Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Benefits of Seaweed Enhancement for Crop Growth

Benefits of Seaweed Enhancement for Crop Growth CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Background Soil enhancement with organic materials is a common component of soil fertility management for crop production, with the aim of providing essential plant nutrients and improving overall soil physical, chemical, and biological quality (Diacano and Montemurro, 2010). Marine macro-algae, or seaweed, has been historically used as a soil enhancement material, and may have application for modern agriculture as a low cost source of nutrient-rich biomass (Angus and Dargie, 2002; Cuomo et al., 1995). While seaweed compost and extract products have been widely evaluated for agricultural applications (Woznitza and Barrantes, 2005; Khan et al., 2010), evaluation of unprocessed seaweed biomass as an enhancement material is limited, particularly with regard to soil quality. Application of seaweed material may uniquely affect soil quality parameters as a result of its chemical characteristics, including carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) composition, and salt, sulfur (S), heavy metal, and trace element co ntent. In this study, the putative benefits of seaweed enhancement for crop growth and production were assessed on various crops in field experiment, including analysis of soil physical, biological, and chemical properties. 1.2 Historical use of seaweed in agriculture. In coastal regions, collection and application of seaweed is a traditional soil fertility management strategy, especially where agriculture relies on use of local resources (Cuomo et al., 1995). As a readily-available, low-cost material to supplement soil fertility, application of seaweed biomass is often an integral component of traditional, small-scale, diversified agriculture (Angus and Dargie, 2002). For instance, agriculture in the Machair region of the Scottish Outer Hebrides Islands involves a rotation-intensive system that integrates the application of locally available seaweed biomass (Angus and Dargie, 2002; Kent et al. 2003). Traditional agriculture of the Machair, practiced for at least 1,000 years before present (YBP), relies on a â€Å"crofting† system that generally includes an intensive rotation of livestock grazing, field crop cultivation, and two years of fallow, with hypothesized effects on soil biodiversity (Angus and Dargie, 2002; Vink et al., 2009). Soil fertility is still largely maintained by the traditional practice of application of manure and seaweed, primarily the brown alga Laminaria digitata (Angus and Dargie, 2002), which is collected and piled onshore for 1-2 weeks prior to application. Promotion of seaweed application as a part of sustaining small-scale, diversified agriculture is supported by Scottish Natural Heritage, a governmental conservation organization, as well as local conservation group efforts (Angus and Dargie, 2002).In addition to the Machair region, historical accounts of seaweed use in agriculture range from the British Isles, to coastal mainland Europe, to the northeastern region of the United States, including New York, Maine, and Rhode Island (Fussel, 1973; Smith et al., 1989; Cuomo et al., 1995). For example, prior to the adoption of synthetic fertilizer, potato production in Rhode Island incorporated seaweed collection as a means of maintaining soil fertility, including for agricultural research at the University of Rhode Island Agricultural Experiment Station (R. Casagrande, personal communication). Seaweed in the modern agricultural context In organic or reduced-input cropping systems, both in the U.S. and worldwide, seaweed-based agricultural products (e.g. extracts for foliar application and composts) are commonly employed (Khan et al., 2009). However, application of unprocessed biomass is less prevalent. To reduce dependence on application of inorganic fertilizers, make use of an abundant (sometimes over-abundant) resource, and improve soil quality, the traditional practice of seaweed application may have modern application in coastal regions. Because adding seaweed to soil can increase plant macro and micronutrients, and may improve soil biological, chemical and physical properties (Khan et al., 2009), the practice may be an additional strategy to manage soil fertility and quality that addresses the dual problems of reliance on inorganic chemical fertilization and wasting o f valuable, nutrient-rich biomass. Inorganic fertilizer inputs account for a large fraction of conventional farm expenses, energy consumption, and carbon emissions (Lal, 2004). Application of inorganic fertilizers without addition of organic enhancements, cover crop use, or use of alternative tillage practices can result in depletion of soil organic matter (SOM), with concomitant negative effects on many soil properties important for crop productivity (e.g. nutrient retention, moisture-holding capacity, aggregate formation, and microbial activity) (Brock et al., 2012; Franzluebbers, 2012). Furthermore, levels of nutrient elements other than N, P, and K (e.g. Ca, Mg, Mo, B, and S) are generally low in inorganic fertilizers, and are of increasing concern for crop quality and nutritional value (Welch and Graham, 2012). Consequently, reliance on inorganic fertilizer as a sole source of fertility is often questioned as a sustainable management strategy, and 4diversification of inputs is encouraged, particularly inputs that provide not only primary nutrients (i.e. N, P and K), but also organic matter and trace elements (Lal, 2004). Organic enhancements used to improve soil fertility include traditional (e.g. animal manure) and non-traditional (e.g. industrial by-products) materials (Power et al., 2000). Seaweed, which contains primary nutrients, organic C, and other nutrient elements, is thus a good candidate organic enhancement material as part of a diversified soil fertility management strategy. In addition to the potential crop nutrition benefits of seaweed enhancement, the prevalence of seaweed biomass in coastal areas as a result of both natural phenomena and anthropogenic impacts may allow for use of seaweed with minimal cost. Nutrient (N and P) enrichment of coastal waters – sometimes attributed to fertilizer runoff from agriculture and home use – can cause excessive seaweed growth (Morand and Merceron, 2005). In addition to detrimental ecological impacts (e.g. oxygen depletion), the accumulation of seaweed biomass on beaches can have negative economic consequences (RI DEM, 2010). For instance, in the summer of 2012,  accumulation of the red seaweed Polysiphonia sp. on Massachusetts beaches required mechanical removal and disposal in order to maintain beaches for public use, costing money for equipment use and labor, as well as preventing beach use. Beach-cast biomass is often removed and disposed of in landfills. Although the species composition and pro perties of beach-cast seaweed varies based on location and environment (e.g. estuarine vs. marine), the coordination of accumulated seaweed biomass removal with agricultural application may provide a low-cost, locallyavailable resource for soil fertility management. To initiate this arrangement for 5 coastal regions, characterization of seaweed biomass in terms of location and abundance, species composition, and chemical characteristics relevant to soil quality and plant nutrition is required. Additionally, quantification of seaweed biomass effects on soil quality and crop production is required to validate putative benefits or negative effects of seaweed enhancement practices 1.2.3 Scope Marine algae is estimated to contribute about 70 % to 80 % of earth’s atmospheric oxygen, amounting to about 330 billion tonnes of oxygen per year (Hall, 2008). This is an indication of how important algae are to the environment. Algae are simple, autotrophic organisms that are either microscopic or macroscopic. Specifically, seaweeds are macroscopic algae that thrive in benthic marine waters. Just like terrestrial plants, these groups of multicellular organisms are autotrophic and thus have the ability to carry out photosynthesis. However, they do not posses several distinct organs such as true leaves, roots, flowers and seeds that typify terrestrial plants (Sumich Morrissey, 2004). There are roughly 10000 different species of seaweeds recorded. Generally, seaweeds can be divided into three groups, namely Rhodophyceae (6000 species), Chlorophyceae (2000 species) and Phaeophyceae (2000 species) based on their colour pigment (Guiry Guiry, 2011). The genus being studied,  Sar gassum, belongs to the group Phaeophyceae, which obtains its distinctive brown colour from the xantophyll pigment of fucoxanthin. Cell walls of these algae are mainly composed of cellulose and alginic acid, a valuable component that adds commercial value to Sargassum species. In Asia, seaweeds are commonly used as fertilizers and as food for both humans and animals. Trono (1999), McHugh (2003) and Phang (2006) are among the many authors who have listed down the beneficial usages of seaweeds which include Sargassum as raw products for cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry.

Monday, January 20, 2020

NATO :: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO

NATO We have already advanced the war on terrorism into Iraq, we have the ability to look back at it with additional knowledge. The expression,† hindsight is 20/20," is also relevant. We have additional knowledge now that we did not have prior to advancing the war on terrorism into Iraq and that knowledge can easily influence our perspective. During the time prior to moving into Iraq, I think we, as a nation, reacted resolutely to stop terrorists and their ability to train. After the events of Sept. 11 the movement into Afghanistan I do not think met with much resistance by the American public. That same public opinion was different for the advance into Iraq. I think the previous action, namely the Gulf War, influenced that reaction as well. In the four major paradigms or schools of thought on international relations, the realist school of thought believes politics is a power struggle among nation-states. Thomas Morgenthau is the â€Å"father† of realism. Realists have little faith in international law or international organizations. The globalist school of thought focuses on economic interdependence of the global arena. Political and economic decisions in one industrialized nation have consequences for all other nations as well as non-state actors. We believe President Bush acted on Iraq primarily using the realist school of thought. The realists have "little faith in international law or international organizations." The situation in Iraq had been degrading for some time as Saddam Hussein was not adhering to the resolutions from the Gulf War. We tried to get the international community and NATO to back us and agree with our position. But this didn't happen. I believe President Bush lost confidence in NATO and acted independently. Alternately, we acted with the globalist school of thought in regards to the war on terrorism.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

A Study on How Informatics Affect the Clinical Nursing Practice

Computers have played an important role in every profession including nursing. Information technology is widely used by different hospitals worldwide to strengthen the quality that was given to the patients. Hence, nursing informatics has emerged in the past and continues to boom and being used by the medical practitioners nowadays.Nursing Informatics is a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science and information science to manage and communicate data, information and knowledge in nursing practice.It facilitates the integration of data, information and knowledge to support patients, nurses and other providers in their decision making in all roles and settings. This support is accomplished through the use of information structures, information processes and information technology. (ANA, 2001, p. 17)It is anticipated that majority of nurses who will enter the profession will be computer literate by the year 2010. In addition, it is also anticipated that every health c are setting will employ at least one Nurse Informatics specialist and will implement some type of a Clinical Information System.It is designed to support clinical nursing practice. It requires not only an understanding of professional nursing but also technology that is the application of science to function electronically.[1] Nursing practice has evolved and changed radically. It has become an integral part of the Electronic Health Record. Computer systems with nursing and patient care data, nursing care plans were integrated into one interdisciplinary patient health record in the Electronic Health Record.Continued advancement of information and technology and its application to the nursing practice plays an important role and greatly affect each nurse especially those registered nurses who are more experienced, that is why this term paper seeks to present and discuss the role of informatics in clinical nursing practice. More specifically, it answers the following:1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What are the nursing tasks and responsibilities that will apply to the use of computer technology that will contribute to good clinical governance?2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How can the nurses further involve themselves both in the use of technology and decision making process in regards to the evaluation and selection of applications in the computer software and hardware?3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What are the strategies that can be used to bridge the age and digital experience gap between participating nurses and the influx of the next generation new graduates that apply to informatics application?This particular topic needs a great deal of general description method. In the process, it can also be helped with the use of review of some studies that is related to the impact of nursing informatics to clinical nursing.I. BodyThe application of Nursing Informatics provides great benefits not only to the patients but to the nurses themselves as well. The health care team especially nurse s makes use of Electronic Health Record (HER) in documenting the case of the patient. It is a secure, real time point of care, patient-centric information resource for clinicians.The EHR can include dental and other records concerning a patient. It represents the portions of a patient’s medical record that are stored in a computer system as well the functional benefits derived from having an electronic health record. (HIMSS Analytics, INC, 2007) (Gartee, 2007)One advantage of an electronic health record is that it can be simultaneously available to everyone who needs to use it. Secondly is that, electronic records necessitate the collection of structured data. The nurse can systematically collect data that can be transformed into information for decision making and can also be used to examine what practices, treatments, and procedures are associated with the best outcomes.The nursing responsibility that will apply to the use of informatics is mainly the nursing documentation. Because it encompasses most of the nursing tasks which includes observation, plan of care which is also known as nursing care plan that has to be documented. Each and every procedure and intervention may it be dependent or independent nursing intervention has to be documented in a proper way.The strategies that can be used by nurses to involve themselves in informatics is based in the result of the study which was published in 2005 that examined the readiness of nurses in the United States for a shift to evidence based practice.There are several issues that has to be addressed to involve nurses to participate in the use of technology in delivering quality health care to their patients. These issues are the following: (1) lack of access to research findings; (2) lack of ability to mine the information from the bibliographic databases; (3) lack of time; and (4) lack of the value in research.The first issue according to Diane Pravikoff, the presence of rich and appropriate resources f or use in gathering the evidence is one of the most important factors in incorporating EBP into practice.Based on the issues that was given, the strategies that can be used to involve nurses in informatics is mainly participation to researches and breakthroughs that is given by accredited organization to foster the scarcity of nurses who are not aware to the rapidly increasing discoveries and breakthroughs in the field of nursing.Secondly is in the participation of nurses to seminars. In addition, it will also be a great help if the nursing professionals will involve themselves in the continuing education to further enhance their knowledge in improving the quality of care of the patients.Moreover, it will have a great outcome if all nurses will be trained on how to use the information technology and study the applications that are needed in using and accessing the electronic health record of the patient. Lastly, it is more important that this knowledge gained from experiences, resea rches and seminars and education must be put into practice and be mastered to provide the optimum health of the patients.As previously discussed, to bridge the age and digital experience gap between participating nurses and the influx of the next generation new graduates that apply to informatics application, all nurses should participate in a training in information and technology and involve themselves in continuing education especially in the field of nursing informatics to address the anticipated outcome of the American Nurses Association which is by year 2010, majority of nurses should be computer literate.Nurses should participate to formal trainings and pursue the course either through a traditional type of degree such as a Masters or via a Certificate program.[1] Kathleen A. McCormick, Essentials of Nursing Informatics (International edition 2006), 4 A Study on How Informatics Affect the Clinical Nursing Practice Computers have played an important role in every profession including nursing. Information technology is widely used by different hospitals worldwide to strengthen the quality that was given to the patients. Hence, nursing informatics has emerged in the past and continues to boom and being used by the medical practitioners nowadays.Nursing Informatics is a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science and information science to manage and communicate data, information and knowledge in nursing practice. It facilitates the integration of data, information and knowledge to support patients, nurses and other providers in their decision making in all roles and settings.This support is accomplished through the use of information structures, information processes and information technology. (ANA, 2001, p. 17)It is anticipated that majority of nurses who will enter the profession will be computer literate by the year 2010. In addition, it is also anticipated that every health c are setting will employ at least one Nurse Informatics specialist and will implement some type of a Clinical Information System.It is designed to support clinical nursing practice. It requires not only an understanding of professional nursing but also technology that is the application of science to function electronically. [1]Nursing practice has evolved and changed radically. It has become an integral part of the Electronic Health Record. Computer systems with nursing and patient care data, nursing care plans were integrated into one interdisciplinary patient health record in the Electronic Health Record.Continued advancement of information and technology and its application to the nursing practice plays an important role and greatly affect each nurse especially those registered nurses who are more experienced, that is why this term paper seeks to present and discuss the role of informatics in clinical nursing practice. More specifically, it answers the following:1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What are the nursing tasks and responsibilities that will apply to the use of computer technology that will contribute to good clinical governance?2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How can the nurses further involve themselves both in the use of technology and decision making process in regards to the evaluation and selection of applications in the computer software and hardware?3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What are the strategies that can be used to bridge the age and digital experience gap between participating nurses and the influx of the next generation new graduates that apply to informatics application?This particular topic needs a great deal of general description method. In the process, it can also be helped with the use of review of some studies that is related to the impact of nursing informatics to clinical nursing.I. BodyThe application of Nursing Informatics provides great benefits not only to the patients but to the nurses themselves as well. The health care team especially nurse s makes use of Electronic Health Record (HER) in documenting the case of the patient. It is a secure, real time point of care, patient-centric information resource for clinicians. The EHR can include dental and other records concerning a patient. It represents the portions of a patient’s medical record that are stored in a computer system as well the functional benefits derived from having an electronic health record. (HIMSS Analytics, INC, 2007) (Gartee, 2007)One advantage of an electronic health record is that it can be simultaneously available to everyone who needs to use it. Secondly is that, electronic records necessitate the collection of structured data. The nurse can systematically collect data that can be transformed into information for decision making and can also be used to examine what practices, treatments, and procedures are associated with the best outcomes.The nursing responsibility that will apply to the use of informatics is mainly the nursing documentation . Because it encompasses most of the nursing tasks which includes observation, plan of care which is also known as nursing care plan that has to be documented. Each and every procedure and intervention may it be dependent or independent nursing intervention has to be documented in a proper way.The strategies that can be used by nurses to involve themselves in informatics is based in the result of the study which was published in 2005 that examined the readiness of nurses in the United States for a shift to evidence based practice.There are several issues that has to be addressed to involve nurses to participate in the use of technology in delivering quality health care to their patients. These issues are the following: (1) lack of access to research findings; (2) lack of ability to mine the information from the bibliographic databases; (3) lack of time; and (4) lack of the value in research.The first issue according to Diane Pravikoff, the presence of rich and appropriate resources for use in gathering the evidence is one of the most important factors in incorporating EBP into practice.Based on the issues that was given, the strategies that can be used to involve nurses in informatics is mainly participation to researches and breakthroughs that is given by accredited organization to foster the scarcity of nurses who are not aware to the rapidly increasing discoveries and breakthroughs in the field of nursing.Secondly is in the participation of nurses to seminars. In addition, it will also be a great help if the nursing professionals will involve themselves in the continuing education to further enhance their knowledge in improving the quality of care of the patients.Moreover, it will have a great outcome if all nurses will be trained on how to use the information technology and study the applications that are needed in using and accessing the electronic health record of the patient. Lastly, it is more important that this knowledge gained from experiences, rese arches and seminars and education must be put into practice and be mastered to provide the optimum health of the patients.As previously discussed, to bridge the age and digital experience gap between participating nurses and the influx of the next generation new graduates that apply to informatics application, all nurses should participate in a training in information and technology and involve themselves in continuing education especially in the field of nursing informatics to address the anticipated outcome of the American Nurses Association which is by year 2010, majority of nurses should be computer literate.Nurses should participate to formal trainings and pursue the course either through a traditional type of degree such as a Masters or via a Certificate program.Information relevant to clinical decision making continues to expand, and its relevance will only increase as the electronic health record becomes a standard part of practice. The examples of information technology sup port for Evidenced Based Practice are internet resources, and software applications for EBP.   When it comes to EBP, internet is one of the most valuable sources of information.Different organization especially the US government provides several website that can be accessed to update the medical professions in expanding their knowledge regarding informatics. Internet can be accessed in different modes. It can be provided through a wireless broadband, mobiles used as a modem for internet connection and some makes use of dial up connection.Whether access is in mobile or not, the internet is increasingly an important adjunct to safe practice. The number of practical tools available on the internet increases each year which may result into information overload, unless the user knows how to retrieve and structure available tools. Basic and advanced internet skills are needed to adapt to a frequently changing internet environment and to retrieve the wealth of internet information applic able to clinical practice in an efficient manner.According to the University of California at Berkeley’s Library (2007), there are five internet steps strategy for effective internet searches: (1) Analyze your topic to decide where to begin; (2) pick the right search engine; (3) learn as you go and vary approach as what you have learned; (4) don’t bug down in a search strategy that does not work; and (5) return to any of the previous strategies with the insights and the information gained and repeat the process.The software application for EBP is supplied by the Electronic Health Record. The EHR has many components that incorporate EBP at the bedside, including Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) and Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE).This is of great importance because is always updated in terms of knowledge and applied reasoning by a CDSS. The clinical tasks performed by the decision support are the following: alerts and reminders, diagnostic assistance, t herapy plans, medication orders and information retrieval. As a result, the appropriateness of data regarding this updates is validated because of their responsibilities.II.  Ã‚   ConclusionPatient safety continues to be a well-documented priority for healthcare organizations. This is the reason why many research was made and is continuously being done to improve the delivery of optimum health care to the clients. Nursing informatics greatly affects the nurses especially the old nurses who were not able to catch up with the advancement of technology.But in the long run, many of them wants to improve their knowledge and be part of the rapid immersion of information technology in the field of nursing to provide benefits both in the patient and nurses such as more accurate data and zero errors in drug administration, accessibility and easy view of the patients record by the health care team at the same time when needed.BibliographyAmerican Nurses Association (ANA). (2001). Scopes and Standards of Nursing Practice for Nursing Informatics. Washington, DC: American Nurses PublishingGartee, R. (2007). Electronic Health Records: Understanding and Using Computerized Medical Records. Upper Saddle Rivers, NJ: Prentice HallHIMSS Analytics, INC. (2007). Definitions. Retrieved January 27, 2008, from HIMSS Analytics: http://www.himssanalytics.org/docs/Definitions-By-Term.pdfMcCormick, K. A. . Essentials of Nursing Informatics. International edition 2006.[1]  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kathleen A. McCormick, Essentials of Nursing Informatics (International edition 2006), 4

Friday, January 3, 2020

Applying Ericksons Theory to Mary Shelley and Her Writing

Sherry Ginn’s â€Å"Science, Science Fiction, or Autobiography?† effectively uses Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development and the story of Shelly’s life background, to explain how Marry Shelly’s absence of maternal and parental upbringing caused her to implement the philosophies in the novel Frankenstein. Erikson’s theory says that there are eight human steps one will face from infancy to adult hood. The steps will approach as one confronts a conflict. If he/she can overcome the conflict, it will lead the individual to a higher physic development and become turning points in the individual life. A closer look at the novel coupled with Marry Shelly’s history, leads one to believe that many of the major themes in the novel Frankenstein are adapted from Marys own life. Sherry Ginn, in her critic identifies and refers to many examples to help illustrate her idea and portray the connection between the story of the novel and the li fe of the author. There are many critics on the book Frankenstein that are relatively accessible. However, what separates one critic from another is the author and his/her credibility. By glancing at Sherry Ginn’s life, it is clear that she is a creditable author. Sherry Ginn, received an MA and PhD General-Experimental Psychology. Another one of her major accomplishments is that she completed post-doctoral training at the East Carolina University School of Medicine. During her stay at Carolina University, she took part in women’s study classes.