Monday, September 30, 2019

The New Digital Era called “MP3 Technology”

Downloading of music has been a long time subject of piracy. In the 1920’s, radio stations played records that are not tracked. It is a not-so obvious manner of piracy but did impact writers who were losing money due to public performance of their works without proper accountability. No one was making money through this procedure but only radio stations via their sponsors. (Wicknick, par. 1) With this, the performance rights societies including ASCAP and BMI worked with the Congress and the FCC to change legislation to ensure that radio stations will track airplay and pay blanket licenses that were given to writers based on airplay. (Wicknick, par. 1) It is impossible to copy a record before the invention of blank tape. Its either you bought it or borrow a copy and played it until the needle lost its tip. (Wicknick, par. 3) In the mid 1960’s, even after the invention of blank tapes, copying a record is sill a clunky process. (Wicknick, par. 3) In the advent of cassette tape, people learned to do dubbing. But marketing of these tapes are low because it is still evident that it is dub due to sonic integrity has been compromised. ASCAP and BMI, together with the FCC, they began to collect blanket license fees on the sale of blank media and give them to writers and publisher members. (Wicknick, par. 4) In 1982, in the faà §ade of CD in Europe, Japan and in the United States by 1983, it was read-only. Burning to a CD is impossible before. But advancement in technology made it possible. In the year of 2003, you can burn CD from mp3 and sources like iTunes. However, MP3 and iTunes do charge for licensing, worked out deals and propose duplication allowances. (Wicknick, par. 5) The onslaught of the digital wave in 1999 started with the newly created MP3 file sharing software called Napster, stated Catherine Edwards, in her article â€Å"The Napster Challenger.†Ã‚   Lee Bockhorn, in his article â€Å"MP3 and Me: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Online Music File Sharing (sort of)† stated that on one side of the wave is the estimated 60 million MP3 Internet users that enjoy the advantages of ala carte collection choice, downloading these selections for free and testing music before purchasing. On the other side are the artists and recording companies making strong claims for illegal sharing of copyrighted material states John Healey and Jeff Leeds in their article â€Å"Tone Deaf to the Moral Dilemma?†Ã‚   The new MP3 file sharing technology has brought to us into a new digital age madness designed for music lovers.   Claiming violation of copyright laws, the greedy recording companies and music artists do not wish to give up the present business structure and refuse to embrace the exploding expansion of digital technology that will allow ‘ala carte purchases’. The start of this digital age software began with a 19-year-old freshman at Northeastern University in Boston in 1999.   His name is Shawn Fanning.   He revolutionized the music industry, developing a software program called Napster.   Napster allows music fans to share and download music files via the Internet for free.   Shawn received $15 million to start the corporation and is now a famous CEO (Edwards 160). Then, one and a half years later, in 2001, 2 famous bands, Metallica and Dr. Dre, sued Napster. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) sued as well, claiming Napster violated record label copyrights.   This case is still on appeal.   Since this time, Napster has joined with BMG Entertainment (a $50 million dollar deal) offering a new fee-based system (Edwards) The RIAA has been taking drastic measures to limit piracy. Consumers of music sees file-sharing or downloading as the wave of the future and legal in their own right. The lawsuits include a twelve year old for downloading contents online and an 80 year-old grandfather who were sued for his computer activity wherein he claimed that he don’t even know how to turn a computer on. Many of the grandparents bought computer for their grandchild as a treat whenever they come to visit their place. But a twelve year old may be well aware on the usage of the computer technology as well as a graduate student but doesn’t know or understand the violations of what they have done. (Wicknick, par. 2) The next approach for RIAA is to target college students and parents with further lawsuits alleging copyright violations.   â€Å"One goal is to persuade parents to crack down on their children’s file sharing before an entire generation comes to expect music to be free† (Healey and Leeds 175).   This may prove to be a futile effort with the millions of Internet users copying music for free on the new sites that have popped up, such as Kazaa or Limewire.   Also, many parents condone students’ downloading even though it’s unethical.   RIAA lawsuits will attempt to target the Internet account that is used to share the file (Healey and Leeds 177).   These lawsuits may change the attitudes of 12-22 year-olds, that when surveyed said that 70% of them would stop if at risk of a fine or jail (Healey and Leeds 178). According to the Pew Internet Project’s national survey of adult Internet users conducted last January-February 2005 resulted that about 7 million adults downloaded files from someone’s iPod or MP3 player. (Madden and Lee par. 2) Approximately, 10 million people get their music and video files through email and instant messages. But there are people who use both the same sources. Other alternative sources of downloading include music and movie websites, blogs and online reviews. There is also a legislation being pushed in Congress by the record companies.   If approved, it would use software to flood peer-to-peer sharing with dummy files, search public folders for illegally copies music and block users from downloading.   Even though it’s difficult to empathize with rich artists and greedy record companies, it is still, according to law, an illegal practice to share and download copyrighted music online.   Millions of people through MP3 technology are sharing files, making the concept of ‘fair use’ ridiculous (Bockhorn 163). Further in his article, Bockhorn writes of his personal exposure to the Napster era.   At the start of the Napster take-off he felt that it just wasn’t right to not pay an artist for his/her music.   He explains that his first temptation came after attending a Norah Jones concert.   He later downloaded her performance of the ‘Tennessee Waltz’ thru I-Tunes. His justification was that he had paid to see the concert and had bought previous albums (Bockhorn 162).   In a forum done by eight graders, some students thought that the music industries have huge incomes and it would not hurt if they will get a song or two from an album through the internet. A student said that the artist will still have an income because they are still buying T-shirts and watch their concerts. (Hafner, par. 13) Curiosities about MP3 file sharing, lead to Bockhorn’s downloading of Limewire, a successor to Napster.   He agrees that it is unquestionably, great technology, without paying a fee.   Drawbacks to MP3 are availability of music, modem connection speed, and the guilt of acquiring music without paying.   â€Å"If I want to download My Cherie Amour, Stevie Wonder should get a cut of whatever price a true market . . . determines the song is worth . . .† (Bockhorn 162). Currently, Bockhorn’s primary concern is that MP3 technology has definitely warped the minds of users copying illegal files to build their music collection.   But, why does the music lover continue to partake?   Number one because of choice and number two because it’s free (Bockhorn 163).   Most people will agree that it’s illegal but will continue to do it.   â€Å"Like countless millions, Miriam Philips felt no guilt in downloading music from a shared campus folder† (Healey and Leeds 175).   Philips offers no sympathy for the artist and the record company, â€Å"They’re rich, they can deal with it†, (Philips via Healey and Leeds 175). According to a 13-year old girl, if you wanted a song or two in a certain album, it is not a big deal.(Hafner, par. 3) However, when someone consistently downloaded an artist whole CD, it might be the right time to call them thieves. Almost all of the houses here in the US have Internet-connected computers in their homes. A student even asked that if downloading of music is really illegal, why do PCs were sold with CD burners? (Hafner, par. 18) Downloading of music through CD burning is very convenient especially to students who were mostly doing it.   Just a few clicks away, they will be able to have the songs they wanted. (Hafner, par. 9) Though some of these people knew that they are violating the law, but they can’t afford to give up convenience and less expensive or the free copies of the recordings of their own choice. On the other hand, there are some advantages to the downloading frenzy.   This technology has prompted some users to purchase CD's based on a new interest in a particular type of music.   It is able to give a taste of a certain type of music or unknown band before purchasing an entire CD.   Users will find that if they’re downloading more than 2-3 songs they will probably go out and buy the entire album. Internet users will also argue that it is difficult at times to locate a particular piece of music that they’re looking for.   Also, this activity is for personal use, not resale (Healey and Leeds 176).   There is also no evidence that MP3 file sharing has dramatically hurt CD sales.   In 2001, sales dropped 10% and in 2002 sales dropped 7% (Bockhorn 163). There are news and write ups on lawsuits for music-downloading like the Napsters and Metallica lawsuits but possible loss of revenue for recording industry were not perceived. Music-downloading is hurting the businesses of music retailers. While downloaders are getting music for free through downloading it from internet or MP3s, it is a loss of income for massive music retail outlets. (Bestul, par. 5) People resigned from buying or purchasing music and switch over to downloading it from the computer instead. What they haven’t thought about is the income that music retailers or outlets will lose every time they download the music for free from computer or MP3 instead of buying a CD from retail outlets. In attempting to defend this illegal behavior, consumers will argue that corrupt record companies refuse to embrace technology that will allow ‘ala carte’ purchases.   Consumers wish to purchase the one or two songs from an album that are worthy of purchase.   This choice could lead to the extinction of great albums such as the Beatles’ Sgt. Peppers album (Bockhorn 163).   Bockhorn believes that people want to do the right thing, and hopes that record companies will provide us options for subscription or ala carte, but thus far they have been very reluctant.   If record companies would join the new technology, all of us could rest easier know that the artist got his/her share (Bockhorn 164). It is believe to be impossible to stop the downloading of music because it is the fad as of this era. Aside from the fact that many people are music lovers, the technology that we have today is unstoppable. Advancement in technology might be the reason why people can come up in this kind of technique in getting what they want for free or at a lesser cost with much ease. Maybe in the future, we might have other ways or means of downloading music or files in a more convenient way based on how technology progress on every generation. Future growth of MP3 digital technology is yet to be determined, with many changes to come.   Millions of Internet users each day have access to use of this technology, either through free or paid Internet sites.   Consumers do have a choice, the questions remains to be, how many will lean toward their obligation of legal choice.   Future enforcement of the free technology won’t be effective unless the music industry offers a legal alternative to file sharing. References Bestul, Michael J. (11 December 2003). â€Å"Lost in the controversy.† Blogcritics.com Retrieved last October 19, 2006. Websites: http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/12/11/082220.php Bockhorn, Lee.   â€Å"MP3 and Me: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Online Music File-Sharing (sort of).† The Weekly Standard 16 October 2002 Edwards, Catherine. â€Å"The Napster Challenge.† Insight on the News January 2001 Hafner, Katie (19 September 2003). â€Å"Is it wrong to share your music? (Discuss).† The New York Times Retrieved last October 19, 2006. Website: http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20030919friday.html Healey, John, and Jeff Leeds. â€Å"Tone Deaf to the Moral Dilemma?† The Los Angeles Times 2 September 2003 Madden, Mary and Rainie, Lee (25 March 2005). â€Å"Music and Video Downloading Moves Beyond P2P.† Pew Internet and American Life Project Retrieved last October 19, 2006. W Website: http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/153/report_display.asp Wicknick, Darcie-Nicole. â€Å"The RIAA Muic Downloading Controversy: Both Sides of the Record.† MusicBizAdvice.com Retrieved last October 19, 2006. Websites: http://www.musicbizadvice.com/a_little_history_on_music_piracy%20.htm http://www.musicbizadvice.com/the_music_downloaders_point_of_view.htm http://www.musicbizadvice.com/RIAA_Music_Downloading_Controversy.htm ; ; ; ;

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Description of Proposed Network Essay

Our proposal includes the development of a LAN able to meet the requirements of your company’s software. The computer network components include the use of a server, a switch, patch panel, and a router for the office. The selected NOS (Network Operating System) is Windows 2000 Server. This operating system provides great conveniences to the installation, configuration, and maintenance of the network. Windows 2000 Server provides the enhanced DHCP, DNS and WINS features allow a network administrator to expediently manage all clients on the network. The data communication media for the networks is UTP CAT5. This cabling follows the Ethernet standards for TCP/IP and ensures decreased propagation and noise. I understand the motivations for creating a network and can apply these technologies to improve communications and access to information, as well as support and maintain the infrastructure. Goals and Products: The following list is networking hardware that can be implemented: *Nortel Networks Passport 2430 Enterprise Router: Offers the features and performance of more expensive routers, but at a much lower price. Also, this unit is known for its quiet operation, and sleek enclosure. *Nortel Networks BayStack 350 Series Switch: supports high-utilization workgroups for high-bandwidth uplinks to servers. *Dell PowerEdge 650 Server: Cost-effective rack server performance, manageability, and serviceability. Easy to mange. Also with tape drive backup support. *Nortel Networks OPTera Metro Cabinet 5200: Free-standing structure which will hold router, switch, server, and patch panel. *16-port Patch Panel Each employee workstation is to be custom ordered from Dell. Each employee will house a Dell computer with the following options: *2 GHz Pentium 4 Processor *256MB RAM *13GB Hard Drive *Netgear FA311 10/100 Network adapters *52X CD-Rom *8 MB Video Card *17†³ Monitor (Can use current monitors if budget is exceeded) *Internal Zip Drive Fast Ethernet is the protocol of choice. The wiring is a higher quality than the Category 3 normally used by Ethernet, therefore is a bit more expensive, but a worthy advantage. Fast Ethernet defines a star topology. There are many advantages in designing a LAN based on a star topology. It allows expansion to the existing LAN without effort or disruption. Troubleshooting, repair, and maintenance can be accomplished to a failed node without holding up or disrupting work on other nodes. The first step of implementing the network involves running drops in two corners of the office. The switch, router, patch panel, and server will be located in a rack closet dedicated to LAN equipment. This rack will be placed in a location for centrality. The entire office will be cabled with category 5 unshielded-twisted pair cable. Wall faceplates to include both drops and a phone jack will be installed. Panels spanning each wall will  house cables to ensure a clean look. As can be expected, the physical cost to install these drops are minimal, the labor is the majority of this expense. The second step of implementing the network involves configuring each piece of networking equipment. The router will be set up to ensure serviceability and reliability between employees and the server. From the router there will be a switch attached. The router will service a protocol (DHCP) which will allow workstations to access the network. The patch panel will be used as a middleman between the user and the switch. 1ft cables will be used to connect the switch and patch panel with also the use of a punch-down block. The third step of implementing the network involves configuring the server. This server will be set up to store crucial data, backup data, directory services (User Management), and file and print services. From the server you will have control and full access to each employee’s machine. Specifications: Hardware plays an important role in reliability of a network. Each workstation is to be custom ordered from Dell. Each employee will house a Dell computer with the following options: *2 GHz Pentium 4 Processor *256MB RAM *13GB Hard Drive *Netgear FA311 10/100 Network adapters *52X CD-Rom *8 MB Video Card *17†³ Monitor (Can use current monitors if budget is exceeded) *Internal Zip Drive In addition the office will house a Hewlett Packard LaserJet 4000N due to estimated heavy printing volume. The network equipment will be housed in a rack mount closet. That equipment will consist of a Dell PowerEdge 650 Server with the following components: *3.06GHZ Pentium 4 Processor 512K internal L2 Cache, *1GB ECC DDR266 Memory, *Netgear FA311 10/100 Network adapter, *16x4GB SCSI Hard Drive’s, *3.5†³ Floppy Drive, CD-ROM, and Internal Zip Drive. The hard drive’s in the server will be partitioned into a public working drive and a back up drive and will also be using RAID 5. Equipment and Labor Costs: Equipment: *Passport 2430 Enterprise Router – $349.99 *BayStack 350 Series Switch – $714.99 *PowerEdge 650 Server – $1499.99 *OPTera Metro Cabinet 5200 – $1299.99 *12-port Patch Panel – $119.99 *Cabling Costs: oUTP CAT5 Cable 650FT (~60ft per workstation) – $500 o(48) RJ-45 Connecters – $200 *(10) Custom Dell Workstations featuring Windows 2000 – $6000 *(11) 17†³ Monitors – $1100 (Save this by using current monitors) *HP 4000N LaserJet Printer – $200 *Looking at a total for equipment just shy of $12,000 Labor: *Flat hourly rate of $90/HR. *Project will take 5 business days (8hr/day limit). *Looking at a total for labor- $3600 An estimated Grand-Total- $16,000* *This figure is based on new state of the art equipment and software. Every item has been carefully examined to ensure it offers the most for the needs of Creative Accounting. Cost may be cut if the need arises, however, efficiency and technology will be sacrificed. All in all, this network has been developed with the sole purpose of satisfying the company’s needs within realistic constraints. Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding this proposal.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Managerial Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managerial Behaviour - Essay Example We were responsible for development, design and implementation of a website for a retail company which was aimed at enabling it to receive online orders directly from its customers. The project was planned to be completed in 6 months and was led by a manager, who was already working on two other projects. However, within a short period of 2 months, there arose drastic conflicts between team members and manager had to intervene to resolve them promptly so that the project would not suffer. 1. How does the manager undertake the activity being studied? When the matter reached the manager, he developed sound knowledge of background and circumstances of the situation before arriving at any conclusions or resolutions. Soon it was revealed that the bone of contention was partially the manager himself. The complexities of matrix structuring and ambiguous project requirements made it difficult for the team members to be clear about their team roles and duties and allocation of resources. This in turn was caused by the manager’s minimal input in the project and absence from most of the team briefings. His negligence towards this specific project had caused role conflicts and low morale amongst the members. The manager diagnosed the nature of conflict and identified that the team members were blaming each other for delay in designing a phase of the website. As a result a milestone, which was to be achieved 2 weeks back, was still in progress while 3 specialists responsible for it were finding a scapegoat for this setback. With no proper delegation and allocation of tasks, there were clashes as to who was responsible to complete which process. They claimed that the resources were not sufficient and time was wasted due to unavailability of website development tools simultaneously to each of them. Manager decided to focus his attention on this project to get it back on track according to initial project plan. He allotted each member equal tasks according to their skil ls and strengths and scheduled the processes to facilitate the sharing of resources. Project had limited funds and therefore it wasn’t possible for him to arrange for more and therefore it was necessary to ensure completion within the given manpower and equipment. He drafted formal role definitions for each of the members to avoid any ambiguities and confusion regarding what was expected to be contributed by each of them. His attention was substantially needed in areas of controlling and monitoring since the project was lagging behind schedule. He mobilized the resources and ensured effective and efficient utilization of each member’s core competences and resources available, diverting resources from stronger areas and focusing them on those more in need of them. He held team meetings and conducted one-on-one sessions to address concerns of each member, educate them with project requirements and deadlines, familiarize himself with the entire team and boost their morale through empathizing skills. He also encouraged members to feel free to contact him in person and whistleblow about other members if necessary. After taking updates on progress of each task, he compared them with the planned timetables and appraised performances accordingly. Since thereafter, he gave equal attention to this project and finally completed the project successfully,

Friday, September 27, 2019

Response to The Lottery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Response to The Lottery - Essay Example Many in the story could not remember the exact detail of the ritual. A similar traditional ritual today is prayer only for sickened individuals. Several times a year, reports of children dying of treatable diseases because their parents believed in prayer alone can be read in the newspaper. This is a traditional ritual that needs to be dropped, with the exception of a consenting adult. For example, a woman was in a car crash, with a massive amount of blood loss. Since she was a Jehovah Witness, she refused a blood transfusion. As a result, she died. That was her right as an American. On the other hand, children need treatment because they are not old enough to consent. Another traditional ritual that needs to be rethought is the running of the bulls in Spain. The bulls can be hurt. People are gored and even killed. The tradition has become antiquated. Men and women no longer need to prove their courage in this fashion. Tradition is the only reason this even still occurs, because it could not be rationality. Another traditional ritual that needs dropped is a woman automatically taking a man’s last name upon marriage. Women are allowed in today’s society to keep their own name, but are normally looked down upon for not taking their husband’s last name. Women that keep their own last names do not love their husbands, are too independent, or even considered witches. The tradition started centuries ago, when women were considered a man’s property. Women should be free to choose whether or not to take their husband’s last name. The reason to change the above tradition rituals vary. The reason to ban prayer alone healing is in order to save life. Believing in God is a good thing, as is prayer, but God gave humans brains to think with. An answer to prayer could be a medication created by a God created scientist. God does not always answer prayers the way humans want. It could be instead of instantly making a person whole,

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Marketing Strategy for Burke Museum Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Marketing Strategy for Burke Museum - Assignment Example The report will also define the segments which need to be addressed by the museum in order to enhance its business. The later part of the report explains the marketing plan which needs to be implemented by the Museum which would be helpful to achieve targets, and finally it concludes with the sales forecast and the Marketing Mix. Although museum visiting trends patterns are substantial in Australia, still there are many factors which will play an important part in the acceptance of the Museum in a society where visiting library is a preferred leisure activity for people. Museums play an important role in providing the people with entertainment in their leisure time. In order to enhance their market share Museums should focus on implementing new marketing strategies in order to attract more customers and increased market share (Peschiutta, 2001). Many established museums and cultural organisations cannot only rely on income generated; the public funds are decreasing with an increase in the attendance of people visiting these museums. With the increasing demands of greater accountability from government and funding bodies the planning and implementation of successful marketing strategies has become more important (Laczniak and Murphy, 1977). Weak or no marketing practice can lead to a big trouble for even a well-established Museum. The challenges facing the Museums are to adopt appropriate marketing strategies and technologies in order to make its presence well felt by the customers to generate and get as much. Burke Memorial Museum, Loch Street, Beechworth, Victoria 3747. Over the past several decades the Historical Burke Museum has served the purposes of research and education of the local community related to the history of Australian culture. Furthermore, without neglecting the necessity to provide knowledge, education, and entertainment through a highly aesthetic presentation, the museum's directorate is also seeking to blend the new concepts of muse ology and the scientific theories regarding the interpretation and presentation of material and immaterial cultural heritage in a way that the modern visitor can understand. Privately founded Museum has a total of 7 staff members with 15,000 objects in the collection and a current income of approximately 136.500,00 AUS$. The Museum is now aiming at increase in the revenue at least to 800.000,00 AUS$ in order to bear the expenses in new building. To achieve the purpose it is important to plan a marketing strategy, which can eke the management in acquiring the desired target. Mission Statement of Burke Museum: Burke Museum aims to: - Collect, keep, and preserve objects from the area of Victoria as well as related evidence of the life of the local people in the pre-industrial and early industrial period - Help the local people to become aware of their cultural identity and its history - Promote education - Introduce visitors from Victoria and all over Australia to local culture. 1.2 Objectives: The museum's broad objectives are: - To increase visitor numbers by a policy of communication, public relations, and

Intelligent Systems Assignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Intelligent Systems Assignment - Coursework Example The neural networks aid in the relationship of parameters of the tumor with the profile of temperature over the breast model. There is a comparison of the obtained relationship to the one obtained by an element software (Bradbury 2007). There is a possibility of determining the parameters of the cancer with a five and ten percent random noise. With ten percent noise, the estimation accuracy deteriorates for tumors which are deep-seated. INTRODUCTION Breast cancer in women is common making it an international concern. Every year about two hundred thousand new cases are reported. There is estimation that more than one million women are not aware that they have the cancer (Bradbury 2007). Infrared imaging is one of the conventional ways that were used in the detection of the cancer. Abnormal skin temperatures may be used as an indication of benign tumors and cancer. The objective of the neural networks is to develop a methodology to be used in the estimation of different parameters of t he cancerous tumor (Kings 1996). The report relate to breast cancer and the different neural networks used in the methodology estimation. Demonstration of the methodology is done by the use of a simple model, in the illustration of the details and the involved procedures. Various conditions of the cancerous tumor were used to illustrate the neural networks generality (Millburn 2000). The diagnosis of breast cancer is a significant medical problem in the real world. An important class of medical science problems involves the disease diagnosis. This is based on various performed tests upon the patient (Rockville 2008). When there is an involvement of several tests, the final diagnosis may be obtained in a difficult manner, even for experts in the medical field. This has given an increase, over a few most recent decades, to diagnostic computerized tools (Hill 2012). This are intended to help the physician in reaching a sensible conclusion out of data confusion. Much research has been d one on medical diagnosis of the cancer. A learning algorithm combines annealing logarithmic simulated with perceptron algorithm and an accuracy of almost one hundred percent is reported (Hagan 1996). Breast cancer is commonest cancer type in women. Men can also get breast cancer, but this accounts for a much lesser percentage of all diagnosed cases of breast cancer (Hill 2012). Atleast one in every eight women develops cancer once in her lifetime, that is, if they live upto the age of eighty five. More than a half of women diagnosed with breast cancer are fifty years and older. The majority of the rest are between thirty nine and forty years of age. Breast cancer can easily be treated if detected at an early stage (Hagan 1996). It can be treated successfully before it spreads out all over the body. Nine out of ten women diagnosed with cancer, live a minimum of an extra five years if their cancer is detected early enough. Once the cancer spreads to other parts of the body, it becomes difficult to completely treat it (Rockville 2008). The disease can be controlled using certain method of treatment if it has already spread to other parts of the body. Initially, breast cancer develops in the breast tissue, in the milk ducts and in the glands (Hunt 2008). This cancer type is still considered breast cancer, even if its discovery comes after

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Michael Jackson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Michael Jackson - Essay Example This is exemplified by his keeping of a pet zoo, which was not fully compliant with laws governing animal rights and civic safety. He was also accused and later exonerated of charges of child molestation and abuse. Despite the factuality of these claims, his image was irreparably tarnished by them. Thesis statement: the three main aspects of Michael Jackson’s popularity was his family background, life style and his death. This essay will flesh out this thesis. 2. His Family Background: Michael Jackson was born into a family of musicians. His parents and all his siblings were musicians. Even before he turned 10, he was a star member of the pop group Jackson Five – named after the five Jackson brothers who comprised it. But the flip side of this early fame is the lack of a proper childhood for Michael. He was forced to grow up too fast and as a result his psychological development remained uneven in later life. This explains his fondness for private zoos and strong identi fication with children. That he had retained certain childish qualities well into adulthood is borne by his legendary boyish voice. This most unique gift of Michael’s is smooth, silky and subtle. Right from a young age, his parents recognized the genius of Michael’s talents and made him the central feature of their troop performances. The only other sibling who could rival his great musical gifts is his younger sister Janet Jackson, who went on to have a successful career of her own paralleling that of Michael’s. (Feller 34) ... He was also an extraordinarily talented dancer. The dance sequences to his super-hit songs ‘Billy Jean’, ‘Beat It’, ‘Smooth Criminal’, ‘Black or White’, etc are etched in the memory of all those who were privileged to witness it. The innovative dance move of Moon Walk served as a metaphor for the out-of-the-world inspiration he brought to bear on his songs. 3. His Lifestyle: Michael Jackson’s lifestyle was both colorful and controversial. The kind of attire that Michael wore has become his trademark symbols. The white glove, the slippery hat and the studded leather jacket are all integral parts of his appearance. His dressing sense was as much a source of his appeal as his musical and dancing talent. Just with a twitch of his hand or a tap of his hat, Michael Jackson could bring to his feet. The fast rhythmic R&B and pop numbers of his were particularly popular. They were remarkable in terms of the sheer energy they possessed . Michael’s high pitched voice was suited to this genre, as the pitch carried the energy to the audience. A good indicator of his widespread popularity is the number of impersonators he has had. During the 1980s, doing a moonwalk was a rite of passage for the youth of that generation. That was how they identified themselves as capable and special adults. It was part of their process of identification with a role model and individuation from parental control. (Cole 16) It is fair to say that Michael Jackson was the greatest entertainer of his era. Though there were competitors like George Michael, Madonna, Prince, Tina Turner, etc, Jackson had the greatest fan following due to his global appeal. In other words, while many of his contemporary singers had great fan following within the United States,

Monday, September 23, 2019

Climate change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Climate change - Essay Example My interest grew stronger in this specific topic because it is that in one way or the other, it has an influence on other earth systems and it has an even greater impact on human beings. Our atmosphere is composed of gasses that play an important role in life. Oxygen, for instance, is considered as a vital gas to support life; it is the air that we breathe. Other than life, our atmosphere is responsible for reflecting away harmful sunrays from reaching the surface of the earth. The general theme of my essay is the effects of atmospheric change on life forms. It is an important subject of interest because as I had stated earlier, it is of great importance to life. We should study its changes and work on how best we can conserve it in order for it to keep supporting life. In relation to earth systems, the atmosphere also gives us weather. The wind, rain, and snow are all dependent on the atmosphere. Plant life directly depends on the atmosphere of carbon dioxide, which is a vital component of plant growth and development (Harington). In addition, let us not forget the good old air we breathe as living organisms comes from the atmosphere. The composition of the gasses in the atmosphere which gives the gasses, 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and a 1% of other gasses and dust. The atmosphere sticks to the surface of our planet thanks to its gravitational field. The atmosphere is divided into five layers; ii. The thermosphere is the second outermost layer, which sits at about 80 to 700 kilometers above sea level and is separated from the exosphere by a layer called thermopause. The layer is completely cloudless, and the molecules are in extremely low densities and its temperatures can rise as high as 1500 `c but it would not feel hot to a human in direct contact because of low density of molecules (Nolt). iii. The mesosphere sits at the third highest level of the atmosphere at about 50 to 80 kilometers above sea level. Temperatures here drop with

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Literature review and best practices for STEMI care Essay

Literature review and best practices for STEMI care - Essay Example Lee (2009) suggested that physicians should initiate the catheterization laboratory without necessary consulting the cardiologists. In some cases, some patients that have been referred for PPCI do not get optimum percutaneous reperfusion and at the right time with an experienced group (Tubaro et al., 2011). PCI aims to open the artery as soon as possible after its blockade, preferably within 90minutes (Cardiosmart.org, 2014). The recommended time for the treatment of patients with PCI capability is a maximum of 90 minutes. For those without PCI capability, they should receive medical attention in the first 30minutes of arrival at a hospital. The treatment is basically fibrinolytic therapy. Paramedic bypass of the protocols of emergency care reduced the number of minutes of the door to balloon time. From the study, there was an improvement of over 28 % percent. Before the initiation of paramedic by pass protocol, the average time needed was about 107 minutes. These saw an improvement of about thirty-seven minutes with an average time coming down to 70 percent. However, the study recommends for further studies to determine the outcome of those patients who were taken care of by these paramedics (Cheskeset al, 2011). In the observation by Pitta et al (2010), it was noted that most of the time lost is on the acquisition of an electrocardiogram and most of the patients never had an electrocardiogram conducted on them because of the delays. Hence, from the case study, the authors emphasize on the need to have a Pre-hospital electro cardiogram to conduct to aid in reducing the door to balloon time. In the study conducted by Wilson et al, (2010) to assess the impact of interdepartmental collaboration on door to balloon time reduction, the authors observes that there is a great improvement on time reduction with emergency department physician activation of cardiac catheterization laboratory followed with instantaneous transfer in

Saturday, September 21, 2019

From the Middle Ages through the Renaissance Essay Example for Free

From the Middle Ages through the Renaissance Essay Artists bringing designs, paintings, choreography and music to life shapes the history of the Middle Ages. Middle Ages began from the very earliest single digit centuries. Middle Ages and Renaissance Age’s culture centered around religion. Religion was the purpose of all art. Artists living during the Middle and Renaissance ages created paintings, sculptures, music and other designs that were unique to their interpretations, relying on craft and communication. â€Å"We should not assume that our priorities necessarily match those of the original patrons. (Goffen, 1999, p. 207) Two memorable Renaissance artworks are Michelangelo’s Pieta and Da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks. The marbled Pieta sculpture design is Mary holding her son Jesus, who passed away. This image immediately shocks the viewer and is not easily forgotten. After really looking at the sculpture, the viewer does not have to be familiar with the story to realize an unusual message is coming through. â€Å"The point of the work was to engender empathic meditation and devotion on the part of the viewer. † (Kieran, 2004, p. 169) Mary’s facial expressions are calm, relaxed, untypical for a mother who lost her child. The fully grown adult child Mary is holding would be as big as her, if not bigger. To make the unexpected sculpture look realistic or proportioned, the artists relied on light colors and unusual sizing of objects. Mary’s body is bigger than the man’s body. (Kieran, 2004, P. 41) Further bringing the entire picture into perspective, the size of the arched window encasing Mary and Jesus, surrounding Mary’s upper body offsets illusions of sizes. http://enwikipedia. org/wiki/Piet%C3%A0_(Michelangelo) Analyzations of Da Vinci’s art goes on indefinitely. His Virgin of the Rocks shows baby Christ and St John. â€Å"The picture is conceived in a mood of great solemnity. The children no longer play as equals (Clark, 1939, p. 45) Baby Jesus sits independently with two hands bringing focus that he is guided by higher beings invisible to human perceptions. St John is limited to human protection or guidance. (Clark, 1939). The artists used darkened tone colors enhancing mystical moods that are unknown to humans. Natural background content consists of nature made subjects. The setting is taking place in a miniature cave allowing the trees blending with the sky to be visible. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Virgin_of_the_Rocks All types of art influences and guides human behavior, within reason. Religion is the background purpose for the invention and creative experimenting with art. Creative art encouraging individualism began in the Middle ages, and lead us into the Renaissance ages. Today’s art, sculptures, plays and architect is modern reinventions of artwork originating during the middle ages. References Clark, K. (1939). Leonardo Da Vinci: An Account of His Development as an Artist. New York: Macmillan. Retrieved March 1, 2008, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=6598638 Goffen, R. (1999). Behind the Picture: Art and Evidence in the Italian Renaissance. Renaissance Quarterly, 52(1), 207. Retrieved March 1, 2008, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5001255997 Kieran, M. (2004). Revealing Art. New York: Routledge. Retrieved March 1, 2008, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst?a=od=108856090 Maes-Jelinek, H. (1997). Charting the Uncapturable in Wilson Harriss Writing. The Review of Contemporary Fiction, 17(2), 90+. Retrieved March 1, 2008, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5000469960 OConnor, J. P. , Temple, V. A. (2005). Constraints and Facilitators for Physical Activity in Family Day Care. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 30(4), 1+. Retrieved March 1, 2008, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5012125114 Osmond, S. F. (1998, December). The Renaissance Mind Mirrored in

Friday, September 20, 2019

Orems general theory of nursing is composed of three constructs

Orems general theory of nursing is composed of three constructs Orems theory: Orems general theory of nursing is composed of three constructs. Throughout her work, she interprets the concepts of human beings, health, nursing and society and has defined 3 steps of nursing process. It has a broad scope in clinical practice and to lesser extent in research, education and administration. Orems theory describes how patients self -care needs will be met by nurse, the patient or both. This theory includes Self-care: practice of activities that individual initiates and perform on their own behalf in maintaining life, health and well being; self care agency is a human ability which is the ability for engaging in self care -conditioned by age developmental state, life experience socio-cultural orientation health and available resources, Therapeutic self-care demand: totality of self care actions to be performed for some duration in order to meet self care requisites by using valid methods and related sets of operations and actions, and Self -care requisites: action directed towards provision of self-care. 2) Roys theory: His theory is evolved from mental imagery of what nursing is, who the nursing client is, and what the goal of nursing is. He systematically developed theoretical propositions to promote research projects. Propositions were based on neurological and biological sciences. The goal of nursing is to help person adapt the changes 3) Nightingale: Florence Nightingale  (1820-1910), considered The founder of educated and scientific and widely known as The Lady with the Lamp wrote the first nursing notes that became the basis of nursing practice and research. In environmental effects she stated in her nursing notes that nursing is an act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist him in his recovery Nightingale 1860/1969 that it involves the nurses initiative to configure environmental settings appropriate for the gradual restoration of the patients health, and that external factors associated with the patients surroundings affect life or biologic and physiologic processes, and his development. B) CREATE A TIMELINE WHEN THESE THEORIES WERE DEVELOPED. Ans b. 1) Orems Nursing: Concept of Practice was first published in 1971 and subsequently in 1980, 1985, 1991, 1995, and 2001.Continues to develop her theory after her retirement in 1984. 2) Roys theory was developed from 1976-1981. 3) Nightingales theory was developed between 1820-1910. Q2) UNDERSTANDING OF HEATH CARE TEAM. RESEARCH THE VARIOUS HEALTHCARE TEAM MEMBERS AND DISCUSS THEIR ROLE IN PATIENT MANAGEMENT Doctors: they have in common is a high level of autonomy in practice and a commensurate level of responsibility. Nurses and nursing staff: The people in this group provide direct, hands-on patient care, most often carrying out doctors orders but also initiating care based on their own clinical judgment and observation at the patients bedside. They provide near continuous monitoring of a patients progress and response to treatment and have a strong tradition of patient advocacy. Other Direct care providers: The people in this group provide direct patient care in particular settings or areas of medicine. Some function as physician extenders and practice in settings and areas of medicine as diverse as physicians do. Therapists: The people in this group provide direct patient care in specialized areas, usually at the request of primary caregivers. Some concentrate on helping patients regain or retain their ability to function with respect to daily activities while others provide therapy to patients with problems in specific areas (Respiratory Therapists, Speech-Language Pathologists). Care and Psychosocial Support Coordinators: The people in this group assist patients and caregivers with the coordination of the complex and variable range of services that may be required for patients and their families. Some deal primarily with logistical issues, continuity of care, post-discharge support and resources, and financial issues. Others address spiritual needs and support or complex issues involving difficult ethical decisions. Diagnostic Technologists: The people in this group provide technical services in support of diagnostic or therapeutic aspects of patient management. Some are primarily involved in collecting and analyzing biological patient samples, while others are involved in gathering diagnostic data (images) and carrying out treatment protocols. Administrators and information managers: The people in this group are not involved in hands-on patient care but provide critical resources to ensure the smooth operation of the health care team. Some have responsibility for the overall operation of a hospital or institution some provide or process the gamut of information necessary to ensure efficient and safe patient management, and others ensure the security of the physical facility (Hospital Security Officers) or work to minimize the liability of the institution. Other support staff: The people in this group provide a variety of services. Some are in direct contact with patients, often assisting them as they move through the processes involved in accessing and interacting with the healthcare system. Others provide services primarily to other members of the health care team. B) CASE STUDY 1   Ansb. Case study 1: I would suggests the best way to solve Rebeccas case would be to let the doctors know about the situation, and the dieticians can be very much helpful in this case. Q3 ENROLLED NURSE CAREER Ans3. A) ENROLLED NURSE WORK IN A VARIETY OF HEALTH CARE SETTINGS, RESEARCH AND DISCUSS SOME OF THE CAREER PATHWAYS OPEN TO ENROLLED NURSES. ANS A) Rest haven acknowledges that the continued provision of quality service to residents and clients is underpinned by appropriately trained and skilled staff. Enrolled nurse can work as midwifery, in mental health dept., in aged care, NT public sector nursing and midwifery. B) THERE ARE SEVERAL PROFFESIONAL BODIES THAT NURSES MAY JOIN AS WELL AS ORGANIZATIONS WE MUST BE APART OF, DISCUSS THE ROLE AND FUNCTION OF THESE PROFESSIONAL BODIES. ANS B) Enrolled Nurses can find work with a variety of organizations including hospital wards or operating theatres, GP surgeries, nursing homes, community health centers, aged care services, private homes, schools, ambulance service, the Red Cross, emergency aid or even a combination of these. Health industry / health focused business settings: University, vocational, and school educational settings Maternity / Birthing facilities. Acute care and Day Surgery hospitals (adults and Children) As a casual flight nurse. C) THROUGHOUT OUR CAREER WE ALL ARE EXPOSED TO PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL. WHAT IS THIS PROCESS AND WHY ISIT IMPORTANT TO OUR CAREER DELIVERY? ANS C) In the early 1980s performance appraisal was redirected from issues related to the development of psychometrically sound rating scaled to those involving the cognitive processes of raters (Landy and Farr 1980, Feldman 1981). Since that time several reviews have attempted to translate principles from social cognition and cognitive psychology to the specific conditions of formal appraisal systems in work-oriented organizations. The review is structured around a 3 stag process model of gathering, storing and retrieving information about social stimuli for the purpose of rating performance. Factors affecting this process are clustered into four categories: appraisal settings, rates, raters and the nature of scales used for the appraisal. Once reviewed, the research is evaluated in terms of its contributions to improving the quality of appraisal systems as they are used in organizations (Janet L, Daniel R, David B 1980) Q4 NURSING CARE A) RESEARCH THE FOLLOWING METHODS OF NURSING CARE DELIVERY; WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS AND LIMITATIONS OF EACH TYPE OF CARE DELIVERY? Ans A) 1) Functional nursing care: This model is also referred to as the Task Method, and for good reason. Functional nursing evolved during the Depression when RNS went from being private practitioners to becoming employees for the purposes of job security. Once WWII broke out, however, nurses left to care for the soldiers, which left the hospitals short-staffed. To accommodate this shortage, hospitals increased their use of ancillary personnel. For efficiency, nursing was essentially divided into tasks, a model that proved very beneficial when staffing was poor. The key idea was for nurses to be assigned to TASKS, not to patients. For example, one nurse would be responsible for all the treatments, another nurse for all the medications, and so on. Advantages: A very efficient way to delivery care. Could accomplish a lot of tasks in a small amount of time Staff did what only they were capable to do: no extraneous work was added that could be done by assertive personnel. Disadvantages: Care of persons became fragmented Patients did not have one identifiable nurse and the nurse had no accountability. Very narrow scope of practice for RNS Lead to patient and nurse dissatisfaction 2) Team Nursing: Advantages: 1. High quality comprehensive care can be Provided despite a relatively high proportion of ancillary staff. 2. Each member of the team is able to participate in decision-making and problem solving. 3. Each team member is able to contribute his or her own special expertise or skills in caring for the patient. 4. Improved patient satisfaction. 5. Organizational decision making occurring at the lower level. 6. Cost-effective system because it works with expected ratio of unlicensed to licensed personnel. 7. Team nursing is an effective method of patient care delivery and has been used in most inpatient and outpatient health care settings. Disadvantages: 1. Establishing a team concept takes time, effort and constancy of personnel. Merely assigning people to a group does not make them a group or team. 2. Unstable staffing pattern make team nursing difficult. 3. All personnel must be client centered. 4. There is less individual responsibility and independence regarding nursing functions. 5. Continuity of care may suffer if the daily team assignments vary and the patient is confronted with many different caregivers. 6. The team leader may not have the leadership skills required to effectively direct the team and create a team spirit. 7. Insufficient time for care planning and communication may lead to unclear goals. Therefore responsibilities and care may become fragmented (Marquis and Huston, 2003). 3) Client Assignment: Client assignment or total patient care method is the oldest way of providing care to a patient .In this one nurse provides total care for one patient during the entire work period. This method was used during Florence nightingale era. Care includes fulfilling the needs of whole family as well as cooking and cleaning (Nelson, 2000). Advantages:- The patient receives consistent care from one nurse and this helps in developing mutual trust between patient, nurse and family. This method of caring is comprehensive, continuous and holistic. Disadvantages: In todays healthcare economy it proves to be very expensive. It requires highly qualified and skilled nurses but during the times of nursing shortages there are not enough resources or nurses to use this model. This care delivery requires total patient care, such as assessment and teaching the patient and family, as well as the less functional aspects of care. 4) Primary Nursing: Primary nursing was developed in the 1980s by Marie Manthey and the hallmark of this model is that one nurse cares for one group of patients with 24 hour accountability for planning their care. In other words, a Primary Nurse (PN) cares for her primary patients every time she works and for as long as the patient remains on her unit. An Associate Nurse cares for the patient in the PNs absence and follows the Primary nursing individualized plan of care. This is a decentralized delivery model: more responsibility and authority is placed with each staff nurse. It has been debated whether PN is a cost-effective model. Some say it is because the RN has all the skills necessary to move the patient through the health care system quickly. Others say it is not cost effective because RNS spend time doing things that other, less expensive employees can do. Advantages: Increased satisfaction for patients and nurses More professional system: RN plans and communicates with all disciplines. RNs are seen as more knowledgeable and responsible. RNs more satisfied because they continue to learn as a function of the in-depth care they are required to deliver. Disadvantages: Intimidating for new graduates who are less skilled and knowledgeable Where do we get all these RNS during times of shortage? B) WHEN DELEVERING AGE CARE, GENDER, RELIGION AND CULTURE OF OUR CLIENT NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED. GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW A NURSING ACTIVITY MAY NEED TO BE ADJUSTED TO MEET DIFFERENT NEEDS IN RELATION TO THIS. AnsB.   Nurses need a pragmatic approach to the culture of clients that is flexible enough to take multiple scenarios into account. The very first step is to understand the concept of diversity. In this discussion, diversity is an inclusive concept that embraces not only ethnic groups and people of color, but also other marginal or vulnerable people in society. These groups are included because they experience discrimination based on their lifestyle choices, e.g., sexual preference, or their socioeconomic status, e.g., the poor, the handicapped. Several theoretical models for cultural assessment are available. Leininger (1991), Giger and Davidhizer (1995) and Campinha-Bacote (1994) developed three of the most widely used models. The Leininger model is an expansive systems approach to achieving cultural understanding. She identifies the cultural content categories as educational, economic, political, legal, kinship, religious, philosophical, and technological. Giger and Davidhizer propose tha t nursing consider the following phenomena for their cultural importance: communication; space; time; environmental control; biologic variations; and social organization. The Campinha-Bacote model views cultural awareness, cultural knowledge, cultural skill, and cultural encounters as components of cultural competence in nursing care delivery. Nursing literature also offers many data collection tools that were devised to create a profile of clients from other cultures and to specify how associated behavior influence the biological, psychological and sociological dimensions of health. However, integrating these theoretical models and assessment tools into the actual practice of nursing continues to be an evolving process. The most basic assumption is that there is a point of convergence where people enjoy sameness before differences cause divergence. This sameness or common core is largely an outgrowth of the universal need of all people to be treated with respect. The ability of the nurse to accept the need of all persons to be treated with respect is predicated on awareness of the interaction of three cultures. First, it begins with our personal selves as cultural entities. Every nurse brings two cultures into the relationship with clients. First, the qualities and characteristics of personal culture are key determinants of personal and professional behavior. Second, and equally important is recognizing that the health care delivery system, which the nurse represents and helps the client and family to access, is also a separate and unique culture. Both of these cultures-that of the nurse and of the health care system- must strike a balance with a thirdthe culture of the client. Ignoring any of these entities creates barriers to the achievement of positive, productive, and caring nurse -client relationship.   Nurses care for the whole person. If nursing care is truly holistic, then culture must be an integral part of the nursing process. Culturally competent care is achieved when individualized care includes a complementary and harmonious blend of the patients beliefs, attitudes and values, with Western health care practices (Murray Atkinson, 2000). The nursing process is the primary tool for critical thinking. It facilitates decision-making and is a deliberative, systematic method of care planning for individuals, families, and communities.   C) CASE STUDY 2 Ans c. As a nurse we should maintain the confidentiality as well as duty of care towards our client. In this case if we report this we breach the clients confidentiality or privacy. Most of the organizations have internal reporting protocol, in this case the nurse should report to the appropriate person within the organization. This is called internal duty of care but theres also external duty of care as well. Having reported internally and if that person would report it externally then even it breaches the confidentiality of the client. If the client doesnt want to let the nurse report internally also even then it breaches his confidentiality. Duty of care is a balancing between your duty to that person and that persons rights. But at last keeping Jones uncomfortable during his sons visit all the time its better to do something for him rather than doing nothing. Because to be sued for negligence is worse than being sued for a breach of confidentiality. Thus in this case its better t o report the concerned RN within organization but at same time it should not be reported externally by RN. This satisfies the duty of care as well as confidentiality. (Brian Herd, Carne Reidy Herd) Q5) EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE ANS A) A great and increasing challenge facing all practitioners, regardless of their discipline or background, is how to keep abreast of new research findings. All clinicians would like to think that they are following best practice and that their practice is based on evidence. However, evidence-based practice means more than practicing with an awareness of research evidence. A widely accepted definition of evidence-based medicine is a conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about individual patients (Sackett et al, 1996). Ensuring that nurses can practice according to the philosophical underpinnings of their profession is recognized as an important factor in job satisfaction and hence is critical to retention and recruitment of the nursing workforce (Baumann et al. 2001). Employers share responsibility with nurses, professional associations and others for promoting environments that support quality professional practice (Canadian Nurse s Association 2001). The Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency Ltd (the Agency) was established in October 1997 and appointed as the accreditation body under the  Aged Care Act 1997  (the Act) owned by Australian government. The Accreditation Grant Principles 1999 require the Agency to carry out regular supervision of accredited residential aged care homes to monitor their compliance with the Accreditation Standards and other responsibilities under the Act; and to assist residential aged care homes to undertake a process of continuous improvement. Improvements have occurred in the provision of care and services since the commencement of accreditation. There have been three major rounds of comprehensive accreditation assessment since September 1999. In an industry comprising more than 2,800 residential aged care homes nationally, during the last round (July 2005 to December 2006), 91.8% of residential aged care homes were assessed as being fully compliant with all 44 expected outcomes of the Ac creditation Standards. That is an improvement from an already outstanding 87.9% three years earlier, and a sharp improvement compared with 63.5% in 2000.