What are the Most Prevalent Dangers of Smoking and Drinking?

What are the Most Prevalent Dangers of Smoking and Drinking? A report based on open data provided by the UK Government in data.gov.uk Prepared by Tsvetelina Terezova Supervised by Dan Heron This work presents a research of the question What are the most prevalent dangers of smoking and drinking? In order to be understood and given an answer to this question, the report is based on open data, related to the topic and provided by the UK Government in data.gov.uk. All data in this web site are non-personal and in a format that allows it to be reused. The selected datasets here are explored, analysed and calculated by the use of R statistical software tool whereas Tableau data visualization software tool, is used for presenting the data in a pictorial format. The structure of the research is covering the following data visualisation life cycle, presented in figure 1 below. Figure 1. Data Visualisation Life Cycle Alcohol and cigarettes seriously threaten the health and are among the top causes of death. Among all risk factors for heart disease, people have the greatest control over those related to the use or abuse of alcohol and cigarettes. Multiple studies demonstrate that people who use or abuse with these substances have a significant increase in risk of developing heart disease. The answer of this research question presents a range of information on drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes which data is drawn together from different sources. The objective of the report is to present a wide picture of the health problems and dangers relating to the consumption of alcohol and cigarettes in England. The purpose of the data analysis and visualisation is to: Get closer to the data of alcohol and cigarettes consumption; Be understood the influence of smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol; Enable decisions as it is much easier to be understood the potential risks of smoking and drinking by visualising the data; Discover patterns to be shown how both Alcohol and Smoking hide almost one and the same dangers; Inspire action the aim of this work is to visually demonstrate the dangers of smoking and drinking and can influence governments to improve the health care. This research report contains data graphics analysed from different datasets published online at data.gov.uk, by the UK Government. These data graphics are analysed in R software tool and visualised by the use of Tableau software tool. The goal is to be demonstrated how the dangers and abuse of tobacco and alcohol are approximately one and the same. The collected information is from a variety of data sources and the intent is to be presented in a better and amicable format. Also, the report includes some analysis performed by the Health and Social Care Information Centre and some National Statistic publications. [1] Selected Datasets: Statistics on Alcohol, England This statistical record operates as a benchmark for the health issues relating to the alcohol use. The provided information is collected from different sources and is presented in a convenient format. It includes cases such as drinking habits and manner among adults (16 years old and over) and children (11 to 15 years old); ill health and death related to drinking; accessibility of alcohol; hospital admissions related to alcohol consumption. The record consists of previously published data and also comprises further new analysis. The recent analysis are primarily received from the Health and Social Care Information Centres (HSCIC) Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) system, and prescribing data. The statistics also comprises new records on the current government policies and aspirations related to the alcohol use. It also includes links to additional sources of valuable information. [6] Statistics on Smoking, England This statistical record represents an assortment of information on smoking which is collected from different sources. The aim of this record is to present an extensive picture of the health problems related to smoking in England and includes themes such as smoking predominance, addictions, behaviours and style among adults and children, expenses, ill health and death related to smoking. This statistics incorporates data from a variety of sources representing it in a convenient format. It incorporates information and data formerly published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), Department of Health, the Office for National Statistics and Her Majestys Revenue and Customs. The record also comprises new analyses performed by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. [2] Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England This dataset is announced by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. Smoking, Drinking and Drugs use among Young People in England is an annual research executed in participating schools in England for providing information on scholars smoking, drinking and drug consumption behaviours. The study concentrates on different manners in different years, alternating between drinking and smoking one year, to drug consumption the next year. [3] Alcohol-related recorded crimes, violent crimes and sexual crimes, England The three datasets [7], [8] and [9] contain a percentage respectively of the all recorded crimes, of the violent crimes and the sexual crimes per year, persons, all ages, per 1,000 population. The data are provided by the City of York Council and authorized by the Open Government Licence. Statistics on Womens Smoking Status at Time of Delivery: England This record represents the last outcomes and trends from the womens smoking status at time of delivery (SATOD) data compilation in England. The outcomes provide a measurement of the predominance of smoking among pregnant women at Commissioning Region, Area Team and Clinical Commissioning Group level. This supplement the public data existing from the Infant Feeding Survey (IFS). The smoking in pregnancy can bring to significant pregnancy-related health issues such as complications during childbirth, greater risk of abortion, premature birth, low birth-weight and sudden unexpected death in early childhood. [4] Alcohol-related deaths in the United Kingdom The data here is presented by the National Statistics Office and authorized by the Open Government Licence. This report provides the most recent data for alcohol-related deaths in the UK, its four composite countries and districts of England. Comparisons are made between 2012, and earlier provided information from 1991 onwards. [10] Deaths from smoking This dataset is provided by the Department of Health and authorized by the Open Government Licence. The information for deaths due to smoking per 100,000 is provided by the Association of Public Health Observatories (APHO) Geographies: Local Authority District (LAD), County/Unitary Authority, Government Office Region (GOR), National Geographic coverage: England. [5] The analysis implications are related to preparing the selected data, perception of the intended data characteristics, selecting a proper tool and technique, correctly using the tool, accurately presenting the data and making the right clarifications. In order to be explored and appropriately visualized the answer of the research question are used the following steps: Analysing the entire open data, statistics and reports published in data.gov.uk; Selecting the appropriate datasets related to the research question; Downloading the selected datasets as an Excel files; Cleaning Data and preparing the excel files for analysis. 4.1 Normalization of the data formatting as raw data; 4.2 Removing the introductory text and additional information from the files; 4.3 Clearing the data files from blank spaces and unnecessary written sentences irrelevantwith the data analysis. 4.4 Replacing the contained symbol for missing data (-) with the value 0 in the data fields; 4.5 The following three small datasets: Alcohol-related recorded crimes, Alcohol-related violent crimes and Alcohol-related sexual crimes, are gathered in one excel file with the aim to be analysed and visualised together; Converting all the excel files in .csv format; Exploratory data analysis in R Exploratory data analysis is detective work (it) can never be the whole story but nothing else can serve as the foundation stone. John Tukey Exploratory Data Analysis (1977) [21] The exploratory data analysis (EDA) is very important part in the data visualisation process as it detect mistakes, check assumptions, suggest possible statistical models and determine relationships between variables. Exploratory framework pertains to the following process sequence: Data > Analysis > Model > Conclusion In this work the EDA is achieved with the help of R statistical software tool, widely used and broad range of analysis capabilities. The main types of EDA are Univariate and Multivariate approaches and both can be non-graphical and graphical. Here the Multivariate analysis will be included only in the visualization part. Univariate Approach Alcohol related deaths Filtering the year in dataset Alcohol related deaths only for 2012 with the aim to be compared the data for Smoking related deaths. The STR function is used to display the inner structure of the data and diagnostics Str(Alc_deat), shows the internal structure of the dataset The head(Alc_deat) function is used to look at top few lines of the dataset (to see the data structure) The tail(Alc_deat) function is used to look at bottom few lines of the dataset (to see the data structure) Smoking related deaths Data set structure seems to be fine except value as this should be an integer and not a factor, therefore the value is changed to integer The function Smk_dea$Value = as.integer(Smk_deat$Value) is used forchanging the value to integer The function Summary(Smk_dea$ Metric_seconday) is used for summarising the most common causes of death related to smoking. The function sum(Smk_deat$Value) is used for calculating the amount of deaths caused by smoking ABOVE ALL ELSE SHOW THE DATA EDWARD TUFTE According to Jacques Bertin the visualization is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the artificial memory that best supports our natural means of perception. [22] And according to Cleveland and McGill, it is also à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦categorical and quantitative information encoded, chiefly through position, shape, size, symbol and colour. [21] Data visualization is above all understanding relations and ratios between numbers. The data visualization is not about understanding particular numbers, but about understanding models, patterns, and relationships that exist in groups of numbers, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the use of abstract, non-representational pictures to show numbers, Edward Tufte. [22] To meet and understand images is one of the common instincts of the human. From a well-drafted image, one is simpler to see the relationships and trends. As the visual production of the data takes advantage of the huge, and often underutilized, range of the human eye to get information from pictures and figures. The data visualization changes the load from digital analysing to visual analysing. Receiving information from visualizations is much more timesaving instead of analysing documents and sums therefore many decision makers would prefer to get the data in graphical form instead of textual or written form. In order to be explored and appropriately visualized the answer of the question What are the most preventable dangers of smoking and drinking? are used the following steps: Making a visual exploration of the data using Tableau Software, as follows: Connecting the excel data files; Creating Views and Analysis for each one of the files as separate worksheets and name appropriately every sheet; Representing the data in more effective way, applying filters, creating sets and groups, generating trend lines, using different visualization methods, such as: Bars, Lines, Plot, Pie, Stacked bars, etc. for better understanding; Using appropriate colours for good visualisation; Adding title and description (caption) to the graphics for better accepting; Gathering the worksheets and creating dashboards and/or data story. In the visualization process are also taken of importance the following Tuftes design principles: the data to be shown above all else, the data-ink ratio to be maximized, the non-data-ink to be erased, the redundant data-ink to be erased and finally the visualization to be revised and edited. [22] The point of this report is to give a resolution of the question What are the most prevalent dangers of smoking and drinking? and to strengthen the answer with real data and facts. R has been used to analyse the data and its results helped to achieve the objective of the research and then Tableau was used to visualise the finding and complete the research question. Well-structured stories expand the influence, make the data more rational and benefit the message retention. Thinking hard about the viewers the structure of the story follows inductive horizontal logic with similar grouped ideas: Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol What are the most prevalent dangers of smoking and drinking? Smoking among adults causes numerous health diseases leading to preventable death; Drinking alcohol among adults is a danger because also causes numerous health diseases leading to preventable death; Cigarette consumption among children is a danger because leads to addiction and damaging the development of childs body; Alcohol among children leads to poisoning and damaging the development of childs body; Alcohol related crimes are danger because lead to Robberies, Sexual attacks, Intimate partner violence, Murders; Smoking in pregnancy affects the life of the mother and her unborn baby; Smoking related deaths are danger because cause lung cancer; Alcohol related deaths are danger because cause alcoholic liver disease; After the made analysis of the data related to alcohol and cigarettes consumption, it can be summarized that the steps in the horizontal logic (shown above) formalized similar grouped ideas which are de facto the key points (dangers), answering the question. After associating several feedbacks, the result was suggesting the visualizations had unnecessary use of data ink, some of the graphics were with too bright colours and the audience had difficulties to get a clear picture of the figures, which are shown in the appendix. The redesign of the graphics included medium data ink, change of the colours from light to colour blind pallet for colour blind people and easier understanding of the images. Also, some of the bar charts were ordered by height as thus were represented the Gestalt features to allow the viewer to see the shapes without spending time to process the image. In order to be answered the research question What are the most prevalent dangers of smoking and drinking? numerous statistical reports and datasets were explored. According to most of the sources, here are visually explained the top dangers of smoking and drinking. Danger 1: Cigarette smoking among adults Smoking damages the blood circulation and the heart. Also, increases the risk of: stroke, heart attack, coronary heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, cerebrovascular disease (damaged arteries that deliver blood to the brain). It can limit the blood supply to the penis and can cause impotence in men. It can also decrease the productivity of both men and women. [11] Key findings for cigarette smoking among adults, registered in UK. Figure 1 demonstrates that people aged 20 to 24 and 25 to 34 reported the highest dominance of cigarette smoking (respectively 29% and 27%), while those aged 60 and over reported the lowest dominance, 13 percent. The data shown in figure 1.1 are an instance how the men are more likely to smoke than the women, 22% of the men report smoking versus 19% of the women. Danger 2: Drinking alcohol among adults Alcohol is ethanol which anaesthetizes the brain as a potent drug. In the bark area of the brain, it works as a relaxant and perverts the control, memory, learning ability, decisions and conduct. There is no doubt that long term use or abuse of alcohol causes inflammation and cirrhosis of the liver and also enhances the risk of kidney disease. [12] Key findings for drinking alcohol among adults, registered in UK. The results of the data here resemble those described above for smoking among adults, namely: people aged 16 to 24 and 25 to 44 have the highest frequency of alcohol consumption, while those who are 65 years old and over have the lowest. (Figure 2) The data has changed and decreased in the years and in 2013 is recorded lower alcohol consumption from young adults aged 16 to 24 and 25 to 44 years old. Danger 3: Cigarette smoking among children The young people and teens are quite vulnerable to the deadly effects caused from the consumption of cigarettes because their body is still growing. Most of the people begin to try cigarettes before finishing their high school. So if the people stay smoke-free in school, they will likely never start smoking. [16] Key findings for smoking among children, registered in UK.From this data set, kids were asked whether they think it is OK to try cigarettes to see what it is like or it is OK to smoke cigarettes once a week. The acceptability of smoking increases with the age. For instance, 6% of 11 years old think that it is OK to try smoking to see what it is like in comparison with 57% (avg.) of 15 years old. The interesting finding here is that girls are more likely to try smoking cigarettes to see what its like than boys are. (Fig. 3) Danger 4: Drinking alcohol among children Alcohol can harm the development of young peoples body because it is still growing. This makes youths especially vulnerable to the long-time harm caused by the alcohol consumption. Drinking alcohol in youth can harm the brain development. Most of the teens think that is not worth to worry about because the health risks caused by drinking are far in the future. Nevertheless, there is an acute rise in the amount of people in their twenties dying from liver disease as a score of alcohol abuse in their teens. The young people consuming alcohol are more likely to be involved in accidents and end in hospital because of alcohol poisoning. [15] Key findings for drinking among children, registered in UK.The summary of the dataset here shows that more prone to alcohol consumption are 15 years old children with the highest record of 25% (Figure 4). The data analysis on Figure 4.1 shows that boys and girls were equally likely to have drunk alcohol in 2014 (8%) which record was dramatically decreased since 2010 when the percentage was 13%. Danger 5: Cigarette smoking during pregnancy Smoking during pregnancy can put the health of the mother and her unborn baby at risk. The cigarette consumption can enhance the danger of: low birth weight; miscarriage; complications of pregnancy; premature birth; congenital defects in the baby (cleft palate); poorer growth, development and health of the child stillbirth or death within the first week of life. [20] Key findings for smoking during pregnancy, registered in UK. The dataset for Womens Smoking Status at Time of Delivery (SATOD) gives information on the frequency of smoking among pregnant women in UK. The results here show that the lowest percentage, 12% of mothers recorded as smokers at the time of delivery (TOD), is registered in 2013/2014 which continues to decrease steadily from 15% in 2006-07 (Figure 5). Regardless of the fact that the percentage of women who are smoking in pregnancy is measured less than those who do not smoke in pregnancy, the smoking at TOD definitely will stay a prevalent danger because it hides many health risks. Danger 6: Alcohol related crimes The alcohol consumption is a very common factor related to most of the cases with criminal records. Many people find themselves involved in crimes after an intense drinking of large amount of alcohol intake because the ethanol has the aptitude to reduce the ability of making decisions, decrease the inhibitions and encourage aggressive inclinations. The most general alcohol-related crimes are cases of drinking and driving. However, there are many other significant violations that result from the abuse of alcohol. The most common alcohol-related crimes are: robberies, sexual attacks, intimate partner violence and murders. [13] Key finding for alcohol-related crimes, registered in UK. According to the Alcohol-related crimes dataset, in 2013 are recorded: 4.85% of alcohol-related recorded crimes; 0.13%   of alcohol-related sexual crimes; 3.63% of alcohol-related violent crimes. Danger 7: Smoking-related deaths Smoking is one of the biggest causes of diseases and deaths in the UK. Annually, around 100,000 people in the UK die from smoking, and many others are living with exhausting smoking-related diseases. Smokers under the age of 40 have a 5 times higher risk of a heart attack than non-smokers. The cigarette consumption is a major reason of around 80% of deaths from lung cancer, around 80% of deaths from bronchitis and emphysema, and about 14% of deaths from heart disease. Almost all cancer deaths can be referred to smoking. For instance, cancer of the lung, throat, bladder, mouth, lip, pancreas, kidney, stomach, liver and cervix. Approximately half of all smokers will die earlier. Generally, the smokers die ten years younger than the people who do not smoke. [11] Key findings for smoking-related deaths, registered in UK. Figure 7 shows that the most prevalent deaths are from cancers (3, 392, 696) followed by all diseases of the digestive system (2,761, 928), all circulatory diseases (2,059, 112) and all respiratory diseases (1,224,208). Figure 7.1 shows that the larger proportion of deaths are among men. Danger 8: Alcohol-related deaths After smoking, the abuse of alcohol is the second most frequent reason of avertible death. The list below counts the causes of death which are related to alcohol consumption: [17] Key findings for alcohol-related deaths by gender, registered in UK. Figure 8 summarises that 6,490 alcohol-related deaths were registered in UK for 2012, an age consistent rate per 100,000 population. For both genders, males and females, it can be summarised that the most common cause of death from alcohol was the alcoholic liver disease with 4,075 registered deaths. 4,230 of alcohol-related deaths were among males compared with females which were 2,260 (Figure 8.1). DATASETS: UK government open data. Available online on: https://data.gov.uk/ Health and Social Care Information Centre. Dataset of Statistics on Smoking, England. Available online on: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/statistics_on_smoking_england Health and Social Care Information Centre. Dataset of Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England. Available online on: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/smoking_drinking_and_drug_use_among_young_people_in_england Health and Social Care Information Centre. Dataset of Statistics on Womens Smoking Status at Time of Delivery: England, Available online on: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/statistics-on-womens-smoking-status-at-time-of-delivery-england Department of Health. Dataset of Deaths from smoking.Available online on: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/deaths_from_smoking Health and Social Care Information Centre. Dataset of Statistics on Alcohol, England. Available online on: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/statistics_on_alcohol_england City of York Council. Dataset of Alcohol-related recorded crimes: Persons, all ages (per 1,000 population). Available online on: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/kpi-lape18 City of York Council. Dataset of Alcohol-related violent crimes: Persons, all ages (per 1,000 population). Available online on: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/kpi-lape19 City of York Council. Dataset of Alcohol-related sexual crimes: Persons, all ages (per 1,000 population). Available online on: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/kpi-lape20 Office for National Statistics. Dataset of Alcohol-related deaths in the United Kingdom Available on: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/alcohol-related_deaths_in_the_united_kingdom REPORTS BOOKS : Health and Social Care Information Centre. Report, Statistics on Smoking, UK (2014) Health and Social Care Information Centre. Report, Statistics on Alcohol, UK (2015) Office for National Statistics. Report of Violent Crime and Sexual Offences Alcohol-Related Violence, 2015 Office for National Statistics. Smoking and drinking among adults, 2009 Raphael Zahler, Caroline Piselli. Smoking, alcohol, and drugs, Chapter 6 Public Health Research Consortium. Report of A Review of Young People and Smoking in England, 2009 Office for National Statistics. Alcohol Related Deaths in United Kingdom, 2013 Health and Social Care Information Centre. Report of Smoking, drinking and dru

Independent Spirit Essay :: essays research papers

There can be a difference between a dependent and independent spirits. Independent spirits can be found in everyone and how your independent spirit can help others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A person with an independent spirit can take care of him or herself. Being a person with an independent spirit can be good: set your own rules and regulations, do jobs and chores whenever you want to, and do whatever you feel like doing. With an independent spirit, you have a lot of freedom. But with a dependent spirit, a person would have limitations and restrictions. A child would have a dependent spirit, relying on his or her parents to help guild and nurture. But, with a dependent spirit, a person wouldn’t feel the effects of an independent spirit. An independent spirit would have the stress to work for a living, take care of any children, and payoff bills and other deductions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everyone has an independent spirit. Some haven’t found it yet, some used it in his or hers everyday life, and some don’t even know that they have one. Young children would be an example of a person who hasn’t found it. An adult uses it everyday to get by, to take responsibility for his or hers actions and words. And a person lack abilities to take care of him or herself wouldn’t know if he or she had an independent spirit, because he or she may have had special attention at a young age, all the way to adulthood, but didn’t know how.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With your independent spirit, you can teach and help people how to find their independent spirit. It can help others by going through daily routines. By doing this, he or she can get a feel on how to take care of him or herself.

New Media Technology Essay

Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the worldwide web, initially intended his invention to be a haven of collaboration where people could share their knowledge (Gauntlett 2009:39). Although the prospect of such public journalism corresponded with democratic and egalitarian principles, journalists took this idea with a pinch of salt. This was almost 20 years ago, before the information highway had, for better or for worse, stretched its limbs across the globe. Today, the new media has redefined both journalism and self expression in conflicting ways that leave an individual wondering at the veracity of digital information. In the last decade, internet has gone through an explosive growth and diversification. No one could have foreseen how the internet would pervade our lives and transform the very notion of being part of a society. It has provided the ultimate freedom of the new age: a single blogger can speak to the entire world, a concept virtually impossible two decades ago. However, with this flourishing and unbound growth, the internet brings a unique set of predicaments and dilemmas. The most profound and relevant of such problems is the age-old clash of a person’s right of self-expression with the hazards of misinformation of the whole society. Whether this deceit comes about due to ignorance or design is irrelevant; in a society that promotes freedom of speech, misinformation is bound to occur on both grounds. While conferring infinite freedom to the common person, this means of self-expression comes with the acrid realization that words from a layman, presented as the predominating views of his community, are not necessarily a blessing. The news on the new media of today is more about gossip and entertainment then first-rate journalism. Since when did journalism begin to cater to the ever-growing need of the populace to be entertained? In an interview to BBC World News America, Ted Koppel, former Nightline presenter, criticized the digital journalist of today for being a mere supplier for consumers (Whitlock 2010). The commercial expansion of new media and ever-growing competition in the free market means that journalists have to write what sells; or rather, gets the most â€Å"hits† on a website. How did we come to a situation where the populace demands not to be informed, but to be perpetually entertained? Discussing news on the television, Daya Kishan Thussu (2007: 9) states: â€Å"There is a concern that too much news is creating an information overload, contributing to a structural erosion of the public sphere in the Habermasian sense, where the viewer, bombarded with visuals, is unable to differentiate between public information and corporate propaganda. † If that is true regarding television news, it most definitely holds water concerning internet news. The gargantuan flow of information, most of which lacks in credibility, is bombarded on any user who wades through the mire of pop up advertisements, banners, and mass e-mailing. Although, these devices are some of the tools used in the race to get more traffic on ones website, the capitalist agenda is far from being the most unfavorable feature of journalism. It is the ubiquitous use of new media, especially by the youth that yields the most detrimental effects. The frivolous writing that is spilt across the new media today may be the first literature some of us encounter, and draw heavily from. However, there have been examples of the internet doing its job where other media have failed. Earlier this year, on January 12th, an earthquake hit the Caribbean island of Haiti. All landlines and mobile connections were suspended. The production team of the news program Sunrise at Sky News, London, was finding it difficult to channel in the first reports from the disaster-struck area. It was to be a young member of their team, Emily Purser, who used Twitter and instant messaging via Google and Skype, to secure the first reports of the incident (Elward 2010). Another, much publicized affair was the use of Twitter by the political opposition in Iran to protest the presidential elections. The protestants took to all sorts of media, but the loudest dissent was voiced, surprisingly, through microblogging. This medium proved to be fast, portable, and most importantly very difficult to contain. Ironically, this very accessibility makes the medium too erratic, unreliable, and mundane to be of any journalistic value (Grossman 2009). An obvious embodiment of the debate between free speech and quality journalism is Wikipedia. This resource epitomizes the â€Å"by the people, for the people† ideology, but this trait alone does not give it any credibility whatsoever, at least not in academic circles. A former editor-in-chief of Encyclopedia Britannica compared Wikipedia to a â€Å"public toilet†, accusing it of delivering information that has no authenticity (Shirky 2006). On the other hand, notions that anything that appears in print media will always be more accurate than digital information are absurd. What Wikipedia envisions is the process through which one can witness the knowledge of its users evolving and perfecting itself through countless revisions (Shirky 2006). The trump card in the argument for Wikipedia comes from a comparison of veracity of data between itself and Britannica; the scientific journal Nature declares them to be of similar accuracy (Giles 2005:900). This collaboration is a sign for those who think people are becoming ever more antisocial and misanthropic, for this is a global effort in creating something for the benefit of all and no monetary gain (Gauntlett 2009:42) . Patricia Wallace, in her book, The Psychology of the Internet writes about how free flow of information can be used to cultivate critical and analytical thinking amongst students who access it (1999:245). Nevertheless, the fact remains that the new media is losing credibility day by day. Although, the global sharing of information and its revision by collaboration is a noble idea, public journalism makes it exceedingly difficult to acquire accurate information; and to accept the new media as a genuine journalistic medium. BIBLIOGRAPHY Gauntlet, David. (2009). Case Study: Wikipedia. Eds. Creeber, G & Martin, R. Digital Cultures. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill. Thussu, Daya Kishan. (2007). News as Entertainment: The Rise of Global Infotainment. London: SAGE Publications. Wallace, Patricia. (1999). The Psychology of The Internet. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Shirky, Clay. Interviewed on Imagine, BBC1, UK (aired 5th December 2006) Giles, Jim. (2005). Internet encyclopedias go head to head, Nature, 438:900. www. nature. com/nature/journal/v438/n7070/full/438900a. html (5th May, 2010) Grossman, Lev. (2009). Iran Protests: Twitter, the Medium of the Movement. Time. http://www. time. com/time/world/article/0,8599,1905125,00. html (5th May, 2010) Whitlock, Scott. (2010). Ted Koppel Slams Undisciplined Internet Journalism. NewsBusters. http://newsbusters. org/blogs/scott-whitlock/2010/04/13/ted-koppel-slams-undisciplined-internet-journalism-longs-good-old-da (5th May, 2010) Elward, David. (2010) Work of a trainee newspaper journalist. (5th May, 2010) http://davidelward. com/2010/03/09/the-digital-revolution-need-not-sound-the-death-knell-for-good-journalism/

Enzyme Catalase Essays

Enzyme Catalase Essays Enzyme Catalase Paper Enzyme Catalase Paper Enzymes are proteins that function as biological catalysts (Perry, Morton 2007). They maintain the body’s stable internal balance, and without them life would be impossible (Sullivan, 2013). Enzymes are capable of speeding up reactions that otherwise would happen at a slower rate. Even though we have hundreds of different enzymes in our cells, each enzyme is specific for one particular reaction that occurs in the cell (Fuentes, 2011). A catalyst is responsible for lowering the amount of energy needed for a chemical reaction to occur. The activation energy is then lowered enough to the affect called a molehill. In an enzyme-catalyzed reaction the substrate, which is the substance being reacted upon, is the reactant (Perry, Morton 2007). The substrate only fits in a specific active site, and is later broken down by the enzyme (Lab Report). Enzyme molecules and substrate molecules merge together to form an enzyme-substrate complex, however this is only temporary. Once the molecules are bound the enzyme-substrate complex changes shape slightly. This allows the chemical reaction to process faster. The molecule is then released unchanged and is capable of catalyzing the same reaction over and over (Perry, Morton 2007). Catalase is a specific enzyme that is found in many animal and plant tissues (Sullivan, 2013). It is used to speed up reactions that break down hydrogen peroxide. For example, the enzyme is catalase and the substrate is hydrogen peroxide (Lab Report). Hydrogen peroxide is a byproduct of numerous cellular reactions that happen in our body, however this byproduct is very toxic to our cells. When catalase breaks down hydrogen peroxide it is converted into two harmless substances, water and oxygen (Fuentes, 2011). The purpose of this study is to test certain factors, and how they affect the rate of the reaction that it catalyzes. The test factors include: substrate concentration, pH, and temperature.

African Commonwealth Nations

African Commonwealth Nations The following alphabetical list gives the date at which each African Country joined the Commonwealth of Nations as an independent state. The majority of African countries joined as Commonwealth Realms, later converting to Commonwealth Republics. Two countries, Lesotho and Swaziland, joined as Kingdoms. British Somaliland (which joined with Italian Somaliland five days after gaining independence in 1960 to form Somalia), and Anglo-British Sudan (which became a republic in 1956) did not become members of the Commonwealth of Nations. Egypt, which had been part of the Empire until 1922, has never shown an interest in becoming a member. African Commonwealth Nations Botswana, 30 September 1966 as a RepublicCameroon, 11 November 1995 as a RepublicThe Gambia, 18 February 1965 as a Realm- became a Republic on 24 April 1970Ghana, 6 March 1957 as a Realm- became a Republic 1 July 1960Kenya, 12 December 1963 as a Realm- became a Republic on 12 December 1964Lesotho, 4 October 1966 as a KingdomMalawi, 6 July 1964 as a Realm- became a Republic on 6 July 1966Mauritius, 12 March 1968 as a realm- became a Republic on 12 March 1992Mozambique, 12 December 1995 as a RepublicNamibia, 21 March 1990 as a republicNigeria, 1 October 1960 as a Realm- became a Republic on 1 October 1963 – suspended between 11 November 1995 and 29 May 1999Rwanda, 28 November 2009 as a RepublicSeychelles, 29 June 1976 as a RepublicSierra Leone, 27 April 1961 as a Realm- became a Republic 19 April 1971South Africa, 3 December 1931 as a Realm- withdrew on becoming a Republic on 31 May 1961, rejoined 1 June 1994Swaziland, 6 September 1968 as a KingdomTanganyika, 9 December 1961 as a Realm- became Republic of Tanganyika on 9 December 1962, United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar on 26 April 1964, and United Republic of Tanzania on 29 October 1964. Uganda, 9 October 1962 as a Realm- became a Republic on 9 October 1963Zambia, 24 October 1964 as a RepublicZimbabwe, 18 April 1980 as a Republic- suspended on 19 March 2002, departed on 8 December 2003

Faculty Evaluation Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Faculty Evaluation Development - Essay Example Faculty evaluation usually involves assessment of the faculty members based on a set of performance indicators such as teaching, scholarly activity or creative endeavors, professional development and institutional/university involvement and community service. Such evaluations should use multiple sources including students, peers and the faculty members themselves (Paulsen, 2002). As the chairperson of the Faculty Evaluation Development committee of the University, I would like to co-opt the following members of the committee and for reasons detailed below. 1. All Academic Deans of the university who will be responsible for providing collated data obtained from students, peers, and faculty through the department heads/chairpersons. These data will be used to evaluate each faculty member. The deans will also be entrusted with the responsibility, at the end of the annual performance appraisal, of holding discussions with the faculty members under their jurisdiction to motivate and guide them to better their performance. The department heads/chairpersons, on the other hand, will hold private discussions with each of their faculty members on their assessment and also make discussion on assessment a regular part of departmental faculty meetings. 2. External expert/consultant. This person will be an important component of the committee to deal with the faculty concerns that are bound to be there to the evaluation system. Having an outside consultant as a conduit between faculty and the administration could help overcome faculty resistance to the evaluation process (Arreola, 2007). A consultant could also help to convert the ambivalent faculty. It would help if the consultant is someone preferably trained in educational psychology and of an affable and non-threatening demeanor. Â  

The Long Awaited Freedom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Long Awaited Freedom - Essay Example They should be taught about things that could affect their lives in one way or another, like peer pressure. Specifically, I would like to relate a personal story that shows how strict parenting can give rise to teenagers who want explore and experience things they are not exposed to at the very opportunity they get, sometimes with unspeakable consequences. My parents are very strict, have always been, but this strictness has heightened with governments and security agencies issuing terrorist alerts all over the world. The thought of not having them for a fortnight was more than welcome in my mind, already having well laid plans. I helped them make the necessary preparations and even reminded them things they could forget, just in case the trip was cancelled as a result of missing some important document. The day finally came; I offered to take them to the airport, asking the driver to take an early leave, quite surprising to them, as this was not something I liked to do. What they di d not know was that I was hell bent on making sure they left. The drive to the airport seemed long, perhaps due to the long awaited freedom, only hours away. I watched as their documents were scrutinized, luggage screened and watched again as they boarded the airplane, scheduled for arrival the following morning. Freedom, which was long overdue, had come. The plans in my head overwhelmed me as I called my friends to give them the news. It had been difficult proving to them that I could do what they did on a weekly or daily basis, due to my parents’ strict nature. My parents’ business trip had coincided with the Muscat festival. Things could not get better. This is a 22-day-long festival observed annually between January and early February at various beaches, parks and shopping centers in Oman’s capital city, Muscat (Darke 111). The festival, arranged by the Muscat Municipality, focuses on Omani culture and heritage, and entertainment includes funfairs, fireworks and raffles. Omani culture and crafts are demonstrated and celebrated in traditional villages put up specifically for the festival. There are also camel races, poetry recitals and art exhibitions, as well as Arab singers performing in temporary amphitheatres. The festival begins in the late afternoon, at around 4 pm and goes on until 11 pm. Three of my friends joined me at the Qurum Park, one of the locations where the festival was taking place. The evening was promising. We moved from one stall to another, watching the dancers, took part in the camel race and even had an artist draw our portraits. When the festival closed for the day, we decided to go into town and have more fun. I was not afraid that my parents would call, constantly nagging me to get back home. This was the kind of freedom I had been missing. My friends suggested we have a drive by the beach, with the argument that the Royal Oman Police (ROP) would not be on patrol that night. Their focus was obviously on the Mu scat festival. We had a car borrowed from my friend’s brother who was out of town. This part of the beach was particularly quiet, perfect for our escapades. We decided to race for a distance one by one, each showing his prowess in the process. My friend went first, and he drove in a style I have never seen before. He started normally, but later used a raised hip of sand to tilt the car. He was now driving on two wheels. What? I had to try this, keeping in mind that I was here to prove myself. All except me viewed this as normal; I was astounded. The three of them drove in the same manner. It seemed like they had practiced for quite some time. I had to do it too, lest I be labeled naive. It was finally my turn, my heart raced. I started out like all the others and quickly