The Cause and Effects of Global Issue

The cause and effects of global issue Because of the development of technology, which people use to treat diseases, the deaths caused by communicable disease are decreasing all over the world. However, the deaths of Non-communicable diseases increase. Non-communicable diseases such as Diabetes, Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and cancer, which are caused mainly by the bad lifestyle result in the burden to the global economy and caused many deaths in the whole world. In this essay, firstly, the causes and effects of Diabetes will be introduced.Secondly, those things of CVD will be demonstrated. Finally, the Cancer’s cause and effect will be discussed. Diabetes is a quite widespread disease, which is caused by the lack of an important hormone called insulin. However, researches show that people who exercise less, insobriety and smoke more possibly get this disease and these factors are the primary causes of this disease (Colditz 1990, Helmrich 1991, Lynch 1996, Manson 2000, Ajani 2000). Because of the spread of this disease, people all over the world were greatly affected and it mainly includes three aspects.Above all, diabetes widely affects our health and daily life. Up to now, it’s still hard to cure diabetes. Diabetes has an excessive morbidity. DIABETES UK (2010) estimates that in 2009, 2. 6 million people in the UK were found to have diabetes and it predicted that the number would increase to 4 million people by 2025. Not only, in the UK, diabetes is also a big problem in the US. In a research (2011) shows that 25. 8 million people in the United States suffered diabetes, which represents 8. 3 percent of the total population. In other developing countries, the situation is even more difficult.In addition to the extremely high rate, diabetes always leads to other diseases like heart disease, High blood pressure, blindness, kidney disease, nervous system disease. In 2004, 68 percent of people older than 65 who were died from heart disease turned ou t to have relationship with diabetes (2011). From the year 2005 to 2008, 67 percent of people who suffered diabetes have greater blood pressure than the equal level (2011). Besides, diabetes is the leading factor of factors of blindness. In 2008, a total of 20290 people were living on kidney disease in the United States.Most of them have the history of diabetes. What’s more, about 60% to 70% of people with diabetes have a tendency of developing into nervous system disease (2011). Finally, it is also an economic issue to both governments and individual. ‘The Cost of Diabetes in Europe-Type 2 study’ is the first coordinated attempt to measure total healthcare costs of Type 2 diabetes mellitus in Europe. It evaluated more than 7000 patients with Diabetes in eight countries which shows that the total costs of diabetes were estimated at the EUR 29 billion a year(Jonsson,2004).It has the same situation in other countries all over the world. In Canada for 1998, the econ omic burden of diabetes was likely to between $4. 76 and $5. 23 billion(Keith, 1998). In Sweden, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus is about 3%-4% of the population. The economic burden of diabetes is estimated at 5746 MSEK in1994. (Jonsson, 1983) CVD are the most common complication of diabetes: diabetes causes the microscopic blood vessels of the heart which brings myocardial necrosis. In addition, it also causes atherosclerotic which contributes to coronary heart disease.Myocardial necrosis and heart disease both are a kind of CVD (Goldberg, 2000). Not only are CVD caused by diabetes, but also both of them have something in common. It shows clearly the connection between CVD and unhealthy lifestyle as diabetes does (Wright, Douglas, Rahman, 2004). In other words, unhealthy lifestyle is the main factor of CVD. Unhealthy lifestyle is reflected in using of tobacco, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise and staying up late. On the one hand, with the development of social economy and the living standard improving, people have sufficient money to purchase tobacco.Consequently, tobacco is introduced into people’s life. It has an enormous negative effect on human’s health and is also one of incentives of CVD (Millett, Gray, Saxena, Netuveli, 2007). As another effect of society progress, diet style has changed a lot: people’s staple bread has changed into the high adipose and high protein instead of grain and vegetables (W. H. O. , 2005). Fat intake more than reasonable limit intake, which was the main factors of nutrition superfluous. Over nutrition causes overweight and obese people greatly increases.Overweight and obesity are the common risk factors of CVD (W. H. O. , 2005). On the other hand, the quick pace of city life produces lack of exercise and staying up late. Lack of exercise causes the obesity, hyperglycemia, hypertension and hyperglycemia ( Furberg and Thune, 2003). It has been reported by Furberg and Thune (2003) the main risk factors of CVD are hyperglycemia, hypertension, hyperglycemia and obesity. As a result of staying up late, people usually feel ill next day. Phillips (2005) explained the reason why people feel sick. It is because staying up late engenders endocrine disorders.In addition, endocrine disorders will cause atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, which is one of CVD (Phillips, 2005). Although the decrease of the death rates from CVD appears in some part of western countries (Slattery, Jacobs, Nichaman, 1989), it is still one of the most serious threats to humans, especially among the seniors, in developed countries where medical equipment and technology is comparatively advanced(W. H. O. ,1993). That means the current state of CVD is not that positive as it seems to be. CVD is still one of the deadliest diseases in most parts of western world.Statistics demonstrate that More than 30% of deaths in the United States were caused by CVD (Pakenham, 2010). To make matters worse, the disease, which con sidered to be solely happening in the western world, now spread to the developing countries and is becoming a worldwide leading cause of death (W. H. O. , 2005). Take China as an example, the number of patients with CVD reached 230 million in 2008, which means that 2 in 10 adults are suffering from cardiovascular disease (The Ministry of Health, 2010). As a whole, this kind of problem still remains a challenge for human beings (Pakenham, 2010).CVD not only causes large quantities of death, but also increases the enormous economic burden. People who have contracted this kind of diseases suffered unbearable cost pressure including expensive cost of drugs, of undertaking body examinations regularly and of surgery. In 2010 in China, as far as cardiovascular disease is concerned, the acute myocardial infarction costs Chinese society 1. 946 billion Yuan, while 6. 587 billion Yuan in intracranial bleeding and 9. 817 billion Yuan in cerebral infarction. (The Ministry of Health, 2010).Accord ing to China cardiovascular disease report(2010) despite of the fact of price changes, a respectively average annual growth rate of acute myocardial infarction, intracranial bleeding and cerebral infarction respect attained 34. 46%, 26. 85% and 31. 05% since 2004. China cardiovascular disease report (2010) stated that such a rapid growth of cost of CVD have a close connection with the rapid growth of the number of people and increases personal and national economic burden. Be similar to diabetes and CVD, the cancer spread very wide and quick and influence seriously. There are many factors, which can cause the increasing of Cancer.The main factor is the unhealthy lifestyle, such as alcohol abuse, inadequate diet, physical inactivity and tobacco’s use. Tobacco’s use, which has the biggest influence on human causes highest rate of cancer. The more and more use of tobacco causes the increasing of lung cancer, which has a high fatality rate. According to the J Natl Cancer I nst (1981), by far, the largest reliably known percentage is the 30% of current U. S. cancer deaths that are due to tobacco. On the other hand, the physical inactivity also causes the increasing of cancer, because the cancer is from the genic mutation.If people do fewer exercises, the more rate of genic mutation will be. So people will have a higher rate of getting cancer. Moreover, the pollution of environment causes the increasing of cancer too. It even can cause 37 forms of cancer (core-reading. No date) Because of the increasing of the cancer described above, it costs much money and influences the economy. This phenomenon not only occurs in developing countries but also in developed countries. According to the Boyle (2008), this is going to present an amazing problem at every level in every society worldwide. However, the influences in different countries are different.For example, the cost of cancer in the United States is less than 1. 73% of GDP but in the Hungary, which has a smaller population and domestic economy it is more than 3. 05% of GDP. (Global Health, 2010) This kind of difference between developing and developed countries is the result of the different degree of attention in the countries. In developing countries, the government pay more attention to the development of economy thus the control of cancer was ignored. Only when cancer becomes an evident disaster, the government will turn to treat it. However, it will cost more money, because the treatment costs more money than the prevention.The truth is that both developing and developed countries spend much money on cancer. The total economic impact of premature death and disability from cancer worldwide was $895 billion in 2008. This cost represents 1. 5 percent of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP). This economic toll from cancer is nearly 19 percent higher than heart disease, the second-leading cause of economic loss ($895 billion and $753 billion, respectively). (Global healt h, 2010) The high cost of cancer happened because the cancer has direct and indirect influences on the economy.The direct influences include the cost of treatment and prevention of cancer and the funds which be used in research of cancer. The indirectly influences is the decrease of the productivity, because there are no longer enough healthy adults who can work for the industry. Moreover, the death of cancer is more than any other disease, especially in the developing countries. People in Butler County are more likely to die from cancer than heart disease, counter to the trend seen nationally and across the region, according to Journal News’s examination.In some developing countries, the cancer death can equal or larger than 60% of the total death in there per year(Boyle,Levin,2008). In 2008, there were 12. 4 million new case of cancer diagnosed and 7. 6 million deaths from disease (Boyle,Levin,2008). There are a number of factors, which account for the increasing of Non-com municable diseases. However, the main factor is the bad lifestyle of people. On the other hand, the Non-communicable diseases cause many deaths and loss of global economy. It has been argued that there are three kinds of Non-communicable diseases, including Diabetes, CVD and Cancer, which play the important role in NCD.These three diseases caused by the bad lifestyle such as the lack of the exercise and the superfluous or unhealthy diet. Because of the increasing of the NCD, it cost a lot of government’s money to treat it and becomes a heavy burden to the global economy. All in all, the Non-communicable diseases as a global issue result in the burden with the global economy and cause many deaths in the whole world. References Colditz GA, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ,(1990)Weight as a risk factor for clinical diabetes in women. Am J Epidemiol Helmrich SP, Ragland DR, Leung RW, Paffenbarger RS Jr.Physical activity and reduced occurrence of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. N Engl J Med 1991 Lynch J, Helmrich SP, Lakka TA, et al. Moderately intense physical activities and high levels of cardiorespiratory fitness reduce risk of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in middle-aged men. Arch Intern Med 1996 Manson JE, Ajani UA, Liu S, Nathan DM, Hennekens CH. A prospective study of cigarette smoking and the incidence of diabetes mellitus among US male physicians. Am J Med 2000 Ajani UA, Hennekens CH, Spelsberg A, Manson JE. Alcohol consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus among US male physicians.Arch Intern Med 2000 Data from the 2011 National Diabetes Fact Sheet (released Jan. 26, 2011) http://www. diabetes. org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/ Revealing the cost of Type II diabetes in Europe(B Jonsson – Diabetologia, 2002 – Springer) Goldberg, K. B. (2000) Risk factor CVD in diabetic patients modification for cardiac disease. New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies JT Wright Jr, JG Douglas, M Rahman(1998)Prevention of cardiovascul ar disease in hypertensive patients with normal renal function, [online]Available at <http://www. ciencedirect. com/science/article/pii/S0272638698003357 >(13/12/2011 15:27) Gerald B. Phillips(2005)Is Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease an Endocrinological Disorder? The Estrogen-Androgen Paradox, [online]Available at <http://jcem. endojournals. org/content/90/5/2708. short> (13/12/2011 15:38) ML Slattery, DR Jacobs Jr and MZ Nichaman (1989)Leisure time physical activity and coronary heart disease death. The US Railroad Study [online]Available at http://circ. ahajournals. org/content/79/2/304. short (13/12/2011 15:38)The Ministry of Health. (2010) China cardiovascular disease report, 21th Oct [online]Available at http://www. moh. gov. cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/mohbgt/s6717/201109/52995. htm(13/12/2011 15:39) world health organization report(2005) Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs)not date [online]Available at http://www. who. int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs317/en/ind ex. html (13/12/2011 15:41) Making connection Unit 1 reading 2 J Natl Cancer Inst, (1981) . The causes of cancer: quantitative estimates of avoidable risks of cancer in the United States today. online]Available at<http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/sites/entrez/7017215? dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m,isrctn> (13/12/2011 10:25) <<Core reading book>> Cancer In Developing World(2010). [online]Available at<http://www. globalhealth. org/view_top. php3? id=1056>(13/12/2011 10:26) American Cancer Society,lnc. (2010),The Global Economic [online]Available at<http://www. globalhealth. org/images/pdf/2010_cancer_report. pdf> (13/12/2011 10:34) Boyle/ P, and Levin, B. World Cancer Report (2008),

Corporate Social Responsibility Essay

Business and society are interdependent. The wellbeing of one depends on the wellbeing on the other. Companies engaged in CSR are reporting benefits to their reputation and their bottom line. We cannot build the case for CSR solely because of its economic benefits – an ethical case must be made for companies taking responsibility for the impact of their relations with society and the environment, otherwise the foundations of CSR will be far too narrow. However, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is becoming an increasingly significant category by which a company’s reputation is evaluated. A variety of social and environmental issues across a broad spectrum of industries have recently been covered in the media – all of which directly affect a company’s reputation and all of which can be considered part of the larger CSR equation. Whether CSR is considered merely the latest trend in business management or whether it is laying the foundation for a newly advanced way of doing business, a brief overview of recent business news and corporate communications shows that CSR is certainly a relevant factor for how a company positions itself in the marketplace. CSR There is no universally agreed statement of just what CSR means and implies, and ideas on the subject are still developing. All the same, a common body of policy has now taken shape and won general approval among those who favors the approach. According to this way of thinking, a combination of recent changes on the world scene and pressures from public opinion now requires businesses to take on a new role, a newly defined mission. They should play a leading part in achieving the shared objectives of public policy and making the world a better place. In doing so, they should embrace the notion of ‘corporate citizenship’. They should run their affairs, in close conjunction with a group of different ‘stakeholders’, to pursue the common goal of ‘sustainable development’. Sustainable development is said to have three dimensions-‘economic’, ‘environmental’ and ‘social’. Hence, companies should set objectives, measure their performance, and have that performance independently audited, in relation to all three. They should aim to meet the ‘triple bottom line’, rather than focusing narrowly on profitability and shareholder value. All this applies to privately owned businesses in general and in particular to large multinational enterprises. Only by acting in this way can companies respond to ‘society’s expectations’. Making such a positive response is presented as the key to long-run commercial success for individual corporations in today’s world. This is because profits depend on reputation, which in turn depends increasingly on being seen to act in a socially responsible way. Thus taking the path of CSR will in fact be good for enterprise profitability: it will bring and sustain support and custom from outside the firm, and make for greater loyalty and keenness from its employees. To embrace corporate citizenship represents enlightened self-interest on the part of business. There is also a wider dimension, going beyond the individual corporation. The adoption of CSR by businesses generally is seen as necessary to ensure continuing public support for the private enterprise system as a whole. Corporate social responsibility Corporate social responsibility is necessarily an evolving term that does not have a standard definition or a fully recognized set of specific criteria. With the understanding that businesses play a key role on job and wealth creation in society, CSR is generally understood to be the way a company achieves a balance or integration of economic, environmental and social imperatives while at the same time addressing shareholder and stakeholder expectations. CSR is generally accepted as applying to firms wherever they operate in the domestic and global economy. The way businesses engage/involve the shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, governments, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and other stakeholders is usually a key feature of the concept. While business compliance with laws and regulations on social, environmental and economic objectives set the official level of CSR performance, CSR is often understood as involving the private sector commitments and activities that extend beyond this foundation of compliance with laws. From a progressive business perspective, CSR usually involves focusing on new opportunities as a way to respond to interrelated economic, societal and environmental demands in the marketplace. Many firms believe that this focus provides a clear competitive advantage and stimulates corporate innovation. CSR is generally seen as the business contribution to sustainable development, which has been defined as â€Å"development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs†, and is generally understood as focusing on how to achieve the integration of economic, environmental, and social imperatives. CSR also overlaps and often is synonymous with many features of other related concepts such as corporate sustainability, corporate accountability, corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, corporate stewardship, etc. CSR commitments and activities typically address aspects of a firm’s behavior (including its policies and practices) with respect to such key elements as; health and safety, environmental protection, human rights, human resource management practices, corporate governance, community development, and consumer protection, labor protection, supplier relations, business ethics, and stakeholder rights. Corporations are motivated to involve stakeholders in their decision-making and to address societal challenges because today’s stakeholders are increasingly aware of the importance and impact of corporate decisions upon society and the environment. The stakeholders can reward or punish corporations. Corporations can be motivated to change their corporate behavior in response to the business case, which a CSR approach potentially promises. This includes: 1)Stronger financial performance and profitability (e. g. hrough eco- efficiency), 2)Improved accountability to and assessments from the investment community, 3)Enhanced employee commitment, 4)Decreased vulnerability through stronger relationships with communities, 5)Improved reputation and branding. Historical context The view that a business can have obligations that extend beyond economic roles is not new in many respects. Throughout recorded history, the roles of organizations producing goods and services for the marketplace were frequently linked with and include political, social, and/or military roles. For example, throughout the early evolutionary stages of company development in England (where organizations such as the Hudson Bay Company and the East India Company received broad mandates), there was a public policy understanding that corporations were to help achieve societal objectives such as the exploration of colonial territory, setting up settlements, providing transportation services, developing bank and financial services, etc.. During the nineteenth century, the corporation as a business form of organization evolved rapidly in the US. It took on a commercial form that spelled out responsibilities of the board of directors and management to shareholders (i. e. fiduciary duty). In this later evolutionary form, public policy frequently addressed specific social domains such as health and safety for workers, consumer protection, labour practices, environmental protection, etc. Thus, corporations responded to social responsibilities because they were obligated to comply with the law and public policy. They also responded voluntarily to market demands that reflected consumer morals and social tastes. By the mid-point of the twentieth century, business management experts such as Peter Drucker and being considered in business literature were discussing corporate social responsibility in the US. In 1970, economist Milton Friedmann outlined his view that the social responsibility of corporations is to make profits within the boundaries of societal morals and laws (but cautioned that socially responsible initiatives by corporations could lead to unfocused management directions, misallocations of resources, and reduced market competition, opportunity and choice). CSR emerged and continues to be a key business management, marketing, and accounting concern in the US, Europe, Canada, and other nations. In the last decade, CSR and related concepts such as corporate citizenship and corporate sustainability have expanded. This has perhaps occurred in response to new challenges such as those emanating from increased globalization on the agenda of business managers as well as for related stakeholder communities. It is now more a part of both the vocabulary and agenda of academics, professionals, non-governmental organizations, consumer groups, employees, suppliers, shareholders, and nvestors. Diversity of Perspectives The following summaries of perspectives of different organizations serve to indicate the diversity of views on CSR that exist in Canada and around the world. They reflect the challenges and opportunities for both the public and private sectors to effectively operationalize and align CSR between domestic, continental and international levels. They also indicate the challenges and opportunities to develop the most appropriate relationships between shareholders and other stakeholders as well as to use the optimal policy mix of legislative and voluntary instruments.

Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Management - Assignment Example For example, the sales department had pointed out that there was inadequate support from the marketing department and for this reason, poor sales had resulted. On the other hand, according to the Director of the marketing department, the design and quality of the product were the major causes of the problem. In order to deal with the problems, a restructure plan was required to be formulated which would best suit the company. The following restructure model can be used: Source: 1 Chinese Apparel Industry Facts From the year 2003, there has been an increase in the market size of the Chinese apparel sector from USD 47,194 million to USD 78,459 million in the year 2009 at a CAGR of 8.8%. In the year 2009, there was a sharp decline in growth rate, where the market slumped due to economic chaos. From USD 95,540 million in the year 2008, the market declined to USD 78,459 million in the year 2009, which was estimated to be a decline of 17.9% of growth2. Diagnosis Internal Analysis of the Sp ortswear Company in China There were multifarious reasons that led the sportswear company in China to suffer losses such as lack of support from the marketing department and poor design and quality of the products. ... They should be aware of different rules and regulations imposed by the government including the taxation policy. Since the Sportswear Company in China is itself manufacturing the products, there is possibility of unfavorable changes in political and trade relations between Singapore and China. The political instability in China, increase in labor costs, or unfavorable weather conditions could considerably get in the way of the production and the shipment of the products of the company, which would in turn affect their operations and financial results. Economic: The sportswear company is also affected by the economy of the country. The stability of interest rate in the country is also a significant factor which can have an impact. A high rate of interest will result in the fall of demand of the product making the borrowings expensive and savings attractive. On the other hand, a low rate of interest leads to increase in the inflation. The company should also take the tax into considera tion. Mainly the taxes are of two types namely direct and indirect. Direct tax cannot be avoided and it affects the personal disposable income. People can avoid Indirect tax such as VAT by not purchasing the products. The high rate of interest in China has led to the fall in the demand of the products in the last two years thereby resulting in the losses for the company. But with the improvement in the living standards of the people of China and also changes in their consumption level, sportswear companies are becoming popular among the people, thereby enhancing the businesses of sportswear manufacturing companies in China. Social: The company should also take into consideration the

Software project management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Software project management - Assignment Example you that the productivity of game developers varies widely, from 5-25 lines of code (LOC) of per day (fully tested), and this is the same productivity range achieved for the other game. a. Provide an estimated range in LOC (e.g.,  x - y LOC)  for the software size of the game to be developed. Show your work. To help you calculate the available capacity of a programmer in a calendar year, the Human Resources Department has told you to assume 52 weeks x 5 working days per week, minus the following unavailable days based on the yearly history for the average programmer in the company: 3. The following table is a very rough plan consisting of a list of activities, immediate predecessors, duration estimates, and resources required (one network engineer (NE) or one user interface architect (UI)) for a project to develop a network administration dashboard. There is only one network engineer and only one user interface architect available for the duration of the project. 5. say in chapter 14 about "the 10 percent solution to project estimates", "life-cycle costing", and "logistics support" (what we have called MOOS-Maintenance and Ongoing Operations Support).  In your own words, how would the ideas from Kerzner: In the aspect of the logistic support and life cycle costing, the projects estimates should taken properly to eliminate any sort of deficit be it on the short term as well as long term project phase

Hyperinflation in Argentina Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Hyperinflation in Argentina - Essay Example This is explained with relevant data and pictorial graphs in order to bring out a clear understanding of the concept. Hyperinflation in any country is the result of careless monetary policies and the balance of imports and exports, and the mismatch of demand and supply factors. A country that slips into a period of hyperinflation experiences a rough economy in addition to heavy economic downturn and in the end resulting in currency devaluation. According to the banking dictionary Hyperinflation is explained as an "Economic condition characterized by rapidly rising prices of freely traded goods, and declining purchasing power, threatening economic stability and ability to repay External Debt the term usually is applied when consumer prices are rising at rates in excess of 50% per month, particularly in developing countries. While we do have many definitions and perceptions about hyperinflation let us first understand the term Inflation. In an article published by the department of Economics Wilfred Laurier University of Canada, "Inflation is generally defined as a sustained increase in the cost of living. While there exist a myriad of indicators of the cost of living in most countries, inflation is usually thought of in terms of a consumer price index (CPI)." Moreover is further explains inflation as "An understanding of inflation and its causes is vital since continuous increases in some indicator of the cost of living imp lies a concomitant fall in the purchasing power of money. In other words, a given quantity of currency is able to command fewer quantities of goods and services as prices rise."(Pierre 2000) Finally inflation is the rise in the consumer prices and the percentage of this rise if exceeds over 50% a month is hyperinflation. Most of the hyperinflationary conditions have risen across the Globe after the Second World War. Brazil and Argentina had an average monthly increase of 68.6% and 66% respectively. However, economists commonly agree that Germany's economy was the worst affected due to Hyperinflationary conditions during the Second World War. The recent Global financial meltdown has given rise to many questions about hyperinflation across the Globe and how long it would last and whether this would give rise to another Great Depression 2. In an article by Global Research, the International forecaster of Bob Chapman predicted Inflation rates; US at 12.5% ,China 8.5% The Gulf an average of 12% ,Russia at 14%, India at 8%, Indonesia 12%, Brazil at 5%, Chile 8.3%, and Argentina at 23%.(Lendman 2008) The figures are just a global forecast of which Argentina the highest note that Brazil has managed to emerge out of its hyperinflationary condition and is well on the road to recovery. History of Argentina's Inflation: Just to give glimpse of the Argentine Inflation picture. Hyperinflation picture rather news from the Argentine post the average annual inflation rate in Argentina between 1965 and 1989 was 284%, according to a 1992 research paper archived by the National Bureau of Economic Research. According to this

Encountering the Old Testament Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Encountering the Old Testament - Assignment Example Nonetheless, as Cain called on God to provide some protection for him, as he feared being slain in his journeys, God yielded to Cain’s prayers and granted that â€Å"anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over† (Genesis 4:15 The New International Version). The Divine protection of Cain enabled him to reside safely in the eastern land of Nod, and to build the first city on the Earth, named after his first-born son, Enoch. The mercy of God thus proved instrumental in the development of human civilization (Arnold & Beyer, 2008). The case of Cain demonstrated that Lord God is simultaneously wrathful and merciful, ready both to punish and to forgive. The story of the Ark of Noah that may be found in the selfsame Book of Genesis is further testimony to this capacity of God, and, therefore, it is necessary to dwell on it in detail. According to Genesis, the Flood was caused by especial depravity of humans then living on Earth, who went as far as entering into sexual relations with â€Å"sons of the God† (i.e. the fallen angels; Genesis 6:2 The New International Version). ...The Covenant of God with Noah and his successors (Genesis 9:8-10 The New International Version) proved that Divine mercy is always quick to return to those who show their obedience to God’s will. The story of Jonah may likewise be invoked here. When Jonah declined God’s dictum to go to the city of Nineveh and preach against its residents’ wickedness, Lord God sent a great storm against the ship carrying him (Jonah 1:4 The New International Version). Eventually, Jonah was consumed by the belly of the â€Å"huge fish† sent by the Lord, and he was there for three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17 The New International Version). However, God’s mercy wathe s still shown to Jonah, as, when he gave prayer to the Lord in hope of salvation, God commanded the fish to release Jonah, and he was able to continue his way, going to Nineveh t o fulfill God’s will.  

Bush Tax Cuts Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bush Tax Cuts - Research Paper Example Mixed reactions were reported. Some argued that they were only beneficial to the wealthy, while others argued that it was not in the nation’s interest to abolish tax cuts during a recession. Still, others opined that tax cuts were too costly for the government that was in dire need of extra revenue to service budget deficits. Bush Tax Cuts Introduction A tax relief initiative is bound to have different receptions from different economic classes. There has been debate over who benefited the most from the tax cuts. Supporters of lower taxes have been of the opinion that tax deductions meant a growth to the swiftness of job creation and recovery in economics (Hughes, 2012). For them, lower taxes on all citizens meant that receipts would go up from the wealthier Americans, because their rates of tax would go down with no option for tax shelters. On the other hand, politicians have been of the opinion that the tax cuts favored the wealthy. They were passed in the midst of promises of how they would boost the economy. But what they claim to have seen is a decade of slow growth. Politicians have a duty to systemize, defend and recommend concepts that are suitable for their subjects and condemn those that fall short of their expectations (Blackburn, 2001). This paper will present views opposing and agreeing to the argument whether it is ethical for politicians to claim that the Bush Tax Cuts were beneficial to the rich and unfair to the poor and also give the writer’s views. One perspective would say yes and agree that it is ethical for politicians to say that the Bush tax cut hurt the poor and unfairly benefited the rich. This is because when President Bush took office, he had to deal with a recession rooted in the previous presidency in order to fight the economic difficulties and create a strong foundation for the entire nation. However, he implemented the income tax reductions that gradually came into force for the middle and lower class but took effe ct immediately for the rich, further lowering their marginal tax rates. Among the impacts of the initiative was that it awoke recognition of a lesser recognized item on the Internal Revenue Code, the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). Although the AMT was designed to ensure that wealthy taxpayers did not abuse the numerous tax incentives by reducing their tax obligation by an unfair margin, there were no adjustments to the applicable rates that matched the lower taxpayers (Burman, 2007). For ethical purposes, the adjustments should have matched the lower rates of the Acts of 2001 and 2003. For example, Estate tax, also known as inheritance tax that imposed on inheritances over one million dollars, was reduced. This meant that someone from a rich family could inherit property worth millions of dollars and still pay marginal tax for it. Rich investors also benefited as lower tax rates targeting them made it possible to earn higher returns while their taxes on dividends remained below the average most taxpayers submitted (Hughes, 2012). In a free market, it is ethical for politicians to say there is no justification for cutting taxes and providing greater relief to the rich for a decade yet economic growth slows down in the same period. In view of a market-oriented perspective, the tax cuts were not beneficial to the poor because they were implemented in slow,

Research summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research summary - Assignment Example The Australian Government makes unprecedented investment in the education sector; particular emphasis is laid on the improvement of the state of undergraduate education in the country and the technical training facilities. It makes investments in universities and other tertiary education channels with the aim of driving an overall comprehensive reform in the training sector in the economy and the post-compulsory education sector (Pritchett 367). This includes a two-fold step; short term injection of fund to the weak areas of the economy on one hand and on the other hand, building up on the strengths of the education sector in the economy. At present the education sector of Australia is strong enough to boost up the economic potential of the economy. The government is making a realistic plan for the next decade in order to ensure that current activities to reform the country’s higher education system makes it sustainable in the future. A description of the relevant economic mod el There is considerable debate regarding the effect of public expenditure on growth (Basu and Bhattarai, â€Å"Does Government Spending on Education Promote Growth and Schooling Returns?†). According to some scholars, there is mixed effect of positive public expenditure on the growth of an economy in the long run (Pritchett 371). Sylwester shows that in some countries the effect of government’s financial support on the contemporary higher education (under graduate studies and training) sector casts an impact on the growth of the economy depending on the level of education of the general population of the country (Sylwester 380). According to economic theory, growth is positively correlated to returns to higher education. Simultaneously, research shows that the higher the level of government education on education sector, the lower is the level of growth in the country compared to other countries with lower spending on education sector by government. In other words the countries with higher rates of growth reflect lower public spending on education sector. Regression analysis on time series data shows, government spending on education has positive effect on economic growth for the richer countries, but, for the poorer countries it can potentially hurt growth (Blankeau, Simpson and Tomljanovich 396). Studies show that the relationship existing between government spending on education and economic growth is negative for the countries with low share of higher education, while, for countries with high share of education, this relationship is positive (Basu and Bhattarai, â€Å"Does Government Spending on Education Promote Growth and Schooling Returns?†). This phenomenon suggests that a non linear and potentially U shaped relationship might be present between growth and public spending on education (Blankeau, Simpson and Tomljanovich 397). Australia is a developed nation and the per capita GDP in the country is US $ 43,300 (according to 2012 es timates) (â€Å"The World Fact book†). The level of growth in the economy shows a rising trend over the past two decades. Therefore, the level of

Organisations and behaviour Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Organisations and behaviour - Assignment Example Organizational structure is said to have a considerable influence on the organizational learning and outcome which can affect the efficiency and productivity of the employees (Hao, Kasper and Muehlbacher, 2012). A hierarchy is depicted in the form of pyramid where the ranking or the position of the individuals or employees signifies authority and power. The individuals at the top most level are known as top level managers who are responsible for managerial decision making and commanding over their subordinates. The middle level managers are responsible for managing the lower level managers and to check whether the actions are being executed as per the plans or not. The lower level managers are responsible for following the instructions and executing the actions. Traditionally, the organizations followed a hierarchical structure which composed of various layers and was also know as top down approach (Harley, n.d). The organization possessed a bureaucratic culture which signifies that the employees followed the policies and regulations laid down by the management stringently and the managers of the organization exhibited autocratic leadership approach (San Jose State University, 2009). It can be observed from the case study that Hawk Car Company followed the traditional form of hierarchical structure which constituted of traditional policies and procedures, technology, lines of production and leadership approach. This led to the feeling of monotonousness among workers, which hampered the productivity of the workers. There was dissatisfaction among workers which led to high absenteeism and high turnover of staff. The functioning of the organization was not smooth and it witnessed difficulties in hiring of personnel. Scientific Taylor of management was introduced by Frederick Winslow Taylor in the year 1911 in a monograph named the Principles of Scientific Management (TipLady, n.d). Taylorism is strongly associated with mass production in the manufacturing factorie s. F.W Taylor adopted a name for this approach popularly known as â€Å"Scientific Taylor of Management†. It was a task oriented approach which was meant for organizations that performed mass production especially in assembly line and fast food organizations. Taylorism approach also included other elements like taking several rest breaks within their tasks. Although many philosophers agreed that the rest breaks would lower the productivity of the organizations, F. W Taylor claimed that rest breaks would have broken the monotony of the workers and improved the existing process. It can be observed from the case study that the pace and the productivity of the work process improved considerably after the introduction of several changes in the organization (Besson, 2000). There was a change in the factory layout, mechanistic procedure and several other management procedures. The management generally followed the Taylorism approach which suggested equitable distribution of tasks am ong the workers and empowerment of employees. Empowerment of employees lays emphasis on the fact that employees should be equally responsible in managerial decision making. This concept evolved from the human relation movement in the year 1920. After the Taylorism approach was introduced by the management of Hawk Car Company the situation improvised in the organizatio

Paper Converters ltd Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Paper Converters ltd - Essay Example ..8 4. Impact of culture on organization†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..9 5. Multi-Cultural deference†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...10 5.1 Individualism (IDV)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 5.2 Power distance (PDI)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.10 5.3 Masculinity / Femininity (MAS)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.11 5.4 Uncertainty avoidance (UAI)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦.12 6. Management deference†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.......12 6.1 Achievement vs. Ascription†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.13 6.2 Individualism vs. Communitarianism†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.13 6.3 Internal vs. External†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 6.4 Neutral vs. Emotional†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..14 6.5 Specific vs. Diffuse†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦14 6.6 Time Orientation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦15 6.7 Universalism vs. Particularism†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦15 7. ... Although, the two founder executives of the corporations are childhood acquaintances ethnicity, they have dissimilar vision and views.The culture of both corporations are strongly swayed by their founding executives. Employees of both companies greatly believe in their originators’ vision that slowly developed into their own enterprise culture that resulted into an organizational ethnicity clash amid Dyson Paper and Jones Sales Agent Limited, when they relocated to Paper Converter Limited. The aim of this report is to evaluate the case of Paper Converter in respect to organization and international (UK). The report will give a breakdown of the Paper Converter cultural drawback via ‘Cultural Web’ investigative tool for organizational cultures, also;Hofstede four dimensions, Pestel and Fons Trompenaar cultural structure forglobal cultures (UK) to reveal where Paper Converter is falling short in addition toways of overcoming this organisational problem. 1. Background of the Company Paper Converter Ltd was established in 1988 after an merger amid the Dyson Paper and Jones Sales Agent Ltd. Dyson Paper was established in 1983, in Corby, United Kingdom with the inducement from the government of Britain during the depression phase early on in 1980s. Mainly, Dyson Paper takes care of the management and production, whereas Jones Sales Agent Limited assumed the responsibility of marketing and sales, from two unconnected premises positioned 60miles apart. 1.1 Market Situation Paper Converter’s central market was United Kingdom, Middle East and West Africa. To enhance production capacity as well as reduce production cost, the firm went worldwide through setting up a factory in Zambia

Outer Banks, North Carolina Essay Example for Free

Outer Banks, North Carolina Essay Outer Banks is located in North Carolina. It is a narrow chain of barrier stretching 175 miles long. The area is frequented by high winds and storms. It is basically made up of sand dunes. Sand dunes are formed due to the prevailing winds. The winds come from opposite direction, northeast and southwest. Because of the natural occurrence, sand dunes were formed. The tallest active sand dune in Outer Banks is Jockeys Ridge. Some interesting features about the Outer Banks is that it housed the talled lighthouse. It also has the tallest san dune, Jockeys Ridge. Duck Beach is named one of the top beaches in America. Animals especially birds and horses are actively seen the area. Outer Banks 3 Outer Banks, North Carolina Outer Banks in North Carolina is a narrow chain of barrier islands. It is one mile wide or 1. 6 km. It stretches more than 175 miles along the coast. Main islands are Bodie, Roanoke, Hatteras, Ocracoke, Portsmounth and Core Banks. The area is prone to severe storms and high winds (Outer Banks, 2007). Outer Banks natural processes evolved from a predetermined conditions. Outer Banks can be well describe by its sand dunes. Migration of sand dunes is an important process on the Outer Banks. It is basically formed by two prevailing winds, northeast and southwest. Due to the different directions of the wind, volume of sand build up. With its sand dunes, Nags Head Woods were developed. It was inherited from what used to be sand dune and swale or a depression found between dunes and beach ridges more than 100,000 years ago. In some areas, the swales were internally drained and now contain freshwater ponds (Frankenberg Tormey, 2000). The Jockey Ridge is the most tallest active sand dune in Outer Banks. The sand is mostly quartz rock which comes from the mountains million of years ago (Ecology, 2006). Some very interesting features can be provided by the Outer Banks (Interesting Facts about the Outer Banks, 2006) ? Wild Ponies, descendants of Spanish Mustangs, still travel the coast. As per record, they run wild North Carolina since 1523 until present time. Tallest lighthouse in America, Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is located in Outer Banks. It Outer Banks 4 is 198 feet tall. It has 257 steps. Beacon light can be seen as far as 20 miles out the to sea. ? Duck Beach is one of the Top Beaches in America. This was named because of the number of waterfowls that flocked during migration. ? Jockeys Ridge is the largest active sand dune in East Coast. Outer Banks 4 References Frankenberg, Dirk Tormey, Blair. (2000). The Northern Outer Banks. Carolina Environmental Diversity Explorations pp. 3. Retrieved January 22, 2008 from http://www. learnnc. org/lp/editions/cede_nobx/3 Infoplease. (2005). Outer Banks. Retrieved January 22, 2008, from http://www. infoplease. com/ce6/us/A0921656. html Jockeys Ridge Sate Park. (2006). Ecology. Retrieved January 22, 2008 from http://www. jockeysridgestatepark. com/ecology. html Outer Banks Vacation Guide. (2006). Interesting Facts About the Outer Banks. Retrieved January 22, 2008 from http://www. visitob. com/outer_banks/trip/facts. htm

Cytopathic Effects as a Result of Infection of E-coli

Cytopathic Effects as a Result of Infection of E-coli Analysis of cytopathic effects as a result of infection of Escherichia coli by T4 bacteriophage using spectrophotometry and plaque assay Abstract T4 bacteriophage is a double stranded DNA virus that infects Escherichia coli and is an important tool in research and study of genetics. It contains about 168,800 base pairs of DNA. It has an icosahedral capsid as its head that contains its nucleic acid and has a tail structure formed of tail fibres, sheath, base plates and coat. These different structures of T4-phage play important roles when invading the host cell (in this case E.coli). T4-bacteriophage infects the host cell by lytic pathway where the host cells are used to produce virus components and it results in the lysis of host cell releasing the virus components to the external membrane. This experiment plans to examine the cytopathic effects of the T4-phage on E.coli using a spectrophotometer. Also, plaque assay is carried out in order to determine the original concentration of phage in the solution. The spectrophotometer reading increased for both control and T4-infected cultures as the time of post infection increased. T he highest reading was 0.192 for control at 120 min pi. Introduction Viruses are small infectious agents and are about 10-30nm in size. Strelkauskas, et al (2010) describes viruses as â€Å"obligate intracellular parasites† which means they need a host cell in order to survive and replicate. The viruses are classified depending on their morphology, chemical composition and mode of replication. They are divided into two groups based on the nucleic acid they contain: DNA or RNA. They are sub-divided into further groups according to their symmetry of capsid where the genetic material is enclosed within an envelope or without an envelope (naked). Also, the configuration of the nucleic acid (single-stranded or double stranded and linear or circular) play a role in the classification of viruses (Gelderblom, 1996). A fully assembled infectious virus is known as a virion and its structure is based on two important things; the ability to survive in harsh conditions until it can infect the host cell and to be able to shed the protective barrier in order to enter a host cell. Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacterial cells and were first observed in 1915 and 1917 by Twort and d’Herelle. T4 bacteriophage is a member of T-even phages and infects Escherichia coli (E.coli) bacteria. It is considered as one of the complex viruses because of its genome which consist of 274 open reading frames and 40 of these reading frames encodes for structural proteins (Leiman, et al, 2003). T4- bacteriophage has been extensively studied since 1940s and plays a major role in advancement of modern genetics and molecular biology. Some of the early essential ideas of genetics including the basis of genetics code, mRNA, ribosome and the codon have came from studies using T4-bacteriophages (Miller et al, 2003). T4- bacteriophage contains double stranded DNA as its nucleic acid which is enclosed within a protective coat known as capsid. Its capsid is icosahedral in shape (shown in figure 1). It also has tail part which is made up of coat, sheath, tail fibres and base plates. The tail part is useful when recognising a host cell followed by penetration to the host cell thus causing infection. Bacteriophages have two types of replication strategies: lytic cycle and lysogenic cycle (Baker, et al, 2011). Lysogenic infection in E.coli is exemplified by bacteriophage lambda where the viral DNA replication takes place without destroying the bacterial cell. Here, the virion infects the host cell and instead of triggering more virus reproduction, it recombines with the host genome causing no damage to the cell which is known as prophage. These viruses can remain dormant within the bacterial cell for years and only cause infection under certain circumstances. T4-bacteriophage is a virulent virus that causes lytic infection to E.coli. The first step in this cycle is adsorption where the virus recognises the cell receptors on the surface of the host cell and attaches itself to the host using its tail fibres. Once attached to the host cell, the virus must penetrate through the cell membrane of E.coli. The base plate of the virus comes in contact with the cell wall of the host cell ca using conformational change in structure of the virus. This allows the sheath to contract and the core is pushed through the wall into the cell membrane where the viral DNA is injected into the host cell (Todar, 2008). DNA viruses have the same genome configuration as the host cell; hence the replication process used in host cell can be used for viral replication. T4- bacteriophage transcribes nucleases that break down the bacterial DNA which is used to produce more viral genome. The newly made viral nucleic acid and structural proteins are assembled together to form virulent viruses. The lysozymes produced by the bacteriophages as a late viral protein lyses the cell wall of the E.coli causing it to burst open hence releasing virulent virus which have to potential to infect other cells. The lifecycle of a T4-bacteriophage takes about 25-35 minutes to finish (Mayer, 2010). Figure 1: The left picture shows the electron microscopic image of T4- bacteriophage and the right shows the model of the T4-bacteriophage. The head of the virus contains a capsid formed by icosahedral structure that holds the phage’s double stranded DNA. The collar connects the head and the tail structures. The tail consists of core, sheath, base plate and tail fibres which are involved in recognising host cells and then attaching phage to specific receptors on the host surfaces (Todar, 2008). The virus-infected bacterial cell generally shows some changes in their phenotype such as altered shape, detachment from the substrate, cell lysis, membrane fusion, membrane permeability, inclusion bodies and apoptosis. These changes are known as the cytopathic effects of a virus (Cann, 2005). In this experiment, the lysis of E.coli is examined using a spectrophotometer which determines the absorbance of the cultures to indicate the growth of the bacterial cell within the flasks. Also, it is important for clinical and research virologists to know the number of infectious virus particles in a sample which is known as the titre. The plaque assay gives the most accurate results when determining the titre of the phage. T4- bacteriophages can be grown on bacterial lawn. Infected E.coli cells are lysed so, they will form visible plaques on the agar plate which are counted to calculate the titre of the virus. The experiment aims to firstly infect the bacterial cells with T4-bacteriophage in order to indirectly observe the cytopathic effects of virus infection by monitoring changes in bacterial cell growth, compared to an uninfected (control) culture. An absorbance reading is taken using a spectrophotometry as the cells in the culture grow and divide making the culture opaque and thus increasing the absorbance of the culture. Also, the experiment plans to assess the progress of T4-phage production during the infection of E.coli by taking samples of extracellular virus at regular time intervals post infection. Furthermore, the virus from each samples were quantified using plaque assays to demonstrate the progress of virus amplification that occurred during the process of infection in the bacterial cells. Materials and methods E.coli was used as the host cell of T4-bacteriophages in the following experiments. Measuring the changing cell density of cultures using a spectrophotometer: Two cultures were made; the control culture (C) consists of mixture of LB broth and E.coli whereas the T4- infected culture (T) was made by mixing LB broth, E.coli and 100ÃŽ ¼l of bacteriophage. The immediate absorbance readings at 0 seconds were measured in the spectrophotometer at wavelength 600nm and LB broth solution was used as a blank. The flasks containing the two cultures were placed in the orbital shaker covered with foil lids throughout the readings of absorbance. During the 1 hour incubation, 10  µl of the T4-infected sample was placed in a C-chip Haemocytometer and the bacterial cells were counted under the microscope which was used to calculate the multiplicity of infection (MOI). After 1 hour incubation, the absorbance readings were taken at 15 minutes interval until the cultures had been monitored for at least 2 hours. Harvesting virus sample: At 40 min post infection, 1 ml of each of the cultures were taken out and placed into sterile microfuge tube. The tubes were centrifuged at 6,500 rpm for 5 min and 750  µl of supernatant was removed from the T4-infected tube. It was then incubated over night and another sample was collected after 23.30 hours post infection. Preparation for plaque assay: A serial dilution of 10-7, 10-8 and 10-9 were made from the overnight T4-infected sample and dilution of 10-4, 10-5 and 10-6 were made from the 40 min p.i. T4-infected sample by using sterile M9 medium. 1 ml of E.coli culture was transferred to each of the two bottles containing 0.1 ml of the each diluted sample. The bottles were placed in water bath at 37 °C for 15 minutes for bacterial infections to begin. One small bottle of molten soft agar was taken from 42 °C bath and poured into labelled agar plates and evenly mixed with the bottle containing E.coli and diluted sample. This process was followed for all 6 agar plates. Then, the plates were incubated at 37 °C overnight after they were set completely. Plaque counts: After the incubation period, the agar plates were examined and the number of plaques formed on each plate were counted and recorded. Results The absorbance readings taken from the spectrophotometer at 600 nm of both the control and the T4-infected cultures is shown in table 1. At 0 min pi, both the cultures had similar readings (0.05 and 0.054 for C and T respectively) as they were just made. After one hour incubation period (60 min pi), there was increase in the absorbance for both of the cultures. However control had higher absorbance reading than T4-infected (0.106 and 0.064 respectively). Overall, the absorbance readings of both the cultures increases with the time except for 90 min pi in T4-infected where there is a decrease in absorbance reading by 0.028. The readings recorded for control is higher than T4-infected at each time period and the highest reading is at 120 min pi in the control culture (0.192). Table 1: absorbance reading of the cell cultures at 600nm Figure 2: Absorbance reading of control and T4-infected cultures against time Calculating the Multiplicity of infection (MOI)- the number of virions (pfu) per cell T4-titre = 2.74 x 1010 pfu/ml Cell count in T4-infected using C-chip Haemocytometer = 2808 cells per grid. Number of cells per mL = 2808 x 10,000 = 2.808107 cells/mL Number of cells per flask = 2.808107 x 23.1 (total volume) = 6.48 x 108 cells/flask MOI = (0.1x titre)/cells per flask = 2.74109/ 6.48108 = 4.22 pfu/cell. Table 2: class data of the plaque counts of T4-infected E.coli The growth curve of the T4-infected E.coli is shown in figure 3. A growth curve of a virus normally shows the eclipse period, latent period, rise period and the burst size. At 0 min pi, there is high number of extracellular cells (2.66 x 109 pfu/ml) as the virus has not been taken up by the E.coli cells. As the time increase to 20 min pi, the curve levels fell down due to penetration of viruses into the cell (as shown in figure 3). This phase is known as eclipse phase where the input virus begins to uncoat so, no infectious virus is detected. Latent period covers the period from the time of disappearance of infecting virus (eclipse phase) to re-appearance of it in E.coli. The rise phase is when there is a gradual increase in T4-phage titre as viral replication occurs and new cells are formed. Then the virus T4-tire levels off towards the end as cell lysis take place releasing the newly formed virus particles. However, the rise phase (shown is figure 3) doesn’t not rise gradual ly. The T4-titre rises until 60 min pi (2.845x 109) and instead of levelling off, there is a huge drop in the virus titre (8.05 x 107) at 80 min pi. In addition, the T4-virus sampled after overnight incubation (23.30 hours post infection), the dilution factors 10-7, 10-8 and 10-9 resulted in plaque counts of 12, 50 and 59 respectively. However, the plaques were only observed in one plate of each dilution and in the other plates no plaque were observed (Table 3 in appendix). Discussion Albrecht, et al (1996) states Infection caused by cytocidal viruses is normally associated with alterations in cell morphology, cell physiology and sequential biosynthetic events. The changes in cell morphology can sometimes be detectable which is known as cytopathic effects and they can be rounding of infected cells, formation of syncytia, and appearance of nuclear/cytoplasmic inclusion bodies. T4- bacteriophage usually causes death of host cell after replication causing cytopathic effects. A spectrophotometer is used to detect these cytopathic effects of T4-phage in E.coli. The spectrophotometer can only detect opacity due to the presence of bacterial cell and cannot detect virus as they are very small. So, as there is growth in cells in the culture, they become more opaque increasing the absorbance reading of the culture. The T4-infected culture didn’t have as much growth as the control as its absorbance readings are lower in all of the time period (as shown in figure 2). T4-phages can only replicate within the host cell therefore it must be grown in a bacterial cell. As shown in figure 3, at time 0 min pi, the amount of virus titre is the highest (2.66 x 109 pfu/ml). This is because the process has just begun as the T4-phage injects its ds DNA into the host cell after cell contact which is known as adsorption. Then, the virus titre drops down to 2.45 x108 pfu/ml at 20 min pi as it is attached to the host cell by receptor binding in order to penetrate into the host cell. At 40 min pi, the virus titre level begins to rise as the virus start to replicate within the host cell. The virus titre is suppose to increase till a certain time period and will gradually level off as the virus cell replication increases and after the host cell is filled with viral components, cell lysis occur releasing the newly formed virus phages to infect the surrounding bacteria. However, as shown in figure 3 this does not happen. The virus titre rises till post infection 60 mi n but there is a huge drop in virus titre after (8.05 x 107pfu/ml). There are errors in some of the results of the experiment like the decrease in absorbance reading of T4-infected at 90 min pi and the huge drop in virus titre at 60 min pi. Also, an overnight sample was taken from T4-infected culture at 23.30 hours post infection and plaque assay was carried out with dilution factors of 10-7, 10-8 and 10-9. There is no plaque formation in one of the two plates in each dilution (shown in table 3 in appendix). These errors in results can be due to various factors such as contamination in the samples due to poor sterilise technique, insufficient mixing and pipetting errors when making serial dilutions. Also, in plaque assay, the morphology of plaque depends on various environmental factors like the phage, the host and the growth conditions (Maloy, 2002). The size of the plaque is proportional to the efficiency of adsorption, the length of latent phase and the burst size. Also, the phages are affected by various physical and chemical factors like temperature, acidity, ions, etc. The other error can be made when counting the plaques in plaque assay. The counting is subjective to the counter as different counter would get different results for the same plate. The colonies were concentrated so it would be hard to differentiate between single colonies as they grow very close together. For more accurate counting of the plaque, the plates with 10-200 plaques would be chosen as there were three dilution factors of plates to choose from and anything with >200 plaque counts were not counted. Also, the experiments could be repeated more than once and for longer period of time when monitoring T4-infected E.coli so, average could be taken out which would give more accurate and reliable results. In conclusion, T4-bacteriophages are virulent infecting E.coli cells by lytic pathway and this can be measured by examining the cytopathic effects using spectrophotometer. Also, plaque assay of T4-infected E.coli helps to determine the virus titre – concentration of virus in a sample. T4- bacteriophages are a model organism to study and are involved in advancement of modern genetics and molecular biology. Also, they could be used to treat bacterial diseases as the theory states that phages can selectively kill the host cell without damaging the human cells. Some potential applications that are being considered include adding phage suspension to grafts in order to control skin infections and intravenous fluids for blood infections (Talaro, et al, 2007). Word count: 2,763 References Albrecht, T., Fons, M., Boldogh, I., et al. Effects on Cells. In: Baron S, editor. Medical Microbiology. 4th edition. Galveston (TX): University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston; 1996. Chapter 44.Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7979/ Baker, S., Griffiths, C. and Nicklin, J. (2011). BIOS Instant Notes in Microbiology. 4th edn. New York: Taylor Francis Ltd. Cann, A.J. (2005).Principles of Molecular Virology. 4th ed. United States: Elsevier Academic Press. 210-211. Gelderblom HR. Structure and Classification of Viruses. In: Baron S, editor. Medical Microbiology. 4th edition. Galveston (TX): University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston; 1996. Chapter 41.Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8174/ Leimana, P.G., Kanamarua, S., Mesyanzhinovb, V.V., Arisakac, F., Rossmanna, M.G. (2003). Structure and morphogenesis of bacteriophage T4.Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. 60 (1), 2356–2370. Maloy, S. (2002).Phage plaques.Available: http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/~smaloy/MicrobialGenetics/topics/phage/plaques.html. Last accessed 30 March 2014. Miller, E S., Kutter, E., Mosig, G., Arisaka, F., Kunisawa, T., Rà ¼ger6, W. (2003). Bacteriophage T4 Genome.Microbiology and molecular Biology Review. 67 (1), 86-156. Strelkauskas, A., Strelkauskas, J. and Moszyk-Strelkauskas, D., 2010. Microbiology, a clinical approach. New York: Garland Science. Talaro, K.P. (2007).Foundations in Microbiology: Basic Principles. 7th ed. Phillipines: McGraw-Hill. 160-181. Todar, K., 2012. Bacteriophage. [Online]. Available at: http://textbookofbacteriology.net/phage.html..> (Accessed 30 March 2014). Appendix   Ã‚   Table 3: T4 virus sampled after overnight incubation (23.30 hours pi)

Construction of a Research Questionnaire

Construction of a Research Questionnaire Construction of appropriate questionnaire items Section 2, Question 3 Describe what is involved in testing and validating a research questionnaire. (The answer to question 3 should be no fewer than 6 pages, including references) The following criteria will be used in assessing question 3: Construction of appropriate questionnaire items Sophistication of understanding of crucial design issues Plan for use of appropriate sampling method and sample Plan to address validity and reliability in a manner appropriate to methodology In order to construct an appropriate research questionnaire, it is imperative to first have a clear understanding of the scope of the research project. It would be most beneficial to solidify these research goals in written form, and then focus the direction of the study to address the research questions. After developing the research questions, the researcher would further read the related literature regarding the research topic, specifically searching for ideas and theories based on the analysis of the construct(s) to be measured. Constructs are essentially mathematical descriptions or theories of how our test behavior is either likely to change following or during certain situations (Kubiszyn & Borich, 2007, p. 311). It is important to know what the literature says about these construct(s) and the most accurate, concise ways to measure them. Constructs are psychological in nature and are not tangible, concrete variables because they cannot be observed directly (Gay Airasian, 2003 ). Hopkins (1998) explains that psychological constructs are unobservable, postulated variables that have evolved either informally or from psychological theory (p. 99). Hopkins also maintains that when developing the items to measure the construct(s), it is imperative to ask multiple items per construct to ensure they are being adequately measured. Another important aspect in developing items for a questionnaire is to find an appropriate scale for all the items to be measured (Gay Airasian, 2003). Again, this requires researching survey instruments similar to the one being developed for the current study and also determining what the literature says about how to best measure these constructs. The next step in designing the research questionnaire is to validate it-to ensure it is measuring what it is intended to measure. In this case, the researcher would first establish construct validity evidence, which is ensuring that the research questionnaire is measuring the ideas and theories related to the research project. An instrument has construct validity evidence if its relationship to other information corresponds well with some theory (Kubiszyn Borich, 2007, p. 309). Another reason to go through the validation process is to minimize factors that can weaken the validity of a research instrument, including unclear test directions, confusing and/or ambiguous test items, and vocabulary and sentence structures too difficult for test takers (Gay Airasian, 2003). After developing a rough draft of the questionnaire, including the items that measure the construct(s) for this study, the researcher should then gather a small focus group that is representative of the population to be studied (Johnson, 2007). The purpose of this focus group is to discuss the research topic, to gain additional perspectives about the study, and to consider new ideas about how to improve the research questionnaire so it is measuring the constructs accurately. This focus group provides the researcher with insight on what questions to revise and what questions should be added or deleted, if any. The focus group can also provide important information as to what type of language and vocabulary is appropriate for the group to be studied and how to best approach them (Krueger Casey, 2009). All of this groups feedback would be recorded and used to make changes, edits, and revisions to the research questionnaire. Another step in the validation process is to let a panel of experts (fellow researchers, professors, those who have expertise in the field of study) read and review the survey instrument, checking it for grammatical errors, wording issues, unclear items (loaded questions, biased questions), and offer their feedback. Also, their input regarding the validity of the items is vital. As with the other focus group, any feedback should be recorded and used to make changes, edits, and revisions to the research questionnaire (Johnson, 2007). The next step entails referring to the feedback received from the focus group and panel of experts. Any issues detected by the groups must be addressed so the research questionnaire can serve its purpose (Johnson, 2007). Next, the researcher should revise the questions and research questionnaire, considering all the input obtained and make any other changes that would improve the instrument. Any feedback obtained regarding the wording of items must be carefully considered, because the participants in the study must understand exactly what the questions are asking so they can respond accurately and honestly. It is also imperative to consider the feedback regarding the directions and wording of the research questionnaire. The directions of the questionnaire should be clear and concise, leaving nothing to personal interpretation (Suskie, 1996). The goal is that all participants should be able to read the directions and know precisely how to respond and complete the questionnaire. To bet ter ensure honesty of responses, it is imperative to state in the directions that answers are anonymous (if applicable), and if they mistakenly write any identifying marks on the questionnaire, those marks will be immediately erased. If that type of scenario is not possible in the design of the study, the researcher should still communicate the confidentiality of the information obtained in this study and how their personal answers and other information will not be shared with anyone. Whatever the case or research design, the idea is to have participants answer the questions honestly so the most accurate results are obtained. Assuring anonymity and/or confidentiality to participants is another way to help ensure that valid data are collected. The next phase entails pilot-testing the research questionnaire on a sample of people similar to the population on which the survey will ultimately be administered. This group should be comprised of approximately 20 people (Johnson, 2007), and the instrument should be administered under similar conditions as it will be during the actual study. The purpose of this pilot-test is two-fold; the first reason is to once again check the validity of the instrument by obtaining feedback from this group, and the second reason is to do a reliability analysis. Reliability is basically the degree to which a test consistently measure whatever it is measuring (Gay Airasian, 2003, p. 141). A reliability analysis is essential when developing a research questionnaire because a research instrument lacking reliability cannot measure any variable better than chance alone (Hopkins, 1998). Hopkins goes on to say that reliability is an essential prerequisite to validity because a research instrument must c onsistently yield reliable scores to have any confidence in validity. After administering the research questionnaire to this small group, a reliability analysis of the results must be done. The reliability analysis to be used is Cronbachs alpha (Hopkins, 1998), which allows an overall reliability coefficient to be calculated, as well as coefficients for each of the sub-constructs (if any). The overall instrument, as well as the sub-constructs, should yield alpha statistics greater than .70 (Johnson, 2007). This analysis would decide if the researcher needs to revise the items or proceed with administering the instrument to the target population. The researcher should also use the feedback obtained from this group to ensure that the questions are clear and present no ambiguity. Any other feedback obtained should be used to address any problems with the research questionnaire. Should there be any problems with particular items, then necessary changes would be made to ensure the item i s measuring what it is supposed to be measuring. However, should there be issues with an entire construct(s) that is yielding reliability and/or validity problems, then the instrument would have to be revised, reviewed again by the panel of experts, and retested on another small group. After the instrument goes through this process and has been corrected and refined with acceptable validity and reliability, it is time to begin planning to administer it to the target population. After the research questionnaire has established validity and reliability, the next step is to begin planning how to administer it to the participants of the study. To begin this process, it is imperative to define who the target population of the study is. Unfortunately, it is often impossible to gather data from everyone in a population due to feasibility and costs. Therefore, sampling must be used to collect data. According to Gay and Airasian (2003), Sampling is the process of selecting a number of participants for a study in such a way that they represent the larger group from which they were selected (p. 101). This larger group that the authors refer to is the population, and the population is the group to which the results will ideally generalize. However, out of any population, the researcher will have to determine those who are accessible or available. In most studies, the chosen population for study is usually a realistic choice and not always the target one (Gay Airasian, 2003). After choosing the population to be studied, it is important to define that population so the reader will know how to apply the findings to that population. The next step in the research study is to select a sample, and the quality of this sample will ultimately determine the integrity and generalizability of the results. Ultimately, the researcher should desire a sample that is representative of the defined population to be studied. Ideally, the researcher wants to minimize sampling error by using random sampling techniques. Random sampling techniques include simple random sampling, stratified sampling, cluster sampling, and systematic sampling (Gay Airasian, 2003). According to the authors, these sampling techniques operate just as they are named: simple random sampling is using a means to randomly select an adequate sample of participants from a population; stratified random sampling allows a researcher to sample subgroups in such a way that they are proportional in the same way they exist in the population; and cluster sampling randomly selects groups from a larger population (Gay Airasian, 2003). Systematic sampling is a form of s imple random sampling, where the researcher simply selects every tenth person, for example. These four random sampling techniques, or variations thereof, are the most widely used random sampling procedures. While random sampling allows for the best chance to obtained unbiased samples, sometimes it is not always possible. Therefore, the researcher resorts to nonrandom sampling techniques. These techniques include convenience sampling, purposive sampling, and quota sampling (Gay Airasian, 2003). Convenience sampling is simply sampling whoever happens to be available, while purposive sampling is where the researcher selects a sample based on knowledge of the group to be sampled (Gay Airasian, 2003). Lastly, quota sampling is a technique used in large-scale surveys when a population of interest is too large to define. With quota sampling, the researcher usually will have a specific number of participants to target with specific demographics (Gay Airasian, 2003). The sampling method ultimately chosen will depend upon the population determined to be studied. In an ideal scenario, random sampling would be employed, which improves the strength and generalizability of the results. However, should random sampling not be possible, the researcher would mostly likely resort to convenience sampling. Although not as powerful as random sampling, convenience sampling is used quite a bit and can be useful in educational research (Johnson, 2007). Of course, whatever sampling means is employed, it is imperative to have an adequate sample size. As a general rule, the larger the population size, the smaller the percentage of the population required to get a representative sample (Gay Airasian, 2003). The researcher would determine the size of the population being studied (if possible) and then determine an adequate sample size (Krejcie Morgan, 1970, p. 608). Ultimately, it is desirable to obtain as many participants as possible and not merely to achieve a m inimum (Gay Airasian, 2003). Lastly, after an adequate sample size for the study has been determined, the researcher should proceed with the administration of the research questionnaire until the desired sample size is obtained. The research questionnaire should be administered in similar conditions, and potential participants should know and understand that they are not obligated in any way to participate and that they will not be penalized for not participating (Suskie, 1996). Also, participants should know how to contact the research should they have questions about the research project, including the ultimate dissemination of the data and the results of the study. The researcher should exhaust all efforts to ensure participants understand what is being asked so they can make a clear judgment regarding their consent to participate in the study. Should any of the potential participants be under the age of 18, the researcher would need to obtain parental permission in order for th em to participate. Lastly, it is imperative that the researcher obtain approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) before the instrument is field-tested and administered to the participants. People who participate in the study should understand that the research project has been approved through the universitys IRB process. References Gay, L. R., Airasian, P. (2003). Educational research: Competencies for analysis and Applications (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Hopkins, K. D. (1998). Educational and psychological measurement and evaluation (8th ed.). Boston: Allyn Bacon. Johnson, J. T. (2007). Instrument development and validation [Class handout]. Department of Educational Leadership Research, The University of Southern Mississippi. Krejcie, R. V., Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30, 607-610.k Krueger, R. A., Casey, M. A. (2009). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, SA: Sage Publications, Inc. Kubiszyn, T., Borich, B. (2007). Educational testing and measurement: Classroom application and practice (8th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons. Suskie, L. A. (1996). Questionnaire survey research: What works (2nd ed.). Tallahassee, FL: Association for Institutional Research.

Essay --

Film Critic Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Just like most well received novels Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has its own film adaptation by Stephen Daldry. It is just as impressive as the book itself, keeping the main storyline which is the best a film adaptation should do but in the other hand it has some changes that are very hard to go unnoticed. The cast is probably the main reason for the great result of the film. For the main roles Daldry went for award-winning actors such as Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks and Max von Sydow who couldn’t have done a greater job at playing their characters. Sandra as Linda Schell played very well the distance Oskar feels she has to him, as well as the difficulty we can see in the book that she’s going through. Also Tom Hanks, who perfectly fit the image of an intelligent man who chose his family and family business over a more appropriate education for his level. However the big star is of course Thomas Horn who played the part of Oskar Schell. The talented young actor’s performance simply unbelievable, it is hard to believe how easily he played such a dramatic story. The screenwriters did a good choice maintaining the storyline: Oskar finds the key in his father’s closet in an envelope which has â€Å"Black† written on it, inside a blue vase and desperately starts an expedition in NYC to find the lock that fits the key. So far so good, however the three-narrators perspective we have in the book that’s gives the story an exciting dynamic, is completely ignored and we have Oskar as the only narrator of the story. The movie is told from Oskar’s point of view but it still is very poor in what refers to his longs internal monologues that are seen in the book. Another point that has been igno... ... on his emotional response, combined with the same melancholic music every time. However, the melancholy of the song would always change into violent, loud, confusing notes whenever Oskar was outside on the streets facing his fears. Here the use of various points of views from Oskar’s perspective was explored. Extreme close ups on objects like screws were often used to demonstrate Oskar’s panic. Although all the changes which are necessary but still bothers the readers of the original work, the film contained the same melancholy and excitement in the story. We learn in both works that the number of people who leave is high, but the one who stay is even higher and everyone has their own story and sadness to share. The filmic adaptation intensifies the literary work, and both of them can be studied and compared side by side and still have their own particular charm.

Fire-Starter :: Essays Papers

Fire-Starter Character Review: Protagonist- Charlie McGee is a girl with pyrokinesis (a power in which someone can light fires with a glance). She is 8 years old. She is short, has blond hair, and brown eyes. She doesn’t like her power very much because she can’t control it. When she was about 5 years old, she was in the kitchen with her parents when they were trying to help her control her power. They gave her a test on a piece of toast, she burnt it to a crisp, and then she accidentally burnt her mother’s hands. The next day, when her dad came home from work, Charlie and her mother were nowhere to be found. Her father, Andy McGee, found his wife, dead in a closet. Charlie was still missing; â€Å"the shop† had killed her mother and kidnapped her. Both Andy and Charlie’s mother had telekinesis, (a power in which, someone can make a person think that something is what its not, or make them think what that person is thinking). Andy drove to a neighbor’s house, and used his power on the two agents that had kidnapped Charlie. He and Charlie drove of and were in search of for a few years. Charlie can’t stand people that are after her, or mean, or especially lie to her. Charlie’s whole life is included in this book. The book revolves around Charlie’s power. It’s so powerful, that her parents can’t even try to control it. Charlie’s main weakness is trusting too many people. She trusts to many strangers, which could lead to danger. Her basic problem is trying not to get caught by â€Å"the shop† (a secret government agency that wants to investigate her power). They have been after her since she was born. Since both of her parents had telekinesis, she was born with a different set of DNA, which gave her the power of pyrokinesis. I really like Charlie. I like the way she wants to control her power, and I like how she has a lot of confidence, its like she knows what’s going to happen, and that everything is going to be fine. The thing that I specifically admire is the way she copes with the way she was brought up. She was brought up, to learn to use her power when she could to get money or food, or whatever she needed, but she knows that it isn’t right to steal, and it isn’t right to use a power that nobody else has to get something that you actually don’t deserve.

The Complex Process of Selecting a Pair of Shoes Essay -- Research Ess

The Complex Process of Selecting a Pair of Shoes I plan to prove that the majority of people that invest money into footwear do so because of style. People usually don’t choose a pair of shoes because of comfort, color, or any other means at all. They usually base their decision of purchasing a pair of shoes on style. There are three tools that I will use during this experiment that will help me out. These tools will be comprised of surveys, interviews, and observations. Through survey’s I will have a sheet of paper with approximately eight questions on it. These questions range from the subjects personal preference when it comes to purchasing a pair of shoes. Whether they do it for comfort, style, color, work related, price, or even none of the above at all, to how many pairs of shoes that these individuals currently own. This will give me a general idea of what goes through peoples minds when they purchase a pair of shoes. Then I will use my observation skills. I plan to sit in the mall since it’s t he best public place for this experiment, and observe what brand, color, and style of footwear the general public wear. I will more than likely sit in front of Finish Line since they are one of the major footwear sales stores in the country. This will show me exactly what people choose to wear, but won’t tell me why. Since I wouldn’t know why they wear them I plan to interview a couple of volunteers to get their opinion. This plus the rest of my research will give me a good idea of what people choose to wear, and why. I’m going to pick a few individuals from the public that seem to keep â€Å"shoes† an important part of their lives. I will ask them the same questions that are on my survey plus a few more that will go int... ... and style go hand in hand. He said people prefer one brand name against another because of the way they look. On the other hand I interviewed a girl who said that she would buy any pair of shoes as long as it was cheap and looked nice. She said she had no real preference, and owned a lot of shoes. Price was her deciding factor and no matter how it looked, what the brand name was, or even the color, she wouldn’t purchase it unless the price wasn’t very high, or if it was on sale. I think my observations, surveys, and interviews prove my thesis to be correct. Even though not everybody uses style for their deciding factor, the majority of people that participated in my survey, and my interview with Rob the shoe salesman concludes that style usually is the number one factor in one way or another when a person purchases a pair of shoes.

Enki Bilal’s Perspective on Art in Hatzfeld

Marshal Josip Broz Tito was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman, serving in various roles until his death in 1980. Eventhough his presidency has been critisized as authoritarian, Tito had successful economic and diplomatic policies which helped him to be considered as a benevolent dictator by many people including citizens of his own country and those of others. He was a relatively popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad. Tito had internal policies which successfully deal with coexistence of the nations of the Yugoslav federation.The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (otherwise known as SFRY) was the Yugoslav state founded during World War II until it was dissolved in 1992, following the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia. Initially siding with the Eastern bloc under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito at the beginning of the Cold War, Yugoslavia pursued a policy of neutrality after the Tito–Stalin split of 1948, and became one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement.After the death of Tito in 1980, rising ethnic nationalism in the late 1980's led to dissidence among the multiple ethnicities within the constituent republics, followed by collapse of inter-republic talks on transformation of the country and recognition of their independence by some European states in 1991. This led to the country collapsing on ethnic lines, followed by the final downfall and break of the country in 1992, and the start of the Yugoslav Wars.Often described as Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II, the conflicts have become famous for the war crimes, including mass murder, genocide and war rape. These were the first conflicts since World War II to be formally judged genocidal in character. According to the International Center for Transitional Justice, the Yugoslav Wars resulted in the deaths of 140,000 people. The Humanitarian Law Center writes that in the conflicts in former Yugoslav republics at least 130,000 people lost their lives.War rape occurred as a matter of official orders as part of ethnic cleansing, to displace the targeted ethnic group. One of the common misconceptions about the Yugoslav Wars is that they were the result of centuries of ethnic conflict. In fact, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the ethnically mixed region of Dalmatia held close and amicable relations between the Croats and Serbs who lived there, and many early proponents of a united Yugoslavia came from this region, such as Dalmatian Croat Ante Trumbic.However by the time of the outbreak of the Yugoslav Wars the historical hospitable relations between Croats and Serbs in Dalmatia had broken down, with Dalmatian Serbs fighting on the side of the Republic of Serbian Krajina. Clear ethnic conflict between the Yugoslav peoples only became prominent in the 20th century, beginning with tensions o ver the constitution of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes in the early 1920s and escalating into violence between Serbs and Croats in the late 1920s after the assassination of Croatian nationalist Stjepan Radic.Severe ethnic conflict occurred during World War II during which the Croatian Ustase movement committed genocide against Serbs, while the Serbian Chetnik movement responded with reprisals against Croats as well as murdering Bosniaks. However the Yugoslav Partisan movement was able to appeal to all national groups, including Serbs, Croats and Bosniaks. Josip Broz Tito was half-Croat half-Slovene. Born Enes Bilalovic in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, to a Slovakian mother and a Bosniak father who had been Josip Broz Tito's tailor, Enki Bilal moved to Paris at the age of 9.Given all these historical informations, what can be said on Enki Bilal's perspective on art? Hatzfeld, a tetralogy deeling with the difficult past and the break up of Yugoslavia from a future point of view ca n help the reader to find an answer to that question. But first of all, what is art? Art is a diverse range of human activities and the products of those activities; the visual arts includes the creation of images or objects in fields including painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and other visual media.Until the 17th century, art referred to any skill or mastery and was not differentiated from crafts or sciences, but in modern usage the fine arts, where aesthetic considerations are paramount, are distinguished from acquired skills in general, and the decorative or applied arts. (Wikipedia) According to Levi-Strauss, art has had a great number of different functions throughout its history, making its purpose difficult to abstract or quantify to any single concept. This does not mean that the purpose of art is â€Å"vague†, but that it has had many different reasons for being created.The different purposes of art may be grouped according to those that are non-motivat ed, and those that are motivated. Motivated purposes of art refer to intentional, conscious actions on the part of the artist. Some of these functions may be as following: The Avante-Garde: Art for political change. One of the defining functions of early twentieth century art has been to use visual images to bring about political change. Art movements that had this goal—Dadaism, Surrealism, Russian Constructivism, and Abstract Expressionism, among others—are collectively referred to as the avante-garde arts.Art for social inquiry, subversion and/or anarchy: While similar to art for political change, subversive or deconstructivist art may seek to question aspects of society without any specific political goal. In this case, the function of art may be simply to criticize some aspect of society. (Wikipedia) Bilal seem to question what art is and its practice at the end of 20th century. In the second book of the tetralogy, 32 Decembre, on page 9, Nike and his so-called gir l friend receieve an invitation to a party in the form of nuclear light.The invitation appears as a small nuclear explosion, this is a fascinating visual little show but the amount of effort made is certainly unnecessary. It is absurd and pointless. This is an all white party. People who are participating are literally coloured in white. Again a detail Nike thinks that it is absurd. On page 18, Nike finds out that him and the other people who are at the party are actually walking on a white canvas. This puts them in a situation where they are nothing but the art work, they are objects but not subjects.He finds this absurd as well and he does not like it. After a while, it becomes obvious that whatever he or other people at this party are doing there, it is to create and to be part of an art work. This fact is hard to deal with. Warhole, evil and powerful scientist of the first book gets some artistic spirit in the second book of the tetralogy. His starts to consider his new evil pro jects as art works. He also reancarnates himself as the v. g. a. (very great artist) Halrowe. Art is depicted as dangerous in the second book.The story itself becomes more postmedern in that second part. Surreal events and images start to appear more and more, one of them being the head of the Warhole ehich has fishes all around. Warhole is saying things like â€Å"search for power and the joy of creating†. He is pictured as a crazy dangerous artist-scientist. He is calling what he does â€Å"absolute evil art†. Bilal is questioning what does art mean when it is separated from its social context. At the beginning of the first book, he is making a referral to Abdullah Sidran, a Bosnian playwriter†¦