Saturday, August 31, 2019
DRUNK DRIVING Essay
Drinking and driving is a very serious and dangerous problem. Many people every year are killed or injured because of drunk drivers, and almost all of the people who are killed are innocent. The more you drink the more likely you are to have an accident. Driving whilst under the influence of drink is a dangerous situation, and the consequences are appalling, because you can end up killing someone else, losing your own life or even sent to court. Why do people drink while driving? The answer is simply cause there drunk! They are too drunk to think properly, they might have done it before and they think itââ¬â¢s not bad, perhaps too lazy to get a taxi, they feel confident that they can drive extra carefully and avoid incident, Their ability to rationalize is suppressed, leading them to make rash decisions, They want to escape personal problems This is probably one of the most dangerous reasons why people drink and drive. A man / woman in the thick of problems, gets drunk and gets in the car. Caught in his / her emotions, the person doesnââ¬â¢t care what happens anymore. Sadly, among the reasons why people drink and drive, this is a common reason; they are ashamed or afraid to call someone to pick them up. People wake up in cells not realizing they killed a person with their car. Some people drink and drive because they donââ¬â¢t know any better. Some people are not even aware of the legal drinking limits.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Humans vs. Animals on Life and Death
The Death of the Moth by Virginia Woolf described how a life of a moth could be so fragile that like humans and other animals do, the moth also struggled to fight death. She compared how the moth lived its life compared to humans and other animals as well. That even if the moth seems nothing and worthless, its resistance to death is evident. In other words, the significance of death is not only limited to human beings. Animals may not think like humans do, but they are also living and gives effort to live life to the fullest. Animals may not live life like us human beings, but like us, they also have a purpose in living.I believe that all human beings are artists because their lives are creative productions. The basic materials of each personââ¬â¢s artistry are many and varied, for they depend on each personââ¬â¢s uniqueness. Oneââ¬â¢s basic materials, however, not only include the elements of life, nit also those of death with all its various ramifications, as books, articl es, symposia and discussions open peopleââ¬â¢s context of death awareness, the question must be asked how much an awareness can help human beings create beautiful lives. This brings us to this question, is the moth aware of its upcoming death. Life and death to all living things is apparent.How long would it take is unknown. When the body dies, there is nothing that remains that can survive. This is a belief that prevents any solution to existential vicissitudes being projected to another life. It asks of each human being the courage to face lifeââ¬â¢s problems in the here and now, the courage to supply necessary answers and remedies. Happiness is oneââ¬â¢s own making not in any heaven ââ¬Å"above the bright blue skyâ⬠(to use the words of an old hymn for children). Only God knows the answer to the problems of innocent suffering and that rewards are in heaven for those who tow the party line are seen as an evasion of facing life itself.We must then, I should say, enjo y and value our lives the happiest as we can make it. As Woolfââ¬â¢s story went on, when she sees the moth is turned on its back, she reaches out a pencil to turn it over again, but then she lays the pencil down. This is the realization that even if we try helping other people to fight for life, they already made their own battle against it so we just have to leave it as it is. Woolf obviously tackled the resemblance between the mothââ¬â¢s struggles and the human condition in facing life. We may see it different at large, but with the little and worthless mothââ¬â¢s death, it was very perceptible.
Factors Affecting Essay
In this assignment is an explanation of genetic, biological, environmental and socio-economic and lifestyle that effect the development of an individual. Also using the case study of Emily there is explanation on 2 predictable and 2 unpredictable life events that could be affecting her now and the in the future. I will then be discussing the 2 sides to the nature ââ¬ânurture debate, and then I will be evaluating how nature and nurture have affected the development of Albert and Alan as children and as adults. INTRODUCTION: Growth and development are different from one another, growth means increase in size or a mass of tissue and development involves the changes in some ability as well as some measured quantity of height, weight. Some of the emotional, social and intellectual changes in a lifespan could be described in terms of development. Maturation is different from growth and development; it is used when development is assumed to be genetically programmed sequences of change. Some of the facts that affect growth and development of a child are Children inherit some characteristic from parents i.e. parents who have intelligence are more likely to have with higher level intelligence. Daughters often reach menarche at roughly the same age as mother and will have a similar length of the menstrual cycle as their mother. Boys are generally longer and heavier than girls when born, Genetic disorders can affect both child growth and development. LIFE FACTORS THAT AFFECT DEVELOPMENT Development and growth are mainly dependent on many factors, which some will affect children and individuals more than others. Some of the factors can have a positive or negative impact on development and growth of individualsà in society. The factors that affect the development of an individual in society: BIOLOGICAL: foetal alcohol syndrome infections during pregnancy GENETIC: Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, rheumatic disease, brittle bone disease. SOCIO-ECONOMIC: income, employment and education ENVIRONMENT: pollution family dysfunction culture LIFESTYLE: nutrition and dietary choices, misuse of substances. All of which affect an individualââ¬â¢s physical, intellectual, emotional and social aspects of development and growth. GENETIC FACTORS The human body has a nucleus with 23 pairs of chromosomes inside it; one chromosome comes from the mother and another from the father. Each chromosome carriers units of inheritance known has genes it these genes that create the instructions for making a new individual. Genetic diseases are a large proportion of the total diseases that individuals have to burden, around 50% of deafness is due to genetics and around 40-50% of miscarriages are connected to genetic factors. RHEUMATIC DISEASE Individuals are more at risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis if they have relatives with the disease, but in some cases individuals can develop the condition without any one in the family having the condition. Rheumatic disease is a disorder that affects the inflammation of the joints and ligaments, bones and the muscles. Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with rheumatic disease the cause is not fully understood but the environment and genetic influences play a major part in the condition. It is an extremely painful condition for individuals who suffer with it; it causes swelling, damage to the cartilages and bones, joints. It mainly affects the smaller bones individualsââ¬â¢ feet, hands and wrists, the autoimmune process that contributes to the distress on the joints can also affect the eyes, lungs and skin, heart and blood vessels plus some other organs. It can affect the physical development of an individual who suffers with the disease, it can limit their day to day physica l movement due to the amount of pain they will experience; individuals who have restricted activities are more likely to suffer with depression as well. An adult could struggle to hold a job downà due to the time there would have to miss work. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect a childââ¬â¢s intellectual development due to the amount of time they will be absent from school due to the pain or hospital appointments. It will limit the time that they can use computers or game consoles due to the stiffness in their hands and wrists and have very poor academic attendance due to a flare up of the condition. Emotional development of an individual with the condition may be affected they may feel different from other individuals and children could be made to feel excluded because of the condition. Some could become depressed as they believe the disease is taking over their life completely and feel that they cannot cope anymore. Rheumatoid arthritis could also affect individuals social life as a flare up could cause them to miss out on certain social events with friends or work colleagues and the fact that they could have being admitted to hospital. At the moment there is no cure for condition but there is a number of treatments that could slow the condition down and keep joint damage to minimum, the earlier the treatment is started the more effective it could be for the individual. The cause of rheumatoid arthritis is not completely understood but it is believed that genetic and the environmental issues influence the condition. CYSTIC FIBROSIS Cystic fibrosis is generally caused by genetic disorder, it is caused by a defective gene it is thought that about 4% of the population carry this gene in the UK alone. Has the gene is recessive children born to parents who carry the gene will not develop cystic fibrosis unless both parents are carriers. If both parents have the defective gene than there is a chance that they child will be born with the condition. Cystic fibrosis is a disorder that results in the production of a defective protein that can cause a buildup of sticky mucus forming in the lungs and digestive system of individuals. Other symptoms are a troublesome cough, repeated chest infections and poor weight gain these are not unique to individuals who suffer with cystic fibrosis. It is a complex disease that affects many different organs in the body. Itââ¬â¢s quite common for individuals to experience some issues with lung function although not every sufferer will be affected. With physiotherapy and some medication can help to control lung infections and prevent the buildup of mucus that damages the lungs. Besidesà affecting the lungs it can affect the pancreas due to the buildup of thick sticky mucus that blocks the ducts, which can reduce the amount of insulin that is produced and stopping the digestive enzymes getting to the intestines to aid digestion. This can lead to poor malnutrition, poor growth and some physical weakness and delayed puberty. Babies born with cystic fibrosis develop a bowel obstruction called meconium ileus that is present at birth or within the first few days, itââ¬â¢s a thick black material present in the bowel and itââ¬â¢s so thick that it blocks the bowel. Some individuals are prone to develop bone disease due to lack of nutrition, it can cause fertility problems but does not cause sexual impotency. Men with cystic fibrosis the tubes that carry the sperm are sometimes blocked causing infertility, cystic fibrosis in women can affect fertility due to being underweight and having irregular menstrual cycles and a thicker vaginal mucus. It can cause some blockage of the small ducts in the liver which can lead to liver disease; although this only affects 8% of individuals it is a serious health risk that could require a liver transplant. Social development of a child with cystic fibrosis they will find it hard to interact with other children due to a long period of absence from school, and in any other setting. The emotional development of a child with the condition is that they might become emotional distressed, suffer with mild depression and feel embarrassed because of the effects. Physical development of a child with cystic fibrosis is they are capable of taking part in physical activity such as play and some regular exercise, but with a persistent cough and difficulty in breathing they could become tired quickly need to rest more. Some childrenââ¬â¢s current health status might not allow them to take part in any activities, when they do will need to take frequent breaks to cough and have a drink. The intellectual development of a child with cystic fibrosis is due to a long absence from school extra help will be needed for them to catch up and some children might have special educational needs, but most of them are academically able to succeed like their peers. All sufferers with the condition should receive appropriate health care to enable them to live longer and healthier lives. BIOLOGICAL FACTORS Biological influences before birth have a dramatic influence on the development of a child, factors that could affect the development are if theà mother smokes, takes drugs or drinks a large amount of alcohol. One factor is if the mother drinks heavily during her pregnancy this will have a negative effect on the development of the baby and could cause foetal alcohol syndrome. FOETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME Foetal alcohol syndrome is more severe of the birth defects that are known as foetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Foetal alcohol effects is known as alcohol related birth defects which is the milder end of the condition, some of the conditions that are related is alcohol related neuro- alcohol during pregnancy. Foetal alcohol syndrome disorder is caused through pregnant women drinking alcohol during their pregnancy. Alcohol can affect the development of the fetus at any stage during the pregnancy including the earliest stages of pregnancy; the effects of alcohol during pregnancy may include physical deformity, some behavioral issues, damage to the central nervous system. According to National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (2001-2004), ââ¬Å"FASD is the leading known preventable cause of mental retardation and birth defects, and a leading known cause of learning disabilities.â⬠http://www.nofas-uk.org/. Accessed 23/6/14. Drinking during pregnancy is damaging for the unborn child and cause major social, emotional effects for the childââ¬â¢s life which cannot be out grown or treated. Alcohol during pregnancy can cause brain damage which can lead to a range of developmental, cognitive issues that will appear at any time during childhood. Individuals who have FASD quite often of issues with coordination, emotional control, school work and socialisation and struggle to hold a job. Often make the wrong decisions, trust the wrong people and difficulty understanding any consequences of their own actions. Babies born with FAS are normally a low birth weight are unable to suck effectively, some will be over sensitive to light any noise or touch will become irritable easily and are very slow to develop through the different stages of infancy. They are very vulnerable to other infections and have poor sleeping cycles or waking cycles some will be too stiff or floppy when being held. The physical features of babies born with FAS are their faces will be flattened; have a small upturned nose may have flattened philtrum and some have a thin upper lip. The physical development of a child with FAS are, will have problems with weight and height will tend to smaller than childrenà of an similarly age, will have a weak immune system leading them to prone to catch infections easily. Depending on the damage there could have a heart defect which cause them to take part in any kind of physical activity. Intellectual development of a child with FAS is there could have lower IQ or in some cases it could be higher than normal. Some children will have a degree of language disability or delayed language development will often have problems with communicating whether their development is delayed. Have Issues Memory which can lead to their educational achievements being extremely limited and are more likely to be in trouble during their education. Will develop poor relationships during their childhood and adulthood, will constantly be in trouble with the law due to mixing with wrong crowd. Could have immature behaviour due to the lack of social skills and because of the lack of control over their behaviour can affect any kind of social connect. All of which will affect their social development. Children can be very affectionate when around others but at more or less at the time be very hyperactive which can cause problems for teachers or other individuals in any situation. Due to them being hyperactivity their will need any kind of special attention from individuals during their lifespan. TOXOPLASMOSIS Toxoplasmosis is infection that is caused by a common parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii, which is found in different warm blooded animals such as sheep, dogs and humans which can be infected with tiny single cell of parasite. The parasite can only be passed on through the environment or food chain or if pregnant women infect her unborn child. It is very rarely that it is passed from human to human through any organ transplantation. In some cases toxoplasmosis doesnââ¬â¢t show any systems and an individual could be unaware that they are infected. In most healthy individuals the immune system is normally strong enough to prevent the parasite to cause serious illness. Individuals who have being affected with toxoplasmosis are most likely to be immune to further infections in their lifespan. So if a woman who has being previously infected becomes pregnant there should be no risk to the baby, a blood test would be needed to find out to see is she immune. Toxoplasmosis can cause lymph nodes to swell particularly in the throat and armpits, which can be like flu systems such as high temperature, musclesà aching, extreme tiredness and sore throat. During pregnancy the risk of developing toxoplasmosis is very low, ââ¬Å"a 2008 study showed that in non-immune women (those who havenââ¬â¢t had the infection before), about 5 in 1,000 may get a toxoplasmosis infection.â⬠http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Toxoplasmosis.(accessed 24/6/14). If a women does develop toxoplasmosis when she is pregnant or shortly after conceiving the risk is that she will pass it on to the baby, however if it is passed from mother to baby it is known as congenital toxoplasmosis. The risk of passing it on is greater in the third trimester with 70% of babies becoming infected, but in the early stages of pregnancy only about 15% of babies will become infected. Although the woman might not experience any systems herself, an infection that develops during the early stages can increase the likely hood of miscarriage during the first 23 weeks, it can also cause a stillbirth later on in the pregnancy. Babies born with congenital toxoplasmosis the systems vary depending when the mother became infected some systems are more severe if she was infected around time she became infected or during the first or second trimester. The baby could have hydrocephalus water on the brain, brain damage, epilepsy which is a condition that affects the brain and causes repeated seizures, some deafness growth problems and eye infections or reduced vision. They could also have yellowing of the skin known as jaundice and the white of the eyes, an enlarged liver or spleen and cerebral palsy that affects the brain or nervous system condition that affects the movement or co-ordination of a child. In some cases if the mother is infected during the last trimester and the infection is passed on the baby may not have any symptoms at birth, but complications could develop later on in life with the child developing reduced vision or some hearing loss even some learning difficulties. ââ¬Å"New research is looking at other ways of diagnosing toxoplasmosis ââ¬â for example, by identifying the DNA of the T. gondii parasite in samples of cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid that surrounds your brain and spinal cord). Itââ¬â¢s hoped that this may be a quicker and more reliable method of diagnosis, and will help confirm whether the damage to the brain has been caused by toxoplasmosis rather than by another condition.â⬠http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Toxoplasmosis/ (accessed 24/6/14). SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS Socio-economic factors that influence the development and growth of individuals in society, are income and expenditure the economic resources that a family has can make a major difference to the quality of life an individual has. INCOME Income can affect the development and growth of individual in society and can have a major difference in their quality of life. Income is the amount of money that the household receives weekly or monthly, it enables them to pay for their accommodation, buy food and clothes for the family. The main sources of income mainly come from wages for employment, benefits paid by the government or money that is raised from a sale of a property. Individuals who receive a low income may experience poverty and are the ones most likely to suffer with ill health and have opportunities restricted. A lack of income could mean to individuals that there will have a lack of resources and not being able to live in acceptable way in society. For some individuals it means that they are living absolute poverty. Many will find it hard to take part in the community which could lead to social exclusion. Most children that are born to families who experience some kind poverty may find it hard to escape and become trapped in the same situation has they develop into adulthood. A child living in a low income home will have low self-confidence and low self-esteem some will experience a poor diet due to the lack of funds to buy nutritional food. Will live in poor housing conditions and are more likely to sufferer with related health issues, caused through damp or mould. Will have parents who are extremely stressed over money issues have little chance of having the latest hi tech phones, computers games and expensive clothes. Will have limited access to books to help them with school work and because of the low income might not be able to do homework due to the family home being overcrowded so no place for them to study. http://www.poverty.org.uk/02/index.shtml?2 The graph shows the amount of individuals across the country who are living in low income households. EDUCATION Education factors that influence the development and growth of individuals inà society, is that individuals with little qualifications are more likely to be unemployed or in low paid work than others at the same age who have qualifications. Families have a major impact on childrenââ¬â¢s learning and educational development, a childââ¬â¢s academic progress and level of engagement at school could be affected by certain environments, the parents attitude towards education and how much involvement the parent has with childââ¬â¢s education i.e. helping with school work, volunteering in school and involvement in any school activities. The familiesââ¬â¢ ability to provide the appropriate learning environment at home could be limited due to lack of financial situation, the parent having attained low grades or mental health issues. Negative impact on education is that individuals will be put under pressure to leave school and earn money to ease the situation within the family. Schools in the neighbourhood could be disadvantaged from other schools they might lack valuable resources in the learning environment and have restricted space for children to play and the school could have a limited access to new technology and updated information. Peer groups can influence individuals during their education, attitudes and beliefs could be copied from who we mix with or at least from people we believe are the same as ourselves. Besides the family peer groups are seen as second source of social learning. Attitudes and values are influenced by the experiences people have had and the culture that they are exposed to will influence their educational experience. ENVIRONMENT FACTORS Environment factors that influence the development and growth of individuals in society, the environment that where individuals are brought up in or live in and the amount of pollution in the area. POLLUTION Pollution can influence the development and a source of ill health among every individual in society, decades ago with a lack of sanitation and poor sewage across the country resulted in many life threatening diseases such as cholera. Cholera is a bacterial infection caused by drinking contaminated water or food that has been in contact with contaminated water. Not all individuals who get infected will develop symptoms but those who do will experience severe diarrhea, a feeling of being sick and stomach cramps, which usually develop in a few days after infection. If left untreated anà individual can quickly become dehydrated and could go into shock due to a sudden drop in their blood pressure and in some cases could be fatal. The condition is mostly common now in the regions of the world that as poor satiation with no cases reported in England for years travelers who go abroad occasionally bring the infection back with them, from countries like Asia, Africa and the Middle East. â⠬Å"The World Health Organization estimates that there are between 3 and 5 million cases of cholera worldwide every year.â⬠www.who.org.uk. (Accessed 23/6/14). Until quite recently before lead was removed from petrol or paint the concern was that lead pollution in the air could affect the brain development of a child, they are still issues today about air and water pollution. Lead is a naturally occurring basic element and a metal, lead pollution occurs because of the lead thatââ¬â¢s in the atmosphere that effects the environment. Lead pollution primarily came from cars in the past and in the past the dangers were unknown. Lead poisoning could cause birth defects in unborn children and could kill a person if enough was in the body and some deposits of lead in soil can harm both humans and animals by absorbing into the Lead in the body cam damage internal organs individuals also can have damage to brain and the nervous system; it can also cause reproductive disorders or osteoporosis and in some cases can be fatal. With pollution still being affected now individuals in the cities are still at risk of developing lung diseases, it can affect a childââ¬â¢s physical development and cause respiratory problems in all individuals, and babies and children growth can be restricted and in some cases cause asthma. An individualââ¬â¢s physical and intellectual development could be restricted due to the pollution being so high, with being unable access social activities or attend education facilities due to ill health. HOUSING Poor housing conditions can delay development and growth in individuals in society and cause poor health conditions. Poor quality housing with damp and mould can increase the risk of individuals developing inflammatory diseases and asthma. Other problems such as poor lightening, lack of facilities over crowded areas and the pollution from traffic or industrial sites. The older generation on low income will worry over the cost of heating bills and are more likely to leave the heating off during snaps of cold weather. Childrenà in poor housing conditions are more likely to have increased risk of ill health and some disabilities through to early adulthood. Bad housing conditions are linked to debilitating and even fatal illnesses and accidents. Children in overcrowded conditions are more likely to suffer with meningitis; it is life threatening and leave long term effects as deafness, blindness and in some cases behavioral problems. Another illness that is linked to overcrowding is tuberculosis and it can lead to serious medical issues and some cases can be fatal. Their physical development will be affected due to the unfit conditions and are more likely to have respiratory problems such as coughing, wheezing and asthmatic. This will restrict their physical activities as they need to stop taking part because of medical conditions. For many children with the conditions mean they will lose sleep and miss school regularly. The intellectually development and growth of individuals especially children could be affected by overcrowding in a property, by having disturbed sleep from the noise either in the house or surrounding area, which could lead to them having little concentration in school. Social development could be affected due to high risk crime rate in the neighbourhood, individuals will be scared to leave their properties in case their attacked or broken into. With little social connect and communication people will be isolated and feel that they are not part of a community that they live in. which could lead to their emotional developmental being affected by becoming depressed, and unapproachable by other individuals in community. LIFESTYLE FACTORS Lifestyle factors that can have influence on the development and growth of an individual in society, is how an individual spends their time and money to create a better living. Some lifestyle choices will be influenced by their culture and individuals in their life. Many individuals develop habits that are connected to diet, exercise or alcohol whilst some will never choose a lifestyle but just seem to fall into one. SUBSTANCE MISUSE Substance is either illicit or prescribed drugs, alcohol or solvents misuse is the consumption of the substances which could be for dependent use or associated to having harmful effect on any individual in society. The department of health states that men should only have 4 units of alcohol aà day and women should have no more than 3 units. It is well documented that the younger generation of men and women lifestyle involves more than the recommended units with them drinking heavily on a daily basis. A national reported stated that men and women had stated that they had taken illicit drugs, roughly one out of three young men and one in five young women stated that they had used cannabis. All kinds of substance misuse is harmfully and can cause a number of health risks, the use of drugs, alcohol and solvents can cause individuals to have accident, unsociable behaviour crime and health issues including poisoning, or overdose. The use of more potential harmful drugs can cause individuals to have higher risks with their health and greater social risks in the community. Physical dependency is when the substance is used in order to feel good, or avoid feeling bad, this is done to avoid any physical discomfort and when it is used to avoid anxiety or mental stress it is known as psychological dependence. It is stated that children whose parents are misusing substances are at a increased risk of neglect, emotional and physical and sexual abuse either by the parent or because the child is vulnerable to others who misuse. Childrenââ¬â¢s physical emotional, intellectual and social developmental needs can be serious affected their parentââ¬â¢s misuse of substances. The physical harm could be if children have access to drug paraphernalia within the home, substance misuse in pregnancy can result in chemical dependency when born. Parents are putting children at risk by neglecting their needs concerning factors are children receiving inadequate supervision health appointments being used or advice not being sought. Childrenââ¬â¢s education disrupted and poor attendance at school due to them not attending regularly, because the parent is high on a substance. Children having no clear boundaries in the family home with the child sometimes assuming the role of the parent. They emotional and social needs will also be neglected as the parent will ignore them and not show them any kind affection. The only social development they will have is around other individuals who use substances in they life. PREDICTABLE AND UNPREDICTABLE EVENTS Predictable and unpredictable life events are influenced by a number of life factors and individuals are also influenced by the different events that happen. A number of changes in an individuals life can be predicted whilstà many others are unpredicted. An unpredictable event that could be affecting Emily now is moving to a new school after the recent divorce of her parents, she is finding the transition very difficult to cope with Physically she is finding it hard to adjust to the new surroundings of the school, since the move she has started suffering with panic attacks and eating less at meals times leaving her feeling weak and exhausted and unable to function in simply tasks. Intellectually since she missed quite a few weeks of schooling she has fallen behind the rest of the class adding to the stress. Her class work is starting to suffer in some areas and she is finding it hard to concentrate because of all of the upheaval and sadness leading to her working at a slower rate f rom the rest of the class. Although she has these issues she is spending time practicing on her sing and playing guitar by spending as much time as possible on her own. Emotionally Emily is becoming moody and angry very quickly with her mother as she blames her not having her father around anymore and she is becoming jealous of her twin brothers. As she believes that they are taking all the attention of her mother away from her. She feels that no one understands how she feels and this is affecting her confidence and feels unloved. She unhappy about the current situation she finds herself in and as started to be disruptive at home. Socially Emily is finding it difficult informing new friendships at school or near her home, she is becoming very isolated from her family by spending time in her room. She is wants to be with the friends she had at her previous school and home, and finding it hard to stay in touch with them. As a result of not forming new friendships easily it has knocked her confidence further and refusing to attend school or any other social situation. A predictable life event that could affect Emily in the future is leaving home, which could influence her development in adulthood. The physical development which will have a major impact on her as individual will be that she will have a change in her diet due to lack of cooking experience, learning to cook and have food that is high in nutrition will be positive experience and could influence her development in adulthood by trying other new experiences. Her intellectual development will be influenced through her having to take control of her own finances, paying all the bills and learning how to much her money till next pay day. Her emotional development could be influenced by her becoming more independentà and feeling that she as achieved something in her life. The negative side to emotional development is that she will feel she has lost the support of her family and become lonely. Developing new relationships will influences her social development as individual in society, and attending a community social group will boost her social contact and allow her to achieve her own independence as individual and have control over her environment. Another unpredictable life event could be the death of her grandmother that will affect her emotional wellbeing and social wellbeing. Emily will need to learn to cope with her loss of the person she thought the world off; she will have to come to terms that she will never see the person again and never be able to talk to her again. Her physical development will be affected as she will not have the energy to get up and do any physical activity during her grief. She will feel angry and unable to eat so will have less energy to do daily tasks, she will be weak and exhausted due to the lack of sleep and finding it hard to cope because of the loss with her practical help with her living activities. Her emotional development will be affected because she as lost the person who provided her with the emotional support she needed and that she was emotionally attached to. She will be struggling to keep her emotions under control and will become angrier at grandmother for leaving to cope on her own. Her intellectual development will be affected because she will be too tired to attend work or if still studying to attend any of her lessons due to lack of concentration and confidence due to her grandmother no longer reassuring her that she can achieve anything that she tries. Emilyââ¬â¢s social development will be affected because of the lack of support in leisure and social activities since her grandmother supported her during these Emily would easily give them up and become isolated for the time been. Another predictable life event that could affect Emily in the future is marriage, she will need to learn how to look after someone else and cope with the loss of her dependence in society. Her physical development could be changed due to the demands on her life; she will need to learn to adjust her cooking ability, she might need to change her diet to more a nutrition and take apart in more physical exercise. Her intellectual development will change as she could lose control over her over her finances, she will need to learn how to share the bills and budget for things that are needed in the future. Emily will need toà learn to put money away for her retirement or for when they start a family. Emilyââ¬â¢s emotional needs will change as well she will need to safe in making emotional attachments and to feel safe in experiencing any kind of intimacy for the first time, by not being embarrassed about her body or looks. She will need to confident and trust the person she has chosen to spend her life with. Emily social development will have changed now instead of doing things by herself she will have someone to share her personal experiences with. With having extended family her social life could be busy at times and more social connect will be demanded from them. the days that she felt isolated will no longer be present but occasionally she might wish for them days again. NATURE/NURTURE The nature verse nurture debate argues that individuals in society are to be the way we are whilst others argue that it is about the way we are brought up and what influences us that makes the way we are. Nature is biological genetic influences nurture is social, economic and the environmental influences. Nature refers to the traits that individuals inherit or genetic, its well documented that most of the human aspects of development are driven directly or indirectly by the persons genetic makeup. This is what determines eye, hair colour, skin type and some other characteristics that are derived directly from our genetic makeup. Heredity determines the physiological differences between females and males with many differences present at birth whilst over differences donââ¬â¢t present themselves till a child reaches puberty. It causes girls to reach puberty earlier than boys and causes boys to have more muscles and be taller than girls in general. Heredity accounts for all gender differences in boys and girls, boys are more likely to be physically aggressive a gene that is linked to them having increased levels of testosterone. Researchers have stated that hormones play a role in the differences in visual and verbal abilities among children. It states that boys are more likely to have higher visual abilities and girls will have higher verbal abilities. Nurture refers to all the environmental influences that occur after conception, meaning how individual is raised that drives their development. Including the level of attachment, their beliefs and values and how much attention is given to the environmentalà influences, i.e. some cultures practice and promote gender specific behaviour. The environment and specific cultures state that some behaviours are more appropriate for males whilst others are more appropriate for females. Environmental influences on gender differences involve parents treating their sons and daughters diffe rently from each other, there are more likely to respond more daughters who have requested help whist their sons are encouraged to solve issues independently. Most parents encourage gender behaviour by offering specific toys such trucks and toy guns for boys, dolls and prams for girls. Example: any musical talent is affected by nature; all musical skills are normally in heredity from parents. So parents who have a musical talent have children who have a musical talent too and have the same characteristics. Elvis Presley was a very talented musician that sang and played the piano he was loved and respected by nearly everyone. He composed loads of songs that individuals still like to listen to today. He had a daughter named Lisa Marie who is famous in her own right, both had the same taste for music, but her father is more famous for his talent in rock and roll than she is. Her father might have influenced her a lot in this which involves nurture but the musical talent that she possesses comes from her father. Example: drug addiction. In the case of Lisa Marie Presley the environment had a massive influence on her life, as she was known to be the daughter of Elvis, due to the circumstances surrounding her upbringing and life style. The environment had an influence on her taking drugs due to her having a lack of privacy. ALBERT AND ALAN The strengths and weaknesses in the nature and nurture debate concerning Albert and Alan; The strengths of Albert and Alan are they both have the same colour eye and hair, and both are extremely tall. Both had a caring nature and were successfully in their chosen careers. Both were successfully at school and enjoyed playing physical sport. Albert achieved the grades that he was predicted in subjects where Alan achieved higher grades and stayed on to achieve more. Albert had many friends and associates had lived his life to the full extent where, and socialized more frequently compared to Alan who only had friends in the school environment didnââ¬â¢t socialize much outside the school environment. They different upbringings influenced them both in different ways Alan loved to have expensive things where as Albertà enjoyed the simple things in life. The weaknesses that the environment had on Albert and Alan are they both attend different types of schools, because of the environment influences Alan was able to attend university where as Albert had to leave school and work to help with supporting his family. The environment influenced them both to smoke during their life, but due to marriage Albert had given up and relatively good health until recently. Alan had continued to smoke all his life and his health suffered dramatically until his recent death. Both nature and nurture played a part in the influences of Albert and Alan life either in a good way or bad way. CONCLUSION With all the different aspects that can affect growth and development of individualsââ¬â¢ society, individuals need to be aware of the dangers that could affect them to develop during their lifespan. Even though nature and nurture play a vital role in the influences of individuals it is actually the individual who makes the choice of what route they take. BIBLIOGRAPHY http://www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk/about-cf/cystic-fibrosis-care/standards-of-care. http://www.nofas-uk.org/. www.who.org.uk http://www.poverty.org.uk/02/index.shtml?2 http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Toxoplasmosis/ http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/gender-differences-the-nature-versus-nurture- http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Cystic-Fibrosis
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift - Essay Example It is during this time that Swift wrote this famous article. In the article, Swift goes to great detail to propose that small babies can be used as food and nourishment. In this paper, he is seen supporting and endorsing infanticide as well as cannibalism. He meticulously describes how a baby can be prepared as a delicacy and eaten. Swiftââ¬â¢s Modest Proposal was a satirical piece of literature that used extreme irony to critic the actions of the English landlords. Yet, through this satirical piece, he never takes time to renounce this view and leaves the reader to be the moral judge, a very dangerous thing because there is a high chance that the reader may take the ideas literally.As Gordon (59) says, irony can be very useful when presenting serious ideas becaue it stresses the importance. In this article, Swift, an Anglo-Irish priest uses extreme irony without taking caution to make sure that there are no misunderstanding (Biograpohy.com, para 2). What Swift does in this articl e is to write in an ironical way that does not explicitly point to the irony, thus making it harder for the reader to be able to detect the irony. Throughout the paper, Swift uses the persona in the article to forward the crazy idea of eating a baby. He even goes to great lengths to describe the logic behind eating a baby. For instance, he describes that since babies donââ¬â¢t eat much until they are about one year old, and only depend on their motherââ¬â¢s milk during this age, they should be kept until this age and be used as food to feed the rest of the population.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
The Hybrid Status of Immigrants Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
The Hybrid Status of Immigrants - Essay Example When a person happens to live in another community, which has different characteristics than the one he or she is born into, the individual becomes forced to accept some traits of that community and thus assumes a mixed personality. Immigrants, who migrate from their nation of origin to another country in the pursuit of education, job opportunities or business purposes, hence will become hybrids as they latently possess the characteristics of their original culture and absorb some aspects of the new culture. While this transformation has its rewards, it plunges them into a state of belonging neither here nor there and forces them to live between two cultures and worlds. The essays, ââ¬Å"Mother Tongue,â⬠by Amy Tan and, ââ¬Å"To the Border,â⬠by Richard Rodriguez, deftly illustrate the torment of immigrants as they deal with the consequences and dangers of living between worlds. Amy Tan dwells on the issues that language creates for an average immigrant in the new land, w here he or she migrates to. Most of the times either they are unable to understand the mechanics of the new language or they cannot completely eschew the nuances of their original language and its cultural impacts. Tan, from her personal experience show that the people in America look down on immigrants, who are not capable of speaking the language as the natives do and hardly listen to them or assist them. Her mother, who speaks ââ¬Å"broken or fractured Englishâ⬠in the US, confronts a lot of problems because she cannot converse with the natives in a befitting style (Tan, p.2). Her stockbroker ignores her demands and delays sending her the check because she is not able to talk to him properly.
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Current issues in second language learning Essay
Current issues in second language learning - Essay Example e constructivist approach, wherein the learner needs to be actively engaged in the learning process through his/her interactions with the environment. The role of a teacher within a constructivist framework would be largely a facilitative one ââ¬â aiding a student to learn by encouraging him/her to construct, rather than the traditional role of supplier of information. The policy of Constructivism takes into account the nature and development of knowledge and according to Van Glasersfeld, constructivism is a "theory of knowledge with roots in philosophy, psychology and cybernetics."1 Therefore, when learning is examined from a constructivist perspective, there is an underlying implication that the manner in which knowledge is constructed within an individualââ¬â¢s mind is fashioned by the environment that he is subjected to. Therefore teaching methods must be modified accordingly in order to accommodate learning practices. For instance, if students are perceived as mere learning receptacles, then teaching would constitute only the transmission of knowledge however, when applying constructivism, the knowledge that is being transmitted will be additionally processed by a student, then the teaching approach must incorporate attempts to transmit meaning and understanding to the students to help them make sense of their world2. The Constructivist approach transforms the learning process into a one on one process between an individual and his environment. Knowledge becomes intimately associated with and unique to every individual learner, since it is not an absolute entity existing as a separate external reality but rather it is integral to every learner whose knowledge will be conditioned by his/her own experiences. Therefore, applying this principle, reality is made up of ââ¬Å"the network of things and relationships that we rely on in living.â⬠3 Hence reality will be interpreted and constructed in accordance with the individual learnerââ¬â¢s experiences and interactions
Monday, August 26, 2019
Chronic Conditions Prevention and Management Assignment - 1
Chronic Conditions Prevention and Management - Assignment Example Secondly, cancer has many causative agents which include viruses like the human papilloma virus, radiations, and unprotected sex among other factors. Cancer has a long latency period implying that it can take along period before the effects are seen. Latency period depends on factors like degree of exposure to the risk, causative agent and immune competency of an individual and the site of inoculation of the causative agent (Pories, Moses and Lotz, 2009) Cancer is a disease known to affect all segments of the Australian population. However, the older people are primary the biggest victims. As such, the framework targets people aged between 50 years and 70 years. Greene & Heniford (2010) state that incidents of cancer increase exponentially with advancement in age. It is for this reason that different scholars like McVie (2006) and Pories, Moses & Lotz (2009) have come up with studies that are focused on mitigating the effects of the disease among the elderly. Members of the targeted population are not only at higher risk of contracting the disease but also face various challenges in recovery from the condition. When determining the treatment procedures for the group, care givers are always required to focus on the overall health of the individuals in question as well as their ability to keep up with their family activities. Different sets of conditions influence how the people aged between 50 and 75 cope with cancer. Most of the sta ccatos are related to their physical health. Age is not only a cancer risk factor but also an aspect that influences the probability of suffering from other related conditions and injuries. The aging process among this target population is a very complex issue. Foot & Sanson-Fisher (2005) notes that the actual age and the physical wellbeing of the members of this sample affects how they respond to cancer and their mental wellbeing. The other major characteristic of this group is their physical ability to respond to the
Sunday, August 25, 2019
Trace the historical deveopment of payment systems from cash to Research Paper
Trace the historical deveopment of payment systems from cash to negotiable instruments to electonic funds transfer and debit cards - Research Paper Example s related to payment systems for the business transactions (Economy Watch, ââ¬Å"Global Economyâ⬠) In this regard, organizations and inhabitants are able to undertake the operations nationally as well as in a global context with better efficiency and effectiveness. The transactions include transfer of goods and/or services, investment and fund among others. Thus, in the modern day context numerous transactions take place on a daily basis. These transactions deal with acquisition of financial assets, goods and other services. In this regards, a well defined payment system significantly aids to recognize as an important function in order to eliminate the fictions in the trading environment (BSP, ââ¬Å"What is a payment system?â⬠). Payment system comprises of various instruments, banking procedures along with the interbank transfer of funds to regulate the transfer of funds both nationally and internationally environment. Banking transaction between the parties is an important medium in the developed economy for making payments. Besides, the payment system is an important part of the economic and financial infrastructure. The effective functioning of the payment system enables the transaction to be completed safely and within the time. Moreover, the payment system is highly affected due to the high exposure of risk to the parties to the contract. Thus, the consideration of the proper security measure in order to control the feature of payment system is also very important to mitigate the risk related to it (CPSS 431-449) Correspondingly, the payment system allows the buyers and sellers to complete the transaction in very safe and timely manner in electronic forms. In this regard, it can also be affirmed that t he payment system is the key determinant of financial markets to settle the trading agreements that include government securities, stocks, foreign exchange, commercial paper and bonds among others. Likewise, there are various risks attached to the payment system
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Characters from Alice Hoffman's Saint Helene Essay
Characters from Alice Hoffman's Saint Helene - Essay Example The main character of the novel is Saint Helene though of course. The characters are set in the era of candles and lights made out of paper bags, sand and candles. Helenaââ¬â¢s mother takes the authority in the house of replacing every melting pot of white wax with fresh candles. However it is shown in the beginning that Heleneââ¬â¢s indifferent to her surroundings. Helene went to a high school called Middleborough High till her junior year. She was known to be a quiet recluse girl who had been dejected by the people around. Her companionship was very little. She was barely known her school. Whatever little was she known, she was known as someone who would spend her entire afternoon in a cafeteria filling paper pages. That was all people knew about her. The whole school used to look down upon her. The girls around her used to thank their stars that they are not Helen. That is the kind aura with which Alice Hoffman has set the character of the book in the beginning of the novel. To many she is unrelatable. She is not your routine girl. She hardly cares about her exterior and how she appears to the outside world. She is known to be fat, ugly, sorrowful . she has no friends. People think she is lost in her own world and the girls in her school find relief in the fact that they are not HER. ... However, she is a strong person from within. She puts a tough fight against the insulting connotations sent her way by her peers and school people. (Hoffman) As the story progresses her character is shown to evolve. Slowly and gradually she is redeemed in her eyes and in the eyes of people around her. She gains confidence, holds her ground and starts becoming more viable and acceptable by the society that was around her. The evolution in the character was phenomenal. Itââ¬â¢s the best character in the book and makes inroads into this world without having the most appealing features or the most charismatic habits. She is by far the best character that this story has to offer. Bibliography Hoffman, Alice. Saint Helene.
Friday, August 23, 2019
Humanities II course work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words
Humanities II course work - Essay Example As the movement grew, it gave rise to expressions of the fantastic and the exotic (Cunningham & Reich, 459). While Romanticism can be a nebulous concept, itââ¬â¢s most accurately expressed through a core group of elements in art and in literature. One of its earliest manifestations was a love of nature, expressed by artists throughout Europe, who exhibited an unprecedented use of personal perspective, scope and color. This was, in large part, a reaction against the onset of modern society. ââ¬Å"The growing industrialization of life in the great cities, and the effect of inventions like the railway train on urban architecture stimulated a ââ¬Ëback-to-natureââ¬â¢ movement as Romanticism provided an escape from the grim realities of urbanization and industrializationâ⬠(Cunningham & Reich, 430). This style struck a chord with people who were, in their own ways, seeking an escape from the de-personalizing effects of society. As the Romantic style gained momentum in the la te 18th and early 19th centuries, it became more self-consciously a rejection of classical art forms. The American and French revolutions utilized classical forms to express their rejections of the old forms of government Romanticism to Post-Modernism 3 against which they were rebelling (Cunningham and Reich, 424). The leaders of Americaââ¬â¢s revolution against Great Britain borrowed heavily from classical forms of architecture to express a timeless connection between their Democratic form of government and that of the ancients Greeks and Romans. For Romantic artists, this was a limiting artistic convention not adapted to the kind of self-expression with which the new style was infused. In the early phase of the Romantic movement, Goetheââ¬â¢s plays served as a literary catalyst for the turbulent, aggressive Sturm und Drang school. His works were prototypes of the emotionalism and rejection of governmental authority that characterized Romanticism. ââ¬Å"Modern criticism stil l considers Goetheââ¬â¢s use of dramatic technique in the Sturm und Drang as unconventional and revolutionary with respect to dramatic forms in general and Aristotelian drama in particularâ⬠(Stewart, 277). This trend would come to encompass music, poetry and the philosophy of Emmanuel Kant, Georg Hegel and Arthur Schopenhauer. The political environment in Europe at the time was set in turmoil by the French revolution and its aftermath. The Napoleonic wars of the late 18th and early 19 centuries aggravated nationalistic fervor throughout the continent. This historic and political cataclysm had a profound influence on artists and thinkers. Romanticism lent itself readily to mythological themes, and the great life-and-death struggle that engulfed Europe inflamed the mythologies and folk traditions in every European nation. In Germany, for instance, this phenomenon found its apex in the ancient Norse mythology that Richard Wagner would fashion into his famous Ring cycle opera. The lasting impact of Romanticism was that the nationalism of Europeââ¬â¢s nation Romanticism to Post-Modernism 4 states was enhanced - in some cases created - by the writers and artists of the Romantic movement. ââ¬Å"Many Romantic artists identified with the nationalist movements of the times and either supported their own countryââ¬â¢s fight for freedom (as in the case of Verdi) or championed the cause of others (as did Lord Byron)ââ¬
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Religion, Media and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Religion, Media and Ethics - Essay Example Media ethics as such is a complex subject, as it is formulated on the basis of the concurrent culture, economy and national policies. It has been observed by a number of researchers that the media symbolizes societal values. Slinger (1983) has mentioned a number of examples in which media comes up with advertisements which prompts the views to connect the product being advertised to societal values specific to the viewers. One important value that a person relates to is his personal beliefs and religious beliefs. Itââ¬â¢s generally considered that the popular programs in the secular media do not have religious intentions. Considering the recent development of secularizing of religious broadcasting sponsored by religious organizations, the identification of religiously persuading content becomes difficult. Programs and specifically labeled content dealt by religious media are the ones which are bracketed as of the ones which influence the public religiously. However, there are arguments that this is not the case. Mark Pinsky (2001, p.5) observes that he ââ¬Ëfound God, faith and spirituality in abundance on Th e Simpsonsââ¬â¢.Jana Reiss (2004, p.xii) claims that Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel ââ¬Ëare two of the most religious programs on network TVââ¬â¢. These arguments suggest that cartoon programs and other popular programs may also be considered as religious. I agree with this argument. The earlier argument that only religious media can contain religious content is based on the assumption that religion is associated with religious institutions and organizations. Schultze (1990) has argued that being religious does not mean belonging to a religion but itââ¬â¢s a way of life with its own world view. Anything which would influence this world view thus must be considered religious persuasion. Thus there is no wonder in Pinsky finding spirituality and god in the cartoon
Electronic Frontiers Australia Essay Example for Free
Electronic Frontiers Australia Essay This paper is meant to analyze the role evaluation in media relations campaigns. It is an evaluation of media campaign with specific focus on the campaign done by Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA), an Australia-based NGO working on the online liberties and rights of all Internet users. Its campaign is entitled ââ¬Å"Generation Zâ⬠, that is teenagers between the ages of thirteen and eighteen years. The campaignââ¬â¢s overall intention is to create an impression of personal responsibility among members of the target group by inculcating a sense of discipline. It is also meant to inform Generation Z about the disadvantages of irresponsible use of the internet then inverse their awareness in utilizing Internet content. In order to achieve the campaign objective, it is necessary to involve parents in the process. Parents need to be involved in the process of monitoring their childrenââ¬â¢s internet use and also by teaching them how to use the internet in the most appropriate way. The campaign aims at creating appropriate communication channels for this target population so that they can adequately develop desirable internet communication plans of action. This campaign will be an opposition to government policy because it will be different from that of the government policy which advocates for internet control through external rather than internal mechanisms. Communication practitioners focus a great deal on the best ways to deliver communication strategies that are able to bring about wider awareness of the clients that they serve. Need for public relation services by the industry means that these public relation firms are always evaluating their approaches towards communication strategies that are prescribed for the industry. Crystal (2003) argues that, ââ¬Å"Public relations provide a service for an organization by helping it provide clients better information of their functions. â⬠Within organizations, public relations can also be viewed from the perspective of Public Information or Customer Relations (Paul 2008), ââ¬Å"these departments help clients in answering queries, complaints, or problems that might arise in their relationship with the organization. They are usually the most helpful departments, as they exist to show the organization at their best. â⬠The EFA campaign will use a comprehensive method and strategy to ensure success of the campaign. This will be achieved through public relations and media relations principles. Good media relations will be build through gaining appropriate insight of the media by devising ways through which appropriate relationships can be build. Furthermore, the firm has relevant information regarding internet filtering accessed through substantive internet user support from the public; hence this will be a big advantage to the campaign. Use of persuasive theories will also offer the much needed support and attention to the campaign. Generally, evaluation can be seen as the systematic application of research methods, to understand the effectiveness and usefulness of interventions. Evaluation determines the effectiveness of a programme in terms achieving goals that have been set up and the effectiveness of those goals. Evaluation therefore is a means of measurement that is meant to assess the level of success of a communication strategy. Evaluation determines the level to which a campaign has reached its goals and also helps organizations and individuals to understand how a particular campaign worked, it is therefore a tool for determining success of interventions towards a particular campaign. Evaluation should ââ¬Å"specify explicitly the goals and objectives,â⬠(Ronald 2000) of a particular campaign because this is what clients will use to measure the success of communication strategies and campaigns that are targeted to a particular case. When evaluating or measuring a particular strategy, there is need to put into consideration the outputs in terms of time to be taken and the budget needed. In addition, there is need for prioritization of the needs and what they are benchmarked against. Moreover, tools of evaluation may vary depending on the type of campaign and the targeted audience. There are various methods of media relations evaluations that are currently used in the Public Relations Industry. Some of these methods can be applied to the (EFA) campaign. One method of evaluation is the use of Advertising Value Equivalence (AVE). Michaelson and Griffin (2005), posits that it is ââ¬Å"the approximate calculation of the cost of value of a purchase of advertising that has a size and location in a given publication on a specific dayâ⬠However, they content that this method has characteristic pitfalls and has therefore fallen out of favour by public relation practitioners. Another method of evaluation is the simple content analysis which is ââ¬Å"An elemental analysis that categorizes or codes what is written in categories that can be statistically analyzed. The codes are developed by a close contextual review of a sample of articles. The remaining articles are reviewed based on the presence of these codes. This method only distinctively represents only what is written. expectedmessages or specific items of information that are not included in the codes or do not appear in the articles are not included in the analysisâ⬠(Michaelson and Griffin 2005). Prominence analysis is also another method of evaluation and was also applied to the EFA research in evaluating internet use. This analysis takes into account such factors as the publication an article appears, the date, overall size, presence of photography and other art work and size of headlines. Therefore, in a ââ¬Å"sample prominence analysis, each element is given a weight that is factored into an overall score for each articleâ⬠(Stanton 2007). The EFA research basically tried to evaluate the consequences and impacts of the internet through the analysis of clicking rates of links and blog. Evaluation can also be carried out through message analysis, which differs from simple and content analysis by placing the analysis on the presence of intended messages in articles. ââ¬Å"Key messages are developed based on communication objectivesâ⬠(Michaelson and Griffin 2005). The communicative objectives are ââ¬Å"translatedâ⬠into codes that become the basis of analysis. Michaelson and Griffin suggest that the best method in evaluation is to determine the availability of key parameters in the organization that are to be measured and evaluated these parameters are ââ¬Å"right information, incorrect information, misleading and contradicting information and information that has been left out. â⬠This information was used to give an example of how one company; MetLife used this analysis to manage its media relations efforts on two key lines of business. As part of a national education plan to promote annuities, MetLife identified the media as a paramount passage of its messages to consumers. MetLife decided to determine the degree to which correct, incorrect and only partially correct information is included in new stories about annuities. The analysis enabled MetLife to make an association between the degree and length covered by the media when it comes to annuities and the clientsââ¬â¢ understanding of the more than thirty years they will likely live in retirement. Through analysis of the kind of information in terms of their correctness or lack of , clients are able to comprehend the type of retirement plans they could choose from those available at MetLife; and made the company to be aware of the directions it needed to take as far as selling annuities was concerned. Evaluation research normally has three phases, that is, formative, process and summative. ââ¬Å"The formative phase involves all activities that define the extent of the campaignâ⬠(Payne 2007). It is in this phase where the range of the problem is ascertained, data is collected regarding mediating strategies; and also provides additional illumination regarding the people being targeted by the mediation, budgetary estimates and the constraints to the full attainment of the mission as set by the problem. Focus is on basic research through focus groups and inquiries which provide opinions and attitudes that can inform campaign development. The formative phase serves as the basis for direction and also sets out the budget to be used in the research campaign. It is therefore an initial process that can also be used to analyze and get insights into the audienceââ¬â¢s values, fears and their perceptions. In the EFA campaign, formative phase was applied in the identification of the target group that is youths between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. It also involved understanding the current internet use habits among the youths whereby the official system has been seen as being unable to safeguard the safety of these youths (Paul Dylan 2003). The process phase in evaluative research has to do with keeping track of the extent to which the objectives are being achieved. Shapiro (1996) defines monitoring as the ââ¬Å"methodical Compilation and assay of information as projected progresses. â⬠It is based on projections set during the formative phase. The process phase involves collection of data, time taken to carry out the campaign and the trailing classification that is employed. Monitoring occurs mainly to keep track of activities and correct any shortcomings that may arise (Edward 1945). It generally involves keeping a diary of events. Monitoring of progress of the EFA campaign will involve building media relationships through the press or media releases by creating series of professional news or feature articles. The process phase will include launch of social workshops with the aim of accessing the attention of journalists and also establish linkages with groups in the information sector that have showed concern over the EFA issue. Use of directional tactics to provide one-way flow of information and comprehensive reports to interested parties is meant to bear and achieve more support from these audiences. Other ways will be through organization of meeting among community members, visiting local schools to give speeches and use of focused groups to brainstorm on the issue. The end results of the process phase are that people would have internalized the issue at hand and thus raising the success rate of the campaign. The summative phase involves quantification of the success of goals and objectives whereby collected quantitative data is analyzed. It also involves content analysis of the measuring characteristics of the messages. Generally, the summative phase involves propagating and demonstration of the verdict of the campaign process. It involves ââ¬Å"media responses based on readership, calculation of column centimeters in print media or minutes on airâ⬠(Salin 2003). The objectives of the EFA campaign were to train parents of Generation Z on safe internet use, as well as the negative influences on their children whenever they accept the unfitting information from websites. They are considered as the target stakeholder group in this campaign, and are the most important source of support in cultivating their childrenââ¬â¢s habit. Other objectives included the need to increase Generation Zââ¬â¢s awareness in utilizing Internet content and also to counter the oppression of free speech by educating the community about the social, political, and civil liberties concerns involved in the use of computer based communication systems. The outcomes of this campaign are generally to provide more protection to young children from accessing internet sources that are harmful to them. On the issue of training parents on safe internet use, the outcome was that many parents were advised and showed ways through which they could put more productive security and consciousness that is necessary in minimizing access to these sites by the generation ââ¬Å"Zâ⬠youths. This campaign was able to shed light on the extent to which generations ââ¬Å"Zâ⬠youths are using the internet to access harmful sites that is now a major cause of concern. It was also noted that most parents did not use internet filters to restrain their children. Hence the numerous campaigns that EFA had launched regarding filtering had not been so successful. The ââ¬Å"issue of forcing internet service providers to block content did not only fail to achieve its intended purpose, but also raised fundamental issues regarding human rights violation of the citizensâ⬠(Greenfield 1999). Furthermore, the outcome of the campaign showed that only a handful parents utilized the filtering system, while a majority of them assumed that their children would be able to select the websites that were of importance to their development. Moreover the cost of implementing the filtration system was found to be too high hence way above the majority of most parents. Planning and implementation of this programme started with the coming up with the appropriate secondary analysis of the media and preparation of a budget that was to address the issue of brochures and advertisements. The realization timetable occurred over a period of twelve weeks and it involved various actions which included writing letters to the press, designing the advertisements in the media and writing online. All these implementing strategies were done with the focus of providing ââ¬Å"consistent and orderly evaluations of these interventionsâ⬠(Greenfield 1999). The results of these interventions in creating are varied within the context of trying to get information regarding the topic. A significant number of teenagers were able to release feature stories on the campaign. Circulation and readership of these magazines was also increased. Implementation also focused on the parents the teenagers, because they are the closest people who can check and control internet use by their children. Parents were able to give information that was used in the development of the advertisement of briefs and variations in opinions, and the public that was needed. With changing technological renovations, then it means that people should always be informed on the current changes in technology. The campaign to filter websites cannot be said to be a very effective means to control the generation ââ¬Å"Zâ⬠youths. In terms of future campaigns, there should be emphasize on the peer group relationship and the use of the internet by the young people. Campaigns should also focus on other avenues that can be used as a substitution to the internet and public education on harmful consequences of teenagers having unlimited accesses to all sites on the web (Austin 2006). CONCLUSION The importance of evaluation in a communication strategy cannot be over emphasized. Communication strategies need to reflect the overall goals and objectives of the organization so as to bring about a continuum of order and efficiency. The role of campaigns in putting across pertinent issues with regards to communication will be effective through proper utilization of evaluation tools. Public relations agencies have to put up relevant and strong communication strategies that should address the needs of clients. Evaluation process leads to better understanding of the potential outcomes and the costs versus benefits that might accrue as a result of using a particular campaign strategy. REFERENCE Austin, E 2006, Strategic public relations management: Planning and Managing Effective Communication, Bellman Publishing Company, Boston. Edward, B 1945, Public Relations in Business, Bellman, Boston.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Silver-graphene Oxide Composite for Optical Sensor
Silver-graphene Oxide Composite for Optical Sensor KHOSRO ZANGENEH KAMALI ORIGINAL LITERARY WORK DECLARATION FORM ABSTRACT In this work, a [emailprotected] oxide ([emailprotected]) nanocomposite-based optical sensor was developed for the detection of biomolecules such as dopamine (DA), ascorbic acid (AA), and uric acid (UA). An aqueous solution of [emailprotected] was prepared using a simple chemical reduction method, and it showed a characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band at 402 nm. The SPR features of the [emailprotected] nanocomposite were used for the detection of DA, AA, and UA. The SPR intensity-based limits of detection (LoDs) of DA, AA, and UA were 49 nM, 634 nM, and 927 nM, respectively. The SPR band position-based LoDs of DA, AA, and UA were 30 nM, 1.64 à ¯Ã à M, and 2.15 à ¯Ã à M, respectively. The present optical sensor was more sensitive to DA than to UA and AA. The interactions of the biomolecules with [emailprotected] were studied based on the density functional theory (DFT), and it was found that DA had more interaction than AA and UA. This novel [emailprotected] nan ocomposite is simple to prepare and showed excellent stability and sensitivity toward the detection of biomolecules. The similar material is used for colorimetric detection of Mercury(II) ions (Hg(II)) that is able to show existence of 100 à µM Hg(II) ions in solution by naked eyes. The development of this optical sensor for Hg(II) using silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) is based on the decrement in the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) absorption of the Ag NPs and the formation of silver-mercury (AgHg) amalgam. It is observed that increasing Hg(II) ions concentration in the solution results in the decrease of LSPR intensity and decolouration of the solution. The existence of GO prevents the agglomeration of Ag NPs and enhances the stability of the nanocomposite material, enabling this material to be used in industrial and real sample applications. ABSTRAK Di sini, oksida perak @ graphene (Ag @ GO) berdasarkan nanokomposit-sensor optik telah dibangunkan untuk mengesan biomolekul seperti dopamine (DA), asid askorbik (AA), dan asid urik (UA). Larutan akueus Ag @ GO telah disediakan dengan menggunakan kaedah pengurangan kimia yang mudah, dan ia menunjukkan satu ciri plasmon permukaan resonans (SPR) band di 402 nm. Ciri-ciri SPR daripada Ag @ GO nanokomposit telah digunakan untuk mengesan DA, AA, dan UA. Had keamatan-pengesanan (LoDs) bagi SPR berdasarkan daripada DA, AA, dan UA adalah masing-masing 49 nM, 634 nM, dan 927 nM,. The band SPR berdasarkan kedudukan-LoDS daripada DA, AA, dan UA adalah masing- masing 30 nM, 1.64 uM, dan 2.15 uM. Sensor optik masa kini adalah lebih sensitif kepada DA daripada UA dan AA. Interaksi daripada biomolekul dengan Ag @ GO dikaji berdasarkan ketumpatan teori fungsional (DFT), dan didapati bahawa DA mempunyai interaksi lebih daripada AA dan UA. Novel ini Ag @ GO nanokomposit adalah mudah untuk menyediakan dan menunjukkan kestabilan yang sangat baik dan kepekaan terhadap pengesanan biomolekul.Bahan yang sama telah digunakan untuk pengesanan colorimetric ion Mercury(II), (Hg(II)) yang mampu dilihat dengan kewujudan 100 ÃŽà ¼M ion Hg(II) dalam larutan dengan mata kasar. Pembangunan sensor optik bagi Hg(II) menggunakan nanozarah perak (Ag NPS) adalah berdasarkan pengurangan pada penyerapan Ag NPs resonan plasmon permukaan setempat (LSPR) dan pembentukan amalgam perak-merkuri (AgHg). Dapat diperhatikan bahawa peningkatan kepekatan ion Hg(II) memberikan hasil pengurangan pada intensiti LSPR dan perubahan warna. Peningkatan jumlah ion Hg(II) pada satu tahap membawa perubahan dalam morfologi Ag NPs dan pembentukan amalgam AgHg yang mempengaruhi LSPR Ag NPS dan menjadikan perubahan warna pada [emailprotected] Kehadiran GO menghalang penggumpalan Ag NPS dan meningkatkan kestabilan bahan nanokomposit yang membolehkan bahan ini untuk digunakan dalam industri dan aplikasi sampel sebenar. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS / DEDICATION TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents SILVER-GRAPHENE OXIDE COMPOSITE FOR OPTICAL SENSOR APPLICATIONS ORIGINAL LITERARY WORK DECLARATION FORM ABSTRACT ABSTRAK ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS / DEDICATION TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF TABLES LIST OF SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS LIST OF APPENDICES CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 2: LITRETURE REVIEW 2.1. Plasmonic band of metal Nanoparticles 2.2. Graphene Oxide 2.3. Sensor 2.3.1. Electrochemical sensor 2.3.2. Surface enhanced Raman scattering 2.3.3. Optical sensor 2.4.2 Amalgamation and LSPR CHAPTER 3: MATERIALS AND METHODS 3.1. Chemicals and Reagents 3.2. Preparation of [emailprotected] Nanocomposite 3.3. Characterization Techniques 3.4. Optical Detection of Biomolecules 3.5. Optical Detection of Hg(II) ions CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DESCUSSIONS 4.2. Optical Sensing of Biomolecules using [emailprotected] Nanocomposite 4.2.1. Morphological Studies of [emailprotected] after Addition of Biomolecules 4.2.2. Raman Studies of [emailprotected] Nanocomposite 4.2.3. Computational Studies 4.3. Optical sensing of Hg(II) ions 4.3.1. Optical properties of [emailprotected] nanocomposites 4.3.2. Optical sensing of Hg(II) ions by [emailprotected] nanocomposite 4.3.3. Mechanism for the Amalgamation based detection of Hg(II) ions with [emailprotected] nanocomposite 4.3.4. Characterization of [emailprotected] nanocomposite before and after addition of Hg(II) ions 4.3.5. Selectivity of [emailprotected] nanocomposite based optical sensor 4.3.6. Practical application CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND DISCISSION REFERENCES Supplementary Appendix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: UV-vis absorption spectra of (a) AgNO3 (b) GO, and (c) [emailprotected] nanocomposite. Inset: Photograph obtained for the aqueous solution of synthesized [emailprotected] nanocomposite. Figure 2: (A) Absorption spectra obtained for [emailprotected] nanocomposite upon each addition of 100 nM DA. (B) Plot of absorption intensity vs. DA concentration. (C) Plot of Id vs. DA concentration. (D) Plot of à »max vs. DA concentration. Figure 3: (A) Absorption spectra obtained for [emailprotected] nanocomposite upon each addition of 5 à µM AA. (B) Plot of absorption intensity vs. AA concentration. (C) Plot of Id vs. AA concentration. (D) Plot of à »max vs. AA concentration. Figure 4: (A) Absorption spectra obtained for [emailprotected] nanocomposite upon each addition of 5 à µM UA. (B) Plot of absorption intensity vs. UA concentration. (C) Plot of Id vs. UA concentration. (D) Plot of à »max vs. UA concentration. Figure 5: TEM images of (A) as-prepared [emailprotected] nanocomposite and after additions of (B) AA, (C) UA, and (D) DA. Figure 6: Raman spectra of (a) [emailprotected] and (b) [emailprotected] with 1-à ¯Ã à M additions of (b) DA, (c) UA, and (d) AA. Figure 7: Electron density map and energy gap of HOMO and LUMO energy levels for Ag and DA, UA, and AA adducts, respectively calculated by DFT methods. Figure 8: Absorption spectra for the (a) AgNO3, (b) GO and [emailprotected] nanocomposite. Figure 9: Absorption spectral changes observed for the [emailprotected] nanocomposite (A) before and (B) after the addition of 200 à µM Hg(II) ions. Inset: The digital photographic images taken for the corresponding solution. Figure 10: (A) Absorption spectral changes observed for [emailprotected] nanocomposite upon each addition of 100 nm à ¼M of Hg(II) ions to the solution. (B) Plot of changes in the absorption intensity maximum at à »LSPR of [emailprotected] nanocomposite against various Hg(II) ions concentr Figure 11: (A) Schematic explain the function of GO in the detection Hg(II) ions. (a) Addition of Hg(II) ions into a solution containing [emailprotected] nanocomposite. (b) Adsorption of Hg(II) ions on the surface of GO. (c) Interaction of Hg(II) ions with Ag NPs and formation of AgHg amalgam. (B) Schematic representation for the formation of AgHg amalgam and its influence in absorption spectra of the Ag NPs present in the [emailprotected] nanoparticles. Figure 12: Overview and high magnification TEM images obtained for the [emailprotected] nanocomposite before (A andB) and after addition of 200 à µM Hg(II) ions (C and D). Figure 13: X-ray diffraction patterns obtained for the [emailprotected] nanocomposite (a) before and (b) after addition of 200 à µM Hg(II) ions. Figure 14: XPS spectra obtained for the AgHg amalgam particles and their corresponding (A) Ag 3d and (B) Hg 4f regions of core-level spectra. Figure 15: Cyclic voltammograms recorded in 0.1 M phosphate buffer solution with pH 7.0 at a scan rate of 50 mV sâËâ1 for the GC electrode coated with the solution containing [emailprotected] nanocomposite (A) before and (B) after addition of 200 à µM Hg(II) ions. Figure 16: Difference in percentage of Ag NPs absorbance peak reduction observed for [emailprotected] nanocomposite in the presence of 200 à µM Hg(II), Na(I), K(I), Mn(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Fe(II) and Fe(III) into the individual solutions. Inset: Photograph taken after the addition of 200 à µM of Hg(II) ), Na(I), K(I), Mn(II), Ni(II), Zn(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Fe(II) and Fe(III) into the individual solution. LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Analytical performances of [emailprotected] nanocomposite for the detection of DA, UA and AA in human urine sample. Table 2: Comparison of the sensing performance of some of the Ag NPs towards Hg(II) ions. Table 3: Determination of Hg(II) ions in different water samples by using [emailprotected] nanocomposite. LIST OF SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS DAdopamine UAuric acid AAascorbic acid LoD limit of Detection LSPRlocalized surface plasmon resonance SPRsurface plasmon resonance SERSsurface enhanced resonance plasmon scattering mmili à µmicro nnano Mmolar HPLChigh-performance liquid chromatography NPsnanoparticles Hg(II) ionmercury (II) ion GOgraphene oxide rGOreduced graphene oxide GCEglassy carbon electrode eVelectron volt DFTdensity functional theory HRTEMhigh resolution transmission electron microscope XRDX-ray diffraction XPSX-ray photoelectron spectroscopy FESEMfield emission scanning electron microscope a.u.arbitrary unit LIST OF APPENDICES CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION For several decades, silver (Ag) nanoparticles have been attracting attention because of their excellent optical and electronic properties, high catalytic activity, and biocompatibility. Hence, they are used in a wide range of applications such as catalysis 1, solar cells 2,3, and optical 4 and electrochemical sensors 5. Ag nanoparticles possess a sharp absorption in the visible region (400ââ¬â500 nm), depending on the size of the nanoparticles. This absorption feature arises from the surface plasmon resonance (SPR), which is the absorption of light by the nanoparticles because of surface vibrations between atoms 6ââ¬â8. This SPR feature allows Ag nanoparticles to be used in optical sensors for the detection of toxic metals 9, biomolecules 10, and organic compounds 11. The addition of any analyte to the Ag nanoparticles leads to assembled/aggregated nanoparticles. This influences the SPR absorption band and is extensively used to follow the molecular recognition processes. Dopamine (DA) is an important catecholamine that belongs to the family of excitatory chemical neurotransmitters. It plays an essential role in the functioning of the drug addiction, cardiovascular, renal, central nervous, and hormonal systems, and in Parkinsonââ¬â¢s disease 12. Thus, it is very important to develop a simple sensor for the detection of a sub-micro-molar concentration of DA. In recent years, the detection of biomolecules such as uric acid (UA) and ascorbic acid (AA) in human fluids such as urine and serum has gained considerable attention 13. A deficiency or excess amount of UA in the body causes several diseases, including Lesch/Nyhan syndrome, hyperuricaemia, and gout 14. Cardiovascular disease and kidney damage result from an elevated UA concentration in serum 15. Analytical methods such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) 16, spectrofluorimetry 17, spectrophotometry 18, mass spectrometry 19, and electrochemical sensors 20 have been reported for the detection of these neurotransmitter molecules. However, the existing detection methods have several limitations such as the need for expensive equipment, well-trained operators, and tedious sampling and time-consuming procedures. Alternatively, an optical sensor platform is more attractive for sensing a wide range of analytes. It is cost effective, portable, has a rapid response, and can provide real-time analyses. Recently, Ramaraj and his coworker reported a silicate-Ag nanoparticle-based optical sensor for the detection of DA, UA, and AA with LODs of 5, 5, and 1 nM, respectively 9 (Figure 1). Most commonly, Ag nanoparticles are synthesized using various chemical and physical methods, which are not eco-friendly and suffer from problems that include the poor reproducibility and stability of the Ag nanoparticles due to colloidal aggregation 21. In order to overcome such limitations, considerable efforts have been made to prepare Ag nanoparticles on polymer 22, silicate sol-gel 11, and graphene nanosheets 23. Among these, Ag-graphene has a large surface area and strong van der Waals force between the graphene and Ag nanoparticles, which significantly reduces nanoparticle aggregation. In addition, the high interfacial interactions ensure the stability of the Ag nanoparticles 24. In this study, graphene oxide-supported Ag nanoparticles were prepared using a simple chemical reduction method and used in an optical sensor for the detection of biomolecules such as DA, AA, and UA (Figure 2). The present synthetic method for the for preparation of [emailprotected] nanocomposite has a dvantages over other methods 11, 21-24 such as, long term stability, high homogeneity, rapid and ease of preparation and avoids any surfactant, stabilizers. Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) attracted much attention due to its biocompatibility, high catalytic activity, anti-bacterial activity, electronic and optical properties 25ââ¬â28. The Ag NPs possess a principal absorption band in the region of 400 nm due to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)29,30. This SPR feature of Ag NPs is aroused due to the collective oscillation of electrons on the surface of the Ag NPs that are excited by incident electromagnetic waves 31. The SPR band position and intensity mainly depend on the size, shape and refractive index 32. This SPR band of Ag NPs is more sensitive to the surrounding environment and it significantly influences the band position and intensity. Based on the changes in the LSPR band position and intensity, an optical sensor platform with Ag NPs was developed to detect the wide range of analytes, including biomolecules 33, nitroaromatics 34, phenolic compounds 35, and heavy metal ions 36. Among the investigated analytes, heavy metal ions especially Hg(II) ions are more often monitored with Ag NPs through the optical sensing method owing to its high toxicity and solubility in water37. Mercuric (Hg(II)) ions are mainly released into the atmosphere from solid waste incineration, power plants, and bumping fossil fuels38 that pollute water, soil and air 39,40. The existence of Hg(II) ions in water causes serious damage to the brain, nervous system, kidneys and endocrine system of living organisms41. Developing a system for detecting Hg(II) with high sensitivity and selectivity against other common metal ions dissolved in water is a challenge in recent years 42ââ¬â47. From an environmental point of view the development of an inexpensive, simple, selective and sensitive method of detection of Hg(II) becomes highly important. There are many types of sensors invented to detect Hg(II) in the environment. Some studies reported the detection of Hg(II) ions using electrochemical methods 48,49. Although they achieved a very high limit of detection (LoD), they need to use expensive apparatus and complicated setup. For the electrochemical testing of Hg(II) sample, the fabrication of an electrode is necessary, and that is a very tedious process. In addition, the detection of Hg(II) using fluorescence spectrometry has been widely investigated 50,51. Although this method is simple and is able to detect trace amounts of Hg(II) ions in solution, it requires expensive equipment to work. In this respect, colorimetric sensors are cheaper and do not require tedious preparation methods, colorimetric sensors have the advantage that the existence of Hg(II) is easily discernible to the naked eye without being affected by other possible dissolved ions 52ââ¬â59. Recently, Hg(II) ion sensing was reported with noble metals su ch as Au and Ag by utilizing the size/interparticle distance-dependent optical properties and high extinction coefficients 60ââ¬â62. The interaction between surfactants and metal NPs results in changes to the refractive index of these NPs and the LSPR band 32,33. They also may electrostatically repel the analyte, preventing it from interacting with the metal NPs and reduces the sensitivity of the sensor. In this study, the Ag NPs was prepared by using a simple chemical reduction agent and stabilized on graphene oxide (GO) sheets. Subsequently, the [emailprotected] nanocomposite was used to develop a colorimetric sensor for the detection of Hg(II) with the naked eye and an optical sensor also developed based on the LSPR changes upon the addition of various Hg(II) concentrations. This significant change in the LSPR of the Ag NPs is due to change in the morphology through the formation of AgHg amalgam. Selectivity in the detection of Hg(II) in the presence of various environmentall y relevant metal ions was also studied. CHAPTER 2: LITRETURE REVIEW 2.1. Plasmonic band of metal Nanoparticles Most probably gold nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized in the 5th or 4th century BC in China and Egypt regions 63. From that time, gold NPs have been used in both medicine and aesthetic aspects. As the result of the interesting optical properties of gold NPs, they were used for changing color of glass 64, pottery and ceramics 65. Faraday got interested about the optical properties of gold NPs and reported about the range of colors of gold nanoparticles colloidal solutions from ruby red to amethyst in 1857. Then he studied the factors influencing the color of gold NPs solutions and concluded that ââ¬Ëââ¬Ëthe mere variation in the size of particles gave rise to a variety of resultant colorsââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢. Other than their optical properties, many applications of metal nanoparticles have been found in biochemistry, catalysis and sensors. For instance, one of the anti-odour commercialized devices in Japan is using the technology of immobilizing gold nanoparticles in oxide matrixes as active oxidation catalysts 66. In defenitions, nanoparticles are particles composed of number of atoms, ranging from 3 to 107 67. Nanoparticles feature properties are different from atoms or bulk material due to their size. The metallic nanoparticles larger than 2 nm possess a strong and broad absorption band in the UV-visible spectrum that is called surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band. This absorbance has discovered by Gustav Mie and known as Mie resonance 67. For smaller nanoparticles, quantum effects become more prominent and LSPR disappears. All metal nanoparticles possess the mensioned optical property, but the series of Au, Ag and Cu have very intense LSPRs. Other than that, their easy synthesis methods and their robustness to environmental conditions made silver and gold NPs to widely be used in this field. The LSPR features such as position, shape and intensity are strongly depends on various factors, to mention: the changes in the interparticle distance of the NPs and , a nd the changes in the refractive index of the local surrounding environment 68. There are indeed other types of plasmonic signals, such as the surface plasmon resonance band produced by planar metallic films, in reflection or transmission, some of them being called plasmon polaritons. Though the resulting physics is extremely exciting and the recent discoveries numerous, it is out of the scope of present thesis and they will not discuss further. In recent years, many theories were adopted by both physicists and chemists in order to give a clear description of the SPR band and on the main factors impacting its position, broadness and intensity. Many works has done to overview the existing plasmon band theories 67, and explain the SPR band by Mie and effective medium theory 69. There are some researches to explain optical propertiese of NPs with arbitrary shape by Maxwell equation theory 6. The phenomenon on absorbance of certain wavelength of light observed in transmission of light through metal nanoparticles in solid or solution phase, is called localized surface plasmon resonance band (LSPR).Nanoparticles intract with incident light in certain frequency that result global scattering of it. This observation can be explained by the collective resonance of the conduction electrons of the nanoparticle, due to interaction of electrons in nanoparticles with light. The evaluation of all parameters of material, specially its dielectric constant is necessary for understanding and study this phenomena. Usually, dielectric constant of nanoparticles count same as its bulk form and confinement effects and defects induced by edges or impurities will be neglected. For this aim a study on electrostatics in bulk metal by using Maxwell equations is necessary. In formulating the dielectric constant with known parameters, the Drude model, which describes the motion of free electrons in a metal can be applied. Then the question of the nanoparticles will be addressed: the conditions for conducting electrons resonance will be determined by several means. The determination of the frequency of the absorption maximum (denoted , the frequency of the Mie resonance), the height of this maximum and the width of the peak will be the ultimate goal of the calculations. The different geometrical confinement effect of free electrons on each material caused the electronic motion for nanoparticles vary material by material. Indeed, here the nanoparticles can be seen as a cationic network in which a cloud of conducting electrons (or free electrons) moves and oscillates. Nanoparticles dimensions are very small compared to the wavelength of the UV-visible light for which the phenomenon is observed and also comparable to the mean free path of electrons. The surface plasmon band is known to the resonance of the electronic cloud with the incident wave and the mechanics of this phenomeno n can be evaluated. In the case of nanoparticles, the conditions that electron cloud can resonate needs to be calculated. For this aim, The dielectric constant of metal nanoparticles assumed to be the same as the bulk material. Some postulates then become incorrect, but in calculation we have to keep them as an approximation. For instance, the electron density in small particles (r = 0) is not uniform and the charge will accumulate in particle edges and surface. Other than that, since the size of nanoparticles is very small comparing to the wavelength of incident light, we can consider that all electrons in the nanoparticle face with the same field at the given time and the electric field is independent of position 67. This hypothesis is known as the quasi-static approximation. When the electric field incidents to the particle, it result the displacement of the electron cloud that leads to the creation of surface charges. The positive charge would be where the cloud is lacking and the negative charge would be where it is concentrated (Fig. 1). 67 The therm ââ¬Å"surfaceâ⬠is justified by the electron cloud charge mentioned in previous statements. However, we have to kep in mind that all the electrons are moving together (collectively) under the influence of electromagnetic field. This collective oscillation leads to plasmon polaritons, 64 that is different with the free plasmon in the bulk metal.67 The term ââ¬Å"plasmonâ⬠was given to the SPR phenomenon by Shopper, due to the bounded gaseous plasmon oscillations.67 The dipolar charge repartition imposes a new force on the electron cloud. The electrons undergo a restoring force which conflicts with the external electric field. Figure.ââ¬Å½0.1. Schematic description of electronic cloud displacements in nanoparticles under the effect of a electromagnetic wave. 2.2. Graphene Oxide Recently, chemically modified graphene (CMG) has been studied in the context of many applications, energy-related materials, such as polymer composites, ââ¬Ëpaperââ¬â¢-like materials, field-effect transistors (FET), sensors, and biomedical applications, due to its excellent electrical, mechanical, and thermal properties. 70ââ¬â72 Chemical modification of graphene oxide, which is generated from graphite oxide, has been a promising route to achieve mass production of CMG platelets. Graphene oxide contains a range of reactive oxygen functional groups, which renders it a good candidate for use in the aforementioned applications (among others) through chemical functionalizations. Although graphene known a relative novel material of broad interest and potential,1,3 GO has a history that extends back many decades to some of the earliest studies involving the chemistry of graphite.4ââ¬â6 The first, the British chemist B. C. Brodie was exploring the structure of graphite by investigating the reactivity of f
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