Hiv Prevention Strategy In Nigeria Health And Social Care Essay

Nigeria ‘s population of 140 million is the largest in Africa with 1 in 6 Africans being Nigerian. The information from the 2005 HIV study indicates that approximately 4.4 % of Nigerians are infected with HIV. The prevalence exhibits province broad disparity of between 1.6 % in Ekiti province ( south West ) and 10 % in Benue province ( north cardinal ) . ( Figure 1 ; NACA, 2007 ) While the infection rate is slower than some other African states, issues about HIV are still high on the docket because of the states high population. ( Figure 2 ; Jennifer Kates, Alyssa Wilson Leggoe, 2005 ) The Antenatal information shows that immature grownups appear most affected with 3.6 % amongst pregnant 15-19 twelvemonth olds and 4.7 % amongst 20-24 twelvemonth olds ( Figure 3 ; Technical Report National HIV/Syphilis Sero-Prevalence Sentinel Survey, 2005 ) This fact highlights the demand for a good co-ordinated National HIV/AIDS bar plan to farther decelerate down the infection rate and cut do wn incidence. ( NACA, 2007 ) Figure 1: HIV Prevalence by State ( 2005 ) www.naca.gov.ng Figure2 a ) Percentage of Adults estimated to be populating with HIV/AIDS and B ) Number of People estimated to be populating with HIV/AIDS. Beginning: HIV/AIDS Fact sheet, 2005 Figure 3: HIV Prevalence by Age group ( Old ages ) 2005 www.naca.gov.ng Drivers of the HIV Epidemic in Nigeria Informal Transactional Sexual activity: While commercial sex workers ( CSWs ) have long been identified as critical in impacting the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic rubber usage among them is high. A cardinal driver nevertheless is informal commercial sex among the general population ( J. Robinson, 2008 ; NACA, 2007 ) Low Risk Percept: 67 % of Nigerians perceive themselves to be at no hazard of undertaking HIV while 29 % perceive themselves to be at low hazard and merely 2 % rated their opportunities of infection high ( NARHS, 2005 ; NACA, 2007 ) Multiple Partnerships: In Nigeria, spiritual beliefs tend to back up the publicity of common fidelity ; NDHS ( 2003 ) nevertheless proved that multiple sexual partnerships are common particularly amongst sexually active work forces. About 30 % and 24 % single and married work forces severally reported holding more than one sexual spouse in the past twelvemonth ( NDHS 2003, NACA 2007 ) . While work forces with multiple spouses have a 60 % increased hazard, adult females are 10 % higher than work forces. ( NARHS, 2005 ) Lack of established STD Programming for Most at Risk Population ( MARP ) : Package of services provided to MARPs is limited. Linkages to HIV guidance and testing, STD direction and intervention are weak and have relied chiefly on referrals. Continuing Risky Behaviour of males in General Population: Hazardous behavior in the general population is more prevailing among work forces than adult females. 26 % of work forces report holding more than one sex spouse in the last twelvemonth as against 2 % in adult females. ( NARHS, 2005 ) Gender Inequalities: Underliing causes and effects of HIV/AIDS infections in work forces and adult females varies reflecting differences in biological science, sexual behavior, societal attitudes, economic power, exposure, and cultural attitudes that discourages safe sex dialogue. ( NACA, 2007 ) Economic Drivers: HIV impoverishes persons and communities through losingss of human resources. Poverty brings about low degrees of instruction associated with illiteracy and by and large hapless wellness position. These conditions result in hapless acceptance of behavior alteration which exposes the population to HIV infection. ( NACA, 2007 ) Equally shortly as an epidemic of HIV/AIDS was noticed in the state, Nigeria mounted a national response, which was expanded in 2000 with the constitution of the Presidential Council on AIDS ( PCA ) and the National Agency for the control of AIDS ( NACA ) . This allowed for a co-ordinated attempt to supply bar, intervention, attention and support services through policy preparation, development of programs and execution. NACA ‘s authorization provinces that: -A A 1.A A A Coordinate and prolong protagonism by all sectors and at all degrees for HIV/AIDS/STD expanded responses in Nigeria.A 2.A A A Develop the model for coaction and support from all stakeholders for a multi-sector and multi-disciplinary response to HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. 3.A A A Develop and present to the PCA, all programs on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria for policy determinations. 4.A A A Develop and joint a strategic program for an Expanded National Response to HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.A 5.A A A Coordinate, proctor and measure the execution of the Strategic National Plan for the control of HIV/AIDS/STDs in Nigeria and all other approved policies.A 6.A A A Coordinate and ease the mobilisation of resources for an effectual and sustainable response to HIV/AIDS/STDs in Nigeria.A 7.A A A Undertake any other responsibilities as assigned by the PCA from clip to clip. ( NACA, 2007 ) The National HIV/AIDS Strategic Framework for Action ( 2005-2009 ) provides a strong and comprehensive model for bar attempts including a balanced â€Å" ABC † attack. In this model, in-school young persons were marked as a mark population group. Sexual activity instruction is a major constituent of bar and one of the tools in minimal bundle required for HIV bar. Political issues environing it include Resistance to arouse instruction and rubber publicity by Faith Based Organizations ( FBO ) , Religious leaders and other stakeholders Inadequate accomplishments on rubber usage and dialogue Misconception about sex instruction and low credence Availability, handiness and affordability Lack of policy environing sexual instruction in secondary schools ( NACA, 2007 ) A survey done in Nigeria analyzing the sexual behavior of secondary school striplings showed that the average age at first intercourse was 12 old ages with a scope of 6-19 old ages ; many of the participants had multiple sexual spouses and a hapless perceptual experience of the hazard of STD including HIV. It was recommended that a structured sexual instruction course of study be instituted for all schools get downing at an early age. ( A.T. Owolabi, A.A. Onayade et Al, 2005 ) Other surveies have examined how instructors feel about go throughing their cognition on HIV / AIDS bar steps to their pupils in the context of their cultural and societal norms that restrict unfastened treatment of sex.A The consequences showed a high degree of cognition about HIV / AIDS bar among teachers.A Nevertheless, instructors do non go through on this cognition because of cultural and societal taboos.A In add-on, instructors do non have proper preparation and motive on information, instruction and communicating on HIV / AIDS and sex instruction. ( Daniel C. Oshi et Al, 2005 ) It is hence necessary to increase handiness of sexual wellness services, create societal support for sex instruction in schools and build capacity on appropriate sex instruction. Previous efforts at supplying sex instruction were interfered by spiritual and cultural resistance. In 2000 a new course of study was introduced for comprehensive sex instruction for 10-18 twelvemonth olds which concentrated on bettering pupil ‘s cognition and attitudes to sexual wellness and cut downing hazardous sexual behavior. However the execution of the undertaking was a entire failure and has since been abandoned. ( Avert, 2010 ) In a state where issues such as confidentiality around HIV proving is non covered by statute law, where no action is taken when human rights are broken in relation to HIV infection and stigmatisation. It seems the destiny of the immature people are in their custodies, owing to the absence of generative wellness ( RH ) institutes and deficiency of separate Torahs or statute law for immature people in relation to HIV bar. ( United Nations Global Coalition on Women and AIDS, 2004 )POLICY AGENDA SettingTo accomplish this wellness policy, one must see the histrions that would be involved and analyze all stakeholders- so as to understand their behavior, purposes, inter-relations and involvements: and to measure the influence and resources they bring to bear on decision-making or execution procedure. ( Varvasovszky Z. , Brugha R. 2000 ) Stakeholder/ Actor analysis will place the type of people to interview, utilizing sweet sand verbena techniques, reappraisal questionnaires etc. It is of import to plan a semi-structured/ condense interview inquiries. Interviews will let comparison across cultural groups and faith ; and yet be sensitive to specific contexts. Stake holder ‘s position has to be transformed into one that utilizes indexs to exemplify the extent of the job. They need to be informed of graduated table, tendencies and likely future class of HIV epidemic in their part or territory and within specific subgroups of the population. Table 1: Stakeholders AnalysisStakeholdersEngagement in the issueInterest in the issueInfluence/ PowerPositionImpact of issue on histrionParents Participate in Child Sexual Education and can act upon their kids ‘s determination Medium Low Non-mobilized High Media Industry Promote stakeholder ‘s positions and can act upon determination shapers by supplying dependable information High High Supportive Low Ministry of Health Promote healthy generative picks, direction of STIs and HIV related unwellnesss High Medium Supportive High Presidential Council on AIDS Survey policy proposals and do determinations on them Medium High Non-mobilized Medium School Administration Participate in policy Execution High Medium Opposed High Ministry of Education Ensure sex instruction is integrated in national course of study and implemented Training of staff Policy Implementation and Evaluation High High Supportive High Bilateral Organizations Provide support and proficient support High High Supportive High Religious Leaderships Influence the population through spiritual, moral and cultural beliefs High High Opposed Medium Importers, Manufacturers and Sellers of the merchandise e.g. rubbers, text editions Provide low-cost and high quality merchandise Engagement in distribution High Low Supportive High NACA Develop and present to PCA all programs on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria for policy determinations High High Supportive High Documentary/ Content analysis would be undertaken to place the grade of consistence between the present policies in the state. It would besides cover how far policy shapers draw on research findings in addresss during policy preparation and execution phases. The information beginnings would include research publications and studies, statute law, administrative/executive ordinances or orders, reimbursement agreements, guidelines and advice, meeting studies and proceedingss, policy statements, addresss, and articles. An economic rating will be considered to measure and construe the value of this wellness intercession. This will mensurate the results in pecuniary footings every bit good as in wellness units. For this policy a cost effectivity analysis ( CEA ) will be more good in order to besiege the quandary of puting pecuniary value on human lives. It will compare the value of resources spent on the intercession to the measure of wellness gained as a consequence. ( David Wonderling et Al, 2005 ) A thorough apprehension of consistence of old policies with research findings, the grade of influence of research on policy docket scene, preparation and execution would be needed to guarantee a high degree of wellness research use in the determination devising of this wellness policy. CLARITY OF MESSAGE HIV bar, peculiarly sex instruction demands strong grounds in order to be recommended for consideration and broad spread execution. Hall ‘s theoretical account of docket puting claims that the strength of this grounds depends on the issue ‘s Legitimacy, Feasibility and Support. ( Kent Buse, 2005 ) The issue at manus is legitimate as the HIV epidemic continues to harry the state, heterosexual sex being the most reported signifier of transmittal and high rate among immature people. It is executable since the policy will be implemented logistically through already bing systems, cost and resources will hence be reduced. Support can be generated through act uponing the population with the usage of media, raising consciousness and advancing rubber usage, affecting FBOs in policy execution. There is besides no grounds that sex instruction or rubber handiness in schools will increase promiscuousness or cut down the age of first sexual intercourse of in school young person, hence this policy has no potency for inauspicious consequence. This policy ‘s acceptableness might be of concern, as there will be resistance from spiritual leaders and other involvement groups. This policy besides has other societal and wellness benefits, as the usage of rubbers will besides cut down other STIs, cut down unwanted gestations and the complications from illegal abortions, thereby cut downing maternal mortality. Previous work in Nigeria has shown that equal instruction works in HIV bar and this is soon being used to advance abstention and be faithful intercession plans. Kingdom ‘s Model proposes that there are 3 watercourses of policy procedure and they need to cross for policies to be considered. ( Kent Buse, 2005 ) Problem watercourse: High prevalence of HIV among in school young person, with the highest signifier of transmittal being heterosexual sex Politicss watercourse: The National HIV bar work program promotes condom scheduling and there have been ongoing arguments around this issue. In 2000, sex instruction was integrated into National course of study but was ne'er implemented. Meanwhile the prevalence amongst in school young person since so has increased. Policy watercourse: Following the 2005 National HIV/Syphilis Sero prevalence lookout study for pregnant adult females go toing Ante-natal clinics in Nigeria. NACA has mounted more response to HIV bar. More support for HIV bar is being provided by bilateral organisations and NACA has become unfastened to execution of policies through FBOs and CSOs. Interventions are now being chosen and funded based on scientific grounds research.POLICY FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATIONLegislators are influenced by media and runs, cultural beliefs, lobbyists, political parts and support every bit good as grounds based research. It is hence of import to guarantee they have adequate information from researches, prevalence of HIV and alternate solutions. The function of the media and other organisations can non be over emphatic. This policy proposes the debut of structured sex instruction with condom publicity in secondary schools across Nigeria It aims to cut down the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among in-school young persons Aims To better the cognition about HIV/AIDS amongst young person To raise the age of first sexual brush amongst in-school young person by 5 old ages in 10 old ages To promote rubber usage among in-school young person To increase the figure of in school young person seeking intervention and attention for other STIs by 20 % in 5 old ages To cut down teenage gestations by half in 5 old ages Resistance to this policy ‘s credence could be limited by ab initio influencing policy alteration in southern urban parts where it will be more acceptable and if successful, scaled up to other less urban countries utilizing traditional and spiritual leaders to act upon credence. A broad web and model of HIV/AIDS bar is soon on land in Nigeria, a assorted scanning attack will be ideal. A rational attack for explicating policies and go throughing the measure, which will be instantly diffused through the Ministry of Health to all schools An incremental attack by ab initio increasing the cognition of in-school young person on HIV/AIDS by presenting sex instruction into the school course of study, presenting text editions and stuffs that educate pupils on HIV/AIDS and subsequently up-scaling to include RH clinics to turn to early intervention and bar of STIs. Formation of in-school HIV nines and groups will supply a forum for pupils to aerate their positions on abstention, sexual exposure and bar patterns and eventually condom handiness and distribution. Cost will be reduced by utilizing bing resources and adult male power. Increased cognition of HIV/AIDS in the population with capacity edifice for instructors and in school young person will let for easy execution. A elaborate and careful pilot testing could be done in the relevant mark group to let for appropriate rating and alteration before broad spread execution. A underside up attack should besides be used to let for more engagement by implementers and uninterrupted rating and redefining of aims or schemes.EvaluationHIV bar intercessions are complex. There are legion intercessions and schemes to take from. The content and quality of intercessions may differ well from one another and intercessions may be implemented in different ways by different people. Specific intercessions may be interactive or even counter and yet most programmes will unite several intercession schemes, doing rating of the effects of specific intercessions or constituents within the programme bundle hard or impossible to extricate. ( UNAIDS, 2008 ) In measuring the effectivity of the policy, elaborate grounds on the existent procedure of bringing of the intercession that establishes the extent and quality of bringing will be gathered. Facility audit is besides of import to supply information on adequateness of substructure, equipment, proficient and operational guidelines. The success of the policy execution will besides be evaluated utilizing the five key United Nations General Assembly Special Session ( UNGASS ) ends. ( WHO Technical study series, 2006 ) Provide appropriate information to immature people and grounds of betterments in their resulting cognition Provide appropriate accomplishments developing to immature people and grounds of their ability to show these accomplishments, and utilize these accomplishments to diminish their hazard of going infected Supply appropriate skills-based preparation, equipment and supplies to implementers and grounds of this ensuing in increased bringing of effectual, high quality wellness services to immature people. Provide grounds of reduced exposure of HIV among immature people, such as alterations in the attitudes and behaviors of immature people Provide grounds of a decrease in HIV prevalence among immature people that can be attributed to the intercession Donabedian ‘s model for measuring health care conceptualizes â€Å" Inputs, Process and Outcome † . ( Kent Buse et Al, 2005 ) Table 2: Policy Implementation and EvaluationUndertaking IMPLEMENTATIONUndertaking EVALUATIONINPUT/RESOURCESACTIVITIES/INTERVENTION SERVICEEnd productOUTCOME/IMPACTMEASUREMENT METHOD/INDICATORSStaff Monitoring and rating preparation for plan directors and implementers Training of school nurses and instructors Training of spouses and stakeholders on young person and HIV Media preparation on Sexual activity instruction and Condom publicity Capacity edifice for implementers Change in supplier behavior in relation to school young person Change in supplier behavior in relation to describing systems Improvement in administrative and describing systems Experimental surveies Number of instructors and school nurses trained in supplying sexual instruction and wellness services to school young person Number of stakeholders trained on HIV and the young person Quality appraisal of describing systems Media support Awareness creative activity for rubber publicity to interrupt barriers Commission and air jangles on the impact of sex instruction on school young person. Media run aiming socio cultural issues disaggregated by age, sex and location. Media run on inter-generational sex Harmonization of stuff development, distribution and usage Increase consciousness on sex instruction and rubber rebranding Sexual activity instruction and sex literacy as a societal norm Condom usage as a societal norm Behavioural surveillance study Condom handiness and handiness Stigmatization around sex instruction and rubber usage Number of jangles aired on sex instruction and rubber usage among school young person Education Production and distribution of IEC Materials Production of text editions integrated with cognition of STI and HIV Development and version of course of study on sex instruction Sexual instruction Sessionss in schools Condom dialogue accomplishments developing for school young person Improve school young persons consciousness on HIV/AIDS Improve rubber negociating accomplishments among school young person Improve rubber usage among school young person Reduce STI incidence Reduce HIV morbidity and mortality Reduce teenage gestations and it ‘s complications Reduce maternal mortality associated with teenage gestations Annual National HI/AIDS sero-prevalence lookouts study among in school young person Prevalence of STI and HIV among school young person Number of teenage gestations and maternal deceases related to them No of rubber distributed No of school young person who used rubbers in their last sexual brush Facilities Handiness of friendly accessible service Centres for school young person within and outside the school Build effectual linkage/referral systems for STI direction in communities Establish regional offices through the Ministry of Education to supervise disposal and M & A ; E Increase entree to RH services Promote dealingss among assorted organisations involved Allow easy monitoring and rating of execution School young person will be able to entree RH services without stigmatisation Provide utile information on execution procedure and success Behavioural surveillance study No of young person accessing RH services before and after intercession No of RH services available to youth No of young person referred through linkage systems Research Population based study on Sexual activity instruction, rubber usage and publicity in school young person Increase cognition base on sex instruction and rubber scheduling Increase cognition on the young person ‘s sexual hazard behavior Making future sex instruction programming policies based on grounds based scientific research Experimental surveies Number of research proposals and surveies carried out on sex instruction, hazard behaviors, rubber scheduling and usage among school young person Community Mobilization Battle of FBOs, CSOs, community and spiritual groups and parents on HIV/AIDS cognition Skills and services community mobilisation for HIV Sensitization of community leaders against stigmatising or opposing sexual instruction among school young person Increase consciousness of FBOs, NGOs and parents on HIV and the young person Promote rubbers as a double method Rebrand rubber usage as a positive thing Engagement of policy execution at grass root degree Improve community consciousness and integrity in the battle against HIV/AIDS Enable societal and cultural credence about sex instruction Constitution of young person groups Experimental surveies Number of young person groups on HIV/AIDS advancing sex literacy and rubber usage Number of community stakeholders involved in young person groups Number of outreach events advancing sex instruction Advocacy/policy Recommending for policy reforms on socio-cultural and economic issues that promote HIV transmittal, stigma and favoritism among young person Increase consciousness of stakeholders on HIV and young person HIV and youth issues get on the policy docket Laws on HIV and young person, stigma and favoritism enacted Experimental surveies Nature and type of issues incorporated into the National Youth policy No of public hearings on the bill of exchange measure and Young person policyDecisionThe immature can non talk for themselves in doing lawful determinations that impact their ain lives. Their determinations are influenced by parents, the community, equal force per unit area, and their personal cognition. It is hence of import that the cognition they have is sufficient and diverse to enable them do informed determinations refering their sexual wellness. Surveies done have shown adequate grounds that sexual instruction addition in-school young person ‘s consciousness of HIV/AIDS and can act upon their attitude or do behaviour alteration. Health system research findings in the Nigeria will stay impotent unless translated into public wellness action through effectual public policy-making. ( Shamsuzzoha B Syed et al.,2008 ) Policy docket scene, preparation, execution and rating are all necessary phases in achieving policy alteration. In world, they all happen at the same time and can be revisited and changed while the procedure is ongoing. Stakeholder ‘s influence is really important in policy devising and acceptance. The media is a really powerful tool which should be used suitably. Policy execution should be done carefully without rigidness utilizing bottom up attacks. Evaluation is necessary in order to mensurate the success of the plan and larn more for future policy executions. Reducing HIV/AIDS prevalence amongst in-school young person goes a long manner in cut downing prevalence in the general population and promises a healthier brighter hereafter, free from HIV/AIDS.

Development and use of explosives over the past century

The history of explosives and propellants, also known generally as ‘energetic materials’ began with the material known as gunpowder or black powder, whether the intended use was for civil applications such as rock blasting, military uses in demolition, shell filling (bursting charges) and construction projects, or military and civilian propellant charges for short guns, pistols, rifles or artillery. The individual inventor of black powder will undoubtedly forever remain unknown, but numerous writers such as Drinker (1878), Munroe (1888), Marshall (1915), and Davis (1941, 1943), described what is known about its development and evolution.Until the discovery of nitrated explosive compounds such as nitrocellulose by schonbein and Bottger (independently of one another) and nitroglycerin by Sobrero (all occurring in 1846), the only explosive available for any purpose was black powder. 1) Solid (particulate) propellants; 2) Military explosives; 3) Commercial explosives. Propel lants Propellants may be granular, solid, or liquid. The primary focus was on granular (particulate) material since they are the most commonly encountered by the forensic chemist.Solid propellants are deflagrating materials designed to accelerate a projectile from its position of rest at the breech of a weapon to its full velocity as it exits the tube or barrel. In the ideal (and designed for case), the complete consumption of the propellant and the exit of projectile occurs at the same instant. Propellant gains are thus chemically formulated and physically designed to achieve this end. The gains burn particle to particle at speeds below the speed of sound in the material: this defined the word ‘deflagrating’. Historically such materials have been termed progressive powders.In addition to burning particle- to- particle burns from its free surface inward or, in the case of perforated grains, also from the free surface outward. This characteristic enables the propellant d esigner to size and configure the grains or particles to be totally consumed at the optimum instant. Propellant gains may be found in multitude of shapes and sizes, as might be expected given the varieties of weapons and desired pressures and projectile velocities. Black powder Black powder is the mixture of three components, generally (and originally) charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate.These are typically in the ratio of 15:10:75. Many variations to that ratio have been used: Cundill (1889) lists over 20 varieties, many with sub –varieties. Most of the differences, however, are insignificant. The one major development in the past 100 years is the use of sodium nitrate in some black powder grades. Black powder has an inherent drawback as a military propellant due to the fact that it produces a solid reaction product. Because of this, a dense black cloud is produced upon firing weapon is readily apparent, and after a number of rounds are fired the volume of battlefield sm oke leads to confusion and general chaos.For this reason the development of the ‘smokeless’ propellant charge was an objective of every governments weapons laboratory. Upon the discovery of the nitration reaction this research intensified. Smokeless powder The early history of the nitrated carbohydrates, which includes the 1833 discovery of nitro-starch (called xyloidine by its discoverer, Braconnot) and guncotton, called pyroxyline or pyroxyle be the chemist Pelouze, is thoroughly covered by Devis (1941).Guncotton, nitrocellulose of high nitrogen content (13. 35% to 13. 45%), was the first nitrated material to be tried as a replacement for black powder, but it was too prone to accidents. However its military use continued after it was found that the newly –invented mercury fulminate blasting cap would cause compressed guncotton to detonate, leading to its application as a demolition charge and shell filling. Its use was rather short lived, however due to the int roduction of picric acid.Research was continued on nitrocellulose of lower nitrogen content as a propellant material, and the first good smokeless riffle powder was produced by Vielle in 1886, for the French Government. This was nitrocellulose with either alcohol, kneaded in bread making type machine, rolled out into thin sheets, and then cut into small squares and dried (Military Explosives, 1924). This was a ‘single base’ smokeless powder (nitrocellulose only). In 1888 Nobel invented a powder called Ballistite, which was a low nitrated nitrocotton gelatinized with nitroglycerin: which came to be known as; double base’ powder.In the same year Cordite (given that name because it was extruded in the form of cord or ribbon), a mixture of high nitrated guncotton, nitroglycerine, and Vaseline, gelatinized by means if acetone was developed by an English Committee. (Marshall, 1915) Later ‘triple base’ smokeless powder were developed, containing nitro guani dine in addition to the nitrocotton and nitroglycerin of typical double base powders. Triple base powders were cooler-burning than the single or double base materials and use was mainly restricted to large caliber weapons.Developments in smokeless powder since those early days had been primarily to improve stability, decrease the erosion of the barrel of the weapon, control pressures, decrease smoke output (‘smokeless’ powders are smokeless in comparison to black powder, but still produce visible smoke), and to decrease the muzzle flash from a firing weapon. The geometry of powders may include flakes, tubes, cylinders, sticks, flattened balls, or spheres. Military Explosives As black powder was the first propellant, so it was the first military explosive too.It was used for shell filling, demolition, and military construction projects from the earliest times up until the invention of nitroglycerin. Military explosives as discussed here are those used as the shell filing or ‘bursting charge’ in artillery round and those explosives used for demolition charges. Military construction projects typically use commercial-type explosives, except in field-expedient situations. The brief use of guncotton as a military explosive was noted above. Trinitrotoluene (TNT)During and after World War I the explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT, C7H5N3O6) became the dominant shell filling and demolition charge material. TNT has the advantage of being very easy to cast, since it has a wide spread between its melting and decomposition temperatures. One disadvantage is its extreme insensitivity. In the order to conserve TNT for small caliber shells in World War I, a mixture of TNT and ammonium nitrate (‘amatol’) was developed. It was specified for use only in shell of $. 7-inch to 9. 2-inch diameter (Crowell, 1919) but in actual practice it was used in all sizes.For the same reason of conserving TNT, nitro starch explosives were used very successfully in that war for hand grenades and trench mortar shells (Williams, 1920). Tetryl Tetryl (2, 4, 6-trinitrophenyllmethylnitramine, N-2, 4, 6-tetra-nitro-N-methyl aniline, or picrylmethyl nitramine) was used in military boosters, but has generally been replaced by materials such as RDX and HMX. The ‘tetrytols’ are mixtures of tetryl and TNT, which were utilized in boosters, demolition charges, shells, and shaped charges. The TNT generally ranged from 20 to 35 percent of the mixture.An advantage of tetrytol is that it allows the casting of the explosive into munitions rather than requiring pressing. It is also more powerful than TNT, but not as sensitive as tetryl alone. RDX and HMX Between the world Wars a number of explosives were developed, and after the start of the second war a vast amount of explosives research took place. One of the most important and useful military explosive is RDX (an acronym for ‘Research Department Explosive’), which was discovered i n 1899, but not used until World War II.It is also called cyclonite, hexagen, and cyclo-trimethylenetrinitramine. HMX was another explosive used for military applications during and after World War II. The initials are said to stand for â€Å"High Melting Explosive’, although other sources for the acronym are sometimes cited. It is also called cyclo-tetramethylenetetranitramine or octogen. (Beveridge 1-4) Blasting and Use of Explosives Only authorized persons can handle and use explosives. No person using explosives is allowed to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.Nothing which could be an ignition source, such as matches, open flames, or smokers, is to be around explosives. Accountability is required to assure that explosives are under the care of a qualified person. All blasting aboveground is done between sunup and sundown and, when blasting is done, blasters are to take special precaution near public utilities, around transportation conveyances, and near public a reas to assure safety and mitigate any damage. Care must be taken to assure that accidental premature ignition does not occur from stray electrical sources or radio transmitters.The blaster is to be considered a competent person in the use and care of explosives, and have experience with the type of blasting methods being used. The transportation of explosive and blasting materials must conform to the department of Transportation regulatory provisions. Drivers of trucks containing explosives and blasting equipment must be licensed and should be in good physical and mental condition. No blasting materials are to be transported with other cargo and blasting caps are not to be transported in the same vehicle as other explosives.These vehicles should be marked with a placard signifying â€Å"Explosives† and have a fully charged fire extinguisher. (Reese, Edison 648) Different uses of an Explosive Blasting is extremely important both to mining and the world economy. The saying is often used, â€Å"If it can’t be grown it has to be mined,† however if the ground is too hard to be mechanically mined economically, it has to be blasted. Certainly many materials, such as iron, copper and concrete to name but a few would be significantly more expensive if it weren’t for explosives and our ability to easily drill holes to use these explosives efficiently.Shock wave compression technology is not only a means of extremely high-pressure generation, but also a means of extremely high-temperature production in solids. When dynamite shock load is applied to solids by means of explosive and high-speed impact, the shock pressure and the shock temperature generated depend on the shock load and the density of the solid. Between 1985 and early 1991, there were 182 incendiary or explosive devices planted in Great Britain by animal-rights activists.This number accounted for approximately 50 percent of all explosive devices planted in all of Great Britain, ma king it numerically a larger problem in Great Britain than incidents attributed to the provisional Irish Republican Army. However, the majority of these devices were far less sophisticated and far less dangerous than the PIRA devices. In 1980 in Great Britain, the first use of high explosives by animal-rights terrorists took place. These acts appear to have been perpetrates by a small group, which had obtained a high explosive used both in military operations and in commercial applications, such as quarries.First it was used against the staff restaurant at Bristol University, where a 5-puound bomb was set off about midnight, wrecking about two floors of the building. More recently in 1990, the same explosive was used presumably by the same group in two car bobs. In one case, a passing infant was severely wounded. Conclusion During the past centuries, it has been proved that there is a beginning international acknowledgement of the future need for demolition of plants and buildings. There is also evidence of an increasing interest in demolition techniques and the re-use of building materials.There are literally hundreds of different types of explosives, varying from black powder used in pipe bombs (still a favorite of domestic bombers), to dynamite sticks, and from blocks of TNT to plastic explosives that can be molded into diverse forms, including thin sheets. A dozen or so of the most notable explosives are used by the terrorists. Of particular note are the explosives RDX and PETN which, together with plastic and other fillers, compose many plastic explosives such as Detasheet and SEMTEX.Explosives are mostly harmful (destructive) but on the other hand in many cases they are useful (constructive) too. Doctors, Engineers use explosives in a constructive way while at the same time criminals and terrorists use explosive in the destructive way. There are many uses of explosives such as Mining, Pyrotechnics, Building Demolition and even Construction. Explosives ar e also used in Carve Mount Rushmore, Avalanches and are used in backcountry for Trail Maintenance. Explosive are used in Medicines to break-up kidney-stones. Works cited Beveridge, Alexander. Forensic Investigation of Explosions. New York: CRC Press, 1998. 1,2,3,4 Kasai, Yoshio. Kenkyuio, Kenchiku, Kensetsusho. (Japan), Nihon Daigaku. Demolition and Reuse of Concrete and Masonry: Proceedings of the Second†¦.New York: Taylor & Francis, 1998. 49 Technology against terrorism: the federal effort, US: DIANE Publishing, (1992) Reese, D. Charles. Eidson, V. James. Handbook of OSHA Construction Safety and Health New York: CRC Press, 2006. 648

Anatomy of a Picture Book Essay

Format/Size †¢Rectangular—This is the shape of most books †¢Horizontal—Often used to in stories about journeys †¢Vertical—May be used for â€Å"larger than life† characters oCohn, Amy L. Abraham Lincoln. oIsaacs, Anne. Swamp Angel. †¢Cutout forms—cutout in the form of buildings, animals, etc. Book Jacket/Dust Jacket †¢Think of a book jacket as a small poster wrapped around the book with flaps on the front and back. oOriginally used to keep books from being soiled oNow used to be eye-catching, to encourage you to pick up the book. †¢Should be appealing from a reasonable distance through its form and color †¢Provides important information about the book  oTitle oAuthor oIllustrator oShould predict the contents of the book oShould convey the age group for the book oBack of book jacket normally includes the book’s barcode with ISBN (International Standard Book Number) number, a unique number to identify a book. †¢Jacket areas oFace—front that faces us as the book is closed and lies on the table ? Is the picture on the cover repeated inside the book or is it unique? If the cover is repeated, it anticipates the plot of the story. ?Does the cover contradict the story? Is the cover mystifying? ?Cover may reflect most dramatic or enticing episode in story. However, the cover should not tell so much that it destroys the suspense of the story. ?Is the cover framed? Framing creates a sense of detachment. oBack—back of the jacket should relate to the front ?Consider how the book jacket flows from the front to the back ? When the jacket is flattened, the design should be homogeneous and consistent ? If you want to be a collector of children’s books, protect the book jackets by covering them in plastic. oWrap-around cover—uses one illustration that wraps around from the front to the back oBook flaps—include background information about the book. May also tell about the author and/or illustrator, etc. oSpine—located to the left, along the bound edge of the book. This is a narrow panel which you see when the book is shelved. Normally includes the title, author, publisher, and sometimes the illustrator. Book Casing/Book Cover †¢Stiff-cased casing—This is what you find underneath the book jacket. This is hard to see on library copies that have plastic put over the covers that is taped down. oSome book covers are simply a repeat of the book jacket. oThe higher quality picture books have a different book casing that is a type of cloth. ?Consider how this contributes to the overall design of the book. Consider color of the cloth, use of patterns, ornaments, or drawings. Does the color used fit the book? oDesigns on casing—This design normally refers to the central motif or symbol of the book. ?Blind stamp—sunken image of the same color as the casing ? Die stamp—sunken image of different color than the casing. Endpapaper (Endsheets) †¢Serve as structural bond between body of book and casing. They are glued down to casing to hold the book together. They are usually of heaver stock paper. oEndpapers may be a solid color, have a design, map, illustration, etc. Sometimes they convey important additional information. If the book is well designed the endpapers should be an integral part of the story. ?Color of endpapers may be symbolic to the story. †¢Endpapers should offer a transition between the exterior and the interior of the book, a â€Å"welcome† into the book. †¢Sometimes the narrative of the book actually begins on the endpapers. †¢Check to see if the front and back endpapers are exactly the same. If they are different, there is a significant reason. †¢Not included in paperback books. Front Matter †¢Front matter includes the beginning pages of the book through the title page and copyright page. Front matter may include blank or extra pages at the beginning of the book. oSets mood for story and may amplify meaning by indentifying books’ main character, setting, theme, etc. †¢Half title page (false title page)—placed before the title page and usually includes only the title and an illustration. Not found in every book. †¢Title page—includes title, author, illustrator, publisher. The illustration used on the title page should be one of the best found in the whole book. May be a detail of some picture in the body of the book. oDouble-page spread—a design that is unified across two pages oTwo distinct pages—one page has illustration; the other has text †¢Copyright page—back or verso of the title page. oContains circled â€Å"c† or word â€Å"copyright† with the year of publication and the name of the copyright owner. oAlso includes the book’s printing numbers or printing code. A first printing of a book may in the future become very valuable. ?First edition â€Å"generally means the book you are holding is the first printing of the first edition, in other words the first appearance of this particular text† (Horning 13). oIf a book was first published outside of the U. S. or a book is a translation, the original title, publisher, and date appear on the copyright page. oMay include the technique the illustrator used for the book, such as watercolor, gouache, colored pencils, oils, etc. oOften includes the name of the book’s typeface. oNormally includes the Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data (abbreviated as CIP). This information helps libraries catalog books faster. Includes call numbers for books and may include a summary of the book, as well as the author, illustrator, title, and publisher. †¢Dedication page—may be included in the book. If book’s have separate authors and illustrators, there may be dedications from both individuals. Dedications may give clues to interesting personal information about the author/illustrator. Back Matter †¢Pages in the back of the book after main part of the book. Sometimes the copyright page is part of the back matter. †¢May include author/illustrator information, photographs, reviews, etc. †¢May also include source notes, glossary, index, bibliographies, acknowledgements, notes on the illustrations, other supplemental information, suggested activities to use with children, etc. Body of the Book †¢Main section of the book—what’s between the front matter and back matter. †¢Signature—pages inside the book are sewed or fastened together in one ore more sections classed signatures. A standard signature is sixteen pates. †¢Typeface/typography selected for book should fit the story. For emphasis, fonts may change (size, bold, italics). Layout of the text may also change to emphasize certain elements of the story. †¢Paper—should be of quality. May be matte, shiny, etc. Shiny paper gives a smooth, glazed surface that gives a high sheen and intensifies the colors. May also be heavier paper stock or textured. †¢Gutter—the middle area where pages come together. The illustrations that go over the gutter should not be misaligned or have missing parts because they are â€Å"caught† or lost in the gutter. †¢Placement of the text oVery formal—text placed opposite the illustrations on an adjacent page. A border or frame around the text or illustrations is even more formal. oFormal—text positioned above or beneath the illustrations. oInformal—text shaped with irregular boundaries to fit inside, outside, between, around, or to the side of the illustrations. oVery formal—no text at all (as in wordless books). †¢Placement of the illustrations oDouble-page spread—both facing pages are used for an illustration. The illustration â€Å"spreads across† both pages. Wanda Gag is credited with inventing this technique in her book Millions of Cats. oBorders—an outer edge or boundary, a frame, that encloses text and/or illustrations. Borders have decorative or geometric designs, folk designs from a particular culture, or visual symbols that relate to the story. oPanels—use of vertical sections to break apart an illustration. oVignettes—also called spot art. Small illustrations integrated into the layout of a single or double-page spread. They often allow the illustrator to tell a story through various stages. †¢Page turner element—what on a page makes you want to turn the page to continue the story? oIllustration—is there something in the picture that makes you want to turn the page? A figure facing right on the right hand page is often a page turner element. oText—is there something in the story that encourages you to turn the page? Integrated Whole †¢Visual symbolism—use of physical objects in the illustrations to represent abstract ideas. For example, a dove may symbolize love, gentleness, innocence, timidity, or peace. †¢A high quality picture book (like those which are Caldecott winners or honor books) should be well designed from the book jacket to the back matter, including the endpapers, and book casing. EECE 441 Prof. Sibley Minnesota State University Moorhead Bibliography Harms, Jeanne McLain, and Lucille J. Lettow. â€Å"Book Design Elements: Integrating the Whole. † Childhood Education 75. 1 (1998): 17-24. Education Full Text. Wilson Web. Livingston Lord Library, Moorhead, MN. 28 Aug. 2005 http://hwwilsonweb.com/. ___. â€Å"Book Design: Extending Verbal and Visual Literacy. † Journal of Youth Services in Libraries 2. 2 (1989): 136-42. Horning, Kathleen T. From Cover to Cover: Evaluating and Reviewing Children’s Books. New York: HarperCollins, 1997. Matulka, Denise I. â€Å"Anatomy of a Picture Book. † 24 April 2005. Picturing Books. 28 August 2005 http://picturingbooks. imaginarylands. org/. Pitz, Henry C. Illustrating Children’s Books: History, Technique, Production. New York: Watson-Guptill, 1963. Troy, Ann. â€Å"Publishing. † CBC Features. July-Dec. 1989.  ©Carol Hanson Sibley, August 2005

Creative intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Creative intelligence - Essay Example It accentuates accomplishment, struggle, rationalism, past experience, and present mindedness. Experiences play important role in intuitive style because individuals make decisions by comparing the present situation with a past one. This style is commonly preferable for managers and politicians (Lewis, 1995). Innovative style focuses on questioning the traditional customs, they believe in determination, and experimentation. They make complete analysis of the data and they prefer willingness to work rather than hard work. Mostly people who like to experiment and believe anything to be true after experimenting possess this style of intelligence such as engineers and scientists. Mostly, peoples’ virtues are persistence in the face of complications and people can find these virtues in their method of handling any complex situation with ease. Though work place plays a huge role in deciding how people perform but people with innovative style somehow convert their discomfort into opp ortunities and still manage to make out the best from them (Rowe, 2007). These kinds of people can contribute largely in the success of any organization because they possess the talent of molding the situation in their own favor however, they lack experience like intuitive ones. Combination of intuitive and innovative people can brighten the name of any organization. People possessing third style that is imaginative are able to envisage and make out opportunities, they are artistic, open-minded, and they are not afraid of taking risks and always think in a unique manner. This style describes astuteness and it belongs particularly to musicians, leaders, artists, writers and the ones who make their imagination and creativity their professions. These kinds of people are very elementary for an organization as they like to take risks and organizations mostly lack these kinds of people. They give huge importance to their creativity and always make decision creatively rather than unexcitingly (Proctor, 2010). The last style is inspirational intelligence, which has influences of change in community. They are willing to accept change and bring change, which is for the good of others. This style is mainly for individuals who have some visions and missions in their minds such as teachers, leaders, and writers. If one compares four styles one finds that the intuitive people have insight in solving functional problems, Innovative individuals mostly take a long time to reach to a solution of problem because they analyze every aspect. Imaginative individuals use value judgments to make their decisions and the inspirational ones totally take into account the welfare of other people to make the decisions. When an organization has to make a decision urgently then it should approach intuitive individuals, however, when they have to identify the effects of certain problems in long term, they should contact imaginative individuals. Although each of these styles describes a definite creative intelligence style, a mainstream of people have more than one creative intelligence style (Rowe, 2007). The level of strength for each style results in a conduct for each individual. This approach to creativity expands the possible number of creative intelligence styles. No one denies that it is beneficial to have more than one creative intelligence style be cause it would help to treat different types of problems at different

Ideology of the American Public Accounting Profession Coursework

Ideology of the American Public Accounting Profession - Coursework Example The researcher states that public interest is the collective well-being of people and the institutions they serve. Failure to fulfill this mandate can have very serious adverse consequences such as what happened to the Arthur Andersen auditing firm for being complicit in the Enron scandal. This paper examines the role of accounting in serving public interest versus self-interest when accountants and auditors are engaged for their services. I will state the answer to the above question is in the negative in relation to the financial crisis brought about by the bursting of the real estate asset price bubble and the issue of stock buybacks within the context of academic research. Real life as used in this paper refers to actual business and economic conditions; regulations pertain to all the government orders issued to control the conduct of business to protect the public interest. The accounting profession adopted a code of ethics and professional conduct for its members to guide them in serving a public interest. The dilemma that most accountants face often is the conflict of interest between public interest and their self-interest. In conflict-of-interest situations, the tendency is to side with private firms that had engaged their services. The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) was formed to guide members in 164 countries how to conduct themselves to resolve issues involving professional ethics in diverse areas like public accounting and auditing. The chief ethical dilemma of most accountants is what constitutes timely and full disclosure. Another example would be the issue of what is appropriate to use: historical cost accounting or fair value accounting. There are plenty of materials that discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of either of these approaches. Accounting reports prepared for financial users such as investors and shareholders do have the important bearing on investment decisions because people rely on them. Accounting is used to improve risk disclosure among publicly-listed companies in terms of adequate internal controls so investors feel assured. Financial statements have a public interest when investors use them in evaluating the alternatives in several companies. Professional bodies emphasize to all members to put public interest over and above self-interest and accept full responsibility for all their work. The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has guidelines to integrate global capital markets through a common language for financial reporting through the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). It is now used in a hundred nations.

Flight Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Flight - Assignment Example Jill also claims that out of the few numbers of people trained on flying the airlines, only a small percentage are willing to be pilots. Despite there being a pilot shortage in the fight industry, there are also rules that limit the number of hours that a pilot can fly a plane before being replaced. Jill argues that the pilot salaries are also a limiting factor towards increasing the number of pilots (Schramm retrieved from http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/sep/7/north-dakota-airports-prepare-for-pilot-shortage/?page=all). The shortage has led to flight cancellations since more often there are no available pilots to fly the plane. Solsvig, an aircraft manager at the North Dakota airport claimed that the only way to solve the problem was to replace the small aircrafts with larger planes so that one pilot can serve many passengers. However, he also said that using larger planes would mean that flight frequency would be reduced. According to Allen, a pilot in the Dakota airport, the salaries of pilots need to be increased in order to draw more people into training to be pilots (Schramm retrieved from http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/sep/7/north-dakota-airports-prepare-for-pilot-shortage/?page=all). The training is also a discouraging factor and should be reduced to attract new trainees. According to the Minneapolis forum, all airports should invest more in pilot training and reduce the education requirements of pilots so as to give a chance for many people to train as pilots. Guy Norris claims that current pilot shortage is caused by lack of collaboration between the industry, the government and the academic institutions training pilots. The vice president of Boeing Airport said that the lack of coaction  between the three parties is likely to cause the airline a problem in serving the increased numbers of

Refusal Memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Refusal Memo - Essay Example The community service program volunteered by the employees has been running smoothly and has been displayed on the company’s website. Dawson & Engels are thus able to improve its image as a social citizen which puts the company is a better place in the competitive scenario. This has been achieved with the help of strategic policies of the company and considering the needs, culture, and sentiments of the society (Banerjee 89). The higher management of the company is politically conservative which is compatible with the views of the employees and the individual citizens in the community. The company also encouraged its employees to participate in the listed volunteer opportunities and without them the entire employee volunteer program would be a failure. The organization has due respect to the employees of the purchasing department as well and has considered your proposal of inclusion of CNV in the list of volunteer opportunities. However, D&E has decided not to engage into the activities of CNV as functional activities and strategies of CNV in resolving community conflicts, conducting peace camps and holding sessions in the schools are politically neutral. ... Looking at the amount of cost involved in engaging into the activities of CNV and the cost-benefit analysis, it would not be prudent to accept the proposal. The company encourages your involvement in the alternate areas available in the approved list of volunteer programs or is even ready to accept new proposals that are in line with the policies of the company (Crew 45). D&E also does not intend to affront its company executives in pursuing this social activity. The company expects that this would be accepted in good spirits and is looking for more proposals in future. Dawson and Energy would continue to recognize the employees for performing outstanding work in the employee volunteer program. In cases approved by the company, the employees would continue to be eligible for the paid volunteer hours for rendering the service to the community on behalf of Dawson and Energy. Memorandum Date: 9th October, 2013. To: The Instructor From: The Student Subject: Rationale for refusal to inclu sion of CNV in the list of community services. The community services are being undertaken by Dawson and Energy as an initiative to become a good citizen of the community. The community services are being rendered in the form of employee volunteer program that is planned in consonance with the marketing director. In order to do this, the company has prepared its list of volunteering activities in different areas. In these areas, the company has taken a strategy to provide grants to the organizations that they would support for providing the community service (Hawkins 42). The company respects the culture and sentiments of the society and carries

Mental health and mental disorder module(psychososial studies Degree) Essay - 1

Mental health and mental disorder module(psychososial studies Degree) - Essay Example The existence of mental disease and the legality of the psychiatric specialization are not universally acknowledged. Depression is the most widespread disease of XX century. During all the past and in present century depression was considered as a normal condition of artistic, creative people. We heard more than once:  «I am in depression, live me along ". Nowadays, depression is a dangerous disease, which causes unfeigned suffering. The diagnosis of depression is not very easy task. The picture of the basic symptoms "is "decorated" with a variety of additional: difficulty to concentrate on any business, the attention "is floating". A known phenomenon "the lights are on but nobodys home" is from this area - it is necessary to re-read the same for thirty times to catch sense at last (is sclerosis a disease?). It is difficult to select word while communicating with other people, the string of conversation is constantly lost; there is a strange indecision, constant doubts even at performance of the most usual tasks. The self-confidence vanishes, it seems, that all the tasks are done wrong; the global feeling of fault may arise before relatives and friends, the person feels like a burden in the family, unnecessary, superfluous at work. His internal monologue sound approximately so: "I am a loser. I have achieved nothing and now full professional bankruptcy is waiting for me†. Both the past and the future are i magined gloomy and pessimistic. The person collects the most unattractive facts of the biography, completely ignoring those moments when he was happy, achieved success. From time to time there is an idea that, perhaps, the simplest way is to leave the life; there is diversified disorder of dream: it is difficult to fall asleep in the evening, general duration is reduced because of often awakenings, and as a result the wakes up at 4-5 oclock in the morning. There is also

Homelessness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Homelessness - Essay Example These people include those who live in sub-standard housing or in overcrowded or undesirable conditions, persons who sleep in a public or private place not designed for human sleeping, those who reside in a homeless shelter, a domestic violence centre. Causes of homelessness vary from but generally include high unemployment rates, family violence, closure of large mental facilities, weak family ties, political instability, rising housing costs, poverty, drug abuse, natural calamities, and the cancellation of government-supported housing programs (Hargrave Web). In any given night in America, about 750,000 men, women, and children are homeless. Single men who are homeless amount to 44 percent, single women 13 percent, families with children 36 percent, and unaccompanied minors seven percent. In totality, about 50 percent African-American, 35 percent white, 12 percent Hispanic, 2 percent Native American and 1 percent Asian are homeless (Chicago Alliance Web). The big question remains t o be how we can remove the homeless from the streets in a reasonable manner. I strongly support that we can remove the homelessness from the American streets by offering financial, material, or informal jobs. Probable solutions are on trial regarding the issue of homelessness and there is a belief that this is possible. Indeed, Homeless International  supports slum dwellers to improve their lives and find lasting solutions to urban poverty and homelessness (Homeless International Web). Additionally, The Housing First strategy from a Harlem-based group proposes a solution to the homelessness menace by providing financial support. Moreover, the Project Downtown in Miami offers significant moral and material support to the homeless hence promoting their probable exit from the streets (Project Downtown Web). In fact, Atlantas Mr. Sibley argues that once a person has a decent place to live, then he can precede his life from there. In addition, The Everyone Deserves a Roof nonprofit

How To Respond To Workforce Diversity Challege Assignment

How To Respond To Workforce Diversity Challege - Assignment Example 196). Although the associates are interdependent parties in the workplace, respecting one’s individual differences can positively increase the organizational productivity. Workforce diversity can lead to reduction of lawsuits and boost marketing opportunities, creativity, business image, and recruitment. In a period when creativity and flexibility are the factors of competitiveness, diversity will be critical for the organization’s success (Erlenkamp 2007, p. 6). On the other hand, workforce diversity if not well managed can pose a serious challenge to this organization hence lowering the organization’s productivity. A senior manager should understand the challenges in managing workforce diversity in an organization. The manager should understand that managing workforce diversity is challenging than simply acknowledging employees' differences (Paludi 2012, p. 23). A senior manager should be able to recognize the values of all differences in the organization, prom oting inclusiveness, and combating discrimination. Diversity in the workplace has caused managers in the organization a challenge with losses in work productivity and personnel due to discrimination, prejudice, complaints, and legal accomplishments against the organization. Managers must use appropriate measures to respond to workforce diversity challenges (Cornelius 2002, p. 258). This is because diversity negative behaviors and attitudes can be obstacles to the organizational diversity because they harm employees working relationships, destroy morale, and work productivity. Required tool that senior managers should use to manage diversity Effective senior managers are conscious that, there are key skills that are necessary for ensuring a profitable,... The managerial and executive teams' commitment to an organization is necessary. Managers and leaders within organizations need to incorporate diversity measures into all aspects of the function and purpose of the organization. Diversity attitudes in an organization originate at the topmost level filtering downwards. Management participation and cooperation are essential to ensure a cultural conducive environment for the success of the organization’s plan. Recommendation: A senior manager should ensure utilization of diversity training in the organization. Diversity training should be in use in order to shape the organization’s diversity policy. Recommendation: A senior manager must promote an attitude of openness in the organization. This includes encouraging employees to speak out their opinions and ideas in order to attribute an equal value sense for all. Conclusion. A diverse workforce in an organization is a total reflection of a transforming marketplace and the wor ld. Diverse work groups bring positive values to an organization. Respecting the employees’ differences will be an added advantage in the workplace since this creates a competitive environment and increases the organization’s productivity. Workforce diversity management is advantageous to associates since it creates a safe and fair environment where all employees have access to challenges and opportunities. A diverse workforce management tool should be practiced to train all employees about issues of diversity.

Dispositions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Dispositions - Essay Example This helps the teacher observe and learn the student’s individual strengths and weaknesses and assist them to improve appropriately (Calkins, 1983). The classroom environment is comfortable. This is evident through the seating arrangement and the overall outlook of the classroom. This tends to boost the students morale and enhances their learning and development. The group seems to be comfortable with each other and this is seen through the interactions that they have. This improves their learning capability because the learners are at ease. 1b). Instructional delivery The instructional delivery used in this class situation is, the teacher has invited the students to participate in the writing process and this improves students’ interest. Once the student has developed an interest in what they are learning, it becomes easier for the teacher to get through to them. The teacher has also monitored the subject of the course that would create an exciting experience for the s tudents. In the video, one of the students talks of how much they love mother’s day. This is a topic that would excite the children. During the learning process, another delivery method that the teacher used is to let the children share a fond experience, which is expressed with their writing. 2. Analysis, Exploration, and Reasoning 2a). Student-teacher interaction The student teacher interaction observed in this classroom situation is the one to one consultation that the teacher has with her students. The teacher seems to be attending to the students at an individual level. This improves the learning capability of the student. The students are actively participating in the teaching-learning activities. The teacher also ensures that there is participatory learning whereby each student actively participates and contributes to the lesson. The lesson is not teacher-centered. 2b). Tone of the teacher-student interaction The tone that the teacher uses is very friendly and slow, an d is geared towards making the children comfortable. When the students are in a learning situation, the kind of tone the teacher uses can determine the level of understanding of the students. The teacher also uses a tone which ensures that all the students hear and understand what is being said because the tone is loud enough (Bransford, Brown & Cocking, 2000). 2c). Level of student engagement with the lesson In the observed classroom, the students are engaged in many activities. One of the activities is drawing a picture of a place of their choice then writing about that place. This kind of student engagement is essential for their learning. After the sharing sessions, the other students are given a chance to discuss the work that has just been presented. This gives the student a chance to share their ideas and correct their fellow student. The students also get to learn from each other as they exchange vocabularies. Not all classrooms have this kind of engagement. 2d). Setting exp ectations for academic performance How the teacher reacts to the performance of a student substantially determines how the student will continue learning. The teacher has to set expectations for academic performance for every class. In the observed situation, the teacher does so by giving the students small tasks and letting the students share the work they have done. With this sharing the students can see what the other students have done. This helps the students not to feel discriminated due to their performance and instead try to be better. This kind of academic expectation does not interfere with the student’s self-esteem while helping them at the same time. The students are also expected to listen keenly to and strictly follow the

Pest Analysis Essay Example for Free

Pest Analysis Essay Knowledge Representation question and answers 1. Consider the following statements a) Reema is a super star. b) All super stars are rich. c) All rich people have fast cars. d) All fast cars consume a lot of petrol. Use predicate logic and inference rules to draw the conclusion â€Å"Reema’s car consumed a lot of petrol†. a. List any two knowledge representation techniques. b. Write Modus Ponens rule. c. Define disjunctive normal form with suitable example. 2. Consider given sentences: It is crime to steal Ram stole in exam Is Ram criminal? Write above sentences in First Order Predicate calculus and use resolution algorithm to answer Is Ram Criminal? 1. Why are propositional logic statements converted into conjunctive normal form (CNF)? Convert given clause to CNF. d. Define logical consequence. e. Why is propositional logic used? 3. Consider given sentences: Ram is a boy. Gita is a girl. Ram is husband of Gita If girl has husband then she is married. Write above sentences in First Order Predicate calculus and resolution algorithm to show Gita is married. . Represent the following paragraph using predicate logic and convert each sentence into clausual form. â€Å"The law says that it is a crime for an American to sell weapons to hostile nations. The country Nono, an enemy of America, has some missiles, and all of its missiles were sold to it by Colonel West, who is American. † a. In propositional logic what is meant by contradict statement? b. What is meant by conjunctive normal form? Show the relation between universal quantifier and existential quantifier a. Define conjunctive normal form and disjunctive normal form. b. Why is predicate logic better than propositional logic? Parse the sentence â€Å"Ram is a good boy† using bottom up parsing 1. Represent the following sentence using propositional logic:- â€Å"If the unicorn is mythical, then it is immortal, but if it is not mythical, then it is a mortal mammal. If the unicorn is either immortal or a mammal, then it is horned. The unicorn is magical if it is horned. † Also prove using resolution that unicorn is magical and unicorn is horned.

The Conservation Of Madagascar And Its Lemurs Biology Essay

The Conservation Of Madagascar And Its Lemurs Biology Essay The extraordinary island of Madagascar is unlike anywhere else on earth. Roughly the size of France, with an area of 226,658 square miles, it is the worlds fourth largest island. It lies in the Indian Ocean, approximatly 250 miles off the coast of Southern Africa. Madagascar, and the tiny island of Comoro, provide the only present-day native habitat to lemurs (Butler, 2009). Nicknamed the 8th Continent because of its diversity of species (Hooper, 2005), Madagascar lacks the dominant form of primates distributed worldwide. Instead, their niche has been filled by an older group of primates, the Lemurs. Due to Madagascars isolation, lemurs have an interesting evolutionary history. Madagascar was originally part of the super continent Gondwanaland. As Gondwanaland began to break apart around 160 million years ago, Madagascar broke away from Africa (Carwardine, 2009). The Island continued to drift, moving away from Africa and by the evolution of monkeys, 17-23 million years ago, Madagascar was already isolated. As highly intelligent and adaptive primates, monkeys, quickly became the dominant primates around the rest of the world. The Strepsirhini, the suborder that includes the lemurs, lorises, bushbabies, and pottos, were driven away and towards extinction by these advanced primates. The lorises, bushbabies, and pottos were able to relatively successfully coexist with the monkeys, largely due to their nocturnal and insectivorous traits. They did not compete with the monkeys; however, the lemur lineage was driven to find a new home, Madagascar (Baines, 1997). As the island of Madagascar drifted futher from Africa, the lemurs were then isolated from the rest of the world and its evolutionary changes. They are now By far the most renowned and diverse group of Madagascars mammals (Sauther, 2009). They have spread throughout Madagascar, filling the niches without much competition or predators. Today lemurs are found in almost all of the ecosystems of Madagascar (Carwardine, 2009), many have adapted in amazing and bizarre ways to ensure their survival. Higher primates or homo-sapiens did not reach Madagascar until around 2,000 years ago, when they learned to navigate the seas (Oldfield, 2002). Once there, humans began to systematically destroy the previously untouched island .15 species of lemur are known to have become be extinct, but many more are thought to have disappeared before they were even discovered. Currently all lemurs are in danger, largely due to habitat destruction and hunting. Madagascars terrain is as diverse as its wildlife with coastal plains, mountain ranges, dramatic escarpments, and dense rainforest. As such, there is a great diversity of ecosystems, each with differing vegetation and therefore: different species. This is usually in accordance with relief, geology and rainfall. The first humans to arrive on Madagascar were the ancestors of the Sakalava people, who originated in Indonesia and now live in the West of the island. These early settlers practiced shifting cultivation, burning the previously untouched vegetation. In the 9th and 13th centuries respectively, the ancestors of the Merina people and Betsileo tribes of Northern Madagascar also arrived from Indonesia, and began farming rice. During the last 1,200 years people from Africa and the Arabian Peninsular have also settled in Madagascar, bringing with them Zebu cattle. Many traditional ceremonies and rituals are based around Zebu cattle, even today many Madagascians measure their wealth by the number of Zebu they own. As such there is now more Zebu than people on Madagascar. Every year vast areas of vegetation are burnt in an attempt to improve pasture for these animals (Oldfield, 2002). In 1895 Madagascar became a French colony. These new settlers began harvesting valuable hardwoods for export, such as ebonies and rosewoods, the harvesting of these trees continues today. The endangered Dalbergia delphinensis tree is one of over 30 rosewoods threatened due to selective felling (Oldfield, 2009). The restricted distribution of this species also coincides with a proposed site for a titanium mine which threatens all the remaining coastal forest in Southeast Madagascar (Kimball, 2009). Also to its detriment, Madagascars rainforests contain valuable minerals, such as gold and sapphires. Attempts to extract these poses further threats. Mining is one of the many threats to Madagascars forests and the many species that rely on them. Wood is also cut for fuel and many logging companies are keen to acquire forest concessions. Another threat is the local form of shifting cultivation known as tavy. Most of Madagascars 13 million human inhabitants depend on the land for their livelihood. Massive amounts of forest are cleared every year by cut and burn techniques for rice cultivation, maize and cassava. Many areas are exhausted of their nutrients and then abandoned, the secondary vegetation that then grows is known as savoka, this is eventually replaced by grassland (Oldfield, 2002). Madagascar is home to a massive 10,000 or so plant species, 80% of which are endemic to the island (Carwardine, 2009). Although Madagascars animal diversity is less striking, many species are unique to the island. Over 250 bird species, nearly half of which are endemic to the island, 300 species of reptiles, over 90% of which are found only on Madagascar (Oldfield, 2002). The islands only amphibians, 178 frog species, all of which are endemic and more than 33 known species of lemur inhabit Madagascar, more than half in its depleting rainforests. According to the Botanist, Henri Perrier de la Bathie, writng in 1921, The once mighty rainforests of Madagascar have declined dramatically. As early as 1921, felling had destroyed ninety per cent of Madagascars forests (Sauther, 2006 ). Biologically, it is regarded as one of the richest areas on the planet (Green, 1990), however, no one has ever managed to make a full evaluation of Madagascars many threatened rainforest species. Conservation-status information on some species of animals and trees has been assembled, but is nowhere near complete. Of the rainforest species of lemurs alone, threatened species include the Indri, as well as the Aye-aye, Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemur, Golden Bamboo Lemur and the Red-bellied Lemur. According to Ian Tattershal in Michelle Sauthers report, Lemurs: Ecology and Adaptations, there is general agreement that the lemurs, including the recently extinct subfossil forms, should be classified into seven families: Cheirogaleidae, the dwarf lemurs with five living genera; Lemuridae, the true lemurs and their close relatives, with five genera (one extinct); Lepilemuridae, with two genera (one extinct); Indriidae, with three living genera, Archaeolemuridae, with two genera (both extinct); Palaeopropithecidae, with four genera (all extinct) and Daubentoniidae, the aye-ayes, with a single living genus and species. Depending on whose classification is accepted, living lemurs may number up to forty different species and possibly even up to seventy two species, if subspecies are included in the count. With these numbers, and despite recent extinctions, Madagascar ranks third highest on the list of high-primate diversity countries worldwide (Sauther, 2009), despite being only one tenth of the size of the world leader, Brazil. All of these species of lemur are endemic to Madagascar. According to the ICUN Red List of Threatened Species, each of these species has different threats to their survival. Many lemurs, such as the Red-ruffed Lemur, and many types of bamboo lemurs are critically endangered. With a drastically reduced habitat there are few left in the wild. The Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemur, Golden-brown Mouse Lemur, and the Black and White Ruffed Lemurs are not as close to extinction, but are listed as endangered. Some of the lemurs listed as vulnerable include the Black Lemur, Crowned Lemur, and a number of Fork-marked Lemurs. Perhaps the most remarkable lemur species have long been extinct. These included the Archaeoindris, which was larger than an adult male gorilla, the Babakotia and the Magaladapsis. All lemurs are protected by law, and in many communities it is considered taboo to kill an Indri, but elsewhere, the Indri, and many other species of lemur, are hunted for food and sometimes sold as bush meat or pets (Carwardne, 2009). Madagascar has suffered environmental degradation over a significant part of its land mass. Once covered with rainforests, most of the Eastern third of Madagascar is now, either barren, or reduced to shrub land. As indigenous vegetation is cut and burned for fuel many areas such as the Spiny forest, which contains many rare plant and animal species endemic to the island, have given way to cactus scrub. Around eighty per cent of the original plant cover has been destroyed and much of the terrain is now degraded grassland (Oldfield, 2002). Each year, a further 1% of Madagascars forests are levelled. This mass deforestation not only affects the land and its inhabitants directly, but also indirectly. Without vegetation to absorb moisture the soil is eroding away at an alarming rate. Enviromental regulations have been in place to protect the forests and species of Madagascar since 1881 and at present, more money is put towards the conservation of Madagascar, than any other part of Africa (Butler, 2009). Madagascar is one of the worlds poorest nations, with a per capita income of approximately $240 per year. About 80 percent of the population are subsistence farmers, many of whom depend entirely on natural capital to support their way of life. The peoples dependency on the land and natural resources is of major consequence to Madagascars ecosystems and endemic biodiversity (Kremen, 2010). The major environmental problems of Madagascar include deforestation, and thus loss of habitat, agricultural fires, erosion and soil degradation and the over exploitation of resources. The deforestation of Madagascar can be mostly attributed to three activities. Tavy, or slash and burn agriculture, logging for timber, and fuel wood and charcoal production. Tavy is a large part of Malagasy culture, and has been since the arrival of humans on the island. It is used to convert tropical rainforest into rice fields. An acre or two of land may be cut or burned; it is then planted with rice. After several years production the land is then left fallow for up to six years before replanting (Kremen, 2010). After several of these cycles the land is exhausted of all its nutrients and no primary vegetation will grow. The land then becomes barren and only scrubs and a few grasses will grow. This vegetation is often insufficient to anchor the soil, especially on slopes, making erosion a problem. According to the ICUN, the high value of Malagasy hardwoods also makes logging for timber a significant problem in many areas of Madagascar, especially in the rainforests of Eastern Madagascar. Even the few areas that are protected are often illegally logged and even the endemic spiny forests of Madagascar are being cut at an alarming rate for charcoal and fuelwood production. Every year, as much as a third of what remains of Madagascars forest burn. Fires set for land clearing and pastureland often spread into adjoining forests ,causing much damage and further reducing the habitat of many species of flora and fauna. For Madagascar, a country that relies on agricultural production as the foundation of its economy, the loss of this soil, due to erosion, is a massive problem. The deforestation of Madagascars central highlands plus weathering has resulted in massive soil erosion accounting for up to 400 tons per year. Every yea,r the cost of environmental damage is approximated to between 100 and 290 billion US dollars. Deforestation represents 75% of this loss and 15% due to the erosion that effects agricultural and pastoral production (Oldfield, 2002). Due to the factors mentioned throughout, and many more, Madagascars species are among the most threatened in the world. Since the arrival of man Madagascar has lost a known 16 species of lemur, including one the size of a gorilla; a pygmy hippo, the largest land bird to ever walk the planet, and giant tortoises, a species that had survived for 200 million years. The ICUN Redlist currently includes 472 Malagasy species at risk of becoming extinct, although this number is probably massively optimistic. Today, Madagascar is arguably the worlds highest conservation priority (ICUN, 2011). Ensuring the survival of lemurs is not only important because they are endemic to Madagascar, but also because they benefit plants and other animals. Many species of lemur are very important seed dispersers for forest trees and pollinators for many of the plants that are also endemic to Madagascar. They are also an important source of food for other animals. The National Association for the Management of Protected Areas in Madagascar (ANGAP) was founded in 1990 to manage Madagascars protected areas system. ANGAPs mission is to safeguard Madagascars ecosystem, research the potential of Madagascars biodiversity, develop environmental education programs for local people, promote potential commercial applications of Madagascars biodiversity, for example ecotourism, and to support sustainable development activities in areas surrounding protected zones. One of ANGAPs goals is to enable local communities to directly benefit from the conservation of Madagascar. Half of the entrance fees to the conservation parks go directly to local communities and visitors can not enter a park without hiring a local guide. ANGAP also works closely with many other organisations and scientists to asses the impact of visitors to the parks and reserves and study the biodiversity of Madagascar. The ANGAP manages the protected areas network in Madagascar (Butler, 200 9). The network includes three types of protected area. Strict nature reserves, national parks, and wildlife reserves. In 2003, at the ICUNs world parks congress, Marc Ravalomanana, the Malagasy president, announced a bold plan to expand the amount of area under protection from approximately 1.7 million hectares to over 6 million hectares. In 2005 the first 10,000 km2 of the new protected areas system of Madagascar was granted protection status and in 2006 1 million hectares was added, both contributing to the overall goal of 10% of Madagascar being protected. This plan also involved broadening the definition of protected areas in Madagascar and legislation has since been passed to allow four new categories of protected area, natural parks, natural monuments, protected landscapes, and national resource reserves (Butler, 2009). Madagascar currently has 19 terrestrial national parks, 2 marine national parks, 5 complete natural reserves, and 21 special reserves. Reference List Baines, E (1997) University of Edinburgh Natural History Museum. Retrieved from http://www.nhc.ed.ac.uk/index.php?page=493.504.513. Accessed 28/4/2011 Burnie, D (2001). Animal. London: Dorling Kindersley Butler, R. (2009) Wild Madagascar. Retrieved from http://www.wildmadagascar.org/history/. Accessed 29/4/2011 Carwardine, M (2009). Last Chance to See. London: Harper Collins Green, G Sussman, R (1990). Science, New Series, Vol. 248, No. 4952, Pages 212 215 Hooper, R (2005). New Scientist Madagascar Reveals Two New Species of Lemur. Retrieved from http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn7818. Accessed 14/4/2011 ICUN, 2011. ICUN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.4. Retrieved from http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/search. Accessed 24/4/2011 Kimball, S et al (2009). USGA Minerals Yearbook, Area Reports: International 2006, Africa and the Middle East. Washington DC, USA: United Staes Government Printing Office Kottak, C (1980). Past in the Present: History, Ecology and Cultural Variation in Highland Madagascar. Chicago, USA: University of Michigan Press Kremen, C (2010). Traditions That Threaten. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/edens/madagascar/paradise.htm. Accessed on 1/5/2011 Oldfield, S (2002). Rainforest. London: New Holland Publishers (UK) Sauther, M (2006). Lemurs: Ecology and Adaptation. New York, USA: Springer Science and Business Media

Theories Of Implicit And Explicit Knowledge English Language Essay

Theories Of Implicit And Explicit Knowledge English Language Essay The distinction between implicit and explicit knowledge is of great significance for language teaching. The theoretical models emerging from SLA research have taken up differing stances on the interface between implicit and explicit knowledge in the L2 learning process. With reference to these stances, two points of particular interest to L2 classroom instruction are: which type of knowledge contributes more effectively to learning and which type of teaching, explicit or implicit, provides more assistance to the L2 learning process. This paper discusses some of the influential theories of implicit and explicit knowledge; how the two types of knowledge contribute to learning; and the impact of theory on classroom instructional methodologies. Although both types of knowledge can refer to different aspects of language, this paper focuses particularly on grammar for two reasons: firstly due to space limitations, and secondly because of its importance to language pedagogy. The paper starts by defining the two types of knowledge and providing an overview of what the corresponding learning and teaching aspects of this knowledge entail. The theories that are then discussed have been grouped according to their stance on how the two types of knowledge interface. Along with a brief description of the theories I will also look at their implications on classroom instruction. The paper concludes by reviewing form focused instruction, which is a good example of how ideas emanating from theory have influenced teaching approaches by integrating the artificiality of learning into a more natural process. 2. Defining the implicit/explict dichotomy 2.1 Implicit knowledge, learning and instruction Implicit knowledge is commonly associated with a learners linguistic competence (Ellis, 2005a). Literature on psychology and SLA research uses several overlapping terms to refer to this knowledge, for example, unconscious knowledge, intuitive knowledge/awareness, epilinguistic behaviour, spontaneous/ automated knowledge, or procedural knowledge/rules/memory. Bialystok (1981) offers the following description of implicit knowledge: The general form in which information is represented allows us to know things intuitively without being aware of the formal properties of that knowledge. For example, we know a great deal about language that defies mental examination, but the knowledge is demonstrated by our ability to produce correct, coherent utterances. Implicit knowledge underlies the fluent language skills usually associated with native speakers (Hulstijn, 2007), who have an ability to notice grammatical errors without necessarily being able to explain the rules causing them. Ellis (1994) suggests that this knowledge can be broken down into two sub-categories: formulaic knowledge consisting of pre-fabricated chunks of language; and rule-based which consists of general and abstract structures which have been internalised. Both these sub-categories are stored unconsciously and only become apparent when the language is produced in communication (ibid). Within the brain, implicit knowledge is not restricted to one specific area, but is spread over different regions of the neocortex (Paradis, 1994). Implicit learning is the forming of implicit knowledge, and is a natural process of acquiring new knowledge unknowingly, and in such way that the knowledge is difficult to verbalise (Ellis, 1994). For example, a learner may unwittingly learn a grammatical rule while working on a meaning focused activity, or notice a structural pattern during a short-term memory task. This learning takes place automatically whenever information is processed receptively, and once the process is initiated, the learner cannot choose not to encode the input (Hulstijn, 2007). Classroom instruction is considered implicit if rules are not presented and learners are not required to attend to forms (Norris and Ortega, 2000). Examples of implicit instruction include high frequency input, interaction, and recasts (Spada, 2010). Grammatical and lexical resources are a means to an end, and considering the general consensus that development of implicit linguistic knowledge results in language acquisition, the ultimate aim of classroom instruction should be to facilitate this development (Ellis, 2005b). Even though there is still disagreement on how implicit knowledge is acquired, it is generally accepted that communicative activities play an essential role in the process; therefore communicative tasks could be an effective instructional tool when the language learning focus is on implicit knowledge (ibid). 2.2 Explicit Knowledge, learning and instruction Explicit knowledge refers to different aspects of language, including grammatical, phonological, lexical, pragmatic and socio-cultural (Ellis, 2005a). As with implicit knowledge, several overlapping terms have been used to refer to L2 explicit knowledge, for example, language/metalinguistic awareness, analysed knowledge, conscious knowledge, declarative knowledge, learned knowledge, or metagrammar. Ellis (2004: 244) gives an extended definition of explicit knowledge as: Explicit L2 knowledge is the declarative and often anomalous knowledge of the phonological, lexical, grammatical, and sociocritical features of an L2 together with the metalanguage for labelling this knowledge. It is held consistently and is learnable and verbalisable. It is typically accessed through controlled processing when L2 learners experience some kind of linguistic difficulty in the use of the L2. Learners vary in the breadth and depth of their L2 explicit knowledge. Explicit learning is a conscious, deliberate process of structuring explicit, verbalisable knowledge, which can take place while learning concepts/rules in the classroom or it may be initiated independently (Hulstijn, 2007), for example, when a learner refers to a grammar book to find the past participle of a particular verb. This type of learning requires a degree of cognitive development, therefore it is unlikely to take place in early childhood (ibid). Explicit knowledge is said to reside, or at least processed in a specific area of the brain (the medial temporal lobe, including the hippocampus), which is separate to the areas where implicit knowledge is stored (Ullman, 2001). Norris and Ortega suggest that explicit instruction exists along a continuum, from instruction which is more to that which is less explicit (Norris and Ortega, 2000). A deductive approach to classroom instruction is an example of a more explicit from of instruction, where rules are explained before a structure is presented in context. An example of a less explicit form is inductive instruction, here learners are asked to attend to and make metalinguistic generalisations on a form which has already been presented in context (ibid). 3. The implicit/explicit interface The contradictory claims regarding the dichotomy of implicit and explicit knowledge have focused mainly on how these two types of knowledge interface. The interface hypothesis presents three positions which argue the extent to which explicit knowledge is involved in L2 acquisition. 3.1 The non-interface position At a certain age children stop using their language to communicate and begin to look at it reflectively (Tunman and Herriman, 1984). Childrens use of explicit knowledge is considered to exhibit different levels of consciousness depending on their literacy skills, whereas their acquisition or use of implicit knowledge shows little variation (Ellis, 2004). This implies therefore, that knowledge which initiates conscious or explicit linguistic behaviour is distinct from that unconscious or implicit knowledge which characterises natural language use. Krashen (1982), Paradis (1994) and Schwartz (1993) claim that acquired and explicitly learned L2 knowledge does not interface, arguing that the former is responsible for language fluency, and the latter is only useful to monitor communicative output. Paradis (1994) also rejects the possibility of explicit knowledge converting directly into implicit knowledge, or vice versa. He suggests that since these two types of knowledge exist in neuroanatomically distinct memory systems, they can interact but transfer of knowledge from one to the other is unlikely (ibid). Krashen (1982) argues that formal teaching of grammar is unnecessary as it has no effect on language acquisition, and explicit L2 knowledge may never actually convert to implicit knowledge. In addition he suggests learners have little ability to learn grammar. Similarly, Truscott (1996) adds that the only benefits of formal grammar instruction are in preparing learners for assessment which look to measure explicit metalinguistic knowledge rather than communicative ability. In his input hypothesis Krashen states that like L1, L2 acquisition is also a natural process which occurs implicitly while a learner is exposed to comprehensible L2 input (Krashen, 1982). If learners are motivated, they will naturally follow an in-built syllabus to develop their inter-language, and using an intuitive process of trial and error, eventually acquire the L2 (Ibid). Krashens theory was the inspiration behind the natural and communicative approaches to language teaching. Counter to Krashens claims, evidence from research has shown that despite immersion in the L2, learners continue to make grammatical errors. A study by Harley and Swain (1984), for example, showed that immersion students relying purely on comprehensible input were unable to achieve high levels of language proficiency. Effect of L1 transfer is a possible reason why implicit learning processes are less effective for L2 (Ellis, 2008). Unlike a newborn infant, the L2 learners neocortex is already configured and optimised for the L1 (ibid). L2 processing and automatisation therefore occur non-optimally, as they have to rely on implicit L1 representations (ibid). A weaker form of the non-interface position suggests a possibility of implicit knowledge being transferred to explicit knowledge through conscious reflection and analysis of implicitly generated output (for example, Bialystok, 1982). Similarly, Ellis (1994) also argues for a seperateness of the two types of knowledge, he proposes a connectionist account of implicit knowledge as a complex interconnected network which is neurologically detached from explicit language knowledge. However, he suggests that the two types of knowledge may be derived from each other and that they can interact during language use (ibid: 235). 3.2 The interface position The non-interface position has been attacked both theoretically and empirically by other SLA researchers, who have addressed the role played by explicit knowledge in language acquisition. Sharwood Smith (2004), for example, uses the interface hypothesis to argue that explicit knowledge can be gained from implicit knowledge, and similarly explicit knowledge can be transformed to implicit knowledge using: contextualised communicative practice, repeated use and corrective feedback. Taking a strong interface position, the skill building theory (DeKeyser, 2003) suggests that a procedularised form of explicit knowledge is functionally equivalent to implicit knowledge when learners are given plenty of opportunities to engage in meaningful communicative practice. This practice is an essential step in proceduralising the target language for spontaneous use; hence it is important that learners are motivated to engage in this process through non-threatening feedback (Faerch, 1986). Many studies have provided empirical evidence to justify the role of explicit grammar teaching. Ellis (1994), for example, has shown that explicit language instruction leads to faster learning, and that adhering to an implicit focus on meaning fails to provide high levels of competence. However, for grammar instruction to be effective, some researchers have found that a careful selection and sequencing of rules is essential, as well as a determination of the learners linguistic readiness to accept a new grammatical item (Ellis, 1994; Fotos, 1994). The grammar translation and cognitive approaches, which were popular in the 1960s and 70s are typical examples of explicit teaching methods. These methods were influenced by the belief that an explicit knowledge of grammatical rules precedes their use (Ellis, 2008). The PPP model is another instructional approach taking an interface stance. PPP emphasis a focus on form, and stipulates that a language feature should be: explicitly presented, then practiced and finally produced in order to procedularise the feature. Swan (2005) sees PPP as a useful approach for presenting and practicing language structures under semi-controlled conditions. However, PPP is now widely seen as lacking a firm basis in SLA theory, its linearity and behaviourist nature fails to take into consideration the stages of developmental readiness that a learner goes through (Ellis, 2003); and its systematic instructional approach is unlikely to lead to acquisition of the language feature taught (Skehan, 1996). 3.3 The weak interface position A weak interface position proposed by some theorists, suggests the possibility of transferring knowledge between the implicit/explicit systems. Two popular processing models from cognitive psychology which take a weak-interface position are McLaughlins (1987) information processing model, and Andersons (1983) ACT model. The information-processing model proposes that complex behaviour evolves from simple modular processes that can be isolated and analysed independently (McLaughlin, 1987). Within this framework L2 learners use controlled processing, requiring a lot of attentional control to generate language sequences, which are then stored in short-term memory (ibid). Through repeated activation, these sequences become automatic and are transferred to long-term memory, where they can be accessed with minimal attentional control (ibid). Based on a similar viewpoint, the ACT model (Anderson, 1983), suggests that declarative knowledge (knowing that something is the case) leads to procedural knowledge (knowing how to do something). Three types of memory are defined in this framework: a working memory (similar to short-term memory), and two types of long-term memory, declarative and procedural. Anderson maintains that during learning, declarative knowledge becomes procedural and automatised, and that both types of knowledge are stored differently (ibid). A learner might start of by studying a rule (for example, Use a and an when the following word starts with a consonant or vowel, respectively), but every time a phrase containing this rule is produced or received, the phrase is stored as an instance in memory (Logan, 1988). Increasing encounters with these instances raises their activation levels to such an extent that eventually retrieving a stored instance will be quicker than applying the rule (ibid). Other versions of the weak interface position also support a possibility of knowledge transfer but set restrictions on when and how this transfer can take place. Pienemann (1989), for example, argues that learners cannot transmit knowledge between the two systems until they are ready to acquire the linguistic form. Ellis (1994) claims that explicitly teaching declarative rules can have a top-down impact on perception, leading to saliency of the taught language features. Learners are then able to notice the feature during input, and by comparing it with their output can consciously notice the gap (ibid). Explicit knowledge in this case acts as a stimulus in activating conscious awareness and the subsequent storage in long-term memory (Ellis, 2005b). The significance of explicit knowledge in this case is not so much as a contributor to acquisition, but as a detector of specific language features in the input. Ellis suggests consciousness raising (CR) as a way of setting a linguistic focus to tasks, and encouraging learner autonomy by requiring learners to derive explicit grammar rules independently (Ellis 2005b). CR raising tasks can be inductive or deductive, in the former learners are expected to induce an explicit representation of a rule, whereas in the latter the rule is provided at the beginning of the task (Ellis et al., 2003). The main aims of CR tasks are to involve learners in goal-orientated communication and to encourage the development of explicit knowledge (ibid). 4. Form focused instruction (FFI) FFI consists of a number of approaches to teaching that advocate a focus on both meaning and form (for example, Doughty and Williams, 1998; Lightbown and Spada, 1990). The distinction between the various types of FFI is that some are implicit in nature, and others are more explicit. Ellis (2001) defines FFI as a type of instruction which includes any planned or incidental instructional activity that is intended to induce language learners to pay attention to linguistic form. Long (1991) distinguishes between two types of FFI: focus on formS (FonFs) and focus on form (FonF). The former involves teaching discrete grammar points according to a synthetic syllabus leading to a preselected linguistic target (ibid). FonFs is regarded as an explicit form of FFI (Housen and Pierrard, 2005) and is more in line with the interface position. A typical example of a FonFs approach is the PPP model. FonF on the other hand is a more implicit form of FFI (ibid), and aims to overtly draw the students attention to linguistic elements as they arise incidentally in lessons whose overriding focus is on meaning or communication (Long, 1991: 45). FonF is based on the idea that first and second language acquisition are similar in that they both rely on exposure to comprehensible input from natural interaction (ibid). However it also takes into account important differences: that learners cannot acquire many of the grammatical aspects of language through exposure alone, and that this needs to be balanced by providing a focus on grammatical as well as communicative aspects of the second language (ibid). The instructional activities associated with the FonF approach involve a mixture of implicit and explicit techniques, for example: input enhancement where a target form is highlighted for awareness; and a structure-based task (Fotos, 2005) which requires the completion of a meaningful task u sing the target form, before the latter is explicitly taught and practiced further. Long (1991) contends that FonF instruction may be more effective than a focus on meaning (FonM) or a FonFs approach, because it is more consistent with the findings of SLA research. From a psycholinguistic perspective a FonF teaching in the classroom is justified for three main reasons: FonM may be useful in developing oral fluency, however it fails to provide high levels of linguistic or sociolinguistic competence (Ellis et al., 2003). The FonM approach is based on Krashens (1981) hypothesis which states that all that is needed to acquire a language is extensive exposure to rich comprehensible L2 input. However, while researching literature comparing instructed with uninstructed learning (FonM), Long (1991) found that instructed learning was much more effective in achieving high proficiency levels. A FonFs approach is based on the idea that classroom L2 learning is derived from cognitive processes and therefore involves the learning of a skill (Ellis et al., 2003). However empirical evidence (for example Pienemann, 1989) suggests that a FonFs approach does not guarantee that learners will develop the ability to restructure their interlanguage. Studies have shown that classroom learning follows a sequentially similar acquisition process as natural learning (Ellis et al., 2003). However, in the classroom learners may follow an inbuilt syllabus, allowing them to benefit or acquire only those aspects of FFI for which they are linguistically ready (ibid). Therefore deciding on which language feature learners are ready to acquire may pose a difficulty for FonFs instruction. A FonF instruction draws attention to the target form through a contextually meaningful communication, allowing the learners to develop their fluency and accuracy (Ellis et al., 2003). FonF is pedagogically efficient in that it can focus specifically on those language features that either need clarification or are problematic at a contextually relevant moment (ibid). FonF also gives an opportunity to learners to receive feedback in a meaningful context, allowing them to notice the gap between their interlanguage and the negative evidence provided by the feedback (ibid). Johnson (1996), in his skills building theory suggests that feedback is most useful for learners when it is presented in real operating conditions. Corrective feedback exposes learners to the correct form and encourages them to produce it themselves; leading to a possible acquisition of these forms (Ellis et al., 2003). The above discussion supports the efficacy of FonF instruction; however the effectiveness of this method in some EFL contexts is doubted. In educational contexts where teachers are obliged to follow a tightly controlled syllabus, or where class size does not permit individual feedback, a FonF instructional approach may be difficult to implement (Poole, 2005). What this suggests is that pedagogical implications of SLA studies on implicit and explicit knowledge need to be related to different learning and teaching contexts. 5. Conclusion This paper discussed some of the prominent theories that have emerged from SLA research on implicit and explicit knowledge. As well as defining the two types of knowledge, their impact on the learning process and instructional practices were also highlighted. A look at focus on form instruction showed how the ideas from different theoretical viewpoints have merged to give a teaching approach which balances both implicit and explicit learning. Although research has shown that traditional explicit grammar instruction is unlikely to lead to the implicit knowledge needed for proficiency in a language, there is still a lot of controversy regarding the best alternative (Ellis, 2006). The conflicting views on the overall role of implicit and explicit knowledge in SLA point to the complexity of the issue and suggest that a thorough understanding is still evolving. Ellis (2008) suggests that because consciousness and linguistic knowledge are so difficult to conceptualise and operationalise, improving our insight in these areas is a major challenge. In order to help gain a deeper understanding, future research needs to collaborate with developments in other disciplines such as cognitive science and cognitive neuroscience (Doughty and Long, 2003).