Do we learn more from work that follows or breaks with accepted Essay

Do we learn more from work that follows or breaks with accepted conventions - Essay Example There has been plenty of research, since the inception of human understanding of nature, on the methods of learning that are easy to follow as well as easy to teach. With the advancement in science and technology, there has been a lot of progress in every subject. As it follows from study, there are certain laws which govern every field of work. We assume certain conditions which can only be true if the mentioned laws of governance are satisfied, these are the rules, methods or practices established by usage i.e. a custom. Similarly, a convention is a set of agreed, stipulated or generally accepted social norms, norms, standards or criteria, often taking the form of a custom.The simple meaning of the title of this essay in simple terms is whether we learn more from having an advanced understanding of the subject made possible by following the results of an accepted convention (work that follows with accepted conventions) or we learn more from the failure of that convention which caus es us to consider the results from a different perspective (work that breaks with accepted conventions). However, before deciding on one of the choices, we should acknowledge the fact that no matter if the work follows or breaks with accepted conventions, our level of understanding or thinking is elevated to a higher level. In my opinion, we can learn more from the work if it breaks with the accepted conventions. There are many reasons for choosing this case ... However, if we do not get the results as determined by previous study and observations, we are forced to think of the peripheral (other minor variables included in the instructions) reasons that may lead to discrepancy of results. And as a result of this, we in simple words learn one way of not doing that experiment. And we can affirm this argument with a famous quote from a famous inventor, Sir Thomas A. Edison: I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.[2] Now taking an example from arts, we can affirm the belief that we learn more from the works that break following accepted conventions. The example (more like a story) goes like this: Sigmund Freud was a medical man. After completing his M.D. (Doctor of Medicine) from Vienna University, he started working with a doctor, as an associate director, who was handling cases of hysteria at that time. At that time young man and woman were suffering from hysteria in large numbers. The main reason of the hysteria was sex problem. The doctor, with whom Sigmund Freud was working as an associate doctor, used to rely on medicines (which were not very successful). Sigmund Freud thought it was necessary to go into depth. He suggested this to this senior doctor who disagreed. Thereafter, Sigmund Freud dissociated with him and opened his own clinic for hysteria patients. He started questioning and counseling the patients and recorder their interviews. And finally Sigmund Freud succeeded in finding out the reasons of Author 3 hysteria. The reason was the emotional disturbance of the patients of both sexes. Freud then followed up the study with two books on that subject: Dora and Wolf.[1] This example also points our attention

Sustainability of Seafood Farms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sustainability of Seafood Farms - Essay Example Today’s global economy has increasingly placed an emphasis on sustainability measures both as a means of improving the social environment and as a path towards cutting-edge innovative design. While sustainability has emerged in nearly all aspects of modern innovation, one of its prominent areas of influence is in the triple bottom line of fish farming. Triple bottom line has influenced sustainability through concerns with people, planets, and profits ecosystem ("Common terminology," 2009). In fish farming this approach has prominently been implemented through catching methods that do not harm the specific species long-term ability to reproduce or operate in a functional ecosystem ("Common terminology," 2009). Within this context of understanding there have emerged a plethora of methods wherein triple bottom-line approaches to sustainability has had strong impact on seafood farms. There are a number of concerns when investigating the sustainability approaches to fish farming. Among the most prominent overarching concerns are the notions of production, distribution, and consumption. Production refers to the amount of fish that can be acquired or ‘produced’ within a farming area during a specified period of time; this notion is important, as farmers must increasingly take sustainability measures into consideration or face continually diminishing production.

Computational Phylogenetic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Computational Phylogenetic - Essay Example Using the resulting â€Å"neighbor.outtree† generated as your answer in Question 2, generate the corresponding dendrogram using the â€Å"drawgram† program found at the MOBYLE Portal under phylogeny/display. Keep all program parameters set to default except for the â€Å"Drawgram options† parameter; you will need to change this parameter to a file type you can visualize on your computer (e.g., Windows – BitMap). Copy/Paste the resulting image as your answer. Using the resulting â€Å"dnapars.outtree† generated as your answer in Question 4, generate the corresponding dendrogram using the â€Å"drawtree† program found at the MOBYLE Portal under phylogeny/display. Keep all program parameters set to default except for the â€Å"Drawtree Options† parameter; you will need to change this parameter to a file type you can visualize on your computer (e.g., Windows – BitMap). Copy/Paste the resulting image as your answer. Run the â€Å"fitch† program found at the MOBYLE Portal under phylogeny/distance. Keep all program parameters set to default except for the parameter you will need to change to run â€Å"Minimum Evolution† instead of â€Å"Fitch-Margoliash†. Copy/Paste the resulting â€Å"fitch.outtree† as your answer. Using the resulting â€Å"fitch.outtree† generated as your answer in Question 6, generate the corresponding dendrogram using the â€Å"drawtree† program found at the MOBYLE Portal under phylogeny/display. Keep all program parameters set to default except for the â€Å"Drawtree Options† parameter; you will need to change this parameter to a file type you can visualize on your computer (e.g., Windows – BitMap). Copy/Paste the resulting image as your

Alexander of Macedon Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Alexander of Macedon - Research Paper Example Alexander as commander ensured excellent use of psychological war and propaganda, as it created a sense of revenge appealing to the Greeks. Despite the sources Alexander did win the battle which led him to continue his invasion of Persia. As for his troops, Alexander visited the wounded and received great respect from his men. Plutarch wrote of the capture of Darius’s family, and on much more on Alexander’s campaign. The action performed showed Alexander’s respect and nobility as a commander ignoring the reality that Darius was his enemy. Continuing on, he defeated Bessus, then moved on to India, and fought King Porus at the Hydaspes River in which once again was another victory. The truth that Alexander overpowered Darius, Bessus and King Porus in their own kingdoms reveals Alexander’s brilliance as an outstanding commander. [1] His mentality as commander was flexible and the concern he showed to his army led to few casualties in battles. When men died, A lexander showed compassion and honored the dead, and this led to Alexander having the great respect from his men. ... ccording to Bosworth â€Å"He loved them and they loved him as their king and as a man, and they could not bear to let him die without greeting him.† [2] This statement can assist in proving the ‘love’ aspect of his relationship as king with his men, and one must see this side of Alexander’s Kingship. In the determining of the rift at the Hydaspes River, after shedding tears and after listening to his men moaning outside his tent, Alexander assured them in these words which definitely consoled them then and there â€Å"but all of you regard as my kinsmen†. [3] In addition to this compassion, Alexander paid off his men’s debts off which totaled to 20,000 talents, a kind deed, and in the thirteen years of Alexander’s rule, he brought Macedon â€Å"immense wealth which maintained their strength for generations†. [4] The affiliation of Alexander as King towards his Macedones is wide-ranging. It is obvious that Alexander was an obsess ed king whose sufferings and implementations to Persian traditions created enormous annoyance and aggravation between his men towards him. There are more unconstructive perspectives in regard to Alexander’s successes as king, but in certain circumstances, we see the positives and affection Alexander and his men had for each other. As statesman, Alexander established his kingdom by using his skills as statesman. One of his first and most significant achievements as statesman was gaining the submission of Greece after the death of his father Philip. According to Hammond, when Alexander died he had 25 satrapies, which were ran by hundreds of influential senior officials from Asia and Europe. Of the Satrapies, most of the satraps (governor of satrapy) were Persian. Alexander kept these men in these powerful positions because they had the

Pob Sba Guide for Description of Business Essay Example for Free

Pob Sba Guide for Description of Business Essay Main Objective of doing this SBA To give you an opportunity to apply the knowledge gained in the study of Principles of Business. 1. 2. How will this be done? The objective will be fulfilled through the examination of a designated business/firm. The data collection instruments will be the questionnaire and the interview. The information gathered will then be analysed and evaluated, with the aim of drawing specific conclusions about the firm. Our staff consists of twenty employees four of who are supervisors of the factory and three administrative staff responsible for accounting, billing and wages. A Production Manager is in charge of all production processes and the supervisors report to him. There is a Quality Control Supervisor who reports directly to the partners. An Inventory Manager is in charge of receiving, storage and issuance of raw materials as well as receipt, storage and distribution of the finished products with a staff of three assistants to help him. The functional areas of the business will include Purchasing/Logistics, Inventory Management, Production, Distribution and

Maintenance And Redevelopment Of Aged Public Housing Estate Construction Essay

Maintenance And Redevelopment Of Aged Public Housing Estate Construction Essay Since the fire in Shek Kip Mei on 25 December 1953 that made 53,000 people homeless, due to the shantytowns of the China immigrants were destroyed. As the population growth of Hong Kong is very fast from the five decades ago due to the immigrants and birthrate. At present, Hong Kong Government is facing the problem of density populated. For this reason, Hong Kong Government assigns Hong Kong Housing Authority to develop public housing program of multi story building for immigrants to living there. Therefore, Hong Kong Housing Authority has been turn into the biggest public housing developer and the single proprietor in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, the housing condition and the practicability is the important consideration of the district, because the main concept of public housing is satisfy the basic and real need of townspeople, who cannot afford the private housing requirement. Nowadays, there are many public housing estate are out of the current standard and outmoded owing to the time is elapse. So, Hong Kong Housing Authority launches the Comprehensive Redevelopment Programme to make an improvement of living quality to the tenant that living in old public housing estate, there are 566 target block about 231,403 flats which was built before 1973 are demolished and the Comprehensive Redevelopment Programme was completed in January 2010. Otherwise, the Housing Authority carry out the Total Maintenance Scheme in 2006 approximately covering 600,000 flats, the Housing Authority article showing that the main concept of this scheme is Proactive and comprehensive approach to identify maintenance problems, then Prompt response to emergencies and tenants requests, finally, Enhanced promotional and educational programmes to improve the maintenance quality and service in public housing estate and enhance the quality of living environment to the tenant. At this moment in this time, Hong Kong Housing Authority had made two different programme which are maintenance and redevelopment in different period to enhance the living quality of public housing estate. Building maintenance is a method to sustainable of keeping and enhances the function of facilities of aged public housing. Redevelopment is a method that demolish the outmoded building and redevelopment, it is very complicated, because there are many factors are contained, (e.g. psychology affect of tenant, use of time, cost of finance, availability of the land). For this reason, the purpose of this study is research the benefit and disadvantage of maintenance and redevelopment of aged public housing, express the different and difficulties to precede the redevelopment and maintenance and bring up my recommendation that base on the opinion of public and the feasibility study on the actually condition for the future building management for Hong Kong, . Introduction In this study, I will first provide some background information of aged public housing in Hong Kong. Then, I will present a clear conceptual background of maintenance and redevelopment, such as the definition of maintenance and redevelopment, and critically review the condition of aged public housing in Hong Kong. Then, I will evaluate and examine the intention of government policy for choice between maintenance and redevelopment of aged public housing, in order to make the best decision between adoption of maintenance and redevelopment of aged public housing in Hong Kong. In addition, I will outline and discuss the factors contributing to the decision. Besides, I will mainly focus on three factors, economic, environment and structural safety. And, I will then outline the advantages and disadvantages of maintenance and redevelopment, which can affect the decision between adoption of maintenance and redevelopment of aged public housing. Finally, I will summarize the factors which can affect the decision making and provide some recommendations for the future decision making and redevelopment for public housing estate. Aims and Objective The aim of this dissertation is to review and evaluate the decision for the old public building between maintenance and redevelopment of Hong Kong. Objective: A historical review the background of public housing in Hong Kong. A literature reviews the definition of maintenance and redevelopment and compares the factor which determines the decision between redevelopment and maintenance. Carry out research and interview with selected target building and group. Selection of public building for case study. A critical data analysis and information based on the conclusion drawn from all review and research. Conclusion and recommendation based on the critical analysis and result of the research. History of public housing in Hong Kong The appearance of public housing in Hong Kong mainly due to the fire in Shek Kip Mei on 25 December 1953, the fire destroyed the makeshift homes of refugees from Mainland China, leaving 53,000 people homeless. After the fire, and facing a surge of immigrant population, then the government launched a public housing program to introduce the idea of multi story building for the immigrant population living there, thus commencing a programme of mass public housing, providing affordable homes for those on low incomes. Some scholars have argued that the government has been overstating the role of the fire in the history of public housing in Hong Kong. Nowadays, public housing facility is the weightiest position of the society. Public housing estate major provided a home for peoples who cant afford the private accommodation in real need, because the rates of public housing are really lower than private housing. At present, there are 169 public housing estate (about 656,000 public rental flats and residence around 2.2 million people) under the Housing Authoritys (HA) management scope. Research methodology and significant of study Research is a process, which is the way to get the answer and question to hypothesis in different way of this study and support the conclusion from information of the research. Furthermore, methodology is use for prove the truth of the assumption, the methodology that is choose from literature review (e.g. news, article, journal, book) and investigation for target person (e.g. group interview, individual interview, questionnaire). Chapter outline Chapter one is the Introduction of this study, in this part, the history of Honk Kong public housing estate is introduced first, then define the main focus of this study clearly and explain the source of information about this study. Therefore, a clear concept of this study provided for the reader from this chapter. Chapter two is the Literature Review, in this chapter, the definition and characteristic of maintenance and redevelopment are identify by literature or article or journal, after that, the factor of influence that between maintenance and redevelopment is recognize base on the concept findings of maintenance and redevelopment, the important information from the article or journal are recap and compare the data on the most relevant. Chapter Three is the Methodology, in this part is to make a critical review on the decision for the old public building between maintenance and redevelopment of Hong Kong. The methodology consists of a literature review, followed by questionnaire survey and the subsequent interview. The conclusion from the analysis of the results of questionnaire and interview surveys would be served as a ground for formulating the recommendations. Chapter Four is the Findings and Data Analysis, in this part all information and data that collected would be organized in this chapter and detailed discussion and analysis would be presented from the interview and the questionnaire. Chapter Five is the Conclusion and Recommendations, in this chapter, final conclusion and recommendations will be made based on the discussion, collected information and analysis made in Chapter three and four. Literature review Definition of Maintenance According to British Standard 8210 defined maintenance as the combination of all technical and administrative action intended to retain an item in, or restore it to, a state in which it can perform its required function. And the previous version of British Standard (BS 3811: 1964) stated that maintenance as a combination of any actions carried out to retain an item, or restore it to, an acceptable condition. There are few components are identified from the above definition. According to the British Standard stated that Action not only related to the physical execution of maintenance work, also concerned with its initiation, financing and organization. The notion of an acceptable condition, which implies and understanding of the requirement for the effective usage of the building and its parts, which in turn compels broader consideration of building performance, Chartered of Institute of Building offer the followings definition of maintenance: Works undertaken in order to keep, restore or improve every facility, e.g. every part of building, its services and surrounds, to an agreed standard, determined by the balance between need and available resources. The committee on Building Maintenance recommended the adoption of the followings: Definition of maintenance: Work undertaken in order to keep, restore or improve every facility e.g. every part of building, its services and surrounds to a currently acceptable standard and to sustain the utility and value of the facility. Proper maintenance can extend the useful life of a building substantially. Renovation of old buildings is sometimes a viable alternative to redevelopment as it causes much less disruption to the affected residents. It can also improve the environment and reduce the need for urban renewal from the Planning environment and Lands Branch, 1996 British standard (BS 3811: 1984) classified maintenance as three parts as follow, i. Planned maintenance; described as organized maintenance and carried out with forethought, control, and the use of records to predetermined plan. ii. Preventive maintenance, it is carried out at predetermined or to other prescribed criteria and intended to reduce the likelihood of an item not meeting an acceptable condition. iii. Running maintenance, which can be carried out whilst an item is in service. Definition of Redevelopment Redevelopment means that the society shall demolish and redevelop the old dilapidated building with poor living condition into a productive and desirable use in order to utilize the land resources. Hong Kong Housing Authority described that the redevelopment and clearance aims to improve the living standard for residents in older estates and to ensure that facilities and benefits do not lag too far behind the newer estates. The opinion focuses on demolishing old and dilapidated buildings which providing poor living conditions and improving living conditions by assembling large pieces of land for comprehensive planning and the restructuring of the community through providing better and appropriate community facilities and open space. (P.K. Kam 2002) Housing Authority stated that the land use within the community, new opportunities may be identified which may lead to better planning and development within the district, including opportunities for housing. (HKHA) Redevelopment as an effective means to comprehensively revamp an old area by upgrading the street design and the community amenities as well as to better utilize the in shortage supply of land resources. (Urban Renewal Authority) Comprehensive housing renewal can provide greater open space and community facilities. Typical objective include: suitable re-housing; increased amenities; community preservation architectural conservation and fiscal outcomes, among others that base on Couch 1990, Rapkin 1980 Factors which Determining the Decision between Redevelopment and Maintenance The reason for redevelopment mainly as the following: Replacement of whole elements of components When the whole elements of components are functionally unsatisfactory; incur high maintenance or running costs and aesthetically unacceptable (Lee Maintenance Management), the components will be redeveloped. 2. Design constraints, lack of amenities Since, the publics expectation for improving the standard of living environment is rising. A redeveloped component will provide a better living environment to the residents. Areas concern such as to improve the condition, value and life span of public housing assets, enhance local communities and support the local construction industry. 3. Maximize the usage of land Redevelop a component not only can increase the efficiency of land usage, but also provide a better integration of transportation and commercial facilities and the provision of new district facilities. 4. Change of plot ratio Plot ratio control was under the Building Ordinance is a device used by planning authorities, to restrict the amount of floor space provided in new building in relation to their site area. The population grows at (the rate of population growth is roughly one million per decade in Hong Kong) roughly a million every decade in Hong Kong. With limited land resources, further increase in density in high of housing development is inevitable. In addition, provide more occupancy ratio, the occupancy ratio of 2.23sq m per person that had been established in the 1950s and changed over time to 4.25sq m per person in the 1980s, up to date, the current occupancy ratio stands at 7 sq m per person. Economy The large assembly of land through the Comprehensive Development Area (CDA) comcept has two major benefits from the planners point of view, Booth (1996) and Listokin (1974); Waver and Blabcock (1979); all cited by Tse (2001) The CDA sites can achieve the maximum plot ratio; It can achieve a better designed layout and block disposition and provide adequate communal facilities for the development. structural and building safety American Planning Association elaborated that the building in which it is unsafe for persons and unhealthy to live or work due to dilapidation; deterioration; defective design or physical construction; inadequate utilities; lack of ventilation, light or sanitary facilities contamination by hazardous substances and redevelopment might be considered. The reasons for maintenance mainly as the following: 1. Environmental impact Environmental impacts arising from the demolition, construction and operation of the redevelopment project and related activities, therefore the environmental impact of maintenance works are much better to avoid and minimize the potential environmental impacts to the public. 2. Long time for the completion of new estates The total lead-time for the completion of new estates is about 4 years including: planning, design, tendering and construction. 3. Lower operation and maintenance cost in the long run Preventive maintenance concept has developed in Housing Authority. In view of the fact that regular repair and maintenance cannot fundamentally solve the problems arising from ageing, such as water seepage in the balcony, rusting of water pipes, wear and tear of concrete, etc. the Housing Department is exploring ways to upgrade or maintain aged estates comprehensively in order to improve tenants living environment Building rehabilitation is one of the options being explored in dealing with aged estates. 4. High construction costs are not cost-effective Tight budget of Housing Authority incurring such high construction costs is not cost-effective and will also affect the environment during construction stage. Advantages of redevelopment There are several benefits for the Housing Authority during redevelopment First of all, the rationalization of land use and the opportunity for increasing housing production, particularly for Housing Authority redevelopment site where boundaries may be modified to optimize development intensity. The ability to bring in other resources to facilitate redevelopment of existing public housing estates, including the private sector and other quasi-government agencies. This could enable some older estates to be redeveloped for higher and more productive uses that would otherwise remain for a long time due to a lack of suitable reception housing. One of the benefits is that the improvement to the physical conditions of the area that would benefit existing public housing residents and at the sme time enhances the attractiveness and desirability of Housing Authority developments. Besides, the grater diversity of land use and type of developments will assist in improving the secio-economic mix in the area and provide housing residents with more choices and housing opportunities. Furthermore, construction jobs created by the development of new buildings and new infrastructure and the remodeling in existing buildings Redeveloping building can stop the spread of deterioration and blight of aging building and improving the safety and environment of adjacent areas Deficiencies of redevelopment Governments redevelopment programs have the following deficiencies: Migration of vast number of people is a complicated process requiring detailed planning, monitoring and documentation. A high percentage (up to 40%) of Hong Kong population is housed in Public Housing Estates. An extensive re-housing and redevelopment program is required, which exerts heavy pressure on manpower, time and money. Demolition of a building is a costly process. Moreover it creates construction waste undesitably unavoidably. The waste, if unsuitably reused, can result in pollution of the environment and depletion of resources. Also noise and visual pollutions can become nuisances to nearby residents. New estate designs are often based on economic values. Also, cost efficiency and high practicality had been the approach adopted in the new developments, lacking in the encouragement of communal interactions. The new estates have more monotonous and self-enclosed living environment. Significances and Advantages of Maintenance According to David Highfield (2000) defined that the cost of refurbishing and re-using and existing building is generally considerably less than the cost of demolition and new construction since many of the building elements are already constructed. One of the principles advantages of opting of refurbishment and re-use of existing building rather than demolition and construction is that, in he majority of cases. The renewed or redeveloped accommodations will be available in a much shorter time. And the shorter contract duration reduces the effects of inflation on building costs, also the overall development period could be shorter and reduces the cost of financing the scheme The work required refurbishing and existing building would normally take considerably less time than the alternative if demolition, site clearance and the construction of a new building. Time savings, during the pre-contract design, planning permission and building works phases of development. The client obtains the building sooner and therefore begins the earn reveue from it (e.g. rentals, retail sales of manufacturing profits) at an earlier date. With the increasing cost of new-build work, effective maintenance of existing building stock is become more important and building maintenance now represents a significant proportion of construction output. About unstable supply of construction works, according to Patricia Hillebrandt (2000) stated that the determination of demand for construction activity is a very complex affair and heavily depends on the policy of government either directly through its intervention in the public sector, or through its influence on the general level of economics activity in the private sector. The standard of maintenance achieved has an important influence on the quality of the built environment and there seems little doubt that society will continue to expect higher standards in new and existing buildings. Nowadays, maintenance is a significant and important part of the work of the constrctuion industry. The environmental advantages, one of the many ways in which energy consumption can be reduced is to recycle and re-use exising resouces as much as possible, in preference to consuming even more energy by replacing them. E.g. when major alterations are made, will generally use less energy than demolition and new build. Housing Authority stressed that maintenance can facilitate early defect deteration and rectifection. This canavoid the additional expenses arising from further deterioration and it enables building elemets and services installations to be replaced at the optimum time in order to achieve the maximum serviceable life (Press Release: Home CARE Maintenance for Public Housing Estate, 1 March,2001) Disadvantage of Maintenance Although maintenance is beneficial to the aged building and many articles are supporting this view, but there are no perfect views of any matter, so in this part, the disadvantage of maintenance is shown as the follows: The resultant standard of living may not live up to contemporary expectations. Very limited potential for positive impact with regard to lad use and building performance. The current mismatch in housing type supply and demand and the general inefficient layout of the site would remain. This approach dose not count for the relatively short life span of the existing housing. Deterioration and Obsolescence The life cycle analysis by Flanagan (1989), which includes the following items: Physical deterioration; economic obsolescence; functional obsolescence; technological obsolescence; social obsolescence; location obsolescence; legal obsolescence; aesthetic and visual obsolescence; image obsolescence; and environmental obsolescence. Base on Aikivuori (1995) asserts that the defects of building are relative, not absolute and therefore difficult to measure objectively. The replacement due to obsolescence is not technically rational since it does not optimize the use of structures until the end of their durability. Since corrective replacement is defined as the project aimed at deteriorated structures in unacceptable physical condition. According to Taylor (1980) proposes that deterioration has no part in the accumulated inferiority caused by obsolescence and the deterioration and obsolescence are 2 separable issues. Both Taylor (1980) have categorized the causes of replacement into these 2 classes, e.g. deterioration and obsolescence. Thus, Aikivuori (1995) view the reasons for the decision to initiate a redevelopment project as a basis of the demand. The phenomena causing redevelopment are classified into 5 categories in his study as follows: failure in the building due to deterioration: change in use: optimization of economic factors: subject features of the decision maker: and the change of circumstances. Life Span of Building Components Base on the main theme of this study, the life span of building components is a very critical part to provide the sustainable development environment and enhance the value and practicability of the aged building. Also, it is a critical part to affect the decision between maintenance and redevelopment, so the building components should be coordinate with the methodology to present result that meet the international standard, the methodology is really simple to included multifarious application and give a suitable advice of the analysis or review for different type of building in Hong Kong or other country. According to the related RICS journals Assessing the Life Expectancies of Building for Life Cycle Costing by Ashworth (1996) bring up the idea is about the rate of depreciation of building components depend on different information or data supporting and the selection of relevant life span reviews. Base on the theory from this journal, the expectancies may be uncertain, due to a proper design and maintenance arrangement or physical deterioration and obsolescence affect or the quality of refurbishment phase. Anyhow, different types or use of building have different refurbishment lives and the argument of expectancies incidence is important than overall building life span. Macdonald (2003) indentified the building requirement and intention of life is at least 50 years or above, if there is good workmanship in construction stage and arrange inspection and maintenance work on cycle. Actuality, most of the building may be demolished before the end of time and rebuild, if there is any economical profit of that place or may be change the use of building to meet the new requirement. Base on the information from RICS, the serviceable life span of aged public housing can be extending about 10-15 years, due to a systematic and cycle maintenance arrangement. Therefore, the aged public housings are structurally safe, that mean it is unnecessary to demolish and redevelopment. . The life span components of public housing estates as follow: Building Components Life Span (year) Window glazing 20 Plumbing 25-30 External wall tile 20-25 Vinyl sheet or tile 20-30 External paint 5-10 Internal wall paint 5-10 Waterproofing, bituminous coating 10 Wooden door 20-30 Hence, there are many factors affecting the life expectancy of building components and need to be considered when making replacement decisions, including the quality of the components, the quality of the installation, level of the maintenance, weather and climatic conditions and intensity of their use. Some components remain functional but become obsolete because of changing styles and styles and taste or because of product improvement. RICS defined that the building structure may be designed using materials, components and technology that may last for about 100 years or more, depending on the quality and standards expected from users. Methodology Research aim This research aims is to evaluate and critical review on the factor contributing to the decision between the adoption of maintenance and redevelopment of aged public housing estate in Hong Kong with determine the decision between maintenance and redevelopment in public housing estate from the questionnaire and interview and technical record of the building structure life span. The methodology consists of literature research, survey through questionnaires and interviews and reviews the opinion of tenant and government. With a view to do this, I will use the questionnaire and case study in the dissertation respectively. As a new research area, the researcher adopted a multi-faceted approach employing multiple methods for the collection of research materials. There are several methods to do the research. The first method is to visit relevant government departments and officials in order to have a deep understanding to the research. The second method is that, by reviewing some electronic and printed documents as well as participant observations in order to have an up-dated and comprehensive understanding of the issues. The main methodologies used for the dissertation are documentary review on relevant public housing policies particularly on the Comprehensive Redevelopment Programme (CPR) and Home CARE Maintenance in both printed and electronic form has been conducted. Besides, case study is used to examine the intention of government policy for redevelopment and maintenance for old public housing estate. The reasons for choosing the above case study for this dissertation can be specifically elaborated into 2 aspects: financial and environment impacts between redevelopment and maintenance that take place in public housing estates. Furthermore, questionnaires were also used to serve the purpose of providing a through understanding of the old public housing estates physical environment, where the tenants live and socialize and their true-wish or desires on maintenance and redevelopment. Research the existing old public housing estate in Hong Kong In 2010, the public housing estate in Hong Kong which is less than 30 years old nearly 87% and about 13% estates were built before 1980. The most common aged public housing estate is Choi Hung Estate, Kwai Shing Estate, Lai King Estate, which is over 35 years old. With a view to maintain the housing standards, public housing estates which are 30 years old or above are require upgrading by improvement measures or facilities. However, some other 30 plus years old public housing estates require to have redevelopment, because its structure is not fulfill the safe standard or becoming uneconomical to take maintenance. For the reason that the oldest block design Mark I to Mark VI public housing estates and the former government low cost housing estates built in the 1950s and 1960s are obsolete by todays standards, the above block designs were cleared for redevelopment in June 1999. The Government started to redevelop these buildings in the 1970s. Up to 31 December 2004, 694 blocks of these estates containing some 249,360 households were redeveloped. Review of building conditions in public housing in Hong Kong In this section, I will present an overview of the current status of old public housing estates in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, the remaining early authority estates included, Shek Kip Mei Estate, Fuk Loi Estate, Choi Hung Estate. Although the living environment basically can meet the normal standards, it is not a fine condition in comparing with the public housing estate which built after 70s. In the 1960s, there were some marginal improvement for the public housing design. The improvements not only increase a little more living space in the public housing units, but also the community facilities were significantly improved. Besides, the building block is bigger than before, the stories were increased to 16 and corridors were moved indoors, but neighborliness was discouraged by the long monstrous slab blocks. Nowadays, all units in the ageing public housing estates are self-contained with basic facilities such as shower tray and water closet in the toilet, cooking bench and sink in the kitchen, drying rack, electricity, not and cold water supplies etc. In order to upgrade the facilities, a more energy-saving lift system will be introduced. Also, a security system will be installed in all rental blocks, which includes electronically controlled security gates and door phones for each unit and television surveillance system in common areas from the security counter next to the main entrance on ground floor. Questionnaires Survey In this questionnaire, there are 10 questions to collect tenant opinion on this topic of Choi Hung Estate and Lai King Estate, also, it can collect more basic information of the selected estate In order to ensure accuracy in the collected data by all interviewers, structured questionnaires was adopted in which similar ques

Working With Special Populations

Working With Special Populations Spirduso et al. (2005) gives the definition of ageing as ‘ A process or group of processes occurring in living organisms that begins with birth and, with the passage of time, leads to a loss of adaptability, functional impairment and eventually death. Also Swain and Leutholtz (2002) define aging as a result in years of physical inactivity, and that much to do with the biological consequences of age is the sedentary lifestyles most aging people have. Those who remain physically active throughout life demonstrate much slower rates of physical decline than do the sedentary, and a growing body of research indicates that those who have been sedentary for many years can experience significant improvements by beginning an exercise programme even at very advanced ages (Fiatrone et al. 1990). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there is over 20 percent of the population in the United Kingdom over the age of 65 and by the year 2025 there is an overall projection that, that value will rise to almost as much as 30% of the population living in the united Kingdom to be over the age of 65 (Mcardle, Katch and Katch 2010). Research shows that when properly prescribed exercise, elderly people can significantly improve their aerobic power (Eshani 1987), muscular strength and size (Fiatrone et al. 1990; Frontera et al. 1988), and bone density (Dalsky 1989). Improvements in functional movements such as walking speed and stair climbing power have also been reported (Fiatrone et al. 1990). These results can reverse the effects of many years of physical decline and lead to greater independence and a much higher quality of life. More than half of elderly people have at least one disability or chronic condition, participation in a regular physical activity/exercise programme has many physiological health benefits including reducing the risk and lessening the impact of many chronic diseases (DiPietro, Caspersen and Ostfield 1995). Aging has numerous effects on organ systems in the body, effecting skeletal muscle, body composition, the cardiovascular system, the metabolic system, the respiratory system, the nervous system, energy expenditure and energy intake and also thermoregulation. These can all seem to be contraindications for exercising when elderly such as thermoregulation being affected this means there is a decreased ability to regulate body temperature when homeostasis is challenged; decreased amount of sweat per active sweat gland; reduced response to increased blood flow during exercise attributable to structure and response of cutenous blood vessels; inadequate ability to reduce splanchnic blood flow during exercise (Kenney 1997 and King, Martin 1998). In general, if an individual leads an active lifestyle it preserves and enhances skeletal muscle, strength and endurance, flexibility, cardio respiratory fitness and body composition for later life. Main Content Physiological Factors Cardiovascular Fitness + Training Since many elderly individuals have a low initial fitness level, it is prudent to begin exercise programmes at a low intensity and to progress gradually (Swain and Leutholtz 2002). Low cardiorespiratory fitness is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and all cause mortality (Blazer 1982). Low VO2 peak is associated with reduced ability to perform ADLs (activities of daily living) including climbing stairs and brisk walking (Birdt 1998). A small improvement in cardiovascular fitness is associated with lower risk of death. Healthy sedentary older men and women can increase their cardiorespiratory fitness by performing aerobic exercise training (Engels et al. 1998: Kuczmarski et al. 1994). Physical activities that the elderly population, should engage in are walking (indoors, outdoors, or treadmill), gardening, swimming (water aerobics), golf and cycling (White 1995). Combining strength with endurance training is also beneficial for the elderly individual. One study showed that after 6 months of combined resistance and endurance training, older healthy individuals increased their VO2 peak (11%) and their upper and lower body strength (Blazer 1982). The ability to carry out normal daily task such as carrying laundry, vacuuming and climbing stairs translated to carrying 14% more weight and moving 10% faster. Resistance Training Elderly individuals, including the oldest old and very frail elderly, demonstrate physiological adaptations to strength training (Kuczmarski et al. 1994). How much adaptation depends on the frequency, volume, mode, type of training and initial training state (Ferketich, Kirby and Alway 1998). Strength training has the potential to improve functional capacity and quality of life of the elderly person (Fiatrone et al. 1990). Most elderly individuals can participate in a resistance training programme that is individually designed. Those with hypertension or arthritis or at risk of osteoporotic fracture need to be assessed and evaluated by a physician prior to initiating resistance training programme (White 1995). A ACSM recommendation for the elderly that bears some scrutiny is the recommendation to use machines as apposed to free weights. Swain and Leutholtz (2002) evaluates that although it is true that machines require less skill, free weights have the advantage of teaching balance and greater neuromuscular control, which may be transferrable to real world activities. Furthermore they also talk about free weights being more superior by allowing the user to add small amount of weight onto their dumbbells i.e. 1kg whereas resistance machines normally have increments of 4.5kg or more which is a large leap when the user is frail, on the other hand ACSM realise that machines require less balance requirements and the risk of injury. Resistance training programmes lasting from 8 weeks to 1 year can increase muscle strength and mass in elderly, regardless of age and sex (Fiatrone et al. 1990). Psychological + Sociological Factors International Society of Sport Psychology (1992) states that â€Å"Individual psychological benefits of physical activity include: positive changes in self perceptions and well-being, improvement in self-confidence and awareness, positive changes in mood, relief of tension, relief of feelings such as depression and anxiety, influence on premenstrual tension, increased mental well-being, increased alertness and clear thinking, increased energy and ability to cope with daily activity, increased enjoyment of exercise and social contacts, and development of positive coping strategies.† Many older individuals do not have a spouse, close children or friends to rely on for socialization, assistance and support (Evans 1999). Although with age, social relationships may change from family to more formalized organizations or nonfamily members, many elderly live in social isolation and are very lonely. This is important because epidemiological studies have demonstrated a relationship between social support and physical health (Evans 1999). To add on to this it has been show that in several studies, lack of social support is a major risk factor for depression, morbidity and mortality (Engels et al. 1998). Participation in an organized training session provides an excellent opportunity for interaction between other elderly people and when organising a session it is been seen to do all activities as in one whole group to get a more major interaction between participants (Evans 1999). Also another method which could be used to improve social interaction for the elderly participating in a exercise program could include a ‘buddy exercise system where individuals are matched up with similar ability to perform their exercises together. Exercise Recommendations Physical activity recommendations for the elderly are updated regularly by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM 2000). High intensity activities such as running, rowing, aerobic/gravity riders, and stair steppers may not be appropriate unless the individual has a rare high fitness level. Low to moderate intensity exercise programmes can be performed daily. Higher intensity exercise sessions (>70% heart rate reserve) should only be performed 3 to 5 days per week (ACSM 2000). This allows for recovery days, which are more important for the older adult than the younger person as elders recover slower. Older individuals with a low exercise capacity may benefit from multiple daily sessions of short duration, whereas the more capable individual can benefit from three sessions per week with exercise bouts performed once per day (ACSM 2000). Elderly individuals who are unable to perform ambulatory activities may be candidates to perform seated chair activities, stationary cycling and water activities. T ai chi is seen to be one of the best activities for elderly individuals to undertake as it improves strength and balance according to Dalsky (1989). For the healthy older individual, it is recommended that exercise be performed minimally for 30 minutes but not beyond an hour in duration. If an individual beginning an exercise programme is predominately sedentary, has severe chronic disease, or has a very low fitness level, a minimum of 30minutes of continuous activity may not be possible. Sessions of as little as 10 minutes two or three times a day is appropriate in this situation. Health benefits are still obtained this way (ACSM 2000). National and Regional Strategies Summary Physical activity of light to moderate intensity helps to improve health, whereas moderate to high intensity physical activity with an emphasis on aerobic endurance improves cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2) as well as health in older individuals. Elderly individuals demonstrate improvements during resistance training by increasing muscle mass and strength; this improves gait, balance, and overall functional capacity and bone health this staving off chronic diseases such as osteoporosis and improve overall quality of life. There are also psychological benefits associated with regular physical activity and exercise. Dr. Robert Butler, former director of the National Institute of Aging states ‘If exercise could be put in a bottle, it would be the strongest medicine money could buy In general the elderly person can improve physical and mental health by performing regular physical activity, and this should be encouraged by all medical and exercise professionals. Ultimately, regardless of age or level of frailty, nearly all elderly persons can derive some physiologic, functional or quality of life benefit from initiating an exercise programme. 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