Mass Media in Great Britain Essay

The media play a central role in Britain’s daily life, informing and educating, questioning and challenging – and of course – entertaining. In recent years the availability of more radio frequencies, together with satellite, cable and microwave transmissions, has already made a greater number of local, national and international services possible. The transition from analogue to digital transmission technology is now expanding this capacity enormously. The Internet is providing, increasingly, an additional medium for information, entertainment and communication. Television and Radio Broadcasting in Britain has traditionally been based on the principle that it is a public service accountable to people. While retaining the essential public service element, it now also embraces the principles of competition and choice: †¢ the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), which broadcasts television and radio programmes; †¢ the ITC (Independent Television Commission), which licenses and regulates commercial television services, including cable and satellite services. †¢ the Radio Authority, which licenses and regulates commercial radio services, including cable and satellite. The three bodies work to broad requirements and objectives defined and endorsed by Parliament, but are otherwise independent in their daily conduct of business. Television viewing is by far Britain’s most popular leisure pastime: over 97 per cent of households have at least one TV set. British television productions are sold world – wide. BBC The BBC provides two complementary national terrestrial television networks: BBC 1 and BBC 2, which transmit 24 hours a day. It also provides a range of digital channels, including BBC News 24 and BBC Choice. BBC Network Radio serves an audience of 29 each week, transmitting 24 hours a day on its five national networks. BBC has 39 local radio stations serving England and the Channel Islands, and regional and community radio services in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. BBC World Service broadcasts by radio in English and 42 other languages world – wide. It has a global weekly audience of at least 140 million listeners. BBC Worldwide Television is responsible for the BBC’s commercial television activity. It is one of Europe’s largest exporters of television programmes. It also runs an advertiser – funded, 24 – hour international news and information channel; and an entertainment and drama channel broadcast to subscribers in continental Europe and Africa. The BBC’s domestic services are financed predominantly from the sale of annual television licences; there are no paid advertisements. BBC World Service radio is funded by a government grant, while BBC Worldwide Television is self – financing. Independent Television The ITC licenses and regulates three commercial television services – Channel 3 and Channel 4 (in Wales the corresponding service is S4C), which complement each other, and Channel 5 – all financed by advertising and sponsorship. Channel 3 programmes are supplied by 15 regionally based licensees and an additional licensee providing a national breakfast – time service. Licences for Channel 3 and 5 are awarded for a ten – year period by competitive tender to the highest bidder who has passed a quality threshold. Independent Radio Independent radio programme companies operate under licence to the Radio Authority and are financed mainly by advertising revenue. There are three independent national services: Classic FM, broadcasting mainly classical music; Virgin 1215, playing broad – based rock music; and Talk Radio UK,  speech – based service. About 200 independent local radio services are also in operation. Stations supply local news and information, sport, music and other entertainment, education and consumer advice. Teletext, Cable and Satellite Services The BBC and independent television both operate a Teletext service, under which information is displayed as â€Å"pages† of text and graphics on receivers equipped with the necessary decoders. Cable services are delivered through underground cables and are paid for subscription. Cable franchises have been granted covering areas comprising 83 per cent of all homes and nearly all urban areas in Britain. In mid – 1999 there were about 12.1 million homes able to receive such services, and 3 million subscribing homes. Digital technology is being introduced which will support up to 500 television channels. Cable also has the capacity for computer – based interactive services, such as home shopping and email. Many British – based satellite television channels have been set up to supply programmes to cable operators and viewers with satellite dishes. Some offer general entertainment, while others concentrate on specific areas of interest, such as sport, music, children’s programmes and feature films. The largest satellite programmer is BSkyB (British Sky Broadcasting) which, with around 7 million subscribers, dominates paid – for television in Britain. It launched its digital satellite service in 1998, carrying more than 140 channels. Satellite television and cable services are funded mainly by subscription income. The Press National newspapers have an average total circulation of over 13 million on weekdays and about 14 million on Sundays, although the total readership is considerably greater. There are 10 national morning daily papers and 10  national Sundays – five â€Å"qualities†, two â€Å"mid – market† and three â€Å"populars†. There are about 1,350 regional and local newspapers, and over 7,000 periodical publications. There is no state control or censorship of the newspaper and periodical press, which caters for a range of political views, interests and level of education. Where they express pronounced views and show obvious political leanings in their editorial comments, these may derive from proprietorial and other non – party influences. A non – statutory Press Complaints Commission deals with complaints by members of the public about the content and conduct of newspapers and magazines, and advises editors and journalists. In 1995, the Government rejected proposals for statutory regulation of the press and for legislation to give protection to privacy. Instead, it endorsed self – regulation under the Commission and recommended tougher measures to make self – regulation more effective. Working practices throughout the newspaper industry have become more efficient with the widespread used of advanced computer – based technology. Publishers have been able to reduce production costs by using computer systems for editing and production processes.

Alicia Wong Case Essay

Alicia Wong has to consider many things before deciding whether she should make the mustard in house or externally. If the mustard she buys externally from TFL, Thain Foods would be spending on average about $.54 cents per liter. While this doesn’t seem that much on a small scale, overtime the cost begins to add up. In addition, the company would only spend $.46 per liter when producing in house. With an average order of 100,000 liters, Thain Foods will save around $7.920 per order. Overall per year, the company will save around $96,000 by just saving $.08 per liter. Making the mustard internally can provide many benefits. One of the reasons to make internally would be because of the cost. As previously stated, the company would make about $8,000 per order. By saving that money, the company can save the consumer money by cutting the price or by gaining additional profit. Another reason to make would be in order to avoid sole source dependency. The company will be able to searc h for the perfect supplier for all of the raw materials for the best price. Instead of allowing another company to make deals for the raw materials, the larger company could use its weight to leverage for better prices. Also, by making internally the workers would no longer need to carry and rinse the drums. No longer would a contractor need to come in to wash the drums for the company. Rather, the company could find other purposes for the drums efficiently. Another reason is the production has time and equipment to make the mustard. All of the items are in place to make the mustard without any further workers or contractors necessary. Finally, the company could ensure quality assurance. Potential risk can be eliminated because the company knows exactly what’s happening with the quality of the mustard and what needs to be done to fix any potential problems Although there are many reasons to make the mustard, there are also many reasons not to. First of all, the change from external to internal may hurt to quality or taste of the product. For example, the way TFL mixes the raw materials and makes the mustard could be kept a secret and not allow the company to continue to make a great product. Thain Foods would need to make sure they know exact recipe and procedures to make the mustard if they were to change from externally to internally. Also, if Thain Foods finds another way to make better mustard they could keep it as a competitive advantage and not worry about their recipe getting to competitors.

Critically assess Jack Donnellys claim that human rights have become a Essay

Critically assess Jack Donnellys claim that human rights have become a hegemonic political discourse, or what Mervyn Frost calls settled norms of contemporary international society' - Essay Example The basic human rights of millions of people around the globe continue to be exploited.3 According to Jack Donnelly, human rights have become a hegemonic political discourse. Based on this assertion, human rights have been diluted with extensive political interferences. Additionally, this statement underlines that the powerful nations are increasingly dictating on the nature of human rights within the poor countries in the developing world.4 This perspective undermines the very goal of human rights-to promote equality and freedom among people from all walks of life. There are numerous perspectives towards the framework of human rights. Racial discrimination is among the most notable dimensions of human rights. This is epitomized by famous human rights activists like Martin Luther King Jr. His contribution towards the cause of human rights remains even today. His ideologies towards human rights have greatly contributed towards making the modern society increasingly equal. Despite the efforts of such people, powerful nations continue to influence other countries on the di rection that is supposedly acceptable for human rights. For instance, the extensive fighting in the Middle-East region over the past decades is a notable dimension of how human rights have become a hegemonic political disburse. Hundreds of thousands have been killed in these fights. In essence, the fighting has been largely triggered by political factors such as clamour for power and dominance. In view of these kinds of aspects, it is extremely pertinent to evaluate Jack Donnelly’s claim about the development of human rights as a hegemonic political discourse. This research narrows down on these perspectives while also evaluating the distinctive dimensions of human rights in the modern world. Human rights comprise of numerous dimensions. Within some contexts, human rights might refer to the prevention of any aspect of human exploitation. Within this context, human rights seek to protect

Project Procurement1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project Procurement1 - Essay Example In reality it is not as simple as it seems because the choice can rotate from small matters such as if a company makes turbine generators they might have to consider either to set up ball bearing manufacturing machine with in their business premises or should they simply purchase it from outside or for instance a car manufacturing company might consider making a engine or purchasing it from outside resources. The buy or make decision does not only pertain in manufacturing companies but it is also found excessively in outsourcing companies for instance a data processing company will think if they should hire data entry employees or give them out to specialized service providers (Probert, 1997). Till the twentieth century many of the companies were manufacturing all their components in house. While some companies like Ford Motor Company was not only extracting the iron ore from their own plant but was also fabricating the equipment needed to assemble the car on the other hand Toyota had started purchasing three fourth of their entire raw material from the suppliers and were only focusing on assembling the car parts together. As years passed the trend of purchasing from outside resources has become more and more common. The trend is more common amongst the service businesses such as fleet management, billing and collection, fleet management and man power recruitment. The Business Process Outsourcing has become extremely popular. The companies are now outsourcing their entire value chain to other companies both locally and outside the boundaries of the county. The best example of outsourcing would be the IT outsourcing industry which has grown from 131 billion to $ 160 billio n in 2006 (Mahadevan, 2008). Whether to buy or whether to manufacture is a question that is always on the minds of the procurement team. There are various issues that are associated with the buy or make decision making such as firstly the team has to decide whether

Operation Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Operation Management - Essay Example At the same time it is also very capital intensive as requires heavy machinery and costly equipment for both building of ships and carrying out repairs. It also requires a very large area or layout for its activities and needs to be next to a sea port or at least on the coast with very good rail and road facilities for transporting goods and materials. Its consumption of electrical power is also very great. It is for these reasons that this industry is not as widespread as some other industries like apparel manufacturing or food processing which may be bigger in size or turnover but far easier to manage and organize. For such an industry to survive and to prosper it must have certain traits and special skills. Such industries are also located in a few select areas of the world and have developed their knowledge base and their especially skilled workers over long periods of struggles and have become respected the world over for the excellence of their work. One such place in Europe is Rijeka, a city of 200,000 people, located on the north coast of Kvarna Bay between the Istrian Peninsula and the eastern Adriatic coast of Croatia. This small town boast of two shipyards and one of them is the famous Viktor Lenac Shipyard (formerly known as Lazarus). For forty years it was the pride of Yugoslavia, until Croatia seceded from it mother country and became independent in 1991. Because of political turbulence during the next ten years foreign buyer hesitated to give business to Croatian shipyards. But Viktor Lenac survived well as it concentrated on ship repairs and remained profitable all along. During the Yugoslavian days all shipyards were owned by the government but Croatia decided to opt for the open market economy and privatized the shipyards. Attracted by its profitability a group of Italian and American investors stepped in and took over the

Dimensions (Target) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dimensions (Target) - Essay Example known as personal, structural, relational, and cultural dimensions are considered as one of the most important concepts in the study of change management. (Lederach, Neufeldt, & Culbertson, 2007: p. 18) This theory enables the organizational leaders to effectively and strategically develop a plan for a change initiative since this theory serves as a tool that allows these people to have a better understanding with regards to significant factors that may or may not hinder the progress of initiating organizational changes. In the absence of strategic development, it will be more difficult for organizational leaders to initiate change because of the possibility of organizational conflicts and resistance to change. For this study, information coming from Ford Motors’ strategic change initiative will be gathered. Eventually, this information will be analyzed and applied to strategic change initiative such as strategy, organization’s resources, systems, culture, vision, and mission. Prior to conclusion, lessons learned from having completed the study requirements will be discussed one-by-one. Based on the identified lessons learned, recommended ways wherein managers could use this knowledge will be discussed. In relation to the challenges associated with globalization, Bill Ford – the CEO of Ford Motor publicly announced a massive restructuring plan back in the first quarter of 2006 in order to save the company from becoming less profitable. (Woodyard, 2006) The fact that the company has decided to shred-off as much as 30,000 employments aside from closing down a total of 14 factories and other facilities by 2012, Ford managers had encountered a lot of negative comments with regards to the management’s decision for such major changes. Since 30,000 Ford employees were expected to lose their job from the massive lay-offs, Ford managers had seriously faced a strong resistance-to-change. Since the implementation of an internal organizational change often

Should Britain adopt the Euro Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Should Britain adopt the Euro - Essay Example This transformation has been successful in meeting its goal. Greece has since adopted the Euro while Sweden, Denmark and Britain, the latter of which is not considered a European country, have not. Many legislators and economists have suggested that it is simply a matter of when, not if, the UK will adopt the Euro. This discussion examines the benefits the UK will retain when this eventually happens and answers the legitimate concerns of those opposed to the transformation. Certain indisputable results have occurred following the conversion to the Euro. It has eliminated the costs and risks involved when exchanging foreign currency with other counties of the EU and made more transparent the cost of products. By adopting the Euro, Britain would be allowed a place on the European Central Bank (ECB) board thus being able to participate in the economic policy of the EU.   This would enhance the political influence of the UK which in turn would produce beneficial long-term opportunities for its economy. According to many published studies conducted regarding the effect of the Euro, using a common currency has already proven to augment trade and competitiveness within the countries that use it. One study that measured the influence of the Euro on trade discovered â€Å"countries that share a common currency trade about three times as much as countries without a common currency† (Micco et al, 2003). It is clear that trade between Britain and EU countries would escalate if the same currency was used. Differences in types of money present barriers to trade because of the cost factors involved in converting it. Large corporations would save significant amounts and open up previously unfeasible opportunities of trade to smaller companies. Reducing the cost of trade will make Britain more competitive as companies will be able to charge less for products yet yield

Critical Context of law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critical Context of law - Case Study Example tax inspectorate. Mandox had purchased Bleak Hall when the property market was cheap. It is obvious that Mandox had purchased Bleak Hall as part of his investment plan. Bleak Hall belongs to Mandox although his wife, Muriel, uses it more often for political reasons. His wife, Muriel, and three daughters have judicially enforceable rights in the ownership, use and occupation of Bleak Hall. There is no mention of Muriel's and their daughters' rights anywhere concerning Bleak Hall. However, Muriel's status as Charles Mandox's wife gives her judicially enforceable rights. This could prove useful in case of any divorce claims, although there is no mention anywhere of Charles and Muriel contemplating divorce. Apart from Muriel and their children, no one else has any right or claim on Bleak Hall. Charles Mandok may spend much of his time taking drinks. However, he has sharp business sense. The possibility of anyone other than Muriel making any claim on Bleak Hall is remote. Mandok is too powerful and ruthless to tolerate any third party claims on Bleak Hall. However, Muriel makes good use of Bleak Hall. She sensed rightly that in the emotional vacuum of Bleak Hall she would encounter little opposition to her own designs. A political career, she adjudged, needed a prosperous backcloth. Bleak Hall was close to the residence of the then prime minister, Tony Blair. What additionally would Muriel Mandox need to have done or be able to demonstrate to show a legal or equitable interest in Bleak Hall Charles Mandox uses Muriel's paycheck to pay for the outgoings and maintenance of Bleak Hall. Muriel could have asked for co-ownership of Bleak Hall. Muriel is quick-tempered and Charles is ruthless. The couple has lived through to see three children, all daughters, although most of the children's time is spent with girls hired as childcare. Muriel is so caught up with her political career that she does not consider as necessary the need to spend time to talk with Charles Mandox about their property affairs. For a man of wealth like Charles Mandox, it is necessary to have property and financial affairs well sorted out to take care of any contingencies. Her background as a miner's daughter and traumatic home life did not breed in her the systematic and planned thinking of those used to sophistication. Her father had disappeared after having a bottle smashed on his head by her mother. Her socialist background and political proclivities aroused in her the grandiose prospects of career in politics. Her political life brought out her innate qualities of quick thinking that included brilliant albeit raw calculations. She had first joined the Conservative party and then switched over to the Labor. The first time Charles called her out on a date, she almost told him to go to hell. His persistence on dating her

Education System India Essay Example for Free

Education System India Essay Education is a co-current state level subjects and under the Indian Constitution education is made a Fundamental Right and Directive Principles of State Policy further needed free education and other facilities to children. There is no discrimination among the people on the basis of religion, caste or creed/faith etc. However, the minorities are given right to run their own educational institutions with financial aid from Government and they are free to introduce their religion, language in their institution. Education is compulsory and free upto primary standard. Indian education system has a wide structure and the educational institutions can introduce the education or learning pattern as below VA years in pre-nursery schools, in the primary schools upto V class or so. Education is further upgraded upto 10+2 system where the examinations are conducted by the Board at 10 and 12. Thereafter, students are free to choose the courses of their own at any stage, i.e. primary, secondary, senior secondary level. Schools are of different levels. Local Boards run the schools upto Primary, V standard, both in mother tongue and English medium. Thereafter the schools may upgrade themselves upto X known as Secondary schools. They can also be upgraded upto 12, called Senior Secondary schools. The education is a co-current (state level) subject and the Central Government cannot interfere in their functioning. As such schools are pre- primary, pre-nursery, then primary, secondary and senior secondary run both by the private bodies as well as by Government. Indian schools are not as well organised as they are expected. Private/Public school charge high fee and have control on their institution. They only need the registration by the Centre/State Government or their Bodies and Management. While the Education Department has a loose control over these Private/ Public Schools government has its own schools where the normal fee is charged and the students belong with poor section of society. Overall the condition of government schools is pathetic. At state level School Education has its own organisational set up. Under this democratic set up Education Deptt is supported by the Minister of Education who has a Secretary of Education to supervise the Department with the help of Director Education who belongs to I.A.S. cadre of service. The Department is further divided into districts Deputy, Joint Directors to look after the working of schools. Under the educational system Central Board Secondary Education (C.B.S.E) is set up to maintain, the quality in Education and provide minimum qualification of the teaching staff and other necessary requirement for the school and conduct the Exams 10 and 12 standard. It has a control over both Public Private and Government Schools. After the exam; issues certificates of 10th and 12th class/standard this student who passed the Examination. C B.S.E. has its office in New Delhi. Under the Education system to keep the hi standard of Education and to maintain to quality Education an independent body is set up known N.C.E.R.T. that is National Council of Educatio n Research and Training with its Headquarters at N Delhi. This institution published textbooks for t school on all subjects and has a panel of specialists its list. The books are to be taught at schools in t country. It also conducts the competitive examination at all India level for the talent search from primary lei upto graduation and provides stipend or sponsors to that highly talented students. Teachers are the backbone of the educational system in India. Government has set up a permanent body for the selection of the teachers known as N.C.T. i.e. National Council of Teachers Education. It conducts the training and selection of the teachers and provides certificate/degree for the teachers which are an essential qualification for the teachers who seek the employment in teaching schools known as B.Ed, or Shastri education. MIEPA in set up by the Government to look after the administration and planning of education in the country the body is known as National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration. It looks ail the work of the educational /teaching/administration under the ministry of HRD an autonomous body. Kendriya Vidyalay Organisation (KVO) was set up under the Education Ministry, Government of India, New Delhi. It established 10+2 system in schools all over the country for the Government employees who use to effect posted or transferred in the country. It is good for the Central Government employees and schools are run on the medium of English from primary to twelfth standard. State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) are set up in all the states to look after the training and research work on the lines of NCERT which is at all India level. Its refresher courses, even modifies the curriculum of the schools and textbooks arc written for the secondary level standard in the state. It also arranges seminars, discusses and refresher courses for the teaching staff. There are a number of educational institutions at the District level. A Distt. Officer/ Inspector of schools looks after the educational institutions in his/her district. He/She also coordinates the different activities upto the Commissioner, State level in each district. Under this scheme, a college (Inter) 10+2 on the Government expenses is to be spent in each District and other schools are under his observation. Besides, a training centre for Primary teachers, or other refresher courses also opened in the district. The recruitment institute for the teachers, examination centers and the Boards offices are also on the line, such as Minorities schools. Local educational institutions play an important role in the area of education. As our country is poor and cannot afford the heavy expenses of Educational institutions, local education bodys arc allowed opening their schools and Government recognizes these institutions at par with the Government institutions. Minority institutions have their own schools with their own expenses or Government grants in-aid. But they fill the gap and help the Government to reduce its burden.

Steve Jobs - Leadership Essay Example for Free

Steve Jobs Leadership Essay

Dementias Effect on the Visual System

Dementias Effect on the Visual System Abstract Recent evidence indicates that memory impairment and visual dysfunction are clearly linked in dementia, and that special testing for visual dysfunction can improve the early diagnosis and treatment of dementia. Visual function is divided in terms of anatomic, functional and cognitive areas respectively. Under normal circumstances these functions perform seamlessly together to produce a visual reality of what we call the external world. Alzheimers disease is the most common form of dementia and past research into this area has shown that sufferers show visual deficits in several key areas. Namely contrast sensitivity, motion, colour, depth perception as well as visual hallucinations. Thus by approaching the patient in a appropriate manor with regards to dementia, clinical professionals can detect visual dysfunction and memory impairment whilst also providing a vital role in secondary and tertiary preventative measures. Furthermore clinical professionals can provide aid in the treatmen t of dementia linked visual disorders. With current demographic trends, dementia is becoming increasingly prevalent due in the ageing population. Consequently there is an increased need for practitioners to have a sound knowledge of such dementia conditions. Improving the sufferers quality of life should be the practitioners main concern. By providing thorough treatments and suggestions on patient tailored environmental modifications this can be achieved. (1) Introduction Dementia is a loss of mental function in two or more areas such as language, memory, visual and spatial abilities, or judgment severe enough to interfere with daily life1. Dementia is not a disease itself, sufferers show a broader set of symptoms that accompany certain diseases or physical conditions1. Well known diseases that cause dementia include Alzheimers disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and multi-infarct dementia1. Dementia is an acquired and progressive problem that affects cognitive functions, behavior, thinking processes and the ability to carry out normal activities. Vision is one of the most important primary senses, therefore serious or complete sight loss has a major impact on a individuals ability to communicate effectively and function independently. Individuals who suffer from both dementia and serious vision loss will inevitably be subject to profound emotional, practical, psychological and financial problems. These factors will also influence others around the sufferer and will extend to the family and the greater society. As we get older both dementia and visual problems inevitably become much more prevalent. Current demographic trends show the increase of the number of very old in our population. Therefore it is inevitable that dementia and serious sight loss either alone or together, will have important consequences for all of us1. The vast majority of people are aware that dementia affects the memory. However it is the impact it has on the ability to carry out daily tasks and problems with behavior that cause particular problems, and in severe cases can lead to institutionalization. In the primary stages of dementia, the patient can be helped by friends and family through ‘reminders. As progression occurs the individual will loose the skills needed for everyday tasks and may eventually fail to recognize family members, a condition known as prospagnosia. The result of such progression is that the individual becomes totally dependent on others. Dementia not only affects the lives of the individual, but also the family2. Dementia can present itself in varying forms. The most common form of dementia in the old is Alzheimers disease, affecting millions of people. It is a degenerative condition that attacks the brain. Progression is gradual and at a variable rate. Symptoms of Alzheimers disease are impaired memory, thinking and changes in behaviour. Dementia with Lewy bodies and dementias linked to Parkinsons disease are responsible for around 10-20% of all dementias. Dementia with Lewy bodies is of particular interest as individuals3 with this condition not only present confusion and varying cognition, but also present symptoms of visual hallucinations2. Another common condition that causes dementia is multi-infarct dementia, also known as vascular dementia. It is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimers disease in the elderly. Multi infarct dementia is caused by multiple strokes in the brain. These series of strokes can affect some intellectual abilities, impair motor skills and also c ause individuals to experience visual hallucinations. Individuals with multi infarct dementia are prone to risk factors for stroke, such as high BP, heart disease and diabetes. Multi infarct dementia cannot be treated, once nerve cells die they cannot be replaced1. In most cases the symptoms of dementia and serious sight loss develop independently. However some conditions can cause both visual and cognitive impairments, for example Down syndrome, Multiple sclerosis and diabetes. Dementia is most prevalent in the elderly, as is sight loss. Therefore it is inevitable that a number of people will present dementia together with serious sight loss. There have been many studies into the prevalence of dementia in the UK. An estimate for the prevalence of dementia in people over 75 years of age is 15% of the population2. The Alzheimers society suggest that 775,200 people in the UK suffer from dementia (figures taken 2001). The Alzheimers society also calculates that the prevalence of dementia in the 65-75 years age group is 1 in 50, for 70-80 years 1 in 20 and for over 80 years of age 1 in 5. Estimates suggest that by 2010 approximately 840,000 people will become dementia sufferers in the UK. Estimates suggest that around 40% of dementia sufferers are in residential institutions. One study from 1996 showed that dementia sufferers are 30 times more likely to live in an institution than people without dementia. At 65 years of age men are 3 times more likely than women to live in an institution and at 86 men and women are equally likely to be institutionalized4. Visual impairments are not associated general diagnostic features of dementia. However recent research has shown the change in visual function and visual processing may be relevant. Alzheimers disease patients often present problems with visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, stereo-acuity and color vision. These problems are believed to be more true of cognitive dysfunction rather than any specific problems in the eye or optic nerve9. Early diagnosis is essential to both dementia and sight loss patients, as drug treatments are becoming more and more available. Therefore maximizing the treatment and care for the individual. On the other hand early diagnosis of visual conditions is also essential, so that progression is slowed and treatment is commenced, therefore further progression is prevented if plausible2. The Mini-Mental State examination MMSE, is the most commonly used cognitive test for the diagnosis of dementia. It involves the patient to undertake tests of memory and cognition. It takes the form of a series of questions/answers and uses written, verbal and visual material. Poor vision or blindness is the most common cause of poor performance on this test other than dementia itself2. Visual deterioration can occur simultaneously with memory loss in most dementia sufferers. Therefore early recognition of dementia through vision tests has become of importance. Table 1 shows few possible tests that might be useful for such purpose Table 1 : Vision tests for possible early detection and monitoring of Alzheimers disease Use Benton visual retention test Might be able to predict risk for AD 10-15 years before the onset of the disease Tests visual memory Contrast sensitivity AD patients have selectively reduced CS for distinguishing large objects and faces Useful field of view Tests processing speed, divided attention and selective attention Facilitates detection of â€Å"attentional dysfunction†; patients suffering from this problem complain of poor vision and inability to identify someone in a group or an object on a patterned background Could be useful to assess fitness to drive Facial recognition AD patients do not recognize faces with large features and low contrast AD patients do not recognize familiar faces (due to impaired memory) Tests that use facial expressions with progressively diminished degree of contrast The aim of this paper is to provide information about current knowledge on the topic of visual function dementia. With regards to Alzheimers disease, there will be an inclination to several main foci of research. Namely anatomical/structural changes, functional visual changes, cognitive brain changes and other changes such as the effects of diagnostic drugs on Alzheimers disease patients. (2) Alzheimers disease Alzheimers disease is the most common cause of dementia amongst older adults. The Alzheimers research trust estimates that 700,000 individuals in the UK currently are afflicted. This number will inevitably increase exponentially in the near future with the trend of an increasingly aging UK population. Therefore it must be of the utmost of importance worldwide to have an understanding all behavioral, anatomical and physiological aspects of this disease. Alzheimers disease is a degenerative disease that attacks the brain, it begins gradually and progresses at a variable rate. Common signs are impaired thinking, memory and behavior. Health professionals and care givers agree that the memory deficit is usually the initial sign of the disease. However researchers have long known that Alzheimers disease is characterized by impairments of several additional domains, including visual function5. However these findings have not yet appeared in the diagnostic guides consulted by healthcare professionals, for example the most recent addition of the Diagnostic Statistical manual of mental disorders states that few sensory signs occur in early Alzheimers disease2. Therefore we still have a limited understanding of the true extent to which visual impairments affect Alzheimers disease sufferers. The current web site of the Alzheimers association1 and National Institute of Aging6 make no mention of the topic of sensory changes in Alzheimers disease. It has even been said that patients with Alzheimers disease report visual problems to their healthcare professionals less frequently than do healthy elderly individuals7. Nevertheless visual function is impaired in Alzheimers disease8. In terms of cognitive changes, the neuropathology of this disorder affects several other brain areas which are dedicated to processing low level visual functions, as well as higher level visual cognition and attention5.These neuropathological cognitive changes are more dominant however in the visual variant of Alzheimers disease known as posterior cortical atrophy. However visual problems are also present in the more common Alzheimers disease. Alzheimers disease begins when there are deposits of abnormal proteins outside nerve cells located in the brain in the form of amyloid. These are known as diffuse plaques, and the amyloid also forms the central part of further structured plaques known as senile or neurotic plaques1. Buildup of anomalous filaments of protein inside nerve cells in the brain can also take place. This protein accumulates as masses of filaments known as neurofibril tangles. Atrophy of the affected areas of the brain can also occur as well as the enlargement of the ventricles1. There is also a loss of the neuro transmitter Serotonin, Acetylcholine, Norepinephrine and Somatostatin. Attempts have been made to try to slow the development of the disease by replacing the neurotransmitters with cholinesterase inhibitors, such as donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (excelon), galantamine (Reminyl) and memantine (Namenda)1. These drugs work by increasing the levels of transmitters between cells, which otherwise beco me lacking in Alzheimers disease. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence NICE conducted a review of these drugs in March 2005 and concluded that none of these drugs provided sufficient enough advantages to the patient in order to justify their cost. They recommended against the use of such drugs in the Nhs, though the Department of Health later overturned this ruling. (3) Visual Changes in Alzheimers Patients Loss of vision is a key healthcare dilemma amongst the elderly. By the age of 65 approximately one in three people have a vision reducing eye disease. Dementia, Alzheimers disease patients and elderly patients, consequently have many visual conditions in common. Alzheimers disease impairs visual function early in the course of the disease and functional losses correlate with cognitive losses. There are several common visual functional deficits that are frequently identified in Alzheimers disease. There is evidence for deficits in Motion perception9,10 contrast sensitivity11 colour discrimination of blue short wavelength hues34 and performance on backward masking tests31.In Alzheimers disease the secondary point of damage is usually the visual association cortex and other higher cortical areas, as well as the primary visual cortex 13,14. (3.1) Some of the main changes that occur in the eye with aging include: The crystalline lens increases in thickness, therefore decreasing its transparency and elasticity; therefore there is a tendency for cataracts to appear. The conjunctiva can become thicker and wrinkled, therefore is subject to deposits such as pinguecela. The iris can atrophy, therefore pupils become constricted and their response to light becomes sluggish. The eyes ability to dark/light adapt is affected. Refractive index of the cornea decreases and it becomes less transparent. Arcus senilis can appear. The ocular globe and eyelids can shrink leading to conditions such as entropian, ectropian and trichiasis. Also while the lachrymal production is reduced the puncta lachrymalis can become stenosed and provide less drainage which gives rise to chronic watering of the eyes Anterior chamber usually becomes more shallow and the sclera more rigid, increasing the prospects of glaucoma. (3.2) Visual changes due to Alzheimers disease reported in literature are outlined below: (3.2) Anatomic Abnormal nerve fiber layer and retinal ganglion cells (Blanks et al, 1989); (Tsai et al, 1991); (Hedges et al, 1996 Imaging of the nerve fibre layer can be conducted via three techniques. These include Optical coherence topography (OCT), Scanning laser polarimetry and Confocal laser topography. Parisi et al16 conducted research upon the optic nerve fibre layer thickness using OCT. 17 Alzheimers disease individuals and 14 age matched healthy individuals were used. The findings of this study showed a definite relationship between the thickness of the nerve fiber layer and the prevalence of Alzheimers disease. There was a significant decrease in the nerve fiber layer thickness in Alzheimers individuals when compared to healthy age matched particpants. Macular cell loss (Blanks et al, 1990) Research has shown a definite decrease of the number of retinal ganglion cells located in the maculae of Alzheimers disease sufferers in comparison to age matched control individuals. It was found that the loss of retinal ganglion cells varied with eccentricity from the central macula17. Results obtained by Blanks et al, 1990 showed a 28% loss of neurons from retinal ganglion cells at 0-0.5mm from the foveola, 24% loss at 0.5-1.0mm and 47% loss at 1.0mm to1.5mm from the foveola. These losses of retinal ganglion cells were constantly greater than those seen in age matched healthy individuals. Supranuclear cataract (Goldstein et al, 2003) Cataract removal could improve not only the visual acuity but may be an important tool in helping those patients suffering from visual hallucinations (Chapman et al, 1999); however, no prospective study has been carried out to prove the role of vision improvement through cataract surgery on the well-being of patients suffering from AD; Exfoliation (Janciauskien and Krakau, 2001) Abnormal pupillary innervation [109-113] Glaucomatous optic nerve cupping (Bayer et al, 2002) (3.3) Functional Decreased visual acuity (Holroyd and Shepherd, 2001) Rapid loss of visual field in patients with AD and glaucoma (Bayer and Ferrari, 2002) Visual field loss (inferior) (Trick et al, 1995) Reduced contrast sensitivity (Holroyd and Shepherd, 2001) Abnormal colour discrimination (blue, short-wavelength hues) (Cronin-Golomb et al, 1991) Abnormal flash visual evoked potentials (VEPs) (Holroyd and Shepherd, 2001) Delayed saccadic eye movements (Holroyd and Shepherd, 2001) (3.4) Cognitive Abnormal visual sustained/divided/selective attention and visual processing speed (Rizzo et al, 2000) Inability to recognize depth (Holroyd and Shepherd, 2001) Impaired face recognition (van Rhijin et al, 2004) (3.5) Other Excessive pharmacological mydriasis/miosis [109-113] These changes summed together not only diminish the quality of vision, but many of them also make the examination of the eye much more complicated. In conjunction with the general visual symptoms of aging, Alzheimers patients can also experience visual disturbances caused by the brain rather than the visual system alone. This means that they can have problems and difficulties perceiving what they see rather than how clearly they see it3. Difficulties are usually experienced in the areas mentioned earlier, namely depth, motion, color, and contrast sensitivity. Visual hallucinations are also a common problem linked to loss of vision in Alzheimers disease patients18. Another common disorder linked to patients with Alzheimers disease is a variant of motion blindness. The patient can appear to be confused and lost; the individual will see the world as a series of still frames19. Visual changes in Alzheimers disease may also be dependent upon which brain hemisphere is more severely damaged; this factor can often be overlooked. An individual with Alzheimers disease could have damage to a greater extent on their left brain hemisphere from plaques and tangles. This would therefore cause subsequent retinal changes in only the left hemi-retinas of each eye i.e. the right visual fields. The right eye visual field would be affected in the temporal side (right) and the left eye visual field would be affected nasally (right)20. When only half the retina is impacted, smaller regions of the optic nerve and nerve fiber layer show losses. The left eye with affected temporal retina would show optic nerve damage in differing regions of the nerve than the right eye with nasal retinal damage20. Alzheimers patients commonly show selective degeneration of large ganglion cell axons located in the optic nerves. This suggests that there would be impairment of broadband channel visual function. Conversely studies have shown that broadband visual capabilities are not selectively impaired in Alzheimers disease. The magnocellular and parvocellular neurons are greatly affected in Alzheimers patients, this has been proved by studies of the dorsal Lateral geniculate nucleus(LGN)1. The geniculostirate projection system is split both functionally and anatomically into two sections. They include the parvocellular layers of the Lateral geniculate body and also incorporates the magnocellular layers. These systems are mainly divided in the primary visual cortex and go through further segregation in the visual association cortex. They conclude in the temporal and paritetal lobes1. The parvocellular layers contain smaller, centrally located receptive fields that account for high spatial frequencies (acuity), they also respond well to color. On the other hand these cells do not respond well to rapid motion or high flicker rates. The magnocellular cells have larger receptive fields and respond superiorly to motion and flicker. They are however comparatively insensitive to color differences. The magnocellular neurons generally show poor spatial resolution, although they seem to respond better at low luminance contrasts. To summarize the parvocellular system is superior at detecting small, slow moving, colored targets placed in the centre of the visual field. Meanwhile the magnocellular system has the ability to process rapidly moving and optically degraded stimuli across larger areas of the visual field1. The parvocellular system projects ventrally to the inferior temporal areas, which are involved in visual research, pattern recognition and visual object memory. The magnocellular system projects dorsally to the posterior parietal and superior temporal areas. These are specialized for motion information processing. The cerebral cortical areas to which the parvocelluar system projects receives virtually no vestibular afferents. Alternatively the cerebral areas to which the magnocelullar system projects receives significant vestibular and other sensory inputs. These are believed to be involved in maintaining spatial orientation. Research shows shows that the magnocellular system is more involved in Alzheimers disease1 Oddly, many individuals experience difficulties at low spatial frequencies instead of high frequencies as in old age. This suggests that areas controlling the low spatial frequency processing in the primary visual cortex would be affected more than those for higher frequencies processing21 After neuropathilogical studies in 1997 by Hof et al were carried out on brains with visual impairments they concluded that cortical atrophy dominated on the posterior parietal cortex and occipital lobe22. Glaucoma is also a neurodegenerative disease that has similar effects on the visual system. Lower spatial frequencies in the contrast sensitivity, deficits in the blue short wavelength color range as well as reductions in motion perception are all linked to glaucomatous patients23. When patients diagnosed with Alzheimers disease also have glaucoma, the deterioration of vision related to glaucoma is much more rapid and progression is more aggressive than in people with glaucoma solely and not Alzheimers disease as well24.Glaucoma is different from Alzheimers disease in that it affects the visual function at the early sites of neural activity, namely, the retinal ganglion cells. Glaucoma destroys the afferent axons at the nerve fiber layer in the retina. This loss of axons ultimately leads to added atrophy further up the visual pathway due to decreased neuronal input. Alternatively Alzheimers disease impacts the cells that are located terminally or intermediary in the visual pathway of the brain. The result is again reduced neuronal input due to loss of nerve fibre connections and atrophy along the visual pathway. When the two diseases exist in the same individual together it can be seen that there is likely to be a greater disruption to the visual system25. One key difference between the two diseases is that they affect the visual pathway at different points. Glaucoma is a degenerative disease starting at the beginning of the visual pathway, whereas Alzheimers disease is a degenerative process starting relatively late in the visual pathway. When the two diseases coexist then the neuronal and functional losses of vision are cumulative. (4) Optometric examination of dementia patients Dementia patients present special problems for optometrists. A standard eye test can be an audile to even the best of us. The patient is placed in an unfamiliar environment surrounded by unusual equipment, machinery and is subjected to probing questions about their medical history which will without doubt tax their already flawed memory. Dementia patients are most likely to be from the elderly. Therefore several difficulties are presented while conducting an ocular examination. The patient is required to sustain a position and has to maintain concentration throughout the testing procedures, which can be very difficult. Subjective examination requires responses from the patient, they are expected to remember and follow complex instructions given to them by the optometrist as well as make many precise discriminatory judgments in a short space of time. The multiple tasks required to be completed during the examination are often beyond dementia patients as they are limited by the disease . Therefore it is common that patients with even a minor degree of dementia fail to provide valid answers, provide unpredictable responses to the subjective examination and retreat into an apathetic state1,2. During the visual examination of Alzheimers disease patients, several key visual problems can be detected. Moderate dementia patients will often experience problems such as topographic agnosia, alexia without agraphia, visual agnosia and prospagnosia1. Such patients often cannot describe individual components of photos and routinely fail to recognize family members. The degree to which such problems are experienced is consistent with the level of cytochrome oxidase deficits in the associated cortical area. In conjunction with these problems dementia patients often have problems with texture discrimination and blue violet discrimination1. Throughout the examination of the elderly dementia patients there are two contradictory requirements, firstly is ‘assurance. The patients responses will be delayed and the patient may feel anxious in such an unfamiliar situation. Thus constant reassurance is required and they cannot be rushed. Alternatively time constraints are important, a dementia/elderly patient is likely to have a short attention span. Consequently the two factors above much be considered and balanced. The examination must be thorough yet carried out as quickly as possible. Often when examining a dementia patient a family member of the carer must be present in order to aid the communication between optometrist and patient, for example difficulties are likely to occur when recording history and symptoms without a carer present. All factors need to be considered such as family history, medication, eye treatment and knowledge of any medical conditions and if so how long they have suffered from them. In terms of an external examination firstly, gross observations should be recorded for example does the patient have an abnormal head position or is there any lid tosis. Many external observations can also be detected with the aid of pupil reflexes. Upon carrying out the external examination the optometrist must be carful to explain exactly what each procedure will involve so as not to intimidate the patient. (4.1) Internal ocular health examination Internal examination of an elderly patient often presents many problems. Older patients tend to have constricted pupils and often opacities in the media such as cataract. All of which make opthalmoscopy a much more complex task for the optometrist. Patients with dementia also show poor fixation as well as lack of concentration. Pupil dilation is often used to aid external examination however many older patients can have a poor response to the insertion of mydriatic eye drops. fddfdffdg There have been many studies into the affects of diagnostic mydriatic and miotic drugs. Many studies have shown excessive mydriatic pupil response to trompicamide (a pupil dilating drug) in patients with Alzheimers disease when compared to control individuals26-30. On the other hand studies into the use of Miotic drops, particularly Pilocarpine have shown an increased response of pupil constriction in Alzheimers disease patients upon comparison to normal control patients. These findings suggest a defect in pupillary innervation with Alzheimers disease individuals. Studies of post mortem individuals with exaggerated mydriatic pupil responses to Tropicamide found a definte disruption to the Edinger-Westphal nucleus. The Edinger-Westphal nucleus is one of the key structures of the brain involved in the autonomic nervous system, it mediates the sympathetic and para-sympathetic pupil responses. Research by Scinto et al found amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in all individuals t ested with excessive mydriatic pupil responses. The conclusion was that the Edinger-Westphal nucleus is targeted early in the progression of Alzheimers disease. In terms of intraocular pressures use of the goldman an Perkins tonometers will be limited for the elderly dementia patients, due to health and safety reasons. Sudden movements whilst carrying out pressure tests on such equipment may be dangerous. Therefore this can be overcome to a degree by the use of handheld instruments such as the pulseair. However even with the pulseair problems can still be faced with uncooperative patients. (4.2) Objective Refraction examination With uncooperative and awkward patients objective refraction through retinosopy may be difficult. Factors such as opacified media, miotic pupils, and poor fixation will influence the accuracy of the refraction. The recent introduction of hand held optometers has contributed to somewhat overcoming such problems. Instruments such as thee Nikon Retinomax are excellent for obtaining an objective refraction of the elderly patient with miotic pupils and cloudy media. When presenting the Snellen chart to a patient, the quality of their response will inevitably depend upon the degree of their dementia. Depending on which stage of dementia they are suff Dementias Effect on the Visual System Dementias Effect on the Visual System Abstract Recent evidence indicates that memory impairment and visual dysfunction are clearly linked in dementia, and that special testing for visual dysfunction can improve the early diagnosis and treatment of dementia. Visual function is divided in terms of anatomic, functional and cognitive areas respectively. Under normal circumstances these functions perform seamlessly together to produce a visual reality of what we call the external world. Alzheimers disease is the most common form of dementia and past research into this area has shown that sufferers show visual deficits in several key areas. Namely contrast sensitivity, motion, colour, depth perception as well as visual hallucinations. Thus by approaching the patient in a appropriate manor with regards to dementia, clinical professionals can detect visual dysfunction and memory impairment whilst also providing a vital role in secondary and tertiary preventative measures. Furthermore clinical professionals can provide aid in the treatmen t of dementia linked visual disorders. With current demographic trends, dementia is becoming increasingly prevalent due in the ageing population. Consequently there is an increased need for practitioners to have a sound knowledge of such dementia conditions. Improving the sufferers quality of life should be the practitioners main concern. By providing thorough treatments and suggestions on patient tailored environmental modifications this can be achieved. (1) Introduction Dementia is a loss of mental function in two or more areas such as language, memory, visual and spatial abilities, or judgment severe enough to interfere with daily life1. Dementia is not a disease itself, sufferers show a broader set of symptoms that accompany certain diseases or physical conditions1. Well known diseases that cause dementia include Alzheimers disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and multi-infarct dementia1. Dementia is an acquired and progressive problem that affects cognitive functions, behavior, thinking processes and the ability to carry out normal activities. Vision is one of the most important primary senses, therefore serious or complete sight loss has a major impact on a individuals ability to communicate effectively and function independently. Individuals who suffer from both dementia and serious vision loss will inevitably be subject to profound emotional, practical, psychological and financial problems. These factors will also influence others around the sufferer and will extend to the family and the greater society. As we get older both dementia and visual problems inevitably become much more prevalent. Current demographic trends show the increase of the number of very old in our population. Therefore it is inevitable that dementia and serious sight loss either alone or together, will have important consequences for all of us1. The vast majority of people are aware that dementia affects the memory. However it is the impact it has on the ability to carry out daily tasks and problems with behavior that cause particular problems, and in severe cases can lead to institutionalization. In the primary stages of dementia, the patient can be helped by friends and family through ‘reminders. As progression occurs the individual will loose the skills needed for everyday tasks and may eventually fail to recognize family members, a condition known as prospagnosia. The result of such progression is that the individual becomes totally dependent on others. Dementia not only affects the lives of the individual, but also the family2. Dementia can present itself in varying forms. The most common form of dementia in the old is Alzheimers disease, affecting millions of people. It is a degenerative condition that attacks the brain. Progression is gradual and at a variable rate. Symptoms of Alzheimers disease are impaired memory, thinking and changes in behaviour. Dementia with Lewy bodies and dementias linked to Parkinsons disease are responsible for around 10-20% of all dementias. Dementia with Lewy bodies is of particular interest as individuals3 with this condition not only present confusion and varying cognition, but also present symptoms of visual hallucinations2. Another common condition that causes dementia is multi-infarct dementia, also known as vascular dementia. It is the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimers disease in the elderly. Multi infarct dementia is caused by multiple strokes in the brain. These series of strokes can affect some intellectual abilities, impair motor skills and also c ause individuals to experience visual hallucinations. Individuals with multi infarct dementia are prone to risk factors for stroke, such as high BP, heart disease and diabetes. Multi infarct dementia cannot be treated, once nerve cells die they cannot be replaced1. In most cases the symptoms of dementia and serious sight loss develop independently. However some conditions can cause both visual and cognitive impairments, for example Down syndrome, Multiple sclerosis and diabetes. Dementia is most prevalent in the elderly, as is sight loss. Therefore it is inevitable that a number of people will present dementia together with serious sight loss. There have been many studies into the prevalence of dementia in the UK. An estimate for the prevalence of dementia in people over 75 years of age is 15% of the population2. The Alzheimers society suggest that 775,200 people in the UK suffer from dementia (figures taken 2001). The Alzheimers society also calculates that the prevalence of dementia in the 65-75 years age group is 1 in 50, for 70-80 years 1 in 20 and for over 80 years of age 1 in 5. Estimates suggest that by 2010 approximately 840,000 people will become dementia sufferers in the UK. Estimates suggest that around 40% of dementia sufferers are in residential institutions. One study from 1996 showed that dementia sufferers are 30 times more likely to live in an institution than people without dementia. At 65 years of age men are 3 times more likely than women to live in an institution and at 86 men and women are equally likely to be institutionalized4. Visual impairments are not associated general diagnostic features of dementia. However recent research has shown the change in visual function and visual processing may be relevant. Alzheimers disease patients often present problems with visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, stereo-acuity and color vision. These problems are believed to be more true of cognitive dysfunction rather than any specific problems in the eye or optic nerve9. Early diagnosis is essential to both dementia and sight loss patients, as drug treatments are becoming more and more available. Therefore maximizing the treatment and care for the individual. On the other hand early diagnosis of visual conditions is also essential, so that progression is slowed and treatment is commenced, therefore further progression is prevented if plausible2. The Mini-Mental State examination MMSE, is the most commonly used cognitive test for the diagnosis of dementia. It involves the patient to undertake tests of memory and cognition. It takes the form of a series of questions/answers and uses written, verbal and visual material. Poor vision or blindness is the most common cause of poor performance on this test other than dementia itself2. Visual deterioration can occur simultaneously with memory loss in most dementia sufferers. Therefore early recognition of dementia through vision tests has become of importance. Table 1 shows few possible tests that might be useful for such purpose Table 1 : Vision tests for possible early detection and monitoring of Alzheimers disease Use Benton visual retention test Might be able to predict risk for AD 10-15 years before the onset of the disease Tests visual memory Contrast sensitivity AD patients have selectively reduced CS for distinguishing large objects and faces Useful field of view Tests processing speed, divided attention and selective attention Facilitates detection of â€Å"attentional dysfunction†; patients suffering from this problem complain of poor vision and inability to identify someone in a group or an object on a patterned background Could be useful to assess fitness to drive Facial recognition AD patients do not recognize faces with large features and low contrast AD patients do not recognize familiar faces (due to impaired memory) Tests that use facial expressions with progressively diminished degree of contrast The aim of this paper is to provide information about current knowledge on the topic of visual function dementia. With regards to Alzheimers disease, there will be an inclination to several main foci of research. Namely anatomical/structural changes, functional visual changes, cognitive brain changes and other changes such as the effects of diagnostic drugs on Alzheimers disease patients. (2) Alzheimers disease Alzheimers disease is the most common cause of dementia amongst older adults. The Alzheimers research trust estimates that 700,000 individuals in the UK currently are afflicted. This number will inevitably increase exponentially in the near future with the trend of an increasingly aging UK population. Therefore it must be of the utmost of importance worldwide to have an understanding all behavioral, anatomical and physiological aspects of this disease. Alzheimers disease is a degenerative disease that attacks the brain, it begins gradually and progresses at a variable rate. Common signs are impaired thinking, memory and behavior. Health professionals and care givers agree that the memory deficit is usually the initial sign of the disease. However researchers have long known that Alzheimers disease is characterized by impairments of several additional domains, including visual function5. However these findings have not yet appeared in the diagnostic guides consulted by healthcare professionals, for example the most recent addition of the Diagnostic Statistical manual of mental disorders states that few sensory signs occur in early Alzheimers disease2. Therefore we still have a limited understanding of the true extent to which visual impairments affect Alzheimers disease sufferers. The current web site of the Alzheimers association1 and National Institute of Aging6 make no mention of the topic of sensory changes in Alzheimers disease. It has even been said that patients with Alzheimers disease report visual problems to their healthcare professionals less frequently than do healthy elderly individuals7. Nevertheless visual function is impaired in Alzheimers disease8. In terms of cognitive changes, the neuropathology of this disorder affects several other brain areas which are dedicated to processing low level visual functions, as well as higher level visual cognition and attention5.These neuropathological cognitive changes are more dominant however in the visual variant of Alzheimers disease known as posterior cortical atrophy. However visual problems are also present in the more common Alzheimers disease. Alzheimers disease begins when there are deposits of abnormal proteins outside nerve cells located in the brain in the form of amyloid. These are known as diffuse plaques, and the amyloid also forms the central part of further structured plaques known as senile or neurotic plaques1. Buildup of anomalous filaments of protein inside nerve cells in the brain can also take place. This protein accumulates as masses of filaments known as neurofibril tangles. Atrophy of the affected areas of the brain can also occur as well as the enlargement of the ventricles1. There is also a loss of the neuro transmitter Serotonin, Acetylcholine, Norepinephrine and Somatostatin. Attempts have been made to try to slow the development of the disease by replacing the neurotransmitters with cholinesterase inhibitors, such as donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (excelon), galantamine (Reminyl) and memantine (Namenda)1. These drugs work by increasing the levels of transmitters between cells, which otherwise beco me lacking in Alzheimers disease. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence NICE conducted a review of these drugs in March 2005 and concluded that none of these drugs provided sufficient enough advantages to the patient in order to justify their cost. They recommended against the use of such drugs in the Nhs, though the Department of Health later overturned this ruling. (3) Visual Changes in Alzheimers Patients Loss of vision is a key healthcare dilemma amongst the elderly. By the age of 65 approximately one in three people have a vision reducing eye disease. Dementia, Alzheimers disease patients and elderly patients, consequently have many visual conditions in common. Alzheimers disease impairs visual function early in the course of the disease and functional losses correlate with cognitive losses. There are several common visual functional deficits that are frequently identified in Alzheimers disease. There is evidence for deficits in Motion perception9,10 contrast sensitivity11 colour discrimination of blue short wavelength hues34 and performance on backward masking tests31.In Alzheimers disease the secondary point of damage is usually the visual association cortex and other higher cortical areas, as well as the primary visual cortex 13,14. (3.1) Some of the main changes that occur in the eye with aging include: The crystalline lens increases in thickness, therefore decreasing its transparency and elasticity; therefore there is a tendency for cataracts to appear. The conjunctiva can become thicker and wrinkled, therefore is subject to deposits such as pinguecela. The iris can atrophy, therefore pupils become constricted and their response to light becomes sluggish. The eyes ability to dark/light adapt is affected. Refractive index of the cornea decreases and it becomes less transparent. Arcus senilis can appear. The ocular globe and eyelids can shrink leading to conditions such as entropian, ectropian and trichiasis. Also while the lachrymal production is reduced the puncta lachrymalis can become stenosed and provide less drainage which gives rise to chronic watering of the eyes Anterior chamber usually becomes more shallow and the sclera more rigid, increasing the prospects of glaucoma. (3.2) Visual changes due to Alzheimers disease reported in literature are outlined below: (3.2) Anatomic Abnormal nerve fiber layer and retinal ganglion cells (Blanks et al, 1989); (Tsai et al, 1991); (Hedges et al, 1996 Imaging of the nerve fibre layer can be conducted via three techniques. These include Optical coherence topography (OCT), Scanning laser polarimetry and Confocal laser topography. Parisi et al16 conducted research upon the optic nerve fibre layer thickness using OCT. 17 Alzheimers disease individuals and 14 age matched healthy individuals were used. The findings of this study showed a definite relationship between the thickness of the nerve fiber layer and the prevalence of Alzheimers disease. There was a significant decrease in the nerve fiber layer thickness in Alzheimers individuals when compared to healthy age matched particpants. Macular cell loss (Blanks et al, 1990) Research has shown a definite decrease of the number of retinal ganglion cells located in the maculae of Alzheimers disease sufferers in comparison to age matched control individuals. It was found that the loss of retinal ganglion cells varied with eccentricity from the central macula17. Results obtained by Blanks et al, 1990 showed a 28% loss of neurons from retinal ganglion cells at 0-0.5mm from the foveola, 24% loss at 0.5-1.0mm and 47% loss at 1.0mm to1.5mm from the foveola. These losses of retinal ganglion cells were constantly greater than those seen in age matched healthy individuals. Supranuclear cataract (Goldstein et al, 2003) Cataract removal could improve not only the visual acuity but may be an important tool in helping those patients suffering from visual hallucinations (Chapman et al, 1999); however, no prospective study has been carried out to prove the role of vision improvement through cataract surgery on the well-being of patients suffering from AD; Exfoliation (Janciauskien and Krakau, 2001) Abnormal pupillary innervation [109-113] Glaucomatous optic nerve cupping (Bayer et al, 2002) (3.3) Functional Decreased visual acuity (Holroyd and Shepherd, 2001) Rapid loss of visual field in patients with AD and glaucoma (Bayer and Ferrari, 2002) Visual field loss (inferior) (Trick et al, 1995) Reduced contrast sensitivity (Holroyd and Shepherd, 2001) Abnormal colour discrimination (blue, short-wavelength hues) (Cronin-Golomb et al, 1991) Abnormal flash visual evoked potentials (VEPs) (Holroyd and Shepherd, 2001) Delayed saccadic eye movements (Holroyd and Shepherd, 2001) (3.4) Cognitive Abnormal visual sustained/divided/selective attention and visual processing speed (Rizzo et al, 2000) Inability to recognize depth (Holroyd and Shepherd, 2001) Impaired face recognition (van Rhijin et al, 2004) (3.5) Other Excessive pharmacological mydriasis/miosis [109-113] These changes summed together not only diminish the quality of vision, but many of them also make the examination of the eye much more complicated. In conjunction with the general visual symptoms of aging, Alzheimers patients can also experience visual disturbances caused by the brain rather than the visual system alone. This means that they can have problems and difficulties perceiving what they see rather than how clearly they see it3. Difficulties are usually experienced in the areas mentioned earlier, namely depth, motion, color, and contrast sensitivity. Visual hallucinations are also a common problem linked to loss of vision in Alzheimers disease patients18. Another common disorder linked to patients with Alzheimers disease is a variant of motion blindness. The patient can appear to be confused and lost; the individual will see the world as a series of still frames19. Visual changes in Alzheimers disease may also be dependent upon which brain hemisphere is more severely damaged; this factor can often be overlooked. An individual with Alzheimers disease could have damage to a greater extent on their left brain hemisphere from plaques and tangles. This would therefore cause subsequent retinal changes in only the left hemi-retinas of each eye i.e. the right visual fields. The right eye visual field would be affected in the temporal side (right) and the left eye visual field would be affected nasally (right)20. When only half the retina is impacted, smaller regions of the optic nerve and nerve fiber layer show losses. The left eye with affected temporal retina would show optic nerve damage in differing regions of the nerve than the right eye with nasal retinal damage20. Alzheimers patients commonly show selective degeneration of large ganglion cell axons located in the optic nerves. This suggests that there would be impairment of broadband channel visual function. Conversely studies have shown that broadband visual capabilities are not selectively impaired in Alzheimers disease. The magnocellular and parvocellular neurons are greatly affected in Alzheimers patients, this has been proved by studies of the dorsal Lateral geniculate nucleus(LGN)1. The geniculostirate projection system is split both functionally and anatomically into two sections. They include the parvocellular layers of the Lateral geniculate body and also incorporates the magnocellular layers. These systems are mainly divided in the primary visual cortex and go through further segregation in the visual association cortex. They conclude in the temporal and paritetal lobes1. The parvocellular layers contain smaller, centrally located receptive fields that account for high spatial frequencies (acuity), they also respond well to color. On the other hand these cells do not respond well to rapid motion or high flicker rates. The magnocellular cells have larger receptive fields and respond superiorly to motion and flicker. They are however comparatively insensitive to color differences. The magnocellular neurons generally show poor spatial resolution, although they seem to respond better at low luminance contrasts. To summarize the parvocellular system is superior at detecting small, slow moving, colored targets placed in the centre of the visual field. Meanwhile the magnocellular system has the ability to process rapidly moving and optically degraded stimuli across larger areas of the visual field1. The parvocellular system projects ventrally to the inferior temporal areas, which are involved in visual research, pattern recognition and visual object memory. The magnocellular system projects dorsally to the posterior parietal and superior temporal areas. These are specialized for motion information processing. The cerebral cortical areas to which the parvocelluar system projects receives virtually no vestibular afferents. Alternatively the cerebral areas to which the magnocelullar system projects receives significant vestibular and other sensory inputs. These are believed to be involved in maintaining spatial orientation. Research shows shows that the magnocellular system is more involved in Alzheimers disease1 Oddly, many individuals experience difficulties at low spatial frequencies instead of high frequencies as in old age. This suggests that areas controlling the low spatial frequency processing in the primary visual cortex would be affected more than those for higher frequencies processing21 After neuropathilogical studies in 1997 by Hof et al were carried out on brains with visual impairments they concluded that cortical atrophy dominated on the posterior parietal cortex and occipital lobe22. Glaucoma is also a neurodegenerative disease that has similar effects on the visual system. Lower spatial frequencies in the contrast sensitivity, deficits in the blue short wavelength color range as well as reductions in motion perception are all linked to glaucomatous patients23. When patients diagnosed with Alzheimers disease also have glaucoma, the deterioration of vision related to glaucoma is much more rapid and progression is more aggressive than in people with glaucoma solely and not Alzheimers disease as well24.Glaucoma is different from Alzheimers disease in that it affects the visual function at the early sites of neural activity, namely, the retinal ganglion cells. Glaucoma destroys the afferent axons at the nerve fiber layer in the retina. This loss of axons ultimately leads to added atrophy further up the visual pathway due to decreased neuronal input. Alternatively Alzheimers disease impacts the cells that are located terminally or intermediary in the visual pathway of the brain. The result is again reduced neuronal input due to loss of nerve fibre connections and atrophy along the visual pathway. When the two diseases exist in the same individual together it can be seen that there is likely to be a greater disruption to the visual system25. One key difference between the two diseases is that they affect the visual pathway at different points. Glaucoma is a degenerative disease starting at the beginning of the visual pathway, whereas Alzheimers disease is a degenerative process starting relatively late in the visual pathway. When the two diseases coexist then the neuronal and functional losses of vision are cumulative. (4) Optometric examination of dementia patients Dementia patients present special problems for optometrists. A standard eye test can be an audile to even the best of us. The patient is placed in an unfamiliar environment surrounded by unusual equipment, machinery and is subjected to probing questions about their medical history which will without doubt tax their already flawed memory. Dementia patients are most likely to be from the elderly. Therefore several difficulties are presented while conducting an ocular examination. The patient is required to sustain a position and has to maintain concentration throughout the testing procedures, which can be very difficult. Subjective examination requires responses from the patient, they are expected to remember and follow complex instructions given to them by the optometrist as well as make many precise discriminatory judgments in a short space of time. The multiple tasks required to be completed during the examination are often beyond dementia patients as they are limited by the disease . Therefore it is common that patients with even a minor degree of dementia fail to provide valid answers, provide unpredictable responses to the subjective examination and retreat into an apathetic state1,2. During the visual examination of Alzheimers disease patients, several key visual problems can be detected. Moderate dementia patients will often experience problems such as topographic agnosia, alexia without agraphia, visual agnosia and prospagnosia1. Such patients often cannot describe individual components of photos and routinely fail to recognize family members. The degree to which such problems are experienced is consistent with the level of cytochrome oxidase deficits in the associated cortical area. In conjunction with these problems dementia patients often have problems with texture discrimination and blue violet discrimination1. Throughout the examination of the elderly dementia patients there are two contradictory requirements, firstly is ‘assurance. The patients responses will be delayed and the patient may feel anxious in such an unfamiliar situation. Thus constant reassurance is required and they cannot be rushed. Alternatively time constraints are important, a dementia/elderly patient is likely to have a short attention span. Consequently the two factors above much be considered and balanced. The examination must be thorough yet carried out as quickly as possible. Often when examining a dementia patient a family member of the carer must be present in order to aid the communication between optometrist and patient, for example difficulties are likely to occur when recording history and symptoms without a carer present. All factors need to be considered such as family history, medication, eye treatment and knowledge of any medical conditions and if so how long they have suffered from them. In terms of an external examination firstly, gross observations should be recorded for example does the patient have an abnormal head position or is there any lid tosis. Many external observations can also be detected with the aid of pupil reflexes. Upon carrying out the external examination the optometrist must be carful to explain exactly what each procedure will involve so as not to intimidate the patient. (4.1) Internal ocular health examination Internal examination of an elderly patient often presents many problems. Older patients tend to have constricted pupils and often opacities in the media such as cataract. All of which make opthalmoscopy a much more complex task for the optometrist. Patients with dementia also show poor fixation as well as lack of concentration. Pupil dilation is often used to aid external examination however many older patients can have a poor response to the insertion of mydriatic eye drops. fddfdffdg There have been many studies into the affects of diagnostic mydriatic and miotic drugs. Many studies have shown excessive mydriatic pupil response to trompicamide (a pupil dilating drug) in patients with Alzheimers disease when compared to control individuals26-30. On the other hand studies into the use of Miotic drops, particularly Pilocarpine have shown an increased response of pupil constriction in Alzheimers disease patients upon comparison to normal control patients. These findings suggest a defect in pupillary innervation with Alzheimers disease individuals. Studies of post mortem individuals with exaggerated mydriatic pupil responses to Tropicamide found a definte disruption to the Edinger-Westphal nucleus. The Edinger-Westphal nucleus is one of the key structures of the brain involved in the autonomic nervous system, it mediates the sympathetic and para-sympathetic pupil responses. Research by Scinto et al found amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in all individuals t ested with excessive mydriatic pupil responses. The conclusion was that the Edinger-Westphal nucleus is targeted early in the progression of Alzheimers disease. In terms of intraocular pressures use of the goldman an Perkins tonometers will be limited for the elderly dementia patients, due to health and safety reasons. Sudden movements whilst carrying out pressure tests on such equipment may be dangerous. Therefore this can be overcome to a degree by the use of handheld instruments such as the pulseair. However even with the pulseair problems can still be faced with uncooperative patients. (4.2) Objective Refraction examination With uncooperative and awkward patients objective refraction through retinosopy may be difficult. Factors such as opacified media, miotic pupils, and poor fixation will influence the accuracy of the refraction. The recent introduction of hand held optometers has contributed to somewhat overcoming such problems. Instruments such as thee Nikon Retinomax are excellent for obtaining an objective refraction of the elderly patient with miotic pupils and cloudy media. When presenting the Snellen chart to a patient, the quality of their response will inevitably depend upon the degree of their dementia. Depending on which stage of dementia they are suff

Essay --

Executive Summary The Sun Products Corporation has designed a product that offers buyers an easy and affordable way to effectively soften their laundry. Proper fabric softening is the most effective process available to reduce static cling and stiffness in clothing. Improper laundry techniques result in wrinkles, faded materials, and the breakdown of fabrics. Studies have shown that proper washing procedures can slow down the deterioration of fabrics and lengthen the life of clothes while making the whites whiter and colors brighter over a longer period of time. The greatest solution to this problem stems from the lack of use of fabric softeners. Existing products offer no effective or affordable solutions for ensuring laundry comes out soft and snuggly. Treatment of clothes costs Americans over $4 Billion in direct costs each year. The Sun Products Corporation is the first line of laundry products to answer this problem and provide proven results that using fabric softener lengthens the overall life and quality of clothing. After washing, the unique additive in our fabric softener remains on the clothes. This will allow protection from dangerous UV rays, immense dryer and iron heat, daily usage, as well as future laundry cycles. Though our brand Snuggle, we shall provide this in a new product line under the registered brand name Snuggle Dri, which not only provides the advantages stated above but also creates a water repellant coating. No other product on the market offer similar results along with trusted quality and assurance of Snuggle. The Company The Sun Products Corporation was founded in 1975 as Huish Detergents Inc. by way of Wilton, Connecticut. The Sun Products Corpo... ...ed on detailed financial projections, Snuggle Dri will require $300,000 in start-up capital, but will bring in positive cash flow practically instantaneously which will handle any unexpected expenses and generate profit by the end of Year 1. By the end of Year 3 the brand will be generating $30,000,000 in sales with a sizeable net profit. Sales - Sales growth is projected at a constant rate of 90% annually, which based on growth from existing channels of distribution and positioning Operating Expenses - After the first 24 months we project an increase in operating expenses caused by higher advertising, marketing, and promotion costs Inventory Turnover - We will launch with a test run with purchase of 30,000 gallons of Snuggle Dri. We will keep this as a minimal inventory stock at our distribution hub. On average, we will have three months worth of inventory on hand.

Utopian Society :: essays research papers

Virtually every culture has strived to achieve a Utopian society. A Utopian society is basically a society, which has surpassed aggression, war, hate, and crime while establishing â€Å"peaceful† and orderly communities. A Utopian society could not exist with the individuality that nature has bestowed on the human race. So long as humans remain unique in their state of mind, utopia is a mere fantasy. To work around this problem a society must adapt itself to achieve a utopian-like state. This can be achieved by one of two ways. One way could be known as a â€Å"hostile transfer.† This way is shown in the novel â€Å"farenheight 451† by ray Bradbury. Bradbury shows how the society creates a career of burning books (specifically historical books). The semi communistic semi utopian government then fills in their own twisted version of the past to maintain a stable state of control by keeping their citizens oblivious to their true rights and privileges. This achieves a semi utopian society in the scene that any resistance, crime, aggression is either insignificant to the â€Å"big picture† or easily overcome. Utopia is dismissed in this case because of the extreme force used to maintain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second way to achiever a semi utopia could be called a â€Å"Manipulative utopia†. A strong example would be the utopia created for the novel â€Å"1984† by George Orwell. Within this utopia the society is manipulated by the leading organizations/ government to take pleasure in what would be most profitable to the organizer of the event/product, or be intimidated yet assured with protection by the government. This type of utopia-communistic government dismisses the true utopia factor when the ability to show signs of individuality is disabled through manipulation. The two utopia-like societies have their similarities as well. They both operate independent of other state/country/ or province; both seem to strongly oppose the democratic systems. Both central governments are very cryptic when the issue of past societies is brought up. The commanding organizations also controlled one other aspect of civilization... the media. Newspapers revolving around a â€Å"one sided† political, or military event. The media seems to be very controlled by the governments or leading parties in both cases.

Richard Neustadt

Richard Neustadt: Presidential Power and the Modern Presidency Writing in 1960, Richard Neustadt is an important political theorist focusing on the US Presidency. Neustadt’s work was a reaction to the â€Å"old institutionalism† represented by writers like Edwin Corwin. Neustadt takes a behaviorist approach to understanding presidential power, and argues that the real functional power of the US president arises from his â€Å"power to persuade†.Neustadt acknowledges that the formal power of the US president is spelled out in the US Constitution but he argues that these formal powers do not adequately describe the real functional power of the president. For Neustadt the key to presidential power is the president’s ability to persuade other important actors to carry out what he wants done.Neustadt views the presidency as at the apex of a pyramid of governing power that provides the president with unique leverage and vantage points to bargain with and persuad e others on implementing governing policy and direction. These other actors include cabinet officers and senior government bureaucrats, the congress, military leaders, leaders of state governments, party leaders, business leaders and even foreign leaders. Neustadt does not see the US government as one of â€Å"separated power† under the Constitution.Instead he claims that the Constitution actually â€Å"created a government of separated institutions sharing powers. â€Å" These separated institutions include the congress, federalism itself, the bill of rights and perhaps even the press as a fourth branch of government. Neustadt sees the formal powers of the president and congress as very intertwined such that neither can accomplish very much without the acquiescence of the other; and, that what one branch demands the other can resist.Neustadt notes, for example that Eisenhower claimed that the presidency was part of the legislative process, since he had the authority to vet o or sign bills, etc. But Neustadt notes that when a president tries to command rather than persuade, such as when Truman nationalized the steel mills or fired MacArthur, or when Eisenhower sent the troops to Little Rock, Arkansas to enforce desegregation court orders, that there can be blowback that can neutralize presidential fiat and, ultimately, render presidential action inconclusive or effective.Neustadt sees relationships of mutual dependence between the various stakeholders and that the president depends upon the persons whom he would persuade. He notes a particular success story of persuasion when Truman worked with Republican senator Vandenberg to create the Marshall plan to rebuild Europe after WWII. That effort depended on mutual understanding, trust and a commitment to shared endeavor without which Vandenberg may have decided to wait for a Republican president to create a major new direction in US foreign policy.Neustadt sums up by arguing that for a president to have e ffective influence he must: (1) use the bargaining advantage that he has by virtue of his office to persuade other men that what he wants them to do is what their own responsibilities require of them (persuade them that his goals should be their own goals), 2) maintain a professional reputation in the minds of other men such that they respect his authority and ability, and (3) maintain his popular prestige such that those he bargains with believes that the public will view them favorably if they do what the president wants.In short, the president’s â€Å"power is the product of his vantage points in government, together with his reputation in the Washington community and his prestige outside. † Neustadt goes on to argue a presidents has to make proper choices and decisions, so as to preserve his reputation and prestige, or he will squander his ability to lead by losing his ability to persuade.

Agencies: Government and Private Adoption Agency

Describe a social policy that may affect your future position as a human services worker. Compare and contrast how a public versus a private organization might address this policy differently. Include an explanation of how the delivery system of a public organization would be different than that of a private organization. For example, what would be some differences between a state-funded child placement agency and a private adoption agency in regard to how they deliver their adoption services? Consider how you could influence this policy to meet your clients’ needs. If you work for a government organization, you may not be able to lobby, but what other ways could you advocate for your client population? Respond in 200 to 300 words. A state funded child placement agency is different because they do not have an extensive background. The place child in hands of people who are willing to give their home to the child. Whereas a private adoption agency, there is a waiting period and there is extensive backgrounds checks to make sure these are the right couples, and they have enough money to afford the adoption, and what jobs they have, and if they will be able to spend the time with the child. There is so much more involved in a private adoption agency. They do not just give children to anyone. It costs. It would be hard for me as a social worker if I was trying to locate a family for an individual, and they did not qualify, but were perfect people. I could try to go above for these people and address them to the higher ups to see what we can do to offer help to these people. If I was working for a government agency it might be a little harder to lobby. Though there are ways that I can help is by offering solutions on how to get approved to become parents and adopt. Private agencies may be profit or nonprofit agencies, but have to meet a certain criteria and the management is under pressure to keep costs down. Public are sometimes based on donations and help with the community, and are a little bit poorer. Both private and public are trying to help people in many ways, and are there to try to give to the community, though one is a little more famed, and the other is low income that are trying to make a difference. It is easier to get into the public organizations and harder to get into the private ones.

Toward the Modern Consciousness

Application of Darning's principle of organic evolution= social Darwinism most popular exponent of social Darwinism, Herbert Spencer, argued that societies were organisms that evolved through time from a struggle with their environment Darning's ideas applied to human society in an even more radical way by rabid nationalists and racists extreme nationalists argued that nations were in a â€Å"struggle for existence† German general Frederica von Bernhard argued: War is a biological necessity of the first importance, â€Å"War is the father of all things† Nationalist Association of Italy declared â€Å"we must teach Italy the value of international struggle. But international struggle is war? Well, then, let there be war! And nationalism will arouse the will for a strengthened More dangerous than in Germany Folk ( nation, people, or race) German foolish ideology, Houston Stewart Charmingly, became a German citizen.His book The Foundations of the Nineteenth Century, were the only pure successors of the â€Å"Aryans† who were portrayed as the true and original creators of Western culture Aryan race, under German leadership, must be prepared to fight for Western Civilization and save it from the destructive assaults of such lower races such as Jews, Negroes, and Orientals Jews singled out by German foolish nationalists as the racial enemy The Attack on Christianity and the Response of the Churches Industrialization and arbitration had an especially adverse effect on religious institutions Mass migration= change from the close- knit, traditional ties of the village in which the church had been a key force to new urban patterns of social life from which the churches were often excluded. Lattice movements also hostile to the established Christian churches predominantly Catholic countries imposed control over church courts, religious orders, and appointments of the clergy failure of evolutions, governments were eager to use the churches' aid in ree stablishing order close union of state authorities with established churches produced a backlash in the form of anticlericalism, especially in the liberal nation-states French republican government substituted civic training for religious instruction Toto undermine the Catholic church's control of education Catholic teaching orders were outlawed, church and state were completely separated Science became one of the chief threats to all the Christian churches Europeans seem to contradict the doctrine of divine reaction, seeking to suppress Darning's books & to forbid the teaching of the evolutionary hypothesis, the churches often caused even more educated people to reject established religions biblical scholars to apply critical principles to the Bible, leading to the so- called higher criticism Ernst Reran, French Catholic, Life of Jesus- questioned the historical accuracy of the Bible, Jesus not as the son of God but as a human being whose value lay in the example he provided by his life Christian churches rejection of modern ideas and forces Protestant fundamentalist sects maintain a literal interpretation of the Bible Pope Pips ‘X, also took a rigid stand against modern ideas, issued a papal encyclical called the Syllabus of Errors in which he stated that is â€Å"an error to believe that the Roman Pontiff can and ought to reconcile himself to and agree with progress, liberalism, and modern civilization† He condemned nationalism, socialism, religious toleration, and freedom of speech and press Religious movement called Modernism included an attempt by the churches the reinterpret Christianity in the light of new developments.Bible as a book of useful moral ideas, encouraged Christians to come involved in social reforms, churches must provide a greater sense of community Catholic church condemned Modernism & had driven it underground compromise Leo XIII, permitted the teaching of evolution as a hypothesis in Catholic schools encyclical De Rerun N ouveau, upheld the individual's right to private property but at the same time criticized â€Å"naked† capitalism for the poverty and degradation in which anti-religious foundations Salvation Army by William Booth, the army's first â€Å"general† Salvation Army established food centers, shelters, and â€Å"rescue homes† for women The Culture of Modernity revolution in physics and psychology was paralleled by a revolution in literature and the arts Naturalism and Symbolism in Literature literature was dominated by Naturalism material world as real and felt that literature should be realistic social problems, writers could contribute to an objective understanding of the world Naturalism was a continuation of Realism, it lacked the underlying note of liberal optimism about people and society Naturalists were pessimistic about Rupee's future and characters caught in the grip of forces beyond their control Emilee Kola provide a good example of NaturalismKola showed h ow alcoholism and different environments affected people's lives Darning's Origin of Species and had been impressed by its emphasis on the struggle for survival and the importance of environment and heredity His Oregon- McCarty, a 20- Volume series on the â€Å"natural and social history of a family† golden age for Russian literature Leo Tolstoy and Food Dostoevsky Tolstoy greatest work was War and Peace, lengthy novel played out against the historical background of Napoleon's invasion of Russia, realistic in its vivid description of military life and character portrayal, each person analyzed psychologically, face of fife's enduring values of human love and trust Dostoevsky combined narrative skill and acute psychological and moral observation, major problem of his age was a loss of spiritual belief, attempting to gain salvation through the construction of a materialistic paradise built only by human reason and will. Feared that the failure to incorporate spirit would result in total tyranny. Through suffering and faith could the human soul be purified, Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov. Symbolists reacted against Realism interested in writing poetry, believed that an objective knowledge of the world was impossible the external world was not real but only a collection of symbols that reflected the true reality of the individual human mind Art should function for its own sake, instead of serving, criticizing, or seeking to understand society W. B.Yeats and Rainier Maria Rile, poetry ceased to be part of popular culture because only through a knowledge of the poet's personal language could one hope to understand what the poem was saying Modernism in the Arts artists seeking new form of expression Impressionism, movement that originated in France when a group of artists rejected he studios and museums and went out into the countryside to paint nature directly Camille Pissarro, one of the founders, put into painting their impressions of the ch anging effects of light on objects in nature Claude Monet, enchanted with water , capture the interplay of light, water, and atmosphere, ESPECIALLY evident in Impression, Sunrise. Did not Just paint scenes from nature: streets, cabarets, rivers, and busy boulevards- wherever people congregated for work and leisure Berth Morison, practice of women beings only amateur artists and became a professional omen had special vision, â€Å"more delicate than that of of men†.Young Girl by the Window demonstrates flowing brush strokes. â€Å"l know I'm worth as much as they. † Post- Impressionism arose in France retained the Impressionist emphasis on light and color but revolutionized it even further by paying more attention to structure and form sought to use both color and line to express inner feelings and produce a personal statement of reality rather than an imitation of objects real beginnings of modern art sense of realism Paul C ©Zane, most important impressionist, Woman with Coffee Pot, sought to express visually the underlying geometric structure and form of everything he painted. â€Å"You must see in nature the cylinder, the sphere, and the cone. Tortured and tragic figure, Vincent Van Gogh, art was a spiritual experience interested in color and believed it could act as its own form of language artists should paint what they feel, evident in Starry Night task of art was to represent â€Å"reality† had lost much of its meaning psychology and the new physics made it evident that many people were not sure what constituted reality development of photography gave artists another season to reject visual realism photography became a popular and widespread after George Eastman produced the first Kodak camera for the mass market Unlike the camera, which could only mirror reality, artists could create reality As in literature, individual consciousness became the source of meaning the search for individual expression produced a wide variety of sch ools of painting Pablo Picasso, from Spain but settled in Paris, extremely flexible and painted in a remarkable variety of styles He developed Cubism that used geometric designs as visual stimuli to re- create laity in the viewer's mind Picasso work Less Demolishes d' Avignon= first Cubist painting Russian who worked in Germany, Wassail Sandbanks, one of the founders of abstract painting as is evident in Painting with White Border, sought to avoid representation altogether.Believed art should speak directly to the soul, avoid any visual reality and concentrate on color Modernism in music Romantics' attraction to exotic and primitive cultures had sparked attraction to exotic and primitive cultures folk music became increasingly important as musicians express their national identities Scandinavian composer, Advanced Grief, dedicated porter of Norwegian nationalism, expressed nationalism in lyric melodies found in folk music of his homeland, Peer Gent Suite= incidental music to a play by Henries Ibsen Impressionist music stressed elusive moods and haunting sensations and is distinct in its delicate beauty and elegance of sound linked to the Impressionist movement was Claude Debussy, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun= inspired by a poem â€Å"Afternoon of a Faun† composed by his friend/poet SST ©phone Mallard ©, recreated in sound the overall feeling of the poem Other composers adopted stylistic idioms, primitive forms in an attempt to express less refined and therefore more genuine feelings musical primitivism was Igor Stravinsky, 20th century's most important composer international fame as a ballet composer with the Ballet Reuse, under the direction of Sergei Dishevel, revolutionized the world of music with a series of ballets The Fired, Puppeteers, The Rite of Spring= all based on Russian folk tales The Rite of Spring proved to be a revolutionary piece in the development of Paris audience and caused a riot at the theater new understanding of irratio nal forces