The True Meaning Of Being Happy - 1012 Words

What is happiness? What does it mean to be happy? Is happiness real? These questions are the most frequently asked questions that most people ask themselves. By definition, being happy is when something is feeling or showing pleasure or contentment. But, what is the true meaning of being happy? Many people view happiness in many different aspects. Pharrell Williams’s song â€Å"Happy† did just that. It tells people that they don’t have to seek hard to be happy. It is within one’s self. Unlike most songs, there is no hidden message. The message is very clear. It is about maintaining a positive state of mind despite how bad and sometimes heartbreaking events in life can be. When you think about the great times in life, everything seems to†¦show more content†¦But Pharrell’s â€Å"Happy† doesn’t fall into that trap. It’s an exuberant song about feeling the possibilities in a pure, natural, and limitless state. Now, letâ₠¬â„¢s take a deeper look into his lyrics. The song’s first lyrics through us in a whirlpool as he begins with â€Å"It might seem crazy what I m about to say. Sunshine she s here, you can take away. I m a hot air balloon, I could go to space. With the air, like I don t care baby by the way.† Pharrell wants the listener to know how he might be crazy but he doesn’t care what you think about him. He’s just going to be weird when it comes to telling you how he feels. Next, the chorus begins with the lines â€Å"Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof, Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth. Clap along if you know what happiness is to you, Clap along if you feel like that’s what you wanna do.† Here, Pharrell’s narrator is to remind the listener to continue to be happy no matter what. Also, you have no limits so live it up. What’s happiness if you’re going to experience it with limitations? Now, weâ€℠¢ve reached the second verse. Pharrell continues to give us more tips on staying happy. â€Å"Here come bad news talking this and that, yeah. Well, give me all you got, and don’t hold back, yeah. Well, I should probably warn you I’ll be just fine, yeah. No offense to you, don’t waste your time. Here’s why.† In these particular lyrics, he wants us to know that he is happy and he doesn’t give aShow MoreRelatedThe Meaning Of My Life Essay1019 Words   |  5 PagesEssay: The meaning of My life At one or three points in my life I’ve question the purpose of life and what my purpose of being here was,or if there even is a true meaning to my life. Everyone has different aspects on what the true meaning of their life is, some may say that the true purpose is to work hard, by setting goals that you should achieve. 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The Cloud Of Unknowing By J. Alfred Prufrock Essay

A parallel novel, The Cloud of Unknowing, was anonymously written in the fourteenth-century about the journey of transitioning from a secular life to a God centered life. It begins with the writer addressing the reader in a fatherly manner- this way, the reader is able to connect with the writer even when the journey gets rough. The author states the journey to know God is contemplative, through giving up all previous understandings of God and traveling through a â€Å"cloud of unknowing† to obtain a oneness with God. The author also notes that the journey will not be easy and that frustration can happen, but that frustration should be channeled into focus as greater understanding will come as the frustration ends. The hard part of this journey, according to the author, is in having a desire or willingness to work over time to come to oneness with God. In â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† the main character of the poem, Prufrock, expresses the theme of isolation and introduces the reader to his sense of feeling isolated because of how he thinks he is perceived by others. Prufrock’s search to end his isolation is shown by the conversational monologue that he carries out as he searches for a way to connect with other people. Prufrock’s isolation is shown through both an epigraph from Dante and multiple types of imagery spread throughout the poem such as music, sex, and nature. The epigraph used for the poem is from Dante’s Inferno canto XXVII. These short few lines

Market Position of Booktopia Private Limited

Question: Discuss about the Report for Market Position of Booktopia Private Limited. Answer: Introduction Background Booktopia Pty Ltd has seen a downward trend in sales. The company is looking for market trend and digital innovation route to change the position of the company in the market (The Booktopian, 2016). Purpose of Report This report was prepared to evaluate the declining sales of Booktopias books and to look for new digital innovation ideas to augment the sales figure. The report also discusses the current state of the Booktopia and its existing concerns. Suggestions are included for digital innovations/ technology options which may help the company to achieve its target sales. Scope of Report The report is restricted to a discussion of the declining sale of books in Booktopia website. The report includes a market analysis which consists of current market scenario, industry trend, and analysis. Options for digital innovation are explored to increase sales. A suitable value proposition is added in the report. Market Analysis Current market scenario Online book purchasing has revolutionized the manner of reading as the user can buy books from the various online bookstores (Chang, et al., 2016). There has been huge growth in e-commerce and online book market in last few years. As people prefer e-books which can be accessed from anywhere anytime (Yang, et al., 2010). Booktopia has combined new technologies with old technologies, financial and social technology to create flexible and secure online bookstore (The Booktopian, 2016). As per The Booktopian, (2016) Booktopia Pty Ltd runs an online bookstore in Australia. It sells through its online portal books, CDs, DVDs, eBooks, calendars, and several products to Australia citizens, schools, businesses, libraries, universities and government departments. The company is making more than $85 million a year. The online bookstore Booktopia was voted as the Australia's favourite bookshop in a poll conducted by the Australia Booksellers Association (The Booktopian, 2016). The online bookstore is most sought after for book purchasing and when an online bookstore offers the products as per the needs of the customer, it is widely preferred. The Booktopia has become most used online book store in Australia to purchase books online. The company has accommodated the technology and support system to assist the customer via dedicated customer helpline number (Chang, et al., 2016). The rapid growth of sales of books under the Booktopia website has stagnated. The company was the given priority by customers over Amazon as the company offers books at least price. The company is a member of the Australian Booksellers Association (Booksellers.org.au, 2016). Industry Trends and analysis Online bookstores have undergone rapid growth in the last five years. Consumers use to prefer e-commerce transactions more and enjoying online books via delivery (Chang, et al., 2016). According to Gray, (2013) the transformation from bricks-and-mortar retailers to online bookstore have converted into revenue growth for these online retailers like the Booktopia. The decline of traditional book retailers due to parallel import restrictions and regional and overseas online competition has forced many consumers to buy from industry operators (Carrico, 2015). Industry revenue of online bookstore is forecast to grow by a compound annual 14.7 percent over the five years through 2015-16, to reach $115.7 million in 2020-21 (Chang, et al., 2016). As the current trend showing a drop in sales and analysis shows a declining trend in sales. It was found out in the analysis that younger customer segment in the age group of 18 years old to 30 years old which is placing less and fewer orders using the Booktopia (The Booktopian, 2016). The company wants to increase its revenue in the next five years and to become geographically located with an increase in revenue by 20 percent year by year. The current technology used by the company is not enough to fuel the fire of growth company needs to expand (Chen and Cheng, 2012). The company is looking for digital technology and new concepts to further augment the sales to raise revenue and increase its long-term goals. Digital Innovation and Trends As per the view of Gray, (2013)many big brands, retailers and all e-commerce business use the internet as selling and advertising platform in the recent era. Now the sales channel of marketing has become double-digit growth indicators (Yang, et al., 2010). It has become the most useful medium for sales purpose (Carrico, 2015). However, this digital innovation and its growth increase sales revenue of any business. Consumers like to gather information about new products or services every day. They have become time conscious and prefer browsing internet (Carrico, 2015). People are now covered with a digital world that fills with new products, services, and digital innovations. Digital innovation is the latest buzz phrase (Chen and Cheng, 2012). Digital innovation means to carry out of innovative combinations of components- digital and physical for producing novel products. The basic definition of digital innovation is turning paper records into electronic records (Gray, 2013). This change requires data collection, processing, and analysis of the data. After digital media, digital innovation is the next iteration. Digital Innovation is the important source to make consumers life easier, more productive and more enjoyable (Chang, et al., 2016). Many companies recognize that the online marketing or the digital marketing is moving rapidly to the mainstream business. Over the past two decades, the way of shopping has evolved rapidly. People now can shop with clicks (Gray, 2013). Digital innovation makes the consumers more digitally savvy. Speed and sophistication are on the rise for innovative digitization. It lets the social platform to drive the world. Productivity and efficiency rise for digital innovation in recent trends (Yang, et al., 2010). In order to understand the characteristics of digital innovation of recent trends, it is important to know how digital technology differs from previous technologies (Carrico, 2015). Chen and Cheng (2012) have explained that new digital innovation has three unique characteristics: (1) the programmability, (2) the homogenization of data, and (3) the self-referential nature of digital technology The programmability- Digital innovation includes programmability as a digital device is reprogrammable. It can separate the semiotic functional logic of the digital device from the physical embodiment that executes it. The homogenization of data- Digital innovation provides homogenization of data. The self-referential nature of digital technology- The meaning of self-reference is that digital innovation requires the use of digital technology. The recent trends in digital innovation include many new things. Many e-commerce business organization use Snapchat as their advertising platforms. Marketing automation software is used to send mass emails in recent trends (Chang, et al., 2016). There are many mobile-friendly apps that are helpful in digital marketing. Value Proposition Value proposition serves as the base for all the marketing efforts of the company and defines what makes the company different and unique from its competitors. The value proposition of the company should include: Assurance to solve a specific problem or achieve a particular goal Clear description of how the prospective customer will benefit from using your products and services Identifies visible results customers can expect due to using your services Enables the company to offer must-have services and create tempting marketing messages Demonstrates the company lucidly its target customers, what they are looking for and where competitors fall short Carrico (2015) has defined Value proposition solves the problem of a customer or satisfies his needs. Each value proposition includes a selected range of products or services that serve the requirement of a particular customer segment. In this manner, the value proposition is a bundle, or an aggregation, of benefits which a company offers to its customers (Yang, et al., 2010). As the value proposition requires the Booktopia includes in a bundle of benefits, not just one thing. The value proposition of the Booktopia includes: Fast and easy service Cheap delivery charges Huge discount and coupons Gracious return policy Good customer service with full customer helpline Full availability of all types of books, e-books, CDs and DVDs Most trusted online bookstore in Australia Recommendation Following Chen and Cheng, (2012) it can be recommended that Booktopia need to follow certain key aspects to increase the target sales and company growth of the company. In the digitization era, customers become the powerful part of the business (Chang, et al., 2016).The company believes in online reviews. The company should use video reviews or reviews containing product image can work (Yang, et al., 2010). The company can use feedback programs to increase the volume of feedback which is submitted by the customers. The company can introduce sponsored products list as this can make the products to be displayed below search results (Carrico, 2015). The company should give discounts on products if the buyer buys in a bulk. Conclusion The report has analysed the Booktopia declining sales and digital innovation technology to increase revenue. The purpose of this report has been fulfilled by searching new digital innovation technology and providing a clear discussion of how the sales of the company in the young customer market will increase. Digital innovation has unique characteristics of the programmability, the homogenization of data and the self-referential nature of digital technology (Chen and Cheng, 2012). Building a suitable value proposition is very significant for the growth of the company. Booktopia value proposition is prepared in such a manner the target customer will be attracted towards the online bookstore. Fast and easy service with cheaper delivery charges and gracious return policy will be given a warm welcome by the customers. The company can include Snapshot as other e-commerce businesses are using for their advertising platforms. Recommendations such as video reviews and products reviews are given to lure young customer market. Discount on bulk purchase is one of the techniques to attract youth consumer segment. References blog.Booktopia.com.au, 2016. The Booktopian - Booktopia Blog. [Online] Available at: https://blog.Booktopia.com.au/ [Accessed 24 August 2016]. Booksellers.org.au, 2016. About ABA - Australian Booksellers Association. [Online] Available at: https://www.booksellers.org.au/about-aba [Accessed 24 August 2016]. Carrico, S., 2015. Online Book Selling at the Smathers Library Bookstore. Library Resources Technical Services, 49(4), pp. 276-283. Chang, J., Lee, M. Wang, T., 2016. Integrating a semantic-based retrieval agent into case-based reasoning systems: A case study of an online bookstore. Computers in Industry, 78(2), pp. 29-42. Chen, C. Cheng, C., 2012. How online and offline behavior processes affect each other: customer behavior in a cyber-enhanced bookstore. Quality Quantity, 47(5), pp. 2539-2555. Gray, D., 2013. Out of the Box and Into the Bookstore: Non-Traditional Use of the Bookstore. Against the Grain, 15(3), pp. 56-94. Yang, J., Zielinski, A. Cheng, L., 2010. Purchasing college textbook from online e-bookstore: an empirical study. IJMIE, 3(2), pp. 162-174.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay Example For Students

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne uses diction and symbolism to show the negative effects of stifling conformity verses the positive empowerment found in embarrassing ones own truth. He tries to impress upon his readers that an outsider whether from another physical location, or simply someone who thinks and acts outside that societys definition of acceptable behavior can in fact facilitate positive change within that society regardless of the generation or society. The secret in this novel most likely represents an idea, privacy, or even social censure. The Mary-like character Hester Prynne represents feminism, as the female-heroine, and truth, as she is unwavering in her stand against the wishes of the state, church, family and community with regard to her own truth. As represented by The Scarlet Letter, Do you not think it is better for your little ones temporal and eternal welfare that she be taken out of your charge and clad soberly and disciplined strictly and instructed in the truths of heaven and earth? What can you do for the child? I can teach my little Pearl what I have learned from this, laying her finger on the red token. Woman it is thy badge of shame. Nevertheless, this badge taught meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it teaches me daily lessons by reasons of which my child may be better and wiser. Prynne is aware of how her truth can set her free. Later in the novel it states à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦people brought all their sorrows and perplexities, and besought her counsel. This shows how Prynnes stand for the truth has eventually affected the entire community in a very positive manner, changing its perspective on social norms. We will write a custom essay on The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Yet the character Dimmesdale, the co-adulterer, was said to be liken with unutterable torment. Hawthorne was showing that Dimmesdales silence about the truth and his love was worse than any judgment that would have been bestowed on him by his community or maker. Later Prynee offers to save Dimmesdale from his jail guilt and jailer Chillingworth, the devil-like character. He refuses and eventually dies of shame and guilt at the end of this romantic tale of the love between two people. Pearl, the bastard-daughter character, represents the world of nature truth, a nature-friendly pre-Christian time in mankinds history and the struggle between the town societal taboos and the simpler way of forest respect for the truth. Her name is extremely symbolic. It was stated in the novel that she was purchased at a great price. This shows the suffering experienced by the characters and society at large when truth and understanding are stifled within a society. She also represents purity of children artists that are eventually turned into conformists by the adults society and religion. In the forest scenes, the witches and devil never materialize, as they are only aberrations as presented only through the dialogue and in the minds of the characters in this novel. This represents that superstition is consistent throughtout the history of mankind and that modern society was not immune. We have not evolved as  far as we would like to think we have. Conformity, represented by the scary witches and monsters are real if societal pressures prevail. The disastrous affects of the telling the truth are only in the human mind. In conclusion, the characters represented church, government, society at large, truth and feminism. The scarlet letter A itself originally represented guilt or shame, then destiny or understanding, and eventually angel or able. Hawthorne believed Puritanism, which represents an unbending society of judgmental people, debilitates that society and breeds hypocrisy. In short, what we say and do are worlds apart in a society with great restriction on behavior and belief. Embracing societys diversity will benefit the entire society.

The ability of the brain to re

Introduction The ability of the brain to change following an individual’s experience is referred to as neuroplasticity (Alamacos, Segura, Borrel, 1998). This characteristic of the brain was discovered more recently and discredits the earlier belief that the brain could never change after a person has gone through the critical period of infancy. The brain is chiefly made up of nerve cells and glial cells which are usually linked.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The ability of the brain to re-task a different area following brain damage to one area specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Learning can be achieved through the alteration of the strength of these connections. In the last century, the common belief was that the lower brain and the neocortical areas could not be altered in structure after structure after childhood (Winship murphy, 2009). This belief has been challenged by the new revelations t hat indicate that all parts of the brain are plastic and can be altered even in older individuals. This paper seeks to identify the ability of the brain to re-task a different area to perform a function that has been affected by brain damage (Lazar, Kerr, Wasserman, 2005). Earlier studies Previous studies done by Wiesel and Hubel showed that ocular dominance columns that are located in the lowest neocortical visual area were largely not changeable after one has passed the critical period in development (Black, Cianci, Markokowitz, 2001). These critical periods were also examined in respect to language development; the findings suggested that all the sensory pathways were permanent subsequent to the critical period (Kaeser, et al., 2010). However, the earlier brain studies had also shown that changes in the environment could result in change in behavior and cognition. This change was linked to the alteration in neuronal connections and neurogenesis in specific parts of the brain su ch as the hippocampus (Boudrias, Mcpherson, Frost, Cheney, 2010). Decades of enduring research on the functions and structure of the brain indicate that alterations take place in the lowest neocortical processing areas and that the alterations could result in marked changes in the pattern of neuronal activation in response to experience (Kaeser, et al., 2010).Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The resulting neuroplasticity theory asserts that experience can result in the modification of the brain’s physical structure and the functional organization (Alamacos, Segura, Borrel, 1998). Neurobiology and cortical maps The idea of synaptic pruning forms one of the important aspects of neuroplasticity. Synaptic pruning explains that specific links in the brain are subjected to constant removal or recreation depending on how they are being used (Draganski, 2006). The concept o f synaptic pruning is best captured in the aphorism â€Å"which states that neurons that fire together, wire together/neurons that fire apart, wire apart† (Boudrias, Mcpherson, Frost, Cheney, 2010, p. 8). This indicates that two neighboring neurons that concurrently produce an impulse can form one cortical map. Cortical maps are used to explain cortical organization of, in most cases, the sensory system (Giovanna, Paolo, Luca, Thomas, 2008). For instance, sensory impulses from the two arms are projected to different cortical sites in the brain. Thus the cortical organization defined by the response to sensory inputs represents the human body in form of a map. Researchers Merzenich, Doug Rasmusson and Jon Kaas conducted studies on the cortical maps by removing sensory inputs (Cutler Hoffman, 2005). Their findings which have been supported by various other studies show that the removal of an input in the cortical map results in the rewiring of the impulse through adjacent in puts. Treatment of brain damage as an application of neuroplasticity Through neuroplasticity studies it has been found out that a brain activity that results into a certain function can be relocated to a different part of the brain. This may take place in the course of normal experience or may occur in the course recovery following brain damage (Draganski, 2006).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The ability of the brain to re-task a different area following brain damage to one area specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Neuroplasticity forms the basis on which the scientific explanation for the treatment of acquired brain injury is founded. The restoration of the lost functions through therapeutic programs in form of rehabilitation is achieved due to the plastic nature of the brain (Frost, Bury, Friel, Plautz, Nudo, 2002). Cortical tissue damage, as might occur following stroke, is usually known to affect the initiation and execution of muscular contraction in the extremities opposite the side of the injury (Winship murphy, 2009). In addition the precise manipulative power and the ability to skillfully utilize the upper extremity are usually weakened. Depending on the extent of the injury, some functions usually return in weeks or months, although full recovery is uncommon in human beings. There is increasing evidence which indicates that the return of function observed following â€Å"cortical injury is largely attributed to the adaptive plasticity in the remaining cortical and sub-cortical motor apparatus† (Black, Cianci, Markokowitz, 2001). For instance, the studies pneurophysiologic and neuroanatomic on animals and the neuroimaging and other non invasive stimulation research studies conducted on humans provide evidence to show that adaptive changes take place in the undamaged tissues that surround a cortical infarct (Lazar, Kerr, Wasserman, 2005). Contrary to the previous beliefs, the adult brain is not â€Å"hard wired† with fixed immutable neuronal circuits (Draganski, 2006). There are several instances through which the cortex and sub cortex can be rewired as a consequence of training or following an injury to the brain. This is supported by evidence that new brain cells can develop even in the adult mammal even at old age. The research findings so far have shown that this mainly occurs in the hippocampus and the olfactory bulb, however, there is increasing evidence that indicates that other regions of the brain may undergo neurogenesis (Frost, Bury, Friel, Plautz, Nudo, 2002). In most parts of the brain, dead neurons are not recreated but the specific functions are seen to be restored. However, evidence on the active, â€Å"experience-dependent re-organization of the synaptic networks of the brain involving multiple inter-related structures including the cerebral cortex is lacking† (Kaeser, et al., 2010, p. 13). The specific pathwa y through which the process takes place at the molecular level is subject to intense research.Advertising Looking for research paper on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Some theories have been advanced to explain how experience results in the synaptic organization of the brain, one of the theories include the general theory of the mind and epistemology referred to as Neural Darwinism which was developed by Gerald Edelman (Lazar, Kerr, Wasserman, 2005). Neuroplasticity also occupies a central point in the memory and learning theories that are characterized by changes in the structure and function of the synapses through experience (Lazar, Kerr, Wasserman, 2005). Sensory substitution and neuroplasticity is best remembered through the works of Paul Bach-y-Rita (Lazar, Kerr, Wasserman, 2005). He came up with a brain port while working with a patient whose vestibular system had been injured. The â€Å"brain port machine would replace the patient’s vestibular apparatus by sending signals to her brain via the tongue† (Winship murphy, 2009, p. 15). The patient used the machine for a certain period of time and regained the normal function. Her experience is best explained through plasticity because her vestibular system was disorganized following prolonged gentamicin medication and thus was sending uncoordinated signals to the brain. Using the machine developed by Paul bay her vestibular system was able determine new neural pathways that were instrumental in reinstating the lost function. Paul Bach-y-Rita used the following analogy to explain the plasticity concept; â€Å"if one is driving from one place to another and the main bridge that connects the two places goes out, he will be paralyzed before deciding to take the old farmland roads that are definitely shorter† (Winship murphy, 2009). By using these roads more, one will start getting wherever he wanted to go faster. Thus the new established neural pathways become stronger with more use. The unmasking process of the new neural pathways is generally understood to one of the main principal ways through which the plastic brain reorganizes itself (Boudrias, Mcpherson, Frost, Cheney, 2010). Another group referred to as the Randy Nudo learned that if an infarction leads to the cutting of blood supply to a certain part of the motor cortex of a monkey, the part of the body that is stimulated by the affected brain portion will respond when adjacent areas are stimulated (Kaeser, et al., 2010). In one of their studies, the intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) mapping techniques were applied on nine normal monkeys (Draganski, 2006). Some of the monkeys were subjected to ischemic infarction protocols. The monkeys that underwent ischemic infarction retained more finger flexion during food retrieval and after several months this deficit returned to the levels they were before the operation (Kaeser, et al., 2010). In regard to the mapping conducted to represent the distal forelimb, it was shown that cortical representations of movements had undergone reorganization in the entire surrounding cortex that had not been damaged. Better understanding on how the normal and damaged cortical tissues interact has formed the basis for current therapeutical approach in the treatment of stroke patients (Frost, Bury, Friel, Plautz, Nudo, 2002). The Nudo group is currently taking part in studying the treatment approaches that may result in better management of stroke. Such approaches include â€Å"physiotherapy, pharmacotherapy and electrical stimulation therapy† (Cutler Hoffman, 2005, p. 4). A professor at the Vanderbilt University known as Jon Kaas has been able to reveal â€Å"how somatosensory area 3b and the ventroposterior (VP) nucleus of the thalamus are affected by long standing unilateral dorsal column lesions at cervical levels in macaque monkeys† (Kaeser, et al., 2010, p. 10). This shows that the brains of an adult mammal can reorganize following brain damage or injury but the reorganization will be injury dependent. His more recent studies have been focused on somatosensory structure. Normally when injury is inflicted on the somatosensory cortex, one experiences a dysfunction in the perception of some part of the body. Jon Kaas is currently trying to understand how these systems (somatosensory, cognitive, motor systems) are plastic as a result of injury (Frost, Bury, Friel, Plautz, Nudo, 2002). More recently, neuroplasticity was applied in the treatment of traumatic brain injuries. The treatment was done by a team of doctors and researchers at Emory University, particularly Dr. Donald Stein and Dr. David Wright (Cutler Hoffman, 2005). This particular treatment was first of its kind to be applied in that it is affordable and does not show any side effects. Dr. Stein had had earlier observed that female mice recovered better from brain injuries as compared to their male counterparts. In addition he realized that the female mice had a better recovery record in some stages of the estrus cycle. After intense research studies, the team attributed this phenomenon to the levels of progesteron e (Cutler Hoffman, 2005). The higher the progesterone levels the better the recovery witnessed in the mice. Thus they developed a therapeutic approach that included enhanced levels of progesterone administration to patients with brain injuries. It was shown that if progesterone administration was done following brain injury that result in â€Å"stroke there were fewer instances of edema, inflammation, and neuronal cell death, and enhanced spatial reference memory and sensory motor recovery† (Kaeser, et al., 2010, p. 7). Administration of progesterone on a group of severely brain injured patients showed a reduction in mortality rates by up to 60%. Conclusion This paper sought to use existing literature in academic sources to explain how a lost function due to brain injury or damage can be re-tasked to another part of the brain. The area concerned with this study is referred to as neuroplasticity which can be simply defined as the ability of the brain to change following an in dividual’s experience (Boudrias, Mcpherson, Frost, Cheney, 2010). Neuroplasticity has led to a major shift in the way the understanding of the human brain. Major studies have been carried out by researchers and doctors to understand how the brain is able to re-task different area following damage to one area. Though there is no conclusive evidence to show how this occurs at the molecular level, there has been a marked improvement in the understanding and therapeutical application. References Alamacos, M. C., Segura, G., Borrel, J. (1998). Transfer function to a specific area of the cortex after induced recovery from brain damage. Eur J Neurosci, 5:853-863. Black, P., Cianci, S., Markokowitz, R. S. (2001). Question of transecallosal facilitation of motor recovery: Stroke implications. Trans Am Neurol , 95:207-210. Boudrias, M., Mcpherson, R. L., Frost, S. B., Cheney, P. (2010). Output Properties and organization of the forelimb Representation of Motor Areas on the Lateral Aspect of the Hemisphere in Rhesus Macaques. Cereb Cortex , 20(1):169- 186. Cutler, S., Hoffman, S. (2005). Tapered progesterone withdrawal enhances behavioral and moleculae recovery after traumatic brain injury. Experimental  neurology , 195(2):423-429. Draganski, B. (2006). Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of the brain structure changes during extensive learning. The journal of Neuroscience , 26(23):6314-6417. Frost, S. B., Bury, S., Friel, M., Plautz, J., Nudo, R. J. (2002). Reorganization of Remote Cortical Regions After Ischemic brain Injury: A potential Substrate for Stroke Recovery. J Neurophysiol , 89:32053214. Giovanna, P., Paolo, P., Luca, B., Thomas, R. (2008). Genesis of Neuronal and Glial progenitors in the cerebellar cortex of peripuberal and adult rabbits.  journal pone , 12(4):345-7. Kaeser, M., Alexander, F., Wyss, F., Bashir, S., Hamadjida, A., Liu, Y., et al. (2010). Effects of Unilateral Motor Cortex Lesion on Ipsilesional Hand’s Reach and Grasp Perfom ance in Monkeys: Relationship With Recovery in the Contralesional Hand. J Neurophysiol , 103(3): 1630-1645. Lazar, S., Kerr, C., Wasserman, R. (2005). Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness. neuroreport , 12(17)1893-97. Winship, I. R., murphy, T. H. (2009). Remapping the somatosensory cortex after Stroke: Insight from Imaging the Synapse to Network. Neuroscientist, 15(5):507-524. This research paper on The ability of the brain to re-task a different area following brain damage to one area was written and submitted by user Ibrahim P. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Confusing Spanish Words and How To Use Them Correctly

Confusing Spanish Words and How To Use Them Correctly Partly because Spanish and English have so many similarities, its tempting to think youll seldom find Spanish vocabulary confusing. But in fact, there are plenty of words that trip up Spanish students repeatedly. And they arent all false friends, words similar to their English counterparts that dont mean the same thing. Some are homophones (two or more different words that sound alike), some are words that are closely similar, and some can be blamed on the rules of grammar. If you want to avoid embarrassment or unnecessary confusion, here are some top candidates for words to learn: Ano vs. Aà ±o Ano and aà ±o dont sound alike. But those who dont know how to type an à ± (or are lazy) are often tempted to use an n instead in aà ±o, the word for year. Dont succumb to the temptation: Ano comes from the same Latin root as the English word anus and has the same meaning. Cabello vs. Caballo English speakers tend to be imprecise in their pronunciations, partly because some sounds, such as the ai in fountain, can be represented in writing by any vowel. But Spanish speakers, although they tend to pronounce consonants softly, are usually distinct with their vowels. So words such as cabello (hair, but collectively rather than as a single hair) and caballo (horse) arent thought of as sounding much alike. Caro vs. Carro Its easy for foreigners to mix up the r and rr - the former is usually a  flap of the tongue against the roof of the mouth, while the latter is a trill. Usually, reversing the sounds wont cause misunderstanding. But the difference between caro and carro is the difference between something expensive and a car, respectively. And, yes, you can have a carro caro. Cazar vs. Casar While there may be some who have gone hunting for a spouse, cazar (to hunt) and casar (to marry) arent related to each other even though they sound alike in Latin America. Cocer vs. Coser Another pair of verbs that sound alike in Latin America are cocer (to cook) and coser (to sew). Although they can both be homemaking tasks, they arent related. Dà ­a Although there are dozens of words ending in -a that break the main gender rule and so are masculine, dà ­a (day) is the most common. Embarazada If youre embarrassed and female, avoid the temptation to say youre embarazada, as the meaning of that adjective is pregnant. The most common adjective of embarrassment is avergonzado. Interestingly, embarazada (or the masculine form, embarazado) has been so often used as a mistranslation of embarrassed that that definition has been added to some dictionaries. Éxito Éxito is a word youll come across frequently- but it nothing to do with an exit. Its the best translation for success and can be used in many contexts. For example, a hit song or movie can be called an à ©xito. An exit is a salida. Gringo If someone calls you a gringo (feminine gringa), you might take it as an insult- or you might take it as a term of affection or as a neutral description. It all depends on where you are and the context. As a noun, gringo most often refers to a foreigner, especially someone who speaks English. But at times it can refer to any non-Spanish speaker, a British person, a resident of the United States, a Russian, someone with blond hair, and/or someone with white skin. Inhabitable In a sense, the Spanish inhabitable and the English inhabitable are the same word- both are spelled alike, and they come from a Latin word habitabilus, which meant suitable for habitation. But they have opposite meanings. In other words, the Spanish inhabitable means uninhabitable or not inhabitable. Yes, thats confusing. But its confusing only because English is confusing- habitable and inhabitable mean the same thing, and for the same reason flammable and imflammable have the same meaning. The situation came about because Latin had two prefixes spelled in-, one meaning inside and the other meaning not. You can see these meanings in words such as incarcerate (incarcerar) and incredible (increà ­ble), respectively. So with inhabitable the prefix in English has the inside meaning, and the identically spelled prefix in Spanish has the not meaning. Interestingly, once upon a time the English inhabitable meant not habitable. Its meaning shifted a few hundred years ago. Ir and Ser in the Preterite Tense Two of the most highly irregular verbs in Spanish are ir (to go) and ser (to be). Although the two verbs have different origins, they share the same preterite conjugation: fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron. If you see one of those forms, the only way to know whether it comes from ir or ser is by context. Lima and Limà ³n You may have been taught that limà ³n is the word for lime and lima is the word for lemon- the opposite of what you might expect. While that is true for some Spanish speakers, the truth is that, depending on where you are, either Spanish term at times is used for  either fruit. And in some areas, limas and limones are seen as two similar fruits, both of which may be called lemons in English. In some places, limes arent commonly eaten (theyre native to Asia), so theres no universally understood word for them. In any case, this is one word that you are likely to have to ask the locals about. Mano Mano (hand) is the most common feminine noun that ends in -o. In fact, it is only such word in everyday use if you exclude occupational names (such as el piloto or la piloto for pilot), proper nouns, and a few shortened words such as la disco (short for la discoteca) and la foto (short for la fotografà ­a). Two other feminine nouns ending in -o are seo (cathedral) and nao (ship), but they get almost no use. Marida Most nouns ending in -o that refer to people refer to men, and the ending can be changed to -a to refer to women. So, of course, it makes sense that esposo, a common word for husband, has the feminine form esposa, meaning wife. It would be just as logical to assume that another word for husband, marido, would have corresponding term, marida, for wife. But, at least in standard Spanish, there is no noun marida. In fact, the usual phrase for husband and wife is marido y mujer, with mujer also being the word for woman. Although there may be some limited colloquial use for marida in some areas, its most common use is by foreigners who dont know better. Molestar and Violar To molest someone is a serious offense, but to molestar someone is merely to bother that person (although the phrase molestar sexualmente can have a meaning similar to the English word). An similar situation occurs with violar and violate, but in the other direction. Violar and violacià ³n typically refer to rape, although they can have a less severe meaning. In English violate and violation usually have a mild meaning, although they can refer to rape. In both languages, context makes all the difference. Papas and a Pap Spanish has four types of papa, although only the first two below are widely used. The first papa comes from Latin, while the others come from indigenous languages: A pope (the head of the Roman Catholic Church). The word normally shouldnt be capitalized except at the beginning of a sentence.In most of Latin America, a potato, which can also be a patata.In Mexico, a type of baby food or bland soup.In Honduras, a foolish woman. Also, pap is an informal word for father, sometimes the equivalent of daddy. Unlike the other papas, its stress or accent is on the second syllable. Por vs. Para There are perhaps no prepositions more confounding for Spanish students than por and para, both of which are frequently translated to English as for. See the lesson on por vs. para for full explanation, but the way-too-short version is that por is typically used to indicate the cause of something while para is used to indicate a purpose. Preguntar vs. Pedir Both preguntar and pedir are usually translated as to ask, but they dont mean the same thing. Preguntar refers to asking a question, while pedir is used in making a request. But dont feel bad if you get them mixed up: Spanish speakers learning English often get mixed up with question and doubt as nouns, saying I have a doubt rather than I have a question. Thats because the noun duda has both meanings. Sentar vs. Sentir In the infinitive form, sentar (to sit) and sentir (to feel) are easy to tell apart. The confusion comes when theyre conjugated. Most notably, siento can mean either I sit or I feel. Also, the subjunctive forms of one verb are often the indicative forms of the other. So when you come across verb forms such as sienta and sentamos, youll have to pay attention to the context to know which verb is being conjugated.

Operation Management about EasyJet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Operation Management about EasyJet - Essay Example EasyJet will be forced to layoff some of its employees after the tremendous drop of passengers seeking its services. The management prefers the government to impose a tax on planes rather than tax passengers. Operation management is caught between maintenance of customers and generation of revenue on one hand, and government taxation on the other (Lewis & Slack, 2003, p64). The third challenge experienced by operation management is the incapability of EasyJet to provide adequate customer satisfaction. This issue is evident when the customer wants to present a complaint to the airline’s management. At EasyJet operation management does not have enough staffs to handle customer complaints, even though; they have enough staffs to handle booking and payment services. Hiring more staffs mean allocating more resources to pay these staffs, which EasyJet cannot afford (Peters, 2011, p12). A number of customers have expressed the criticism that booking and paying for services are easier than issuing out a complaint. This fact is detrimental to the organization’s success in that it can lose out on its customers, who are important for its survival and success (Lewis & Slack, 2003, p321). The fourth factor that is commonly experienced as a challenge in operating management at EasyJet is the dynamic airline industry. The industry is dynamic in that there are numerous technological advancements and regular fluctuation of flight prices. It is advantageous for organizations to be advanced technologically. Swift adaptation to technological changes taking place in the airline industry at times is a problem to EasyJet (Peters, 2011, p6). This is as a result of a lot of resources needed in acquiring a more recent technology, which can be in terms of acquiring the latest... Operation management is essential to a company’s success or survival in the industry. However, this aspect is bound to come across various challenges, which inhibit its capabilities. EasyJet, an airline company, is not an exception; it has succumbed to a number of challenges that have inhibited its normal operation management. The challenges involve; cancellation of flights due to volcanic eruptions, a new government tax policy, complaints from customers, a dynamic airline industry, lack of market diversification, and change of strategy. The challenges have had negative impacts on EasyJet’s performance and reputation in the airline industry. Although, EasyJet experiences these negative challenges on its operation management, it has proved to be one of the most thriving airline companies in Europe. Its success is attributed to its operation management, which is highly focused towards its primary strategy of providing cheaper air transport.