The Most Effective Tactics to Improve Your College Writing Skills in No Time

Its hard to imagine a modern education without hundreds of written assignments for students each year. So, can we say that writing skills are one of the most important for a student in order to be successful in studying? Definitely, yes. How can one improve the ability to write literate and thoughtful pieces? We are sure that this skill can be trained like any other. So, while you might be working on your muscles in a gym, lets work on your â€Å"writing muscle† here. Here are a few tactics and tips on how to improve writing skills in college: Use the right vocabulary Be laconic Dont be afraid to rewrite your drafts Follow the instructions of your professor Read academic works Use quotes Work on the introduction Ask yourself a question Lets take a look at each one of these simple tactics that every student should use in their academic or creative writing for college or high school. 1 Use the Right Vocabulary Picking the right words is not always an easy task for a student but not for our writing service. We have some tips for you on how you can create your pieces using the perfect vocabulary for your college writing. Simplify Of course, some scientific terms cant be replaced with simpler words. But when you have an opportunity to avoid complicated and nerdy words – do that. For example, â€Å"modern† instead of â€Å"contemporary,† â€Å"fit† instead of â€Å"accommodate,† etc. The simpler your language is, the more readable and understandable your text will be. Moreover, when one uses abstruse and complicated words, the chances of making a mistake are getting higher. The active voice Using primary active voice is a common rule for academic writing as it is more preferable and easy to understand. Of course, sometimes you cant avoid using passive voice. But try to build your sentences sticking to the sentence formula â€Å"Subject-Verb-Object.† Present tense This tip is primarily applied to the literature reviews and reports for English classes but can be used in any type of assignment. The trick is to use present tense instead of past. For example: â€Å"The interior of the room is modest and neat. It represents the ascetic lifestyle of the character as well as his good manners and tidiness.† This is a general rule, and your professor will appreciate you knowing it. 2 Be Laconic Using short and laconic sentences is, as one would say, the most concise way to more effective and professional writing. Avoid repetitions You might think that paraphrasing can help you increase your word count without actually using different ideas and claims. But, actually, repetitions are way more apparent for a reader than you might think. Try to diversify your writing and use a proper amount of evidence, examples, and claims in your work. Avoid using the same word regularly through your paper, find synonyms or substitutive words. If you need to write a massive paper but you lack ideas, search for works that might give a hint of what to write about. Evaluate your ideas further in the text using examples from similar works or literature. Use short paragraphs When you have too much text cluttered in big chunks, its hard to look through the text and perceive information. Short paragraphs are preferable just as short sentences. They help your professor to read your work faster and grade it higher. 3 Dont Be Afraid to Rewrite Your Drafts There are a lot of students who are afraid to â€Å"ruin the work† and edit their drafts. Of course, they dont want their time being spent in vain. So they leave the draft the way it is. Edit your drafts without any regret even if it means that you have to edit significant parts of the text and spend a few more hours working on your piece. Every writer would say that drafts are usually junk. Only after polishing them and editing, you can receive something valuable. Anyway, your professor will see if you dont put enough effort in your assignment. 4 Follow the Instructions of Your Professor Never neglect the guidelines that your professors provide you with. Make sure to check out the advised sources, requirements, etc. They might be a useful source of ideas and words that you might use in your writing process. Especially, when you have to write, for example, IELTS essay which we also have some tips for. Pay attention to the writers style and try to analyze how you can use it when writing an essay, a lab report or a research paper. While reading, notice if it is hard for you to read certain work or not. If it is hard to follow the idea of the writer, try to understand what makes it so hard for you. Your professor might be feeling the same confusion while reading your work. 5 Read Academic Works The more you read, the better understanding of the basic rules of writing you get. Its a known fact that the best writers are also eager readers. When you read a lot, writing seems like an easy and natural thing to you. Its just as well as grammar and punctuation which one can remember or make into a habit of literate writing. So, reading a lot of literature and academic works will definitely boost your writing skills. If you are not a fan of studying materials, then fictional literature will also work. 6 Use Quotes Professors encourage students using quotes in their academic writing. But why? What is so great about quotes? You can use them for almost any type of assignment as: A beginning sentence of the introduction An example or evidence to support your claim A transitioning sentence at the end of the paragraph Using quotes in your work can give you ideas for the evaluation of your thought, reduce the amount of the mistakes as you take the piece of the edited text and give you an understanding of how to build your piece around them. Cite sources If you take any piece of someones work or base your claims on someones material, its obligatory to use citation and cite the sources that you used in your work. There are a few styles of citation (Chicago, MLA, APA style, etc.) that have certain specifics, so be sure to get acquainted with them. You can also require assistance and get work with the proper citation. 7 Work on the Introduction If you struggle with the writing of your assignments, it might be because you start from the wrong side. You might ask: â€Å"What does it mean? There is only one way to start writing – from the beginning!† Actually, its not so true. When writing even a one-page critical response essay, you have to provide a work that consists of: Introduction and your thesis Body paragraphs The conclusion Starting with an introduction seems logical. However, if you start with your body paragraphs first, you will see that the introduction and conclusion are easier for you to come up with. As you already have your main part, its easier to create a thesis statement and exciting introduction to your further thoughts. So, starting your writing main part is always a good idea. 8 Ask Yourself a Question There is also one more tactic that one can successfully use in academic or any other type of writing. When creating an outline, write down questions that you need to answer in your work. This tactic is called â€Å"journalistic method,† as it implies asking yourself questions and finding answers to them. It is a kind of brainstorm which helps to start your work easier and structure your paper better. Wrapping Up The importance of the writing skills is on-going as it is used in academic, business and everyday life spheres. Developing your writing skills while you are in college will give an advantage for the future job. Moreover, better writing skills will lead to higher grades, and thats what every student needs. We hope that you have found our writing tips for college students useful and will use them when writing another assignment.

A Brief History of the Young Lords

A Brief History of the Young Lords The Young Lords was  a Puerto Rican political and social action organization that began on the streets of Chicago and New York City in the late 1960s.  The organization disbanded by the mid-1970s, but their radical grassroots campaigns had long-lasting impacts. Historical Context In 1917, the U.S. Congress passed the Jones-Shafroth Act, which granted U.S. citizenship to citizens of Puerto Rico. That same year, Congress also passed the Selective Service Act of 1917, which required all male U.S. citizens between the ages of 21 and 30 to register and potentially be selected for military service. As a result of their newfound citizenship and the extension of the Selective Service Act, approximately 18,000 Puerto Rican men fought for the U.S. in World War I.   At the same time, the U.S. government encouraged and recruited Puerto Rican men to migrate to the U.S. mainland to work in factories and shipyards.  Puerto Rican communities in urban areas like Brooklyn and in Harlem grew, and continued to grow after World War I and during World War II. By the late 1960s, 9.3 million Puerto Ricans lived in New York City. Many other Puerto Ricans migrated to Boston, Philadelphia, and Chicago. Origins and Early Social Activism As Puerto Rican communities grew, dwindling economic resources like proper housing, education, employment, and healthcare became increasingly problematic. Despite their involvement in the wartime labor force and  participation in the front lines of both world wars, Puerto Ricans faced racism, lower social status, and limited employment opportunities. In the 1960s, young Puerto Rican social activists gathered in the Puerto Rican neighborhood of Chicago to form the Young Lord Organization. They were influenced by the Black Panther Partys rejection of a white-only society, and they focused on practical activism such as cleaning up neighborhood garbage, testing for disease, and providing social services. The Chicago organizers provided a charter to their peers in New York, and the New York Young Lords was formed in 1969. In 1969, the Young Lords were described as a ‘’street gang with a social and political conscience.’’ As an organization, the Young Lords were considered militant, but they opposed violence. Their tactics often made news: one action, called the â€Å"Garbage Offensive,† involved lighting garbage on fire to protest the lack of garbage pickup in Puerto Rican neighborhoods. On another occasion, in 1970, they barricaded the Bronxs decrepit Lincoln Hospital, collaborating with likeminded doctors and nurses to provide proper medical treatment to community members. The extreme takeover action ultimately led to the reformation and expansion of Lincoln Hospitals health care and emergency services. Birth of a Political Party As membership grew in New York City, so did their strength as a political party. In the early 1970s, the New York group wanted to disconnect with a perceived street gang held by the Chicago branch, so they broke ties and  opened offices in East Harlem, the South Bronx, Brooklyn, and the Lower East Side.   After the split,  the New York City Young Lords evolved into a political action party, becoming known as the  Young Lords Party. They developed multiple social programs and established branches across the Northeast. The Young Lords Party developed a political structure that resembled a complex hierarchy of parties, within the organization aligned with top-down goals. They used an established set of unified goals and principles that guided multiple organizations within the party called the 13 Point Program. The 13 Point Program The Young Lords Partys 13 Point Program established an ideological foundation that guided all organizations and people within the party. The points represented a mission statement and a declaration of purpose: We want self-determination for Puerto RicansLiberation of the Island and inside the United States.We want self-determination for all Latinos.We want liberation of all third world people.We are revolutionary nationalists and oppose racism.We want community control of our institutions and land.We want a true education of our Creole culture and Spanish language.We oppose capitalists and alliances with traitors.We oppose the Amerikkkan military.We want freedom for all political prisoners.We want equality for women. Machismo must be revolutionary... not oppressive.We believe armed self-defense and armed struggle are the only means to liberation.We fight anti-communism with international unity.We want a socialist society. With the 13 Points as a manifesto, sub-groups within the Young Lords Party formed. These groups shared a broad mission, but they had distinct goals, acted separately, and often used  different tactics and methods.   For example, the Womens Union sought to aid women in their social struggle for gender equality. The Puerto Rican Student Union focused on recruiting and educating high school and college students. The Committee for the Defense of the Community focused on social change, establishing nutrition programs for community members and taking on big issues like access to health care. Controversy and Decline As the Young Lords Party grew and expanded  their operations, one branch of the organization became known as the Puerto Rican Revolutionary Workers Organization. The PPRWO was explicitly anti-capitalist, pro-union, and pro-communist. As a result of these stances, the PPRWO came under scrutiny by the U.S. government and was infiltrated by the FBI. The extremism of certain factions of the party led to increased member infighting. The Young Lords Partys membership declined, and the organization was essentially disbanded by 1976.   Legacy The Young Lords Party had a brief existence, but its impact has been long-lasting. Some of the radical organizations grassroots social action campaigns resulted in concrete legislation, and many former members went on to careers in media, politics, and public service.   Young Lords Key Takeaways The Young Lords Organization was an activist group (and, later, a political party)  aimed at improving social conditions for Puerto Ricans in the United States.Grassroots social campaigns like the Garbage Offensive and the takeover of a Bronx hospital were controversial and sometimes extreme, but they made an impact. Many of the Young Lords activist campaigns resulted in concrete reforms.  The Young Lords Party began to decline  in the 1970s as increasingly extremist factions broke off from the group and faced scrutiny from the U.S. government. The organization had essentially disbanded by 1976. Sources â€Å"13 Point Program and Platform of the Young Lords Party.†Institute of Advanced Technology in the Humanities  , Viet Nam Generation, Inc., 1993, www2.iath.virginia.edu/sixties/HTML_docs/Resources/Primary/Manifestos/Young_Lords_platform.html.Enck-Wanzer, Darrel.  The Young Lords: a Reader. New York University Press, 2010.Lee, Jennifer. â€Å"The Young Lords Legacy of Puerto Rican Activism.†Ã‚  The New York Times, 24 Aug. 2009, cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/24/the-young-lords-legacy-of-puerto-rican-activism/.â€Å"New York Young Lords History.†Ã‚  Palante, Latino Education Network Service, palante.org/AboutYoungLords.htm.â€Å" ¡Presente! The Young Lords in New York - Press Release.†Ã‚  Bronx Museum, July 2015, www.bronxmuseum.org/exhibitions/presente-the-young-lords-in-new-york.

14 Last Minute ACT Tips You Should Use

14 Last Minute ACT Tips You Should Use SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Wondering what you can do to boost your performance on the ACT with only a couple days to prepare? Here are some last minute ACT tips that will help raise your scores and keep you at your best during the test. General Last Minute Studying Tips Ideally, you'll want to start studying for the ACT long before your exam date in order to be fully prepared for the test. However, last minute studying can also be helpful for learning some final pieces of information and being fully prepared for exam day. If you're studying right before the ACT, you should spend your remaining time wisely. Follow these tips to ensure that the extra effort pays off! Tip 1: Focus on Correcting Your Mistakes It’s easy to take a bunch of practice tests and not bother withanalyzing your incorrect answers, but you won't improve much that way.Now is the time to focus in on topic areas that are particularly problematic for you. You might choose to target just one section of the test and drill down into the reasons you have difficulty with certain types of questions.For each question, make sure you understand why your answer was incorrect and the route you should have taken to arrive at the correct choice. Tip 2: Check Your Timing You don’t need to go through a whole practice test, but you should have a general sense of how you've been pacing yourself so the real test doesn’t take you by surprise.How long do 30 seconds and a minute feel to you?This will help you be a better judge of when you need to move on in the real test environment. Since there's so much time pressure on the ACT, this can make a big difference in your scores. Day of the Test Follow these tips the morning of your ACT to ensure you start the test prepared and on the right foot. Tip 3: Sleep Well, Wake Up Early Go to bed early the night before the test to control for any trouble you might have falling asleep because of nerves.Plan to get seven to nine hours of sleep, and wake up at least an hour before you have to leave for the test. This way your brain will be firing on all cylinders by the time you get there! Tip 4: Eat Breakfast Eat something protein-filled that will give you sustained energy but not make you sluggish. If you normally don’t like eating breakfast,try a granola bar or a handful of nuts. Drink coffee if you usually drink it to stay awake - now probably isn’t the time to kick a caffeine addiction.Don’t drink coffee if you’re not used to it because it could actually make you anxious and less focused on the test. Tip 5: Dress for Success This means the opposite of what it usually means because you should dress as comfortably as possible.Bring layers so you don’t get distracted by being too hot or too cold. Also, pack up everything you need for the test the night before so you don’t forget anything (especially if you're not a morning person!). There are no crayons allowed on the ACT. You may now weep for your childhood. During the Test This is the real deal. Keep these tips in mind while you're taking the ACT to help you out during the exam. Tip 6: Keep Calm and Test On Take it one question at a time, and don’t get discouraged when you can’t figure out an answer.Just skip the question and move forward. Getting worked up will only take away from your focus and hurt your scores. Tip 7: Skip Difficult Questions If you find yourself floundering on a question, skip it and come back to it at the end of the section. There'sa lot of time pressureon the ACT.If you find you’ve spent more than a minute on a question in the Math, Reading, or Science section, move on and come back to it later.In the English section, don’t spend more than 30 seconds trying to figure out any one question before you move on. Don't risk running out of time before you get to every question - you could miss easier points down the road. Tip 8: Check Your Answers If you have time at the end of a section, don’t waste it.Go back and check over your answers to make sure you’re not missing any easily fixable goofs that could happen if you rush through questions. Also make sure all the bubbles on your answer sheet are filled in.Remember, there's no penalty for incorrect answers on the ACT, so you have nothing to lose by guessing. Tip 9: Take Breaks You get two breaks on the ACT assuming you’re taking it with the writing section.The first is between Math and Reading, and the second is between Science and the essay. Take advantage of the breaks to clear your mind, use the bathroom, or eat a snack. You’ll feel better prepared for the rest of the test. Tip 10: If You Take the ACT With Writing, Make Your Essay Clear and Concise Your essay should be pretty formulaic: introduction, three paragraphs, conclusion.Give concrete examples for each of the points in your argument, and make sure your thesis is clearly spelled out in the introduction. Try and make your essay around two pages long (or at least more than a page) because there’s a positive correlation between essay length and score. Tip : Go Guerrilla Warfare on This Test Think of it this way: The ACT is a well organized, regimented army and you’re a ragtag band of misfits using whatever tactics you can to outsmart it. Here’s some relevant info about each section that will help you: English When in doubt, go for the more concise answer.Follow grammar rules, and don’t overthink things. Math Use your calculator as a resource, and make use of the diagrams. If you are trying to figure out an angle or the area of a shape and you’re stumped, choose the answer that seems most logical based on the image. If you find yourself doing complex math, check yourself before continuing.The concepts being tested are fairly simple and should not require elaborate calculations.Look through these formulas, and make sure you know how to use them before the test! This is an example of what you won't be doing on ACT Math. Reading Skim first, then read the questions. You can read more in depth later when the questions point to specific parts of the passage. Try not to overanalyze things: if the evidence for the answer isn't right there in the passage, it’s not the correct answer. Don’t be fooled by answers that are â€Å"almost† correct. Science ACT Science is essentially about logical reasoning, not knowledge of scientific facts (though some basic science knowledge is helpful).Don’t get overwhelmed by a bunch of numbers and terms you don’t understand. This is designed to distract you from getting down to the relatively simple concepts at the core of the sample experiments. Remember, it’s much easier than it looks at first! After the Test Even after you've finished the exam there are still some tips to keep in mind to ensure you send your best ACT scores to schools. Tip 12: Be Aware: You Can Cancel Your Scores If you're really worried about your scores because you know something went horribly wrong on the test, you are allowed to cancel them. For advice on whether you should cancel your scores and how to go about doing so, read this article. Tip 13: Taking the Test Again? Consider the Test Information Release If you know you're going to take the ACT again, you should think about ordering Test Information Release, a service the ACT offers for you to review your scores in more detail. This can be a very useful studying toolbecause it will show you your weak spots in a real test environment. For more information on TIR, read this article. Tip 14: Chill Out It's important to give yourself time to decompress and relax after the test! Don't stress out too much about what may have gone wrong. It’s out of your hands now, and your time and energy are much better spent doing other things that you enjoy for the rest of the weekend. What's Next? Are you trying to decide whether to take the ACT again? This guide will help you make a choice. Then you can figure out which upcoming test date is right for you. If you want to get a head start on studying, check out these study plans for sophomores and juniors, rising seniors, and our complete plan for all students. You should also figure out your target score so you know how far to plan ahead. Also check out our guides for how to get a greatscoreon each section of the ACT for more specific tips! Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by ACT experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Timothy Mc Veigh ( terrorist) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Timothy Mc Veigh ( terrorist) - Research Paper Example The involvement of an American left the whole nation in a shock as most of the terrorist attacks in United States were carried out by a foreign agency. Timothy McVeigh used to be in United States army but got against the state due to certain incidents that took place in the history of the US. This essay would revolve around the life of Timothy McVeigh and his aims in life with regard to success and failure that he could achieve in life (Michel & Herbeck 2001). Timothy McVeigh was born in Pendleton New York in the year of 1968. He had two siblings and was the only boy in his family. He grew up in a rural community near Buffalo, Niagara and Canada and had a very disturbed life from an early age. His father was a worker in the General Motors manufacturing plant and his mother used to be a homemaker. His life seemed in turmoil at a very early age when his parents divorced each other when he was ten years old (CNN News 2001). His childhood was the most disturbing of all as it saw different types of events happening all over his life. His parents were not always around him and he felt their need as was quoted by one of his best friend’s mother "I just felt for him," she said. "His mother wasnt around. The father worked nights. The kids were alone. But he never showed any troubled side to me. He never seemed to be affected by it. He was always smiling, always polite.† But his problem was not limited as it was also noticed by boys li ving in the neighborhood. According to them McVeigh had a different life than any of the boy living in the area as he did not seem to enjoy the slightest moments of life, such as the birthday parties. Tim had a business mind from a very early age and was innovative in his careers. Tim was that sort of a person who liked people all around him and so he built himself a haunted house in his basement where he used to call upon his friends. Timothy McVeigh held his own weekend casino

Reading a Health Record Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading a Health Record - Coursework Example Abdomen: Benign, Genitalia: normal with red sacral area. Extremities 3+ pitting edema to the knees. Neurological: good and on track. The patient doesn’t sleep well, has increased pedal edema and no symptoms of coughing or fever. X-ray displays Left pleural effusion, congestive heart failure and pneumonia. In the case of patient assessment with cognitive heart failure, left pleural effusion and pneumonia a dosage of Diurese was administered, four antibiotics, blood cultures and sputum test. The patient is admitted and put on bed rest with oxygen mask. Behavioral problem – patient constantly complaining of poor living conditions of the facility, staff and food. She doesn’t want to sleep in her room. Causal factor appears to having trouble with anger or adjustment problem and severe end-stage cardiomyopathy. Cardiomyopathy is caused by hardening of the arteries responsible for bringing blood into the heart. As the arteries narrow the heart lacks oxygen and gradually it becomes difficult for the heart to pump blood. This condition is diagnosed when heart has irregular heartbeat and fractional ejection is lower. Fractional ejection can be tested through MRI of heart, echocardiogram, cardiac blood pooling image and gated SPECT. Change of certain lifestyle habits that lead to heart failure. Introduction of a Pacemaker to help the heart beat slow down or beat normally. There are surgery procedures like angioplasty and cardiac catheterization that helps good flow of blood in the veins. If a patient fails all treatment then heart transplant would be the only alternative left. (Libby & Braunwald, 2008) The patient was put under the right diagnosis given her symptoms and the treatment of the disease. The patient tested positive for Ischemic cardiomyopathy. The patient displayed all symptoms as projected in the hospital records that matched the

History Of Mobile Banking

History Of Mobile Banking Mobile banking is known as M-banking or SMS Banking. The european company called PayBox supported financially by Deutsche Bank, in 1999 started mobile banking.  [i]  SMS was the earliest mobile banking service offered. It is an emerging field in the banking segment. However, older phones had limited functionality. Mobile phones, palm PCs and PDAs were lacking hardware and software support. The higher cost of data plans and the slower network speed were also limiting factors in the growth of mobile banking. It has been improved with the advancement of the technology, the hardware and software. The cost of mobile devices has been reduced drastically and is still reducing. Network speed is much better than before and data plans are not as costly. All of these changes have provided necessary raw materials for the growth of mobile banking and the numbers of people using mobile banking is increasing day by day. Users, who were using computers/laptops for online banking, are moving towa rds mobile banking because of ease of use and fast access. In the USA, mobile banking was introduced in 2006 by Wachovia bank.  [ii]  In Sep 2007, Aite group predicted the mobile banking users in the United States would reach 1.6 million by the end of the year 2007 and will rapidly increase to 35 million by the year 2010.  [iii]  The report indicated the growth potential for mobile banking. However, the security issues are the major concerns for mobile banking service providers and the users. As mobile banking systems mature, more users will start using mobile banking, which will draw the attention of the hacker community to target mobile banking customers mostly for financial gain. Safety and security of the personal and financial information stored and managed in the devices are the key factors for users, banking organization and the security community. The purpose of this paper is to gain basic knowledge of mobile banking, explain the different kinds of architecture used in mobile banking and identify the different security attacks and its countermeasures. Mobile banking in US compare to other countries Wachovia bank was the first to announce mobile banking services to their customers in Sep 2006 and re-launched in March 2007 followed by a few other banks.  [iv]  They developed their own banking product with ATT. Bank of America started mobile banking services in March 2007 in collaboration with four major wireless carriers, which reported 500,000 users within the first 6 months. Initially, the services offered were funds transfer, bill payment, branch and ATM locations, account balance, etc. Since then there has been huge progress in mobile banking services. In 2009 and 2010 respectively, San Antonio, Texas-based USAA launched their new application for the iPhone and Android platform that is capable of remote deposit capture allowing users to take a photo of the check and deposit electronically.  [v]  In the middle of 2010 Chase bank also introduced the mobile RDC application for the iPhone.  [vi]  In Nov 2010, U.S. Bank and Visa announced a mobile payment system for th eir customers.  [vii]  They offer the service via use of the MicroSD card, which fits in most existing mobile devices. A month before that, U.S. bank launched a full suite mobile banking solution for prepaid cardholders with bill pay capabilities. Even though the US based banks provide different kinds of mobile banking services, they are still far behind of their counter parts in the world. 7Many banks in the world have offered mobile banking and financial services for years. European and Asian countries have been offering mobile banking services for years that vary for banking related services to the mobile proximity payments. Japan and South Korea are the world leaders in adopting mobile banking technology. Before 2004, the Internet was the only way of using mobile banking in Japan, which enabled customers to browse the merchant website through a web browser. However, customers still had to use their credit/debit cards for payments. In 2004, NTT DoCoMo started using FeliCa contactless IC chips developed by Sony for mobile devices, which can carry personal and financial information that facilitated remote payments and substituted mobile devices for cash and cards at merchants points of sale. In 2005, KDDI and Vodafone also adopted FeliCa. 7In 2002, SK Telecom and KTF launched their proximity payment programs in South Korea, which used an infrared technology. These prog rams were not successful because of number of reasons. In 2003, LG Telecom started South Koreas first IC chip based mobile banking service, which significantly increased the market share of LG Telecom. The other carriers also adopted IC chips following the success of LG Telecom. Also, Visa and MasterCard have successfully operated in South Korea since 2006. Since then mobile banking services have come a long way in other countries of the world. Difference between mobile banking and online banking/credit/debit card banking At present, mobile banking provides almost the same kind of services as online, credit/debit card banking. When mobile banking services first started, the mobile devices were not able to support all mobile banking services and they were lacking hardware and software support. The initial mobile banking service offered was the SMS banking; while online banking was very well developed and was offering all kinds of banking services. Credit/debit card systems are also fully developed and people were able to use their cards at merchants point of sale and online for payments. However, technological advancements in mobile devices have enabled users to use mobile banking related services via SMS, web browser and mobile web applications. Currently available mobile devices have the same processing power as computers and they are still evolving. In some countries, mobile banking was started in the early 90s and now offer a full suite mobile banking solution, which has features of online banking and credit/debit card banking. People are using their mobile devices to replace cash and cards. However, mobile banking services in the USA were started at the end of 2006. Most USA banks are still not offering full mobile banking solutions to their customers. U.S. banks recently announced proximity payment systems in 2010, which has been in use for a long time in other countries. Some of the features of online banking and credit/debit card banking are not available for mobile banking systems. So mobile banking systems in the US are less developed compared to online, credit/debit card banking in terms of services. However, as number of people enrolled in mobile banking increases and banks offer more services with a full range of solutions in the US, the line between mobile banking and online/credit/debit card banking will get thinner and, in the future, mobile banking will provide a combination service of online and credit/debit card banking in the US. In terms of security, mobile banking is as secure as online banking and offers the same security features and protections. However, there is less number of users for mobile banking than online/credit/debit card banking, which reduces the risk of security threats. The hacking community is more targeted towards the online/credit/debit card banking for financial gain. A large number of antivirus, antimalware/spyware etc. available for online banking are not widely available for mobile banking. But with the increase in number of users for mobile banking, these software are also increasing. Mobile banking also carries the risk of some attacks called Vishing, SMishing and spoofing that are only possible in mobile devices. The security features and countermeasures for them differ from online banking. However, mobile banking provides the same security protections as the online banking, as most of them are derived from the experience with online banking. Mobile banking services 5Mobile banking systems allow users to perform bank related transactions like balance checks, account transactions, bill payments, fund transfers, credit/debit card management, etc. through mobile telecommunication devices like mobile phones or PDAs (personal digital assistants). Mobile banking can be divided in three different concepts based on an academic model: (1) Mobile accounting, (2) Mobile brokerage and (3) Mobile financial information services. 6Mobile accounting services can be divided into account operations and account administration. Account operations include fund transfers, bill payments, etc. and account administration includes ordering checks, updating profiles and personal information, managing lost or stolen cards, etc. Mobile brokerage is related to buying and selling of stocks, securities, and obtaining current information about securities. Mobile financial information divides into account information and market information. Account information includes informati on on branch and ATM locations, credit/debit cards, statements, alerts, balance inquiries, etc., while market information includes products and services, currency exchanges, interest rates, etc. Mobile banking advantages disadvantages Mobile banking offers many advantages to both, users and service providers. It is fast and easy to use and saves time. For online banking, an internet connection is an essential which is a major problem in developing countries. However, many individuals can find mobile connectivity at places where internet connection cannot be found. Mobile banking is cost effective for providers as cost of mobile banking is much less compared with onsite banking. Various kinds of banking services and transactions can be performed with mobile banking. However, mobile banking has many disadvantages too. Security issues are the major concern. Phishing scams, viruses and Trojans and physical loss of the mobile device are some of the security issues that affect mobile banking. The cost of the mobile devices, which are compatible with the mobile banking application and still quite high. Mobile requires a data plan and text messaging services, which is an added cost to the user. Some providers charge for s oftware and mobile banking services as well. Different types of mobile banking architecture 5There are three types of architectures available for mobile phones to enable mobile banking. Up until 2010 most of the mobile banking was performed by SMS or mobile web. With the advancement in mobile phones and following the success of Apples iPhone and other operating system based phones, mobile banking is increasing through the special client applications. These different architectures are further discussed below: SMS or MMS based mobile banking Mobile website Mobile client application SMS or MMS based mobile banking architecture SMS based mobile banking was the first mobile banking service offered. It is based on plain text message interaction. 6,11SMS banking works in two different modes. Pull mode and push mode. Pull mode is a one-way text message system where the bank sends a text message to the users informing them about certain account situations. It can be used to promote other mobile banking services. Push mode is a two-way message system where users send text messages to the bank requesting specific transactions or services with predefined request codes and the bank replies with specific information pertaining to the transactions or services through plain text messages. 6,11There are two different kinds of text messaging systems: SMS and MMS. SMS is a short form of short message service, which includes sending or receiving plain text messages from the bank. It has a limitation on the number of characters can be included in a message. MMS, known as multimedia messaging service, is the second type of messaging service, which can carry larger text messages and works on the same platform as SMS. To use message based mobile banking, a customer has to enroll his/her cell phone to the bank and the bank sends a text massage with a onetime password. Each bank has its own SMS banking number and commands for mobile banking. The message based system has some advantages. It is cost effective and familiar technology, virtually available in each and every cell phone regardless of manufacturer, model or carrier. It provides two-way communication between the bank and the user, so either the bank or the customer can initiate communication. It does not transmit or sto re the confidential information in the mobile device. However, SMS cannot carry a larger message and account information. SMS has to be limited to certain number of characters which limits its use. Mobile website based mobile banking architecture 6,11This architecture includes the use of the internet browser of the mobile device to access the banks internet banking website. Users can connect to the internet via a wireless network or their carriers internet service. The biggest advantage of this architecture is most of the processing is done at a remote server at the bank and much less information is stored in the mobile device. On the other hand, it doesnt require the installation of special software and most of the phones today are capable of using an internet browser. 6,11WAP (wireless access protocol) was created in 1999 and made internet access possible through mobile devices. WAP is an industry standard for wireless applications for mobile devices. It provides the same kind of user experience to the customer as the Internet banking and it does not require the installation of a special mobile banking application. However, it has some disadvantages also. Banks have to create mobile websites that are mobile friendly and can be accessed through the small screen of mobile device. It does not work with all kinds of phones and requires smart or PDA phones. There is an added cost for data plans and only customers can initiate communication. This system is more prone to attack as mobile devices are not capable of running firewalls or antivirus protections. Mobile client application based mobile banking architecture 6,11This architecture requires the download and installation of a mobile client application to the mobile device. With the help of the application a bank can provide a wide range of services to their customers. Although this approach has some advantages and some disadvantages. First of all, users have to learn a new application. The application has to be customized to different phones which increases the development cost to the banks. The applications are also susceptible to attacks and only customers can initiate communication. The older phones are not capable of running this application because of technical limitations. The use of internet requires a data plan that increases the cost on the part of customers. (A data plan requires to use client application based mobile banking architecture, which increases the cost on the part of customer.) Some of the banks charge an initial fee for downloading and installing the mobile client application. Mobile banking security requirements Confidentiality Authentication integrity non-repudiation Security attacks/threats Mobile banking is an emerging technology and the number of mobile banking subscribers increases day by day. With the increase in number of users, the concerns for security also rise. Different kinds of security attacks are as follows: What kinds of attacks are more on which types of architecture model? Vishing12 Vishing is a social engineering attack over the telephone system. It is a type of phishing and it is a combination term of voice and phishing. Mostly it uses features facilitated by Voice over IP (VOIP), to gain access to private, personal and financial information from the public (information of the users). It is used to get the authentication information of the user mostly for financial gain. 13Phishing Phishing is an another kind of social engineering attack in an electronic communication to acquire sensitive information like usernames, passwords and credit card details by redirecting unsuspecting users to a fake website with the use of an authentic looking email. It can also be carried out by instant messages. 14Smishing Smishing is also a social engineering attack similar to phishing. The name is derived from SMs phiSHING. It uses the text message system of the phone to get private, personal, and financial information of the user. A web site URL embedded in the text message may act as a hook. However, the phone number that connects to the automated voice response system has become more common. 15,16Spoofing Spoofing is an attack where a person or program successfully masquerades as another with falsifying data. A spoofing attack causes the telephone network to display a number on the recipients caller-id-display. This number is familiar and looks like it came from a legitimate source, which is not an origination source actually. 6Lost and stolen phones This is one the biggest threats for mobile banking. Mobile phones are small and portable and could be easily lost or stolen. Authentication, authorization and confidentiality are the areas to be considered when mobile devices are lost or stolen. 19In 2001, 1.3 million devices were lost or stolen in the UK. 17In 2006, over 1 billion phones were sold worldwide. Of those 80 million were smartphones, which have operating system and can store all kinds of information. 18A survey found that 34% users didnt even use a PIN. This threat increases with the increase in the number of phones. 6Cracking and Cloning Cracking a mobile device means modifying its software to gain control of that particular mobile device. Attackers find the ways to break or crack the software and once cracked the attacker has the access to the data stored in the device. An IPhone cracked by an ISE is an example of phone cracking. Attacker found an exploit in the iPhones web browser, deployed a fussing attack and injected invalid data into a program looking for the buffer overflow. With cracking, the software attacker can also view SMS logs, call history, etc. or send that data to their machine. Bluetooth is also vulnerable to phone crack attack. 17If Bluetooth is on, any Bluetooth device can connect to the phone within a 30 foot range. An attacker can use bluesnarfing and download, upload or edit files on a device without the owners permission. Default setting can be change by attacker.(Even once a Bluetooth device connected with phone, attacker can change the default setting also.) 20One survey in London found that 379 out of 943 phones had their default setting on and 138 out of 379 were vulnerable to attack. Making identical copies of anything is known as cloning. Cloning of a mobile device creates a second device, which has the same identical information as the original device. Cloning new phones is difficult while older phones were easy to clone with some basic equipment. 17Cloning of GSM phones is much more difficult in comparison to cloning of CDMA phones. Cloning of CDMA phones only requires a phones electronic serial number and mobile identification number. A few ALLTEL customers had their phones cloned during their visit to different places. Cloning can affect all carriers and all kinds of phones if they are left on. 21With less than $2000, any attacker can build a cloning device that can capture the signals from a mobile device. It can capture the signals sent out by the phone from up to a mile away and get the codes that identify the phone. Cracking and cloning are active threats to mobile banking. Cracking can be used to get sensitive data from the phone or to install malware w hile cloning can duplicate all information from the phone and an attacker can get about half of the information to identify the phone. 6,22Man-In-the-Middle attack(MIM) MIM is considered a threat to the confidentiality and integrity of people. It is a form of active eavesdropping in which attacker makes independent connections to victims by positioning him/herself in between two victims to take control of communication between them with the intention of interception and alteration of information and relays it to others, making them believe that it came from the other person and not from the attacker. The attacker must be able to intercept all messages and alter them while it is transit. It is also known as active wiretapping or traffic intercepting. The chances of this kind of attack increases with the use of wireless connection compared to other more secured connections. Viruses, malware and malicious code 24Malicious code is a software in the form of viruses, malware or worms. These kinds of software can be inserted into a system without the knowledge of the user. The primary intent of inserting the software is to gain private personal and financial information of the user and compromise the integrity and confidentiality of the system. It affects the victims private data, applications, operating systems or sometimes just annoys the users. 23Mobile browsers are susceptible to the same kind of security risks as home or office computers. Mobile browsers are little safer at this point compared to computers. With the increase of mobile banking, the numbers of these kinds of software will increase. However, at present, the increasing number of viruses and Trojan horses is the biggest concern to mobile banking security. 25The mobile devices running windows operating system are a favorite target for the hacker community. 26The first generation viruses were proof-of-concept viruses. The Commwarrior virus spreads over Bluetooth and MMS. SymbOS.skulls is a Trojan horse that affects symbian phones and changes all the application icons to skull icons. In 1994, the Cabir worm spread as an infected SIS package called caribe.sis. It spread via open Bluetooth connections and affected Symbian Series 60 phones. Timifonica virus infected PCs in 2000 and sent harmless text messages to cell phones. There are also software that infect mobile devices and look for personal information like stored password or other sensitive information. Some Trojans can steal address book information and send that information to hackers via SMS or MMS. 6Bluetooth can be used easily to spread these viruses. Most digital phones available today are Bluetooth enabled and any Bluetooth device can be infected within range. In Finland, a mobile malware was spread from Bluetooth to Bluetooth device during a soccer game. However, while Blueto oth is the easiest way to spread viruses it is not the only way. Malware have been written that use Internet and cellular networks to spread. SMS and MMS can also be used to spread viruses and malware. Therefore, this threat is a recent major concern for banks and users. Vast number of attacks can be launched with use of viruses and malware. Security countermeasures Security of mobile banking is an important and a crucial issue. In addition to that, wireless communication increases the vulnerability of the system. Therefore, more robust security system is necessary to protect the private personal and financial information of the users. Following are some of the countermeasures discussed in the paper. What kinds of countermeasures are more required and more available for which types of architecture model? User authentication 27Authentication is process of identification of something or someone as authentic. There are three different ways by which someone can be authenticated. These three categories are based on the factors of authentication: what you know, what you have or what you are. Each of these factors have a range of elements. Research has suggested that for better security at least two or preferably three factors be verified. If two elements are required for authentication it is called as two-factor authentication while two or more than two factors authentication is known as multi-factor authentication. 6FFIEC requires banks to use multiple forms of authentication for electronic banking. All mobile banking systems need to use at least two-factor authentication for user identification. 6Authentication techniques based on what user knows including a combination of the pin number, the username, the password and the onetime password for mobile banking. Research has shown security concerns with this technique as users use weak passwords, write it down or share with others. 28Therefore, to increase the protection of the mobile device pin protection or distributed pin verification scheme has been suggested in which one-half of the pin is stored in the mobile device and rest of the half is stored in a remote machine in the network. So the attacker can get only half of the pin from the phones memory. 6Another technique uses what user has. This includes ID card, cell phone, credit card etc. Use of any of the above forms is not a reliable technique as the user must have the physical possession of them. 6Biometrics is an another form of authentication that includes face, voice, fingerprint, DNA sequence etc. 18Clarke and Furnell found in a survey that 83% of populations were in favor of using biometric system for authentication. 29A report on biometric security for mobile banking in March 2008 discusses the different issues of the mobile banking and suggests use of biometric system for more robust security with the help of a users fingerprint as a biometric element. 6Behavior analysis can also be used as a security measure where users are granted or denied access based on their previous behavior. A robust system uses multiple forms of identification before and during use of an application and if necessary asks for more accurate form of identification. If the user fails they are locked out. Encryption 30Encryption means changing or transforming the information in an unreadable form to anyone with the help of algorithm. A key is required to make the information readable again. This process is called decryption. Encryption addresses the confidentiality issue. Encryption can be used to protect data at rest and in transit. There are vast numbers of incidents reporting data interception in transit. 6There are two different ways to protect the data on the phone. (1) Encryption of information stored in the phone and (2) Encryption of the information during communication. 31The current encryption technique is AES and ECC. The wireless data is encrypted with AES and the encryption key uses ECC to encrypt this data. They increase the speed of encryption and decryption and currently they are the most powerful technology available for encryption. 6CellTrust uses AES and micro clients to protect the SMS messages and send encrypted SMS messages. ClairMail recommends the use of SSL and HTTPS during communication. TPM is another tool that can help with encryption and protection of mobile devices. It is an embedded chip in the motherboard that can work with mobile devices or security smartcards. It can store keys, passwords, digital signature and certificates. 32TPM chip has a unique RSA key embedded in it during production. So it can be used to perform platform authentication. For example , to verify mobile devices seeking access for mobile banking. Digital signature 33Digital signature is an electronic signature that can be used to identify the authenticity of the message of the document. It is also known as digital cryptographic signature. It can be used with encrypted or unencrypted message. A valid digital signature indicates that the message or document was sent by a known person and it was not altered in transit. Digital signature also represents non-repudiation. Therefore, ones the message has been sent and digitally signed, the signer cannot deny that he/she did not sign a message. 6With the help of Digital signatures customer can sign the document and does not have to visit branch office. In mobile banking, adding a digital signature to the transaction proves that a customer authorized the transaction. 31At present digital signature technology uses RSA algorithm and ECC algorithm. Because of higher security level, low calculating processing speed, small storage space and low band-width requirement ECC will be more suitable for mobile banking. WPKI technology 34PKI (public key infrastructure) is a security mechanism for wireless internet and uses public key cryptography and certificate management for communications. It provides all four of the security feature for e-commerce: confidentiality, integrity, non-repudiation and authentication. 35WAP (wireless access protocol) is developed by WAP forum to provide a common format for internet transfers for mobile devices. The WAP stack includes five layers: WAE, WSP, WTP, WDP and WTLS. WAP consists of WIM, WTLS, WMLScrypt and WPKI. 31Wireless application protocol PKI is an extension of traditional IETF PKI standards used in wired network. It is mainly used in wireless network. WPKI applications have to work in a restricted environment like less powerful CPUs, less memory, less storage space, small displays etc. Therefore, WPKI must be optimized like the other security and application services within WAP environment. WPKI uses a public key system based on ECC algorithm for encryption and decryption. With the help of this system the information can safely reach to its destination. In the presence of other security protocols like WIM, WTLS and WMLScrypt of WAP, WPKI can fulfill all four security requirements for mobile banking: confidentiality of data, identity and authentication, integrity and non-repudiation. Conclusion The number of people use mobile devices is rising rapidly. Advanced technology in mobile device field has overcome the limitations of the older phones. Newer phones have a wide range of functions and improvement in hardware and software support, which enabled users to use mobile devices as substitute for computers. These mobile devices are capable of performing complex functions, which enabled users to manage their finances through mobile devices. There are three different kinds of architecture for mobile banking. SMS based system works in almost any mobile device. Web based systems are similar to internet system and they are more popular in the USA. The client application system offers robust solution to mobile banking. However, all of these systems have security issues those need to identified and addressed in a proper fashion. Confidentiality, authentication, integrity and non-repudiation are the most important security requirements for any mobile banking system. Authentication of the user and encryption of the data presents serious challenges to the mobile banking system. Implementing the various types of authentication and encryption technology can improve the mobile banking security, which reduces customers fear against security issues and increase

Access to Healthcare in Haiti

Access to Healthcare Services in Haiti Lena Almas Miami Dade â€Å"Healthcare is a human right, every American is entitled to the right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health. † Those words were spoken by former President Theodore Roosevelt on January 11, 1944 to the American Congress. This essential freedom is not enjoyed by the global society at large and currently â€Å"over one billion people lack access to basic healthcare systems. † (Carr, 2004, p. 28) Unfortunately, the poorest countries in the world are often found to be the ones most in need of these basic medical services.The island nation of Haiti is the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. Seven million people inhabit an area the size of New Jersey. Seventy-eight percent of Haitians live on less than two dollars a day and only sixty four percent of the country is literate. (Shah, 2010) â€Å"Haiti has the worst malnutrition, the highest rates of infant and mate rnal mortality, and the worst AIDS epidemic in the Americas. Nearly half the population is chronically undernourished. Of every thousand children born in Haiti, 71 die before reaching the age of 5. † (Partners In Health, 2012, para. ) Many factors over the last 200 years have contributed to a healthcare system in crisis. The paper will examine how healthcare is delivered within this impoverished nation and the vast dynamics that contribute the current healthcare crisis. Haiti’s healthcare is delivered in three sectors, the public, semi-public, and the private sector. The private for-profit sector provides approximately one third of the population’s healthcare and is located dominantly within the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Here doctors and hospitals often expect payment in advance for services. Mangan, 2009) If you are one of the twenty percent that live above the poverty line private healthcare might be an option for your healthcare needs. However; close to eighty percent of Haitian household find themselves living in abject poverty on less than 2 dollars and day and half of all household live on less than one dollar a day. For these people healthcare is found in the pubic and semi-public sectors. The public sector is run by the Ministry of Public Health and Population and Ministry of Social Affairs and is responsible for providing healthcare to the Haitian itizens. (World Health Organization [WHO], 2010, p. 6) Only one in 10 people here are covered by public health insurance. â€Å"The 2005 World Health Report estimates that the Haitian government spends only $2 per capita on health each year, accounting for about 40 percent of national expenditures on health. Since health insurance is not available or affordable for the vast majority of Haitians, households must pay for health care or go without. † (â€Å"Zanmi lasante site background,† n. d, para. 3).In Haiti there are 371 health posts, 217 health centers and 49 hospit als ran by the Ministry of Health and an estimated 40% of the population lacks access to health services (Pan American Health Organization, n. d. ) Often, â€Å"citizens in Haiti are not always familiar with the medical system of their own country and will avoid or delay seeking care due to lack of funds for transportation, services, and medicines† (Mangan, 2009). Most Haitians continued to meet their health-care needs through traditional remedies. Herbal medicines are widely used, especially in rural areas.In addition to home remedies, herbal specialists (dokte fey) provided massage and herbal remedies. Many voodoo specialists are also experts in herbal remedies. In addition to the lack of funding and knowledge about healthcare resources within the country there is also found to be a lack of healthcare workers. In 1998, there were 2. 4 physicians and 1 nurse per 10,000 people. (Pan American Health Organization, n. d. ) Human resources are insufficient and lack of funds has p revented the creation of new positions and many professionals go into private practice or emigrate.In 1999, a bilateral cooperation agreement was signed with Cuba, under which 500 Cuban health professionals have been working in 62% of the municipalities for 5 years (Pan American Health Organization, n. d. ) Being elderly in Haiti was difficult before the earthquake. So difficult, in fact, that the average Haitian lifespan is only 61 years. Those over age 65 make up only 3. 4 percent of the population, compared with 13 percent in the United States. View a disabled child/elderyly as punishment or as a condition caused by a supernatural force, however the Disability is not shameful for family.References Carr, D. (2004). â€Å"Improving the Health of the World’s Poorest People† [Health Bulletin 1]. Retrieved from Global Issues: http://www. prb. org/pdf/ImprovingtheHealthWorld_Eng. pdf Cong. Rec. 50 (1944, January 11). Mangan, J. (2009, January 30). Haiti: Cultural competen cy and Tuberculosis Control [Educational Material]. Retrieved from Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center: http://sntc. medicine. ufl. edu/Files/Products/Country%20Guide%20-%20Haiti. pdf Pan American Health Organization. (n. d. ). Haiti (332-349). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.Partners In Health. (2012). The Situation in Haiti. Retrieved November 6, 2012, from http://www. pih. org/where/pages/Haiti Shah, A. (2010). Haiti. Retrieved , from http://www. globalissues. org/article/141/haiti World Health Organization. (2010). Public health risk assessment and interventions. Earthquake: Haiti. Retrieved from http://www. who. int/diseasecontrol_emergencies/publications/haiti_earthquake_20100118. pdf Zanmi lasante site background. (n. d). Retrieved November 13, 2012, from http://www. pih. org/pages/haiti-background