Day: May 14, 2020

AthleticDirector

Whenimplementing change, the change process is exceedingly important indetermining the direction that an organization would follow. Apartfrom the direction, the change process assists an organization toevaluate its objectives. In this report, I will discuss how I canfacilitate the change process as the new athletic director of a largeschool.

Infacilitating the change process, I would first of all develop avision. When the management of any organization intends to realizechange in its operations, there is a need to create a vision. In thiscase, the vision developed indicates why the change is desired andprovides the anticipated results emanating from the change to beaccomplished (Reichert &amp Weber, 2012). As the new director, Iwould create a vision for change based on the issues that needadjustment in the organization. The focus would be a transition fromtraditional sporting approaches to the modern techniques. In thevision, I would let the stakeholders understand the merits of the newtactics compared to the traditional one. Besides, I would offer tothe stakeholders the positive results that would be anticipated to berealized by the anticipated change. Therefore, a clear vision wouldbe critical in facilitating the change process since it would assistin indicating the desired direction.

Anotherinitiative in the facilitation of the change process would betracking the change required in order to establish the effectivenessof the strategies that are to be used, as well as identifying fieldsthat would need to be enhanced during the next situation that wouldrequire adjustments. In tracking the change required, it would becritical to establish whether the anticipated change is realizableand measurable (Reichert &amp Weber, 2012). The desired change needsto be measurable and attainable for effectiveness of the changeprocess. Thus, I would use data to show that the desired change isattainable and measurable.

Also,in the facilitation of the change process, I would balance theshort-term successes with the long-term progress. After establishingthat the desired change is measurable and the benchmarks that can beused in the process, I would come up with strategies for attainingthe goals associated with the transition. In establishing thestrategies, I would consider the aspects that would define success,the frameworks that would be utilized in managing the initiative, theperiod to be taken for the change to take full effect, and the stepsthat would be taken in communicating the change. Besides, I wouldestablish the tactics that I would use to motivate the team in theimplementation of the desired change. Since change can be difficultand challenging to sustain, I would develop success points along theway these would be small victories that would be geared towardslong-term goals. This will help the team involved in the changeprocess to maintain the course towards the accomplishment oflong-term goals (Jabri, 2012). Therefore, there would be the need todefine and link the short-term and long-term objectives.

Technologywill be a critical consideration in the change process since thechief focus will to change from traditional sporting approaches tothe modern tactics. Thus, in facilitating the change process, I willincorporate technology as one of the significant aspects that theorganization will need to put into consideration. The contemporarytechnological tools are critical in making it easier to identifyopportunities, which to improve in an organization, as well ashelping in the implementation of the change process (Denison, 2012).In the change process, I will need to select the technological toolsthat will help in the accomplishment of the anticipated change. Thetechnological tools used in the process would be user friendly so asto make the team involved in the change process interested with thepractice.

Inaddition, in facilitating the change process, I would need a teamthat I would work together with in the realization of the transition.As such, I would need to select individuals who I will work with. Theselected individuals would receive the required training and holdregular meetings in order to be well-equipped with the progress ofeach development in the change process. Having regular meetings withthe team will be critical in ensuring that any issues that ariseduring the change process become discussed and resolved within ashort time rather than extending them for future resolution.

Inconclusion, the change process should be carried out with a lot ofkeenness since it helps an organization in accomplishing newdirection and vision. In facilitating the change process, it will beimportant to put into consideration various aspects. One of theelements will be the vision for the change that is to be realized. Inthe vision, it would be vital to communicate to the stakeholders whythe change would be required and the potential benefits that thechange would hold. Also, it would be crucial to identify the teamthat would be involved in the process and the technological tools.Furthermore, it would be important to establish the short-term andlong-term objectives of the change process.

References

Denison,D. R. (2012). Leadingculture change in global organizations: Aligning culture andstrategy.San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Jabri,M. (2012). ManagingOrganizational Change: Process, Social Construction and Dialogue.Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Reichert,M., &amp Weber, B. (2012). Enablingflexibility in process-aware information systems: Challenges,methods, technologies.Heidelberg: Springer.

Professor’s

My World

Itis a common thing for most children to acquire a similar eye color astheir parents. However, my case is quite different as I did inheritmuch more than the eye color. I adapted my great passion for learningas well as a ravenous curiosity from my mother. Notably, the twovirtues did serve me well within the course of my entire academiclife. On the other hand, my father being an electronics engineertaught me the skills of constant exploration of the world and theurge to always learn and understand new things from my environment.Technology never ceased to amaze me as I found myself asking my dad,so many questions like “how does this work?” Unfortunately, theanswers that my parents gave me were never satisfactory, and so Iwould always research the solutions myself.

What is more intriguing is that, my parentsgranted me my freedom at a very tender age. Therefore, I got to be anindependent and a self-motivated teenager who learned much of theworldly things through trial and error. Besides, even when I migratedfrom my small hometown Lahore, Pakistan to the United States as aninternational student, I did not hesitate to embrace my curiosity aswell as the combination of the things that I learned during mychildhood. The skills did fuel my passion for learning both insideand outside the classroom walls and it is my great hope that theskills will remain useful throughout the course of my entire life.

Inconclusion, life as an international student is not a mere walkoverfor me. The population encompasses students from various races, andwe all face challenges in adapting to the new way of life. However, Idecided to incorporate the skills I learned as a kid in understandingthe American culture to cope with the challenges that I faced.However, I could not tackle the situation all alone and therefore Icame to understand the essence of working as a team for the firsttime in my life. The teams provide a forum for us to understand andappreciate our differences while at the same time joining hands totackle challenging situations.

2

ElderlyAbuse

1. The old experience varying forms of abuse by their families and caretakers because of their venerability due to old age or deteriorating mental and physical health.

2. The old depend on other people for activities of daily life.

Mainpoints&nbsp

1. The main forms of abuse include physical, financial, and mental abuse and neglect.

2. Identifying risk factors and warning signs are essential in developing preventive strategies.

Topic

1. Physical abuse is the most prevalent in all community, which involves hitting, spanking, burning, restraint and imprisonment, as well as sexual assult.

2. Financial abuse has evolved into an important issue. It is perpetrated by member of the family, caregiver, institutions or strangers through financial exploitation or using resources to control the individual.

3. Emotional or mental abuse involves senior citizens being humiliated, ridiculed, blamed or molested.

4. Neglect entails being deprived essential goods and services such as food, medical care, clothing, and other necessary commodities.

5. Incidences of abuse can be detected through

   1. Identification of signs of physical abuse.

   2. Changes in behavior or personality.

   3. Large bank withdrawals and unnecessary spending.

   4. Visible signs of neglect such as poor hygiene, malnutrition, unsafe living environment and lack of proper medication

NursingImplications

1. Result in premature mortality due to reduced functional ability and worsening of physical and mental health.

2. Reporting of identified or suspected incidences to the relevant authorities is critical for nurses.

3. Training and awareness among health care professionals can have huge impacts on elderly protection.

4. Community service nurses have a greater responsibility in promoting patient welfare.

5. Nurses have a role in identification of risk factors and development of appropriate countermeasures and strategies.

Conclusion

1. Elderly abuse remains an important social and health issue in the modern society.

2. A huge percentage of elders are at risk of abuse.

3. Nurses and other medical workers have a huge responsibility in protecting the welfare of elderly patients.

ReimbursementIssues for Nurse Practitioners: Independent verses CollaborativePractice in Retail Clinics

[Nameof Student]

[InstitutionalAffiliation]

Thenurse practice has received attention in the recent years asdifferent states debate whether to encourage independent practice ordiscourage it (NationalGovernors Association, 2012).To add to this discourse, a summary of a recent publication thatfocuses on how the laws in different states have affected cost savingefforts in retail clinics is undertaken (Spetz,Parente, Town, &amp Bazarko, 2013).In the U.S.A, some states allow nurses to set up and run care clinicson their own while others make it mandatory for them to work underthe supervision or partnership of physicians. What is at stakeaccording to the author is the impending closure or limitation ofservices nurses in more than 5,000 clinics could offer across theUnited States. The consequences will be increased healthcare costsresulting from patients who will be forced to seek for referrals athigher level facilities for conditions nurses are capable ofhandling.

TheEfficacy of Retail Clinics

Retailclinics are a recent phenomenon with the first clinic having been setup in 2000 in a ‘grocery store in the Minneapolis. Care clinics arepopular due to their location and transparency with pricing. Theclinics are opened both during the weekend and late hours during theweek when physician offices would normally be closed. They contributeto reducing the burden of primary care on emergency departments, andthey can do that at a reduced cost.

Theclinics are not without criticism. To begin with they are marketdriven and offer only a narrow range of services that are common withmost patients. In the end, they may increase rather than reduce thetotal cost of health care because they ‘complement rather thanreplace the physician’ (NationalGovernors Association, 2012 Spetz et al., 2013 Yee, Boukus, Cross,&amp Samuel, 2013).Poor quality care, hidden costs in advertised prices, and the dangerof colluding with dispensing outlets are the other criticisms thatboarder on unethical behavior.

Thestudy drew a sample of 9,503 individuals who had visited a retailclinic from 2004 – 2007 available from a database of a largeinsurance provider. The study limited the services sought to a rangeof ten clinical conditions most popular with retail clinics. Thehealth care costs were measured for a period of fourteen days. Costsincluded both insurance payments and out of pocket expenditures bypatients. The client expenditure health and demographic data werecross-tabulated with nurse scope of practice measures in each stateat a given time. The analysis was descriptive.

Findingsindicate that in 2007 thirteen of the sampled states allowed nursesto practice independently (six states even allowed prescribing), theother fourteen sampled states required physician collaboration orsupervision. The results found that retail clinics were associatedwith lower total costs consistent with previous findings. Contrary tocriticism, the clinics did not increase subsequent hospitalization.However, prescription costs were higher for retail compared tonon-retail outlets. Another finding was that legal restrictions onnurse practice and the requiring them to collaborate with physicianswould escalate 14-day episode costs from $543 and $484 betweenrestrictive and liberal states respectively. The findings summarizethat allowing NPs to be independent and offer all primary careservices they can do so at adequate standards and a reduced cost.

Conclusion

Thenurse practitioners are the answer to the challenges in thehealthcare sector, and the legal environment should enable ratherthan hinder its development. There are quality concerns that havebeen raised by a potential conflict of interest. This could happenany other field, but there are checks and balances to reduce chancesof abuse to the system.

References

NationalGovernors Association. (2012). Therole of nurse practitioners in meeting increasing demand for primarycare.NGAPaper.Washington DC. Retrieved fromhttp://www.nga.org/cms/home/nga-center-for-best-practices/center-publications/page-health-publications/col2-content/main-content-list/the-role-of-nurse-practitioners.html

Spetz,J., Parente, S. T., Town, R. J., &amp Bazarko, D. (2013).Scope-of-practice laws for nurse practitioners limit cost savingsthat can be achieved in retail clinics. HealthAffairs,32(11),1977–1984. http://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2013.0544

Yee,T., Boukus, E., Cross, D., &amp Samuel, D. (2013). PrimaryCare Workforce Shortages: Nurse Practitioner Scope-of-Practice Lawsand Payment(No. 13). Washington DC. Retrieved fromhttp://www.floridanurse.org/arnpcorner/ARNPDocs/NIHCR_Research_Brief_No._13.pdf

HowThePursuit of HappinessImpacted my Life

HowThePursuit of HappinessMovie Impacted my Life

Ibelieve in hard work, determination, and courage. Mainly, these areessential attributes to the achievement of the American Dream.Watching ThePursuit of Happiness,I am reminded that upholding optimism in the face of adversity iscrucial. In this film, Chris Gardner, a salesman living in Californiain the 1980s faces many challenges. Notably, they include a troubledmarriage, raising his child, and difficulties in finding a decentjob. However, overcomes them and succeeds, a clear indication thatmaintaining the same perspective in life will result in spectacularaccomplishments.

Ideally,life is a series of small accomplishments that add up to form thebigger picture. Chris starts by selling bone density scanners tonearby physicians. There are many indications that things will getbetter, just as I have been promised only to be disappointed.However, I now realize that broken promises and frustrations aretypical in life. The key is to focus on the eventual goal, pursuit ofambitions and quickly getting past the previous hurts. Though Linda,Chris’s wife, opts out of marriage to take up a job in New YorkCity, he does not relent and struggles to pay rent, until they arechased out of the apartment, a clear reminder that those close to uscan sometimes let us down when we need them the most.

ThePursuit of Happiness depictsmany challenging conditions endured by Chris in an attempt to succeedin life. When he takes the internship position, he demonstrateshigher performance, which cultivates trust from his bosses. Just asthe movie concludes, Chris is called to the office by Dean Witter’sexecutives. Surprisingly, he is offered a job. The film reminds methat there is a human struggle one has to endure to eventuallyachieve his or her life-long aspirations, just as Chris did.

EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE 10

ExtraterrestrialLife

CourseNumber – Name of Course

InstitutionAffiliation

ExtraterrestrialLife

Extraterrestriallife has been hypothesized to exist throughout the universe. Thishypothesis is based on the fact that the world is vast and adheres tothe laws that govern the observable physical universe. According toStephen Hawkins and Carl Sagan, both scientists, it is improbable forlife to exist only on Earth and nowhere else. The probability of lifeother than on earth is rooted in the Copernican principle “that theearth does not hold a unique position in the universe,” and theMediocrity principle that “there is nothing special about life onEarth.” 13.8 billion years ago after the Big Bang, life startedforming in the universe this emergence of life on earth may have beenduplicated in other independent areas in the universe(Wickramasinghe, 2015)

ScientificArguments Favoring the Possibility of

In2012, NASA, based on studies done on meteorites that fell on Earth,found out that RNA and DNA constituents may be createdextraterrestrially. The scientists reported that cosmic dustconstitutes organic matter that is complex in nature and they couldbe rapidly and naturally produced by stars. In 2012 in the month ofSeptember, NASA announced that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs), exposed to interstellar medium (ISM) conditions, aretransformed in the process of oxygenation, hydrogenation to verycomplex organics. This is a step in the course of the formation ofamino nucleotides and amino acids the basics in the formation ofproteins and DNA (Thiel et al., 2014)

InMarch 2015, NASA scientists reported that DNA and RNA components oflife that are organic which include cytosine, uracil, and thyminewere found in a laboratory that mimics conditions in the outer space.This was done by employing chemicals such as pyrimidine found inmeteorites (Thiel et al., 2014)

TheDrake Equation

TheDrake equation calculates the number of civilized lives present inour universe supporting arguments for the existence of other planets.This equation assumes that other civilizations will be able to sendand receive radio signals as per the purpose of SETI (Search forExtraterrestrial Intelligence). SETI was founded in 1984, has itsbase in the Drake equation, focused on contributing to the discoveryof extraterrestrial life (Wandel, 2015).

Theequation states that “N = R* × fp × ne × fl × fi × fc × L,where N=the number of technically advanced civilizations in thegalaxy that are currently capable of communicating with other solarsystems R*=the number of new stars formed in the galaxy each yearfp=the fraction of those stars that have planetary systems ne=theaverage number of planets in each such system that can support lifefl=the fraction of such planets on which life actually exists fi=thefraction of life-sustaining planets on which intelligent lifeevolves fc=the fraction of intelligent life-bearing planets on whichbeings develop the means and the will to communicate overinterstellar distances and L=the average lifetime of such atechnological civilization.” The Drake equation supports theargument that life exists elsewhere in the galaxy and universe(Wandel, 2015).

Thepurpose of this equation is to aid scientists in summarizing all thefactors that need to be considered in the search of life in theuniverse, and it gives life the basis of scientific analysis. Ithelps people understand that life is as a result of cosmic eventsthat are natural. It fits squarely into current scientific theoriesconcerning extraterrestrial life but rejects the supernatural originsof life and embraces the natural path (Wandel, 2015).

KeplerMission

TheKepler mission at NASA has played a significant role in the recentdiscovery of 3 planets in the Kepler mission that are located in thehabitable zones of their solar systems, and are known as“Super-Earths.” The presence of other planets as supported by theKepler Mission is a basis for the discovery of other planets thatsupport life (Wandel, 2015).

Thereis a solar system discovered by the Kepler mission named Kepler-62,“a five-planet system about 1,200 light-years from Earth.” Thissystem contains two planets the Kepler 62-e and the Kepler 62-f bothlocated at the habitable zone of their solar system, thought to besupporting life. These planets are larger than Earth, and Kepler 62-eis considered to contain a lot of water, while Kepler 62-f ispresumed to be rocky. Kepler 69-c is another planet that wasrecently found in another solar system, approximately 2,700 lightyears away. It is much larger than Earth, but the star that itorbits is more similar to Earth’s sun than the star of Kepler-62(Wandel, 2015).

Thisplanet is also expected to be a “water world,” like Kepler 62-e,and it is the smallest exoplanet that scientists have discovered inthe “habitable zone” of the orbit of a star so similar to earth’ssun. These arguments work to disapprove the Femi Paradox that isagainst the possibility of alien life in the universe (Wandel, 2015).

Argumentsagainst the Existence of

FermiParadox

Theopposing arguments about the existence of extraterrestrial aresupported by Enrico Femi who believed that if other civilizationsexisted, “they should be in our midst by now.” He believed that,with the universe being in existence for over a billion years, it hadprovided more than enough time for other civilizations to grow anddevelop communication abilities. He states that there must be noother civilizations because they would be just as, if not moreadvanced than we now are and that they would have come into contactwith us by this point if they did in fact exist. This belief isknown as the Fermi Paradox and is still considered by some to be alegitimate viewpoint on the question of extraterrestrial life. TheFermi Paradox is a contradiction to the famous Drake equation, whichprovides a theoretical amount of civilizations that exist in theuniverse (Grey, 2015).

PercolationTheory

Thepercolation theory is another contrasting argument for the existenceof extraterrestrial life and is supportive of the Fermi Paradox. This theory takes into account the creation of “two states: colonizing or non-colonizing, the reason being that while somecultures opt toward exploration and expansion, others develop nonexpansionist values and display minimal interstellar reach.”Parameters, defined as “P (predetermined probability) and N(connectivity of the graph connected the sites)” are used toexplain the distances to which “colonizing colonies can orpropagate offspring to neighboring sites.” If P is lower than itscritical value, it limits the rate of the growth of civilization,and as a result, cultures are restricted to a limited place in thegalaxy (Hair &amp Hedman, 2012)

Inthe case of Earths civilization, there is very little [probabilitythat we may expand to space, or continue doing so till interstellercolonization is achieved. When the values of N and P are nearcritical they indicate large colonized regions which are actuallylarge empty regions. This argument is in agreement with the FemiParadox because life would not possess the ability to grow to otherworlds. This theory provides complex, concrete mathematical evidenceto prove the unlikelihood of other civilizations in the universe(Hair &amp Hedman, 2012)

Finding

Thesearch for extraterrestrial life has and is being done by employingtelescopic radio. These kinds of telescopes detect low occurrenceradio energies. These low cosmic energies come from sources that arecosmic in nature like planets and stars. These radio telescopes actas a medium to help determine if life exists elsewhere in theuniverse (Gilster, 2015).

Onearth, the radio telescopes employed in the process of determiningwhether other parts of the universe possess life are the ParkesTelescope located in New South Wales Australia, and the AreciboTelescope located in Puerto Rico. There are plans to build the AllenTelescope Array on the Cascade Mountains in Carlifonia. Thistelescope is a joint effort between the University of California andthe Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI)(Gilster, 2015).

Othersigns of life in the universe are explored by studying the radioemissions of star systems. These systems are scanned for the chanceof having individual planets that are maybe orbiting. The AllenTelescope will be able to do this many stars at a time, the presentradio telescopes are only able to search one star at a time. With anability to detect a thousand to ten thousand megahertz, scientistswill be able to enhance their capacity to search for life in otherworlds (Gilster, 2015).

IntelligentLife

Throughouthistory, much of the speculation about extraterrestrial life has beenbased on intelligent life. A living being can be classified asintelligent if it possesses self-awareness, can question itsexistence and come with a hypothesis. Intelligent living organismswill be able to create tools in order to manipulate the environmentso as to make it habitable. It will also be able to employ languageto communicate with other intelligent beings apart from itself thisincludes a civilization too (Galantai, 2016).

Accordingto Galantai (2016), life is a precondition of intelligence at leastat the beginning. It is based on the assumption that evolution leadsintelligence which produces culture, and culture brings aboutnon-biological intelligent entities. One can envision a universe withthe presence of life, after its manifestation, then the appearance ofintelligence is inevitable.

Intelligentlife is to varying extents. On earth, examples of animals thatportray intelligence include Humans, Chimpanzees, and Dolphins. Theseare based on the fact that they possess communication and contactsignals, they have a working and established culture. All markers ofan intelligent life (Galantai, 2016)

Lifein Space

Humanbeings are searching for Extraterrestrial life, and these are groupedinto two sets. The first classification is broad, and it constituteslife itself in a process that includes simple forms such asmicrobial. Without technology, life cannot produce signals thattravel through the solar system. Still, scientists are investigatingthe characteristics and atmospheres of worlds across the solar systemin search of life beyond our planet (Redd, 2016).

Inan effort to find extraterrestrial intelligence scientists lookbeyond this category so as to find advanced civilizations. SETIsearches under this category focus on optical or radio signals thatmight hint to an evolved alien life. Due to the fact that on earth,life began over the past 100 million years before the planet washabitable, scientists think that life on planets with similarcharacteristics should have evolved. The stars in the galaxy arethought to contain at least a planet each, making the opportunitiesfor evolved life numerous (Redd, 2016).

Asper SETI, the ways of finding life on other planets are three. Thefirst being to go and look, the second is studying light from otherplanets in order to determine their atmosphere, and the third is tosearch for indicators of intelligence (Redd, 2016).

SETIsearches are focused on radio signals, most of which are radioemissions, narrow-band signals. These but cover only a portion of theradio spectrum. Natural objects block spectrum with signals.Therefore, finding a signal that dominates only a small region willindicate an artificial source. This would serve as a proofintelligent life. The focus of scientists is also focused on opticalsearches, and it involves searching for micro flashes that last ananosecond (Redd, 2016).

Contactfrom other planets could be sent deliberately or by accident. Sincethe Earth has been sending messages into space since World War II,SETI has been searching for intentional messages that have been sentinto space. SETI has also begun looking for communications betweenworlds, other than earth those of which are along earth’s line ofsite. This is because messages beamed towards other worlds maycontinue and cross earth’s path (Redd, 2016).

Theability to understand dispatched messages from space will depend onthe intent of the messages. If an intelligent species is sendingmessages into space, they may need to make it as simple as possibleso that other lives can understand it. However, if the message issent accidentally or it is purposely meant for another world,decoding it might be an impossibility if not a task. According toSETI, the signal might reveal details about a civilization that mightpinpoint to their origin and the information can help determine howthe planet is moving (Redd, 2016).

Lifein Non-Earthlike Conditions

Alternativebiochemists are of the view that certain solvents and atoms couldbring about life. Since carbon has been a source of life on earth, itis thought that that would be the case all over the universe. Inreality, many elements could spawn life (Hawking, n.d.).

Wateris not necessarily essential to life, and other elements such asammonia have many properties such as water making life feasible innon-earth like conditions. Such an example outside the water basedhabitability zone is the moon, Titan. Water replacements such as,hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen fluoride methanol, formamide, and hydrogenchloride have been suggested as possible solvents that could supporta different biochemistry. With these various elements, it isconsidered in a radically different environment there would be anentirely different life. Carbon and water may be the most unlikelyelements to support life in such extreme conditions (Hawking, n.d.).

NASA’sannouncement that it has discovered the possibility of anarsenic-based life in Mono Lake rhymes with its search beyond carbonbased life. As earth did not accumulate oxygen till it was threebillion years old, there might be microbial non-carbon ecosystemsparallel with the evolution of earth indicating a tectonically activeplanet (Hawking, n.d.).

References

Galantai,&nbspZ.(2016). Life, intelligence and multiverse. Budapest University ofTechnology and Economics (Hungary).

Gilster,&nbspP.(2015, 24). Searching for extraterrestrial life and intelligence:knowable and unknowable. Retrieved fromwww.centauri-dreams.org/?p=33686

Grey,&nbspR.&nbspH.(2015). The Fermi Paradox is neither Fermi`s nor a paradox.Astrobiology, 15(3), 195-199.doi:10.1089/ast.2014.1247

Hair,&nbspT.&nbspW.,&amp Hedman,&nbspA.&nbspD. (2012). Spatial dispersion ofinterstellar civilizations: a probabilistic site percolation model inthree dimensions. International Journal of Astrobiology,1-8. doi:0.1017/S1473550412000420

Hawking,&nbspS.(n.d.). Life in the Universe. Retrieved fromhttp://www.hawking.org.uk/life-in-the-universe.html

Redd,&nbspN.&nbspT.(2016, August 2). SETI &amp the search for extraterrestrial life.Retrieved fromhttp://www.space.com/33626-search-for-extraterrestrial-intelligence.html

Thiel,&nbspC.&nbspS.,Tauber,&nbspS., Schutte,&nbspA., Schmitz,&nbspB., Nuesse,&nbspH.,Moeller,&nbspR., &amp Ullrich,&nbspO. (2014). Functional activityof plasmid DNA after entry into the atmosphere of earth investigatedby a new biomarker stability assay for ballistic spaceflightexperiments. PLOS.

Wandel,&nbspA.(2015). On the abundance of extraterrestrial life after the Keplermission. International Journal of Astrobiology, 14(3),511-516. doi:10.1017/S1473550414000767

Wickramasinghe,&nbspC.(2015). Evidence to clinch the theory of extraterestrial life.Journal of Astrobiology &amp Outreach.doi:10.4172/2332-2519.1000e107

BehavioralChange Project

Researchhas shown that an individual’s health is a function of theindividual’s lifestyle and genetic predispositions i.e. most of theillnesses that people face today are largely contributed by thelifestyles we lead and genetic factors (National Lung, Heart andBlood Institute, 2016). While negligible efforts can be done aboutgenetic factors, most diseases that people face today e.g.hypertension, diabetes, and heart complications can be avoided byadopting healthy lifestyles. Therefore, understanding one’s familyhealth history, personal health characteristics e.g. weight, bloodpressure and behavioral patterns e.g. level of physical activity,calorie intake, is critical in ascertaining some of the illnesses oneis at a high risk of getting.

Investigationof Results &amp Identification of Health Risk

Myfamily’s health history can termed to be ‘ideal’ as there arefew cases of illnesses and mental conditions. Very few members of thefamily have suffered from terminal conditions. However, my auntsuccumbed to type 2 diabetes which could be largely attributed to herbeing overweight. My mother suffers from breast cancer in spite of myfamily having no history of breast cancer. My mother’s breastcancer can be said to have been caused by her smoking of cigarettesand being overweight (National Lung, Heart and Blood Institute,2016). Therefore, the health conditions that I am at a high risk ofdeveloping include type 2 diabetes, breast cancer and beingoverweight.

Inthis analysis, I will concentrate on overweight because the risk ofthe condition can be lowered by a change in personal behavior i.e.taking exercises and eating healthy (National Lung, Heart and BloodInstitute, 2016). As opposed to overweight, both geneticpredispositions and lifestyle patterns are contributory factors totype 2 diabetes and breast cancer. Therefore, the risk of theseconditions cannot be modified by a change in personal behavior.

BriefDescription of Health Risk

Overweightis the condition of having body weight that is more than theappropriate or healthy for a particular height. The body mass index(BMI), a percentage of one’s weight to their height, is consideredthe proper measure of overweight. For one to be overweight, the BMIhas to be more than 25 (National Lung, Heart and Blood Institute,2016). Behaviors and eating habits are the greatest contributors ofoverweight. Other variables include environmental dynamics,metabolism and other minor factors such as family history andgenetics (National Lung, Heart and Blood Institute, 2016). Overweightcan lead to other health conditions such as coronary heart disease,hypertension, type 2 diabetes, gallstones and respiratorycomplications.

Measuresto Reduce Risks

Therisk of being overweight can be reduced by a change in eating habits.One can make an effort to cut back on food portions and eat a healthydiet that meets the daily calorie needs. Similarly, one can engage inphysical activities e.g. taking a walk, riding a bicycle or running.The activities need not to be strenuous. Reducing the amount ofcalorie intake will reduce the chances of one adding on weight.Engaging in physical activities will also ensure that excess caloriesare expelled and a suitable weight is maintained (National Lung,Heart and Blood Institute, 2016).

PrimaryTarget Behavior

Toreduce the risk of being overweight, I intend to change my eatinghabits. I will work closely with a nutrition specialist who willadvise me on the appropriate diet and foods to eat. I will also watchmy food portions meticulously, making certain that I do not takeexcess calories.

References

WhatAre Overweight and Obesity? – NHLBI, NIH.(2016). Nhlbi.nih.gov.Retrieved 27 December 2016, fromhttps://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe

ClimateChange and the Effects it has had on the Ocean Water

Climatechange is changing ecosystems at an increased scale and pace. It hascontributed significantly to the acidification of the ocean inaddition to increased water level in some oceans. The warming of theatmosphere has led to the increased melting of snow and ice, leadingto the rise of water level in the ocean. The production of carbondioxide by human activities, on the other hand, has led to increasedformation of carbonic acid in the ocean.

Humanactivities are responsible for the increased amount of carbon dioxidein the atmosphere. A study by EPA showed that the amount of carbondioxide ha increased with the rise in the use of fossil fuels inproducing energy. A good amount of carbon dioxide produced in theatmosphere is absorbed by the ocean. Unfortunately, the increasedintake of carbon dioxide by sea water leads to the formation ofcarbonic acid that is detrimental to marine organisms (Committee onEcological Impacts of Climate Change, 2008). In other words, climatechange has led to the acidification of the ocean.

Climatechange is responsible for the warming of the ocean. Effects ofincreased temperature in the ocean water are evidenced by a change inmarine population. Some marine organisms have started to reduce innumber due to the warming of the shorelines. For instance, manynorthern species in central California have decreased because of theincreased temperature at the shoreline (Committee on EcologicalImpacts of Climate Change, 2008). Climate change is also the reasonbehind the formation of the dead zone in the ocean. Just like otherdead zones caused by eutrophication, the dead zone caused by climatechange kills marine organisms by depriving them air.

Inconclusion, climate change results in the formation of the dead zone,increased the temperature in addition to increased water levels inthe ocean. It is also responsible for the acidification of oceanwater.

Reference

Committeeon Ecological Impacts of Climate Change. (2008). EcologicalImpacts of Climate Change.Retrieved from http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/pd/climate/teachingclimate/ecological_impacts_o f_climate_change.pdf

AirPollution and the Effect it had on the Climate in 2014

Airpollution is responsible for many changes in the climate. Some of theobserved changes as a result of pollution include the warming of theatmosphere and ocean, diminishing of the amounts of both snow and iceas well as the increased level of the sea level. The earth hascontinuously become warmer each decade as a result of pollution since1850. A 2014 EPA study showed that carbon dioxide constitutes 81percent of the greenhouse gas emitted by countries whereas methaneconstituted 11 percent (IPCC, 2014). Carbon dioxide and methane aregood in trapping heat, leading to what is referred to as globalwarming.

Carbondioxide is produced by combustion of fossil fuels whereas methane isproduced mainly by industrial sources. Use of chemicals in airconditioners, as well as refrigerators, are known to producehydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) which are many times more powerful intrapping heat when compared with carbon dioxide. Based on thisargument, it is apparent that air pollution leads to the trapping ofheat which is responsible for the increasing warming of theatmosphere and ocean (IPCC, 2014). Similarly, warming of theatmosphere as a result of heat trap by produced gases leads to thedrop in the amounts of snow and ice. The melting of ice and snow is aclear indicator of climatic change. Snow cover contributessignificantly to the regulation of earth’s surface temperature.With the increased melting of snow as a result of air pollution,earth surface has become very warm. The increased level of the sea isalso as a result of the melting ice and snow, caused by hightemperature in the earth’s surface. The rise in sea level isevidenced by destructive erosion in addition to flooding of wetlands.

Inconclusion, air pollution contributed to rising in sea level,increased melting of snow and ice, and increased warming of theatmosphere and the ocean. All these changes portray the adverseeffects of air pollution on climate.

Reference

IPCC.(2014). ClimateChange 2014: Synthesis Report. Contribution of Working Groups I, II and III to the Fifth Assessment Report of the IntergovernmentalPanel on Climate Change[Core Writing Team, R.K. Pachauri and L.A. Meyer (eds.)]. IPCC,Geneva, Switzerland, 151 pp.