Amazon web services Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Amazon web services - Case Study Example The biggest benefit of this strategy was its potency to attract a large number of customers and thus build a huge customer base for the company. Amazon believed that by building scale, it could lower the bandwidth and hardware costs in the long run. The demerit of this pricing model was that it did not guarantee a certain amount of revenue from any customer. Some of the AWS customers paid less than $1 to the company. The AWS services have been pretty successful and hold a lot of promise for the future. On the face of it, AWS appears to be a diversion from Amazon’s core business; however in reality this is not the case. Since inception, Amazon has invested heavily in technology and its core competencies lie in the back end operations. To that extent, AWS is a perfect fit for Amazon’s skill sets. Since AWS was a front runner in the ‘cloud’ services, Amazon derived the first-mover advantage as well. It is recommended that Amazon broadens the customer base for the AWS services. Till date the company has been primarily relying on developers. It needs to rope in corporate customers given the fact that other technology behemoths like Microsoft and IBM are developing similar

Normative ethics Essay Example for Free

Normative ethics Essay Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong conduct. [1] The term comes from the Greek word ethos, which means character. Ethics is a complement to Aesthetics in the philosophy field of Axiology. In philosophy, ethics studies the moral behavior in humans, and how one should act. Ethics may be divided into four major areas of study:[1] Meta-ethics, about the theoretical meaning and reference of moral propositions and how their truth values (if any) may be determined; Normative ethics, about the practical means of determining a moral course of action; Applied ethics, about how moral outcomes can be achieved in specific situations; Descriptive ethics, also known as comparative ethics, is the study of peoples beliefs about morality; According to Tomas Paul and Linda Elder of the Foundation for Critical Thinking, most people confuse ethics with behaving in accordance with social conventions, religious beliefs, and the law, and dont treat ethics as a stand-alone concept. [2] Paul and Elder define ethics as a set of concepts and principles that guide us in determining what behavior helps or harms sentient creatures. [2] The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy states that the word ethics is commonly used interchangeably with morality and sometimes it is used more narrowly to mean the moral principles of a particular tradition, group, or individual. [3] Meta-ethics is a field within ethics that seeks to understand the nature of normative ethics. The focus of meta-ethics is on how we understand, know about, and what we mean when we talk about what is right and what is wrong. Meta-ethics came to the fore with G. E. Moores Principia Ethica from 1903. In it he first wrote about what he called the naturalistic fallacy. Moore was seen to reject naturalism in ethics, in his Open Question Argument. This made thinkers look again at second order questions about ethics. Earlier, the Scottish philosopher David Hume had put forward a similar view on the difference between facts and values. Studies of how we know in ethics divide into cognitivism and non-cognitivism; this is similar to the contrast between descriptivists and non-descriptivists. Non-cognitivism is the claim that when we judge something as right or wrong, this is neither true nor false. We may for example be only expressing our emotional feelings about these things. [4] Cognitivism can then be seen as the claim that when we talk about right and wrong, we are talking about matters of fact. The ontology of ethics is about value-bearing things or properties, i. e. the kind of things or stuff referred to by ethical propositions. Non-descriptivists and non-cognitivists believe that ethics does not need a specific ontology, since ethical propositions do not refer. This is known as an anti-realist position. Realists on the other hand must explain what kind of entities, properties or states are relevant for ethics, how they have value, and why they guide and motivate our actions. [5] Virtue ethics describes the character of a moral agent as a driving force for ethical behavior, and is used to describe the ethics of Socrates, Aristotle, and other early Greek philosophers. Socrates (469 BC – 399 BC) was one of the first Greek philosophers to encourage both scholars and the common citizen to turn their attention from the outside world to the condition of humankind. In this view, knowledge having a bearing on human life was placed highest, all other knowledge being secondary. Self-knowledge was considered necessary for success and inherently an essential good. A self-aware person will act completely within his capabilities to his pinnacle, while an ignorant person will flounder and encounter difficulty. To Socrates, a person must become aware of every fact (and its context) relevant to his existence, if he wishes to attain self-knowledge. He posited that people will naturally do what is good, if they know what is right. Evil or bad actions are the result of ignorance. If a criminal was truly aware of the mental and spiritual consequences of his actions, he would neither commit nor even consider committing those actions. Any person who knows what is truly right will automatically do it, according to Socrates. While he correlated knowledge with virtue, he similarly equated virtue with happiness. The truly wise man will know what is right, do what is good, and therefore be happy. [6] Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) posited an ethical system that may be termed self-realizationism. In Aristotles view, when a person acts in accordance with his nature and realizes his full potential, he will do good and be content. At birth, a baby is not a person, but a potential person. To become a real person, the childs inherent potential must be realized. Unhappiness and frustration are caused by the unrealized potential of a person, leading to failed goals and a poor life. Aristotle said, Nature does nothing in vain. Therefore, it is imperative for persons to act in accordance with their nature and develop their latent talents in order to be content and complete. Happiness was held to be the ultimate goal. All other things, such as civic life or wealth, are merely means to the end. Self-realization, the awareness of ones nature and the development of ones talents, is the surest path to happiness. [7] Aristotle asserted that man had three natures: vegetable (physical/metabolism), animal (emotional/appetite) and rational (mental/conceptual). Physical nature can be assuaged through exercise and care, emotional nature through indulgence of instinct and urges, and mental through human reason and developed potential. Rational development was considered the most important, as essential to philosophical self-awareness and as uniquely human. Moderation was encouraged, with the extremes seen as degraded and immoral. For example, courage is the moderate virtue between the extremes of cowardice and recklessness. Man should not simply live, but live well with conduct governed by moderate virtue. This is regarded as difficult, as virtue denotes doing the right thing, to the right person, at the right time, to the proper extent, in the correct fashion, for the right reason. [8] [edit] StoicismThe Stoic philosopher Epictetus posited that the greatest good was contentment and serenity. Peace of mind, or Apatheia, was of the highest value; self-mastery over ones desires and emotions leads to spiritual peace. The unconquerable will is central to this philosophy. The individuals will should be independent and inviolate. Allowing a person to disturb the mental equilibrium is in essence offering yourself in slavery. If a person is free to anger you at will, you have no control over your internal world, and therefore no freedom. Freedom from material attachments is also necessary. If a thing breaks, the person should not be upset, but realize it was a thing that could break. Similarly, if someone should die, those close to them should hold to their serenity because the loved one was made of flesh and blood destined to death. Stoic philosophy says to accept things that cannot be changed, resigning oneself to existence and enduring in a rational fashion. Death is not feared. People do not lose their life, but instead return, for they are returning to God (who initially gave what the person is as a person). Epictetus said difficult problems in life should not be avoided, but rather embraced. They are spiritual exercises needed for the health of the spirit, just as physical exercise is required for the health of the body. He also stated that sex and sexual desire are to be avoided as the greatest threat to the integrity and equilibrium of a mans mind. Abstinence is highly desirable. Epictetus said remaining abstinent in the face of temptation was a victory for which a man could be proud. [9] [edit] HedonismMain article: Hedonism Hedonism posits that the principal ethic is maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. There are several schools of Hedonist thought ranging from those advocating the indulgence of even momentary desires to those teaching a pursuit of spiritual bliss. In their consideration of consequences, they range from those advocating self-gratification regardless of the pain and expense to others, to those stating that the most ethical pursuit maximizes pleasure and happiness for the most people. [10] [edit] Cyrenaic hedonismFounded by Aristippus of Cyrene, Cyrenaics supported immediate gratification or pleasure. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die. Even fleeting desires should be indulged, for fear the opportunity should be forever lost. There was little to no concern with the future, the present dominating in the pursuit for immediate pleasure. Cyrenaic hedonism encouraged the pursuit of enjoyment and indulgence without hesitation, believing pleasure to be the only good. [10] [edit] EpicureanismMain article: Epicureanism Epicurean ethics is a hedonist form of virtue ethics. Epicurus presented a sustained argument that pleasure, correctly understood, will coincide with virtue. [11] He rejected the extremism of the Cyrenaics, believing some pleasures and indulgences to be detrimental to human beings. Epicureans observed that indiscriminate indulgence sometimes resulted in negative consequences. Some experiences were therefore rejected out of hand, and some unpleasant experiences endured in the present to ensure a better life in the future. To Epicurus the summum bonum, or greatest good, was prudence, exercised through moderation and caution. Excessive indulgence can be destructive to pleasure and can even lead to pain. For example, eating one food too often will cause a person to lose taste for it. Eating too much food at once will lead to discomfort and ill-health. Pain and fear were to be avoided. Living was essentially good, barring pain and illness. Death was not to be feared. Fear was considered the source of most unhappiness. Conquering the fear of death would naturally lead to a happier life. Epicurus reasoned if there was an afterlife and immortality, the fear of death was irrational. If there was no life after death, then the person would not be alive to suffer, fear or worry; he would be non-existent in death. It is irrational to fret over circumstances that do not exist, such as ones state in death in the absence of an afterlife. [12]

OpenMP Based Fast Data Searching with Multithreading

OpenMP Based Fast Data Searching with Multithreading V.Karthikeyan, Dr. S.Ravi  and S.Flora Magdalene Abstract The multiprocessor cores with multithreaded capability are continuing to gain a significant share and offer high performance. The use of OpenMP applications on two parallel architectures can identify architectural bottlenecks and introduces high level of resource sharing in multithreading performance complications. An adaptive run-time mechanism provides additional but limited performance improvements on multithreading and is maximized the efficiency of OpenMP multithreading as required by the runtime environment and the programming interface. This paper handles the task of data searching efficiently and a comparative analysis of performance with and without OpenMP is made. Experimental result shows accelerated performance over the existing methods in terms of various performance criteria. Keywords: OpenMP (Open Multi Processing), Multithreading, Fast Data Searching, Multicore Introduction OpenMP is an adopted shared memory parallel programming interface providing high level programming constructs that enable the user to easily expose an application task and loop level parallelism. The range of OpenMP applicability is significantly extended by the addition of explicit tasking features.OpenMP is used for enhanced portability computation, where a dynamic workload distribution method is employed for good load balancing. However, the search network involved in the Viterbi beam search is reported by [5] statically partitioned into independent subtrees to reduce memory synchronization overhead. It improves the performance of a workload predictive thread assignment strategy and a false cache line sharing prevention method is required. OpenMP is a collection of compiler directives and library functions that are used to create parallel programs for shared-memory computers. It combines with C, C++ or Fortranto create a multithreaded program where the threads share the address sp ace and make easier for programmers to convert single-threaded code to multithreaded. It has two key concepts namely; Sequential equivalence: Executes using one thread or many threads. Incremental parallelism: A programming that evolves incrementally from a sequential program to a parallel program. OpenMP has an advantage in synchronization over hand-threading where it uses more expensive system calls than present in OpenMP or the code efficient versions of synchronization primitives. As a shared-memory programming paradigm, OpenMP is suitable for parallelizing applications on simultaneous multithreaded and multicore processors as reported in [11]. It is an API (application program interface) used for explicitly direct multi-threaded, shared memory parallelism to standardize programming extensions for shared memory machines is shown in Figure 1. Figure1:Model for OpenMP Program using threading At high-end, the microprocessors encompass aggressive multithreading and multicore technologies to form powerful computational building blocks for the super computers. The evaluation uses detailed performance measurements and information from hardware performance counters to architectural bottlenecks of multithreading and multicore processors that hinder the scalability of OpenMPin which OpenMP implementations can be improved to better support execution on multithreading processors. The thread scheduling based model with kernel and user space is shown in Figure 2.OpenMP applications can efficiently exploit the execution contexts of multithreading processors. The multi-threading models are; Master-Slave model, Worker-Crew model and Pipeline model Figure 2:Multithreading processors using Kernel and User space OpenMP Issues with Multithreading Approach OpenMP specification includes critical, atomic, flush and barrier directives for synchronization purposes as shown in Table 1. Table 1:OpenMP synchronization specification Effects of OpenMP for Multithreading Process The effects of OpenMP for multithreading process arelisted in Table 2. Table 2:Effects of OpenMP The multithreading is required a solution which is scalable in a number of dimensions and achieve speedups. An efficient parallel program usually limits the number of threads to the number of physical cores that create a large number of concurrent threads. It describes the low-level Linux kernel interface for threads and the programs are invoked by a fork system call which creates a process and followed by an exec system call and loads a program to starts execution. Threads typically end by executing an exit system call, which can kill one or all threads. Related Works Daniel, et al., [2010] presented the compilation of synchronous programs to multi-threaded OpenMP-based C programs and guarded actions which are a comfortable intermediate language for synchronous languages. J. Brandt and K. Schneider [2009] presented separate compilation of synchronous programs. The target deterministic single-threaded code directly executes synchronous programs on simple micro-controllers. K. Schneider [2009] proposed the problem to generate multi-threaded C-code from synchronous guarded actions, which is a comfortable intermediate format for the compilation of synchronous programs. PranavandSumit [2014] proposed the performances (speedup) of parallel algorithms on multi-core system using OpenMP. C.D. Antonopoulos, et al., [2005] proposed multigrain parallel delaunay mesh generation and opportunities for multithreaded architectures. H. Jin, et al., [1999] proposed the OpenMP implementation of NAS parallel benchmarks and its performance. M. Lee, et al., [2004] presented peak performance of SPEC OMPL benchmarks using maximum threads demonstration and compared with a traditional SMP. Zaid, et al., [2014] presented to implemented the bubble sort algorithm using multithreading (OpenMP) and tested on two standard data sets (text file) with different sizeF. Liu and V. Chaudhary [2003] presented a system-on-chip (SOC) design integrates processors into one chip and OpenMP is selected to deal with the heterogeneity of CMP.M. Sato, et al., [1999] proposed the compiler is installed to support OpenMP applications and GCC acts as a backend compiler.T. Wang, et al., [2004] presented the current flat view of OpenMP threads is not able to reflect the new features and need to be revisited to ensure continuing applicability.Cristiano et al., [2008] proposed reproducible simulation of multi-threaded workloads for architecture design exploration.Vijay Sundaresan, et al., [2006] proposed experiences with multi-threading and dynamic class loading in a java just-in-time compiler. Priya, et al., [2014] proposed to compare and analyze the parallel computing ability offered by OpenMP for Intel Cilk Plus and MPI(Message passing Interface). Sanjay and Kusum [2012] presented to analyze the parallel algorithms for computing the solution of dense system of linear equations and to approximately compute the value of OpenMP interface. S.N. TirumalaRao [2010] focuses on performance of memory mapped files on Multi-Core processors and explored the potential of Multi-Core hardware under OpenMP API and POSIX threads. Explicit Multithreading Using Multithreads The Explicit multithreading is more complex compared to OpenMP and dynamic applications need to be implemented effectively so as to allow user control on performance. The explicit multithreading based multithreads with C coding are shown in Figure 3. Figure3: Explicit multithreading based coding in C Scheduling for OpenMP OpenMP supports loop level scheduling that defines how loop iterations are assigned to each participating thread. The scheduling types are listed in Table 3. Table 3:  Scheduling Types Pseudo code: #pragma omp parallel sections { #pragma omp section do_clustering(0); #pragma omp section do_clustering(1); #pragma omp section do_clustering(2); #pragma omp section do_clustering(3); #pragma omp section do_clustering(4); } Optimizing Execution Contexts on Multithreading Process The selection of the optimal number of execution contexts for the execution of each OpenMP application is not trivial on multithread based multiprocessors. Thus, a performance-driven, adaptive mechanism which dynamically activates and deactivates the additional execution contexts on multithreading processors to automatically approximate the execution time of the best static selection of execution contexts per processor. It used a mechanism than the exhaustive search, which avoids modifications to the OpenMP compiler and runtime and identifies whether the use of the second execution context of each processor is beneficial for performance and adapts the number of threads used for the execution of each parallel region. The algorithm targets identification of the best loop scheduling policy which is based on the annotation of the beginning and end of parallel regions with calls to runtime. The calls can be inserted automatically, by a simple preprocessor. The run-time linking techniques such as dynamic interposition can be used to intercept the calls issued to the native OpenMP runtime at the boundaries of parallel regions and apply dynamic adaptation even to un modified application binaries. It modifies the semantics of the OpenMP threads environment variable,using it as a suggestion for the number of processors to be used instead of the number of threads. Results and Discussion The experimental results of data searching with OpenMP tools (multithreading) and without OpenMP (no multithreading) tools are shown in Figure 4and Figure 5 respectively. In both the cases search time for data is evaluated and established OpenMP based implementation which is fast compared to data searching done without OpenMP tools. Figure 4:Search time with OpenMP (Multithreading) Figure5:Search time without OpenMP (No Multithreading) The percentage of improvement in data searching with OpenMP (multithreading) tools is given in Table 4 and its graphical representation shown in Figure 6. Table 4:Improvement with Multithreading Figure6:Improvement in data Searching with OpenMP (in %) The time elapsed to write data in file which is experimented with OpenMP and without OpenMP (search data) shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 respectively. Figure 7:Search datawith OpenMP Figure 8:Search datawithout OpenMP Conclusion Searching a data in large data base has been a profound area for researchers. In this research work OpenMP Tools is used to perform multithreading based search. The motive to use OpenMP is that the user can specify a paralliazation strategy for a program. Here an experiment of data searching using multithreading is conducted for a data base. The experiments are conducted with and without OpenMP and their performance is presented. The results obtained shows that the time required for searching a data using OpenMP is less compared to data searching without OpenMP. The method presented shows improved performance over existing methods in terms of performance and parallaziation can be done in future. The main limitation of the research work is that its practical implementation requires same number of multicore units as that of the number of threads. Future research shall focus on use of parallel threads for high performance systems. References Daniel Baudisch, Jens Brandt and Klaus Schneider, 2010, â€Å"Multithreaded Code from Synchronous Programs: Extracting Independent Threads for OpenMP†, EDAA. J. Brandt and K. Schneider, 2009, â€Å"Separate compilation of synchronous programs†, in Software and Compilers for Embedded Systems (SCOPES), ACM International Conference Proceeding Series, Vol. 320, pp. 1–10, Nice, France. K. Schneider, 2009, â€Å"The synchronous programming language Quartz†, Internal Report 375, Department of Computer Science, University of Kaiserslautern, Kaiserslautern, Germany. PranavKulkarni, SumitPathare, 2014, â€Å"Performance Analysis of Parallel Algorithm over Sequential using OpenMP†, IOSR Journal of Computer Engineering, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 58-62. C. D. Antonopoulos, X. Ding, A. Chernikov, F. Blagojevic, D. S. Nikolopoulos and N. Chrisochoides, 2005, â€Å"Multigrain Parallel Delaunay Mesh Generation: Challenges and Opportunities for Multithreaded Architectures†, in Proceeding of the 19thACM International Conference on Supercomputing (ICS’2005), Cambridge, USA. H. Jin, M. Frumkin and J. Yan, 1999, â€Å"The OpenMP Implementation of NAS Parallel Benchmarks and its Performance†, Technical Report NAS-99-011, NASA Ames Research Center. M. Lee, B. Whitney and N. Copty, 2004, â€Å"Performance and Scalability of OpenMP Programs on the Sun FireTM E25K Throughput Computing Server†, WOMPAT 2004, pp. 19-28. ZaidAbdiAlkareemAlyasseri, Kadhim Al-Attar and Mazin Nasser, 2014, â€Å"Parallelize Bubble Sort Algorithm Using OpenMP†, International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software Engineering, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 103-110. F. Liu and V. Chaudhary, 2003, â€Å"Extending OpenMP for heterogeneous chip multiprocessors Parallel Processing†, Proceedings of International Conference on Parallel Processing, pp. 161-168. M. Sato, S. Satoh, K. Kusano and Y. Tanaka, 1999, â€Å"Design of OpenMP compiler for an SMP cluster†, Proc. of the 1st European Workshop on OpenMP, pp.32-39. T. Wang, F. Blagojevic and D. S. Nikolopoulos, 2004, â€Å"Runtime Support for Integrating Pre-computation and Thread-Level Parallelism on Simultaneous Multithreaded Processors†, the Seventh Workshop on Languages, Compilers, and Run-time Support for Scalable Systems, Houston, TX. Cristiano Pereira, Harish Patil and Brad Calder, 2008, â€Å"Reproducible simulation of multi-threaded workloads for architecture design exploration†, in Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Workload Characterization, pp. 173-182. Vijay Sundaresan, Daryl Maier, PramodRamarao and Mark Stoodley, 2006, â€Å"Experiences with multi-threading and dynamic class loading in a java just-in-time compiler†, in International Symposium on Code Generation and Optimization, pp. 87–97, San Francisco, USA. Priya Mehta, Sarvesh Singh, Deepika Roy and M. Manju Sharma, 2014, â€Å"Comparative Study of Multi-Threading Libraries to Fully Utilize Multi Processor/Multi Core Systems†, International Journal of Current Engineering and Technology, Vol. 4, No. 4. Sanjay Kumar Sharma and Kusum Gupta, 2012, â€Å"Performance Analysis of Parallel Algorithms on Multi-core System using OpenMP†, International Journal of Computer Science, Engineering and Information Technology, Vol. 2, No. 5. S.N. TirumalaRao, E.V. Prasad, N.B. Venkateswarlu, 2010, â€Å"A Critical Performance Study of Memory Mapping on Multi-Core Processors: An Experiment with k-means Algorithm with Large Data Mining Data Sets†, International Journal of Computer Applications, Vol. 1, No. 9.

Economic Factors Effects on the Pilgrimage of Grace Essay -- History

Sparked in Lincolnshire in October 1536 and expanding rapidly through Yorkshire and the far north, the Pilgrimage of Grace was a popular rising that presented a â€Å"major armed challenge to the Henrician Reformation† . The first modern writers, Madeline Hope Dodds and Ruth Dodds, argued that it was an association of interest groups with their own worries and priorities. Shortly after, A. G. Dickens supported the Doddsian argument stating that he saw a â€Å"fundamental divergence of interests and attitudes between gentry and commons† . Then, C. S. L. Davies offered an alternative argument that emphasised religion as the cause of the Pilgrimage. In addition, Sir Geoffrey Elton argued that the Pilgrimage was the result of the â€Å"unexpected overthrow of Anne Boleyn in the spring of 1536 and the consolidation of power at court and in government by Thomas Cromwell†. Thus, historians have and will continue to argue endlessly about the true causes of the Pilgrimage; on balance, a collection of factors contributed rather than an overriding cause. As a result, it is fair to say that the rising incorporated a mixture of political, religious, social and economic issues. Therefore, economic factors were only partly to blame for the Pilgrimage of Grace. Firstly, politics was partly to blame for the Pilgrimage of Grace; hence, by early 1527 King Henry VIII sought a divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Though, it is hard to pinpoint exactly why, the most plausible explanation is his belief that â€Å"his marriage was barren because of its illegality† and Catherine’s failure to produce a male heir. This is because Henry argued that it was blasphemous of him to marry his brother’s widow and he needed a son in order t... ...t, principle, fear-dabbled in treason† , became involved in the Pilgrimage of Grace. But, Elton’s argument is at least useful in the sense that it gives a helpful view on popular attitudes during this period. Works Cited Beer, Barrett L. Rebellion and Riot: Popular Disorder in England during the reign of Edward VI (1982). Bush, Michael. ‘Up for the Commonwealth’: the significance of tax grievances in the English rebellions of 1536, English Historical Review 106 (1991). Davies, C. S. L. ‘Popular Religion and the Pilgrimage of Grace’ in Order and Disorder in Early Modern England, eds. Anthony Fletcher and John Stevenson (1985). Fletcher, Anthony. Tudor Rebellions (1997). Hoyle, R.W. The Pilgrimage of Grace and the Politics of the 1530s (2001). Shagan, Ethan H. Popular Politics and the English Reformation (Cambridge, 2003).

Peer Review of Strategic and Implementation Plans Essay

Team members provided feedback on the individual draft papers posted. The assignment was to provide a strategic plan for our chosen organization. The plan needed to include implementation for objectives, functional tactics, action items, milestones and deadlines, tasks and task ownership, and resource allocations. Organizational and management changes, financial forecasts, and risks with contingency plans also needed to be addressed. One of the draft papers contained excellent breakdowns on the financials for a startup company along with specifics on which participating individuals would be responsible for key action items. The budget and sales forecast were realistic for what would be expected with a new business. The identified risk of low participation volume from clients was identified, but there was no contingency plan for this in terms of additional marketing. Another team member’s paper was clear in how customer needs could impact the success of the strategic plan. Internal and external factors addressed employee relations and shareholder expectations. The approach the company needs to take with delivering service to customers is identified as factor that needs to change as the plan is implemented. A SWOT analysis would be conducted and contingency plans made on an as-needed basis. The company may want to develop several contingency plans for common issues within its industry to be prepared for these scenarios. The third draft reviewed focused on short and long-term objectives and the use of a balanced scorecard approach to evaluating and monitoring the plan’s implementation. The critical components for objectives, functional tactics,  action items, and resource allocation were identified. Major changes to the organizational structure and management positions were key factors to the company’s plan. Conclusion Although all team members did not post drafts or offer feedback those that did provided details pertinent to the assignment. Team members identified the items outlined in the assignment and appear to have strong knowledge of what a strategic plan needs to address to be successful in meeting goals.

Chinas Market Size essays

China's Market Size essays China's attractive market size and the economic advantages of opening factories there raise a host of controversial issues. Without even touching upon human rights issues, it is easy to see the problems inherent in China's demands that multi-national corporations transfer modern management skills and technology. Ideally, the relationship would be reciprocal: if companies choose to locate production facilities in China then they should be willing to share valuable information such as technological and managerial expertise. However, doing business in or with China is more complicated and tricky than this. Boeing and other companies would indeed risk losing sales if they transferred technology and/or managerial knowledge. Chinese companies that capitalize on this knowledge and technology would create an incredibly competitive market that would drive prices down and would also probably lower standards of quality. The repercussions for the environment as well as for human rights could be potentially devastating, as Chinese companies could operate with fewer restrictions and regulations in these areas. Because production costs would be potentially much lower for Chinese companies than for multi-nationals, it would be nearly impossible to compete with Chinese companies on the However, it is possible to strike a balance. If Chinese companies glean knowledge from the multi-nationals that locate there, such as Volkswagen, Isuzu, and Boeing, then perhaps import taxes could be levied on Chinese goods; that would at least ensure a fairer market. Transferring technology could benefit industries that might benefit from further innovativeness; if Chinese companies are taught the fundamentals of an industry it is likely that the industry as a whole could benefit from added Because the bottom line is the most important thing for such corporations, however, the most likely outcome of ...

What Simple Random Sampling Is and How to Do It

What Simple Random Sampling Is and How to Do It Simple random sampling is the most basic and common type of  sampling method  used in quantitative social science research and in scientific research generally.  The main benefit of the simple random sample is that each member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen for the study. This means that it guarantees that the sample chosen is representative of the population and that the sample is selected in an unbiased way. In turn, the statistical conclusions drawn from the analysis of the sample will ​be valid.​ There are multiple ways of creating a simple random sample. These include the lottery method, using a random number table, using a computer, and sampling with or without replacement. Lottery Method of Sampling The lottery method of creating a simple random sample is exactly what it sounds like. A researcher randomly picks numbers, with each number corresponding to a subject or item, in order to create the sample. To create a sample this way, the researcher must ensure that the numbers are well mixed before selecting the sample population. Using a Random Number Table One of the most convenient ways of creating a simple random sample is to use a random number table. These are commonly found at the back of textbooks on the topics of statistics or research methods. Most random number tables will have as many as 10,000 random numbers. These will be composed of integers between zero and nine and arranged in groups of five. These tables are carefully created to ensure that each number is equally probable, so using it is a way to produce a random sample required for valid research outcomes. To create a simple random sample using a random number table just follow these steps. Number each member of the population 1 to N.Determine the population size and sample size.Select a starting point on the random number table. (The best way to do this is to close your eyes and point randomly onto the page. Whichever number your finger is touching is the number you start with.)Choose a direction in which to read (up to down, left to right, or right to left).Select the first n numbers (however many numbers are in your sample) whose last X digits are between 0 and N. For instance, if N is a 3 digit number, then X would be 3. Put another way, if your population contained 350 people, you would use numbers from the table whose last 3 digits were between 0 and 350. If the number on the table was 23957, you would not use it because the last 3 digits (957) is greater than 350. You would skip this number and move to the next one. If the number is 84301, you would use it and you would select the person in the population who is assigned the number 301.Continue this way through t he table until you have selected your entire sample, whatever your n is. The numbers you selected then correspond to the numbers assigned to the members of your population, and those selected become your sample. Using a Computer In practice, the lottery method of selecting a random sample can be quite burdensome if done by hand. Typically, the population being studied is large and choosing a random sample by hand would be very time-consuming. Instead, there are several computer programs that can assign numbers and select n random numbers quickly and easily. Many can be found online for free. Sampling With Replacement Sampling with replacement is a method of random sampling in which members or items of the population can be chosen more than once for inclusion in the sample. Let’s say we have 100 names each written on a piece of paper. All of those pieces of paper are put into a bowl and mixed up. The researcher picks a name from the bowl, records the information to include that person in the sample, then puts the name back in the bowl, mixes up the names, and selects another piece of paper. The person that was just sampled has the same chance of being selected again. This is known as sampling with replacement. Sampling Without Replacement Sampling without replacement is a method of random sampling in which members or items of the population can only be selected one time for inclusion in the sample. Using the same example above, let’s say we put the 100 pieces of paper in a bowl, mix them up, and randomly select one name to include in the sample. This time, however, we record the information to include that person in the sample and then set that piece of paper aside rather than putting it back into the bowl. Here, each element of the population can only be selected one time.

Paraphrasing Exercise Essays - Paraphrase, Rhetoric, Free Essays

Paraphrasing Exercise Essays - Paraphrase, Rhetoric, Free Essays Paraphrasing Exercise Directions: On a separate piece of paper, write a paraphrase of each of the following passages. Feel free to read each passage a couple times. Try not to look back at the original passage. 1. The Antarctic is the vast source of cold on our planet, just as the sun is the source of our heat, and it exerts tremendous control on our climate, [Jacques] Cousteau told the camera. The cold ocean water around Antarctica flows north to mix with warmer water from the tropics, and its upwellings help to cool both the surface water and our atmosphere. Yet the fragility of this regulating system is now threatened by human activity. From Captain Cousteau, Audubon (May 1990):17. 2. The twenties were the years when drinking was against the law, and the law was a bad joke because everyone knew of a local bar where liquor could be had. They were the years when organized crime ruled the cities, and the police seemed powerless to do anything against it. Classical music was forgotten while jazz spread throughout the land, and men like Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie became the heroes of the young. The flapper was born in the twenties, and with her bobbed hair and short skirts, she symbolized, perhaps more than anyone or anything else, America's break with the past. From Kathleen Yancey, English 102 Supplemental Guide (1989): 25. 3. Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are caused by head injuries. Half of those killed are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head. From Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers, Consumer Reports (May 1990): 348. 4. Matisse is the best painter ever at putting the viewer at the scene. He's the most realistic of all modern artists, if you admit the feel of the breeze as necessary to a landscape and the smell of oranges as essential to a still life. The Casbah Gate depicts the well-known gateway Bab el Aassa, which pierces the southern wall of the city near the sultan's palace. With scrubby coats of ivory, aqua, blue, and rose delicately fenced by the liveliest gray outline in art history, Matisse gets the essence of a Tangier afternoon, including the subtle presence of the bowaab, the sentry who sits and surveys those who pass through the gate. From Peter Plagens, Bright Lights. Newsweek (26 March 1990): 50. 5. While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it's unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the world's tallest building. The question is: Just how high can a building go? Structural engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one-half mile high, twice as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology could produce a 500-story building. From Ron Bachman, Reaching for the Sky. Dial (May 1990): 15.

ISMG 3000 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

ISMG 3000 - Assignment Example In this way, both parents and children will be in the cafe but separate lodges. With customer ethics, the client is not ethical. He seems to be rude in airing his grievances. He has not given the reasons why children should not be allowed into the cafe and does not provide any solution either. To encourage a communication that is open, I will make use of the business email. This method will enable me to respond to customers complaint without others seeing my response hence I will have an opportunity to handle all their grievances (Ammar, Sedigh-Ali and Ghafoor 40). An email will enable privacy. The above imply that e-commerce is an essential element that I need in my business. I will employ business to customer e -business model. The above entail transaction between a company and the customer on-line (Sri and Srinivasan 9). It will be used to sell cakes. Customer searching and marketing takes place on-line. After full ordering, shipment of the cakes to the clients destination will follow. The e -business strategy will facilitate quick and easy communication with the customers. It will also strengthen market capabilities and increase the operation hours of the enterprise (Sri and Srinivasan 10). The management will have access to broader information through research thus expediting customer service. The strategy will also reduce the location and availability restrictions thus reaching new markets. In a nutshell, it will keep the business relevant. It will also enable be to track various business metrics. The metrics that I will track in my business website include product comparison to see what is outside there. I will also monitor the users segments and customer satisfaction (Sri and Srinivasan 19). Additionally, shopping cart removes and sales funnel will be tracked. To partner with suppliers, I will employ the customer -business strategy. I will create a link of communication and payment system. The link will enable

Developing Americas Second Language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Developing Americas Second Language - Essay Example This language is also easy for most American citizens because it entails values that are enforced by societal myths, which are constantly repeated in the popular culture (Wallack & Lawrence 567). Wallack and Lawrence assert that, although this language may be popular among Americans, it is not sufficient enough for advancing public health. Therefore, a second language that properly addresses the unique public health approach needs to be developed. Lack of a well-developed language, for addressing public health concerns, has an adverse effect on the health sector more than the issues of how the doctors spend their working hours. In the United States, the formulation of public policies, which reflect the disciplinary theory of public health to adopt, has been a considerable challenge to the legislatures (Wallack & Lawrence 567). Wallack and Lawrence, in their article "Talking About Public Health: Developing America’s â€Å"Second Language† present a second language, in the U.S. culture, which can significantly help in addressing public health concerns. This is the language of interconnectedness (Wallack & Lawrence 567). The language of interconnectedness is a language of humanitarian and egalitarian values of community and interdependence. Public health, in this context, is defined on the basis of how the society balances considerations of social accountability and personal responsibility, in public policies, whic h affect health. Social responsibility, humanitarianism, and egalitarianism, which are the values that dictate a social justice orientation to public health (Wallack & Lawrence 567), usually seem inadequate in addressing the moral resonance of individualism effectively. The content and ideas presented, in this article, are of significant benefits to the public health sector. The article suggests that, in a culture dominated with suspicious of government power and personal responsibility, it is difficult for public health professionals to adopt

Music Analysis of My Heart Will Go On by Celine Deon Assignment

Music Analysis of My Heart Will Go On by Celine Deon - Assignment Example The singer starts from the low tone and moves up hitting the highest tone as she approaches the chorus. The song has both chorus and choruses. The song has duality with two distinct parts with the first sounds soft romantic and second sounds determined. The music strains a slow romantic note in the first part. The charm takes a slow music sounds romantic and soulful, that borders on the melancholic but never gives up hope. The music gushes forth powerfully in the second part projecting a determination only a woman’s heart is capable of. Their song uses such instruments such as flute, guitar, piano, violin to create the melody that makes the song creates the mood and provokes a melancholic feeling. The music stresses on the instrumental arranging. There is much use of flute back by melodic use of strings and rhythm guitars. Both electronic and acoustic instrumentation is evident in the song (Hanninen, 2012). The song lyrics creates a somber mood amongst the listeners. In addition, the choice of the love as the theme is much attractive as a love remains a contemporary issue based on the unexpected separation as it happened to the young lovers, Jack and Rose. The music greatly impacts on one’s subconscious minds based on the lyrics that makes one feel so attached and need to share in the pain with Rose. The song provokes human nature to feel part of a problem that affects another based on the state of disparity. The song communicates the emotion expressed in the film, and the words parallel the dialogues especially from the scene when Jack Dawson says his final goodbye and makes Rose promise that she will never give up. However, there are some parts that are read from Rose’s mind. The music depicts a sad love story and creates melancholy is as we watch and listen to its lyrics. The song is emotional as well as demanding. I have chosen the song ‘My Heart Will Go On’ by Celine Deon.

The Commercial Banks in Singapore Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Commercial Banks in Singapore - Essay Example Commercial banks are the backbone of any economy and they contribute to the economic development in the following ways: 1) Promoting capital formation in the economy 2) Promotion of trade and industry through loans and investments 3) Development of agriculture through Agri-financing 4) Transferring surplus capital from developed to less developed regions to allow for balanced development of the economy 5) Encouraging businesses related to export by providing them support so as to improve the GDP of the country through positive trade (Janan, 2009) b.1. Following are the 5 principles on which the Islamic banking model operates: 1) Sanctity of contract – it must be ensured that the contract is halal (all components valid and not voidable) according to the Sharia rulings 2) Risk Sharing – profit must not be earned by a party without having a stake in the asset generating the said profit 3) No Riba/Interest – money should not be lent to earn additional amount on its u nderlying value 4) Economic Purpose – the activity should be for economic purpose 5) Fairness – the terms and conditions should be fair to all parties involved and be disclosed fully to avoid any doubt in the contract (Ahmad & Shabbir) b.2. Advantages of Islamic Banking over Conventional Banking: 1) Islamic modes of finance can’t be marketed beyond the initial parties of the contract and are also non-callable – both these features protect the financial system from collapsing. Conventional bank lending is a pyramid-shaped chain where one party can further the loan attained from the bank, thus when a financial crisis occurs and one party defaults the whole system crashes. Also, the non-callable feature allows for more certainty as the party is able to keep the loan until its maturity. (Ahmad & Shabbir) 2) Islamic banks bear the liability of getting involved in a transaction with the customer unlike conventional banks – thus they do not have a guarant eed return in form of fixed payments from customers (interest) rather they take risk of partnering in a venture with their client. For example in Musharika which is a mode of Islamic finance, the bank gets into a partnership agreement with the client and the profit sharing ratio is agreed upon by the parties while the ratio of loss sharing is in proportion to the capital invested by the bank and the client. (Ahmad & Shabbir) 3) The creditworthiness of the client is not the only determining factor in Islamic finance – the type, nature, viability, and profitability of the business are the main determining factors. Islam does not allow unethical and immoral business activities, thus lending to businesses such as alcohol, pornography, etc. is forbidden as these activities are also harmful and negatively affect the productivity of the economy. (Ahamed, 2008)

Negative side on fast food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Negative side on fast food - Essay Example urant Association (32) indicate that this number was projected to increase by 4.2 percent in 2002, which converts to about $130.1 billion worth of sales. National Restaurant Association (76) showed that 3 out of ten consumers agreed that fast-food or food at a restaurant establishment are important to their way of life and 3 of 5 consumers reported that they had would eat fast-food in future about as more often as they previously did. Fast food is more popular and more preferred by the adolescents who visit a fast-food restaurant at least twice per week (Lin 34; Guthrie 56). In a survey consisting of 4,750 students aging between 11 and 18 indicated that about 76 percent ate at fast-food outlet during the two weeks before the survey was conducted (Harnack 23). This survey indicated that fast-food consumption was linked to higher intake of hamburger, fried potato, soft drinks, pizza, and lower intake of vegetables, milk and fruits. Fast food has high energy and fat content although fas t-food restaurants have started diversifying to incorporate broader range of hamburgers, foods, and French fries. A small order of fast-food such as French fries contains about 10 grams and 200 calories of fat, and a hamburger contains about 35 grams and 600 calories. Consequently, many Americans have raised their concerns about the negative health impact fast food not only for adolescents and children but also for adult consumers (Lin and Frazao 45; Jeffrey 24). Advocating for the reduction of fast-food consumption in the United States, this paper discusses the negative effects of fast food. A recent study showed that most Americans have realized that stopping at the fast-food restaurants for fast food is not a worth decision (United States Department of Agriculture, Food Survey  Research Group 45). This study indicate that Americans prefer fast foods to conventional foods for convenience. The study notes that fast food are readily available, cheap and save on time. It is widely

Project Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project Managment - Essay Example According to Kerzner (2009), project managers are in charge of ‘coordinating and integrating activities across multiple, functional lines’ (p. 12). This means that they consolidate efforts to (1) develop the project plan, (2) execute the plan, and (3) make the necessary changes to the plan to ensure that the objectives are met. Project managers also operate as interface between the smaller, project organization, and the larger functional organization. They therefore are tasked with managing relationships (1) among individual members of the team , (2) between the functional organization and the project team, (3) between the senior management and the project team, and (4) between the customer’s organization (i.e., external or internal) and the project team (Kerzner, 2009, p. 13). Kerzner observes that the project manager’s role is a difficult one because he/she usually is assigned a great deal of responsibility, but actually very little power or authority. Th e greatest challenge to the skill and expertise of the project manager is the degree to which he/she is able to successfully achieve the specific objectives of the project within the constraints (of scope, time, cost, and performance) imposed upon him/her. The Edinburgh Tram System project In 2002, the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC), established the Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE) as a private limited, wholly-owned CEC subsidiary. The new system is envisioned to be a fast, clean and green, and high capacity transport service similar to those in other countries in Europe (Edinburgh Trams, 2012). The initiative began with a series of public consultations to determine the feasibility of the proposed system and in compliance with the parliamentary process. Stakeholders were invited to participate during these consultations where the feedback and suggestions to the proposed project details were garnered. By January 2004, the completed plans were submitted to Parliament, which appr oved them in March 2006. Contracts were entered into by May 2008, begun soon thereafter, and the tram network was estimated to commence operations by 2014 (Edinburgh Trams, 2012). From the project’s onset, the CEC and contractors have encountered problems related to the project. An example is the line to St. Andrew Square has proven problematic, with a project cost of ?776 million, ?200 million over the original budget. The contractor, Bilfinger Berger, of Germany, has been plagued by delays, disputes, technical problems, and unforeseen revision. According to Knox (2011), there also were other concerns such as a misunderstanding of the initial agreement, a confused and divided council, government hostility and negative public perception. These problems resulted in a reduction in the project’s scope from several lines to just one – that leading to St. Andrew’s Square – a budget overrun and extension of the completion date to 2016, and the resignatio n of the project’s chief executive after only two years (Knox, 2011; BBC, 2011). The three elements of project management Several of the nine primary elements of the PMBOK are seen to be applicable in this case, but the following three appear to have posed the greatest challenge for the project manager: (1) Managing the scope of the project in controlling the project The project scope is an explicit description of what are included in,

The Commercial Banks in Singapore Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The Commercial Banks in Singapore - Essay Example Commercial banks are the backbone of any economy and they contribute to the economic development in the following ways: 1) Promoting capital formation in the economy 2) Promotion of trade and industry through loans and investments 3) Development of agriculture through Agri-financing 4) Transferring surplus capital from developed to less developed regions to allow for balanced development of the economy 5) Encouraging businesses related to export by providing them support so as to improve the GDP of the country through positive trade (Janan, 2009) b.1. Following are the 5 principles on which the Islamic banking model operates: 1) Sanctity of contract – it must be ensured that the contract is halal (all components valid and not voidable) according to the Sharia rulings 2) Risk Sharing – profit must not be earned by a party without having a stake in the asset generating the said profit 3) No Riba/Interest – money should not be lent to earn additional amount on its u nderlying value 4) Economic Purpose – the activity should be for economic purpose 5) Fairness – the terms and conditions should be fair to all parties involved and be disclosed fully to avoid any doubt in the contract (Ahmad & Shabbir) b.2. Advantages of Islamic Banking over Conventional Banking: 1) Islamic modes of finance can’t be marketed beyond the initial parties of the contract and are also non-callable – both these features protect the financial system from collapsing. Conventional bank lending is a pyramid-shaped chain where one party can further the loan attained from the bank, thus when a financial crisis occurs and one party defaults the whole system crashes. Also, the non-callable feature allows for more certainty as the party is able to keep the loan until its maturity. (Ahmad & Shabbir) 2) Islamic banks bear the liability of getting involved in a transaction with the customer unlike conventional banks – thus they do not have a guarant eed return in form of fixed payments from customers (interest) rather they take risk of partnering in a venture with their client. For example in Musharika which is a mode of Islamic finance, the bank gets into a partnership agreement with the client and the profit sharing ratio is agreed upon by the parties while the ratio of loss sharing is in proportion to the capital invested by the bank and the client. (Ahmad & Shabbir) 3) The creditworthiness of the client is not the only determining factor in Islamic finance – the type, nature, viability, and profitability of the business are the main determining factors. Islam does not allow unethical and immoral business activities, thus lending to businesses such as alcohol, pornography, etc. is forbidden as these activities are also harmful and negatively affect the productivity of the economy. (Ahamed, 2008)

Project Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project Managment - Essay Example According to Kerzner (2009), project managers are in charge of ‘coordinating and integrating activities across multiple, functional lines’ (p. 12). This means that they consolidate efforts to (1) develop the project plan, (2) execute the plan, and (3) make the necessary changes to the plan to ensure that the objectives are met. Project managers also operate as interface between the smaller, project organization, and the larger functional organization. They therefore are tasked with managing relationships (1) among individual members of the team , (2) between the functional organization and the project team, (3) between the senior management and the project team, and (4) between the customer’s organization (i.e., external or internal) and the project team (Kerzner, 2009, p. 13). Kerzner observes that the project manager’s role is a difficult one because he/she usually is assigned a great deal of responsibility, but actually very little power or authority. Th e greatest challenge to the skill and expertise of the project manager is the degree to which he/she is able to successfully achieve the specific objectives of the project within the constraints (of scope, time, cost, and performance) imposed upon him/her. The Edinburgh Tram System project In 2002, the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC), established the Transport Initiatives Edinburgh (TIE) as a private limited, wholly-owned CEC subsidiary. The new system is envisioned to be a fast, clean and green, and high capacity transport service similar to those in other countries in Europe (Edinburgh Trams, 2012). The initiative began with a series of public consultations to determine the feasibility of the proposed system and in compliance with the parliamentary process. Stakeholders were invited to participate during these consultations where the feedback and suggestions to the proposed project details were garnered. By January 2004, the completed plans were submitted to Parliament, which appr oved them in March 2006. Contracts were entered into by May 2008, begun soon thereafter, and the tram network was estimated to commence operations by 2014 (Edinburgh Trams, 2012). From the project’s onset, the CEC and contractors have encountered problems related to the project. An example is the line to St. Andrew Square has proven problematic, with a project cost of ?776 million, ?200 million over the original budget. The contractor, Bilfinger Berger, of Germany, has been plagued by delays, disputes, technical problems, and unforeseen revision. According to Knox (2011), there also were other concerns such as a misunderstanding of the initial agreement, a confused and divided council, government hostility and negative public perception. These problems resulted in a reduction in the project’s scope from several lines to just one – that leading to St. Andrew’s Square – a budget overrun and extension of the completion date to 2016, and the resignatio n of the project’s chief executive after only two years (Knox, 2011; BBC, 2011). The three elements of project management Several of the nine primary elements of the PMBOK are seen to be applicable in this case, but the following three appear to have posed the greatest challenge for the project manager: (1) Managing the scope of the project in controlling the project The project scope is an explicit description of what are included in,

The Inspector in Act 1 Essay Example for Free

The Inspector in Act 1 Essay Consider the dramatic importance of the entrance of the Inspector in Act 1 and his exit in Act 3Â  Although the inspector does not enter until a while into the play, it is clear that his presence will shock the Birling family. The play is set in a house of a reasonable middle upper class family. The familys attire is very formal and displays to the audience the familys wealth. The entrance of the inspector brings a massive amount of dramatic irony and his entrance is immensely important to the views Priestley is trying to portray in the play. Likewise his exit lulls the family into a false sense of security. A sense of security that is promptly removed from them. The play is set in 1912,however it was written in 1945. Therefore Priestley uses the power of retrospect to plant clever irony throughout the play. I believe Priestley had a didactic purpose to tell a moral story as a product of the play. The props used are that of a typical wealthy household from the early twentieth century, however Priestley gives these normal objects a lot more emphasis. Birling is an extremely pompous and arrogant character. He has strong beliefs and is clearly not easily swayed in his views. It is obvious Birling has worked hard for his wealth and is excessively proud of his status in current society. Birling also stresses this numerous times to all the characters he is involved in dialogue with right through the play, For example I was lord mayor two years ago. The audience is shown immediately that Birling is a very proud person; Priestley uses dialogue to impact this on the audience. Birling basks in his high social status and is elated at the fact that his daughter is marrying above them, another building block for Birlings oversized ego. Birling also imposes long, drawn out speeches on the audience that turn out to be completely contradicted throughout the play. Birlings assumptions are proved to be wrong and things he thought would be an unrealistic joke actually become reality. For example, I gather theres a very good chance of a knighthood, so long as we behave ourselves. A typical example of how Birling is contradicted on a large scale as the play unfolds. The play is constructed very precisely; almost everything that comes from Birlings mouth is eventually reduced to nothing. Another good example is Birlings views on war nobody wants war he claims. Whereas both Priestley and the audience are fully aware that war does occur. Bringing with it more irony and adding to Priestleys constant mockery of Birling. Previous to the inspectors entrance, the atmosphere in the Birling household is highly warm, celebratory and comfortable. The family is celebrating a successful engagement that will result in the Birlings furthering their status. Birling is feeling confident and therefore he makes some smug, pompous speeches to his family. Almost everything he says is false in retrospect. Irony is increased, as Birling gives Eric and Gerald a speech on how to live their lives, the audience are aware that Birling should definitely not preach about this subject. The dramatic impact of the doorbell is immense and plays a huge role in the play as it interrupts a typical Birling lecture, symbolising the end of Birling being Top dog.

Tissue engineering for skin

Tissue engineering for skin TISSUE ENGINEERING OF THE SKIN (MECH 5510M) LITERATURE REVIEW SID: 200507638 ABSTRACT: This essay is a literature review on the tissue engineering for skin replacement, with regard to the clinical need, approaches various commercially-available products. Skin is undoubtedly crucial in the maintenance of the bodys internal balance also protecting externally. It gets severely compromised in burns, non-healing ulcers, reconstructive surgeries etc. bringing down the patients quality of life drastically. Tissue engineering is a more efficient approach than traditional skin grafting. It is a research area that is forever evolving, where researchers are always working towards one united goal, i.e. to develop in bulk quantities, a skin substitute that can be handled with less care, integrates faster with the bodys natural matrix and costs reasonable. INTRODUCTION: A lot of research has been undertaken in the past to realize that it is possible to generate skin by applying engineering techniques. This is done by growing skin at a faster rate than normal and in an artificial manner4. Skin is the largest most widely spread organ in the human body. Its role is to protect the bodys internal environment from harshness of the external conditions and restrict entry of microbes, by acting as a barrier4. Several situations diseases arise, due to which the skin gets irreparably damaged, thus requiring interventional help in restoring it back to health. Tissue engineering is the application of engineering techniques to develop biological substitutes1. Burns (acute) ulcers (chronic) are the most common conditions which require the replacement of skin. In developing countries (Fig 1)2,3, due to lack of knowledge on safety, a very high number of burns accidents occur every year, and mostly of fatal nature. The fatality is mainly due to pain, infection, loss of body fluids incapability of the body to self-regenerate large amounts of lost skin5. Thus, experimentation in this field was triggered. Many skin diseases, which lead to necrosis, pigmentation problems, also require engineered skin4. CLINICAL NEED FOR SKIN TISSUE ENGINEERING: In most incidents, both the epidermal and dermal layers require replacement. Conventionally, the treatment method involved skin grafting i.e. autologous (self) split-thickness and full-thickness grafting, where healthy skin was taken from other areas of the body and replaced at the injury site. Split-thickness (comprising of the epidermis a part of the dermis) grafting is not a logical method to use, when a large area of the body (>50%) is affected less healthy skin is available. But, it is todays gold standard approach6. Further trauma, due to grafting, can be painful to a patient who is already in a critical state. Also, scar formation post-operatively is another reason for its reduced usage. Full-thickness grafts are suitable to use when the burned area is less than 2% of the total area. These problems could be avoided if skin (of full or partial thickness) were grown artificially and substituted in the place of real skin6. LITERATURE REVIEW: The skin can be broadly divided into two layers i.e. the epidermis dermis. The epidermis is made up of several layers and may/may not consist of extra-cellular matrix (ECM). The layers from surface to deep are: cornified, granular, spinosal and basalar layers. The most commonly found cells here are the keratinocytes melanocytes. The dermis is constituted by GAGs proteins. Within the dermis, fibroblasts are most commonly found8. Several skin substitutes exist for wound coverage in tissue engineering4. It can be broadly divided into temporary and permanent skin substitutes. The table below (Table 1) is a list of all the material options available for skin replacement: Table 1: Temporary and Permanent Skin Substitutes8 Permanent tissue engineering of the skin can be broadly divided into three categories6, 8: Epidermal replacements Generally, using autologous keratinocyte sheets. Replaces only the epidermis, but â€Å"take rates† are very poor, suitable for superficial burn treatment only. Dermal replacements Replaces only the dermal layer. In most cases, it is applied along with an epidermal graft to improve â€Å"take rates†. Dermo-epidermal (bilayer skin) replacements Replaces both the epidermis and dermis. Suitable for full-thickness burns. Skin replacements have two main components i.e. cells and the scaffold. In wound coverage, three types of cells can be used autologous, allogenic or stem cells. Autologous (self) cell usage is the most preferred as it is easily accepted by the patients body does not need incite and anti-immune responses. Allogenic (donor) cells, if used directly can lead to the eventual rejection of the transplant. However, it is used in an acellular fashion, where the donor keratinocytes are removed prior to culturing9. Stem cells have trans-germal pluripotential properties are currently being researched for their poteintial application in skin engineering. Less information is obtained on keratinocyte stem cells. The suggested reason for their longevity is that KSC cycles very slowly and is resistant to mutations8. The type of biodegradable scaffold, either natural or synthetic permits cells to attach onto them and facilitate handling during transplantation6, 9. Rheinwald Green Experiment8: The experiment carried out in 1975 by Rheinwald and Green where human (autologous) keratinocytes were produced in-vitro, proved to be a breakthrough in this field and modified versions of this method are used nowadays. Extracted keratinocytes were allowed to form colonies on a plastic substrate. These colonies expanded to form a sheet. Stratifications arose as the daughter cells, usually at the centre, started multiplying vertically and a 12-cell layer was achieved. To increase the multiplicative capacity of keratinocytes, a feeder layer (comprising murine Swiss 3T3 lethally irradiated fibroblasts) mitogens were introduced to the culture. Epidermal Replacements: A small skin biopsy of the patient is harvested, which is cultured to produce a patch. The full-thickness biopsy of the patients skin is cut finely and enzymes are added to cause disaggregation of the skin into cells. A feeder layer, as mentioned previously, is used to culture these cells in culture flasks. To promote proliferation, epidermal growth factors, enzymes such as insulin, hydrocortisone, cholera-toxin and bovine serum are used. After colonies have been formed, trypsin is added. The KCs are cultured to confluence and later, the sheets are removed from the flasks (using dispase) for use8. The result of this method compared to the split-thickness gold standard is quite poor, as the dermal layer is missing and it depends upon the health of the dermis existing. Also, it is prone to scarring, takes too long, expensive, extremely fragile and has varying â€Å"take† rates6. Dermal Replacements: It was claimed, in 1952, that using only pure epidermal sheets, success would be lesser than compared to those with a dermis10. To accentuate the success of the epidermal transplantation, dermal replacements were constructed. A dermal replacement that covered the affected area with cryoprserved allogenic skin was used minus the epidermal layer was used11, 12. Also, an observation that allogenic keratinocytes elicited more anti-immune response than allogenic fibroblasts, was reported. To reconstruct the dermis, the two-stage Integra application is most widely used now13. This dermis functions as a scaffold for the attachment of keratinocytes and improves vascularization9. Burke et al (1981) developed a dermal replacement, where a collagen sponge was covered with a silastic layer (synthetic). The sponge behaves as a scaffold for the fibroblast cells. This technique was commercialized into a product (Integra Dermal Regeneration Template) 9, 14. A modification to this employed GAGs along with collagen, in the scaffold. Here, a precipitated mixture of bovine collagen fibres and a chondrotin-6-sulfate (GAG from shark cartilage) was freeze dried. This generated a collagen-GAG sponge scaffold, which had a mean pore size. Cross-linkage to strengthen the matrix was done using gluteraldehyde. Finally, the silastic layer was applied. This is available as a product; Integra Artificial Skin (Chamberlain and Yannas, 1999)9, 15. According to Heimbach et al (1988), this is most suitable for burns patients. The concept of using absorbable polymer scaffolds (synthetic) such as polyglactin 910 or polyglycolic acid was the next improvement in dermal replacements. Here, allogenic fibroblasts are enzymatically cultured and this culture is mounted on the polymer scaffold for integration). Due to this, an ECM consisting of collagen, growth factors, GAGs etc. is formed, which stays active even after it is frozen17. This was commercialized as Dermagraft 8, 16. Two-stage dermis application has shown proven results, and now clinical trials are being conducted to examine the applicability of one-stage dermis, such as Matriderm 6. The dermal replacements essentially require an epidermal covering. Dermo-Epidermal Replacements: These are available both as autologous or off-the-shelf products. In autologous DED replacements, both keratinocytes and fibroblasts are harvested from the patient and are added to the collagen-GAG scaffold. Cultivation of this in culture medium is for around four weeks. This is a more permanent solution 6, 18, 19. The first model of todays Apligraf was done by Bell et al (1979)20. DEDs use human keratinocytes fibroblast cells (allogenic) within a scaffold. Morphological studies after using Apligraf reported the presence of a well-defined epidermis, with all four layers, as in the natural skin, and seeded allogenic fibroblasts aligned in a normal manner within the collagen matrix 8, 21. COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE PRODUCTS: CONCLUSION FUTURE AIMS: Tissue engineering of the skin was the first to be approved by the FDA has evolved a great deal, from the first application of only cultured keratinocytes to the use of biological skin substitutes. Research is still in-progress to develop skin in bulk quantities, mainly for burns patients, and to mimic all the mechanical and properties and functions of the natural skin. The state of the art results can be achieved now by using cultured keratinocyte cells with the dermal replacement, Integra, in full-thickness, small and clean wounds. This has shown optimal results in cosmesis and wound closure8. However, this branch of tissue engineering is still very much in a developing level. Studies to analyse how to reduce various risks in patients, who receive donor cells should be done. Also, a main difficulty is in getting the cells to attach to the dermis, post-transplantation. Burns patients are highly susceptible to various problems, thus there is a need for materials that present lower risk than animal/human materials. Mainly, it is ideal if the graft starts to behave like natural skin soon after grafting, which is possible only with rapid vascularization and cell implantation. Also, low expense of these products is extremely desirable. REFERENCES: Nerem R M. 1992. Tissue engineering in the USA. Medical Biological Engineering Computing, Vol 30, pp. CE8-CE 12. Burn Incidence and Treatment in the United States: 1999 Fact Sheet (The Burn Foundation, Philadelphia, 1999). Rose, J. K. Herndon, D. N. Advances in the treatment of burn patients. Burns 23 (suppl. 1), S19-S26 (1997). McNeil S. 2007. Progress and opportunities for tissue-engineered skin. Nature. Vol 445 (22), pp. 874-880. Pomahac B, T. Svensjà ¶, F. Yao, H. Brown and E. Eriksson. 1998. Critical Reviews in Oral Bioogy and Medicine. Vol9; pp. 333-344. Bottcher-Haberzeth S, T Bedermann, E Reichmann. 2009. Tissue engineering of skin. Burns, doi:10.1016/j.burns.2009.08.016 Burn Injury Occurrence is higher in Developing Countries. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burn Price R, E Anthony, S Myers and H Navsaria. Chapter 17: Tissue engineering for Skin Transplantation. In: Clemens van Blitterswijk, Peter Thomsen, Anders Lindahl, Jeffrey Hubbell, David F. Williams, Ranieri Cancedda, Joost D. de Bruijn and Jà ©rà ´me Sohier eds., Tissue Engineering. Elsevier Inc, Pp. 507-532. Morgan J R, R L Sheridian, R G Tompkins, M L Yarmush and J F Burke. 2004. Chapter 7: Applications of Materials in Medicine, Biology and Artificial Organs (7.12). In: B D Ratner, A S Hoffman, F J Schoen and J E Lemons eds., Biomaterials Science. Elsevier Academic Press, pp. 602-614. Billingham, R.E. and Reynolds, J. 1952. Transplantation studies on sheets of pure epidermal epithelium and on epidermal cell suspensions. British Journal of Plastic Surgery, Vol 5, pp. 25 36. Cuono , C.B. , Langdon , R. , e t al. 1987. Composite autologous-allogeneic skin replacement: development and clinical application. Plastic Reconstruction Surgery, Vol 80, pp 626 637. Heck , E.L. , Bergstresser , P.R. , e t al. 1985. Composite skin graft: frozen dermal allografts support the engraftment and expansion of autologous epidermis . Journal of Trauma, Vol 25, pp. 106 112. Heimbach, D .M., W arden, G .D., e t al. ( 2003 ). Multicenter postapproval clinical trial of Integra dermal regeneration template for burn treatment. Journal of Burn Care Rehabilitation, Vol 24, pp. 42 48 . Burke, J.F. , Yannas , I.V. , e t al. ( 1981 b ). Successful use of a physiologically acceptable artificial skin in the treatment of extensive burn injury. Annals of Surgery, Vol 194, pp. 413 428. Chamberlain L J, Yannas I V. 1999. Preparation of collagen-glycosaminoglycan copolymers for tissue regeneration. In Methods in Tissue Engineering, J R Morgan and M L Yarmush eds. Humana Press, pp. 3-17. Hansbrough, J.F. , Cooper , M.L., et al. 1992a. Evaluation of a biodegradable matrix containing cultured human fibroblasts as a dermal replacement beneath meshed skin grafts on athymic mice. Surgery, Vol. 111, pp. 438 446. Cooper , M.L. , Hansbrough , J.F. , e t al. 1991. In vivo optimization of a living dermal substitute employing cultured human fibroblasts on a biodegradable polyglycolic acid or polyglactin mesh. Biomaterials, Vol. 12, pp. 243 248. Pham C, Greenwood J, Cleland H, Woodruff P, Maddern G. 2007. Bioengineered skin substitutes for the management of burns: a systematic review. Burns; Vol. 33, pp. 946-57. Boyce ST. 2001 Design principles for composition and performance of cultured skin substitutes. Burns; Vol. 27, pp. 523-33. Bell , E. , Ivarsson , B. , e t al. 1979. Production of a tissue like structure by contraction of collagen lattices by human fibroblasts of different proliferative potential in vitro. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, Vol. 76, pp. 1274 1278. Parenteau , N.L. , Bilbo , P. , et al. 1992. The organotypic culture of human skin keratinocytes and fibroblasts to achieve form and function. Cytotechnology, Vol. 9, pp. 163 171. Apligraf Structure vs. Skin Structure. Available from: http://www.organogenesis.com/images/apligraf_main3.jpg Fig. 3, Collagen GAG scaffolds for Tissue Engineering. Pek et al, 2004, Biomaterials. Available from: http://web.mit.edu/dmse/csg/Tissue_Regeneration.html Fig. 3, Collagen GAG scaffolds for Tissue Engineering. OBrien et al, 2004, Biomaterials. Available from:http://web.mit.edu/dmse/csg/Tissue_Regeneration.html

Corynebacterium Diphtheriae :: Medical Biology Medicinal Essays

Corynebacterium Diphtheriae Life History: Corynebacterium diphtheriae is the microbial causative agent of diphtheria; however, it is the exotoxin produced by pathogenic strains of the bacteria that cause the symptoms of the disease. Non-pathogenic strains are normal inhabitants of the oral cavity and lack the bacteriophage DNA to produce exotoxin. Pathogenic C. diphtheriae can localize in different parts of the body, including the nasal cavity, the naso-pharynx, the larynx, and the skin. Depending on the localization, the symptoms range from slight to severe (death). The bacteria are spread by direct person-to-person contact; concurrently, humans are the reservoirs for C. diphtheriae. Since the introduction of a vaccine in the 1920’s, diphtheria has not been prevalent in developed countries. Conversely, it is endemic in developing countries, especially in the former countries of the USSR. Characteristics: C. diphtheriae are non-motile, aerobic, gram-positive bacilli (rods). Viewed with a microscope, the bacteria are club-shaped and group in patterns that resemble Chinese characters. Little is known about the details of the adhesion mechanism of C. diphtheriae, but the bacteria are known to produce a neuraminidase. This enzyme is able to split N-acetylneuuraminic acid, which is found on the surface of animal cells. This may facilitate bacterial entry into the host cell. There are four biotypes of C. diphtheriae, gravis, mitis, belfanti, and intermedius. Only intermedius can be differentiated by colony morphology; small, gray, or transluscent lipophilic colonies compared to larger, white or opaque colonies of the other biotypes. In addition, the biotype intermedius is rare in clinical infections, while the belfanti biotype rarely carries the tox gene. Virulence: C. diphtheriae are capable of producing exotoxin. The diphtheria toxin gene, tox, is located on a bacteriophage genome; thus, bacteriophage infection is necessary for virulence. tox is negatively regulated by diphtheria toxin repressor (DxtR), located on the bacterial chromosome, in response to iron concentration within the cell. When iron concentration is low, DxtR does not repress the tox gene because it requires iron to be functional. Thus, when iron concentration is low, the tox gene is transcribed and toxin is produced. Diphtheria toxin is made up of a single polypeptide chain with two portions, A and B. The toxin attaches to a cell membrane receptor of the host cell and is engulfed by receptor-mediated endocytosis. Once inside the vesicle, the disulfide bond between the A and B portion is cleaved and the A portion enters the cytosol, where is can resist degradation for a long period of time.

The Suffering of the Proud Essay -- English Literature Essays

The Suffering of the Proud Pride is a key to self-respect; however, when it goes to far, people forget that humility is a virtue too. In the play Antigone, pride plays a major role throughout, appearing as fatal flaws in both Antigone and Kreon, the main characters of Sophocles’s tragedy. For Antigone and Kreon, as soon as the stepped past the line of humility, they were doomed to fail. For example, Kreon became so proud of himself he refused to listen to others warnings and assumes the gods are on his side. â€Å"But didn’t that girl do wrong?’ ‘The whole nation denies it.’ ‘Will the nation tell me what orders I can give?† (Kreon, Haimon, Kreon 881-3) this is a perfect example, because he refuses to listen to his son, and then, when presented with the fact that the whole nation thinks he is wrong, decides that he doesn’t care what the nation thinks. Throughout the play, his advisor, Koryphaios, repeatedly gives him gentle warnings, and Kreon claims he is getting old, ignores him, or refutes him with points that only emphasize his out-of-control pride, such as, â€Å"Men our age, learn from [Haimon] (Kreon 876). He also assumes that the gods will go along with whatever he says, â€Å"can you see the gods honoring criminals? Impossible† (Kreon 364-5). This kind of attitude is something that appears in almost ever y Greek myth, the thought that the gods will side with them no matter what, and it always ends up biting them in the rear. Furthermore, Kreon holds his subjects in contempt...

Shipper Manufacturing Company Case Study

In order for the APD Division at Shipper to gradually shift from a low volume/sole-source product line to a higher volume/continuous product, manufacturing will need to adopt new operations objectives with respect to cost, delivery, quality and flexibility. The current customized products allow for costs to be passed through to the customer but with a producer designed product, more of the costs could fall internally and have a larger affect on profits. The price tag of the product will become a more important objective due to increased competition and we will therefore want to reduce costs and should be emphasized as the mission objective. The shift from customer to producer designs will reduce flexibility since Shipper will aim for fewer manufactured products marketed at a wider audience. The quality objective should not change much from the current; Shipper would still want to maintain the quality standards they are known for, which may already provide for a distinct competence. Quality would be an order qualifier supporting the order winner of cost and can aide in positioning APD’s products as a strong competitor in the anticipated market. Delivery as a qualifier will also help win orders in a more competitive environment and thus the objective should be to trim it down. New expectations may require stocking a finished goods inventory and possibly maintaining supplies to quickly produce the goods during peaks of demand. Higher and more normal volume shipping routines may also benefit the end of delivery process. Shipper can help solidify a competitive role in the expected market by establishing a competitive advantage derived from maintaining these objectives when moving towards a multiple customer and high production volume strategy. Many, if not all elements of operations will need adjustment to account for this change in strategy and manufacturing operations objectives. A low cost and improved delivery objective will put a more normal routine on many items and that ideally can improve a number of processes and costs along the way. The process should trend toward a high volume/low cost basis and involve repetition ov er a long period of time. Since these processes would be continually run, it would now be worth the investment of capital into more automated equipment to speed up production and duplication. This should also reduce the labor intensity needed to produce the finished good and be more effective as a line flow as opposed to the current job shop approach. Furthermore, placing orders and stocking inventory will no longer run parallel as easily and may need to be separated in the process for more direct control and efficiency. The materials supply is already integrated vertically and is an existing benefit of the structure, greater possible savings might be achievable due to economies of scale with higher volumes. The work force would be directly affected by the changes in the manufacturing equipment towards automation. Fewer and lower skilled laborers will be necessary, which will draw lower wages and reduce costs but open the potential for dissatisfaction with the job. Management of labor will still be as important as always and the need to maintain morale and a positive attitude could possibly come into play in order to keep workers motivated and production at a high level of quality. More growth opportunities may reveal themselves to laborers with the need for more direct control in manufacturing. Quality control would need to evolve to consider the newer higher volume production versus the existing project orientation. The teamwork mentality may also suffer from the change to a line flow and may require a quality control panel to make up for the quality attitude lost by leaving a group project orientation. Other control factors need to evolve to accommodate the shift. More raw inputs and finished goods may have to be stocked on site and require better organization than the manual system. Production and inventory control will need to get the manual system updated to the new computer system, to eliminate the dependency for expediting and stock chasing, which could only get worse with a larger production. Improved capacity should follow once operations move more towards the higher volume product line and fully utilize new equipment. Scheduling will most likely get more intricate and be streamlined to ensure maximum efficiency from the growing capacity as the operation changes to a line flow. The organization may want to accommodate the new strategy and open up a trained production/inventory control position specific to APD, in addition to the materials management service for all divisions. Developing a quality control area directly under APD also may be advantageous, to incorporate quality assurance into the different steps of manufacturing instead of an end process inspection. It might create a better opportunity to prevent errors in house and reduce the need to correct them after the fact, preventatively reducing costs.

Concepts of Morality Essay

Define and compare the concepts of morality, law, and religion by explaining the source of each and whether one or all rely upon each other. Morality has to do with our ideas regarding what is right and what is wrong and how right and wrong behavior should be punished and rewarded. http://www. education. com/reference/article/moral-concepts-children/. As with the law and religion parts, they rely upon each other by the minds of many people. When religious leaders speak out on moral topics, their opinions are often treated with special deference. They are regarded as â€Å"moral experts. † This raises the question of: â€Å"Whether morality depends in some way on religion? † The answer to this question may be of considerable practical importance. If morality does depend on religion, the process of secularization, in the course of which religious belief and practice wither away, seems to pose a serious threat to morality. Most of the discussion in this entry will address the issue of whether moral requirements (obligations) and prohibitions (wrongness) depend on a deity of the sort to which the major monotheisms of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are committed. Discussions of whether morality depends on religion frequently focus exclusively on the deontological domain. Deontology consists of a system of requirements, permissions, and prohibitions. It is structurally similar to systems of law. Hence it’s natural to think of deontology as the domain of moral law. The question arises as to whether moral law’s binding force depends on the authority of a divine lawgiver or religion belief expert. http://www. highbeam. com/doc/1G2-3446801737. html.

Why the Islam is a threat to the Western world Essay

Why the Islam is a threat to the Western world - Essay Example ng of thousands of Muslims that are living in the Western World, and new challenges are faced by them every other day due to the deteriorated circumstances created by the Islamic jihadists in these countries. In addition, plight of Western Muslims has exacerbated due to the extremism of a small number of Muslims in these countries. It is observed that many Western Muslims are putting their efforts for the improvement of image of Islam in the West; however, Islam is considered as one of the serious threats to the Western security and democracy. An extraordinary amount of anger and frustration is observed in Muslims in different parts of the globe due to the Western invasion in different Muslims parts, which has caused deaths of civilians by the Western forces in the name of War on Terrorism. A number of researches and studies have indicated that majority of the Muslim World has a negative and angry opinion related to the Western countries and its anti-Islamic policies. (Pratt, pp. 40-47) Moreover, a number of Western countries and its sensible individuals take the terrorist activities as isolated incidents of aggression rather than taking it as an Islamic threat. However, such positive perspective towards Islam has been affected by some issues that keep on presenting Islam as a religion of terror. The Western psyche has been affected by the attacks of September 11 on New York Twin Towers, as well as, suicide bombings on US-led forces and buildings in different parts of the world, particularly Iraq and Israel. In the result, Islam and Muslims are taken as terrorists and threats due to a number of episodes of suicide bombings. One of the reasons of such adverse effects on the Western psyche is the wrong utilization of freedom of speech by a minority of Western Muslims that present such terrorist activities as a noble and Islamic strategy of Islam religion. In the result, such negative approach has presented Islam as a threat and barbaric religion in the Western

Switching from Insulin to Oral Sulfonylureas in Patients with Diabetes Lab Report

Switching from Insulin to Oral Sulfonylureas in Patients with Diabetes Due to Kir6.2 Mutations - Lab Report Example Diabetic patients have a KATP channels with decreased sensitivity to ATP inhibition because of KCNJ11 mutations. As a result of this, their channels remain open in the presence of glucose, thereby reducing insulin secretion. Ketoacidosis or marked hyperglycemia is seen in such patients with low levels of circulating endogenous insulin and are therefore treated with insulin. A class of drugs called Sulfonylureas, close KATP channels by an ATP-independent route, thereby causing insulin secretion. The authors hypothesized that sulfonylureas may represent a suitable therapy for patients with KCNJ11 mutations. The purpose of the study was to assess i) glycemic control in 49 consecutive patients with Kir6.2 mutations who received appropriate doses of sulfonylureas ii) to investigate the insulin secretory responses to intravenous and oral glucose, a mixed meal, and glucagons in smaller groups and iii) to assay the response of mutant KATP channels to the sulfonylurea tolbutamide in xenopus oocytes. A total of 49 consecutive patients from 40 families were identified as having diabetes caused by a heterozygous KCNJ11 mutation through sequencing performed in molecular genetics laboratories in Exeter, United Kingdom (34 patients), Paris (5 patients),and Bergen, Norway (10 patients) were the study participants. All 49 patients either switched from insulin to sulfonylurea therapy or were unable to switch but received an adequate dose of sulfonylureas before October 2005 were included in the study. No other selection criteria were applied. No exclusion criteria were defined by the authors and the study did not include randomization technique. As it was a cohort study, it was not possible to compare the groups. Patients with a successful switch (n =44) had the following mutations F35V, H46Y, R50Q, G53N, G53R, V59M (6 patients), K170T, R201C (5 patients), R201H (23 patients), R201L, E322K, Y330S,

Hyperopia (eye defect) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hyperopia (eye defect) - Essay Example For example, in mild cases of this disorder eyes may focus without corrective lenses. In some other forms of hyperopia, eyeglasses or contact lenses can be prescribed. As a rule, new born children have some problems of hyoperopia (Tsubota, Boxer Wacher, Azar, and Koch, 2003). This can be explained by an abnormal in eyeball length. This disorder is characterized by inability of the retina to reflect light primary to changing into a focused image, which can lead to difficulty seeing of close objects (Eye Health: Presbyopia and Your Eyes, October, 2005). Different mistakes of vision can be explained in terms of hyperopia, for example a person can have from none to clear distance vision or blurry near vision (Edmiston). The brains of a child with hyperopia cannot identify sharp lines. Parents of these children cannot understand that the child has some problems at an early age. A child with hyperopia can have problems when focusing one's attention on a particular object. There is a lackin g of a child's ability identify images. Some serious cases of hyperopia prevent brains from merging the images identified by individual eyes. This can be explained by blurred images received from brains. ... This type of drops relaxes the accommodation. The patient's visual status can be determined with the help of hand-held instrument called a retinoscope. It is possible to measure a refractive error in units called diopters (D) (Chou, 2006.) This disease is also known as farsightedness, when a person can see distant objects clearly, but close objects as blurred ones. Individuals suffering hyperopia can experience it in a different manner. Hyperopia is more characterized as eye disorder, but not as a disease. On the basis of recent researches and studies it is possible to find out different characteristics of this eye disorder. For example, the scientists have claimed that age of people and their gender influences development of this disorder. Female gender patients are more subjected to hyperopia. Other scientists claim that males are more subjected to this eye disorder. Actually, it is relevant to refer to the reliability of data and statistics used to rely on the results of the studi es. In accordance with findings of 2010: â€Å"farsightedness commonly affects people during middle age - during their 40s or 50s, but it may also be present from birth. The majority of children who are born with some degree of hyperopia tend to get better as they get older and their eyes develop† (Nordqvist, 2010). The National Health Service (NHS), UK, underlines that 13.2% of British people suffer this disorder, though they are 20-25 years aged. If to consider hyperopia from a physiological point of view, it is possible to see that there are the following features, which are appropriate for people suffering from it. The cornea is a front part of an eye that transmits the light and focuses it in the eye. The lens is so-called transparent structures in the

Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Coursework Example Therefore, the best way to use means is with large sample size because when the samples are small and has some scores that are higher than the rest, it will be skewed higher as opposed to other scores. In general, the median refers to the middle score from a list of values. It is the point at which one half of the values are above while the other half is below. The advantage of media is their less sensitivity to extremes. Therefore, they are a better measure of central tendency for use in determining the middle score or salary especially when the sample size is not big. The mode provides the salary or wage that is common, or the amount of salary that appears the most number of times in the set of salaries. The advantage is that is provides a common figure that can be used as the measure of salary payable by the institution. The disadvantage is that it may not reflect any significant statistical value for decision making The mean salary provides the average salary that is payable within a set of salaries. We are able to know the average amount of salary payable. The mean is most appropriate statistical value when making decisions regarding management of salaries. The disadvantage is that the distribution of salaries may not be normal owing to the great differences between the maximum and minimum salaries hence may not provide appropriate decision making model The median is the amount of salary that appears at the middle when the whole set of salaries are arranged from the lowest to the highest. The median only shows the salary that appears at the middle and cannot be used in decision making. Standard deviation measures the deviation of values from the mean, unlike rage that only shows the difference between the maximum and the minimum salary. Therefore, standard deviation is the most appropriate measure to assess how the salaries are distributed because it shows whether the distribution is normal or not. The standard deviation is measure variability