Choice and Relevance of the Name Healer to Refer Nurses Research Paper

Choice and Relevance of the Name Healer to Refer Nurses - Research Paper Example Nurses, given their delicate position and weird characters occupying the world, attract ridicule in order to undermine their work. This paper discusses some effects that these ridicules that include nicknames might have, and finds out some of the ways these could be avoided in order to pursue the nursing career in full swing. The identity that the name ‘healers’ gives to the nurses sure uplifts their image and the impact of this is also discussed. Lastly, various perspectives from various spheres of the term ‘healer’ are compared with the current scenario and a conclusion summing up the general ideas of the paper finalizes the paper. Thesis: The name ‘healer’ is well deserved to nurses globally as they have shown the quality, commitment, compassion, and competence it takes to take part in the healing process of a patient, right from the beginning to the end. Introduction What rings in one’s mind with the mention of the word ‘Healer? ’ The obvious guess would be the good doctor. ...This argument may qualify the fact that indeed nurses are healers (Watson, 1985). A healer is defined as an individual who oversees the transformation of a patient from unsound or ill condition to a healthy form. Healing does not just comprise of putting one into a sound form, but rather, healing is an umbrella to many objectives that a patient should transcend on his or her way to recovery. These include psychological, physical and social healing. With the definition of healing looked at from this perception, one might rethink the reference of doctors as healers, and rather give that honor to the nurses. Nurses are professions in the medical world that carry the obligation of human care in the community, families or individual in order to foster recovery, maintain a healthy condition and live a healthy life. They have the most responsibility in the world of medicine apart from just being the doctor helper. They truly deserve t o be called ‘healers’ because they are involved with a patient right from the beginning, to that very moment that the patients depart from the hospital. This paper shall carefully analyze the weight that this name carries and try to find the basis of the whole process of naming and some of the factors that go along naming. The name ‘healer’ is well deserved to nurses globally as they have shown the quality, commitment, compassion, and competence it takes to take part in the healing process of a patient, right from the beginning to the end. What’s in a name? Names go beyond the essence of just identity.

Design & defend an optimal performance appraisal system for a position Research Paper

Design & defend an optimal performance appraisal system for a position you aspire to hold (medical supervisor) - Research Paper Example The typical methodology geared to dealing with performance appraisal systems relies on using a generalized approach where one performance appraisal system is used for a number of different hierarchical positions in an organization (Cascio, 2013). However, it would only make sense to design a performance appraisal system that is attuned to the needs of a particular position being appraised. This paper attempts to design an optimal performance appraisal system for the position of a medical supervisor based on current research findings. Description of Position The performance appraisal system under design is for the position of a medical supervisor. Essentially the position requires a large amount of daily interaction with patients as well as members of staff and occasionally contact with members of regulatory agencies. Additionally, the medical supervisor represents a senior position at any medical institution and is responsible for overseeing the training and skill development of his subordinates. The medical supervisor needs to keep tabs on the budgeting of resources and scheduling of staff members to ensure uninterrupted medical service to patients. The multifaceted nature of the job of a medical supervisor means that the incumbent medical supervisor needs to be ready on all fronts to deliver in order to be relevant to the organization’s overall objectives. Proposed Optimal Appraisal Performance System The proposed appraisal performance system for the position of a medical supervisor is divided into sections based on the major responsibilities for the position. The responsibilities are segregated through broad overviews since the current paper is not intended to dissect all of the responsibilities in complete detail. The primary responsibility of a medical supervisor is to the patients under treatment. Patients can be seen as the customers for any medical system so delivering to the customers is of the utmost importance. The medical supervisor is suppor ted by his staff at various levels and positions in order to service the patients so dealing with staff is a secondary responsibility to ensure satisfactory service provision at least. Moreover, the medical supervisor is responsible to his immediate superiors and members of regulatory agencies such as the American Medical Association (AMA) who require consistent feedback for continuous performance assessment. Performance Appraisal for Patients The basic contention behind performance appraisals is to provide employees with feedback regarding their performance (Broady-Preston & Steel, 2002). In the case of medical institutions, the customers are patients under treatment. Performance appraisal needs to emanate from patients and their relatives who judge the quality of services being delivered by a medical supervisor. Essentially such a grass roots level performance appraisal system bases itself on the 360 degrees appraisal system proposed by Milliman (1994). The idea behind such an app raisal system is to ensure that all people interacting with an employee especially customers provide their effective feedback in relation to the employee’s attitude and behavior (Cascio, 2013). This provides the medical supervisor with a more goal oriented performance appraisal system that encourages a quantitative method to evaluate job

Foreign Reserves Essay Example for Free

Foreign Reserves Essay According to the article entitled â€Å"UNDP urges prudent use of excess crude funds, foreign reserves† by Saxone Akhaine, Kaduna on April 24, 2008, the Nigeria and other African nations are having several problems when it comes to socio-economic aspects. One of the best examples in this context is the country of Nigeria. Based on research, it has been said if Nigeria utilized their crude resources in a good position, they will have an economic stability. The problem in this country is that there are no source of guidance and help from other sectors so that they can use their resources properly. The Nigerian government looses its capability to obtain greater perspectives in the issue of natural resources especially crude oil that costs billions during these times. Based on my own interpretation of this article, the author discusses all the details in simple form. The author used descriptive elements to illustrate the happenings or situations in the Nigeria as well as the issues that they experience during this day aside from poverty. However, there is no concrete resolution with the problem that the author discussed because these are sensitive issues that should not be taken for granted by the authority. It is the right of the whole Nigeria to know the real situation in their society and not only within their personal lives for the reason that it manifests their everyday living. Work Cited Saxone Akhaine, Kaduna. (2008). â€Å"UNDP Urges Prudent Use of Excess Crude Funds, Foreign Reserves† http://www. guardiannewsngr. com/news/article03//indexn2_html? pdate=240408ptitle=UNDP%20urges%20prudent%20use%20of%20excess%20crude%20funds,%20foreign%20reserves

Development of Soil Nutrient Sensors

Development of Soil Nutrient Sensors The rising demand for food crops and the growing concern for environment have made it necessary to shift from traditional agricultural practices towards modern agricultural practices. Traditional agricultural practices are labor intensive, time consuming, expensive and also a cause of environment pollution. To achieve sustainable agriculture, it is necessary that the precision agriculture technologies and practices are integrated with the traditional practices, which will also help to deal with the spatial heterogeneity of the soil [1]. The biggest hurdle in the proper implementation of precision agriculture is the inability to generate information related to a particular site rapidly and at an acceptable cost using laboratory analysis and soil sampling methods. The nutrients required for the healthy growth of a crop are obtained from the soil. The quality of crop yield depends on the quality of soil in which it grows. Therefore, soil testing is an important aspect of precision agriculture. The proposed research work is an effort towards the design and development of a soil monitoring system that can be used to estimate the urea content in soil. The system makes use of Partial Least Squares Regression Technique (PLSR) for the estimation of urea. The system can be made portable, smart, low cost and user friendly through the use of embedded systems. With some modifications the system can be designed to estimate more than one soil component. The thesis is organized in the following chapters as described below. Chapter I (Introduction) â€Å"Agriculture not only gives riches to a nation, but the only riches she can call her own†[2]. The growth in the demand for food, feed and fiber globally is anticipated to grow by 70 percent. The demand for crops for industrial use and in the production of bio-energy is also expected to rise simultaneously. The increasing demand for agricultural goods will put huge pressure on the limited resources available. The increase in urban settlement areas will force agriculture to compete for land and water. Agriculture will therefore have to adapt itself to newer conditions and at the same time will have to address issues related to climate change, maintenance of biodiversity and preservation of natural habitats [3]. To meet these demands, farmers therefore need to equip themselves with new technologies so as to increase productivity with limited number of resources. Sustainable resource management is the need of the hour. Conservation of soil quality is crucial to sustainability in agriculture. This has led to a shift from the use of traditional agricultural practices to modern agricultural practices so that the available resources are utilized in a sustainable manner. The modern technique of farming known as precision farming is based on the concept of site specific crop management. This method takes into consideration variability exhibited by the soil and accordingly inputs are applied based on the local requirements within a field. Soil sensing plays an important role in precision farming. Large numbers of soil sensors are being developed all around the world to measure different soil properties. Some of which are still in the research and development stage and some of which are commercially available. Based on their principle of working these soil sensors can be classified as follows: Electrical and Electromagnetic sensors: Depending on the composition of soil under test, electrical capacitance or inductance, resistivity or conductivity of the soil is measured. The response time of these sensors is very fast, they have high durability and are of low cost. These sensors are commercially available. Optical and Radiometric sensors: These sensors, through the use of electromagnetic waves, measure the level of energy that is either absorbed or reflected by the soil particles depending on the soil composition. The properties of the soil are measured using visible and near-infrared wavelengths [4]. They can be used for the estimation of CEC, soil texture, moisture and other soil parameters with the help of appropriate data analysis techniques. Mechanical sensors: these sensors measure soil resistance with the help of a tool used in the soil. The measure of resistance offered by the soil has a relation with the compaction of the soil which is a spatially varying property of soil. Acoustic sensors and Pneumatic sensors: Though these are a class of mechanical sensors, they can be used as an alternative means for the differentiation of physical and mechanical characteristics of soil. Measurements taken using pneumatic and acoustic sensor have been used to correlate soil texture and compaction. The application of acoustic sensors in characterizing the physical state of soil is not very clear and requires more research work. Electrochemical sensors: These sensors produce an output voltage through the use of ion selective membranes, depending on the activity of ions under study such as H+, K+, NO3 −, Na+, etc. Soil pH sensors using this technique are already commercially available. The extraction of ions such as potassium in real time is still not possible even though the concept appears to be simple. There is a need to develop fast, real time and portable soil sensors which can generate soil report instantly. Thus, the problem of designing and developing a smart soil monitoring system was formulated using a reconfigurable embedded system platform. Chapter II (Literature Survey and Objectives) The conventional laboratory methods of soil testing have a number of limitations such as they are expensive, labor intensive and time consuming. As such new methods of soil testing are being developed across the globe. A number of soil nutrient sensing techniques are in the stage of development and testing. These sensors can be broadly classified into two types depending on the techniques of measurement being used. 1. Optical sensing uses reflectance spectroscopy technique wherein the light that is absorbed/reflected by soil particles is measured. Since optical sensing techniques have the advantage of being non-destructive they are more widely used as compared to electrochemical sensing techniques [5], [6]. Soil color analysis can be used for estimating soil organic matter content through the use of optical sensors [7]. The visual and near-infrared spectral reflectance in optical sensing can be used for estimating soil texture, moisture, CEC etc. [8]. 2. Electrochemical sensing is based on the measurement of current or voltage generated between the sensing electrode and the reference electrode. The amount of voltage or current measured is related to the concentration of the selected ions such as H+, K+, NO3-, etc. [8]. Ion selective electrodes made of glass or polymer membrane, or ion-selective field effect transistors are used for the measurement of soil fertility. Ion-selective membrane sensors have a huge potential in the development of on-the-go soil nutrient(s) and pH sensors [9]. Currently, the accuracy of the results using these sensors is low as compared to those using laboratory tests, but this can be taken care of by increasing the sampling density. Use of Spectroscopic techniques in the estimation of soil properties has been demonstrated since 1970’s [10]. Various methods using spectral analysis have been proposed for the measurement of the soil properties. Methods that are based on the physical and analytical characteristics of the signal and chemometric based empirical methods provide good effective predictability. Therefore, the relation between soil properties and soil absorption can be used to develop regressions using field and laboratory data for calibration. Spectroscopic techniques are found to be faster, can provide real time measurements and are of low cost, as compared to conventional methods and hence are found to be more suitable when there are more samples and analysis to be done. Also, unlike laboratory testing methods which require sample pre-processing and the use of chemical extractants, spectroscopic techniques can be used directly, thus saving on cost and time [11]. Thus, the problem of developing a soil nutrient sensor using RF spectroscopy based on the dielectric principle was formulated. The thesis emphasizes on the design and development of the sensor and the use of embedded platform to make it portable, real time and user friendly system through the use of DSP algorithms. Objectives: In order to meet the global requirements of increased crop productivity and sustainable agriculture, there is an urgent need of developing soil sensors which are fast, accurate and portable. Also, the problem was formulated keeping in mind the conditions of Indian farmers. Indian farmers are mainly small farmers who are poor, technically unfit and cannot afford modern tools. This research work is being undertaken with the main objective of developing a fast, portable, cost effective and user friendly soil monitoring system to analyze the fertility status of the soil. The objectives of the research work are the design of a dielectric cell to measure absorption loss at RF frequencies for various soil nutrients and to use this RF data to develop a FPGA based smart soil monitoring system for accurate prediction of soil content using PLSR technique. The system shall be user friendly as well as reprogrammable for changed environmental conditions. Chapter III (System Design for Soil Monitoring System) The block diagram of proposed design for Soil Monitoring System is as shown in Figure 1. The design consists of RF data obtained from Scalar Network Analyzer fed as input to Altera DE2 board with target as NIOS II FPGA. The RF data is obtained from the soil sensor connected between a tracking generator and a spectrum analyzer. A soil sensor based on the dielectric loss technique is designed and constructed to measure the RF responses of various soil nutrients. The cell is rectangular in shape with outer dimensions 13cmx2cmx2.5cm and is made up of PMMA sheets. The inside surface of the cell is lined with gold foil and the same is connected to the outer shield of the feed connectors so as to provide the necessary shielding effect. The outer surface of the cell is covered with a copper foil and is also provided with the necessary shielding effect. A wire made of gold is connected from the input feed connectors to the output feed connector at centre of the cell. The RF spectrum of a sample is measured by placing it in the cell. A tracking generator is used for injecting an RF signal into the sample through the central gold wire. Thus, a dielectric cell consisting of the central wire, the outer copper shield and the sample is formed. The signal strength starts reducing as it propagates through the central wire from the input end to the output end of the cell, due to the dielectric loss associated with the sample solution. Thus, an output signal proportional to the absorption loss of the sample solution is captured by the RF spectrum analyzer connected at the receiver end of the cell. Signal Hound USB-TG44A tracking generator and Signal Hound USB-SA44B spectrum analyzer are used with both the instruments working in the frequency range of 1Hz-4.4GHz. Figure 1: Block diagram of the Soil Monitoring System Figure 2 shows the RF spectra for urea in the range 10MHz to 4.4GHz. Figure 2: RF Spectra of urea. Figure 3: Section of urea spectra with varying concentrations Samples for obtaining the RF responses of various soil components are prepared by dissolving the required component in distilled water. The amount of the component to be added to water was calculated from the data obtained from agricultural department. This amount was taken as the normal concentration of a particular component found in the soil. Samples of varying concentrations of the soil components are prepared and denoted as 1 for normal, 0.5 for half the normal, 2 for twice and 3 for thrice. The soil components considered for the study are urea, potash, phosphate, calcium carbonate and sodium chloride. The frequency range of 10 MHz-4.4GHz is divided into smaller frequency ranges based on the unique frquencies at which the variation in the attenuation is found as per the change in the concentration of the soil component. A set of recorded spectra for various combinations of the five soil components with concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 are used in the calibration file. In order to predict the unknown concentration of urea in a sample, the detected spectra containing the urea signature along with the other components is passed through signal conditioning stage. The output from Spectrum Analyzer is stored in the computer. This data is then fed to a CYCLONE II device with Altera Nios II processor running on it. The recorded spectra are then passed through SIMPLS algorithm running on NIOS II processor. The algorithm predicts the concentration of unknown sample (Urea) and displays the result on LCD or a computer screen. The SNR of the detected spectra must be sufficiently high so a s to provide reliable urea specific information and therefore data processing is needed to identify spectral features of urea from the combination spectra originating from interfering matrix components like potash, phosphate, sodium chloride and calcium carbonate. We can extend the use of this system for the analysis of other soil components by modifying the processing algorithms required to analyze that component without changing the hardware. Chapter IV (Multivariate Data Analysis) It is a statistical analysis technique used in the case of data consisting of multiple variables. Due to the advancements in the field of information technology there is a huge amount of data being generated in various fields. Though the magnitude of data available is huge, it is still a challenge to derive useful information and knowledge from this data. Multivariate Analysis can be used to derive meaningful information for the improvement of process performance and product quality. Over the last decade, multivariate analysis is being successfully used to monitor and model chemical/biological processes [12]. Techniques using multivariate data analysis are widely used in the analysis of spectral data both quantitatively and qualitatively. Quick analysis of complex samples from their spectral signatures can be done using standard tools like Partial Least Squares (PLS), Principal Component Regression (PCR), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Multivariate Curve Resolution (MCR) and discriminant analysis based on chemometric techniques [13]. Partial least squares (PLS) isone of the recent multivariate data analysis technique particularly useful in situations where there is a large set of independent variables (i.e., predictors). A set of dependent variables can be predicted from this set of independent variables by using PLS. Partial Least Squares (PLS) can be an effective tool for the analysis of data as it has minimum constraints on scales of measurement, size of sample, and residual distributions. It consists of methods for regression and classification, and techniques for reducing dimens ion and tools for modeling. The basic assumption on which the PLS methods work is that a small number of latent variables that are not directly observed or measured are used to drive the observed data from a process or a system. The technique of PLS for projecting the observed data to its latent structure was developed by Herman Wold and coworkers. PLS is now being used as a standard tool in the analysis of a wide spectrum of chemical data problems in chemometrics. The successful data analysis of PLS in chemometrics has led to its increase use in other scientific fields such as bioinformatics, food research, medicine, pharmacology, social sciences, physiology etc. PLS is a multivariate technique that transforms the input-output data onto a smaller latent space, by extracting a small number of principal factors having an orthogonal structure. The extraction of the factors is done in such a way that it provides maximum correlation with the dependent variable [14]. To model linear relations between multivariate measurements, PLS is used as a standard tool. Multivariate Calibration Model for Soil Monitoring System: Multivariate spectroscopic data can be analyzed using the PLSR model. PLSR is one of the techniques of multiple linear regressions and is probably the least restrictive of the various multivariate techniques used in multiple linear regression models. This feature of PLSR makes it possible to be used in situations when there are limitations on the use of other multivariate methods, for example, when the predictor variables are many as compared to number of observations.PLSR can be used as an elementary analysis tool for the selection of suitable predictor variables and in the identification of outliers. PLSR model based on SIMPLS algorithm using C language is developed and ported on NIOS II platform to estimate the urea concentration. The PLSR model is validated for the following cases: Case 1: Changing urea concentrations from below normal to above normal i.e. from 0.5 to 2 and keeping other components at their normal concentration value i.e. 1. Case 2: Changing the concentration of each of the other soil component from 0.5 to 2 and keeping urea constant in all the cases. Chapter V (Design of FPGA Soft Cores for Soil Monitoring System) DSP functions can be implemented using two different types of programming platforms: digital signal processors (DSP) and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Digital signal processors are microprocessors specifically designed for handling DSP tasks, while FPGAs are reconfigurable signal processors. The factors that make FPGAs more suitable, particularly for high performance computing applications are: (i) Huge potential for implementation of parallelism (ii) The control logic is embedded (iii) On-board memory in FPGA helps to overcome the limitation set by number of I/O pins on processor logics memory access bandwidth and hence results into significant performance benefits (iv) A higher capacity FPGA can be used on the same board as an older device, to support performance upgrades. DSP Implementation on Embedded system The implementation of DSP algorithms is done on Altera platform. A Nios II system is designed to measure the concentration of urea in soil. The Nios II system is the heart of the instrument which controls the various modules of the system like interacting with 12 bit ADC and performing the SIMPLS algorithms on the spectral data to estimate the concentration of urea. The whole interface and algorithms are implemented using 32-bit NIOS II soft-core ported on CYCLONE II FPGA. Chapter VI (Analysis, Results and Conclusion) The thesis covers the design and development of soil sensor based on the dielectric technique. The technique proposed the use of RF signals in the range of 10MHz-4.4GHz and analyzing the detected spectra in the soil sample for urea signature. In this thesis a novel Soil Monitoring System is developed using RF spectroscopy based on embedded technology. An Altera DE2 board based on NIOS II soft-core platform and having target as CYCLONE II (EP2C6) is used to estimate the urea content in soil in the RF range of 10MHz-4.4GHz. SIMPLS algorithm for PLSR model is developed using C language and embedded on the NIOS II platform for the estimation of urea concentration. The designed sensor was tested for its precision by recording the spectra of a particular component over a number of times. The PLSR model was validated by calculating percentage error under various conditions. It was found that the predicted urea values showed percentage error which was within the acceptable levels required fo r device development.

War and Peace Essay -- European History Germany France War Essays

War and Peace The greater threat to world peace in the 20s, 30s, and 40s is a point that could be argued and debated upon for essays on piles of essays. The true threats of world peace were those who were naà ¯ve enough to believe that a people can be totally humiliated as the Germans were in the Treaty of Versailles following World War I and not be subject to promises of regained glory. Throughout the 1920s, the world was relatively peaceful—save perhaps the Italian â€Å"revolution† by Mussolini who had his Fascist government set up fully by the year 1926 and the Beer Hall Putsch led by Adolf Hitler in 1923. With the crushing of the revolution by the Bavarian government (which was completely riddled full of Nazi sympathizers), Hitler was sentenced to the minimum five years in prison at Landsberg Castle in Munich where he had a Martha Stewart-esque term of â€Å"hard-time.† Even at his trial, he spoke as if it were a political rally! Hitler’s book was inspired from the encouragement of other members of the Nazi party, Emile Maurice his chauffeur being the original â€Å"writer† until young Rudolf Hess took over shortly after Hitler began to dictate the book. Hitler originally titled his autobiography â€Å"Four Years of Struggle Against Lies, Stupidity, and Cowardice† (http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERmein.htm). The publishers thought the title to be too long and instead changed it to Mein Kampf which translates to â€Å"My Struggle.† After H...

Boules :: Greek Secret Society Culture Myths Essays

Boules Sometimes someone will want to look better for having access to certain information and as opposed to using it effectively, to advance the mass of our people, they try to take the info to the enemy and entertain them about what they already know, to show that they know more than other black people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This piece is dedicated to brutha Steve Cokely for his tireless efforts to "seek and find" vital information pertaining to the upliftment of Afrikan people. If it weren't for this God'z tenacity to penetrate the forces of white supremacy with liquid swordz, I can honestly say, we would not know of the New World Order and the history of its members as we do now. He has truly been an inspiration to me. Biggup brutha Cokely!!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As we come into knowledge of self, we must, as well, come into knowledge of who doesn't want us to "know thyself". The average Afrikan who has some knowledge of white supremacy might feel it's been, and only been, the "blue-eyed devil" that is responsible. True, but not truth. If you read the piece I wrote last month, IZ YT Human? or Mutant!, you found that brutha moses (the one who went to the caucus mountains to "civilize" the beast) was one of the first sell-outs of theAfrikan spirit.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As you well know, this country was found by criminal minded beasts, who colonized this area just as they did Afrika in the 1800s. As we had our plantations in the south with house negroes and field Afrikans, we find that this trend has never changed as the years have gone by. Thanks to research done by brutha Cokely, we have found that there is a black secret society that has been closely associated with maintaining the grip of white supremacy on people of color. These same secret societies, these house negroes answer to, have a long history rooted in the physical and mental enslavement of Afrikans around the globe. This black "secret society" is called the Boule' aka. Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity Incorporated, founded May 15, 1904. This is the 1st black fraternity in america and was before the 1st black "college" frat, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The origin of the Boule' is what we are going to concentrate on and by the end of this 2-3 part series, you will be able to decide whether they are bruthaz or not.

Factors that influence public trust in government Essay

Trust is an intricate interpersonal as well as organizational construct, which occurs when parties who have certain favorable perceptions of each other allow this relationship to develop and reach the expected levels. Trust is an effective way through which social, economic and political relationship transaction costs can be lowered . In political arena, citizens may either be trusted or distrusted in their capacities to choose elected officials or support for a variety of public policies based on the evaluation of citizen’s competence to make decisions in this domain. Government officials, on the other hand, may be trusted or distrusted in coming up with and implementing public policy, based on the expectations of knowledge as well as the expertise of the officials involved in the policy making process. There is a large proportion of the U. S population that continues to distrust the government in spite of the presence of an assortment of programs aimed at restoring public trust in government . Lack of trust in government by the people is strongly associated to the way people feel concerning the overall state of a country. Read more:Â  Influences that affect children’s development essay Even though personal satisfaction is slowly increasing and confidence in local and national government is increasing due to presence of a thriving economy, restoration in addition to maintenance of public interest remains a major and challenging objective . Regardless of the fact that the national mood and trust in the government have increased since the mid 1990s, a considerable proportion of the United States citizens is still highly unsatisfied with the status of the nation, an aspect that lowers their trust in government . Besides persistent worry concerning the moral health of American society, a factor that lowers the satisfaction of the people to the state of the nation, lack of contentment with the honesty of the elected officials is another major factor that leads to distrust of government. A variety of ethical concerns are now lowering the positive attitudes of the American people towards the government. Dissatisfaction with political leaders is one of the most important factors that result in lack of trust in government by the people . This is due to the numerous criticisms of the way politicians, who form the functional part of the government, carries out their duties. However, there is no clear indication that discontentment and distrust with the government are near a crisis phase . The public desire to be served by government officials has remained steady for more than three decades. Distrust and discontentment with the government has not resulted in disregard for nation’s laws. It also does not erode patriotism or discourage public officials from carrying out their duties. Even in times when public trust in government has gone down, a percentage of the population still recommend a government job to their children. Lack of trust in government does not imply that the public is angry at it; rather it implies that the level of frustration emanating from poor delivery of services by government officials is very high. Increase in the level of frustration deteriorates the quality in addition to the nature of dialogue between the Americans and their leaders. Factors that influence public trust in government Lack of trust in government by the people is one disastrous factor that can negatively impact on the functioning of the government. This is due to the fact that numerous governmental activities call for cooperation between the government and the people. Without the cooperation of the people, it would be totally impossible for the government to implement some policies . Besides challenges in implementation of policies, distrust in government has got other adverse consequences. Some of these negative consequences are that voter turnout during presidential elections has become significantly low . In democratic nations, the trust of the people in government is a major factor that contributes to the growth of economy in addition to providing a base on which political leaders can make rational decisions. The magnitude of public trust in government influences the ability of the government to generate the revenue required to support public programs . However, it can also be considered as disastrous factor for people to totally trust the government without questioning its operations. Putting total trust in the government may result in the government degenerating into making ineffective and bad policies. In a number of studies conducted by the Pew Research Center for The People and The Press to determine the factors that result in distrust in government, Americans were revealed to be less critical of the government in various ways as compared to the way it was in the previous decades . Even though these studies revealed increased distrust in government by the people, evaluation of public workers and specific government departments found out that the delivery of services had improved drastically over the last few years. These studies revealed that only a few people criticize the federal government as compared to the case in the 1990s, when the government was regarded as inefficient, wasteful, unresponsive and too stringent. The numbers of those who think that business operations are negatively affected by the strict regulation strategies employed by the government were also revealed to have dropped. Nevertheless, distrust of government by the American population remains substantial, only less than 40% of the population maintains its trust in the government all the time . More than 50% of the population makes it clear that they are frustrated by the government rather than angered by it . Currently, in the United States as revealed by Pew Research Center for The People and The Press, more people have trust in local government than they have in federal government . This is a factor contrary to the way it was about two decades ago, when Americans were more contented with the federal government than with the local government. Trust in state and local government has however grown considerably along with considerable reduction in trust in federal government . Pew Research Center surveys however did not reveal presence of adverse consequences to the country as a result of distrust in government. One of the major factors that influence the public trust in government is the mode of operation of the politicians who lead the government. Failure of elected officials to serve the public in accordance with the interest of the people results in decline of public trust in government. Incompetence of elected officials also results in deterioration of public trust in government. Public trust in government comprise of expectation of fiduciary obligation and responsibility . The perception of fiduciary responsibility is grounded on the belief that some people in society have moral obligation as well as the responsibility to express special concern for interest of others above their own. In policy development, fiduciary obligation is illuminated by the expectation that politicians and other public officials will develop policies that will benefit the public in addition to making decisions based on the interest of the public rather than on personal and partisan gains . Citizens willingly go along with policies they regard as convenient and made within a legitimate process. On the contrary, citizens do not go along with policies they regard as problematic and developed within illegitimate procedures . Development of policies is therefore a major factor that determines whether the public will have trust in the government or not. Various factors that emanate from the developed policies may also lead to development of or decline in public trust in government. These policy outcomes include: peace, prosperity, in addition to other desirable aspects that are associated with public satisfaction with the services of the government . The direction of the country is the other factor that determines the level of public trust in government. Perception that everything is going in the right direction results in increase in trust of public trust in government. On the contrary, if citizens perceive that everything the government does in addition to the direction of the country is not headed in the right direction; they may lose their trust in government. In addition, public perception that the government officials are to blame for the adverse circumstances that lock the country, may result in a decline of public trust in government . The ability of the government to provide security to the public is another factor that can increase public trust in government. The public elects public officials expecting them to come up with policies and strategies aimed at generating and maintaining security of the nation. Failure to develop security policies lowers public trust in government, whereas development of security policies in addition to implementation of these policies results in augmentation of public trust in government. A government that does not guarantee security to its people should not expect the public to have trust in it . Reverence to the rights of individuals is the other factor that greatly influences the trust of the public in government. Citizens look upon the government to protect them from violation of their rights. If a government is characterized by rampant violation of the rights of citizens, it should not expect to have public trust in it. People highly detest government officials who violate their rights. Public trust is very low in a government that does not guarantee protection of the rights of individuals who make up the greater community. Nevertheless, public trust in government increases when government officials respect the rights of citizens. Economic trend is the other factor that can greatly affect the level of public trust in government. The public looks upon the government to come up with strategies aimed at providing a base for economic growth. Failure of the government to develop such policies destroys its trust by the public. Research conducted by Pew Research Center survey concerning public trust in government make it clear that the trust of Americans in their government tend to increase at times when the country is enjoying economic growth and decline when the country is going through economic recession . Presidential approval is the other factor that may influence public trust in government. Perception that the president is incompetent and does not handle national matters in an appropriate manner may result in a decline in public trust in government. The president occupies a core position in government and as such, he/she is subject to public scrutiny. If the public is contented with the way the president handles national matters, its trust in government is likely to increase. Presidential approval is based to a great extent on economic growth. The public tends to lay the blame of emergence of adverse economic conditions such as lack of employment, inflation and loss of jobs on the president. High rate of unemployment results in decline of public trust in government . The mode of service delivery by civil servants is a major factor that may destroy or build public trust in the government. This takes into account the mode of delivery of service in numerous government sectors including health, education, welfare, transport, security, and environment among many others. Higher values of public contentment with the mode of service delivery by public service officials illuminate trust in government by the people. Accountability of the government also influences public trust. Implementation of strategies that allow for easy access to government information in order to evaluate performance and results is the other factor that influences public trust in government. A large proportion of the public’s trust rests on the government’s open accountability for its decisions, policies and mistakes . A government that operates in privacy and refuses to reveal its mode of operation to the public is in essence getting rid of the public’s capacity to scrutinize as well as hold the government accountable. Access to information concerning the government’s mode of operation and outcomes of various government activities, is vital to increasing the capacity of the public to scrutinize the performance of the government in addition to holding the government responsible. Lack of information implies that the public cannot comprehend the context in which decisions on national matters are made . Government’s accountability builds public trust in it due to the fact that information concerning the performance of government officials is disclosed, and strategies through which waste, inefficiency, misconduct and corruption can be tackled are developed . Conclusion It can therefore be concluded that there are numerous factors that greatly influence the public trust in government not only in the United States, but throughout the world. Lack of trust in government by the people is one disastrous factor that can negatively impact on the functioning of the government. Putting total trust in the government may also be disastrous as it may result in the government degenerating into making ineffective and bad policies. One of the major factors that influence the public trust in government is the mode of operation of the politicians who lead the government. The direction of the country is the other factor that determines the level of public trust in government. Perception that everything is going in the right direction results in increase in trust of public trust in government. The ability of the government to provide security to the public is another factor that can increase public trust in government. Reverence to the rights of individuals is the other factor that greatly influences the trust of the public in government. Citizens look upon the government to protect them from violation of their rights. Economic trend is the other factor that can greatly affect the level of public trust in government. The public looks upon the government to come up with strategies aimed at providing a base for economic growth. Failure of the government to develop such policies destroys its trust by the public. The mode of service delivery by civil servants is a major factor that may destroy or build public trust in the government. Bibliography: Braithwaite, Valerie and Levi, Margaret. Trust and governance, ISBN 0871541351: Russell Sage Foundation, 2003. Chanley, Virginia. Rudolph, Thomas. and Rahn, Wendy. The Origins and Consequences of Public Trust in Government: A Time Series Analysis, Public Opinion Quarterly 64, (2000): 239-256 Dalton, Russell. The social transformation of trust in government, International Review Of Sociology, 15, no 1 (2005): 133-154 Halloran, Liz. 2010, Pew Poll: Trust in Government Hits Near-Historic Low, http://www. npr. org /templates/story/story. php? storyId=126047343 (viewed on August 2, 2010). Hibbing, John and Theiss-Morse, Elizabeth. What is it about government that Americans dislike? ISBN 0521796318: Cambridge University Press, 2001. Open The Government, n. d. Public Trust & Accountability, http://www. openthegovernment. org /article/articleview/32/1/15 (viewed on August 2, 2010). Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Trust in government: ethics measures in OECD countries, ISBN 9264185194 OECD: Publishing, 2000. Pew Research Center. 1998, How Americans View Government: Deconstructing Distrust, http://people-press. org/report/95/how-americans-view-government (viewed on August 2, 2010) Trattner, John. 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