Abstract This paper is a critical review of the article "Low Birthweight and Asthma Among Young Urban Children" by Lenna Nepomnyaschy and Nancy Reichman, published in The American Journal for Public Health. The author of this paper reviews the purpose of the study, its study design, and the sample selection. The paper analyzes the correlations there may be in a fairly complex series of confounding variables. The paper also reviews the practice implications of the study for nurses.
Outline:
Purpose and Objective of this Epidemiological Research
Study Design
Sampling
Confounding Variable
Results
Practice Implications for Nursing
Bibliography
From the Paper "Confounding variables are those which may be correlated with the sample population, but bring little or no new information. An example might be socioeconomic level (i.e. how much income is earned in the household) with marital status, which is a confounding variable because it has been established that single mothers have lower incomes than married mothers. An additional confounding variable is vacancy rates in the neighborhood; if there are high vacancy rates, it is likely that there are more people with confounded low socioeconomic status as compared to the rest of the population."
Abstract Postmodern literature is one of the most confounding genres in existence today, a reflection of the confusion of the world in which it exists. Thomas Pynchon's novel "The Crying of Lot 49" deals with this difficult issue, using entropy as its organizational structure. The author discusses the novel and its themes.
From the Paper ?Man now lives in a circle without a center, or in a maze without a way out.? (Edward Said, "Abecedarium Culturae: Structuralism, Absence, Writing") Edward Said's words incorporate a very recognizable trait in contemporary society: our journey away from the simpler, concrete, more understandable world of the past into the more complex, abstract, and confusing world of tomorrow. As man grows "smarter" or becomes more aware of his surroundings, we gather more and more information about our universe in an attempt to find ?truth.?
Abstract This paper details the writing style of a paragraph within "Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street." It focuses on how the author uses a certain style to bring out character traits, storyline, and tone. It further examines how an author can use a dull character to tell an interesting story.
From the paper:
"'Bartleby the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street,' is perhaps one of the earliest and most potent satires of American corporate culture in the American literary canon. It tells the story of a scrivener. A scrivener is a law-copyist. This particular copyist named Bartleby infuriates his superiors by his refusal to work. Such a refusal is not only anathema to them, it confounds them. They attempt to fire him, but Bartleby refuses to leave his office. It is through his refusal to work, and to give no coherent reason for doing so other than he would prefer not to, that the entire system is shaken. This paper analyzes a paragraph of the short story and illustrates how the paragraph's language, its literary devices, and its tone expose the short story's central themes."
Abstract This paper compares the horror novels of Edgar Allen Poe and Thomas Harris's "Silence of the Lambs". It describes the iconic character of evil Hannibal Lecter and the great success of this character, which seems to live beyond the confounds of the written word. The author examines Poe's classic poem "The Raven" and its chilling and ambiguous reality. The paper also explores the life of Poe.
From the Paper "Poe has delved into the human spirit at a time when the idea of the unconscious mind had probably either not evolved, or had just been described and was not commonly known. In his stories of horror, Poe explored in depth the human psyche. Poe was a critic of rationalism but at the same time he was a master in the art of constructing, logically, the irrational "rationale" for crime committed by his characters. Poe lived a difficult and rather impoverished life, and was himself often given to alcoholism in his private life and the narrator's fears and contradictions that the author describes are something he might have experienced himself."
Abstract This research paper examines at length a huge cloud of industrial air pollution and dust that now covers over 10 million square kilometers of the Southeast Asian region, which is called the Asian brown cloud. The paper discusses the global relevance of the cloud that scientists know affects air quality as far away as the United States, with potentially damaging environmental and health effects. The paper describes the UN-backed international environmental study performed in the late1990s called the Indian Ocean Experiment and a recent report indicates that the cloud is linked to negative impacts on human health, regional temperatures, precipitation, and agricultural productivity. The paper calls on the international community to take greater responsibility for climate change and related remedial efforts.
Table of Contents:
Abstract
Introduction
Background
Problem Statement and Contributing Factors
Facts and Figures
Problem Assessment and Analysis
Confounding Factors
Current Remedial Actions
Future Implications: Regulatory, Economic and Social
Managing the Problem
Conclusion
References
From the Paper "International leaders face an imposing new environmental challenge in the new millennium's discovery of a huge, hazy cloud of industrial air pollution and haze spread out like a blanket over most of Asia. United Nations scientists recently issued a report detailing the preliminary findings of an environmental risk assessment study on this cloud, and initial indications about the cloud's effects on human health and the environment are discouraging. The global implications of this study, known as Project Asian Brown Cloud, or Project ABC, have attracted the attention of environmental specialists, lawmakers, and citizens worldwide."
A team of scientists is researching a huge cloud of industrial air pollution and dust that now covers over 10 million square kilometers of the Southeast Asian region. The cloud is known to travel long distances from its source region, affecting air quality as far away as the United States, with potentially serious environmental and health effects. The research currently being done on this cloud is based on data first revealed during a UN-backed international environmental study performed in the late 1990s called the Indian Ocean Experiment. A recent report indicates that the cloud is linked to negative impacts on human health, regional temperatures, precipitation, and agricultural productivity. However, these findings are being challenged by top regional scientists, presumably out of fears that in the wake of the issuance of this report, Asian nations will be pressured by the international community to take greater responsibility for climate change and related remedial efforts. The debate continues, but in the meantime, remedial action may still be necessary. Given the considerable effects of the cloud and its ability to travel to other regions, this issue has significant international regulatory, economic, and social implications for the future."
Tags: asia, china, fossil, fuel, haze, health, india, industrial, nations, ocean, un, united
Abstract Evil is a key concept in the philosophy of religion, drawing together metaphysical, moral and ethical aspects of philosophy to address one of the most confounding mysteries of human existence. What is evil? Is it a necessary part of the human condition? What are its implications concerning the possible existence of a God? These questions are all addressed in Hume's "Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion" and further analyzed in a group of articles cited at the end of this paper. This paper will be restricted to a discussion of Hume's contradiction - that between an omnipotent God and an abundance of evil in the world he has created.
Abstract This paper explores whether the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) is higher among low income people because they are less likely to seek medical care. It investigates two urban districts that compare in terms of race and income level, these being Harlem and West Central, USA. To determine the role of race and economic disadvantage in the incidence of tuberculosis in these geographic areas, ethnographic methods are used to analyze the information. It appears that there are significant race and class dimensions to the incidence of tuberculosis in these areas, but there are other confounding factors - such as (human immunodeficiency virus) HIV and the times at which sufferers sought medical help. This study suggests that there is a pressing need to improve our understanding of the socio-economic aspects of problems affecting public health, such as TB in the United States.
An analysis of the notion of resistance in light of the way chronic pain sufferers use narrative and objectification to resist pain and how chronic pain in turns resists political economic pressures.
Abstract This paper uses Foucault's work on biopower and governmentality to analyse chronic pain as a resistance to power/knowledge formations that express themselves in terms of control over the body. It attempts to analyse chronic pain by using three different notions of resistance. It looks at how chronic pain causes a contraction of the social world especially in situations of biomedical practice when the moral decision "it's all in your head" can often be made by doctors. It examines how this process resists speech (and thus resocialisation) by analysing the dialectical tension this resistance has with the stress, rage and the impulse that drives us to unsettle or confound the fixed order of things. It then explores the resistance that people have to the pain that they feel followed by rage for order.
From the Paper "Chronic pain confounds many of the concepts and methods used for its analysis, in part because of the privileging of certain spheres of analysis. This is noticeable in a set of assumptions that are part of both biomedical and western philosophical theory. This set of assumptions assumes a divide between mind and body; it assumes that diseases are universal biological or pyschophysiological entities resulting from somatic lesions and dysfunctions. These can produce signs of symptoms, and one must decode the cultural elements of patients systems in terms of their underlying somatic referents. If the symptoms do not fit this mould, then one is denied illness in the biomedical model."
Abstract This paper explains that fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread pain that cannot be localized to any part of the body and associated with other symptoms such as fatigue and depression. The author points out that the prognosis is neither positive nor negative, since no cure fits every symptom, the symptoms generally remain the same, and only in rare cases do symptoms get worse, so the patient eventually learns to cope. The paper relates the importance of managing the symptoms with a holistic approach including psychiatric help, behavior modification, relaxation, and pain management methods.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Prognosis
Literature Review of Recent Case Studies
Treatment Modalities
Conclusion
From the Paper "In addition to the debilitating, constant, chronic pain, or pain that varies in intensity; other symptoms are often observed. The pain that most people feel is often a shooting, throbbing and stabbing. Patients often complain that the pain comes deep from within the muscles. The pain and stiffness are worse in the morning (as has been averred before). Headaches recur. Recurrent migraines are found in about 50% of the sufferers. Additionally, about one quarter of all patients suffer from an associated condition called temporomandibular joint dysfunction. TMJD is characterized by pain in the facial and jaw region. The pain is from the ligaments and muscles surrounding the jaw though not necessarily from the joints in the mandible. One of the most difficult problems with fibromyalgia that renders a person unable to perform daily functions or even remain employed is irritable bowel syndrome. Symptoms of this include upset stomachs, diarrhea, nausea, acidity and constipation. Not all fibromyalgics however, suffer from irritable bowel syndrome."
Abstract This work addresses the issues of stem cell research by briefly describing the research itself and the expert opinions of its potential as a way to develop cures or diseases that have previously confounded many medical scientists. The paper then goes on to thoroughly discuss the stem cell research issue as a political/ethical/moral issue, tracing the evolution of the issue through the various legislative processes and through the various bioethics groups who both support and oppose the research. The work also shows the overall evolution of stem cell research as an issue facing the American people, and the medical world specifically, as one that may severely challenge the culture of the United States as it continues to define its recognized major role in the development of disease treatment and cure.
Introduction
Stem Cell Research Explored
Stem Cell Biology, a Political Issue
Stem Cell Legislation
Conclusion
From the Paper "One of the most foundationally promising research discoveries of the twentieth century is Stem Cell Biology. Only announced as a possible scientific breakthrough in late 1998, significant research has begun on stem cells, yet even the announcement of the potential benefits by the National Academy of Science that comes with the then recent isolation of human stem cells did little to curb potential controversy and conflict. (Shannon 9) Within the recent elections the issue of stem cell research has come to the forefront of consideration by voters, experts, opponent groups and proponent groups. The most substantial challenge to the recent federal rulings against stem cell research, by the Bush administration, is the passing of proposition 71 in California, which will create, and fund a 3 billion dollar stem cell research institute in the state of California.
Advocates of stem cell research are overjoyed at the collective snubbing of what some consider the dogmatic and conservative approach that the Bush administration and the current congress have taken to outlaw the use of new stem cell lines, therefore severely limiting the ability of scientists to conduct research in a productive manner. With the passing of this bill proponents expect to see other states follow suit to create a network of "legitimate" scientific resources, all in opposition of the federal stance on stem cell research, thought by many to be a pure and simple attempt to legislate morality."
Abstract This paper begins by attempting to determine the body of knowledge to date concerning the value, if any, of blending psychology and theological precepts into a holistic Christian counseling approach. Next, the paper attempts to identify any confounding factors to such a holistic approach. Finally, the paper develops a best practices model for providing Christian counseling using psychotherapeutic techniques.
Introduction
Statement of the Problem
Purpose of the Study
Importance of the Study
Rational of the Study
Overview of the Study
Review of Related Literature
Methodology
From the Paper "The nature of the human condition means that there are spiritual, physiological, psychological, and sociocultural components involved. In order to live a complete life, then, requires a healthy spiritual component as well as mental and physical well-being. The challenges facing counselors today, then, is to develop a framework that approaches the individual from this holistic perspective. According to Becvar (1997), the fields of psychology and theology tend to overlap, because "tending to the soul in human beings goes far beyond science" (p. 270). Healthcare providers have tended to exclude spirituality from their delivery models in recent years, but the apparent value of prayer and Christian counseling in these settings has caused many clinicians to reassess what people really need when they are sick and scared."
Abstract This paper explains that, while the techniques involved in segmenting foreign marketplaces do not differ dramatically from their domestic counterparts, there are certain cultural, religious, ethnic, age and gender-related issues, which may confound even the most carefully crafted marketing campaign. The author points out that consumer-based studies attempt to determine specific characteristics of consumers in foreign or domestic markets, which differentiate them from other consumers; such target marketing initiatives usually focus on traditional demographic (age, income, education) and psychographic (attitudes, values) segmentation variables. The paper identifies several criteria, which companies can use to evaluate the efficacy of expanding their operations into any given foreign marketplace: (1) Product transportable and cost, (2) transferability of competitive advantage, (3) inter-firm transferability of resources and (4) need to adapt to local market conditions. Includes the proposal for the project. Table and graph.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
Target Marketing for Global Penetration
Conducting Strategic Market Research
Ethical and Cultural Considerations in Target Marketing
Discussion
Conclusion
From the Paper "The first two steps concern consumer research or the identification of exactly who shops and buys in the store, where they live, what and when they buy, how frequently they shop, how much they spend, and how they use the product purchased. The third step is concerned with product or actual in-store opinion tabulations using focus groups or informal meetings with customer, and the penultimate step is concerned with market analysis. White notes that the final step involves a comprehensive assessment of the competitive situation within the marketplace for the industry involved. This can be accomplished using any of the standard market analysis techniques such as a SWOT, a Porter's five forces model or a PESTLE."
Tags: fragmentation, segmentation, research, efficacy, women
Abstract This paper proposes a study to identify the issues and concerns that affect the effectiveness and ability of virtual teams to operate at their highest potential. It looks at how decentralized and independent work centers and factories are an important part of modern organizations and how high levels of accountability and interaction are needed between these different cells or centers. The virtual workplace is defined as one in which the employees work remotely from the organization, that is away from managers and peers.
Outline
PART 1-Relationships
Developing Relationships
Confounding Variables
Relationships that Need to be Studied
Summary
Part II-- Methods and Design
Research Methods and Designs
Strengths and Weaknesses
Research Methods and Designs
Conclusion
Bibliography
From the Paper "Virtual teams are never in physical proximity with each other. The bonding and familiarity that comes from working together is absent. Virtual teams are very task-focused. (Joinson, 2002) Studies indicate that virtual teams communicate differently as compared to those that interact face-to-face. (Warkentin, Sayeed and Hightower, 1997) In the former case, results and outcomes are very important in establishing the value of the team member. The managing and training of the team is important. Many concepts and tools used in traditional organization can be applied to virtual teams. Virtual teams however, also need more support and guidance than traditional teams. Technology plays a very critical role in the stability and success of the virtual team. Team members have to understand and embrace that the constant learning and training is required to keep up with new technology."
Abstract This paper explains that, with gas prices across the country reaching record levels, understanding the theory of demand elasticity of gasoline has assumed new importance for policymakers and consumers. The author stresses that gasoline has no close substitutes; gasoline, in much of the United States, is a necessity and has only a moderate affect on the budgets of the non-poor. The paper demonstrates that, even though there are an enormous number of players in the gasoline market and confounding variables, economists are still able to gauge with a fair degree of accuracy just how much driving the average American consumer will be willing to forego: The typical American consumer may be willing to give up something of minor consequence involving gasoline; but, in general, Americans love to drive and they are going to buy gasoline.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Economic Theory of Demand Elasticity
Empirical Data Relating to Demand Elasticity
Analysis of the Data
Figure: Individual and Market Demand Curves
Conclusion
From the Paper "Demand elasticity relates to how much consumers are willing to pay for something based on their individual needs and wants on an aggregated basis; economists measure this degree of elasticity along a price elasticity of the demand curve. According to Robert E. Kuenne (1968), "The degree of downward reaction of the amount demanded to a price rise or upward reaction to a price fall is measured by the economist at any given point on the demand curve with a concept called the price elasticity of the demand curve" (127). Therefore, the degree by which quantity changes as price changes is the percentage change in quantity to the percentage change in price (% Change in Quantity / % Change in Price).
This in-depth paper details the results of both focus groups and clinical studies which provide a framework for clinicians to better understand and treat pain, based on the race and ethnicity of the patient.
Abstract This well-researched, two-part paper examines the cause, effect and treatment of self-reported pain in patients of varying ethnicities and cultures. When healthcare providers are faced with patients who are experiencing pain, there may be a number of confounding factors that serve to constrain developing an effective treatment modality, including the clinician's own cultural bias, prejudice or ignorance. This in-depth research paper identifies the cultural factors that play a role in influencing healthcare providers' decisions to medicate patients based on their ethnicity. The writer of this paper also details which, if any, cultural influences within the patients themselves may serve to constrain their ability to adequately communicate their respective levels of pain in self-reports. This paper details the various focus groups and clinical studies and their results which provide a framework for clinicians to better understand the treatment of pain based on the race and ethnicity of the patient.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Part One: Development of a Pain Assessment Tool Relevant to Clinical Background.
Epidemiology of Pain
Ecological Perspective
Developmental/Temporal Perspective
Epidemiology Measures
General Pain Assessment Tool Considerations
Part Two: Application of Assessment Tool
Conclusion
Bibliography
From the Paper "Although pain is a virtually universal phenomenon, it is also a highly subjective experience that is characterized by a wide range of epidemiological considerations that will vary according to the individual, of course, but the cultural setting within which the pain management experience takes place as well. In the increasingly multicultural society that characterizes the United Kingdom today, clinicians are hard-pressed to understand the complex relationship of how organic processes interrelate with cultural factors that may be unapparent or unknown to them. Furthermore, compounding the problem of developing an effective pain assessment tool that can be used across-the-board is the fact that occupational, socioeconomic, psychosocial, and possibly geographic, cultural, and cohort differences, as well as differences in lifestyle risk factors such as smoking may be so powerful for pain management purposes that the influences of other factors such as age and gender are difficult to identify."
