Theology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Theology - Essay Example This paper intends to discuss why would an intelligent mind believe or not believe in the existence of God, and what my opinion about the nature and existence of God is. A 90 minute debate was held in Alys Stephens Center in Birmingham, Alabama, on October 03, 2007 between two Oxford University colleagues; an atheist and secular humanist, Professor Richard Dawkins, and a Christian apologist, Professor John Lennox. The topic of the debate was the existence of God based upon the atheistic views that Dawkins presented in his book, The God Delusion. In the debate, Dawkins explains his theses regarding the rejection of God’s existence saying that science is based on evidence-based grounds whereas faith is blind and is based merely on satisfactory beliefs and thus it drags humans to believe what is told in religion without the need of understanding and exploring. This makes us say that an intelligent mind believes that science does not support religion; rather, it supports rationalism or atheism. Marx conception of God’s existence is purely atheistic. He affirms that an intelligent mind must argue that the designer God, if there is one, must need another designer to design him. Freud does not believe in God and asserts that â€Å"the sooner one accepts that God does not exist, the better† (qtd. in McFaul 9) if one wants to step into mature adulthood. Christianity poses dangers to the existence of humans as all wars and destructions come as a result of the religious beliefs and difference in faiths. Dawkins explains an argument from his book, that is, faith is blind whereas science is evidence-based (92) in which he argues that faith is by no reasons strengthening its grounds in the 21st century when it has nothing to do with evidence. On the other hand, according to Dawkins, â€Å"science uses evidence to discover the truth about the universe† and scientific discoveries are based on research and

Sustainable business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sustainable business - Essay Example Landrum, Landrum and Edwards (2009, p. 4) define a sustainable business as that business which guarantees the â€Å"interest of all current and future stakeholders in a manner that ensures the long-term health and survival of the business and its associated economic, social, and environmental systems.† This makes us believe that sustainable businesses focus on how the business is going to affect the current and future consumers and what impact it is going to have on the overall environment. The objective is to create a positive difference in the environment or reducing the negative impact on the environment. We call that such a business is going green since it is environment friendly. A sustainable business is not only able to address the current needs of consumers but also works upon ensuring the well-being of future generations. There is a win-win situation between the business and the environment. Such businesses have built their reputation in the modern world because they boost the economy and provide the human beings with a healthier place to live

Oral Health Status of Pregnant and Non Pregnant Women

Oral Health Status of Pregnant and Non Pregnant Women â€Å"ORAL HEALTH STATUS AMONG PREGNANT AND NONPREGNANT WOMEN OF AGRA CITY A HOSPITAL BASED STUDY† ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Pregnancy is often thought to be a time of happiness for the expectant mothers but it does not only influence her own oral health status but also may increase her risk of other diseases. OBJECTIVE To compare the oral health status among pregnant and nonpregnant women of Agra city. MATRIALS AND METHOD A cross sectional study was carried out among 425 pregnant and 425 nonpregnant women of 18-45 years attending the hospital. A pretested proforma designed in local language for collecting all the relevant information was used which included questions regarding personal information, oral hygiene practices, frequency of dental visits, education, occupation, gravid status along with a self-reported oral health status questions. The investigator was calibrated before the start of the study in order to limit the intra-examiner variability. RESULTS A total of 850 subjects with a mean age of 29.30 ±3.30 years were examined. The mean DMFT was found to be 3.02 ±1.79 and 1.79 ±1.90 in pregnant and nonpregnant respectively. CONCLUSION The results of this study showed that pregnancy had effect on the gingiva and on periodontal attachment levels. Overall oral health was poorer among pregnant women than nonpregnant women. KEY WORDS Gravid status, Oral Health Status, Oral hygiene. INTRODUCTION Pregnancy brings about physical, physiological and psychological changes in women. It affects almost all systems and parts of the body including the oral cavity. Due to changes in the hormones, many opportunistic organisms gain access to various parts of the body in the absence of proper care1. Pregnancy constitutes a special physiological state characterized by a series of temporary adaptive changes in body structure, as a result of an increased production of estrogen, progestron, gonadotropins and relaxin among other hormones. The oral cavity is also affected by such endocrine actions and may present both transient and irreversible changes as well as modifications that are considered pathological2. Pregnancy related oral changes are most marked and frequent in gingival tissue. Gingival inflammation and pregnancy have now been linked for many years; as early as 1978, Vermeeran discussed â€Å"toothpains† in Pregnancy. In 1818, Pitcarin described gingival hyperplasia in pregnancy3. Pinard first described this situation in 1877 characterized with erythema, hyperplasia and increased bleeding4. Women’s pregnancy experience not only influences her own oral health status but also may increase her risk of other diseases. High levels of oral diseases may also have an impact on the Oral Health Related Quality of Life. Although some studies on pregnant women have been reported, they have been limited to exploring the impact of certain factors, such as pain, on the Oral Health Related Quality of Life4. Pregnancy gingivitis marked by the gingival inflammation is the most common condition seen during the pregnancy due to hormonal changes particularly during the second trimester of gestation. The signs and symptoms of pregnancy gingivitis, however do not differ from the gingivitis seen in non pregnant women5. It has been noted that the gingivitis in pregnancy is related to the accumulation of dental plaque and maintenance of proper oral hygiene in pregnant women can play an important role in preventing this condition and maintaining a healthy gingival state6. There is a growing acceptance of the fact that oral disorders too can have a significant impact on physical, social and mental well-being during pregnancy. No study has been conducted on Oral Health Related Status of pregnant and non pregnant women in Agra city. Keeping the above facts in mind, an attempt was made to carry out a comparative hospital based study on Oral Health Status of pregnant and nonpregnant women attending selected hospitals in Agra city. MATERIALS AND METHOD A cross sectional study was carried out among 425 pregnant and 425 nonpregnant women of 18-45 years attending the hospital. A pilot study was conducted on 100 (n=50) pregnant and nonpregnant women each with OHRQoL as a main parameter. The prevalence of Oral Impact on Daily Performance was 76%. The estimated sample size for the study based on prevalence of Oral Impact on Daily Performance was calculated to be 827. Keeping in mind the non-response rate in each hospital, sample size of 850 subjects was taken. To obtain the total sample size of 850, 85 pregnant and 85 nonpregnant women from each of the five zone were randomly selected. INCLUSION CRITERA Subjects reporting in the hospitals Subjects willing to participate in the study. Subjects of 18-45 years age group. EXCLUSION CRITERIA Subjects suffering from any systemic disease Subjects in critical condition. Ethical clearance for the study was obtained by the Ethical Committee of K.D. Dental College and Hospital, Mathura. Also informed consent was taken from the women prior to the examination. A pretested Questionnaire and proforma designed in local language for collecting all the required and relevant information was used. The questionnaire included questions regarding name, age, socioeconomic status, oral hygiene practices, frequency of dental visits, education, occupation, gravid status along with a self-reported oral health status questions. Clinical examination included Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S), Gingival Index, Community Periodontal Index and DMFT/DMFS. Oral examination was done using mouth mirror, probe and natural light. Self-reported oral health status was assessed by asking eight questions that collected information about periodontal health and dental health. The eight questions were: Do you have bleeding gums?; burning gums?; swollen gums?; loose teeth?; decayed teeth?; tooth pain?; food lodgment between teeth?; sensitive teeth?. These questions were dichotomized into present and absent. The data obtained was compiled systematically from a pre-coded proforma in computer and a master table was prepared. The statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 16.0 Statistical Analysis Software. Results on continuous measurement were presented in Mean ±SD (Min-Max) and results on categorical measurements were presented in Number (%). Significance was assessed at 5% level of significance. RESULTS A total of 850 study subjects were selected out of which 61(7.17%) were of the age group 20-25 years with mean age observed 29.30 ±3.30. Among pregnant women, 204(48%) had poor OHI-S scores(Table.1), 198(46.58%) had moderate gingivitis(Table.2), 61(14.35%) had CPI score 4 (Table.3) and 37(8.71%) had LOA score 2 (Table.4). The mean number of decayed, missing and filled teeth were 3.42 ±2.66, 2.91 ±2.01 and 3.01 ±1.98 respectively among pregnant group. The mean scores for self reported oral health status, among pregnant group was 64.38 ±5.59 for decayed teeth and among nonpregnant group was 65.81 ±5.36 for burning gums (Table.5). TABLE.1 DISTRIBUTION OF STUDY SUBJECTS ACCORDING TO OHI-S SCORES AMONG PREGNANT AND NONPREGNANT GROUP TABLE.2 DISTRIBUTION OF STUDY SUBJECTS ACCORDING TO GINGIVAL INDEX SCORES AMONG PREGNANT AND NONPREGNANT GROUP TABLE. 3 DISTRIBUTION OF STUDY SUBJECTS ACCORDING TO CPI SCORES AMONG PREGNANT AND NONPREGNANT GROUP TABLE. 4 DISTRIBUTION OF STUDY SUBJECTS ACCORDING TO LOA SCORES AMONG PREGNANT AND NONPREGNANT GROUP TABLE 5: DISTRIBUTION OF STUDY SUBJECTS ACCORDING TO SELF- REPORTED ORAL HEALTH STATUS AMONG PREGNANT AND NONPREGNANT GROUP DISCUSSION In our study, out of the total study population of 850 pregnant and nonpregnant women, 359(42.23%) women were below the age of 30 years, which was in accordance to the studies conducted by Ingrida Vasiliauskiene et al7 and Gaffeid M et al8. On the contrary, in the study conducted by Nuamah and Annan9 20% of pregnant women and 21.4% of nonpregnant group belonged to the age group of 30-35 years. In the present study, among the total study population, 29.30 ±3.30 was the mean age. The results of our study were similar to the study conducted by Machuca et al10, in which the mean age was 30.1 ±1.90. On the contrary, studies conducted by Yalcin et al11 and Tilakarante et al12 showed the mean age pattern of 18.62 ±3.01 and 19 ±2.90 respectively. Among pregnant population 204(48%) had poor oral hygiene. On the contrary, in the study conducted by Santosh Kumar et al13 among total study population only 25% had poor oral hygiene. In our study, among the total study subjects, mean OHI-S score was 2.65 ±0.85. On the contrary, in the study conducted by Ingrida Vasiliauskiene et al7 mean OHI-S score among total study subjects was 1.79 ±1.13. The reason behind this is that during pregnancy, gums are more susceptible to the damaging effects of plaque, gingiva become more edematous and fragile due to which during brushing it bleeds quickly. The problem is compounded if women hav e morning sickness nausea and vomiting which make it hard to brush teeth regularly resulting in more plaque accumulation. Among pregnant group, about half of the total study subjects i.e 46.58% had moderate gingivitis. Results of our study were similar to the studies conducted by Yalcin et al11 and Tilakarante et al12. In our study, among the total study subjects, it was found that 98(11.52%) had healthy periodontium On the contrary, studies conducted by Santosh Kumar et al13 and Ingrida Vasiliauskiene et al7 found that approximately half of the total study population i.e 49.8% had healthy periodontium whereas, among pregnant group 36.6% and among nonpregnant group 61% had healthy periodontium. While the study conducted by Miyazaki et al14 stated that 82% of the pregnant study population had 4 or 5mm pocket which is much higher in comparison to our study. In our study, the mean scores among pregnant group and non pregnant group was 64.38 ±5.59 for decayed teeth and 65.81 ±5.36 for burning gums respectively. No earlier studies have been carried out that show distribution of study subjects according to self- reported oral health status among pregnant and non pregnant groups. In conclusion, results of the study showed that oral health status among pregnant and nonpregnant group of Agra city was not good. The study also drew attention towards the need for highlighting the importance of maintaining oral health during pregnancy. Regular dental care is a key component to good oral and general health. It can be stated that there is a need for the health care professionals to acknowledge the importance of good oral health in ensuring a safe and successful pregnancy and overcome misconceptions regarding rendering of essential dental care during this vital period in a woman’s life. REFERENCES Shashidhar Acharya and Parvati V. Bhat. Oral health related quality of life during pregnancy. American Association of Public Health Dentistry 2009;69:7477. Tracy M. Dellinger and H. Mark Livingston. Pregnancy:physiologic changes and considerations for dental patients. British Journal of Obstetric and Gynaecology 2006;5:677-697. Ojanotko-Harri AO, Harri M.P, Hurltia H.M and Sewon L.A. Altered tissue metabolism of progesterone in pregnancy gingivitis and granuloma. Journal of Clinical Periodontalogy 1991;18:262-266. Steinberg B.J. Woman’s oral health issues. Journal of Dental Education 1999;63:271-275. Miyagi M., Aoyama H., Moroshita M and Iwamoto Y. Effects of sex hormones on chemotaxis of human peripheral polymorphonuclear leukocytes and monocytes. Journal of Clinical Periodontology 1992;63:2832. Laine M.A. Effect of pregnancy on periodontal and dental health. Acta Odontologica Scandinavica Journal 2002;60:257-264. Ingrida Vasiliauskiene. Oral health status of pregnant women. Stomatologia, Baltic Dental and Maxillofacial Journal 2003;5:57-61. Gaffield M., Brenda J.,Gilbert C., Malvitz D.M. and Romaguera R. Oral Health during Pregnancy. Journal of American Dental Association 200;132:189-194. Nuamah I and Annan B.D. Periodontal status and oral hygiene practices of pregnant and non-pregnant women. East African Medical Journal 1998;75:712–714. Machuca G., Khoshfeiz O., Lacalle R.J., Machuca C. and Bullon P. The influence of general health and socio – cultural variables on the periodontal condition of pregnant women. Journal of Clinical Periodontology 1999;70:779–785. Yalcin F., Eskinazi E., Soydinc M., Basegmez C., Issever H. and Isik G. The effect of socio cultural effects on periodontal condition in pregnancy. Journal of Clinical Periodontology 2002;74:178-182. Tilakaratne A., Soory M., Ranasinghe AW., Corea SMX., Ekanayake S L. and Desilva M. Periodontal disease status during pregnancy and 3 months post partum, in a rural population of Sri-Lankan women. Journal of Clinical Periodontalogy 2000;27:787-792. Santosh Kumar Tadakamadla, Prachi Agarwal and Preksha Jain. Dental status and its socio-demographic influences among pregnant women attending a maternity hospital in India. Journal of Clinical Express in Dentistry 2007;3:183-192. Miyazaki H, Yamashita Y and Shirahama R. Periodontal conditions of pregnant women assessed by CPITN. Journal of Clinical Periodontology 1991:18:751-4. Manau C, Echeverria A, Agueda A, Guerrero A and Echeverria JJ. Periodontal disease definition may determine the association between periodontitis and pregnancy outcomes. Journal of Clinical Periodontology 2008; 35: 385-397. Navin Anand Ingle, Akila Ganesh, Preetha Elizabeth Chaley and V. Chandrasekhara Reddy. A survey on dental knowledge and gingival health of pregnant women attending government maternity hospital, Chennai. Journal of Oral Health and Community Dentistry 2011;5:24-30.

Mathematics and Art Essay -- Logic, Creativity, Philosophy

Mathematics and art are two areas of knowledge that demonstrate different degrees of interaction between critical and creative thinking. Whether considering mathematics or art, creative thinking evaluates a new or original idea containing some degree of value. Critical thinking examines assumptions and challenges a current belief or theory that has previously assumed to be true. Although general assumptions and creativity may be considered separately when considering extreme examples of concrete ideas and abstract ideas, the interplay of critical and creative thinking is one method in which new and validated knowledge is attained. Mathematics is an area of knowledge that may seemingly appear to be concrete, utilizing reason as its source of knowledge. On one hand, mathematics represents learned concepts using a repetitive procedure and logic that will rarely deviate. Beginning concepts of mathematics taught in schools are concrete with fixed steps and formulas for solving problems. For example, the properties of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division yield fixed answers. Students only have to use the steps previously taught and accept them to be true to attain the correct response. Therefore, concrete concepts can only be accepted as true by using learned skills to process and generate information and belief. However, without some degree of understanding or context, the use of the skills as a repetitive â€Å"exercise† is not critical thinking because it has no meaning. It is accepted that the area of a right triangle is one half the base times the height. Reasoning can be used through the drawing of a grid and counting the squares to verify this formula. In this way, mathematics uses critical thinking to guid... ...ture, for example, buildings, bridges, and structures are taller, more energy efficient, and able to utilize previously impossible designs because the interplay of critical thinking and creative thinking has yielded new techniques. These three fields each utilize mathematics and art to generate the latest knowledge. Knowledge can be generated through the interaction of critical and creative thinking. Critical and creative thinking are both needed in different ways to create new ideas that are verifiable and credible. Ideas and interpretations that have been generated through advancements in math and the arts demonstrate that both critical thinking and creative thinking are needed to generate new knowledge. As a result, the questioning of established beliefs along with the creation of new ideas will yield beneficial knowledge to the world and its learners.

Respect Essay

I have been told that I need to write a 1000 word essay on disrespecting a Non Commissioned Officer. But it is really hard to write about this because I am having a hard time wondering how I disrespected them. So, where do I start on this and what do I say about it. As far as this essay goes I am just going to write how I feel about respect and how respect works both ways. It is wrong to disrespect a Non Commissioned Officer because they are appointed above me to guide me to the right place and things to do. But it is really hard to respect someone when they do not respect you. Respect works both ways and if that person or leadership does not respect you trying to respect them is difficult. No matter what is said it is disrespect. For example:I am writing this because I was called about a meeting that my squad leader decided he wanted to spring on the squad after we were released for the day. When I asked the squad leader was the meeting about something that we could have discussed the next business day, he replied no, with a sly smirk on his face. As he began to talk it was clearly the same information that was put out at the end of business. I do not know how that was disrespect when it was the truth. In regards to this essay I am not sure what to say about disrespect other then it works both ways. They tell you to respect the rank not the person but when that person abuses the rank it is really hard to respect it. I think that in today’s United States Army no one respects anybody the way that they should be. They are too quick to say that you are disrespecting them and that they are just trying to make you better but they are disrespecting you in the processes. How can you work for someone or some place when all that they do is disrespect you and everything that you do no matter what it is? When I first came in the United States Army a Non Commissioned Officer would work with you on how to be a good soldier and actually sit with you and respect you on what you were doing if you did a good job and worked hard they didn’t try to beat you down to where you just give up on everything. I used to respect everyone that was above me because they cared about you as a person they respected you and helped you with the hard things that were thrown at you and made sure that you were good not just quick to demote them and kick them out of the United States Army. They had an interest in you as a person and if they had something to learn from you then they would respect you enough to ask for help and respect you enough to talk to you. Respect and disrespect is a hard topic because I am a strong believer in respect someone and you will receive respect back or treat someone the way that you want to be treated. The whole time that I have been back in the United States Army the Non Commissioned Officers that were above me were basically like new privates. They were new to the job and they didn’t know a lot about it. I know that I have been in the United States Army for only a short time and I am only a specialist, I have worked with someone above me disrespecting me not just as a soldier, but as a human being. I feel that leadership should stop turning what people say into disrespect it was not that way AT ALL. I was just asking a questioning and stating the obvious, not disrespecting that person. You know they always preach about disrespect but they do not give respect at all. So as far as this essay goes how do I write it to what they want because no matter what is said in here they will one way or another say it is disrespect or some other form of berating them. 1 Respect and disrespect is an important part of a soldier Non Commissioned Officer relationship and needs to be enforced upon not only the soldier but also the Non Commissioned Officer and Officers. I have had a really hard time in this company because I think that people just think that I am just disrespecting them instead of getting to know their soldiers and how their soldiers talk and phrase things. They are quick to just say HA you disrespected me. I have seen way worse disrespect then what I have ever done to anyone. In my eyes disrespect is if you just plainly say hell no or fuck off. I have never done that and yet they automatically think that if you are asking them why you are told to do something it is disrespect but in fact is not disrespect it is that the soldier is trying to learn from them. If I remember correctly the Non Commissioned Officer Creed states â€Å"Competence is my watchword. My two basic responsibilities will always be uppermost in my mind-accomplishment of my mission and the welfare of my soldiers. I will strive to remain tactically and technically proficient. I am aware of my role as a Noncommissioned Officer. I will fulfill my responsibilities inherent in that role. All soldiers are entitled to outstanding leadership; I will provide that leadership. I know my soldiers and I will always place their needs above my own. I will communicate consistently with my soldiers and never leave them uninformed. I will be fair and impartial when recommending both rewards and punishment. †But it seems that only a few of the Non Commissioned Officers respect the lower enlisted. Why should soldiers’ words get twisted and why is that NCO’s are not respecting the soldiers and their needs. We need to be respected that is one of the many needs of the soldiers of today. That is why a lot of soldiers act out against Non Commissioned Officers. Ok so disrespect is all on what that person thinks is being said to them not really how and what is being said. When someone makes a statement and the other person comments on it, it is not disrespect it is just informing them on what they think. How is that disrespecting them? There is also a little thing that Non Commissioned Officers should do and that is lead by example and not respecting a soldier is not leading by example it is showing that that what is good for the goose is good for the gander or do as I say and not as I do! 2

Biopsychology and The Importance Of Historical Milestones Within This Science Essay

Sir Charles Scott Sherrington was among the well-known psychologists of his time during the 1930’s. Among the major issues, that he faced has been that of the utilization of the reflexes in the spinal cord to investigate the different aspects of characterization that makes up the neurons and the entire nervous system as well. This particular understanding has become one of the most outstanding discoveries of the 1930’s with regards the implicative facts about biopsychology. Through this understanding, there had been many other studies that followed, which were able to evaluate and rearrange the strategies used by Sherrington during his research in the 1930’s   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What did the findings of the research actually pertain to; and what breakthrough did it particularly imply in science of understanding the different aspects of biological psychology? Human’s physical aspects actually affect the major ways by which they react to the situations that they face in their everyday activities. Obviously, the situation has been explained to have been controlled by the process with which the neurons within the nervous system respond to the outside situations that the person deals with. From this particular understanding, the study on the connection between human physiology and human behavior basics and dysfunctions as well had been further developed. Understandably, the said implicative studies improved the process of making amended explanation on the different developed informative sections that make up biopsychology today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Certainly, the beginning of such understanding led the process with which biopsychology is actually functioning today. The development of the said understanding mainly increases the competency of the said field in making informative and learned connection with regards the human basics in physical aspects and behavioral reflections. References: Man on His Nature The 1937–38 Gifford lectures, Edinburgh: New York: MacMillan, 1940. Cambridge University Press, 2nd rev. edition 1951, hardcover: ISBN 0-521-06436-8, paperback: ISBN 0-521-09203-5. Selected Writings of Sir Charles Sherrington: A Testimonial Presented by the Neurologists Forming the Guarantors of the Journal â€Å"Brain† Hoeber, 1940. Oxford University Press, 1979: ISBN 0-19-920104-8.