Airline Industry: Pricing Structure and Strategies Essay

ABSTRACT The profitability of an airline industry depends on filling seats, and on the company’s ability successfully to anticipate the cost and price structures of their competitors. However, many airline carriers have a hard time accomplishing this because the average airline passenger just needs to travel from one destination to another in the most convenient and shortest amount of time at a reasonable price. Therefore, customers in this market are not as loyal to one specific airline (brand) in the industries. The reason for this is that airline carriers provide the same services at similar prices. In addition, the passenger will only incur high switching costs if they choose to take another mode of less desirable transportation. Airline carriers have overcome these problems by using the strategy of â€Å"Price discrimination.† That is a strategy that allows them adequately to segment their potential passengers, and to offer different pricing structures that match passengers’ sensitivity to price and value differences in cost to serve, and their different competitive positions (Stern, 1989). While it also allows passengers to maximize their â€Å"expected utility† when flying with the airline carrier that meets their needs. The 1978 deregulation of the airline industry has resulted in airline carriers being unable to make a profit by filling seats, and successfully to anticipate the cost and price structures of their competitors (Bailey, David, Graham, Kaplan 1985). According to statistic, the airline industries’ profits declined in 2001 through 2003 by $23.2 billion (Smith Jr. & Cox). During this time the average airline passenger just needed to travel from one destination to another in the most convenient and shortest amount of time at a reasonable price. However, because all airline carriers provide the same services at similar prices, the passengers in this market are not as loyal to one specific airline (brand). For, example, any passengers not able to purchase a flight plan that they value, will not necessary buy the next best plan offered. Instead, these price-sensitive passengers will gravitate toward a lower-cost competitor  airline (Smith Jr. & Cox). This is especially true in this particular industry because a passenger will only incur high switching costs if they chose to take another mode of less desirable transportation. Therefore, many airline carriers had a hard time making a profit or breaking even (Brady, & Cunningham, 2001). In addition, this same deregulation of the industry provided new companies the opportunity to enter an already competitive market (Bailey, David, Graham, Kaplan. 1985). This stressed the market because pricing strategies that airlines used in the past did not adequately different between price sensitive passengers and price insensitive in this market (Sterns, 1989). Therefore, many airline carriers could not â€Å"capitalize on opportunities that [would] influence customer and [their] competitor responses (Stern, 1989). Because of this lost of profit, many airline carriers were force to file bankruptcy (Brady, & Cunningham, 2001). Therefore, as a reaction to these, external pressures many of the remaining companies (American, United, Continental, Northwest, US Air, and Delta) developed complex pricing strategies that would help them to outmaneuver their rivals (Smith Jr. & Cox). Different pricing structures were developed that allow them to match passengers’ sensitivity to pr ice and value differences in cost to serve, and their different competitive positions (Stern, 1989). In addition, sense airline carriers offer a product that is homogenous; to be successful they had to offer a product that potential passengers would view as different from their competitors’ product (Westermann, 2005). One strategy that airline carriers’ use is â€Å"differentiated pricing, which is a form of â€Å"price discrimination.† That is a strategy, which many companies’ uses because it allows them to charge different prices to different customer. However, airline carriers use this strategy by offering fare discounts.[1] This strategy allows the airline carriers to get as much consumer surplus as possible from each group of passengers, given his or her utility functions and income. Once they have determine their potential passengers expected utility from flying and income â€Å"Pricing ladders† are then used to charged for seats on a flight by segmenting travelers by their identity, destination, number of days between the day of reservation, the day of travel, the day, and time of departure, the day and time of return (Currie,  & Simpson, 2009). Many airline carriers and other companies are able legally to accomplish price discrimination and use pricing ladders because not all passengers have the ability or willingness to pay the higher or lower prices when they are offered (p.331 ). Identifying price discrimination Placing restrictions on purchase and use â€Å"Price discrimination† is a way to increase prices to improve profit margins by offering substantial discounts on bundles (McAfee, 2008). Price discriminate is accomplished by airline carriers’ when they offer potential passenger that satisfy certain demographics considerations a range of packages, or combinations of fares and restrictions attached to the purchase of their tickets (Stavins, 1996 & Anderson, & Renault, 2008). This pricing discrimination strategy â€Å"†¦ is known as second-degree or self-selection price discrimination (Stavins, 1996). Under this strategy, the airline is able perfectly to segment potentials passengers into groups according to their willingness to pay (Currie, & Simpson, 2009). Airline carriers are then able to offer them the highest fare in the ladder that they are happy to pay (Currie, & Simpson, 2009). While at the same time allowing passengers â€Å"†¦to choose [other] preferred versions of a product based on their willingness to pay for specific attributes of the good (e.g., time, convenience, flexibility)† (Stavins, 1996) [The citation for a direct quote needs the page number] . The pricing strategies is successful because it allow airline carriers to match â€Å"†¦the passengers relative ‘utility’ across competing products (where multiple factors are considered, including price, departure times, elapsed times, etc† (Ratiiff & Vinod). Therefore, companies were able to charge passengers on the same airline flight different prices for the same service and product. Nevertheless, several practices that involve selling services and or products for different prices can be viewed discriminatory (Anderson, & Renault, 2008). Airline carriers however justified this price discrimination by their cost differences and their demand-base (Anderson, & Renault, 2008). That includes â€Å"†¦the service quality/price sensitivity of various air travelers and offer differential fare/service quality packages  designed for each† (Smith Jr. & Cox). The second type of price discriminations that airline carriers use is the rationing and limiting of the supply of the cheaper goods (Stavins, 1996). One way airlines accomplish this is by adding various restrictions to cheaper or discounted tickets (Stavins, 1996). The discounted ticket is offered to passengers willing to stay at their destination a specific amount of time (Saturday-night stay over) or willing to purchasing their ticket in advance (Stavins, 1996). They also offer their potential passenger a discount or cheaper rate for their bundle roundtrips tickets. These are strategies that allows airline carriers to further separate â€Å"†¦price-sensitive passenger [that have a low disutility] from travel restrictions from price-inelastic [passengers that have a] high disutility from ticket restrictions† goods (Stavins, 1996). However, not all passengers value these types of discounts, especially business travelers. This is because even though this segment of passengers is less price sensitive, they are also less flexible concerning their flight arrangement (Stavins, 1996). Therefore, airline carriers can charge this segment of travelers premium seat fees because they prefer the flexibility that their one-way tickets offer. They also offer them frequent flier plans to help induce them to favor their particular carriers, even when ticket prices and restrictions are higher than their competitor (Stavins, 1996). â€Å"yield management† systems have also enabled airline carriers effectively to determine how many last-minute business travelers will show up willing to pay whatever it takes to get on a given flight (MCCARTNEY, 1997). Whereas, they charge this segment of passengers for their seats, leisure travelers on the same flight are offered a discount price, which is not necessarily based on the price of their ticket, but instead on the flight itinerary (Stern, 1989). These discounts and cheaper tickets are an economic value that this segment of passengers will obliviously value. This is because these potential passengers are more concern about price than the flight schedule (McAfee, 2008 Stavins, 1996). It is a pricing policy that allows airline carriers to provide a wider range of choices, which allow  potential passengers to determine the products and services that best meet their needs. Thereby, passenger satisfaction and loyalty is increased, and the airline carrier is also able to optimize their revenues by up charging different prices for the same seat on their airline (Stern, 1989). However, it is important to note that in today airline hyperturbluent environment airlines ticket prices change frequently in response to supply and demand and to changes in the prices of competitors’ fares (http://www.airlines.org/products/AirlineHandbookCh3.htm). This has resulted in many airline carriers unbundling services that traditionally came with the purchase of a seat, such as baggage checking, seat reservations and even the ability to pay by credit card. The benefits of these strategic practices have increased the revenue of airlines. It has also resulted in some passengers paying only for what the use. While for others that need to check a bag, and do not pay with cash, the cost of the seat will be more. Nevertheless, no company can price discriminate successfully, if they do not have some market power to charge prices above marginal cost (Stavins, 1996). In addition, they must have a diverse population of potential passengers, which they can adequately segment (Stavins, 1996). The â€Å"†¦product resale must be impossible or costly, to prevent arbitrage† (Stavins, 1996) [Needs page number] . The airline carriers’ industries however can accomplish price discrimination because of their hub-and-spoke systems (Stavins, 1996). These system allow different airline carriers to differentiate among themselves by â€Å"†¦occupying different slots in flight schedules, and by offering different route networks† (Stavins, 1996) [Needs page number] . These differentiation in flight routes, flight frequency, and airport dominance has allow many airline carriers obtain â€Å"†¦market power even on relatively competitive routes† (Stavins, 1996) [Needs page number] . Therefore, airline carriers may have market power in some market segments, but in others they do not, which results in higher price discrimination on their more competitive routes (Stavins, 1996). Conclusion Price discrimination is usually thought of as a way to extract as much consumer surplus as possible from each group of consumers, given his or her  utility functions and income. It is a strategy therefore associated with raising prices for less elastic consumers. But in the case of airline carriers, price discrimination is exhibited [Passive voice] through fare discounts. Consumers maximize their expected utility from flying. They choose between various price restriction packages, such as between low price-high inconvenience and high price-no restrictions combinations. The choice depends on the consumer’s elasticity of demand with respect to convenience, time, or money REFERENCES Anderson, Simon P., & Renault, Rà ©gis. August 2008. Price Discrimination. Retrieved 20 April 2010 from http://www.virginia.edu/economics/ Bailey, Elizabeth E., David R. Graham, and Daniel P. Kaplan. 1985. Deregulating the Airline. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press. Brady, Stephan, Cunningham, William. Predatory Pricing in the Airline Industry. :Transportation Journal; Fall2001, Vol. 41 Issue 1, p5, 11p Currie, Christine S.M., and Daniel Simpson. â€Å"Optimal pricing ladders for the sale of airline tickets.† Journal of Revenue & Pricing Management 8.1 (2009): 96+. Academic One File. Web. 20 Apr. 2010. Graham, David R., Daniel P. Kaplan, and David S. Sibley. 1983. â€Å"Efficiency and Competition in the Airline Industry.† Bell Journal of Economics, vol. 14 (Spring), pp. 118-38. McAfee , R. , Preston , PRICE DISCRIMINATION, 1 ISSUES IN COMPETITION LAW AND POLICY 465 (ABA Section of Antitrust Law 2008) McAfee , R. , Preston, & Vera te Velde. Dynamic Pricing in the Airline Industry. http://www.mcafee.cc/Papers/PDF/DynamicPriceDiscrimination.pdf MCCARTNEY, SCOTT Airlines Rely on Technology To Manipulate Fare Structure The Wall Street Journal Interactive Edition November 3, 1997. http://www.nd.edu/~mgrecon/datafiles/articles/airlinefarestructure.html Ratiiff, Richard& Vinod, Ben. FUTURE OF REVENUE MANAGEMENT Airline pricing and revenue management: A future outlook Stavins, Joanna. Price Discrimination in the Airline Market: The Effect of Market Concentration. November 25, 1996 Stavins, J. (2001) â€Å"Price Discrimination in the Airline Market : The Effect of Market Concentration†, The Review of Economics and Statistics, 83, 1, 200-202. Stern Andrew, A. Pricing and Differentiation Strategies. Planning Review. Sep/Oct 1989, 17, 5. Retrieved 20 April 21, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Westermann, Dieter, (Realtime) dynamic pricing in an integrated revenue management and pricing environment: An approach to handling undifferentiated fare structures in low-fare markets: Journal of Revenue & Pricing Management; Jan2006, Vol. 4 Issue 4, p389-405, 17p, 4 http://www.airlines.org/products/AirlineHandbookCh3.htm

Christian Worldview Essay

Worldview Part I What is a worldview? â€Å"A worldview, is a response of our heart or inner being; our intellect, emotion or will. It is the total framework we bring to decision-making† (Weider & Gutierrez, 2011, p.51). An example is the Christian worldview. The way we as Christians behave should be in direct correlation with the teachings of Jesus as to how we should live our lives. People who hold to the Christian worldview should act as if everything they do matters. Many Christians these days do not act in a consistent manner to what their worldview is (Keener). Part II The question of Origin, Genesis 1:1 (ESV Bible) shows God creating the heavens and the earth in the beginning. â€Å"God is the infinite, personal, sovereign and good being who created the universe† (Lefebvre, 2011). Isaiah 45:18 (ESV Bible) describes how God created the heavens and formed the earth and create it and intended it to be inhabitated. The question of Identity- Genesis 1:27(ESV Bible) God created man in His own image. Psalm 139:14(ESV Bible) I am fearfully and wonderfully made. It is because we are made in God’s image that sets us apart from all other aspects of creation. This identity with God bestows upon us great distinction. We have to understand as clearly as possible what it means to be created in the image and likeness of God (Naugle, 2010). The Question of Meaning/Purpose- We as Christians believe that our purpose is to do the will of God. John 15:16(ESV Bible) we are appointed to go and bear fruit. In Matthew 28:19(ESV Bible) we are commanded to go and make disciples. Through-out the Bible, God has charged us with being the salt of the earth and light of the world, He has commanded us to go and compel them to come so that his house may be filled. As we can see our main purpose is to live a life that exemplifies Christ and leads others to Him. The Question of Morality- Romans 5:12-14(ESV Bible) sin entered the world. Romans 3:23(ESV Bible) we all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. God is the ultimate standard of morality and because of the depravity of man we cannot live up to His standard, thus needing redemption through the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. The Question of Destiny- it is clear throughout the Bible about our final destination. John  3:16-17, John 5:13-14 (ESV Bible) and many other verses in the Bible make it clear that if we do not put our faith and trust in God and accept the gift of salvation that we will not spend eternal life with Him but rather burn in the lake of fire. God also makes it clear that the gift of salvation cannot be earned Eph. 2:8-9. Part III A biblical worldview should influence the way you think about, treat, and speak to others on a daily basis because we should treat people how we would want to be treated, Matthew 7:12 (ESV Bible). If we are to believe that God created us in His likeness and He commands us to go out and make disciples for Him then we would have to also believe that we should think, treat and speak to others in a Christ like manner on a daily basis. To not do so would make us as Christians look hypocritical in the eyes of non-believers. †¦.treat/interact with the environment and non-human creation? In Genesis 1:26(ESV Bible) God commands us to have dominion over the earth and subdue it. This does not mean that we can ravage the land and kill all the creatures on it. We are to be stewards of what God has given us and that includes the earth and the creatures on it. References Keener, D. (n.d.). What is a worldview?. Retrieved from http://www.dkeener.com/keenstuff/wv.html Lefebvre, M. (2011, April 02). Worldviews-christian. Retrieved from http://warrantedbelief.wordpress.com/2011/04/02/worldviews-christianity/ Naugle, D. (2010, February 14). Developing a biblical worldview. Retrieved from http://www.colsoncenter.org/the-center/columns/indepth/14423-developing-a-biblical-worldview Tackett, D. (n.d.). What’s a christian worldview?. Retrieved from http://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/christian_worldview/whats_a_christian_worldview.aspx Weider, L., & Gutierrez, B. (2011). Consider. Virginia Beach: Academic Publishing Services, Inc.

Accounting Rules and Joint Ventures in Europe

Accounting Rules and Joint Ventures in Europe Bridging the GAAP The International Accounting Standards (IAS) was supposed to be a unifying conceptual framework which would bring accounting practices of various firms and industries under a single umbrella of standards. No matter if it is a Greek shipping magnate or an Italian fish processing plant, the EU envisioned that they would work within a single standard to better facilitate trade amongst various nations. Indeed, the EU attempted to achieve this through the means of directives, which were soon abandoned. Directives, aimed at forcing compliance with EU accounting standards and practices were discarded because of complaints such as those voiced by the 2003 Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes with regards to the Czech Republic that â€Å"The wording of primary and secondary legislation suggests that the Czech Republic’s real priority is compliance with EU directives, rather than adoption of IAS.† Indeed, these two seemed to be not only different goa ls, but mutually exclusive ones- companies could either sate the directives issued or the requirements of the IAS, but rarely both, especially in Eastern Block nations where both concepts were fairly new. Now, however, a new complication is on the horizon in the form of bilateral trade with the U.S. and U.S.-E.U. joint ventures. Obviously the directives, which have been scrapped in any case, would have no force of law in U.S. courts. But nevertheless, there has been considerable movement on this issue as of late. In 2006, the IASB issued a paper called â€Å"A Roadmap for Convergence between IFRSs and US GAAP- 2006-2008 Memorandum of Understanding between the FASB and the IASB†. The memorandum, based upon work done during a 2002 meeting between the FASB (U.S.) and the IASB, as well as subsequent meetings in 2005, stated that â€Å"the FASB and the IASB reaffirmed their commitment to the convergence of US generally accepted accounting principles (US GAAP) and International Fi nancial Reporting Standards (IFRSs).† Nevertheless, this is bound to be a complicated venture because it can not be resolved by boards or government agencies. As the memorandum itself recognized, â€Å"the ability to meet the objective set out by the roadmap depends upon the efforts and actions of many parties—including companies, auditors, investors, standard-setters and regulators.† In other words, bridging the gaap is not merely a matter of ironing out a combined framework of accounting practices. It is a matter of a company in Los Angeles following the same accounting standards and practices that a company in London would. It is also a question of training assessors and auditors in this new standard so that they can ensure compliance with it. For these reasons, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently put forth a proposal which would allow U.S. listed companies to choose between IFRS and the U.S. GAAP. While some in Europe and the U.S. fear that a llowing companies to make this choice would hinder the process of converging the two systems (Johnson, 2007) it is nevertheless a practical solution which should be given serious thought and consideration. The European Union, an offspring of NATO, was fifty years in the making. The idea that uniform standards can be achieved on both sides of the pond between thousands of individual companies is fanciful. As a pragmatic matter as well, people are often leery of change- especially change that is being forced upon them, which was another reason the Directives approach previously discussed failed. While the ultimate goal of uniformly adopting the IFRS may well be desirable, it is certainly not something that can or will happen overnight. Allowing a choice between GAAP and IFRS for U.S. companies should not be viewed as an effort to â€Å"halt or slow the convergence process† (Johnson, 2007) but rather as an acknowledgement of the real world difficulties inherent to any large-scal e transitions.

Personal statement for university explaing why did I choose that

For university explaing why did I choose that university and course - Personal Statement Example pecialize in databases and data mining, because I am really interested in learning about how large datasets and huge chunks of information can be stored in and managed so quickly and efficiently. I would love to learn about new advancements in this field, and would like to become a talented professional in my future life. For me, computer science has changed the world like no other science. Why I chose the University of New Haven, Boston Post Road West Haven, is because it offered me graduation in computer science which I wanted to avail and start my career in. The university is a private, top-tier institution, and offers globally recognized experiential education. It offers highly qualified teachers. It helps the students in various means like in getting a tutor, scholarships, free-ships, stipends, internships, and etcetera. Special training courses are also held which enable the students to apply the knowledge

Company Law of the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Company Law of the UK - Essay Example From the research it can be comprehended that the United Kingdom perhaps was the first country around the globe that simplifies the registration process for investors; limit their liability and the obligations in the event of insolvency. The discretionary powers allocated to the Board of Directors to sort out issues in line with the provisions of company constitution / company law. It would not be out of place to mention here that the UK has given a role model to other European Dynasties, Commonwealth Nations. The aims and objectives are to introduce such role model to woo the investors from all over the world to invest capital in a profitable business venture / thriving business avenues to make more and more money. The powers confer to the company may have their own parameters in terms of rights and obligations under the UK laws to comply. Corporate Company has the option to raise capital for their business in shape of equity finance, where the company has to off load its shares to general public through Stock Exchange. The company confers number of rights to share holders in terms of: a) voting b) dividends c) return of capital on redemption / liquidation d) Preferential rights for future shares. The corporate concerns keeps close repo with share holders in two ways: a) to inform share holders of the decision taken by the company through prospectus that contains complete details b) financial assistance to purchase its own shares. 5. The share holders may have the access to bank loan facilities against pledge of company’s shares on a fixed / floating rate of interest as the case may be, to be paid through monthly, quarterly, half yearly, yearly installments or balloon payments as decided by the approving authority. In the event of default banks / financial institutions may dispose off / auction the mortgaged assets of the company after inviting bids from the prospective bidders through esteemed print / electronic medias6. However, court provide protecti on to the company / or set aside unfair transaction in relation to disposing off the assets of the company by the banks / financial institutions towards appropriation of their outstanding liabilities. If a company fails to meet its loan obligations on due dates, the administrator comes to manage the affairs of the company as per UK insolvency law. If all out efforts of the administrator proved futile, the administrator starts the process of liquidation. The administrator disposes of the moveable / immoveable assets of the company to satisfy the claims of the creditors and then strike down the name of the debtor from its register7. Shares issued to the share holders can easily be transferred or disposed off as and when required. Holding the shares of a company means that a share holder being a member of the company can enforce the provision of the constitution of the company in both ways: a) against the company or other members of the company b) value of shares (nominal / at par) det ermines the share holders liability towards paying off debts of the company in case of insolvent liquidation8. The company usually offers their existing share holders a large number of shares from its common stock or preferred stock. This gives the rights to the share holders (other than bidder) to convert its acquired shares into a large number of common shares. This form of transaction is considered shareholders rights plan since it empowers the shareholders

Native Americans in the Early American Republic Essay

Native Americans in the Early American Republic - Essay Example In fact, they have also been widely portrayed as carnivals under the ignoble savage stereotype and that the Native Americans deserve being eliminated from the society by various artists. As a result, the white settlers have made various attempts aimed at taming the Native Americans by using the acts of genocide against them, which later culminated to a western war. Many arts developed between the late 18th century and 19th century has expressed this negative attitude towards the Native Americans in various ways. Some have been made to express the views if the white settlers that the Native Americans are worthy of being punished for the atrocities they committed during the early days of American Republic. In fact, many writers of the early days, particularly the white settlers have portrayed the Native Americans as Satan’s agents, while at the same time depicting the white settlers as people chosen by God. One such negative portrayal of negative Americans by the white settlers is seen in the works of Cooper in one of famous tales, Leatherstocking series, in which he portrays the Native Americans red devils or noble savage. ... This is show from the fact that the main character in the literature is a white male who has been subjected to sufferings and atrocities at the hands of the Native Americans, particularly the massacre of his family members. As a result, he gets bitter and decides to take revenge against the Native Americans, by hunting and killing them whenever he gets them. The Indianan argues that this was the only way he could pursue justice for his family member who have been massacred by the Native Americans (Bernstein, and Rushing, 1995). Ways in which art has been used to depict these attitudes. As earlier stated, the white inhabitants had a bad relationship with the Native Americans during the early years of American Republican. The negative attitudes they had against the Native Americans did not go unnoticed by many artists who have expressed them in the form of images and films. For instance, the white settlers had perceived their fellow Native Americans of the late 18th century and early 1 9th century as people who are very dangerous, barbaric and carnivals. For instance, Martin Waldseemuller painted the scenario (figure 1), in which he portrays fully nude men, and women chopping off the limbs of a white settlers, while others are publicly urinating without shame. At the same time, the images shows a naive white settler just about to be hid from behind by a metal bar, while in the process of conversing with some Native American women. Sadly enough, some are shown being urinated on by some Native American women (Bataille, 2001). Figure 1: Cannibal scenes Native Americans on white settlers Source: Bataille, G.M. (2001). Native American Representations: First Encounters, Distorted Images, and Literary Appro-priations. New York:

Hurricane Katrina Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Hurricane Katrina - Essay Example cane Katrina is discussable; however, an aspect that remains critical in the minds of individuals who survived the disaster is that, despite the measures taken as preventive strategies, such did little in offering preventive measures during the occurrence of the deadliest and most destructive Hurricane Katrina (Nova). New Orleans is one region that underwent significant destruction from the devastating actions of Hurricane Katrina. The region saw the effects of the Hurricane Katrina cause deaths of approximately 1,500 individuals with another hundreds of thousands left without residential areas after the violent storm surges caused by Katrina breached levees leaving behind it about 80 percent of the city submerged below water (Nova). Despite such destructions, New Orleans city remains very vulnerable to flooding, raising fear among residents that in a repeat of a similar disaster, equal destruction will be witnessed as previously seen. The main reasons in support of the increased vulnerability of New Orleans city to flooding is the element of low elevation in comparison to the sea levels. Secondly, the city lacks the appropriate preventive mechanics against storm surges such as wetlands and barrier islands, which have proved worthwhile in other regions towards the prevention of increased flooding (Frontline). Human activity has significantly contributed towards the damage of the city. In creating room for expansion during its construction, swamplands were drained around the sea in creating a room for more expansion, which interfered with the wetlands available for preventing flooding (Nova). Such drained resulted into subsidence of the city land to a level 6 feet below the sea level. In preparation for the Hurricane Katrina, scientists and city officials developed the levee system as a means of replacing the natural protection that had previous been destroyed. In addition to such preparations, scientists also published a number of warnings informing city

Relationship of Physiology and Proper Breastfeeding Research Paper

Relationship of Physiology and Proper Breastfeeding - Research Paper Example As mentioned earlier, it is important that the baby’s mouth also covers the areola; otherwise, the baby will not only fail to extract all the available milk but the breast will also be engorged due to continuous stimulation of the nipple leading to production of more prolactin and oxytocin.  As mentioned earlier, it is important that the baby’s mouth also covers the areola; otherwise, the baby will not only fail to extract all the available milk but the breast will also be engorged due to continuous stimulation of the nipple leading to production of more prolactin and oxytocin.  Benefits of Breastfeeding Infants are very vulnerable to diseases; hence, anything taken by them can put so much health risks including inadequacy of nutrients, infection, allergy and gastrointestinal disturbances. Breast milk being is naturally formulated to avoid all these risks and to render numerous benefits in the initial growing years of the child. Nonetheless, aside from these benefit s, breast milk also offers convenience as it is always at proper temperature and is always available without the need for preparation. In terms of nutrition, breast milk contains high levels of fats, lactose and Vitamin A. Fats are mainly polyunsaturated fatty acids which are readily absorbed due to the presence of bile salt stimulated lipase in breast milk. Because of the presence of this enzyme, there is no loss of fats in stools. Moreover, the predominant protein in breast milk is whey, which consists of alpha-lactoglobulins, lactoferrin and IgA.... As mentioned earlier, it is important that the baby’s mouth also covers the areola; otherwise, the baby will not only fail to extract all the available milk but the breast will also be engorged due to continuous stimulation of the nipple leading to production of more prolactin and oxytocin. Benefits of Breastfeeding Infants are very vulnerable to diseases; hence, anything taken by them can put so much health risks including inadequacy of nutrients, infection, allergy and gastrointestinal disturbances. However, breast milk being is naturally formulated to avoid all these risks and to render numerous benefits in the initial growing years of the child. Nonetheless, aside from these benefits, breast milk also offers convenience as it is always at proper temperature and is always available without the need for preparation (Kliegman et al., 2007). In terms of nutrition, breast milk contains high levels of fats, lactose and Vitamin A. Fats are mainly polyunsaturated fatty acids which are readily absorbed due to the presence of bile salt stimulated lipase in breast milk milk (Kliegman et al., 2007).. Because of the presence of this enzyme, there is no loss of fats in stools. Moreover, the predominant protein in breast milk is whey, which consists of alpha-lactaglobulin, lactoferrin and IgA. Alpha-lactoglubulin which cannot be found in formula milk reduces the frequency of allergies (Kliegman et al., 2007). Lactoferrin, also found in whey, binds to iron, increasing its absorption. This compensates for the fact that breast milk actually has lower contents of iron but then again because of this protein, its iron is more absorbed compared to other kinds of milk (Kliegman et al., 2007).

Why did Byzantine culture favour cult images of supernatural origin Essay

Why did Byzantine culture favour cult images of supernatural origin - Essay Example ons that are taken as indisputable truth, indestructible under influence of any circumstances, so-called postulates – definitions, which are taken into account without a logical explanation. Nowadays, people worship God and his Image on the icons. It is believed that the icon is the conductor of the Holy Spirit to Earth. People usually explain icon`s miracles with their supernatural origin. It was believed their appearance and mistique was sanctioned by heaven1. In Byzantium two main branches of mysticism were distributed as well as in relation with iconography. One of them was represented in a contemplative way, being philosophically speculative and characterized by reflection -the desire to reach the deity by systematic abstract logical thinking activity. For this type of mystics it seemed particularly important to create a classification of the states and actions, to chart the bad thoughts, to dismember the steps, which make one closer to the deity. In the other direction o f mystics, which kept on morality and practice, logical thought was obscured with tactile-specific representation on the subject of the approximation of the human with the God: the mystic is trying to develop himself to a stage when he would be able to see the divine`s light, to hear the God`s voice. However, in fact in both cases, the act of salvation is not so much a result of the actions of the clergy, but as an individual feat, accessible to everyone and the holy image  mosaics decorating the church`s walls were the beginning of the Byzantine visual art. What was it said for? Thanks to miracles associated with icons - "through the interaction of social concepts - such as envy, limited goof and the source of illness"2, people began to treat them with trembling. Vestiges of antiquity - demons, angels and divinities - significantly influenced the perception of the world of further generations3. It should be noted, that before the era of iconoclasm, Byzantium was known â€Å"for its relics,

2007-2009 Financial Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

2007-2009 Financial Crisis - Essay Example As many companies have struggled to cope with this crisis, large numbers of people have been deprived of their jobs. It is seen that hundreds of people working in different fields lost their works during the crisis, and it resulted in poor economic growth. Shi and Singh (2011) pointed out that, â€Å"During the 2007-2009 recession, the unemployment rate in the United States topped 10 %, the highest it had been in the 26 years† (p. 545). So, the crisis has made unemployment worse for many people as it has become more difficult to find a new job. To be specific, many companies have been reluctant to hire any new people. The financial crisis caused to decline in international trade, and finally led the nation towards unemployment. At the same time, the financial crisis was worldwide, with European banks and markets as severely affected as those in the United States. The crisis checked the growth of total economies, and international trade declined and collapsed. Kaar (2009) made it clear that, â€Å"As at the present time the world can be regarded as a closed economy with highly integrated global markets, the unanimity in pessimism, the widespread fall in consumer confidence and the new credit restrictions soon had devastating effects on numerous countries real economies and forced thousands of healthy businesses around the globe and across all industries into financial troubles† (p. 27). So, one can see that the economic crisis resulted in global stagnation. Besides, the crisis affected the smooth functioning of the banking system in the U.S. It questioned the stability of many banks. For in stance, financial institutions like New Century Financial and Ameriquest faced insolvency. MacEwan and Miller(2011) stated that, â€Å"On September 15, Legman Brothers, in existence since 1850, declared bankruptcy† (p. 110). In short, most of the financial institutions were forced to undergo crisis and suffered trillions of dollars in losses. Summing

The conventions of a soap Essay Example for Free

The conventions of a soap Essay To deal with the following issues : The conventions of a soap, the Genre, the target audiences, sound and editing as well as the camera objectives. After initial problems in setting up a group, a selection of four students including myself were grouped together. Deadlines were given and this made it even more constraining. The soap is intended to be targeted to a mainly black/white working class audience mainly but also to a middle class, but not equally proportional. Targeting also a 16 -30 age group though preferably to 16-18 as thats the student audience, but is viewable by all other age groups. The time slot chosen is 19:00 so that it doesnt rival with the other television channels soaps at 19:30, 20:00 and 20:30 respectively. Also at this time most working parents and students would have been back at home whether it be that they perform a 9-5 occupation or unskilled late laborious work. This prequel to the soap is not an easy showing. It has taken a lot of weeks to design the script alone, and to gather characters is still yet an ongoing process. The concept of the soap involves a teacher, a main student as a lead character and then other students are merely extras with exceptions to two other female students who will have a major role in the soap. My responsibility is to be a main actor as the Teacher and to ensure that the soap gets produced, thus I am a quality assurancer which means that the work produced is looked over by myself for quality and then passed onto Taio who happens to be the director to ensure that it is viewable and acceptable for evening time television viewing as well as creating the storyboard from the scripts. Natalie who works in the group is the main script writer whilst Eastern is the associate camera man as opposed to all of us sharing roles as the camera man from time to time. I myself tried to be the camera man for a two-day shooting scene. Unfortunately, it was not at all good. Learning from this mistake I just kept to my role as an actor and both supporting the group when there and looking/editing the work. The first stage in the production process is the creation of the script. This determines not only the dialogue of a piece, but lays down the basis of the soaps plot. In modern television before a soap episode goes into production it is probable that its script has gone through a series of treatments and re-writes. Once a script is completed it is given to a producer whos job is to realise the script. When devising a script, it has come to the attention that it will need a lot of re-writes and perhaps complete changes altogether. Each member of the group has something to co-ordinate with the group as a whole on. We all have individual roles, but due to the shortages in the group of members we all help one another, thus there is no set positions. When developing the soap opera a lot of research was conducted by the group where a discussion of the characters and their personality profiles was viewed. Gender and euthanasia research was amongst the top on the list of the discussions within the group. Age and race was important as it had to show the racial and age ration being portrayed in the college and also what would be socially acceptable. We did not want this to be similar in anyway to grange hill but a real life soap scene. As it had to define possible events that occur in real life with a thrill to keep its viewers hooked. All the characters will have different traits to their personality, one of which will posses traits similar to that of dumbo type person whilst another will be superficially intelligent. The teacher character will play an important role as our research concluded that the teacher would be prejudice to students who are not similar to his norms. The settings and social issues will take place within the Bromley College Facilities and the plot will cover a teacher having taught a class and replacing a previous teacher. Due to stress of his students and how the students support the teacher and how the teacher deals with bullying as an issue. As a girl/boy relationship broken up by a girl having a relationship with an elder man from outside the college and all round arguments and troubled issues relating studies. The characters are from 16-20 in age with exception to the teacher whose age will be mid 30s. Channel 5 does not currently have an active soap and it was the prime selection especially for its informality in presenting shows of interest. The technical aspects of this soap have yet to be performed, although all the roles have been established camera recording has not been fully completed and is still in the draft basis. Evaluation The purpose of this evaluation is to analyse the project of creating a soap and all the practical aspects into the development of such a production. This is after completion of the final practical production. There were many problems associated with the production as there many advantageous developments. To create this production took time and, unfortunately as I had entered the group quite late did not have a stable role as such. Members of my original group had left the college, and thus joined another g roup before that individual was on the verge of being asked to leave the course. Thereby, I progressed into another group, which is currently the group now. However they had started to create the scenes and at the time of joining they had completed the script. Upon joining the group, it was already decided that Taio was the director, Natalie was the scriptwriter and co-director whiles Chris was the editor and Easten was the producer and cameraman. I started to assist as the cameraman, however, unfortunately it seems that it did not work out well. I was zooming too much into the picture frame similar to zooming pan shots in the movies. Although I did not get to see the footage I had taken, the group members informed me that it was bad. I was however still eager to help the group and although they had a different timetable to mine, I still came through. There were more problems as due to the class times of different lessons, not everyone from the team was available to assist in the filming. However, I made myself available or offered to help in all instances of their filming. On some instances, my help was not required as they had enough people to do it. I centred on my acting instead for the group and my role as the teacher. These were actually sub-categorised into two main scenes but were divided into at least 5 or more sub scenes. One recollective event is when filming the corridor scene where Evans played the bullied student, the scene was performed after the 4th repeated time of filming. This was because, at one point security within the college thought that an actual pupil was being bullied, and that on another ocassion the class room scene, it needed to be re-recorded again and again as our postures were incorrect. Taio being the director corrected the problems as and when they occurred and ensured that it was completed. Equipment Used: VHS Cameras for film capture Video Suite for Editing DV to VHS and VHS to DV convertors Tripods Microphones Room Microphones Natural Lighting Zoom Lenses Characters References : Source Materials Soap Operas Unveiled Terrence and Higgins Information on how to create soaps Ins and Outs of Soap Operas J.L.Kenzo Scenes and Practical aspects of soaps Media 1 Stanley Thornes Text Book for Media AS Dyer, Richard et al. 1981: Coronation Street. London: BFI Geraghty, Christine [1991]: Women and Soap Opera. Cambridge Political Press Goodwin, Andrew and Gary Whannel [Eds] [1990]: Understanding TV. London: Routledge Kilborn, Richard [1992]: Television Soaps. London: Batsford Livingstone, Sonia [1990]: Making Sense of Television. Butterworth Heinemann The Media Donated by my teacher Sean Stammers Information on the Media www.brookside.com Official Soap site for Brookside entailing character information www.channel4.com Tallent Information on creating scripts and soaps www.channel5.com Channel where soap should be aired and tv guide listing http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Modules/TF33120/bucking1.html

Organized sport Essay Example for Free

Organized sport Essay There are multiple benefits of playing an organized sport in school and it definitely help you out in life. Confidence is a huge part of being part of an organized sport. When you improve and keep improving you will start to feel better about yourself. Your coach will tell you the same thing when you are doing well and that should be a great feeling and will greatly increase your confidence. Sportsmanship is another benefit of playing sports. When someone makes you angry when you are playing you need to be able to stay composed and don’t let it get to you. It’s the same way when you are not playing a sport. You shouldn’t need to start anything with anyone. Playing organized sports will also help you with getting along with people. You need to be able to get along with your teammates especially. It is part of team chemistry and if it isn’t there then the team might not be as good as they could be if you just got along. If you don’t like them you still need to get along with them while playing your sport or it wont work. Students who participate in organized sports tend to work harder in school and have greater educational aspirations. It can also be an incentive to get better grades in school. Some schools require minimum grade point averages and attendance to be eligible. Parents can also set certain requirements for their kids. When children participate in these types of activities they learn to communicate and work better with their peers and adults. Organized sports are usually made up of kids who have a lot of different social backgrounds. Which can help teach them about diversity and give them the opportunity to make new friends. It teaches you a strong work ethic as well. They are more likely to be active and hard working students. Organized sports teach kids how to be disciplined during practice and how to focus to the task they are doing at the moment, and how to be patient when things get a little rough. Athletes also have to be able to achieve balance between their schoolwork and sports. There are many ways that benefit kids who participate in organized sports. Perseverance will make them stronger and the will gain the willpower to be the best athlete they can possibly be.

Electrical Bone Growth Stimulator Devices

Electrical Bone Growth Stimulator Devices Nonunion and delayed fractures are prevalent in the United States, accounting for a significant health care cost (Simon Simon, 2008). Bone is able to remodel and adapt to applied loads and electromechanical stimuli (Smeltzer, Bare, Hinkle, Cheever, 2009). One method of repairing these types of fractures is with an electric bone growth stimulator, which has been used for over 25 years. There are three types of electric bone growth stimulators, all of which provide an electric current to the bone that causes the bone cells to grow and proliferate. Treatment with bone growth stimulators shortens the recovery time, however cannot be used for large gaps in the bone (Simon Simon, 2008). Clinical Significance Every year in the United States 7.9 million fractures occur (Goldstein, Sprague, Petrisor, 2010). Approximately 600,000 fractures do not heal properly. Fractures that do not heal properly are usually delayed or nonunion fractures. These fractures require treatment or surgical intervention to heal properly and cost the United States $3 to 6 billion health care dollars each year (Simon Simon, 2008). A delayed union is a fracture that heals very slowly and does not heal within a normal amount of time. Although many factors affect how long it takes for a bone to heal such as which bone is broken and the severity of the fracture, the typical healing time is about three to four months. A delayed union can be caused by several factors including, poor blood supply, not casting the bone properly, and infection (Parker, 2010). Sometimes delayed union fractures can heal on their own without intervention or treatment. A nonunion is a fracture that does not heal within twice the expected healing time, generally six to nine months after the injury. Fibrocartilage also forms between the two pieces of broken bone (Mora, Pedrotti, Galli, 2006). Figure 1 shows a nonunion fracture of the tibia, the fracture is circled in red and you can see some of the fibrocartilage that formed between the two pieces of bone. Several factors that can cause nonunion are poor blood supply, not casting the bone p roperly, infection, and loss of bone or soft tissue (Parker, 2010). A nonunion fracture will not heal on its own and requires some form of intervention. Some of the options for treating nonunion are internal and external fixation devices, bone grafts, bone substitutes, biologics like platelet extracts and bone morphogenic proteins, and biophysical stimulation including ultrasound and electrical stimulation (Simon Simon, 2008). Since the repair of delayed and nonunion fractures requires intervention and treatment, the clinical problem is how to provide an intervention that allows the patient to recover from the injury in the shortest possible amount of time with the fewest complications and the least cost (Simon Simon, 2008). The ideal treatment is to repair the fracture without surgery and hospitalization (Goldstein, Sprague, Petrisor, 2010). Therefore, electrical bone growth stimulators are frequently used to treat delayed and nonunion fractures. Research has shown that electrical stimulation is a prevalent treatment that is utilized to speed up the process of healing in delayed and nonunion fractures. In the United States, electrical bone growth stimulators have treated approximately 400,000 delayed and nonunion fractures (Goldstein, Sprague, Petrisor, 2010). Electrical bone growth stimulators, shown in Figure 2, are therapeutic devices that are used to produce and apply electric fields to bone, similar to the electric fields that occur naturally inside the body but as a result of the injury are either not being produced fast enough or are not being produced at all (Goldstein, Sprague, Petrisor, 2010). Electrical bone growth stimulators have been shown to be 88% effective for treating delayed and nonunion fractures (Nolte, van der Krans, Patka, Janssen, Ryaby, Albers, 2001). The typical treatment time with an electrical bone growth stimulator is between three and six months (Simon Simon, 2008). Biology and Physiology Humans have 206 bones in their body (Smeltzer, Bare, Hinkle, Cheever, 2009). Bone can adapt and remodel as a result of an applied force, an injury or a stimulus. Bone is made up of three types of cells, osteoblasts, osteocytes, and osteoclasts, which are involved in bone formation and remodeling. Osteoblasts are cells that form bone (Smeltzer, Bare, Hinkle, Cheever, 2009). Osteocytes are formed from osteoblasts and are responsible for maintaining bone, whereas, osteoclasts are cells that absorb bone. These cells play an important role in fracture healing (Smeltzer, Bare, Hinkle, Cheever, 2009). The process of healing a fracture, shown in Figure 3, has four major steps. The first step occurs within hours following the injury and lasts for about a week. During this step, the injury causes increased blood flow and bleeding, causing a hematoma to form. This results in inflammation and swelling (Smeltzer, Bare, Hinkle, Cheever, 2009). The next step begins when fibroblasts reach the injury site then release collagen fibers and form a soft fibrocartilaginous callus between and around the two pieces of bone. The third step begins around week 4, when osteoblasts enter the callus, multiply and begin to form bone. This forms a harder bony callus that eventually turns into bone. The final stage is remodeling which starts around week 17 and continues until the bone is completely healed. During the remodeling stage, the callus is completely turned into bone by the osteoblasts, and the osteoclasts absorb the extra bone that was produced and not needed (Chiras, 2008). Market Trends The market for electrical bone growth stimulators has grown to over $500 million dollars in the last 25 years, and by 2012 the market is expected to rise to $690.1 million (Schenberger, 2007). The consumers of electrical bone growth stimulators are hospitals, orthopedic surgeons and patients with a delayed or nonunion bone fracture. Electrical bone growth stimulators have been used to treat 400,000 fractures (Simon Simon, 2008). These devices can be both invasive and noninvasive. The typical cost for a noninvasive electrical bone growth stimulator is between $3000 and $7000 and can increase to $20,000 for an invasive stimulator that requires two surgeries (Morone Feuer, 2003). Insurance will cover the cost of the device as long as the patient meets certain criteria, for example the gap between the bones must be less than 1 centimeter (CIGNA , 2010). This cost is much less than the approximately $27,000 cost for surgery and hospitalization after a procedure such as internal fixation (Hughes Anglen, 2010). Seven companies have received FDA approval (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2010) and the five companies that have electric bone growth stimulators on the market are Orthofix, Biomet, DJ Orthopedics (acquired the company Orthologic), Smith and Nephew and DePuy Spine (medcompare, 2010). The only company that has received FDA approval (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2010) and that has invasive electric bone growth stimulators on the market is Biomet (medcompare, 2010). Some of the noninvasive stimulators are shown in Figure 4 and two of the invasive stimulators from Biomet are shown in Figure 5. Bioelectric Principles Bone that goes through effective growth or repair holds an electronegative potential compared to that of resting bone (Glazer Glazer, 2001). In bone where a break or fracture has occurred with nonunion or delayed union, it has been found helpful to introduce electric stimuli to the area undergoing complications. The introduction of an electrical current allows the process of bone regeneration to reinitiate. The electrically charged particles within the current act as the missing catalyst for the necessary chemical reactions to stimulate the desired biological response of bone repair at the site of nonunion. Pulsed electrical stimulation can cause changes in the intracellular level of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and thus triggers DNA synthesis within cells (Somjen, Fischler, Binderman, 1984). The electrical current excites the Na+/K+ pump of mesenchymal osteoblasts, which causes them to differentiate into osteoblasts that produce a woven matrix of bone (Shapiro, 2008).The electronegative current (DNA synthesis) applied at the surface of the fracture site or at the surface of the skin initiates endochondral bone formation the synthesis of cartilage, closely followed by bone formation (Shapiro, 2008). Bone naturally generates an electrical field because of Wolffs Law and piezoelectric properties, which is what the electric bone growth stimulators are also based off of. Wolffs law states that bone changes its external shape and internal (cancellous) architecture in response to stresses acting on it (Hunt, 2008). Piezoelectricity (Figure 6) is the stress-generated potentials in bone in which the side of the bone under mechanical compression [becomes] electronegative and the side under tension [becomes] electropositive (Kim, Won-Ki, Sung Jac, 1984). The mineral matrix in bone is piezoelectric because of the applied force to the skeletal system from tension (resting bone), and it changes its charge when the bone is under mechanical compression (bone repair/hematoma). The electric field produces electric potentials that cause the bone cells to grow and proliferate (Kim, Won-Ki, Sung Jac, 1984). Electrical stimulation creates an increased regulation of osteoinductive growth factors as well as enhancing osteoblastic activity, and decreasing osteoclastic activity through electrochemical reactions. This all leads to the desired reactions of increased bone formation and repair. The electrical stimulation increases the transmembrane calcium translocation, which activates calmodulin, a calcium binding protein involved in inflammation (Hematoma). Electric stimuli also brings about the upregulation of BMP-2, BMP-6, BMP-7, and the BMP receptor ALK-2, which are all bone morphogenic proteins needed to promote bone regeneration (Gan, Fredericks, Glazer, 2004). At the cathode of the Electric Bone Growth Stimulator, when the electric impulse is applied, three things happen: 1) the local oxygen concentration decreases, causing an increase in the biological process of bone growth, 2) the pH level increases, resulting in a decrease of osteoclastic function, and 3) the release of hydrogen pe roxide causing macrophages to release VEGF, which stimulates the growth of blood vessels in the area of injury. These growth factors enter the tissue matrix and trigger proliferation and differentiation which causes bone to form, thus increasing the healing rate of delayed union or nonunion (Gan, Fredericks, Glazer, 2004). History Device History The history of Bone Electric Growth Stimulators dates back to the late 1780s when the biologist, Luigi Galvani used electricity on a biological system. Galvani discovered that a frog could generate muscle spasms throughout its body when an electrical charge was applied to its spinal cord. Alessandro Volta, a colleague of Galvanis, was able to reproduce these (SilcoTek, 2010). The first documentation of electrical stimulation being used to heal fractures was in 1841 by Dr. Hartshorne, when he reported that a patient with a tibial nonunion was treated with electricity. In 1850, the scientist R. W. Lente was the first to report successful use of Galvanic currents used to treat patients with nonunion. In 1892, the German scientist Wolff was the first to describe how bone formed in response to stress; this description became known as Wolffs Law (Glazer Glazer, 2001). The significant gains of healing with electrical stimulation in the 17 1800s ends with Wolffs phenomenon description of bone formation. The modern theories that the Electric Bone Growth Stimulators are based off of are from the work that Iwao Yasuda and his colleagues found in the 1950s. In 1938 Yasuda started researching electrical stimulation of square wave to organic substance at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine (Crenshaw, 1977). In 1953, Yasuda et al discovered that bone in compression was electronegative, and bone in tension was electropositive (Glazer Glazer, 2001). From 1962 to 1964, the scientists Friedenberg and Brighton furthered Yasudas research and discovered that bone that is growing or repairing itself shows and electronegative potential, while bone that is not has an electropositive potential. This discovery has encouraged others to research electrical stimuli in relation bone regeneration (Glazer Glazer, 2001). In 1975, Dr. McElhannon published a report stating the technology used to treat fractures in humans with electrical stimulation is not yet advanced enough to promote bone regeneration, but shows promise in animals (Meadows, 2008). Two years later, Dr. Paterson et al performed an experimental model on delayed union fractures of the tibia in adult dogs. The model showed an accelerated healing time where Osteogenesis was normal, and no other abnormalities were found (Meadows, 2008). In 1978, the FDA approved the use of external bone growth stimulators (Haverbush, 2005). In 1983, Dr. Hanaoka performed a study observing the effects of pulsed micro-electrical currents on internal remodeling in long tubular bone and bone healing (Meadows, 2008). A group of 14 dogs had electrodes inserted into the femora with pulsed micro-electrical currents applied to the right femora for four weeks. The dogs were split into groups and each group had different electrical currents (Hz) applied. The results s howed that bone healing in all cases was promoted (Meadows, 2008). Dr. Ahl et al, in 1984, used a semi invasive technique for bone healing on 23 patients with nonunion. Ten of those had solid bone regeneration, and the other 13 did not fully unite these were later determined to have been breaks that were too far apart (Meadows, 2008). In 1985, Dr. Kondo performed a study on the femur of dogs. The bones in the experimental group observed proliferation of osteoblasts on the third day, which transitioned into bone remodeling and a shortened healing time by the end of the third week (Meadows, 2008). In 1995, Dr. Zamora-Navas et al performed a study on 22 patients with nonunion, with a gap of 0.5 or more, using capacitively-coupled electrical signal for a treatment time of about 26 weeks. In the end, over 70% of the 22 had solid bone union if the gap was 1 cm or smaller (Meadows, 2008). In 1996, the FDA approved the use of Electrical Bone Growth Stimulators, both invasive and noninvasiv e. Patent History On May 31, 1977, Dr. Levys bone generating device was approved. The stimulator produced electrical pulses applied to the bone, as opposed to direct current potential, to make the bone grow faster and stronger (Levy, 1977). The device is invasive, and is made of materials that will not poison or react with the surrounding tissue or bone (Levy, 1977). On November 15, 1983, Hirshorn et al had their patent approved on their implantable bone growth stimulator that uses a direct current output, and constantly transmits pulsed electromagnetic energy to the injury site. The output of energy(rate) is directly proportional to the set current. To make sure that the device is not affected by the pulsing of the transmission, a coil was placed inside the device to deliver a constant current. The device is enclosed in a titanium case, and has a longer shelf life due to an electrical switch that was placed inside the device (Hirshorn, Swift, Evans, 1983). On My 19, 1987, Dr. Campbells patent was approved. His stimulator was circuit adapted, and relied on the tissue (bone) to act as the load to make the circuit work. The storage device controlled the oscillator circuit, which in turn controlled the charge of the current that was issued from the battery and applied directly to the bone at the fracture site (Campbell, 1987). On May 9, 1995, Kronbergs stimulator was approved. This device was a non-invasive device that used low alternating currents applied to the patients skin. This particular device is battery powered and was found to generate the electrical characteristics found in bones naturally that generate normal bone growth (Kronberg, 1995). On June 16, 1998, Dr. Ericksons electric bone stimulator was approved. His stimulator came with a hand-held device which transmitted, and received, signals to the implanted stimulator (Erickson, Tepper, Thacker, Varrichio, Pilla, 1995). On August 2, 2007, Dr. Nyezs invasive stimulator was approved. The device is controlled by an external remote that sends a wireless signal to the stimulator. The current is circuitry controlled. It was made to be coupled with a hip prosthesis to help with healing and proper function, but can be used to stimulate healthy bone growth in areas of injury (Nyez, 2007). Device Theory In 1953, surgeon Iwao Yasuda first demonstrated that callus could be created by applying electric fields to bone (Figure 8). His experiment consisted of wrapping wire around a rabbitt femur and sending a small (1 uA) current to the anode, away from the bone. After three weeks of continuous current, Yasuda observed that a callus-typically generated during fracture repair- was beginning to form in the direction of the current (Liboff, 2006). There are three types of electric bone growth stimulators. They are categorized based on invasiveness and type of current. Table 1 gives a brief description of the different devices. Note that there are only two types listed, invasive and noninvasive (Liboff, 2006). Semi-Invasive Treatment Semi-invasive systems are semi-implantable: partially internal and partially external. The device provides a constant direct current supplied by an external power supply. The electrodes, on the other hand, are percutaneous and pass through the skin (Electrical Bone Growth Stimulators). These systems, however, are not currently in production, and consequently are not refered to by other scholars and have no relevant data (Clinical Policy Bulletin: Bone Growth Stimulators, 2010). Invasive Treatment The invasive treatment option, also known as direct current (DC) stimulation, is fully implanted and utilizes constant direct current. The device requires two surgies: one to implant the device, and one to remove the device. The anode is placed in the soft tissue, and the cathodes are connected to a power supply (typically a lithium battery) [cain] and placed at the fusion site. At the fracture site, the electrodes can be arranged in two ways (Figure 9). They can be placed on each side of the fracture as to bridge the defect; or, the electrode can be placed directly in the defect (Liboff, 2006). The although the current setting depends upon the fracture, it is typically set at 20 uA for up to six months (Lyle E. Cain, 2002). Noninvasive Treatments There are both electric and electromagnetic noninvasive EBGS devices. They are completely external and do not require surgery. Electric Option The electric noninvasive EBGS device works through capacitive coupling (CC). The CC device uses a 60 kHz alternating sinusoidal signal to produce a current. Two electrodes are placed on the skin, one on each side of the fracture (Figure 10) (Gan, Fredericks, Glazer, 2004). The power supply (typically a 9-V battery) is worn on the hip, and operated twenty four hours a day. Treatment generally applies 5-10 mA at the skin, and 15-20 uA at the fracture site. Device maintainence relies on the patient and includes changing the battery daily. Electromagnetic Options Pulsed Magnetic Field The pulsed magnetic field device (PMF or PEMF) follows Faradays law that Any change in the magnetic environment of a coil of wire will cause a voltage (emf) to be induced in the coil (Faradays Law). It applies a sawtooth (nonsinusoidal) voltage to two parallel external coils, one above the fusion site, and one below (see figure #). The applied voltage creates a current through the coils that generates a single, magnetic field through the defect. Because the field is constantly changing, an induced voltage is created, which appears as pulses (Liboff, 2006). The coils can be worn on the skin, or over a cast (if applicable) (Lyle E. Cain, 2002). The device includes an external battery pack and may be operated up to ten hours a day (Lyle E. Cain, 2002), but treatment is typically only three hours daily (Liboff, 2006). Ion Cyclotron Resonance The ion cyclotron resonance (ICR) device is similar to the PFM device in that it also uses an external coil system. ICR devices, however, apply a different theory than PMF devices. It was shown in 1985 that the results embodied in the so-called calcium efflux effect were in close agreement with the predictions based on the resonance characteristics of certain biological ions subject to the Lorentz force (Liboff, 2006). The device combines both dc and ac magnetic fields to achieve resonant condition. The theory is that ions in resonance are more likely to stimulate the gating mechanism for ion channel transport, and tuning to these ions can increase growth (Liboff, 2006). The device (Figure 11) also uses an external battery pack, and the unit should only be operated thirty minutes per day (Lyle E. Cain, 2002). Regulatory Standards The FDA recognizes the noninvasive bone growth stimulator and the invasive bone growth stimulator under the Title 21-Food and Drugs, of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) (Product Classification, 2010). Both are Class III devices, so they must abide by general controls and receive premarket approval. Class III devices support or sustain human life, that are of substantial importance in preventing impairment of human health, or that present a potential, unreasonable risk of illness or injury. Premarket approval (PMA) is the FDA process of scientific and regulatory review to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Class III medical devices. A PMA application must be submitted and reviewed before marketing the products because they are considered high-risk medical devices (Device Classification, 2010). Device Review Advantages Previous treatments for nonunions included rigid fixation, bone grafts, and amputation. The electric bone growth stimulator has several advantages over these more tradition treatments. The treatment is less severe than bone grafting and the hospital stay after the invasive treatment is typically only three to four days, as opposed to ten days of recovery after grafts. Also, the average completion time for a successful union is only four months, compared to six to eight for bone grafts (Anbuselvan, Krishnamurthy, Madhumathi, Manonmani, Aravindan, Babu, 1995). Moreover, the EBGS is less traumatic than amputation and allows for the retention of limbs. In regards to the devices, the invasive option is advantageous because it provides constant uniform current and does not require an active patient role. After surgery, the device is self operated and maintained. Also, the invasive option bypasses tissue resulting in less resistance and better treatment results. The CC device is small, light, and easy to use (Lyle E. Cain, 2002). Disadvantages The main disadvantage of the EBGS is that union may be unsuccessful if the fracture gap is too large, typically over one centimeter. Also, before an EBGS is used, it must be determined that the bone is not healing properly on its own. Lastly, these devices have not yet been proven successful for treatment of nonunions in locations other than long bones or spine (Clinical Policy Bulletin: Bone Growth Stimulators, 2010). In regards to the devices, the invasive option has a higher hospital cost and patient morbidity due to the surgeries necessary for device implantation and removal. The CC device requires patient compliance. The patient must monitor, operate, and maintain the device, which includes changing the battery daily. Also, there may be skin irritation from the electrodes. Also, the PEMF and ICR devices are often larger and heavy than other external devices, which may create difficulties for patients (Clinical Policy Bulletin: Bone Growth Stimulators, 2010). Product Comparison Biomet is the only company that produces invasive electric bone growth stimulators. Their products include the OsteoGen Bone Growth Stimulator, the OsteoGen Dual Lead Bone Growth Stimulator for use with bone graft surgery, and the OsteoGen-M Bone Growth Stimulator, which utilizes a mesh cathode. Biomet also produces the following external, noninvasive EBGS devices: EBI Bone Healing System and the OrthoPak 2 Bone Growth Stimulator. The EBI Bone Healing System is more convenient because the actual device is worn like a sports band or brace that wraps around the limb, where as the OrthoPak 2 is a larger device with dermal electrodes that must be carried along with the battery pack. On the plus side, the OrthoPak 2 allows for easier placement of hard-to-reach fracture sites (Biomet, 2010). DJO sells the CMF OL1000 Bone Growth Stimulator. It follows a similar concept as the EBI Bone Healing System, except this device is not fully closed, giving it the ability of being worn over a cast if necessary (Products, 2009). Literature Review We assigned the designated sections of the report to each team member to research individually. We attended a research session with librarian Christine Drew to better understand WPIs academic databases and resources. Key terms used in our research included the following: electric bone growth stimulator, bone growth stimulator, bone growth devices, fracture healing, delayed union fracture, non union fracture, Faradays Law, Wolffs Law, piezoelectricity, bone repair, bone cells, electric bone growth device regulations, cost of bone growth stimulation, FDA class III devices, premarket approval, bone growth device history, Luigi Galvani, electric bone growth studies, companies that sell electric bone growth stimulators, Biomet, Exogen, modern electric growth theory, and bone growth stimulator patent. We searched several databases and reliable search engines including the following: Google Books, Google Scholar, Gale PowerSearch, EBSCOhost, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Wiley Interscience.

Henry Ford Biography :: essays research papers

Henry Ford Born July 30, 1863 in Dearborn, Michigan, Henry Ford was the first child of William and Mary Ford. As a young man he became an excellent self-taught mechanic and machinist. At age 16 he left the farm and went to nearby Detroit, a city that was becoming an industrial giant. There he worked as an apprentice at a machine shop, while months later he would begin work with steam engines at the Detroit Dry Dock Co., where he first saw the internal combustion engine, the kind of engine he would later use to make his automobiles. When he was 28 Ford took a job with Thomas Edison's Detroit Illuminating Company, where he became chief engineer. In his spare time he began to build his first car, the Quadricycle. It resembled two bicycles positioned side by side with bicycle-like wheels, a bicycle seat, and a barely visible engine frame. Some said it bore a resemblance to a baby carriage with a two-cylinder engine. In June 1896, Ford took an historic ride in his first automobile that was observed by many curious Detroit on-lookers. The Quadricycle broke down in a humiliating scene. By 1899 Ford created a more proper looking motorcar with the help of wealthy businessman William Murphy. It had high wheels, a padded double bench, brass lamps, mud guards, and a "racy" look. In the same year Ford founded the Detroit Automobile Company. Within 3 years Ford had built an improved, more reliable Quadricycle, using a four-cylinder, 36 horsepower-racing engine. In 1901 his car beat what was then the world's fastest automobile in a race before a crowd of eight thousand people in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. The publicity he received for this victory allowed Ford to finance a practical laboratory for refining his auto ideas. In 1903 Ford launched his own car company, The Ford Motor Car Company, and by January 1904 he had sold 658 vehicles. By 1908 he built the famous Model T, a car that was affordable to the middle class. The automobile was no longer the toy of the rich. Ford was able to make a reliable and inexpensive automobile primarily because of his introduction of the innovative moving assembly line into the process of industrial manufacturing. The assembly line is a system for carrying an item that is being manufactured past a series of stationary workers who each assemble a particular portion of the finished product.

Essay --

Jonathan Swift was a famous author who combined humor and politics to create many prominent works. He was born in Dublin, Ireland on November 30, 1667. Swift was born prematurely and with Menierà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Disease, a condition in the inner ear that causes nausea and hearing problems. Because his birth mother couldn’t provide for him, she gave him over to a relative named Godwin Swift. As a child, Jonathan Swift went to Kilkenny Grammar School, which was the best school in Ireland. During elementary and middle school, Jonathan was friends with William Congreve, a future poet and playwright. At the age of fourteen, Swift entered Trinity College in Dublin. Because he didn’t have financial support, he had to drop out after four years, but he still received a bachelor’s degree. After college, Swift moved to his mother’s home in Leicester, England, and it was there where he received his first job. He became Secretary to a retired diplomat, Sir William Temple, staying with him at his home in Moor Park. This was an important event for Swift where he gained some power as a politician. He only obtained this job because he had many family connections, and his relatives had good reputations. At his job at Moor Park, he met Esther â€Å"Stella† Johnson who was 8 years old at the time. They had a long-lasting friendship, and he became a tutor, mentor, and a great friend to her. Soon, Jonathan Swift sought a new occupation, and in 1694, he worked for an Anglican priest. After he worked with the church for about a year, Swift returned to Moor Park and had his old job back. When Sir William Temple grew old, Jonathan Swift was instructed to publish William’s work after his death. Soon, Sir William passed away, and he left Swift  £100 and his unpublished books th... ...s. Gulliver is able to sail to Japan, and from there, he travels back to England. On his fourth and final journey, Gulliver becomes a victim of mutiny and lands in a mysterious land populated by Houyhnhnms, rational-thinking horses who rule the Yahoos, savage humanlike creatures. He becomes great friends with the Houyhnhnms, but when they realize that he physically resembles a Yahoo, they banish him from the island. Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, poet, and cleric who turned political writing into something more riveting and humorous. Although his works were aimed towards the political audience, his writings impacted everyone in Europe in many ways. His combination of genres created a new theme that was admired by many groups of people. Though his work may not be remembered forever, he will remain a distinguished author in all of his reader’s hearts.

The Fulcrum and the Lever Essay -- essays research papers fc

I turn the key and unlock the deadbolt. It’s been a long day’s work. I have been working three jobs for weeks now. I come through the door of my tiny one-bedroom house and stare at the desk, piled high with debris: old junk mail, magazines, and a few bills. I keep thinking maybe on my day off I’ll clean this mess up, balance my check book and pay my bills. â€Å"But what’s the use?† I think to myself, â€Å"I have $210 left on my credit card, that’ll get me through another week.† Independence is what I wanted and that’s what I got. I have a car, a house, furniture, stocked cupboards, and plenty of I-can-do-what-I-want free will. I was working a lot, and sure was doling out a lot of dough, yet I felt atrophy kicking in. When I was dying to leave my parents house, I didn’t think that it would be like this. Going and doing whatever I wanted all the time was not something I did. Life cost money and the reality was kicking me in the stomach every time I walked in my front door and looked at my desk. â€Å"Where is that Consumers bill? How much money is left in my checking account? Do I even have any in my savings?† These thoughts break-danced in my head often. In a day where I see more commercials advertising credit cards, debt consolidation, and home mortgage lenders, one might find it hard to believe that debt can actually be a problem. Seeing those poor saps dance in a conga line screaming, â€Å"Freedom!† makes it that much harder to notice. With three maxed-out credit cards, and other debt in the thousands of dollars, I was one of those people screaming, â€Å"Save me!†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My life could go nowhere while I was struggling to make payments on three credit cards that I hadn’t even used in two years. One of my frustrations stemmed from the fact that all of this money was going to the credit card companies for things that I don’t even remember buying. With my student loan in deferment, I had only to worry about everything else. Working three jobs was not my cup of tea. The â€Å"American Dream† was killing me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A lot of Americans are drowning in debt, with predators just waiting to add to the pile. Dave Ramsey, New York Times best selling author and financial advisor, says: Debt is dumb. Most normal people are just plain broke because they are in debt up to their eyeballs with no hope of help. If you're in debt then you're a slave, i... ...y Book. Holbrook, MA: Adams Media Corporation. 1999. Sylla, Richard. â€Å"American History Information About National Debt.† The Reader's Companion to American History. Houghton Mifflin Company. 20 May 2005. . Ramsey, Dave. The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2003. -----. More Than Enough: The Ten Keys to Changing Your Financial Destiny. New York, NY: Penguin Books. 1999. â€Å"The Debt To the Penny.† Bureau of the Public Debt: United States Department of the Treasury. 20 May 2005. . Waggoner, Darren. â€Å"Going Broke?: Younger Americans have a serious debt problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Not surprisingly, lenders and consumer advocates propose different remedies   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  for the credit crunch.† Collections & Credit Risk. 10.5 (2005): 21. Infotrac:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  General Reference Center Gold. Online. 31 May 2005. Webster, Noah. Noah Webster's First Edition of an American Dictionary of the English Language. San Francisco, CA: Foundation for American Christian Education, 1995; Reprint edition 1 June 1967. Yaqub, Reshma Memom. â€Å"Swipe at Your Own Risk.† Parents. July 2005. 49-53.

Vulnerable Population In The Workplace

One has chosen to focus on the substance abuse patients as the vulnerable population for the project. Frequently one has identified and seen stigmatization, prejudgments, and poor care given to this population in the workplace. Many patients are discharged each day with no plan of care, no education on resources and no instructions for follow up care. The outcomes and possibilities for the patient’s recovery have shown to be slim by the frequent return of the patient in the emergency room.The patients return within hours of discharge from the ER and seem to be in the same condition as when they left. One has created an action plan and a teaching brochure for health care providers to help facilitate a better system and care process for this population. The first step of overcoming this issue is to start from the base of it, which are the providers and their beliefs. The focus will be on educating the health care providers to stop stigmatization, develop self-awareness, and lear n to be culturally competent and to be the best advocate for the patient.In the emergency room there are frequent patients via ambulance, walk-in’s, which are intoxicated and requesting, detox. Typically when the patient arrives he or she are intoxicated, wheatear it is drugs or alcohol. The patient is registered and triaged. Depending on their condition or level of intoxication, they are either immediately brought in or are placed on a stretcher and wait to be evaluated by a physician. Because of the large population of substance abusers in New York City, these patients tend to have a stigma attached to them.The stigma is the patients will not follow up with his or her detox programs, they will return to the ER with-in hours of discharge, they are seeking food and shelter for the night, and they are not serious in their treatment to recover. Therefore, many of the providers and nurses in the ER tend not to take the patient or his or her care seriously. They often wait to see if the patient will walk out and leave after a few hours of warmth and food. If the patient is in the waiting area and waiting to come in, many charge nurses will continue to skip over the patient to bring in others.If the patient is in the department the providers tend not to pick-up their charts in assumption the patient will just leave to continue his or her addiction. One has created a teaching brochure to help identify three concepts, which may lead and assist in caring for the substance abuse patient. The concepts will help providers to be empathetic, trustworthy, and intelligent to the patient’s backgrounds and beliefs. The brochure speaks of the concepts and reasons it will aid in the patient success in recovery.If these patients are seen as a lost cause and providers do not listen or rectify the problem the population of the substance abuser will grow and increase the death rate and increase dangers to others as well. Substance abuse does not only endanger the patie nt but the people around him or her. For example, a person who is drinking and driving can hit a pedestrian walking and cause fatal danger to that person. One has learned through lessons in this class how to identify a vulnerable population, how self-awareness cultural competence, and advocacy can help treat these patients and provide the best care needed to have the best outcome.The first step as a provider is to have self –awareness. It is only possible for one to relate to others when they know whom one is and what one will or will not accept from others (Jack, Kristen, Smith, & Anne, 2007,para. 1). In the treatment of others it is important for the provider to be aware of their own personal beliefs and identity. To truly understand what one believes in is to have self –awareness. â€Å"Being self-aware enables us to identify our strengths and also those areas that can be developed.If we do not know our good and bad points then we are less likely to be able to help others (Burnard 1992). Nurses can use the self to therapeutic effect when working with patients, for example, when empathizing or advocating (Jack, et al 2007,para. 2). Cultural competence is also important for the health care team to incorporate in accurate care for substance abuse patients. Cultural competence is not only about ethnic background, religion, race, or spirituality. It is also about the environment in which one lives.â€Å" The layers of culturally competent practice do not solely address race and ethnicity. A comprehensive culturally competent practice encompasses issues related to language, migration and acculturation, family history, religious practices, as well as social trust and community attachment† (Mallow & Cameron-Kelly, 2006, para. 11). The staff needs to learn the importance of empathy and pre-judgmental thoughts toward the culture of the substance abuse patient. They live and survive in a different environment. To provide care for them is to under stand and keep biased opinions out of the treatment.Providers should analyze and try to learn of their culture and struggles they see and handle each day. The third concept implemented in this learning tool would be advocacy. Nurses and doctors are essentially the patient’s voice. Patients relay on the health care provider to help them and guide them through care and also to represent them in the hospital or within the community. The nurse and physician are the main identifiers of the recurring problem. The providers can help to implement new policies or create outpatient programs to keep the patient on a positive track.Identifying the flaws and implementing new systems can help the patient have a better health outcome. â€Å"The knowledge and expertise of a nurse regarding the care and concerns of a patient are vast. Overlay that knowledge and expertise with a sense of community, and the nurse advocate is born. Whether teaching proper car-seat installation to parents, advoc ating for primary seatbelt laws at the state house, or testifying at a congressional committee hearing, each nurse should be aware of the importance of political advocacy.Health care is in an evolving state, and nursing is at the table; every nurse should be aware and supportive of this advocacy† (Philips, 2012, para. 10). In conclusion one believes substance abuse patients would benefit greatly and outcome goal would improve if he or she were cared for and handled by a provider who was empathetic and knowledgeable to his or her cultural needs, ethnic background, and beliefs, whether they were spiritual or not. Each person or patient is unique and should receive treatment in a way, which suits him or her uniquely.In order for a provider to do so, they should be knowledgeable to self-awareness, cultural competence, and advocacy. Knowing oneself, possessing knowledge of others and motivation to be a trustworthy advocate will help the substance abuse patient feel support and allo w him or her to recognize the provider as a trustworthy person. Building trust and creating a stable health climate with the patient will paint a road to recovery for the substance abuse patient. Vulnerable Population in the Workplace Nursing profession is a career with a vast field of different practices with different roles to choose from. This variety makes the nursing field a vulnerable profession for mistakes if not tackled with adequate educational and clinical training. Although there are different specialties for a nurse to choose from to continue their career, it is still necessary for every nurse to have even a little amount of knowledge, or background, of the different scopes of practice of the other specialties of nursing. If this can’t be achieved as an individual, teamwork is necessary by sharing the knowledge you have especially in the workplace.Having that knowledge about vulnerable population is an essential tool to be able to work with patients properly. Sharing that knowledge to your workplace is important in order for them to be able to work competently, especially in the field that I work with where we handle different kinds of patients. In this paper, we will see how the knowledge abou t the vulnerable population is essential in the workplace, which consists of topics essential to this subject such as the Vulnerable Population: Vulnerable People, Cultural Competence and Resilience, and Social Justice in Nursing.Vulnerable Population: Vulnerable PeopleUnderstanding the definition of being vulnerable is the first step to be able to work competently with this population. According to the American Journal of Managed Care, members of this â€Å"vulnerable population† are those who are at risk for certain health problems. (AJMC, 2006) As the term elaborates, vulnerability is the susceptibility of any group or individual for risks of problems. Home health nurses meet lots of vulnerable patients especially those who have chronic diseases, disabled, and the elderly.Understanding  what their at risk for are essential in order for nurses to plan for prevention interventions. Examples of vulnerable population that home health nurses meet frequently are those who are disabled, have chronic illness, and the elderly. They are also on the top of the list that are high risk for falls, pressure ulcers, pneumonia, DVT, depression, and the list goes on and on. It is important for home health nurses to understand these risks for this vulnerable population to be able to generate prevention interventions.Cultural Competence and ResilienceCultural Competence and Resilience is an important quality that should always be carried by a professional nurse. According to Poole, cultural competence is practiced by nurses not only because it is politically appropriate, but it is also an inner sense that being culturally competent is an essential attitude to be able to build that therapeutic relationship with the patient, which promotes better healing environment. (Poole, 1998)Resilience is the ability of an individual to bounce back from change or difficulty as defined by the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2010). With these two combined, home health nurses can b e able to deal with patients with different cultures competently without any difficulty adapting from the great changes that they may experience from different types of patients.Social Justice in NursingSocial Justice is known as the ability to provide fair treatment regardless of age, ethnicity, race, economic status, disability, and gender as defined by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (2008). When this attitude is applied to nursing, it makes a nurse aware that everyone is equal, and therefore should be treated equal. In home health nursing, this equality is sometimes not seen because of the inability of the patient to pay for the right services that is appropriate to his/her condition.But this is not an excuse for a nurse to neglect the other appropriate care that can be done independently. To show care more than to show how vulnerable they are because of socioeconomic status is more important than having that full coverage of treatment they can get but is not rec eiving that genuine care that they need for therapeutic relationship and healing. This attitude is important because ever since the nursing profession started, nurses became an advocate to their patients to protect their rights and to  encourage them to exercise that power of their rights.These three important topics are important to understand more deeply in order for the nurse to be able to provide care more effectively especially to those who are included in the vulnerable population. More importantly, knowledge with these topics should be shared to my workplace to expand the knowledge on caring with the vulnerable, especially for home health nurses who most of the time take care of the elderly, disabled, chronically ill, minorities, and the socioeconomically unfortunate.

Unity day

The little short tear on the site titled Stile Post or the telephone game made a little impact on how I view our world today. They start finish off the film with Miriam the little girl essentially picking on Paul, the only colorize kid In the class, by motto that Paul never washes, and passing it to the succeeding(prenominal) person. That person then passes that little sec of information to the next kid, who passes It to the next kid, and so on. So this group of children could of Just unploughed the rehearsal that Paul never washes press release around until It was whispered into Palls ear.One kid In the circle changes the rumor from Paul never washes to Miriam Is In love with Paul. This film shows that plucking on other races and bullying can be halt at a new-fangled age, one kid from that class stopped the ugly secret and made a funnier one to sort of get game at the little girl. Rumors can be spread so easily In our society and people can say a stop to It by ever-cha nging the rumor to better the person the rumor Is ab come forth. The film Crutch was amazing, I loved any second of this film, how Bill Shannon or cantor that has been dealt some bad cards in invigoration has overcame his medical problems.He has a system of transportation on a skateboard, chip dances, and gets around super easily, all succession having bilateral hip deformity. Just by listening to him speak in the film, I can tell he loves his life, and energy really brings him down. It is just a huge motivational story for everyone, no depicted object how bad you believe you think your life is, always remember there is someone out there that has it worst than you and is enjoying every second of their life. So never out yourself down do exactly as Bill said in the film Take what is thrown at you in the best way that you can, and evolve your skills in that manner.

Strategic Management and Personal Media Players

orchard apple tree, Inc. in 2010 Assignment Questions 1. What argon the chief elements of Apples general hawkish scheme? How advantageously do the pieces fit in concert? Is the strategy evolving? 2. What argon the befall out elements of Apples strategy in computers, ain media players, and smartphones? Have its strategies in its core blood linees yielded mastery? Explain. 3. What does a rivalrous authorisation assessment reveal near Apples computer business, as compargond to the leaders in the personalised computer sedulousness? Use the methodology in disconcert 4. to support your answer. Does it appear that the companionships competitive associations in personal media players and smartphones or bullockyer or weaker than its position in computers? 4. Does it put to work good strategic sense for Apple to be a contention in the computer, personal media player, smartphone, and tablet computer industries? ar the value chain activities that Apple performs in computers , personal media players, tablet computers and smartphones very similar and compatible or be there very important disaccordences from intersection to product?Which of the four products linescomputers, tablet computers, personal media players, or smartphonesdo you think is most important to Apples future growth and advantageousness? wherefore? 5. What is your assessment of Apple Computers pecuniary outcome the past three years? (Use the monetary ratios in Table 4. 1 on pages 94-96 of the school text as a result in doing your pecuniary analysis. ) 6. What recommendations would you make to allow Apple to strengthen its position in its most important markets? What steps should it deliberate to ensure that the iPad becomes a succeeder in the food market and a major contributor to the high societys overall performance?Googles Strategy in 2010* Assignment Questions 1. Discuss competition in the pursuit labor. Which of the five competitive forces seem strongest? weakest? Wh at is your assessment of overall industry attractiveness? 2. How is the search industry ever-changing? What forces seem most give c bely to bring about major change to the industry within the near three to five years? 3. What are the key factors that define success in the industry? What are the key competencies, capabilities, and alternatives of productive search engine companies? 4. draw Googles customer value roposition and profit traffic pattern linked to its business model. What strategies has Google relied upon to build competitive expediency in the industry? 5. Have Googles business model and strategy proven to be successful? Should investors be impressed with the companys financial performance? How does the companys financial performance compare to that of Microsoft and Yahoo? Please conduct a financial analysis to support your positionyou whitethorn wish to use the financial ratios presented in the Table 4. 1 of the text as a guide in doing your financial analysis of the company. . What are the companys key resources and competitive capabilities? What competitive liabilities and resource weaknesses does it buzz off? What opportunities exist? What threats to its continued success are present? 7. What recommendations would you make to Googles top- caution team to protract its competitive advantage in the search industry? How should it best capitalize on its strategic initiatives in mobile phones, cloud computing, emerging markets, and other ventures? southwestward Airlines in 2010 Culture, Values, and Operating Practices Assignment Questions . Is there anything that you find particularly impressive about southwesterly Airlines? 2. What grade would you give southwestward management for the job it has through with(p) in crafting the companys strategy? What is it that you give care or dislike about the strategy? Does southwestern have a winning strategy? 3. What are the key policies, procedures, operating practices, and core values key sou thwesterlys efforts to implement and execute its cheap/no frills strategy? 4. What are the key elements of Southwests stopping point? Is Southwest a strong culture company? Why or why not?What problems do you foresee that Gary Kelly has in sustaining the culture now that Herb Kelleher, the companys ghostly leader, has departed? 5. What grade would you give Southwest management for the job it has done in implementing and executing the companys strategy? Which of Southwests strategy execution approaches and operating practices do you believe have been most crucial in accounting for the success that Southwest has enjoyed in executing its strategy? argon the any policies, procedures, and operating approaches at Southwest that you pass up of or that are not working well? 6.What weaknesses or problems do you see at Southwest Airlines as of mid-2010? 7. Does the AirTran acquisition make good strategic sense for Southwest? 8. What strategic issues and problems do Gary Kelly and Southwes t executives need to address as they proceed to penny-pinching the deal with the AirTran acquisition and contemplate how best to fuse AirTrans operations and AirTrans employees into Southwest? 9. What recommendations would you make to Gary Kelly and Southwest executives as the company heads into 2011? Competition in Energy Drinks, Sports Drinks and Vitamin-Enhanced Beverages Assignment Questions 1.What are the strategically pertinent components of the global and U. S. beverage industry macro-environment? How do the frugal characteristics of the alternative beverage segment of the industry differ from that of other beverage categories? Explain. 2. What is competition like in the alternative beverage industry? Which of the five competitive forces is strongest? Which is weakest? What competitive forces seem to have the greatest effect on industry attractiveness and the potential profitability of new entrants? 3. How is the market for energy drinks, sports drinks and vitamin-enhance d beverages changing?What are the underlying drivers of change and how might those forces individually or collectively make the industry more or less attractive? 4. What does your strategic group map of the energy drink, sports drink, and vitamin-enhanced beverage industry look like? Which strategic groups do you think are in the best positions? The worst positions? 5. What key factors determine the success of alternative beverage producers? 6. What recommendations would you make to Coca-Cola to improve its battle in the global alternative beverage industry? to PepsiCo? to Red Bull GmbH?