Strategic Choice and Evaluation Paper for Garmin Company Essay

Strategic Choice and Evaluation Paper for Garmin Company - Essay Example Despite of that, the company needs to bring in some more products through the grand strategy called as â€Å"Product Development†. This strategy will not only enhance the product breadth of company but will also support in competing with major rivals as well as creating a sustainable position in market. The process of Product Development must be conducted by taking assistance from another grand strategy which is widely implemented by electronic companies today. This strategy is called as â€Å"Innovation† strategy. Garmin Co. must utilize the best available technology in order to manufacture the best quality of electronic products. The company can also transform its innovation strategies to its competitive edge. In this manner, it would be difficult for competitors to compete with Garmin and it can also direct the company to the position of market leader in a period of next 10 to 20 years. Garmin possesses an innovative mind-set as well as all the required resources in order to pursue its business and compete with its competitors. It is important for Garmin to examine the ways through which it can bring in new products in an innovative manner (Feather, 2010). The above mentioned two grand strategies are recommended because in order to compete with intense competition, Garmin needs to pursue the competition by providing better products and services. After a complete range of products has been established, Garmin should remain consistent with its quality and pricing so that it can retain its customers. This idea will not only help Garmin in building up its brand image but also will generate substantial revenues that would assist the company in long

Cultural History Essay Example for Free

Cultural History Essay Since long time ago, Bra has defined fashion and beauty among women. The history of Bra is linked to social history of the status of women which entails both the evolution of fashion and the changing views of the body of a woman. Since time immemorial, women have used various garments and devices to cover, elevate and restrain the breasts. Over a period of time the emphasis of bras has changed from the functionality point to fashionable point. This fact means that in current period bras are part of fashion of a woman. Origin of the Bra The origin of bra is believed to be in 2500BC worn by the Minoan women who resided in the island of Crete in the ancient Greece. These women used to wear garments that looked like Bra whose aim was to lift up their breast and boost them. Since then, there has been tremendous change in the shape of the breast with different social meanings. Evolution of Bras The evolution of bra starts with the Corsetry which was worn by the Cretan Women. The Cretan woman stood with bare breasts and the waist and hip corset shown above the decorative part of her underwear. The aim of the corset among the Cretan women was as a symbol of beauty and was aimed at showing off the breast. It is believed that bare breast had a cultural and religious significance. Around 450bc, the Greek started wearing a bodice tied above the breasts leaving the breasts naked. This Small band of material was referred to as Apodesme and was introduced after the corsets were prohibited. Apodesme played a functional role as they prevented the breast moving while walking. The bra like structures accompanied with fashionable clothes of that time. In many of the 18th century paintings show ladies wearing free falling, pleated loose dress backs. It was probably developed from the over gown that was worn in the 17th century. Under the pannier dress was perfectly crafted laced stays that were made of many pieces of whale bones. These stays were backstitched by hand and were very beautiful and decorative. The stays supported and raised the breast to a sharp point in the front as well as defining a trim shape. The stays always matched the dress as the bones in these stays were placed laterally across both the back and front shoulder blades to ensure that the front remained straight and an upright back. Although women had clothes that provided support to the breast such as crinolines and bustles in Victorian age, corsets started to reappear in 18th century and this was evident with Edwardian Era. During Edwardian era, Edwardian Corsets started making a big impact in women fashion. Fashion favored mature women as it exploited the curves of a highly corseted shape. The young and the old women laced themselves so tightly that they distorted their figures to get am s shape associated with that period. Health corsets were greatly favored in 1890s and 1900 and were designed with an aim of assisting the women in breathing. Aches Sarraute of Paris designed health corset with an aim of aiding health instead of endangering it. She introduced the straight fronted busk that left thorax free. It was also designed to support and raise the abdomen instead of forcing it downwards. She rightly aimed at reducing pressure on vital female organs dispensed with constricting curves at the waist which was a common feature among all corsets. Corsets after 1907 were straight as women’s obsession on small waist had reduced. The corsets of 1907 achieved a long slim figure. These corsets had had elastic gussets inserts which were supposed to increase the level of comfort. The new longer styles of 1912, corsets increased in length reaching the knees making it difficult for women sitting down. These corsets were designed for beauty purposes as fashion played a major role in their development. During this period, there was a shift of attention from metallic corsets and the concept of bra started to appear. (Workman, 1996) The word Bra was developed and first reported in America copy of Vogue in 1907. The original French name of brassier meant a soldiers arm. The First World War contributed to evolution of bras where women abandoned corsets and started wearing bras. During this period, the term brassier started to appear in high profile women magazines and eventually appeared in Oxford English dictionary in 1912. (Elizabeth, 1976) In 1913, Mary Phelps Jacob, a New York socialite, made a backless brassier from two silk handkerchiefs and some ribbon after discovering that the corsets were too restrictive when a woman was dancing in night clubs. Mary sold her patent to Warner Brother’s corset company for 1500 us dollars. After the year 1918, bras were made of lace bands with straps. The best bras at that time were the Symington side lacer which was a reinforced bodice. The side lacing was aimed at flattening the bust when it was tightened. It was at this time that the term bra changed from brassier. (Elizabeth, 1976) In 1930s the bra became more sophisticated and the home sewn version of bras started to diminish during this period. In 1928, entrepreneur William and Ida Rosenthal developed bra by introducing the cup sizes and bras for all the stages of a woman. Warmers developed the alphabet bra which was made in a set of sizes that were corresponding to alphabetical letters. This is as a result of women gaining interest in the size of their breast and other women breast. The women interest in these types of bra was as a result of aggressive marketing and the changing role of women in the society. During this period, bras became a major industry and there was great improvement in fiber technology, patterns, colors and varieties of the bras. There was increase in innovation such as sized cup, adjustable strap, increased elasticity and padded breast for small sized breast. The marketing of bras during this period targeted the younger women as beauty was an important aspect in them. The desired feature in 1930s was a pointy bust and this further increased demand for a forming garment and bras fitted well for this function. In 1940s, Clothing was determined by the Second World War. During this period, advertisements of clothes were based on patriotism. The highly structured conical pointed bullet bras were used as protection clothes whereby in the military fraternity, the female soldiers were advised to wear them for anatomical support, good taste and for morale. During this period, bra enhanced the concept of the sweater girl. Sweater girls often wore bullets bras which contributed to the development of later brassieres. The war had an impact on the flow of materials as there was shortage of material which resulted into women producing their own bras from parachute silk and old wedding dresses. Commercially manufactured bras were made from minimum amount of material and hence bore the utility mark. This led to the emergence of utility bras. In 1950s, the bras were typical long line stitch and fashion was a major contributing factor towards the development of bras. The long line conical bra gave support silhouette for girls who wanted to be like film stars sweater girls like Jane Russell. The bras got better as use of nylon materials made them more attractive, lighter and easier to wash. Pretty 1960s was a period that was characterized by increased interest of quality and fashion of bras. There was increased demand for maternity and mastectomy bras and increase in the use of washing machines led to increase in preference for durable bras. There was increased marketing promotion such as wearing bras 24 hours a day. This period was marked with cultural changes which represented a great threat to bra market. These counter culture to bra production included civil right movement and feminism which greatly opposed women wearing bras. During this period, there was development in the form of bras which were seamless, flattering and sexy and were more appealing to teenage girls. The invention was referred to as wonderbra invention. These Bras tugged the breast together and pulled them forward and hence they were a means of attraction. They were marketed as a form of luxury. The material used became durable, light weight and elastic. In late 1960s, bra and other feminine emblems became targets of feminist activism. The feminists viewed bras as objects which reduced women as sex objects. Some women started questioning the role of bra and this led to protest against 1968 miss American beauty pageant. For example, Germaine Greer stated that bras were absurd invention aimed at reducing the status of women. In 1968, they were a protest against Miss America beauty pageant by 400 women coming from New York Radical women in Atlantic City convention hall. The demonstration took place after Democratic national convention and the protestors placed bras, high heeled shoes, hairsprays and other beauty apparatus seen as symbols of oppression of women in a freedom trash can placed on the ground. This was a clear sign of protest against bra although no real burning of the bras took place. There was also another protest in 1970 which received wide coverage and was perceived as sexual liberation. This protest although seen by people as breaking of the law was somehow fruitful as many women stopped . This led to some stores such as Berkeley Roos closing Bra department due to poor sales. The protest led to development of ‘no bra’ by Rudi Gernreich in 1964. This bra was light, transparent stretch netting and had a simple shape. The fine layer of foam in the bras made the cups to stand up on the end (Pederson, 2004) The ‘burning of bra’ by feminist led to innovations in fashion industry in order top win back the lost customers. Gossard launched its wonderbra crusade in 1968 which led to introduction of original wonderbra. At first 36C was the top size of this innovatory under wired bra that was a necessity for V neck dresses of late sixties caftans which had ling necks were changed by the cleavage from a wonderbra. In case where one was in need of larger bra, a bra replacement fastener was used as an extender. Inserts of extra lagging or foam rubber could be inserted into small pockets in the wonderbra to increase the fullness where there was no bust. In 1990s, silicon implant scare caused the women to turn to bras as the best option of improving their breast size. The wonderbra became best seller in 1990s. In 1916s there was the presence of bra slips which were common for short skimpy dresses. The return of cleavage was recorded in 1990s . In a blonde ambition tour; Madonna was sported wearing sported ice unguent coned circular sewed cup on her Gaultier corset. Gautier first made designs of breast that were based on the conical breasts of 1980s but received full approval after Madonna used it in a number of her functions and hence sexy lace Bras came back into business. In 1990s there was the introduction of very plain tactel underwear slips which gave a good line beneath dresses making it possible to wear unlined dresses successful without static build up. Bra industry was further promoted during this period by the quest for women who had shed their breast in 1960s to have more figure control especially when wearing the straight sheath dress that were back in fashion. During this period, there was pursuit for cleavage by utilizing water, air and silicone pads and improvement in this development enhanced the sales of fashion companies in 21st century as they put more emphasis on breast management and improvement. The change in fashion trends resulted in different types emerging to suit different fashion needs of women. Cleavage enhancers are types of bras which have a plunging neckline which is important for maximum cleavage. The pads add an additional lift and the bra fully characterize bust hence ideal for low necklines. There are other fashionable bras referred to as Convertible/strapless which go up to five ways on a strapless bra often having molded padded cups that offer support and shape to the breast. They have seam free cups that are not visible under clothes. Bras do not only serve as fashion apparatus but they also play a big role in sports. Sport bras are perfectly constructed to provide a maximum support, compresses the breast and hence minimizing bouncing by the breasts. The material fabric is important in drawing moisture away from the body hence keeping the body comfortable. Silicone bra is a type of bra comes in different sizes from cup size A, B C; D. It does not have any strap. It is flexible and sticks tightly in conformity with the woman’s bust as it has self adhesive coating. It is made from high quality silicon gel. It is easy to wash, it has no strap and occurs in a range of colors and so the user has a wide choice of the colors she desires. This bra can be reused many times after laundering. Push ups and inflatable brassieres is a type of bra introduced in mid 1990s and added major sex appeal to the USA market. It was pioneered in 1960s by Fredricks of Hollywood . The look was classic pieces of soft cup inflated into a cone-shaped point. During this period, Singer and Dancer Madonna played a big role in making this bra to be famous. This bra has undergone much innovation such as volume adjustment systems, pairing of the sleek looking bra with air extricable padding. The bra has a molded cup and wireless lifts. It has a weightless padding which gives the cleavage a slight projection. It has barely three Bralettes. It is found in soft cup, Camisole like sheers as well as lacy under wire creations which exhibit double cleavage of their full cup counterparts. (Steele, 2001) Sex openness among the current time women In 1950s to 1980s feminists played great role in trying to liberate women from oppression by men. They tried as much as they could in transforming the working and business environment to suit women and this resulted in many of them getting jobs and becoming more liberal especially in their sexual lives. In the past, feminists opposed beauty apparatus which they considered as being tools which reduced women as sex objects. This did not get support from all the women as beauty was still valued b women and so they continued using beauty apparatus and fashion determined what they wore. Currently the society has changed greatly and as a result of empowerment, women have become more liberal and hence more open to sixths is depicted by the clothing they put on which more is revealing than in the past years. Also increase in innovation by fashion industries has played a major role as these companies strive hard to market products which are said to make women look sexy. Improved technology especially in the entertainment sector has contributed a lot to women becoming more sexual open as they mostly emulate the lifestyles of the entertainment stars. (Kunzle, 2004) Conclusion Innovation has played a major role in shaping the fashion in different time span. Bra comes out clearly as a major fashion tool and from its evolution, it can be concluded that it has played a central role in women fashion and enhancing beauty among the women. Women have considered fashion as an important aspect in their life and this is evident in the different variety of beauty apparatus they have been having since time immemorial. In the contemporary times, women open sexuality show that women are liberalized and hence free to select any type of lifestyle and clothing to put on. Reference List: Elizabeth, E. , (1976). â€Å"Underwear: A History. † New York, NY: Theatre Arts Books Kunzle, D. , (2004). â€Å"Fashion and Fetishism:† Thrupp, UK: Sutton Publishing Limited Stephanie, P. , (2004) â€Å"Bra: a thousand years of style,† Newton Abbot: David Charles Valerie, S. , (2001). â€Å"The Corset: A Cultural History. † New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Workman, N. , (1996). â€Å"From Victorian to Victoria’s Secret: The Foundations of Modern Erotic Wear. † Journal of Popular Culture. 30. 2, 61-73

Directing Romeo and Juliet: Act 2 Scene 2 Essay -- Drama

Directing Romeo and Juliet: Act 2 Scene 2 I am going to direct act 2 scene 2 from the play Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare. The scene is also known as the balcony scene. During this scene Romeo is looking up at Juliet on the balcony talking about love. The scene is going to be set in as historical environment the 16th century in Verona. Therefore the costumes shall also reflect this era. Juliet will be in her in nightdress (1) and Romeo will be in a party costume (2). This is because he has just been at the Caplet's party. From the previous scene we know that there is a conflict between the Capulets and the Montagues. Romeo is a member of the Montague's and Juliet is a member of the capulet's. Romeo had been convinced to go to the party by his cousin Benvolio and his friend Mercutio. During the party Tybalt wants to hit Romeo but Lord Capulet doesn't let him. This shows the conflict. I will be using a thrust stage. The balcony will be placed on the left corner of the stage. There will be trees and colourful flowers surrounding the balcony. As this scene is set in the 16th century Juliet will be unaware of her rights as a women. The theme of the scene is love. Both Romeo and Juliet are expressing their feelings for each other. The relationship between Romeo and Juliet is very passionate, which will be conveyed though the use of language, their facial expression and body language. They will speak direct from Shakespheres text. In t...

Unilateral Neglect After Stroke Health And Social Care Essay

Behavioral Inattention Test is a common standardised measuring for one-sided disregard and has been widely used as the chief results in many neglect surveies. A systematic reappraisal was conducted in the undermentioned database from January 1997 to June 2012: PubMed/Medline ( 1965+ via EbscoHost ) , PsyhcINFO ( 1806+ ) , Science Direct, CINAHL ( Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, 1982+ ) , Cochrane Collaboration ‘s registry of tests and PEDro ( Physiotherapy Evidence Database ) .The reappraisal included articles of randomized controlled tests about neglect schemes among stroke patients that addressed Behavioral Inattention Test as primary results in the intercessions. Meta-analysis was done.ConsequencesTwelve RCTs were identified in our reappraisal harmonizing the inclusion and exclusion standards. The qualities of the surveies were good with average Physiotherapy Evidence Database ( PEDro ) mark of 6.08 A ± 0.81. Different intercessions have been stud ied in RCTs ; Prism Adaptation ( PA ) appeared to be the most common, with 5 out of 12. The meta-analysis showed that for immediate effects of neglect intercessions, the BIT conventional subtests has a statistically important average consequence size of 0.76 ( 95 % CI, 0.28-1.23 ; p=0.002 ) whereas the BIT Behavorial subtest showed no statistically important average consequence size of 0.37 ( 95 % CI, -0.19-0.91 ; p=0.17 ) , and the BIT ( Total ) showed a modest statistically important average consequence size of 0.55 ( 95 % CI, 0.16-0.94 ; p=0.006 ) . However, the meta-analysis showed that there was no statistically important average consequence size on durable effects for all BIT results. Among all intercessions, Prism Adaptation ( PA ) appears to be more effectual when compared to others based on the BIT results after pooled analysis.DecisionPrism Adaptation ( PA ) appeared to be the most common and effectual scheme among rehabilitation intercessions on one-sided disregard and rT MS possibly is a promising attack for intervention of one-sided disregard. Rehabilitation intercessions have positive immediate effects on one-sided disregard as measured by the BIT conventional subtest than that on the behavioral subtest. As shown by the short durable effects, effects of rehabilitation intercessions are frequently transeunt and frequently can non be generalized across clip to daily working. All surveies faced the same failing of lower power with smaller samples and restriction in sightlessness design. More strict surveies should be done before coming to a steadfast decision.KeywordsSystematic reappraisal, Stroke, Unilateral Neglect, Rehabilitation, Treatment, Behavioural Inattention Test1. IntroductionUnilateral disregard ( ULN ) is a heterogenous perceptual upset that follows intellectual hemispherical lesion [ 1 ] , particularly after right hemisphere stroke. The most typically characteristic of disregard is failure to describe or react the stimulation presented from the contralateral infinite, including stimulation from the ocular, somatosensory, audile and kinesthesia stimulation even comprehending their ain organic structure parts [ 2 ] . The reported incidence varies from 10 % to 82 % following right-hemisphere shot and from 15 % to 65 % following left-hemisphere shot [ 3 ] . Capable choice standards, lesion site, the nature and timing of the appraisal and deficiency of understanding on appraisal methods are all responsible for the variableness in the reported rate of happening of one-sided disregard after shot [ 1, 4 ] . As disregard involved upset in directing attending, stand foring infinite and commanding motion, it became an obstruction for recovery from shot. Neglect has a important negative impact associated with functional recovery at place discharge [ 5, 6 ] . Recently more research workers have put attempts on researching the underlying mechanism and the curative methods about the enormous challenge. Different intervention attacks and assessment battery have been developed to measure and rectify disregard. Recent literature shows that interventions for one-sided neglect autumn under two types of behavioural attacks. They are either enrolling the hemiplegic side or limbs to cut down a spacial penchant over the ipsilesional infinite, or bettering consciousness of the contralesional infinite to advance patients ‘ attending [ 7, 8 ] , Up to now, more than 18 methods were put into pattern in these Fieldss [ 9 ] . Surveies based on these attacks have reported changing consequences based on a big figure of outcome steps. Despite the reported quality is moderate for RCTs in neglect rehabilitation [ 7 ] , some attacks appear to be more promising. There were besides remarks that the effects of these new interventions are frequently task-specific or transeunt and frequently can non be generalized to daily working [ 8, 10, 11 ] . It is difficult to state which attack is the optimum rec ommendation for clinical pattern due to deficient grounds [ 9 ] . In add-on, professional healers seldom use these scientifically proved interventions [ 12 ] . The appraisal of ULN in the clinical scene has normally involved in â€Å" pencil-and-paper † undertakings, including line bisection, cancellation undertakings, copying, and pulling [ 13 ] , many RCTs used some of the undertakings as results. The Behavioural Inattention Test ( BIT ) is a criterion-referenced trial for one-sided disregard or ocular inattention in patients enduring from shot or encephalon hurts [ 14 ] . The trial is divided into two classs: the conventional and the behavioural subtests. This survey used the conventional subtest, which is made up of 6 points: line crossing, missive cancellation, star cancellation, figure and form copying, line bisection, and representational drawing. A cancellation subscore was calculated by adding the first 3 cancellation undertakings together and pulling subscore by adding the staying 3 undertakings. This reappraisal aimed to consistently reexamine the updated grounds from RCTs on the effectivity of rehabilitation intercessions for one-sided disregard as measured by the Behavioral Inattention Test ( BIT ) or its conventional ( BIT-C ) and behavioural subtests ( BIT-B ) .2. Methods2.1. DatabaseWe searched the undermentioned electronic databases: PubMed/Medline ( 1965+ via EbscoHost ) , PsyhcINFO ( 1806+ ) , Science Direct, CINAHL ( Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, 1982+ ) , and Cochrane Collaboration ‘s registry of tests. We besides hand-searched the bibliography of all surveies ordered in full text. Date of publication was restricted between January 1997 and June 2012.2.2. Search schemesWe used the undermentioned footings for seeking databases ( Cerebrovascular accident OR shot ) AND ( Neglect OR visuospatial disregard OR ocular disregard OR one-sided disregard OR hemisphere neglect OR visuo-spatial disregard ) .We included merely RCTs for grownups with age ( 19 old ages + ) published from: 19970101-20120630, restricted to English linguistic communication.2.3. Inclusion and exclusion standardsInclusion standardsWe included: ( 1 ) all RCTs aimed at place the effectivity of any type of rehabilitation intercession to rectify disregard in grownup shot patients as diagnosed with one-sided disregard by clinical scrutiny and/or classical neuropsychological trials ; ( 2 ) Given our intent, we merely considered the surveies which addressed the Behavioral Inattention Test ( BIT ) [ 15 ] as the primary results. The BIT included the conventional subtest ( BIT-C ) and/or the behavioural subtest ( BIT-B ) every bit good as the entire mark of BIT ( BIT ( Total ) ) or both.Exclusion standards:( 1 ) Observational survey, and instance study every bit good as cross-over design surveies ; ( 2 ) Full text is non available ; ( 3 ) with sample size less than 5 in each group ; and ( 4 ) every bit rated as 4 or less out of 10 by the Physiotherapy Evid ence Database ( PEDro ) .2.5. Quality appraisalThe 2 referees ( Nicole, Y.Y.H and Kenneth, F.N.K ) appraised all documents harmonizing to the Physiotherapy Evidence Database ( PEDro ) graduated table. It was developed specifically for measuring the quality of surveies aimed at comparing the effectivity of rehabilitation intercessions [ 16, 17 ] which has been proved to be a valid step of the methodological quality of clinical tests. It was valid to sum PEDro scale point tonss to obtain a entire mark that can be treated as interval degree measuring and subjected to parametric statistical analysis [ 18, 19 ] . There are 11 points in the PEDro graduated table: The first standards point eligibility is non scored which was used as a constituent of external cogency, the other 10 points obtained a entire mark from 10 ( RCT that satisfies all points ) to 0 ( RCT that does non fulfill anyone ) . The PEDro graduated table classify surveies as of high or low qualities based on a cut-off mark a t 6 out of 10. High quality means articles that obtain a mark equal to or higher than 6 and low quality surveies score less than 6.2.4. Data extraction and analysisEach included survey was carefully assessed for inclusion standards, and the necessary information and features of each included survey was ab initio summarized and extracted by the first writer ( first referee ) and was listed on a tabular array. The abstract every bit good as these sum-ups was independently checked and confirmed by a 2nd referee who is the 2nd writer of the manuscript. In instance of dissensions between the referees, the sentiment of the 3rd referee was sought. We calculate Cohen ‘s vitamin D on single consequence sizes for included surveies and compare the comparative effectivity. Meta-analysis one the overall intervention effectivity will be done with Review Manager 5.0. Standardized average difference ( SMD ) was taken as the consequence size and its 95 % assurance interval was computed. Test of heterogeneousness was used to measure the possible heterogeneousness across surveies. If heterogeneousness existed, random-effect theoretical account was used. Otherwise, the fixed-effect theoretical account was used alternatively. The sensitiveness analysis was besides used to measure the impact of the overall intervention effectivity by excepting one test one time at a clip.3. ConsequencesFigure 1 shows the choice procedure. The hunts chiefly yielded 201 commendations from 1997 to 2012. After taking extras, 153 commendations were obtained. Based on the rubric and abstract of the articles, 32 potentially relevant articles were obtained. An d they were so carefully evaluated by the referees. We identified 25 clinical tests [ 20-44 ] which entered the eventually assessment. Reasons for the exclusion of the other 7 articles were: ( 1 ) they were merely reviews or mechanical surveies, instance studies or other clinical survey design such as multiple-baseline design, cross-over design, ( 2 ) absence of a control group, and ( 3 ) the sample is less than 5 in each group. Finally, 12 articles were included in our reappraisal [ 21, 22, 25-27, 30, 32, 35, 36, 39, 40, 44 ] and other articles were excluded as the BIT was non used as the primary outcome step.Fig 1: Overview of literature hunt and choice procedureThe overall quality of the 12 RCTs is just to good ( Table 1 ) . The average sum mark was 6.08 A ± 0.81, with a scope from 5 to 9. 4 of them ( 33.3 % ) were identified with just quality when cut-off line was set at 6 out of 10 based on the PEDro graduated table.Table 1: PEDro tonss of included surveiesItemsSurveiesEligib ility 1: Random allotment 2: Concealed allotment 3: Baseline comparison 4: Blind topics 5: Blind healers 6: Blind assessors 7: Adequate followup 8: Intention-to-treat analysis 9: Between-group comparings 10: Point estimations variablenessMarkQualityNysa et Al. 2008 yes 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 6/10 Good Serino et Al. 2009 yes 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 5/10 Carnival Turton et Al. 2010 yes 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 6/10 Good Mizuno et Al. 2011 yes 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 8/10 Good Ladavas et Al. 2011 yes 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 6/10 Good Robertson et Al. 2002 yes 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 6/10 Good Luukkainen-Markkulaa et Al. 2009 yes 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 5/10 Carnival Fong et Al. 2007 yes 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 6/10 Good Tsang et Al. 2006 yes 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 6/10 Good Harvey et Al. 2003 yes 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 5/10 Carnival Koch et Al. 2012 yes 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 9/10 Good Ferreira et Al. 2011 NO 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 5/10 CarnivalFeatures of the included surveiesDescriptions of the 12 articles included in the reappraisal are listed in Table 2. Two surveies [ 40, 44 ] used double-blinded design and others largely were single-blinded tests.Table 2: Features of included surveiesSurveiesMethodsInterventionsBIT based ConsequencesTypeStudy designControlGroupstopics( N )shot continuanceTreatmentgovernmentDurationImmediateLong-runNysa et Al. 2008 Dad single-blind RCT Placebo ( impersonal goggles ) n=16 PA gp=10 CT gp=6 a†°Ã‚ ¤ 4 tungsten Wore brace of goggles fitted with wide-field point-to-point prismatic lenses shifted their ocular field 10A °/0A °rightward and make some fast pointing motions 30min/session four-day-in-row Sessionss 4d BIT-Ci-i?†° BIT-Bi-i?†° follow-upi1m Serino et Al. 2009 Dad single-blind Pseud-RCT Placebo ( impersonal goggles ) ni20 PA gp=10 CT gp=10 a†°?1 m have oning prismatic lenses, which shifted their ocular field 10A °/0A °rightward and indicating motions 30 min/session 10 day-to-day Sessionss within 2 hebdomad 2w BITi+i?†° BITi+i?†° follow-upi1m Turton et Al. 2010 Dad single-blind RCT Placebo ( level field glass ) ni36 PA gp=17 i1 drop-outi?†° CT gp=19 i1 drop-outi?†° a†°?20 vitamin D wore 10 diopters, 6 grade prisms utilizing index finger to touch a bold vertical line on screen one time a twenty-four hours, each working twenty-four hours 2w BITi-i?†° BITi-i?†° follow-upi8w Mizuno et Al. 2011 Dad double-masked RCT Placebo ( impersonal spectacless ) ni38 PA gp=18 CT gp=20 a†°Ã‚ ¤ 3m wore prism spectacless shifted ocular field 12A ° to right and repeat pointing undertakings 20 min/session command, 5 yearss / hebdomad 2w BIT-Ci-i?†° BIT-Bi-i?†° BIT-Ci-i?†° BIT-Bi-i?†° follow up until discharge Ladavas et Al. 2011 Dad single-blind Pseud-RCT Placebo ( impersonal spectacless ) ni30 TPA gp=10 CPA gp=10 CT gp=10 a†°?2m Wore wide-field prismatic lenses bring oning a 10a- ¦ displacement ocular field to right and repeat pointing undertakings 30 min/session one per twenty-four hours, 10 Sessionss 2w TPAi?s BIT-Bi+i?†° BIT-Ci+i?†° CPAi?s BIT-Ci-i?†° BIT-Bi-i?†° No followup Robertson et Al. 2002 LA single-blind RCT silent person device n=40 LA+PT=19 i2 drop-outi?†° PT=21 i2 drop-outi?†° Lanthanum: 152.8A ±142.4 Platinum: 152.1 A ±117.9 utilizing a semi-automatic device for limb activation combined with perceptual preparation 45 min/ session one time a hebdomad 12 Sessionss 12w BIT-Bi-i?†° BIT-Bi-i?†° follow-upi18-24m Luukkainen-Markkulaa et Al. 2009 LA single-blind RCT traditional ocular scanning preparation ni12 LA gp=6 CT gp=6 a†°Ã‚ ¤6 m arm activation trainingiDetermined by the single manus and arm motor position assessed by WMFTi?†° Entire 48 hours of therapy 3w BIT-Ci+i?†° BIT-Ci+i?†° Follow-upi6m Fong et Al. 2007 TR TR+EP single-blind RCT conventional OT ni54 TR gp=19 TR+EP gp=20 CT gp=15 a†°Ã‚ ¤8 tungsten Trunk rotary motion was performed in three different places: supine lying on a pedestal, unsupported sitting on a pedestal, and standing in a standing frame 1 hour/session 5 times /week 30d BIT-Bi-i?†° BIT-Ci-i?†° BIT i-i?†° BIT-Bi-i?†° BIT-Ci-i?†° BIT i-i?†° Follow-up= 60d Tsang et Al. 2009 EP single-blind RCT conventional OT ni34 EP gp=17 CT gp=17 EP: 21.5A ±21.67 Connecticut: 22.18 A ± 15.87 underwent occupational therapy with particular spectacless barricading the right half ocular field 30min ADL +30min NDT for UL/day 4w BIT-Ci+i?†° No followup Harvey et Al. 2003 VF RCT Same activities Without feedback ni14 VF gp=7 CT gp=7 5-25 m experimenter-administered pattern of rod raising with justice centre grids for proprioceptive and ocular feedback 1h/d with 3di?†º so 10 yearss of homebased intercession 3d/2w BIT-Ci+i?†° BIT-Bi-i?†° BIT-Ci+i?†° BIT-Bi-i?†° follow-upi1m Koch et Al. 2012 Terbium double-blind RCT fake spiral angled 90A ° ni18 TBS gp=9 CT gp=9 a†°?1 m ( 43A ±16d ) 3-pulse explosions at 50 Hz repeated every 200 millisecond for 40 s i80 % AMT over the left PPC 2 essions/di15min intervalli?†º 5 d/week 2w BIT-Bi+i?†° BIT-Ci+i?†° BIT i+i?†° BIT-Bi+i?†° BIT-Ci+i?†° BIT i+i?†° follow-upi1m Ferreira et Al. 2011 Military policeman VST single-blind RCT Conventional PT without any intervention for disregard ni15 MP gp=5 VST gp=5 CT gp=5 a†°? 3 m Volt: The protocol included 4 undertakings: 2 directed to the extrapersonal infinite and 2 turn toing peripersonal disregard ; Military policeman: included 4 undertakings: 2 undertakings of motor imagination and 2 of ocular imagination. 1h/session Twice per hebdomad 5w VST: BIT-Ci+i?†° Military policeman: BIT-C ( – ) VST: BIT-Ci+i?†° Military policeman: BIT-Ci-i?†°follow-upi2m Abbreviations: PA=prism version ; LA=limb activation ; TR= bole rotary motion ; EP=eye patching ; VF=Visuomotor feedback ; TBS=Theta-burst stimulation ; MP=mental pattern ; VST= ocular scanning preparation ; BIT= Behavioral Inattention Test ; BIT-C= BIT conventional subtest ; BIT-B= BIT behavioural subtests ; OT=occupational therapy ; PT=physiotherapyParticipantsThis reappraisal encompassed 277 topics with one-sided disregard. All of them were grownups with right encephalon harm due to stroke ; most of the topics had a diagnosing of first individual right hemisphere stroke. The continuance from the shot oncoming covered from acute stage ( a†°Ã‚ ¤4w ) to chronic stage ( a†°?6m ) , but most surveies were conducted in the subacute and chronic stage after shot. All surveies used similar inclusion and exclusion standards including age, diagnosing of shot ( the lesion location based on CT or MRI ) , right-handed, presence of one-sided disregard identified by either a clinical scrutiny or a standard disregard appraisal battery, and free of any other confusing neurological shortages or rational damages.InterventionsAmong the 12 surveies included, five [ 27, 32, 39, 40 ] implemented the effectivity of prism version ( PA ) . There were differences in the PA process, one survey [ 27 ] used insistent PA for a short period, and another survey used different feedback schemes in PA ( Terminal prism version, TPA and Concurrent prism version, CPA ) .During TPA, merely the concluding portion of the indicating motion is seeable and prism version relies most strongly on a strategic recalibration of visuomotor eye-hand co-ordinates. In contrast, for CPA the 2nd half of the indicating motion is seeable, and therefore version chiefly consists of a realignment of proprioceptive co-ordinates [ 39 ] . All the five surveies used the same control methods with impersonal goggles. There were two [ 21, 30 ] articles applied limb activation, other articles used different intercessions: visuomotor feedback, practical world, insistent transcranial magnetic stimulation ( Theta-burst stimulation ) . Compared to a old reappraisal [ 45 ] , there was no new i ntercession reported in this reappraisal in the clip period except the uninterrupted Theta-burst stimulation ( cTBS ) . We included a RCT utilizing rTMS with high quality for the first clip. All surveies investigated individual intervention, except one RCT survey [ 26 ] investigated the effectivity of combinations of two different therapeutics ( trunk rotary motion and eye-patching ) . Duration of intervention period ranged from 3-day [ 29 ] to 5-week [ 38 ] , but for half of the surveies the intervention frequence was 30 min per session, 5 Sessionss per hebdomad, and 2 hebdomads for a entire 10 Sessionss. All intervention were conducted in infirmaries except one [ 22 ] survey involved self-administered home-based pattern for two hebdomads.Outcome measuringIn all surveies the results included functional activities and badness of disregard. The functional results included the Functional Independence Measure, the Barthel Index, upper limb motor maps ( the Wolf Motor Function Test and the Modified Motor Assessment Scale ) every bit good as the Stroke Impairment Assessment Set. Apart from the BIT, the result for neglect badness included the Catherine Bergego Scale ( CBS ) , the Bell Cancellation Test, reading and computerized ocular hunt undertakings, and paper-and-pencil disregard trials. There were three surveies [ 32, 35, 36 ] utilizing BIT entire tonss, three surveies [ 27, 39, 40 ] utilizing both the BIT-C and the BIT-B individually as results, two surveies [ 26, 44 ] utilizing both the BIT entire, the BIT-C and the BIT-B as results. Merely one survey [ 21 ] utilizing the BIT-B entirely as the result.Effectss of rehabilitation intercession1. The optimum intercession for disregard Cohen ‘s vitamin D on single consequence sizes was calculated as the difference between the pre- and posttest agencies for the individual intervention group, divided by the SD of the pretest scores. There were more than one paper about PA, so we pooled the consequence size of PA prior to relative comparing on all consequence sizes. The consequences showed that for immediate effects, PA was the highest one when measured by BIT-C and BIT-B, while CBT was the highest in BIT entire graduated table ; all attacks showed low consequence size in the durable effects ( Table 3a & A ; 3b ) .Table 3a: Immediate consequence size of each attackResultsSurveyApproachEffect sizeBIT-C Ladavas et Al ( 1 ) . 2011 Ladavas et Al. ( 2 ) 2011 Mizuno et Al. 2011 Dad 1.31 [ -0.26, 2.88 ] ( pooled ) Ferreira et Al. 2011 VST 1.16 [ -0.24, 2.56 ] Harvey et Al. 2003 VF 1.15 [ -0.25, 2.55 ] Tsang et Al. 2009 EP 0.71 [ 0.02, 1.41 ] Fong et Al ( 1 ) . 2007 TR 0.50 [ -0.19, 1.19 ] Luukkainen-Markkula 2009 LA 0.27 [ -0.87, 1.41 ] Fong et Al ( 2 ) .2007 TR+EP 0.19 [ -0.48, 0.86 ] BIT-B Ladavas et Al ( 1 ) . 2011 Mizuno et Al. 2011 Dad 0.86 [ -0.45, 2.18 ] ( pooled ) Fong et Al ( 1 ) . 2007 TR 0.16 [ -0.52, 0.84 ] Fong et Al ( 2 ) .2007 TR+EP 0.15 [ -0.52, 0.82 ] Robertson et Al. 2002 LA -0.08 [ -0.70, 0.54 ] BIT ( Total ) Koch et Al. 2012 Terbium 1.46 [ 0.39, 2.53 ] Serino et Al. 2009 Turton et Al. 2010 Dad 0.55 [ 0.16, 0.94 ] ( pooled ) Fong et Al ( 1 ) . 2007 TR 0.40 [ -0.28, 1.09 ] Fong et Al ( 2 ) .2007 TR+EP 0.18 [ -0.49, 0.85 ]Table 3b: durable consequence size of each attackItems Survey Approach Effect size BIT-C Mizuno et Al. 2011 Nysa et Al. 2008 Dad 0.52 [ -0.07, 1.11 ] ( pooled ) Luukkainen-Markkula 2009 LA 0.38 [ -0.76, 1.53 ] Fong et Al ( 1 ) . 2007 TR 0.26 [ -0.52, 1.03 ] Fong et Al ( 2 ) .2007 TR+EP 0.25 [ -0.47, 0.97 ] BIT-B Fong et Al ( 1 ) . 2007 TR 0.26 [ -0.51, 1.03 ] Fong et Al ( 2 ) .2007 TR+EP 0.22 [ -0.50, 0.94 ] Mizuno et Al. 2011 Nysa et Al. 2008 Dad 0.03 [ -0.55, 0.60 ] ( pooled ) Robertson et Al. 2002 LA -0.23 [ -0.85, 0.40 ] BIT ( Total ) Fong et Al ( 1 ) . 2007 TR 0.27 [ -0.50, 1.05 ] Fong et Al ( 2 ) .2007 TR+EP 0.24 [ -0.48, 0.96 ] Koch et Al. 2012 Terbium 1.97 [ 0.79, 3.14 ] Serino et Al. 2009 Turton et Al. 2010 Dad -0.06 [ -0.57, 0.44 ] ( pooled )2. Effectss of rehabilitation intercession versus any control on BIT stepsIn order to see the overall effectivity of rehabilitation intercessions on disregard, we applied a meta-analysis on all BIT consequences refer to standardised average difference ( SMD ) and 95 % assurance intervals ( CI ) utilizing random-effects theoretical accounts. The comparing consequences of both immediate and durable effects based on BIT were summarized in Table 4 and inside informations of single intercessions are presented in wood secret plan ( fig 2a & A ; 2b ) .Table 4 Effectss of rehabilitation intercession versus any control on BIT stepsResult or Subgroup Surveies Participants Statistical Method Effect Estimate 1.1 immediate effects 13 547 Std. Mean Difference ( IV, Random, 95 % CI ) 0.57 [ 0.29, 0.84 ] A A 1.1.1 BIT-C 9 209 Std. Mean Difference ( IV, Random, 95 % CI ) 0.76 [ 0.28, 1.23 ] A A 1.1.2 BIT-B 6 183 Std. Mean Difference ( IV, Random, 95 % CI ) 0.37 [ -0.16, 0.91 ] A A 1.1.3 BIT ( Total ) 5 155 Std. Mean Difference ( IV, Random, 95 % CI ) 0.55 [ 0.16, 0.94 ] 1.2 durable effects 9 400 Std. Mean Difference ( IV, Random, 95 % CI ) 0.21 [ 0.01, 0.41 ] A A 1.2.1 BIT-C 5 117 Std. Mean Difference ( IV, Random, 95 % CI ) 0.37 [ 0.00, 0.74 ] A A 1.2.2 BIT-B 5 145 Std. Mean Difference ( IV, Random, 95 % CI ) 0.04 [ -0.29, 0.37 ] A 1.2.3 BIT ( Total ) 5 138 Std. Mean Difference ( IV, Random, 95 % CI ) 0.36 [ -0.21, 0.92 ]Fig 2a Rehabilitation intercession versus any control, result: immediate effectsFigure 2b rehabilitation versus any control, result: durable effectsImmediate consequence of rehabilitation intercession Fig.2a showed the forest secret plan of the immediate effects of the included surveies. The meta-analysis showed that there was important heterogeneousness across the surveies, the random consequence theoretical account was chosen. The BIT-C had a statistically important average consequence size of 0.76 ( 95 % CI, 0.28-1.23 ; p=0.002 ) . The BIT-B showed no statistically important average consequence size of 0.37 ( 95 % CI, -0.19-0.91 ; p=0.17 ) , and the BIT ( Total ) showed a statistically important average consequence size of 0.55 ( 95 % CI, 0.16-0.94 ; p=0.006 ) . The sensitiveness of each test on the average consequence size was besides assessed by excepting one test one time at a clip. The overall consequence was the same even when any one of the tests was eliminated. Durable consequence of rehabilitation intercession Fig.2b showed the forest secret plan of the durable effects of the included surveies. The meta-analysis showed that there was no statistically important on all results of the BIT-C, BIT-B, and BIT ( Total ) .The impact of each test on the average consequence size was besides evaluated by excepting one test at a clip. The consequence was still non-significant ( p & gt ; 0.05 ) even when one of the tests was eliminated. Pooled consequence of PA on disregard Since there was more than one survey on the consequence of PA, we pooled the consequence size of each result ( Table 5 ) . No statistically important consequences were found both immediate and durable effects in all results with important heterogeneousness.Table 5: PA intercession on DisregardResult or Subgroup Surveies Participants Statistical Method Effect Estimate 2.1 immediate effects 5 216 Std. Mean Difference ( IV, Random, 95 % CI ) 0.89 [ 0.27, 1.51 ] A A 2.1.1 BIT-C 3 74 Std. Mean Difference ( IV, Random, 95 % CI ) 1.31 [ -0.26, 2.88 ] A A 2.1.2 BIT-B 3 74 Std. Mean Difference ( IV, Random, 95 % CI ) 0.86 [ -0.45, 2.18 ] A A 2.1.3 BIT ( Total ) 2 68 Std. Mean Difference ( IV, Random, 95 % CI ) 0.59 [ -0.02, 1.19 ] 2.2 durable effects 4 125 Std. Mean Difference ( IV, Random, 95 % CI ) 0.15 [ -0.20, 0.51 ] A A 2.2.1 BIT-C 2 47 Std. Mean Difference ( IV, Random, 95 % CI ) 0.52 [ -0.07, 1.11 ] A A 2.2.2 BIT-B 1 16 Std. Mean Difference ( IV, Random, 95 % CI ) -0.04 [ -1.06, 0.97 ] A A 2.2.3 BIT ( Total ) 2 62 Std. Mean Difference ( IV, Random, 95 % CI ) -0.06 [ -0.57, 0.44 ]4. DiscussionOur systematic reappraisal indicates that there is modest grounds back uping prism version and oculus patching to cut down one-sided disregard in patients with shot, as shown by the BIT-C both in immediate and durable effects. Other surveies proved positive effects with usage of ocular scanning preparation [ 36 ] , visuomotor feedback [ 22 ] , and TBS [ 46 ] . Since Koch et al [ 44 ] , Merely reported the entire mark of BIT and entire tonss of BIT-C and the BIT-B was non available, it is impossible to pull the decision that rTMS was better than prism version in bettering the public presentation of undertakings from the BIT-C and BIT-B for neglect patients. Harmonizing to this reappraisal, the PA seems slope to had the highest consequence size in immediate effects, but the 95 % assurance interval of consequence size crossed over nothing point, so it is no statistically important when it come to the decision. prism version, a bottom-up intercession affecting sensory-motor malleability, was foremost described by Rossetti et al [ 46 ] based on the phenomenon of visuo-motor version. And has been widely used as a paradigm to show visuomotor short-run malleability [ 47 ] .the process consists of have oning an optical prisms and a series of insistent perceptual-motor indicating motions. The possible nervous mechanism underlying the curative consequence is that prism version reduces left spacial disregard by easing the enlisting of integral encephalon countries responsible for commanding normal visuospatial end product by ways of short-run sensori-motor malleability. This technique have produced some betterment in a broad scope of disregard sym ptoms particularly the ocular 1s [ 48-50 ] . However, some opposite consequences were reported [ 51, 52 ] , The inconsistent consequences likely due to the incomparability of intervention setup, continuance of the intervention, differences in the undertakings used to measure prism version effects and the post-stroke continuance. Similar to PA, oculus patching is another underside up compensational intercession for disregard. In our reappraisal, Tang [ 25 ] reported that the 4 hebdomads application of right hemi-visual field patching demonstrated a important consequence with consequence size of 0.71. This technique concentrates the patients ‘ attending on the contralesional infinite by barricading the ipsilesional ocular field, which lessens the disinhibition to the pointing mechanism of the ipsilesional side ensuing from interhemispheric instability. But more good quality RCTs is needed for measuring the existent impact on disregard. The theta-burst stimulation ( TBS ) is a sort of insistent transcranial magnetic stimulation ( rTMS ) which showed comparatively high consequence size as measured by the BIT entire tonss in our reappraisal. Transcranial magnetic stimulation ( TMS ) has become a popular method to excite the human encephalon, Insistent stimulation ( rTMS ) has particularly gained involvement for its curative potency to modify cortical irritability [ 53 ] , which throw visible radiations on the usage of the inter-hemispheric competition theoretical account in explicating the recovery after neglect upset in shot patients [ 54-57 ] . Harmonizing to these surveies, the insistent Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ( rTMS ) induced and repaired the interhemispheric instability ( a neglect-like behaviour ) in the left or right posterior parietal cerebral mantle in healthy worlds. Based on these findings, some surveies were conducted to research whether this attack may be utile in advancing clinical recovery fr om disregard and the consequence is assuring [ 57-60 ] . Compared to traditional standard cognitive intercession, rTMS can speed up clinical recovery and more effectual in bettering standard trials. And it seemed that the severely patients at baseline benefited more from the intercession. However, the different result measurings and clinical test methodological restriction made it impossible to pull any decision based on robust grounds. This reappraisal can non reply inquiry refering the best beginning clip for neglect rehabilitation intercession, because that most participants of the included surveies were recruited in either the subacute or chronic stages. Merely few surveies implemented rehabilitation to pretermit within one month after stroke [ 26, 27 ] . As most of the self-generated recovery after shot was happened in the first month [ 61 ] , in order to avoid the confounding of self-generated recovery, farther research is necessary to find the effects of an earlier rehabilitation against natural recovery of one-sided disregard after shot. Neglect is the best individual forecaster of long-run functional damage and hapless result in the early phase [ 62, 63 ] , and recent surveies on the mechanism of neglect emphasized more on the secondary alterations of remote web related to attending [ 64 ] . A survey [ 65 ] based on neuroimaging showed that at two hebdomads after shot, the usually functional connectivity be tween left and right dorsal parietal cerebral mantle was disrupted and the grade of dislocation correlated with the badness of left spacial disregard. So it is sensible that patients should get down neglect intercession every bit shortly as possible in the acute phase in order to avoid erudite no-use occurred over the neglect side by increasing multisensory inputs or stimulation to the ipslateral encephalon parts and decelerate down the secondary alteration in the encephalon relation to pretermit. For farther research, we recommend earlier intercession and adequate follow up to maximise the benefit and proctor persist consequence of disregard rehabilitation and functional results. Our reappraisal indicates that the BIT conventional subtests and the BIT entire mark may be used to mensurate the immediate effects on one-sided disregard as the entire average consequence size on immediate effects was 0.76 and 0.57 severally, which can be consider as clinically important [ 66 ] . The BIT behavioural subtests should non be used entirely as an result as we could non establish any satisfactory consequence in the BIT-B as the consequence size is excessively little ( average immediate consequence size=0.37, average durable consequence size=0.04 ) to make any statistical important consequences. Restrictions of the reappraisal The reappraisal exists some restrictions. The quality of the included surveies limits the determination of this reappraisal. Although there was an betterment in the coverage quality as the average sum mark in this reappraisal was 6.08 A ± 0.81 ( ranged from 5 to 9 ) as rated by the PEDro, which is higher than that of the antecedently reported mark 4.56 A ± 1.54 with a scope from 2 to 7, obtained from the overall RCTs in another reappraisal of neglect rehabilitation [ 7 ] . The intention-to-treat analysis is non satisfied by any of the surveies. The sightlessness design is still the most failing of these RCTs. The heterogeneousness of surveies included meant this meta-analysis is less powerful and could non place a conclusive optimum intervention approach.in add-on ; extended hunt may acquire more surveies to beef up the decision.DecisionPrism Adaptation ( PA ) appeared to be the most common and effectual scheme among rehabilitation intercessions on one-sided disregard and rTMS po ssibly is a promising attack for intervention of one-sided disregard. Rehabilitation intercessions have positive immediate effects on one-sided disregard as measured by the BIT conventional subtest than that on the behavioral subtest. As shown by the short durable effects, effects of rehabilitation intercessions are frequently transeunt and frequently can non be generalized across clip to daily working. All surveies faced the same failing of lower power with smaller samples and restriction in sightlessness design. More strict surveies should be done before coming to a steadfast decision.

Emirates Airline in Dubai Essay

With the competition in the aviation industry threatening to hit fever pitch, Emirates is doing everything at its disposal to remain relevant in the sector which continues to grow tremendously. The massive growth in the aviation industry which has been largely attributed to globalization and industrialization calls for major players such as Emirates airlines to put extra efforts as far as service delivery is concerned in a bid to remain at the top. And since growth comes with its fair share of competition, to keep up with it a company must offer not only best but also unique services and be ready to commit enough resources towards customer satisfaction. It is in this spirit that Emirates through its innovative and creative strategy has remained a pace setter in the aviation industry. Pioneer In order to address the communication needs of its passengers, Emirates became the pioneer airline to launch a service of its kind which allows passengers to use their cell phones. The service which was first rolled out on 20 March 2008 on a charter plane between Dubai and Casablanca was received well by a good number of stakeholders in the industry. With this new system, passengers will now be in a position to call or send text messages to people who are on the ground. Already experts say that other airlines have gone back to the drawing board with a keen interest of embracing this new technology so as to attract more customers. Food for the soul Emirates offers what one can call a one-stop in-flight entertainment system with a wide range of options such as live international television channels, music and movies which are largely attributed to its large client base. Apart from in-flight internet services available to all classes of passengers, they are also provided with newspapers, magazines and other periodicals to inform and educate them while traveling. Generally it provides all what clients’ needs including food to music which some prefer calling food for the soul. This kind of investment in the entertainment makes customers to enjoy their journey and even consider using the same service in future hence making the Dubai based company preferred by many clients. Customer service Client satisfaction which gives Emirates competitive advantage can be attributed to its professional, young, dynamic, diligent, and dedicated cabin crew drawn from various countries. The multilingual staff uses its diverse cultural backgrounds coupled with the facilities available to serve passengers with the humility they deserve. Fully cognizant of the fact that good performance in business can only be achieved through customer satisfaction; the company has utilized this unique capability to offer best services so as to achieve the desire of their clients. This lean and well coordinated work force has seen . the airline maintain high standard of service delivery and achieve enviable goals. Although experts argue that this is a strategy aimed at cutting on costs, research shows that lean staff coupled with a simple organizational structure like the one adopted by the company leads to success. State-of–the-art The state-of-the-art fleet of planes which Emirates boasts of has enabled it to be consistent and reliable more than any other top airline. These latest planes comes in handy because it means they will be at the right place at the right time hence fits the bill of the demands of customers. Irrespective of the class of the plane, once you fly with the company comfort is guaranteed. Responsibility In this era where corporate organizations are giving back to the community in the spirit of social corporate responsibility, Emirates is not left behind. It sponsors major events across the world ranging from sports to trade. For instance it sponsors the English Premier League side Arsenal, Dubai Shopping Festival, West Australian Symphony Orchestra among others. Such gestures although can be easily dismissed by critics as public relations gimmicks, demonstrates that the company has the interests of the international community at heart bearing in mind that is where it draws its customer base from. The creativity and friendliness in which Emirates has handled its sponsored activities has really ripped off if the profits it continues to register is something to go by. Strategic position It is important to note that the strategic position of Dubai, home base of Emirates gives it an edge to do business. Strategic because one can conveniently fly to Dubai before connecting with ease to other cities like Manchester or Rome while avoiding an extra trip hence saving on costs. Apart from being a commercial hub, Dubai is a major tourism attraction a factor which makes the aviation industry to blossom. Those who fly with Emirates airlines attest that their ambitions are met a clear manifestation that that its objective of offering best services on every route it operates is fully achieved. Its value for clients has won accolades and trust from many quarters making it an airline you can bank on.

Filipino Psychology essays

Filipino Psychology essays We have discussed about making a research on the psychology of the Filipinos, and the field I chose is on Personality. Much has been written and many research studies conducted on Filipino personality. But previous literatures have discussed related themes on values, personality traits, behavior, and norms of conduct of the Filipino in the light used by Western methods, using Western language not indigenous to the Filipino culture. Nevertheless, there have been studies conducted that tried to use Filipino terminologies that have typefied cultural value traits as derived from Malay roots, and Chinese, Indian, Spanish, and American influences (Andres,1981). Recent studies by Landa Jocano show that underneath these cultural diversities of the Filipino, basic similarities still exist in institutional behavior and value orientation. The reason therefore in making this study is to understand the Filipino value system because to understand it is to appreciate Filipino behavior. This paper seeks to find out what is the attitude of the 4th year Psychology Students of Xavier University as a key to understanding Filipino behavior and personality. 1. To show the structure of Filipino standards of excellence (pamantayan) 2. To identify the concepts of desirable traits. 3. To enumerate the ideals people want to achieve. 4. To evaluate the attitude of 4th year Psychology students of Xavier University in the light of the standards as a value model. 1. Identify the target population in yr this case the 4th year psychology students of Xavier University. 2. See them personally before conducting the actual study to explain that they are one of the subjects under study. 3. Write a formal letter and make them commit to answer the questionnaire as honestly as possible. ...

The Best Way to Learn Italian

The Best Way to Learn Italian The Italian national soccer team, known as Gli Azzurri because of their blue jerseys, has ranked among the top teams in the world for years. Theyve won the World Cup many times, Italian-born players routinely sign multimillion-dollar contracts for European teams, and the Italian soccer leagues offer some of the most talented competition anywhere. The overriding reason for their success? Practice, practice, practice. And thats the secret to learning Italian or any other foreign language. Exercise your language muscles every day, and soon you, too, will be competing with the best of them. While many think that the quickest and most effective way to learn Italian is the total immersion method- traveling to Italy for an extended period and studying at any of the thousands of language schools throughout the country- there are other, more sustainable options to explore from home, too. Start Studying Youve already taken the most important step to learning Italian when you started searching online (and found this website)Â  because the most important thing is to start studying! And even though there are tons of resources available on the market, any method is appropriate as long as you maintain a consistent study schedule. Choose Your Learning Materials So once you choose a realistic amount of time that you can devote to your Italian studies each day, then reading an Italian textbook, taking a language course at a university or local language school, completing workbook exercises, listening to podcast or mp3s, or conversing with a native Italian speaker all count. Define Your Goals Many people mistake a desire to be conversational for a desire for fluency. The whole point of spending all of this time learning Italian is so you can have real conversations with real people, so keep that in mind as you choose your learning materials. Find things that are practical and that offer language you can use with actual people. Stick to Your Routine Spend some time every day reading, writing, speaking, and listening to Italian to become accustomed to the target language. Slowly but surely, your confidence will build with your language partners, your accent will become less pronounced, your vocabulary will expand, and youll be communicating in Italian. Maybe youll even start speaking Italian with your hands. In the end, visiting Italy to have a total immersion experience is wonderful, especially when doing things like a homestay where you literally eat, breathe, and (hopefully) dream in Italian. But, as you know, trips end, and humans easily forget what they’ve learned, so routine is key if you truly want to be conversational.

How to Add Privacy and Security to Your Coschedule Account + Content

How to Add Privacy and Security to Your Account + Content We’ve all heard stories about [insert any terrible instance of brand sabotage]. Stories of a little too much trustand not enough security. The stories of users deleting content or publishing a blog post too soon (by accidentor not) or someone with incorrect permissions seeing something they shouldn’t†¦ And the worst casesomeone leaving a company (usually not by choice)  and doing everything they can to take it down with them. Not cool. How To Add Privacy To Your Calendar and Secure Your [Awesome] ContentThe information age can be a scary place, one where your brand’s reputation is always on the line. Here at , we want to give you peace of mind and know that the security of your calendar is our absolute *TOP*  priority. Plus, we make it easy to manage your calendar’s users, roles, and permissions. With you can: Add multi-layered privacy to your calendar with custom user + role permissions. Know exactly what each team member has access to (at any given moment). Limit  the visibility of content on your calendar  by managing the access of multiple teams or users, so they can focus on the content that matters to them (nothing more, nothing less). Control your content  by granting users read only, drafting or full editing rights. Easily restrict publishing rights to specific users, so you can rest assured your content gets published (the right way) every time. Because our goal is to keep your calendar marketing efforts†¦ †¦AND your brand’s reputation as secure as possible. ðŸ‘Å' Add Multi-Layered Privacy To Your Calendar You’ve got quite a few people inside your calendar. †¦.with each person contributing in a different way. Which is great! But, since they aren’t all in the same  roles, each person on your team might need varying permissions when it comes to accessing your calendar. With , you can easily create + edit custom user permissions based on the level of access you want a specific person to have. For example, your intern probably needs WAY less access to all the content on your calendar than your marketing manager. Or if you work in an agency with multiple clients on the same calendar, you can easily set up both your clients and agency team members with custom user permissionswithout making it difficult for everyone to work inside your calendar. And creating a layer of privacy, especially when there may be confidential items that may be listed on your calendar, is a nice option to have. It’s real nice. Get Started Using Custom User Permissions For example’s sake, let’s pretend you’ve just hired a new employee. To invite a new user and customize their permissions, head into your Settings, and select â€Å"Team† from the left hand side bar.  Once you get to the Team Page, select â€Å"Invite New User.† Choose â€Å"Invite via Email† and add an email address. (skip the WordPress Author piece for now. If they end up being able to post blogs through your calendar, you can add a WordPress Author at a later time). Then, select the role (or level of access), you want to give each new team member. If you’re just starting with team permissions, the only option you’ll have is to assign the new person as a â€Å"User† or a â€Å"Guest.† Once you start creating custom roles, that’s where you can get really specific with access levels. For a breakdown of the difference between a â€Å"user† and a â€Å"guest†Ã‚  check out the comparison below: If you choose to give â€Å"user† access, your team member can also be given â€Å"admin†Ã‚  access by turning the button from â€Å"OFF† to â€Å"ON.† Users without admin access can only access Social Profiles in the calendars settings (no other settings options will be visible). So, they won’t even be able to see the Team Settings page that you’re in now unless they are given â€Å"admin† access. Once you have successfully added a new user, you will be directed back to the main Team page. Here you will notice that you can view all the varying levels of access each current team member has, and easily edit the permissions of a specific user if needed. For instance, if you have to let someone go from your team, you can use the team permissions page as a kill switch by quickly editing their permissions to â€Å"read-only† so you can protect your content and your calendar. *whew* With , you can even create custom role permissions  within your team settings. Basically, custom role permissions allow you to create a permissions template if you have (or are going to have) multiple people you consider to be in the same role. This saves you time from having to manually assign the same permissions in the future. ^^#timesaver So by creating custom roles, the next time you hire a project manager or social media intern, it’s quick and easy  to set them up with specific levels of access in your calendar. Besides being able to add internal users (and customize their permissions) to your calendar, you can also add an outside user as a â€Å"Guest† within your calendar (Team Pro or Multi Calendar plans only). Why is that awesome? If someone is added as a â€Å"Guest† the only thing they can view and edit is the project they have been assigned to by a user inside the calendar. For instance, if you are working with another company on a single campaign or blog post, you might not want them to see everything your team is working on. Easily set up custom user and role permissions within your calendar to give yourself peace of mind. Waithow does it do that?! Because now you will know if each person in your calendar has the correct amount of access they need to effectively work on their content saving you time AND your precious mental energy. No more worrying for you! And that’s pretty awesome. Limit The Visibility Of Content On Your Calendar You use your calendar for EVERYTHING. Every marketing campaign, every blog post, every social promotion, and every task. But sometimes†¦ there might be private or confidential information  that you still have to plan for†¦ or you want to limit who can see what because it’s not relevant  to them†¦ And that’s when the idea of sharing everything on your calendar with everyone†¦ suddenly becomes a little less than ideal. But luckily, with you can easily  limit the visibility of content on your calendar. For instance, if you work at a company with multiple teams, you may want each team to see only their specific content (to eliminate clutter on their calendars, or, I don’t know, to actually keep a top secret project, a secret). And if you’re an agency with multiple clients on your calendar, you can use this feature to easily adjust each client’s visibility settings so they can only see the content they should seeand nothing more. For example, if your client is â€Å"Pho Shizzle†Ã‚  you are able to create a new role within your team permissions and actually call it â€Å"Pho Shizzle† Once you’ve given the role a name, simply select the permission settings that will work best for you: Content: Decide what they can see (content they own or are following versus  all content on the calendar), if they can create content, edit it, delete content, or if they can publish the content. Social Messages:  Decide which profiles they are allowed to see or post from. Events + Notes:  Decide if they are allowed to create, edit, or delete events or notes. ReQueue Groups:  Decide if they will be able to add, modify or delete ReQueue Groups AND ReQueue Messages. Team Filtering:  Decide if they can interact with other team members (and who). Admin Settings:  Decide if they are a social, team, or full admin of the calendar. And while using a single calendar and creating custom roles is pretty darn effective, if you are an agency with a lot of clients, we recommend a Multi-Calendar plan as your simplest + easiest solution for keeping client work separate from  other  client work. The the biggest perk of being able to create custom roles? As the admin, you can still see EVERYTHING that is going on within your calendarwhile everyone else can only see the specific content that matters to them. Sometimes there are things you don’t want everyone to see. Like a top secret feature launchor another client’s marketing campaign†¦ or that super-hilarious blog post called the â€Å"Top 10 Reasons to Open a Hot Dog Stand† you’ve been planning†¦(no judgement here). Whatever your reason, easily limit the visibility of content on your calendar with . ðŸ™Å' Control Your Content Remember when it was just you managing your calendar? Every editpublishing date†¦social messageit was up to you to make the final call. Times may have changed (or maybe never existed if you’ve always worked in a large team), but that doesn’t mean you need to give up complete control of your content. With , you can grant users read-only, drafting or full editing rights  when it comes to your content. For instance, if you work in an agency and have a client who has access to your calendar, you can easily control the amount of access based on what works best for your partnership. Or, if you work in a large company and your boss (or bosses) only needs to be able to view documents (but will never make any edits directly in the calendar), it’s simple to give them â€Å"read-only† access. You can even restrict publishing rights  to specific users (or single user) so you can rest assured your content gets published the right way,  every time, by someone you trust. Simply find the user you want to adjust within your â€Å"Team† page, and decide the level of publishing access you want to give them throughout your [entire] calendar. Why are restricted publishing rights useful? Let’s say you have an intern and want them to have the ability to draft content, but unable to publish to your blog or social accounts. (Recommended!) Or you want to limit the users who can publish (for accountability’s sake), because you’ve established a good amount of trust in them and don’t want so many hands in the mix. And let’s be realyou’re also trying to avoid some pretty terrible marketing mishaps: *like when Rhode Island accidentally posted a promo video about their state with footage from Iceland on their Twitter account* (someone could have checked, right) OR *when someone accidentally posted on the US Justice Department’s Twitter account instead of their own*  (signing in and out of accounts could be avoided if you scheduled your social through just saying) Tisk, tisk. Plus, as an extra level of control, you can easily check and see who posted any  of your content using our handy Security Access Logs (located within your Team Settings). We know that the security of your calendar is SUPER important†¦ and we also know how much of a task it can be just managing all the settings on your calendar. Which is why we make it EASY to manage your permissions. Set it and forget it OR easily update a user at a moment’s notice. Just call yourself Security Captain†¦ because with , your marketing calendar (and your brand’s reputation) has never been safer.

Should liability for payment of damages caused by nuclear accidents Essay

Should liability for payment of damages caused by nuclear accidents lie primarily on the nuclear operator, a compensation Fund o - Essay Example The Paris and Vienna Conventions places absolute liability on nuclear operators and the subsequent Compensation Convention places responsibility on nuclear states to provide supplementary funds for victims who have claims against nuclear operators under the Paris or Vienna Conventions or similarly structured national laws. Given the limited means of insurance for nuclear operators, and states’ general obligations under customary international law to contain environmental damages, together with obligations under the Compensation Convention, states bear primary responsibility for compensating victims of nuclear damages. This research study investigates whether or not the law as established under the international regime is as it should be. Should the nuclear state, the state’s compensation fund or nuclear operators be primarily responsible for compensating victims of nuclear incidents? Or should the status quo remain in which states via international obligations and the a uspices of compensation funds be primarily responsible for compensating victims of nuclear incidents or accidents? This research paper argues that both the nuclear operator and the state should equally share responsibility for compensating victims of nuclear incidents or accidents. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Introduction 4 Background and Overview: Nuclear Accidents and Liability Under International Law 6 The Nuclear Operator 9 The Nuclear State 14 Compensation Funds 16 Analysis 18 Conclusion 21 Bibliography 22 Introduction The international legal framework for establishing and recovering damages resulting from nuclear accidents is governed by three international instruments. The instruments are: the Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy 1968 [hereinafter the Paris Convention], the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage, 1977 [Hereinafter the Vienna Convention] and the Joint Protocol Relating to the Application of the Vienna Convention and the Paris Convention, 1988 [Hereinafter the Joint Protocol]. The Vienna Convention is vastly similar to the Paris Convention and this is reflected in the Joint Protocol. Essentially, the international legal framework forms the basis of member state’s national laws with respect to liability relative to nuclear accidents.1 Essentially, the international instruments on liability for nuclear accidents assigns liability to the operator of nuclear facilities, with specific exceptions. This is problematic for uniformity in assigning liability since the international instruments are only binding on member states. As will be demonstrated in this research, even where non-contracting states adopt national laws and policies that are consistent with the Paris and Vienna Conventions, the Conventions only set minimum standards for assessing and measuring liability. As a result, there is no universal law assuring victims of the same level of compensation. While a large number of states a re parties to the international instruments, Ireland, Austria and Switzerland, which form a part of the EU are not parties to these instruments. Austria, perceives that the international Conventions and the subsequent Joint Protocol function to limit liability for victims of nuclear accidents and to preserve the nuclear power plants. As a result, Austria’

Hazard and Vulnerability Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hazard and Vulnerability Analysis - Essay Example Hazard vulnerability analysis is defines as the identification of potential disasters or emergency situations and the effects, both direct and indirect, that these situations may have on operations (Cutter 9). The main purpose of hazard and vulnerability analysis is to help the affected community to make the right choices that will help them address the vulnerabilities that they face. The analysis also helps in mitigating hazards and in the preparation for response and recovery efforts. Every emergency program should have a mechanism for hazard and vulnerability analysis (Wisner, Blaike and Cannon 17). In order to make accurate predictions for future events, it is important that the analysts collect the relevant information from different sources. This information should be relevant to the current situation and it should help in the creation of mitigating measures. The kind of data that should be collected during analysis includes everything about the nature and the causes of previous events. The frequency and/or intensity of previous disasters, as well as their magnitude should be included in the analysis. Information about the effects that the disaster may have had in a given area is also important for the purpose of analysis of the current situation (Turner and Kasperson 37). When the data has been collected, it is easy for the analyst’s to map the location of the potential and past hazards. This way, it easy to get information through the use of satellite images, aerial photography and remote sensing technology (Cutter 52). Predictive information can be derived from hydrology, seismology, meteorology and volcanology data. This kind of information can be found in most government agencies and some private institutions (Wisner, Blaike and Cannon, 47). Other data can be found in core databases to help in decision making (Turner and Kasperson 42). The business sector is most likely to be affected by earthquakes. This is because

Informational Interview Assignement Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Informational Interview Assignement - Assignment Example I went ahead and gave him a called and asked him for a one on one interview where he delightedly invited me to his home office for the interview. During the interview, I learnt many things regarding how a studio runs, its clients, its services and even the challenges the studios face. He also enlightened me on how to deal with challenges the studio faces. With such important and useful knowledge, I can easily solve problems in a studio and even come up with very important projects, which can improve service delivery and the image of a studio. This experience also gave me a chance to know how to go about with my area of specialization which is 3d modeling and to make it a huge success. I also got to learn the importance of teamwork in this field of work and the importance of working with other people as you get to share ideas and solve problems easily and efficiently. Summary of the interview Upon graduation, he became an Art Director for a political consulting company, designing grap hical looks for various senatorial, gubernatorial, and presidential campaigns. This is the first job which he landed on after completing his university education. In the university he trained as a photographer at Arizona State University and in fact, he wheeled free office space out school administrators and at a point used his student union digs to design a design firm before his graduation in1975. This is one of his great achievement while was still in the university. This required a lot of determination and sacrifice in order to accomplish it. His determination, hard work, and passion for design are the ones that really his dreams come true. Without these qualities Mr.Jon Ridgway could not be where he is today. The idea of applying print graphic design to broadcast environment, from promotional spots to the studio’s surroundings also helped him a lot. At that time, he was a graphic designer at a television station where he worked with journalists and other people in the st udio. It is at this time that he contributed to the launch of the successful show, Entertainment Tonight. This show became a huge success and it attracted many viewers in the nation. When it comes to skills, Mr.Ridgway has good communication skills, which has really helped him in relating with his colleagues, clients of Novocom and the general public. He also has extensive creative talent in photography and high interest in graphic design. He is also very skillful in doing graphic design work which is his area of specialization and interest. He keeps his skills current by engaging himself not only in office work but also in fieldwork to explore and use his skills. He also works with his juniors in many projects and he gives them his ideas. This makes his skills updated and he also gains from them in one way or another and his skills are in use. By doing this he also passes his skills to his juniors whom he works with and this enables them to learn from him and also emulate him. He a lso argues that creativity, self-reliance, and consistency are the most crucial values in this line of work. Without this values then it is very difficult for one to become successful in this field of work. When it comes to attitude, then one should have positive mind and believe in what he or she is working on. What he likes most is his work, his family and he dislikes the things that

Classification of Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Classification of Behavior - Essay Example In general the content of nightmares revolves around imminent harm being caused to the individual (e.g., being chased, threatened, injured, etc.) Repetitive dreams indicate that you are continuing to miss the point about the meaning of the dream. Psychological treatment involves changing thoughts and behaviors. In recent years, Barry Krakow and his colleagues (2001) at the University of New Mexico have conducted numerous studies regarding a promising psychological treatment for nightmares. Another group of researchers (Forbes, Phelps, & McHugh, 2001) applied the treatment to Vietnam combat veterans and found similarly promising results in a small pilot study. It is classified as a cognitive-behavioral treatment. It does not involve the use of medications. In brief, the treatment involves helping the clients change the endings of their nightmares, while they are awake, so that the ending is no longer upsetting. The client is then instructed to rehearse the new, non-threatening images associated with the changed dream. There are different ways of dealing with nightmares when they are occurring. If the person can calm themselves down enough, they can become conscious of the fact that they are dreaming, which is an important aspect. As per systems approach groups and individuals, are considered as systems in home

Determinants of financial conservatism in the United Kingdom and Dissertation

Determinants of financial conservatism in the United Kingdom and France - Dissertation Example In the first section, which serves as a background and motivation for this investigation; the empirical studies into financial conservatism and debate on its existing measures in a summarized form has been laid out. In this chapter, a detailed literature review is presented, which elaborates on the various schools of thought regarding conservatism. The next section describes about financial distress. The co-relation between financial distress and financial conservatism is discussed. The analysis has been carried out on financial models of Ericson (as an example from the literature), Alcatel-Lucent and England and Wales Cricket Board (their financial report) as case studies and the results have been discussed to establish that the financial conservatism has its standing and strengths in corporate governance to the modern corporate world. In addition, a comparison of the term Financial Distress with the Accounting Conservatism from the literature concludes that financially conservative firms do not depend on financial distress. To carry out this comparison, a sample of small firms that defaulted on their bank debt in UK and France is taken and analyzed. The last part is devoted to the conclusion of our analysis efforts. From this study, we conclude that financial conservatism is very independent of financial distress and provides more flexibility to the firms. We find that there are several reasons to use accounting conservatism in corporate governance and that current empirical evidence indicates that conservatism has increased in the last decades. Key terms; International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), Financial Conservatism, Cash conservatism, Leverage Conservatism, Regression Analysis, Statistical Mean, Empirical Measure/Model, Data, Cash Flow, Financial Distress, Bankruptcy and Proxies CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION OF CONSERVATISM 1.1 Introduction Conservatism is the most influential principle of valuation in accounting (Watts, 2003).It is defined as the di fferential verifiability required for recognition of profits versus losses. Firms employ this approach to restrict the risk factor by anticipating/ portraying lower profits along with higher losses. According to the principle of conservatism in accounting in case of doubt, the accounting alternative that is least likely to overstate assets and income should be chosen. (Schroeder et al., 2001, p.78). The conservative accounting method influences both on earnings and on net asset value. The effect on earnings will depend on whether the investments are growing, stable or decreasing. Conservative accounting always results in a lower net asset value of the company. Thus, conservatism of the firm can be evaluated based on either its leverage conservatism (low leverage firms) or cash conservatism (cash rich firms) or both. (Iona et al., 2004). It is employed to avoid any misunderstanding regarding the company’s financial standing with the internal as well as external shareholders. T hese stakeholders can be the business shareholders, debt holders and the management. 1.2 General Approaches to Financial Conservatism 1.2.1 Revenue Recognition Firms commonly impose a strict revenue recognition policy as part of their conservative policies. This ensures that the company does not over state its revenue, hence reducing the chance of inflated gross profits appearing in its financial statements. For this purpose, the revenue is recognized only when the products are sold/services completed; all transactions are realizable. 1.2.2 Overestimation of Allowance for Bad Debts This policy is placed to cater for a worst-case scenario

International Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

International Finance - Essay Example The map displayed above marks those areas of the globe in ‘gold’ that still practice the use of pesos today. The Peso had been the official currency of the Republic of Columbia since 1837, when it replaced the ‘real’ at the rate of 1 peso = 8 reales. However, just a decade later, the Colombian peso was decimalized so that 1 peso could now be exchanged for 10 reales. According to the standards set by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) for defining the names of currencies, it is abbreviated as COP. Although officially it is denominated in $, the standard abbreviation of the currency among the nationals is Col $. The Republic of Colombia, with a total area of 1,138,910 square kilometers, is the fifth largest of all the Latin American nations and is about one-ninth the size of USA. As is evident from the displayed map, the country is largely surrounded by Venezuela and Brazil in the east, Ecuador and Peru in the south, Panama and the Caribbean Sea in the north and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Being a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the country is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. A densely populated nation, with a population of nearly 45 million – the 29th largest in the world, the country also has a long history of being one of the most lagging nations in the world in terms of poverty. Colombia is basically an agro-based economy with an abundance of the fertile volcanic soil, tropical forests occupying almost half of the land area in the country and supply of cheap labor. Moreover, the tropical climate in the region is also appropriate for agricultural production. The p rofusion of inexpensive labor and huge agricultural production has flourished agro-based industries in the nation. These industries are largely concentrated around the processing of agricultural, mineral, and forest products and supplying domestic consumer demand for goods like machinery, vehicles, tools, building

Determinants of financial conservatism in the United Kingdom and Dissertation

Determinants of financial conservatism in the United Kingdom and France - Dissertation Example In the first section, which serves as a background and motivation for this investigation; the empirical studies into financial conservatism and debate on its existing measures in a summarized form has been laid out. In this chapter, a detailed literature review is presented, which elaborates on the various schools of thought regarding conservatism. The next section describes about financial distress. The co-relation between financial distress and financial conservatism is discussed. The analysis has been carried out on financial models of Ericson (as an example from the literature), Alcatel-Lucent and England and Wales Cricket Board (their financial report) as case studies and the results have been discussed to establish that the financial conservatism has its standing and strengths in corporate governance to the modern corporate world. In addition, a comparison of the term Financial Distress with the Accounting Conservatism from the literature concludes that financially conservative firms do not depend on financial distress. To carry out this comparison, a sample of small firms that defaulted on their bank debt in UK and France is taken and analyzed. The last part is devoted to the conclusion of our analysis efforts. From this study, we conclude that financial conservatism is very independent of financial distress and provides more flexibility to the firms. We find that there are several reasons to use accounting conservatism in corporate governance and that current empirical evidence indicates that conservatism has increased in the last decades. Key terms; International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), Financial Conservatism, Cash conservatism, Leverage Conservatism, Regression Analysis, Statistical Mean, Empirical Measure/Model, Data, Cash Flow, Financial Distress, Bankruptcy and Proxies CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION OF CONSERVATISM 1.1 Introduction Conservatism is the most influential principle of valuation in accounting (Watts, 2003).It is defined as the di fferential verifiability required for recognition of profits versus losses. Firms employ this approach to restrict the risk factor by anticipating/ portraying lower profits along with higher losses. According to the principle of conservatism in accounting in case of doubt, the accounting alternative that is least likely to overstate assets and income should be chosen. (Schroeder et al., 2001, p.78). The conservative accounting method influences both on earnings and on net asset value. The effect on earnings will depend on whether the investments are growing, stable or decreasing. Conservative accounting always results in a lower net asset value of the company. Thus, conservatism of the firm can be evaluated based on either its leverage conservatism (low leverage firms) or cash conservatism (cash rich firms) or both. (Iona et al., 2004). It is employed to avoid any misunderstanding regarding the company’s financial standing with the internal as well as external shareholders. T hese stakeholders can be the business shareholders, debt holders and the management. 1.2 General Approaches to Financial Conservatism 1.2.1 Revenue Recognition Firms commonly impose a strict revenue recognition policy as part of their conservative policies. This ensures that the company does not over state its revenue, hence reducing the chance of inflated gross profits appearing in its financial statements. For this purpose, the revenue is recognized only when the products are sold/services completed; all transactions are realizable. 1.2.2 Overestimation of Allowance for Bad Debts This policy is placed to cater for a worst-case scenario

NORMALIZATION AND SQL DDL STATEMENTS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

NORMALIZATION AND SQL DDL STATEMENTS - Essay Example Atomicity ensures that no incomplete transactions are ever executed by the system which ensures the state of data always remains stable despite any hardware/software failures. Consistency ensures that only those transactions will execute that do not violate any of the database consistency rules which ensures data remains valid. Isolation ensures uninterrupted single transaction processing e.g. the concurrent transaction requests are handled serially i.e. one transaction at a time. Durability ensures that transactions are logged and therefore transactions can be rolled back at any time. Database normalization is a set of guidelines that helps in organizing data efficiently which improves the overall performance of a DBMS. It helps remove data redundancy (does not allow duplicate data storage in multiple tables) which in turn reduces the space consumed by database. Furthermore, it improves data consistency by allowing only sensible and logical data dependencies between tables (e.g. a table stores only data that is related). There are five normal forms of database; 1NF, 2NF, 3NF, BCNF and 4NF. Mostly, normalization till the third form is enough for most database system applications. 1NF helps eliminate duplicate column from a table and identifies unique column(s) i.e. through primary key. 2NF separates data subsets into separate tables forming foreign keys. And 3NF ensures all columns in a table are dependent only on the primary key. The exercise helped in understanding the concept of ACID model and offered a hands-on approach to designing and optimizing a database design. It helped in practicing the application of the most widely used normalization guidelines on a previously formed database model. Furthermore, it also helped practice the DDL statements involved in the actual creation of a database application in

Modern Art Essay Example for Free

Modern Art Essay Abstract Expressionism was an American post-war 2 art movement that developed mainly in New York. The most renowned artists were located in New York and though the movement was broad and the many works of art very different, certain characteristics are observable in the development of the movement. These similarities lie in the artists’ ideas and concerns that were generally related to the human psyche and the troubling current events that shaped it. The timing of the movement is hence very significant because both the World War and the Great Depression were events that shaped the perspective of the New York abstract artists of that time. The movement managed to transform New York City into the center of the western art world; an honor that was before bestowed on the French capital. Abstract expressionism is therefore a significantly important art movement that helped shape and direct western civilization into a different course of thought and perspective. Despite the generality and diversity that characterized it certain ideas and sources influenced its structure and development and impacted the artists that are now linked with it. The term Abstract Expressionism was first used by Alfred Barr in the United States to refer to the works of Wassily Kandinsky. Alfred Barr is now known to be the founding director of the Museum of Contemporary Art and he drafted a chart about the movement of abstract expressionism that very well illustrates its development, key figures and main ideas. It is therefore referred to by some critics as a scientific diagram. Abstract Expressionism has thus its roots in the 1930s. The main events of that time were the end of the world war and the Great Depression. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was also very dominant as a theme in the art works that were thus inspired by the turbulent and problematic political and social events of that time. The images of the Holocaust became also apparent within the emerging modern art works. These artists were, despite the many different styles that they adopted, were all interested in the state of the human psyche. They were generally concerned with the rationality and vulnerability of the human being and it is for this reason that they sought to focus on big themes as the ones that have been mentioned so far. Many of these artists had escaped World War 2 and their experience with the event first hand inspired them to seek understanding the deeper level of the human psyche which is exactly why they were so interested in the unconscious side of the human perspective. This includes things that people are not aware of, dreams and oppressed desires. These were, among others, the main ideas that continued to inspire the emerging modern artists. Morally heavy themes and tragically grand ideas were therefore significantly present as themes within abstract expressionism. The artists were also concerned with other ideas and theories. William DeKooning for instance managed to present the theme of the woman in a very interesting and thought-provocative manner. He is one of the strongest voices of abstract expressionism and deserves special notice in this discussion of the art movement that he helped develop with his works and ideas. He came to New York to escape the war and soon evolved to become one of the most influential abstract artists of that time and his name is still associated with great art works. His works were very cubic and this is mainly illustrated through the usage of the concept of the collage. DeKooning presented the subject of the female in a very interesting and unusual manner. It was innovative and new and broke away from the established art conventions that were previously adhered to by other artists. This is also an aspect of abstract expressionism. It seeks to break away from the familiar and the formal to the unknown and the challenging. The two paintings entitled Woman, 1 and Woman and Bicycle illustrate this further. Woman, 1 was made in 1950-1952 while Woman and Bicycle was finished in the period of 1952-1953. Both works present the woman in an unfavorable way that depicts her fierceness, mystery as well as her ambiguity. DeKooning was indeed very concerned with the subject of feminism and its power as the two paintings demonstrate. His questions regarding the female power and the themes of attraction and revulsion between the sexes are quite clearly noticeable in the two images. His style is especially interesting to focus on because it was a very gestural and bold style that sums up one of the approaches to abstract expressionism. The gestural approach is the first approach to abstract expressionism. The DeKooning painting entitled Asheville from 1948 is the best example to give to illustrate this approach further. The themes of immediacy and spontaneity through the colors are very visible to the eye of the viewer which is an important aspect of the approach. There is also ambiguity because the figures and colors blend in a manner that makes it hard to establish whether or not they are representational of anything. The gestural approach was also very interested in the human psyche and showed strong influence by the surrealist movement. Improvisation and a focus on inner source development are also one of the main features that distinguish it from the second approach to abstract expressionism which is the color field. Mark Rothko is one of the main figures of the color field approach. Though the artists within this field have different styles of representation they all share certain characteristics. They are also like those from the gestural approach, interested in the human psyche and influenced by surrealism. But while the gestural artists like DeKooning put an emphasis on the dynamic and energetic gesture hose from the color field are more reflective. These artists were interested in primitive myths and primitive cultures and the psychological ideas of Carl Jung heavily influenced their artistic representation of the human soul and human psyche. Jung emphasized the exploration of the world of dreams and myths and these are recurrent themes in the color field approach within abstract expressionism. William Baziotes also used objects to tap into the unconscious and explore the realm of dreams. This metaphysical searching for how the world functions and this attempt by the abstract artists to understand the functioning of the human mind and make sense of the physical reality is another idea that constantly occurs in the various art works. Abstract expressionism can thus be summed up as a school of art that emerged in New York in the post World War 2 era especially and is characterized by the view that art is nonrepresentational and mainly improvisational. This is very obvious in the painting of Asheville that has already been referred to before. The movement is sometimes simply referred to as the New York School or Action Painting and was first associated with the works Kandinsky. To sum up, the ideas that mainly influenced the artists of this movement is resistance of formality and established art conventions both in relevance to style as well as subject and content. This resistance of the cohesive style is especially significant in DeKoonings violent and un-representational depiction of the figure or object. The level of abstraction also differs from artist to another. The more abstract the more the artist tied to convey his emotional perspective. This was their way o expressing their thoughts to the events and social concerns dominant at that time. The differences between the artistic works are, as has been noted, various. What they all seem to share however is a common moral awareness and alienation from the current society they lived in: the United States. Despite this fact abstract expressionism is referred to as an American style because it grew in the U. S and became the first art movement that brought attention to the American visual art. Sources Used: Lecture Abstract Expressionism Chapter 17 Lecture Abstract Expressionism Chapter 17 Part 1 2. What is the relationship between Conceptual Art and Minimalism? Conceptual art is a form of art that focuses more on the idea than on the aesthetic aspect of art. One of the major figures of the movement, Sol LeWitt, described it in the following words: In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art This means that any person can construct the works of art that the conceptual artists made if he just follows the basic instructions and methodology used by the artist himself. Nothing illustrates this more than a look at the works of Joseph Kosuth especially his works entitled Art as Idea as Idea. He simply took pictures of pages from the dictionary and presented them as artistic works which they will be understood as such if the whole concept behind this movement is better understood. Conceptual art has also close ties with the minimalist movement. LeWitts quotation is used in this discussion to highlight the key differences between traditional art and conceptual art. The latter is more idea- based with a complete defiance to the aesthetic laws. It asserts complete neglection of this aspect and this is without doubt its main characteristic. A conceptual artist focuses more on the intellectual side of the work than on the presentation of it. The roots of this movement are to be found in Dada and the idea behind this movement is certainly provocative. It however left a significant influence on the development of other artistic movements like performance and digital art. To sum up, conceptual art is more concerned with the idea behind the work than the product or shape it takes which is probably why not many people will appreciate it. It takes at the least a certain acquaintance with the movement to grasp the works and therefore appreciate them more. The minimalists also asserted the aspect of concept over form in their works. This was done through the use of certain techniques that took the attention away from the object presentation to the message behind the object formation. The minimalists however differed from the conceptualists because they did not carry this complete defiance of presentation that far. Conceptualists were aware of this and made certain to completely avoid incorporating any personal attachment to the subject within their works. The emphasis was on the subject and not on their opinion of it. This is why aesthetics were avoided. They simply distracted the viewer from the message behind the work of art. Minimal art emerged in the 1950s and continued throughout the sixties and seventies. Minimal art is the same as conceptual art in that it is also very simple and removes signs of personal expression. Its presentation of the content and form is basic and as has been said can be done by any other person if the instructions of composition are available. This might make conceptual and minimalist art look uncomplicated and unsophisticated but it should be kept into consideration that the subject and concept of the work is of primary importance. The artist achieved artistic recognition not through the complexity of the work he presented but through the idea he managed to attract attention to in the most simple and basic manner possible. Conceptual work typically includes photographs, image text or just text. Whatever is portrayed is presented in the least aesthetically attractive manner possible to not distract the attention away from the main concept. This is very obvious in the work of Kosuth especially in his well known example called One and Three Chairs (1965) which combines a real chair, a photograph of a chair and a dictionary of chair. The movements focus on ideas influenced many artists and writers but was at the core influenced by overseas literature, especially writings from prominent French intellectuals like Foucault or Jacques Derrida. Minimal art like conceptual art managed to leave an immense impact and influenced many writers and artists. Both movements are also similar in how they both put emphasis on the impersonal and lack of personal expression. Minimal art is a very successful art movement and used certain ideas to enhance its main characteristics. The idea of the serial or multiplicity of objects that is observable in both Sol LeWitts works as a conceptualist as well as in the minimalist works of Eva Hasse. The notion of the serial connotes lack of uniqueness which is thus observable in all the conceptualist and minimalist works. This complete rejection of individuality and personal incorporation of sentiment or any kind of attachment within these movements are what make it appear to some people as cold and detached whereas it is very much concerned with the issues and subjects that shape the daily life of the average human being. Multiplicity and repetition is a key element in conceptualism and minimalism. The work of Sol LeWitt especially his project No. 1 from 1966 is based on putting several objects that look alike together. This connotes the idea that it could have been done by anyone since t is simply a combination of similar looking simple objects. The conceptual detachment from aesthetics is further carried away by some artists. Lawrence Weiner for instance took a picture of a floor sprayed and called it Two Minutes of Spray Paint directly upon the Floor. This is amusing in a way but on the other hand quite creative and is used as an example in this discussion to further illustrate the concept of neglection of aesthetics. Eva Hasse is a minimalist artist who was good friends with LeWitt. She also focused on repeated forms and multiplicity but in contrast to the other minimalists used material as plastic that made her work change over time. Whether conceptual or minimal both movements share thus certain characteristics that bring them close. The only difference is that conceptualists took it further by completely neglecting the form and focusing fully on the message and concept of the work which made their work appear trivial at times as the example of Lawrence Weiners spray picture and Kosuths Idea as Idea as Idea illustrate. Kosuth and others like him were thus interested in how meaning was generated and this is why he wanted to question the whole idea of art and criticize its foundation. He and Weiner and Hasse and LeWitt attempted to deconstruct the generally accepted approach towards art and focus rather on the message and concept. This deconstruction of view is part of a larger structure of which language is a major component. This is where minimalism and conceptualism derived their main ideas from. They were simply inspired by the literary writings of French intellectuals like Foucault and Derrida. Derrida especially helped shape the course of both movements with his deconstruction idea that inspired people to apply to other domains like painting and photography. In the post-modernist discourse this simply means that the deconstruction concept is interpreted as the lack of presence of any narration or judgmental voice, not just in literature but in all the domains of art. The artists who were influenced by deconstruction soon claimed that art was not to be judged according to one standard which put them thus in opposition to Plats attempts to define art as either good or bad. Deconstructionists defied this notion by saying that there is no single interpretation of art which means that the whole idea o art is questionable. This is thus what inspired conceptualists and minimalists towards the lack of incorporation of aesthetic representation within their works. To sum up, Derridas idea played a major importance in the discourse of modern art especially in the minimalist and conceptualist movements. The fact that both came to the conclusion that there is no single interpretation of art made them decide that there is no standard according to which to define art as either good or bad. The fluidity of meaning and lack of absolute opinion makes interpretation a very liberated process and hence allows for the development of the question that is centered around finding out what art exactly constitutes. This is why the artists adopted conceptualism and minimalism. They were simply trying to come up with many meanings regarding the interpretation of objects and that could only be achieved if the process f interpreting it was a liberated one not based on any generally recognized fact or established convention. The individual is the only decider in the process and the ambiguity that surrounds everything requires therefore the complete focus on the message rather than the development of distractive elements as form or aesthetics. From the Lecture: Chapter 22 The Post Minimal Post Modern 70’s, Part 1 3. Choose five important sculptors post WWII to present and write an essay that looks at one piece by each of them. The development of art after World war two went through fast stages of evolvement that therefore distinguish it from eras as the Renaissance which took about two hundred years. With post-modernism changes happened fast and this is partially the result of the many diverse approaches adopted thanks to the broadness of interpretation that has characterized modern art since its rise. It is also the result of the many voices that sprang up and soon became leading figures in the development of post-modernism art with their different and innovative perspectives. Post-modernism is therefore characterized by growth both in the number of artists as well as in the concepts and ideas that it encompassed. This is not just limited to painting but includes also sculptors as will be demonstrated through the various artists and their works. John Ahearne is a sculptor who developed a consistent style throughout his career. This is illustrated in his paintings Jay with Bike in 1985 and The Twins in 2004. Both show a similar style focused on depicting the African-American part of society which was a controversial element of his works regarding the fact that he is Caucasian. His works are very detailed and attempt to illustrate the elements that make up his Bronx neighborhood. This idea is an example of innovation in post-modernism. Jeff Koons is another prominent sculptor who resorted to figurative expression. This was inspired by the impacts media had on the society of that time. Media was very ironic and overwhelmingly popular oriented and Jeff Koons is known to take the elements of popular culture and presents them in a cynical and comical manner which has made some people react negatively o his works. He has been accused of lack of taste and his work entitled Michael Jackson and Bubbles might explain this more. It is a ceramic work from 1988 that depicts the artist with a monkey in a manner that makes him look like the animal especially since their clothing is similar. Despite the subjects he picked Jeff considered himself an artist who created very ordinary work. Whatever his classification it remains undeniable that he managed to address ideas and concepts of concern among the masses and despite the lack of appreciation of his style he still managed to appeal to the publics main popular features. Katharina Fritsch is a German sculptor known for sculptures that present familiar objects with a manner of unfamiliar sensibility . Fritsch is still alive which makes her very contemporary. She began to show her work in the 1980s. She is also known for liking to experiment with the notion of perception which is thus why she likes to transform familiar objects into less familiar but still recognizable forms. For instance, the PUDEL (1995) shows a poodle that is black. Fritsch is thus concerned with the presentation of art in an unfamiliar manner because of her interest in the notion of reality. This shows a certain influence of Derridas deconstruction theory. The notion of perception is just individual based and not universal and this is exactly the reason behind her exploration with reality representation and perception. Louise Bourgeois is another post-modernist sculptor. She is known for a fascination with ambiguity and this is illustrated through her use of different materials. She is also very surrealist despite her contemporary status. Her work Untitled, 1989, pink marble is an example of this. Her work can be associated with surrealism and feminism and she is known for being mainly influenced with these movements. Martin Puryear is an American sculptor who incorporates his fascination with natural forms with his highly intellectual background to present art that is hard to pin down as a presentation of one movement or one ideology. He is a very well known artist who has received recognition for his work among critics and modern art lovers. Lever#1 1988-89. Red Cedar shows his great interest in natural forms. This is because he opted for the use of wood and natural elements. The work also demonstrates his fascination with furniture. He went for instance all the way to Scandinavia to learn more about furniture and incorporate the international ideas and different cultural elements in his work. From the Lecture: Chapter 23, A New Century, Part 2 4. Discuss site specific art. Site specific art is art that is created for a certain place. The artist is during the creation of his artwork concerned with the location. Ann Hamilton is a good example to give in the context of site specific work an installation. In her artwork Tropos made in 1993-1994 Hamilton altered a whole factory floor of 5000 square feet with horse hair. The hair was of different colors and created this image of an altered reality because of the change o the site of the artwork. This is the main element of the movement. The specific focus on location above all is thus very important to bring the artwork to the attention. Ann Hamilton utilizes the site by focusing on light and sound to create an installation effect where site is an essential aspect of the finished artwork. She often used other elements like historical or literary allusions which added certain sophistication to her work. She is a main figure of the site specific art movement. Site specific art is thus created to exist in a certain place. The works of Hamilton give us an insight into the choreography and final presentation of the whole artwork. The artwork cannot be started before the whole elements regarding the site are well studied. In Hamiltons Tropos the lightning and sound elements are well coordinated to bring the different shades of the hair out. This could not have been achieved without the meticulous study of the sites characteristics and topographies whether architectural or environmental. From the Lecture: New Century Chapter 24 Part 1 A 5. Discuss identity issues in art c. 1980 to present. Art is a platform for the discussion of many themes and issues. Art is basically a representation of the human thought and especially the human thought process of the artist in charge of the artwork presented. This is very simple to understand. The artist like the writer is at the core concerned with expressing his views and experiences through the mode of art he considers most suitable whether that is abstract art or minimalism. There are for instance many artists within the field of post-modern art that are concerned with the themes of identity and seek to convey their thoughts through their work. This can be traced to the influence of today’s global and problematic events that have influenced the political and national geographical map around the world and raised therefore many questions regarding the issue of identity. Ana Mendieta is modernist Cuban-American artist who is very well known for her earth-body sculptural and photographic works that dealt with the themes of her identity. Her personal background influenced the themes of her art works. She was born in Cuba but was moved to the United States at a very young age and developed a strong interest in her culture. Her traumatic experience as a child in the orphanage she grew up after the political exile of her family from Cuba made her just more aware of her background which is strongly reflected in her work. Mona Hatoum is another contemporary Palestinian artist living in London. She was born in Beirut and the themes of identity are significantly present in her art regarding the experience she lived as a person born in a foreign country and grown up in another. She and Mendieta have this historical background in common. Other characteristics common between them is the presence of the body in their artworks. Hatoums Entrails Carpet from 1995 illustrates the themes of conflict in perception of identity. The artists herself mentioned that the idea originates from a notion of not belonging. Though she lived in Beirut and after that in London she did not feel as if she was in a place she belonged to. Her life like the carpet might seem elegant and peaceful at first glance but just like the rug turns out to be little pieces of entrails, parts of the human body, put together. From the Lecture: New Century Chapter 24 Part 1 A 6. Discuss painting post 2000. Contemporary paintings are very diverse in themes and forms regarding the wide subjects that have been introduced by the post-modernist artists. Ben Whitehouse is one of the artists from the contemporary post 2000 period and his painting entitled Revolution: North Bar Lake, 2006 presents his fascination with landscape and the environment. He has more paintings with the same title because the method of making these landscape paintings is largely similar. His representation of the land is through very meticulous oil paintings that all have a very calm effect on the viewer. The artworks are so landscape focused that it is easy to lose yourself into it. This is because of the complete focus on the landscape and the lack of incorporation of any civilization elements. Another artist concerned with the issues of environment and farming is Alexis Rockman. Whitehouse and Rockman therefore reflect the contemporary concern with the effects of pollution and global warming and subsequent environmental degradation. Her artwork The Farm (2000) illustrates how culture approaches the idea of farming and natural protection of the sources needed for human sustainment. The way the human interacts with plants and animals and the way culture influences the process is also a significant theme illustrated through the various elements of nature and the many animals within the painting. Whitehouse and Rockman are despite their different styles similar in their concern with contemporary events. Whitehouses previously discussed painting is so obviously landscape focused that it throws he viewer back into a historical time devoid of the industrial pollution that characterizes current human life. Rockmans painting provides historical and current insight into the advances within the bio-tech industry and in genetic engineering in relation with the history of agriculture which therefore makes both Whitehouse and Rockman similar in their strong interest with the effects of technological and industrial human life on the surrounding nature. From the Lecture: New Century Chapter 24 Part 1 A