Learning Team Reflection: Chase Strategy Essay

Chase strategy is when production meets the demand and capacity from one period to the next. This strategy is mostly used when demand is unpredictable and there is no inventory. Many cases when using this strategy result in a hire turnover rate when it comes to employment which can lead to insecure and unhappy employees. Problems with labor unions may arise as well. Other results of this strategy include increased inventory costs and erratic use of factories and equipment. This allows factories to have a large amount of flexibility. A major advantage of the strategy is that inventory is allowed at its lowest level which can provide a savings to some companies. The just-in concept firms utilize the chase strategy to aggregate planning. There are many companies that prefer to use a combination of the level and chase strategy. The combination enables optimization of goals and lower costs more so than independently. Companies and businesses within the service industry that use this strategy are demand matching which means that the workforce must match the demand. Another example of an industry that uses the chase strategy is the auto industry. Companies like Ford, GM, and Hyundai have automobiles that depreciate quickly and the cost of warehousing, insurance, and taxes are high. Automobiles cannot be stockpiled for too long so therefore, only so many are made based on demand of the consumer. Another example would be the fast food industry. For example, Chik-Fil-A would only produce a meal once an order is taken which meets the demand of the customer. When companies in the service industry use Chase Strategy, they tend to hire hourly employees, part time employees and allow overtime in order to meet the demand of customers. Some disadvantages of using the Chase Strategy would be a high turnover rate which can cause low employee morale as well as problems with labor unions and a possible increase in labor costs. The use of the Chase Strategy could also mean higher hiring and training costs.

Assignments Maritime Law

Question AAdvise The Theatre of Wine on any claim that they might have, and what level of limitation will apply to that claim that the might have. People to note are; The Buyer/claimant: (The Theatre of Wine), in Greenwich London, UK Shipowner/defendant: (Carry Carefully), South AfricaCopy of the bill of lading My first advice is to ask The Theatre of Wine is that they need to know key important factors; The claimant need to prove when the defendant’s period of responsibility for the goods begin, and what was the condition of the goods at the time. In establishing the condition and the quantity of the goods at the start of the defendant’s period of responsibility, the claimant will be able to rely on the common law and statutory rules that governs the effect of the statements in shipping documents, such as bill of lading.As to this case there are no information about the about the period when the wine were transported, date when the contract has taken place and delivery terms, no information about how the cargo was stowed and also no information from the claimant about how the documents would be issued such as the mate receipt, final and initial draft survey report of the vessel before loading the cargo and bill of lading.Also, under every contract of carriage of goods by sea the carrier, in relation to loading, handling, stowage, carriage, custody, care and discharge of the goods shall be subject to the responsibilities and liabilities and entitle to the rights and immunities, also whether the cargo was in good condition or not, the quantity or units of the consignment was not declared by the claimant before the cargo was loaded and have not been described on the bill of lading. In that case the carrier or the ship should not become liable for any loss or damage in connection with the consignment if the amount exceeding the equivalent of 10,000 francs per package or unit 30 francs per kilo of gross weight of the goods lost or damaged, whichever i s the higher.CARRIAGE OF GOODS BY SEA ACT 1 OF 1986To amend the law with respect to the carriage of goods by sea and to provide  for matters connected therewith.Application of Hague Rules.—(1) Those Rules contained in the International Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules of Law Relating to Bills of Lading signed at Brussels on 25 August 1924, as amended by the Protocol signed at Brussels on 23 February 1968, which are set out in the Schedule (hereinafter referred to as the Rules) shall, subject to the provisions of this Act, have the force of law and apply in respect of the Republic in relation to and in connection with:(a) the carriage of goods by sea in ships where the port of shipment is a port in the Republic, whether or not the carriage is between ports in two different States within the meaning of Article X of the Rules; As in the current case between The Theatre of Wine the claimant and the shipowner Carry Carefully from South Africa to Greenwich London U K.(b) any bill of lading if the contract contained in or evidenced by it expressly provides that the Rules shall govern the contract; In this case the bill of lading has no detail as to weigh and description of the consignment that were shipped.(c)any receipt which is a non-negotiable document marked as such if the contract contained in it or evidenced by it or pursuant to which it is issued is a contract for the carriage of goods by sea which expressly provides that the Rules are to govern the contract as if the receipt were a bill of lading, but subject to any necessary modifications and in particular with the omission in Article III of the Rules of the second sentence of paragraph 4 and paragraph 7;Seaworthiness not to be implied. There shall not be implied in any contract for the carriage of goods by sea to which the Rules apply by virtue of this Act, any absolute undertaking by the carrier of the goods to provide a seaworthy ship.Jurisdiction of courts. (1) Notwithstanding any purported ouster of  jurisdiction, exclusive jurisdiction clause or agreement to refer any dispute to arbitration, and notwithstanding the provisions of the Arbitration Act, 1965 (Act No. 42 of 1965), and of section 7 (1) (b) of the Admiralty Jurisdiction Regulation Act, 1983 (Act No. 105 of 1983), any person carrying on business in the Republic and the consignee under, or holder of, any bill of lading, waybill or like document for the carriage of goods to a destination in the Republic or to any port in the Republic, whether for final discharge or for discharge or for discharge for further carriage, may bring any action relating to the carriage of the said goods or any such bill of lading, waybill or document in a competent court in the Republic.Subject to the provisions of Article VI, under every contract of carriage of goods by sea the carrier, in relation to the loading, handling, stowage, carriage, custody, care and discharge of such goods, shall be subject to the responsibili ties and liabilities and entitled to the rights and immunities hereinafter set forth.The Carrier shall be bound before and at the beginning of the voyage to exercise due diligence to:(a) make the ship seaworthy;(b) properly man, equip and supply the ship; and(c) make the holds, refrigerating and cool chambers, and all other parts of the ship in which goods are carried, fit and safe for their reception, carriage and preservation.Subject to the provisions of Article IV, the carrier shall properly and carefully load, handle, stow, carry, keep, care for and discharge the goods carried.After receiving the goods into his charge the carrier or the master or agent of the carrier shall, on demand of the shipper, issue to the shipper a bill of lading showing among other things. (a) The leading marks necessary for identification of the goods as the same are furnished in writing by the shipper before the loading of such goods starts, provided such marks are stamped or otherwise shown clearly up on the goods if uncovered, or on the cases or coverings in which such goods are contained, in such a manner as should ordinarily remain legible until the end of the voyage.(b) Either the number of packages or pieces, or the quantity, or weight, as the case may be, as furnished in writing by the shipper.(c) The apparent order and condition of the goods: The shipper shall be deemed to have guaranteed to the carrier the accuracy at the time of shipment of the marks, number, quantity and weight, as furnished by him, and the shipper shall indemnify the carrier against all loss, damages and expenses arising or resulting from inaccuracies in such particulars. The right of the carrier to such indemnity shall in no way limit his responsibility and liability under the contract of carriage to any person other than the shipper.Unless notice of loss or damage and the general nature of such loss or damage be given in writing to the carrier or his agent at the port of discharge before or at the ti me of the removal of the goods into the custody of the person entitled to delivery thereof under the contract of carriage, or, if the loss or damage be not apparent, within three days, such removal shall be prima facie evidence of the delivery by the carrier of the goods as described in the bill of lading. The notice in writing need not be given if the state of the goods has, at the time of their receipt, been the subject of joint survey or inspection. (which is not the case)After the goods are loaded the bill of lading to be issued by the carrier, master, or agent of the carrier, to the shipper shall, if the shipper so demands, be a â€Å"shipped† bill of lading, provided that if the shipper shall have previously taken up any document of title to such goods, he shall surrender the same as against the issue of the â€Å"shipped† bill of lading, but at the option of the carrier such document of title may be noted at the port of shipment by the carrier, master or agent w ith the name or names of the ship or ships upon which the goods have been shipped and the date or dates of shipment, and when so noted, if it shows the particulars  mentioned in paragraph 3 of Article III, shall for the purpose of this article be deemed to constitute a â€Å"shipped† bill of lading. (which is not the case)Any clause, covenant, or agreement in a contract of carriage relieving the carrier or the ship from liability for loss or damage to, or in connection with, goods arising from negligence, fault, or failure in the duties and obligations provided in this article or lessening such liability otherwise than as provided in these Rules, shall be null and void and of no effect. A benefit of insurance in favour of the carrier or similar clause shall be deemed to be a clause relieving the carrier from liability. (which is not he case)Neither the carrier nor the ship shall be liable for loss or damage arising or resulting from unseaworthiness unless caused by want of due diligence on the part of the carrier to make the ship seaworthy, and to secure that the ship is properly manned, equipped and supplied, and to make the holds, refrigerating and cool chambers and all other parts of the ship in which goods are carried fit and safe for their reception, carriage and preservation in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article III. Whenever loss or damage has resulted from unseaworthiness the burden of proving the exercise of due diligence shall be on the carrier or other person claiming exemption under this article.Neither the carrier nor the ship shall be responsible for loss or damage arising or resulting from:(a) act, neglect, or default of the master, mariner, pilot, or the servants of the carrier in the navigation or in the management of the ship;(b) fire, unless caused by the actual fault or privity of the carrier;(c) perils, dangers and accidents of the sea or other navigable waters;(d) act of God;(e) act of war;(f) act of public enemies;(g) arrest or restraint of princes, rulers or people, or seizure under legal process;(h) quarantine restrictions;(i) act or omission of the shipper or owner of the goods, his agent or representative;(j) strikes or lockouts or stoppage or restraint of labour from whatever cause, whether partial or general;(k) riots and civil commotions;(l) saving or attempting to save life or property at sea;(m) wastage in bulk or weight or any other loss or damage arising from inherent defect, quality or vice of the goods;(n) insufficiency or inadequacy of marks;(o) insufficiency of packing;(p) latent defects not discoverable by due diligence; and(q) any other cause arising without the actual fault or privity of the carrier, or without the fault or neglect of the agents or servants of the carrier, but the burden of proof shall be on the person claiming the benefit of this exception to show that neither the actual fault or privity of the carrier nor the fault or neglect of the agents or serva nts of the carrier contributed to the loss or damage.The shipper shall not be responsible for loss or damage sustained by the carrier or the ship arising or resulting from any cause without the act, fault or neglect of the shipper, his agents or his servants.(a) Unless the nature and value of such goods have been declared by the shipper before shipment and inserted in the bill of lading, neither the carrier nor the ship shall in any event be or become liable for any loss or damage to or in connection with the goods in an amount exceeding the equivalent of 10 000 francs per package or unit or 30 francs per kilo of gross weight of the goods lost or damaged, whichever is the higher.(b) The total amount recoverable shall be calculated by reference to the value of such goods at the place and time at which the goods are discharged from the ship in accordance with the contract or should have been so discharged. The value of the goods shall be fixed according to the commodity exchange price , or, if there is no such price, according to the current market price, or, if there be no commodity exchange price or current market price, by reference to the normal value of goods of the same kind and quality.(c) Where a container, pallet or similar article of transport is used to consolidate goods, the number of packages or units enumerated in the bill of lading as packed in such article of transport shall be deemed the number of packages or units for the purpose of this paragraph as far as these packages or units are concerned. Except as aforesaid such article of transport shall be considered the package or unit.Based on all above documents, clause and articles from Visby Amendments (the Bruxells Protocol) and CARRIAGE OF GOODS BY SEA ACT NO. 1 OF 1986, I can strongly say the buyer â€Å"The Theatre of Wine† company has no chance to claim on the shipowner Carry Carefully, South Africa for damage the cargo.B. To What extent would you have advised parties to this type of c arriage contract to include an arbitration clause into their contract? Buyer: The Theatre of Wine, in Greenwich, London, United Kingdom Shipowners/Shippers: Carry Carefully, South Africa we can introduce the following arbitration clause: â€Å"All disputes arising in connection with the present contract to be  settled under the rules of Visby Amendments (the Bruxells Protocol), CARRIAGE OF GOODS BY SEA ACT NO. 1 OF 1986 of South Africa and London Maritime Arbitrators Association by three arbitrators appointed in accordance with the rules. Arbitration shall be held in London. General Average. General Average shall be adjusted, stated and settled in London, according to the York Antwerp Rules 1974, as amended 1994 and subsequent amendments.†For sure the party exposed is „The Theatre of Wine† from Greenwich, London, United Kingdom due to lack of covery of risk in his transportation contract

TESTING A TOOL(FORM) FOR HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS TO PREVENT DVT Essay

TESTING A TOOL(FORM) FOR HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS TO PREVENT DVT - Essay Example Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) are the main components of VTE. According to Kahn, et al, 2007, such symptomatic events are seen in medical patients that make up sixty percent of all hospital admissions. These thromboembolic events are preventable and the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) constantly provides guidelines on the basis of updated evidence on the prevention of VTE (Kahn, et al, 2007). The latest guidelines from ACCP recommend the use of thromboprophylaxis options in the prevention of VTE among patients with moderate to high risk for VTE. There is strong scientific evidence supported by solid principles in the use of thromboprohylaxis as recommended by ACCP. Many of the hospitalized patients have one or more risk factors for VTE, which are usually cumulative. In the absence of any prophylaxis, objective evidence suggests that between ten to forty percent of patients admitted for medical illnesses or general surgery and forty to sixty percen t of those patients admitted for orthopedic surgery develop VTE. This gives strength to the relevance of thromboprophylaxis in hospitalized patients (Geerts, et al, 2004). However, Arnold, Kahn, and Shrier, 2001, claim that in spite of ACCP guidelines encouraging the use of thromboprophylaxis in the prevention of VTE, these guidelines are not always followed leading to the occurrence of VTE. Furthermore the inadequacy seen in the use of prophylaxis stems quite often from omission of prophylaxis (Arnold, Kahn & Shrier, 2001). The ACCP guidelines recommend the use of prophylaxis in the prevention of VTE, to reduce the mortality and morbidity of patients hospitalized for surgical procedures and medical illness. Yet, there is inadequacy in the use of prophylaxis in the prevention of VTE, which frequently is due to omission on the part of the physicians. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an

WRITE A LETTER Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WRITE A LETTER - Essay Example Firstly, there is the issue of equality in employment. In this case, there is the general feeling among the black that the concept of equality has been disregarded as far as job opportunities are concerned. In this case, the black are being given a lower deal in the allocation of public and private jobs. In the public sector, the percentage of portfolios held by the black is negligible. In this case, we feel that more needs to be done so as job opportunities can be shared equally among all Americans regardless of their race description. Nevertheless, our activists are organizing tactics of legal challenges, civil protests and other initiatives in their capacity to see to it that African-Americans received equal opportunity and protection in America. Secondly, we would like the government to address the issue of racial prejudice. We are witnessing cases where African-Americans are being treated like lesser persons by other Americans. In this case, we have witnessed cases where we are treated with bad attitude that has put some of us in legal jeopardy. In some case, the black have been mistreated after being suspected of committing various crimes. This has been perpetrated by the police and assisted by the natives. The incident has landed African-Americans in jails where others have paid hefty fines to secure their freedom. We urge the government to enact legislations that discourage mistreatment on the grounds of racial and ethnicity. However, we are also planning to stage a protest on the streets if that is the way the government will heed to our plea. We shall use demonstrations to express our dissatisfaction with the current laws that allow treatment of the black with contempt. Thirdly, we are not comfortable with various mistreatments that we have encountered when seeking government services in public places. In this case, our people have been kept waiting for long as the white are prioritized in

Contrast the textbook chapter one with primary source Essay

Contrast the textbook chapter one with primary source - Essay Example Later he joined his brother and worked as a chart maker. In the second half of the 15 century, Portugal was the epicenter of the great western for the explorerers and those who were adventuring (Blum, Edward, Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman & JonGejerd) The two materials have a number of similarities. They have issues in common on the challenges America went through till 1877.They both share issues on politics, culture and social trends that took place during exploration and colonialism. In both materials, Portugal is given prominence because it was the epicenter of exploration which led to colonialism. Even Christopher Columbus, who played a pivotal role in colonialism, though he came from Spain, used Portugal so much in his work. Both materials explain about the Aztecs and Tenochttila.The Aztec, were pre-Columbian high culture in the value of Mexico that was conquered by the Spaniards in 1519-1521.The Tenochtitlan, was the biggest capital city of the Aztecs that was destroyed by the Corte s (Blum,Edward, Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman &JonGejerd) The authors of the two books were focused on the specific period that the world was undergoing some changes due to explorations and colonialism, and the battles. On colonialism in South America, chapter one of this book delves deep into the issues for instance, different terms are used to vividly give a description of different places and activities that were taking place. For example, Tierra del Fuego, which was the region at the southern tip of south America. Amerind, the forerunner of the biggest languages that were spoken by Indians in the Americas. Clovis

Measures to reduce the energy consumption for the sewerage plants Essay

Measures to reduce the energy consumption for the sewerage plants - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that sewage plants consume a lot of power although they also generate a lot of heat and power. They generate heat through biogas production, which is purified and used to power locomotive machines like gas motors. The process of biogas production requires power especially in the fermentation and decomposition process because of temperature regulation. This is to say that production of energy from sewerage plants includes both aspects of increasing energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption. Biogas is produced through a process of anaerobic digestion.   Biogas production is environmentally friendly. Biogas is a gas produced through the breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen Sewage plants produce biogas, which is a good source of energy. During the sewage treatment process in the sewage plant, a lot of energy is consumed approximately 50 kWh per person. That means that a substantial amount of energy is required to treat sewage from the population. Research shows that sewage treatment is one of the sectors, which requires a lot of electricity. Biogas is a renewable source of wind and solar energy.   For the production of biogas to occur, the sewage undergoes a process known as anaerobic digestion.   In this process, anaerobic bacteria are used to break down the waste materials. The biogas produced is mainly carbon dioxide, methane, and small amounts hydrogen sulfide. Gases produced hydrogen; methane and carbon monoxide oxygen oxidize them to allow a release of biogas used as fuel.

Effect of Exercise on Cancer Related Fatigue in Patients with Breast Essay

Effect of Exercise on Cancer Related Fatigue in Patients with Breast Cancer - Essay Example The mainstay of breast cancer care is local therapy consisting of surgery along with systemic adjuvant therapy, which includes chemotherapy, hormonal or a combination therapy. Besides major advances in managing both early and locally advanced breast cancer, patients still have to deal with severe side effects of fatigue during adjuvant therapy resulting in substantial impact on patients' quality of life (Markes, Brockow and Resch, 2006). Most cancer patients would say that fatigue is a major obstacle to functioning normally (Portenoy & Itri, 1999). Fatigue is a distinctive, dominant symptom in patients with cancer, that impacts life functional ability and occupational status. The fatigue diminishes the patient's ability to do both physical and mental tasks, as it has physical, affective, and cognitive components of the symptom (Dalakas, Mock and Hawkins, 1998). This kind of fatigue is referred as cancer-related fatigue or CRF. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) as defined by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network "is an unusual persistent, subjective sense of tiredness related to cancer treatment that interferes with usual functioning" (NCCN, 2005). Since fatigue is not directly observable in most of its forms, its importance and treatment are often overlooked (Newell, Sanson-Fisher, Girgis, & Bonaventura, 1998; Tanghe, Evers, & Parodaems, 1998). Patients suffering from cancer-related fatigue may have difficulty adhering to and completing treatment regimens. Fatigue has also been identified as the main reason patients withdraw from clinical trials. The quality of life of individuals experiencing cancer-related fatigue may be less than satisfactory. The purpose of this paper is to review literatures on the effect of exercise on fatigue in women with breast cancer and make recommendations for nursing practice and health care providers to improve care of individuals suffering from cancer-related fatigue (Visovsky and Schneider, 2003). The following electronic databases were searched Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews, Medline, Highbeam and Pubmed. Terms related to breast cancer, exercise, fatigue, cancer-related fatigue and publication type (e.g., random controlled clinical trial) were used in searching. This search strategy was modified as necessary for each database. Fatigue has been reported by 60% to 100% of patients undergoing treatment for cancer and has been identified as a research priority by the Oncology Nursing Society for a decade (Mock, Pickett, Ropka, Poniatowski and Drake, 2001). Cancer-related fatigue differs from normal tiredness by its sudden appearance, its overwhelming nature, and its refractory response to rest. While oncology nurses are well aware that fatigue is a prevalent complaint in cancer patients, the best way to assess and treat this debilitating symptom is less clear (Clark, 2001). Fatigue is one of if not the most common complaints of patients with cancer. The etiology for CRF is unknown, but is theorized to be caused from activation of proinflammatory cytokines in response to the tumor such as interleukin-1 beta, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor, have been implicated in the development of cancer-related fatigue resulting in diminished skeletal muscle protein stores. This reduction in muscle protein, also

Doctors from Hell by Vivien Spitz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Doctors from Hell by Vivien Spitz - Essay Example Not a whimper of protest is raised by the doctors against the orders by Adolph Hitler. Why do the doctors fail to abide by the noble ethics of their medical profession and succumb to the dictates of the Nazi regime to commit atrocities of the worst order on innocent human beings? The main issue is, why the entire German medical fraternity turns demonic, and what makes them to wean away from their traditional vocation of serving the sick? Vivien Spitz defends her position to the military authority, which is skeptical about her ability to carry out the onerous and dangerous responsibility as the court reporter at Nuremberg trials thus: â€Å"I have to go to see for myself. I’m a court reporter, and the War Department needs court reporters. I want to take these doctors’ testimony watch their face. I want to hear how they defend these terrible atrocities and experiments on human beings.†(8) The book, â€Å"Doctors from Hell: The Horrific Account of Nazi Experiments on Humans,† is born, through her blazing pen and the steely determination. Two types of wars are waged in Germany after Hitler comes to power in 1933. The normal war when soldiers of the opposite camps kill each other, and another war, that is devoid of conscience to exterminate a particular race from the face of earth. They include children, women, able-bodied and the mentally and physically sick. German soldiers begin to kill all those from a particular community with whom they have no previous personal enmity. Spitz writes, â€Å"After Hitler came to power in 1933, a Superior Genetic Health Court was established. Thus began the perverse degradation of German medicine and the demonic human experimentation and murder of thousands of innocent people by willing German doctors.†(2)Are they up to a medical cause or a political adventure? What are their ulterior motives and the hidden agenda? The important question is how the medical fraternity takes the lead and commits he inous atrocities against the defenseless human being lying flat in front of them which even the fighting forces would not have done in the normal conditions? To kill a man by firing bullets from a weapon is understandable. But to use a doctor’s knife, cut one by part by part, torture and lead one to slow death of agony is barbaric. In this essay an attempt has been made to discuss the issues related to medical trials, to determine the role of medical practitioners in the extermination system and the perverse acts committed by them in the cause of so-called medical research. How and why the German medical practitioners go insane. Are the acts committed due to political pressure or for the sadistic pleasure, also known as medical research for the benefits of the generations to come? How does it progress unabated with no authority to restrain the atrocities committed by highly professional doctors? How the best friend of the sick people turns out to be the worst enemy, whose ver y presence sends shivers for the man in front of him? Spitz gives the historical evidence as for the behaviour of the doctors. She argues, â€Å"Science and ideology are treacherous partners. When an ounce of science is mixed with a ton of zealotry, catastrophic results can be anticipated.†(xvi) The well-trained physicians turn overenthusiastic as the result of the relentless Nazi propaganda that they are expected to perform a great national duty to the

Society’s Curiosity of the Unknown Essay Example for Free

Society’s Curiosity of the Unknown Essay Whenever I am walking home alone, I am always paranoid that something is going to happen to me. I start to think about all of the horrible possibilities that could occur and I always feel as if I am being followed or watched. Even walking in an empty parking lot to my car scares me because I have a fear of being abducted. I, along with most people, was raised to be cautious of things like that. I was taught to always think of the worst thing that can happen, to be safe and to prevent the worst from happening. I am scared of death because I do not know what will happen after that. American’s obsession with the dark side comes from the curiosity of death. This obsession came from the first death of a human being. That was when curiosity about death and the afterlife originated. People do not know what happens after death and we are interested to find out more. Americans today come across the dark side every day whether they realize it or not. Inquisitiveness about the dark side appears in books, movies, and television shows. The piece â€Å"Zombies: why are we so obsessed?† by Eric G. Wilson, refers to all of the zombie and vampire themed books, movies, and television shows in today’s society. â€Å"True Blood,† â€Å"The Walking Dead,† and â€Å"Twilight† are some very well-known examples he uses to capture our attention and also to answer the question why we are so obsessed with death. â€Å"Maybe our obsession with zombies is a reflection of our fear of a pandemic virus that will transform us into flesh-starved corpses. Or perhaps we are afraid of a global financial collapse that would result in cannibalistic hordes haunting burned-out cities,† (1) wrote Wilson. The author of this article does not even know the answer, but that is precisely the point, the answer to the afterlife will forever remain unknown. The answer to our obsession is simply mere curiosity about death and the afterlife. These shows are produced to entertain and meant to provide us some sort of relief to the lingering questions we ask ourselves every day, even though the answers are not concrete, whatsoever. Finding answers to these questions is why there are so many artistic pieces centered around the dark side which began the gothic era, circa mid 12th century. Edgar Allen Poe is one of the first American authors of gothic literature. The reason Poe’s writing is so intriguing is because it relates to society’s curiosity or apprehension of death. His writing is so interesting because any revulsion the reader has about death or the afterlife is diluted because they are experiencing death through someone else’s eyes and not their own. There is nothing more intriguing than the unknown of the afterlife. There seems to be some sort of an addiction to receiving any knowledge or vindications about death or the afterlife. We can get these answers from reading gothic literature such as this by Poe. Poes writing is popular because of how it relates to our fear of the unknown. Americans are often obsessed with the dark side of human nature which is a reflection of this fear. The Masque of the Red Death is one of the many famous pieces of gothic literature written by Poe. The short story takes place in Europe around the time of the 14th century where an epidemic of the Red Death, has killed off half of the population. Prince Prospero shut himself away in his castellated abbey with seven irregular rooms representing the seven stages of life. The most eastern room was light blue, emphasizing life and the subsequent rooms ranged from purple, green, orange, white, violet, and finally, the most western room was black. The black room symbolizes the gothic fear of the end of life. The sun rises in the blue east room, representing the beginning of the day and the beginning of life, and the sun sets in the black west room, signifying the end of the day or end of life. Prospero decides to invite the healthiest aristocrats to a masquerade ball in his castle. He and his guests foolishly feel safe and protected from the disease and death because the abbey is surrounded with â€Å"a strong and lofty wall with gates of iron.† Once inside, no one can escape and no one can get in. In the black room, there is unusual dà ©cor. There is an ebony clock, which symbolizes death. It chimes each hour to remind the partiers of the fear they have about the ending of their lives. The masqueraders were considered grotesque. Towards the end of the story, an uninvited guest representing the red death, who is dressed as a corpse, interrupts the party. This creature walks from room to room and past the guests to the black room, the most western room. No one goes near the shrouded man except Prince Prospero who is following him angrily and â€Å"he bore aloft a drawn dagger.† He confronts the red death. Shortly afterwards there is a scream and Prince Prospero falls to the floor dead. The figure stands in the shadow of a clock and the partiers realize that there is no life form behind this mask. When they realize that, one by one the guests start to die. Poe ends the story with the irony of death being inevitable as much as Prospero and the partiers tried to avoid it. When the ebony clock symbolizing death chimes every hour, the guests stop everything they are doing in order to reflect on death. â€Å"While the chimes of the clock rang, it was observed that the giddiest grew pale, and the more aged and sedate passed their hands over their brows as if in confused reverie or meditation† (2) When the clock echoed its chimes, the people who were the most alive even took time to bring their activities to an end in order to think about death and what happens when their life ends. The oldest of the guests were confused, putting their hands on their heads to consider the lives they have lived and what would happen if and when it all concluded. The guests of the party focus on running away or avoiding death. They do not want to come into contact with it because they do not know what will happen to them. This is why when the clock chimes, everyone goes silent and dazes off trying to view their beliefs on what death would really be like. They also come to the realization when the clock chimes that someday, their lives will end. It is almost as if everybody goes through a tempora ry transformation when the clock echoes and chimes. They take a step back and face the reality that they cannot hide from death forever. However, when the clock stops echoing, these thoughts are diminished and everyone resumes their previous activities overlooking the thoughts they just had, as if nothing had even happened. The guests continue to party with laughter filling the room. Later towards midnight, which is also the end of the day, symbolizing the end of life, this masked stranger suspends the party. The partiers immediately go quiet when they come to this realization that there is something bizarre about this figure. â€Å"There were many individuals in the crowd who had found leisure to become aware of the presence of a masked figure which had arrested the attention of no single individual before. And the rumor of this new presence having spread itself whisperingly around, there arose at length from the whole company a buzz, or murmur, expressive of disapprobation and surprise†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (2) The partiers discuss in a quiet manner what they think this unwelcoming intruder could represent out of curiosity . They do not gaze away from it, attempting to discover the true inscrutability of this unknown figure. At first the guests are disturbed that something like this would even occur in a ball that clearly reprimanded anything to do with death. They express disapproval and disgust when they first perceive this distinguishing character. However, they then begin to communicate to one another in a hushed tone what they think this craze may be. The guests do not fail to glance away or stop conversing endeavoring to figure out what this spiritual disposition represents out of their curiosity of the unidentified and the unknown. Poe’s gothic literature is not the only piece that represents society’s obsessive curiosity about death. William Faulkner is an American author of gothic literature in the 20th century that is also well known for his gothic writing style. Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily is a gothic horror story set in the antebellum South. The story is told in retrospect about a spinster named Emily Grierson. It begins and ends at her funeral and the narrator moves through her life from about the age of 30 until the age of 74. Emily is an eccentric aristocrat who lives with a very controlling father, who imprisons her in their home. At about the age of 30 her father dies but she is so eccentric and resistant to change that she refuses to accept his death for 3 days. â€Å"She told them that her father was not dead. She did that for three days† (3) Her father left her only the house, and no money. She is in denial of the fact and refuses to accept the deterioration of her social status. One day, Homer Barron, a northern construction foreman and self-proclaimed lifelong bachelor, comes into her life. In spite of the fact that she is penniless, she shows a condescending attitude toward him and feels that she is superior. â€Å"Because the ladies all said, â€Å"Of course Grierson would not think seriously of a northerner, a day laborer.†Ã¢â‚¬  (3) Eventually, she falls in love, but her love is expressed to Homer in the same way her father’s love was shown to her. Love equals control. Her tragic determination to keep Homer in her life and stop time leads her to murder the man. Years later when she dies at the age of 74, neighbors attend her funeral on the pretense of showing respect. However, it is their morbid curiosity that drives them to see her and her house. After her burial, the decomposed body of the entrapped Homer Barron is found in what appears to be a macabre bridal chamber and a grotesque shrine. Death and denial are recurring themes throughout the story. The death of the two men Emily loved most, her father and Homer, her denial of their deaths, her den ial of her diminished status, and finally, her own death weave through the story from beginning to end. Emily’s constant need for attention and approval lead her to be curious about not only death, but life as well. When she meets Homer in the story, she accepts carriage rides from him even when she hardly knows him and someone in her place typically would not associate with a northern laborer. An outcome of her father’s death is Emily’s newfound freedom and her birth of curiosity to what she has been missing out on in life. When she falls in love with Homer, she takes after her father and shows her affection peculiarly by controlling everything he does. Her cousins come to stay with Emily and as a result of this, Homer moves out. Emily then starts to relive her fear of being alone and deprived of attention. When Homer returns, Emily poisons him. Her curiosity about what her life would be like without him drives her to do this and he fear underscores her curiosity. To ensure that this never happens, she kills him. Curiosity about death appears throughout gothic lit erature from past to present but it appears in modern times too. Long Island Medium is a television program on TLC about a woman named Theresa Caputo, who supposedly can come into contact with the dead. The spirits speak to her to reassure those who were left behind of whatever concerns them. This provides closure to the people that have lost those loved ones. Long Island Medium is a well-liked show because it provides people with answers about those they have lost such as if they are okay, if they are in heaven, and what they are feeling. Curiosity about loved ones people have lost is the reason for the show’s popularity and it shows us how society is obsessed with the dark side. â€Å"I have been channeling spirit for 11 years now, and everyone wants to know what happens when they die,† says Caputo. In regular episodes of Long Island Medium, Theresa Caputo will be doing necessary daily activities and she will come into contact with the spirits. While at the supermarket, Caputo encounters two women and one of them has a baby in a st roller. She approaches them regularly. â€Å"My name is Theresa and I’m a medium,† she says with a smile on her face. She then goes on to the woman with the baby that she feels that there is energy between a mother and a father having a recognition and excitement towards the baby. She then goes on to ask the mother of the baby if her parents had died. The woman, Vanessa, from East Meadow, tells her story about how both her parents had passed away and she never got to say goodbye. â€Å"Just know that your dad is stepping forward along with your mom acknowledging the birth of your beautiful son,† she says politely. Vanessa smiles somewhat morosely and manages an â€Å"okay.† Caputo persists with telling Vanessa that her parents are watching over the baby by the rocking chair in the baby’s room. Vanessa’s mother’s spirit tells Caputo of the baby’s yellow room in their new house and Caputo says this to Vanessa. Vanessa and her Aunt smile a nd laugh in disbelief. â€Å"Just know that her soul is with you because she says you don’t feel her,† Caputo goes on. Vanessa said she never felt that her mother was with her spiritually. â€Å"I always say that. I can’t believe you just said that,† says Vanessa. â€Å"Your mother is leaning over and kissing you and saying that she’s proud of you and that you’re going to be an amazing mom.† Vanessa nods and begins to cry. It seemed as if she was waiting for some kind of answers for years. She was curious to find out vindications to how her parents were and what they thought of her. Almost every human being has experienced death in some way. An inference on why this show is so notorious is because of the human intellect that there is an afterlife, but it is just unknown. Society preys on any type of justification on what happens after death. There are other modern gothic shows on television that show society’s curiosity about the afterlife and the unknown, but in fictional forms. Pretty Little Liars is a show on ABC family about four girls who are trying to solve the mystery of the death of their closest friend Allison. Shortly after the confirmation of Allison’s death, all four girls start to get disturbing texts and messages from an anonymous person who calls themselves â€Å"A† Their deceased friend Allison was the only one they told all of their secrets to. They figured since she was dead that all of their secrets were safe. However, â€Å"A† knows everything there is to know about all four of the girls’ lives. Every situation that happens to them whether it is financial, romantic, or criminal, A is the first person to know about it. The girls reunite and figure out that they all receive these messages from A. They try to unfold the mystery behind A along with trying to configure the clandestine of their friend Allison’s death. They start to wonder if this A is really Allison and if she is still alive. Attempting to unravel this enigma leads them into life threatening positions which change their reputations and self-confidence. The obsession in finding out the unknown of what happened to their friend and what happens to them in the result of trying to solve this mystery is the consequences of their simple curiosity. In the beginning of this hit series, the girls’ beloved friend Allison, whom they confided in, mysteriously disappeared. Questioning of her disappearance was the uproar of the town. Shortly afterwards, the police found her dead body. When all of the girls start receiving the same, eerie text messages, with information that only Allison knew of them, they start to question if Allison is really dead, or if her spirit is within the messages. Their curiosity of the unknown leads them to questioning what really happened to their friend. If the inhuman had no sense of curiosity, they would not find themselves caught up in the drama an anonymous figure is trying to provoke. Their curiosity leads to this obsession of finding out everything there is to know about their friend’s death and what really happened to her. If society was not curious about the afterlife and death, we would not have all of these books, stories, television shows or movies revolving around the dark side. The essence of mystery is what attracts society to creating any source of material to find any information. Curiosity is simply in our nature. If there were no curiosity, billions of dollars would not be made in trying to provide people with some sort of answers to what they are seeking. Curiosity birthed America’s obsession with the dark side.

Security Domains and Strategies Essay Example for Free

Security Domains and Strategies Essay Part 1: Multi-Layered Security Plan Security is a fundamental aspect of any network infrastructure. The goal is to always have the most up to date programs and protocols to ensure the protection of the network. No aspect is too small to over look. That could mean the difference between a secure network and a compromised network. The best way to achieve this is to break down every level and approach each one as a separate entity and secure it. Then you can modify it to suit the needs of your network. We can start with the Application layer. The Application layer provides the interface to the user. First the end user should be subjected to a background check to ensure against any potential malicious or questionable acts in the users past. Then the end user should be properly trained in the use of the computer and the proper protocols to access the network. Updates should be made frequently to keep the user up to date. When the user is in the network, make sure that any unnecessary devices, USB ports and any back doors are disabled. You also want to make sure that all files and emails and downloadable attachments are all thoroughly scanned prior to downloading. Finally, be sure to ensure content filtering, and restrict the end user to only what pertains to their primary function. The Presentation layer is responsible for encoding and decoding data that is passed from the application layer to another station on the internetwork. You must first ensure that all USB ports are disabled, as well as CD and DVD. This helps to prevent any unauthorized uploads or downloads Make sure that any devices that are not pertinent to the user are disabled as well. To prevent any downloads, use filtering and antivirus scanning. Make sure that any external devices are not used unless proper authorization is obtained. Update all software regularly and enable password protection and screen lock out when the computer is inactive. The session layer is responsible for creating, managing and terminating sessions that are used by entities at the presentation layer. First you must secure the physical part by making sure that your closets are secure under lock and key and video monitored as well. Make sure that you have an access list of personnel authorized into the closet and keep a log of all who access the closets. Use the highest key possible for all wireless access points. Finally, make sure that all the work stations are individually encrypted as well. You could use two forms of authorization at the users work station. The Transport layer implements reliable internetwork data transport services that are transparent to upper-layer protocols. First you want to disable ping, probing and port scanning on all the IP devices in the LAN to WAN, this helps prevent phishing and trolling for open ports or any vulnerabilities in the network. you also need to make sure you disable all IP port numbers and monitor with intrusion detection and intrusion prevention systems. You would also like to monitor all of the inbound traffic for any questionable items and apply file transfer monitoring, scanning, and alarming for unknown files. Finally, you should continuously check for vulnerabilities and fix them when they are found, and ensure domain name content filtering is used to keep users on task. The Network layer defines routing services that allow multiple data links to be combined into an internetwork. You should first restrict using the internet for private communications, set permissions to deny any social or streaming web sites or pages. Then put firewalls in place and apply Acceptable Use Policy in accordance to the RFC 1087: Ethics and the internet. Then get your ISP to put the proper filters on its IP router interfaces. Finally, you should back up all data in an offline, and of site location. Be sure to scan all email attachments for possible threats to the network. The Data Link layer provides reliable transit of data across a physical network link. The Data Link layer also defines the physical network-addressing scheme, such as the MAC Address on network interface cards in a workstation connected to a LAN. First you should encrypt all confidential data transmissions through the service provider. You should also make sure that your access control lists are enabled and implement continuous SNMP alarms and security monitoring. The Physical layer defines the parameters necessary to build, maintain, and break the physical link connections. First set automatic blocking for attempted logon retries, this will help against dictionary attacks. You could also apply first-level and secondary level security for remote access to sensitive systems. Be sure to encrypt all private data within the database or hard drive. Finally apply real-time lockout procedures if a token is lost or device is compromised. Part 2: Student SSCP Domain Research Paper This is a multi-layered security plan. First, Assign people that are fully trained and/or provide the training that makes it possible to do the job. To prevent malicious software and etc. in the 7 domains of an IT infrastructure, you can isolate and install preventions for each domain. The domains are as follows: User Domain, Workstation Domain, LAN Domain, and LAN to WAN Domain, Remote Access Domain, WAN Domain, and the System/Application Domain. The first part of the IT infrastructure is the User Domain. It is the weakest link in the IT infrastructure and this is where the users connect to the system. You can make the user aware to the risks and threats that they are susceptible to by holding an Awareness Training session. The system is password protected however; you should change passwords every few months to prevent an attack. Also, log the users as they enter and exit the system to make sure there’s no unauthorized access. While it’s the company’s choice to allow employees to bring in USB/Removable drives, you have a threat to someone obtaining the wrong information, or getting malicious software into the system. If you allow the USB/Removable drives, have a virus scan every time someone inserts one into a company computer. In a Workstation Domain, you need to make sure virus protection is set up. You are protecting administrative, workstations, laptops, departmental workstations and servers, network and operating system software. You can enable password protection and auto screen lockout for inactive times, use workstation antivirus and malicious code policies, use content filtering and antivirus scanning at internet entry and exit, and update application software and security patches according to the policies and standards. You need to also make sure that the laptops are up to date on the anitivirus software. The LAN domain will have all the protocols for the users to make sure that they are authorized to access those areas. Make sure that the server rooms are locked and wireless access points are password protected. A LAN to WAN domain is where the IT infrastructure links to a wide area network and the internet. To prevent any problems make sure you apply strict security monitoring controls for intrusion detection, apply file transfer monitoring, and disable ping, probing and port scanning on all exterior IP devices within this domain and have an alert system when someone plugs in a removable media disk(since they are not allowed). If a problem occurs, fix it fully to make sure it doesn’t happen again. In a WAN Domain, make sure to implement encryption and acceptable use policies. Scan all email attachments and prohibit the internet for private communication (if possible). Make sure security policies are being followed and every employee is in compliance and signs an acceptable use policy. You can allow only access to the mainframe from the job site or on an acceptable laptop. For the Remote Access Domain, you need to focus on password attempts and encryption. First, you need to apply a user id and password. Then, limit the number of times that a user can enter his or her password before it locks out. Also, apply time lockout procedures on confidential data and make sure you encrypt also. Make sure you have qualified people doing their jobs correctly since they will have remote access to other people’s computers. In a System/Application Domain, it holds all the mission critical systems, such as, operating system software, applications, and data. To prevent any virus, malware, or unauthorized access into your system, apply a code of ethics, and implement daily backups. Also, apply polices, standards, and guidelines for all employees who enter and exit the building, make sure all server rooms are secure and that only the people that have access to them are entering them. In conclusion, encryption is a big part of domain security, along with firewalls and doing virus and malware scans. As long as you cover the major aspects and security measures listed in this document, that will be a big plus for your company.

Increasing Visual Comfort with Blue Light in Video

Increasing Visual Comfort with Blue Light in Video Adjusting the blue light of the video to increase the visual comfort belong to the changed of light environment Abstract: This paper is an approached method adjusting the blue light of the video to reduce the eye strainwhen people watching video on digital devices such as computer display, smartphone screen or tablet in different luminance of the environments light. The method is using the light sensor getting the luminance values of the light, then sending these values immediately to our program to process the frame of the video. The videos frames will be processed based on lightings values and given the new videos frames which are reduced the brightness light. The video with reduced the brightness and blue light will increase the visual comfort to the human eyes when people watch the video in different light environments from brightness to darkness. Keywords: blue light, eye strain, lighting environment, video, visual comfort. 1. Introduction In recently years, digital devices are very popular in the world because they are very useful in the humans life. The digital display of devices is produced from a variety of technology called light emitting diodes (LED). From this technology, the digital display exposes to blue light that is a primary factor causing the eye strain and visual discomfort. Some electronic device displays such as computer screen, laptop, smartphone device or TV emit a lot of the brightness light contained the blue lights which bring to people the eye symptoms. As we know that, the blue light has a short wavelength in the area of the visible light spectrum. The blue lights wavelength has a range from 380nm (nanometer) to 500 nm; it is one of the shortest and highest energy wavelengths. The sources of blue light include the sun, computer display, smartphone screen, television, fluorescent and LED lighting. The eye strain is asthenopia in the medical term. When people concentrate their eyes on the digital display overtime, they will get the symptoms of ocular as fatigue, tired eyes, blurred vision, headache, neck pain and dry eyes. In the report of the vision council, there is 44% activity associated with the digital device used for work and 43 % for recreational reading. Besides, nearly 30% of the adults spend more than half of waking hours (> 9 hours) using a digital device. By using the most commonly digital devices as computer, smartphone, tablets, television,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the symptoms of digital eye strain are 32,8%, that is the highest symptom. When doing the jobs or watching video on the computer more than two hours, people will get stress or some other symptoms. The reason is that some frames of the video have many brightness lights that will expose the blue lights to make people feel uncomfortable. In addition, if the people watch the same movie on day or night with the glare, they will tired eyes, general fatigue, blurring or headaches. As we are known that the brightness video is normal to the eyes at day because the daylight is brightness also, but it is glaring when watching at night or in darkness environment condition. To filter or adjust the blue light, there are many ways to decrease the brightness light and increase the visual comfort such as using blue light filter applications, changing text and background color on the screen, or using the glasses. These methods have some advantages and disadvantages. In our research, we propose the system to process the color of videos frame belonging to the luminance value of the light environment. Our method is set up a system to perceive the light environment. Based on the darkness or brightness light, we will process the collected value from sensor directly to the videos frame and display on the digital display after filtering blue light on the video. From this method, the color and histogram of videos frame will be rendered immediately when the environment changed. It means that if the video is taken from another environment, it will be processed adjusting the blue light to reduce the eye strain and enhance the visual comfort in the current environment o f light when the viewer watching. 2. Related works In previous researches, there are many research papers talking about the blue light that is affected to the human eyes. From the blue light exposed website, they are talking about what is the visible light and blue light. Then, they also talk how the important of protection the humans eyes from the harmful effects of the blue light rays. Besides, this website also presents which symptoms effect to the eyes such as blurry vision, dry and irritated eyes, neck pain and difficulty focusing. They apply the rule 20-20-20: watching every 20 minutes, focus and object about 20 feets and ways for 20 seconds. They also propose some solutions to filter blue light from digital devices. Kuang-Tsu Shih[3] and his coworkers show the solution to reduce harmful blue light and optimize the spectral transmittance and minimize the color distortion in the blocking harmful blue light while preserving image color appearance. Yong-Woo Kim[1] and coworkers introduce the method to decrease the visual discomfort by reducing blue light component. They survey perceived symptom before and after watching a movie and measure the eye-blink rates of the participants, saccadic movements and near the point of convergence in his analysis effects of the blue light. Yoon-Suk Kang[2] said that the brighter video gives more discomfort than the darker video after making the comparison on stereoscopic 3D display, auto-stereoscopic 3D monitor and HDM devices. Additionally, there are some research papers about reading luminance of the light and turn on the light in the darker environment or turned off it in bright. In the tutorials point, they introduce about the histogram of an image and help to know which image is dark or bright from the histogram. From the histogram equalization article, Robert Krutsch and David Tenorio[4] said that which histogram covers all the possible values in the grayscale used is a good histogram. It means that the histogram will be a good contrast and details in the image will be observed more easily. 3. Theory Information 3.1. Blue light and visual comfort Visual comfort is a metric that is used to rate the lighting senses. In the recently years, several people make the research about the visual comfort and the relation from the lighting environment to the visual comfort. According to the International Commission on Illumination (CIE), the standards on lighting environment with many parameters as relevant for visual comfort including color rendering index and correlated color temperature. Therefore, there is some research papers are considered on surfaces brightness and color, light distribution and appearance of light and luminaires. The Unified Glare Rating (UGR) system that is developed by CIE in 1995 to evaluate the visual comfort glare by lighting sources as follow: Where: Lb is the background luminance(cd/m2), Li is the luminance (cd/m2), Pi is the position of each luminance. From the CIE, the higher UGR value suggests the higher visual discomfort glare. Besides, the researchers consider that luminance arrangement, LED lights quantity and lighting source surface distribution can be the factor causing discomfort. They said that if the number of LED increases then the glare is decreased. In many case studies research, people recognize that the color affects to the visual comfort in the mood and performance. As we known, the visible light has a wavelength from 400nm to 700nm (nanometer). It is visible for the human eye and responsible for the sense of the sight. In this range, the longer wavelengths are a red light and the shorter wavelengths are blue light. The blue light has a wavelength spectrum of between approximately 380nm and 500nm. It is one of the shortest and highest energies of wavelength. Fig. 1. Light spectrum with visible light (400-700 nm) and blue light (380-500 nm) Where is the blue light? And, what effect of the blue light to the human life? The blue light actually exists anywhere. It is stored in the light of the sun and traveled through the atmosphere. Furthermore, the blue light is exposed from the digital devices such as PC monitor, smartphone screens, TVs, laptops, tablet displays, fluorescent and LED light. Today, the LED display is very popular. It is used the LED back-light technology to enhance the brightness of the screen and clarity. Unfortunately, the LED has the very height energy of the wavelength or blue light. Because of the development of PC, smartphone,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.the digital devices with this technology are used on them. Therefore, people will watch the blue light too much. Besides of some benefits of blue light as boot alertness, help memory and cognitive function and evaluate moods, if people get the blue light emitted from the digital devices, they will get stress and eye strain. There are many kinds of eye strain as blurry vision, dry and irritated eyes, difficulty focusing, headaches, back pain,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ They also increase the risk of depression, permanent eye damage or loss vision. There are the research from Harvard said that if people work the night shift and exposure to the blue light to get several types of cancer diabetes, heart disease or increased risk of depression. 3.2. Hardware circuit and Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) sensor In our research, the hardware used to process and transfer luminance of lighting environment is Arduino circuit board. Arduino is an important circuit board that communicates with the computer and other electric devices via USB port. It also gets output data from electric devices and sends to the computer to process. Arduino is very famous microcontroller board with many categories. Arduino Uno is used in our research based on the ATmega328. The board has 14 digital output pins including 06 digital pins used as PWM output. It has the operating voltage of 5V and limitation of the input voltage from 6V to 20V. Additional, DC current of each I/O pin is 20mA. Flash memory has a capacity 32KB. Arduino read inputs from a sensor, finger on the button, data from USB or a Twitter message, then turn it into an output as activating motors, turning on a LED or publishing something online. There are a lot of projects in many fields and worldwide community of makers using the board to set up their projects. To do something, you can tell what you want to do by sending a set of instructions to the microcontroller on the board. Arduino is changing to adapt to new need and challenges with simple 8-bits boards to products for Internet of Things (IoT), wearable, 3D printing, and embedded environments. Fig. 2. Arduino board (left),LDR sensor (center) and characteristic of LDR sensor schema (right) LDR sensor is a light sensitive device. It is made up of semiconductor materials having high resistance. It operates based on the resistance. If its resistance is very high, the LDR is kept in dark and brighter when its resistance decreases. When the light is incident, it takes 8 to 12 ms for the change in resistance to taking place and takes one or more seconds for the resistance to rise back again. LDR has a low cost and simple in structure. People use it as a light sensor. It is used for lamps on street or light intensity meters, etc. 3.3. Making image contrast A histogram is a graph. It presents the frequency of anything that is provided in the dataset. The graph has two axes: y-axis presents the counting number of frequency and x-axis is the values of things in the dataset. In image processing, the histogram displays frequency of pixel intensity values. While x-axis is the gray of intensities, then y-axis shows the frequency of these intensities. The histogram is very useful in image processing. It can be used in medical to predict something from X-ray picture, adjusting the contrast of an image or using in thresholding, Therefore, equalization histogram is necessary to get the balance in the image. To enhance the contrast, we make the histogram equalization. After equalization, the intensity of the image is better distributed on the histogram. There are some methods to equalize the histogram such as histogram expansion, local area histogram equalization, cumulative histogram equalization, par and odd sectioning. Fig. 3. Histogram equalization 4. Algorithm and results In the previous section, the blue light is a primary to make the people getting eye strain and visual discomfort when they work on the digital display devices. The eye strain will make people get stress or some other diseases. If people work or watch image/movie long time on the computer or digital devices at the night, the eye strain and discomfort will be increased more and more. This is very dangerous to the human eyes and their mental. With the blue light exposed from the PC monitor, people work on the screen of the computer or the laptop will increase the stress or eye strain. Especially, it will be increased more and more visual discomfort if people watch image or video at the night. At that time, the light of environment is too dark, and the video may have much lights of the blue color. So, reducing the eye strain and increasing visual comfort that synonym to reduce the blue light on each frame of the video is very necessary in this case. The problem is how to reduce it? From our research, we propose the solution to help people reduce the eye strain when they watch the video in the darkness environment of light. Our solution is a system with two parts including electric devices and image processing program. Our systems structure is described in the following figure: Fig. 4. The structure of reducing blue light and increasing visual comfort system. In the process, if we have the video that is captured from brightness environments. As we known that, the brighter frames of the video caused more visual discomfort than darker video. So, when we watch the brighter video in the dark lighting environment, we will get more visual discomfort. How to know which is the brighter or darker lighting environment? We use the LDR sensor. LDR sensor with the resistor to get the intensity of the environment and Arduino board collects the values of LDR. On the other hand, we get the information from the input video (videos frames) via histogram. We process every pixel from the input video (videos frames) with the value collected by Arduino. In the next, we are mapping the pixels color after processed into (255,255,255). Then, we make the equalization histogram for the image to enhance the contrast. Finally, the new output video (videos frames) is rendered and reduced blue light in the new environment. In generally, our algorithm is presented as following: Read luminance value of current environment by LDR sensor (E). Calculate and send to the program value of (E). Read the desired video by sequentially frames. Calculate the value of (E) on each pixel of videos frames. Process color of the videos frames after calculating in the fourth step. Equalize histogram to enhance the contrast of the videos frames. Display new rendered video after reduced eyestrain or visual discomfort (increasing visual comfort). The LDR light sensor gets the lights luminance of the environment and process that value by using Arduino board. The computer read the video and the lightings luminance values sent from the Arduino board based on the lightings luminance values, we calculate the histogram and process above videos frames, then rerender that video suitable to the environment light. The output video is reduced the blue-light and reduces the eye strain of the viewer. Finally, the viewer will watch the video in less visual discomfort in the different lighting environments (from brightness to darkness). Based on the algorithm and processing video, we try to work on the day and night with the same video. For easy imaging, we choose an image frame of video and process on it with the luminance value from lighting environment. The result has some different images that are different to the original image. The results are depicted as follow: Original image frame Result image frame on the day Result image frame at the night in less darknessResult image frame at the night in very darkness Fig. 5. Output image frame in different values collected from light sensor For the 3D stereo images, we also process the left and right images belonging to the light values that are collected from the LDR light sensor via Arduino circuit board. In this case, re-rendered the images by calculating a color based on environment light is very important because it is strong effected to the eye. If the blue light is not reduced, the eye strain will be stronger and visual discomfort more increasing when watching 3D stereo movie. 5. Conclusion Today, the digital devices are very popular. It always exists parallel in the humans life. Therefore, watching video on the digital display devices in a long time will get stress, eye strain, and visual discomfort. Our paper has proposed the solution to the viewer when they watch the video by using light sensor-LDR. The LDR light sensor perceives the current light environment, the system processes to make an output video belonging to the environment that is reduced eye strain and visual discomfort. Our solution gives the result depending on correspondence environment brightness or darkness. References Yong-Woo Kim and Hang-Bong Kang. (2016). Analysis of blue-light effects in reducing visual discomfort from watching stereoscopic 3D video. Society for Imaging Science and Technology. Yoon-Suk Kang and Sungho Cho. (2016). Comparison of visual discomfort when viewing 3D videos with various contrast changes on a stereoscopic 3D display, an autostereoscopic display, and an HMD. Society for ImagingScience and Technology. Kuang-Tsu Shih, Jen-Shuo Liu, Frank Shyu, Su-Ling Yeh, and Homer H. Chen. (2016). Blocking Harmful Blue Light while Preserving Image Color Appearance. ACM Trans. Graph, Vol. 35, No. 6, Article 175, 10 pages. Takashi Shibata, Joohwan Kim, David M. Hoffman, Martin S. Banks. (2011). The zone of comfort: Predicting visual discomfort with stereo displays. Journal of Vision, 11(8):11, 1-29. Gordon Wetzstein, Wolfgang Heidrich1 and David Luebke. (2010). Optical Image Processing Using Light Modulation Displays. Computer Graphics Forum, vol 29, issue 6, pp. 1934-1944. Monica Sà ¤t. (2010). Colour And Light And The Human Area For Visual Comfort. Colour and Light in Architecture_First International Conference 2010_Proceedings, 285-291. Robert Krutsch and David Tenorio. (2011). Histogram Equalization. Technical Report, Microcontroller Solutions Group, Guadalajara, Rev.0. Paola Iacomussi , Michela Radis, Giuseppe Rossi, Laura Rossi. (2015). Visual Comfort with LED Lighting. The 6th International Building Physics Conference, IBPC. Energy Procedia 78 ( 2015 ) 729 734. The Vision Council. (2011). Protect your eyes from Digital devices. Digital eye strain report, unpublished. Effect of blue light technology, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_blue_lights_technology. Eye Strain, http://www.medicinenet.com/eye_strain/article.htm. Arduino Tutorial,  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Calibration. Visual comfort probability, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_comfort_probability Authors Viet Tran Hoang is a PhD candidate in Global School of Media, Soongsil University, Seoul,Korea. He had received his B.S degree in Computer Science from Cantho University, Vietnam, in 2000. He hold a M.S degree in Information System Management from HAN University, Netherlands, in 2011. He is currently pursuing his PhD in Computer Graphics at Soongsil University, Seoul, Korea. His research interests include image processing, 3D real-time rendering and 3D stereoscopic rendering.

Creating a Star Wars Lightsaber is not Possible Today :: physics science star wars weapon sword

The lightsaber is a weapon used in the Star Wars Galaxy. It is basically a saber/sword-like weapon that comprises of a hilt that contains a crystal which is used to focus beams of plasma into a tangible blade which has a finite length and is capable of cutting through a myriad of different materials. Its capacity to cut through material as well as the length of the actual blade of plasma can be altered and reconfigured to each individual's personal liking. The saber is powered through an internal rechargeable battery. No two lightsabers are alike because each individual build his own lightsaber(s) to his or her own liking. There are several parts to a lightsaber: * Handgrip * Activation Plate * Safety Switch * Emitter Matrix * Lens Assembly * Power Cell * Power Conduit * Recharge Socket Originally, lightsabers were built using crystals harvested manually an individually from the planets of Ruusan and Ilum. In the current universe however, processes for synthesizing crystals have become fairly common and several lightsabers are built using these synthetic crystals. The crystal is wired to the conduit and power cell such that the user can alter the length, width and intensity of the emitted blade. When the fully constructed lightsaber is activated, the internal power cell generates photo-electric energy by which the plasma blade is focused through the crystal. a non-thermal beam of plasma is packed tightly and focused through anywhere from 1 to 3 crystals with multiple facets. The formed beam is positively charged and is attracted back to the emitting hilt by way of negatively-charged high energy flux apertures. A power cell superconductor is then used to recycle individually emitted plasma packets into one long beam which continues to self regenerate during the time duration over which the lightsaber remains activated. The blade is tangible and because both blades on two dueling sabers are positively charged, the blades are capable of repelling one another. Ordinarily, the emission of the plasma blade for long durations of time would drain the power cell on the saber fairly quickly as was the case with older sabers from several millenia back in the past. However, through use of The Force, a Jedi is capable of combining all of the elements of his saber into one hightly efficient weapon such that the only major power drain occurs from the blade coming in contact with another material.

Teaching Philosophy :: Philosophy of Education Statement Teachers Essays

Teaching Philosophy I believe that teaching is a profession in which the educator has many opportunities to apply her knowledge of content area, personal strengths and creativity, and her life skills to the tasks at hand on a day to day basis. For example, when working in cooperation with other teachers, handling difficult situations with students and even just enjoying the satisfaction of a job well done, all three of the above mentioned qualities come into play. In order to keep all of these in balance, however, it is imperative that the teacher, or teacher in training, has a clear idea of what may be defined as her philosophies of teaching. First and foremost, I have a firm conviction that the teacher and school environment must actively promote, incorporate and develop diversity in the classroom. In today’s classroom it is inevitable that many types of diversity will be present and I believe it is the teacher’s innate responsibility to recognize and support it. Diversity comes in many forms including learning styles and abilities, race, religion and sexual orientation. Any diversity encountered in the classroom should be embraced as a chance to grow and learn for the teacher, the student who is deemed as ‘different’ and the total student body. This personal philosophy has developed within me as a result of my own experiences in a diverse public school system as a student. I intend to both support my diverse classrooms and to help other educators and students to promote, incorporate and develop diversity in their own classrooms. A second dimension in my teaching philosophy is based around the term ‘enthusiasm’. Enthusiasm implies energy, vivacity, creativity and consistent effort and in relation to my philosophy, these qualities are exhibited in a three dimensional model in the classroom. Two of the dimensions depend on the teacher. First, the teacher must be enthusiastic about the most important aspect of her job, that is, the students themselves! She must demonstrate consistent effort and energy when interacting and engaging with her students both inside and out of the classroom.

Computer Game Violence

Computer Games and violence is a topic that is very controversial in America. Like all other topics everything has its pros and cons. One of the most common criticisms of computer games is that they increase violent tendencies among the youth players. Parents are very concerned with their children playing violent computer games because they feel it influences their actions. Playing violent computer games can increase a person's aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behavior according to studies. For example, on April 20, 1999, 18-year-old Eric Harris and 17-year-old Dylan Klebold killed 12 students and a teacher in the Columbine High School Massacre. The two were allegedly obsessed) with the video game Doom). Violent computer games are said to be more harmful than violent television and movies because they are interactive and require the player to identify with the aggressor (Cochran). There has been several studies by groups such as The Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health, The Journal of Adolescent Health, and The British Medical Journal have shown no link between Computer Game usage and violent activities. One study did find an increase in reports of bullying. Research found that certain patterns of Computer Game play were much more likely to be associated with bullying than with major violent crimes such as school shootings (Griffiths). Computer Game environments are often based on plots of violence, aggression, and gender bias. A very good example of a computer game that contains all three of these things is the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The game came under criticism of implying allegedly racist hate crimes. The game takes place in â€Å"Vice City† a fictional Miami in 1986, which involves a gang war between the Haitians and Cubans (Bensely). Many computer games only offer an arena of weapons, killings, kicking, stabbing, and shootings that kids become so addicted to. Games like this can sometimes confuse reality and fantasy and may influence someone in doing something because they seen it done in a computer game. They have been seen as negatively affecting the players in terms of lack of social skills, inefficiency, obesity and laziness. After all, all violent computer games have a few things in common. They all involve a constant hurting and killing of others. There is no punishment for the killings in the game so kids don’t see why it would be wrong doing it in reality. Instead of being punished players are actually rewarded with different achievements in the game (Olson 56-59). Although there are many disadvantages, playing computer games have advantages too. Even though computer games have always been infamous for their anti-social aspect and the violence that is shown in them, for example, it may enhance a child's motor coordination. It also allows the ability for kids to think quickly and analyze certain situations. These games are actually used in military training to help soldiers become used to the process of harming others (Griffiths). Computer games also introduce children to computer technology. It can give them practice in following directions as well as problem solving and logic. We always look for the negative views first in everything we do and miss on the positive effects of computer games. The negativities brought in by computer games are due to no restrictions in which the player plays. Computer games are popular among children and the youngsters of America. If parents don’t limit the time for which a child is allowed to play a computer game or no supervision is ever present, the way in which the game is being played will have the not-so-positive effects of computer games show up. Children with an inferiority complex, lack of self-confidence are seen to be gaining help from playing computer games. Computer games have also been included in the therapy for children with such psychological problems. By playing computer games, a child gets a sense of participation and a sense of achievement. In the long run it will eventually build his or her self-confidence. Children, after playing computer games, begin to feel excited about their lives and start feeling positive and enthusiastic. This enables them to defeat their psychological disorders to a certain extent (Olson). In conclusion I feel as if the positive effects outweigh the negative effects overall. Computer games are meant for a form of entertainment and if not controlled by a parent or guardian that’s on them. They should have the parental skills of knowing what their children are able to do and see depending on their age.

How to shear a sheep

As the time wore on, though, I became more and more worried about one bullet point- under â€Å"Items to Bring,† was listed â€Å"A body with the strength and willingness to learn to shear sheep. Willingness, I could handle, but I wasn't so sure about strength. Our classmates, whether farmers or not, would all be bigger and stronger than me- most people are, statistically speaking. Erin had been working out with hearing specifically in mind. I'd spent the three months since January Joking about needing to start, but, of course, never did. In the morning, when Erin and I walked up to the pre-class circle of would-be- shearers, our instructor was saying something about how, used to be, they advised you take the class only If you could bench-press 120 lbs.I assuaged my horrible sense of dread by thinking of when Emily learned to shear (never mind that she was 1 5 then, and I'm 23), thinking of everyone's encouraging tweets and emails, and swearing that, If I made It through with out serious embarrassment (cutting off an ear, very day (which, of course, has yet to happen). After a few shearing demonstrations and a rehearsal of the 5 positions of shearing, there really was nothing left to do but try it ourselves. â€Å"It's Just like learning to swim,† they told us, movie goat Jump in! â€Å".We all split up into groups of four, grabbed a sheep and a pair of clippers, and got to work. To begin with, you sit the sheep up in front of you- this is first position. Starting at the breastbone (we called it the brisket! ), start shearing off the belly wool. Since this is the wool that's dirtiest, it helps to go ahead and get it out of the way. It's important to shear wide enough to make sure that you're well-set-up for farther down the road. After you take off the belly wool, you lean over further and take the wool off the legs and crotch, sort of scooping the clippers up the right leg, across, and down the left leg.The big danger here is accidentally sheari ng off a ewe's teats, so you're supposed to cover them up with your left hand (â€Å"you sure won't shear ‘me off now! â€Å"). Emily helps me navigate a tricky spot. Once the belly, crotch, and legs are clean, you rotate about 90 degrees, change into second position, and start shearing her left hind leg (I'm using the feminine pronoun cause, well, most sheep are ewes). It's also in this second step that you clear the wool off from the tail area, and, since her head is easily accessible, shear off the topknot of fleece from the top of her head. I love how much Rein's smiling in this picture. Shearing is fun!After than, you swing your legs around your sheep and into third position. You're going to move your clippers up from the brisket along the neck, and end your stroke (or â€Å"blow,† as they're called) under the left side of her chin. This is, in my opinion, the most thrilling- I mean that in both senses- part of shearing. You're â€Å"unzipping† the elect a long the underside of the neck, and it definitely looks and feels the coolest, Because (obviously) the sheep is covered in wool, you can't tell where the wool ends and the sheep begins unless you have a very exact knowledge of her specific anatomy and musculature (more on this later).It's pretty terrifying to move a pair of clippers into the unknown- rather, unknown, except for the knowledge that, if you make a mistake, you could cut your sheep's neck pretty badly. If one end of the error spectrum are nicks and cuts, then the other end of the spectrum is second cuts, which are short pieces of fleece that weren't taken off with he first pass of the clippers. Second cuts cause all sorts of problems- if incorporated into yarn, they make it weaker, and cause it to pill more quickly- and so it's important to keep them to a minimum.In fact, our instructors told us that we must not be so afraid of cutting the sheep, because, otherwise, all we'd do is make second cuts. I wasn't so good at n ot being afraid (but, still, I nicked a few sheep). After you've opened up the fleece along the neck, you keep making parallel passes with your shears- up from the chest, along the left side of the neck, ending right under the eye; up the chest, along the neck, end under the ear.This is the part when it's easiest to take off an ear, so, Just like with the teats, you're supposed to find it, get hold of it, and make sure to keep it out of harm's way. Once the left side of the neck is clear, you start working on the left shoulder. Emily showed Erin and I a bit of weight-shifting footwork that helps get the sheep's shoulder in a better position to shear. The more you know about your sheep, the easier she'll be for you to shear- and since she's covered in wool, it can sometimes be hard to tell. If you know she's fat, it'll be, as Emily says, â€Å"Easy, like shearing a beach ball.If she's skinny, you're going to have to work a little harder to navigate around the bony hips, shoulders, a nd spinal processes. Does she have two teats, or are there four (ewes sometimes have an extra vestigial set) to watch out for? If she's a pinewood sheep with Merino heritage (hello, Corm), she's going to be covered in the wrinkles and extra skin that those breeds were bred to have (more skin = more hair follicles = more wool per sheep), and you're going to have to make sure not to nick those. If she's in good health, she should shear easily.If she's doing poorly, though, the lanolin (which usually melts a bit, and helps o lubricate the clippers) won't flow so freely, and instead stays thick, like wax, and gums up your clippers. I was continually amazed at the intimacy of it, and humbled by the amount of strength and knowledge required- I don't think Vive experienced anything like it in my every single inch of every single sheep, and then use that knowledge to navigate a potentially dangerous situation (those clippers are sharp), and end up with a valuable product (7 or 8 lbs of wool per sheep).That said, it's also hot, sweaty, greasy, difficult, dirty, exhausting, poppy, smelly, frustrating, and sometimes bloody. Dragging ourselves back to the hotel after the first day, I told Erin, â€Å"If anyone ever tells me shearing like a beautiful, graceful, athletic dance between the shearer and the sheep, I'm goanna punch ‘me in the face,† and there were plenty of Jokes about, â€Å"Any Job where your read end's goat be higher than your head- that's not a good Job! † So, back to business. Once the whole left side is clear, you slide the sheep down your shin and into fourth position.A big part of learning the positions is making sure the sheep is comfortable- the more comfortable she is, the less she'll struggle and fight, and the easier it is for he both of you. It's time for what's called the long blows, which are some of the easiest parts of shearing to learn (but hardest to master). They also look really cool. You move your clippers right across the body, tail to head. You keep making blows along the back, making sure to keep the comb of your clippers right along the curve of her back, until you're one blow past her spine.After that comes fifth position: swing your right leg around, pick up your sheep, and, holding her nose between your knees, start shearing down the right side- head, neck, and shoulder- rolling the sheep up towards you as you move down her body. Once you're past the shoulder, you start making diagonal passes down the right side- you're almost done! After making those diagonal passes down the sheep's right side, all there is left to do is clear off the right leg and hindquarter. See how Erin is using her left hand to put all her weight into the sheep's right flank?That serves two purposes- 1) it straightens out the right leg, so that it's easier to shear, and 2) it tightens up the skin, so that there's less risk of it getting caught in the clippers. Honestly, there's so much skin-tightening, head-holding, ear-grabbing, leg- threatening, and teat-saving done with the non-clipper-holding-hand, you might as well say that it did all the work! Nevertheless, both Erin and I had pretty sore right 1) vibrate and 2) are dripping with motor oil and lanolin. It's not easy. But, once you've cleaned off that last leg, you're done!Emily actually took videos of both Erin and me finishing our sheep- they're up on Faceable, if you'd like to see more. And so, here I am after my first-ever sheep, grinning like a goofball. She looks like a carpet after it's been vacuumed! But the Job's not over once the sheep's shorn! In their varying levels of wholeness- nagging from the gorgeous waterfalls of wool produced by some of the experienced shearers to the utterly destroyed scragglier produced by all of us beginners- the fleeces were taken to the skirting table and sorted.As someone who erred on the side of second cuts, I felt a little guilty! Erin and I came away from the weekend physically exhausted, but ot herwise wildly enthused about shearing- not only are we planning on tagging along with Emily when she's in Virginia next, but we're also thinking of going up to Maryland for the wool pool (can you imagine seeing a whole state worth of wool, all in one place!? ), and e definitely want to go to Maryland Sheep & Wool, too (anyone have a couch or a spare bedroom for us? ).

Porter’s Five Forces The Threat of New Entrants (Low) Essay

There is a great amount of economies of learning and scale in the oil industry for Example BP has been searching for oil since 1901. They invest a huge amount in up-to-date technologies making it difficult for new entrants to compete. His obviously requires huge capital investments in R&D as well as start-up cost, for example a truck just to carry the oil costs over $1,000,000. There is a lot of regulation in the industry especially with regards to inter-continental politics which further reduces new entrants although in the USA there is less which allows for small firms (under 10 staff) to enter in areas such as Alaska and Texas. There is also a history of incumbent response; BP were fined jointly with TNK $35,200,000 for price fixing. Overall these factors lead to a very low risk of threat of new entrants. Supplier’s Power (High) A lot of oil in the world which is held in countries which are politically unstable and there is a risk that they may seize oil like Iran did to BP in 1951 or more recently Venezulea seized one of Exxon’s major projects. OPEC is a cartel which controls the amount of oil sold and produced. It controls 40% of the world’s supply of oil and holds a lot of power especially as BP also purchases oil from OPEC countries. Buyer Power (Low) As the good is not perishable oil companies do not need to sell it immediately and can therefore influence the flow of oil and also its price. Customers also have few substitutes so there is always a strong demand for the product. Furthermore individual buyer power is low as there are large amounts of customers who purchase low volumes. Demand is set to rise despite a weakening economy, which is shown by rising energy prices. The saving grace for customers is the low switching costs as products are undifferentiated and customers don’t have to sign a contract when they fill up there tank. Overall the buyer power is low because even though there are low switching costs OPEC affectively controls the price of oil so will increase this for the oil suppliers.

Health Module 1st Quarter Essay

Gender and Human Sexuality At the end of the quarter, you should be able to 1. discuss sexuality as an important component of one’s personality. 2. explain the importance and dimensions of human sexuality. 3. analyze the factors that affect one’s attitudes and practices related to sexuality. 4. assess personal health attitudes that may influence sexual behaviour. 5. relates the importance of sexuality to family health. 6. discuss the signs, symptoms, and effects of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). 7. enumerate steps in the prevention and control of STIs. 8. analyze why abstinence is the most effective method for the prevention of HIV and AIDS and other STIs. 9. follow government policies in the prevention and control of HIV and AIDS (RA 8504 or Philippine AIDS Prevention and Control Act). 10. explain other government efforts in ensuring a clean blood supply to prevent issues and problems related to sexuality (RA 7719 or Blood Services Act of 1994). 11. apply decision-making skills in managing sexually-related issues. Are you ready? You may first consider doing some activities that will brighten you up while expressing your knowledge about sexuality as an important component of one’s personality. A. DIRECTIONS: How much do you know about gender and human sexuality? Find out by answering the following questions. Write your answers in your activity notebook. 1. What term defines a man or a woman based on biological characteristics? a. sex b. gender c. sexuality d. androgyny 2. Which of the following illustrates gender? a. Miguel loves to cook. b. Marco does not cry in public. c. Hazel has a positive body image. d. Ahmed is attracted to Felicity. 3. What do you call the sets of activities that society considers as appropriate for men and women? a. gender role b. gender identity c. gender equality d. gender sensitivity 4. Why is it important to understand human sexuality? a. We will all be mature adults. b. We have similar sexuality issues. c. There is a specific age for developing one’s sexuality. d. It will help us build a better relationship with ourselves and others. 5. Which characterizes a good decision? a. Easy to make b. Makes your friends happy c. One that your teacher told you to make d. Arrived at after a thoughtful consideration of consequence/s B. DIRECTIONS: Read the following statements. Analyze your personal stand on each item. Write a short explanation why you agree or disagree with it. 1. Teaching is a job for women. 2. Men have no right to cry in public. 3. Both men and women can be police officers. 4. It is the responsibility of both parents to take care of their children. 5. Both the father and the mother should share in meeting the financial needs of the family. C. DIRECTION: Before you start studying the next lesson on human sexuality, you are going to answer the self-inventory test about STI and HIV/AIDS. How familiar are you with STIs HIV AIDS? 1. I have never heard of them or I have heard of them but don’t know what they are. 2. I have some idea what they are, but don’t know why or how they happen. 3. I have a clear idea what they are, but haven’t discussed them. 4. I can explain what they are and how do they occur what they do that may affect family life. Have you made a personal health plan on how to protect yourself from risky sexual behaviour? 1. I have neither planned nor thought about it. 2. I have planned but not thought about it. 3. I have planned but not practiced it. 4. I have both planned and practiced it. D. DIRECTIONS: For each of the following topic, place a check mark in the cell if it describes your experience. Topic/Concept Have read it Have heard it Have seen a TV or movie production Have written a report paper on it STIs HIV/AIDS Abstinence Refusal Skill Blood donation/transfusion E. DIRECTIONS: Fact or Fiction: Are the following statements true or false? Write true or false on the space before the number in order to find out your knowledge in sexually transmitted infections particularly HIV/AIDS. When you finish this module, you will have the opportunity to plan for yourself on how to avoid being infected with HIV/AIDS and live a healthy lifestyle in order to have a healthy relationship with your family. 1. A person can acquire HIV/AIDS from using intravenous syringe used by the infected person 2. Most sexually transmitted infections can be treated and cured without medical attention. 3. If an HIV/AIDS woman gives a normal birth to a child, her child may have a greater chance of being infected too. 4. A person always knows when he or she has a sexually transmitted infection. 5. People who get sexually transmitted infections have a lot of sex partners. 6. All types of sexually transmitted disease can be cured. 7. Parental consent is needed before you are treated for a sexually transmitted disease if you are under 18 years of age 8. You can have no symptoms, yet be infected with a sexually transmitted disease and be able to pass it on to someone else. You can get several sexually transmitted diseases at one time. Lesson 1 – Gender and Human Sexuality At the end of the lesson, you should be able to do the following: 1. discuss sexuality as an important component of one’s personality. 2. explain the importance and dimensions of human sexuality. 3. analyze the factors that affect one’s attitudes and practices related to sexuality. 4. assess personal health attitudes that may influence sexual behaviour. 5. relates the importance of sexuality to family health. LEARNING GOALS AND TARGETS Write your targets on what you expect to learn after reading and accomplishing this learning material. Lesson 1 Gender and Human Sexuality Part I. WHAT TO KNOW Sexuality involves the physical, mental, social, emotional, and ethical dimensions of one’s personality. ACTIVITY # 1 Here is someone who wrote about herself in a poem. Read and analyze how the author wanted to express herself. Sexuality means you have to be aware of yourself better. As you grow older, you will experience a range of social, emotional, and physical changes. As these occur, you need an intensive knowledge on how to deal with your attitudes and behaviour. ACTIVITY # 2 Graffiti You! On a half-size cartolina, write quotations, sayings, slogans, and so on that will describe and reveal your likes, passions, and aspects of your personality. After sharing this in class, you can post it on your bedroom walls and be inspired! A sample has been done below. Sexuality can be best understood through the help of the people around you. ACTIVITY # 3 How I See Myself – How Others See Me Listed below are characteristics which may or may not represent you. Using the icon at the left side, see if you can rate yourself. After you are done, fold the paper in half and ask a classmate to rate you. Extrovert _____ Selfish ____ Confident _____ Aggressive ____ Shy _____ Attractive _____ Good listener ____ Approachable ____ Liked _____ Fun ____ Sincere ____ Irresponsible ____ Kind _____ Dependable ____ Other/s: ______________________ ________________________ Extrovert _____ Selfish ____ Confident _____ Aggressive ____ Shy _____ Attractive _____ Good listener ____ Approachable ____ Liked _____ Fun ____ Sincere ____ Irresponsible ____ Kind _____ Dependable ____ Other/s: ______________________ ________________________ Extrovert ______ Selfish ______ Confident ______ Aggressive ______ Shy ______ Attractive ______ Good listener ______ Approachable ______ Liked ______ Fun ______ Sincere ______ Irresponsible ______ Kind ______ Dependable ______ Other/s: ________________________ ________________________ After accomplishing this task, compare your response with the answers of your classmates regarding your characteristics. Are they the same? Do your classmates see you as you see yourself? Reflect on this matter. Healthy sexuality encompasses the following characteristics: ACTIVITY # 4 Puzzle-Puzzle Fill up the pieces with the words/phrases hat describe your personality. Afterwards, fix the puzzle. What figure have you formed? What picture do you see that comprise the individual’s personality? What do you think will happen if you lack any of these pieces? Below is a diagram showing health attitudes that can influence sexual behaviour. Which of these do you possess? Levelling Off Please read and analyze the following key terms. ACTIVITY # 5 Gender Assumptions 1. giving birth 2. making a living 3. fixing the broken faucet 4. doing household chores 5. helping the children with their homework ACTIVITY # 6 Write the changes that you expect as you mature from a boy/girl to a man/woman. Copy the example figure below and write your own figure in your activity notebook. ACTIVITY # 7 Society Says In your activity notebook, copy the table as shown below and write words or phrases that you associate with the words masculine and feminine. GENDER ROLES MASCULINE Example: breadwinner FEMININE Example: babysitter The aim of education for human sexuality is to develop in a boy the characteristics of the personality belonging to his sex, and in a girl the characteristic of her own sex, thus turning a boy into a mature man and a girl into a mature woman, Using Life Skills to Improve Sexual Health The life skills that are mentioned below will give you the tools to deal with problems both big and small. Assessing your Health means evaluating your well-being periodically. This includes your sexuality. Figure out what you can do to improve your health if it is not as good as it can be. Making Good Decisions means making choices that are healthy and responsible. You must have the courage to make difficult decisions and stick to them. Communicating Effectively. Communication skills help you avoid misunderstanding by expressing your feelings in a healthy way. This means if you listen to what people say, they will want to listen to you as well. Practicing Wellness can be accomplished through information about good sexuality. Setting Goals or aiming for something that will give you a sense of accomplishment. Just be sure to be realistic with your target goal. Refusal Skill is a way to say no to something that you don’t want to do. This skill requires practice. But first, you must feel strongly about what things you want to avoid. Evaluating Media Messages is being able to judge the worth of media messages. It is a big challenge knowing that most media messages are very  convincing ACTIVITY # 8 Give an example of a situation for each of the life skills learned. Explain how you will use each skill in these situations? Write you answer in your activity notebook. Which of the life skills do you feel will be the easiest one for you to use? Which is the most difficult to use? Explain your answer. ACTIVITY # 9 Making Good Decisions In your activity notebook, label the page with the letters D E C I D E vertically. Use the six steps in decision making in going through this activity. 1. Your classmates are going to a party this weekend, this is the first time that you are asked to attend by a friend but then you discern that your parents will not approve it. You don’t want to make your friends angry by not going, but you also don’t want to get in trouble with your parents. Determine what decision you should make. 2. One of your closest friends tells his/her problem and asks for your support. He got his girlfriend pregnant / she got pregnant. How can you show your support and stand firm with the morals that having children should be the choice of matured individuals under the blessing of marriage? The following guide questions may help you decide. Is it safe? Is it legal? Is it healthful? Does it show respect for me and others? Does it follow norms and standards of society? Part II. WHAT TO PROCESS ACTIVITY # 10 Follow the instructions below to help you complete the poem â€Å"I Am† and make it a poem about you. Write this in a whole sheet of paper. Post it in the display area of the classroom. I Am Line 1:I am (write your name). Line 2:I am the child of (write the full names of your parents). Line 3:I am the grandchild of (write the full names of your four grandparents). Line 4:I am the sibling of (write the first names of your brothers and sisters, if any). Line 5:I am the friend of (write the names of a few friends). Line 6:I am (write three descriptive words that describe you). Line 7:I am a (write something that you do well – for example, I am a volleyball player). Line 8:I am a resident of (write the name of the barangay and the city in which you live). Line 9:I am (write your citizenship). ACTIVITY # 11 Dealing with People We all encounter people in our lives. Here are some descriptions of people. In your activity notebook, jot down some positive ways of dealing with each type of personality. 1. Show off (people who would like to be the center of attraction whenever possible). 2. Worriers (people who worry about everything). 3. Gossips (people who spread rumors and often exaggerate information). 4. Bullies (people who use threats, fear, and cruelty to control others). 5. Whiners (people who grumble and complain about everything). ACTIVITY # 12 How Well Do I Know Myself On your activity sheet, trace your left and right hand on each side of the paper. Each finger represents a characteristic of a healthy sexuality. ACTIVITY # 13 Male versus Female In your activity notebook, copy the Venn diagram as shown below. Write the roles played by male and female in the space provided. In the space where the two circles meet, write the common roles played by both. Where they don’t join, write their specific roles. Choose the specific roles from the box below. MALE FEMALE Part III. WHAT TO REFLECT AND UNDERSTAND You can reflect and understand better your personality by accomplishing the activity below. ACTIVITY # 14 Read and reflect on the article below. ACTIVITY # 15 Role Play To better analyze the factors that affect the attitudes and practices related to human sexuality, you are going to internalize a given character. Gather your classmates, group yourselves into five (5). Each member of the group will assume the role of any of the following: 1. one who grew up in a very religious family 2. one who was raised by authoritative parents 3. one who has been strongly influenced by media 4. one who has good friends from the opposite sex 5. One who has been educated in an exclusive school You are given ten (10) minutes to prepare a short skit. Each group shall present the skit in two (2) minutes. After the presentation, analyze the factors that shape the sexual attitudes of the various characters. Answer the following questions. Use them as your guides. What are the factors that shape our sexual attitudes? How do these factors positively or negatively affect our sexual attitudes? What can we do to maximize the negative effect of these factors on our sexual attitudes? Rate yourselves accordingly using the rubrics below. CRITERIA ADVANCE (20) PROFICIENT (15) APPROACHING PROFICIENT (10) DEVELOPING (5) Work Attitude (cooperative with the group) Always cooperative and focused on task during group work and presentation. Usually cooperative and focused on task during group work and presentation. Sometimes cooperative and focused on task during group work and presentation. Rarely cooperative and focused on task during group work and presentation. Presentation of Character Convincing in communicating character’s feelings, situation and motives. Competent in communicating character’s feelings, situations and motives. Adequate in communicating character’s feelings, situation and motives. Limited in communicating character’s feelings, situation and motives. Relevance of the actions Actions are clearly established and effectively sustained. Actions are clearly established and generally sustained. Actions are established but may not be sustained. Actions are vaguely established and may not be sustained. Use of Non-Verbal Cues (voice, gestures, eye contact ) Impressive variety of non-verbal cues is used in an exemplary way. Good variety of non-verbal cues is used in a competent way. Satisfactory variety of non-verbal cues is used in an acceptable way. Limited variety of non-verbal cues is used in a developing way. Imagination, Creativity, and Choices Demonstrate insight that powerfully enhance role play Choices Demonstrate thoughtfulness that completely enhances role play. Choices Demonstrate awareness that acceptably enhance role play. Choices demonstrate little awareness and do little to enhance role play. Congratulations! You did a great job! Please refer to the boxed entries for you to assess how you fare in Activity # 15. Education for human sexuality deals with the formation of virtuous habits right attitudes integration of positive values ACTIVITY # 16 For each factor listed below, provide examples of how this factor affects your sexual attitudes and behaviors. Write your answer in your activity notebook. A.1. Family. Family values oftentimes determine your own values. Describe how your family affects your values regarding human sexuality. A.2. Culture. Filipinos living in different regions have diverse cultures and beliefs. Your cultural background can affect your values regarding sexuality, along with the norms and standards set by society. Describe how your culture affects your human sexuality. 3. Peers. Like your family, your friends can also have a significant impact on your views on human sexuality. Describe how your friends affect your human sexuality. 4. Media. The media plays a significant role in our lives as we regularly watch televisions, listen to radio, search the internet, read newspapers, etc. Describe how media affects your human sexuality. ACTIVITY # 17 Analyze Media Message Think of a commercial and write how men and women are being portrayed. Then, respond to the following: What is the commercial all about? What messages were presented about being a man or a woman? Is the information real and accurate? Why or why not? boys and girls are given the impression of men being superior to women. In as much as we would like to practice gender equality, the rules for human conduct and human appropriateness are not alike for both sexes as practiced in most areas in the Philippines. This is likely shown in the examples below: A. Boys and men are permitted to stay out more and up to a later time than the girls and women. B. A philandering or immoral man is considered as demonstrating his manliness or â€Å"pagkalalaki†. A philandering or immoral woman is considered as cheap, bad, or â€Å"masamang babae†. C. Women are expected to remain virginal until they marry, while it is generally acceptable for men to have sexual experience before marriage. D. Women are socially judged and legally penalized for adultery and for having children out of wedlock. E. Men who stay at home to do household chores instead of having jobs to earn money for the family are considered by some as â€Å"under ‘d saya.† ACTIVITY # 18 In your activity notebook, answer the following questions: 1. What is your stand on double standard of morality? 2. How can we possibly eliminate the double standard of morality? VIRGINITY a virgin is a person who has not had sexual interaction. ACTIVITY # 19 My Abstinence Bag Abstinence is the best decision one can make in safeguarding sexual health. In this activity, list five items that you value most in life and will help you say no to unhealthful practices. Explain how this item can encourage you to make right decisions. For example, putting a family picture in my abstinence bag can remind me of how I value my loved ones and how I would like to make them proud of my achievements. ACTIVITY # 20 In your activity notebook, answer the following questions: a.i.1. Do you believe that virginity is important for both boys and girls? Why? a.i.2. What are your attitudes and standards towards virginity? Compare it with the norms and standards set by society. Does it confirm? a.i.3. How do you value virginity? Part IV. WHAT TO TRANSFER ACTIVITY # 21 What Do You Value? Values are qualities or conditions that are important to a person. Complete this survey by determining what you value in yourself. In your activity notebook, tick on the appropriate box based on the importance you assign to each attribute. Not Important Important Very Important 1. To be respected by my parents. 2. To be respected by my friends. 3. To have a positive image of myself. 4. To have lots of friends. 5. To do well in school. 6. To give and receive love. 7. To stay virgin until marriage. 8. To build healthy relationships with members of both sexes. 9. To appreciate sexuality as factor of personality. 10. To make intelligent decisions concerning sexual behaviour. After completing this survey, what observations can you make about your values? ACTIVITY # 16 ACTIVITY# 22 Visualize & Learn! a. You will be given five minutes to close your eyes and imagine a scenario in the past where kings and queens once lived. Imagine you are the king (if male) or queen (if female). The queen is captured and needs recuing from her captors. The king assumes the conventional role of a brave king who rescues his queen, while the queen takes on the role of a meek and mild queen who needs looking after. b. Visualize a scenario of a typical Filipino family. Analyze and enumerate the roles being played by the male members of the family (grandfather, father, male siblings) and the female members of the family (grandmother,  mother, female siblings). Does it conform to the norms set by the society? ACTIVITY # 22 Critical Thinking Let us try to connect our lesson to current issues in our country. ACTIVITY # 23 Watch and Relax! This is your opportunity to show your understanding of gender role in the media. Choose a movie or a television show which you believe has gender role labels in it and you must deconstruct and analyze. Extract any gender-biased content. Recreate one of the scenes of the film by submitting a script of your own for this scene. Write a reflection on why you think the gender role depiction in media must be addressed. ACTIVITY # 24 K W A Chart In your activity notebook, copy the table as shown. List your top five (5) issues concerning sexuality regarding what you know, what you want to learn, and what you have learned. Give a brief explanation of your answer. Sexuality Issue What I Know What I Learned How I Will Apply (the concept/skill learned) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Human sexuality is the totality of being a man or being a woman. It includes everything that makes you a male or a female – your ideas, behavior, feelings and judgements. ACTIVITY #25 As you analyze the significance of sexuality to family health, ask yourself the following questions: Do I periodically evaluate my sexual health? Am I making good decisions? Am I setting and meeting my goals? Do I use refusal skills when I need to? Am I communicating my feelings and expectations? Do I compare and evaluate media messages as to the norms and standards of society SUMMARY Think back on something that you have learned from this Learning Materials. Reflect on the following questions and then write your answers on the box. 1) What did you learn? 2) How did you go about learning the lesson? 3) Why did you choose to learn it? 4) What/Who helped you learn it? 5) What hindered your learning? 6) How did you know that you had learned it? LEARNING MODULE FOR HEALTH – GRADE 8 QUARTER 1 Family Health Module 1 Issues and Problems Related to Human Sexuality Sexually Transmitted Infections (with emphasis on HIV/AIDS ) Government Policies and Republic Act No. 8504 and 7719 Introduction: After learning about human sexuality and gender, you will now be introduced to the nature and prevention of sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) like Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Sexually-transmitted Infection (STI) is a communicable disease that is spread from person to person through sexual contact. Despite the efforts of government and civil society, the incidence of STIs particularly HIV/AIDS continues to increase. Thus, it poses a serious threat to Filipinos especially to young people like you. According to the Department of Health’s Philippine HIV and AIDS Registry, we had already exceeded the 10 thousand mark in HIV infections since 1984 when the disease was first documented in the country. More than a thousand of these already developed into full-blown AIDS. Sexually-transmitted infection is preventable. The first step is to remain sexually abstinent until marriage. Next is to obtain accurate information about these diseases and recognize inaccurate information. Third is to enhance life skills. By knowing how to make decisions and practice refusal skills you can never go wrong in safeguarding your health. OBJECTIVES: At the end of this module you will learn to 1. Discuss the signs, symptoms and effects of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ( AIDS) 2. Identify and analyze steps in the prevention and control of STIs 3. Realize why abstinence is the only sure way to avoid sexually transmitted infections particularly HIV/AIDS 4. Follow government policies in the prevention and control of HIV and AIDS (RA 8504 or Philippine AIDS prevention and control Act) 5. Explain other government efforts in ensuring a clean blood supply to prevent issues and problems related to sexuality. 6. Applies decision-making skills in managing sexuality related issues. This time you will answer the following pre assessment activity. This is non-graded test. The purpose is to identify your learning needs. It is important that you answer the items to help you find out what you need to know. PRE-ASSESSMENT A. DIRECTIONS: Before you start studying the next lesson on human sexuality, you are going to answer the self-inventory test about STI and HIV/AIDS. How familiar are you with STIs HIV/AIDS? 1. I have never heard of them or I have heard of them but don’t know what they are. 2. I have some idea what they are, but don’t know why or how they happen. 3. I have a clear idea what they are, but haven’t discussed them. 4. I can explain what they are and how they occur, what they do that may affect family life. Have you made a personal health plan on how to protect yourself from risky sexual behaviour? 1. I have neither planned nor thought about it. 2. I have planned but not thought about it. 3. I have planned but not practiced it. 4. I have both planned and practiced it. B. DIRECTIONS: For each of the following topic, place a check mark in the cell if it describes your experience. Topic/Concept Have read it Have heard it Have seen a TV or movie production Have written a report paper on it STIs HIV/AIDS Abstinence Refusal Skill Blood donation/transfusion C. DIRECTIONS: Fact or Fiction: Are the following statements true or false? Write true or false on the space before the number in order to find out your knowledge in sexually transmitted infections particularly HIV/ AIDS. When you finish this module, you have to plan on how you can avoid being infected with HIV/AIDS and live a healthy lifestyle in order to have a healthy relationship with your family. 1. A person can acquire HIV/ AIDS from using intravenous syringe used by the infected person 2. Most sexually transmitted infections can be treated and cured without medical attention. 3. If an HIV/AIDS woman gives a normal birth to a child, her child may have a greater chance of being infected too. 4. A person always knows when he or she has a sexually transmitted infection. 5. People who get sexually transmitted infections have a lot of sex partners. 6. All types of sexually transmitted disease can be cured. 7. Parental consent is needed before you are treated for a sexually  transmitted disease if you are under 18 years of age 8. You can have no symptoms, yet be infected with a sexually transmitted disease and be able to pass it on to someone else. You can get several sexually transmitted diseases at one time. Check if your answers are correct. What you will do! Learning Goals and target Read the questions below and fill out the column in my response column Write your answer in your activity notebook. What? / So What?/ Now What? Strategy: My response What: What I want to know about the topic? What behavior I would like to change or improve to have a healthy sexual behaviour? What steps are involved to accomplish this healthy sexual behavior? So what: Why is this important? What does it mean to me? How does knowing about this information change my thinking? What other ideas in human sexuality do I have or connections can I make to STIs and HIV/AIDS? Now what: What are the implications human sexuality to a healthy family life? What am I going to do or apply to protect and promote healthy sexuality? What measures will I do to prevent HIV/AIDS? Just enjoy and have fun in learning! Your teacher will help and guide you as you walk through your learning journey. Part I. WHAT TO KNOW Are you ready? What is STIs? Sexually-transmitted infection or STI, also known as sexually-transmitted disease (STD) is a communicable disease that is spread by a pathogen (disease-causing organism) from one person to another person through sexual contact. A person who has a sexual relationship with someone who is infected can get one or more of these diseases. STIs are transmitted through an exchange of bodily fluids during sexual intercourse. These infections are commonly caused by bacteria and viruses. Some STIs can be treated successfully but many STIs such as HIV/AIDS still have no cure. The good news is, all STIs can be prevented. Symptoms of STIs depend on the type of infections. Common symptoms include discharge from the genitals, warts, blisters or sores in the genital area, a rash, painful urination, or flu- like symptoms. Some STIs don’t have any signs or symptoms. In fact one of every 10 people can have STIs but be asymptomatic. These people are carriers and are very dangerous because they can transmit an infection without even knowing it. . The only certain way to prevent/to keep from catching these diseases is by abstinence. Sexual abstinence is the deliberate choice to refrain from all sexual activity Let’s Review 1. What is a sexually transmitted infection? 2. What is abstinence, and why is abstinence the only certain way to prevent STIs? Knowing About STIs Teens are the age group most likely to get STIs that is why it is important for teens to learn about STIs Study the table below and identify sexually transmitted infections. Make a summary and identify the major ways on how to prevent sexually transmitted infections. COMMON SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS AIDS Chlamydia Genital herpes Gonorrhea Syphilis Pathogen (causative agent) Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Chlamydia Trachomatis bacterium Herpes Simplex-2 Virus Neisseria gonorrhoea bacterium Treponema Pallidum bacterium Long term effects Immune systems failure, severe illness leading to death,8-10 years to see signs of infection, infection of infants leading to death In women, pelvic inflammation with abdominal pain, fever, menstrual bleeding, ectopic pregnancy In men, enlarged lymph glands of the groin, infection of the  testicles. Infection during birth can cause blindness or illness in newborn If left untreated, it may cause cervical cancer in women and cause deformities in unborn babies Sterility, liver disease, testicular disease, infection of heart lining, eye infections for newborn leading to blindness If left untreated, mental illness, heart and kidney damage, and death may result Prevention measures Abstinence from sexual intercourse and from use of intravenous drugs Abstinence from sexual intercourse Abstinence from sexual intercourse and from use of intravenous drugs Abstinence from sexual intercourse and from use of intravenous drugs Abstinence from sexual intercourse and from se of intravenous drugs What are HIV and AIDS? Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a fatal communicable disease with no effective treatment or known cure. It is the final stage of infection caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). When HIV enters the body it attacks the body’s immune system. Thus, the body becomes vulnerable to opportunistic infections or diseases that develop when the body’s defense system becomes weak. Among these infections are Kaposi’s sarcoma, a rare but deadly type of skin cancer, recurrent pneumonia, and toxoplasmosis within the brain. Early symptoms of infection with HIV may include a rash, sore throat, fever, and tiredness. Nearly everyone with HIV develops AIDS. People with AIDS cannot fight off diseases that healthy people could easily resist. Because AIDS has no cure, people with AIDS eventually die from one of these diseases. Ways of Acquiring HIV Activity 1. Deal or no deal Let us deal with how HIV AIDS can be transmitted from one person to another. The following chart lists ways of acquiring HIV. If the manner is false, put an X on the No Column meaning no deal, but if the manner is an actual way of acquiring HIV put an X in the Yes Column meaning we need to deal it. Ways of Acquiring HIV Yes No 1. Breastfeeding . 2. Handshaking 3. Sharing the eating utensils with someone infected with HIV. 4 . Donating blood with Red Cross 5.Selling blood in blood banks 6. Someone who has HIV who cough and sneeze near you. 7.Hugging someone with HIV 8. Having unprotected intercourse with someone with HIV 9. Sharing contaminated syringes, needles or other sharp instruments with someone infected by HIV 10.Receiving transfusion of blood infected with HIV 11.Sitting in the toilet seat used by the HIV patient 12. Mosquito bites 13. Tattooing using an infected needle 14.Swimming with an HIV infected person 15. Wearing clothes of an infected person 16. Ear and Body piercing with an infected needle HIV must enter into the person’s bloodstream to infect the person. HIV has been found in many body fluids including blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk of infected person. Which items have you already known and been informed about how HIV/AIDS can be acquired? Have you heard of other ways AIDs can /can’t be transmitted or not transmitted? How can you correct misconceptions? Check your answer. Your teacher will help you analyze the responses . Make a generalization on how a person can acquire HIV AIDS. I learned that HIV can be transmitted by ___________ I learned that HIV cannot be transmitted by_________________ 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 Activity 2 REDUCING THE RISK OF HIV In small groups, brainstorm on how HIV can be transmitted and then create a chart or web to illustrate it. For each method of transmission, you and your partners will list at least three ways to reduce one’s risk of exposure to HIV. A sample chart appears below. Groups share their charts/webs and discuss. Mode of Transmission Ways to prevent and control Sexual Contact (Infected Body Fluids, Blood . Semen). ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________ Injecting drug and sharing infected needles ______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________ ________________________________________________ Maternal transference (Mother to baby during pregnancy) ________________________________________ ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Activity 3 Good Reasons for Abstinence A. DEFINING ABSTINENCE How will you define abstinence? Have you experience giving up one thing in your life in one-week period? Try this with a partner or classmate. Choose one or two from the activityies. 1. You will refrain from any of the following activity- watching television, not eating a particular food, or not playing a particular game or sport for the entire one-week period. 2. During that time, you will keep a diary of your feelings and attitudes about being â€Å"abstinent.† 3. After a week is up, you and some of your classmates will meet in small groups and share your feelings and discoveries. Answer the following questions in your small group.: a. How hard was it to abstain for the entire week? b. Did it get more or less difficult as the week went by? Explain. c. Did friends or family members try to tempt you during the time period? d. How did you handle the pressure? Abstinence is _____________________________________________. Now what is sexual abstinence? How can sexual abstinence keep a person from getting pregnant and protect them from STIs HIV AIDS? Some people choose abstinence for other reasons as well. Read the article and use the information in the article to complete the chart that follows. Remember to copy the chart in your activity notebook and fill it with required entries. There is an increasing number of young people being infected with Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) or for every 10 cases 1 is a child. The most serious of these diseases is AIDS Activity 4 Name Reason for choosing abstinence Your name______ (Your thoughts concerning this reason) Marta Jonathan Peter and Joanna Racquel Noemi Reducing the Risks of Sexually Transmitted Infections Rubric for your Activity 2 and 4 4 3 2 1 Points Explanation Complete response with detailed explanation Good Response With clear explanation Explanation is not clear Misses key points Demonstrated Knowledge Shows complete understanding of the question Shows substantial understanding Response shows some understanding Response shoes lack of understanding Sensible opinions Complete response with bright opinion Meets the sensible opinion Hardly makes sensible opinion Does not meet sensible opinions Total points YOU ARE PROTECTED!!! Government Policies in the Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS and other STIs Republic Act No. 8504 also known as Philippine AIDS Law Government efforts in ensuring a clean blood supply to prevent issues and Problems related to sexuality (RA 7719) or the Blood Services Act of 1994) Let’s Appreciate What is the government doing to protect the health of the Family in terms of STIs HIV AIDS? How are you protected in case of blood donation and blood transfusion? Here’s more†¦. Have you donated blood? Or received blood transfusion? How does it feel? There is a law that covers the proper ways to give and receive blood services. PART II. WHAT TO PROCESS Activity 1 Let’s Think Critically Reflect on the following focused points and write your ideas in your activity notebook 1. Analysis: How can good general health practices be healthful in preventing STIs. 2. Only two strategies if practiced consistently reduced the risk of STIs to zero. Name the steps in the prevention and control of STIs particularly HIV/AIDs 3. Analyze why sexual abstinence is the most effective method for the prevention of HIV/ AIDS and other STIs. Activity 2. Life Skills in Action Common Sense and Good judgment are powerful strategies to prevent and control STI HIV AIDs. Think about this 1. How does alcohol affect the persons judgment in making responsible sexual behavior? 2. Why do we need to practice saying NO to behaviors that are risky to your sexuality? 3. Explain how you can practice refusal skills to prevent and control STI HIV/AIDS. Activity 3 Tracing the Link The drug, the blood, the alcohol connections to STI HIV AIDS How does it contribute to the transmission of STI HIV AIDS? Read the article below Dr. Jane Perez is a school physician lecturing about STI HIV AIDS in Bangkalan National High School asks the students the following questions: â€Å"How many of you have seen the effects of drinking alcoholic beverages or have read the effects of taking dangerous l drugs? â€Å"What is the danger of using shared syringe in cases of blood transfusion? â€Å" â€Å"What are the possible harmful effects to people being tattooed using needles? â€Å" Have you donated blood? Or received blood transfusion? She received varied responses, and she continued asking them to see a strong links or connection in the prevalence of STI HIV/AIDS. What are the connections of alcohol, drug abuse, blood donation and transfusion to STI and HIV/AIDS? Can you give your response? Write your answer on the space provided and discuss your answer with your classmates. 1. How can drinking alcohol leads to STI HIV ? _____________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ 2. What are the dangers of using shared needles in tattooing, or shared syringe in injecting drugs? ______________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Have you donated blood? Or received blood transfusion? How does it feel? There is a law that covers the proper ways to give and receive blood services. It is RA 7719 or the Blood Services act of 1994. What is Blood Services Act of 1994 (RA 7719 )? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Why is it important that blood donors be qualified to donate blood? Can you relate this law to STI and HIV/AIDS protection and prevention? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Day Eight PART III. WHAT TO REFLECT AND UNDERSTAND These are activities you will do to help you acquire adequate and significant information about this topic. It is important that you clarify ideas about the lesson. You are going to watch an interactive video and video news episode about HIV AIDS incidence in the Philippines this will help you and be aware of the Activity 1 Interactive Video a. Visit the web sites and collect materials and Fact sheets about STI HIV / AIDS. b. View some video clips on HIV updates in the Philippines like Kapuso mo Jessica Sojo www.you tube.com c. The â€Å"Power of You† by the DEP ED -UNICEF Activity 2: Investigative Reporting HIV/AIDS Visit your school clinic or barangay health center. Interview a health personnel about HIV/AIDS using the following guide questions: What is HIV? What is AIDS? What are the signs and symptoms of Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) How can HIV/AIDS be spread from one person to another person? What are the effects of HIV/AIDS to our body? How can HIV and AIDS be prevented? Report the information that you have gathered in class. Compare this with what you already learned in class. Activity 3 I Believe After the activity you can make a compilation of facts and information about HIV / AIDS. Be ready to make an advocacy campaign about preventing HIV /AIDS. You need to be heard and speak out on the topic† HOW can I be safe from HIV / AIDS.† Tell the class what you believe Activity 4 Just Say NO! How to say no and remain friendly to someone you like? Is it difficult for you to refuse? If somebody ask you to do risky behavior like drinking and smoking or even doing pre-marital sex , how will you refuse? Throughout life you are likely to meet people who will persuade you to do things you do not want to do. How do you say no and still remain friendly with someone you like? Is it difficult for you to refuse? If somebody asks you to do risky behavior like drinking and smoking or even do pre-marital sex, how will you refuse? The ability to say NO to unhealthful practices is called Refusal Skills. The following are the different ways of saying NO to things that you don’t want to do. Technique of saying NO The Response Whats Your Response? Maintain eye contact and say NO firmly Person A: Do you want to smoke cigarette Person B: NO,( firmly) ____________________________________ ____________________________________ Be true to yourself and to your belief. Give reasons for saying NO Person A: Do you want to be my drinking buddy? Person B: NO ! I love my body. I don’t want to die young. ___________________________________ ____________________________________ Walk away or avoid the situation If you know that the group are doing risky sexual behavior that you don’t want to do or join, then JUST don’t GO ____________________________________ Change the subject Try suggesting something better to do with your time, Person B: Let’s smoke. Person A: I think it would be better if we eat instead. ________________________________________________________________-______ Match verbal with non-verbal communication Shake your head and say NO ! _________________________________________________________________ Give your personal Conclusion: Internalize how you will firmly refuse an offer to engage in risky behavior For more skills on Refusal Skills Visit http://www.thecoolspot.gov/index.asp Activity 5 Role-play the following situation showing how you can express feeling or thought on resisting pressures using refusal skills. Practice with your friend. 1. A friend inviting you to drink alcohol after school 2. Ramon told you to cut classes so you can attend a birthday party. 3. Carmen invited you to try smoking. Activity 6. Check it out: 1. Find out what government agencies are responsible for educating the public about HIV/ AIDS in our country. List them in your notebook and write their specific task/s. 2. How does the government protect the rights of people living with HIV/AIDS? 3. What services are available for people living with HIV/AIDS? How can they avail of these services? 4. What will be your behavior toward a person with HIV/AIDS? What will you tell her/him? SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT Answer the summative test before you proceed . PART IV. WHAT TO TRANSFER Activity 1 Let us apply what have you learn. Design a poster that tells teenager on how to avoid STIs and HIV/AIDs using Abstinence and Refusal Skill. Activity 2 Applying Health Knowledge 1. Design a booklet or a health journal entitled â€Å"STI and HIV/ AIDS ALERT† that summarizes the major points presented in the lesson. 2. What steps should public health agencies take to further control the spread of STI and HIV/AIDS? 3. As a teenager, how will you avoid being infected by this disease? 4. You will need parental involvement. Ask your parent or another adult at home how they learned about blood donation, STIs and AIDS/HIV. Ask them about the accuracy of the information. Seek advice from your parents on how you can prevent being infected by HIV/ AIDS 5. Community Involvement. Find out what kind of services are available to help people who have HIV/AIDs in your community. Look also in your community measures they are doing in relation to Blood donations. Prepare a report to share your findings with your classmates Activity 3 Thinking Critically 1. Application. Develop a law of your own that you think would be effective in the prevention and control of STIs HIV/AIDS. Explain your thinking. 2. Application. The only known way to prevent a kind of STI is to abstain from sexual contact. What strategies can you suggest that would be effective in telling this concept to teens who are already sexually active? Are you ready to answer the following questions? Activity 4 Critical thinking Imagine that you have a chance making solutions on how to decrease the number of HIV/ AIDS in our country, what are the three things that you will do? 1. Write all your answers in your health journal. 2. Post your decisions in the form of sticker messages on the bulletin board or in any display board 3. Suggest activities for you and your class to decide. a. You may want to present a theater presentation on how you will prevent and Protect yourself from contacting STIs and HIV/AIDS b. Organize a Parent’s forum on STI and HIV/AIDS. Invite your teachers, and parents to this information campaign. c. Start a students’ advocacy campaign on how teenagers can be protected from HIV AIDS Independent Study Activity 5 Check yourself. Reflect and Understand After you complete the guided practice review and answer the questions below to review what you have learned 1. In your own words, can you give the difference between HIV and AIDS. 2. What are the four ways that HIV can be passed from one person to another person? 3. If you become HIV positive, what will you do to prevent AIDS? And what will you do to live longer? 4. AIDS is not curable but it is preventable. What are the best methods of prevention? 5. Name two ways teenagers can do to reduce the risk of HIV infection. 6. How can using alcohol and illegal drugs increase a person’s risk of having HIV infection? Use the chart below in answering the items SUMMARY Think back on something that you learned on this Learning Materials. Reflect on the following questions and then write your answers on the box. 1) What did you learn? 2) How did you go about learning the lesson? 3) Why did you choose to learn it? 4) What/Who helped you learn it? 5) What hindered your learning? 6) How did you know that you had learned it? Supplemental Readings RA 8504 OR THE PHILIPPINE AIDS LAW OR THE PHILIPPINE AIDS PREVENTION AND CONTROL ACT. Article1 The Government must promote education and information campaigns. Schools and non-formal education programs must include HIV/ AIDS education. The DOH must conduct public health education campaigns. The government must provide education for Filipinos going abroad. Employers, working with DOLE must develop workplace education and safety. The Department of Tourism must provide education for tourists and transients. LGUs must develop local HIV prevention and education efforts. Accurate information about prophylactics will be provided. It is against the law to give false or intentionally misleading information on HIV/AIDS. Article 2 The Government will develop and promote safe medical practices All blood, organs, and tissue for donation will be tested. If it tests positive, it will be disposed of safely, and not used. The DOH will provide guidelines on safe surgery and medical procedures. Article 3 The Government will provide appropriate confidential HIV testing. HIV testing can only be done with the consent of the person tested. The DOH will provide anonymous HIV testing Counselling will be conducted before and after testing The DOH will make adequate and affordable HIV testing available in all of the barangays in the Philippines. Article 4 The Government will ensure adequate health and support services for people with HIV. Hospitals will provide adequate care for persons with HIV. LGUs must provide community-based prevention and care efforts. Livelihood efforts will be made available for people with HIV. The DOH is to do STD prevention and control efforts. The DOH is to make sure that health insurance is available to people with HIV. Article 5 The Government will monitor HIV/AIDS The Government will establish an AIDSWATCH council. Reporting procedures will be developed to track HIV rates, while respecting client confidentiality. Contract tracing is permitted provided confidentiality is not breached. Article 6 Confidentiality will be protected on HIV status. All healthcare workers and anyone handling health records will strictly preserve patient confidentiality on HIV status, and the identity of people with HIV. HIV status can be shared by health officials in three circumstances; officials of the AIDSWATCH council, health workers who are involved in treatment and need to know for their own safety, and a judge if under subpoena for an official court case. HIV results may be given to the person tested, an official of the AIDSWATCH council, and a parent or guardian. It cannot be given to anyone else. Legal penalties can be provided for breaching confidentiality. People with HIV must inform spouses and sex partners as soon as reasonably possible. Article 7 Discrimination against people with HIV is illegal. Employers cannot discriminate in hiring, firing, promoting, or assigning based on actual or suspected HIV status. Schools are not allowed to refuse admission, punish students, or deny participation in activities based on real or perceived HIV status. A person with HIV has the legal right to travel, live, and lodge with the same freedom as any other citizen. Quarantines and other restrictions are illegal. A person with HIV has every legal right to seek public office. Credit services cannot be denied based on HIV status. Insurance cannot be refused based on HIV status, provided the person does not lie about their HIV status. Hospitals can health services cannot refuse treatment or discriminate based on HIV status. Decent burials cannot be denied based on HIV status. Legal penalties for discrimination will be enforced. Article 8 The government will establish a Philippine National AIDS Council This council will be responsible for implementing the act and conducting all national AIDS performances.