City Of Joy: A film analysis Essay

What happens when everything you’ve ever known seems to be a lie? When everything you’ve worked so hard for in your life seems to come crashing down on you, who do you turn to? You need to find yourself, to re-evaluate your priorities. What better place to do that than in The City Of Joy. The movie The City Of Joy is about a wealthy American doctor named Max Lowe. After he lost a patient on the operating table, Max spontaneously decides to leave America and travel to India in the hope of â€Å"finding himself.† Not long after he arrives in Calcutta, Max is attacked by a group of thugs and left without money or a passport. An Indian man named Hasari comes to Max’s rescue. Hasari had left his farming community to come to the city, only to be overwhelmed by its dirt, crime, and overcrowding. Despite their poverty, Hasari and his family take Max in and bring him to a medical clinic in the City of Joy, one of the poorest slums in the city. Max is brought to the clinic run by Joan Bethel, an Irish-American nun. When Joan discovers that Max is a doctor, she pleads with him to join her in running the clinic. Max declines, claiming he is a â€Å"non-practicing† surgeon. After an unplanned baby delivery for a woman whose baby is jeopardized, Max begins to see things in a new light. He signs on to help at the clinic, and his attitude about India’s citizens and its way of life changes drastically. The relationships in this movie are very moving. Hasari runs his rickshaw through a monsoon to provide for his daughter’s dowry, while Max defies the local godfather by staying in India to be with his friends and patients. Joan gives freely of herself to the patients in her clinic, day in and day out. By the end of the movie, the relationships established in this movie are unselfish, giving and stable. I really enjoyed discovering all the meaningful relationships being developed throughout the movie. Max and Hasari went through shaky times in order to develop their complete confidence in each other. Joan went from thinking of Max as a selfish boar, to appreciating him and seeing him as a comrade.  Through it all, the relationships made seem strong enough that the persons involved would risk life and limb to keep their relationships intact. I think this is where the beauty of the film lies; in it’s intricate relationships between the characters. Throughout the course of the film, the audience is exposed to the poor living conditions in India, the filth, the crime, and the poverty. At first glance, it would seem that India would not be a very suitable place to live, the smiles of the young children playing abou in the street seem to say different. This movie shows both sides of India, the good and the bad. Although the living conditions are poor, the spirits of the Indian people are high. It’s amazing to see that even in a city so poor, there is still joy to be found. The people of India do not have all the modern conveniences we have in our western society, and yet, they are happier than we are. It really makes us have to stop and appreciate all the things we have, and at the same time, we need to realize that our happiness is not measured by our material possessions. I think there is room for everyone to visit The City Of Joy.

Macbeth- Appearance vs Reality Essay

‘How does Shakespeare use the idea of deception in his play, Macbeth? Discuss the topic by referring to character, supernatural elements, places and objects not being what they seem William Shakespeare was a very famous playwright and actor who lived over 100 years ago and wrote the many plays including Macbeth. The play Macbeth is a tragedy, which was written in the sixteenth century by Shakespeare. In this play the main character, called Macbeth is a very brave and courageous man whose growing ambition and misfortune takes over his life and leads him to become very evil and threatening. In Macbeth, Shakespeare has used the idea of deception to develop his style of play writing and to make it more interesting to the audience. There are several ways in which he has done this, and I will be focussing on these to explain how he has done this and what kind of an affect it has on people. Throughout the play there is a tense atmosphere that builds on as it goes along and makes the audience more attracted to it. Shakespeare uses the idea of deception to create a lot of strange and superstitious effects in order to enhance the quality of the play and to make it more dramatic. For example, the play starts off with three witches also the setting is very eerie so the audience’s attention is automatically grabbed and they want to carry on further to find out what will happen. Not only does he include witches, the play also consists of cauldrons, spells, ghosts and illusions. Even though it is unusual to see such things today it was very significant in that time period. Characters, acting, stagecraft and language are various ways that Shakespeare has used to exemplify the idea of deception in his play. There are different types of deception, such as, people who are not what they seem, supernatural deceptions and things/places not being what they seem. Macbeth is a play about tragedies and misfortune. There are many ideas or themes, which are portrayed in this drama but the main one that I will be focussing on is appearance and reality. This basically means the general idea of things not being what they seem. This play has a very strong moral, philosophical and social significance, which is displayed throughout the play and is revealed throughout the drama. Because this play was written before the 1914’s we can see that the language, stagecraft and settings used are from the time period the play was written in. It looks at the historical and social significance of the play, and deals with things that were morally and philosophically significant to the people at that time. For example, the people at that time were strong believers of strange and supernatural elements such as witches and ghosts. These are less believable these days because of all the latest science and technology, which Shakespeare may not have had at his time. This tragedy looks at the way people see things and are mislead into thinking their own way. Essentially we understand from the play that ambition is good but if you become way too ambitious and are blinded by it then that can lead to harm. This is what happened to the character of Macbeth. The significance, which is shown in the play, could be that dreams or illusions are not always what they seem, and can often lead you astray. The play is based on the fact that Macbeth changes from a highly valued and respected man to someone who is disliked by the people in his society. The reasons being that he was very fortunate but could not see it, therefore he went ahead and thought he could make his dreams come true. What happens in Shakespeare’s play is ironic and is related to the time period as well which also influences the genre of the play. The play also implicates the historical happenings at the time period it was written because during that time Shakespeare had written a lot of tragedy and bitter plays. Around the same time Shakespeare’s twins died therefore there may be a significant reason as to why he wrote these tragedies. Nevertheless he has used ideas of deception in such ways to deceive the audience and characters throughout. Macbeth is a very interesting character created by Shakespeare because he is very diverse throughout the play. In other words he was known as a very loyal and brave warrior at the beginning of the play, as the King gave him the title of the ‘Thane of Glamis’. We can immediately see that he is liked and respected by the King and the people, because of his position in the King’s army. However, during the play the character of Macbeth changes and he becomes very ambitious which leads him to become evil, which eventually leads to his death. This play battles with the concepts of evil and good, which are shown through acts of deceit and honesty. Mainly it is about deceit, of the audiences as well as the characters. There are also things that Macbeth encounters throughout this play, such as witches, apparitions and illusions that are not what they seem to Macbeth, but he does not know this and in the end he ruins his life and the lives of many others whilst trying to make his dreams come true. He does not understand the concept of reality, which means that you can’t judge by appearances, there is something behind the appearance that you have to look for rather than just looking at the surface of things. Shakespeare uses a variety of different ways to illustrate the deceptions in the play, some of which are, language (e.g. linguistic devices), stagecraft (e.g. settings and special effects), and characters (e.g. the role of Macbeth, or the three witches). In the time period in which this play was written, I expect that there wasn’t much technology because it was in the early sixteenth century when not all the new technology that we have today, had existed. However, there was some technology such as the trapdoors that were built into the stage. This allowed people to appear and disappear in the eyes of the audience. Nevertheless, instead of cinemas, there were theatres where dramas and plays such as Macbeth were performed. This was a major entertainment for people at that time as there weren’t things like computers, Television, games, etc. so people would go to the theatre to watch these plays and they would really enjoy it. People also went to places to see bear beating, this is an event where bears were tied up and beaten by loose packs of dogs. People at that time enjoyed these horrifying scenes and it was a means of entertainment. This shows what the people were like in pre-1914, which links to why Macbeth was written and to whom it was targeted. Shakespeare has written this play in order to entertain and amuse the people at that time therefore he has used ideas of deception to make it more appealing and interesting. Macbeth is also a horrifying play where terrifying scenes like murder takes place. The audience, I should imagine would have been very fascinated and horrified by this play, which would mean that more people would want to watch it. At that time period people were also very superstitious and believed in things like witches because there wasn’t much advanced technology to prove otherwise. Social class divided the people’s status in society, e.g. the lower class people could not wear the same colours as the rich as this was not accepted in society. The rich and poor wore different colours to represent which class they were from. Witchcraft was a major issue at the time and anyone who was suspected would be tortured and executed. Due to this hundreds and thousands of women were executed for being caught doing suspicious acts of witchcraft. This is one of the many ideas Shakespeare has used in his play to deceive the audience and characters. It provides an interesting twist in the beginning of the play when the three witches are doing spells and things. The first ever Macbeth play to be performed was in Hampton’s Court in 1605. There were many superstitions that people believed in such as, in the theatres audience were not allowed to say ‘Macbeth’ or something might happen to the characters on stage. I will now identify and explain the general theme of appearance and reality, which is portrayed throughout the play, Macbeth. There are many people who are not what they seem in reality and can trick the audience into thinking a different way. This deception is shown in the first Act where the former Thane of Cawdor becomes a treacherous man because he has betrayed King Duncan and the army of Scotland when he joins the Norwegian army in the battle. In this act Scots and Norwegians are enemies and there is a battle going on, where Macbeth is a triumph for killing the traitor and then he puts the head on his sword. This is significant because at that time it is seen as brave and courageous to place the head of the victim on the sword, in that way people would know you’ve won and will praise you. We can tell that Macbeth has just been honoured for doing this because in this scene the captain says †For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name – disdaining fortune with hiss brandish’d steel†¦till he unseam’d him from the nave to th’ chaps and fix’d his head upon our battlements.† In this passage the captain is explaining what happened at the battlefields to the King and he is glorifying what Macbeth did, which was to murder a traitor and put the head on the sword. The deception in this scene is that of when the character of the traitor deceives the other characters and betrays his army by fighting against them. The King is just one character who is deceived by this man from the battle. He was just one of the men in the battle was not what he seemed because he was a traitor all along and he betrayed King Duncan, thus was killed later on. This is an example of when deception is illustrated in the play. Macbeth does not realise that the former Thane of Cawdor has been killed, he then goes and has an encounter with the witches, who tell him that he is going to be Thane of Cawdor. This is mentioned in as one of the prophecies. (Scene 3; line 48). †All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor†, this is said by one of the witches and is deceiving to the character Macbeth because he doesn’t know that the former Thane of Cawdor has died. The witches give him the following three prophecies in scene 3: †All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Glamis,† †All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor,† †All hail Macbeth, hail to thee, that shalt be king hereafter.† After that Macbeth is very shocked and confused because at this moment he or the audience are not aware that the Thane of Cawdor has been killed or the fact that he will kill the King in the future to become one. This is deceiving to the characters that are told this (Banquo and Macbeth) because they did not know that the Thane had died. The language shows that Macbeth does not know that he is now the Thane of Cawdor as he sounds very confused in scene 3, †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦By finel’s death I know I am the Thane of Glamis, But how of Cawdor? The Thane of Cawdor lives A prosperous gentleman†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the idea of the Thane being dead and Macbeth being the new Thane is something that is not what it seems because the audience do not know this and also because they are being told by strange women. This is a deceiving matter because strange women, also known as the three witches, are telling them these prophecies that have never been heard of before. However, when it does come true t hen it is like another thing that is not what it seemed because no one really expected the prophecies to come true. Macbeth is a character who is deceiving to the audience, because in the beginning of the play we see him as a brave, courageous and good-willed man. However, this changes throughout the play and we find out that Macbeth is not what he seems and is actually a very evil and wicked man. We know this as a fact because he kills King Duncan to fulfil his dreams and ambition. Nevertheless, he was not that keen at first until his wife, Lady Macbeth, encouraged him to do so. She says to him that she is an even better man than he is because he was cowering not to do the murder. She then makes him believe it is the right thing to do so Macbeth thinks that he has got no other chance and this can’t be as bad as long as he hides it well. He says at the end of act 1 scene 7, †I am settled and bend up†¦to this terrible feat. Away, and mock the time with fairest show, false face must hide what the false heart doth know† from this extract we can see that Macbeth has chosen to ‘mock’ the people which means to deceive them and the King by going ahead with this ‘terrible’ plan. It is easy to see how the character of Macbeth is transformed from trustworthy and good-willed to become disloyal and treacherous. We know he was a trustworthy and honourable man because he helped the King’s army in the battle; therefore it was very shocking to find out he committed a murder. Even though he prevails in making his dreams and ambitions come true, at the same time he is deceiving the people for a long while. Shakespeare makes it deceiving to the other characters as well as the audience when he makes out that everybody sees Macbeth as a godlike figure who is respected by many. Conversely Macbeth is not at all like that and we can see how cruel and evil he becomes throughout the play. Shakespeare uses soliloquies in the beginning of act 1 scene 7 to represent how Macbeth is feeling, which is uncomfortable with this plan. It is not like him to do such evil acts so he is very worried about what will happen. † If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well it were done quickly. If th’ assassination could trammel up the consequence and catch with his surcease, success, that but this blow might be the be-all and the end-all-here†¦but only vaulting ambition which o’erlaps itself and falls on th’ other-‘ from this long and interesting soliloquy we can tell that Macbeth is discussing how hard this task is and how his ambition is urging him to go on. It seems as though he has second thoughts which deceive the audience because we think that he will forget doing the murder from act 1 scene 7 where he mentions how respected and praised he is at the moment, †We will proceed no further in this business. He hath honour’d me of late, and have bought golden opinions from all sorts of people, which will be worn now in the newest gloss, not cast aside so soon.† Macbeth wants to enjoy the praises he has earned (†bought†) as though they were new clothes. Shakespeare uses metaphors here to describe the praises given to Macbeth and to make an impact on what he is saying. We, as in the audiences are deceived by this because it makes us think that he will back out but in the end he does not due to his weakness and he continues with the murder. Lady Macbeth as a hostess at the castle is very misleading because she is not what she seems to be. In the beginning of Act 1 scene 6, when King Duncan is welcomed to Macbeth’s castle he meets with Lady Macbeth. In the eyes of Duncan, Lady Macbeth is seen as the ‘honour’d hostess’ because of her appearance and false talk. He does not know what Lady Macbeth is really like and instantly judges her according to her appearance and how she presents herself to him. †See, see our honour’d hostess – the love that follows us sometimes is our trouble, which still we think as love. Herein I teach you how you shall bid god yield us for your pains and thank us for your trouble.† Duncan is being deceived yet again because he thinks that Lady Macbeth is offering kindness, but in reality she is just putting on a show. He says how grateful he is even though it can sometimes be a nuisance to have people offering kindness to him. He also says that this is his way of teaching her to ask God to reward him for the trouble she has to take, and also to thank him for providing the occasion for that trouble. Basically King Duncan is trying to say how grateful he is to be here and is thankful to her, however, in reality he is saying this to the wrong person because she is hiding her true appearance with a false one. Therefore she is tricking him. King Duncan is quite a gullible man who trusts people very easily. He is glad to have come to Macbeth’s castle because he highly values him and has given him the titles, ‘Thane of Cawdor’ and the ‘Thane of Glamis’. As we can see from the Duncan’s speech, he is pleased to have come to this castle, but the one thing he does not realise is that he is actually being deceived by the appearance of the settings and the other characters, like Lady Macbeth. Duncan mentions how kind Lady Macbeth is as a hostess, but he is unaware of what she is really like in the inside, which is evil and cunning because she is plotting to murder him in the following scene. After the murder has taken place, every one is in shock. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth put on false faces and they are not suspected of anything. Duncan’s two sons, Malcolm and Donaldbain also hear of the news and are not really shocked. In this scene it seems as if Malcolm is pretending to be evil, but in reality he is only concerned about saving his life. Even though they do not react that much, they are still worried and they think that they too may be in danger. Therefore they decide that that it would be best to leave the country and go separate ways. We know this from the conversation between Malcolm and Donaldbain in Act 2 scene 3. Malcolm is asking Donaldbain what they should do in order to save their own lives, this is deceiving because we did not expect them to get over their father’s death so easily and also it is deceiving to the other characters. This is because Malcolm says, † what will you do? Let’s not consort with them. To show an unfelt sorrow is an office, which the false man does easy. I’ll to England.† This shows he has already made up his mind and is waiting for Donaldbain’s reply, who then says he will go to Ireland. Malcolm also suggests that they should secretly leave, without letting anyone else know. †And let us not be dainty of leave-taking, but shift away.† This shows that they feel no sorrow for their father and are willing to leave without trying to find out who the murderer is but only worried about they’re own lives. We, as audiences may know that they are not the killers but in the way Malcolm suggests leaving, as soon as he hears of the death seems as though he is evil and he is the murderer. It is deceiving to the other characters when he leaves because they see it as very suspicious that the King’s son’s have decided to secretly leave th e country. This may lead to people thinking that they are the murderers, but in reality this is not what it seems like. The play starts off with the witches appearing and disappearing and throughout the play they appear and disappear, which is a type of supernatural deception because it is not normal to have witches. This is a way of taking the attention of the audience, as they would find it fascinating to watch how the witches appear and disappear. In Shakespeare’s time, he did not have many special effects, so the supernatural deception effects would have had to be done on stage using the old fashioned way, the trapdoor. The trapdoor is one way in which people in Shakespeare’s days, used to perform special acts of appearing and disappearing and it was a good type of special effect used to deceive the audience at the time. The reason being that they did not have as much technology as we have today and were not as advanced so they would not have been able use advanced technology to do any special effects or lighting in order to make it really attractive. If he lived today he would have used things such as lighting and other technological equipment to make this play interesting for people of today so they would enjoy it. One of the special effects that could have been used on the character of Banquo’s ghost is a way of showing the idea of deception because Macbeth is the only one who can see the ghost and so the audience may also not be able to see anything. In the time of Shakespeare the ghost would have most probably been imagined or a pale face of someone with powder all over, who would have come and gone through the trapdoor. There was not as much technology as today and it wasn’t as advanced as today, so you wouldn’t have been able to do special affects like holograms and things on stage. These are ways in which people can see images and effects, which are not solidly there, they see it through computerised programmes. The apparitions are another set of tools of deception that Shakespeare uses to improve the quality of the play. This dramatic irony like the ghost only come and go so they may have not been acted out so the other characters would have used imagination to pretend they were there. Also not all the characters can see the ghost, only Macbeth does. This is shown from the passages in Act 3 Scene 4, when language is used to show that Macbeth can see something that other’s cannot. When Macbeth talks about Banquo’s ghost he is deceiving the other characters. We know this because they are confused therefore they think Macbeth is going mad. Ross is one of the men at the feast and he speaks up saying, â€Å"What sights, my lord?† from this phrase I know that the people there are very confused they do not know what is going on, this is when Lady Macbeth lies to them to cover up the truth. Therefore she is deceiving the other characters and making them think that Macbeth is really ill, â€Å"Good-night; and better health attend his majesty† they leave after Lady Macbeth tells them to do so. Duncan is invited to Macbeth’s castle, which he finds very nice and welcoming. He compliments on how they are all so nice and the castle I so welcoming when he does not even have a clue as to what his fate will bring in the future. In the beginning of Act 1 scene 6, Duncan says †this castle hath a pleasant seat; the air nimbly and sweetly recommends itself unto our gentle senses.† Duncan is saying that the castle is very welcoming just by looking at it and smelling the air. This castle is deceiving to the king because it is not what it seems. It seems like it is a very ‘pleasant’ and wonderful place, however, in reality it is not at all a pleasant setting because this is the place where Duncan gets murdered. He does not know this; therefore he is being deceived by the place. In act 2 scenes 1 Macbeth is preparing to kill King Duncan. Shakespeare uses objects that are like illusion to let the audience know what is going on and to make it more interesting. For example, he uses the image of a dagger, we know this from what Macbeth says, †is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come let me clutch thee†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he uses this language to help the audience understand what is going on. This is not a real dagger, but only an ill-illusion telling him to carry on with this grim task. It may have been imaginary in Shakespeare’s stagecraft, because Macbeth only sees it as an imaginary object, which is deceiving him. Therefore it may not have been a real prop in the play when the people performed it. Macbeth also hears voices before and after the murder, which are deceiving because he only hears them in his mind. This shows us that he is getting paranoid and these voices are just in his head, we also know that there were sounds of animals that give a chill of horror. This adds to the horrifying scene of the murder and builds up tension because there are owls and crickets being heard in the background. This is significant to the time period of the play because at that time many people believed in superstitions and strange events. They also believed that the noise of owls and crickets were linked with a bad event such as death. When Macbeth becomes evil, after killing the King he decides it’s time to get rid of his friend, Banquo. In order to do this he has got to plan it first. He has told two murderers that Banquo is their enemy to make them want to kill Banquo in the first place. Shakespeare has included this part of the plot to show deception of the murderers; Macbeth is deceiving them to make them hate Banquo, in order to carry out this murder. It is also deceiving when Lady Macbeth sees things in her sleep and becomes ill. She imagines that her hands were still bloody; from the night the King was murdered. And last, but not least, there is another idea of deception in the play; it is when Great Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane. This is deceiving in its own way because in reality the wood is not actually coming to Dunsinane, but the people are carrying the trees and making it seem like the wood is coming towards Macbeth, to fight him. This also relates to the prophecies told in the beginning of the play and it is significant to what happens in the end. This deceives Macbeth’s army as they think that the wood is coming towards them and tell Macbeth this news. As soon as Macbeth hears this, he is reminded of the prophecies, which deceive him yet again because it is not really the wood that is coming to fight him, instead his enemies. Finally I can conclude that Shakespeare has done a great job of representing the theme of deception, appearance vs reality and this is very important when included in the plays. Especially when the play is performed because the main things that needs to be thought about is how the special affects are going to be shown, for e.g. the witches, apparitions and the ghost. These are things that attract people to watch the drama in the first place. I can conclude that the play is all about the battle between good and evil, which also relates to the theme of deception. Deception plays a major part in this play, and I think that it is trying to give the audience a message about deceiving and how things/people are not always what they seem to be. As I have explained in my essay Shakespeare has used language, imagery and stagecraft to illustrate the theme of deception and to show the audience how Shakespeare has made things seem different to what they really are in order to mislead the audience and characters. The language such has as â€Å"fair is foul, and foul is fair† (1.1) is just an example of how Shakespeare uses language to trick people. How can fair be foul and foul be fair? It is not something that you would normally come across therefore the play is very well known and liked by many. The deceptions are just ways in which to get people thinking and to prove that everything is not what it looks like on the outside, there may be things hidden away in the inside. For example, the character of Macbeth was not what he seemed like in the beginning of the play because his character has changed dramatically in the audience’s eyes. He went from being a brave and courageous soldier to an evil and wicked ruler. I think his ambition has deceived him and he was overwhelmed at the thought of becoming king that he didn’t think of the consequences. Overall I think Shakespeare has used the idea of deception very cleverly in the play, Macbeth to get the audience attention and to make it very appealing to the audience. He has done this by using characters, supernatural elements, places and objects, which are not what they seem. It is very similar to the saying, ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’, because you don’t know what’s inside the story unless you read it. Similarly Shakespeare is giving the impression that characters, stagecraft, and many other things are not exactly what they seem.

Hierarchical Database Models Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hierarchical Database Models - Research Paper Example Along with this the data related to the children of an employee would be considered as child data segment. These segments would be linked with the employee record on the basis of 1:n mapping. Further collective instances of records are like tables in relational model. This arrangement contains parent records or nodes which further linked with children data segments, row wise. The popularity of hierarchical databases was established in late 1960s. Network Database Model In the network database model it is allowed to create parent-child relationship on many to many basis. This model follows the organization of graph in which there can be multiple interconnection of a node with other nodes. A conference named CODASYL (Conference on Data Systems Language) was held in 1971 to formally state the properties of network database model. This data model gained a side by side popularity along with the hierarchical model almost. The concept of set is the basic construct in this model. A set compr ises of three components namely, owner type record, name and member type record. A member type record is allowed to be associated with multiple sets. This enables the implementation of more the concept of more than one parents. In this database model the network of records’ relationships is indicated through pairwise sets. Relational Model The relational database model is the basis of Relational Database Management System (RDBMS). The theory and concept of relational model was given by a statistician named E.F. Codd. At the core of the relational model lies the process of normalization. There are more than 5 levels of normalization but usually a 3 levels normalized database is considered as a relational database. The basic procedure comprises of the following steps: Gathering related data in a tabular manner as a flat file. Each row has to represent a unique record. Identification of separate columns and fields to manage data properly. Splitting the flat file into multiple ta bles in order to curb redundancy. Establishment of relationship by declaring and link primary and foreign keys. Enforcement of referential integrity constraints is the part of relationship establishment. There are certain properties of Relational Database Tables which are as follows, Atomic values (the values listed under a single field cannot be decomposed further) Unique records (The data in a rows represents a unique instance of an entity and duplication is not allowed). Homogenous field data (The type of data listed under a field is always same). The columns can be arranged in any manner. Same rule goes with the rows. The results of queries do not get effected due to the any sequential arrangements of either columns or rows. The label of each field is always unique. This assures correct referral of fields in queries. Fields can be set as keys to identify records uniquely. A key may also be composed of more than one field. There are three types of relationships namely One to One, One to Many and Many to Many. The Many to Many relationship is implemented via two decomposed One to many relationships with an intermediate joining table. One to Many relationships are usually represented through the association of two related tables connected in a Master/Transaction fashion. Collective and comprehensive results can be acquired against the queries performed on joined tables (multiple connected tables). The key in a table (Master table) is referred to as

Family Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Family Culture - Essay Example He migrated to the US at 24 years of age with my grandmother who was 21 years old in the year 1954. Hispanic immigrants in the US have been working aged and disproportionately young (Bodvarsson and Berg, 2009, p. 319). My father was born one year later in the US. At that time, women did not work outside home; rather they took care of the domestic matters that included washing, cleaning, and babysitting the children. My grandfather taught at a public school and earned the money for the family. Being the financial provider of the family in an era when the society was primarily dominated by men, my grandfather was both the established head and the actual head of the family. My grandfather paid the bills. Since my grandmother was educated and my grandfather often did not have time to attend parent-teacher meetings, my grandmother would go whenever a teacher requested a meeting. Although the sole breadwinner of the family was my grandfather, yet he always consulted my grandmother in impor tant matters. So the disciplinary rules were primarily imposed by my grandfather, though my grandmother played an active role in maintaining them and making sure they were followed. One thing that my grandfather regrets is that he did not allow my grandmother to work. Those were difficult times since a new family was trying to fit in a new culture, and yet my grandfather did not allow my grandmother to contribute to the family financially while she was capable of doing that. However, my grandmother utilized the time she had at home reading books and journals and increasing her knowledge to the extent that she could administer quite a lot of home remedies successfully. She learnt the names of botanical herbs to cure different sorts of illnesses and diseases. To maintain good health, my grandparents placed a lot of emphasis on physical workout, particularly walk. In the 1950s, cars and vehicles were not as common as they are today. Most of the people walked their way to their homes an d offices. My grandparents used to walk as much in a day that I probably walk in three days. Other than that, the family of my grandparents consumed organic diet and primarily vegetables. My grandmother is a strict vegetarian to date and is in very good health. Things changed in my family culture 25 years later when my father completed his graduation. While my grandfather had got married at the age of 24, my father did not marry until the age of 32 years. My mother was also 30 years of age at the time of marriage. Both of my parents work and support the family financially. While the established head of our family is my father, the actual head is my mother. When a teacher requests a meeting, sometimes both go and sometimes either of the two goes, depending upon who is available. In our family, accountability is collective and the responsibilities are shared (cdc.gov, n.d., p. 2). Both my mother and my father are breadwinners for the family, but the disciplinarian is my mother. A majo r faux pas committed in the household is the fact that my mother couldn’t find enough time for her children in their infancy. We have a family doctor to administer the home remedy. To maintain good health, my family believes that one should regularly exercise and avoid junk food. A detailed analysis

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 26

Management - Essay Example This theory is also based on another theory known as cognitive evaluation theory according to which a person loses interest in his work because of the external factors such as increase in pay etc. This can be explained in other words as the decrease in the motivation of a person to work gradually decreases as the number of incentives being provided to him increase because people get the perception that the work they are doing is forced and compulsory and hence, the person loses interest in doing the same work because then he feels that it is his duty. Another theory, the goal setting theory explains the importance of setting goals and how it improves the performance of an individual. This theory also proves that when a person is told about what goals to achieve and when to achieve it, he automatically works on the task in order to reach his goal. Similarly, if a person is appreciated for his works, his performance eventually increases to a great extent. But a big factor regarding thi s theory is the acceptance of the set goal. And harder goals gave better performances as compared to easier goals. The third theory, known as self efficacy theory or social learning theory is based upon the thinking of an individual whereby he thinks that he has the ability to achieve certain goals or tasks. Hence, if a person is less efficacious he is more prone to give up easily, whereas someone who is highly efficacious will try his best to accomplish the task. The most widely accepted theory is known as expectance theory in which a person seems to think that if he performs better he will be rewarded for it and hence his performance is greatly affected due to this thinking. The manager told that motivating employees was one of the most important parts of any organization and special attention is given to make sure that the employees are motivated to the best level possible. The leader appreciated each and every employee individually

Financial Statement Analysis and Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial Statement Analysis and Report - Essay Example Although the sales of Grand Company increased from BD7450 in year 5 to BD10660, there was a subsequent increase in the purchases and cost of sales leading to a fall in the gross profit margin. The operating profit margin also fell from 10% in year 5 to 5% in year 6. Grand Company earned a better gross profit of BD3500 in year 6 as compared to the gross profit of BD2915 in year 5. However, this was not sufficient in improving the operating margin of Grand Company as expenses increased drastically from year 5 to year 6. This drastic increase was due to the addition of interest expense on the bank loan taken by Grand Company to inject more funds into the business. Return on capital employed is a measure of assessing how much return a company is generating on the capital that is employed in the business. Grand Company took a bank loan in year 6 and hence had more capital as compared to year 5. However, the additional capital was not used efficiently and this is why the return on capital fell drastically from 12% in year 5 to 6% in year 6. Overall, the profitability of Grand Company deteriorated from the year 5 to the year 6. Grand Company should take measures to increase their revenue and reduce their costs in order to stay profitable and sustain their existence in the business. The liquidity of Grand Company remained stable from the year 5 to year 6. There was not much fluctuation in the current and acid test ratio. The efficiency of Grand Company improved in year 6. The cash conversion cycle improved indicating that Grand Company’s ability to earn cash improved in year 6. Grand Company took a bank loan to inject liquidity into the business which lead to the interest coverage ratio in the year 6. The EPS of Grand Company fell drastically from year 5 to year 6 due to the fall in the net income in year 6. Users of Financial Statements: Objective of Financial Statements is to produce information that is as useful as possible for many different types of users o f financial statements. Users of financial statements include: Investors: a potential investor uses the financial statements to find out if the investment is suitable or not in the prospective company. Analysts: An analyst uses the financial statements and recommends. Shareholders: Shareholders Regulatory authorities: Tax authorities may use financial statements of company to find out if the taxes are calculated in an appropriate manner. Financial institutions: banks and other lending companies assess the financial statements of a company before giving out loans to assess whether the company will be able to honor its obligations Trade Creditors: Trade creditors and vendors who supply goods on credit also use financial statements to assess the ability of a company to repay its short term debts. Owners and managers: they use the financial decision to make important strategic decisions that help the company to grow and

Human Resources Management Strategy Research Paper

Human Resources Management Strategy - Research Paper Example HRM mainly focuses on the policies as well as system of an organization. Based on the current human resource management HAAD also focus on the studies of health related behaviors of human along with the studies of diagnostic and preventive measures to avoid the health related problem of emirates of Abu Dhabi and improve their quality and standard of life. HAAD ensures the safety people by implementing strategic plan and the standard principles. The management of HAAD also provides good facilities to the staff members in order to improve their performance and to provide the best health care services to people of Abu Dhabi. The management of HAAD also communicates regarding the safety and security of staff along with patients to prevent the health regarded issues (Mazrouei, 2008). The facilities, which are provided by HAAD, should be abided by the decisions of Research Ethics Committee for greater effectiveness. The investigators of HAAD should have relevant qualification as well as experience on the relevant field to conduct the research related to the health care services and make it effective. The HR managers or HR professionals play the most important role in the improvement of the organizational structure of HAAD and achieve the objective of HAAD by ensuring the safety of life of emirate of Abu Dhabi (Khadamat, 2007). The HRM policies of HAAD are effective as it provides proper policies for effective health measurement. SWOT analysis is a planning method to assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats related to the management of an organization. This is an important aspect to determine the effectiveness of HAAD towards the local communities by providing healthcare measures. The objective is to develop healthcare for preventing diseases and provide adequate support to people of Abu Dhabi. Strengths of current human resource management of HAAD is that it provides better facilities to employees to

Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Globalization - Essay Example The regional trade agreement chosen for this report is Mercosur. This agreement was created on 26 March 1991, when Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay signed the Treaty of Asuncià ³n to create the Southern Common Market. The agreement now encompasses the four Latin American countries along with a fifth member state – Venezuela. The purpose of this trade agreement is to promote free trade among the member countries and enable a fluid movement of goods, workers, and services.Mercosur has been very successful in increasing intrabloc trade among its member countries and in reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers. Following this trade agreement, intrabloc trade increased from 9% to 25% of the total exports within eight years. This trade agreement enabled the formation of a common market promoting free trade. The Mercosur member countries also gained in bargaining power to negotiate trade agreements with other countries. Interregional trade among the member countries tripled f rom the US $ 4.1 billion to the US $ 10.7 billion. All countries in the sub-region experienced increased growth of about 6.1% that was the highest to be recorded in a decade. From the figures released by the World Trade Organization, it can be inferred that the trade agreement not only boosted trade among its members but also was successful in increasing trade with the rest of the world. Since the inception of Mercosur, there has been a 207% rise in trade among member countries and 122% increase in trade with the rest of the world.... (2) Report on a Regional Trade Agreement The regional trade agreement chosen for this report is Mercosur (Mercado Comun del Sur/Mercado Comum do Sul/Southern Common Market). This agreement was created on 26 March 1991, when Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay signed the Treaty of Asuncion to create the Southern Common Market. The agreement now encompasses the four Latin American countries along with a fifth member state – Venezuela. The purpose of this trade agreement is to promote free trade among the member countries and enable a fluid movement of goods, workers and services (â€Å"About MERCOSUR†). Mercosur has been very successful in increasing intrabloc trade among its member countries and in reducing tariff and non-tariff barriers. Following this trade agreement, intrabloc trade increased from 9% to 25% of the total exports within eight years (Paiva and Gazel 116). This trade agreement enabled the formation of a common market promoting free trade. The Mercosur member countries also gained in bargaining power to negotiate trade agreements with other countries. Interregional trade among the member countries tripled from US $ 4.1 billion to US $ 10.7 billion. All countries in the sub-region experienced increased growth of about 6.1% that was the highest to be recorded in a decade. From the figures released by the World Trade Organization, it can be inferred that the trade agreement not only boosted trade among its members, but also was successful in increasing trade with the rest of the world. Since the inception of Mercosur, there has been a 207% rise in trade among member countries and 122% increase in trade with the rest of the world

Compare-Contrast Paper on Ancient Egyptian Arts and Ancient Greek Arts Research

Compare-Contrast on Ancient Egyptian Arts and Ancient Greek Arts - Research Paper Example The ancient Egyptians could have been very concerned on how the characters will be portrayed. The carefulness in drawing the characters involved is very notable. Verily, the stiffness nature of the characters portrayed could make a person say that the characters are just representations and not true. One could not entertain the idea that the characters were drawn or painted in an actual setting. Nevertheless, the ancient Egyptian arts are very attractive. Actually, the stiffness character of ancient Egyptian arts is associated to the beliefs and practices of Egypt’s primitive society. In the past, Egyptians gave importance to the exact portrayal of nature and actual life (â€Å"Art†). Exactness was actually viewed by them in terms of being able to draw the identifying features of the subject’s physical appearance. In such case, it is to be expected that in ancient Egyptian arts, the realistic appearance of an object is not given much attention. With regard to anc ient Greek arts, one could notice the realistic portrayal of the objects and characters involved (Hill; Newby, qtd. in Bispham et al. 49). Every detail of the objects and characters are seriously attended. For instance, in ancient Greek painting involving humans, one could see the lively and natural portrayal of human bodies (Pynt and Higgs 56).

An Analysis of Relationships in The Kite Runner Essay Example for Free

An Analysis of Relationships in The Kite Runner Essay â€Å"In the Kite Runner, relationships between fathers and sons are never joyful†. What do you think of this view? After having read the statement, my initial thoughts were that of course, at some point in the novel, relationships between fathers and sons were happy and full of joy, though after more consideration, I have decided that I agree with the statement, as, even in jubilant moments, the foundations of the relationships are built on lies and deceit, darkening the meaning of the temporarily- found happiness. An example of this would be the relationship between Ali and Hassan who seemingly had a very strong relationship, in which Ali was proud of the person his son was slowly becoming and cherished him dearly, as if his presence simply made the world a better place- â€Å"he had found his joy, his antidote, the moment Sanaubar had given birth to Hassan†. This suggests that, despite the fact we later learn that Ali isn’t Hassan’s paternal father, he has loved him as if he were his own from the very moment he was born, raising him as his own. The extent of Ali’s love is masked, however, by the fact that he lied to his ‘son’ his entire life, something some would claim to be selfish as he wanted to retain an ounce of self-respect, to have something he could call his own and, finally, to actually have a child, as he wouldn’t be able to have one any other way, due to his being sterile. On the other hand, some may say that of course, some of the happier relationships in the novel are purely and simply that: joyous relationships with no ulterior motive or reasoning. For example, the relationship between Hassan and Sohrab, in which it is completely obvious that Hassan would have done anything for his son, whilst being totally honest with him so as not to keep anything from him which may have tainted their lives together in anyway, other than his experience in the alley; omitted in order to allow hi son to maintain his innocence a while longer, in a world where it would surely be taken from him too early anyway. Hassan yearned for his son to be given the best opportunities in life, so as not to be a servant his whole life- â€Å"taught him to read and write- his son was not going to grow up illiterate like he had.†

E4D-Compare Software for Dental Analysis

E4D-Compare Software for Dental Analysis ABSTRACT Aim: The E4D-Compare software is an innovative tool that provides immediate feedback to students’ projects and competencies. It should provide consistent scores even when different scanners are used which may have inherent subtle differences in calibration. This study aimed to evaluate potential discrepancies in evaluation using the E4D Compare software based on four different NEVO scanners in dental anatomy projects. Additionally, correlation between digital and visual scores was evaluated. Methods: Thirty-five projects of maxillary left central incisors were evaluated. Among these, thirty wax-ups were performed by four operators and five consisted of standard dentoform teeth. Five scores were obtained for each project: one from an instructor that visually graded the project and from four different NEVO scanners. A faculty involved in teaching the dental anatomy course blindly scored the thirty-five projects. One operator scanned all projects to four NEVO scanners (D4D Technologies, Richardson, TX, USA). The images were aligned to the gold standard, and tolerance set at 0.3 mm to generate a score. The score reflected percentage match between the project and the gold standard. One-way ANOVA with repeated measures was used to determine whether there was a significant difference in scores among the four NEVO scanners. Paired-sample t-test was used to detect any difference between visual scores and the average scores of the four NEVO scanners. Pearson’s correlation t est was used to assess the relationship between visual and average scores of NEVO scanners. Results: There was no significant difference in scores among four different NEVO scanners (F(3, 102)=2.27, p=0.0852 one-way ANOVA with repeated measures). Moreover, the data provided strong evidence that a significant difference existed between visual and digital scores (p=0.0217; a paired-sample t-test). Mean visual scores were significantly lower than digital scores (72.4 vs. 75.1). Pearson’s correlation coefficient of 0.85 indicated a strong correlation between visual and digital scores (p Conclusion: The E4D Compare software provides consistent scores even when different scanners are used and correlates well with visual scores. KEYWORDS Computer-assisted learning/computer-assisted simulation (CAL/CAS), Dental anatomy, E4D Compare software CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE The use of innovative digital assessment tools in dental education is promising with the E4D Compare software correlating well with visual scores and providing consistent scores even when different scanners are used SHORT RUNNING TITLE Innovative Digital Assessment Tool INTRODUCTION Dental anatomy is a course given to the first year dental students at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry Dental Clinics (UICOD) with the purpose of providing students with basic knowledge on dental anatomy and dental terminology to serve as a solid foundation for the following courses throughout their school years. It is designed to develop the psychomotor skills necessary to proficiently reproduce tooth contours in wax to be able to apply these skills in their future clinical practice. Students are challenged with four waxing projects during the course. Evaluation of these projects and providing proper feedback for self-assessment to establish life-long learning are still major issues that need to be addressed in the dental anatomy course. Traditionally faculty members involved in the course have used a pre-established checklist (Table 1) to provide ongoing feedback during the course, and also to determine the grade by adding points related to specific criteria. This visua l evaluation is time consuming and limited by grader fatigue, subjectivity, and inconsistency.1 The inconsistency among different faculty members is also the most frequently noted concern from student feedback after the course that may negatively affect students’ learning process and performance.2 Computer assisted learning and grading tools have been introduced recently and have shown great promise in providing not only objectivity to the grading system, but also reducing the workload of faculty.3 A digital device using blue laser technology (Nevo scanner, D4D Technologies, Richardson, TX, USA) offers high scanning image quality at a fast video-rate speed and ease of use. A laptop computer connected to the E4D Design Center provides rapid processing of the scans. Through this new technology, students can generate a high quality 3-D virtual model of their project and receive immediate feedback on discrepancies by comparing it to the gold standard determined by the course director.4 An ideal ratio in a dental classroom setting is to accommodate one scanner for every ten students.3 Therefore multiple scanners are usually used to facilitate proper teaching and learning experience for all students. It is expected that consistent scores will be obtained even when different scanners are used which may have inherent subtle differences in calibration. However, with the recent introduction of this digital technology, there is a lack of information on how accurately different scanners relate to each other, as well as lack of evidence on how well visual scores by faculty correlate to scores generated by the digital assessment technique. This study aimed to explore potential discrepancies in evaluation in dental anatomy projects using the E4D Compare software based on four different NEVO scanners. Additionally, correlation between digital and visual scores was evaluated. The hypotheses tested were that: first, the E4D Compare software will provide consistent grades even wh en different scanners are used, and second, there will be no correlation between visual and digital scores. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study was determined to be a non-human subject research project by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Iowa. Dental Anatomy Wax-Up of Tooth #9: The maxillary left central incisor (#9) was used for the evaluation of this study. Four operators (Junior dental students) independently waxed up a total of thirty projects based on the wax-addition technique described in the UICOD Dental Anatomy Manual. The maximum time allowed for the wax-up was 3 hours, which is also the time allotted to students during their waxing competency in the Dental Anatomy course. Additionally five dentoform teeth of tooth #9 (Kilgore model, Nissin Dental Corp., Tokyo, Japan) were included for evaluation. The original Kilgore typodont tooth also served as the gold standard for evaluation purposes. Five scores were obtained for each project: one from an instructor and four from NEVO scanners 1 to 4 Visual Evaluation of Wax-ups and Typodont Teeth: A faculty member involved in teaching the dental anatomy course was blinded and scored all thirty-five projects based on the check-list of the UICOD Dental Anatomy Course (Table 1). The check-list consisted of three categories including: contact areas, embrasure and line angles; facial and lingual contour; incisal edge and surface finish, adding up to a total of 23 criteria. Based on the addition of correct criteria the final score was converted to a percentage score for evaluation purposes. Scanning and Digital Evaluation: One operator started the set-up of the files and scanned all projects to four NEVO scanners (NEVO 1 to 4, D4D Technologies, Richardson, TX, USA). The images were checked for proper data density and then aligned to the gold standard, with the tolerance level set at 0.3 mm to generate a general score (Figs 1-6). This score reflected the percentage match between the project and the gold standard as calculated by the software. Data Analysis: One-way ANOVA with repeated measures was used to determine any significant differences in scores among four NEVO scanners. Paired-sample t-test was conducted to detect any difference between visual grades and the average grades of four NEVO scanners. Pearson’s correlation test was used to assess the relationship between visual grades and average grades of NEVO scanners. All tests utilized a 0.05 level of significance, and statistical analyses were performed using the statistical package SASÂ ® System version 9.3 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). RESULTS Thirty-five teeth were used for this study. Five scores were obtained from each tooth with five different methods; one from an instructor and four from the NEVO scanners. Table 2 presents a summary of descriptive statistics on scores by the five evaluation methods. (1) Detecting the difference in scores among the four NEVO scanners The data were analyzed using the one-way ANOVA with repeated measures. This analysis revealed no significant difference in scores among the four scanners (p=0.0852). (2) Detecting the difference in scores between visual and NEVO evaluation methods There was a significant difference in scores between visual and NEVO evaluation methods (p=0.0217; a paired-sample t-test). The data revealed that the mean scores from visual evaluation method were significantly lower than those obtained from the NEVO evaluation method (mean score: 72.4 vs. 75.1) (Table 2). Note that the average scores of four scanners (NEVO_AVE) were used for the comparisons. (3) Assessing the correlation between visual and NEVO grading scores Based on both Pearson’s correlation test, the data provided strong evidence that there was a significant correlation between visual and NEVO evaluation scores (p DISCUSSION Digitization through innovative technology has become an integral part of contemporary dental practice. This trend is manifested by the increased use of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology that promotes the same day preparation and same day delivery concept. Despite intense initial debate, the adoption of restorations fabricated using this approach has profoundly benefited both clinical dentistry and dental laboratories, and epitomizes one of the earliest successes of digital dentistry.5,6 Given the success of CAD/CAM approaches in the clinical setting, many dental institutions are currently striving to incorporate computer-assisted learning and computer-assisted simulation (CAL/CAS) systems into their curriculum. This is to teach dental students to be abreast with the latest technology and keep them prepared for the dynamic changing environment they may face in their future practice. At the UICOD, active incorporation of new technology has bee n perceived to be of high priority. A Technology Committee has been established to plan for active implementation of digital dentistry into the curriculum to provide appropriate vertical and horizontal integration of these concepts as students progress from freshmen to senior years. As part of the planning process, importance has been placed on accumulating evidence on the validity and benefits of using digital technology in the pre-clinic simulation clinic. The study reported here attempted to address these issues, and was designed to evaluate the validity of using multiple scanners and the correlation between visual evaluation performed by faculty and the evaluation by the digital assessment tool. Based on the results, our first hypothesis was accepted: the E4D Compare software provided consistent scores even when different scanners were used. This reflects that the four NEVO scanners used were properly calibrated and the operator was able to create good data density virtual models that generated consistent scores for each project evaluated. This is relevant to other studies that evaluated the repeatability of digital evaluation with the use of the same scanner at different time points and showed excellent intra class correlation of 0.93 to 0.98.3,4 However, excellent repeatability does not necessarily indicate valid evaluation as good samples from the visual paradigm could consistently be graded as poor samples in the digital paradigm and vice versa. Therefore, the correlation of visual and digital evaluation scores was used to examine this possibility. Based on the results, our second hypothesis was rejected; there was strong correlation between the visual and digital scores . This partly supports the validity of the use of digital technology in assessing students’ projects and suggests that this tool could also be used for official grading in competencies as high grades were consistently graded as high and low grades as low across the two methods. It is important to note that there was a significant difference in scores between visual and NEVO evaluation methods with scores from the visual evaluation being lower than that obtained from the digital evaluation method. Changing the tolerance level and giving more leeway for the digital evaluation method could compensate for this difference. Implementation of digital assessment tools in the dental pre-clinic seems promising. However, there are still many issues to be addressed to justify the financial investment and time needed to introduce this system into the curriculum. A systematic review of the effectiveness of computer-aided, self-instructional programs in dental education has revealed disparate outcomes, with some studies finding no difference between CAL and other learning strategies, and others indicating the opposite thus that CAL provided a significant advantage in terms of knowledge gain.7 This is an important issue that needs to be explored in future studies with regards to the use of digital assessment tools as a self directed learning tool. Will the use of these devices indeed increase the technical performance of students? Furthermore, in order to integrate new technology into the curriculum, institutions need to formulate a strategic plan and find resources for proper faculty training so that instructors involved with teaching this new technology can share a positive enthusiasm, and not perceive this as an additional burden in terms of their efforts and time. Lastly, it is critical that students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning.8 As such, students’ perspective in new technology implementation is vital and should be taken into consideration. Therefore, more information on whether students regard this technology helpful in preparing them for their future professional life and contributes significantly to their development remains to be probed. CONCLUSION Within the limitations of this study it can be concluded that the E4D Compare Software provides consistent grades even when different scanners are used and correlates well with visual scores.