7 Most Common Mistakes on ACT Math How to Avoid Them

7 Most Common Mistakes on ACT Math How to Avoid Them SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips I've tutored many students on the ACT Math section, and they often found it frustrating. Some struggled because they considered themselves better English students and felt overwhelmed by the content and pacing of ACT Math. Others found that even though they considered themselves strong math students, they had a hard time getting the score they wanted in the ACT Math section. But allthese students typically madethe same types of mistakes. In this article, I’ll go over the seven most common mistakes students make on the ACT Math section and how to avoid them. Mistake #1: Skipping Steps ACT Math questions can be very sneaky.Problems can appear at first glance deceptively easy because they only require you to know basic math topics. However, the ACT questions ask for you to apply this basic knowledge in unique ways and often require you to run through several steps to get to the correct answer.If you don’t write out these steps, you can easilyend up with the wrong answer. For example, check out this ACT Math question: I’m going to admit that the first time I attempted this I got it wrong because I did not write down my steps!Hopefully, you’ll learn from my mistake.Together, we will write out the steps and get to the correct answer. There are 4 questions with 3 possible answers, and only 1 of the 3 answer choices will be correct. Therefore, for each question, Elliott has a ${1}/{3}$ chance of answering correctly.Since there are 4 questions, Elliot’s chances of answering all 4 correctly at random are$({1}/{3})({1}/{3})({1}/{3})({1}/{3})$which equals ${1}/{81}$, so the correct answer is E. Initially, I tried to do this problem in my head without writing any steps down. Because I didn't write anythingdown, Imistakenly thought there were four possible answer choices for each question instead of three. Therefore, I got the wrong answer, ${1}/{256}$. Thankfully, my answer wasn't one of the answer choices, so I caught my mistake, but I would have missed the questionotherwise. Don’t miss problems because you didn’t write out all of the steps.This is arguably the easiest mistake to fix.All you need to do is write out all your steps, and you’ll never accidentally miss a problem because you skipped a step!Learn from my silly mistake! Mistake #2: Forgetting Formulas The ACT doesn’t give you any formulas.However, you’ll need to use a lot of formulas to answer questions in the ACT Math section.You need to know these math formulas to answer the questions correctly.We’ve compiled a complete list of all the formulas you need to know for ACT Math. You need to memorize these formulas.Create flashcards to help you memorize.I cannot stress enough how important memorizing formulas is.You’ll see at least 10 questions (out of 60) on the ACT Math section that you will not be able to answer without knowing formulas. Check out this ACT Math question that you couldn’t answer without knowing the formula: If you didn't have yourtrigonometry formulas memorized (SOHCAHTOA), you would have no idea how to answer this question. It's impossible to answer this question without knowing the formula for the tangent of an angle since that is the value you're trying to find. If you remember your trigonometry formulas, you know that the tangent of an angle is the opposite/adjacent.For this question, you need to find the tangent of angle B.The adjacent side for angle B is 2, which means it is our denominator.This means we can eliminate answer choices H, J, and K. However, you cannot find the final answer without also knowing the formula for thePythagorean Theorem.You need to know the Pythagorean Theorem in order to find the measureof the missing side of the triangle, the opposite side to angle B. Using the Pythagorean Theorem, you can find this missing side measure. $$a^2+b^2=c^2$$ $$a^2+2^2=5^2$$ $$a^2+4=25$$ $$a^2=21$$ $$a=√{21}$$ The opposite side will be $√{21}$, and we know that our adjacent side is 2. The final answer is F, ${√{21}}/{2}$. Mistake #3: Not UnderstandingFunctions Functions tend to be one of the hardest concepts, if not the hardest concept, for most students. Students are usually less familiar with algebraic and/or trigonometric functions than they are with other math concepts such as fractions and percentages. Some students have completely forgotten functions or never learned them in the first place. To master the ACT math section, you need to be a whiz at functions. See this ACT Math function question: To answer this question, you need to know the rules of trigonometric functions andtranslations. You will not be able to answer this question without knowing these rules. You first need to use your knowledge of trigonometric functions to read the graph, and then, you need to apply your knowledge of translations rules to find the final answer. First, you need to be able to identify which function is $sin(x)$ and which is$sin(x+a)+b$ on the graph since they're not identified for you.If you know your trigonometric functions, you know that the y-intercept of$sin(x)$ is 0, meaning the graph of$sin(x)$ crosses through the origin. Therefore, the other functionmust be$sin(x+a)+b$. Once you've correctly identified which function is which, you need to figure out how$y=sin(x)$ was changed to make$y=sin(x+a)+b$, which is where your translation knowledge comes in. Based on the given information in the question, you know the two have the same maximum values, meaning the amplitude was not changed.By looking at the graph you can tell$y=sin(x)$ was shiftedto the left or right to make$y=sin(x+a)+b$, but it was not moved up or down. Since there was no up or down movement, b must equal zero since any change in b would cause$y=sin(x)$ to move up or down. Therefore, the answer must be A, but let's check by figuring out what a should be. Because$y=sin(x)$ repeats itself infinitely, you can shift it either to the left or right to create the new function$y=sin(x+a)+0$.Therefore, $a$ could be positive or negative (for example, ${-3Ï€}/{2}$ or ${Ï€}/{2}$, but it could not equal zero, so A is the correct answer. If you've forgotten functions, then you need to review. You must review all math concepts that you’re rusty on in order to succeed on ACT Math.Lucky for you, we’ve written specific ACT Math content guides to help you study any individual ACT Math content area that you might be struggling with, fromtrigonometric functions totranslations,ratios to rotations, points to probabilities and much more. Mistake #4:Panicking at Unfamiliar Question Formats The ACT sometimes asks questions in strange ways, which can scare a lot of students. I had many students who, even though they'd reviewed all of the math content areas, wouldread the question and rather than trying to figure it out would just freak out and give up. The question below is one that presents an unfamiliar question format. You’ll likely recognize it as an algebra question, and if you were asked to find the solutions forx (had you been given numerical values of m and n), you’d likely know how to answer that question.However, instead, this question tells you the valueof x and asks you to figure out what m and n are. Let’s work through this problem together: If the only possible solution for x is -3, that means the given equation can also be represented as $(x-y)^2=0$.We need to figure out what y is in order to find out what m and n are. If $(x-y)^2=0$, then you can separate it into $(x-y)(x-y)=0$.For this to be true, x-y has to equal 0. $$x-y=0$$ The question told us that the only solution for x is -3, so we plug that in and solve: $$-3-y=0$$ $$-y=3$$ $$y=-3$$ Now that we know the value of y, we plug it back into $(x-y)^2=0$ and then multiply and simplify to figure out what m and n are: $$(x-(-3))^2=0$$ $$(x+3)^2=0$$ $$(x+3)(x+3)=0$$ $$x^2+3x+3x+9=0$$ $$x^2+6x+9=0$$ Therefore, $m=6$, so the answer is C. There is no easy solution to this type of mistake.The only way to learn from this mistake is with practice.ACT Math questions are unlike the math questions you usually see in math class. They are much trickier. I recommend taking as many practice ACT testsas you can in order to get used to the style of ACT math questions.You need to train yourself to be able to solve math questions in this new way. Mistake #5: Solving for the Wrong Value As I just said, ACT Math questions can be tricky.They are tricky not only because they ask you to apply basic skills in new ways but also because they sometimes phrase questions in weird, convoluted ways. Althoughthe ACT is often called the more straightforward test in comparison to the SAT (or at least in comparison to the old SAT),some ACT Math questions are far from straightforward.Take for example this question: The question is basically asking how the surface area will change if you double the length, width and height.However, if you misread the question, you could easilyjump to the incorrect conclusion that the surface area was doubled, and the answer is A. Given the formula for surface area, $A=2lw+2lh+2wh$, if we double $l$, $w$, $h$, the new surface area would be $$SA=2(2l)(2w)+2(2l)(2h)+2(2w)(2h)$$ $$SA=2(4lw)+2(4lh)+2(4h)$$ That can be written as $$SA=4(2lw+2lh+2wh)$$ When that is compared to the original $SA=2lw+2lh+2wh$, you can see it’s 4 times the original, so the answer is B. Take your time.I know you don’t have a lot of time on the ACT Math section, but you need to read each question completely and make sure that you know what you’re being asked.The ACT Math section will always throw you an answer choice that will seem correct if you misread the question.They are trying to tempt you to answer incorrectly.Don’t fall for it! Mistake #6: Incorrectly Using Your Calculator You need to be careful with your calculator.It’s a great tool, but to quote the Spiderman comics, â€Å"With great power comes great responsibility.†It’s very easy to feel rushed during the ACT Math questions, and, in your hurry to find the answer, you type the wrong number(s) into your calculator and, therefore, come to the wrong answer. Now, this is typically one of the better mistakes to make on this list because if you type in the wrong number(s) you’ll likely find no matching answer in the ACT answer choices, and you’ll realize you made a mistake. However, you don’t want to be making this mistake.Even if you catch your mistake because there is no matching answer choice, you’ve still cost yourself valuable time that you could have been using to answer another question.Take the time to check that you’ve copied the numbers into your calculator correctly. Type carefully! Mistake #7: Not Pacing Yourself With only 60 minutes to answer 60 questions, you need to learn to pace yourself. To determineyour pacing, you need to first figure out your target score. The questions progress from easy to hard, so no matter what score you're aiming for always attempt the questions chronologically. If you're aiming for a score higher than 30, then you're going to need to answer all or almost all of the 60 questions. That means you must spend under 1 minute per question on the first 30 questions to save time for the harder end questions. If you're aiming for a score below 30, then you can afford to skip some questions. Determine how many questions you need to answer to reach your score and then pace according to that amount of questions. For example, if you're aiming for 20, then you only need to get 32 math questions right. You can allow yourself a minute and a half per question, and you should attempt the first 40-45 questions and skip the hardest ones at the end. Simply choose a random letter and bubble that in for the ones you skip, since there is no penalty for guessing. I won’t go into detail because we have another great guide on how to stop running out of time on ACT Math and how to take advantage of the easy to hard question order. However, I will say to truly master the pacing you need to take many practice tests under realistic conditions.Don’t give yourself even one extra minute on your practice tests because this can artificially inflate your score. Stick to 60 minutes for the ACT Math section. What’s Next? Now that you know the most common mistakes on ACT Math, you might want to take a look at our specific ACT Math content guides to help you study any individual ACT Math content area that you might be struggling with, from ratios to rotations, points to probabilities. Stuck on an ACT Math problem? We'll show you how to figure out when you're really stuck and what to do about it. Want additional help with ACT Math? Don’t sweat it. We've compiled all ourbest free ACT Math guides into one ultimate ACT math study guide. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Math lesson, you'll love our program.Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands ofpractice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Singapore Economic Essays

Singapore Economic Essays Singapore Economic Essay Singapore Economic Essay Economic Stability Economic stability is a necessity in any country considering the benefits associated with it. In this case study, there have been several factors pointed as the core courses of the economic instability in Singapore. Thus, there is a need for recommendation strategies that can be applied to contain these causes of economic fallout specifically, which should be a responsibility of the Singapore government. Firstly, the government should support the economic growth via encouraging productive capacity. In this sense, the Singapore quality and productivity level of the current labor force, especially in the manufacturing sector, will guarantee boost of the economic and social infrastructure platforms. As a result, the global competitiveness of Singapore is warranted. Economic Challenges Also, although there are reported cases of inflation, the government should consider targeting the whole economy and not dealing with inflation as a single factor. In this sense, the policies that the Singapore government will put in place should be the ones that aim at increasing domestic product before inflation. Hence, this would result in nominal GDP targeting, and subsequently, the economy will be a safe path. Such incentive will cause an expectation to the investors and also consumers of high inflation rates, which they will be likely prepared and consequently forming an encouragement to invest today rather than a future date. Other recommendations that I think are at the disposal of the Singapore government include; implementing fiscal policies that are workable enough to improve the economic state of the country, increase the labor skills of the workers in the various sectors via the use of government subsidies and creation of wage credit scheme and PIC schemes. If all the above recommendations are appropriately implemented, I believe that these economic challenges facing Singapore will be mitigated.

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 14

Management - Essay Example epartment should analyse and integrate the current processes and also the processes like recruitment, retention, employee development, leadership development, performance management systems, workforce planning, business culture etc. Recruitment is the process of placing right people at the right place at the right time whereas retention is the process of retaining the employees with the help of rewards and supporting systems. Employee development means the process of giving proper training to the employees whereas leadership development is the program for developing leadership skills among employees. Performance management systems collect the feedbacks about the employee performances and take appropriate strategies to sustain or improve it. Workforce planning is the effective utilization of the existing manpower and business culture is presenting a positive way of performing. Performance management systems are important both for the employer and the employee. If the employee feels that his performances were taken seriously by the organization, then he will improve his productivity and subsequently the organization will also benefit from that. A well defined performance management system may have elements of employee development, salary review, personal performance and business performance. Organizations can save a substantial amount of money retaining the employees and improving the performances of the employees. Talent management plan can also attract employees from outside also and more over it can help the organization in identifying the type of employees needed, areas needed to be improved and fine tuning of the business philosophies based on the changing trends. Thus both Performance Management System and Talent Management plan can work hand in hand to improve the overall productivity of an organization. The above article has strengthened my understanding about the necessity of performance management and talent management systems in organization. Even

Corporate social responsibility and ethical dilemmas Essay

Corporate social responsibility and ethical dilemmas - Essay Example When organizations are hiring employees, they tend to be concerned on the capability of the employees to follow the company ethics and values. This is because company ethics and values are crucial in decision-making. Managers are concerned with overseeing the day-to-day running of an organization. They are thus required to possess adequate skills on the ethics that characterize local national and global societies. In the recent past, globalization has resulted in increased competitiveness in the corporate sector and change of production from national level to a global one by most companies. With globalization, the corporate sector is increasingly becoming vulnerable to global forces. This has resulted in numerous challenges in corporations, which managers are required to address. Additionally, people and organization have become more concerned and interested in business ethics. This section will focus on the ethical and value challenges that face individuals working in financial sect ors in companies and financial institutions. Additionally, the paper will analyze how the challenges can aid employees in the financial profession to meet their goal of enhancing responsible business operations. ... Actually, there has been increased awareness on business ethics requiring companies to be more vigilant in their operations. Traditionally, companies focused on making profits since theories such as the one suggested by Friedman argued that the sole responsibility of a firm is to increase the shareholders’ value. However, this notion has been changing due to the need for sustainable responsible business (Burchell 2008; Cameron 2002). Ethical issues that may arise in the financial organization are likely to affect all the stakeholders. This is because all stakeholders depend on financial services directly or indirectly. Personal and corporate ethics are a common source of dilemma for professions working in financial management. This is because of the challenges emanating from conflict that may arise due to disparity in personal ethical values and organizational ethics (Klempner 2009). Ethics are fundamental in financial management since they ensure that financial managers are h onest while dealing with financial situation. My career as a financial manager will require me to be honest. Ethics are crucial since finances are closely intertwined with people. One major ethical issue facing banks regards the method to compensate sales driven planners as well as planners. The dilemma is on whether to use commission or fees. Some compensation strategies often result in exploitation of the investor. Whichever the strategy of compensation used leads to ethical issues since the planners have to subordinate their benefits to those of the customers. This ethical issues results in swaying of planners. A good example of a bank that has benefited from corporate social responsibility is Scotiabank. This bank has

Budgeting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Budgeting - Essay Example Robert Worley, a criminal justice professor at Texas pointed out that cutting prison’s amenities would have staggering impacts on the way everything would run in the prison system (Jennings, 2011). Based on the report Worley emphasized that a well fed and inmate that is happy for instance is the one that would have more positive drive to cooperate, making it easy on the part of the prison administrator to manage everything as smooth as possible. The federal government and specifically the states wrestle with the country’s challenging economic times and the criminal justice system has evidently struggled to create the necessary adjustment, so as not to compromise the standard quality service in ensuring the maximum safety of the society (Justice Policy Institute, 2013). One particular initiative in order to maximize the chance of survival is to consider allocating the right budget plan for the associated cost of incarceration. Policies are trying to balance everything, c reating a way and meeting halfway the relevant needs of every concern. Although it is not an assurance that all needs will be well considered, the government is trying to create the most efficient way on how to implement the allocated budget for the prison system without trying to create a high value for discontentment. The above report is of important consideration because it concerns many significant issues. One particular point is the issue about savings and the associated changes with this initiative. This means the government has to understand the value of sacrifice and the advantages and disadvantages linked up with it. It is a matter of understanding whether the associated costs would be far below the advantages to be generated. In the present time by which the US economic standing is currently recuperating, it is definitely hard to keep everything in order just as the way when everything from the past would run smoothly for everyone. Another significant concern is the idea o n how to implement the budget without creating a substantial impact on the entire prison system in Texas. This is a way too hard to employ as some prison experts and advocates would try to promote the idea of humanitarian cause. For instance, Worley tries to point out the idea of small changes and turnover concerns. In issues like this, it is therefore important to come up with a remarkable basis and to weigh things as remarkably as possible for the benefit of everyone and not only for the chosen few. The issue of budget cuts in the prison system is very controversial as there are other relevant issues that could relate in it that in the long run would also create some necessary impacts on the society. The article tries to conclude the report by showing the amount already set up for budget implementation and the associated savings that were generated so far. In other words, the author tried to showcase both sides of the coin and fairly have given the readers the opportunity to asses s the government’s prevailing initiative concerning the associated financial management in the prison system particularly in the state of Texas. Furthermore, the readers would have a better way to grasp the relationships between the small changes and turnover concerns. The author was trying to give us a clear perspective so as to direct us to the appropriate and necessary things to do. The ongoing move to go for budget cuts in th

Multilevel Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Treatment

Multilevel Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy Treatment Comparison between anterior approaches and posterior approaches for the treatment of multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy: a meta analysis Abstract Objective: Both anterior and posterior approaches are used in the treatment of multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy (MCSM) due to spinal stenosis or ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL). However, the optimal strategy remains controversial. To compare the clinical results between the two approaches, a meta-analysis was conducted. Methods: PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane library were searched up to July 2014 without language restriction. The reference lists of selected searches comparing anterior and posterior approaches were screened manually. Subgroup analysis was conducted according to the cause of MCSM. A fixed effect model was used for pool data, and a random effects model for heterogeneous data. Mean difference (MD) and odds ratio (OR) was used for continuous and dichotomous outcomes, respectively. Results: Seventeen articles were selected in this study, all of which were non-randomized controlled trials. There were significant difference between two approaches for post-Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score (MD=1.13, 95% CI=0.41, 1.86), operation time (MD=67.43, 95% CI=16.94, 117.91), post-range of motion (ROM) (MD=1.86, 95% CI=0.61, 3.12), length of stay (MD=-1.54, 95% CI=-2.25, -0.5)and complication rate (OR=2.28, 95% CI=1.52, 3.41). Meanwhile, there were no significant difference for pre-JOA, blood loss, neurological recovery rate, pre-ROM, pre- and post-Nurick grade. Conclusions: Based on this meta-analysis, post-JOA and length of stay are significantly better in the anterior group, but high complication rate and no apparent difference for neurological recovery rate made it necessary to conclude more trials with high quality to further confirm the conclusion. Keywords: multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy; clinical outcomes; meta-analysis Introduction Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is caused by compression of the spinal cord due to degeneration. Spinal stenosis and ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) have been considered as the two common causes of CSM. CSM can be treated by a variety of anterior, posterior, or combined anterior and posterior surgical approaches. The decision to use an anterior or a posterior approach depends on many factors, such as the reason of spinal cord compression, the number of vertebral segments, cervical alignment, and the surgeon’s familiarity with the techniques1. Anterior approaches usually include anterior cervical corpectomy with fusion (ACCF) and cervical discectomy with fusion (ACDF), whereas the typical posterior approaches involve laminectomy and laminoplasty2. Anterior decompression and fusion has been successfully used for CSM involving one or two levels3, 4. But failures will be observed when three or more levels are involved (multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy, MCSM) with anterior approaches5, 6. Compared with anterior approaches, posterior strategies provide an indirect canal decompression by allowing the spinal cord to float away from ventral compression. The disadvantages of posterior approach were also noted, for example, neck pain, loss of lordotic curvature, segmental instability, and late neurologic deterioration7. Although many studies comparing the two approaches have been done, the optimal approach providing satisfactory decompression remains to be determined. No systematic analysis of the two approaches in the treatment of MCSM has been published yet. In order to provide a basis for selecting, a meta-analysis of clinical results of anterior approaches compared with posterior approaches for patients with MCSM was performed. Materials and methods Literature search The authors searched multiple databases, includingPubMed, Embase and The Cochrane library up to June 11, 2014 without language restriction. Additionally, the reference lists of selected searches and related articles that not yet included in the electronic database were screened manually. The searching strings were (1) myelopathy or cervical spondylosis or cervical vertebrae or cervical stenosis; (2) Corpectomy or anterior cervical discectomy or anterior decompression or ventral; (3) laminoplasty or laminectomy or posterior decompression or dorsal, with the operator â€Å"AND†. Literature screening Articles were reviewed according to the following criteria: (1) The researches were designed as randomized controlled trials, case-control studies or cohort studies; (2) Patients with multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy (MCSM) due to spinal stenosis or ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL); (3) The anterior approaches group was treated by anterior cervical canal decompression; (4) The posterior approaches group was treated by posterior cervical canal decompression; (5) The outcomes was clinical endpoint, like neurological recovery rates, Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score, range of motion (ROM), Nurick grade, complication rate, operation time, blood loss, and length of stay in hospital. Also, there are five exclusion criteria for literature screening. These were: (1) The cases followed up less than one year; (2) Patients with MSCM were caused by tumors, trauma, soft disk herniation, or previous surgery; (3) Patients without MSCM; (4) Researches without control; (5) non-nature literatures, such as reviews, letters and comments. Data extraction and studies quality assessment Two investigators respectively assessed each potentially eligible study and then extracted data from the included studies. Disagreements were resolved through discussion. The information extracted including the author, publication year, area, ages, sex, number of patients, follow-up period, surgical methods and outcomes. Furthermore, We used the Cochrane8 for assessing the quality of randomized studies, and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS)9 for nonrandomised sudies or cohort studies. respectively. Statistical analysis The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the divergence of all outcomes, and all analyses were performed by RevMan5.2 software. Weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for Continuous variables, while Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CI were calculated for dichotomous data. Statistic heterogeneity was identified using chi-square test and I2 test. If P2 >50%, which indicated heterogeneity exists among all results, random effects model was applied. If P≠¥0.05 or I2 ≠¤50%, which indicated heterogeneity, the fixed effects model was selected10. The publication bias was tested by constructing a funnel plot. Results Search results A flow diagram of the literature search and study selection was shown in fig.1. Basing on the aforementioned criteria, we searched 1216, 1710, and 13 articles from PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library respectively. A total of 2234 articles were remained after excluding duplicate publications. And a total of 2191 articles that mismatched the included criteria were excluded after screening titles and abstracts. Therefore, a total of 43 articles were identified. Of these, sixteen articles were excluded after reading the abstracts: ten articles did not compare the effects between anterior approaches and posterior approaches and six articles were reviews. Ten articles were excluded for the following reasons: two articles were not about multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy, one was self-controlled study, four were about MCSM due to soft disc herniation, and three articles did not have statistic data. Manual search of references did not find any additional articles. As a result, a total of 17 articles1, 6, 11-25 were identified for the Meta analysis. Baseline characteristics As shown in Table 1, seventeen studies were included for our meta analysis. Patients with MSCM in 10 studies1, 11, 12, 15, 17, 19-21, 24, 25 were caused by spinal stenosis, and 5 studies6, 13, 14, 18, 23 were caused by ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL), two studies16, 22 caused by both types above. The articles were published from 1992 to 2013. The mean ages ranged from 51.8 to 66.8 years old. The sample size, gender ratio, follow-up period, and surgical methods of each study are listed in Table 1. All studies included were non-randomized controlled trails. The qualities of all studies were assessed using Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOQAS). The scale for non-randomized controlled trails and cohort studies was used to allocate a maximum of 9 points for the quality of selection (4), comparability (1), and exposure (3) or outcomes (3). As shown in supplement table 1, five studies scored 7 points and twelve scored 8 points. Hence, all studies were of a relatively high quality. Clinical outcomes The main outcomes in this Meta analysis were preoperative JOA score, postoperative JOA score, operation time, blood loss, complication rate and neurological recovery rates. According to patients type, studies were divided into three subgroups: subgroup spinal stenosis, subgroup OPLL, subgroup spinal stenosis and OPLL. The results of heterogeneity for preoperative JOA score was P=0.21, I2=22%, indicating no heterogeneity. So the fixed-effects model was selected and MD was 0.39 (95% CI =0.09, 0.69, P=0.01) (Fig. 2). However, except subgroup spinal stenosis and OPLL had significantly differences, the other two subgroups had no significantly differences in the preoperative JOA. By contrast, there has a statistically significance in the postoperative JOA score (MD=1.13, 95% CI =0.41, 1.86) among the three subgroups. But both subgroup spinal stenosis and subgroup OPLL showed apparent heterogeneity (Fig. 3). We also analyzed operation time, blood loss, complication rate for subgroup OPLL and subgroup spinal stenosis, respectively. Comparison of operation time and blood loss of the two subgroups showed that subgroup spinal stenosis had heterogeneity but not for subgroup OPLL. The operation time for both subgroups had statistically significance (MD=67.43; 95% CI =16.94, 117.91), while blood loss did not (MD=52.43; 95% CI =-79.8, 184.66) (Fig. 4, Fig. 5). Furthermore, when we compared the two subgroups we found the following results. The complication rate of subgroup spinal stenosis was significantly higher in the anterior approaches than in posterior approaches (OR=2.60; 95% CI =1.63, 4.15; P2=38%), while subgroup OPLL was not significant (Fig. 6). The neurological recovery rates compared among three subgroups showed no significantly difference (MD=11.85, 95% CI=0.86, 22.84) (Fig. 7). Since few studies was reported, secondary outcomes like pre- and postoperative range of motion (ROM) , pre- and postoperative Nurick grade and length of stay are listed in table 2. Only postoperative ROM (MD=1.86, 95% CI=0.61, 3.12) and length of stay (MD=-1.54, 95% CI= -2.59, -0.50) showed significant difference (P=0.04). there were no statistical difference in pre-ROM, pre- and postoperative Nurick grade between anterior and posterior approaches. Publication bias A variety of clinical outcomes had been calculated, funnel plots only for preoperative JOA score and postoperative JOA score were displayed. As shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, all studies were within the confidential intervals and the shape of the funnel plots revealed symmetric distribution, which suggested there were no significant publication bias. Discussion The surgical treatment for cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) has been studied for a long time. Anterior approaches have been widely accepted as an effective and reliable method for the treatment of CSM. but which surgical strategy should be selected for the treatment of multilevel cervical spondylotic myelopathy (MCSM) remains controversial and challenge. Therefore, we had compared the clinical outcomes of anterior and posterior approaches in the treatment of MCSM due to spinal stenosis or OPLL. In this study, we searched the PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane library and found 17 articles comparing anterior and posterior approaches for treatment of MCSM. According to NOQAS, all included studies had high quality. And a meta-analysis was performed to determine which surgical treatment is more effective. Based on the cause of MCSM, the studies were divided into three subgroups: subgroup spinal stenosis, subgroup OPLL, subgroup spinal stenosis and OPLL. For the clinical results, there was significant difference in preoperative JOA scores in subgroup spinal stenosis and subgroup OPLL. Postoperative JOA scores was better in the anterior group compared with posterior group. This results show that the groups had similar baseline neural function, and the postoperative neural function condition was better in anterior group. Authors selected operation time and blood loss for meta analysis to estimate surgical trauma. In our study, the operation time was significant difference between the two groups, while blood loss had no statistically significance. This suggests that surgical trauma in anterior group was higher than that inposterior group in the treatment of MCSM. In addition, the post-ROM was better in posterior group while length of stay was shorter in anterior group. The preoperative ROM, pre- and post-Nurick grad did not differ significantly between the two groups. In the meta-analysis of neurological recovery rate, significant heterogeneity was found between the studies. Subsequent subgroup analysis was similar for the three subgroups. Complication rate was selected to evaluate complication-related outcomes by some authors. And they found a significantly higher incidence of complications in anterior group compared with the posterior group. Our analysis showed the same results. Subsequent subgroup analysis showed the complication rate of anterior group was higher in subgroup spinal stenosis. This suggests that the anterior approaches were associated with a higher incidence of complications for the treatment of MCSM. There are limitations in our study. First, all studies included in the meta-analysis were non-randomized controlled trails. Second, only few studies were included to evaluate pre- and post-ROM either in subgroup OPLL or subgroup spinal stenosis and OPLL. Therefore, it is necessary to include more prospective and randomized controlled trials with high quality to provide more data on the clinical results of both procedures. Hence, though anterior approaches seems have better clinical outcomes compared with posterior approaches in our study, we could not draw a strong conclusion about which strategy is preferred to the treatment of MCSM due to spinal stenosis or OPLL. Conclusions On the basis of the meta-analysis of anterior approaches and posterior approaches for the treatment of MCSM, we can conclude that the clinical outcomes of anterior approaches are superior to posterior approaches for post-JOA, length of stay, the outcomes blood loss, neurological recovery rate are equivalent between two groups. Because of the existing limitations of the study, future studies with high quality are needed for update meta-analysis in order to evaluate the strategy for MCSM treatment.

Formation of the Greek Empire :: essays research papers

"Our constitution is called a democracy because power is in the hands not of a ministry but of the whole people." Pericles was one of the many people who helped shape Ancient Greece to what we know of it today. The famous Greek Empire has bits and pieces from each ruler or group of people who once occupied it: the Mycenaean's, Dorian's, Pericles, Phillip 2, and Alexander the Great. In ancient times, Greece wasn't a united country but more of a group of lands where Greek-speaking people lived. Around 2000.B.C. the Mycenaean?s settled on the Greek mainland seeking to form a civilization. Already having the geography provide to the Greek culture, they put in many ideas and developed a writing system with the help of the Minoans, a group of people who were native to the Greek mainland. They fought a ten-year war against Troy known as the Trojan War. Although they were victorious, the weakened civilization collapsed and a new group of people, the Dorian?s took Greece into what is known as the Dark Age of Greece. Being less advanced than the Mycenaean?s, the writing system was dropped and a new way to tell history was formed through word or epics. Two major city-states or polis formed: Athens and Sparta. Athens developed a limited Democracy, which was ruled by the people through representatives. This proved to be most efficient because all people were treated equal ly. Its was kept under control with a set of laws that harshly punished citizens for even the simplest crimes created by Draco in 621B.C. Solon came into power in 594 B.C., and took out Dracos? wicked methods by making four social classes based on wealth and abolishing debt slavery. Around 500 B.C., Cleisthenes created the Council of Five Hundred in which council members were randomly chosen by only citizens could be in a limited democracy. He also rearranged the social classes formed by Solon into ten groups based on where a citizen lived rather on wealth. Education in Athens was only given to males and when they became of age they then went on to serve in the military. Athens honored cultural things such as art and literature. Sparta was a military state run by an oligarchy government or rule by a small group of citizens based on wealth. Social order in Sparta consisted of citizens, noncitizens and helots. Sparta had the strongest army in Greece.

Policies and Procedures for Promoting Positive Behaviour

Policies and procedures for promoting positive behaviour Policy/procedure |Summary | | | | | |Self esteem | | | | | |Valuing each child’s individuality, | | |Believing that children are capable of making choices, accepting responsibility and acting accordingly, | |Behaviour policy |Providing opportunities for success, | | |Viewing success in terms of personal progression rather than being in competition with others, | | |Praising achievements, | | |Promoting the acceptance of others, | | |Clearly demonstrating that we value their work, | | |Building into the curriculum activities which develop the child’s ability to express his/her feelings, through the sharing circle, co-operative games | | |and Drama. | | | | | |Physical environment | | | | |Attractive, comfortable well-resourced and well managed classrooms, | | |Displays of children’s work to show it is highly valued, | | |Tidy and accessible resources demonstrate that children are trusted to organis e themselves for work and that they know how to use and care for things. | | | | | | | | | | |Classroom management | | | | | |Work must be matched to their ability so that success is possible for all, | | |Children must know what they are doing and why, | | |Classroom rules are devised by children themselves to ensure standards of behaviour, | | |Rules should be few in number, prominently displayed and referred to often, | | |We must set high standards, praise quickly and consistently – looking out for and rewarding good behaviour, | | |We must be firm, fair and supportive, | |Know children as individuals, to be active listeners, to refer to the behaviour rather than the child, | | | | | |Be polite to everyone | |Code of conduct |Talk quietly and listen carefully | | |Always tell the truth | | |Treat others as you would wish them to treat you | | |Be patient and wait your turn | | | | |Rewards and sanctions |House points | | | | | |The children can earn house poi nts for:- | | | | | |Quality of work Good Behaviour | | |An excellent piece of work Being polite, etc. | |An improving piece of work | | | | | |Dinner Supervisors Stickers | | | | | |Dinner supervisors can award stickers for good behaviour during lunchtime. | | | | | | | |Barney Stickers | | | | | |This is Crooksbarn School’s main method of rewarding positive behaviour. It is used by the class teacher throughout the school and indicates | | |excellent standards of work and/or behaviour by a child. Only 1 may be awarded each day, the children can wear them for 1 day then they are | | |transferred to a collecting chart displayed in the classroom.Once the child has succeeded in gaining 3 ‘Barnies’ he/she is awarded a ‘Head Teacher’s| | |Barney that is presented by the Head Teacher at the whole school assembly on Monday Mornings. An additional award is given out by the Head Teacher to| | |any child who has gained 9 ‘Barnies’ during the course of the school year | | | | | |Get rid of anyone not involved in the conflict as violence thrives on witnesses. | |Don’t put yourself at risk, alert colleagues, enlist their help. | |Dealing with conflict and inappropriate behaviour |Asses a situation first. | | |Be calm, don’t take it personally. | | |Use verbal intervention first. | | |It may be worse to add another person to a gang situation, if it cannot be sorted out and the conflict/inappropriate behaviour goes out of your | | |control call another member of staff and in the worse case scenario call the police. | | | | |Positively encourage the caring and nurturing side of children whilst openly and actively discourage bullying | | |Work for a caring, cooperative ethos (home corner, paired, group work etc. ) | |Anti-bullying |Discuss friendships – this should be covered through PSHE and citizenship scheme of work. However, children should receive regular reminders of this. | | |Ensure adequa te supervision in playgrounds. | |Value and encourage being different and having high self-esteem. | | | | | | | | |Helping to create a pattern of regular attendance is everybody’s responsibility, parents, pupils and all members of school staff, | |Attendance |To help us focus on this we will report to arents/carers annually on their child’s attendance with the annual school report, | | |Contact the parent/carer if their child’s attendance falls below the school’s target for attendance, | | |Celebrate good attendance by displaying individual and class achievements, | | |Reward good or improving attendance through class competitions, certificates and outings/events. | | |Every half-day absence from school has to be classified by the school (not the parents), as either AUTHORISED or UNAUTHORISED.This is why | | |information about the cause of any absence is always required, | | |Any periods of leave taken without the agreement of the school, or in excess of that agreed, will be classed as unauthorised and may attract sanctions| | |such as a Penalty Notice. | | |The minimum level of attendance for any child at Crooksbarn School is 90% attendance |

Hitcher and Before you were mine Essays

Hitcher and Before you were mine Essays Hitcher and Before you were mine Paper Hitcher and Before you were mine Paper Hitcher is about a persona who has is under the weather, meaning he is unwell; however he is being put under lots of pressure in his work place. This makes him feel very frustrated. We sympathise this character because it is written in 1st person narrative, making it personal and we become personally involved. We feel empathy. This occurs in the first word of the poem Id. The third line is italicised to indicate that this is not what the persona is saying but his boss/manager. Plus, the word fired is short and this emphasises the word to show seriousness and that there is no negotiation. As a result, we feel sympathy for him and the pressure the man is under. However, when he picks up the Hitcher we are able to see contrast in the two characters. For instance, the persona is trapped under societys law and he has many worries especially about work, but the Hitcher is the entire opposite. The Hitchers character is totally contradictory to the persona since he is free and has much more relaxed lifestyle. But, this caused major jealousy because the Hitcher does not have any care in the world, so he let him have it. He uses this colloquial term to some up what he was doing in a pleasant way, this reflects his lack of remorse and that he is reassuring himself that he hasnt done anything wrong. This disgusts us and gives us a shock because the whole attitude of this persona has changed. We sense the mans anger and violence especially because he hit him six times with a krooklok. We are shocked by this because this is an excessive number. Also, the horrific image of a man bouncing off the kerb in stanza 4 was astounding because this shows the violence of how hard he was pushed and the speed of the car. Use of irony and sarcasm was used as well because the hitchhiker said he liked the breeze when he got kicked out of the car. He didnt throw the guy out of the car to do him a favour as suggested. This device is basically is mocking him because this man is seriously disturbed. Finally, the last stanza reminds us of a weather man as he says the day was moderate. This is a tone of an ordinary weather forecast, the reason why he said this s that all his anger is drained out. This is very disturbing because has no remorse and he can switch off his sub conscious just like that. Carol Ann Duffy Before You Were Mine Subject It is about a girl (Duffy) who wanted her fun bold girl winking mum back. Meaning It is about that the loss of glamour and youth, as we get older. It is a process we all go through and cannot change. Especially, children will change everything because parents have a lot more responsibility. However, not all is lost, as we are able to see this as Duffys mother teach her the steps on the way home from Mass of the Cha cha cha! Imagery there is a lot of visual imagery in this poem, as she is looking through the photo alum. It is a poem inspired by an image, by a photograph. The poet cannot fully connect with, cannot fully experience, the world of the young mother because of this. But she does reflect to her past memorise of her in those high heeled red shoes, relics. Language The poet uses first person pronouns such as my and mine which is very possessive, to show possession and ownership of the mother, because she is a child. We get the sense of the demands a small child puts on a mother. She also uses a Rhetorical Question the decade ahead of my loud possessive yell was the best one, eh? she is using sarcasm here, because clearly we know that this is was not the best one. The reason why she uses this is because there is a sense of regret from the poet, because she stopped her from being that bold winking girl. Emotion/Effect The effect of these language devices makes us feel as if the poet is selfish and we somewhat feel sorry for her because from the all these language devices we can gather that she is has an insecure character because she expresses her ownership and somewhat feels bad for her mother as if it is her fault, but it really wasnt because all children are possessive.

Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) Essays

Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) Essays Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) Paper Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) Paper Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   TDD is a â€Å"terminal device used widely by deaf people for text communication over telephone lines† (Computer Dictionary Online). According to the computer dictionary, the acronym TDD is sometimes expanded as Telecommunication Display Device but is generally considered to be derived from Telecommunications Device for the Deaf.† It was indicated that the deaf usually prefer the term â€Å"TTY† (short for teletypewriter) instead of â€Å"TDD† (Computer Dictionary Online).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A regular TDD device is about the size of a small laptop computer with a QWERTY keyboard and small screen that uses LEDs or an LCD screen to display typed text electronically (Computer dictionary Online). TDDs also have a small spool of paper on which text is printed. The text is transmitted live to a compatible device via a telephone line (wikipedia.org).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     According to the World Health Organization, â€Å"hearing impairment refers to complete or partial loss of the ability to hear from one or both ears. The level of impairment can be mild, moderate, severe or profound.† People with hearing impairment has problems with communication. They have trouble understanding speeches and detecting danger. They dont have access to long distance communication without the aid of a special device. They also have problems with access to emergency services. To address this issue, the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) was implemented to provide people who have severe speech or hearing disabilities equal access to emergency services.   It allows direct access to 9-1-1 using TTYs, TDDs and computer modems (Brown).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The TDD allows the users to communicate by text messages that each party alternately sends via a keyboard (Brown). This makes it is a very useful tool for those with a hearing impairment. Jeryl Lynn Brown, an instructor and coordinator at the Specialized Sheriffs Center, pointed out four ways in which a TTY/TDD call may be received (Brown). They are as follows: a. Electronic tone. The caller may alert you that you are receiving a TTY/TDD call by pressing the space bar on their machine. This electronic tone identifies the TTY/TDD call. b. In most cases, a TTY/TDD call will be a silent call. All silent calls should be treated as potential TTY/TDD calls. c. Synthesized voice. May serve as an alert to the call taker that the call is coming from a TTY/TDD. d. A relay announcement may come in, which serves to notify the call taker that the call is from a TTY/TDD or computer modem. In addition to this, the TDD could be used to place calls to a Telecommunications Relay Service (TRS). The TRS â€Å"allows a TTY/TDD user and a traditional telephone user to communicate through the telephone network via a communication assistant who serves as a conduit to relay information between the parties† (Brown). It is not advisable for those who have hearing disabilities to use this service in the case of an emergency, due to the delay that may be caused in relaying the information (Brown).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   J.L. Brown pointed out some issues and risks regarding the use of this device. The first issue worth mentioning is that members of the speech and hard of hearing communities usually do not converse frequently with persons outside of their communities. As a result, several problems can occur when communicating with this special population. The second issue is that the user may not be very familiar with the TTY/TDD machine. This could lead to slow communications and to an increased distress level of the caller. The third issue is that the caller cannot be interrupted while they are transmitting. This would pose a problem if they are transmitting long and unnecesary messages. The fourth issue is based on the clarity of communication. The language of a person with a hearing impairment is not based on English syntax word order because English is only their second language. As a result, their sentences will not be grammatically correct. The last issue that needs to be addressed is that a telecommunicator should avoid using English idioms such as hold, stay on the line or passed out. This is because the hard of hearing and speech-impaired people may not be familiar with slang and expressions, and may end up taking it literally.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Before the invention of the TTY/TTD, there was no other device that provided the same type of service for the deaf and the hard of hearing. The use of instant long distance communication was a problem for them. The only popular options are amplifier devices such as amplifier handsets (for public phones), telephone handsets, and portable amplifiers that can be used to boost up the volume of telephones (Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, 2001). References Brown, J.L. (N.D.). What is TTY and TDD? Retrieved December 26, 2007 from North    Carolina Justice Academy database (NCJA). Computer Dictionary Online. (2007). Telecommunications Device for the Deaf. Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   December 26, 2007 from Computer-Dictionary-Online.org database. DiPietro, L., Williams, P., Kaplan, H. (2001). Alerting and Communicating Devices for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People- Whats Available Now. Retrieved December 26,    2007 from   Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center database. Wikipedia. (2007, December 22). Telecommunications Device for the Deaf. Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   December 26, 2007 from Wikipedia.org database.

Capitalism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Capitalism - Assignment Example Various companies reduced their labour force while others fully shut down leading to massive loss of employment. The economic depression led to loss of business and closing down of many businesses, which led to decline in tax revenues. Many organizations and individuals were also unable to pay their taxes, which made things worse. Prices of goods and services also declined, and profits not witnessed. Crop production fell with most farms affected by drought, which saw the fall in crop prices. The hardships witnessed and non-remittance of taxes forced people out of their homes creating a situation of homelessness. Situation of unemployment and homelessness seriously affected the poor in the society. The economic activities in many countries were markedly affected with many sectors facing problems. Construction industry in many countries slowed and even stopped owing to materials and labor force needed. Farming in a rural setting was also affected by drought and financial inability. Farmers were not able to pay off debt accrued from production expenses due to poor production and fall in crop prices. Among the sectors affected is the mining and logging sectors, which faced drastic, negative effects due to decline in demand for its products, most were forced to cut down on their activities with others closing up, which further affected unemployment. The ending of the great depression was witnessed by different countries at different times, but it was with the advent of WWII. There is believe that government spending in the war stimulated the economies of various nations. The war required production of various products to be used in the war and agricultural goods to be consumed. The sourcing of labor to participate in the war aided in solving the unemployment problem. Women and men who did not participate in the war also got the opportunity to work in the local industries (Maddison, 2007).

Effect of E-Business on Marketing Strategies Case Study

Effect of E-Business on Marketing Strategies - Case Study Example Amazon.com becomes the first mover in the e-retailing market proposing a wide product range to diverse customer targets. E-business allows the company to connect customer service and good levels, increases customer satisfaction and decreases retention artistries. The main strategy is a virtual bookshop which helps the company to promote and sell its products to customers. Similar to traditional marketing, a virtual bookshop allows customers to review product details and analysis, read about the main characteristics and qualities. In contrast to traditional marketing, a customer sees only an image of the product. Following Archer et al (2002) "Various information systems can be used to process transactions, collect and analyze data. Technology-based tools have helped marketers perform their marketing strategies more efficiently and effectively in the traditional marketplace" (73). In contrast to traditional marketing, Amazon.com proposes a greater range of titles to choose from. Customers have twenty-four-hour access to book, table of contexts and reviews. They can order the book from any parts of the world and at comparatively low price. Also, e-business allows Amazon to establish a competitive price through lower transaction costs. Customer service therefore plays a pivotal role in e-business. Getting this role right, and to a standard of expertise that is superior to that of competitors and sustainable in the longer term, requires an in-depth understanding of the nature and nuance of customer service. Knowing customers means closing the loop between the messages sent to them and the messages they send back. The personalization of the service allows Amazon to create a core of brand supporters and increase its sales. Core information builds and provides access to the books catalogue (Turban et al 2004). The customer database also provides added-value informa tion. Core handling and processing maintains payment services between the company and its customers whether they be readers, publishers, resellers or authors. This function also covers shipping and delivery administration. From this configuration, the process of publishing and book selling became much more dynamic than the linear model that was the traditional industry model. The Internet has allowed each party in the process to interact with each other with more intensity (www.amazon.com). In contrast to traditional marketers, Amazon has wide possibilities to gather information about target groups and is able to make customer-specific recommendations, analyze their demands and needs. The customer database is used as a marketing tool in targeting existing customers and pursuing potential new ones. Amazon services (web-site and delivery service) are accessible for a large number of households and individuals. Delivering content gives more detailed information on an offer and goods; enabling transaction leads direct to a sale. Shaping attitudes can help build brand awareness, and solicit response. An advertisement may be intended to identify new leads or as a start for two-way communication (Archer et al 2002). In these cases an interactive advertisement may encourage a use to type in an e-mail address. In contrast to tra