Immigrants Health Literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Immigrants Health Literacy - Essay Example Low literacy levels among immigrants increases their health risks that may lead to deformities and death. Health literacy is defined as a set of skills and knowledge that one needs to function adequately and effectively in a healthcare environment. some of the aspects included in health literacy include the ability to understand verbal and written language especially the English Language. It also encompasses the ability to interpret either verbal or written health information. Despite the importance of health literacy, there are many people who lack such skills and knowledge and it becomes difficult for healthcare providers to provide effective healthcare services for such a group. One of such groups that lack health literacy is immigrants. This happens mostly because of language and linguistic barriers. This means that most of them cannot understand or communicate in English or any other language other than their mother tongue. This presents healthcare providers with difficulty in handling this group because communication is key in the provision of quality and effective healthcare serv ices to patients, their families and communities. Low literacy levels among immigrants have been a major concern with respect to their ability and capacity to seek healthcare services. This means that it increases the risk for adverse health outcomes. In a research article, it is revealed, â€Å"Clear communication between health care providers and their patients is essential for patients to make good medical decisions, to receive effective instructions on how to take care of their illness, and to achieve desired health outcomes† (Wu et al. 1174). From the quote above, it is clear that communication is an important aspect in helping patients receives care. However, when a patient is illiterate, it is difficult for a healthcare provider to communicate with the patient in the hope of providing

What Is Justice For Socrates And Augustine Who (Or What) Is The Essay

What Is Justice For Socrates And Augustine Who (Or What) Is The Highest Authority To Judge - Essay Example Socrates and Augustine were two philosophers that were born into very different ages, filled with different social influences, different religions and different pressures. These differences drove the philosophical theories of the men, and how they defined justice as well as who or what they perceived as the highest authority to judge them. Socrates was born in 470 BC and executed by poison in 399 BC, a time at which Greek religion was prominent. His philosophy was auditory, through dialogue and the exchange of questions and answers with those he was talking with. As a consequence he produced no written works of his philosophy; however, his student Plato produced many written dialogues of Socrates’ philosophy. The dialogues Apology and Crito provide strong indications of his philosophy in regards to justice and the authority to judge. Augustine was born into a much later time, 354 AD, where parts of the Roman Empire were collapsing, and Christianity was becoming the dominant re ligion. His series of autobiographic books Confessions chronicle his life up till his early 40s and include many philosophical and theological discussions concerning God. These books show the way in which Augustine views justice and judgment. Socrates Socrates was born in 470 BC and died in 399 BC. ... This ‘Socratic Method’ involved him asking probing questions in a manner that eventually led them to the truth. He would spend a large amount of time in public places, engaging citizens in discussion in an attempt to draw them into greater levels of self-analysis. Plato was a student of Socrates from a young age and wrote many dialogues based on the philosophy that he learned. In the years surrounding 380 BC Plato established a school which forwarded education with focuses on math, music, athletics, philosophy and sciences. Beyond Plato, the only other writer who recorded the philosophy of Socrates was Xenophon; however he did not always portray Socrates philosophically. As a consequence, the writings of Plato are the only indication of Socrates’ philosophy, and it is difficult to tell what parts is Plato’s own philosophy and which are from Socrates. Apology Apology is titled for the term for a Greek defense speech, apologia. Socrates has been brought to tr ial before the court of Athens with the accusations of corrupting youth, inventing new gods and not recognizing those gods that are accepted by the state. Apology consists of his defense speech against the charges which includes the cross examination of his main accuser, Meletus. In his dialogue with Meletus, Socrates leads him through questions into charging Socrates both with the invention of new gods and with atheism, two contradictory charges. When asked what method of punishment he would prefer on the verdict of guilty, Socrates opts for death over prison or exile, as he will never stop philosophizing and does not fear death. Throughout Apology, Socrates repeatedly and consistently defends his right to be a philosopher and to the way in which he lives. He makes it clear to the court that the aim

Catch-22 and Dr. Strangelove Essay Example for Free

Catch-22 and Dr. Strangelove Essay \In Joseph Heller’s novel, Catch-22, and Stanley Kubrick’s film, Dr. Strangelove, the bureaucrats are illustrated as illogical and untrustworthy. Heller’s attention to administrations such as the hospital and the military-establishment are recognized for their unreliable rationality and logic. Similarly, in Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick mocks the absurdities of the nuclear arms race and of the officials of the United States and The Soviet Union as he conveys the malfunction of highly placed government bureaucrats. Catch-22 and Dr. Strangelove, are two satirical and somewhat historical works that effectively comment on the corrupt and perhaps insane bureaucrats. The lives of Yossarian and the men in his squadron in Catch-22 are not determined by their own decisions but instead, by the decisions of the impersonal bureaucracy. The bureaucrats are absolutely oblivious to any attempt the men make to reason with them logically. Major Major, for example, will only see people in his office if he is not there and sends them away when he returns. Doc Daneeka refuses to ground Yossarian for his â€Å"insanity† because Yossarian’s desire to be grounded reveals that he is sane. Doc Daneeka elaborates in his discussion of Orr, Yossarian’s tent-mate. â€Å"Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to.† (46) Yossarian and the others in his squadron find that what they say and do has little effect on their fate when the bureaucracy controls them. Their only option is to follow the illogical rules and use what is expected of them to their own advantage. Yossarian’s superiors are more concerned with getting a promotion than they are about winning the war. Colonel Cathcart, the colonel in command of Yossarian’s squadron, tries to impress his superiors by â€Å"bravely† volunteering his men for dangerous combat. Cathcart’s only concern is being promoted to general. Cathcart continually raises the number of combat missions required of the men before they can be sent home. Yossarian argues with Doc Daneeka who explains, â€Å"†¦regulations do say you have to obey every order. That’s the catch. Even if the colonel were disobeying a Twenty-seventh Air Force order by making you fly more missions, you’d still have to fly them, or you’d be guilt y of disobeying an order of his.† (58) Similarly, Dr. Strangelove also criticizes the malfunctions of bureaucracy and the inadequacy of officials. General Jack Ripper gives the command to attack the Soviet Union without permission from his superiors or the president. Instead of discussing the idea of an attack with is supervisors, Ripper orders the attack because, according to him; Clemenceau†¦ said war was too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids. -Criticizes the malfunction of bureaucracy. (Dr. Strangelove) Mr. President’s embarrassment about the issue demonstrates bureaucracy does not function appropriately because those lower in command should not determine the launch of nuclear powers. Further exemplifying the inadequacy of the bureaucrats, the Joint Chiefs in the war room show their unprofessional and blatant prejudice, especially toward the Russians. General Buck Turgidson clearly states, Im beginning to smell a big fat Commie rat, and later refers to them as a bunch of ignorant peons. The Germans are also referred to when Turgidson, upon learning Dr. Strangeloves original German name, passes it off as a Kraut by any other name. Dr. Strangelove, the character, also calls into question the reliability of people in power. Strangelove is clearly the Presidents scientific adviser in the war room whose appearance copies the mad scientist stereotype with his wild hair, black gloved hand, and his clearly brilliant yet insane mind. Through their presentation of bureaucracy, Heller and Kubrick display why officials and politicians are unfit to make important decisions concerning the safety of the country. Catch-22 conveys this notion through the bureaucracy’s enforcement of impractical rules and Catch-22’s on the eccentric men in Yossarian’s squadron. Kubrick suggests the same concept in Dr. Strangelove by frequently demonstrating the disorder, madness and prejudice of the officials. In either piece, the reader carries away the certainty of the instability of the men in control of important military and national decisions.

The Behaviour Of A Supralittoral Gastropod Biology Essay

The Behaviour Of A Supralittoral Gastropod Biology Essay The species chosen for this experiment (or rather set of experiments) is Melarhaphe neritoides. This is a very common (small) species of snail found distributed along the rocky Maltese shores. It is listed in the Phylum Mollusca (Class Gastropoda) and grows to about just under 1cm. Its sides are flat (unlike the more common rounded shell found amongst molluscs) and has a high pointed spire. An operculum covers an oval aperture and a white periostracum leads to the dark blue/black shell. Its niche is located in a very specific stretch on the shore labelled the supralittoral zone. This is that area located just above the high tide mark. It is not submerged but is frequently splashed by sea spray when it is windy/stormy (in fact it is also known as the splash or spray zone). It is an unforgiving environment and organisms living here must be very well adapted to its instability. The Melarhaphe neritoides snail must be able to withstand; high temperatures, freshwater, salt and brine water , desiccation and exposure to air and of course any shore line animals which might prey upon the snail. In the summer months, the sea round the Maltese islands is very calm and the snails environment is rarely wetted. Also the snail lives in direct contact with the hard rocky surface which reaches high temperatures up to 50 degrees easily (which for most organisms this would be lethal). On the other hand during the winter months, storms are frequent and wave action is very violent on the supralittoral zone. Not only this but when there are no waves, pools of fresh water may form in these rocky patches which for most creatures adapted to a salty (high water potential) environment will cause osmotic problems. As opposed to the summer months, the temperature of the rocks in winter falls drastically some times even below freezing point. In fact as the mollusc is very well adapted to this environment, it is the dominant macro-faunal organism found there. To accommodate such drastic chang es in its environment, Melarhaphe neritoides has many behavioural adaptations. Such adaptations include; becoming inactive, taking refuge in pits/rocky overhangs, aggregating in groups and becoming active only when conditions are suitable. To be able to accurately avoid the harshness of the environment, the mollusc must have some kind of sense as to when to actually begin aestivation periods or when to come out of them, which spot is suitable (offers enough protection) to take refuge in etc. It is these behavioural adaptations that this experiment investigates. A set of different habitats and conditions are prepared and a number of snails tested to see their reaction and preference. Such an experiment must be conducted as accurately as possible as there are many factors which induce errors. In fact the test subjects where freshly caught and a number (10) of individuals were tested with each method to ensure usable and explainable data. Also the individuals tested where seen to be ab out 0.7mm in height. This is the height of juveniles not too young or too old as it is in this part of its life time in which an animal is most probably going to respond as expected in individuals seen in the wild (as old or young specimens may be less active or inhabit different regions of the environment). Procedure: Apparatus Petri dishes Graph paper Plastic aquariums Ruler Timer Acrylic plates (drilled) Measuring cylinder Black bags Glass Rod Gravel Fine Sand Coarse Sand Circular glass trough Materials Calcium Chloride Sea Water Distilled water Vaseline grease Blu-Tack Method Experiment.1 A plastic Petri-dish was partitioned by means of thin plastic into 3 separate parts. One part filled with fine sand, another with coarse sand and the other with gravel. Ten inactive snails were scattered across on these 3 different sabstrates and any movement made noted every 1,2,6,24,36 hrs. Experiment.2 Two identical Petri dishes had their bottom ruled to form a 44 grid at 1 cm intervals. One snail was placed on each grid line intersection. One dish contained a container full of Calcium chloride, whilst the other housed distilled water. Both dishes were sealed and observed over a period of 3 days. A plastic Petri-dish was floated over a pool of water in a circular glass trough. Ten inactive snails were placed in the Petri-dish which was left opened, but the glass trough was covered. After one hour, the cover was removed just enough to get the snails out. These were tapped gently with a glass rod a few times and put back in the trough. The number of active snails after the treatment was noted. Experiment.3 Two identical Petri dishes as in exp.2 (with a 44 grid) were prepared with one inactive snail per intersection. One dish is filled up to about 1mm with sea water, whilst the other one was left dry. Both dishes were sealed with Vaseline grease and observed over a period of one hour. This procedure was repeated only using fresh water instead of sea water. Snails which had been left in dry air for one hour were tapped sharply on the shell and immediately placed in 1cm of sea water. The time taken for the first noticeable movement of the snails operculum was noted. Experiment.4 Two identical measuring cylinders were filled with sea water one to a depth of 5cm and the other to a depth of 20cm. Individual inactive snails were placed in each cylinder, and the time taken for the snail to move 5 cm up the wall in each container was noted. Experiment.5 Two identical measuring cylinders are filled to a depth of 3cm with seawater. Each cylinder was marked at 3 cm intervals starting from the water surface. One cylinder was stoppered tightly whilst the other was left open. The movement of each snail up the cylinder was noted with time. Experiment.6 Two identical plastic aquaria are filled to a depth of 1.5cm with sea water. Regular plastic plates that were drilled with a pattern of regular holes were attached to the walls of one of the aquaria. The aquaria were marked off at 3cm intervals starting from the water surface. Ten inactive snails were placed in each aquarium and covered with a lid. After 3 hours the number of snails at each level was noted. The procedure above was then repeated but instead of the walls, the drilled plate was placed at the bottom of the aquarium. The number of individuals remaining submerged was counted at intervals of 1,2,6,24,36†¦ hours. Experiment.7 The procedure of experiment 5 was repeated only this time both the cylinders were tightly stoppered and with 10 snails in each one. One of the cylinders is placed in an opaque black bag whilst the other one is left in the light. The number of snails at each level for both cylinders at intervals of 1,3,6 and 24 hours was recorded. Precautions Snails that were used for an experiment were not reused but placed separately in a container to note that they have already undergone some treatment. This was done so as not have active snails from a previous experiment ruin the results of the next experiment. The snails were all freshly caught (not more than 2 days) so as to have an accurate result as possible. In most experiments a good number of individuals were used (like 10) and others were possible were replicated. Enough time was left to elapse for results to be collected as the stimuli that activate the snails may be over a long period of time. Snails used were chosen to be of similar size (0.7cm shell height) and handled very gently. Errors Handling of snails from capture site to lab and from tray to the experiment may have activated the snails prior to the actual experiment taking place. Most experiments could have been done only once to the long waiting time, and with a relatively small number of individuals (ten snails may not yield a representative result). The experiment tried to replicate the conditions that the snail would be in the wild. This can never be fully achieved and so the experiment its self is not so accurate. Movement of apparatus or activity on the bench could have changed snail position in other experiments or activating them due to the vibration not to the variable tested. The snails themselves may have moved other snails in experiment 2 and 3 giving errored results. Results Experiment 1 Time / hr Fine sand Gravel Rough sand 0 3 3 4 1 3 3 4 2 3 3 4 6 3 4 3 24 2 5 3 36 2 5 3 48 1 5 4 No snails were noted to have accumulated on the smooth plastic surface of the Petri-dish. Experiment 2 Part 2A: Time/hr RH=0% RH=100% 0 0 0 6 1 2 30 1 2 54 1 3 Part 2B: Snails active: Before tapping After tapping 0 2 Experiment 3: Part 3A: Time/hr Number of snails moved 0 0 1 5 6 12 24 14 32 15 48 16 56 16 Part 3B Time for first discernible movement of operculum after left in: Dry conditions Dry conditions followed by tapping Immersed in seawater 1 40 8 2 2 14 8 3 3 29 20 4 4 33 16 40 5 28 9 20 6 19 7 53 7 8 38 62 8 11 45 1 9 21 14 13 10 12 10 50 Part 3C Time/hr Number of snails moved 0 0 1 0 6 0 24 0 32 0 48 0 56 1 Experiment 4: Replicate 5cm water 20 cm water 1 2340s 4140s(69 mins) 2 2400s 86400s (1day) 3 9000s >2 day 4 9900s >2 day 5 86400s >2 day 6 >2 day >2 day 7 >2 day >2 day 8 >2 day >2 day 9 >2 day >2 day 10 >2 day >2 day Experiment 5: A total of 2 snails were placed in each measuring cylinder. The numbers in the table show the number of snails recorded at each level marked. Closed Open Time/hr 1 2 6 24 32 48 56 1 2 6 24 32 48 56 0-3cm 2 2 2 2 2 2   2 2 2 1 1 0 0   0 3-6cm 0 0 0 0 0 0   0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 6-9cm 0 0 0 0 0 0   0 0 0 0 1 1 0   1 9-12cm 0 0 0 0 0   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0   0 12-15cm 0 0 0 0 0   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1   1 15-18cm 0 0 0 0 0   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0   0 18-21cm 0 0 0 0 0 0   0 0 0 0 0 0 0   0 21-24cm 0 0 0 0 0 0   0 0 0 0 0 0 0   0 24-27cm 0 0 0 0 0 0   0 0 0 0 0 0 0   0 27-30cm (top) 0 0 0 0 0 0   0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Experiment 6 Part 6A After 3 hours: At the bottom of the tank (smooth) In crevices On smooth wall Submerged in seawater 8 0 1 0-3cm above water 0 0 1 3-6cm above water 0 0 0 Part 6B: Time/hr 1 2 6 24 32 48 56 submerged In crevices 6 8 9 9 9 9 9 On smooth wall 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 Above seawater In crevices 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Not in crevices 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 Submerged (the only one required others are extra) 10 9 9 9 9 9 10 Experiment 7: Light Dark Time/hr 1 2 6 24 32 48 56 1 2 6 24 32 48 56 0-3cm 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 3-6cm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 1 0 0 1 1 6-9cm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 2 1 1 9-12cm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 12-15cm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 1 3 3 15-18cm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 18-21cm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21-24cm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 24-27cm 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 27-30cm (top) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 Discussion The results were organized in the form of tables usually with length in movement or number of snails against time. In the first experiment, habitat preference was tested. Rough gravel and fine/coarse sand are the typical supralittoral substrates and snails may have a preference to one and not the other. As observed from the table up to the first few hours, no movement was noted. On the sixth hour a single snail had changed substrate from the fine sand onto the gravel. At the end of the experiment two of the 3 snails placed on the fine sand had moved onto the gravel or coarse sand and one from the coarse sand had moved onto the gravel as well. This indicates that the organisms somewhat dislike a loose substrate such as the fine sand (only 2 remained) but prefer rough gravel (5 snails remained). The coarse sand was somewhat in between the two with 4 snails remaining. This is the expected result as these organisms are found between small rocks and in crevices. The fact that not all of t he travelled to one substrate could have been due to the lack of space as with 5 or 4 snails in one section, the Petri-dish became somewhat crowded. No snails were observed to go onto the smooth Petri-dish surface and this is also explained by the fact that their habitat preference is towards rocky terrain. In the second experiment, the effect of humidity on the inactive snails was observed. In part A which consisted of the two Petri-dishes with the grid, the difference in humidity was created by using calcium chloride (anhydrous). This chemical can absorb the water present in the atmosphere creating dry conditions whilst the other had a tap with water giving the environment 100% relative humidity. In the dry dish 6% of the snails moved whilst in the wet dish, 18% of the snails moved. Although not so many snails moved the difference from dry to wet is already evident with about 3 times the snails moving in the 100% RH than the 0% RH. This shows that although it is not that strong of a stimulus, the relative humidity plays a part in the activation of the sails. In part B of experiment number two, the snails were once again exposed to an atmosphere of 100% RH, but they were also tapped on the shell after one hour and placed back for a few more minutes. The tapping seems to have some effect on the snails as unlike the 100 % RH in part A where the snails took days to move, 20% of the snails in part B after only one hour were noticed to be active (which is roughly the same amount as in part A at 100% RH). This suggests that probably the wave action on the snails combined with the high humidity (as they are wetted) are effective stimuli to activate the snails. Experiment 3 consisted of three parts. In the first part, the Petri-dish had a grid on the bottom where 16 snails were placed. In the one which contained the 1mm of sea water by the second day all the snails had moved. The period where most snails became active was between the 6th and 24th hour. This when compared to the previous experiment where only the humidity was at 100% shows that water is a much stronger activator as all the snails moved (the dry control had no noticeable movement). This would make sense as if there was wave action apart from high humidity and the mechanical force its self (both of which have shown positive results) , the snails would most likely become submersed in little pockets of sea water. Interesting to note that when as in part 3C the water used was fresh water, no snails moved up to 24 hours and only one moved just slightly over the 3 days period (probably due to humidity not the water its self). This is interesting to note. It can probably be explaine d by the fact that if it were to rain over the snails which in August or September (although rare) it might, although the snail would feel the mechanical force, be in an atmosphere of high humidity and covered in water it would not be beneficial to come out of dormancy as the environment would not yet be suitable and so it must be sea water to activate the snail as this would only come ashore from waves (indicating a suitable environment). In part B of experiment 3 the time taken for each snail to become active was noted. Prior to the experiment, they were sharply tapped. This tapping followed by the immersion in sea water instantly brought about a response from the snail which opened its operculum. This was very fast, in fact an average time of 17.5 seconds was recorded between the ten snails tested. This once again replicated wave action only a faster response was obtained due to the fact that actual sea water was used and not high humidity or tapping only (which continues to sugg est that the snail becomes active after summer during the winter storms). Up till experiment 3, sea water was known to bring about a response, the question then was (answered by experiment 4) if more water would bring about a faster reaction. Apparently this is not so as the time taken for the snails to travel a distance of 5cm up the wall of the cylinder containing 5cm of water was less than the cylinder containing 20cm of sea water. This can probably be explained by the fact that the snail is not adapted to live in deep water but it is actually semi-terrestrial only venturing into the sea to lay its eggs. Thus a higher hydrostatic pressure of 20cm would indicate an unsuitable environment and the snail will most likely remain dormant. Therefore only frequent wetting and not submerging (in more than 10cm of water) brings about a response (once again pools brought about by waves are usually not as deep as 20cm in small crevices where the snail aggregates). Experiment 5 was somewhat baffling and probably should not be considered as a representative result. Only a few snails were activated and the snails which travelled most up the cylinder were in the one not stoppered! An expected result based on the other previous experiments and knowledge of the snails habitat preference would be something as follows. Upon introducing the snails to the 3cm of seawater, they would become active and since they would be submerged find a way out which would be to climb onto the cylinders side. Since their habitat lies a fair distance from the sea, the snail should continue to climb up to a good few centimetres. The snails in the stoppered cylinder should reach the top as the high humidity indicates that they are still very close to the water and travel up as far a possible. In the open cylinder having a dryer atmosphere, the snails would probably not move up to the top as they would be under the impression that they are a fair enough distance from the se a located at the bottom. Experiment 6 was an extension of experiment 5 where the upward movement from a submerged place was tested only this time the variable was not humidity but terrain brought about by the drilled plates stuck to the sides of the tank. Again the data was not as expected so much so that the slightly different version experiment part 6B did not have the same results as A but was as expected. The reasons for experiments 5 and 6A being somewhat not accurate could be due to the errors mentioned in the sources of errors section above. If one were to follow the result brought about by experiment 6A it would be concluded that the snails prefer to remain submerged and on smooth surfaces rather than in the crevices. This of course is not the case as the snails prefer crevices in rocks as seen from experiment 1 and also in the wild these are found in crevices not submerged on smooth surfaces. In part B where the drilled plate was placed at the bottom, the snails aggregated in the pits and stayed sub merged. This would indicate that they actually do prefer crevices and pits which offer protection against the elements. The pits were submerged, but the expected result was that despite this the snails should not go out of the water. This is because they were submerged under only 1.5cm and in the wild this would be something common for a snail in a small pit to experience a few mm of sea water. So in the pits and under water the mollusc is actually in its preferred environment. Finally experiment 7 tested if the snail is photosensitive. According to the results obtained, when in light the snails (all 10 of them) became active faster (in the first hour even) and climbed a distance of 3cm, whilst in the covered cylinder half as much became active and over a longer time period. The strange thing was that in the light, the snails did not reach the top and in the dark only 1 did. Considering the high humidity in both, all the snails should have gone up to the top, the only difference (if there is) would be in the time taken. Taking into consideration all the results obtained and considering the concordant data, it is noted that the snails become active via various stimuli. In summer humidity is low and the snail would be in a crevice seeking refuge from the direct sun. When the first storms come along, the crevice the snail would be in becomes wet with sea water and very humid (a sort of micro habitat). The pounding action of the waves also has an effect on the snail. The mollusc is at home under a few centimetres of water and in fact in November to March during high tide the snail travels from its habitat to the Eulittoral zone (which is covered in water during this period of the year) and lays its eggs. The snail is affected by hydrostatic pressure (experiment 4) and so only travels a specific distance into the sea (which would be the optimum place to lay its eggs). It also detects the relative humidity and only ventures up shore a fixed distance (up to the supralittoral zone) from the sea. In this zon e lichens also grow in the winter and spring times. These are a prime source of food for the snail and may be another reason why it aestivates as in summer, this food source dries up. Conclusion Having done the experiments and observed the results, it can be concluded that there are various factors which play a part in activating the snail. Each factor affects the snail to a certain degree and the combination of all of them (humidity, mechanic wave action, sea water etc) brings about a reaction either to be inactive due to their lack or to be activated due to their presence.

Mexico Essay examples -- essays research papers

Mexico is bordered by the United States on the north, the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea on the east, and Guatemala and Belize on the south. It is characterized by an extraordinary diversity in topography and climate and is crossed by two major mountain chains, the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental. The high central plateau between these two mountain ranges historically funneled most of the human population toward the center of this region. Mexico features volcanic peaks, snow-capped mountains, tropical rain forests, and internationally famous beaches. Mexico City is an enormous metropolitan area and dominates the rest of the country's culture, economy, and politics. Nearly one-fifth of the nation's population lives in the immediate vicinity of the capital. Mexico City is also a central hub for Mexico's transportation network—including railroads, highways, and airlines. Mexico and the United States share a border that is 3,100 km (1,900 mi) long, much of which is formed by the RÃ ­o Grande, a major river known as the RÃ ­o Bravo in Mexico. This international border is the longest in the world between an economically developing country and one with a highly developed, industrialized economy. This proximity has influenced Mexico's internal and external migration patterns, prompting several million Mexicans to move north to the border region or to the United States itself. It has also affected the culture of both Mexico and the United States, fostering the development of a number of communities along the border that mix the cultures of both nations. Mexico covers an area of 1,964,382 sq km (758,452 sq mi). F. Climate The climate throughout much of Mexico is characterized by high temperatures and moderate to low rainfall. The highland climates vary considerably with elevation, but the central plateau generally has a moderate climate with few extremes of hot or cold. Mexico City, for example, has an average July high temperature of 23Â °C (74Â °F) and an average January high temperature of 21Â °C (70Â °F). Cities at lower elevations on the plateau have somewhat warmer climates. The northern and central areas of the plateau are arid and semiarid, with the drier regions receiving about 300 mm (about 12 in) of rainfall annually. Rainfall increases in the southern regions of the plateau, which receive about 500 to 650 m... ...cy loan to Mexico in January 1995. However, the economic crisis was the worst in Mexico since the global economic depression of the 1930s, and resulted in negative economic growth in the country in 1995 and 1996. The economic crisis led to a serious decline in the standard of living for most Mexicans, as well as an increase in extreme poverty. The nation's gross domestic product (GDP), the value of all goods and services produced domestically by a country, declined 6.2 percent from 1994 to 1995. Since then the economy has been recovering. In 1998 the GDP was $393.5 billion. Mexico City, capital of Mexico and the center of the nation's political, cultural, and economic life. Its population of 16.9 million (1996 estimate) makes Mexico City the second largest metropolitan area in the world, behind only Tokyo, Japan. It is also the seat of Mexico's powerful, centralized federal government. Much of the political decision-making for the nation takes place in Mexico City. Culturally, Mexico City dominates the nation since most of Mexico's leading universities, intellectual magazines, newspapers, museums, theaters, performing arts centers, and publishing firms are located in the capital.

An analysis of Virginia Woolfs To The Lighthouse :: To The Lighthouse Essays

An analysis of To the Lighthouse Argument: Mrs. Ramsey is triumphant over Mr. Ramsey, by her awareness and intuitive feeling of the more important things in life: the value of human relationships. Though she is submissive, with no mention of extensive educational background, she innately possesses the crucial social skills that gain: the cohesion of the family as a whole; the respect and love of her children, and the continued survival of her marriage. Part I: The Window "Had there been an axe handy, or a poker, any weapon that would have gashed a hole in his father's breast and killed him, there and then, James would have seized it... .(Mr. Ramsey) grinning sarcastically, not only with the pleasure of disillusioning his son and casting ridicule upon his w:j'e, who was ten thousand times better in every way than he was (James thought)." P4 "Yes, of course, if it 'sfine tomorrow, "said Mrs. Ramsey. To her son these words conveyed an extraordinary joy. P3 "Perhaps you will wake up and find the sun shining and the birds singing, "she said compassionately, smoothing.the little boy's hair, for her husband, with his caustic saying that it would not be fine, had dashed his spirits she could see. P15 "But" said his father, "it won 't be fine. " P4 "No going to the Lighthouse, James, "he said. P14 "What he (Mr. Ramsay) said was true. He was incapable of untruth; never tampered with a fact; never altered a disagreeable word to suit the pleasure or convenience of any mortal being, least of all of his own children, who, sprung from his loins, should be aware from childhood that life is difficult. " P4 "When the great clangour of the gong announced solemnly, authoritatively, that all those scattered about, in attics, in bedrooms, on little perches of their own, reading, writing, putting the last smooth to their hair, or fastening dresses, must leave all that, and the little odds and ends on their washing-tables and dressing-tables, and the novels on the bed-tables, and the diaries which were so private, and assemble in the dining-room for dinner.

Ariel and Caliban Essay

   It could be suggested that every time he retells Ariel’s history, he must increase both the persuasiveness of his own story and his control over Ariel. This is why he now chooses to claim that Ariel is behaving badly, so that he can justify a retelling of the history even though Ariel is perfectly respectable in his approach towards Prospero. Even though he reminds Ariel of the misery that was suffered whilst in the pine tree, (â€Å"Thy groans† â€Å"Did make wolves howl†) He counteracts his own good deeds with a forceful display of his own magical power, threatening to trap Ariel up in the tree like the witch, Sycorax did. Prospero exercises control both physically and intellectually by controlling the way Ariel and Miranda think about their lives, he makes it very difficult for them to imagine that challenging his authority would be a good thing to do, and by after threatening Ariel (and Caliban in proceeding lines) which magical torture he makes the idea unattractive thus resulting in Ariel promising to â€Å"do my spiriting gently. † It is at this point worth outlining the character of Caliban and some possible links with Ariel. Caliban is Prospero’s earthly slave, often referred to as a monster by the other characters, he is the son of a witch hag and the only real native to the island. In his first speech to Prospero, Caliban insists that Prospero stole the island from him. It could be suggested that Calibans situation is much the same as Prospero’s, as his brother usurped his own kingdom in the same way that Prospero has stolen the island from Caliban. Similarly, Caliban’s desire for rulership of the island mirrors the lust for power which led Antonio to overthrow Prospero. From this, again, we see the callous side of Prospero thus confirming our interpretations which were formed from rhetoric between Prospero to Miranda and Ariel. â€Å"Thou poisonous slave, got by the devil himself upon thy wicked dam; come forth† This is very direct, and commanding towards Caliban. From dialogue between Prospero and Caliban it is evident that Caliban somewhat despises Prospero and whilst bound to slavery he’s completely reluctant to carry out the tasks that Prospero is commanding of him. â€Å"A South-west blow on ye, and blister you all o’er† We again see a threatening side of Prospero when he threatens to give Caliban cramps. â€Å"To night thou shalt have cramps. † Caliban expresses his disapproval at this point again, and reminds Prospero that he showed him round the island when he first arrived that belonged to himself. Then much like Prospero did with Ariel, he accuses Caliban of being ungrateful for the good deeds that Prospero has done for him. After much dialogue between Prospero and Caliban, Shakespeare delivers us with a key line from Caliban. â€Å"You taught me language, and my profit on it Is, I know how to curse: the red plague rid you for learning me your language† Firstly, this shows us that human nature teaches Caliban to be observant, as he is cunningly noting that he only knows how to curse because Prospero taught him how to speak. However, it could be suggested that this has a deeper meaning and is centred around one of the main themes present in â€Å"The Tempest. â€Å"- Colonialism. The quotation shows part of the relationship between the colonized (Caliban,) and the colonizer, (Prospero. ) It is here, that the relationship between these two parties can be explored. Caliban sees Prospero as simply oppressive whilst on the other hand, Prospero claims that he has cared for and educated Caliban. However, as the key quotation suggests during this so called education and colonization, problems do arise, and it is at this stage where the colonizer and the colonized see and value the human language as two separate entities. Prospero sees language as a form of knowing oneself and considers it to be valuable tool, however Caliban is showing nothing but curse and resentment for this precious gift that has been given to him. In light of the character of Caliban that is displayed to us in rhetoric between himself and Prospero, there is a contrast in character when Caliban is engaging with Stephano in 2. 2. In this section of the play we are provided with Caliban’s act of charity through colourful descriptive speeches about the island. â€Å"I’ll show thee the best springs: I’ll pluck thee berries. † â€Å"And I with my long nails will dig thee pig-nuts. † This shows Caliban being charitable towards Stephano, but perhaps more importantly – it confirms to us as an audience that Caliban does have extensive knowledge about the island, and did really occupy the island before he was overthrown by Prospero, possibly suggesting that his treatment by Prospero is unjust. It is quite clear from the play and this analysis that Prospero undoubtedly rules over both Caliban and Ariel, however the dynamics between these characters leaves potential for comparisons and contrasts, thus the first obvious one being the likeness of the two, as they both fall under Prospero’s authority. The next possible association for dissimilarity between Ariel and Caliban is that Caliban attempts to use language as a weapon against Prospero, just as Prospero uses it against Caliban. When Caliban admits he tried to rape Miranda instead of showing remorse, he says that he wishes he would have been able to finish the deed so that the island could have been â€Å"peopled with Calibans. † (1. 2) As highlighted previously, Caliban uses language as a tool against Prospero and has somewhat figured out that it could be a key to his freedom if he betters Prospero in one of their cursing matches, however Caliban only backs down because he fears Prosperos magic which he knows is so powerful. When Ariel re-enters in 1. 2 it creates an immediate and powerful change which shows the audience the stark contrasts between Ariel and Prospero. Whilst Caliban is coarse and resentful, described as a â€Å"Lying Slave† and â€Å"Poisonous,†, Ariel is delicate refined and gracious described as an â€Å"Airy Spirit. † This provides a striking contrast, as Ariel is not of the earth, whereas Caliban quite clearly is â€Å"of the earth. † Although the two both serve Prospero, Ariel serves him willingly, hopeful for his freedom, whilst Caliban resists serving him at all costs. It could be suggested that upon Prospero’s arrival on the island, he enslaved Caliban and freed the bright airy spirit, Ariel. It is at this point, worth referring to some historical context and some other interpretations upon the subject of colonialism. Many readers of â€Å"The Tempest† have interpreted it as an allegory about European colonialism which lends itself to Prospero’s treatment of Ariel and Caliban, this represents the disruptive nature of European colonization on native societies. Prospero’s colonization has left Caliban, the original owner of the island, subject to a life of slavery and hatred solely on account of his dark appearance. In conclusion, Caliban both mirrors and contrasts with Ariel. Ariel, is an airy spirit and Caliban is â€Å"of the earth† with speeches that reference closely to items of the earth such as pig-nuts and crabapples.