Saturday, August 31, 2019

“Lines composed upon Westminster bridge, Sept. 3 1802” and “London” Essay

These two poems show very different views of London. â€Å"Lines composed upon Westminster Bridge†, written by William Wordsworth, describes London in detail. He captures the beautified city and expresses the calmness of the morning. William Blake, who lived around the same time, wrote â€Å"London† which expresses the chaotic and corrupt side of London. Wordsworth describes the city in much detail. â€Å"A sight so touching in its majesty.† The â€Å"Earth has not anything to show more fair.† He expresses his true feeling about the city from where he sees it. He goes on to personify the city and describe how it † doth like a garment wear The beauty of the morning; silent, bare†. He has captured the city in the morning when it is quiet and in a sense almost naked with no one yet bustling through the streets, there are no fume engulfed traffic jams or shouting street salesmen. There is only the calmness of the morning. All the man made objects and buildings, such as â€Å"ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples lie open unto the fields and to the sky†. The man built objects remain where they were left not yet being used by Londoners. The atmosphere is sublime, the sun is just rising and soaking everything in its light, â€Å"Never did sun more beautifully steep† â€Å"Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!† the scene is so peaceful he is feeling peace within himself. The natural body of the city, the river, is gliding in its own free way, the way it wants â€Å"the river glideth at its own sweet will† Its free will is moving it naturally through the city as though it were the countryside. The river has also been personified to give more emphasis of its freedom. He is so overwhelmed by the atmosphere and calmness of the city. â€Å"Dear God! The very houses seem asleep† everywhere he sees is not yet awake, again he has personified an object to give it more emphasis. His final line is describing the city as a â€Å"mighty heart† that is â€Å"lying still†. The capital, like the giant mechanism of a heart is just lying still. The aim from the poem is to describe the amazement he sees when looking over a massive city and seeing the calmness. He wants to express to others how peaceful and calm it makes him feel and pass that feeling on to the reader. The first two stanzas describe what the city is like, and what he sees around him. The sestet after this shows his personal response to what he has already described and how he feels about the city. Blake presents a much more depressing, morbid scene of London describing the corruptness of everything in the city. He is describing the attitudes and goings on in London that are normally never spoken about, the things which people may or may not know but which go on behind closed doors. A lot of repetition is used, unlike in Wordsworth’s poem, to give emphasis to the points which he is trying to make. â€Å"In every cry, of every Man, In every Infants cry of fear, In every voice†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he only lists one example in each line but gives the effect of a lot of crying and pain and fear. He speaks in a first hand account throughout the poem â€Å"I wander†, â€Å"I hear†, and â€Å"I meet†. By speaking in the present tense it makes the reader more inclined to think it is going on here and now however old the poem may be. By beginning the first line with â€Å"I wander thro’ each chartered street† It makes it easier to visualise what he is describing because it is a first hand account. The chartered streets are each set out neatly and ordered, â€Å"the chartered Thames† is also very regulated and gives the impression of it being divided and bought and sold. He notices a mark in â€Å"every face I meet â€Å"Marks of wisdom, marks of woe.† This evidence of scars of weakness and great sadness in faces contrasts with the peaceful and happy atmosphere Wordsworth gave to London. He hears â€Å"mind-forg’d manacles† in cry’s of â€Å"every man† and â€Å"Infant’s cry of fear† he is referring to the fake, made up manacles that he cannot actually hear but knows that something is wrong. His repetition of cry continues to the next stanza where he talks of â€Å"chimney-sweepers† which are doing the dirty, hardest jobs and suffering for their work, an example of the depressed and morbid London. The description of the â€Å"blackening church† shows the soot taking over London and the church becoming almost evil, involved with dirty money or becoming corrupt. Even the church is starting to lose its faith. Another large part of London life is also criticised, â€Å"the hapless soldier’s sigh Runs in blood down palace walls.† Fighting is going on around the palace but going unnoticed, the palace is oblivious to the corruptness going on inside its own walls. He contrasts the third stanza with the 4th final stanza, not only the church and palace and the huge industries of London are corrupt the streets are also. â€Å"Thro’ the midnight streets I hear How the youthful harlot’s curse† there is a lot of prostitution going on in the streets of London but was something that wasn’t spoken about. The STD’s, or â€Å"curses† â€Å"blasts the new born infants tear†. Implying that prostitutes pass on STD’s and then these in turn get passed on to the newborn babies of those who have any disease. Another example of a corrupt system in London, which now effects the innocent. â€Å"And blights with plagues the marriage hearse.† Sleeping with prostitutes while married destroys the whole point of marriage and then if the partner becomes pregnant another generation is born into corruption. The use of hearse shows how marriage is carried away as though dead and not taken seriously. The extremely regular meter helps put across the ordered ways he describes the beginning. These chartered and regulated ways soon give way to the examples of how corruption is slowly taking over the whole city, the government, the church, the palace and the streets. The first poem also used a regular meter, which, also worked well in describing the city peacefully and happily. The two poems contrast greatly in not what they describe but how they describe it. Wordsworth has a much more calming poem, which in effect leaves the reader much more calm and peaceful. This is unlike Blake’s who describes so much evil and chaos going on, his poem leaves the reader much more depressed and almost disgusted with how the people and industries of London are behaving. Their use of language is also quite different, Wordsworth’s entire poem is full of description of â€Å"beauty†, â€Å"bright and glittering† and full of â€Å"splendour†. He uses very grand descriptions of everything unlike the descriptions of Blake, which are quite harsh and blunt, â€Å"blasts the new born infants tear†, â€Å"blights with plagues† and â€Å"runs in blood down palace walls.† I did enjoy both poems but preferred the first, â€Å"Lines composed upon Westminster† because of its use of more soothing, happy descriptions of London. It made me feel much more relaxed after reading it whereas â€Å"London† left me feeling slightly more depressed and sad. Although this may have been the aim of Blake’s poem I preferred Wordsworth’s poem because it was much calmer.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Financial Detective Essay

Health Products: Company A is Johnson & Johnson, which is a diversified manufacturer of prescription pharmaceuticals, health and beauty aids, over-the-counter drugs, and medical devices. Company B is Pfizer Inc., which develops, manufactures, and markets patented pharmaceuticals such as Liptor and Celebrex. The most significant strategic differences between the two firms lie in their product mix and their customer focus. J&J sells most of its products directly to the consumer while Pfizer sells exclusively to doctors and institutions. Firm B has intangibles worth more than twice as much as firm A, which may reflect firm’s B’s higher investment in R&D. Firm B may also have higher intangibles due to their ownership of patents and its investments in licensing arrangements. Firm B’s gross margin is more than 12% higher than company A’s, which reflects the higher input costs for company A’s medical diagnostics and devices product segment. Company A has a far quicker inventory turnover than company B. Company B sells almost exclusively to institutions and pharmacies, which usually take longer to exhaust their supplies compared to company A, who markets its consumer products to retailers, which have a higher turnover orientations. Many of company A’s and B’s products are branded consumer products that command a price premium. However, company B’s premium is higher, reflecting the benefits of patent protection on prescription pharmaceuticals, and the additional returns needed to support company B’s large R&D efforts. Beer: Company C is Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc., which is a producer and marketer of a number of mass-market beers such as Budweiser, Michelob, and Busch. Company D is the Boston Beer Company, which is the seller of the popular Sam  Adams line of beers. Boston beer’s products are part of a microbrew. Company D’s proportion of cash and cash equivalents, which is extremely higher than company C’s show their conservative approach to its financial management. Company C shows a relatively high level of PP&E, which is consistent with its status as a major brewery. Company D has much lower net fixed assets since much of their operations are outsourced. Company C also has higher fixed assets due to its other holdings such as theme parks. Company D has higher gross profit, consistent with the premium pricing of its specialty brews versus the mass-marketing approach that was taken by company C. However, company C’s net profit margin is almost three times greater than company D’s. This may reflect the economies of scale that company C can achieve through its large size. Company D’s current assets to current liabilities ratio is three times greater than company C’s, whose current ratio is less than one. That is illustrating a careful financial approach. The commitment to financially conservative policies is shown with company D’s relatively low level of debt. Company C’s mass-market approach shows a significantly higher inventory turnover than company D’s turnover. Company D’s asset turnover is much higher due to the outsourcing. Company C’s lower turnover is consistent with a firm that owns its manufacturing facilities as well as asset-intensive theme parks. Computers: Company E is Dell Inc., a worldwide manufacturer and direct marketer of built-to-order computers and related equipment. Company F is Apple Computer  Inc., a manufacturer of a highly differentiated group of personal computers, software, and consumer electronics. This is motivated by the differentiation where company E seeks to sell a relatively high volume of lower-margin products, while company F attempts to sell an adequate volume of higher margin products. The computer and software industry is extremely volatile, which company F has experienced. Company F has extremely large holdings of cash and cash equivalents, which may represent their efforts to insure the company against any future difficulties. Company E has a higher percentage of A/P, which may reflect a higher degree of supplier financing. Company F has a lower COGS percentage, which reflects both its premium pricing and the lower cost associated with software production. Company E’s COGS is higher due to its strategy of making money on volume rather than from individual product margins. Company F has higher gross profit than company E due to its premium pricing. However, Company E’s net profit margin is almost twice as large as company F’s, which reflects their low-cost focus. Company E has low cost mail-order strategy, which leads to a lower SG&A percentage compared to company F’s who goes with a more unique retail store concept. Company F has a higher receivables turnover, which reflects the fast payments made by consumers in the form of credit card purchasers. Company E’s asset turnover is more than twice as large as company F’s. This might reflect E’s strategy as an assembler of components that have been manufactured by its supplier. Books and Music: Company G is Amazon.com, the online retailer of books and music plus a variety of other consumer goods. Company H is Barnes & Noble, Inc., the largest bookseller in the United States. The main difference between the two is that one being an established, traditional retailer and the other being a relatively new online business. Company G has more than half of its assets in cash and cash equivalents, which could be explained by its carefulness in a volatile online retail business. Company H has significantly higher proportion of inventory than company G because they have to maintain stocks of books, CDs, and videos at all of its stores, whereas company G can keep limited inventory at its distribution centers. Company G obviously has a significantly lower net fixed asset due to being an online retailer compared to having multiple stores to sell its merchandise. More than half of company G’s percentage of total liabilities and equity is comprised of long-term debt. This is most likely due to its issues of being able to raise capital after the dot-com bust environment. Company G’s beta is more than three times higher than company H’s, which shows a relatively higher risk of company G. Company G just recently started to show positive net income. Company G is able to keep a higher inventory turnover since they don’t have to sit with a lot of inventory on hand at all times compared to company H who has to store its inventory in their store, which lowers their turnover. Company H has a regular discount strategy, which could explain their lower net profit margin. Paper Products: Company I is the International Paper Company, a large, vertically integrated paper products manufacturer. Company J is the Wausau paper Paper Corporation, a small, specialty-papers operation. The distinctions between the firms arise primarily from their scale and scope. Company J carries more than twice the rate of company I, which may be the case due to its smaller size it requires the firm to carry a higher proportion of inventory in order to satisfy its demanding customers. Company I has a material lower percentage of COGS than company J, even though the raw materials are essentially the same. This illustrates the benefits of Company I having its own forests and lumber operations and their ability to negotiate lower volume-prices. Company I’s SG&A expenses are higher than J’s, which probably reflect the higher costs associated with being a large company. Hardware and Tools: Company K is Black and Decker Corporation, which manufactures and markets a broad range of power tools. Company L is Snap-on Inc., also a manufacturer of tools and other hardware, but the company is known for its high quality merchandise and for its direct sales to professional mechanics and commercial technicians. Company L has a higher percentage of receivables compared to K’s. This result occurs because K markets directly to professional end-users and provides financing, which may cause delays in repayment. On the other hand, company L primarily sells its merchandise to large retailers, which may have more regular payment schedules. Company K sells lower-priced products intended for the consumer market, whereas company L markets higher margin precision tools for the commercial customer. Therefore, Company L’s gross profit percentage is measurable  higher than K’s. Company L has a higher SG&A expenses, which corresponds to the costs associated with maintaining its large direct sales force. Company L’s payout ratio is more than four-and-a-half times greater than K’s, which may suggest its need to maintain a high rate of reinvestment to remain competitive. Retailing: Company M is Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which is well known for the breadth of its merchandise and its low price strategy. Company N is Target Corporation, which also is a discount retailer, however target appeals to its customers’ more upscale tastes. Company N has much higher receivables than M, reflecting N’s substantial credit activities. Company M has higher inventory levels relative to N, which may reflect the company’s commitment to providing a vast selection of goods. Company N has relatively lower COGS percentage, reflecting its fuller price for designer-made products. M offers low prices, which would result in a higher COGS percentage. Company M has a higher receivable turnover due to its lower use of credit sales. Newspapers: Company O is Lee Enterprises, the owner of a number of small newspapers in the Midwest. Company P is New York Times Company, and their strategic difference between the two entities is along the centralization/decentralization dimension. Company P has a centralized  strategic approach while company O has a decentralized approach. Company P, who has a centralized approach, has a significantly higher level of net fixed assets than O. K bears some of the features of a decentralized operation, since its intangibles comprise almost 77% of total assets, which suggests the existence of substantial goodwill. Company P’s level of COGS is lower than O’s, which suggests that as a larger centralized company, P may be in a better position to negotiate for volume discounts than O. Although O is decentralized, the case shows that they have slightly lower SG&A expenses than P. One example to this could be that high prices may be masking a relatively high SG&A expense. Company O’s P/E ratio is higher than P’s, which may indicate the expectations of growth for O. As the dominant player on a larger scale, P may be unable to grow through strategic acquisition. O’s net profit margin is higher, which may reflect the local monopolies, or at least less intense competition outside of the major metropolitan newspaper markets.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Homeostasis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Homeostasis - Essay Example The excretion of these hormones from the kidneys stops when intake is enough and diluted urine is excreted. The homeostatic mechanism at times acts as the sole surviving mechanism of the body. The presence of homeostasis in our body gives us the freedom to work in any weather, day or night, hot or cold, dry or stormy. If there was no homeostasis, we could not have been able to regulate our body temperature. That would have resulted in the hibernation of our species during winters like many other living things. The regulation and adoption of our body's internal environment according to the external environment has provided us with the freedom to work in summers when we could preserve water by excreting concentrated urine, work in winters by preserving heat by peripheral vasoconstriction and erection of skin hair which trap a layer of air preserving body heat. When the body is pushed beyond the limits of homeostatic control, cellular death occurs such as frost bite that occurs in extre me cold or stroke that could occur in extreme dehydration when homeostasis fails due to the extremes of temperature. Maintenance of homeostasis is especially important in a developing embryo since the developing organs require a perfect internal environment to grow in. also, the metabolic enzymes require specific conditions to function and produce the energy required by the embryo. Absence or failure of homeostatic mechanism in developing embryo could lead to in-vitro death or abnormal development and the new born may not be liable to life.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Communication technology and its impact on social interaction Research Paper

Communication technology and its impact on social interaction - Research Paper Example The Skype video chat was created in the year 2003 in a media class at the John Hopkins University.1 It allows people to chat via its text chat feature and make audio/video calls, all of which is a free service. This explains the fact that popularity of Skype has grown tremendously since its creation. Coupled with this vital feature are its added features including the ability to send contacts, screen-sharing and multiplayer games. Skype has no age restriction for its users. Anyone can use this technology unlike other networking sites that have a strict restriction on those using their sites and applications. In the context of business dealings, face to face interactions have the potential of making the best out of the respective situation.2 A better deal is possible when all the concerned parties meet face to face. This is because these interactions aid in relationship building between prospective clients, partners, investors and employees. Skype is not limited by geographical locali ties; the threshold requirement is the access to internet. Thus, Skype aids in the building of a tight-knit business community. Since the introduction of Skype, firms and individuals, who use this application, have incurred reduced communication costs. As a result, rate and number of interactions using Skype have increased. Increased employee and overall company productivity have been noted with the use of Skype. This is facilitated by Skype’s ability to share a screen, exchange and transfer files. Other additional vital features are: call forwarding, video conferencing and customer service tools. When all these features are used efficiently, increased productivity is guaranteed. Skype is an American company and, thus, has its strongest following there. However, a greater percentage of its profits are from foreign users.3 This shows that Skype is connecting a majority of its users with the outside world; Skype has reduced the hassles associated with long distance communicatio n. This cross border ability to link up people has made life easier for families, companies and governments.4 The business world has benefitted the most from this distinctive feature. Previously, firms and governments used to incur considerable financial costs while facilitating international meetings.5 As such, vital business and government contracts and dealings have been agreed upon and subsequently signed via this technology. When an individual travels to a new place, specifically a foreign country, they suffer psychological setback. When in new confines, the mind cannot be expected to immediately adapt and still maintain its edge and effectiveness. When this is compounded with the impacts of jet lag on the effectiveness of the mind, it appears undesirable to travel a long distance to make business decisions. However, the use of Skype lets an individual stay at their familiar location which has the effect of aiding the mind in the making of well thought-out decisions. Thus, it i s extremely beneficial to have international meetings via Skype. In order to understand the impact Skype has had on the global telecommunication platform, a distinction should be fashioned between the different types of calls. If Skype had opted to charge for its services, akin to phone connections, then its impact on the communication industry would probably be regarded as less significant. However, since the service is free, its impact is nothing short of dramatic. With the goal of

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

How do the cells of a growing plant know in which directions to Lab Report

How do the cells of a growing plant know in which directions to elongate - Lab Report Example For elongation to occur, the plant cells must loosen their cell walls for a short while (Wayne 2010). Auxin hormone is responsible for elongating the cells in the shoots. It triggers the pumping of hydrogen ions across the cell membrane and altering the way gene expression occurs within the cell in a way that influences plant growth. The experiment focuses on the influence of mechanical force in influencing the direction of the plant cell elongation. Plant cells transmit mechanical force among each other. The experiment was conducted after suspecting that mechanical force guides the alignment cortical microtubules (Wayne 2010). The experimented started by examining the non-elongated plant cells. The cells that lacked walls (protoplasts) were isolated from the tobacco plant, Nicotiana tabacum. The isolation was done through exposure of the plant cells to enzymes with the capability of destroying the cell wall. The result is a spherical plant cell. When the protoplasts were allowed to develop in the culture medium, they reformed their cell walls (Wymer & Cosgrove 1996). To study the effects of directional forces on plant cell elongations, the tobacco protoplasts were subjected to a unidirectional force that was produced by a centrifuge. The exposure of the force was made with previous knowledge that when the centrifugation is made in low speed, it does not distort the shape or integrity of the protoplast. The protoplasts were then immobilized ready for centrifugation. They were embedded on an agar medium that was supported by the mold. The embedded cells were spun for 15 minutes at 450 rpm in a centrifuge. After centrifugation, the already embedded cells were then cultured for 72 hours to allow the cell elongation to take place (wymer & Cosgrove 1996). After centrifugation was over, a microtubule antibody that was fluorescently tagged was added to the protoplasts. The cells were then

Monday, August 26, 2019

Movie review-Why We Fight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Movie review-Why We Fight - Essay Example of government must guard against the acquisition of influences that are unwarranted, whether asked or not asked by the industrial complex of the military. The capability of the disastrous rise of power that is misplaced exists and will always be there. The movie ‘Why We Fight’ is directed by Eugene Jarecki. It is a documentary movie of 2005 and it is about the military-industrial complex. The movie’s title refers to the World War II era that was commissioned by the U.S. Government so as to justify why they entered the war which was against the Axis Powers. In the movie, Eugene looks as to the reason why young people of America are sent to war. The movie also conveys the message that there is a change in portrayal of American war interference since World War II. It shows that America currently engages in good wars unlike in the past where there was military adventurism. It is in the interest of America’s self-serving corporate that there are more operations of wars. Being occupied with technologies of the military and actions are common American psyche features but the film focuses on anti-war efforts (Rollins, et al. 53). The movie follows a father who is still grieving after four years after the death of his son in New York on 9/11/2001. To any caring parent, a son’s death is normally an impactful and anger is a reaction that’s understandable. In the movie, the story line revolves around the father’s anger that shifts from those seen responsible for the attacks to those in high political offices who are responsible of manipulating the initial anger in support of war. The sentiments of the father later becomes far more noble. Being aware of the agony of losing a son, he can never wish it to an innocent person no matter how they are divided by the culture, geography or class. As mentioned in the movie, the attacks on 9/11/2001 were largely part a response to initial U.S. aggression to the Muslim-dominated Middle East and the Third World as a whole.

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Organization Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Organization Architecture - Essay Example Part of this is by making sure that Google feels like a small-business, no matter how large and successful the organization may be (â€Å"Jobs,† 2011). Google makes its employees number one by being open to anything that they may have to say. As employees can be a large part of any company’s success, it is important to take their views onboard tailor the workplace to suit their needs. Unlike other organizations, Google is a forward-thinking organization in that diversity is at the forefront of its employee recruitment policies. Google doesn’t just accept difference—they celebrate, support, and thrive on it so that their employees, products, and community can feel the feel effects of it (â€Å"Jobs,† 2011). Diversity in the workplace is becoming increasingly important in today’s modern business environment. Because Google is a well-recognized international organization that has business operations in a wide variety of companies, Google has to take a stand and be at the forefront of diversity in the workplace. Google is not just an equal opportunity workplace, but is rather an affirmative action employer (â€Å"Jobs† 2011). Google is one of the most open and transparent companies out there. Because of this, there is very little control in everyday business operations. Douglas Merrill, senior director of information technology at Google, commented: â€Å"We release a lot of products in beta because that’s the way we understand to interact with our clients† (Farber, 2005). This means that many Google products, when released, do not function as they should. One benefit of this is that Google users themselves can inform the company of any defects in any of their products. This way, Google does not have to employ anyone to check products before they are released to the market. One control that Google does use is their Project Database. This is not really a project tracking system, but rather a reporting sy stem that allows Google employees to check what work they themselves and other employees are currently doing (Farber, 2005). This system is run via an email posting that displays a list of bullet points (Farber, 2005). The good thing about this system is that other workers can check an employee’s output and detect any flaws that may be involved. However, this system is not fully perfect because much of the data that the system displays can be completely meaningless. According to the chief culture officer, Google’s culture focuses upon innovation and teamwork to produce the quality products. Stacy Savides Sullivan is one of the very few people who work at an organization with her position (Mills, 2007). Her main role is to make sure that the company’s distinctive culture is maintained while every employee feels satisfied. Google’s culture is based upon being a flat organization, very little hierarchy, and a collaborative environment (Mills, 2007). Google p romotes individuality among its employees and expects them to think quickly on their feet. Back in 2006, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin decided that Google’s culture was slipping away from its traditional values. This was when they came up with the idea of a chief culture officer to manage all of the conflicts that occur in the workplace. Culture is a very important part of the success of Google, so it is vital that this

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) Research Paper

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) - Research Paper Example Genetic engineering allows individual to identify genes that are weak and defective. This presents a source of an opportunity for them to be replaced by healthy ones. Such genes are normally resistant to diseases, bad weather conditions and enhance production of cells. Domestic Plants and animals which have undergone genetic engineering always have got greater productivity as compared to the indigenous ones. Different techniques can be used to create Genetically Modified Organisms depending on the level of technology applied. In order for one to make a GMO, he/she needs to have the gene you want to transfer, the recipient organism and a vector to carry the gene to the recipient of the transferred gene. The gene that is to be transported is first cut out and separated from its original organism. Different genes may be taken from different organisms depending on the types of traits that are needed. These cut genes are then dipped into a vector that can get into the cells of the recipient organism. This is because genes of an organism will always reject any foreign material and therefore in order to make it get used to a new environment and for the recipient to accept it; a vector is used. The genes can be sliced together depending on the requirement and the traits needed. After this, these genes are then inserted into the recipient organism/gene. Once in the recipients’ cell, the g ene will insert into the recipient’s genome. As a result, during any time of replication or gene transformation when new cells are made, the transferred gene will also be present in the DNA of each newly made cell. Whether in open air markets or supermarkets, GMO products are nowadays found everywhere. Though one cannot automatically know whether a product is a GMO or not, as there is no legal requirement to label GMO products, as a result, GMO find their way into the local markets and supermarkets. Some

H.W Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

H.W - Essay Example He further oversees the training and creating of awareness to other employees. 3. The control perimeters and the isolation zones need to well aerated and spacious to enable the affected victims gain fresh air as well as enough space to rest before they are taken for further medical check-up. 4. The process used by my department in the establishment of initial command and operations at a hazmat incident include on-scene response by the hazmat management officers through provision of technical help and advice on further treatment of the situation. The officers are able to conduct offensive-control actions such as hot-zone entry for stabilization and confinement of the products. 5. The shape of the container defines the type of risk that is associated with a given product. Different ranges of chemicals are contained in different types of container so as to avoid any form of confusion that may arise thus minimizing the risks that may arise careless handling of the product. Silhouetting exposes the characteristics of the material and not its contents. 7. The department has devised several means of handling unknown substances which include proper identification of the nature of the substances as well as handling them with necessary precautions. Factors that will assist in accurate determination is to consider substance qualities such as density, color smell and the melting and boiling points. The density, color and smell of the unknown substance can then be compared with other known substance. 8. The hazard and risk assessment is performed by first of all assuming that any mixture of chemicals is more toxic in comparison to other chemicals. All new components and unknown substances need to be considered as toxic before they are subjected to any form of tests. The manner in which the chemical is put into use must also be taken into consideration. 9. The department’s respiratory

Friday, August 23, 2019

Chipping Away at Intel Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Chipping Away at Intel - Case Study Example The reorganization of Architecture Group took place in the third year of Barrett’s tenure, in which a new unit consisting of networking operations and merger of communications was established. The intention behind these reorganizations was decentralization; and making decision making process stronger so that business operations would be carried out in a systematic way. In the tenure of Barrett, Intel had to face environmental pressures which disturbed company’s reputation and finances. The three most significant environmental pressures faced by Intel were competitor’s effect, economic turmoil & geopolitical factor and fall of corporate reputation. Intel went into the production of network servers and routers. This initiative was not applauded by Cisco and Dell, which were its biggest customers of chips. Intel had to eventually stop the production of network servers and routers. Advanced Micro Devices produced Athlon processor chip which was faster than Intel Pentium III chip. The political and economic situation of the region was also not promising as September, 2001 attacks brought U.S economy down. The threat of U.S troop’s invasion also into Iraq did not bring good results for the economic market of U.S. Its consequences were seen in the stock market where Intel share went down from $26 to $20 in October 2001. The 60% downfall of shares was a big concern for company’s prestige. A tremendous internal organizational pressure was recorded in the possession of CEO Craig Barrett due to his thrive for change and innovation. The objectives of Barrett were to achieve employee’s job satisfaction and better customer services, but this whole idea turned out differently. Job rotation of 80% of the Micro processing Unit staff created uncertainty in job roles and responsibilities. The idea of Barrett was that employees would know about company’s diverse operations by adapting

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Ebola Virus Outbreak Framework Essay Example for Free

Ebola Virus Outbreak Framework Essay Overview of the Event Ebola virus disease is a virus that is communicable through human-to-human contact as well as animal-to-human contact in which has promoted the spread of this virus that can be deadly if left untreated (WHO, 2014). Not only is the Ebola virus disease (EVD) quite contagious but is gaining momentum from community to community with lack of proper health care, containment, and the families of those that have been affected by the outbreak. There are widespread awareness by the World Health Organization (WHO) that there are short and long term psychological effects of the EVD outbreak due to the swiftness of how EVD can affect entire family members (PFA, 2014). Not only families are affected by the outbreak of EVD but the healthcare workers that are tending to the effected population are at increased risks of facing psychological trauma from their actions in containing the EVD spread (PFA, 2014). The Size of FEMA and WHO The World Health Organization (WHO) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are the agencies that are taking the lead in containing the EVD outbreak. World Health Organization has actions in place to address the psychological trauma that is connected with this catastrophic event such as this event. FEMA has created a Catastrophic Incident Annex (2008) in which has collaborated with all federal departments and agencies in order to follow various guidelines in which is best to contain the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak. The World Health Organization is the first in charge when it comes to how to do certain actions pertaining to the health within the United Nations system (WHO, 2014). FEMA is part of the Department of Homeland Security; therefore the agency itself is rather large on the net of what it can or does cover. Qualifications and Skills of Employees for FEMA and WHO There are over forty (40) members of the US Department of Home Homeland Security/FEMA that is in charge of what exactly happens in the event such as the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak. Starting at the top of the chain of command within FEMA would be the administrator in which they would be the first in command to direct the rest of the team of FEMA. Each office within the FEMA organization is in charge of their own parts of the outbreak, ranging from equal rights to response and recovery. The qualifications are endless but are specific in which what area of the outbreak they can work on and containment of the outbreak. Protection and preparedness is a specific office within the FEMA organization where the employees focus on not only immediate needs of the outbreak but lessons learned, training on how to handle a community of an event such as the current outbreak of EVD (FEMA, 2014). World Health Organization (2014) has more specific qualifications when it comes to containment and direct care of the psychological effects of EVD. It is considered a flexible organization to be part of in which the skills that an employee must possess is rather defined. At minimum a first year degree or equal professional trainings pertaining to the specific position being applied for, experience with national and international levels of conflicts and containments, excellent analytical skills, understanding of policy issues, heightened awareness of public health, proficient in a secondary United Nations language (Arabic, French, Russian, Chinese, Spanish), effective team work, and communication skills (WHO, 2014). Services Provided by FEMA and WHO The World Health Organization is the global protector of health and welfare while Department of Homeland Security/FEMA is the national protector. Each of these organizations has their own specific role to do when it comes to covering the outbreak of EVD. The WHO is about the preventative measures before an outbreak while FEMA addresses the in-the-now moment of outbreaks of Ebola Virus Disease. It is important to address not only the specific services each of these agencies can (and does) provide but their core functions as well. Once the functions are understood, the services that each organization provides can be better understood. While some services provided may not necessarily be directly connected with the psychological effects of  the present danger of the Ebola Virus Disease, each organization has their own agenda in order to maintain their level of professionalism in the current crisis situation. FEMA focuses on national needs when disaster strikes and ensures that each com munity member within the declared disaster area have the means to recover from the event. FEMA covers costs of housing needs such as temporary housing, repairs, replacements, permanent or semi-permanent housing construction (FEMA, 2014). In a crisis situation such as the current EVD outbreak, FEMA addresses the instant need as well as maintaining long term health. FEMA provides crisis counseling and training to maintain the mental and psychological health of community members that are directly affected by the EVD outbreak (FEMA, 2014). FEMA connects community members to counselors that are there to help sort out the magnitude of the Ebola virus disease outbreak and why it affects each person differently when it comes to mental and psychological health. The Key Components of FEMA and WHO FEMA has a national preparedness system that has six specific parts within it. According to FEMA (2014); Identifying and assessing risk, Estimating Capability Requirements, Building and sustaining capabilities, Planning to Deliver Capabilities, Validating Capabilities, and finally Reviewing and Updating.’ Each of these parts has their own goals and reasons why they are as they stand. Their main goal is the all the same; safety and resilience. The World Health Organization has six main core functions that they, as an international organization, strive to maintain. According to WHO (2014); ‘providing leadership on matters critical to health and engaging partnerships where joint action is needed; shaping the research agenda and stimulating the generation, translation, and dissemination of valuable knowledge; setting norms and standards, and promoting and monitoring their implementations; articulating ethical and evidence based policy options; providing technical support, ca talyzing changing, and building sustainable institutional capacity; monitoring the health situation and assessing health trends.’ Overarching Mission of FEMA and WHO World Health Organization has a general overall mission to keep the world safe of outbreaks, emergency assistance to disaster struck areas and the  mass immunization campaigns to protect the world’s population of potentially deadly diseases (WHO, 2014). WHO is responsible for taking the lead in the current EVD outbreak so it is contained where it is found and eradicated as much as possible, as that is their sole mission statement. FEMA’s mission statement is to support citizens and first responders to make sure that the nation works together in order to sustain, build, and improve the capability to prepare, protect, respond, recover, and mitigate all potential hazards (FEMA, 2014). FEMA is responsible for the urge to have communities to work together in order to recover and sustain livelihood in the event such as our current EVD outbreak. Role of FEMA and WHO with criminal justice system FEMA is an extension of Department of Homeland security; it works rather closely in order to maintain their mission statement to support the nation in crisis events but it also adheres to the law side of what could potentially arise in the event of a situation that would cause the criminal justice system itself to crumble. WHO would not be part of the criminal justice system or rather, an extension of it, due to the international outlook it holds for the world and not just the United States criminal justice system. Conclusion Understanding, communication, and diligence in the event of a communicable virus such as Ebola Virus Disease is the number one priority around the world. From small knit communities in rural Kansas to the bustling metro stations of Hong Kong, the ability to address and contain Ebola Virus Disease is the most important agenda that the world can these communities can hold. When a country, city, and continent can understand the dire need to be educated on what exactly the Ebola Virus Disease can do the world’s population is when the virus is uncontrolled can have not only physical affects but psychological ones as well. Families, communities, governments crumble and the world is left in mayhem due to the psychological effects that is left from watching Ebola Virus Disease wipe out world as we know it. Leaning on World Health Organization and Federal Emergency Management Agency can lessen the stress and how the world takes the heavy psychological effects that are present for a lif etime. References Catastrophic Incident Annex. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.fema.gov/pdf/emergency/nrf/nrf_CatastrophicIncidentAnnex.pdf Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2014). Retrieved from www.fema.org Psychological First Aid. (2014). Retrieved from http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/131682/1/9789241548847_eng.pdf?ua=1 World Health Organization. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Life And Battles Of Saigo Takamori History Essay

Life And Battles Of Saigo Takamori History Essay The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori, written by Mark Ravina, chronicles Saigos life, from childhood that fashioned his courage to his own death at the Satsuma Rebellion. In pre-industrial Japan, samurai meant military nobility. This book is a biography of Saigo that explains many of the events leading up to the Restoration and the role the battle of Satsuma played in the Restoration. Saigo Takamori is revered as one of Japans most loyal and honorable samurai. Part of the legend for Saigo was the fate of his severed head. The other part of the legend is was he killed or did he commit suicide as an act of heroism. It is unclear what year Saigo was born. Some references have 1827, while others have 1828. Regardless of the year, Saigo was born into a samurai family that was very low ranked in Kagoshima. He was born into wealth or rank. He was educated at a local level. His became very educated in Chinese classics and Zen, as well as swordsmanship. His first job was as an assistant clerk in a country office. In 1854, at the age of 26, he was selected to journey the Daimyo Shimazu Nariakira to promote closer ties with the imperial court. This journey is where his political career began. Saigo went on many journeys with statesmen. In 1858, he was a part of the Ansei purge and fled with a priest. The preist and Saigo made a suicide pact. Saigo backed out of the pact, only after the priest had already committed to his end of the deal by drowning himself. Saigo survived the journey but was later exiled to Amami Oshima Islands. In 1862, he returned to political life, but was forced into exile once again. He was brought out of exile in 1864. He was called back to the main island to train a group of Satsuma warriors. Saigo was to help his lord fight for the restoration of the emperor. Saigo became one of the main leaders of the new Japan. In 1868, Saigo and his troops led a revolt to destroy and create a powerful new state. He became the leader in Meijis new government. Saigo was now an active member of the Meiji government. Although Saigo supported many of the Western-style reforms, he was torn by the sense that he was betraying his supporters. It was a desire for Saigo to die in service to his emperor. Saigo showe d great loyalty to the emperor and his followers. Unsure about the government he had helped to create, Saigo wanted to end his career with one last movement. In 1873, Saigo wanted to go to Korea and demand the Korean king recognize the Meiji emperor. He had every intention to draw his sword if he had to. Saigo never was able to move forward with his plan to have the Japanese emperor recognized. His plan was dismissed and treated as reckless. He was denied his chance to show his loyalty and courage to the emperor. He resigned from the government and returned to Satsuma, his native land Satsuma. Saigo opened up military like academy for the former samurai warriors. He trained the men in frugality, honesty, and courage. This group resented the modernization of Japan more so than Saigo. Saigo feared the impersonal, commercial and centralized nation would destroy samurai traditions of personal honor, regional loyalty, and social service. Japan in the 1870s was going through many changes of industrialization and social and political changes. This process is also known as modernization. Many people had negative views on Japan and its culture. In 1876, westerners considered the Japanese to be uncivilized people. They thought that Japan was inferior to Caucasians in culture, intelligence, and culture. Japan even paid some Westerners very well to sit on government seats. Often this visits were short lived. The views that outsiders had on Imperial Japan are one reason that Japan sought to do away traditions of the samurai. Every aspect of traditional Japan and been thrown to the side. Japan had begun to westernize itself; not to be confused with Americanize. Saigo felt as if the traditions of the past would die out. The very hurried and colossal changes to Japanese culture, dress, and society appeared to many samurai to be a treachery. In 1876, the Meiji government stripped samurais of their swords. In defining how a moder n Japan should be, members of the Meiji government decided to follow the footsteps of United Kingdom and Germany, basing the country on the concept of noblesse oblige. Samurai were not to be a political force under the new order. Saigos followers and students rose in rebellion. They had a mission to let their voice be heard with their swords. The students made Saigo their leader of this uprising. Old Japan and new Japan met in battle in 1877. Early in the uprising, the rebels seized several local armories. Many of the rebels officers were trained in modern methods. The fight initially lasted from February to September. The imperial army began its final attack around four in the morning in September. By 5:30 A.M., the imperial army had destroyed all the fortifications of the rebels. At roughly seven in the morning, Saigo and his troops descended from the hill to face the Japanese army. They knew they were outnumbered. They knew they would die. Saigo died from a bullet wound, but legend has it that he died by his own sword. This was a great samurai tradition to die with honor at the end of ones life. This tradition is known as seppuku, a samurai suicide ritual. An autopsy of Saigo later revealed that he was onl y shot in the hip and would have been in too much pain to commit suicide. The imperial governments victory was short lived. They had Saigos body, but his head was missing. His head was but off with one clean slice. If the government was unable to provide a head, then the victory is incomplete. In looking for Saigos head, the imperial army was honoring one of the oldest traditions. It is said that severed heads were to be presented and were a celebrated part of Japanese warfare. These heads were often a tribute to the lords. No one is sure exactly what happened to Saigos head immediately following his death. Some say Saigos manservant hid the head. The head was later placed with Saigos body after a government official found it. One ironic part of searching for Saigos head is that the imperial army was honoring a tradition that was officially banished by the emperor. The new Japanese army was to be based on modern nationalism, not feudal loyalty. So in a sense, the death of Saigo brought forth some old traditions that had been banished in early years. It is said that this rebellion, the War of the Southwest, was the bloodiest battle that Japan had ever seen. Saigos forces were defeated. Old Japan was defeated. Over 12,000 men on both sides were killed. This battle also nearly bankrupted the new imperial government. Financially, devastating the Satsuma Rebellion cost the government significantly, forcing Japan off the gold standard and triggering the government to print paper currency. The imperial army had to use every resource available, including shipping lines, rail transport, police forces, and volunteers. The Imperial Japanese Armies were drafted, but many samurai volunteered to be soldiers and many advanced to be trained as officers. Much of the Imperial Army officer class was of samurai origin and they were highly motivated, disciplined and exceptionally trained. The rebellion was also successfully the close of the samurai class. After this war in 1877, there were no more samurai uprisings in Japan. Twelve years after Saigos death, the imperial government, denounced Saigo as a rebel and a traitor. In 1889, the government exonerated Saigo of all his crimes, and restored him to his imperial court rank. Saigo is still a legacy today in popular culture. A modern movie that is loosely based on the history of Saigo was produced. Many people still find his actions heroic none the less. Saigo was a samurai warrior who lived and died to protect the traditions he was so fond of preserving. In life and death, Saigo exemplified all that was labeled as being admirable in the samurai. This book written by Mark Ravina gives one last look at the final days of feudal government and the exciting career of Saigo. He gave his life to keep the samurai traditions at the forefront of the Japanese government. His efforts and loyalty have had a lasting impact on Japan and the interpretations of the samurai way and tradition.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Examining The Online TOC Analysis Techniques Information Technology Essay

Examining The Online TOC Analysis Techniques Information Technology Essay The article talks about implementing automated online TOC analyses at different points of use, comparing it to off-line laboratory TOC analysis techniques in terms of cost, setup, implementation and operation. The article stresses on controlling the TOC quality attribute for the release of PW and WFI for product manufacturing processes. It also talks about effective regulatory compliance and validation, as well as effective management of water system. It talks separately about the issue of the TOC instrument, its response efficiency and system suitability and acceptability tests, as well as the water test in terms in light of the current USP, EP regulations. It then talks about implementing PAT initiatives with the use of sensors to automate release of water for the online TOC analysis, discussing different configurations setups. Background Currently in industry, the use of offline laboratory TOC analyzers is much more common as compared to online TOC analyzers. The industry feels no need to improve on existing systems or processes. Companies tend to focus on quick and easy validation rather than effective validation. Lab TOC analyzers are used for fulfilling regulatory requirements, QC approval of water TOC attribute. They are good for fulfilling USP and EP regulations, for dealing with many water loops, and for cleaning validation too. As companies are required to determine bacteria, endotoxins for different water use points by default, TOC samples have to be collected analyzed with laboratory TOC analyzers. At times, it is even difficult to do the System Suitability Test on online TOC analyzers for quality assurance demonstrating acceptable TOC analysis. The initial capital cost for implementing automated online TOC system for water release can be expensive, and if the system is not well understood, that can cause a lot of additional problems and expenses. These are some of the reasons why many companies refuse to convert to on-line TOC analysis for water release. For passing the TOC attribute test to send the water for manufacturing processes, both the water being tested and the analyzer suitability, acceptability criteria must be fulfilled. The System Suitability Testing is not explained by USP or EP. The System Suitability testing frequency is determined by user, and the factors for determining it are the water used between SS testing, costs of SS testing, reliability of analyzer to pass the test and internal risk assessment of product produced. The suitability of TOC Analyzers is determined by three solutions: a blank, sucrose at 0.5mg.C/L and 1,4 benzoquinone at 0.5mg.C/L. Using these pieces of information, the response efficiency can be calculated. If the TOC analyzer response is greater than 85% and less than 115%, the analyzer has passed the test. The regulatory requirements for the water to pass are if its concentration is less than the concentration of sucrose subtracted from the blank. The system suitability test compares the recovery of the analyzer for an easy-to-oxidize sucrose and a hard-to-oxidize (1,4 benzoquinone) standard. The relationship of the independent recoveries must be periodically demonstrated and fall within specified limits.3 In addition to the required system suitability test, an on-line instrument will require periodic calibration and verification. For acceptable water test results acceptability, so it can be sent for the manufacturing processes; the suitability and acceptability of the analyzer must be demonstrated both before (initial suitability test) and after water testing (final suitability test). This is where a lot of failures can occur in both the offline and online TOC analyzer systems. But in the case of online TOC analyzer systems, once the process and its sources of variations are understood properly, there is a very minimal chance that the system suitability tests will fail. Discussion Some of the advantages automated on-line TOC analysis systems have over off-line laboratory TOC analysis systems are elimination of manual sampling errors. Sampling is the area where most errors take place in Analysis. TOC analyses before sending the water for manufacturing processes is extremely sensitive. It is imperative to have extremely accurate analysis for the measurements of TOC in the water, as it will have a huge impact on the processes since water is used everywhere in the form of critical utilities. It is important that there are essentially no inaccuracies in its measurements. The on-line TOC analysis if implemented correctly can do that, but an off-line laboratory TOC analyzer cannot. The other advantage that an on-line TOC analyzer has over an off-line is that it results in process automation, which results in less utilization of company resources that can be deployed elsewhere, as well as decreasing the operating costs. Online analyzers are also better for repetitive, routine TOC testing requirements. In the past, pharmaceutical companies used to rely on lab TOC analyzers to meet USP, EP or JP requirements for PW and WFI release. However, by implementing an approach centered round the use of PAT initiatives, as well as a real-time release program using an on-line TOC analyzer, companies are realizing the benefits of reduced cost, reduced waste and improved consistency of quality production. On-line TOC analyzers allow re-focusing of lab resources to other more critical quality control and product development activities, while maintaining better regulatory compliance The critical factors for implementing on-line TOC are regulatory expectations, reliability, analytical performance, ease of use and elimination of manual errors. By using online TOC analyzers instead of offline laboratory TOC analyzers, we are removing the most common source of error in chemical analysis, which greatly helps us increase the analytical performance of the online TOC analyzer, increase the ease of use, and eliminate manual errors from the system. By using a dual (2) on-line analyzers in a single loop, we are increasing the robustness and reliability of the online TOC analysis system. Payback on investment is also achieved in 1 years time. This is discussed later in the paper in more depth. To understand how to implement the automated online TOC analyzer system for the release of water successfully and effectively, we have to understand the sources of variation for TOC quality attributes, as well the critical parameters and quality attributes, the manufacturing process itself, and learn how to control all of these as well as the in-process water coming from the source raw water feed. This fits in perfectly with the PAT initiative that quality must be built into a system or a process rather than tested into it, as well as understanding and effectively controlling the process, by analyzing and controlling it through timely measurements of critical quality and performance attributes of its source feeds. All of this will lead to a better controlled, effective and optimized design of the system or process, and this will in turn result in the superior products. If one takes out drug product and raw materials from the context of the definition of the PAT and replaces it with water (PW or WFI), the idea of PAT can be used to on effectively implementing an automated online TOC analysis system that will result in the same advantages. Using the PAT initiatives for automated online TOC analysis for water release can also greatly help in the regulatory requirements that need to be fulfilled as well. The concept of PAT also encourages scientific, risk-managed pharmaceutical development, quality assurance. Less rejects, reprocessing improves the efficiency of the process, which in turn increases capacity. As WFI water is extremely expensive and is the most common excipient, and ingredient in drug manufacturing; the company must make sure that not a lot of it is rejected before the manufacturing process and/or wasted, and/or is reprocessed instead of being wasted. This also perfectly aligns to the PAT initiatives. The PAT concept encourages the company to manage variability instead of rejecting it. Some of the sources of variability in online TOC analysis systems are: a) source water or raw water feed. This has a huge effect on the final TOC. b) PW WFI storage tanks c) Distillation units: PW is supplied to it to produce WFI. TOC can leak into WFI if main distillation unit develops heat exchanger leak depending on TOC quality. The PAT requirements for water release system are understanding of TOC or conductivity removal/addition processes and the sources of conductivity/TOC. The determination of critical TOC and conductivity control points, implementation of TOC and conductivity analyzers, as well as requirements for the control system is part of the PAT initiative. There also needs to be a control element (manual or automatic) for water release. In implementing the PAT initiative, the component of real time release includes assessed material attributes and process controls. Combined process measurements and test data gathered during manufacturing process is used for real time release for final release of product, and this demonstrates compliance with regulatory quality attributes. Online TOCs analyzers measure TOC representing a specific point of use. So the acceptability of on-line TOC analyzers for TOC attributes testing depends on its location in system. Instrument responses at a point of locations should reflect quality of water used at that point. For on-line TOC analyzers, the value of TOC with released water depends on the time interval between consecutive SS Tests. SS tests should take place continually as long time intervals between consecutive SS tests results in failure (Out of Specification results). The online TOC analyzers can be set up in different ways and configurations for testing the water TOC. It is important to set up the equipment correctly and calibrate it, because it is part of the Installation Qualification (IQ). If the IQ is not done correctly, it will result in the failing of the System Suitability test and acceptability test for water and/or on-line analyzer, which means a failed Operational Qualification (OQ). Equipment can be installed and operational, but the final steps to release the water to production may not be implemented. This results in the failure of the Performance Qualification (PQ) for that system, because the wrong IQ and OQ took place. The cheapest way for an online TOC analysis is using a single online TOC analyzer on the exit of the distribution loop just before return to the storage tank, and the laboratory TOC analyzer is the backup to the online TOC system. Unfortunately, this method is also the least robust, because if this one online TOC analyzer does not pass the system suitability test, the process will lose its automation. However, if the same analytical measuring technology is used for both analyzers, the potential instrument response variances between the two analyzers is eliminated, which means the off-line laboratory TOC analyzer can be used to determine at which point of use the online TOC analyzer went wrong, by comparing the TOC analysis values of the online and offline TOC analyzers. Comparing the two readings from the analyzer can also be used to fulfill the Performance Qualification (PQ) requirements. But this would require very frequent sampling on the lab TOC analyzer, there is a chance that the exact point and time of failure, where the on-line TOC failed the SS test cannot be determined effectively. The most robust and reliable method is using dual on-line TOC analysis system. To achieve this kind of setup, two on-line TOC analyzers must be installed onto a single distribution loop. If one of the TOC fails the SS test when it is releasing the water; and if it can be proven that the 2 TOC analyzers on the distribution line are measuring the same water: the other TOC analyzer will serve as a backup and make sure that the TOC analysis and the release of the water is still automated. There is very less likelihood that both TOC analyzers fail the SS test at the same time. A laboratory off-line TOC can also be used again for PQ purposes. But it is imperative that both the analyzers are measuring the same water and its TOC for one to be used as a backup for the other. If it is not, there is a chance that unacceptable is being released for manufacturing processes. As mentioned in the paper before, as the testing of its TOC critical attributes depends on the point of use, the TOC(s) can be used in any kind of arrangement to serve different purposes, such as ensure the various components in the loop (such as the Distillation or other water purification systems) are working correctly or not. The diagram below the PW feed going into the line, and the WFI feed coming out from the distillation unit. One TOC analyzer is connected to the PW feed line, the other one is connected to the WFI feed line. Comparing the readings from both these TOC analyzers can tell whether the distillation unit is working correctly or not. There might be a risk that the distillation unit or distribution loop is adding TOC to the water as a result of system failure, which means that the backup TOC is not fulfilling its purpose. The whole point of using an on-line TOC analysis system over an off-line lab TOC analyzer is for the purpose of the recirculation of the PW or WFI. If the water is needed for a specific point of use in an off-line lab analyzer, the water will be manually taken and sampled on the off-line TOC analyzer. If that sample fails, essentially the whole stream of water most probably fails too. If the off-line lab analyzer fails or the water test fails, all that water which is very expensive will go to waste, and will not be recirculated. In the online TOC analyzer system, once it has been figured out where (at which point[s] of use, if it is being added) TOC is being added to the water; that is remedied. When that has been resolved, all the sources of variability have been identified; all the components are installed and functioning correctly, the water can be recirculated over and over, making this a continuous automated process. The storage tank will always be filled because when the water is being distributed from the storage tank to various points of use, the WFI feed coming out the distillation unit will always be filling up the lost water. Implementing the PAT initiative into the automated online TOC analysis also means implementation of automated real time TOC release systems, computer, data acquisition, process sensors, process equipment process analytical instrumentation integrated into a comprehensive management system. The comprehensive management system ensures continual operation process within prescribed limits to ensure quality. Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Systems (SCADA), distributed control systems (DCS), Facility Monitoring Systems (FMS), Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) and Man-Machine Interfaces (MMI) are other tools that can be used as well. PAT guidance documents aid operation, control, monitoring water systems integrating automation, sensory data, feedback mechanisms with target to implement PAT online instrumentation for automatic formal QC water release to production. Proven technology allows for the automation of standards introduction and data management. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is one such technology, and standards can be loaded into the TOC analyzer and processed automatically to produce results. The figure below shows an automated standards introduction system in an on-line TOC analyzer: RFID is a well known technology that is currently used in the pharmaceutical industry as a preventative measure against counterfeiting. It uses an RFID tag that comprises of a microchip, substrate and an antenna) and a reader/writer. The RFID tag is programmed with all the data related to a specific standard, including the contents of the bottle, certified concentration, lot number and expiration date. Once the RFID tag aligns with the reader/writer, the data is automatically transferred to the analyzer. There is no need for any manual input here. The only thing someone has to do is simplified through an easy to use and understand touch-screen man-machine interface (MMI) Problems can arise in online TOC analysis system if contaminants enter the water systems that are harmful for the system operating. Even though current water system technology produces very consistent and reliable results, excursions can occur. Excursions are discrepancies from normal water system operating conditions. When an excursion occurs, that means that quality of water produced is questionable. If there is excursion in the system, it is a good idea to obtain a sample of water from the system on which an independent analysis can be done. Analysis of the water sample can provide information about why the excursion occurred, and that would help in rectifying the problem of excursion. Some TOC analyzers use methods to separate compounds that are not expected to come in contact with process water from the analysis. Reverse osmosis (RO) membranes are susceptible to damage from chorines and chloramine by-products in disinfection process. If chlorine or any of its biproducts cracks into the water system or even has a small presence of it; that means that the system has failed. If a TOC analyzer is designed to separate these compounds from the analysis, it will only hide the problem and will not rectify it in any way. TOC analyzers designed to respond to contamination by the presence of these compounds in the process water, by capturing a sample of water; but only if that sample is equipped with excursion monitoring capability. This helps the water system engineer to identify the problem and rectify it. A TOC analyzer equipped with an OASISà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ may be configured for excursion monitoring. Excursion monitoring is defined as the ability to extract and save a sa mple of water from process water right after a pre-programmed water condition such as such as high TOC levels, water conductivity with regard to USP limits, water chemistries deemed wrong by analyzer and his analysis, have been implemented. Using this technology, problems with process water can be identified well before limits have been exceeded, with ability to program a specific TOC level that must be exceeded for excursion capture. In case of the identification of an excursion in the process water, the analyzer will immediately capture a sample of water directly from the water system and place it in an empty bottle, equipped with an RFID tag that has been loaded into the analyzer. Upon sample capture, all the data associated with the excursion is recorded on the RFID tag using the writing capability of the RFID reader/writer. The integration of the RFID with excursion monitoring enables that the data associated with captured excursion water is protected and cannot be changed. A lab equipped with the appropriate RFID reading capability, has the ability to read the tag and associate the data with the water sample, such as the serial number of the analyzer, date, time, last TOC, conductivity and temperature values. Beca use of this type of analysis for the process water, better understanding for the reasons for the cause of the excursion can be identified. As the excursion capture is initiated by the TOC analyzer results, the sample is as indicative of the water condition as possible. The PAT enables application of risk-based approaches to enhance quality of a process. By applying excursion monitoring capability, risks associated with producing off-spec water is greatly reduced. The TOC analyzer becomes a water system diagnostic tool, rather than just a regulatory sensor to monitor TOC limits. Summary In the past, pharmaceutical companies used to rely on lab TOC analyzers to meet USP, EP or JP requirements for PW and WFI release. However, by implementing an approach centered round the use of PAT initiatives, as well as a real-time release program using an on-line TOC analyzer, companies are realizing the benefits of reduced cost, reduced waste and improved consistency of quality production. On-line TOC analyzers allow re-focusing of lab resources to other more critical quality control and product development activities, while maintaining better regulatory compliance. This conversion of approach from a simple reproduction to a more risk based approach which reduces variability (instead of rejecting it) enables the implementation of new technologies and more cost effective measures, which in turn results in more efficient and effective processes and higher quality products. With the advent of the Process Analytical Technology (PAT) Quality by Design (QbD) approaches, the desire is to evolve pharmaceutical processes from an art to a science with engineering-based activity, application of enhanced science and engineering knowledge in regulatory decision-making, establishment of specifications and evolution of manufacturing processes. With the advent of new technologies such as RFID and MMI, the automated process has been simplified, been made more effective. With excursion monitoring, a TOC analyzer becomes more than just a TOC sensor for regulatory purposes. It becomes a tool that minimizes the risk of falling out of specification. Implementing new technologies through PAT allows the addition of true value wherever traditional regulatory compliance is required. I believe there is a lot to be learned and implemented on this topic in industry. I found the topic highly important and of high learning. I hope to work in a pharmaceutical company that can implement such initiatives in water systems.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Egon Schieles Self-Portrait Essay -- Visual Arts Paintings Art

Egon Schiele's Self-Portrait When I look at this portrait, the first thing that hits me is the way the artist, Egon Schiele, appears to have made himself look animated, like a cartoon. The way in which his right eye is rounded like a cartoon character and his left eye is squinting and almost shut, adds to the idea of a the portrait being a cartoon. The squinted left eye is as if he is sneaking around and evaluating his surroundings. If you cover the right side of the face (with the widely opened eye), it makes you realise that the left side with the squinted eye does not look very lifelike, but the two eyes seem to cancel each other out. The over exaggerated wrinkles on Schiele’s face and neck make him look a lot older than he actually is. He was actually only 20 years old when he painted this portrait but the way in which he was exaggerated the wrinkles makes him look around 40 years old. Schiele may have done this to portray his feelings at the time he painted it; he may have felt old and tired. But Schiele may also have been just experimenting in different ways of painting facial features and expressions. If you look at Schiele’s hands in the portrait, it looks as though Schiele has deliberately elongated the fingers and made them thinner and more withered. This again, makes you think that Schiele has deliberately made himself look older and more animated. The clothes that Schele is wearing in the portrait look to be too big and baggy for him, and therefore seem also to ...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

hannibal Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From the middle of the 3rd century to the middle of the 2nd century BC, Carthage was engaged in a series of wars with Rome (Dorey, P 57). These wars, known as the Punic Wars, ended in the complete defeat of Carthage by Rome. The most prominent figure of the Punic wars was General Hannibal of Pheonician Carthage. During these wars, it's likely that the colonizing expeditions of the Carthaginians were supported by many emigrants from the Phoenician homeland.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hannibal was the son of the great Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca. According to Polybius and Livy, the main Latin sources for his life, Hannibal was taken to Spain by his father and at an early age was made to swear eternal hostility to Rome (Dorey, P 24). From the death of his father in 229/228 until his own death, Hannibal's life was one of constant struggle against the Roman republic.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His earliest commands were given to him in the Carthaginian p rovince of Spain by Hasdrubal, son-in-law and successor of Hamilcar; and it is clear that he emerged as a successful officer, for, on the assassination of Hasdrubal in 221 BC, the army proclaimed him, at the age of 26, its commander in chief, and the Carthaginian government quickly ratified his field appointment (Dorey, P 27).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some details of Hannibal's crossing of the Alps have been preserved. At first danger came from the Allobroges, who attacked the rear of Hannibal's column. (Along the middle stages of the route, other Celtic groups attacked the baggage animals and rolled heavy stones down from the heights on the enfilade below, thus causing both men and animals to panic and lose their footings on the precipitous paths. Hannibal took countermeasures, but these involved him in heavy losses in men.) On the third day he captured a Gallic town and provided the army from its stores with rations for two or three days. Harassed by the daytime attentions of the Gauls from the heights and mistrusting the loyalty of his Gallic guides, Hannibal bivouacked on a large bare rock to cover the passage by night of his horses and pack animals in the gorge below. Snow was falling on the summit of the pass, making the descent even more treacherous. Upon the hardened ice of the previous year's fall, the soldiers and animals ali... ...r his elephants and horses as well as his men gives proof of a humane disposition. His treachery, that punica fides that the Romans detested, could from another point of view pass for resourcefulness in war and boldness in stratagem (encyclopedia.com). Of his wit and subtlety of speech many anecdotes remain. He spoke Greek and Latin fluently, but more personal information is absent from his biographies. He is shown in the only surviving portraits, the silver coins of Cartagena struck in 221, the year of his election as general, with a youthful, beardless, and pleasant face. Hannibal Michael Long 3.05.02 Medieval History, Hour 2 Works Cited http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/ROME/PUNICWAR.HTM   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is a web page by the Washington State University. http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/02359ThePunicWarsandtheDeclineofCarthage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  html   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This is a web page of factual information provided in the form of an   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  encyclopedia. Dorey, T.A., and D.R. Dudley. Rome Against Carthage. London: Secker & Warburg,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1971.

The Standardized Testing Debate Essay -- High-Stakes Standardized Testi

Standardized testing is one of the most hotly debated topics in education. Experts in education have different views on the topic. Standardized testing refers to a testing method whereby students are subjected to the same assessment procedures set by examiners that intend to examine and score them as part of a wider student’s body. Standardized tests are of two kinds, the aptitude tests and the achievement tests. The aptitude test examines the students’ advanced skills or competency. Achievement tests evaluate students’ understanding in a formal educational institution and reviews their performance and understanding of key concepts. While evaluating the pros and cons of standard testing, it is evident that researchers and educators question whether it measures how effective the school taught the concepts to the student or whether it asses the students’ comprehension of the basic concepts taught. The articles under review define and explain the pros and co ns but fail to offer an alternative method of assessing students. Standardized testing brings a sense of accountability to both the teachers and the students. According to Derrick Meador, an industry expert, teachers have to deliver effectively in preparing students for the standardized testing. He also states that there is also the advantage of the results of the students going public. This puts pressure on the school as a whole because the results will be a reflection of how much effort they put in their schoolwork. This publicity also ensures that a teachers performance is evaluated and poses the risk of a teacher losing their job or the school being closed and given to the state (Meador, n.d.). Standardized testing makes it possible to create a clear qualitative compar... ...mprehension. Educators must standardize their curriculum however, a standardized universal curriculum does not consider each individual student’s environment. Researchers have show that the student’s comprehension is pegged on their environment. In addition, the pedagogy style employed is also dependent on the environment, which standardized testing does not consider. Works Cited Meador, Derrick . "Standardized Testing."About.com Teaching. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. . Popham, W. James. "Why standardized tests don't measure educational quality." Educational Leadership 56 (1999): 8-16. Ravitch, Diane.. "Ravitch: Standardized Testing Undermines Teaching." NPR. NPR, 11 Apr. 2011. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. .

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Continuity & Change Over Time Essay

During the time period between 600 and 1750, economic and social continuities and changes impacted Western Europe immensely. One particular economic alteration was the decline of feudal manoralism, prevalent in the early medieval era, as a result of the restoration of commerce following the Crusades. Another major change was the socioeconomic impact of the Age of Exploration circa 1500, which would establish European Hegemony. While economic transforma-tions occurred throughout Western Europe, the influence of the Roman Catholic Church was continuous despite fluctuations in its authority. After the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 CE, Western Europe became divided into the Germanic Kingdoms that characterized the Middle Ages. Trade languished during this time as a result of the constant warfare (feuds) and political instability that ensued after the fall of Rome. For this reason, self-sufficient manors managed by local warlords developed. Rigid social stratification defined the period with a hierarchy comprised of Kings, Noblemen, Knights and peasantry. Socially, living conditions were unfavorable, and the Black Plague ran rampant devastating the European populace circa 1350. Between 1100 and 1300, Western Europeans embarked upon a series of religious quests against Muslims, known as the Crusades. European soldiers fighting in the Middle East were intrigued by foreign goods and the Muslim preservation of long forgotten Greco-Roman ideals. Amazed at such riches and ideas, they returned home to introduce and expose Western Europeans to what they had discovered. As a result, commerce was resumed and interregional trade networks were created to obtain foreign â€Å"luxury† goods that were at increased demand. Fortunately the war had forged European contacts with the Middle East via the Mediterranean Sea, which allowed for merchandise to be acquired from lands as far as China without extended voyages. As trade once again began to flourish, Europe saw the decline of manoralism. This was due to the rise in the merchant class which challenged the power of the Aristocracy, thereby weakening their influence.  Increased business in port cities caused urbanization in several areas in addition to an emerging middle class. Burgeoning trade and economic prosperity allowed for the resurgence of Greco-Roman intelligence and culture in what is known as the Renaissance, which spanned from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century. In the midst of the Renaissance, world trade was prosperous and vast. Nations established personal control through the commercial contacts that they established. In an effort to shorten certain trading routes and obtain a more surmountable amount of natural resources, many nations entered the Age of Exploration circa 1500. Christopher Columbus, in an effort to discover a more efficient route from Western Europe to India, accidently unearthed the Americas in 1492. His discovery led many other European nations to pursue imperialistic endeavors in what had become known as the New World. Two Spanish conquistadors, Cortez and Pizarro, made a profound impact on the areas they conquered in the New World. In Mexico, the native Aztecs were overpowered by Cortez’ forces. A majority fell ill from susceptibility to European diseases, while the rest were placed into coercive labor systems. Similar fates were bestowed upon the Incas subjected to Pizarro’s control. The Spanish created these colonies as a source of raw materials and cheap labor to support their expanding economic endeavors. To assert control over the native populations, the encomienda and mita systems were utilized. These systems, originally devised as a means of converting natives to Christianity, were in reality, inhumane, harsh organizations that devastated local populations. Through coercive labor systems and colonization, European nations were able to lay the foundation they needed to attain hegemony during this time period. Between 600 and 1750, the Roman Catholic Church continued to play a constant role in Western Europe. During the feudal period, the church developed its strong authority due to the decentralized political nature of Western Europe. In this instance Christianity acted as a unifying force amongst the several divided kingdoms of the age. Upon entry into the Crusades in 1095, the Church’s influence was at its peak as European soldiers rallied in opposition to Muslim forces encroaching on Byzantine territory. Those who  fought returned from the conflict to spark interests in worldly luxury products and thought laying foundation for the European golden age or Renaissance. Intellectual movements spurred by Renaissance thought led many to question the morality of the Catholic Church, specifically in regards to the sale of indulgences. Martin Luther, a Catholic monk, witnessed firsthand the lavish way in which clergy were allowed to live due to their increased secular power. He strongly disapproved of their practices and pursued reform through his 95 theses. The Church’s failure to comply with his proposals resulted in his decision to begin the Protestant Reformation. This division in the Catholic Church combined with an increase in monarchal authority temporarily decreased the church’s influence. Circa 1500, the Age of Exploration transmitted material goods as well as cultural and spiritual ideals. The Spanish conquistadors who conquered regions of Latin America instilled upon the natives their Roman Catholic faith thus replacing their polytheistic worship. What at first was evidence of religious exploitation, as seen in the coercive labor systems established, was transformed into a force of social stability that dominated everyday life. The spread of Christianity to the New World once again established the Catholic Church as a religious authority with substantial influence. Economic and social patterns between 600 and 1750 were transformed due to several changes and continuities throughout Western European society. The European decline in feudalism was impacted immensely by the resurgence in commercial activities following the Crusades. The prosperity that ensued from increased world contacts laid the foundation for eager explorers to trail their ambitions during the Age of Exploration. Their discoveries and conquests would then establish European Hegemony at the expense of many aboriginal people subjected to coercive labor. Throughout this time the Roman Catholic Church continually held a place in society despite fluctuations in their authority and support.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Gatsby Embodies West Egg Essay

In the novel, â€Å"The Great Gatsby†, Scott Fitzgerald uses various literary devices such as theme, irony, and characterization to embody Gatsby with West Egg characteristics. The Great Gatsby is set in New York and on Long Island, in two areas known as West Egg and East Egg. The narrator, Nick, describes West Egg as the home to the â€Å"new rich,† those who, having made their fortunes recently, have neither the social connections nor the refinement to move among the East Egg set. West Egg is characterized by lavish displays of wealth and garish poor taste. Both locations can be seen generally as: established aristocracy for East Egg and the self-made rich in West Egg. Therefore, there’s definitely a discrepancy between the two places. Gatsby, one of the protagonists of the novel, lives in a huge mansion in West Egg and is an urbane man. He hosts parties every night which are full of fun and action, he seems like a man that exhilarates people to have fun. Gatsby embodies the characteristics of West Egg as he, at least until chapter 5, has made himself rich. In chapter 5 Gatsby clarifies that he did inherit his money from his family who bequeathed it to him, however he â€Å"lost most of it in the big panic- the panic of the war† (Fitzgerald 87). Therefore he got involved in the drug business and oil business to make money again, which he is no longer involved in. This is one way Gatsby embodies West Egg as he made himself rich by working in these 2 businesses. It is clear that Gatsby is wealthy as he owns an enormous house with â€Å"a swim pool, beach, vast garden, fancy parties and marble everywhere† (Fitzgerald 11). This portrays one of the themes in the novel, the clash between â€Å"old money† and â€Å"new money†, that manifests itself in the novel’s symbolic geography: East Egg and West Egg. Gatsby would be considered the â€Å"new money†, while people such as Tom, which come from a wealthy family, is the â€Å"old money†. This is a pivotal theme throughout the novel as it affects various aspects of characters and setting. This also relates to how the discrepancy between West Egg and East Egg affects the characterization of certain characters. Gatsby is characterized as a man that is wealthy and loves to share his â€Å"happiness† with others by hosting numerous parties which are full of expensive drinks such as â€Å"Chartreuse† (Fitzgerald 88) held in his luxurious mansion. Irony is also present in the first chapters of the novel, as before Nick Carraway met Gatsby, no one truly knew who he was or where he came from. There where a few rumors, such as him killing someone or being the son of a German king, however no one knew the truth and people wanted to ascertain more about Gatsby. Many scrutinized his background as many wondered where he came from, and who he truly was. Throughout the novel the reader know learns more about Gatsby. One might expect Gatsby, the organizer of the huge parties, to be an active, energetic, and creative person; however its ironic how the reader finds out Gatsby is the complete opposite. He is describes as a man of class, elegant, who doesn’t drink, isn’t an alcoholic, and isn’t a great partier himself, as he isn’t often present during his parties where everyone else is. This is another reason why he embodies the characteristics of West Egg, because in West Egg, those who made themselves rich, don’t, or at least until now, haven’t mentioned the way they earned their wealth. Gatsby doesn’t tell everyone immediately the way he became rich, he rarely talks about it. Also Nick, the narrator, he lives in West Egg, therefore he must have some sort of wealth, however he doesn’t mention it or clarifies exactly where he got it from. Instead East Egg seems to work in a different way, since it’s the place of â€Å"old money† and established aristocracy, that means people are established rich and have most likely inherited wealth from their family, such as Tom. Therefore, Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby in such ways that fulfill the characteristics of a man living in West Egg.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Importance of Science Essay

One of my old, fairly innocuous posts has been climbing up the popularity lists: The Importance of Science in Our Lives. It’s just a link to an article online with a little commentary. I see on my statistics pages that a lot of people arrive using google searches of â€Å"Importance of Science.† I wonder if this is a common school assignment for students, e.g., â€Å"Write about the importance of science in the modern world† or some other similar variation, and then off they go to google to get their answers rather than thinking for themselves. Maybe that’s too cynical. Anyway, I have been intending to follow up with some more specific and simply worded reasons that science is important to not just me (e.g., my income), but to our civilization today. Science is important because†¦ 1. †¦we don’t have to take someone’s word for something, we can test their claims. 2. †¦horrible diseases can be cured, or prevented entirely, and it can still provide hope for those with as-yet-incurable diseases. 3. †¦people who love each other can talk to each other whenever they want no matter how far apart they are in the world, and can be together the next day. 4. †¦science can show us what has caused mass extinctions and point the way to preventing similar catastrophes in the future. 5. †¦science can make us feel big and special for understanding the age of the Earth, the nature of stars, and the size of the universe, even if those things dwarf us. 6. †¦science saves lives. 7. †¦it has helped us to no longer need to worry about personal survival as our top priority, giving us more time for love, laughter, singing, and dancing. 8. †¦whenever one problem is solved another two rear up to take its place, so the need for science will never go obsolete. 9. †¦science gives us superpowers, like looking across the universe, seeing atoms, flying across the Earth or to the moon, moving mountains, and harnessing the energy of the sun. 10. †¦science, in the long run, is the only reliable way to figure things out in a world that is so seldom fair and impartial. Well, those are ten of mine. I could elaborate or further justify each of these, but for now I will leave these here to ferment some more. There’s a darker version of this list that would talk about guns, nuclear bombs, and more, but I’ll pass on that for now. Violence isn’t nice, but it surely is important. Science is everywhere in today’s world. It is part of our daily lives, from cooking and gardening, to recycling and comprehending the daily weather report, to reading a map and using a computer. Advances in technology and science are transforming our world at an incredible pace, and our children’s future will surely be filled with leaps in technology we can only imagine. Being â€Å"science literate† will no longer be just an advantage but an absolute necessity. We can’t escape from the significance of science in our world. The present era is the era of science. Science has undoubtedly done a great service to mankind. Man, a rational being, has been curious to explore mysteries of nature and this led to many discoveries being made in various part of the world. But he is never satisfied with the acquired knowledge and is always keen to unravelle mysteries of the universe. He has conquered the land and air. His incredible lust for knowledge has revolutionise d human life and raised the standard of life. He was able to invent innumerable ways of making his life comfortable and happy. Every sphere of life has been revolutionised by science. There have been innumerable inventions. One of the greatest inventions is the invention of medicines. There has been a series of tests carried out using animals as subjects and various medicines have been tried out on these animals to check their efficacy. Many fatal diseases can now be cured because we have the drug to fight those diseases. It has reduced the rate of infant mortality and increased the life span. Before these inventions millions of people died for lack of medical care. Science has given us many machines that have made our lives very comfortable. Buses, cars, sewing machines, mixes, grinders, etc. are all machines that are used every day by us and the discovery of electricity has made it possible for us to change night into day and summer into a comfortable cool season It is now easy to cultivate fields as we have tractors. New forms of irrigation are now being employed. It is easier to protect the crops because of the use of various chemicals and pesticides. Even mosquitoes can be driven away because of the discoveries made in science. It has enabled man to entertain himself in many ways. TV, radio, video and the cinema are all popular means of entertainment. Besides entertainment they educate the masses. Today the computer has made life even more easy for us. The press, the means of communication, etc. have all improved because of science and its gifts to us. Before understanding the importance of science and technology, it is important for us to understand that science and technology are closely associated with our lives. They are closely linked aspects of society and the studies and developments in both of science and technology are essential for the overall progress of society. Why is technology so important? How does scientific development affect society? Let us find out.Scientific research comprises a wide variety of fields ranging from the study of different branches of science to relatively advanced fields like space exploration, human genetics and cloning. Scientific study attempts to explore and understand the working of the physical world. It tries to analyze the occurrences in nature and gain knowledge about nature through experimentation. As scientific research aims at gaining knowledge of the complexities of nature, it is important for the progress of mankind. The seemingly impossible feats have been made possible, thanks to the scientific research.Natural sciences deal with the study of nature and human life. The studies of natural and artificial sciences reveal the relationship between nature and human life. Research in science has paved a path to many brilliant inventions and discoveries.When it comes to science and technology, we cannot forget the automobile and the transport industries that have grown tremendously on account of the developments in science and engineering. Technological advancements have driven the developments in the different modes of transport. Bicycles have transformed into scooters and sport bikes. Four and six wheeled vehicles have started running on the roads, thanks to the advancing technology. The developments in air transport have winged the common man to soar high!The importance of technology lies in the benefits of technology on society. The positive effects of technology on society are many. The advancements in technology have revolutionized human life. It has provided a great impetus to the computer and the telecommunication industry. The developments in the communication technology have made the world a smaller place. The Internet serving as an excellent communication platform has made the world flat!The World Wide Web has proved being an enormous information base, from which information can be retrieved by the means of search engines. Information from all around the world is housed on the web. Thanks to the development of the web technology, the information can be stored in an organized manner and relevant information can be retrieved on supplying search strings to the web search engines.Digitization of information has been a major breakthrough in the world of information technology. It has made possible the compaction of information, which in turn allows efficient information storage.The most important benefit of science has been the luxury it has brought to daily life. The mechanization of industrial processes has reduced human effort. Household appliances that are in the daily use of the common man are a result of scientific research. Machines have replaced human beings in monotonous and risk-bearing tasks. Scientific discoveries have made life easy.Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/importance-of-science-and-technology.html In every generation and in every century there always exist a number of people, who are afraid of everything that is related to possible changes. In various epochs they are called differently: luddites, anti-globalists, ecologists and so on; but their nature is always the same. They hate progress and strive to preserve the status quo without seemingly realizing the fact that the same very kind of people hated progress and strived to retain the status quo a hundred years ago, and now they use all the things that were denounced by their spiritual ancestors. In their blogs on the Internet they write about immoral scientists, who conduct dangerous experiments; but they do not realize that they actually use the product of the very science they hate in order to convey their thought to the similarly-minded. Science always has to fight against heavy odds, for it always tries to show how useful something may be to people who don’t want to listen, knowing that the very moment they will be persuaded, they will use a yet another product of science against what has created it. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a scientist is the hero of modern day, and not a politician or a social activist. Science makes our life possible – today a human being cannot imagine his or her life without all the many thousands of little and big things, created by science in the course of millennia. And the people who denounce it for meddling with the things that we do not understand, just don’t see that there is no way to study a thing that you don’t understand without, well, studying it. Of course, science always prevails in the end, for life is stronger than death. But it is really embarrassing to see how hard it has to fight. 2013-02-19T14:25:54start intext order & inq uiry code Science and technology provide people with the knowledge and tools to understand and address many of the challenges. Students must be provided with opportunities to access, understand, and evaluate current information and tools related to science and technology if they are to be ready to live in a 21st century global society. The study of science and technology includes both processes and bodies of knowledge. Scientific processes are the ways scientists investigate and communicate about the natural world. The scientific body of knowledge includes concepts, principles, facts, laws, and theories about the way the world around us works. Technology includes the technological design process and the body of knowledge related to the study of tools and the effect of technology on society. Science and technology merge in the pursuit of knowledge and solutions to problems that require the application of scientific understanding and product design. Solving technological problems demands scientific knowledge while modern technologies make it possible to discover new scientific knowledge. In a world shaped by science and technology, it is important for students to learn how science and technology connect with the demands of society and the knowledge of all content areas. It is equally important that students are provi ded with learning experiences that integrate tools, knowledge, and processes of science and technology. The Science and Technology Standards outline the essential understandings of these disciplines. Standard A describes four themes that serve as a broad scaffold for understanding and organizing student understanding of the content and processes of science and technology. Standard B describes the processes of scientific inquiry and technological design. As a complement to the expectations of inquiry and design outlined in Standard B, Standard C describes the enterprises of science and technology and the connection to society. Standards D and E have performance indicators that encompass the subject matter conventionally referred to as life, physical, and earth and space science. It is essential that classroom instruction integrate the processes and ideas of Standards A, B, and C with the knowledge of Standards D and E, rather than teach them separately. Instruction should support students in asking questions and making inquiries to help them, understand and solve problems that require t he integration of knowledge and processes in authentic contexts. Unifying Themes – The proposed revised standards begin with a focus on four themes of science and technology: systems, models, and constancy and change, and scale. These themes provide teachers and students with a scaffold on which to organize the details of the standards. National standards documents identify these themes as critical knowledge for students in the 21st century. The Skills of Scientific Inquiry and Technological Design Process – The Science and Technology Standards define both the student skills of scientific inquiry and the student skills of technological design. The inclusion of scientific inquiry, the development of a coherent section on technological design and the inclusion of a standard on scientific and technological enterprise highlight the importance of developing student understanding of the unique characteristics of and relationships between science and technology. The scientific and technological enterprise standard outlines key understanding s about the relationships among science, technology and society and underscores the role of citizens in the decision-making process related to science and technology. Science is our power as human beings to use our wisdom and make decisions. When a loved one is dying of cancer, what would you do? Would you not do anything possible to try to help them? Here is where science has a role in our lives; when we want to do something otherwise difficult or impossible. Though the ways of learning science has changed over the years from solely thinking logically to reading classics to experimenting, the way scientific knowledge is used has not been changed. When there is an epidemic, medicine is used to carry out man’s will to cure it. When the Egyptian pyramids were to be built, architecture came into use. Yet science is not used only for such needful or elaborate situations. They also appear in our daily lives. We know it is important to wash ourselves regularly, only for biology. The Wright brothers were able to invent the airplane because they knew hot air rises, and since then, we have been able to use their technology to travel great distances in short periods of time. We humans would be so impotent without science. Science is our knowledge of the universe. It is natural to have for a being who thinks. If we did not have science, it would mean we are plain animals motivated purely by instinct. Our definition of â€Å"life† as a human would not exist. Great are the blessings of science. However, our wisdom is not complete, and can lead us to do wrong. Thereupon, science can be a curse. We have changed the passenger airplane into a fighter. Cameras for keeping memories spy on people. Cell phones for conversations are used to bully kids around, and even explode trains. Our greed, hatred, fear, wickedness, and stupidity have produced terrible uses of what our scientific knowledge has put together. As we all know from Spiderman, â€Å"With great power comes great responsibility.† Science gives us options to do or not to do. Though each option has its consequences, it is a distinct strength which evidently separates us from animals. How we use it will greatly influence the lives of each one of us.