revolution. It’s even harder to quantify or estimate the potential employment rates.What kind of new jobs will it introduce? What does a Smart Factory worker needs to have to be able to compete in an ever changing environment such as this? Will such changes lay off many workers? All of these are valid questions to the average worker.Industry 4.0 might be the peak of technological advancement in manufacturing, but it s till sounds as if machines are taking over the industry. Consequently, it is important to further analyze this approach in order to be able to draw conclusions on the demographics of labor in the future. This will help workers of today prepare for a not so far future.Given the nature of the industry, it will introduce new jobs in big data analysis, robot experts, and a huge portion of mechanical engineers. In an attempt to determine the type of jobs that Industry 4.0 will introduce or need more labor in, BCG has published a report based on interviews with 20 of the industry’s experts to showcase how 10 of the most essential use cases for the foundation of the industry will be affected.The following are some of the important changes that will affect the demographics of employment:Big-Data-Driven Quality Control: In engineering terms, quality control aims at reducing the inevitable variation between products. Quality Control depends to a large extent on statistical methods to show w hether a specific feature of a product (such as size or weight) is changing in a way that can be considered a pattern. Of course such a process depends largely on collecting real-time or historical data regarding the product. However, since Industry 4.0 will rely on big data for that, the need for quality control workers will decrease. On the other side, the demand for big data scientists will increase.Robot-Assisted Production: The entire basis of the new industry relies of the smart devices being able to interact with the surrounding environment. This means that workers who assist in production (such as packaging) will be laid off and be replaced with smart devices equipped with cameras, sensors, and actuators that are able to identify the product and then deliver the necessary changes for it. Consequently, the demand for such workers will drop and will be replaced with “robot coordinators”.Self-Driving Logistics Vehicles: One of the most important focuses of optimization is t ransportation. Engineers use linear programming methods (such as the Transportation Model) to utilize the use of transportation. However, with self-driven vehicles, and with the assistance of big data, so many drivers will be laid off. In addition, having self-driven vehicles allows for restriction-free working hours and higher utility.Production Line Simulation: While the need for optimization for transportation declines, the need for industrial engineers (who typically work on optimization and simulation) to simulate productions lines will increase. Having the technology to simulate production lines before establishment will open up jobs for mechanical engineers specializing in the industrial field.Predictive Maintenance: Having smart devices will allow manufacturers to predict failures. Smart machines will be able to also independently maintain themselves. Consequently, the number of traditional maintenance technicians will drop, and they’ll be replaced with more technically in formed ones.Machines as a Service: The new industry will also allow manufactures to sell a machine as a service. This means that instead of selling the entire machine to the client, the machine will be set-up and maintained by the manufacturer while the client takes advantage of the services it provides. This will open up jobs in maintenance and will require an expansion in sales.FINAL THOUGHTSIndustry 4.0 is definitely a revolutionary approach to manufacturing techniques. The concept will push global manufacturers to a new level of optimization and productivity. Not only that, but customers will also enjoy a new level of personally customized products that may have never been available before. As mentioned above, the economic rewards are immense.However, there are still many challenges that need to be tackled systematically to ensure a smooth transition. This needs to be the focus of large corporations and governments alike. Pushing research and experimentation in such fields are e ssential.While speculations regarding privacy, security, and employment need more study, the overall picture is promising. Such approach to manufacturing industries is truly revolutionary.

Saturday, May 23, 2020

Law of Property - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2599 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Law Essay Type Narrative essay Tags: Act Essay Did you like this example? In this scenario, there are several parties who have, or who acquire, an interest of some sort in the property known as Greyoaks, a large freehold, registered property. Briefly, the principal parties include the registered proprietor of Greyoaks, Ophelia. As the registered freehold proprietor, it is Ophelia who has the ability to grant the various rights and interests which she subsequently does. From the outset, she is free to dispose of the property howsoever she wishes. She begins a relationship with Paul, a landscape gardener, who becomes the first of the parties to acquire an interest in the property. This is merely an equitable interest, but as we shall see, it might well be enforceable against later purchasers of the property. Secondly there is Rick, an old friend of Ophelia, who also, ostensibly, gains an interest in the property. This is the first legal interest created by way of a disposition by Ophelia of a lesser estate in the property than her own fre ehold estate. Rick enjoys a legal term of years absolute, or a leasehold. The lease, however, refers to the period commencing in January 2006, and as such, he is storing his belongings there merely as a licensee. Nest there is Susan, who is a guest in a distinct part of the property known as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"the Stablesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ which have been converted into holiday homes. In this capacity, Susan is a mere licensee, with the same rights as any hotel guest. When Susan seeks to purchase the freehold of this part of Greyacre, it seems as though contracts are exchanged for this. An agreed date for completion (that is, when Susan can take possession of the property and when legal title passes to her name) is set at 1 November. Until such time as completion takes place, Susan remains a mere licensee on the property, and has only a contractual right as opposed to a proprietary interest in the property. This will afford her less protection against Forecast Developers Ltd, and will b e considered in more detail later. The decorator, Ron, acquires no interest whatsoever in the property. When Ophelia becomes ill and her relationship with Paul breaks down, Tabitha, her sister, assumes responsibility for dealing with the property. This is where the problems begin to develop. From Forecast Developers Ltdà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s point of view, they believe they are dealing with someone with full authority and full knowledge of the property in question. In fairness to Tabitha, Ophelia does not inform her of the interests which are already in existence at the time of her illness (that is, September 2005). As far as Tabitha was aware, she was granted the authority to dispose of the whole estate, unencumbered by subsisting interests of which she was unaware that any existed. This is complemented by the fact that the Register shows no à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"adverse entriesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ when the solicitor acting for Forecast examined it. This fact also throws doubt on whether th e interests which were created by Ophelia earlier on are valid (at least legally as opposed to merely equitably). During the pre-contract searches which the representatives of Forecast are carrying out, Tabitha makes various misrepresentations, some innocently, others deliberately. This in turn will have an effect on the interests enjoyed in the property by each of the parties. The situation with regard to all the various interests develops after completion of the sale on 17 October 2005 of Greyacre to Forecast. As there are apparently no interest recorded on the Register, it appears as though Forecast take possession free of all the interest mentioned above. Each personà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s interest will now be considered in more detail in order to assess what the legal position of Forecast is in relation to each one. Paul is a landscape gardener. When he commences a relationship with Ophelia in January 2001, Ophelia invited him to share occupation of the property with her. No for mal agreement of co-ownership or lease, or even an express licence was agreed. This would, at first sight, appear to put Paul in a very unfavourable position when it came to subsequent dispositions of the property. Opheliaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s subsequent representations to Paul, however, create a rather different situation. He was informed by Ophelia that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"he would always have a roof over his head somewhere in the propertyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ so long as he tended the extensive gardens. This could be seen as an oral contract, and if it had been in any other circumstances than the creation of an interest in land, it probably would have been held to be binding. Section 2 of the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989 stipulates, however, that contracts for land must be in writing. There has been no legal transfer of an interest in the property to Paul, but his right might be protected in equity. It is, however, an established principle of land law that an inter est of a person in actual occupation must be founded on a proprietary right of some kind (Lloyds Bank v Rosset). In this case, it was found that there was insufficient evidence for the court to infer that there was common intention between a husband and a wife that the property the legal title of which was in the husbandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s name was held on constructive trust for the wife. Opheliaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s words in this scenario, however, might be construed to suggest that there was a common intention for her to hold the property (or at least Paulà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s share) on trust for him. If this fails, it seems very likely that Paul will be able to use the doctrine of proprietary estoppel to protect his interest. The modern position in relation to this is that for it to be established, it must be shown that the assertion of strict legal rights is unconscionable (Taylor Fashions Ltd v Liverpool Victoria Trustees Co Ltd). There are also three essential elements which mu st be satisfied. The first of these is assurance or expectation which must have been given by one party to the other (Ramsden v Dyson). Ophelia clearly gave such an assurance to Paul with her statement that he would always have a roof over his head. Secondly it must be established that the party to whom the assurance was given has been relied upon (Pascoe v Turner). Paul clearly relied upon the assurance by tending to the gardens. He performed in his professional capacity assuming that his services were being paid for by his presence in the property. It is also worth noting that according to Re Basham, the doctrine of proprietary estoppel is not restricted to acts done in reliance on a belief relating to existing rights, but can also be based on the belief that future rights would be granted. In the present context, tit is possible that Paul felt his rights would be legally acquired in the future. Although this is not necessary for establishing the proprietary estoppel, it might hel p make Paulà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s case stronger. The final element required to establish an estoppel is detriment on the part of the party who relied upon the assertion (Dillwyn v Llewelyn). Paul clearly suffered detriment in this case as he gave up his own flat in order to move in with Ophelia. It seems certain, then, that Paul would be able to establish a proprietary estoppel which Forecast would have to consider. It is worth noting that even if Paulà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s beneficial interest is overreached by the transaction, his interest in the property will be converted into an interest in the proceeds from the sale and Forecast will therefore be liable to pay Paul this value out of the proceeds of the sale. The next interest which Forecast will have to consider, and for which they may be liable, is that of Rick, Opheliaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s friend. This interest was a lease for a period of two years of a distinct part of the property known as the Coach House. In this case, much d epends on how the lease was created. The fact that it was executed by a deed suggests that it was created properly and would exist at law. According to the Law of Property Act 1925, section 52(1), the only requirement is that a legal estate be created or transferred by deed. This, however, applies to unregistered land. In the present context, Greyacre is a registered property, and as such has its own unique title number. The register is supposed to reflect, at any given time, the state of the title to the property and any interests which affect it. The relevant provision in the LPA 1925 for the lease granted to Rick is section 52(2) and section 54(2). This states that no deed is required for a legal lease or sublease which takes effect in possession at an open market rent without a premium for a period not exceeding three years. An exception to this was established in the case of R v Tower Hamlets London Borough Council, ex parte Von Goetz. In this it was stated that a term which do es not take effect immediately (as is the case for Rick), the lease can only be created by deed. This requirement, then, was complied with. The next issue with regard to Rickà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s lease is whether it should have been registered. A lease term for not more than three years can generally be created at law by simple writing or even orally. This would mean that Rick and Ophelia were under no obligation to register the lease, and that it enjoys legal statue which would, obviously, survive the disposition of the freehold estate to Forecast. The Land Registration Act 2002 states, however, that a reversionary lease taking effect in possession more than three months after the date of the grant must be registered. As the lease was granted in March 2005, and it was intended to take effect in January 2006, it should have been registered under this provision (LRA 2002, ss4,27). This lease, however, will probably be deemed to override the subsequent disposition of the freehold est ate to Forecast. It is possible that Forecast will be able to argue that the lease has been frustrated following the case of National Carriers Ltd v Panalpina (Northern) Ltd. The final party whose interest in the property needs to be considered by Forecast is Susan. It is Susanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s solicitors who contact Forecast and tell them of Susanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s right to purchase the Stables for  £100,000. Susanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s position and rights in relation to the property change substantially throughout the period of the scenario. As a paying guest at the Stables (which have been converted into holiday homes), she is a mere licensee, present with the permission of the owner of the estate, Ophelia. Because Susan likes the property so much, she convinces Ophelia to enter a contract for the sale of the Stables, and therefore the creation of a freehold estate carved out and distinct from Greyacre. It would appear that the document which Susanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s so licitor drew up relating to this sale constitutes the contract for the sale of the property, and as such, Ophelia is bound to complete the sale on 1 November. There is, apparently, sufficient clarity with regard to what part of the property is being sold to Susan, so that it is a valid contract. In the period between the contract being exchanges, and 1 November when completion is due to take place, Susanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s status remains that of a mere licensee. Her continued (albeit sporadic) presence is simply by virtue of her booking the premises out as a paying guest. She has acquired no proprietary right in the interim. The significant change in circumstance relates to the fact that although still only a licensee, she now has a contractual right to purchase the property. The doctrine of privity of contract states that only the contracting parties themselves will be bound by the contract. In the context of land law, however, this doctrine has been undermined by the Landlord a nd Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995. The effect of this Act on the present scenario is that Forecast will not take the property free of pre-existing contractual obligations which Ophelia has entered into for the disposition of part of the land. A common law requirement for contracts for the sale of land is that there must be one document containing all the terms of the agreement (Commission for the New Towns v Cooper (Great Britain) Ltd). This appears to have been complied with. The contract has not had a chance to be completed, however, because prior to completion, a disposal of the entire Greyacre estate takes place benefiting Forecast. In the circumstances, it seems likely, however, that a court would order specific performance of the contract, even though it is now Forecast who stand to lose out. Susan should be able to purchase her new freehold estate in the Stables for the agreed sum. There are, or course, certain preconditions to specific performance being granted. Firstly ther e must be a transaction for value (this has been agreed but has not yet taken place; it should have taken place on the day of completion). Secondly there must be a contract in writing duly signed (under the Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989). The party seeking specific performance must come à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"with clean handsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ (see Coatsworth v Johnson). As Susan is innocent in this scenario of any wrongdoing, she meets this requirement. It is, however, the final requirement of specific performance on which Susan falls down, and which will offer Forecast a reprieve. This is that the specific performance must not prejudice third parties or cause excessive hardship. This was established in Patel v Ali, in which it was held that where the subject matter of the contract had already been transferred to a third party, specific performance will not be available. The situation with regard to Susan, then, is unclear. It is possible, then, that Forecast will be liable to various parties who have acquired rights and interests of varying degrees in the property. The fact that Tabitha misrepresented about Paulà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s situation will add strength to Paulà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s case, and will also offer Forecast a remedy as they presumably can show that they relied upon this representation. Paulà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s case is also the strongest for the simple reason that he is already in possession of the property. The problem with Paulà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s situation, however, is that it remains unclear what part of the property Paul has an interest in. Opheliaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s original words to him simply guaranteed him a roof over his head in some part of the property. At no point was this specified. Tabitha herself might be liable in negligence for her dealings with the estate, as it became her duty to find out fully the condition of the title to the property when she was granted the right by Ophelia to handle the sale of it. Forecast will certainly not, however, take the property free of any of the subsisting interests. BIBLIOGRAPHY Statute Landlord and Tenant (Covenants) Act 1995 Land Registration Act 2002 Law of Property Act 1925 Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989 Cases Coatsworth v Johnson (1885) 55 LJQB 220, CA Commission for the New Towns v Cooper (Great Britain) Ltd [1995] 2 WLR 677 Dillwyn v Llewelyn (1862) 4 De GF J 517 Lloyds Bank v Rosset [1991] 1 AC 107 National Carriers Ltd v Panalpina (Northern) Ltd [1981] AC 675, HL Pascoe v Turner [1979] 1 WLR 431 Patel v Ali [1984] Ch 283 Ramsden v Dyson (1866) LR1 HL 129 Re Basham [1986] 1 WLR 1498 R v Tower Hamlets London Borough Council, ex parte Von Goetz [1999] QB 1019, CA Taylor Fashions Ltd v Liverpool Victoria Trustees Co Ltd [1982] 1 QB 133 Secondary sources Gray, K., and Gray, S.F., Land Law (LexisNexis, 2004) Gray K., and Gray, S.F., Elements of Land Law (Oxford, 2005) Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Law of Property" essay for you Create order

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Deep Brain Stimulation Implantation ( Shin ) Implantation

Deep Brain Stimulation Implantation Deep brain stimulation (DBS) implantation is a procedure to insert a wire (lead) into one or both sides of the brain in order to deliver electrical currents to an area causing problems. The lead is attached to a power source that is implanted under the skin near the collarbone, chest, or abdomen. This procedure may be done to treat various medical conditions, such as Parkinson disease, essential tremor, and other neurological conditions that cannot be controlled with medicines. Once implanted, the device can be used 24 hours per day. The intensity and frequency of the pulses are programmed for each individual and can be adjusted. The DBS device has three parts: †¢ A lead. This is a thin wire. It goes through one or two small openings in your skull. It delivers the electrical pulse. †¢ A power source. This is called the neurotransmitter. It is usually placed under the skin in the upper part of your collarbone, chest, or abdomen, similar to how a heart pacemaker is inserted. It is powered by a long-lasting battery. †¢ An extension. This is a wire that connects the lead to the power source. The extension is passed under the skin of your head and neck and down to the power source. LET YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER KNOW ABOUT: †¢ Any allergies you have. †¢ All medicines you are taking, including vitamins, herbs, eye drops, creams, and over-the-counter medicines. †¢ Previous problems you or members of your family have had with theShow MoreRelatedHesi Practice31088 Words   |  125 Pagesundergo internal radiation. In teaching the client about the procedure, the nurse would be most accurate in telling the client A. she ll be in a private room with unrestricted activities. B. a bowel-cleansing procedure will precede radioactive implantation. C. she ll be expected to use a bedpan for urination. D. the preferred positioning in bed will be semi-Fowler s. 14. Before administering a tube feeding to a toddler, which of the following methods should the nurse use to check the placement

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Anz Introduction Free Essays

Recommendation It is recommended that ANZ Bank’s management should reconsider customer value proposition, reputation and security risk as a consequence of ANZ Bank recent outsourcing strategy. This report discusses three main issues that ANZ Bank’s management may have to consider if it is to enhance strength and core competency. Customer value proposition Firstly, as ANZ Bank has stressed that ‘becomes a super regional bank’ is a core strategy objective (ANZ 2012), ANZ will have to consider the potential effect for customer value proposition as a result of recent outsourcing strategy. We will write a custom essay sample on Anz Introduction or any similar topic only for you Order Now It has been pointed that the problem of losing managerial control that may arise from outsourcing (RBA tells bank to go slowly 2012). Weerakkody and Irani (2009) suggest that the loss of managerial control may negatively affect the quality of service which will lessen customer value proposition. Based on Porters’ five forces, ANZ Bank is involved in a situation of a high bargaining power of customers (loyalty) and the threat of substitution (Porter 1980). Reduced customer value proposition will enhance power of customers and threat of substitution (Porter 1980). Opponents may suggest that outsourcing will contribute to emphasising competitive advantage (Mcivor 2011). The competitive advantage of ANZ Bank is trade and supply chain (ANZ Trade Supply chain – A Competitive Advantage 2009). Focusing on competitive advantage will enhance customer value proposition (Piggott 2012). It will assist ANZ Bank achieve its business objective. However, ANZ Bank outsourced 50 jobs include a head of human resources, credit officers and business analysts (Wade and Hawthorne 2012). Fail to package requirements and manage contract efficiently will often result in poor performance and raising cost (Scott 2008). If poor quality services are provided and ANZ Bank fail to control this, customer value proposition will be negatively affected. Therefore, the risk of reduced customer value proposition is a significant issue that ANZ Bank should consider. Reputation The second significant issues facing ANZ Bank will be the reduced reputation in light of ANZ Bank sends jobs overseas (Wade and Hawthorne 2012). According to utilitarianism, ANZ Bank’s manager should make decisions not only based on responsibilities to the company and shareholders but also employees and society (Hartman and DesJardins 2006). Staff reduction in domestic industry will negatively impact unemployment rate. The less society responsibility will influence reputation. Applying SWOT analysis to this case, weaken the internal strength of the worthy brand will put ANZ Bank in a less competitive position (Agarwal, Grassl and Pahl 2012). Critics of this issue may suggest that outsourcing is a method for cost saving. Based on deontology, ANZ Bank’s manager has to make decisions on the basis of responsibilities to the company and shareholders (Hartman and DesJardins 2006). Outsourcing is an effective way to execute responsibilities. ANZ Bank (2012) announced that customer focus is a strategy to drive competitive advantage. Indeed, outperformance of customer service will enhance reputation ANZ Bank much more significantly than outsourcing. However, Waters (2012) pointed out that offshoring may cause workforce problem which will threaten the reputation of ANZ Bank. If ANZ Bank fail to outperform competitors with customer service, the reduced brand image may lead ANZ Bank lose market share. Hence ANZ Bank will have to consider the potential problem of reputation. Security risk The third issue that ANZ bank should aware of is security risk which can strongly affect success of outsourcing (RBA tells bank to go slowly 2012). Nassimbeni, Sartor and Dus (2012) suggests that as the foreign organisation may have less protect in a cultural and legal environment, the security risk become more relevant. The security risk increases as sensible data are available for providers, intermediaries and sub-contractors (Nassimbeni, Sartor and Dus 2012). The outsourcing industry which builds relationship with ANZ Bank can make profit through selling customer information to ANZ Bank’s competitors. Based on value chain, leak of customer information will reduce value of service (Needle 2010). Customers may switch to competitors. It can be argued that there is a contract which would protect data and customer information. The contract is legal protection tool to constrain operators (Nassimbeni, Sartor and Dus 2012). However, even if there is a contract, it does not guarantee everything will operate smoothly. The level of legal and judicial environment will affect the effectiveness of contract (Nassimbeni, Sartor and Dus 2012). For example, Vodafone has been suffered customer privacy leaks. It leads Vodafone faces penalties of up to $250,000 (Sydney Morning Herald 2011). Therefore, it is very important for ANZ Bank to consider security issue. Conclusion Therefore it can be concluded that ANZ Bank should reconsider customer value proposition, reputation and security risk in response to the recent outsourcing strategy. Reference List Agarwal, R. , Grassl, W. and Pahl, G. 012, ‘Meta-SWOT: introducing a new strategic planning tool’, Journal of business strategy, vol. 33, no. 2, pp. 12-21, viewed 10 May 2012, Business Source Premier. ANZ, 2012, Our company: profile, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, Melbourne, viewed 6 May 2012, http://www. anz. com/about-us/our-company/profile/. ANZ Trade Supply chain – A Competitive Advantage, 2009, Australia and New Zeal and Banking Group Limited, Melbourne, viewed 6 May 2012,http://www. anz. com/resources/7/0/70bd2e804fdef847af02ef0c11c71176/ANZ+Trade+and+Supply+ChainOur+Awards+and+Polls. df? CACHEID=beb387004fde32f58226d72c5b851de3. Nassimbeni, G. Sartor, M. and Dus, D. 2012, ‘Security risk in service offshoring and outsourcing’, Industry management and data system, vol. 112, no. 3, pp. 405-440, viewed 10 May 2012, Business Source Premier. Needle, D. 2010, Business in context: an introduction to business and its environment, 5thed. , Cengage Learning, Andover. Hartman, L. and DesJardins, J. 2006, Business ethics: decision making for personal integrity and social responsibility, McGraw Hill, Sydney. Mclvor, R. 2011, ‘Outsourcing done right’, Industrial Engineer, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 30-35. Piggot, L. 2012, Introduction to business (BUSS1001), The University of Sydney, Sydney, 18 March, viewed 6 May 2012, http://blackboard. econ. usyd. edu. au/ @@/81A8AC3019FFF9D178B10ACC0DB F3F0A/courses/1/BUSS1001_SEM1_2012/content/_559616_1/embedded/BUSS1001_Sem%201%2C%202012_Week%203%20Lecture. pdf Porter, M. E. 1980, Competitive strategy: Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors, Free Press, New York. ‘RBA tells bank to go slowly’, 2012, Sydney Morning Herald, 29 March, viewed 6 May 2012, How to cite Anz Introduction, Essay examples

Sunday, May 3, 2020

The Guide To Getting It On Essay free essay sample

The Guide To Geting It On! Essay, Research Paper The Guide to Geting it On! A New and Mostly Wonderful Book About Sexual activity By Paul Joannides # 8220 ; The Guide to Geting it On! # 8221 ; is unlike any book on human gender that I have of all time read. Not to state that I read a batch of human gender books, but the 1s I have looked over ( including the text for this category ) are frequently flat and dead. # 8220 ; The Guide to Geting it On! # 8221 ; has an attack to human gender that is merriment, witty, and highly sensitive all in one. This 370 page book contains topics on sex that are designed to do the reader think outside of the box ( no wordplay intended ) about their ain gender and the gender of others. It is a playful expression into the modern relationships of today, and an assistance to twosomes desiring to spice up their love life. Subjects discussed in this manual vary from acquiring bare and intercourse to arouse playthings and being gay in the 90 # 8217 ; s. Practically any subject you can believe of approximately human gender is covered in this book and makes for a heavy read. This book besides has a subdivision that reviews extra resources for the reader to look into farther. In the dorsum of this book is a glossary of sex, slang and cultural-related words and their definitions. This usher is non for the swoon of bosom or close-minded. It uses several slang, and dirty words throughout the book to depict constructs of human gender. It even has a chapter turn toing the usage of dirty words and why this book has chosen to make so. While I believe that the usage of dirty and slang footings by and large degrades from the value of a book, # 8220 ; The Guide to Geting it On! # 8221 ; accomplishes the undertaking tastily and in good wit. Most of the rubrics of the chapters are slightly provocative in nature, and serve to trip involvement. Prudent readers will be taken aback at first glimpse over the book to happen chapters such as # 8221 ; Chapter 21: Oscillator, Generator, Vibrator, Dildo # 8220 ; and # 8221 ; Chapter 11: The Zen of Finger Fucking # 8221 ; . But upon farther review they will happen a really enlightening and thought arousing position of an facet of gender that they may had small or no anterior experience with. Although this book does non hold any exposure, it does hold rather a few expressed drawings. Some of these drawings serve to visually demo the reader some of the techniques that are covered in the text. Others are to demo whole constructs in themselves. One such drawing is # 8220 ; The Goofy Dick Game # 8211 ; Real Peniss of Real Guys # 8221 ; This shows 5 flaccid phalluss on one page and five vertical 1s on the following. The object is to fit the two up. The whole point of this exercising is to demo how the size of the soft phallus does non foretell the size of the vertical opposite number. This was new to me because I haven # 8217 ; t truly had any experience with *censored*s other than my ain. It was cool to happen out that larger soft phalluss frequently don # 8217 ; t acquire as large hard-ons and smaller soft phalluss normally stretch more during an hard-on. This book is really divided into two separate subdivisions. The first 10 chapters focus on general cognition about sex and different facets of sex. Subjects include a brief history of sex, dirty words, the importance of acquiring bare, on the phallus, what # 8217 ; s inside a miss? , work forces # 8217 ; s and adult females # 8217 ; s experience of sex, climaxs and sex fluids. The soiled word chapter is about the sexual nature of dirty words. These chapters are really enlightening, and in a manner like our text edition. They dispense tonss of facts about the assorted biological, psychological, and societal facets of each subject. The balance of the book is a sex manual, or a how-to. It gives tonss of techniques, intimations and tips on anything that is sexual in nature. Masturbation, unwritten sex, venereal massage, intercourse, anal sex, sex playthings are a few of the many more traditional subjects covered. Although # 8220 ; The Guide to Geting it On! # 8221 ; is a really complete and good thought out manual, there are a few failings in the book that some readers will non wish. Depending on the reader # 8217 ; s belief systems some will happen this book raging and objectionable. This is due to the book # 8217 ; s rambunctious and playful expression at sex. Besides some subdivisions are clearly developing, with merely limited information on the topic. This is remedied with tonss of mentions to outside resources and how to acquire a clasp of them. For me, a big part of the book seemed to be biased. It is easy to state this book was written by a heterosexual male because of some of the stereotypes that are subtly presented in this book. On such stereotype was # 8220 ; the bulk of homosexual males will hold sex with a hundred or more spouses in their lifetime. # 8221 ; I have good friends of the homosexual persuasion who are really monogamous, and know they would be profoundly offende d by remarks like these. One hundred partners.. semen on! This book has more than plenty good points to over come the bad points. If you are a heterosexual that is, this book is really focussed on male-female sexual dealingss. Although it does hold several sapphic mentions in chapter 17: # 8220 ; Oral Sexual activity: Vulvas A ; Honey Pots. # 8221 ; This is because, as the writer explains, that work forces are non really good at explicating the manner adult females gustatory sensation and feel. I guess they merely got incoherent. Joking aside, this book is chock full of facts, tips and general cognition. It focuses on the all excessively of import facet of communicating between spouses. Its slogan is that you can acquire all the sex tips in the universe, but you won’t cognize what your spouse is experiencing unless you ask them. It besides offers several ways to make this tactfully if your spouse is diffident or embarrassed about this sort of revelation. While being a sex manual in the authoritative sense this book reaches beyond sex. It focuses on a psychological facet of sex, about how sex should be shared with feelings of love and regard. That sex is non missional place intercourse or holding an climax. Sexual activity can be keeping your spouse while they or you touch them, massage, caressing, and a overplus of other things. The writer makes the point that sometimes keeping custodies can be much more meaningful than holding sex. These facets make â€Å"The Guide to Geting it On! † a really alone sex book. This book has taught me several things and opened my eyes to other facets of gender that I didn # 8217 ; t even cognize existed. It has literally changed some of my behaviours and beliefs about sex. Before I had more of a masculine like position on gender. Thingss like work forces have to be the instigators of sex. Besides I had a really limited definition of sex # 8220 ; push, push, squirt. # 8221 ; I learned that there is nil incorrect with non holding an climax during sex, or that sex doesn # 8217 ; t ever include vaginal intercourse. In fact options to intercourse such as masturbating in each other # 8217 ; s presence and venereal massage show deep feelings of lovingness, trust and openness with your spouse, fostering the strength of your relationship. I have besides learned to pass on more openly with my spouse about sex and what feels better than other things. Besides assisting my love life go more interesting, found out a batch things about myself and the opposite sex in the procedure. Chapter 22, # 8220 ; Basic Brain Weirdness A ; The Mind-Body Interface # 8221 ; negotiations about shyness, one-night bases, forgiving yourself, stupid errors, among others. These chapters showed me how to turn to some of the things that had happened to me in the yesteryear. I felt particularly connected with the subdivision about being in love but out of sync. This is how person can hold really strong feelings for another, but can # 8217 ; t do the relationship work. This happens when one individual is more settled and the other demands to see the universe. I am presently covering with a state of affairs like this and am comforted that others have gone through the same thing. It taught me how to manage some of my feelings of insecurity and face errors that I have made in the yesteryear. Chapter 32, # 8220 ; Techno # 8217 ; Breasts A ; Weenie Angst # 8221 ; negotiations about how people don # 8217 ; Ts like their organic structures because something is excessively little or excessively large. It was interesting to see how many work forces value the size of their phalluss and the length they will travel to obtain bigger 1s. It is besides true in adult females who want chest implants or chest decreases. I besides connected with this chapter because I have dated people who are insecure with their organic structures. My ex-girlfriend earnestly contemplated acquiring a chest decrease. This chapter negotiations about processs to make such changes, and how safe or effectual they are. In most instances the surgery is slightly unsafe and unneeded. Another interesting subdivision of the book was dedicated to self-help. # 8220 ; Dyslexia of the Penis # 8211 ; Bettering Your Sexual Hang Time, # 8221 ; concerns premature interjection. If I had merely known about this in high school! ! Seriously, I neer knew there were so many techniques on increasing the clip before interjection. I learned that most people try to believe about something to deflect them from sex to protract their bent clip. This turns out to be the incorrect thing to make. Alternatively the individual should concentrate on the esthesiss they are experiencing and acquire to cognize their organic structure better. One subdivision that I have mixed feelings about is # 8220 ; Explaining Sexual activity to Kids. # 8221 ; It supports a really unfastened and honest attack to speaking to childs about gender get downing from a really early age. This is a forbidden subject to most parents, and I believe that there should be more revelation of the topic from parents to childs. But this text takes a more utmost stance, but besides makes some really of import points. It encourages kids to touch themselves, and for parents to state them that it is all right to make so. This promotes a healthy regard for gender and an openness for the kid to speak with the parent about it. But I believe there is a all right line on stating childs that sex is all right, and allowing them do whatever experience good. Overall I would urge # 8220 ; The Guide to Geting it On! # 8221 ; to anyone who wants to larn more about heterosexual gender, and some of the more forbidden sex subjects in today # 8217 ; s society. A demand for this reading is to hold a sense of wit and an open-mind. ( But doesn # 8217 ; t that apply to so many things in life? ) You will happen yourself oppugning your positions on gender upon finish. I have included an order signifier attached to the dorsum of this reappraisal if you want to look into farther. ( I got my transcript at Joeseph-Beth a few semesters ago ) I know that my edition is now out of day of the month, and there is a third edition available. It is 700 pages and contains more material refering things like sex Torahs, and sex as you get older.

Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Symbolism in Glaspells Trifles Essay Example For Students

Symbolism in Glaspells Trifles Essay Symbolism in Glaspells Trifles Symbolism in Glaspells Trifles In todays society, we generally view upon everyone as equal beings who deserve equal rights. At the turn of the 20th century, this particular view didnt exist. Men clearly dominated almost every aspect of life and women were often left with little importance. The Wrights embody this view of roles in Susan Glaspells play Trifles. Mrs. We will write a custom essay on Symbolism in Glaspells Trifles specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Wright was a typical woman who suffered the mental abuse from her husband and was caged from life. In Trifles, a mixture of symbolism of oppression illustrates Mrs. Minnie Wrights motives to kill her husband and to escape from imprisonment. In the play, the setting takes place in an abandoned and gloomy farmhouse out in the country. Almost immediately does the reader get the impression that it is a very secluded and cold place. The coldness of the setting in many ways resembles the aloofness of Mr. Wright who is described as hard man and a raw wind that gets to the bone. Most of the play revolves around the women and the kitchen. While the men scramble throughout the house looking for evidence or hints of a motive for death, the women stumble upon the entire mystery while remaining at the place where they were told to remain and gather items Mrs. Wright. The kitchen too seems like a remote place and much resembles the marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Wright. The kitchen is the spot where Mrs. Wright (and most women of the time) spent most of their time in. Like the cage to the canary, she feels imprisoned in the kitchen and she feels compelled to escape by any means. Her break out is executed at the expense of Mr. Wrights life. In the play, the county attorney stumbles upon Mrs. Wrights preserves. Due to the frigid temperature, most of her preserves held in glass jars had broken. Only one jar a jar of cherries manages to survive. The fruit possess much symbolism as well. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters feel very sorry that Mrs. Wright had spent much hard work in the hot weather in order to have her preserves. She had saved the fruit so that one day she could enjoy them. However, this was not the case. All of her hard labor was shattered as a result of the temperature. Similarly, Mrs. Wright was shattered by her husband killing her canary bird. The broken jars and spoiled fruit also resemble Mrs. Wright. They are both contained in this cold atmosphere and sooner or later break. The one jar of cherries that manages to survive suggests Mrs. Wrights character. Despite all the negative influences around her, she will not meet her demise and she has to do the only thing that would keep her from vanishing- that is, murdering Mr. Wright. Much like the kitchen, the birdcage is also used as a symbol for Mrs. Wright. In the play, Mrs. Peters finds the birdcage empty. The two ladies also find that the cages door hinge is pulled apart. The ladies conclude that someone had been rough with it. The cage in the play suggests many things. A cage signifies imprisonment and captivity. This easily fits within the play and represents the confinement of Mrs. Wrights marriage. Mrs. Wright did not do much in her later life. Most of her time was spent in the kitchen. Before her marriage, Mrs. Wright was described as being a lively and pleasant woman who would love to sing. Since her marriage, she had been transformed into a secluded and sheltered woman. Mrs. Wright does not want to feel this way any longer and needs to escape her incarceration. The only way she can get away from this is by taking the life of her husband. Perhaps the most distinct symbols in the play comes from the dead canary Mrs. Peters and Mrs. .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf , .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf .postImageUrl , .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf , .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf:hover , .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf:visited , .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf:active { border:0!important; } .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf:active , .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u8afcda152b01c2ab2c202d85b042ffaf:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Use of Contrasts in Act I of The Tempest Essay Hale later find in Mrs. Wrights sewing box. The canary is one of the things that had keeps Mrs. Wright sane. It remains one of the few precious things in her life. The bird represents Mrs. Wrights happiness. When the two ladies had found the cage, they think maybe the cat got it. Indeed, the cat does .

Friday, March 6, 2020

How to Handle Disapproval of Interracial Relationships

How to Handle Disapproval of Interracial Relationships If youre in an interracial relationship, you may be crazy about your partner but dismayed that others disapprove. So, what’s the best way to handle the objections? Communication and boundary-setting are key. Above all else, take the steps necessary to protect your relationship in the face of ongoing negativity. Don’t Assume the Worst For your own mental health, assume that most people have good intentions. If you notice eyes on you and your significant other as you walk down the street, don’t automatically think  it’s because the passersby disapprove of your interracial union. Perhaps people are staring because they consider you a particularly attractive couple. Perhaps people are staring because they applaud you for being in a mixed relationship or because they belong to a mixed couple themselves. It’s quite common for members of interracial couples to notice similar couples. Dont Give the Haters Any of Your Time Of course, there are times when strangers on the street are openly hostile. Their eyes really do fill with hate at the sight of interracial couples. So, what should you do when you’re on the receiving end of their glares? Nothing. Just look away and keep going about your business, even if the stranger actually shouts out an insult. Getting into a confrontation is unlikely to do much good. Moreover, your choice of mate is absolutely no one’s concern but yours. The best thing you can do is not give the haters any of your time. Don’t Spring Your Relationship on Loved Ones No one knows your family and friends as you do. If they’re open-minded liberal types or have had an interracial relationship or two themselves, they’re unlikely to make a fuss upon meeting your new partner. If, in contrast, they’re socially conservative and have no friends of a different race, let alone dated anyone of mixed race, you might want to sit them down and let them know that you’re now a part of a mixed couple. You might frown upon this idea if you think of yourself as color-blind, but giving your loved ones advance notice that you’re in an interracial relationship will spare you and your partner from an awkward first encounter with your friends and family. Without advance notice, your mother might grow visibly flustered, or your best friends might ask if they can speak to you in the next room to grill you about your relationship. Are you prepared to have these kinds of awkward encounters? And how will you react if your partners feelings are hurt because of your loved ones’ behavior? To avoid drama and pain, tell your loved ones about your interracial relationship in advance. It’s the kindest move to make for all involved, including yourself. Dialogue With Disapproving Family and Friends Say you tell your friends and family that you’re now  part of an interracial couple. They react by telling you that your children will have it hard in life or that the Bible forbids interracial coupling. Rather than angrily labeling them ignorant racists and dismissing them, try to address your family’s concerns. Point out that mixed-race kids who are raised in loving homes and allowed to embrace all sides of their heritage don’t fare any worse than other children. Let them know that interracial couples such as  Moses and his Ethiopian wife  even appear in the Bible. Read up on interracial relationships and the common misconceptions that surround them to put to rest the concerns your loved ones have about your new union. If you shut off communication with your loved ones, it’s unlikely that their misconceptions will be corrected or that they will become more accepting of your relationship. Protect Your Partner Does your partner really need to hear every hurtful remark your  racist relatives  have made? Not in the slightest. Shield your partner from hurtful comments. This isn’t only to spare the feelings of your significant other. If your friends and family ever do come around, your partner can forgive them and move forward free of resentment.   Of course, if your family disapproves of your relationship, you’ll have to let your partner know, but you can do so without going into excruciating detail about race. Yes, your partner may have already experienced racism and the pain of being stereotyped, but that doesn’t mean he or she no longer find bigotry unsettling. No one should grow accustomed to  racial prejudice. Set Boundaries Are your friends and family trying to force you to end your interracial relationship? Perhaps they keep trying to set you up with people who share your racial background. Perhaps they pretend as if your significant other doesn’t exist or go out of their way to make your mate uncomfortable. If you’re experiencing any of these scenarios, it’s time to set some boundaries with your meddling loved ones.   Let them know that you’re an adult capable of choosing an appropriate mate. If they don’t find your mate appropriate, that’s their problem. They have no right to undermine the decisions you’ve made. Furthermore, it’s hurtful for them to disrespect someone you care about, especially if they’re only doing so because of race. Set Ground Rules Which ground rules you set with your loved ones are up to you. The important thing is to follow through on them. If you tell your mother that you won’t attend family functions unless she also invites your significant other, stick to your word. If your mother sees that you’re not going to let up, she’ll decide to either include your mate in family functions or risk losing you.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Discuss the economic and political motives for European expansion into Essay

Discuss the economic and political motives for European expansion into Africa in the 19th Century - Essay Example However, in the 19th century, European expansion was much greater and had new motives: political, economic and social. This essay discusses the economic and political motives for European expansion into Africa in the 19th century. Common excuses for the19th century colonial expansion were the spread of civilization, education, and Christianity (Colonialism in Africa, slide 5). However, these were only pretexts. There were other economic and political reasons for this expansion, which were mostly concealed. Industrial Revolution is the classic reason given when the economic motive is explored. Industrial revolution created a sharp need for raw materials, new resources, new markets and new investment outlets for surplus capital (Colonialism in Africa, slide 6). There was interplay of various factors, such as unemployment resulting from the large scale industrialisation. Europe dealt with this problem by acquiring new colonies for the purpose of finding an alternative place for such surplus population. These settler colonies served different purposes from the non-settler colonies. The economic motives for colonial expansion are testified by the colonial economic policies that enabled exploitation of natural and human resources. Development of infrastructure for easy access to and transportation of resources and education for the development and eventual exploitation of human resources are examples (Nationalism and Decolonization, slide 3). While the economic imperatives derived from industrial revolution spurred the eventual colonization of Africa, the political impetus was equally powerful in the European expansion and it rose from inter-European competition for pre-eminence and power (Colonialism in Africa, slide 7). Colonies around the globe symbolised power and various European powers competed to acquire colonies, establish stakes and declare exclusive rights in particular territories and waterways across Africa. The scramble for Africa was so that

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Database paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Database paper - Essay Example Prevention of unauthorized access and efficient solutions for failure recovery are also provided by a database server. For enterprise grid computing Oracle Database is the first database designed to manage information and applications in the most flexible and cost effective way. Huge pools of industry-standard, modular storage and servers are created by enterprise grid computing. Each and every new system can be quickly provisioned from the pool of components with the help of this architecture. When required capacity can be easily added or reallocated from the resource pools so there is no need for peak workloads. The database consists of two structures: logical and physical. The logical structures including table spaces, segments, and extents, dictate how the physical space of a database is used. The physical structure is determined by the operating system files that constitute the database. The physical storage of data can be controlled without affecting the access to logical storage structures due to the reason that the physical and logical structures are separate (Michele, 2005). The figure represents the components of Oracle application server 10 g. In computing, the Oracle Application Server 10g (the "g" stands for grid), consists of an integrated, standards-based software platform. Database recovery is made possible with the help of transaction management. Backup and logging are the main features that help to recover the database. Oracle makes use of techniques that are typically more superior for managing recovery than other database systems. The discretionary control over access to objects based on privileges helps to achieve authorization and security. Referential integrity between tables helps to achieve consistency and integrity. General Review of Oracle A database system helps user to transform the data into information and also gives the user access to their data. Oracle is one example of such a database system. Creating, updating and extracting of information are made possible with the help of a database system. A database system has some key advantages like speed, accuracy and accessibility. Each item is stored in its own field in Oracle. The field's name defines its contents. A field has little or no importance until it is used within the context of other fields. In Oracle a record is a complete unit of data made of a person, thing or event. A collection of fields forms a record. Each and every field in a record has a different name. The requirement analysis of a business must identify all the fields in an Oracle database design project. There are a number of characteristics of Oracle. There is a complex relationship between objects and queries are based on these complex relationships between objects. Oracle allows complicated transaction based updates and provides update tools that make use of them. It is purely centralized. Oracle can be used to handle a very wide range of problems as it is a general purpose tool. It helps to perform complex analysis on data where the relationship between elements of data is non-trivial. Making complex queries about the relations between objects is one of the major strengths of Oracle. Linking the data in multiple tables is made very easy with its help. It enables to define relationships between the tables when data is stored in two or more tables. Data is represented in tables with values in columns within rows (Craig, 2008). Oracle generally

Sunday, January 26, 2020

Effects of Adverse Perinatal Outcomes (APO)

Effects of Adverse Perinatal Outcomes (APO) Specific Aims Adverse perinatal outcomes (APO) include infants birth defects, maternal pregnant and obstetric complications. Birth defects, including major congenital malformation (MCM) and minor anomaly (MA), become the leading causes of infant morbidity, mortality, and years of potential life lost in the United States.1 Low birth weight (LBW), abnormal condition of new born (ACNB), preterm birth, and Developmental Delay or Disability (DDD) are also birth anomalies that impacts the infants health.2-5 The association of in utero exposure to teratogenic medications with infant birth defects and other anomalies has been widely investigated.6,7 The literature has shown that taking antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) poses an increased risk of having child with congenital malformations in women with epilepsy.79 The most common MCMs caused by in utero exposure to AEDs are orofacial clefts, cardiac abnormalities, neural tube defects, urologic defects, and skeletal abnormalities.80 In utero exposure to valproate, the most teratogenic AED, was associated with elevated risk of impaired cognitive function for children at 3 years of age, and reduced cognitive abilities for children at 6 years old.98,101 However, study results for many medications, such as antidepressants, opioids, antipsychotics, and antibiotics, are inconsistent for fetal safety.[1*-8*] The limited data source and rare incidence of birth defects, ACNBs, and other anomalies restrain the study power, and makes some studies inconclusiv e.8-10 Our long term goal is to determine the association between teratogenic effects of medications that mothers exposed during pregnancy and infants birth defects. The major objective of this study is to build a linked database in Rhode Island (RI) to facilitate the subsequent research on teratogenic effects of medication in RI population. The birth defects and birth certificates data from the Department of Health (DoH) and pharmacy claims from the Medicaid program offer an essential resource to investigate these aims. The availability of hospital diagnoses and birth records offers a significant advantage for investigating birth defects with corresponding clinical conditions in large population with a longitudinal approach. Our team is well suited to conduct this research given extensive expertise in contemporary pharmacoepidemiology, many years of experience on drug safety research, prior drug utilization and birth defects study with the linked data from another state, and clinical expertise from obstetric and gynecologic physicians. Our specific aims are to generate a linked data and investigate the medication utilization and assess the corresponding birth defects with the following efforts: Aim 1: To build a linked database that includes mothers medications prescribed during pregnancy and subsequent adverse perinatal outcomes. We hypothesize that the data from two state departments can be internally linked using identifiers. Mothers medication prescriptions will be extracted from Medicaid claims provided by the RI Executive Office of Health Human Services (EOHHS). The adverse perinatal outcomes include: MCMs, MAs, abnormal conditions of new born, fetal death, and low birth weight, and maternal adverse pregnancy and obstetrical complications. All of these outcomes will be obtained from birth certificates, institutional and professional claims that are collected and managed by RI Department of Health (DoH). These two parts of data will be linked by the deterministic or probabilistic linking strategy using mothers medical record number, name, and date of born. We will apply for IRB approval with a waiver of informed consent by RI DoH, EOHHS, Brown, and URI. Aim 2: To characterize the patterns of medication use in women during pregnancy. We hypothesize that medication use in women during pregnancy changes in recent years. Many medications, such as AEDs, statin, or angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), have been classified as teratogens and categorized as D or X by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, studies have found that these teratogenic drugs still have been prescribed to pregnant women.5-7 Some medications with contradictive results reported from the literature may have increased use in pregnant women. We will examine the prescribing patterns of these medications in pregnant women with varied age, race, comorbidities, co-medications, as well as medication types and doses. The utilization pattern will be delineated in secular trends and mapped geographically, as will facility, provider, and state-level variations. Aim 3: To assess infants birth defects and birth anomalies using advanced statistical model. We will identify all corresponding birth defects, including MCM, MA, LBW, ACNB, DDD, preterm birth, and fetal death and compare the birth defect rates in mothers with varied demographic characteristics and medication exposure. Previous studies have suggested that the LVM can be used to combine four specific birth defects together to create a severity index.16-18 We hypothesize that this LVM can be improved and optimized to combine any number of components with a proper weight on severity and frequency to evaluate the overall health status of infants. B. Significance and Innovation Birth defects occur in 3 5% of children born in the United States and account for 20% of all infant deaths.1,2 During 2010-2012, RI DoH identified 1,390 newborns with at least one birth defect.3 The rate of birth defects in RI increased by 14.2% from 2008 to 2012.3 It was reported that 2-3% of birth defects are due to teratogen-induced malformations, which refer to malformations resulting from environmental or in utero exposure to teratogens.4 In the United States, about 3 million people currently live with teratogen-induced malformations.4 The FDA defined the pregnancy category to enforce the labeling of drugs with respect to their effects on pregnant women. Some medications, such as AEDs, statin, or ACEs, have been classified in FDA pregnant category D or X due to their teratogenic effects. Previous studies reported a two- to three-fold increase in the malformation rate among infants with in utero exposure to AEDs.21,22,81,82 The incidence rates in infants with in utero exposure to AEDs were 3.1% to 9.0% for MCMs, 37% for one MA, and 11% for two MAs.21,80-83 The risk of malformations for infants with in utero exposure to valproate is 7.3-fold higher than that of non-exposed, and 4-fold higher than those exposed to all other AEDs.7 Some widely used medications, such as antidepressants, opioids, antipsychotics, and antibiotics, tend to have increased utilization in pregnant women while the results from teratogenic studies are controversial and inclusive.[1*-8*] It is difficult to distinguish between the real non-inferior results and power deficiency owing to rare outcomes. It has led to an urgent need to determine the fetal safety of these medications and prevent teratogenic medications prescribing to pregnant women. However, the limited data source and rare incidence of birth defect outcomes impact the study power, and makes studies inconclusive.8-10 Traditional claims data (data from Medicaid or private health plans) is not suitable for birth defect research as it only contains medical information for either mother or infant, not both. Birth certificates or birth defects data doesnt include mothers medication information. As such, to investigate utilization patterns and teratogenic effects of medications, we need to link mothers pharmacy claims with infants birth defects assessments. The linkage should be conducted in a secure data server with patients identifiers. The main goal of this proposed one-year pilot study is to collaborate with the RI EOHHS and RI DOH and generate a linked statewide dataset that includes mothers pharmacy claims and infants birth defect outcomes. This linked dataset will facilitate the researchers in Brown and URI to conduct studies regarding drug-induced birth defects in RI and provide a potential for combining RI linked data with the linked data from other states to conducting drug teratogenic studies in large population. Innovation This proposed study will generate a linked data with combining Medicaid pharmacy claims from the RI EOHHS and birth certificates and birth defects from the RI DOH. This would make RI become the fourth state that possesses the linked mother-infant data in the United States, besides California, Texas, and Florida. Our approach will provide a large linked dataset to facilitate the researchers from URI and Brown to conduct drug-induced birth defects studies. This linked dataset will provide a potential for future drug teratogenic research in large population with combining the RI linked data with the linked data from other states. Our approach will employ state of the art, innovative pharmacoepidemiologic study designs and statistical models, to improve the study power and efficiency. A latent variable model will be employed in this study to combine all birth defects outcomes into a continuous severity score to assess the overall infants morbidity and mortality. C. Approach Data Sources This study is based on a statewide, retrospective 11-year data sources: RI birth certificates and birth defects from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2016. In Rhode Island, birth certificates are collected in the hospital within 24 to 48 hours after the baby birth. The RI DoH collects and manages birth certificate data for all infants born in RI. Birth dates and places for infants, and demographic characteristics for infants, mothers, and fathers are all recorded in birth certificates. The RI Birth Defects dataset consists of birth defects registry data prepared and maintained by RI DoH. Infant birth defects, including MCMs and MAs, were identified 0-365 days after live birth from hospital inpatient and outpatient claims. This study includes infants who were born in RI between January 01, 2006 and December 31, 2016. Medication information will be provided by the RI EOHHS. The data is comprised of eligibility, medical, and pharmacy claims for services from inpatient hospitals, outpatient clinics, emergency rooms, and pharmacies from January 01 2005 to December 31 2016. Brief demographics for enrolled members are included in Medicaid claims data, such as age, gender, race, residency, etc. Medicaid claims data do not include claims for managed care or Medicare enrollees. We excluded patients with dual eligibility, and thus restricted the drug exposure cohort to pregnant women who were only in the fee-for-service or primary care case management program. Each data source will be cleaned first, and then linked with other corresponding datasets using a multi-step linkage approach in which three methods of linkage are applied in sequence Deterministic, Fuzzy Matching, and Probabilistic.156 Records will be first matched deterministically, based on exact matches of unique combinations of personal identifiers including Social Security Numbers, Date of Birth, and Mothers Names (used for the linkage of BVS to Medicaid only). Records that cannot be exactly matched due to missing or poor data quality will be linked using Fuzzy Matching.156,157 Fuzzy Matching allows at least one occurrence of Social Security Number digit transpositions, name misspelling, or day or month errors in birth date fields.157 Remaining unmatched records will be linked using probabilistic techniques, based on statistical weighting of combinations of personal identifiers. Probabilistic linkage involved a two-step process. 1) Deterministic matching from the first merging step empirically derived weights to the non-missing fields based on successful linkages. 2) After the unlinked data matched with several records by weights, the matches with the highest statistical probability (indicating by high weights) will be chosen. The record remained unmatched when no high weights could be obtained. Study Cohort This study includes female Rhode Island Medicaid enrollees who were older than 15 years of age, delivered a live singleton infant between January 01, 2006 and December 31, 2016, and are enrolled in the Medicaid program as identified by pregnancy status. The study cohort of mother-infant pairs will be generated by linking the Rhode Island Medicaid claims data and Rhode Island Birth defects data using strategies described above. Many women joined the Medicaid program after becoming pregnant. We excluded the women who were enrolled in Medicaid program after a positive pregnant test. More exclusion criteria for maternal-infant pair include: mothers with less than 6 months of Medicaid eligibility before pregnancy; mothers who lost Medicaid eligibility during pregnancy; mothers with dual enrollment with Medicare, HMO, or other private health plans; mothers giving multiple births; mothers with diabetes mellitus (ICD-9-CM: 249.x, 250.x, 790.29, or used of any antidiabetics during baseline), hypertension (ICD-9-CM: 401.x, 416.x, 796.2, , 997.91, 459.3, or used of any antihypertensive drugs during baseline), or HIV pre-pregnancy (ICD-9-CM: 042, 079.53, V08, V01.79, 795.71, or used of any antiretroviral drugs); Infants who were twins, triplets, quadruplets or more; outliers involving infants with birth weight less than 350 g or above 6000 g; mothers or infants missing critical information, such as infants birth weigh t, mothers demographic information, or perinatal medical information. Only less than 1% of infants are missing birth weight records in the birth certificate, these will be excluded from the study.20 Overall Study Design This is a retrospective cohort study based on linked mothers Medicaid claims and state birth registry data. The infants birth date will be the study index date. The drug exposure window will be defined as the subsequent 9-month pregnancy period after the first day of mothers last menstrual date. We will use a 6-month baseline period prior to the first date of mothers last menstrual date to obtain the baseline demographic and clinical information. Birth defect outcomes will be detected 0-365 days after the live birth. The entire study period lasts from January 01 2005 to December 31 2016. Drug Exposure Pharmacy claims in Medicaid have been approved as an accurate source for the assessment of drug exposure in observational studies.158 Mothers medication exposure during pregnancy will be obtained from Medicaid pharmacy claims using NDC codes for filled prescription medications, and the number of days for which the medication is supplied.160 The birth anomalies are associated with exposure during entire pregnancy, MCM relates to the teratogen exposure during the first trimester, and MA and LBW associates with the maternal medication exposure at the third trimester.161 Maternal medication exposure during entire pregnancy period can affect the occurrence of varied birth defects. The exposure window, thus, will be established as a period of 14 days prior to the first day of the mothers last menstrual period (LMP) to the date when infant is born. The drug exposure will be defined as any one dose of study medications dispensed during the exposure window, including which the medication is d ispensed before the exposure window but its supply days cover at least 1 day of the exposure window. Adding 14 days prior to the pregnancy is to include the conception period and the residual effects of medications. Sensitivity study will be conducted to examine the different definitions of medication exposure windows. The mothers LMP will be obtained from birth certificates. If the dates are not available in birth certificates (about 13% of LMP in birth certificates are missing), then this information will be imputed from clinical estimates.163-165 The literature suggests that LMP from birth certificates and clinical estimates agrees within 2 weeks.166 Outcome Assessment In this study, we will identify all individual adverse infant outcomes: birth defects (involving MCM and MA), ACNB, LBW, DDD, and preterm birth from the DoH birth defects data. MCM is defined as an abnormality of an essential anatomic structure that is present at birth and interferes significantly with function and/or requires major intervention.38,39 MCM includes heart malformations, urological defects, oro-facial defects, neural tube defects, and skeletal abnormalities, etc..38,40,41 Drug-induced MCMs mostly occur between the third and eighth week of gestation.44 Any impairment before three weeks is more likely to result in fatality. The fetus becomes less sensitive to teratogenic effects after the eighth week, when the organs have developed. 2-1 delineates the time window of exposure to teratogens and associated MCMs and MAs.44 MA, also called minor congenital malformations, is the abnormal morphologic feature that does not cause serious medical or cosmetic consequences45. Identification of MA can be difficult due to the definition and the easy-variable occurrence area.46 Approximately 70% of MAs occur on the face or hands.46 The prevalence of MA is less than 4% in the general population, and varies by race, ethnicity, and gender.45,46 In healthy newborns, about 15% to 20% have one MA, 0.8% have two MAs, and 0.5% have three or more MAs.46 MA mostly occurs after the eighth week of gestation, which is so-called fetal period.44 The use of teratogens during this period may induce MAs by disturbing the growth of tissues or organs.44 ACNB includes seven medical conditions for new born infants. Infants birth weight less than 2500g, 1500g, and 1000g are categorized respectively as low birth weight (LBW), very low birth weight (VLBW), and extremely low birth weight (ELBW). Infants with low birth weight are likely to be born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. In 2009, 8.16% of live born infants showed low birth weight.50 The high risk of infant mortality and morbidity associated with low birth weight has been documented.51 Although this positive association has been ameliorated over time with improved perinatal technology and intensive care, low birth weight and prematurity still have been identified as risk factors predisposing to cardiovascular dysfunction, lung disorder, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, renal diseases, autism, and developmental delay.52-56 MCM, MA, DDD, and fetal death will be collected from birth to the first 365 days of life using the ICD-9 CM code (740-759.9, 315, 768.0, 768.1) from inpatient and outpatient claims. ACNB and preterm birth will be identified from Rhode Island birth certificatedata, and one year follow ups in infant hospital discharge data. Infant birth weight is accurately recorded in the birth certificate.19 It was noted in previous studies that these birth defects outcomes are highly related to each other.59,70-75 MCM, MA, VLBW, and ELBW relate to significant morbidity, mortality, and childhood disability or serious pregnancy or obstetric complications. 58,70-75 About 6-42% of evolving cognitive dysfunction, 9-26% of neurosensory disabilities, 1-15% of blindness, and 0-9% of deafness occurred in infants born with VLBW and ELBW.71 A significantly higher risk of DDD was found in infants born with MCM (prevalence rate: 8.3, 95%CI: 7.6-9.0).72 A 44% 86% of mortality rate occurs in infants with ELBW (500-750g).73 Moreover, infants with 1, 2, or 3 MAs had a risk rate of corresponding MCMs at 3%, 10%, or 20%, respectively.46 Some risk factors, such as infant gender, maternal age, race, social-economic status, BMI, smoking, alcohol use, nulliparity, comorbidity, and comedication during pregnancy are risk factors for all of these outcomes.75-78 Latent Variable Model Liu and Roth developed an LVM to incorporate four important BD outcomes into a single measurement, the infant morbidity index, to describe an infants overall tendency to BD.13 We will apply this model to combine all birth defects outcomes defined in this study into a continuous index of overall adverse perinatal outcome (APO) in this study. The combined outcome will be evaluated in terms of validity and reliability to ensure the appropriate use of this new methodology. MCM, MA, ACNB, Fetal Death, and DDD will be categorized as a binary variable, and assumed Bernoulli distributed.21 Four levels of LBW will be modeled as a multinomial variable since the four birth weight categories are mutually exclusive and each has its own probability. The summation of the individual probabilities of birth defects outcomes equals one. The unobserved index score will be assumed log-normally distributed. Based upon the assumption of local independence, responses of individual component outcomes are independent given the latent variable.22,23 Thus, the overall probabilities of component outcomes conditional on the latent variable are equal to the products of conditional probability for each individual component outcome.21 Based on the local independence and Bayes rule, the joint distribution for component outcomes can be expressed as an integral of product of multinomial variable for conditional distribution of each component outcome and marginal distribution of latent variable.22-24 Marginal distribution of the latent variable is described as log normal. Given the observed outcomes, we can obtain the posterior distribution of the latent severity score. Furthermore, we assume that the conditional distribution of each categorical observed outcome is nonlinear function of the latent variable.13 The conditional distribution of observed outcome and the latent variable will be linked by two parameters in the non-linear function.The probability of any specific observed outcome equals to 0 when the value of the latent variable equals to 0 because the latent variable accounts for all variation of the observed component outcomes and the relationship among these component outcomes.13 In the non-linear function, the probability of an infant having an individual birth defect outcome is assumed zero if the latent variable is zero, and every normal level (no birth defect or normal weight) will be treated as a reference. The latent variable positively associates with observed outcomes. The larger the latent variable, the higher the probability of the observed outcome.13 Latent Trait Model will be conducted using SAS Proc IML. The proportion of each outcome combination will be calculated. Then each parameter will be estimated using the iteration function for EGNLS starting from iteration 0 with initialized value until the stepping coefficient is less than 10-9. The final results are the estimates of all parameters. The estimate of latent variable will be obtained by entering the computed parameters into posterior function.13 Sensitivity Studies In order to examine the proper definition of exposure window, sensitive studies will be conducted with the exposure window defined as the period of 3, 7, 21, or 30 days prior to the first day of the mothers LMP to the infants birth date. D. Timeline Table. Study Timeline of the Study. Time Period Study Progress Before 07/01/2017 Obtain IRB approval from URI, Brown, RI DoH, and RI EOHHS. Complete DUA with RI DoH and RI EOHHS. 07/01/2017 08/01/2017 Complete data linkage for specific aim 1 08/01/2017 10/01/2017 Complete data cleaning, manipulating, variable editing, and analyses for demographic and clinical characteristics 10/01/2017 01/31/2018 Complete specific aim 2 02/01/2018 02/28/2018 Submit an abstract to the annual meeting of International Society of Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE) 03/01/2018 06/30/2018 Complete specific aim 3 and submit a journal article