Thursday, October 31, 2019

A self assessment on intercultural negotiating skills Essay

A self assessment on intercultural negotiating skills - Essay Example There are different communication styles that can be used and these will be outlined in the paper. Characteristics of a good intercultural negotiator Cross culture communication and negotiation mainly involve people from different cultural backgrounds and this has a bearing on the way they communicate. The culture of different people shape the way people communicate and exchange ideas (Fujio, 2004). According to Armstrong (1994), culture in the organization refers to shared beliefs, values, attitudes as well as assumptions which shape their behaviour as well as the way they view different things around them. All the people in the organization have shared beliefs as well as values. Dbhaibo & Harb (2010) suggest that the way people communicate and behave is shaped by their cultural values. Hofstede’s framework of cultural diversity mainly influences different types of studies that are related to cross cultural communication and management which include the following four dimensi ons of national culture: â€Å"individualism versus collectivism, power distance which is concerned with how power is distributed, uncertainty avoidance which talks about how uncertainty is found to be uncomfortable, quality versus quantity of life† (Robbins, 1993, p. 75). In order for a person to be a good intercultural negotiator, there are many issues that should be considered by the people involved. In case of a distributive type of negotiation, a good intercultural negotiator attempts to discover the other person’s BATNA. The person who suggests a strong offer is likely to achieve positive results as a result of the fact that the other person is likely to concede certain instances (Thompson 2005). The use of statements or questions is also very important since it helps to establish the quality of the relationship that may exist between the two negotiators involved. Thus, a good intercultural negotiator should establish how the other person communicates as well as to try to establish the relationship that exists between parties involved. The other important factor that should be taken into account about what makes a good intercultural negotiator is to try to differentiate between Utilitarian Discourse System (UDS) which is about the message itself and the Confucian Discourse System (CDS) which is concerned about the quality of relationship that exist between the two people communicating with each other. For instance, the Americans prefer the UDS system when negotiating while the Japanese or Chinese prefer CDS. According to a study conducted by Misa Fujio (2004) entitled â€Å"Silence during intercultural communication: a case study,† it can be noted that styles of communication between the people involved in the communication process differ as a result of the fact that they have different cultures. Silence is used as a way of communication by the Japanese this is a different case with the Americans who do not use silence as part of the ir communication process. In order to avoid unnecessary frustration, a good intercultural negotiator must establish the way another person communicates so as to be able to exchange meaningful ideas. Lin & Miller (2003) suggest that negotiation approach is influenced by factors which include national culture, commitment as well as the quality of relationship that exist between the two. For example, the â€Å"Chinese emphasise on collectivism while the Americans focus on individualism (Hsu, 1985 as cited in Lin and Miller, 2003). A good

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Learning Community Essay Example for Free

Learning Community Essay Nowadays the popularity of online learning is swiftly increasing and more students prefer distance learning to traditional as it offers certain benefits. Walden University offers students opportunities to receive highly-qualified education and to save time on other important things as job, families, etc. What is Walden University? Walden University is an accredited institution which provides engaging learning experience both for professionals and non-professionals. The mission of the University learning community is to attract extraordinary students and to make positive social impact. Learning Community is represented by diverse and vibrant faculty and dedicated students. Faculty members are able to enrich online learning community offering wide range of experiential and educational backgrounds. All members are gifted mentors and highly-talented teachers who are fully committed to University’s core values and mission – to provide educational accesses, social change and professional excellence. Moreover, members of learning community teach the values of integrity and quality. Students of learning community are mid-career professionals who are willing to gain professional achievement and to remain dedicated to lifelong learning. All students are allowed to exchange their ideas and to share diverse perspectives with other faculty members, as well as with fellow students nationwide. It becomes apparent that relationships within community are professional and, at the same time, friendly-oriented. Further, faculty and staff at Walden University will help to balance education with professional and personal commitments. Essential resources are available for mastering skills: Writing Center, world-class library, tutoring, etc. Scholar-practitioners develop all degree programs and they continually visit courses to make sure they possess all modern updates relevant to profession chosen. Learning community offers also international perspective. Every student becomes a member of international community with more than 270,000 members online. More than 50 campuses are in 16 countries. Every student may enter the Laureate International Network and to be provided with excellent opportunity to expand international viewpoint and to apply obtained knowledge to professional life. The most important moment to admit is that Walden University learning community strongly believes that knowledge is the most valuable as it is the most effective way work for greater good. In other words, Walden University calls for social changes. Students and faculty members are willing to improve social and human conditions. They create ideas how to promote individual development, as well as development of organizations, communities and society as a whole. The goal of learning community is to help students to become scholar-practitioners and to conduct scholarly researches in the chosen field. The mission is to provide diverse learning community with friendly-oriented relations and with the opportunity to become scholar-practitioners. It is necessary to underline that learning community of Walden University has influenced both my professional life and the life of the whole society as Walden University promotes the values of knowledge, integrity, quality, honesty and fairness which are the most important in contemporary world. I can apply knowledge not only to critical societal challenges, but also to advance the greater good and social relations. I really appreciate the Walden University offers entirely online courses as it offers certain benefits for me. To be a member of society means being concerned with everyday human relations, emotions and interpersonal skills and Walden learning community gives such a chance. Financial benefits of online courses are ability to save money spent on housing, transportation and food and ability to keep part-time as well as full-time job at the same time. Walden University gives and excellent opportunity to be involved into interactive teamwork between students’ groups i. e. ability to correspond with other students from different parts of the world. Walden University offers modern way of learning which gives an opportunity to master skills and to save time on family, friends and job. References Online Degree: About Walden University. Retrieved June 10, 2008, from http://info. waldenu. edu/aboutwalden. php Walden University: Official Website. Retrieved June 10, 2008, from http://www. waldenu. edu/ Walden University: Online Degree Programs. Retrieved June 10, 2008, from http://www. worldwidelearn. com/waldenu/index. php

Saturday, October 26, 2019

A Review Of Controlled Release Fertilizers Biology Essay

A Review Of Controlled Release Fertilizers Biology Essay In general, plants must be supplied with nutrients during the whole vegetation period. In horticulture this is achieved by applying quickly soluble fertilizer once to twice a week, for example. This kind of fertilizer application is very labour-intensive and requires considerable specialist knowledge, so as to select the correct rate of application, appropriate time of application and correct composition for the particular plants to ensure optimum plant production. With the use of slow or controlled release fertilizers the full amount of nutrients necessary for the whole vegetation period can be applied at the time of planting or at the earliest stages of plant growth, in the form of a nutrient pool Also, about half of the applied fertilizers, depending on the method of application and soil condition, is lost to the environment, which results in the contamination of water [1].This kind of environmental concerns of feeding crops with traditional fertilizers has led to developing Slow Release Fertilizers (SRFs) or Controlled Release Fertilizers (CRFs). SRFs or CRFs are easy and safe to use. They reduce risk of incorrect fertilizer application; they are labour saving; and minimize nutrient losses by leaching or fixation. The idea of producing SRFs was developed from 1963 by encapsulation of fertilizers by waxes. After that, these products have been commercialized. There are lots of SRF and CRF brands; market leader in controlled release fertilizers is Scotts Professional with key brands such as Osmocote Exact, Sierrablen and Osmoform. SunGro Company is also producing controlled release fertilizers with brand name of Multicoate. AGLUKON is also another commercialized SRF product [2-4]. Like lots of scientific fields, agriculture industry has been over shadowed by nanotechnology. Applications of nanotechnology in agriculture includes agriculture crop improvement, nanobiotechnology analysis of gene expression and regulation soil management, plant disease diagnostics, efficient pesticides and fertilizers, water management, bioprocessing, post harvest technology, monitoring the identity and quality of agricultural produce and precision agriculture[5]. Efficient pesticides and fertilizers in terms of Nano-composite based slow release fertilizers are developing in current decades. Using nanoparticles as reinforcing or cementing agent of polymer coatings has been the only feature of nano particles which is used in preparing slow release fertilizers [6,7]. Fertilizers Fertilizers are applied to soil to promote plant growth. They contain some beneficial nutrients including macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium which are added to soil in quantities from0.2% to 4.0% (on a dry matter weight basis) and are more essential than micronutrients. Micronutrients are elements which are applied to soil in much smaller amounts, ranging from 5 to 200 ppm, or less than 0.02% dry weigh. These elements could be sulfur (S), boron (B), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), zinc (Zn)[8,9]. 2.2. Types of fertilizers Fertilizers would be categorized from source of being and also from release properties points of view. All fertilizers could be organic or synthetic from source of being point of view. Organic fertilizers are naturally occurred including seaweed, worm casting, manure, slurry, peat, humic acid, guano and brassin. They provide slow release of nutrient as they need soils bacteria to be broken down to needed elements. Also, they may improve the biodiversity of soil by supplying organic matters and micronutrients for organisms. Organic fertilizers are cheaper and safer than synthetic fertilizers [9,10]. The main synthetic or mineral fertilizers are urea, ammonium sulphate, ammonium phosphate, phosphate rock, potassium chloride, super phosphates, calcium ammonium nitrate, potassium sulphate and NPK, PK and PK compound fertilizers. The most important drawbacks of synthetic fertilizer is their long term sustainability. Also, they are more expensive in contrast to organic fertilizers [10]. Also, fertilizers can be categorized into ordinary and controlled release fertilizers from release properties points of view. Drawbacks of non- controlled release fertilizers Ordinary fertilizers leach to soil very quickly and most of them are not used by the plants. According to figures about 40-70% of nitrogen, 80-90% of phosphorous, and 50-70% of the applied normal fertilizer is lost to environment and cannot be used by plants[11]. This rapid leaching will cause burning of plants and growing in spurts. Also, the lost elements will make some serious problems for our environment. Eutrophication, Blue baby syndrome, soil acidification, persistent organic pollutants, heavy metal accumulation, atmospheric effects are environmental concerns of ordinary fertilizers. Another result of quick leaching of fertilizer is repeating the application of fertilizers which will increase the costs[8,12,13]. Slow or controlled release fertilizers Slow release fertilizers or controlled release fertilizers are coated in a substance that enables a slow release time and eliminates need for constant fertilization and higher efficiency rate than soluble fertilizers [14]. The interest in these materials is for one or more of the following reasons: Availability of nutrients during the hole growing-season; reduced nutrient loss via leaching and run-off; reduced cost and labor outlay in crop production; reduced chemical and biological immobilization reactions in soil which cause plant unavailable forms; reduction of rapid nitrification and nitrogen loss through ammonia volatilization and denitrification; reduced seed or damage from high local concentrations of salts; reduced leaf burn from heavy rates of surface-applied fertilizers; better seasonal distribution of growth and better acclimatization in home or display environment; improved storage and handling of fertilizer materials[15]. Differences between slow and controlled release fertilizers Although there is no a special difference in general function of CRF and SRF, but it should be mentioned that they are manufactured by different materials and techniques with different properties. In slow release fertilizers elements are present in the fertilizers in a chemical form, which is not available to plants and they will be converted by physiochemical effects or microorganisms activities into nutrient forms in the soil. But in controlled release fertilizers elements are packed in coated granules and are released through the coating over a certain period of time. Also, in SRFs nutrients available period is affected by a lot of factors such as water content of soil, Ph, temperature, microorganisms activity, aeration. However, the longevity of CRF depends on coating thickness and temperature of soil. Only coating method is effective in changing pattern of nutrients release and a fixed coating thickness control nutrients release. In CRFs declared release time refers to soil temp erature of 20-21 oC. Higher temperatures accelerate the element release and lower temperatures make it longer [4,16]. SRFs are chemically prepared slow released. Some kinds of SRFs are Urea Aldehydes (UA) and Chelated Micronutrients(CM). Common type of UAs is urea formaldehyde which is high nitrogen fertilizer. Starting release rate of UAs is high but it dies off slowly for 3 years. This kind of fertilizer depends on microorganisms to break it down for plant use. CMs are substances that hold firmly together iron, manganese, zinc, and copper. They slowly releases over a long period of time [17]. 2.4.2. Types of CRFs 2.4.2.1. Sulfur Coated (SC) Elemental sulfur when is oxidized to its sulfate form would be one of the nutrients which is essential for some plants and is normally blended with other fertilizers. Using sulfur coating is also another way to provide sulfur simultaneously with making slow release properties for a core granular fertilizer. As the sulfur containing materials like polysulfides or lingosulfonate are brittle and also give a low wetting of defects they are normally mixed with waxes or plasticizers. Many formulas are available for SCs. Their release time is generally 3-4 months. SDs are released by microorganisms [18-22] 2.4.2.2. Wax coated (WC) One of the methods of reducing fertilizer release rate is dispersing granular fertilizers with molten wax and then cooling the mixture below the melting point of the wax [23]. Paraffin is one of the most used wax as a coating for fertilizers. Paraffin  wax   is a white, tasteless, odorless, waxy solid, with a typical melting point between about 47  °C and 64  °[24]. Other types of waxes are synthetic oil based, petroleum or mineral waxes. Waxes are normally used by an additive or a tackifiere agent to make a good sealing properties [25,26] 2.4.2.3. Polymer Coated (PC) Polymer-coated fertilizers (PCF) represent the most technically advanced controlled released fertilizers. They include a water-soluble fertilizer core and one or more than one layers of polymer. There are large varieties of polymers to coat the core fertilizer also the coatings layer could be the same one or different. In PC fertilizers release of nutrients will happen by diffusion through a semi permeable polymer membrane. Water penetrates the coating and dissolves the core. Release rate can be controlled by varying the composition and thickness of the coating. In addition, pressure builds up can cause cracks to form, from which fertilizer passes into the soil [27, 28]. 2.5. Review of preparation methods of different polymer coated CRFs 2.5.1. Sole Polymer coated One type of polymer coated CRFs is the one which the fertilizer core which could be N, P, K OR NPK compound, is just coated with one or more than one layer of polymer coating. In this case the polymer could be solvent based or water-based. The application process starts with dissolving the polymer in a organic solvent or water. After dissolving the coating will be sprayed onto the fertilizer in a coating drum or fluid bed [29]. Benefits of polymer coated CRFs are as follow; uniform and defect free coating will surround fertilizer; the coating will be very tough and durable which is resistant against mechanical breakdown; they are biologically inactive so they will not breakdown by soil microbes. In most cases except for degradable polymers release of fertilizers will be happen by diffusion through polymer coat rather than through defects. In some other coated fertilizers like sulfur coatings there should be a flaw in coating to make release of fertilizer. There are lots of examples for polymers which have been used in literatures as coating for fertilizers, some of them are as follow; dicyclopentadien[30],Urea and urethane based [31-36], epoxy based [ 37-39], polyvinylidene chloride-based latex[29] carboxyl-carrying ethylene polymers[40], biodegradable starch based[41], urea formaldehyde[42]. However, polymer coated fertilizers have some week points. About solvent-based coatings using large amount of organic solvents like toluene or xylene will lead to environmental concerns. These solvents are volatile and releasing them to environment makes some hazards for human health. Also, polymer coatings are more expensive than sulfur coatings; the process and equipments are also more complex than equipments used for other coatings. 2.5.2. Sulfur-polymer coated One of most common coated fertilizers are the ones in which core fertilizer is covered by a layer of sulfur coating and a layer of polymer. The polymer layer can be primer or outer layer; means that sulfur layer in some researches has been the first layer and in some others the outer layer. Sulfur Using coating is a suggested method to remove drawbacks of sulfur coated CRFs. One of these drawbacks is very fast release of fertilizer in first few days after application. The other one is brittleness of sulfur coatings which may lead to some fractures during handling or storage and losing the fertilizer into soil. Another problem is that sulfur coatings have a high surface tension with water and cannot provide enough wetting for a good diffusion [19, 29, 38, 21]. The most common method for applying the sulfur coating is spray. Molten sulfur compound will be sprayed over a pre-polymer coated fertilizer granule [38,43]. 2.5.3. Wax-polymer coated There are lots of researches focusing on making controlled release fertilizers using Wax-polymer coatings. Wax layer has three major benefits; one is that they are applied over the polymer layer for decreasing the fracture probability of coating and the other one is for decreasing the amount of polymer and avoiding consuming more polymers to make the process cost effective. Also, they can eliminate imperfection of granules surface to make a good surface coating. Most common waxes which have been used in state of the art is C30 alpha-olefin and paraffin. Other petroleum products like lubricants and bitumen or natural products like canola oil, soybean oil, coconut oil and palm oil, also have been used. After melting the wax it will be applied by mixing with polymer coated fertilizer. Normally the polymer is thermoset to avoid any damages of polymer by the wax in its melting point. The wax normally should have drop melting point from 50 to 120 °C. Wax is normally about 0.2% to 10 % by weight of fertilizer [25, 38, 44, 45]. 2.5.4. Filler- polymer coated As mentioned before, despite lots of advantages of polymer coating to make slow release properties when such polymers are used as a sole coating material the ultimate product would be expensive as you have to consume large amount of polymer. Using mineral or organic fillers is one way to avoid using large amount of polymer. Also, in some researches fillers play the role of detackifier, to prevent adherence of coated granules to each other, and strengthening agent [46]. Fillers may be used either as a mixture with polymer to make a nano-composite polymer [47] or as a separate layer. The most common method is second one in which the filler will be added and mixed with polymer coated granules before drying the granules. Most common used fillers are some very fine(less than 20 microns) inert inorganic materials like clay, diatomaceous earth, bentonite, kaolin, gypsum powdered limestone, talc, barium sulfate. Some other fillers like waste cellulosic materials also have used as filler in combination with polymer.[47-51] 2.6. Techniques coating application According to studies have been done; encapsulation methods of fertilizers can be divided into three methods including in-situ, spray and mixing. 2.6.1. In situ This method includes formation of fluid dispersion of the soluble fertilizer in a solvent and mixing the prepared solution with monomers of a polymer. Polymerization will happen and depend on the method; granules or particles of fertilizers will form. Ni et al [52] have developed a double-coated urea fertilizer. For preparation of poly (N-vinyl-pyrrolidone) hydrogels containing urea (PCU), the monomer and a solution of urea in N-vinyl-pyrrolidone were mixed together. The polymerization was carried out at 65à ¢- ¦C for 3 h. The resulting samples were vacuum-dried, milled, screened and stored. After that first coating was dried sample and some amounts of urea were mixed with sodium alginate (SA) solution. Mixed solution was then added drop wise into 5% (w/w) CaCl2 aqueous solution and stirred constantly. The drops immediately turned into granules (about 4mm in diameter) because the SA in the drop was crosslinked by Ca2+ at once. The granules were filtered and dried in oven at 70à ¢- ¦ C. Then the granules were added to ethylcellulose ethanol solution. Multiple EC coatings were prepared by immersion of the previously coated granules into the Ethylcellulose (EC) solution repeatedly. Thus, EC-coated urea granules with different coating thickness were obtained. Hanafi et al [53], have coated a compound fertilizer by polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyacrylamide (PA), natural rubber (NR), and polylactic acid (PLA) using in situ method. For encapsulation of compound fertilizer with polyacrylamide the granules were added to the solution mixture of monomers. Then the polymerization reaction will start in existence of fertilizers. The thickness of the coating layer on the compound fertilizer granules, determined by SEM, gave PVC compound coated fertilizer the highest value of 3.04 lm, and the lowest was obtained by PA (2.04  µm). Variation in the characteristics of the polymers would be utilized in producing CR compound fertilizer that fit the requirements of growing plants. Hudson et al [38] used epoxy to coat the fertilizer. In this research the urea granules were charged to a pan and warmed to 95 °C. Then the hydrogenated tallaw amine, 2-amino ethyl peperazine and bisphenol A diglycidyl ether were mixed and were added to the granules; meanwhile polymerization happened and prepared mixture was agitated till the fertilizer granules dried. 2.6.2. Spray method This method is most common method for coating the fertilizer granules in state of the art[. Usually, the solution of polymer in a suitable solvent is sprayed on the granule of fertilizer and then the granules are dried to remove the solvent through evaporation. The treatment is repeated as often as necessary until the desired coating percentage is reached. Lan et al [54] have used Chitosan and poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) as biodegradable polymers to coat the NPK fertilizer. The NPK was compound fertilizer granules with about 2 mm in diameter. It was placed in a rotary drum and then the Chitson powder which was dissolved in epoxy-aceton solution was sprayed over the fertilizer. After drying the coating , Chitson coated granules were added to a flask equipped with a mechanical mixer. Carbon tetracholoride, polyethylene glycoloctyl phenyl ether, sorbite anhydride monostearic acid ester, solution of acrylic acid acrylamide , N,N- methylenebisacrylamide and ammonium persulfate was slowly added to the flask. After mixing the coated granules were dried in oven. This product with good controlled-release and water-retention capacity, being degradable in soil and environment-friendly, could be especially useful in agricultural and horticultural applications. Tomaszewska et al [55] have used spray technique for encapsulation of fertilizers. In order to improve the properties of coatings, the granules of previously coated fertilizer (wet method) were sprayed with a polymer solution or pure solvent (N,N dimethylformamide). Concentration of the polymer in solutions used for spraying was in the range of 13-17 wt%. Measurements of thickness, porosity of prepared coatings and microphotographic observation of the coatings were taken. Ma et al [56] have developed a method for encapsulation of fertilizer with a self assembled coating. The fertilizer granules were heated in a rotary drum to 75 °C for 10 minutes. Then the self assembling amphiphilic molecules (N,N-bisaminoethyl eleostearate) were sprayed over the fertilizer. After 20 minutes aliphatic isocyanates were sprayed over fertilizer. This process was repeated once again. The fertilizer kept for drying in the 75 °C for 20 minutes. Dai et al [57], have developed a controlled release fertilizer using a water soluble resin as a coating. The granular compound fertilizer was coated in fluidized bed. Lan et al [58], prepared a double-coated slow-release NPK compound fertilizer with superabsorbent and water-retention properties (DSFSW), whose inner coating was chitosan (CTS), and the outer coating was crosslinked poly(acrylic acid)/diatomite-containing urea (PAADU). This prepared product not only has slow-release property but also could absorb a large amount of water and preserve the soil moisture at the same time. In addition, the outer coating (PAADU) could protect the inner coating (CTS) from mechanical damage. These were significant advantages over the normal slow release or controlled-release fertilizers, which generally have only a slow-release property. The results indicated that the DSFSW could be found an application in agriculture and horticulture, especially in drought-prone regions where the availability of water is insufficient. At first the outer coating containing urea diatomite (PAADU) was prepared. The NPK compound fertilizer granule was placed into a rotary drum, and the Chitosan powder was stuck on the granules by means of epoxy dissolved in acetone. The adhesive was applied by spraying at regular time intervals. The process was finished until compact and homogeneous coating formed on fertilizer granule. The coated granules were dried to a constant mass at room temperature for 6 h. Then the CTS-coated NPK compound fertilizer granules were obtained. CTS-coated NPK compound fertilizer granules were dipped in water and then were immediately placed on PAADU powder and shaken. In this manner, PAADU could adhere to the surface of CTS-coated NPK compound fertilizer and form the outer coating. The surface of the product was crosslinked by spraying methanol solution of epoxy chloropropane and then dried in a 70  °C oven to obtain the final product, i.e., the double-coated slow-release NPK compound fertilizer with superabsorbent and water-retention. Hansen et al [36], encapsulate the granular fertilizer with the epoxy resin using spray method. In this research not coated fertilizer was placed in a rotating drum and pre heated to 250 ° F. A rapid drying solution of copolymers dicyclopentadiene and a modified vegetable oil were applied over fertilizer using spray in a thin stream of resin. Simultaneously hot air was passed through drum. Next monomers of second resin including a mixture of epoxidized soybean oil and polyester curing agent were applied over prepared granules. The solvent was a mixture of xylol and Cellosolve acetate. Hansen et al [39] also have used the above mentioned method for encapsulation of fertilizer with polyurethane. First of all the preheated fertilizer was coated by a synthetic drying oil. After drying the coating for a few minutes fertilizer were dusted by clay. Then Urethane solution in xylene and Cellosolve acetate were applied using spray. 2.6.3.Simple mixing In this method granules are simply mixed with the coating at its melting point or with a solution of polymer in a suitable solvent. Tomaszewska et al [59] used this method for coating the granular NPK fertilizer with polysulfone (PSF), cellulose acetate (CA) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN). The coating solutions were prepared by the dissolution of the solid polymer in adequate solvent. The NPK fertilizer was successively added to adequate polymer solution, and was covered by a thin layer of the solution. Subsequently, granules were dropped into water, where the gelation process takes place. The coated granules were removed from the precipitation bath and then dried to a constant mass. The multiple coatings were prepared by immersion of the single coated fertilizer into adequate polymer solution, then into water and drying. Hon [47] has prepared the coated granules by mixing method. After melting the thermoplastic polymer by heating, the cellulosic additive has been added to melt resin. Then after allowing the temperature to drop, for avoiding the fertilizer damage, the granules or powder fertilizer has been mixed with the prepared mixture using a Brabender Mixer. Markusch et al[60] just has mixed the fertilizer pellets with at first, a diluted polyol and then with a diluted isocyantae to make a polyurethane coating. Then the feretilizer were placed in oven for drying. 2.7. Special equipment for application of polymer coating Typical physical method for encapsulating fertilizers are spray coating, spray drying, pan coating, rotary disk atomization. Special equipments for these methods are rotary drum, pan or ribbon or paddle mixer, fluidized. Fluidized bed and rotary drums are the most important equipments [87, 88] Polymers used as coating for CRFs A broad range of polymers has been used in fertilizer coating. These polymers could be thermoset, thermoplastic or biodegradable. Some of common thermoset polymers are urethane resin, epoxy resin, alkyd resin, unsaturated polyester resin, phenol resin, urea resin, melamine resin, phenol resin, silicon resin. Among them, urethane resin urethane is very common used.[36,61] Thermoplastic resins are not very common used in art because of some problems. As mentioned before a very preferable method of applying polymers is spraying the dissolved polymer over granules. Either some of thermoplastic resins are not soluble in a solvent or make a very viscose solution which is not suitable for spraying. Polyolefine is used in art for coating the fertilizer granules [47,62]. Biopolymers, dispose in bioactive environments, degrade by the enzymatic action of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae and their polymer chains may also be broken down by non enzymatic processes such as chemical hydrolysis. Non-biodegradable polymers are not environmental friendly. Due to environmental concerns there are some trends of replacing non-bio with bio degradable polymers as coating material from 1970s. But it should be mentioned that they are expensive yet and not very cost effective. Also, in production process durability of polymer should be adjusted with release time of fertilizer. Among natural and synthetic biopolymers starch and cellulose based polymers, chitosan (a linear  polysaccharide),poly lactic acid and poly(ÃŽÂ µ-caprolactone) due to low cost and abundance are some of used biopolymers in fertilizer industry[41,52,58,63-69] 2.5. Coating thickness Generally, polymer coatings are applied in a thickness which is suitable to make a desired controlled release property. Thickness could be related to characteristic of polymer and also it depends on existed porosity of polymer surface. If water vapor transmission rate of coating material is 0.01 to 20, coating thickness would be 1 to 100 microns. Preferred coating thickness is 1 to 50 microns. Coating process could be repeated more than one layer to get desired nutrient release [49]. 2.6. Investigation of release behavior of CRFs Release mechanism for different coatings is different. Thick encapsulated granules like sulfur coating will allow the nutrient to release when a flaw or rupture appears on the coating surface. In this case, rupture will happen because of permeation of water into coating and inside osmotic pressure. Also, biodegradable polymers will release nutrients while destroying by soil microbes activity. Polymer coatings or combination of different coatings will happen by diffusion of water through walls porosities. In this case release rate of can be controlled by the particle size of coated granules, thickness of coating and permeability of coating surface. Also, altering the chemical composition of fertilizer core and the coating will change permeability of coating; means that even basic or acidic environment will change the permeability. In some researches when the coating has been starch-vinyl, increasing size of encapsulated granules has led to slowing down the nutrient release [70, 71]. There are some standard test methods for measurement of controlled release properties. According To European standard the standard release time of N during 24 h should be 15% of total core nutrient. Also, release rate for 15 day should be 75% of total nutrients. Also American and Japanese standards say that the initial release shouldnt be more than 40% of total nutrient. According to European standards for measuring the release rate encapsulated fertilizer should be immersed in pure water at 25  °C (room temperature) in incubated state [72, 73]. For example Detrick et all[43] have investigated the release behavior of their product by immersion of 20 g of encapsulated granules for 8 h in water. After filtration of solid they dried the solid. Evaporation of water was done at 100  °C for 8 hours. Also, Ma et all [31] placed 14 g of granules in wire mesh holder into a jar with 300 ml water at 23  °C and agitated ir by an orbital shaker. Then, the adequate water was taken for elemental analysis.. Locquenghien et al [40] for investigation the slow release effect of fertilizer some amounts of fertilizer were continuously extracted with water. For this purpose the granules were arranged in layer in a cylindrical vessel field with water. Water was passed through this layer and its Nitrogen content was analyzed. 2.8. Commercial CRFs in world and Malaysia Urea-formaldehydes are oldest slow release products which were produced in 1936 and then were commercialized in 1970s. These products were known as Ureaform, Bluchip, Nitroform Methex and Nutralene. After that Tennessee Valley introduced sulfur coated urea technology in1960s.Polymer coated fertilizers were produced as early as 1970 in Japan. Most important commercialized polymer coated CRFs are Osmocote, Nutricote [74] Osmocote CRFs are NPK granules coated by a thermoset copolymer of dicyclopentadiene and a glycerol ester (linseed oil) dissolved in an aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent. The Osmocote CRFs are normally used for ornamental horticulture production like greenhouses, nurseries , citrus , and strawberry production[75]. Nutricote prills are encapsulated by thermoplastic resins likeas polyolefins, polyvinylidene chloride. The process of Nuricote involves dissolving polymer in fast-drying chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents and then applying the solution to a variety of nutrient substrates including urea, potassium sulfate, diammonium phosphate, ammonium nitrate and potassium chloride. Blendin the polymer with talc and ethylene-vinyl acetate has been done to obtain desired release rate[76] Sierra, Lesco and polyon are some other commercialaized CRFs in the world. In Malaysia two brands named Greenfeed[77] and KAMILA[78] has developed slow release fertilizer. Greenfeed contains Zeolite which helps to release nutrients when it is in contact with soil. KAMILA is specially formulated for oil plantation industry. 2.9. Tracing nano-technology features in fertilizer industry Reviewing literature shows that researches which have used nano-technology features in fertilizer industry are very rare. The main benefits of nanoparticles in these researches are using them as reservoir of fertilizer or as filler [79,80]. Solid nano-particles, have large surface areas and their reactivity is much more greater than that of micrometer size materials. Also, their surfaces and interfaces provide an active substrate for physical, chemical, and biological reactions [80]. Two published researches have done using nano-particles. One has used nano-clay as carrier of metal-urea complex; urea intercalated clay without any coating has been developed as slow release fertilizer[79]. In other one, a nanocomposite of nano particle, fertilizer and polymer has been granulated and developed as slow release fertilizer. The production method involves mixing monomers, adding nano particle, which could be nano clay, nano bentonite, nano kaolin, polymerization and then granulating the mixture. In this research nano particle just work as good and effective filler [81]. Making polymer-nano-particle composites is something common in industries. Lots of researches have been done in this area, but researches around using nano-particle as reservoir for fertilizer have been done rarely. For more study here, we will review the researches have been done. 2.9.1. Interc

Friday, October 25, 2019

Television - Lost in the Unreal World of TV :: Media

Lost in the Unreal World of TV In our modern society, two separate worlds exist. The first, the world of reality, is where most of our important life experiences take place. The second, however, is where nothing substantial exists. Nothing there can have any direct impact on our lives. This is the world of the unreal; the world of television. Television lures people in with wonderful stories that have very little or no application to the real world. Instead of teaching about how the world works, it replaces healthy human interaction. When people watch television, they receive only input. This does not help them deal with other people, because it does not train them to respond. Doing things with other people is necessary to develop social skills, which must be used every day. Television does not provide any workable context for behaving around people. Everyone knows that television shows are designed to be entertaining, not to show how actual people will react to certain situations. When a person watches television, a mind is wasted. That person is throwing away time which could be used for a number of productive tasks. Which person, when asked what they did in life that was really important, would reply "I watched as much television as I could!"? As similar their names might sound, a television is not like a telephone. A telephone connects two people's minds to each other, while a television only sends pictures and sounds to one person's eyes and ears. In fact, if you let television affect your mind too much, it can cripple your imagination. You might have more images stored in your mind, but you will be out of practice for generating new ideas. Television does not provoke original thought. Sometimes television is deceiving because the watcher feels connected to a character on the screen. The observer begins to mimic the character's emotions, and feels satisfied at the end of the episode, as if something had really been accomplished. What the viewer feels is just the opposite of what has happened.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Quantitative marketing research Essay

A. Market study The researchers used descriptive method because the sudy needs detailed analysis and understanding of the proposed business. Survey questionnaires served as the research instrument in gathering information about the needs and wants of the target market so that demand and supply will be determined and analysed. The result of the survey will determine the feasibility of the proposed business. The researchers will make use of questionnaires that will be give to random by chosen respondents. The respondents of the study are the students of Saint Columban College. The researcher will use random sampling, by which random students is given an equal chance to be chosen as respondents. The survey questionnaire will be distributed to the students and they will be interviewed for further acquisition of significant information. In gathering data, the researchers will use the survey method by distributing the questionnaires in the main entrance, exit, and in the campus of Saint Columban College. The survey questionnaire will be submitted to the experts for validity and reliability purposes. After gathering all the data from the respondents, the researchers will tally the results and the total responses will be tabulated. The data will be interpreted and analysed to serve as the basis of the feasibility of the pizza haus. B. Human Resource Study The researcher will conduct a personal interview as an instrument of gathering data. The researcher proposed the type of ownership which is sole proprietorship for this type of organization. The company’s identification name and its structure were determined through sharing of ideas, opinions and suggestions by the researchers. The researchers will visit the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) for personal interview about the labor laws in the Philippines that must be observed in hiring employees, the right compensation of the employees, proper handling of employees and establishing operating policies. The researchers will also visit other business to gather information in recruiting personnel in the creation of organizational structure, the researchers will make use of their ideas and knowledge that they learned from human resource management. C. Socio-Economic Study The researcher will conduct personal interview to catch a relevant information for the socio-economic study. The researcher will visit the local government to gather information about the unemployment rate of Pagadian City and what would be the effect if this proposed business will be established in the community. D. Environmental study In this study, the researchers will take precautionary actions in the proper disposal of waste and the list of the possible effects or the impact of the business to the environment. The researchers will conduct personal interview to the local government officials to gather suggestions and idea on proper disposal of wastes created by JAS Pizza Haus. Also with respect of the Law, the proposed business will take some precautionary actions with the legal documents that is required to establish this business. E. Technical Study In this study, the researchers will use a set of questionnaires in order to gather information. The questions will be focusing on the suppliers for the operation of the business. The group will go to Pagadian City to visit the area and to inquire for a vacant space outside Saint Columban College campus for the location of the Pizza Haus. The researchers will also visit a pizza parlor to consult and inquire for the equipment needed for baking a pizza, the suppliers of the pizza ingredients especially the dough and the service processes of the business. Also, the group will canvass the prices of the plastic chairs and tables from plastic wares store, and lastly, the group will talk to the owner of the space’s terms and conditions in renting. F. Financial Study The researchers will conduct a personal interview from our adviser of this study and also from the CPAs for the means of gathering information of how much will be the capital needed for this proposed, and this capital will be taken from the investment of our proponent. Questions will focus on how much will be the cost of purchasing of those needed materials. The researchers will compute it properly to know the estimated budget for the overall initial investment of the proposed business.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

English 104 Essays - Writing, Online Chat, Essay, Free Essays

English 104 Essays - Writing, Online Chat, Essay, Free Essays English 104 August 29, 2016 The Essay "The essay is a valuable, even powerful technology that has particular affordances in helping us promote communicative ability, dialogue and critical thinking." This quote from Dr. Adam Banks encapsulat es the essence of an essay in the context of academic writing. Essays are highly potent writing tools as the y allow ideas and thoughts to be widely disseminated with ease ; logically presenting facts and postulating ideologies that serve to educate and inform readers. The ability to compose a well writte n essay is even more invaluable now in a technological age where shorthand, instant messaging and one hundred and forty character posts are dominant and content and c oherence are secondary. As such , u sing essays as the yardstick against which students' communication is measured is even more effective and i mportant than it has ever been. However, the reach and applicability of an essay in the context of the present ma y not be what it once was. Primarily, this generation is one in which speed and quantity, not quality , a r e valued . This is evident give n the rise of instant messaging apps which allow the sharing of information in the shortest time possible. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter also pride themselves o n real time updates and constant information streaming. The output vi s ible in the resulting texts , tweets and posts by users is lacking in b oth comprehensibility and substance . The ideas expressed may be shallow and underdeveloped due to the limitations given for posting or messaging. Some may also feel the need to put out as much content as possible, reducing the time spent mulling over the topics being discussed , resulting in numerous insubstantial posts being put out . Additionally, communication attempts may be hindered by readers ' unfamiliar ity with the slang and shorthand used to combat the character limits which may exis t . Although currently, a majority of youth may understand this informal language, over time , after continued usage , this spills over into academic writi n g . Student lose the ability to express themselves in a universal language and begin to limit themselves to the colloquial expressions of their peers. As such, essay writing is of the utmost importance , as it forces students firs tly t o consider what they wish to express and how they would like to develop their ideas. From there , they are able to properly introduce the ir topic and expound / on what they are presenting in a structured manner which is palatable to and intelligible by all readers. In short, essays are the most way to ensure that students' output is sound and acces sible. By the same token, the applicability of essays at this moment in time should be considered . Information is rapidly consumed in short, ea sily digestible snippets. It ma y not be well expounded upon but it carries an easily r ecognizable main idea which reade rs may connect with and recognize immediately. This form of communication, while dissimilar, is extremely effective and has an extremely wide audience as the consumption is much more effortless. In conclusion, the essay is just as a relevant a standard in academia as it has always been . While social media allows communication on a global stage, essay writing train s writers to make logical and arguments as well as measures their ability to do the same . However, as the world continues to advance through technology , the appeal of extended writing such as essays has diminished . Therefore, academia should retain essays as its means of measurement while being mindful that essay writing may no longer be the zenith of communication .

Monday, October 21, 2019

Oreos v.s chips ahoy Essay Example

Oreos v.s chips ahoy Essay Example Oreos v.s chips ahoy Paper Oreos v.s chips ahoy Paper Chips Ahoy Is healthier Ores has so much fat. Many people has heart problems from eating Ore cookies all time. Im carving for something creamy. To start off, Chips Ahoy Is way healthier than Ore cookies. For example Ore cookies have more sugar than Chips Ahoy. Chips Ahoy has 11 grams of sugar and Ores has 14 grams of sugar. Although this doesnt seem like a lot, most people have the tendency to have more than one serving especially when eating cookies. In recent studies people eat about 8,000 Ore cookies in their lifetime. This is resulting in to 112,000 fats in a lifetime or about 4 Ore cookies everyday which is more than a serving size every day. Wow that a lot a fat each day! To keep things going, Ores has caused many people to have heart problems. 100 million people get diagnosed with heart robbers and Ore cookies are one of the leading problems. One of the biggest issues in Ores is that they fry the Ores. Even though the Ore industry is still growing and changing ever day, people still dont get the Idea that this is bad for us. So why are we eating a dessert than upraises the chances of getting these heart problems? To wrap things up, I think Chips Ahoy Is a great cookie. It Is healthier and many people has heart problem form eating too much Ores. Which one would you choose?

Sunday, October 20, 2019

History of Korean Art essays

History of Korean Art essays The arts of Korea, while influenced mainly by Chinese, are characterized by simplicity, spontaneity, and naturalism. A work of Korean art is not very meticulous in tiny details. It rather tends to embrace wholeness. This seeming indifference lies in the flexible state of mind of early Korean artists who love nature as it is. Ko Yu-sop, a Korean art scholar, defines the characteristic aspects of Korean art as "technique without technique," "planning without planning," "asymmetry" and "nonchalance." During the Three Kingdoms period (BC-AD 668), the first major period of Korean Art during recorded history, the local powers of Koguryo in the north, Paekche in the southwest, and Silla in the southeast fought for control over the Korean peninsula. Koguryo's art survived mostly in the form of fresco-type mural paintings decorating 5th and 6th century tomb chambers. The vigorous polychrome paintings represented lively everyday scenes, animals, and other stylish figures, some of which display Central Asian influences. The Paekche kingdom maintained close relations with Japan in the 6th and 7th centuries. Its art is mostly known for gracefully sculpted Buddhist images preserved in Japan. The finest example from this period is the painted wood figure of Kudara Kannon in Japan, which either was brought from Korea or was carved by one of the many Paekche artists working in Japan at the time. Silla art of the Three Kingdoms period is noted for the refinement of its metalwork. Monument u ntil tomb mounds surrounding Kyongju, the Silla capital, is famous for a striking array of uniquely Korean ornaments, including a group of gold crowns richly decorated with masses of jade pendants and gold discs. Silla unified the Korean kingdoms into a single nation in AD 668, marking the beginning of the Great Silla period (668-918). Impressive granite monuments were constructed, including the mid-8th-century pagoda of the Pulgaksa monastery and the cave ...

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Leadership Styles in Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leadership Styles in Nursing - Essay Example This paper approves that considering the observations gathered from the nurse leader described in this context and the supporting literature, it can be concluded that leadership is an essential element and the essence of management. Like in many other professions, in nursing practice also leadership role is highly complex and challenging one owing to the complexities involved in nursing profession itself. However, these challenges can be effectively tackled through team work and appropriate direction. Innovation, creativity, support, commitment and trust are extremely important for team to sustain performance. Each of these factors requires involvement and contribution from every team member, and cannot be achieved or directed by one formal leader. This essay makes a cocnlusion that democratic leadership style is highly effective for nursing staff groups because they work for extended periods; leaders can empower their members to take autonomous decisions according to situations and emergencies and avoid waiting for formal approval and/or guidance from higher levels. Considering the multi-professional nature of nursing practice, this style supports and also reinforces cooperation and coordination between different members and groups. The most important learning derived from this discussion is that democratic leadership style is particularly focused on motivating people through involvement, accountability, fostering belongingness and trust, and providing equal opportunity to all members of the group.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Micro Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Micro Economics - Essay Example According to the Pareto principle social welfare definitely augments only if the benefit of any member of society increases and the welfare of no one falls. Actually when the Pareto criterion is strictly spoken it can be considered as simply an aggregation and decision rule and which could be enforced to non-utility. In reality the original distribution of income and wealth is generally taken as if it is given and alterations in either income or wealth cannot be measured beyond the need of changes themselves satisfy the Pareto criterion. The possible Pareto criterion, involving the gains associated to some alteration to outbalance the losses induced by it, is a less protective criterion. The Pareto principle by itself does not affirm the conclusion that any alteration from a non-Pareto-optimal position to a Pareto-optimum is an improvement. For this, economists rely on the compensation principle. On the other hand this principle itself can be questioned. Economists actually stress that the compensation required in demonstrating a potential Pareto improvement should be handled as hypothetical. But, now the issue is with regard to what is this potential Pareto improvement (PPI)? The potentiality of the principle is regarded as immaterial for its being an improvement? Many economists attempt to instill a PPI with some quasi-physical meaning. They indicate that a PPI, though not the same to an increment in social welfare, nonetheless still establishes an increase in the dimension of the cake from which welfare is deduced, or the capability of the oven in which the cake is baked. These economists state that a positive result of the compensation test depicts an increase in aggregate real income (Kaldor 1939: 550, 551). At the same time economists like Chipman (1987, pp. 524- 530); Kaldor (1939, p. 550), believe in the productive potential of the economy and Boadway and Bruce (1984, p. 97), Hennipman (1976, p. 476); Hicks (1981,

Either criticize the position that our minds are immaterial souls or Essay

Either criticize the position that our minds are immaterial souls or that our minds are brains - Essay Example The dual schemes that occur in the world through the mind and the soul create mysteries that may lead to problems that are considered to be worse than the initial. The brain is the bridge that occurs between the soul and the world. The link however seems to lead to more problems in the world. Brains and minds are through the instances that they take brings to the conclusion that brains and minds are not at all different. They are similar as they exist in the same world with similar concepts. Minds are simply what brains do but the brains are not simple as they perform complex functions. This makes the nature of their relationship to be simple. During learning there are changes that occur both in the brain and in the mind. They are both engaged leading to change in memory. To comprehend the relationship that occurs between the mind and brain, there is the need to understand the relationship that occurs between what things are able to do and what things are. Memories of the mind must be considered to remember things that are recorded in the brain. One is able to reason that the two elements, brain and mind perform similar activities without the consideration of the dependence on one another that makes them to seem to function similarly. There are characteristics that bring about the distinction between the mind and the brain. There are controversies that exist between them bringing to the mind-body problem. According to definition, the brain is considered to be the biological and physical material that is located within the skull that does the activities of neuronal and electrochemical procedures. The mind on the other hand is considered to be attributes of mentality which brings about belief and desires. Some follow to metaphysically dualistic methods in which the mind exists self-reliantly of the brain in certain way, such as a soul or epiphenomenon or emergent phenomenon. Other contrasts uphold that the mind is a separate physical phenomenon, with

Case discussion Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion - Case Study Example According to Susan, John had bypassed her and several other women in previous promotion exercises. As the Vice President, Kyle had the responsibility of ensuring that the stalemate was resolved amicably. Since the stalemate was a multi-faceted affair, there was a need to encourage dialogue to ensure that any decisions arrived at were amicable and acceptable among all persons involved. However, despite having the responsibility to ensure an amicable resolution of the dispute was obtained, it was also Kyle’s responsibility to ensure that employees respected authority. In this regard, it would be Kyle’s responsibility to insist that John’s instructions ought to have been followed since he had the power to make the decisions that he had already made. It would be appropriate if Kyle were to reverse John’s decisions because some employees were unhappy with them, and especially because any decision that would be made would affect Westco directly. The existing organizational culture at Westco could also have contributed to the stalemate. Westo had an ‘open door’ policy, and Kyle, being the Vice President, had promised to take employee concerns seriously. These two aspects contributed significantly to the employees’ notion that they were entitled to disagree openly with John’s decisions. On the other hand, the organizational structure indicated that in the seniority order, Adam was more senior in the company as compared to Oscar. Similarly, Bob and Susan were at the same level. John had complete discretion to promote any of these employees. This is because he had the responsibility to promote and protect the company’s interests. Additionally, the employees’ rankings were not too far apart as to cause any significant protocol problems. The best employee to promote would have been the employee who, in John’s opinion, was most suitable to perform the job regardless of any other considerations. As a result,

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Teaching strategies to students with severe disabilities who are Research Paper

Teaching strategies to students with severe disabilities who are second language learners - Research Paper Example This paper shall discuss the various strategies which can be applied by the teacher in order to effectively teach students with severe disabilities who are also second language learners. Body Learning impaired students refer to students who have been diagnosed with learning disabilities, disabilities which are ranging from processing deficits (input, integration, storage, or output) (Rathus, 2010). It also includes function impairment, developmental dyslexia, dysphagia, aphasia, as well as low IQ scores. These impairments often imply that the students are not performing well in school and may be even delayed in their studies (Rathus, 2010). Second language students are those students who are in the process of learning a second language. More often than not, they may be immigrant students trying who are not native English speakers. The challenge in this case is how the teacher can communicate with the second language students, especially those students who are learning impaired. The t eacher must develop strategies in order to manage the challenges in teaching these students. Schools are institutions which represent the richness and diversity of culture and languages, including customs and traditions. For most students, parents, and other educators, establishing ways by which to instruct all children effectively and meaningfully is considered a professional and pedagogical responsibility (Lopez-Reyna, 2002). Specifically, ways to manage the knowledge which many people have established from the bilingual and special education fields have also been established by various academicians. Crucial to the process of teaching children is to secure a thorough understanding of his or her learning based on his or her specific learning skills, weaknesses, and needs (Wagner, et.al., 2005). There is a need to secure a complete and informal evaluation in order to ensure that the teacher understands what the child knows, and what he already understands. The primary assumption on learning is that there is also a need to secure a strong sense of a student’s language, his home setting, his values, and his previous experiences in his current or previous school (Lopez-Reyna, Birnbaum, 2002). There are eight principles which are considered effective in teaching English language learners (Gersten and Jimenez, 1994). These principles include the need to secure higher order thinking opportunities as well as expectations, including the higher level of involvement in one’s own learning, experiences, and cultural diversity. Suggestions on the use of mediation via visual organizers and modelling the application of appropriate resources have also been made. Support for the application of collaborative and cooperative learning has also been advocated (Calderon, et.al., 2011). A determination on which language to use for learning impaired students has often been posed. Even as the benefits of ensuring instruction in a child’s primary language has been seen in terms of general education settings, it is not clear how the learning should unfold for learning impaired students (Lopez-Reyna, 2002). Using English can be a challenge because it would take years to master the language for second language learners. In effect, teaching academic skills to students in their native language seems to be the more effective method of teaching

Student evaluation form Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Student evaluation form - Essay Example Specific examples of such acts of professional behavior can be given in regards to how the student keep data and information confidential and monitors patients to ensure that patients stick precisely to prescription even if patients begin to record substantial degrees of recovery. The student shows positive inter-personal relationship with patients in terms of attending to their needs in the consulting room and in the office. Such inter-personal relationship is exhibited through the patience with which the trainee has in listening to the problems of patients and the patience taken to give out reasons and explanations as to why patients experience certain conditions. There however exists some little amount of limitation when it comes to rapport with staff. Specifically, the trainee often wants to work independently and is therefore not very comfortable with team work. As far as motivation is concerned, it can be said that the student has a very high level of intrinsic motivation that urges him to give off his best at work even when not asked to attend to certain tasks. This motivation is translated into regularity and punctuality to work (Ameyaw,

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Case discussion Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion - Case Study Example According to Susan, John had bypassed her and several other women in previous promotion exercises. As the Vice President, Kyle had the responsibility of ensuring that the stalemate was resolved amicably. Since the stalemate was a multi-faceted affair, there was a need to encourage dialogue to ensure that any decisions arrived at were amicable and acceptable among all persons involved. However, despite having the responsibility to ensure an amicable resolution of the dispute was obtained, it was also Kyle’s responsibility to ensure that employees respected authority. In this regard, it would be Kyle’s responsibility to insist that John’s instructions ought to have been followed since he had the power to make the decisions that he had already made. It would be appropriate if Kyle were to reverse John’s decisions because some employees were unhappy with them, and especially because any decision that would be made would affect Westco directly. The existing organizational culture at Westco could also have contributed to the stalemate. Westo had an ‘open door’ policy, and Kyle, being the Vice President, had promised to take employee concerns seriously. These two aspects contributed significantly to the employees’ notion that they were entitled to disagree openly with John’s decisions. On the other hand, the organizational structure indicated that in the seniority order, Adam was more senior in the company as compared to Oscar. Similarly, Bob and Susan were at the same level. John had complete discretion to promote any of these employees. This is because he had the responsibility to promote and protect the company’s interests. Additionally, the employees’ rankings were not too far apart as to cause any significant protocol problems. The best employee to promote would have been the employee who, in John’s opinion, was most suitable to perform the job regardless of any other considerations. As a result,

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Student evaluation form Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Student evaluation form - Essay Example Specific examples of such acts of professional behavior can be given in regards to how the student keep data and information confidential and monitors patients to ensure that patients stick precisely to prescription even if patients begin to record substantial degrees of recovery. The student shows positive inter-personal relationship with patients in terms of attending to their needs in the consulting room and in the office. Such inter-personal relationship is exhibited through the patience with which the trainee has in listening to the problems of patients and the patience taken to give out reasons and explanations as to why patients experience certain conditions. There however exists some little amount of limitation when it comes to rapport with staff. Specifically, the trainee often wants to work independently and is therefore not very comfortable with team work. As far as motivation is concerned, it can be said that the student has a very high level of intrinsic motivation that urges him to give off his best at work even when not asked to attend to certain tasks. This motivation is translated into regularity and punctuality to work (Ameyaw,

Personal Development Plan Essay Example for Free

Personal Development Plan Essay Introduction This project development plan is a write up of the theoretical underpinning and the technical experiments or of the reengineering undertaken in order to answer the question(s) posed by the research topic. The project proposal should be supported by a list of current references and an annotated bibliography. The proposal must include A good development plan is not a easy document. To be influential, it has to be built approximately a development model beached in real-world skill. It has to be cautiously crafted to fit the needs of the person being urbanized. It has to comprise job assignments that build leadership skills. And it has to be hold up by the organization and incorporated into a development philosophy that views planning documents as the commencement of the development expedition, not the end (Ametrano, I. M., 2003, 190-193). During the research of this network based assignment I have equally focus upon my personal development and look for to become accustomed the worldwide assessment of performance more especially to the personal development in networking. It is based mainly on WAN based networking for Nokia Incorporation The primary four part scores seek to gauge Personal grooming as a professional figure when I was capturing data, the aptitude to create a living in a dynamic-based company like Nokia. Aim of Project To design and implement a network model for an international organisation to get connections between two branches. To also examine the network model to make sure it met the performance and compatibility requirements. Objective Of Research No doubt, the objective of this network based project is a development plan for multier national company is an important part of any effectual leadership-development system at two levels. At the organizational level, these plans make sure that the next age group of leaders will have the skills and skills required to define and implement the corporations strategies. According to this research work at the personal level, it forces me as future leader to focus on what needs to be done in order to grow. When done right, the individual development plan becomes a contract future leaders make with themselves and the organization about the things they want to do or to become. The plan creates discipline and a good plan creates motivation. If we analyzed then we come to know about basic object of this research based project: 1. Research into different area networks (LAN, WAN, MAN, etc) 2. Research into few network modelling and simulation software. (OPNET guru †¦etc) 3. Critical evaluation on the chosen area network (WAN) 4. Critical evaluation on the chosen network modelling and simulation software(OPNET guru) 5. To illustrate the issues to produce a better performance of a WAN 6. Using network modelling and simulation software(OPNET guru) to create a simulation for the designed network model 7. Implement a prototype to demonstrate the simulation of the network. 8. Testing the prototype to ensure it performs and its performance of the network met the requirements. No doubt, the worth network systems of Nokia is a ground of hypercompetitive and personal development spirited individuals were look at in an example of successful people. As predictable, people higher in hypercompetitiveness and in personal development competitiveness were together further possible to support values connected to self-contained uniqueness such as attainment, hedonism, and a determined for an exciting and demanding life, but merely hypercompetitives authorized the worth of power and control over others. Furthermore, the data point to that people higher in personal development competitiveness were extra prone to support values linked to ensembled uniqueness. In exacting, they powerfully endorsed values linked with social concern, that is, with caring regarding the well-being of others and by treating them by admiration and as equals, whereas hypercompetitives uttered a lack of such concern. Discussion centered on the socialization procedure and how it can foster the development of dissimilar competitive orientations (Barak, A., 2005, 471-476). Strengths And Weaknesses During The Research Following strengths and weaknesses during this Research I have developed in my self and it is consist of eight part scores are derived directly from the work of my research 1. Self-esteem: An individuals insight of self-worth as well as peers depicted value or feelings of significance of self during this technical research. 2. Coping Skills: Individuals aptitude to develop and use effectual skills needed to total tasks successfully during this technical research. 3. Positive Assertiveness: Positive actions that are heading for to unpleasant and defensive strategies for objective attainment during this technical research. 4. Locus of Control: Full receipt and faith that personal achievement is not a matter of luck, but rather personal decision making during this technical research. 5. Team Membership: An individuals incessant recognition and actions are for eternity in full agreement by values and practices of possess group membership during this technical research. 6. Sympathy: An individuals sustained ability and carry out to sympathize and feel the pains of every people and animals during this technical research. 7. Self-efficacy: The full work out of control from side to side personal expectations by the essential expansion of actions to total task productively during this technical research. 8. Caring: Whatever happens to one person or animal anywhere in the globe is significant to all people all over the place. Developmental Needs Personal development is supreme in sustaining and improving the functions of societies of any form. Maturity, as a function of personal development, is that condition or time of life at which a person is careful fully developed socially, intellectually, emotionally, physically, and morally. For complete personal development during technical research is the final objective of human development according to computer expert idea of self-actualization. Throughout this research and at work the professional ethics have been to make sure that I have to learn to live and produce together in peace environment for a good performance and agreement in such a way that each one stands to benefit from every others full contribution in upholding the values deemed significant for the betterment of organization. Deliverables Within The Research Proposal This infrastructure can be federal, state, wide or corporate. In this proposed network system few live models of the infrastructure will be subjected to steady attacks of viruses for weaknesses of clients and server relations. †¢ End-users of security: is another good aspect of proposed network. End users of security are frequently forced to deploy technology without field-testing. The proposed facility at Nokia will provide a place for end-users to test out security configurations. †¢ Developers of security: The proposed network will offer a trial setting for developers to organize versions of their products. The Nokia can also serve as a test bed for interoperation among dissimilar vendors. †¢ WAN Researchers: The Nokia will be intended to offer outstanding surroundings to behavior state of the WAN research in computer security and security tool development. By its very nature information declaration is a multidisciplinary research area for proposed network. While most organizations that carry out explore in computer security focal point exclusively on the technical issues, it is proposing a truthfully multidisciplinary endeavor with ability from all regions. It is this amalgamation of technology, business issues, strategy concerns and ethics that construct our program exclusive and will permit us to manufacture extremely capable researchers and IT specialists. In this proposed study selected to separate information pledge in six explore efforts; Interruption detection, attack broadminded networks, rejection of service, Cyber rule, digital government, and e-commerce, Wireless communications and mobile security. Declaration Of New Skills Acquired And Old One That Were Strengthened Due to this network based research the benefits resulting from participation are a function of the superiority and quantity of attempt for my research attempt. For instance, my positive struggle is related to the positive association among grades and the amount of thinker effort put into studying, organizing a campus-wide event requires further effort and is potentially a extra powerful learning knowledge than only attending the event. Those involved in the provision and exploitation of information require certain basic personal qualities as well as professional or technical skills and qualifications. You need only take a detailed look at current job advertisements to get some idea of what is being sought by todays employer. Dynamic and forward thinking, ability to work well under pressure, strong interpersonal skills, enthusiastic self-starter, good communication and team working skills, well developed IT skills, ability to teach client groups, project management skills, sense of humour (Elliott, R., 2003, 443-467). Four of the eight part scores are incorporated inside the Internal and Personal areas of ones life spaced; while the further four part scores are from the External and unfriendly areas (Crutchfield, 2000, 162-169). 1. Home: The period connecting to research is the untimely rearing of the child and the hold up system that is concerned in that period of life. 2. Emotional: The feeling and emotional development in relation to interacting with others during this project. 3. Moral: Acceptance and following of the rules and laws of the land and becoming a role model for others during this project. 4. Health: Physical and mental health of individual as displayed in the personal development process during this project. 6. Social: The interrelations among the individual and the rest of society during this project. 7. Survival: The sustained enlargement of an individual and his/her ability to influence the environment and others during this project. 8. Race: The general receiving of all others and the aptitude to interrelate by them in a significant way during this project. Conclusion In opening any conversation on personal development during this project it has been noticeable that the initial response has usually been based on an assumption that the topic under discussion is training. Whilst this plays an important part, personal development is a broader process, concerned with motivation, attitudes and personal qualities, as well as job-related skills (Eriksen, K.,2003, 120-133). No doubt this research reveals to put it simply, it is a constant process in which the individual seeks to enhance his or her knowledge, abilities and skills, and/or develop new ones; a process of continuous self-building and realisation of his or her full potential. It takes place by linking abilities with preferences to achieve personal goals, and applies to all aspects of the individuals life (Gershefski, 2004, 233-247). For the purposes of this book it is in the context of the work situation that personal development is considered, but development of a professional nature and the resultant job satisfaction is likely to have a positive effect on life outside the work situation (LaCrosse, 2004, 170-172). In concluding end with the help of this research I came to know that the Nokia IT Network Administrators have worked with quite a few local law enforcement agencies to offer computer forensics support, counsel, and preparation for international connectivity purpose. The Nokia can be used to offer these services to law enforcement. Reference Ametrano, I. M., Pappas, J. G. (2003). Client-perceptions of counselors-in-training: The effects of sex and gender role orientation. Counselor Education Supervision, 35(3), 190-193. Bachelor, A. (2001). Comparison and relationship to outcome of diverse dimensions of the helping alliance as seen by client and therapist. Psychotherapy, 25, 227-240. Barak, A., LaCrosse, M. B. (2005). Multidimensional perception of counselor behavior. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 22, 471476. Braden, R., Ed., Zhang, L., Berson, S., Herzog, S., and S. Jamin, Resource ReSerVation Protocol (RSVP) Version 1 Functional Specification, RFC 2205, September 2004 Baskett, F., Chandy, M., Muntz, R., and Palacios, F. Open, Closed, and Mixed Networks of Queues with Different Classes of Customers. Journal of the Association for Computing Machinery 22, 2 (2005), 248-260 Cooke, M., Kipnis, D. (2002). Influence tactics in psychotherapy. Journal of Counseling Clinical Psychology, 54(1), 22-26. Corrigan, J. D., Schmidt, L. D. (2003). Development and validation of revisions in the Counselor Rating Form. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 30(1), 64-75. Crutchfield, L. B., Baltimore, M. L., Felfeli, M., Worth, S. (2000). Empathic responding skills across counselor education training tracks: A comparison study. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, 38(3), 162-169. Downing, T. K., Smaby, M. H., Maddux, C. D. (2001). A study of the transfer of group counseling from training to practice. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 26, 156-176. Elliott, R., James, E. (2003). Varieties of client experience in psychotherapy: An analysis of the literature. Clinical Psychology Review, 9, 443-467. Eriksen, K., McAuliffe, G. (2003). A measure of counselor competency. Counselor Education Supervision, 43(2), 120-133. Gershefski, J. J., Arnkoff, D. B., Glass, C. R., Elkin, I. (2004). Clients perceptions of treatment for depression: I. Helpful aspects. Psychotherapy Research, 6(4), 233-247. Howley, D. (2003). Performance assessment in medical education. Evaluation the Health Professions, 27(3), 285-303. LaCrosse, M. B., Barak, A. (2004). Differential perception of counselor behavior. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 23, 170-172.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Depression and Suicidal Ideation: Mental Health Case Study

Depression and Suicidal Ideation: Mental Health Case Study Introduction Mental health nursing is a complex healthcare practice, because it aims to meet the needs of clients with mental health needs, which are usually also complex and require more than a single therapeutic approach. Mental health nurses usually provide supportive and therapeutic care adhering to nursing and healthcare principles of beneficence and non-maleficence, and adhere to the principles published in the national guidance, of client-centred care focused on service user need, as enshrined in the National Service Framework for Mental Health (Department of Health, 1999). Mental health nursing usually involves the provision of ongoing, supportive therapeutic interventions and ‘talking’ therapies, which can include counselling based on established principles. This role of the mental health nurse involves the formation of a therapeutic relationship with the client, in order to support the client to development self-management and coping strategies for the ongoing control of th eir condition and its symptoms, in conjunction with pharmacological treatments. This critical essay will explore the mental health nursing care of a particular, identified patient encountered in clinical practice, in whose care the author was directly involved. It explores the provision of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to a single client who had complex health needs and challenging symptoms, reviewing the usefulness and appropriateness of the therapy, the effects or projected effects on the client’s wellbeing and symptoms, and the issues surrounding such care for the client in relation to rehabilitation and recovery as part of their mental health journey. The essay will focus on the care of one client with depression and suicidal ideation, looking not at the acute phase of mental health care, but the rehabilitation phase where the client is being supported into ways of managing symptoms and returning to a useful, active social life where they can function effectively within society. The essay focuses on the goals and principles enshrined in the NSF for Mental Health (DoH, 1999), that of achieving the best possible standards of health and wellbeing for the client and the best possible control of their symptoms. It will explore the rationales and process of the therapeutic intervention, and use this intervention within a person-centred model of counselling, support and care. Client Background and History The client, who for the purposes of this essay will be called Lisa (this being a pseudonym used to ensure client confidentiality), is a 19 year old young woman with a history of depression and suicidal ideation. Lisa first presented to the local mental health services at the age of 16, after an acute episode of physical self harm and attempted suicide. Lisa’s self-harming behaviour takes the form of cutting, usually to the arms, legs and abdomen, although she has been known at times to also cut her face and neck. During her first admission, Lisa was diagnosed as having Depression with Psychotic symptoms. She has been managed with a combination of Fluoexetine and a range of other medications, but is known to have frequent relapse due to medication non-compliance. Lisa has a complex personal and social history which goes some way to explaining her current state of mental ill health. She was abandoned by her single parent mother at the age of 11, from which time until the age of 16 she spent in local authority care, a mixture of foster homes and care facilities. At age 16 she left care and went on the streets, but at 17 after her third hospital admission was able to get into a social support programme, secure accommodation for herself, and start to attend college. Lisa is still at college, studying beauty therapy. She has a history of sexual abuse, but for the past year and a half has been living a relatively stable life, with a good social life and a busy college life. Lisa has presented this time with a relapse in her Depression, and has demonstrated a strong suicidal ideation, low mood and being very withdrawn and apathetic. She has, this time, attempted suicide through overdose of a friend’s prescribed medication accompanied by severe cutting to the arms, legs and breasts. After being medically stabilised, she was admitted to the mental health ward, and after two weeks on the ward, fully compliant with her medication, was making some progress towards rehabilitation. Discussion Norman and Ryrie (2004) describe mental health nursing as a process of working with clients to allow them to develop the skills to regain control over their lives through managing their mental health. Ultimately, mental health nursing supports clients into a phase of recovery (Tschudin, 1995), which means that they are not overwhelmed by their symptoms and can manage them through a combination of medication, personal supportive therapies, and other support, in order to lead ‘normal’ lives within society and achieve personal goals. Mental health nursing is based upon a range of principles, some of which are scientific, some of which are more holistic (Norman and Ryrie, 2004). Mental health nursing supports clients through the acute phases of their illness, via crisis management, and through the chronic stages of their illness, through longer-term processes of rehabilitation (Perkins and Repper, 2004). Quite often, mental health service users are viewed in terms of their d isease and its treatment, but the provision of true client-centred care should start off with a good understanding of the client and their condition, their particular needs, and then be followed by a judgement about how best to help them towards recovery along the spectrum of mental health and illness (Perkins and Repper, 2004; Foreyt and Poston, 1999). Recovery cannot be considered as a finite point in time, but as an ongoing balance between the client and their illness, wherein the client aims to achieve the ability to function at the level they desire, through accessing appropriate support (Perkins and Repper, 2004; Greenberger and Padesky, 1995)). The judgement about what kind of support is best is based upon a number of factors, but most often, the decision about which of the many approaches to supportive therapies and counselling will be used is based upon both the client need, and the mental health nurse’s own knowledge about, experience of, and preference for, a parti cular form of therapy (Puentes, 2004). Mental health nurses, therefore, must have a good understanding of themselves, their philosophical orientation in relation to counselling, and the therapies on offer, and are most likely to provide those with which they have the most familiarity. In this case, the author is describing their own philosophical approach as matching that of their clinical practice mentor, who, as an experienced mental health nurse, is a strong advocate of client centred approaches to counselling. Gamble and Curthouys (2004) describe these approaches as being founded on Rogerian principles that include empathy, genuineness and unconditional positive regard. Rogers (1957 in Gamble and Curthouys, 2004) suggest that within a therapeutic relationship, which is a supportive relationship between client and nurse, with the express goal of attaining rehabilitation or recovery, there should be certain features which support the client towards ‘functionality’. Thus, there needs to be contact between tw o people, nurse and client, in which the client is in a condition of incongruence, and the nurse a state of congruence, and in which the nurse displays unconditional positive regard, and empathetic understanding, towards the client (Rogers, 1957 in Gamble and Curthouys, 2004). The nurse must be able to communicate these factors to the client, within the client’s frame of reference (Rogers, 1957 in Gamble and Curthouys, 2004 Bryant-Jefferies (2006) argues that the therapeutic relationship must be founded on empathy, and that in order to achieve empathy the nurse must employ active listening, and must attend to all the signs and the kinds of communication which the client displays, providing a sense of being ‘present’ with the client in whatever experience they are retelling or currently experiencing. One of the more challenging aspects of developing such a relationship with the client is the provision of unconditional positive regard, which Bozarth and Wilkins (2001 in Bryant-Jefferies, 2006) describe as an ongoing, unceasing and unflagging ‘warm acceptance’ of the individual, regardless of what they might say. Some authors describe this as the element of the therapeutic relationship that is most likely to support the client towards recovery (Bozarth and Wilkins, 2001 in Bryant-Jefferies, 2006). In this case, the mental health nurse (the author’s mentor) who was the prima ry support person for the client, fully aspired to such principles and to the concept of developing the best possible therapeutic relationship with the client. The literature consistently demonstrates that the quality of the therapeutic relationship is fundamental to the client achieving a state of mental health and wellbeing (DoH, 2001; DoH, 2006; Nice, 2004). The author agreed with this and felt that their own therapeutic philosophy was founded upon similar principles, making it appropriate to get involved in the case. The client was also happy to have the author present, as they were involved in there are from admission, and had spent some time observing the client during the acute phase to prevent further self harm. Depression is a surprisingly common, yet often serious mental illness, which can present in a variety of ways, with features such as â€Å"low mood, lack of enjoyment and interest, reduced energy, sleep disturbance,appetite disturbance, reduced confidence and self-esteem, and pessimistic thinking† (Embling, 2002; p 33). According to Embling (2002), these symptoms can have a significant effect on people’s ability to take part in normal daily life or social activities, and in particular, the low mood and predisposition towards pessimistic thoughts can have a negative impact on thought processes, leading to suicidal ideation (Rollman et al, 2003).. There are a number of individual and social issues which have been shown to have an association with depression, including physical illness (acute and chronic), poverty or low socioeconomic status and deprivation, divorce, bereavement or relationship breakdown, loss of a job or sudden, negative change in circumstances, ethnic minority status, and concomitant mental illness (Embling, 2002). It is a chronic condition which can manifest in acute episodes which are often successfully managed with pharmacological and non-pharmacological support, but the relapse rate is high for many patients (Embling, 2002). It can range from mild depression to severe depression or anywhere along a spectrum in between (Rollman et al, 2003). A wide variety of therapeutic approaches have been used in treating this illness, and in Lisa’s case, she had had some success previously with solution-focused brief therapy, but had found herself relapsing once regular, close contact with a mental health nurse had lapsed. Lisa admitted that she felt the time was right to take control of her life and find ways of coping with her illness more independently, and was keen for strategies which would allow her to avoid having such serious relapses, because they themselves had a negative effect on her life and potential career. Therefore, it was agreed that CBT might be the optimal approach. Luty et al (2007) argue that CBT is not always the most efficacious therapeutic choice for severe depression, but in Lisa’s case, it seemed worth trying, particularly as her worst symptoms were related to not maintaining her medication, and once she was on her medication, the focus had to be on keeping her well enough to keep taking the tablets. Other literature suggests that CBT is effective in patients who have had a history of sexual abuse (Price et al, 2001) This seemed to imply that the focused approach to support that CBT offered would the right way, particularly as it is so focused on relapse p revention. According to NACBT (2007) cognitive behavioural therapy is the term used to describe a variety of therapeutic or interpersonal interventions, all of which are characterised by a focus on the importance of how clients think, and how this thinking impacts upon their feelings, their responses to stimuli and stressors, and their actions. Its value lies in the fact that it is structured, directive, and also time-limited, strong focusing client and nurse on the current problem, on how the client feels and thinks at the single point in time that therapy is taking place (Embling, 2002). CBT is based on â€Å"the theory that the way an individual behaves is determined by his or her idiosyncratic view of a particular situation, thus the way we think determines the way we feel and behave †(Embling, 2002p 34). According to Embling (2002), Beck et al (1979) introduced CBT , suggesting that â€Å"CBT can treat depression as it helps the client to evaluate and modify distorted thought processes and dysfunctional behaviours† (Embling, 2002) p 38). According to NACBT (2007) CBT has expanded within the therapeutic domain to include a range of approaches based upon the sample principles, including, Rational Behaviour Therapy, Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy , Rational Living Therapy, Cognitive Therapy, and Dialectic Behaviour Therapy, all of which are based on what are described as â€Å"cognitive models of social response†. These in turn have been based on philosophical principles derived from Socratic thought, wherein individuals aim to attain a state of calm and tranquillity when challenged by stressful or difficult situations and experiences (NACBT, 2007). Thus the idea is to modulate the responses to life and experiences which precipitate symptoms of mental illness. The coun sellor directs the client to use inductive methods combined with principles of rational thinking and educative approaches, to support behavioural self-managed over the longer term , (NACBT, 2007; Sensky et al, 2000) and to prevent relapses (Bruce et al, 1999). Therefore, in CBT, the nurse provides the client with the ability to explore their behaviours, their responses and their typical symptomatic responses in particular in certain situations, and assists them in developing ways of mediating such responses so that they do not relapse into behaviours characteristic of their illness (Sensky et al, 2000; RCP, 2007; BABCP, 2007). Management of Lisa’s Care To begin with, it was really important to ensure that Lisa’s counselling and therapy was truly person-centred, in order to develop a good relationship between Lisa, the primary nurse and the author (NELMH, 2007; Moyle, 2003). The author hoped that Lisa would respond well to this approach because it would allow for the demonstration of empathy and a good understanding of how her life, previous mental illness and personal circumstances were contributing to her current illness, and therefore would support congruence in provision of support to meet her needs and address her specific concerns. However, the difficulty in achieving congruence here was that the author could not really claim to fully understand the effects of Lisa’s previous experience of sexual abuse or really relate to her experiences, and in particular, the author found some elements of her history, including the stories she told relating the sexual abuse, as very disturbing. The author discussed this with th e nurse mentor prior to the counselling sessions, and discussed how to achieve that true sense of congruence and presence, without communication their own abhorrence of the experiences that Lisa was relating. It was decided that it would be acceptable to tell Lisa that the author was appalled by these experiences, because this would underline the fact that she should not have had to suffer this abuse and that she was right to seek help in dealing with the effects on her mental health. Therefore, the author was able to enter into this counselling in supportive frame of mind, and able to achieve empathy without communicating negative feelings to the client. The focus of Lisa’s CBT was on the suicidal ideation/self-harming and the low mood and self-abhorrence that were the main manifestations of her depression. Collins and Cutcliffe (2003) show that one of the most common features displayed by mental health service users with suicidal ideation is hopelessness. This was certainly the case for Lisa, who displayed a sever pessimism about life and her ability to achieve anything like lasting recovery. Her goals to become a beauty therapist seemed unobtainable, and she felt she had no hope of making a new life for herself that was not ‘ruined’ by her previous life. However, Collins and Cutcliffe (2003) recommend CBT for this kind of pessimistic thinking because it focuses the client on establishing ‘hopefulness’ within their thought patterns. Other research shows that suicide risk can be reduced if individuals can experience others showing concern for them (Casey et al, 2006). This was supported by the author’s and the mentor’s firm belief in the efficacy of CBT for clients such as Lisa (Joyce et al, 2007). Thus, it was possible to establish an initial level of trust, and through the therapeutic relationship, the author was able to support Lisa in exploring her conditional assumptions (Curran et al, 2006) which led to the ongoing, spiralling pessimism, and then using CBT, we were able to set goals for each counselling session, set ‘homework’ which focused on self-management, and then reflect on progress as each session followed the previous one (Curran et al, 2006). The sessions focused on relapse prevent ion through changing cognitive patterns and schema, rehearsing relapse drills, and ensuring ongoing compliance with medication (Papakostas et al, 2003. While some authors argue for the need for inclusion of family or carers in therapeutic interventions such as (Chiocca, 2007), this was not possible with Lisa because she had no family and although she had a number of good friends made through her college course, none of them knew of her mental illness. The focus was therefore on health education, developing personal skills, and helping Lisa to cope with issues such as her current socioeconomic status (Jackson et al, 2006; Cutler et al, 2004). . Conclusion If, as Calloway (2007 p 106) suggests â€Å"nursing is defined as a profession that protects, promotes, and restores health and that which prevents illness and injury†, then using such a client-empowering form of therapy, one which is based on the development of realistic coping mechanisms (Salkovskis, 1995; Deakin, 1993), was the right approach with Lisa. Discussion with her revealed that focusing on relapse prevention, within an honest therapeutic relationship which addressed the factors affecting her mental health, and addressed the ways of thinking and behaviours which led to relapse, was the right approach, because these were, fundamentally, her primary needs. 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