Effects of nursing rounds on patients’ call light use

The article Effects of nursing rounds on patients’ call light use, satisfaction and safety as reported by Meade, Bursell, & Ketelsen (2006) examines the possible implications that implementation of regular rounds by nurses might have on patients and nurses. The purpose of the study is to determine the extent to which the frequency of responding to call lights ‘affects patient-care management’ and the possible contribution that frequent nurse presence can make. The independent variables are scheduled one-hour or two-hour rounds as they affect the dependent variables of number and frequency of patient use of call button, patient satisfaction and the safety of patients.The research functions under the hypothesis that scheduled rounds by nursing staff, involving the performance of certain mundane tasks related to patient comfort and concerns, on medical, surgical or medical-surgical wards would have the effect of reducing the rate of use of call lights by patients, of increasing overall patient satisfaction and of improving the safety of patients. The relationship between the dependent and independent variables is thus expected to be positive. This hypothesis directly aligns with the specific purpose of the study.The literature reviewed in this study is quite comprehensive covering material from both classic and modern sources. Materials cited are from primary data sources and the majority fall within five years prior to the research. The concepts examined are rounding, patient satisfaction and call light usage. Table 1 provides a list of activities involved in rounding procedures. The literature review examines prior research exploring the variables under consideration such as the correlation between rounding and patient safety and between rounding and frequency of use of call light. The authors note, however, that specific research exploring the relationship of the nursing rounds on the aforementioned variables is lacking or inadequate. This r esearch presents new knowledge on the correlation between scheduled rounds by nurses only and improved care delivery.The theoretical framework that forms the basis of the research is that ‘improved patient-care management and patient satisfaction and safety are achievable with interventions that nurses can initiate and carry out.’ The research is of a quasi-experimental design which means that the researcher had little influence over the assignment of the hospital units into either of the experimental or control group. Hospitals opted to experiment with either a one-hour or a two-hour round in a medical, surgical or medical-surgical unit plus a control group in a separate unit over a four week period. Some administrators were asked to change a particular choice, however, so as to ensure equitable distribution across groups. Nurses in the experimental groups were trained on the procedures to follow during the rounds. The control group received no intervention but was bri efed on how to record the use of call lights by patients.The sample consists of 46 units in 22 hospitals across 14 states and representing both urban and rural populations. To be eligible hospitals were required to have medical, surgical or medical-surgical units, less than 5% external agency employees and nurse managers capable of overseeing the research. There is no evidence of randomization. Informed consent was through hospital administrators. The sample size is quite small given that there were only about 16 units per subgroup or a little over one per state. The sample size is not thus reasonable or equitable.Call light logs were used to record the room and time as well as to specify which of 26 given reasons, were responsible for patient calls. Patient satisfaction data was obtained from hospital administered surveys and questionnaires. Patient safety was recorded as the number of falls. Where reliability and validity of data was questionable they were not included in the anal ysis.Data collection strategies were clearly described except for the questionnaire which the researchers had no control over. Data analysis procedures which include the use of means and t-test comparisons of the times that call lights were used among the groups. Ranking and classification were used to determine the seriousness of the calls made and the most frequent reasons. Paired t tests were used to analyze number of patient falls to determine patient safety.Results reveal that frequent rounds improve patient care as supported by the data showing one-hour rounds having a more significant impact on the other variables. The researchers believe that the findings are ‘generalizable to the majority of U.S. hospitals. This view is questionable given the numerous limitations of the research. Further research into the possible correlation of these variables in different hospital settings, across different units, among diverse populations is necessary. A more longitudinal survey wo uld best reveal generalizability.The sample size of the research was quite small. There was a lack of randomization so hospitals seemed to have chosen the experimental method that was more appealing to them. Researchers had little control over some of the instruments and thus were unable to ensure their reliability or validity. There were also no adequate procedures put in place to ensure nurse compliance in performing rounds and completing logs. Additionally staff may have been rotated between groups and thus brought practices from one into the other.The findings of this research, though not completely generalizable, have significant implications for nursing practice and general health care administration. If further research into the correlation between regular rounds and improved patient safety and satisfaction corresponds to the present findings then administrators will need to consider reorganizing their nursing schedules. The benefits to be gained from having nurses perform ro utine rounds seem to be positive and therefore the implementation of this method could become a mainstay of health institutions. Of course the research suggests that nurses do not have to complete these rounds, that other personnel could be utilized in accomplishing this. However, where constraints of resources are limited, having nurses complete regular rounds could be a very economical option.Meade, Bursell, & Ketelsen (2006) suggest that the consequent impact of these rounds on overall patient satisfaction and safety could have a corresponding positive effect on the number of lawsuits filed against hospitals for negligent practices. More routine monitoring of patients implies that nurses are able to check both serious and non serious matters before they escalate. Particularly with one-hour rotations serious relapses in patients’ health while they are unsupervised would be avoided. It is in the rare case where patients experiencing difficulties are unable to get medical ass istance in a reasonable amount of time. Discomfort could therefore be estimated during these routine visits.This could be a solution administrators use to address nursing shortages, ensuring that patients are adequately monitored. Long-term scheduling of rounds could be done in little time bearing in mind staff allocations. Where necessary other staff may be utilized even alternating rounds with nurses so that the patient is visited by a nurse every two hours.Further nurses would be held more accountable for the patients in their care. Administrators contemplating this method could also consider using logs to record the time of patient visits and the state of the patient during these visits and requiring that nurses complete these logs. Though this suggests more time demands it will mean patients calling on the nurses unnecessarily out of the scheduled round times and nurses having more time in between to attend to critical matters such as patient education. Nursing schools will als o have to consider including additional training on round procedures.ReferencesMeade, C. M., Bursell, A. L., & Ketelsen, L. (2006, Sept). Effects of nursing rounds on patients’ call light use, satisfaction and safety. American Journal of Nursing, 106(9), 58-70.

Improve Counselling Skills Essay

For this assignment you need to keep a journal for the first few weeks of the module. The aim of the journal is to reflect on various aspects of professional practice, study challenges, or any other feature of counselling work or study. You do not hand in the journal. Using the information gathered during this process you will write the practice task reflecting on your professional practice that includes three professional practice goals. It is recommended that you make a brief entry in your journal everyday in which you record events, situations, information and your insights related to counselling. Ensure that identities are protected and the focus is ultimately on you and not on others. Journal Writing Guidelines: Each daily entry should cover: the events that occurred on that day which relate, whether directly or indirectly, to your professional practice and study of counselling how you felt about these events what skills you observed that you demonstrated what skills do you think require further attention and growth the element of professional practice or study that you most struggled with on that day the element of professional practice or study that you felt most comfortable with on that day Your Reflective Practice Task requires you to examine the following aspects of your professional development: 1. Overview of 3 events from your journal 2. Your current knowledge base (this does not necessarily have to be in the counselling field. Most of you will be tapping into volunteer experience, work experience, lived experience – like relationship / parenting, or prior study experience in which your skills are transferrable to counselling). 3. Your breadth of experience to date and what you have learned from these experiences 4. Your professional practice strengths and weaknesses 5. Your professional aspirations 6. You will need to set three professional practice goals for yourself, with each goal statement demonstrating an adherence to the SMART process. You MUST apply the SMART MODEL when setting your goals. 7. How do your goals align with your values in relation to your practice 8. Lastly describe a goal for self-care protection in relation to counselling Lecture notes, articles and other reference materials will be beneficial to this process, and your ability to build on and reflect on your professional practice. Referencing In academic writing referencing is critical. Referencing is about ensuring that the sources you have used (authors, journal editors) are honoured. The ACAP manual or the Educator cannot be used as references as we are merely conveying information that others have published. It is NOT compulsory to reference and you will not be penalised for not referencing. I am just suggesting that it is an excellent study habit to get into. Although ACAP and other universities use the APA6 referencing style – I do not care what style you use – even if you put the author in brackets that’s great. See the VET 2012 Referencing Guide Link : http://my.acap.edu.au/moodle/pluginfile.php/27484/mod_resource/content/1/Reference%20Guide%20%20for%20VET%20students%20%20v2.pdf Structuring Your Reflective Practice Task This task allows you to use 1st person writing – that is using pronouns like I, We, They, Us, Them etc. I suggest that you use the following headings or use the question numbers to help you focus and stay within the word limit: Current knowledge base This does not necessarily relate to direct counsellor experience. Reflect on the other ACAP subjects you have studied to date, other courses you have completed in the past, work experience, personal experiences (parenting, your own counselling experiences as a client, relationship, volunteer work, previous studies, etc). You are wise and bring a wealth of knowledge and skills to the module and field. Breadth of experience to date and what you have learned from these experiences I expect that many of you will not be currently working in the counselling field so your professional breadth of experience may be fairly limited. It is important to honour all the work and lived experience you bring to the course and field. It is okay to acknowledge that your experience to date may be professionally limited but identify areas in your current work environment or personal life where counselling experiences are present. Remembering that skilled conversations with others involve using counselling skills like active listening, empathy, unconditional positive regard, attending, etc.

Formal Analysis of Statue of Eros Sleeping

The statue of Eros sleeping is one of the key attractions in the metropolitan museum collections for the lovers of ancient Greek history. A glimpse at the magnificent work of art takes one away, far back in time to the Hellenistic age. Clearly it is one of the most remarkable works in the Metropolitan Museums total collection.The statues sculptor is not known but the time of its making has been correctly identified. Moreover historical studies have revealed much surrounding the statue of Eros as a sleeping baby. The Bronze Statue of Eros Sleeping dates back from the 3rd century B.C. to the early 1st century A.D.Recovered from the Rhode Island, the statue is one of the few surviving bronze art pieces from the Greek period to have endured the test of the centuries in an almost flawless state. [1]The statue, which measured 85.2 cm in length, is displayed in the Greek wing of the museum. Undoubtedly, the Bronze Statue of Eros Sleeping is noteworthy not only for physical aspects but also for its iconographic significance in art history, particularly in understanding Greek culture of which the statue was once a part of.The ability of the statue to last for so long shows its sculptors determination to make a lasting piece that he no doubt meant to preserve the cherished culture of the time.The Greek bronze sculptures that were made at the time were complexes of geometric forms that resulted in the making of peculiar sculptures that distinguished the Greek culture. The sculptures of the Greek were different from the sculptures of the other contemporary cultures such as the Romans culture.According to carol C. Mattusch, who is a leading authority in the study of the Greek ancient bronze sculptures, the bronze sculptures that were made at the Hellenistic period were made with a certain design that the artists intended to carry a specific message.In the case of the gods sculptures the link with the people was the power the gods were believed to have over the people. In th e case of the statue of Eros sleeping there was no particular buyer but it was meant for the people of the Greek region as a whole.[2]In its location in the Metropolitan Museum, the Bronze Statue of Eros Sleeping commands the viewer’s attention by being a freestanding figure that makes it stand out in the empty exhibition space. It is best seen from the frontal angle, where the viewer has a full view of the entire statue. The statues composition also demands that it be seen from a small distance in order to get a full sense of the effect of the statue against its surroundings.Taken on its own, the Bronze Statue of Eros Sleeping presents an exemplary case study of the rendering of human forms in Greek Art. Here, the artist displays a keen knowledge of the material, and is able to take advantage of bronze as medium in making the statue as life-like as possible as it gives the statue a sense of fluidity and movement.On the other hand, bronze also enables the statue to gain a sen se of mass and weight, which is appropriate to the figure of Eros in deep slumber. Likewise, the bronze medium allowed the artist to manipulate the natural qualities of the medium to create the human form.The medium of bronze is a powerful agent for the recognition of the immediate environment in which the Greek people in the Hellenistic period lived. It helps make a symbol potent of both religious and secular values. As one of the few bronze statutes that have survived from the antiquity it is an enduring icon of the naturalistic detail of the age. The result of the presence of such a statue is history in the firsthand.The statue is deemed to have had a base that was carved out of stone in place of the support it lies on in the museum. The base, just like the statue, would probably be a rendition of comfortable material in work of art just as befits the sleeping baby deity. As a god of love he was deemed to have such qualities as bodily comeliness and to be the bearer of graceful d eeds.The child image would not be a symbol of the god of love without the addition of wings to the statue. The statue of an innocent child in slumber with curled hairs and other details of a well fed child would be too plain for a god. Greek gods were believed to be spirits that had wings that were useful for them to fly from one destination to another.Clearly, the artist was able to engender movement by using forms that complement the use of open lines. Hence, one of the most notable aspects of the statue is the use of organic forms that mimic the natural curves of the human body to depict the cherubic appeal of a healthy child.There is also evidence that the artist considered the influence of light on the statues composition. For instance, Eros face is only partially exposed to the light, which gives him an air of mystery as half of his face is hidden in the dark. The retention of the mediums color also gives it the contrasts in hue created by the natural play of light on the stat ue.[1] Hemingway, Sean. 2007. Hellenistic bronze sculptures at the Metropolitan Museum: from gods to grotesques. Apollo. P. 27[2] Mattusch, carol. Classical Bronzes: The Art and Craft of Greek and Roman Statuary, Cornell University Press, 1996, p. 164 Â  

French Politician in NYC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

French Politician in NYC - Essay Example The Imperial Bedroom discusses privacy in the United States and what is left of it. Is there still privacy or do many continue to make events public? Making events public can lead to false accusations and a breach of privacy. Privacy aside, politicians seem to be at their peak regarding sexual assaults. Since this is so, could the sexual assault have been a set up, or a horrific act?   This is so since most of politicians private life is made public. Creating a politically public life will allow voters to feel more personal regarding a politician and has its affects on votes. Jonathan Franzen states, â€Å"Privacy, privacy, the new American obsession†. With Americans becoming so obsessed with privacy, it is almost a false statement. The maid in the case was unable to keep privacy regarding what has happened. Media speculation and outreach has brought huge attention to the incident. This will lead to closer observation aimed at the New York City hotel maid, as well as the pol itician and his family. The privacy of the maid and the politician are not safe.

Negitive Leadership Experiance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Negitive Leadership Experiance - Essay Example Our job was quality control of the pictures that the users of this websites uploaded. We were looking eliminate undesirable photos that showed hate crimes, nude pictures, or excessive violence. Our job entailed looking at thousands of pictures everyday and flagging the ones that did not meet quality standards. The company started off well offering the employees prizes for the best monthly performance and offering a bonus of up to $5.50 an hour over the basic pay for extra production. Everyone in the company was very excited about the prospects of working for this firm. Things turn sour very fast as the leadership team of the company became a disgrace to the business world. When a company enters into a verbal contract with the employees you cannot go back on your word. That is what occurred at the company. A few months passed and the top performers did not receive the prizes promised. The company also was not paying the promised bonus, everyone instead was making minimum wage. The pri ze issue was a major fraud since these prizes were offered to us by a representative of the top client, MySpace. We believe that the administration kept the prizes to themselves instead of giving them to the employees. Things at this company continued to get worse. The bonus that the company was supposed to pay was for exceeding a quota of 10,000 pictures an hour. The bonus was supposed to be given for added production beyond the quota. The company on top of stealing our bonus decided to up the quota to 25,000 an hour without any extra compensation. The employees were extremely frustrated at the abuse from the administration. As we thought things could not get any worse the company began to pay our payroll late. Every paycheck would be paid two to three weeks late. Another issue was that the company began to steal hours worked from the checks of a lot of employees. I have never worked and I hope to never work at a company like this one again. The negative leadership the managers dis played is something that I thought would never occur at a corporation in the United States. As incredible as it is to believe there were others displays of negative leadership that were beyond belief. The company need shift leaders to keep track of the crews since the operation ran 24/7. The shift leader was a supervisory position that paid an extra $3 an hour. Typically those types of jobs would go to people with an education in business administration or workers that had previous experience in a supervisory role. This company decided to give these jobs to the most unqualified persons they could find. None of the shift leader chosen had a college education. I estimated that over 2/3 of the staff of around 200 employees were college educated many of them with masters including some with MBA degrees. I believe the reason the firm chose unqualified high school graduates was because they wanted to manipulate these workers since the firm was breaking numerous labor laws. Negative leader ship such as what occurred at the company I worked is a bad example of corporate behavior. Three attributes of negative leadership are unreliable, dishonesty, and irresponsibility (Rapidbi, 2011). Leadership is very important towards the success of a corporation. There are different ways companies can improve the leadership of its workers and of key personnel. A great way to improve the leadership skills of employees is by exposing employees to team

Proof read Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Proof read - Essay Example As a businessman, my father is always busy together with my mother who assists him in the details of his transactions. Despite their busy schedules though, our parents always make time for the family and include me and my sister in their travels every December. Therefore, I have come to love the month of December because I am not only able to be with my parents but I also get the chance of visiting other places. I have already been to different parts of the world such as France, Singapore, Germany, China, Seoul, Japan, Korea, England, USA, and Canada. The interesting places often make family vacations extra special and wonderful because I get to visit beautiful places and taste different delicious foods. Travelling around the world has therefore become my dream because I am very interested in exploring other cultures and meeting people from different backgrounds. As an afterthought, I think my father intentionally instilled in me the importance of travel to a businessman. Looking bac k, I could see how he has guided and molded to becoming a good businessman through the education that was given to me which I believe would really be very beneficial. I graduated from Gandhi Memorial International School in my hometown. As an Indonesian, I fluently speak my native language which is Bahasa Indonesia. Coming from Chinese descent as well, I am able to speak Mandarin because I am forced to speak the language with my grandparents. In addition, the school I attended also taught us the language. As an international school, Gandhi Memorial taught most of our subjects using the English language. This enabled me to use the language well. As an aspiring businessman, I consider my communication skills as an advantage because I know I could communicate well with other people. Knowing the benefits of education, I entered Pasadena City College on the Fall of 2013 to pursue higher education. My travels proved to be helpful as I lived

Gun Control is Not the Ticket to Peace Assignment

Gun Control is Not the Ticket to Peace - Assignment Example In this respect, the effectiveness of the gun control laws will be the deterrent of the incidences of shootings, but not stopping such incidences from occurring altogether (Griffith, n.p.). The logic behind this observation is that; the increase in the incidences of shootings is not caused by the highest number of licensed guns that the government has issued to the civilians. In fact, if we would like to be candid with ourselves, we would then agree that virtually all the incidences of public shootings are as a result of guns that are acquired illegally (Smith, n.p.). Consequently, the establishment of gun control laws may help to instil fear on the legal gun holders not to shoot at others, but such efforts will have no effects on the criminals and social deviants who rule and operate the black markets. Further, it is also essential to pose and reflect for a moment on the major reasons why those people who shoot at the public do so. Is it because they have acquired a licensed gun and are trying to test its efficiency? Is it because they have been licensed to hold a gun and they want the rest of the public to realize that they are legal gun holders who can now shoot at anyone, anywhere and at any time? Or is it because such people are feeling that their security is highly threatened by the innocent schoolchildren and so they enter the school premises, draw their guns and shoot at them? The reality attests to none of the above. Thus, the core of the problem does not lie in the possession of a gun; legal or illegal, but in the state of the mind of the gun holder (Pacharis, n.p.). In this respect, if we are to address the problem of people shooting at innocent children and other unarmed members of the public, then we have to think in direction of treating the core of the problem of the attackers, which is their mental health. The tragedy of mass murder is not committed by individuals who are sane, but mostly by just a small section of the society that has a mental health problem.  Ã‚  

Society of Free Clinic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Society of Free Clinic - Essay Example Some governments happen to be reluctant in running these projects due to the high costs. They have long delicate processes which cannot be assumed and so the relevant authorities happen to postpone them. This explains the reason as to why many politicians rely on them for promises that would convince the public to vote for them. It is encouraging to experience a government that pays attention in fulfilling these promises. For a government to put up a free clinic to serve citizens in a specific area there is a procedure to follow that guides it in considering the necessary factors. Assessment must be done to the area to find out whether a free clinic will surely be of help to the inhabitants. It is in order to find out whether there could be presence of any other sector providing health services to the people. This helps to find out whether the inhabitants of the targeted area are really uninsured in terms medical facilities. The process also helps to evaluate the possibility of the community supporting the clinic. It is important to find out how well members will appreciate the project and join hands towards supporting it. Their support could be in terms of volunteering time, donations and even funds towards making the clinic run in the most effective way possible (Hall, 2011). These evaluations in terms of the public participation may also help to find out for how long the clinic is able to run and how effective it could be. In the process of putting up the clinic it is good to access additional support from nearby local hospitals. This helps in seeing to it that the delicate services that may require great skills will possibly be taken care of. Finally, the process must involve a research on the best location for the clinic, where it will be effective to those who need it (Starting a Free Clinic, n.d). These clinics have benefits to the members of the society.

Billy Graham and His Impact Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Billy Graham and His Impact - Research Paper Example Leading an extraordinary and remarkable life, Billy Graham’s name will forever be remembered as the man who has influenced and shaped the world of Evangelism and Christianity in all of the United States of America. His life is the account of the impact he has made in the world. Born as the eldest on the seventh day in the month of November in 1918, Billy Graham was raised on their family’s dairy farmland in close proximity to the largest city in the state of North Carolina by his parents, William Franklin Graham I who was a successful cultivator and entrepreneur and Morrow Coffey. As he was growing up with his four other siblings namely Katherine, Melvin, and Jean, he was already surrounded by the Christian upbringing in the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church. When the Noble Experiment was imposed in 1933, when he was only a young man at the age of about fifteen years old, Graham’s father had forced him as well as his sister Katherine into drinking and engaging in alcoholic beverages to the point where they would start throwing up. This event that happened early in his life, only as a young teenager, has caused him and his sister a strong feeling of hatred and abhorrence for alcohol and intoxicating drinks and beverages as well as drugs. Graham, a year after the incident, was converted when he was only sixteen years of age at that time when he was attending a series of several revivals and renewal meeting in which Mordecai Fowler Ham an American Independent Baptist evangelist and temperance movement leader, a social movement that insists on the reduction of in taking and drinking alcoholic beverages, was in charge of. He enthused up quite a number of different issues and controversies when he was charged and accused of ethical negligence and lack of discipline while he was attending and studying at his local high school.

Silver and gold Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Silver and gold - Research Paper Example This paper seeks to analyze the historical background of silver and gold, their ancient and modern uses, the manufacturing process, the impact the materials have on the environment, their cultural significance, and future innovations on the usage of the metals. Silver History of Silver The first major silver mines were discovered in Anatolia, which is the modern day Turkey, in 3000 BC. In the 1st Century AD, Spain became a key silver producer due to Roman discoveries. In early 1500s huge silver deposits were found in Bolivia, Peru, and Mexico which enriched the Spanish empire for a period of 300 years. In the period 1500 to 1875 about 1.5 billion ounces of silver were mined in Mexico with a large percentage mined in the 1700s. In the 1700s, silver became the backbone of Spanish Empire and 1 billion ounces was mined in the Veta Madre in Mexico. 1857 saw the state of Nevada adopting Silver mining as a major industry when Comstock Lode was found in Nevada. Nevada became to be known as t he silver state because of the silver mining. From 1857 to 1877, Comstock produced gold and silver of an approximate value of 400 million US dollars which could have been worth about 500 Billion US dollars in the modern days. There was a 50 percent increase in the global yield of Silver between 1900 and 1920. This amounted to about 190 million troy ounces per year and discoveries were made in other countries such as the United States and Canada. From 1921 to present improved techniques has led to separation of Silver from Zinc, copper and lead. This has led to an increase in production of Silver and its usage. Silver was among the first metals known to man. The other metal is gold. The ancient population valued Silver because of its white color, brilliant luster, non-corrodibility nature and it was relatively easy to work with. Today, silver still stands out as one of the most valued metals because of the above properties but several other characteristics have changed the trend of s ilver usage from being merely monetary and decorative metal to being predominantly an industrial metal. Usage of Silver Silver is a soft, malleable and the most ductile among the metals. These properties have led to it being fabricated into personal adornment items and decorative items of various types. Hence, chain necklaces, neck rings, silver bracelets, and other jewelry items were developed as from ancient times. In the later days, silver was used to make decorative things such as handles for swords and daggers and later when approaching the modern times it was fashioned into eating utensils and various tableware items. The industrial usage of silver arose in the 19th and 20th centuries. The following section illustrates the chronological account for the usage of silver. In the 1820s, silver and silver salts became major component for the development of photography. Since the late 1830s, silver has been used in the manufacture of silver-mercury amalgams that are used for restori ng teeth. In the third millennium BC the Egyptians made mirrors of polished silver while â€Å"silvering† of mirrors with metals such as mercury, tin and lead was adopted in Europe before Renaissance period. In 1835, Justus von Liebig invented the process of large scale production of silvered glass through a chemical reduction of silver nitrate compound. In 1840, the process for electroplating of silver was granted a patent and it was the first patent to be granted for electroplating any metal. Alessandro Volta used silver and zinc for making

Literature Review & Practical Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Literature Review & Practical - Assignment Example Negotiation with the Chinese has been identified as a critical factor in developing business relationships with the Chinese. In order to understand the Chinese negotiation style, researchers have drawn from the findings of the research conducted by Hofstede with respect to analyzing various cultures on the basis of certain dimensions. These dimensions include power distance, masculinity, uncertainty avoidance and long term orientation. The Chinese society tends to be characterized by high power distance, low masculinity, high uncertainty avoidance and long term orientation. This is reflected in how deference is shown to those who are higher up in the social hierarchy. Furthermore, decision making is largely influenced by the highly collectivist nature of the Chinese people who tend to take pride in social gains rather than individual ones. As a result of this and the moderate masculinity, the Chinese are generally less ambitious and do not seek personal achievements by and large. Sat isfaction is derived primarily from social order and harmony. Another critical basis of analyzing the Chinese negotiation style is to draw the line between cultures that are labelled as â€Å"high context† and those labelled as â€Å"low context†. ... ext cultures, on the other hand, rely more on verbal communication and negotiation and direct eye-to-eye contact that is missing in cultures such as that of the Chinese. Managers under low context cultures, therefore, tend to be result-driven and focused on getting things done as soon as possible which leads them to negotiate aggressively. Under high context cultures, however, managers tend to focus on building interpersonal relationships as well as trust on an individual level before negotiating on business matters. Therefore, it is not surprising to see hospitality being extended through social gatherings particularly meeting in restaurants. Giving expensive gifts and discussing personal topics such as family wellbeing are a commonplace in the Chinese negotiation style (Edfelt, 2010). The principal force guiding Chinese negotiation is Guanxi. Guanxi is described as the web of personal connections that is quintessential to get things going and done (Edfelt, 2010). Legal contracts ar e, therefore, overshadowed by interpersonal relationships. Guanxi is therefore, essentially an implied commitment which two or more people share with the belief that their current relationship is heavily influenced by the possibilities that lie in the future (Edfelt, 2010). As a result, the Chinese may not trust the party they are dealing with during the negotiation process which is why they may be reluctant to hand over significant responsibility to the other party. This has been illustrated by one of the negotiations between employees of a Western firm called Electrolux and a Chinese firm called Motosuzhou. The negotiation pertained to the formation of a joint venture between the two firms. However, as it turned out, the Chinese delegation engaged in significant effort to analyze whether

The temperature of the acid Essay Example for Free

The temperature of the acid Essay My conclusion fully supports my previous hypothesis and predictions that as the temperature increases, the calculated rate of reaction increases. This is shown in my final table of results and graph. However, it does not support my predicted results exactly, as the pattern of the graph is not as I had expected. This can be explained if necessary by inaccuracy of equipment, error in timing or simply human reaction times and judgement and therefore is less important than the accuracy of the predicted fact that the temperature and the rate of reaction are proportional. From my earlier notes I can see that this is because as the temperature increases there is more heat energy. This can be converted into kinetic energy, which makes the particles move around faster, and therefore have more chance of colliding with each other. Also, larger volumes of heat and energy means more effective collisions are created. I therefore conclude that the relationship between temperature and rate of reaction is indirectly proportional, in that as the temperature increases, the rate of the reactions taking place increases also. Evaluation I feel that both my method and equipment were fairly reliable, as my results fit fairly closely with how I imagined they would. I have taken enough results and repeats, and these are close enough to my prediction to create and support a firm conclusion. However, a few of my results were slightly anomalous, and the graph did not end up in the exact shape I had predicted, and therefore there must be ways to make my experiment more accurate. There are several things I have noticed which could have adversely affected any results I got, and I have tried to think of ways in which I could alter them if I was to re-do the experiments now. It is important to remember that the line of best fit on my graph is a straight line, showing only a basic upward trend, not a graph which accelerates as I predicted. When, towards the end of the given time for practicals, I was looking to re-do any points, I only looked at my first graph of time taken against temperature (see page 10), not at the graph of rate against temperature. Therefore, instead of trying to repeat points which fall a little away from my best-fit line, such as that at 24i C or that at 50i C, I added another point at an important stage in my original graph, at 18i C. This seemed a valuable point, but looking at my rate graph it lies exactly on my best-fit line. So while it does serve to highlight the accuracy of my results and best-fit line, it would probably have been more valuable to repeat the points at 24 and 50i C. Because of reasons stated (on page 8), the point at 50i C didnt have a repeat to begin with, and therefore ought to be looked at as less valid than the other points anyway. Most of the potential inaccuracies in my experiment were caused by my equipment, rather than the method, as I felt that my method was reliable. I especially liked my system for heating, as it almost invariably kept the acid and tablets at a constant temperature and it produced accurate results. There are a few reasons that I can identify why the rate may have been above my best-fit line (such as at 24i C). If this is the case, it means that the product of 50cmi carbon dioxide was produced within a shorter time than expected. This could be due to the temperature being higher than I had believed (for example if it rose during the reaction), or the gas syringe not being back to exactly zero before starting the experiment (sometimes I found it got knocked so it was already at approximately one or two cmi ). Therefore, in theory, checking and making sure of both these things before the start of each experiment could have improved my method, and if I was to repeat the experiment I would ensure I was doing these things. There are also reasons why the rate may have been below my best-fit line (such as at 50iC). This means that the product (50cmi of carbon dioxide) took a longer time to be produced than expected, or that it took a longer time than average to show in the gas syringe. This could be due to the temperature being lower than I thought (for example having dropped during the reaction). In future, this should be checked before the experiment is started. It could also be due to faulty equipment, like the gas syringe getting stuck or the rubber joining the tube not being on properly, or being on different amounts so that the gas took longer to travel up the tube. If the experiment was repeated, the gas syringe should be chosen carefully as one which is not either too loose or too stiff, and the joining tube should be put on properly, so that no gas is allowed to escape when the pressure builds up inside the conical flask. Also, a certain degree of error must be allowed for in that a second person is necessary when starting an experiment. This is because you need one hand to add the tablets, one hand to put the bung in and a third hand to start the stopclock. This increases the chances of the experiment being inaccurate, as two different people are very unlikely to be completely synchronised. Therefore the gas has time to escape unnoticed at the start of each reaction before the bung is put in. I can see little which could be done about this in future experiments. In both cases (above or below the best-fit line) the experiment would have benefited from a greater number of results being taken at smaller intervals. This would probably have further supported my conclusion and may also have more accurately displayed a less obvious trend such as the one I originally predicted. Taking results in a wider range, (for example from 5i C to 70iC) with repeats to verify accuracy, would have strengthened my evidence. It would only have done this if, as I imagine, a continuing trend showed in the extra results. In all of the experiments, a degree of error in continuity must be taken into account. It is extremely unlikely that the tablets all had the same mass, or that there was the same volume of hydrochloric acid down to the last drop. I tried to make this as accurate as possible, using a burette instead of a measuring cylinder, and only getting the tablets out at the last minute so that they were as whole and un-tampered-with as they could be. If the experiment was to be repeated on a larger timescale, I could measure the mass of the tablets to increase accuracy. It is also impossible to swirl the beaker at exactly the same vigorousness every time, although I tried to keep it as constant as I could. If I was looking to test these results on a much wider scale, I could use other common antacid tablets with similar active ingredients, keeping the type and volume of acid constant. This would prove that the tablets that I used were regular, and didnt just coincidentally produce typical results.

Communication and Interpersonal Skills Reflection

Communication and Interpersonal Skills Reflection The aim of this report is to look at a critical incident that occurred in placement and relate this to the theory and knowledge regarding communication and interpersonal skills, so as to demonstrate an understanding of my views on the art and science of reflection and the issues surrounding reflective practice Reflection is part of reflective practice and a skill that is developed. It can be seen as a way of adjusting to life as a qualified healthcare professional and enhancing the development of a professional identity (Atwal Jones, 2009). Reflection is defined as a process of reviewing an experience which involves description, analysis and evaluation to enhance learning in practice (Rolfe et al 2001). This is supported by Fleming (2006), who described it as a process of reasoned thought. It enables the practitioner to critically assess self and their approach to practice. Reflective practice is advocated in healthcare as a learning process that encourages self-evaluation with subsequent professional development planning (Zuzelo, 2010). Reflective practice has been identified as one of the key ways in which we can learn from our experiences. The incident that was chosen was so for the reasons that the situation made the student aware of inadequacies on his own part and those of the staff on the team, which made him reflect upon the situation and how this could be learned from, so as not to make the same mistake again. Before the critical incident is examined it is important to look at what a critical incident is and why it is important to nursing practice. Girot (1997), cited in Maslin-Prothero, (1997) states that critical incidents are a means of exploring a certain situation in practice and recognising what has been learned from the situation. Benner (1984, cited by Kacperek, 1997) argues that nurses cannot increase or develop their knowledge to its full potential unless they examine their own practice. Confidentiality will be maintained as required by the Nursing Midwifery Council Code (NMC, 2008). MODELS In order to provide a framework for methods, practices and processes for building knowledge from practice, there are several models of reflection available. All can help to direct individual reflection. Reflective models, however, are not meant to be used as a rigid set of questions to be answered but to give some structure and encourage making a record of the activity. Johns (2004) model reflects on uncovering the knowledge behind the incident and the actions of others present. It is a good tool for thinking, exploring ideas, clarifying opinions and supports learning. Another model, Schon (1987), however, identifies two types of reflection that can be applied in healthcare, Reflection-in-action and Reflection-on-action. Reflection-in-action can also be described as thinking whilst doing. Reflection-on-action involves revisiting experiences and further analysing them to improve skills and enhance future practice. Terry Bortons (1970) 3 stem questions: What?, So What? and Now What? were developed by John Driscoll in 1994, 2000 and 2007. Driscoll matched the 3 questions to the stages of an experiential learning cycle, and added trigger questions that can be used to complete the cycle. However, Driscoll (2006) notes that reflective practice is often represented as a choice for health professionals, whether to be reflective or not to be, about their clinical practice. Finally, Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle is fairly straightforward and encourages a clear description of the situation, analysis of feelings, evaluation of the experience, analysis to make sense of the experience, conclusion where other options are considered and reflection upon experience to examine what one would do if the situation arose again. In spite of all these models advantages, there are known barriers which prevent practitioners being able to reflect effectively and time plays a huge role. Smyth (2004) questions whether there is any time to think and be reflective because of the busy work environment that practitioners are involved in. CHOSEN MODEL In this report, I have chosen to use Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988) as a framework, because it focuses on different aspects of an experience and allows the learner to revisit the event fully. Gibbs (1988) will help me to explore the experience further, using a staged framework as guidance and I feel that this is a simple model, which is well structured and easy to use at this early stage in my course. This model comprises of a process that helps the individual look at a situation and think about their thoughts and feelings at the time of the incident; and consists of six stages to complete one cycle. Its cyclical nature starts with a description of the situation. This includes e.g. where were you; who else was there; why were you there; what were you doing; what were other people doing. Next is to analysis of the feelings that is, trying to recall and explore those things that were going on inside your head? The third stage is an evaluation of the experience; making a judgement regarding the reasons behind the event and its possible consequences. The fourth stage is an analysis to make sense of the experience. At this stage the event is broken down into its component parts so they can be explored separately. The fifth stage is a conclusion of what else could I have done; the creation of insight through the reflective process towards individual roles within the event being considered. And final stage is an action plan to prepare if the situation arose again. That is, recognitions leading towards behavioural adjustments where faced with similar events in the future (NHS, 2006). The use of this model represents a fundamental shift from the ideas of Kolb in that Gibbs model specifically refers to the key processes within reflection itself, rather than as reflection as a process within general learning. Reflective practice can mean taking our experiences as an initial point for our learning and developing practice (Jasper, 2003). Many literatures have been written in the past that suggest the use of reflective assignments and journaling as tools to improve reflection and thinking skills in healthcare (Chapman et al, 2008). Reflective journals are an ideal way to be actively involved in learning (Millinkovic Field, 2005) and can be implemented to allow practitioners to record events and document their thoughts and actions on daily situations, and how this may affect their future practice (Williams Wessel, 2004). The experience gained in this can then be used to deal with other situations in a professional manner. By contemplating it thus, I am able to appreciate it and guided to where future development work is required. Context of incident In the scenario the patients name will be given as Xst. The consequences of my actions for the client will be explained and how they might have been improved, including what I learned from the experience. My feelings about the clinical skills used to manage the clients care will be established and my new understanding of the situation especially in relation to evidence based practice will be considered. I will finally reflect on what actions I will take in order to ensure my continued professional development and learning. Xst is 55 year old woman who has a 10 year old daughter. She suffers from psychiatric problems, lack of motivation and has difficulties in maintaining her personal hygiene and the cleanliness of her flat. She was one of my mentors clients to whom I had been assigned to coordinate and oversee her care under supervision. Nurses owe their patients a duty of care and are expected to offer a high standard of care based on current best practise, (NMC 2008). Description Xst had been prescribed Risperidone Consta 37.5mg fortnightly, which is a moderate medication. Risperidone belongs to a group of medicines called antipsychotic, which are usually used to help treat people with schizophrenia and similar condition such as psychosis. Xst did not like attending depot clinic and she missed three consecutive appointments. My mentor decided after the third non-attendance to raise the issue in the handover meeting where it was decided to see Xst in the morning but when we arrived she was not there. We left a note for her to call the office. We did not hear from her and a further home visit was carried out to arrange for her next depot clinic appointment. I was asked to call a meeting of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) who, at the meeting agreed that there would be a problem if the next injections were missed. At the next clinic, we waited for about an hour but she failed to attend. At a subsequent meeting with the patient, she agreed a joint visit with the CPN, my mentor and me to re-assess her condition and consider if it was necessary to refer her case to the Consultant. I was given the opportunity to participate in the assessment, which showed that her behaviour was very unpredictable and very forgetful. Her inability to take her medication and to manage her personal hygiene clearly demonstrated that she was not well and indeed, had no insight into her illness and was in denial (Barker, 2004). However, the patient had been very upset because of the lack of communication and interpersonal skills that the staff and the student had displayed. I talked to Xst about her non-concordance with her medication, whilst stroking her hand but she persisted in saying she was well. I reminded her that continuous use of the medication would benefit her mental health and protect her against relapse. We agreed that she could discuss this with the doctor on her next outpatient appointment, with the option of reviewing or reducing her medication. I stressed the importance of her communicating any side effects or reservations she may have about the medication to doctor. She appeared to understand this and following the discussion, she finally complied with her depot injection. Feeling During the handover, I was nervous as I felt uncomfortable about giving feedback to the whole team. I was worried about making mistakes during my handover that could lead to inappropriate care being given to Xst or could cause her readmission to hospital. As a student nurse I felt I lacked the necessary experience to be passing information to a group of qualified staff members. However, I dealt with the situation with outward calm and in a professional manner. I was very pleased that my mentor was available during the handover to offer me support and this increased my confidence. Evaluation What was good about the experience was that I was able to carry out the initial assessment and identify what caused Xst failure to comply with the treatment regime. From my assessment I documented the outcome and related what had happened to the MDT with minimal assistance. Accurate documentation of patients care and treatment should communicate to other members of the team in order to provide continuity of care (NMC, 2008). The experience has improved my communication skills immensely, I felt supported throughout the handover by my mentor who was constantly involved when I missed out any information. Thomas et al, (1997) explains that supervision is an important development tool for all learners. The team were very supportive throughout the process as they took my information without doubt. What was not good about the experience was the fact that my mentor had not informed me that I was going to handover the information; as a result I had not mentally prepared myself for it. I also felt that I needed more time to observe other professionals in the team carrying out their handovers before I attempted to carry out mine. During the first MDT meeting, I felt that we did not provide enough time to freely interact with Xst to identify other psychosocial needs that could impact on her health. However, in any event, she was unable to fully engage because of her mental state. Turley (2000) suggests that nursing staff should include their interaction with the patient when recording assessment details, which can be used to provide evidence for future planning and delivery of care. Dougherty and Lister (2004) have suggested that healthcare professionals should use listening as part of assessing patient problems, needs and resources. Analysis The literature regarding communication and interpersonal skills is vast and extensive. Upon reading a small amount of the vast literature available, the author was able to analyse the incident, and look at how badly this situation was handled. I realised communication is the main key in the nursing profession as suggested by Long (1999) who states that interpersonal skills are a form of tool that is necessary for effective communication. The behaviour of the person listening to the person who is talking is important during the interpersonal process (Burnard, 1992).The author used touch to convey support, genuineness and empathy, which is essential for the helping relationship (Betts, 2002, cited in Kenworthy et al, 2002). Carl Rogers (1967, cited by Betts, 2002, in Kenworthy et al, 2002) recommended three principal conditions necessary for effective counseling: empathic understanding, congruence or genuineness and unconditional positive regard. The terms genuineness and congruence ar e used interchangeably and used to describe the helper always being real in the helping relationship (Betts, 2002, cited in Kenworthy et al, 2002). I found it difficult to communicate with the patient initially because I did not understand her condition ( Adams,2008). It was also difficult for me not to take her behaviour to heart and show emotion at the time and thought this to be a failure. Even though the NMC (2008) maintains that nurses have a responsibility to empower patient in their care and to identify and minimise risk to patient, the principle of beneficence (to do well) must be balanced against no maleficence (doing no harm) (Beauchamp and Childress, 2001). All these transactions were recorded in Xsts care plan file and on computer. Good record keeping is an integral part of nursing and midwifery practice, and is essential to the provision of safe and effective care. It is not an optional extra to be fitted in if circumstances allow NMC (2009). The consequences of my actions for the patient and her daughter were that she attended to her daughters needs and to her personal hygiene, and made regular fortnightly visits t o the clinic. Her mental condition was improved. She was allowed to continue on her moderate medication and she did not have to be readmitted in the hospital. However, Bulman Schutz (2008) argue that this failure is to educate and for us to learn from practice and develop thinking skills. I would agree with them, as I learn best from practical experience, and build on it to improve my skills. With this is mind, I am now going to focus on my weaknesses, in both theory and practice, and state how, when and why I plan to improve on these. Through effective communication I was able to convince Xst of the need to take her medication. I was able to pass on the information to the MDT for continuity of care. Roger et al (2003) concluded that communication is an on-going process but can be a difficult process when dealing with mental health problems. Whilst talking I attempted to use Egans SOLER (Egan, 1990, cited in Burnard, 1992).The SOLER acronym is an aid to identifying and remembering the behaviours that should be implemented in order to promote effective listening (Burnard, 1992). I Sat facing Xst; assumed an Open posture; Leaned towards Xst slightly (in order to express interest); maintained Eye contact and attempted to appear Relaxed, as advised by Egan. During the handover I was pleased that the MDT members were supportive and interested in what I was saying and they asked questions. My mentor explained that a patient with schizophrenia can often behave like this as they develop dementia, which Noble (2007) also confirms. Since the incident I have read about schizophrenia and I am now aware that the patients expressionless face Netdoctor (2008), also made her comments appear more confusing and aggressive. Conclusion In conclusion, I have learnt that through effective communication, any problem can be solved regardless of the environment, circumstances or its complexity. Therefore, nurses must ensure they are effective communicators. I have identified the weaknesses that should be turned to strengths. I am now working on strengthening my assertiveness, confidence and communication skills. Participating in the care of Xst I have realised that a good background information and feedback about mental health problems before providing care to clients can assist in accurate diagnosis and progress monitoring. A good relationship between client and staff nurse is therapeutic and help in building trust. This can be achieved by a free communication that allows the client to express their feelings and concern without the fear of intimidation. From the experience, I feel the knowledge I have acquired will aid me in future practice should such situation arise again. Action Plan So that I could identify my strengths and weaknesses in both theory and practice easily, I found that the use of a SWOT analysis provided a good framework to follow. I have then built on this by producing a development plan that focuses on my weaknesses and how, when and why I plan to improve on them. I will now begin to work on these, the main reason being of course, that I am determined to be a competent, professional nurse in the future. I am now more prepared for any future patients with this disease as I have researched it. I will take the time to talk to them, to make sure they are at ease with me, before providing any care. If they appear distressed I would get another member of staff to help me to reassure them. Learning Need To improve my knowledge about patients illnesses and the risks of relapse associated with not taking medication. To identify and have good background information and feedback about patients mental health problems before providing care to them. To ensure a good rapport exist between my patient and I, in order to build up a therapeutic relationship with them and to gain their trust. To have effective communication with the patients and other members of the multidisciplinary team and being prepared. Planned action to meet these learning needs I aim to read books about different illnesses and causes of relapse and to read my patients notes. I will be talking with senior members of staff and allocating time to talk to patients and their relatives and participating in the ward round. Finally, I will have regular meetings with my clients. Target time to meet the learning needs I hope by the end of third year and some will be on-going skills to develop throughout the training. CONCLUSION I have clearly demonstrated that by using a reflective model as a guide, I have been able to break down, make sense of, and learn from my experience during my placement. At the time of the incident I felt very inadequate It was also difficult for me not to take her behaviour to heart and show emotion at the time, it is clear that this is an area I need to build on for the future. Nursing requires effective preparation so that we can care competently, with knowledge and professional skills being developed over a professional lifetime. One way this can be achieved is through what some writers refers to as technical rationality, where professionals are problem solvers that select technical means best suited to particular purposes. Problems are solved by applying theory and technique. The invaluable use of non-verbal communication has now become clearer to the author. The author believes he has become more self-aware regarding his own non-verbal communication and hopes that in the future he will use his communication skills to become a better advocate for the patient in his care. The aim of this report is to look at a critical incident that occurred in placement and relate this to the theory and knowledge regarding communication and interpersonal skills, so as to demonstrate an understanding of my views on the art and science of reflection and the issues surrounding reflective practice Reflection is part of reflective practice and a skill that is developed. It can be seen as a way of adjusting to life as a qualified healthcare professional and enhancing the development of a professional identity (Atwal Jones, 2009). Reflection is defined as a process of reviewing an experience which involves description, analysis and evaluation to enhance learning in practice (Rolfe et al 2001). This is supported by Fleming (2006), who described it as a process of reasoned thought. It enables the practitioner to critically assess self and their approach to practice. Reflective practice is advocated in healthcare as a learning process that encourages self-evaluation with subsequent professional development planning (Zuzelo, 2010). Reflective practice has been identified as one of the key ways in which we can learn from our experiences. The incident that was chosen was so for the reasons that the situation made the student aware of inadequacies on his own part and those of the staff on the team, which made him reflect upon the situation and how this could be learned from, so as not to make the same mistake again. Before the critical incident is examined it is important to look at what a critical incident is and why it is important to nursing practice. Girot (1997), cited in Maslin-Prothero, (1997) states that critical incidents are a means of exploring a certain situation in practice and recognising what has been learned from the situation. Benner (1984, cited by Kacperek, 1997) argues that nurses cannot increase or develop their knowledge to its full potential unless they examine their own practice. Confidentiality will be maintained as required by the Nursing Midwifery Council Code (NMC, 2008). MODELS In order to provide a framework for methods, practices and processes for building knowledge from practice, there are several models of reflection available. All can help to direct individual reflection. Reflective models, however, are not meant to be used as a rigid set of questions to be answered but to give some structure and encourage making a record of the activity. Johns (2004) model reflects on uncovering the knowledge behind the incident and the actions of others present. It is a good tool for thinking, exploring ideas, clarifying opinions and supports learning. Another model, Schon (1987), however, identifies two types of reflection that can be applied in healthcare, Reflection-in-action and Reflection-on-action. Reflection-in-action can also be described as thinking whilst doing. Reflection-on-action involves revisiting experiences and further analysing them to improve skills and enhance future practice. Terry Bortons (1970) 3 stem questions: What?, So What? and Now What? were developed by John Driscoll in 1994, 2000 and 2007. Driscoll matched the 3 questions to the stages of an experiential learning cycle, and added trigger questions that can be used to complete the cycle. However, Driscoll (2006) notes that reflective practice is often represented as a choice for health professionals, whether to be reflective or not to be, about their clinical practice. Finally, Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle is fairly straightforward and encourages a clear description of the situation, analysis of feelings, evaluation of the experience, analysis to make sense of the experience, conclusion where other options are considered and reflection upon experience to examine what one would do if the situation arose again. In spite of all these models advantages, there are known barriers which prevent practitioners being able to reflect effectively and time plays a huge role. Smyth (2004) questions whether there is any time to think and be reflective because of the busy work environment that practitioners are involved in. CHOSEN MODEL In this report, I have chosen to use Gibbs Reflective Cycle (1988) as a framework, because it focuses on different aspects of an experience and allows the learner to revisit the event fully. Gibbs (1988) will help me to explore the experience further, using a staged framework as guidance and I feel that this is a simple model, which is well structured and easy to use at this early stage in my course. This model comprises of a process that helps the individual look at a situation and think about their thoughts and feelings at the time of the incident; and consists of six stages to complete one cycle. Its cyclical nature starts with a description of the situation. This includes e.g. where were you; who else was there; why were you there; what were you doing; what were other people doing. Next is to analysis of the feelings that is, trying to recall and explore those things that were going on inside your head? The third stage is an evaluation of the experience; making a judgement regarding the reasons behind the event and its possible consequences. The fourth stage is an analysis to make sense of the experience. At this stage the event is broken down into its component parts so they can be explored separately. The fifth stage is a conclusion of what else could I have done; the creation of insight through the reflective process towards individual roles within the event being considered. And final stage is an action plan to prepare if the situation arose again. That is, recognitions leading towards behavioural adjustments where faced with similar events in the future (NHS, 2006). The use of this model represents a fundamental shift from the ideas of Kolb in that Gibbs model specifically refers to the key processes within reflection itself, rather than as reflection as a process within general learning. Reflective practice can mean taking our experiences as an initial point for our learning and developing practice (Jasper, 2003). Many literatures have been written in the past that suggest the use of reflective assignments and journaling as tools to improve reflection and thinking skills in healthcare (Chapman et al, 2008). Reflective journals are an ideal way to be actively involved in learning (Millinkovic Field, 2005) and can be implemented to allow practitioners to record events and document their thoughts and actions on daily situations, and how this may affect their future practice (Williams Wessel, 2004). The experience gained in this can then be used to deal with other situations in a professional manner. By contemplating it thus, I am able to appreciate it and guided to where future development work is required. Context of incident In the scenario the patients name will be given as Xst. The consequences of my actions for the client will be explained and how they might have been improved, including what I learned from the experience. My feelings about the clinical skills used to manage the clients care will be established and my new understanding of the situation especially in relation to evidence based practice will be considered. I will finally reflect on what actions I will take in order to ensure my continued professional development and learning. Xst is 55 year old woman who has a 10 year old daughter. She suffers from psychiatric problems, lack of motivation and has difficulties in maintaining her personal hygiene and the cleanliness of her flat. She was one of my mentors clients to whom I had been assigned to coordinate and oversee her care under supervision. Nurses owe their patients a duty of care and are expected to offer a high standard of care based on current best practise, (NMC 2008). Description Xst had been prescribed Risperidone Consta 37.5mg fortnightly, which is a moderate medication. Risperidone belongs to a group of medicines called antipsychotic, which are usually used to help treat people with schizophrenia and similar condition such as psychosis. Xst did not like attending depot clinic and she missed three consecutive appointments. My mentor decided after the third non-attendance to raise the issue in the handover meeting where it was decided to see Xst in the morning but when we arrived she was not there. We left a note for her to call the office. We did not hear from her and a further home visit was carried out to arrange for her next depot clinic appointment. I was asked to call a meeting of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) who, at the meeting agreed that there would be a problem if the next injections were missed. At the next clinic, we waited for about an hour but she failed to attend. At a subsequent meeting with the patient, she agreed a joint visit with the CPN, my mentor and me to re-assess her condition and consider if it was necessary to refer her case to the Consultant. I was given the opportunity to participate in the assessment, which showed that her behaviour was very unpredictable and very forgetful. Her inability to take her medication and to manage her personal hygiene clearly demonstrated that she was not well and indeed, had no insight into her illness and was in denial (Barker, 2004). However, the patient had been very upset because of the lack of communication and interpersonal skills that the staff and the student had displayed. I talked to Xst about her non-concordance with her medication, whilst stroking her hand but she persisted in saying she was well. I reminded her that continuous use of the medication would benefit her mental health and protect her against relapse. We agreed that she could discuss this with the doctor on her next outpatient appointment, with the option of reviewing or reducing her medication. I stressed the importance of her communicating any side effects or reservations she may have about the medication to doctor. She appeared to understand this and following the discussion, she finally complied with her depot injection. Feeling During the handover, I was nervous as I felt uncomfortable about giving feedback to the whole team. I was worried about making mistakes during my handover that could lead to inappropriate care being given to Xst or could cause her readmission to hospital. As a student nurse I felt I lacked the necessary experience to be passing information to a group of qualified staff members. However, I dealt with the situation with outward calm and in a professional manner. I was very pleased that my mentor was available during the handover to offer me support and this increased my confidence. Evaluation What was good about the experience was that I was able to carry out the initial assessment and identify what caused Xst failure to comply with the treatment regime. From my assessment I documented the outcome and related what had happened to the MDT with minimal assistance. Accurate documentation of patients care and treatment should communicate to other members of the team in order to provide continuity of care (NMC, 2008). The experience has improved my communication skills immensely, I felt supported throughout the handover by my mentor who was constantly involved when I missed out any information. Thomas et al, (1997) explains that supervision is an important development tool for all learners. The team were very supportive throughout the process as they took my information without doubt. What was not good about the experience was the fact that my

Implications of Chinese Capital Account Liberalisation

Implications of Chinese Capital Account Liberalisation If China does liberalise, few other events over the next decade are likely to have more impact on the shape of the global financial system. This also sets out a conceptual framework, identifying three separate factors which help explain why the scale of the subsequent movements in capital flows — both into and out of China — could be very large relative to the size of the world economy: (i) ‘Closing the openness gap’- There is a large gap between China’s current level of openness and that of advanced economies. Liberalisation will lead this gap to close, generating large flows in the process. (ii) ‘Catch-up growth’- China’s economic growth is expected to be relatively high over the next decade. So even if China’s capital flows do not increase relative to its own economy, they will relative to the world economy. (iii)‘Declining home bias’- Prior to the recent crisis, the global financial system became increasingly integrated. A resumption of these trends over coming decades would lead capital flows to increase both in China and globally. Summary chart Potential impact of capital account liberalisation on China’s international investment position Based on these three factors and some simple but plausible assumptions, the summary chart shows a hypothetical scenario for China’s global financial integration in 2025. It shows that China’s gross international investment position could increase from around 5% to over 30% of world GDP. The global financial integration of China has the potential to be a force for economic growth and financial stability not just in China but also globally. Global implications of Chinese capital account liberalisation The potential changes in both the magnitude and composition of capital flows outlined in the previous section would dramatically alter the financial landscape both in China and globally. In principle, capital account liberalisation in China could be a powerful force that enables the Chinese and global Implications for China For China, there are several potential benefits of liberalisation which can all be viewed through the broader lens of contributing to economic rebalancing. The Chinese economy is now starting to transition to a new model of growth, away from reliance on exports and investment as the key sources of demand. The new model of growth will therefore place a greater emphasis on consumption as a source of demand and an increase in the production of services relative to exportable manufactures. This is a challenging task and will require an ambitious agenda of structural reforms. Among these reforms, capital account liberalisation will play a key role. A removal of restrictions on outflows, for example, will allow Chinese companies and households to diversify their large pools of savings by investing in overseas assets. This should help to spread risk, reducing the need for precautionary saving and hence free up income for current spending. And it may also boost household income if returns earned on overseas assets are higher than on domestic assets (which is likely given that real deposit rates in China are currently negative due to  regulatory caps). China has the biggest banking system in the world by total assets but it is very domestically focused. If China’s banks were to diversify their balance sheets by expanding abroad — either directly through cross-border bank lending, or indirectly through lending to foreign affiliates — they may become more resilient to an adverse shock in their home market and so be better able to maintain lending to domestic companies and households in China. Allowing more channels for inflows, on the other hand, will help to deepen and diversify China’s financial system, providing alternative sources of capital for Chinese borrowers. Should liberalisation also lead to lower reserve accumulation, it could lead to an improvement in China’s fiscal balance since the return on its FX reserves is lower than the cost of sterilising those purchases. And if it were accompanied by a more flexible exchange rate regime (as was suggested by the Third Plenum), it could allow China to operate a more effective monetary policy, increasing its ability to respond to domestic shocks. All of these factors should promote China’s rebalancing and its transition towards a new model of growth. But there are also risks. There are several notable examples where capital account liberalisation has resulted in instability. The most recent, perhaps, was the Eastern European countries where large capital inflows contributed to unsustainably rapid cr edit growth that ultimately culminated in economic and financial crisis in 2008 (Bakker and Gulde (2010)). Chinese policymakers will need to ensure they have sufficient scope to set policy to offset shocks that could pose risks to economic and financial stability. It will be particularly important to sequence carefully external liberalisation with appropriate domestic macroprudential and microprudential policies to mitigate risks from excessive credit growth and asset price volatility. One concern is that by opening the financial gates, some banks and, ultimately, borrowers in the Chinese real economy may find themselves faced with a shortage of liquidity. China’s banking system is heavily reliant on domestic deposits for its funding, which account for around two thirds of total liabilities. A reallocation overseas of even a small share of these deposits could therefore cause funding difficulties. By  enabling higher real returns for Chinese domestic savers, however, domest ic interest rate liberalisation could help to reduce these risks. Another set of risks are related to inflows. In the short run, there could be indigestion in China’s asset markets, which are still small relative to potentially large inflows of capital. And over a longer time period, inflows could lead to an unsustainable build-up of maturity and currency mismatches in national balance sheets (for example, long-term domestic investment funded by short-term overseas FX-denominated borrowing). Large mismatches are susceptible to unwind in a disorderly way, as was the case for some Asian economies in 1997–98. Finally, the risks arising from a more flexible — and potentially more volatile — exchange rate would need to be effectively managed. Which of these outcomes — more sustainable growth or a rise in instability — would dominate will depend on the accompanying policy framework. The empirical evidence on the costs and benefits of financial openness tends to suggest that countries benefit most when certain threshold conditions — such as a well-developed and supervised financial sector and sound institutions and macroeconomic policies — are in place before opening up to large-scale flows of capital (Kose et al (2006)). This underscores the importance in China of careful sequencing of capital account liberalisation alongside other domestic reforms such as domestic interest rate liberalisation, development of effective hedging instruments and enhancing the microprudential and macroprudential regimes. Implications for the rest of the world From the perspective of policymakers outside of China, it is important to understand how capital account liberalisation might ‘spill over’ to affect other economies. Four such channels are discussed below, although there are undoubtedly others. Greater exposure to the Chinese financial system If liberalisation has a large impact on the Chinese economy or financial system, it is also likely to have a significant impact in other countries as well. Although China’s economy is already considered able to generate material spillovers onto other economies (International Monetary Fund (2011b)), the process of capital account liberalisation will likely increase its systemic importance even further, by magnifying existing transmission channels, while also creating new ones. Foreign households, businesses and financial institutions will increase the amount and the number of their claims on China, while those in China will do the same with respect to the outside world, thereb y deepening the complex web of financial interconnectedness. If China does hard-wire itself into the global financial system, it will bring important benefits in terms of risk-sharing. Households that purchase Chinese assets whose returns are not perfectly correlated with their own income would be better able to smooth consumption. And foreign banks that  expand in China would diversify their earnings base and potentially enhance their resilience. The flipside of increased interconnectedness, however, is that the global financial system will be more sensitive to shocks originating in China. Increased holdings of Chinese assets, for example, would imply greater exposure to fluctuations in their price. Greater reliance of global banks on Chinese banks for  funding, in turn, would bring about the possibility of a liquidity shortage if those banks were to repatriate funds in response to balance sheet pressures back home.(1) Increase in global liquidity If China’s financial walls are lifted, some of its vast pool of domestic savings will migrate into global capital markets, providing a significant boost to liquidity. The illustrative scenario in Chart 5 suggests that these flows could amount to a substantial share of world GDP. A new source of global liquidity from China could lead to several beneficial effects, particularly during a period where the world’s financial system is becoming increasingly fragmented and retreating into national borders (Carney (2013b)). As well as providing a new source of finance for borrowers, it could lead to a more diversified and more stable global investor base. At the same time, however, a rapid increase in liquidity from China could lead to absorption pressures in some asset markets in the short run, which could lead to a mispricing of risk with adverse consequences for financial stability. Increased global role of the renminbi Greater international use of the renminbi would add another dimension to the global impact of capital account liberalisation. Potential benefits include lower transaction costs and a reduced risk of currency mismatches. But it may also amplify the international transmission of Chinese policy and domestic shocks, of which policymakers around the world will need to take into account. Take the following hypothetical case: a country purchases a large proportion of its imports from China and its currency depreciates against the renminbi. If the prices of those imports are set and invoiced in the domestic currency of that country, the depreciation would not automatically lead to an increase in their price and hence no response in domestic monetary and fiscal policy would be needed.(2) If, however, the imports were invoiced in RMB, then their price would increase in line with the exchange rate depreciation, leading to domestic inflation. Moreover, a country that had no trade with China but whose imports were set and invoiced in RMB — such that the RMB would be a ‘vehicle currency’ — would need to respond to macroeconomic or policy fluctuations in China that affect the exchange rate and feed through into domestic prices of that country. There is a body of literature which finds evidence of these invoicing effects for the US dollar, as the world’s most international currency. Goldberg (2010) finds that for non-US economies, large use of the US dollar in reserves and in international transactions is typically associated with greater sensitivity of trade, inflation and asset values to movements in the value of the dollar relative to the domestic currency. However, as discussed above, it would likely take much longer than a decade for the renminbi to take on a similar role to that of the US dollar today. Global imbalances The literature on the causes and consequences of global imbalances is as vast as it is inconclusive. According to one influential perspective, the large imbalances in current account positions that accumulated over the past decade partly originated in high net saving rates in developing Asian countries (Bernanke (2005). If true, capital account liberalisation in China could potentially help to alleviate these imbalances to the extent that it leads to a reduction in China’s net savings and correspondingly its current account surplus (although clearly the impact of this on overall imbalances would depend on the corresponding adjustment in other countries). This may occur either because liberalisation lowers the incentives for precautionary saving or because it leads to a more flexible and higher exchange rate. But even if Chinese capital account liberalisation were to lead to no reduction in global imbalances, it could still help to lessen some of the adverse consequences relating to these imbalances. There is evidence that reserve accumulation by foreign governments can materially depress the risk-free interest rate in the United States (Warnock and Warnock (2009)) which, in turn, may encourage excessive risk-taking behaviour globally. So to the extent that Chinese capital account liberalisation were to result in a switch in the composition of outflows, away from reserve accumulation by the central bank and towards overseas investment in riskier assets by other Chinese residents, this may reduce some of the downward pressure on government bond yields and related rates i n the United States and globally. Of course, this would bring other challenges. But in the longer term, it could be beneficial for the stability of the international monetary and financial system as a whole. Conclusion If China continues to liberalize its capital account over the next decade or so, it is likely to be a force for development and constancy not just in China but also for the international monetary and financial system. While this process will be companied by new and important risks, it falls to international bodies and national authorities to monitor and take appropriate policy actions to mitigate such risks. This will not be a petty task. As we already know Chinese capital account liberalisation could lead to striking changes in the global financial landscape, policymakers will be facing uncharted territory. In order to succeed, policy cooperation between national authorities is necessary, both to increase understanding of the risks and to develop common policy approaches. Currently the Bank of England is working intimately with the People’s Bank of China regarding the development of offshore renminbi activity in the United Kingdom and will continue to seek other ways to suppo rt a successful integration of China into the global financial system.

Live Television Essay -- Concept of Live Television TV

Live Television In the Article The Concept of Live Television: Ontology as Ideology, Jane Feuer presents the idea of liveness in television. Television as an institution identifies all messages emanating from the apparatus as live. However in the technological advances, the meaning of live has greatly changed. Computerized editing equipment has made editing as flexible as most film editing. Much of this new equipment is used for the recording and freezing of "live" sports events that were supposed to be the glory of the medium. Even in terms of the simplest conception, live television is a collage of film, video, and "live" all woven into a complex scheme. Another point made in her article is the concept of flow as a way of explaining the effect of immediacy the experience of television gives. Television becomes this continuous never ending sequence in which it is impossible to separate texts. This idea of liveness smoothes over text breaks for things such as commercials. This is a fascinating idea because live programs are the most popular, and since this concept makes us not really realize when commercials are going to occur, we end up watching commercials more, creating a large and very tuned-in audience for advertisers. This experience of flow relates with the television-viewing situation because the set is in the home. It is always available, is a part of everyone's daily lives, and one can intercept the flow at any point. Television is designed to be... Live Television Essay -- Concept of Live Television TV Live Television In the Article The Concept of Live Television: Ontology as Ideology, Jane Feuer presents the idea of liveness in television. Television as an institution identifies all messages emanating from the apparatus as live. However in the technological advances, the meaning of live has greatly changed. Computerized editing equipment has made editing as flexible as most film editing. Much of this new equipment is used for the recording and freezing of "live" sports events that were supposed to be the glory of the medium. Even in terms of the simplest conception, live television is a collage of film, video, and "live" all woven into a complex scheme. Another point made in her article is the concept of flow as a way of explaining the effect of immediacy the experience of television gives. Television becomes this continuous never ending sequence in which it is impossible to separate texts. This idea of liveness smoothes over text breaks for things such as commercials. This is a fascinating idea because live programs are the most popular, and since this concept makes us not really realize when commercials are going to occur, we end up watching commercials more, creating a large and very tuned-in audience for advertisers. This experience of flow relates with the television-viewing situation because the set is in the home. It is always available, is a part of everyone's daily lives, and one can intercept the flow at any point. Television is designed to be...

Steven Spielberg Essay -- essays research papers

Steven Spielberg   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a kid in Phoenix, Steven Spielberg charged admission to his home movies while his sister sold popcorn. Although Spielberg excelled at making movies he was not a good student. He hated school and was one of the most unathletic students there. His movie making career began at the age of twelve when his father bought a movie camera that Spielberg used all the time. Instead of doing his school work he was using the camera. While he was working with his mom and sister on his projects, his father helped him make miniature sets out of paper mache.He turned out his first production, with script and actors, when he was thirteen, and a year later he won a prize for a forty minute war movie titled Escape to Nowhere. At the age of sixteen, his 140-minute production, Firelight, was shown in a local movie theater. In college, his short film, Amblin was shown at the Atlanta Film Festival and led to the boy genius's Universal Studios directing contract at the age of twenty.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Spielberg learned his craft doing television work, which included an episode of the Rod Serling series Night Gallery and the classic cult movie Duel. His first feature, The Sugarland Express, was released in 1974, and he was soon offered the chance to direct a thriller about a great white shark terrorizing a small New England beach town. Jaws cost $8.5 million and grossed $260 million. Spielberg followed it up two years later with Close Enc...

How to Attain a Servant Position in Victorian Times :: Victorian Time Period

Help Wanted: How to Attain a Servant Position By the nineteenth century, staff for a household became a necessity for the middle class families. Most had acquired enough wealth to attain servants for household duties. The number of servants kept on staff, and their conduct and appearance, quickly became a mark of status, especially near the top of the class ladder (Hughes 37 ). The popular belief was at least three servants were essential for the household. The duties and conditions of work varied, from the virtual slavery of a young maid-of-all-work to the specialized skills of the servant in an aristocratic household (â€Å"Servants†). One way to attain a position was to attend a hiring fair. This was held in September and May, when new positions were entered into for a twelve month probationary period (Hughes 37 ). Usually, Victorians were searching for a specific person who had the capabilities for a specific duty. Most servants did not share duties, therefore when at the fair they needed to have a distinction from the rest displaying their work skills. The prospect would wear an article of clothing or carried a symbol that identified the position they were seeking to fill. Carters and wagoners twisted a piece of whipcord around their hats, while thatches displayed a fragment of woven straw (Hughes 38). In addition to the hiring fair, people seeking such positions could go to servant registries. These agencies printed advertisements that listed available servants, much like our classified ads in today’s newspapers. However, these agencies were not reliable and charged a sum for the service upfront. Word of mouth was the most commonly used way for a person to find a service job. Most common people of the times were servants in aristocratic households. Those that knew the persons in those households could put out the word that they were in need of a position. The servants could in turn communicate with other servants from different households that someone is looking for a position. In many cases this worked better than going through an agency. At least the prospective employee had a person they knew looking for the job; not a person just looking to make some money. Once hired, there was usually a contract that stated the specific duties and terms of the employment. For example, if a woman attained a maid she was usually expected to give the servant her cast off clothes, which was outlined in their agreement.

Allelopathic Effect of S. Macrophylla on the Growth of V. Radiata Seedlings

Allelopathic effect of S. macrophylla on the growth of V. radiata seedlings Thea Philea I. Mostralesa, Greeny Joy A. Perucho, Rhoshela Vi C. Rendon, John Gregor A. Rono, Emmerson P. Rullog, Riffcord R-Denz M. Tabula Institute of Biology, College of Science, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City (a Thea Philea I. Mostrales, e-mail: theaphilea. [email  protected] com) ABSTRACT Swietenia macrophylla, or commonly known as the mahogany tree in the Philippines, is an introduced species of the family Meliaceae that is commonly used for lumber and reforestation projects.However, based on studies, it is shown that the mahogany tree has inhibitory effects that affect adjacent growing plants. This is made possible chemically and is referred to generally as allelopathy. This study aimed to determine is S. macrophylla had any adverse effects to the growth of plants in close proximity to it. The researchers selected three mahogany trees and planted six plots of differeing distances with each plot containing ten monggo seedlings.The results obtained indicate that there is no significant difference between the growth of monggo seedlings growing near the mahogany tree to that of monggo seedling growing near the control tree based on the analysis done on the seedlings’ height, weight and survival rate. Results also indicate that distance of the seedlings from the S. macrophylla has no effect on the intensity of inhibition of the growth of the V. radiata.The results obtained can be attributed to factors that include the texture of soil, fine-textures soil having been proven to have a greater retention capacity of allelochemicals than coarse-textures soils. Also, allelopathic interactions include both promontory and inhibitory activities of phenolic allelochemicals and thus using seed germination as a bioassay parameter may be of little value. KEY WORDS: Swietenia macrophylla, allelopathy, growth of monggo seedlings, inhibitory effect of mahogany, introduced species INTRODUCTIONBACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY Swietenia macrophylla, commonly known in the Philippines as mahogany, is a member of the order Sapindales, under family Meliaceae. It is a large, fast-growing, semi-evergreen tree, popular for landscaping, especially in North American and Carribean countries, where it has a vulnerable status as provided by CITES (Oldfield 1995), and for its strong wood for lumber. This tree was first introduced in the Philippines as early as 1907, and 1913 as part of the Mt. Makiling forest.It is currently used in the Philippines as a lumber tree and utilized in many reforestation projects. However, studies have shown that however beneficial S. macrophylla may be to the Philippine economy and to its environment, it also displays adverse effects to the Philippine wildlife. As a recently introduced species, the said tree has been unable to produce a natural web of life around it; there are no natural consumers of mahogany in the country, an d as such, the area around the tree will not be populated by native fauna immediately.It is also suspected that mahogany leaves contain allelopathic compounds. In a study conducted by P. Thinley in 2002, it was shown that S. macrophylla leaves inhibited the growth of Pterocarpus indicus. Allelopathic compounds inhibit growth and development of other plants when introduced to them. Allelopathy is the production of a certain plant of such compounds and should not to be confused with competition, which may or may not involve allelopathy. Allelopathy is common in the plant kingdom, spread out in random fashion across orders.Some plants are deemed invasive due to their allelopathic nature and mahogany trees are not exempt. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The study aimed to determine if S. macrophylla can adversely affect the growth of plants in close proximity to it and specifically sought to answer the following questions: 1) Does mahogany affect the growth of newly planted seedlings based on the seedlings’ height and weight? 2) Is there a significant difference between the growth of seedlings within the proximity of the mahogany tree to that of seedlings within the proximity of a different tree? ) Is there a significant difference between the survival rate of the seedlings within the proximity of the mahogany to that of seedlings within the proximity of a different tree? HYPOTHESIS The mahogany tree has no effect on the growth of newly planted seedlings. SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The study aimed to determine the effect of the mahogany tree on the growth of monggo seedlings based solely on the seedlings’ weight and height after a specified amount of time.Other possible factors that might affect the growth of the seedlings like availability of sunlight, presence of possible predators and competition with other plants in the vicinity were not included and was not accounted for in the analysis of the data obtained. MATERIALS & METHODS The researchers used monggo (Vigna radiata) as the subject plant. A frequent model plant for laboratory work in Philippine schools, V. radiata is known to be easily grown, requires little maintenance and is fast-growing, which makes it ideal for an experiment limited to a few weeks.Monggo seeds were allowed to germinate by soaking the seeds overnight. Three mahogany trees located along Beta Way in the University of the Philippines Diliman Campus were chosen based on their proximity to other trees. Since competition with other flora could affect the results, it was made sure that the mahogany trees were at least three meters away from the other trees. They were marked as T1, T2 and T3. An acacia tree, Samanea saman, with similar conditions to the experimental trees, particularly to its proximity to other trees, was chosen as the control tree and was marked as T0.To standardize the direction of planting on each tree, angles of 200 east of north and 200 west of south were used to mark radii of 3m each on the north and south side of the tree, respectively. The plots were cleaned and cleared of grass and other flora. Each radius was divided equally into three segments on each segment 10 monggo seeds were planted with a 10cm-interval per seed. Seeds planted on the north side were labelled as N1, N2 and N3 for segments positioned 1m, 2m and 3m away from the tree respectively.The labelling system was used for the south segments. The seeds were uprooted on the 9th day. Seedlings from the same segment were grouped together. The heights of the seedlings were measured using a ruler from the apex of its leaves to the tip of the roots. To standardize the measurement of the height of the seedlings, the roots were cut off at the point where the taproot has become soft and fibrous. The seedlings were then weighed using a top-loading balance. The averages of the height and weight of each segment were then determined. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONSwietenia macrophylla is known to have inhibitory effec ts that affect adjacent growing plants. This is made possible chemically and is referred to generally as allelopathy. â€Å"The term allelopathy was coined by Molisch in 1937 to refer to biochemical interactions between all types of plants, including microorganisms traditionally placed in the plant kingdom†(Waller 1987). It is defined by Rice (1984) as any direct or indirect beneficial or harmful effect of one plant, including microorganisms, on the other through release of chemicals to the environment.Phenolics, terpenoids, alkaloids, polyacetylenes, fatty acids, steroids and many other different secondary metabolites can act as allechemicals (Rice 1984; Waller 1987; Inderjit et al. 1995). â€Å"However, the mere presence of these chemicals does not establish allelopathy, to demonstrate their involvement in allelopathy, it is important to establish 1)their direct release or indirect origin from plant-derived materials in the environment and 2) that the chemicals are present in sufficient quantities and persist for a sufficient time in soil to affect plant species or microbes† (Putnam & Tang 1986).Allelopathy is different to competition; the latter defined as the removal or reduction of factors from the environment which are vital to survivability, by some other plant or microorganism sharing the same habitat. Allelopathic chemicals, or allelochemicals, are released by higher plants through several mechanisms. These are volatilization, exudation from roots, leaching from leaves or stem by rain,dew or fog, and from decomposition of residues that contain the allelochemicals. Low molecular weight allelochemicals such as those belonging to terpenes are dispersed by volatilization.Nonvolatile allelochemicals such as alkaloids accumulate on plant surface and find their way to the soil by being leached by rainwater. Allelochemicals secreted through root exudation are of several classes. Some are alkaloids, coumarins, flavonoids, and many other types. Al lelochemicals not directly secreted by the plant, in which some pigments are an example, but reach the soil by being released through the decomposition of the plant part that contains them (Leicach et al 2009). In the S. acrophylla, allelochemicals are released by the decomposition of leaf litter. S. macrophylla leaves are a source of tannins, which is evident on the reddish brown color of the dry leaves. Tannins are phenolic compounds that also function as an allelochemical. In February, mature S. macrophyllatrees shed their leaves, which will start to decompose on the ground and consequently release tannins from the cells. Aqueous extracts from the leaves of the S. macrophylla has been shown to retard the growth of Pterocarpus indicuss eedlings (Thinley 2002). Several hydrolysable and condensed tannins were identified as growth and germination inhibitors in dry fruit, growth retarders of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in several plants, and as reducers of seedling growth in several plan ts† (Waller 1987). According to the data and the statistical analyses, the Swietenia macrophylla has no significant effect to the height, weight and survival rate of the Vigna radiate seedlings compared to height, weight and survival rate of the seedlings planted near the Samanea saman. The inhibitory effects exhibited by the S. acrophylla may have been too little or inconsistent to cause a significant change on the growth of the seedlings throughout the duration of the experiment. The compared values of the height, weight and survival rate of seedlings planted near the S. macrophyllaand S. saman are shown in table 1, table 2, and table 3 respectively. The effectiveness of allelochemicals produced by S. macrophylla may have been affected by certain factors. Tannins have been shown to be bound by the humic material I of the soil and presumably inactivated (Waller 1987).The texture of soil has been proved to affect the effectiveness of allelochemicals, favouring fine-textured th an coarse-textured soil, and evidence indicates that the greater retention capacity of fine-textured soils for at least some allelochemicals may be important in the accumulation of physiologically active concentrations of these chemicals (Waller 1987). This may have been the factor that reduced the effects of the allelochemicals involved in our experiment, owing to the beta way’s coarser soil composition. It is also proven that allelochemicals are decomposed in the soil, either abiotically or by microorganisms (Waller 1987).It is also observed that distance of the seedlings from the S. macrophylla has no effect on the intensity of inhibition of the growth of the V. radiata. The effect of distance to the height, weight and survival rate of the seedlings is seen in table 4, table 5 and table 6 respectively. This observation may have resulted from the mechanism in which the allelopathic tannins are dispersed. On the site of the study, the leaf litter covering the soil surroundin g the tree also covered to plots, which meant that the plots may have received variable amounts of allelochemicals as these leached when rains fell.The type of experimentation done was also a factor in investigating the inhibitory effects of allelochemicals. Authors argue whether seed germination is an efficient test in finding out allelopathic potential of phenolic compounds; seed germination is an important parameter for evaluating allelopathic potential of phenolic compounds (Rice, 1984; Waller, 1987), However, using seed germination as a bioassay parameter may be of little value (Stowe, 1979; Inderjit & Dakshini, 1995a). This is because allelopathic interactions include both promontory and inhibitory activities of phenolic allelochemicals.ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The researchers would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the following who contributed with the completion of this research: * First of all, to the Almighty God, to whom the researchers dedicate this research study. * To their families and friends who served as their inspirations and the source of very much needed support. * Ms. Lillian Jennifer Rodriguez, for her support and guidance and for lending us pink ribbons for our experiment. * Mr. James LaFrankie, for his contribution to the success of this research study. CONTRIBUTION OF INDIVIDUAL AUTHORSThea Philea Mostrales – Analysis of data, abstract of paper, SP proper Greeny Joy Perucho – Introduction and Methodology of paper, SP proper Rhoshela Vi Rendon – Analysis of data, tables, SP proper John Gregor Rono – Results and discussion of paper, SP proper Emmerson Rullog – Introduction and Methodology, SP proper Riffcord R-Denz Tabula – Results and discussion, SP proper REFERENCES Leicach, S. R. , Sampietro D. A. , Narwal, S. S. , â€Å"Allelochemicals: Role in Plant Environment Interaction†, Studium Press 2009 â€Å"Plant phenolics in allelopathy. † The Botanical Review. New York Botanical Garden. 996. HighBeam Research. 4 April 2013 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. 4 April 2013 Thinley P. 2002. â€Å"Negative interaction between large leaf mahogany (*Swietenia macrophylla  King) and some indigenous tree secies in lowland forest of Mt. Makiling – allelopathy, a possible cause? †Ã‚  Unpublished B. S. Forestry Thesis, UPLB-CFNR. Waller, G. R. , â€Å"Allelochemicals: Role in Agriculture and Forestry†, American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C. 1987 TABLES Table 1. Independent Samples T-test of the Height of Monggo Plants at 0. 05 significance level | Levene's Test for Equality of Variances| t-test for Equality of Means| | F| Sig. | t| df| Sig. (2-tailed)| Mean Difference| Std. Error Difference| 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference| | | | | | | | | Lower| Upper| height| Equal variances assumed| . 167| . 704| . 737| 4| . 502| 1. 000428290| 1. 357522153| -2. 768657 448| 4. 769514028| | Equal variances not assumed| | | . 737| 3. 900| . 503| 1. 000428290| 1. 357522153| -2. 807242567| 4. 808099147| Table 2.Independent Samples T-test of the Weight of Monggo Plants at 0. 05 significance level | Levene's Test for Equality of Variances| t-test for Equality of Means| | F| Sig. | t| df| Sig. (2-tailed)| Mean Difference| Std. Error Difference| 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference| | | | | | | | | Lower| Upper| weight| Equal variances assumed| . 344| . 589| -. 445| 4| . 679| -. 006665782| . 014968143| -. 048224010| . 034892446| | Equal variances not assumed| | | -. 445| 3. 819| . 680| -. 006665782| . 014968143| -. 049013784| . 035682220| Table 3. Independent Samples T-test of the Survival Rate of Monggo Plants at 0. 5 significance level | Levene's Test for Equality of Variances| t-test for Equality of Means| | F| Sig. | t| df| Sig. (2-tailed)| Mean Difference| Std. Error Difference| 95% Confidence Interval of the Difference| | | | | | | | | Lower| U pper| weight| Equal variances assumed| . 344| . 589| -. 445| 4| . 679| -. 006665782| . 014968143| -. 048224010| . 034892446| | Equal variances not assumed| | | -. 445| 3. 819| . 680| -. 006665782| . 014968143| -. 049013784| . 035682220| Table 4. ANOVA of the Height of Monggo Plants at 0. 05 significance level | Sum of Squares| df| Mean Square| F| Sig. | Between Groups| 14. 889| 2| 7. 44| 4. 598| . 062*| Within Groups| 9. 715| 6| 1. 619| | | Total| 24. 604| 8| | | | *no significant difference Table 5. ANOVA of the Weight of Monggo Plants at 0. 05 significance level | Sum of Squares| df| Mean Square| F| Sig. | Between Groups| . 003| 2| . 001| 1. 960| . 221*| Within Groups| . 005| 6| . 001| | | Total| . 008| 8| | | | *no significant difference Table 6. ANOVA of the Survival Rate of Monggo Plants at 0. 05 significance level | Sum of Squares| df| Mean Square| F| Sig. | Between Groups| . 011| 2| . 005| . 487| . 637*| Within Groups| . 065| 6| . 011| | | Total| . 076| 8| | | | *no significa nt differenceTable 7. Average Height, Weight, and Survival Rate of Monggo Plants Tree| Distance from tree (m)| Height (cm)| Weight (g)| Survival Rate| T0| 1| 16. 67| 0. 2361| 0. 9| | 2| 15. 49| 0. 2347| 0. 95| | 3| 13. 15| 0. 2074| 0. 95| T1| 1| 16. 21| 0. 2255| 1. 0| | 2| 17. 02| 0. 2567| 0. 75| | 3| 16. 73| 0. 2380| 0. 75| T2| 1| 13. 00| 0. 1688| 0. 8| | 2| 18. 99| 0. 2553| 0. 85| | 3| 16. 55| 0. 2340| 1. 0| T3| 1| 14. 22| 0. 1884| 0. 95| | 2| 16. 86| 0. 1928| 0. 9| | 3| 15. 07| 0. 2183| 0. 9| T0 = controlled tree: S. saman T1 = 1st replicate of S. macrophylla T2 =2nd replicate of S. macrophylla T3 = 3rd replicate of S. macrophylla