Reasons why readmission of CHF patients is high in local setting

Abstract CHF is a health condition that affects normal operations of the body of a human person by interfering with the supply of blood to other body parts leading to the impairment of their normal functioning. The condition affects many people in different countries throughout the world. The U.S. is one of the developed countries that are affected by the CHF patients. It is estimated that about 5.3 million Americans suffer from this condition.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Reasons why readmission of CHF patients is high in local setting specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Due to the critical nature of the condition and other factors, this study seeks to establish reasons for increased number of CHF patient readmission in a local setting (Nasif Alahmad, n.d.). Using the quantitative research method, the study will examine readmission patients in a local hospital that has a 300-bed capacity. From the study finding s, CHF patient readmissions are caused by various factors such as non-compliance to medication, smoking, drinking alcohol and lack of diet modification (Pitt, et al. 2000). Introduction Chronic Heart Failure is a medical condition in which the heart of an individual is unable to pump enough blood to other parts of the body in order to enable them function as required. The condition is serious and could lead to other medical complications affecting patients if the condition is not detected and treated early. CHF condition is prevalent in all countries throughout the world. Using quantitative research method, this study examines reasons for the readmission of CHF patients in the local setting. Some of the established reasons for CHF patient readmissions were smoking, medical noncompliance, dietary changes and drinking (Brophy, et at. 2001). Problem Statement CHF is an issue affecting many people and public health systems in different countries across the world. More than 20 million pe ople worldwide are affected by CHF while 2% of prevalent patients are reported in developed countries. Nasi Alahmad (n.d.) note that the American Heart Association has reported that there are 5.3 million Americans suffering from the CHF condition with 660,000 new patients being reported annually. The occurrence of the condition is about 10 people per 1000 persons in the U.S. population. Due to health implications brought about by the CHF condition, about 287,000 people die every year. In spite of increased infection rates of CHF, the success rate of treating the conditions has also increased (Georgiou, et al. 2001). On the contrary, the problem remains high in rural settings that are characterized by high readmissions of CHF patients. Therefore, this study investigates reasons for high CHF patient readmission in a local setting (Jong, et al. 2002).Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn Mor e Literature Review The condition affects both individuals and the economy. The public health sector is forced to spent large amounts of money on the treatment of CHF patients every year. According to Nasif Alahmad (n.d.), the U.S. spent about $34.8 billion in 2009 whose large part went to hospital readmissions. The centers for Disease control and prevention indicate that African American population in the U.S. contracts CHF at the rate of 70% compared to other population groups that have lower levels. In addition, many of the reported patients involve individuals aged between 45 and 65 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004). Short breaths characterize the CHF condition with early symptoms being exertion. Dyspnea, the sudden development of severe short breaths at night that awaken patients is experienced by CHF patients as the condition progresses to the critical situation over time (Hernandez, et al. 2007). According to Yancy (2004), pulmonary congestion is one of th e related conditions to other initial symptoms of the disease. The pulmonary congestion occurs due to the interstitial and alveolar spaces that are caused by pulmonary edema. The two common conditions of CHF are the systolic heart failure and diastolic heart failure that is characterized by impaired relaxation phase of the cardiac muscle. McKelvie et al. (1995) note that the coronary artery disease, stroke and the peripheral artery disease that form the risk factors for contracting the disease contribute to the development of CHF disease during the mature stages of the disease that when not treated early, may cause death. Following the occurrence of the disease, rural settings have been reported to have increased rates of readmissions for patients with the CHF condition. The high readmission rates of the disease in these areas is attributed to many factors some of which include patients not complying to medication, lack of modification of the diet, intake of alcohol, smoking and lac k of community follow up (Elixhauser, et al. 2000). Methodology A research can be either quantitative or qualitative in nature depending on the research method undertaken by the researcher. This study employed a quantitative research method with a quantitative research design that involved the researcher collecting numerical data using quantitative data collection tools such structured questionnaires (Quinn, 2002). The researcher used purposive sampling technique to select a sample comprising of 65 and above year old patients suffering from CHF condition from a large population of CHF patients in a local setting. The researcher did not group the sampled population any further based on other factors such as race, color, ethnicity or point of origin in order to ensure validity and reliability of the study. The variables for the study included readmission that is the dependent variable while independent variables were many and included factors such as non-compliance to medication, smok ing, drinking alcohol and lack of diet modification (Saunders, Lewis Thornhill, 2007).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Reasons why readmission of CHF patients is high in local setting specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Findings The findings of the study indicate that the level of CHF patients in the rural setting fluctuated over the period from January 2010 to March 2011. The patients were as high as 17 in January 2010 (Piepoli, et al. 2004). They declined to a low level of 5 patients during the month of May 2010 before beginning to increase gradually to 16 patients during the month of March 2011 as indicated in the figure below. The increase in the level of CHF readmissions was attributed to be various factors such as non-compliance to medication, smoking, drinking alcohol and lack of diet modification as illustrated and explained below. January 2010 From the figure below, it is revealed that the cause of readmi ssions for CHF patients was all the factors listed above. However, the composition differed. It is clear that the highest cause of CHF patient readmissions was lack of community support while the lowest causes for CHF patient readmissions were smoking and lack of diet modifications. February 2010 The month of February 2010 saw some decrease in the total number of CHF patients readmitted to the hospital with the total number declining by 5 CHF patients. The causes remained the same with different compositions. Lack of community support remained the main cause of CHF patients’ readmissions with increased number of CHF patients being readmitted. Smoking led to increased patient readmissions from 3 patients in the month of January to 5 patients in the month of Feruary. The lowest cause for CHF patient readmission was lack of dietary modifications. March 2010 This month was a different in the hospital because there were changes in the composition of causes for CHF patient readmiss ions. Total patients readmissions reduced to 9 patients. However, the main cause of readmissions was lack of dietary modifications that had the rate of 6 patients being readmitted while the lowest reason for patients being readmitted was smoking. April 2010 This period saw the increase in the number of CHF patient readmissions to 10 patients from 9 in the previous month. The highest cause of patient readmission for this period was smoking that had the rate of 7 patients being readmitted followed by lack of community support. However, the lowest causes remained lack of dietary modifications followed by lack of follow up on PCP as illustrated below.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More May 2010 This period saw a decline in CHF patient readmission to 7 patients. The causes remained the same while the highest cause was lack of dietary modifications at the rate of 6 patients followed by medication non-compliance. On the contrary, the lowest cause of CHF patient readmission during this month was smoking at the rate of 2 patients. June 2010 During this period, CHF patient readmissions in the local hospital increased to 15 patients. The increase in the number of readmissions can be attributed to the increase in the number of readmissions caused by lack of dietary modifications. This factor increased the number of readmissions from 6 to 8. The next causes of readmission were medication noncompliance. On the contrary, the lowest cause of CHF patient readmission in the month as the smoking that had the rate of 2 patients. July 2010 Readmissions in the course of this month dropped by 2 patients to remain at 13 patients. The cause of the drop in patient readmission was lack of dietary modifications followed by medical non-compliance (Smedley, Stith Nelson, 2003). The rest of the causes remained at the rate of 2 patients as illustrated below. August 2010 CHF patient readmission increased to 14 patients following the increase in the number of patients that were readmitted due to non-medication compliance that was the highest cause of readmission. The factor led to an increase in patient readmission from 3 patients to 7 patients. Similarly, lack of dietary modifications was responsible for 7 readmitted patients hence being another highest reason for patient readmission. On the lower side, other causative factors remained low at the rate of 2 patients except for lack of community support that led to three patients being readmitted. September 2010 During this period, readmitted patients increased to 16 following an increase in the patients caused by all other factors except medical non-compliance and lack of dietary modifications (Wang, et al. 2003). Howev er, the highest causative agents were medical noncompliance and lack of dietary modifications. October and November 2010 December 2010 and January 2011 February and March 2011 Conclusion From the findings of the study, it is evident that readmission patients in the rural setting fluctuated over the period of study. The reasons for readmissions of CHF patients were non-compliance to medication, smoking, drinking alcohol and lack of diet modification. Others were lack of follow up to PCP and lack of community support. The highest causative factors for CHF patient readmissions were medical non-compliance, lack of dietary modifications and lack of community support. On the contrary, the lowest causative factors of CHF readmissions were lack of follow up on PCP and alcohol intake. The months of January 2010, September 2010 and March 2011 recorded the highest CHF patient readmissions while the lowest rates of patient readmissions were recorded during the months of May 2010, March 2010 and April 2010. It is therefore evident that the rates of CHF readmission patients in the rural setting are high with causative factors being as indicated above. References Brophy, J.M.e at. (2001). Beta-blockers in congestive heart failure. A Bayesian meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med, 134(550), 135-151. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2004). The Burden of Heart Disease and Stroke in the United States: State and National Data, 1999. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Elixhauser, A, et al. (2000). Table 4. Most Common reasons for hospitalizations by age groups, in Hospitalization in the United States, 1997, Rockville Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HCUP Fact Book. New York: AHRQ publication. Georgiou, D. et al. (2001). Cost-effectiveness analysis of long-term moderate exercise training in chronic heart failure. Am J Cardiol, 87, 984. Hernandez, A.F. et al. (2007). Sex and racial differences in the use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators amo ng patients hospitalized with heart failure. JAMA, 298,1525-1532. Jong, P. et al. (2002). Angiotensin receptor blockers in heart failure: Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Am Coll. Cardiol, 39, 463. McKelvie, R.S. et al. (1995). Effects of exercise training in patients with congestive heart failure: A critical appraisal. J Am Coll Cardiol, 25:789. Nasif, M. Alahmad, A. (n.d.). Congestive Heart Failure and Public Health. Piepoli, M.F. et al. (2004). Exercise training meta-analysis of trials in patients with chronic heart failure (ExTraMATCH). BMJ, 328, 189. Pitt, B. et al. (2000). Effect of losartan compared with captopril on mortality in patients with symptomatic heart failure: randomised trial–the Losartan Heart Failure Survival Study, Lancet: ELITE II. 355:1582. Quinn, M. (2002). Qualitative Research Evaluation Methods, 3 Ed. Thousand Oaks, NJ: Sage Publications. Saunders, M., Lewis, P. Thornhill, A. (2007). Research Methods for Business Studies. Fourth Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education. Smedley, B.D., Stith, A.Y. Nelson, A.R. (2003). Unequal Treatment: confronting racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare. Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences. p. 43–4. Wang, T. et al. (2003). Natural history of asymptomatic left ventricular systolic dysfunction in the community. Circulation, 108, 977–982. Yancy, C. (2004). The prevention of heart failure in minority communities and discrepancies in health care delivery systems. Clin N Am, 88, 1347–1368 This essay on Reasons why readmission of CHF patients is high in local setting was written and submitted by user William Bartlett to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Philosophy of language Speech act theory

Philosophy of language Speech act theory Abstract Speech acts are the basis on which day to day communications amongst humans is founded. It was however not until the mid 20th century that proper studies were carried out on this topic (Sosa Villanueva 2006). Over the years there have been heated debates and discussions on the topic particularly under the influence of the works philosophers such as J.L Austin and John Searle. The theory of speech acts has since then come to achieve importance in other fields aside from philosophy (Platts 1989).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy of language: Speech act theory specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The speech act theory has come to be recognized as very important in everyday life and particularly after the revelation by scholars that these speech acts do much more than describing reality. Studies that have taken place over the years since the speech act theory was proposed have come to distinguish the philo sophy of language as an entity different from other philosophies (Platts 1989). An understanding of the speech act theory has also come to establish some basic structuring for the field of linguistics. This structure includes some various aspects used to describe reality. This essay seeks to elaborate on the concept of the speech act theory. To this end, an analysis of the works of the original proponents of the theory shall be provided. This shall basically summarize the works of John Searle and J.L. Austin. A further analysis of the theory shall be presented under the guide of the works of modern day philosophers. Introduction Speech acts are a set of actions that are performed through uttering of sounds with an aim of conveying a particular meaning; meanings which are characteristically linked to that combination of sounds. It is a well known fact that when an individual speaks, he/se wants to pass across a particular meaning and that whatever that individual says, or the set of sounds that come from his/her mouth already have an associated meaning. According to proponents of this theory, in order for one to have an understanding of a particular language, he/she must first comprehend the intention of the speakers of the said language when they use a particular combination of sounds. This theory is based on the simple premise that speech is an act in itself. The various combinations of sounds (speech) used to convey a particular meaning are not merely used to designate but they are self standing actions. J.L Austin’s study on speech acts J.L. Austin is one of the key proponents of the speech act theory and most of his work on the topic was published in 1978 after his death by his students in a book known as how to do things with words. Though this publication cannot be fully taken as Austin’s work it is a general representation of his views and there is a chance that his opinions would not have differed much had he published the book himself. A ccording to Austin utterance was an act in itself. According to Austin (1978) there are two major distinctions of speech acts viz: constatives and perfomatives.Advertising Looking for essay on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Constatives are those utterances that tend to present reality as it is and can therefore be described as either true or false. Perfomatives on the other hand are described as either felicitous or infelicitous. Austin however comes to the agreement that a majority of statements are basically perfomative. This basically means that most people when speaking they are participating in one form of action or other. According to Austin, â€Å"Performing a locutionary act is roughly equivalent to uttering a certain sentence with a certain sense and reference, which is again equivalent to meaning in the traditional sense. Second, we said that we also perform illocutionary acts such as inform ing, ordering, warning, undertaking, etc., i.e. utterances which have a certain conventional force. Thirdly, we may also perform perlocutionary acts: what we bring about or achieve by saying something, such as convincing, persuading, deterring and even, say, surprising or misleading† (1978). According to Austin, the action that the speaker is involved is in essence, forming some realities that can only make sense when placed within the context of a particular society. For example, when one uses a definite perfomative sentence such as â€Å"I declare him the president† in the case of an election vote tallying in which the individual is confirming which contestant won the seat, he/she is in essence modeling an instance of social reality. That is, in this particular context, a leadership figure. J.L. Austin came up with three major characteristics or features of utterances which start with the basic structuring or words and conclude with the impact of those words on the au dience being targeted. These were locutionary acts, illocutionanary acts and perlocutionary acts. Locutionary acts are basically normal sentences that are aimed at conveying a particular meaning while illocutionary acts are those statements that carry some characteristic of force (such as warning and ordering). Perlocutionary acts are the end results of utterances i.e what is achieved as a consequence of saying something. These perlocutionary acts include persuasion and surprising. The major focus of Austin’s study was on illocutionary acts. This is because statements in this category clearly explaining the concept of performance as an aspect of speech. For instance a statement like â€Å"Don’t drink and drive† possesses the forceful nature of a warning. The same statement can be framed in such a way that it is a definite perfomative act, for example â€Å"The president is warning you, don’t drink and drive.† The person being addressed may hear the utterance and receive it as a warning, then the person can be said to have been warned. This does not however mean that the person will behave in a way that will correspond to the warning. This therefore means that illocutionary acts such as the statement shown above can not be classified on a true/false basis. Austin in his studies insisted that individuals should understand that while analyzing a sentence, the focus should not be on the sentence itself but rather on how it is uttered.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Philosophy of language: Speech act theory specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More His maintenance that any utterance should be considered a performance act basically depended on the premise that analyzing a sentence or its constitutent words (locutionary acts) without placing them in the proper social context ended up explaining the net effect of the communication (illocutionary act) insufficiently (Sosa Vil lanueva 2006). This disregard of social context also greatly compromises the explanation of the effect of the utterance on the target audience (perlocutionary acts) Austin and other scholars of the speech-act theory have always strived to explain their ideas by use of what can be described as imaginary examples. In their arguments the social context of a statement is ignored in order to make literal point. Later, the same social context is added to the utterance in a way basic statements appear very complicated. In order to illustrate how utterances (perfomances) operate Austin summarized the illocutionary act as F(p). In this particular expression, F is the force behind the illocutionary act and p is proposition that the utterance is making John Searle and speech acts John Searle is one of the major philosophers who did an extensive study the speech act theory following its inception by J.L. Austin. He majorly focused his work around studies on illocutionary, locutionary and perloc utionary acts. His findings suggested that an illocutionary act is said to have happened whenever someone talks or writes to another person (Searle, 1989). According to him illuctionary acts form the basis of all linguistic communication. He also agreed that an illocutionary act has to be intentional in its underlying nature. This basically means that a person has to have a reason for speaking and would not make an utterance if he/she did not intend to achieve something out of the action (Tsohatazidis 2007). The person being addressed also has a major part to play if the illocutionary act is said to have achieved its purpose. This hearer should be able to understand the intention of the speaker’s utterance by picking meaning from an already established way of decoding utterances (Searle, 1989). This is what is referred to as a perlocutionary effect. For example, an individual may say something like â€Å"Drive the car† with the intention that the hearer will receive th is communication as a command and also that t hearer will respond by driving the car. However, according to Searle’s findings a speech act may end up affecting the hearer in a different way from the initial intention of the speaker. For instance, the speaker may say â€Å"Drive the car,† and the hearer may choose not to perform the action commanded and instead make his/her response by saying â€Å"I don’t feel like driving, you drive it yourself.†Advertising Looking for essay on linguistics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This according to Searle reveals that illocutionary acts are inherently intentional and is the basis on which meaning is founded. Perlocutionary depending on the circumstances in which they present may either be intentional or unintentional. This stand by Searle has in recent times been the subjects of debate. Individuals who do not support this stand have argued that it is the perlocutionary act that actually defines the intentions of the speaker. Though language can be used in uncountable ways, Searle in his literature proposes that there just a few things that can be accomplished by use of language. In the F(p) basic structuring of illocutionary acts, the propositional aspect of an utterance can take very many forms (Searle, 1989).. However Searle’s contention comes in the number of forces behind an illocutionary act. Searle suggests that the number of verbs that describe the eventual effect of the illocutionary act on the hearer limits the number of forces behind illocuti onary acts (McDowell 1980). In order to ensure that the argument on the forces behind the illocutionary acts is not merely based on the verbs associated with the act, Searle brings about the concept of the illocutionary point. The illocutionary point according to Searle is what the speaker when he/she performs an illocutionary act. This presents in the form of a verb aimed at describing the action that the sentence is involved in. this is basically the same as a schema that had been set earlier by Searle’s predecessor, J.L Austin (Tsohatazidis 2007). Searle in his studies on speech acts proposed the classification of illutionary points into five different categories, Viz.: Assertives, Directives, Commissives, Expressives and Declaratives (Searle, 1989). Assertives. These are the kind of utterances that can either be judged as true or false. This because statements in such categories are mainly intendended to describe how things are in the physical world. Directives. These ar e utterances that intended at making the hearer respond in the same way that the particular statements are proposing. Commissives. These are utterances that demand that the hearer makes a commitment to the action being proposed by the speaker. Expressives. These are utterances that basically define how sincere the illocutionary act is. Declaratives: These are utterances that are intended at making changes to the world. They achieve this by defining the world as having undergone some changes. From the above classifications, Searle concluded that when an individual is speaking or writing, he/she can be said to be doing one or a number of the following actions: â€Å"Asserting, directing, commiserating, expressing or declaring† (McDowell 1980). Searle also declared that the force behind an illocutionary act comes about as a result of the speaker’s intentions. It is only when the hearer derives meaning from the illocutionary point/force that communication can be said to h ave taken place. Foundation of the speech act theory The best way to analyze the features that form the foundation of the speech act theory is to make a comparison between it and other theories that are presented in the philosophy of language. This part of the essays shall take into consideration the relations between speech acts and aspects like semantics, grammar and meaning. Any act that is presented by observable behavior takes place with an underlying intention. When a speaker says â€Å"you will go to school next week†, generally leaves the person being addressed wondering whether the utterance should be regarded as an order or as a prediction. This statement does not clearly describe the force behind it and hence the unexplained questions. There may be many theories may strive to explain the meaning behind the statement above, it is clear that the speakers intention was to state that the addressee will go to school in the following week (McDowell 1980). If someone asks what the force of the wording in sentence will essentially be seeking to know whether the statement should be received as an order or as a prediction (Michael 2007). He/She (addressee) would therefore not be particularly asking the speaker to add more explanations to the content of the statement. However whether the statement intended to issue an order or make a prediction will only be determined by some details within the statement that were not elaborated. From this proposal, the speaker may have meant either of these two things: 1) â€Å"I predict that you will go to school next week† or 2) I command you to go to school next week. In order to avoid contradictions arising as a result of an individual saying one thing while in essence he/she means another would require the understanding that for a single speech act to occur, a number of different utterances have to be made. Force and content as independent aspects Generally, a proposition on its own is not enough to elicit a particular response from the addressee. For example, by just suggesting that coal is black cannot be regarded as a comprehensive speech act. This is because for a speech act to be seen to have occurred, an illocutionary force has to be included alongside the proposition. This illocutionary force may present in the form of a command, an inquiry, an assertion, and so on (Kriptke 1980). It is by the nature or this illocutionary force that individuals can point out the unifying element in the following three statements, â€Å"You are driving the car†, â€Å"Are you driving the car?†, and â€Å"Drive the car!† The common factor amongst all the three sentences is the fact that the car is being to driven, with the first statement being an assertion, the second being an inquiry and the third being a command. It can also be said that the components of a communicative act will basically dictate the force of the particular act. That is why when someone says â€Å"you wi ll go to school nest week† it is impossible to find out the force behind the statement. However, the relationship between force and the components of a statement can be seen to be symbiotic in the sense that the force of an utterance can also determine the content of the statement (McDowell 1980). The is the basic distinguishing factor between speech act theory and other theories is that speech act theory analyzes statements in terms of two constituent components, viz., content and force. Speech acts and the existence of things/ideas Speech acts have to be distinguished from acts of speech. This is because an individual can perform a speech act such as making an inquiry without necessarily having to make an utterance (Michael 2007). For instance, a shrugging of shoulders can easily be used to mean that the individual is not aware of what is being asked. In the same way, one can make an utterance without it being a considered a speech act. For example, when one is testing a mic rophone, he/she can speak into the equipment without intending for anyone to respond to the message. In general, it is agreeable that in some instances, things can be made to be by simply saying that they should be (Michael 2007). It is physically impossible to say that a person can lose weight by simply saying it. However an individual can promise to buy someone a present by simply making the statement, â€Å"I promise to buy you a present.† The same can be used when religious leaders consolidate marriages, where it is common to here pastors and church ministers say, â€Å"I hereby declare you man and wife.† Such types of speech acts can actually happen without the speaker saying that he/she is performing the act. Components of illocutionary force Searle and Vanderveken (1985) strived to clearly distinguish between illocutionary forces that are used by the speakers of a particular language from all the illocutionary forces possible. In their publication, Searle and Va nderveken identified seven features that can be used to differentiate illocutionary forces. These are explained below: Illocutionary point. This is the basic intention of the speaker by the performance of a particular speech act. For example, the basic intention of a question is to invoke a person to respond in a suitable way. Strength of the illocutionary point. Two illocutionary acts may basically be trying to make the same point (Warnock 1989). However, the strength of the illocutionary force behind the two statements is what will be used to set the two apart. For example when someone requests an explanation and when he/she insists that an explanation be given, both statements will be aimed at getting the person being addressed to offer the explanation. However, insisting is stronger than requesting. Achievement mode. Various illocutionary points of a speech act have different special ways in which they are achieved. For instance, when one testifies that a certain service is the best and when he/she asserts the same, both utterances will be aimed at making a description of the service (Warnock 1989). However, testifying asserts the speaker has been a witness to the quality of service, while asserting does not necessarily require that he/she be a witness. The same can be said of ordering and requesting in the sense that both are intended at getting the person being addressed to do something only that when making an order the speaker has to be in an authoritative position (Kriptke 1980). Contents of the proposition. In some instances, illocutionary statements can only make sense provided the propositional composition of the statement is well accounted for (Recanati 1987). For example an individual can make a promise about something provided it happens in the future and it is within his/her control (Michael 2007). This essentially means that the person cannot promise something that has already happened. Preparatory conditions. This is the sum total of all the factors that must be taken into consideration for the speech act to be seen to have effectively taken place (Recanati 1987). These conditions however mostly depend on the social status of all the parties involved in the performance of the interlocution act. For instance, an individual cannot appoint a person unless he/she already has been given the power to do so by the institution in which he/she is in (Kriptke 1980). Conditions of sincerity. A majority of speech acts are a mainly performed with intention of expressing a particular chain of events in the psychology of the speakers. For instance, a question will express inquiry and an apology illustrates regret (Recanati 1987). A speech act is said to be sincere only if the speaker and his/her speech act are in the same level of psychological conditions. Strength of the conditions of sincerity. When analyzed from a certain viewpoint, two speech acts may be seen to be exactly the same (Recanati 1987). However, they may be seen to be different when viewed in terms of their psychological states. When a person makes a request and when he/she implores, both actions can be said to illustrate some element of desire (Warnock 1989). However, imploring tends to suggest a stronger level of desire for the particular need than a request. According to Searle and Vanderveken, all illocutionary forces can be analyzed based on the above seven aspects. Two illocutionary forces will be seen to be identical if they have the same levels of the seven values discussed above. Grammatical mood and force The relationship between the content of a speech act and the force behind the illocution can be described as symbiotic in the sense that one influences the other. However, some extraneous factors such as the grammatical mood can also be seen to influence the force of the utterance (Michael 2007). The statement â€Å"you will go to school tomorrow† is at basic level in the indicative mood grammatically. However, this grammatical mood cannot determine the force of the statement. This also applies to other moods. If someone hears another person say â€Å"drive the car†, he/she cannot immediately tell whether the person is issuing a command or just making an assertion. If the statement happens to be an assertion, then the speaker will have used the imperative mood. The same relationship can be seen with the interrogative mood. For instance, when a person hears another say â€Å"which visitors are coming†, he/she cannot immediately know whether the speaker has asked a question or whether it is just a statement. The speaker may have been saying â€Å"Patricia is wondering which visitors are coming.† Force conventionalism According to studies conducted by some philosophers in order for a speech act to happen, some form of convention will have to be applied (Warnock 1989). For instance for the statement â€Å"I promise to take you out for lunch† to regarded as a promise, all the words u sed in the statement must be in tandem with their conventional implications. There should also be an already established convention that establishes that when used in a particular way this set of words constitutes a promise (Warnock 1989). Conclusion Since J.L Austin did studies on the speech act theory in 1962, various philosophers have followed on his findings and even gone ahead to broaden the discussions on the subject. Most of the professionals in this school of thought have unanimously support the original findings by Austin that all forms of utterances are essentially independent actions in themselves. Another conclusion that has been agreed upon by a majority of modern day philosophers is that communication cannot occur if all the components of a speech act are not availed which implies that the speech act itself does not take place. In conclusion, it is worth noting that since the inclusion of the speech act theory in the field of philosophy has come to over the years chang e the definition of communicative practices as were hitherto known. The inclusion of propositional content and illocutionary forces into the study has served to not only enable sentences bear meaning but also provide explanations as to why statements that seem inherently alike may be defined as different. This essay has analyzed the speech act theory in detail. A summary of the work of J.L Austin has been provided followed by a summary of the work of his successor John Searle. A further review of the major concepts of the speech act theory has been presented based around literature by later-day philosophy scholars. The theory of speech acts is in itself a wide field of study in itself and could only be briefly detailed in this essay. Reference List Austin, J.L. 1978. Logic and language. Oxford: Blackwell Kriptke, A.S. 1980. Naming and necessity. Cambridge: Harvard University Press McDowell, J. 1980. Meaning, communication, and knowledge. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Michael, M. 2007. An Introduction to the Philosophy of language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Platts, M. 1979. Ways of Meaning: an introduction to a philosophy of language. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. Recanati, F. 1987. Meaning and Force: The Pragmatics of Performative Utterances. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Searle, R.J. 1969. Speech Acts: An Essay in the Philosophy of Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Searle, R.J. Vanderveken. 1985. Foundations of Illocutionary Logic. CUP Archive. Sosa, E. Villanueva, E. 2006. Philosophy of Language. Boston MA: Blackwell Tsohatazidis, S. 2007. John Searle’s philosophy of language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Warnock, G.J. 1989. J.L. Austin: Arguments of the philosophers history workshop  series. United Kingdom: Taylor Francis

Analyzing a work of music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analyzing a work of music - Essay Example The one event that finally made him finish on a song that he had desired to write the whole of his life was the Russia shooting down the Korean jet flying to Seoul from New York where 269 people, including 63 Americans, died. â€Å"I saw the senseless strike as a personal attack against our countrymen and it moved me to pen to paper† says Greenwood. â€Å"The song came so easily, it nearly wrote itself.† â€Å"I’m from California, and I don’t know anybody from Virginia or New York, so when I wrote it-and my producer and I had talked about it-[we] talked about the four cities I wanted to mention, the four corners of the United States.† The producer however suggested Detroit and Houston because they both were economically part of the basis of the US economy. He says ‘so I just poetically wrote that in the bridge while they chose New York and L.A. (the boot.com) In 2003, the song was performed b the American Idol season two finalists and released as a single, with part of the proceeds going to American Red Cross. It raised 155,000 dollars for the charity though some words were changed such as ‘men’ in ‘and I won’t forget the men who died† was replaced with ‘ones’. It reached number 4 in the ‘hot 100’ and it was certified gold b the RIAA the same year (Keuss, 03-45).

The History in behind Dolly Parton Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The History in behind Dolly Parton - Essay Example The name of the song was, "Puppy Love" which many people from the south are sure to be able to remember (Morning Edition 2002). When Dolly graduated from High-School she wanted to further her developing singing career so she packed up and moved to the big city of Nashville. She hit big with 'Porter Wagon' and for seven years on his show she built up her career rather fluidly. She finally decided to leave the program but before doing so she received two Country Music Association Awards for duo of the year (Pigeon-Forge 2006). From there her career has grown to vast proportions and is still growing in her other endeavors which includes two books that she has put together, and she even plans on having more published. However the two that have been out for quite some time are, "Dolly Parton: My Life", and "Other Unfinished Business" (Pigeon Forge 2006). On top of her more famous works, she also is very affluent in the business world, having developed many attractions in her hometown. Als o, every year there is a parade in Pigeon Forge which Dolly is a part of, this year will mark the 6th year of that parade. It is perceived that she enjoys it just as much as her fans enjoy coming out to stand in the crowd and wave as her float goes by. The parade itself draws 50,000 people that line the sides of the streets just to have a chance to see the famous country singer. There are numerous floats that are incorporated in with Dolly's but she is the main part of the annual parade every year. There are quite often times every year where Dolly's float stops in the streets while she sings one of her more famous songs that are hits with the crowd. This year she will be turning 60 years old and still going strong with her many personal projects, as well as her music, and business plans. Furthermore, Dolly has been a part of many fundraisers in her life thus far and has made many contributions to society as a whole. In fact, among these, she has developed one of the most famously k nown theme parks in the south known now as "Dollywood" which lies in the heart of Sevierville, Tennessee (Sevierville 2000). Dolly wanted to contribute something back to her home of the Great Smoky Mountains, but not only this she wanted to try and develop more employment opportunities for the people who live there. By opening her theme park in 1986 she has indeed provided extra employment and essential income for many of the families in the area as it has become the #1 State attraction in Tennessee, drawing over 2 million vacationers every year (The Songwriters Hall of Fame 2002-2006). Because of her presence and renowned history in the town of Sevierville, the city of Pigeon Forge has become one of the hottest points for well known country star singers, bringing thousands of visitors with every year that passes. Dolly Parton's career has been ongoing for over four decades now and she has been introduced into the country hall of fame as well. There was a point in time however well she felt her appearance might have held her back from several opportunities but by how much she has never said for a certainty. Her comment about how she felt about herself when she was in her much younger form is included in the following paragraph. I had this piled up mop of bleached blonde hair, and

Synthesis essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Synthesis - Essay Example However, some people never get to experience true happiness and that is hwy the constitution of the United States of America includes in its bill of rights â€Å"†¦the pursuit of happiness.† This shows that happiness is not just a guaranteed good feeling but a positive feeling that one must strive for. In my opinion, happiness is a positive feeling just as most people believe. Happiness comes from within an individual whenever he or she chooses to let that feeling in. however, I also believe that situations do really influence the sense of happiness that a person feels. Negative turn of events and misfortunes do really kill the feeling of happiness in most people if not all. A good example is the lost of a loved one. In as much as some people may believe in eternal happiness in the case of death, many people would attest to the fact that losing a close family member or friend does not bring any happiness at all. I also believe that happiness is a lasting good feeling rather than just a felling of short term satisfaction. From the lecture notes, I got to learn of the different philosophical beliefs as to the attainment of happiness. Socrates believed that human actions were aimed at achieving true happiness. Therefore, happiness was the reason behind the acts of man, whether right or wrong. According to Socrates, happiness is â€Å"a state of living well in peace, mindfulness, and joy† (Kohn & Michael 25) From the class notes also, I found out that other philosophers such as Plato, believed in the term pleasure rather than happiness. Pleasure took the form of some being higher than others, such as appetitive and sexual pleasure being regarded as the lowest of pleasures due to their constant reoccurrence (Kohn & Michael 48). Plato analyzed happiness â€Å"in terms of the hierarchy of pleasures and the categories of the soul.† Other philosophers that I came to learn of, such as Aristotle, believed that happiness only results from positive habits. Having

Waste Management And Remedial Measures Environmental Sciences Essay

Waste Management And Remedial Measures Environmental Sciences Essay Waste is being generated by the humankind from the beginning itself like that of the animals they hunted for, bones, wood from trees etc..Its just that as the time passed, the composition and the amount of waste generated has shown a drastic change. The progress of civilization resulted in the generation of more complex nature of waste. The increasing industrialisation and consumerism from the 19th century resulted in pollution of earth by the burgeoning generation of non-biodegradable waste. The increasing population, then increasing demands, then increasing industrialisation is the cycle which is continuously adding to the non-biodegradable waste in the environment. Classification of waste: According to the source of generation, the solid waste can classified as: Household waste or the municipal waste Industrial waste or the hazardous waste Biomedical waste or the infectious waste Municipal waste- The municipal waste includes the household waste, construction debris and waste from the streets. The municipal solid waste generated has grown from 6million tonnes (in 1947) to 48 million tonnes (in 1997)! Shockingly, more than 1/4th of this waste is not collected at all and more than half of the cities in India do not have the adequate capacity to transport it and also many available landfills are not managed well and are also not inclined to safeguard the soil and groundwater from contamination. Also, some of the household waste can be hazardous like old batteries, paint tins, old medicines, etc. A table showing the time taken by the waste to decompose: Type of waste Time taken to decompose (approx.) Organic waste (Fruits, vegetables, etc.) 1-2 weeks Paper 10-30 days Wood 10-15 years Woolen items 1 year Metals (aluminium, tin, etc.) 100-500 years Plastic bags 10,00,000 years! Glass bottles Not yet determined! Industrial waste- The industrial waste can be said to be hazardous since it can very often contain toxic substances. Such waste can be highly inflammable or explosive and can also react on exposure to certain things. Around 7 million tonnes of hazardous waste is generated in India mainly in the cities; Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The waste generated by industries is primarily metals, chemicals, paper, pesticides, dyes, etc. Hospital waste- It refers to the waste generated during the diagnosis, treatment of human-beings or animals or that generated during the research activities undertaken in the field. This type of waste can be highly infectious and can result in serious damages to mankind if not managed properly in a scientific manner. Such waste can be soiled waste, anatomical waste, sharps, chemical waste, discarded medicines, etc. The government has enforced Bio-medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules,1998 for making the medical institutions to handle the waste properly. Regarding the project: Though the educational institutes do not burden the environment with waste as compared to the waste generated by other organisations, still they generate a significant amount of waste which can become difficult to manage without any expertise in the field. In fact, such waste can become even harmful if not handled properly. So, attention needs to be paid towards this and therefore we are undertaking this research project to find out the system of managing solid waste in SVC, to find the loopholes, problems or inefficiencies in the processes (if any) and to try to provide remedial solutions to such bottlenecks. One of the main idea which seems apparent and emphasises the importance of this project is that the educational institutes seem to be generating waste primarily which is biodegradable in nature. Biodegradable waste is the waste which is of plant or animal or natural origin and can be broken down into simple compounds by microorganisms. It can be decomposed by the microorganisms ultimately. So it gets back into nature unlike the non-biodegradable waste which stays in the environment for an indefinite period of time (like plastic). Methodology: Data Collection Primary Sources Secondary Sources Student interviews Personal observations Campus administrators interview We will be relying primarily on secondary source of data for this project since this source is likely to provide us a very precise and accurate information saving our time and cost of collecting primary first-hand information. We will also be observing the practices in the campus for some first-hand information and patterns on waste generation and we will also interview a sample of students from the campus to gather primary data. Our source of secondary information is Mr. AT Sutar, Campus Administrator of SVC. So we will collect information from Mr. AT Sutar through a personal interview and then collect data and analyse it to reach a specific conclusion about the state of waste management in the campus. Some of the questions posed to Mr. AT Sutar in the interview were: Q- What is the area of land occupied by the campus? Q- What kind of waste is generated in the campus? Q- How does the waste generated from different colleges differ in composition and volume? Q- What is the procedure of collection of waste? Q- How is the waste stored before it goes for its final treatment? Q- How is the waste disposed off ultimately? Q- Is there any waste which you think can be controlled? Q- Is there any problem presently being faced in waste management? Some important questions that we asked to the students were: Q- What is the waste that you throw in the college dustbins? Q- Is the waste generated by you constant or varies over time periods? Q- Are there any specific factors which you think results in unnecessary increase in waste generation in SVC? Q- What would be your views if the colleges take a decision to ban or restrict the use of non-biodegradable substances like polybags and thermocol in the campus (SVC)? Findings: By the interview with Mr. AT Sutar the students and our observation, we found the following information about the waste generated and its management procedure in SVC: Type of waste generated: Being an educational institute, the main type of waste generated is stationery which includes papers, pens, pencils etc. The quantity of such waste is the highest from Symbiosis Institute of Design (which is around 7-10 times the waste generated by any other institute) due to the nature of the subjects taught. Food waste is also generated in a significant quantity from the campus cafeteria, juice centre and mess. Further, the campus medical centre generates bio-medical waste which requires special treatment due to its harmful nature. Since the advanced medical treatments are not performed here, the bio-medical wastes composition is limited to sharps, bandages etc. which is relatively east to handle vis-Ã  -vis the waste of other medical institutions like hospitals. But the amount of sharps and related waste also increases tremendously during the health check-up of the students at the campus which requires attention. Other waste includes plastic, thermocole, glass, tin and also the decoration material and allied waste which is observed during the institutions fests and extra-curricular activities and competitions. Our interviews with the students revealed the following additional information: While eating in the mess, students initially take a good amount of food in their plates and sometimes a lot of this goes waste when they do not like its taste or when they become full. This results in food wastage. Students also said the reason for increase in non-biodegradable waste in campus during college fests can be due to the use of decoration materials like thermacole and upon questioning whether they would be able to substitute them with the biodegradable substances, their reply was in positive which implies that there was non-awareness among them about the issue and they can be able to reduce non-biodegradable during fests if motivated to do so. Sources of waste generation Colleges Eating outlets Medical centre Other general waste SID SCMS-UG SIMC SIS Mess Cafetaria Juice centres Stationery, glass, tin, thermacole etc. Food waste like unused food, leftover food, spoilt fruits and vegetables etc. Sharps, bandages etc. Campus cleaning, Xerox centre waste Type of waste generated Waste Collection: The waste is collected through 3 big dustbins kept at each floor of every institution in the campus. The cleaning staff has the responsibility of segregating the waste after it is collected in the dustbins. Then this waste is accumulated in the basement after segregation for sending it to its place of disposal or treatment. Waste Treatment: The biodegradable waste like food waste is sent to the biogas plant and the other waste which cannot be treated by the campus is sent with the PMC waste disposal truck which takes a round in Viman Nagar daily. The biogas plant was established in the campus in 2005 with a cost of around 10 lakhs and is currently being operated by 3 specialist employees. The capacity of the biogas plant is much more than is being utilised and the energy generated by the plant is being utilised for boiling the water which in turn is used for cleaning the utensils of the colleges mess and cafeteria. The pressure generated of the biogas is very less which further creates less power/electricity. This implies that the biogas plant in the campus is being underutilised. Problems identified: The problems identified by us are: Excessive wastage of food by the students. Significant increase in the generation of non-biodegradable waste during college fests extra-curricular activities. Underutilisation of biogas plants capacity. We also didnt recognize any recycling activity in the campus. Recommendations: The wastage of food by the students can be reduced by inducing them to take food in little amounts and to take it again if they want rather than putting it altogether in one go in their plates. Posters can also be put up regarding this in the colleges mess so that the students are reminded of it every time they are putting food in their plates. During the college fests, students can be encouraged to reduce the use of non-biodegradable substances as far as possible. Other substances like polybags and thermacole can be banned in the campus and fines can be imposed on any student found using them to strictly discourage their use. Also, the biogas plant in the campus is being underutilised to a great extent. The plant gets input (biodegradable waste) to its full capacity occasionally during the college fests when the amount of waste generated is 3-4 times the waste generated during the normal college days. So the plant has an idle capacity of about half its full capacity during the maximum period of the year. Further, we feel that the investment made in the plant is not yielding sufficient returns as the amount of power being generated is very less apparently due to the low capacity utilisation of the plant. So, for tackling this issue, it is required that the plant is made to operate on its full capacity. Now this cannot be done by asking students to unnecessarily generate more waste within the campus but it can be solved by tying up with PMC and getting the required biodegradable waste from the PMC garbage truck which further reduces PMCs waste processing load too. Once the biogas plant starts operating on its full capacity, it will result in the generation of more power which can further be used in the college and save funds on electricity bills. Further, to encourage recycling in the campus, students can be induced to form up clubs for the purpose of taking up the recycling activity (even if its on a small scale) and stimulating their creativity to generate the best creations out of the waste. Also, the three Rs ideology can be of great help in guiding the waste management in SVC. Reduce Recycle Reuse Improvement in waste management Amount of waste generated

How to Become an Effective Hitter Essay -- Expository Process Essays

How to Become an Effective Hitter Babe Ruth is known for his 714 home runs. However, few people realize the other statistic he holds, which is having the most strikeouts of any player in the major league. This statistic helps to prove there is only a slight difference between a good hit and a strike. To become a good hitter in baseball, three fundamentals are necessary. First, the batter's stance in the batter's box, second, the batter's eye contact on the ball, and third, the batter's swing are the three fundamentals a good hitter will possess. First, a good stance in the batter's box is required to hit the ball successfully. The stance is not only important to the hitter, but it informs the defense of the location of the hit. Therefore, the batter wants to conceal as much information as possible from the opposition. A batter can conceal the ball's direction by having a proper stance. The proper stance is one where the batter's feet are comfortably apart about 12 to 24 inches. The front foot should not give any indication of pulling the ball down either base li...