Spain and Devolution Research Paper Example

Spain and Devolution Paper Of the three states Spain has by far the most difficult regional problem; it has also in place the the most radical of the regionalising projects. Spains regional problem has two interrrelated dimensions: that of persuading the two principal unassimilated peripheries Catalonia and the Basque region to accept the state, and then drawing on the resources of these regions to support development in the other regions. These goals are contradictory and it has been a difficult balancing act. Insofar as it has been successful and its ultimate success is still in uestion it is been due in considerable part to the commitment of the Spanish centre and the principal regions to ever wider European and international contacts (Gibbons, 1999, 35). The case of Catalonia is instructive. In the past thirty years, Catalan economic development has gone hand in hand with cultural nationalism, increasing linkages with the EU and with the wider world. The Catalan language has achieved predominance in public life in the region, in education, and in the communications media. The regions economic success and Barcelonas restige as a major European city give the Catalan government a prominence on the European stage and extra clout in negotiations with the centre. Catalonias increased external orientation is welcomed, not simply for the economic and cultural benefits it brings, but because it lessens the linkages with the Castillian centre. We will write a custom essay sample on Spain and Devolution specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Spain and Devolution specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Spain and Devolution specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The extent to which Catalan nationalism is now content with its status as a nation-without-a-state (Keating, 1996) or the extent to which it is moving towards greater independence perhaps, at least initially, within a federal structure s a matter of some debate among scholars. What is clear, however, is that the increasing political freedom of the region, its increased prosperity and the reinforcement of Catalan identity has not overcome its ambivalence about being part of the Spanish state. One expression of this is resentment of the level of Catalan financial transfers to the central exchequer. This resentment is all the greater when it compares its fiscal powers with those of the Basque country. The challenge which such a high level of regionalisation has posed to the Spanish state, and deolgically to those strands of political opinion which believe in the essential unity of Spain, is considerable. In Catalonia the central state has effectively lost the cultural initiative and the re-establishment of Catalan as the first language has deepened the extent to which it is a place apart. At the same time autonomisation has not brought an end to violent Basque separatism. There are conflicts between centre and region about the extent of the regional powers the Spanish state, for example, has repeatedly challenged Basque industrial policy in he European Court of Justice (Loyer, 1999). There is tension around matters of protocol, for example welcoming of international statesmen, visits abroad, which have seemed to the state to be taking over the proper role of the sovereign state (Basset, 1998). Finally, there is competition between the regions around the extent of their powers which produces a dynamic towards ever greater autonomisation Catalonia looks for equivalent financial autonomy to the Basque country, and Andalucia will accept no less autonomy than Catalonia, and so on. At the same time the pace of development in the other regions remains slow. Further evidence that devolution becomes more popular with the passage of time is provided by the Spanish experience. As in Britain in the 1990s, the strong demands for autonomy in some Spanish regions in the late 1970s were not paralleled in the rest of the country, where there was no clear support for devolution. Yet, by 1996, opinion polls suggested that three-quarters of Spaniards felt either that the existing degree of autonomy granted to the regions should be maintained or enhanced. Furthermore, these responses appear to be underpinned by a strong degree of identification with the respective autonomous communities. In the same opinion poll just over two-thirds of respondents reported either that they identified only with their autonomous community or as much with their autonomous community as they did with Spain. In Spain, a complex sharing of functions between the national, regional and local levels of government has evolved since the late 1970s. Figure 3 shows that central government in Spain has exclusive powers over areas such as defence and macro-economic management but that it shares responsibility for many functions with the autonomous communities, including housing, social welfare and economic development. Similarly, local government is charged with functions such as land-use planning and community safety while also sharing responsibility with the autonomous communities in a number of areas, such as local transport and sports and leisure facilities. European experience therefore suggests that any decision regarding the powers to be devolved to regions is not simply a one-off re-allocation of functions between tiers of government. Rather, devolution triggers a dynamic process of bargaining between regional and national government over responsibilities and resources. Aside from the tendency for this to result in regions acquiring more functions, the other clear message to emerge is regional authorities, once established, will push strongly for greater autonomy, particularly in the management of their financial affairs. In Italy the regions lobbied strongly for tax-raising powers from 1983, eventually securing limited powers in this area in 1990. Similarly, the Spanish autonomous communities have claimed a rising share of income tax revenues, with some regions securing a greater degree of financial autonomy from the centre than others: in Catalonia 32 per cent of public expenditure is now controlled by the regional government, compared to an average of 25 per cent in Spain as a whole. Indeed, of the cases considered at the conference, only the Spanish regions could make any reasonable claim to being significant contributors to regional economic performance since they do at least share significant responsibility for economic development with central government. However, time-series data on economic performance in Spain suggest that regional economic disparities have only narrowed marginally over the past 15-20 years. Whether this modest decrease in regional disparity can be attributed specifically to the activities of regional governments, rather than, say, to national economic policy or the beneficial impact of Spanish membership of the EU, remains an open question. The staggered emergence of regionalism in the UK does have something of a parallel in the Spanish case. Following the transition to a democratic regime in the late 1970s, the new Spanish constitution provided for twin-track devolution. Under this framework, regions with strong nationalist claims for devolution were allowed to move quickly towards such arrangements. Thus, Catalonia and the Basque Country introduced regional government in 1979, followed in 1981 by Galicia and, largely on political grounds, Andalusia. The remaining 13 autonomous communities were then introduced in 1982-83. The principle of a two-speed process of devolution has since been maintained, with subsequent bargaining between central government and individual autonomous communities enabling regional governments in areas such as Catalonia and the Basque Country to take greater control over their own affairs. While the Spanish case suggests that asymmetric devolution is an option for the UK, it leaves open the question of what might happen if the English regions fail to embrace regional government. Asymmetric devolution would seem to be an appropriate response to the problem that there are different levels of aspiration to self-government. However, experience in Spain also implies that a staggered process of devolution will need to be supported by national co-ordination mechanisms which ensure that regions slow to move towards regional autonomy are not disadvantaged and are encouraged to be part of a consensus on how devolution should proceed.

George Orwells Classic Essay on the Homeless

George Orwells Classic Essay on the Homeless Best known for his novels Animal Farm (1945) and Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), George Orwell (pseudonym of Eric Arthur Blair) was one of the most notable political writers of his day. The following short piece has been drawn from Chapter 31 of Orwells first book, Down and Out in Paris and London (1933), a semiautobiographical account of living in poverty in both cities. Though the word beggars is rarely heard nowadays, the ordinary human beings he describes are, of course, still with us. Consider whether or not you agree with Orwells thesis.After reading Why Are Beggars Despised you may find it worthwhile to compare the piece with two essays by Oliver Goldsmith: A City Night-Piece  and The Character of the Man in Black. Why Are Beggars Despised? by George Orwell 1 It is worth saying something about the social position of beggars, for when one has consorted with them, and found that they are ordinary human beings, one cannot help being struck by the curious attitude that society takes towards them. People seem to feel that there is some essential difference between beggars and ordinary working men. They are a race apart - outcasts, like criminals and prostitutes. Working men work, beggars do not work; they are parasites, worthless in their very nature. It is taken for granted that a beggar does not earn his living, as a bricklayer or a literary critic earns his. He is a mere social excrescence, tolerated because we live in a humane age, but essentially despicable. 2 Yet if one looks closely one sees that there is no essential difference between a beggars livelihood and that of numberless respectable people. Beggars do not work, it is said; but, then, what is work? A navvy works by swinging a pick. An accountant works by adding up figures. A beggar works by standing out of doors in all weathers and getting varicose veins, chronic bronchitis, etc. It is a trade like any other; quite useless, of course - but, then, many reputable trades are quite useless. And as a social type a beggar compares well with scores of others. He is honest compared with the sellers of most patent medicines, high-minded compared with a Sunday newspaper proprietor, amiable compared with a hire-purchase tout - in short, a parasite, but a fairly harmless parasite. He seldom extracts more than a bare living from the community, and, what should justify him according to our ethical ideas, he pays for it over and over in suffering. I do not think there is anything about a be ggar that sets him in a different class from other people, or gives most modern men the right to despise him. 3 Then the question arises, Why are beggars despised?- for they are despised, universally. I believe it is for the simple reason that they fail to earn a decent living. In practice nobody cares whether work is useful or useless, productive or parasitic; the sole thing demanded is that it shall be profitable. In all the modern talk about energy, efficiency, social service and the rest of it, what meaning is there except Get money, get it legally, and get a lot of it? Money has become the grand test of virtue. By this test beggars fail, and for this they are despised. If one could earn even ten pounds a week at begging, it would become a respectable profession immediately. A beggar, looked at realistically, is simply a businessman, getting his living, like other businessmen, in the way that comes to hand. He has not, more than most modern people, sold his honor; he has merely made the mistake of choosing a trade at which it is impossible to grow rich. (1933) Other Responses To find out how other readers have responded to this excerpt from Orwells Down and Out in Paris and London, visit the discussion board at reddit/r/books.

Drivers Beware Stupid Laws Ahead!

Drivers Beware Stupid Laws Ahead! We all know that most driving laws are designed with our safety and best interests in mind. But times change, and sometimes the laws that fit them are late to the game. Here are some of the more hilarious laws that are still lurking around (longer than they should have): Driving in Oregon? Make sure you start your stopwatch when you open your door! Leaving it open too long may earn you a ticket.It’s also illegal to â€Å"demonstrate your physical endurance† while highway driving in Oregon- we just hope this doesn’t include staying awake behind the wheel!Need to catch up on the latest issue of X-Men or the Avengers? Just make sure you’re not driving in Oklahoma, where comic book reading and driving is a big no-no. We’re more concerned about driving where this behavior is legal.What’s up with Alabama? It’s actually legal to drive down a one-way street the wrong way if your vehicle is equipped with a lantern!Color careful? In Minneapolis it’s illegal to drive a red car down Lake Street and in Denver you can’t drive a black car on Sundays.Minnesota doesn’t want messy cars! In Minnetonka, it’s illegal to drive a vehicle with dirty wheels that make a mess on the roads.Sheep on board? If so, don’t drive through Montana- an unattended sheep in your truck cab can get you in hot water.Keep your weapons holstered when you see an animal from your vehicle in Tennessee. There’s no animal shooting if you’re in a moving car- unless it’s a whale (no joke, other than the law itself).No ice picks on your wheels in Montana folks†¦Who does this?Who knew Pennsylvania was so horse sensitive? If you’re driving by a team of horses, you must pull off the road and hide your vehicle under a blanket or canvas. And if you make the horses skittish, you’ll have to disassemble your vehicle(!)Yeah, these laws aren’t really enforced any longer, but still†¦driver s be wary, and stay safe on the roads. That’s always a good rule to follow!Read More at www.alltruckjobs.com

Policy and Strategic Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Policy and Strategic Management - Assignment Example These features add on value to its low cost proposition as ticketing process through automates system reduces the cost incurred in staffing. They remain focused on a specific class of passengers so that standardized service can be provided to them. Minimizing on personalization, extra meals and keeping the services to its minimum makes the integrated service delivery concept of Southwest Airlines intact with its differentiation strategy (Appendix 1). From intangible perspective, its service value chain and freedom provided to its employees to remain innovative and empowered in their decisions supplies profitable operations and competitive edge to it which counts into its core competence (Appendix 2). The distinctive factor of southwest airlines is its unique combination of resources which its competitors are unable to imitate. For example, faster turnarounds of planes, leaner crews, use of websites to sell ancillary products, et cetera. As a result of its core competencies and value added services, southwest airlines had been able to achieve the much needed customer satisfaction levels along with financial stability and increased revenues (Appendix 3).

American Perspective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American Perspective - Essay Example It was relevant to take health-protection policies and strategies at the governmental level and the health of the members of the American society was in danger. In the process of industrial development and progressive changes in the country rapid processes of urbanization and industrialization triggered the socialization and shift agricultural concerns of the government to industrial context. Moreover, post-war period imposed challenges on labor market in America. Thousands of lives of American soldiers were lost and there was a need to search for new employees. Environmental and health issues were of the main concern for the American government and similar to the modern policies, the government realized the necessity to contribute much to development of health safety policies in different fields and industries. Question 1 Describe the effects of the horse on urban pollution. What solution was developed to deal with this and how successful was it? In the article â€Å"Atlanta Exposi tion Address† (1895) by Booker Washington the issues of environmental pollution in the 19th and 20th centuries are discussed. The relation between environmental issues and industrial progress of the American society go hand in hand from the beginning of the industrial development of the country. ... It was more natural of them to work in the factory than going to the theatre or to the opera, for example. In the article â€Å"W.E.B. Du Bois Denounces Washington’s Accomodationist policies† (1903) we can read between the lines that when the country stood on the edge of industrial development, it had to make different challenging choices, such as convenience or animal health; industrial development or agrarian advancement. A horse was a golden mean of mediation between these challenging questions. The following article â€Å"Urban Pollution-Many Long Years Ago† by Joel L. Tarr is more detailed in its descriptions about a complicated process of assimilation of horse in the industrial activities of people. It was necessary to efforce a horse from the agrarian nature and force it in the industrial urban nature. The contemporaries draw parallels with environmental hazards imposed by the horse and automobile: we are suffering from exhaust gases and earlier a horse wa s accused of air contaminants harmful for health. I doubt that the scope of harm is equal between these two means of transport†¦ At the beginning of the twentieth century there was a clear intention to eradicate this harmful animal means of transportation vigorously and create a sounder and more health friendly means of transportation. The â€Å"horseless cvarriages† were the embodiment of dreamy ideas of the industrial developers at that time. There was an intention to choose the least of two evils, which was not a horse, but a potential automobile. The streets were full of mud because of the usage of horses as transportation means, and the American cities spent huge amounts of money for cleaning their streets from the horse mud. The epidemic expansion of cholera, smallpox, yellow fever

Impact of Walking on Excess Adiposity in Obese Adults

Impact of Walking on Excess Adiposity in Obese Adults The effect and efficacy of a health walk intervention in diminishing excess adiposity in obese adults ABSTRACT Introduction With the exponential rise in worldwide obesity rates, obesity is a non-communicable disease considered to be an epidemic cause of concern. Not only is this due to the physiological decline leading to premature mortality but also as a financial burden on society. Individuals meeting the cut-off point for obesity (BMI > 30 kg m-2) are reportedly at a higher risk of mortality or developing comorbidities than healthy-weight individuals. Accordingly, the role of exercise as a weight loss strategy must be examined. Objective To initiate a walking health route plan for a 2kg fat mass loss in an obese individual and to further investigate the efficiency of exercise (i.e. walking) as a role in weight loss. Methods Subject A, a male (age = 50 years, height = 1.77m, body mass = 96kg, body mass index (BMI) = 30.3kg/m2) was chosen as the target subject for a walking health route strategy to initiate a loss of 2kg of fat mass. Energy expenditure data was analysed using the subjects known anthropometric data along with the calories expended and duration of the walk as tracked and calculated by the app MapMyWalk. Results Subject A expended 379 Kcal (1585.74 kJ) as calculated by MapMyWalk for the designed health route walk. Subject A would have to repeat this health route walk approximately 49 times to lose 2kg of fat mass. In real time, this equates to performing 40 hours of this walk route for a 2kg fat mass loss. This is not a realistic approach to weight loss, especially in an obese individual already struggling to take up exercise. Thus, other methods that complement the walking health route must be considered for optimal weight loss. Conclusion Introduction With westernized lifestyles being adopted in developing countries and a growing obese population in the developed, obesity is now considered a worldwide epidemic. Obesity was officially recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2013) as a non-communicable disease that requires an effective intervention if its rise is to be prevented. Moreover, obesity is also the source of other non-communicable diseases that burden society, both economically and health-wise (WHO, 2000). Prospective Studies Collaboration (2009) performed an analysis of numerous studies that observed the effect of BMI on the risk of mortality. Their findings showed that every 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI resulted in a 30% higher risk of mortality. Additionally, the study concluded that while other anthropometric measures are useful, BMI alone is strong enough as a predictor of obesity. Despite the growing uncertainty over using BMI as a valid indicator of obesity, there is no strong evidence yet encouraging the dis use of this anthropometric measurement (Bouchard, 2007). The standard definition of obesity is a BMI of 30kg/m2 (Cole et al., 2000; James et al., 2001). If this epidemic rise remains unchanged, by 2025, more than 18% of men and 21% of women worldwide will officially be classified as obese (NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, 2016). NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (2016) further suggested that lowering global BMI numbers produces the largest health benefits. As recent research has indicated, the significant association between obesity and BMI is largely determined by adiposity. Malik, Willett and Hu (2013) stated that excessive adiposity is an important risk factor in the development of non-communicable diseases. Lowering BMI by targeting adiposity is the most commonly used method of intervention and this is often achieved through either an increase in energy expenditure, reduction in energy intake or a combination of both. A cohort study performed by Padwal et al. (2016) observed residents in Canada above the age of 40 years from the first trial, where their anthropometric measurements were taken, up until deaths among the subjects were documented. This study found that the men in the highest body fat percentage quintile had the highest risk of mortality and that there was a direct association between body fat percentage and mortality; a higher body fat percentage resulted in a higher risk of mortality. Moreover, Padwal and his fellow researchers concluded that adiposity levels higher than a healthy value reduces chances of survival. Obesity and a high BMI result in premature mortality mostly in due to the comorbidities that follow excess adiposity. A population-based cohort study by Reyes et al. (2016) found that being overweight or obese significantly increases the risk of hand, hip, and knee osteoarthritis and that these conditions increase in probability with increasing BMI. Both diabetes and hypertension are amplified in adult life by increases in BMI (James et al., 2001). A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study by Feigin et al. (2016) reported that more than 90% of the global stroke burden is a result of modifiable risk factors such as a poor diet and physical inactivity. Feigins study concluded that regulating behavioural and metabolic risk factors such as physical activity and diet prevents more than three-quarters of the global stroke burden. Chan et al. (1994) studied the risk of type II diabetes mellitus in men with obesity and high levels of adiposity. The study design recruited 51,529 U.S. men, all approximately 40 75 years of age in 1986, followed by a five-year follow-up on the same subjects. Non-communicable diseases such as diabetes have been long researched to understand its mechanisms. Various studies suggest that increased resistance to insulin and diminished expression of the GLUT4 glucose transporter are found in both obese and diabetic populations (Yang et al., 2005). Chan concluded from the results of the study that there is a strong positive relationship between obesity measured by BMI and risk of diabetes. Despite analysing the relationship between diabetes and other antecedents such as early obesity, waist circumference and childhood weight gain, the results determined that BMI was the leading risk factor for type II diabetes mellitus. Nevertheless, weight loss has been suggested as one of the few modif iable factors for reversing the metabolic effects of obesity and diabetes (Bassuk and Manson, 2005). Many studies have shown associations between physical inactivity and all-cause mortality. Cardiorespiratory fitness is a key marker of aerobic capacity and often found to be the link between obesity, and mortality from cardiorespiratory diseases. Wei et al. (1999) studied the relationship between low cardiorespiratory fitness and mortality in different weight category populations wherein 25,714 adult men were examined in 1970, with a follow-up of mortality rates in 1994. Low cardiorespiratory fitness was found to be a strong independent predictor of mortality in all BMI groups: approximately 50% of the obese group had low levels of cardiorespiratory fitness, increasing health risks to 39% for CVD mortality and 44% for all-cause mortality. The aim of this report is to analyse the role of exercise as a health change behaviour of an obese middle-aged man to prevent the risk of obesity-related diseases and minimise the likelihood of premature mortality. Methods Subject A is a 50-year-old man with a logged height of 1.77m, with a body mass of 96kg and a body mass index of 30.3kg /m2. The health route designed for Subject A involved a 2.87 mile (m) walk at a speed of 16:52 minutes per mile (min/m), which equates to 3.75 mph miles per hour (mph). The walk included a maximum ascend of 327ft and an average heart rate of 144 beats per minute (bpm). The route involves Subject A to walk through a park and along an uphill footpath in a circle until the subject reaches the park once again. Figures 1, 2, and 3 present the body mass index calculation, the walk route, the data from the walk route and elevation from the walk route. Heart rates were recorded at random throughout the walk: a graphical representation of the recorded heart rates at 7 random intervalscan be seen in figure 4. The changing terrain can be seen through the varying heart rates despite the route being a steady-state, sub-maximal exercise. The results section and the appendix present the detailed calculations surrounding the data collected for the subject. Figure 1 BMI calculated and classified through the NHS website Figure 2 Health route data Figure 2 2.81-mile health route overview Figure 3 2.81-mile health route and further data calculated by MapMyWalk   Ã‚   Results Subject As data regarding their body mass (kg), height (m), the average heart rate and the duration of the walk (in minutes) was analysed by MapMyWalk to calculate the total energy expenditure (in Kcal) of the health route. The energy expenditure (in Kcal) was converted to energy in kilojoules (kJ) before calculating the energy expenditure of the activity per minute (kJ/min-1). Table 1 shows the duration, number of repetitions, and energy expenditure requirements to ensure a loss of 2kg of fat mass using the walking health route. According to the data, one repetition of the walk will require Subject A to expend 1585.74 kJ/min-1. Additionally, to lose 2kg of fat mass, the walk must be repeated approximately 49 times. Subject A Mean Heart Rate (bpm) 144 Percentage HR max 84% Total energy expenditure for the health route walk as given by the app MapMyWalk (Kcal) 379 Energy expenditure per minute (kJ/min-1) 32.6 Energy expenditure for total walk (kJ) 1585.74 Time required to lose 2kg fat mass (hours) 40 Time required to lose 2kg fat mass (minutes) 2392.63 Number of health routes required to lose 2kg fat mass 49 RPE 12 Table 1 Health route data (Refer to the appendix for the calculations) Figure 4 Health route walk: Randomised heart rate recordings at 7 intervals Subject As average heart rate was 144 bpm, putting him within the fat burning zone, which is optimal for the desired outcome. This equates to 84% of the subjects maximum heart rate (170 bpm). Discussion The results from this intervention suggest that Subject A must repeat this health route walk approximately 49 times to lose 2kg of fat mass, this equates to completing 40 hours of this walk route to initiate a 2kg fat mass loss. While completing the health route walk once is an appropriate duration of physical activity, the time needed to produce a reduction in weight loss of 2kg, and therefore a reduction in BMI value, is unrealistic and impractical. Research surrounding physical activity suggests similar recommendations for tackling weight loss. McGuire et al. (1999) observed the behavioural techniques used by the U. S. adult population. The subjects were divided into three different categories; weight-loss maintainers: individuals who had intentionally lost à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥10% of their weight and maintained it for à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥1 year, weight-loss regainers: individuals who intentionally lost à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥10% of their weight but had not maintained it and a control group of individuals who had never lost à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥10% of their maximum weight and had maintained their current weight ( ±10 pounds) within the past 5 years. The results of the study showed that the weight-loss maintainer group consistently upheld their initial weight loss over a period of 7 years. In regards to their intervention, the weight-loss maintainer group incorporated a larger variety of techniques to regulate and self-monitor their lifestyle. Th e study concluded that adherence to a controlled dietary intake and increased physical activity contributed to weight loss and its maintenance. Appendix Calculation of health route data Total energy expenditure for the health route walk as given by the app MapMyWalk = 379 Kcal Total energy expenditure converted to kJ = 1585.74 kJ Rate of energy expenditure = 1585.74 kJ à · 48.5333 minutes (OR 48 min 32 seconds) = 32.6 kJ min-1 1kg of fat contains 39,000kJ (McArdle et al.,1996), thus 2kg of fat = 78000 kJ: To find out the number of repetitions needed of the health route walk: Energy in 2kg of fat à · Total energy from the health route walk 78000 kJ à · 1585.74 kJ = 49.18839154 Thus, approximately 49 repetitions. To find out the total time taken for a 2kg fat loss using the health route walk: Energy in 2kg of fat à · Total rate of energy expenditure of health route walk 78000 kJ à · 32.6 kJ min-1 = 2392.638037 minutes (OR 39.8773006166667 hours OR 39 hours, 52 minutes, 38 seconds) Thus, when rounded up; approximately 40 hours. Average HR from 7 randomised points: 100 3 min, 140 8 min, 133 11 min, 143 27 min, 159 33 min, 165 36 min, 170 40 min = 1010 à · 7 = 144.2 or 144 BPM Percentage of HR max attained during the health route walk: = 220 50 years = 170 BPM = (144 BPM (average heart rate during health route walk) à · 170 BPM) * 100 = 84% Word Count: 2,500 excluding abstract and reference list References: Bassuk, S.S. and Manson, J.E., 2005. Epidemiological evidence for the role of physical activity in reducing risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Journal of applied physiology, 99(3), pp.1193-1204. Bouchard, C., 2007. BMI, fat mass, abdominal adiposity and visceral fat: where is thebeef?. International journal of obesity, 31(10), p.1552. Chan, J.M., Rimm, E.B., Colditz, G.A., Stampfer, M.J. and Willett, W.C., 1994. Obesity, fat distribution, and weight gain as risk factors for clinical diabetes in men. Diabetes care, 17(9), pp.961-969. Cole, T.J., Bellizzi, M.C., Flegal, K.M. and Dietz, W.H., 2000. Establishing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide: international survey. Bmj, 320(7244), p.1240. Feigin, V.L., Roth, G.A., Naghavi, M., Parmar, P., Krishnamurthi, R., Chugh, S., Mensah, G.A., Norrving, B., Shiue, I., Ng, M. and Estep, K., 2016. Global burden of stroke and risk factors in 188 countries, during 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet Neurology, 15(9), pp.913-924. James, P.T., Leach, R., Kalamara, E. and Shayeghi, M., 2001. The worldwide obesity epidemic. Obesity research, 9(S11), pp.228S-233S. Malik, V.S., Willett, W.C. and Hu, F.B., 2013. Global obesity: trends, risk factors and policy implications. Nature Reviews Endocrinology, 9(1), pp.13-27. McArdle et al. (1996) Exercise physiology: Energy, nutrition and human performance (4th ed.) Pub. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins pp. 774. McGuire, M.T., Wing, R.R., Klem, M.L. and Hillf, J.O., 1999. Behavioral strategies of individuals who have maintained longà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ term weight losses. Obesity, 7(4), pp.334-341. NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, 2016. Trends in adult body-mass index in 200 countries from 1975 to 2014: a pooled analysis of 1698 population-based measurement studies with 19 · 2 million participants. The Lancet, 387(10026), pp.1377-1396. Padwal, R., Leslie, W.D., Lix, L.M. and Majumdar, S.R., 2016. Relationship Among Body Fat Percentage, Body Mass Index, and All-Cause MortalityA Cohort StudyRelationship Among Body Fat Percentage, Body Mass Index, and Mortality. Annals of internal medicine, 164(8), pp.532-541. Prospective Studies Collaboration, 2009. Body-mass index and cause-specific mortality in 900 000 adults: collaborative analyses of 57 prospective studies. The Lancet, 373(9669), pp.1083-1096. Reyes, C., Leyland, K.M., Peat, G., Cooper, C., Arden, N.K. and Prietoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Alhambra, D., 2016. Association Between Overweight and Obesity and Risk of Clinically Diagnosed Knee, Hip, and Hand Osteoarthritis: A Populationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Based Cohort Study. Arthritis Rheumatology, 68(8), pp.1869-1875. Wei, M., Kampert, J.B., Barlow, C.E., Nichaman, M.Z., Gibbons, L.W., Paffenbarger Jr, R.S. and Blair, S.N., 1999. Relationship between low cardiorespiratory fitness and mortality in normal-weight, overweight, and obese men. Jama, 282(16), pp.1547-1553. World Health Organization, 2013. Global action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases 2013-2020. World Health Organization, 2000. Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic (No. 894). World Health Organization. Yang, Q., Graham, T.E., Mody, N. and Preitner, F., 2005. Serum retinol binding protein 4 contributes to insulin resistance in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Nature, 436(7049), p.356.

Voyager Interstellar Mission

The Voyager Interstellar Mission is rooted in the Grand Tour – an alignment of the outer planets which allowed for a single space probe to visit each of them rapidly.The Voyager spacecraft were constructed to do just that – obtain close up views and observations of the outer planets. Together, the two spacecraft brought unprecedented observations of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and their corresponding satellites and ring systems.Having completed their planetary mission after the visit of Neptune in 1989, the two Voyagers are now continuing their journey out of the Solar System. Instead of fading into obscurity, the Voyagers are still transmitting back observations in its new mission – the Voyager Interstellar Mission. Instead of observing planets, the two spacecraft are now giving us our first glimpses into the edges of the solar system.To do this, mission scientists had to use instruments meant for observing planets for observing the environment at the area at the edge of the Solar System. Five distinct and specialized scientific groups are currently engaged on analyzing the data coming from Voyager. Together with Voyager, these groups have expanded our understanding of the outer solar system.Power and funding challenges continue to hound the Voyager mission. Since its launch, Voyager's power source has been continually declining. To cope with the lowered power output, components of Voyager have been shut down one by one which means that some measurements have already been or will be stopped in the near future.The mission ends when the power sources cannot anymore power any single instrument. Some earth bound problems remain however as budget cuts threaten the existence of the mission.Voyager Interstellar Mission – Paper ProposalFor this paper, I plan on discussing the Voyager Interstellar Mission.   The proposed   outline is attached below.My interest in the Voyager Interstellar Mission lies in their wonderful history and u nique position. In this sense, the Voyager spacecraft are like â€Å"the little space probes that could†.The Voyager spacecraft were initially launched more than thirty years ago to take advantage of a unique arrangement of the outer planets.   This arrangement made The Grand Tour possible, visiting each of the outer planets consecutively within a short amount of time.The spacecraft were originally meant to take closeup observations of the outer planets, observations which were not possible to make from Earth. They were successful in doing this, having sent back pictures of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Their discoveries adding to and refining our knowledge of the outer planets.Having finished their original mission, the two spacecraft continue on their voyage out of the Solar System. With no forces holding them back, the two will continue on their journey indefinitely and will soon be traveling in Interstellar space.The Voyager Interstellar Mission takes advantage o f this fact, exploiting the location of the twin Voyagers to gather data and observations about the edge of the Solar System. If the planetary mission helped to add and refine our knowledge of the outer planets, the interstellar mission is currently helping add and refine our knowledge of the environment and processes at work at the solar system's edge.In line with this, I also plan on discussing current knowledge about the edge of the Solar System. This knowledge will help the reader comprehend the scope of the Voyager Interstellar Mission as well as what the Voyager probes are expected to understand.A discussion of the spacecraft is also needed to understand the mission. The instruments used in the interstellar mission are the same instruments used in observing the outer planets.By understanding these instruments, we get an understanding of the kind of observations that the Voyagers are doing in Interstellar space. We also gain an understanding of the operations that enable the mi ssion to communicate with Earth. Understanding the spacecraft also allows us to understand the main challenge facing the mission – the loss in power.Even if the success of the Voyager program has already been established, it still faces some challenges. Due to its age its power generating system has had severe losses in capacity. Because of this several instruments and systems aboard the craft have already been shut down due to the loss in power. Earth bound troubles also hound the craft as budget cuts threaten the existence of the mission.To complete the paper, I plan on giving a few samples of the scientific advances that the Interstellar mission has brought. It is also important to realize the amount of research that the thirty year old Voyagers have enabled. I also point out some researches from Voyager that have helped us in our understanding of the Sun.In this way, I point out that these spacecraft even if they are very far are even giving us new insights to something t hat is quite close to home.