Issue Report on Captive Breeding and Reintroduction

Wildwood Trust is a project situated on the edge of the Forest of Blean, in Kent. Wildwood's aim is to use the facilities in the woodland and animal collection to ‘support practical conservation projects in the wild.' There are over three hundred animals, many of which are endangered, taking part in conservation projects, and living in semi natural enclosures. The woodland is managed by coppice rotation, a process that takes place every 20 years where trees such as silver birch and sweet chestnut are cut to ground level and then shoots allowed to regrow. This is an essential habitat for the hazel dormouse. The wood is a centre for captive breeding and reintroduction for native endangered species such as hazel dormice and this example will be used in this report to explain these issues. The Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) The Hazel Dormouse is native to the countryside of Britain, predominantly southern England (see figure 2), living in woodland areas and environments rich in coppice. The mice are an arboreal species; spending the majority of their life in trees or bushes and only living on ground level during winter hibernation. The mice are considered a ‘flagship species' chosen to represent an environmental cause and raise support subsequently benefitting other species contained in the ecosystem. The populations of dormice were shown to have disappeared from seven counties in England by The UK Mammal Society Dormouse Survey in 1984. The decline has been caused by human destruction of their woodland habitat through development, climate change and pressure from other species. Grey squirrels were introduced into England and ate the nuts that the dormice fed on whilst they hibernated. Climatic change caused warmer winters resulting in the early awakening of the dormice from hibernation, before the ripening of their food, and wetter summers stopped the dormice from foraging. Dormice are listed on The World Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species and are protected by law, under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. This act prevents the killing, injuring, disturbing or trapping of the dormouse. It also makes it illegal to possess or control the animal, damage its shelter and sell or buy the dormice without a licence. Captive breeding Captive breeding is the reproduction of animals in confinement under controlled conditions to be released into the wild. This is important for conservation of threatened species and is an example of ex situ (out of the natural habitat) conservation, but it raises implications. Captive breeding has taken place at Wildwood for dormice as part of the national dormouse captive breeding and reintroduction programme. The dormice are housed in an enclosure made of a wooden frame and mesh covering. Unlike other rodents theirs is a short breeding season having 1-2 small litters of 4-7 offspring. The young stay with the mother for 6-8 weeks, making it unlikely for more than one litter a year. In each enclosure the nest boxes are kept 1.5m off the ground with protection from water and predators, water and food are hung on the side of the cage and the floor is covered with leaves and soil. After hibernation the enclosure is filled with branches of vegetation to provide 3D space for the animals to use. This provides the ideal conditions for breeding with no stressful food finding. One enclosure can hold up to three individuals either two females and one male or one breeding pair and their offspring, under one year of age, and will be kept in the same groupings over winter. Adult males must be placed separately as they are territorial and will fight. Where do the breeding mice come from? In November nest boxes are checked and, if permission is granted from Natural England, wild dormice weighing less than 15g can be taken. As these mice are underweight they have less chance of surviving winter hibernation and can be kept indoors during this period in heated nest boxes. Other dormice are orphaned or given into rescue centres and vets. The Common Dormouse Captive Breeders Group (CDCBG) chooses which individuals breed and how many are bred annually, which also helps to prevent inbreeding. The Paignton zoo studbook keeper gives each captive born dormouse a stud book number, and their breeder will allocate each mouse a local ID number. Genetics When animals reproduce genes are passed from parents to offspring. Genetic variation is the natural differences of individuals, across a population. A characteristic that will give dormice a disadvantage, for example short teeth, could prevent them from opening nuts, so if food was in short supply these mice would die and longer teethed mice would thrive. This would cause the gene for longer teeth to become more common, which is the basis of natural selection. Natural selection, was a theory of Charles Darwin, in which better adapted animals would have more chance of survival, so becoming more predominant. Wildwood would like to preserve biodiversity which is the huge variation found within and between species and ecosystems on Earth. Offspring that are created from the same sets of genes will have similar genes to each other. Inbreeding is the breeding of animals that share more genes than the average population, they are related in some way. If inbreeding takes place the genes of their young will come from a very selective gene pool, making particular genes more predominant within a species. Inbreeding can lead to deformities and mutations as well as problems with immune systems and an increase in genetic diseases. ‘Inbreeding tends to reduce the number of alleles in a population', from source 1. A studbook for dormice was created in 2006 to keep track of mice kept by members of the CDCBG. The studbook limits inbreeding and keeps breeding to first generation or wild caught animals. Breeders can use the studbook to selectively breed, mixing mice from different collections and different families. This will stop related mice from dominating the gene pool creating healthier mice and preserving genetic diversity. Future developments could include implantation of embryos and in vitro fertilisation (IVF) of the dormice. Selective breeding could be improved and gradually undesirable characteristics or weaknesses bred out. Cloning could be developed. Captive breeding raises many ethical, environmental, social and economic issues. Ethical issues. * There are various ethical issues that need consideration with regard to captive breeding. Animals have to be removed from their natural environment and put into captivity virtually locking them up and many people feel that there should not be any interference with nature in this way even to avoid extinction. It could be the case that genetic diversity has already declined to the point where it is irreversible. * There could be a case for protection to encourage breeding in the wild, by in situ methods of conservation, within the environment. However, captive breeding is used to retain species and improve numbers and is easier to manage. * Selective breeding increases genetic variation and produces healthier populations also preventing inbreeding. This reduces deformities and mutations but should humans interfere with natural reproduction? Inbreeding would sometimes naturally occur and if the population was kept large enough this would not often happen. Economical Visitors pay an entrance fee at Wildwood and this money goes towards the captive breeding scheme. However, they do not see the programme taking place as they would disturb the dormice and interfere with hibernation and reproduction. It could be that unless the programme continues indefinitely a lot of investment may be lost if the numbers continue to decline. Environment Using dormice from different collections to breed may spread diseases to other populations of dormice. Reintroduction Reintroduction is releasing captive born animals into a particular environment to which they were once native and where they will be free from human supervision. Normally these populations experienced decline due to human intervention and will only succeed if the cause of the decline has been overcome. The reintroduction is considered successful if the animal has fully integrated into the local population and survived with no further aid or interaction from humans. Reintroduction projects must follow guidelines set out by the IUCN and Wildwood has released dormice back into their natural habitats. They use a soft release program, gradually using less human intervention. Seven weeks before release the litters are health screened at the Zoological Society and released if they pass the tests. Reintroduction is limited to once a year as criteria for suitable sites are extensive and complicated. The population densities are less than 10 adults per hectare in their best environments. What does the health screening test for? The health screening takes place to check the animals do not have any disease that could be passed onto wild populations. Scientists test for: * pathogenic bacteria * Tapeworms (cestodes) * Roundworms (strongyles) * Tubercolosis * Parasites The condition of the dormice's coat, skin, face, genitals, feet and incisor teeth are checked and their weight should be between 18-24g for summer re-introduction. 8mm Pet-ID microchips are fitted in the dormice under anaesthetic for identification in the future. Where is a dormouse released? An ideal site for the dormice†¦ would†¦ would not†¦ be an old wood with different layers of vegetation, already have a dormouse community (males may kill new dormice) have lots of undergrowth, have less than 100 nest boxes in the woodland. have deciduous trees, Place males less than 100m apart, as they are territorial. have coppicing taking place regularly, Have related dormice close by to stop inbreeding have fruiting hazel, Be at least 20 hectares, have a site management plan. Figure 4: Table showing an ideal site for dormouse reintroduction. How Wildwood release their dormice 1. Natural England is informed. 2. Pre-release cages made of wire are attached to a group of hazel trees. 3. 2-3 nest boxes placed in each cage, with a male and two females so there is more of a chance of the animals staying together. 4.Dormice then live in these whilst they acclimatise to the surroundings. 5. For 2-3 weeks humans supply fresh food everyday, during the day so the dormice are not disturbed. Also leafy branches are placed above pens to provide shade and protection from predators. 6. One week to 10 days into the three week period, a hole, less than 3cm2 is made in the top corner of the cage. The mice can then explore the area and there cage can not be invaded by birds or squirrels. 7. The frequency of feeding is reduced gradually until mid-September, when the animals should have found their own food supplies. 8. The nest boxes are checked until October, where weights and number of offspring are recorded. 9. Dormice are left to hibernate. 10. Monitoring begins in May. Figure 5: Stages of reintroduction What is monitored and when does it take place? A long term monitoring plan should be made before any reintroduction, so that the species will successfully survive in a wild environment. After release nest boxes are checked by trained and licensed volunteers, who record numbers, sex, weight, breeding condition and offspring. The volunteers monitor the nest once a month from April to October, between the 15th and 25th of each month. Data should be collected before midday so torpid dormice can be seen, and a National Dormouse Monitoring Programme Record From must be completed. Conditions of release * Winter cleaning of empty boxes. * Dormice are released in June to prepare for hibernation. Ethical There is an ethical duty for reintroduction because humans destroyed the dormice's natural habitat and caused the population decline so they should restore the population. However, should animals be returned to the wild when there are still outstanding issues that led to the original decline? Microchips are put into the necks of the released dormice which are approximately a tenth of their body length. Anaesthetic is risky for small animals and interferes with their natural state. The chips are considered important for monitoring the dormice to help with the programme. They could be eaten by a predator in the food chain and the microchip would be affecting natural processes. If the reintroduction is not successful and the mice die this could be due to human error and animals may have suffered as a result of this. Economical The scheme is expensive as the release is labour intensive, with staff needed to survey the area before and after release. This diverts resources from much more cost-effective ecosystem and habitat conservation measures. The health screening is expensive and microchips costs à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½8 per mouse on top of anaesthetic and vetinary bills. Environmental The nest boxes and cages used can intrude on the natural woodland, with the possibility of dormice causing a shortage of food for the other animals in the ecosystem. Social Some behaviour in genetically inherited but some is learnt from adults and experience. Captive bred animals do not gain this knowledge and are at a disadvantage when reintroduced. The mice might lose their ability to create their own nests. The reintroduced dormice could cause a problem to the local residents.

Food Poisoning Essay

These people have never met each other, they may live on the same street or live on the opposite side of the world, they don’t know what each other look like, but they all have one thing in common: they are all living victims of food poisoning. Some people think that food poisoning was the worst experience of their lives. It is important to recognize that anyone who eats or drinks anything is at risk of having a food borne illness. Let’s concentrate on bacterial food poisoning and how it occurs, the common bacterial culprits and some precautionary steps to avoid becoming infected with bacterial food poisoning. Food poisoning is a general term for illness or health problems that arise due to ingesting contaminated food. The main cause of food poisoning is bacterial toxins. Food poisoning occurs when a bacterium that is in food is prompted to grow and reproduce. Bacteria thrive in warm temperatures and an environment full of moisture. When the conditions are right, bacteria can grow from one to several million in just eight hours. The problem arises when instead of producing millions of bacteria, there is less but more toxic bacteria or there are a huge amount of bacteria that cause the problems inside the body. For example, Jill comes home after school and she only has a few minutes to get ready for work, she is starving but doesn’t have time to make anything. There is a leftover hamburger that her roommates left out. She eats the hamburger and goes on her way to work. A few hours later, she starts to feel some discomfort. She wonders why her stomach hurts and then all of a sudden begins to vomit. This is a perfect example of how food poisoning can happen. The food was already cooked so it was warm, then it is allowed to sit out at room temperature for who knows how long. The bacteria can thrive in this environment. Not only are there many ways that bacteria can infect people, there are also many different kinds of bacteria. There are an abundance of bacteria that cause illnesses and they exist virtually everywhere: on your skin, the soil, even the desk in front of you. Fortunately though, they don’t make you ill unless they are allowed to grow and infect you. Of the thousands of choices of bacteria, I will focus on two of the most prevalent that infect the food you eat: Salmonella and E. coli. According to the Centers for Disease Control, â€Å"Salmonella accounts for approximately 30,000 confirmed food poisoning cases yearly, with 600 deaths nationwide. Salmonella is found among the intestinal tracts of humans and animals; it produces an intestinal infection with symptoms arising 12 to 24 hours after infection. † Infection occurs from contamination of ready to eat foods, insufficient cooking or improper cooking (like with the Hamburger example. ) Usually beef, poultry, milk, and eggs are most often infected with salmonella. If eggs are contaminated, using raw eggs in sauces such as Caesar, or eating raw cookie dough can cause illness. This also includes any mayonnaise based sauces; they are often left in a warm environment and will likely cause illness. However, with more severe strains, bacteria can grow at refrigeration temperatures and so proper heating must be implemented. Another common bacterium to cause serious infection is Eshcerichia coli (E. coli). Symptoms include abdominal cramps and diarrhea and in more severe cases, cause Shiga toxin dysenteria (bloody diarrhea). Food sources such as sausages, unpasteurized juices and milk, dried (non-cooked) salami, ground beef and various vegetables have been known to cause outbreaks. Most E. coli doesn’t harm humans and can be killed by proper heating. Enough about what the bacteria is, let’s see how to prevent all of this from happening. The best way to avoid becoming infected is to prevent it. According to the FDA, (Food and Drug Administration) there are four simple rules to avoid common bacterial infections associated with foods. The first one is to clean. Always clean your hands and surfaces. Don’t switch tasks without washing hands especially when using raw products. Make sure food is cooked to the proper temperature, if step one fails, this will kill off any remaining bacteria. Make sure to separate foods and don’t mix vegetables with meat until after they are properly cooked. Lastly, either eat your food right after cooking, or refrigerate it. Bacteria cannot grow at cold temperatures. While at a restaurant, if your food seems cold, send it back, as it has probably been sitting out for a while. As previously stated, food poisoning is an illness that affects many people in the United States daily. After learning about what food poisoning is and how it effects human bodies, the two main types of bacteria and how to prevent food poisoning, one should be better informed about the dangers of bacteria and the safety measures that are needed to ensure that food is safe for others to consume.

HRM 592 Week 5 Mini Paper Essay

Walmart currently employees more that 2 million people worldwide in their more than 10,000 retail stores, strategically located in 27 different countries worldwide (Walmart Inc., 2013). In 2012 the company reported earning well over 400 billion dollars (Walmart Inc., 2013; â€Å"Walmart- Refocus,† 2006). Here in the third week of the needs assessment being conducted on behalf of our client Sams’s Club a division of Walmart Inc., the focus surrounds the collection and its analysis. Following the collection of data and a meeting was held with Sam’s Club management and a recommendation was made based on this analysis. The recommendations made was based on the findings generated from random customer satisfaction survey, selection process for focus groups, identifying and documenting key organizational objectives through questionnaires and surveys, collecting and tabulating responses from returned email questionnaires conducted over a two week period. As the world’s largest retailer, Walmart still faces the potential of not having the relative flexibility to act swiftly in response to changing global markets, fostering a universal company culture in all its locations, addressing the high rates of turnovers, or providing the same level of customer service and productivity globally. Realizing that there are several areas that need to be address using data collected from several source, random customer survey, employee surveys and questionnaire, small focus groups, the data determined the best approach to achieving improvement in alignment with the company’s goal is to address the issue of poor job satisfaction, which data indicates is a direct result of high turnover rates seen by Walmart. According to one finding although the retail giant has continued to grow and expand it US market shares an increase of 13 percent in the past five years, workforce in Walmart stores, and Sam’s Club has fallen by about 1.4 percent during that same time (Ungar, 2013). The growth of the organizations has continued, however, the workforce needed to effectively meet the needs of the customer has been overlook. Based on the employee surveys, workers feel overworked, undervalued, underpaid, unclear promotional pathway, especially females. The 2001 PeopleSoft employee data release by Walmart, shows that women are represented a disproportionately higher rate than males in positions that pay an hourly rate, while men are represented at the higher salaried management positions (Drogin, 2003). References Berr, J. (2013). Who’s right about Wal-Mart’s customer satisfaction? Retrieved from http://money.msn.com/now/post.aspx?post=32a76b45-56ae-48d4-999e-05d807af1ca8 Lifestyle Statistics > Walmart Stores > Number of SAM’S CLUBS (most recent) by state . (2013). Retrieved October 11, 2013, from http://www.statemaster.com/graph/lif_wal_sto_num_of_sam_clu-stores-number-sam-s-clubs Walmart Inc. (2013). Experience Walmart’s History. Retrieved from http://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/heritage/history-timeline

American Global Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

American Global Trade - Essay Example But they have also caused some friction. The trade relationship between US and China has become increasingly central to the economies of both countries. China's economy has been growing at roughly ten percent a year for more than two decades, and its growth has been closely tied to the open trade and investment regimes of the major economies of the world. Exports account for 40 percent of China's gross domestic product (GDP), and China has depended on the growth of its export sector to spur modernization of its economy and support improved standards of living. The World Bank estimates that during the past two decades (1980s and 1990s), nearly 400 million people in China have been lifted out of poverty. According to Chinese data, the United States market has directly accounted for 22 percent of China's phenomenal export growth over the last twenty years. The enormous scope and scale of the changes that have occurred in China's trading posture and in our bilateral trade relationship pose continual challenges. ... U.S.-China Trade U.S. policy is to further open China's markets to U.S. firms, and to encourage China to correct imbalances within its system. The U.S. supported China's WTO membership as a big step toward eliminating market barriers to U.S. companies. The U.S. continues to work with China's leaders and reformers to achieve full and effective compliance with China's WTO commitments in order to increase U.S. exports to the PRC. Ever since Deng Xiaoping ushered in a wave of liberalization in the late 1970s, the world has witnessed a surge in Chinese economic power. Over the last quarter century, China has averaged 9.5 percent growth annually, more than quadrupled its gross domestic product (GDP), and lifted over 400 million of its citizens out of poverty. In 1977, China had the thirtieth-ranked trade volume in the world; in ten years it is projected to be the world's top trading nation; and in fifteen, it will likely have the world's largest GDP. This rapid rise was aided by the normal trade relations China established with the United States in 1979, and later by China's accession into the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. But U.S.-Chinese trade relations have always been somewhat uneasy; for many years, Congress used an annual review of China's "Most Favored Nation" trading status to link trade liberalization with Beijing's human rights record. More recently, U.S. leaders have begun to worry about a massive trade imbalance that continues to grow. Protectionists in Washington and Beijing have begun to dig in their heels against the powerful economic forces that are changing their nations, while U.S. calls for China to revalue its currency and crack down on counterfeiting have not made much headway. Trade Volume A major factor in China's quick

Service Level Agreement Revisions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Service Level Agreement Revisions - Coursework Example The data should not be used for any other purpose without the explicit consent of Finman and its client. Datanal and Nineretek will be responsible for any unauthorized use of the data caused intentionally or unintentionally by their employees. In case of any such breach the two companies will be liable to indemnify Finman and its client according to the value of the data which will be agreed to by the parties in advance. Ownership of Work Product It is hereby stated that all the work carried out by Datanal and Mineretek for Finman will be the intellectual property of Finman unless and otherwise joint ownership of the product has been agreed. Any advancement made in the software or hardware during the duration of the project will also be owned by Finman. Datanal and Mineretek will be given licenses to use the advances during the project but its use for some other client is restricted without procurement of a license from Finman for the same. Any patented product, hardware or software which belongs to Finman and is used by Datanl and Mineretek for the duration of the project will be licensed to be used by them only till the SLA is in force. All such licenses will terminate with the expiry of the SLA unless otherwise agreed upon. Non-Solicitation It is hereby agreed by all the parties involved that they will not solicit employees from each other for the duration of the SLA and also for a period of 2 years after the completion of the Slain the case of any exception a no-objection needs to be taken by all the parties involved in the SLA. There is no restriction placed on soliciting of employees of the client’s of Finman, Datanal and Mineretek .However all parties have a liability to inform the other parties in case such a hiring is made and not down the objections if they are raised. Justification of the additions The first addition is regarding the data which belongs to the client’s of Finman. Finman has a number of clients and the employees of Datana l and Mineretek will be expected to use client data as well as work at client’s location. Their behavior in client location was already controlled by the SLA given but it was not stated about what happens if there is any misuse of the Client’s data. (Gbodossou, 2003)The client will certainly hold Finman responsible for any loss of data. So the first clause also makes the other two firms responsible and makes them liable for any breach caused by their employees. The second addition makes Finman the sole owner of every patent that is filed or any innovation done during the enforcement of the Slathers not only makes the terms of engagement clear but also clarifies that Datanal and Mineretek will be paid for their services but will not be the owner of the final product. This provision is unlikely to be a hindrance in the joint efforts as it has been stated that any innovation can be jointly owned if it has been agreed upon by the parties. The second clause further goes on to protect the developments made and the patents which are already in the name of finman as it clearly states that the other 2 parties are licensed to use them during the SLA but cannot be used once the SLA ceases to be in force. (Shiva, 2001) The last addition is regarding non-solicitation of each other’s employees. In today’s world human resource is as important as any other intellectual property that the company posses. Loss of a key employee can have a negative effect on the company’

RUINED Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

RUINED - Essay Example The play is an amalgamation of both harrowing and shocking experiences brought together by Kate Whoriskey’s ensemble, sets by Derek McLane and scintillating music by Dominic Kanza. In her 2007 play Nottage paints shocking and evocative portraits of the lives of African Americans while portraying the horrific sufferings and brutalization suffered by them during the decade long civil conflict that took place in the Congo. The clear message of Nottage was to bring about an awareness among the people about the atrocities meted out to the minorities of African Americans and to put an end to such practices in the future. Through the darkest moments of ‘Ruined’ there emerges and shines out awe inspiring nobility and profound tenderness that melts the heart. ‘Ruined is the kind of play that serves as a homage to all those resilient women who have to pull themselves together and lead a new life after they have been ‘ruined’. The primary aim of the playwr ight was to bring a problem that seemed too far away, right into the midst of contemporary society. According to what Nottage states -   "But I wanted to create an emotional bridge, so that when people are reading those articles, they feel that they're connecting with living, breathing human beings, not just statistics." (Lynn Nottage, 2007) The central theme of the plot revolves around the present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo, and traces a young woman’s nightmarish journey to a business savvy woman running a brothel called Mama Nadi during the thick of the Civil War. The director, Seret Scott, was quite capable in unifying the whole act together as a lot of trouble was taken for the costumes, lighting and the setting of each scene. For example, most of the scenes were set in a bar or brothel that was located in a mining area in the Congo rain forest. The regular clients were rustic rebels, miners and government officials who were in charge on that particular area o n any given day. These people were rough and with no sympathy. According to Nottage, â€Å"Rape has become a weapon of war† and these women were raped and mutilated in the most callous manner. The characters in the play each played their part very well and I am sure that their performances would have helped many people identify with them. Though I disliked the character of Mama Nadi, yet I liked the way she performed as the mistress of the brothel house. The reason why I disliked her character was because even though she was a woman herself, she had no sympathy for the other women who were so brutally treated. She goes by rules that are to be followed and everything is business for her. One of the characters that I like in the play is that of Christian played by Oberon K.A. Adjepond, who supplies Mama Nadi with whatever she needs for the house. Christian is a decent character who loves poetry and spontaneously recites a few lines of poetry throughout the play. The reason why I like this character is because he is quite reliable and trustworthy, especially when considering the type of people he is surrounded with. He tries to lend support to the ladies when the bad guys come and argues with them, but it is rather surprising that he somehow gets away with what he says. Sophie is another character that I like in the play. I feel sorry for the way she was brutally raped. Even Mama Nadi who is considered to have a cold heart, is seen to show some understanding and tenderness towards Sophie and this understanding can be

Management accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Management accounting - Essay Example The BASE formula helps in determining what caused the actual ending balances of all working capital accounts. Budgeted Balance Additions Subtractions (use to get back to actual balance) Ending Balance (actual) To understand what happened with everything else we must first understand the impact of the Raw Material Stocks. Raw Material Stocks Budgeted Balance 150,000 Additions 36,000 Subtractions 0 Ending Balance (actual) 186,000 By viewing the BASE formula we can see that the Raw Material Stocks balance was greater than the budgeted balance by 36,000 and based on the knowledge that production levels were about the same, this means that the materials would only increase not decrease because the balance was planned to be 150,000 based on production and with a 36,000 increase with the same production. A purchase of Raw Material Stocks equaling 36,000 must have been made. The issue that caused this was probably due to decreased efficiency in using materials. When Raw Materials must be pur chased beyond what is budgeted this means there is an unfavorable variance of 36,000. In order to correct this issue the company must come up with a standard of how much Raw Material stocks to use and then if costs allow, use a supervisor to ensure this standard is upheld. Creditors Budgeted Balance 66,000 Additions 36,000 Subtractions 51,000 Ending Balance (actual) 51,000 We can assume based on these numbers that the company added more debt from creditors of about 36,000 since inventory had been bought through creditors the balance increased by the amount of increase in the Raw Material Stock balance. Therefore since the ending balance of creditors was less than the beginning we can see that the company must have paid off creditors in excess of the added debt. That excess is equal to the beginning balance of 66,000 plus added debt of 26,000 minus the ending actual balance of 51,000, which means the company paid toward what was owed creditors, which was 51,000. The issue that may ha ve occurred is that current debts might have become due and therefore these debts had to be satisfied. Thus payment was made to the creditor decreasing working capital. In order to prevent this from happening again debt should be kept to a low amount, paid in a timely manner and cash should be kept in order to satisfy debt. Bank Budgeted Balance 4,500 Additions 7,500 Subtractions 51,000 Ending Balance (actual) (39,000) Due to the fact that the company paid creditors 51,000, that amount must come out of the Bank balance since there is no cash on hand. The beginning balance was only 4,500 and the ending balance was negative 39,000 therefore the company must have added 7,500 to the bank account. Where did that 7,500 come from? The issue is that there is an overdraft of the bank account. This has happened due to the purchases of Raw Material Stocks of 36,000 but the company did not generate enough cash in order to meet its burdens. To prevent this from happening again the company must i ncrease its liquidity by keeping inventory levels low, and the bank/cash balance high. Debtors Budgeted Balance 60,000 Additions 37,500 Subtractions 7,500 Ending Balance (actual) 90000 The debtors actual balance was 30,000 greater than the budgeted balance but what specifically happened was that debtors purchased the same amount of products that was involved in sales but 30,000 of these sales were credit sales. The issue is that there are more creditors that projected. This is a big problem because its likely that some of these debtors will become

Domestic violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Domestic violence - Essay Example It is important to note that there has been a wide spread outcry from the public as well as the leaders on the status of domestic violence in the societies. The trend of the domestic violence in the homes has also been noted to be on the increase. On the contrary, there have been significantly little measures that have been put forward for the management of the cases. The program will have its aims at encouraging the present two-way police training awareness. This will be carried out in conjunction with the on-going debates on the. Subsequently, there exist four on-going projects on the PAHT projects across the state. The program shall be developed with regard to the current finding on the various studies that have been carried out. Some of the studies that shall be taken into consideration are like the Domestic Violence as observed in the child protection systems. Domestic Violence actions and resources and also the Aboriginal as well as the Torres straits islander women’s taskforce on violence report, 2010. On the other hand, the program that is intended to carry out the initiative is well developed with a board of members that is elected on annual basis. Additionally, there are various trained councillors who are always available, but seemingly the number has been way too down for the cases that have been received, hence the need of training more volunteers. The project will be committed on focusing on its objectives as have been described; which is majorly dealing with the elimination of domestic violence in the state. The initiative will have the sole responsibility of taking into consideration of the plight of the women and children who might be victims of domestic violence. As such, the project can be described to have two major components; communal outreach and perpetrator rehabilitation. On the other hand, the services that shall be geared towards the communal outreach shall be responsible for

HumanBrain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

HumanBrain - Essay Example The monkeys use their judgmental skills to determine the type of leaves and fruits they will eat. The old world monkeys have a duplicated opsin gene that is lacking from other primates. The gene gives them the ability of having a better vision of orange and red areas of the light spectrum. The ability helps them choose nutritional food substances to consume (Zimmer, 381). As the world develops, the climate changed and the fruits became scarce and the primates had to change their strategy towards smell for survival purposes. The change of strategy from the sense of smell to the sense of sight changes the social skills of primates. The primates have to rely on their sense of smell to choose food and in some circumstances communicate to each other. There was development on the language of odors in the primates. A mother sheep passes molecules to her child that helps them communicates to each other. The molecules cause change in the brain of the ewe that helps it bond with child. It will use the molecules to recognize her lamb bond with it until it is ready to be on its own. The transition enabled primates to respond more emotionally to the sight of other primates (Zimmer, 382). The transition results in change of the muscles in the face-helped primates make expressions. The expressions in the face of the primates were a development of the brain. They had the ability to know of understanding what other primates were doing. Researches believe that the social evolution made the brain more intellectually. Robin Dunbar, a specialist in the area, believes that the size of the human brain continued to develop ever since (Zimmer, 383). Numerous tests tested the social and mental skills of small chimpanzees and those of adult chimpanzees. The results of the research indicate that the children learn faster when they observe what their adult counterparts do. Children develop their social skills by observing what the activities of

Homeless And Public Policy Essay Example for Free

Homeless And Public Policy Essay Homeless   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In any types of society, be it large or small scale, numerous problems can be experienced by the social elements building the public unit. In the case of Lakeland, Florida, there are now a great number of homeless individuals because of certain social and economic conditions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Primarily, the main losers in this social problem are the individuals who are homeless. The homeless people tend to be the losers since they will not have much opportunity to improve their lives in the absence of a home. People in the neighborhood can also become the losers since some of them feel anxious about their security in the presence of homeless people in the streets of their community. In a positive perspective, the homeless people can also be considered as the primary gainers. These individuals in Lakeland can expect to have a warm compassionate reaction from its neighborhoods (Inside Lakeland, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There is a significant direct cost of having homeless people lurking in Lakeland. For one, damage to private and public properties may be involved in the complete manipulation by homeless individuals of the current infrastructure where they want to dwell in. Another is the possibility of garbage amount increase in the area because of improper disposal processes. The indirect cost on the other hand can be realized in the form of lesser external investments due to the visual and probably perceptive impression of investors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The primary attributed factor which brings homelessness rates in Lakeland relatively high is somehow pointed out to personal concerns of individuals.   Alcoholism, drug use, mental health issues and unemployment are among the top issues. Thus, not being able to resolve these problems leads to homeless situations for people with such dilemmas in life.   References Inside Lakeland PD. 2007. Policing the Homeless in Lakeland. Retrieved November 29, 2007 from http://www.insidelakelandpd.org/2007/06/policing_the_ho.html.

Communication skills are vital within a nurses role

Communication skills are vital within a nurses role Communication is natural to most people. We learn to communicate from birth and it is something that most people do without being aware of it. Communication is simply the name for expressing, sharing and understanding information. To examine a model of communication, for example, Shannon and Weavers model of communication (Brooker and Waugh, 2007) there are three components to successful communication. The first part is the sender. This is the source of the information which is to be shared. It could be a person talking, a radio or a newspaper or book. The next part of the model is the message. This is the information itself. It could be words spoken by the person or words from the book or newspaper. The last stage is the receiver. This is the person who is receiving the message. That would be the person listening to the words of another, the person hearing the radio or the person reading the book or newspaper. Communication can be separated into two categories, verbal communication and non-verbal communication. Knapp et al (2010) defines Non-verbal communication as communication without the use of words. Non- verbal communication can include body language, touch and gesture. Non-verbal communication can be more influential than verbal communication (Argyle, 1988 cited in Chambers, 2003) Verbal communication is achieved through the use of spoken or written language. Scammell (1990) states that its purpose include: to instruct, to teach, to educate, to express feelings and emotions, to help or seek help. Although there are two separate categories, both are used together in everyday life by most people without thinking. In this explanation, communication sounds very straight forward but the barriers to communication can be very complex, this is especially relevant in people who have had a stroke as will be explored later in this text. The nurse has a vital role in caring for the patient who has had a stroke. It is within the nurses role to assess, plan, implement and evaluate a personalised care plan for the patient (Brooker Nicol 2003 cited in Brooker and Waugh, 2007). Although the nurse will be assessing the patient holistically, they must also ensure they realise the importance of communication in the patients recovery. It is fundamental the nurse understands and expects the communication problems that the patient may encounter. It is also essential that the nurse can communicate effectively with other members of the multi disciplinary team to ensure that patient receives high quality evidence based care. The nurse must also communicate well with the relatives of the patient as they may not fully understand what to expect in the recovery process (Glass Maddox 1992). The Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008) have clear guidelines on the responsibility of the nurse to communicate effectively with patients in their care. The nurse has a duty of care to meet the patients communication and language needs. The nurse should use evidence based practice and research to decipher effective communication strategies for each patient, trying to get to know the patient as an individual and documenting successful communication techniques. The nurse may also refer to the patients relatives to gain knowledge of communication strategies which work already. The nurse must have a sound knowledge of the pathophysiology of a stroke to understand how to communicate; this is explored in the next paragraph. Firstly, to understand the communication problems that a patient who has suffered a stroke encounters, how a stroke manifests must be understood. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) statistics, 15 million people will have a stroke on an annual basis (WHO, 2004 cited in Ross, 2009) the correct medical terminology for a stroke is a cerebral vascular accident (CVA). A stroke usually happens when an artery within the brain becomes blocked thus leading to the death of cells which have had their blood supply cut off (Chang et al, 2006a). The term for cell death, in this way, is infarction. Another reason for a stroke is when there is a haemorrhage within the brain, or an artery bursts also resulting in cell death. If the blood supply is cut off then the cells dies and this can cause serious damage to important areas of the brain (Chang et al, 2006b). Different areas of the brain control different aspects of the body and depending on where the stroke has taken place can affect how the patient recovers. The patient who has suffered a stroke may have very serious communication difficulties after the stroke. For most people, the language centre of the brain is in the left hemisphere, although a small amount of left handed people may have their language centre on the right hemisphere. If the stroke happens within this area and there is damage then the person can suffer language problems (Horton, 2001). This is called Aphasia. Aphasia can prove to be a very complex barrier in communication. Aphasia can alter the way they communicate, from speaking and pronouncing words, having correct grammar to understanding words (Bannister, 1992 cited in Clarkson, 2010). Aphasia can also disrupt the patients ability to write and read. When a patient suffers a stroke they may be left with aphasia. The patient may not be able to adequately understand language or express language (Clarkson, 2010). A patient with a stroke can be left unable to even recognise simple words or instructions. This can be very infuriating for the patient as they may not be able to express their needs or preferences. The nurse may also find it hard to assess what the patients needs are which could effectively slow recovery. Communication strategies are essential in the plan of care for the patient who has had a stroke, as will be discussed in the next paragraph. There are many communication strategies which have been implemented within a clinical setting to overcome barriers in communication. The nurse must strive to increase the patients confidence when communicating ensuring that the patient has opportunity to make decisions about their care. Alternative and Augmentative communication systems can be put in place to assist with communication (Glennen DeCoste, 1996a). One of these methods is the use of picture cards. Picture cards are used to give the patient the opportunity to express a fundamental need (Speakability.org.uk, 2010). These picture cards can be of varying size but are usually about A4 size. They contain pictures of basic items and usually a phrase accompanying the item, e.g. a pair of spectacles and a phrase stating I need my glasses. The cards are accessible to the patient so it means that they can express needs without speaking. The nurse can quickly decipher what the patient needs and can deliver the care quickly and effectively. Although picture cards may be effective, they can be reinforced by gesture or mime. The patient may use a cup to signal the fact that they are thirsty. This could also be reversed with the nurse holding the cup to ask the patient if they are thirsty. The use of a medical passport has also become more common within clinical area. This consists of a booklet which is usually passport size, which is full of pictures and phrases, like the picture cards (Speakability.org.uk, 2010). This may have pictures of things like a clock and the phrase How long will I have to wait? This means the patient can maintain control over their healthcare and also be more involved in decisions and treatment options. The picture cards and the medical passport are a non-verbal way of the patient communicating wit h the nurse or even family members (Glennen and DeCoste, 1996b). However in order to obtain these responses from the patient, the nurse may have to use a different communication strategy such as questioning. Referring back to the communication model from earlier, the nurse must understand that although it seems very straight forward, it is altered completely in a stroke patient. The patient may be trying to send a message but be unable to find the correct words or grammar to express themselves (Clarkson, 2010). The patient may also have difficulty understanding the message so although the words are correct, they may be unrecognisable to a stroke patient. The nurse could use a verbal form of communication to encourage the patient to, for example, use the picture cards or medical passport. The nurse could use questioning as a tool to assess needs and deliver appropriate care. The nurse must assess the type of questioning needed in certain situations, e.g. if there is important information needed quickly then the nurse could use closed questions to ascertain a yes or no response. Closed questioning may also be useful in stroke patients as an open question may be difficult to answer because of the aphasia. It is important to add that sometimes people with aphasia can say yes when they mean no and vice versa (Clarkson, 2010) so the nurse could summarize what the patient wants, by repeating back to them verbally, just to clarify the correct information has been communicated. The nurse must communicate with clarity, avoiding medical jargon or eloquent grammar, using clear and concise language which is not too complex. Nurses are often seen by the patient as their link to understanding the medical jargon which doctors may use (Castledine, 2002). When relaying information, the nurse must simplify the language so that the patient has a better understanding of the definition, this is especially relevant to patients who have had a stroke due to nature of this condition. Simple language may even be difficult for the patient to understand, so the nurse must relay the information in a simple format, always clarifying that the patient has understood what is being said. In conclusion, this essay has explained the importance of the nurse understanding what communication actually is and why it is relevant in patients who have had a stroke. This text has explored how a stroke manifests and what barriers a stroke patient may encounter when trying to communicate. In summary, it is evident that there are many different ways to communicate with a patient who has had a stroke but it is the nurses responsibility to ensure that they research and build rapport with the individual patient to effectively communicate in the easiest manner. The nurse has legal obligations to meet communication and language needs of the patient. This essay explored two specific strategies used in communicating with patients with aphasia. This essay concludes that communication barriers can be complex and the nurse must ensure that care is delivered in a person-centered, individual, holistic basis. Word Count: 1921 .