Convolutional Neural Network

Convolutional Neural Network: A boon for deep facial recognition in Biometrics.Vishalakshi Rituraj1, Research Scholar-phD (CS), Magadh University, Bodhgaya.Email id: [email  protected]comShyam Krishna Singh2, Associate Prof., Mathematics Dept., A. N. College Patna.Abstract:-Today Biometric recognition systems are gaining much acceptance and lots of popularity due to its wide application area. They are considered to be more secure compared to the traditional password based methods. Research is being done to improve the biometric security to tackle the risk and challenges from surroundings. Artificial Intelligence has played a significant role in biometric security. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) belongs to AI family, has been designed to work a little like human brain but not exactly, handles the complexity and variations in facial images very effectively. This paper is going to focus on Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning and how a CNN carries out facial detection.Keywords:- Biometrics, Neural network, Learning, convolution, neurons, Pattern Recognition.  1) Introduction:-The increasing demand of technology in each and every field of our lives has raised the risk of data security in parallel. From the very ancient time, man is putting his best effort to get his things secured. But today in this digital world, we are facing more problems due to impostors and other types of security hacks. Besides these, the curious human nature has always been trying to do something new and to cross the predefined boundaries. Intelligence is a by birth human quality but now a days, technology has made machines to think and behave like us to some extent. This concept of manmade intelligence created by rigorous use of complex mathematical operations and searching algorithms is known as Artificial Intelligence (AI). When we saw the AI used in Hollywood movie TERMINATOR, we didn't even imagine the concept of such a smart machine that could handle different situations. But now, it seems impossible is going to be possible due to AI as it has opened the door of a completely new world of opportunities. Artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science aiming to make a computer, robot, or a software think intelligently, in the same manner the intelligent humans think and it has been proved very useful where traditional algorithmic solutions don't work well. We are using AI based applications everywhere in our day to day life, such as- spam filters in gmail account, plagiarism checker, Google's intelligent prediction in web searching, suggestions on Facebook and Youtube and many more. The main purpose of designing AI system is to include the following areas:-PlanningLearningProblem SolvingPattern RecognitionSpeech/Facial RecognitionNatural language processingCreativity, and many more. Neural networks and deep learning, a branch of AI currently provide the best methods to solve many problems associated with the Biometric authentication. Biometrics is a noble technique for personal authentication either on the basis of physical attribute (fingerprint, iris, face, palm, hand, DNA etc.) or behavioral (Speech, signature, keystroke etc.). As we all know, our face is one of the wonderful creations of God and the unique diversities among all faces help us to differentiate one another. Facial recognition is the fastest growing field because a large no. of applications is adopting it. Recently, Apple launched its face recognition system equipped iPhone X on 12 Sept 2017 and it is claimed that it can identify the face in dark or even when owner has different hairstyle or look as well. Apple says that the facial recognition cannot be spoofed by using a photograph or even a mask [1].(2) Application areas of Facial Recognition- Facial biometric recognition is being popular due to its wide range of applications and it can easily be deployed and integrated anywhere if there is modern high definition camera. Some of the trending applications are-Many electronic devices are integrated with face biometric to eliminate the need of passwords and thus providing enhanced security and accessing method. Facebook's automatic facial detection feature recognizes our friends' faces with pretty good accuracy and starts suggestion based on it.Criminal identification has become simpler by better recognition of facial image through CCTV surveillance. It may minimize traffic rule breaking and road accidents.Some universities use facial recognition system as a tool to monitor the attendance of the students so that the management cannot be fooled by letting students to sign in behalf of others. ESG Management School in Paris  is using  facial recognition  software in its online classes to make sure students aren't slacking off. Using a software called Nestor, the webcam on a student's computer will analyze eye movements and facial expressions to find out if he or she is paying attention during video lectures.[2] In our paper, we will focus on the need of facial recognition and how deep learning and neural networks have been a backbone for this technology. 2) Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL):- Machine learning is considered as subset of AI which uses statistical techniques and algorithms which make a machine capable of making decision or prediction by learning from the given data and adapt through experience. The process of learning begins with observations or data, such as examples, direct experience, or instruction, in order to look for patterns in data and make better decisions in the future based on the examples that we provide. The primary aim is to allow the computers learn automatically without human intervention or assistance and adjust actions accordingly [3]. Deep learning is a subset of Machine learning where a machine has a higher level of recognition accuracy and aims to solve real world problems like image recognition, sound recognition, space exploration, weather forecasting and so many other automated applications. Here, the word ‘deep' refers to the no. of layers in the network to accomplish a task. Deep learning methods use neural network architectures, very much like neurons in human brain, introducing a concept of Artificial Neural Network (ANN). 3) Concept of Artificial Neural Network in problem solving:- Today, automated systems have made our lives too easy and have replaced man in some places. But when we talk about ‘intelligence', man will always be superior to machines because of their god gifted nervous system which is composed of billions of neurons. These neurons are interconnected together and pass signals to one another which make the entire system to identify, classify and analyze things. Getting inspiration from biological neural network, the concept of ANN came into existence. The inventor of the first neurocomputer, Dr. Robert Hecht-Nielsen, defines a neural network as – â€Å"†¦a computing system made up of a number of simple, highly interconnected processing elements, which process information by their dynamic state response to external inputs.† [4] Figure1: A simple ANN structure. [5] 3.1) Types of ANN: – (A) On the basis of topological arrangement, there are two types of ANN-a) A Feed-Forward Network :- In this type of ANN, data flow takes place in only one direction through different layers and none of the layers is fed with signal from background direction. This network does not have feedback loops as output of one layer becomes the input for other layers. Practically, in a Feed forward network, any prediction does not have to be affected with the previous predictions.Figure 2: A Feed-Forward Network [6]b) Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN):- This type of neural network allows feedback loop by transmitting signals not only in one direction, instead data flow is carried out from backward direction too, sometimes also known as FeedBack ANN. In RNN, each neuron has its connection with others and how the flow of data is maintained, will be governed by its internal memory. The decision taken by RNN gets affected by the decision made by the network at previous. It means, the current output of a RNN depends on both the previous output as well as the current input. Figure 3: Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) [7](B) On the basis of layering, there are two types of ANN-(a) Single Layer Network- In this type of network, neurons on input layers are connected with the neurons present at the output layer and there is no layer in between these two layers.(b) Multi Layer Network- This type of ANN consists of more than one layer in between input and output layer which are called hidden layers. These hidden layers carry out computation by passing data from one layer to another. In this scheme, output from one layer becomes input for next layer and so on; finally output is obtained from output layer.(4) Convolutional Neural Network (CNN):- A convolutional neural network (CNN) is a subset of deep learning and belongs to the category of multilayer, feed-forward artificial neural networks. One of the most promising areas where this technology is rapidly growing, is security. It has been very helpful in monitoring suspicious banking transactions, as well as in video surveillance systems or CCTV.Figure 4: A typical CNN architecture [8]Besides input and output layers, CNN has many hidden layers in between which may be classified as-Convolutional Layer:- This layer performs the core operations of training and forms the basis of CNN. Each layer has a single set of weights for all neurons and each neuron is responsible for processing a small part of the input space. Thus, the convolutional layer is just an image  convolution  of the previous layer, where the weights specify the convolution filter [9].Pooling Layer:- This layer also known as downsampling layer, is placed after the convolutional layer. Pooling layer is responsible for reducing the spatial size (Width x Height) of the Input Volume which will be passed to the next convolutional Layer. Fully Connected Layer:- This layer connects each neuron on previous layer with all the neurons present on the next layer.(5) Facial detection/Recognition using CNN:- A human brain sees multiple images in a day and is able to distinguish each one accurately without realizing how the processing is done. But, there is a different case with machines because they have to recognize an image on the basis of learning. Facial detection is a method to identify a person or object based on their unique features and this process involves the detection and extraction of the face from the original image or video. After this, the face recognition takes place where different complex computer algorithms are used to recognize a face. Here, we will understand the entire process of face detection and recognition. A face detection system involves two phases:-(I) Enrollment Phase- Face Detection- In this phase, several pictures of the same person is captured to whom the system should recognize as â€Å"known† with different facial expressions and head positions. Feature Extraction- In this step, different feature measures are applied which can better describe a human face. There are different algorithms such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Haar Features, Local Binary Pattern (LBP) etc. available for the facial measurement. On the basis of these measurements, CNN is trained for learning in future. Storing in Database- All the extracted features are stored in a database so that they can be used further in identification process. Face DetectionPre-processingFeature ExtractionFace RecognitionImageVerification/Identification(II) Recognition Phase-Figure 5: Architecture of Face Recognition System [10]Face Detection- When an image is admitted for identification, It is checked that whether it matches with the captured and stored images from the database by using face detection algorithms. Pre-processing- Pre-processing is necessary to make an easier and smooth training phase. The collected face images or video frames need to be passed through Pre-processing phase to eliminate the noise, blur, shadows, lighting and other unwanted factors. The final smooth image obtained so, will be passed to the next feature extraction phase.Feature Extraction- After Pre-processing phase, feature extraction is carried out by the CNN which was trained during Enrollment phase. Recognition- This is the last step where a suitable classifier such as Nearest Neighbor, Bayesian classifier, Euclidean Distance classifier etc., can be chosen. This classifier compares the feature vector stored in the database with the query feature vector and finally the best matched face image comes as a recognition output. 6) Conclusion:Biometric verification/authentication is going to be deployed everywhere from government to private organizations in coming days. In this paper, we studied the relation among AI, ML, DL, ANN and CNN. We have also demonstrated the way CNN carries facial detection with improved accuracy. The field of AI has a wide spectrum and open for researchers. So, it aims to provide better result in biometric security in future.Referencesâ€Å"You can stymie the iPhone X Face ID – but it takes some work†, Anick Jesdanun, https://phys.org/news/2017-10-stymie-iphone-id-.htmlâ€Å"Entrepreneur India†, https://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/280493#2â€Å"What is Machine Learning? A definition† Luca Scagliarini, Marco Varone, http://www.expertsystem.com/machine-learning-definition/.â€Å"Artificial Intelligence-Neural Networks†, https://www.tutorialspoint.com/artificial_intelligence/artificial_intelligence_neural_networks.htm.â€Å"Artificial neural network†, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_neural_network.â€Å"Artificial Intelligence-Neural Networks†, https://www.tutorialspoint.com/artificial_intelligence/artificial_intelligence_neural_networks.htm.â€Å"Artificial Intelligence-Neural Networks†, https://www.tutorialspo int.com/artificial_intelligence/artificial_intelligence_neural_networks.htm.â€Å"Convolutional neural network†, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convolutional_neural_network.â€Å"Convolutional Neural Networks†, http://andrew.gibiansky.com/blog/machine-learning/convolutional-neural-networks/.â€Å"Face Recognition Using Neural Network: A Review†, Manisha M. Kasar, Debnath Bhattacharyya and Tai-hoon Kim, International Journal of Security and Its Applications, Vol. 10, No. 3 (2016), pp.81-100.

Power and control comparrison Essay

Examine the way Shakespeare presents power in the character and actions of Lady Macbeth. In this Controlled assessment I will be trying my hardest to examine the power, actions and emotions of Lady Macbeth throughout the entire play. ‘Macbeth’ by William Shakespeare is a very unusual play, the characters aren’t part of your expectations especially Lady Macbeth. Shakespeare made a clear opposite feature between Lady Macbeth and Macbeth, which is a very challenging yet effective technique. Shakespeare’s character Lady Macbeth is a very different character, her personality shines throughout the play, Lady Macbeth wasn’t your usual woman in that time period, most of the women then were very obedient, shy and quiet. Most of the women of that time were very obedient towards their fathers and husbands†¦ Well, Lady Macbeth was the complete opposite; she was the dominant person in hers and Mac Beth’s relationship. Lady Macbeth was very controlling of Macbeth, we know this because- â€Å"Infirm of purpose. † This quote suggests that Lady Mac Beth was trying to control Macbeth and show that she has power over him. Lady Macbeth was aiming to be the most encouraging, yet powerful partner, although she ended up acting malicious and self-centred. There is a clear transition between the characters Lady Macbeth and Macbeth; it makes you think about why she was so powerful and why Macbeth was allowing her to overrule his life. Macbeth seems to be very conscious of Lady Macbeth, and her behaviour towards him and others. Macbeth comes across to the audience as quite weak and unstable, we don’t know if it’s because of the way he is treated by Lady Macbeth, or if that’s just his nature. Although, Shakespeare may have written the play to insinuate that Lady Macbeth treats Macbeth the way she does, because he allows it, and he is generally just an easy going character. On the other hand Lady Macbeth gets tired of Macbeth being too easy going towards her and their surroundings; we know this because â€Å"Screw your courage to the sticking place† basically Lady Macbeth said man up, start acting braver & courageous like a ‘real’ man. The audience in the gallery must have all had a different experience watching Shakespeare’s plays, as there were different sections of the Gallery. Although, the audience were probably quite shocked because of how different the story line was. Also because back then all of the characters would have been played by males, which must have made it harder for the audience to feel the emotions of Lady Macbeth and understand how Macbeth really felt when his own wife treated him like her slave. We don’t know if ‘Macbeth’ was influenced on a true story, but Shakespeare wrote it very well, as if sounded and was based out very real, we could easily tell what type of person Lady Macbeth was and how she was treating Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is a very stubborn character, she likes to have everything her way, with no one telling her different. Lady Macbeth was a very foolish selfish woman, she wanted everything for her own wealth and fortune, but she would never do it with her own hands, so she wanted Macbeth to kill the king (King Duncan) so that she could be queen and Macbeth would be king; Lady Macbeth didn’t care that she was killing someone, she just wanted to kill the king, and thought no one would notice or find out it was Macbeth. Macbeth was very hesitant to kill Duncan, as much as he would love to be king, and he was next in throne, he just wasn’t sure if he was the right person for the job. Lady Macbeth wasn’t pleased with Macbeth trying to back out of the situation, we know this because- â€Å"when you durst do it, then you were a man† Lady Macbeth is basically saying to Macbeth, stop worrying and waiting around. just hurry up, just kill the king!! Lady Macbeth was very blunt and truthful to Macbeth, which was sometimes deceived as being nasty and hurtful. How does the poem present power and control. In this essay I will be examining how Sassoon presents power and control in comparison to ‘My last duchess’ and ‘Base details’. Robert browning shows power and control in his poem, ‘my last duchess’. We know this because of this quote in the poem, ‘That’s my last duchess painted on the wall’. This quotation represents power and control, by the way it has been written, ‘that’s my’ implying that he owned the duchess, and that she was his property, but more of an object to show off his power towards women. ‘My last duchess’ seems as if there has been more than one duchess. He seems to have a lot of pride to be more of less a lady’s man. As he is a duke, and a very wealthy man, he’s wary of others and wants people to know his authority. Being a duke he feels as though he can control others, mainly his wife/duchess. Browning shows another side of the duke, which was quite unexpected, especially to the readers; as the duke seems very strong and powerful, although a strike of jealousy shines though, in this quotation, ‘she thanks men’ this to me implies jealousy, as the duke is pointing out that she is talking to other men, which clearly he isn’t impressed with. This shows mainly control, the duke treats his wife like an object, she can’t talk to other men, other than her husband she father. Because of the duke’s controlling outlook on life, he can’t see his wife talking to other men, because I think he fears he could lose her& his pride. In this quotation, browning portrayed the Duke living up to his high authority, ‘I gave commands’ this quotation sums up the dukes attitude towards others, and is probably the best example of power and control in this poem. Back In the 16th century, men had most of the control, so it wasn’t as shocking then as it is now. The duke looks down at others and expects people to bow down to him. Browning has portrayed power in the duke well, as we can clearly see that the duke doesn’t agree with others getting attention or ignoring his authority, so he makes his importance head and clear. Browning makes the readers feel sympathetic towards the duchess in this quotation, ‘She had a heart-how shall I say- too soon made glad, too easily impressed’. In this quotation is tells us more about the duchess, that she is a woman with a heart of gold and wouldn’t want to hurt anyone or get on the wrong side of anyone. By us knowing this about the duchess, it makes us think more about the way she is being treated by the duke, as she doesn’t un-impress anyone, so the duke must get away with murder. The duchess obviously loves the duke, and gets impressed with the smallest of compliments. In this case their relationship clearly shows that Love is blind. ‘My last duchess’ and ‘Macbeth’ are very similar, in that they both examine the different structures of power and control. Browning shows power between a couple, and that the duke has all of the power and control in the relationship, we know this because of the past quotation ‘I gave commands’; which is a very powerful quotation, it makes the readers feel sympathetic towards the duchess and others surrounding the Duke. This quotation also shows that the relationship is built on power and control, the duchess won’t do anything to aggravate the duke, as she is probably scared of the outcome. Shakespeare’s Sassoon examines the theme of power and control in his poem ‘Base Details’. This quotation, ‘And speed glum heroes up the line to death’ represents power and control in that the majors couldn’t care less about the difficult conditions the soldiers have to face up to. It’s clear to me, that although the soldiers should earn full authority, the majors think they are one better than the soldiers to take full authority of them and treat them like dirt. By Sassoon using the specific word ‘death’ it makes us worry that the soldiers, too young or old will eventually be left behind to die. This is the harsh reality of WW1, as there would have been too many weak soldiers who would have been left in harsh conditions to die painfully; as there weren’t as many doctors and nurses on the scene as there are today. Sassoon compares the similar themes between ‘base details’ and ‘Macbeth’. From the quote ‘poor young chap-I’d say I used to know his father well. This shows that the majors don’t care about the man, as they can easily say poor young chap but didn’t seem to help him in any way shape or form, also by saying ‘I used to know his father well’, this shows that the majors are so inconsiderate of others. It’s very selfish that the youngest men are put on the front line, by the majors, it seems as though the majors think that the young men aren’t as experienced to do anything else, so they are put on the most life threatening position.

Relationship with His Father Essay

My Father Thought It: Armitage’s Childhood and Relationship with His Father BY nour300 The poet narrates a true experience with his own father from when he was a teenager. In the final stanza the poet looks back, aged twenty nine’. The poet marks the time shift by shifting from past into present tense. This poem is a nostalgic look back at a defining moment from Armitage’s childhood, his relationship with his father and how he feels about it now. From the first words of the title, ‘My father’ shows that Armitage’s memory of his childhood, like the poem is dominated, looked over, by his father. The effect is intensified by the fact that the words ‘my father’ are repeated in the first line. As a teenager, the poet’s father is an authority figure. Armitage calls him father’ which is formal and seems distant, commanding respect. However, his father uses colloquial language ‘lost your head’ ‘easily led’. These proverbial phrases are judgemental and don’t show real communication, which adds to the sense of distance. However, his son can almost read his father’s thoughts, which suggests a kind of closeness: ‘my father thought it bloody queer’. loody queer’ can’t be the way the poet would describe himself, as it seems too harsh and violent. It seems to fit with the colloquial, Judgemental phrases that his father uses. The poet is close enough to his father to be able to ‘become’ him – for these lines in the poem. ‘queer’ is used to condemn something that d oesn’t conform. The whole poem is about rebellion. The first stanza has a regular rhyme scheme with aabbb; however in the second stanza, the rhyme scheme starts to break down and seems irregular. This echoes the breakdown in authority or control as the poet rebels. In the final stanza, a kind of balance or compromise is reached, the first and last lines rhyme together (1 2, 15), but the middle two are free, or unrhymed (13,14). The words ‘slept’ and Wept’ are rhymed, with Wept’ in a prominent position at the end of the stanza, which is also emphasised by the alliteration with wounds. Normally women weep, which contrasts with the manly rite of passage involving pain and a wound. I t’s as it the body is weeping tor the tact he’s injured it, the loss ot childhood and is a strange contrast to the violent, distant relationship.

Comparative politics 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Comparative politics 3 - Essay Example The population comprises of a mix of people with European, African, and Native American roots, as well as other immigrants from Europe and Asia. Despite having a large resource base and a well-developed economy, Brazil has deep-seated social problems such as income inequality and poverty. This can be seen from the fact that, in Brazil, there is a dramatic variation in the living conditions of the Brazilian people. The nation is characterized by varying poverty incidence rates among the nonmetropolitan urban areas, metropolitan areas, and rural areas. There are also considerable income disparities among different regions. Income Inequality in Brazil Income inequality in Brazil has been very high for a long time. A large number of Brazilians live in poverty despite the fact that Brazil is not a poor nation. In fact, â€Å"Brazil has one of the most unequal income distributions in Latin America, a region with the highest income inequality in the world† (Almeida 2008, 7). A recent study conducted by the World Bank showed that over half of Brazilians live in very poor conditions. ... zilian people in families earning average incomes that were below the poverty line were approximately 51 million, which is about half of Brazil’s total population. However, it is important to note that there are many nations whose levels of per capita income are lower than that of Brazil. Causes of Income Inequality in Brazil Income inequality in Brazil can be attributed to a number of factors. These include: 1. Extreme land concentration among Brazil’s elites. This has led to unequal land distribution among people in Brazil, and is a major cause of inequality and poverty in the country. According to Almeida, â€Å"in Brazil, 1% of the population controls 45% of the farmland† (2008, 8). 2. Differences in incomes among different regions in Brazil. Brazil is the most unequal nation in Latin America in terms of income. â€Å"In income distribution, Brazil is among the 10 most unequal countries in the world. An estimated 95 percent of the world’s population l ives in countries where income is more equally shared than in Brazil† (Thomas 2006, 28).The differences in income among different regions has led to overall income disparity in Brazil, and consequently, to poverty. 3. Racial differences. Racial component as a cause of poverty in Brazil is affirmed by the Brazilian government. A significant part of the overall income inequality in the country can be attributed to income differences based on skin color. Afro-Brazilians, who are Brazilians with an African descent represent almost half of Brazil’s population, and constitute sixty four percent of the poor and sixty nine percent of the very (Almeida 2008). 4. Lack of access to quality education. Educational attainment in Brazil is very disproportionate. Brazil is not characterized by low public expenditure like other

JFK assassination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

JFK assassination - Essay Example Kennedy was a charismatic leader whose assassinationhas remained a debatable issue several decades after his death. Many years after his death, it has not been possible for the world to know who gave the official orders to kill him and what their motives were. Those who witnessed the shooting of Kennedy have never come to an agreement on where the shots were from, therefore making the issue more controversial. There have been further disagreements with some people arguing that there was more than one gunman involved in the shooting, while others conclude that it is impossible to know the exact location of the shooters and the number of shots fired. In the theories raised about the murder of Kennedy, arguments revolve around the role Oswald had to play in the killing. Theorists believe that he was not solely responsible for the murder on grounds that he did it on behalf of someone else. Oswald was framed by those who responsible for the murder so that they could cover up their involve ment. Those alleged to have participated in the assassination include the CIA and the American Mafia (Plouty et al, 2011 p 233). A number of circumstances are believed to have caused the assassination of Kennedy. ... This led to a lot of criticism fromthe Mafia, and it was the probable reason as to why they planned to assassinate him (West and Vernon, 2011). Another controversial issue leading to the assassination of Kennedy was the Bay of Pigs invasion in1961. The attempt by the Cuban exiles to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro was not successful. This was because President Kennedy declined to permit American troops and the CIA to attack Cuba. After the failure of the attack, the deputy director of CIA Charles accused Kennedy of being a traitor. As a result, the CIA was unhappy with Kennedy and they had to look for alternatives; they therefore sought the services of the Mafia to kill Castro (Plouty et al, 2011 p 234). After two years of his tenure as the president of the United States, Kennedy faced great opposition from both the democrats and the republicans in the congress. Most of the legislations that he proposed were rejected, and this meant that he had less support in the congress i n his position as the president. More so, his involvement in the affairs of Cuba was threatening his future in the American politics. The Republicans used the Cuban issue to object to the president and planned to assassinate him (Gibson, 2000 p 8). The Vietnam War had a part to play in the assassination of President Kennedy. Kennedy approved the National security memorandum, which declared America’s intention to pull out of the war by withdrawing their troops. Kennedy’s decision to withdraw from Vietnam was objected as it signified that America would cease to support its allies in the Vietnamese war. Kennedy stood as a threat and consequently there was a plot to assassinate him and end his rule so that America would continue taking part in the Vietnam War. The

Gilberto Vargas is an affluent Brazilian citizen who has lived in Rio Essay

Gilberto Vargas is an affluent Brazilian citizen who has lived in Rio since 1965. He is the controlling shareholder of a multina - Essay Example The test of connection that decides whether the person comes under the jurisdiction of UK taxation is primarily the test of residence (Baistrocchi, 2013, p. 2).The network that exists amongst the scores of double tax treaties (DTTs) forms an important part of the international law. The existing DTTs are all bilateral and based on two existing models; the OECD model and the UN Model. All the DTTs have stark similarities in terms of the topics covered, the order in which the topics are presented and the language in which the articles are described. This makes the DTT network such an important element in the tax regime, that the general rules have become a feature of the international law and might become binding in situations of governing taxation of income in cases of cross border transaction. This paper deals with the case of a Mr. Vargas who is a businessman and considers moving base to London for seven years. The OECD Model of DTT The DTT that follows the OECD Model is particularly applicable for the developed countries. It â€Å"reduces tax on royalties to zero but has a positive rate on interest and dividends† (Avi-Yonah, 2007, p. 3). There is harmful tax competition in which two issues are identifiable. Firstly, tax havens have been identified â€Å"as jurisdictions with no or nominal income taxes and also one or more of lack of effective exchange of information, lack of transparency, and lack of substantial activities by tax payers†. Secondly, preferential tax regimes have been identified as regimes that offer â€Å"no or low effective tax rate and one or more of ring fencing, lack of transparency, and lack of effective exchange of information† (Baistrocchi, n.d.). The prevalence of tax havens and preferential regimes has been condemned by the OECD which has stated it to be a harmful tax competition. The basis of taxation applicable for Mr. Gilberto Vargas: Arising basis or Remittance basis In the given case study, there is OECD Model based tax treaties between the relevant countries. Gilberto Vargas is the controlling shareholder of a multinational enterprise which is based in Brazil and holds investments in the real property market in Brazil, China and India. He is a citizen of Brazil and is considering a migration to the United Kingdom, along with family, for seven years. He is then a foreign national to the UK and his income is liable to taxation for only that amount that arises to him in the UK. The status of becoming a â€Å"resident in the UK† (Judgement, 2010, p.6) creates the platform for UK tax under the provisions of â€Å"Income Tax (Earning and Pensions) Act 2003† (Judgement, 2010, p.6). He is to be considered as a resident of the United Kingdom under the 183-day rule which states that if any person stays in the UK for one hundred and eighty three days, which is approximately half of a tax year (starting form 6th April of any year and continuing till 5th April of the next year) he is c onsidered a â€Å"resident in the United Kingdom† (BN1-British Citizenship, n.d., p. 5) for tax purposes occurring in that tax year. For the citizens of UK, unless a person spends the entire tax year outside the UK with no return visits to the UK, he would be treated as a resident of UK â€Å"for the tax years in which† (You are a UK resident taking a holiday or working holiday abroad, 2010) a citizen of the UK spends any time in the United Kingdom. But when the person is a non-UK domiciled, ie, his

Psychological Analysis of the Film High Fidelity Movie Review

Psychological Analysis of the Film High Fidelity - Movie Review Example During the time when she said that, specifically after the funeral of her father, she even asked Rob to make out with her (out of her anxiety). Thus, throughout the scene, they had a confrontation, which soon led to getting back together. More so, Rob displays his liking for Laura as he talks to himself, stating top five reasons why he likes Laura, that to include: her habit of rubbing her feet while sleeping, her laugh, her looks, her getup, and just the way she carries herself. In fact, Rob's anxiety throughout the plot was caused by their breakup, leading him to conclude that she may be the one he wants to spend his life with forever and does everything he could to get her back. He also reiterated that he is so miserable without her that it is not worth thinking about alternatives. He constantly thought of whether or not Laura ever had the chance to make out with Ian and even got to the point of frustration because of sexual thoughts of Laura and someone else. In social exchange theory, rewards and costs are of high regard. The female, who most likely receives intimacy and concern from the male, out of love, gives herself sexually to her partner. On the other hand, the male, who has the angst for sexual pleasure, also receives what he desires. Hence, the theory also pays high regard to the equivalent of the reward, which most of the time turns out to be a sacrifice for both parties. However, since they really acquire their hearts' deepest desires through the exchange, they both find their relationship worth those costs (Wang 2). Moreover, because of this theory, people experience feeling like there is no one to replace his or her significant other (Gire). The framework that exists in the social exchange theory is vital to understand the workings of the... During and after viewing the film, as I applied the concepts of Social Psychology to the instances portraying particular theories and hypotheses, I learned the forces responsible for the actions of the characters, as well as the different motivations possibly to influence the thoughts of each one.It seems that whatever one experiences is brought by particular instances rolled into interweaving situations as they connect to the lives of one another. Furthermore, it became really evident why Rob was acting like he did in the film. I understand now that the reason why Rob keeps on being dumped by women or vice versa because at his 30’s, he still hasn’t found peace within. His environment, wherein peer pressure was really clearly shown (during his adolescent years), contributed to his thoughts that happiness is just within if only he will get what he wants. Now, at an age when one usually marries and already has children, he keeps on asking himself why he just cannot settle on.

Miss representat Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Miss representat - Assignment Example This was mainly due to the moral decadence and abuse of the marital sanctity. Furthermore, she was an advocate for women’s right to vote and made history as the first woman to run for president of the United States in 1870. The major themes in her story reflected on feminism, women suffrage and women leadership. Collins, in the book entitled, â€Å"When Everything Changed,† described the remarkable changes in the lives of women dating back from 1960. The book revolved around the themes of sex and gender roles, work, fashion, and politics that shaped the revolution of women. Furthermore, the book offered much insight from the contributing interviews by women who recounted tales of gender inequality and male chauvinism. For example the 7% quota restriction of female enrolment to medical school in the 1960’s (Collins 23). The cataclysm of changes highlighted the contemporary political dynamics that was marked by the historic presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton. Foucault on his part engaged on an intellectual argument regarding the exercising of power over subjects (Dreyfus & Rabinow 2). He theorized that power can be viewed as positive when used as a tool for governing subjects towards a set standard of goals. Furthermore, power can only be applicable to free subjects that are governed by relationship of power. Consequently, slavery cannot be viewed as a power relationship when the subject is bound in chains. The notion put forth by Foucault was that slaves exhibited free will to work for their masters so long as they were not bound. Consequently, they enjoyed a power relationship. However one major critic of Foucault’s views is his claim that â€Å"freedom escapes everywhere power is exercised† (Dreyfus & Rabinow 4). This directly implied that there cannot be free exercise of freedom and power at concurrently! Pat Buchanan’s electoral campaign brochure highlighted key policy areas touching on gender equity and racial equality. One of

Clinical Chemistry Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Clinical Chemistry - Lab Report Example These tests may be used to monitor the progress of kidney dysfunction, to evaluate kidney function prior to some procedures, such as a CT (computed tomography) scan, to calculate a creatinine clearance: measures how effectively the kidneys are filtering small molecules like creatinine out of the blood. Urine creatinine may also be used with a variety of other urine tests as a sort of correction factor. Serum creatinine is used to calculate the estimated glomerular filtration rate (EGFR), which is used as a screening test to look for evidence of kidney damage. ("Creatinine") 21. The chemical formula of cocaine is C17H21NO4 , and Crack is [C16H20NO4 ] is very similar indeed. They both contain same number of carbon atoms and oxygen but while regular cocaine has a dissociated NH+ and Cl-, Crack cocaine is an amine because it contains a nitrogen atom bonded to three carbons. 22. Cocaine Hydrochloride can be converted into crack by dissolving powder cocaine is dissolved in a mixture of water and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). Baking soda with chemical formula NaHCO3 is now most often used as a base rather than ammonia for reasons of lowered stench and toxicity. The mixture is boiled to separate out the solid, and then it's cooled. The solid is then dried and cut up into small nuggets, or "rocks." (Watson, n.a). The reaction is proceeds as follows: 23.

Othello †Paper Assignment Essay Example for Free

Othello – Paper Assignment Essay A desire for revenge can overcome a person and have great detrimental effects. This is especially true in the play Othello by William Shakespeare. The play takes place in a time of war between Italy and Turkey. The play begins in Venice, Italy but then shifts to the island of Cyprus for the remainder of the play. In the play, the main antagonist Iago was not chosen for a position of lieutenancy by his general, Othello. Othello had chosen a man named Cassio over Iago. Iago, being very envious of Othello and Cassio, plots a plan for revenge. Early on in the play, we find that Othello has complications in his marriage to Desdemona. Othello and Desdemona are seen as opposites in which Desdemona is an innocent, sweet, high class white woman, while Othello is a tough, ugly, and black war general. Iago, using this knowledge, begins to plot his revenge. Iago says, â€Å"I hate the Moor, and it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets ‘has done my office. I know not if’t be true, but I, for mere suspicion in that kind, will do as if for surety† (Act 1, iii, 429-433). Iago, in this quote, suggests that a rumor about Othello sleeping with his wife may not be true, but he will pretend it is in order to better his plot for revenge. Iago’s first step in the plan was to endanger Othello’s relationship by telling Brabantio, Desdemona’s father, about their marriage. Othello claims he will not hide because he has nothing to be afraid of and ask Iago if he agrees. Iago says, â€Å"By Janus, I think no† (Act 1, ii, 38). Iago alludes to the Greek god Janus that supposedly had two faces. This is an example of dramatic-irony because the audience knows that Iago himself is two-faced since he pretends to be nice but in actuality is trying to get revenge; Othello is also unaware of Iago’s other motives. Iago, in his plot for revenge, often uses psychological means to manipulate people. When Brabantio is talking to Othello, he says â€Å"She has deceived her father, and may thee† (Act 1, iii, 333-334). Brabantio believed that since Desdemona was not loyal to her father, she may also deceive Othello. This is an example of foreshadowing because Othello will be lead on to believe that Desdemona is not loyal to him. Iago, later in the play, alludes to Brabantio’s warning and says, â€Å"She did deceive her father, marrying you, and when she seemed to shake and fear your looks, she loved them most† (Act 3, iii, 237-240). Iago, being very diabolical, enhances Othello’s doubts about his marriage. This doubt in Othello’s mind comes into play later in Iago’s plans for revenge. Iago shows that he will use any means to get his revenge, whether it be lying or manipulating any insecurities in others. Near the end of the play, Iago’s plan has progressed as he had planned: Othello does not trust Desdemona or Cassio, Iago had gotten Cassio fired, and Othello still has complete trust in Iago. Othello had given Desdemona a handkerchief when they had gotten married which symbolized everything holding their relationship together. Iago gets a hold of the handkerchief and plants it on Cassio. This becomes proof for Othello that Desdemona is cheating on Othello with Cassio. Othello becomes so angry he kills Desdemona. Emilia, Iago’s wife, walks in after Othello strangles Desdemona and in shock tries to explain what Iago has done to him. Iago comes in and tries to stop Emilia; he then stabs her because she wouldn’t stop. Iago’s plan had been revealed and Othello is traumatized. Othello exclaims â€Å"But why should honor outlive honesty† (Act 5, ii, 293)? Othello, trying to comprehend what he has done, questions how the reputation of being honorable could outlast honor itself. Iago, so bent on getting revenge for the sake of his reputation, had killed his very own wife. At the beginning of the play, Iago had said that he heard a rumor about Othello sleeping with his wife. He didn’t know if it was true but said he would pretend it was in order to fuel his desire and plot for revenge. Throughout the play, Iago had used any means to complete his goal. For example, Iago used psychological means to manipulate Othello into doubting his relationship with Desdemona. Iago then lied to Othello and tricked him into believing that Desdemona was having an affair with Cassio. If Emilia had not told Othello, he may not have known about Iago’s plan at all. Iago kills Emilia for telling Othello, which is ironic because Iago used the rumor about Othello and his wife to fuel his revenge. Iago’s desire for revenge became so great that when Emilia ruined his plan, he killed her. Instead of killing Iago, Othello says, â€Å"I’d have thee live, for in my sense ‘tis happiness to die† (Act 5, ii, 340-341). Iago will be kept alive and most likely tortured because killing him would be a punishment not worthy of Iago’s actions. Iago’s desire for revenge ultimately overcame him and caused many detrimental effects in his life as well as many others. In conclusion, one should never seek revenge.

Biomedical And Biopsychosocial Health Models Health And Social Care Essay

Biomedical And Biopsychosocial Health Models Health And Social Care Essay The medical model of health is a negative one: that is, that health is essentially the absence of disease. Despite bold attempts by bodies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) to argue for a definition of health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, most medically related thought remains concerned with disease and illness. -The main point of this model of disease is that it attempts to uncover underlying pathological processes and their particular effects. -The pathologically based and causally specific medical model became increasingly dominant. In the medical model of disease, tuberculosis is defined as a disease of bodily organs following exposure to the tubercle bacillus. The development of the illness involves symptoms such as coughing, haemoptysis (coughing up blood), weight loss and fever. In this model the underlying cause of the illness is the bacillus, and its elimination from the body (through anti-tubercular drugs) is aimed to restore the body to health. -In the case of tuberculosis, the symptoms described above are also found in other diseases, and this problem of linking symptoms to specific underlying mechanisms frustrated medical development. -Today, these are often referred to as forms of complementary medicine herbalism and homeopathy, for example that treat symptoms holistically but do not rest on the idea of underlying, specific pathological disease mechanisms. -The medical model was essentially individualistic in orientation and, unlike earlier approaches, paid less attention to the patients social situation or the wider environment. This narrowing of focus (towards the internal workings of the body, and then to cellular and sub-cellular levels), led to many gains in understanding and treatment, especially after 1941, when penicillin was introduced, and the era of antibiotics began. But it was also accompanied by the development of what Lawrence calls a bounded medical profession, that could pronounce widely on health matters and could act with increasing power and autonomy. Doctors now claimed exclusive jurisdiction (authority) over health and illness, with the warrant of the medical model of disease as their support. This situation meant that modern citizens were increasingly encouraged to see their health as an individual matter, and their health problems as in need of the attention of a doctor. It is this which Foucault (1973) saw as constituting the medical gaze which focused on the individual and on processes going on inside the body its volumes and spaces. Wider influences on health, such as circumstances at work or in the domestic sphere, were of less interest to the modern doctor. This gaze (extended in due course to health-related behaviours) underpinned the development of the modern doctor-patient relationship, in which all authority over health matters was seen to reside in the doctors expertise and skill, especially as shown in diagnosis. This meant that the patients view of illness and alternative approaches to health were excluded from serious consideration. Indeed, the patients view was seen as contaminating the diagnostic process, and it was better if the patient occupied only a p assive role. It is for this reason that the medical model of disease has been regarded critically in many sociological accounts. The power of the medical model and the power of the medical profession have been seen to serve the interests of medical dominance rather than patients needs (Freidson 1970/1988, 2001) and to direct attention away from the wider determinants of health. However, before we proceed, two caveats need to be entered. Whilst medicine in the last 20 years has continued to focus on processes in the individual body, such as the chemistry of the brain or the role of genes in relation to specific diseases, the current context is clearly different from that which existed at the beginning of the twentieth century. Today, in countries such as the UK and the USA, infectious diseases are of far less importance as threats to human health. The biopsychosocial model in medical research: the evolution of the health concept over the last two decades 1. Introduction The traditional biomedical paradigm has its roots in the Cartesian division between mind and body, and considers disease primarily as a result of injury, infection, inheritance and the like. Although this model has been extraordinarily productive for medicine, its reductionistic character prevents it from adequately accounting for all relevant medical aspects of health and illness [1 and 2]. One of the most criticised consequences of adopting the biomedical model is a partial definition of the concept of health. If disease consists only of somatic pathology-or, more strictly and according to the influential work of Virchow [3], cellular pathology-health must be the state in which somatic signs and symptoms are not present. According to this view, the World Health Organization defined health simply as the absence of disease [4]. In his classic papers, Engel [1 and 5] explicitly warned of a crisis in the biomedical paradigm and conceptualised a new model which regards social and psychological aspects as giving a better understanding of the illness process [6]. In recent years, the so-called biopsychosocial model has found broad acceptance in some academic and institutional domains, such as health education, health psychology, public health or preventive medicine, and even in public opinion. It is now generally accepted that illness and health are the result of an interaction between biological, psychological and social factors [7, 8 and 9]. Many authors now include mental and social aspects in their definitions of health [10, 11, 12 and 13]. It might be expected that, in the two decades since Engels call for a biopsychosocial framework, the concept of health implying social and psychological components would also have extended to practical contexts. The purpose of the present study is to find out whether and to what extent the biopsychosocial concept of health has spread among medical researchers. 4. Discussion and conclusions In western culture, at least since the advent of Cartesian dualism, medicine has used a mechanistic approach to human nature and has centred its interest around illness and its signs. -The main reason for the failure of psychological and social measures in the reports examined lies in the still deep-rooted dominance of the biomedical model which, despite the criticism of its reductionism, remains useful and still enables advances in medicine. This dominance has surely been reinforced in recent years because of the push of genetic research and therapies. Perhaps, holistic and biological-reductionistic models should not compete but try to coexist, as two different but not necessarily incompatible possibilities for approaching health questions. The result would be, however, a reduction of biomedical terrain. First, clinical and health psychology have demonstrated their capacity to explain and treat many somatic symptoms. Second, some holistic medical models-such as Traditional Chinese Medicine or Hannemans homeopathy-are gaining ground because of patients who do not find satisfactory solutions in biomedical care. Third, biomedical care implies enormous and rapidly-ri sing costs that are beginning to exceed the budget of the health care systems. 4.2. Practice implications The biopsychosocial model has been successfully applied to obtain a better understanding of the disease processes and their causes [18], and also for public health purposes [19 and 20], or to improve physician-patient relations [21 and 22], but medical practitioners are still reluctant to incorporate it into treatment plans [16]. Holistic approaches remain till now restricted to chronic illness management [23], which is the field of medical care where regaining health, in a biomedical sense, is not the main goal. For the medical practitioner, the difficulties attached to the change from a biomedical to a biopsychosocial model of health can be well understood. First, this change necessarily implies taking into account a much wider spectrum of the factors influencing health and the healing process, which in turn demands greater knowledge and time investment. Second, the new paradigm implies a new style of the patient-doctor relationship, a style which enables, among other things, the doctors attention to the patients psychosocial circumstances, in order to better manage his or her situation, and not only his or her illness. Undoubtedly, this kind of interaction requires a greater effort from practitioners, but also from the health care systems, which should provide the necessary context and resources for it, such as communication skills training, adequate settings, or enough personnel. Despite these hindrances, which will probably continue to relegate the biopsychosocial model to a secondary place in medical practice, the broadening of the doctors perspective to encompass psychological and social aspects would be really beneficial for the patient, since as Engel [24] lucidly pointed out, even though both patient and doctor may culturally adhere to the biomedical model, the patients needs and ultimate criteria are always psychosocial. What Is the Biomedical Model? (wise geec) The biomedical model is a theoretical framework of illness that excludes psychological and social factors. Followers of this model instead focus only on biological factors such as bacteria or genetics. For example, when diagnosing an illness, most doctors do not first ask for a psychological or social history of the patient. The biomedical model is considered to be the dominant modern model of disease. According to this model, good health is the freedom from pain, disease or defect. It focuses on physical processes that affect health, such as the biochemistry, physiology and pathology of diseases. It does not take social or psychological factors into account. The biomedical model is often referred to in contrast with the biopsychosocial model. In 1977, George L. Engel published an article in the well-known journal Science that questioned the dominance of the biomedical model. He proposed the need for a new model that was more holistic. Although the biomedical model has remained the dominant model since that time, many fields, including medicine, nursing, sociology and psychology, use the biopsychosocial model at times. In recent years, some professionals have even begun to adopt a biopsychosocial-spiritual model, insisting that spiritual factors must be considered as well. Proponents of the biopsychosocial model look at biological factors when assessing and treating patients, just like users of the dominant model do. They also look at other areas of patients lives, however. Psychological factors include mood, intelligence, memory and perceptions. Sociological factors include friends, family, social class and environment. Those who examine spiritual factors also assess patients based on their beliefs about life and the possibility of a higher power. Scholars in disability studies describe a medical model of disability that is part of the general biomedical model. In this medical model, disability is an entirely physical occurrence. According to the medical model, being disabled is negative and can only be made better if the disability is cured and the person is made normal. Many disability rights advocates describe a social model of disability, which they prefer. This social model opposes the medical model. In the social model, disability is a difference neither good nor bad. Proponents of the social model see disability as a cultural construct. They point out that a persons experience of disability can decrease through environmental or societal changes, without the intervention of a professional and without the disability being cured. Explain the main determinants of health: age, sex and hereditary factors, lifestyle, housing, social class etc.: The determinants of health Introduction Many factors combine together to affect the health of individuals and communities. Whether people are healthy or not, is determined by their circumstances and environment. To a large extent, factors such as where we live, the state of our environment, genetics, our income and education level, and our relationships with friends and family all have considerable impacts on health, whereas the more commonly considered factors such as access and use of health care services often have less of an impact. The determinants of health include: the social and economic environment, the physical environment, and the persons individual characteristics and behaviours. The context of peoples lives determine their health, and so blaming individuals for having poor health or crediting them for good health is inappropriate. Individuals are unlikely to be able to directly control many of the determinants of health. These determinants-or things that make people healthy or not-include the above factors, and many others: Income and social status higher income and social status are linked to better health. The greater the gap between the richest and poorest people, the greater the differences in health. Education low education levels are linked with poor health, more stress and lower self-confidence. Physical environment safe water and clean air, healthy workplaces, safe houses, communities and roads all contribute to good health. Employment and working conditions people in employment are healthier, particularly those who have more control over their working conditions Social support networks greater support from families, friends and communities is linked to better health. Culture customs and traditions, and the beliefs of the family and community all affect health. Genetics inheritance plays a part in determining lifespan, healthiness and the likelihood of developing certain illnesses. Personal behaviour and coping skills balanced eating, keeping active, smoking, drinking, and how we deal with lifes stresses and challenges all affect health. Health services access and use of services that prevent and treat disease influences health Gender Men and women suffer from different types of diseases at different ages. Success of NHS was also its Achilles heel demand increased The scale and nature of the problem: Incidents involving incorrect medication dosage Incidents involving the use of technical procedures A number of women became pregnant following failure of earlier sterilisations which had been carried out by laparoscope (keyhole surgery). The surgeon had attached the sterilisation clips to the wrong part of the Fallopian tube. Incidents involving failures in communication A man admitted to hospital for an arthroscopy (an exploratory operation) on his knees had a previous history of thrombosis (blood clots). This was noted by a nurse on his admission form, but was not entered on the operation form which had a section for risk factors and known allergies. The operation was carried out and the patient was discharged from hospital the same day. Given his history of thrombosis the patient should have been given anticoagulant drugs following his operation, but because his history had not been properly recorded none were given. Two days later he was admitted to the intensive care unit of another hospital with a blood clot in his lungs The impact of adverse events on individuals 2.15 Adverse events involve a huge personal cost to the people involved, both patients and staff. Many patients suffer increased pain, disability and psychological trauma. On occasions, when the incident is insensitively handled, patients and their families may be further traumatised when their experience is ignored, or where explanations or apologies are not forthcoming. The psychological impact of the event may be further compounded by a protracted, adversarial legal process. Staff may experience shame, guilt and depression after a serious adverse event, which may again be exacerbated by follow-up action. [20,21] 2.16 The effect of adverse events on patients, their families and staff is not sufficiently appreciated and more attention should be given to ways of minimising the impact of adverse events on all those involved. These issues, while of great importance, cannot be fully addressed within this report and may require separate attention, though we made some limited comment in the context of our discussion on litigation in chapter 4. Conclusion Information on the frequency and nature of adverse events in the NHS is patchy and can do no more than give an impression of the problem.   Information from primary care is particularly lacking; The financial costs of adverse events to the NHS are difficult to estimate but undoubtedly major probably in excess of  £2 billion a year; There is evidence of a range of different kinds of failure, and of the recurrence of identical incidents or incidents with similar root causes; Case studies highlight the consequences of weaknesses in the ability of the NHS as a system to learn from serious adverse events; There is a need for further work focusing specifically on how the impact of adverse events on patients, their families and staff can be minimised. From the cradle to the grave, increasing aging population etc: Britains population is ageing fast, with statisticians predicting a huge increase in the number of 100 year olds by the next century. With people living longer and longer because of medical and other advances, health experts believe the number of people suffering from debilitating conditions such as cancer and heart disease will grow and could mean a rising demand for nursing care. Health experts are worried that as people get older, they could become prone to an increasing number of debilitating conditions if they do not keep active. The WHO has launched a campaign to promote good health in old age. Doctors in the UK say people have an over-gloomy picture of old age and that there is no reason why they should have a lower quality of life than other people if they keep healthy. People do have anxiety that there will be a period of disability at the end of their lives. But there is no evidence that that is the case if they are encouraged to live a healthy life and this generation of elderly people are in better nick than the previous generation. Beating the ageing process Organisations which campaign for the elderly are in favour of policies which support old people to be as independent as possible and allow them more choice and power over their future. They say cuts in local authority and health budgets mean services like home helps have been whittled (cut) away. Without a boost in those services which support independence, there is likely to be increasing pressure on those that cater for dependence: our hospitals, nursing and residential homes. The organisation wants a national strategy which sets a framework that encourages independence and inclusion. It says that such a strategy would be much cheaper than putting people into care homes. They want to see a wider debate on issues such as who funds long-term care, rationing of care particularly in the light of increasing technological change, and health promotion. They argue that the present division between social and health services over long-term care is artificial and damaging. It means people in places funded by social services have to contribute towards their care costs, whereas those in places funded by the NHS get free care.