Disease Focus Pseudomonas aeruginosa Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Disease Focus Pseudomonas aeruginosa - Assignment Example Besides hospitalization and a weakened immune system, other risks factors that result into acquisition of pseudomonas infections includes serious illness, invasive medical procedures especially surgery and long-term treatment with antibiotics. Pseudomonas aeruginosa exists as the most common bacterial infection that largely affects heart and blood of weak patients. The bacterium infects heart valves of patients who are intravenous drug abusers or with artificial heart valves. Within the blood, pseudomonas causes bacteremia, commonly found amongst blood cancer patients or those who has pseudomonas infections in other parts of the body. The rod-shaped bacteria also cause eye and ear infections especially in cases of injury and old age respectively. In adults, pseudomonas aeruginosa normally causes detrimental ear infections resulting into hearing complications, death, or facial paralysis. Injury problems, extensive burns, extensive use of contact lenses, and corticosteroid eye medications normally act as risk factors for potential pseudomonas infection. There also exists potential respiratory tract -pseudomonas infection amongst adults resulting into community-acquired pneumonia. In most cases, sick adults normally show higher prevalence of severe community-acquired pneumonia. Urinary tract also acts as a potential infection site for pseudomonas aeruginosa. Such urinary tract pseudomonas infections results from medical instruments, after surgery, or due to catheterization. Lung also acts as potential site for pseudomonas aeruginosa infection mainly due to risk factors including chronic lung diseases, congestive heart failure, cystic fibrosis, or antibiotic therapy (CDC, 2014). According to the Gilbert et al., 2014 skin and soft tissue exists as the most common potential site for pseudomonas aeruginosa infection (Gilbert et al., 2014). It is imperative to

Communication and Patient Centered Care Reflection

Communication and Patient Centered Care Reflection INTRODUCTION The Healthcare Quality Strategy for NHS Scotland (Scottish Government 2010) was a further development from ‘Better Health, Better Care’ (Scottish Government 2007). In this reflective account I wish to concentrate on the peoples priorities for the people of Scotland outlined within this document, the ultimate aim is to provide the highest quality of care. It has as their objectives that care given should be consistent, person centered, clinically effective and safe and equitable with patients receiving clear communication with regards to conditions and treatment (Scottish Government 2010). Hubley and Copeman, (2008) state communication skills are paramount in healthcare to ensure that tailored advice is delivered effectively. This reflective account is based on an experience from my 3rd year management placement. Using Gibbs’s Reflective Model (1988) I aim to outline what occurred throughout the incident which involved providing clear communication and patient centered care and how this can be linked to the Quality Strategy in relation to the people’s priorities. This reflective model has been selected as it enables reflection on practice in a structured way allowing one to identify critical learning and development from their experience to enhance future practice (Bullman and Schutz, 2008). This scenario will consider how this incident will aid in my transition from student nurse to staff nurse. To comply with patients’ rights to confidentiality and in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), (2010) I will use the pseudonym Mrs Wade. DESCRIPTION This reflection involves a 78 year old lady Mrs Wade who was an inpatient on the ward for 10 days after being diagnosed as having a cerebral haemorrhage. This had left Mrs Wade with a left sided weakness and aphasic. It was during afternoon visiting and taking the routine observations I noted Mrs Wade to be scoring one on the National Early Warning Score chart (NEWS) due to reduced oxygen saturation levels of 95%. However, on comparing this with previous readings this was within the parameters of her levels taken over the previous days. . I had just moved on to the next patient when Mrs Wade’s son who was visiting asked me to come back as his mother was indicating that she had pain in her chest radiating to her left jaw. I immediately took another set of observations and Mrs Wade was now scoring 10 on the NEWS chart. I immediately went to seek guidance from my mentor who instructed me to show my findings to the doctor whilst she administered GTN spray. The doctor came and asse ssed Mrs Wade and instructed me to administer 5mg of morphine, 15 liters of oxygen and commence an initial 250ml bag of normal saline and if Mrs Wades BP had still not risen I was to continue with a second bag, whilst he arranged an ECG and chest X-ray. At this time my mentor advised me that I was to take control of the situation and she would assist me if I required help. FEELINGS My initial feeling was one of complete fear. However, I felt within seconds I regained my composure and I took control of the situation. I was relieved that training had indeed prepared me for a situation like this where I automatically began to use the ABCDE assessment (Jevon, 2010). I was also anxious but relieved in being able to communicate effectively with the doctor, my mentor, team members and Mrs Wades son. I felt I was able to handover clearly and concisely. I feel that I was able to do this as I had been dealing with Mrs Wade on each of my days on duty over the previous two weeks. EVALUATION The negative aspect from this incident is how a patient in one’s care can deteriorate so rapidly. However, in the case of Mrs Wade I repeatedly asked myself if I had missed some signs and this incident could have been avoided. The positive aspect of this incident was that Mrs Wade’s deterioration had been caught instantly. I had the opportunity to discuss this incident with my mentor. At this time she praised me on how I had taken control of the situation in a calm and professional manner. I was competent when communicating with team explaining the background to Mrs Wade’s condition thus aiding an effective result in Mrs Wades condition being stabilized. It was also reiterated that this was an unavoidable situation and there was nothing I could have done differently to alter the outcome. ANALYSIS The people’s priorities outlined by The Healthcare Quality Strategy for NHS Scotland (Scottish Government 2010) and in caring for Mrs Wade on reflection I wanted to be establishing if I covered all areas and were I could improve. The priorities are to be caring and compassionate, have clear communication skills and be able to explain conditions and treatment have effective collaboration between clinicians, patients and others; A clean and safe care environment; Continuity of care; and Clinical excellence. Jones (2012) advocates that it is essential in nursing to have good communication skills. This is also advocated by Dougherty and Lister (2008) who states that communication is an integral part of maintaining a high quality of record keeping which is regarded as a vital standard of practice by the NMC (2008). Communication and written care records aid to establish a continuity of care. As I found Mrs Wade to have deteriorated it is stated by Hill (2012) that the outcome for a deteriorating patient is dependent on the knowledge and skills of the person or persons who find and care for them and the recognition of the acutely ill. As I was the first responder and having called for help I used my mentor and other team members to assist myself in assessing and stabilizing Mrs Wades vital signs. At this time I also asked my colleague to ensure Mrs Wades son was taken to the day room and someone would come to speak with him as soon as possible. This is fundamental to patient centered-care to communicate openly and honestly with all concerned (Brooker and Nicol, 2008). I used ABCDE approach recommended by Jevons (2010) and The Resuscitation Council (2010). The ABCDE approach is a systematic tool were by you assess your patient and deal with the life threatening situations first. During this time I endeavored to reassure Mrs Wade at all times through effective communication skills (Scottish Government 2010, p6). Although Mrs Wade was aphasic her airways were patent and no obstruction was noted. Therefore it was acceptable to move on to B (breathing) within the ABCDE. Patients presenting with Myocardial Infarction (MI) or Pulmonary Embolism can show an increased respiratory rate. As Mrs Wade’s respiratory rate had increased and was desaturating she was commenced on high flow oxygen (O’Driscoll 2008). Mrs Wades heart rate 109 beats per minute and on palpating the radial pulse it was fast but strong and regular. Mrs Wade’s blood pressure had decreased to 89/56 therefore commenced on a 250ml bag of saline. Urine output was already being monitored and IV access was in place. The next stage is Disability. AVPU is a tool used to assess levels of consciousness within acutely ill patients (Jevon 2009b). This is a quick assessment tool within the NEWS and ABCDE approach; However, NICE 2007 recommend the use of the Glasgow Coma Scale to give a full assessment. At this stage my mentor checked blood glucose levels. Blood glucose levels can rise in acutely ill patients due to a result of sympathetic activation (Floras 2009). However at this stage they were within the normal range of 4-7mmol/L (Diabetes UK 2013). During this situation to communicate my findings I used a systematic approach based on situation, background, assessment and recommendation (SBAR) tool to share the necessary information effectively and concisely (Pope et al 2009). In the emergency situation with Mrs Wade this highlights the involvement of nurses in collaboration with other healthcare professionals and coordinate all resources to provided effective timely care. I feel that I took on the role as lead nurse in this situation I knew it was my responsibility as a student nurse in my final placement to show that I could take control of this situation, whilst in the knowledge knowing I still had my mentor if I felt I required assistance. I felt I had to show I could effectively delegate, show leadership qualities, prioritise the care of Mrs Wade whilst being able to communicate effectively in a challenging situation. CONCLUSION The outcome was positive in the aspect that a holistic approach to Mrs Wade’s condition was taken in accordance with The Scottish Government’s Initiative (2010) on patient centered care. I felt empowered by incorporating the use of the SBAR framework in effective collaboration with the multidisciplinary team aided clear communicating in accordance with The Scottish Government (2010). This resulted in a consistent continuity of care for Mrs Wade. ACTION PLAN A result of this significant event was that it gave me the experience of dealing with an emergency situation. As stated by Scheffer and Rubenfeld (2000) â€Å"Critical thinking in nursing is an essential component of professional accountability and quality nursing care. Critical thinkers in nursing exhibit these habits of the mind: confidence, contextual perspective, creativity, flexibility, inquisitiveness, intellectual integrity, intuition, open-mindedness, perseverance, and reflection. Critical thinkers in nursing practice the cognitive skills of analyzing, applying standards, discriminating, information seeking, logical reasoning, predicting, and transforming knowledge†. I was also given the opportunity afterwards to reflect on my role and the role each member of the team took in this situation and where appropriate to remove oneself from a situation I feel for future development I will take responsibility for my own learning in areas where I felt I lacked knowledge. In this situation I had assumed that Mrs Wade was having an MI were in fact it was a PE. I believe that in the future and with more experience I may be able to differentiate and although I would not expect to be an expert I would be better equipped to deal with similar situations in the future (RCN 2013). I was particularly anxious as I know I have no experience in Basic Life Support other than what I had learned at university and knowing this woman was for resuscitation I was anxious that this situation may occur. OVERALL CONCLUSION On reflection of my own experience and in using this to aid in my transition from student nurse to staff nurse I feel I have enhanced my own knowledge on basic life support outlined by the British Resuscitation Council UK (2010) cited by (Dougherty and Lister, 2011) whilst reiterating the importance of good communication skills. It also highlighted the importance of having the confidence to acknowledge one’s own lack of knowledge and be able to admit to this and where to seek guidance to ensure that the correct protocol is followed to ensure patient safety at all times and to provide continuity of care. I feel that the care given to this patient is in line with the initiative of The Scottish Government’s Healthcare Quality Strategy for Scotland (2010). In relation to how this incident reflects on my transition it shows that on graduating as a staff nurse I will immediately assume the role which includes leadership, delegation and supervision. Once NMC registered, a host of expectations are placed upon you. The RCN (2010) reported that newly qualified staff nurses feel unprepared and overwhelmed by their new responsibilities, making the period of transition very stressful rather than exciting and truly enjoyable. However, I hope to overcome these feelings by immersing myself in the knowledge that I will adhere to all policies and guideline by The Scottish Government (2010) to ensure the best possible care and service to all. References Hill Karen Critical to Care: Improving the Care to the Acutely Ill and Deteriorating Patient Karen Hill, Acuity Practice Development Matron Southampton University Hospital NHS Trust May 2010 – January 2011 February 2012 http://fons.org/library/report-details.aspx?nstid=18132 Jones, A 2012, The foundation of good nursing practice: effective communication,Journal Of Renal Nursing, 4, 1, pp. 37-41, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, EBSCOhost, viewed 27 July 2014. Scheffer BK1,Rubenfeld MG (2000) . A Consensus statement on critical thinking in nursing  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11103973

Select Two Short Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle which you Believe :: Free Essay Writer

Select Two Short Stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle which you Believe are Particularly Effective Examples of the Detective Fiction Genre. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle uses many literary devices to convey an impression of suspense and mystery. To do this, he uses a proven formula in all his stories which the readers find effective. He was successful because his stories dealt with the relevant problems of that time such as; inept policing, Jack the Ripper, opium dens, and so Sherlock Holmes was the antidote and exactly what everyone needed, he was an extremely well-developed character. It was early days of the genre and so people didn’t know what to expect, it was a totally new read and many enjoyed it. Doyle’s stories dealt with known and familiar locations and issues such as the role of science being true and not superstition or religion. It was very successful in the late 19th century and early 20th, but some people today say that it has slow moving and two-dimensional plots. This may be due to the obsession of technology today or the relationship between violence and the genre today. The two stories I will be exploring in depth are, ‘The Cardboard Box’, and ‘The Speckled Band’ and there will be references to other stories as well. I will be comparing the features in the stories and exploring the style of Doyle and the detective genre and why it was so successful. To ensure that the mystery itself is properly described, no detail is left out and this creates vivid images. The details that Doyle puts across are not softened in any way and this makes the story seem more believable. He goes to great lengths to describe everything so that a full picture can be constructed without leaving anything to the imagination. The Cardboard Box is about a mystery where two ears are sent to a lady and Holmes has to find out whose ears they are and why they were sent to the lady. The story starts with Watson and Holmes in conversation with reflects their friendship for each other and in most stories they are shown to be loyal to each other. They read an article in the newspaper about Miss Cushing who receives a parcel with â€Å"Two human ears, apparently quite freshly severed.† Holmes goes to see Miss Cushing and they talk about the mystery. â€Å"That is my trade†, shows the arrogance of Holmes which is shown in nearly all the stories. Holmes does his investigating with Watson at his side. He finds out all the information he wants from Miss Cushing.

Celia Behind Me Essay

Bulling has become a bigger and bigger problem and there is not much to do about it, especially when you know you are the next in line for being bullied. What would you do for not ending there? This short story, Celia Behind Me, deals with the problems of the youth. What it’s like trying to be accepted by your friends and classmates. How there is one to be teased. And how innocent-looking children sometimes act desperately towards a person standing in their way of being accepted into the best clique of the school. Also discussed in this story, is the parent’s role in the upbringing of child. How should parents react, when being told that their child has done something completely wrong? The short story is written in the 1st person seen from Elizabeth’s point of view with access to her thoughts and feelings. Elizabeth is the only one that we have access to. The story is written in the past tense as if Elizabeth has grown up and is telling a story from her childhood. The story is written in a chronological line with no flashbacks. We are starting with a small presentation of Celia and how Elizabeth and the other girls feel about her. We are getting strong feelings of dislike of her and that she is an annoying girl who always running behind the others. The themes in the short story are being the next in line and group pressure. In the text, it is Elizabeth that is the next in line to be bullied, and if she doesn’t harass Celia then she will be the victim. Elizabeth is afraid of being left behind What if they always ran ahead and left us to walk together? and she knows that she is the next obvious victim of the others harassment. Elizabeth is also a bit chubby and wears classes, so if Celia ever stops being the victim – they would go after her. So Elizabeth does everything to keep up with the others. Elizabeth is the one who teases Celia the most just to show the others that she doesn’t like her at all. Elizabeth behaves the way she does because she always has to remind the others that she is a part of their group. She is pressured by the group to do what they want her to do, or she will be the one who will be harassed. Some symbols are used in the title. In the story we are told that Celia is running behind the girls on the way home, always a step behind and not accepted. And when Elizabeth is telling the others to stop throwing snowballs at Celia she is misunderstanding for kindness and is trailing after her even more. But the title could also imply that Celia is behind Elizabeth as if she is â€Å"having her back†. Celia is the only reason that Elizabeth isn’t the one who is being harassed and if Celia was a â€Å"normal† girl Elizabeth would be the victim. This story is about many aspects of puberty, problems at school, problems with parents, problems with acceptance. It’s so important for a young kid to be accepted by the people surrounding you. When you see a child constantly being teased, it’s hard not to feel compassion with him/her. Some feel that they have to try to protect this person from being teased. It’s quite obvious in this story, where Elizabeth has an ambiguous mind. In one way she feels obliged to protect Celia, but she also feels this hatred towards her, because she’s always just behind her. She can’t get rid of her. Elizabeth feels split between her own thoughts and the thoughts her parents try to put into her head. In the end of the story Elizabeth is so mad and frustrated by Celia and about how the others are running ahead when she is brushing the snow off her schoolbag. And again Elizabeth is left back with Celia who starts crying and is getting scared. All the other girls are standing on the bridge calling her â€Å"Sucky† and shouting that she has to take care of Celia. Elizabeth gets so angry that she starts yelling all kinds of bad things at Celia and she even starts shaking Celia and banging her head against the cold metal in the tunnel. Elizabeth’s parents are clearly in favour of physical punishment and they both spank Elizabeth to punish her, but also to get out with their aggression about the terrible event that their daughter has made. The mother also says â€Å"I’ll never be able to lift my head on this street again!† (P.5, l.159) It is clear that the mother thinks a lot about what all the others on the street will now think and it is clear that she is very shocked. And it seems like they are more upset about what happened than they will find out why it happened. At the of the story end Celia dies. Elizabeth has never forgiven Celia for making her a victim of the classmates’ victimization. Elizabeth was seen together with Celia and because of that the classmates start bullying her again.

Indo-Burma Forests

Forestry â€Å"Indo-Burma Forests† Forests, some of the most essential ecosystems in the world, house about forty to seventy-five percent all plants and animals globally. Unfortunately, the amount of biodiversity in forests is severely at risk due to the increasing deforestation over the past four decades. It is estimated in the biological community that approximately 50,000 species are completely wiped out annually as a result of arbitration, land clearance, logging, and other human techniques.Dry. Edward Wilson, a Harvard professor, predicts that half of all of earth's species could be extinct in about 50 years, unless the deforestation rate decreases. In 2011, Conservation International (also known as C') conducted a study of the top ten most endangered forests in the world (half of them located Asia-Pacific Region). Of the ten, the Indo-Burma forests were deemed the number one most endangered forest. Encompassing approximately 2,373,000 km, the forests spreads from eastern India to Southern china.The Indo- Burma forests are considered to be one of 34 â€Å"biodiversity hotshots,† a term coined y Norman Myers (a British biologist), which is a biographic landscape characterized by outstanding levels of habitat loss and plant endemics. Over ninety- five percent of the region's forests have been destroyed, which leaves only about five percent of the original forest area still standing; therefore, the Indo-Burma forests are the most vulnerable forests globally. The Indo-Burma forests are positioned in the midst of floodplains, lakes, and rivers.These various waterways give off life and prosperity, allowing richness in biodiversity as well as resources. This region is home oh number of the largest freshwater fish, bird, and turtle species. There is also, an assortment of ecosystems embodied in this hotshot, comprising of dry evergreen, wet evergreen, and deciduous forests. There are also several patches of woodlands and scrubbings on karts limestone ridges, some in costal lands as well as dispersed heath forests. Additionally, a broad range of distinct, restricted vegetation developments, including seasonally flooded grasslands, lowland floodplain swamps, and mangroves.This vast biological diversity is a result of topographical interaction, soil hegemonies, climate change, and seasonal rainfall patterns. The plant species are abundantly diverse with 13,500 vascular plants estimated with about half of them being endemic. The flora of forests range from a variety of ginger and orchids (over 1,000 different orchid species found in Thailand alone) to tropical hardwood trees including Disintegrations (teak) and Dipterous (which happens to be commercially valuable).The animal species are even more widespread as Indo-Burma is continually unmasking biological treasures. In the last twelve years, [the following] six age mammals have been discovered: The Salon, the Inanimate Mountain, the Large- Antlered Mountain, the Leaf Deer, the Gre y Swanked Doc, and the Inanimate Rabbit. There are approximately 430 mammal species residing in the region; over seventy species and seven types are endemic. Over 280 amphibian species are found in the hotshot, but there is not high level of endemics outside of the genus level.The region has noteworthy freshwater fish creatures; there are over 1,260 recognized species (about 10% of the world's total freshwater fish). There are more than 1,260 bird species with over 60 being endemic. The floodplain wetlands and the rivers are absolutely essential for bird species conservation since population numbers have declined due to human expansion and hunting. The reptile population is one of the more prevalent species of the region. Almost 520 species of reptile reside there which more than 200 species being endemic and twelve genera.This Indo-Burma hotshot carries perhaps the largest assortment of freshwater turtles globally; there are exactly 53 species (57 including tortoises), signifying 2 0% of the world's species. A popular species is the Chitchatted, a striped narrow-headed turtle with a soft-shell, which can grow up to about 120 centimeters. These species are decreases in number as well, mostly due to the overexploitation on behalf of wildlife trade. Of the 22 non- marine turtle species that are endangered, almost half of them are found in the Indo- Burma region.Other prominent reptiles include the Ellipsis butterfly lizard, the Chinese crocodile lizard, and the Siamese crocodile. Humans have greatly impacted life for the animals, however, and the overall environment. Indo-Burma was actually one of the primary lands used by humans in the development of agriculture; Hereford, fire has been used more and more over the years to clear out land needed to fit agricultural needs and other human demands. As demand for agricultural goods has skyrocketed over the past years due to population and market expansion, forest destruction became widespread.Huge areas of lowland fo rests soon became replaced with tree plantations (oil palm, teak, and rubber), while hill forests and Montana were threatened by sugarcane, coffee, tea, and vegetable crop plantations. In addition to plantations, forests become endangered by mining for ores and gems, firewood collection, charcoal production, and logging. The marine ecosystem simultaneously became under great pressure in many areas due to development. Draining for the cultivation of wet rice has damaged freshwater wetlands and floodplain swamps (mainly in Vietnam, Thailand, and Manner).The damming of rivers have also become way more prevalent in efforts to generate electricity and maximize water storage to support the economic growth of the country as well as for exportation of goods and services to bordering countries to increase foreign exchange income; regrettably, damming a river not only converts that small body of eater into a large pond, but it decreases the oxygen content and overall temperature, as well as i n amplifies water turbidity down the river and river-bed erosion.The operational measures of the reservoir has resulted in sporadic or frequent flooding of sandbanks, stretches of channel assortment, sandbars, and other territory that is generally uncovered during dry season [severely impacting turtle species and nesting birds]. Mangroves in the region have been transformed to aquaculture ponds, while mudflats have been comprehensively afforested with mangrove or shed by piles of nets, which greatly effects their significance as a feeding habitat for migrating birds and other specimen.Furthermore, ecosystems of sand dunes are in severe danger due to forestation, and overfeeding along with excessive use of [destructive] fishing methods have produced a considerable problem with both the offshore and coastal aquatic ecosystems. Being that only 5% of natural habitats are left in a pristine state and 10%-25% of damaged land due to habitat loss and exploitation of resources, something had to be done to decrease the probability of omelet extinction of the forests. In the Indo-Burma hotshot, protected area structures have become the foundation of government conservation program.There is officially 236,000 km of land protected, representing nearly ten percent of the original amount of vegetation in the region. Conversely, only 132,000 km (almost six percent) is in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (ICON) protected area categories one to four. Together, the countries of Lower Mekong (Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Ala P. D. R. ) have above 13 percent f their territory contained by an arrangement of protected areas.A fine approach to ensuring that the system of protected areas effectively preserves representative biodiversity is by securing the species that face the greatest danger of extinction globally. Endangered species worldwide are shielded best by targeting preservation investment to the sites in which they are prevalen t; these areas are known as â€Å"key biodiversity areas† (Kbps). More efforts towards the conservation of the Indo-Burma forests are currently in the making and there are many organizations and individuals that are eager to contribute.

HCS 483 Information System Briefing Essays

HCS 483 Information System Briefing Essays HCS 483 Information System Briefing Essay HCS 483 Information System Briefing Essay Information System Briefing Health Care Information Systems HCS 483 August 25. 2013 Information System Briefing Supplying quality wellness attention is quickly going synonymous with wellness attention organisations geting engineering and information systems that are the most current. Success of the wellness attention organisation depends on the execution of information systems that are designed to run into the criterions of quality set by the organisation and the wellness attention industry. Acquisition and execution of new or upgraded information systems pose large challenges. Understanding the organisations ends and the functions of the stakeholders will assist in the procedure of taking the right information system for usage by the organisations wellness attention suppliers. Choice and Acquisition Making a maneuvering commission to get down the procedure of choosing and geting is the first measure for a wellness attention organisation when looking at implementing a new information system. Appointing a undertaking director to take the commission to assist give the appropriate information and steer the commission in doing determination. The maneuvering commission determines the procedure of implementing the new information system and conducts research to assist find the best information system for the organization’s needs. The maneuvering commission must look at the demands of the organisation for non merely the current usage but besides how the system will turn with the organisation into the hereafter. Identifying the criterions of attention that the wellness attention organisation will assist specify the aims the commission must run into and the range of analysis to measure that the organisation system demands are met. Research Researching the sellers for merchandises that will run into the demands of certification and records storage is critical in geting the right merchandise. Reaching different sellers and puting up merchandise presentations is the best manner to compare merchandises. This will supply for hands-on research for easiness of usage and real-time inquiries to be answered by the representative. Roll uping preset rating standards from the members on the steering commission so that the choice procedure can get down. Roll uping the single comments on the merchandise must be done on the twenty-four hours of the presentation. Comparing the different information systems. this manner will assist with the choice procedure. Cost Analysis The heightened consciousness in recent old ages of the demand to populate within budgets in the wellness attention sector would look to make the perfect clime for cost-effectiveness analysis ( Russell. Gold. Siegel. Daniels. A ; Weinstein. 1996. p. 1 ) . Cost analysis is portion of the findings that the maneuvering commission must subject in their findings while researching the different merchandises. Cost is a impulsive factor in the choice of a new information system. If the new system does non incorporate into established systems within the organisation. there will be more cost associated with that merchandise. Organizations Goals Continuing the wellness attention organization’s ends in every facet of the acquisition stage is first precedence. Forming schemes that identify with the mission and ends set away by the organisation will assist steer the recommendation from the maneuvering commission. Involving other undertaking leads from back uping sections such as Information Technology ( IT ) will be necessary. IT has the cognition on the bing systems and will hold the penetration that is needed when adding or uniting system merchandises. It is likely that IT has undertakings that will necessitate to interface with the new information system. Uniting thoughts and research may assist take to a better information system pick for the organisation. Functions of the Stakeholders The stakeholder’s functions in the organization’s acquisition of new information system are from start to complete. There should be a stakeholder’s presence in the maneuvering commission to set their accomplishments and cognition of the programs of the organisation on the tabular array to assist influence determinations. The active stakeholder on the maneuvering commission can describe to other stakeholder’s on the advancement and alterations in the procedure of taking the information system. The wide scope of stakeholders is identified as anyone who holds involvement in the failure or success of the organisation. This can run from Chief-Executive-Officer ( CEO ) to concern directors and decision makers. physicians to the nursing staff and even patients. Patients are a critical beginning of information because the patient is the proprietor of the informations entered in to the information system. Stakeholders should hold active input in the full procedure of research. acquisition. and execution of a new information system. For illustration. The medical user may desire an easy-to-use system let go ofing him or her from certification undertakings. while the administrative user wants a system implementing complete documentation ( Ammenwerth. Graber. Herrmann. Burkle. A ; Konig. 2003. p. 5 ) . Decision When sing the add-on or enlargement of a wellness information system the organisation must carry on research with several sellers and a steering commission to do recommendations of the merchandise that will outdo tantrum with the demands set Forth by the organisation. The ends of the organisation will assist steer the determinations on what information system will suit the demands presently and into the hereafter. The stakeholder’s engagement in the full undertaking gives alone penetration from the different degrees of stakeholders. Patients. nurses. physicians. direction. and executive direction are all stakeholders. Uniting all of these elements will assist in the procedure of geting the appropriate information system for the wellness attention organisation. Mentions Ammenwerth. E. . Graber. S. . Herrmann. G. . Burkle. T. . A ; Konig. J. ( 2003. June 7. 2002 ) . Evaluation of wellness information systems- problems and challenges. International Journal of Medical Informatics. 71. 125-135. hypertext transfer protocol: //dx. Department of the Interior. org/http: //dx. Department of the Interior. org/10. 1016/S1386-5056 ( 03 ) 00131-X Russell. L. B. . Gold. M. R. . Siegel. J. E. . Daniels. N. . A ; Weinstein. M. C. ( 1996. October 9. 1996 ) . The Role of Cost-effectiveness Analysis in Health and Medicine. Journal of the American Medical Association. 276. 1172-1177. Retrieved from hypertext transfer protocol: //av4kc7fg4g. hunt. serialssolutions. com. ezproxy. apollolibrary. com/ ? ctx_ver=Z39. 88-2004 A ; ctx_enc=info % 3Aofi % 2Fenc % 3AUTF-8 A ; rfr_id=info: sid/summon. serialssolutions. com A ; rft_val_fmt=info: ofi/fmt: kev: mtx: diary A ; rft. genre=article A ; rft. atitle=The+role+of+cost effectiveness+analysis+in+health+and+med icine A ; rft. jtitle=JAMA A ; rft. au=Russell % 2C+Louise+B A ; rft. au=Gold % 2C+Marthe+R A ; rft. au=Siegel % 2C+Jo

Some of the ways in which Wilfred Owen presents the Natural world in his poems Essays

Some of the ways in which Wilfred Owen presents the Natural world in his poems Essays Some of the ways in which Wilfred Owen presents the Natural world in his poems Paper Some of the ways in which Wilfred Owen presents the Natural world in his poems Paper Essay Topic: Poetry Owen’s presentation of nature is ambiguous. Through his poems he acknowledges the beauty and purity of nature on one hand, while on the other it is presented as cruel and subversive when associated with war. These two very different sides of nature are best portrayed in Exposure in 1917, Futility and Spring Offensive in 1918. To begin, Owen describes the natural world as beautiful, restorative and protective. His references to beauty of nature and the recurring theme of the sun clearly shows how Owen is somewhat in awe of nature. In the 3 first stanzas of Spring Offensive, Owen describes nature with such charm that the soldiers waiting to go into action are â€Å"marveling† at the grass, at nature’s purity. They can hardly believe such beauty exists amongst pain and suffering. The ‘May breeze’ calms them as they feel the pleasing ‘â€Å"summer oozed into their veins like an injected drug†. In this imagery we feel that this beauty is like a drug to them, they are under such pressure that they require anesthetic. â€Å"oozed† implies that they are grateful for a moment to remember happier times. Nature is thought to have restorative power. An example of this is apparent in ‘Futility’. The poem is about a soldier (the speaker) who cannot believe that his comrade has died of the bitterly cold. In the very first line he says: â€Å"Move him into the sun†. The sun is considered at the source of all life, so the poet asks for the resurrection of the soldier. Having seen the sun â€Å"wake the seeds† once, he asks himself why it prohibits itself from doing so again. A different interpretation would be that god is actually the sun itself, because as the bible says it is he who is at the very origin of life. Nature also appears as a protective figure. In ‘Spring offensive’ it creates ‘shade’ as a barrier from the horror, made to provide respite. The pastoral imagery of the ‘little brambles’ clinging on to the men ‘like sorrowing arms’ suggest that nature is a sorrowing force, it is transforming into a maternal figure. We find the same shielding figure in the sun, in Futility. Using the personification: â€Å"The kind old sun†, Owen presents the sun as a caring paternal figure, â€Å"old† evokes its wiseness. This again can be interpreted as a personification of god. The war has the ability to transform the natural world. The clearest example of this would be the very title of â€Å"Spring Offensive†, using this oxymoron Owen contrasts the new life in the world at spring, the season of love, with the imminent death that will automatically arise from the offensive. This â€Å"natural world† is wasted. And seeing all this horror perhaps it has decided to revolt against the men who are participating to the massacre. Therefore not helping them through it, which makes nature cruel and cowardly because they have not decided such a fate for themselves. Spring Offensive follows the revolt of nature as it goes from a benevolent and somewhat sheltering force to a more aggressive force that burns with fury against them. Nature is so disgusted at the unnaturalness of the soldiers action that it initially seeks to stop them- everything from the sky and its cold gust thrill to the smallest buttercup that once blessed with gold now is set sudden cups in thousands for their blood. This all encompassing metaphor of nature possibly representing god creates an intense atmosphere. The syntax of the poem also reflects motif and nature, the regular rhyme scheme together with the use of perfect rhyme gives it an almost liquid flow. Nature also appears to be insurgent in Futility. At the end of the poem as the sun refuses to use its power help the man, the speaker realizes how useless, pointless and hopeless the sun is and how it does not have enough will to wake his friend. The sun has been worshiped by countless communities and generations, yet it is letting the men down. The sun is qualified as a â€Å"cold star†, it has all these powers but is not being generous and giving warmth. â€Å"Are limbs, so dear attached, are sides full-nerved, still warm, too hard to stir?† In this quote the narrator is looking at the body and decides that it is easy for the sun (which may be god) to save this man but yet it doesn’t do it which drives the author to loose faith in god and humanity itself. Cold star could be dead body itself, clay would be his body Cold star could be earth at the begining, the earth full of life clay= earth walls of trenches? This revolt brings out nature’s cruelity, this side of nature is very well portrayed in Exposure. This poem is about exposed men away from battle slowly freezing to death. In Exposure, the weather and nature are personified as assassins. Despite portraying the conditions of war as vicious, Owens language is quite soft on the ear, being abundant with sibilance and repeated f sounds (e.g. flowing flakes that flock). The use of delicate sounding words could be to show how the weather can be a silent or covert assassin. The first image we are given is of the ‘merciless iced wind that knive us’. ‘Merciless’ suggests that the wind is vindictive and without compassion, whilst ‘knive’ is a violent action, implying that the attacker is inflicting pain. From the outset, the ‘personality’ of the weather is established as an enemy. In stanza three, Owen writes of â€Å"Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army†. By personifying ‘dawn’ or nature as a woman, Owen is pointing out that mother nature has turned against them, the maternal, compassionate image of a woman has been subverted. In this poem, Owen is definitely using subversion to show how war defies expectations. The stillness of slowly freezing to death becomes a counterpoint to the progressive verbs in the poem: â€Å"watching,† â€Å"twitching,† â€Å"massing,† â€Å"shivering,† â€Å"wandering,† â€Å"fingering,† â€Å"shrivelling,† â€Å"puckering,† and, finally, â€Å"dying.† As in other Owen poems such as â€Å"Greater Love† and â€Å"Arms and the Boy,† the occasional attractive word such as â€Å"nonchalance† is used ironically to depict the carelessness of the wind as it tosses snowflakes around and â€Å"knives† the soldiers. Unlike English poets Sir Philip Sidney or Percy Bysshe Shelley, Owen does not see poets as teachers or â€Å"unacknowledged legislators.† He says, â€Å"all a poet can do today is warn; that is why the true Poets must be truthful.† Owen strives for the aching cold of truthfulness in â€Å"Exposure† as the poem exposes the reader to the cold indifference of nature and nature’s God. Conclusion: â€Å"Be bullied, be outraged, be killed, but do not kill.† This quote once written by Wilfred Owen could relate to the way he despises nature’s attitude. To my opinion the poet loves nature greatly, he believes it is beautiful and pure. Yet the war has highly disgusted nature who subsequently decides to rebel against it using violence and cruelty resulting in the dehumanization of the soldiers.

Top 10 Great Companies Hiring This Summer

Top 10 Great Companies Hiring This Summer Looking for a job right now? Summer might typically be a time for slowing down, but if you’re in need of finding work ASAP, there are a few amazing places looking to grow their ranks and do so immediately. Try applying at these great companies first. There are recruiters at each looking for candidates just like you!1. ZendeskZendesk is hiring in San Francisco, NYC, Madison, and more, plus remote positions. You’ll do best if you’re a good match for these positions: Account Executive, Senior DevOps Engineer, Sales Development Representative, University Recruiting Specialist, Senior Database Administrator, and Senior Video Editor, but there are many more. Employees say the company is great for coworker engagement and bonding.2. Dow JonesAt Dow Jones, or at subsidiary brands like brands such as The Wall Street Journal, Newswires, Factiva, Barron’s, MarketWatch, and Financial News, you will find open positions in all departments at the moment.3. HayneedleHaynee dle is hiring in CA and NE. There are open positions for  Workforce Coordinators, Pricing Analysts, Digital Category Owners, Customer Care Specialists, Directors of Customer Acquisition, Project Managers, Domestic Transportation Specialists, and Work-from-Home Online Retail Specialists, but it’s worth a shot no matter what if you’re interested in joining the team.4. Citizen SchoolsHelp all children discover and harness their potential to achieve their dreams. This company partners with public middle schools in under-served communities. Hop on board as a Teaching Fellow this summer. A home base of  California, NY, NJ, or MA is a plus!5. ClouderaThis Apache Hadoop software company is hiring. If you’re into data and data storage, snag one of their numerous open positions while you can.6. AmazonThis behemoth has a huge list of open positions in a wide variety of states. If you’re a Data Scientist, Part-Time Seasonal Shipping and Receiving Associate, Senio r HR Leader, Solutions Architect, Economist, UX Researcher, Curriculum Developer, Global Practice Manager, Technical Writer, Software Development Engineer, Art Director, Big Data Consultant, or just really keen to work for Amazon, now’s your chance.7. GlassdoorWith multiple openings here and in the UK/Ireland, this company is specifically looking for Salesforce Solution Architects, Lead Data Scientists, Marketing Analytics Managers, Software Engineering Interns, Sales Development Representatives, Directors of Product Marketing, Directors of Global Sales Enablement, Collateral Designers, Lead Technical Recruiters, and Senior Directors of Revenue, among others.8. AddThisIf you’re passionate about the web, this marketing technology company might be a great and innovative fit for you. They’re looking for new designers, engineers, and sales geniuses!9. ViroolThis company is one of the fastest-growing video advertising platforms, with a global network of over 100 mill ion viewers. They need to grow their team in order to keep up their current rate of growth. Get in while you can!10. Delta AirlinesHiring Graduate Interns, Station Managers, Ground Maintenance Mechanics, System Engineers, Shop Equipment Technicians, Lead Supply Attendants, Specialist-Reliability Programs, Managers, Aviation Maintenance Techs, Baggage Handlers, Customer Service Agents, and others- all across the country. If you want a job fast, plus travel benefits, then look no further for a good place to apply.

A person or a show that had an influence on the mass media Essay

A person or a show that had an influence on the mass media - Essay Example Other types of print media include magazines, journals and books. Through evolution, a wide range of newspapers is available for people to choose from in the market. Traditionally, different kinds of newspapers include the tabloids and the broadsheets, each covering different kinds of news. The broadsheet however is the most intellectual of and most informative of the two, as it focuses of the real issues. Contrary to this, the tabloid majors on gossips, entertainment and celebrity as well as sports news. Even as people enjoy their daily reading from their favourite newspapers, may it be news, politics or advertisements, they are little knowledgeable of the evolutionary process that the newspapers have gone through. Some think that they just appeared, while others remain clueless. However, newspapers have an interesting history of their origin and evolution. In this paper, I trace the origin of the brilliant brain behind one of the worlds’ leading forms of mass media communica tion, Johannes Gutenberg. Historical arguments point out that the earliest form of a printed book known as the â€Å"Diamond Sutra† was printed in China in 868 CE. Some historians however argue that this book was printed earlier than this. The truth is not verifiable. However, the man behind this great invention was Johannes Gutenberg, a goldsmith and a businessman from the mining town of Mainz in southern Germany. Research reveals that Johannes Gutenberg  borrowed money, which he invested in his invention. Luckily, his success drastically changed the world of printing. His earliest form of printing machine, the printing press, was made of replaceable or movable letters that were either wooden or metallic. According to Childress (2008), after a long struggle of trial and error, Gutenberg  completed the machine in 1440. There is an amusing story about how the idea occurred to Johannes. One day, as Johannes sat by the window reading a book chained to the reading table, he c ould not help from smiling at the wonderful ideas that the book contained. Outside, rain was pouring heavily, banging on the window. Suddenly, he felt angered by the precious nature of books then. Disgustingly, he shook his head, and vowed to look for a way that would reduce the value of books and enable people handle them in a different way. This incidence was the beginning of a research that led to the birth of the printing press, subsequently marking the start of mass reproduction of books. However, what benefited the most from this invention was the mass production of newspapers as a form of mass communication. Hundreds of years ago, the only means in which people could write books was by way of handwriting. There was no form of printing or publishing presses available for interested parties to exploit. Due to the rareness of the books, it prompted their chaining to the reading tables as a measure to prevent people from taking them away. Estimated cost of a book then was the cos t of a town house (Childress, 2008). Johannes was born in the year 1398 in Mainz Germany, but later moved to Strasbourg in 1428, escaping the rivalry that existed between the rich and the townspeople. He came from a very rich and powerful family as his father was a jeweller and a goldsmith working at the Mainz Mint. Starting his life as a goldsmith himself, Johannes learnt tips that would latter help him in his invention. Although he fell in love and went ahead to propose to Ennelin zu der Iserin Thure, he changed his mind along the way and broke

CS 1 - Strategic Review XCG Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

CS 1 - Strategic Review XCG - Essay Example With the help of P2P, Skype was able to operate at low cost and allow users to sign up for their accounts quickly (Jusevicius & Firantas, 2010). In other words, Skype is a software-based platform for communication that is offering top quality along with easy to use tools and features to both consumers and businesses for communication and collaboration worldwide via voice, text and video conversations. Skype has already released numerous versions after its launch so that users can make use of technologically advanced features with utmost ease and enjoy the sensation of having conversation online from anywhere. The best features offered by Skype are video calling, chat rooms, SMS messaging, voicemails and click-to-call. It also offered services especially designed for businesses that comprise of e-mail integration and conferencing which have configuration over Skype Control Panel. Skype has even announced world’s first Wi-Fi-VoIP phone in collaboration with NetGear and is even investing in wireless FON community. According to Skype (2012), the mission of the company is to be the foundation of communication on web that is real-time based. The mission statement of Skype can be defined as â€Å"We enable all users via virtually any of the Internet-connected devices to communicate with each other by using video, voice and instant messaging for free of any charges or even make low cost voice calls to numbers both fixed and mobile anywhere across the world†. As of first half of 2010, Skype had 124 million connected users who placed about 95 billion calling minutes over Skype which is approximately 40 per cent of video calls. The best aspect of Skype is that it can be downloaded on computers, mobile phones and all other connected devices for free from its website i.e. www.skype.com. According to Skype’s founders, VoIP market has a huge potential for growth that needs to be explored. It is expected that

Entrpreneurs ( management ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Entrpreneurs ( management ) - Essay Example For this purpose, I have come up with a new business idea of MOTOTAXI service that aims to target people who prefer convenient, efficient & effective means of transportation that not only take them to their destinations but also saves their time, money and headache of driving or waiting for public transport such as underground railway system, taxis, rickshaws and cabs. Mototaxi is a simple motor cycle branded as a taxi. It is made for one passenger only (either man or a woman) and it mainly targets middle class and lower middle office going employees, sole proprietors, doctors, lawyers, teachers, students and individuals etc aged between 16-45 years. The reason for choosing this market segment is because of the fact that they like to save money, are interested to reach their destinations in time, prefer secure, convenient and quality transport accessible at any point and any location with less of a hassle. Almost 50 moto taxis of cost 2,500$ will be introduced in the initial stage of this business venture that will be increased gradually after analyzing the customer response and growth opportunities in the market. First, we will use a Fleet Management System to keep track of all the MotoTaxis across the city areas. This system will enable the company to run all its business operations such as number of available orders from our clients, the number of available drivers and their bio data, arrivals and departures of taxis and others. The second type of technology that we are planning is to use radio so that all the moto taxi drivers will remain connected (with each other) with our 24 hour call center at all times. This would enable the company to ensure transport services to the clients in areas where we are not operational but where a moto taxi can pick the customer from the nearest spot. Our call center will operate through special software to manage the calls and short messages (sms) from clients and will also be linked to

Toxicity from Heavy Metals Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Toxicity from Heavy Metals - Dissertation Example Heavy metals occur naturally in the crust of the Earth. These metals depict remarkable stability, and resist any attempt at degradation or destruction. As a consequence, heavy metals accumulate in sediments and soils. Some of the heavy metals have undergone drastic change in their biochemical and geological cycles, due to human activity (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, 2008). Some of the primary man – made sources of heavy metals are the mines, smelters, foundries, traffic and by products of combustion. Heavy metals that are comparatively more volatile tend to be dispersed over vast areas through the atmosphere. In several cases, such heavy metals have been deposited thousands of miles from the site of their initial release into the atmosphere (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, 2008). The suspension in the atmosphere of heavy metal particles, in general, depends on their size and lightness. Thus, heavy metal particles that are larger than 10 micro meters (Â µm) in diameter settle to the ground, under the influence of gravity. This takes a few hours for completion. However, the heavy metal particles that are less than 1Â µm in diameter persist in the atmosphere for weeks. Such particles are usually removed from the atmosphere, by precipitation (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, 2008). ... However, the heavy metal particles that are less than 1Â µm in diameter persist in the atmosphere for weeks. Such particles are usually removed from the atmosphere, by precipitation (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, 2008). A useful definition of heavy metals is given below. Heavy metals are chemical elements that have a specific gravity that is ? 5 times the specific gravity of water. At 40C the specific gravity is deemed to be 1, by convention. As such, specific gravity is the ration of the density of a substance to the density of water (LifeExtension, 2013). Toxicity in Heavy Metals Some of the toxic metals, whose specific gravity exceeds 5 times that of water are; arsenic with a specific gravity of 5.7, cadmium with a specific gravity of 8.65, iron with a specific gravity of 7.9, lead with a specific gravity of 11.34, and mercury with a specific gravity of 13.546 (LifeExtension, 2013). Heavy metals that cannot be metabolised by the human body accumulate in the s oft tissues and become toxic. The entry of heavy metals into the human body is via air, food, water; and cutaneous absorption due to agricultural activity; exposure during manufacturing, industrial or pharmaceutical activity; or residential exposure (LifeExtension, 2013). With regard to adults, the entry of toxic heavy metals is frequently on account of industrial exposure to these substances. Among children, ingestion is the most common reason for the entry of toxic heavy metals. It has been determined that normal hand to mouth activity could lead to the development of toxic levels of heavy metals among children. The infrequent or rare routes of toxic heavy metal entry into the human body include radiological procedures, incorrect dosing or monitoring during intravenous nutrition, a

Igor Stravinsky Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Igor Stravinsky - Essay Example Stravinsky left Russia for the first time in 1910, going to Paris to attend the premiere of his ballet L'oiseau de feu (The Firebird) (Craft 20). During his stay in the city, he composed three major works for the Ballets Russes-L'oiseau de feu, Petrushka (1911), and Le sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring) (1913). Eventually Stravinsky's music was noticed by Serge Diaghilev, the director of the Ballets Russes in Paris. He commissioned Stravinsky to write a ballet for his theater; so in 1911, Stravinsky traveled to Paris. That ballet ended up being the famous L'Oiseau de Feu. However, because of World War I and the October Revolution in Russia he moved to Switzerland in 1914. The first of Stravinsky's major stylistic periods (excluding some early minor works) was inaugurated by the three ballets he composed for Diaghilev. The ballets have several shared characteristics: they are scored for extremely large orchestras; they use Russian folk themes and motifs; and they bear the mark of Rimsky-Korsakov's imaginative scoring and instrumentation. The first of the ballets, L'oiseau de feu, is notable for its unusual introduction (triplets in the low basses) and sweeping orchestration. Petrushka, too, is distinctively scored and the first of Stravinsky's ballets to draw on folk mythology. But it is the third ballet, The Rite of Spring that is generally considered the apotheosis of Stravinsky's "Russian Period" (Hill 45-46). Other pieces from this period include: Renard (1916), Histoire du soldat (A Soldier's Tale) (1918), and Les Noces (The Wedding) (1923).The next phase of Stravinsky's compositional style, slightly overlapping the first, is marked by two works: Pulcinella 1920 and the Octet (1923) for wind instruments. Both of these works feature what was to become a hallmark of this period; that is, Stravinsky's return, or "looking back", to the classical music of Mozart and Bach and their contemporaries. This "neo-classical" style involved the abandonment of the large orchestras demanded by the ballets. In these new works, written roughly between 1920 and 1950, Stravinsky turns largely to wind instruments, the piano, and choral and chamber works. Some larger works from this period are the three symphonies: the Symphonie des Psaumes (Symphony of Psalms) (1930), Symphony in C (1940) and Symphony in Three Movements (1945). The pinnacle of this period is the opera The Rake's Progress completed in 1951. This opera, written to a libretto by Auden and based on the etchings of Hogarth, encapsulates everything that Stravinsky had perfected in the previous 20 years of his neo-classic period. The music is direct but quirky; it borrows from classic tonal harmony but also interjects surprising dissonances; it features Stravinsky's trademark off-rhythms; and it harkens back to the operas and themes of Monteverdi, Gluck and Mozart. The Serialist, or Twelve Tone Period Stravinsky first began to dabble in the twelve tone technique in smaller vocal works such as the Cantata (1952), Three Songs from Shakespeare (1953) and In Memoriam Dylan Thomas (1954), as if he were testing the system. He later began

Smith Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Smith Engineering - Essay Example The company seeks to develop engineering solutions for the Automotive and Nuclear industries. Smith Engineering aims at providing innovative engineering solutions to its clients. The company focuses on reliability, responsiveness, and quality design. In order to achieve such goals, the organization requires effective management (Institute of Director publication, 2005). Effective management means executing the managerial tasks effectively and with high level of efficiency. These managerial tasks may include: planning, coordinating, organizing, controlling, supervising, directing, staffing among others. Organizations owe the community and its stakeholder moral obligations. Moral Corporation is developed via corporate responsibility and the environment. Corporate responsibility entails two issues: doing the positive good to the community, and doing no harm or whatsoever to the community. This means that the corporations pay back to the community through participating in community beaut ification efforts and events, volunteering expertise, donating money to the worthy causes and being a responsible employer. On the other hand, doing no harm entails efforts of the business towards the environment in its production activities, transportation and disposal. Therefore, in order to best examine moral corporations and corporate responsibility for the environment let us start by considering issues of the environment we face. There is a wide possibility of developing a moral corporation; this requires looking closely at values and changing attitudes (Anne-Marie, 2003). The development of moral corporations needs to ensure that the environment is duly protected. Environmental ethics is complicated in practice because of the numerous distinct perspectives that are involved. The development of moral corporations needs to encompass this ethics. In some situations it may be difficult for corporations to understand the environmentalists’ arguments on environmental ethics. Disagreements hence rise on plans for developing a moral corporation. It is obvious that corporations possess different viewpoints on ethics of the environment (Wheatley, 2006). It is, however, possible for corporations put their different options aside for the good of the environment and agree simply that some actions about the environment need to be done in order to make corporations morally upright. In order to develop a moral corporation, such corporations need to admit that protection of the environment is important, whether they are acting out of a sense of responsibility or out of a sense of self-preservation for the future generation, for to the Earth itself or to all the forms of life. Corporations need to adopt an environmental pragmatism. This ensures that moral corporations are developed and maintained; that the corporations can achieve a consensus on the values of the environment that identify and determine the policies of the environment that all other corporations can agree on (Karl, 2009). Organizations like SE employ various strategies in order to meet their goals. Organizations need effective management in order to maximize their production under the prevailing conditions of scarce resources. Managers need to shift their focus to the contemporary issues of organizations such as the ambiguity, uncertainty, and complexity of organizations. It is also important for upcoming managers to exhibit a critical understanding of management practice and theory. Effective internal management of an organization demands

Igor Stravinsky Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Igor Stravinsky - Essay Example Stravinsky left Russia for the first time in 1910, going to Paris to attend the premiere of his ballet L'oiseau de feu (The Firebird) (Craft 20). During his stay in the city, he composed three major works for the Ballets Russes-L'oiseau de feu, Petrushka (1911), and Le sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring) (1913). Eventually Stravinsky's music was noticed by Serge Diaghilev, the director of the Ballets Russes in Paris. He commissioned Stravinsky to write a ballet for his theater; so in 1911, Stravinsky traveled to Paris. That ballet ended up being the famous L'Oiseau de Feu. However, because of World War I and the October Revolution in Russia he moved to Switzerland in 1914. The first of Stravinsky's major stylistic periods (excluding some early minor works) was inaugurated by the three ballets he composed for Diaghilev. The ballets have several shared characteristics: they are scored for extremely large orchestras; they use Russian folk themes and motifs; and they bear the mark of Rimsky-Korsakov's imaginative scoring and instrumentation. The first of the ballets, L'oiseau de feu, is notable for its unusual introduction (triplets in the low basses) and sweeping orchestration. Petrushka, too, is distinctively scored and the first of Stravinsky's ballets to draw on folk mythology. But it is the third ballet, The Rite of Spring that is generally considered the apotheosis of Stravinsky's "Russian Period" (Hill 45-46). Other pieces from this period include: Renard (1916), Histoire du soldat (A Soldier's Tale) (1918), and Les Noces (The Wedding) (1923).The next phase of Stravinsky's compositional style, slightly overlapping the first, is marked by two works: Pulcinella 1920 and the Octet (1923) for wind instruments. Both of these works feature what was to become a hallmark of this period; that is, Stravinsky's return, or "looking back", to the classical music of Mozart and Bach and their contemporaries. This "neo-classical" style involved the abandonment of the large orchestras demanded by the ballets. In these new works, written roughly between 1920 and 1950, Stravinsky turns largely to wind instruments, the piano, and choral and chamber works. Some larger works from this period are the three symphonies: the Symphonie des Psaumes (Symphony of Psalms) (1930), Symphony in C (1940) and Symphony in Three Movements (1945). The pinnacle of this period is the opera The Rake's Progress completed in 1951. This opera, written to a libretto by Auden and based on the etchings of Hogarth, encapsulates everything that Stravinsky had perfected in the previous 20 years of his neo-classic period. The music is direct but quirky; it borrows from classic tonal harmony but also interjects surprising dissonances; it features Stravinsky's trademark off-rhythms; and it harkens back to the operas and themes of Monteverdi, Gluck and Mozart. The Serialist, or Twelve Tone Period Stravinsky first began to dabble in the twelve tone technique in smaller vocal works such as the Cantata (1952), Three Songs from Shakespeare (1953) and In Memoriam Dylan Thomas (1954), as if he were testing the system. He later began

Legalize cocaine to art students Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Legalize cocaine to art students - Essay Example Users of cocaine have claimed that cocaine helps them feel more confident, excited, energetic, alert, and creative among others. Even though there are many negative consequences of cocaine especially on users, there are many benefits of cocaine use. Some of the benefits of using cocaine like creativity, self-confidence and being alert help art students to successfully paint very unique and outstanding pictures. Universities should allow art students to use cocaine so as to develop a strange mood to help them paint unique pictures. Primarily, cocaine provides the feeling of being high and relaxed and this is very important when it comes to artwork. Cocaine helps individuals to motivate to be productive. If given cocaine, these students will be able to feel highly relaxed to help them be creative and come up with unique and attractive pictures. Secondly, the use of cocaine enhances individuals’ self-confidence. Everyone needs to be confident in order to be effective and successful in whatever they are doing; therefore, developing self-confidence is very important to enable students create unique pictures. Based on the research findings particularly on the perception of cocaine users, this substance enables individuals to be self-confident, a necessary quality needed in this discipline. For instance, students can only be able to come up with unique and attractive pictures when they are confident in themselves and what they are doing. Thirdly, cocaine plays a significant role in enhancing individuals’ creativity. It makes individuals be open minded, to concentrate more when performing tasks and more creative. Agreeably, artwork is all about creativity. Being creative and coming up with more unique and outstanding pictures is the major concern of artists and this is what make the discipline of art more effective and interesting. In addition, cocaine also helps individuals to

Esterification of 4-methyl-2-pentanol and Acetic Acid

Esterification of 4-methyl-2-pentanol and Acetic Acid Joseph Nuernberg Esterification of 4-methyl-2-pentanol and Acetic Acid by Reflux and Distillation and Characterized by Infrared Spectroscopy Abstract: The objective of this lab was to successfully synthesize an ester from an alcohol and acetic acid. This experiment used 4-methyl-2-pentanol with excess acetic acid to produce (1,3-dimethylbutyl) acetate as seen in Figure 1. The mixture of acetic acid with 4-methyl-2-pentanol and sulfuric acid was refluxed, extracted, distilled and identified using IR spectroscopy. The ester had a fruity smell when obtained. The mass of the final product was 0.582g which gave a 34.6% yield. The results obtained indicated that the final product attained was the ester (1,3-dimethylbutyl) acetate due to the similar bond groups of C=O and sp3 C-H. The reason why the percent yield was low was because the nature of the reaction itself formed ether and ester and some product was lost through extraction. For future experiments, the process must be done a lot quicker in order to ensure the least amount of product evaporates. Introduction: Often in chemical labs, esters are artificially synthesized in order to produce an imitation of a flavor. An ester can be synthesized by the reaction of an alcohol with a carboxylic acid. In this experiment, (1, 3,-dimethylbutyl) acetate was formed through excess acetic acid and 4-methyl-2-pentanol as seen in Figure 1. The limiting reagent in this reaction is 4-methyl-2-pentanol so the theoretical yield of the ester product is dependent on 4-methyl-2-pentanol. Figure 1: Reaction of 4-methyl-2-pentanol with excess acetic acid For this reaction, the reflux will be utilized. Heat is applied with a boiling chip, to allow the reaction to occur. The vapor rises and escapes from the round bottom flask and is then cooled by the water condenser. The vapor turns back into a liquid and drips back into the bottom flask. In order to remove certain compounds, the synthesis involved extraction to isolate compounds. The denser layer or the aqueous layer will be at the bottom and can be removed with a pipette. The product of ether and ester was distilled to isolate the ester because esters have lower boiling points than the ether. In distillation, the substance with the lower boiling point evaporates and reaches the water condenser. The cool temperature allows the vapor to change states from gas to liquid which forces the liquid to drip back down the into the Hickman head due to gravity. In this reaction, the (1, 3,-dimethylbutyl) acetate was isolated from an unknown ether by distilling into the Hickman head. An IR spect rum of the final product is conducted to determine the desired product by comparing the bond groups of the given values. If the IR peaks and bonds are the same as the given, then the purified product would be the ester. A percent yield will be calculated to assess the amount of ester produced. Procedure: First, obtain an empty round bottom flask and find the mass. Add about 1.5mL of 4-methyl-2-pentanol in the flask and reweigh. With the 3mL of glacial acetic acid added, add sulfuric acid with a boiling chip. Conduct reflux with the apparatus conducted in previous labs with a water condenser attached to cool the reaction. Heat the apparatus for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool the reaction mixture and while stirring, add 2-3 mL of 5% aqueous sodium bicarbonate until carbon dioxide formation ceases. Transfer mixture and shake hard. Remove the aqueous layer and repeat the separation technique two more times. Remove as much water from the organic layer by adding small amounts of sodium sulfate and let the reaction stand for 10-15 minutes. After a week, transfer the reaction with the ether and ester into a vial and conduct distillation. Conduct distillation for 15 minutes at around 180 to 200 oC. Obtain and mass the final product. Conduct IR of starting reactants and products. Clean up stations and calculate the percent yield. Results and calculations: Table 1: Table of masses during experiment Theoretical yield for (1,3-dimethylbutyl) acetate = 1.68g of Percent yield: x 100% x 100%= 34.6% IR: Figure 2: IR before distillation Figure 3: IR after distillation Table 2: Values of IR for ester (1,3-dimethylbutly) acetate after distillation Discussion and Conclusion: For this experiment, the ester (1, 3-dimethylbutyl) acetate was synthesized from acetic acid and 4-methyl-2-pentanol. However, this is not a one reaction pathway because of the tetrahedral intermediate prevalent in esterification. The addition of the acetic acid leads to a more reactive electrophile. This causes a tetrahedral intermediate in which there are two equivalent hydroxyl groups. Then one of the hydroxyl groups is eliminated, a process known as tautomerism. This then gives water and ester as the final products. The reaction was successful produced from reflux but problems arose during the second component of this experiment, distillation. The ester also had a very distinct fruity smell. This reaction is refluxed because heat acts as a catalyst for the reaction. In the reaction pathway, the temperature is increased, allowing more geometrical collisions with the products and requires lower activation energy. This can be seen as an example of the Maxwell-Boltzmann curve. This was done uniformly by using the aluminum block at around 110 oC. After reflux occurred, a distillation apparatus was used in order to purify the ester from the ether. The boiling chip was added in reflux and distillation in order to ensure that the reaction did not overheat and burn the reaction. Boiling chips are often made from carborundum (carbon and silicon) which are chemically inert and allows sharp edges for bubbles to form which will not overheat the system. The substances in the reaction are allowed to boil more calmly rather than rapid boiling causing splatter and ruining the experiment. The water condenser was used for both in order to cool down the reaction in order to prevent burning of the reaction and ensuring that the product in the vapor state turned back into liquid state. The reason why anhydrous sodium bicarbonate was added was to ensure that any leftover water was absorbed and the remaining layer contained only the organic compounds. This was done a total of three times to ensure that minimal water was left, but some of the product leaked when shaken. The purpose of distillation is to separate compounds based on their boiling points. The reaction mixture that contained ester and ether was to be distilled in order to obtain the ester in the Hickman head. However, after letting the reaction stand for a week, most of the ether evaporated and the mixture was mostly ester. This explains why during distillation, the mixture in the conical vial disappeared as most or all went into the Hickman head. This can be seen in Figures 2 and 3. The IR of before and after distillation have similar values, peaks, and the exact functional groups which indicates that the mixture contained only the ester. The IR spectroscopy of after distillation shows that there is a C=O bond around 1735.27 cm-1, and a sp3 C-H bond around 2959.19 cm-1 which indicates that the compound shown is indeed an ester and that the objective was met since ester do have C=O bonds around 1750 cm-1 and sp3 C-H bonds around 2900 cm-1 . Ideally, the distillation process should be us eful in isolating the pure product, by allowing the ester molecules to be in a gaseous phase. Equilibrium will be established and allows the molecules to form back into a liquid phase in the Hickman head, but in this experiment distillation was not necessary. This just caused more chances of losing the ester by not fully attaining all the liquid from the Hickman head or by evaporating. The results yielded a 34.6% yield which suggested that there were errors within the reaction. One major reason as to why the yield was low was because of the nature of the reaction itself. The ether and ester in the conical vial was left to stand for a week. Because the ether had a lower boiling point than ester, most or all of the ether evaporated due to high volatility at room temperature. In addition, the ester also has a high volatility but lower than the ether because of the structure and the strength of the intermolecular forces. The ester has two oxygen atoms whereas the ether has one oxygen resulting in lower van der Waal forces. The ether was created as a byproduct which affected the maximum amount of yield of ester produced. Therefore, not all the reaction occurred to form an ester because during that time there were compounds that hindered the maximum amount of yield formed by forming a pathway for the ether. This was from the sulfuric acid reaction mechanism to produce an ether. The sulfuric acid dissociates into a proton and a bisulfate ion which forms with the OH group of the alcohol. The alcohol’s oxygen is protonated which forms an oxonium ion. The ion decomposes to carbocation and water and the carbocation reacts with another alcohol group to form another oxonium ion. The ion loses a proton to stabilize and forms an ether. If a stronger alcohol, perhaps 1-hexanol was used, a higher yield would be attained because the stronger intermolecular forces allows the reaction to have lower volatility and the ester and ether formed would also evaporate less. Because there are weaker van der Waal forces in the (1, 3-dimethylbutyl) acetate because of the lower carbon chains, more of the product was evaporated and lost. In order to ensure that a higher yield is attained, the reflux and distillation process must be done back to back or a lot quicker before the ester and ether evaporates at room temperature. Also an alcohol with a longer carbon chain s hould be used as stronger intermolecular forces allow more ester to form. While transporting the organic layers and further extraction, some of the product was lost. Even though this source of error is minimal, there were some product lost along the way by transporting through vials which affected the yield of the final product. Reflux is an effective technique that allowed Fischer esterification to occur. Distillation is a very useful technique, but should not be relevant when one of the substances evaporates due to high volatility. For future experiments, the reaction must be done much quicker in order to ensure that the least amount of ether and ester evaporates and is lost throughout the process and more precise instruments can be used to extract the organic layer. IR should still be used to discern the identity of the product. Because of the nature of the reaction itself, a yield close to the theoretical is very difficult to attain, a realistic approach would be around 60% yield. Work Cited: MSDS of (1,3-dimethyl butyl) acetate. http://www.chemicalbook.com/ChemicalProductProperty_EN_CB8373308.htm (accessed November 7, 2014). MSDS of 4-methyl-2-pentanol. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9926088 (accessed November 7, 2014). Padias, Anne.Making the Connections. Hayden McNeil, 2011.

The Use of Punctuation Marks in the Writing of Libyan Students Essay

â€Å"Punctuation marks are the main means of showing the grammatical organisation of what you write. Hide the punctuation and you hide the grammatical structure. And if you hide the grammatical structure, you hide the meaning of what you are trying to say.† Crystal (1996:151) maintains. As punctuation is relevant to and necessary to grammar (as above quotation states), a significant cause of EFL learner and Arab EFL writer low punctuation proficiency is the incorrect application of rules (Al-Jarf, 2001). He points out, the incorrect application of rules caused by: 1) failure to master the operational or transformational component of a rule; and 2) failure to learn a rules domain of applicability (p.16). According to Mohammed (2006), EFL learners who are unable to write in complete sentence, and constantly appear to have difficulty with understanding the concept of a sentence; their writing contains unconventional punctuation as a result. Mann (2003) believes that one should be familiar with sentence boundaries in order to punctuate correctly; moreover, he points out that to begin and end sentences is one of some difficulties learners face when they start to write. As the construction of sentence varies from one language to another, such variations may result in writing in incomplete sentence and then inappropriate use of punctuation. A simple sentence is â€Å"an independent clause expressing one idea† (Al-Khresheh 2010, p. 106), â€Å"a syntactic unit which contains a finite verb† (Fischer 1984, p. 15, cited in Polio 1997, p. 107), comprised of one subject-verb combination, though the subject may be compound and thus making up a clause with â€Å"more than one constituent† (Al-Khresheh 2010, p. 106). These features describe the English s... ...O’Grady, et al. 1996, cited in Al-Khresheh 2010, p. 106). Othman (2007) posits the differences in Arabic subordinate clauses at the helm of the differences and the cause of the impact to punctuating in English writing. Othman (2007) has conducted a study in which he has attempted to find out how subordination and coordination are commonly used in Arabic and English texts. He concludes: subordination is seen as a sign of maturity and sophistication in English writing, whereas coordination is more commonly used in Arabic writing. As Mohamed and Omer (1999) also conclude, these differences, like those in coordination efforts, manifest in several ways: Arabic subordinate clauses are semantically subordinate, but are syntactically capable equal to their main clauses, just like their main independent clauses, of acting independently as separate sentences† (p. 293).

Hawaiian Sovereignty Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Hawaii Essays

Hawaiian Sovereignty   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"If all of this seems long ago and far away, it is worth remembering that the past is never past.† (Faulkner cited in Ellison, P.274)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many different groups today are seeking the sovereignty of Hawaii. The reason being that these mostly Native Hawaiian groups feel that they suffered a severe injustice when they were annexed into the United States against their own free will. They feel that since they were treated like objects rather than human beings with rights and emotions, they now deserve reparations. The intentions of the different groups vary. Some only want reparations in the form of money and acknowledgements of the inhuman acts that were committed against them and others want it in the form of independence for the island. However, restoring sovereignty to Hawaii would cause great injustices toward the non-natives living on the island today. So these groups should not be granted the sovereignty they are seeking.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"When we have pleaded for understanding our character has been distorted, when we have asked for simple caring, we have been handed empty inspirational appellations, then stuck in the farthest corner.†(Walker, p. 698). When the United States managed to annex Hawaii in 1898, they did break the law and the human code of conduct. A joint resolution of Congress produced the annexation rather than a two-thirds majority vote, which is required under the United States Constitution. (MacKenzie, p.24) Also, the Native Hawaiians were vastly opposed to the annexation because it violated a treaty the U.S. had with Hawaii stating that they would not interfere with Hawaii’s right to self-government. (Castanha, p.2) So when the U.S. held a vote on whether or not Hawaii should become a state, many Hawaiians did not vote because their only choices were statehood or staying a territory of the U.S. and they did not want either of these. Many people today question the validity of the statehood because of the legal violations of long ago. Also, as human beings there is a naturally agreed upon law that we share with one another and that is to treat people with respect and dignity. The U.S. did not do this when they disregarded the treaty and the law to annex Hawaii. These are the reasons that Native Hawaiians are presently seeking reparations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prior to 1778, about 600,000 people, mostly all Native Hawaiia... ...om this injustice committed against human beings. Works Cited Castanha, Anthony. (1996, August). â€Å"A History of the Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Hawaiian Sovereignty Movement: Roles and Impacts on Non-Hawaiians,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Chapter 3. [10/14/00] Ellison, Ralph. (1986). â€Å"An Extravagance of Laughter.† Ways of Reading. Boston:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bedford/St. Martin’s, p.274. â€Å"Human Rights.† The World Book Encyclopedia, 1997 ed, p.678. Inouye, Dan. (2000, September 14). â€Å"U.S. Relationship with Native Hawaiians.† FDCH   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Congressional Testimony. Online source: Academic Search Elite. [10/25/00] Jaffrey, Zia. (1998, February). â€Å"Truth and Reconciliation Commission Interview.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Progressive, Vol. 62 Issue 11, p.18. Jovik, Sonia P. and James O. Jovik. (1997). â€Å"History.† Atlas of Hawaii. Honolulu:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  University of Hawaii Press, p.408. MacKenzie, Melody Kapilialoha. (1991). Native Hawaiian Rights Handbook. Honolulu:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation/ Office of Hawaiian Affairs, p. 24. Walker, Alice. (1974). â€Å"In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens.† Ways of Reading. Boston:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bedford/St. Martin’s, pp. 694-701.

Good vs Evil Essay

Going back to as far as we can remember there has always been a battle between good and evil or right vs. wrong. At the end of the day we are all faced with a moment where we must make a decision. A series of made decisions will, as a result, mold our character to somehow define ourselves as either good people or bad people. It is no surprise that this very own reality is the focus on our entertainment as well. We lose ourselves in an action packed film about a superhero saving the world from a villain to spending an evening watching soap operas where Mr. Perfect goes through an injustice as Mr. Wrong in Every Sense takes his woman away from him. But before all of this technology took over, this scenery was given to us in a more witty and creative way. We will discuss these mentioned roles in two superb stories that until this day simply cannot be replaced by special effects and/or exaggerated and unnecessary stunts. Let’s begin by discussing this subject along with one of O’Connor’s masterpieces â€Å" A Good Man is Hard to find†. This is a story without restraint on going straight to the point. We may describe O’Connor’s style of writing as a no apologies type of writing. The story begins by portraying an almost ordinary family. There is a grandmother, who plays the main role, along with her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. This family discusses the possibilities of taking a road trip to Florida whereas the grandmother tries her best to persuade them into not following along with the plans. Being the paranoid elder we read about, she brings up the recent release of a killer and saying how â€Å"I couldn’t answer to my conscience† (449) if her family came across him. Moving on to spoiling the finale, the story ends with every member of the family being shot and killed. Although brutal, it is tied completely to the title as the family comes across a cold hearted, merciless killer who did not care for the pleading of poor old grandma. As previously discussed, this is a classic case of the innocent (good) sadly falling under the mercy of a criminal (evil). O’Connor was an author that wrote with a purpose and meaning behind every story. Even though some may argue about this being simple a story for entertainment, we are able to take a look around and notice that scenarios like the one in the story happen around us sadly. Therefore, the reader can relate and surely sympathize for the family and what they went through. One of O’Connor’s greatest attempt in revealing the mindset behind a character like The Misfit is through one of his final words after killing the grandmother by saying â€Å"She would have been a good woman†¦if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life† (459). Moving along to Boyle’s â€Å"Carnal Knowledge† we will find a variation of the Right vs. Wrong scenario. In this story we will read about the common scenario of a man, Jim, doing whatever it takes with the purpose of pursuing love in the arms of a very selfish and egotistical Alena. Like many, Jim works hard and enjoys eating meat, as he would love nothing more than to have â€Å"Beef, mutton, pork, venison, dripping burgers, and greasy ribs† (569). But his whole world is turned upside down when he meets Alena, as he was laying on the beach feeling lonesome. In contrast to him, Alena is an animal rights fanatic. Regardless, cupid’s arrow had struck Jim from the moment he laid eyes on her. He tried changing everything about himself to try and win her heart. Jim lost his job, became a vegan, and became part of animal rights protests to impress her. The sad part of the story was not love striking Jim. Instead, Alena being as self involved as she was, did not reciprocate the feelings he had for her. She did not reciprocate anything at all for that matter. After all his effort and attempts, Alena ends up with Rolfe and leaving with him to Wyoming, Along with this devastating heart break for Jim, during their whole friendship he was mistreated and being unfairly dealt by the woman who stole his heart. This is another relatable topic as we see this happen all the time around us or to us in our daily life. We find a relationship where there is and abuser and an abused. There is a relationship where there is right vs. wrong. Good vs. evil and right vs. wrong. We learn about this endless battle through stories, poems, movies, etc. Most importantly, we must treasure the brilliant work from authors like Boyle and O’Connor, which show us some of these scenarios through some of their writing. The same way we recognize the faults and the attributes in these characters, we can learn a thing or two and avoid making the same mistakes or catching ourselves while we still can before we hurt someone or even ourselves. We can all agree that right is most important after all.

Genetically Foods Essay

Genetically-modified foods (GM foods) have made a big splash in the news lately. European environmental organizations and public interest groups have been actively protesting against GM foods for months, and recent controversial studies about the effects of genetically-modified corn pollen on monarch butterfly caterpillars1, 2 have brought the issue of genetic engineering to the forefront of the public consciousness in the U. S. In response to the upswelling of public concern, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held three open meetings in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Oakland, California to solicit public opinions and begin the process of establishing a new regulatory procedure for government approval of GM foods3. I attended the FDA meeting held in November 1999 in Washington, D. C. , and here I will attempt to summarize the issues involved and explain the U. S. government’s present role in regulating GM food. What are genetically-modified foods? The term GM foods or GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. These plants have been modified in the laboratory to enhance desired traits such as increased resistance to herbicides or improved nutritional content. The enhancement of desired traits has traditionally been undertaken through breeding, but conventional plant breeding methods can be very time consuming and are often not very accurate. Genetic engineering, on the other hand, can create plants with the exact desired trait very rapidly and with great accuracy. For example, plant geneticists can isolate a gene responsible for drought tolerance and insert that gene into a different plant. The new genetically-modified plant will gain drought tolerance as well. Not only can genes be transferred from one plant to another, but genes from non-plant organisms also can be used. The best known example of this is the use of B. t. genes in corn and other crops. B. t. , or Bacillus thuringiensis, is a naturally occurring bacterium that produces crystal proteins that are lethal to insect larvae. B. t. crystal protein genes have been transferred into corn, enabling the corn to produce its own pesticides against insects such as the European corn borer. For two informative overviews of some of the techniques involved in creating GM foods, visit Biotech Basics (sponsored by Monsanto) http://www. biotechknowledge. monsanto. com/biotech/bbasics. nsf/index or Techniques of Plant Biotechnology from the National Center for Biotechnology Education http://www. ncbe. reading. ac. uk/NCBE/GMFOOD/techniques. What are some of the advantages of GM foods? The world population has topped 6 billion people and is predicted to double in the next 50 years. Ensuring an adequate food supply for this booming population is going to be a major challenge in the years to come. GM foods promise to meet this need in a number of ways: Pest resistance Crop losses from insect pests can be staggering, resulting in devastating financial loss for farmers and starvation in developing countries. Farmers typically use many tons of chemical pesticides annually. Consumers do not wish to eat food that has been treated with pesticides because of potential health hazards, and run-off of agricultural wastes from excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers can poison the water supply and cause harm to the environment. Growing GM foods such as B. t.corn can help eliminate the application of chemical pesticides and reduce the cost of bringing a crop to market4, 5. Herbicide tolerance For some crops, it is not cost-effective to remove weeds by physical means such as tilling, so farmers will often spray large quantities of different herbicides (weed-killer) to destroy weeds, a time-consuming and expensive process, that requires care so that the herbicide doesn’t harm the crop plant or the environment. Crop plants genetically-engineered to be resistant to one very powerful herbicide could help prevent environmental damage by reducing the amount of herbicides needed. For example, Monsanto has created a strain of soybeans genetically modified to be not affected by their herbicide product Roundup  ®6. A farmer grows these soybeans which then only require one application of weed-killer instead of multiple applications, reducing production cost and limiting the dangers of agricultural waste run-off7. Disease resistance There are many viruses, fungi and bacteria that cause plant diseases. Plant biologists are working to create plants with genetically-engineered resistance to these diseases8, 9. Cold tolerance Unexpected frost can destroy sensitive seedlings. An antifreeze gene from cold water fish has been introduced into plants such as tobacco and potato. With this antifreeze gene, these plants are able to tolerate cold temperatures that normally would kill unmodified seedlings10. (Note: I have not been able to find any journal articles or patents that involve fish antifreeze proteins in strawberries, although I have seen such reports in newspapers. I can only conclude that nothing on this application has yet been published or patented.) Drought tolerance/salinity tolerance As the world population grows and more land is utilized for housing instead of food production, farmers will need to grow crops in locations previously unsuited for plant cultivation. Creating plants that can withstand long periods of drought or high salt content in soil and groundwater will help people to grow crops in formerly inhospitable places11, 12. Nutrition Malnutrition is common in third world countries where impoverished peoples rely on a single crop such as rice for the main staple of their diet. However, rice does not contain adequate amounts of all necessary nutrients to prevent malnutrition. If rice could be genetically engineered to contain additional vitamins and minerals, nutrient deficiencies could be alleviated. For example, blindness due to vitamin A deficiency is a common problem in third world countries. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Institute for Plant Sciences have created a strain of â€Å"golden† rice containing an unusually high content of beta-carotene (vitamin A)13. Since this rice was funded by the Rockefeller Foundation14, a non-profit organization, the Institute hopes to offer the golden rice seed free to any third world country that requests it. Plans were underway to develop a golden rice that also has increased iron content. However, the grant that funded the creation of these two rice strains was not renewed, perhaps because of the vigorous anti-GM food protesting in Europe, and so this nutritionally-enhanced rice may not come to market at all15. Pharmaceuticals Medicines and vaccines often are costly to produce and sometimes require special storage conditions not readily available in third world countries. Researchers are working to develop edible vaccines in tomatoes and potatoes16, 17. These vaccines will be much easier to ship, store and administer than traditional injectable vaccines. Phytoremediation Not all GM plants are grown as crops. Soil and groundwater pollution continues to be a problem in all parts of the world. Plants such as poplar trees have been genetically engineered to clean up heavy metal pollution from contaminated soil18. How prevalent are GM crops? What plants are involved? According to the FDA and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), there are over 40 plant varieties that have completed all of the federal requirements for commercialization (http://vm. cfsan. fda. gov/%7Elrd/biocon). Some examples of these plants include tomatoes and cantalopes that have modified ripening characteristics, soybeans and sugarbeets that are resistant to herbicides, and corn and cotton plants with increased resistance to insect pests. Not all these products are available in supermarkets yet; however, the prevalence of GM foods in U. S. grocery stores is more widespread than is commonly thought. While there are very, very few genetically-modified whole fruits and vegetables available on produce stands, highly processed foods, such as vegetable oils or breakfast cereals, most likely contain some tiny percentage of genetically-modified ingredients because the raw ingredients have been pooled into one processing stream from many different sources. Also, the ubiquity of soybean derivatives as food additives in the modern American diet virtually ensures that all U. S. consumers have been exposed to GM food products. The U. S. statistics that follow are derived from data presented on the USDA web site at http://www. ers. usda. gov/briefing/biotechnology/. The global statistics are derived from a brief published by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) at http://www. isaaa. org/publications/briefs/Brief_21. htm and from the Biotechnology Industry Organization at http://www. bio.org/food&ag/1999Acreage. Thirteen countries grew genetically-engineered crops commercially in 2000, and of these, the U. S. produced the majority. In 2000, 68% of all GM crops were grown by U. S. farmers. In comparison, Argentina, Canada and China produced only 23%, 7% and 1%, respectively. Other countries that grew commercial GM crops in 2000 are Australia, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Mexico, Romania, South Africa, Spain, and Uruguay. Soybeans and corn are the top two most widely grown crops (82% of all GM crops harvested in 2000), with cotton, rapeseed (or canola) and potatoes trailing behind. 74% of these GM crops were modified for herbicide tolerance, 19% were modified for insect pest resistance, and 7% were modified for both herbicide tolerance and pest tolerance. Globally, acreage of GM crops has increased 25-fold in just 5 years, from approximately 4. 3 million acres in 1996 to 109 million acres in 2000 – almost twice the area of the United Kingdom. Approximately 99 million acres were devoted to GM crops in the U. S. and Argentina alone. In the U. S. , approximately 54% of all soybeans cultivated in 2000 were genetically-modified, up from 42% in 1998 and only 7% in 1996. In 2000, genetically-modified cotton varieties accounted for 61% of the total cotton crop, up from 42% in 1998, and 15% in 1996. GM corn and also experienced a similar but less dramatic increase. Corn production increased to 25% of all corn grown in 2000, about the same as 1998 (26%), but up from 1. 5% in 1996. As anticipated, pesticide and herbicide use on these GM varieties was slashed and, for the most part, yields were increased (for details, see the UDSA publication at http://www. ers. usda. gov/publications/aer786/). What are some of the criticisms against GM foods? Environmental activists, religious organizations, public interest groups, professional associations and other scientists and government officials have all raised concerns about GM foods, and criticized agribusiness for pursuing profit without concern for potential hazards, and the government for failing to exercise adequate regulatory oversight. It seems that everyone has a strong opinion about GM foods. Even the Vatican19 and the Prince of Wales20 have expressed their opinions. Most concerns about GM foods fall into three categories: environmental hazards, human health risks, and economic concerns. Environmental hazards Unintended harm to other organisms Last year a laboratory study was published in Nature21 showing that pollen from B. t. corn caused high mortality rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars. Monarch caterpillars consume milkweed plants, not corn, but the fear is that if pollen from B. t. corn is blown by the wind onto milkweed plants in neighboring fields, the caterpillars could eat the pollen and perish. Although the Nature study was not conducted under natural field conditions, the results seemed to support this viewpoint. Unfortunately, B. t. toxins kill many species of insect larvae indiscriminately; it is not possible to design a B. t. toxin that would only kill crop-damaging pests and remain harmless to all other insects. This study is being reexamined by the USDA, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other non-government research groups, and preliminary data from new studies suggests that the original study may have been flawed22, 23. This topic is the subject of acrimonious debate, and both sides of the argument are defending their data vigorously. Currently, there is no agreement about the results of these studies, and the potential risk of harm to non-target organisms will need to be evaluated further. Reduced effectiveness of pesticides Just as some populations of mosquitoes developed resistance to the now-banned pesticide DDT, many people are concerned that insects will become resistant to B. t. or other crops that have been genetically-modified to produce their own pesticides. Gene transfer to non-target species Another concern is that crop plants engineered for herbicide tolerance and weeds will cross-breed, resulting in the transfer of the herbicide resistance genes from the crops into the weeds. These â€Å"superweeds† would then be herbicide tolerant as well. Other introduced genes may cross over into non-modified crops planted next to GM crops. The possibility of interbreeding is shown by the defense of farmers against lawsuits filed by Monsanto. The company has filed patent infringement lawsuits against farmers who may have harvested GM crops. Monsanto claims that the farmers obtained Monsanto-licensed GM seeds from an unknown source and did not pay royalties to Monsanto. The farmers claim that their unmodified crops were cross-pollinated from someone else’s GM crops planted a field or two away. More investigation is needed to resolve this issue. There are several possible solutions to the three problems mentioned above. Genes are exchanged between plants via pollen. Two ways to ensure that non-target species will not receive introduced genes from GM plants are to create GM plants that are male sterile (do not produce pollen) or to modify the GM plant so that the pollen does not contain the introduced gene24, 25, 26. Cross-pollination would not occur, and if harmless insects such as monarch caterpillars were to eat pollen from GM plants, the caterpillars would survive. Another possible solution is to create buffer zones around fields of GM crops27, 28, 29. For example, non-GM corn would be planted to surround a field of B. t. GM corn, and the non-GM corn would not be harvested. Beneficial or harmless insects would have a refuge in the non-GM corn, and insect pests could be allowed to destroy the non-GM corn and would not develop resistance to B. t. pesticides. Gene transfer to weeds and other crops would not occur because the wind-blown pollen would not travel beyond the buffer zone. Estimates of the necessary width of buffer zones range from 6 meters to 30 meters or more30. This planting method may not be feasible if too much acreage is required for the buffer zones. Human health risks Allergenicity Many children in the US and Europe have developed life-threatening allergies to peanuts and other foods. There is a possibility that introducing a gene into a plant may create a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals. A proposal to incorporate a gene from Brazil nuts into soybeans was abandoned because of the fear of causing unexpected allergic reactions31. Extensive testing of GM foods may be required to avoid the possibility of harm to consumers with food allergies. Labeling of GM foods and food products will acquire new importance, which I shall discuss later. Unknown effects on human health There is a growing concern that introducing foreign genes into food plants may have an unexpected and negative impact on human health. A recent article published in Lancet examined the effects of GM potatoes on the digestive tract in rats32, 33. This study claimed that there were appreciable differences in the intestines of rats fed GM potatoes and rats fed unmodified potatoes. Yet critics say that this paper, like the monarch butterfly data, is flawed and does not hold up to scientific scrutiny34. Moreover, the gene introduced into the potatoes was a snowdrop flower lectin, a substance known to be toxic to mammals. The scientists who created this variety of potato chose to use the lectin gene simply to test the methodology, and these potatoes were never intended for human or animal consumption. On the whole, with the exception of possible allergenicity, scientists believe that GM foods do not present a risk to human health. Economic concerns Bringing a GM food to market is a lengthy and costly process, and of course agri-biotech companies wish to ensure a profitable return on their investment. Many new plant genetic engineering technologies and GM plants have been patented, and patent infringement is a big concern of agribusiness. Yet consumer advocates are worried that patenting these new plant varieties will raise the price of seeds so high that small farmers and third world countries will not be able to afford seeds for GM crops, thus widening the gap between the wealthy and the poor. It is hoped that in a humanitarian gesture, more companies and non-profits will follow the lead of the Rockefeller Foundation and offer their products at reduced cost to impoverished nations. Patent enforcement may also be difficult, as the contention of the farmers that they involuntarily grew Monsanto-engineered strains when their crops were cross-pollinated shows. One way to combat possible patent infringement is to introduce a â€Å"suicide gene† into GM plants. These plants would be viable for only one growing season and would produce sterile seeds that do not germinate. Farmers would need to buy a fresh supply of seeds each year. However, this would be financially disastrous for farmers in third world countries who cannot afford to buy seed each year and traditionally set aside a portion of their harvest to plant in the next growing season. In an open letter to the public, Monsanto has pledged to abandon all research using this suicide gene technology35. How are GM foods regulated and what is the government’s role in this process? Governments around the world are hard at work to establish a regulatory process to monitor the effects of and approve new varieties of GM plants. Yet depending on the political, social and economic climate within a region or country, different governments are responding in different ways. In Japan, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has announced that health testing of GM foods will be mandatory as of April 200136, 37. Currently, testing of GM foods is voluntary. Japanese supermarkets are offering both GM foods and unmodified foods, and customers are beginning to show a strong preference for unmodified fruits and vegetables. India’s government has not yet announced a policy on GM foods because no GM crops are grown in India and no products are commercially available in supermarkets yet38. India is, however, very supportive of transgenic plant research. It is highly likely that India will decide that the benefits of GM foods outweigh the risks because Indian agriculture will need to adopt drastic new measures to counteract the country’s endemic poverty and feed its exploding population. Some states in Brazil have banned GM crops entirely, and the Brazilian Institute for the Defense of Consumers, in collaboration with Greenpeace, has filed suit to prevent the importation of GM crops39,. Brazilian farmers, however, have resorted to smuggling GM soybean seeds into the country because they fear economic harm if they are unable to compete in the global marketplace with other grain-exporting countries. In Europe, anti-GM food protestors have been especially active. In the last few years Europe has experienced two major foods scares: bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) in Great Britain and dioxin-tainted foods originating from Belgium. These food scares have undermined consumer confidence about the European food supply, and citizens are disinclined to trust government information about GM foods. In response to the public outcry, Europe now requires mandatory food labeling of GM foods in stores, and the European Commission (EC) has established a 1% threshold for contamination of unmodified foods with GM food products40. In the United States, the regulatory process is confused because there are three different government agencies that have jurisdiction over GM foods. To put it very simply, the EPA evaluates GM plants for environmental safety, the USDA evaluates whether the plant is safe to grow, and the FDA evaluates whether the plant is safe to eat. The EPA is responsible for regulating substances such as pesticides or toxins that may cause harm to the environment. GM crops such as B. t. pesticide-laced corn or herbicide-tolerant crops but not foods modified for their nutritional value fall under the purview of the EPA. The USDA is responsible for GM crops that do not fall under the umbrella of the EPA such as drought-tolerant or disease-tolerant crops, crops grown for animal feeds, or whole fruits, vegetables and grains for human consumption. The FDA historically has been concerned with pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food products and additives, not whole foods. Under current guidelines, a genetically-modified ear of corn sold at a produce stand is not regulated by the FDA because it is a whole food, but a box of cornflakes is regulated because it is a food product. The FDA’s stance is that GM foods are substantially equivalent to unmodified, â€Å"natural† foods, and therefore not subject to FDA regulation. The EPA conducts risk assessment studies on pesticides that could potentially cause harm to human health and the environment, and establishes tolerance and residue levels for pesticides. There are strict limits on the amount of pesticides that may be applied to crops during growth and production, as well as the amount that remains in the food after processing. Growers using pesticides must have a license for each pesticide and must follow the directions on the label to accord with the EPA’s safety standards. Government inspectors may periodically visit farms and conduct investigations to ensure compliance. Violation of government regulations may result in steep fines, loss of license and even jail sentences. As an example the EPA regulatory approach, consider B.t. corn. The EPA has not established limits on residue levels in B. t corn because the B. t. in the corn is not sprayed as a chemical pesticide but is a gene that is integrated into the genetic material of the corn itself. Growers must have a license from the EPA for B. t corn, and the EPA has issued a letter for the 2000 growing season requiring farmers to plant 20% unmodified corn, and up to 50% unmodified corn in regions where cotton is also cultivated41. This planting strategy may help prevent insects from developing resistance to the B.t. pesticides as well as provide a refuge for non-target insects such as Monarch butterflies. The USDA has many internal divisions that share responsibility for assessing GM foods. Among these divisions are APHIS, the Animal Health and Plant Inspection Service, which conducts field tests and issues permits to grow GM crops, the Agricultural Research Service which performs in-house GM food research, and the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service which oversees the USDA risk assessment program. The USDA is concerned with potential hazards of the plant itself. Does it harbor insect pests? Is it a noxious weed? Will it cause harm to indigenous species if it escapes from farmer’s fields? The USDA has the power to impose quarantines on problem regions to prevent movement of suspected plants, restrict import or export of suspected plants, and can even destroy plants cultivated in violation of USDA regulations. Many GM plants do not require USDA permits from APHIS. A GM plant does not require a permit if it meets these 6 criteria: 1) the plant is not a noxious weed; 2) the genetic material introduced into the GM plant is stably integrated into the plant’s own genome; 3) the function of the introduced gene is known and does not cause plant disease; 4) the GM plant is not toxic to non-target organisms; 5) the introduced gene will not cause the creation of new plant viruses; and 6) the GM plant cannot contain genetic material from animal or human pathogens (see http://www. aphis. usda.gov:80/bbep/bp/7cfr340 ). The current FDA policy was developed in 1992 (Federal Register Docket No. 92N-0139) and states that agri-biotech companies may voluntarily ask the FDA for a consultation. Companies working to create new GM foods are not required to consult the FDA, nor are they required to follow the FDA’s recommendations after the consultation. Consumer interest groups wish this process to be mandatory, so that all GM food products, whole foods or otherwise, must be approved by the FDA before being released for commercialization. The FDA counters that the agency currently does not have the time, money, or resources to carry out exhaustive health and safety studies of every proposed GM food product. Moreover, the FDA policy as it exists today does not allow for this type of intervention. How are GM foods labeled? Labeling of GM foods and food products is also a contentious issue. On the whole, agribusiness industries believe that labeling should be voluntary and influenced by the demands of the free market. If consumers show preference for labeled foods over non-labeled foods, then industry will have the incentive to regulate itself or risk alienating the customer. Consumer interest groups, on the other hand, are demanding mandatory labeling. People have the right to know what they are eating, argue the interest groups, and historically industry has proven itself to be unreliable at self-compliance with existing safety regulations. The FDA’s current position on food labeling is governed by the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act which is only concerned with food additives, not whole foods or food products that are considered â€Å"GRAS† – generally recognized as safe. The FDA contends that GM foods are substantially equivalent to non-GM foods, and therefore not subject to more stringent labeling. If all GM foods and food products are to be labeled, Congress must enact sweeping changes in the existing food labeling policy. There are many questions that must be answered if labeling of GM foods becomes mandatory. First, are consumers willing to absorb the cost of such an initiative? If the food production industry is required to label GM foods, factories will need to construct two separate processing streams and monitor the production lines accordingly. Farmers must be able to keep GM crops and non-GM crops from mixing during planting, harvesting and shipping. It is almost assured that industry will pass along these additional costs to consumers in the form of higher prices. Secondly, what are the acceptable limits of GM contamination in non-GM products? The EC has determined that 1% is an acceptable limit of cross-contamination, yet many consumer interest groups argue that only 0% is acceptable. Some companies such as Gerber baby foods42 and Frito-Lay43 have pledged to avoid use of GM foods in any of their products. But who is going to monitor these companies for compliance and what is the penalty if they fail? Once again, the FDA does not have the resources to carry out testing to ensure compliance. What is the level of detectability of GM food cross-contamination? Scientists agree that current technology is unable to detect minute quantities of contamination, so ensuring 0% contamination using existing methodologies is not guaranteed. Yet researchers disagree on what level of contamination really is detectable, especially in highly processed food products such as vegetable oils or breakfast cereals where the vegetables used to make these products have been pooled from many different sources. A 1% threshold may already be below current levels of detectability. Finally, who is to be responsible for educating the public about GM food labels and how costly will that education be? Food labels must be designed to clearly convey accurate information about the product in simple language that everyone can understand. This may be the greatest challenge faced be a new food labeling policy: how to educate and inform the public without damaging the public trust and causing alarm or fear of GM food products. In January 2000, an international trade agreement for labeling GM foods was established44, 45. More than 130 countries, including the US, the world’s largest producer of GM foods, signed the agreement. The policy states that exporters must be required to label all GM foods and that importing countries have the right to judge for themselves the potential risks and reject GM foods, if they so choose. This new agreement may spur the U. S. government to resolve the domestic food labeling dilemma more rapidly. Conclusion Genetically-modified foods have the potential to solve many of the world’s hunger and malnutrition problems, and to help protect and preserve the environment by increasing yield and reducing reliance upon chemical pesticides and herbicides. Yet there are many challenges ahead for governments, especially in the areas of safety testing, regulation, international policy and food labeling. Many people feel that genetic engineering is the inevitable wave of the future and that we cannot afford to ignore a technology that has such enormous potential benefits. However, we must proceed with caution to avoid causing unintended harm to human health and the environment as a result of our enthusiasm for this powerful technology.