Domestication History of Squashes (Cucurbita spp)

Domestication History of Squashes (Cucurbita spp) Squash (genus Cucurbita), including squashes, pumpkins, and gourds, is one of the earliest and most important of plants domesticated in the Americas, along with maize and common bean. The genus includes 12-14 species, at least five of which were domesticated independently, long before European contact in South America, Mesoamerica, and Eastern North America. Five Main Species The designation cal BP means, roughly, calendar years ago before the present. Data in this table has been assembled from a variety of available sources, listed in the bibliography for this article. Name Common Name Location Date Progenitor C. pepo spp pepo pumpkins, zucchini Mesoamerica 10,000 cal BP C. pepo. spp fraterna C. moschata butternut squash Mesoamerica or northern South America 10,000 cal BP C. pepo spp fraterna C. pepo spp. ovifera summer squashes, acorns Eastern North America 5000 cal BP C. pepo spp ozarkana C. argyrosperma silver-seeded gourd, green-striped cushaw Mesoamerica 5000 cal BP C. argyrosperma spp sororia C. ficifolia fig-leafed gourd Mesoamerica or Andean South America 5000 cal BP unknown C. maxima buttercup, banana, Lakota, Hubbard, Harrahdale pumpkins South America 4000 cal BP C. maxima spp adreana Why Would Anybody Domesticate Gourds? Wild forms of squashes are harshly bitter to humans and other extant mammals, but there is evidence that they were harmless to mastodons, the extinct form of elephant. Wild squashes carry cucurbitacins, which can be toxic when eaten by smaller bodied mammals, including humans. Large-bodied mammals would need to ingest a huge amount to have an equivalent dose (75-230 whole fruits at once). Interestingly, when the megafauna died off at the end of the last Ice Age, wild Cucurbita declined. The last mammoths in the Americas died off about 10,000 years ago, around the same time squashes were domesticated. See Kistler et al. for a discussion. Archaeological understanding of squash domestication process  has undergone a considerable rethinking: most domestication processes have been found to have taken centuries if not millennia to complete. In comparison, squash domestication was fairly abrupt. Domestication was likely in part the result of human selection for different traits related to edibility, as well as seed size and rind thickness. It has also been suggested that domestication may have been directed by the practicality of dried gourds as containers or fishing weights. Bees and Gourds Evidence suggests that cucurbit ecology is tightly bound up with one of its pollinators, several varieties of an American stingless bee known as Peponapis or the gourd bee. Ecological evidence (Giannini et al.) identified a co-occurrence of specific types of cucurbit with specifics type of Peponapis  in three distinct geographic clusters. Cluster A is in the Mojave, Sonoran and Chihuahan deserts (including P. pruinosa); B in the moist forests of the Yucatan peninsula and C in the Sinaloa dry forests. Peponapis bees may well be crucial to understanding the spread of domesticated squash in the Americas, because bees apparently followed the human movement of cultivated squashes into new territories. Lopez-Uribe et al. (2016) studied and identified molecular markers of the bee P. pruinosa in bee populations throughout North America. P. pruinosa today prefers the wild host C. foetidissima, but when that is not available, it relies on domesticated host plants, C. pepo, C. moschata and C. maxima, for pollen. The distribution of these markers suggests that modern squash bee populations are the result of a massive range expansion from out of Mesoamerica into the temperate regions of North America. Their findings suggest that the bee colonized eastern NA after C. pepo was domesticated there, the first and only known case of a pollinators range expanding with the spread of a domesticated plant. South America Microbotanical remains from squash plants such as starch grains and phytoliths, as well as macro-botanical remains such as seeds, pedicles, and rinds, have been found representing C. moschata squash and bottle gourd in numerous sites throughout northern South American and Panama by 10,200-7600 cal BP, underlining their probable South American origins earlier than that. Phytoliths large enough to represent domesticated squash have been found at sites in Ecuador 10,000-7,000 years BP and the Colombian Amazon (9300-8000 BP). Squash seeds of Cucurbita moschata have been recovered from sites in the Nanchoc valley on the lower western slopes of Peru, as were early cotton, peanut, and quinoa. Two squash seeds from the floors of houses were direct-dated, one 10,403–10,163 cal BP and one 8535-8342 cal BP. In the Zaà ±a valley of Peru, C. moschata rinds dated to 10,402-10,253 cal BP, alongside early evidence of cotton, manioc and coca. C. ficifolia was discovered in southern coastal Peru at Paloma, dated between 5900-5740 cal BP; other squash evidence that has not been identified to species include Chilca 1, in southern coastal Peru (5400 cal BP and Los Ajos in southeastern Uruguay, 4800-4540 cal BP. Mesoamerican Squashes The earliest archaeological evidence for C. pepo squash in Mesoamerica comes from excavations carried out during the 1950s and 1960s in five caves in Mexico: Guil Naquitz in Oaxaca state, Coxcatln and San Marco caves in Puebla and Romero’s and Valenzuela’s caves in Tamaulipas. Pepo squash seeds, fruit rind fragments, and stems have been radiocarbon dated to 10,000 years BP, including both direct dating of the seeds and indirect dating of the site levels in which they were found. This analysis allowed also to trace the dispersion of the plant between 10,000 and 8,000 years ago from south to north, specifically, from Oaxaca and southwestern Mexico toward Northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. Xihuatoxtla rockshelter, in tropical Guerrero state, contained phytoliths of what may be C. argyrosperma, in association with radiocarbon dated levels of 7920/- 40 RCYBP, indicating that domesticated squash was available between 8990-8610 cal BP. Eastern North America In the United States, early evidence of initial domestication of Pepo squash comes from different sites from the central midwest and the east from Florida to Maine. This was a subspecies of Cucurbita pepo called Cucurbita pepo ovifera and its wild ancestor, the inedible Ozark gourd, is still present in the area. This plant formed part of the dietary complex known as the Eastern North American Neolithic, which also included chenopodium and sunflower. The earliest use of squash is from the Koster site  in Illinois, ca. 8000 years BP; the earliest domesticated squash in the midwest comes from Phillips Spring, Missouri, about 5,000 years ago.   Sources Dillehay TD, Rossen J, Andres TC, and Williams DE. 2007. Preceramic Adoption of Peanut, Squash, and Cotton in Northern Peru. Science 316:1890-1893.Fuller DQ, Denham T, Arroyo-Kalin M, Lucas L, Stevens CJ, Qin L, Allaby RG, and Purugganan MD. 2014. Convergent evolution and parallelism in plant domestication revealed by an expanding archaeological record. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111(17):6147-6152.Giannini TC, Lira-Saade R, Ayala R, Saraiva AM, and Alves-dos-Santos I. 2011. Ecological niche similarities of Peponapis bees and non-domesticated Cucurbita species. Ecological Modelling 222(12):2011-2018.Hart JP, Brumbach HJ, and Lusteck R. 2007. Extending the Phytolith Evidence for Early Maize (Zea mays ssp. mays) and Squash (Cucurbita sp.) in Central New York. American Antiquity 72(3):563-584.Kistler L, Newsom LA, Ryan TM, Clarke AC, Smith BD, and Perry GH. 2015. Gourds and squashes (Cucurbita spp.) adapted to megafaunal extinction and ecological anachronism through domestication. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 112(49):15107-15112. Lira R, Eguiarte L, Montes S, Zizumbo-Villarreal D, Marà ­n PC-G, and Quesada M. 2016. Homo sapiens–Cucurbita interaction in Mesoamerica: Domestication, Dissemination, and Diversification. In: Lira R, Casas A, and Blancas J, editors. Ethnobotany of Mexico: Interactions of People and Plants in Mesoamerica. New York, NY: Springer New York. p 389-401.Là ³pez-Uribe MM, Cane JH, Minckley RL, and Danforth BN. 2016. Crop domestication facilitated rapid geographical expansion of a specialist pollinator, the squash bee Peponapis pruinosa. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 283(1833).Patton PE, and Curran S. 2016. Archaic Period Domesticated Plants in the Mid-Ohio Valley: Archaeobotanical Remains from the County Home Site (33at40), Southeastern Ohio. Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology 41(2):127-158.Piperno DR. 2011. The Origins of Plant Cultivation and Domestication in the New World Tropics: Patterns, Process, and New Developments. Current Anthropolog y 52(S4):S453-S470. Piperno DR. 2016. Phytolith radiocarbon dating in archaeological and paleoecological research: a case study of phytoliths from modern Neotropical plants and a review of the previous dating evidence. Journal of Archaeological Science 68:54-61.Ranere AJ, Piperno DR, Holst I, Dickau R, and Iriarte J. 2009. The cultural and chronological context of early Holocene maize and squash domestication in the Central Balsas River Valley, Mexico. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106:5014-5018.Sanjur OI, Piperno DR, Andres TC, and Wessel-Beaver L. 2002. Phylogenetic relationships among domesticated and wild species of Cucurbita (Cucurbitaceae) inferred from a mitochondrial gene: Implications for crop plant evolution and areas of origin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99(1):535-540.Simon ML. 2011. Evidence for variability among squash seeds from the Hoxie site (11CK4), Illinois. Journal of Archaeological Science 38(9):2079-2093.Smith BD. 2011. The Cultural Context of Plant Domestication in Eastern North America. Current Anthropology 52(S4):S471-S484. Smith BD. 2006. Eastern North America as an independent center of plant domestication. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103(33):12223-12228.Zheng Y-H, Alverson AJ, Wang Q-F, and Palmer JD. 2013. Chloroplast phylogeny of Cucurbita: Evolution of the domesticated and wild species. Journal of Systematics and Evolution 51(3):326-334.

Darwin, The Final Nail In the Coffin For Newtonian Religion Essay

Darwin, The Final Nail In the Coffin For Newtonian Religion - Essay Example eligion is likewise wrong in its assumption of passive matter needing the Will of God to set it in motion, that gravity is the ultimate proof of the supernatural act of God, and that the design of the solar system warrants a â€Å"providential God† (Olson, 2004, pp. 123-124). My argument, which favors Mechanism instead of Creation and Design, will further be supported by the weakness of William Paley’s watchmaker argument (Bendz, 1996). The publication of Charles Darwin’s writing The Origin of Species in 1859, wherein he proposed his Evolution Theory and evidences that support his findings, sparked the ancient debate between scientists and the religious (ONeil, 1996). Even before Darwin’s controversial publication, Boucher de Perthes has already put forth archaeologocal artifacts that support the Evolution Theory (ONeil, 1996). However, it was dismissed by scientists and the clergy as they go against what has generally been taught and believed—that God was responsible for all Creation (ONeil, 1996). Thus, Darwin had reopened the age-old debate between science and religion—something that was thought to be reconciled once upon a time through the practice of natural theology, wherein Sir Isaac Newton was a proponent and believer. Natural theology is the process of â€Å"moving from the observable and created to the unobservable and uncreated† as a way of establishing the existence of God (Hart, 2002). Until now, there is still a standing discussion among atheists and the religious, with the scientists being caught in the middle—as the religious aims to use scientific findings as a proof of the existence of God and the atheists, likewise, using science and logic to disprove the notion of a Deity. Scientists who have a firm belief in God have been torn between these two separate schools of thought. Hence, there is a need to look back and trace where the argument came from in order to come to a conclusion on whether science and religion can coalesce and form

Ecotourism and Carbon Neutrality Research Paper

Ecotourism and Carbon Neutrality - Research Paper Example 265). On top of these direct benefits, there are also indirect contributions in the form of millions of dollars directed to conservation projects from entrance fees, tourist philanthropic donations and ecotourism-operator philanthropy. However if ecotourism wishes to claim environmental bragging rights, it has to do better with regards to carbon usage and climate change. Like most contemporary forms of travel, ecotourism depends heavily on fossil fuel-dependent forms of transportation. This means that responsible travel to natural areas starts out with an environmental debt, especially with regards to the carbon emissions that must be repaid for there to be a net environmental gain. It is imperative that ecotourism incorporates other creative forms of carbon balancing as part of the customary practice, thus reducing its carbon debt from the start. Carbon neutrality is the benchmark in the maturation of ecotourism (Durham & Stronza, 2008, pg. 266). Ecotourism and Carbon Neutrality Inc reasingly ecotourism has been described to represent or at least encourage sustainable forms of tourism in natural areas. Sustainable tourism is focused on using resources sustainably and reducing over-consumption and waste (Buckley, 2004, pg. 15). Ecotourism is defined as the environmentally responsible travel and visitation to relatively undisturbed natural areas in order to enjoy and appreciate nature and any accompanying cultural features that promotes conservation, has low visitor impact and provides for beneficially active socio-economic involvement of local population (Ceballos-Lascurain, 1996, pg. 20; Buckley, 2004, pg. 15). However, travel or mobility are mostly associated with considerable resource use in the form of fossils fuel and it therefore directly challenges the... This paper approves that ecotourism has been recognized and acclaimed with safeguarding biological and cultural diversity, reducing rural poverty and increasing public consciousness of environmental concerns as well as bolstering ties concerning tourism operators and local population. For this reason, it has increased in popularity with tourists as well as governmental development organizations and conservation agencies. However, for ecotourism to remain viable and appealing into the future, unambiguous and untainted means must be found to make ecotourism carbon neutral or better. This essay makes a conclusion that universal resorts in pursuit of being carbon neutral have begun to use alternative fuels in their service vehicles in an attempt to cut down toxic emissions. Moreover, the cooking oil utilized in its restaurants is reprocessed and reused as are the paper and cardboard supplies used throughput the resort. At SeaWorld and its affiliate parks, hydrogen energies fuel shuttles, dinnerware and utensils are produced from vegetable starch and sugarcane. Seafood, even for its animal populations is procured from green and natural fisheries, moreover, it has teamed up with the Rainforest Alliance to guarantee that foods acquired are farmed and harvested in manners that protects and safeguards area wildlife, habitats as well as the people. By the way, still in pursuit of carbon neutrality, the use of public transportation most notably by Disney World has gone a long way in reducing carbon emissions.

What are the Impact of Brain Injuries?

What are the Impact of Brain Injuries? What Brain Injuries do to People and how their brain is affected? The body is a very unique thing. It has so many parts and so many different actions that it does. The body is made up of several systems. The circulatory system is the bodys transport system. It is made up of different organs that specialize in transporting blood all over the body. The digestive system on the other hand breaks down food into protein, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and fats, which allow body to repair, grow, and create energy. However, the endocrine system produces hormones which are ultimately messengers in the body. When youre sick there is a system that helps with getting you better and preventing it. The immune system is our bodys defense system against infections and diseases. There are many more systems that all do great things for the body, but I believe that the most important system is the nervous system. The nervous system is made up of the brain, the spinal cord, and nerves. It is hands down one of the most important systems in your body. The nervous system is your bodys control center. It sends, receives, and processes impulses throughout the body. These impulses tell your muscles and organs how and when to respond to certain situations. There are three parts of your nervous system that work together: the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system, and the autonomic nervous system. These three systems within the nervous system have different objectives and checklists that they do. Thecentral nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord. This system sends out impulses and analyzes information, which then tells your brain about the things you hear, smell, feel, taste and see. Some may say that the central nervous system is the most important system in the nervous system, because of the five senses. What most people dont realize is that the autonomic nervous system regulates actions, such as heart beats and digestion. Then you have the peripheral nervous system includes the craniospinal nerves that branch off from the brain and the spinal cord. It carries the impulses from the central nervous system to the muscles. With all these actions it leads me to believe that the nervous system and even more so the brain might have the most impact on your life besides your heart.[1] The beginning of anyones life starts when we are in the whom. No one remembers this because the brain isnt developed yet. The brain begins developing at the fifth week of pregnancy the brain grows at an amazing steady rate during development. At times during brain development, 250,000 neurons are added every minute! At birth, a persons brain will have almost all the neurons that it will ever have or need. The brain continues to grow for a few years after a person is born. By the age of 2 years old, the brain is about 80% of the adult size.[2] You may wonder, How does the brain continue to grow, if the brain has most of the neurons it will get when you are born? The answer is in glial cells. Glia cells are continually dividing and multiplying. Glia cells carry out important functions for normal brain functions, including insulating nerve cells with myelin. The neurons in the brain also make several new connections after birth. The nervous system develops from embryonic tissue called the ectoderm. The first sign of the developing nervous system is a neural plate that can barely be seen on the 16th day of development. Over the next few days, a trench is formed in the neural plate. This could create a neural groove. By the 21st day of development, a neural tube is formed. This occurs only when the edges of the neural groove meet. The front part of the neural tubes goes on to develop into the brain and the rest developed into the spinal cord. As babies grow and become born the best thing you can do for a kid is put him or her in the best environment to continue to develop the brain. A childs brain develops rapidly during the first five years of life, especially the first three years. It is a time of rapid cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional and motor development. For example, a child learns many words starting at around 15-18 months. Rapid language learning continues into the preschool years. The childs brain grows as she or he sees, feels, tastes, smells and hears. Each time the child uses one of the senses, a neural connection is made in the childs brain. New experiences repeated many times help make new connections, which shape the way the child thinks, feels, behaves and learns now and in the future.[3] A close relationship between a child and a parent is the best way to get the best growth in a childs brain. When a parent plays with or sings, speaks, reads or tells a story to the child while nurturing him or her. Add in some healthy food and love and affection, and the childs brain grows. Being healthy and interacting with parents and living in a safe and clean environment can make the biggest difference in a childs growth and development. Babies need lots of care and affection in the early stages of a childs life. By holding, cuddling and talking to the child, you stimulate brain growth and promote emotional development. Being kept close to the mother and breastfed on demand provide the infant with a sense of emotional security. The baby needs both nutrition and comfort. As childrens brains develop, so do their emotions, which can be very misleading and powerful. Children may become frustrated if they are unable to do something, kind of like anyone and everyone, or cant have something they want. They are often frightened by strangers or unfamiliar people and places, new situations or the dark. Children whose reactions are laughed at, punished or ignored may grow up shy and unable to express emotions normally. If parents are patient and sympathetic when a child expresses strong emotions, the child is more likely to grow up happy, and feel secure. Boys and girls have the same physical, mental, emotional and social needs. Both have the same capacity for learning. Both have the same need for affection, attention and approval. Young children can experience excessive stress if they are physically or emotionally punished, are exposed to violence, are neglected or abused, or live in families with mental illness, such as depression or substance abuse. These stresses interfere with the developing brain and can lead to cognitive, social and emotional delays and behavior problems in childhood and later in life. The best way to raise a kid or developed a kid is putting them in situations to succeed as young as being newborn. As kids grow up what is the first thing people usually put their kids into, sports right. Well sports are super fun and great until injuries happen. Everyone worries about their kid getting injured or hurt. So, how should parents go about sports? What age should we start them? What will happen if they get injured and its bad? Well there are several different ways to go about it. The most effective way is to just be careful and trust what you think is right. Everyone is different and some kids are ready and matured for sports at age four where as some maybe not until six. This has nothing to do with the fact that who is better and who fits the look of being an athlete. Some kids just dont mature as fast so they are a little weaker and smaller. If this is the case maybe you hold off on sports until six. The worst thing that could happen to anyone is getting a head injury. There are five main types of head injuries. Concussion, contusion, coup-countercoup, Diffuse Axonal, penetration are the most common types of injuries all of which have different effects bad different injuries that come with them. A Diffuse Axonal Injury can be caused by shaking or strong rotation of the head, as with Shaken Baby Syndrome, or by rotational forces, such as with a car accident.[4] Injury occurs because the unmoving brain lags behind the movement of the skull, causing brain structures to tear. There is extensive tearing of nerve tissue throughout the brain. This can cause brain chemicals to be released, causing additional injury. The tearing of the nerve tissue disrupts the brains regular communication and chemical processes. This disturbance in the brain can produce temporary or permanent widespread brain damage, coma, or death. A person with a diffuse axonal injury could present a variety of functional impairments depending on where the shearing (tears) occurred in th e brain. A concussion is the most common injury that people think of. Its the most common head injury in sports. A concussion can be caused by direct blows to the head, gunshot wounds, violent shaking of the head, or force from a whiplash type injury. Both closed and open head injuries can produce a concussion. A concussion is the most common type of traumatic brain injury. A concussion is caused when the brain receives trauma from an impact or a sudden momentum or movement change. The blood vessels in the brain may stretch and cranial nerves may be damaged. A person may or may not experience a brief loss of consciousness (not exceeding 20 minutes). A person may remain conscious, but feel dazed. A concussion may or may not show up on a diagnostic imaging test, such as a CAT scan. Skull fracture, brain bleeding, or swelling may or may not be present. Therefore, concussion is sometimes defined by exclusion and is considered a complex neurobehavioral syndrome.[5] A concussion can cause diffuse axonal type injury resulting in permanent or temporary damage. [6]It may take a few months to a few years for a concussion to heal. A contusion can be the result of a direct impact to the head. A contusion is a bruise or bleeding on the brain. Large contusions may need to be surgically removed. Coup-Countercoup Injury describes contusions that are both at the site of the impact and on the complete opposite side of the brain. This occurs when the force impacting the head is not only great enough to cause a contusion at the site of impact, but also is able to move the brain and cause it to slam into the opposite side of the skull, which causes the additional contusion. Both of these can be pretty traumatic. Penetrating injuries to the brain occurs from the impact of a bullet, knife or other sharp object that forces hair, skin, bone and fragments from the object into the brain. Objects traveling at a low rate of speed through the skull and brain can ricochet within the skull, which widens the area of damage. A through-and-through injury occurs if an object enters the skull, goes through the brain, and exits the skull. Through-and-through traumatic brain injuries include the effects of penetration injuries, plus additional shearing, stretching and rupture of brain tissue. The devastating traumatic brain injuries caused by bullet wounds result in a 91% firearm-related death rate overall. Firearms are the single largest cause of death from traumatic brain injury. These types of injuries are very common unfortunately in todays world. These injuries and how these injuries occur usually lead to death shortly after.[7] The most common way that these injuries happen is from careless actions from you or someone else. In another sense people do not always do anything but get these injuries. Sometimes just playing a sport you love, like soccer or football or maybe even hockey. Sports are probably the number one activity that can get you hurt. Especially, the brain. There are so many different sports that involve the head or even contact that could rattle the head. All it takes is one hit to the head or one fall or one ball that hits your head to give you an injury. The top ten sports/activities that get head injuries are Cycling( 85,389) Football (46,948) Baseball and Softball( 38,394) Basketball( 34,692) Water Sports such as, Diving, Scuba Diving, Surfing, Swimming, Water Polo, Water Skiing, Water Tubing( 28,716); Powered Recreational Vehicles which include ,ATVs, Dune Buggies, Go-Carts, Mini bikes, Off-road( 26,606) Soccer( 24,184). Skateboards/Scooters (23,114) Fitness/Exercise/Health Club (18,012) Winter Sports like: Skiing, Sledding, Snowboarding, And Snowmobiling (16,948). With all these sports all of them are very active and fun but come with a lot of risks. [8] All sports injuries or injuries in general have different severity. Just like all injuries so do brain injuries. The most common known scale to determine the severity is The Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). GCS it is a scoring system used to describe the level of consciousness in a person following a traumatic brain injury. Basically, it is used to help gauge the severity of an acute brain injury. The test is simple, reliable, and correlates well with outcome following severe brain injury. This system works like this The GCS measures the following functions: Eye Opening (E) 4 = spontaneous 3 = to voice 2 = to pain 1 = none Verbal Response (V) 5 = normal conversation 4 = disoriented conversation 3 = words, but not coherent 2 = no words, only sounds 1 = none Motor Response (M) 6 = normal 5 = localized to pain 4 = withdraws to pain 3 = decorticate posture (an abnormal posture that can include rigidity, clenched fists, legs held straight out, and arms bent inward toward the body with the wrists and fingers bend and held on the chest) 2 = decelerate (an abnormal posture that can include rigidity, arms and legs held straight out, toes pointed downward, head and neck arched backwards) 1 = none[9] Clinicians use this scale to rate the best eye opening response, the best verbal response, and the best motor response an individual makes. The final GCS score or grade is the sum of these numbers. This scale leads to three categories Severe (GCS 3-8, you cannot score lower than a 3.) Moderate (GCS 9-12) and Mild Traumatic brain injuries( GCS 13-15).Mild traumatic brain injury occurs when a loss of consciousness is very brief, usually a few seconds or minutes. However, a loss of consciousness does not have to occur-the person may be just dazed or confused. You can also have testing or scans done of the brain and they may appear normal. A mild traumatic brain injury is diagnosed only when there is a change in the mental status at the time of injury-the person is dazed, confused, or loses consciousness. The change in mental status indicates that the persons brain functioning has been altered, this is called a concussion. [1]Eisenberg, John M. Rehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injury: Summary. Rockville, MD: U.S.Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, 1998. [2] Vay, David Le and Elise Cuschieri. Challenges in the Theory and Practice of Play Therapy. London: Routledge, 2016. [3] Vay, David Le and Elise Cuschieri. Challenges in the Theory and Practice of Play Therapy. London: Routledge, 2016. [4] About Brain Injury. About Brain Injury BIAA. Accessed December 08, 2016. http://www.biausa.org/about-brain-injury.htm. [5] About Brain Injury. About Brain Injury BIAA. Accessed December 08, 2016. http://www.biausa.org/about-brain-injury.htm. [6] Graham, Robert, Frederick P. Rivara, Morgan A. Ford and Carol Mason Spicer. Sports-related Concussions in Youth: Improving the Science, Changing the Culture. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2014. [7] The American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Traumatic Brain Injury. Accessed December 08, 2016. http://www.aans.org/Patient Information/Conditions and Treatments/Traumatic Brain Injury.aspx. [8] The American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Traumatic Brain Injury. Accessed December 08, 2016. http://www.aans.org/Patient Information/Conditions and Treatments/Traumatic Brain Injury.aspx. [9] The American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Traumatic Brain Injury. Accessed December 08, 2016. http://www.aans.org/Patient Information/Conditions and Treatments/Traumatic Brain Injury.aspx Primary: Secondary: Books: Eisenberg, John M. Rehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injury: Summary. Rockville, MD: U.S.Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, 1998. Graham, Robert, Frederick P. Rivara, Morgan A. Ford and Carol Mason Spicer. Sports-related Concussions in Youth: Improving the Science, Changing the Culture. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2014. Pargman, David. Psychological Bases of Sport Injuries. Morgantown, WV: Fitness Information Technology, 1993. Vay, David Le and Elise Cuschieri. Challenges in the Theory and Practice of Play Therapy. London: Routledge, 2016. Zasler, Nathan D., Douglas I. Katz and Ross D. Zafonte. Brain Injury Medicine: Principles and Practice. New York: Demos, 2007. Website: About Brain Injury. About Brain Injury BIAA. Accessed December 08, 2016. http://www.biausa.org/about-brain-injury.htm. Concussions Brain Injuries: Symptoms, Tests, Treatment. EMedicineHealth. http://www.emedicinehealth.com/slideshow_pictures_concussions_brain_injuries/article_em.htm. ( Accessed November 18, 2016.) Severe Brain Injury. SpringerReference. doi:10.1007/springerreference_183092. Finish The American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Traumatic Brain Injury. Accessed December 08, 2016. http://www.aans.org/Patient Information/Conditions and Treatments/Traumatic Brain Injury.aspx. Traumatic Brain Injury. Traumatic Brain Injury Mayo Clinic. Accessed November 18, 2016. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/traumatic-brain-injury/basics/definition/CON-20029302. Understanding TBI: Part 1 What Happens to the Brain during Injury and the Early Stages of Recovery from TBI? What Happens During Injury And In Early Stages Of Recovery. (Accessed November 18, 2016. ) http://www.msktc.org/tbi/factsheets/Understanding-TBI/What-Happens-During-Injury-And-In-Early-Stages-Of-Recovery. Articles: Chmielnicki, Eva. Brain: Bouncing Back after Brain Injury. Nature Medicine 18, no. 5 (2012): 670. doi:10.1038/nm.2783. Schmutz, JÃ ¶rg. Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury. Handbook on Hyperbaric Medicine: 585-90. doi:10.1007/1-4020-4448-8_34. Secondary Brain Injury. SpringerReference. doi:10.1007/springerreference_183091. Severe Brain Injury. SpringerReference. doi:10.1007/springerreference_183092. Sports and Brain Injury. AccessScience. doi:10.1036/1097-8542.yb140815.

A-B-Zee

This report evaluates the recent recruitment and selection arrangements for the sales assistants. It focuses on the opportunities and constraints that both the labour markets placed upon the recruitment and selection of sales assistants at A-B-Zee. It also examines the individual and organisational benefits that could be gained by providing non-standard working arrangements for sales assistants at A-B-Zee. The report finally proposes a strategy recommending how A-B-Zee’s next campaign might ensure a greater response from members of the ethnic minority community. Organisation’s response to the opportunities and constraints placed upon it by both local labour markets in the recruitment and selection process The general constraint in the recruitment process was that A-B-Zee was new to the each labour market and thus had no reputation to call upon in its search for quality employees. Also the rate of pay being offered still follows that of the parent company. In London, the full-page display advertisement on the newspaper was a good opportunity to get across to potential applicants because the advertisement were imaginative and attracted attention. However, the recruitment team were faced with the constraint of the accessibility to these advertisements to enough potential employees who fully met A-B-Zee’s criteria and sustenance of the candidate’s interest in the vacancy. Also, they were faced with time constraint, as the length of the ensuing recruitment process may not meet the store opening date. The Recruitment team responded, first, by trying to speed up the recruitment process. They introduced the ‘phone-in and walk-in’ facility to the advertisement. The phone-in enabled A-B-Zee to arrange immediate interviews for those evaluated as suitable from the evidence of the telephone interview. They also responded by simplifying the application form to make its completion more convenient. The ‘walk-in’ initiative involved one to one meeting with interested candidates. They were able to successfully use the ‘walk-in’ to increase the number of applicants and also to influence those that are suitable to join the company. In instances where parents wanted to cancel due to not having arrangement for someone to look after the children, A-B-Zee invited them to bring along the children. This seemed to be a good opportunity to attract potential employees with parental experience. The organisation also responded by making application forms and letters of offer readily available, thus increasing the speed of the company’s response. This particularly met the company’s needs with regards to speed. One other constraint which the recruitment team discovered was that the attraction of applicants was limited by the readership of the newspaper. The company responded by producing leaflets. These were distributed to houses fairly close to the store and to those of the ethnic minority around the store. This was carried out in order to meet the objective of having a balanced work force in terms of gender, age and ethnic minority. Apart from being easily accessible, the recruitment team also responded by making themselves more available. They worked through the evenings and weekends, thereby making them more available to applicants. At the northern store, the closure of several manufacturing companies was an opportunity to have a large pool of potential candidates. A-B-Zee took the initiative to solicit with the local Job Centre. The result was that there were too many applications to be processed. The major constraint was time. As a result of the huge number of applications, there was constraint in the task of short-listing for interview which was as a resulted of the enormous volume of applications received. Majority of the applicants were of good quality Also, given the size of the task and the time available it was very likely that the quality of the short-listing decisions would be affected. The lay-out of the application form did not help the short-listing process at all. The most relevant information was not grouped together. This was a major constraint as well because more resources, effort and time had to be devoted to responding to all the applicants. The recruitment team was also faced with the constraint of having to respond quickly and courteously to all applicants (unsuccessful as well as short-listed applicants). This was in a bid to initiate and maintain goodwill among its potential customers. Also, the bid to recruit a balanced workforce across gender, age and ethnic group could not be achieved because, of the numerous applications received, very few were from the ethnic minority. In general, the recruitment process at the northern store proved to be very resource-intensive Individual and Organisational Benefits that could be gained by providing non-standard working arrangements for sales assistants. The organization: Benefits that A-B-Zee could gain if it provides non-standard working arrangements to the sales assistants include: Reduced absenteeism as the workers will have time to attend to family and personal commitments. This will guarantee a high staff attendance and increase productivity and efficiency in the stores (Wood & Payne 1998). Apart from that, non-standard working arrangements provide a wide pool of potential employees from which the HR department can choose from. Another major benefit tot he organisation is that it could also reduce the fixed costs associated with standard contracts and a constant working force which seem to ask for more payments as they stay at the company. Hiring part-time staff is a safer choice in this time of economic uncertainty and could also be a method for the company to screen and evaluate new-hires and perhaps offer them full-time positions in the future and when needed. The sales assisatants Benefits of non-standard working arrangements to the sales assistants include a work-life balance resulting in increased motivation and job satisfaction (Nadler, 1984). It also gives the employee the opportunity to enter into other endeavours, such as studying or taking up another part-time job that is not in conflict with the current one. Apart from this, it puts the employee in a position to accept or decline job offers that would require them to work longer ZZZhours. Mothers are exposed to the job market where they can obtain work experience, gain skills and sample the employment situation. Also, reacquiring work skills and confidence may be an interesting opportunity for mothers who have withdrawn from employment for a long period of time. (Mangum n. d. ; Howe 1986) Strategy, recommending how A-B-Zee’s next campaign might ensure a greater response from members of the ethnic minority community Initial survey of the labour market In order to attract more members of the ethnic minority in future recruitment campaigns, I believe that an initial survey of the labour market in question should be carried out before commencement of the recruitment process. This would give an insight into the location, size and needs of the ethnic minority in such labour market. Location of new stores The location of new stores may be considered based on the findings above, thus bringing the stores in close proximity to the ethnic minority. Advertisement and Application forms Creating awareness in the target area would increase the chances of getting applicants. As A-B-Zee is new to the labour market, placing advertisement on the radio and television and providing information to the public on what A-B-Zee is all about, what they do and when their superstores would be open, would definitely increase its awareness to the target community. Thus when job advertisements are placed, people have an idea of what company they are going to be potentially working for. The job advertisement should be able to reflect the company’s policy of recruiting a balanced workforce across gender, age and ethnic minority. This could be achieved by including the ethnic minority in the promotional materials i. . putting images of both ethnic and non-ethnic minority on the advertisement. This would catch the eye of any member of the ethnic minority that sees the advertisement and would encourage them to apply for the job. It should also emphasize on the part-time work schedule being offered by the company. Presenting a work schedule that encourages flexibility my appeal to women of the ethnic minority who believe that they might not have time to take care of their children (Moosa, 2009). Also by offering skills training in the advertisement, members of the ethnic minority may be encouraged to apply in a bid to be trained on their communication and interpersonal skills. The application forms should be simple, well laid out and should also include statements of assurance that A-B-Zee recruits a balanced workforce across gender, age and ethnic group. The selection and hiring process To attract more members of the ethnic minority, A-B-Zee needs to convince their target that the ethnic minority is well represented in the company. This I believe can be achieved by increasing the involvement of the minority in the interview process. Other recommendations that can help with the recruitment process include, 1. Carrying out a salary survey and review; It is possible that the pay rates based on the parent company’s standards may not be appealing to the target market of future campaigns. By carrying out a salary survey, A-B-Zee can calculate the competitive position of the company in terms of recruitment and can then review the salary being offered. 2. Considering using recruitment agencies in part or all of the recruitment process. This would definitely reduce the work-load on the Human Resources team. 3. Since the target market is people with parenting experience, A-B-Zee may offer child-care program to its prospective employees. Child care programs have proven to produce reductions in turn-over, less absenteeism, recruiting advantage and positive impact on productivity and at the same time serve the compan y’s public relation interest (Howe, 1986). In conclusion, resourcing for manpower for a new superstore is a very challenging task that requires proper planning and hard work, putting into consideration that the company is new to the labour market. In order to acquire a balanced workforce across gender, age and ethnic minority, cultural norms and barrier between the age groups as well as between the majority and minority have to be overcome. Raising awareness could also help to bring about more participation by the minorities in future recruitment campaigns.

All About Coursera Teaching and Learning Essay Samples

All About Coursera Teaching and Learning Essay Samples The Honest to Goodness Truth on Coursera Teaching and Learning Essay Samples Sensitisation is believed to underlie both adaptive in addition to maladaptive learning processes in the organism. It takes away a required skill. Active learning is a critical characteristic of student-centered learning. Non-associative learning can be split into habituation and sensitization. A greater standard is mandated when measuring the capability of non-collegiate instruction to create meaningful outcomes. Upon finishing a program, you will get a digital certificate confirming that you've successfully listened to a course of lectures on a specific discipline. Obviously, among the principal benefits of such a technique of education is that you may study at your own pace. There are lots of internal elements that affect learning. A Startling Fact about Coursera Teaching and Learning Essay Samples Uncovered Aside from the criteria that have to be met by every e-learning platform to guarantee quality, some issues of a new type of e-learning named Adaptive Learning is going to be discussed, which attempts to lower some disadvantages of the timeless e-learning models. Based on the intricacy of a program, it can be broken into modules that contain educational material, presented in a logical purchase. Both classes required using technology and provided significant r igor and value to the education practice. Learning was confirmed after every stage by means of a selection of assessment procedures. The only resource that appears to be fighting to reach to the better part of the world by means of this process is schooling or education. It needs to realise that traditional schools and curricula will not be able to cope with our rapidly changing world. Even if only a little number complete the course per usual, Berklee will get a larger quantity of expected enrollees than is typically true with different types of student recruitment. Although online education may not appear to be substantial enough in comparison to the traditional one, it possesses lots of solid advantages you should think about. It is not about the characteristic of the drawing. On the flip side, ideal side dominant individuals have a tendency to rely more on the visual aids of learning. That forgetting actually enables you to strengthen the memory. Let us have a better look at online studying, and why it may be an attractive alternative. In order to reach the level necessary for Application' students were required o use their new wisdom and generate a food pyramid. This two way communication is important in the learning procedure, and the means by which the students may comment and add information to the class is quite crucial in promoting learning in the classroom. In addition, it consumes energy, so there have to be significant benefits related to play in order for it to have evolved. On the other hand, the sides don't have exclusive control over the activities and it is very important to be aware that these functions might be as well interchanged, Sousa, D. R. (1995). There are companies which care about what you could do rather than what college you graduated from, but nevertheless, it can take you time to locate them. Education began to be regarded as a right, and even some type of civic duty. A person having a diploma from a college or university will frequently have a preference above a student with a certificate from a web-based educational support. The Coursera Teaching and Learning Essay Samples Game If you are searching for assistance with your essay then we provide a comprehensive writing service given by fully qualified academics in your area of study. Explain and describe ideas that have many specifics. Then answer these questions. Then answer these questions regarding the introduction. How to Choose Coursera Teaching and Learning Essay Samples There are various on-line schools specializing in teaching particular disciplines. The teaching procedure should enable the student and the teacher to interact and have communication be tween both groups together with have some feedback between students about what they're learning. A good example of incidental teaching is as soon as the instructor places a train set in addition to a cabinet. For instance, a teacher speaking about chemistry should delight in chemistry and show this to her students. It was challenging to use the levels within a single lesson but would be fit for use over a whole unit with a lengthier period of time for development. There's a need to come up with novel ways that will keep the students focused as a lot of them have the sensation of being alone hence contributing to the very low performance and completion rates in several online courses. The world is able to move toward Scenario 2 but might not have the capacity to make enough progress because of problems like poverty, illiteracy and absence of access to the web. Some students live on campus to get around these difficulties, but then expenses go up on account of the price of a do rm room and meal program. The 5-Minute Rule for Coursera Teaching and Learning Essay Samples Tangential learning is the procedure by which people self-educate whether a topic is exposed to them in a context they already appreciate. Coursera has faced this challenge for some time now, but there need to be strategies that may be utilized to boost motivation and kick begin the value of their on-line course to people's minds. The start of the learning cycle content proved to be a practical activity designed to engage the activists at the beginning of the lesson. This time may be used for anything a youthful person wants, but supposedly they will spend it earning money to cover education, or attempting to determine which way of life seems most appealing. The True Meaning of Coursera Teaching and Learning Essay Samples Additionally, there are stand-alone conferences with a long-standing commitment to SOTL. Teaching is an extremely complicated activity. The problem of teacher qua lifications is connected to the condition of the profession. Many teachers make the most of the chance to grow their income by supervising after-school programs and other extracurricular pursuits.

Statement of Purpose for Cfd - 1035 Words

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