The Importance Of Health Communication

The Importance Of Health Communication The healthcare systems around the world are making full use of the communication methods to improve quality of healthcare services provided and peoples life. They are utilizing the newly developed information and communication technologies to bring required socio-economic changes in the areas as diverse as health and education system. In this modern era the consequence of media and communication is vastly increasing. According to Mann and Colven, A picture is worth more than a thousand words, it can justify the need of new technologies. This thesis paper tries to figure out the importance of health communication and telemedicine technology for the integral growth of healthcare management in the rural and remote area of India. In some of the rural areas of India the telemedicine technology is implemented successfully and the people in that area are receiving better healthcare services than before. This technology is quite new in the country like India and lot of work has to be done in future to increase the use of this newly developed technology to deliver quality of healthcare service and thus to improve the health status rural and remote population. India is having a huge population and most of the people live in rural areas. Majority of them dont have proper access to education and healthcare services. So there is need of good health communication to improve delivery of healthcare services. By this, necessary knowledge can be imparted to the people that will help them to improve their own health status all the time. Telemedicine might be useful in these areas as it helps to have a successful communication in between the healthcare professionals and patients who are present at different places. This paper points out the actual necessity of telemedicine technology which is one of the tools of having health communication and the opinion of the healthcare professionals as well as the patients regarding its importance. In this interpretive study based thesis, fourteen interviews of healthcare professionals and a survey of twenty patients by using a questionnaire have been conducted to illustrate the importance of health communication (mainly health education) and telemedicine. Introduction In this rapidly developing world, the parameters of health care are also being broadened and the focus is shifted to promotion of wellness prevention of diseases in community as well as home based care rather than only hospital based care. This shift can be facilitated by implementing telemedicine technology which is a method of health care carried out at a distance at even real time (Jones, 1997). Health is a concern of everyone for everyone. Healthy people 2010 define health communication as the art and technique of informing, influencing and motivating individual, institutional and public audiences about important health issues. The terms health communication health education are used synonymously most of the times. In this era the importance of health education is realized increasingly because of which today health education became speciality in itself. The healthcare systems seem to be inefficient without proper health education programmes even though lot of planning is done in implementation of healthcare services. It shows that health communication is not only mere exchange of health information but also much more than that. Health communication is means of facilitating the interaction between healthcare professionals and patients or in between the two or more healthcare professionals irrespective of working together in same or different organizations situated at distance places. Most of the organizations mainly focus on adopting advanced technologies used for diagnostic and surgical procedures to meet expectations of the patients and to improve organizations capacity. But they often forget the importance of communicating with the people in rural and remote areas to provide health education and create health awareness in them which in turn can prevent number of diseases. Telemedicine will help the healthcare professionals working at district and regional hospitals or multispecialty private hospitals to communicate with the people in rural areas who dont have proper access to healthcare services. It will help these professionals to know the problems of rural and remote population. Telemedicine is a broad concept. Here the delivery of health services depends upon application of telecommunication. Sharing or transfer of knowledge in terms of distance education and remote consulting diagnosis within different medical fields can be included in the concept of telemedicine. AIM (1990) defines telemedicine as the investigation, monitoring, management and education of the patients as well as staff which allows ready access to expert advice and patient information irrespective of location of patient or relevant information. Public and private health sectors have to do much by making use of effective telemedicine technology. It can definitely contribute a lot to health sectors by making utilization of available resources more effectively in various telemedical services (Nymo, 1993). An upcoming challenge mainly for the public health services will be to meet the demand of tremendously increasing population especially in the developing countries with the use of available resources (funds, healthcare professionals technology). It is not possible to replace the physician or other healthcare professionals involved in a patient relation by using this technology. But the thing is that it can facilitate in delivering integrated health care service to the patients. Thus telemedicine can play a vital role by providing economical benefits to the healthcare system of respective country. Telemedicine technology can act as a lifeline for most of the people who come under poor economical background mainly from developing country like India where there is inequality in delivery of healthcare services. More than 70% of the population live in rural area. On the other hand these people dont receive quality of healthcare services due to insufficient number of healthcare professionals especially in public healthcare centres and lack of infrastructure. Because of lack of facilities in these areas makes it more difficult to retain speciality healthcare professionals in rural and remote areas. Thats why most of the specialists are situated in district and capital places. The rural people have to spend more time and money as well to get consultation from specialists. Telemedicine will help to reduce the unnecessary wastage of cost and time by bridging rural health centres with the district and multispecialty hospitals situated in big cities (Kuppuswamy Pandian, 2008). All researchers dealing with information technology and healthcare have said that information technologies play a vital role in making a healthcare system more successful. Nowadays in early stage of onset of disease, people in rural and remote area where there is unavailability of specialists in healthcare need not to visit directly to the specialists in cities to get consulted from them. Development of advanced communication technologies like telemedicine will make it possible for these people to get treatment at initial stage without travelling to cities which will reduce further complications related to respective diseases. But development and implementation of any IT system in healthcare is not an easy task. As Collen (1995) have stated, developing a comprehensive medical information system is a more complex task than putting a man on the moon had been. Many organizations have faced problematic situations while implementing telemedicine or any other e-Health systems because of different reasons. Before implementing any change within the organizational set up it is very important to know the views of stakeholders who are going to involved in the process. It needs good planning and management to make the change successful. According to Collins (2000), it is necessary to understand views, experiences and purposes of the providers as well as users of healthcare services to address the issues and resolve the problems before full implementation of telemedicine. Identifying, understanding and describing the key aspects of effective health communication and information system (Telemedicine) as well as making the use of findings as a basis for the success of healthcare management in both private and public sector are the main aims of this research study. In this thesis paper I will discuss the importance of health communication (especially providing needed health education to the under and uneducated people in remote and rural area of India) and use of telemedicine to deliver better healthcare services to the rural population. I will try to understand the thoughts of healthcare professionals and patients regarding this topic. The main purpose behind this is to make further development for the integral growth of healthcare management in rural and remote areas of India. This research is aimed to find out the answers relevant to the following research questions: What do we know about effective health communication and telemedicine? How will it be possible to communicate with the people in rural areas? What are the opinions of healthcare professionals and patients regarding importance of health education and use of telemedicine system? In what ways might telemedicine influence information seeking, communicating and creating health awareness in a rural community of India? According to the above research questions, this thesis will firstly try to discuss the important notions of health communication and telemedicine and secondly interpretation of the findings of interviews of healthcare professionals and feedback of the patients from questionnaire. The overall aim of this research is to know the importance of health communication and telemedicine through qualitative research and make use of that knowledge for the further growth of healthcare management in rural community of India. Objectives of this research study are- To study the role of health communication and telemedicine in rural health care. To know various methods those are used by healthcare professionals to provide health education to the people of rural area. To understand how health communication and telemedicine can play a vital role in changing behaviour of rural population. Review of Literature Health communication: Health communication addresses, how individual and community decisions about knowledge of health and practices are informed and influenced through communication. As stated by Rai (1999), communication is the means through which we practice and influence to bring changes in the views and attitudes of others, motivate them and maintain a healthy relation with them. In other words it is the cycle of exchanging emotions, ideas and opinions in the form of information in between sender and receiver. Health communication links the regions of health and communication and considered as an important component of efforts in improving public and personal health status (Jackson Duffy, 1998). There is specific purpose behind doing any act. Communication is done to make someone think in a particular way, to do something or take action. There are different functions of communication as stated by Andal (1998). Instrumental Function To achieve something. Information Function To find out or explain something. Social Contact Function To make enjoyable environment. Control Function To get someone to behave in a particular way. Expression Function To express the feelings or present oneself in a particular way. Role Related Function Situation requires it. Educational Function To transmit knowledge. Stimulation Function To bring interest. Entertainment Function To provide leisure activity. Cultural Promotion Function To reinforce cultural rites. Effective communication: The main purpose of having communication is the exchange or transfer of information in the form of thoughts and ideas (Ramchandran Dharmalingam, 2001). It is the most important aspect of educational process which aims at change in behaviour or attitude and improves level of knowledge. We can say communication was effective only if the message is correctly interpreted by the receiver and utilized it for improvement of the knowledge. Thus effective communication means not only reaching of information but also enabling the receiver to have change in information or improvement in knowledge. Health communication includes understanding and use of communication strategies to enhance community and individual decisions to improve the current health status. It binds the domains of health and communication to improve the health of the population. Health communication can contribute largely in prevention and promotion of diseases, to improve health provider-patient relations, in movement of public and individual health risk information, formulation of public health messages, in providing education o the population about how to find access to the public healthcare delivery system and total development of telemetric applications as well as attachment of individuals to clinical recommendations (Feng H, 2006). Health communication is the use of communication techniques and technologies to positively influence organizations, individuals and population for the purpose of promoting conditions conducive to human and environmental health. It may include various activities such as physician-patient interactions, self help groups, classes, mailings, mass media events and campaigns (US department of health and human services, 2000). Health communication is the dissemination and interpretation of health related messages (Donohew Ray 1990, Steinberg 2007). Health communication is a hybrid field that derives from communication studies, marketing, journalism and public relations and also overlaps with health education and health promotion (Cline, 2003). As stated by WHO (1946), Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Health encircles the essence of health education by making communities as well as individuals as equal partners in the process of assuring freedom from illness or diseases and achieving the highest level of physical, social and mental health (Gupta Mahajan, 1991). In determining the Physical well being of the individuals, the factors such as where they work, with whom they interact and what kind of work they do should be considered to improve health. A series of operational tasks have to be completed in the process of development of any health communication. At the basic level, these tasks may contain choosing credible sources, selecting a strategy of message and deciding the ideal channels or settings through which the communication is to be delivered (Kreuter Wray, 2003). Each single activity of these provides an opportunity to improve the application of communication to its intended audience. Communication may contain planned or unplanned content which has the ability to convey positive, negative or neutral health messages to the community. Usually specific strategies are followed behind planned messages for its formulation and placement. These are intended to change behaviour, beliefs and attitudes of the people. Thus health communication is an important part of healthcare which is aimed at promoting healthy behaviour. Health education is a type of medium which is used to make people aware of healthy behaviour patterns and its importance. But the success of health communication or health education programs depends upon the interest of the people. It is very important that they should involve actively in it. We cant enforce people to change; we can motivate them to adopt healthy life. It is a notoriously complex and problematic task to change ones health related behaviour (Lawrence, 1999). It is demonstrated through research that clients attachment to their own health status is the important factor in their adoption to a behavioural health change (Callaghan, 1999). Health communication may take place between health care providers and patients or health care providers and people in the community. It may take place directly or indirectly at even real time. Development of information systems is really important to make health communication successful at broader level. People in rural and remote areas dont receive proper healthcare services due to many problems. So it is very important to communicate with them to know the problems they are facing and make the necessary planning and implementation to resolve those. By means of communication technologies like telemedicine it will be possible to have communication between the healthcare professionals at speciality hospitals situated in cities and people of rural and remote areas. This will help to solve many health problems of rural population. Other than this it will make possible for healthcare professionals at public primary health centres or even who doing private practice in rural areas to have communication with specialists in multispecialty hospitals. It will help these professionals in making the decisions, diagnosis and treatment. It will also help these professionals to update their own knowledge. Various channels used for having health communication are as below, Press Health related articles in newspaper are important channels to distribute information. Health magazine If information is presented well in the magazines then these can become valuable mean of communication. Posters These are made colourful to attract the attention of the people and convey the health messages to them. This is the easiest and cheapest way of disseminating information to the people. These are widely used by the healthcare professionals at hospital and community to provide health information to a small group of people. Films These are expensive and difficult to acquire. On the other hand are suitable to audience. Can convey intended health message to a large number of people in less time. Radio An important channel of providing health education. But health talks should not be too long. Television It is quite expensive at the beginning of establishment but after that it becomes the most effective channel as message can be delivered to huge number of people within short time. Health museums Can be effective. Health exhibition If it is well targeted and arranged properly then can attract and arouse large number of people. Telemedicine Difficult to implement but can reach to remote and rural population easily. Internet Easy and cheap way of communication. But less effective in a country with low literacy rate. (Babu S 2004. Review in community medicine; pg 181) Health Education: Health education programs related to behavioural change are considered as a mainstay of healthcare activity. The effect of these programs depends up on the nature of their intention and the way they are delivered (Whitehead Russel, 2004). Health education is a social science that draws from the medical, biological, physical, environmental and psychological sciences to prevent the onset of diseases and promote health through education driven behaviour changing activities. In other words, health education is the development of an individual or group or community health knowledge, skills and behaviour with the help of systemic strategies. Throughout this century health education has been an important element of action in prevention of diseases and promotion of health. Health campaigns to prevent communicable diseases, to promote maternal and child health, to promote immunization, to educate about family planning methods as well as its importance and other preventive health services have long history. Health education directed towards these goals in most of the developing countries remains an essential weapon in prevention of diseases and promotion of health (Nutbeam D, 2000). The main objective behind providing health education is to positively influence health related behaviour of the community and individuals. It also helps to influence living and working conditions that enhance their health. Health education is the process which includes activities like providing information, motivating and helping people to adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles, advocates environmental variations that are required to facilitate this goal and conduct research and professional training (Baride Kulkarni, 1998). Health education is related to changes in feelings, knowledge and behaviour of people. It focuses on developing healthy lifestyles and believed to attend the best possible state of well being (Dharmalingam Ramchandram, 2001). It is the process carried through the active involvement of people targeted at initiation of healthy behaviour and knowing the peoples prejudices and practices that are determent to health for achieving the goal of health. A series of stages and people efforts by themselves are involved in the process of health education. Health education is an activity which may be required for each individual at any time. It is a continuous ongoing process of learning from others. Anyone who knows that what is necessary for the maintenance of good health can provide health education to the others by using proper communication channel and ideas. As health education has to do with health, it is very important to have wide and correct knowledge regarding health and diseases for disseminating or transmitting ideas for the purpose of developing necessary behaviour and attitude. In the process of health education theories and principles of education and learning are applied. Thats why a person who is trained properly for delivering healthcare is better fit to provide health education to the community. It doesnt mean that any person who is from non medical background cannot play a role of health educator but only indicates the importance of possession of correct and complete knowledge related to health, diseases and their application. As the main motto of health education is to change behaviour of the people, health educator must learn and cultivate skills to communicate, educate, involve and motivate them. Health educator should be known to theories of community organization as well as knowledge and principles of social psychology. Different planning models are used for the development of health education interventions. Public health models used in social medicine and epidemiology are slightly different from public health models used in health education. As stated by Kok and et al (1997), interventions of behaviour focused health promotion and health education are usually based on planning models of following type, Health problem Behaviour that is determinant of the problem Psychosocial and environmental determinants of behaviour Development and implementation of the intervention Evaluation Not only epidemiologic analysis but also a behavioural science approach to intervention implementation and psycho-social analysis is needed in this type of planning model. If behaviour is an important factor behind existence of health problem then it is necessary to analyze the determinants of the behaviour. These determinants may be environmental or psycho-social (emotional resistance, risk perception, perceived norms, knowledge etc.). Most of the times the focus is given only on individual behaviour but its important to target social as well as physical environment for health education interventions. Approaches to health education:- According to Tones (1986), there are three approaches to health education as follow, Traditional approach It focuses on individual. Its goal is to convince the individual to adopt needed lifestyle to prevent onset of diseases and hence reduce morbidity and mortality in the population. The reason behind this is; in the Western industrialized society the curative medicine cannot deal effectively with the contemporary burden of disease. And not only high technology is ineffective but also it is iatrogenic and expensive. Health education have major role in secondary as well as tertiary prevention apart from its potential for primary prevention. Another advantage of it is that it offers financial savings to the government by reducing the demands on health service. Philosophical approach According to this approach health education is concerned with freedom of choice and rationality. It states that only provision of information regarding health issues is not sufficient to bring behavioural change. To facilitate decision making is considered as the primary goal of health education irrespective of the nature of decision which might be made ultimately. The principle of voluntarism has been adopted by the Society of Public Health Educators of America in its code of ethics. Thus it can be argued that this model of health education has Official approval. Writers such as Green (1980) have consistently supported fostering informed health choices and protecting free will. This approach has its critics regarding the nature of genuine free choice. It is clear in many ways that freedom of choice can be limited. It is less apparent fact that an individuals capacity for making rational and voluntaristic choices can be reduced by particular kinds of socialization especially which occurs in the context of the culture of poverty. On the other hand, individuals have greater degree of genuine choice whose socialization has provided them with self empowering skills and experiences. In many instances freedom of choice is cut short manifestly by adverse social circumstances. It is therefore will be ineffective and unethical to educate people in such circumstances. Radical approach Nutbeam,d Health literacy as a public health goal: a challenge for contemporary health education and communication strategies into the 21st century , Health Promotion International, Vol. 15, No. 3, 259-267, September 2000 Steinberg, S (2007). An introduction to communication studies, Juta and co. Publication, Cape town. Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization as adopted by the International Health Conference, New York, 19-22 June, 1946; signed on 22 July 1946 by the representatives of 61 States (Official Records of the World Health Organization, no. 2, p. 100) and entered into force on 7 April 1948.

Satire in George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) :: Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984 Essays

Satire in 1984 1984 is a political parable. George Orwell wrote the novel to show society what it could become if things kept getting worse. The first paragraph of the book tells the reader of the "swirl of gritty dust....The hallway smelt of boiled cabbage and old rag mats." Just from these few lines Orwell makes it clear that there was absolutely nothing victorious abuot Victory Mansions. Every image the reader recieves from Winston Smith is pessimistic. Hate week, for example, is a big event in Oceania. The citizens prepare for it like Christmas. Instead of jolly songs with family and friends over punch, Hate week is celebrated with fists in the air while chanting about death, Goldstien, and whatever the party wanted the citizens to disgust. Winston hates the party and Big Brother. He hates the "pure" ones, also. Everthing about Winston's life drives him closer and closer to a suicidal point each day. What makes things worse, hte Party makes Winston think that he is crazy for wanting to be free to think and for wanting to remember. These simple things are taken for granted today. George Orwell devilishly illustrates the brutality that man can be capabel of when he is given such power. The people of Oceania are forced to love Big Brother. There is possibly no one that loves Bill Clinton, besides his family. there are several that love to makes fun of him, but on the political mainstream love is not involved as it is in Oceania. The setting in itself is an extremely important part of the novel. Winston lived in a "dark, gray drab jungle." Posters of Big Brothr were everywhere. The telescreen could see and hear asmost everything that Winston did. However, Winston could hide from it long enough to write in his diary even though he knew he would get caught eventually. Winston was alienated before Julia. He didn't have much contact with other people; he was constantly hungry both physically and emotionally. However, it is ironic that Winston enjoys the work he does but he hates

Dried Papaya Leaves as Organic Mulch for Tomato Plants

Dried Papaya Leaves as Organic Mulch for Tomato Plants Abstract Mulching in agricultural provides a safe yet equally profitable method of enriching and fertilizing the soil planted with crops. Most often-used mulches are of organic composition, such as dry leaves and barks. Unlike  synthetic fertilizers  and herbicides, these organic mulches pose no or little damage to the soil and crops. In this study, the effectiveness of  dried papaya  leaves as organic mulch for tomato was tested.Papaya mulches in different thickness were applied on plots planted with tomato in three replications. After the determined period of mulch  application, the researchers  application, the researchers measured the height increases of tomato plants and the weed density in the plots. It was concluded that papaya mulch significantly promoted height increase of tomato plants and inhibited the growth of weeds. The best mulch was 3 inches in thickness. IntroductionUsually defined as the use of organ ic and biodegradable materials to give plants the nutrients they need, organic farming proved to be the safest and most effective method of increasing and sustaining yield. Various methods fall under organic farming, such as composting, green manuring, legume inoculating, and utilizing animal manure as fertilizers. Mulching is a simple process that increases soil fertility and regulating several factors affecting overall plant growth. In this method, a layer of material-the mulch-is placed on soil surface around the plant.The mulch is used to retard the growth of weeds, protect roots and stems from sudden or extreme temperature changes, reduce soil erosion by wind and water, retard runoff of rainfall, prevent soil pudding by breaking the impact of raindrops, and keep flowers and fruits from being spattered with mud during rainstorms. Hypotheses 1. Treatment 2 (black plastic mulch)  was the most  effective mulch for growing eggplant in terms of:a. Controlling  weedsb. Insect  Countc. Number  of  damaged  and  undamaged fruits. Weight of  damaged and undamaged fruits 2. There was  a significant  difference among the treatments  in terms  of:a.Controlling  weedsb. Insect  Countc. Number  of  damaged  and  undamaged fruits. Weight  of  damaged and  undamaged  fruits 3. Treatment 2 (black plastic mulch)  was the most  effective mulch for growing eggplant in terms of producing undamaged fruits. Significance of the study Nowadays, various processes and methods have been considered inorganic farming such as composting and utilizing animal manure. These methods have been proven in giving excellent growth and development of plants. One of the techniques in organic farming that have been used today is mulching, either dry or wet season.It is very effective in conserving soil moisture for  the plants, prevents growth of weeds, can lessen  the use of chemicals like insecticides and pesticides, keep flowers and fruits fr om being spattered with mud during rainy days, keeps the soil cooler during summer and keeps warmer in rainy season . Numerous recyclable materials are found in our surroundings such as barks, leaves, rice straw, sacks and plastics that can be used for some agricultural purposes like mulching and these materials can be used as an organic fertilizer for plants.Furthermore, rice straw, sacks and plastics has been proven as mulch for plants. If these materials were used properly, it would be a big benefit to the humanity particularly to the farmers . It is for this reason that, the researchers thought of exploring the comparison between rice straw, black plastic and white old sack as mulch for eggplant in terms of number of weeds ,number of insects, number and weight of fruits. Through this, the farmers will have comprehensive information about the differences between the different mulching materials.In addition,  this  study  can  help  the  farmers  to  lessen  the use  of  chemical  products  and  will contribute to the protection of the environment for not using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides which could harm our nature but rather the mulching materials that have a minimal cost and environment friendly. These will also help the  country’s aim in harnessing the full potential of  its natural resources. Definition of terms Papaya leaves are commonly used as organic mulch for tomato plants as they provide all the nutrients required by the plant, without the need to cover the tomato plant in pesticides.Tomatoes grow right through from the spring until autumn, and turn in a number of fruit harvests during this period of time. They are incredibly hungry and thirsty plants and require mulch all summer long for their protection. * Organic mulch for tomatoes Organic mulch can be made from any kind of plant or animal matter and papaya leaves are perfect for this. Other things that can be used include bark, pine chips, grass clippings, spent leaves and regular compost. Papaya leaves are ideal and you can prepare them in the same way you'd prepare any kind of mulch for your plants. * How to apply the mulchTomatoes will need between 2 and 3 inches of organic mulch surrounding them at all times. This is to ensure that nutrients remain in the soil, and that it remains warm and moist. It is also to discourage the growth of weeds and protect the plant from soil-born diseases and pests. Anyone going about this should lay down a number of layers of papaya leaves over the soil around the tomatoes with a view to achieve the aforementioned depth. Maintaining the plant and mulch Over time, the organic matter (the papaya leaves) will break down and return to the soil, putting nutrients back into the soil for the plant as well.This means that your plant obtains organic nutrients as well as organic protection from the elements. Any gardener will need to monitor the layer of mulch and ensure that it is replenished suff iciently throughout the summer. Review of Related Literature Mulch is a layer of material, preferably organic material that is placed on the soil surface to conserve moisture, hold down weeds,  and ultimately improve soil structure and fertility. There is more to mulch than meets the eye. Be it a fluffy blanket of hay, a rich brown carpet of cocoa bean hells, or a mantle of sawdust that â€Å"topping† for the vegetable patch and flower bed serves as much more than frosting on the garden cake. Mulch Acts. It performs in several wondrous ways. It fills a role as protector of the topsoil conserver of moisture, guardian against weather extremes and comfortable, bruise-saving cushioned under repining procedure. It prevents weed growth while enriching the soil and all but eliminates a lot of those time-consuming, back aching  jobs like plowing and cultivating always. Materials and MethodologyDried papaya  leaves make an ideal organic  mulch, providing warmth and nutrition t o the  tomato plant  below, while also helping to prevent the growth of unwanted weeds and proliferation of diseases, as well as protecting them from soil borne pests. All that is needed for papaya  mulch  is the  dried leaves  of the papaya tree. Unfortunately, papaya grows in a  tropical climate  so many not be so easy to come by, although the Internet is an incredible resource for obtaining the unobtainable. If you are geographically fortunate to have a tree growing near you then simply harvest it of its leaves and then dry them out.There are three ways this can be done: 1. Pat dry any moisture on the papaya leaves, hang them up and leave to air in a dark and dry place. This could take several weeks depending on the climate. 2. Place the leaves on a baking tray and heat at around 225 degrees Fahrenheit, monitoring them closely until the moisture has evaporated but before they become brittle or burn. 3. Alternatively zap them in  the microwave  on a low heat un til dry. Once dry  apply  the  mulch  at roughly around two to three inches thick on  the soil  bed and around the base of the tomato plants. For best results, he  mulch  should be replenished during the summer once the previous  mulch  has decomposed. The effect of papaya leaves as  mulch  is that they bring the soil's pH level to a more neutral range which is the preference of most plants. To make mulch for  tomato plants  from  dried papaya  leaves, you'll need a  mulch lawn mower  and a wood chipping device. By beginning your mulch pile in the autumn months, and continually adding  wood chips  and mulched,  dried papaya  leaves, you'll soon be ready to add  the pile  to the earth  around your  tomato plants  (in late spring or early summer).The best mulches, such as mulch created with  dried papaya  leaves, are used to add height and width to  tomato plants. The nutrients and  chemical composition  of  dried papay a  leaves makes these leaves very effective fertilizers for  tomato plants. Tomato Growing Tips †¢ When planting your tomatoes from seeds, be sure you space the seeds out and give each seed plenty of room to sprout roots and grow. The best tomato growers give each seedling a few inches of space before planting the next seed. If you don't have much soil to grow your tomatoes in, consider planting less seeds, but taking excellent care of the seedlings that are already in place.To get the best results, seeds need plenty of room to  branch  out and lay down roots. †¢ Trimming your plants with garden shears can be a great way to ensure that you get bigger, juicier tomatoes during the growing season. In general, removing leaves from the bottom portion of the  tomato plant  is the best gardening  strategy. It's fine to leave the top leaves as they are when tending to your  tomato plants. Mulching is a clever way to amp up the size and scale of your  tomato plant s, and dried papaya  leaves are terrific natural â€Å"food† for  tomato plants.If you're examining ways to improve your yield of  tomato plants  this year, be sure to think about creating a mulch pile filled with shredded papaya leaves and  wood chips. Discussion of results Based on the data the researchers have gathered, we can see how the set-ups with dried papaya leaf mulch had a higher growth rate than those without. After the allotted time for the experiment, all the plants from the mulch set-up grew at least 7cm higher with the highest growing 8cm higher. On the other hand the set-ups without mulch only grew at least 5cm taller with the highest growing only 7cmtaller.Set-ups Set-up  Parts| Before  Mulch  Exposure| After  One  Week| Tomato plant| Light  Green  leafs  | Dark  Green  leafs,  taller| Dried Papaya Leaf Mulch| Damp| Dry,  bad  smell| Summary All plants are still healthy  because  of the color of  their leaves. By wee k 3, the average height of the A plants is 4. 462 cm (2. 44 cm more than initial average height). The average height of the B plants by week 3 is 5. 990 cm (3. 804 cm more than initial average height). Conclusion The researchers therefore conclude that using dried papaya leaves as mulch for tomato plant helps tremendously in its growth rate.Dried papaya leaves have nutrients that help nurture the soil so that it will be more favorable conditions for the growth of tomato plants. Also the researchers found out that dried papaya leaves are basic and therefore help make the soil in which tomato plants grow more neutral. This is important because studies have shown that neutral pH levels of soil are the most favorable conditions for a tomato plant to grow in. Recommendations 1. All plants could be at  the same initial height at the  start of the experiment to  have more consistent data and to see the growth with more precision. . Based on our further research, testing dried papaya leafs as insect repellants would be a more effective topic than testing its characteristic as alkaline mulch. 3. There could have been a set-up in which a commercial fertilizer was used to be able to compare the mulch's attributes to fertilizers used by farmers all around the country. 4. The set-ups could have been observed for at least two more weeks to check if  the growth rate for both set-ups would have remained constant or changed over  time. Dried Papaya Leaves as Organic Mulch for Tomato Plants Dried Papaya Leaves as Organic Mulch for Tomato Plants Abstract Mulching in agricultural provides a safe yet equally profitable method of enriching and fertilizing the soil planted with crops. Most often-used mulches are of organic composition, such as dry leaves and barks. Unlike  synthetic fertilizers  and herbicides, these organic mulches pose no or little damage to the soil and crops. In this study, the effectiveness of  dried papaya  leaves as organic mulch for tomato was tested.Papaya mulches in different thickness were applied on plots planted with tomato in three replications. After the determined period of mulch  application, the researchers  application, the researchers measured the height increases of tomato plants and the weed density in the plots. It was concluded that papaya mulch significantly promoted height increase of tomato plants and inhibited the growth of weeds. The best mulch was 3 inches in thickness. IntroductionUsually defined as the use of organ ic and biodegradable materials to give plants the nutrients they need, organic farming proved to be the safest and most effective method of increasing and sustaining yield. Various methods fall under organic farming, such as composting, green manuring, legume inoculating, and utilizing animal manure as fertilizers. Mulching is a simple process that increases soil fertility and regulating several factors affecting overall plant growth. In this method, a layer of material-the mulch-is placed on soil surface around the plant.The mulch is used to retard the growth of weeds, protect roots and stems from sudden or extreme temperature changes, reduce soil erosion by wind and water, retard runoff of rainfall, prevent soil pudding by breaking the impact of raindrops, and keep flowers and fruits from being spattered with mud during rainstorms. Hypotheses 1. Treatment 2 (black plastic mulch)  was the most  effective mulch for growing eggplant in terms of:a. Controlling  weedsb. Insect  Countc. Number  of  damaged  and  undamaged fruits. Weight of  damaged and undamaged fruits 2. There was  a significant  difference among the treatments  in terms  of:a.Controlling  weedsb. Insect  Countc. Number  of  damaged  and  undamaged fruits. Weight  of  damaged and  undamaged  fruits 3. Treatment 2 (black plastic mulch)  was the most  effective mulch for growing eggplant in terms of producing undamaged fruits. Significance of the study Nowadays, various processes and methods have been considered inorganic farming such as composting and utilizing animal manure. These methods have been proven in giving excellent growth and development of plants. One of the techniques in organic farming that have been used today is mulching, either dry or wet season.It is very effective in conserving soil moisture for  the plants, prevents growth of weeds, can lessen  the use of chemicals like insecticides and pesticides, keep flowers and fruits fr om being spattered with mud during rainy days, keeps the soil cooler during summer and keeps warmer in rainy season . Numerous recyclable materials are found in our surroundings such as barks, leaves, rice straw, sacks and plastics that can be used for some agricultural purposes like mulching and these materials can be used as an organic fertilizer for plants.Furthermore, rice straw, sacks and plastics has been proven as mulch for plants. If these materials were used properly, it would be a big benefit to the humanity particularly to the farmers . It is for this reason that, the researchers thought of exploring the comparison between rice straw, black plastic and white old sack as mulch for eggplant in terms of number of weeds ,number of insects, number and weight of fruits. Through this, the farmers will have comprehensive information about the differences between the different mulching materials.In addition,  this  study  can  help  the  farmers  to  lessen  the use  of  chemical  products  and  will contribute to the protection of the environment for not using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides which could harm our nature but rather the mulching materials that have a minimal cost and environment friendly. These will also help the  country’s aim in harnessing the full potential of  its natural resources. Definition of terms Papaya leaves are commonly used as organic mulch for tomato plants as they provide all the nutrients required by the plant, without the need to cover the tomato plant in pesticides.Tomatoes grow right through from the spring until autumn, and turn in a number of fruit harvests during this period of time. They are incredibly hungry and thirsty plants and require mulch all summer long for their protection. * Organic mulch for tomatoes Organic mulch can be made from any kind of plant or animal matter and papaya leaves are perfect for this. Other things that can be used include bark, pine chips, grass clippings, spent leaves and regular compost. Papaya leaves are ideal and you can prepare them in the same way you'd prepare any kind of mulch for your plants. * How to apply the mulchTomatoes will need between 2 and 3 inches of organic mulch surrounding them at all times. This is to ensure that nutrients remain in the soil, and that it remains warm and moist. It is also to discourage the growth of weeds and protect the plant from soil-born diseases and pests. Anyone going about this should lay down a number of layers of papaya leaves over the soil around the tomatoes with a view to achieve the aforementioned depth. Maintaining the plant and mulch Over time, the organic matter (the papaya leaves) will break down and return to the soil, putting nutrients back into the soil for the plant as well.This means that your plant obtains organic nutrients as well as organic protection from the elements. Any gardener will need to monitor the layer of mulch and ensure that it is replenished suff iciently throughout the summer. Review of Related Literature Mulch is a layer of material, preferably organic material that is placed on the soil surface to conserve moisture, hold down weeds,  and ultimately improve soil structure and fertility. There is more to mulch than meets the eye. Be it a fluffy blanket of hay, a rich brown carpet of cocoa bean hells, or a mantle of sawdust that â€Å"topping† for the vegetable patch and flower bed serves as much more than frosting on the garden cake. Mulch Acts. It performs in several wondrous ways. It fills a role as protector of the topsoil conserver of moisture, guardian against weather extremes and comfortable, bruise-saving cushioned under repining procedure. It prevents weed growth while enriching the soil and all but eliminates a lot of those time-consuming, back aching  jobs like plowing and cultivating always. Materials and MethodologyDried papaya  leaves make an ideal organic  mulch, providing warmth and nutrition t o the  tomato plant  below, while also helping to prevent the growth of unwanted weeds and proliferation of diseases, as well as protecting them from soil borne pests. All that is needed for papaya  mulch  is the  dried leaves  of the papaya tree. Unfortunately, papaya grows in a  tropical climate  so many not be so easy to come by, although the Internet is an incredible resource for obtaining the unobtainable. If you are geographically fortunate to have a tree growing near you then simply harvest it of its leaves and then dry them out.There are three ways this can be done: 1. Pat dry any moisture on the papaya leaves, hang them up and leave to air in a dark and dry place. This could take several weeks depending on the climate. 2. Place the leaves on a baking tray and heat at around 225 degrees Fahrenheit, monitoring them closely until the moisture has evaporated but before they become brittle or burn. 3. Alternatively zap them in  the microwave  on a low heat un til dry. Once dry  apply  the  mulch  at roughly around two to three inches thick on  the soil  bed and around the base of the tomato plants. For best results, he  mulch  should be replenished during the summer once the previous  mulch  has decomposed. The effect of papaya leaves as  mulch  is that they bring the soil's pH level to a more neutral range which is the preference of most plants. To make mulch for  tomato plants  from  dried papaya  leaves, you'll need a  mulch lawn mower  and a wood chipping device. By beginning your mulch pile in the autumn months, and continually adding  wood chips  and mulched,  dried papaya  leaves, you'll soon be ready to add  the pile  to the earth  around your  tomato plants  (in late spring or early summer).The best mulches, such as mulch created with  dried papaya  leaves, are used to add height and width to  tomato plants. The nutrients and  chemical composition  of  dried papay a  leaves makes these leaves very effective fertilizers for  tomato plants. Tomato Growing Tips †¢ When planting your tomatoes from seeds, be sure you space the seeds out and give each seed plenty of room to sprout roots and grow. The best tomato growers give each seedling a few inches of space before planting the next seed. If you don't have much soil to grow your tomatoes in, consider planting less seeds, but taking excellent care of the seedlings that are already in place.To get the best results, seeds need plenty of room to  branch  out and lay down roots. †¢ Trimming your plants with garden shears can be a great way to ensure that you get bigger, juicier tomatoes during the growing season. In general, removing leaves from the bottom portion of the  tomato plant  is the best gardening  strategy. It's fine to leave the top leaves as they are when tending to your  tomato plants. Mulching is a clever way to amp up the size and scale of your  tomato plant s, and dried papaya  leaves are terrific natural â€Å"food† for  tomato plants.If you're examining ways to improve your yield of  tomato plants  this year, be sure to think about creating a mulch pile filled with shredded papaya leaves and  wood chips. Discussion of results Based on the data the researchers have gathered, we can see how the set-ups with dried papaya leaf mulch had a higher growth rate than those without. After the allotted time for the experiment, all the plants from the mulch set-up grew at least 7cm higher with the highest growing 8cm higher. On the other hand the set-ups without mulch only grew at least 5cm taller with the highest growing only 7cmtaller.Set-ups Set-up  Parts| Before  Mulch  Exposure| After  One  Week| Tomato plant| Light  Green  leafs  | Dark  Green  leafs,  taller| Dried Papaya Leaf Mulch| Damp| Dry,  bad  smell| Summary All plants are still healthy  because  of the color of  their leaves. By wee k 3, the average height of the A plants is 4. 462 cm (2. 44 cm more than initial average height). The average height of the B plants by week 3 is 5. 990 cm (3. 804 cm more than initial average height). Conclusion The researchers therefore conclude that using dried papaya leaves as mulch for tomato plant helps tremendously in its growth rate.Dried papaya leaves have nutrients that help nurture the soil so that it will be more favorable conditions for the growth of tomato plants. Also the researchers found out that dried papaya leaves are basic and therefore help make the soil in which tomato plants grow more neutral. This is important because studies have shown that neutral pH levels of soil are the most favorable conditions for a tomato plant to grow in. Recommendations 1. All plants could be at  the same initial height at the  start of the experiment to  have more consistent data and to see the growth with more precision. . Based on our further research, testing dried papaya leafs as insect repellants would be a more effective topic than testing its characteristic as alkaline mulch. 3. There could have been a set-up in which a commercial fertilizer was used to be able to compare the mulch's attributes to fertilizers used by farmers all around the country. 4. The set-ups could have been observed for at least two more weeks to check if  the growth rate for both set-ups would have remained constant or changed over  time.

The Meaning of Life Essays - Philosophy Of Life, Meaning Of Life

The Meaning of Life Essays - Philosophy Of Life, Meaning Of Life I believe the meaning of life is to give life a meaning. Throughout my entire life, I have wondered what the purpose is. Why am I and every other human being even on this planet in the first place? That brings me to my next question. Is there a God? If there is, why did he put us here? Any Christian asked will say our sole purpose is to serve God. First of all, what does that even mean? And second, I must ask why? Why would a supernatural being place us strategically on this planet strictly to serve him? That sounds pretty selfish to me. There has to be something more. Something concrete. Something greater. How could there not be? All my life I have worked hard to succeed. I have challenged myself and fought to do better than my best. Why? I asked myself. Why stress so much when Im only going to die in the end? Pessimistic, I know. Finally, I thought, maybe the meaning of life doesnt have to be so complex. Maybe the meaning of life is whatever we want it to be. Maybe the meaning of life is to give life a meaning. I do what I do because I want to do it. Its that simple. I do it because it means something to me. Everyone adds their own meaning to life. The meaning of life is never universal. The meaning of life is never complex. The meaning of life is actually quite simple to think about. Many people help the needy. Others play sports. Both activities add meaning to those lives involved. Purposes change, but the overall meaning of life will always stay the same. The meaning of life is simply to give life a meaning. This I believe.

Free Essays on Plastic Money

Plastic Money Your whole world just fell apart. Or so you think! Imagine that for years you and your partner have been planning a vacation to some faraway island somewhere, far away from work, school or just your everyday routine. When you finally reach the island, you realize that the money you both have been saving was stolen, completely gone. In instances like these, you wish you had some other alternative, other than cash. With the world as it is now and the inconveniences we face daily, we wish that we had something to help us in our time of distress and agony of either the loss or theft of cash. Credit cards can be as much help to everyone in times like these. Credit cards can help to build the economy, help prevent theft of cash, be convenient and even build your credit rating. That is why we should stop using currency and start using only credit cards. Credit cards are better to use than cash because they help to build the economy. This is because of the interest rates you would have to pay back on the cards after you have made a purchase. The use of credit cards have become such a familiar feature of the life style in the world that it is difficult to imagine a consumer economy functioning without them. With this, we can say that day-by-day â€Å"credit cards have increasingly replaced cash as the most convenient way to pay for things† (Poppers, 2002, par.4). Even the mom and pop’s stores are moving with the times, and making credit cards machines available to their customers, in order to increase consumer purchasing, that will, in the long run help to build the economy. As society grows and progresses, people are realizing that credit cards are the way to go in order to increase economic stability. The boom of the credit card industry has affected everyone in the world, no matter where they are from or the stat e of the economy. Secondly, credit cards can also help to prevent the theft of your hard earned cash. For i... Free Essays on Plastic Money Free Essays on Plastic Money Plastic Money Your whole world just fell apart. Or so you think! Imagine that for years you and your partner have been planning a vacation to some faraway island somewhere, far away from work, school or just your everyday routine. When you finally reach the island, you realize that the money you both have been saving was stolen, completely gone. In instances like these, you wish you had some other alternative, other than cash. With the world as it is now and the inconveniences we face daily, we wish that we had something to help us in our time of distress and agony of either the loss or theft of cash. Credit cards can be as much help to everyone in times like these. Credit cards can help to build the economy, help prevent theft of cash, be convenient and even build your credit rating. That is why we should stop using currency and start using only credit cards. Credit cards are better to use than cash because they help to build the economy. This is because of the interest rates you would have to pay back on the cards after you have made a purchase. The use of credit cards have become such a familiar feature of the life style in the world that it is difficult to imagine a consumer economy functioning without them. With this, we can say that day-by-day â€Å"credit cards have increasingly replaced cash as the most convenient way to pay for things† (Poppers, 2002, par.4). Even the mom and pop’s stores are moving with the times, and making credit cards machines available to their customers, in order to increase consumer purchasing, that will, in the long run help to build the economy. As society grows and progresses, people are realizing that credit cards are the way to go in order to increase economic stability. The boom of the credit card industry has affected everyone in the world, no matter where they are from or the stat e of the economy. Secondly, credit cards can also help to prevent the theft of your hard earned cash. For i...

Case note on the decision of the Supreme Court in Autoclenz v Belcher Essay

Case note on the decision of the Supreme Court in Autoclenz v Belcher [2011] - Essay Example It sought to establish the actual employment context between the concerned parties as well as the legitimacy of the written term. In this case, the main question to attend to was as to whether the claimants were actually workers, by taking into consideration the already existing regulations such as the 1998 working time regulation (WTR) and the 1999 national minimum wage regulation (NMWR). The decision offered by this court confirms that a lot of consideration should be given to what exactly was the agreement between the concerned parties alongside a written contract terms2. This does not only imply that an employment tribunal (ET) should only consider the terms written at the commencement of the contract, but also at any subsequent phase which might have altered the terms of the contract. Moreover, ET does not need to be confronted by an evidence or intention of third party deceit for it to search beyond an agreement’s written terms. According to the court, the decision does not change in any way employment laws in any way since rationality is allowed in cases that call for it. Background to the case Autoclenz (appellant) is an organization that participates in the provision of car-cleaning services to both auctioneers and motor retailers. On the other hand, the claimants (respondents) consist of 20 valeter individuals who offered their services to Autoclenz as car valeters. All these valeters signed a contract at the begging with Autoclenz which stated that they were self-employed hence their taxation will be based on that3. However, later in 2007, the claimants were subjected to new contracts by Autoclenz which they were required to sign. The new contract had two main clauses: The first clause allowed the valeters to engage another individual to perform services on their behalf as long as that individual met Autoclenz employment standards. Secondly, by handing over responsibilities to another person, that particular individual’s services will n o longer be needed by Autoclenz. There was also a clause that accorded the veleters a right to work refusal. Moreover, the veleters were to give their absence notification in advance4. The claimants later placed a case at the employment tribunal seeking to be recognized as workers considering the definition of a worker by the WTR and MNWR. Basing on these two employment regulations, they also claimed that their remuneration should be in harmony with the NMWR. On the contrary, these claims seemed to be inconsistent with what the written terms of the contract depicted5. Autoclenz considered the valeters to be self-employed individuals who were not in a position to claim the statutory benefits of an actual employee. The two mentioned regulations look at worker from an identical ground as a person who works under: An employment contract. Or other contracts (implied or express). At first the ET held a stand that the veleters can be taken to be workers as well as employees, since Autoclen z exercised much control over them and they were completely in the business6. Furthermore, all the veleters seemed to have no idea of the substitution clause and for the fact that no one of them had participated in it. However, later the EAT giving the saga a different approach argued that since no clauses whether those of substitution or obligation can be inconsistent with employment contracts or personal performance contracts according to the law, then using the written agreement, the valeters were workers but not employees7. Finally, the Court of Appeal settled on the ET’s decision that considered the valeters as being both workers and employees. Main issue and judgment The main issue in this case was for the Supreme Court to establish whether there is a dispute over what is

What is the optimal rate of inflation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What is the optimal rate of inflation - Essay Example The causes of inflation are many and complex but economists do point towards the interaction between the output given by an economy and the supply of money in a system as well as the interest rates established by the government as guides for what inflation would be present in a country. Monetarist economists believe that the supply of money is most important in setting the rate of inflation while the Keynesian economists suggest that interest rates and economic output set the rate of inflation (Wikipedia, 2007). The problem with defining what the optimal rate of inflation should be comes from the difference in theory and practice. Certain theories point towards negative inflation being the best but it has been shown that countries with negative inflation suffered the consequences because other factors influenced their economic situation. Others suggest that a positive rate could be the optimal answer but some countries have suffered from uncontrolled inflation and overheating economies when inflation became difficult to control. Politicians on the other hand prefer to see zero inflation since it is easy to project an idea of economic stability if they can point towards zero inflation as well as a zero unemployment rate (Palley, 1998). Another difference between economists and the economic policies of several state operated banks around Europe is their optimal rate of inflation. It seems that there is no real consensus on the idea and while some economists suggest that the optimal rate of inflation in an economy is slightly negative (Friedman, M. 1969), others show with examples from recent history that a slight rate of inflation could actually be good for the economy (Sinclair, 2003). The dominant economic paradigm, subscribed to by both the government and the stock markets, is the theory of the Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment (NAIRU). This is also called the alias the natural rate of unemployment (Palley, 1998). The theory maintains that if the