Effectiveness of Agile Implementation Methods

Question: Examine about the Effectiveness of Agile Implementation Methods. Answer: Presentation: The Business Intelligence or BI is a sweeping term alluding to the procedures, methodologies, information, applications specialized structures and innovations. The computerized environment is the gathering of big business, things or people autonomously sharing advanced stage (Hnel and Felden 2014). The shared advantages earned from the client driven computerized environment like the regular premium, development and business gain has been required to be surveyed. The accompanying report examines the purposes behind advancement of business knowledge venture. The results are additionally broke down on the developing charmed clients of advanced environment concentrating on client centricity. Explanations behind the advancement of Business Intelligence venture: In the present universe of huge rivalry, the client has been the entrance to benefit with the general accomplishment of an association. Accordingly, the estimation and breaking down of the client communications has been basic. Subsequently the business knowledge center points have been picking up ubiquity quickly among the associations that has been client driven. The improvement of business-knowledge centers has been seeming well and good in this universe of information driven client care (Bukhari and Kazi 2016). Notwithstanding, it has been a confounding and testing approach. The huge information has been as of now in the whole frenzy. The current investigation scene has been huge, particularly in the business of client encounters. The contact community has been the most measurement driven segment of any endeavor as a cutting edge towards the client. The thought that has helped in defining the accomplishment to make a center point for business knowledge has been simply the association. Further, the innovation arrangements, execution plan and sellers are additionally thought of (Camilleri 2016). In the association finding the need of business knowledge precisely catching each client has been required. It has been further vital to put resources into the arrangements accumulating data from different sources. While arranging a business insight venture, the picking the way guaranteeing achievement has been significant under the usage. Finally, the sellers like experts, specialists and researchers helps in sending alternatives and bring outside points of view. The client driven BI systems have been business driven where specific business extensions to use BI have been looked for in advance. In the client driven computerized biological system, the associations receive the methodology for distinguishing ways that BI could be used in the business procedure. This aides in increment incomes and decreases costs. The prioritization of the open doors for BI for execution is finished. This aides in arranging individuals around BI improvement ventures. It builds up the undertaking information stockroom around steadily around the information combinations. This further puts resources into empowering influences like information administration and acing information the executives on the scale expected to back-up the guide. This has been revealing the utilizations of BI with speculations developing quickly (Baur et al. 2014). Another explanation has been focusing on BI applications in filling the needs of known business. This has been done in collusion w ith the information sent without all around indicated utilizations of BI for the information at the top of the priority list. The key contention of the methodology has been creating business esteem from the crude information. The information has been depending totally on the organization of the utilizations of BI in the center procedures. This has made contrast in the operational and monetary outcomes. Another rationale has been sending the applications has not been depending after having full scale adaptations of each essential structure squares (Gupta, Khanna and Kim 2014). Results on the execution of business knowledge venture: The BI has been actualized using the demonstrated methodologies to accomplish capacity greatness and business information. The BI has been a data based contention empowering the association in making occasions. From each cooperation with the clients, the business has had the option to gather realities for producing income. For example, client may collaborate with their desire for a help or item that has been absent in the business site. An instrument has been available to log each correspondence of clients in all client driven BI frameworks (Kisielnicki and Misiak 2016). This has been available as the client information serving adequately at the prerequisites of the client for additional activities in business. From the fifty thousand foot see, the business works all the more successfully as their capacities are sufficient to control the necessities of creation for activities. The clients require business sustaining, support and consideration. So as to make the greater part of the capacities of business and drive self-supporting tasks, the organizations has been selecting a technique that is ability based. The capacity centered arranging satisfies the needs of the clients effectively as a BI arrangement. It has empowered the business to rely on its individual capacity to convey administrations and items sold by them (Williams 2014). The business has had the option to use and reutilize the cutout techniques with this ability centered methodology. It has result in effective foundation of the abilities in new auxiliaries, harmonious, specialty units and the vertical combination draws near. For example any business advancement counseling organization may choose for sub-branch into little markets the Center for Technology and Business or Center for Business Excellence based on its capacity of help from program the board. The procedure further keeps on spreading the client driven BI for new usage of business capacities. This naturally centers around the clients. The broadening of the business by the methodology has made the abilities of the business versatile. The methodology uses deals models and the attempts to close the deal demonstrated as of now at the client information level. It likewise produces rehash deals with the current clients and late deals with the potential clients (Laursen and Thorlund 2016). The business has had the option to use the technique to force strategies for deals at whatever point and any place the extensions emerge, remembering the clients. It works like the standards of code reuse. End: The business insight has been utilized to prop up the introduction, assortment, dispersal and information investigation of the business data. The client driven is the way to deal with perform business giving positive experience to clients. There have been different plans to be thought about while setting out upon the excursion of business insight. The imperative angle to recall is with respect to the less focus on investigation arrangement and progressively over the business points. The client driven methodology of BI has would in general increase progressively ideal equalization while the venture changes stream and returns. In any case, the client driven methodology of BI has been fundamental to deliberately control the client connections. References: Baur, A.W., Genova, A.C., Bhler, J. also, Bick, M., 2014, November. Client is King? A Framework to Shift from Cost-to Value-Based Pricing in Software as a Service: The Case of Business Intelligence Software. InConference on e-Business, e-Services and e-Society(pp. 1-13). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Bukhari, A.N. also, Kazi, R., 2016. CRM triggers viability through Customer Selection Orientation, Business Cycle Orientation, Cross-Functional Integration and Dual Value Creation: Myth or Reality.Journal of Marketing Management,4(1), pp.163-171. Camilleri, M.A., 2016. Utilizing huge information for client driven showcasing. Gupta, V., Khanna, S. also, Kim, I., 2014. Individual Financial Aggregation and Social Media Mining: A New Framework for Actionable Financial Business Intelligence (AFBI).International Journal of Business Intelligence Research (IJBIR),5(4), pp.14-25. Hnel, T. also, Felden, C., 2014. The Role Of Operational Business Intelligence In Customer Centric Service Provision. Kisielnicki, J.A. also, Misiak, A.M., 2016. Viability of Agile Implementation Methods in Business Intelligence Projects from an End-client Perspective.Informing Science: the International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline,19. Laursen, G.H. also, Thorlund, J., 2016.Business investigation for chiefs: Taking business knowledge past revealing. John Wiley Sons. Williams, D.S., 2014.Connected CRM: executing an information driven, client driven business methodology. John Wiley Sons.

Impact Of Ocean Acidification On Marine Life Environmental Sciences Essay

Effect Of Ocean Acidification On Marine Life Environmental Sciences Essay One of the principle issues with sea fermentation is the effect that it will have on marine living beings over the coming years, and whether they can adjust to the more acidic waters? The effect upon some marine species may turn out to be to a greater degree an issue in the event that they assume a significant job in the natural pecking order, and thusly may inevitably influence people as fish are the principle food hotspot for certain networks far and wide. Investigation into sea fermentation has discovered that specific creatures experience decreased calcification or improved disintegration when they are presented to raised CO2. Numerous life forms depend on the seas ebb and flow pH so as to endure. The major benthic calcifying life forms on coral reefs are the corals, calcifying macroalgae, benthic foraminifera, molluscs, and echinoderms. Corals regularly live in minimal states of numerous indistinguishable individual polyps. Some portion of this gathering incorporates the reef developers, these are significant in light of the fact that as the name recommends, they fabricate the reefs. They emit calcium carbonate to shape a hard skeleton and these skeletons can be utilized as bio-inserts for human medical procedure. A coral reef is a network of numerous animal categories, for example, the corals, plants, spineless creatures, fishes, and some other vertebrate creatures, for example, turtles. The bringing down of the seas pH lessens the capacity of coral to deliver calcium carbonate and with the conditions expected sea fermentation will bargain carbonate growth. (Site, 2009) This makes corals become progressively uncommon on reef frameworks. An enormous number of animal categories make up tropical coral reefs; anyway coral networks in cool waters are just comprised of a couple of animal categories yet give sanctuary to numerous other marine species. (Site, 2009) With sea fermentation decreasing the quantity of coral and the same number of marine species utilize the coral as their home and for cover, the coral reef networks would likewise be influenced and turn out to be less different and carbonate reef structures will neglect to be kept up. (Hoegh-Guldberg, O. et al, 2007) Coccolithophores are single-celled green growth, protists and phytoplankton and are found in enormous numbers all through the surface euphotic zone of the sea and sea fermentation appears to have the contrary impact on them contrasted and other calcifying organsims. (Site, 2010) Coccolithophores are significant calcium carbonate (CaCOà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã†') makers on the planets seas today representing about 33% of the all out marine CaCO3 creation. Though sea fermentation diminishes the calcium carbonate creation in numerous life forms, contemplates have indicated that it really causes coccolithophores to expand their CaCO3 creation. (site, 2005) Coccolithophores are recognized by calcium carbonate plates which have a questionable capacity and are called coccoliths calcareous nanoplankton, and these are significant microfossils. (site, 2011) When coccolithophores make these plates they discharge carbon dioxide. Though some accept that as a result of this coccolithophores will really add to the ascent in COà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã¢â‚¬Å¡, it is really hazy of what influence the expansion in CaCO3 creation will have. This is on the grounds that these living beings use CO2 during photosynthesis. It is the harmony between calcification which produces carbon dioxide and the utilization of CO2 by photosynthesis that will decide if coccolithophores go about as a sink (retaining CO2) or as a wellspring of CO2 to the climate. So the additional CO2 created may essentially be balanced by the additional photosynthesis. (Site, 2008) A case of how sea fermentation influences certain marine species is the pteropod Limacina helicina. Their shell is made of calcium carbonate; anyway examines have demonstrated that the shell is creating at a more slow rate because of the bringing down of pH. It is foreseen that by 2100 the expansion of sea fermentation will slow the improvement of the shell by 30%. (Site, 2009) Beside calcification, different living beings may experience the ill effects of other unfavorable impacts. For example, physiological or conceptive impacts or they might be influenced by the negative effects on food assets. A case of an animal groups that is legitimately influenced by sea fermentation on the lugworm Arenicola marina. There is a straightforward examination that can be done to show how pH influences the lugworm generation basically by keeping the lugworms in seawater of various pHs; some at the momentum seawater pH, 8.2, some at a pH of 7.8 and some at 6.5. The outcomes appear (fig. 1) that as the pH brings down the multiplication of the lugworm is influenced. The lower the pH gets the less effective treatment is. In the event that as anticipated by 2100 and the pH of the seawater has brought down to 7.8 then the lugworms may battle to adjust and consequently may decrease in number. Weak stars (Ophiothrix fragilis) may likewise consider a to be in their multiplication as they produce less hatchlings, since they are utilizing more vitality keeping up their skeletons in progressively acidic oceans. This has a thump on influence as the fragile star hatchlings are a key food hotspot for herring. Plainly sea fermentation in time will affect natural pecking orders messing up numerous different living beings that are not from the outset influenced by sea fermentation. It is likewise conceivable that modest green growth, for example, Calcidiscus leptoporus will be not able to endure. These significant green growth have been declining by 1% every year; some accept sea fermentation could be the reason as the causticity may make certain supplements that the green growth need less accessible or that it may even advance the development of microbes which harms the regular microscopic fish development cycle. Sea fermentation likewise influences the route and correspondence of whales and dolphins. This is on the grounds that the oceans are getting noisier. As the corrosiveness expands, sound ventures further. Route is critical to whales and dolphins as they use it for movement, which is significant as they relocate to colder waters to take care of and to hotter waters to conceive an offspring. It isn't only the living beings that live in the seas that are being influenced. Marine warm blooded creatures, for example, polar bears, ocean lions, seals, and walruses and furthermore seabirds would see a thump on influence because of sea fermentation and different effects of environmental change. The primary issue is the impact sea fermentation has on the natural way of life in such a case that one living being that is a fundamental piece of the evolved way of life decays then the issue proceeds up the evolved way of life. So on the off chance that quantities of fish decrease from an absence of food, at that point the winged creatures that feed on the fish could likewise decay. Anyway not at all like numerous creatures influenced by environmental change, it has been found that seabirds can really adjust to the evolving situations. So the lower accessibility of their favored prey may not be an issue as the flying creatures appear to be equipped for adjusting their weight control p lans. (Grã ©millet, D. 2009) Sea fermentation will definity affect marine life, the same number of creatures will be influenced. The principle issue that can be seen is the effect sea fermentation will have on the evolved way of life, as essential makers may decrease at that point so will the life forms that go after them, etc as the pattern proceeds up the natural way of life until it arrives at the shopper. In the event that sea fermentation proceeds at its ebb and flow rate, by 2100 we could see a huge diverse in sea biological systems. Numerous species may decrease as an immediate aftereffect of sea fermentation, for example, the coral reefs because of diminished calcification. The coral reefs structure the absolute most different biological systems on earth; in this way numerous different life forms would be in a roundabout way influenced by sea fermentation with the decrease of corals. The coral reefs additionally assume a significant job for fisheries and angling networks in more unfortunate nations, a de cay of the coral reefs would see a decrease in a truly necessary food hotspot for some people.

Intro to Fiction A Rioters College Journey

Intro to Fiction A Rioters College Journey One of the major qualifications for writing at  Book Riot is being an avid reader, obviously. Having a college degree, however, is not one. Despite two attempts at it in my twenties, a mountain of college credit, and parallel mountain of student loans, I do not have a college degree. But Im back at it again! Now, in my mid-thirties, Im pursuing a degree in English: Creative Writing. After successfully acing a Shakespeare class last semester, your beardiest Rioter just finished tackling Introduction to Fiction. Yep. Guy who has read at least 50 books a year for three straight years finally got his introduction. Heres how it went. The Awakening by Kate Chopin Believe it or not, I had not read this little gem of early feminism  before. While I loved the concept of a woman (particularly in that time period) going against the grain and finding herself, I really didnt like the book. I can never get on board with adultery and I found the metaphors too heavy-handed. Our reading of Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House in conjunction with The Awakening, however, was much better. Of course, I was a theater major my first time in college and no stranger to Ibsens work. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Brave New World by Aldous Huxley I first read Huxleys dystopian masterpiece back in high school. At the time, it became my favorite novel. A number of years later, I was troubled by the things that Huxley did not write about. Brave New World uses satire to put traditional families and religion on pedestals by showing a frightening world that lacks both. However, despite the everyone belongs to everyone mentality, there is no homosexuality in Brave New World. Race is barely mentioned. Reading it now, I was disturbed that  Huxley was unable to keep his own biases out of the satire. Inherit the Wind by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee Thats right, a play! I had some familiarity with this work from my time in theater, but Id never read it or seen it performed. If found it fairly typical of plays in that time period, with a great core story and colorful, if overdrawn characters. Its a bit disappointing that there are no great and easily accessible recordings of performances available to watch. I was always taught that plays are meant to be performed and viewed, not read. So there is always something lost with reading from the page. While Inherit the Wind was a pleasant read, its obvious why it is performed far less than The Crucible, another play intended as a commentary on McCarthyism. Arthur Millers work is far more intricate and beautiful. The Known World by Edward P. Jones The Known World by Edward P. Jones How Id never read or even heard of this book is beyond me. Its right up my alley and was a brilliant, beautiful, layered read. Jones use of an omniscient, third-person narrator takes some getting used to, but once I settled in, I couldnt put it down. Jones use of anecdotes as backstories for even the most trivial of characters was particularly charming. I thought he did it specifically with slaves because they were not viewed as people in their own time; Jones wanted the reader to know that each one was a person with their own thoughts, feelings, and stories. I was a little worried about taking an Introduction to Fiction class when fiction was already my favorite thing, but I kept an open mind. The class was filled with bright young minds that made for excellent discussion. I learned very quickly to read slower and with copious sticky notes, because I just cannot bring myself to write in the margins. I learned just how much our life experiences change our views of books (Im twice the age of some students in the class). I also shared a number of suggested readings with the class based on my Book Riot experiences. In the end, I finished with a flourishing final essay examining perspectives in The Known World, Toni Morrisons Beloved, and Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird. Oh, and Im rocking a solid A awaiting only the final essay grade. Im bound and determined to make sure this is my last (and highly successful) attempt at college. Stay in school, kids.

Traumatic Brain Injury and Alzheimers Disease - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2211 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2019/04/12 Category Medicine Essay Level High school Topics: Alzheimer's Disease Essay Did you like this example? Traumatic head injury increases effect of Alzheimer disease which disrupts activity of neurotransmitters and electrical charges travel within cells. Alzheimer disease is characterized by synaptic loss and neuronal death with gross brain atrophy. Falls are common in older population which lead to prolong hospital stay and serious medical complications such as traumatic brain injury. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Traumatic Brain Injury and Alzheimers Disease" essay for you Create order Traumatic head injury cause brain tissue to swell which prevent fluids from leaving brain and broken pieces of skull can rupture blood vessels in head. Effect of traumatic brain injury is crucial due to the association of cognitive impairment, decrease motor function, and neuroinflammation with Alzheimers disease, especially in women with the APOE genotype. Reducing the onset with preventative measures including diet modification, physical activities, and continuous intellectual stimulation constituting a medical management and care plan. Neuroinflammation and Cognitive Impairment Neuroinflammation and cognitive impairment role on the brain is critical to traumatic brain injury with Alzheimer disease. Brains immune cells play an important role in healing process, removal of dead, and damaged neurons which doesnt occur cause of the traumatic brain injury. Amnesia is memory loss and different types include retrograde amnesia and anterograde amnesia. Retrograde amnesia hinders ability to retrieve memories that were already stored in brain and limited to period before head injury or before Alzheimer disease develops. Anterograde amnesia lose capacity to make new memories and present for events that occur or information that is present after brain injury or Alzheimer disease. Aphasia is impaired communication and apraxia is deficit involuntary motor skills. Neuroinflammation is cellular damage and loss of neuronal functions occurring when brain or spinal cord become inflamed cause by irritation and swelling of brain tissue or blood vessels. Brain swelling cause increased intracranial pressure (ICP) which prevent blood flow to brain and deprived it of oxygen need to function. Brain fog occurs due to decrease communication between neurons leading to damaged brain cells and brain decelerating. Inflammation cause deficits such as memory loss, decrease alertness, change in concentration and behavior, confusion, mood swings, and distortions in thought. Chronic cerebral inflammation associated with increased proinflammatory cytokines capable of mediating neural protection and regeneration. Traumatic brain injury follows by oxidative stress and hypoxia which stimulate microglia and astrocytes. Continuing neuroinflammation and oxidative stress occur in existence of brain damage and functional impairments (OBrien, 2015). Cognitive impairment is act of knowing, thinking, ability to choose, understand, remember information. Problems include attention and concentration, speech and language, learning and memory, problem-solving, decision-making, and judgment. First, unable to pay attention and concentration resulting in restless, distraction, difficulty working on more than one task at a time, problem carrying on long conversation or sitting still for long period of time. Second, problem with processing and understanding information slow down and result in taking longer to grasp what other say, more time to understand and follow direction, trouble following tv, take longer to read and interpret written information, slow to reaction such as driving, slow to carry out physical task like getting dress or cooking. Third, language and communication problems include difficulty thinking of right words, trouble starting or following conversation, rambling, misunderstanding jokes, difficult with more complex lang uage, trouble communicating thoughts and feelings using facial expression, tone of voice and body language, reading others emotions. Fourth, problem learning and remember new information that occur recently but remember information from long time ago. Fifth, problem with problem-solving, decision-making, and judgment include difficult recognizing problem, trouble analyzing information, or change way of thinking, difficult deciding best solution, and quick decision without thinking about consequences. Sixth, inappropriate, embarrassing or impulsive behavior occur with lack of self-control and self-awareness including denying cognitive problems, say hurtful or insensitive things, act out of place and behave in inconsiderate way and lack awareness of social boundaries and others feeling. Adrenal cortex produces the hormone cortisol and shows a high level in people affective by mild cognitive impairment (Battino, 2016 APOE Genotype The sex difference varies by APOE genotype which regulate aggregation and clearance in brain, neuronal signaling, and neuroinflammation. Traumatic brain injury reduce ability to repair and remodel synapses or protect neurons with APOE gene. Patient carrying APOE gene have high tau level, low cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) and great brain atrophy particularly in hippocampal area cause loss in cortical thinness and hippocampal value leading to decrease cognitive performance. APOE-  µ4 gene more common in Alzheimer disease patient associated with increased risk for cerebral amyloid. Amyloid-related decline with presence of APOE- ? µ4 by assessing memory, cognitive, and executive function in participants with Alzheimer pathology and no pathology. (Donohue, 2014) Amyloid-b (A) peptides becomes accumulate and aggression causing injury to synapse and neurodegeneration. Microtubule-associated protein tau appear as neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer disease brain caused by overproduction of A. Low level of gonadal sex hormones is associated with decline in neurogenesis with memory decline and executive function difficulties. Female sex-linked to decrease longitudinal cognitive, advance hippocampal atrophy, and lower cognitive testing. Women with APOE-  µ4 have more pronounced brain pathology than men showing more buildup of sticky plaques called amyloid beta protein. APOE-  µ4 in women cause worse performance, greater brain atrophy and lower brain metabolism due to higher level of biological markers. Women with low CSF have greater left hippocampal atrophy, quicker decline in memory, and function performance while women with higher CSF have decrease in function performance and advance right hippocampal atrophy (Koran, 2016). Estrogen important for hippocampal memory consolidation, hippocampal-dependent spatial navigation memory, object recognition, and object placement which decrease with age and associated with cognitive decline. Preventive Measure Diet modification, physical activities, intellectual stimulation to help decrease cognitive impairment, neuroinflammation, and increase motor function. Research has showed that wearing a seat belt while in an automobile can reduce injury from occurring during accidents. Secure rugs and loose electrical cord to minimize risk of tripping over them which could lead to falls. Brain cells critical for memory is lose as brain shrink with age, and large brain volume association include diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, nuts, fish, and low in sugary beverage. Diet modification include nutrition which is an environmental factor, and proper nutrition can change biomarker level. Decrease oxidation in the brain cause decrease deacetylase activity (Athanasopoulos, 2016). Vitamin D has neuroprotector properties such as antioxidative, calcium homeostasis, neurotrophic regulation and anti-inflammatory action which regulate DNA methylation and modulate gene expression leading to decrease risk for developing Alzheimer disease. Vitamins A, C, and E has antioxidant properties which can reduce abnormal histone acetylation modification. Vitamin A group include retinol, retinoic acid, and b-carotene which have beneficial effect on memory. Vitamin C group require for recycling ? ±-tocopherol radical which acts as a reducing agent and induces epigenetic changes to protect against Alzheimer disease. Vitamin E group include tocopherols and tocotrienols associated with decreased risk for Alzheimer disease. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce cognitive decline in ol der adults by increasing the specialized pro-resolving mediators produce by peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Omega-3 fatty acids benefit heart and blood vessels, anti-inflammatory effects, and protect nerve cell membranes. Inflammation and cognitive decline can be physical reduced with alpha-lipoic acid, curcumin, fish oil, ginger, resveratrol, and spirulina. Physical activities help brain cells increase blood and oxygen flow in brain encouraging new cell growth which stimulate brains ability to maintain old connection as well as make new ones. Muscle, joints, balance, and heart help maintain higher level of functioning and reducing risk of falls. Adequate exercise reduces restlessness and prevent wandering and cognitive decline improve with supporting cardiac function. Improve sleeping habits by maintaining a good sleep-wake cycle and facilitate sound sleep at night. Walking shows improvement with memory and weight training show improvement in selective attention, memory, and conflict resolution. Yoga decrease blood pressure and decrease risk of cardiovascular which improve brain function and decrease risk of Alzheimer disease. Overall quality of life improves with yoga with increase processing speed, executive function, attention, memory, and mood. Stimulating Activities Certain stimulating activities can reduce risk of mild cognitive impairment and show improvement in complex thinking and memory skills by staying engage and alert while enjoying vigorous memory workout. People with APOE ? µ4 genotype engage in intellectual activities show reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment and higher cognitive reserve is associated with cerebrospinal biomarker. Reduce risk of mild cognitive impairment by playing brain games, reading, using computer, and social activities. Puzzles or sorting object use hand-eye coordination to exercise problem-solving ability and make sense of shapes to complete pictures which help maintain neural connection of brain. Game encouraging verbal articulation of ideas strengthen mental capacity through word related activities, mental exercises, or question by stimulating mind to sharpen cognitive awareness. Reading stimulate both memories and emotion and more neurobiological demanding require vision, language, and associate learni ng all connection. Tackling new technologies is a way to learn new things. Remain interested, active and engage in life by staying social will keep brain active. Learn something new to challenge mind and stimulate brain stem growth such as new language, musical instrument, and painting which provide novelty, complexity, and challenge by disrupting brains habit and routines. Artistic hobbies such as drawing, and paint keeps senses fine-tuned by work part of the brain that might not have been utilized in past. Music stimulates specific part of the brain and has power to stir memories and elicit emotion. Practice memorization by creating rhymes and patterns to strength memory connection. Practice the 5 Ws. Who, What, Where, When, and Why by observing and reporting to capture visual details to keep neurons firing. Things already know how to do, try in new ways to create new brain pathways such as eating or styling hair with non-dominant hand and placing watch on opposite wrist. Medical Management and Care Plan Medical management and care plan help communicate and organize action needed for individuals needs. Neurological examination includes blood test, spinal tap, nerve function, electroencephalogram (EEG), and imaging test CT scan and MRI. Cognitive evaluated by neuropsychologist since many factors affect how cognitive can be improve and challenging to predict recovery. Cognitive rehabilitation focus on remediation focus on improving skills that have been lost or impaired and compensate learning new ways to achieve goal. Speech therapist to identify areas that need work Treatment Medication cant stop the damage Alzheimer disease cause brain cell but can lessen or stabilize symptoms by affecting certain chemicals involving with brain nerve cells. Neuroinflammation treatment include controlling inflammation with immunosuppressant. Cholinesterase inhibitors and memantine to treat cognitive symptoms such as confusion, problem with thinking and reasoning, and memory loss. Cholinesterase inhibitors prevent breakdown of chemical called acetylcholine essential for learning, memory, and support communication among nerve cells by increasing acetylcholine. Memantine regulates activity of a chemical called glutamate improved mental function and ability to perform daily activities. Oxygen therapy provide oxygen to help blood have enough oxygen and reduce amount of swelling. PROG treatment shows improved long-term cognitive and motor outcome with decrease brain damage (OBrien, 2015). MW 151 treatment Selective proinflammatory cytokine prevent cognitive impairment (Bachstet ter, 2015). Cognitive rehabilitation focuses on remediation by developing skills that have been lost or impaired and compensate for learning new ways to achieve goal. Ventriculostomy by drilling small hole in skull to drain cerebrospinal fluid from inside brain. Surgery to remove part of skull to relieve intracranial pressure or repair damaged artery or vein. Care Plan Cognition-focused evaluation is a comprehensive and interview with family member to obtain description of current issue, accurate patient history, exams, medication, and medical. Functional assessment includes activities of daily living, decision-making capacity, evaluation of safety and advances care planning with palliative care. Reminiscing will help with long-term memories and intellectual activities to keep cognitive skills active. Early detection can assist with more time to prepare for future, better chance of treatment such as increased chance of participating in clinical drug trials, participate in decision about care, transportation, living option, financial, and legal matters. Evaluation of safety and advance care planning with palliative care. Plans to help improve different changes that are occurring in mind and body. Attention and concentration problems improved by decreasing distraction, focus on one task at a time, practice attention skills, and take breaks when tired. Problem with processing and understanding improved with placing full attention on trying to understand, more time to think about information, re-read information, and ask to repeat themselves. Language and communication improved with using gentle tone of voice, dont speak quickly, limit conversation to one person at a time. Problems learning and remembering new information improved by putting together a structured routine of daily task and activities, be organized, review and practice new information, well rested and reduce anxiety, learn memory aids such as memory notebooks, calendars, daily schedules, and daily task list. Problem with problem-solving, decision-making, and judgment include teaching organized approach such as step-by-step problem-solving strategy, define problems, possible solution, pros and cons of solutions, pick solution, and evaluate success of solution. Inappropriate, embarrassing or impulsive behavior include think ahead about situation, clear expectation for desirable behavior, plan and rehearse social interaction, verbal and non-verbal cues. Conclusion Alzheimer disease is a complex neurodegenerative disorder which progressive due to traumatic brain injury. Effect of traumatic brain injury can be reduced by understanding neuroinflammation, cognitive impairment, APOE genotype, and sex hormones. Diet modification. Physical activities improve blood flow to brain and stimulate nerve cells growth. Ongoing intellectual stimulation improves complex thinking, memory, communication, and interaction.

Video Games And Hostility. Essay - 2108 Words

Running Head: VIDEO GAMES AND HOSTILITY Video games and hostility Surpreet Singh City University of New York : Queens College Authors Note Surpreet Singh, Department of Psychology, Queens College Contact : Surpreet95@gmail.com VIDEO GAMES AND HOSTILITY Abstract This experiment assessed the role of videogames and hostility in young Queens College students. This experiment was based on whether video games make a person hostile towards his or her surroundings. Showing two different clips from different video games, which described the mood of young students, did it. The experiment was tested within a classroom in Queens College. The experiment was divided into two different conditions, condition one, which was hostile games, and condition two, which was non- hostile games. First, the students were shown the clip of this aggressive video game called, Call of Duty 3 for two minutes and were asked to imagine as if they were playing. Students were administered the State Hostility Questionnaire and instructed to fill out ratings before and after the experiment. Secondly, the students were shown the clip of a nonviolent video game called Pikmin and were asked to do the same as they did with the first video game. The goal of this experiment was to b riefly find out if video games made a person hostile. Since, video games like Call of Duty 3 contains a lot of violent actions it does make students hostile compared to the non-violent games likeShow MoreRelatedEffects Of Violent Video Games Essay1712 Words   |  7 Pagesteeneagers love video games. Though some say â€Å"it’s just a game†, that simple game could be more of an impact than people think. At the moment teenagers may not see any change in their actions and emotions while playing video games. Violent video games in specific are a huge impact on Americans teenagers. Do parents actually pay attention to the things their children say while playing violent video games? No. Violent video games affect a great amount of America’s teenagers, it causes hostility, aggressionRead MoreThe Effects Of Video Games On Children1742 Words   |  7 PagesVideo games have always been the subject of some type of controversy. Debates exist over whether or not playing th em for too long is detrimental to your health, or if they have any positive aspects at all. Research indicates that gaming for long periods of time is not healthy, whereas light or occasional gaming yields benefits to reactions and skills when working under pressure. However, one aspect of video games always rears its head whenever some empathy-depraved soul commits an atrocity upon innocentRead MoreVideo Games Essay909 Words   |  4 PagesHave you ever wondered how games impact children? or why kids love to play them? Well your about to find out and the answer may be surprising. Video games were first introduced in the 1970s. By the end of that decade they had become a preferred childhood leisure activity, and adults responded with concern about the possible ill effects of the games on children. Early research on these effects was inconclusive. However, a resurgence in video game sales that began in the late 1980s after the introductionRead MoreVideo Game Essay923 Words   |   4 PagesHave you ever wondered how games impact children? or why kids love to play them? Well your about to find out and the answer may be surprising. Video games were first introduced in the 1970s. By the end of that decade they had become a preferred childhood leisure activity, and adults responded with concern about the possible ill effects of the games on children. Early research on these effects was inconclusive. However, a resurgence in video game sales that began in the late 1980s after the introductionRead MoreEssay about Violence of Video Games947 Words   |  4 Pages Aggressive video game controversies are consequential on irregular grounds, ranging from the depiction of hostility, sexism, as well as ethnicity, alongside constructive portrayal of offensive conducts among others. Video gaming has been undeniably, evaluated for its connections to addiction along with hostility however, traditional varying assessments notably attained conflicting results. On the contrary, co ntemporary analysis have reported that exposure to insensitive video games would imposeRead MoreEssay on Video Games: Good or Bad?1112 Words   |  5 Pagesinstead. The urge to play â€Å"just one more level† before starting that homework or doing those chores can be quite distracting. But are video games really as awful as Mom exclaims or as brutal as those TV ads depict? It turns out that video games can have a strong impact on participants’ lives in both positive as well as negative ways. When imagining the typical video gamer, one might envision the stereotypical overweight, slightly nerdy looking man who traps himself within his basement till two everyRead MoreViolent Media And Its Impact On Aggression1544 Words   |  7 Pagesdoes play a part in predicting the progression of aggression in adolescents. By using a multilevel modeling longitudinal study, they found that adolescents with high levels of aggression are more likely to engage with violent media, especially video games. Thus, exposes partakers to a violent nature which reinforces and worsens aggressiveness, and in turns may cause more aggressive behaviors and violence within these adolescents. Evidence from the multilevel modeling and meta-analysis show that theRead MoreAlbert Bandura Social Learning Theory1060 Words   |  5 PagesMass shootings,  youth violence,  and  anti-social behaviors have caused society to point their finger at video games. Video game reformists claim that video game violenc e causes aggressive behavior which result in violent acts. The best way to approach society’s claim is with Albert Bandura’s cognitive-behavioral â€Å"Modeling† approach. This research shows that although video game violence may condone aggressive behavior,  it is not  the only factor triggering individuals to act aggressively or performRead MoreDefending The Morality Of Violent Video Games1486 Words   |  6 PagesViolent video games are a very controversial subject in our world today. Video games have been around for years now dating all the way back to the early 1970s. The first gaming console the Atari was invented by a man that went by the name of Nolan Bushnell who also created computer space (Tyson, 2000). The very first violent video game that was acknowledged in the gaming world was Death Race, also considered to be a â€Å"Murder Simulator† created in 1976 (Mackey, 2015). In this research paper I willRead MoreVideo Games Can Affect Teen s Emotions1455 Words   |  6 Pages Video Games Can Affect Teen’s Emotions Table of Contents Part I: Research Report: 1 Abstract: 2 Introduction: 2 Literature Review: 3 Conclusion: 7 References: 7 Part I: Research Report: Abstract: Introduction: From security preparing recreations to procedure diversions to pretending amusements, to games diversions to wagering recreations , playing computer games has turned into a gregarious marvel and the augmenting number of players that cross sexual orientation, culture, and

Interpreting the Perfect Electoral System Free Essays

There is no such thing as a perfect electoral system’ The Idea of perfection Is Interpreted differently amongst everybody In the 0K. The word ‘Perfect’ Is defined as having all the necessary or typical characteristics required for a given situation. So everybody will have different thoughts on what really Is a perfect electoral system. We will write a custom essay sample on Interpreting the Perfect Electoral System or any similar topic only for you Order Now Generally, a perfect electoral system is one which has the qualities of being simple, gives a varied choice to the electorate, is fair and proportional, gives a clear outcome and is microcosmic, it represents the people more. Firstly, it could be argued that the more proportional electoral systems are the losest to a ‘perfect’ electoral system because they show what/who the people of the UK really voted for. One proportional system is the Single Transferrable Vote. This system operates by representatives being elected in large multi-member constituencies, the voting is preferential and also known as Voting Ordinal’ where the voters can vote as many times as they want. The candidates much receive a quota known as a droop quota to actually become elected and if they reach this quota any excess votes are redistributed on the basis ot 2nd preferences. The calculation used to work out the quota Is (total valid which some eople argue Is too complicated for any elecuons In the 0K, If no candidate reaches the quota then the lowest places candidate Is eliminated and the second preferences of the people that voted for them are redistributed. This system Is used successfully in many UK elections, It’s used In Northern Ireland for elections such as in the Assembly, for local government elections and EU parliament elections. The Republic of Ireland and Scotland both use it for Local Elections However there are both many advantages and disadvantages of using this electoral system. Firstly it delivers roportional outcomes and it also ensures that votes are largely of equal values. In addition, the threshold is quite high. A party or group of parties have to win over 50% of the popular vote to form a government, this is an advantage because the winning party reflects the majority of the populations wishes. On the other hand, the process Single Transferrable vote uses large multi-member constituencies, this weakens the link between individual MPs and their constituencies, so some people may not feel as involved as they could be throughout the electoral process. Also, STV is less accurate In translating votes Into seats than other electoral systems such as list systems or some versions of additional member systems. In addition, If a coalition was to be formed under the STV electoral system, It can be argued that the government produced could be unstable and give a disproportional Influence to minor parties that hold the balance of power. Never the less, the voters can choose between a large range of candidates including dfferent candidates of the same party, this allows the public to really vote what they feel most strongly for because of the large range of available candidates. Secondly, the electoral system Regional List is another proportional system. Again using this system, representatives are elected in large multi-member constituencies, however the political parties draw up a list of candidates in order in which they’ll be elected, the electors cast one single vote for a representing the same political party. The parties have greater control over the electoral process as they can put their favourite candidates at the top of the list. As it is a proportional system, the seats are allocated according to the proportion of votes won by each political party. Regional list is another successful system which is used for elections to European Parliament in England, Scotland and Wales, the last European election was in 2009 where the amount of seats won were 72, the overall turnout was 1 5,625,823 and the electorate was 45,315,669. However, although it is a proportional system it still has its advantages and disadvantages. It is argued that we shouldn’t use this system because in closed list systems voters cannot chose between candidates from the same party. Also the parties control the order in which candidates appear on the list and they can favour those who support the leadership. Never the less, Regional List delivers an extremely high degree of proportionality which is an argument for the I-JK using this system for more elections, because the amount of seats the winners of the election gain is proportional to the amount of people who voted for them which is fair isn’t it? In addition, not only does it reflect the voters’ choices, political parties use lists to increase the number of women and ethnic minority candidates in parliament. However, Just like the Single Transferrable Vote, Regional List uses large multi-member constituencies which weakens the links etween representatives and constituents. Thirdly, it could be argued that Majoritarian/plurality systems are the next closest to being a perfect electoral system as they are very simple and produce a stable government. First Past the Post electoral system is the most common Majoritarian system as it is used for the General Elections in the I-JK. First Past the Post is simple because the country is split into roughly even sized constituencies and in each constituency, people elect one representative, it is a single vote system and whoever wins the most votes in the constituency wins a seat in parliament. This system was last used in 2010 at the last general election where it lead to a hung parliament and the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats went into a coalition to run the country. The Conservatives gained 307 seats, Labour won 258 seats and the Liberal Democrats won 57 seats. Never the less, it may seem straight forward and simple but it has a variety of advantages and disadvantages. The fact it’s simple is one of the advantages, not only is it simple to understand but the ballot paper is simple as you can only cast one vote. Also, it produces a quick and clear vote and it also produces a stable government as the inning party adds a bonus of seats and single party governments with a working majority have significant control over the legislative process, both of these factors contributing to the creation of a stable government. However, despite these advantages the First Past the Post system produces disproportional outcomes, this is where the amount of seats won in the election doesn’t reflect the share of votes received. Also, it favours plurality rather than majority support, so the victorious candidates don’t need a majority to gain power. Not only this, but First Past the Post roduces votes of unequal value, the constituencies are roughly the same size, they’re not exactly the same size which means different constituencies have votes of different values, also most votes are wasted due to tactical voting so these votes don’t even help elect the MPs. Never the less, First Past the Post produces a responsible governing party in office at the moment, and the potential alternative government. This system also produces effective representation, as the country is split into single- member constituencies, it shows a clear link between voters and the elected representative. There is only one MP responsible. On the other hand, First Past the Post only offers a limited choice to the voters. Only one candidate stands on behalf of the party, so the choice isn’t as diverse as the more proportional systems like Regional List. To follow on from that point, many I-JK constituencies are known as ‘Safe Seats’ where the majority of people from that constituency will vote for a certain party whether they like their politics or not. For example, the constituency of Penrith is known as a safe seat for Conservatives. In addition, tactical voting is often used as way to obstruct a party to get into power, by voting for the party which is most likely to compete with the winning party and not by voting for their most preferred party. Fourthly, Supplementary vote is another form of a Majoritarian/plurality system. The voter only has one vote to put down their top two candidates and if no candidate wins a majority then all but the top two are eliminated and the second preference votes of the eliminated candidates are added to the first preference candidates. After the elimination the candidate with the highest total is elected. This system is a ariant of the Alternative Vote. The Supplementary Vote system is used to elect the London Mayor and Mayors of other cities. The last election was in 2012 which was the London Mayoral election. Boris Johnson (conservative) won a second term in power by 3% beating his Labour Rival Ken Livingston. How to cite Interpreting the Perfect Electoral System, Papers

Jury Duty Essays - Juries, Criminal Procedure, Legal Procedure, Jury

Jury Duty Jury system is a trial system that twelve citizens decide whether defendants are guilty or not. The verdict is unanimous. The jurors are all laypersons , as far as law is concerned. There is a reason for unanimous verdict. If one jury is against the verdict,it is regarded as being room for doubt. Advantages of jury system are direct participation of American people, conventional judgement by people, fair stage of investigation, resistance against polictics' and judical plot, and making of democratic consciousness. For example, if a public prosecutor submit unlawful proof without trial permission, counsel makes an objection to it. A chief judge can't admit counsel's objection. Defendant is at a disadvantage. However, there is a possibility that jury system will check rotting of trial. Jurors need not explain reason of verdict to court. If juries feel way of investigation is dirty and viorate human rights, they can decide the defendant is innocnt. In short, jurors can decide defendant is innocent even if a public prosecutor has disadvantageous proofs for the defendant. Juries who are representative of citizen make the decision value about proof. But, Jerome Frank, one of delegates of legal realists, criticized jury system in Law A lot of verdicts are irresponsible juries' products of caprice and prejudice, for example, the defendant is a rich corporation, the plaintiff is a poor boy and the counsel is an eloquent speaker. Such facts often decide who wins or loses. He characterizes that juries have tendency to like weak people and hate strong people. Jury system seems to have many problems. A sophisticated and rich person, a person of position and a busy businessman do not want to become a juror, because juries are bound for all trial period and therefore person who can afford time for trial can become a juror, such as a housewife, an old person and an unemployed person. As a result jurors who have not even seen stock averages are to make the decision for an important and difficult case involved in the Antimonoply Law. It is said that citizen's ability to execute for jury's duty is the problem. But I do not think so. There are not scientific grounds for their abilities.It is a prejudice.Law degree and no proper ability to serve as a juror are not closely connected. Perhaps high educational degree may become an obstacle of conventional judgement. It is said that Japanese companies always lose the lawsuit, because American juries have prejudice against Japanese. Do you think it is true? The answer is NO.The probability of winnig a suit, by a jury who represents American citizen, was fifty to one hundred in data from 1980 to 95. To my surprise, American juries do not seem to matter nationality. After all, hypothesis that American juries have preconception against Japanese and Japanese companies always lose suit is not right. Moreover, hypothesis that juries are emotional and sympathize with defendant, and as a result the opinion that big companies always loses suit is groundless. The cause of distrust in jury system is probably connected to the way of news reports by mass media. Mass media reports minus images. The general public believe it is the real image in spite of successful verdicts. The present age is the one of an information-intensive society. Many people are influenced by the mass media. If those people who have prejudice happen to see a juror who gives a big yawn or dozes during trial, minus image generalizes with conviction. Let me give you a concrete example. Under sensational headline of newspapers, mass media reports great costs of jury trials as if every trial by a jury costs a lot. I agree with the idea of jury system. It is very good that American people participate in judicature. But, many people take a critical attitude toward the jury system. I never think that they are wrong. They may say We had better entrust trial to trained judge. However, meaning of jury system's existence is to stick to common sense of citizens. Providing whether the man is innocent or not by legal rights all people can exercise is permitted is more important than the fact whether the man is innocent or not.

buy custom Harriet Beecher Stowe essay

buy custom Harriet Beecher Stowe essay Harriet Beecher Stowe is one of the most celebrated women to have ever come from the United States. Born in early 19th century United States, slavery was a cornerstone of American trade and agriculture. This was also a period when most families did not attach much importance to educating girls and women were relegated to the role of homemakers and upbringing of children. But Harriet was luckier than most girls of her time since her family believed in providing similar education for all their children without paying much attention to gender. Her father was a devoted Christian and a clergy man and this might have influenced his decision to treat her as he would his sons and probably influenced her later efforts to restore equality of the people and the abolition of slavery. One thing is clear, her writings and teachings contributed greatly to the abolitionist movements led to the eventual emancipation of the slaves. Harriet was a very opinionated woman who did not hesitate to give voice to her views and concerns with complete disregard to the reactions her writings might evoke. Needless to say that her immense education in various subjects and the influences of great people in her life defined her intelligent discourse in diverse topics ranging from politics, nature, travel, sociology and many others (Harriet Beecher Stowe Center). This paper shall consider her view points on these topics in the hope that doing so can cast a stronger light into the mind of this great lady. Nature Harriet was propelled into international fame when she published her book Uncle Toms Cabin. But the book ws a result of the monumental success her column elicited as her writing challenged the issue of slavery with resolve and courage in a manner that no woman before her had done. She felt that slavery was inhumane and against the natural laws of justice. Slaves were treated no better than animals especially in the South and Beecher felt that anyone who had a voice should not keep quiet when people committed atrocities against their fellow human beings. She demonstrate great courage, a feat which might attest to her possible believe that we must protect the vulnerable even if we endanger ourselves in the process, when she had some slaves in her house. She felt that society cannot claim to be moral and a government cannot call itself legitimate if it sanctions the oppression of some people regardless of a constitutional declaration affirming the equality of all people. Religion There was a time that Beecher felt confusion and great turmoil regarding her beliefs in God and she questioned how committed she was to church and God. It should be noted that most of her family members were in the service of church and God and she grew in an environment where religion and devotion were areas dear to her folks. Her education and exposure to other aspects of living might have created this turmoil as adulthood brought with it questions of where her convictions stood. Nonetheless, she reconciled her thoughts and devoted her life to God after accepting salvation. But Beecher never tried to impose her convictions on any one and felt that salvation is personal and a choice people should make for themselves. This liberal stand enabled her to meet and maintain friendship with people from all walks of life regardless of their religiouus inclinations. She also wrote some books, especially Ministers wooing in her attempt to bring tolerance among the different religious denomina tions at the time. Beecher asserts that Christianity held the key to over come slavery since Christianity teaches us to embrace and love all of Gods creations (19). Fate / Law Harriet, as mentioned earlier, tackled several aspects of American society and life in general. She actually felt it necessary to write a book about her son who passed away as a result of a cholera outbreak. This death affected her and inspired her thoughts on fate and what we have to do to accept the inevitable and move on. One thing which one must consider while analyzing Beechers view point on issues is her stand on the sanctity of law. The US regime of the time passed a law prohibiting people to offer help to escapade slaves and yet Beecher disobeyed the law and assisted escapade slaves. This might be a construed to show that while she was a law abiding citizen she did not believe it ethical to blindly follow laws which went against her principles or were inhumane. There have been ladies in history who contributed to the advancement of civilization especially during periods when women were voiceless and expected to be submissive. Beecher is one of them and her contribution to the equality of mankind will be celebrated for several generations to come. It was even rumored that when she met President Lincoln, he singled out her efforts as having contributed to the civil war. Her writings will forever embody her views which remain brilliant and revolutionary even till today (Cummings, pg 7). Buy custom Harriet Beecher Stowe essay

3 Ways You Can Live Life Like an Olympian

3 Ways You Can Live Life Like an Olympian Photo courtesy of Press Association Have you been watching the Olympics? I sure have, and I’ve been amazed not just at the athleticism of these amazing competitors, but at the clear impact of mental and emotional strength on who goes home as a winner, and who goes home disappointed. Here are just a few of the observations I’ve been making as to what makes a true Olympian: 1. If you fall and you CAN get up, get up. Mo Farah of Great Britain won the gold in the 10,000 meters after being accidentally tripped on the 10th lap. He was uninjured and unfazed, quickly returning to the front of the pack and ultimately winning his second Olympic gold in this event. Here’s what he had to say about the incident: â€Å"When I fell down I was just thinking, ‘Try to get up, try to get up. Don’t panic, don’t panic, don’t panic.’ And then I got up, and I tried to just get through it.† In contrast stands Russian gymnast Seda Tutkhalian. Tutkhalian over-rotated on her dismount from the beam, falling on her backside, and then made exactly the same mistake in her floor routine. In the end, it was mental gymnastics that failed her. â€Å"I had been thinking about it and I was upset,† said Tutkhalian. â€Å"And on the floor I have fallen because I was upset after my fall on the beam. During the floor exercise, I don’t know, I didn’t have the strength anymore. I don’t understand why.† Are you reminded more of yourself by Farah or by Tutkhalin? I recognize myself in both of them. Farah’s attitude is one we could all stand to have when we meet with an accident, or with any kind of failure. When I make a mistake with a client (yes it does happen), or when I am made aware of a typo in my blog, I have an initial surge of despair; but I am generally able to talk myself out of panic, do whatever necessary to make amends, and cross the finish line one way or another. From now on I will have Farah’s fortitude in mind when I stumble in one of my pursuits. 2. It’s your effort that really matters- not whether you win. I heard the gymnastics commentators say again and again that the gymnasts who go home satisfied are the ones who know they have given it their all. Yes there might be disappointment, but no â€Å"what ifs† to haunt them. There are many athletes who set records for their countries while not winning medals. They have a lot to be proud of. There are others who scored their personal best. Not everyone goes to the Olympics with expectations of winning a gold medal or any medal at all. There are many ways to win. American gymnast, Alex Naddour, won a bronze, not the coveted gold, for pommel horse- but it was the first of any kind of medal in 32 years for the U.S. Naddour said he felt like he won the lottery. He shared, â€Å"This is exactly what I wanted since I was a young kid, to go out and hit a great routine, score the highest I’ve ever scored in my life, out of country.† For him, bronze was golden. I happened to catch one of the quarter-final matches of women’s beach volleyball, and I hope the Brazilian team goes home proud after losing their match in an epic battle. Yes they cried, but they gave it everything in front of their own nation, and to me that’s what matters. My own degree of satisfaction is definitely tied to how much effort I put in. I experienced this phenomenon on the dance floor this week. One night, I went out salsa dancing and felt scared to ask anyone to dance with me. I danced by myself for most of the night, and went home feeling defeated. The next night, I did not let my fear stop me and I danced with some new people, coming home having had a ton of fun. Then on Saturday, I decided to go berry picking. I preferred to have company, so I put in some effort to ask 5 friends to come with me. I ended up going by myself and had a wonderful time amongst the raspberry bushes. Knowing I had not given up was the key to my satisfaction. Picking berries was also a sweet meditative experience that inspired the idea behind this blog! 3. When you’re winning, keep pushing, and have fun! Swimmer Katie Ledecky took the lead from the start in the 800m freestyle, and she never let go of it. She was chasing something other than the 7 other swimmers in the pool: her own world record. And she beat it. So much for â€Å"Quit while you’re ahead.† Katie said she knew from the start of her race that she would have a world record breaking time. I’m guessing that having that goal kept her swimming faster and faster, even with the rest of her competitors trailing behind her by seconds. Katie won, in part, because she was there for the experience more than the medals: â€Å"I’ve just had a lot of fun this week not only in the pool but just with my teammates. The memories mean more than the medals to me.† Once again, it seems that having fun is key to performing well and maintaining the drive to win. And how about Simone Biles, who did not rest on her laurels after winning the women’s gymnastics all-around, but scored a more than perfect score on her final vault to clinch that medal too? The smile on her face after that vault showed in no uncertain terms that she was living by her motto: â€Å"If you’re having fun, that’s when the best memories are built.† Finally, the indomitable Usain Bolt. He ended a press conference by kickin’ it up with some Brazilian samba dancers. The man can dance! The same combination of pushing hard and having fun will bring success in many aspects of life, including business. Too many people become the best and then forget that they need to keep innovating to maintain their leading position. For me, it’s the ongoing striving for excellence that keeps things fun and challenging. When I noticed I was getting bored of speaking about LinkedIn, I hired a speaking coach. Already I am thinking of new and creative ways to present material, engage my audience, and promote my services. The fun is back and I’m planning to win this game. More Olympics are coming this week. What are you taking away from the amazing athletes in Rio?

Rise and Fall of Empires Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Rise and Fall of Empires - Term Paper Example tion and elevated levels of industrialization which may make a nation attain superpower status just like that of the People’s Republic of China (Fishman 112). In this essay, our focus will be on China as an emerging superpower capable of rivaling the status of the United States driven by its exemplary economic growth and military might. From our discussion, we find that China helped by its impressive economic growth can mount a successive campaign to become an important player capable of becoming a superpower in the world affairs. This is helped by the declining power of the United States as a major player in the international arena as it faces both domestic and international problems in its economy and policies. However, we will conclude that the People’s Republic of China is incapable of becoming the absolute global superpower to rival the United States due to certain inadequacies in its systems. For instance, China has poor governance and political situations that ar e not universally acceptable while it also has inferior military as compared to the United States of America. The People’s Republic of China has continuously risen to be a serious power as seen through its tremendous economic growth and transformation in its foreign policy aimed at increasing its power and influence (Shirk 77). The nation has used its growing influence to try and have a say on how the affairs of the world are run with the sole purpose of having the world serve its mainly economic interests. Through the increase of state power of China, it is increasingly becoming capable of creating and enforcing rules and institutions aimed at pursuing its interests and security as well as that of its citizens. Part of the reason put forward for China’s rise in global affairs can be attributed to the slow changes in its regime and its dissatisfaction of the old international order led by the United States. Though the rise of China had started during the Ming Dynasty, the foresight by the

Biology - Down's Syndrome Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Biology - Down's Syndrome - Term Paper Example Despite the alleged incurable nature of Down’s syndrome, it is possible that the fields of pharmacology and medicine have surely come up with ways to alleviate its symptoms as well as to be able to learn further about the disease. In fact, research through the medical and scientific databases on the latest scientific breakthroughs concerning Down’s syndrome resulted in the discovery of five journal articles relating the most recent breakthroughs on the disease. Review of Literature The study of Bradeau et al. conducted in Paris, France in 2011 is entitled â€Å"Specific targeting of the GABA-A receptor ÃŽ ±5 subtype by a selective inverse agonist restores cognitive deficits in Down syndrome mice.† Based on the results of this study, one reason why there is an altered brain function among individuals with Down’s syndrome is that there is a chemical imbalance between inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters. One inhibitory transmitter, GABA or gamma-aminobutyric acid seems to occur in large amounts in the nervous system of Down’s syndrome patients and thus causes a relatively great amount of inhibition of certain cognitive functions among them. The study then utilized GABA-A antagonists in order to treat such chemical imbalance and the result was positive. As a result, the subjects of the experiment, Ts65Dn mice, or mice with Down’s syndrome, demonstrated restored cognitive functions. The specific chemical GABA-A antagonist, which is a ?5-subtype or ?5IA, was used to restore memory and learning functions n rats. The ?5IA subtype of GABA-A antagonist is different from its other subtypes because it is non-convulsant, which means to say that the other subtypes may cause convulsions if tested on humans. Other subtypes also caused certain changes in the tissues of the brain, liver and kidney of the experimental mice, but ?5IA did not. The study of Braudeau et al. was particularly important to the medical community as well as to families of Down’s syndrome patients because this new particular chemical or drug – GABA-A antagonist ?5IA subtype – may actually improve learning and memory problems among patients suffering from Down’s syndrome. Nonetheless, the drug has not yet been tested in humans for fear that although it may not cause convulsions in rats, it may still do so in humans. Moreover, the study was unique in itself because although it has been known that Down’s syndrome pa tients suffer from imbalanced inhibition and excitation at the cellular level, there had been no non-convulsant drug that promised any good cure until now. Another study, the one conducted by Perluigi and Butterfield in Kentucky, USA in 2011 is entitled â€Å"Oxidative Stress and Down Syndrome: A Route toward Alzheimer-Like Dementia.† This study involved the discovery of the physiological causes of the almost natural development of Alzheimer’s Disease among Down’s syndrome patients as early as their middle age. Although there are already genetic physical and mental abnormalities in a newborn child with Down’s syndrome, these pathological problems get worse as the patient gets older and thus may have a great chance of developing into Alzheimer’s Disease later on in life. The study found out that the causes of such development were â€Å"altered free radical metabolism† and â€Å"impaired mitochondrial function† (Perluigi & Butterfield, 2012). These two cellular processes,

The Disputed Reign of Dowager Empress Tz’u-hsi Essay -- Essays Papers

The Disputed Reign of Dowager Empress Tz’u-hsi Historical record is not always an accurate representation of fact. An example of this would be the long reign of the Dowager Empress Tz’u-hsi, in which there were hundreds of documents written about her life. These documents have been taken and used in the production of numerous books, especially among Western historians. It was these early historians who have established the widely accepted perspective that Tz’u-hsi hungered for power, abused it, and retained it using any means necessary. This understanding is echoed today by authors such as W.G. Sebald, author of The Rings of Saturn. There are many differences between the accounts of the Western perspective and that of Sebald’s, but the overall idea of Tz’u-Hsi as a conniving and unworthy Empress is intact between the two. Still, the investigation is not over. There happens to be an abundance of historical documentation and opinion that contradicts the Western view on Tz’u-hsi. First, We stern accounts of the major issues in Tz’u-hsi’s reign will be examined; following this will be a look at how unreliable these sources are by showing their inconsistencies, where the arguments came from, and the all the other evidence supporting a different perspective on the great Empress. It is possible the Empress was everything that her enemies said she was, but the evidence at hand does not support image of a sinister Tz’u-hsi. The Western perspective on the Dowager Empress is harsh and W.G. Sebald is perhaps the harshest of all of the Western historians. One of Sebald’s first descriptions of the Empress is that her â€Å"craving for power was insatiable† (Sebald 147). Sebald wastes no time in backing up this claim. At the cru... ...istorians like Sebald recognize the uncertainty. Works Cited Bland, J. O. P., and E. Backhouse. China Under the Empress Dowager. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1914. Chung, Sue Fawn. â€Å"The Much Maligned Empress Dowager : A Revisionist Study of the Empress Dowager Tz’u-his.† Modern Asian Studies. 13 vol. Cambrige UP, 1979. JSTOR. 1 May 2005 < http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0026-749X%281979%2913%3A2%3C177%3ATMMEDA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-U>. Collis, Maurice. The Motherly and Auspicious. New York: G.P. Putnam’s, 1944. Laidler, Keith. The Last Empress. Chichester: John Wiley, 2003. Seagrave, Sterling. Dragon Lady. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1992. Sebald, W. G. The Rings of Saturn. Trans. Michael Hulse. London: Harvill, 1995. Vare, Daniele. The Last Empress. Garden City: Doubleday, Doran, 1938. Warner, Marina. The Dragon Empress. New York: Macmillan, 1972.

Edgar Allan Poe

Mysterious Death of a Mystery Man Death is an instance in which all vitals of the body have shut down, when life no longer remains in the body, and when something is declared dead. But, there is always something that causes this death whether old age, illness, tragedy, accidents, or suicide. In some cases, the cause of death is known soon after the passing or even before they have passed. In other cases, it takes quite some time to figure out exactly why life was lost.Then, there are those very few occasions that no exact cause is known and many assumptions are thrown around naming phony reasons of the death, when in the end, it will always be a mystery. This is exactly what has been done with the death of Edgar Allan Poe. Many have come up with different assumptions and accusations of Poe’s death, but none have been claimed to be the absolute positive explanation of it. John S. Craig writes, â€Å"His death in Baltimore, Maryland, October 7, 1849 has been surrounded by myste ry form the very moment he was found unconscious in a Baltimore tavern a few days before he died in a hospital†( ? . A few of the hypotheses are that Poe was an alcoholic, whose drinking led to his death, had medical problems and diseases that eventually caused his passing, and the Cooping Theory, which ended in him being severely beaten which led to his death a few days later. Poe’s death is a mystery that will never be completely solved. Poe’s death could have occurred through some sort of alcoholism. Different forms of disaster, stress, and depression drove Poe to drink. During Virginia’s, Poe’s wife, long battle with different illnesses, Poe began to drink quite a bit to help cope with the stress that evolved from this tragedy.Madhavi Ghare writes, â€Å"On October 3, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe was found drunk and unconscious on the streets of Baltimore, in someone else’s clothes. He was taken to the Washington College Hospital, where he died four days later on October 7, 1849† ( ? ). One theory of Poe’s alcoholism is that he had a rare medical condition where simply one or two drinks could have a devastating outcome towards him immune system making it seem like he has had way more. This was also backed by Poe telling his wife, friends, and others who asked how many drinks he had, that he had only drank one or two.The problem with this statement is that we do not know if Poe was telling the truth or hiding the fact that he had been excessively drinking all night. Alcohol might or might not have played a role in Poe’s death; it is a mystery we will never know the answer too. Another circumstance in which Poe could have died is from different illnesses and diseases. Back in the time Poe was alive, medical treatment and diagnosis was still at a low level. Even if one was said to have a certain illness, a treatment to heal was most likely still unknown.Poe was thought to have many diseases and illnesses including lesions on the brain, heart disease, cholera, excessive nervous prostration, loss of nerve power, enzyme disorder, tuberculosis, epilepsy, diabetes, rabies, and hydrophobia. One of the diseases that made most sense for him to have was rabies. R. Michael Benitez writes, â€Å"Poe was a well-known animal lover and was especially fond of cats, which can transmit the rabies virus. There was no record of an animal bite preceding Poe’s ailment, but the illness can take more than a year to surface† ( ? ).Even though Poe might not have had a bite mark on him at the hospital, the incident in which the rabies was transferred could have been up to a year before then. Poe was thought to have many different illnesses and diseases which could have easily taken his life from him. One possible circumstance that could have resulted in Poe’s death is the Cooping Theory. The Cooping Theory is when on election day, gangs use to kidnap bystanders and hold them hostage in a room, known as the â€Å"coop,† and make them go to the poll and vote over and over again for who the gang wanted to win the election.The gangs would beat the people and get them drunk to ensure they cooperated. CW Fisher writes, â€Å"Beatings became more frequent and severe as the day wore on, partly to keep the voters awake and motivated, and partly to ensure loss of memory† ( ? ). The gangs would make the people to change clothes so the poll workers would not recognize them and let them vote again. When Poe was found on a bench, he was near poll called Ryan’s Fourth Ward Polls. This poll served as a bar and voting poll. Poe was drunk and he was not wearing his own clothes. This evidence leads towards the assumption that Poe’s death evolved from the Cooping Theory.Poe’s death has many explanations and assumptions that will never be solved. Poe’s death can range from him drinking himself to death, dying from different illnesses such as ra bies, tuberculosis, diabetes, cholera, heart disease, brain disease, or him being a victim of the Cooping Theory, which forced him to drink excessively and be beaten multiple times by gangs at election polls. It is a mystery. Poe wrote many mysterious stories himself including â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum,† â€Å"The Purloined Letter,† â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† and â€Å"A Descent into Maelstrom. † It is ironic that his death is a mystery itself.Elizabeth Flock writes, â€Å"Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories are filled with cryptic death scenes, so it was only fitting that the master of the macabre would meet a similarly mysterious end† ( ? ). Flock makes it seem as though it was Poe’s fate for his death to remain a mystery, and remain a mystery, it has. Works Cited Page Craig, John S. The Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe’s Death. 7 Jan. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. ?http://voices. yahoo. com/the-mystery-edgar-allan-poes-death-2463818. html? cat=38? Ghare, Madhavie. Edgar Allan Poe Biography. 10 Oct. 2012. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. ?http://www. buzzle. com/articles/edgar-allan-poe-biography. tml? Benitez, R. Michael. Did Rabies Fell Edgar Allan Poe?. 2 Nov. 1996. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. ?http://www. cswnet. com/~erin/eap3. htm? Fisher, CW. The Murders of Edgar Allan Poe. 5 May 2005. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. ?http://depressionalmanac. blogspot. com/2005/05/murders-of-edgar-allan-poe. html? Flock, Elizabeth. Edgar Allan Poe died 162 years ago, yet the mystery of his death has not been solved. 7 Oct. 2011. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. ?http://www. washingtonpost. com/blogs/blogpost/post/edgar-allen-poe-died-162-years-ago-yet-the-mystery-of-his-death-has-not-been-solved/2011/10/07/gIQAFVsVTL_blog. html? Edgar Allan Poe Mysterious Death of a Mystery Man Death is an instance in which all vitals of the body have shut down, when life no longer remains in the body, and when something is declared dead. But, there is always something that causes this death whether old age, illness, tragedy, accidents, or suicide. In some cases, the cause of death is known soon after the passing or even before they have passed. In other cases, it takes quite some time to figure out exactly why life was lost.Then, there are those very few occasions that no exact cause is known and many assumptions are thrown around naming phony reasons of the death, when in the end, it will always be a mystery. This is exactly what has been done with the death of Edgar Allan Poe. Many have come up with different assumptions and accusations of Poe’s death, but none have been claimed to be the absolute positive explanation of it. John S. Craig writes, â€Å"His death in Baltimore, Maryland, October 7, 1849 has been surrounded by myste ry form the very moment he was found unconscious in a Baltimore tavern a few days before he died in a hospital†( ? . A few of the hypotheses are that Poe was an alcoholic, whose drinking led to his death, had medical problems and diseases that eventually caused his passing, and the Cooping Theory, which ended in him being severely beaten which led to his death a few days later. Poe’s death is a mystery that will never be completely solved. Poe’s death could have occurred through some sort of alcoholism. Different forms of disaster, stress, and depression drove Poe to drink. During Virginia’s, Poe’s wife, long battle with different illnesses, Poe began to drink quite a bit to help cope with the stress that evolved from this tragedy.Madhavi Ghare writes, â€Å"On October 3, 1849, Edgar Allan Poe was found drunk and unconscious on the streets of Baltimore, in someone else’s clothes. He was taken to the Washington College Hospital, where he died four days later on October 7, 1849† ( ? ). One theory of Poe’s alcoholism is that he had a rare medical condition where simply one or two drinks could have a devastating outcome towards him immune system making it seem like he has had way more. This was also backed by Poe telling his wife, friends, and others who asked how many drinks he had, that he had only drank one or two.The problem with this statement is that we do not know if Poe was telling the truth or hiding the fact that he had been excessively drinking all night. Alcohol might or might not have played a role in Poe’s death; it is a mystery we will never know the answer too. Another circumstance in which Poe could have died is from different illnesses and diseases. Back in the time Poe was alive, medical treatment and diagnosis was still at a low level. Even if one was said to have a certain illness, a treatment to heal was most likely still unknown.Poe was thought to have many diseases and illnesses including lesions on the brain, heart disease, cholera, excessive nervous prostration, loss of nerve power, enzyme disorder, tuberculosis, epilepsy, diabetes, rabies, and hydrophobia. One of the diseases that made most sense for him to have was rabies. R. Michael Benitez writes, â€Å"Poe was a well-known animal lover and was especially fond of cats, which can transmit the rabies virus. There was no record of an animal bite preceding Poe’s ailment, but the illness can take more than a year to surface† ( ? ).Even though Poe might not have had a bite mark on him at the hospital, the incident in which the rabies was transferred could have been up to a year before then. Poe was thought to have many different illnesses and diseases which could have easily taken his life from him. One possible circumstance that could have resulted in Poe’s death is the Cooping Theory. The Cooping Theory is when on election day, gangs use to kidnap bystanders and hold them hostage in a room, known as the â€Å"coop,† and make them go to the poll and vote over and over again for who the gang wanted to win the election.The gangs would beat the people and get them drunk to ensure they cooperated. CW Fisher writes, â€Å"Beatings became more frequent and severe as the day wore on, partly to keep the voters awake and motivated, and partly to ensure loss of memory† ( ? ). The gangs would make the people to change clothes so the poll workers would not recognize them and let them vote again. When Poe was found on a bench, he was near poll called Ryan’s Fourth Ward Polls. This poll served as a bar and voting poll. Poe was drunk and he was not wearing his own clothes. This evidence leads towards the assumption that Poe’s death evolved from the Cooping Theory.Poe’s death has many explanations and assumptions that will never be solved. Poe’s death can range from him drinking himself to death, dying from different illnesses such as ra bies, tuberculosis, diabetes, cholera, heart disease, brain disease, or him being a victim of the Cooping Theory, which forced him to drink excessively and be beaten multiple times by gangs at election polls. It is a mystery. Poe wrote many mysterious stories himself including â€Å"The Pit and the Pendulum,† â€Å"The Purloined Letter,† â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† and â€Å"A Descent into Maelstrom. † It is ironic that his death is a mystery itself.Elizabeth Flock writes, â€Å"Edgar Allen Poe’s short stories are filled with cryptic death scenes, so it was only fitting that the master of the macabre would meet a similarly mysterious end† ( ? ). Flock makes it seem as though it was Poe’s fate for his death to remain a mystery, and remain a mystery, it has. Works Cited Page Craig, John S. The Mystery of Edgar Allan Poe’s Death. 7 Jan. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. ?http://voices. yahoo. com/the-mystery-edgar-allan-poes-death-2463818. html? cat=38? Ghare, Madhavie. Edgar Allan Poe Biography. 10 Oct. 2012. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. ?http://www. buzzle. com/articles/edgar-allan-poe-biography. tml? Benitez, R. Michael. Did Rabies Fell Edgar Allan Poe?. 2 Nov. 1996. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. ?http://www. cswnet. com/~erin/eap3. htm? Fisher, CW. The Murders of Edgar Allan Poe. 5 May 2005. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. ?http://depressionalmanac. blogspot. com/2005/05/murders-of-edgar-allan-poe. html? Flock, Elizabeth. Edgar Allan Poe died 162 years ago, yet the mystery of his death has not been solved. 7 Oct. 2011. Web. 3 Dec. 2012. ?http://www. washingtonpost. com/blogs/blogpost/post/edgar-allen-poe-died-162-years-ago-yet-the-mystery-of-his-death-has-not-been-solved/2011/10/07/gIQAFVsVTL_blog. html?

Beginners Guide to the Maya Civilization

The Maya Civilization—also called the Mayan civilization—is the general name archaeologists have given to several independent, loosely affiliated city-states who shared cultural heritage in terms of language, customs, dress, artistic style, and material culture. They occupied the central American continent, including the southern parts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, an area of about 150,000 square miles. In general, researchers tend to split the Maya into the Highland and Lowland Maya. By the way, archaeologists prefer to use the term Maya civilization rather than the more common Mayan civilization, leaving Mayan to refer to the language. Highland and Lowland Maya The Maya civilization covered an enormous area with a large variety of environments, economies, and growth of the civilization. Scholars address some of the Maya cultural variations by studying separate issues related to the climate and environment of the region. The Maya Highlands is the southern part of the Maya civilization, including the mountainous region in Mexico (particularly Chiapas state), Guatemala and Honduras. The Maya Lowlands make up the northern segment of the Maya region, including Mexicos Yucatan peninsula, and adjacent parts of Guatemala and Belize. A Pacific coastal piedmont range north of the Soconusco had fertile soils, dense forests and mangrove swamps. The Maya civilization was certainly never an empire, inasmuch as one person never ruled the entire region. During the Classic period, there were several strong kings at Tikal, Calakmul, Caracol and Dos Pilas, but none of them ever conquered the others. Its probably best to think of the Maya as a collection of independent city-states, who shared some ritual and ceremonial practices, some architecture, some cultural objects. The city-states traded with one another, and with the Olmec and Teotihuacan polities (at different times), and they also warred with one another from time to time. Timeline Mesoamerican archaeology is broken up into general sections. The Maya are in general thought to have maintained a cultural continuity between about 500 BC and AD 900, with the Classic Maya  between  250–900 CE. Archaic  before 2500 BCEHunting and gathering  lifestyle prevails.Early Formative  2500–1000 BCEFirst  beans  and  maize agriculture, and people live in isolated farmsteads and hamletsMiddle Formative  1000–400 BCEFirst  monumental architecture, first villages; people switch to full-time agriculture; there is evidence for contacts with the Olmec culture, and, at  Nakbe, the first evidence of  social ranking, beginning about 600–400 BCEImportant sites:  Nakbe,  Chalchuapa,  KaminaljuyuLate Formative  400 BCE–250 CEThe first  massive palaces are built at urban Nakbe and El Mirador, first writing, built road systems and water control, organized trade, and widespread warfareImportant sites: El Mirador,  Nakbe, Cerros, Komchen, Tikal,  KaminaljuyuClassic  250–900 CEWidespread literacy is in evidence, including calendars and lists of royal lineages at Copà ¡n and Tikal. The first dynastic kingdoms arise amid changing p olitical alliances; large palaces and mortuary pyramids are constructed, and a sharp intensification of agriculture. Urban populations peak at about 100 people per square kilometer. Paramount kings and polities rule from Tikal,  Calakmul,  Caracol, and Dos  PilosImportant sites:  Copà ¡n,  Palenque,  Tikal,  Calakmul,  Caracol, Dos Pilas,  Uxmal,  Coba, Dzibilchaltun, Kabah, Labna, SayilPostclassic  900–1500 CESome centers are abandoned and written records stop. The Puuc hill country flourishes and small rural towns prosper near rivers and lakes until the Spanish arrived in 1517Important sites:  Chichà ©n Itzà ¡,  Mayapan, Iximche, Utatlan) Known Kings and Leaders Each independent Maya city had its own set of institutionalized rulers  beginning in the Classic period (250–900 CE). Documentary evidence for the kings and queens has been found on stele and temple wall inscriptions and a few sarcophagi. During the Classic period, each king was generally in charge of a particular city and its supporting region. The area controlled by a specific king might be hundreds or even thousands of square kilometers. The rulers court included palaces, temples and ball courts, and  great plazas, open areas where festivals and other public events were held. Kings were hereditary positions, and, at least after they were dead, the kings were sometimes considered gods. Fairly detailed dynasties of the kings of Palenque, Copà ¡n, and Tikal have been compiled by scholars. Important Facts about the Maya Civilization Population:  There is no complete population estimate, but it must have been in the millions. In the 1600s, the Spanish reported that there were between 600,000–1 million people living in the Yucatan peninsula alone. Each of the larger cities probably had populations in excess of 100,000, but that doesnt count the rural sectors that supported the larger cities. Environment:  The Maya Lowland region below elevations of 2,600 feet is tropical with rainy and dry seasons. There is little exposed water except in lakes in limestone faults, swamps, and  cenotes—natural sinkholes in the limestone that are geologically a result of the  Chicxulub crater  impact. Originally, the area was blanketed with multiple canopied forests  and mixed vegetation. The Highland Maya region includes a string of volcanically-active mountains. Eruptions have dumped rich volcanic ash throughout the region, leading to deep rich soils and obsidian deposits. The climate in the highland is temperate, with rare frost. Upland forests originally were mixed pine and deciduous trees. Writing, Language, and Calendars of the Maya Civilization Mayan language:  The various groups spoke nearly 30 closely related languages and dialects, including the Mayan and Huastec Writing:  The Maya had 800 distinct  hieroglyphs, with the first evidence of language written on stela and walls of buildings beginning ca 300 BCE. Barkcloth paper  codexes  were being used no later than the 1500s, but all but a handful were destroyed by Spanish Calendar:  The so-called long count calendar was invented by Mixe-Zoquean speakers, based on the extant  Mesoamerican Calendar. It was adapted by the classic period Maya ca 200 CE. The earliest inscription in long count among the Maya was made dated 292 CE; and the earliest date listed on the long count calendar is about August 11, 3114 BCE, what the Maya said was the founding date of their civilization. The first dynastic calendars were being used by about 400 BCE Extant written records of the Maya:  Popul Vuh, extant Paris, Madrid, and Dresden  codices, and the papers of  Fray Diego de Landa  called Relacion. Astronomy The Dresden Codex, written during the Late Post Classic/Colonial period (1250–1520), includes astronomical tables on Venus and Mars, on eclipses, on seasons and the movement of the tides. These tables chart the seasons with respect to their civic year, predict solar and lunar eclipses and tracked the motion of the planets. There are a handful of observatories, building to track the movement of the sun, moon, planets, and stars, such as that at  Chichà ©n Itzà ¡. Maya Civilization Ritual Intoxicants:  Chocolate  (Theobroma), balche (fermented honey and an extract from the balche tree); morning glory seeds, pulque (from agave plants),  tobacco, intoxicating enemas,  Maya Blue Sweat baths:  Specialized buildings to create internal sweat baths are known from Piedras Negras, San Antonio,  and Cerà ©n Maya Gods:  What we know of Maya religion is based on writings and drawings on codices or temples. A few of the gods include: God A or Cimi or Cisin (god of death or flatulent one), God B or  Chac, (rain and lightning), God C (sacredness), God D or Itzamna (creator or scribe or learned one), God E (maize), God G (sun), God L (trade or merchant), God K or Kauil, Ixchel or Ix Chel (goddess of fertility), Goddess O or Chac Chel. There are others; and in the Maya pantheon, there are sometimes combined gods, glyphs for two different gods appearing as one glyph. Death and Afterlife:  Ideas about death and the afterlife are little known, but the entry to the underworld was called Xibalba or Place of Fright Mayan Economics See the  Maya Economics  page for information about trade, currency, agriculture, and other economic issues. Maya Politics Warfare:  Some of the Maya cities were fortified (protected by walls or moats), and military themes and battles events are illustrated in Maya art by the Early Classic period. Warrior classes, including some professional warriors, were part of the Maya society. Wars were fought over territory, slaves, to avenge insults, and to establish succession. Weaponry:  Forms of defensive and offensive weapons included axes, clubs, maces, throwing spears, shields, and helmets, and bladed spears Ritual sacrifice:  The Maya did sacrifice objects by throwing them into  cenotes, and Placing them with burials. They also pierced their tongues, earlobes, genitals or other body parts for  blood sacrifice. Animals (mostly jaguars) were sacrificed, as were humans, including  high-ranking  enemy warriors who were captured, tortured and sacrificed Mayan Architecture The first stone steles were carved and erected during the Classic period, and the earliest is from Tikal, where a stele is dated 292 CE. Emblem glyphs signified specific rulers and a specific sign called ahaw is today interpreted as lord. Distinctive architectural styles of the Maya include (but arent limited to) Rio Bec (7th–9th centuries CE, consisting of block masonry palaces with towers and central doorways at sites such as Rio Bec, Hormiguero, Chicanna, and Becan);Chenes (7th–9th c. CE, related to the Rio Bec but without the towers at Hochob Santa rosa Xtampack, Dzibilnocac);  Puuc  (700–950 CE, intricately designed facades and doorjambs at Chichà ©n Itzà ¡,  Uxmal, Sayil, Labna, Kabah); andToltec (or Maya Toltec 950–1250 CE, at  Chichà ©n Itzà ¡. Archaeological Sites of the Maya The best way to learn about the Maya is to go and visit the archaeological ruins. Many of them are open to the public and have museums, guided tours, and bookstores on the sites. You can find Maya archaeological sites in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and in several Mexican states. Belize:  Batsub  Cave,  Colha,  Minanha,  Altun Ha,  Caracol,  Lamanai,  Cahal Pech,  XunantunichEl Salvador:  Chalchuapa,  QuelepaMexico:  El Tajin,  Mayapan,  Cacaxtla,  Bonampak,  Chichà ©n Itzà ¡,  Cobà ¡,  Uxmal,  PalenqueHonduras:  Copan,  Puerto EscondidoGuatemala:  Kaminaljuyu,  La Corona (Site Q),  Nakbe,  Tikal,  Ceibal,  Nakum Spectacles and Spectators: Walking Tour of Maya Plazas. Although when you visit archaeological ruins of the Maya, you generally look at the tall buildings--but a lot  of interesting things are to be learned about the plazas, the big open spaces between the temples and palaces at the major Maya cities.