Thursday, October 31, 2019

Needing the Unnecessary by James B. Twitchell Article

Needing the Unnecessary by James B. Twitchell - Article Example These products are of high meaning to us but have almost zero utility. I absolutely agree with the writer since things, the possession of which, was highly cherished previously are now taken for granted. The middle-class community is now not striving to give their family a better living and their children a good education, but they are now working themselves out in order to get the luxuries that they yet do not have. We have converted our wants into needs. We need to ask ourselves if this is what the generation of tomorrow requires and should we start giving more importance to directing the youth towards morals rather than teaching them how to acquire luxuries. 2. Brand Equity is "An intangible value-added aspect of a particular good that is otherwise not considered unique". It is attained by companies through an aggressive marketing campaign. Measuring brand equity is not at all simple. The logo of Coca Cola, for instance, is recognized worldwide but we cannot say that it enjoys strong brand equity just because people know about it. Moreover, a partial measure of brand equity is brand loyalty. However all consumers who always buy Coca Cola cannot be called loyal but they can also be categorized as habitual, who do not seek variety in their tastes. Another measure of brand equity is the brand image.  Ã‚   Hence an authentic measurement of brand equity has not yet been developed. 3. Price elasticity of demand refers to the way prices change in relationship to the demand, or the way demand changes in relation to pricing. Generally, it is believed that related to a reduction in the price of a product its demand increases. I think price elasticity can be used to identify a brand's competitors. Say for example that your product is not too high or not too low priced (mediocre). You lose a number of sales to competitors you would like to identify. Maybe if you increased your product price to an extent(for a certain period of time) that demand for it lowers, you could now study the consumers and identify which other brands the consumers shift to, thus identifying your competitors.   

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Account for plagiarism in universities in English speaking countries Essay

Account for plagiarism in universities in English speaking countries - Essay Example Plagiarism is referred to as copying other people’s ideas or words without giving proper reference or credit. It is just a part of overall cheating problem.Subjective evidence and few researches reveal that cheating among students is much more widespread than it is usually acknowledged. In 2009-10, as much as 17,000 students in more than 80 universities were recorded by universities as involved in plagiarizing. Nowadays, Plagiarism has become a growing concern for universities. A large number of universities spend thousands of dollars in purchasing expensive plagiarism detector software so as to determine the percentage of plagiarism in an assignment. In order to overcome cost, many universities do not check plagiarism of every assignment since there are thousands of students with dozens of courses each year. Therefore, they prefer in checking plagiarism of the most important assignments, dissertations and research papers only. The availability of all type of information over internet has made plagiarism easier than ever before. Copying and pasting entire essays or few paragraphs from internet can be done in just few mouse clicks. Plagiarism is more common among university students since they face unanticipated pressures of deadlines. There are certain reasons which account for plagiarism in university students in English speaking countries. Some of them are briefly mentioned below. Ignorance Countries other than United States may have taught different conventions and rules to their students, which differentiate from that of American Academy. Others merely might not know how to paraphrase appropriately or they might believe that as long as they are providing references and inserting in-text citations, then it is acceptable to use the same language as mentioned in the source from where they are copying. One of the methods to fight ignorance is to teach students in class regarding the convention of academic citations. It can be done by discussing about pla giarism in class, guiding students to the websites of writing centers and handing them out different material related to plagiarism. Writing difficulty Due to lack of interest in studies, many students do not participate in class work and home work. By doing so, they soon lose confidence in their writing skills and abilities. They feel that they are deprived of creative and good ideas as well as academic writing skills. Such students usually confront writer’s block when they are facing the blank page. Since they lack confidence in their own writing abilities, they feel they would not be getting good marks. Therefore, they tend to copy their assignment from other credible sources. Anxiety Anxiety can result from many causes. Some of them include tensions at jobs, anxiety about writing, being overloaded with too many assignments, certain issues at home, not completely understanding the assignment questions etc. Such anxiety arise sense of laziness and carelessness among student s. Since they cannot escape the given assignments, therefore they tend to find relevant answers on internet and copy and paste those answers into their assignments as their own words. Careless note-taking Many students do not pay attention in class and avoid note-taking of class lectures. Making notes of regular lectures can minimize the trouble of writing assignment, since they would have necessary points written in their notebooks with the help of which, they can prepare their assignments. Many students do not write notes while being in the class and therefore, when an assignment is given to them, they plagiarize. Lack of perceived consequences If a large number of students are cheating, then it also affects other students who are preparing their assignments by themselves. Such students feel discouraged since they are putting too much effort into their homework while others aren’t. Even worse, the students who plagiarize get good marks than those who are working hard on the ir assignments without

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Biosynthesis of Nanocomposites Using Leaf Extract

Biosynthesis of Nanocomposites Using Leaf Extract ABSTRACT Various nanoparticles and nanocomposites have been synthesized using leaf extract and evaluated for their antibacterial activity. This review intends to present biosynthesis of nanocomposites using leaf extract. Here, I have discussed biosynthesis methods of polymer nanocomposites using leaf extract. The potential of nanotechnology and biological science together is enormous. There are many potential antibacterial applications of nanocomposites such as in antimicrobial textiles, food preservation, surface disinfection, burn dressings, safe cosmetics, medical devices, drug carriers, dental fillers and adhesives, water treatment etc. In recent years nanocomposite films have been studied for wound dressing. I have discussed a bionanocomposite film and hydrogel that have application in wound dressing. CHAPTER 1:  INTRODUCTION 1.1 Nanotechnology Nanotechnology is a branch of science and technology that deals with matter of size 1-100nm. Since then there has been lot of advancement in nanotechnology. Nanotechnology has applications in almost every field such as electronics, medicine, biomaterials, energy production etc. When a macroscopic material changes to nanomaterials, properties such as electrical, mechanical, optical, catalytic, medicinal, biological etc change. Gold which does not react with other chemicals easily at normal scales acts as a good catalyst when converted to nanoscale. 1.2 Nanoscale materials Nanoscale materials include materials which posses at least one dimension in the nanometer range i.e. 1-100nm. The key characteristics defining the potential applications of nanoscale materials include the following: Higher surface area Higher chemical reactivity Better catalytic properties Better adsorption Variety of chemical synthesis routes. Natural and synthetic strategies 1.3 Nanocomposites Nanocomposites are materials made from two or more individual components with properties different from each other, which when combined produce a material with properties completely different from the individual materials. A nanocomposite consists of two or more phases where one phase is monolithic (single crystal) into which the reinforcement are embedded. The monolithic material is known as a matrix. Reinforcement, in a nanocomposite is a nanosized materials embedded into the parent material called matrix. Nanocomposites are broadly classified into three types a) ceramic-matrix nanocomposites b) metal-matrix nanocomposites c) polymer-matrix nanocomposites d) inter metallic matrix nanocomposites. CHAPTER 2:  BIOSYNTHESIS OF NANOCOMPOSITE USING LEAF EXTRACT Nanoparticles are being used in many sectors of the economy and it is important to consider the biological and environmental safety of their production. The main methods for nanoparticle synthesis are chemical and physical approaches and these approaches are often expensive and potentially harmful to the environment. Green synthesis approach has been pursued in recent years as an alternative, inexpensive, efficient, and environmentally safe method for synthesizing nanoparticles with specific properties. The main focus is on the role of the natural plant (leaf) extracts involved in the bioreduction and capping of metal salts during the nanocomposite synthesis. Many researchers have reported the biosynthesis of nanoparticles by leaf extracts and their potential applications in various fields. 2.1 Commonly used leaf extracts for synthesis of nanocomposites Binomial name: Murraya koenigii Common Name: Curry Tree Family Name: Rutaceae Description: Curry tree is native to India and Sri Lanka. The leaves ofMurraya koenigiiare used as an  herb  in  Ayurvedic medicine because of its antioxidant, anti-diabetic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti- hypercholesterolemic properties. Curry leaves recently been found to be as a potent antioxidant due to high concentrations of carbazoles, a water soluble heterocyclic compound. Carbazoles found in leaf extract may be responsible for the reduction and stabilization of metal ions. Further research is necessary to explain and extend the reduction mechanism of Murraya koenigii leaf extract for further application. Binomial Name: Tridax procumbens Common Name: Coat buttons or Tridax Daisy Family Name: Asteraceae Description: Tridax procumbens is a widespread weed and pest plant native to America. The plant has various medicinal properties. Tridax procumbens is rich in alkaloids, flavanoids, carotenoids and tannins. It is used in nanoparticle synthesis as it has high amounts of ketones, amines, phenols, lactones and alkanes which are capable of reducing metal ions. Binomial Name : Ficus benghalensis Common Name: Banyan Tree Family: Moraceae Description: Banyan tree is a deciduous tree found throughout the forest tract of India, in sub-Himalayan region. Ficus benghalensis is widely used for its medicinal properties. Ficus benghalensis leaf extract has proteins/enzymes which reduce the metal ions and it also contains reducing sugars such as flavanones which provide stability to the nanoparticles. Binomial Name: Calotropis gigantean Common Name: Crown Flower Family Name: Apocynaceae Description: Calotropis gigantean is a large shrub rich in metabolites responsible for reduction metal ions. Organic compounds like alkaloids, polyphenols, and proteins present in plant extracts are capable of reducing and capping nanoparticles. Binomial Name: Catharanthus roseus Common Name: Madagascar periwinkle Family Name: Apocynaceae Description: Catharanthus roseus is a medicinal subshurb. Catharanthus roseus contains more than 70 alkaloids. 2.3 Nanocomposites synthesized using leaf extract A broad spectrum of leaf extracts can be utilized for the biosynthesis of nanoparticles. In this section I have briefly discussed synthesis of two polymer-matrix nanocomposites using leaf extract. In both the examples, reinforcement is silver nanoparticle and the matrix of the nanocomposite is a polymer. 2.3.1 Ag impregnated Microcrystalline Cellulose Bionanocomposite film Silver nanoparticles are impregnated into microcrystalline cellulose to form a nanocomposite. Curry leaf extract is used for the bioreduction and capping of silver nanoparticles. First 0.001M silver nitrate solution is prepared in 1000 mL of deionised water. 10 g of microcrystalline cellulose is added to the silver nitrate solution and sonicated for 10 minutes. 50 mL of curry leaf broth is added to the mixture and the mixture is stirred for 6 hours. Silver ions are reduced to silver by curry leaf extract. Reduced silver nucleates in to the silver nanoparticles on the microcrystalline fibrils. After 6 hours the mixture is allowed to settle down and excess reaction mixture is decanted. The silver nanoparticles impregnated microcrystalline cellulose is washed with deionized water and ethanol and then dried in oven at 55ËÅ ¡C over night. The formation of silver nanoparticles is confirmed by UV-vis spectra as the peak is observed at 430 nm. The colour of microcrystalline cellulose is white and after impregnation of silver on it, it changes to yellowish brown. 0.5 g of polylactic acid is dissolved in 20 mL of chloroform with moderate heating and constant stirring for 30 minutes. The dried silver nanoparticle coated microcrystalline powder is added in 5%, 10% and 20% w/w concentration to separate samples. The polylactic acid is stirred with silver impregnated microcrystalline cellulose for a day to allow for dispersion. The mixture is poured to glass Petri dish and left to evaporate. When the chloroform evaporates, the plastic film is removed and collected from Petri dish. Silver impregnated microcrystalline bionanocomposite film is obtained. [6] 2.3.2 Silver/Starch-co-polyacrylamide hydrogel nanocomposite Gelatinized starch solution is prepared by mixing a known amount of starch powder in 10 mL of deionized water and 1 mL of 0.5 mL of 0.5 M sodium hydroxide solution. The mixture is heated at 90ËÅ ¡C for 10 minutes in a water bath with continuous stirring. A predetermined amount of maleic acid is then added to the gelatinized starch solution. The mixture of gelatinized starch and maleic acid is further heated at 80ËÅ ¡C in a water bath for 4 hours. Then acrylamide is added and stirred for 30 minutes at 50ËÅ ¡C. After that initiator (potassium persulfate or KPS) and crosslinker (methylenebisacrylamide or MBA) is added. Finally, an aqueous solution of tetramethylenediamide (TEMED) is added to the solution and for another 10 minutes same temperature is maintained. The synthesized co-polymeric hydrogel is taken out after the completion of free radical polymerization. Then the synthesized co-polymeric hydrogel is immersed in double distilled water at room temperature for a da y to remove excess of unreacted reagents and monomers present in hydrogel network. To remove the residue effectively the double distilled water is refreshed for every 12 hours. At last the hydrogel is dried at ambient temperature for 48 hours. Precisely weighed dried starch-co-polyacrylamide hydrogel is equilibrated with double distilled water for 48 hours and instantly transferred to a beaker containing 100 mL of 0.005 M silver nitrate solution and then equilibrated for 24 hours. During this process the silver ions are exchanged from solution into free network spaces of co-polymeric hydrogel. To a beaker containing 50 ml Tridax procumbens leaf extract, hydrogel with absorbed silver ions is added and kept for 24 hours. Reduction of silver ions into silver nanoparticles occurs and hydrogel turns into brown colour. The brown colour confirms the formation of silver nanoparticles in hydrogel matrix. [7] CHAPTER 3:  ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF NANOCOMPOSITES SYNTHESIZED USING LEAF EXTRACT Due to the rising concerns of bacterial infections, there is a growing need to develop new and powerful antibacterial agents. Mainly, nanoparticles have been applied in burn dressings, cosmetics, food preservation, medical devices, water treatment etc. There is a wide bioapplication of nanoparticles. It has been recognized that the bactericidal effect of nanoparticles is dependent on their size, size distribution, shape, morphology, surface functionalization, and their stability. Additionally, the use of inorganic nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents has numerous benefits such as enhanced stability and safety in contrast with the organic antimicrobial agents. Green synthesis and functionalization of nanoparticles enhances their antibacterial activity and improves their stability. In this section antibacterial activity of silver/polymer film and hydrogel is discussed. So the antibacterial activity of nanocomposites is enhanced. 3.1 Antibacterial activity of Ag impregnated Microcrystalline Cellulose Bionanocomposite film The PLA/MCC sample was tested for antimicrobial activity using Charm disk assay. Firstly an agar plate was seeded with Bacillus stearothermophilus. Then small circular pieces of the films were placed on the seeded agar and incubated. Indicators are present in agar which signifies the status of microbial growth. Yellow colour indicates the microbial growth and purple indicates the inhibition. The initial analysis shows that the film exhibits considerable antibacterial properties. [6] 3.2 Antibacterial activity of Silver/Starch-co-polyacrylamide hydrogel nanocomposite The antibacterial activity of SNCH was evaluated by disc diffusion technique against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria such as Bacillus and Escherichia coli. Firstly, nutrient agar medium was prepared by mixing beef extract (3 g), peptone (5 g) and sodium chloride (5 g) in 1000 mL distilled water. The pH of the medium was adjusted to 7. Finally agar (15 g) was added to the prepared solution and then medium was sterilized in an autoclave at a pressure of 15 lbs for 30 minutes at 121ËÅ ¡C. This medium was then transferred into a sterilized glass Petri dish in a laminar air flow chamber. After the media solidified, Escherichia coli and Bacillus culture (50à °Ã‚ Ã…“†¡L) was spread on the solid surface of the media. Paper discs (6mm diameter) were soaked in the test compounds (20mg/20mL) overnight. Then these discs were loaded on culture plates. The plates were incubated for 24 hours at 37à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹Å"C. The inhibition zone appears around the disc which shows the anti bacterial effect of SNCH. [7] Pure hydrogels are generally inefficient for antibacterial activity. It is seen that smaller the size of silver nanoparticle greater is the antibacterial activity. .The SNCH having low silver nanoparticles concentration still showed excellent antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bactericide. This results into inhibition of bacterial cell growth. So SNCH nanocomposites can be used as successful antibacterial agents such as wound-dressing materials. [7] Modern wound dressing theory, suggests promoting dynamic equilibrium between exudate absorption and optimal surface moisture at the wound surface. In addition, it should be able to exchange gas to provide the wound with adequate oxygen tension. 3.3 Mechanism of antibacterial activity of nanoparticles Antibacterial activity is a property due to which compounds are capable to kill or slow down the bacterial growth, without causing toxicity to host cells. Such agents are classified as a) bactericidal, which kill bacteria, 2) bacteriostatic, which slow down the bacterial growth. The exact mechanism of nanoparticle toxicity against various types of bacteria is not completely evaluated yet. It is proposed that nanoparticles attach themselves to bacterial membrane by electrostatic interaction and disrupt its integrity. Nanotoxicity is triggered by the initiation of oxidative stress by free radical formation, i.e. ROS, followed by the administration of nanoparticles. The nanoparticle toxicity depends on composition, intrinsic properties, surface modification of the bacterial species and the physical and chemical properties of nanoparticles, indicating the mechanisms to be highly complex. The antibacterial mechanisms of nanomaterials is not fully elucidated, but the existing concept suggests various combinations of processes that can occur (1) ions are released which is followed by cellular uptake and a cascade of intracellular reactions, (2) extracellular and intracellular generation of ROS and (3) direct interactions between nanoparticles and cell membrane. At sub-micromolar concentrations, ions are internalized and they react with the thiol groups of cellular proteins, which lead to uncoupling of ATP synthesis from respiration, loss of proton motive force, and interference with the phosphate efflux system. At millimolar levels, nanoparticles induce detachment of the cell wall from the cytoplasm, possibly releasing the intracellular content, DNA condensation and loss of replication ability. ROS produces oxidative stress which results in lipid membrane and DNA damage. Finally, nanoparticles increase the cell membrane permeability and, subsequently, penetrate inside c ells to induce any one or the entire cascade of effects mentioned above. [9] CONCLUSION The most important objective of nanobioscience involves application of nanotools to relevant biological and medical problems and refining these applications. The use of microorganisms and plants for synthesis of metal nanoparticles is of great interest. In contrast to chemical and physical synthesis methods, biological processes for synthesizing nanomaterials can be achieved in aqueous phase in gentle and environment friendly conditions. This approach has become attractive focus in current green nanotechnology. With the help of this approach we can synthesize nanomaterials in less toxic way as it replaces toxic chemical reducing and capping agents. Inorganic nanoparticles naturally possess bacteria-killing properties, but by modifying the inorganic nanoparticles i.e. forming nanocomposites, these properties can be enhanced. In the biomedical field, a synthesis of nanocomposite films and hydrogels by a green process was developed to enhance the inactivation of bacteria in wounds. Ther e are also other potential antibacterial applications of nanocomposites such as in antimicrobial textiles, food preservation, surface disinfection, burn dressings, safe cosmetics, medical devices, drug carriers, dental fillers and adhesives, water treatment etc. Further research on nanocomposites capable of antibacterial activity is necessary for large scale commercial application

Friday, October 25, 2019

How does Harper Lee Manage to Draw Together the Stories of Boo Radley E

How does Harper Lee Manage to Draw Together the Stories of Boo Radley and Tom Robinson? Do you find her Way of doing this Effective? There is a strong literary motif running through Harper Lee's novel 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. The stories of Boo Radley and Tom Robinson are drawn together by the way they are both mockingbirds in their own way. Both men are on the outskirts of society and are misunderstood by the predominantly white population of Maycomb. In the first part of the novel, there is a very important quote used: "Shoot all the Bluejays you want if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." 'To Kill a Mockingbird' is a novel about a young girl named Jean Louise Finch or Scout growing up in a very prejudiced American town in the 1930's. Her life is fairly normal until her father, a lawyer named Atticus, is asked to defend a black man charged with the rape of a white girl, Mayella Ewell. Atticus knows there is no chance he can win because his defendant, Tom Robinson is black and therefore guilty but as Atticus said himself: "Just because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win." The jury persecutes Tom Robinson in his trial. It would have been impossible for him to abuse Mayella because he cannot use his left arm. Mr Heck-Tate said that she had a black right eye, suggesting her attacker was left-handed. Her father, Bob Ewell, was, suggesting that he beat her up. Because Tom couldn't punch Mayella with his left fist, it couldn't have been him. Tom Robinson is an admirable character and very brave. He showed these qualities in the trial by speaking his mind and saying the truth, but this still was not enough to sway the ju... ...or example he leaves two dolls carved out of soap in the likeness of Jem and Scout. A lot of effort and thought would have gone into those dolls, just to please the children. He has done nothing but try to make the children happy but they are still unkind towards him. Harper Lee's way of making both Boo Radley and Tom Robinson mockingbirds is very effective. It gives the reader a parallel to compare each two. Both men are on the outskirts of society and are misunderstood by the predominantly white population of Maycomb. Harper Lee draws the two stories together to give out a very powerful message: you shouldn't judge people on the colour of their skin or their lifestyle. You never know exactly how that person's feeling until you climb inside their skin and walk around in it. This is summarised in a quote made by Atticus: "Were you ever a turtle huh?"

Thursday, October 24, 2019

African American: an Identity Crisis Essay

For centuries African Americans have been indoctrinated to subsist in a cultural and historical vacuum by their oppressors who would seek to bar them from ever making the connection to their illuminating past. This systematic agenda of mis-education and lies by omission has made possible the subjugation and enslavement, in body and mind, of the African American by his oppressors. In his essay â€Å"The Study of the Negro,† Dr. Carter G. Woodson sets out to ruminate on why the African American has been misled in his ascension to human equality and dignity and how he can remedy the dismal state of his affairs. A thorough reading of Woodson’s pioneering work indicates that we should study the experiences of African-descended people to gain knowledge about ourselves and other cultures as well as to take back accurate traditions and histories that have all but been discredited or misrepresented. Furthermore, only through this systematic study of their meaningful contributions to history can African Americans elevate themselves to empowered enlightenment. One reason to study the experiences of the African American is to instill in him a sense of purpose and place in a world that otherwise intends to keep him perpetually in the dark. Undoubtedly the aim of his oppressors has been to convince him that his history is unimportant so as to deprive him of the sense of pride that is so necessary to feel wholly human. By espousing that â€Å"he has no worthwile past, that his race has done nothing significant since the beginning of time, and that there is no evidence that he will ever achieve anything great† (Woodson 6), his oppressors can be sure that the African American will continue down the path of mis-education that so allows for his subservience to a system that cares nothing for him. However, â€Å"if you teach the Negro that he has accomplished as much good as any other race he will aspire to equality and justice without regard to race. † (Woodson 6) The core purpose of African American studies is to take back from obscurity that piece of the historical puzzle without which the African American would be amidst an endless identity crisis. By studying the origin of his people, the African American, who â€Å"has not yet learned to think and plan for himself as others do for themselves† (Woodson 7), can take control of his own destiny rather than taking as truth â€Å"an abundance of information which others have made accessible to the oppressed. † (Woodson 7) The culture of indoctrination cultivated by the oppressor would have that â€Å"the Negro should cease to remember that he was once held a slave, that he has been oppressed, and even that he is a Negro. † (Woodson 7) Thus, it is plain to see that the African American’s oppressors have too much to lose by promoting the truth. Indeed, it would require them to admit their transgressions and to concede the countless meaningful contributions made by the African American to modern society. Without â€Å"a serious examination of the fundamentals of education, religion, literature, and philosophy as they have been expounded to him† (Woodson 7) by his oppressors, the â€Å"Negro joins the opposition with the objection that the study of the Negro keeps alive questions which should be forgotten. † (Woodson 7) Perhaps the most essential lesson to be learned from an effective, systematic study of African American history is that the contributions made by African Americans are far more numerous than any oppressor could ever know. It is with a pig-headed pride that they conceal the fact that â€Å"the history of the modern world was made, in the main, by what was taken from African people. † (Clarke) Without knowledge such as this, it would be impossible for the African American to take pride in himself and to seek the true identity he has been in search of for centuries. â€Å"A race is like a man. Until it uses its own talents, takes pride in its own history, and loves its own memories, it can never fulfill itself completely. † (Clarke) African American studies can help in understanding other cultures as well as our own by challenging and correcting the misrepresentations of Africa and Western Europe and their cultural legacies. What has been laid aground as history by the oppressor does not serve to benefit the African American but instead to keep him dependent on a system rife with underlying prejudice against his people. History is written in the image of the writer so, consequently, the African American must take up the reins of authorship himself and guide his own destiny. That is precisely why we should study the African American experience, to produce a platform on which he can take back what is innately his. After all, to be cognizant of where one is going, it is necessary to be aware of where one has been.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Alcohol Consumption Should Be Banned. Agree or Disagree Essay

Alcohol consumption should be banned. Argue for or against the statement. Alcohol is one of the most widely used and abused drugs in the world. It is a legal drug that can be found just about anywhere, restaurants, liquor stores and even in some supermarkets. It is a drug that is used by many, some just to relax, others to party with the intention of getting drunk and those that are addicted and who abuse the drug like no other. Alcohol causes several problems and injures the lives of many, it is the fifth most dangerous drug in the world being higher than LSD and ecstasy, yet it is a drug that society allows to be used everyday. Alcohol is a drug, which is classified as a depressant. This means that after being consumed it slows down the body’s vital functions, if taken in too much, it may result in slurred speech, problems with perception and unsteady coordination. It is known as a downer, which means that it actually puts the mind in quite a depressed state. It affects the mind, in the case of reducing a person’s ability to think rationally and it impairs judgment. (http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/alcohol.html). Alcohol is a legal drug, meaning that, it is allowed to be consumed freely with a few laws that prohibit people from driving and consuming it under a certain age. Yet it is a drug that has been proven to cause the most harm to users and others around them. It is not listed as a class A, B or C drug, yet it is listed as the fifth most harmful drug, being higher on the list than LSD, ecstasy and cannabis. Yet all these three drugs are seen as class A or B drugs, making them highl y illegal. (http://www.listology.com/list/top-twenty-most-dangerous-drugs-according-bbc-horizon). Recent studies have shown that the consumption of alcohol is worse to its users and to the people around the users than any other drug. It has shown that when all factors are taken into consideration, alcohol comes out at the top as the most costly drug towards society and it causes the biggest harm. In a study done by Professor David Nutt, he created a bar graph showing the most harmful drugs to users and the society. When conducting his study he took into account all the harms that the drug creates, including mental and physical damage, addiction, crime and costs to the economy and communities. His study showed that alcohol was even worse than heroin when  all factors were taken into consideration. Professor Nutt’s study has showed that the drug classification system, currently in place, have little relevance to the actual harm that is caused by the drug. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11660210). Many studies have now been taken into consideration and a ‘deeper’ look has been taken in to establish exactly how and which drugs cause the most harm. With all these studies, alcohol has been seen as a very high-risk drug. With all these studies there has been the debate in many countries across the globe as to whether alcohol consumption should be banned completely. It has been shown that alcohol is one of the leading causes in death amongst young adults, aged between 15 to 25 years of age, in the cases of accidents, homicides and suicides. Statistics in the USA in 2005, show that 6.6 of the population who are 12 or older, so around 16 million people, are heavy drinkers. In the same study it was shown that out of the 3.9 million people who received treatment for substance abuse, 2.9 million of them were receiving treatment for alcohol abuse. A later study in the USA in 2007 showed that 12998 people had died in car accidents due to alcohol. In the USA alone there are around 1.4 million drunken arrests every year. Studies from England in 2005 showed that there were 6570 deaths caused by alcohol and a later study in 2006 showed that the death toll, from alcohol, had risen to 8758, this shows a gradual increase of 7% each year in alcohol related deaths. Worldwide it was shown that in Europe, out of the 490 million people, 23 million of them were dependent on alcohol. In 2005 out of all traffic deaths 39% of them were alcohol related and 40% of violent crimes occur under the influence of alcohol. (http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/alcohol/international-statistics.html). Statistics show that alcohol appears to be a very negative drug. Taken on a worldwide scale alcohol causes more deaths than any illegal drug. But this is not to say that all alcohol consumption is bad. Statistics have shown that wine, in moderation, is actually healthy for a person. Red wine has been proven to actually help the heart and lessen the risk of heart disease. Studies shown have indicated that red wine contains antioxidants, which actually help prevent heart disease by increasing levels of ‘good’ cholesterol and protecting the heart against artery damage. Although this has been seen, doctors still do not encourage people to start drinking as all alcohol can, in the long term effect, cause problems towards health. Red View as multi-pages

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Bill of Rights - Smart Custom Writing Samples

Bill of Rights - Smart Custom Writing Human Resource ManagementIt might sound indisputably to say that the planet we inhabit and all living beings are under the constant process of movement. Still, another true point suggests itself. The movement appears to be quite an ambiguous notion, since it can be represented by either progress or regress. Needless to say, the contemporary world strives for constant development, evolvement and progress. In this tight connection emerges the notion of leadership, the latter in its turn provokes competition. Nowadays world with its immitigable and unforgiving race and pace inevitably induces companies to be involved in the competitive rush. Clearly, to be the first means a lot. In attempts to take dominant position in the marketplace of rivals the companies are forced to resort to complicated strategies and tactics. After all, leadership is undoubtedly worthwhile expending some effort with the intention to overcome obstacles and hindrances on the way. Currently contest participants encounter the difficulties to be tackled. They are facing a trickish problem of competitive challenges, these being the challenge of sustainability, global challenge and technology challenge. With the aim to have a clear idea of how the above mentioned challenge factors matter, let’s scrutinize a company’s inner structure in general. It’s true to claim, each company focuses on success but to make this success feasible it has to attract a lot of resources. First of all, it is people employed, thus forming the personnel in each company’s department. Second of all, that is technological base. Third of all, inputs into the research field. Fourth of all, it is the company budget that forms the condition for the company’s development and all its constituents’ improvement.   Thus we deal with the mutual interconnection and interdependence. Hence, it’s hard to imagine each sector of the company’s arrangement to do without a human resource as a ‘fuel of production’ (Jeremy Gutsche. 2009, Sept. 23). The extant to which a separate staff member and the whole coherent team will be the contribution to the company de pends on the high quality of the functions performed. Therefore the human resources management (HRM) plays the role of an accelerator and intensifier of the employees’ potential leading to the prosperity of the company. Moreover, the HRM practices are supposed to be in compliance with the company’s rules and the main policy it pursues (Carter McNamara). So, the HRM is called for promoting the capabilities of each company’s member by means of special programs and training courses to reach the goals of a particular organization. Up to a point, we need to elucidate the whole HRM system’s mechanism. By means of being involved in the process of personal ‘upgrading’ each member acquires useful experience and enhances his or her own proficiency. But how can be a global challenge addressed? The answer is in the thoroughly elaborated HRM strategy that may be seen as follows. With the help of clever HRM each particular specialist in the sphere of his or her responsibility becomes not only aware of the technological novelties, progressive engineering, international economic and political situation, but also of how the acquired knowledge can be applied in the company’s specific sector. Thus, the technological challenge becomes not so irresistible and insurmountable with the highly qualified collaborative team of computer engineering workers, IT specialists who are always in the know of changes and are the first to develop new and new high tech ‘products’. The processes of globalization and integration embrace the international market as well. Contemporary situation in the global marketplace is that the customers’ demands are constantly rising, by this forcing the companies to always keep its head on a swivel not to let a client slip into another company’s hands. Thus we speak about the global competition scale. Giving the unceasingly changing global picture, arises the necessity of the company’s prompt operational response and reaction what increases the demand in HRM practices with the help of which the staff research the modern global tendencies to implement the information gathered and expand the horizon of the company’s activity and investment policy offshore. The HRM assists in overcoming the challenge of sustainability. Virtually, the very term sustainability presupposes to be able to endure, survive by reducing and eliminating negative influences. Due to the cooperative and joint efforts and powerful technological armory, awareness in the world processes the company’s business is sure to keep up with the time and secured against defeat in every day struggle for leadership and thus is able to demonstrate long-term performance and prosperity on the global market. HRM doesn’t stand still either. It introduces and encloses new approaches and methods to develop the resistance to negative and formidable global factors. The importance of such organization as the HRM is dramatically increasing, since its practices are directed to and focused on the company-bound policy and flexible, subtle and smart human resource coordination and monitoring by proving constant and systematic trainings. Not of the least is the strategy of the contemporary HRM that also realizes the role of technologies in making the administration performance not so time-consuming and the staff productivity more effective. On the whole, the human resources (HR) being an integral part of any organization, company, enterprise by means of skillful HRM are the driving power in counteracting the competitive challenges that may inflict damage not only on the company’s finances but also be menacing to the whole company’s organism.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Quotations About Babies and Infancy

Quotations About Babies and Infancy Babies are born cute- some say- because that is Gods way of protecting them from harm. Their angelic faces can steal the heart of everyone they meet. Whether you are expecting a child soon or are already the parent of a newborn, here are some beautiful baby sayings and a few truisms that should certainly make you smile and nod your head in agreement. Don Herold Babies are such a nice way to start people. Brad Pitt Getting a burp out of your little thing is probably the greatest satisfaction Ive come across. Its truly one of the lifes satisfying moments. Robert Munsch Ill love you forever; Ill like you for always. As long as Im living, my baby, youll be. Hermann Hesse Words can not express the joy of a new life. Vincent Van Gogh I think I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning or coos or laughs. Olivia Wilde The amazing thing about becoming a parent is that you will never again be your own first priority. Deepak Chopra It is the nature of babies to be in bliss. Jeff Foxworthy Watching a baby being born is a little like watching a wet St. Bernard coming in through the cat door. Charles Osgood Babies are always more trouble than you thought- and more wonderful. Winston Churchill There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies. Mark Twain A baby is an inestimable blessing and bother. James Matthew Barrie When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies. And now when every new baby is born, its first laugh becomes a fairy. So there ought to be one fairy for every boy or girl. Brian Pulsifer The joy that a newborn brings cannot be equaled. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe We cant form our children on our own concepts; we must take them and love them as God gives them to us. Eda J. Le Shan A new baby is like the beginning of all things- wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities. Ed Howe Families with babies and families without are so sorry for each other. Penelope Leach Loving a baby is a circular business, a kind of feedback loop. The more you give the more you get, and the more you get the more you feel like giving. Benjamin Spock What good mothers and fathers instinctively feel like doing for their babies is usually best after all. Nuno Bettencourt Having a baby is one of the most wonderful things in life, as well as the hardest thing in your life. Rajneesh The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Case Study Healthcare Provider Essay Example for Free

Case Study Healthcare Provider Essay Game (151) , Plan (45) company About StudyMoose Contact Careers Help Center Donate a Paper Legal Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Complaints A large, regional healthcare provider is developing a new, integrated wellness and prevention program (IWPP) for their patients. This involves developing an overarching strategy and aligning existing prevention capabilities. The client has employed Point B to facilitate the development of the plan’s strategy, conceptual design, and roadmap for initial implementation. Describe how you would approach this effort. Broadly, the approach has three steps starting with the leadership team and then engaging the entire organization: I. Leadership Strategy Development and Plan II. Organization Engagement and Strategy Refinement III. Initial Implementation I. Leadership Strategy Development and Plan Once the leadership participants are confirmed with the sponsor, facilitated workshops will be structured to shape the key deliverables: business strategy, conceptual design and roadmap. Workshops will focus on: Finding a common understanding of what is a successful IWPP. This includes: †¢ Identifying current challenges for the healthcare provider as a whole and specific to an IWPP †¢ Agreeing to the existing strengths overall but with a focus on existing prevention capabilities †¢ Understanding what has and has not worked in the past †¢ Defining a common IWPP vision and values Defining what capabilities are needed and how to measure a successful IWPP. Capabilities will shape the conceptual design and span such things as: †¢ Technology †¢ Business processes †¢ Applications †¢ People/organization structure †¢ Information †¢ Geographic location Identifying the activities (immediate and future) to create a new IWPP. For example: †¢ People – assessing the organization’s culture and behaviours for integrative wellness, prevention and medical care †¢ Process – redesign business processes to emphasis case management and cross organization collaboration per patient(s) or member(s) †¢ Technology – data conversion to a common rollout schedule for compliance standards across the network e.g. ICD 10 Activity timing will determine when capabilities are in place to chart a roadmap of changes to the organization. II. Organization Engagement and Strategy Refinement The second step is the most intensive and often the most overlooked when developing strategy. The leadership team will be required to engage the broader organization to test the strategy, conceptual design and roadmap. This requires cascading participation from management, team leaders and front-line staff. For a healthcare provider this is critical given the complexity and diversity of the network (complementary service providers, insurers, medical providers, members and patients). Input is also required regarding how best to monitor progress, to measure outcomes and to continuously collect feedback once implementation is  underway. Step II has the following benefits: †¢ Improve the leadership team’s work by adding operational detail †¢ Create strategy awareness so the organization’s day-to-day decision making better aligns with the strategic vision and intent. †¢ Start to foster ownership and champions for IWPP changes The third step focuses on identifying the activities that can be implemented first. Activities will be assessed by not only business value to achieve a new IWPP but also by other planning constraints such as the availability of people with the right skills, funding and interdependencies with existing project work. Step III also requires the establishment of implementation processes to monitor progress, to measure outcomes and to continually improve implementation methods based on feedback. Case Study Healthcare Provider. (2016, Mar 25). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Explaining Letter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Explaining Letter - Assignment Example I have taken your complaint into consideration and treated it as a top priority because you are one of our most valued customers. Regards packing and shipping, I would like to just brief you, that every painting that leaves Manhattan Galleries is carefully wrapped with two layers of convoluted foam and one layer of Perf-Pack foam in order to avoid any damage to the painting. The shippers of our products are explicitly instructed that the pictures should be shipped in vertical position and not horizontally, in order to absorb any shocks and bumps along the way that may tend to damage the shipment. But even so, I would like to reassure you once again, that it becomes the sole responsibility of Manhattan Galleries to see that the painting was delivered to you in perfect condition. However, the best we could do in this respect is to request you to kindly take the painting to your local framing – shop and get the canvas re-stretched to fit the frame perfectly. The assurance we could give you is that Manhattan Galleries would bear the entire cost as we do not want to leave you a dissatisfied customer at any cost because we really appreciate you being one of our best customers and intend associating with you in our business even in the future. Thank you so much for letting us know about the condition, which in turn made it possible for us to render good customers like you our committed service. I happened to go through the letter you wrote to the customer who had complained of a sagging canvas and thought that it could do with a few changes. Kindly make the necessary changes to your original letter before posting it to the customer.

Friday, October 18, 2019

The Problem of Increasing Litigation Costs Case Study

The Problem of Increasing Litigation Costs - Case Study Example The case of Weissensteiner was important in that it raised the issue of circumstantial evidence pointing to the accused’s guilt, however, the Court held that the failure of the accused to give evidence did not itself construe an implication of guilt. The Court stated clearly that in an accusatorial trial, the failure of an accused to give evidence â€Å"cannot fill any gaps in the prosecution case† (Weissensteiner @50) and it cannot be used as a factor in determining whether the prosecution has proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore the failure of a witness to give evidence was not to be associated with inferences of guilt.             Section 20(2) of the Evidence Act states clearly that the judge or other parties may comment on the failure of the accused to provide an explanation for evidence that exists against him. Therefore, the position taken by the judges in the RPS case was a valid one. Firstly, in their judgment, the silence of the accused was not excused in the manner of Weissensteiner. The prosecution, in this case, failed to call a witness that it should have and Justices questioned: â€Å"whether in the circumstances, the jury should entertain a reasonable doubt about the guilt of the accused†(RPS@633). Secondly, in this case, the Court applied a similar reasoning as it did in the case of Azzopardi v The Queen, where it stated that the position the Court adopted in Weissensteiner would be justified only if â€Å"there is a basis for concluding that there additional facts which would explain or contradict the inference which the prosecution seeks to have the jury draw.†   Thirdly,   Justice McHugh also commented on the history of the right to silence and adopted the position that the right to silence allowed to the accused was no more than an â€Å"invention of lawyers† to protect their clients from incriminating themselves. (Azzopardi @101). The position taken in the majority opinion of Judges in the RPS case was that the Jury could reasonably draw an adverse inference if the accused failed to give evidence since his silence would amount to a tacit admission of guilt.   

Sustainable Corporate Development Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sustainable Corporate Development - Assignment Example It is the basic goal of every business to grow in the respective industry. This many also involve launching new products and services for the consumers. The company must not only focus on growth but profitable growth. Without profits the growth of the business becomes unsustainable. The profitability of most of the organizations is based on two important factors i.e. cutting cost and growth (Anon., 2013). Quality of working life is based on the job related experience of the employees. The needs that should be addressed by the employees to achieve high quality of work life include skill variety, task identity, autonomy, task significance and feedback. Other aspects that should also be addressed include individual power, fairness and equity, participation of employees in the management of the firm, self –development and extra work activities. Business ethics are the moral principles which underpin the behavior of the firms. Moral principles are concerned with what is right and wrong for the business. The ethical business is considered to be the one which is based on the set of moral principles. Being ethical means that a business complies with the laws and regulations and make choices about what it is allowed to do and what it is not allowed to do. An organization sets ethical objectives of the firm by applying ethical values to the actions and targets of the firm (Anon., 2014). The concept of business continuity is based on the fact that a company continues to operate in the business even in the adverse environmental conditions such as in case of natural disaster, fire, etc. The continuity plan of the business may include moving the operations of the business to another location if any kind of disaster occurs on the worksite. Learning organization is considered to be an organization that facilitates learning and transforms itself according to the changing trends of the environment. Learning organizations emerge as a result of the pressure faced by modern

Thursday, October 17, 2019

How the Black Panthers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How the Black Panthers - Essay Example The street gangs of the 1960’s were the result of the frustration of black youngsters against whites, who did not welcome them in their neighborhoods. The BPP called upon the black youth to rise in self defense and proclaimed the U.S. government as its enemy. Gangs have been a part of the culture of America ever since the 1800’s but the street gang subculture is constantly evolving, so as to conform to prevailing conditions. The leaders of one of these small street gangs, the Slausons, founded the Los Angeles arm of the Black Panther Party (BPP). Soon the rowdy gang culture was being shaped into an overtly political agenda. In 1969, Carter and Huggins, the leaders of the Los Angeles BPP were killed in a gun battle on the UCLA campus during a face-off with members of the United Slaves, a rival gang. These murders triggered a massive FBI retaliation, which led to the disbanding of the BPP. With the BPP no longer in existence, black youth scoured for newer gangs, and at this point Raymond Washington rallied them together under the banner, Baby Avenues or Baby Cribs. With time, the Cribs evolved into Crips in the local vernacular. Washington recruited a large number of members into his gang and in 1971, formed the Westside Crips by me rging his rival Tookie’s gang with his own. The name Crips stands for â€Å"Continuous Revolution in Progress† and this gang had the fearlessness of the Panthers, combined with their rebellious attitude (Davis, Mike; City of Quartz, PP.293-300). Members of Crips gang identify themselves by wearing blue bandanas. When the Crips began to expand, it led to conflicts with other gangs and during a summer conflict in 1972, between the Crips and Pirus gang, the Crips won. The Pirus and other small gangs of the area came together to form a separate organization called the Bloods, and began to sport red bandanas. Just like the BPP, these gangs were formed to protect black people

Where The Five Functional Areas Of Network Management (FCAPS) Are Not Essay

Where The Five Functional Areas Of Network Management (FCAPS) Are Not Adhered To - Essay Example They also have committed to provide business to the tune of 100 seats in the next two year. The organisation also wants to setup offices across many cities out of US. Presently the system of the company x is not good enough to cater the needs of the customers and the company x is also facing some problems because it has not implemented the OSI application functions namely, fault, configuration Accounting performance and security management. Due to this the present system of networking management is facing the following problems: First the fault management in the company x is not working properly i.e. not providing clear and correct report about the incident/fault which has occurred and therefore the problem arises about identifying the fault and its source. In this way the system cannot priorities the fault, which has occurred and cannot be able to restore services on time and properly. Some Hardware faults to be handled instantaneously through replacement to restore services cannot be attended immediately. Due to fault in network, a user is immediately affected and the better services could not be provided to the users. The most common and serious problems of networks are connectivity failure, which are in the category of fault management. The network failure is caused more often by a node failure than by failure of passive links. When this happens all downstream systems from the interface are inaccessible. Such failures are associated with the network interface card, which needs replacement. The nod failures manifest as connectivity failures to the user. Another cause of network connectivity failure is procedural but very common. Network connectivity is based on IP address, which is a logical address assigned by the network administrator. The IP address in uniquely associated with a physical MAC address of network component. However mistakes are made in assigning duplicate IP addresses, especially in an enterprise environment with many system administrators. A host or system interface problem is a shared medium can bring the entire segment down. It becomes nightmare for the network manager to isola te problem without causing interruption is services. The intermittent problem could also occur as a result traffic overload, which would cause packets to be lost. Sometimes the management system indicates failure, when in actuality data traffic is flowing normally. Power hits could reset network component configuration, causing network failure. The network has a permanent configuration (default) and a dynamic configuration (runtime) and thus a performance problem could manifest as a network delay. The company is using LAN networking system, which is not sufficient for the organization. Because of connection through wires / cables and switches, it is not useful. So without proper network connecting Architecture, Company is facing lots of problems. Due to circuit - switch connection security of data and information has always been at stake. Security conscious clients always looking for more security proof network. Security plays a crucial role in deciding network architectures. Due to multiple servers at single location cannot fulfill the requirement of the organisation. Organisation had a network having lesser bandwidth and this creates lots of problem. The network used at a time by number of concurrent users for various applications and which takes longer response time and at times posting websites will be more than that of an organisation processing manufacturing orders. (Also the cost of the LAN system where

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Software development practice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Software development practice - Research Paper Example An estimate of timeline completion of the project XII. Significant risks that may impact the project XIII. Conclusion and justification of the project XIV. References I. Introduction Computer forensics deals with the identification of any legal evidence using the computers, as well as other forms of digital storage devices. After collecting, the evidences are put through a thorough forensics examination to obtain and recover the information the investigators need. The computer forensic investigation chiefly involves the investigation of the computer crimes, the cyber crimes, and also during a court hearing. Subsequently, there is utilization of the later function of computer forensic investigation by the courts of the United States and also of the European Union as evidence of digital crime cases (Volonino & Anzaldua, 2009). II. The Proposed Project of Computer Forensics The proposed project is based on a software program that can easily retrieve any specific data from the hard disk drive of any computer. This is because the hard disk acts as a form of storage device for the computer. Thus, there is storage of most data and also files in this hardware device. Moreover, for any forensic investigator to obtain any sort of digital evidence, they must first look for the details from the computer hard disk. Therefore, the hard disk is one of the chief vital components of the computer because it contains most of the computers’ files, data and also important documents. Consequently, there is a great significant in the development of a software program for easy and quick retrieval of data contained in the hard disk. Moreover this project of computer forensic works in conjunction with the software of data recovery program. The data recovery program works by recovering any form of lost data by the computer (Volonino & Anzaldua, 2009). III. The Objectives and what the Project Intends to Deliver The main reason for the development of this computer forensic project i s to assist in the quick and effective investigation procedures required during a forensic investigation. For instance, the main part of the computer forensic is chiefly the utilization of the computer hard disk to access any information. This is because hard disks are capable of storing large amount of information about anything. Therefore, because the computer hard disk is capable of storing millions of data on anything, it becomes very tedious for the forensic investigator to search for the exact data that is needed for the investigation (Volonino & Anzaldua, 2009). Moreover, this action needs a lot of time and thus consumes time. Therefore, for the investigator to be competent and to easily access all the details from the hard disk, the forensic investigator needs to implement this computer forensic project. Thus, the chief reason for the development of this computer forensic project is to assist the investigators in easing the procedures of the investigation. Therefore, the com puter project is about how the forensic investigator is capable of obtaining and easily retrieves data from any hard disk of a computer system to be utilized in the investigation procedures. The investigator will find this project extremely helpful to him and also to the court when handling any form of forensic cases. Thus the project focuses majorly o the improvement of the hard disk devices. Additionally, this project will focus on the fundamental process of retrieving information from a given hard disk

Where The Five Functional Areas Of Network Management (FCAPS) Are Not Essay

Where The Five Functional Areas Of Network Management (FCAPS) Are Not Adhered To - Essay Example They also have committed to provide business to the tune of 100 seats in the next two year. The organisation also wants to setup offices across many cities out of US. Presently the system of the company x is not good enough to cater the needs of the customers and the company x is also facing some problems because it has not implemented the OSI application functions namely, fault, configuration Accounting performance and security management. Due to this the present system of networking management is facing the following problems: First the fault management in the company x is not working properly i.e. not providing clear and correct report about the incident/fault which has occurred and therefore the problem arises about identifying the fault and its source. In this way the system cannot priorities the fault, which has occurred and cannot be able to restore services on time and properly. Some Hardware faults to be handled instantaneously through replacement to restore services cannot be attended immediately. Due to fault in network, a user is immediately affected and the better services could not be provided to the users. The most common and serious problems of networks are connectivity failure, which are in the category of fault management. The network failure is caused more often by a node failure than by failure of passive links. When this happens all downstream systems from the interface are inaccessible. Such failures are associated with the network interface card, which needs replacement. The nod failures manifest as connectivity failures to the user. Another cause of network connectivity failure is procedural but very common. Network connectivity is based on IP address, which is a logical address assigned by the network administrator. The IP address in uniquely associated with a physical MAC address of network component. However mistakes are made in assigning duplicate IP addresses, especially in an enterprise environment with many system administrators. A host or system interface problem is a shared medium can bring the entire segment down. It becomes nightmare for the network manager to isola te problem without causing interruption is services. The intermittent problem could also occur as a result traffic overload, which would cause packets to be lost. Sometimes the management system indicates failure, when in actuality data traffic is flowing normally. Power hits could reset network component configuration, causing network failure. The network has a permanent configuration (default) and a dynamic configuration (runtime) and thus a performance problem could manifest as a network delay. The company is using LAN networking system, which is not sufficient for the organization. Because of connection through wires / cables and switches, it is not useful. So without proper network connecting Architecture, Company is facing lots of problems. Due to circuit - switch connection security of data and information has always been at stake. Security conscious clients always looking for more security proof network. Security plays a crucial role in deciding network architectures. Due to multiple servers at single location cannot fulfill the requirement of the organisation. Organisation had a network having lesser bandwidth and this creates lots of problem. The network used at a time by number of concurrent users for various applications and which takes longer response time and at times posting websites will be more than that of an organisation processing manufacturing orders. (Also the cost of the LAN system where

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Ethinicity And American Culture Essay Example for Free

Ethinicity And American Culture Essay The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 1850 was signed between the American government and the interim government of the military occupied Mexico which resulted in the end of the Mexican-American War. This was intended to bring peace in the disputed territory and the end result was that Mexico ceded a large territory to the United States and its size was reduced by forty-five percent. The land Mexico ceded to the U. S. is now a number of states: Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and California. The military government in Mexico received fair compensation for the territory. The treaty of Guadalupe paved the way for the way for the immigration of Mexicans especially workers to the U. S. this was necessitated by the United States’ need for labor to develop the newly acquired territory. Immigration patterns have been determined by American manual labor needs. The Immigration Process The immigration of Mexicans to the U. S. began soon after the territory was surrendered, the U. S. government sought labor from Mexico to build the railroad which was to connect all the new territory to the other states. Between 1850 and 1880 the U. S. government brought in 55,000 migrant workers from Mexico into the former Mexican territories to work on the railroad. The government preferred Mexican laborers because they were not entitled to any constitutional protection and they could work for substandard wages in the harsh conditions. The process of immigration began to peak up speed in 1910 when the Mexican revolution took place. After the revolution, more then 50,000 Mexican workers immigrated to the U. S. in search of jobs which they felt were better than those available in their home country. Changes over Time Change in the immigration process began to take shape in 1929 when American citizens massively complained that the illegal workers were taking up their job. The government responded by launching major crackdown on immigrants who did not posses the relevant immigration documents. This resulted in the forceful deportation of over two million Mexican of which about one and a half million had been born in the U. S. this was harsh as those born in the U. S. were therefore citizens by birth. The U. S however found itself in a tight spot when it got in World War II in 1942 which elicited the need for Mexican workers. The U. S. acted quickly to remedy the situation by getting into an agreement with Mexican officials and this was known as the Bracero program. Under the program guest Mexican workers would be allowed to enter the U. S. and provide labor on a temporary basis though they would not be afforded the labor protections accorded to their U. S. counterparts. The program run through out the period of World War II and went on up to 1964 as major Corporations had pulled string to ensure that the laborers continued to work as they wanted to cash in on the cheap labor. Since 1964 there was what has been referred to as an unspoken agreement between the undocumented workers, Corporations and the government. The government has intentionally failed to implement border regulations after being lobbied by major corporations which benefit highly from the labor if the immigrants. Though the agreement has been said to benefit all the parties which is utterly false as the immigrant workers are subjected to poor living conditions, are paid substandard wages and do not enjoy the protection of labor unions or practices. In 1986 three million undocumented Mexican-American workers were granted amnesty by the Reagan administration and this consequently made them subject to human rights protections, (Borjas National Bureau of Economic Research, 2007). Effect on Chicano Movement The Chicano movement was vastly affected by the immigration of undocumented as they were not officially recognized by the U. S. government. This meant that they did not enjoy constitutional protection like other American citizen and the movement’s job was harder as attempts at demanding for rights resulted in deportation. Mexican workers therefore did not seek the help of the movement as they fear that its intervention would result of their deportation, (Rosales, 2000). Conclusion The immigration of Mexican to the U. S. began with the need by the U. S. government to have cheap labor for building of a railroad through the territory acquired from Mexico in 1850. The immigration pattern has however been tied only to the manual labor needs of the U. S. as the government allows entry of undocumented Mexican workers when they are in dire need of cheap manual labor like during World War II. The pattern is also evident from the push and pull debate that rages on the undocumented workers. Reference Borjas, G. J. National Bureau of Economic Research. (2007). Mexican Immigration to the United States. Chicago? : University of Chicago Press. Rosales, F. A. (2000). Testimonio: A Documentary History of the Mexican-American Struggle for Civil Rights. Houston: Arte Publico Press. ESSAY TWO Some historians describe the Civil Rights Movement as a two-phase process of a southern movement to guarantee basic human rights and a northern movement focused on economic and social inequalities. In an essay, which incorporates lecture, readings and class discussion analyze this process. Introduction The Civil Rights Movement sought reform in the way the American society treated African Americans and it sought to change the perception. The movement originated in the urban areas of the south after large numbers of African Americans migrated from the rural areas and this was after the abolishment of slavery. The American Civil Rights Movement faced a number of challenges in its quest for equal civil rights for African Americans and other minority groups. This came in the form of legislation which promoted the injustices committed against African Americans by white Americans. The movement was therefore forced to employ different strategies and tactics so as to have its voice and that of its people heard. The movement suffered major losses in the road to the eventual attainment of those rights. The Civil Rights Movement refers to a reform movement of African Americans which sought to attain equal civil rights under the law for all people. It sought to have the abolishment of both public and private acts of discrimination and segregation against African Americans. The movement is said to have originated in the southern urban areas when millions of African Americans migrated from rural areas to the urban centers of the south. The Civil Rights Movement employed various strategies which included: nonviolent strikes, civil disobedience, marches, boycotts, protests rallies and freedom rides. The movement therefore focused on disenfranchisement and the Jim Crow laws in the south. The Civil Rights Movement in the south can be said to have been the most intense as it was in the south that African Americans faced the greatest resistance to their attempts to struggle for equal rights. The south had become the most notorious when it came to the suppression of rights of African Americans. The laws in the south permitted or required four acts of discrimination against African Americans. They included voter suppression or disfranchisement, denial of economic opportunities, private acts and mass racial violence and racial segregation which was first upheld by the U. S. Supreme Court decision in 1896 in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. It was also in the south that most of the milestone events in the civil rights movement took place in the south which included the: Martin Luther king Jr. assassination, march on Selma, Alabama, Mississippi freedom summer and the Montgomery bus boycott. The south was also home of some of the most important literature to come out of the Civil Rights Movement like Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham jail. It also home to important Civil Rights Movement landmarks like the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Site. The latter also house a museum which chronicles the American Civil Rights Movement. The challenges of the movement in south emanated from the legislature passing of the Jim Crow laws which legalized segregation in all public facilities. This law meant that African Americans and other non-white citizens were designated different facilities this includes: lavatories, buses, restaurants, housing establishments among others. These went on to be adopted by most local government across the country and this turned to be a major challenge to the Civil Rights Movement. It was the successes of the Civil Rights Movement in the south which made life better for African Americans all over the United States. The civil rights movement culminated in the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965 but of which were a clear symbol of the success of the Civil Rights Movement, (Williams Bond, 1988). Conclusion Despite the major challenges the American civil Rights Movement faced, it managed to succeed in its cause because of its strategies, sacrifices and it resilience. Some of the sacrifices the movement had to contend with included the loss of one of its leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who was assassinated. Though this was a major blow the movement managed to remain resilient and it was rewarded with the passing of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act in 1964 and 1965 respectively. The fact that most of the Civil Rights Movement events took place in the south does not mean that the northern part of the country was not involved as activities like the march on Washington took place in the north. The march was the venue for famous â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech by Dr. Martin Luther King. The civil rights movement therefore came along way to achieve success. Reference Williams, J. , Bond, J. (INT) (1988). Eyes on the Prize: Americas Civil Rights Years, 1954- 1965. ISBN 0833514318, 9780833514318: Bt Bound

Monday, October 14, 2019

Sumitomo Corporation And Yasuo Hamanakas Copper Scandal Finance Essay

Sumitomo Corporation And Yasuo Hamanakas Copper Scandal Finance Essay The financial world had been confronted heavily by trading scandals in 1995, with Japans Daiwa Bank and the rouge trader, Nick Leeson. When it seemed the scandals couldnt get much worse, the Sumitomo Copper Scandal emerged. This was the biggest scandal in the history of commodities trading and ranked in the top five trading losses in financial history up until the late 1990s. Sumitomo Corporation is a Japanese trading house, which is currently one of the largest worldwide trading companies headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. In the 1990s Sumitomo owned large amounts of both physical copper, which was stored in warehouses and factories, as well as numerous futures contracts. Copper was a relatively small market compared to other metals, such as aluminum. According to Andrew Beattles article, The Copper King: An Empire Built on Manipulation, copper is an illiquid commodity that cannot be easily transferred around the world to meet shortages. For example, a rise in copper prices due to a sho rtage in the United States will not be immediately cancelled out by shipments from countries with excess copper. This occurs because moving copper between storage and delivery costs money, which can cancel out the price differences. It is important to note that Yasuo Hamanaka was the chief copper trader of this trading house, and attempted to corner the entire worlds copper market leaving Sumitomo with a loss of more than $1.8 billion (Beattle). WHAT HAPPENED: For ten years, Yasuo Hamanaka had successfully managed to control the worlds price of copper. He eventually came to control five percent of the entire supply of copper, which may not seem like much considering ninety-five percent was in other traders hands (Beattle). However, due to the fact the abundant and cumbersome challenges that exist in the copper market (in movement, delivery, etc.) and the fact that even the largest traders in the market owned an even smaller percentage, Hamanakas five percent was indeed very significant. During the ten years of his manipulation he was able to use Sumitomos size and large cash reserves to corner and squeeze the market through the London Metal Exchange. The London Metal Exchange is the worlds biggest metal exchange. Furthermore, the London Metal Exchanges copper price essentially dictated the worlds copper price at the time (Beattle). Although the London Metal Exchange was large in size, it was fairly poor in terms of regulation. In fact, this exchange had little to no regulation at the time of Hamanakas rampant market manipulation. The Sumitomo Copper Scandal lasted for about a decade due to these negligent and almost nonexistent regulations on behalf of this particular exchange. To put the entire crisis into laymens terms, one must first understand that Hamanaka was taking a long futures position on copper and simultaneously buying up a substantial amount of physical copper as well. This caused any one trader who took a short futures position to have to buy long positions in order to cancel out their short positions. Due to the fact that Hamanaka had a large number of long positions, those people looking to buy them had to pay increasingly higher prices. These skyrocketing futures prices are what Hamanaka was able to control; the more the prices rose, the more money he made. This is because those with short positions were still paying this higher price in order to liquidate those positions. Another way that Hamanaka was making money was that while these prices continued to rise, some people holding short positions thought that instead of paying a high price for a long position they would buy the physical copper and deliver it to the holder of the long positi ons. So, because Hamanaka also owned 5% of the physical copper he could charge a very high price to those with short positions because they didnt want to keep paying money to liquidate their short positions. Essentially, he was making money by owning long futures as well as physical copper. WHY: There are no assured reasons as to why Hamanaka engaged in such illegal trades. Perhaps he felt pressured to maintain the consistent levels of annual revenue for Sumitomos traditional copper business-about ten billion dollars. He would therefore maintain his reputation as a phenomenal copper trader as well as his firms dominance in the commodities market. It is also important to note that individuals such as Hamanaka, do attempt to corner the market in order to create an unfair advantage by purchasing a significant amount of shares. This eventually increases the price of shares, making them appear to have a greater value. As the price of the shares continues to rise, more buyers become attracted, and then demand further increases the price of the shares. This causes short sellers to be driven out of the market through a short squeeze. In the article Short Squeeze, it explains that a short squeeze is a situation in which an increase in the price of the stock triggers a rush of buying activity among short sellers. Therefore, it is necessary for the short sellers to buy stock in order to close out their short positions to minimize their losses, causing a further increase in stock prices. Overtime, this causes one to sell their holdings at an artificially inflated price and then leave their investment or opt to sell their shares with the knowledge that the price will decrease once normal supply and demand forces return (Investing Answers). WHO WAS RESPONSIBLE: Yasuo Hamanaka, also referred to as Mr. Copper, was the former copper trading chief for Sumitomo Corporation. Following research of the Sumitomo Copper Scandal, one can confidently say that Hamanaka is the key player who is held responsible for the 2.6 billion dollar loss over a ten-year period. In fact, the article, Sumitomo Corporation states that, it believed that Mr. Hamanaka was solely responsible for the unauthorized trading (215). His attempted action to corner the worlds entire copper market by falsifying financial records and forging signatures alluded to such a significant loss for the company. It is also important to note that prior to the discovery of Hamanakas accumulation of illegal trades, he was given a great amount of responsibility within the company. This was because he was perceived by top executives to have superior knowledge and experience within copper trading. Therefore, one can also conclude that the top executives within the corporation can also be held responsible for the Sumitomo Copper Scandal. This is because the Sumitomo Corporation and senior management did not have secure safeguards in place to ensure that they knew exactly what their employees were doing. Furthermore, Hamanakas reputation as being a superstar copper trader only worked to solidify the lack of regulation and discipline (Sumitomo Corporation). When Sumitomo Corporations reputation began to tarnish from individuals outside the company, they responded to the allegations by stating that Merrill Lynch and JPMorgan Chase were the two banks responsible. In the article The Copper King: An Empire Built On Manipulation, author Andrew Beattle explains that Sumitomo Corporation claimed that Merrill Lynch and JPMorgan Chase granted the loans to Hamanaka via future derivatives; hence the two banks kept the scheme going. Consequently, both banks were found guilty to some extent (Beattle). RIPPLE EFFECTS ON THE MARKET: Historically, there has been a close correlation in the behavior of metal prices. When one metal falls, the others tend to follow. However, the Sumitomo announcement did not harm other metals despite the recent dramatic drop in copper prices. Copper is a relatively small market compared to other metals, such as aluminum and gold. The price of the metal was above $1.25 a pound in New York in early May of 1996, but it fell to $1.04 on June 13, just before Sumitomo announced its loss. Following the announcement, copper was trading at about 89 cents (Wall). The decline in prices of copper before the Sumitomo scandal was believed to have risen from people being concerned about the number of new copper mines that were planned and the potential supply problems that it could bring about (Wall). Copper prices fell ten percent in the weeks following Hamanakas removal (Fletcher), however, prices had been falling for a while, and the scandal only exacerbated the trend (Uchitelle). The main effect of Sumitomos losses was the decline in public confidence in financial institutions. Americans wondered how well their local financial institutions were handling oversight of management. They also were concerned about a temporary decline in stock prices as well as higher interest rates for money to seek to borrow from banks (Uchitelle). The dollar is driven by peoples perception of commodity price movements, and although the dollar had weakened before news of the Sumitomo scandal, the fall in copper prices has contributed to the dollars softness (Wall). The Sumitomo affair concerned the United States about the openness of Japans financial system and the implications for interest rates. These worries as well as the copper crisis had contributed to the decline of the yen. The collapse in copper prices also hurt the Australian dollar. RISK MANAGEMENT ERRORS: In the Sumitomo copper scandal, the financial debacle originates from the failures of proper risk management. By entering into fictitious trades for over ten years and manipulating several accounts, Hamanaka successfully misled his management into believing that he was making huge profits. Hamanaka had been trading on the London Metal Exchange forward market for copper. Sumitomo was the largest participant in the physical market for copper-he handled twice the volume as his competitors. Hamanaka was known in the copper markets as Mr. Five Percent because Sumitomos copper trading team traded approximately 500,000 metric tons of copper a year, which was five percent of the total world demand for copper (Weston). In regards to risk management, whenever any hedge fund or speculator who was aware of manipulation tried to take short positions, Hamanaka invested more money into his positions, thus sustaining a higher price because he dominated the market. However, despite these illegal practices no action was taken against Hamanaka because of the profits he generated for the company (Weston). There are several reasons from a management perspective as to why the scandal carried on as long as it did. The middle office may have bypassed early warning signals perhaps because Hamanaka was perceived as an experienced senior trader. Hamanaka was chief of the trading office and intentionally had an incentive to maximize profit opportunities through illegal ways. Employees within the firm may have allowed the fraud to occur by turning the other way. This is a case of decentralization (Tschoegl). The Sumitomo scandal has provided valuable insight and enables one to appreciate and understand the importance of internal and external controls. If there had been any controls, it is believed that the scandal would have been detected much earlier and before a loss of $1.8 billion. WAS IT PREVENTABLE? IF SO, HOW? The Sumitomo Copper Crisis was, at its core, a very preventable crisis-almost embarrassingly so. The huge financial swings that the copper market saw in the late 1980s and early 1990s as a result of Hamanakas indiscretions were exactly that: the result of one mans greed and indiscretions. Hamanaka initiated and participated in the illegal trade of copper-like making off the book deals in order to recover unrealized losses-and incited a wave of regulatory laws by the London Metal Exchange and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Hamanaka exploited various agents and partnerships in his ten-year long market-manipulating extravaganza. He was able to do this due to serious misgivings and loopholes in the commodity futures markets, as well as taking advantage of gaps in the chain of command and knowledge. Hamanaka maintained two different sets of trading books: one that recorded fabricated profits for the Sumitomo Corporation and another real record of all the off-the-book and under-the-table deals that were made to maintain control of the market. This long-term interference and domination of the copper market was nonetheless very hard to maintain due to one key fact: in order to corner a commodities market, the company must actually hold the assets, which presents an additional strain on resources and funds. This very requirement may be the answer to preventing scandals like this in the future (Wall). As aforementioned, the Sumitomo Copper Crisis was largely unavoidable simply because one mans poor decisions affected the rest of the affiliated market. The essence of the problem was unauthorized trading that the culprit undertook to enhance his firms profitability and then his own career and pay, Adrian Tschoegl mentioned in The Key to Risk Management. However, the true debacle is a result of a lack of internal and external controls. The Sumitomo Corporation, which was divided into essentially three separate offices (front, back and middle), simply did not harbor or even encourage communication between departments and sectors (Tschoegl). The middle office (which is responsible for one of the most key business functions: risk management) can easily be said to have failed most spectacularly in this scandal. The lack of risk awareness and management led to a loss of $1,800 million dollars and a stain on the Sumitomo name, all because of a decentralized, non-communicative corporate str ucture (Tschoegl). The most effective approach to avoiding something like this in the future is basically three-pronged: more and better management-level controls, independent transaction monitoring, and more stringent regulation (of the London Metal Exchange, by the government, and of corporations e.g. corporate social responsibility) (Tschoegl). The management-level controls should consist of a conscious effort at centralizing every part of the company, as well as maintaining strict inter-company discipline and training. Independent transaction making should be monitored so no two-book accounting systems are permissible; that is to say, that there is a system of checks and balances within the corporation to ensure above-board transactions. In terms of regulation on behalf of various agencies and governments, its only necessary to say that more of it is probably needed to avoid price manipulation. Perhaps a system of rigorous reporting and accounting policies could be implemented, which would strength en the markets effectiveness anyways. CONCLUSION: Its fair to say that the Sumitomo Copper Crisis leaves the skilled and careful trader with a few pivotal takeaways. First, both internal and external management controls are absolutely crucial to the success of any company, but if said management is left to run unchecked through the system, mishaps and misdeeds are bound to occur. Strict and standardized corporate training and discipline is the remedy to this pitfall. Second, given the right amount of determination and finesse, the market on almost any given commodity can be cornered, for better or for worse. Events like this, despite their far-reaching negative implications for the perpetrator, always help make the market a more efficient and fluid network. The lessons that are learned from scandals such as the Sumitomo Copper Affair in the long run only work to better and enhance the market.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Gladiatorial Combat In Rome :: Gladiators, Chariots, Roman Games

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gladiatorial contests (munera gladitoria), hold a central place in our perception of Roman behavior. They were also a big influence on how Romans themselves ordered their lives. Attending the games was one of the practices that went with being a Roman. The Etruscans who introduced this type of contest in the sixth century BC, are credited with its development but its the Romans who made it famous. A surviving feature of the Roman games was when a gladiator fell he was hauled out of the arena by a slave dressed as the Etruscan death-demon Charun. The slave would carry a hammer which was the demon's attribute. Moreover, the Latin term for a trainer-manager of gladiators (lanista), was believed to be an Etruscan word. (4:50) Gladiators of Ancient Rome lived their lives to the absolute fullest.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Gladiatorial duels had originated from funeral games given in order to satisfy the dead man's need for blood, and for centuries their principle occasions were funerals. The first gladiatorial combats therefore, took place at the graves of those being honored, but once they became public spectacles they moved into amphitheaters. (2:83) As for the gladiators themselves, an aura of religious sacrifice continued to hang about their combats. Obviously most spectators just enjoyed the massacre without any remorseful reflections. Even ancient writers felt no pity, they were aware that gladiators had originated from these holocausts in honor of the dead. What was offered to appease the dead was counted as a funeral rite. It is called munus (a service) from being a service due. The ancients thought that by this sort of spectacle they rendered a service to the dead, after they had made it a more cultured form of cruelty. The belief was that the souls of the dead are appeased with human blood, they use to sacrifice captives or slaves of poor quality at funerals. Afterwards it seemed good to obscure their impiety by making it a pleasure. (6:170) So after the acquired person had been trained to fight as best they can, their training was to learn to be killed! For such reasons gladiators were sometimes known as bustuarii or funeral men. Throughout many centuries of Roman history, these commemorations of the dead were still among the principle occasions for such combats. Men writing their wills often made provisions for gladiatorial duels in connection with their funerals. Early in the first century AD, the people of Pollentia forcibly prevented the burial of an official, until his heirs had been compelled to provide money for a gladiators' show. (1:174)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was in Campania and Lucania that the gladiatorial games came to their

Saturday, October 12, 2019

radio-imaging effectiveness :: essays research papers

Radiation can be used in both diagnosis and therapeutic manners. The radiation emitted from radioisotopes can destroy tissue and in the therapeutic use: the destruction of cancerous and other dangerous tissues. And with diagnosis the gamma particle pass through the body tissues with minimal damage to a gamma camera. To evaluate the effectiveness of PET, SPECT, MRI and X-rays, we first need some basic knowledge on how each of them work. PET stands for positron emission tomography and works by an instrument collecting radiation emitted from a radioisotope injected the patient’ body. The strengths of emission are recorded by a gamma camera, which has a series of scintillation crystals, each connected to a photomultiplier tube. The crystals convert the gamma rays, emitted from the patient, to photons of light, and the photomultiplier tubes convert and amplify the photons to electrical signals. These electrical signals are then processed by a computer to generate images. The table is then moved, and the process is repeated, resulting in a series of thin slice images of the body over the region of interest (e.g. brain, breast, liver). These thin slice images can be assembled into a three dimensional representation of the patient's body Nowadays, PET scanning devices are most often used in conjunction with CT scanners, so that a more accurate image can be observed by the doctor for easier diagnosis of diseases or disorders. SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) works in a way much the same to PET. But the radioactive substances used in SPECT (Xenon-133, Technetium-99, Iodine-123) have longer decay times than those used in PET, and emit single instead of double gamma rays MRI has a more complex principle for its function; it works by creating a magnetic field so strong that the hydrogen protons in the body are forced into alignment with the magnetic field. Short bursts of radio waves are sent from the scanner into your body. The radio waves knock the protons from their position. When the burst of radio waves stops, the protons go back into position. They realign back to being in parallel with the magnetic field. As the protons realign, in a process known as relaxation, they emit tiny radio signals. A receiving device in the scanner detects these signals. The type of tissue can be interpreted from the strength of the signal emitted. Most of the hydrogen atoms in the body are in water molecules.

Friday, October 11, 2019

An Essay on “The Micromanager”

The case study entitled â€Å"The Micromanager† was written by Bronwyn Fryer, Jim Goodnight, Mark Goulston, Craig Chappelow and Michael Lawrie for the Harvard Business Review journal last September 2004.The fictional story was about a CEO of Retronics Corporation, George Latour. George believes that he is an exceptional leader and has a command to increase the company’s profits with a goal of excellence towards the software-engineering firm. Instructed by the board chairman, George hired a new marketing director, Shelley Stern, who, according to the chairman, only needs a bit of training in the software-engineering business. He does his best to bring Shelly up to date.George has her sit in on developer meetings, forced her to do client calls, and even has the finance office explain the company's financial affairs on her. George has tendencies to be meticulous, interfering with Shelly’s work, suppressing her creativity and suggesting his own â€Å"better† i deas. George also gives blind comments like when he said â€Å"Thanks, Shel. You're the best† although Shelly felt down that time when George repelled her creativity. Doing all this made Shelley unhappy and never seems to show interest. In truth, she sees George's management style as oppressive, making her awfully depressed. In the end, Shelly rebelled and accused George as a â€Å"micromanager†, while leaving George taken aback and could never believe what he heard.Both parties, George and Shelly, have some problems in terms of belief and character. As CEO of the company, George carries a lot of pressure on his shoulders that is why he tries his best to excel the demands of the firm since the company is not in a good shape. He overexerts himself by interfering with the work of his subordinates. Clearly, he lacks some sensitivity and trust to his underlings and makes the work done by doing it himself. George is uncomfortable with his job and thinks that the blame could only point at him that’s why he is afraid to accept radical ideas from his underlings.Shelly, on the other hand, is quite new to the business. Although she has the qualifications for the job, she still needs a lot to learn and needs to adjust spontaneously according to the demands of the firm and her boss. Shelly believes that she has good qualities and gives overconfidence on her work. She also thinks that her ideas are excellent and needs to be praised not criticized, as done casually by George. As a newly hired employee, she is pressured to show her good qualities to her co-workers and leave a good impression as a marketing director. Shelly trusts herself and believes that she can stand on her own without the help or intervention of her superiors.According to the U.S. Army Handbook of 1973, there are three general types of leadership. They are: (1) Authoritarian or autocratic style; (2) Participative or democratic style, and; (3) Delegative or free reign style. Authoritar ian or autocratic style is basically used when the boss tells his subordinates what he wants done and how he wants the job done without getting the advice or opinion of his subordinates. An appropriate condition to use this style is when all the information to solve the problem is provided, there is time pressure, and the subordinates are well motivated to accept hasty commands.Some narrow minded people think of this style as an excuse for yelling, using humiliating language, leading to threats and abuse of power. This is not the authoritarian style but rather an abusive, unethical style called â€Å"bossing people around†. Authoritarian style is normally used on rare situations when necessary. Participative or democratic style of leadership is preferred if time is more available and the leader wants to gain more commitment and motivation from the subordinates. This style includes the employees in on the decision making processes. However, knowledgeable and skillful employees should take part in the process and the leader affirms the final decision as a sign of authority.Using this style does not show weakness of the leader but rather a sign of strength and trust that the employees will respect. In delegative or free reign style, the boss allows the employees to make their own decision. This style is used when employees are able fully capable of analyzing the situation and can determine what needs to be done to solve a certain problem. Although the employees had the power to make decisions, the responsibility and final decision always lie on the leader himself.For a good leader to become more effective he should be able to use all three styles depending on the situation and the forces involved between him and his subordinates. The leader should know when and how to adjust to meet the demands of the firm as well as to maintain a good image to his employees. As for George Latour, he should improve on becoming a leader by listening more to develop more pro ductive ideas and to have a mutual relationship to his followers. He should not concentrate himself on how his employee sees him but focus on maximizing the available resources to have better and productive planning.The biggest problem for Shelly and George would be the lack of efficient communication. Most of the problems and conflicts that occur in a firm or organization are the direct result failure to communicate and misunderstanding. Faulty communication leads to confusion and can cause good plans to be unsuccessful. Communication is said to be the exchange of information or ideas from a sender to a receiver. (Communication and Leadership) Efficient communication happens if the receiver comprehends the information that the sender wanted to address. Open mindedness also plays a big part in communication. It sharpens the ability of the receiver to understand what the sender is saying thus making the communication process more efficient.Good communication is also hard to attain es pecially when there are some barriers that prevent the sender and receiver to understand each other. Some of these said barriers of communication are: culture, beliefs, noise, physical and mental stresses, past experiences, and environmental factors such as bright lights, unnatural sights, unattractive person or any stimuli that can cause distraction. (Communication and Leadership)For a good communication process to happen, both parties should overcome these barriers to have a more productive relationship with each other. In the case of George and Shelly, they must relieve themselves of the stresses that they carry so that they can communicate effectively. Shelly should exert herself on listening to suggestions and combining it with her creative ideas while George must also try to become more sensitive and to give more trust to his employees.References:Bronwyn Fryer, J. G. (Sep 2004). The Micromanager. Harvard Business Review 8p, 2c, 4bw , p31-40, 8p, 2c, 4bw.Communication and Leade rship. (n.d.). Retrieved August 27, 2007, from The Skagit Watershed Council Website: http://www.skagitwatershed.org/~donclark/leader/leadcom.htmlLeadership Styles. (n.d.). Retrieved August 27, 2007, from The Skagit Watershed Council Website : http://www.skagitwatershed.org/~donclark/leader/leadstl.htmlUnited States Army Handbook. (1973).