What Is a Scientific or Natural Law

A law in science is a generalized rule to explain a body of observations in the form of a verbal or mathematical statement. Scientific laws (also known as natural laws) imply a cause and effect between the observed elements and must always apply under the same conditions. In order to be scientific law, a statement must describe some aspect of the universe and be based on repeated experimental evidence. Scientific laws may be stated in words, but many are expressed as mathematical equations. Laws are widely accepted as true, but new data can lead to changes in a law or to exceptions to the rule. Sometimes laws are found to be true under certain conditions, but not others. For example, Newtons Law of Gravity holds true for most situations, but it breaks down at the sub-atomic level. Scientific Law Versus Scientific Theory Scientific laws do not try to explain why the observed event happens, but only that the event actually occurs the same way over and over. The explanation of how a phenomenon works is a scientific theory. A scientific law and a scientific theory are not the same thing—a theory does not turn into a law or vice versa. Both laws and theories are based on empirical data and are accepted by many or most scientists within the appropriate discipline. For example, Newtons Law of Gravity (17th century) is a mathematical relation that describes how two bodies interact with each other. The law does not explain how gravity works or even what gravity is. The Law of Gravity can be used to make predictions about events and perform calculations. Einsteins Theory of Relativity (20th century) finally started to explain what gravity is and how it works.

Stress among Nurses - 2813 Words

Stress has become such an ingrained part of our vocabulary and daily existence, that it is difficult to believe that our current use of the term originated only a little more than 50 years ago. The term â€Å"stress†, as it is currently used, was coined by Hans Selye in 1936, who defined it as â€Å"the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change† (American Institute of Stress [AIS], 2012). When stress was first studied in the 1950s, the term was used to denote both the causes and the experienced effects of these pressures. More recently, however, the word stressor has been used for the stimulus that provokes a stress response. Stress is particularly acute among people who work in the â€Å"helping profession† (Isikhan, Comez, Danis, 2004; Gilbert Daloz, 2008; Siegrist, Shackelton, Link, 2010) and can have devastating effects on healthcare staff and their work environments (Lambert, Lambert, Yamase, 2003). Depending on the nature, intensity, an d duration of the one’s relationships, stress can have negative effects on both physical and mental health in the work environment. The hospital environment contains a number of factors that are unhealthy and cause suffering in nursing professionals. In fact, the nursing profession is considered one health profession with a high level of occupational stress (Costa Martin, 2011). Problem/Significance Stressful events are an inevitable part of life. Stress is the major factor that nurses have to frequently deal with in theirShow MoreRelatedStress And Burnout Among Nurses2101 Words   |  9 PagesStress and burnout is always a popular issue in journal article, academic books and the press (Jonathan Halbesleben, 2008). Professional burnout is understood as the psychological reaction to chronic work stress as well as globally recognized problem among various specialties of nursing (Maslach, Jackson Leiter, 1996). Burnout has been reported one of the occupational hazards in the work place, which is debilitated to workers, costly to agencies and detrimental to clients (Hayes, 2010). NursingRead MoreThe Effects of Stress Among Female Registered Nurses4470 Words   |  18 PagesINTRODUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Prior research has suggested that nurses, regardless of workplace or culture, are confronted with a variety of stressors. As the worldwide nursing shortage increases, the aged population becomes larger, there is an increase in the incidence of chronic illnesses and technology continues to advance, nurses continually will be faced with numerous workplace stressors. Thus, nurses need to learn how to identify their workplace stressors and to cope effectivelyRead MoreConcept Analysis on Stress Among Nurses Essay5023 Words   |  21 PagesKnowledge in Nursing 10.1177/0894318405277527 18:3, July 2005 ARTICLE Unity of Knowledge in the Advancement of Nursing Knowledge Clinical Research Specialist, Philips Medical Systems, Andover, MA Clinical Nurse Specialist, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA Gerontological Nurse Practitioner, Assistant Clinical Professor, MGH Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA During the past 20 years, we have witnessed an explosion in nursing knowledge providing the discipline with diverse andRead MoreNursing Research: Work Related Stress Among Nurses Essay example2208 Words   |  9 PagesSelye said, â€Å"It is not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.† Stress can cause it’s victims to suffer from emotional and physical anguish. If stress occurs for prolonged periods of time with little to no reprieve it can result in serious and sometimes fatal health problems. It is ironic that stress can lead to major health concerns, yet some of the most stressed people are those in the healthcare profession. According to an article from the Nursing Standard, stress is a leading cause ofRead MoreThe Effect Of Job Rotation And Role Stress Among Nurses On Job Satisfaction And Organizational Commitment1748 Words   |  7 PagesChing Sheng Chang, Ying-Ling Shih and Rong-Da Liang in their research article â€Å"Effects Of Job Rotation And Role Stress Among Nurses On Job Satisfaction And Organizational Commitment†, conducted a field study and the purpose of study was to inspect how role stress among nurses could affect their organizational commitment and job satisfaction, and if the job rotation system might encourage nurses to recognize, relate to and share the vision of the organization, it will result in enhancing their job satisfactionRead MoreStress in Nursing Practice780 Words   |  4 PagesStress is a common occurrence in the workplace. In health care in particular, there are high levels of stress which can have a negative impact on the environment, the staff, and ultimately the patients. Nurses are subjected to a great deal of occupational stress which in turn impacts the quality of patient care. Occupational stress can be defined as, â€Å"the destructive physical and emotional response that occurs when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities or desires of the employee†Read MoreManaging An Overwhelmed Staff995 Words   |  4 Pagesregarding nursing leadership and management is how to help staff manage work complexity and stress. In health care there is an association between the quality of patient care, staff satisfaction and effective nursing leadership. Nursing is constantly evolving and nurses take on a significant level of responsibility with hardly any control of workload or work environment. This leads to high levels of stress amongst nurses. An overwhelmed staff leads to an increased possibility of compromised patient careRead MoreStress For Community Home Health Nurses856 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent areas of stress for community home health nurses. Importance of the Study This study is important because it will help nurses and supervisors to identify areas that can causes potential burnout among community nurse in the workplace, which in terms can produce stress. In addition, this study is also important because it will analyze and examine different strategies that can be put in place that can prevent mental, physical, and emotional disturbances to nurses as a result of stress. ResearchRead MoreStress Of Nursing Leadership And Management1549 Words   |  7 PagesStress of Nursing Leadership and Management On a daily basis, everyone experiences stress. Stressful situation without making adjustments can effects your health and well-being. For example, I worked as a charge nurse and mostly as a RN supervisor. This job requires to use managerial skills as well as clinical expertise. The work environment of the skilled nursing facility was mostly short staffed, lack of resources, and overloaded. I, as a charge nurse, was expected to always be available, to beRead MoreStress Of Nursing Leadership And Management1267 Words   |  6 PagesStress of Nursing Leadership and Management As a normal part of life, everyone has stress. Stressful situation without making adjustments can effects your health and well-being. For example, I worked as a charge nurse and mostly as a RN supervisor. This job requires to use managerial skills as well as clinical expertise. The work environment of the skilled nursing facility was mostly short staffed, lack of resources, and overloaded. I, as a charge nurse or RN supervisor, was expected to always be

American Literature Before 1865 Free Essays

While the land issue is frequently invoked as the reason behind the extermination of indigenous Americans by European settlers, the real issue was a clash of cultures that held incompatible world views. Among Native Americans (hereafter referred to as â€Å"Indians† for convenience and because this is actually Native peoples’ preferred appellation according to Coeur d’Alene writer Sherman Alexie), society was usually very egalitarian, and even democratic. Europeans on the other hand believed in top-down, societal structures with rigid orders and classes. We will write a custom essay sample on American Literature Before 1865 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Most Indians were hunters and gatherers; this is how they survived, acknowledging game and wild edible plants as gifts of nature. In light of the harsh, puritanical Yahwist world view of the Europeans, it is significant that those in a hunting-gathering society rarely have to work more than five or six hours per week in order to satisfy their basic needs; Euro-Christians were children of a vengeful, patriarchal god who demanded that they earn their bread by the sweat of their brow (unless of course, one was a successful capitalist, in which lower classes would do it on one’s behalf). Their warped belief system demanded that they till the earth; hunting was for sport. Many (not all) Indians found the thought of agriculture as an affront to the earth; if the Great Spirit had provided berries, roots and game animals, why would they scratch open the Great Mother seeking more? Sexuality was another issue; while most Indians embraced it as any normal, healthy life form and exhibited great tolerance for homosexuality and trans-gendered people (some of whom had high status, as was the case of the Cherokee â€Å"Two Spirit†), Europeans were – as many Americans are now – embarrassed, ashamed, intolerant and repressive when it came to sexual matters. Women among many Indian tribes also had a huge degree of freedom and equality with men, which was rigidly denied to European women. Different European groups had very different experiences and problems in encountering and interacting with Indians. In A Briefe and True Report of the New Found Land of Virgina, written in 1587 prior to the mysterious disappearance of the Roanoke Colony, the explorer Harriot – a product of the Elizabethan England of Shakespeare – wrote under the heading Of The Nature and Manners of the People that the Indians â€Å"†¦are not to be feared, â€Å" but warning â€Å"that they shall have cause to feare and love us, that shall inhabite with them† (241). Harriot goes on the describe them in some detail as to their animal-skin clothing, their lack of edged tools and their style of warfare. He writes, â€Å"In respect of us, they are a people poore, and for want of skill and judgement in the knowledge and use of our things, doe esteeme our trifles [toys, coins and cooking tools] before things of greater value† (242). This statement is significant, particularly in light of later experiences of the English in Virginia – experiences that involved great suffering, death and privation. Here, Harriot indulges in typical English chauvinism, judging Indian society and culture by the standards of his own. It should have become obvious over the ensuing twenty years that a lack of technology did not necessarily make for an inferior culture; masters of their environment, the Indians were well able to survive and even thrive in a place where the first English settlers starved, existed in poverty and frequently died. Even Harriot’s statement that â€Å"should they desire our friendship and love, [they will] have the greater respect for pleasing and obeying us† – a clear declaration of intentions to enslave Indians – proved to be based on this faulty logic as future English settlers discovered when they attempted to do just that. Harriot’s description of the local Indian’s religion indicates there were some traits shared with their own Christianity; immortality of the soul, analogues to Heaven and Hell, and even formal worship rituals held in â€Å"houses appropriate or temples† (243). While by no means typical of all Indian spirituality or religion, it was these kinds of similarities that some Catholic missionaries were able to use in their successful conversions elsewhere. With similarities such as described by Harriot, one wonders if some elements of Christianity had not filtered north from Spanish claims in Florida. Alternatively, given the chauvinistic tendencies of Europeans in general and the English in particular that led to so many misunderstandings, it is quite possible that Harriot may have been simply seeing what he expected and/or desired to see. In any event, the English did not hesitate to use the Indian’s own normal fears of the unknown against them for their own advantage. During a drought, local Indians (some of the few who did engage in agriculture, apparently) came to believe their problems had been brought on by their own actions, and offered to play to the â€Å"God of England, that he would preserve their Corne,† offering the English a portion when the harvest came in. Later, when diseases carried by the English were spread to those Indians who had no natural immunity, the English were all too happy to attribute the plague to their vengeful God for their â€Å"wicked practises† (245). In the case of Indians to whom such things had never happened and had no concept of how disease spread through bacteria and viruses, this self-serving explanation on the part of the English was all too acceptable. The Spaniards’ experiences with Indians were as varied as the Indian cultures they encountered. For example, with complex urban societies such as the Aztecs and Incas, the Spaniards were forced to deal with powers that were nearly equal to their own in terms of technology and organization; only through collaborators within these civilizations were leaders like Cortez and Pizzaro able to succeed in their conquests. Further north, the Dine (Navajo) and Zuni presented somewhat less of a challenge. Unlike the English who came for land, the Spaniard’s main objective was plunder; gold, silver, slaves and souls. Unlike the primarily secular English expeditions, the Spaniards operated under the blessings of an aggressive Roman Catholic church, whose tool was the Holy Inquisition (rather different from the â€Å"kinder, gentler† brand of Catholicism brought by French missionaries to Indians further north). The Zuni – linguistically related to the Nez Perce, Yakama, Klamath and Modoc peoples of the Pacific Northwest, yet living in New Mexico – embraced a kind of spirituality that was completely unlike Christianity. There religion was organized into different â€Å"societies,† each of which governed a specific aspect of the community (22). In many ways, Zuni religion resembled that of the ancient Mayans; a â€Å"sun priest† known as a Pekwin kept a calendar; there was also a belief in â€Å"Hero Twins,† hearkening back to the Mayan legends of Hunahpu and Xibalanque. The Hero Twins also appear in the mythology of other Southwest peoples, including the Navajo (34). This and many other aspects of Zuni culture are revealed in their own creation myth, whose relationship with the Spaniards was hostile practically from the beginning; taken as one of the â€Å"Seven Cities of Cibola,† this sedentary, semi-urbanized, agricultural people successful drove off the initial Spaniard invasion in 1540. A Catholic mission was eventually established some ninety years later, but in 1680, the Zuni were in rebellion once again, joining other Pueblo Indians against the Spaniards. Zuni attitudes toward the Spaniards are apparent in a later version on the Zuni creation story, in which the Trickster, or â€Å"mischief-maker,† is associated with Mexicans, or Spaniards. The Trickster is a common figure in nearly all myths in all cultures on the planet; the late Joseph Campbell considered the Trickster as an integral part of the archetype â€Å"mythic journey,† or Hero’s Quest. The purpose of a Trickster was to lead the Hero astray, or attempt to delay or even foil the Quest. Among American Indian cultures, the Trickster could take many forms, but most frequently appeared as a Coyote. While he could be a teacher and frequently force one to confront that which they might not otherwise wish to deal with, Coyote could also be a mischief-maker. Associated Coyote with Mexicans/Spaniards had a negative connotation. In this version of the creation story, Mexicans also emerge later than the Zuni. This is yet another point of significance; like many tribal peoples, their name for themselves translates as â€Å"The People,† with the implication that others are not â€Å"people. † The name Halona-Iriwana, the Zuni pueblo, means â€Å"The Middle Ant Hill of the World,† suggesting that chauvinistic self-centeredness was not unique to the English and Spaniards. It has been suggested that this type of mentality was what allowed the Europeans to decimate the Indian populations; had all Indian peoples been able to unite against the invaders, European settlers might not have been quite as successful. The problem with this idea is in the sheer diversity of Indian peoples, not only in terms of language, but culture and even physical traits. While warfare among American Indian tribes never reached the kind of wholesale slaughter that it did among Europeans, conflict and competition for resources and prestige was still quite common. Cultural diversity may be something to treasure today, but in American history, it has had great – and often tragic – consequences. Works Cited Baird, Forrest E. and Walter Kaufman, eds. From Plato to Derrida, 4th Ed. (Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1997). How to cite American Literature Before 1865, Essays