Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Goiter essays

Goiter essays A goiter is often referred to as an enlargement of the thyroid gland which is not caused by inflammation or cancer. Goiter, when at a simple level, occurs when the thyroid gland can not produce enough of the thyroid hormone to meet the bodys daily requirements. As a counteraction, the thyroid gland enlarges, which usually overcomes small thyroid hormone deficiencies. A simple case like this is called either an endemic goiter or a sporadic goiter. Endemic goiters often occur within groups of people living in areas with soil with low iodine, usually regions away from the sea coast. Most people in these communities might not get enough iodine in their diet which is important for the production of the thyroid hormone. Use of iodized table salt in the U.S. prevents this; however it is still common in central Asia and central Africa. Another cause for goiter is use of the medications lithium and aminoglutethimide, used to treat some kinds of tumors that affect the adrenal cortex. Some cases of goiter are caused by hereditary factors, Most of the causes for goiter, however, are unknown to us at this time. Risk factors for the development of a goiter include female sex, age over 40 years, inadequate dietary intake of iodine, residence in an endemic area, and a family history of goiter. Goiter may be prevented by avoiding use of the medications shown above, and the use of iodized table salt, as indicated above. A few of the symptoms of goiter include any sort of thyroid enlargement, breathing difficulties due to compression of the trachea, swallowing difficulties due to the compression of the esophagus, and dizziness when arms are raised above the level of the head. There are many tests that may determine if you have goiter or not. Some of these including measurements of thyroid stimulating hormone and thyroxine in the bloodstream, a thyroid scan, and finally an ultrasound on the thyroid. ...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

How Sarin Nerve Gas Works (And What to Do If Exposed)

How Sarin Nerve Gas Works (And What to Do If Exposed) Sarin is an organophosphate nerve agent. It most commonly is considered a nerve gas, but it mixes with water, so ingestion of contaminated food/water or liquid skin contact also are possible. Exposure to even a small amount of Sarin may be fatal, yet treatments are available that may prevent permanent neurological damage and death. Heres a look at how it works and how exposure to Sarin is treated. Key Takeaways: Sarin Sarin is an organophosphate nerve gas- a type of chemical weapon.The gas dissolves in water, so Sarin can be delivered in food or liquids as well as air.Sarin works like a pesticide. It inhibits acetylcholinesterase, preventing muscle relaxation.Although Sarin can be deadly, mild exposure can be survivable. If exposed, get away from the nerve agent, remove all exposed clothing and clean skin with soap and water. Seek emergency medical attention. What Is Sarin? Sarin is a man-made chemical with the formula [(CH3)2CHO]CH3P(O)F. It was developed in 1938 by German researchers at IG Farben for use as a pesticide. Sarin gets its name from its discoverers: Schrader, Ambros, Rà ¼diger, and Van der Linde. Pure Sarin is colorless, odorless, and has no flavor. It is heavier than air, so Sarin vapor sinks into low-lying areas or toward the bottom of a room. The chemical evaporates in air and mixes readily with water. Clothing absorbs Sarin and its mixtures, which can spread exposure if contaminated clothing is not contained. Its important to understand you can survive a low concentration of Sarin exposure as long as you dont panic and do seek medical attention. If you survive initial exposure, you may have several minutes to several hours to reverse the effects. At the same time, dont assume you are in the clear just because you survived initial exposure. Because effects may be delayed, its important to get medical attention. How Sarin Works Sarin is a nerve agent, which means it interferes with the normal signaling between nerve cells. It acts in much the same way as organophosphate insecticides, block nerve endings from allowing muscles to stop contracting. Death may occur when the muscles controlling breathing become ineffective, causing asphyxiation. Sarin acts by inhibiting the enzyme acetylcholinesterase. Ordinarily, this protein degrades acetylcholine released at the synaptic cleft. The acetylcholine activates nerve fibers that cause muscles to contract. If the neurotransmitter is not removed, the muscles dont relax. Sarin forms a covalent bond with the serine residue at the active site on the cholinesterase molecule, making it unable to bind to acetylcholine. Symptoms of Sarin Exposure Symptoms depend on the route and intensity of exposure. The lethal dose is incrementally higher than the dose producing minor symptoms. For example, inhaling an extremely low concentration of Sarin may produce a runny nose, yet a very slightly higher dose may cause incapacitation and death. The onset of symptoms depends on dose, usually within minutes to hours after exposure. Symptoms include: Dilated pupilsHeadacheSense of pressureSalivationRunny nose or congestionNauseaVomitingTightness in chestAnxietyMental confusionNightmaresWeaknessTremors or twitchesInvoluntary defecation or urinationAbdominal crampsDiarrhea If an antidote is not given, symptoms may proceed to convulsions, respiratory failure, and death. Treating Sarin Victims Although Sarin can kill and cause permanent damage, individuals who suffer mild exposure usually recover completely if given immediate treatment. The first and most important action is removing Sarin from the body. Antidotes to Sarin include atropine, Biperiden, and pralidoxime. Treatment is most effective if given immediately, but still helps if some times passes (minutes to hours) between exposure and treatment. Once the chemical agent is neutralized, supportive medical care is helpful. What to Do If You Are Exposed To Sarin Do not administer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to a person exposed to Sarin, since the rescuer can be poisoned. If you think you have been exposed to Sarin gas or Sarin-contaminated food, water, or clothing, its important to seek professional medical attention. Flush exposed eyes with water. Clean exposed skin with soap and water. If you have access to a protective respiratory mask, hold your breath until you can secure the mask. Emergency injections typically are used only if symptoms of severe exposure occur or if the Sarin is injected. If you have access to injectables, be sure to understand when to use/not-use them, since the chemicals used to treat Sarin come with their own risks. References CDC Sarin Fact SheetSarin Material Safety Data Sheet, 103d Congress, 2d Session. United States Senate. May 25, 1994.Millard CB, Kryger G, Ordentlich A, et al. (June 1999). Crystal structures of aged phosphonylated acetylcholinesterase: nerve agent reaction products at the atomic level. Biochemistry 38 (22): 7032–9.Hà ¶rnberg, Andreas; Tunemalm, Anna-Karin; Ekstrà ¶m, Fredrik (2007). Crystal Structures of Acetylcholinesterase in Complex with Organophosphorus Compounds Suggest that the Acyl Pocket Modulates the Aging Reaction by Precluding the Formation of the Trigonal Bipyramidal Transition State. Biochemistry 46 (16): 4815–4825.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Others Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Others - Essay Example s decrease from P1 to P2, the quantity demanded by customers increase from Q1 to Q2, which is represented by a movement is the demand curve from point A to B. On the other hand, a shift in the demand curve is brought about by the changes in other factors affecting demand other than the price. They are taste, level of income and others. In the graph below, DD is the demand curve before any change. When the mentioned factors causes the demand to increase, the DD shifts to the right from DD to D1D1. The quantity demanded at P1 increases from Q1 to Q2 as shown in the graph below (Tucker 67-75). In economics, supply is the amount of goods and services that suppliers are willing and able to supply to the market at a given price and time, ceteris paribus. Therefore, the supply curve represents the association between the quantity supplied and the prevailing market prices. In the graph below, SS is the supply curve. When commodity prices increases from P1 to P2, the quantity supplied increases from Q1 to Q2 and the movement along the supply curve is from point A to B (Tucker 67-75). A shift in the supply curve is caused by factors other than price. They are the prices of factors of production among others. When the factors of production are cheaper, the quantity supplied increases leading to a shift in the demand curve from SS to S1S1. See the graph below (Tucker

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Strategic management of Tesco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Strategic management of Tesco - Essay Example Inbound logistics include the receiving, warehousing, and inventory control of input materials. Superior supply chain management has always been Tesco's core strength. Stockholding and distribution costs were minimized by constantly replenishing stocks. The new Tesco stores were built so as to facilitate reconfiguration (for e.g. walls in the warehousing area could dismantled to make for additional selling space) and minimum warehousing space. Operations are the value-creating activities that transform the inputs into the final product. Outbound logistics are the activities required to get the finished product to the customer, including warehousing, order fulfilments, etc. Marketing & Sales are those activities associated with getting buyers to purchase the product, including channel selection, advertising, pricing, etc. Service activities are those that maintain and enhance the product's value including customer support, repair services, etc. The elements of the value chain describe d here have been dealt with in the earlier discussion. 1.2. Antecedents: The first three letters 'Tes' that form the name Tesco come from the founder Jack Cohen's first tea supplier, T. E. Stockwell and the 'co' from his surname - supply chain management has always been prominent in the company's scheme of things. ... They were; direct delivery of the supplier to the retail store; centralised distribution system for ambient goods to be supplied to regional centres, which began in the 1970s but continued to evolve over the years; a composite distribution system developed in 1989 and vertical collaboration in the supply chain to achieve better operational efficiencies. The 'reconfiguration of distribution and operational strategies' helped the company to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. The company's fortunes changed dramatically during the 1992-2002 decade. The top six retailers in the UK up to 2002 were Tesco, Sainsbury's, Gateway (now Somerfield), Argyll (now Safeway), Asda (acquired by Wal-Mart) and Kwik Save. Tesco was far ahead of its competitors in 2002 with sales worth ' 15.6 billion - her nearest rival Sainsbury's had sales of ' 6.4 billion. In 2002 W. M. Morrison arrived as a new entrant to the top six claiming a place above Safeway with sales of ' 3 billion in that year and in the process dislodging Kwik Save. 1.3. Strategic challenges: The strategic issues that the food retailing industry faced in the last decade of the twentieth century were challenging. As all of them offered - more or less - the same goods it was difficult to create a sustainable competitive advantage over an extended period. The differentiator was to be service and to beat competition businesses had to constantly evolve a process of innovation in their service offering. One of the consequences of this evolving process of innovation was to diversify product offerings that made food retailers move into non-food businesses like clothing, electrical goods, petrol, financial products and insurance apart from

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Dr bob Essay Example for Free

Dr bob Essay Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-1848? Parliamentary reform and politics, c. 1780-1832 (a) Explain why the Reform Act of 1832 was passed. [24] (b) To what extent were the policies of the Younger Pitt the most significant influence on parliamentary reform and politics in the period 1780-1832? [36] 2. Popular protest, c. 1815-1848 (a) Explain why the Chartist movement began. [24] (b) To what extent was the growth of trade unionism the most significant influence on popular protest in the period 1815-18

Friday, November 15, 2019

The Triple E Senate Of Canada :: essays research papers fc

The Triple E Senate of Canada Public interest in the Senate is currently stronger than it ever has been. Nearly everyone agrees that our present Senate is unsatisfactory. Political parties such as the New Democratic Party want the outright abolition of the Senate while others such as the Reform Party want to elect it. Since the Senate has not been considered an effective forum for regional representation- which was one of the reasons for its creation-many Canadians have wondered what reforms would allow it to perform that role better. The objectives of Senate reform are based on one idea, that of enhancing the quality of regional representation of politicians within national political institutions. Through the implementation of a Triple E Senate (Equal, Effective, Elected), a federal principle can be constructed into the national government and therefore provide a check on the majority in the House of Commons. A major function of second chambers is legislative review. This means that bills coming from the other house are examined, revised and sometimes delayed. Unless regional representation is included, the legislative review function does not examine the purpose of proposed legislation, but instead attempts to improve it technically. In federal systems, the legislative review function of the Senate is only secondary to their role in providing for representation for various parts of the country in the national legislature. Representation is selected in favour of the smaller regions, in contrast to the first chamber, where representation is always based on population. Therefore the functions associated with the Senate are legislative review and the representation of the various regions on a different basis from the lower house. The Fathers of Confederation originally intended for the Senate to play the legislative review role. As sir John A. MacDonald said, the Senate was to have "the sober second thought in legislation" and should not be "a mere chamber for registering the decrees of the Lower House". They also agreed on a particular qualification of Senators, which was intended to help them act as a check against the majority in the Lower House. This qualification has remained unchanged since 1867, but its practical meaning has long been discarded. The other major role meant for the Senate was to preserve what MacDonald called "sectional interests". It is believed that this agreement about representation in the Senate was the main factor that allowed the Canadian federation to be formed. The Senate has functioned quite effectively as a house of legislative review up to the present time, but its intended role in regional representation has not been as effectively performed. seventy-five), the Senate's ability to represent the regions of Canada has been weakened.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Analyse the role of human activity in plant succession

There are many factors that can affect a climax vegetation. These include climate, hydrology and soil type. Human activity also plays a major role. If succession is modified or interrupted by a human influence then a plagioclimax is reached. Human activities include grazing, burning and deforestation and these processes can be collectively known as arresting factors. A plant succession begins on bare ground with light-seeded grasses, legumes and flowering plants. Over time small trees, brush and briar thickets shade out the sun loving grasses. Ultimately, light-seeded trees shade out the brush and make conditions favourable for shade loving mast producers like oaks. Deforestation involves the cutting down, burning and damaging of forests. If the current rate of deforestation continues then the world's rainforests will disappear completely within 100 years – causing unknown effects on global climate and eliminating a majority of plant and animal species currently alive on the planet. The reasons for deforestation are complex. It is mainly carried out for agricultural reasons, e.g. grazing cattle and planting crops. Poor farmers may chop down a small area (usually a few acres) and burn the trunks in a process known as ‘slash and burn' agriculture. Cattle pastures often replace the rainforests in order to grow beef for the world market. Another type of deforestation is known as commercial logging. This is the cutting down of trees in order to sell off as timber and pulp. This process uses heavy machinery, such as bulldozers and road graders etc to remove trees and this is detrimental to the forest and plant successions overall. Competitive global marketing drives the need for money in economically challenged tropical countries. At national level, governments sell logging concessions to raise money for projects or to pay international debt. For example, Brazil had an international debt of $159 billion in 1995 on which it must make payments each year. Logging companies seek to harvest forest and make profits from sales of pulp and valuable hardwoods e.g. mahogany. This raises the money required in order to pay back some debts. A case study of an area where deforestation has affected succession is in the Philippines. For the past 50 years the Philippines has lost 2.4 acres of hardwood forest every minute leaving only 21% of forest cover. This has been due to increasing agriculture and illegal logging. Reports of deforestation-related declines in rainfall totals and disruption of rainfall regimes have also been reported for parts of the Philippines (Alfonso, pers. comm., 1988). During the 1960s there was considerable deforestation on Mount Apo, for instance, due to the establishment of coffee plantations; and the apparent result is increasing drought. The short-term gain of deforestation, i.e. the profit to be made, is all well and good but there have been a large number of adverse effects brought about by the removal of large areas of forest. The main effects are increased soil erosion (which leads to increased flooding in most areas), reduction in biodiversity, the Greenhouse Effect, reduced fertility of land in deforested areas and disruption of the hydrological cycle. Major roads are being built through the forest to provide easier access to the underground resources like iron and aluminium ores: more trees need to be removed to mine these commodities. Inhabitants of shanty towns around Major cities in Brazil are being encouraged to move to rural areas and more land has to be cleared to accommodate these people. In third world countries forests are cut down and used to provide firewood, since this is practically the only source of fuel available to people living there. There are also a large number of new markets opening which are set to increase the demand for products, which have their origin in the tropical rainforests. These include body creams, bath oils, sweets, fruits and nuts, but as these products come into greater demand the future of the forest will be more secure because to produce a large yield of these products a large number of trees need to be grown. About 16-20 million hectares of tropical rainforests are removed each year. When trees are removed no water gets transpired back into the atmosphere from the soil. Because of this there is reduced rainfall and surrounding areas of forest are threatened with dessication and faster soil erosion because the soil is no longer held together by moisture. Another recently discovered side effect of deforestation is that it may actually help to spread diseases like malaria and river blindness. Anopheles darlingi, a mosquito that effectively spreads malaria parasites, breeds in pools of water created in deforested land, open cast mines, and on eroded land after trees have been removed. Deforestation has favoured a population explosion for this species and up to a quarter of the people living along the Transamazon highway in Brazil are affected by malaria each year. However damaging to plant succession human activities can be, the effects provide excellent conditions in which for a secondary succession to take place. A secondary succession differs from a primary succession in that it occurs in an area where a community of plants and animals has recently been wiped out, i.e. the land is already suitable for a wide diversity of species to establish themselves on. A secondary succession can happen on an area of land where a forest fire or parasite wiped out a previous climax community or which has been disturbed in some way by humans e.g. deforestation or arable farming. A secondary succession takes place much more quickly than a primary succession for two main reasons, the most obvious one being that a suitable medium already exists for the new organisms to grow in, and the other being that some seeds or spores from the last plant community can still be present in the soil after the community is destroyed. This is a positive aspect as new plant species can grow and thrive. As well as big processes such as deforestation, humans can contribute to vegetation in smaller ways. There are now varied types of species in Britain due to human interferences, modification and management. Without interference vegetation would be typically temperate forest. Today, in Britain, there are no natural woodlands at all, only semi woodlands, and there is only 2% of that. In Spain the figure for natural woodland is 28% and Sweden has a 64% woodland covering. Other interferences have caused the introduction of foreign plants such as the rhododendron or sycamores. The rhododendron was in fact imported from Japan. Other introductions to this country include the rabbit, which was imported from Spain by the Normans. Urbanisation also causes damage to plant life. High demand for housing has caused the destruction of forest and woodland, especially in the north. A rising birth rate in the twentieth century called for an increase in housing, and this needed to be conducted as cheaply and effectively as possible. As a result, miles of forests were cut down in order for building to go ahead. This s detrimental to our health as well as destroying areas of natural beauty. . Recent investigations suggest that over a third of the world's oxygen supply is produced by the rainforests, the only larger source being algae in the sea. So cutting down trees is very damaging to our well being.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Describe Functionalist and Marxist Perspective on Education.

Describe functionalist and Marxist perspective on education. Functionalist Education can be described as the method whereby society continually passes on the knowledge it has gain from pass generations to the next or future generation. It is centered around and entails the teaching of the three R’s, which includes: arithmetic’s, reading and writing but also encompass social, spiritual, moral and physical component. It is viewed as a secondary agent of socialization as it socializes individuals into the norms and acceptable behaviors of society. Functionalist view education as having many roles but are interested mainly in how education meets society needs. They believe that one of its major roles being to equip individuals with intellectual knowledge. Functionalist also believes that besides it most obvious role of passing on society’s knowledge, education also has other latent roles that affects the individual on a holistical level and is reflective of society values, beliefs and norms. According to Durkheim individuals learn to socialize with one another within the schools through the integration of people from all diversity of society and this he believes is one of the latent roles of education, which he also call â€Å"moral education†. Besides this, functionalist believes that education have other latent or subtle roles that are used to instill in individuals values that stem from political and economic system and as a result help them build their self-confidence and prepares them for meeting society demands. For example, independence is taught through individualism. Functionalist also, believe that sorting (separating students on the basis of merit) another function of the school is essential in determine from early on who is capable of doing what and what job they will be better suited to in the future. The next function to take place after this is networking, they believe this function facilitates matchmaking and is unavoidable within the schools setting as individual of background, interest and education comes together to learn. Marxist Marxist sees education as a continuation of functionalist ideologies. They believe that education is used by functionalist to maintain the line of segregation that exists between the classes. Hence the reason why the Marxist view education as being used to create an â€Å"obedient working class† continuing the status quo. Acting as a persistent cause of inequality continuing to maintain the power structures and giving them the tool to create a â€Å"docile† work force. However, it is the view of the Marxist that the education system could be used as a system that helps in sorting the individuals of society into what is their calling position in life, it is the way it is done that their exist a problem. The problems they believe exist in the strategy that is used to by the functionalist to achieve this. This strategy they see as based on the ideals of functionalism which is according to class, race and gender. This is achieved in the form of the hidden agenda that exist within the curriculum that is used to educate. This hidden curriculum Marxist believes is present in every classroom and is taught through the use of the curriculum, hence the reason it is call the hidden curriculum. To the Marxist school of taught the hidden curriculum is present in numerous forms, this is evident in the funding that is available to school in affluent areas. These school according to Marxism are funded by â€Å"property taxes† because of there affluent location. Because of this they can afford to pay higher salaries to their teacher and this give them better teachers, available books and even technology. This in turn cause the students that attend these school to have better opportunities than child children who are schooled in rural areas that do not get the amount of funding that the other school get. Some of theses children are not even given the opportunity to go to college or even complete school. This inequality is also present in the exams that are given to children of the two classes. This is seen in the traditional IQ test that is given to student for acceptance into school. This test is Suppose to test the mental knowledge of the child but the formation of the test is not based on the intelligence of the child but on cultural knowledge. This creates a bias because children from a poor social background will not be able to answer question base on the culture of the affluence classes. This is called Cultural bias and is caused by inequality of the classes. They disagree with the idea that education can be used as a tool for any individual to move up within the social classes that exist in society. They believe that these principles are far from the truth. As religion is used to opiate the people against the real issues that affect them and to help in keeping them from solving their problems so to is education used to discourage the people from helping themselves and to remain within their social classes. Marxist see education as an influential tool in maintaining the lines that separate the have from the have not. Another argument of the functionalist school of taught is the use of meritocracy to help individual achieve status in life. However that Marxist sees this as a false perception, and believes that through meritocracy functionalist portrays the ideals of inequality of opportunity. Marxist believed that it is just another tool that is used to create an unequal society. The hidden curriculum is also present in the socialization process that takes place in school. It is of the view of many sociologists regardless of association or theory that the school is a major institution in the socialization process. It is for this reason that the Marxist believes that functionalist used this as the bases for the continuation of their theories. They see the hidden curriculum in this case as use to instill the norm and values of the functionalist. This is used to tell student what is deem as wrong or right, not allowing room for questioning. The question that Marxist asks is who is to tell what is right or wrong? Whether culturally, academically or otherwise. The hidden curriculum does not stop at school level but it is seen as being continued through out an individual lifetime whether it is in the home, work place or society as a whole.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Anthropomorphism and Animal Rights

Anthropomorphism and Animal Rights So you’ve just arrived home to find your couch shredded, the cupboard ransacked and your cat’s dinner dish lying empty in your bedroom. Your dog, you note with certainty, has a â€Å"guilty look on his face because he knows hes done something wrong. This is a perfect example of anthropomorphism. Dictionary.Com defines anthropomorphism as â€Å"ascribing human form or attributes to a being †¦.not human.† Most people who live with dogs know their dogs so well that any nuance of a change in the dogs facade is quickly recognized and labeled. But really, if we dont use the word guilty, how else would we describe that look? Some dog trainers dismiss these claims of guilty looks on a dog as nothing more than conditioned behavior.The dog only looks that way because he remembers the way you reacted the last time you came home to a similar scene. Hes not looking guilty, but rather he knows you  will react badly and its this expectation of punishment that causes the look on his face. Animal rights activists are dismissed as being anthropomorphic when we claim that animals feel emotions much like humans do. It’s an easy way for people who want to profit off the suffering of animals to dismiss their own evil behavior. It’s OK to say an animal is breathing, no one will charge us with anthropomorphism because no one doubts that animals breathe. But if we say the animal is happy, sad, depressed, grieving, in mourning or afraid, we’re dismissed as being anthropomorphic. In dismissing claims that animals emote, those who want to exploit them rationalize their actions. Anthropomorphism v. Personification Personification is the giving of human-like qualities to an inanimate object, while anthropomorphism usually applies to animals and deities. More importantly, personification is considered a  valuable literary device, with positive connotations. Anthropomorphism has negative connotations and is usually used to describe an inaccurate view of the world, prompting PsychCentral.com to ask, Why Do We Anthropomorphize? In other words, its OK for Sylvia Plath to give voice to a mirror and a lake, giving inanimate objects human-like qualities in order to entertain and move her audience, but its not OK for animal rights activists to say that a dog in a laboratory is suffering for the purpose of changing the way the dog is treated. Do Animal Rights Activists Anthropomorphize? When an animal rights activist says that an elephant suffers and feels pain when hit with a bullhook; or a mouse suffers from being blinded with hairspray, and chickens feel  pain when their feet develop sores from standing on the wire floor of a battery cage; that is not anthropomorphism. Since these animals have a central nervous system much like ours, it’s not much of a leap to deduce that their pain receptors work much like ours. Non-human animals may not have the exact same experience as humans, but identical thoughts or feelings are not required for moral consideration. Furthermore, not all humans have emotions in the same way - some are sensitive, insensitive, or overly sensitive - yet all are entitled to the same basic human rights. Accusations of Anthropomorphism Animal rights  activists are accused of anthropomorphism when we talk about animals suffering or having emotions, even though, through studies and observation, biologists agree that animals can feel emotions. In July, 2016, National Geographic published an article entitled â€Å"Look Into This Dolphin’s Eyes and Tell Me That’s Not Grief! by Maddalena Bearzi for the Ocean Conservation Society’s â€Å"Ocean News.† Bearzi writes of her experience on June 9, 2016 while she was working on a research boat with a team of Marine Biology students from Texas AM University. Leading the team was Dr. Bernd Wursig, a well-respected cetologist and head of the Texas AM Marine Biology Group. The team came upon a dolphin who was keeping vigil with a dead dolphin, presumably a pod-mate. The dolphin was circling the corpse, moving it up and down and from side to side,  clearly grieving. Dr. Wursig noted â€Å"For a pelagic creature like this is so highly unusual (to be alone with a dead one, and away from its group)†¦because they are scared to be alone†¦ they are just not lone creatures and the animal was obviously suffering.† The team described the scene with much sadness as it was obvious the dolphin knew his friend was dead but refused to accept that fact. Dr. Wursig cannot be easily dismissed as a sentimental animal rights activist  who anthropomorphizes animals carelessly. His report clearly described the dolphin as being in mourning†¦..a very human condition. Though this particular dolphin was holding vigil over a dead animal, many non-human animals have been observed helping  others of their species in need, a behavior scientists call epimeletic. If they cant care, why do they do it? Animal activists are calling people out who hurt animals, and their use of anthropomorphism is justified when  seeking justice and social change. Change can be scary and difficult, so people consciously or subconsciously seek ways to resist change. Rejecting the fact that animals suffer and have emotions can make it easier for people to continue exploiting animals without worrying about the ethical implications. One way of rejecting that fact is to call it anthropomorphism even though it is the result of direct scientific evidence. There may be some who truly do not believe that animals are capable of suffering or emotions, as French philosopher/mathematician  Rene Descartes  claimed he did, but Descartes  was himself a vivisector  and had reason to deny the obvious. Current scientific information contradicts Descartes 17th century view. Biology and research into the sentience of non-human animals has come a long way since Descartes time, and will continue to evolve as we learn more about the non-human animals with whom we share this planet.   Edited by  Michelle A. Rivera.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Using Shaping to Mold Child Behavior

Using Shaping to Mold Child Behavior Shaping (also known as successive approximation) is a teaching technique that involves a teacher rewarding a child as she or he successfully improves the acquisition of a target skill. Shaping is considered an essential process in teaching because behavior cannot be rewarded unless it first occurs. Shaping is intended to lead children in the direction of appropriate complex behavior, and then reward them as they complete each successive step. Best Practices for Behavior Shaping First, a teacher needs to identify the students strengths and weaknesses around a specific skill, and then break the skill into a series of steps that lead a child toward that target. If the targeted skill is being able to write with a pencil, a child might have difficulty holding a pencil. An appropriate assistive step-wise strategy might start with the teacher placing his or her hand over the childs hand, demonstrating to the child the correct pencil grasp. Once the child achieves this step, they are rewarded and the next step is undertaken. The first step for another student who is uninterested in writing but does like to paint might be providing the student with a paint brush  and rewarding the painting of a letter. In each case, you are helping a child approximate the topography of the behavior you want so that you can reinforce that behavior as the child grows and develops. Shaping may require a teacher to create a task analysis of the skill in order to create a roadmap for shaping the behavior or meeting the final skill goal. In that case, it is also critical for the teacher to model the shaping protocol for classroom para-professionals (teachers aides) so that they know what approximations are successful and which approximations need to be cleared and retaught. Although this may seem like a painstaking and slow process, the step and reward process deeply embeds the behavior in the students memory, so that he or she will be likely to repeat it. History Shaping is a technique that arose from behaviorism, a field of psychology established by B.F. Skinner and based on the relationship between behaviors and their reinforcement. Skinner believed that behaviors need to be reinforced by specific preferred items or food, but can be also paired with social reinforcement like praise. Behaviorism and behavioral theories are the foundations of applied behavior analysis  (ABA), which is used successfully with children who fall somewhere on the autistic spectrum. Although often considered mechanistic, ABA has the advantage of allowing the therapist, teacher, or parent to take a dispassionate look at the specific behavior, rather than focus on a moral aspect of the behavior (as in Robert should know that its wrong!). Shaping is not restricted to teaching techniques with autistic children. Skinner himself used it to teach animals to perform tasks, and marketing professionals have used shaping to establish preferences in a customers shopping behaviors. Examples Maria used shaping to help Angelica learn to feed herself independently, by helping Angelica use the spoon hand over hand - moving to touch Angelicas wrist until Angelica was finally able to pick up her spoon and eat from her bowl independently.While teaching Robert to use the toilet independently to urinate, his mother, Susan, saw that he had difficulty pulling up his pants. She decided to shape this step in her task analysis by praising and reinforcing his ability to pull his pants up to his knees, then stretching out the elastic waist to finish the step, and then helping Robert by using hand over hand to complete the pulling up pants step.One shaping experiment that Skinner conducted was when he and his associates decided to teach a pigeon to bowl. The target task was to get the bird to send a wooden ball down a miniature alley toward a set of toy pins, by swiping the ball with a sideward movement of its beak. The researchers first reinforced any swipe that looked like what they had in mind, then reinforced any that approximated what they wanted, and within a few minutes, they had succeeded. One way modern marketers use shaping is to provide a free sample of a product and include a coupon for the large discount on the purchase price. In the first purchase, the consumer would find a coupon for a smaller discount, and so forth, until the consumer no longer needs the incentives and has established the desired behavior. Sources Koegel, Robert L. Assessing and Training Teachers in the Generalized Use of Behavior Modification with Autistic Children, Dennis C. Russo, Arnold Rincover, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Wiley Online Library, 1977. Peterson, Gail B. A Day of Great Illumination: B. F. Skinners Discovery of Shaping. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 10.1901/jeab.2004.82-317, National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, November 2004, Bethesda, MD. Rothschild, Michael L. Behavioral Learning Theory: Its Relevance to Marketing and Promotions. Journal of Marketing, William C. Gaidis, Vol. 45, No. 2, Sage Publications, Inc., JSTOR, Spring 1981.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Limiting Factor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Limiting Factor - Essay Example This variable cost rate for each department is allocated in order to cover costs such as machine time, electricity, maintenance, and equipment depreciation (Banker, Datar, Kaplan). As we can see our total production cost for each unit of product X, Y, Z consists of a variable cost rate and total labor from all three production departments. The total production costs for each unit of product X was  £752,  £804 for product Y and  £1084 for product Z. Taking into consideration the total required units of production for each product line for the whole year, the total production costs for Product X was  £11,280,000,  £9,648,000 for Product Y, and  £13,008,000 for Product Z.  £33,936,000.The fixed overhead costs budget for the plant, regardless of output level is  £2,400,000 a year. Total income (total revenue - total variable costs – fixed costs) for the year utilizing the original production budget equals  £1,224,000 (Imanet, 2008). According to our sales manager there is a limitation on producing any additional units of production. Department B does not have any additional production capacity due to lack of skilled labor workers which to hire in order to accommodate any additional manufacturing output. By performing a cost volume profit analysis of our product line we can determine which product mixture will provide maximum profit maximization potential based on the manufacturing limitations with relation to Department B (Horngren, Foster, Datar, 2000). The contribution margin of a product provides the user with the amount in pounds that each individual unit sale contributes towards income after all variable expenses have been deducted. Through a comparison of the contribution margin percentage of all three product types we can plainly see that the most profitable product type is X with 10.48% or  £88 per item sold. Although Product Z provides the highest gross margin amount with  £116, it stands as the se cond most profitable

Friday, November 1, 2019

Zapatista Social Netwar Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Zapatista Social Netwar - Research Paper Example II. Introduction – background   The insurgency that was initiated in Chiapas, Mexico can be said to different from its old Sandinista-Castroite-Marxist-Leninist rebellion due to the transformation of its engagement from the traditional arm confrontation to the information-technology driven perspective of bringing societal change. It can also be said that this marked the era of post communism revolution that was also used as a revolutionary template in the recent uprisings in the Middle East (Armond, _____). This recent phenomena of using technology, media and NGOs in insurgency can be traced back to the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) in Mexico in the early 1990s. Chiapas, once an isolated backwater on Mexico’s southern border became the birthplace of the new template in insurgency due to the political and economic factors that made the new type of insurgency ripe. The disparity between the rich and the poor was pervasive which is typical of a feudal state, coupled with the presence of transnational NGOs and discontented indigenas (local indigenous people) who wanted better economic condition and cultural recognition set the stage for the rise of Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN). III. ... This proved to be tactically disastrous for EZLN who was less than capable to engage in conflict than the Mexican government. This â€Å"war of the fleas† model of warfare was transformed when the transnational NGOs came and changed the methods of the insurgency from the traditional armed conflict engagement to an informational warfare which is dubbed as Netwar. Should NTS "watch, fear, or be leery" of social movement networks? Its impact on NTS business. Based on the nature, characteristic and manifested action of the players of the insurgency, NTS should be leery of the social movement network. The appropriate behavior would be to be careful but not to be fearful to disengage in business. Being fearful of the social movement network or adopting the plain watch and see attitude will not benefit NTS in the immediate or in the long-term. This assessment is grounded on several reasons. First, the nature, leadership and manifested action of EZLN’s both as an organization a nd a political body is not the Marxist-Lenninist type that disdains business and foreign company. Its leadership was also composed of intellectuals and educated middle class and not the Jihadist type that has penchant to extremism. In short, EZLN’s leadership is reasonable for a business such as NTS to operate and thrive. Second, there is a strong presence of transnational NGOs composed of Mexicans, Americans and Canadian players that provide the Zapatista movement an information age perspective and reassuringly pro-business. Basically, this second component reinforces the political assessment that EZTN is reasonable for it readily shifted its engagement from