The Civil Service Examinations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Civil Service Examinations - Essay Example This system was abolished in 1905 to adopt the science and technology-based curricula practiced by the western nations. This set it apart from the Song Dynasty exam system that followed Confucian classical methods. The Qin Dynasty and the Han Dynasty were both built around the same time i.e Qin around 221-208 BC and Chinese rulers’ controlled Han around 206BC-AD 220.Both Dynasties. Under this dynasties heir was no central political force in China and as such, the great nomad empires emerged such Liao and the great Mongol empires. Both tenures were characterized by ruthlessness and tyrannical demands on the people to pay heavy taxes and compulsory labor. These dynasties were effective in the sense that, during these periods there was relative peace in China. However, they both had weak military forces and were easily overrun by the nomadic tribes of the north. Both the Sui and the Tang Dynasty rulers’ were part nomads. These rulers’ were non-Chinese but their reign was considered Chinese. Both regimes were very successful in terms of commerce as the Sui were able to connect Yellow and Yangtze (Grand Canal) eastward waterways starting from Beijing to Hangzhou, thereby enabling nationwide commerce to thrive especially under the more prosperous Tang Dynasty. In addition, both Dynasties occurred after the reign of the Six Dynasties i.e. Sui from 589-617 AD and Tang from 618-907 AD(Ebrey, Walthall & Palais 2009 p89). These Dynasties were effective in the sense that they had stronger military’s that helped re-unify China and that there was an improvement in commerce in this periods. However, under these regimes, the citizens suffered tyranny from the government in the form of forced labor and heavy taxes. in addition, the costly and often disastrous military escapades in Korea combined with corruption, disloyalty, and assas sinations led to popular revolts resulting in the overthrow of the Sui dynasty.

The strategic options that are appropriate to Apple Coursework

The strategic options that are appropriate to Apple - Coursework Example According to the research findings there are various forces characterising the company’s operations. Though Apple boasted of an increase in the sales of the iPad tablet computer, the situation obtaining in the market has been a cause for concern from 2011 since this was likely to have an effect on the smartphone market. It can be seen that though Apple’s larger percentage of revenue came from other non computer products such as iPod and iPhone, there have been some changes in the Smartphone and Tablet industry given that it has been characterised by stiff competition as going to be explained below. However, Google’s development of the Android operating system resulted in the development of smartphones that matched a lot of iPhone’s best features. Google remained the greatest threat to Apple given that different smartphone makers were developing products similar to iPod and would run on the Android operating system. For instance, Acer entered the market for smartphone with the launch of its liquid line of stylish and high end smartphones which used Google’s Android operating system in 2009 and was later developed through the years until 2012. According to The New York Times, the aspect of competition in the Smartphone and Tablet industry cannot be ignored. For instance, Foxconn technology assembles nearly 40 % of all consumer electronics and counts and counts among its clients which include: Nintendo, Nokia, Samsung, Dell, Hewlett-Packard with its palm, Motorola and Sony. Though China presented a lucrative market for the Smartphones in 2010 to 2011, the main problem encountered was related to the emergence of counterfeit products. However, as noted above, with the market for Smartphones growing rapidly, competition was also becoming apparent particularly Google’s entry into the market with its android operating system. However, RIM grabbed the market share with its Blackberry service in 2011 which was specially designed to meet the needs of the business people

Defining my Leadership Direction (Three leadership goals) Essay

Defining my Leadership Direction (Three leadership goals) - Essay Example My perspective as a leader borrows from my short stints of work experience, and has intellect from emerging topics such how to cope with emotional intelligence, to lead virtual teams, and even open up innovations. That is the leader I see myself as informed through Daft in his leadership experience. In my leadership path, I am proud of what I believe in and endeavor to seize opportunities (Daft & Lane, 2008). My personal leadership goals in architect engineering include increasing influence and leading others, increasing my knowledge, and improving my skills and interpersonal skills. A good leader never stops learning hence increasing my knowledge in architect engineering traces back to my experiences. I have gained my experience through community service, architect engineering, financial services and business, and administrative assistant position (Daft & Lane, 2008). All these are avenues where I have taken to known the sort of leader I can be. The path of experience has helped in identifying the areas I want to improve on, such as acquisition of specific skill set or my personal innate abilities. These have contributed into being a well-rounded and valuable leader. It is very important to learn from the past and harnessing all the knowledge and experience for my successful future. I never stop learning, which means I am always excited for every task and opportunity. I believe that optimistic is one of the most important aspect for work and for my life in general. Therefore, every valuable contribution and effective work I do needs to start from inside me at t he first place. According to Daft, attending to industry relevant experiences like my time in Mabnya for Contracting is my path to acquiring effective competence (Daft & Lane, 2008). I have also found myself attached to other valuable activities all in the pursuit to improve my knowledge as a goal in leadership role. For example, I have had a hand in business process analysis and reporting, work time

Analysis of Using Feedback Loops to Explain the Circadian Oscillator Assignment

Analysis of Using Feedback Loops to Explain the Circadian Oscillator in Drosophila Paper - Assignment Example However, there is a considerable delay between when the peak levels of the per and tim mRNA are synthesized and when per and tim levels reach peak production late in the evening. The reason for this is the phosphorylation that destabilizes the PER, causing it to undergo dimerization with TIM. This occurs in the nucleus. There is little that is known with regards to how dClk mRNA is regulated. Previous studies have found low quantities of dClk mRNA in Drosophila that do not have functioning PER and TIM, indicating that PER and TIM are also responsible for activating dClk. This study involved measuring the levels of dClk mRNA levels in various mutant gene combinations. The results showed that the mutant genes did not display highly varying quantities of dClk mRNA over the circadian clock (Glossop, Lyons, and Hardin). The lack of dClk-dependent-PER alongside the relatively high levels of dClk mRNA proves that PER-dependent dClk is not activated by localization of an activator in the nucleus. mRNA quantities in the dClk mutants were measured to prove that the activation of dClk was not as a result of PER-TIM dimmers being formed due to low quantities of per and tim in dClk mutants. Results from this measurement found that the levels of dClk mRNA were almost similar to the peak level of dClk mRNA found in wild flies, proving that dClk is activated by PER-TIM via derepression. The negative feedback loop can be used to explain the observations made above. In this, the formation of PER-TIM dimers leads to sequestering of dCLK-CYC dimers that in turn hinder the CLK-CYC from functioning properly. This ultimately causes the derepression of dClk transcription. The reduction of PER-TIM quantities in the early hours of the morning causes dimerization of dCLK-CYC. These dimers cause repression of dClk, resulting in a reduction of dClk mRNA levels by the time the day ends.

Challenges of Health Promotion

Challenges of Health Promotion There is a very diverse range of the meaning of health between different groups of people. How a person will define what health means to them will depend on a number of factors. Arguably the most influential of these factors are; age, sex, socio-economic status, social class, location and culture. It is now recognised that there are 5 distinct dimensions of health; physical, emotional, spiritual, social and mental. The World Health Organisation (1948) defined health as as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. Kelleher (1991) says that for some people being healthy means being happy, for others it may be an expectation of living for a long time, while others may see it as an exclusion of illness. These definitions of health may be influenced by personal experience of illness, however some may see it as simply just being able to cope and go about their daily lives without interference. Generally the most dominant definition of health is merely seen as an absence of illness, often described as a negative definition. Downie et al (1990) say that negative definitions of health can be linked to perceptions of what is abnormal, unwanted or incapacitating. Age is a very important factor in determining how someone defines health, as those of a younger age group will mainly focus on the physical aspects of health such as fitness and diet. Generally however, as people age they place more emphasis on the emotional and spiritual aspects of health. This shows that social factors are a very big determinant of how someone will define health. A lot of podiatry work involves working with various people to improve their health for example keeping them mobile and alleviate painful symptoms due to some form of fraility, illness or disability. This may include short term treatments or long term care may be required. The definition of health has also changed over time, for example the Ancient Greeks believed that illness was caused by an imbalance in the humours (bodily fluids). In contrast in Victorian times, illness was seen as the will of God, a more spiritual take on the concept of health. There are three models relating to the concept of health; the Biomedical model emphasises health in terms of biological processes of the body. In contrast the Social model of health asserts that in addition to physical dimensions of health, other dimensions must be considered including the persons social and economic circumstances. It considered the person as a whole living within a social context (Blaxter 2004). The Biopsychosocial model takes the aspects of the previous two models and combines them. It is the dynamic interaction of biological, psychological, and social influences of health, however it focuses more on the individual rather than the social structures surrounding them. In the 1800s and 1900s the focus was on the provision of a healthy environment which included adequate housing and sanitation and the provision of safe food and water. With developments in medical science the emphasis has shifted to preventative medical services e.g. vaccines, immunisation and encouraging people to make healthy choices. This reflects the shift from communical diseases to lifestyle related diseases e.g. cancer. There are two approaches to health promotion: a preventative approach and an empowerment approach. Glanz, Rimer Lewis (2002) assert that the central concern of health education is health behaviour. This means that peoples lifestyles play a significant role in the development and management of disease and through various measures we can encourage people to make healthy choices. In 1975 Marc Lalonde published a report entitled A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians in which he argued there are 4 main causes of illness, namely: Inadequacies in current health services, lifestyle or behavioural factors, environmental pollution and physical characteristics. The Ottawa Charter (1986) outlines the five principal elements of health promotion as; Conducive public policy, supportive environments, community participation, personal skills and the reorientation of health services to allow people to make well informed, healthy choices. Conducive policy refers to the importance of Government policy in general, and not just in health policy, in promoting health. The second element is the provision of supportive environments. This refers to the importance of having healthy physical environments such as in the home, at school, work and in public places. The community participation element of health promotion consists of involving communities and special interest groups, e.g. the elderly, women, people with disabilities and travellers, in identifying their own health needs and developing services appropriate to these needs. The final element of health promotion is the reorientation of health services towards services which are concerned with health promotion, protection and disease prevention. This involves shifting the emphasis in health services to primary health care e.g. providing screening services and health checks within a community. Ewles and Simnett (1999) list the following activities that could be seen as health promotion practices; Mass media advertising, campaigns on health issues, patient education, self-help groups environmental safety measures, public policy issues, health education about physical health, preventative medical procedures, codes of practice on health issues, health enhancing facilities in local communities, workplace health policies and health and social education for young people in schools. Ewles and Simnett (2003) also identify approaches to health promotion. These all flow from a particular set of aims which hope to be achieved. They emphasise that no one aim or approach to health promotion is right but that it is important for us, as health care workers to consider which is appropriate for us, and relevant to our work. However one of the most important factors is educating people, to allow them to make informed, healthy choices. The first of approaches is medical or preventitive. The aim of this approach is to gain freedom from medically defined disease and disability e.g. cancer. This could be achieved through screening, immunisation and early detection. This approach has been highly successful but tends to reinforce a negative definition of health.

The Simple Life and the Corruption of Technology :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Simple Life and the Corruption of Technology "Let's take it home boys!" Not really paying attention to our altitude, we headed towards base after a flawless mission against an enemy tank. As we reached the jungles edge, anti-aircraft shells began exploding all around us. I ordered the formation to climb as fast as possible. Almost as quickly as I had given the order, my plane was hit. Luckily, the round didn't explode, but had traveled through the center of the fuselage. I realized my plane was fatally crippled, including my ejection seat. As my plane fell into the jungle, I woke up. Though I did not know what had drawn me from the dream, I had an idea it was the splitting pain in my leg. As the pain slowly crept up my leg, I became aware of my surroundings. I could now feel the perspiration on my face and faintly hear mumbled voices; I was not in my bed. As I opened my eyes to blurry vision, I made out dark moving objects among a background of fire. Listening closely, I realized it was people speaking a foreign tongue. Moving my eyes from the dark skinned, scantly clad humans to my leg, I found the source of my pain. Driven through my left leg was a sharp piece of metal from the wreckage that surrounded me. With a swift jerk from one of my assumed rescuers, my leg was free of metal, and I was passed out from the pain. I awoke in a hut made of large leaves, mud, and grasses. The light crackle of the fire outside could be heard over the voices of the people surrounding it. I asked my self, "Where am I? How did I get here?" With my questions I made an astonishing discovery: I could not remember who I was! Feeling myself panic, I did the best to calm down and analyzed the situation. I had been pulled from some type of wreckage, but of what? The people who had saved me were very primitive. They wore little more than a loin cloth of a cheap textile, and they had dressed me the same. They were eating some yellow muck from wooden bowls and again my ears greeted the new language. Trying to sit up, I flexed my leg and a crippling pain powered a scream from the bottom of my lungs. My scream had caught the attention of those who had been talking outside.

Novel Frankenstein Essay

â€Å"The Novel Frankenstein is as relevant and terrifying today as it was when it was first published† Explain How Mary Shelley makes her narrative effective and why it has fascinated and shocked audiences for nearly 190 years. ‘Frankenstein’ is one of the most well known gothic horror stories. ‘Frankenstein’ is set in the seventeen hundreds and was written by Mary Shelley. Mary Shelley wrote the book in 1816 and ‘Frankenstein’ was first published in 1818. Mary Shelley blends gothic horror and romance which makes this novel world-famous and so successful. The novel has also been so successful because of the effective narrative Mary Shelley uses to shock and fascinate her readers. Such as the use of a lot of very detailed descriptive language and the use of three narrators to get different emotions and feelings to the reader. During the nineteenth century, electricity was a relatively new invention. This meant that many scientists were testing the use of electricity with the body. Scientists thought that Electricity could bring a dead person back to life. Erasmus Darwin suggested that this was possible. Mary Shelley was aware of a process called galvanism and a scientist named Luigi Galvani who had discovered that electricity flowed through nerves meaning that when electricity was placed in certain places on a dead body or animal if would move and look like it was alive. Scientists were learning more and more about the human body and how it worked. The general public were very interested and fascinated by these discoveries. Mary Shelley was from the romantic period. The ‘Romantics’ believed in the power of the imagination. They looked to nature for and saw awe and wonder in its majesty. They distanced themselves from the evils of capitalism and industrialism. This could have lead here to write this story to show people how messing with science could lead to disaster, as it was messing with nature which was the main inspiration for the ‘romantics’. Mary Shelley was from a very radical family with very strong beliefs. Her mother was a campaigner for women to have equal rights and her father was another political free-thinker. He said that as long as people acted sensibly, there would be no need for rules or laws. Her mother died 10 ten days after giving birth to her and Mary Shelley also lost her own daughter within 2 weeks of giving birth. The reader also experiences these feelings when Frankenstein’s mother dies, just like Mary Shelley’s mother. This is a technique to get the reader to feel the same as Shelley did to make the novel seem more real. These could be the reasons why Mary Shelley was so obsessed with bringing the dead back to life and the inspiration behind her novel ‘Frankenstein’. Mary Shelley got the inspiration for the novel in the snowy summer of 1816. In 1815 there had been an eruption from Tambora which had set the world into a long volcanic winter meaning that the summer of 1816 was a dark and cold one. Mary Shelley and her husband Percy Shelley had visited Lord Byron at his villa by Lake Geneva in Switzerland. The weather was too cold to go outside and enjoy a normal summer, so Byron challenged Mary Shelley and his personal physician John Polidori to each compose a story of their own, and the winner would be whose story was the most terrifying. Mary Shelley got the idea for her novel when she had a half-waking nightmare, and then she wrote this down giving her the main inspiration for ‘Frankenstein’. ‘Frankenstein’ is about a young student of natural philosophy called Victor Frankenstein. He is determined to find the secret of life, and when he does he creates a living creature. The monster is gentle and kind, but is abounded by Frankenstein because he looks too ugly; this means he has to hide away from society as all who meet him are afraid of him. As the monster is lonely and isolated, that causes him to take revenge on his creator. He does this by not killing him, but all the ones he loves and cares about. Frankenstein, having nothing worth living for, pursues his monster to the Artic in order to destroy him. This leads him to exhaustion and death, the monster then sees he is dead and then kills himself as it is the only place he can seek rest. The novel shows the horrible consequences of playing God and this is what makes the book fascinating, as it questions all the main beliefs of religion and the soul. The book is different as it has three narrators who are Frankenstein, Robert Walton and the monster. They all narrate and give the reader a different insight into the story, which makes the book very unique. This technique is very effective because as it gives a different insight into each character it can make the reader feel different emotions for each character. Such as when it is Victor Frankenstein telling us his own story, it makes the reader feel more sympathetic towards him because the reader experiences the tragedies and upsets that Frankenstein feels.

Irish Culture Essay

My first encounter with Ireland and its culture was rather trivial. I saw some Irish dancing and was fascinated by its rigor, energy, and emotional charge. I am not a dancer myself but Irish dances that I saw on TV made me want to get on my feet and start tap-dancing. Unfortunately, at our English classes at school we mostly study the history and traditions of Great Britain. We have not had any special lessons devoted to Ireland yet. I was surprised to learn that the Emerald Isle is a unique country with its own special culture, traditions and even its own peculiar and mysteriously sounding Gaelic language. The first things I learnt about Irish culture made me want to explore more about this enchanting land of poets, musicians, dancers, saints, and scholars. Not only did I learn about Irish jigs and reels, but I also found out about great Irish poets, writers and playwrights, traditional music and songs, world famous musicians of Irish origin, St Patrick’s parades and parties. I have discovered to my own surprise that here in Russia I have been surrounded by Irish culture without even realizing that it is Irish. I have learnt a new word â€Å"craic† which has no equivalent in the English language. Craic† is a mixture of fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation. I suppose that this word alone can explain the nature of the Irish national character and be the answer to the question why Irish culture is so popular around the world. I suppose that the international popularity of Irish culture is closely connected with the history of the country and the national identity of its people. Firstly, the Irish have traditionally been â€Å"one of the biggest wandering peoples of the world. † Due to mass emigration many countries got familiar with Irish cultural traditions a long time ago. Thus, Irish culture is not confined to one piece of land. Secondly, Irish culture is adaptable, pliant, and flexible because of the openness and friendliness which run in the blood of the Irish. For example, anyone can participate in St Patrick’s parades or try Irish dancing. Other reasons of the world-wide obsession with the Irish culture are its beauty, freshness and originality. ‘Original’, ‘fresh’ and ‘beautiful’ are the words which come to my mind when I read a poem by W. B. Yeats, watch an Irish dance, see a colorful St Patrick’s procession or listen to Irish traditional music. Despite its international popularity Irish culture on the whole retains its uniqueness and authentic spirit. That is why people around the world still see Ireland as a spiritual reservoir and turn to Irish culture when they need to feed their souls. In the era of globalization when boundaries between countries and nations are becoming more and more blurred, it is really important to preserve and promote your own culture. The Irish are very good at it. They have managed to make their culture a visiting card. Although some people say that Irish culture is losing its authenticity and is becoming commercialized, I don’t see it that way. By weaving traditional elements into popular culture the Irish make more people familiar with their country. For instance, some popular songs by U2 contain traditional Irish melodies. Songs like ‘In the Name of the Father’, ‘Tomorrow’, or ‘The Ballad of Ronnie Drew’ are really Irish despite their rock and pop style. The Riverdance and shows of Michael Flatley revolutionized Irish dance culture by introducing new elements, colorful costumes and even adding features of other dance cultures into the shows. Some people might argue that it was a change for the worse, but this was the change that made Irish dances so extremely popular around the world. Being a commercial event, St Patrick’s parades popularize Irish traditions among people of all nationalities worldwide. Our first encounter with Ireland may start with a popular thing like a Riverdance show, a traditional song â€Å"Whisky in the Jar†, or a green shamrock leaf on St Patrick’s Day. But these are the things which make us want to explore more. That is why I would like to finish with the Irish slogan, ‘Eire go Brach! ’ Ireland Forever!