Sample annotated bibliography

Annotated Bibliography

Turnock, Judith, and Cobbs, Price. Cracking the corporate code: the revealing success stories of 32 African American executives. New York: AMACOM publishers, 2003.

Turnock and Cobbs take a unique approach in the analysis of the roles of minority leaders in the corporate environment. This book assesses 32 corporate minority leaders (mostly African Americans) through interviews and research and compiles a set of their qualities, ambitions, personal life, challenges and experiences. It further explores their ability to overcome the challenge of race through building of strong working relations in their organizations. Moreover, Turnock and Cobbs examine the influence of factors such as psychological upbringing, individual personality, cultural background and level of motivation to the development of leadership skills. Therefore, through recounting of previous personal experiences of corporate minority leaders; the authors have managed to change the corporate leadership mentality and hence motivated the aspiring leaders.

Gabarro, John, and Thomas, David. Breaking through, the making of minority executives in corporate America. Boston: Harvard business review press, 1999.

In this book, the authors analyze the ability of people from the minority groups to be successful in the corporate environment. Gabarro and David argue that even though the American society boosts of being indiscriminate in the employment opportunities, only a handful of minority group leaders make it to the top. In this regard, the book focuses on the extra-ordinary qualities, leadership skills and the educational qualifications of such minority leaders. Additionally, Gabarro and David assess both the corporate and the societal effect of having a person from the minority groups in the top management of an organization. Therefore, this book is not only motivational to young minority intellectuals, but outlines the required resilience and determination for minority leaders to be successful in an unfavorable environment.

Beginner’s Guide to blogging

So, you want to start a blog huh? Great idea!
But…how the heck do you get started? There’s so much info out there on the web, and everyone’s telling you to do different things. Who do you listen to? Where’s the starting point?
Damnit, maybe you should just forget it – it’s too confusing!
Well, hold up. I used to be a blogging newbie too. I had the same problems. I started my blog (BloggingBasics101.com) back in 2006, and I knew less than nothing about blogging. In fact it was only the week before I’d learnt what a blog was.
Now I know a ton about them, and my blog’s doing pretty well – I receive more than 200,000 unique visitors per month which makes me consider myself someone you could listen to and learn from when it comes to building your own blog. I’m not some sort of Guru, but I certainly do know the basics.
I promise it’ll be simple, relatively easy, and definitely easy to understand (no stupid jargon). Sound good? Awesome, let’s move on.

Why you should create a blog and join the blogging community

So below, I’m going to outline exactly what you need to do to get started and set up your own personal blog. Before we dive in though, I really want to talk about WHY you should start a blog.
Note: If you already have a solid idea of the whys, then skip this and go right ahead with the guide.

1. Blogging has quickly become one of the most popular ways of communicating and spreading information and news. There are literally millions of blogs online (don’t worry, you can make yours stand out and get noticed!).
2. It’s a great way to express yourself and also a fantastic way to share information with others.
3. You become a better person and a better writer.
4. The best reason? You can make money doing it!

I bet you already knew all of that, but it’s nice to be reminded.
One very last thing before we get started:

Creating your own blog can take a little while, probably up to 30 minutes. So grab yourself a coffee or juice (whatever you fancy) and let’s get stuck in. If you need any help during the set-up process, get in touch with me here and I’ll help as best I can and answer any questions you might have).

How to blog/ steps to blogging

Steps to blogging

1. Choose your preferred blogging platform.
2. Choose whether you want to self-host and a paid domain, or get a free blog.
3. Setting up a blog on your own domain (if you choose self-hosting and a custom domain)
4. Designing your blog (the fun bit!)
5. Useful resources for blogging.

The Steps Covered In This Blogging Guide

There’s five main steps you need to go through in order to set up a blog. If you follow this guide and the five steps, you’ll have your own blog set up in 30 minutes or less. It’s nowhere near as difficult as setting up a website from scratch (there’s very little technical ability needed here). In fact, there’s no coding required by you. Good news, huh?
The Five Steps to Starting a Blog:

• Choose your preferred blogging platform
• Choose whether you want to self-host and a paid domain, or get a free blog
• Setting up a blog on your own domain (if you choose self-hosting and a custom domain)
• Designing your blog (the fun bit!)
• Useful resources for blogging

So, we made it. Phew. Better late than never! So, without further ado, let’s jump into step 1.

Step 1 – Choose your preferred blogging platform

Choosing where you want to build blog is pretty much the first thing you have to do. I’m going to take a leap and assume you’ve heard of WordPress, and this is the platform I advocate. It’s massive. It’s by far one of the biggest blogging platforms in the world, with countless plugins and add-ons and almost infinite ways to design and layout your blog.
There are more than 82 million active users using WordPress = a lot, basically.

There are other alternatives however, and they are listed below:

• Blogger – Definitely the next best thing to WordPress.
• Tumblr – Half social network, half blog. Interesting, and very simple to use.

Even though WordPress is bigger (and probably better) than those two, here are my reasons why you should still go with WordPress:

1. Super easy set-up.
2. Tons of free themes and layouts (I’m not kidding, there’s gazillions).
3. There’s a massive support forum in case you get stuck (you won’t, but it’s nice to have it there if you need it).
4. Your blog will be insanely fast and it’ll also look Functionality and form – perfect!
5. People can interact with you easily. Your content can be shared, commented on, and so on.

Here’s an article about different blogging platforms (including WordPress), give it a read: How to Choose a Blogging Platform – (updated 2015)
Now, Step 2 (see, we’re moving fast now!)

Step 2 – Self-hosting or a free alternative?

Whoa, slow down there! This is the biggest decision you’ll have to make before we go any further. You need to decide whether to pay for your blog or grab a free one.
WordPress, Tumblr and Blogger all offer free blogs for anyone. Awesome, right? It’s perfect for those of us who aren’t super serious about blogging. But it does have downsides:
1) You won’t be able to get your OWN domain name
On a free blog, your blog’s web address (your URL) will be butt-ugly. Like, really ugly. In short, create a free blog with any other the above free blogs and it’ll look like this:

• yourblog.wordpress.com
• yourblog.blogspot.com
• yourblog.tumblr.com

I know, ugly right?
2) Limits and more limits
There are some limits to free blogs. You can’t fully monetize it, and you don’t have the possibility to upload all those videos and images you want to show everyone – it’s all limited. Worse still, you won’t even have access to the free themes offered by WordPress.
3) You DON’T OWN your blog
It might sound silly at first, but you don’t actually own your blog. It’s hosted on someone else’s web property and they can delete it if they want so. They have done so in the past, and keep doing it in the future. Which means all your hard work on your blog, all those countless hours of writing blog posts might be vanished within seconds. Sad…

On the other hand, with a self-hosted blog on your own domain name – you are the REAL owner of your blog. You’ll be able to name your blog whatever you want, for example “YourName.com” or “YourAwesomeBlog.com. You can end it with .com, .co.uk, .net, .org, or virtually any other web suffix. Add to that unlimited bandwidth for videos, images and content plus the free themes and you have a winning combo.
So how much is hosting and a domain name? Not as much as you’re thinking, fortunately. It usually works out to about $4 per month, depending on your hosting provider. Any more than that, and you’re getting robbed.
If you still have questions, here’s some further information for you to look at:

• Should I Choose a Hosted or Non-hosted Blogging Platform?

Step 3 – Start a blog on your own domain (if you chose self-hosting and a custom domain)

I’m going to push ahead based on the premise you’ve chosen WordPress, and if you haven’t, you should. Seriously, it’s the best.
If you’re still a little confused by what a self-hosted blog is, allow me to explain and how you can go about setting one up for yourself.
You’ll need to come up with a domain name you like and also choose a hosting company that can host your blog.

• Domain: The domain is basically the URL of your website. Examples: google.com (Google.com is the domain), Facebook.com (Facebook.com is the domain). See? Simple!
• Hosting: Hosting is basically the company that puts your website up on the internet so everyone else can see it. Everything will be saved on there. Think of it as a computer hard-drive on the internet where your blog will be saved.

Personally, I use iPage (for my blog domain and hosting), and I’ve got nothing but good things to say about it. It’s probably one of the cheapest (less than $3 a month) hosting providers out there. A domain name will cost around $12 a year, but with iPage they throw that in for free :). Big smiles for that! They’re the providers I use for all of my blogs, including the one you’re reading right now.
For any odd reason you don’t want to go with iPage, feel free to choose your own hosting company. Most, if not all of them, should have “one-click” WordPress install on the admin panel.
That button will automatically install WordPress on your blog. Did I say it was simple or what?
All you need to do is sign up with iPage (or your chosen provider), choose your hosting plan and a domain name and look for the one-click WordPress install button on the admin panel.
Website essentials aren’t often needed, but I’d recommend whois privacy (that will keep all your details private) and definitely automated backups (this’ll save your website just in case anything fails or disappears, so you won’t lose any or very little of your blog).
Once WordPress is installed on your website, all you have to do to start blogging is go to www.yourblognamehere.com/wp-admin and start writing by adding a new post.
At the start, the layout looks confusing, but it gets very understandable quickly. Don’t worry!

Step 4 – Designing your WordPress blog

Now, the fun bit. Let’s make your blog look exactly how you want it to. To choose a new theme, you can either head to Appearance > Themes or you can head to a premium theme website like ThemeForest.net.
I usually choose something that looks professional and pretty easy to customise. WordPress also has this awesome feature that allows you to change themes with just a few clicks. So if you start getting tired of your current blog template, you can just switch to another one without losing any precious content or images.

Remember, your blog’s design should reflect both you and your personality, but also what the blog is about. There’s no point having a football-orientated theme if your blog is about tennis, understand?
On top of that, it should be easy to navigate if you want people to stick around. If it’s tricky and difficult to move around it, people won’t stay. Design is a subjective art; meaning everyone likes different things.
But no one likes ugly websites, and they especially hate websites that need a university degree to navigate. Make it easy for them.

How to pass exams

1. Read early
2. Note down the hard parts
3. Develop a working schedule
4. Consult from friends/teachers
5. Study smart

Benefits of smartphones

The following are the benefits of Smartphones

1. Has faster speed compared to other phones
2. Enables multi-tasking
3. Is compatible with many Apps.
4. Has a larger screen size
5. Is closely related to a mini-computer

Radio frequency and magnetism

Radio frequency and magnetism

Abstract

Broadly speaking, radio frequency (RF) is the process of exploitation of the electromagnetic phenomena of waves of the spectrum ranging between 3Hz and 300GHz. It is one of the most important technologies in the world today. The possibility of the presence of electromagnetic waves was first established by James Maxwell in 1864. Radio technology later developed into mass communication and entertainment with the invention of the radars and television. Although electromagnetic fields have become an essential part of life because of the numerous applications, there is a growing concerning about the bioeffects that may come due to exposure to such fields. This paper will discuss the use of radio frequency in the medical field, the components of the skin affected by the radio frequencies and the subjective tests used to evaluate the efficacy. Finally, the paper will discuss the writer’s opinion on the subject matter.

Key terms; Radio Frequency, monopolar, bipolar and unipolar

Thesis statement; Over the past 10 years, radio frequency (RF) and Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) technology has been utilized for non ablative treatment of rhytides and skin laxity. The desires for a youthful appearance and advancement in technology have made these treatments   widely available.

                                                                                                                                                I.            Brief about Radio Frequency

Radio frequency has a spectrum range of 3Hz to 300 GHz. Radio frequencies are normally as a result of electric fields. With any electric fields then there must be a corresponding magnetic field.

                                                                                                      II.            Applications of Radio Frequency in the medical field

 Radio frequency and electromagnetic radiations have number of applications in the human medical field. The goal of the new technology-based radio frequency ranges is to heat target layers of the skin. The use of RF can cause dermal heating and cause collagen degeneration. Wound healing mechanisms accelerate the remodeling of collagen and wound contraction, which ultimately clinically promotes the appearance of mild to moderate skin laxity. Other medical applications include magnetic resonance imaging, radiofrequency thermal ablation, localized dielectric heating or shortwave diathermy and other paramedical RF uses. Radio Frequency and Pulsed Electromagnetic Field skin tightening is a new and very promising tool for the nonsurgical tightening of loose, sagging skin.

                                                                                                                                                                III.            Types of Devices

In this particular application, RF energy is produced by a current that is sufficient enough pass through the tissue. Heat energy is generated by the RF in the form of electric fields to the charges that act on the target tissue. The RF heating is usually independent of the skin type, and therefore patients of diverse skin prototypes can be safely treated. However, the treatment comes with an effect depending on the tissue targeted. These effects will either be clinical or biological.  The depth of penetration is usually inversely proportional to the frequency of the RF energy so the lower the higher the frequency the lower the penetration and vice versa. The RF technology also can selectively heat large amounts of subcutaneous adipose tissue by selecting the most appropriate electric field. The RF is usually delivered using monopolar, bipolar and unipolar devices. In monopolar devices, the electrode to deliver the electric fields is usually placed over a target then a return electrode is put at a distant side. It allows currently to be generated, pass through the target and be reflected back by the electrode to the grounding pad for deeper thermal damage. Monopolar devices have deeper penetrating capabilities than bipolar and unipolar devices.

For bipolar RF devices, both electrodes are put into a single compartment, and the distance between the electrodes determines the depth of penetration that is usually confined to 1-4mm of the target surface. Moreover, in tripolar RF systems it exclusively uses the effects of combining unipolar RF and bipolar RF energies in one device to simultaneously heat deep and superficial layers while still protecting the skin. Finally, there are pulsed RF devices where magnets are used to create a pulsating, moving energy. The energy waves change the manner in which the body cops up with pain. It is a non-ionizing energy at the shortwave radiofrequency band of the electromagnetic spectrum commonly at a frequency of 27 MHz.

                                                                                                                                                                         IV.            Treatments

There are several body modifications that the RF devices can perform. It includes Skin laxity, wrinkle improvement tissue and tightening medical treatments. A number of energy based devices demonstrate safety, efficacy, and future achievements for treatment of skin laxity and in the periorbital area. Resurfacing treatments may improve the skin texture, color, and laxity. The RF does this by generating a skin tightening and mild to moderate wrinkle reduction. RF devices heat, lift and tighten the dermal tissue to treat skin laxity. The RF energy is in the form of an alternating current that goes through the tip of an electrode to the target tissue. The devices generate dermal heating, denature collagen and induce the collagen remolding. However, care must be taken to ensure that safety of the delicate structures and the tissues. It requires a careful examination of the patient’s demands and the practicability of achieving the best possible outcome. RF devices may also be used for tissue tightening by volumetric heating of the dermis tissues that tightens the hydrogen bonds at the collagen triple helix causing contraction. The use of heat to denature the collagen usually occurs at a threshold temperature of about 65 degrees Celsius. The treatment gives the patient an abrupt and improvement on the daily basis over the period of 4-6 months from noncollagenous to a delayed wound healing response.

RF devices may be used medical treatments such as cosmetic dermatology and esthetics due to its ability to heat skin and subdermal tissue. As the technology advances, there will be coupling of RF energies that will create better output, as well as efficacy of the treatment. After the analysis of the use and applications of RF devices then the question of safety arises. High power RF radiation is a source of thermal energy that carries known implications of heating biological systems, burns, both permanent and temporary changes in reproduction and even death.

                                                                                                                                                                                    V.            Safety

Several organizations and governments have put up standards and guidelines for protection and exposure to RF fields. The guidelines include a limiting SAR value of 0.4W/kg above which it will be considered unhealthy. There are several guidelines to ensuring the safety of the RF devices.

                                                                                                                                                                           VI.            Clearance

In the clearance process, RF technology has been received by many organizations the world over. It includes Health Canada way back in the year 2011. The reputable developer and manufacturer of medical tools for esthetic medicine, physical therapy, and cardiology, t announced Health Canada approval to sell and distribute its (RF) device in the country. The Canadian clearance indicated that the RF device could be used fat removal, wrinkle reduction, and skin tightening. The approval by the Canadian firm was similar to clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. European Medicine Agency has also given the clearance to use the RF technology in treating the conditions outlined in the previous section. It is eminent by the numerous successful treatments done in that country.

                                                                                                                                                           VII.            Contraindications

With the use of RF, there are several contraindications that have to be considered. Before you have an RF treatment is done the patient should avoid any exposure to the sun which can either by lying out in the sun, using artificial tanning with tanning beds. It should be avoided for several days before and after RF treatments. After RF treatments, the patient must follow practitioner recommendations for skin care to maintain long lasting results. Patients with electrical devices such as heart valves are not allowed to go for RF therapy.

                                                                                                                                                                          VIII.            Results

The results of the RF therapy take quite some time depending on the patient. Most people usually want to see clear results immediately after each treatment. Since collagen will continue to regenerate, the amount of the collagen fibers will also continue to increase, results will continue to show improvement for 11 to 12 weeks post treatment. Each of the treatment results is cumulative and may continue improving for several months. Several recent reports have indicated the safety and efficacy of RF better delivery for reduction of rhytide levels and stronger tightening of lax facial and neck skin.

References

Raulin, C., & Karsai, S. (2010). Laser and IPL technology in dermatology and aesthetic medicine. Berlin: Springer

 Bersani, F. (2011). Electricity and Magnetism in Biology and Medicine. Boston, MA: Springer US.

Fosbinder, R., & Orth, D. (2010). Essentials of radiologic science. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Lapidoth, Moshe, and Shlomit Halachmi. Radiofrequency in Cosmetic Dermatology. , 2015. Internet resource. Narukar, V. A. (2009). Cosmetic dermatology. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders

Research on Juvenile competency to stand trial

Research on Juvenile competency to stand trial

In the judicial systems, the ability of the courts to deliver just rulings depends on whether the accused is competent to stand trial. An individual is competent to stand trial if he/she understands the charges, is able to participate fully in the defense proceedings and also understands his/ her constitutional rights. In this regard, forensic psychology is a necessity in determining an individual’s competency to stand trial. Through research, experimentation and data analysis; forensic psychologists are able to come up with important theories and policies that are relevant the assessment of juvenile competency to stand trial. Therefore, forensic psychologists are not only involved in the application of clinical psychology to the judicial systems but are key stakeholders in policy making.

In the research by Lawrence Steinberg and Elizabeth Scott on “less guilty by reason of adolescence,” the impacts of child growth and development were widely explored. Steinberg and Scott, in the analysis of the adolescents’ physiology; found that young people acquire unpredictable behaviors due to hormonal imbalance (Steinberg, & Scott, 2003). This prompts them to act irrational hence are susceptible to criminal activities. The research also found that the level of maturity and brain development of the teenagers affect their ability to avoid criminal activities. Steinberg and Scott stated that due to immaturity, adolescents fail to differentiate between normal games and actions that break the law (Steinberg, & Scott, 2003).

Lawrence Steinberg and Elizabeth Scott argued that under the criminal law; less penalties should be imposed when: the actors mind is diminished, coerced or when an individual acts out of character.  In this regard, they suggested that adolescents are not only immature but are also under the effects of hormonal imbalance which impairs their ability to make rational judgment (Steinberg, & Scott, 2003). In addition, they Steinberg and Scott argued that the society expects teenagers to be rebellious to certain norms in the society hence they are not competent to stand trial for petty crimes. Therefore, it would be inhumane and harsh to allow young individuals who unwillingly commit crimes (due to their physiological and psychological development) to be subjected to laws similar to that of adults.

A forensic psychologist can use the Steinberg and Scott research in the analysis of juveniles’ competency to stand trial since the research brought an in-depth understanding of the physiological factors facing adolescents. Through the Scott’s research, forensic psychologists would be able to improvise the competency assessment tools such as the MacArthur competency assessment and the interdisciplinary fitness review so as to suit the conditions of the adolescents. This would enable accurate determination of juveniles’ competency to stand trial since it would incorporate the assessment of maturity levels of the teenagers. Moreover, the Steinberg and Scott research provides the basis for more studies in the area of adolescent susceptibility to crime hence contributing to future policies on juvenile competency to stand trial.

In conclusion, forensic psychologists not only provide scholarly testimonies in the court systems but are also involved in the data research and analysis. Hence, they are essential in the application of the law to different groups in the society. The research by Scott and Steinberg found that adolescents are susceptible to criminal activities due to their physiological and psychological developments. This is as a result of hormonal imbalance and response to some environmental factors. Therefore, using the Steinberg and Scott’s research, forensic psychologists would be able to shape certain policies regarding juvenile competency to stand trial hence ensuring fairness in justice delivery.

Reference list

Steinberg, L,. & Scott,. E. (2003). Less guilty by reason of adolescence. American psychologist journal 58(12)