The Effects of Standardized Tests on Education

Standardized tests have been debated and argued for as many years as they have existed. It is worthwhile to look at some of the arguments for both sides and find out if there can be some middle ground. Two important factors of standardized tests are the way the tests are administered and how the results are handled. These two issues may be more important than the tests themselves. There must be ways to have accountability in most areas of society. In schools, we need to know if teachers are teaching and if students are learning. There has to be some way to judge whether the system is working. Standardized tests can show students’ strengths and weaknesses. Ideally, teachers then develop strategies to address the needs of the student that the test has outlined. These tests can help predict selection at college, justification for scholarships, and selection for employment. They can document achievement, both for the student and the teacher. â€Å"The fundamental ideas behind the construction and use of tests are not beyond our understanding†. Says Andrew J. Strenio Jr.  These tests â€Å"certify that the examinee does have the requisite skills and competencies needed to graduate from high school programs, practice in an occupation or profession, or receive elevated status within a profession†. (Defending Standardized Testing; Phelps, Richard. We could not function in society without some basic standards and these standards need to be uniform throughout our society. Chauncey and Dobbin write in their book Testing: It’s Place in Education Today:â€Å"Every school and almost every teacher uses a test at some point in the process of planning instruction that will fit the student and his capacities†. Standardized testing is just a larger scale for comparison. It offers feedback to the student and the school system about where achievement is in certain areas. But it should not be the only criteria for what we consider success. There is a great deal of criticism of standardized tests. Making test scores public is a way to see them as indicators of school quality. This has increased their value 100% but not in a particularly good way. Officials use an assortment of bribes and threats to coerce everyone into concentrating on test results. If the scores are high, the bribes may include bonuses for teachers and schools. Students may receive food, tickets to theme parks or sporting events, exemptions from in-class final exams, and even scholarships. The threats include loss of funding or accreditation for schools, while students may be held back a year or denied a high school diploma if they don’t test well, regardless of their over-all academic record. All together, these tactics are known as ‘high stakes’ testing. There may not be data on this, but Alfie Kohn states â€Å"the people who work most closely with kids are the most likely to understand the limits of standardized tests. † He says that â€Å"support for testing seems to grow as you move away from the students, going from teacher to principal to central office administrator to school board member to state board member, state legislator, and governor. † 3 Standardized Minds by Peter Sacks talks about the unquestioned position of standardized testing which he terms â€Å"an unhealthy and enduring obsession†. He also writes about the cost of all this testing. â€Å"The amount Americans spend taking tests, preparing for tests, scoring tests, and running magnificently elaborate testing programs in schools, colleges and the workplace is stunning, probably running in the billions of dollars each year. It is possible that Americans may be taking as many as 600 million standardized tests annually, or more than two tests per year for every man, woman, and child in the United States. Unreasonable demands of ‘higher scores’ from schools has many negative results. Alfie Kohn says â€Å"Teachers are beginning to tire of the pressure, the skewed priorities, and the disrespectful treatment as they are forced to implement a curriculum largely determined by test manufacturers or state legislators. † A hostile environment develops as teachers feel the need to prove that low scores were not their fault. An unhealthy competition is set up between teachers. High-stakes testing has led to widespread cheating. Recently, Atlanta schools cheating scandal has been front page news. An article in Substance News by George N. Schmidt on Dec. 26, 2010 details the depth and breadth of the CRCT scandal. The article is part of series that has examined the statistically improbable gains in test scores in Atlanta schools and how school district officials responded to them. The money spent on this investigation could probably build a new school. The expectation of higher scores means teachers are more likely to â€Å"teach to the test’ and become drill sergeants. Other things like fine arts fall to the wayside as math and science are emphasized. From the book Standardized Minds: â€Å"Researchers have found consistently that one of the most damaging effects of large-scale, big-stakes standardized testing in schools has been to: (1) oversimplify what’s taught in school; and (2) to severely constrict what is taught to only those items most likely to appear on an upcoming standardized test. There is blame and consequence to cheating, whether it is outright erasures on tests or days of teaching the test. But it should help us to rethink the pressures on ‘high-stakes’ testing. Maybe the Atlanta cheating scandal can show us that our response to the test score is way out of line. School districts, schools, teachers, and students should not have to be tested under such extreme pressure. This threatening atmosphere makes cheating a likelihood. Grades and test scores don’t tell us what we really want to know about somebody. The Case Against Standardized Testing includes a list offered by educator Bill Ayers: â€Å"Standardized tests can’t measure initiative, creativity, imagination, conceptual thinking, curiosity, effort, irony, judgment, commitment, nuance, good will, ethical reflection, or a host of other valuable dispositions and attributes. What they can measure and count are isolated skills, specific facts and functions, the least interesting and least significant aspects of learning†. Maybe it is not a ‘bad test’ but how the results are handled. Daniel Koretz in Measuring Up talks about the limits of test scores. He says â€Å"What education leaders want is a fair, straight-forward measure of school performance, to be able to monitor schools and hold them accountable. The problem is that we tend to overestimate what tests can do. Tests are not designed to summarize all that students and schools can do†. By the same token Andrew Strenio states that â€Å"Standardized tests convey an illusion of much greater precision than they are actually capable of achieving†. Learning is a process and process is defined as movement, a series of actions or changes. That is what makes it hard to precisely measure. So maybe we should not pin so much on standardized tests. Instead, make them a component of the over-all measurement of quality achievement. Valerie Janesick states in The Assessment Debate that â€Å"Learning does not take place by sheer dumb chance or luck . It takes place by design†. She makes reference to Grant Wiggins saying â€Å"the goal is not instant reform or instant knowing but rather a continuous process that results in understanding†. Priscilla Vail states â€Å"Above all, parents, students, and educators must remember that a test only shows what one person did on one exercise on one day. A standardized test score is not a license to live or a measure of deserving oxygen and space on our planet. † The opportunity to demonstrate what you know can also be done with portfolio assessment, group or individual projects, and take-home exams. We should strive to create schools that help students flourish. We should also strive to hire administrators who can develop and implement new criteria for measuring achievement that could go along with the standardized tests.

Social Attitudes towards Transport

Traffic police have a selected amount of land to cover throughout the region. Their role is to Provide an emergency response, Reduce road collision casualties, Minimise disruption to the free flow of traffic, provide any possible assistance and reassurance to road users, Provide specialist support services to the force and Ensure that the division makes the most efficient use of all its resources. In all the traffic cars the patrol cars have been fitted with specially designed suspension and brakes to cope with the extra load and the varied and demanding conditions they are exposed to. Motorcycle officers also have a specialist role in the policing of major public events, such as football matches, and providing a police escort for VIPs. They co-ordinate roadwork's, speeding complaints and monitor local collision trends. Rapid Response Ambulance Rapid response ambulance is specified to attend emergency incidents, ideally within eight minutes of notification. The Trophy Yellow estate cars, with green reflective Battenburg livery, incident equipment carried on the vehicles includes; oxygen therapy, cardiac defibrillators, entonox, maternity and paediatric pack, burns bag, cervical collars, splints and first aid bag. Plans for major incidents, site maps, body bags, triage cards and contacts for agencies and hospitals are also carried. Additional special items include the light roof bar, radio communications and a reverse-decal ‘Ambulance' livery on the bonnet and ‘RESPONDER' on its tailgate. These cars aren't stationed at the hospital; they are located in areas close to the region boarders making their response time a lot quicker. Their role is to attend emergencies, be first on the scene and aid injured people. Both services are required to attend incidents within a short period of time. To be able to make these deadlines, they are both authorized to use their sirens and lights to make other road users aware that they are responding to an emergency. In many cases both rapid responses are linked together. If theirs an RTA the rapid response would be first on scene that would then get the ambulance service called out if anyone is injured. The rapid response ambulance may take that call if it's within their area, which would attend and wait for ambulance to attend from the hospital to take casualties to hospital. Criminals target vehicles, New cars are automatically fitted with some sort of device attached immobiliser, tracker or alarm. The ideas of these security devices are outlined beneath. Immobilising system, which is automatically activated when the ignition key is removed. The way it works is the device transmits a radio-frequency signal every time the engine is started, sending a different password to the system. Insuring the car cannot be started any other way without the key. Electronic engine immobilisers prevent your car from starting and are the best way to stop thieves. Car alarms can deter thieves from not only stealing your car, but also taking items from it. Older cars are criminals prime targets due to the lack of security protection fitted to them. Steering wheel locks are a cheaper alternative to engine immobilisers use them every time you leave your car. Locking wheel nuts easy to fit and stop thieves from taking your wheels. Have your car registration number or the last seven digits of your Vehicle Identification Number etched onto all windows, both windscreens and your headlamps. Mark all your car equipment, like your car stereo, with your vehicle registration number. Having any of these security measures reduces the attractiveness of the car to thefts. Analysis of driver's attitude whilst travelling on the roads. Due to no one having the same characteristic everyone is different, with his or her own style of driving technique. With this in mind people tend to act differently on the roads. Road rage is the biggest form of driver's attitude on the roads and they aren't necessarily the person behind the wheel either. People speeding, acting irresponsible and general behaviour of others on the roads can cause road rage. Older citizens push the blame onto younger citizens for the way that they drive, younger citizens reverse the blame. There are business people who due to road rage drive more dangerously and faster blaming traffic and deadlines as their excuse. Parents who want to pick children up, but cant park near schools due to heavy congestion around the school. There are people who drive for living truck drivers, van drivers and public transport drivers who are consistently on the roads, that travel through all the peak times of the days. There are the rush hour periods during the day that make everyone less tolerable to waiting calmly. Speeding is mostly influenced by other people speeding, thinking if they can break the limit then so can they, which causes many other problems on the roads. After researching speeding I found that in Northampton there was a work shop for people who had broken the speed limit, where people can analysis there own behaviour on the roads. After the workshop results showed that: 92 per cent of respondents who had been on a Speed Workshop said that they were now more likely to keep to the speed limit. Of those who had received a speeding ticket, but hadn't been on a Speed Workshop, 53 per cent of respondents said that it was not acceptable to exceed the speed limit. After the Workshop, this increased to 78 per cent. http://www.norpol.com/safetycamera/newsstart.htm Drink driving in England is unacceptable especially around the Christmas period where more than the average drink. The UK legal limit for drivers is 80 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood but there is no failsafe guide to the amount of alcohol that a driver can safely consume. The amount and type of alcoholic drink, the weight, sex and metabolism of the driver all play a part. But any amount of alcohol affects driving ability. A motorist's ability to judge speed and distance may be impaired, their reaction times may be slowed and their judgement of risk seriously affected. Advice from the drink-driving site has given this structure for drinking: Immediately before driving: – Men should consume no more than 4 units, women no more than 3 When drinking the night before driving: – Men should consume no more than 10 units, women no more than 7. (This assumes that no alcohol is consumed after 11.30 pm, and that driving does not take place before 8 am the following morning) Cambridge county council have published that in the last three years there have been 324 drink drive accidents involving death and injury. Drink driving may cause the driver not able to judge the speed and distance accurately; the driver may become more overconfident whilst driving endangering other road users. With all these people on the roads, there is no wonder so many people are involved in accidents. Accidents can also be caused by people's personal preferences. A driver may like to drive slower than the person in the car behind due to not feeling confident on the roads or just being cautious. Many drivers on the road don't have enough breaks during travelling that could make the driver tired, irritable and likely to become a danger to themselves and others. Business people travelling in their own car are likely to have mobiles in use, without hands free or microphone the drive by law has to stop where safe and answer the call. As this is unlikely event to happen most people fit attachments in the car to prevent committing an offence. Parents with children should to prevent the driver being distracted, entertain children with some sort of music or equipment that will entertain the children while in their baby seats or whilst they are belted up in the back seats. Using this sort of attitude whilst making a journey will decrease the chance of a common traffic offence and in case of an accident reduce the chance of critical accident. (Ref 1) (Ref 2) (Ref 1) Poster on tiredness – I did a surveyed on ten people asking what they do during long journeys, five people said they don't stop but tend to differ the speed, play music and have sweets in the car. Two people said that they stop every two hours at a pre-selected break while the other three said that it depends on the weather and whether they know where they are going. After showing the poster to the five that don't stop, the drivers have changed their opinion and have agreed to wither stop for a stretch, swap drivers if able to and plan their journey that stop every hour to two hours. (Ref 2) Poster on mobile phones – whilst driving, proves that people aren't multi-skilled that means driving and using a mobile will divide there attention running higher risk of an accident. Surveying the same ten people that I did for the tiredness poster, I asked how many have their mobiles switched on and how they would deal with the driving if they're mobile started ringing. Three people said that they don't have their phone on at all through journeys. Two people said that due to the nature of the business that they have hands free kits and one person said that their company installed a microphone set to avoid missing calls whilst on the road. Four people said that they would only use there mobile whilst sitting in traffic or when they are driving on roads that wont cause the driver distraction. After showing the poster and asking them to read it out, they found it very hard and took a few seconds to work out that the transcript was engaging two different statements. After this experiment, all of the drivers that I surveyed that said that they would at least get some equipment installed in their car to avoid causing accident. Even using hand free kits and microphones aren't advised, but they aren't against the law and they have reduced the amount of accidents. Not everyone can avoid using their mobile whilst travelling due to their job but this does reduce the amount of accidents for the time being.

Central Motif for Saving Face Essay

Saving Face is a romantic comedy that unveils the truth about how the character’s identity can cause personal and cultural conflicts. Wil, the protagonist, and Ma had been keeping secrets from their family making it hard for them to connect with others and come to terms with themselves. Motifs were seen throughout the whole movie expressing thoughts and feelings. For example, face, time and tight camera angles were the motifs in this movie. Throughout those motifs, face was the central motif.Face was the central motif in Saving Face because it was the only reoccurring pattern that would show an individual’s identity. However, the tight camera angles in the movie made it captive for anyone to embrace their identity. The tight camera angles were able to show pain and scorn one was facing as they started to peal their identity away. One saw how hard it could be in being upfront and honest to themselves to others. When Ma had to explain to her father that she was pregnant w ith no husband, the movie captured Ma boxed in.In this shot, Ma was in a room, sitting down closed in by the narrow hallway leading to where she was sitting. Her father was in the same room as her not seen, but only heard. This shows how the outside influences make it difficult to accept one’s state and affects making connections with others. Ma now felt she had to marry someone, even if she wasn’t interested in him. Wil witnessed her mother being scolded by her grandfather, making it more difficult and complicated for Wil to tell her family she was lesbian and going out with Vivian.Throughout Saving Face, the motif time represents how time rushes and prevents the characters from making decisions they need to make for their identity. Saving Face represents time as both linear and circular because time continues to progresses in life but there is a repetition of the characters’ being themselves. Time ages for both Ma and Wil to the point that they are running out of time to change their lives that they continue to live repeatedly every day. The montage in the film shows that Ma is wasting her time with men she isn’t interested in.She goes on dates with an old friend when she’s actually interested in someone else. Time prevents Wil from making her decision because while she was sitting down with Vivian having a serious talk about where their relationship was going, the screenplay showed from sunset to twilight. This shows that expectations were being lost and time was passing by. The central motif of Saving Face is â€Å"face† because it represents the characters’ identity. Saving Face is an expression to keep definition. Face is a motif because face is used repeatedly, especially in close-ups to captivate the person’s identity.In the opening shot, there is a close- up on Wil’s face which she is seen wearing beauty masks to hide her true identity. The beauty mask prevents Wil from expressing her true identity because the face mask shows that Wil is living a life with a false identity. Wil has not accepted herself for her orientation and continues to masks herself because she does not have the courage to take it off. There are also close-ups on Ma’s face which explains how she is hiding her identity by living a life that her father requests her to live by.The close-ups on the faces show entrapment of the characters’ because they are not accepting their identity and live by their family’s request. In conclusion, the central motif of Saving Face is â€Å"face†. The motif face explains how the characters keep an identity that society enforces them to have, not an identity that they would like to be presented by. Even though time and tight camera angles were reoccurring patterns in this movie, it leads to the main point which is face. The characters struggle to come in terms to themselves and struggle to connect with others because of their secrets. Central Motif for Saving Face Essay Saving Face is a romantic comedy that unveils the truth about how the character’s identity can cause personal and cultural conflicts. Wil, the protagonist, and Ma had been keeping secrets from their family making it hard for them to connect with others and come to terms with themselves. Motifs were seen throughout the whole movie expressing thoughts and feelings. For example, face, time and tight camera angles were the motifs in this movie. Throughout those motifs, face was the central motif.Face was the central motif in Saving Face because it was the only reoccurring pattern that would show an individual’s identity. However, the tight camera angles in the movie made it captive for anyone to embrace their identity. The tight camera angles were able to show pain and scorn one was facing as they started to peal their identity away. One saw how hard it could be in being upfront and honest to themselves to others. When Ma had to explain to her father that she was pregnant w ith no husband, the movie captured Ma boxed in.In this shot, Ma was in a room, sitting down closed in by the narrow hallway leading to where she was sitting. Her father was in the same room as her not seen, but only heard. This shows how the outside influences make it difficult to accept one’s state and affects making connections with others. Ma now felt she had to marry someone, even if she wasn’t interested in him. Wil witnessed her mother being scolded by her grandfather, making it more difficult and complicated for Wil to tell her family she was lesbian and going out with Vivian.Throughout Saving Face, the motif time represents how time rushes and prevents the characters from making decisions they need to make for their identity. Saving Face represents time as both linear and circular because time continues to progresses in life but there is a repetition of the characters’ being themselves. Time ages for both Ma and Wil to the point that they are running out of time to change their lives that they continue to live repeatedly every day. The montage in the film shows that Ma is wasting her time with men she isn’t interested in.She goes on dates with an old friend when she’s actually interested in someone else. Time prevents Wil from making her decision because while she was sitting down with Vivian having a serious talk about where their relationship was going, the screenplay showed from sunset to twilight. This shows that expectations were being lost and time was passing by. The central motif of Saving Face is â€Å"face† because it represents the characters’ identity. Saving Face is an expression to keep definition. Face is a motif because face is used repeatedly, especially in close-ups to captivate the person’s identity.In the opening shot, there is a close- up on Wil’s face which she is seen wearing beauty masks to hide her true identity. The beauty mask prevents Wil from expressing her true identity because the face mask shows that Wil is living a life with a false identity. Wil has not accepted herself for her orientation and continues to masks herself because she does not have the courage to take it off. There are also close-ups on Ma’s face which explains how she is hiding her identity by living a life that her father requests her to live by.The close-ups on the faces show entrapment of the characters’ because they are not accepting their identity and live by their family’s request. In conclusion, the central motif of Saving Face is â€Å"face†. The motif face explains how the characters keep an identity that society enforces them to have, not an identity that they would like to be presented by. Even though time and tight camera angles were reoccurring patterns in this movie, it leads to the main point which is face. The characters struggle to come in terms to themselves and struggle to connect with others because of their secrets.

Domestic terrorism and international terrorism Essay

Domestic terrorism and international terrorism - Essay Example These are their major source of finance to their activities. Internet has enhanced the occurrence of domestic terrorism, the internet has become a source of information enhancing the occurrence of identity theft which is used by terrorist group to engage in their criminal activities, information collected include individuals information, bank credit information and credit card information. The internet has also been used to lure innocent citizens into frauds where individuals are asked to pay for certain services or goods and as a result they are fraud off their money. The intervention which includes monitoring activities in the web by the authorities will be an effective way to counter terrorism. However this may result into leaking of organisations information that may lead to losses by these organisations. When there exists a monitoring device in the internet then there will be leaking of company information to its competitors or even to speculators which may lead to loss of funds. Therefore the best way to strike a balance is to monitor only suspicious information on the web mostly from regions that are suspected to have terrorist groups, there exist such monitoring systems but they were banned by the US government but the best would be to install a system that tracks conversations that include key words used by the terrorist groups. Organisational information therefore should not be monitored to avoid financial losses as a result of information leak. Therefore the federal should be empowered to monitor information regarding suspicious groups and not for the organisations. Funding of domestic terrorism Terrorist groups will involve themselves in criminal activities to fund their operations, they have an advantage in involving in criminal activity in that they gain finances and at the same time they endanger the societies that they target through these activities. The other reason is that the criminal activities the terrorist involve in are hard for the judicial system to solve and prove. Some of the criminal activities that terrorist will engage in include: Drug trafficking: Drug trafficking is an activity that the terrorist involve in order to finance their activities, initially the terrorist groups were funded by the soviet union but after its collapse drug trafficking become a major source of finance. Identity theft: Identity theft is one of the most recent means in which terrorist use to finance their activities, this has emerged with the emergence of the internet and computer software which have made it easier to retrieve peoples information, and this has enabled the terrorist to steal people's identity which have resulted to financial scams which provide finances to the terrorist groups. Cigarette smuggling This is also a means by which terrorist groups will use in gaining finances, cigarettes are smuggled from low tax regions to regions whereby individuals will buy large quantities of cigarettes

Module 1 TD-HRM 401 - Recruitment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Module 1 TD-HRM 401 - Recruitment - Essay Example Human resource management is all about producing the appropriate means of replacing or adding to existing staffs. The internet has proven to be effective in recruiting professional in different location. The internet has the deigned tools to advertise and shortlist candidates for the selection process. Individuals are able to attach required documents without physically appearing at a design panel. This will reduce the cost used in recruiting given individuals as the outsourced recruitment parties would at minimal using this approach. The third party involvement in most cases may compromise the quality needed in the recruitment process. In conclusion, the internet is accessible by a large number of people at the same time hence becoming an appropriate tool while advertising. The parties interested are able to confirm their credentials and at the same time receive feedback within the shortest of period. Using the tool the company is able to save on cost of recruitment and at the same time receive a large number of applicants at the same time. Large numbers of applicants will means that the Human resource manager will use diversification as a means of recruitment. Â  Bersin, J. (2013, May 23). Corporate Recruiting Explodes: A New Breed of Service Providers. Forbes magazine. Retrieved from

UPS and TNT Express Business Model Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

UPS and TNT Express Business Model - Assignment Example Its market positioning among its competitors and the pricing criteria on the services and goods it trades on are the important factors of this element. United Parcel Services incorporation on this element regard on its business model can be contributed by its type of business and how it implements its business strategy.UPS incorporation is a business entity that engages primarily in delivering of packages and documents (Fairburn and Kay 1989). Also, in the recent periods, the firm has extended its service business to supply chain solutions that involves freight forwarding, customs brokerage, fulfillment, returns, financial transactions and even repairing services. The firm also, in extension offers less than truck transportation services where it is the leading provider in U.S market. The firm delivers to 6.1 million consignee worldwide, packages to 1.8 million shipping customers each day. Its supply chain services also, extend to clients in 175 countries (Libert and Samek 1997). The firm has invested in both ground and air network worldwide to offer its service deliveries to its customers under a single integrated pickup and delivery service structure. The firm has positioned itself in the market as the leading company by leading in technology development in order to improve service delivery among the global package delivery and supply chain management companies (Hubbard, 2001). The firm has a flexible scale of services and integrated solution that allows clients have an opportunity to choose the delivery service that will fulfill their intended requirement and the price they can afford from the variety of the services offered (Henry, 2002). The firm has invested a lot in equity branding by delivering quality services that are reliable and innovative products (Damodaran, 1997). This has been made successful through investing in employees by enabling them to have stock ownership in the firm. Thus, the employees dedicate their efforts in making the firm the best among the rest because they view the company as one of their own. TNT Express is involved in the service business of transferring documents and goods globally (Porter,1985). Service delivery is customer oriented because the clients are the one who selects the time and day when to pick up an order and when it should be delivered (Gropelli, 2006). The firms culture on being a robust and strong attitude and spirit of ‘can do’, has helped the employees in solving problems to carry out daily duties and responding to shareholders and the outside world of TNT Express. TNT Express positions itself in the market as the most admired delivery company by working on the core values of being a passionate company to its customers, people caring, keeping promises and working on mentality of I can do attitude. In order to achieve its values, the company has developed and implemented a TNT Express Integrity Program and an Introduced TNT Express Business Principles structures (Reish, 198 8). Thus, the acquisition of TNT express will raise the new firm performance in the parcel and document transfer industry competitively because of the combined synergy that will be realized by the merger idea. Synergy of the new firm will be realized due to the market competitive each of the firm have in their respective domestic markets. UPS Incorporation as the leading industry player in North America will enable TNT Express services to be implemented in North America as it has rich information on how to penetrate the domestic

Reducing your Carbon Footprint Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reducing your Carbon Footprint - Assignment Example 2) As indicated above, my CO2 emissions are above the average of Americans mainly in home energy where they stand at 66%. There are different measures that I can take in order to reduce CO2 emissions at home. For instance, I need to resort to methods such as using solar power for heating purposes of water. I also need to make sure that I switch off all electrical gadgets that are not in use at a particular moment. I also need to seriously take into consideration elements such as recycling of waste products. The other important step that I can take is to avoid using fossil fuels for energy at home for different purposes such as heating water. These fossil fuels emit large quantities of carbon dioxide and these emissions negatively impact on the environment and climate at large. Instead of resorting to artificial cooling systems is homes such as air conditioning, I can resort to open windows during the day for fresh air since this helps to reduce the quantity of CO2 emissions into the environment. There are CO2 gases that are emitted into the atmosphere during the air conditioning process. 3) The emissions of the average American are way above that of the world average mainly as a result of industrial activity. America is a heavily industrialized country and a lot of fossil fuels are used as energy in the industries. America also has a large population of automobiles that use fossil fuels as their major source of power. Combustible fuels such as oil, petrol kerosene among others produce large volumes of carbon dioxide when they are used for different industrial purposes. Excessive amount of carbon dioxide in the atmospheres is detrimental since it leads to global warming (Waugh, 196). This entails that excessive heat is trapped in the atmosphere and this condition can lead to climate change. Perennial droughts and floods are likely to be experienced in different parts of the globe and

Compulsory civil admission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Compulsory civil admission - Essay Example New Mental Health Act will put the importance on better community treatment. This paper sketches some of the themes that emerge from Mental Health research, explains how such themes can update Mental Health legislation and some impediments to Mental Health plans. Through keen experiment of relevant British legislation, this study argues that mental health policy at a national level lacks a defined role which the new legislation may provide, thereby enhancing the profession's voice in overall mental health legislation enactment. Moreover, the inherent complexity of the relationship means that the modification of one point in either the mental health or legal system or policy has an enourmous impact on the criminal justice system as a whole. By abandoning its plans for a new Mental Health Act the government has limited its scope for innovation. As a result of the increasing points of contact in mental health policy and legislations processing, the systems have become particularly evide nt from the proposed NR (nearest relative) provisions. In spite of the obtainable debate about the mental illness and incapability in mental health legislation, there is surprisingly little systematic link between criminal justice and mental health issues dates back to common law and has long been a somewhat problematic relationship. The legal meaning of incapacity, though, remained in vague. There are some legal rulings on the moderation of those with illness under common law in near future. A person is not responsible for criminal conduct if at the time of such conduct as a result of mental disease or defect he lacks substantial capacity either to appropriate the criminality (wrong fullness) of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of law. "Health or safety" is interpreted in practice to include the mental health of the person, essentially embodying a "need for treatment" approach to commitment criteria (Code of Practice). The enactment of only legislative scheme administrating nonconsensual treatment of both 'phys ical' and 'mental' illnesses, founded on incapacity principles, has been unsettled in recent law reform debates in the UK. In 1995 recommendations from the Law Commission for a 'Mental Incapacity Act' were published (Law Commission, 1995).1 The legislation proposes a definition of incapacity as being 'unable by reason of mental disability to make or communicate a decision' (where mental disability includes 'any disability or disorder of mind or brain, permanent or temporary, resulting in an impairment or disturbance of mental functioning') (Lord Chancellor's Department, 1999: p. 8). The definition of incapacity includes the presence of mental disability (rather than mental disorder, as required by the Mental Health Act 1983) means those with transient states of impaired judgement caused by pain may be included. The propose of legislation that combines the strengths of both incapacity and civil obligation designs can be enthusiastically anticipated, based on the criteria for interfer ence in England and Wales found in the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Such legislation would diminish inexcusable legal discrimination against mentally disordered persons and pertain to reliable moral or ethical principles athwart the medical

Modern Art History Assignments Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Modern Art History Assignments - Assignment Example The paper "Modern Art History Assignments" investigates the history of modern art and discovers what is bad and good art. A good art is an art that be interpreted easily with a theme or subject matter. It should be educative or resembling some deep hidden factors while appearing simple. A good art balances the environment and the pictorial. A good art should have a purpose. A bad art is an art without a theme objective and purpose. It lacks balance and creates mixed reaction leading to confusion. The painting shows Brutus wife and children very emotional crying and wailing over the ruling Brutus has made against his own sons to bring about revolution in his empire. Brutus appears to be calm but pictured to be in deep thoughts not even able to look back and see his own sons punished for committing treason. The pictorial paintings of the building, statues and mode of dressing signify the Roman Empire. The name Brutus in itself also signifies the brutality going on in the picture. Light and shadow are pictured are well illuminated in the picture with a good sharp contrast. Drama depicts this single painting as observed in the picture. At the back Brutus son is carried away for punishment while at the center of the image Brutus is shown seated and calm while at the very left the wife and children are crying and wailing. Realist art in the 19th century includes paintings and pictures that attempts to show the stratus of the lower, middle and upper class in addition to culture, customs, beliefs and mores of the people.

Online Therapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Online Therapy - Essay Example Despite of the benefits embedded in online therapy, the service delivery is highly controversial. First, very little research has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of online therapies. Second, people who are in extreme crisis and need help may not be able to write their concerns to the psychologists and wait for the reply. Sites offering online therapy are very alike - have almost the same pages, site content and prices. Each site claims having only professional psychologists and guarantee confidentially. The purpose of http://www.4etherapy.com/about_online_therapy.htm is to deliver the professional online counselling with licensed clinicians. The site content is limited to "home", "about online therapy", "for professionals", "about us", and "contact us" pages". Clients of this site are offered email, private chat and phone sessions. Notably, it is stated that the license of each clinician is verified with the state's regulatory board and therapists are responsible for providing the proof of liability insurance. Individuals who have busy schedules, difficulty with travelling, or other privacy issues are invited to use this website. Another site http://www.asktheinternettherapist.com/e-therapy.asp offers the wider range of services: in office counselling, audiovisual counselling, telephone therapy, email therapy, real-time chat, hypnosis tapes, and educational videos. In addition the site is divided into two parts: one for clients and another for medical staff. There is a lot of information about online therapies, self-improvement books, free discussion groups, questionnaires, articles and FAQ. The staff consists of Physician, Nurse, Nutritionist, Chiropractor and even Veterinarian. This site http://www.gracetreecounseling.com/OnlineCounselingTreat.htm provides information about the benefits of internet therapy as well as some limitations. In addition, it is stated that online counselling is not appropriate for issues regarding child abuse and suicidal behaviour. Individuals with such problems are provided with the phone numbers of the services providing assistance on these issues. Confidentiality and privacy c oncerns are also addressed, even though very little is noted about the competencies of the staff members. The site content is limited to "about us", "meet the counsellor", "treatment options", "services and fees", "privacy agreement" and "helpful link". Nevertheless, the huge number of sties offering online therapy to clients is threatening. It is hard to control the quality of the assistance and almost impossible to verify whether the individual typing answers is truly professional. Strom King, the president of the International Society for Mental Health Online, has noted that internet cannot be controlled by government and people have to take more responsibility for what they consume online (Kliger 2000). Moreover, Martha Ainsworth (the holder of the site uniting therapists) said she knew of no lawsuits filed against online advisers even though many of them lack competence to be therapists (Kliger 2000). The professional community has no single meaning about the effectiveness of online therapy. As it was already stated, most of associations have already integrated online therapy as part of their service. Moreover, many universities introduce the programs training psychologists in tele-health. For example, the Pacific

History and Culture of China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History and Culture of China - Essay Example Their work of art during the Qing Dynasty is mainly examined in accordance with the psychological and historical circumstances of the time. This was mainly triggered by the Brutal takeover of the Manchu in which many Chinese harbored a strong cultural consciousness which saw new invaders of the dynasty as foreigners who disgraced the Han ethnic group which constitute the majority population in China. This kind of resentments is considered the atmosphere under which most of the artists worked and reflected in their art (Dynasty Landscape painting). From the paintings done during this period, one is able to see pessimistic dark images; references to the fallen Ming Dynasty, trees and other forms of natural resources were depicted growing in an up-side down position with dense claustrophobic forms (Dynasty Landscape painting). This was a way of expressing their feelings of discomfort. Despite the emperor rulers of the Qing Dynasty view their Machu ethnic group as superior over other sma ll tribes, they did put a cold shoulder on the Chinese culture, and decided to develop and promote the traditional Han Culture and the patrons of art (Dynasty Landscape painting). ... This paper will explore Zheng Banqiao’s artistic work in explaining the history of Chinese Culture with regard to Qing Dynasty. Zheng Banqiao was Chinese artist during the Qing dynasty. He was born in 1693 and passed away in 1765.Zheng Bangiao was a Chinese painter from Jiangsu. He began life in poverty but rose in the exam system to become a magistrate at Shandond. His original name was Zheng Xie; he was among the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou. Zheng Bangiao was brought up by the wet nurse’s fee after his mother passed away while he was three years old. He studied in Yizheng School of lyrics while he was twenty years old. He studied poetry while he was twenty six years old in a private school based teaching. He was a great Literati and painter of the Qing Dynasty according to Yoshiho, Chu and Iverson (2007). Zheng Bangiao became a successful candidate of the highest imperial examination in 1736.This was the first year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign. Due to his succe ss Zheng Banqiao was appointed a magistrate. Zheng Banqiao was an incorruptible official; he tried so much to help the poor by applying a relief fund for them. He became critical of the life of an official as he refused to ingratiate himself with the officials. His incorruptible and sympathetic character to the poor annoyed the superiors and he was fired. After he was dismissed from work, he went back home and lived on painting bamboos stones and drawing orchids. Zheng Banqiao was the best poet and composed a lot of poems. He wrote calligraphy works and drawing paints. His works were known as â€Å"Three unique skills† by the whole word. Zheng Banqiao’s poems are very original and focused certain aspects of the Qing dynasty. They were never cliche, he wrote about ordinary

The Characteristics and Development of RFID - Radio frequency identification Essay Example for Free

The Characteristics and Development of RFID Radio frequency identification Essay Wal-Mart, the world leading retailer, announced it will expand its rollout of radio frequency identification (RFID) to a total of 300 suppliers by 2006, following meeting with its top vendors. The retailers top 100 suppliers have already agreed to implement RFID by January 2005. Wal-Mart plans to have the inventory tracking system, which uses radio frequency technology, in six distribution centers and 250 Wal-Mart stores and Sams Club stores by next June. By October of next year, the program will include up to 13 distribution centers and up to 600 Wal-Mart and Sams Club stores. By the start of 2006, Wal-Marts next top 200 suppliers will begin tagging cased and pallets, bringing the total to 300 vendors. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology has been in commercial use since the early 1980s. It has been employed, for instance, on highway and bridge tolls, in tracking livestock movements, in tracking airfreight and in motorcar manufacturing, but until recently, the technology has been too expensive and too limited for mass commercial applications. However, retailers are now starting to drive the introduction of RFID and it would seem to have the potential to revolutionize efficiency, effectiveness and security throughout supply chain. By definition, RFID is a technology process starts with a tag that is made up of a microchip with an form a magnetic field when they join with the antenna on the RFID tag (FRiDa. com). Its one of the most powerful IT strategic assets in use in retailing industry. According to Michalisim (1997), he pointed out that strategic asset are simultaneously valuable, rare, imperfectly imitable, and nonsubstitutable. RFID technology has been commonly recognized as the key source to enterprise resource management system as well as warehouse management systems and enables retailers to gain competitive edges over rivals. RFID is the generic name for technologies that use radio waves to automatically identify items. There are several methods of identifying items using RFID but most systems consist of a tag, which is made up of a microchip with a coiled antenna, and an interrogator or reader with an antenna. The reader sends out electromagnetic waves that form a magnetic field when they couple with the antenna on the RFID tag. The tag draws power from the magnetic field and uses it to power the microchips circuits. The chip then modulates the waves that the tag sends back to the reader and the reader converts the new waves into digital data. The data transmitted by the tag may provide identification or location details and/or specific information about the product such as price, colour and date of purchase. The tags are very flexible in that microchips measuring less than a third of a millimeter wide can now store a wide range of unique product information, they can be read from a distance and through a variety of obstacles. RFID technology can also allow some, but not all, the data held on a tag to be read and the tags can be updated after the original data has been loaded. The tags also offer security in that they can be made virtually tamper free. The technology has been too expensive and too limited for widespread mass commercial applications, but as the price of tags, tag readers and the associated equipment continues to fall so a growing number of retailers have begun to explore the introduction of RFID and this in turn seems likely to bring the technology into everyday consumer use. Wal-Mart is making this revolutionary technology (i. e. RFID) a reality in distribution centers today. Its expected that Wal-Marts top 100 suppliers must be RFID-ready by January 2005 and the retailer then put its large foot forward in April of this year by launching the first phase of RFID implementation at the case and pallet level in Fort Worth marketplace. Apparently, the retailing industry is slowly moving toward a re-engineered supply chain with enhanced efficiencies. RFID represents the most sweeping supply-chain advancement since June 1974, initiated by Wm. Wrigley Company by adopting the worlds first, official grocery-store barcode on a pack of chewing gum. Since then, it changes to the way the supply chain operation becomes more efficient. It is evident to note that RFID helps manufactories virtually eliminate manual data entry and manual business process transactions in such ways: first and foremost, order fulfillment speed is dramatically increased; second, the order accuracy is improved; third, the on-going operating costs of order fulfillment are reduced; the performance of warehouse management system investment can be enhanced; last but not least, hidden warehouse management costs become visible. Moreover, efficiency gains can be measured in picking and put away errors, acceleration of handling for return and restocking, and elimination of physical counts. In addition, RFID enables manufactories to make the most use of data as it becomes available for real-time demand signals when product moves through the supply chain. Furthermore, RFID contributes to the improvements of data accessibility and quality of which having a positive impact on demand forecast accuracy (Smith Offodile, 2002). Consequently, it helps manufactories to gain real-time visibility into customer purchase decisions throughout the value chain, which prepare firms to react and influence the marketplace. Cited from Rose (1996), An inspection of technological changes in terms of supply chain management over the last 20 years has illustrated that there have been tremendous changes in the area of physical distribution or supply chain management systems through global business. Information technology and RFID have changed payables, receivables, and the asset side of inventory. Typically, RFID use modern wireless technologies to provide manufactories with unique solutions to difficult logistical tracking of inventory. The technology is largely feature in its stability, with open architectures becoming increasingly available.

The Precast Concrete Piles Engineering Essay

The Precast Concrete Piles Engineering Essay 2.1 introduction 2.1.1 Introduction of pile Piles are the very common elements in a foundation. Pile foundation have the function that transfer loads from superstructure through through water or through the weak compressible strata, onto rock, less compressible soils or onto stiffer. This type of foundation need to carry uplift loads when it is used to support tall structures. Not only that, it is also to overturning the forces from winds or waves. Thus, piles used in marine structures are also the subjected to lateral loads from the waves and impact of berthing ships. The combinations of horizontal and vertical loads are to carry where the piles are used to support, bridge piers and abutments, retaining walls and machinery foundations. In the late of nineteenth years, reinforced concrete was developed as a structural medium. This is the replacement of timber for high-capacity piling of works into soil on land. This can be precast in structural forms and also suitable for ground conditions and the imposed loading. The durability of pile was satisfactory for immersion conditions and most of the soil. Replacement of the driven of precast concrete of cast in-situ piles had due to most of the development of highly efficient machines. This is for drilling pile boreholes of rock conditions, great depth in wide range of soil and the large diameter of pile than to other deficiency in performance of the precast concrete element. Steel is used to increase when extension for pile due to ability to withstand hard driving, handling, to its ease of fabrication. The corrosion problem in marine structures have had solved by the introduction of cathode protection and durable coatings.(Michael Tomlinson, 2008) 2.1.2 Type of pile 2.1.2.3 displacement piles Precast concrete pile Precast concrete piles have their principal use in marine and river structures, i.e. in situations where the use of driven and cast-in-place piles is impracticable or uneconomical. For land structures unjoint precast concrete piles are frequently more costly than driven and casting- place types for two main reasons: 1. Reinforcement must be provided in the precast concrete pile to withstand the bending and tensile stresses which occur during handling and driving. Once the pile is in the ground, and if mainly compressive loads are carried, the majority of this steel is redundant. 2. The precast concrete pile is not readily cut down or extended to suit variations in the level of the bearing stratum to which the piles are driven. However, there are many situations for land structures where the precast concrete pile can be more economical. Where large numbers of piles are to be installed in easy driving conditions the savings in cost due to the rapidity of driving achieved may outweigh the cost of the heavier reinforcing steel necessary. Reinforcement may be needed in any case to resist bending stresses due to lateral loads or tensile stresses from uplift loads. Where high-capacity piles are to be driven to a hard stratum, savings in the overall quantity of concrete compared with cast-in-place piles can be achieved since higher working stresses can be used. Where piles are to be driven in sulphate-bearing ground or into aggressive industrial waste materials, the provision of sound high-quality dense concrete is ensured. The problem of varying the length of the pile can be overcome by adopting a jointed type. From the above remarks it can be seen that there is still quite a wide range of employment for the precast concrete pile, particularly for projects where the costs of establishing a precasting yard can be spread over a large number of piles. The piles can be designed and manufactured in ordinary reinforced concrete, or in the form of pre-tensioned or post-tensioned prestressed concrete members. The ordinary reinforced concrete pile is likely to be preferred for a project requiring a fairly small number of piles, where the cost of establishing a production line for prestressing work on site is not justifiable and where the site is too far from an established factory to allow the economical transportation of prestressed units from the factory to the site. Precast concrete piles in ordinary reinforced concrete are usually square or hexagonal and of solid cross-section for units of short or moderate length, but for saving weight long piles are usually manufactured with a hollow interior in hexagonal, octagonal, or circular sections. The interiors of the piles can be filled with concrete after driving. This is necessary to avoid bursting where piles are exposed to severe frost action. Alternatively, drainage holes can be provided to prevent water from accumulating in the hollow interior. To avoid excessive flexibility while handling and driving the usual maximum lengths of square section piles, and the range of working loads applicable to each size are shown in table 2.1 . Where piles are designed to carry the applied loads mainly in end-bearing, for example, piles driven through soft clays into medium-dense or dense sands, economies in concrete and reductions in weight for handling can be achieved by providing the piles with an enlarged toe. This is practised widely in the Netherlands where the standard enlargements are 1.5 to 2.5 times the shaft width with a length equal to or greater than the width of the enlargement. Table 2.1 Working loads and maximum lengths for ordinary precast concrete piles of square section Jointed precast concrete piles The disadvantages of having to adjust the lengths of precast concrete piles either by cutting off the surplus or casting on additional lengths to accommodate variations in the depth to a hard bearing stratum will be evident. These drawbacks can be overcome by employing jointed piles in which the adjustments in length can be made by adding or taking away short lengths of pile which are jointed to each other by devices capable of developing the same bending and tensile resistance as the main body of the pile. BS EN 12794 defines pile joints in four classes, Class A to Class D, depending on whether the pile is used in compression, tension, or bending and the impact load test to be applied to verify the static design calculations. If the pile joint satisfies the impact and bending tests then the ultimate capacity of the joint is identical to the calculated static bearing capacity. Annex ZA to this standard deals with the CE marking of foundation pile units and the presumption of fitness for the intended use. The Hercules pile, originally developed in Sweden, is available in the UK from Stent Foundations Ltd in two square sizes with standard lengths of 6.1, 9.2, and 12.2 m, and properties as shown in Table 2.6. C45/55 concrete is normally used. The precast concrete units are locked together by a steel bayonet-type joint to obtain the required bending and tensile resistance and a rock shoe incorporating an Oslo point seating pile into hard rock. A length is chosen for the initial driving which is judged to be suitable for the shallowest predicted penetration in a given area. Additional lengths are locked on if deeper penetrations are necessary, or if very deep penetrations requiring multiples of the standard lengths are necessary. Other types of jointed precast concrete piles include the Centrum pile manufactured and installed by Aarslef Piling in the UK using C40/50 concrete and rigid welded reinforcement cages in varying lengths from 4 to 18 m in square sections from 200 to 600 mm. Lengths greater than 4 m for the 200 and 250 mm sections can be jointed using a single locking pin driven horizontally into locking rings in the joint box (four locking pins for the larger sections), which are designed to provide a degree of pre-tensioning to the typical locking pin joint. Depending on the length, section, and joint used and the ground conditions, working loads up to 1200 kN in compression and 180 kN in tension are possible. RB precast square concrete piles made and installed by Roger Bullivant Ltd are available in four sizes with working load capabilities (depending on ground conditions) from 200 kN for the nominal 150 mm square section to 1200 kN for the 355 mm square pile, in lengths of 1.5, 3, and 4 m. The standard joint for the limited tensile and bending capability is a simple spigot and socket type bonded with epoxy resin with each pile length bedded on a sand/cement mortar. Special joints and pile reinforcement can be provided as needed to resist bending moments and tension forces. Precast concrete piles which consist of units joined together by simple steel end plates with welded butt joints are not always suitable for hard driving conditions, or for driving on to a sloping hard rock surface. Welds made in exposed site conditions with the units held in the leaders of a piling frame may not always be sound. If the welds break due to tension waves set up during driving or to bending caused by any deviation from alignment, the pile may break up into separate units with a complete loss of bearing capacity. This type of damage can occur with keyed or locked joints when the piles are driven heavily, for example, to break through thin layers of dense gravel. The design of the joint is, in fact, a critical factor in the successful employment of these piles, and tests to check bending, tension, and compression capabilities should be carried out for particular applications. However, even joints made from steel castings require accurate contact surfaces to ensure that st ress concentrations are not transferred to the concrete. The Presscore pile developed and installed by Abbey Pynford plc is a jointed precast concrete pile consisting of short units which are jacked into the soil. The concrete in the pile units and precast pile cap is 60 N/mm2 and a reinforcing bar can be placed through the centre of the units of Presscore pile. On reaching the required bearing depth the annulus around the pile is grouted through ports in the units. The use of jacked-in piles for underpinning work is described in Chapter 9. A high strength cylindrical precast pile, 155 mm diameter and 1m long, was developed in Canada for underpinning a 90-year-old building in Regina. The segments were cast using steel fibre reinforced concrete with a 28-day compressive strength of 90 N/mm2 and steel fibre content of 40 kg/m3. Each segment was reinforced with four steel wires (9 mm) welded to a steel wire circumferential coil. Recesses were provided at each end of the segment and stainless steel rods connected each segment to form the joint. Hydraulic jacks with a capacity of 680 kN reacted against a new pile cap and as each segment was jacked down the next segment was screwed and tensioned onto the connecting rod. The required 600 kN pile capacity was achieved at depths ranging from 11 to 13 m. Table 2.2Dimensions and properties of square section Hercules piles as manufactured Driven and cast-in-place displacement piles In the Cementation Foundations Skanska version of the withdrawal tube pile, the heavy wall section tube has its lower end closed by an expendable steel plate or shoe and is driven from the top by a five-tone hydraulic hammer. On reaching the required to level, as predetermined by calculation or as determined by measurements of driving resistance, the hammer is lifted off and a reinforcing cage is lowered down the full length of the tube. A highly workable self-compacting concrete is then placed in the tube through a hopper, followed by raising the tube by a hoist rope operated from the pile frame. The tube may be filled completely with concrete before it is lifted or it may be lifted in stages depending on the risks of the concrete jamming in the tube. The length of the pile is limited by the ability of the rig to pull out the drive tube. This restricts the length to about 20 to 30 m. Pile diameters range from 285 to 525 mm with working loads up to 1500 kN. In a further variation of the Franki technique, the gravel plug (or dry concrete plug) can be hammered out at several intermediate stages of driving to form a shell of compact material around the pile shaft. This technique is used in very soft clays which are liable to squeeze inwards when withdrawing the tube. Composite Franki piles are formed by inserting a precast concrete pile or steel tube into the driving tube and anchoring it to the base concrete plug by light hammer blows. The drive tube is then withdrawn. A full-length reinforcing cage is always advisable in the driven and cast-in-place pile. It acts as a useful tell-tale against possible breaks in the integrity of the pile shaft caused by arching and lifting of the concrete as the tube is withdrawn. BS EN 12699 requires minimum reinforcement of 0.5% of the pile cross-section or four 12 mm diameter bars over the top 4 m of all such piles; with minimum cover of 50 mm where the casing is withdrawn, 75 mm where reinforcement is installed after concreting (or where subject to ground contaminants), and 40 mm where there is permanent lining. The problem of inward squeezing of soft clays and peats or of bulging of the shafts of piles from the pressure of fluid concrete in these soils is common to cast-in-place piles both of the driven and bored types. A method of overcoming this problem is to use a permanent light gauge steel lining tube to the pile shaft. However, great care is needed in withdrawing the drive tube to prevent the permanent liner being lifted with the tube. Even a small amount of lifting can cause transverse cracks in the pile shaft of sufficient width to result in excessive settlement of the pile head under the working load. The problem is particularly difficult in long piles when the flexible lining tube tends to snake and jam in the drive tube. Also where piles are driven in large groups, ground heave can lift the lining tubes off their seating on the unlined portion of the shaft. Snaking and jamming of the permanent liner can be avoided by using spacers such as rings of sponge rubber. In most cases the annulus left outside the permanent liner after pulling the drive tube will not close up. Hence, there will be no frictional resistance available on the lined portion. This can be advantageous because drag down forces in the zone of highly compressible soils and fill materials will be greatly reduced. However, the ability of the pile shaft to carry the working load as a column without lateral support below the pile cap should be checked. Allowable stresses on the shafts of these piles are influenced by the need to use easily workable self-compacting mixes with a slump in the range of 130 to 180 mm and to make allowances for possible imperfections in the concrete placed in unseen conditions. BS EN 12699 for driven displacement piles requires the rules on the concreting of bored piles using self-compacting concrete as recommended in BS EN 1536 to apply to all cast-in-place displacement piles unless otherwise specified. BS 8004 limits the working stress to 25% of the 28-day cube strengths, but BS EN 12699 specifies concrete strength classes of C20/25 to C30/37 which are 25% stronger than the cube strengths usually adopted in the UK under BS 8004, that is, a range of 20-30 N/mm2. EC2-1-1 Clause 3 refers to characteristic cylinder strengths for the determination of design compressive strengths, and if the 25% limit is applied the allowable stresses range from 5 to 7.5 N/mm2 (i.e. similar to the BS 8004 limits, but for the stronger mixes). For these values, allowable loads for piles of various shaft diameters are as shown in the following table: The higher ranges in the above table should be adopted with caution, particularly in difficult ground conditions. Maximum working loads are as shown in the following table: The spacing of bars in the reinforcing cage should give ample space for the flow of concrete through them. Bars of 5 mm diameter in the form of a spiral or flat steel hoops used for lateral reinforcement should not be spaced at centres closer than 100 mm (80 mm when using 20 mm aggregate). Replacement piles Bored and cast-in-place piles In stable ground an unlined hole can be drilled by hand or mechanical auger. If reinforcement is required, a light cage is then placed in the hole, followed by the concrete. In loose or water-bearing soils and in broken rocks casing is needed to support the sides of the borehole, this casing being withdrawn during or after placing the concrete. In stiff to hard clays and in weak rocks an enlarged base can be formed to increase the end-bearing resistance of the piles. The enlargement is formed by a rotating expanding tool. Hand excavation is now uneconomic because of stringent statutory health and safety regulations, even in piles with a large shaft diameter. A sufficient cover of stable fine-grained soil must be left over the top of the enlargement in order to avoid a run of loose or weak soil into the unlined cavity. Bored piles drilled by hand auger are limited in diameter to about 355 mm and in depth to about 5 m. They can be used for light buildings such as dwelling houses, but even for these light structures hand methods are used only in situations where mechanical augers. The versatile, light cable percussion tripod rigs can bore piles up to 600 mm diameter 10 m deep with working loads up to 1200 kN in suitable ground conditions. Temporary casing can be driven to cut off unstable ground and reinforcement inserted prior to concreting. Bored piles drilled by mechanical spiral-plate or bucket augers or by grabbing rigs can drill piles with a shaft diameter up to 7.3 m. Standard plate auger boring tools for use with kelly bar rigs range from 600 to 3650 mm. Rigs with telescopic kelly bars can reach 70 m depth and 102 m exceptionally. Under-reaming tools can form enlarged bases in stable soils up to 7.3 m in diameter. Rotary drilling equipment consisting of drill heads with multiple rock roller bits have been manufactured for drilling shafts up to 8 m in diameter. In a stable dry bore, concreting is carried out from a hopper over the pile with a short length of pipe to direct flow into the centre of the reinforcement, ensuring that segregation does not occur. When concreting boreholes under flooded conditions or under stabilizing fluid a full length tremie pipe (6 times the maximum diameter of the aggregate or 150 mm diameter whichever is the greater) is essential. For reasons of economy and the need to develop shaft friction, it is the normal practice to withdraw the casing during or after placing the concrete. As in the case of driven and cast-in-place piles this procedure requires care and conscientious workmanship by the operatives in order to prevent the concrete being lifted by the casing, and resulting in voids in the shaft or inclusions of collapsed soil. Reinforcement is not always needed in bored and cast-in-place piles unless uplift loads are to be carried (uplift may occur due to the swelling and shrinkage of clays). Reinforcement may also be needed in the upper part of the shaft to withstand bending moments caused by any eccentricity in the application of the load, or by bending moments transmitted from the ground beams. However, it is often a wise precaution to use a full-length reinforcing cage in piles where temporary support by casing is required over the whole pile depth. The cage acts as a warning against the concrete lifting as the casing is extracted. The need to allow ample space between the bars for the flow of concrete is again emphasized. 2.2 Procedure of driving precast pile and cast in-situ pile. 2.2.1 Driving precast concrete piles A helmet for precast concrete piles are carefully centered on the pile, and the hammer position should be checked to ensure that it delivers a concentric blow. The hammer should preferably weigh not less than the pile. BS 8004 requires that the weight or power of the hammer should be sufficient to ensure a final penetration of about 5 mm per blow unless rock has been reached. Damage to the pile can be avoided by using the heaviest possible hammer and limiting the stroke. BS 8004 states that the stroke of a single-acting or drop hammer should be limited to 1.2 m and preferably to not more than 1 m. The Swedish piling code requires a drop hammer to weigh at least 3 tonne, except that 2-tonne hammers can be used for piles with a maximum length of 10 m and a maximum load of 450 kN, but a 4-tonne hammer should be used for long piles in compact materials. This code recommends that the drop of the hammer should be limited to 300 to 400 mm in soft or loose soils to avoid damage by tensile stresses. The drop should be limited to 300 mm when driving through compact granular soils. The driving of the piles should be carefully watched, and binding by toggle bolts due to the pile rotating or moving off line should be eased. The drop of the hammer should be reduced if cracking occurs, and if necessary the hammer should be changed for a heavier one. After the completion of driving the pile heads should be prepared for bonding into the pile caps. Hollow piles with a solid end may burst under the impact of the hammer if they become full of water, and holes should therefore be provided to drain off accumulated water. Where a soil plug is formed at the toe of an open-ended pile, water accumulation or arching of the soil within the pile may also result in bursting during driving. The installation of withdrawable-tube types of driven and cast-in-place piles

Estate Management Essays Professional Codes Of Conduct

Estate Management Essays Professional Codes Of Conduct Critically discuss the contribution which codes of conduct issued by professional bodies such as RICS can make to the behaviour and conduct of their members who are either employees in privatepractice or employees in organisations. Individually and,in association, collectively, the professions strike a bargain with societyin which they exchange competence and integrity against the trust of client andcommunity, relative freedom from lay supervision and interference, protectionagainst unqualified competition as well as substantial remuneration and highersocial status. Professional codes of conduct, when rigorouslycommunicated and enforced, contribute substantially to the proper behaviour andconduct of members of the organisations which issue them. Rueschemeyers introductoryreference (1983, cited in Eraut, 1994) to the bargain that professional organisationsstrike with society furnishes a context for critically evaluating the conceptof professional codes of conduct which can be considered to at least partiallyformalize the bargain with society as well as the effects of these codes onthe behaviour and conduct of members of professional organisations who areengaged in private practice or who are employees of other organisations. To establish afoundation for the analysis, the professional organisation will be compared andcontrasted with other types of organisations, and the concept of codes ofconduct will be explored. The focus will then shift to a discussion of theeffects of codes of conduct issued by professional organisations on memberbehaviour. Finally, conclusions will be presented. The Professional Organisation: Comparisonand Contrast with Other Organisations Robbins(1998) defines an organisation as: A consciously coordinated socialunit, composed of two or more people, that functions on a relatively continuousbasis to achieve a common goal or set of goals. Daft (1998) describes organisations as (1) social entities that (2) are goal directed, (3) aredesigned as deliberately structured and coordinated activity systems, and (4)are linked to the external environment. Organisations are formed for a varietyof reasons including those that are started for public and private purposes,for pursuing business and social goals, and for profit or non-profit results. A professionalbody meets the criteria for an organisation as identified by Robbins andDaft. The professional body is a specific type of organisation, usually non-profit, that exists to further aparticular profession, to protect both the public interest and the interests ofprofessionals (LaborLawTalk.com, n.d.). The ASEP Newsletter (1998) claimsthat professional organisations are formed and exist for the purpose ofrepresenting the profession, adding that this type of organisation consistssolely of members who are, or intend to be, working in the profession, or havebeen allowed special membership status. A fuller description of these types of organisations is offered by the Canadian Security Administrators (2004), which states in this quoted extract that a professional body: .  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  admits members primarily on the basis of their educationalqualifications; .  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  requires its members to comply with the professional standards ofcompetence and ethics prescribed by the organisation; and .  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  has disciplinary powers, including the power to suspend or expel amember. Theconcept of profession is important to the understanding of professionalorganisations. A profession can be described in terms of its features whichinclude representation by a professional organisation, adherence toprofessional ethics and standards, and self-regulation of such functions aseducation, training, and certification or licensure in the profession. (ASEPNewsletter, 1998). Professions are generally identified by occupationalgroup (e.g. doctors, attorneys, surveyors, nurses, consultants, writers, lawenforcement officers). Membership in a professional organisation is often arequirement to legally practice in the profession (LaborLawTalk.com, n.d.). Aprofessional body differs from other types of organisations in that most othersare comprised of members from a variety of professions. These memberscoordinate their individual competencies to achieve an organisations ends. Asingle organisation may have as its members people from such diverseprofessions as doctors, lawyers, clerks, labourers, and engineers. Thisarrangement is certainly necessary, but it has one drawback. A typical organisation is very insular with regard to specific professions. For example, engineers may only interact with other engineers within the organisation. They have little opportunity to exchange knowledge about their profession with engineers in other organisations. On the other hand, a typical professional body, through its focus on a single profession, provides a forum for this type of exchange. One ofthe many professional bodies is the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors(RICS) which promotes itself as the largest organisation for professionals inproperty, land, construction, and related environmental issues worldwide withthe purpose of promoting best practices, regulation and consumer protection tothe public and to businesses. RICS, which claims 110,000 members worldwide, isthe leading source of property related knowledge, providing independent,impartial advice to governments and global organisations. (RICS Rules ofConduct, 2004) Codes of Conduct: The Concept Codes of conduct in professional organisationsprovide a type of social control of expertise, according to Eraut (1994). Thesecodes help to protect clients against incompetence, carelessness, andexploitation. Eraut traces codes of conduct to nineteenth century Britain andthe United States where, at the time, government control was not adequatelyprotecting clients. He claims that experts agreed that a measure of controlmust be vested in the professionals themselves to be effective and, thus, theprofessional organisation was born. A Code ofConduct is a written guide that says how people should behave. It setsstandards of behaviour it says what you should do and should not do. (Crime andMisconduct Commission, n.d.) Organisations establish codes of conduct tocorrect errors of personal equation, according to Miner (2002). Shafritz(1998) describes the term code of conduct through its component words: code,which he defines as laws, regulations, rules, standards, statutes, and conduct,which he defines as bearing, behaviour, demeaneor, and deportment. His fulldefinition for code of conduct is a: specifically identified list of behaviorsthat [has] been deemed appropriate or inappropriate enough to have beenincorporated into either laws or regulations or policy statements. He addsthat a code of conduct narrowly defines what one is to do in a given positionor set of circumstances. The term code of conduct isfrequently used interchangeably with the term code of ethics, but thetwo have different meanings according to Shafritz (1998). Codes of conductoffer specific directions on behaviours expected under various conditions;codes of ethics furnish a set of aspirational standards by which to live andwork. Codes of ethics are designed to inspire. Codes of conduct are designedto require. Organisations that have instituted codes of conduct include for-profit businesses, industry groups, unions, special interest groups, government agencies, schools and universities, and professional bodies. Not unexpectedly, a code of conduct for a professional body outlines the acceptable or desirable behaviours and practices of a particular profession such as doctors, pharmacists, lawyers, and ethicists (EthicsScan Canada Ltd., n.d.). Steadman et al. (1994, cited inEraut, 1994), identified four sets of values affecting conduct: legal values,values of the profession, values of individual professionals, and (foremployees of organisations) values of the employing organisations. The firm Deloitteand Touche (2003) offers comprehensive guidance for developing codes ofconduct. In stating that there is no pre-packaged verbiage for a code ofconduct, the firm suggests that it be written in positive, rather than negativeterms, to help promote positive reception by the intended audience and thus amore like positive outcome in terms of conduct. The code of conduct should: .  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  employ simple language, be concise, and be readily understood; .  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  not be written in legalistic terms but, rather, in terms ofexpected behaviours; .  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  apply to everyone in the organisation; and .  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  be revised as needed to reflect changes. Deloitte Touche recommends more than fifty topics that may be included in codes ofconduct. Some of these that may particularly applicable to codes of conduct forprofessional organisations include client service, confidentiality, compliancewith professional standards, independence, conflicts of interest, licensure,fraud, personal conduct, and privacy. In addition, and importantly, the firmrecommends that, in addition to stating expected behaviours, codes of conductshould include enforcement and implementation mechanisms that address thenotion of accountability and discipline for unacceptable behaviour. The RICS,which was highlighted earlier, has a comprehensive, 56-page code of conductcontaining many of the topics recommended by Deloitte Touche withsections focused on personal and professional standards, conduct ofprofessional activities and business, practice details and co-operation,conflicts of interest, impartiality, and independence (Royal Institution ofChartered Surveyors Rules of Conduct, 2004). In addition, and as suggested by Deloitte Touche, the RICS has issued a 28-page supplement to the code of conduct specifying disciplinary rules. These rules state the constitution of disciplinary bodies, possible contraventions (initial processes, rights, and powers), and powers of disciplinary bodies. (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Disciplinary Rules, 2004). Professional Codes of Conduct: Effects onMember Behaviour and Conduct Lindsay, Irvine, and Lindsay (1996, citedin Messick, 1999) write: failure to seriouslymonitor, measure and reward (punish) the performance of individuals on theethical plane will leave codes of conduct operating in a vacuum, of littleuse in actually promoting ethical behavior. But what mechanisms take place in shaping thedesired behaviours of members of professional organisations? Operantconditioning and social learning theories help to explain how codes of conductcan help in encouraging desired behaviours. Operantconditioning, which contends that behaviour is a function of theconsequences of the behaviour, suggests that desired voluntary behaviour leadsto a reward or prevents a punishment; in social learning peoplelearnthrough observation and direct experience (Robbins, 1998). Codes of conduct,by specifying the desired behaviours as well as associated rewards andpunishment, guide those affected into behaving as desired (operant conditioning).The enforcement of the code of conduct against those who violate its rules, andthe publicity of the consequences, serves as a model to others on properbehaviour (social learning). Reinforcement is essential to obtainingdesired behaviours. There are four reinforcement methods available to shapedesired behaviours through reinforcement: positive reinforcement, negativereinforcement, punishment, and extinction (Robbins, 1998): .  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  positive reinforcement involves following abehaviour with something positive; .  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  negative reinforcement involves terminatingor withdrawing something unpleasant; .  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  punishment involves creating anunpleasant condition to eliminate an undesirable behaviour; and .  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  extinction involves eliminating areinforcement that maintains a behaviour. These reinforcementmethods can be applied by professional bodies in encouraging desired behavioursamong their members. For instance, an organisation could offer annualrecognition to those members who have exhibited highly-desirable behaviours(positive reinforcement). The organisation could impose, then later withdraw, asanction against a member who violated a minor rule (negative reinforcement).The organisation could expel a member who flagrantly violated a major rule(punishment). And, finally, a professional organisation could cease referringpotential clients to members who have violated conduct rules (extinction). In addition to enforcement, a code ofconduct must be rigorously promoted to be effective lest it becomes justanother dust-collecting document on the shelves of those for whom thebehavioural messages are directed. Over time, if conduct rules are not rigorouslypromoted, the expected behaviours can become less and less important in makingdaily decisions on proper behaviour. EthicsScan Canada Ltd. (n.d.) recommendsthat codes of conduct be promoted continuously. For example, members should be required to acknowledge annually, in writing, that they have read and understand the code of conduct. A suggested method for promoting a code of conduct involves discussing it as part of annual performance appraisals or scheduled meetings. These meetings might include introducing case studies followed by discussions of proper behaviour and problems that might occur. Members of professional bodies can beself-employed or employees of other organisations. Whilst codes of conduct mayserve as the sole behavioural guidance for self-employed professionals inprivate practice, employees of other organisations may be subject to two setsof conduct codes one presented by the professional body and one by theiremploying organisations. When the conduct specified in these codes is aligned,employees typically will not experience conflict; however, when the employeesexpected conduct as required by their employers differs from that expected bytheir professional bodies, a conflict exists and employees face potentialdilemmas. For instance, in some cases, professional organisations sanction members who do not adhere to their professional codes of ethics, yet the same members face disciplinary action from their employers if they should disclose information about a breach of public interest (Guy, 1990, citing Dozier and Miceli 1985; Archer, 1986). This dilemma could result in an employee deciding to violate either the rules of his or her employer or those of the professional body. To aid employees facing this type of dilemma, both the employer and professional body should have experts available for consultation. Conclusion Properly written, promoted, and enforced,codes of conduct can be powerful tools in helping to ensure desired behavioursfrom members of professional bodies. Nevertheless, whilst beneficial, codes ofconduct cannot be viewed as a total solution for ensuring the proper behaviourof members of professional organisations. Shafritz (1998) writes: Codes of conductdo not represent professional assurancesabout high moral standards. Rather, they provide direction to those whoseconduct they govern. Codes of conduct are minimalistic prohibitions againstunquestionably subversive or criminal acts. The primary benefit of codes ofconduct lies in augmenting government laws and regulations in promoting desiredbehaviours in the professions. In closing, it may be that professional organisationsare in the fore among organisations in terms of success with codes of conduct.According to Miner (2002), [b]usiness can well learnfrom the professions when it comes to maintaining standards. Professionalbodies seem to take quite seriously the role they serve in ensuring thatclients of professional bodies are protected against incompetence,carelessness, and exploitation. References Archer,Lawrence (1986) The moral minority. Canadian Business 59:56-59, 1986.Cited in Guy, 1990. ASEPNewsletter (1998)What is a profession? March 1998. CanadianSecurities Administrators (2004) Acceptance ofcertain foreign professional boards as a professional organisation, January 19, 2004. Crime andMisconduct Commission (n.d.) Developing a code of conduct. Availablefrom: http://www.cmc.qld.gov.au/OTRT8.html[Accessed: August 5, 2005]. Daft,Richard L. (1998) Organisation theory and design. Cincinnati, Ohio:South-Western College Publishing, 1998. Deloitte Touche (2003) Guidelines for writing a code of ethics/conduct.Deloitte Touche Corporate Governance Services, 2003. Dozier,Janelle Brinker and Miceli, Marcia P. (1985) Potential predictors ofwhistle-blowing: A prosocial behavior perspective. Academy of ManagementReview 10:823-36. Cited in Guy, 1990. Eraut, Michael(1994) Developing professional knowledge and competence. London: FalmerPress, 1994. EthicsScanCanada Ltd. (n.d.) What is a code of professionalconduct? Available from: http://www.ethicscan.ca/resource_centre/faqs/page05.html[Accessed: August 5, 2005]. Guy,Mary E. (1990) Ethical decision making in everyday work situations.Westport, Connecticut: Quorum Books, 1990. LaborLawTalk.com(n.d.) Professional body or professional organisation. Available from: http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/professional_organisation[Accessed: August 4, 2005]. Lindsay, R. M., Irvine, V. B., and Lindsay, L. M. (1996)Instilling ethical behavior in organisations: A survey ofCanadian companies. Journal of Business Ethics, 15: 393-407, 1996.Cited in Messick, 1999. Messick,David M. (1999) Sanctioning systems, decision frames, and cooperation. AdministrativeScience Quarterly, December 1, 1999. Miner, JohnB. (2002) Organisational behaviour: Foundations, theories, and analyses.New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Robbins,Stephen P. (1998) Organisational behavior: concepts, controversies,applications. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall International,Inc., 1998. RoyalInstitution of Chartered Surveyors (2004) Disciplinary rules. London:RICS, 2004. RoyalInstitution of Chartered Surveyors (2004) Rules of conduct. London:RICS, 2004. Rueschemeyer,D. (1983) Professional autonomy and the social control of expertise, inDingwall, R. and Lewis, P., eds. The Sociology of the Professions: Lawyers,Doctors and Others. London: Macmillan, 1983. Cited in Eraut, 1994. Shafritz,Jay M. (1998) International encyclopedia of publicpolicy and administration: A-C. Volume 1.Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1998. Steadman,S. et al. (1994) Ethics in occupational standards and S/NVQs. Researchand Development Report. Sheffield: Employment Department, Methods StrategyUnit, 1994. Cited in Eraut, 1994.

Electronic Fetal Monitoring :: Technology Pregnancy Essays

Electronic Fetal Monitoring Technology has had a very prominent influence on electronic fetal monitoring since its appearance in the 1960’s and 1970’s. For many years, fetal monitoring was simply done by listening to a fetal heartbeat through a stethoscope. Dramatic changes in the heartbeat, such as a long period or a drop in the rate or intensity, could be detected,. Now, not only is the electronic fetal monitor used on the outside of the womb by strapping electrodes to the mother’s abdomen but electrodes can also be inserted during the first stage of labor and placed directly on the baby’s head. With advanced technologies such as this the acidity of the infant’s blood as well as the heart rate can be measured. New technologies are being developed every day. The latest advance in fetal monitoring is the fetal oxygen monitor: â€Å"A device that directly measures fetal oxygen saturation during labor and delivery is now available and has the potential to reduce the number of Cesarean sections performed for non-reassuring heart rates.† (Mechcatie) The article by Mechcatie describes the monitor extremely well: â€Å"The device’s sensor, located at the end of a flexible tube, is made of pliable plastic and is inserted through the cervical os until it lies along the fetal cheek, where the pressure of the uterine wall keeps it in place during labor. The sensor shines light into the fetal skin and computes the oxygen saturation by measuring the color of the reflected light coming through the blood cells.† There is also a high-resolution ultrasound scanning that can detect chromosomal and physical abnormalities in the first trimester as opposed to the second trimester. A technology such as this can create many ethical problems. Mcfadyen describes the biggest problem as being informed consent. â€Å"They may believe that it will provide information only about gestational age and be unaware of the range of abnormalities that can be detected. Recent research suggests that many women are not told beforehand of the first scan’s potential to detect fetal anomalies.† Another technology that has been around for a while is the general ultrasound. In the article by Jennifer Wang she states, â€Å"The risk of a patient having a fetus with Down syndrome can be assessed non-invasively using fetal markers seen on ultrasound. Electronic Fetal Monitoring :: Technology Pregnancy Essays Electronic Fetal Monitoring Technology has had a very prominent influence on electronic fetal monitoring since its appearance in the 1960’s and 1970’s. For many years, fetal monitoring was simply done by listening to a fetal heartbeat through a stethoscope. Dramatic changes in the heartbeat, such as a long period or a drop in the rate or intensity, could be detected,. Now, not only is the electronic fetal monitor used on the outside of the womb by strapping electrodes to the mother’s abdomen but electrodes can also be inserted during the first stage of labor and placed directly on the baby’s head. With advanced technologies such as this the acidity of the infant’s blood as well as the heart rate can be measured. New technologies are being developed every day. The latest advance in fetal monitoring is the fetal oxygen monitor: â€Å"A device that directly measures fetal oxygen saturation during labor and delivery is now available and has the potential to reduce the number of Cesarean sections performed for non-reassuring heart rates.† (Mechcatie) The article by Mechcatie describes the monitor extremely well: â€Å"The device’s sensor, located at the end of a flexible tube, is made of pliable plastic and is inserted through the cervical os until it lies along the fetal cheek, where the pressure of the uterine wall keeps it in place during labor. The sensor shines light into the fetal skin and computes the oxygen saturation by measuring the color of the reflected light coming through the blood cells.† There is also a high-resolution ultrasound scanning that can detect chromosomal and physical abnormalities in the first trimester as opposed to the second trimester. A technology such as this can create many ethical problems. Mcfadyen describes the biggest problem as being informed consent. â€Å"They may believe that it will provide information only about gestational age and be unaware of the range of abnormalities that can be detected. Recent research suggests that many women are not told beforehand of the first scan’s potential to detect fetal anomalies.† Another technology that has been around for a while is the general ultrasound. In the article by Jennifer Wang she states, â€Å"The risk of a patient having a fetus with Down syndrome can be assessed non-invasively using fetal markers seen on ultrasound.