Effect of Robot Technology for Post Stroke Gait Improvement

Effect of Robot Technology for Post Stroke Gait Improvement Introduction Stroke is a one of the most severe health problem worldwide; it is a syndrome characterised by signs and symptoms that develop rapidly resulting in focal and global loss of cerebral functions. These sign and symptoms resulting from vascular insufficiency last for over 24 hours eventually results in severe physical and functional disability or may also cause death. It has been also found that per year prevalence rate of stroke is high i.e. 2/1000. However, the mortality rate of stroke is reduce in past few years but it is still the second most cause of death worldwide following chronic heart disease and third-most leading cause of death in New Zealand following cancer at first and chronic heart disease at second. Moreover, because of the poor functional outcome in majority of post-stroke patients, makes stroke as an utmost cause of disability worldwide; as one-third of post stroke population suffers with severe functional disability even after five years of stroke. Besides, over 7000 stroke incident reports per year in New Zealand; 3/4th of this post stroke population have to live dependently on others for their Activities of daily living. Eventually, post-stroke functional disability and rehabilitation cost of post stroke victims results in increase holistic socioeconomic burden; in conjunction with victim and their respective family member, i ncreases the worldwide economic burden at 4% (Barker, 2010). According to previous studies; neuroplasticity mechanism plays an imperative role in post-stroke functional improvement. In an endeavour to achieve effective functional recovery, it is mandatory to use neuroplasticity mechanism effectively is an essential goal to include during the stroke rehabilitation (Pekna, 2012). Whilst, multidisciplinary treatment approach and task specific training embellish with consistent repetition or high intensity task practice are also vital for functional recovery after stroke1. Therefore, it is essential to include these fundamental principal during the goal setting of stroke rehabilitation (Langhorne, 2011). Furthermore previous studies reveals; coordinated reciprocal movements and pastoral tone is reduce or lost subsequently post-stroke. Therefore, gait alteration is one of the most common disability among post-stroke patient; as 30% of the stroke survivors have impaired walking ability i.e., slow walking velocity in conjunction with decrease endurance and poor ability to adopt constrains during walking (Tilling, 2001). Eventually, in an endeavour to improve activities of daily living and functional independence among stroke victim; an independent ambulation is an important goal to achieve during stroke rehabilitation. Kwakkel (1999), suggest the imperative role of motor control in improving the ability to control and regulate normal pattern of movement. Besides, it has been also found from studies that for an efficient motor relearning programme it is important to emphasize on the three essential components: Neural; Muscular and; Biomechanical . Therefore, it is essential to focus on high intensity and diversity of specific tasks during the post stroke relearning of skilful movements. Consequently, multidisciplinary approach is supposed to be more beneficial and important for the motor relearning of the stroke patients. Evidently it has been conclude from the previous studies; although innumerable of stroke victims reported worldwide; besides a huge variability in treatment approaches for post-stroke rehabilitation also exists. Therefore, in manoeuvre to reduce post-stroke disability, it is essential to have a reliable and effective rehabilitation treatment. In the recent years a new technology with the help of advance computational approaches and sophisticated electromechanical components has been developed and named as Robot. A robot is develop and design in such a way that it can be re-programmable and perform multi-functional tasks by moving specialize devices. Therefore, it can be used to accomplish a specific task by programming it to produce variable specific motion movements (Pignolo, 2009). As it has been already conclude that the utmost requirements are the consistent repetition or high intensity task practice in stroke rehabilitation; because of the available advancement in technology, it is advantageous to use robot as an effective intervention in stroke rehabilitation (Stein, 2012). Majority of studies have been done to determine the effect of conventional rehabilitation approaches on the variables (function and walking speed) associated with gait training of stroke patients. In most of these studies conventional physiotherapy treatment was included to rehabilitate the gait of the stroke patients therefore; the results of these studies is mainly based upon single treatment approach. Apparently, results of these single treatment approach studies may not be that much beneficial because of the diversity in post-stroke functional loss. Eventually, as soon as robot technology is accepted as an effective intervention for the rehabilitation for stroke; majority of studies are now focus on effectiveness of therapeutic rehabilitation robots surge dramatically. As it has been already found, that the high dosage intensive training and high intensity functional task practice plays an imperative role in stroke rehabilitation. Besides, it has been also reveal that robotic technology has the advantage of delivering this high dosage intensive training and consistent practice of specific functional task. Therefore robot technology as an intervention can play an imperative role in minimizing the adverse post stroke disability effect. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to compare the effect of robotic technology as an intervention on the functional improvement and gait training in the insight of evidence that; a robotic technology as an intervention enhances functional and gait improvement among post-stroke people. METHODS Search Strategy In the present study, a variety of electronic database were search for the initial literature search: EBSCO and Medline health database, Elsevier, PubMed, google, Pedro, AUT library database. Extensive key word were included for the initial search: Stroke; post-stroke disability; neuroplasticity; motor disorder; functional impairment; gait dysfunction; stroke rehabilitation; conventional treatment approach, robot intervention . In the manoeuvre of standardized approach during the search procedure; the list of keyword and all their combinations were used uniformly for searching the literature. Furthermore, additional keywords were added to the main keywords list included review,critical,meta and systematic review when searching for past review articles on stretching and exercise interventions. Study Selection Inclusion Criteria: There was not limitation on the date of publication but search was limited to articles publish in English language. The studies having randomized controlled trial and quasi-experimental studies; comparing either the experimental group with another intervention or with a control group were eligible to include in the present study. The study was restricted to those post-stroke patients who are in sub-acute or chronic stage, fully cooperative and able to follow command, having robot assisted rehabilitation for gait impairment and functional disability. Participants included in studies should not have any; pathological restricted ROM, amputation of any lower limb joint. Furthermore, pilot studies and single case studies were excluded in the present study. Data extraction Data from included studies were extracted for the variables of interest: Gait improvement and functional independence. Then for the tabulated presentation of data; it was then presented in the table 2, under the headings: Author; Study design; Intervention; Outcome measures and; Main findings. Internal validity of the studies The internal validity of the included studies for the appraisal and grading of intervention were checked through a modified version of the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Injuries Group (CMIG) scoring system that comprises of eleven items covering aspects of study design. A final overall score or quality rating (out of a possible 11) for all the included studies was then awarded to each intervention paper. Data synthesis In all the included studies; effect of the robot assisted intervention on post-stroke patients was analysed through gait improvement and functional independence. However, most of the studies included in this literature review also have a diversity in the variables of interest therefore, in an endeavour to check quality of the included studies; a pattern of evidence approach was thus used and marked accordingly on the basis of their design and consistency of finding: low quality if it scored 5 to 6; moderate quality if it scored 6 to 8 and; high quality if it scored 9 or above. Among the included eight studies; one found to be of high quality with score at 9 and remaining studies were of moderate quality with an average score at 6 to 8. RESULTS Initially after searching various database, two thousand articles were identified and out of these articles only twenty articles were found to be appropriate for the abstract review. Thereafter, only 10 papers were found to have the full paper review, and then out of these 8 intervention studies were selected on the basis of the inclusion criteria and were further subject to critical appraisal and scoring. The primary reasons for the rejection of papers were the intervention other than Robot. Secondly, remaining non-included studies were focused on the population having either acute phase of stroke, restricted rom and amputation of the lower limb. The information relating to each paper included in the review is shown Figure 1. Figure 1: Flowchart Efficacy of robot intervention in Stroke rehabilitation Selected variables – Robot intervention; Gait improvement and Functional independence Two thousand paper were found 100 articles identified, 20 were suitable for abstract review, 10 papers were selected for the full paper review 8 intervention studies were selected on the basis of the inclusion criteria and were further subject to critical appraisal and scoring Inclusion criteria-RCT; Quasi experimental; English language; Robot intervention; Stroke patients Exclusion criteria Restricted rom; Amputation, Pilot studies, Single case studies Results – One study include is of high quality score at 9 and seven are of moderate quality score at 6 to 8 Quality The scores related to the quality of the papers (QS) varied from 6 to 9. One paper attained a strong quality score each at 9, while all others were at moderate quality score at 6 to 8. The key elements associated with the quality of each paper (blinding of subjects and treatment providers etc.), that were not addressed well are presented in Table 1. Table 1: Internal validity of the studies S.N Author A B C D E F G H I J K Quality score 1 Bandy, W.D. (1994) Y Y Y Y Y N N Y Y Y Y 9 2 Bandy, W.D. (1997) Y Y Y N.P N N N.P Y Y Y Y 7 3 Baranda, P. S. (2010), Y Y Y N.P N.P N N.P Y Y Y Y 7 4 Feland, J. B. (1999). Y Y Y Y Y N N Y Y Y Y 9 5 Feland, J. B. (2001) Y Y Y N.P N.P N N Y Y Y Y 7 6 Ford, G. S. (2005) Y Y Y Y N N N.P N Y Y Y 7 7 Odunaiya, N.A. (2005) Y Y Y N N N.P N N.P Y Y Y 6 8 OHora, J. (2011) Y Y Y N N N N N Y Y Y 6 9 Zakas, A. B. (2013) Y Y Y Y N.P N.P N.P Y Y Y Y 8 Participants From the overall prospective, there were a total of 327 subjects in all the included studies. All the subject included in the studies were stroke patients, having gait impairments and functional dependency. Firstly, it has been found that in all the included studies; an informed consent form was gathered from subjects for their ethical approval. Moreover, in order to keep subjects blinded to the interventions; a randomization of subjects in different groups was done by an appropriate manner. Furthermore, in all the included studies Robot intervention was used as an intervention for the rehabilitation of gait and functional independence. The Robotic device used in all the included studies for the intervention was Lokomat.

Analyse the case study with reference to Michael Porter’s Theory :: Business and Management Studies

Analyse the case study with reference to Michael Porter’s Theory of Competitive Advantage and answer the following question: Does America have competitive advantage in the textile and garment industry? Analyse the case study with reference to Michael Porter’s Theory of Competitive Advantage and answer the following question: Does America have competitive advantage in the textile and garment industry? You answer must include the following elements: 1. A clear outline of Porter’s theory with supporting references. 20% 2. An analysis of the case study with reference to the 4 main elements of Porter’s Diamond. (N.B. You will not be able to comment on company structure, as the case study does not include information on this. You should, however, refer to factor conditions, demand conditions, firm rivalry and related and supporting industries.) 40% 3. An analysis of the case study with reference to Porter’s secondary points of chance and government actions. 20% 4. Your conclusion. 10 % The remaining 10 % will be for grammar, style, clarity, using the correct system of referencing (the Harvard System) etc. Literature: Michael E. Porter. The Competitive Advantage of Nations. Does America have competitive advantage in the textile and garment industry? For a country to have a competitive advantage, it is necessary to understand Michael Porter’s Theory of National Competitive Advantage. Michael Porter introduced a model that allows analysing why some nations are more competitive than others are, and why some industries within nations are more competitive than others are, in his book The Competitive Advantage of Nations. This model of determining factors of national advantage has become known as Porters Diamond. It suggests that the national home base of an organization plays an important role in shaping the extent to which it is likely to achieve advantage on a global scale. This home base provides basic factors, which support or hinder organizations from building advantages in global competition. Porter distinguishes four determinants: Factor Conditions The situation in a country regarding production factors, like skilled labour, infrastructure, etc., which are relevant for competition in particular industries. These factors can be grouped into human resources (qualification level, cost of labour, commitment etc.), material resources (natural resources, vegetation, space etc.), knowledge resources, capital resources, and infrastructure. They also include factors like quality of research on universities, deregulation of labor markets, or liquidity of national stock markets. These national factors often provide initial advantages, which are subsequently built upon. Each country has its own particular set of factor conditions; hence, in each country will develop those industries for which the particular set of factor conditions is

Cold Comfort Farm Essay

Stella Gibbons’ Cold Comfort Farm is a story of a young woman named Flora Poste, and the result of her life after the death of her parents. She begins her new life living with Mary from the rich aristocratic side of London. However, rather than getting a job and working, she decides that she would like to live in the â€Å"real† world for her upcoming novel she plans to write within the next thirty years. In order to do so, Flora Poste decides she wants to live with relatives that are not necessarily wealthy but rather interesting in a literary perspective for experience. Through this decision, she declines marriage, as well as living with wealthy cousins, and leaves for Cold Comfort Farm to live among her first cousin, Judith Starkadder. Cold Comfort Farm is an old cursed farm inhabited by pessimistic hard-working poor individuals. Flora Poste’s arrival is barely welcomed as she learns to understand and adapt to the new miserable culture of Cold Comfort Farm. She learns of how her father had committed a terrible sin that no one speaks of, for which she wants to atone for her father’s wrongdoing. She learns of her Great Aunt Ada Doom, who has secluded herself from society and lives in her room alone due to the sin she had seen Robert Poste commit at youth. However even through all these downfalls, Flora Poste keeps a high head up and attempts to change life on Cold Comfort Farm. Flora Poste’s character is shown through her interaction with the people of Cold Comfort Farm. An example of this is when Flora Poste meets Miriam who is in labor, and explains to her how her situation can be resolved through protection and explains her knowledge of family planning to her. Flora Poste shows her sincerity when she interacts with Rubin. After making tea for him, he angrily tells Flora Poste how she cannot do the jobs that Rubin can. Rubin is worried, however Flora Poste explains how she does not want the farm, and how she would leave the farm to people who know how to handle it, such as Rubin, which makes him think twice. Slowly, Flora Poste is â€Å"tidying up† Cold Comfort Farm. Flora Poste’s interference on Cold Comfort Farm society turns into a positive influence. She grows with her relatives and aids them with their conflicts. Flora Poste aids her preaching cousin through a magazine ad of a Ford vehicle; she aids Adam with his cleaning and helping him with his personal issues. However, the one person she cannot seem to get through to is her Great Aunt Ada Doom, who refuses to listen, and consistently tells Robert Poste’s child that she saw something nasty in the woodshed. At a family meeting, every individual has explained the positive influence and changes in their lives thanks to Flora Poste. The only person that is not happy with this is Great Aunt Ada Doom. Even after a conflict arises, Flora Poste’s positivity brings happiness with everyone. It is learned that every member of the family was miserable and trapped, always aiding Aunt Ada Doom and never being truly happy. Aunt Ada Doom feels that everyone has left her and betrayed her. Flora Poste then aids Seth with becoming a movie star by bringing by Mr. Neck, who is looking for upcoming English movie stars and chooses Seth with no questions asked. Even when Great Aunt Ada forbids Seth from leaving, he leaves anyway. Towards the end of the story, Aunt Ada Doom and Flora Poste have a long conversation together, which results in a new change. At Flora Poste’s cousin’s wedding, Aunt Ada Doom arrives in fancy clothing and explains that although the wedding did not go the way she wanted it to, she has learned to be optimistic and is very happy at the wedding and compliments the bride and groom on how beautiful they look together. Aunt Ada Doom then talks about her great niece, Flora Poste, and how her influence has changed her life. It is essential to say that a smile appears out of Aunt Ada Doom’s lips. The influence that Flora Poste has on Cold Comfort Farm ends up changing the mood of the society. Her relatives end up pursuing their dreams and in return find true happiness. Originally these people, were trapped under the influence of Aunt Ada Doom, who saw something nasty in the woodshed, Whatever it was she had seen ruined the mood of everyone in Cold Comfort Farm, due to her isolation, and lack of respect for anyone, including herself. Flora Poste brings out everyone’s inner respect by giving respect primarily, she never brought herself down and always kept her head up, making her influence that much stronger.

Communication competency Essay

1. As you study Henry’s problem, think about what you would advise Henry to do. I would advise Henry to assess the reasons why the supervisors are requesting transfers to other stores. Although Henry does offer his supervisors a pay incentive plan that provides financial rewards to employees who cut cost and increases sales, he does not take the time to communicate with his employees to find out if they have the tools that they need to perform their jobs effectively. Henry should meet with his supervisors once he discovers where he missed the mark. He will then be better prepared to improve his communication methods with his staff of supervisors. Once he makes this necessary change this could mean a world of difference in regaining the trust of his supervisors as this will display to them that he is listening and recognizes that there is in fact a problem and that he intends to right his wrong. 2. What does Henry need to know about communication competency? Henry needs a basic understanding of communication competency, at the minimum. This would be the least amount required for someone in his position. It would be preferable that a manager have an extensive amount of experience in communication competency, but at the minimum, Henry should be able to effectively communicate with his peers and subordinates, including the two managers. In this scenario, Henry has not taken any proactive stand at any time to actually communicate with the managers under his supervision. 3. Discuss the relationship between communication and motivation. There is a strong relationship between communication and motivation. In order for employees and managers to both become and stay motivated, communication is essential. When there is an active dialogue between managers and subordinates, it provides motivation because the employees/managers are aware of exactly what is expected of them, and the lines of communication are open. Employees that know that the lines of communication are open are more likely to make use of the communication process by discussing grievances and other issues with their supervisor. 4. Directly reference the theories of motivation you have learned about in this unit. The rewards theory is predominantly used in this scenario. Henry is using a pay incentive program to reward the supervisors for cutting expenses and/or for increasing sales. By doing so, he is rewarding based on the actions of the supervisors and their ability to accomplish the goals that lead to greater pay through the pay incentive program. According to the Rewards Theory, the actions of the supervisors will continue as long as they are receiving pay incentives which act as a reward for their actions. If Henry ends the pay incentive program, the supervisors will have less motivation to reduce expenses and increase sales, which will likely lead to a decrease in supervisor performance in these areas. The Social Information Process Theory is also predominant in this scenario. This theory is based upon the premise that people’s needs and attitudes are determined by the information available to them at any given time. This can be applied in regards to Henry and the supervisors, each from their own standpoint. Henry has a lack of information as to why the supervisors are requesting transfers. Although it can be reasonably assumed that they are requesting transfers due to a complete lack of communication from Henry, he is unaware of the specific reasons. The supervisors are not receiving information from Henry. His contact with his subordinates is very limited, or so it appears so based on the details of the case. This has created a condition where the lack of feedback and information given by Henry to the supervisors has created attitudes in the supervisors based on the lack of communication, which is a detrimental aspect of the relationship between Henry and the supervisors. 5. Relate the case to the following ten work-related items Be specific about the participants of the case and the work-related items. 1. Sensitivity to personal problems Henry is under the impression that because he is busy and works hard that his complete lack of communication skills should be acceptable. He believes that the managers should be thankful for how hard he works for them, and to benefit them by what he believes to be always considering their best interests. 2. Interesting work Henry believes that because he has given the supervisors a viable means to stay engaged in their work, that they should find the work interesting. This is not directly stated by Henry but is reflected in the intonation of his comments when he reacts to the news that the supervisors have asked for transfers. 3. Salary Henry has added to the pay structure by implementing a pay incentive program for the supervisors. Henry believes that ideally the program should provide enough of an incentive for the supervisors to work hard, and to accomplish the goals of increasing sales and/or decreasing expenses. The managers likely feel that the pay initiative is an added benefit, but still completely lack any real form of communication with Henry. 4. Job security It is apparent that the supervisors enjoy having job security, or they would have terminated their employment instead of requesting transfers. Henry likely has job security as well, but not enough information is given concerning Henry’s position to make an accurate determination or analysis of his position from a job security standpoint. 5. Loyalty of company to employees Although it is evident that Henry believes he is being loyal to the supervisors, there is a complete lack of communication, and the degree of loyalty that the two supervisors believe is taking place would be much less than Henry’s opinion. It also appears that Henry has loyalty to the employer, which is indicated by his comment about working hard for the benefit of the managers. The managers also show loyalty to the company, because they request a transfer and do not terminate their employment. 6. Tactful and constructive criticism Based on the information provided, Henry has not given the supervisors any constructive criticism. The pay incentive program does not constitute any form of tactful or constructive criticism because it is being used as a sole motivator with no feedback or communication. Because there is a lack of constructive criticism between Henry and the supervisors, Henry appears withdrawn and non-communicative with his subordinates. 7. Appreciation for work Henry is under the impression that the supervisors don’t appreciate how hard he works. The supervisors have no indication if they are appreciated, because Henry has been completely non-communicative. The main reason that the supervisors want to be transferred is so that they can receive constructive criticism and feedback regarding their work, which they can then use to increase their knowledge, skills, and abilities for their given positions. 8. A sense of belonging Because Henry has mostly isolated himself from the supervisors, there is likely a predominant feeling on behalf of the supervisors that they don’t belong. Henry has made no substantial effort to include the supervisors in any constructive manner. Henry feels he belongs to the company, which is indicated through his dedication and hard work, but he has isolated himself causing his subordinates to likely feel as if they don’t belong as a viable part of the company. 9. Good working conditions Henry has not advocated good working conditions by his behavior. If the working conditions were solid, the managers would have never requested a transfer to a different location. In order to improve the working conditions, Henry needs to completely restructure his communication methods. 10. Opportunities for advancement There is no indication that any employee, manager, or supervisor can advance from their current positions. Henry would be the main factor in communicating possibilities for advancement to his staff, and there has been a clear lack of communication. This also is hazardous to employee motivation and employee morale.

Music in Different Worlds essays

Music in Different Worlds essays Music has always been a part of Cambodia. The life styles were limited, among these musicians, there were the Khmer rouge, full time labor workers, and politicians. A large percentage of Cambodians were forced into poverty and underpaid jobs. Their lives were constantly troubled by daily escapes from robbers, guerrillas, and powerful armies that disagrees with the laws of the country. The Khmer rouge, former guerrillas and the most powerful army that had ever opposed the government had taken more lives than natural deaths over a decade. During times of hardships and warfare, the only escape from reality was music. He,, Samphoun Em, was only fifteen years of age when he first picked up a guitar. Knowing he had to be able to make a constant payment to afford and keep his only source of entertainment, for there are no personal rights involving one's property. After three years of full time labor, he was then able to claim and bring home his most prized possession. Keeping good care of the picks and strings he had access to, for if he had lost or broken any of the two, it would've meant more months of hard labor. Every so often after work, he would spend at least two hours to catch up on lessons and surpass his latest talent. He was persistent and frequently disappointed with his slow learning process, with a confidence that he would one day master the art of playing the guitar. The confidence that shone in his eyes came from the gratitudes and awes from his brothers and sisters. Watching their faces light up as he would show off his new talent, fretting at his parents whom tried to disallow his learning. They were worried he was capable of showing off his great gift and distract laborers from their work, this meant being punished by a severe beating or even sentenced to death. Voices rose as he went into his second hour of daily practice, "You kids stop that fuss and return to your studies." No one would move on the first notice,...

Last Minute PSAT Cramming Tips

Last Minute PSAT Cramming Tips SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The PSAT is coming upfast. Test day will be here whether you've been studying or not.For the SAT, I would recommend delaying for a later test date, but that's not really possible for with the PSAT. You may have less than three weeks left, which means you're going to have to cram. So? How are you best going to preparefor the ordeal? In this article, I'll guide you through how to prepare, including which techniques to focus on for each section of the test, not to mention test-day techniques (like whether or not to guess if you have no idea). General Guidance There are a few over-arching principles that are crucial to this process. Commit to a Strenuous Process Push yourself hard. Cramming for the PSAT is hard work. It will not, however, build muscles. This test is the NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test), which is huge news for any National Merit Scholarship hopefuls out there. The PSAT also indicates your likely performance on the SAT, which is great information to have. That way, you know what kind of a fight you're in for as you prepare for the SAT. (Speaking of which, don't delay studying so muchnext time, eh?) Time is of the essence, so make sure you spend it preparing for the test. Don't give up your homework, thoughgrades are hugely important in the bigger picture of college admissions: more important than the PSAT. That being said, the PSAT is not going to determine your fate. The National Merit Scholarship is nice, but colleges won't see your PSAT scores. You've got several more chances to knock 'em dead with your test-taking prowess. So, please: don't blow this out of proportion. Listen to Your Own Needs Rest is beyond important. Practice good sleep hygiene and enact a decently early bedtime starting a good week before the test. Your bodystarts storing sleep not just the night before an event, but the night before that. Plus, if your sleepis usually limited (or simply not great), getting enough sleep can make you experience some extra fatigue, initiallyso give your body time to adjust to getting rest. Temper healthy nerves by way of a reality check. This is an important test, and knowing that the stakes are high can give you some adrenaline and keep you committed to the task. At the same time, as we said above, it's not the be-all, end-all of your life, your schooling, or even your high school career. Keep your confidence, and your calm. Limit stress, fatigue, and pessimism (in other words, the effects of overwork). Monitor your mindset: this is an opportunity to shine, not just a chance to get stomped on. There will be more on this topic later, including specific tipsabout maintaining or regaining your cool in the midst of test day. Preparation You may not havemuch time, but you do have some. Put those last few days or weeksto good use! Cooking, like the taking the PSAT, requires lots of preparation. #1 Take a Practice Test The first thing to do is take a full-length practice test. It's best to take it under test-day conditions if you can, but, if that's not possible, just make sure you get through the thing. If nothing else, this will serve as an opportunity to get thoroughly acquainted with the instructions and what they mean in practice. This will boost your confidence and decrease the time you waste on test day trying to figure out what you're expected to do. This is also a chance to acclimate to the types of questions on the test. Take note of the style and wording of the questions. Especially note that not all questions are technically questionssome include a command term and end in a period. (This is the difference between, "What is the solution?" and "Identify the solution.") See if you can find any patterns. Certain types of questions and formats of possible answers show up disproportionately. Perhaps most importantly, a practice test will show you what areas need some extra attention. Ideally you should work every section of the test as you prepare, but give documented weaknesses a little additional care. #2 Drill Official Questions This applies to all sections: drill. There's nothing like having at some actual questions to show you where your potential difficulties lie. This is an area where both quality and quantity matter. You want to work as many problems as you can, but you also want to dissect what's going wrong when you make mistakes and work through the same (tricky) problems multiple times, to get the hang of those routines. The more you go through the process, the more comfortable that process will become. #3 Reading: Read a Lot You don't have a lot of time, but spend your spare minutes immersed in literature. You're going to be doing a lot of reading on both the Reading Test and the Writing and Language Test. Do your best to become at ease with finding yourself at the bottom of a flood of tricky words. Granted, this would work better if you were starting the process sooner, but even just acclimating to doing that much reading in a short period of time can be useful. If you dive right in now, it'll seem less horrific by test day. This cactus didn't prepare before test day, and now see how overwhelmed he is? Now, I also don't mean you should ditch your homework in favor of the average comic book. Rather, I mean you should spend every spare moment reading The New York Times, Shakespeare's canon, ofFahrenheit 451. Not all reading is created equal. Reading for pleasure and entertainment is amazing. Right now, though, our focus is this test. Reading what's uncomfortable and unfamiliar builds new connections in your brainnot to mention that there's just more meat to dissect, and dissecting text is exactly what the test wants from you. The PSAT is going to present some pretty dense text, and you need to be at least somewhat used to looking at non-contemporary, formal, and/or academic literature. Read attentively and read critically, and get in as much as you can. #4 Writing and Language: Review Basic Grammar You need to know the basic rules that govern sentence structure, etc. (If you have more time, go more in depth.) It's important to know these rules; you can't just follow your ear. As any theater practitioner will tell you, pauses, like emphasis, are completely subjective. I can pause wherever I want in a sentence, and often that will change the implications or even the primary interpretation of the sentence. Don't hang your grammatical hat solely on what sounds right to you, because the test-makersmight have a different intention. Commas, semicolons, em-dashes, and all the rest of those punctuation marks serve strict grammatical purposes, telling us where units of thought begin and end (among other things). It's nuanced, and it's more exactingthan our personal patterns of everyday speech make it out to be. #5 Math: Get Comfortable with Your Tools Review the formulas that will be given to you on the test, as well as those you'll need to have memorized. As for the ones in your test booklet, they're no good to you if you barely recognize them; get familiar with them. As for the rest, you'll be on your own on test day when you find you need them. Practice rearranging equations; there's alot of algebra on this test, and mathematical manipulation is one of the primary skills that the test-makerslook at. Make sure you're comfortable with your calculator. Even if you've been using it in math class, try it out on some of the math problems that you're drilling (right?). There are a few odd functions that'll come in handy, and you may or may not be familiar with them now. Also make sure your calculator is approved. Don't bring an abacus to the PSAT. Test-Taking Tips No matter how much studying you've done (or haven't done), there are a few solid principles that can make test day run much more smoothly. Warm Up the Morning Of Wake up, stretch, do your thingand then do a bit of a warm up. Review tricky practice problems that you've persevered in mastering, and try a fresh, new problem or two. Don't go beyond a simple warm-up, though: don't try to cram new material into your head. At best, it won't stick; at worst, it will muddle you up and stress you out. Feeling Panicky? Work It Out Self-talk is huge. How are you treating yourself? Kindly? Gently? Compassionately? Avoid being harsh or judgmental. Instead, affirm your assets: you've prepared, and you're ready. Put your game face on. Visualize the specifics of what's going to happenand how you're going to handle it all like a champ. Let's try not to end up like this guyhe's not eveninside the test center yet. Answer Every Question There's no guessing penalty, so you can'tlose anything by bubbling in a choice. Do what you know how to do first. Next, eliminate answers where you can. Then, guess away! Guess on everything that's left. Leave nothing blank. To use this technique to your especial advantage, take a moment to read about how to guess strategically. Test-Taking Tips #2 No matter how much studying you've done (or haven't done), there are a few solid principles that can make test day run much more smoothly. Warm Up the Morning Of Wake up, stretch, do your thingand then do a bit of a warm up. Review tricky practice problems that you've persevered in mastering, and try a fresh, new problem or two. Don't go beyond a simple warm-up, though: don't try to cram new material into your head. At best, it won't stick; at worst, it will muddle you up and stress you out. Feeling Panicky? Work It Out Self-talk is huge. How are you treating yourself? Kindly? Gently? Compassionately? Avoid being harsh or judgmental. Instead, affirm your assets: you've prepared, and you're ready. Put your game face on. Visualize the specifics of what's going to happenand how you're going to handle it all like a champ. Let's try not to end up like this guyhe's not eveninside the test center yet. Answer Every Question There's no guessing penalty, so you can'tlose anything by bubbling in a choice. Do what you know how to do first. Next, eliminate answers where you can. Then, guess away! Guess on everything that's left. Leave nothing blank. To use this technique to your especial advantage, take a moment to read about how to guess strategically. Test-Taking Tips #3 No matter how much studying you've done (or haven't done), there are a few solid principles that can make test day run much more smoothly. Warm Up the Morning Of Wake up, stretch, do your thingand then do a bit of a warm up. Review tricky practice problems that you've persevered in mastering, and try a fresh, new problem or two. Don't go beyond a simple warm-up, though: don't try to cram new material into your head. At best, it won't stick; at worst, it will muddle you up and stress you out. Feeling Panicky? Work It Out Self-talk is huge. How are you treating yourself? Kindly? Gently? Compassionately? Avoid being harsh or judgmental. Instead, affirm your assets: you've prepared, and you're ready. Put your game face on. Visualize the specifics of what's going to happenand how you're going to handle it all like a champ. Let's try not to end up like this guyhe's not eveninside the test center yet. Answer Every Question There's no guessing penalty, so you can'tlose anything by bubbling in a choice. Do what you know how to do first. Next, eliminate answers where you can. Then, guess away! Guess on everything that's left. Leave nothing blank. To use this technique to your especial advantage, take a moment to read about how to guess strategically. Test-Taking Tips #4 No matter how much studying you've done (or haven't done), there are a few solid principles that can make test day run much more smoothly. Warm Up the Morning Of Wake up, stretch, do your thingand then do a bit of a warm up. Review tricky practice problems that you've persevered in mastering, and try a fresh, new problem or two. Don't go beyond a simple warm-up, though: don't try to cram new material into your head. At best, it won't stick; at worst, it will muddle you up and stress you out. Feeling Panicky? Work It Out Self-talk is huge. How are you treating yourself? Kindly? Gently? Compassionately? Avoid being harsh or judgmental. Instead, affirm your assets: you've prepared, and you're ready. Put your game face on. Visualize the specifics of what's going to happenand how you're going to handle it all like a champ. Let's try not to end up like this guyhe's not eveninside the test center yet. Answer Every Question There's no guessing penalty, so you can'tlose anything by bubbling in a choice. Do what you know how to do first. Next, eliminate answers where you can. Then, guess away! Guess on everything that's left. Leave nothing blank. To use this technique to your especial advantage, take a moment to read about how to guess strategically. Conclusion It's always best to start any study program with plenty of time before an exam. When that doesn't happen, though, or when it's just not possible, some types of cramming are smarter than other types of cramming. When it comes to the PSAT, taking a practice test and drilling extra practice questions can give enormous benefits. Beyond that, a lot of it is reading and reviewing basic rules. Also, remember: you're going to be working hard, so it's especially important to take intentional care of yourself. What's Next? Learn about the score range associated with the PSAT, so you know what general kinds of numbers you might expect to see when scores come out. Wondering exactly when scoreswill come out? It's a great idea to check out the dates to look for. If you're not sure what agood score might look like, though, take a moment to read about why that's a more complicated question than it seems. Get a sense of what an appropriate goal would be for you, while you're at it. Don't repeat the procrastinate-and-cram cycle for the SAT; start preparing earlier next time around. Take practice tests, and consider an SAT preparation program: PrepScholar has a great, customized program developed by experts, complete with a score-improvement guarantee.

Blade Runner And Fifth Element Cityscapes Film Studies Essay

Blade Runner And Fifth Element Cityscapes Film Studies Essay Blade runner greets the viewer with a fascinating opening scene where the camera hovers over a vast industrial mega polis called Hades. The year is 2020 and overpopulated Hades is trying to reinforce itself. The place is filled with corroded skyscrapers which shoot flame and gases into the environment creating a sense of hazy and polluted atmosphere. Also, in this shot and in subsequent shots flying cars, called spinners, are seen moving around the cityscape. The entire Hades cityscape was a forced perspective miniature set with larger miniature elements in the foreground which get smaller and smaller as we approach the horizon. Special photographic effects supervisor Douglas Trumbull and his crew constructed the whole set on a plywood table which was about 20 feet wide at the back and 5 feet wide in the front. The actual horizon on the screen is just 15 feet away from the camera. They designed the table according the focal length of the camera, which provided them the base in accor dance to field of view of the camera. This sort of careful planning enabled them to build the miniatures just inside the field of view without wasting valuable production time and money. Chief model maker Mark Stetson relied primarily on etched brass cutouts as elements to create buildings in the shot. But because these cutouts were two-dimensional, they had to stack a number of them together and stagger them across randomly to create depth in the whole shot. states that by using this technique Trumbull was soon posed with a problem: â€Å"But as we got into putting the thing together, we realized quickly that the etched metal stuff would have given away the trick if we’d use it too close to the foreground.† They overcame this by building foam cast models and put them in the foreground. Those models were highly detailed and separately mounted using C-Stands. They were positioned carefully so that the camera could fly right in between creating depth. Another hurdle was creating the atmospherics in the cityscape. Director Ridley Scott wanted smoke and haze in the distant background to add to the drama of the whole scene. Douglas Trumbull created this effect using studio fans and smoke detectors. He first contained the set using black cloth all around it and set up the smoke detectors to trigger the fans. So when they fed smoke into the contained set, fans powered up and pushed the smoke around creating a natural progression of smoke in the environment. Describing his perception of the Hades cityscape, Mark Stetson states: â€Å"I just had this scheme, I just wanted to do it as a series of silhouette and smoke. I wanted the smoke to really be the light and the light to light it up. Everything about that miniature had to be lights.† The way light was used in this shot to create volumetric effects and reflections played a major role making it look real and credible. About 20,000 fiber optic cables (about 7 miles long) were used to light the H ades cityscape. The light cables were threaded up from beneath the plexi glass, on which the brass etched cutouts were mounted. They also mixed and experimented with a lot of interactive lights like axial, blinking, etc which created variety and helped improve the overall aesthetics of the shot.