Discussion 2 Week 8 Tips for Effective Proposal Writing Assignment

Discussion 2 Week 8 Tips for Effective Proposal Writing - Assignment Example The sample proposals where obtained in the following links: http://www.coloradogrants.org/assets/pdf/centerville-community-center.pdf; and http://www.netplaces.com/grant-writing/sample-federal-grant-proposal/. There are areas where deviation were present in terms of tendencies to use long sentence structures and not using tabular structures to highlight information in a more concise and easily understood manner. 2. Using the criteria presented in Chapter 13 of the textbook for writing effective proposals, rewrite at least one section of a proposal that you identified through the e-Activity and explain why you made those changes. To re-write one portion of the proposal submitted to the Community Technology Center (CTC) grant project, the following portion were noted to be ineffective: â€Å"The Districts middle school population meets the criteria for at-risk: 71 percent come from low-income backgrounds; 68 percent are minority; 22 percent receive special-education services; 15 percent are bilingual† (Sample Federal Grant Proposal, n.d., p. 1). It could be re-written this

Portfolio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Portfolio - Essay Example To say that this course helped me crystallize many of my thoughts and feelings would be an understatement. The paragraphs that follow would detail the ways in which I developed my thoughts and learnt to form them into coherent arguments reflecting some beliefs that are close to my heart. As is evident from the classroom discussions t as well as the online exchanges that I had with my peers, this course helped me reframe some of my core beliefs and attitudes towards Euthanasia and the right to die. This is one issue on which I have firm beliefs and as people who know me well would attest, I firmly believe that we as individuals have a right to die when â€Å"the time is up†. Towards this end, I practice what I preach as is evident from the fact that I have made my will and want to go without â€Å"no tube for eating† and â€Å"no support†. This is what I am and what I will be. The reason that I mentioned about making a will was that for many people, the controversy surrounding Euthanasia is primarily due to the fact that there might be malicious intentions in letting people decide on whether they want to live or not because their near and dear ones would be awaiting the gains from that person’s will. This would not be the case with me and I have already made arrangements in terms of drawing up the will as I have explained above. When a person carries out an act of euthanasia, he brings about the death of another person because he believes the latters present existence is so bad that she would be better off dead, or believes that unless he intervenes and ends her life, it will become so bad that she would be better off dead. The motive of the person who commits an act of euthanasia is to benefit the one whose death is brought about. (Though what was just said also holds for many instances of physician-assisted suicide, some wish to restrict the use of the latter term to forms of assistance which stop short of the physician ‘bringing about the death’

Interaction of Dye-surfactants and Dye-amino Acids

Interaction of Dye-surfactants and Dye-amino Acids Review of the literature shows that the study of interaction of dye-surfactants and dye-amino acids provide useful important information about physiological systems because of its widespread applications and relatively complex behaviour. These investigations are important from point of view of technology of dyeing processes as well as for chemical researches, such as biochemistry, analytical chemistry, and photosensitization. Most of the work on amino acids and biomolecules have been carried out in pure and mixed aqueous solutions but the investigation of spectroscopic, tensiometric and thermodynamic properties of amino acids in aqueous dye solution has rarely been done. On the other hand although studies have been made involving dye–surfactant interactions, yet this particular field of research is still important for improvised dyeing process in terms of theoretical, technological, environmental as well as economic point of view [1]. The dye-surfactant interaction has importa nce in many areas such as the spectral behaviour of dye in microheterogenous systems, dye-sensitized solar cells, and photocatalysis like photocatalytic water splitting. It is important to understand how surfactants and dyes interact in aqueous solutions to clarify the mechanisms of dyeing and other finishing procedures. Hence the investigation of interaction between surfactants / amino acid in aqueous dye solution was undertaken using different useful techniques. Mata et. al [2] investigated the physicochemical properties of pure cationic surfactants (quaternary salts) in aqueous solution by means of surface tension (at 303.15 K), conductance (at 293.15–333.15 K), dye solubilization and viscosity measurements. From the results it appeared that changes in the nature of the surfactant (such as changes in chain length, polar head group or counter ion) have a severe effect on the subsequent self-assembly in water. The increase in hydrophobic character of the surfactant decreases the CMC, induces sphere-to-rod transition at lower concentration and increases the solubilizing power of surfactant towards orange OT. Viscosity results indicated that the size of the micelles is relatively small at CMC and grows longer with increasing surfactant concentration. The plots of differential conductivity, (dk/dc)T,P, versus the total surfactant concentration enables us to determine the CMC values more precisely. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) and degree of ionization (ÃŽ ²) of cationic surfactants, dodecyldimethylethylammonium bromide (DDAB) and dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC) in aqueous media were determined by Mehta et. al [3] from the conductivity measurements at different temperatures. The cmc behavior of DDAB and DTAC was analyzed in comparison with the results of DTAB in terms of effect of counter ion and increase in alkyl chain. It was observed that by changing the counter ion from chloride (DTAC) to bromide along with the increase in alkyl chain on polar head group (DDAB), the cmc shows a decrease. Thermodynamics of the system reveals that at lower temperatures, the micellization in case of DDAB was found to be entropy-driven, while at higher temperatures it was enthalpy driven. In DTAC system only entropic effect dominates over the entire temperature range. The aggregation properties of a cationic surfactant, DTAB, at different compositions in water-DMSO mixtures was studied by Và ©ronique Peyre et. al [4] using combination of techniques such as SANS, conductivity, and density measurements. Different complementary approaches were used for the interpretations of data. This multi-technique study explains the reason for the decrease in ionization degree, role of solvation in micellization and emphasizing the dissymmetric solvation of the chain by DMSO and the head by water. The study is interesting from the point of view that micellization process has been described by using combined analysis from molecular to macroscopic scale. Apparent and partial molar volumes of decyldimethylbenzylammonium chloride (C10DBACl) at (15, 25, and 35)  °C have been calculated from results of density measurements by A. G. Perez et. al [4]. The specific conductivities of the solutions have been determined at the same temperatures. The results served for the estimation of critical micelle concentration, cmc, ionization degree, (ÃŽ ²), and standard free energy of micellization, (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G), of the surfactant. J. J. Galan, J. R. RodrÄ ±guez [5] studied the molality dependence of specific conductivity of pentadecyl bromide, cetylpyridinium bromide and cetylpiridinium chloride in aqueous solutions in the temperature range of 30–45 à ¢-†¹C. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) and ionization degree of the micelles, ÃŽ ², were determined directly from the experimental data. Comparing our results for C16PBr and C16PCl water solutions, it can be observed that the substitution of the bromide anion by the more hydrophilic chloride leads to an increase in cmc by a factor of approximately 1.3. Chanchal Das and Bijan Das [6] have studied the micellization behavior of three cationic surfactants, viz., hexadecyl-, tetradecyl-, and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB, TTAB, and DTAB, respectively) in ethylene glycol (EG) (1) + water (2) mixed solvent media with varying mass fractions of EG (w1) by means of electrical conductivity and surface tension measurements. Temperature dependence of the critical micelle concentrations was also investigated to understand the micellar thermodynamics of these systems. From the study of the temperature dependence of the cmc of these surfactants in the EG (1) + water (2) mixture with w1 ) 0.30, they had demonstrated that the micellization was mainly governed by an enthalpy-entropy compensation effect. Data on the thermodynamics of adsorption demonstrate that the surface activity of these surfactant decreases with the addition of EG to water at a given temperature and that the adsorption of surfactant at the air/mixture interface takes plac e spontaneously. The micellisation behaviour of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTABr) in different mass fraction (17–47) of ethylene glycol (EG), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), and dimethylformamide (DMF)–water mixed solvents, was studied by Olaseni et. al [7] using electrical conductivity measurement at different temperatures (293.1–313.1 K). The results of the thermodynamic analysis showed that addition of organic solvents, which are principally located in the bulk phase made the micellisation process less spontaneous. The London-dispersion interaction represented the major attraction force for micellisation and micellisation proceeded via an exothermic process. Sar Santosh K and Rathod Nutan [8] evaluated cmc, ÃŽ ± value and the thermodynamic parameters of the process of micellization for alkyl (C12, C14, and C16) trimethylammonium bromide systems in presence of water-dimethylformamide (5-20 % v/v) binary mixtures over a temperature range of 298-318 K. It was observed that both the cmc and ÃŽ ± value were dependent upon the (v/v %) of solvent and temperature and the micellization tendency of cationic surfactant decreases in the presence of solvents. It was also observed that the micellization is favored in general by entropy and enthalpy at higher temperatures, whereas it is favored mainly by entropy at low temperatures. A. Ali et. al [9] have studied the thermodynamic properties of sodium dodecyl sulphate in micellar solution of L-serine and L-threonine by fluorescence spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering techniques. They observed a decrease in cmc of SDS in Thr solutions as compared to that in Ser. The determined values of à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G become increasingly negative in the order: water > Ser >Thr, suggesting that the formation of micelles is more favorable in presence of amino acids than in pure water. The aggregation behavior of SDS was explained in terms of structural changes in mixed solutions. On the basis of dynamic light scattering it was suggested that the size of SDS micelles was influenced by the presence of amino acids. F. Jalali and A. Gerandaneh [10] computed the critical micelle concentration (cmc) of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) conductometrically in binary mixtures of water + cosolvent at various temperatures and in the presence of potassium bromide (2.0 – 14 X10-3 M). Dioxane and acetonitrile were used as cosolvents added to water. Addition of organic solvents to water increased the cmc value of CTAB, but the presence of KBr lowered cmc. Thermodynamic parameters of micellization, were evaluated for each solution according to the pseudo-phase model, and the changes observed in these parameters were related to the presence of KBr and cosolvents in aqueous solution. The conductivity of (cosolvent C water) in the presence of increasing concentration of 1-hexadecylpyridinium bromide was measured at various temperatures by F. Jalali et al. [11]. Acetonitrile, dimethylformamide, dimethylsulfoxide, dioxane and ethylene glycol were used as cosolvents. From the conductivity data, the critical micelle concentration c.m.c., and the effective degree of counter ion dissociation ÃŽ ±, were obtained at various temperatures. In all the cases studied, a linear relationship between ([c.m.c] / mol . dm-3) and the mass fraction of cosolvent in solvent mixtures was observed. The thermodynamic properties à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hand à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Swere evaluated from the temperature dependence of the equilibrium constants for micellization of the surfactant. While the micellization process in pure water is both enthalpy and entropy stabilized, it becomes entropy destabilized in all solvent mixtures used; the values of à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  S being more negative with increase i n the cosolvent content of the solvent mixtures. The resulting à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  H against Tà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  S plot showed a fairly good linear correlation, indicating the existence of an enthalpy–entropy compensation in the micellization process. The effect of the simultaneous presence of an electrolyte (NaBr) and nonelectrolyte species (DMSO and AN) in aqueous solution on the micellization of HDPB was studied by F. Jalali and A. Shaeghi Rad [12]. They concluded that the presence of NaBr favors the micellization of HDPB mainly due to a decrease in repulsions between micelle head groups. Adding a cosolvent, such as DMSO or AN, to water inhibits the formation of micelles because of the increase in hydrophobic character of the mixed solvent, which increases the attraction of surfactant monomers toward the solvent.

Wuthering Heights- Is Heathcliff a man or a devil? Essay -- English Li

Wuthering Heights- Is Heathcliff a man or a devil? "Wuthering Heights" was written by Emily Brontà « and was first published in 1847, it was written during the "romantic period", it is a story of love, lust and sorrow all held together by extreme passion, love and hate. One of the main characters in the book Wuthering Heights is Heathcliff, he was a orphan who lived in Liverpool, we find very little about Heathcliff's past before he is adopted by the Earnshaw's, which makes Heathcliff a mysterious character. When Heathcliff comes to live at Wuthering Heights after being adopted by the Earnshaw's, he feels displaced as he does not know where to fit in with the family who seem to have "tight knit family system". In the beginning it is clear that Heathcliff is rejected by his older step brother Hindly and turns to Catherine for affection, but Heathcliff feels he is not worthy of the affection shown to him by his step father and the family and this causes problems with members of the family. Hindly automatically feels threatened by Heathcliff's presence and his hate for Heathcliff grows as Heathcliff gets the attention from there father that Hindly feels he deserve and this causes friction between the two characters. But Heathcliff has needs and one of these is to be loved which he feels only Catherine can do even from a very young age, they become the best of friends and feel wild together running in fields and playing together, and it shows when Heathcliff is young Catherine is his sole source of self esteem. When Mr. Earnshaw dies Catherine takes comfort with Heathcliff, and Hindly comes back from university to attend to the funeral after a while Heathcliff was degraded by Hindly because of Hindlys jea... ...raded and running away from Wuthering Heights isolating himself from his past only returning when he knows his revenge can be had, Heathcliff is also filled with dark qualities which make him return to seek revenge, but a Byronic hero is usually passionate about a particular issue, this particular issue for Heathcliff is Catherine and we see this as he seems to be addicted to her. A Byronic hero exhibits several characteristic traits, and in many ways he can be considered a rebel. The Byronic hero does not possess "heroic virtue" in the usual sense; instead, he has many dark qualities. With regard to his intellectual capacity, self-respect, and hypersensitivity, the Byronic hero is "larger than life," and "with the loss of his titanic passions, his pride, and his certainty of self-identity, he loses also his status as [a traditional] hero" (Thorslev 187).

Social Program on the Elderly

The study of ageing and the elderly not only deals with the physical aspect of ageing but it goes on to discuss the other social implication of the process of ageing on social structures.The processes are very contradictory if considered in the context location for example, elderly people in the modern, so called civilized society, are held in low social status as compared to their counterparts in the backward areas, furthermore they do not readily accept that aging is a process that one has to undergo if he/she is to fully complete the human life cycle; a fact that is readily accepted by the elderly in a backward society (Aye & Oberg, 1997). Gerontology is a field that deals in the study of ageing and the elderly.The field not only deals in the physical aging process but also discusses areas like sociology and culture that are highly influential in the aging process (Manning, 2003). The thesis of the paper is to come up with a comprehensive program that would deal effectively with t he problem of the elderly in the society. Statement of the Problem The society that we are currently living in has an ever increasing number of persons over the age of 65 years. The rate of aging has considerably increased.The social effects of aging should be viewed from different points of view which include the question of what aging is and the effects of the said phenomena (Aye & Oberg, 1997). In the uncivilized cultures the elderly are respected as they are seen to be a source of immense knowledge and thus they play the role of decision making. In the modern society such knowledge is rarely considered to be of use as the current society views such accumulated wisdom to be outdated and obsolete. On the other hand, the elderly are less acceptant of the idea that aging is inevitable to them as living humans.Advancements in several fields for instance nutrition and medicine has turned the nature of aging from inevitable to ‘delayable' or in some cases preventable (Hooker, 197 8). As compared to a couple of decades ago people now live longer as a result of better hygiene, food and healthcare. Thus due to this changes in demographics sociologists nowadays speak of population ageing. To bring the problem into perspective in Britain the proportion of the elderly in the society was 5% in 1850, the current proportion is 25%. The problem is brought out more clearly by putting into consideration the population increase that is of over 700%.With the current trends almost all developed countries will experience the problem of ageing populations. In the developed world one out of every six people is an elderly man. The forecasts have projected that in the next 30 years 25% of the population will be composed of the elderly. The situation is more grim in Austria and Germany where it is projected that by 2030 the population of the elderly will be 33% and 50% respectively (Watson, 1985). The problem is aggravated by the trend of the ever increasing number of the very o ld people in the population of the elderly.The process which is at times referred to as the ageing of the elderly is a phenomenon in which the number of persons in the lower ages in the population of the elderly perpetually becomes insignificant to the number of the extremely elderly. The number of persons over the age of 85 years in the next 50 years will be six times the current number. Description of the Organization. Overview This program is aimed at bringing together the elderly in a bid to improve their lives in a family like setting. It therefore includes the provision of basic health services and counselling in order to improve the ageing process for the elderly.Authority The program is constituted under the US laws that allow for the creation of social programs that cater for special interest groups like the elderly. Scope The program will provide healthcare to the elderly as its basic mandate. To aid this, the program will also provide nutritional services and a forum thro ugh which the elderly can interact with both the elderly and the young in a family like setting. The program will also be involved in counselling and outreach programs for the elderly. Eligibility The following two conditions must be met by all who wish to join the program:†¢ Must be of 65 years and above. †¢ Must have documents proving his/her identity and age. Benefits The benefits of the program are: †¢ The elderly are provided with better healthcare. †¢ The elderly are provided with better nutrition. †¢ Provides a platform through which the elderly can interact with their peers thus dispelling the feeling of loneliness. Goals †¢ Efficient service provision to the elderly in the society. †¢ Reach as many elderly persons in the society as possible. Objectives †¢ To provide a community for the elderly through which they can feel more appreciated as a constituent part of the society.†¢ To ensure that the elderly find a community in which they can feel more attached to. †¢ To ensure the elderly also contribute to the development of the society. †¢ To ensure the elderly have access to recreational facilities. †¢ To ensure the elderly have access to basic healthcare and nutrition. Services †¢ Provision of basic healthcare services to the elderly in the society. †¢ Providing peer mechanism through which the elderly relate to their peers and to the young as they relate their experiences. †¢ Advising on and provision of proper nutrition services to the elderly. Mission StatementTo ensure the betterment of life for the elderly by providing to them all their basic needs as human and social beings in an ethical manner. Value Statement As a social program we believe in respect and adherence to the human rights. We therefore help the elderly as a means of alleviating and/or eliminating the suffering both physical and psychological that is associated with old age. We value the family as the basic s ocial unit. Code of Ethics There are several rules that must be put in place to ensure that the ethics code and mission statements are adhered to in the course of achieving the objectives of the program.The rules can be categorized into those that deal with the relationship between the worker and the elderly and those that deal with the worker and the administration (Watson, 1985). They include: †¢ Human rights The social worker must at all times protect the rights of the elderly. Furthermore, the rights of the social workers must be respected by both the patients and the administrators. †¢ Confidentiality Confidential information on the patient must never be delivered to other persons without the consent of the patient or the intervention of the law. †¢ Professional developmentThe social worker and all other employees must exhibit competence and act according to the professional ethics and standards as stipulated by their profession's code of ethics. †¢ Responsi bility The social workers and all other employees are answerable to the patient and the administration. †¢ Stewardship The program is responsible for the life of the elderly under their care and all employees must behave and act in a manner that is aimed at achieving the mission of the program. †¢ Group Autonomy The organization and all that are involved in the program will at all times respect the culture, autonomy and rights of the program.†¢ Conflict of Interest All complaints or issue arising in the course of working must be addressed through the laid down guidelines †¢ Respect, equity and trust. The organization will always strive for an environment in which all members live with respect and trust for each other and where decisions are made in an equitable manner. †¢ Tools, process and methods All processes, methods and tools will be used as per the requirements of the profession and as per the professional ethical code. †¢ Law The program will at all times obey the authority under which it is instituted.Organizational culture The organizational culture that will be adopted is the clan culture. This type of corporate culture is characterized by a family like setting in the organization (Watson, 1985). The personal wellbeing of the elderly and the people attending to them is a great concern in this type of culture. Furthermore, social workers and the elderly will be encouraged to interact at a more personal level as such interaction will go in line with the objective of creating a family like setting for the elderly.This type of culture is also characterized by promotion from within, which will aid the creation of a family like setting for the elderly which is in line with the objective in the quest for the mission. Leadership The leadership approach that will be employed by the program is transformational leadership. The leadership will be aimed at inspiring and motivating employees so that they can achieve new heights in bot h their personal and social lives. This kind of leadership has four components namely charisma or idealized influence, motivation, individualized considerations and intellectual stimulation.Being charismatic is defined as having a dynamic, commanding and energetic presence. Such leaders are often idealized. Motivation means having the ability to appeal to basic values coupled with compelling vision. The ability to inspire people into thinking differently is referred to as intellectual stimulation. Lastly, paying attention to and meeting peoples need is referred to as individualized consideration. This program typically presents a clash between standards of behavior and values. Furthermore, the evidence of the problem that the program deals in are based on forecasts and are therefore not quite clear.Transformation leadership is best suited for this kind of situation because, a leader who has a good idea and integrity is more likely to create a change or implement the idea if he/she p resents the case with enough enthusiasm that will inspire the people. Oversight There are two important aspect in evaluating the success of an organization. These are service delivery and the method or technique used in evaluation. The important aspect to look at are what we want in a good service delivery system. There are several key areas that our services must fit in, these are:†¢ Our services must be integrated and continuous †¢ Accessible to the elderly †¢ Promote a culture of accountability for actions and decisions in service delivery. Integration and Continuity The program will deliver more than a single program benefit or service. On that account, problems of integrating different program operations, benefits, and services are always an issue. For instance, if system or program parts are not integrated, clients or consumers may be continually sent from one office to the next without understanding the reasons for being shuffled around, this can be so frustrat ing.Thus integrating the services that are often needed by persons seeking a particular service will ensure integration and also ensure good service provision while at the same time cutting on the costs. The continuity of the program will be ensured by following up all decisions and advice may have been made concerning the old people. Every policy will have an implementation plan that is conclusive and addresses the entire problem of the elderly. Accessibility The program is also set on the key value of accessibility as a service is of no importance if it can't be accessed by the target population.To ensure this, the services will be provided in all the major towns in readily accessible areas by any means of public transport. The procedures in accessing the services are also simple and do not require much paper work nor prowess in reading or writing. The personnel will also be a mixture of several ethnic groups in order to ensure ease of communication in cases where the service seek er cannot communicate effectively in English or in other major languages. Accountability Another key ideal that the program will be built on is accountability.The following will be implemented to ensure accountability: †¢ Mechanism will be put in place for instance, the use of suggestion boxes, to aid the identification of employees that are irresponsible. †¢ It should be possible for both the employees and their bosses to identify the specific organizational policy that justify any policy by creating well defined policies. †¢ Creating mechanisms through which substantive disagreement, with the preceding opinions by outside third parties, can be heard and resolved. This is provided for in the rules.Independent observers and valuators will be involved in evaluating the success of the program by getting the elderly persons involved in the program take on the service delivery and the effect the program has had on their lives. The success of the program will thus be evalu ated by comparing the input into the program and the output. Conclusion The above program if well implemented will lead to the improvement of the lives of the elderly in various locations, even though success largely depend on its implementation.Reference List Aye, K. , Oberg, K. (1997). Elderly Men: Special Problems and Professional Challenges. New York, Springer Series, Spring Publishing. p. 18 Hooker, S. (1978). Caring for the Elderly People. London: Routledge & Keagan Paul. p. 12 Manning, S. S. (2003). Ethical Leadership in Human Services. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Watson, D. (1985). A Code of Ethics for Social Work: The Second Step. London: Routledge & Kcgan Paul. Wilding. p. 32

Aids India

Matter of Life or Death India is the seventh largest Country in the world, home to one billion people and vast ethnic diversity. It has been making great leaps with education, industrialization and technology. Literacy rates are continuously going up along with life expectancy. India has been making continuous progress in many aspects for a country that has been relatively poor and extremely poverty-stricken. India is also one of the world’s largest democracies meaning that citizens have a great deal of political freedom.The average Indian citizen lives in a rural area and consumes 30 times less resources than an American citizen consumes. Although India is making many improvements, there are certain issues that continue to creep around and into the lives of Indian people and will continue to do so for a very long time. HIV/AIDS is one of these issues, an issue that has been taking millions of lives and affecting the lifestyles of many Indian people. HIV/AIDS is one of the mos t concerning problems for India; it continues to manifest regardless of the many efforts made by the Indian government.HIV/AIDS is not just a problem that India must deal with; it has affected nearly every region in the world but every country and population responds to epidemics with a different approach and one must consider all the different aspects. In India, many unique factors have been linked with the growth, prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. The causes for the emergence of HIV/AIDS in India are still unclear however; some believe that foreign visitors that had sexual contact with the sex workers in India are to blame. Many believe this because initial cases were found in sex worker and truck drivers.HIV/AIDS emerged into India later than most other countries and the first cases were reported in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Studies also indicate that heterosexual sex was the method in which most initial cases occurred through. It was first identified in the early 80’s in s ex workers from Tamil Nadu. The infection rates of the disease peaked in the early 90’s and it had made its way into low – risk individuals across the whole country in just ten years. (Avert, 2011) The most recent estimates state that there are currently 2. million individuals living with HIV in India and of that, 39% are females and 3. 5% are children. Considering age as a factor, the highest infection rates occur in people aged 30-34 in India. HIV rates for the nation have been decreasing according to recent studies (NACO, 2007) and the area of southern India which was impacted the most by this epidemic has shown a decrease in infection rates (Kumar R. , Jha P. et al. , 2006). Seventy percent of infections are reported in six states: Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland and Karnataka.Currently the state of Andhra Pradesh holds the highest prevalence rate (1%) out of the 28 states and out of the high-risk groups in this Andhra Pradesh; the highes t rate is among MSM (17%) (Avert, 2011). In recent years the rate of injection drug users has been increasing in many states and has given HIV an opportunity to spread. One of these states are Punjab in the northeast of India where a third of the population is addicted to drugs and has become one of the world’s leading areas in drug trafficking and usage (Glut, 2011). In the Punjab’s capital city Amritsar, the prevalence rate among IDU’s is as high as 30%.In many states of India drug use has become another concerning phenomenon that is helping with the spread of HIV/AIDS. Although the nation’s prevalence rates of HIV have decreased, it does not mean that the situation is getting better. This disease will continue to claim millions of lives because India does not have the equipment or resources needed in most areas; along with that the taboos, and stigma in India will negatively affect the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS. The way that Indians think ab out HIV/AIDS plays a major role in treatment and prevention efforts.There are many parts of the world where one with HIV/AIDS is able to go to a doctor, friend or family member to get support. In India, this is not the case for the most part. It is a country with a strict social hierarchy and most Indian people still believe in arranged marriages. The people of India stigmatize HIV/AIDS, which often leads to discrimination, denial, humiliation and rejection from family/community and medical staff. HIV/AIDS is not just any disease in India, since it is linked to controversial behaviours HIV/AIDS comes with a lot more baggage than for instance cancer does.HIV/AIDS is extremely under reported due to the many psychological hardships one must face in order to get the help that they need. Currently 50% of people with HIV are aware of their status; people that seek treatment often face traumatizing experiences with the medical staff. The government of India supports voluntary testing howev er, a very high percentage of cases have been reported in which the patient had been tested against their will, which in return would dictate the quality of medical care they would receive.In many cases, individuals have been denied medical services because of their status and people that are HIV+ and belong to a high-risk group face double the discrimination and stigma because they are a part of a controversial group. There is a direct correlation with Indian culture and the identification of HIV/AIDS in India. In order to successfully educate and treat the Indian population we must take into account the very sensitive cultural values of Indian people and customize action plans accordingly. Sex in India is highly discouraged amongst non-married couples and the topic is hushed.Indians greatly value marriage and hold the lowest divorce rate in world (Divorce Mag, 2011). Woman are seen as disgraceful, worthless and disgusting if they engage in sex with a partner before marriage and in most cases are disowned or face harsh consequences for their actions from family members and other social groups. For Indian people it is ideal to have and maintain one sexual partner although woman in India face double standards while men are able to participate in sexual intercourse with multiple partners there for the HIV status of women is highly dependent on the behaviour of their partner(s)/spouse.The taboo of talking about sex publically and sex in general is the main reason for the hardships faced by educators, organizations and other public figures who try to make efforts with the awareness of HIV/AIDS. India is a place where a bar can possibly be shut down if any public display of affection is shown. There can be many explanations for the way Indian people think about sex that date back to the history of the first civilizations and religious texts that may have influenced and shaped the ideology of Indian people today.This is a way of thinking that has existed in India fo r thousands of year and will continue to do so for a very long time. Education and communication is extremely difficult in a place where the population is not willing to listen, Indian people tend to ignore and underestimate HIV/AIDS because they are unwilling to talk about it. Most Indian people are unaware of the facts that in return cause them to link it to unacceptable behaviours creating stigma, discrimination and denial due to lack of knowledge.People are hesitant to expose their HIV status and discuss issues with people. HIV/AIDS has claimed many lives in India, more so then many other parts of the world. The world fact book estimated 170 000 deaths in the year 2009 (ranked third highest in the world). Causality rates of HIV/AIDS related deaths have been decreasing in recent years. Many efforts have been made to prevent the spread of the disease by the government and other organizations yet India ranks as one of the top countries on HIV/AIDS hit list.The people of India have a hard time explaining and discussing the impact that HIV/AIDS has left on their country. People often are surprised and thrown off when they are presented with actual statistics, they see the disease as someone else’s problem with the attitude that it is a disease that infects the â€Å"scum of society† but once they are presented with the statistics they are immediately appalled. Indian youth is continuously encouraged to ignore such topics and refrain from talking about sex by their families.Another interesting issue is the misleading statistics that the government of India presents which understates the real statistics, Indian people lose trust in the government and don’t know which statistics to believe (Drynan, 2001). Indian people that live in poor areas with very low income believe that the spread of infection is mainly because a family member has to migrate to another location for a long period of time to find work and make an income to support his/her family. Since the majority of the population in India is poor, this is the leading explanation that most families will have.Indian people that are HIV + believe that the spread of the disease is linked to the decision of keeping HIV statuses a secret. Some sex workers admit that they do not expose their status to clients in fear of losing their job. Indian people are aware that health care systems need to improve in order to stop HIV/AIDS from spreading. There also a large portion of people who believe in fate and that if someone is infected with HIV/AIDS it is in their fate to die that way. â€Å"In the past I never thought that I would contract such a big disease, or neither would my husband.I had that much faith in him because we wouldn’t do such things. Now I don’t talk to my husband, I don’t know his whereabouts. God gave me this disease, what God metes out, Only God can judge. I have a daughter who is HIV + as well. I feel bad that my child has it but wha t can one do. I have a lot of problems at work, my co-workers tease me and shun me. They do not come near me† Anita who is HIV+ explained her thoughts about her status (Lets Break Through, 2006). Since the creation of antiretroviral therapy (ART/ARV) many lives have been extended and maybe even saved.In India these drugs are becoming more available and the price of these drugs is declining as time goes by how ever not everyone has access to these drugs. Many areas of India where these drugs are needed are poor areas where Doctors refuse to practise due to lack of income available. Many villages do not have access to someone who can administrate these drugs. The main factor is money, these drugs are expensive and many families simply cannot afford them. Recently the government has been focusing on distributing free antiretroviral drugs but it is impossible to reach everyone in need with the available funds.India is also actively manufacturing generic low-cost ARV’s. Out of all the people that need treatment only ? are receiving it (Avert, 2011) and many are not adhering due to high costs of drugs/testing, poor counselling, inadequate understanding and intolerance to drugs. Treatment centres are located in every state where HIV/AIDS is prevalent, screening is voluntary (ideally) and counselling is provided. The types of screening available are: Western blot test, ELISA, viral load test, CD4 count and blood biochemistry.Luckily India has a strong pharmaceutical industry and is taking advantage of it by reaching out to its patients. Another issue is drug resistant people; in Mumbai 18% of newly diagnosed people were resistant to at least one drug (World Bank, 2011) so second-line therapy is required. Another concerning problem is that therapy in India is unstructured. Although these drugs are becoming more available in India, those in need are often denied access by the health care providers. The poor are ignored and usually do not have the funds or t he resources to obtain the drugs. HIV/AIDS Treatment and Prevention in India, 2011) Some other popular alternative traditional therapy in India includes Chinese medicine, Homeopathy, acupuncture and siddha medicine (Life Positive, 2011).The impact that HIV/AIDS will have on India in the future may be devastating if the current trends do not change. Treatment needs to be made more available, Health care providers need to be trained adequately and the general population needs to be educated. Many organizations and government have helped with the control of this epidemic such as promoting condom use are making improvements. Condoms are now used among many sex workers who ecite the policy of â€Å"no condom, no sex† to their customers and this is important because as of today condoms are the single most convenient and effective way of preventing the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. There is no doubt that India is putting resources towards organizations that will pro vide services for the Indian population but this alone is not enough, Indian people themselves will need to accept and face this issue in order to make progress. Since India has a large portion of High-risk groups, there is always going to be danger and opportunity for HIV/AIDS to spread.The rates vary from state to state but World Banks estimates that by 2033 mortality by infectious diseases will increase and of that, AIDS will represent 22% of total deaths. India has economic, cultural and other demographic factors that hamper prevention efforts. Discrimination, denial and stigma will continue to cause damaged relationships, torn families, physical isolation, desertion, economic implications, lower quality of life and death. This disease will continue to control the lives of people that are infected.

Mary Dyer essays

Mary Dyer essays Even before Mary Dyer met her first inspiration of her life, Anne Hutchinson, she wanted to live out her beliefs in God even if she would die in the end. Mary believed that God didnt only speak to the leaders of the churches, the men, but he spoke to everyone no matter if they were male or female. When Mary met Anne she was amazed that a woman had the same overview on how God reached people. A Puritan minister named John Winthrop didnt like the fact that these women joined together and believed what they did. Since Anne was the leader of this, her punishment was death. Mary had a trial and was banned from Massachusetts. Losing her friend didnt make Mary stop carrying out the beliefs her and Anne had together. When Mary took a trip to England she met another important person who made an impact on her life. His name was George Fox. He was the founder of the Quakers. He told Mary that the Puritans didnt go far enough to form Christianity and Gods revelation was free for anyone, male or female. Mary decided to become a Quaker and carry out the beliefs with a new set of people. Despite the laws that were set against the Quakers, Mary still wouldnt stop spreading what she believed. If the Quakers were caught, they would either get their ears cut off, tongue pierced with a hot iron, whipped or even killed. In 1659, Mary and two friends went to Boston, they were arrested and tried for religious beliefs. The sentence for the three Quakers was to be hung. Marys son convinced the governor to let his mother go. She stayed in jail for a little bit and Governor Endecott tried to convince her to give up her Quaker faith. Mary refused and went on with the hanging. She wanted to get her word across to all Puritans. Governor Endecott was afraid that Mary would still get her word across to the people that gathered to watch her hang while they walked to the hanging place. He ordered th...