Role of Environment in Child Development Research Paper Example

Role of Environment in Child Development Research Paper Example Role of Environment in Child Development Paper Role of Environment in Child Development Paper An early childhood environment is many things: Its a safe place where children are protected from the elements and are easily supervised, and its here the important activities of the day take place, such as playing, eating, sleeping, washing hands, and going to the bathroom. Beyond the basics, however, an environment for young children implements and supports a programs philosophy and curriculum. Childhood is the most important phase for overall development throughout the lifespan. Part of our capacity for change and growth depends on early experiences and the interrelationships of children and parents. Early experiences determine health, education and economic participation for the rest of life. A childs identity develops as he or she grows. Brain and biological velveteen during the first years of life is highly influenced by an infants environment. Early childhood is the most intensive period of brain development during the lifespan. To reach their potential, young children need to spend time in a caring responsive environment that protects them from neglect and inappropriate disapproval and punishment. Parents and families are the key to early child development, but need support to provide the right environment. Some families provide an atmosphere of love and acceptance. Others have a climate of instability and hostility in which love is not available to aid the childrens development. Studies show that children need love. Families that are loving and democratic not only have children who are brighter than those families which are cold and autocratic, but also tend to have children whose Siss increase while in school rather than decrease. Attention and interest leads to children with a high self esteem. Those mothers who show affectionate warmth toward their children have children with a lower incidence of juvenile delinquency. Interest and affectionate warmth in the home are important for the growing personality. Each family is different, because the family is a system composed of unique individuals. Families can be classified as child-centered, home-centered or parent-centered. The parents in the child-centered family willingly sacrifice their needs and desires for the sake of their children. The happiness and health of their children are more important than any considerations. Typically, in the child-centered family, a division of labor occurs in which the father specializes in maintaining economic security and in ensuring a respected place for the family in the community, the mother specializes in taking care of the children. In home centered families priority is also given to the needs of the children. The preference between the child centered and home centered families is that home centered families are not oriented toward socio-economic achievement, instead both the father and mother give priority to personal relationships among family members, emotional security and companionship are highly valued. The familys energy is spent on the family life, rather than the community. These two family types provides a conducive environment for a child development. Parents who spend time playing and teaching their kids through reading and by performing various types of hands-on games and activities can have a positive impact on their childish development. The childish immediate family environment shapes a sense of stability, self-worth and worldview. The best home environment for a child is one that helps meet the basic needs for health and safety. Homes with a positive emotional climate produce children who trust others. A positive family environment provides consistency for strong childhood development. The childs immediate family environment shapes a sense of stability, self- worth and worldview. Routines such as eating meals together as a family or going to the park on Sundays provide opportunities for family members to develop social relationships amongst themselves. Family rituals also promote a sense of belonging. Bedtime routines are associated with better sleep patterns amongst children. Family routines may also make it easier for children to cope with stress such as parental separation or divorce. Maintaining a good environment at home for children is very important, as it is the first training a child gets before going in to the real world. For instance, a child starts learning from his/her home at the beginning stage. Although this seems to be a difficult job which needs lots of patience, struggle and time to mold the entire system. Some of the key aspects of discipline which your hill should ideally learn in the early years are Courtesy, manners and punctuality. At home your child needs to be taught behavioral qualities, and rude behavior needs to be thwarted out. But before one concentrates his efforts on disciplining a child for misconduct, one must have a strategy, or game plan, for teaching their child how they are expected to behave. As I said patience is an important and a successful element in maintaining a good environment at home. Sometimes it will be very difficult to keep your patience, at this point take some break, there is no need to be disheartened and try again later. To maintain a pleasant environment at home it requires a lot of concentration, persistence and hard work. If you take steps at the beginning of your child by setting out guidelines and goals you want to achieve and stick to them, your chances of maintaining a pleasant environment will be far higher. When your child stays at home all day, and you take on the dual role of teacher and parent, issues of discipline will arise. It IS easy for the child to take on a negative attitude towards understanding discipline. Correct discipline needs to be adhered from the start of your homecomings to avoid potential faculties later on in your childs development and learning. Discipline provides both yourself and your child with immense levels of freedom, and there will be an enticement to stretch this freedom. Certain rules and practices need to be implemented at the beginning stages of your child as it may be very difficult for you to change your childs habits at later stage. There should be a friendly and enabling environment at home. The members of the family should listen and have a great respect for one another. This is very important to maintain a good environment free from all countersigning and confusions among the family members. Parents relations play a significant role in maintaining a better environment at home. Praise is powerful. Praising your child is one of the most important things you can do as a parent. Praise is nourishment. It helps your child grow emotionally, just as food helps your child grow physically. The reason behind giving praise is to build up self esteem, to give a belief of personal satisfaction, with the addition of feeling secure within ones self. There is a sense of confidence that one has when one knows that someone has paid detention and has encourage them with a positive response, due to their efforts. So now knowing what praise is we take in mind how often we should praise a child and when without over saturating with praises or not giving enough praises. Sometimes its best for children that parents should avoid discussing their domestic and financial matters in front of their children as some children are very sensitive and they get frustrated and tilt towards negative activities to escape from their suffocated environment. Ups and downs are part of life from which no one can escape rather it is wise to face them boldly and moieties its good to take your childrens views in any decision-making as this will make them feel more confident about themselves. In this way, they will trust and feel that their parents always give them importance and they will consider themselves an integral part of the family. The bottom line is that maintaining a good environment is in the hands of sensible parents who can build a childs career by playing and affective role so that their children should always feel at home a place where one wants to be relaxed putting aside tensions and worries of life. An ideal learning environment for young children would be established at home, as well as at school. For example, a young child should be able to do homework in a well-lighted area that is free of distractions such as television. The right materials, such as paper, scissors, sharpened pencils, and crayons, need to be on hand for homework or projects. By having these materials ready before the work starts, will save everyone time and help keep your child focused from beginning to end. A Liberal family which has lesser number of kids will be best for children to grow up in. In my opinion, parents have the responsibility to educate their own children in their own way. However, a liberal family will make their children grow up happily. Parents should not limit childrens thought and behavior in their own way. What they think may not be correct at all times. Children could select what they would like to learn and enjoy besides the general studying. I cant agree with people who only want to have one child, not only because of the decrease of the birth rate, but also because their child needs someone to be with to accompany. The lecture from teachers or parents will never replace wisdom gained from siblings and peers. Some people may argue that parents should have the domination toward heir own family; however, apparently its not appropriate to control ones mind and behaviors because they are older. Children should learn how do they discipline their behaviors. Parents and the other elders could give them the suggestion, which it might be useful because they are more experienced than the younger. But, time changes. The old rules could be the best answer; however, its not right to deny other options that could lead them to the correct way. Although things will be more complicated and hard, this is what they choose and they deserve to suffer or enjoy their own lives. The early learning environment is important in a childs development. Education extends beyond traditional schooling. In fact, the first three years of life are possibly the most important to a childs developing brain. During this time, stimulation and interaction with parents and other children is essential. Young children require a rich environment in which to interact and explore. Actively engaging all of his senses stimulates brain cells and encourages growth. Children need to explore, experiment, and learn basic knowledge through direct experience. Indeed, childhood is a time when we earn firsthand about the physical world the feel of water, the constant pull of gravity, the stink of rotten fruit, and the abrasive feel of concrete on a bare knee. A young child can learn by touching, and if denied sources of stimulation, mental growth stagnates. The school that your child attends has a massive impact on creating and molding fundamental behavioral aspects. Children at the preschool and elementary level are building an academic foundation for their future. The role of the teacher is critical in a childs life. Children depend on teachers to be their confidant, colleague, model, instructor, and nurturer of educational experiences. The best learning environment for children is a child-centered, play-based one. Demonstrate to children that the space is theirs by displaying pictures of the children and their families, as well as samples of their artwork. Children learn best through hands-on activities that involve all five senses. Structure your learning environment so that children can move freely between activities at their own pace. Play-based environments emphasize social and emotional development that enables children to excel academically, communicate effectively with teachers and peers and develop problem-solving skills. An ideal learning environment for young children is one where the students can focus on their schoolwork and their teacher and not be distracted by uncomfortable temperatures, insufficient lighting and poor classroom design. The physical learning environment should be safe, comfortable, nurturing and positive. Discipline and academic achievement should be enforced. Schools enforced with rules and a safe environment showed increased scores academically and a reduction in discipline issues. Children learn best when offered a balance between structured and unstructured activity. During free play, children should have the freedom to whose where to play and what to play with. The learning environment serves as an invitation at all times. Make sure that all accessible materials are age- appropriate and safe, and be prepared to allow the children to use those materials as they move around in the space. Provide enough materials so that several children can play in the same area at once. Avoid time limits during free play. Allow time each day for structured play or activities. Whether youre following a theme or teaching about an animal or culture the children have expressed an interest in, make sure the group activity engages as many of the vive senses as possible. For example, if today is A day, you might bring several colors Of apples to the activity space. Talk about the colors with the children and allow each child to smell the apple. Cut the apple and give slices from each variety to each child. Invite the children to sample the apple and describe the way if feels, smells and tastes. You might also prepare a dish using the apples from the activity, talk about the seeds and plant an apple tree. The best learning environments have well-defined spaces. If you have a long, open space through the middle of the room, you re inviting children to UN, skip or hop through that space. Designate areas for reading, dramatic play, art, music and movement, science and math by using rugs, tables, screens, lofts, bookcases, furniture and nooks. Scholastic recommends that you provide both well-lit and dimly-lit areas, informal furniture arrangements and separate spaces designated for quiet and active play. Children seek out a constant change of stimuli-scenery, textures, colors, social groups, activities, environments, sounds, and smells. As our children spend more time in our programs, the more variation and stimulation they need. Play provides a ay for children to integrate all their new experiences into their rapidly developing minds, bodies, emotions, and social skills. Brain research supports this idea, stressing that children learn best through an integrated approach combining physical, emotional, cognitive, and social growth. Students with certain learning disabilities or other conditions that may affect learning or performance may do better in classrooms designed or altered to fit their needs. For example, in a classroom with special needs children (particularly those with attention challenges) placing desks with some space around each hill instead of arranging them into groups can reduce the distractions caused by being so close to other students. Environmental influences can be powerful. Nurturing environments foster physical and psychological growth. Adequate stimulation and nutrition are essential for development during the first three years of life. It is during these years that a childs brain is most sensitive to the influences of the external environment. Rapid brain development affects cognitive, social and emotional growth. Such development helps to ensure that each child reaches his or her attention and is a productive part of a rapidly changing, global society. The more stimulating the early environment, the more a child develops and learns. Language and cognitive development are especially important during the first six months to three years of life. A childs social environment influences their cognitive development and educational attainment. Clearly children need lots of exposure to other people in their early childhood years. Children who engage in good social relationships perform better academically than those who do not. Children living in social environments characterized by residential stability are less keel to be absent from school and perform better academically than those who do not. The sense of belonging which individuals experiences when they have good social relationships has a positive influence on their mental health. A healthy child should engage in sports or other beneficial activities. Belonging to a group, whether it is a sporting team, book club or other organization, is a good way to meet new people and develop relationships and a sense of belonging. Groups which actively intervene in communities to improve the social environment, for example by having a cleanup day or organizing a local government petition, have been shown to be particularly effective in creating a sense of cohesion in the community. An individuals physical surroundings markedly influence their health. Environments characterized by poor physical surroundings (e. G. Lack of open space, lack of facilities and litter) are associated with poor health outcomes. For example, social environments characterized by quality, affordable housing are associated with reduced poverty and increased residential stability, both of which affect a childs health and the social relationships which they form. Children who lived in cleaner neighborhoods are assessed as having better social behaviors than those living in less clean environments. The availability of good quality educational facilities within an environment is also important. Children who have good social relationships have greater self esteem than those who do not and are less likely to experience mental health problems including depression and anxiety. There is also evidence that pro-social behavior during childhood leads to better psychological health in adulthood. The social environment may also influence a childs health by influencing the behavior of their parents. Researchers concluded that children rated high in seeking stimulation (nature) were more curious and open to learning from their environment (nurture) which in turn enhanced the development of their cognitive abilities and resulted in higher scores on IQ tests. Researchers conclude that genetic factors set a range for many cognitive abilities and these abilities are facilitated by a stimulating environment. The availability of job opportunities within a neighborhood or community may also affect a childs development, by influencing their parents work. Working locally means less travel time (and presumably, more time for family ointments) and associated stress. Working locally can improve parenting, relationships between parents and children and ultimately child health and development. There is also evidence that the availability of housing and employment within a neighborhood, affect levels of child maltreatment. Nutrition is very important for children. It is directly linked to all aspects of their growth and development. Introducing good nutrition into the lives of your children will help them create healthy habits for life. Learning correct portion sizes at a young age and eating a healthy, balanced diet will help reverent your kids from being overweight as they get older. A balanced diet helps to fuel your childs growing body and give your child the energy she needs for the day. Kids need specific vitamins and minerals to help their bodies and minds develop and mature. A healthy, balanced diet will help to create good nutrition habits in your children that they will take with them the rest of their lives. Proper nutrition allows for adequate growth throughout a childs developmental years. The brain, in particular, relies on regular nourishment to reach its full potential. Healthy eating habits also reduce the sis of serious disease and vitamin deficiencies, a serious concern in the developing world. The childs nutrient needs correspond with these changes in growth rates. An infant needs more calories in relation to size than a preschooler or school-age child needs. Nutrient needs increase again as a child gets close to adolescence Young children need to feel important. In past eras children were responsible to water the garden, do farm chores, and care for younger children. Children need to feel that what they do is meaningful to someone besides themselves. A basic human need is the need to belong. Children need to feel they belong, o. They need to be close to people they know, have familiar and comfortable objects, and be in a setting that has a personal history for them. Many challenges faced by adults, such as mental health issues, obesity, heart disease, criminality, and poor literacy and innumeracy, can be traced back to early childhood. When children spend their early years in a less stimulating, or less emotionally and physically supportive environment, brain development is affected and leads to cognitive, social and behavioral delays. Later in life, these children will have difficulty dealing with complex situations and environments. High levels of adversity and stress during early childhood can increase the risk of stress-related disease and learning problems well into the adult years. A negative physical environment can have harmful effects on a childs development mentally and physically. The mistreatment of children can occur in any religious, socioeconomic or racial group. Domestic violence, drug use, social isolation and verbal abuse are factors that influence childhood development. Children who live in violent homes and witness domestic abuse can fall victim physically and emotionally. Negative relations and disputes can spoil the atmosphere of a house. Instead of a better environment the entire house plunges into chaos which not only affects the psychology of children but also makes them suffer in various complexes. Impoverished environment can stunt growth especially in combination with severe and prolonged environmental stresses. This may produce a lasting physical and psychological failure to thrive. Research has shown children exposed to poor and underprivileged educational environments tend to be at a higher risk of being negatively affected in terms of their development. Poverty has detrimental effects on a childs IQ and school achievement. Children facing a socioeconomic disadvantage show weak academic- readiness skills. Teachers might also have lower expectations for children who come from a poverty situation at home. Children from lower socioeconomic lifestyles have risks in physical development as well. These children show higher rates of pre-birth complications and increased lead exposure, which affect their cognitive brain functions during childhood. Rigid learning programs that focus on accumulating skills through means such as worksheets, computers, memorization and flashcards lead to stressed, high truing aggressive and depressed students later on. Work-related stress and time constraints have been shown to have negative effects on individuals and spill over into the family and affect relationships within it, including the quality of parent-child relationships. Without love physical, mental and emotional development may be retarded. Disturbed families are most likely to produce disturbed children. Abandonment affects children in individual ways with distinctive psychological effects. Abandonment can be psychological or physical. Psychological abandonment can occur when the parent stops bonding with he child or becomes mentally disabled. Physical abandonment can be the result of death, giving the child away or ceasing to have contact with the child in the event of a divorce. The parent may abandon the child because she feels overwhelmed or incompetent or finds herself in an unwanted or unaccepted role of parenting. Abandonment is a term frequently used interchangeably with child neglect or child abuse. A child who has been abandoned may become withdrawn, angry and restless. He may fear that he will be abandoned again and develop nightmares or a fear Of sleeping alone. He eight also cry, have feelings of guilt and question the intentions of other loved ones in his life. An older child may search for love and security elsewhere in potentially dangerous situations. The effects of abandonment may vary according to the childs age and bond with the parent who abandoned him, but it is possible for him to carry lingering distrust and resentment into adulthood. The effect of under nutrition on young children (ages 0-8) can be devastating and enduring. It can impede behavioral and cognitive development, educability, and reproductive health, thereby undermining future work productivity. Whether or not children are well-nourished during their first years of life can have a profound effect on their health status, as well as their ability to learn, communicate, think analytically, socialize effectively and adapt to new environments and people. Some of the developmental problems experienced by malnourished children are caused by direct physiological crippling such as retarded brain growth and low birth weight, where as other conditions are the result of limited and abnormal interaction and stimulation vital to healthy development. Unstable political environment can hamper a childs development.

Remembering the Murder of Shanda Sharer

Remembering the Murder of Shanda Sharer Few crimes in modern times caused more public horror than the grisly torture and murder of 12-year-old Shanda Sharer at the hands of four teenage girls on Jan. 11, 1992 in Madison, Indiana. The callousness and brutality exhibited by the four teenage girls, ages 15 to 17, shocked the public then, and it continues to be a source of fascination and revulsion as the subject of dozens of books, magazine articles, television programs, and psychiatric papers.   The Events Leading to the Murder At the time of her murder, Shanda Renee Sharer was the 12-year old daughter of divorced parents, attending school at  Our  Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic school in New Albany, Indiana, after transferring the previous year from Hazelwood Middle School. While at Hazelwood, Shanda had met Amanda Heavrin. Initially the two girls fought, but eventually became friends and then became entered into a youthful romance.   In October of 1991, Amanda and Shanda were attending a school dance together when they were angrily confronted by Melinda Loveless, an older girl that Amanda Heavrin had also been dating since 1990. As Shanda Sharer and Amanda Heavrin continued to socialize through October, the jealous Melinda Loveless began to discuss killing Shanda and was observed threatening her in public. It was at this point, concerned about their daughters safety, that Shandas parents transferred her to a Catholic school and away from Amanda. The Abduction, Torture, and Murder Despite the fact that Shanda Sharer was no longer in the same school as Amanda Heavrin, Melinda Loveless jealousy continued to fester over the next few months, and on the night of Jan. 10, 1992, Melinda, along with three friends- Toni Lawrence (age 15), Hope Rippey (age 15), and Laurie Tackett (age 17)- drove to where Shanda was spending the weekend with her father. Just after midnight, the older girls convinced Shanda that her friend Amanda Heavrin was waiting for her at a teenage hangout spot known as the Witchs Castle, a ruined stone home in a remote area overlooking the Ohio River. Once in the car, Melinda Loveless began to threaten Shanda with a knife, and once they arrived at Witchs Castle, the threats escalated into an hours-long torture session. It was the details of the savagery that followed, all of which came out later in testimony from one of the girls, that so horrified the public. Over a period of more than six hours, Shanda Sharer was subject to beatings with fists, strangling with a rope, repeated stabbings, and battery and sodomy with a tire iron. Finally, the still living girl was doused with gasoline and set ablaze in the early morning hours of Jan. 11, 1992, in a field alongside a gravel county road.   Immediately after the murder, the four girls had breakfast at McDonalds, where it is reported that they laughingly compared the look of the sausage to that of the corpse they had just abandoned.   The Investigation Uncovering the truth of this crime thankfully did not take long. Shanda Sharers body was discovered later that same morning by hunters driving along the road. When Shandas parents reported her missing in early afternoon, the connection to the discovered body was quickly suspected. That evening, a distraught Toni Lawrence accompanied by her parents arrived at the  Jefferson County Sheriffs office  and began to confess the details of the crime. Dental records quickly confirmed that the remains discovered by the hunters were those of Shanda Sharer. By the next day, all the involved girls had been arrested.   The Criminal Proceedings With compelling evidence provided by Toni Lawrences testimony, the four girls involved were all charged as adults. With a strong likelihood of death penalty sentences, they all accepted guilty pleas in order to avoid such an outcome.   In preparation for sentencing, defense attorneys spent considerable effort assembling arguments of mitigating circumstances for some of the girls, arguing that these facts reduced their culpability. These facts were presented to the judge during the sentencing hearing. Melinda Loveless, the ringleader, had by far the most extensive history of abuse. At the legal hearing, two of her sisters and two cousins testified that her father, Larry Loveless, had forced them to have sex with him, although they could not testify that Melinda, too, had been so abused. His history of physical abuse to his wife and children was well documented, as well as a pattern of sexual misconduct. (Later, Larry Loveless would be charged with 11 counts of child sex abuse.) Laurie Tackett was raised in a strictly religious household where rock music, movies and most other trappings of normal teenage life were strictly forbidden. In rebellion, she shaved her head and engaged in occult practices. It was not entirely surprising to others that she could have participated in such a crime.   Toni Lawrence and Hope Rippey had no such troubled reputations, and experts and public onlookers were somewhat baffled at how relatively normal girls could have participated in such a crime. In the end, it was chalked up to simple peer pressure and a thirst for acceptance, but the case continues to be a source of analysis and discussion to this day.   The Sentences In exchange for her extensive testimony, Toni Lawrence received the lightest sentence- she pleaded guilty to one count of Criminal Confinement and was sentenced to a maximum of 20 years. She was released on December 14, 2000, after serving nine years. She remained on parole until December, 2002. Hope Rippey was sentenced to 60 years, with ten years suspended for mitigating circumstances. Upon later appeal, her sentence was reduced to 35 years. She was released early on April 28, 2002 from Indiana Womens Prison after serving 14 years of her original sentence.   Melinda Loveless and Laurie Tackett were sentenced to 60 years in the Indiana Womens Prison in Indianapolis. Tacket was released on Jan. 11, 2018, exactly 26 years to the day after the murder.   Melinda Loveless, the ringleader of one of the most brutal murders in recent time, is due to be released in 2019.

Illegal Immigration Reform in the United States Essay

Illegal Immigration Reform in the United States - Essay Example Illegal immigration constitutes a direct economic and social threat for the United States. Illegal immigration increases population growth in the United States, compromises welfare and health care, leads to increased unemployment and wage depression, results in economic inefficiency and negative trends in labor market, and finally leads to increase in crime rates (Fairus.org, 7-8). Being either employed or incarcerated, illegal aliens present danger to US internal security. Illegal aliens must fraudulently obtain identity documents, taxpayer identification numbers, social security numbers, or engage in identity theft in order to obtain a job from employment entities. Hypothetically, in privately owned critical infrastructure, such as nuclear power plants or refineries, illegal alien terrorists working with false identities create a different threat level to the United States. This threat has the potential to harm large numbers of people should an attack materialize. Kathy Gambrell pr ovides an analysis of illegal aliens voting in U.S. elections, specifically focusing on California (Gambrell, 2003). Again, to receive a voter registration card, the illegal alien must obtain a fraudulent identification to register. If a foreign leader could persuade their citizens, located in the US illegally, to obtain voter registrations and vote for a particular candidate, the threat to the United States could be significant. There are several potential options available for the US legislative and executive powers to eliminate illegal immigration.

The European Union and Employment Relations Essay

The European Union and Employment Relations - Essay Example But negotiation of course does not mean the theoretical perspective alone. It requires practical grounds of the policies which shows clear practise of anti discrimination employment policies. Here the EU lacks behind, when it comes to practise the policies. (Amsterdam Treaty, 2007a) The gender equality report no doubt shows that gender employment issues are almost resolved but the gender pay gap has remained. Despite enhancing article 12 of the Amsterdam Treaty which clearly states that no discrimination would be allowed neither on the basis of gender nor on the grounds of nationality between men and women, women's social position in the labour market is relatively weaker than that of men. (Amsterdam Treaty, 2007a) Women lack behind men in exercising bargain power with employers to negotiate for higher wages. Similarly women lack better access to training, and promotions to supervisory positions. No matter to what extent gender inequality has negotiated with EU policies, it is evident that the Amsterdam Treaty has taken only small steps to help forward the construction of European citizenship. Indeed, it still fails to guarantee a basic common standard of fundamental social rights to EU citizens. The social rights recognized in the Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers, which figure in the Treaty only as not legally binding principles, do not allow for a metamorphosis of economic citizenship into the full social citizenship of the European democratic tradition. Transnational corporations while understanding the discriminatory issue have given significant attention to the women's role in influencing women's economic status. Either in the form of supranational policies or global policies (Desai & Naples, 2002, p. 220), they have realised the way women have contributed in the employment in export-processing zones but then again this realisation has not proved the women worth marginalisation. Therefore the result is nothing but low-paying, dead-end jobs followed with poor working conditions. The new innovations in the Equal Treatment Directive 2000 have outlawed indirect discrimination, discrimination on the basis of sex, ethnicity and race. (Hoskyns, 1996) On the one hand, EU has equipped feminists who possess international relations within the boundaries of EU. With a framework of sex equality laws women have been able to extract reforms from national governments. Beneficial mostly for white women who are subjected to strong employment positions with secure and stable jobs, EU policies have benefited middle class women, but what about those vulnerable groups who are considered as minor or even non existent. What about those black and migrant women who are dependant upon receiving male violence not only at their homes but also at their work places in the form of sexual harassment What about those accidents and injuries in the factories, in which use of toxic chemicals are common, that burn workers and still not take the responsibility for their health problems and illn esses The widespread sexual harassment in the Member States and the role of the EU institutions in devising strategies for dealing with it provides an excellent opportunity to explore some of these issues demonstrates the importance of networking across national

Effect of Spontaneous Breathing Trial (SBT) Duration

Effect of Spontaneous Breathing Trial (SBT) Duration Effect of Spontaneous Breathing Trial (SBT) Duration on the Clinical Outcomes of Mechanically Ventilated Patients Admittted at Medical Intensive Care Units of a Tertiary Government Hospital In Davao City INTRODUCTION Background of the Study: Mechanical ventilation (MV) is primarily used to support patients whose respiratory function is compromised due to a variety of reasons. However, several studies have shown that prolonged MV among intensive care patients is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Thus, MV should be discontinued promptly as soon as patients are capable of breathing spontaneously. Furthermore, patients who are dependent on MV stay longer in the intensive care unit, requiring dedicated care and frequent monitoring. The inadequate number of intensive care unit beds necessitates maximizing the use of limited resources in delivering essential care to critically ill patients. Discontinuing mechanical ventilation in a well-timed and safe manner should lead to desirable outcomes for both patients and clinicians. Hence, strategies that assist in early withdrawal of patients from mechanical ventilation should be investigated. The process of liberating from mechanical support is known as weaning. In most studies, it was noted that nearly half of the total duration of mechanical ventilation is spent in the weaning process. Each day, a set of weaning predictors is tested and patients who meet the criteria proceeded to a spontaneous breathing trial (SBT). Several researches set the SBT at 120 minutes. The American Thoracic Society guidelines recommend SBT for 30 minutes to no longer than 120 minutes. In our institution, current practice involves an overnight duration of SBT. The optimal duration of SBT, however, is not known. The long duration of SBT requires close monitoring of a critically ill patient, which is challenging for the limited number of intensive care unit staff. Hence, this study will investigate the hypothesis that short (30 minutes), intermediate (120 minutes) and long (overnight) duration of SBT have similar clinical outcomes. Review of Related Literature: Mechanical ventilatory support is used when spontaneous ventilation is insufficient for the sustenance of life. The word supportis emphasized in this context since mechanical ventilation is not a cure for the underlying disease, but it is at best a type of support, offering rest to the patient while the disease processes are treated. A study by Esteban et al showed that half of the intensive care units in North America had at least 40% of adult patients receiving mechanical ventilation. This data is similar to that of a prospective study involving 20 countries in 2004, where it was reported that 33% of patients required mechanical ventilation. Invasive mechanical ventilation is a risky, uncomfortable, and costly procedure that should only be utilized when indicated. Major indications for mechanical ventilation are: (1) partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood (PaO2) cannot be maintained above 50 mm Hg despite high levels of delivered oxygen; (2) partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood rises above 50 mm Hg; (3) ventilation becomes inefficient and/or exhausted; (4) airway protection. According to Esteban et al (2002), the most common causes for mechanical ventilation were acute respiratory failure in the postoperative period (20.8%), pneumonia (13.9%), congestive heart failure (10.4%), sepsis (8.8%), trauma (7.9%), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (4.5%). The goal of mechanical ventilation is to improve ventilation, oxygenation, and lung mechanics. However, as is the case with other medical therapies, the benefit of mechanical ventilation comes at a price. An Indian study revealed that 55 of the 100 mechanically ventilated patients admitted at a university hospital developed complications as follows: nosocomial pneumonia (29%), gastrointestinal hemorrhage (11%), airway complications, (10%), cardiovascular complications (8%), equipment failure (7%), and barotrauma (2%). The most common complication is ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) which occurs 48 to 72 hours or thereafter following endotracheal intubation. The incidence of VAP ranges from 9 to 27%, with mortality rate of between 33 to 50 %. A local private tertiary institution reports a lower incidence of VAP at 7.6%.In this institution, a total of 621 adult patients were intubated from September to December 2014. Of these patients, 13.3% developed ventilator-associated pneumon ia. Numerous studies report that weaning from mechanical ventilation after the underlying reason of respiratory failure has been resolved, account for more than half the total duration of mechanical ventilation. In some trials, however, weaning comprise only 40% of the whole duration of mechanical ventilation. Nevertheless, the duration of weaning is an important component that needs close attention. In a study by Coplin et al higher mortality, more cases of pneumonia and longer hospital admission was reported in patients who underwent more than 48 hours delay of liberation from mechanical ventilation. Hence, physicians should be encouraged to minimize the duration of weaning. Researchers have long recognized the complications of mechanical ventilation. They have proposed multiple techniques to facilitate the transition to spontaneous ventilation. Successful weaning from MV at any time was reported to be associated with a higher survival rate. Generally, weaning has two components. The first component is a list of â€Å"readiness to wean† criteria based on clinical factors that help decide if a patient is ready to breathe spontaneously. Ely and colleagues developed a scoring system wherein all five criteria should be met to pass the screening test. The criteria are as follows: the ratio of the partial pressure of arterial oxygen to the fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO2/FiO2) had to exceed 200; the PEEP should not exceed 5 cm H20; there had to be an adequate cough during suctioning; the ratio of the respiratory frequency to the tidal volume should be less than 105 breaths per minute per liter; and no infusions of vasopressor agents or sedatives. The second component is the spontaneous breathing trial (SBT), a period of unassisted breathing during which the patient is observed for signs of respiratory failure. Several studies have investigated the methodology for weaning. The commonly used techniques are T-piece, synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV), or Pressure Support Ventilation (PSV). The traditional mode of weaning is the T-piece weaning, which involves attaching the endotracheal tube to a T-piece such that one of the two remaining limbs of the T is connected to a humidifier, which supplies humidified oxygen while the third limb is left open to allow for exhalation. The primary disadvantage of this method of weaning is that apnea, low VE and airway pressure alarms are disabled, and close visual monitoring is required. However, this type of weaning provides an estimation of post-extubation breathing, resulting in rapid recognition of patients who are able to tolerate weaning. One of the potential areas of study is improving processes that shorten the spontaneous breathing trial. Three previous studies conducted in years 1999, 2002 and 2003 demonstrate the equivalence of 30 minutes and 120 minutes SBT using both T-piece and PSV protocols. Based on these trials, Macintyre (2012) recommended that an SBT should be at least 30 min but no longer than 120 min to allow proper assessment of ventilator discontinuation Similarly, White reported that the length of an SBT should be approximately 30 minutes to 120 minutes. However, an overnight duration of SBT has been in practice in this institution for many years due to limited data on the success rate of extubation using a shorter SBT duration. After the patient is able to sustain spontaneous breathing, the next step is to ascertain whether the patient can tolerate extubation. This is an important decision, as both delayed and failed extubation are associated with prolonged ventilation and mortality. Several factors may predict extubation failure after a successful SBT. The decision to extubate patients is largely based on the ability to clear secretions and protect the airway. A weak cough and moderate volume of secretions are also associated with extubation failure. Some studies suggest that a Glasgow coma score of ≠¤ 8-10 is correlated with extubation failure since increased risk of aspiration occurs in patients with reduced level of consciousness. Other characteristics recognized as risk factors for extubation failure are: older age, severity of illness on ICU admission, prolonged duration of ventilation prior to extubation, and continuous sedation

Compare Nothing’s Changed with one other poem in Cluster 1, in relation to the theme of injustice

Compare Nothing's Changed with one other poem in Cluster 1, in relation to the theme of injustice. I have decided to compare Limbo with Nothing's Changed, about the theme of injustice. Both Tatamkhulu Afrika and Edward Kamau Braithwaite have shown in Nothing's Changed and Limbo, that even through the unjust world that is described in the poems, there is still hope which prevails through the misery and despair. In Limbo, the repetition of â€Å"Limbo, Limbo like me†, shows that even through the loneliness they are put through, there remains still a ‘pulse', the constant beat of those two lines shows that the slaves' dance and music, still prevails through what is slavery. The effect created is that through the bad times, there is still happiness which surpasses suffering, and this line still is repeated to the end of the poem, where we know is the end of the bad events, through the saying, â€Å"sun coming up† on line 40. This effect is a main part of the poem, as the suffering at the start of the poem, is juxtaposed with the pulse and limbo dance through the slaves lives through the poem. In Nothing's Changed, similar repetition techniques have shown injustice in the world. As Nothing's Changed was based on the post apartheid times in South Africa, the poet writes how although it would be illegal to discriminate, and how there no longer are signs promoting this, it still happens, and is through the antithesis of District Six, and the â€Å"new, up-market† town, mentioned in line 22. The repetition of â€Å"and† in lines 12-15 is using the poetic technique of caesura, which means through repeating the words it causes more of an effect. As the poet describes his growing anger at how society is understood in South Africa, and how the punctuation used in those lines, the commas hold a large significance to the poet's exaggeration on those lines. Visually, each line progresses longer than the previous one, which may be a way the poet is to show his growing anger about society. The poet also juxtaposes many of the features in his home of District Six to the new, up-market towns. â€Å"Amiable weeds†, shows that the poets believe that even the weeds are friendlier than â€Å"Brash† environment of the richer areas. The use of â€Å"guard at the gatepost† and â€Å"working man's cafi† shows juxtaposed opinions of the two different places. As having a guard suggests that the environment is more hostile and that you may be overpriced, while the working man's cafi suggests that it's a more honest and friendly place to eat. The repetition of â€Å"glass† four times in Nothing's Changed has a considerable significance, as it shows how even though the apparent apartheid is over, there is still an ‘invisible' barrier which stops the people from doing what people would be doing in Port Jackson, which could be reflected through the usage of glass. In both of these poems, there is a significant usage of onomatopoeia and harsh sounding words, which suggests that both poets, especially for Nothing's Changed is writing in a pessimistic tone, whilst Limbo, shows optimism through the continuation of â€Å"Limbo, Limbo like me†. The harsh sounds, â€Å"Dark deck† in Limbo, line 21 and 23, use alliteration and through the sound of the words suggest hostility on board. Down, down, down† on lines 34-36 shows how they believe they are below everybody else and that they are sinking further into despair. But then in lines 44-46, this is juxtaposed with â€Å"Up, up, up† where it shows that the slaves may have another chance for a better live and to rise from the suppression. In Nothing's Changed, throughout the poem, there are many alliterative words, such as â€Å"labouring† and â€Å"lungs†, which shows alliterative words which increase the resentment and the dislike that the poet has of the â€Å"whites only inn†. Assonance is used in the poem, in lines 20-22, â€Å"weeds†, â€Å"trees† and â€Å"cuisine†, which the tone of all these lines relate to the resentment that the poet has of Port Jackson, and how he feels that the apartheid may not have been lifted, but rather having a larger effect on their lives than before. The poet clearly shows his feelings, through relating to Port Jackson as â€Å"it†, which suggests that it's a hostile and unfriendly place, whilst he relates to District Six as â€Å"we† which shows his strong allegiance with his past, and believes that times have not really changed even though the apartheid has been lifted.

The 30-Second Trick for Easy to Write about Essay Topics

The 30-Second Trick for Easy to Write about Essay Topics There are lots of aspects about a sport which can be argued in an essay. In this kind of situation, it's more convenient to locate ready-made essays and use them as an example. Argumentative essay is a sort of academic paper that demands profound understanding of analyzed problem and a huge collection of personal opinions and facts. As a result, if you're requested to write US history thematic essay you need to be cautious in approaching the job. On our site you will discover a lot more useful exceptional information that will certainly be practical for junior and higher school kids from, like common home task essay about Hamlet, in addition to, for instance, application essays for college for future students. The role of assigning an essay to middle school students is to make awareness and permit them to develop writing skills. To write a strong argumentative essay, they should begin by familiarizing themselves with some of the common, and often conflicting, positions on the research topic so that they can write an informed paper. Every student who would like to perform an ideal academic paper can use mentioned subjects and example argumentative essay to do an exceptional work. How to Get Started with Easy to Write about Essay Topics? Categories, essay topics could be divided into. Writing is problematic for many students. Students know the way to be creative. They lead busy lives and often forget about an upcoming dea dline. Picking out the right topics might take a while in case you don't have a list of sample topics facing you. Before you begin, it's vital to choose topics which you really know well. You should completely understand what's your topic. You will likely find a different and fantastic topic you will love to write about. Next, you should think about the method on how you wish to relay it to your readers. The duration of the essay, the amount of pages and the general presentation are all important. With proper main topics, students may reach great results. The Ultimate Easy to Write about Essay Topics Trick You will find that lots of the topics can be adapted to suit almost any type of writing assignment. You should make sure that you're very interested in the topic before it is possible to persuade others about it. It's important to understand that essay topics are just basic ideas that leave you pondering an idea that might be a huge deal to another person. It's also important to pick the most suitable topic for the post. Naturally, you could always use somebody else's arguments in support of your own statements. At some stage, you're likely to be requested to compose an argumentative essay. With fantastic arguments, it is going to be effortless to produce your standpoint. Topics for an argumentative essay is a sensitive issue which is certain to create plenty of emotion on each side. Easy to Write about Essay Topics It is far easier to compose an essay if you previously understand what you need to mention. Your essay has to be vivid and interesting. An argumentative essay requires you to choose a topic and have a position on it. A decent argumentative essay is going to be based on established or new research in place of only on your ideas and feelings. Writing is a strong method of conveying one's thoughts. You must have skills to compose a very good essay. In an issue of speaking, picking out persuasive essay topics is similar to telling yourself what you wish to convey to the rest of the planet. You have to compose the essay which will interest certain listeners. Persuasive essays are a fantastic means to encourage the reader to check at a particular topic in a different light. All persuasive essays are like argumentative essays. To put it simply, an essay is a genre of written work where the essayist freely reflects on their problem. Thus the writer needs to be cautious when expressing himself.