Saturday, November 9, 2019
Indian girl Essay
He was a good husband. No one could deny it. He let her have her own way, indulged her, even. When the kitchen was remodelled, for example, and she wanted pink and grey tiles even though he preferred white. White. A clean colour. A colour he believed to be innocent, just like his wife.à He was traditional as an Indian man could get. He had expectations from his wife. Demands that had to be fulfilled.à She would dress as he would tell her too, sleep with him when he wanted her to.à Not only that, she would provide him with a son and a daughter. The duty of every Indian wife was to give their husband a child, regardless of whether they wanted to or not. He would be the provider in this relationship. She would cook and clean at home while he worked.à It was tradition after all and he was very traditional.à However, when he did put his foot down he would often soften his noââ¬â¢s with kind remarks. There had been two occasions that he strongly remembered in which he had to be firm. Like when she wanted to get a job and go back to school or buy English clothes.à Nobody in his family had ever worn English clothes, except for the men that is.à His mother, his motherââ¬â¢s mother and sisters had always dressed in Indian clothesâ⬠¦no matter what the occasion. He preferred Indian clothes on his wife too. After all they hid her body. The loose blouses didnââ¬â¢t reveal her breasts like some English tops or show an unnecessary amount of cleavage. The endless mounds of fabric concealed his wifeââ¬â¢s legs and waistline.à He believed his wifeââ¬â¢s body was just for him to look at. Why tempt other men to look at his wifeââ¬â¢s curvaceous hips or low cut neckline?à The soft remarks that often accommodated his noââ¬â¢s were mostly, ââ¬Å"What for? Iââ¬â¢m here to take care of youâ⬠or ââ¬Å"You look so much prettier in your Indian clothes, so much more feminine.â⬠He would pull her to his lap and give her a kiss and cuddle, which usually ended with him taking her to the bedroom. That was another area where he had to be firm. Sex. His wife was constantly pleading with him, ââ¬Å"Please, not tonight.â⬠He didnââ¬â¢t mind that. She was, after all, a well-bred Indian girl.à She had good Indian values that he felt all Indian women should have. Her dreams in life were those of his motherââ¬â¢s. She wanted to marry, have children and live a contented life in a glorious home. She was conservative and an introvert. Not a woman who would cause him embarrassment in front of friends and family. Timidâ⬠¦someone who needed support and he believed that he was indeed the support she needed. But her reluctance went beyond womanly modesty.à After dinner for instance, she would start on the most convoluted household projects, soaping down the floors, changing the liners in the cabinets. The night before she had disappeared sheââ¬â¢d started cleaning the windows, taking out the Window cleaner and rags as soon as sheââ¬â¢d put the boy to bed, even though he had mumbled, ââ¬Å"Letââ¬â¢s go.â⬠à Surely he couldnââ¬â¢t be blamed for raising his voice at those times (though never so much to wake his son) or for grabbing her by the elbow and pulling her to the bed, like he did the night before she disappeared. He was always careful not to hurt her, he prided himself on that. Not even a little slap. And he always told himself heââ¬â¢d stop if she really begged him, if she cried, After some time, though, she would quit struggling and let him do what he wanted. But that was nothing new. That could have nothing to do with the disappearanceâ⬠¦after all that was his right.à His grandfather had done the same with his wife, his father had treated his mother the same way too and she had turned out fine hadnââ¬â¢t she?à So, why should he have treated his wife differently? She too was an Indian woman and for generations Indian women had been afflicted upon. So what made her so special? Why couldnââ¬â¢t he behave the same way with his wife as his male ancestors had with theirs? Two weeks passed and there was no news of Zeneve, even though the husband had put a notice in the local newspaper as well as a half-page ad in India West, which heââ¬â¢d photocopied and taped to all the neighbourhood lampposts. The ad had a photo of her, a close up taken in too bright sunlight where she gazed gravely at something beyond the camera.à ââ¬Å"How on earth will you come up with that kind of money?â⬠asked his friendââ¬â¢s. The husband confessed it would be difficult, but heââ¬â¢d manage somehow. His wife was more important to him, after all, than all the money in the world. And to prove it he went to the bank the very same day and brought home a sheaf of forms to fill in so that he could take out a second mortgage on the house. He kept calling the police station, too, but the police werenââ¬â¢t much help. (They were working on it apparently.) Theyââ¬â¢d checked the local hospitals and morgues, the sheltersâ⬠¦but there were no leads. It didnââ¬â¢t look very hopeful.à So finally he called India over a faulty long-distance connection that made his voice echo eerily in his ear. He told his mother what had happened.à ââ¬Å"My poor boy!â⬠she wailed. ââ¬Å"Left all aloneâ⬠(the word flickered unpleasantly across his brain, left, left.)à ââ¬Å"How can you possibly cope with the household and a child as well?â⬠she added. And when he admitted that yes, it was very difficult, could she perhaps come and help out for a while if wasnââ¬â¢t too much trouble, she replied ââ¬Å"Of course! Iââ¬â¢ll come right away and stay as long as you need me too and what was all this English nonsense about too much trouble? Youââ¬â¢re my only son arenââ¬â¢t you?â⬠She even said tha t she would contact the wifeââ¬â¢s family too so he wouldnââ¬â¢t have to deal with that awkwardness. He was relieved at his motherââ¬â¢s kind gesture. How could he possibly face his in-laws at a time like this? How would he tell them that there one and only daughter may never come back?à Within a week his mother had closed up the little flat she had lived in since her husbandââ¬â¢s death, got hold of a special family emergency visa and was on her way. Almost as though sheââ¬â¢d been waiting for something like this to happen, said some of the women spitefully. These were his wifeââ¬â¢s friends, though in his opinion, acquitances would be a more accurate word. His wife had liked to keep to herself, which had been just fine with him. He was glad, heââ¬â¢d told her several times, that she didnââ¬â¢t spend hours chattering on the phone like the other Indian wives.à He was livid when this gossip reached him (perhaps because he had the same insidious thought for a moment, when at the airport, he noticed just how happy his mother looked.) ââ¬Å"Reallyâ⬠he asserted to his friends, ââ¬Å"some people see only what they want to see. Donââ¬â¢t you think it is a good thing she has come over?ââ¬
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Computer Based Systems Essays - Systems Analysis, Diagrams
Computer Based Systems Essays - Systems Analysis, Diagrams Computer Based Systems The system Development Cycle What is it? The system development cycle is a method used to create a system where none has existed before and/or modify an existing system. It is sometimes simply called System Development. It involves a number of stages representing a standard strategy for taking a problem from start to finish. Two approaches: 1. Conservative-working systematically through the steps. 2. Radical-Cycling through the cycle several times until the final result is achieved. The Steps The above diagram shows that the system development cycle is represented by 5 broad stages: -Requirements Definition. -Analysis. -Design. -Implementation. -Operation and Evaluation. Requirements Definition Also known as: Requirements analysis or.Feasibility study. -Duration is relatively short compared to the rest of the development cycle. -It is important to get it right the first time else mistakes could be costly. In the worst case a large oversight would require starting over from step one. Aim The aim of this stage is to see how the present system functions and to identify the nature of the problem (problem definition). once the problem has been identified a report is compiled called a feasibility report. that report contains - (1) Objectives of the initial study (e.g. why a mail order firm takes longer than a week to dispatch orders). (2) depth of the initial study (e.g. Were interviews conducted with staff involved). (3) recommendations including an outline of the proposed development (e.g. redesign current computer system). After studying the report management have three options - (a) get a second opinion (b) do nothing (c) follow recommendations. If the investigation confirms that there is a problem further work and study may be needed. Analysis Aim The aim of the analysis stage is to answer the questions who, what, when, why. The three main processes in system analysis are (1) Data gathering, (2) Detailed analysis, (3) Report on the above findings. Data gathering What tasks are occurring, who is performing them, when are the tasks being performed. A range if methods can be used to gather data including (1) Study current documentation. (2) Interview (3) Questionnaires (4) Observation. Questionnaires usually involve closed or open style questions. Questionnaires Closed questions limit responses e.g. tick a box, yes/no, multiple choice. Open questions allow free written response. Observations This involves a system analyst visiting the organization to view current procedures, channels of communication and the flow of data through the organization. Detailed analysis at this stage data is collated , organized and analyzed. At this stage the system analyst may have an idea as to the solution of the problem. A range of tools may be used to assist in the analyst process :- (1) organizational charts (2) Statistical graphs or charts (3) data flow diagrams (4) Flowcharts (5) Data dictionaries (6) decision trees (7) Gantt chart Organization Charts - Illustrates the structure of the organization pictorially and shows how responsibilities are allocated within the organization. Exercise: Create an organization chart for either - (1) The school (2) Some other organization you know. Statistical graphs Graphs such as a pie or bar chart are particularly useful in reporting the results of closed questions. A Pie chart is much easier to interpret than a set of numbers. Data Flow Diagrams -Illustrates the movement of data through a system e.g. Flowcharts -Similar to algorithms -It is an accepted convention that flowcharts should fit on a single page. If it doesn't it is divided into smaller modules (Stepwise Refinement.) Data Dictionaries A data dictionary is a catalogue or listening of data items used within the information system. It is used to manage information resources and is particularly useful when working with databases e.g. Decision tree table Grannt charts A grannt chart is used to illustrate the time line for the actual system developement process. Dates for specific stages are set and these are used to control the development process. Analysis Analysis examines the areas of input processing and output Input Method used to gather input: (1) frequency (2) quantity (3) accuracy (4) cost (5) who is involved? Processing (1) how data is processed (2) processing speed (3) frequency (4) quantity (5) accuracy (6) cost (7) who is involved Output Availability of output Analysis report This report should include: (1) statement of the problem. (2) summary of current procedures used by the firm. (3) summary of current problems. (4) problems solution including feasibility, requirements, cost and the effect on people involved. (5) a general specification and preliminary suggestion for a problem solution. Once again management may choose to get a second opinion
Monday, November 4, 2019
Mental Heath. Write one an half pages on Suicide article. Please Essay
Mental Heath. Write one an half pages on Suicide article. Please hyperlink the article site - Essay Example Berman feel as though she had no other choice but to end her own life. Jennifer had once been considered a normal, loving wife and mother who boasted of her musically-talented children. However, a neighbor, Marian Sklodowski, said that something suddenly changed in Jennifer that was visibly apparent just days before the murder-suicide. ââ¬Å"A couple of days ago, she was differentâ⬠¦you could see it in her face, there was something missing, something disturbed in her mindâ⬠(Goldstein, 2014, p.2). This is an interesting case study in mental illness and the rapidity by which mental disturbances can begin, even in an individual who has been known to be quite normal and well-adjusted. A typical person, when facing mounting problems both financial and social, are able to cope through these hard times and ultimately find mental adjustment without resorting to drastic self-harm tactics. Jennifer Berman not only felt that her own death was appropriate, but determined that it would be the most viable solution for her children as well. This is a form of psychosis in which an individual loses all touch with reality and begins to believe deluded thoughts. In psychology, one is not easily, officially diagnosed with sustaining a psychotic disorder until certain variables have been excluded, such as diseases in the central nervous system or even ingested illicit drugs. However, there was no evidence that Berman maintained any of the aforementioned conditions, but she simply had new-onset psychosis as a result of poor personal coping mechanisms. The Berman case could be a fascinating case study on what triggers new-onset psychosis and why some individuals experiencing psychotic episodes are unable to restrict their impulsive actions. It would be highly beneficial to the medical and psychological communities to examine all of the factors over a period of time that led to psychosis and the desire to commit suicide and murder her
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Sport and Exercise Psychology 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Sport and Exercise Psychology 2 - Essay Example One of the most consistent findings within this vast research literature is the variability in well-being that people exhibit when they experience stressful life events. Constructs like vulnerability and resiliency reflect attempts to identify social, situational, and individual difference variables that either increase or decrease the likelihood that people will exhibit negative reactions to stressful events (Block & Block, 39ââ¬â101, 2000; Compas, 393ââ¬â403, 2000; Garmezy, 196ââ¬â269, 2003; Kessler & McLeod, 620ââ¬â631, 2003; Rutter, 389ââ¬â395, 2000). Research on vulnerability and resiliency factors was stimulated in part by low and inconsistent relations between life events and outcome measures. Although statistically significant relations between negative life events and self-report measures of physical and psychological well-being have frequently been reported, seldom has more than 10ââ¬â15% of the outcome variance been accounted for in studies using prospective designs. When objective outcome measures of physical well-being have been used, thereby eliminating the potential role of self-report biases, the amount of variance accounted for has shrunk to 1ââ¬â5% (Rabkin & Streuning 389ââ¬â395, 2004; Schroeder & Costa 389ââ¬â395, 2003). Faced with a pattern of weak and inconsistent results, researchers have sought to identify psychosocial moderator variables that might affect the nature and magnitude of relations between life stress and well-being. Many studies have demonstrated that taking into account factors suc h as social support and certain personality variables results in stronger relations between life stress and both psychological and medical outcome measures (e.g., Barrera 389ââ¬â395, 2002; Sarason, Sarason, Potter, & Antoni 389ââ¬â395, 2003; Smith, Johnson, & Sarason, 188-235, 2003; Stone, Helder, & Schneider 389ââ¬â395, 2002; Thoits
Thursday, October 31, 2019
KOPI Restaurant Social Media Strategy Research Paper
KOPI Restaurant Social Media Strategy - Research Paper Example In most cases, this group comprises of couples, young adults as well as families residing in this place, whose main interests and hobbies include visiting coffee shops and reading among others. These people were thought to become the first adopters since they are the first to visit restaurants, coffee shops, test new technological gadgets, active on social media among other important features. This paper examines some of the reasons that caused the company to fail in its social media marketing approaches, while recommending some changes to be in done in a bid to achieve the set goals and objectives and position KOPI as the restaurant of choice among the target audience in New York City. In its analysis, the paper will focus on how ineffective the earlier strategies were since they were not quite interactive and engaging making the target audience to fail to respond to it as earlier planned. KOPIââ¬â¢s mission statement has always been to introduce a variety of tastes of Indonesian cuisine as well as coffee to the market in New York. In doing this, the company will be fulfilling its vision statement which is offering varieties of food specialties as well as beverages that are purely a representative of the Indonesian atmosphere and culture. The restaurant has done a lot to get started and achieve success in its marketing and performance; however, all these goals have never been effectively achieved because of reliance on poor approaches to social media marketing (Arline para 4-7). Having a target group that has a high affinity for new technology and are willing to try out new ideas, the restaurant would have managed to attract many of its target audience. However, the approaches used in the past have been in conformity with the set vision and mission statements making it hard for it to achieve success. The failure of the use of tight strategies made the target
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Civil Rights in the 1960s Essay Example for Free
Civil Rights in the 1960s Essay Have you ever sat down and wondered to yourself, what it would be like if schools, restrooms, restaurants, and even public transportation were still segregated today? The majority of people who were born after the 1970ââ¬â¢s take for granted how lucky we are as a country and nation to have overcome slavery and the steps against racism we have battled are way through. Slavery was ended when Abraham Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and was later ratified in December of 1865. Though this law ordered the end to slavery it did very little if nothing to stop the racism that was given towards blacks or any other minority. Until the late 1950ââ¬â¢s not many presidents or Congressman had tried to legislate civil rights laws. The Civil Rights struggle that heated up to its climax in the 1960ââ¬â¢s was neither a simple nor wanted task by any means. Many Presidents tried taking on the civil rights movement starting with Harry S. Truman. Truman was not for racial equality among blacks and often said so, but he wanted fairness and equality before the law (Patterson 378-382). Once Truman got the ball rolling for the first time since Abraham Lincoln, Truman pushed for a Civil Rights bill and the movement quickly started to escalate and it became one of the main issues of American politics. The next man to take office was John F Kennedy; Kennedy acted as though he had plans to address civil rights issues and is known for saying ââ¬Å"Ask not what your country can do for youâ⬠¦ask what you can do for your countryâ⬠in his inaugural address( ). Kennedyââ¬â¢s plans were never met in his short time as president due to assignation in 1963. Kennedy dying meant Lyndon Johnson was the next president to take president and her went on to make the next big civil rights legislation when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was established. It took the support of millions and the lives of thousands for our country to realize that people should not be segregated because of their ethnicity or color of their skin. One of the first and largest groups of civil rights movement supporters was young people and in particular college students. A college student in 1963 saw a very different daily landscape than a current college student sees today. Today kids grow up side by side with minority kids throughout their daily lives; back then they might have been the lucky few and grown up looking at blacks as equals, but more than likely they viewed them as inferiors, or even just plain animals. Then these young racists knew know better and went away to College and found themselves in one of the first places you could find support of the civil rights movement. There are many reasons to why the ball picked up speed so fast at universities. The first reason being the young people of the 60ââ¬â¢s had not lived alongside slaves or indentured servants nor did they see the great depression or WW2 as had many of their parents and politicians of the times, so they had a different view on racism. The young people of the 60ââ¬â¢s were viewed by the older generations specially those of the south, as being soft for not having to deal with the hardships they had to such as the great depression and the World Wars ( ). Instead of going to work before graduating high school like people in the1920ââ¬â¢s and 1930ââ¬â¢s people were graduating high school and even getting jobs. This caused for a more educated and affluent generation which usually runs along with having certain moral standings such as treating people of a different race equally to people of your own. With a generation bigger than ever before and more people going to college than ever before it caused for a huge explosion of self-freedom. There was many different ways students would show there want of freedom (Patterson 407-408). A very common practice in the 1960ââ¬â¢s was for blacks and fellow college students to have sit-inââ¬â¢s at all white diners or transportation places. These sit-ins consisted of a group or single African American going in and taking a seat where only whites are allowed to sit and refuse to leave. Hundreds of sit-ins occurred around the nation and many taking place on university campuses run by students themselves. Several of these sit-ins are famed for the effectiveness they afterwards achieved and others for the violence that was caused upon the protestors (Patterson 382-386).The most famous case is the story of Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks was on a public bus in the racist Montgomery, Alabama when the bus driver asked her to give her colored seat to a white man, because the white section was full. Rosa refused to get out of her seat and it resulted in her getting arrested. Rosa was not the first African American to refuse leaving her seat for a white person but she was viewed by th e NAACP as the best case to fight in court.( ) In the famous words of Jesse Jackson, ââ¬Å"In many ways, history is marked as before and after Rosa Parks. She sat down in order that we all might stand up, and the walls of segregation began to come down( ).The support of white students to follow fellow African American students to sit-ins was not always there. Local and national news stations started to air live footage of what was happening on the streets to protestors of segregation. The emotion put on a young college student when they see one of their peers that attend college to get an education just like them gets blasted with a fire hose from ten feet away or gets viciously attacked by police dogs. This picture caused thousands of other students to want to fight for change as well. Along with the new access to live feed news there were people such as Martin Luther King Jr. who were doing all they could to paint the realistic picture of the life of an American black man during segregation. Luther got his point across in multiple ways including his famous memoir, ââ¬Å"Why We Canââ¬â¢t Waitâ⬠, in this memoir he explains how horrible the everyday life of an African American in America can be and how politicians for years have just looked over the horrific treatment of blacks and that it has been too long and the time is now(King Jr 11-13). Besides the sit-ins occurring across the nation African Americans and whites were also organizing marches to protest segregation as well. Along with the marches inspiring speeches such as Martin Luther Kingââ¬â¢s famous ââ¬Å"I Have a Dreamâ⬠speech were given. Kingââ¬â¢s 17 minute speech that was given in front of over 250,000 Americans on the steps of Lincoln Memorial, is one of the most well-known and moving speeches in American history(Patterson385-386). A large number of the people in the crowd were college students, due to the appeal Martin Luther King drew from young people. He gained this appeal by talking of equality of races and the chance for any man or woman to become whatever they pleased and not be held back due to race, religion or any other difference a person may have. While students saw the abuse blacks were taking simply for the color of their skin they started to join together on marches and attending civil rights rallies. The more the King, Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, and many others protested and spread the word of unfair treatment the more support of younger generation people began to support the civil rights movement. Another reason for the large involvement of college students within the civil rights movement of the 1960ââ¬â¢s was due to the dramatically growing amount of student organized groups that were fighting for true democracy and equality to all. One of these organizations was the Students for Democratic Society (SDS). SDS was founded in 1960 but had roots dating to the early 1900ââ¬â¢s; the goal of SDS was to mainly protest and voice the message that equality to all and peaceful means makes a successful country ( ). SDS was not the only organization that was taking big steps to get the civil rights movement moving, there were hundreds if not thousands of organizations that were meeting about and protesting the civil rights movement. These groups were known for telling young people what they wanted to hear and some even became militant groups. Membership in these organizations grew drastically once Lyndon Johnson started sending more and more troops into Vietnam. The Vietnam War itself had little impact on the civil rights movement of the United States, but it did however portray the world image that America was not going to let communistic governments take control of countries and deny their own people of civil rights. Many Americans did not agree with the war and saw it was neither the time nor the place to go and fight a war on foreign soil when the devastating effects of WW2 were still in the back of peopleââ¬â¢s minds. The largest critic of the war was overwhelming young people, they saw themselves as the ones being sent to die for a reason that was not worthy of American lives. Though segregation and a war in Asia seem to have little in common on the surface, during the reform of the 1960ââ¬â¢s they found each other going hand in hand. Many African Americans of the United States believed that if we were fighting in a foreign country to reserve their peopleââ¬â¢s civil rights, then they would soon get their civil rights protected as well. They were mistaken and by this and the huge support of the anti-war movement and the animosity growing against the current segregation laws molded into one giant movement. This movement being carried by young people, who saw the possibility of change, carried throughout the nation and became the biggest civil rights movement in American history since abolishing slavery (Patterson 413-422). Now that we have an idea of what growing up with segregation looks like and how it can split a nation in two, I think I can say that joining the activist movement when it began in the 1960ââ¬â¢s was almost a no brainer to many young people of that generation. They had a tremendous amount of pressure from their fellow black peers to be viewed as equals, they had an unwanted war fueling a large part of the country, and they were also a generation that believed in change and ending the horrible acts that were committed under segregation. With all the pressures from outside sources and the generation as a whole going through a freedom crisis, college students came together and became the perfect torch barrierââ¬â¢s for the civil rights movement.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Radiographic Evaluation of Soft Palate Morphology
Radiographic Evaluation of Soft Palate Morphology Title: Radiographic evaluation of soft palate morphology and correlation with gender on lateral cephalograms Introduction: The soft palate is the posterior fibro muscular part of the palate that is attached to the posterior edge of the hard palate.1 It participates in most of the oral functions, especially in velopharyngeal closure which is related to the normal functions of sucking, swallowing and pronunciation.2 The palate is formed by the fusion of three components; the two palatal processes and the frontonasal process. At a later stage, the mesoderm in the palate undergoes intramembraneous ossification to form the hard palate. However, the ossification does not extend into the most posterior portion which remains as the soft palate. Early references concerning the objective measurements of the soft palate have been done by investigators for assessment of speech, function and the upper airway structures.3-11 Although these continued efforts toward the dimensional analysis of the soft palate and its surrounding structures have been made, little attention has been paid to the variety of soft palate morp hology and configuration. Image of the soft palate on lateral cephalometry appears to have various morphologies in normal individuals, in contrast to the only one kind published in the literature. Pepin et al found the ââ¬Ëââ¬Ëhookedââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ appearance of the soft palate in patients who were awake, which indicated a high risk for the obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome.12 The purpose of the present study is to investigate the variation of the soft palate morphology and the proportional differences of the soft palate between the two gender groups. This study can be helpful for understanding the various morphologies of the soft palate in the median sagittal plane on lateral cephalograms. These findings may be used not only as references for the normal soft palate, but also for cleft reconstruction and the etiological research of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and other conditions. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Manipal. Instructional ethical committee approval was obtained for the study. Lateral cephalometric radiographs of individuals subjected to radiographic examination for orthodontic purpose were retrieved for the study from the archives of departments of Oral Medicine and Radiology and Orthodontics. A total of 100 digital lateral cephalograms of normal healthy individuals (50 males and 50 females) who were aged 15-45 years were retrieved from November 2014 to February 2015. All the subjects who had normal speech and function were included in this study. Radiographs of good quality and visibility of soft palate were included. Patients with facial or palatal deformities or facial trauma were excluded. Poor quality radiographs and radiographs with incomplete details were also excluded. All lateral cephalograms were taken using orthopantomograph (Planmeca) with a tube potential adjusted to optimize the contrast. All the images on the radiographs were observed and classified into 6 types by 2 radiologists independently according to You M et al., (2008).1 The six types of morphology of the soft palate are as follows: Type 1: ââ¬Ëââ¬Ëleaf shapeââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢, which was lanceolate, indicated that the middle portion of the soft palate elevated to both the naso and the oro-side Type 2: when the soft palate showed that the anterior portion was inflated and the free margin had an obvious coarctation, the radiographic appearance was described as having a ââ¬Ëââ¬Ërat-tail shapeââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ Type 3: a ââ¬Ëââ¬Ëbutt-likeââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ soft palate showed a shorter and fatter velum appearance, and the width had almost no distinct difference from the anterior portion to the free margin Type 4 indicated that the image of the soft palate presented a ââ¬Ëââ¬Ëstraight line shapeââ¬â¢ Type 5: the distorted soft palate, presented the S-shape Type 6 revealed a ââ¬Ëââ¬Ëcrookââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ appearance of the soft palate, in which the posterior portion of the soft palate crooks anteriosuperiorly The pattern of the soft palate on the digital lateral cephalograms was highlighted with curve tool in Microsoft power point. The assessment of the soft palate morphology was carried out twice by two radiologists. Since there were no differences in classification between the two radiologists, reliability was considered to be acceptable. All the analysis was done using SPSS version 18. A p-value of Results: A total 100 radiographs were studied for shapes of soft palate out of which 50 were males. The age of the subjects was 20.91à ±3.63 with age range of 18 ââ¬â 45 years. Type 1 was most commonest shape of the soft palate (30%) followed by Type 6 (19%), Type 2 and 3 (17% and 17%), type 4 (11%) with least being type 5 (6%) (Figure 1). A total of 50 male and 50 female radiographs were used for our study. Among males, Type 1 was the commonest (38%) followed by type 6 (22%), Type 2 and 3 (14 and 14) with least being type 4 and 5 (6 and 6%) respectively. In females, Type 1 (22%) was the commonest followed by type 2 and 3 (20 and 20%), type 4 (16%), type 6 (16%) with least being type 5 (6%). However, there was no significant difference in the distribution of shape of soft palate between males and females (p=0.312) (Table 1). Table 1: Comparison of shape of soft palate between males and females Chi-square test Discussion: Cephalometric analysis is one of the most commonly accepted techniques for evaluating the soft palate in both normal individuals and those with cleft palate. Cephalometry is a relatively inexpensive method and permits a good assessment of the soft tissue elements that define the soft palate morphology and its surrounding structures.1,8 Much of the former research that studied the soft palate and its surrounding structures was aimed at providing some information on diagnosis, prediction and treatment in individuals with cleft palate. The soft palate plays a large role in velopharyngeal closure, which refers to the normal apposition of the soft palate with the posterior and lateral pharyngeal walls. It is primarily a sphincteric mechanism consisting of velar and pharyngeal components. The movement separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity during deglutition and speech. When the velum and lateral and posterior pharyngeal walls fail to separate the two cavities, velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI) occurs.1 In our study, the leaf-shaped soft palate was the most frequent type, which is an expected finding since this type was previously described as a classic velar morphology in the literature. This was in accordance with the previous studies reported in the literature.1,13-15 However, Type -2 (Rat tail shaped) was reported to be commonest by Praveen et al., 2011.16 While the S-shape was seen in only few cases, it can be supposed that the number of subjects in the investigation was not large enough. The S-shape, which was described as a hooked appearance of the soft palate by Pepin et al.,17 was found in 5.8% subjects in our study. They hypothesized that soft palate-hooking plays a key role in pharyngeal collapse, since hooking results in a sudden and major reduction in the oropharyngeal dimensions, which therefore dramatically increases upper airway resistance and the transpharyngeal pressure gradient. Pepin et al., therefore concluded that hooking of the soft palate in awake patients in dicates a high risk for OSAS.17 In our study, the difference between gender didnââ¬â¢t exist in the comparison of the proportion of the various morphology of soft palate. This was similar to that reported by Praveen et al., 201116 while previous study by You et al.1 reported gender differences, wherein type 2 and 3 were significantly less in females than males. Type 1 was the most comments type among males and females in our study which was followed by type 2 and 3. This was similar to the study reported by Kruthika S et al., 2012.15 This classification can help us better understand the diversity of the velar morphology in the median sagittal plane. These findings can be used as references for the research of velopharyngeal closure in cleft palate individuals and for aetiological research of OSAS and other conditions.
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