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What Impact did the Conquest have on Aztec Society?

What Impact did the Conquest have on Aztec Society? The revelation of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492 was the impetus for c...

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Arab Heritage Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Arab Heritage Discussion - Essay Example Nasser, respecting culture and respecting human rights issues. The nurse in this context should avail the right drugs to the patient as mother and daughter are culturally accustomed to over the counter prescription but schedule a follow up appointment the following day as the authority of physicians is seldom challenged Mrs. Nasser is to return with her daughter and a trusted elderly relative the following day for the follow-up examination. It is also advisable that when addressing this issue a health practitioner of Arab descent and a woman to be available during the follow-up. The nurse who preferably is a woman should explain the symptoms gradually with assistance from the health practitioner and the elderly relative. To address Mrs. Nasser’s concerns, the nurse should encourage the all three women to observe the nurse as she examines Samia explaining what she is doing. This should be done only after Mrs. Nasser understands that her daughter’s health should be taken to consideration and has given consent for the exam to be done. This is because according to Arab culture informed consent is highly valued (Purnell, 2014; Purnell,

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Hotensios wife Essay Example for Free

Hotensios wife Essay Petruchio would say this in a condescending way because he thinks that a wife should obey her husband at all times and come to him even when she is busy.  Ay, and a kind one too. You not a worse  Gremio would say this in a respectful way to Lucentio, but at the same time being contemptuous towards Petruchio.  Sirrah Biondello. Come to me forthwith  Hortensio would say this in more of an imposing way than Lucentio did to summon his wife. This would make the audience believe that Hotensios wife would definitely obey him.  Biondello exits the room the same way as before, through the oak doors, and you hear him running down the hall. I am afraid, sir. not be entreated.  Hortensio says this very derisively towards Petruchio because both Hortensio and the audience still think that Petruchio is idiotically wasting his money.  Biondello yet again comes back out of breath and with bad news.  She says you have. You come to her.He tells Hortensio this in a very disdainful way because Hortensio was becoming very overconfident about the bet especially after Lucentio had failed with Biannca.   Worse and worse! She will not come. Come to mePetruchio is mocking Hortensio because his wife gave an even worse answer than what Biannca gave to Lucentio. He then tells Gremio to order Kate to come to him; he says this in a very superior way. I know her answer  Hortensio says this in a very pompous tone of voice. I would make Hortensio say it in this way because I want the audience still to think that Biannca is not going to come and that Petruchio will be disgraced.  Just before the doors open the gentlemen are laughing at the expense of Petruchio because they think he has done all this boasting about Kate being tamed and she wont obey him. As soon as the doors open and the audience see Kate I think that they would be very surprised and shocked, so I would make all the actors except Petruchio to faint to add a comical side to this instant. What is your will, sir, that you send for me?  Katherina would say this in a very delicate voice and whilst saying this she would curtsy. This would also be a shock to the audience because they are used to Kate being very forceful in her dialect and in her physical presence.  Go fetch them hither. Bring them hither straight.  Petruchio would say this in a very condescending manner to Kate. As soon as Petruchio has finished Kate abruptly rushes off to fetch the other women. Heres a wonder, if you talk of a wonder.  Lucentio says this in a very astounded way. He says this because he cannot believe what he is seeing, I would expect the audience to feel the same because throughout the play Kate has never done anything she did not wish to do.  Marry, peace it bodes. sweet and happy.  Petruchio is saying that Life with Kate is going to be a happy one; the audience have started to see that Petruchio loves Kate and did all those cruel things so that she could live in peace with him. Nay, I will win my wager. virtue and obedience.  Petruchio wants to prove what a good job of taming her he has done and how dutiful she is know.  Kate then enters dragging Biannca and the widow by their hair through the large oak doors. When the door shuts she lets them go and walks towards Petruchio.I would your duty. Since supper time.   Lucentio is very disappointed with Biannca and the actor would bring this out by saying these lines in a very saddened way.  The more fool you for laying on my duty.  Biannca would say this in a very patronising tone of voice. The audience would be quite astonished by Bianncas reply to Lucentio because she is usually very quiet and obedient. Katherine, I charge thee. Lords and husbands.  Petruchio wants Kate to tell the people how a lady should act towards her husband/lord. The crowd will think that although Kate has changed she will not lower herself to that level. But she does in a way that still leaves her with a vast amount of pride.  Kate starts her speech by insulting the widow and saying that she should respect her master  Fie, fie unknit that threatening unkind. Thy governor.  She would say this in a very sarcastic, but malicious way. I would get the actress to say it in that way because although Kate does respect Petruchio she also has her own will and she also wants to intimidate the widow. As Kate would be saying this I feel that she should walk towards the widow in an ominous manor. As Kate walks up to her, the widow would cower away into a corner. This will show the crowd that Kate is still domineering and robust. It blots thy beauty. meet or amiable  Kate is saying that being angry all of the time hides the fact that underneath that fiery surface is a beautiful majestic lady. The audience will at this stage think that what Kate is saying is ironic because she was once fiery, but now the audience will start to realise that women who act this way disgust her.  Thy husband is thy. Sea and land  This is where Kate is saying how she expects other women to feel about their husbands because this is the way that she feels about Petruchio. Whilst she is saying this she will go up to Petruchio and kneel in front of him to show the audience how much respect she has for her husband. Too little payment for so great a debt. owes the prince.  She is saying that women have a good life and hardly have to repay their husband for all the tasks he has to do for her. As she says this she will scan across the room glaring at the other wives as if to say that they do not repay their husbands enough and should be thankful that he hasnt left them.  I am ashamed that women are so simple. Love obey.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

A healthy heart

A healthy heart abstract A healthy heart is the key to good life .The heart is a vital organ of the human body which ensures the effective pumping of blood throughout the circulatory system. Due to our sedentary lives and food habits, the heart is prone to malfunctioning, and heart attack (i.e. coronary artery disease), is one of the primary cause of death [1]. Heart attack is caused by a blockage of the coronary arteries, typically at a site of narrowing (stenosis) caused by atherosclerosis. It is difficult to accurately determine the degree of atherosclerosis in arteries, particularly in the early stages of disease. One method that has been introduced is the intravascular ultrasonic catheter (IVUS), which sends a pulse of sound from a receiver and uses the returned echo to deduce the properties of the arterial tissues. Doppler Ultrasound is a similar a diagnostic, noninvasive technique which can effectively evaluate the blood flow velocity in the coronary arteries by passing the high frequency ultrasound waves into the blood using a single receiver. Our group has found that an improvement in velocity estimation can be obtained if the returned Doppler ultrasound echo is collected by multiple receivers and the information from those receivers is combined. The research proposed here will use simulation methods to determine the extent to which this same concept can be applied to multiple IVUS receivers. 1. introduction Doppler ultrasound provides a measure of the velocity distribution of blood throughout the volume of the artery. Because the signal is a superposition of echoes from multiple scatterers, the red blood cells, distributed in space, the signal at the receiver is subject to constructive and destructive interference. This phenomenon is called coherent scattering and is the primary reason that Doppler ultrasound signals are inherently noisy. The same phenomenon applies to ultrasonic imaging (B-mode imaging), in which the Doppler shift is ignored and only the magnitude of the returned signal is used to form an image of the tissue. However, in B-mode ultrasound, the scatterers are variations in the acoustic impedance of the tissue. Figure 1 shows a typical IVUS image [6]. Whereas it is possible to differentiate between the lumen, media and adventitia, the exact boundaries are difficult to determine as a result of the coherent scattering effects. 2. background 2.1. Principles of Ultrasonic B-Mode Imaging B mode imaging is typically used for ultrasound imaging as it facilitates the display of the echoes at various brightness or gray levels corresponding to their amplitude.[ee handbook] Most B-mode systems in use today create an image in 0.1 s or less, so that the image is displayed in real-time for viewing of moving structures, such as structures in the heart or the fetus moving within the womb. This is not possible with the typical magnetic resonance or computed tomography system. Most of these systems use the Doppler principle, but some use time domain detection. In Doppler detection, if the ultrasound is reflected from a target moving at some speed vt toward (away from) the source at an angle q with respect to the beam axis, the frequency of the transmitted signal f is shifted up (down) by an amount fD, the Doppler shift, according to the following relation: (116.4) In principle a measurement of fD, when f, c, and q are known, will yield the speed of the target vt. However, it is often difficult to determine q because the angle the transducer axis makes with a blood vessel, for example, is often unknown. Even when that angle is known, the flow is not necessarily along the direction of the vessel at every location and for all times Two-dimensional B-mode display: Echoes from a transducer, or beam, scanned in one plane displayed as brightness (or gray scale) versus location for the returned echo to produce a two-dimensional image. Duplex ultrasound: Simultaneous display of speed versus time for a chosen region and the two-dimensional B-mode image. B-mode display: Returned ultrasound echoes displayed as brightness or gray scale levels corresponding to the amplitude versus depth into the body fig 6 in devts in cardio vascular ultrasound.pdfdescribes input signal used B -mode (Brightness mode) ultrasound is the most commonly applied ultrasound technique for intracoronary artery visualization. B-mode images are made up of one dimensional signals from transducer crystals aligned in an arrays,which can also be displayed in two dimensional in the form of a sector[August et al].In This mode of imaging, depth and the brightness are the measure of radial axis and echo intensity. 2.1.1. Scattering of sound echo description fundamental sources of errors 2.1.2. Relationship between sound intensity and scattering coefficient The size of the scattering shadow is called the effective cross-section (s [cm2]) and can be smaller or larger than the geometrical size of the scattering particle (A [cm2]), related by the proportionality constant called the scattering efficiency Qs [dimensionless]: The scattering coefficient  µs [cm-1] describes a medium containing many scattering particles at a concentration described as a volume density s [cm3]. The scattering coefficient is essentially the cross-sectional area per unit volume of medium. Scattering coefficient: The factor that expresses the attenuation caused by scattering, e.g., of radiant or acoustic energy, during its passage through a medium. Note: The scattering coefficient is usually expressed in units of reciprocal distance. Attenuation: The decrease in intensity of a signal, beam, or wave as a result of absorption of energy and of scattering out of the path to the detector, but not including the reduction due to geometric spreading. [After JP1] Note 1: Attenuation is usually expressed in dB. Note 2: Attenuation is often used as a misnomer for attenuation coefficient, which is expressed in dB per kilometer. Note 3: A distinction must be made as to whether the attenuation is that of signal power Measurement of the intensity distribution of laser radiation using by VV Morozov 1979 Related articles All 4 versions of interaction between the light and sound, i.e., in which the scattering coefficient would depend linearly on the sound intensity. 2.1.3. Constructive and destructive interference Sound travels in the form of waves.These waves are associated with frequency and amplitude.From basic laws of physics it is known that intensity is directly proportional to amplitude of the wave which is the discriminating factor between different modes of ultrasound imaging.When these sound waves interact with each other interference occurs.The type of interference is determined by measuring the amplitude of the resultant wave formed by interaction of 2 sound waves.If the amplitude of 2 waves is either positive or negative then the resultant wave has larger amplitude.This phenomenon is known as constructive interference(or in phase interference). If the interacting waves have opposite amplitude then the resultant wave has a lower amplitude.This phenomenon is known as destructive interference(or out of phase interference). The interference type depends on the difference in distances that each wave has to take. In this context,if the ultrasonic signals are emitted from a single transmitter and captured from multiple receivers separated by a distance of half the wavelength, then we can observe constructive interference of returned echo amplitudes of the scaterrers locate d in region of interest at one receiver and destructive interference occurring at the second receiver located half the wavelength apart.[cite reference wu thesis book]. 2.1.4. Signal processing for B-Mode images (e.g. envelope detection) Intracoronary ultrasonic is done on envelope detection of the sum of (returned) echo signals from each receiver .there are many/three ways of envelope detection. One simpler method of doing it is to perform a full wave rectification on the returned echo followed by a low pass filtering to remove the side lobes of the signal. [rectify/demodulate the signal and process it by passing it through a low pass filter to remove the side lobes of the returned echo].though this method of envelope detection appears to be simpler, the operating center frequency for each of the returned signal is to be known and possibly tracked from time to time for changes. The second/another yet complex method of envelope detection is using Hilbert transform to get /generate/create a rational /methodical representation of the returned signal from each scatterer at each receiver. The advantage of using this method is that it is independent of the dampening effect present in the returned signal. (i.e. the changes in center frequency of the echo with time).The magnitude obtained from the complex signal is used as the final signal for ultrasonic imaging/next stage of converting into polar plots and plotting it using weighted average method . (refr:sprab12 page 11 and B-mode handbook).quadrature detection can also be used for extracting the envelope of the signal.refrce(high resolution ultrasound) 2.2. Current implementations of intracoronary imaging Heart disease can be diagnosed with the aid of Doppler and B-mode ultrasound, where the Doppler method provides a measure of flow rate and B-mode ultrasound provides an image. Generally these techniques, as typically used, do not have the spatial resolution to examine flow in the coronary arteries. Coronary artery geometry is diagnosed by injecting a radio-opaque dye into the artery with a catheter and taking x-ray images. However, this method does not specifically provide the locations of atherosclerotic lesions. It provides the internal geometry of the arterial lumen. Intracoronary Doppler ultrasound is a method in which a Doppler-tipped catheter is inserted into the coronary artery to measure blood velocity. IVUS uses a more complicated catheter that has an array of ultrasound crystals arranged in a ring at the tip of the catheter, and each crystal transmits an ultrasound pulse radially and then receives the returned echo. With multiple crystals, a 2-dimensional image of the cross -section of the arterial lumen can be reconstructed. This technique is currently capable of providing real time cross sectional images in vivo [3]. The main objective of Doppler ultrasound is to extract the flow velocity measurements and interpret them in physiologically significant variables through assumptions and velocity calculations [2]. The most fundamental quantity we consider is the flow rate as it best describes the extent of perfusion of blood in the region of interest [2] (i.e. a section of the coronary artery). The objective of IVUS is to obtain a mapping of the make-up of the artery as an image. Although IVUS uses several transmitter-receivers, only a single receiver is being used to capture the reflected ultrasound wave and to view the circumferential view of the artery. The problem involved by using a single receiver is that we miss many precise details about the physiological status of the artery due to its limited view and the obtained images are noisy because of coherent scattering. The possible solution can be to use multiple receivers to look at the region of interest from different angles to get a detailed view. The doctor can get a clear picture of the artery in terms of velocity, flow rate, the size of plaque present inside artery and can treat the patient in a better way. 2.2.5. Geometry of the transducers. We assume transducer as a point size spherical shaped piezoelectric crystal. Papers: B-mode handbook.pdf sprab12.pdf page 7 2.2.6. Transducer frequency response characteristics. The phrase frequency response characteristic usually implies a complete description of a systems sinusoidal steady-state behavior as a function of frequency. 2.2.7. Specifics of the transmitted signal from program 2.2.8. Signal conditioning and signal processing 2.3. Limitations of intracoronary imaging (particularly coherent scattering/scattering from multiple scatterers) One of the main problems encountered with Doppler and B-Mode ultrasound velocity estimation is coherent scattering of noise. Coherent scattering error is caused by the changes in phase of the reflected echo as the red blood cells enter and leave the sample volume. This phase depends on the distance of the transmitter to the scatterer and then to the receiver [5]. The main research objective is to simulate this process of multiple receiver Doppler ultrasound using Matlab simulation software and to see how well it improves the understanding of image quality and clarity. Even the state of art of image is to be observed using the simulations. paper : basic model of ivus.pdf page 8 Intravascular ultrasonic image quality remains poor due to speckle noise, imaging artifacts and shadowing of parts of vessel wall by calcifications. (Refce: intravascular ultrasound image segmentation.) 2.4. Previous work done on multiple receivers independence of coherent scattering noise in Doppler signals when receivers are sufficiently far apart. Velocity Measurements made/obtained over the region of interest (ROI) in an intracoronary artery have inherited velocity estimation errors due to coherent scattering. One of the methods to reduce these estimated errors is the use of multiple receivers .The echo received from each of the receivers will have some complementary information which not only improves velocity estimation, also contributes in enhancing the image clarity in a B-mode ultrasound image processing. [Jones, Krishnamurthy 2002] Improvement in velocity estimation is observed if returned Doppler ultrasound echo is collected and combined from all the multiple receivers. Most importantly the returned echo signal obtained at each receiver is independent of coherent scattering noise in Doppler signals when receivers are sufficiently far apart. In the case of an intracoronary artery, the RBCs are the major kind of multiple scatterers distributed in artery space. Since the returned echo signal detected/obtained at each of t he receiver is a summation of all the echo amplitude signals from multiple scatterers in the region of interest, they are subjected to constructive and destructive interference This way multiple receivers in B-mode can improve the image quality of B -mode intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) images. Initially a 2 dimensional geometry for the artery would be simulated. The transmitted signal would be generated using by a piezoelectric crystal in an ultrasound in real time applications. But in this proposed research, using Matlab, we first try generating a discrete signal using the pulse generator. Based on the defined parameters such as the frequency, pulse width, amplitude, pulse repetition time, artery geometry[r (?)], angle of transmission of the transmitted and received signal, the image would be extracted. Primarily, the signal from a single scatterer is modeled. In the advanced stages, multiple scatterer signals would be modeled. The following questions would be answered while doing the actual simulation. Each scatterer is modeled as a point source that reflects the transmitted signal with a set reflectivity. The scatterer does not alter the signals phase, but alters the amount of power that is returned to the receiver. Each receiver therefore is subjected to a signal that is the sum of returns from all of the scatterers, where it is important to keep track of the phases of the signals from each scatterer so that coherent scattering is adequately accounted for. The signal at each receiver is rectified and then averaged in time with a moving window to produce a signal that represents scattered power as a function of time. The range, corresponding to the location in the image, is proportional to the delay time of the returned signal. Each receiver will provide an image, and a composite image will be produced as the average over all of the receivers. 3.4.1. Transmitter/Receiver characteristics (transmitted frequency, beam width) 3.4.2. Speed of sound 3.4.3. Scattering coefficients for (1) Background and (2) Plaques The fraction of the incident energy reflected or scattered is very small for soft tissues like elastin collagen etc. [ee handbook] The differential Backscattering coefficient/scattering coefficient is the aspect that expresses the attenuation caused by scattering, of acoustic energy, while passing through a medium. The scattering coefficient ( µs) is usually expressed in units of reciprocal distance. There certainly lies a difference between the normal aortic intima and various kinds of atherosclerotic plaques. More than 90% of normal vessels usually have scattering coefficients in the range of 15 mm-1 to 36 mm-1 ,where as atherosclerotic plaques like the lipid rich blocks, fibrocalcific plaques have scattering coefficients lesser than 20 mm-1 [Levitz, Andersen et al ].The fibrous plaques which constituted elasin ,lipids and collagen demonstrated a relatively large variations in terms of scattering coefficient. Out of the three kinds of atherosclerotic plaques, fibrocalcific sample s do not show up as sharp regions in any kind of image and hence can be assumed as in homogeneities within the tissue wall having highly scattering coefficient. 3.4.4. Random numbers (particle location and scattering coefficients) 3.5. Signal Analysis (envelope detection) http://www.mathworks.com/products/demos/shipping/dspblks/dspenvdet.html Hilbert Transform can be used to generate a time domain envelope. The point is to create a rectified signal that is more suitable for calculating a smooth envelope. In the frequency domain, magnitude data is already all positive, so I dont know why youd use Hilbert Transform. To get a spectrum envelope, just average several spectrum frames together. The key then is to choose correct frame size prior to FFT, which should be based on the nature of your data and the sampling rate you are using. Averaging will help your SNR and maybe you can differentiate key frequencies between good and damaged bearings. x = Hilbert (xr) returns a complex helical sequence, sometimes called the analytic signal, from a real data sequence. The analytic signal x = xr + i*xi has a real part, xr, which is the original data, and an imaginary part, xi, which contains the Hilbert transform. The imaginary part is a version of the original real sequence with a 90 ° phase shift. Sines are therefore transformed to cosines and vice versa. The Hilbert transformed series has the same amplitude and frequency content as the original real data and includes phase information that depends on the phase of the original data. If xr is a matrix, x = Hilbert (xr) operates column wise on the matrix, finding the Hilbert transform of each column. x = Hilbert (xr, n) uses an n point FFT to compute the Hilbert transform. The input data xr is zero-padded or truncated to length n, as appropriate. The Hilbert transform is useful in calculating instantaneous attributes of a time series, especially the amplitude and frequency. The instantaneous amplitude is the amplitude of the complex Hilbert transform; the instantaneous frequency is the time rate of change of the instantaneous phase angle. For a pure sinusoid, the instantaneous amplitude and frequency are constant. The instantaneous phase, however, is a saw tooth, reflecting the way in which the local phase angle varies linearly over a single cycle. For mixtures of sinusoids, the attributes are short term, or local, averages spanning no more than two or three points. Reference [1] describes the Kolmogorov method for minimum phase reconstruction, which involves taking the Hilbert transform of the logarithm of the spectral density of a time series. The toolbox function rceps performs this reconstruction. For a discrete-time analytic signal x, the last half of fft(x) is zero, and the first (DC) and center (Nyquist) elements of fft(x) are purely real. http://dip.sun.ac.za/~weideman/research/mfiles/hilb1.m function h = hilb1(F, N, b, y)% The function h = hilb1(F, N, b, y) computes the Hilbert transform% of a function F(x) defined on the real line, at specified% values of y (y could be a scalar, vector, or matrix.) 8. bibliography http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/white_papers/heart_health_ch_wp/digital08_landing.html, last accessed on 02/26/2008, 08:30 pm. Jones SA, Fundamental Sources of error and spectral broadening in Doppler ultrasound signals, Crc critical reviews in Biomedical Engineering, page(s):399-483, 1993. Van der Steen AFW, Cespedes EI, de Korte C.L, Carlier S.G , Li W, Mastik F, Lancke C.T, Borsboom J, Lupotti F, Krams R, Sermys P.W, Bom N,Novel developments in intravascular imaging, Ultrasonics Symposium Proceedings, IEEE, Volume 2, page(s):1733 1742, 1998. Kumar P and Shoukri MM, Copula based prediction models: an application to an aortic regurgitation study, BMC Medical Research Methodology, page 7:21, 2007. Jones SA and Krishnamurthy K,Reduction of coherent scattering noise with multiple receiver doppler, Ultrasound in Med. Biol., Volume 28, page(s): 647-653, 2002. Zhu H, Oakeson K D, and Friedman M H, Retrieval of Cardiac Phase from IVUS IVUS Sequences, Medical Imaging 2003: Ultrasonic Imaging and Signal Processing, Volume 5035, 2003 page(s): 1605-7422.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Music :: essays research papers

It has been years since I wrote anything at all, although people do see me writing odd pieces of music. But this time I am writing about my past, the past that seems so far away and forgotten. I know that this account is hardly going to interest anyone, but I do need to share my feelings with someone, or in this case, with something. People see me as a berserk creature talking garrulously of her past that probably never existed. And that is the belief of ignorance. They pity me, speak sympathetically and listen to me the gibbering about my past and my feelings. But do they really want to know about my feelings? No they don't, but if they did I would never tell them. Night after night, I sit ruminating about my long-forgotten past. And flashes of it just appear out of nowhere. A young cheerful, little girl with red hair, playing in an overgrown garden with her friends and looming against the sky was her very own castle. It wasn't much but at least it was hers. So innocent she looked, having no clue of what her future might hold. She lived happily with her parents and playing with her headless dolls, while occasionally listening admiringly to her mother playing her tiara. How she longed to play just like her mother. And she slowly learned to play it. She had dreams all right, not about the tiara, but completely different from it. Dreams just like a girl of her own age would have. Dreams of her Prince Charming sweeping her off her feet and taking her away to Paradise...to the land of eternal happiness and live happily ever after. After years of patiently waiting, he finally entered her life. And a Prince Charming he was- with dark lean features and as tall as a giant. She wasn't sure whether or not he was her Prince, but what she was sure about was that she loved him. Loved him with all her heart, and was ready to go to the darkest corner of the world just for him. After a short love affair the young couple married. But what the young wife found out after the marriage struck her much harder than a lightning bolt. It was like an explosion. He was a drunkard! And she couldn't do anything about it. She was shattered and was like a broken soul. All her dreams she had of their happy future together seemed so far away.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

A Room of One’s Own Critical Analysis

Many intelligent and creative women can make great contributions to the society if they are given space and time. However, for many years women have been viewed as less intelligent, merely mothers, and objects of ownership.In A Room of One’s Own, a novel by Virginia Woolf, the author argues that Shakespeare’s sister is as talented as her brother and that she can make great contributions to her society.In chapter, six Woolf clearly demonstrates her opinion and attitude towards patriarchal society. She portrays her judgment through use of language, narrative, style and other viewpoints about man, their dominance and female subservience.She uses sarcasm and irony combined with a lot humor to emphasize her argument as she contradicts the general opinions of men. She reminds women that what they want depends on them and that they should leave exhortations to men. She however criticizes women for lack of motivation and spirit by referring to them as â€Å"disgraceful ignoran t.†Through this the extract, the author gives hope to others but she is also realistic about the society developing a culture of equality. She tells women that it is very important to be their selves than to be anything else, a statement which contradicts men’s belief that women are objects of ownership and are merely mothers.Woolf seeks revenge against the society which is patriarchal through the characters of Mr. John Davies and Professor X. For example, Professor X is not given a name or identity (Davis).The author sarcastically calls men â€Å"great minds†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.are androgynous,† meaning that the part of the male’s mind should work together with women to create something that is original (Davis). She tells the writers that they should not think about their sex but should focus on the story that they are about to write.In conclusion, it is ironic that, in this book she does not talk about a matriarchal society but only talks about the society whe re women and men are equal.Works CitedDavis, C.   A Room of One's Own: Critical Response.   July 9 2010.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.dadooda.com/index.cfm/fa/library.detail/Library_ID/8016  

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

English Comparison Essay

‘Superman and Paula brown’s new snowsuit’ by Sylvia Plath is set in the Boston area of New England and it’s possible that Plath based it on her own childhood as there are some parallels in the details she mentions. It is also about a specific time, sometime between 1939 and 1945, as it mentions the American conflict with Japan. The story has the central theme of the difficulty of growing up. Sylvia Plath presents the girl’s experiences as being about injustice, unfairness and the feeling that the world is not good, but evil. War and the conflict between individuals are presented as being equally important and destructive, war is a key part of the life of the children just as much as childish feuds are. Throughout the story Sylvia Plath has used colour imagery to represent the child’s feelings. Sylvia Plath uses the image of light to show what the girl feels about her home. ‘A secure web of light.’ It isn’t threatening; it is safe – at the moment. Significantly, the dining room window gives only a reflection of the room, so a careful reader might begin to think that the feeling of safety is an illusion. Whilst the girl and her family are eating dinner someone comes to tell her mother that she has deliberately spoilt Paula’s snowsuit. Again, the image of ‘a cold draught’ (l. 151) suggests that this is frightening and unwelcome news. Paula of course denies that it was deliberate, but her Uncle Frank and her Mother don’t believe her and even she sounds to herself as though she’s not telling the truth. Darkness is a key image from the end of the story that reinforces the child’s feeling of loneliness and sadness as she lies alone in her room. Uncle Frank’s face is ‘featureless’ in the shadows and the story concludes with a vivid image of a ‘black shadow’ engulfing the whole world. The story links with ‘Snowdrops’ (page 89): both stories use the perspective of a child to describe events and do not venture into the consciousness of the grown ups. Both stories look at the darker side of life and show the realisation of a child that happiness and goodness are necessarily predominant in life. The friendships between children are also important themes in both stories. In this story, the vivdness and colourfulness of youth is personified by the lights, as if a beacon of hope in the troubled society that the children revel in.†The lights of boston that blazed and blinked far off across the darkening water.† (Line 8) This metaphor, shows the corrupt and the evil that does occur in the world by â€Å"darkening water†, the fact that it is â€Å"darkening† shows the continuous acts of crime and injust always happening. However, with the sheer optimism of children and how they put immediate emphasis on the good, with their fantasy view of life the â€Å"blazed and blinked† show how they have this young perception that good will always overrule evil, which is not the case in reality. Anaylsis of key themes. An example of one the themes in motion would be from the realisation theme which seems to run parallel to the plot. â€Å"Where I knelt over the toilet bowl and vomited up the cake and ice cream.† (Line 96) This shows the sheer rejection of youth, as she realises that everything that she has believed and imagined has been a true faà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ade, that her hero won’t come swooping down to the save the day. The phrase â€Å"cake and ice-cream† is mainly associated with the happy memories of youth, whereas in this case it seems that because of the shocking image that she has just seen, she needs to reject everything she knows, everything she has imagined and dreamt of, and get in touch with the real world that contains despair, disappointment and ultimately evil.This shows a shocking maturity to the narrator. Analysis of the key characters. The key characters in this story is the narrator, as from a first person recount we get to know her feelings and her thoughts.Which creates a strong connection between thee audience and the character. â€Å"I lay there alone feeling the black shadow creeping up the underside of the world like a flood tide.† (Line 180-1) This demonstrates how lonely the narrator now feels, that she has lost her children perception on life, the word â€Å"black† is a stark contrast to the beautiful lights that she relied on to guide her, it shows how her optimistic outlook on life is gone, after betrayal and seeing the frightening images of the real world. The word â€Å"creeping† illustrates how this new view of life crept up in a sinister and stole her innocence. This gives us a perfect passageway into the narrators most inner depth feelings, by the use of metaphors that demonstrate how despondent and alone she feels. ‘Snowdrops’ is set in rural Wales, but this is only hinted at and is not a key theme to the story. It opens with a description of family life and the adult narrator focuses on the world of a little boy who remains nameless throughout the story. The snowdrops, which provide a key image throughout the story, are mentioned in the first sentence. They are important at the end of the story as well and a reader can see that this is a small child at the centre of the story, whose attention is caught by the simple activity of looking at these common flowers. The description of a family breakfast shows a child who is observant and who sees his world ‘with wonder’. Symbolically, the family home is described as warm, in contrast with the cold world outside. This story is about childhood. It tries to show how a child sees their world and also how different the world of adults is. It is also about how the realities of life encroach on their world and taint it with sadness. It also looks at the relationships between adults and children, especially the adults who are closest to children, their parents and their teachers. This is the only story in the Anthology that looks at the role of teachers and it gives a sympathetic presentation of how their job can sometimes be hard, when the personal and the professional clash. The story also shows how parents strive to protect their children from the harsh realities of life. ‘Snowdrops’ has parallels with ‘Superman and Paula Brown’s New Snowsuit’, in that both stories show children learning a harsh fact of life. Both stories are also about young children and focus exclusively on how they see the world. Some of the symbolism of colour, especially black, and of cold is common to these two stories. The snowdrops symbolise people, who endure difficulties and sadness, like the teacher endures bereavement. The children do not understand Miss Webster’s crying at the end of the story, but they are frightened by it. It is probably their first introduction to the experience of grief, but it won’t be their last. It is a sad ending to the story, as the boy experiences fear and happiness at the same time. It is in poignant contrast to the happy start to the story. The story also shows how parents strive to protect their children from the harsh realities of life. ‘Snowdrops’ has parallels with ‘Superman and Paula Brown’s New Snowsuit’, in that both stories show children learning a harsh fact of life. Both stories are also about young children and focus exclusively on how they see the world. Some of the symbolism of colour, especially black, and of cold is common to these two stories.

Sociograms Essay Example

Sociograms Essay Example Sociograms Paper Sociograms Paper Isograms! What is it? Cardiogram is a visual representation of the relationships among characters in a literary text, which allows you to visualize the relationships and conflicts between and among the storys characters. You will make use of pictures, symbols, shapes, colors, words (quo test) and line styles to illustrate these relationships. Follow the GU nines below carefully to construct your Cardiogram be sure to read through the entire process first so you have a good idea of what you are doing. Remember, these are your deadlines you have room for adaptation and creativity here. Arrange the characters on your Cardiogram according to any criteria you like: p rower? Intimacy? Affection? Likeability? Let the physical distance between characters reflect the perceived psychology cal distance between characters. Let the size of the shape representing a character vary with (a) the important e, or (b) the power of the character. ; Show the direction of a relationship by an arrow/ line, and its nature by a brief label (the lines an be creatively applied: What might the following types of lines indicate? A j aged line? A wavy line? The thickness of the line? Etc. ) Represent substantiated relationships by a solid line and inferred relationship s by a broken line. Circle active characters with a solid line. Circle significantly absent characters with a broken line. ; REQUIRED : Create a note for each character.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Business Letter Format

Business Letter Format A business letter is a document you send to a reader outside of your organization. A memo is used internally in business. (Memo format.) Here is a standard business letter format model, based on The Business Writer’s Handbook: LETTERHEAD March 22, 201_ (DATE – three lines below the letterhead) Mr. George Vogel (INSIDE ADDRESS – Include the recipient’s name, title, and address, two to six lines below the date, depending on length of letter) Director of Operations New York Transit Authority New York, NY 10010 Dear Mr. Vogel: (SALUTATION – Two lines below Inside address, aligned left margin. Note a business letter salutation uses a colon. A personal letter uses a comma.) Enclosed is our final report evaluating the safety measures for the New York City Transit System. (BODY – Begin two lines below the salutation, justified left.) The report addresses all issues you raised in our last meeting. I believe you will be happy with the issues resolution. However, if you have any further questions, I would be happy to meet with you again. Thank you for your willingness to fully share data, and for your insights as we compiled this report. Your experience was invaluable. Sincerely, (CLOSING – Two spaces below the body. Use Best regards or Best wishes if the recipient is a close colleague.) Marilyn Jones (YOUR SIGNATURE, HANDWRITTEN) Marilyn Jones, Ph. D. (WRITER’S SIGNATURE BLOCK – Your full name four lines below closing. Include business title and individual contact info.) Director of Research mjones@companyname.com MJ/ls (END NOTATIONS AS NEEDED: letter writer initials/typist; enclosures; courtesy copies) Enclosure: Final Safety Report cc: ITS Safety Committee Members Note that all text is fully justified left. It is also acceptable to indent the Inside Address and the Closing, Signature, and Writer’s Signature Block. If you choose this format option, indent them to the center of the page and align all of these elements. CONTINUING PAGES If a letter requires a second page (or, in rare cases, more), always carry at least two lines of the body text over to that page. Use plain (non-letterhead) paper of quality equivalent to that of the letterhead stationery for the second page. It should have a header with the recipient's name, the page number, and the date. Place the header in the upper left-hand corner or across the page.For example:Ms. M.C. MarksPage 2March 16, 2012(we prefer this format)ORMs. M.C. Marks Page 2 March 16, 2012 Letter writing is just one of the skills that we teach in our most popular effective businsess writing course.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Cancer and Nutrition Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Cancer and Nutrition - Research Paper Example A variety of fruits and vegetables need to be added to once diet and it is good to select these fruits and vegetables based on different color. Different phytonutrients are present in fruits and vegetable with different color and a variety based on this criterion would be easy for identification by a layman. A diet that has high fiber food such as whole wheat, a balanced ratio of omega 3 and omega 6 fats, antioxidants and phytonutrients from fruits and vegetables, such as ? & ?-carotene, ?-cryptoxanthin, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and other nutrients can aid in prevention of different types of cancers. This paper focuses on the role of nutrition in prevention of cancer and recurrence in those undergoing treatment for cancer. Cancer and Nutrition Introduction Cancer has always been a dreaded disease that I have ever come across in my life. There are many who have cancer and unfortunately, in many cases, it is because of ignoring some of the basic aspects of life such as good nutr ition. I have seen people suffer and die of this disease. My grandfather died of bone cancer and my mother has had thyroid cancer. Today, though there are easy methods of detecting and good treatments available, I believe that it is better to prevent cancer rather than look for treatments after having it. Over the years I have been keen to find natural methods to prevent cancer and nutrition is one of the prime subjects that I have come across. This paper highlights the importance of balanced nutrition in preventing cancer and also looks into the role of balanced nutrition in the recovery phase among the survivors of cancer. Hippocrates (460-377 BC) stated that â€Å"†¦.let food be your medicine and medicine be your food†. Today, after several centuries I would like to believe that what goes into the body as food mainly determines the health of a person. Though environment and other exposures may be reasons for a disease, a healthy person will be able to withstand advers e circumstances. Therefore, if nutrition has to take care of us, then what kind of nutrition is best for preventing diseases such as cancer? Researchers suggest that a plant based diet that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes are the best for cancer prevention (Mahtani, 2010a, para. 1). It is estimated that about one third of all cancers are due to poor nutrition. The use of tobacco is another major reason for additional one third cancers and if these two factors are controlled many people can be protected from this dreaded disease. Understanding the basic fact that a healthy diet plan together with regular exercise, a check on the body weight and avoiding tobacco and alcohol are some of the most simple techniques to keep one healthy and free from cancer or at least lower the risk of cancer. A plant based diet is rich in chemicals known as phytonutrients. These are healthy nutrients that are very essential for the well being of individuals. Phytonutrients include v itamins, minerals, and other chemicals such as antioxidants necessary for the prevention of cancer. Researchers suggest that the intake of phytonutrients is directly linked with the prevention of cancer. It is important to consume variety of fruits and vegetables rather than the same set of fruits and vegetables on a day-to-day basis. This gives us the benefit of a variety of plant based nutrients maximizing the cancer fighting agents in the body (Mahtani, 2010a). Another important question to be answered is that how will nutrition help cancer survivors? Though there are many researchers who have studied the role of nutrition in prevention of cancers, very less research has gone into role of nutrition for cancer survivors. Today, there are an increasing number of researchers who are contributing to

Friday, October 18, 2019

Climate change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Climate change - Research Paper Example 1). The current discourse hereby asserts that deforestation is a human activity that contributes immensely to climate change and; since it is within man’s control, it could be abated and mitigate the impact of climate change. In the article written by Docksai (2013), the author acknowledged that in the simplest means, climate change could be addressed by merely focusing on the need for more trees. From statistics provided on the top 10 countries with the highest deforestation, it was revealed that Brazil topped the list with 3,446,000 hectares of forest area that was allegedly cut. This was seconded by Indonesia with 1,447,800 hectares of forest area cut; followed by Russia (532,200 hectares) and Mexico (395,000 hectares). The United States is also included in the list with 215,200 hectares of forest area cut (Compare Infobase Ltd., 2013). Evidently, the extensive amount of forest area that had been cut through deforestation has significantly affected the world’s climat e. The reasons for cutting trees in forest areas have been identified to be diverse and mostly linked to financial pursuits. According to the National Geographic, the primary reason for deforestation is actually agriculture. Trees from forests were reportedly cut to provide greater land for purposes of planting crops; as well as grazing livestock (National Geographic Society, 2013). Other causes of deforestation were disclosed to either be intentional which include logging and making way for urbanization; or uninentional such as natural causes like wildfires. The effects of deforestation were mostly noted as skewing in the negative side: the destruction of natural habitat for living species; soil erosion leading to flash floods; and of course, climate change. Trees were noted to be agents of absorption for greenhouse gases. Likewise, trees were commonly known as serving as canopies that apparently block the rays of the sun from piercing through the land; and therefore keeps the fore st soil moist. At night, these trees were also revealed to hold the heat that was apparently preserved during the day and prevents the heat from entering the atmosphere (National Geographic Society, 2013). With a great amount of lost trees, the heat pierces through the land and dries it immensely; and also allows greater levels of greenhouse gases to be expelled to the atmosphere resulting to climate change. After having identified the causes and effects of deforestation, it is crucial to acknowledge that the solution is clear and identifiable; since man could control the rate of cutting of forest trees and could design policies to prevent further devastation. As asserted, the quickest solution to the dilemma is to prevent the cutting of forest trees at such an alarming rate. Likewise, another solution that was noted included the effective management of forest resources. This allegedly entails balancing the cutting of appropriately selected forest trees to be immediately replaced by new trees (National Geographic Society, 2013). It should be emphasized, however, that the number of replanted trees should significantly exceed the number of trees that were cut due to deforestation. This method had already been implemented by Brazil, the number one country to have been identified to have deforested their land (Compare Infobase Ltd., 2013). According to Docksai (2013), Brazil â€Å"hit a milestone in 2012: Forest loss that year, at 4,500

Dubai Financial Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Dubai Financial Market - Essay Example Dubai Financial Market (DFM) is one of the few stock exchanges of UAE which was established as a public institution on March 26, 2000 (Dubai Financial Market, 2013a). It has its own independent body which was formed as a result of a resolution passed by the Ministry of Economy (MOE) number 14 2000 (Dubai Financial Market, 2013a). It operates as secondary market responsible for trading of securities, bonds, units of investment fund, any other financial instrument which is issued by the public joint stock companies, Federal government or any other local government & public institutions of the country. DFM was established as a joint stock company with a paid up capital 8 billion Dirham with a par value of 1.6 per share. The first IPO by DFM had resulted in more than 8 billion Dirham. The main objective of DFM is to make it a world class market place and provide the stakeholders with innovative facilities in trading, settlement, depositary of securities and clearing in an efficient metho d. Some of the important market values of DFM are efficiency, transparency, innovation, confidentiality and integrity. The existence of a strong investment market in UAE has attracted several potential investors and is considered as one of the most potential investment hubs of the world. As per a survey conducted by the Economic Department of Dubai 28 percent of the surveyed respondents had claimed Dubai to the most lucrative investment destinations of the world (DED, 2012). Mission and Objectives of DFM The mission and the objective of DFM are to create a fair, transparent and efficient liquid market for smooth trading purposes. It helps in provident various investment opportunities through optimum utilization of resources. The management of DFM provides opportunities for investment purposes in securities markets which would serve for the best interest of the Dubai economy. It also helps in facilitating liquidation of funds invested in securities markets which ensures the smooth interaction between demand and supply by developing principles of fair dealing. One of the main objectives is to arrange for transfer of ownership of securities through deposit, transfer and clearing center within an integrated system which enables fast and correct transfer of ownership of shares. Operations of DFM DFM was initially operated by the government of UAE however, in the year 2006 DFM had turned into a public joint stock company through an Initial Public Offering (IPO) which led to sale of 20 perc ent of the shares to the public and the remaining 80 percent were subscribed by Bourse Dubai. Figure 2: Organizational Hierarchy of DFM (Source: Dubai Financial Market, 2013c) Registrar of Listed Public Shareholding Company The registrar of the issuer company are an essential element of the securities market and the first necessary step for the investor is to submit the

8_Sampling Strategy and Sample Size for a Qualitative Research Plan Paper

8_Sampling Strategy and Sample Size for a Qualitative Plan - Research Paper Example s are both the librarians and the library users, meaning that the study does not seek to obtain a sample from an unknown general population, which would in turn require that the sample is generalized to represent the entire population (McCabe, 2005). While the challenges facing funding and sustainability of library service is a common challenge for different libraries in different states, each library has its own unique challenges, which may not be generalized. Therefore, the aim of the study is not to obtain a representative sample of the population, but a sample that is unique to the Clayton County Library System (CCLS), in terms of exposure, usage and experiences. This is because; it is only such a sample that would be in a position to give both comprehensive and reliable information regarding the library. Thus, instead of seeking to have a sample population that can be inferred to represent the general population, the main target of the study is to delve into the intricacies of the experiences of the librarians and the library users, as a means of reaching an informed conclusion regarding the sustainability of Clayton County Library, so that a diversified structure of funding can then be recommended, based on this informatio n. Therefore, since the study is neither seeking a representative sample nor targeting generalization, the application of the purposive sampling strategy under non-probability sampling method is recommended for the study. The selection of a representative sample for this study is important, to ensure that the information gathered through the interviewing process is not biased. However, this is a secondary requirement as far as this study is concerned, considering that the main objective of the case study is to obtain as detailed information as possible, regarding the experiences of both the librarians and the library users. Obtaining experiences does not pose any major risk of biases, considering that sensitive information regarding the

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Is Andrew obliged to supply a 1,500 computer to Betty, Colin and Edith Coursework

Is Andrew obliged to supply a 1,500 computer to Betty, Colin and Edith - Coursework Example Offers can be general or specific. General offers are meant for general public and anyone who can fulfill the conditions of the offer can accept it. Specific offers are made to specific parties and can be accepted only by them. An offer can be revoked at any time before it is accepted. In the given case, Andrew circulated a flyer to local businesses which means that he made a general offer to all of them. Andrew made his offer in the beginning of the month of January. His advertisement stated that â€Å"any orders notified by the end of January will be met at the special discount price of  £1,500†. Andrew found this offer to be too generous and decided to revoke it. He posted a letter of revocation to the same businesses on 20th of January. However, a revocation cannot be effective unless the offeree knows of it. In Dickenson v Dodds1, the defendant offered to sell property to the plaintiff. Before the plaintiff could reply, the defendant sold the property to a third party. A friend of the plaintiff told him that the house was sold. It was held that the offer was effectively revoked and was no longer open for acceptance because the plaintiff’s friend’s intimation was adequate notice and a reasonable person would have easily deemed the offer to have been revoked. In the given case, it is important to consider whether the acceptance was completed before the offer was revoked. Andrew communicated his revocation of offer through post on the 20th of January as against himself but the letter was not delivered before the 2nd of February. In Adams v Lindsell2, a famous rule called â€Å"Postal Rule† was established according to which the acceptance of an offer is complete when a letter of acceptance has been posted. However, this rule is not applicable on the communication of revocation of offer by post. In Stevenson, Jacques & Co v McLean3, the plaintiff was an iron merchant who purchased iron and sold it to third

Children and Young Peoples Workforce (QCF) Coursework

Children and Young Peoples Workforce (QCF) - Coursework Example A key worker system ensures that a practitioner who has been given the responsibility of looking after a number of children, therefore, develops in-depth knowledge about them based on continuous interaction and constant observation of the children. Loving and secure relationships with key carers and parents enable children to grow up to be strong and independent. Children will learn to deal with various circumstances with support from their parents and caregivers. Poor quality attachments have negative effects on the development of babies and children. It has been identified that all kinds of anti-social behaviors are as a result of poor quality attachments between children and their parents. Children who do not have stable childhoods and are not given full attention by their parents do not get opportunities for benefiting from the important learning that takes place in parent-child interactions. Continuous contact with parents and caregivers is therefore important in ensuring children grow up normally. This way, children will be able to form quality attachments to their parents and other individuals (Beaver, Brewster and Jones, 2001p 241). Parents and carers are encouraged to engage sensitively with babies and young children by giving them time to respond. Children and young babies learn best and effectively at their own pace. Parents are therefore encouraged to allow their children adequate time to follow and absorb their own interests. Children have their own time when they can learn, develop, explore as well as practice. Responsive care includes circumstances where the carer is responding to a child’s needs in a sensitive, consistent and prompt manner. Responses provided by the carer should be sensitive towards the needs and preferences of a child. Caregivers should attend to a child’s needs consistently. The carer should be able to respond and manage situations promptly so as to avoid delays.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

8_Sampling Strategy and Sample Size for a Qualitative Research Plan Paper

8_Sampling Strategy and Sample Size for a Qualitative Plan - Research Paper Example s are both the librarians and the library users, meaning that the study does not seek to obtain a sample from an unknown general population, which would in turn require that the sample is generalized to represent the entire population (McCabe, 2005). While the challenges facing funding and sustainability of library service is a common challenge for different libraries in different states, each library has its own unique challenges, which may not be generalized. Therefore, the aim of the study is not to obtain a representative sample of the population, but a sample that is unique to the Clayton County Library System (CCLS), in terms of exposure, usage and experiences. This is because; it is only such a sample that would be in a position to give both comprehensive and reliable information regarding the library. Thus, instead of seeking to have a sample population that can be inferred to represent the general population, the main target of the study is to delve into the intricacies of the experiences of the librarians and the library users, as a means of reaching an informed conclusion regarding the sustainability of Clayton County Library, so that a diversified structure of funding can then be recommended, based on this informatio n. Therefore, since the study is neither seeking a representative sample nor targeting generalization, the application of the purposive sampling strategy under non-probability sampling method is recommended for the study. The selection of a representative sample for this study is important, to ensure that the information gathered through the interviewing process is not biased. However, this is a secondary requirement as far as this study is concerned, considering that the main objective of the case study is to obtain as detailed information as possible, regarding the experiences of both the librarians and the library users. Obtaining experiences does not pose any major risk of biases, considering that sensitive information regarding the

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Children and Young Peoples Workforce (QCF) Coursework

Children and Young Peoples Workforce (QCF) - Coursework Example A key worker system ensures that a practitioner who has been given the responsibility of looking after a number of children, therefore, develops in-depth knowledge about them based on continuous interaction and constant observation of the children. Loving and secure relationships with key carers and parents enable children to grow up to be strong and independent. Children will learn to deal with various circumstances with support from their parents and caregivers. Poor quality attachments have negative effects on the development of babies and children. It has been identified that all kinds of anti-social behaviors are as a result of poor quality attachments between children and their parents. Children who do not have stable childhoods and are not given full attention by their parents do not get opportunities for benefiting from the important learning that takes place in parent-child interactions. Continuous contact with parents and caregivers is therefore important in ensuring children grow up normally. This way, children will be able to form quality attachments to their parents and other individuals (Beaver, Brewster and Jones, 2001p 241). Parents and carers are encouraged to engage sensitively with babies and young children by giving them time to respond. Children and young babies learn best and effectively at their own pace. Parents are therefore encouraged to allow their children adequate time to follow and absorb their own interests. Children have their own time when they can learn, develop, explore as well as practice. Responsive care includes circumstances where the carer is responding to a child’s needs in a sensitive, consistent and prompt manner. Responses provided by the carer should be sensitive towards the needs and preferences of a child. Caregivers should attend to a child’s needs consistently. The carer should be able to respond and manage situations promptly so as to avoid delays.

Modern Drama Essay Example for Free

Modern Drama Essay Restoration literature Restoration literature is the English literature written during the historical period commonly referred to as the English Restoration (1660–1689), which corresponds to the last years of the direct Stuart reign in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. In general, the term is used to denote roughly homogeneous styles of literature that center on a celebration of or reaction to the restored court of Charles II. It is a literature that includes extremes, for it encompasses both Paradise Lost and the Earl of Rochesters Sodom, the high-spirited sexual comedy of The Country Wife and the moral wisdom of The Pilgrims Progress. It saw Lockes Treatises of Government, the founding of the Royal Society, the experiments and holy meditations of Robert Boyle, the hysterical attacks on theaters from Jeremy Collier, and the pioneering of literary criticism from John Dryden and John Dennis. The period witnessed news become a commodity, the essay developed into a periodical art form, and the beginnings of textual criticism. The dates for Restoration literature are a matter of convention, and they differ markedly from genre to genre. Thus, the Restoration in dramamay last until 1700, while in poetry it may last only until 1666 (see 1666 in poetry) and the annus mirabilis; and in prose it might end in 1688, with the increasing tensions over succession and the corresponding rise in journalism and periodicals, or not until 1700, when those periodicals grew more stabilized. In general, scholars use the term Restoration to denote the literature that began and flourished under Charles II, whether that literature was the laudatory ode that gained a new life with restored aristocracy, the eschatological literature that showed an increasing despair among Puritans, or the literature of rapid communication and trade that followed in the wake of Englands mercantile empire. Theatre The return of the stage-struck Charles II to power in 1660 was a major event in English theatre history. As soon as the previous Puritan regimes ban on public stage representations was lifted, the drama recreated itself quickly and abundantly. Two theatre companies, the Kings and the Dukes Company, were established in London, with two luxurious playhouses built to designs by Christopher Wren and fitted with moveable scenery and thunder and lightning machines.[10] Traditionally, Restoration plays have been studied by genre rather than chronology, more or less as if they were all contemporary, but scholars today insist on the rapid evolvement of drama in the period and on the importance of social and political factors affecting it. (Unless otherwise indicated, the account below is based on Humes influential Development of English Drama in the Late Seventeenth Century, 1976.) The influence of theatre company competition and playhouse economics is also acknowledged, as is the significance of the appearance of the first professional actresses (see Howe). In the 1660s and 1670s, the London scene was vitalised by the competition between the two patent companies. The need to rise to the challenges of the other house made playwrights and managers extremely responsive to public taste, and theatrical fashions fluctuated almost week by week. The mid-1670s were a high point of both quantity and quality, with John Drydens Aureng-zebe (1675), William Wycherleys The Country Wife (1675) and The Plain Dealer(1676), George Ethereges The Man of Mode (1676), and Aphra Behns The Rover (1677), all within a few seasons. From 1682 the production of new plays dropped sharply, affected both by a merger between the two companies and by the political turmoil of the Popish Plot (1678) and the Exclusion crisis (1682). The 1680s were especially lean years for comedy, the only exception being the remarkable career of Aphra Behn, whose achievement as the first professional British woman dramatist has been the subject of much recent study. There was a swing away from comedy to serious political drama, reflecting preoccupations and divisions following on the political crisis. The few comedies produced also tended to be political in focus, the whig dramatist Thomas Shadwell sparring with the tories John Dryden and Aphra Behn. In the calmer times after 1688, Londoners were again ready to be amused by stage performance, but the single United Company was not well prepared to offer it. No longer powered by competition, the company had lost momentum and been taken over by predatory investors (Adventurers), while mana gement in the form of the autocratic Christopher Rich attempted to finance a tangle of farmed shares and sleeping partners by slashing actors salaries. The upshot of this mismanagement was that the disgruntled actors set up their own co-operative company in 1695.[11]A few years of re-invigorated two-company competition followed which allowed a brief second flowering of the drama, especially comedy. Comedies like William Congreves Love For Love (1695) and The Way of the World (1700), and John Vanbrughs The Relapse (1696) and The Provoked Wife (1697) were softer and more middle class in ethos, very different from the aristocratic extravaganza twenty years earlier, and aimed at a wider audience. If Restoration literature is the literature that reflects and reflects upon the court of Charles II, Restoration drama arguably ends before Charles IIs death, as the playhouse moved rapidly from the domain of courtiers to the domain of the city middle classes. On the other hand, Restoration drama shows altogether more fluidity and rapidity than other types of literature, and so, even more than in other types of literature, its movements should never be viewed as absolute. Each decade has brilliant exceptions to every rule and entirely forgettable confirmations of it. [edit]Drama Main article: Heroic drama See also: She-tragedy Genre in Restoration drama is peculiar. Authors labelled their works according to the old tags, comedy and drama and, especially, history, but these plays defied the old categories. From 1660 onwards, new dramatic genres arose, mutated, and intermixed very rapidly. In tragedy, the leading style in the early Restoration period was the male-dominated heroic drama, exemplified by John Drydens The Conquest of Granada (1670) and Aureng-Zebe (1675) which celebrated powerful, aggressively masculine heroes and their pursuit of glory both as rulers and conquerors, and as lovers. These plays were sometimes called by their authors histories or tragedies, and contemporary critics will call them after Drydens term of Heroic drama. Heroic dramas centred on the actions of men of decisive natures, men whose physical and (sometimes) intellectual qualities made them natural leaders. In one sense, this was a reflection of an idealised king such as Charles or Charless courtiers might have imagined. However, such dashing heroes were also seen by the audiences as occasionally standing in for noble rebels who would redress injustice with the sword. The plays were, however, tragic in the strictest definition, even though they were not necessarily sad. In the 1670s and 1680s, a gradual shift occurred from heroic to pathetic tragedy, where the focus was on love and domestic concerns, even though the main characters might often be public figures. After the phenomenal success of Elizabeth Barry in moving the audience to tears in the role of Monimia in Thomas Otways The Orphan (1680), she-tragedies (a term coined by Nicholas Rowe), which focused on the sufferings of an innocent and virtuous woman, became the dominant form of pathetic tragedy. Elizabeth Howe has argued that the most important explanation for the shift in taste was the emergence of tragic actresses whose popularity made it unavoidable for dramatists to create major roles for them. With the conjunction of the playwright master of pathos Thomas Otway and the great tragedienne Elizabeth Barry in The Orphan, the focus shifted from hero to heroine. Prominent she-tragedies include John Bankss Virtue Betrayed, or, Anna Bullen(1682) (about the execution of Anne Boleyn), Thomas Southernes The Fatal Marriage (1694), and Nicholas Rowes The Fair Penitent (1703) and Lady Jane Grey, 1715. While she-tragedies were more comfortably tragic, in that they showed women who suffered for no fault of their own and featured tragic flaws that were emotional rather than moral or intellectual, their success did not mean that more overtly political tragedy was not staged. The Exclusion crisis brought with it a number of tragic implications in real politics, and therefore any treatment of, for example, the Earl of Essex (several versions of which were circulated and briefly acted at non-patent theatres) could be read as seditious. Thomas Otways Venice Preservd of 1682 was a royalist political play that, like Drydens Absalom and Achitophel, seemed to praise the king for his actions in the meal tub plot. Otways play had the floating city of Venice stand in for the river town ofLondon, and it had the dark senatorial plotters of the play stand in for the Earl of Shaftesbury. It even managed to figure in the Duke of Monmouth, Charless illegitimate, war-hero son who was favoured by many as Charless successor over the Roman Catholic James. Venice Preservd is, in a sense, the perfect synthesis of the older politically royalist tragedies and histories of Dryden and the newer she-tragedies of feminine suffering, for, although the plot seems to be a political allegory, the action centres on a woman who cares for a man in conflict, and most of the scenes and dialogue concern her pitiable sufferings at his hands. Comedy Main article: Restoration comedy Restoration comedy is notorious for its sexual explicitness, a quality encouraged by Charles II personally and by the rakish aristocratic ethos of his court. The best-known plays of the early Restoration period are the unsentimental or hard comedies of John Dryden, William Wycherley, and George Etherege, which reflect the atmosphere at Court, and celebrate an aristocratic macholifestyle of unremitting sexual intrigue and conquest. The Earl of Rochester, real-life Restoration rake, courtier and poet, is flatteringly portrayed in Ethereges Man of Mode (1676) as a riotous, witty, intellectual, and sexually irresistible aristocrat, a template for posterity.s idea of the glamorous Restoration rake (actually never a very common character in Restoration comedy). Wycherleys The Plain Dealer (1676), a variation on the theme of Molià ¨res Le misanthrope, was highly regarded for its uncompromising satire and earned Wycherley the appellation Plain Dealer Wycherley or Manly Wycherley, after the plays main character Manly. The single writer who most supports the charge of obscenity levelled then and now at Restoration comedy is probably Wycherley. During the second wave of Restoration comedy in the 1690s, the softer comedies of William Congreve and John Vanbrugh reflected mutating cultural perceptions and great social change. The playwrights of the 1690s set out to appeal to more socially mixed audiences with a strong middle-class element, and to female spectators, for instance by moving the war between the sexes from the arena of intrigue into that of marriage. The focus in comedy is less on young lovers outwitting the older generation, more on marital relations after the wedding bells. In Congreves plays, the give-and-take set pieces of couples still testing their attraction for each other have mutated into witty prenuptial debates on the eve of marriage, as in the famous Proviso scene in The Way of the World (1700). Restoration drama had a bad reputation for three centuries. The incongruous mixing of comedy and tragedy beloved by Restoration audiences was decried. The Victorians denounced the comedy as too indecent for the stage,[12] and the standard reference work of the early 20th century, The Cambridge History of English and American Literature, dismissed the tragedy as being of a level of dulness and lubricity never surpassed before or since.[13] Today, the Restoration total theatre experience is again valued, both by postmodern literary critics and on the stage. The comedies of Aphra Behn in particular, long condemned as especially offensive in coming from a womans pen, have become academic and repertory favourites.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Psychological Skills Training Programme

Psychological Skills Training Programme Psychology is the scientific study of cognitive thoughts, feelings and behaviours. The aim of sports psychology is to understand the contribution that psychological components have on exercise performance, but also the effects that participation in physical exercise has on psychological development. Sports psychologists often talk about the significance of being in the zone and of creating an intimidating presence for your opponent on the field of play, but waiting until you are in competition to apply the principles of sports psychology, without previous training will not allow for an enhanced performance. So, before this you need to apply a winning attitude and the ability to apply it to your training, which is one of the most vital and difficult areas to apply it. Psychological skills training (PST) refers to the systematic and consistent practice of mental or psychological skills for enhanced performance. It helps give an edge the athletes performance, especially between athletes that are closely matched in physical and technical ability; this usually results in the overall winner being the athlete with the better prepared mental skills. PST can often be neglected by athletes or coaches because they have a lack of knowledge in the subject area or misunderstandings of how to use it. It can also be ignored because of a lack of allocated time throughout the training process; this is more often than not a consequence of higher priorities during training. PST must be tailored to each individual athlete and varies for every sport, so must be conducted by the coach or a sports psychologist. It should be practiced over a period of time, similarly to the physical or technical nature of most sports, and should use a combination of different techniques. Sport psychology helps provide coaches with the information they need to help their athletes build mental strength and achieve enhanced performance in sport, as well as in life. As a coach, to gain a complete mental perspective of an athlete, you have to analyse how the athlete acts and feels when competing within a sport. Through the use of psychological training programmes and mental tools, which will be discussed later in more detail, athletes can build and develop their mental strength for competitive situations. For coaches, the application of this type of training programme is beneficial for optimising the complete performance of an athlete. These can be beneficial for building team cohesion, effective communication, teaching sports skills, as well as motivating and preparing athletes for competition. Although, there are a number of reasons why athletes or sports coaches do not include PST in training for their sport. It may stem from lack of sport knowledge, where either coach or athlete has an insufficient grasp on the mental skills needed to perform at the highest level in that sport, or it may simply be that their coaching methods have become outdated and are in need of further qualified education. Other common problems that come in implementing a PST programme are that of time, conviction and follow up. Some athletes simply do not have the time to spend on the required techniques used to improve the psychological skills. This is usually because of their hard working and time consuming physical training programme. Funding also plays a part in most athletes missing out on psychological assistance, as it can be relatively expensive for individual athletes to hire a sport psychologist, especially when compared to that of a professional football player, as many elite clubs now employ their own sports psychologists. Psychological Skills In this training programme the support work which will be described is for use involving a junior golfer named James. It is primarily to help deal with his low confidence and anxieties throughout the game. James is 14 years old, a promising county level golfer with a handicap of 5, and plays for South Ayrshire Junior Golf Club. I have got to know James by playing recreationally at the same club, and he happened to mention certain aspects of his game he was struggling with, so I offered my support. James told me his reason for asking for help was that he felt he was not as confident as he should be on the field and he wanted to start enjoying his game again. Secondly, he explained that he has had trouble with feeling very anxious before each shot in a competition environment, opposed to practice where he felt more comfortable. This study represents my work with James over a six week period in which we covered most of the psychological aspects of the game of golf, concentrating on over coming the main problems James was having. In the game of golf, concentration, anxiety, confidence and motivation are key variables in effective golfing performance (Finn, 2008). According to Arther (2006) Jack Nickulaus once said that The game of golf is 90% mental and 10% swing. This implies that the psychological skills involved in golf are more important to playing the game than the physiological demands. The physical demands of golf comprise of; aerobic endurance, local muscular endurance, power and motor skills. These days almost all of the top professionals in golf use psychological tools to enhance their performance. For example Tiger Woods, one of the worlds elite golfers, started using sport psychology techniques at a very young age and continues to use them to this day. He used a number of psychological techniques for relaxation, visualization and concentration (Sietz, 2000). Self confidence In sport, self-confidence is a well-known factor that may enhance or improve an athletes skills performance. It has been found that a psychological component like self-confidence is one that athletes and coaches consider as relevant for optimum performance. As golfers are constantly measuring their own performance, it becomes very easy for them to lose confidence in their ability to perform specific golf skills such as putting or hitting fairway irons onto the green. An individuals judgement on their ability to successfully perform specific skills is termed self-efficacy (Bandura, 1986). Self efficacy is our trust in our ability to succeed within specific situations. Your sense of self efficacy can play a key role in how you approach challenges, tasks and goals. Motivational mastery self-talk can help with focus and self-confidence. Golf-specific examples of motivational mastery self-talk might be come on concentrate, there are only three holes to play with help for focusing, or you can do this, you have made this shot before for self-confidence. Thoughts precede moods so if you think unhappy thoughts you will feel unhappy. Self talk is the thoughts you have in response to a certain situation. If you tell yourself you can succeed then you have a much improved chance of succeeding. According to psychologist Bandura (1977), an athletes confidence, or self efficacy, is based on four primary sources of information, shown in (Appendix 1). These primary sources include past performance accomplishments, vicarious performance, verbal persuasion and emotional arousal. Past performance accomplishments give the athlete confidence through achievements made in competitions or goals reached during training, they can also create expectation for the athlete in a good or bad way. Vicarious performance allows the athlete to see the actions that they should be performing through a model performer; this is usually taken from an athlete in the same field/competition or of a previou sly successful athlete. Verbal persuasion can be given to the athlete via the coach, parents or supporters; it gives the athlete a sense of encouragement to perform. Emotional arousal is when the athlete is in the right mood to perform, it is also known as when they are up for it and at their peak. If this level is too high or too low then the performance of the athlete can suffer, as shown in (Appendix 2). Developing self confidence will be discussed in more detail further in the programme. Anxiety and arousal Anxiety is a natural reaction within the body that responds to threats in the environment; it is part of the preparation for the fight or flight response. Lazarus (2000a) defines anxiety as facing an uncertain, existential threat. Performance anxiety develops when there is too much perceived stress, specifically this state of mind is created and moulded by your thoughts and feelings. The way you think about an event or competition is the source of the stress, not the actual event itself. One way to begin to tackle performance anxiety is to try to understand what your fears about the competition are, in Jamess case it was the fear of not performing to his expected level. When the demands of competition or training exceed an athletes apparent capability, anxiety is the unavoidable outcome (Valiante and Stachura, 2005). As well as providing incentive and challenge, sport also provides substantial uncertainty. While this kind of stress might motivate some athletes, it can encourage anxie ty in others. There are distinct factors that can amplify athletes anxiety levels. For example, important competitions can give an athlete greater stress, therefore they are likely to be prone to anxiety. Spectators can also play a huge part in how an athlete feels. Participants in individual sports, such as golf, have been known in general to suffer more from anxiety before, during and after games than participants in team sports because they dont receive the same support throughout the game from team mates. Another factor that can cause anxiety is the expectation of success, in Jamess case, his supporters expect him to be winning most tournaments in his category, so he is exposed to a lot more pressure than most players at his young age. Another notion to acknowledge is that the level of mental arousal can influence an athletes performance. When arousal levels are too high it can lead to an increase in muscle tension, also poor decision making, reduced concentration levels and a d isruption in co ordination. Identifying and controlling arousal level is important to maximize athletic accomplishment. Some of the skills useful to control arousal levels up or down are; visualization, centring, progressive muscular relaxation, and positive self talk. In addition to using these skills for regulating arousal, these skills have a number of other benefits for confidence and concentration. Preparing athletes for competition involves more than firing them up, it involves finding the optimum level of arousal for each athlete (Cox, 2002). Motivation Reduced confidence will ultimately impact on a performers motivation levels, their willingness to take risks and their ability to develop. There are two kinds of motivation that allows athletes to achieve a particular goal or task. The first type is extrinsic motivation, which in sport comes from external influences or people. People are extrinsically motivated to earn rewards, social recognition, or benefits. The second kind is intrinsic motivation, and it is someones inner drive to accomplish a goal or objective. Intrinsically motivated people focus on a task for their own sake. They have a sense of self-determination, and look at themselves as being able to meet the demands of a particular task. Research shows in Vallerand and Losier (1999) that athletes who participate in sport for intrinsic reasons experience a more positive and less negative outcome; they have greater determination, and show higher levels of sportsmanship. As golf is mostly an individual sport, motivating yours elf to practice and to keep going when your confidence is low can be difficult. Setting goals in practice and competition is an effective way to enhance motivation. When using goal setting, you should make them specific and measurable. Identify the areas you will need to work on in order to achieve your set goals as well as making them realistic. You should record the progress you are making towards goals and set a time limit on specific goals to evaluate progress. Golfers can set long term and short term goals. Long-term goals generally focus on the ultimate outcome such as winning a tournament or reducing your handicap. Short-term goals act as the stepping stones to achieving your long-term goals. Setting short-term goals also allows reflection on current performance and can help in assessing the viability of long-term goals. This area is also covered later in the programme with reference to self confidence. Concentration Focus is crucial in order to concentrate, by learning to focus on the right things at the right time. Concentration is the ability to hold focus for a required time, and use the appropriate mental effort so not to focus on any distractions. By concentrating your thoughts on the competition, it can help you to plan how you will play the course and allow you to contemplate the possible situations that may arise. In a study by McCaffrey and Orlick (1989), they used a series of open questions to discover psychological and situational factors linked to excellence in golf. They found considerable differences between touring golf professionals and local club professionals. The highly skilled tour players were entirely dedicated to golf, particularly during periods of optimum performance. They set clear goals, and they were more organized in planning practice sessions and tournament strategies, as well as in self evaluation after each game. Both groups developed plans for focusing attention during a round, but the touring professionals were more successful in keeping focus over an extended period of time resulting in greater concentration levels. Both groups acknowledged the effect of distractions on the course, but the touring professionals were better able to cope with these distractions and regain a task focus. On the golf course, distractions come in varying forms and can divert your focus. External focus can be thrown by; the target, your equipment, the wind, an opponents shot or score. Internal focus can be side tracked by things like; how you feel, where you want the ball to go, how hard you want to hit the ball, how the club feels in your hands and your practice swings. These are just some of the distractions involved in the game of golf. McCaffrey and Orlick (1989) concluded that maintaining commitment, focusing, and refocusing were the skills most needed for achieving excellence in golf. As a coach you need to get athletes to think during activity, not just u se their behaviours and actions, as there is constant problem solving within the sport. If you know whats going to happen you can plan and control it. After learning all these psychological skills, the challenge is to implement them into your game. A pre-competition mental routine, developed between the coach and athlete, helps the athletes get their mind in the proper place to perform well. Concentration, anxiety, confidence and motivation are key variables in effective golfing performance (Finn, 2008). Psychological Skills Training The psychological priorities of golf incorporate a lot of self confidence and the need to control anxiety and arousal throughout the whole game. In a feature written by Fields (1995), he talks of a meeting between Dr Rob Rotella and Nick Price; whose form had been lagging after some recent wins and was looking for some answers. Price went to see sports psychologist Rotella to see if he could help him with his game, after two days, Rotella explained to Price how to simplify and direct his thinking toward a specific target, by consciously playing only one shot at a time. With this narrow internal way of thinking; Price was able to concentrate solely on the task in front of him without any distractions. This is how I intend to develop my athletes focus and confidence, as well as decreasing his anxiety during game play. Self Confidence Training Developing self confidence through self talk is an effective technique to control thoughts and to influence feelings. Thoughts and feelings can influence self confidence as well as performance. The coach or athlete must carefully select the actual words or phrase used during self talk so that they provide maximum effectiveness. Self talk can be in the form of words actually spoken out loud, or in the form of thoughts that come into the athletes mind; these thoughts can be either negative or positive. As a psychological method for enhancing and improving self confidence in athletes, self talk must be positive and lead to constructive feelings about an athletes ability. Self talk is a strategy used by athletes at all levels and in almost all sports. According to Rotella (2004), a top psychologist, the true meaning of confidence in sport is achieved by playing with your eyes. Confident athletes can focus completely on the objective allowing the body and brain to react instinctively. In other words, the athlete should turn his focus to what is in front of him and not what he already knows. For example, a golf swing for a professional golfer is already calibrated into his mind, so worrying about his swing on the course only serves to distract him from the ultimate goal of making the shot, the swing should be automatic so he can concentrate solely on the shot. Goal setting is a powerful motivational strategy. Research has shown that goal setting enhances performance across a variety of situations. Goal setting gives the coach a sense of control over what the athlete does in training and allows us to move beyond beliefs or fears that may be preventing us from realizing our peak performance. The process of setting goals helps the athlete and the coach choose what you want to aim for. By knowing exactly what you want to accomplish, you know where to focus your efforts. You will also be able to quickly spot distractions that could otherwise tempt you from your course. On top of this, properly set goals can be extremely motivating, and as you get into a habit of setting and achieving your goals, you find that self confidence builds faster. By setting sharp, clearly defined goals, you can measure and take pride in these goals. You can see forward progress in what might previously have seemed a long pointless grind. By setting goals, you will rai se your self confidence, as you recognise your ability and competence in achieving the goals that you have set. There distinct advantages to setting goals, some of these benefits for sport include; clarified expectations, improved performance, enhanced quality of practice, pride, higher intrinsic motivation, satisfaction, decreased anxiety, increased self confidence, improved concentration and time management. It has been established that successful athletes display higher self-confidence than unsuccessful athletes (Treasure et al. 1996). This study noted that athletes who have higher self confidence during competitions are more likely to be successful. With imagery, you replace actual experience with scenes from your within your imagination. The body reacts to these images almost as if they were real, so as to relive the experience. This is a technique used very commonly used by elite athletes, they learn good performance habits by repetitively rehearsing performances in their imagination. You can use mental imagery to; visualise success, motivate yourself, familiarise yourself or perfect skills. Many golfers see themselves achieving their goals their goals on a regular basis, seeing desired performance outcomes and performing skills at a high level. It can remind you objective and increase focus during practice and rounds. Many of the best golfers in the world see and feel themselves performing perfect shots, skills and routines before they actually do so. A good explanation of how imagery works is given by Grezes and Decety (2001) showing that when we make a movement, such as hitting a golf ball, specific areas of our brain are a ctivated. Research evidence suggests that when we imagine making a movement, very similar areas of our brain are also activated as when we actually make a movement. Retired professional golfer, Jack Nicklaus, one of the first sportsman to promote mental imagery once wrote that, I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp, in-focus picture of it in my head. First I see the ball where I want it to finish, nice and white and sitting up high on the bright green grass. Then the scene quickly changes, and I see the ball going there: its path, trajectory, and shape, even its behaviour on landing. Then there is a sort of fade-out, and the next scene shows me making the kind of swing that will turn the previous images into reality. (Frontera, 2007). Some studies found that many people and athletes use imagery to increase exercise and physical fitness as the imagery helps the success of their exercise (Hall 2001). An athletes enactment of performance imagery is the normal procedure in training programs. This method is used more heavily by elite athletes with higher self-confidence than non-athletes. Studies suggest that imagery may help athletes to build more self-confidence in relation to performance. Kendall et al (1990) demonstrated that imagery, in combination with relaxation and self talk, increases the utilization of specific defensive skills. Mahoney (1979) reported the effect of mental imagery practice based on high jumper Dick Fosbury and skier Jean-Claude, who have both used mental practice in competition and went on to receive gold medals in those competitions. This study provides evidence that imagery practice can successfully influence athletic performance. Motivational videos help inspire, motivate, and pump you up. Athletes use them to focus their motivation in a particular direction or toward a set goal of achievement. As well as videos, athletes can also use mental pictures for motivation, such as them lift a cup or receiving a medal. Anxiety and Arousal Training Worrying about how you are going to perform leads to anxiety about performance. Anxiety manifests in both physical and mental ways. According to Vanthuyne (1999) we dont worry just in our heads, our entire body worries resulting in a body reaction as well as a mental reaction, this fact is critical regarding athletic performance. Due to its objective nature, golf can often be a frustrating and stressful sport. Golfers may therefore experience increased levels of anxiety, which can ultimately lead to a decline in golfing performance (Hardy, 1996). In order to combat increased anxiety levels, golfers can practice mental skills and strategies to help them relax on and off the field. Using relaxation strategies can help control anxiety and is important in enhancing golfing performance. Centring is a relaxation technique used by rugby player Jonny Wilkinson in his kicking routine (Wilkinson, 2006), he also admits to listening to a mental rehearsal CD before each game he plays to help him relax and focus. Similarly, you can use relaxation techniques in your pre shot routine to help you relax in golf. Centring is a skill which allows the athlete to release unwanted muscular tension, control anxiety and become more body aware. To practice the process of centring, athletes focus on slowing down their breathing, and inhale air in through the nose. Use the diaphragm and not the chest to expand your lungs. As you breathe out through the mouth, let your body relax. Repeat this technique several times until the required state of relaxation is achieved. Imagery and self-talk can also be used to facilitate relaxation on the golf course. By using self-talk such as loose and relax you can imagine tension in the neck and shoulder muscles disappearing. Centring is one example in an abundance of relaxation techniques which can be employed by golfers. When choosing how to deal with increased levels of anxiety, it is important to match anxiety symptoms with an appropriate relaxation technique. Motivational arousal self-talk can be used to control arousal levels. To reduce arousal levels, golfers may use self-talk such as it is ok, just breath nice and easily and relax your shoulders. An example of self-talk to increase arousal levels might be come on, you need to get yourself up for this. Visualization is a technique used where the athlete imagines themselves performing a task. It deals not only with how the athlete sees the task but also how they feel when performing it. For example, a sprinter might experience and imagine an efficient, smooth stride while running round a track. A golfer might rehearse a sequence of steps, in his mind, that are required for a good long drive. The imagery experience should be viewed by the athlete in first person perspective, not what they would see watching from a spectator standpoint. Positive self talk is the practice of eliminating negative thoughts and promoting constructive thoughts. Instead of focusing on the negatives of a bad situation, the athlete focuses on positives. For example, I cant play well against them, is replaced by, I have trained hard and I am prepared. I can do this. Progressive muscular relaxation is a technique that involves alternatively relaxing and contracting various muscle groups. It is best performed ly ing down, and going through the muscles groups in a sequence of agonist and antagonist, quads and hamstrings for example. By doing this, the mind is focused on each specific body part and the athlete comes into a relaxation state with increased feeling of the body. Needs analysis The needs analysis is a crucial part of developing a psychological training programme as it allows the athlete and coach to work together and discover the needs of that particular athlete. The needs analysis should consist of an evaluation of the individual, the sport, and the movements within that sport. The evaluation of the sport is used to determine the physiological components most needed to perform in that sport. An evaluation of the movements within that sport is need to recognise the physiological and psychological processes used during the sport. As individual psychological needs for each sport and athlete differ, the coach must evaluate the athletes strengths and weaknesses to provide a suitable program, as well as allowing the athlete to set short term goals. The individuals needs then dictate which psychological skills are needed and which to prioritize in the training program. In this case for James, a young golfer, we discovered that through the use of a survey of athle tic experiences (Appendix 3), he was severely lacking in self confidence. I also discovered, through the use of an anxiety questionnaire (Appendix 4), that Jamess performance suffered dramatically when under increasing pressure, for example when in a tournament situation. It has been suggested that there are three key phases to implementing an effective mental skills programme (Weinberg and Gould, 2007). First, an education phase in which the athlete should be informed about the nature of mental skills and how these skills can enhance their performance. Second, an acquisition phase should focus on assisting the athlete to learn the appropriate mental techniques. Third, a practice phase with the aim of applying mental skills into competitive situations. I used an athletic experience questionnaire (Appendix 3) to help discover which parts of Jamess game was lacking psychologically, it enabled us to identify and analysis specific psychological skills and also which ones we could work on. It showed that James was low in self confidence because he was playing with so much expectation. It also told me that without the use of short term goals, his aims and targets were not clearly lined out for him. This may be due to a coaching error but could also be a reason for his low self confidence, as meeting short term goals gives the athlete a sense of achievement and shows gradual improvement. I used an anxiety questionnaire (Appendix 4) to determine some of the stresses James was under and when he was experiencing them. This allowed me to see that his anxiety levels were greatest during competition, and that it was mostly down to the weight of expectation on him, although there were other contributing factors. This included; what others thought of his performances and when playing against more experienced players, also when using new equipment and various distractions from the crowds. To combat some of these stresses, I recommended that James learn some relaxation techniques that he could use on the training field but also during stressful competitions. Some of these relaxation techniques have been previously discussed in detail. For James, a wider knowledge of relaxation techniques and specifically set out goals will ultimately aid him in producing his optimum performances on the field, as well as helping him to positively enjoy the game even more. Psychological skills are best developed in an athletes training environment and when incorporated with the technical and physical aspects of the game, this ensures that the athlete sees the program as an essential part of their development. These psychological skills should also be trained, just as you would for any physical aspects, over an extended period of time with sufficient tests to show improvement. Some specific mental skills training can take place almost anywhere, from the playing field to sitting at home, as long as you completely involve yourself within the training. In most sports there is a specific season of play, so this might dictate when the psychological skills training may be applied and what specific skills are trained. As mentioned before mental skills training should be an integral part of the training process. Performance profiling was also used to addresses the gap between current performance levels and the requirements necessary for where the athlete wants to be. It identifies the athletes strengths and weaknesses during play and in training. A performance profile was taken at the start of the program and at the end allowing the coach and athlete to see a steady improvement or decline in performance. Within the performance profiles, you should also obtain a comprehensive history of injury for the golfer. This will include all major previous injuries along with any current injury concerns; it can often be found that the golfer is currently playing with some kind of irritating injury problem which can have an effect on any physiological or psychological training programme. Evaluation Overall, this psychological skills training programme went extremely for James and myself. We both learned a lot of new psychological skills and the techniques needed to dramatically improve our thought processes. I especially enjoyed identifying the specific skills effecting James performances with the use of various psychological tests. Through the use of performance profiles, I was able to see the progression in Jamess play from the start of the programme to the end; this showed the program does work if it is implemented properly with correct knowledge and understanding. My program did make a difference to James game, and this has been shown in his current performances, he is now a lot more confident in his ability to perform on a bigger stage as well as being more capable of controlling his anxieties on the field. You can now see how positive thinking has changed his game; he is making a conscious effort to think in a way that benefits his performance. It is not one hundred perce nt accurate to say that Jamess performances have been better solely because of this program, they may be in fact some other contributing factors, but to the best of my knowledge he has undertaken any severe changes in training or supplementation. I am sure that there are ways in which this programme could have been changed to make it run more efficiently and with more effectiveness, but from the feedback received from James it was sufficient to meet his needs. From this I can take great confidence in my ability to prepare and enforce a good psychological training pro