Definition of Data Warehousing Essay

Search any resource (Books, Web Sites, Papers, etc.) to find three definitions for Data Warehousing. Include the detailed information (Title, authors and the source of the definitions. For example: â€Å"Data warehousing is a collection of decision support technologies, aimed at enabling the knowledge worker (executive, manager, analyst) to make better and faster decisions.† An overview of data warehousing and OLAP technology by S Chaudhuri, U Dayal, from ACM Sigmod record, Volume 26 , Issue 1 (March 1997) Pages: 65 – 74. 1. â€Å"A data warehouse is an integrated and time varying collection of data derived from operational data and primarily used in strategic decision making by means of online analytical processing (OLAP) techniques.† from â€Å"Conceptual data warehouse design† by B. Husemann, J. Lichtenberger, and G. Vossen. Page 1. 2. â€Å"A galactic data warehouse is a subject-oriented, integrated, time-variant, non-volatile collection of data in support of management’s decision making process about any and all enterprise business processes and departments, and about the enterprise taken as a whole. A business process-oriented data warehouse is a subject-oriented, integrated, time-variant, non-volatile collection of data in support of management’s decision making process about any and all business processes and their interactions with one another and the external world. A department-oriented data warehouse is a subject-oriented, integrated, time-variant, non-volatile collection of data in support of management’s decision making process about any and all departments, and their interactions with one another and with the external world.† From DKMS Brief No. Six: Data Warehouses, Data Marts, and Data Warehousing: New Definitions and New Conceptions by Joseph M.Firestone. 3. â€Å"Physically, a data warehouse system consists of databases (source databases, materialized views in the data warehouse), data transport agents that ship data from one database to another, and a repository which stores meta data about the system and its evolution.† From Architecture and Quality in Data warehouses: An Extended Repository Approach by M. Jarke, M. A. Jeusfeld, C. Quix, and P. Vassiliadis. Provide a brief summary to compare the three definitions that you’ve found. Tell me which one is your favorite and why? The first definition explains the components of a data warehouse and also its functionality in a general way. The second definition explains the function of a data warehouse and its components specific to each kind of a data warehouse like decision making with respect to a business module. The third definition explains the components of a data warehouse but does not specify the functionality of a data warehouse. I prefer the second definition over the other two definitions.

Segmentation

Segmentation We believe that the marketing segmentation of Lee Kum Kee’s soy sauce is a mixture of demographic, psychographic and benefit segmentation. Since customer’s buying motives comes from their own habit and their own lifestyle before they consume soy sauce as they will use the same brand or the same soy sauce when they find that soy sauce is what they want and they need.Demographic segmentation  consists of dividing the market into groups based on variables such as age, gender family size, income, occupation, education, religion, race and nationality. Lee Kum Kee takes care about the minority with different religion, Lee Kum Kee establishes different labels to show whether that kind of soy sauce is suitable for them or not. For example, Lee Kum Kee recommends the Double Deluxe Soy Sauce to the Kosher as the ingredient of this soy sauce is conformed to the rules of Jewish religion.Psychographic segmentation is a method of dividing markets on the bases of the ps ychology and lifestyle habits of customers. Lee Kum Kee cares those people with different lifestyle, such as, people who concern much about their health and the vegetarian. For example, Lee Kum Kee has produced Salt Reduced Light Soy Sauce for those who concern their health much. Also, Lee kum Kee has recommended some kinds of soy sauce for the vegetarian to use.Benefit segmentation is A  form  of  market segmentation  based on the differences in specific  benefits  that different  groups  of  consumers  look for in a  product. Lee Kum Kee has provided lots of products to satisfy different needs of the people including those who affected by the demographic and psychographic factors. Apart from the above mentioned, Lee Kum Kee endeavors to provide a larger product variety. Recently, Lee Kum Kee introduces a new soy sauce without adding any MSGs. Targeting

Community & Economic Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Community & Economic Development - Essay Example For the purpose of understanding the issue, the city of Orlando can be used as a case example. It is of the essence to note that different locations are endowed differently when it comes to the endowment of business opportunities. This is something, which ranges from one location to another. There are a few things, which a person who wants to engage in the business ought to consider. The individual in question ought to ask himself or herself whether it feels right or whether the decision that is made makes sense at all. This is bearing in mind the financial implications, which come into perspective. There are certain things, which make Orlando a good and attractive business spot in the country. For starters, there are several industries, which are located in the city. These are significant pointers of how businesses and the private sector can be influential in the creation of jobs to individuals in the population. The presence of many of these industries in the city makes it possible for people to seek employment and get it in the long run. At the same time, these businesses may come up with incentives, which may serve to attract even more individuals from the local population. In most cases, the incentives in this scenario are always better in comparison to those from the government. As a result, a significant number of individuals in the population will opt to go into the businesses as opposed to seeing employment that is initiated by the government or the local authorities. The role, which the business sector plays when it comes to the city of Orlando, is a fact, which cannot be overlooked. The local authorities have also recognized this and as such, the policies, which they develop in relation to business activities, are those, which are favorable to the individuals who have the desire to engage in business activities. The authorities have also realized that through their partnerships with business entities and

Microbiology Final (Research Project) Research Paper

Microbiology Final ( Project) - Research Paper Example Excluding the Reston subtype of Ebola virus, all other types cause infection in the humans (Reddy 2002). The virus was identified initially in the year 1967 in Marburg, Germany after the presence of this virus was seen in workers of a laboratory. This was owing to their continuous contact with monkeys in the laboratory (Carruthers et al 2005). Ebola viruses are structurally classified as complete viral particles which show pleomorphism in their shapes. It can be long, filamentous or in circular forms. The dimensions of the virus are length of 14,000 nm and diameter of 80nm, encompassed in a membrane composed of lipid molecules. Ebola is a single-stranded RNA virus and it multiplies through the process of asexual reproduction, budding. Ebola virus consists of seven structural and one non-structural protein. Nucleoprotein is the major structural protein and others include virion structural protein (VP) 30, VP 35 and large protein (L) (Georgiev 2009). Ebola virus’s natural habitat is still not completely known by the microbiologists but it has, however, been established that Ebola virus is an animal-borne or zoonotic virus. Therefore, it maintains its natural reservoirs in animal hosts (Reddy 2002). Ebola life cycle initiates with the entry of the virus into different types of cells through the viral surface glycoprotein which regulate the entry of the virus. Figure 1 provides an overview of the entry of the virus into the host cell. Certain receptors on the cell surfaces promote the entry of the virus and render them vulnerable to the attack of the virus. These receptors include folate receptor-a, proteins of C-type lectin family and L-SIGN receptors expressed on Jurkat cells, macrophages and endothelial cells respectively. Once, binding and fusion of the virus in the cells is complete, the viral genome is uncoated. However, little is known about this process. The

Contemporary Business Math for Colleges Speech or Presentation

Contemporary Business Math for Colleges - Speech or Presentation Example The percentage increase in a variable is computed by establishing the difference between an initial amount, the base and the final amount. The difference is divided by the initial amount. Then the fraction is converted to a percentage by multiplication of the fraction by 100. % Increase/Decrease = Difference between Two Figures à · Previous Figure   Discounts, interest, commission, and markups and markdowns A discount is a reduction made in the cost of a product in order to promote sales. Discounts also enable customers to save because of less expenditure. The discount is calculated based on the original cost of an item. The commission is the return received by a salesperson after completion of a business transaction. The commission is also computed as a percentage of sales made. Interest is the fee, which is paid by a borrower of assets. The interest acts as a compensation for the owner of an asset. It is the value of borrowed money. Additionally, an interest is also obtained through the deposit of money with financial institutions. Markup is the difference between the retail product cost and the revenue obtained from a product customer. The ratio can be compared to the gross margin in a financial statement analysis scenario. The markup margin represents the extra cost a retailer charges a customer in order to earn the profit. Conversely, the markdowns are the reduction of the initial selling price in order to leverage on sales. According to Southam (2013), a retailer marks down a product because of stock accumulation. Additionally, products are marked down because of the perishability of a product. Traders also markdown products in the course of offering discounts to their customers. Promotions also call for product markdown in order for potential customers to purchase the products. The markup helps in equalizing of marginal profits to marginal costs. Computation of depreciation Depreciation is the reduction of the value of an asset over time. There are many methods used in the calculation of depreciation. The commonly used methods are a Straight-line method, double declining balance and the sum of year digits. The straight-line method of depreciation calculation spreads depreciation equally over the entire period of an asset. However, the salvage value of an asset must be ascertained prior to the computation of depreciation.

Concepts in Homeland Security Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Concepts in Homeland Security - Assignment Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that partnership between DHS and FBI is important to promote a â€Å"whole community† approach to ensure that every nook and corner of the homeland is safe. The partnership between DHS and FBI and many other agencies enhance the preparedness against low predictability events. This is why professionals in FBI raid jackets can be seen at every other terrorism event despite the fact that DHS is the primary homeland security agency. â€Å"Black Swan† means such a disastrous event whose predictability is very low and its consequences are extremely catastrophic. The disastrous outcomes are high. Some good examples include terrorist attacks, natural and environmental disasters of high scale, and economic failures. The terrorist attack of 9/11 was a big Black Swan event in the history of US because of its zero predictability and high catastrophic outcomes. It was a terrorist attack which could not be anticipated, and thus, preparedness was zero and zilch. So, Black Swan is related to preparedness in a sense that it helps security agencies take measures to implement such classical risk assessment and management policies that help us sort out some of the most predictable events. We can ask ourselves questions, like how predictable is a disaster? What kinds of disasters have been occurring in the neighborhoods or cities in the past? What are the chances that the disaster will become a major event? What can be the level of damage? How much will be the cost for rehabilitation? How will resilience be ensured? What plans and actions can be taken to avoid or deal with such a disaster? These questions will lead us toward preparedness.

Organisational Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Organisational Behaviour - Essay Example The paper will also outline some of the factors that can compel the organizations to adopt an initiative to change their cultures. The main part of the paper will discuss the conditions that ought to be created by the management in order to support cultural change in their respective organizations. A summary of the main points discussed will be drawn at the end of the paper. â€Å"Organizations are able to operate efficiently only when shared values exist among the employees,† (Ivancevich, Konopake & Matteson (2011, p. 36)). Values are regarded as conscious desires or wants of people that guide their behaviour on and off the job. Values that are shape the culture of the organization help the individuals to behave in a consistent manner across different situations. Values are also related to the society’s ideas of what is wrong and right. It is widely believed that an employee’s behaviour and performance in an organisation are shaped by its culture (Patterson et a l, (1998). Schultz (2003) also concurs with this notion of culture when he states that the behaviour of employees in an organization is significantly impacted by its culture. Basically, organisational culture refers to a system of shared assumptions held by the employees in the organization and these assumptions distinguish one organization from the other (Werner, 2003). The culture of a given organization shapes the behaviour of the employees and it also helps them to identify with their company. As noted above, the culture of an organization is deeply entrenched in its operations such that it becomes difficult to easily change. Basically, â€Å"organizational culture is the philosophy spirit of organization; it is the foundation stone of organization development (Xiaojuan, n.d).† in certain circumstances, it may be necessary to change the culture of the organization especially if it has been threatened with negative aspects such as collapse of the company. Change refers to a transition from a current situation or the status quo to the desired future state (Amos et al, 2008). Change is usually necessitated by both internal and external forces. For instance, the evidence suggests that cultural change is most likely to take place when there has been a dramatic crisis that undermines the current status quo and calls into question the relevance of the current culture (Robbins, 1993). In certain instances, weak cultures are more amenable to change than strong ones given that there will be consensus among all people involved that certain changes ought to be implemented in the culture of the organization in order to turn around its fortunes. When the need to change the culture of the organization has arisen, there are certain measures that ought to be taken into account by the management in order to achieve change in the organization’s culture. â€Å"Look at the numbers and develop ways of improving the positive scores and addressing the negative ones ,† (Sinickas, 2006, 112). The critical success factor of using the strategy is to pick the important aspects that make the organization unique and try to implement them in the operations of the organization. It is imperative to have top management to act as positive role models. These people are influential in the organization such that they can set the tone through their behaviour. In most cases, managers who lead by example are likely to positively influence the behaviour of

The impact of the financial crisis on the airline industry Essay

The impact of the financial crisis on the airline industry - Essay Example Nonetheless, an economic crisis occurred in between the year 2000 and 2001. Within this period, Turkey faced one of the worst economic turmoil, with the unemployment rate reaching over 11%. In addition, the Turkey government borrowed an additional 23 billion dollars (Reinhart &Â  Rogoff, 2009). This paper will analyze the impact of the financial crisis on the airline industry, focusing on Turkish Airlines. The Aviation sector is expanding by day with progressing technologies and economies. Developments on aviation sector affect airlines operations. The Airline industry or sector is connected with international trade laws or policies. The Turkish Airline sector is growing fast and has a large significance to economic progress. Their international and countrywide financial crisis also had a tremendous impact on Turkish Airlines. At the period of the financial crisis, Turkish Airlines was faced with decreased air travels, massive retrenchment of workers, among others. This also contrib uted to the economy of Turkey becoming delicate, not only domestically, but also internationally (Rigas, 2001). Not only, did the financial crisis affect Turkish Airlines and its workers, it also affected businesses that were depending on the Airline services, for example, tourism and shipment of goods from Turkey to other areas. Turkish Airlines is the Turkish national transporter airline in Turkey. Turkish Airline headquarters is situated in the capital city, Istanbul, at Ataturk Airport. Turkish Airlines offers its air travelling services to over two hundred and four domestic and international destinations in the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia. In addition, Turkish Airline offers its carrier services to an additional ninety one countries (Rigas, 2002). This makes its destination system from one area the largest in the whole world. Turkish Airline’s central station is Ataturk International Airport. Turkish Airlines has been on the rise since 2006. The number of passenge rs using Turkish Airline increased from 17million passengers in 2006 to 29 million passengers in 2010, earning over $15 million dollars over the five years. A report released in 2011 showed the airline had employed 18,188 workers. Turkish Airline has also been a constituent of the Star Alliance network from 2008. Turkish Airline also co-owned B&H Airlines, AnadoluJet, North Cyprus Airlines, SunExpress, and Cyprus Turkish Airlines. Turkish airline has been affected by financial crises since the olden days. Turkish Airlines suffered financial losses between 1987 and 1988, mainly because of significant expenditure on its numerous new Airbuses. This is according to a report released by Air Transport World. The fleet of airplanes also comprised DC-9s and Boeings. Turkish Airlines finished the period with less than 10,000 airline workers. In addition, after the Persian Gulf War, Turkish Airlines also suffered in the world wide economic crisis (Rigas, 2002). Nonetheless, Turkish Airlines g ot back on its feet in the middle of 1990s. The largest contribution to its financial development came from destination in North America. Turkish Airlines capital continued to increase, attaining the 10 trillion mark, in 1995. During the same year, Turkish Airline had switched some of its Boeing to cargo planes. Turkish Airline attained a $6 million profit within the same year. Nonetheless, Turkish Airline had to compete with the extreme inflation of the country due to

Current Themes in Business Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Current Themes in Business - Dissertation Example Public relations is also another important aspect of social media for firms. Firms that are smart know how to use social media to make sure that they are able to create a positive public image that the customers can relate to. This is actually very important because as Ernest (2011) says, it will not matter whether a firm actively uses social media or, not, the firms will be affected by the issue, negative if it does not have a proper social media strategy in place.As has already been identified, social media can offer the firm with feedback from customers, whether positive or negative. Social media today is the best way for any firm to measure the temperature out there in the market and therefore know how to react to the issues in the market. The objective of this research is to identify the ways in which the social media is effective with regard to affecting business and to identify how business can use social media to advance their interest, serve their customers in a better way a nd inverse their profits. It will seek to identify the ways in which the modern business, big or small can benefit from the social media while at the same time, taming the negatives of the social media. In this regard, it will seek to identify both the opportunities and the threats that the social media platforms provide the modern business and then identify the ways in which the business can take advantage of those opportunities and at the same time neutralize the threats.

Quantitative and Qualitative methods Essay Example for Free

Quantitative and Qualitative methods Essay On being Sane in insane places Rosenhan, (1973). Rosenhan orchestrated one of the most famous studies criticising basic psychiatric concepts and practices; his intention was to test the hypothesis that psychiatrists cannot reliably tell the difference between people who are genuinely mentally ill and those who are not. (Coordination Group Publications 2009; Richard Gross 2010).  Eight psychiatrically normal people presented themselves at the admissions offices of twelve different psychiatric institutions in the United States complaining of hearing voices or auditory hallucinations, all eight were admitted, eleven with a diagnosis of schizophrenia and one with manic depression; after which they stopped claiming to hear voices and assumed their normal selves. They were eventually discharged with schizophrenia and depression in remission; however it took an average of nineteen days to convince staff that they were well enough to be discharged. (Coordination Group Publications 2009; Richard Gross 2010). Rosenhal has claimed that psychiatrists cannot reliably tell the difference from those that are sane and insane, Rosenhal argues that psychiatric labels stick in a way that medical labels do not therefore everything a patient does is interpreted in accordance with the diagnostic label once it has been applied; he suggested that instead of labelling a person as insane we should instead focus on the individuals specific problems and behaviours. (Rosenhal D. L. 1973). The study demonstrated the limits of classification and also the appalling conditions in many psychiatric institutions; this has stimulated considerably greater research and has led to many institutions improving their philosophy of care. Rosenhal, like other anti-psychiatrists is arguing that mental illness is a social phenomenon and merely a consequence of labelling although those who suffer from severe mental illness might disagree. (Rosenhal D. L. 1973) Validity is much more difficult to assess than reliability as for most mental disorders there is no absolute standard against which diagnosis can be compared, the primary purpose of making a diagnosis is to enable a suitable programme of treatment to be chosen thus aiding in an individuals potential recovery. Bannister et al (1964) found that there was simply no clear-cut connection between diagnosis and treatment in one thousand cases, one reason for this seems to be that factors other than diagnosis may be equally important in deciding on a particular treatment. (Coordination Group Publications 2009; Richard Gross 2010). Construct validity is the most relevant form of validity in relation to diagnosis, according to Davison et al (2004), the categories are constructs because theyre inferred, not proven entities; a diagnosis of schizophrenia doesnt possess the potential status of a physical disease, but even in the more extreme psychotic states its not possible to separate or divorce such a debilitating illness from the individual. (Coordination Group Publications 2009; Richard Gross 2010).  Davison et al believe that the DSM diagnostic categories possess some construct validity, some more than others; however, according to Mackay (1975): The notion of illness implies a relatively discrete disease entity with associated signs and symptoms, which has a specific cause, a certain probability of recovery and its own treatments. The various states of unhappiness, anxiety and confusion which we term mental illness fell far short of these criteria in most cases. (Richard Gross 2010).  Pilgrim (2000) argued that that calling madness schizophrenia, or misery, depression, merely technicalises ordinary social judgements. What is gained by calling someone who communicates unintelligibly schizophrenic? Similarly Winter (1999), argues that: Diagnostic systems are only aids to understanding, not necessarily descriptions of real disease entities. (Winter, 1999).  Classifications are needed in psychiatry, as in medicine, primarily to aid communication regarding the nature of patients problems, prognosis and treatment. It is invaluable when exchanging and/or communicating information about individual cases if there is some agreed universal terminology available and if a label can be assigned that distinguishes one patients disorder from anothers. (Claridge and Davies, 2003; Gelder et al., 1989; Richard Gross, 2010). The fact that there are different classification schemes demonstrates that theres a certain degree of arbitrariness about how people are diagnosed, DSM-IV and ICD-10 merely represent the current beliefs of experts in the field regarding how such psychological disorders should be classified. (Richard Gross, 2010).  The fact that they, (DSM and ICD) are not identical indicates that the diagnostic categories they suggest are somewhat arbitrary and often represent compromise. This is bound to be the case, since the contents of both merely result from decisions made in committee by groups of professionals, experienced in their own fields, but often of differing theoretical persuasion or clinical expertise. (Claridge and Davis 2003; Richard Gross, 2010).

Mobile Phone use: Reaction Times

Mobile Phone use: Reaction Times The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of divided attention upon response time. Participants consisted of 51 female and 10 male students from the University of Canberra, ranging in age from 19- 60 years (M = 24.95, SD = 7.99). Participants were asked to complete a spatial cueing task while using their mobile phone to either send text messages or make phone calls. Data was collected using the universities computers on the program Cog Lab 2.0. Results revealed that the text and talk conditions for all task types (neutral, valid, and invalid) had significantly slower reaction times than the control condition. The text group showed significantly slower reaction times than the talk group. Furthermore, the control group showed that the reaction times for the valid tasks was significantly faster than the neutral, and significantly faster for the valid than invalid tasks. These results do support previous research and literature in the area of mobile phone use while driving. The use of mobile phones has grown over the last five years, with over 21.26 million users in Australia alone (White, Hyde, Walsh Watson, 2010). Despite increasing evidence that mobile phone use while driving presents risks; drivers still engage in this behaviour. A self- report study on mobile phone use while driving in Australia, found that 43 percent of mobile phone owners use their phones while driving to answer their calls, followed by making calls 36 percent, reading text messages 27 percent, and sending text messages 18 percent. Approximately a third of these drivers used hand free units, indicating that most Australian drivers use hand held mobile phones while driving (White Watson, 2010). The impairment potential of mobile phone usage while driving has been the focus of various behavioural and experimental studies. Although these studies differ in the extent of behavioural changes found, most researchers agree that there is a significant negative effect on different aspects of driving performance. The most common aspects are the withdrawal of attention and slower reaction times (Reed Green, 1999). The impact of driving while using a mobile phone on reaction time is often explained with reference to a phenomenon commonly referred to as inattentional blindness or change blindness (Strayer, Drews Johnston, 2003), wherein a person who is focusing attention on one particular task will fail to notice an unexpected stimulus even while directly looking at it (Simons Chabris, 1999). Strayer and Johnston (2003), determined that drivers conversing on a hands free mobile phone were more likely than drivers not using mobile phones to fail to notice traffic signals and respond slower to brake lights. As a result drivers were more likely to cause rear end accidents and less likely to be able to recall detailed information about specific visual stimuli (Strayer et al., 2003). These researchers also found this behaviour in participants who fixated their vision, suggesting that mobile phone conversations may induce inattentional blindness in the context of driving. However, Strayer Johnston (2003) considered that because they used a high- fidelity driving simulator that these results were conclusive of real life driving. These results may not be accurate in real life scenarios were participants would be driving on real roads with real vehicles. Beede Kass, (2006) also used a driving simulator to measure the impact of a conversation task on a hands free mobile phone and a signal detection task while driving. Results suggested driving performance in terms of traffic violations, was significantly impaired while participants converse on the hands free unit and overall performance in the signal detection task were low. Finally they found an interaction between the mobile phone conversation and a signal detection task in measures of speed, speed variability, reaction time and attention lapses (Beede Kass, 2006). However, drivers that are not subjected to distracting tasks may also fail to notice important features of the traffic environment. That is, even when scanning different parts of the visual scene appropriately, there is a risk that important features will be missed in unattended areas (Simons Chabris, 1999). In considering the phenomena of inattentional blindness, it is worth reiterating a key modifier, unexpected events. Generally, the occurrence of these inattentional failures seems to be reduced when the observer anticipates the object. Therefore, the unexpected events seem to be the most problematic. In the context of traffic, these may be somewhat harder to define quantitatively because these events can take on many different forms (Simons Chabris, 1999). A study conducted by Posner, Snyder Davidson, (1980) using a spatial cueing task, looked into the theory of expected versus unexpected events. They believe that participants responses to cued targets are usually faster and sometimes more accurate than responses to uncued targets. Results from the study conducted by Posner et al., (1980) suggest that participants were faster when the cue appeared in the same location (valid) and slowest when the cue appeared opposite the indicated cue (invalid). Posner, Snyder and Davidson, (1980) interpreted these results as showing that participants shifted their attention to the location of the target prior to its appearance. Equally, when participants were expecting the cue to appear in the opposite area, participants shifted attention to the wrong location. However, it may be possible to describe these results as being due to participants anticipation of the target position, or even chance. Alternatively, Simons Chabris (1999) provided a review of experiments in which participants focusing on visual tasks fail to notice unexpected visual stimuli, and present their own seminal explanation of the phenomenon. Results suggest that the probability of noticing the unexpected object depended on the similarity of the particular object within the display and the difficulty of the task. Simons Chabris (1999) add that the spatial proximity of the object to attended location did not affect the detection, suggesting that participants attend to objects and events, not positions (Simons et al., 1999). However, this study did not explore whether individual differences in noticing, take place from differences in the ability to perform the primary task. Strayer, Drews Crouch (2006) compared drivers using mobile phones to drunk drivers, concludingthat when controlling for driving difficulty and time on task, mobile-phone drivers exhibited a greater impairment than intoxicated drivers. Results of this study found that the reaction time of drivers using a mobile phone were slower by 8.4 percent relative to drivers who neither had consumed alcohol nor were using phones. Also drivers using mobile phones were actually more likely to have a rear- end crash than drivers who had consumed alcohol (Strayer Crouch, 2003). The impact of using a hands free phone on driving performance was not found to differ from the impact of using a hand held phone, which researchers suggested was due to the withdrawal of attention from the processing of information in the driving environment while engaging in mobile phone conversation (Strayer et al., 2003). However, the measures used for the two impairments mentioned above, are quite unusual. Mobile phone i mpairment is associated with the diversion of attention and is temporary, while the impairment from alcohol persists for longer periods of time. Furthermore, while mobile phone users have some kind of control (e.g. pausing a conversation) drivers who are intoxicated cannot do much to control their performance. Studies that have looked at the effects of texting while driving have also suggested a negative impact on drivers performance (Drews, Yazdani, Celeste, Godfrey Cooper, 2009). Research by Drews Cooper (2009) found a lack of response time in participants who used their mobile phones to send text messages while driving on a simulator. They concluded the texters in the driving simulator had more crashes, responded more slowly to the brake lights of cars in front of them- and showed more impairment in forward and sideways control than drivers who talked on their mobile phones while driving. (Drews et al. also found that text messaging participants longest eyes off the road duration was over six seconds. At 55mph this equates to a driver travelling the length of a football field without looking at the roadway. In summary, the purpose of this study is to explore the effects of divided attention on response time. To achieve this purpose, this study aims to measure response times in the neutral, valid, and invalid conditions of a spatial cueing task, while participants use their mobile phones to talk or text. Based on both theory and past research, it is hypothesised that the control group will have significantly faster reaction times over all groups (text and talk). It was also hypothesised that the reaction times for the control group across all task types (valid, invalid, and neutral) would be significantly different. More specifically, it was predicted that the task type for the valid condition would be faster than the neutral task, and significantly faster for the valid than the invalid task. It was hypothesised that there would be a significant difference between participants reaction times within the talk group across all three conditions (valid, invalid, and neutral) in contrast to th e text group. More specifically it was predicted that the reaction times for the talk group will be significantly faster overall compared to the text group. Method Participants The participants of this study consisted of 61 graduate and undergraduate students of the unit cognitive psychology, from the University of Canberra (51 female and 10 male). Ages ranged from 19 to 60 years (M = 24.95, SD = 7.99). Participants were allocated a condition based on their tutorial group. Tutorial one were allocated to the text condition, this group included 20 participants of which two performed the control condition due to non- availability of a mobile phone. Tutorial two participants were allocated to the talk condition, this group included 18 participants, of which one participant did the control condition. Tutorial three and four participants were allocated to the control condition, this group included 24 participants, of which three participants did the text condition. One participant was excluded from the study, as they did not record their mean response times. Materials All 61 participants were given a spatial cueing task on the universities computer during class tutorials. Participants used the computer program Cog Lab 2.0 to view and complete the cueing task. Each participant was given an instruction sheet as per his / her tutorial group. Participants within the text and talk condition used their own personal mobile phone. Procedure Student participants were divided into three groups as arranged by their tutorial time and group. These groups comprised of three conditions text, talk, and control. While in tutorials participants were given an instruction sheet and told to follow the instructions as per their group category (text, talk, or control). In order to maintain confidentiality participants were asked to select and record a code name. They were than asked to give their age, gender, and identify the group they had been assigned to. Each group of participants were given a set of instructions that were unique to their own group. The text group were told to complete the spatial cueing exercise while writing and sending three text messages. They were instructed not to answer their phone or talk to anyone else during the experiment. The talk group were instructed to make a series of short calls or one long call while taking part in the experiment. They were also told not to answer the phone or talk to any one else in the room. The control group were given instructions to focus only on the experiment and give it the same attention they would if driving a car on a busy road. They were told not to talk on the phone, message, or talk to anyone else in the room. Participants were then asked to complete the spatial cueing task on the computer (Cog Lab 2.0) per their assigned group. Design Variables: The independent variable in this study was the mobile phone = 3 levels, the dependant variable was response time. Results Effect of Condition on Reaction Time Mean reaction times for the Text group were slower than for the Talk group, and those for the Talk group were slower than the Control group. Mean reaction times for each condition on the Neutral, Valid and Invalid tasks are shown below in Figure 1. Figure 1. Mean reaction time for control, text and talk conditions across neutral, valid and invalid spatial cueing tasks. A Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA indicated a significant difference in reaction times across Control (Mean Rank = 15.0), Talk (Mean Rank = 31.3), and Text (Mean Rank = 48.3) conditions, H(2,61) = 38.60, p The significance level was reset to p = .02 using a Bonferroni correction. A Mann-Whitney U tests indicated that the Text group (Mean Rank = 33.48 for Neutral task, Mean Rank = 33.95 for Valid task, Mean Rank = 33.0 for Invalid task, n = 21) had significantly slower reaction times than the Control group (Mean Rank = 12.48 Neutral task, Mean Rank = 12.04 Valid task, Mean Rank = 12.91 Invalid task, n = 23), U = 11.0, z = -5.416;U = 1.0, z = -5.181; U = 21.0, z = -5.651; (corrected for ties), p Follow-up Mann-Whitney U tests indicated that the Talk group (Mean Rank = 28.59, Mean Rank = 29.24, Mean Rank = 28.18, n = 17) also had significantly slower reaction times than the Control group (Mean Rank = 14.52 Neutral task, Mean Rank = 14.04 Valid task, Mean Rank = 14.83 Invalid task, n = 23), U = 58.0, z = -3.762; U = 47.0, z = -4.063; U = 65.0, z = -3.57; (not corrected for ties) , p Follow-up Mann-Whitney U tests indicated the Text group (Mean Rank = 25.81, Mean Rank = 26.86, Mean Rank = 26.05, n = 21) had significantly slower reaction times than the Talk group (Mean Rank = 11.71 Neutral task, Mean Rank = 10.41 Valid task, Mean Rank = 11.41 Invalid task, n = 17), U = 46.0, z = -3.89; U = 24.0, z = -4.536; U = 41.0, z = -4.037; (not corrected for ties), p Effect of Task Type on Reaction Time A Friedman ANOVA showed there was a significant difference in reaction times across task type for the control group, à Ã¢â‚¬ ¡2(2) = 24.09, p Discussion This study explored the effects of divided attention on response time. The results of the Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA did show a significant difference between reaction times across all three conditions (control, talk and text). However this analysis leaves the ambiguous situation of not knowing which condition/s differed more so than others. A second analysis was performed, this revealed that response times for the text group across all task types (valid, invalid, and neutral) were significantly slower than the control group, the effect was large. Results also revealed that the response times for the talk group across all task types were significantly slower than the control group; the effect was medium to large. These results are consistent with the first hypothesis. Previous studies much more scientific than ours, conducted in vehicle simulators have also found a significant relationship between similar aspects of texting, talking, and driving. However, drawing comparisons between this s tudies results and past studies results, issues arise over the current studies methods. This study was not employed in a driving simulator, nor was the task undertaken in a real driving environment or vehicle. Participant simply sat in front of a computer in a class room where they were told to imagine driving a car on a busy road. There is no possible way this would accurately represent actual driver duties or a real driving environment. The sample size is also quite questionable and would not represent the current driving population. A future benefit for this study would be to create a more legitimate driving environment and increase the sample size. The results of the fourth analysis also supported the hypothesis; these results showed the text group to have significantly slower reaction times than the talk group across all task types, the effect was large. Results are also consistent with past research on texting, driving and mobile phone use. Although, this study was not performed in a real or simulated driving environment these results were expected because texting required the participants to remove their eyes and attention away from the computer screen. However, these results only indicated a difference between reaction times, they do not suggest where the difference lies or how much interference can be attributed to the manual manipulation of the phone (e.g. texting), or how much can be attributed to the demands placed on attention by the phone conversation. A benefit to future studies would be to measure each one of these underlining factors separately and then compare those with other activities commonly engaged during dr iving. The last analysis showed there was a significant difference in reaction times across task type for the control group. More specifically results showed reaction time for valid tasks to be significantly faster than for neutral tasks, and significantly faster for the valid than the invalid. These effects were described as large. This result also supports the hypothesis and the previous study conducted by Posner and Davidson, (1980). However, most spatial cueing experiments including this one have been concerned with the effect of directing attention on the detection of stimuli. Little has been done on the influence of visual attention on higher-level cognitive tasks, i.e., where a response would involve making a decision between two or more alternatives (Johnston, McCann Remington, 1995). According to Johnston et al. (1995) responding to a higher-level cognitive task and detecting a stimulus may only be the first stage or a single process in a series of mental procedures involved in th e response. Directing attention to the location of the stimulus might result in faster detection of the stimulus. It may be beneficial for this study and others like it to explore this theory more comprehensively. References Beede, K. E., Kass, S. T. (2006). Engrossed in conversation: The impact of cell phones on simulated driving performance. Accident Analysis Prevention, 38, 415-421. Retrieved from http://www.Canberra.edu.au/library Drews, F. A., Yazdani, H., Celeste, N., Godfrey, Cooper, J. M., Strayer, D. L. (2009). Text Messaging during simulated driving. Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 51, 762-770. Johnston, J. C., McCann, R. S., Remington, R. W. (1995). Chronometric evidence for two types of attention. Journal of Psychological Sciences, 6, 365-386. Posner, M. I., Snyder, R. R., Davidson, B. J. (1980). Attention and the detection of signals, Journal of Experimental Psychology, 109, 160-174. Reed, M. P., Green, P. A. (1999). Comparison of driving performance on-road and in a low-cost simulator using a concurrent telephone dialling task. Ergonomics, 42, 1015-1037. Simons, D. J., Chabris, C. F. (1999). Gorillas in our midst: Sustained inattentional blindness for dynamic events. Perception, 28, 1059-1074. Strayer, D. L., Drews, F. A., Crouch, D. J. (1999). A comparison of the cell phone driver and the drunk driver. Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 48, 381-391. Strayer, D. L., Drews, F. A., Johnston, W. A. (2003). Cell phone- induced failures of visual attention during simulated driving. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 9, 23-32. White, K. M., Hyde, M. K., Walsh, S. P., Watson, B. (2010). Mobile phone use while driving: An investigation of the beliefs influencing drivers hands- free and hand- held mobile phone use. Journal of Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 13, 9-20. Retrieved from http://www. canberra.edu.au/library Self-evaluation Form for Cognitive Psychology 2010 Lab Report For each item in the table, highlight or bold the description that fits your work for that component of the lab report. HD D CR P F Title n/a n/a n/a > 12 words Abstract concise, accurate and elegant description of problem, participants, experimental conditions, method, results, and conclusion. concise and accurate description of problem, participants, experimental conditions, method, results, and conclusion. D accurate description of problem, participants, experimental conditions, method, results, and conclusion (one omitted) generally accurate description of problem, participants, experimental conditions, method, results, and conclusion (up to two omitted) poor description of participants, problem, participants, experimental conditions, method, results, and conclusion (three of more omitted) Introduction concise, accurate and elegant introduction of the topic concise and accurate introduction of the topic accurate introduction of the topic CR generally accurate introduction of the topic, some minor errors of understanding less than accurate introduction of the topic comprehensive coverage of literature and substantial critical thought and analysis establishing importance, relevance and context of the issue comprehensive coverage of literature and sound critical thought and analysis establishing importance, relevance and context of the issue good understanding of the literature but limited critical analysis establishing importance, relevance and context of the issue CR good understanding of the literature but little or no critical analysis establishing importance, relevance and context of the issue little or no understanding of the literature or critical analysis establishing importance, relevance and context of the issue developed and justified argument for experiment using own ideas based on a wide range of sources which are thoroughly analysed, applied and discussed critical appraisal of the literature and theory from a variety of appropriate sources and developed own ideas in the process D clear evidence and application of readings relevant to topic and use of appropriate sources lit review is less complete than for D and HD literature is presented in a purely descriptive way (no critical thought); there may be limitations in understanding of the material literature is presented in a disjointed way with no critical thought and major limitations in understanding of the material exceptional understanding of problem and theoretical framework, and integration and innovative selection and handling of theories clear understanding of the general problem and theoretical framework and insightful and appropriate selection of theories good understanding of general problem and theoretical framework and most key theories are included in a straightforward manner CR adequate understanding of general problem and theoretical framework and selection of theory is appropriate but some aspects have been missed or misconstructed little or no understanding of the general problem and/or the theoretical framework concise, clear and accurate argument leading to a statement of hypotheses clear and accurate argument leading to a statement of hypotheses accurate argument leading to a statement of hypotheses CR generally accurate argument leading to a statement of hypotheses; hypotheses incomplete/inaccurate inaccurate or missing argument or statement of hypotheses Method concise, accurate and elegant description of participants, materials, design and procedures concise and accurate description of participants, materials, design and procedures accurate description of participants, materials, design and procedures CR generally accurate description of participants, materials, design and procedures (one may be missing) poor description of participants, materials, design and procedures; one or more of these may be missing experiment is completely and easily replicable from the information in the method experiment is completely replicable from the information in the method D experiment can be almost replicated from the information in the method errors are more noticeable and may be more serious experiment can be replicated with moderate accuracy from the information in the method one or two major errors experiment cannot be replicated with a satisfactory level of accuracy from the information in the method major and serious errors Results results from Moodle are included and correctly placed HD n/a n/a results from Moodle are included but incorrect placement or they have been altered results from Moodle are not included and/or correctly placed, or are not those provided via Moodle Discussion concise, accurate and elegant summary and interpretation of results related back to the hypotheses concise and accurate summary and interpretation of results related back to the hypotheses (only very minor errors) accurate summary and interpretation of results related back to the hypotheses (only minor errors) generally accurate summary and interpretation of results related back to the hypotheses (one or two more major errors) poor or inaccurate summary and interpretation of results related back to the hypotheses (major errors) comprehensive discussion of the results in relation to previous literature and theory, and substantial critical thought and analysis of where the current findings belong in the literature comprehensive discussion of the results of the results in relation to previous literature and theory and considerable critical thought and analysis of where the current findings belong in the literature sound discussion of the results in relation to previous literature and theory, and some critical thought and analysis of where the current findings belong in the literature CR reasonable discussion of the results in relation to previous literature and theory, but no critical thought or analysis of where the current findings belong in the literature poor discussion of the results in relation to previous literature and theory critically evaluation of evidence supporting conclusions including reliability, validity and significance comprehensive evaluation of the relevance and significance of results including reliability, validity and significance sound evaluation of the relevance and significance of the results including reliability, validity and significance CR satisfactory evaluation of the relevance and significance of the results including reliability, validity and significance little or no evaluation of the relevance and significance of the results including reliability, validity and significance exceptional interpretation of any unexpected results and discussion of alternative interpretations of findings clear interpretation of any unexpected results and discussion of alternative interpretations of findings good interpretation of any unexpected results and discussion of alternative interpretations of findings CR satisfactory interpretation of any unexpected results and discussion of alternative interpretations of findings little or no interpretation of any unexpected results or discussion of alternative interpretations of findings concise, clear and thoughtful discussion of problems, limitations and generalisability of the study, and implications for future research projects clear, accurate and thoughtful discussion of problems, limitations and generalisability of the study, and implications for future research projects D accurate and competent discussion of problems, limitations and generalisability of the study, and implications for future research projects discussion of problems, limitations and generalisability of the study, and implications for future research projects little or no discussion of problems, limitations or generalisability of the study, or implications for future research projects Norovirus: Causes and Solutions Norovirus: Causes and Solutions Contents Origin and spread of the Norovirus: Symptoms: Transmission in health care facility: Prevention of Norovirus: Preventive measures for spread of virus in health care facility: Early (or primary) control actions: Control of transmission at the ward level: Specific Nursing care for patients: Personal care: Proper hand hygiene: Extra care: Bibliography Essay Origin and spread of the Norovirus: Norovirus, occasionally acknowledged as the winter vomiting bug in the United Kingdom, is the utmost common reason of viral gastroenteritisin human beings. It affects individuals of all ages. The virus is transferred byfecally polluted water or food, by person-to-person interaction and through aerosolization of the disease and following adulteration of surfaces.The virus affects about 267 million individuals and reasons above 200,000 deceases every year; these deaths are frequently in less advanced republics and in the very young, aged and immunosuppressed. Norovirus infection is categorized by watery diarrhoea, forceful vomiting, nausea, abdominal pain, and in several cases, general lethargy, muscle aches, loss of taste, headache, weakness and low-grade fever may arise. The illness is typically self-limiting, and severe sickness is rare. Though having norovirus can be spiteful, it is not generally hazardous and most that contact it make a full retrieval in a couple of days. Norovirus is speedily disabled by either adequate heating or by chlorine based disinfection, but the virus is less vulnerable to alcohols and cleaners. (Ben Lopman, 2011) Aftercontamination,resistanceto norovirus is usually partial and momentarywith one publication drawing the deduction that defensive immunity to the similar pressure of norovirus continues for six months, but that all such resistance is disappeared after two years. Outbursts of norovirus contagion often happen in closed or semi closed societies, such as long-term care amenities, overnight campsites, clinics, schools, dormitories, prisons, and cruise ships, where the contamination spreads very speedily either by person-to-person spread or through polluted food. Numerous norovirus outbursts have been outlined to food that was controlled by one infected individual. (Sears, 2008) The species name  Norovirusis derivative of Norwalk virus, the only kind of the genus. The species causes about 90% of epidemicnonbacterial outbursts of gastroenteritisround the domain,and may be accountable for 50% of all foodborne outbursts of gastroenteritis in the USA. Symptoms: Symptoms recorded by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (2011) contain vomiting, non-bloody diarrhoea with stomach cramps and biliousness. These seem following a development period of 24-48 hours, though there are examples where signs present after only 12 hours succeeding disclosure to the virus.(Mcgeary, 2012) Blacklow (1996) found grown-up volunteers injected with the virus established a momentary mucosal laceration of the proximal minor intestine but had no colon association; this proposes norovirus infection frees the large intestine; hereafter faecal leucocytes do not exist in stool testers. This feature has been used to aid distinguish the contamination from others such as salmonellosis, C difficile infection orshigellosis. Transmission in health care facility: Noroviruses are found in the faeces and vomitus of infected individuals. This virus is very spreadable and can feast rapidly through healthcare amenities. People can become infested with the virus in numerous ways: Having straight contact with another individual who is infested (a healthcare employee, guest, or another patient) Ingestion food or drinking fluids that are polluted with norovirus. Touching tops or objects polluted with norovirus, and then touching your face or other food items. (HAIs, 2013) Prevention of Norovirus: In a healthcare capacity, patients with supposed norovirus may be located in isolated rooms or share accommodations with other patients with the identical infection. Extra prevention actions in healthcare amenities can reduce the chance of interacting with noroviruses: Follow hand-hygiene rules, and cautiously washing of hands with cleanser and water after interaction with patients with norovirus contagion. Use robes and gloves when in connection with, or caring for patients who are indicative of norovirus. Regularly clean and sterilize high touch patient exteriors and apparatus with an Environmental Protection Agency-approved produce with a tag claim for norovirus Eliminate and wash polluted clothing or linens Healthcare employees who have signs consistent with norovirus should be barred from work. Preventive measures for spread of virus in health care facility: The virus is characteristically conveyed to persons by the faecal-oral path from fecally polluted foodstuff or water, person-to-person interaction or interaction with polluted fomites. In current institutional outbreaks, airborne spread via vomiting has been suggested as expediting rapid spread of contagion. Once noroviruses are presented onto a region or floor, the contamination may spread speedily through the facility in spite of cohorting and actions to limit the feast of the contaminations. To support in the decision-making procedure for infirmaries and nursing homes when these contaminations happen, the Bureau of Communicable Diseases, Division of Public Health has collected a list of recommended, but not required control actions established from knowledge with organization of earlier hospital eruptions. The movements taken by diverse hospitals or nurturing homes may vary with the sum of cases and degree of spread within the facility. (health protection agency) Early (or primary) control actions: †¢ Once a catalogue case presents within an area, immediate separation of the patient and the instant area is necessary. †¢ Patients inflowing the hospital with indications evocative of norovirus contagions should be admitted straight to a private area until another cause of disease are recognized. †¢ The contamination control staff should be instantly notified about the beginning of the first case. †¢ Infection control run should meet every day to screen the outbreak and assess control actions. †¢ Support enteric defences and strategies to all staff associates. †¢ Staff should be repeated that good hand washing after all patient interaction (washing with warm running water and cleanser for at least 10 seconds) is the utmost operational way of dropping person-to-person feast of contamination. In the absenteeism of running water, alcohol emollient may be used except hands are totally soiled. †¢ The native health officer should be instantly notified once an outburst is alleged. †¢ Indicative patients or inhabitants should be cohorted. †¢ If an outburst lasts consider closing the facility to new admittances. †¢ Pretentious staff must be controlled from patient interaction for 48 hours after termination of signs. (management of norovirus, 2004) Control of transmission at the ward level: †¢ Unluckily, by the time the outburst has been documented on a ward, it is probable the majority of vulnerable patients and employee on duty may have been exposed to the infested agent, mainly if vomiting is an extensive symptom. †¢ Gowns, gloves and masks should be worn every time contact with a diseased patient or polluted atmosphere is expected. †¢ Affected areas or floors should be sealed to new admittances and companions to avoid the introduction of other vulnerable individuals. †¢ Airborne spread may be a noteworthy contributor to the sum of cases since projectile retching could possibly create infectious sprays. Air flows created by open spaces or air conditioning could scatter aerosols extensively. Air streams should be reduced. †¢ Affected areas should persist closed until a 48-hour period has passed with no fresh cases amongst patients or staff. †¢ Non-essential employee should be excluded from pretentious clinical zones. †¢ Reducing the risk of communication from sickness may be problematic. (HPS norovirus outbreak, 2013) The following actions may be valuable and are suggested: †¢ Removal of exposed foodstuffs such as plates of fruit †¢ Rapid washing and fumigation of parts where vomiting has happened with a 0.1% hypochlorite solution (made fresh everyday) †¢ Administration of anti-emetics drugs †¢ Full cleaning routine on all pretentious wards. (Norovirus outbreak prevention toolkit, 2012) Specific Nursing care for patients: Personal care: Patients with Norovirus infestation are very sensitive because this disease is very irritating due to its unbearable symptoms. Nurses should provide such patients great personal care. Nurses must give attention to individual patient for hygiene. Symptomatic treatment is provided to such patients so nurses must provide extra care to patients. Nurses should wear Gowns, gloves and masks all the time and should not move outside of ward frequently to prevent spread of the disease. (Caballero, 2014) Proper hand hygiene: Staff should rinse their hands (or use alcohol-based hand disinfectant) whenever they go in and leave a patient/resident area. Staff may be more directed to achieve hand hygiene at the following intervals: †¢ Particular intermissions (e.g., once per hour) †¢ Upon ingoing to a kitchen †¢ After using the washroom †¢ After shaking hands or other bodily contact with colleagues or visitors †¢ After sneezing †¢ After touching the face of patient †¢ After puffing the nose †¢ After rubbing hands on dress and similar actions †¢ After treating raw foods †¢ After usage of dirty kitchen gears and kitchenware †¢ After sweeping, cleaning, or mopping †¢ After a discontinuity †¢ After eating, smoking, or drinking †¢ Before and afterward using PPE e.g. gloves †¢ Before treating the food, particularly ready-to-eat foods and frost. Though, detailed hand-washing is also significant in keeping gloves or other gears from flattering vehicles for transporting microorganisms to the food. †¢ Preceding to handling or administering any oral medicines †¢ After changing diapers †¢ After handling other possibly polluted objects. (norovirus management toolkit) Extra care: Extra assistance is a need of these patients. Patients of Norovirus are disturbed psychologically due to its irritating symptoms so these patients require extra care and time. Vomits should be cleaned immediately and properly to prevent the airborne spread of this disease. Nurse should be present in ward all the time to provide extra care to these patients. Nurses have very significant role in patient care because they are the only staff in the health care facility that takes care of the medications, hygiene and moods of patients and patients with Norovirus require extra care due to their conditions. Bibliography management of norovirus. (2004, feburary). Retrieved from public health: http://www.publichealthmdc.com/environmental/food/documents/ManagementofNorovirusInfectionOutbreaksinHospitalsandNursingHomes.pdf Norovirus outbreak prevention toolkit. (2012, october). Retrieved from public health country of los angeles: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/docs/Norovirus/NoroToolkit2012.pdf HAIs. (2013, feburary 25). Retrieved from Centres for disease control and prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/organisms/norovirus.html HPS norovirus outbreak. (2013, september). Retrieved from national services scotland: http://www.documents.hps.scot.nhs.uk/hai/infection-control/toolkits/norovirus-control-measures-2013-09.pdf Ben Lopman, P. G. (2011, december 11). Environmental transmission of norovirus gastroenteritis §. Retrieved from http://uepa.br/portal/downloads/Lopman2012.pdf Caballero, v. (2014, november 15). role nursing in norovirus outbreak. Retrieved from American public health association: https://apha.confex.com/apha/142am/webprogram/Paper298230.html health protection agency. (n.d.). Retrieved from british infection association: http://www.his.org.uk/files/9113/7398/0999/Guidelines_for_the_management_of_norovirus_outbreaks_in_acute_and_community_health_and_social_care_settings.pdf Mcgeary, t. (2012, feburary 3). how to prevent the spread of norovirus. Retrieved from nursing times: www.nursingtimes.net/how-to-prevent-the-spread-of-norovirus/5040972.article norovirus management toolkit. (n.d.). Retrieved from nevada state health division: http://www.health.nv.gov/PDFs/HSPER/NorovirusManagementToolkitResponsePlan_Version1-1.pdf Sears, T. M. (2008, july 8). Gastrointestinal Flu: Norovirus in Health Care and Long-Term Care Facilities. Retrieved from clinical infectious diseases: http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/47/9/1202.long

Processed Food Should or Should not be Banned From School Meals? Essay

Processed food should be banned from school meals due to increasing health issues in children, increasing academic deficiency and increasing production cost to produce processed foods. There are people who would oppose to this idea due to population growth and an increasing food demand. However, this escalating demand of food is forcing the food industry and other government agencies to resolve the current hunger and lack of resources issues, by hiring processing factories and private companies to produce processed foods. The greater part of school age children consume processed foods on a daily basis. The purpose of this study is to examine what are processed foods? What are the associated problems? Also, to determine if processed foods affect students’ health and their academic performance. In addition, what is the position of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and food industry in the distribution of processed foods in schools? Also, to determine the outcome of this study, the behavior and health of students along with the governing agencies were analyzed to establish, if processed foods should be banned from schools or just monitored carefully. Discussion of key terms What are processed foods? It is food â€Å"composed of synthetic chemical additives, such as colorings, preservatives, sugar substitutes and trans-fats† (Fitzgerald, 2006, p.72). Fitzgerald reported that by the â€Å"1970s most meats and dairy products that were factory farmed were laced with growth hormones, antibiotics and a range of pesticides† (p.72). Furthermore, food that is frozen, packaged and canned is considered processed food. A brief explanation of the chemical additives in processed food. 1. Pres... ...tp://www.ceeonline.org/greenGuide/food/upload/studenthealth.aspx Laskawy, T. (2011, December 16). A dollar badly spent. A dollar badly spent: New facts on processed food in school lunches. Retrieved April 16, 2012, from grist.org/food/2011-12-16-a-dollar-badly-spent-new-facts-on-processed-school-lunches/ Mateljan, G. (n.d.). WHFoods: What are the problems with processed foods?. The World's Healthiest Foods. Retrieved April 16, 2012, from http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=107 Nestle, M. (n.d.). Center For Ecoliteracy. School Food, Public Policy, and Strategies for Change. Retrieved April 16, 2012, from http://www.ecoliteracy.org/essays/school-food-public-and-strategies-change Weber, K. (2009). Food, Inc.: how industrial food is making us sicker, fatter and poorer; and what you can do about it: a participant guide. New York: Public Affairs.

The Civil Rights Movement and the Decline in Racisim :: Racism, Civil Rights, Discrimination

Throughout the 60's, racism changed dramatically in a various number of ways. Changes involved the passage of bills into laws as well as involving the overall attitude of the people. Racism was largely based on white people's hatred towards blacks until the 1960's, when several major events increased problems both from whites towards blacks and from blacks towards whites. The biggest Social protest of the 1960's was the civil rights movement. It began on February 1, 1960, in Greensboro, North Carolina when four black students seated themselves at the whites only lunch counter and refused to leave until they were served. After the first sit-in, it began happening all over the country and by the end of the year, 70,000 blacks staged sit-ins. Throughout this, over 3,600 people were arrested. This movement was successful, but it demonstrated non-violent protests. After this movement began, several organizations developed. Such programs include; The NAACP, SNCC, SCLC, CORE, and the Black Panthers. The NAACP stands for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, while the SNCC stands for the Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee. The SCLC stands for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference who started a segregation protest traveling to Birmingham, Alabama who had the reputation of one of the most segregated cities in the United States. On May 2, 1963, over six hundred protesters were arrested, and t he majority was teenage high schoolers. The next day, the police chief, Bull Conor, ordered his police officers to shoot the protestors with high-powered water hoses ordered their dogs to attack them. By the end of the march, only twenty people reached the City Hall. After the Birmingham demonstrations, the blacks gained support from the people from the North because they witnessed how violent the South was towards the black protestors. The CORE is for the Congress of Racial Equality and started the first series of Freedom Riders in May of 1961. They traveled on two interstate buses starting in Washington D.C. and traveling to New Orleans. The people who disagreed with this movement threw stones and burnt these traveling buses in order to show their dislikeness of the blacks. All of these programs promoted rights for African Americans. The Black Panthers was organized by the SNCC and became popular in the late 60's. It was founded in Oakland, California after they protested the bill that outlawed carrying loaded weapons in public.

Society Does Emphasis on Phsycal Appearance

Beauty and Vibrancy It is important to take care of yourself and try to look your best. Letting your looks go or becoming unhealthy and sloppy is unappealing and disrespectful to yourself and those you love. On the other hand, when people focus exclusively on how they look in a vain effort to seek validation, they lose a certain vibrancy that comes from depth and self-confidence. In today’s society of never-ending nips and tucks, we forget that the essence of beauty stems from a person’s inner vitality and depth. Vitality often results from leading a multi-dimensional life that involves pursuing one’s passions, being creative, having purpose, and carrying on meaningful relationships. Demeanor True beauty is reflected more by demeanor than by a person’s perfect features. In his autobiography, Alan Alda describes being backstage watching an actress play the part of a hideous woman. Alda thought the actress was perfect for the part—she was ugly, had thick fingers, no neck, and a pudgy nose. He was shocked when in the last act, she transformed into a beautiful woman without any change in makeup. Her fingers and neck actually became slender and long, and her face suddenly looked regal. He realized that the most dramatic transformation comes from the way people hold themselves. Self-Assurance Attractiveness is also a reflection of how we view ourselves. I have a cousin who has a long scar down one side of his face from an accident. When he was a teenager, his father told him that he looked disfigured and pressured him to get plastic surgery. Embarrassed by his scar, he decided to get the surgery. A few days beforehand, his sister in law—a British catwalk model whom he adored—caught sight of him looking in the mirror while covering the â€Å"damaged† side of his face with shaving cream to see how it would look if it were gone. When he told her about the impending surgery, she leaned toward him and whispered emphatically, â€Å"Don’t do it. It’s dreadfully sexy. † Her comment transformed the way he viewed his physical appearance, and needless to say, he kept the scar as an asset. Why People Seek Beauty Being admired for being attractive feels good. When something feels good, it’s easy to want more of it, whether it’s beauty, wealth, popularity, fame, food, or wine. A dentist once told me â€Å"You can never be too beautiful or too rich. † Yet, there is a point where too much focus on beauty (or anything else) tragically takes away from other important facets of your life. Desperate efforts to look young or sexy sends the message that you have nothing to offer but your youth and beauty. A person with perfect features and flawless skin who feels insecure and resentful cannot, and does not, radiate beauty, only anxiety. When people start â€Å"running for their lives†Ã¢â‚¬â€i. . , running to plastic surgeons biannually, the message they send is one of fear and insecurity. There will always be younger and more beautiful people, so why not appreciate and cultivate greater depth and breadth within ourselves? How others view you does not lead to fulfillment. Too much emphasis on our looks steals from us th e enjoyment of many other pursuits—intellectual, athletic, and spiritual, for example. How we look has little to do with the fulfillment that comes from meaningful relationships, humor, and creativity, as well as from work, wisdom, solitude, and philanthropy. Skin-deep beauty, particularly if manufactured, will only attract others who are not interested in much else. Lacking depth and substance, even the most gorgeous woman or handsome man will receive only superficial and short-term interest from others, usually from people looking for a hot evening, a trophy wife, or a cabana boy. Self-Presentation Imagine being extremely beautiful or handsome, and receiving endless adulation. Although the attention may feel good, it can also create increased dependency on other people’s opinion of how you appear. This dependency develops into a tendency toward self-presentation, that is, presenting only the parts of yourself that will get a desired reaction. You become afraid of developing wrinkles—even smile wrinkles–or showing up without makeup. Your fear of losing admiration has the paradoxical impact of increasing fear of rejection about aspects of yourself that remain undisclosed—other interests and ideas. The interesting thing about beauty is that there isn’t one measure for it, even in one short lifetime. Styles of clothes change, as do the concepts of beauty. The emaciated look may be in now, but not historically so. In â€Å"Fiddler on the Roof,† one of the lines is â€Å"If I were a rich man, my wife would have a double chin. † Historical excesses in forced or artificial beauty point to the transitory nature of our own current preferences: African or South American wooden plugs in ear lobes to stretch out the lobes; the old Chinese custom of binding little girls’ feet to keep them small; the Poof, made popular by Marie Antoinette, whose hairdresser piled pads and pomades to raise the hair three feet high—all come and gone. Beauty care customs that are often viewed as â€Å"must-have† in their time can seem almost ludicrous by other cultures in a later era. But at the time, beauty products are endowed with the promise of helping us conform with current trends. Attitude In reality, true beauty is without artifice. Your character eventually shines through any amount of make up or plastic surgery. The way you treat others is remembered always, no matter how flawless your complexion. I’m all for continuing to do things that will preserve or enhance what nature has given us—that may include having work done for some. But the key lies in choosing a positive attitude about life rather than allowing desperation to take over. Knowing and accepting our aging process liberates us to pursue our life through our own lens, not someone else’s. Acceptance and confidence in yourself can sustain passion in a relationship better than liposuction and restilin. With each year, the inner self expresses itself more strongly in each line and wrinkle. It becomes impossible to hide your true self. Each person has his or her own individual passions and life experiences that are often best reflected in those very wrinkles we abhor. If we choose to have the expression of our life erased, what does that say about ourselves? Modified or not, the face becomes the true mirror of the soul. We tend to replicate objects we consider beautiful because it can make us feel better about ourselves. Surrounding ourselves with beauty and/or making ourselves look beautiful can help one boost up there self esteem and confidence. By replicating beauty it shows that one is not strong enough to show public who he/she really is. Replicating beauty is a shield to hide ones real self and personality, and modeling themselves to fit within the standards placed on them by society. Certain things such as makeup and accessories usually used by women, to replicate beauty are usually used to hide ones inner self. These items are to hide ones true beauty and to show a beauty that is more popular or fashionable to fit in with society. Society may have their own view of beauty, for example nice facial complexion, a certain body size and a certain way to act. See beauty can be judged on many bases but reality has made man perceive it as only physical. Society has gone so far in replicating objects we consider beautiful that they have gone to all extremes. Items such as a nice expensive car or a huge house are used for one to feel that they are surrounded by beauty. These items are usually used as a footstone to make someone feel better about them and also expect a certain reward or treatment from others because of the items of huge financial status. People want society to judge them on the objects they have as if these objects provide them with the beauty they have worked so hard to replicate. They are often scared that people may not like them for who they really are and instead hide behind these items.

Behavior therapy and ADHD

ADHD is Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder which is a biopsychosocial disorder or neurobehavioral problem characterized by numerous problems including hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. These problems pose a lot of difficulties in learning at school, home, at work and in relationships. About 3%-5% of children are affected by this problem out of which 30%-70% continue to show symptoms even to adulthood (Curtis, 2008).The symptoms associated with ADHD are of three types. One is having attention deficiencies in that the affected person is distracted very easily and also exhibits difficulties focusing on a given task.Secondly, the patient is prone to doing things before thinking about the consequences or the impacts they would have on themselves and the people around them. For instance, becoming too angry than the situation calls for, laughing or talking too loud, teens and adults may hurriedly make decisions that would impact the rest of their lives negatively like spendi ng money recklessly. The third type of symptom is hyperactivity in which affected children may fidget, run around at inappropriate times or squirm while adults and teens are restless and are unable to enjoy their quiet times or studying (Curtis, 2008).ADHD causes can be attributed to biological, social, experiential and strong genetic factors. The use of medication for treating this condition is not without serious side effects. By adopting behavioral approaches, the myriad of challenges faced by the affected children such as school failure, school drop out, behavioral disorders, depression, relationship and vocational problems can be significantly reduced and eventually overcome instead of relying on medications which only add more problems by causing serious side effects and whose long term outcome poses a threat to the life of the patient.Moreover, whether a child is affected by ADHD or not, such problems associated with ADHD may still be evident in psychologically healthy childr en. This paper will discuss how lack of adequately monitoring and controlling behavioral patterns at early childhood has resulted in many parents branding their children ADHD affected. It will show how behavioral strategies can be used extensively to deal with behavioral problems which may be mistakenly associated ADHD.Instead of using medications which cause more harm to the children to whom they are prescribed, the paper will justify by use of real and practical examples of other approaches which if well applied would eliminate the harms of relying on medicine. 2. 0 Why medication is not a remedy for treating ADHD Though there are several documented benefits associated with using stimulant medication for treating ADHD, it has not offered a complete remedy due to a number of reasons.It is first of all worth noting that the side effects caused by this medication impedes its administration on a prolonged basis and secondly no real benefits are accrued from medication for up to 20% of children claimed to be affected by ADHD (Rabiner, 2009). Another thing is that ADHD has primary symptoms in addition to other associated problems which cannot be alleviated by medication and therefore the need for employing other means. In addition, some children and many teenagers are strongly opposed to taking medicine which creates more problems when they are forced to take the medication.Moreover, management of children behavior can be effectively done even without the use of medication especially when the symptoms are relatively mild. This can be done through strategies such as positive reinforcement and punishment. 2. 1 Side effects of stimulant medications A stimulant is the commonly used type of medication whose action produces a calming effect on the patient. Other medications are non-stimulants and their mode of action differs from that of the stimulants. There are several side effects caused by the use of stimulants in treating ADHD.The common ones are sleep problems, de creased appetite, irritability, and anxiety in addition to few cases of headaches and stomachaches. There are also other side effects which are less common including some children developing sudden sounds or repetitive movements known as tics and change in personality in which some children appear to be without emotions (nimh. nih. gov, 2009). The US Food and Drug Administration have also warned against possible side effects which though rare may cause fatal consequences. It has pointed that the use of ADHD medication may cause psychiatric or possible cardiovascular problems.The medication-related psychiatric problems include becoming suspicious without any reason, hallucinations, hearing voices and becoming manic even among patients with no history of psychiatric complications. In addition, atomoxetine as one of ADHD medication has been found to cause increased suicidal thoughts in teenagers and children who take the medication than those who do not take it (nimh. nih. gov, 2009). Other non-medical treatment measures are therefore no doubt necessary to combat ADHD in a more safe, effective and easy way. 3. 0 Behavioral treatment for ADHDThis is also referred to as behavior management or behavior therapy whose basis of operation is pegged to the simple understanding of why children would want to behave or act in a socially acceptable manner. There are three reasons for this one being that children are inclined towards pleasing their parents by doing the right things and through this they feel good about themselves when the parents commend and applaud their positive behavior. This is because children are strongly motivated when the relationship with their parents is positive.Another reason is that children want to behave well so as to benefit from the positive consequences that rewards and privileges associated with good behavior. The last basic reason is that children would want to avoid the repercussions of acting inappropriately such as being punished. There fore, behavior therapy endeavors in enhancing the desire to embrace commendable behavior by all children whether affected with ADHD or not in order to please their parents and also to get positive consequences by behaving correctly.At the same time, inappropriate behavior is suppressed and highly discouraged by creating an environment which guarantees negative consequences after displaying undesirable behavior (Rabiner, 2009). Lack of understanding of this important concept has resulted in many parents making incorrect decisions such as taking their children to psychiatrists who may prescribe medicine for ADHD only to cause health problems to the children who are absolutely normal.Through the efforts of parents and their children, the tools of this approach can be effectively applied to do away with such predicaments and unwarranted over reliance on medicine since the practicability of the method carries no doubt. There are different tools that are essential for positive behavior ou tcome to be achieved. 3. 1 Positive Reinforcement This is based on the understanding that children would be motivated to behave positively if by doing this there is a reward or positive consequences to be gained.This therefore calls for the parent to devise means of increasing the frequency of good behavior by simply offering a reward when the child displays good behavior. The parent ought to be keen on noticing the desired behavior such as putting away toys or playing quietly and not hesitating to comment on the behavior. This approach also entails helping the child to understand what the parent wants him or her to do and ensuring that positive comments or praise is directed to the child every time the behavior occurs.The logic behind these social rewards is that the desire of the child to behave well is enhanced by realizing that the parents are keen to notice and appreciate them (Rabiner, 2009). This keeps at bay defiant or undesirable behavior for which most may be tempted to co ntemplate using medicine. Apart from social rewards, tangible rewards are a form of positive reinforcement. Parents should be enthusiastic to give tokens or privileges to children whether affected with ADHD or not every time positive behavior occurs. This enhances compliance and obedience to requests made by parents.For instance, a parent can explain to a child that each time a request is obeyed, a point is earned. The accumulated points can then be used to obtain a privilege such as access to computer time. 3. 2 Punishing appropriately Punishment is an appropriate strategy to use especially when the behavior is as a result of direct non-compliance or violation of rules. However, punishment cannot be done in solidarity and expect that it will change the long term behavior of children whether ADHD affected or not. Rather, it should always be accompanied with a managing strategy so as to precipitate the anticipated results.The logic behind punishment is that every time a certain behav ior is accompanied with consistent negative consequences, the frequency and intensity with which it will occur over time will diminish and eventually disappear. The child should be made to understand that every time the behavioral expectations are not met, negative consequences are always the result and that bad behavior has absolutely no pay-off. Many parents have failed to apply this important approach resulting in a rise in inappropriate behavior and poor performance in academics by many children.Due to this kind of reluctance on the side of the parent, many normal children have continuously displayed defiance and many have resulted into using antipsychotic medicine on these children in an effort to curb the problem. Punishment is critical in stopping negative behavior and can take many forms such as reprimands, detention, criticism, extra work, and corporal punishment (kidscoinsproductions. com, n. d). The different forms of punishment should be used interchangeably so that if o ne fails to give the expected change, a different one is employed.3. 3 Response cost techniques This refers to different forms of punishment in which the likelihood of losing what has already been earned is determined entirely by the mode of behavior or conduct of a child. Parents with children displaying inappropriate behavior can apply this practical approach to influence their behavior instead of making the conclusion that ADHD is the problem. Its effectiveness is as good as those of giving social and tangible rewards but is especially suitable when used in older children and teens.An example would be to start by giving the whole token say $5 at the start of the week instead of giving it at the end of the week after the child has behaved as expected. This allowance may be placed somewhere in a transparent vessel and a promise made to the child that as long appropriate behavior is maintained throughout the agreed time period, all the $5. 00 belongs to the child. Whenever the child violates the agreed upon set of rules, a dollar is removed from the vessel and this continues to the end of the week upon which the child gets whatever is remaining (Goldstein, 1999).This is a good way of making the child work hard to maintain appropriate behavior so as not to lose the already available reward. 3. 4 Special time Children sometimes find themselves having frustrations caused different challenges they face at school or even at home which can easily jeopardize the good relationship between them and their parents. The frustrations can also be caused by mood swings or being disappointed with friends which thus does not mean that they are having ADHD.These frustrations can create feelings of anger and trigger conflicts which only put the children-parent relationship at risk with the good times completely dwindling if the situation is not strategically contained. With the understanding of how behavior therapy works, parents can capitalize on the natural inclination of chil dren to please their parents when relationships are positive. This calls for the creation of a special time program whose entire focus is mending the badly affected feelings between parent and child.The parent can allocate at least 30 minutes everyday which is designated â€Å"special time† for the child during which the child can choose the desirable activity which must be commensurate with the purpose of the program (Rabiner, 2009). The parent ought not to give commands or ask a lot of questions during this time and the whole focus should be having quality time with the child. The parent should tune into the activity of the child in a complementary and interested manner such that the child will become more motivated to carry on with the activity.The parent should express the feelings of being pleased by for instance commenting positively on the efforts of the child. With time, the natural inclination to please the parent will find its way in and the child will now focus on doing it right and avoiding anything that would displease the parent. Through this, limit setting and discipline is done with ease. 3. 5 Non-Compliance vs. Incompetence Children whether having ADHD or not may display non-compliance to given rules or instructions and therefore there needs to be effective means of dealing with this problem as early as possible in the life of the child.The best way to overcome non-compliance is through manipulating and applying different consequences with the most effective being that of negative consequences through different forms of punishment. On the other hand, children who display incompetence for instance in understanding academic concepts in school should be helped through intensive skill building and educational training. Such children should also be allowed to make choices of what activity they feel they are capable of excelling in. This calls for the parents and teachers to be highly observant and assist the children to make the appropriate choices.This will eliminate the misplaced thoughts in such children that they are incapable of performing which is a source of depression and hopelessness which creates more defiant behavior. Instead of hastening to use medicine with the notion that ADHD has clipped in, such practical approaches are the best since they help avoid the harms associated with using drugs. 4. 0 Conclusion ADHD may be a disorder which is in existence or not but either way, lack of proper use of practical means to ensure sustainable appropriate behavior has resulted in many kids in the US being labeled ADHD-affected.The consequences of using medication to improve behavior and school performance have only created more problems than solutions which indicate that the right approaches are not yet exploited. Behavioral therapy as opposed to chemotherapy ought to be upheld and strategies like punishment properly used by parents and teachers. Assumptions that all behavioral problems emanate from a mental disorder should not be made. References Curtis, J. (2008). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: What It Is and Who Is Affected. Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http://www. health. com/health/condition-article/0,,20251884,00. html Goldstein, S.(1999). The Facts About ADHD. Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http://www. samgoldstein. com/node/21 kidscoinsproductions. com. (n. d). Designing a Behavioural Modification Program. Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http://www. kidscoinsproductions. com/Research/Behavioural_mgt. htm nimh. nih. gov. (2009). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http://www. nimh. nih. gov/health/publications/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder/complete-index. shtml Rabiner, D. (2009). Behavioral Treatment for ADHD: An Overview. Retrieved July 22, 2010, from http://www. athealth. com/Consumer/farticles/Rabiner. html

The Ethical use of cell phones

The morals and values combine to form ethics, technology and the changes it brings in todays society, the effect of cell phones, the different use of the cell phone, and who can use their cell phones in the nursing homes. Ethics describes a system of morals that are studied, recommended, and accepted by society. These unwritten rules, made up of morals and values combine to form ethics. If something is ethical, it falls within the realm of behavior that society prefers.The unethical uses of the cell phones in the nursing homes workers are hose behaviors that society deems right when on the cell phone it is a combination of laws, manners and common sense. Camera phones can be a difficult privacy issue. ( http://www. ehow. com/about_5165198_ethical- uses-cell-phones. html) daily basis. The use of the cell phones has the biggest affect in this country. People either use it to communicate or even surf the web, to find various information that they are trying to inquire about.This is one use of technology is how people keep up with stocks, education, paying bills, knowing what is going on with their Job, and maintaining their busy schedules. Using this type of technology can help you to stay on top of your entire task and agendas and still stay in communication. Cell phones are the way many people communicate in the world. We use this device to keep in touch with our love ones when they are near or far away. With cell phones you can communicate with people Just about anywhere in the world.You have options of paying your bills, checking the weather; surf the internet. Use the built-in calculator for simple math, send or receive e-mail, play games, watch TV, send text messages, and last but not least keep track of all appointments, and set reminders when they are needed. So the corporation state that the use of the camera violate the HIPPA program, so they should ban cell phones because of the camera, and sound recorder functions? Next we ban cameras, sound recorders, telephones, and even Laptops. How about electric lights and hot tap water?Maybe we should ban pencils, pens, and paper so we can't write anything on our hands that we can take out of the building? Just like how the doctors' know when and where to use their cell phone, so do the direct care staff. It's not the technology, it's the users. I think a few of us have commented on the very valid point that the perpetrators were in violation f several laws and the ethical standards of the profession. Let's see them get the punishment they have earned. But misusing a tool won't stop by removing the tool; there always will be substitutes.Perhaps not having a phone in your hand was a luxury a few years ago, but today, it's expected. I will not answer personal calls and really I don't believe that personal calls to staff of any kind (yes, I do mean the sick family members, the kids in school, and the spouses stuck in traffic) should be validated (http://allnurses. com/nursing- news/lawmakers-c urb-cell-392956-page3. html) These cell phones come in all shapes, olors, and sizes for our personal use. The cell phones are in such demand for this nation because they are very convenient.