Gender Construction of Roles and Social Learning Theory

Gender Construction of Roles and Social Learning Theory Contextualizing- Gender and Social Background to the Private and Public livelihoods of African women in the Diaspora (Case study -Gothenburg, Sweden). Introduction People in every community are ascribed to gendered attributes that shape and impact their life styles. Darly and Rake (2003) contend that such gendered attributes involve sex relations encompassing resources, social roles and power relations. Hence, the perception and doing of gender is very subjective and much so inferred according to social contexts and history (Gruber and Stefanov, 2002). The implication here is that the significance and consequence of gender construction and the way it is practiced is discrete upon background and contextual factors. The baffle often comes when individuals and groups of people settle on willful or involuntary choices to relocate to new places that have distinctive gender constructions and practices. How are they likely to cope; are their interpretations likely to change and embrace new ones-thereby turning out to be totally transformed? Would their gender norms be inflexibly maintained? Or would people consolidate and get lost between different cu ltures? Gendered research into migration demonstrates that migrant women (particularly those who originate from the developing world) as a rule experience troubles grappling with their changed gender roles as they settle in other countries (Gavanas, 2010; Sawyer,2008; Deacon, 2009). This is on the account that gender roles in the diaspora tend to differ from those of their original nations. This is especially so in the Western World where these tend to give more autonomy, self-determination and freedom (Deacon, 2009). This study sought to examine and clarify how the gender divisions of roles influence the status and position of a group of African women (living in Gothenburg) inside their families as well as their general participation in the Swedish society. The research was conducted between January to June 2012, as part of the fullfullment for my master study at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The main research question was; How does the gender division of roles affect the s tatus and position of a group of African women (living in Gothenburg), within and outside their families? The current report will discuss the analysis outcome of three interviews with African women. The process of analysis Analysis can take various approaches including, literal; interpretive; and reflexive (Welsh, 2002; Miles and Huberman,1994). Miles and Huberman (1994) identify three types of activities that make up the analysis process. First, is data reduction. This refers to the process of selecting, focusing, simplifying, abstracting and transforming the data that appear in written-up field notes or transcriptions (Miles and Huberman 1994, p.10). This procedure may likewise be known as data familialisation (Fielding Lee,1991), indicating a process of condensing and consolidating of the data to make it sensible. The second activity is data display.This refers to an organised, compressed assembly of information that permits conclusion drawing and action (Miles and Huberman 1994, p.11). This includes transforming expanded writings into instantly available, minimal frames of reference so that the researcher can perceive what is occurring and either reach defended determinations or proceed onward to the following phase of investigation.This can als be known as the decriptive (Fielding Lee,1991) stage of data analysis. The final activity of data analysis is conclusion drawing and verification. Drawing conclusions relates to deciding on the actual meaning of phenomenon, in otherwards data is explained. On the other hand, verification means testing meaning for their plausibility, their sturdiness, and their confirmability (Miles and Huberman 1994, p.11). These procedures happen persistently and iteratively and feed into each other, for the entire duration of the research. Advantages and disadvantages of Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS). There are different software packages ranging from text retrievers, code and retrieve packages as well as theory building software (Gibbs, Friese and Mungabeira, 2002; Fielding Lee,1991). This section discusses the importance and shortcomings of using CAQDAS sduch as Nvivo. Utilizing CAQDAS can save time and energy of a qualitative researcher. This is mainly because CAQDAS can help with the mechanical aspects of qualitative data analysis which include marking up the highlighted text with the codes, generating reports, searching the text for key terms (Gibbs, Friese and Mungabeira, 2002) which would be time consuming, inconvenient and fatiguing (Lee and Fielding, 1995) for the researcher. Besides, this also decreases the mistakes which could lead to some aspects of data being ignored by the researcher perhaps due to some bias or omission. Despite this though, the art and interpretation depends on the individual researcher. As Gibbs, Friese and Mungabeira (2002) have argued that conceptual aspects of the analysis such as reading the text, interpreting it, creating coding schemes and identifying useful searches and reports all depend on human art ( p.4). CAQDAS can enable teamwork and exchange of ideas throughout the whole analysis process which can thus reduce on delays and also help with member checking as ideas develop. The research team does so by uploading all filed notes into the software and these may be easily shared among them electronically (Lee and Fielding, 1995). The only challenge with this way of working is that attention paid to issue salience or uniqueness of cases and situations may be reduced as teams try to share ideas. CAQDAS such as NVivo decreases boredom which might be experienced in the repetitive procedure of transcribing and creating codes all through to the report writing stage. This is possible because other than the ordinary style working with just plain texts, these programs allow for incorporation of rich text, audio, videos and any multimedia data (Gibbs, Friese and Mungabeira, 2002) which can make the entire process of analysis interactive and engaging for researchers. The risk associated with this is ambiguity because as researchers attempt to deal with a blend of information, consideration might be moved to videos and the richness of content might be ignored. This may lessen the sort of depth of interpretation which they can give to any of the material. Aside from that, the software is not free, one may likewise require extra training in order to have the capacity to utilize it effectively. CAQDAS can also help to make the analysis process more effective and transparent more than the manual method. This helps to improve the quality of the research that is produced. Gibbs, Friese and Mungabeira (2002 ) argue that while in quantitative research there can be techniques for checking authenticity, this might be hard for qualitative researchers.The counter contention by Welsh (2002) is that validity and reliability difficulties still exist notwithstanding when the analysis is done using a software, as a result of the fluid and creative routes through which the themes emerge; suggesting that the human analysist is especially vital and cannot be separated from this process. Additionally, the theoretical lens through which the researcher uses to approach the phenomena, the strategies that the researcher uses to collect and construct data and his or her epistemological understandings about what might be relevant in answering the questions are all analytic process and influence da ta (Thorne 2000, p.68). Hence, the analytic process may not be entirely distinguishable from the actual data produced (Thorne, 2000). That said, we cannot deny the fact that CAQDAS provides an efficient and smarter way of sorting and organizing data for proper management and analysis; much as it is critical to reflect on how much the software can be able to do. The software is not capable of undertaking the intellectual and conceptual procedures which are necessary for transforming data into useful research (Welsh, 2002; Thorne, 2000; Fielding Lee,1991). Process of analysis First, I uploaded the transcripts into NVivo 11 software. After that, I started developing general codes according to the study goals (Bazeley Richards,2000). However, as I read the transcripts over and over again, new nodes kept on emerging. With a full list of numerous nodes, I realised that some nodes actually expressed the same idea and could be merged, so I categorised and classified the related nodes, cut and pasted them into the parent nodes and came up with broader and expanded nodes. Bazeley Richards (2000) assert that codes can are essential for identifying topics, themes or issues and unite the data segments. Categorising the nodes helped me to get rid of the redundant nodes. And actually a few redundant nodes which I had formulated earlier on, have been excluded from the analysis since they could not add up to any thick description of the data. This exercise involved an iterative and reflective process of working back and forth through the transcripts so as to avoid mer ging nodes that expressed different ideas. I also made descriptions and memos as I coded which helped me to reflect on the nodes afterwards. This was also important in developing a deeper analysis of the data. Interview transcripts were analyzed through induction following a phenomenological approach. An analytic induction explores patterns and relationships in the data and uses such to generate tentative hypotheses or ideas so as to develop general conclusions or theory.I will borrow a few features from Grounded theory approach advanced by Strauss and Corbin (1990) and Miller (2000). The grounded theory approach allows for continuous and repetitive working with the findings in order to develop themes which can be built into models arising from the data. mechanisms of women towards addressing their health needs. The grounded theory approach was useful to draw comparisons (Thorne, 2000) between married women and the single woman. Thus, much as there are elements of grounded theory within my analytical approach, my research took a more inductive and phenomenological approach. All interview data were be analyzed using a phenomenological approach done in stages as proposed by (Hycner 1985,p.28 0-293). Firstly, Interview were transcibed verbatim and literally in the way it was it will be presented by respondents. In addition, all nonverbal and para- linguistic communications (Hycner, 1985) from the interviews were noted so as to draw meaning from them.Secondly, I engaged in bracketing and phenomenological reduction. Bracketing involves suspension of the researchers meanings and interpretations and entering into the unique world of the individual who was interviewed while (Hycner 1985). , Keen (1975, p.38 in Hycner 1985) alludes that: The phenomenological reduction is a conscious, effortful, opening of ourselves to the phenomenon as a phenomenon. And since, I already had the transcripts,I read through them with openness to derive meaning.The third stage involves listening to the interview or reading the transcription several times to get a sense of the whole. Hycner 1985 states that as you listen or read, its imporatnt to make memos; which aid in delineating the units of general mea ning. This fourth stage is about crystallization and condensation of the what the respondents said leading to a unit of general meaning while referring to the reseacrh question (p.282).This involves paying attention to the actual content of the findings while referring to the initial research question to see if the collected data is relevant and at this point irrelevant findings might be excluded from the analysis. Next is to have independent judges to verify the units of relevant meaning to see if the findings are authentic, then redundancies are taken out, depending on both the literal content and looking at the number of times and the way meanings were mentioned. The other step is clustering units of relevant meaning. This is an iterative process of working through the units of meaning through examining their essence. This also depends on the context under which a unit was mentioned. Next is to determine central themes from these clusters of meaning. This also involves interrogating the clusters as well as working through the segments of the transcript. After this, next a summary of individual interviews is done while trying to incorporate the themes, this also gives a sense of the whole. After this, Hycner recommends to do validity check with our interviewees to see if what we have actually represents what they tried to bring forward. In my research this process will be done retrospectively, that is, immediately after interviewing. After this then, themes are modified and then general and unique themes are identified for all the interviews. This step looks out for common themes in all the interviews as well as individual variations or uniqueness and these clustered under general themes. This step requires patience so as not to merge themes that do not match or are somewhat unique without which the significance of some themes may be lost. Finally, is the contextualization of themes. This step requires that all the general and unique themes from the rigorous process are placed back into the initial contexts from which they developed so as to get a deeper understanding of the phenomenon under investigation. As such the analysis is presented with evidence from the actual words of the interviewees. Hycner (1985) alludes that the process takes fourteen steps but in this research, some of these were done simultaneously as the research progressed. The phenomenological approach is not without limitations. For example, phenomenological analysis is associated with of the following challenges; Phenomenological analysis may be very exhausting if you are dealing with large amounts of data and since it is suitable for few cases, the data may be difficult to generalise. This holds water but does not eliminate the value of the findings since these usually represent the experience of individuals which is itself unique and informative (Hycner 1985). Secondly, there is the issue of randonmness and the subjective influence of the resaercher. The citisim is that respondents are selected because of who they are, or depending on their experienece with the phenomena. As result there might be subjective influence in both interviewing and in analysing data. The women were chosen purposefully to provide their experince, but the analysis has undergone a thoruogh process. Findings Gender and gender role formation Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women (WHO, 2017). Gender categorization portrays cultural values and norms and is therefore an outcome of extensive interactions between individual socialization processes inside families and broader social-cultural order (Becker-Schmidt 1993, cited in Gruber and Stefanov, 2002). Buckingham-Hatfield (2000, p. 67) contends that the gender identity that individuals acquire over time infers two types of connections, that between the two genders and that between gender and society Gender roles thus allude to the degree to which standards and practices are social and patterned for women and men (Darly and Rake, 2003). The data shows that women mainly predominate in the traditional gender roles like cooking, taking care of children, doing laundry work and making their homes neat. I dont even relax in the evening, I come back directly in the kitchen, starts cooking and then we eat around six oclock then we see homework and what happened at school and then you prepare them for bed (Married woman) Womanly in my view, I mean taking care of the home, having meals done and checking on the childrens work and following up to see that their home works are done, (Single woman) In addition, all the women indicated that they are bread winners. Contrastingly, the married women work mainly to supplement their husbands income but not necessarily to enhance their positions. As such, the married women take on part time work so that they can balance that with home assignments while the single woman labours to sustain her family. Kunovich and Kunovich (2008) contrasts that married women have less egalitarian attitudes toward housework and childcare compared with single women; that even in nations with more noteworthy gender equality (like Sweden) only have more libertarian attitudes toward separate spheres of work, yet not toward housework or childcare. On this account, Gavanas (2010) demonstrates that in European settings, care and household labor have been traditionally viewed as womens domaincarriedout for free as a labor of love. Determinants of womens roles The Swedish values and laws emerged as some of the factors that determine womens roles. According to the Swedish Ministry of Integration and Gender Equality (2009), the Swedish gender equality policy is aimed at fighting and changing systems that preserve the sex-based appropriation of power and resources in society; and, guaranteeing that women and men appreciate similar power and chances to shape their own lives. Such impacts however usually stream less to the immigrants henceforth Swedens gender equality discourse is dominated by various leveled classification of the population into Swedes and immigrants with representations of gender unequal immigrants being eminent(Towns 2002, p.157). Additionally, numerous migrant women are utilized in the informal economy, especially as domestic workers, mind specialists, nurses or entertainers- henceforth, reinforcing conventional gender segregation and inequalities in the labor market (Anja and Andrea 2010, p.48). None the less, Brettell (20 08) has put light to the new changes which happen in family and kinship patterns as an outcome of migration and highlighted the feeling of control that women gain as immigrants. To some extent, the women I interviewed have adopted the Swedish values of equality in their homes. This is partially because they are married to Swedish partners who are used to the values of equality and thus, occasionally accept to take on household chores flexibility. Yeah thats something special for Sweden. And also then taking paternity leave, its very special for Sweden because also a dad participates (Married woman) he earns more than me and he makes more decisions than me but also being in Sweden and being married to a Swedish person, they are very much about equality (Married woman) Further on, women have adopted equality values because of the demands on women. Women have familial roles yet they also have to work outside the home. Metz-Gckel (1993) and Becker-Schmidt and Knapp (1995) contended that the structural significance of gender is attached to the dual role of women in society from one perspective in the private reproductive sphere controlled by patriarchal power structures and then again in the market initiated societal sphere under the control of the profit-oriented organization of the productive sphere (cited in Gruber and Stefanov 2002, p. 3). Yeah its because I have changed, I have changed. I came to understand that its very important to help each other especially in this, this Europe. (Married woman) Aside from demands, the women have also been influenced by the Swedish women whom they see as autonomous and independent in the way they live their lives. These relationships have made African women to reflect on their positions within their families. Again being here and looking at Swedish women here, the way they are independent, the relationships between a man and a woman (Married woman) Yeah in one way I think, I have friends, I have Swedish friends and you see how people live, and you see them in the homes, how things are done, when I talk to my friends they say I did this, and it can a little bit yeah it can help you out (Married woman) The challenge however is that because of the hierarchical gender relationship, male dominance controls the private and public spheres (Gruber and Stefanov, 2002; LeVine, 1966). Despite that, adopting the Swedish values of equality has empowered the women to be able to discuss their grievances with their husbands. Norms also determine what women do inside their families and in general society circles. Each of the respondents battled that there are specific obligations which should be for women and others for men. In their view, the light tasks and those which are less stressful like dealing with the little things in the house are feminine. Male duties are those that need skill like fixing bulbs and those that require monetary assets like dealing with bills. This was alluded to irrespective of marital status. For stance, the single woman was content with the freedom she has-being the major decision maker for her children and family yet communicated trouble with taking care of bills. I think Im comfortable, they are moments when I sit and I think, now I think I need a husband in my life who is going to pay for the rent, I dont want to pay rent, I mean there are times, when I really have this mind that I need to turn down and also feel like a woman (Single woman) once my mother called and then she asked me where I was and I said ok- Im in the living room watching TV, and your husband? I said he is in the kitchen doing dishes so my mother was very hungry on the phone. What! You are sitting and your husband is in the kitchen doing dishes, I didnt teach you that. I was like ok, mama, this is Europe. Yeah its Europe but you are not European (Married woman) Social role theory deduces that people occupy positions in social structures associated with roles that may either be attributed or achieved (Payne, 1997). The model clarifies that the societal division of work produces diffuse gender roles for specific genders and in this way confers broad expectations depending on each gender (Diekman and Schneider, 2010). This sort of development implies that men and women take part in different household assignments to demonstrate and reaffirm their gendered selves as expected of them by others. Personality also emerged as an imperative component that determines womens roles and workload inside their families. For example, one woman insinuated the way she appreciates doing the family tasks yet for some, they are perfectionists trusting that they know best what is useful for their families. All these decide the workload of women and additionally whether they are ready to request for support from their partners and friends. But I sometimes feel that I take too much also and that way Patrick balances me and he tells me I dont think you need to do this, although you have made a commitment here and there. Its personality. (Married woman) I would say that I as a person Im a strong person who would really like to take on what Im not unable to do (Single woman) On the other hand, personality decides womens engagement in the public sphere. Women who are open and ready to connect with the wider society say, through welcoming friends to their homes really have a bigger network or social contacts and a number of social activities to engaged in. I mean naturally Im born, Im a social person. So I easily create social contacts and through that I see that Im reaching out more to others So in that way I have more activities than I really want. (Single woman) like I said, Swedes are very cold people, very difficult to have, its hard to have a relationship with a Swede, I remember I really worked on it because I wanted to meet them. I remember I was calling, inviting people home and all the friends we have now are from me, I mean from my efforts. I did really effort to have them (Married woman) Socialisation is the other factor that determines womens roles. Women implied the way they were raised and indicated pride for their social childhood. The Social learningtheory explains how gender roles are produced in everyday lives particularly in childhood depending on the setting. The model is grounded on three main concepts including, observational learning, imitation, and modeling (Ormrod, 1999). This theory deduces that behavior is acquired through re-enforcements and modeling; however, in the absence of these, social learning may occur through observation and imitation of others (Golombok and Fivush 1994, p.76). Subsequently, gender role practices are acquired through the same procedures as every other conduct (Bandura, 1977, cited in Golombok and Fivush 1994, p.76).Miller (2011) demonstrates that the interplay between cognitive, affective, biological, and socio structural aspects influence the process of gender role development. Many women alluded to their childhood and the qualities they saw and learnt as children. I think its me. I think its also has to do with African upbringing and being the eldest. (Married woman) You have to help your parents. Because I remember when my dad told us about that. We were there not to just lay back and sleep but we were there to help our mum (Married woman) Interestingly these women are married to Swedish partners but one of them maintained that her Swedish partner emphasised the patriarchal structure through encouraging her to maintain her African thing. Now this is not known if this particular husband is really happy with the so called African thing or if it is a strategy for him to relax as the woman takes on the donkey work. Like I said from the beginning my husband is more African than- I mean more Congolese than me, he says to me E, I feel you are losing that African thing when I tell him my husband help me he says that E, men in Africa are not in the kitchen. (Married woman) In the African tradition, family and kinship are the most imperative institutions and social life is mainly structured on norms (Therborn, 2004); thus gender is generally a collective classification with regard to general norms and values (Adkins and Lury 1995, in Gruber and Stefanov, 2002). Therborn (2004, p.118) alludes that African custom is for male control of women and that wifely subordination is still a major phenomenon of African social life. Spirituality is likewise critical in determining what roles women take on as well as the decisions they make for themselves and their families. All the women said that they are Christians and that God is an essential figure in whatever they do. As one of them described, Of course Prayer is the foundation that builds a home. Indeed, they all specified congregational activities as a major aspect of the social activities they take an interest in. One of them recounted, I devoted my life ever since I came to Sweden to do Gods work and that I can do, normally when you are doing dishes, you dont clash with any one. When you are doing your cleaning or dishes (Single woman) These responses mirror Foucaults elucidation of the social distribution of roles by referring to nature. He alludes that gods directly prepared the womans nature for indoor works and the man for works of the open air. Thus, the natural oppositeness of man and woman and the specificity of their aptitudes are indissociably tied to the good order; and inversely, order demands them as obligations (Foucault 1984, in p.158-159). Impact of roles on the status of women One of the effects of gender roles on women has to do with sacrifice. The dual role of women, makes it is inevitable for women to make sacrifices. They need to negotiate between seeking after their careers or to tend to their families. For instance, all the women perceived the significance of education and actually disclosed that they had enrolled for training courses. However, this meant negotiations on the priorities, they felt that they needed to deal with their family demands to start with, before they could consider undertaking courses or even pursue careers. Moreover, women do take on part time jobs as a sacrifice for their families particularly when they have little children. The less priority which women ascribe to activities outside the family further suggests that in the meantime, they forfeit their own economic progress. Family reasons, I mean my children are still young and I had to settle down in my job and I mean, somehow have a base in my working life and also balance it with the children at home, because now being a single mother in Sweden, it takes up all the energy and everything that I have so then I havent been able to take on extra studies beyond what I can do on a normal day. (Single woman) I dont work full time. From the beginning we decided with my husband that I will not do full time. He did- doing full time. We felt like I was needed home (Married woman) These discoveries are not unique to these women. Research elsewhere demonstrates that women are more committed to the private sphere as moms, carers and domestic workers while men are more concentrated in the public circles (Buckingham-Hatfield, 2000; Donato et al, 2006). For instance, in a survey of European women, it was discovered that 90 percent of women valued the family as the most significant sphere of their life (Gruber and Stefanov 2002, p.21). Besides, women are also not completely accepted in the public arena but are rather permitted to participate there just on sufferance (Buckingham-Hatfield, 2000). Thus, for majority of partnerships in Central Europe, housework and caring for children are undertakings performed principally by women while fathers primarily play and only share their leisure activities with the children; yet women who struggle to be productive need to sacrifice child care and much more house work to the formal paid employment (Esping-Andersen, 2009; Grube r and Stefanov, 2002). Finally, power developed as one of the advantages that women derive from the sort of roles they undertake. Because women take care of the homes and children, they are more required in basic leadership and decision making particularly in matters regarding household welfare. This is for both the married and the single woman. In any case, the reasons behind this control are distinctive. The single woman derives her power from the reality that she is the sole provider in the home; whereas for the married women, it is mostly in light of the fact that their spouses tend to distance themselves from family unit matters. I have freedom of independence that at times I feel in myself and say thank you Lord, Im able to make decisions on my own whether I make wrong decisions I come back to myself and say I did that wrongà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Independent in every way economic, social, independent woman, very powerful. (single woman) Keeping in mind the end goal to see how gender roles, impinge on the societal position and prosperity of women in the private and open circles; it is reasonable to consider the measure of assets at womens disposal and also power relations (Sen, 2001). Such viewpoints explain the agency aspects (like, womens earning power, ability to act, economic role outside the family, literacy and education, property rights) which exceptionally contribute to womens voice, independence and empowerment (Sen ,2001). For example, working outside the home and acquiring an autonomous wage enhances and upgr

A Game of Thrones Chapter Twenty-two

Arya Her father had been fighting with the council again. Arya could see it on his face when he came to table, late again, as he had been so often. The first course, a thick sweet soup made with pumpkins, had already been taken away when Ned Stark strode into the Small Hall. They called it that to set it apart from the Great Hall, where the king could feast a thousand, but it was a long room with a high vaulted ceiling and bench space for two hundred at its trestle tables. â€Å"My lord,† Jory said when Father entered. He rose to his feet, and the rest of the guard rose with him. Each man wore a new cloak, heavy grey wool with a white satin border. A hand of beaten silver clutched the woolen folds of each cloak and marked their wearers as men of the Hand's household guard. There were only fifty of them, so most of the benches were empty. â€Å"Be seated,† Eddard Stark said. â€Å"I see you have started without me. I am pleased to know there are still some men of sense in this city.† He signaled for the meal to resume. The servants began bringing out platters of ribs, roasted in a crust of garlic and herbs. â€Å"The talk in the yard is we shall have a tourney, my lord,† Jory said as he resumed his seat. â€Å"They say that knights will come from all over the realm to joust and feast in honor of your appointment as Hand of the King.† Arya could see that her father was not very happy about that. â€Å"Do they also say this is the last thing in the world I would have wished?† Sansa's eyes had grown wide as the plates. â€Å"A tourney,† she breathed. She was seated between Septa Mordane and Jeyne Poole, as far from Arya as she could get without drawing a reproach from Father. â€Å"Will we be permitted to go, Father?† â€Å"You know my feelings, Sansa. It seems I must arrange Robert's games and pretend to be honored for his sake. That does not mean I must subject my daughters to this folly.† â€Å"Oh, please,† Sansa said. â€Å"I want to see.† Septa Mordane spoke up. â€Å"Princess Myrcella will be there, my lord, and her younger than Lady Sansa. All the ladies of the court will be expected at a grand event like this, and as the tourney is in your honor, it would look queer if your family did not attend.† Father looked pained. â€Å"I suppose so. Very well, I shall arrange a place for you, Sansa.† He saw Arya. â€Å"For both of you.† â€Å"I don't care about their stupid tourney,† Arya said. She knew Prince Joffrey would be there, and she hated Prince Joffrey. Sansa lifted her head. â€Å"It will be a splendid event. You shan't be wanted.† Anger flashed across Father's face. â€Å"Enough, Sansa. More of that and you will change my mind. I am weary unto death of this endless war you two are fighting. You are sisters. I expect you to behave like sisters, is that understood?† Sansa bit her lip and nodded. Arya lowered her face to stare sullenly at her plate. She could feel tears stinging her eyes. She rubbed them away angrily, determined not to cry. The only sound was the clatter of knives and forks. â€Å"Pray excuse me,† her father announced to the table. â€Å"I find I have small appetite tonight.† He walked from the hall. After he was gone, Sansa exchanged excited whispers with Jeyne Poole. Down the table Jory laughed at a joke, and Hullen started in about horseflesh. â€Å"Your warhorse, now, he may not be the best one for the joust. Not the same thing, oh, no, not the same at all.† The men had heard it all before; Desmond, Jacks, and Hullen's son Harwin shouted him down together, and Porther called for more wine. No one talked to Arya. She didn't care. She liked it that way. She would have eaten her meals alone in her bedchamber if they let her. Sometimes they did, when Father had to dine with the king or some lord or the envoys from this place or that place. The rest of the time, they ate in his solar, just him and her and Sansa. That was when Arya missed her brothers most. She wanted to tease Bran and play with baby Rickon and have Robb smile at her. She wanted Jon to muss up her hair and call her â€Å"little sister† and finish her sentences with her. But all of them were gone. She had no one left but Sansa, and Sansa wouldn't even talk to her unless Father made her. Back at Winterfell, they had eaten in the Great Hall almost half the time. Her father used to say that a lord needed to eat with his men, if he hoped to keep them. â€Å"Know the men who follow you,† she heard him tell Robb once, â€Å"and let them know you. Don't ask your men to die for a stranger.† At Winterfell, he always had an extra seat set at his own table, and every day a different man would be asked to join him. One night it would be Vayon Poole, and the talk would be coppers and bread stores and servants. The next time it would be Mikken, and her father would listen to him go on about armor and swords and how hot a forge should be and the best way to temper steel. Another day it might be Hullen with his endless horse talk, or Septon Chayle from the library, or Jory, or Ser Rodrik, or even Old Nan with her stories. Arya had loved nothing better than to sit at her father's table and listen to them talk. She had loved listening to the men on the benches too; to freeriders tough as leather, courtly knights and bold young squires, grizzled old men-at-arms. She used to throw snowballs at them and help them steal pies from the kitchen. Their wives gave her scones and she invented names for their babies and played monsters-and-maidens and hide-the-treasure and come-into-my-castle with their children. Fat Tom used to call her â€Å"Arya Underfoot,† because he said that was where she always was. She'd liked that a lot better than â€Å"Arya Horseface.† Only that was Winterfell, a world away, and now everything was changed. This was the first time they had supped with the men since arriving in King's Landing. Arya hated it. She hated the sounds of their voices now, the way they laughed, the stories they told. They'd been her friends, she'd felt safe around them, but now she knew that was a lie. They'd let the queen kill Lady, that was horrible enough, but then the Hound found Mycah. Jeyne Poole had told Arya that he'd cut him up in so many pieces that they'd given him back to the butcher in a bag, and at first the poor man had thought it was a pig they'd slaughtered. And no one had raised a voice or drawn a blade or anything, not Harwin who always talked so bold, or Alyn who was going to be a knight, or Jory who was captain of the guard. Not even her father. â€Å"He was my friend,† Arya whispered into her plate, so low that no one could hear. Her ribs sat there untouched, grown cold now, a thin film of grease congealing beneath them on the plate. Arya looked at them and felt ill. She pushed away from the table. â€Å"Pray, where do you think you are going, young lady?† Septa Mordane asked. â€Å"I'm not hungry.† Arya found it an effort to remember her courtesies. â€Å"May I be excused, please?† she recited stiffly. â€Å"You may not,† the septa said. â€Å"You have scarcely touched your food. You will sit down and clean your plate.† â€Å"You clean it!† Before anyone could stop her, Arya bolted for the door as the men laughed and Septa Mordane called loudly after her, her voice rising higher and higher. Fat Tom was at his post, guarding the door to the Tower of the Hand. He blinked when he saw Arya rushing toward him and heard the septa's shouts. â€Å"Here now, little one, hold on,† he started to say, reaching, but Arya slid between his legs and then she was running up the winding tower steps, her feet hammering on the stone while Fat Tom huffed and puffed behind her. Her bedchamber was the only place that Arya liked in all of King's Landing, and the thing she liked best about it was the door, a massive slab of dark oak with black iron bands. When she slammed that door and dropped the heavy crossbar, nobody could get into her room, not Septa Mordane or Fat Tom or Sansa or Jory or the Hound, nobody! She slammed it now. When the bar was down, Arya finally felt safe enough to cry. She went to the window seat and sat there, sniffling, hating them all, and herself most of all. It was all her fault, everything bad that had happened. Sansa said so, and Jeyne too. Fat Tom was knocking on her door. â€Å"Arya girl, what's wrong?† he called out. â€Å"You in there?† â€Å"No!† she shouted. The knocking stopped. A moment later she heard him going away. Fat Tom was always easy to fool. Arya went to the chest at the foot of her bed. She knelt, opened the lid, and began pulling her clothes out with both hands, grabbing handfuls of silk and satin and velvet and wool and tossing them on the floor. It was there at the bottom of the chest, where she'd hidden it. Arya lifted it out almost tenderly and drew the slender blade from its sheath. Needle. She thought of Mycah again and her eyes filled with tears. Her fault, her fault, her fault. If she had never asked him to play at swords with her . . . There was a pounding at her door, louder than before. â€Å"Arya Stark, you open this door at once, do you hear me?† Arya spun around, with Needle in her hand. â€Å"You better not come in here!† she warned. She slashed at the air savagely. â€Å"The Hand will hear of this!† Septa Mordane raged. â€Å"I don't care,† Arya screamed. â€Å"Go away.† â€Å"You will rue this insolent behavior, young lady, I promise you that.† Arya listened at the door until she heard the sound of the septa's receding footsteps. She went back to the window, Needle in hand, and looked down into the courtyard below. If only she could climb like Bran, she thought; she would go out the window and down the tower, run away from this horrible place, away from Sansa and Septa Mordane and Prince Joffrey, from all of them. Steal some food from the kitchens, take Needle and her good boots and a warm cloak. She could find Nymeria in the wild woods below the Trident, and together they'd return to Winterfell, or run to Jon on the Wall. She found herself wishing that Jon was here with her now. Then maybe she wouldn't feel so alone. A soft knock at the door behind her turned Arya away from the window and her dreams of escape. â€Å"Arya,† her father's voice called out. â€Å"Open the door. We need to talk.† Arya crossed the room and lifted the crossbar. Father was alone. He seemed more sad than angry. That made Arya feel even worse. â€Å"May I come in?† Arya nodded, then dropped her eyes, ashamed. Father closed the door. â€Å"Whose sword is that?† â€Å"Mine.† Arya had almost forgotten Needle, in her hand. â€Å"Give it to me.† Reluctantly Arya surrendered her sword, wondering if she would ever hold it again. Her father turned it in the light, examining both sides of the blade. He tested the point with his thumb. â€Å"A bravo's blade,† he said. â€Å"Yet it seems to me that I know this maker's mark. This is Mikken's work.† Arya could not lie to him. She lowered her eyes. Lord Eddard Stark sighed. â€Å"My nine-year-old daughter is being armed from my own forge, and I know nothing of it. The Hand of the King is expected to rule the Seven Kingdoms, yet it seems I cannot even rule my own household. How is it that you come to own a sword, Arya? Where did you get this?† Arya chewed her lip and said nothing. She would not betray Jon, not even to their father. After a while, Father said, â€Å"I don't suppose it matters, truly.† He looked down gravely at the sword in his hands. â€Å"This is no toy for children, least of all for a girl. What would Septa Mordane say if she knew you were playing with swords?† â€Å"I wasn't playing,† Arya insisted. â€Å"I hate Septa Mordane.† â€Å"That's enough.† Her father's voice was curt and hard. â€Å"The septa is doing no more than is her duty, though gods know you have made it a struggle for the poor woman. Your mother and I have charged her with the impossible task of making you a lady.† â€Å"I don't want to be a lady!† Arya flared. â€Å"I ought to snap this toy across my knee here and now, and put an end to this nonsense.† â€Å"Needle wouldn't break,† Arya said defiantly, but her voice betrayed her words. â€Å"It has a name, does it?† Her father sighed. â€Å"Ah, Arya. You have a wildness in you, child. ‘The wolf blood,' my father used to call it. Lyanna had a touch of it, and my brother Brandon more than a touch. It brought them both to an early grave.† Arya heard sadness in his voice; he did not often speak of his father, or of the brother and sister who had died before she was born. â€Å"Lyanna might have carried a sword, if my lord father had allowed it. You remind me of her sometimes. You even look like her.† â€Å"Lyanna was beautiful,† Arya said, startled. Everybody said so. It was not a thing that was ever said of Arya. â€Å"She was,† Eddard Stark agreed, â€Å"beautiful, and willful, and dead before her time.† He lifted the sword, held it out between them. â€Å"Arya, what did you think to do with this . . . Needle? Who did you hope to skewer? Your sister? Septa Mordane? Do you know the first thing about sword fighting?† All she could think of was the lesson Jon had given her. â€Å"Stick them with the pointy end,† she blurted out. Her father snorted back laughter. â€Å"That is the essence of it, I suppose.† Arya desperately wanted to explain, to make him see. â€Å"I was trying to learn, but . . . † Her eyes filled with tears. â€Å"I asked Mycah to practice with me.† The grief came on her all at once. She turned away, shaking. â€Å"I asked him,† she cried. â€Å"It was my fault, it was me . . . â€Å" Suddenly her father's arms were around her. He held her gently as she turned to him and sobbed against his chest. â€Å"No, sweet one,† he murmured. â€Å"Grieve for your friend, but never blame yourself. You did not kill the butcher's boy. That murder lies at the Hound's door, him and the cruel woman he serves.† â€Å"I hate them,† Arya confided, red-faced, sniffling. â€Å"The Hound and the queen and the king and Prince Joffrey. I hate all of them. Joffrey lied, it wasn't the way he said. I hate Sansa too. She did remember, she just lied so Joffrey would like her.† â€Å"We all lie,† her father said. â€Å"Or did you truly think I'd believe that Nymeria ran off?† Arya blushed guiltily. â€Å"Jory promised not to tell.† â€Å"Jory kept his word,† her father said with a smile. â€Å"There are some things I do not need to be told. Even a blind man could see that wolf would never have left you willingly.† â€Å"We had to throw rocks,† she said miserably. â€Å"I told her to run, to go be free, that I didn't want her anymore. There were other wolves for her to play with, we heard them howling, and Jory said the woods were full of game, so she'd have deer to hunt. Only she kept following, and finally we had to throw rocks. I hit her twice. She whined and looked at me and I felt so ‘shamed, but it was right, wasn't it? The queen would have killed her.† â€Å"It was right,† her father said. â€Å"And even the lie was . . . not without honor.† He'd put Needle aside when he went to Arya to embrace her. Now he took the blade up again and walked to the window, where he stood for a moment, looking out across the courtyard. When he turned back, his eyes were thoughtful. He seated himself on the window seat, Needle across his lap. â€Å"Arya, sit down. I need to try and explain some things to you.† She perched anxiously on the edge of her bed. â€Å"You are too young to be burdened with all my cares,† he told her, â€Å"but you are also a Stark of Winterfell. You know our words.† â€Å"Winter is coming,† Arya whispered. â€Å"The hard cruel times,† her father said. â€Å"We tasted them on the Trident, child, and when Bran fell. You were born in the long summer, sweet one, you've never known anything else, but now the winter is truly coming. Remember the sigil of our House, Arya.† â€Å"The direwolf,† she said, thinking of Nymeria. She hugged her knees against her chest, suddenly afraid. â€Å"Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Summer is the time for squabbles. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths. So if you must hate, Arya, hate those who would truly do us harm. Septa Mordane is a good woman, and Sansa . . . Sansa is your sister. You may be as different as the sun and the moon, but the same blood flows through both your hearts. You need her, as she needs you . . . and I need both of you, gods help me.† He sounded so tired that it made Arya sad. â€Å"I don't hate Sansa,† she told him. â€Å"Not truly.† It was only half a lie. â€Å"I do not mean to frighten you, but neither will I lie to you. We have come to a dark dangerous place, child. This is not Winterfell. We have enemies who mean us ill. We cannot fight a war among ourselves. This willfulness of yours, the running off, the angry words, the disobedience . . . at home, these were only the summer games of a child. Here and now, with winter soon upon us, that is a different matter. It is time to begin growing up.† â€Å"I will,† Arya vowed. She had never loved him so much as she did in that instant. â€Å"I can be strong too. I can be as strong as Robb.† He held Needle out to her, hilt first. â€Å"Here.† She looked at the sword with wonder in her eyes. For a moment she was afraid to touch it, afraid that if she reached for it it would be snatched away again, but then her father said, â€Å"Go on, it's yours,† and she took it in her hand. â€Å"I can keep it?† she said. â€Å"For true?† â€Å"For true.† He smiled. â€Å"If I took it away, no doubt I'd find a morningstar hidden under your pillow within the fortnight. Try not to stab your sister, whatever the provocation.† â€Å"I won't. I promise.† Arya clutched Needle tightly to her chest as her father took his leave. The next morning, as they broke their fast, she apologized to Septa Mordane and asked for her pardon. The septa peered at her suspiciously, but Father nodded. Three days later, at midday, her father's steward Vayon Poole sent Arya to the Small Hall. The trestle tables had been dismantled and the benches shoved against the walls. The hall seemed empty, until an unfamiliar voice said, â€Å"You are late, boy.† A slight man with a bald head and a great beak of a nose stepped out of the shadows, holding a pair of slender wooden swords. â€Å"Tomorrow you will be here at midday.† He had an accent, the lilt of the Free Cities, Braavos perhaps, or Myr. â€Å"Who are you?† Arya asked. â€Å"I am your dancing master.† He tossed her one of the wooden blades. She grabbed for it, missed, and heard it clatter to the floor. â€Å"Tomorrow you will catch it. Now pick it up.† It was not just a stick, but a true wooden sword complete with grip and guard and pommel. Arya picked it up and clutched it nervously with both hands, holding it out in front of her. It was heavier than it looked, much heavier than Needle. The bald man clicked his teeth together. â€Å"That is not the way, boy. This is not a greatsword that is needing two hands to swing it. You will take the blade in one hand.† â€Å"It's too heavy,† Arya said. â€Å"It is heavy as it needs to be to make you strong, and for the balancing. A hollow inside is filled with lead, just so. One hand now is all that is needing.† Arya took her right hand off the grip and wiped her sweaty palm on her pants. She held the sword in her left hand. He seemed to approve. â€Å"The left is good. All is reversed, it will make your enemies more awkward. Now you are standing wrong. Turn your body sideface, yes, so. You are skinny as the shaft of a spear, do you know. That is good too, the target is smaller. Now the grip. Let me see.† He moved closer and peered at her hand, prying her fingers apart, rearranging them. â€Å"Just so, yes. Do not squeeze it so tight, no, the grip must be deft, delicate.† â€Å"What if I drop it?† Arya said. â€Å"The steel must be part of your arm,† the bald man told her. â€Å"Can you drop part of your arm? No. Nine years Syrio Forel was first sword to the Sealord of Braavos, he knows these things. Listen to him, boy.† It was the third time he had called her â€Å"boy.† â€Å"I'm a girl,† Arya objected. â€Å"Boy, girl,† Syrio Forel said. â€Å"You are a sword, that is all.† He clicked his teeth together. â€Å"Just so, that is the grip. You are not holding a battle-axe, you are holding a—† â€Å"—needle,† Arya finished for him, fiercely. â€Å"Just so. Now we will begin the dance. Remember, child, this is not the iron dance of Westeros we are learning, the knight's dance, hacking and hammering, no. This is the bravo's dance, the water dance, swift and sudden. All men are made of water, do you know this? When you pierce them, the water leaks out and they die.† He took a step backward, raised his own wooden blade. â€Å"Now you will try to strike me.† Arya tried to strike him. She tried for four hours, until every muscle in her body was sore and aching, while Syrio Forel clicked his teeth together and told her what to do. The next day their real work began.

The Baseline Study Of The Elderly Study Sample Essay

RESULTS The baseline study of the elderly study sample are as shown in the given table. It can be observed that three-fifths of the total sample were composed of women, and also an expression of the high prevalence of diabetes, antihypertensive treatment, and CVD are evident. Table 1: Baseline characteristics of the study sample Characteristic Value Clinical features Women (%) 62.3 Age (years) 79.0  ± 4.5 Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) 143  ± 21 Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) 72  ± 11 BMI (kg/m2) 26.8  ± 4.7 Antihypertensive treatment (%) 48.9 Current smoking (%) 8.3 Diabetes (%) 27.4 History of atrial fibrillation (%) 10.6 Prevalent heart failure (%) 5.3 History of CVD (%) 35.0 Biochemical features Total-to-HDL cholesterol ratio (mg/dl) 4.54  ± 1.51 Leptin (ng/ml) 12.8 (7.0, 22,7) Log-Leptin 2.51  ± 0.81 The Clinical Correlation of Leptin and its Relation to the Antecedent BMI Leptin was found to strongly correlate to the BMI at the index of examination where it was found that r = 0.67, P 0.0001. In the case of multivariable analyses testing the clinical correlates of the log-Leptin, BMI with a partial R2 = 0.26 and sex with a partial R2 = 0.28 were found to be the strongest correlates. For the women with a median of 17.4 and the quartiles 1 and 3 to be 10.6 and 28.7 respectively; this demonstrated a higher Leptin level than in the men with a median of 7.2 and the first and third quartiles of 4.5 and 11.4Show MoreRelatedRelationship Between Suicide Contemplation And Early Life And The Patients Physical Health, Disability, And Social Support1407 Words   |  6 PagesThe elderly population is the fastest growing population which also has the highest rate of suicide. These two growing incidences make the issue of late-life suicide a major health priority. Depression is one of the most common mental disorders that are experienced by the older adult, which h as a strong association to suicide rate. Too often depression is under reported and older adults do not seek treatment for mental health problems. Assessing for risk factors for potential suicide in the elderlyRead MoreThe Effects Of Animal Assisted Therapy On The Well Being Of Residents At A Long Term Care1285 Words   |  6 Pageswell-being of Residents at a Long-Term Care. 999735559 University of Toronto PSYB01 Professor Nagy July 20, 2015 This study was inspired by â€Å"Ace† the therapy dog Abstract The rationale for this study is developed through personal experience of the researcher at Baycrest and review of past and current research relating to this study. This study looks upon the effect of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) on the psychophysical well-being of elders in long term care. Specifically, it looksRead MoreStudy Of Study On Cohort Study704 Words   |  3 Pages3. Harris, D.G., Davies, C.,Ward, H., Haboubi, N.Y. 2008 The study used cohort study Observational study: comparing sensitivity, specificity, negative, positive predictive values of screening tools in older population living in sheltered Background- Y Methodology: quantitative research Ethical Approval: Y Data Collection Statistical involvement and data collation such as surveying - All elderly living in warden controlled sheltered housing. Analysis: -tables are used to compare comparison ofRead MoreDiabetes Neuropathy : A Neurological Disorder Associated With Diabetes Mellitus Essay1401 Words   |  6 Pagescomplications that circulate around the biomechanical impairments of the feet, especially in the elderly population with diabetes (Richardson, Thies, DeMott, Ashton-Miller, 2005). DN has worrying health risks as it has harmful effects on stability, gait efficiency and function (Menz, Morris, Lord, 2005). Richardson (2004) stated that gait and stability are of interest because a large number of falls in elderly population with and without DN occur during locomotion, which inturn affects their daily livingRead MoreThe Ibadan Study Of Aging1613 Words   |  7 PagesMETHODS Sample selection, recruitment and follow-up The Ibadan Study of Aging (ISA) has been previously described (Gureje et al., 2007); we provide only a brief overview. Individuals were selected using stratified multistage cluster sampling from eight neighbouring states of the Yoruba-speaking region of Nigeria, representing approximately 25 million or about 22% of the total Nigerian population at the time of the study. From 15 strata, based on state and urban versus rural location, 43 Local GovernmentRead MoreResearch Article Critique on Alzheimers Disease1720 Words   |  7 Pagesamp; ... Greenspan, D. (2005). Risperidone for psychosis of Alzheimers disease and mixed dementia: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 20(12), 1153-1157. 2. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of low dose risperidone in treating psychosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mixed dementia (MD) in a subset of nursing-home residents who had dementia and aggression and who were participating in a randomizedRead MoreHomeopathic Case Study1290 Words   |  6 PagesWhat is the efficacy of the use of homeopathic treatment in reducing pain levels in osteoarthritic elderly populations? Population Elderly with osteoarthritis Intervention / Exposure Homeopathy Comparison N/A Outcome Pain levels †¢ Osteoarthritis* OR †¢ OA OR †¢ Osteoarthritic* AND †¢ Elderly* OR †¢ Old* OR †¢ Senior* OR †¢ Aged* AND †¢ Homeopathy AND †¢ Pain* Or †¢ â€Å"Pain level*† AND †¢ Randomized control trial AND †¢ English AND †¢ Published between 2007 and 2017 †¢ Cochrane databaseRead MoreThe Report Of Clostridium Difficile Infection1406 Words   |  6 PagesStudy Overview: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a healthcare associated infection with significant morbidity and mortality, especially in elderly, hospitalized patients. Antibiotic associated diarrhea (AAD) is also a complication of antibiotic therapy with detrimental effects in hospitalized patients. The use of probiotics for primary prophylaxis of AAD and CDI in hospitalized patients is still controversial. Varying study quality as well as significant heterogeneity make drawing conclusionsRead MoreParkinson s Disease : A Long Term Progressive Neurodegenerative Disease Essay1664 Words   |  7 Pagesfour weeks were eligible for screening.4 This study included patients with a psychosis severity score of greater than or equal to four assessed by hallucinations and delusions sections of the neuropsychiatric inventory, must be on stable antiparkinson drugs for at least one week before entry into the study and over the four week treatment period.4 Thirty patients received L-dopa only and thirt y patients received L-dopa plus a dopamine agonist.4 The study excluded pregnancy, presence of psychosis contributedRead MoreCritique Of The American Geriatrics Society1662 Words   |  7 Pagestitle of the research article I chose to critique is from the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. â€Å"Hypertension, orthostatic-hypotension, and the risk of falls in a community-dwelling elderly population: The maintenance of balance, independent living, intellect, and zest in the elderly Boston study†; this title fits well with the content presented in the research article. The independent variables are clearly defined as well as the dependent variables for the research being conducted. The

Technology Architecture Designed For Safety Related Systems

Author Weihang Wu and Tim Kelly Article Summary: The article highlights an approach to software architecture designed for safety-related systems. It talks about the importance of safety strategy in software architecture design. It addresses three issues to improve the architecture designs for safety-related systems. †¢ Design Techniques: There have been a lot of advancements in software design techniques. There are many design techniques available but choosing the right for the system is absolute critical. Therefore this approach fails in demonstrating which design technique needs to be chosen to increase the protection against failures. †¢ Architectural Patterns: Architectural Patterns or styles consist of components and connectors, which connect these components based on a set of restrictions, which describe how the components of a particular kind can be connected. There are a lot of architectural patterns available, which display different safety patterns. It is recommended to understand the basic design patterns and for creating a good architecture. †¢ Safety Analysis: There are a number of safety analysis techniques for software design, but there has been very little analysis on architectural level to support software architecture design. Therefore a safety analysis approach is needed for software with hardware to characterize the architectural elements at various architectural levels. The article talks about strategic tactic to address the above three issues whichShow MoreRelatedHealth Information Technology1521 Words   |  6 Pagescoordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has funded this program to find breakthrough innovations in the field of Health Information Technology (IT). This research program was awarded $60 million and this program is divided into four focus areas. This program brings together researchers, healthcare providers, and other health IT sector stakeholders in order to transform the research products into practice. This program is designed to improve quality, safety and efficiency of healthcare usingRead MoreThreat Assessment Ranks Cyber Related Vulnerabilities1508 Words   |  7 PagesThe 2014 Worldwide Threat Assessment ranks cyber-related vulnerabilities as the number one homeland security threat against the United States. In addition to cyber threats within the nation, Russia and China continue to hold views substantially diver gent from the United States on the meaning and intent of international cyber security. Also stated within the 2013 Worldwide Threat Assessment is North Korea as they are becoming a tier one threat to the United States. Supervisory Control and Data AcquisitionRead MoreInformation Resources Planning And Management1547 Words   |  7 Pagesinformation systems techniques and also on the process of business management. This Information Resource Planning(IRP) can be implemented through the following five steps. 1. Assessment of current Information resources (the status quo) 2. Establishment of an Information Vision 3. Establishment of an IT Architecture for that vision 4. Formulation of an IS Strategic Plan (roadmap) to evolve an organization’s information resources from their current status toward the desired vision and IT architecture 5. FormulationRead MoreInformation Resources Planning And Management1650 Words   |  7 Pagesinformation systems techniques and also on the process of business management. This Information Resource Planning(IRP) can be implemented through the following five steps. 1. Assessment of current Information resources (the status quo) 2. Establishment of an Information Vision 3. Establishment of an IT Architecture for that vision 4. Formulation of an IS Strategic Plan (roadmap) to evolve an organization’s information resources from their current status toward the desired vision and IT architecture 5. FormulationRead MoreIntroduction Of Personal Health Record1563 Words   |  7 Pagessharing and exchange, and information management, which could improve efficiency and quality of health care. In this article, we reviewed the definition, history and technical architectures of PHR. We also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of PHR adoption. PHR Definition The Personal Health Record (PHR) is a heath technology that can be used to collect and store individual health information in either paper-based or electronic form. Recent years, several similar definitions of PHR were raisedRead MoreHealth Monitoring Essay931 Words   |  4 Pagesdetails the history and architecture, current usage with advantages and disadvantages, future developments of health monitoring systems within aviation and recommendations for the Australian Defence Force (ADF). 3. Background. The ADF currently has a large variety of aircraft with some of the newest types utilising some form of health monitoring system. The ADF has previously looked into retrofitting some of the older airframes with some form of health monitoring system; however still operate severalRead MoreDesign A Wireless Sensor Nodes Using Fpga For Fire Monitoring And Control988 Words   |  4 Pagessensor node design in order to enhance the processing capabilities of the system to meet the target applications. The sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network are normally microcontroller based which are having inadequate computational capacity related to various applications. This paper describes the selection, specification and comprehension of a wireless sensor node using the field programmable gate array (FPGA) based architecture for an early detection of hazards (e.g. smoke and fire). The FPGAs inRead MoreCyber Security And Security Of The Users1520 Words   |  7 Pages Abstract Vehicular networking technology is no more a futuristic concept - it is becoming a reality with the aim of providing services related to traffic safety, traffic efficiency and infotainment [1]. When these kinds of services are introduced, they also bring in the vulnerabilities associated with them, resulting in increased number of security threats and attacks. Hence, it is very important to ensure that these services do not compromise the safety and security of the users [2]. This paperRead MoreHuman Capital Due Diligence Service948 Words   |  4 Pageswould have the liquid cash to properly expand globally. PeopleG2 is a leading human capital due diligence service provider leveraging proprietary processes and tools to serve clients’ risk management needs and support their most strategic people-related decisions. (People G2) People G2 provides unique customized service for its clientele ranging from hiring new executive, firm restructuring around essential senior management, assessing the viability of acquiring a new firm or as a mediator with aRead MoreMutli-Agent Based Modeling699 Words   |  3 PagesMulti Agent System/Agent Based Modeling Multi-agent systems are among the methods used for modeling and simulating Natural Disaster emergencies. The terminology of Agent Based System tends to be used more often in the sciences and Multi Agent System in engineering and technology. The Agent Based System is gradually replacing the micro-simulation techniques and object-oriented simulation. Agent Based System has ability to capture different dynamic models which usually consist of simple entities or