The Pantheon: Temple Dedicated to All Gods

Pantheon, temple dedicated to all the gods. The Pantheon of Rome is the best-preserved major edifice of ancient Rome and one of the most significant buildings in architectural history. In shape it is an immense cylinder concealing eight piers, topped with a dome and fronted by a rectangular colonnaded porch. The great vaulted dome is 43. 2 m (142 ft) in diameter, and the entire structure is lighted through one aperture, called an oculus, in the center of the dome.The Pantheon was erected by the Roman emperor Hadrian between AD 118 and 128, replacing a smaller temple built by the statesman Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa in 27 BC. In the early 7th century it was consecrated as a church, Santa Maria ad Martyres, to which act it owes its survival (see Architecture). The term pantheon also refers to a building that serves as a mausoleum or memorial for eminent personages of a country. The most famous example is the Church of Sainte Genevieve in Paris, designed (1764) in the classical style by t he French architect Jacques Germain Soufflot.It was later secularized, renamed the Pantheon, and used as a temple to honor the great of France. Built in Rome, AD c. 118-28, in the reign of Emperor Hadrian, the Pantheon is the best preserved and most impressive of all Roman buildings. It has exerted an enormous influence on all subsequent Western architecture. The Pantheon asserts the primacy of space as contained volume over structure in the most dramatic fashion.From the time of the Pantheon onward, Roman architecture was to be one of spatial volumes. The Pantheon was designed and built by Hadrian to replace an earlier temple established by Agrippa (the misleading inscription in the entrance frieze refers to this earlier edifice). The existing structure is an immense round temple covered by a single dome, fronted by a transitional block and a traditional temple portico of eight Corinthian columns carrying a triangular pediment.

Changes And Urban Expansion In Greater Dhaka Environmental Sciences Essay

This survey evaluates old termland usage alterations and urban enlargement in Greater Dhaka, Bangladesh, between 1975 and 2003 utilizing satellite images and socio-economic informations. Spatial and temporal kineticss of old termlandnext term use/cover old termchangesnext term were quantified utilizing three Landsat images, a supervised categorization algorithm and the post-classification old termchangenext term sensing technique in GIS. Accuracy of the Landsat-derived old termlandnext term use/cover maps ranged from 85 to 90 % . The analysis revealed that significant growing of built-up countries in Greater Dhaka over the survey period resulted important lessening in the country of H2O organic structures, cultivated old termland, following term flora and wetlands. old termUrban land expansionnext term has been mostly driven by lift, population growing and economic development. Rapid old termurban expansionnext term through infilling of low-lying countries and glade of flora resulted in a broad scope of environmental impacts, including habitat quality. As dependable and current informations are missing for Bangladesh, the old termlandnext term usage maps produced in this survey will lend to both the development of sustainable old termurban landnext term usage planning determinations and besides for calculating possible hereafter old termchangesnext term in growing forms. Urbanization is one the most widespread anthropogenetic causes of the loss of cultivable old termlandnext term ( Lopez, Bocco, Mendoza, & A ; Duhau, 2001 ) , habitat devastation ( Alphan, 2003 ) , and the diminution in natural flora screen. The transition of rural countries into old termurbannext term countries through development is presently happening at an unprecedented rate in recent human history and is holding a pronounced consequence on the natural operation of ecosystems ( Turner, 1994 ) . Although old termurbannext term countries presently cover merely 3 % of the Earth ‘s old termlandnext term surface, they have marked effects on environmental conditions at both local and planetary graduated tables ( [ Herold etA al. , 2003 ] and [ Liu and Lathrop, 2002 ] ) , including clime old termchangenext term ( Grimm, Grove, Pickett, & A ; Redman, 2000 ) . Since ecosystems in old termurbannext term countries are strongly influenced by anthropogenetic activities, well more attendi ng is presently being directed towards supervising old termchangesnext term in old termurban landnext term usage and old termlandnext term screen ( LULC ) ( Stow & A ; Chen, 2002 ) . Such surveies are peculiarly of import because the spacial features of LULC are utile for understanding the assorted impacts of human activity on the overall ecological status of the old termurbannext term environment ( Yeh & A ; Li, 1999 ) . LULC old termchangenext term due to human activities is presently continuing more rapidly in developing states than in the developed universe, and it has been projected that by the twelvemonth 2020, most of the universe ‘s mega metropoliss will be in developing states ( World Bank, 2007 ) . Increasing population in developing metropoliss has caused rapid old termchangesnext term in LULC and increased environmental debasement ( Holdgate, 1993 ) . The consequence of population is peculiarly relevant given that the planetary old termurbannext term population is projected to about duplicate by 2050 ( UN, 2008 ) . In order to extenuate the damaging effects associated with old termurbannext term growing on the environment and to keep optimum ecosystem operation ( Fang, Gertner, Sun, & A ; Anderson, 2005 ) , spacial and temporal LULC forms, and the factors impacting these old termchangesnext term ( Serra, Pons, & A ; Sauri , 2008 ) , are well of import in developing rational economic, societal and environmental policies ( Long, Tang, Li, & A ; Heilig, 2007 ) . Bangladesh has experienced rapid old termurbannext term population growing in recent decennaries ; the population numbered 14.1 million in 1981, 22.5 million in 1991, 31.1 million in 2001 ( BBS, 2001 ) and 35 million in 2005 ( CUS, NIPORT, & A ; MEASURE, 2006 ) . Rapid urbanisation has led to the transmutation of rural countries into developed countries, and it has been estimated that more than 809A km2 of agricultural old termlandnext term is converted to metropoliss, roads and substructure yearly ( BBS, 1996 ) . The lessening in agricultural activities, the largest sector of the Bangladeshi economic system, and the attendant loss of cultivated old termlandnext term is likely to lend to landlessness, nutrient deficits and endanger the economic system ( Ahmad, 2005 ) . Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, is expected to be the 3rd largest metropolis in the universe by 2020 ( World Bank, 2007 ) and the rapid old termurbannext term growing experienced by the metropolis in recent decennaries is one of the highest in the universe ( [ Islam, 1999 ] and [ Islam, 2005 ] ) . old termUrban expansionnext term of Dhaka was slow in the 1950s, but strong growing followed the independency of Bangladesh in 1971 ( Chowdhury & A ; Faruqui, 1989 ) . The considerable growing observed in the population of Dhaka is thought to hold occurred in response to large-scale rural-previous termurbannext term migration, which has contributed, significantly to the increased rate of urbanisation ( Islam, 1996 ) . To day of the month, the environmental and socio-economic sustainability of Dhaka, which is indispensable for development planning, has received comparatively small attending. This has resulted in widespread environmental jobs across the metropolis, mostly stemming from unpl anned urbanisation, extensive old termurbannext term poorness, perennial episodes of implosion therapy, significant growing of slums, development of resources, and the misdirection of limited old termlandnext term resources ( Hasan & A ; Mulamoottil, 1994 ) . Geographic Information Systems ( GIS ) and distant detection ( RS ) are powerful and cost-efficient tools for measuring the spacial and temporal kineticss of LULC ( [ Hathout, 2002 ] , [ Herold etA al. , 2003 ] , [ Lambin etA al. , 2003 ] and [ Serra etA al. , 2008 ] ) . Distant feeling informations provide valuable multi-temporal informations on the procedures and forms of LULC old termchange, following term and GIS is utile for function and analysing these forms ( Zhang etA al. , 2002 ) . In add-on, retrospective and consistent synoptic coverage from orbiters is peculiarly utile in countries where old termchangesnext term have been rapid ( Blodget, Taylor, & A ; Roark, 1991 ) . Furthermore, since digital archives of remotely sensed informations provide the chance to analyze historical LULC old termchanges, following term the geographic form of such old termchangesnext term in relation to other environmental and human factors can be evaluated. Numerous old termchangenext term sensing methods have been developed to measure fluctuations in LULC utilizing satellite informations ( [ Coppin etA al. , 2004 ] , [ Lu etA al. , 2004 ] and [ Singh, 1989 ] ) . Of these techniques, the pre- and post-classification comparings have been extensively used ( [ Coppin etA al. , 2004 ] and [ Singh, 1989 ] ) . In the pre-classification attack, processs such as image differencing ( Toll, Royal, & A ; Davis, 1980 ) , band rationing ( Nelson, 1983 ) , old termchangenext term vector analysis ( Johnson & A ; Kasischke, 1998 ) , direct multi-date categorization ( Li & A ; Yeh, 1998 ) , flora index differencing ( Townshend & A ; Justice, 1995 ) and principle constituent analysis ( Fung & A ; LeDrew, 1987 ; Hartter, Lucas, Gaughan, & A ; Aranda, 2008 ) have been developed ( [ Hardin etA al. , 2007 ] , [ Jensen, 1996 ] and [ Singh, 1989 ] ) . The basic premiss of these processs is that old termchangesnext term in LULC consequence in differences in the pel coefficient of reflection values between the day of the months of involvement. However, while these techniques are effectual for turn uping old termchange, following term they can non place the nature of old termchangenext term ( Ridd & A ; Liu, 1998 ) . Conversely, post-classification comparings examine old termchangesnext term over clip between independently classified old termlandnext term screen informations. Despite the troubles associated with post-classification comparings ( [ Coppin etA al. , 2004 ] and [ Singh, 1989 ] ) , this technique is the most widely used for placing LULC old termchangesnext term ( [ Jensen, 1996 ] and [ Lu etA al. , 2004 ] ) , peculiarly in old termurbannext term environments ( Hardin etA al. , 2007 ) . However, one of the disadvantages associated with this attack is that the truth of the end point LULC old termchangenext term maps depends on the truth of the single categorization, intending that such techniques are capable to error extension ( Y uan, Sawaya, Loeffelholz, & A ; Bauer, 2005 ) . However, such post-classification techniques are peculiarly utile for bring forthing ‘from-to ‘ maps ( Jensen, 1996 ) , which can be used to clear up the magnitude, location and nature of the old termchangesnext term shown ( Howarth & A ; Wickware, 1981 ) . In add-on, the technique can be employed utilizing informations acquired from detectors with different spatial, temporal and spectral declarations ( [ Alphan, 2003 ] and [ Coppin etA al. , 2004 ] ) . RS is really effectual for exemplifying the interactions between people and the old termurbannext term environments in which they live ( Gatrell & A ; Jensen, 2008 ) . Space-borne orbiter informations are peculiarly utile for developing states due to the cost and clip associated with traditional study methods ( Dong, Forster, & A ; Ticehurst, 1997 ) , and these techniques have become feasible options to conventional study and ground-based old termurbannext term mapping methods ( Jensen, Hodgson, Tullis, & A ; Raber, 2004 ) . Several surveies have demonstrated the pertinence of RS to developing sourcing information and for back uping decision-making activities in a broad scope of old termurbannext term applications ( [ Gatrell and Jensen, 2008 ] , [ Jensen and Cowen, 1999 ] and [ Zeilhofer and Topanotti, 2008 ] ) . In the country of old termurbannext term planning, of import RS research has been conducted to day of the month, peculiarly in old termurban changenext term analysis and th e mold of growing ( [ Bahr, 2004 ] , [ Hardin etA al. , 2007 ] , [ Hathout, 2002 ] , [ Herold etA al. , 2003 ] , [ Jat etA al. , 2008 ] , [ Jensen and Im, 2007 ] , [ Liu and Lathrop, 2002 ] , [ Maktav and Erbek, 2005 ] , [ Ridd and Liu, 1998 ] , [ Yang, 2002 ] and [ Yuan, 2008 ] ) , LULC rating ( [ Alphan, 2003 ] , [ Lopez etA al. , 2001 ] , [ Xiao etA al. , 2006 ] , [ Yang and Lo, 2002 ] and [ Yuan etA al. , 2005 ] ) , and old termurbannext term heat-island research ( [ Kato and Yamaguchi, 2005 ] and [ Weng, 2001 ] ) . In peculiar, RS-based multi-temporal old termlandnext term use old termchangenext term informations provide information that can be used for measuring the structural fluctuation of LULC forms ( Liu, Gao, & A ; Yang, 2003 ) , which can be applied to avoiding irreversible and cumulative effects of old termurbannext term growing ( Yuan, 2008 ) and are of import to optimise the allotment of old termurbannext term services ( Barnsley & A ; Barr, 1996 ) . In add-on, accura te and comprehensive old termlandnext term use old termchangenext term statistics are utile for inventing sustainable old termurbannext term and environmental planning schemes ( [ Alphan, 2003 ] and [ Jensen and Im, 2007 ] ) . It is hence really of import to gauge the rate, form and type of LULC old termchangesnext term in order to foretell future old termchangesnext term in old termurbannext term development. Small is known about the spacial and temporal dimensions of the LULC old termchangesnext term that have shaped the old termurban expansionnext term of Greater Dhaka. Although most developed states have both recent and extended LULC information, the comparative deficiency of geospatial informations or entree thereto, is prevailing in developing states, peculiarly in Bangladesh. For case, aerial exposure are classified for the populace. The metropolis does non hold any official statistics on old termlandnext term usage forms, and the Master Plans do non incorporate either a map or quantitative information on the bing forms of old termlandnext term usage in the metropolis ( [ Islam, 1996 ] and [ Islam, 2005 ] ) . The old termlandnext term usage forms of Greater Dhaka were officially categorized in 1991 utilizing land observation informations ( Flood Action Plan ( FAP ) 8A, 1991 and [ Islam, 2005 ] ) . Due to the easiness of entree and recent nature of nose count records, the local autho ritiess of Dhaka often use nose count informations to construe old termlandnext term use old termchanges.next term As a consequence, the kineticss of development are non clear and frequently deceptive ( Talukder, 2008 ) . Numerous factors, including fiscal restraints, restricted entree to informations, bureaucratism and deficiency of geospatial expertness in the planning bureaus account for the absence of historical and current old termlandnext term usage informations. Furthermore, every bit many as 18 ministries are involved in the development and planning of Dhaka, and there is a general deficiency of coordination between these organic structures ( Mohit, 1991 ) . This empirical survey will try to place the spatio-temporal form of LULC old termchangesnext term for Greater Dhaka utilizing geospatial informations so that both the scientific community and determination shapers can measure the assorted kineticss impacting LULC old termchangesnext term in this old termurbannext term en vironment. The aims of this survey were therefore to research the features of LULC old termchangesnext term and qualify the underlying drive forces in the Greater Dhaka country by doing usage of remotely sensed informations and socio-economic information. Specifically, the aims are: ( a ) to clarify and measure the LULC old termchangesnext term between 1975 and 2003 ; ( B ) to research the spacial and temporal features of old termurban expansionnext term in this period ; and ( degree Celsius ) to analyse the drive forces of old termlandnext term use old termchange and urban expansion.next termStudy countryAs shown in Fig.A 1, the survey country of Greater Dhaka is located in the centre of Bangladesh between 23A °68aˆ?N ( BTM 533233.91A m ) , 90A °33aˆ? E ( BTM 619052.83A m ) and 23A °90aˆ?N ( BTM 550,952.57A m ) , 90A °50aˆ? E ( BTM 642511.56A m ) , severally. Topographically, the country is level with a surface lift runing from 1 to 14A m ( Fig.A 1 ) , with most old ter murbannext term countries located at lifts runing from 6 to 8A m ( FAP 8A, 1991 ) . The metropolis is situated chiefly on an alluvial patio, popularly known as the Modhupur patio dating from the Pleistocene period. The survey country is surrounded by four major river systems: the Buriganga, Turag, Tongi and the Balu, which flow to the South, west, north and east, severally. These rivers are chiefly fed by local rainfall and besides receive overflow from the well larger Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers. The metropolis has a humid sub-tropical monsoon clime and receives about 2000A millimeters of rainfall yearly, more than 80 % of which falls during the monsoon season from June to September. Life-size image ( 137K ) – Opens new window Life-size image ( 137K ) Fig.A 1.A Location of survey country. River webs, embankment and administrative units are draped over a digital lift theoretical account. Brightest countries represent higher lift ; bright grey represents average lift while dark pels show the lowest lift.Position Within ArticleThe happening of heavy monsoon rainfall combined with floodwater overflow from the rivers environing the metropolis mean that Dhaka is really prone to monsoon implosion therapy. The metropolis has experienced a figure of lay waste toing inundations in recent times, with the inundations in 1988, 1998 and 2004 being the most terrible ( Alam & A ; Rabbani, 2007 ) . Quantitative appraisals of the countries inundated by these flood events revealed that in 1988, 47.1 % of greater Dhaka were flooded, while in 1998 and 2004, about 53 % and 43 % countries were inundated ( [ Dewan etA al. , 2007 ] , [ Dewan and Yamaguchi, 2008 ] and [ Dewan etA al. , 2006 ] ) . The inundations caused harm to lodging and substructure amou nting to US $ 2.2A m in 1988, 4.4A m in 1998 and 5.6A m in 2004 ( Ahmed, Gotoh, & A ; Hossain, 2006 ) . The badness of inundation harm was considerable, even in 2004, which was considered more moderate of the three inundations, and which was believed to be the consequence of hapless old termurbannext term planning and renewal and development of natural countries, such as wetlands and low-lying countries, that would otherwise hold attenuated the implosion therapy. A survey utilizing hydrological record and RS-based LULC information has shown that inundation continuance and extent has increased well as a consequence of the extended old termurbannext term development on Lowlandss and flood plains of natural river channels ( Dewan & A ; Yamaguchi, 2008 ) . It has been suggested that the exposure of Dhaka to deluge harm will increase due to continued unplanned old termurban expansionnext term ( Faisal, Kabir, & A ; Nishat, 1999 ) and the consequence of clime old termchangenext term ( Ala m & A ; Rabbani, 2007 ) , and that these in bend will increase the agony to the dwellers of Dhaka and do extended harm to belongings in the part.Data and methodological analysisData acquisition and readyingLandsat informations ( MSS, TM and ETM+ ) were acquired and used to measure LULC old termchanges and urban expansionnext term in Dhaka. Geometric rectification was performed on all the images utilizing a Landsat TM image of the same country from 1997 as mention. At least 45 land control points ( GCPs ) were used to register the images to the Bangladesh Transverse Mercator ( BTM ) system. GCPs were dispersed throughout the scene, giving a RMS mistake of less than 0.5 pels. A first order multinomial tantrum was applied and images were resampled to 30A m end product pels utilizing the nearest neighbour method. All brooding sets were used in image categorization and the thermic set was excluded. In add-on, geospatial informations including municipal boundaries, route webs, geomorphic units and lift units were used to bring forth GIS beds from beginnings such as Survey of Bangladesh ( SOB ) topographical maps ( sheet no. 79 I 5 & A ; 6 ) , municipal boundary map and geomorphic map ( Asaduzzaman, Nasreen, & A ; Olsen, 1999 ) . Multi-year socio-economic informations were obtained from Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics ( BBS ) and published literature ( [ Islam, 1996 ] , [ Islam, 2005 ] and [ Siddiqui etA al. , 2000 ] ) . Reference informations, which varied given the retrospective nature of the survey ( Table 1 ) , were used for both developing country choice and for the rating of map truth. In add-on to utilizing high-resolution imagination, intensive fieldwork was conducted in the survey country from 6 February to 22 March 2003 to roll up land truth information for the analysis of the 2003 image. A hardcopy false colour composite ETM+ ( RGB 432 ) image picturing different LULC types was used in the field to place bing old termlandnext term screen characteristics, with particular attending given to spectrally similar characteristics. Based on this fieldwork, a land truth map was prepared for turn uping preparation pels on the image and 200 mention informations points were collected utilizing a planetary placement system ( GPS ) . This GPS information was so overlaid with the image in GIS to choose developing countries and for accuracy appraisal ; 100 of the GPS points were used for trying and the ot her 100 were used for measuring the truth of the categorization. Table 1. Different informations types used in this survey.Sl. No.Type of informations usedScale/resolutionYear1 Survey of Bangladesh topo-sheets 1: 50,000 1973, 1991 2 CUS old termlandnext term usage map 1: 10,000 1975 3 FAP 8A old termlandnext term usage map 1: 10,000 1991 4 Landsat MSS image 79A m 1975 5 SPOT Pan image 10A m 1989/90 6 Landsat TM image 28.5A m 1992 7 Landsat ETM+ image 28.5A m 2003 8 IKONOS Pan image 1A m 2003 9 Municipal boundary informations 1: 50,000 2001 10 Geomorphic map 1: 25,000 1999 11 Drain map 1: 25,000 2000 12 City Guide Maps 1: 20,000 1991, 2002 13 Socio-economic informations Annually and decadala 1973-2005 Full-size tabular array aA Census records.Position Within ArticleImage categorizationA alteration of the Anderson Scheme Level I method was used to measure LULC old termchangesnext term in this survey ( Anderson, Hardy, Roach, & A ; Witmer, 1976 ) . Specifically, extra factors such as the major old termlandnext term usage classs within the survey country and differences in the spacial declaration of the images, which varied from 30 to 79A m, were considered in planing the categorization strategy. Six separate LULC types were identified: H2O organic structures, wetlands/lowlands, built-up countries, cultivated old termland, following term flora and bare soil/landfill ( Table 2 ) . Table 2. old termLandnext term use/cover categorization strategy. old termLandnext term use/Cover TypesDescriptionBuilt-up Residential, commercial and services, industrial, transit, roads, assorted old termurban, following term and other old termurbannext term Bare soil/landfill sites Exposed dirts, landfill sites, and countries of active digging Cultivated old termlandnext term Agricultural country, harvest Fieldss, fallow old termlandsnext term and vegetable old termlandsnext term Vegetation Deciduous forest, assorted forest old termlands, following term thenars, conifer, chaparral and others Water organic structures River, lasting unfastened H2O, lakes, pools and reservoirs Wetland/lowlands Permanent and seasonal wetlands, low-lying countries, marshy old termland, following term rivulets and gully, swamps Full-size tabular arrayPosition Within ArticleAll orbiter informations were studied utilizing spectral and spacial profiles to determine the digital Numberss ( DNs ) of different LULC classs prior to categorization. Training samples were selected from the mention informations and accessory information ( Table 1 ) . Sixty to seventy preparation sites, runing in size from 286 to 7800 pels, were used to develop the images. Training samples included 5-10 subclasses for each category except for bare soil/landfill. The preparation samples were so refined, renamed, merged, and deleted after rating of the category histogram and statistical parametric quantities. A supervised upper limit likeliness categorization ( MLC ) algorithm, antecedently demonstrated to obtain the best consequences from remotely sensed informations if each category has a Gaussian distribution ( Bolstad & A ; Lillesand, 1991 ) , was so applied to each image. However, several of the categories were falsely classified in the supervised categorization of LULC, with certain old termurbannext term colonies being misclassified as landfill sites due to their holding similar spectral features. Similarly, the wetland category was merged with the lowland category as it was non possible to divide them due to similar spectral belongingss, and the wetland/lowland class and cultivated old termlandnext term were besides falsely classified. Post-classification polish was hence used to better the truth of the categorization as it is a simple and effectual method ( Harris & A ; Ventura, 1995 ) . In add-on, since the old termurbannext term surface is heterogenous and composed of a complex combination of characteristics ( e.g. edifices, roads, grass, trees, dirt, H2O ) ( Jensen, 2007 ) , assorted pels are a common job when utilizing medium-spatial declaration informations such as Landsat ( Lu & A ; Weng, 2005 ) . The job of assorted pels was addressed in several ways. For illustration, thematic information ( e.g. H2O organic structures, flora, and bare dirt ) was foremost extracted from the Landsat informations utilizing the V-S-W index ( Yamagata, Sugita, & A ; Yasuoka, 1997 ) , before a rule-based technique utilizing thematic information and GIS informations ( e.g. DEM, municipal maps and H2O organic structures, etc. ) was employed in ERDAS spacial modeller to rectify antecedently misclassified old termlandnext term scree n classs. Although this rule-based technique greatly improved the MLC categorization, some misclassification between wetland and cultivated old termlandsnext term was still observed, chiefly because of the geographical adjacency of these classs. GIS tools, such as Area of Interest ( AOI ) were so applied to the informations utilizing ocular analysis, mention informations, every bit good as local cognition, to divide and recode these screens so that they more closely reflected their true categories. By using these techniques, the consequence obtained utilizing the supervised algorithm could be well improved. Finally, to cut down the salt-and-pepper consequence, a 3A A-A 3 bulk filter was applied to the classified old termlandnext term screens ( Lillesand & A ; Kiefer, 1999 ) .Accuracy appraisalBy and large, categorization truth refers to the extent of correspondence between the remotely sensed informations and mention information ( Congalton, 1991 ) . In order to measure the truth of old termlandnext term screen maps extracted from Landsat informations, a sum of 125 graded random pels were generated for the 1975 and 1992 informations and 100 pels for the 2003 old termlandnext term screen map. Accuracy appraisal of the LULC maps was so performed utilizing field informations and the geographical characteristics on old termlandnext term usage maps, high-resolution images, and SOB topographic maps, and the consequences were recorded in a confusion matrix. A non-parametric Kappa trial was besides used to mensurate the categorization truth as it accounts for all the elements in the confusion matrix instead than merely the diagonal elements ( Rosenfield & A ; Fitzpatirck-Lins, 1986 ) . The entire truth of the Landsat-derived LULC information was 85.6, 89.6 and 90 % with matching Kappa statistics of 82.7, 87.5 and 87.9 % for MSS, TM and ETM+ , severally, confirming the standard truth of 85-90 % for LULC mapping surveies as recommended by Anderson etA Al. ( 1976 ) . The application of rule-based post-classification polish was found to be effectual and improved truth by 10-12 % . The MSS image had the lowest overall truth, which may be due to its harsh spacial declaration ( Haack, 1987 ) . Yang and Lo ( 2002 ) besides noted that the jobs associated with right sorting assorted pels additions with diminishing image declaration, ensuing in spectral confusion. In this survey, spectral confusion was higher in the MSS image than in the TM/ETM+ images. old termChangenext term sensing This survey employed the post-classification old termchangenext term sensing technique, which is efficient in observing the nature, rate and location of old termchanges, following term and has been successfully used by a figure of research workers in the old termurbannext term environment ( Hardin etA al. , 2007 ) . An overlay process utilizing the GIS was adopted in order to obtain the spacial old termchangesnext term in LULC during three intervals: 1975-1992, 1992-2003 and 1975-2003. Application of this technique resulted in a bipartisan cross-matrix, depicting the chief types of old termchangenext term in the survey country. Cross tabular matter analysis on a pixel-by-pixel footing facilitated the finding of theA measure of transitions from a peculiar old termlandnext term screen category to other old termlandnext term usage classs and their corresponding country over the period evaluated. A new thematic bed incorporating different combinations of â€Å" from-to † old termc hangenext term categories was besides produced for each of the three six-class maps. LULC old termchangesnext term and kineticss of old termurban expansionnext term Spatial forms of LULC old termchangesnext term in the Greater Dhaka country for 1975, 1992 and 2003 are shown in Fig.A 2. In 1975, lowlands, cultivated countries and H2O organic structures were the dominant old termlandnext term usage types, and the way of old termurban expansionnext term ( herein referred to as the built-up class ) was northerly. In 1992, the built-up class replaced most of the H2O organic structures and depressions within the metropolis every bit good as the cultivated old termlandnext term along the peripheral zone. Surveies of historical maps and the available literature suggest that the depressions and H2O organic structures within the metropolis disappeared comparatively rapidly after independency as countries were developed for residential, commercial, academic and concern intents ( Siddiqui etA al. , 2000 ) . Between 1975 and 1992, when route transit from Dhaka to the backwoods was improved by the building of Bridgess over the rivers ( Islam, 1996 ) , old ter murban expansionnext term extended further to the North, north-west and to the West. Consequently, the country of cultivated old termlandnext term and H2O organic structures declined markedly during the period 1975-1992 ( Louis Berger & A ; BCL, 2005 ) . In 2003, the forms of LULC old termchangenext term revealed that Dhaka started to spread out in all waies, chiefly at the disbursal of vegetated and wetland/lowland countries. The rate of old termurbannext term invasion ( Fig.A 2 ) on other old termlandnext term utilizations increased significantly following the readying of a new Master Plan in 1995 and the development of substructure ( Siddiqui etA al. , 2000 ) . The building of a span over the Buriganga River accelerated old termurban expansionnext term in the southern and northwesterly waies. The spacial distribution of the exposed soil/landfill class is besides seeable in the maps produced ( Fig.A 2 ) , clearly exemplifying the transmutation of lowland countries to landfills on the outskirts of Dhaka. Life-size image ( 292K ) – Opens new window Life-size image ( 292K ) Fig.A 2.A Classified old termlandnext term use/cover maps of Greater Dhaka in 1975, 1992 and 2003.Position Within ArticleThree sectors, viz. the populace, private, and individual-household sectors, are responsible for all of the old termlandnext term developments in Dhaka. Most of the old development undertakings were undertaken on an ad hoc footing by the populace sector, chiefly in countries that were antecedently used for agribusiness and that were free from flood ; illustrations of such developments include Gulshan Model Town, Banani, Uttara Model Town and Dhanmondi ( Chowdhury, 2003 ) . In recent old ages, belongings development has proliferated in Dhaka, and belongings developers have developed both wetlands and agricultural countries without any consideration of the attendant environmental costs. In add-on, single families have started to develop the peripheral countries ( Islam, 1996 ) . In the fieldwork conducted in this survey, old termlandnext term guess was observed to ho ld had a pronounced influence on the development of suburban countries. In response to increasing old termlandnext term monetary values and turning demand for lodging, Lowlandss and agricultural countries in the periphery zone are quickly going built-up by the person and belongings developers. While suburban development is a really complex procedure that is known to be influenced by a assortment of factors, including guess and old termlandnext term monetary values, these factors may non adequately explicate the procedure of suburban development in the survey country. A more elaborate survey is hence required in order to understand the assorted factors act uponing suburban development in the greater Dhaka country. Furthermore, hapless coordination among executive bureaus is besides responsible for the decrease observed in natural resources in the survey country. For illustration, in the Dhaka-Narayangonj-Demra ( DND ) undertaking, despite about 6000A hour angles being set aside for a gricultural production in the 1960s, the country has been used by local and migratory people for residential intents since 1990s without any blessing from the governments concerned. Cases such as this illustrate the deficiency of effectual coordination among the organisations involved in the planning and development of Dhaka. Analysis of the LULC old termchangesnext term in Dhaka over clip revealed a considerable addition in the built-up countries over the survey period ; built-up countries increased by 6132A hour angle between 1975 and 1992, which is an norm of more than 360A haA yra?’1. Similarly, built-up countries increased in size by 4422A hour angle from 1992 to 2003, more than 400A haA yra?’1, and the net addition of old termurbannext term countries over the survey period was 10554A hour angle ( Table 3 ) . When compared with other metropoliss in the part, such as Ajmer City in India, the rate of the old termurban expansionnext term in Ajmer City was 29.2A haA yra?’1 over the period 1977-1989 and 32.4A haA yra?’1 from 1989 to 2002 ( Jat, Garg, & A ; Khare, 2008 ) . Although urbanisation is by and large related to demographic old termchangenext term and economic growing ( Li, Sato, & A ; Zhu, 2003 ) , the nature of old termurban expansionnext term in the survey country ma y besides be associated with other factors such as topography, old termlandnext term usage, and transit. Close scrutiny of the old termchangenext term sensing statistics revealed that about 6132A hour angle of the urbanised country in Dhaka were antecedently either agricultural countries or H2O organic structures between 1975 and 1992. Conversely, 4422A hour angle of the freshly urbanized countries were antecedently flora or wetlands during the same period. By and large, two factors were observed to hold promoted old termurbannext term growing: ( 1 ) increased economic activity associated with the constitution of economic zones ( e.g. export treating zone ) and ( 2 ) redefinition of the metropolitan country. Between 1975 and 1992, reclassification of old termurbannext term countries every bit good as infrastructural development played a important function in the old termexpansion of urbannext term countries. For case, the nor'-west and southerly old termexpansionnext term of the met ropolis occurred in response to building of a inundation embankment in 1992 ( Fig.A 1 ) and a span on the Buriganga River in 2001. The spacial features of built-up countries have besides been shaped by the building of a figure of transit paths in the same period, as understood from historical map analysis and field visit. The old termexpansionnext term to the E and nor'-east led to the development of unplanned suburbs in the Lowlandss and agricultural countries that were antecedently located in those countries. Table 3. Consequences of old termlandnext term use/previous termlandnext term screen categorization for 1975, 1992 and 2003 images demoing country of each class, category per centum and country changed. old termLandnext term use/cover types197519921975-1992 country changed ( hour angle )20031992-2003 Area changed ( hour angle )Area ( hour angle )%Area ( hour angle )%Area ( hour angle )%Water organic structures 2976.1 7.2 2492.8 6.0 a?’483.3 2050.9 4.9 a?’441.9 Wetland/lowlands 13155.1 31.7 11646.8 28.0 a?’1508.3 9124.0 22.0 a?’2522.8 Cultivated old termlandnext term 12040.8 29.0 7934.3 19.1 a?’4106.5 8466.6 20.4 532.3 Vegetation 6585.2 15.8 5686.7 13.7 a?’898.6 3992.2 9.6 a?’1694.4 Built-up 5550.5 13.4 11682.4 28.1 6131.9 16104.6 38.7 4422.2 Bare soil/landfill 1256.2 3.0 2121.0 5.1 864.8 1825.7 4.4 a?’295.4 Entire 41564 100 41564 100 41564 100 Full-size tabular arrayPosition Within ArticleThe GIS analysis besides revealed that the country occupied by H2O organic structures decreased by 16.2 % , wetlands by 11.5 % , cultivated old termlandnext term by 34.1 % , and flora by 13.6 % between 1975 and 1992. Another important old termchangenext term was the diminution in wetlands and flora from 1992 to 2003. In 1992, wetlands and flora occupied 28 % and 13.7 % of the entire survey country, but by 2003, these countries had declined to 21.7 % and 5.5 % , severally. Conversely, built-up countries increased in size by 37.9 % in the period from 1992 to 2003. A little addition in cultivated old termlandnext term ( 6.7 % ) was besides observed in this period. The diminution of flora and wetlands was clearly due to intensification of old termurbannext term development in the greater Dhaka country, peculiarly through the procedure of suburban development. As shown in Table 4, there has been a pronounced old termchangenext term in LULC ove r the 28-year survey period. Table 4. Major old termlandnext term use/cover transitions from 1975 to 2003.‘From category ‘‘To category ‘1975-1992 Area ( hour angle )1992-2003 Area ( hour angle )Water organic structures Built-up 655.7 269.5 Bare soil/landfill 71.4 82.7 Wetland/lowland Built-up 660.0 1414.7 Cultivated old termlandnext term 2007.8 2743.6 Bare soil/landfill 416.8 492.5 Cultivated old termlandnext term Built-up 3944.3 2309.0 Bare soil/landfill 794.7 391.8 Vegetation Built-up 1725.1 1069.1 Cultivated old termlandnext term 932.4 1387.5 Bare soil/landfill 333.7 287.3 Bare soil/landfill Built-up 453.8 1047.4 Full-size tabular arrayPosition Within ArticleThe post-classification comparing of old termchangenext term sensing was carried out utilizing GIS, bring forthing old termchangenext term maps for understanding the spacial form of old termchangenext term between old ages ( Fig.A 3 ) . Table 4 shows a sum-up of the major LULC transitions, viz. ‘from-to ‘ information, which occurred during the survey period. As indicated, the bulk of old termurban landnext term was acquired by change overing countries that were antecedently agricultural old termland, following term flora, H2O organic structures or low-lying countries, proposing the being of increased force per unit area on natural resources in Greater Dhaka to run into the increasing demand for old termurban land.next term Life-size image ( 247K ) – Opens new window Life-size image ( 247K ) Fig.A 3.A Major old termlandnext term use/conversions in Greater Dhaka ( a ) 1975-1992 ( B ) 1992-2003.Position Within ArticleThe survey revealed that the old termurban expansionnext term in Dhaka has been comparatively rapid and has resulted in widespread environmental debasement. The procedure of old termurban expansionnext term in Dhaka was observed to change markedly over the old ages examined in this survey ; specifically, the metropolis expanded by 6131.9A hour angle during the 17-year period from 1975 to 1992 and 4422.2A hour angle in the 11-year period from 1992 to 2003. Landsat images revealed that old termurban expansionnext term in two periods examined in this survey did non happen equally in all waies ; new developments were observed along the fringe of old termurbannext term countries every bit good as in the countries that had already been urbanized. The rapid gait of urbanisation in Dhaka means that it has non been possible for the municipal authorities to supply basic old termurbannext term comfortss to the population, which has led to a broad scope of environmental jobs. For illustration, old termurbannext term development facilitated by old termlandnext term filling has been shown to hold a negative impact on natural home ground and biodiversity ( [ Alphan, 2003 ] and [ Dewidar, 2002 ] ) . Vulnerability to temblor related jeopardies has besides increased since a major part of Dhaka ‘s recent development has taken topographic point in landfill sites ( Kamal & A ; Midorikawa, 2004 ) . In southern Dhaka, landfills have contributed to dir ty pollution, ensuing in reduced flora ( Khatun & A ; Hoque, 1994 ) . Uncoordinated urbanisation and the creative activity of landfill sites have intensified the extent of flood in the metropolis during the moisture season ( Alam & A ; Rabbani, 2007 ) , which is peculiarly critical in the western parts of Dhaka ( Maathuis, Mannaerts, & A ; Khan, 1999 ) . Flood hazard potency has been elevated due to continued infilling of H2O organic structures, wetlands and low-lying countries ( Dewan & A ; Yamaguchi, 2008 ) . In add-on, the speed uping growing of slums is impacting the metropolis ‘s physical and human environment. Harmonizing to CUS etA Al. ( 2006 ) , the slum population of Dhaka ( about 37 % of the metropolis ‘s population ) has doubled in a decennary, to make 3.4 million in 2006 from 1.5 million in 1996. The environment of these informal colonies is highly unhygienic as they are in close propinquity to solid waste mopess, unfastened drains and cloacas, embankments, a nd along railroad lines ( Islam, 1999 ) . Consequently, the people populating in slums are highly vulnerable to inundations ( Rashid, 2000 ) and they besides suffer from an acute deficit of drinkable H2O ( Akbar, Minnery, Horen, & A ; Smith, 2007 ) .Driving forces analysisLULC old termchanges and urban expansionnext term of Greater Dhaka is governed by a combination of geographical, environmental and socio-economic factors. Although population growing is the primary cause for rapid urbanisation, the part of other causes such as economic development and physical factors besides needs to be assessed. To measure the mechanisms underlying the old termchangesnext term in LULC and subsequent old termurban enlargement, following term we performed a arrested development analysis of built-up countries utilizing selected physical and socio-economic variables ( lift, incline, population and GDP ) , and presented the consequences in Table 5. old termUrbannext term country informations were extr acted from one-year BBS statistics since RS informations merely cover three old ages. To analyze the effects of incline and lift on old termurban enlargement, following term average values of incline, and lift of both developed and developing countries in the metropolis were calculated from a digital lift theoretical account. Socio-economic informations, such as population and GDP values were obtained from the decadal and annually one-year tabular arraies of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics ( Table 1 ) . Table 5. Regression analysis of factors underlying old termurban expansion.next termDriving factorsCoefficientsRobust criterion mistakeTpA & gt ; A |t|Population 1.776 0.633 2.808 0.019 GDP 0.0001 0.000 4.730 0.001 Elevation 0.549 0.295 1.861 0.092 Slope 0.028 0.057 0.494 0.404 Changeless a?’5.058 5.811 a?’0.870 0.404 Full-size tabular array R2A =A 0.947 ; ( ProbA & gt ; A FA =A 0.000 ) ; Dependent variable: Built-up country.Position Within ArticleCensus informations indicate that the old termurbannext term population of Dhaka was merely 0.34 million in 1951, increasing to 2.6 million in 1974 with an one-year growing rate of 9.32 % during 1961-1974 ( Islam, 1999 ) . By 1981, the population had reached 3.44 million. The population reached 6.92 million in 1991 and 10.7 million by 2001 ( BBS, 2001 ) . Presently, the population of Dhaka is more than 12 million with an one-year mean growing of 5 % , compared to the national growing of 2.1 % ( Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics ( BBS ) , 2005 and [ The World Bank, 2007 ] ) . The rapid growing of the old termurbannext term population has chiefly resulted from rural-previous termurbannext term migration and estimates show that more than 60 % of people in Dhaka have migrated from rural countries ( Islam, 1991 ) . Intelligibly, this addition in the population had the consequence of i ncreasing force per unit area on the limited resource-base, and significantly contributed to the old termexpansion of urbannext term countries by glade of natural flora and infilling of low-lying countries. Table 5 clearly shows that old termurban expansionnext term is positively related to population growing. Dhaka ‘s economic development is another factor that has contributed to rapid urbanisation. For illustration, Dhaka ‘s gross domestic merchandise ( GDP ) was about 11,312 million Taka1 in 1976, 129,665 million Taka in 1992 and 162,490 million Taka in 1995. Presently, the GDP of Dhaka is 354,240 million Taka and the metropolis ‘s portion of the national economic system is 19 % ( BBS, 2005 ) . The economic development associated with the roar in ready-made garments since the 1980s has had a important impact on old termexpansionnext term of the metropolis country. This economic activity has besides resulted in a big inflow of rural-previous termurbannext term migrators in the same period ( Islam, 1996 ) . In add-on, Dhaka supports more than 40 % of Bangladesh ‘s industry, farther suggesting that the economic development and industrialisation has led to a higher rate of old termurban expansion.next term The arrested development analysis revealed that GDP exercised positive effects on old termurban land expansionnext term ( Table 5 ) . As in other old termurbannext term centres, the way of old termurban expansionnext term in Dhaka has been extremely influenced by its physical scene, peculiarly its topography. The four major rivers, swamps and depressions within and around the metropolis have ever played a polar function in the development of built-up countries in the metropolis. Urbanization ab initio occurred in the elevated countries that were non affected by inundation. Once all the elevated places had been developed, the lifting demand of old termurban landnext term has been met by the transmutation of low-lying countries, vegetated countries and wetlands. The development of wetlands, for case, has led to a significant loss of natural resources and an addition in habitat debasement. The growing of belongings developers has accelerated invasion of old termurbannext term countries on wetlands and threatens biodiversity. Two geophysical indexs were used in the arrested development analysis ( Table 5 ) and found th at lift has major influence on old termurban expansionnext term while incline has non passed the important trial.DecisionsThis survey has assessed LULC old termchangesnext term and the kineticss of old termurban expansionnext term in Greater Dhaka, Bangladesh utilizing RS informations in concurrence with socio-economic variables. old termUrban expansionnext term was quantified for the last 28 old ages utilizing the post-classification comparing technique. Greater Dhaka was found to hold experienced rapid old termchangesnext term in LULC, peculiarly in built-up/previous termurbannext term countries. Analysis revealed that old termurbannext term countries increased by 6131A hour angle during 1975-1992 and 4422A hour angle from 1992 to 2003, which resulted in a significant decrease in the country of H2O organic structures, flora, cultivated countries and wetlands/lowland. The dramatic old termexpansion of the urbannext term countries of Dhaka exhibited clear spatio-temporal differences . The transition of H2O organic structures, flora and low-lying countries to old termurban landnext term has caused extended and varied environmental debasement in the survey country, and the exposure to implosion therapy and the growing of slums have been the chief negative results associated with the rapid old termurbannext term development. old termUrban land expansionnext term has been mostly driven by lift, population growing and economic development. Integrated usage of GIS, RS and socio-economic informations could therefore be efficaciously used to understand the spatial and temporal kineticss of LULC old termchanges.next term The reading and categorization of RS informations were utile for gauging the rate and spacial form of the old termurban expansionnext term in Greater Dhaka of Bangladesh. As dependable and current informations are missing for Bangladesh, the old termlandnext term usage maps produced in this survey will lend to both the development of sustainable old termurban landnext term usage planning determinations and besides for calculating possible hereafter old termchangesnext term in growing forms.

Gabriel of the Modern Wasteland in The Dead Essay

Gabriel of the Modern Wasteland in The Dead - Essay Example That is, ‘death’ of the good old civilization in the ‘life’ of spiritual, psychological, and moral decay of the present one which chiefly resembles the life of Gabriel Conroy whose insecure character is made to acquire possible resolve in self-discovery after learning about the untold past of his wife Gretta. Being an inhabitant of the wasteland, along with its circumstances of desolation or demise of fertile sensibility and wisdom, Gabriel portrays the idea of what Eliot claims in ‘The Waste Land’ on uttering â€Å"I could not Speak, and my eyes failed, I was neither Living nor dead, and I knew nothing, Looking into the heart of light, the silence.† Equivalently, when ‘The Dead’ shares in agreement stating that ‘Gabriel’s eyes, irritated by the floor which glittered with beeswax’, altogether it becomes representative of the citizens of Dublin who, due to gradual corruption of scrupulous ways of living, have unconsciously neglected the use of indispensable senses other than that of sight. With the figurative lack of these other senses Gabriel, like the rest of the Dubliners at the time, relies upon the ‘eye’ alone for understanding and judgment of matters. During the annual dance and dinner party of the Morkan sisters, probably held in the Feast of the Epiphany, Gabriel enters a scene that all the more underscores his personal conflicts through sick humors thrown at him and his attempt to compensate for the awkwardness of the situation. In his scheming endeavor to drive discomfort away, Gabriel makes fun of Lily, the maid who takes offense on his inquisition regarding her love life prospects, and resumes talk with colleague and dancing partner Molly Ivors in order to express his acclaim for Irish virtues and pride toward conventions. Instead of healthy consequences, however, Conroy happens to have overly addressed idealism in a fashion that appears unnecessarily cunning and deprived of real nationalistic sense and familiarity, prompting Ivors to walk out of the picture. These instances readily justify an inference that even on trying to cope with his struggles forward as such, the amount of pretentions attached to Gabriel’s cha racter at this stage can never attain for him genuine triumph over the losses incurred by the former acts. The resulting absence of mutual respect, no matter how unintentional, attests to the major deficiency of Conroy as he fails to convey the truth in himself and observe the appropriate mode of communication. Not only does such crises render close relations accumulate risks but unknowing Gretta’s life prior to their union also implies a profound effect of failure in communication. When he is about to leave the party, Gabriel finds his wife in a seemingly nostalgic look or state of trance which he mistakes for a romantic lure. Later moments of intimate conversation reveal that Gretta has been enthralled by the music played as Bartell D’Arcy sings ‘The Lass of Aughrim’ which reminds her of once being a Galway girl in love with a boy named Michael Furey. This then enables Gabriel to commence his in-depth rather contemplative exploration of his own traits in cluding the substance of his perceptions regarding his wife and the past, as well as of the living and the dead. At the end of the story, the Dublin labyrinth of the ‘eye’ is likely subjected to transformation while Gabriel realizes how death manages to occur in his well-being. His period of emotional recollections and random yet significant thoughts suggests an epiphany of sudden enlightenment or radiance that has never been present in plain view of things. It is a point at which Conroy engages into his identity for the first

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 12

Art - Essay Example The Last Judgment is a painting on fresco done by Michelangelo between 1536 and 1541. The painting is at the wall behind the altar at the Vatican Sistine chapel. The fresco is considered to be a breath taking and among Michelangelo’s last art works. In this art piece, Michelangelo depicts the end of the world and the imminent judgment. In this work, all the subjects are stripped naked; symbolizing the stripping of all earthly ranks, and they all appear equal before Christ (Burke 93). The whole painting radiates around Christ and the saved people can be seen rejoicing in light while the damned are being siphoned into the dark underworld. The painting was commissioned by Pope Paul III, who had a lot of faith in Michelangelo’s artistic proficiency. As a religious piece, the work was criticized for its use of nudity, but the Pope did not see any mishap. The painting was also not entirely relying on the bible as it would have been expected; it drew a lot of inspiration from mythological creatures like Charon, seen pulling unsaved subjects and judge Minos as a judge in the underworld (Burke 94). The subject matter of the whole piece is The Last Judgment, and it is depicted as an event where all people will be equal. The only thing that makes the difference is their earthly character, which would condemn them to the heavenly kingdom or to the underworld suffering. This is seen as the damned are crying as they are ferried by Charon towards the underworld where judge Minos is judging them (Burke 95). The saved people are seen rejoicing and happy before the lighted ring with Christ their savior welcoming them. The art piece includes many saints who have in their hands the weapons of their martyrdom that contrasts the actual scene of torture. An example is Saint Bartholomew who was skinned alive. As a martyred said, Bartholomew is seen holding his skin in his left hand and a knife in his right hand. The skin is believed to be a portrait of the artist, which is

Closed Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Closed Economy - Essay Example The question here is that why it is not concerned with the threats of United States. Let us not answer this question now and move a little further before answering this question. Official Statistics show that North Korea had an average annual growth rate of around 1.6 percent for the period of 2002-2007 (Walters, pp. 55-57, 2008). However, it shocked the world when it posted a growth rate of more than 3.7 percent in the year 2008 (Library of Congress, pp. 15-19, 2009). Not only had this shock came because this growth is the highest for North Korea for at least the past two decades but also because many neighboring countries of North Korea and even many other countries had either showed negative growth rates for the year 2008 due to the global financial recession. The second question is that what magic lamp North Korea had to show this comparatively unusual and high growth rate during the period of global financial recession and why there was no effect of the recession on its growth. The answers to both these questions lie in the economic structure of North Korea. North Korea is the country, which is the nearest of being called as a closed economy or autarky. It is one of the five remaining socialist states of the world with an entire government planned, state-owned and commands economy where the government intervenes largely. Interestingly, North Korea is a completely nationalized state and the state owns all the assets of the country. Moreover, the citizens do not have to pay any taxes.

Choose one topic from the ten topics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Choose one topic from the ten topics - Essay Example Neo-Confucianism The East Asian conception of human nature is primarily informed by Confucianism. Confucianism is described as a â€Å"humanistic religion† since Confucianism understands and perceives that the â€Å"Ultimate†, of the â€Å"imminent power, of the transcendent, of the world, life and death† are linked to and founded on exploring human nature together with human destiny (Yao, 2000, p. 46). In following Mencius, Neo-Confucian ideology adopted the notion that human nature is good as opposed to evil. However, Neo-Confucian philosophers modified this conception of human nature by distinguishing moral nature from physical nature (de Barry & Bloom, 1999). In this regard, the Neo-Confucian philosophy conceptualized the human moral nature as inherently good. This was because, the moral nature of mankind consisted of â€Å"li† and the physical nature of mankind consisted of â€Å"ch’i† indicating that physical nature could be good and/or bad (Lecture Notes). In this regard, the Confucian concept of li refers to that which is real. In terms of human nature, li refers to that which is passed onto man from Heaven and in this regard it is good. However, li had to be cultivated to ensure that man followed his moral nature (Yao, 2000). Therefore the concept of li provides the justification for law and order which is intended to cultivate man’s moral nature for maintaining order. The concept of ch’i provided even further justification for law and order in regulating the lives of the individual. Ch’i refers to material and vital forces which operate either in cohesion with li or inconsistently with li (Yao, 2000). In other words, man was naturally good, but physical forces could have a negative impact on man’s moral nature if the moral nature was no cultivated. Buddhists on the other hand, do not recognize that which they cannot â€Å"see, hear, speak, think, and move† and only those thin gs they can see, hear, think, speak, and move are regarded as nature (de Barry & Bloom, 1999, p. 714). From the Buddhist perspective, that which is heard, seen, spoken, though or moved, does not have to be clear in order to be qualified as nature. In this regard, nature may be confusing and this explains why Buddhists do not generally perceive â€Å"the many moral principles inherent in them† (de Barry & Bloom, 1999, p. 714). Classical Confucianism As for classical Confucianism, the original traditions of Confucianism were founded by Confucius and Mengzi and Mengzi’s theory of human nature served as the background for the classic Confucian concept of moral nature. Mengzi’s theory of human nature were among the most influential and provides the foundations for what is widely accepted as human nature. Mengzi’s theory of human nature provides a profound understanding of how law and order is maintained (de Barry & Bloom, 1999). Mengzi’s contributions w ere converted into the Four Books by Confucian scholars in the Song Dynasty. At the same time, Xunzi developed a theory that was different from Mengzi’s. According to Xunzi, â€Å"human nature was evil and Heaven† was an â€Å"impersonal power or natural principle† (Yao, 2000, p. 71). Xunzi stressed â€Å"law (fa) and ritual/propriety (li)† as opposed to â€Å"

Internet Article Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Internet Article Analysis - Essay Example In the case of the two articles analyzed, both of them have focus on the first aspect mentioned above, the control of what happens in the environment. As we can see one of the articles is closely related to the Car Industry and the other to Telecommunication Industry. Both the Hybrids cars and the VOIP services are trends that are being consolidated in the market, and are opportunities as well. According to the article (Schoen 2006) that talks about "The future of the auto industry", U.S. sales of hybrid vehicles roughly doubled in 2005. And additionally, based on HybridCars.com the hybrids cars sold have increased from less than 10,000 in 2000 to more than 200,000 in 2005, which means that is only about 1 percent of the roughly 17 million cars and light trucks sold overall. On the other side, based on what the article (Alexander 2006) "Forecast 2006: VoIP" talks, 2006 will be the year VoIP becomes widely adopted. "The big advance will come in corporations rather than the government sector," Wolfe predicts (CIO for the state of North Dakota). The facts mentioned made these two trends quite relevant to economics and managerial decision making. Managers can make immediate improvements in performance by better matching the firm's strategy to its business environment. As any manager should recognize, conditions change over time, so that strategies that are appropriate to today's business environment may be inappropriate in the future. 2. How economics influences the decisions made by those in charge The link between the decisions managers control and a firm's profitability is mediated by a host of economic relationships. The success of any strategy depends on whether the firm's decisions are compatible with these relationships. The most basic is the law of demand. The law of demand says that, all other things being the same, the lower the price of a product, the more consumers will purchase it. Whether the increase in the number of units sold translates into higher sales revenues depends on the strength of the relationship between price and the quantity purchased. This is measured by the price elasticity of demand. Price-elastic demand implies that a price cut translates not only into higher unit sales, but also into higher sales revenue. That firm's higher sales revenue translates into higher profit depends on economic relationship between the additional sales revenue that a firm's price cut generated and the additional cost of producing more products. That profits rise rapidly after the price reduction suggests that the additional sales revenue far exceeded the additional cost of production. Applying the economic analysis of strategy to what the article of Auto Industry informs, the added cost of a hybrid compared to a conventional gasoline-powered vehicle makes these cars to follow a premium price,

Strategic Management Of Ford Company Assignment

Strategic Management Of Ford Company - Assignment Example The Ford Motor Company was founded by Henry Ford in 1903. At its incorporation, the company had twelve investors. The company has since grown and currently has ownership of Lincoln line of vehicles as well as a sizeable stake in Mazda. Ford currently ranks fourth in accordance with Forbes list of 2014’s biggest auto companies after Toyota, the Volkswagen Group and Daimler which rank first, second and third respectively. Currently, Ford sells its vehicles all over the world but its predominant market remains the United States. Stakeholder Model: FordFreeman, who is considered the â€Å"father of the stakeholder concept†, developed a number of definitions for the term stakeholder. In one, he considers a stakeholder to be any group or individual that prevails over or is prevailed upon by an organization’s operations. In another definition, he states that stakeholders are those groups that are vital to the sustenance and prosperity of a company (Fontaine, Antoine & S tefan 2006). Under the stakeholder model, a value creation concept exists that thinks of stakeholders as any person or group that increases value to an organization or, in dealing with the company, assumes some form of risk. Ford pinpoints its stakeholders through assiduous internal discussions during the inception phases of their sustainability agenda development. The company pays significance focus to its stakeholders and the value they offer it in its quest to dominate the motor industry.

Mathematical Logics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mathematical Logics - Essay Example It does not only promote proper reasoning but it also enhances a proper use of common sense. The sum of numbers available for Andy are Belle’s; 3+4+7=14 or Carol’s 4+6+8=18 or the sum on my cards=?Let the sum of Andy’s cards be A, Sum of Belles cards is B and some of Carol's cards be C and the sum of my cards is M. So M=B or M=C. This is because we are told that there are at least two card sums which are equal. The sum of Carol's cards and Belle’s cards are not equal(B ≠  C).This means that the sum of my cards is either equal to Carol’s or Belle.This reasoning is derived from the fact that Andy admitted that there are two people with an equal sum of cards. The union of odd numbers is 1,3,5,7 and 9.Also, Belle admits that he can see all the five odd numbers, what does this imply? Firstly Belle cannot see 3 and 7 since he is the one possessing these subsets. Secondly, it means that the odd numbers Belle sees are 1, 5 and 9.It is obvious that Andy possesses the card with 1 on it. Who has 9 and 5? Since there is no one else in the game, it is obvious that I possess cards with 9 and 5. From above, the sum of my cards so far is 9+5=14.I still have another card to add to this which means the sum of my cards can never be 14.That is M>14.Therefore it is obvious that the sum of my cards is 18 since it is the only remaining (M=18).14+X=M=18.X=18-14=4.This means my third card is 4.Therefore my cards are 9, 5 and 4. In conclusion from the above calculations and reasoning, it is evident beyond reasonable doubt that I have a 4, a 9 and a five. These answers have arrived after a rigorous process of extensive logical reasoning and application of a little bit of Boolean algebra. The fact that there were three sets of cards visible to Andy, that is mine, Carol and Belle enable me to come down to the situation that the actual cards available to Andy are two sets.  

Ethics and Sustainability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ethics and Sustainability - Essay Example One of the ethical discussions on sustainability is the promotion of artificial products through the widespread application of genetic engineering in plants and animals, and creation of man-made ecosystem to alter the deteriorating ecological balance. Artificial is defined as formulation of something based on natural phenomenon but is completely lacks the intrinsic value of what is natural. Conservative thinkers postulate that incorporating artificial schema on environmental context is morally unjustified because it violates the natural mechanism of things, and in religious context, it defiles the God's creation. Conversely, radical thinkers posit that the integration of artificial schema in the environment is morally permissible because it helps in the prolongation and preservation of life, especially that the world is facing a huge problems on natural resources continuous supplies. Advocators Advocators of anti-artificial schema argue that the promotion of ersatz products necessitates the used of modern technology, and if certain technology is not yet available, then new technology must be invented first for the realisation of a specific artificial products. The problems with this is that most of the time, the actualisation artificial schema post threats on the natural resources because, one, a new technology must be applied to natural things before it can be proven, and if the technology fails, new technologies will be created, which means that the threat on environment will also increase; two, the artificial procedures of preserving life in the expense of our natural environment is becoming vicious because of the belief that preservation of life is justified in any given context, wherein our natural environment suffers greatly from this belief because the environment is only seen as resource that must be utilised for the nourishment of life. On the other hand, proponents of artificial schema conjecture that natural resources is finite and limited, hence the need to manufacture ersatz products in the expense and out of natural resources is permissible because through this, the continually increasing demand for basic human needs will be resolved, as well as, the environment will be preserved. Radical thinkers argue that modern technologies may have repercussions but its benefits are countless. They even stress out that application of artificial schema with the aid of technology is the only way humanity can preserve its environment and its people. Today the world is embracing the artificiality of things; foods products are being engineered, while natural environment are being photocopied such as lagoon, rainforest, etc. to prevent the continuous deterioration of the environment, and to preserve its present status. Thus our modern advancements and artificial schemes have created major environmental positive consequences, as well as, risks that threaten the lives and well-being not only

Providing visual support Essay Example for Free

Providing visual support Essay Nancy is 24 year old women and a house wife by profession. She is disabled by birth and totally dependant on wheelchair. She stays with her husband, who is software professional and busy most of the time. Being a housewife, Nancy has vey little technology knowledge and finds it difficult to use technology spontaneously. Nancy doesn’t want her disability to become her weakness and wants to work like a normal housewife, like cooking for her husband, washing utensils etc. She wants a kitchen which is universally designed and where she should be able to work effectively like a normal person with ease of use and learning being her first priority. How should an interior designer design a universally designed kitchen keeping in mind people like Nancy? †¢ Making the height of the kitchen cabinet, Cook top, Microwave stand accessible by wheelchair. †¢ Having an adjustable-height cabinets, can help all users to use them effectively. Also customizable design which can be changed based on user preferences also makes design effective and more usable. †¢ Having a removable sink and drying rack will give sufficient space for food preparation. This can again be re-fitted as and when required. Thus giving flexibility to people like Nancy or old aged people, who can’t stand and cook. †¢ Foldable cabinet doors under cooktop, providing sufficient knee space. †¢ Providing visual support can also help users to use kitchen more easily and effectively. †¢ Voice based support in kitchen can also be a good idea, thus making design accessible for people with low vision. †¢ Automated dishwasher or microwave system can help them easily placing dish without much effort. Let’s see some examples of universally designed kitchens Persona 3. He is a retired professional and stays alone in his 2 bedroom apartment which is on the 10th floor. He finds it difficult to walk and climb stairs and also have sight problem. Rodney has very little technology knowledge and finds it difficult to remember things, due to his growing age. He depends on electronic wheelchair most of the time. He needs an elevator system in his apartment which can accommodate his wheelchair also, making his life easy at this age. How can we make a universally designed elevator? †¢ Increasing the width of the elevator hence giving ample space to use wheelchairs and thus making it approachable †¢ Big display screen, which displays the floor details big and clear, thus accommodating people like Rodney to use it with ease †¢ Voice based support system, which informs the user which floor the user is in, can also help the disabled user to use them effectively. Let’s see example of a universally designed elevator Conclusion: Irrespective of age, ability or disability and situations, every has the right to effectively use any products or services, hence designers should always be conscious about this fact and implement their design ideas to serve one and everyone. This is what universal design means. Bibliography http://idea.ap.buffalo.edu/ http://www. design. ncsu. edu/cud/about_ud/udprincipleshtmlformat. html#top Frascara J. , (1997), User-Centred Graphic Design: Mass Communication and Social Change, Taylor Francis, London

Assessment of Pressure Ulcers and Reliability of Risk Assessment Tools

Assessment of Pressure Ulcers and Reliability of Risk Assessment Tools The purpose of this assignment, is to identify a patient, under the care of the district nursing team, with a Grade 1 pressure ulcer, to their sacral area. To begin with, it will give a brief overview of the patient and their clinical history. Throughout the assignment the patient will be referred to as Mrs A, in order to protect the patients identity and maintain confidentiality, in accordance with the guidelines set out by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2008). A brief description of a Grade 1 pressure ulcer will be given, along with a description of the steps taken in assessing the wound, using The Waterlow Scale (1985). This assignment will discuss the literature review that was carried out, along with other methods of research used, to gather vital information on wound care , such as the different classifications of wounds and the different risk assessment tools available. This assignment, will include brief overviews, of some the other commonly used pressure ulcer risk a ssessment tools, that are put to use by practitioners and how they compare to the Waterlow Scale. This assignment will also seek to highlight the importance of using a combination of clinical judgement, by carefully monitoring the patients physical and psychological conditions, alongside the at risk score calculated from the Waterlow Scale, in order to deliver holistic care to the patient. Mrs A is a 84 year old lady who has been referred to the district nurses by her General Practitioner, as he has concerns regarding her pressure areas . Following a recent fall she lost her confidence and is now house bound. She now spends more time in her chair as she has become nervous when mobilising around the house and in her garden. She has a history of high blood pressure and occasional angina for which she currently takes Nicorandil 30mg b.d. as prescribed by her General Practitioner , Nicorandil has been recognised as an aetiological aspect of non healing ulcers and wounds (Watson, 2002), this has to be taken into consideration during the assessment and throughout the management of her wound. Mrs A has no history of previous falls or problems with her balance. She has always been a confident and independent lady, with no current issues surrounding continence or diet. She has always enjoyed a large network of friends who visit her regularly. It is recommended by National Inst itute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) that patients should receive an Initial assessment (within the first 6 hours of inpatient care) and ongoing risk assessments and so referrals of this nature are seen on the day, if it is received if not within 24 hrs. In order to establish Mrs As current risk of developing a pressure area, an assessment must take place. An initial holistic assessment, looking at all contributing factors such as mobility, continence and nutrition will provide a baseline that will identify her level of risk as well as identifying any existing pressure damage. A pressure ulcer is defined as, a localised injury to the skin and / or underlying tissue usually over a bony prominence, as a result of pressure, or pressure in combination with shear. A number of contributing, or confounding factors, are also associated with pressure ulcers. According to the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP 2009). Mrs A is more vulnerable to pressure damage, as her skin has become more fragile and thinner with age (NICE 2005). There are risk factors associated to the integrity of the patients skin and also to the patients general health. Skin that is already damaged, has a higher incidence of developing a pressure ulcer, than that of healthy skin. Skin that becomes too dry, or is more moist due to possible incontinence, is also at higher risk of developing a pressure ulcer than healthy skin. An elderly persons skin is at increased risk, because it is more fragile and thinner than the skin of a younger person. Boore et al (1987) identified the following principles in caring for the skin to prevent pressure damage, skin should be kept clean and dry and not left to remain wet. The skin should also not be left to dry out to prevent any accidental damage . Due to Mrs A spending more time sitting in her chair, she has become at a higher risk of developing a pressure sore, as she is less mobile. The reason being It becomes difficult for the blood to circulate causing a lack of oxygen and nutrients to the tissue cells. Furthermore, the lymphatic system also begins to suffer and becomes unable, to properly remove waste products. If the pressure continues to increase and is not relieved by equipment or movement. The cells can begin to die, leaving an area of dead tissue resulting in pressure damage. Nelson et al (2009) states, pressure ulcers can cause patients functional limitations, emotional distress, and pain for persons affected. The development of pressure ulcers, in various healthcare settings, is often seen as a reflection of the quality of care which is being provided (Nakrem 2009). Pressure ulcer prevention is very important in everyday clinical practise, as pressure ulcer treatment is expensive and factors such as legal issues have become more important. EPAUP (2009) have recommended strategies, which include frequent repositioning the use of special support surfaces, o r providing nutritional support to be included in the prevention. In order to gather evidence based research, to support my assignment. I undertook a literature review of the Waterlow Scale and Classifications of Grade 1 pressure sores. The databases used were the Culmulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and OpenAthens. I used a variety of search terms including pressure sores, Grade 1 classification, Waterlow Scale, and How pressure sore risk assessment tools compare. Throughout the literature review the information was gathered from sources using a date range between the years of 2000 2011, although some references were found from sources of information that are from a much later date. This method of research ensured a plethora of articles and guidelines were collated and analysed. The trust guidelines in wound care were used, to show how we implement theory into practise in the community, using the wound care formulary. There was a vast amount of information available, as pressure area care is such a broad subject. The search criteria had to be narrowed down, in some cases to ensure the information gathered was relevant and not beyond the scope of the assignment. The evidence used throughout this assignment, is based on guidelines and recommendations given by NICE (2001), EPUAP (2001) and articles sourced from The Journal of Community Nursing (JCN). This was the most accurate information and guidance on pressure ulcer classifications and assessment although, some articles may not have been the most recent. The assessment tool used throughout my area of work, is the Waterlow Scale. The Waterlow Scale was developed by Judy Waterlow in 1985, while working as a clinical nurse teacher. It was originally designed for use by her student and is used to measure a patients risk of developing a pressure sore. It can also be used as a guide, for the ordering of effective pressure relieving equipment. All National Health Service (NHS) trusts have their own pressure ulcer prevention policy, or guidelines and practitioners are expected to use the risk assessment tool, specified in their trusts policy. NICE (2003), guidance states, that all trusts should have a pressure ulcer policy, which should include a pressure ulcer risk assessment tool. However, it reminds practitioners that the use of risk assessment tools, should be thought of as an aid to the clinical judgement of the practitioner. The use of the Waterlow tool enables, the nurse to assess each patient according to their individual risk of dev eloping pressure sores (Pancorbo-Hidalgo et al 2006). The scale illustrates a risk assessment scoring system and on the reverse side, provides information and guidance on wound assessment, dressings and preventative aids. There is information regarding pressure relieving equipment surrounding, the three levels of risk highlighted on the scale, and also provides guidance, concerning the nursing care given to patients. Although the Waterlow score is used in the community setting, when calculating the risk assessment score, it is vital that the nurse is aware of the difference in environment the tool was originally developed for. The tool uses a combination of core and external risk factors that contribute to the development of pressure ulcers. These are used to determine the risk level for an individual patient. The fundamental factors include disease, medication, malnourishment, age, dehydration / fluid status, lack of mobility, incontinence, skin condition and weight. The external factors, which refer to external influences which can cause skin distortion, include pressure, shearing forces, friction, and moisture. There is also a special risk section of the tool, which can be used if the patient is on certain medication or recently had surgery. This contributes to a holistic assessment of a patient and enables the practitioner to provide the most effective care and appropriate pressure relieving equipment. The score is calculated, by counting the scores given in each category, which apply to your patients current condition. Once these have been added up, you will have your at risk score. This will then ind icate the steps that need to be taken, in order to provide the appropriate level of care to the patient. Identification of a patients risk of developing a pressure sore is often considered the most important stage in pressure sore prevention (Davis 1994). During the assessment a skin inspection takes place of the most vulnerable areas of risk, typically these are heels, sacrum and parts of the body, where sheer or friction could take place. Elbows, shoulders, back of head and toes are also considered to be more vulnerable areas (NICE 2001). When using the Waterlow tool to assess Mrs As pressure risk, I found she had a score of 9. According to the Waterlow scoring system she is not considered as being at risk as her score is less than 10. As I had identified in my assessment, she had a score of 2, for her skin condition due to Grade 1 pressure ulcer to her sacrum. I felt it necessary, to highlight her as being at risk. A grade 1 pressure ulcer on her sacral area, maybe due to her recent loss of confidence and reduced mobility which has left Mrs A spending more time in her chair. Pressure ulcers are assessed and graded, according to the degree of damage to the tissue. The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP), classifies pressure ulcers based on the depth of the wound. There are four classifications (Category/Stage I through IV) of pressure damage. In addition to these, two other categories have been defined, unstageable pressure ulcers and deep tissue injury (EPUAP, 2009) Grade 1 pressure damage is defined, as a non-blanchable erythema of intact skin. Indicators can be, discolouration of the skin, warmth, oedema, induration or hardness, particularly in people with darker pigmentation (EPUAP, 2003). It is believed by some practitioners, that blanching erythema indicates Grade 1 pressure damage (Hitch 1995) although others suggest that, Grade 1 pressure damage is present, when there is non-blanching erythema (Maklebust and Margolis, 1995; Yarkony et al, 1990). The majority of practitioners, agree that temperature and colour play an important role, in identifying grade 1 pressure ulcers (EPUAP, 1999) and erythema, is a factor in alm ost all classifications (Lyder, 1991). The pressure damage usually occurs, over boney prominences (Barton and Barton 1981). The skin in a Grade 1 pressure ulcer, is not broken, but it requires protection and monitoring. At this stage, it will not be known how deep the pressure damage is, regular monitoring and assessment is essential. The pressure ulcer may fade, but if the damage is deeper than the superficial layers of the skin, this wound could eventually develop into a much deeper pressure ulcer over, the following days or weeks. A Grade 1 pressure ulcer, is classed as a wound and so I have commenced a wound care plan and also a pressure area care plan. I will also ensure, Mrs A has regular pressure area checks in order to prevent the area breaking down. The pressure area checks will take place weekly until the pressure relieving equipment arrives, this will then be reduced to 3 monthly checks. Dressings can be applied to a Grade 1 pressure ulcer. They should be simple and offer some level of protection. Also, to prevent any further skin damage a film dressing is often used, or a hydrocolloid to protect the wound area (EPAUP, 2009) . These dressings will assist in reducing further friction, or shearing, if these factors are involved. It is considered the best way to treat a wound, is to prevent it from ever occurring. Removing the existing external pressure, reducing any moisture, which can occur if the patient is incontinent and employing pressure relief devices, may contribute to wound healing. Along with adequate nutrition, hydration and addressing any underlying medical conditions. The advice given to practitioners, on the reverse of the Waterlow tool is to provide a 100mm foam cushion, if a patients risk score is above 10. As Mrs A has an at risk score of 9, with a Grade 1 pressure sore evident, I feel it appropriate to provide the pressure relieving mattress and cushion to prevent any further pressure damage developing. All individuals, assessed as being vulnerable to pressure ulcers should, as a minimum provision, be placed on a high specification foam mattress with pressure relieving properties (NICE, 2001). As I am providing a cushion and a mattress, it is not felt necessary to apply a dressing at this point. However, the area will need regular monitoring, as at this stage it is unknown how deep the pressure damage is. If proactive care is given in the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers, with the use of risk assessments and providing pressure relieving resources, the pressure area may resolve. Pressure ulcers can be costly for the NHS, debilitating and painful for the patient. With basic and effective nursing care offered to the patients, this can often be the key to success. Bliss (2000) suggests that the majority of Grade I ulcers heal, or resolve without breaking down if pressure relief is put into place immediately. However, experiences in a clinical settings supports observations, that non-blanching erythema can often result in irreversible damage (James, 1998; Dailey, 1992). McGough (1999) during a literature search, highlighted 40 pressure ulcer risk assessment tools, but not all have be considered suitable, or reliable for all clinical environments. As there are many different patient groups this often results in a wide spectrum of different patient needs. The three most commonly used tools in the United Kingdom (U.K.) are, The Norton scale, The Braden Scale and The Waterlow Scale. The first pressure ulcer risk assessment tool was the Norton scale. It was devised by Doreen Norton in 1962. The tool was used for estimating a patients risk for developing pressure ulcers by giving the patient a rating from 1 to 4 on five different factors. A patients with a score of 14 or more, was identified as being at high risk. Initially, this tool was aimed at elderly patients and there is little evidence from research gathered over the years, to support its use outside of an elderly care setting. Due to increased research over the years, concerning the identification and risk of developing pressure ulcers, a modified version of the Norton scale was created in 1987. The Braden Scale was created in the mid 1980s, in America and based on a conceptual schema of aetiological factors. Tissue tolerance and pressure where identified, as being significant factors in pressure ulcer development. However, the validity of the Braden Scale is not considered to be high in all clinical areas (Capobianco and McDonald, 1996). However, EPAUP (2003) state The Braden Risk Assessment Scale is considered by many, to be the most valid and reliable scoring system for a wide age range of patients. The Waterlow Scale, first devised in 1987, identifies more risk factors than the Braden and the Norton Scale. However, even though it is used widely across the U.K., it has still be criticised for its ability to over predict risk and ultimately result in the misuse of resources (Edwards 1995; McGough, 1999). Although there are various tools, which have been developed to identify a patients individual risk, of developing pressure sores. The majority of scales have been developed, based on ad hoc opinions, of the importance of possible risk factors, according to the Effective Healthcare Bulletins (EHCB, 1995). Franks et al, 2003; Nixon and Mc Gough, 2001, challenged the predictive validity of these tools, suggesting they may over predict the risk, cause expensive cost implications, as preventative equipment is put in place, when it may not always be necessary. Or they may under predict risk, so a patient maybe assessed as not being at high risk, develops a pressure ulcer. Although the Waterlow scoring system, now includes more objective measurements such as Body Mass Index (BMI) and weight loss after a recent update. It is still unknown, due to no published information, whether the reliability of the waterlow tool, has improved since the changes that took place. It has been recognised, as a fundamental flaw of these tools and due to this clinical judgement, must always be taken into consideration alongside the results that have been measure, from the use of the risk assessment. This is clearly recognised by NICE, as they advise their use as an aide-mà ©moire (2001). The aim of Pressure ulcer risk assessment tools, is to measure and quantify pressure ulcer risk. To determine the quality of these measurements the evaluation of validity and reliability would usually take place. The validity and reliability limitations, of pressure ulcer risk tools are widely acknowledged. To overcome these problems, the solution that is recommended is to combine the scores of pressure ulcer risk tools, with clinical judgment (EPAUP 2009). This recommendation, which is often seen in the literature, unfortunately is inconsistent as Papanikolaou et al (2007) states: If pressure ulcer risk assessment tools have such limitations, what contribution can they make to our confidence in clinical judgment, other than prompting us about the items, which should be considered when making such judgments?. Investigations of the validity and reliability, of pressure ulcer risk tools are important, in evaluating the quality, but they are not sufficient to judge their clinical value. In the research of pressure ulcer tools, there have been few attempts made to compare, the different pressure ulcer risk assessment strategies. Referring to literature until 2003, Pancorbo Hidalgo et al (2006) identified three studies, investigating the Norton scale compared to clinical judgment and the impact on pressure ulcer incidence. From these studies, it was concluded that there was no evidence, that the risk of pressure ulcer incidence was reduced by the use of the risk assessment tools. The Cochrane review (2008), set out to determine, whether the use of pressure ulcer risk assessment , in all health care settings , reduced the incidence of pressure ulcers. As no studies met the criteria, the authors have been unable to answer the review question. At present there is only weak evidence to support the validity, of pressure ulcer risk assessment scale tools and obtained scores contain varying amounts of measurement error. To improve our clinical practise, it is suggested that although tools such as the Waterlow Scale are used to distinguish a patients pressure ulcer risk, other investigations and tests, may need to be carried out to ensure a effective assessment is taking place. Practitioners may consider, various blood tests and more in depth history taking, including previous pressure damage and medications. Patients lifestyle and diet should also be taken into consideration and where appropriate, a nutritional assessment should be done if recent weight loss, or reduced appetite is evident. Nutritional assessment and screening tools are being used more readily and appear to be becoming more relevant in managing patients who are at risk of or have a pressure ulcer. The assessment tools should be reliable and valid, and as discussed previously with other risk assessment tools they should not replace clinical judgement. However, the use of nutritional assessment tools can help to bring the nutritional status of the patient to the attention of the practitioner, they should then consider nutrition when assessing the patients vulnerability to pressure ulcer development. The nutritional status of the patient should be updated and re-assessed at regular intervals following a assessment plan which is individual to the patient and includes an evaluation date. The condition of the individual will then allow the practitioner to decide how frequent the assessments will occur. The EPUAP (2003) recommends that as a minimum, assessment of nutritional status should include regu lar weighing of patients, skin assessment, documentation of food and fluid intake. As Mrs A currently has a balanced diet, it is not felt necessary to undertake, a nutritional assessment at this point. Her weight can be updated on each review visit, to assess any weight loss during each visit. If there is any deterioration in her condition, an assessment can be done when required. Continence should also be taken into consideration and where necessary a continence assessment should take place. Incontinence and pressure ulcers are common and often occur together. Patients who are incontinent are generally more likely to have difficulties with their mobility and elderly, both of which have a strong association with the development of pressure ulcers (Lyder, 2003).   The education of staff, surrounding pressure ulcer management and prevention, is also very important. NICE (2001) suggest, that all health care professionals, should receive relevant training and education, in pressure ulcer risk assessment and prevention. The information, skills and knowledge, gained from these training sessions, should then be cascaded down, to other members of the team. The training and education sessions, which are provided by the trust, are expected to cover a number of topics. These should include, risk factors for pressure ulcer development, skin assessment, and the selection of pressure equipment. Staff are also updated on policies, guidelines and the latest patient educational information (NICE 2001). Education of the patient, carers and family, is essential in order to achieve optimum pressure area care. Mrs A is encouraged to mobilise regularly, in order to relieve the pressure as a Grade 1 pressure sore has been identified, she is at a significant risk of developing a more severe ulcer. Interventions to prevent deterioration, are crucial at this point. It is thought, that this could prevent the pressure sore from developing into a Grade 2 or worse. NICE (2001) have suggested, that individuals vulnerable to or at elevated risk of developing pressure ulcers, who are able and willing, should be informed and educated about the risk assessment and resulting prevention strategies. NICE have devised a booklet for patients and relatives, called Pressure Ulcers Prevention and Treatment (NICE Clinical Guidance 29), which gives information and guidance on the treatment of pressure ulcers. It encourages patients to check their skin and change their position regularly. As a part of good practise, this booklet is given to Mrs A at the time of assessment, in order for her to develop some understanding of her pressure sore. This booklet is also given to the care givers or relatives so they can also gain understanding, regarding the care and prevention, of her pressure ulcer. An essential part of nursing documentation, is care planning. It demonstrates the care, that the individual patient requires and can be used to include patients and carers or relatives in the patients care. Involvement of the patient and their relative, or carer is advisable, as this could be invaluable, to the nurse planning the patients care. The National Health Service Modernisation Agency (NHSMA 2005) states clearly that person centred care is vital and that care planning involves negotiation, discussion and shared decision making, between the nurse and the patient. There were a number of improvements that I feel could have been made to the holistic care of Mrs A. I feel that one of the fundamental factors that needed to be considered , were the social needs of the patient. As I feel they are a large contributing factor, towards why the patient may have developed her pressure sore. The patient was previously known to be a very sociable lady, who gradually lost her confidence, resulting in her not leaving the house. There are various schemes and services available, which are provided by the local council or volunteer services, to enable the elderly or people unable to get around. For example, an option which could of been suggested to Mrs A are services such as Ring and Ride, or Werneth Communicare. Using these services or being involved in these types of schemes, may have empowered Mrs A to leave the house on a more regular basis. This would enable her to build up the confidence, she lost following her fall. This would have also lead to positive impact on the patients psychological care, as Mrs A would have been able to overcome her fears of leaving the house, enabling her to see friends and gain communications lost. As previously mentioned in this assignment, although Mrs A had a score of 9, which is not considered an at risk score. I still felt it necessary to act on this score, even though the wound was a not considered to be critical. If it is felt the patient is at a higher risk than that shown on the assessment tool, the practitioner should use their clinical judgement, to make crucial care decisions. It should also be considered, by the practitioner that risk assessment tools such as The Waterlow scale, may not have been developed, for their area of practise. Throughout the duration of Mrs As wound healing process, a holistic assessment of her pressure areas and general health assessment were carried and all relevant factors, were taken into consideration. The assessment tool used to assess her pressure areas, is th e most common tool used currently in practise and the tool recommended by the Trust. To conclude, there is evidence to prove that pressure ulcer risk assessment tools are useful, when used as a guide for the procurement of equipment. However, they cannot be relied upon solely to provide holistic care to a patient. It has been highlighted, that to ensure a holistic assessment of patients, it is necessary to complete a variety of assessments, to create a complete picture. Although The Waterlow scale covers a number of factors that need to be considered, throughout the assessment, it has become evident that the at risk score, can often be over or under scored depending on the practitioner. Clinical judgement has proved to be, a very important aspect of pressure ulcer prevention and treatment. The education of the patient, carer and relatives has also been highlighted, as an important aspect of care. Empowering the patient with information regarding their illness, may decrease the healing time and help prevent has further issues.