The Issue Of Elder Abuse And Neglect Social Work Essay

The Issue Of Elder Abuse And Neglect Social Work Essay Elder abuse and neglect is a critical health care issue that must be brought to the attention of health care providers and older adults family members. Adults older than 65 who live at home or in long-term care facilities may be at risk for abuse. Nurses should be aware of the causes, screening questions, symptoms of abuse, and resources in the community. Armed with information and a better understanding about the issue, nurses can minimize the devastating effects of abuse on older adults and their families. Every man, woman, and child deserves to be treated with respect and caring. Individuals of all ages deserve to be protected from harm by caregivers (American Psychological Association, 2006). Significant policy developments during the past 20 years have focused on eliminating abuse. However, a deficit in health care providers knowledge and clinical skill application remains. The purpose of this article is to define and describe the kinds of abuse, their potential clinical presentations, and theoretical explanations for abuse to enhance nurses knowledge and understanding of their role in its assessment and management in older adults. BACKGROUND Abuse is defined as the infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or punishment, with resulting physical harm, pain, or mental anguish (Table 1). It can also be the willful deprivation by a caregiver of goods or services that are necessary to maintain physical or mental health (American Psychological Association, 2006). Elder abuse and neglect has plagued society for centuries but only recently has the issue come to the attention of health care providers, law enforcement agencies, and protective services. Fewer research studies exist about the maltreatment of older adults than about other forms of family violence, including child abuse, rape, and intimate partner violence. The earliest reports of elder abuse and neglect in the United Kingdom in the 1970s dramatized case reports of the phenomenon, termed Granny battering. The health care community and the public were shocked and appalled. A decade later, studies confirmed that the problem was common in the United S tates as well. In the late 1970s, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging issued a series of reports on abuse and neglect occurring in nursing homes. In 1981, the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Aging conducted hearings in which victimized older adults gave firsthand testimony of their experiences with abuse. In 1986, the Institute of Medicine published recommendations for preventing the maltreatment of older adults in institutions, and several years later, the Elder Abuse Task Force was created by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The task force developed an action plan for the identification and prevention of maltreatment of older adults in their own homes, health care facilities, and communities. The action plan included data collection, research, technical assistance, training, and public education. The National Center on Elder Abuse was established as part of the Administration on Agings Elder Care Campaign. Adult Protective Services progra ms now exist in every state to serve vulnerable adults, particularly older adults, who may be at risk for abuse and neglect. Many law enforcement agencies and Offices of the District Attorney have investigative staff specifically trained to address abuse of older adults and other vulnerable populations, in collaboration with health care and protective service professionals. Such actions have led to increased public and health care provider awareness about elder abuse and neglect. Researchers have also sought to grasp the full scope and causes of maltreatment among older adults. Laws that require health care providers to report suspected cases have been instituted in nearly every state. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (2006) standards for emergency departments and ambulatory care centers call for improved identification and management of elder abuse, in addition to intimate partner violence and child abuse. As the U.S. population ages, demands placed on health care systems to care for older adults are increasing. More than 36 million people who live in the United States are older than age 65, and 600,000 older adults will require assisted living (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, 2006). Currently, there are approximately 17,000 nursing homes in the United States, with 1.6 million residents (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, 2004). Unfortunately, older adults are becoming victims of intentional abuse and neglect within their own homes, as well as in assisted living and long-term care facilities. Each year in the United States, 1 to 2 million adults older than age 65 are injured, exploited, or mistreated by their caregivers (National Research Council Panel to Review Risk and Prevalence of Elder Abuse and Neglect, 2003). One community-based, cross-sectional survey reported that 32 of every 1,000 older adults reported that they had experienced some form of maltreatment at least once since reaching age 65 (Pillemer Finkelhor, 1988). Underreporting is typical with all kinds of abuse, and it is estimated that only 1 in 14 elder maltreatment cases are reported. Health care providers can expect to see a steady increase in the number of cases of elder maltreatment as the older adult population rapidly increases. THEORIES OF ELDER ABUSE Elder abuse is a complex problem with multiple risks and causes. Dysfunctional family lives, cultural issues, and caregiver inadequacies have been implicated as contributing factors. Awareness of such factors may help nurses understand and anticipate situations where maltreatment may be preventable. Several theories attempt to explain the existence and increasing occurrence of elder abuse. The transgenerational, or social learning, theory asserts that violence is a learned behavior. Individuals who have witnessed or been victims of family violence are more likely to try to resolve challenging and difficult life situations with violent tactics they learned in their formative growth. Although 90% of perpetrators of elder abuse are reported to be family members, this cannot account for all cases (Fulmer, Guadagno, Bitondo, Dyer, Connolly, 2004). Situational theory supports the idea that the greater the burden on caregivers, the more likely caregivers are to abuse. Exchange theory addresses the dependence of older adults on their caregivers as a risk of abuse, along with inadequate methods of problem solving as an established pattern of family behavior. Political economic theory addresses the changing roles of older adults. Their loss of independence and income may cause them to look to others for care and support (Fulmer et al., 2004). Psychopathology of the caregiver theory studies caregivers with severe emotional or mental health problems or addictions that put the older adults for whom they care at risk of being abused. For example, a caregiver with a mental health problem who cares for a frail older adult with cognitive impairment is a dangerous combination and may lead to resistant behavior and maltreatment. Although theoretical frameworks cannot explain all cases of elder maltreatment, they can provide a foundation for nurses to begin to understand the combination of factors responsible for the occurrence of elder abuse and initiate a holistic plan of care. NURSING ASSESSMENT INTERVENTIONS Nurses are in an ideal position to play a significant role in the detection, management, and prevention of elder maltreatment and may be the only individuals outside of the family who have regular contact with an older adult. Nurses are uniquely qualified to perform physical and psychological assessments, order confirmatory diagnostic tests (e.g., blood tests, x-rays), and collaborate with physicians and protective services. They may authorize services, such as home health care, or recommend hospital admission as they initiate further investigation by the appropriate local agencies. Opportunities for abuse detection and intervention occur daily in health care settings. In institutional settings, nurses may monitor patient health and perform health history interviews and physical, psychological, sexual, and financial abuse assessments that may be crucial to elicit reports, expose or prevent abuse, and intervene for patients safety (Wieland, 2000). Nurses and other health care providers are part of an interprofessional team collaborating to ensure appropriate, sensitive, and safe outcomes for older adult patients. Institutional maltreatment occurs in long-term care facilities, board-and-care homes, and other assisted-living facilities. Institutional medical directors, private practitioners, nurses, and all health care workers in daily contact with older adults have a responsibility to identify, treat, and prevent abuse. Abuse may be perpetrated by a staff member, another patient, an intruder or a visitor, or a family caregiver. Abuse may include failure to implement a plan of care or provide treatment, unauthorized use of physical or chemical restraints, and use of medication or isolation for punishment or staff convenience. Nurses must be aware of patient diagnoses, medical orders for care, and medications and their side effects to recognize what is suspicious and needs further evaluation or warrants a report to supervisors. However, most elder maltreatment does not occur in institutions but in the home at the hands of a caregiver, often a family member. Unless nurses are educated about abuse and how to observe suspicious injuries, elder abuse may be difficult to detect. Definitions of the kinds of abuse and their signs and symptoms should be included in the training and education of family members and health care workers who care for older adults. Older adults experiencing abuse may be unable to communicate clearly, their bruises may be attributed to the aging process, or they may be fearful and hesitant to report abuse (Wieland, 2000). Indications of physical abuse should signal health care providers to evaluate for other kinds of abuse, such as sexual abuse. In addition to inadequate information, training, and the caregivers experience of caring for older adults, older adults are at risk for maltreatment due to other vulnerabilities. Older adult residents in institutions are typically dependent and chronically ill and may have cognitive, visual, and auditory impairments. They are usually more frail than are younger patients and may not have regular visitors who monitor their mental status, physical condition, or health care. In older adults, each vulnerability increases their mortality risk (Fulmer et al., 2004). Co-existing conditions and medical diagnoses may lead to worse outcomes for older adults who are abused. They may have a decreased ability to heal after injury and may experience greater trauma from physical injuries than do younger people. Their bones are more brittle and tissue more easily bruised, abraded, and lacerated with minimal trauma. Injured older adults differ from the younger population in terms of cause of injury, physical and psychological responses to abuse and injury, and outcomes. Dementia is common in 50% of residents of long-term care facilities (National Center for Health Statistics, 1985), and cognitive impairments often cause older adults to behave in a more resistant manner toward caregivers. Impaired cognition, along with insufficient resources, staff shortages, high staff turnover, and inadequate supervision and training, may increase the risk of elder maltreatment. In addition, societal ignorance about required standards for quality care and victimized older adults acceptance of abusive or neglectful behavior can lead to exacerbation of elder abuse in institutions. Routine questions related to elder abuse and neglect can be incorporated into daily nursing practice. Diminished cognitive capacity does not necessarily negate older adults ability to describe maltreatment. It is always reasonable for nurses to ask about abuse or neglect. A brief mental status examination can be helpful in evaluating patients cognitive status. Assessment for elder abuse should include caregiver, as well as victim, evaluation. Nurses should conduct interviews and examinations with the patient first, in a private setting separate from the caregiver. Clinical settings should have a protocol for the detection and assessment of elder maltreatment. Protocols should consist of a narrative, checklist, or standardized forms that enable rapid screening for elder abuse and provide guidelines for sound documentation that may help disclose patterns of abuse over time and will withstand scrutiny in court. Basic demographic questions should be included and should allow the interviewer to determine the family composition and socioeconomic status. Interviews should proceed from general questions that assess the patients sense of well-being to those focusing on specific kinds of abuse. Common signs and symptoms of maltreatment should be evaluated (Table 2). Elder abuse screening instruments are summarized by Fulmer et al. (2004). Questions recommended by Wieland (2000) for general abuse screening and assessment include: * Do you feel safe where you are living? * Who is responsible for your care? * Do you often disagree with your caregiver(s)? If so, what happens? * Does anyone scold or shout at you, slap or hit you, or leave you alone and make you wait for care or food? After general screening questions, more specific questions about kinds of abuse may follow: * Has anyone ever touched you without your consent? * Has anyone ever made you do things you did not want to do? * Has anyone ever taken something that was yours without asking? * Have you ever signed any documents that you did not understand? Health care providers do not have to prove that elder maltreatment has occurred. They need to screen and document suspicious verbal and physical findings, which may be as simple as stating that the patient seems to have health or personal problems and needs assistance. Sound documentation may include drawings of injuries on body diagrams or photographs to support written reports. Suspicious claims for abuse and neglect may be difficult to quantify. Diagnosis of elder maltreatment depends on education about abuse and application of that knowledge by the multidisciplinary team of health care providers, law enforcement agencies, advocates, and patients. Protocols for elder abuse screening, assessment of risk factors, and documentation should be posted in all health care facilities. ABUSE AND THE LAW National standards for care in nursing homes are based on the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987. The law is part of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987, often referred to as OBRA 87. The intent of the law is to promote high-quality care and prevent substandard care. The law also seeks to ensure that the rights of nursing home residents are respected. These include: * The right of protection against Medicaid discrimination. * The right to participate in health care decisions and to give or withhold informed consent for particular interventions. * The right to safeguards to reduce inappropriate use of physical and chemical restraints. * The right for provisions to ensure proper transfers or discharges. * The right to full access to a personal physician, long-term care ombudsman, and other advocates. * The right to be free from verbal, sexual, physical, or mental abuse, corporal punishment, and involuntary seclusion. * The right to be free from physical restraints or psychoactive drugs administered for the purpose of discipline or convenience. Nearly all states have mandatory reporting laws that require health care professionals and paraprofessionals to report suspected elder abuse and neglect to a designated authority. Some state laws specify that after authorities have been alerted to suspected elder abuse or neglect, an agent of the state must make an onsite investigation in an attempt to corroborate the report. Uniform reporting systems are established, and cases are assigned and investigated by protective services in a timely fashion. Cases are assigned and investigated by protective services in a timely fashion. Nurses may play an important role in preventing and identifying elder abuse, as well as in the subsequent investigation. CONCLUSION Elder abuse is a significant problem in the United States and often goes unreported and unrecognized. Elder abuse may be physical, emotional, psychological, sexual, or financial. Immediate care, overnight housing, and care in a safe location, in addition to long-term care and home-delivered food, may be necessary. Elder abuse may be a minor issue that can be easily resolved or it can result in severe and life-threatening debilitation. The more knowledge health care providers have, the more likely they are to institute strategies for abuse prevention and management. No matter how minor or severe the abuse, nurses have a duty to assess elderly patients according to recommended protocols and report suspected abuse to designated authorities. The multidisciplinary team then works together to help resolve the issue. The application of knowledge about elder abuse includes screening, assessment, and sound documentation in an attempt to enhance the quality of life and maximize the functional ability of older adults. [Sidebar]

The Jamaican Dialect Essay -- essays paper

The History and Sociolinguistic development of the Jamaican Dialect The topic of dialects is one which linguistic anthropologists have spent much time studying. Distinctions made between an actual language, a sub-standard variety of that language and an actual dialect are often unclear and the topic of much debate. Recently in the United States there have been many discussions about Ebonics, or Black English. It has been argued that Ebonics is simply a sub-standard form and degradation of English, while others feel that it should be recognized as an African influenced English dialect. One of the most recognizable forms of African-influenced English is that spoken by the people of Jamaica. Linguists and sociologists alike have studied the formation of this dialect over the years, because it is a prime example of language development resulting from cultural influences. By looking at the development of Jamaican speech from a historical perspective we are able to see exactly how the culture of this island has influenced the evolution of this dialect. Jamaica is the third largest Caribbean Island, measuring 146 miles at its widest point. The warm weather, high mountains and broad plains provide Jamaica with diversity in climate and agriculture. The population of Jamaica is estimated to be around two million people, with nearly a half-million living in Kingston, the capital and largest city in Jamaica. Of those residing in Jamaica, 90% are of African descent, with the other ten percent made up of mostly Caucasians, East Indians and Chinese (Barrett 1997:3). Popular culture is heavily influenced by the African heritage, while formal behavior is unmistakably British in style. The unofficial language of Jamaica is English; however th... ...ge, which represents the people of today. This also is a dialect, which has not stagnated but continues to grow and will do so into the future. Perhaps someday it will become a language completely separate from English, a language of liberation free from the influences of White oppressors. Bibliography Barrett, Leonard E. The Rastafarians. Beacon Press, Boston. DeCamp, David The Locus of Language in Jamaica. Georgetown University Press, Washington, D.C. Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics Volumes 1,3,6. Pergamon Press, NewYork. International Encyclopedia of Linguistics Volume 3. Oxford University Press, New York. Rasta/Patua Dictionary ed. Ogata, Michio updated by Pawka, Mike 1995. Todd, Loreto Pidgins and Creoles. Modern Englishes. Basil Blackwell Pub. Lmtd., Oxford.Zach, Paul ed.1995 Insight Guides. Jamaica. Hofer Press Pte. Ltd.,Singapore.

Brave New World State Motto :: Essays Papers

Brave New World State Motto Community + Identity = Stability In a world based on the motto â€Å"Community, identity, stability,† every aspect of society follows that phrase. In the Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, everyone belongs to everyone else. The people live in one community, follow their pre-destined identity and lead stable lives as a result. The whole society in Brave New World is based on community. No one is ever alone. Solitude and loneliness are unheard of. Everything, as well as everyone, belongs to everyone else. There are constantly community gatherings, such as Orgy-Porgy and community-sings. Depending on what caste you are part of, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta or Epsilon, you attend different events. Community is the basis of life in the civilized world. Every citizen of the Brave New World has a pre-destined life already planned for him. From the moment a person is decanted, their caste, career, thoughts and fears are picked out for them. Infants are brainwashed into what they are destined to become. Basically, your identity is chosen for you and it is your job to fulfill it, which isn’t difficult because that’s all you know. A person is trained to love their lifestyle and their role in the world and to think they have it better than everyone else. Betas can’t imagine life as an Epsilon, while Epsilons would never dream of being Beta. The result of a strong sense of community along with pre-destined lifestyles is stability, the third part of the Brave New World’s motto. No one has to think for himself or make choices on their own; the government does all that.

History of Carphone Warehouse plc Essay

The Carphone Warehouse Group plc; also known as The Carphone Warehouse (or ‘The Phone House’ in the rest of Europe), is Europe’s largest independent mobile phone retailer, with 2144 retail stores across Europe. They sell both contract mobile phones and pay as you go mobile phones and now tablets, such as the iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab and also E-Readers. The head office of The Carphone Warehouse Group plc is based in London, United Kingdom. At the current moment in time, The Carphone Warehouse is doing an upgrade in most of the retail stores. They are changing the products they sell, to include Laptops and Game Consoles; however these products are still available at other stores but only with contract phones and not to pay outright. These new stores are called ‘Wireless’ stores as they are meant to represent the future of the home with wireless technology such as the Sonos music system. There are currently only 20 of these stores in the UK and Milton Keynes is one of the 20 stores. In each ‘Wireless’ store there is a 3rd party company called Geek Squad, which in the UK is half owned by CPW plc, which is technical support and insurance used by The Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy UK. Ethos, House Style and Existing Publications The Philosophy of Carphone Warehouse is: As a new generation retailer, we aim to exceed our customer’s expectations by providing an innovative approach to service. To stay at the front of this dynamic and rapidly moving industry, we constantly develop new ideas and services for our customers. These do not always come from the top and we rely on people throughout the business to maintain our high standards. By incorporating new ideas in retailing and new technologies, we have created a stimulating and rewarding environment for all of our employees. The ethos of The Carphone Warehouse is to provide a friendly customer service while meeting the technical needs of the customer in regards to mobile phones, tablets and laptops. This is done through the employees of the company who are all friendly and have been on an extensive customer service training course for two days either in London, UK or Preston, UK. The Carphone Warehouse uses many different ways to communicate to the general public and their staff. The main way in regards with its customers is in the monthly magazines. The company also sends out a report to the shareholders every 6 months and an end of year financial report every year. Also everyone who works in the company has a business card which is personalized to them while meeting the company’s house style. The monthly magazines are A4 size and consist of 36 pages. In the magazines the logo is always at the top left corner of the page; with the date in the opposite side. On the bottom of most of the pages have the phone number and website, so the customer can find it easily and quickly; and also the page number in the same size and text font. Most of the other documents, like letters and business cards have the Carphone Warehouse logo in the top right corner of the page. On the top left corner of the page is the Queen’s Coat of Arms. The background of the logo is a Dark Blue which the colour code: red 11, green 40 and blue 80. The light blue underline is made from: red 121, green 209 and blue 206. The white text is made from: red, green and blue at 255. The sizes of the business cards are the same size as a credit/debit card so that they fit into a person wallet easily. On the back of the business cards is writing saying the â€Å"5 fundamental rules† of Carphone Warehouse Group plc. This is how things should be done at Carphone Warehouse and every employee MUST stick to the rules. However in the current database, the house is nonexistent as the house style used in the database doesn’t match the rest of the company’s house style. User Requirements Background The current problem with Carphone Warehouse’s database is that the functions the database can do has been changed so much that old functions are still on the database but do nothing. Another problem with the current database is that the system is often slow due to the fact that the computer has to load function that does not work anymore. Because the database was built over several years, not all parts of the system works together, so the user of the database has to copy data from one database to another which can take time. Expected Outcomes/ Aims and Objectives The expected outcomes from the new database is to be able to keep a record of all the customers at Carphone Warehouse with the handsets bought and the member of staff who sold the product. This will enable managers to see which member of staff has been selling the most amount of phones on which network. The data can be entered manually with a keyboard or a barcode scanner which will save time on entering the IMEI and ESN numbers as these numbers tend to be 16 and 19 digits long. The keyboard will also need to be used to enter other key information such as the customer’s details and the customer consultant’s name. This data input is necessary to be able to capture the information needed by The Carphone Warehouse, which is needed for manufacture’s warranty. Security is a big part for any database especially in retail and with dealing with such high personal information. To be able to access any part of the database the employee would need to log onto the system with their username and password. Every member of retail staff would be able view, add and amend each customer record to ensure that the company complies with the Data Protection Act (DPA). Managers would have a higher level of access as they would be able to add or remove lost/ stolen products from each stores stock list. To help improve the company’s performance, the data base will need to be able to print out internal reports about each store and each customer consultant. This will enable managers to see what phones they have been selling and which sales assistant has been selling the most phones. Also the database will need to make invoices for the customers to keep as their record of their purchase. User Interface Requirements The user interface of the current database has a dark blue background with a light blue for popup menus. All text shown on the database is shown in ‘Calibri’ with key information in yellow and other text shown in the light blue. This user interface of the new database needs to be updated and kept with the house style of the company, as the current database (shown in the image to the right0 does not comply with this style. From just looking at the current datbase, it is not clear that the database is for The Carphone Warehouse as there is no logos shown anywhere. The new database would contain the company logo and colours in keeping with the house style of the company. Currently the way to move around the database is to use the function keys on a special keyboard produced for the company where instead of the standard 12 funcations where is 24 function keys. Each function key will do a different task within the database, and as the name of the keys are rubbed away it become sdifficult to remember which key does what, therefore the new database will not have to use of the function keys but instead use buttogoogns on screen where the user will click the button which the mouse or for future developments, the buttons could also be clicked via a touch screen monitor. Hardware For the database to run on the computers used by The Carphone Warehouse, the computers will need to have the minimum specification of the following: †¢Processor needs to run at 500 MHz or higher †¢RAM 256MB or higher, †¢Hard Disk Drive ((HDD) Storage) 2GBs or higher. As the database is used more and more, the HDD will need to be increased to be able to store the growing in size database. †¢Monitor display resolution of 1024 Ãâ€" 768 †¢Operating System (OS) Windows XP or higher Also the computer monitor could be a touch screen; this will increase the speed of which the user moves around the database. Also needed is a plotter printer, to print out customer’s invoices. The reason for this printer and not a laser printer is because a cheap black and white printer is used just for printing out invoices and nothing more. In the back office a colour printer could be used to print out reports for the managers of the store. Employees will also need a handheld scanner to scan product barcodes such as IMEI’s from the phones. Entity Relationship Diagram This is the most basic form of an Entity Relationship Diagram showing that many customers can buy many phones and the same phone model can be bought by many customers. This Entity Relationship Diagram shows that each customer can have many transactions and each phone model can be in many transactions. However this does not allow a transaction to have many phones. After some time of thing of changing tables, I believe this would be the best system to record all transactional data including the employee who has sold the product. This Entity Relationship Diagram shows what I want the new database to hold data about. This shows that many customers, employees, phone models and sim cards can be in many transactions. This Entity Relationship Diagram is in its simple form. The actual database will also include a temporary Customers table where customers details are enter in the temporary table first before being moved to the customers table. Phones will also be broken into two different tables; the first table will be for the IMEI’s of the phones and the second will be for the Phone Model. This also applies to the Sim Card table, where there will be a table for the ESN and one for the Networks. Design Design of Inputs Data Dictionary and Normalisations Database Key is Primary Key is Foreign Key Field NameData TypeFormatDescription of the FieldField LengthValidation CheckField Required Table Name: tbl_Transaction / tbl_Transactiontemp Transaction Number Auto NumberIntegerNumber if the transactionN/APresence CheckY Lead Number NumberIntegerCustomer numberN/AYes against in Customer table, Presence CheckY Staff Username TextN/AEmployee who sold item8Yes against in Employee table, Presence CheckY Phone ID TextN/AMake and model of phone15Yes against in Phone table, Presence CheckY IMEI NumberIntegerSerial number of the phone16Yes against in Phone table, Presence CheckY ESN NumberIntegerSerial number of the sim card16Yes against in SimCard TableY Payment ReceivedCurrencyCurrencyAmount paidN/AFormat check, Presence CheckY Payment TypeText‘LLLL’Payment type – ‘Cash’ or ‘Card’4Format check, Presence CheckY DateDate/ TimeXX/XX/XXDate of purchase8Presence CheckY TimeDate/TimeXX:XXTime of purchaseN/AY Field NameData TypeFormat / Input maskDescription of the FieldField LengthValidation CheckField Required Table Name: tbl_Customer / tbl_Customertemp (†¦ means continue until reach length of field) Lead Number Auto Number (Number tbl_Customer)IntegerCustomer numberN/APresence Check, Y TitleText>L

Charles Dickens Essay

Even at this early stage in the story the reader can see something special in Pip. He was the only one out of six boys to survive birth and is now fending for himself. To the reader it is obvious that Pip is a loner and doesn’t stand up for himself very much, he’ll just get bossed around by his sister, by Miss Havisham, by Estella and Magwitch. In the third paragraph Dickens really wants the reader to understand just how alone and sad Pip is. He does this by describing Pip as a bundle of shivers rather than a little boy. â€Å"and that the small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all and beginning to cry, was Pip. † This sentence gives the reader an image of Pip shaking, wanting somebody to protect him. Dickens uses his settings as a base for feelings. His choice of setting reflects the situation. In extract one Magwitch threatens Pip with death right in front of all his families’ graves, which is sort of ironic. The whole situation is a cause to give Pip sympathy. Dickens describes Magwitch with longer descriptions first and then short one-word descriptions after. This makes Magwitch’s faults seem to go on forever and it also makes him more frightening. â€Å"A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head†¦ who limped, and shivered, and glared and growled. † The words Dickens uses to describe Pip are also very important. They are very emotive words such as, â€Å"Pleaded in terror† â€Å"trembling† â€Å"timidly explained† â€Å"to give me a greater sense of helplessness and danger† The way Pip’s speech is described is also a key point for sympathy. Pip is very polite to his elders, using â€Å"sir† even when Magwitch is threatening to kill him, â€Å"There, sir! † He is also shown to be nervous and scared by faltering and stammering his speech, â€Å"Goo-good-night, sir,† I faltered† This shows a very moral side of Pip, because even though he is terrified of this man he still says good-night to him. In extract one Dickens uses a repetitive technique to make the moment more tense. â€Å"You get me a file. † He tilted me again. â€Å"And you get me wittles. † He tilted me again. â€Å"You bring ’em both to me. † He tilted me again. â€Å"Or I’ll have your heart and liver out. † He tilted me again. † This emphasizes the situation Pip is in. Pip is being bullied by this man who is repeatedly putting Pip in places of danger. The main object of this extract is to show the fear that this man has put into Pip, and also to illuminate how trusting and accepting Pip is. In extract two, Pip is meeting Miss Havisham and Estella for the first time. He has been called for by Miss Havisham to entertain her. When he meets Estella she makes him feel common and poor. Extract two is written as Pip recollecting the meeting rather than Pip describing the meeting as its happening. Within the extract Dickens often writes what he thought at the time that it all happened, and what he would have thought knowing what would happen, â€Å"Sat the strangest lady I have ever seen, or shall ever see† By writing in this way, Dickens is emphasizing that even now Pip found that encounter very strange and odd. The reader also feels like they are being given snippets of Pip’s past. Extract two begins with Pips description of Miss Havisham’s house. The first descriptions are simple things, â€Å"And found myself in a pretty large room† And then they become more specific, as if it is taking Pip a long time for things to sink into his small child mind, â€Å"A draped table with a gilded looking-glass† The objects described in the scene set-up the image of a dull, scary house. Certainly not the place for a child to be. Pip gains sympathy because going to this house is something that his sister has made him do for the specific reason of claiming an inheritance, not something he has chosen to do. The dialogue between Pip and Miss Havisham is very important to the extract because it is the beginning of their relationship and it is also the first time Miss Havisham has been introduced to the reader. Miss Havisham’s voice is cold towards Pip, and she doesn’t show any emotion. This creates sympathy because of the predicament Pip is placed in. He wants to please Miss Havisham, which in turn will please his sister, yet he doesn’t understand just how to please Miss Havisham. â€Å"Look at me,† said Miss Havisham. â€Å"You are not afraid of a woman who has never seen the sun since you were born? † By asking this rhetorical question Miss Havisham is showing that she is of more power than Pip. The reader knows that Pip must be afraid of her but is not allowed to say so. In that sentence Miss Havisham is also giving away to the reader a clue as to why she is how she is. Pip is very confused in this extract. He does not understand when Miss Havisham is talking to him, or when she requires an answer. He has to be very wary of himself and as the reader knows how young Pip is, they feel sorry for him. â€Å"I stopped, fearing I might say too much, or already had said it† When Estella is brought into the scene she takes an instant dislike to Pip purely because he looks common, â€Å"With this boy! Why, he is a common labouring-boy! † She only refers to Pip as â€Å"boy† or â€Å"this boy† in the scene. This shows that Estella also thinks she is of higher importance than Pip. After a game of cards with Estella, Pip feels very ashamed. He looks at things he used to consider normal as things that he is doing wrong. This is when Pip begins to feel like he wants to be more than a â€Å"common labouring-boy†. He also feels that Estella is right about him, and begins to agree, â€Å"Her contempt for me was so strong, that it became infectious, and I caught it. † This is upsetting for the reader because they know that Pip will not stand up to Estella and that gains him sympathy. Pip’s use of language suggests that he is unsure of himself and what he wants to do, â€Å"I think I should like to go home now. † Although he is being given lots of responsibility this reminds the reader that he is still only a young boy. When Pip is given food the vocabulary used by Miss Havisham and Estella is very demeaning and degrading. â€Å"Estella, take him down. Let him have something to eat, and let him roam and look about him while he eats. Go, Pip. † Pip is referred to as â€Å"him† rather than by name even though he is in the room as they are having the conversation. The word â€Å"roam† also indicates something that an animal would do rather than a person. When Pip recognizes this fact, â€Å"As if I were a dog in disgrace. † We instantly feel sorry for him because he knows that he is disliked by Estella. The main object in this extract is to show to the readers how rich people looked down on lower-class people. Through-out this essay I have been looking at the ways in which Charles Dickens creates characters we can empathise with. I have found that the main ways he does this are by the descriptive language he uses to describe them, the use of language when his characters are interacting and also giving the reader a back-ground to his characters so they can feel more comfortable with the book. Dickens uses many techniques within these extracts such as rhetorical questions, repetition, listing descriptive language.

Binary Phase Shift Keying BPSK Modulation Demodulation Computer Science Essay

Binary Phase Shift Keying BPSK Modulation Demodulation Computer Science Essay This experiment is based on the Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) modulation/demodulation technique. The aim of the experiment is to gain familiarity with the components of a simple data transmission system, gain experience using an experimental communication system and studying its performance under the influence of white noise and also, to compare experimental results with theoretical deductions. Bandpass modulation, of which BPSK is a type, is a process whereby, a sinusoid usually called a carrier wave, is modulated or have its characteristics changed by a digital pulse baseband signal in other to enable wireless based transmission. In BPSK modulation, the phase of the carrier waveform is shifted to either 0Â ° or 180Â ° by the modulating data signal. To effectively model the transmission channel, the AWGN generator is used which adds the effect of noise to the signal at the receiver in other to properly characterise what obtains in real systems. SNR measurements are taken after the noise is added before the receiver and results of each stage of the experiment are presented. 2.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The results obtained from the experiment and brief discussions are now presented. 2.1 The frequency of the waveform was measured to be 1.493kHz 2.2 The amplitude of the waveform was measured to be 3.608V 2.3 C:Documents and SettingsAGEBNIGADesktopLAB RESULTSPart 2.bmp Fig. 1: Square Waveform from NE555 timer circuit. The timer circuit produces a sequence of ones and zeros which together with the resistors and capacitor, produces a square waveform. It can be observed that the square top and bottom are not perfectly straight but with ripples, this is due to the resonance effect presented by the capacitor. Also, the rising pattern of the top is due to the voltage rise time in the capacitor. 2.4 The frequency of the message sequence is measured to be 374Hz 2.5 C:Documents and SettingsAGEBNIGALocal SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.WordPart 4 5.bmp Fig. 2: M essage sequence at the output of the frequency divider. The SN74LS74 integrated circuit implements a second order frequency divider, 2n (n=2). Hence the frequency of the timer circuit is divided by four. Hence, this is also evident in the frequency of the message sequence in 2.4 above. 2.6 The cut-off frequency of the 2nd order Butterworth low pass filter is given by; The cut-off frequency is the frequency at which the magnitude of the transfer function drops to 0.7071 of its maximum value which represents the point at which the power in the circuit is 3dB less than the maximum value. 2.7 The frequency of the sinusoid at the output of the filter was measured to be 1.328kHz. 2.8 C:Documents and SettingsAGEBNIGALocal SettingsTemporary Internet FilesContent.Wordpart 8.jpg Fig. 3: Output of the first and second Butterworth LPF. A B A – Output of first filter; B – Output of second filter The Butterworth lowpass filter is used to generate the sinusoidal carrier required for the baseband signal. The Butterworth filter has a gentle roll-off, has no ripple in the pass or stop band hence, it has a monotonic response. To maximise the smoothness of the sinusoid, we use two of such filters in series.

Global Business in Emerging Regions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Global Business in Emerging Regions - Coursework Example China’s economy is worth $17.6 billion which is slightly higher than America’s economy that is worth $17.4 billion. The USA held the top position in world economy for more than 140 years since 1872 when it overtook Europe to become the largest economy. However china has recently overtaken the US economy (Carter, 2014). Although there are doubts about this no, there is no denial of the fact that China has experienced the fastest growth in economy and is likely to remain at very good economic condition for several years to follow. There was a time when China’s goods meant to be associated with cheaply made goods and of poor quality. Things have however started to change with the passage of time. As times have changed, there has been strengthening of the economic base and companies from around the world have started opening their manufacturing base in the country. One of the reasons for so many companies globally to manufacture their goods and products in china is b ecause of the availability of cheap labour and a large consumer base. Through its international trade China has accumulated $1.9 trillion in foreign currencies. The nine key industries are autos, steel making, electrolytic aluminium, rare earth, IT, cement and ship building (Jianfeng, 2013). The issue with China’s heavy industries is that it is plagued by over capacity. The business environment in China is shaped and shrouded in mystery. However consumers behave pretty much the same everywhere and the competition is also similar from one country to another. To understand the Chinese market one needs to understand the big trends that are shaping the Chinese market. These trends are like the big tectonic plates under the earth’s surface. If one begins to understand and appreciate these trends then the within the chaotic scenario that exists on the top actual picture can be deciphered. These trends play a major role as