The History of Obesity in America essays

The History of Obesity in America essays Obesity is a multilayered and complex disease that has affected millions throughout the world. Scientists have struggled to find successful treatments to alleviate the problem. Obesity is a relatively new problem, as this global disaster was not a prevalent issue or a public health concern until the mid-20th century. The widespread obesity around the world came about so swiftly and profoundly that the only way it can be explained is that it must be an ecological, social, and cultural issue rather than an evolutionary occurrence. The specific causes for why there was a sudden increase in obesity have not yet been established; however, the underlying causes for obesity-excessive eating and lack of exercise- have always been known. [1] The obesity pandemic is indeed a new occurrence, but obesity has been a part of many societies since prehistoric times. Societal perception has shifted dramatically in the past century from the belief that obesity was primarily a cosmetic issue to an understanding that obesity is a medical and physiological issue. Despite public health efforts to educate and influence society, the obesity rate increased enormously due to factors leading to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle and deleterious dietary changes. Obesity can be dated back to over 20,000 years and the meaning behind obesity and societal perception changes frequently. Sometimes, overweight people were viewed in a positive light and sometimes they were viewed in a more pejorative fashion. For the majority of history, there was not usually an abundance of food and when someone was corpulent, they had survival advantages. During the renaissance period, fat people were perceived to be high class and affluent. On the contrary, studies of royal Egyptian mummies suggest that there were middle class fat and stout people; however, at this time, obesity was regard as objectionable and offensive. In An...

Develop Delphi programs in Windows API (Without VCL)

Develop Delphi programs in Windows API (Without VCL) About the course: intermediate The course is written by Wes Turner, brought to you by Zarko Gajic Overview: This Guide is about developing Delphi programs without the Forms and Controls units or any of the Component Library. You will be shown how to create windows classes and windows, how to use the Message Loop to pass messages to the WndProc message handling function, etc... Prerequisites: Chapters: Introduction: The file size of a standard Delphi application is at least 250 Kb, due to the Forms unit, which will include a lot of code that may not be needed. Without the Forms unit, developing in API means that you will be coding in the .dpr (program) unit of your app. There will not be a usable Object Inspector or any components, this is NOT RAD, it is slow and there is no visual Form to see during development. But by learning how to do this you will begin to see how the Windows OS operates and uses window creation options and windows messages to do things. This is very useful in Delphi RAD with the VCL, and almost essential for VCL component development. If you can find the time and patients to learn about windows messages and message handling methods, you will greatly increase your ability to use Delphi, even if you dont use any API calls and only program with the VCL. CHAPTER 1: When you read the Win32 API help, you see that the C language syntax is used. This article will help you learn the differences between the C language types and the Delphi language types. Discuss about questions, comments, problems and solutions related to this chapter! CHAPTER 2: Lets make a formless program that gets user input and creates a file (populated with system information), using only Windows API calls. Discuss about questions, comments, problems and solutions related to this chapter! CHAPTER 3: Lets see how to create a Windows GUI program with windows and a message loop. Heres what youll find in this chapter: an intro to Windows messaging (with a discussion on message structure) ; about the WndMessageProc function, handles, the CreateWindow function, and much more. Discuss about questions, comments, problems and solutions related to this chapter! More coming...

New Media & International Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

New Media & International Communication - Essay Example The media influences with sports apparel are created through various forms of communication that are based on commercialization. The types of media are inclusive of more traditional forms of media, such as print ads, newspapers, magazines and TV advertisements. These forms of commercialization are known to carry a specific number of advertisements or highlights that are based on sports apparel. There are also newer forms of advertisements through the dispersal of information on the Internet, specifically which creates a different relationship with potential customers interested in sports apparel. These various forms of communication become the most essential components of media influences as well as the relationships which are created with sports apparel. The main association with each of these is to transform the ideas of sports apparel into one which becomes attractive to those who are interested in sports of various forms.... For example, many of the sports coverage that is available come through television and sponsoring organizations. These include live coverage of specific games that may be more important to a group of individuals. The exposure continues with endorsements and sponsorship of top athletes for commercialization, specifically based on the performance of the games played in the past. These two interlink to news related stories that highlight the sports games and the top players. The news stories, coverage and responses then continue with social media and Internet exposure that highlights and creates responses with what is happening. Each of these build a different type of exposure through the media and interlink where the commercial aspects relate directly to exposure of the games and the fan base that identifies with this (Uhler, Lanter, 2008: p. 52). Communication of Sports Apparel The use of media and communication for sports apparel is unique because of the characteristics it holds and the type of consumers interested in the apparel. The main association is based on forms of advertising that are associated with adventure and living in the extreme. Through a recent study (Puchan, 2005, 171), it was found that sports activities have vastly increased in the last 20 years. This increase in sports is one which is directly related to the media sport and the world of sports that are associated with ideas of sports. Remaining healthy, living for adventure and having extreme associations then creates a different sense of communication. Sports apparel then links to communication that targets individuals interested in specific activities. The forms of media which are used will target these individuals and will communicate this specific message while showing

Immigration and education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Immigration and education - Research Paper Example om transportation to unofficial immigrants under 31 years of age; arrived in the United States earlier of age 16; have always been in the country for at least five years of residence; having not been sentenced for any crime, presently in school, having advanced from high school, or functioned in the U.S army. Thus the Obama administration is better to move on with immigration reforms which included: the immigration reform system legalized so as to function more successfully, taking precise response to labor market, thus, enhancing U.S effectiveness. Reinstates the reliability of immigration laws through an implementation system which disheartens managers and workers from their external action of the lawful system, safeguards Americas boundaries, and charges substantial consequences in touch with those who disrupt the guidelines; Proposes a just, caring, and arranged technique to permit numerous of the coarsely millions of migrants presently residing unlawfully in the U.S to receive the legal rights of living in the country. This is worth implementation since the immigrants could aid in increasing the U.S economy as they are very hard working persons, Registration of these immigrants with contextual authorizations would certify that we know who is here and will allow the U.S powers to pay attention to implementation properties on criminal essentials and safety pressures instead of meticulous intimate memberships. The possibility for getting a national policy failure sometimes can be explained by partisan actions. The September 11 outbreaks still a possible immigration reform package in its ways. Before the outbreak, President George W. Bush meeting with Mexican president, Vicente Fox, a number of times discussing about the Latinos becoming the significant individuals of swing voters known for nowadays ,hence calling for consensual immigration reforms. Subsequent to the bomber attacks, nevertheless, immigration implementation turn out to be identical with

Why Race, Class, and Gender Still Matter Essay Example for Free

Why Race, Class, and Gender Still Matter Essay The critical issues mentioned in â€Å"Why Race Class and Gender Still Matter† are how inequalities are going to be spoken about in the book â€Å"Race Class and Gender† and about how race, class, and gender still effect society today. Another critical topic in this chapter is Hurricane Katrina and how that brought the poverty level and status of minorities in the country to light. Lastly, this chapter explains how the author expects the reader to look at race, class, and gender as they read the rest of the book and to look at the experiences of every group from that particular perspective. This book was intended for under-graduate and graduate sociology or political science students. The purpose of chapter one was to explain the point of the book. It was an expository introduction that told why race, class, and gender needs to be examined and studied. According to this book race, class, and gender â€Å"shape the experiences of all people in the United States.† There are ways in which different groups can be both privileged in one way while disadvantaged in another. Americans have started describing these different groups using the term diversity. Diversity awareness has started initiatives to prove diversity is pleasing and important, and that it should be celebrated. One more important topic discussed in this chapter is the directions to study exploitations and exclusions of some groups along with the inclusion of others. The thesis of â€Å"Why Race Class and Gender Still Matter† is that developing knowledge of how the progressively universal center of society effects the configuration of race, class, and gender interactions will inspire inclusive outlooks in the United States. The author’s language ability is voice-intimidating. The author uses very advanced language. Specific words I found difficult to understand were matrix, salient, domination, and framework. The author provides evidence when talking about Hurricane Katrina and the damage that hurricane did. However, most statements are not backed up with evidence of studies or statistics. The author employs the logic of problematic. I found this reading to open my mind up for what is to come in the future weeks of this class. Since it was only the opening chapter I did not find anything to be implicit or explicit. My biggest question is what is meant by a matrix of domination? This chapter says â€Å"we use the approach of a matrix of domination to analyze race, class, and gender.† I realize that it refers to levels in the social structure of the U.S. but how are these levels defined and what makes one disadvantage worse than another?

Free College Essays - The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe :: Poe Raven Essays

The Raven The Raven written by Edgar Allan Poe is a very famous poertry. "The most obvious symbol is the Raven its self. Poe uses the non-reasoning raven because he wants to make us wondering why he had chosen the raven from all the other birds., and frustrate us by wondering why the raven is repeating the word nevermore. He is surprised to hear the bird speak and he thinks that no living human has ever had a bird just sit there and talk to him, and with such a name as Nevermore. This might be the point where he realises that he is dying. It is also important that the answers to the questions are already known, but in a way it helps to illustrate the self-torture the narrator exposes himself to. Another symbol is the Pallas. . It seemed that the bird had a purpose for being there. In the whole room the raven decides toperch on the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, because in a way or another he is trying to make us believe that the raven speaks from wisdom? Or was Poe just using a word only some could interpret? "And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door; And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming, And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor; And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor Shall be lifted NEVERMORE." Through this quotation the bird has disobeyed him and is just sitting above the door staring at him. His soul is caught under the bird shadow as he passes away and it is lifted up to heaven and his fair Lenore. Poe uses midnight and December for the time the story takes place because both represent an end to something, and alsothe anticipation of something new. A new year comes after midnight, also a new day; and December represents the end of a year. Finally when I picture the room the narrator is positioned in and remembering the past, remembering how weak and weary he felt. He remembers himself he was like a lonely and sorrowful, and the richly furnished room reminds him of his lost love,

Patient Confidentiality in the Emergency Department Essay

Confidentiality and privacy are words used interchangeably in the medical world when they have very different meanings. Confidentiality is in line with protection of patient information from unauthorized users and privacy is in line with protection of the patient’s physical body from unauthorized users. In the emergency department (ED) this is a lofty and constant task that requires vigilance from staff, in all departments, involved with the patient. This student will report on the issues with confidentiality in the ED. Describe the issue and the population it affects most. There are many issues with confidentiality in the ED but this student believes that the overcrowding and â€Å"the growth in the subspecialty of Hallway Medicine† (Freeman, 2003, p. 1) is an enormous problem facing emergency department’s (ED’s). Hallway medicine happens when an ED has full rooms and the hallway gets employed as a waiting or staging area for the overflow patients. Emergency room visits by patients are not just for emergencies anymore. The ED is becoming more like an urgent care setting. As more patients cannot pay for the medical care, they need a higher utilization of the ED is happening because the ED cannot refuse to treat a patient. This is causing an influx of patient volume. Because most ED’s have not had the opportunity to rebuild or redesign the patient rooms to single person rooms the use of curtains separating patient’s is still widely used. Some precautions have been instituted by widening the space between beds and using portable dividers there is still an issue with maintaining patient’s confidentiality. Poor division between patients and overcrowding of ED’s can create a sense of no privacy for the necessary communication between patient and provider to happen. Patients will use the ED for a variety of ailments. If the patient feels that they may be overheard by someone other than his or her provider, he or she most likely will withhold medical history or information that the provider would need to help diagnose and treat the current problem. Supporting facts According to Moskop, Marco, Larkin, Geiderman, and Derse (2005), â€Å"Of the 104 patients in the latter study reported that their expectations for privacy in the ED were met, 4 patients (all in curtained treatment areas) reported withholding part of their medical history, refusing part of their examination, or both because of privacy concerns† (Moskop et al 2005, p. 1). When patients believe that someone who is not providing care directly to them can hear the intimate details of his or her medical issue he or she will most likely not share the entirety of the details. If the patient is a celebrity, he or she will not want to share too much information for fear that the ED visit information will be sold or leaked to the press or paparazzi. Possibly, there is a family member with the patient. This person does not need to know the full extent of the patient’s medical issues. These are valid confidentiality concerns that hamper the ability of the ED physician to treat the patient. Ethical and Legal Issues The ethical issues are never-ending when dealing with patients’ confidentiality while in the ED. The emergency department has some slightly different issues to deal with in emergent or trauma situations the need to maintain the patients’ confidentiality are still prevalent. ED physicians have to be wary of several possibilities that can affect the course of an ED visit. The safety of patients and staff is always a top priority. Depending on mental status, the severity of the injury or illness, placing the patient in a single person room or closer to the nurses’ station may be necessary to maintain safety. Law enforcement officers may need to have access to the patient to get the details of an accident or retrieve evidence. The officers have, in some instances, the ability to access the patients because the transportation to the ED by law enforcement. Protecting the medical record is of high importance. No matter who has access to the patient the medical record must be kept confidential and not laying around for anyone to see. Legal issues around confidentiality can be just as important. Patients can record the actions of the staff in the ED. Smart phones have increased the patient’s or family member’s ability to document what is said and the actions made by the providers. This may help a legal case if the patient has a valid complaint. The facility also has to make the medical record safe and confidential. If the medical record is on paper, then there needs to be restricted access to the area where the records are. If the medical record is electronic, safeguards in the computer programming need to shut down and lock the screen after a short period on inactivity. Managerial responsibilities related to administrative ethical issues In the article, there was no relation to managerial responsibilities. This student believes that education to the staff as regularly as possible is the best way to make sure all staff understand the high level of confidentiality to be maintained in the ED. There should be no compromise when accessing the patients’ medical record. Regular training for the staff will be a big step in the right direction. Reaching out to ancillary departments and outside resource, law enforcement officers, to coordinate the teaching of confidentiality within patient access would also create a unity between the different people who may have access to the patient. Solutions Proposed solutions for maintaining confidentiality in the ED begin with making the patient feel that the space he or she are in during his or her ED visit is an audibly secure. This becomes a challenge for established older ED where curtains are still used to create a privacy barrier. One solution would be to use all individual rooms first, before using the curtained rooms. This removes any confidentiality issues at the beginning of the visit. If only curtained rooms are available space the patients in every other curtained room until it is necessary to start using the rooms in between. Another solution may be to have portable walls that roll into place to give an added layer of sound barrier. â€Å"In an area where multiple patient-staff communications routinely occur, use of cubicles, dividers, shields, curtains, or similar barriers may constitute a reasonable safeguard† (â€Å"Using barriers,† 2002, p. 6). Conclusion In the emergency department, a patient’s visit can be very hectic and have different people discussing the patients care and care needs to be taken to ensure the patient’s confidentiality. The patient needs to feel comfortable to share his or her health history so that the physician can make the best informed decision for the patient’s treatment. The patients’ medical record needs to be kept secure whether in a restricted area or with software that shuts down after not used for a short period. Creating an audibly secure area for the patient will help create a better ED visit for the patient.

Office Star Usefull for Market Research

Background OfficeStar, a regional chain of office supply stores, has decided to launch its own ink cartridge line of products. The goal of the company is to compete with the usual actors in the market by offering a lower-priced product to its core customers, with which it hopes to capture significant market share in that business. The key figures for this market are as follows: .. The market for ink cartridges in the region is approximately 2. 3 million units sold every quarter (to simplify, we assume 2. 3 million customers buy one ink cartridge each). ..The production cost of an ink cartridge is $6. 50; it is sold at a price of $19. 95 in stores, leading to a gross margin of $13. 45. .. OfficeStar has a house list of 500,000 identified potential customers, to whom the company could send samples if that were deemed profitable. .. Sending a sample costs $3 in shipping and handling. Just before launching the product line, OfficeStar hired a market research company to perform simulation s and forecast the future market share of the product. Results were disappointing. The market research company has identified two key issues: ..Prospective customers are unwilling to try this product, and most appear likely to remain loyal to their current provider (usually, the printer manufacturer). .. Even for those customers willing to try the product, market research pretests show a low level of repeat sales. Exercise As the new product manager of the OfficeStar ink cartridge product line, you wanted to identify the opportunities and ways to penetrate stronghold of OEMs. Data from 40 respondents was captured and is available in OfficeStar Data. xls file. Carry out segmentation study and report your findings in the form of 1 page memo.

How to Make an Inference in 5 Easy Steps

How to Make an Inference in 5 Easy Steps We all have to take those standardized tests where youre presented with a large passage of text and must work your way through the multiple-choice problems that follow. Most of the time, youll get questions asking you to find the main idea, determine the authors purpose, understand vocabulary in context, figure out the authors tone, and, the topic at hand, make inferences. For many people, understanding how to make an inference is the toughest part of the reading passage, because an inference in real life requires a bit of guessing. On a multiple-choice test, however, making an inference comes down to honing a few reading skills like these listed below. Read them, then practice your new skills with the inference practice problems listed below. What exactly is an inference? Step 1: Identify an Inference Question First, youll need to determine whether or not youre actually being asked to make an inference on a reading test. The most obvious questions will have the words suggest, imply or infer right in the tag like these: According to the passage, we can reasonably infer...Based on the passage, it could be suggested that...Which of the following statements is best supported by the passage?The passage suggests that this primary problem...The author seems to imply that†¦ Some questions, however, will not come right out and ask you to infer. Youll have to actually infer that you need to make an inference about the passage. Sneaky, huh? Here are a few that require inferencing skills, but dont use those words exactly. With which of the following statements would the author most likely agree?Which of the following sentences would the author most likely use to add additional support to paragraph three? Step 2: Trust the Passage Now that youre certain you have an inference question on your hands, and you know exactly what an inference is, youll need to let go of your prejudices and prior knowledge and use the passage to prove that the inference you select is the correct one. Inferences on a multiple-choice exam are different from those in real life. Out in the real world, if you make an educated guess, your inference could still be incorrect. But on a multiple-choice exam, your inference will be correct because youll use the details in the passage to prove it. You have to trust that the passage offers you the truth in the setting of the test and that one of the answer choices provided is correct without stepping too far outside the realm of the passage. Step 3: Hunt for Clues Your third step is to start hunting for clues – supporting details, vocabulary, characters actions, descriptions, dialogue, and more – to prove one of the inferences listed below the question. Take this question and text, for example: Reading Passage: The widow Elsa was as complete a contrast to her third bridegroom, in everything but age, as can be conceived. Compelled to relinquish her first marriage after her husband died in the war, she married a man twice her years to whom she became an exemplary wife despite their having nothing in common, and by whose death she was left in possession of a splendid fortune, though she gave it away to the church. Next, a southern gentleman, considerably younger than herself, succeeded to her hand, and carried her to Charleston, where, after many uncomfortable years, she found herself again a widow. It would have been remarkable if any feeling had survived through such a life as Elsas; it could not but be crushed and killed by the early disappointment of her first grooms demise, the icy duty of her second marriage, and the unkindness of her third husband, which had inevitably driven her to connect the idea of his death with that of her comfort. Based on the information in the passage, it could be suggested that the narrator believes Elsas prior marriages to be:A. uncomfortable, but well-suited to ElsaB. satisfactory and dull to ElsaC. cold and damaging to ElsaD. awful, but worth it to Elsa To find clues that point to the correct answer, look for descriptions that would support those first adjectives in the answer choices. Here are some of the descriptions of her marriages in the passage: †¦she became an exemplary wife despite their having nothing in common†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦after many uncomfortable years, she found herself again a widow.†¦the icy duty of her second marriage and the unkindness of her third husband which had inevitably driven her to connect the idea of his death with that of her comfort. Step 4: Narrow Down the Choices The last step to making a correct inference on a multiple-choice test is to narrow down the answer choices. Using the clues from the passage, we can infer that nothing much was satisfactory to Elsa about her marriages, which gets rid of Choice B. Choice A is also incorrect because although the marriages certainly seem uncomfortable based on the clues, they were not well-suited to her as she had nothing in common with her second husband and wanted her third husband to die. Choice D is also incorrect because nothing is stated or implied in the passage to prove that Elsa believed her marriages to be worth it in some way; in fact, we can infer that it wasnt worth it to her at all because she gave away the money from her second husband. So, we have to believe that Choice C is the best – the marriages were cold and damaging. The passage states explicitly that her marriage was an icy duty and her third husband was unkind. We also know that they were damaging because her feelings had been crushed and killed by her marriages. Step 5: Practice To get really good at making inferences, youll need to practice making your own inferences first, so start with these free inference practice worksheets.

Mississippians Were the Mound Builders in North America

Mississippians Were the Mound Builders in North America The Mississippian culture is what archaeologists call the pre-Columbian horticulturalists who lived in the midwestern and southeastern United States between about AD 1000-1550. Mississippian sites have been identified within the river valleys of nearly a third of what is today the United States, including an area centered in Illinois but found as far south as the Florida panhandle, west as Oklahoma, north as Minnesota, and east as Ohio. Mississippian Chronology 1539 - Hernando de Sotos expedition visits Mississippian polities from Florida to Texas1450-1539 - mound centers regroup, some develop paramount leaders1350-1450 - Cahokia abandoned, many other mound centers decrease in population1100-1350 - multiple mound centers arise radiating out from Cahokia1050-1100 - Cahokias Big Bang, population peaks at 10,000-15,000, colonization efforts begin in the north800-1050 - un-palisaded villages and intensification of maize exploitation, Cahokia population at about 1000 by AD 1000 Regional Cultures The term Mississippian is a broad umbrella term that includes several similar regional archaeological cultures. The southwestern portion of this huge area (Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma and adjacent states) is known as Caddo; the Oneota is found in Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin); Fort Ancient is the term referring to Mississippian-like towns and settlements in the Ohio River Valley of Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana; and the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex includes the states of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. At a minimum, all of these distinctive cultures shared cultural traits of mound construction, artifact forms, symbols, and stratified ranking. Mississippian cultural groups were independent chiefdoms which were primarily connected, at varying levels, by loosely organized trade systems and warfare. The groups shared a common ranked societal structure; a farming technology based on the three sisters of maize, beans, and squash; fortification ditches and palisades; large earthen flat-topped pyramids (called platform mounds); and a set of rituals and symbols referring to fertility, ancestor worship, astronomical observations, and war. Origins of the Mississippians The archaeological site of Cahokia is the largest of the Mississippian sites and arguably the main generator for most of the ideas that make up Mississippian culture. It was located in the segment of the Mississippi River Valley in the central United States known as the American Bottom. In this rich environment just east of the modern day city of St. Louis, Missouri, Cahokia rose to become an enormous urban settlement. It has by far the largest mound of any Mississippian site and held a population of between 10,000-15,000 at its heyday. Cahokias center called Monks Mound covers an area of five hectares (12 acres) at its base and stands over 30 meters (~100 feet) tall. The vast majority of Mississippian mounds in other places are no more than 3 m (10 ft) high. Because of Cahokias extraordinary size and early development, American archaeologist Timothy Pauketat has argued that Cahokia was the regional polity which provided the impetus for the incipient Mississippian civilization. Certainly, in terms of chronology, the habit of constructing mound centers began at Cahokia and then moved outward into the Mississippi Delta and Black Warrior valleys in Alabama, followed by centers in Tennessee and Georgia. That is not to say that Cahokia ruled these areas, or even had direct hands-on influence in their construction. One key identifying the independent rise of the Mississippian centers is the  multiplicity of languages that were used by the Mississippians. Seven distinct language families were used in the Southeast alone (Muskogean, Iroquoian, Catawban, Caddoan, Algonkian, Tunican, Timuacan), and many of the languages were mutually unintelligible. Despite this, most scholars support the centrality of Cahokia and suggest that the different Mississippian polities emerged as a  combination of a product of several intersecting local and external factors. What Connects the Cultures to Cahokia? Archaeologists have identified several traits connecting Cahokia to the vast number of other Mississippian chiefdoms. Most of those studies indicate that Cahokias influence varied over time and space. The only true colonies established identified to date include about a dozen sites such as Trempealeau and Aztalan in Wisconsin, beginning about 1100 AD. American archaeologist Rachel Briggs suggests that the Mississippian standard jar and its usefulness in converting maize into edible hominy was a common thread for Alabamas Black Warrior Valley, which saw Mississippian contact as early as 1120 AD. In Fort Ancient sites, which Mississippian immigrants reached in the late 1300s, there was no increased use of maize, but according to Americanist Robert Cook, a new form of leadership developed, associated with dog/wolf clans and cult practices. The pre-Mississippian Gulf Coast societies seem to have been a generator of artifacts and ideas shared by the Mississippians. Lightning whelks (Busycon sinistrum), a Gulf Coast marine shellfish with a left-handed spiral construction, have been found at Cahokia and other Mississippian sites. Many are reworked into the form of shell cups, gorgets, and masks, as well as marine shell bead making. Some shell effigies made from pottery have also been identified. American archaeologists Marquardt and Kozuch suggest that the whelks left-handed spiral may have represented a metaphor for the continuity and inevitability of birth, death, and rebirth. There is also some evidence that groups along central Gulf Coast made stepped pyramids before Cahokias rise (Pluckhahn and colleagues). Social Organization Scholars are divided on the political structures of the various communities. To some scholars, a centralized political economy with a paramount chief or leader appears to have been in effect at many of the societies where burials of elite persons have been identified. In this theory, political control likely developed over the restricted access to food storage, labor to build platform mounds, craft production of luxury items of copper and shell, and the funding of feasting and other rituals. Social structure within the groups was ranked, with at least two or more classes of people with different amounts of power in evidence. The second group of scholars is of the opinion that most Mississippian political organizations were decentralized, that there may have been ranked societies, but access to status and luxury goods was by no means as imbalanced as one would expect with a true hierarchical structure. These scholars support the notion of autonomous polities who were engaged in loose alliances and warfare relationships, led by chiefs who were at least partly controlled by councils and kin- or clan-based factions. The most likely scenario is that the amount of control held by elites in Mississippian societies varied considerably from region to region. Where the centralized model probably works best are in those regions with clearly evident mound centers such as Cahokia and Etowah in Georgia; decentralization was clearly in effect in the Carolina Piedmont and southern Appalachia visited by 16th-century European expeditions. Sources Alt S. 2012. Making Mississippian at Cahokia. In: Pauketat TR, editor. Oxford Handbook of North American Archaeology. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p 497-508.Bardolph D. 2014. Evaluating Cahokian Contact and Mississippian Identity Politics in the Late Prehistoric Central Illinois River Valley. American Antiquity 79(1):69-89.Briggs RV. 2017. The Civil Cooking Pot: Hominy and the Mississippian Standard Jar in the Black Warrior Valley, Alabama. American Antiquity 81(2):316-332.Cook R. 2012. Dogs of War: Potential Social Institutions of Conflict, Healing, and Death in a Fort Ancient Village. American Antiquity 77(3):498-523.Cook RA, and Price TD. 2015. Maize, mounds, and the movement of people: isotope analysis of a Mississippian/Fort Ancient region. Journal of Archaeological Science 61:112-128.Marquardt WH, and Kozuch L. 2016. The lightning whelk: An enduring icon of southeastern North American spirituality. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 42:1-26.Pauketat TR, Alt SM, and Kruc hten JD. 2017. The Emerald Acropolis: elevating the moon and water in the rise of Cahokia. Antiquity 91(355):207-222. Pluckhahn TJ, Thompson VD, and Rink WJ. 2016. Evidence for Stepped Pyramids of Shell in the Woodland Period of Eastern North America. American Antiquity 81(2):345-363.Skousen BJ. 2012. Posts, places, ancestors, and worlds: dividual personhood in the American Bottom region. Southeastern Archaeology 31(1):57-69.Slater PA, Hedman KM, and Emerson TE. 2014. Immigrants at the Mississippian polity of Cahokia: strontium isotope evidence for population movement. Journal of Archaeological Science 44:117-127.

Negotiation and Conflict Week 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Negotiation and Conflict Week 4 - Essay Example The main problem is the isolation of Jerry by other workers due to the aggressive behavior meted against them. There is suspicion of drug usage by Jerry but he has vehemently refused and even stating that the manager is confused Emotions play a significant role in the creation of conflict. People fight because emotions have gotten over them. The evaluation of emotions is vital in the conflict resolution process because it enables the cause of the problem to be identified. Emotions affect how employees relate which may lead to aggression of support. Jerry’s emotional state is not ok leading to regular mood swings and leads to serious challenges for other employees. Positive emotions improve harmony within the teams while also encouraging the development of interpersonal skills. These skills are essential in the communication process because they encourage the development of appropriate working environment. The conflict resolution strategy using the dimensional model To solve th e identified problem, the cognitive and emotional needs, of the team must be evaluated. The major problem with the team is the behavior of a jerry; he has several challenges in personality and communication. The evaluation of the perception of the employees about jerry is vital because negative perception makes a reasonable person incompetent and vice versa. The reasons for the negativity within the employees must be addressed in order to solve the conflict. The main problem with the situation is the perception of the employees in regard to the new changes. The recruitment or the deployment of the sales agents must be evaluated because if the employees feel the Jerry is treated well then, negative perception may develop within the team as a result of the treatment (Bercovitch, Bercovitch, & Jackson, 2009, p. 34). The need for behavior change for Jerry must be addressed in a transparent manner, to ensure the employee understand the change and the reasons for the change. Perception is vital because it affects the emotional balance of the group by influencing the attitude of the employees. During the solution process, any negative perception about Jerry must be countered with the proper data and information, to encourage the development of accommodating environment. The emotional needs of the team must be evaluated in order to develop the necessary support services for the individuals within the team. Unsatisfied team member vent their anger at the each other as such emotional balance within the group is vital. To reduce cases of frustration and anger, delegation and the support of the individual employees is mandatory. Social Styles Model strategy development The social model style approaches conflict resolution using several factors, which include the development of personality and the improvement of the necessary skills. The classification of the team into four groups is essential in the development of the conflict resolution strategy. The concern structure in cludes driving, analytical, expressive and amiable. The model develops ways to which each social style needs to interact thus helping people to adapt each other and ensure harmony. The success of conflict resolution in the case of dispute between Jerry and the employees involves the development of the necessary skills which are vital in the working environment. The model evaluates the responsiveness of the employees to the interaction with others. The model evalua

Medicare and Medicaid Reimbursement to Providers Essay

Medicare and Medicaid Reimbursement to Providers - Essay Example In addition to accurate information, information technology plays a vital role in making Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement process easier and faster. Offices have medical billing software that automatically compile, enter, and format universal outpatient billing claim form; however, changing information technology alone cannot sustain an ease of access in obtaining and sharing health information in the Medicare and Medicaid process, particularly organizational changes about payment. Therefore, this paper will discuss how the organization can have a better payment and communication system through suggesting a constant associate that would deal with the provider’s need for information and designating a certain time frame to receive the payment. The Proposed Change History of the organization and the need for change. The history of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services began when the Medicare and the Medicaid programs were signed into law on July 30, 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. It was then subjected to legislative change by George W. Bush on December 8, 2003 and became the Medicare Modernization Act which has added an outpatient prescription drug benefit to Medicare (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2012, n.p.). ... In addition, it reflects that the comprehensive health reform focuses on a new model for broader payment and delivery system. In relation to the proposed change, the author thought that the organization can have a better system in place when there is a certain time frame to receive the payment and when the same associate communicates information every time a provider calls in to get information about payment, instead of dealing with other associates to start over from the beginning. Assessment revealed that the organization has the need for change to broaden the payment and delivery system and improve care coordination between providers, associates, and settings. Organizational and individual barriers. The presence of individual and organizational barriers hinders the provision of a timely and appropriate Medicaid and Medicare services. Individual barriers include attitudes, knowledge, beliefs, culture, and training of providers and patients while organizational barriers include fina ncing or payment policies (Mauch, Kautz, & Smith, 2008, 11). Receiving reimbursements under Medicaid and Medicaid must be in line with the payment structures, billing methods, state business customs and federal laws and regulations. Under the federal law, there are 12 services which were mandated to provide as a condition of participation in the Medicaid and Medicare program (Mauch, Kautz, & Smith, 2008, 11). It is the State which has the influence towards organizational payment policies and thus, may contribute to the success or failure of the proposed change in the reimbursement process. Restrictions on same-day billing also impede Medicare and