Ethnography †Amish Religion Essay

In the modern era of technological and scientific advances such important life values as morality, feelings, and faith in particular still play key part in life of many people throughout the whole world. Regardless of various religions practiced globally, the Amish people attract attention of many scholars, scientists, and sociologists owing to their distinctive traditions, rituals, and uniqueness. The background of Amish religion goes back to the 16th century. At that time a Swiss pope Jacob Ammann who is referred to now as the creator of Amish church left the Mennonites, the Protestant community because they poorly observed the rules of the main postulates. At the turn of the 18th century the adherents of Jacob Ammann have set active process of migration from Germany, Switzerland, and Austria to Northern America. Arriving to this new undiscovered world they organized about fifty churches to worship their religion. A considerable number of immigrants have chosen such states as Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Ontario to be their final destination point as they were characterized by the most favorable climate (BELIEVE Religion Information Source). The Amish people concelebrate every other Sunday in private houses. Typically, men and women sit in different rooms during the church service not to disturb each other. In addition, the service is conducted by the pope, a pair of ministers, and a deacon. It has been historically established that women do not participate in managing and implementing services and rituals. As the Amish people traditionally reside in agricultural communities of about 150 people, they think that such human feelings as arrogance and pride are the grave crimes generated in a growing store of knowledge an individual may have. To stay away from this trouble and raise their offsprings in an environment of absolute obedience and submission, Amish people have set their own education system where their kids stop attending school after the 8th grade due to the idea that extra knowledge may harm their perception of the world and incite such unwelcome reactions as arrogance and ambitiousness. The followers of Amish religion believe that the understanding and knowledge obtained during high school and college is totally worthless for the agricultural activity of their community. (Wikipedia). In fact, the representatives of Amish religion still possess characteristic features that vividly prove their strict submission to their major postulates. The following are key points of Amish religion: †¢ Faith and family connections. The Amish consider religion to be closely associated with families as it the foundation for emotions, attitudes, formation of the consciousness, understanding of the world, etc. They believe that faith helps them to be more openhanded, kind-hearted, sincere, and responsible. The Amish are characterized by their own set of priorities established during their adolescence. This includes faith as priority number one, followed by family, agricultural activity, local community activities, and communication. The head of the family is in most cases a man who is responsible for financial and other important issues. Women are in charge of children upbringing and organizational issues of family life such as visiting guests, traveling within the Amish communities, etc. Amish women enjoy quilting and are very famous for it. Typically, family members keep in touch with each other even after children leave their home and create new family. The marriages are only allowed among the members of the Amish community. During their lives most of the Amish have only one spouse and never divorce. They consider faithlessness as a crime and therefore are rarely involved in cheating. (BELIEVE Religion Information Source). †¢ Refusal from technology is motivated not by individual choice but rather by the fact that it may serve as a reason of negative aspects of human behavior such as egotism, idleness, etc. Machinery or, to be more correct, the absence of it, has always been vital question in Amish agricultural community. They believe that technological innovations may lead to ambitiousness and indifference in terms of agricultural duties and responsibilities of community representatives. Playing a key role in scientific development, technology is not accepted among Amish people as it may turn the people away from their roots and origin. Electricity is also prohibited as well as public transportation, telephones, home appliances, etc. In fact, there are several advantages of lighting candles, riding horses, and farming. At the outset, agricultural products grown in the Amish community are organic, as they never include chemical fertilizers. (Wikipedia) †¢ Social behavior. Owing to their cultural and religious beliefs Amish people remain isolated from the rest of the world. They try to minimize their communication with strangers, foreigners, and people unknown to them. However, it doesn’t mean that they will stay away from you and let you die without giving you a hand. Amish people enjoy serenity, freedom, quietness, and peacefulness of their surrounding environment. Therefore, they usually laugh and speak quietly, walk slowly, and never offend each other. It is not typical for Amish community to use cameras because it may be taken as an interference of one’s private life. They believe that posing for cameras bring harm to their worldview. It is also rude to ask questions about beliefs, habits, and customs. Amish people appreciate respect, privacy, and space. Therefore they might not be excited to let the person in if s/he enters their territory without knocking the door (or in some way notifying about the arrival) or feeding their horse/pig. About, Inc. ) †¢ Problematic issues. The biggest challenge of being the representative of Amish religion is the separation from the rest of the world that may be both useful and harmful for the person and the community. Leaving school at the age of 15 is also somewhat unreasonable due to the fact that the knowledge gained during high school and college may become very practical in farming, agriculture, and daily routine work. Newly invented equipment can make the lifestyle of Amish people considerably easier giving them more time for church services and communication within their community. More often than not, foreigners perceive Amish people as aboriginal creatures and therefore in most cases it is very complicated to establish contact between each other. Also, non-Amish people have different points of view in terms of education, sociology, lifestyle, politics, etc, which also aggravates the situation and turns Amish away from them. One more significant challenge of living away from society is emergency cases. Typically, it takes long time before rescue services or police receive information about some emergency cases. Recently, more and more cases have been reported when parents sexually abuse their daughters, brothers-in-law sexually harass their sisters, etc. According to Amish postulates, no aggression should be present and no punishment included. However, in case of crime, the accused person should be isolated from Amish community for a certain period of time depending on the cruelness and immensity of the crime. In conclusion, it would be rather well to note that Amish religion comprises unique traits that have both negative and positive effect on their lifestyle as any other religion in the world. Reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish http://pittsburgh.about.com/cs/pennsylvania/a/amish_country.htm http://mb-soft.com/believe/txn/amish.htm http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10570c.htm

A Research Paper Shoplifting and Senior Citizens Essay

Background and Overview Shoplifting commonly occurs when an item is taken away from a retail or merchandise store by a visitor without the intent of paying for it. The offence under the Criminal Justice System falls under larceny/ theft and is punishable with various degrees of severity that can also include imprisonment for short terms. Shoplifting has always been seen as a serious social problem affecting mostly all grades of society and does not differentiate between sexes, age, income groups, race or cultures. As such because of the universality of the phenomenon it is sometimes associated with Kleptomania, a mental disorder which â€Å"involves a failure to resist impulses to steal items that are not needed or sought for personal use or monetary value†. However, in most cases shoplifting is deliberate, pre-planned and committed for monetary gain and is very different from Kleptomania. Shoplifting occurs among all age groups and becomes an extremely sensitive issue when it involves senior citizens, elderly people who are above sixty. The issue of elderly shoplifting is assuming graver proportions all over the world as birth rates decline and longevity increases. It is open to debate and research whether elderly shoplifting is increasing only because people with criminal tendencies are becoming older or whether other social issues contribute towards this phenomenon. This phenomenon is not restricted to the United States or Europe. Even in Japan, the number of elderly inmates in prisons is increasing and a significant proportion of the convictions are due to shoplifting.   The researcher developed an interest in the subject from reading a number of magazine and journal articles in the widely read popular press. Articles in the media take up the shoplifting issue mainly from the point of sensationalism and concentrate on the human interest angle, focusing on greed, act, retribution and shame. A growing interest in the subject led the researcher to read a few books on the subject and to the decision to study the social problem. Within the broad ambit of the issue, which of course has an extensive canvas, there was the need to develop a specific focus. A more detailed socio-cultural investigation drew the attention of the researcher to the problem of elderly shoplifters and the decision to investigate the reasons which could lead them to commit these petty criminal acts. Definition of Problem While the increase in shoplifting amongst elderly citizens is recognised as a matter of considerable concern very little investigative work has been conducted until now on the reason behind the phenomenon and the various corrective steps that may need to be taken to remedy the situation. A significant amount of research has been conducted on Kleptomania because of its classification as a mental disorder and there are determined treatments by way of medication and counselling to treat the patient. A number of articles have appeared in magazines and journals with regard to the seriousness of the problem. Some of these articles are written from a sociological angle but most treat the issue with salaciousness, especially if celebrities are involved. While the social science literature is rather modest, considerable public attention has been devoted to shoplifting. Articles on shoplifting appear regularly in mass media magazines and newspapers (e.g., Tooley, 1989; Tsiantar, 1989). They frequently highlight the seriousness of the problem, famous personalities apprehended for shoplifting (e.g., beauty queens, politicians, and other celebrities), or interesting types of shoplifters (e.g., middle-class housewives or the elderly). Moralistic themes are often developed, showing how lives have been traumatized by the embarrassment of a shoplifting arrest (Klemke, 1992, p. 3) While literature is available on the subject, very little research work has been carried out into shoplifting, per se, leave alone elderly shoplifting, and a number of questions still need to be answered on its causes as well as its effects. The problem of elderly shoplifting has not been investigated at length and in depth and is for social scientists and the criminal justice system a dilemma that needs to be tackled. Research Questions The researcher thus, will focus, during the Literature Review and the conduct of the assignment on obtaining answers to the following research questions. Are shoplifting acts caused by Kleptomania or any other mental disorders? What could be the different reasons behind the commitment of a shoplifting crime? Should shoplifting be treated on par with larceny and theft by the criminal justice system? How much is the involvement of elderly citizens in shoplifting episodes? Should elderly citizens be treated in a manner similar to younger age groups by the criminal justice system? What can be done to reduce the incidence of shoplifting by the social and legal system? The research assignment proposes to focus on the listed questions and through a structured and determined research methodologies arrive at findings that will lend themselves to analysis and conclusions. Purpose of Study Shoplifting is a serious social problem which appears to be increasing and, apart from being simple acts of minor crime, could be symptomatic of different social problems. The increasing incidence of elderly citizens involving themselves in shoplifting makes it an even more grim issue for study and adoption of corrective measures. The researcher hopes that the study will be able to investigate the issue in depth and come to findings and conclusions that will throw light on the basic reasons behind elderly shoplifting and thus succeed in illuminating the issue and possibly in being able to provide an original and interesting perspective to one of today’s extremely vexing and contentious dilemmas. At the cost of appearing presumptuous some of the solutions recommended may be worthy of implementation at the social level or be taken up for consideration by the criminal justice system. Research Methodology Data Analysis Methods This research assignment attempts to investigate the issues laid out in the section on Research Questions (in Page 5 of this proposal), namely the reasons behind the increase in episodes of shoplifting and possible solutions that will help to resolve this vexing social problem. The issue at hand deals with an increasingly traumatic global problem that today affects the societies of developed countries and could tomorrow, spread to the rest of the world. The appropriate research methodology for the purpose of this assignment needs to take care of the facts discussed until now and be tailored accordingly. An article on â€Å"Integrating Quantitative and Qualitative Methods in Social Marketing Research† by Nedra Kline Weinrich, first published in 1996 details a methodology, wherein a balanced and well thought out mix of quantitative and qualitative research techniques could well be the most appropriate methodology for conducting this assignment   In the subject assignment the researcher feels that rigorous quantitative research surveys may not necessarily provide all of the data needed for proper analysis. An examination of the quantitative and qualitative paradigms will help to identify their strengths and weaknesses and how their divergent approaches can complement each other. In most cases, researchers fall into one of the two camps, either relying exclusively upon â€Å"objective† survey questionnaires and statistical analyses and eschewing warm and fuzzy qualitative methods, or using only qualitative methodologies, rejecting the quantitative approach as decontextualizing human behavior. However, it is widely accepted that each approach has positive attributes and that combining different methods, if handled properly, can result in the best of both techniques. (Weinrich, 1996) Research techniques used for quantitative analysis aim to achieve objective results and eschew subjective interpretation. The respondents are generally selected through random sampling in a statistical manner aimed at achieving a response from the selected sample, which will be representative of the total population. The research methodology pays much greater stress on the technique used and the basic premise on which the technique rests assumes that the quality of the researcher is independent of the results, his or her function being restricted to the following of guidelines. Weinrich postulates that while this technique is effective in a number of cases and is widely used, it suffers from an inherent danger of missing the finer nuances of an investigation and frequently leads to misleading results that are not supported by the future behaviour of the investigated population. As such, while this mode of research may be statistically sound, it could also be the reason behind the oft-quoted truth â€Å"lies, damned lies and statistics† Qualitative research methods are vastly different and concentrate on working with smaller groups known as focus groups. These focus groups are selected with great care but later subjected to intensive questioning and interviewing by trained researchers who are very well versed in qualitative techniques. It is the job of these researchers to ensure that their respondents are able to provide them with subjective and interpretative data, which would have never come out with quantitative techniques. The information tends to be much more detailed, full of nuances and give the investigation a holistic result, which is invaluable in assessing outcomes. A number of researchers believe that qualitative and quantitative researches are but two sides of the same coin and members of the same continuum. Qualitative research methodologies are designed to provide the researcher with the perspective of target audience members through immersion in a culture or situation and direct interaction with the people under study. Qualitative methods include observations, in-depth interviews and focus groups. These methods are designed to help researchers understand the complexity of social and organizational phenomena and elucidate mental processes underlying behaviors. Hypotheses are generated during data collection and analysis, and measurements tend to be subjective. In the qualitative paradigm, the researcher becomes the instrument of data collection, and results may vary greatly depending upon who conducts the research. There are however some techniques wherein it is possible to integrate qualitative and quantitative methods in research.   In the first approach, qualitative methods contribute to the development of quantitative instruments, such as the use of focus groups in questionnaire construction. The second model consists of a primarily quantitative study that uses qualitative results to help interpret or explain the quantitative findings. In the third approach, quantitative results help interpret predominantly qualitative findings, as when focus group participants are asked to fill out survey questionnaires at the session. In the fourth model, the two methodologies are used equally, in parallel to cross-validate, and build upon each other’s results. †¦ may operate under one or more of these models; the approaches are not mutually exclusive. (Weinreich, 1996) Choice of Information Source The choice of material to be used for the research assignment also needs decision and quantification. In this case, the researcher proposes to use both primary and secondary sources of information for compilation of data. Primary sources used will be derived from the information available publicly and information gathered by the researcher. Public material includes governmental notifications, texts of legal acts and statutes and original company websites of organizations providing tourism services.   The researcher has also depended on questionnaires from respondents chosen from within the contact resource base of the researcher. Secondary sources will include information available from texts, journals and magazines as well as information available on the internet. Population and Sampling The research methodology will focus on an investigative study of the data sources proposed to be researched as well as the texts intended for review in the Literature Review. The literature has been chosen with care and will be studied extensively. The researcher has explained the reasons behind the choice of techniques, a carefully thought out mix of quantitative and qualitative techniques and the choice of source of information, in this case both primary and secondary. In addition to all the secondary sources listed in the references and bibliography it is proposed to conduct a detailed survey of persons whose occupations put them in close contact with elderly shop lifters. It is proposed to restrict the primary research to policemen and departmental store security personnel, people who are generally the first to come in contact with elderly shoplifters after they are apprehended and who are the first to study their reactions. The researcher wished to investigate shoplifters directly but feels that it will be an extremely difficult task to locate and   obtain primary information from them. It is with regret that this route of investigation is not being considered in the course of this research study. The respondents will be chosen with the help pf the local police department and with the help of three major departmental stores. Structured questionnaires, detailed in Appendix A will be sent to ten policemen with experience of shoplifting episodes and to ten members of the internal security departments of three major departmental stores. It is anticipated that full twenty responses will be obtained as the researcher proposes to approach the respondents through senior officers of the police force and through the managements of department stores. The senior officers of the police force and store managers will be approached with letters of accreditation from the university authorities and the researcher is sure of receiving their cooperation, once the reasons for the research are explained to them. Data Collection Methods The purpose of research and material available from secondary sources has been used as the base for developing the questionnaire. The questions have been prepared on the multiple choice format asking the respondent to choose the most suitable answer from a set of responses. This will enable the researcher to obtain the categorical response of a â€Å"closed end† question yet allow the respondent a choice. The questionnaires will be sent by e mail to the respondents with detailed instructions on completing the questionnaires. All respondents will be assured of total privacy and questionnaires will be numbered numerically and not by name of respondent. All completed questionnaires will first be tabulated on excel spreadsheets and subsequently presented in a simple table format. Once the tabulation is completed and checked thoroughly the spreadsheets will be erased to have only one representation of primary data. Literature Review It is used to make substantial use of secondary material in the form of texts, journals and magazine articles as well as internet sources for purposes of data availability, analysis and investigation. Online libraries like Questia and other databases are already being used liberally and their extensive use in future during the course of the research is envisaged.. All sources used, cited in text or not have been arranged in the bibliography. The researcher prefers to take up topics for discussion sequentially and use inputs from a number of sources rather than deal with the sources and their authors separately for the sake of logical progression of ideas and cohesion of thought. The researcher has practically no first hand experience of shoplifting, no personal acquaintance with shoplifters and no close firsthand experience of shoplifting episodes. The interest in shoplifting was first generated by the books â€Å"The Sociology of Shoplifting: Boosters and Snitches† by Lloyd Klemke and â€Å"When Ladies Go A-Thieving: Middle-Class Shoplifters in the Victorian Department Store† by Elaine S. Abelson. Both of these books are extremely informative try to look at the problem in totality. Abelson makes the point that shoplifting is not a contemporary phenomenon but has existed from the time huge stores started opening in the USA. Shoplifting was a regular phenomenon and when indulged in by women from the upper classes were defined as a mental disorder with many physicians taking up the case of kleptomaniacs. In fact the word â€Å"klepto† became a much used expression to describe people with the knack for picking up small items from here and there. The shops slowly became larger and larger providing temptation on a never before scale and gave rise to a social problem that would remain and increase through the years.   the excitement, the sensory stimulation, the profusion of goods, the crowds, the unnerving, often illusory, ambience that the large department stores still evoke. As the great bazaars became both magnet and danger to numbers of middleclass women, the shoplifter emerged as a significant social and medical problem. (Abelson, 1992, p. 5) Over time the image of kleptomania as a specific female disease weakened with the emergence of Freudian thought but the association continued for many years. It is only in recent years, however, that the connection of shoplifting and women has been eradicated completely. with the emergence of a new scientific language, the terms of debate changed. The biological image of a specifically female disease gave way to Freudian psychiatry. In this new language, as in the old, women still provided the model of the shoplifter as patient; even though men as well as women, adolescents as well as the elderly, made up the army of casual shoplifters. Only in recent decades has the singular association of shoplifting and women weakened. (Abelson, 1992, p. 197) On another tack, the books proposed to be studied in the literature review have tried to categorize deviant behavior into different categories. Mary Owen Cameron (1964) attempted to classify shoplifters using the patois of her time into boosters and snitchers. These are the â€Å"boosters,† who are professional shoplifters, and the â€Å"snitches,† who are amateur shoplifters. The most important difference is that boosters steal merchandise to sell, whereas snitches steal merchandise for their own use. Boosters are further divided into â€Å"heels,† who specialize in shoplifting, and â€Å"ordinary† boosters, who engage in shoplifting as just one of their many forms of illicit activity. The latter are frequently involved in prostitution, narcotics addiction, and alcoholism, and they shoplift to support their habits. (Klemke, 1992, p. 70) Apart from tracing the causes and reasons for shoplifting, the breadth of this investigation makes it necessary to obtain information about elderly shoplifters. There is very little information available on elderly shoplifters in the detailed texts available and most such information needs to be accessed from contemporary articles in magazines and journals, some of which are available on the internet. There is common consensus in the fact that shoplifting among the elderly has been growing for more than a decade and has become a serious matter of concern. The reasons for shoplifting appear to vary from depression to real need to simple momentary greed. Several studies have found diagnosed depression to exist in approximately 1/3 of the shoplifters studied. Depression was the most frequently found physiological problem. This helps to explain why so many shoplifters steal from stores on their birthday and around holiday times. (Berlin, 2006) The other point of concern is the fact that the number of first offences is also growing and more and more of the elderly are giving in to the temptation of pilfering items from departmental stores for the first time in their lives. Psychiatrists believe that, as most elderly shoplifters do not indulge in this sort of petty crime because of financial need the phenomenon may be indicative of psychiatric disorders and should be dealt with accordingly. There is also the theory that changing social conditions and difficulties in coping with increased expenses in old age leads some people to take up small crimes like shoplifting. The elderly are not only victims of crime, they are also perpetrators, particularly in the crime of shoplifting. The loss of income at retirement and the social isolation of the elderly are contributing factors in their involvement in theft. The raising of the compulsory retirement age and preretirement counselling could do much to relieve the elderly’s sense of desperation that often leads to crime. Public services that inform the elderly about crime prevention measures and provide victim services could do much to relieve the debilitating consequences of crime against the elderly. The elderly themselves could organize to attack their common problems. One activity they might undertake is ‘court watching,’ which involves monitoring how the elderly are treated by the courts as both victims and offenders. (Moak, Zimmer, Elliot, 1988) The researcher will study the literature available from a number of angles, chiefly the historical development of shoplifting, the increase in elderly involvement, the chief reasons for shoplifting, psychiatric responses to the issue, the role of counselling, the provisions of the criminal justice system and common punitive action. The bibliography contains a listing of a number of texts to be used for the literature review. This list is by no means exhaustive and additional books will certainly be used if they are relevant and become available. Analysis The researcher proposes tu use data from primary and secondary sources to arrive at findings for analysis and conclusions. Primary data, apart from questionnaires from respondents in the police force and security departments of departmental sources will be obtained from various legal and governmental websites. Secondary data, as stated earlier will be obtained from the various texts studied for the literature review. Once the data has been collected and collated in an Excel spreadsheet it will be analysed for responses and the data from all the questionnaires will be merged into tabulated formats that will give composite pictures of the responses from the primary population sample. Tabulations will need to be done separately for the responses from the policemen and the store security personnel to see the differences in the perceptions of these two different groups. It is important to understand that the analysis will need to be done with reference to the Research Questions. The responses from the secondary data and the primary data will need to be related to each Research Question separately and it will need to be assessed whether there are any contradictions between the secondary data, the different primary data sources and the Research Question. Responses in which all sources corroborate each other will obviously be considered to be strong and categorical and will need to be treated as such. A detailed analysis of the data will lead to findings that will determine the outcome of this research. Constraints Constraints, if any could arise in the collection of primary data. Respondents may not return the filled questionnaires or may fill them incorrectly. The researcher proposes to pay great attention to the complete procedure for collection of primary data and will meke sincere efforts to overcome problems and roadblocks, if and when they arise. Appendices Framing of Questionnaire The Questionnaire will be framed in a variation of a multiple choice format, where each question could have a direct response or 3 to 5 choices. In case of MCQs the respondent will need to specify one particular answer so that the best possible choice is forced out of him/her. A sample questionnaire is provided here below. This questionnaire is still open to revision and incorporation of fresh details, if so required. Apart from the questions the questionnaire will also have other administrative details which have been omitted in the preparation of this first sample. How many episodes of shoplifting have you been witness to? A. Less than 5, B. Between 5 and 10, C More than 10 In these episodes of shoplifting what were the numbers of A. Men B.Women C. Juveniles (Less than 18) D. Adults (18 to 60) E. Seniors (>60) In how many of these episodes were charges pressed in court? In how many of the cases were convictions obtained? Is the incidence of shoplifting growing? Yes/No In your perception are more elders indulging in shoplifting? Yes/No What is the most important reason for shoplifting? A. Financial Need B. Impulse Are episodes of shoplifting premeditated or impulsive† A. Premeditated B. Impulsive In your experience, do you feel that people involved in shoplifting come from poorer economic strata? Yes/No In your experience do you feel that people involved in shoplifting suffer from any mental disorder? Yes/No Do you feel that elderly shoplifters should be treated more leniently than the others? Yes/No Do you feel that elderly people are treated more leniently than the others? Yes/No What do you feel is the best way to treat first time elderly offenders? A. Punishment B. Counselling C. Warning D. Combination of the above (Specify) Do you feel that the Criminal Justice System should be stricter with shoplifters? Yes/No Location of respondents It has been decided that the there will be 10 respondents from the police force and ten respondents from the security departments of departmental stores. the researcher will access senior officials of the police force and the three chosen departmental stores. The researcher will write letters to them with the following contents Personal introduction Introduction of academic institution Reference to tutor and Head of Institution Purpose of Study Likely benefits of study Cooperation required Appreciation and gratitude. Despatch of these letters will be followed by personal phone calls, appointments and confirmation of respondents. References Abelson, E. S. (1992). When Ladies Go A-Thieving: Middle-Class Shoplifters in the Victorian Department Store. New York: Oxford University Press. Arbetter, L. (1993, September). Security Spotlight: Shoplifting Reigns Supreme. Security Management, 37, 16+. Retrieved October 8, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5002195097 Berlin, P, (2006), Why do shoplifters steal? Retrieved October 7, 2006 from character-education.info/Articles/shoplifting.htm Collrin, C. B., & Hiew, C. (1983). Preventive Interventions in the Criminal Justice System: a Process Analysis. Canadian Journal of Criminology, 25(3), 319-328. Retrieved October 8, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=95774187 Griffin, R. (1989, December). Why the Temptation?. Security Management, 33, 126+. Retrieved October 8, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5002152732 Hiew, C. C. (1981). Prevention of Shoplifting: a Community Action Approach. Canadian Journal of Criminology, 23(1), 57-68. Retrieved October 8, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=95814646 Klemke, L. W. (1992). The Sociology of Shoplifting: Boosters and Snitches Today. Westport, CT: Praeger. Retrieved October 8, 2006, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=24370606 Moak, G, Zimmer, B and Elliot, M (1988) Clinical perspectives on elderly first time offender shoplifters, Retrieved October 7, 2006 from psychservices.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/39/6/648 Sacco, V. F. (1985). Shoplifting Prevention: the Role of Communication-Based Intervention Strategies. Canadian Journal of Criminology, 27(1), 15-30. Weinrich, N.K., (1996) Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Social Marketing Research, Social-Marketing.com, Retrieved October 7, 2006 from www.social-marketing.com/research.html Williams, J, (2002), Pyromania, Kleptomania and other Impulse-Control Disorders, Retrieved October 7, 2006 from www.psychnet-uk.com/dsm_iv/kleptomania.htm

Relationship between SAT Scores and Family Income Essay

What is the Relationship between SAT Scores and Family Income of the Test Takers around the World? Introduction The SAT examination is mostly in today’s world of academics, a requirement of getting accepted into collage. Not only is it enough to take the examination but the student has to pass with an average score or above to even have his/her application be considered. Many students around the world recognize this and therefore apply to prep schools for the SAT or their parents send them to a higher educational institution for that purpose. The prep schools such as Princeton are not cheap however as it helps give advice on how to best tackle the SAT examination, neither are higher educational institutions. Also it can be considered a luxury service by some middle class and low class societies in the world to be able to attend either one. This being said, the SAT prep course and higher educational institutions are, as a result, aimed at the high class societies in the world or those who can afford it. If this is true, it would put families with a higher income at an advantage for their children to get accepted into collage compared to families who cannot afford for their children to take the course or school fee and learn the advice of how to pass the SAT examination with a high score. Are the collages which students aim to be accepted into for a better education really based on which families can afford for their children to take the SAT prep course or learn at a higher educational institution? The data collected from Collage Board in year 2007 was analyzed to determine whether there is a relationship between SAT scores and family income of the test takers around the world (Rampell). Statement of Task The main purpose of this investigation is to determine whether there is a relationship between SAT scores and family income of the test takers around the world. The type of data that will be collected is the SAT scores and family income of the two-thirds of test takers who voluntarily reported it to collage board when signing up for the SAT examination worldwide. The SAT scores are used to determine how high of a score the test taker got and family income to determine the possibility to send their children to SAT prep schools or better educational institutions. The data used to generate the data breaks down the average score for ten different income groups of $20,000 range. Plan of investigation I am investigating the relationship of SAT scores and family income of the test takers around the world. I have collected data on SAT scores and family income of the test takers around the world. With the collection of data that I have acquired, a number of mathematical processes were used to analyze the data: a scatter plot of the data, calculation of the least squares regression line and correlation coefficient. I am going to do a χ2 test on the data to show the dependence of SAT scores and family income of the test takers around the world. Mathematical Investigation Collected Data Family income of test takers| Percentage of test takers within each family income group| Critical reading| Math| Writing| ∑| Less than $10,000| 4%| 427| 451| 423| 1301| $10,000–$20,000| 8%| 453| 472| 446| 1371| $20,000–$30,000| 6%| 454| 465| 444| 1363| $30,000–$40,000| 9%| 476| 485| 466| 1427| $40,000–$50,000| 8%| 489| 496| 477| 1462| $50,000–$60,000| 8%| 497| 504| 486| 1487| $60,000–$70,000| 8%| 504| 511| 493| 1508| $70,000–$80,000| 9%| 508| 516| 498| 1522| $80,000–$100,000| 14%| 520| 529| 510| 1559| Table 1: Mean SAT scores per section categorized in family income of test taker in 2007 More than $100,000| 26%| 544| 556| 537| 1637| This bottom row, the â€Å"More than $100,000† I am going to consider as an outlier therefore excluded in all calculations as it goes from $100,000 up to the millions of dollar of income which is too wide of a range to include into the calculations of this assessment. Graph 1 shows the average SAT score Vs. family income of test taker. As of now, there seems to be very strong positive correlation. It does appear that the SAT scores improve as the family income increases. (Graph was generated through Microsoft Excel) Calculation of the Least Squares Regression The Least Square regression identifies the relationship between the independent variable, x, and the dependent variable, y. It is given by the following formula: y-y= SxySx2 (x-x) where Sxy= xyn- xy and Sx2=x2n-x2 Table 2: Values of Least Squares Regression x| y| xy| x2| 15000| 1301| 19515000| 225000000| 25000| 1371| 34275000| 625000000| 35000| 1363| 47705000| 1225000000| 45000| 1427| 64215000| 2025000000| 55000| 1462| 80410000| 3025000000| 65000| 1487| 96655000| 4225000000| 75000| 1508| 113100000| 5625000000| 85000| 1522| 129370000| 7225000000| 95000| 1559| 148105000| 9025000000| ∑ = 495000| ∑ = 13000| ∑ = 733350000| ∑ = 33225000000| x = 55000| y = 1444.44| xy = 79444444.44| x2 = 3691666667| These are the calculated values used in finding the Least Squares Regression Sxy= xyn- xy Sxy= 7333500009- 79444444.44 Sxy= 2038888.893 Sx=x2n-x2 Sx=332250000009-3025000000 Sx=25819.88897 y-y= SxySx2 (x-x) y-1444.44444= 2038888.893(25819.88897)2 (x-55000) y= 0.0030583333x+1276.231666 Calculation of Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient indicates the strength of the relationship between the two variables (SAT scores and family income of test taker). It is given by the following formula: r= SxySxSy where Sx= x-x2n, Sy = y-y2n and Sxy is the covariance xyn- xy. Table 3: Values of Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient x| y| x-x2| y-y2| 15000| 1301| 1600000000| 20576.30864| 25000| 1371| 900000000| 5394.08642| 35000| 1363| 400000000| 6633.197531| 45000| 1427| 100000000| 304.308642| 55000| 1462| 0| 308.1975309| 65000| 1487| 100000000| 1810.975309| 75000| 1508| 400000000| 4039.308642| 85000| 1522| 900000000| 6014.864198| 95000| 1559| 1600000000| 13122.97531| ∑ = 495000| ∑ = 13000| ∑ = 6000000000| ∑ = 58204.22222| x = 55000| y = 1444.44| | | These are the calculated values used in finding the Correlation Coefficient. Sx= 25819.88897 Sy = 58204.222229 Sy = 80.4185041 r= 2038888.893(25819.88897)(80.4185041) r=0.9819360378 r2=0.9642983824 The calculation r2=0.9642983824 suggests that the strength of the association of the data is very strong since 0.90 < r2 < 1. I compared this value of r2 with the standard table of coefficient of determinations which places it in the â€Å"very strong† category (Whiffen). r2=0.9642983824 y= 0.0030583333x+1276.231666 Graph 2 indicates that there is a strong positive linear correlation. This is also indicated through the value of correlation coefficient, 0.96.(the graph was generated through Microsoft Excel ) Calculation of a χ2 test The χ2 test is used to measure whether two classifications or factors from the same sample are independent of each other – if the occurrence of one of them does not affect the occurrence of the other. χ2= fo-fe2fe Observed Values: | B1| B2| Total| A1| A| B| A+B| A2| C| D| C+D| Total| A+C| B+D| N| Calculations of Expected Values: | B1| B2| Total| A1| A+B(A+C)N| A+B(B+D)N| A+B| A2| A+C(C+D)N| B+D(C+D)N| C+D| Total| A+C| B+D| N| Degrees of freedom measure the number of values in the final calculation that are free to vary: Df=rows-1(columns-1) Null (H0) Hypothesis: SAT scores and family income are independent from each other. Alternative (H1) Hypothesis: SAT scores and family income are dependent from each other. Table 4: Observation Values Score| Income($)| 1300-1430| 1431-1561| Total| 15000 – 55000| 4| 1| 5| 56000 – 96000| -| 4| 4| Total| 4| 5| 9| Table 2 shows the observed values for SAT score Vs. family income. The data pieces have been put into ranges that represent the income of the families of the test takers. Table 5: Calculations for the Expected Values Score| Income($)| 1300-1430| 1300-1430| Total| 15000 – 55000| 4+1(4+0)9| 4+1(1+4)9| 4+1| 56000 – 96000| 4+0(0+4)9| 1+4(0+4)9| 0+4| Total| 4+0| 1+4| 9| Table 3 shows the individual calculations for each of the expected values. Table 6: Expected Values Score| Income($)| 1300-1430| 1300-1430| Total| 15000 – 55000| 2.22222| 2.77777| 5| 56000 – 96000| 1.77777| 2.22222| 4| Total| 4| 5| 9| Table 6 shows the expected values retrieved by the calculations in table 4 χ2= fo-fe2fe χ2= 4-2.2222222.22222+1-2.7777722.77777+0-1.7777721.77777+4-2.2222222.22222 χ2=5.759995408 Df=rows-1(columns-1) Df=2-1(2-1) Df=1 The χ2 critical value at 5% significance with 1 degree of freedom is 3.841. As the χ2 value is greater than the critical value, 5.760>3.841, the null hypothesis is rejected and SAT score is assumed dependent from family income. Discussion/Validity Limitations Throughout the investigation between the correlation of SAT scores and family income, various limitations may have affected the outcome of the results. One limitation of the data collected could be that it only reflects on the people who filled in the family income section before signing up for the SAT. There is no evidence that the data reflects everyone who has taken the SAT score as there may be people who did not fill that section. Another limitation could be that not everyone in the world decide to take the SAT, people who cannot afford it or take alternative tests are being neglected. Also the data does not confirm of how many SAT takers are being considered. The data can be proved insufficient and inaccurate for those reasons. There is also a limitation in the data as it states income of â€Å"$100,000 and above†. That could mean that the data goes on unto family incomes of millions which is not proportionate to the other ranges of family income given. Due to this however, that piece of data was left out in the calculations. Continuing, there might be a limitation to the recording of the data itself as SAT takers are to take a survey where they mention family income when signing up for SAT. This might cause a problem as many SAT takers, mostly in ages 15-17, do not know the actual income of their family therefore wrong data may be entered. Then there could be a limitation to the data due to culture and race. The data does not mention culture and race which might affect the data as there might have been more American surveys who mentioned family income compared to Asian who answered the survey. Another limitation is that the table of expected values in the χ2 test has all values less than 5 which reduces its validity.   Adding on to that, there might be a limitation to the amount of data that was collected as 9 pieces of data may not prove to be sufficient enough to reflect the correlation between SAT scores and family income in a world perspective. Lastly, there may be many other factors taking place when considering the correlation between SAT scores and family income such as reasons for having a high family income and IQ of SAT test takers. Conclusion Despite of the previously mentioned limitations, the found χ2 value, 5.760, rejects the null hypothesis that SAT scores are independent from family income and accepts the alternative hypothesis that SAT scores are dependent from family income. Furthermore, the investigation clearly shows that there is a strong and positive correlation between SAT score and family income as it can be an assumed dependence from each other. Work Cited Rampell, Catherine. â€Å"SAT Scores and Family Income – NYTimes.com.† The Economy and the Economics of Everyday Life – Economix Blog – NYTimes.com. 28 Aug. 2009. Web. 01 Nov. 2010.. Downey, Joel. â€Å"SAT Scores Rise with Family Income.† Cleveland OH Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather – Cleveland.com. 10 Apr. 2008. Web. 01 Nov. 2010.. Whiffen, Glen, John Owen, Robert Haese, Sandra Haese, and Mark Bruce. â€Å"Two Variable Statistics.† Mathematics for the International Student: Mathematical Studies SL. By Mal Coad. [S.l.]: Haese And Harris Pub, 2010. 581-82. Print.

Critical Factors that Influence Supplier Selection Essay

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Food science. Upon rehydrating dried apples slices, you found that the Essay

Food science. Upon rehydrating dried apples slices, you found that the slices did return to the original water content. What phenomenon was responsible - Essay Example Rehydration can be considered as a measure of the injury to the material caused by drying and treatments preceding dehydration (Okos et al., 1992; McMinn & Magee, 1997a). Rehydration of dried plant tissues is composed of three simultaneous processes: the imbibition of water into dried material, the swelling and the leaching of solubles (McMinn & Magee, 1997b; Lewicki, 1998). It has been shown that (Steffe & Singh, 1980) the volume changes (swelling) of biological materials are often proportional to the amount of absorbed water. Fan et al. (1962) found that the gain in volume caused by water sorption equalled the volume of imbibed water. On the other hand, the moisture-induced swelling of soybean and pigeon pea grains was always less than the volume of sorbed water (Singh & Kulshrestha, 1987). Studies of the volume increase of semolina (Bhattacharya, 1995) and soybean showed that rehydration temperature markedly affected volume increase. It is generally accepted that the degree of rehydration is dependent on the degree of cellular and structural disruption. During drying, Jayaraman et al. (1990) observed irreversible cellular rupture and dislocation, resulting in loss of integrity and hence, a dense structure of collapsed, greatly shrunken capillaries with reduced hydrophilic properties, as reflected by the inability to imbibe sufficient water to rehydrate fully. The objectives of this investigation were to test the hypothesis that a generalized model to describe the following structural properties during rehydration could be generated. The properties were true density, apparent density, porosity and specific volume of dehydrated apple, banana, potato and carrot during

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Does Thomas Jefferson Deserve to Be Honored in American History Term Paper

Does Thomas Jefferson Deserve to Be Honored in American History - Term Paper Example Jefferson was an influential member of the Continental Congress and was an important founding father. When the American Revolution began Jefferson was already part of the Continental Congress being the representative of Virginia. During the revolution Jefferson assumed the position of wartime Governor of Virginia (1779 to 1781) and was barely able to escape capture at the hands of British troops in 1781. He became the third president of the United States of America in 1801 and continued to 1809 amongst a series of bitter sweet political and military decisions that have received appreciation and criticism alike (Ellis). Jefferson has often been accused of copying other people’s ideas (such as those of Locke) when drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It must be borne in mind that Jefferson himself stated that the document was â€Å"meant as a statement of the prevailing sentiments† amongst Americans at that point in time. To expect Jefferson to monopolize the contents of such an important and integral historical document would be a far greater sin than his admission that the ideas carried in the document were borrowed. In drafting the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was merely trying to reflect on the state of current polity on the American continent and not trying to be a â€Å"creative director† of the American Revolution (Malone). Another of Jefferson’s more important actions was his drafting of the Virginia Statutes for Religious Freedom in 1777 which can be seen as the founding document for the cherished American ideals of liberation and freedom. As a result of this document the Church was separated from the State and it served as a precedent for others to follow. Religious liberation at such an early stage in the nascent American nation’s history helped America to avoid the costly and meaningless religious wars that were still being fought on the European continent. Jefferson was denounced as a â€Å"g odless heathen† by a number of his contemporaries because of this document and its implications but he waded through this mess in order to offer the nation religious liberation. Such actions on the part of Jefferson cannot be downplayed as they represented a large initiative for a society that derived its roots from some nuances of religion. Moreover Jefferson was instrumental in setting up the University of Virginia in 1819 which was aimed at upgrading the existing levels of higher education in the United States. Similarly Jefferson’s purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France near doubled the size of the United States although the entire transaction is mired in controversy (Wilentz). Jefferson was not open to the idea of such a large purchase for largely political reasons but he nonetheless went ahead with the purchase at the insistence of his advisors and his representatives for the negotiation. Preceding Jefferson’s regime the American shipping industry had to pay large endowments to the Barbary pirates in order to guarantee safe passage in the Mediterranean. However during Jefferson’s regime the demands of the Barbary States assumed ludicrous proportions so Jefferson decided to pursue hard military action against the pirates in order to quell the problem. Jefferson’s decision to pursue military action set the tone for future American engagement in global

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Is it Necessary to Conduct a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis in Health Care - Essay Example FMEA was first used by the United States Army in the 1940s and later on adopted by large industrial concerns which still maintain formal FMEA standards. With the advances in information technology and software it has assumed great significance and is a very accurate approach to streamline the functioning of an organization or process. The FMEA involves a dynamic methodology in which changes and updates are made to the concerned product or process visualizing any new failure modes brought about by events or changes in the organization, product or process. The process itself involves defined steps in a sequential manner in which initially the product or process and its function are described. This is followed by the preparation of a block diagram which shows the different components of the process or product in a logical relationship. After this an FMEA form worksheet is prepared and vital aspects put under specific headings. Logical listing is done followed by identifying failure modes. Effects of the failure modes are described and a numerical ranking obtained for the severity of a particular effect. Causes for failure modes are then identified and documented. Appropriate interventions are then planned by assigning risk priority keeping into consideration the probability of detection. Finally recommended actions are suggested and actions take analyzed. The risks involved in healthcare organizations are of such diversity and so unpredictable that it becomes impossible to enumerate them beforehand. Still FMEA is finding increasing use in the healthcare industry. In order to improve patient safety appropriate changes are required in health care systems. In the health care version of FMEA the assessments of severity, likelihood, and detectibility are accomplished by employing a decision flowchart instead of a ranked points scale. The flowchart determines if action is required or if existing

Academic goal Essay Example for Free

Academic goal Essay Review this week’s resources (for example SMART criteria, and the Career Plan Building Activities). Respond to the following in 50 to 100 words each: 1. Describe one academic goal that you have created using the SMART criteria. How do SMART criteria contribute to your academic goals?. The long academic goal I have created using the SMART technique is to pass college. The SMART Criteria break down the goal to make it more understandable and specific to my needs. A more recent goal I want to achieve is getting through my us/101 and my fp/101 classes without any problems. 2. Describe one professional/career goal you have created using the SMART criteria and Career Plan Building Activities results. How did the results of the Career Interest Profiler and Career Plan Building Activity on Competencies contribute to your professional goal development? Using the SMART criteria it helped me develop a goal of getting more information on the job I want to do once I am out of college and have my degree. My goal was to talk to someone who does what I do and get more information on the job I want to do. I sat down with my step dad who does a Tech Support job and talked with him for about 2-3 hours about his job. 3. Describe the stress and time-management strategies you have learned this week that will help you achieve your goals. This week I’ve read about many time-management strategies and the one that stuck out the most was having a planner on you at all times. After reading about this I went ahead and set up a schedule in my phone to follow and boy howdy it has been very convenient, it has helped me tremendously complete all my work on time. 4. Describe how you will balance academic expectations and your personal and professional responsibilities. I will most likely be able to balance all of my academic expectations in college between my person responsibilities very well because I currently am 18 and living with my parents. I don’t really have much to do other than college and hang out with friends. Currently I’m just doing all my college work Monday-Friday then on the weekends just going out and hanging out with friends. 5. How can understanding the importance of SMART criteria and your career interests and competencies help you move towards your career and academic goals? Understanding the SMART criteria and my career interests can help me move towards my goals because I can set up goals that are simplified and more understandable. Understanding my goals specifically will help me achieve them easier. Once I have my goals set up I can work towards completing them in a timely manner.

Acupuncture as a nonconventional treatment for chronic neck pain Essay Example for Free

Acupuncture as a nonconventional treatment for chronic neck pain Essay Acupuncture as a nonconventional treatment for chronic neck pain Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   IntroductionNeck pain has been classified as one of the commonest problems among the people. This condition arises from various disorders or it may originate from tissues located at the neck (Hush, et al., (2009).The neck is also known as a cervical spine. The necks structure is characterized by vertebrae which run from the upper torso to the skull’s base. The stability of the spine is associated to ligaments and muscles that run along the vertebrae (National Institutes of Health. (2013). A neck’s main importance is its mobility and the support it accords to the head. It is prone to injuries because it is not offered much protection like the rest of the spine. Injuries normally cause less and restricted mobility and triggers NAIP. Unfortunately neck pain are not accorded seriousness, most people treat the neck pain as temporary. There are unique cases where the symptoms do not go away and hence diagnosis and corresponding treatment is required (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (2013).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Researchers (De Loose, V., Burnotte, F., Cagnie, B., Stevens, V., Van Tiggelen, D. (2008). have found out that the pains are caused by several factors such as wear and tear, sprains and abnormalities of the neck tissue. There is evidence of neck pains arising from other pains such as arm or shoulder pains (De loose, 2008). Normally activities such as extreme bends of the neck, falls and vehicle accidents can cause neck injuries. In certain situations damage of the neck can damage the spine causing paralysis. Researchers have also found out that Spondylosis which occurs in people above the age of 40, adds strains to neck joints creating a path for chronic neck pain. But the condition is treatable through both conventional and nonconventional methods.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Researchers and doctors have identified acupuncture as a nonconventional treatment method which is a very effective method for treating chronic neck pains. Researcher (Blosssfeldt, 2004), says that, acupuncture is gaining momentum as a popular nonconventional treatment method for chronic neck pain. He also adds that, the method has been well tolerated and has low risk of adverse effects. (Liang et al, 2008) says that, a combination of both traditional and modern acupuncture technique usually result in a documented and improved neck pain patterns. (Blossfeldt, 2004) adds that acupuncture is widely accepted and it is utilized as a complementary therapy useful in neck pain management originating from cervical spondylitis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Researchers have carried out studies relating to acupuncture systematic review with an aim to find out on acupuncture effectiveness. The studies have found effectiveness evidence as inconclusive (salter et al, 2004). There are studies which have produced results which are positively favoring acupuncture and there are other results which have produced negative findings on the effective of the method (salter et al, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Due to the varying results, this research was developed to find out on the effectiveness of acupuncture method as a non-conventional method in treatment of chronic neck pains in relation to other research findings. In respect to national health statistics and reports, Survey data analysis can be used by medical professionals to measure the pain levels of patients before and after acupuncture treatment. Gathering results from various studies and comparing with the structures of acupuncture and preventive measures of neck pains can help us determine on the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment method. In this literature review the researcher will review on 1) how to establish the viability of acupuncture therapies in the treatment of chronic neck pain; 2) understanding of how sham, shallow and randomized acupuncture therapies are utilized in the treatment of chronic neck pain; 3)provide a conclusive evidence of the success of acupunctu re as an ideal method of relieving pain; 4)establish the effects of the three acupuncture therapies in the treatment of individuals with chronic pain of the neck; 5)offer recommendation of the viability of acupuncture as a treatment option that can be used by people with chronic neck pains. The researcher will also compare the duration of acupuncture treatment with other methods and also the cost associated and risk factors thereof.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   METHODOLOGYTarget PopulationThe research data collected in this study focused on patients suffering from chronic neck pain. The individuals used in the research fell within the age of 21 and 55 years old. Although there are many patients who report about neck pain ailments in different health care facilities across the United States, patients withinthe ages of 21 and 55 years old were ideal for this research study. This was due to the fact that they were easier to track their progress of healing over a longer period of time. Elderly patients over the age of 55 years were not best placed in this research considering the various attributes in the healing processes of such people, which was proven to be relatively lower. Most of the data aboutindividuals with chronic pain of the neck was randomly collected in health care facilities in the State of California, United States. The majority of these patients were diagnosed with chronic neck pain and were put under a special focus while three acupuncture methods of therapies were performed(Witt 2004, p. 99). The study generally involved a thorough investigation of 191 patients in California’s health care. It is important to acknowledge that the various patients were deliberately initiated to acupuncture treatment as their decision to try the alternative medical practice after unsuccessful treatments in the mainstream medical procedures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There were certainly no limitation on the sex of the patients; hence the research involved both male and female patients. Additionally, there was no specified number of male or females in the study, as patients, treatment and progress of treatment of patients was randomly taken. Further, it was assumed that both male and female patients presented similar responses to the different acupuncture therapies performed in the study(Sun et al, 2009, p. 850).The research was not limited by either ethnicity or race, although believed to have different characteristics in regard to various medical procedures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Variables of the studyThe dependent variables in this study included the neck pain as an ailment caused by various aspects such as physical injury and disease or condition among others. The rates of cases involving chronic neck pains during the period of this study were generally unprecedented as the causes of such ailments greatly varied. Chronic neck pain among the patients varied in regard to the specific causes, which in this case included degenerative disc disease, neck injury, neck strain, herniated disc as well as pinched neck(Sun et al, 2009, p. 850). The first step in the treatment procedure involved a thorough diagnosis of common neck infections that caused the chronic pain. The research exploits treatment of such neck pains using acupuncture which falls into three categories including optimized acupuncture, shallow acupuncture and sham acupuncture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Research LimitationsThe key limitations were based on neck pain due to common infection like virus infection of the neck and lymph nope swelling, as well as other infections such as tuberculosis of the neck, meningitis, and infection of spine bones around the neck. It was difficult in the study since some of patients did not present themselves on the day of the study. The study also used a large number of patients which was a challenge for the researcher. The different patients involved in this study had chronic neck pains attributed to extremely different causes, which included physical injuries, some rare infections, and virus infections among others(Witt 2004, p. 99). The patients with this problem are generally taken through the three acupuncture therapies, regardless of the cause of their condition(Hush 2004, p. 1533). The fact that all patients are uniformly taken into similar medical procedures without being categorized in relation to their specific cause of chronic neck pain remain as the greatest limiting attribute of this research. Additionally, time was a limiting factor since the time allowed for the research was not enough to efficiently tackle critically the objectives of the study.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Research criteria and Database usedIn this study, the items were collected through searching peer reviewed journal articles and therefore, the researcher thoroughly searched in various databases for article that provided information for patients suffering from chronic neck pains, specifically those individuals between the age of 21 and 55 years old. The researcher further categorized the data collected to form two groups of patients of the age bracket of 21 and 34 years and those between 35 and 55 years old. The creation of these two groups was essential as taking a wider range of people of ages 21 to 55 years old would present relatively a higher deviation in the healing processes of the patients, as those above the age of 35 years present a much longer period of healing as compared to the youthful 21 to 34 years group. The researcher focused the search on SPORT Discus, Academic Search Premier, BMJ Research Articles and Gov., database.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Keywords used in the studyThe key terms the researcher commonly used while searching for the relevant articles included: Chronic neck pain, cervical pain types of acupuncture, alternative medicine, Sham acupuncture, Shallow acupuncture and Randomized acupuncture.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   OVERVIEW OF ACUPUNCTURE PRACTICEPracticing acupuncture started many centuries ago as a type of medication in China. It is the practice of implanting needles at certain points of the human skin as a form of therapy. In acupuncture practices, there is no involvement of drugs but only the needles are enough to accomplish the therapy (Liang et al, 8). The practice originated from China and has been noted to spread all over west of Europe (Liang et al, 8).As argued by the model on Chinese medicine, the specific places that the acupuncture needles are placed lies on the path named meridians where the dynamic energy goes through, hence allowing its access to control and regulate the flow of energy which is believed to be the cause of force imbalance (Willich et al, 2006, p. 98).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Populations and AcupunctureAcupuncture has been practiced in several parts globally, especially in Europe even though it is in its inception stages in the United States. According to NHI survey done in the year 2007 that also considered the use of CAM in America,where 1.4% of the respondents were found to be using acupuncture before then. The 3.1 million of the American population claimed they only practice it majorly for severe migraine and repetitive pain. The study showed that half of the respondents used acupuncture to treat chronic neck pain (Sun et al, 2009, p. 850).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The practice should obviously be regarded by physicians as an ideal treatment preference due to the backing it has received from those individuals who have used it in the treatment of chronic neck pain. Subsequently, the study did not restrict the adults basing on their gender due to limited research.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CHRONIC NECK PAINChronic neck pain is an ailment that is characterized by pain in the neck that lasts for an unusually long period of time, commonly over a period of three months(Blossfeldt, 2004). Although different from the common medical conditions of neck pains that last for only days, chronic neck pain is typically an ailment that takes even years without success in its treatment in the mainstream medical practices(Irnich, 2002). Chronic neck pain is usually associated with a number of disorders, as well as diseases that can involve any of the tissues around the neck(Witt 2004, p. 99). For instance, the common causes of this condition are strains of the neck, injury of the neck like a herniated disc, pinched disc, or whiplash, and degenerative disc disease. In addition, chronic neck pain is also linked to common infection like virus infection of the neck and lymph nope swelling, as well as other infections such as tuberculosis of the neck, meningitis, and infection of spine bones around the neck. Some patients also had chronic neck pains caused by extremely different causes, which include physical injuries, some rare infections, and virus infections among others. Further, chronic neck pain is also caused by certain infections like virus infection of the neck and lymph nope swelling, as well as other infections such as tuberculosis of the neck, meningitis, and infection of spine bones around the neck.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   RISK FACTORS OF CHRONIC NECK PAINSChronic neck pain is generally caused by numerous factors ranging from physical injury to certain infections around the neck body tissues. Since neck pain affects the muscles around the body areas of the neck, it becomes painful to move the neck (De Loose, 2008, p. 475). In order to avoid or to prevent neck pains for the patients, it is always essential to consider staying away from activities may twist the neck and subsequently aggravate the already painful section of the neck(Witt 2004, p. 99). Therisk factors for the pain usually include injury from involvement in activities like motor vehicle accidents, horse riding, contact sports and bull riding among others, degeneration of cervical disc also known as Spondylitis, neck bent and twisting positions (De Loose, 2008, p. 475).In addition, it is also advisable to have activities that will enhance neck strengthening exercise, as well as neck bracing, reduc e TV watching usage of safety belts in motor vehicles and going to the gym for exercise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   TYPES OF ACUPUNCTURE USED IN CHRONIC NECK PAIN TREATMENTOptimized acupuncture therapyThe practice of optimized acupuncture therapy involves the utilization of traditional acupuncture, which is usually followed by intradermal needle therapy, commonly referred to as INT(Hush 2004, p. 1533). The use of OAT usually consists of the use of nine acupuncture points typically selected for an optimized acupuncture therapy group on the advice and consensus of the national expert committee of the OAT procedures. In this case, four points are subsequently located by physician intending to perform the OAT. The points selected are usually the cervical positive reactions planes found in the top and bottom of the cervical planes as well as horizontally away from the corresponding cervical vertebra(Witt 2004, p. 99). The study found that this type of acupuncture practice is highly sensitive and hence the need to be performed by an individual with more than five of practice experiences   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sham acupuncture therapyThe practice is put into use only as a tool for control in the scientific research in order to measure the efficiency of real acupuncture in various disease treatment. This type of acupuncture involves the use of skin penetrating shallow needles on the specified sham groups’ tender points.The tender points that are used in this method of acupuncture therapy are categorized as the key areas recommended for the acupuncture, which are the Ah Shee, also referred to as â€Å"oh yes point†. The points are crucial in this therapy and have to be used throughout the treatment procedure. Typically, the location of sham points is commonly defined by 25mm lateral extending to the standard location used for the OAT group.They include: the sham point of Dazhui (GV14) 25mm, which is 25 mm vertically below the usual standard GV14, sham points of (S115) Jianzhongshu and Huatuojiaji, which is 25 mm lateral to standard S 115 (Liang et al, 8). After the sham acupuncture, individuals undergoing the process or patients are treated through the use of point pressing (De Loose, 2008, p. 475). The findings show that a patient does not notice whether it is sham or real acupuncture being used. The results showed that the variation between real and sham practices are caused by habituation or the control effects. If the real acupuncture is efficient compared to the sham, then the habituation and control effects such as expectations of the patient, behavior and beliefs are present.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shallow acupuncture therapyShallow acupuncture group undergoes similar procedures as the other OAT groups.However, the physicians are required to insert the needles in a vertical manner in order to reach the subcutaneous level at a specified depth of not more than 3 mm (Salter et al, 2004). Needle manipulation or any other sensation is prohibited in this particular group. Ultimately, after the shallow acupuncture, the patients are additionally treated by INT through the use of a similar method as in the other OAT groups. It was found that the therapy do not fully treat the pain fully due to its shallow penetration hence the need for additional treatment that follow the same procedures. It results to a more efficient treatment in comparison to other therapies though takes much time (Salter et al, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ACUPUNCTURE AS AN IDEAL METHOD COMPARED TO PHYSIOTHERAPYZhuang (2012); Robertshawe, (2008), compares the use of acupuncture and physiotherapy in the treatment of chronic neck pain in a research that took place in China. The research involved screening of a total of 310 patients. The patients were then randomly split into two equal groups, where one group was treated using acupuncture method, while the other group received treatment through physiotherapy. The outcome of the treatment of the two procedures revealed that patients treated under acupuncture procedures had better results in relieving neck pain, particularly after a period of three months. It is essential to acknowledge that physiotherapy is an alternative medical practice that can be used in the treatment of chronic neck pain. While acupuncture therapies generally used sterilizes needles that are usually inserted in the area around the neck depending on the type of acupuncture u sed, physiotherapy does not involve the use of needles. Physiotherapy utilizes several types of manipulation as well as exercise to relieve pain. The common illustration of the use of physiotherapy is the stretch, strengthen and straighten up exercise movements of the neck (Robertshawe, 2008; Willich, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   EFFECTS OF ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENTWhite, (2001); Ji-Eun, (2010), researched about the adverse effects following a use of acupuncture to treat patients with chronic neck pain. In his survey, which included a prospective survey of 32,000 consultations with physiotherapists and doctors, the researcher, Adrian White aimed at ascertaining the incidence of adverse effects that are related to acupuncture treatment, as practiced by British doctors during that time. The research utilized data that were collected for the June of 1998 to February of 2000, from a total of 78 acupuncturists. Altogether the resulting significant effects were 43, subsequently giving only a rate of only 14 patients of the 10,000 patients included in the data. The results of this study showed that only 0.14 percent of the patients who used acupuncture in the treatment of chronic pain experience adverse effects (White, 2001). All the adverse effects were reported to have had cleared within the period of one week after the therapy. Similar diminishing effects were characterized at a longer period, except for only one incident that lasted for several weeks. The result derived from the data of acupuncture treatment did not report any serious adverse effects. The rates can only be classified as minimal considering that it was only 14 adverse effects out of the total 10,000 patients who were analyzed with the data provided (White, 2001; Ji-Eun, 2010). Generally, these effect rates do not give significant risk per individual patient.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   RECOMMENDATION ON ACUPUNCTURE’S VIABILITYThe article by Chen, et al., (2010), offers exclusive views on acupuncture given by various physicians. The research by Chen among other authors who contributed to the article, there study targets collecting information that addresses the role of acupuncture in the management of pain in regard to opinions of physicians who manage such conditions. The research was conducted between 2007 and 2008 using a nationwide e-mail to 1083 physicians who were in active acupuncture practice in the United States. Chan et al., (2010) found that the overwhelmingly majority of the responders of the survey had a positive attitude and favorable experience of the use of acupuncture as an alternative modality in the management of chronic pain. The results of the survey subsequently indicate that acupuncture is considered effective by physicians in the management of chronic neck pain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CASE STUDIES:Acupuncture for patients with chronic neck painWitt et al., (2006) undertook the study in examining how effective acupuncture as an alternative treatment for neck pain treatment in comparison to patients who used routine medical care. The study used a random approach of more than 14000 individuals aged above 18 suffering from neck pain symptoms within a period of 6 months. Also took a non-acupuncture for 15 sessions within a period of 3 months. The acupuncture category were given injections without any other acupuncture treatment. The group which was controlled was not treated using acupuncture but both groups could use any other mode of treatment. The study found out that patients using routine care and add on acupuncture treatment showed significant improvements in both pain and quality of their lives in comparison to patients who only used routine treatments. Therefore, the results concludes that acupuncture can be used alo ngside routine treatments to achieve optimal results.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Efficacy and safety of acupunctureVas, et al, (2006) conducted a study to establish the effectiveness of acupuncture vis a vis placebo. Both methods were to be utilized to treat chronic neck pains that were not complicated. (N=123) patients, who were over the ages 17 and who possessed chronic neck pains for over 3 months were used. They were randomly selected into 2 groups, the acupuncture group and placebo group. For 3 weeks, the acupuncture group was treated with 5 acupuncture treatments. The treatment characteristics were, 30 minutes treatment followed by 10 minutes manual treatments. While the placebo group was subjected to transcutaneous nerve stimulation, which was characterized by 30 minutes of treatment and the potentiometer was being adjusted after every 10 minutes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The findings from this study were that, acupuncture as a form of neck treatment had minimal side effects. For overall effectiveness, acupuncture was found to have higher effectiveness than placebo. Researchers conclusively said that, acupuncture was effective.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   DISCUSSIONIn its broad context, this research has dwelled in covering all the related material on acupuncture and especially its effectiveness in treatment of acupuncture. Most are the studies which have found considerable effectiveness and a few studies have found less significant improvement in acupuncture use. The researchers (salter et al, 2006; Liang et al 2012; Chen et al 2010; vas et al 2006) have favorably recognized acupuncture as an effective non-conventional treatment method.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   From the review above, it is evident that all the methods of acupuncture are effective in treatment of chronic neck pains. Sham, optimization and shallow acupuncture all have a capacity of effectiveness when administered well. The various studies by salter have provided solid practical evidence and information on patients’ health upon using all the three types of acupuncture in treatment of patients and individuals (salter et al 2004). For example in 2007, a national health interview survey in America found that, 1.4% of respondents have used acupuncture to treat chronic neck pains. That percentage reported success, which is a testament to acupunctures effectiveness (National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2012).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Blossfeldt, 2004) in his research notes that, acupuncture optimized technique success rate was a favorable 68%. Blossfeldt also noted that, on short term basis, acupuncture was 78% effective, while on long term basis it was 49% effective. Salter also found out on effectiveness of acupuncture. The neck pain questionnaire that he used for a period of 3 months, found out that, of the 34 % of the patients who have neck pains, 14% of these have effectively used acupuncture therapy (salter et al 2004) another researcher Liang, who conducted studies in china in association with other scholars, they found out that optimized acupuncture as a method of treating chronic neck pains was very effective.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although I extensively performed research on a wide range of databases, there are some articles that may have been missed out. Since I was individually conducting this research alone, it is possible that the large number of crucial articles were subsequently overlooked. In addition, there are many external factors that could have influenced the entire result of the use of acupuncture as an ideal treatment for chronic neck pain. The majority of studies slightly differ in a number of issues such as data collected, population, or any of combinations of these factors. White (2001) precisely researched about the adverse events following a use of acupuncture to treat patients with chronic neck pain, with an extreme number of respondents. Chen, L. et al., (2010), had a relatively smaller number of responders, and also had collection of data to be collected only through email in his research on the effectiveness of acupuncture in the management of chronic pain in the neck. These are some of the factors that were out of the scope of the research, hence determining the effectiveness of acupuncture was difficult, since the aspect of effectiveness could easily be isolated from some external factors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The analysis of the specific information provided by the studies of the literature review of this research paper indicates that either of the three methods of acupuncture can effectively treat the chronic neck pain. The procedural practice of sham, shallow and optimized acupuncture, though different, they present similar way of performing the acupuncture therapy, equally offering effective treatment for chronic neck pain. Liang et al, (2012) asserts that the three types of acupuncture to be based on the thought that decrease or alienation of pain can be enhanced by releasing the chemicals responsible for blocking pain. Issues of age in the study have been considered as the research only focused on individuals between 21 years old and 55 years, as they are likely to have a faster period of healing as compared to adult elderly groups of more than 55 years old. Generally, the use of acupuncture is illustrated as effective as it has previously been used to treat patients with chronic neck pain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The loopholes evident in the research include the possibility of a prior knowledge in determining the differences that may emerge upon consideration for gender in the treatment program. In the entire study, there is no single explanation of the ratio of females against the males in finding out the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment procedures. The study focused on a general perspective of patients with chronic neck pain regardless of their respective sex or gender. The knowledge of the differences that exist between males and females could have some effects on the understanding the use of acupuncture. In addition, the paper did not focus on the causes of the various neck pain, which could also compromise the results of the study, considering that such plans are typically attributed to a wide variety of causes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Topics that can be considered for further research are establishing the element of gender in determining the effectiveness of acupuncture while treating chronic neck problem. The various studies illustrated in the research paper did not point out the importance of understanding differences in the healing process of male and female patients with chronic neck pain. I suggest a study be conducted with a major emphasis on the aspect of gender differences between patients in order to determine the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for neck pain in male and female patients. 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(2006).Cost-effectiveness of acupuncture treatment in patients or individuals with chronic neck pain.Pain (03043959), 125(1/2), 107-113. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier Witt, C. M., Jena, S., Brinkhaus, B., Liecker, B., Wegscheider, K., Willich, S. N. (2006). Acupuncture for patients or individuals with chronic neck pain. Pain (03043959), 125(1/2), 98-106. Retrived from Academic Search Premier. Source document