Coffee and Starbucks Essay

Attention Getter: You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you that a drug that creates the same signaling activity in the brain as cocaine is sold legally on almost every street corner across the nation. This is a fact however, and the drug is caffeine. It is one of the main ingredients in coffee, and is currently the most frequently used recreational drug in the world. Establish Credibility: I personally consider myself a coffee expert, and have been drinking at least one cup of coffee almost every morning for the last three years. Relate to the audience: Now, I know not every one of you drinks coffee but as you can tell by the multiple Dutch Bros, Starbucks, and other coffee shops around town it is a very big part of our culture today. Preview: Throughout the course of this speech, I will discuss three major points relating to coffee. First, I will give some information on the history of coffee and when it first came into human culture, followed by the positive health benefits and some of the negative health risks associated with coffee. [First of all, I’m going to talk a little bit about the historical side of coffee and how it first got popular in our culture. ] Body I. Main Point: To understand why coffee is such a big part of modern day society, we must first understand where it originated. A. Sub-point: Coffee was first cultivated on the Arabian Peninsula in the 15th century. 1. Supporting details: Not only were the Arab’s the first to cultivate coffee, but they also were the first to trade coffee. 2. By the 16th century, the popularity of coffee was already expanding and Persia, Egypt, Syria and Turkey all had discovered about the amazing beverage. B. Sub-point: By the 17th century coffee was still gaining notoriety around the world, however it was still not a household favorite as it as today. 1. Supporting Details: Coffee houses started sprouting up everywhere in the 1700’s, however tea was still the most popular drink around. 2. In 1773 a heavy tax on tea was inflicted by King George, which led to a pretty famous revolt called The Boston Tea Party. 3. Since people couldn’t afford tea after the tax, coffee quickly took over as the most popular morning beverage across the world, and remains the most popular today. [Although coffee has been drank for hundreds of years, the majority of its health benefits have only recently been discovered in the last few decades. ] II. Main Point: The majority of people drink coffee just to get through each day, however it does have many positive benefits to your health. A. Sub-point: Within just the last few years alone there has been research done showing that coffee may protect against type 2 diabetes, liver cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease. 1. Supporting details: According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, liver cancer is the ninth leading cause of cancer and coffee has been shown to reduce risk of liver cancer by 40%. 2. Drinking coffee reduces the risk of diabetes as well, which is a common risk factor of liver cancer. B. Sub-point: One of the other medical uses of coffee is in preventing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. 1. Supporting details: The most common neurodegenerative disease and number 1 cause of dementia is Alzheimer’s. 2. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s, however it has been shown that coffee drinkers have up to a 65% lower risk of getting the disease. [You might be thinking coffee is a miracle drink after some of those statistics, however it also has many negative effects on health as well. ] III. Main Point: There are a great deal of health issues that can result from drinking coffee, with some of the most common being addiction, insomnia and increased blood pressure. A. Sub-point: As a college student, one of the last things you will ever want to experience is insomnia, but it is a regular side effect of coffee. 1. Supporting details: By blocking certain receptors in the brain, coffee prevents chemicals that induce sleep from being used. B. Sub-point: Another widely studied effect of coffee, specifically caffeine, is how addictive it is. 1. Supporting details: Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and regular use will result in a physical dependence. 2. If a regular coffee drinker doesn’t have their daily cup, they will feel fatigued, irritable, and experience headaches within the first 24 hours. Conclusion 1. Transition Signal: In conclusion, coffee isn’t for everyone but if you do choose to consume it, you at least now know how it affects you. 2. Summary of Main Points: Throughout this speech we looked at how coffee first gained popularity in the human race, some of it’s positive health benefits as well as some of the negatives. 3. Call to Action: Even if you’ve never been a fan of coffee, try drinking a cup before your next study session and see if you still don’t like it. 4. Memorable end: Although it may be addicting and cause serious potential health problems, there must be something special about coffee considering over half of adults in the U. S. drink it daily. References: 1) â€Å"Coffee Acts Just like Cocaine, Says Scientist. † BeverageDaily. com. Beverage Daily, 02 Sept. 2002. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. 2) Goldschein, Eric. â€Å"11 Incredible Facts About The Global Coffee Industry. † Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 14 Nov. 2011. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. 3) Gunnars, Kris. â€Å"13 Proven Health Benefits of Coffee† Authority Nutrition. N. p. , n. d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. 4) â€Å"The History Of Coffee. † – National Coffee Association. NCA, n. d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. 5) Stromberg, Joseph. â€Å"This Is How Your Brain Becomes Addicted to Caffeine. † Smithsonian. N. p. , 9 Aug. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2014. 6) Van Dam, Rob. â€Å"Ask the Expert: Coffee and Health. † The Nutrition Source. Harvard School of Public Health, n. d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014. 7) Weber, Belinda. â€Å"Coffee Consumption Cuts Liver Cancer Risk. † Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 22 Oct. 2013. Web. 12 Nov. 2014. .

Bridger Teton

Bridger Teton National Forest 12/03/2010 Conservation is the use and exploitation of the land in a sustainable way, or one might say to manage. Preservation is the protection of the land that limits use, in order to maintain a pristine condition or to protect. After my research, I do believe that humans can actually harvest forest resources in an environmentally friendly way. Does that mean we should? In my opinion, I think that each situation is different, based on the use of the land and what the condition of the land is that is trying to be used.In the case of the Bridger Teton National forest, I do feel that it should be left in its natural state. For so many years this land has been untouched, untamed and undiscovered. To take land of this nature for drilling, building roads and pipelines are not worth it. To the people of Wyoming it is more valuable than what you can get out of it from oil and gas. New technology should allow other ways to give us freedom for foreign oil. I rea lly thought it was odd that the politicians were already calling â€Å"Management Area 71† which does not scream environmentally friendly.In my research I did come across a reading that stated conservation was good in some instances to keep wild life under control and allowed for controlled hunting. I’m not sure if I can consider that environmentally friendly. Humans are changing the environment by fragmenting landscapes, and by removing species from their habitats. Preservation should remain for the Bridger Teton National Forest, and should only be preserved if and only if it is not maintaining a pristine condition on it’s own.

Health Ass. discussion questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health Ass. discussion questions - Assignment Example In nursing assessment, information is gathered and then interpreted. The two processes are different as one moves into the advanced practice role, as nursing assessment is employed to identify the health problems faced by the patient and are based on research, findings and literature (Spain, DeCristofaro, & Smith, 2004). The nurse is able to recognize the present health status and how it relates to the patient’s previous health status. The approach and the structure used in assessment is determined by the priorities of the specific service for which it is created and on the type of population the nurse is dealing with for example, elderly, children and adults (Rosdahl & Kowalski, 2008). However, clinical reasoning is a part of the assessment that is needed to understand and interpret gathered information. According to Spain et al. (2004), the clinical decision-making worksheet is developed to support data organization, interpretation and collection in accordance to standardize d communication format. 2. Consider a clinical situation (patient case) in your own practice (current or past). In what ways do you see your role changing as you become an advanced practice registered nurse, and how might this affect your assessment of that patient? Currently, as a registered nurse I receive patients in my care and consider the health status presently and how it is associated with the patient’s health history. I see my role changing as I become an advanced practice registered nurse as I will have gained full competencies needed in the profession. Moreover, I will be able to prescribe medication, diagnose and treat acute and chronic illness, all in the focus of health promotion and prevention. The competencies will help me in applying the knowledge of the scientific basis for quality care in practice (Thomas et.al, 2011). I will be able to apply expertise in data literacy, technology

Ilandes between them Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ilandes between them - Essay Example Japan is a prominent affiliate for the US in several foreign policy subjects, especially when it comes to security priorities, from countering the growth of  China within the region to responding to threats from North Korea. After the World War II, the alliance between US and Japan has long been a fix of the US security function within East Asia. This alliance eases the forward operations of nearly 49,000 US troops, as well as other US military resources based within Japan into the Asia-Pacific. Therefore, if Japan makes a decision of becoming a member of the free trade agreement known as Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), it will turn out to be an even more crucial subject within the rebalancing strategy of the Obama Administration to Asia (Curtis). In the last seven years, Japan has fought to achieve political stability. Since 2007, Japan has seen six men becoming Prime Ministers, comprising of the present Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who in 2006-2007 held the same post. His Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) resumed authority in a landslide election held in December 2012. Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), i.e. the present opposition, had governed for three turbulent years following their own watershed election win in 2009 (Curtis). The leaders in Japan encounter  overwhelming responsibilities including a rising increasingly aggressive China, a feeble economy and overhauling from the destructive March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, as well as nuclear disaster. In the recent past, opposition dominion over a single chamber of parliament has deterred policymaking in Tokyo, thereby complicating the relations between US and Japan in spite of general shared national benefits. Abe is improbable to pursue divisive initiatives prior to the coming national elections in July 2013, for the Diet, i.e. the Upper House of parliament (Curtis). Perhaps most radically, the US is going to be directly engaged in a military clash between Japan and China concerning the Senkaku/Diaoyu islets within the East China Sea. Previous comments and deeds on contentious historical concerns by Prime Minister Abe together with his cabinet have resulted in concerns that Tokyo is capable of upset regional dealing in ways that could end up harming US interests. As a strong nationalist, Abe is currently under duress on the right by a newly created party flaunting its own hawkish opinions on national security. As a result, Abe’s approach to problems such as the alleged â€Å"comfort women† sex slaves during the World War II period, history textbooks, trips to the Yasukuni Shrine, which tributes to  war dead of Japan, as well as assertions on a territorial conflict with South Korea, will be under scrutiny by not only the neighbors of Japan, but also by the US (Curtis). Although the enormous and instantaneous humanitarian relief given by the US after the â€Å"triple disaster† in March 2011, bolstered the mutual alliance, difficult concerns remain especially those linked to the positioning of marines on Okinawa. In spite of Washington and Tokyo consenting to relocate the majority of marines from Okinawa into Guam, as well as other locations within the region, the two administrations were incapable of making

Intel Corp Strategies, Organizational Design and Strategic Controls Essay

Intel Corp Strategies, Organizational Design and Strategic Controls - Essay Example This shift towards manufacturing microprocessors saw its success as a market leader because with the success of personal computers, Intel also emerged as the forerunner for supplying high speed and more sophisticated microprocessors to enable PC users to expand their choices of using PC for different purposes such as gaming etc. This however, been successful mainly due to the way Intel was managed as well as the mission and objectives it set for itself. Intel, as a company has intensively relied on setting strategic directions for itself which is based on delivering technology advancements which help improve the way we live and work. This paper will attempt to study the vision, mission and objectives of the organizations and would then examine the existing organizational design and strategic controls to determine whether the strategic fit between the two exist or not. Setting up the mission statement help firms to identify the unique and fundamental objective for which distinguish the firm from others in the industry. (Pearce and David). Intel has set following mission for itself: The above mission statement suggests that the focus of Intel has been on focusing on three distinct stakeholders i.e. customers, employees and shareholders by providing them technologies which are considered as vital to the way we work and live. Based on this mission statement, the organization has also set values of "customer orientation, Result Orientation, Risk Taking, Great place to work, Quality and Discipline" (Intel) however, these values are going to help Intel to achieve the objectives of extending its technology leadership by delivering best microprocessors and platforms so that it can become profitable worldwide by excelling in customer orientation. (Intel). The above goals and objectives suggest that the focus of Intel has been on becoming a market leader in microprocessor market by focusing on being customer oriented. However, in order to attain such mission and objectives, Intel has set up organizational design and strategic controls in such a way that they support its mission, vision, values and objective. The following section will discuss the organizational design and strategic controls within Intel which help it to achieve its mission and strategic objectives. Organization Design and Strategic Controls & Strategic Fit Organizational Design and Strategic controls involve the setting up of the roles and processes which outline the reporting relationships within the organization. The definition of roles and processes help organizations to accomplish the operational and tactical objectives so that the strategic objectives of the organization shall be achieved and strategic controls help organizational designs to follow a pre-defined strategic framework. Similarly, Strategic fit defines how well the strategies and mission of the organization are supporting its internal capabilities and external environment. It also requires that the organizations must match their organization design according to its internal as well as external environm

Resisting Disability Epithets Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Resisting Disability Epithets - Assignment Example The analysis of the case would be presented by providing a brief introduction to present the issues in the case; an analysis of the issues by evaluating the communication climate at the organization and by identifying Stacey’s alternative courses of action; and a concluding portion that stipulates recommendations and the justifications for these. Given the letter that Stacey wrote, from the alternative courses of action, it is proposed that Stacey should send the letter she composed through the official publication News and Notes, and specifically outline transforming the communication culture of the organization to reflect a more professional and respectful environment that adheres to ethical, moral, and legal standards. Introduction The organization, Hermit Life and Auto, could be deduced to offer insurance services (both life and automobiles) to various clients across the United States. Its communication culture manifests an abundance of expressing disability slur or disability epithet, defined as â€Å"an abusive or contemptuous word or phrase†¦commonly used as a simple synonym for term of abuse or slur† (The Free Dictionary, 2012, p. 1), with frequent references to words such as â€Å"spazzos† and â€Å"retards† (Mills, 2010, p. 257) within their communication patterns. The main party involved in Stacey, who is disturbed by the communication culture, particularly due to her being â€Å"the mother of a child with an intellectual disability† (Mills, 2010, p. 257). She felt that by being tolerant of other personnel’s constant disregard for respectful and irresponsible use of disability epithet, the communication culture would be construed as an unprofessional representati on of the high quality of services they are expected to offer to diverse clients â€Å"regardless of race, religion, political or cultural differences, sexual orientation, or mental and /or physical disability† (Mills, 2010, p. 257). In this regard, a letter was drafted and written by Stacey with the aim of presenting the issues to her colleagues to ultimately put a stop to the use of disability epithet within the communication culture in the organization. Analysis of the Issues The case facts revealed that although the disability epithets were not particular directed to Stacey or were reportedly said in â€Å"a joking manner, the statements are direct and derogatory, references to people with disabilities† (Mills, 2010, p. 257) and therefore potentially cause grounds that could violate the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). According to the Affirm Able Action Associates (2012), the â€Å"ADA makes it illegal to discriminate against anyone who has a mental or physical disability in the area of employment, public services, transportation, public accomodations and telecommunications. Not complying with the ADA may result in time-consuming complaints and possible penalties issued by the government† (par. 1). If the Hermit Life and Auto’s personnel would not be made aware of their unconcious and irresponsible language and use of disability epithet, these people could unknowingly extend the same language to various stakeholders and jeopardize the professional image that the organization is expected to manifest. Likewise, as revealed in â€Å"Things Employers Wish They Never Had Said†, there are disability discrimination never-says language and instances that were enumerated to endanger the employer and could potentially invite legal suits: â€Å" disability-related jokes; making fun of various disabilities; disability-related slurs; frequently calling attention to someone's limitations; and "Now he'll probably go and file a workers' comp claim!"† (Texas Workforce Commission, 2011, par. 8). As evident, Hermit Life and

Low risk3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Low risk3 - Essay Example way by different people belonging to the same religion and the religion was not considered as popular until philosophy became a part of it and the understanding of the religion became clearer. The second reason he provided in support of Christians being tolerant towards other religion was that the early Christians were Jewish and Jewish religion is a heavy supporter of tolerance and Jesus himself was a Jewish follower. He even states that earlier Christians were divided into two groups and they were tolerant against each other and same practices should still be followed if the world has to live in harmony. The third reason supporting Christian tolerance is that the religion’s key figure was a strong promoter of tolerance; the key figure is Jesus himself. He even stated that there were differences among people who followed Christianity and they had to tolerate each other, so the Christian religion now needs to tolerate other religion as human error and difference of opinion exi sts. Voltaire: A Treatise on Toleration." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington . N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.

Health care Concepts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health care Concepts - Essay Example It also provides us with the constraints faced by our health care arrangement. Week 4- Rising Costs of Health Care: The rising costs present us with some of the challenges that are faced by the health care arrangement. It helps identify these areas that would need further research and improvements to make the arrangement more efficient. It also shows the goals of the US health care arrangement. Pharmaceutical Industry: Presents us with some knowledge on the industry where drugs are developed, produced and marketed. It presents us with the process that a drug has to go through before it is licensed as a medication. Health care Reform topic provides us with a rubric for discussing the health care policy creation and the changes on the policies. It presents the policies that have been developed on matters affecting the health care arrangement. Health care Reform topic two, introduces us to the debates surrounding the health care arrangement and issues on access, fairness, quality and sustainability of the health care arrangement. Medicare/ Medicaid: In this week we are introduced to the concepts of Medicaid which is a government program that provides health care related services. These are rather separate programs but all fall under the section of health and human services. We are introduced to the services that are provided by these programs. Medical Ethics: This topic introduces the students to the code of ethics that ranges from: compassion, human dignity, and support in the health care, education, improvements in the community, responsibilities of the medical practitioners and the aspects of professionalism and upholding honesty in the health care arrangement. Alternative Medicine: We are introduced to a broad range of approaches, therapies, healing processes and those that are not commonly used and unacceptable in the health care arrangement. Health Care Literacy: In this topic we are introduced to the currency of success essential in

Bauhaus History of Design Essay Example for Free

Bauhaus History of Design Essay The Bauhaus was the first model of the modern art school. The Bauhaus curriculum combined theoretic education and practical training in the educational workshops. It drew inspiration from the ideals of the revolutionary art movements and design experiments of the early 20th century. A woodcut (shown right) depicted the idealized vision of Walter Gropius, a cathedral of design. Bauhaus 1919-33 The Bauhaus began with an utopian definition: The building of the future was to combine all the arts in ideal unity. In order to reach this goal, the founder, Walter Gropius, saw the necessity to develop new teaching methods and was convinced that the base for any art was to be found in handcraft: the school will gradually turn into a workshop. artists and craftsmen directed classes and production together at the Bauhaus in Weimar. This was intended to remove any distinction between fine arts and applied arts. Of course, the educational and social claim to a new configuration of life and its environment could not always be achieved. And the Bauhaus was not alone with this goal, but the name became a near synonym for this trend. The Bauhaus occupies a place of its own in the history of 20th century culture, architecture, design, art and new media. One of the first schools of design, it brought together a number of the most outstanding contemporary architects and artists and was not only an innovative training centre but also a place of production and a focus of international debate. At a time when industrial society was in the grip of a crisis, the Bauhaus stood almost alone in asking how the modernisation process could be mastered by means of design. Founded in Weimar in 1919, the Bauhaus rallied masters and students who sought to reverse the split between art and production by returning to the crafts as the foundation of all artistic activity and developing exemplary designs for objects and spaces that were to form part of a more human future society. Following intense internal debate, in 1923 the Bauhaus turned its ttention to industry under its founder and first director Walter Gropius (1883–1969). The major exhibition which opened in 1923, reflecting the revised principle of art and technology as a new unity, showcased the full spectrum of Bauhaus work and prototypes. The Haus Am Horn provided a glimpse of a residential building of the future. In 1924 funding for the Bauhaus was cut so drastically at the instigation of conservative forces that it had to seek a new home. The Bauhaus moved to Dessau at a time of rising economic fortunes, becoming the municipally funded School of Design. Almost all masters moved with it. Former students became junior masters in charge of the workshops. Famous works of art and architecture and influential designs were produced in Dessau in the years from 1926 to 1932. Walter Gropius resigned as director on 1st April 1928 under the pressure of constant struggles for the Bauhaus survival, He was succeeded by the Swiss architect Hannes Meyer (1889–1954) whose work sought to shape a harmonious society. Cost-cutting industrial mass production was to make products affordable for the masses. Despite his successes, Hannes Meyer’s Marxist convictions became a problem for the city council amidst the political turbulence of Germany in 1929, and the following year he was removed from his post. Under Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969) the Bauhaus developed from 1930 into a technical school of architecture with subsidiary art and workshop departments. After the Nazis became the biggest party in Dessau at the elections, the Bauhaus was forced to move in September 1932. It moved to Berlin but only lasted for a short time longer. The Bauhaus dissolved itself under pressure from the Nazis in 1933. Architecture The building is the ultimate goal of all fine art,† the Bauhaus manifesto proclaimed back in 1919. Architecture training at the Bauhaus in Weimar was initially the prerogative of Walter Gropius private architectural practice and for a short time courses were run by his partner Adolf Meyer and in association with the Baugewerkschule (building trades school) in Weimar. The Bauhaus workshops were involved in these efforts through Gropius’s office. This collaboration produced the Haus Am Horn in 1923. Some new methods based on specific types and standardisation were employed not only to produce new architecture but to anticipate a new lifestyle through this architecture. In 1927 Walter Gropius offered Hannes Meyer a position in charge of architecture classes. That year Hannes Meyer began to put together a curriculum which included all relevant subjects such as planning, design, draftsmanship, construction, town planning. Architecture for Walter Gropius and Hannes Meyer alike mainly denoted the design of life’s processes. Hannes Meyer went far beyond Gropius’s study of essentials†, which focused too much on the object for his taste, turning his teaching programme into one where the concrete conditions in society and the factors determining architecture and its use formed the starting point for all planning and design. The habits of the future residents of an estate or a house were studied in scientific detail. From 1930 to 1933 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe carried on with much of what had been started under his predecessors. At the same time Mies van der Rohe streamlined the curriculum to produce something like a system of courses which left almost no room for utopian experiments. The majority of the new student intake at the Bauhaus had already completed a course of studies, and the Bauhaus became a postgraduate school. Mies van der Rohe’s teaching focused on the design of specific buildings whose appearance owed nothing to Gropius’s study of essentials† or to the collective satisfaction of â€Å"the people’s needs†, but which were to be the spatial implementation of intellectual decisions† (Mies van der Rohe) in an aesthetically consummate fashion.

Plato v.s. Aristotle Essay Example for Free

Plato v.s. Aristotle Essay Plato was a very intelligent philosopher and teacher. Platos most famous student was Aristotle, who regardless of his education by the great philosopher has different views and opinions that Plato. The ideas of Plato and Aristotle would battle constantly. Platos metaphysics and epistemology split the world into the everyday perception of the world and into forms. These forms are best identified as ideas that are just out in the atmosphere. For example, there are so many different designs for creating a table which exist in the real world. However, Plato states that there is somewhere out in the atmosphere, the idea of a perfect table in which all creators of a table base their crappy tables off of. Plato talks about the allegory of the cave cast his beliefs on metaphysics and epistemology. First, he describes people who are forced to sit and watch shadows on a cave wall for the entirety of their lives. The shadows represent how regular people see objects in everyday life. If one of these people, who has only watched shadows, were set free to see what was casting these shadows, and then was demanded to leave the cave they would then see the true forms of objects. To Plato these forms are reality because of their perfection. and that only enlightened philosophers are able to truly comprehend these forms. But, the philosopher with this unique knowledge of the world must preach it to all of the people who dont have the knowledge. Aristotle did have some similar ideas with Plato because he too also believed in forms. However, Aristotle does not see eye-to-eye with Plato that their are ideas floating in the atmposhphere. Aristotle has the thought that these forms exist inside of the objects themselves. So, rather than having the idea of a perfect chair floating in ones imagination the chair would be discovered inside of any chair. Aristotle expresses this idea with the thought of the sould and the body being one, but in perspective they are their own pieces of a being. Basically, the soul represents the forms and the body represents reality. These two philosophers diverge extremely in their ideas also. This can be noticed in how the two philosophers determine what is true and what is not. Aristotle believes that what he has seen and knows to be true is the only case where something can be true. But, Plato would believe anything that he could create reasons to be true. Therefore, Aristotle would rather use scientific method to prove a truth before stating them as true. But, Plato would use common knowledge and intuition to determine the truth of something. Reasoning is definitely not comparable to visually seeing, and therefore Aristotle and Plato differ in their methods of finding truth.

Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) Collection, Preparation and Uses

Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) Collection, Preparation and Uses Samuel Good Fresh Frozen Plasma Introduction Fresh Frozen Plasma (FFP) is the name for the liquid portion of human blood, which has been frozen and preserved. It is taken by blood donation and is stored until needed for blood transfusion. FFP has been available since 1941 (Hoffman, et al, 1990), it was used initially as a volume expander (Erber, et al, 2006), but is now used for the â€Å"management and prevention of bleeding in coagulopathic patients† (Ho, et al, 2005). The term FFP is confusing as the plasma cannot be frozen as well as fresh at the same time. What the term implies is that the plasma was frozen rapidly after it was taken and therefore can be considered fresh. The plasma, from a transfusion aspect, contains essential components such as fibrinogen, albumin, globulin and coagulation factors. These allow for specific individual components to be transferred to a recipient who is in need. The most efficient and effective way to make optimum use of blood which has been donated, is to separate it into its individual components. This process allows for a â€Å"wider availability of blood products† (Spence, et al, 2006) and also reduces the risk patients are exposed to â€Å"transfusion-related risks† (Erber, et al, 2006). The use of FFP and its individual products has increased tenfold since its first introduction (Hoffman, et al, 1990). One reason for this may be the declining availability of whole blood because of the trend to use component therapy (Spence, et al, 2006). Collection and Storage When a donor gives a unit of whole blood, the blood is then separated into several components parts. These include; packed red blood cells (pRBC), platelets and FFP. If required the FFP can be further divided into cryoprecipitate and something called cryo-poor plasma. Cryo-poor plasma is rarely used as a therapeutic response (Lauzier, et al, 2007). As mentioned previously, plasma is the non-cellular, liquid part of the blood. It is made up of; water, electrolytes and proteins. The proteins include the clotting factors and intrinsic coagulants (Murray, et al, 1995). The plasma is separated from the blood after donation and then frozen. For the plasma to be considered ‘fresh’ it must be frozen â€Å"within eight hours of collection† (Murray, et al, 1995) and stored at a temperature of minus 18 degrees centigrade or lower. If this fails to happen, the product is known just as ‘frozen plasma’, which like cryo-poor plasma, is rarely used for therapeutic means. However, to maintain coagulation factors to optimum levels the plasma should be stored at minus 30 degrees centigrade (Lauzier, et al, 2007). FFP can be prepared by separation from whole blood or via plasmapheresis. Plasmapheresis is the name given to a â€Å"broad range of procedures† where â€Å"extracorporeal separation of blood components† (Erber, et al, 2006) results in a plasma which is filtered. Preparation To summarise, FFP is collected in citrate-containing anticoagulant solution, frozen within 8 hours and stored at minus 30 degrees centigrade for up to a year. Although every protection is taken to ensure sterility, it is quite possible for the donor to have an asymptomatic bacteraemia at the time of donation (Stanworth, et al, 2004). The bacteria will have its proliferation down-regulated by the plasma being frozen. However, FFP can still sometimes transmit infectious diseases. Therefore, screening and pathogen inactivation may be performed to reduce the risk. FFP contains no RBC’s and also no WBC’s. As there are no WBC’s the plasma is referred to be as being leucodepleted. This is an indication as to why FFP can transmit said diseases. As mentioned pathogen inactivation can be performed and this is done by using either Methylene blue or a solvent/detergent process. The Methylene Blue Technique Methylene blue is a dye that has been shown to be very effective in the inactivation of pathogens. It binds to nucleic acids and, on illumination with white light, singlet oxygen is formed. This then destroys viral DNA and RNA, therefore viral replication cannot take place. Solvent/Detergent Technique This technique is used for the preparation of factors viii and ix as well as immunoglobulins. First, a solvent is added to the plasma which removes the lipid viral envelope. After this is complete, a detergent is added which inactivates the viral contents. The solvent and detergent are then removed by a physical separation technique, in which they are dissolved in oil. Column chromatography can then be used to isolate factors viii and ix. Once any treatment that is required is complete, the FFP is ready for use. It is an accepted practice that FFP is thawed before use (Ho, et al, 2005). The required units of FFP are placed in a water bath set at 30 – 37 degrees centigrade for approximately 20 – 30 minutes. Von Heyman, et al investigated the effects of 2 different thawing machines and running warm water of 43 degrees centigrade, on the activity of clotting factors, inhibitors and activation markers in FFP. They discovered no significant differences in the activity of coagulation markers over a 6 hour period post thawing. However, a major conclusion found was that, if FFP is immediately transfused after thawing, the product remained rich in clotting factors. Also, if the plasma is left, the activity of said clotting factors decline gradually and therefore FFP should only be maintained at room temperature for up to 4 hours. If thawed FFP is not used within 24 hours it becomes a separate product known as ‘thawed plasma’ (Murray, et al, 1995). Most clotting factors are stable in thawed plasma, however some labile factors, such as v and viii are not. Their degradation actually accelerates whilst the plasma is in a liquid state (Lauzier, et al, 2007). The only main advantage of having thawed plasma readily available, is that it can be transfused rapidly if a severely injured patient requires it. FFP Blood Type Specific It is widely accepted that O negative is the universal donor for pRBC’s, however for FFP this isn’t the case. A and B antigens of the blood are located on the red cells themselves. Type O individuals are devoid of these proteins on their red blood cells. Plasma does not contain RBC’s, but it contains antibodies to the corresponding absent protein. An example of this is: Type A individual has Anti-B antibodies in their blood. Type O plasma has both Anti-A and Anti-B antibodies and is incompatible with about 55 percent of the population. An individual with type AB blood has neither Anti-A nor Anti-B antibodies. This makes the AB plasma ideal for universal use when the blood type of the patient is unknown. The Rh status is irrelevant because any plasma with Anti-D is destroyed at the manufacturing stage. Recipient blood Acceptable blood groups of donor plasma O O,A,B,AB A A,AB B B,AB AB AB The major problem with blood type AB is that the percentage of the population which has it is only 4 percent. Therefore it is better to use FFP which is blood type compatible, which will be determined at the blood bank. Usage There are very few actual specific needs for the use of FFP (Spence, et al, 2006). Usually FFP is used to treat â€Å"deficiencies of coagulation proteins where specific factor concentrates are unavailable† (Hoffman, et al, 1990). Coagulation deficiencies can occur in a variety of different clinical situations. These include massive blood loss, surgery, and infection or acquired multiple coagulation factor deficiencies. Examples of FFP usage: Replacement of isolated factor deficiencies Reversal of Warfarin effects Massive blood transfusion Antithrombin III deficiency Treatment of immunodeficiency Treatment of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura Treatment of Disseminated intravascular coagulation Replacement of isolated factor deficiency FFP can be used to heat deficiencies of factors II, V, VII, IX, X and XI. It is only chosen as a treatment when no specific component therapy is available. Certain factors require a different haemostatic level, for example; severe factor X deficiency only requires a factor level of about 10 percent. Therefore FFP has a range of success when treating factor deficiencies. Reversal of Warfarin effect If a patient is being treated with Warfarin, they have been shown to be deficient in â€Å"functional vitamin K dependent coagulation factors II, VII, IX and X† (Spence, et al, 2006). Usually vitamin K will be administered, however anticoagulated patients will be actively bleeding, and therefore FFP can be used. Massive blood transfusion The use of FFP as a treatment on massive blood transfusion has increased over the decades. Massive bleeding is defined as â€Å"the loss of one blood volume within 24 hours† or as â€Å"50 percent blood loss within 3 hours† or a â€Å"bleeding rate of 150 ml/minute† (Lauzier, et al, 2007). It is indicated for use in patients who have documented blood clotting abnormalities after large blood loss and who are in need of urgent treatment. This is due to the fact that in most emergency situations it is unacceptable to wait hours for lab results to be returned. Antithrombin III deficiency FFP is sometimes used as a source of Antithrombin III in people who are deficient of this inhibitor. Especially if the patients are undergoing surgery or who use Heparin to treat thrombosis. Treatment of Immunodeficiency FFP has been used in children and adults with a humoral immunodeficiency as a source of immunoglobulin. It is also sometimes used for infants when parental nutrition is lacking, and they are suffering with severe protein losing enteropathy (Erber, et al, 2006). Treatment of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura The treatment recommended for this condition is a daily plasma exchange (Murray, et al, 1995). Prompt intervention is indicated if development of neurological abnormalities start to appear. This plasma exchange usually continues for at least 2 days after remission (Ho, et al, 2005). Treatment of Disseminated intravascular coagulation Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a syndrome where the control of the coagulation system becomes disturbed and out of control. This is usually due to pro-coagulants being dispersed into circulation (Stanworth, et al, 2004). Most of the time this happens secondary to a disease or disorder, such as cancer. In the presence of DIC, fibrinogen, platelets and coagulation factors V and VIII become rapidly depleted. FFP is given as treatment to prevent further problems or progression. Treatment usually involves a patient being infused with a single line of FFP and then coagulation tests performed to assess the clinical benefit (Stanworth, et al, 2004). There are also some conditional uses where FFP can be used but is not the first choice treatment, such as liver disease and Paediatric use. If patients have an abnormal coagulation profile and are suffering from liver disease, they can be treated with FFP. There is varying success and treatment must be monitored by regular transfusion coagulation tests. Clotting times of infants have been shown to be longer than that of adults (Murray, et al, 1995), and even longer in premature babies (OShaughnessy, et al, 2004). Vitamin K deficiency is the most common cause of neonatal bleeding (Murray, et al, 1995). FFP can be used to counter the effects if required. In the case of babies suffering from haemorrhagic disease of the newborn, FFP can be used as treatment. But only if the â€Å"chance of bleeding is greater than the risk of harmful reactions† to the treatment with FFP (Lauzier, et al, 2007). Risks As with any transfusion there is a risk of infection, the main risks identified include: Disease transmission Excessive intravascular volume Anaphylactoid reactions Alloimmunisation Transfusion related acute lung injury The risks associated with viral infectivity of FFP are similar to that of whole blood and RBC’s. As mentioned earlier this risk can be countered by photochemically treating the plasma. Allergic reactions that occur in response to FFP transfusion vary in severity from â€Å"hives to fatal non-cardiac pulmonary oedema† (Stanworth, et al, 2004). Transfusion relate acute lung injury (TRALI) is defined as a â€Å"new episode of acute lung injury within 6 hours of complicated therapy† (OShaughnessy, et al, 2004). It manifests as severe respiratory problems, including hypoxia and other symptoms linked to pulmonary oedema. Symptoms will usually subside 2 days after ceasing FFP treatment (Stanworth, et al, 2004). Alloimmunisation can occur if Anti-Rh antibodies are formed after treatment with FFP. To counter this, plasma containing Anti-D antibodies should not be given to an RhD-positive recipient. There has also been reported incidences of post-transfusion Hepatitis, and depends on a number factors, including donor selection. Also with any intravenously transfused fluid, there is a chance of hypervolemia which could lead to cardiac failure, therefore administration of FFP should not be given in excessive doses. Below is a suggested dosage breakdown: Volume of 1 Unit Plasma: 200-250 mL 1 mL plasma contains 1 u coagulation factors 1 Unit contains 220 u coagulation factors Factor recovery with transfusion = 40% 1 Unit provides ~80 u coagulation factors 70 kg X .05 = plasma volume of 35 dL (3.5 L) 80 u = 2.3 u/dL = 2.3% (of normal 100 u/dL) 35 dL In a 70 kg Patient: 1 Unit Plasma increases most factors ~2.5% 4 Units Plasma increase most factors ~10% Figures taken from (http://reference.medscape.com/drug/ffp-octaplas-fresh-frozen-plasma-999499) Conclusion In conclusion, FFP can be used as an effective treatment for a number of different clinical issues. It also does not come without risk and therefore FFP should be collected, stored, prepared and used in an efficient and safe manner. Below I have summarised the administration of FFP. FFP (Fresh Frozen Plasma) Volume: 240-300ml (mean 273ml) Storage: designated temperature controlled freezer. Core temperature -30 o C Shelf life: 24 months (frozen) Must be ABO compatible, but Rh is not necessary to be considered for transfusion and no anti D prophylaxis is required if Rh-D negative patients receive Rh-D positive FFP. Prior to the transfusion FFP must be thawed under controlled conditions using specifically designed equipment. Thawing usually takes approximately 15-30 minutes Once thawed, FFP must not be re-frozen and should be transfused as quickly as possible. Post-thaw storage results in a decline in the quality of coagulation factors. If stored at 4 degrees centigrade post thawing (in a designated temperature controlled refrigerator), the transfusion must be completed within 24 hours of thawing. Pooled solvent-detergent treated plasma is also commercially available Dose: typically 10-15ml/kg. This dose may need to be exceeded in massive haemorrhage depending on the clinical situation and its monitoring (BCSH 2004) Typical infusion rate 10-20ml/kg/hr (approximately 30 minutes per unit) Rapid infusion may be appropriate when given to replace coagulation factors during major haemorrhage. There is anecdotal evidence that acute reactions may be more common with faster administration rates. (http://reference.medscape.com/drug/ffp-octaplas-fresh-frozen-plasma-999499) REFERENCES Erber WN, Perry DJ: Plasma and plasma products in the treatment of massive hemorrhage. Best Pract Res Clin Haematol 2006, 19:97-112 Hewson JR, Neame PB, Kumar N, Ayrton A, Gregor P, Davis C, Shragge BW. Coagulopathy related to dilution and hypotension during massive transfusion. Crit Care Med. 1985;13(5):387-391. Ho AM, Karmakar MK, Dion PW. Are we giving enough coagulation factors during major trauma resuscitation? Am J Surg. 2005;190(3):479-484. Hoffman M, Jenner P. Variability in fibrinogen and Von Willebrand factor content of cryoprecipitate.  Brief Sci Rep. 1990;93(5):694-697. Lauzier F, Cook D, Griffith L, Upton J, Crowther M: Fresh frozen plasma transfusion in critically ill patients. Crit Care Med 2007, 35:1655-1659. Leslie SD, Toy PT. Laboratory hemostatic abnormalities in massively transfused patients given red blood cells and crystalloid. Am J Clin Pathol. 1991;96(6):770-773. Murray DJ, Olson J, Strauss R, Tinker JH. Coagulation changes during packed red cell replacement of major blood loss. Anesthesiology. 1988;69(6):839-845 Murray DJ, Pennell BJ, Weinstein SL, Olson JD.Packed red cells in acute blood loss: dilutional coagulopathy as a cause of surgical bleeding. Anesth Analg. 1995;80(2):336-342. OShaughnessy DF, Atterbury C, Bolton Maggs P, Murphy M, Thomas D, Yates S, Williamson LM, British Committee for Standards in Haematology, Blood Transfusion Task Force: Guidelines for the use of fresh-frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate and cryosupernatant. Br J Haematol 2004, 126:11-28. Spence RK: Clinical use of plasma and plasma fractions. Best Pract Res Clin Haematol 2006, 19:83-96. Stanworth SJ, Brunskill SJ, Hyde CJ, McClelland DB, Murphy MF: Is fresh frozen plasma clinically effective? A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Br J Haematol 2004, 126:139-152 Tieu BH, Holcomb JB, Schreiber MA. Coagulopathy:its pathophysiology and treatment in the injured patient. World J Surg. 2007;31(5):1055-1065 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresh_frozen_plasma http://www.psbc.org/therapy/ffp.htm http://reference.medscape.com/drug/ffp-octaplas-fresh-frozen-plasma-999499 http://ccforum.com/content/14/1/202

Analysis of Ceremony, by Leslie Marmon Silko :: Ceremony Essays

People often feel that their opinions do not matter, that they cannot make a difference. This is untrue, one person does have the ability to change an outcome, halt or finalize a decision, and even build or destroy a culture. In the novel Ceremony, by Leslie Marmon Silko, this is witnessed in the character Auntie, a dominating, selfish woman who will do anything to gain a respectable status in the community. In an attempt to gain acceptance from both Native and Western societies, Auntie metaphorically "kills" her own child which in turn destroys the Native American culture. Auntie has a deep desire for belonging, not only in Western civilization, but in her own Native world as well. She is constantly preoccupied with the image of which she projects to the community, often worrying that the rumors of her family will bring about shame and dishonor. Although the community has far more important issues to deal with, Auntie feels that is necessary to escape the "alleged," judgment that is derived from her sister promiscuous behavior and her brother's affair. Her belief is that if she is acknowledged in Western culture, than her past will cease to follow her. To acquire respect from Western society, Auntie strongly encourages her son, Rocky, to pursue non-traditional ways yet in the process fails to realize that she is pushing him considerably away from his heritage. Rocky is an adolescent that other students would envy; he is intelligent athletic and competitive, a perfect example illustrating the effects of Western culture. Of course his school supports his so called success, but his mother is the real culprit in stripping him of the pride he should posses toward his treasured past. Silko explains, "All that summer, while Josiah and Tayo watched the cattle and the sheep camp, and Robert worked in the fields each day, Rocky read magazines and ran laps at the baseball diamond. Auntie made it clear to everyone that it was all necessary if Rocky were to keep his football scholarship to the University.

Cocos nucifera Essay -- Botany

Cocos nucifera Cocos nucifera is the scientific name of the common coconut. This very tall palm tree is always an inviting symbol of the tropics. The plant is one of the most valuable plants to man. It is a primary source of food, drink, and shelter. In Sanskrit the coconut palm is called "kalpa vriksha", which is defined as "the tree which provides all the necessities of life." Man can use every part of the coconut. The white nut-meat can be eaten raw or shredded and dried and used in most cooking recipes. A single coconut has as much protein as a quarter pound of beefsteak. Copra, the dried meat of the kernels, when crushed is the source of coconut oil. The husks, known as coir, is a short, coarse, elastic fibers used to make an excellent thatch roofing material for houses. This very diverse plant is also an excellent charcoal, which is produced from the shells, not only does it work as a cooking fuel, but also in the production of gas masks and air filters. The outer part of the trunk of the coconut palm furnishes, a construction lumber, known as porcupine wood for houses and furniture. The swollen base of the trunk, when hollowed, can be turned into a hula drum that the Hawaiians use for entertainment. These are just a few examples of how extraordinary the coconut palm can be utilized. The coconut was first mentioned in 545 AD by an Egyptian Monk named Cosmos Indicopleustes. He visited western India and Ceylon. In his "Topographia Christiana", Cosmos describes the coconut as the "great nut of India." The Mahavasma, an ancient chronological history of Ceylon, describes the planting of coconuts in that country in 589 AD. In 1280 Marco Polo, described coconut growing in Sumatra, as well as in Madras and Malabar... ...aried utilization of the coconut will always be important in the economic aspect. Raw Copra used to be the major export but as coconut oil is becoming more widely used its export is increasing. Another change is the export of coconuts in the shell to the exporting of desiccated coconut. Both of these changes have benefited the countries of origin by creating more employment in the tropics. The coconut has been a growing success since the time it was first discovered and to this day this very diverse plant is still showing great potential. REFERENCES Child, Reginald. "Coconuts". 2nd edition. Longman Group Ltd. 1974. Woodruff, Jasper Guy, Ph.D. "Coconuts: Production, Processing, Products." The Avi Publishing Co, Inc, 1970. Encyclopedia Americana. Vol. 7 1989. Collier's Encyclopedia. Vol. 6 1984. Dictionary of Archaeology "The facts of file."

Labyrinth of Suffering

â€Å"How will we ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering? † I believe suffering is something ones self is born with. When we give our first steps in this world we soon realize there is struggle and the struggle is ever lasting in ones life. Alaska Young was brought down with the suffering in her life. The labyrinth of her life dragged her down and the question of escaping the labryitnh would not leave her mind. She broke. Alaska got out of her labyrinth â€Å"straight and fast. † Maybe getting out of the labyrinth of suffering is forgiveness just like pudge believes.If one holds on to hatred and pain then it grows and it eats away your every whim. Pudge needed to answer this question not only for his class assement but he needed to answer it for himself. He knows as well as I do that Alaska is gone forever and he may never know why or how she died. Pudge knows that to get out of his labyrinth of suffereing he needs to forgive Alaska. He needs to forgive her to be a ble to continue mazing through the labrynth of his life. Pudge needs to forgive her to get to happiness.The answer to this question lingers in my mind,will I get out of this labryith of suffering? I am not sure at all. I know there is always a smile in darkness, and I can forgive and forget just as Pudge forgives Alaska. Maybe even after death there will still be the labryitnh of suffering. Or maybe after death the suffering ends. The first steps we give in death are probably not a struggle at all. Unlike Alaska I don’t want to find the answer just yet. I rather linger on it and learn or wonder. I will not find a way out â€Å"straight and fast. At some point in life â€Å"Everyone†¦gets dragged out to sea by the undertow†¦we are all going. † In other words, at some point in time we know we are going to die/suffer or someone we love and care for is going to die, how do we deal with this knowledge? Right now Miles’ answer is to believe in an afterlife, however Miles becomes enlightened and he changes his outlook on surviving the Labyrinth. Something similar to a parable/riddle is then introduced in the novel after Miles makes his inital decision about surviving the Labyrinth.The parable is: Banzan â€Å"Was walking through the market one day when he overheard someone ask a butcher for his best piece of meat. The butcher answered, â€Å"Everything in my shop is the best. You cannot find a piece of meat that is not the best. † Upon hearing this, Banzan realized that there is no best and no worst, that those judgments have no real meaning because there is only what is, and poof he reached enlightenment. † How does this relate to the central question of surviving the labyrinth of suffering?Well Alaska spent her life after her mom’s death thinking about the best and worst times in her life constantly. This parable is directly related to when Alaska suggested that they play the â€Å"Best Day/Worst Day† game when out camping with her friends. There she shares the worst day of her life that has overshadowed everything she did thereafter. The world religions teacher then introduces a zen belief that â€Å"Everything that comes together falls apart. † In other words death will happen†¦Ã¢â‚¬ we are all going†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦it is inevitable†¦therefore suffering will only cease when we stopped wishing things would not fall apart.Alaska could not do this and so she did not survive. She could not survive. The problem is not life but how much emphasis we put on disappointment, pain, and laying blame while trying to hold ourselves together; creating a sense of hopelessness. Miles then becomes truly enlightened when he realizes that the only way to survive the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive. When Alaska’s mother died she blamed and could not forgive herself for something that was out of her control and this is what caused her to self-destruct.Similarly, Miles blamed h imself for the death of Alaska as he felt he should have stopped her from getting in her car drunk†¦if only he had stopped her! This thought haunted him but then he realized: â€Å"She forgave us, and that we had to forgive to survive in the labyrinth. There were so many of us who would have to live with things done and things left undone that day. Things that did not go right, things that seemed okay at the time because we could not see the future. If only we could see the endless string of consequences that result from our smallest actions.But we can’t know better until knowing better is useless. † So I ask again: What is the best way to go about being a person? What are the rules of this game, and how might we best play it? How do we survive as oppsed to escape the labyrinth of suffering? According to Miles it is to forgive. Stop beating yourself up for elements of your life that are outside of your control such as death. Forgive yourself and others for the unf ortunate things that happen in life and accept what is.

Virus and Bacteria

A virus is a capsule of protein that contains genetic material. A virus cannot reproduce on its own; it must infect a living cell to grow. Bacteria – Bacteria are one-celled organisms that live on their own. They can multiply and reproduce by subdivision Bacteria and viruses cause many of the diseases we are familiar with and may sound synonymous; they are greatly different from each other. [pic] o They differ greatly in size. The biggest viruses are only as large as the tiniest bacteria.Viruses are microscopic; they range in size from about 20 to 400 nanometers in diameter (1 nanometer = 10-9 meters). By contrast, the smallest bacteria are about 400 nanometres in size. o Another difference is their structure. Bacteria are complex compared to viruses. A typical bacterium has a rigid cell wall and a thin, rubbery cell membrane surrounding the fluid, or cytoplasm inside the cell. A bacterium contains all of the genetic information needed to make copies of itself—its DNAâ €”in a structure called a chromosome. In addition, it may have extra loose bits of DNA called plasmids floating in the cytoplasm.Bacteria also have ribosomes, tools necessary for copying DNA so bacteria can reproduce. Some have threadlike structures called flagella that they use to move. o A virus may or may not have an outermost spiky layer called the envelope. All viruses have a protein coat and a core of genetic material, either DNA or RNA. The main difference between viruses and bacteria is the way they reproduce. Bacteria, given the proper nutrients, can grow and reproduce on their own. But viruses cannot â€Å"live† or reproduce without getting inside some living cell, whether it's a plant, animal, or bacteria.Viral vs. Bacterial Reproduction Bacteria contain the genetic blueprint (DNA) and all the tools (ribosomes, proteins, etc. ) they need to reproduce themselves. Viruses are moochers. They contain only a limited genetic blueprint and they don't have the necessar y building tools. They have to invade other cells and hijack their cellular machinery to reproduce. Viruses invade by attaching to a cell and injecting their genes or by being swallowed up by the cell. Here's an example of viral infection. These are T4 bacteriophages. They are a kind of virus that infects bacteria.Here they are landing on the surface of an E. coli bacterium. The bacteriophage cuts a hole in the E. coli's cell wall. It then injects its genetic material into the bacterium. By taking over the E. coli's genetic machinery, the viral genes tell the bacterium to begin making new virus parts. These parts come together to make whole new viruses inside the bacterium. Eventually so many new viruses are made that the E. coli bursts open and dies, releasing all those new viruses to infect more cells! Some diseases caused by virus and bacteria:Name of the disease |Caused by |Name of the microbes | |Polio |Virus |polio | |Pneumonia |Virus / Bacteria |influenza virus (flu) | | | |r espiratory syncytial virus (RSV) | |Hepatitis |Virus |Hepatitis A Virus | | | |Hepatitis B Virus | |Mumps |Virus | | |Bronchitis |Virus |respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) | |AIDS |Virus |human immunodeficiency virus(HIV) | |Tuberculosis |Bacteria |Mycobacterium tuberculosis | |Tetanus |Bacteria |Clostridium tetani | |Anthrax |Bacteria | | |Diphtheria |Bacteria | | |Chicken Pox |Virus |varicella-zoster (VZV) |How bacteria and viruses enter the body To cause disease bacteria have to gain access to the body.The ways in which a bacteria can get access to an animal body are:†¢ Cuts†¢ Contaminated food or water†¢ Close contact with an infected person†¢ Contact with the faces of an infected person†¢ Breathing in the exhaled droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes†¢ Indirectly, by touching contaminated surfaces – such as taps, toilet handles, toys and nappies.Viruses are spread from one person to another by:†¢ Coughs†¢ Sneezes†¢ Vomits†¢ Bites from infected animals or insects†¢ Exposure to infected bodily fluidsCuring a bacterial infection The body reacts to pathogenic bacteria by increasing local blood flow (inflammation) and sending in cells from the immune system to attack and destroy the bacteria.Antibodies produced by the immune system attach to the bacteria and help in their destruction. Serious infections can be treated with antibiotics, which work by disrupting the bacterium's metabolic processes. The body's response to viral infection Viruses pose a considerable challenge to the body's immune system because they hide inside cells. This makes it difficult for antibodies to reach them. However, special immune system cells, called T-lymphocytes, can recognize and kill cells containing viruses. Many viruses, when released from infected cells, will be effectively knocked out by antibodies, produced in response to infection or previous immunization.Antibiotics are useless against viral infecti ons. Antiviral drugs are available only for few viral diseases, such as influenza, herpes, hepatitis B and C and HIV, but research is ongoing. However, immunization is helpful in fighting viral infection. The large scale immunization has led to the eradication of small pox once one of the most feared viral disease. How to Know When You Need Antibiotics Don't expect antibiotics to cure every illness. Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections. In the past antibiotics were prescribed â€Å"just in case† the infection was bacterial rather than viral because it was thought that taking them â€Å"couldn't do any harm†. Wrong.This very practice has contributed to the development of antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. While the use of antibiotics depends on the specific diagnosis, basic guidelines include: Colds and flu are caused by viruses. They can’t' be cured with antibiotics. Symptoms can last two weeks or more and should be allowed to run t heir course.Cough and bronchitis are almost always caused by viruses. However, if you have a lung condition or the illness lasts a long time; your infection may be caused by a bacteria instead. Your doctor may decide to try treatment with an antibiotic.Sore throats are most often caused by viruses. Strep throat is caused by bacteria and requires treatment with antibiotics. A throat swab and a lab test are needed before your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic for a sore throat.Ear infections often require the use of antibiotics. However, not all ear infections are bacterial infections.Sinus infections do not always indicate a bacterial infection.Even if you have a runny nose, or yellow or green mucus, you may not have a bacterial infection. Antibiotics should only be used for severe infections or infections that last more than two weeks. What is diarrhea? Diarrhea can be caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Children can also have diarrhea without having an infect ion, such as when diarrhea is caused by food allergies or as a result of taking medications (such as antibiotics).A child is considered to have diarrhea when the child's bowel movements are both more frequent than usual and looser and more watery than usual. Children with diarrhea may have additional symptoms including nausea, vomiting, stomach aches, headache, or fever. Swine Flu: Swine flu is an infection caused by a virus. It's named for a virus that pigs can get. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. The virus is contagious and can spread from human to human. Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, chills, weakness and general discomfort.Figure: Electron microscope image of the reassorted H1N1 influenza virus photographed at the CDC Influenza Laboratory. The viruses are 80–120  nanometres in diameter. There are antivir al medicines you can take to prevent or treat swine flu. There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu. You can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza byCovering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.Washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. You can also use alcohol-based hand cleaners.Avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way. Trying to avoid close contact with sick people.Staying home from work or school if you are sick. Prevention of food to contaminate Here are four major tips recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) to prevent contaminating food.Use caution when buying food. o When at the grocery store, pick up perishable food such as meat, eggs, and milk at the very end of your shopping, so they will stay cool. o Take food home right away so that it doe s not spoil in a hot car. o Avoid raw or unpasteurized milk. o Because eggs, meat, seafood, and poultry are most likely to contain bacteria, do not allow their juices to drip on other food.Store food properly. Store eggs, raw meat, poultry, and seafood in the refrigerator. o A refrigerator should be set at 40 ° F. o A freezer should be set at 0 ° F. o Regularly clean and disinfect the refrigerator and freezer. o Use containers to prevent contaminating other foods or kitchen surfaces. Do not store food uncovered in the refrigerator or freezer.Use special precautions when preparing and cooking food. o Wash your hands and clean and disinfect kitchen surfaces before, during, and after handling, cooking, and serving food. o Defrost frozen food on a plate either in the refrigerator or in a microwave, but not on the counter. o Cook food immediately after defrosting.Use different dishes and utensils for raw foods than you use for cooked foods. o Wash raw fruits and vegetables before eat ing them.Cool and promptly store leftovers after food has been served. o Because harmful bacteria grow at room temperature, keep hot food hot at 140 ° F or higher, and keep cold food cold at 40 ° F or cooler. This is especially important during picnics and buffets. o Do not leave perishable foods out for more than two hours. o Promptly refrigerate or freeze leftovers in shallow containers or wrapped tightly in bags.Figure: (a) Components of virus, (b) components of bacteriaFigure: Reproduction of T4 bacteriophage Virus

Current Event on India Essay

India is seeking information from China as to why their balance of trade is so skewed. China has been exporting to India far more than it has been importing. This scenario has been reflected globally, with many countries wondering why China has reduced their imports so much. China has also put a ban on Indian Iron Ore, their main export, causing more tension between the new countries. China professes to be increasing their trade annually, pulling them out of the worldwide recession, but many economists and financial experts, including some within China itself, are skeptical as to the legitimacy of these statements. This article relates to our international economics unit that we just completed. China has put a ban on iron ore and slackened their rate of import of Indian goods, causing a problem in their balance of trade. The article was easy to follow and understand due to the lesson that we just completed on trade barriers. The article also shows how government as well as business has a role in promoting trade and controlling the amount of trade that occurs between specific countries. I feel that China is being unfair to India by not granting them the information that they request. Refusing to trade with a country is one thing, but severely reducing trade without an explanation is uncalled for and suspicious. Their decisions regarding imports and exports affect a massive part of the world economy because of their economic strength. Their ban on Iron Ore from India is specifically detrimental to India’s balance of trade because of its dependency on the demand for iron ore as an export. With China being one of its largest consumers, this severely impedes India’s development. As an Indian economic analyst, I would be seriously questioning China’s intentions after this move.

Back Pain Causes And Effects Health And Social Care Essay

Back hurting is considered to be the most common grounds for physician visits ; it is the largest cause of work-related absence. Back hurting is known as Lumbago and can be defined as mild to severe hurting or uncomfortableness in the country of the lower dorsum. The hurting can be acute ( sudden and terrible ) or chronic if it has lasted more than three months. Strains or sprains of the musculuss and ligaments of the dorsum are the most common cause of ague back hurting. Injuries, degenerative diseases and Functional back hurting due to instability are other grounds of back hurting. First of wholly, harmonizing to ( Chambers R. , 2007, p.41 ) â€Å" Most of the back strains and sprains occur after a sudden motion associated with bending or distortion, and raising heavy objects † . Therefore, occupations affecting lifting, transporting, forcing, drawing, take downing and keeping traveling objects have a high hazard of acquiring back hurting. For case, kids with their school books or mailmans who carry weight on one side may develop great back hurting. P.Fysh ( 1995 ) , citied in his survey Back Pain in School Children that in ( 1994 ) a Norse survey, by Trousler identified the prevalence of back hurting in a group of 1,174 school kids at 51 per centum was due to backpacks. This survey besides found significance in the hazard factors like age and genders those kids. Furthermore, back hurting that consequences from occupation nature is extremely reported among workers who have to go forth a weighty objects. Harmonizing to Kincla & A ; Davis ( 2009 ) â€Å" Carpenters and other building workers who install wallboards have high rates of strains and sprains to the low back and shoulder † ( p.305 ) . Furthermore, musculus strain can happen in the back merely like anyplace else in the organic structure, and most likely to impact people in their mid-fortiess, although it can go on at any age. Striving the back musculuss is characterized by sever hurting and inability to travel. Since strain has several impacts on the organic structure, it can do the musculuss to pull or travel in such a manner that they sustain awful cryings. Besides it might take the sinews and the ligaments that attached the musculuss to loss its snap, by drawing excessively far on a musculus, and the country around it can go inflamed which leads to muscle hurting. The 2nd major cause of back hurting is gestation. Normally back hurting and gestation together. Unfortunately this type of back hurting last for several hebdomads to few months with pregnant adult females. Its grounds can change. It can be due to organic structure alterations for illustration, hormonal alterations, or it might be due to extra weight the adult females may derive during the gestation period. The organic structure endocrines in the pregnant adult female tend to loosen up the ligaments and the musculuss that attached to pelvic, to let foetus and uterus growth may do many alterations in the organic structure and back hurting can be a side-effect of these alterations. Besides â€Å" A difference in endocrine degrees can do musculuss and ligaments to go more relaxed, particularly during the last few months as the organic structure is acquiring ready for labour â€Å" from ( Back Pain and Pregnancy, 1999. , parity, no ) . Extra to that, the consequence of the excess weight and organic structure position adds excess strain on the pregnant adult females by drawing the musculuss. This means if the pregnant adult females is keeping twins it is decidedly the attractive force on musculuss will be great. Silva A. ( 2004 ) aloud echoed that: The weight of the babe can ensue in a higher grade of curvature of the lower spinal column, intending ligaments and musculuss must accommodate and sometimes can experience strained. The Centre of gravitation will be easy altering besides, maintaining a house base with pess shoulder width apart will assist to antagonize this ( p.34-5 ) . and gestation period may develop what cognize as â€Å" Pregnancy-Related low Back Pain ( PLBP ) , this type of Back Pain frequently lead to other jobs with † Significant physical, psychological, and socioeconomic deductions † , harmonizing to Silva ( 2004, p.39 ) . In add-on to that the sleep wont perturbations frequently associate with such hurting. Beside all these effects, fright of abortion ever is a pregnant adult females concern ; related to long classs pain killer medical specialty is used and prescribed or concerns of havening kid with inborn jobs. However gestation back hurting can be minimized and avoided, standing up directly and straight the musculus by exercising such as swimming are good illustration of minimising the dorsum hurting. Although, the primary bar is by non sitting in one place for long clip, but massage therapy would be the best technique to utilize as it is emphasized by Silva â€Å" Curative massage for low back massage is thought to supply low back hurting alleviation by bettering blood flow, cut downing musculus stiffness, increasing scope of gesture, and raising endorphin degrees in the organic structure † ( 2004, p.51 ) . The 3rd major cause of back hurting is related to the degenerative disc diseases in the back ; as portion of the natural procedure of turning older. In fact, it is non an existent disease therefore it affect an aged and retired people. It starts with the disc ( shock absorber ) that consists of the gelatin and lays between the vertebras in the back bone. Over the clip this disc slips out and leads the jelly inside the disc to leaks and loses its ability to absorb dazes. Pressing on the nervus and taking into sever pain that may radiate to hip and legs are the big leagues effects of disc prolapsed. This job is widely spread among immature work forces who performer a heavy work, but it is still see to be ageing process disease. R. Windsor ( 2008 ) stressed on this point when he stated in his article that â€Å" Low Back Pain secondary to degenerative disc disease is a status that affects immature to middle-aged individuals with peak incidence at about 40 old ages besides he pointed th at the prevalence of disc devolution additions with age † . Furthermore, depression, isolation and limitation in activities are effects of degenerative Disk disease. It is good documented that physical hurting can take to feelings of depression, but a new survey from the University of Alberta shows the contrary can be true, every bit good. When Dr. Linda Carroll, a professor in a Department of Public Health Sciences, led the survey that shows â€Å" Depression is a hazard factor for oncoming of terrible cervix and low back hurting † ( 2003, p.3 ) . The survey is published in the Journal Pain. Besides this, people who suffers from battalion hurting may be given to be isolated from others due to fear of farther hurt and defeat sing their status. This mental position can besides indirectly damage the dorsum. â€Å" Mental emphasis, dissatisfaction at work, depression and hurt can all play a function in back hurting. These factors may re-enforce comparatively minor hurting signals ensuing in a much more present hurting esthesis † ( Carroll L. 2003, p.5 ) . So, there is a strong connexion between emphasis and back hurting, when the tenseness created by emotional emphasis can give you a back hurting. Besides Stress causes the musculuss to fasten up. The musculuss may strain up so much and they go into painful cramps. Then it followed by cut down blood flow to the tissues and eventually the dorsum is less capable of digesting even mild work load. However, this type of back hurting can be besides avoided by commanding and cut downing the sum of exposure to tensenesss and nerve-racking life state of affairss. Yoga is a really popular signifier of relaxation therapy that increases musculus strength as it calms and works out emphasis. In add-on to that exercising is of import to cut downing emphasis, by making early forenoon walk and implemented as a hebdomadal modus operandi in the individual life. Last, there are about as many ways to forestall back hurting as there are bad behaviours that cause it. Socioeconomic is another side consequence of degenerative or disk diseases. Peoples who suffers back hurting have to pay a batch of medical sweeps that includes doctor fees which is typically high, medicine cost and physical therapy. Finally this intervention costs are frequently hard to be afforded by them. Extra to this, back pain lead to work absenteeism, statistic shown by ( Parthan A. 2005, p.14 ) â€Å" estimated the one-year loss in productiveness due to endorse hurting in the United States to be about $ 28 billion. The loss in productiveness is chiefly due to absenteeism from work † . Despite antecedently discussed causes of back hurting, there are still many grounds need to be reviewed like, hurt where all the types injures consequences several back jobs, started with strains and terminal with back bone break and ne'er amendss. ( Windsor, 2008 ) has written â€Å" It is normally acknowledged that back hurt is the most serious wellness job experienced by most of the universe ‘s work force † . However, Injury consequences from autumn, route traffic accidents, and athleticss hurt. or even originate from direct blunt impact Objects. Any hurt to the dorsum can do amendss to environ soft tissue of the spinal column, bruised and inflamed. And besides, some clip amendss exceed the tissue to make the bony and nervus construction. Subsequently on the spinal column becomes stiffer. These hurts may varies can be range from mild, chair to break up. A good illustration of Midland moderate back pain hurt is strain, really treatable in its tow signifiers. But sever hurt may take to palsies or even decease at the hurt oncoming. To sum up, aside from the usual side effects of back hurting, like the perturbation of your kiping wonts and the trouble in sitting still during extended periods of clip, the existent concern should be addressed to the causes for back hurting. Unfortunately since back musculuss are the hardest on the job musculus group in the organic structure, back strivings are a frequent happening which indirectly effects it being the hardest to place status. It is a good investing to larn all about back hurting, the causes and the side effects of back hurting, and how it is prevented or if the status is happening, how best to alleviate the consequence.

As I have used special colours and finishes for th Essays

As I have used special colours and finishes for the examples stated here, the cost is a lot higher than it would be if I was using one basic colour design. Although the more I produce of a graphic product, the price goes up, the price for each individual unit is cheaper with the more I produce.Cost and availability of materialsWhen designing a graphic product, there are many different sizes, colours, weights of paper and inks for the graphic designer to choose from. Paper is the most versatile of all printing materials as s it is available in a great range of thicknesses, colours, types, textures and sizes. Paper is sold in weights, gram per square (gsm). An expensive publication would use about 150 gsm for the front cover and 85 gsm for the inside pages. This would have a more glossy appearance to attract customers, where as newspapers are cheaper in value and the quality of the paper is much poorer, absorbent, off white colour. The most common sized paper is A4 this is usually found in most offices and schools. Cost in paper rises with size, thickness, texture and size. Coloured papers are useful for backgrounds and are available in an extensive range of colours and textures. It is possible to find an exact match of colours similar to those of the printer, designers can produce visuals for the client with confidence that the finished colour will be identical. Systems and controlSystemA system is central to the management and operation of many industrial and commercial organisations, it is important to identify their structure and the changes that take place when one or more of the parts are altered. Designing a system is useful to ensure the process will operate successfully as the processes of the system change. All systems have inputs and outputs; the main purpose of a system is to change or transform the inputs into outputs. For different products the outputs and inputs will usually differ too. Most processes (or transformations) are used to maintain the balance of the system, or to improve the quality and quantity of the outputs.Feedback and ControlWhen working with systems in a graphic project you might discover that the quantity and quality of the outputs are unsatisfactory, for example, lack of profit or a printing fault. If this occurs it is possible to change the inputs of processes of the original system, this is known as feedback. Control is the way which the inputs or processes are changed. To judge how well a system has performed you can see how well it transforms the inputs and outputs and how successful the final product is judging from the outputs.Examples of systemsIn the printing process of a system, these are the 4 colours used:Optical mixing is using little dots of colour to create different shades and varieties. For example, the more black dots you add the darker the colour gets and if you put yellow and red dots together the result will be a orange colour. Some of the students from my year at school went to a printing factory and brought back these samples of optical mixing. Lithography was introduced in the 17th century but only dominated the trade in late 20th century.The diagram on this page shows off set litho, a term referring to the method of transferring ink from the plate to a rubber blanket and then onto paper. This process is designed so there is no contact between paper and plate and this prolongs the working life of the plate while preventing paper from getting damp from the water used in the offset litho process. The process relies on the fact that the oil and grease do not mix with the water. This method is ideal for use of newspapers, magazines, books, posters, letterheads and packaging and is a widely used process, which provides good quality printing. It is also ideal for mass-producing up to a million copies of a graphic product. The process can be expensive for short runs, but ideal for long runs and either single or multiple colour products. One way to check the quality of my finished graphic product is to inspect it/them and ensure they are all satisfactory. The alternative is a more

Is the Queensland Australian prison system in need of reform Research Paper

Is the Queensland Australian prison system in need of reform - Research Paper Example Prison deaths often fall into two categories. There is the natural and unnatural death. An unnatural death may be defined as suicide, drug overdose or murder. However, it can be noted that all deaths by drug overdose and suicide remain questionable. This stem from the reason that prison murders can be staged to look like suicides or drug overdoses. Hence, the term â€Å"unnatural death†. For instance, Sir David Longland Correctional Centre (SDLCC), in Queensland, has been reported to have the highest prisoner mortality rate for unnatural deaths than any other Australian maximum-security prison. Over the last decade, an estimated twenty-eight prisoners have died unnatural deaths. The criminal justice system in Queensland, Australia is designed to deal accordingly with people who do not obey the law. At first glance, Queensland’s criminal justice system appears to be fair and just. However, beneath the surface for those that are going through the system, there appears to be injustices, particularly for marginalized citizens, those without power, contacts, or knowledge (Egel, 2007). Circumstances surrounding the unnatural deaths of these prisoners are symptomatic of the observed secrecy that cloaks the Queensland prison system. There seems to be a self-serving secrecy the Queensland Department of Corrective Services has steadily fostered by applying censorship tourniquets that may suppress politically sensitive information ever reaching the media. The Queensland Corrective Services Act 2000, for instance, has been specifically implemented to reinforce that method by regulating the media’s access to Queensland prisoners. It is those restrictive pr actices that may have allowed the killing incidents of Queensland prison facilities to flourish. There are four main goals of prison confinement. These include Incapacitation, Retribution, Rehabilitation and Deterrence. Incapacitation focuses on

Customer relationship marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Customer relationship marketing - Essay Example More and more business organizations are capitalizing and putting their major efforts on building and maintaining strong customer relationship mainly to gain highly useful and valuable information on how can they best serve their customers and keep them loyal. Relationship: A strategic Initiative ‘Strategy’ is a very common buzzword in the business filed. Large number of businesses find success with their strategy where as many turn out of the business due to in-efficient strategies. Strategies have been playing extremely significant roles in marketing in recent years. It can be argued that relationship marketing seems to be the central point of all other management strategies because no other strategies can bring success unless there is ‘better relationship’ with customers. More specifically, Total Quality Management, Supply Chain Management and Knowledge Management are some of the widely applied management strategies and these can turn to be in-effective i f the firm failed to build better relation with its customers. The older profit maximization, product orientation and transaction-based marketing concepts have been questioned and thence faded away and newer concepts of Customer Relationship Marketing has gained considerable place in marketing landscape. It eventually resulted a shift from the profit orientation to the concept of consumerism. Consumer has been placed to be ‘king’ or ‘boss’ in the market and this is often termed as a change from in-out approach to the ‘out-in’ approach. Most industries, service sectors like hospitality in particular, in very recent days give extreme importance to building and maintaining ‘consumer loyalty’. Relationship marketing is basically a stronger strategy to create customer loyalty. ‘Value creation’, ‘customer loyalty’ and ‘relationship marketing’ are more inter-related terms in marketing, because relati onship marketing and its tools have been found to help achieve customer loyalty by creating and adding values to the customers. Customers are better satisfied only when they find expected values from the products or services they consume and this in turn lead them become loyal customers. When it comes to the strategy perception, the marketing management focuses on retaining customers and make them their loyal customers. A vision to generate profits or increase production or compete with others through any possible measures is not exactly what a business is expected to have. Instead, production, competition and what ever a business does must be intended and able to satisfy its potential customers, give them the expected quality, values and reasonable standards, keep good relation with them in a way that they are treated as most valued ‘stakes’. Relationship marketing undertakes to know how to provide values to the customers. Empirical evidences show that 20 percent of th e customers bring in 80 or more percent of the profits for a business and therefore companies find relationship marketing as a key element to attaining reasonable profits that can help them survive in the business. Finding new consumers is often more expensive than retaining the existing consumers and converting them to ‘

Business Intelligence Dashboards in a Learning Organization Research Proposal

Business Intelligence Dashboards in a Learning Organization - Research Proposal Example The finest of business decisions are data driven. A learning organization has data coming from all departments, processes and employees. Business intelligence comprises of complex methods to convert organizational data into useful information and then converts this information into knowledge. Based on this knowledge the organization-wide decisions can be made after thorough analysis (Atre, 2011). Thus busdata-drivenligence improves the decision process of an organization. The top learning organizations have a deep-rooted implementation of business intelligence and analytics in their organizational design. Data mining tools such as data marts, data warehouses, dashboards, etc. mine large amounts of data to extract the useful information. These tools are used to improve the efficiency of the business intelligence processes (Nittaya and Kittisak, 2007). 1.1. Business Intelligence Dashboards Performance control is a vital aspect of organizational management. The efficiency and performanc e of an organization can only be increased through the cooperation of all its departments. When the organization is small, the management is straight forward and easy. Management becomes complex in large organizations comprising of numerous branches, departments and hundreds of employees. And sometimes these departments may even be located miles apart. Visiting them in person takes time. And if visited, the data becomes out-of-date by the end of the visit. The solution for management of big organizations is business intelligence dashboards which consolidate the management information for the entire company in one place. Business intelligence dashboard is an effective data visualization tool that uses metrics and the key performance indicators to display the current status of an entire organization’s performance against some predefined goals (Atre, 2011). In learning organizations, the culture is such that the information is shared and is accessible to all employees alongside the managers and executives. The employees are encouraged to try new ideas and make decisions (Hagen, 2011). So in a learning organization, the requirement of business intelligence penetrates deeper than merely the organization’s frontline i.e. the managers and executives (Gonzales, 2013). And therefore business intelligence dashboards can benefit everyone at an organization i.e. the employees too. 1.2. Constructing Usage Specific Dashboard Dashboards do not have the same role in all learning organizations. They can be customized. They can be constructed for specific executive roles e.g. CEO, CIO or they may display metrics targeting specific point of view or a department for the managers or they can give a high level as well as a detailed view of the organization’s performance based on its data which all the committed employees can gain benefit from. Based on the type of information presented by dashboards and how they are used, they can be classified into a variety o f categories. However, the three most common usage types are strategic, operational and tactical.

Anglo American Plc report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Anglo American Plc report - Essay Example The five major categories of financial ratios are liquidity, financial leverage, asset efficiency, profitability, and market values (Peavler, 2013). The purpose of this report is to analyze the financial performance of the company Anglo American Plc by performing ratio analysis. Trend Analysis Anglo American A trend analysis of some key financial indicators of Anglo American is illustrated below. 2012 (millions) 2011 (millions) % change Sales 28761 30580 -5.94% Gross profit 2768 13237 -79.09% Expenses 30449 21141 44.03% Interest payable 798 695 14.82% Net profit before tax 138 10599 -98.70% Total assets 79369 72422 9.56% Total liabilities 35582 29253 17.79% Capital and reserves 37657 39092 -3.67% Advantages ratio analysis Ratio analysis is a tremendous analytic tool that can be used to evaluate the financial performance of an enterprise. One of the virtues of this type of analysis is that any person with access to the internet can extract the financial statements of a company to real ize the analysis. The basic formulas used as input in ratio analysis mostly utilize data from the financial statements of the company. The use of ratio analysis can help people instantly check weather a company is sound financially (Bott, 2013). Another advantage of ratio analysis is that the ratios can be compared against the performance of other companies or the industry. Financial ratios can also be compared against the financial ratio results of previous years. The ratio analysis performed on Anglo American in this paper includes the use of 21 different ratios. Ratio Analysis Anglo American The net margin of Anglo American in 2012 was -2.1%. Net margin measures the absolute profitability of a company. It is calculated dividing net profit by total sales. A negative net margin result is an unfavorable outcome. This ratio was chosen because it shows the profitability of the firm. In 2012 Anglo American obtained an earnings per share (EPS) metric of -$1.19. The company’s EPS went down by $3.91 since the previous fiscal year. Earnings per share is the portion of a company’s profit allocated to each outstanding share of common stock (Investopedia, 2013). EPS was selected because this metric influences the buying decisions of investors. The return on assets (ROA) of the company in 2012 was -0.8%. ROA is calculated by dividing net income by total assets. The reason I selected this ratio is because it shows how effective a company has been at generating profits from its assets. The efficiency of the company is an important aspect of the operations to measure. Anglo American achieved a return on equity (ROE) in 2012 of -1.4%. This metric measures the extent to which financial leverage is working towards benefiting the company. The formula to calculate return on equity is net income divided by total equity. ROE was used in this analysis because this metric demonstrates the ability of the firm to generate income from its equity. The debt ratio of the com pany is calculated dividing total debt by total assets. Anglo American had a debt ratio in 2012 of 0.45: 1. This ratio shows how well prepared the company is to pay off its long term debt. Anglo American does not seem to have overextended its debt position. The debt ratio was used in the analysis due to the fact that this ratio evaluates the long term solvency of the firm. Typically companies are in trouble when the debt ratio is too

Compare ICD-9 to ICD-10 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Compare ICD-9 to ICD-10 - Assignment Example There are instances where new codes have been allocated to different chapters, a factor that hinders location of all available codes. In contrast, the new edition is arranged in such a manner that character length is increased, which highly extends the quantity of available codes (Lazakidou, 2006). Its structure, flexibility, and capacity are up-to-date to capture the medical experience and technological advances. The content conveyed by the two codes is dissimilar. ICD-9 codes contain at least 3-5 digits that begin with either a letter or a number. ICD-10 codes comprise of seven digits. Some similarities can be identified in the two systems. Their organization tends to match, where both use a decimal after three characters. This means that anyone who is able to code ICD-9-CM qualifies to make a transition coding to ICD-10-CM. According to Lazakidou, the rules, conventions, and guidelines are also alike. The first three digits match with the ICD-9 code, with the third digit being followed by a decimal point. However, the digits after the decimal have a particular meaning. For instance, in surgical and medical guidelines, the digits that come later are specific to a surgical approach, body part, and other requirements for billing. Correspondingly, the ICD-10 codes follow suit with seven digits to represent diagnosis codes. The transition procedure from ICD-9 to ICD-10 will entail a conversion based on a forward and backward GEMs map offered by the CMS. There will be a process with one cluster being converted at a time to safeguard the clinical aim of the classification. Alternatively, codes may be transited through using consistent probability distribution, and the converted data be audited to validate the process (Lazakidou, 2006). ICD-9 and ICD-10 differ in sequencing, depending on the circumstances surrounding the encounter. For instance, it is notable that ICD-10 sequencing instructions for anemia