The New Face of Poverty Essay Example for Free

The New Face of Poverty Essay Most people describe poverty as a lack of essential items, such as food, clothing, and shelter. When individuals are not able to afford nutritious meals, attend school regularly, or have access to health care, regardless of their income, they can be considered to be in poverty. The new face of poverty involves many people who are homeless because problems that arose, or unforeseen circumstances occurred, forcing them into these situations. In the essay, â€Å"The Untouchables,† Kozol wrote about the struggles and hardships Richard Lazarus and others encountered because of homelessness. Jo Goodwin Parker wrote a vivid first hand description about living in poverty in the essay, â€Å"What is Poverty? †. Lazarus lived on the street struggling to survive, where as, Parker lived in a house struggling to support her family. In New York, Lazarus either slept in a park or in a dilapidated hotel operated by a shelter organization. Other homeless people, unable to find room in a shelter or afraid of something within the shelter, seeked sanctuary in public transportation buildings, subway tunnels, or church doorways. Parker struggled to provide anything but the bare essentials for her family. She lived without hot water, soap, shampoo, hand cream for cracked red hands, or materials to do any repairs on the unkempt, decrepit house. Each night, she washed all the clothes her school aged children possessed, in cold water, hoping they would be dry for the next school day. Lazarus felt the American public looked at homelessness as â€Å"the rejected waste of society†(263). He feels the homeless were useful when performing menial tasks or donating blood. He thinks people living in regular homes may not complain about their current situation if they see homeless people and fear they could be in the same state of affairs. In the same way, Parker said, â€Å"Poverty is looking into a black future†. She feared for her children’s future imaging them being behind bars because they could steal for things they wanted. She also feared her children could turn to drugs and alcohol to escape the grip of poverty. She also feared her daughter may end up in the same poverty lifestyle. Parker also felt poverty eroded away one’s pride and honor. Both Parker and Lazarus landed in these situations because of circumstances beyond their control. Parker married young and moved to another town with her new husband. Losing his job forced them to move into a small rundown house in her old hometown. Parker’s husband worked a few odd jobs, but most of their money went toward food. After three years, and three babies, he left, leaving her to support the family. Lazarus received an education from a private military school, and then held a job in data processing for seven years. Lazarus then lost his job, his wife, his children, his home, and then became homeless. These two people exemplifies the new face of poverty. The attitudes of the American public toward helping Lazarus and the homelessness, and people like Parker living in poverty, have eroded. Kozol writes, â€Å"So from pity we graduate to weariness; from weariness to impatience; from impatience to annoyance; from annoyance to dislike and sometimes to contempt† (265). Treatment of the homeless in most cities have became harsh. An anti-homeless activist in Phoenix stated he was â€Å"tired of feeling guilty about the homeless†(Kozol 262). A columnist from a major magazine wanted the homeless evicted from the streets. When Parker asked for help, she received seventy-eight dollars a month to clothe, feed, and provide shelter for herself and three children. Attitudes toward the poor have evolved into indifference, or worse, hatred. In contrast, these essays are about the asperities of a man and a woman. The essay about Lazarus recounted the plight of a homeless man and the public negativity toward homelessness. Although this story portrayed one of misfortune, compassion for the fellow man was buried by those holding bias toward homelessness. The essay about Parker summarized the misfortunes of the life of a woman. This woman struggled to provide for her three children. Most of the people living in poverty are currently in this situation due to unfortunate circumstances.

Determination of Vitamin C Content in Foods

Determination of Vitamin C Content in Foods Zheng Xiao Introduction Vitamin C, also known as L-ascorbic acid, is an essential component of our diets. It is a good antioxidant, a key component that helps to prevent damage to proteins and deoxyribonucleic acids. In the food industry, vitamin C is added to increase the nutritional content of food products and also for preservative purposes. As the human body is unable to synthesise vitamin C, it would have to be consumed as part of our diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables for instance are common sources of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a labile compound and is easily degraded by enzymes and atmospheric oxygen. Its oxidation can be accelerated by excessive heat, light, and heavy metal cations (Pisoschi, Danet, Kalinowski, 2008). During the manufacturing process, some vitamin C would be lost. Thus, in fruit juice products, vitamin C level is commonly used as a gauge for quality. This prompts manufacturers to fortify their products with high levels of vitamin C to ensure that sufficient vitamin C is present in the product throughout the storage process. Due to the wide use of ascorbic acid in both food products and in the pharmaceutical industry, many analytical methods exist for the determination of ascorbic acid, including titrimetric, spectrophotometric and chromatographic methods, each with their advantages and disadvantages. An example of a titrant used is 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol (DCIP), which will oxidise the ascorbic acid that is present in the sample. While titrimetric methods are simple to use, they are also known to overestimate the amount of ascorbic acid present due to the presence of oxidisable species other than ascorbic acid (Hernà ¡ndez, Lobo, Gonzà ¡lez, 2006). In addition, many interferences often occur with coloured samples (Arya, Mahajan, Jain, 2000). An example would be the masking of colour change at the end point of titration by highly coloured extracts from fruits and vegetables (Eitenmiller, Landen, Ye, 2007). Spectrophotometric methods work by determining the absorbance of vitamin C which is compared against standard concentrations. However, such methods are susceptible to possible interference due to absorbance exhibited by other components that is present in the sample matrix. Lastly, chromatographic methods are commonly used because of their simplicity, short analysis time and sensitivity (de Quirà ³s, Fernà ¡ndez-Arias, Là ³pez-Hernà ¡ndez, 2009). The sample is separated into its components based on their relative affinity with the mobile and stationary phase. Reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) for instance is a very efficient method that is used in ascorbic acid analysis of fruits, vegetables and beverages. Ascorbic acid is relatively hydrophilic due to the presence of several hydroxyl groups. Thus, it has a higher affinity to the polar mobile phase than the non-polar stationary phase, allowing it to be separated from the other components in a sample. The retention time gives a qualitative analysis of the sample while the area under the peak allows for the quantitative determination of ascorbic acid content present. However, a major disadvantage of this method is its high cost compared to other conventional methods. The objective of this experiment is to determine the ascorbic acid content in commercial guava juice by RP-HPLC. Materials and Methods The product analysed was commercial guava juice. The experimental procedure was as stated in the laboratory manual, with the slight amendments as follows. The filtrate (2mL) from the centrifuged sample was diluted (1 part sample: 4 part acetic acid) with 2% acetic acid. Five sets of standard ascorbic acid solutions were prepared (40ppm, 80ppm, 120ppm, 160ppm and 200ppm for each set) using a stock solution (1000ppm ascorbic acid) and 2% acetic acid for dilution. The standard solutions were filtered using the 0.45 micron cellulose acetate syringe filter, beginning with the lowest concentration. The column used was a Phenomenex Ultrasphere 5u C18 column (1504.6mm) and the wavelength used was 254nm. Results and Discussion A calibration graph was plotted (Figure 1) using average peak area (Table A1 in appendix) for standard solutions versus their respective concentrations. For each standard solution, four duplicates were prepared. This was done to increase the accuracy of the calibration curve. The r2 value obtained (0.9984) was close to the ideal value 1, indicating a good linear correlation between the area under peak of interest and ascorbic acid concentration. This allows good estimates of ascorbic acid content to be made given the area under peak of interest for each sample. Table 1. Ascorbic acid concentration in samples prepared by Groups 10 to 18 Sample calculation for Group 11: Ascorbic acid concentration in diluted sample = = 116ppm Ascorbic acid concentration in original sample = 116ppm 5 = 581ppm = 58.1 mg / 100mL of juice Average ascorbic acid concentration in original sample = =58.0 mg / 100mL of juice The average retention time of the samples prepared by different groups was 2.557min (Table A3 in Appendix), which is highly similar to that of the ascorbic acid standard solutions was 2.559min (Table A2 in Appendix). This verifies that ascorbic acid was the component analysed. The average ascorbic acid concentration in the guava juice product determined experimentally was 58.0mg/100mL of juice. This was approximately 3.9 times higher than the amount indicated on the packaging (15mg/100mL). As mentioned earlier, As the expiration date is approached, ascorbic acid would be lost to different extents depending on the storage conditions (Kabasakalis, Siopidou, Moshatou, 2000). Manufacturers are known to add ascorbic acid to their products to improve their nutritional value and also to account for the ascorbic acid lost during the manufacturing and storage process (Ottaway, 2008). Since the experiment was conducted before the expiration date of the product (March 14, 2014), a higher ascorbic acid content would be expected. The original ascorbic acid concentration for group 14 was excluded from the calculation as it was almost double of other results and thus likely to be an outlier. A possible reason might be an error in dilution during the preparation of the sample. The other results were found to be precise with a low standard deviation (1.4) and a low coefficient of variation (2.5%). Conclusion The ascorbic acid content of commercial guava juice determined using RP-HPLC was 58.0mg/100mL of juice. References Arya, S. P., Mahajan, M., Jain, P. (2000). Non-spectrophotometric methods for the determination of Vitamin C. Analytica Chimica Acta, 417(1), 1-14. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0003-2670(00)00909-0 de Quirà ³s, A. R.-B., Fernà ¡ndez-Arias, M., Là ³pez-Hernà ¡ndez, J. (2009). A screening method for the determination of ascorbic acid in fruit juices and soft drinks. Food Chemistry, 116(2), 509-512. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.03.013 Eitenmiller, R. R., Landen, W. O., Ye, L. (2007). Vitamin Analysis for the Health and Food Sciences, Second Edition: Taylor Francis. Hernà ¡ndez, Y., Lobo, M. G., Gonzà ¡lez, M. (2006). Determination of vitamin C in tropical fruits: A comparative evaluation of methods. Food Chemistry, 96(4), 654-664. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2005.04.012 Kabasakalis, V., Siopidou, D., Moshatou, E. (2000). Ascorbic acid content of commercial fruit juices and its rate of loss upon storage. Food Chemistry, 70(3), 325-328. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0308-8146(00)00093-5 Ottaway, P. B. (2008). Food Fortification and Supplementation: Technological, Safety and Regulatory Aspects: Elsevier Science. Pisoschi, A. M., Danet, A. F., Kalinowski, S. (2008). Ascorbic Acid Determination in Commercial Fruit Juice Samples by Cyclic Voltammetry. Journal of Automated Methods and Management in Chemistry, 2008. doi: 10.1155/2008/937651 Appendix Table A1. Area under peak of interest for standard solutions Average area under peak for 40ppm = = 2197282 Table A2. Retention Times for standard solutions Table A3. Retention Times for samples prepared by Groups 10 to 18

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Magnetic Resonance Imaging MRI is a procedure, in wide use since the 80s, to see the anatomy of the internal organs of the body. It is based on the phenomenon of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), first described in landmark papers over fifty years ago (Rabi et al. 1938; Rabi, Millman, and Kusch 1939; Purcell et al. 1945; Bloch, Hansen, and Packard 1946) (4 ). . The MRI is a valuable diagnostic and research tool with also practical applications for surgical planning and conquering diseases. This imaging procedure is painless and non-invasive although sometimes discomforting as the patient lies down in a body tube that surrounds them. For many years, closed MRI units have been the standard in helping physicians make a diagnosis. These closed MRI units featured a long tube that the patient would be placed inside during their procedure. This was often uncomfortable for many patients due to the "closed in" feeling and was especially stressful for patients who suffer from claustrophobia. The newest generation of MRI units is now open on all four sides which completely alleviates the "closed in" feeling, while still providing the physician with the most accurate information possible to aid in diagnosis (2).. A patient does not see or feel anything. A faint knocking sound may be heard as the machine processes information. Patients may choose to listen to music -- even having the option of bringing their own CDs to listen to. Most MRI procedures take less than an hour. MRI technology is based on three things: magnetism, radiofrequency and computers. The magnetic resonance machine, is a big and strong magnet. When the body is inside, every proton of the body is oriented in the same way (for instance, with the positive pole up). Water ... ...netic Resonance Imaging is one of the most accurate imaging modalities available today. It is an application of computer technology that has generated knowledge for the future and for practical application today. The field of imaging continues to expand as avidly pursued new dimensions in the acquisition of physiological and biochemical information occurs. WWW Sources 1) Principles of Functional Magnetic Resonance , http://www.mch.com/ 2) Consultants in Radiology , http://www.cirpa.com/Pages/OpenMRI.html 3) MIT Encyclopedia of Cognitive Sciences , https://cognet.mit.edu/login/?return_url=%2Flibrary%2Ferefs%2Fmitecs%2Fugurbil.html 4) Tracking Neural Pathways with MRI , https://cognet.mit.edu/login/?return_url=%2Flibrary%2Ferefs%2Fmitecs%2Fugurbil.html 5) MRI OF HIPPOCAMPUS IN INCIPIENT ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE http://www.uku.fi/neuro/37the.htm

Isocrates The Educated Man versus Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

The Greek philosopher Isocrates describes the characteristics of an ideal citizen in his essay, â€Å"The Educated Man†. From his point of view an educated man is not one who has pursued higher education but one who has good character and contributes to his society. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is portrayed as an educated man because he has excellent morals and knows how to conduct himself. Atticus and the â€Å"educated man† are both the ideal and perfect members of a community and family. They are strong-minded, charismatic, and honorable – traits that most people strive for. The diction that Harper Lee uses when describing Atticus Finch helps create the image of the perfect and educated man. Isocrates addresses the fact that an educated man has self-restraint and is always in control of his actions. An educated man never lets temperament, selfishness, or weakness overcome himself. One’s ability to carry himself in a honorable fashion is imperative for being a true educated man. Isocrates established a school of rhetoric is 392 B.C. that taught the art of persuasion to orators. From Isocrates’ perspective, an educated man is â€Å"not duly overcome by [his] misfortunes, bearing up under them bravely†. (line 9-10) By persuading others, an educated man can win arguments, or judicial trials in Atticus’ case, without having to be ill-mannered. When Atticus loses Tom Robinson’s case he doesn’t blame the jury for being prejudice or even Bob and Mayella Ewell for lying. Atticus stays calm under pressure and during stressful times. Later, when Atticus discuses Tom's death with Aunt Alexandria, he tells her that: â€Å"I told him what I thought, but I couldn’t in truth say that we had more than a good chance. I guess Tom was tired of taking white man’s chances and preferred to take his own.† (p. 235-236) Atticus knows that killing Tom Robinson was unnecessary and that they would have had a good chance with a better jury. However, he does not lose his temper and continues to think clearly. Even with all the things that he and his family have had to endure, he understands that violence or revenge will not solve any of his problems. It is in this way that he is an educated man. Another characteristic of an educated man is that he is able to endure things he feels is distasteful.

Comparig To Kill A Mocingbird And The Man Without A Face :: essays research papers

Courage is a valuable and rare attribute in people today. In Harper Lee's novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, courage is shown by a reclusive character named Arthur "Boo" Radley. In Mel Gibson's movie, The Man Without a Face, courage is shown by Justin McLoud. Due to the noble actions of others, one can discover the true meaning of courage. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Arthur Radley is a person who has not left his house for many years. Because of this, the townspeople have made up many rumors about him, most of which are not true. These rumors added to him not wanting to come out in public. His neighbors, Jem and Scout Finch, are the only ones who try to communicate with him, and he gives them gifts. Arthur Radley shows courage later on in the book, when the two children are attacked by Bob Ewell. Arthur Radley, a person who lived inside for years, ran outside with a kitchen knife to save his only friends. He proceeds to help Jem home, and in doing so reveals himself to even more people. If Jem and Scout had not been friendly to him, Arthur Radley probably would not have come out of his home. In The Man Without A Face directed by Mel Gibson, a hideously scarred former teacher named Justin McLoud lives in solitude on a large estate, like Arthur Radley. Also like Arthur, Justin has not made contact with anyone for seven years. One day, a struggling student named Charles Norstad come to Justin's house to be tutored. Over the summer, the two become friends. Because of Charles, Justin has the courage to teach again, and tries to clear his name of charges made against him. Like Arthur Radley, the friendship of a child gave Justin courage. Like Justin and Arthur, a child younger than me gave me help dealing with a problem. My younger sister was listening to me tell my older brother about a person older than me who was bothering me and my friends. She turned to me and said, â€Å"Well, why don’t you tell him to stop bothering you or he will get in trouble? But you gotta make it sound scary!† So, I told this person that if he didn’t stop bothering me, he will get in trouble with my brother.

Critique of Artificial Intelligence Essay

Journalist John Markoff wrote the article â€Å"Computer Wins On ‘Jeopardy!’: Trivial, It’s Not†. He discusses how the super computer â€Å"Watson† defeated the all time champion of â€Å"Jeopardy!† Ken Jennings. The author, throughout the article, agrees that the supercomputer â€Å"Watson† was a fair match against Ken Jennings. I disagree with Markoff for multiple reasons. This was in no way a fair match because the computer had a remarkable ability to answer questions at super speeds. Also, the computer has access to all available questions and the ability to answer them. This was in no way a fair battle between the computer and Ken Jennings. The author’s main idea of this article is mainly to say how the supercomputer was a fair match between the two. The computer has ways to answer questions that humans have no way of doing. The computer can answer questions within seconds and even milliseconds when the question is asked. It has a super speed ability to answer these questions, which gives no time for the competitor to even have a chance to answer the questions given. So, when the competitor has no time to even have an attempt to answer the question, there is no way to win. â€Å"Watson† is so smart that almost every question that is asked, he answers correctly. Since I don’t agree with Markoff’s statement about â€Å"Watson†, I don’t think his argument is valid. The reason I don’t believe his argument and points are valid is that a computer that has remarkable and inhuman-like abilities is obviously going to win in a competition of speed and knowledge. Ken Jennings had no chance against this computer. So, if a human has no chance against a machine, how can anyone call this a fair fight? Now, Markoff did define his terms clearly and specifically describe his reasons for why he thinks what he thinks, so I do give him credit for that. Still, I disagree with his argument. I disagree with most of Markoff’s view about the competition between the computer and Jennings. His main point of the fair competition is totally undebatable. â€Å"Watson, on the other hand, does not anticipate the light, but has a weighted scheme that allows it, when it is highly confident, to hit  the buzzer in as little as 10 milliseconds, making it hard for humans to beat† (Markoff 212). This statement made by Markoff proves that this was in no way possible for Jennings to beat the super computer. The computer can buzz in at amazing speeds as little as 10 milliseconds, which is way faster than any other human could possibly buzz in. Plus, the computer is programmed with so much information, that it would most likely be able to defeat Jennings, just because of the intelligence of this machine that the creators programmed into it. Overall, I do not believe that this piece published by John Markoff is in anyway valid. Markoff does however succeed in persuading people his ideas and describing his ideas and arguments very specifically. He does a good job with his argument and stating what he thinks. I do not agree with his argument though. My reaction to this piece is actually astonished because I am not sure how anyone could think that a computer competing against a very intelligent human was fair at all. The weakness of this passage is probably how it can be hard for someone to understand how a computer can manage to accomplish all this, but the strengths are good description and expression of the passage. Although he argues very well of his points, I in no way agree with his argument that the battle between â€Å"Watson† and Ken Jennings was fair.

Promote Equality and Inclusion in Health Essay

1.1 Explain what is meant by * Diversity * Equality * Inclusion Diversity basically means difference. Diversity is about understanding that everyone has things in common but also that everyone is different. Diversity is about embracing those differences because if everything and everyone was the same then life would be boaring. Some examples of diversity are listed below: see more:identify which legislation and codes of practice relating to equality diversity and discrimination * Gender * Race * Culture * Beliefs * Ability * Talent * Personality * Age Equality means that everyone has the right to be treated equally and appropriate for their individual needs. Inclusion is every individuals human right, the aim of inclusion is to embrace everyone irrespective of their differences i.e. sex, race disability, race, religion etc. Everyone should have equal access and opportunities. 1.2 Describe the potential effects of discrimination The effects of discrimination show differently for different people, the effects could fall into the physical or psychological categories. Some potential effects of discrimination are: * Anger * Humiliation * Low self esteem * Frustration * Feelings of hopelessness * Fear * Isolation * Weight loss * Weight gain * Loss of drive/motivation * Increased behaviors * Non participation * Lack of education 1.3 Explain how inclusive practice promotes equality and supports diversity Inclusive practices are about making sure that there are no barriers that exclude people or inhibit them from fully participating in all aspects of everyday life in society. Inclusive practices is about constantly challenging areas of society that discriminate against people that are different, ask asking questions like â€Å"what changes need to happen so that everone can participate no matter what differences them may have?†, then doing whatever it takes to make them changes happen. 2.1Explain how legislation and codes of practice relating to equality, diversity and discrimination apply to own work role. The regulatory bodies that exist in the uk have codes of practice, these codes exist for the benefit of both employers and their workforce, they have been designed to improve the quality of services that people receive in the health and social care field. Below are a few requirements set out in codes of practice that apply to my work role in health and social care: * Protect the rights and promote the interests of people and their careers – this is to include * The respect for individuality * The respect for equal opportunities * The respect for diversity * The respect for dignity * The respect for privacy * To establish and maintain the trust of people and their careers – this is to include * No neglect * No abusing * No exploiting * Non forming of improper personal relationships * No discrimination * Don’t abuse trust of confidentiality * No unnecessary risks should be taken * To uphold public trust and confidence in the social care services – this is to include * Maintaining confidentiality * Using effective communication * Honoring commitments * Declaring conflicts of interest * Non acceptance of gifts * Promote the independence of people while protecting them from danger – this is to include * Recognizing the right to take risks * Following risk assessments * Minimizing risks * Informing others of risk assessments * Respect the rights of people while seeking to ensure that their behavior does not cause harm to themselves or other people – this is to include * Maintenance of rights * Challenging dangerous behavior * Reporting dangerous behavior * Following safe practice * Reporting unsafe practice * Help people to make complaints * Follow health and safety regs * Using power responsibly * Be accountable for the quality of one’s own work and to take responsibility for improving knowledge and skills – this is to include * Meeting standards * Maintaining records * Informing employers of personal difficulties If we follow these codes of practice, then my role as a health and social care worker will be greatly improved, and the way in which I support my service users will ensure that their rights and their support levels are met. 3.3 Describe how to challenge discrimination in a way that promotes change If I was to witness discrimination whether it is sexual, racial or any other form of discrimination, I would challenge it immediately, I could do this by firstly reporting the incident and recording the facts. I would report it to my line manager as they have more power to help change take place. If colleagues were not treating all service users fairly or promoting diversity I could challenge them in a professional manner, I could tell them than their actions are offending not only myself but they are inflicting a form of abuse on the service users themselves, I could advise them that their words and actions could be subject to disciplinary actions . By actively promoting diversity and equality in my work place I could help change people’s mind and their actions and in doing so I would have helped promote change in my work place