Power Relations in the Oil Supply Chain

AIDS Cases Article Essays

AIDS Cases Article Essays AIDS Cases Article Paper AIDS Cases Article Paper Somewhere among the million children who go to New Yorks publicly financed schools is a seven-year-old child suffering from AIDS. A special health and education panel had decided, on the strength of the guidelines issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control, that the child would be no danger to his classmates. Yet, when the school year started on September 9th, several thousand parents in two school districts in the borough of Queens kept their children at home. Fear of plague can be as pernicious, and contagious, as the plague itself(Fear of dying 1). This article was written in 1985. Since then much has been found out about AIDS. Not enough for a cure though. There probably will be no cure found in the near future because the technology needed is not available. AIDS cases were first identified in 1981,in the United States. Researchers have traced cases back to 1959. There are millions of diagnosed cases worldwide, but there is no cure (Drotman 163). There are about a million people in the United States who are currently infected with HIV (HIV/AIDS 1). It infects the population heavily in some areas of the country and very lightly in other areas. No race, sex, social class, or age is immune (AIDS Understanding 10). AIDS has killed more Americans than the Vietnam War, which killed 58,000(AIDS Understanding 10). AIDS stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Acquired means that it is not hereditary or introduced by medication. Immune indicates that it is related to the bodys system that fights off disease. Deficiency represents the lack of certain kinds of cells that are normally found in the body. Syndrome is a group of symptoms and signs of disordered function that signal the diagnoses (Hyde 1). You dont catch AIDS, you catch HIV. HIV is the virus that leads to AIDS. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency virus. HIV severely damages a persons disease fighting immune system. There are two viruses that cause AIDS. They belong to a group called retroviruses. The first virus is HIV-1. It was isolated by researchers in France in 1983, and in the U.S. in 1984. In 1985, the second one was identified by scientists in France. It is closely related to HIV-1. It is called HIV-2. HIV-2 mainly occurs in Africa but HIV-1 occurs throughout the world(Drotman 163). There are three stages of the infection. The first stage is acute retroviral syndrome and asymptomatic period. This is the flulike or mononucleosislike illness that most people get within 6-12 weeks after becoming infected. It usually goes away without treatment. From this point on the persons blood tests positively for HIV. The second stage is symptomatic HIV infection. This is when the infected persons symptoms show up. It can last anywhere from a few months to many years. The third and final stage is AIDS. This is when the immune system is severally damaged and the opportunistic diseases set in. The progressive breakdown of the immune system leads to death, usually within a few years. HIV causes a severe wasting syndrome. A general decline in the health and in some cases, death. The virus infects the brain and the nervous system. It may cause dementia, a condition of sensory, thinking, or memory disorder. Infection of the brain may cause movement or coordination problems (Drotman 164). HIV can be present in the body for two to twelve years without any outward sign of illness. It can be transmitted to another person even if no symptoms are present (Drotman 164). When HIV picks up speed, a variety of symptoms are possible. The symptoms include unexplained fever, fatigue, diarrhea, weight loss, enlarged lymph glands, loss of appetite, yeast infections of the mouth and vagina, night sweats lasting longer than several weeks, breathing difficulties, a dry cough, sore throat caused by swollen glands, chills, and shaking (Quackenbush 23). Pink or purple, flat or raised blotches or bumps occurring under the skin, inside the mouth, nose, eyelids or rectum are also symptoms. They resemble bruises, but dont disappear. They are usually harder than the skin around them. White spots or unusual blemishes in the mouth is another symptom (Quackenbush 24). There are two illnesses that commonly affect AIDS patients. One is a type of pneumonia called pneumocystis carinii. The other one is a type of cancer called kaposis sarcoma, which attacks the skin (What are HIV/AIDS 1). Pneumocystis carinii is a yeast infection in the esophagus. It causes severe pain when swallowing which results in weight loss and dehydration. It is the leading cause of death among AIDS patients. Kaposis sarcoma are tumors that look like bruises, but grow. These two diseases plus many other are called opportunistic diseases. For decades cases declined in the U.S. until the mid-1980s. Since the mid-80s cases are growing especially in HIV infected people. People with AIDS eventually contract atleast one of the opportunistic diseases. These are the diseases that AIDS patients usually die from (Drotman 164). HIV is transmitted three ways. One way is through unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex. The most risky is anal sex because the anus doesnt stretch. Therefore, it is easier for the skin to tear and bleed. This makes it easier for the infection to get into the bloodstream. It can get soaked up by the mucous membranes that line the vagina, rectum, hole in the tip of the penis, mouth, and the throat (Johnson 17). The second way is through direct contact with infected blood. There are a couple ways of getting it through direct contact with infected blood. One way is by sharing a hypodermic needle with someone who is infected. A tiny drop of infected blood stays inside the needle and syringe. So if a person uses it he or she is actually shooting the infected blood directly into his or her bloodstream. That little droplet of infected blood is enough to give you HIV. Sharing needles for skin-popping can spread HIV in the same way. This way a person is more likely to get infections such as abscesses. A person can also get HIV from sharing other drug works with someone who is infected. Containers or cookers such as spoons or bottle caps, crackpipes, cotton, or water for dissolving drugs or rinsing syringes are some of the works. It doesnt matter what a person is shooting in the needle-heroin, cocaine, speed, steroids, insulin, or any other drug. If a person shares a needle or works with someone who has HIV, he or she could get infected too(Johnson 20). Another way is through a blood transfusion. Chances of getting HIV through a blood transfusion in the U.S. are now very low, but still possible. Testing began in 1985, of all blood and plasma that is donated. The tests that doctors use are over 99% accurate. Blood is destroyed if signs of the virus show up in the donated blood. Therefore, it is almost impossible to get infected through a blood transfusion. Before 1985, some people became infected through infected blood and certain blood products. In the U.S. every piece of equipment used to draw blood is brand new. It is only used once and then it is destroyed. Therefore it is impossible for a donor to get HIV from giving plasma or blood(HIV/AIDS 2). The third way of getting HIV is an infected woman transmitting it to her fetus or baby. A pregnant woman with HIV can pass the virus to her child before or after birth. The way this happens is the fetus gets nourishment from its mother through the placenta and the umbilical cord. That is one of the ways. The other way is through breast feeding(Johnson 24). The only way to stem the spread of infection remains the public health approach, educating people on how to avoid infection or educating the infected people on how to avoid infecting someone else. There are many ways to prevent the transmission and spread of AIDS. A person has to be aware, because most people who are infected dont know they are(Nichols 3). One way to prevent infection is to not engage in the act of sexual intercourse with anyone who is or might be infected. If someone is going to , then he or she should atleast use a latex condom. It is medically proven that latex condoms can help to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. HIV can not pass through the intact rubber film. It is almost impossible to catch the virus if the condom is used properly. This means using a good quality condom, one with the kite mark, with a spermicide. The condom itself can kill the virus(HIV/AIDS 2). Condoms dont completely eliminate the risk of being infected because they can tear, break, or slip off. Birth control pills and diaphragms will not protect a person or his or her partner from getting HIV either(HIV/AIDS 4). Drug users should seek professional help to stop doing drugs. They should never share hypodermic needles, syringes, or other injection equipment. Azidothymidine, commonly known as AZT, may reduce the risk of an infected woman transmitting it to her fetus or baby. Also, infected women should not breast feed their infants, since HIV can be present in the breast milk of an infected woman(Drotman 164). There are a number of things that a person can not get HIV from, that people are skeptical about. A person can not get AIDS from handshakes, hugs, coughs, sneezes, sweat, tears, mosquitoes, or other insects, pets, eating food prepared by someone else, or just being around an infected person. A person cant get it from sharing a cigarette, cigar, or pipe, drinking from the same fountain, or from someone spitting on him or her. A person also cant get it from using the same swimming pools, toilet seats, phones, computers, straws, spoons, or cups. Although the virus has been found in saliva, medical opinion states there is no evidence of contamination through wet kissing(What are HIV/AIDS 1). HIV is not spread through the air or water, unlike many other viruses(HIV/AIDS 2). No one has ever caught AIDS by going to a physician or an eye doctor who has treated AIDS patients. No one has ever caught AIDS by eating in a restaurant where AIDS patients have been, nor by sharing a dwelling in which AIDS victims live. No one has caught AIDS by working, studying, or playing with an AIDS patient, unless bodily fluids were exchanged. No one has ever gotten AIDS from an insect bite, even where there are many people with AIDS and even where there are many people with dozens of mosquito bites(AIDS, Understanding 2). HIV is very fragile. It doesnt live long or well outside the human body. It is easily killed with a 1:10 solution of bleach and water. It can be washed from skin with regular soaps. HIV will not survive outside the human body for more than a few hours at the most(Quackenbush 23). If a person thinks he or she might have HIV, he or she can get tested. HIV tests determine the presence of antibodies to the AIDS virus. Antibodies are proteins produced by certain white blood cells to react with specific viruses, bacteria, or foreign substances that go into the body. The presence of antibodies to HIV indicates infection with the virus. The tests that detect the presence of HIV-1 became widely available in 1985. The tests that detect HIV-2 became widely available in 1992. All infected patients should get blood tests done periodically. They should also have their health monitored by a physician(Drotman 164). There is no cure for HIV or AIDS, but treatments have been developed. The treatments help most people live longer. The infected people have to take medications to help them keep healthy and possibly postpone the development of AIDS(Johnson 33). Most of the medication has difficult side effects. Even with all of this, about 18 months after a person has been diagnosed with AIDS, he or she usually get quite sick and require hospital care(AIDS, Understanding 4). Scientists are not sure how, when, or where the AIDS virus originated. Researchers have shown that HIV-1 and HIV-2 are more closely related to simian immunodeficiency viruses than to each other. Simian immunodeficiency viruses infect monkeys. It has been suggested that HIV evolved from viruses that originally infected monkeys in Africa. It was somehow transmitted to people. There are many arguments to this theory. One is that HIV has only been found in human beings. It has never been isolated from any other animal species. Scientists believe The infection became widespread after significant social changes took place in Africa. Somewhere around the 1960s and the 1970s. HIV was isolated as being the cause of AIDS in 1983, and 1984. Tests were then developed to detect the virus. These tests have been used to analyze stored tissues from people who had undetermined deaths in the 60s and the 70s. Scientists found that some of these people died from AIDS. During the 1990s an estimated one million people in the U.S. had the HIV infection or AIDS. There are millions more throughout the world(Drotman 165). AIDS deaths has dropped significantly for the first time since the epidemic began in the early 1980s.They fell 13 percent in the first six months of 1996, to 22,000 people, down from 24,900 deaths in the same period a year earlier, reported by the Centers for Disease Control. The number of people diagnosed with AIDS still continues to grow, but the growth rate is slowing. From 1995 to 1996 the growth rate was less than 2%. The growth rate from 1993 to 1994 was 5%. First signs of drop in deaths of AIDS victims came in January 1997, when New York City reported a 30 percent drop in the number of Aids deaths in 1996. The Center for Disease Control credits better treatments, new drugs, and better access to treatment through state and federal programs. Some think that the decline is unfortunately only a standstill, because for some patients the new drugs are not effective(Meyer A1). Doctors and researchers have been doing research on the virus. They have studied several drugs that stop the growth of HIV in laboratories. One of the drugs is zidovudine, formerly called azidothymidine and commonly known as AZT. Research suggest that azidothymidine can delay the onset of opportunistic illnesses. This drug produces toxic side effects. Some other ones are didanosine(ddl), zalcitbine, which was formerly known as dideoxycytidine and commonly called ddc, and stavudine, which is commonly called D4T. These three drugs also produce dangerous side effects. Researchers are investigating treatments to help restore normal function to the immune system. They believe that any eventual cure must stop the growth of the virus, prevent opportunistic illnesses, and restore the immune system(Drotman 164). Some vaccines are being tested on animals and as of 1993, one is being tested on people who are at very high risk(Nichols 11). Magic Johnsons HIV is now undetectable, but not absent. Though he is not cured, powerful drugs have reduced the AIDS virus in his body to undetectable levels. Undetectable does not mean absent. Activists hope that his progress encourages people to get tested and take advantage of improved treatment. Thousands of HIV patients have had their infections recede to undetectable levels after taking drugs called protease inhibitor. Even though a person with undetectable virus levels can still infect other people. Even if the virus is undetectable in blood or semen, it can still be present in other areas such as intestines. Protease inhibitors reduce illnesses in infected people. These drugs are taken on a strict schedule along with two other AIDS drugs. It requires particular timing. Some drugs must be taken an hour before eating or two hours after. Even with this patients still get side effects. Some of the side effects are nausea, vomiting, headaches, backaches, and gastrointestinal problems. As many as forty percent of the people who take the concoction of drugs develop a resistance to them either because the virus becomes resistant after years of on other drugs, or because patients dont or are unable to take the drugs as ordered. These wonder drugs are expensive costing between $12,000 and $15,000 a year. Although these drugs are expensive it is still worth prolonging a persons life. The virus infects children and newborns, too. Newborns become quite ill by age 1, because their immune system has not fully developed. Most babies that are infected die by 18 months(Quackenbush 23). Today kids need to know about HIV and AIDS. They need to know how a person gets the virus, how it is spread, how they wont get it, what it is, how they can protect themselves from it, and whats going to happen to them if they get it. The real risk of infection for them is through sexual molestation by an infected adult. There are three main reasons why children need to know. One is natural curiosity. AIDS is now an undeniable part of the world. They are curious about the world. They have questions about the world. Another reason is the anxiety children may have about the disease. They understand that AIDS is a very serious disease. The thing they dont understand is the concept of not casually transmitted. The final reason is some children have family members or friends with HIV or AIDS. The kids that have an infected family member or friend face many personal challenges. They get harassed by their peers because their peers dont know what HIV or AIDS is. They think that t! he kid has cooties or something. Children need to know about HIV and AIDS so they can understand and so they dont harass other kids about it(Quackenbush 27). In the United States, federal, state, and local government have provided funds for education, treatment, and research of AIDS. Public health clinics have counseling and HIV-antibody testing to people who have symptoms or are at risk of infection(Drotman 164). Community organizations hope that greater awareness will lead to more compassion and more funding. One project is the AIDS quilt. It was begun in 1986 by an organization called the NAMES Project. This quilt consists of thousands of individually designed panels, which memorializes a person who died of AIDS. This quilt has been displayed in many cities throughout the world(Drotman 164). AIDS has killed many people. People need to be more aware and protect themselves so they dont become another statistic, because HIV and AIDS are serious, deadly, and they will be with us for a long time. There will not be a cure found anytime soon, but hopefully there will be a cure found.

Charlie Wilson's War - Lessons Learned Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Charlie Wilson's War - Lessons Learned - Essay Example The war offers an appropriate emphasis on the secretive war waged by the CIA in Afghanistan without the notice of American public, to avoid public debates and protests that accompany publicized wars. US department of foreign affairs at the time denied knowledge of US arm purchases for distribution to Afghan rebels. Even though, the US officially denied its role in availing weapons to Afghani fighters, mainly the Mujahedeen, the war in Afghanistan acted as a catalyst that facilitated the end of soviet empire. Though the US did not claim credit in the war, the Mujahedeen as well as other Muslims never considered the US as being crucial to the war success. The secrecy of the war bore unforeseen consequences with regard to the relationship between the United States and Afghanistan (Chodakiewicz, 2008). Consequently, US face tense relations with Afghanistan; therefore, the war offers a great lesson that interventionist foreign policy can result in unforeseeable negative consequences. In a ddition, it is apparent that the US profoundly lacked continuity in its foreign policy; even after the expulsion of Soviets, it abandoned Afghanistan, as it had no plans and strategies for the country’s future apart from the its revenge to Soviet. Therefore, Taliban as well as the al Qaeda took advantage of the situation since the US concentrated on the imminent problems, and failed to anticipate and neutralize potential threats (Jalal, 2010). Thus, from the war is that it is important for the US or any other country to deploy resources in assisting in times of crisis especially in wars and when the danger apparently passes, it should ensure stability has been fostered in the war regions. Another crucial lesson in the war regards the role of women in politics like heiress Joanne, who are important allies in political undertakings since they have the time, vision, passion and means for organizing extra-governmental activities. This is because American women can arrange parties , invite key players and inconspicuously achieve results using their charm and perseverance that enables them to reach the mighty. In this case, they fund or sponsor non-governmental propagandas attacks and at times political-military movements; therefore, women usually are the main supporters of public mediation as well as private undercover activities. Consequently, influential American women influence their wealthy friends to support generously any kind of adventure this is common, and does not only apply in Afghanistan (Michael, 2003). The other insight from the war is the concern relating to the informal aspects of democratic system like backdoor deals being the norm in congress, where politicians accepts perks in corridors, clubs and lobbies. Moreover, the system is often bi-partisan considering that obscure things mysteriously appear to be part of agenda and get voted in. Nevertheless, the war portrays the US response to be firmly rooted in the US’s rampant anti-commun ism following the disaster in Vietnam. Americans fear of the communism expansion drove them to support Mujahedeen, as replicated in the famous oratory used by Charlie in bolstering backing for his cause. This

Sword Manufacturing of the Early, High, and Late Medieval Period Essay

Sword Manufacturing of the Early, High, and Late Medieval Period - Essay Example This symbolic importance was even shown in the Medieval swords design as the cross guard was framed over the handle of the sword to resemble a Christian cross. This gave the Knight the privilege to utilize the sword to protect the Christian religion. Medieval swords additionally highlighted some type of engravings. The engravings on Medieval Swords could incorporate the sword owners name and prayers to God. Engravings could likewise be simply decorations. Enhanced sword designs occurred around 1,300 and 1,500 A.D. Striking inventive sword designs had a longer grip, which permitted swordsmen to utilize two hands in battle. Long swords began to be generally utilized during the Late Middle Ages. The fame of the long sword developed because of enhanced functionality in cutting and thrusting as well as its far reaching ability (Wigelsworth, 2006). Sword smiths in northern Europe found a strategy for sword making whereby different bits of iron as well as steel bars of diverse hardness were joined by bending and folding them together. This was the method used in Europe during the early middle Ages. The capacity to work metal along these lines to make high quality swords depended on the quality of the metal used. This process was quite long and the sword smiths could take a substantial amount of time before completing one sword. This meant that the production of swords was quite slow According to Nelson & Theuws (2000), high middle age was a period of great innovation in sword making. It is during this period that sword smiths tried out different processes to acquire the best raw materials for sword making. During this period, the sword smith got to understand the processes of acquiring high quality swords without using unnecessary processes. It is during this period that the production of swords began to increase. During the late middle age, the sword smiths had perfected their skills in sword making and were aware of the important processes needed to

Writer's choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 41

Writer's choice - Essay Example Franz Ferdinand was the archduke in Austria- Hungary. He murdered by Gavrilo Princip, who was from Serbia. He was ordered to complete this mission by Black Hand; a secret military group. The rest were primary causes of the war but were not immediate. One of them was militarism. Britain had an immense army that Germany envied. They began to compete towards building larger armies that meant increased arms and weapons. Need for prestige and power, the more one nation built their army, the more the other governments felt need to increase theirs. In the long run, civilian nations began to suffer heavy taxation to cater for the militants. Creation of alliances. This was supposed to bring a sense of security. In any case of war, those countries were expected to protect each other. The alliances were a threat to cause a world war if any country confronted one of the allied countries will cause all the rest to come forward. Imperialism was mobilizing smaller nations a ruling them. Gathering colonies was a way of increasing a nation’s wealth. Global competition for this colonies resulted to major confrontations and chaos (Bentley and Ziegler, Traditions and Encounters. Volume I, From the Beginning to 1500: a brief global history). We care about the World War 1 because after the war; women gained more rights in the society than before. They were able to take better roles in the community and do things they couldnt. More job opportunities were created which automatically resulted to improved technology e.g. guns, airplanes, etc. After all, the war had its benefits that are very useful to date

A kpi based performance assessment system

A kpi based performance assessment system 1.0 INTRODUCTION Job performance is usually defined as â€Å"actions and behaviors that are under the control of the individual that contribute to the goals of the organization† [9]. Performance measurement-based management systems help an organization to line up its business activities to its strategy, and to supervise performance in the direction of strategic goals over time. In other words, performance management is used to keep track of the organizational progress against its strategic plan and particular performance goals. According to Campbell [7], the procedure of assigning a ranking to an individuals job performance is as follows: observation, sampling, encoding, storage, retrieval, evaluation, differential weighting, and composite scoring. Measuring the performance of a lecturer is very vital because the indication produced is used for major decisions about their future in academic career. Decisions can be of two types: formative that is used as the support to develop and form the teaching quality, and summative, that is used as the proof for summing up his/her overall performance or position to come to a decision about annual increment, award, merit pay, promotion, sponsorship and tenure [10]. The first one deals with decisions to progress the way of teaching; the second on deals with human resources decisions. Summative decisions are ultimate and they are provided by the administrators at different occasion to settle on their prospect. There is an impact of these decisions on the quality of professional career. The different resources of facts for teaching efficiency can be engaged for either of formative and summative decisions or both. To measure the performance, there should be some pre-identified and logical criteria that can be used through out the assessment process. These criteria are collectively called key performance indicator (KPI). It helps organizations to attain organizational goals by measuring and evaluating their achievement. The indicators vary depending on the organization. For a business company the percentage of net profit can be one of its KPI. For an educational institute the percentage of passed student can be one of its KPI. To establish a stable performance measurement system, the key performance indicators selection is very important. They must be selected carefully and rationally. a. BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM STATEMENT UUM is a gigantic university with three colleges CAS, COB, COLGIS. UUM have 25139 students and 1489 administrative staffs, 1216 academic staffs (as of 12th Aug. 08) and it offers 44 undergraduate programs (as of 2nd May ‘09), 59 post graduate programs (as of 16th Feb. ‘09). With the course of time the number of course and students are increasing. Consequently the number of academic staffs is also increasing. UUM has currently many automated systems such as Personnel Information System â€Å"PERSIS†, Research and Consultation Information System â€Å"ReCIS†, Graduate Academic Information System â€Å"GAIS†, Academic and Student Information System â€Å"ASIS† etc. But there is no such automated system for monitoring and evaluating the performance of the lecturer. Currently the manipulating and measuring the performance is manual the lecturers have to fill up the evaluation form, then print the form and attach the relevant documents and then submit to the evaluation committee. The criteria used for the system is teaching, research, consultation, publication and personality. This evaluation outcome is used for the promotion, scholarship for further study, and other consideration in for advance in career. However, this kind of manual evaluating system some time is biased and subject to human errors. Also it is very slow process and takes much valuable time of both the lecturers and the evaluating authority. Because of the absence of any automated system the evaluation process is not accurate and well-accepted. So it has been felt the need of a web based evaluation system that can be integrated with existing UUM systems and the data that will be used for the criteria can be extracted automatically from the Personnel Information System of UUM (PERSIS) and other related UUM systems. It is therefore necessary to develop a web based system in which the whole process will be done automatically. b. OBJECTIVE The main objective of this study is to develop a performance evaluation system for the academic staff of UUM. This system will be a web-based and can be integrated with the existing management systems in UUM. Specific objectives are: To gather the user requirements for the system. To design and develop the system. To evaluate the system c. RESEARCH QUESTION What are the requirements for the automated performance measuring system for the lecturer? What are the user requirements towards to use this system? d. SCOPE AND LIMITATION It will be developed for UUM academic staff and hereby will follow the policy and strategy that have been set by the UUM authority, so it can not be used by other universities and also not for other category of staff. It will be developed in .NET platform, so it can be used only in windows platform and it will be integrated with existing system. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Performance Modeling Employee evaluations are used to estimate the performance level of an employee. Performance measurement is the method by which an organization fixes the parameters within which programs, investments, and acquisitions are reaching the desired results. The type of performance evaluation should be determined based on the responsibility of the employee within a company. Employee performance models used in organizations today can be categorized into four types: 1) Top Down, 2) Peer-to-Peer, 3) 360-Degree and 4) Self-Assessment [6]. 2.1.1 Top Down The most common and most effective approach is Top-down employee performance evaluation, because they engage the judgment of an employee by a direct supervisor. Top-down employee performance evaluations are most functional when it is done by the immediate supervisor someone who works with that employee everyday and knows his or her strengths and weaknesses [12]. 2.1.2 Peer to peer Peer-to-peer employee performance evaluations require employees at the same level to review each other. The idea behind peer-to-peer employee performance evaluations is that none knows an employees ability better than his/her colleagues. In this type of evaluation considering the maturity level of the employees involved and the long-term effects that could result from the source of negative assessments getting back to the team members is important [8]. 2.1.3 360 degree In 360-degree performance reviews, many different types of people are consulted about an employees performance. This includes customers, suppliers, peers and direct reports. In the case of a manager, staffs are often asked to give upward feedback on how well they are being managed. The benefits of many points of view are apparent; but there are also some challenges to these types of performance reviews. While 360-degree performance reviews are being performed, a responsible administration manager should organize the procedure; so that subordinate reviewers are assured that their performance reviews are kept secret [11]. 2.1.4 Self-Assessment Self-Assessment performance reviews are successful when it is combined with any of the other three types of performance reviews. With this type of review, employees are asked to rate themselves, often using the same form that a supervisor will use to evaluate them. Self-assessment performance reviews help give the employees an opportunity for them to reflect their opinion on their own performance prior to the formal review [6]. 2.2 Role of Lecturer According to Dr. Zabokia [5], the primary role of a lecturer is to educate his/her students. However, a lecturer can appear in many aspects. Lecturers also play the roles as tutors, teachers, administrators and counselors. The normal tasks of a lecturer are: First and principal lecture Organize the teaching resources i.e. lecture slides and handouts Set up the questions for examination papers and conduct the evolution A lecturer can also provide extra care to their students as their counselor. Some students may be under severe pressure such as family problems, peer pressure, financial problem etc.When a student seems uninterested and his/her presence starts to fall off, its desirable to counsel the student. During a counseling session, a lecturer could also get feedback from the students on the course or subject matter. This may be supportive to the lecturer to progress in his/her teaching style.Documenting the counseling sessions with the students is a good habit.This will facilitate the authority to monitor the improvement of the students, and supply advice to their guardian if needed. According the â€Å"Generic Role Profile† of university lecturer published by University of Cambridge [2] the list of other tasks: Active Research Publications Research Administration Mentoring post graduate students Participating in conferences or workshops Other extra curricular activities like clubs or societies. 2.3 Key Performance Indicator Key Performance Indicator is the subject measurement in order to verify tangible and intangible result of the organizational performance [4]. It notices current business performance and also definitely identifies the future directions as accomplishing the future values. As an index reflecting business strategy and performance, KPI is derived through current strategies and goals that companies should accomplish. According to Berk [10] there are some potential sources of evidence of teaching effectiveness: (a) student ratings, (b) peer ratings, (c) self-evaluation, (d) alumni ratings, (e) employer ratings, (f) administrator ratings, (g) teaching scholarship, (h) teaching awards, (i) learning outcome measures, and (j) teaching portfolio. So these facts can be used as the KPI for this project. Some more indicators can be added which are not mentioned by Berk [10]. Those are number of publications, number of research, and number of projects, year of experience, future planning, undertaken trainings etc. 2.4 System Development methodology- Prototyping Prototyping is the process where a system can be developed based on the outputs of the previous stage. This may be done by engaging the iterative analysis, design and implementation of an evolving prototype. Learning occurs through the evolutionary system building process where insight is gained about the problem and the complexity of the system. The evolutionary prototyping development process includes regular expert/user evaluation feeding back into the systems development process [3]. Prototyping approach addresses the inability of many users to specify their information needs and the difficulty of system analysis to understand the users environment by providing the user with a tentative system for experimental purposes at the earliest possible time [1]. 3.0 METHODOLOGY The methodology that will be used in this project is the prototyping approach. That means we will build a working replica of the proposed system by performing analysis, design and implementation phases concurrently repeatedly until the system is completed. It will be useful to better understand and extract user requirements and also to limit cost by understanding the problem before committing more resources. The prototyping approach is applicable for this project because it can demonstrate technical feasibility and it can also be used to better understand and extract user requirements and also helps to more quickly refine real requirements rather than attempting to understand a system specification on paper. 4.0 SIGNIFICANCE The significance of the study finding the indicators and developing a web based system that will be used to monitor the performance of UUM lecturer based on Key performance indicators (KPI). It will make a long and uncertain process very easy and quick. This will add a new milestone for the UUM management for their future planning about the lecturer performance evaluation criteria. It will be also very cost effective and it will help to increase the education quality level of UUM. 5.0 CONCLUSION In the conclusion, we can say that this system will be very useful for the UUM authority to award the right lecturer with the right qualification and hereby maintain the education quality and prove that UUM is the â€Å"first choice university†. Project Schedule (Gantt chart) TASKS WEEK 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Planning Requirement Analysis Design the Prototype Coding Process Test the Prototype and debugging Analyze results Documentation REFERENCES: [1] E. Koskivaara. Design Science Approaches to Information Systems Research, in S. Gregor and D. Hart,Information Systems Foundations: Building the Theoretical Basis, ANU Canberra, 205-216.2002 [2] â€Å"Generic Role Profile: University Lecturer†. University of Cambridge. Version 1: December 2005 [3] H. Hasan. Information systems development as a research method. Australasian Journal of Information Systems Special Issue 2003/2004 [4] H.J. Moon, S.H. Lee, S.J. Yoo, E.J. Yu, C.S. Leem. A KPI based Performance Assessment framework for Korean e-Government. In Second International Conference on Future Generation Communication and Networking Symposia, 2008 [5] http://drzabokia.wordpress.com/2007/08/23/responsibilities-of-a-lecturer/ accessed on 14th July, 2009 [6] J. H. McConnell. How to develop essential HR policies and procedures. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, 2004 [7] J. P. Campbell. Modeling the performance prediction problem in industrial and organizational psychology. In Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (pp. 687-732). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc.,1990. [8] K. Wolter. Formal Methods and Stochastic Models for Performance Evaluation: Fourth European Performance Engineering Workshop, EPEW 2007, Berlin, Germany, September, 2007 [9] M. Rotundo P. R. Sackett. The relative importance of task, citizenship, and counterproductive performance to global ratings of job performance: A policy-capturing approach. Journal of Applied Psychology, 66-80, 2002 [10] R. A. Berk. Survey of 12 Strategies to Measure Teaching Effectiveness. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education , Volume 17, Number 1, 48-62, 2005 [11] T. Maylett. 360-Degree Feedback Revisited: The Transition From Development to Appraisal. May 27, 2009 [12] Woodrow Kroll. Facing Your Final Job Review: The Judgment Seat of Christ, Salvation, and Eternal Rewards. Crossway Books, 2008

No Child Left Behind Essay -- Teaching Education

No Child Left Behind The use of the scientific, research-based program Reading First will result in better reading skills for students. Reading First is the $900 million dollar reading initiative of President Bush's "No Child Left Behind". This important "new" way of teaching reading is based upon five components: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Using these methods of teaching and the amount of money available, no child will be left behind. Why the focus on strengthening the reading skills of children? It has been proven that those students who can not read well are more likely to drop out of school and have lower-paying jobs. Reading is the â€Å"foundation for success in society† (Paige, 17). Those students that have a strong early beginning in reading have more successful school careers. Success in reading produces greater success in social studies, science, and math. As a country we are failing our youth in reading. Approximately 40% of students in our nation cannot read at a basic skill level. The majority of students who cannot read on a functional level come from low-income homes. The percentage of fourth-graders from low-income homes is a staggering 70% (Paige, 17). Too often the parents of the children who need the most help do not ask for it, or know that options are available to them. With all the challenges that face lower-income families, they often do not seek out the help that their children may need. In one school system, a fund was set up for children to received additional tutoring outside of the classroom. It was left up to the parents to arrange for transportation to and from the tutoring sessions (Ghezzi, 1). The foundation... ...dweek.org Manzo, K. and Robelen, E. (2002, May 1). States unclear on ESEA rules about reading. Education Week online. Retrieved February 14, 2003. http://www.edweek.org PALs and reading first. Virginia Department of Education. Retrieved March 23, 2003. pp. 1-11. Thomas, D. and Bainbridge, W. (June 2002), No child left behind: Facts and fallacies. Phi Delta Kappan, 83(10), 781. Toppo, G. (2003, January 28). Most states lag far behind ‘No child left behind’ law. USA Today online. Retrieved April 4, 2003. http://www.usatoday.com/news/education U. S. Department of Education, Inside reading first—news and events. (April 26, 2002). Retrieved April 3, 2002. http://www.ed.gov U. S. Department of Education (2002, April). No child left behind: what to know and where to go. Parents’ guide to No child left behind. [Brochure]. Paige, R. No Child Left Behind Essay -- Teaching Education No Child Left Behind The use of the scientific, research-based program Reading First will result in better reading skills for students. Reading First is the $900 million dollar reading initiative of President Bush's "No Child Left Behind". This important "new" way of teaching reading is based upon five components: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Using these methods of teaching and the amount of money available, no child will be left behind. Why the focus on strengthening the reading skills of children? It has been proven that those students who can not read well are more likely to drop out of school and have lower-paying jobs. Reading is the â€Å"foundation for success in society† (Paige, 17). Those students that have a strong early beginning in reading have more successful school careers. Success in reading produces greater success in social studies, science, and math. As a country we are failing our youth in reading. Approximately 40% of students in our nation cannot read at a basic skill level. The majority of students who cannot read on a functional level come from low-income homes. The percentage of fourth-graders from low-income homes is a staggering 70% (Paige, 17). Too often the parents of the children who need the most help do not ask for it, or know that options are available to them. With all the challenges that face lower-income families, they often do not seek out the help that their children may need. In one school system, a fund was set up for children to received additional tutoring outside of the classroom. It was left up to the parents to arrange for transportation to and from the tutoring sessions (Ghezzi, 1). The foundation... ...dweek.org Manzo, K. and Robelen, E. (2002, May 1). States unclear on ESEA rules about reading. Education Week online. Retrieved February 14, 2003. http://www.edweek.org PALs and reading first. Virginia Department of Education. Retrieved March 23, 2003. pp. 1-11. Thomas, D. and Bainbridge, W. (June 2002), No child left behind: Facts and fallacies. Phi Delta Kappan, 83(10), 781. Toppo, G. (2003, January 28). Most states lag far behind ‘No child left behind’ law. USA Today online. Retrieved April 4, 2003. http://www.usatoday.com/news/education U. S. Department of Education, Inside reading first—news and events. (April 26, 2002). Retrieved April 3, 2002. http://www.ed.gov U. S. Department of Education (2002, April). No child left behind: what to know and where to go. Parents’ guide to No child left behind. [Brochure]. Paige, R.

Group Project: Academic Insurance Model

Each group acts as an insurance company. You are required to offer an insurance policy to our entire current Health Economics class that insures against a student either getting a grade of ‘C' or lower (including ‘l' turning into ‘F) or withdrawing from the class towards the end of the semester. If either of those happen to a policy holder, you are required to pay that policy holder.You are NOT trying to make a profit, but what is important is that your group try its very best to avoid making a loss. Assume that there are no other costs associated with your business other than paying policy holders who make ‘C' or less or withdraw. Four different scenarios are offered below. Here's what you need to tell me for each (l would also like each group to orally present results to rest of class, don't need any more than 3 minutes): What is the premium that students will have to pay for the policy in this scenario?A brief Justification for the premium (a couple of sent ence is good enough. You can give me the math formula you used too – but don't JUST give me a math formula! ). A final couple of sentence (optional) if you believe that I have given you a situation where it is impossible to avoid making a loss, and why you think that. If you believe this, you may choose not to sell any policies under that scenario. In all cases, there are a total of 30 students who are your potential customers – I. E. Insurance policy buyers.Scenario l: You will be paying students who make ‘C' or less or withdraw the amount of $5000. I can give you this information – that when I teach the regular Master's level version of the class, approximately of all students make C or less, Incomplete that becomes F, or withdraw. Also, I will impose an individual mandate on the class, so that once you do offer the policy, every one of the 30 students will be required to buy this policy (but you only want to break even, no profits). What premium will yo u charge?Please note, in all scenarios you can only hare ONE premium to all customers, no variations allowed. Scenario II: All conditions in the above scenario hold (# of students, what you pay for C or less or withdraw, the individual mandate). However, one more thing is added. Students who get C or less or withdraw can then get tutoring to prepare them for retaking the class later. The tutoring costs $16 an hour, and the insurance policy now also has to pay 50% of each hour of tutoring (I. E. $8 per hour) up to a maximum of 40 hours. This is a new scheme, so I cannot tell you how many students have previously

Free Essays on Adolescent Depression

Adolescent Depression: The Under Acknowledged Disease Psychology Depression is a disease that afflicts the human psyche in such a way that the afflicted tends to act and react abnormally toward others and themselves. Therefore it comes to no surprise to discover that adolescent depression is strongly linked to teen suicide. Adolescent suicide is now responsible for more deaths in youths aged 15 to 19 than cardiovascular disease or cancer (Blackman, 1995). Despite this increased suicide rate, depression in this age group is greatly underdiagnosed and leads to serious difficulties in school, work and personal adjustment which may often continue into adulthood. How prevalent are mood disorders in children and when should an adolescent with changes in mood be considered clinically depressed? Brown (1996) has said the reason why depression is often over looked in children and adolescents is because "children are not always able to express how they feel." Sometimes the symptoms of mood disorders take on different forms in children than in adults. Adolescence is a time of emotional turmoil, mood swings, gloomy thoughts, and heightened sensitivity. It is a time of rebellion and experimentation. Blackman (1996) observed that the "challenge is to identify depressive symptomatology which may be superimposed on the backdrop of a more transient, but expected, developmental storm." Therefore, diagnosis should not lay only in the physician's hands but be associated with parents, teachers and anyone who interacts with the patient on a daily basis. Unlike adult depression, symptoms of youth depression are often masked. Instead of expressing sadness, teenagers may express boredom and irritability, or may choose to engage in risky behaviors (Oster & Montgomery, 1996). Mood disor ders are often accompanied by other psychological problems such as anxiety (Oster & Montgomery, 1996), eating disorders (Lasko et al., 1996), hyperactivity (Bl... Free Essays on Adolescent Depression Free Essays on Adolescent Depression Adolescent Depression The Under Acknowledged Disease Depression is a disease that afflicts the human psyche in such a way that the afflicted tends to act and react abnormally toward others and themselves. Therefore it comes to no surprise to discover that adolescent depression is strongly linked to teen suicide. Adolescent suicide is now responsible for more deaths in youth’s aged 15 to 19 than cardiovascular disease or cancer. Despite this increased suicide rate, depression in this age group is greatly under diagnosed and leads to serious difficulties in school, work and personal adjustment, which may often continue into adulthood. How prevalent are mood disorders in children and when should an adolescent with changes in mood be considered clinically depressed? Brown (1996) has said the reason why depression is often over looked in children and adolescents is because "children are not always able to express how they feel." Sometimes the symptoms of mood disorders take on different forms in childre n than in adults. Adolescence is a time of emotional turmoil, mood swings, gloomy thoughts, and heightened sensitivity. It is a time of rebellion and experimentation. Blackman (1996) observed that the "challenge is to identify depressive symptomatology which may be superimposed on the backdrop of a more transient, but expected, developmental storm." Therefore, diagnosis should not lie only in the physician's hands but be associated with parents, teachers and anyone who interacts with the patient on a daily basis. Unlike adult depression, symptoms of youth depression are often masked. Instead of expressing sadness, teenagers may express boredom and irritability, or may choose to engage in risky behaviors. Mood disorders are often accompanied by other psychological problems such as anxiety, eating disorders, hyperactivity, substance abuse and suicide, all of which can hide depressive symptoms. The signs of clinical depression include mark... Free Essays on Adolescent Depression Adolescent Depression: The Under Acknowledged Disease Psychology Depression is a disease that afflicts the human psyche in such a way that the afflicted tends to act and react abnormally toward others and themselves. Therefore it comes to no surprise to discover that adolescent depression is strongly linked to teen suicide. Adolescent suicide is now responsible for more deaths in youths aged 15 to 19 than cardiovascular disease or cancer (Blackman, 1995). Despite this increased suicide rate, depression in this age group is greatly underdiagnosed and leads to serious difficulties in school, work and personal adjustment which may often continue into adulthood. How prevalent are mood disorders in children and when should an adolescent with changes in mood be considered clinically depressed? Brown (1996) has said the reason why depression is often over looked in children and adolescents is because "children are not always able to express how they feel." Sometimes the symptoms of mood disorders take on different forms in children than in adults. Adolescence is a time of emotional turmoil, mood swings, gloomy thoughts, and heightened sensitivity. It is a time of rebellion and experimentation. Blackman (1996) observed that the "challenge is to identify depressive symptomatology which may be superimposed on the backdrop of a more transient, but expected, developmental storm." Therefore, diagnosis should not lay only in the physician's hands but be associated with parents, teachers and anyone who interacts with the patient on a daily basis. Unlike adult depression, symptoms of youth depression are often masked. Instead of expressing sadness, teenagers may express boredom and irritability, or may choose to engage in risky behaviors (Oster & Montgomery, 1996). Mood diso rders are often accompanied by other psychological problems such as anxiety (Oster & Montgomery, 1996), eating disorders (Lasko et al., 1996), hyperactivity (Bl...

Profile of Stanley Woodard, NASA Aerospace Engineer

Profile of Stanley Woodard, NASA Aerospace Engineer Dr. Stanley E Woodard, is an aerospace engineer at NASA Langley Research Center. Stanley Woodard received his doctorate in mechanical engineering from Duke University in 1995. Woodard also has bachelors and masters degrees in engineering from Purdue and Howard University, respectively. Since coming to work at NASA Langley in 1987, Stanley Woodard has earned many NASA awards, including three Outstanding Performance Awards and a Patent Award. In 1996, Stanley Woodard won the Black Engineer of the Year Award for Outstanding Technical Contributions. In 2006, he was one of four researchers at NASA Langley recognized by the 44th Annual RD 100 Awards in the electronic equipment category. He was a 2008 NASA Honor Award Winner for exceptional service in the research and development of advanced dynamics technologies for NASA missions. Magnetic Field Response Measurement Acquisition System Imagine a wireless system thats truly wireless. It doesnt need a battery or a receiver, unlike most wireless sensors that must be electrically connected to a power source, so it can safely be put almost anywhere. The cool thing about this system is that we can make sensors that dont need any connections to anything, said Dr. Stanley E. Woodard, senior scientist at NASA Langley. And we can completely encapsulate them in any electrically nonconductive material, so they can be put in lots of different locations and protected from the environment around them. Plus we can measure different properties using the same sensor. NASA Langley scientists initially came up with the idea of the measurement acquisition system to improve aviation safety. They say airplanes could use this technology in a number of locations. One would be fuel tanks where a wireless sensor would virtually eliminate the possibility of fires and explosions from faulty wires arcing or sparking. Another would be landing gear. That was where the system was tested in partnership with landing gear manufacturer, Messier-Dowty, Ontario, Canada. A prototype was installed in a landing gear shock strut to measure hydraulic fluid levels. The technology allowed the company to easily measure levels while the gear was moving for the first time ever and cut the time to check the fluid level from five hours to one second. Traditional sensors use electrical signals to measure characteristics, such as weight, temperature, and others. NASAs new technology is a small hand-held unit that uses magnetic fields to power sensors and gather measurements from them. That eliminates wires and the need for direct contact between the sensor and the data acquisition system. Measurements that were difficult to do before because of implementation logistics and environment are now easy with our technology, said Woodard. He is one of four researchers at NASA Langley recognized by the 44th Annual RD 100 Awards in the electronic equipment category for this invention. List of Issued Patents #7255004, August 14, 2007, Wireless fluid level measuring systemA level-sensing probe positioned in a tank is divided into sections with each section including (i) a fluid-level capacitive sensor disposed along the length thereof, (ii) an inductor electrically coupled to the capacitive sensor, (iii) a sensor antenna positioned for inductive coupl7231832, June 19, 2007, System and method for detecting cracks and their location.A system and method are provided for detecting cracks and their location in a structure. A circuit coupled to a structure has capacitive strain sensors coupled sequentially and in parallel to one another. When excited by a variable magnetic field, the circuit has a resonant frequency tha#7159774, January 9, 2007, Magnetic field response measurement acquisition systemMagnetic field response sensors designed as passive inductor-capacitor circuits produce magnetic field responses whose harmonic frequencies correspond to states of physical properties for which the s ensors measure. Power to the sensing element is acquired using Faraday induction. #7086593, August 8, 2006, Magnetic field response measurement acquisition systemMagnetic field response sensors designed as passive inductor-capacitor circuits produce magnetic field responses whose harmonic frequencies correspond to states of physical properties for which the sensors measure. Power to the sensing element is acquired using Faraday induction.#7075295, July 11, 2006, Magnetic field response sensor for conductive mediaA magnetic field response sensor comprises an inductor placed at a fixed separation distance from a conductive surface to address the low RF transmissivity of conductive surfaces. The minimum distance for separation is determined by the sensor response. The inductor should be separat#7047807, May 23, 2006, Flexible framework for capacitive sensingA flexible framework supports electrically-conductive elements in a capacitive sensing arrangement. Identical frames are arranged end-to-end with adjacent frames being capable of rotational movement therebetween. Each frame has first and second passages extending therethrough and par #7019621, March 28, 2006, Methods and apparatus to increase sound quality of piezoelectric devicesA piezoelectric transducer comprises a piezoelectric component, an acoustic member attached to one of the surfaces of the piezoelectric component and a dampening material of low elastic modulus attached to one or both surfaces of the piezoelectric transducer.#6879893, April 12, 2005, Tributary analysis monitoring systemA monitoring system for a fleet of vehicles includes at least one data acquisition and analysis module (DAAM) mounted on each vehicle in the fleet, a control module on each vehicle in communication with each DAAM, and terminal module located remotely with respect to the vehicles in the#6259188, July 10, 2001, Piezoelectric vibrational and acoustic alert for a personal communication deviceAn alert apparatus for a personal communication device includes a mechanically prestressed piezoelectric wafer positioned within the personal communication device and an alternating voltag e input line coupled at two points of the wafer where polarity is recognized.

Ethics in Busniess Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethics in Busniess - Essay Example For example, in U.S it is necessary for business accountants to implement given rules when conducting their businesses. The American system refers to these rules as the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) when they are involved in reporting the business financials. Therefore, every public company in U.S should follow the set accounting principles and report so that they can accurately release their financial information (Needles & Powers, 2011). Ethical Numerous fraud cases in the contemporary society constitute the moral and legal issues in accounting and financial reporting of businesses. The concerns include changes in the manner that fraudsters execute their operations. Consequently, most systems, which support financial reporting, are vulnerable to fraudulent activities. Therefore, it is necessary that the current accounting reporting adapt measures that would reduce immoral practices. Professionals usually create accounting rules because there are several emerging e thical issues in accounting. A need arises for accountants to follow all the ethical rules to minimize abuse on the profession (Albrecht, 2011). In addition, the issue of creative accounting is a concern to the ethical issues in accounting. This is because some accountants use their knowledge to create false crisis in the present world. These crises cause several damages, for example, misleading economic depiction. Consequently, ethical rules demand that businesses communicate about their respective financial positions. This will eliminate unreliable reports through annual accounting reports (Needles & Powers, 2011). The preparation of true reports is also a concern since some current accountants are immoral. They prepare false reports to the relevant people to benefit. For example, they account for money that was not even spent in their respective firms. Indeed, this allows them to keep the extra funds because no one came tell unless they are as professional as they are (Albrecht, 2011). Legal Presently, there are numerous legal requirements in accounting and financial reporting. This is because of the universal needs to protect both internal and external investors. In addition, several countries ensure that the legislation of their respective countries is against faulty accounting systems. There are also mandatory laws for all current accountants, which ensure that there are minimal illegal practices. For example, the creation of commissions enables accountants to counter legal issues in accounting (Albrecht, 2011). Other legal issues in the existing society include the emergence of audit firms. These audit firms visit organizations and in turn inspect their accounting books. This is a new phenomenon in accounting. Consequently, it forces organizations to be honest. This is because the audit firms take strict legal actions against firms whose accounting books display financial illegalities. For example, firms that fail to account funds have to be in court an d face respective fines. Finally, current legal concerns in accounting include the establishment of punishments that discourage people from committing accounting frauds (Needles & Powers, 2011). Technological concerns of accounting and financial reporting of business In the accounting and financial reporting of businesses, the accounting professionals are vital because they play a significant role within every successful business. The professional accountants

Muslims in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Muslims in America - Essay Example This discovery was monumental because it revealed that Muslims had inhabited America from the beginning. The third contributor, Alexander Webb, is believed to be the first American to convert to Islam. This was recorded in 1888 and then five years later he was appointed as the first Muslim in British Parliament. 2. From the 1970s to the 1990s, the number of mosques established in America increased considerably, partly due to conversion for which the dominant number of converts are African-Americans, but also due to the influence of settlement patterns resulting from immigration. As Muslim families grew in size so did their needs for places to worship. There are now more than 1500 mosques, compared to 600 in 1980, 230 in 1960 and 19 in 1930. One of the major factors that helped the emergence of Muslim Ethnic Mosques was the article written soon after the race riots of 1967 and 1967 in Newark, NJ. The East Orange Record also reported that the East Orange Deputy Police Chief praised the Muslim population as a 'stabilizing influence' in the area, and noted 'an almost zero percent crime rate within the Islamic community. While crime rates were lower in Muslim communities, many citizens still struggled with the cultural ignorance of most Americans. They fought to make their religion understandabl e and accepted by the mainstream society. 3. 3. The initial introduction of Islam in Africa occurred in 639 A.D. when the Arabs began exploring North Africa. As the religion grew across the continent, many Africans were being brought to America. In America, for many African Americans their first exposure to Islam was because of their slave ancestry and history. Today, The African-American Muslim community is diverse and complex in its theological beliefs and the way in which Islam became a mainstay in the lives of many African Americans can be traced back to the Great Depression of the 1920s and 1930s. During this time, many African Americans migrated out of the southern states to the east in search of a better life. The eastern United States had the highest populations of Muslims at the time, and they reached out to help the African American travelers in their time of need. By recognizing African American's poor housing and economic conditions, Islamic followers in the eastern United States fought to improve the lives of the A frican Americans and their influence was lasting, with many converting to the faith and passing it on to their future generations. 4. There are several different factors influencing the race relations between African Americans and the immigrant community. African Americans have struggled and have revealed that in their living experience of Islam, it is not always singularly a manifestation of culture. Often traditional Muslims are at odd with African-American Muslims who are not binded by a singular cultural expression or see that Islam is culture itself. Many believe that the tensions also arise because African-Americans are very aware of racism and discrimination. Many African American's feel that traditional Muslims treat them as inferior due to the fact that they were not the original Muslim race. These tensions can be seen in acts of violence specifically n the San Francisco Bay area of California. Here a string of liquor store robberies have been aimed at stored owned by traditional Muslim citizens. It was soon discovered that the criminals were African American