Friday, November 29, 2019

The Stranger By Albert Camus Essays - Absurdist Fiction,

The Stranger by Albert Camus In The Stranger, Albert Camus portrays Meursault, the book's narrator and main character, as aloof, detached, and unemotional. He does not think much about events or their consequences, nor does he express much feeling in relationships or during emotional times. He displays an impassiveness throughout the book in his reactions to the people and events described in the book. After his mother's death he sheds no tears; seems to show no emotions. He displays limited feelings for his girlfriend, Marie Cardona, and shows no remorse at all for killing an Arab. His reactions to life and to people distances him from his emotions, positive or negative, and from intimate relationships with others, thus he is called by the book's title, "the stranger". While this behavior can be seen as a negative trait, there is a young woman who seems to want to have a relationship with Meursault and a neighbor who wants friendship. He seems content to be indifferent, possibly protected from pain by his indif ference. Meursault rarely shows any feeling when in situations which would, for most people, elicit strong emotions. Throughout the vigil, watching over his mother's dead body, and at her funeral, he never cries. He is, further, depicted enjoying a cup of coffee with milk during the vigil, and having a smoke with a caretaker at the nursing home in which his mother died. The following day, after his mother's funeral, he goes to the beach and meets a former colleague named Marie Cardona. They swim, go to a movie, and then spend the night together. Later in their relationship, Marie asks Meursault if he wants to marry her. He responds that it doesn't matter to him, and if she wants to get married, he would agree. She then asks him if he loves her. To that question he responds that he probably doesn't, and explains that marriage really isn't such a serious thing and doesn't require love. This reaction is fairly typical of Meursault as portrayed in the book. He appears to be casual and i ndifferent about life events. Nothing seems to be very significant to him. Later on in the book, after he kills an Arab, not once does he show any remorse or guilt for what he did. Did he really feel nothing? Camus seems to indicate that Meursault is almost oblivious and totally unruffled and untouched by events and people around him. He is unwilling to lie, during his trial, about killing the Arab. His reluctance to get involved in defending himself results in a verdict of death by guillotine. Had Meursault been engaged in his defense, explaining his actions, he might have been set free. Meursault's unresponsive behavior, distant from any apparent emotions, is probably reinforced by the despair which he sees open and feeling individuals experience. He observes, for example, Raymond cheated on and hurt by a girlfriend, and sees his other neighbor, Salamano, very depressed when he loses a dear companion, his dog. Meursault's responses are very different, he doesn't get depressed at d eath nor does he get emotionally involved. He appears to be totally apathetic. Thus, he seems to feel no pain and is protected from life's disappointments. Sometimes a person like Meursault can be appealing to others because he is so non-judgmental and uncritical, probably a result of indifference rather than sympathetic feelings. His limited involvement might attract some people because an end result of his distance is a sort of acceptance of others, thus he is not a threat to their egos. Raymond Sintes, a neighbor who is a pimp, seems to feel comfortable with Meursault. Sintes does not have to justify himself because Meursault doesn't comment on how Sintes makes money or how he chooses to live his life. Even though Meursault shows no strong emotions or deep affection, Marie, his girlfriend, is still attracted and interested in him. She is aware of, possibly even fascinated by, his indifference. Despite the seemingly negative qu

Monday, November 25, 2019

Waste Management individual coursework The WritePass Journal

Waste Management individual coursework Brief overview Waste Management individual coursework , p. 71). The management of waste through proper disposal or recycling is important in protecting the environment. Engineering has a great role in ensuring sustainable use of natural resources and environmental protection. Mechanical engineers are actively engaged with how the society uses natural resources. It discovers, designs, maintains, improves and repairs machineries like cars, airplanes and industrial equipment which human beings depend on for their daily lives (Wang Koh 2010, p. 49). In the future, mechanical engineering will deliver solutions that will sustain and protect the existence of man on the planet. There are two major ways in which engineering can help in mitigating the problem of waste management which are preventing waste in engineering and management of waste. The next section will look at the two methods, their advantages, disadvantages and cases where they have been used successfully. Waste prevention (Designing out waste in mechanical engineering) Green manufacturing is an emerging concept in engineering that aims to achieve sustainable development in the manufacturing industry. Dornfeld (2010, p. 56) defines green manufacturing as the creation of manufactured products that use processes that conserve energy and natural resources, are non-polluting and are economically safe and sound for users. There is an increasing need for mechanical engineers and engineering in general to innovate new ways of creating products that minimise waste of resources. Rynn (2010, p. 87) asserts that for mechanical engineering to be able to design products that are friendly to the environment, issues of sustainability should be part of all the decision making processes in engineering. This covers all the steps from product design to its end life and after that the needed efforts in regaining its value rather than disposal. The main objective for green manufacturing is to produce products that can be remanufactured, recycled or reused. As such green manufacturing process reduces the environmental impact of a manufacturing process than it was in the past. Green manufacturing systems include measures to reduce the volume of hazardous waste produced, change the energy mix to include the use of more renewable resources and cut down the volume of coolant consumed in the manufacturing process. The other measure that reduces waste of resources is lean manufacturing which has been successfully used by Toyota in its manufacturing plants. The lean manufacturing system as used by Toyota managed to reduce seven types of wastes in the company’s manufacturing process. Toyota reduced overproduction, inventory, transportation, motion, over processing, defects and waiting times (International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Green Manufacturing Li 2010, p. 77). Most of these wastes are related to the des ire to minimise the environmental impacts of the manufacturing process. For instance, a reduction in the waiting times saved company resources like lighting and air conditioning. Many machines used in the production process consume a lot of energy even when not processing any products. As such the idle time used for allowing the smooth flow of products wastes a lot of energy. The lean manufacturing processes, initiatives, strategies and techniques are advantageous in terms of reducing operational costs and also aim at boosting, restoring and significantly improving organisational competitiveness. Lean manufacturing reduces the manufacturing time by eliminating the wastes in the manufacturing process. A reduction in manufacturing time leads to a subsequent reduction in operational costs in the form of labour, energy and other utilities. In so doing, it helps organisations in retaining, maintaining and significantly increasing their revenues, widening their margins and generation of savings from lowering costs. Lean manufacturing helps companies in saving space which raises the levels of efficiency and savings. According to Davim (2013, p.64), lean manufacturing has a potential of increasing the productivity of a company by approximately 75% to 125%. This is because the elimination of wastes and any other unnecessary practices at the workplace assists the e mployees to work without distractions and in so doing maximise output. The elimination and reduction of waste in the production process helps the companies in increasing earnings and profits by reducing wasteful use of resources. In addition to this, the elimination of unnecessary tasks and job positions helps companies in reducing labour expenses and in return increase their earnings (Skrabec 2013, p. 33). Despite the aforementioned benefits that come with lean manufacturing, there are various barriers that prevent organisations from fully implementing it in their manufacturing processes. The capital cost requirements of emission control and waste management are extremely high with long payback period (Worrell Vesilind, 2012, p. 88). This makes it very difficult for most companies as this translates into higher product prices which would drive away potential customers. In other instances the capital input exceeds the direct economic gains thus frustrating the successful implementation of green manufacturing. The other barrier is that the manufacturing industry relies on certain technologies and processes that may cause undesirable effects but cannot be ignored like the volatile organic compound used in automotive manufacturing. Waste management (use of recycling and reuse) Waste management entails reducing the amount of waste that the manufacturing industry disposes on the environment (Kühnle 2010, p. 96). In reusing and recycling of waste products, the manufacturing industry reuses old or waste products to produce new products. Waste management reduces environmental pollution, energy usage, air pollution, water pollution and consumption of fresh raw materials by reducing the reliance on conventional waste disposal (Hesselbach Herrmann 2011, p. 54). The manufacturing firms should therefore aim at reducing waste at each and every phase of the production process. The first step is to identify the areas where waste is high in the manufacturing process and then find out what needs to be recycled using cost benefit analysis. Nikon has successfully managed to do this and is recycling its wastes to produce new products. Recycling of old products is important because it helps in environmental conservation. Reusing of resources relaxes the strain placed on natural resources which are increasingly getting depleted. The other advantage of recycling old products is that it reduces energy consumption (Shina 2008, p. 65). The manufacturing process uses large amounts of energy in processing the raw materials into finished products. Recycling helps the manufacturing companies in minimising energy consumption which is important for massive production like refining and mining. In addition to this, it also makes the production process effective in terms of cost which raises the margins for the manufacturers (Association for Manufacturing Excellence 2008, p. 162). Although product recycling is very beneficial to the manufacturers, there are some barriers that hamper the successful implementation of recycling old products in the manufacturing process. The first barrier is that the recycling process is not always cost effective because at times companies are forced to open up new factories thus raising their operational costs (Wang et al 2011, p. 22). A new factory by itself may even cause more pollution in terms of transportation, cleaning and storage. Other than operational challenges, the other major limitation of recycling is that the recycled products are not always as durable as the original products. Products made from trashed waste are cheap and less durable and may not generate sustainable revenue for organisations like other products. Key lessons learnt and how these can be used to improve the future Both lean manufacturing and waste reuse are important in reducing wastes that emanate from the manufacturing processes. Lean manufacturing should be used in eliminating wastages in the production process in order to ensure that organisations minimise operational costs. However, the findings reveal that both methods should be implemented in the manufacturing process in order to improve the waste management in mechanical engineering. Key conclusions and recommendations Waste management should be included in all the stages of the manufacturing process in order to ensure sustainability in engineering. Owing to the fact that the quality of recycled products is often lower than the other original products, it is recommendable to embrace lean manufacturing in order to ensure that wastages are eliminated in the production process. References Association for Manufacturing Excellence (U.S.) (2008). Green manufacturing: Case studies in lean and sustainability. New York: Productivity Press. Davim, J. P. (2013). Green manufacturing processes and systems. Heidelberg: Springer. Dornfeld, D. (2010). Green Manufacturing: Fundamentals and Applications. Berlin: Springer US. Hesselbach, J., Herrmann, C. (2011). Glocalized Solutions for Sustainability in Manufacturing: Proceedings of the 18th CIRP International Conference on Life Cycle Engineering, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany, May 2nd 4th, 2011. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg. International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Green Manufacturing, Li, S. (2010). Mechanical engineering and green manufacturing: Selected, peer reviewed papers from the International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Green Manufacturing (MEGM) 2010, November 19-22, 2010, in Xiangtan, China. Stafa-Zurich: TTP, Trans Tech Publications. Kühnle, H. (2010). Distributed manufacturing: Paradigm, concepts, solutions and examples. London: Springer. Rynn, J. (2010). Manufacturing green prosperity: The power to rebuild the American middle class. Santa Barbara, Calif: Praeger. Shina, S. G. (2008). Green electronics design and manufacturing: Implementing lead-free and RoHS-compliant global products. New York: McGraw-Hill. Skrabec, Q. R. (2013). The green vision of Henry Ford and George Washington Carver: Two collaborators in the cause of clean industry. New York: Productivity Press. Wang, L., Koh, S. C. L. (2010). Enterprise networks and logistics for agile manufacturing. London: Springer. Wang, L., Ng, A. H. C., Deb, K., SpringerLink (2011). Multi-objective evolutionary optimisation for product design and manufacturing. London: Springer. Worrell, W. A., Vesilind, P. A. (2012). Solid waste engineering. Australia: Cengage Learning.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management Essay

Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management - Essay Example Employee engagement can also be increased through rewarding them accordingly. When they reward their employees, employees feel motivated to work and put in their best efforts. HR is now not only responsible for hiring and firing and compensating the employees, but it also plays an active part in the employee development and trains them after conducting the training need analysis. HR also now conducts training evaluation so as to ensure that the training has proved to be effective or not. A: Resourcing an Organisation â€Å"Does knowledge of HRM help small and medium sized enterprises (SME) ensure they recruit and select employees who can contribute to maximizing the competitive performance of a business?† Today, the technological edge that the companies earlier used to have over each other in terms of the technology employed is now a thing of past. It is next to impossible now for the companies to try to gain advantage over their competitors by simply innovating. Yes, we canno t deny the fact that innovation is the key to better profits but hiring the right kind of employee is very important. Today firms are looking to create better profits by hiring an efficient and effective workforce. An efficient and effective workforce helps the firms realize better profits and better position in the markets if they have the right kind of employees. Earlier there was a trend in which the organizations hired employees that they felt fit the organization, but now the current trend in hiring, is to hire the person who is fit for the job, and possesses the core competencies that are required for the job. If the company has a proper knowledge about the hiring strategies and methods that the company can save a lot of costs by hiring the right people the first time the hiring starts. If a company fails to realize their real requirements and simply by gaining the bird’s eye view of the job they hire someone, the person will not necessarily be able to perform tasks acc ording the job description and will surely fail to produce the desired results. When this happens, then the company will go on look for another employee that can fit the organization. Hiring is the process that costs companies a lot, and a small business is already running on small profit margins, but if they have to spend on hiring again and again then they will end up having a negative cash flow. Having the right kind of people who fit the ideology of the company and have the right skills and competencies are really important as they will help the company gain profits. Another problem that is faced by organizations generally is that they hire on the basis of skills alone. A candidate must possess the soft skills as well as the technical skills to survive in the organization and work the right way. Companies’ whether the small businesses or the large ones are looking to hire people who are have the social fit for their organizations as firms are looking to create edge over e ach other through the human workforce that they have. If the firm possesses the knowledge about HR, then they can motivate their workforce in the right way. A motivated workforce helps to create results. The small business already possesses a very small workforce, and if that workforce is a de- motivated one then there are chances that the organization will not be able to achieve their targets. It is a general consideration that if a

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Comparative Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparative Culture - Essay Example As Corrigan et al. (2003) suggest, one of the founding principles of this Constitution is that there will be no official state religion. The first amendment to the Constitution clearly states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . . ". Thus there is no official "American" religion, nor can the practice of any religion be banned. While more than 80% of the American population profess to be Christian, there are literally hundreds of religions practices freely in America (Corrigan, 2003). While many Americans accept religious belief as a guiding precept within their lives there is, in general, a great deal of tolerance regarding the practice of opposing beliefs. America was in part founded and populated by successive groups of people who were escaping religious persecution in their home countries, and thus tolerance is ingrained within even the most devout believers of one faith or another (Shea, 2003). In contrast, more than 95% of Iraqis are Muslim. This figure alone might suggest that religion could be used as a unifying force within a country that appears on the surface to be hopelessly fragmented. Unfortunately this is not the case. Iraq is divided between three different religious blocs: the Sunni, the Shia and the Kurds. For many years the mutual antipathy between these three groups was kept essentially frozen by the dictatorial, brutal regime of Sadaam Hussein. This situation has changed with the American invasion of Iraq and the subsequent fragmentation of the country into rival factions, often based upon religion. Thus many Iraqis feel more allegiance to their religious group than they do to the country of Iraq. They feel Sunni, Shia or Kurd in a deeper way than they identify themselves as Iraqi. The Sunni were in the minority, but were privileged with this Hussein regime as he was a Sunni. The Sunni now find themselves virtually powerless (Algar, 2004). The Shia enjoy a majority position as far as numbers and have a number of charismatic religious leaders, but they are torn by internal strife. Thus many Iraqis essentially want a secular society based upon some version of Western democracy, while the more theocratic elements in all three of the major groups would like to see a theocracy built up. In many ways religion in Iraq is presently being used, both intentionally and unintentionally, as a catalyst for violence. Al Quaida deliberately uses its supposed fight for Muslim values against the West as a potent recruiting tool for new fighters. Both Sunni and Shia forces have killed one another in the name of defending their own particular brand of Islam. The Kurds seek independence at least partially based upon religious difference. To conclude, religion is an important aspect of life in both America and Iraq. But because the one is a stable, powerful country and the other one a region essentially on the brink of civil war, the comparison ends there. __________________________________________ Works Cited Algar, Hamid. Religion and Politics in Iraq: Shiite Clerics Between Quietism and Resiustance. Pustaka, New York: 2004. Corrigan, John. Hudson, Winthrop. Religion in America. Prentice-Hall, New

Monday, November 18, 2019

Introduction&background part of three museums Essay

Introduction&background part of three museums - Essay Example regarded as a full permanent, Hirshorn operates on seasonal hours with the museum opening from 10am-5:30pm, the plaza opening from 7:30am-5:30pm, and the Garden operating from 7:30am to dusk. An international modern and contemporary art and culture center, Hirshorn’s target market includes sculpture enthusiasts, art students, and artists. Although primarily funded by the federal government, Joseph Hirshorn contributed $1 million to the Smithsonian Institution and the money was channeled towards the construction of the Hirshorn building. The museum does not charge any admission fee. Despite being located close to Smithsonian metro and National mall, the museum’s accessibility can be termed as poor as it has no parking facility while street parking outside the museum is limited (Hirshorn, 2014). The Smithsonian American Art is a museum owned by Smithsonian Institution and that features permanent collections including 19th century African American and Latin art works. The museum prides as the first federal art collection and includes a collection that captures the aspirations, character, and imagination of the American people. The museum’s collection is presented in six collections that include among others the ‘American experience’ and the ‘American art through 1940’ (Altshuler, 2007). The museum’s target market includes DC students, local artists, and families that visit the center. Funding for the museum was mainly from the Smithsonian trust funds obtained from both private sources and Smithsonian Enterprise. The museum is highly accessible with well-labeled elevators and stairs and adequate benches. Additionally, availability of enough research and street parking space coupled with close proximity to Metro Center and Gallery Place Metros makes it possible for the museum to accommodate large numbers of visitors. Similar to Hirshorn, admission to Smithsonian American Art is free (Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2014). Phillips Collection is a

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The key steps of the implantation

The key steps of the implantation IMPLANTATION The life journey of a conceptus consists of many stages right from the point of conception to the point of birth which is one of natures wonders. However, an essential stage in this journey is the process of implantation. Implantation is generally defined as an event in which an embryo becomes progressively attached to the wall of the uterus during early pregnancy. This process is pivotal to the events that occur later in pregnancy. According to Makrigiannakis (2005), implantation is an active process in which a blastocyst apposes, attaches and progressively invades into the endometrium to establish the placenta (Figure 5). From this definition, we can deduce that the embryo undergoes the process of implantation at the blastocyst stage (Figure 1). Implantation is a process that occurs in mammals and it takes places in the endometrial lining of the uterus. IMPORTANCE OF IMPLANTATION Implantation is a key event in the reproductive physiology of mammals as it is a pre-requisite for further embryonic development. It is the first stage in the process of placental formation which is in turn is a crucial component of fetal development as it serves as a medium for nutrient absorption, gaseous exchange and waste disposal. Physiological defects in humans and other mammals have gone further to emphasize the importance of the implantation process. Implantation defects have been associated with non-chromosomal early pregnancy loss and infertility (Makrigiannakis, 2005). Many complications that show up late in pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia and preterm labour appear to have originated early in pregnancy with abnormalities in the process of implantation and placental development (Norwitz, 2006). Another implantation defect is a phenomenon known as ectopic pregnancy. In this case, the blastocyst implants outside the uterine cavity usually in the fallopian tubes although ectop ic implantation could also occur in the cervix, abdomen and ovaries. A good understanding of the steps involved in the process of implantation and the factors controlling these steps are necessary in order to be able to influence clinical outcomes in humans such as reduction of recurrent miscarriages and improvement of implantation rates in both natural and assisted reproduction. This will also be beneficial to the use of animals in the area of research and agriculture. A greater detail of the events that take place before and during the process implantation shall be discussed herein. PRE-IMPLANTATION DEVELOPMENT The developmental events that take place between the fertilization of the ovum and the implantation of the blastocyst are important in order to understand the process of implantation. Following fertilization, a process known as cleavage occurs (Figure 1). Cleavage is the mitotic division of the cells of the resulting embryo without any growth. This starts from the time the embryo is at the 2-cell stage and each cell continues to divide up to the morula stage. At this point the embryo is a solid ball of 16 or more cells. In humans, this stage is normally observed at about 4 days after fertilization. In continuation of development, the morula undergoes a process known as compaction. Here, the embryonic cells begin to change shape and gap junctions start to form between adjacent cells. The inner cells of the embryo then start to differentiate from the outer cells as different genes are being expressed in the inner and the outer cells. Blastocyst formation follows shortly after and the i nner cells give rise to the inner cell mass whilst the outer cells give rise to the trophoblast cells (Figure 1). A vast knowledge of the structure of the blastocyst is important as each of its structural components play an important role in the process of implantation. The inner cell mass of a blastocyst gives rise to the embryo proper while the trophoblast gives rise to the fetal component of the placenta (Schoenwolf et al., 2009). The process of implantation is generally known to take place a few days after fertilization and the uterine wall is ready to accept the implanting blastocyst during a limited period of time outside of which it may not optimally support the implantation of the embryo. This period of time is known as the ‘window of implantation (Psychoyos et al., 1995; Klentzeris, 1997). THE BLASTOCYST AND THE UTERUS BEFORE IMPLANTATION In the build up to the implantation process following pre-implantation development, there are a number of necessary events that take place. First of all, there has to be a receptive and hormonally primed uterus present. The uterus is composed of 3 layers namely the endometrium, perimetrium and myometrium (Figure 2). The endometrium which is the most important uterine tissue involved in implantation consists of the luminal epithelium, the stroma and the germinal basalis (Yoon et al., 2004). The hormone progesterone, which is secreted by the corpus luteum, is actively involved here as it makes the already thickened endometrial lining of the uterus more favourable for the implantation of the blastocyst. The thickening of the endometrium is due to the effect of estrogens (Norwitz, 2006). The blastocyst is then transported to the uterus via signalling mechanisms and arrives there at about 5 to 7 days after fertilization (Bischof and Campana, 1996). After the blastocyst arrives in the uter us, it begins to move towards the endometrium with the inner cell mass positioned towards the endometrial lining (Bischof and Campana, 1996). Before any further interaction with the endometrium, the blastocyst must undergo a process known as hatching. This simply involves the blastocyst boring a hole through the zona pellucida with the aid of enzymes and squeezing out. It is a general school of thought that serine proteases are responsible for this process although the mechanisms behind its action are not clearly understood (OSullivan et al., 2002). After hatching, the blastocyst is naked of all its original investments and can interact directly with the endometrium (Schoenwolf et al., 2009). At this time, blastocystis also known to secrete moleculesthat affect the activity of the ovary, fallopian tube and the endometrium (Norwitz, 2006). Shortly before the blastocyst comes in contact with the endometrium, thetrophoblastdifferentiates intotwo different cell masses, which are the inn er cytotrophoblast and the outer syncytiotrophoblast which is formed as a result of the fusion of cytotrophoblast cells. PATTERNS OF IMPLANTATION There are three known patterns of implantation which are centric, eccentric and interstitial (Wimsatt, 1975). Centric implantation occurs when the embryo expands and increases in size before implantation, then stays in the centre of the uterus (Lee and DeMayo, 2004). Examples of animals that undergo this pattern of implantation include rabbits, dogs, cows, pigs, sheep, horses and a number of marsupials. Eccentric implantation occurs when the embryo is small in size and implants inside the endometrium usually taking place on the side of the uterus, opposite to the mesometrium (Lee and DeMayo, 2004). Examples of animals that show this pattern of implantation include rats, mice and hamsters. In Interstitial implantation, the embryo is also small and it invades through the endometrial epithelium into the subepithelial connective tissue (Lee and DeMayo, 2004). Examples of animals under this category include guinea pigs and humans (Wimsatt, 1975). KEY STEPS OF THE IMPLANTATION PROCESS There are three key steps in the process implantation namely apposition, attachment and invasion. Apposition This is the first major step of the implantation process following the hatching of the blastocyst. During apposition, the blastocyst comes in slight contact forming a weak bond with the uterine luminal epithelium. Microvilli on the apical surface of the cytotrophoblasts interlock with microprotrusions called pinopodes (Figure 3) which are present on the apical surface of the endometrial epithelium (Norwitz et al., 2001). This interaction involves changes in the expression of cell adhesion molecules and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins (Nagaoka et al., 2003). Pinopodes are progesterone-dependent organelles, and they have been suggested to be indicators of endometrial receptivity (Nikas, 1999). In humans, they are usually visible on days 20-21 of the menstrual cycle prior to the time of implantation (Nikas, 1999). They could facilitate implantation by preventing the blastocyst from being swept away by uterine cilia (Stavreus-Evers, 2005). It has been identified that high molecular w eight mucin glycoproteins particularly MUC1, are dominant inhibitors of embryo apposition and attachment (Thathiah and Carson, 2002). However, a decrease in the expression of MUC1 at the time of implantation could facilitate blastocyst apposition (Thathiah and Carson, 2002). During apposition, soluble mediators such as chemokines e.g. CX3CL1, CCL7, CCL14 and CCL4 have been found to establish a dialogue between the maternal cells and those of the blastocyst (Hannan and Salamonsen, 2007). Chemokines are a large family of chemotactic cytokines, well known for their functions in leucocyte recruitment and activation (Dominguez et al., 2003). They have a wide range of functions and have been implicated to play a role in implantation (Dominguez et al., 2003). Chemokines have been localized in areas of inflammation and they are suggested to be potential mediators of inflammation (Feng, 2000). This could be the reason why blastocysts tend to implant on scar tissue from caesarean sections which is an area of inflammation (Dominguez et al., 2005). The dialogue between the maternal and blastocyst cells has important influences on the development of the implanting blastocyst and maintenance of endometrial receptivity (Hannan and Salamonsen, 2007). It also results in the expression of a unique array of adhesion molecules on the surface of both fetal and maternal cells, promoting the attachment of the trophoblast cells to the endometrial epithelium (Hannan and Salamonsen, 2007). Attachment Following apposition, the next step in the process of implantation is known as attachment or adhesion. This is characterized by increased physical contact between the blastocyst and the uterine epithelium (Norwitz et al., 2001). At this point the blastocyst can no longer be dislodged. A ligand carbohydrate known as trophinin has been identified as an adhesion molecule that mediates the initial step of attachment of the blastocyst to the endometrial epithelium (Fukuda and Sugihara, 2008). Trophinin mediates cell adhesion by homophilic Trophinin-Trophinin binding (Fukuda and Sugihara, 2008). A carbohydrate-binding protein known as L-selectin which is expressed in the blastocyst, has also been discovered to play a role in human embryo attachment (Genbacev et al., 2003). Interaction between L-selectin on the blastocyst and L-selectin ligands on the endometrial surface allows for loose attachment and rolling of blastocyst to its implantation site ((Fukuda and Sugihara, 2008). The human Ch orionic Gonadotrophin (HCG) produced by the blastocyst up regulates trophinin expression on pinopodes and down regulates MUC1 expression (Fukuda and Sugihara, 2008). The blastocyst then adheres to the pinopodes by trophinin-trophinin interaction (Figure 4). A substance known as Heparin Binding Epidermal Growth Factor (HB EGF) has also been implicated in blastocyst attachment (Lim and Dey, 2008). This growth factor is expressed by the endometrium whilst its receptors are present on the blastocyst. This interaction also helps in facilitating the attachment of the blastocyst. Figure 4: Proposed role of L-selectin and trophinin in human embryo implantation. Source: Fukuda and Sugihara, 2008. (a) A human blastocyst entering the uterine cavity is prevented from attaching to the endometrial epithelia by MUC1, except for epithelia that express the L-selectin ligand (T). The human blastocyst expresses L-selectin (L), and ‘rolls on the surface of the endometrium covered by glycocalyx. (b) The blastocyst feebly interacts with the glycocalyx. Here, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) which is secreted from the blastocyst, acts locally on endometrial epithelia to induce trophinin expression. (c) Trophinin expressed by endometrial epithelia is enriched in the pinopodes, the structure extended above the glycocalyx. MUC1, which carries the L-selectin ligand, is down-regulated from the endometrial epithelia underneath the blastocyst, allowing direct contact and attachment of blastocyst trophectoderm cells and pinopodes via trophinin-trophinin binding. Invasion The next step which is critical to the implantation of the blastocyst is known as invasion. As the term implies, this involves the infiltration of the endometrium by the cytotrophoblast cells of the blastocyst. This starts with the progression of the trophoblast cells between the adjacent endometrial epithelial cells to reach the underlying basement membrane. This membrane is destroyed, allowing the trophoblast cells to reach the stromal compartment (Bischof and Campana, 1996). The syncytiotrophoblast undergoes proliferation and invades the endometrial stroma. The progressive invasion of the blastocyst into the endometrium continues until the blastocyst is completely embedded in subepithelial stromal tissue and the uterine epithelium grows to cover the implantation site (Norwitz, 2006). The syncytiotrophoblast cells continue to develop quickly and surround the blastocyst until it has completely embedded itself in the endometrial stroma. In the syncytiotrophoblast, fluid-filled spaces known as lacunae are formed as a result of the fusion of syncytiotrophoblast cells. The lacunae are separated by trabeculae and they transform the syncytiotrophoblast into a sponge-like material (Bischof and Campana, 1996). The trabeculae are arranged radially, and cytotrophoblastic cells divide within the trabeculae, leading to the formation of primary chorionic villi (Bischof and Campana, 1996). Following this event, the primary villi grow and branch into secondary and tertiary villi (Bischof and Campana, 1996). This process is known as placentation. A wide range of factors e.g. cytokines, integrins, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), Leukaemia Inhibiting Factor (LIF) e.t.c have been found to play a role in the invasion process (Makrigiannakis, 2005; Norwitz, 2006). The role of these c omponents in the process of implantation shall be discussed shortly under the factors that regulate implantation. Figure 5: Implantation of the human blastocyst step by step. Source: Bischof and Campana, 1996. (1): Transport. The blastocyst arrives in the uterus after fertilization. (2) Orientation: The inner cell mass is positioned towards the endometrial lining. (3) Hatching: The zona pellucida is perforated making way for the release of the blastocyst. (4) Apposition: The blastocyst is now in close contact with the endometrial lining but no connections have been established. (5) Adhesion: Connections are established between the embryo and the endometrial epithelium. (6) Invasion: Thin folds of trophectodermal cells intrude between the endometrial epithelial cells. (7) Syncytialization: Some trophectodermal cells fuse to form syncytia which proliferate and invade the endometrial stroma. (8) Villous formation: The cytotrophoblastic cells migrate between the syncytia followed by the fetal stroma. This will lead to the formation of the placental villi. The cells of the endometrial stroma react to the presence of the blastocyst and the secretion of progesterone by differentiating into metabolically active, secretory cells called decidual cells (Schoenwolf et al., 2009). This response is known as the decidual reaction or decidualization. In humans, this begins in the secretory phase of the menstrual cycle. The decidua is also known as the maternal portion of the placenta (Gilbert, 2006) and it is believed to provide an element of control of trophoblast invasion during implantation (Loke and King, 1995). The decidualized stroma cells have been found to secrete prolactin and Insulin-like Growth Factor Binding Protein-1(IGFBPI) which are held to function in complex gene networks that function in the regulation of trophoblast invasion as well as many other endocrine and paracrine factors (Bazer et al., 2010). This regulatory function is required for the optimal implantation of the blastocyst as the invasion of the cytotrophoblast to the proper depth is a major factor in determining pregnancy outcome (Norwitz, 2006). Excessive invasion resulting from the inability of the decidua to control the invading cytotrophoblast cells could lead to an unusually strong attachment of the placenta to the myometrium (placenta accreta), extension into the myometrium (placenta increta), or invasion through the myometrium into adjacent organs also known as placenta percreta (Norwitz, 2006). Insufficient cytotrophoblast invasion has also been associated with pre-eclampsia (Lyall, 2006; Lee et al., 2010) which is a medical complication that presents itself late in pregnancy. During implantation, a process known as angiogenesis has been identified to be important (Sherer and Abulafia, 2001). Angiogenesis is the growth of new capillaries from pre-existing blood vessels. In this case, it occurs in the endometrium and takes place throughout the implantation period. Endometrial angiogenesis starts with the degradation of the capillary vessel membrane, creating a means through which migrating endothelial cells proliferate to create a new lumen and further vessel maturation (Sherer and Abulafia, 2001). This vascularization functions to maintain endometrial structure and receptivity. Angiogenesis is known to be mediated by some factors present in the endometrium such as fibroblast growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet activating factors (Norwitz 2006; Sherer and Abulafia, 2001). FACTORS THAT REGULATE IMPLANTATION The regulation of implantation and early development is dependent on a wide range of factors. Although the molecular and cellular mechanisms behind implantation are not well understood, it is apparent that multiple factors (including maternal and fetal) are needed to synchronize blastocyst maturation and uterine receptivity up to the point of initiation of implantation and through the process of implantation (Norwitz, 2006). A closer look will now be taken at some of the important factors associated with implantation and early pregnancy maintenance. Maternal factors Starting with the uterine (maternal) side, there are a lot of components to consider. Cytokines and growth factors have been shown by different studies to be important to the maternal role in implantation. These include interleukin-1 (Sheth et al., 1991; Simon et al., 1996; Stewart and Cullinan, 1997; Huang et al., 1998), Interleukin-2 (Stewart and Cullinan, 1997), Insulin-like growth factor I and II (Stewart and Cullinan, 1997; Giudice and Irwin, 1999), transforming growth factor a and (Slowey et al., 1994; Stewart and Cullinan, 1997; Godkin and Dore, 1998), vascular endothelial growth factor (Athanassiades et al., 1998) and leukemia inhibitory factor (Cullinan et al., 1996; Stewart and Cullinan, 1997). The mode of function of the leukemia inhibitory factor is not well understood but has been established as a critical factor in the process of implantation (Stewart et al., 1992; Cheng et al. 2002). These cytokines and growth factors all work towards facilitating the communication bet ween the blastocyst and the uterus whilst promoting endometrial proliferation and differentiation (Norwitz, 2006). They have also been found to regulate endometrial angiogenesis and vascular permeability (Norwitz, 2006). As mentioned earlier, some steroid hormones such as Progesterone (Peyron et al., 1993) and Oestradiol-17 (Miller, 1988) have also been found to be important. They function in the proliferation of uterine epithelial cells and endometrial stromal cells (Norwitz, 2006). Some changes in the uterine luminal epithelium such as the expression of pinopodes (Nikas, 1999) and MUC 1 (Thathiah and Carson, 2002) have been suggested to be important for blastocyst recognition and attachment. Transcription factors such as the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-s (Lim et al., 1999; Barak et al., 1999) have been identified to function in defining the molecular mechanisms by which the regulatory factors exert their effects at a cellular level (Norwitz, 2006). Studies have shown the relevance of some other components such as homeobox genes Hoxa-10 and 11 which have been found to regulate the responsiveness of stromal cells to progesterone (Benson et al., 1996; Taylor et al., 1997; Lim et al., 19 99), Cyclooxy-genase-2 which regulates prostaglandin production (Norwitz and Wilson 2000) and oxygen tension (Genbacev et al., 1997) which has been found to promote trophoblast vascular mimicry by initiating integrin expression. Also, proteins such as Rac1 and RhoA which are found in stromal cells have been implicated in trophoblast invasion (Grewal et al., 2008). Fetal factors Evaluations of the blastocyst (fetal) factors also reveal that present here, are some of the groups of factors present on the maternal side of implantation as they possess some overlapping functions. Cytokines and growth factors, in addition to facilitating communication between the blastocyst and uterus, could also enhance trophoblast differentiation and invasion. These include Interleukin-1, Interleukin-6 (Stewart and Cullinan, 1997), leukemia inhibiting factor, transforming growth factor a and , insulin-like growth factor II and colony stimulating factor-1 (Stewart and Cullinan, 1997, Cohen et al., 1997). Some trophoblast proteinases and inhibitors such as the matrix metalloproteinases (Makrigiannakis, 2005) and cathepsin B and L (Afonso et al., 1997) have also been found to regulate trophoblast invasion. The expression of some adhesion molecules e.g. integrins have been identified in the enhancement of trophoblast invasion. Some of them include integrin a64, integrin a11 and E-ca dherin (Lessey, 1998; Lessey and Arnold, 1998; Damsky and Fisher, 1998). Some other important factors include prostaglandin E2 which aids the process of endometrial apoptosis and platelet-activating factor which stimulates uterine prostaglandin production (Norwitz, 2006). Immunological factors The immunological interactions between the blastocyst and the uterine decidua are essential in the regulation of the implantation process. Implantation is of immunological significance because the blastocyst contains half of its paternal genes hence it is immunologically foreign to its mother. Despite this fact, blastocyst implantation still turns out to be a successful process and the blastocyst is not rejected by the maternal immune system during normal implantation. This is down to the action of immunological factors. These factors are a combination of elements expressed by both the blastocyst and the uterus and they act together to ensure fetal survival. On the maternal side such factors include Interleukin-10 (Roth et al., 1996; Roth and fisher, 1999) which plays an important role in immunosuppression thus reducing the activity of the maternal immune system against the foetus (Norwitz, 2006). Another factor is 2, 3-dioxygenase (Kamimura et al., 1991; Munn et al., 1998) which has been found to be responsible for macrophage action during implantation (Norwitz, 2006). Uterine natural killer cells found in the stroma also play a role here as they produce cytokine, chemokines and angiogenic factors which all promote and regulate trophoblast invasion (King and Loke, 1997). On the fetal side, factors such as histocompatibility antigen, class I, G (HLA-G) have been found to be involved in preventing the maternal immune rejection of the semi-allogenic foetus (Lanier, 1999; Norwitz, 2006). Coordination of the regulatory factors within the window of implantation The window of implantation as defined earlier is characterized by the perfect synchrony of all the components that play a role in the implantation process. These include the endometrium, the blastocyst and the factors regulating the process of implantation. Figure 6 below illustrates how all these factors are coordinated during the implantation window. This shows that within the window of implantation, the endometrium is highly influenced by steroid hormones (oestrogen and progesterone) and the interaction between the blastocyst and the endometrium is as a result of stage-specific actions of different implantation factors. Figure 6: Events that take place within the implantation window. Source: Achache and Revel, 2006 (A) Endometrium proliferates under the enhancement of estrogen. (B) Progesterone from follicles that have been luteinized leads to endometrial differentiation. (C) The blastocyst makes its way to the uterus via the ostia and rolls freely over the endometrium with the aid of L-selectin signals. (D) MUC-1 repels the blastocyst and prevents it from adhering to areas on the endometrium with poor chances of implantation. (E) Cytokines and chemokines attract the blastocyst to the optimal implantation spot. (F) Adhesion molecules (e.g. integrins and cadherins) attach the blastocyst firmly to the endometrial pinopodes to ensure successful implantation. The functions of all the factors mentioned earlier further emphasize the importance of these components to the process of implantation. A lot of studies have also been carried out on some of these molecules to further establish their importance. A notable one amongst these molecules is the leukemia inhibitory factor. As mentioned earlier, this molecule has been identified to be critical to the process of implantation. Studies revealed that implantation did not occur in female transgenic mice that were homozygous for the deficiency of the gene responsible for the leukemia inhibitory factor (Aghajanova, 2004). It was further proven that the lack of implantation was not caused by faults in the embryo because the implantation of the same embryos occurred when they were transferred to pseudopregnant recipients. The addition of exogenous LIF to the females with this defective gene throughout the period of normal implantation restored implantation sites and allowed proper attachments of the blastocysts (Aghajanova, 2004). LIF and LIF mRNA has also been shown to be expressed throughout the menstrual cycle of women with proven fertility (Arici et al., 1995; Charnock-Jones et al., 1994). This was associated with peaks in the mid and late secretory phase, and in early pregnancy (Aghajanova, 2004). Leukemia inhibitory factor has also been found to be present in uterine flushings within the implantation window in fertile women. This characterized by gradually increasing concentrations from 7 days to 12 days after the LH surge (Laird et al., 1997). In future, the evidence and information obtained from similar studies may be applied clinically through a well regimented administration of LIF in a pharmaceutical form to improve implantation rates in both natural and assisted reproduction. IMPLANTATION AND ASSISTED REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGY (ART) Successful pregnancy outcomes from assisted reproductive techniques such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) have largely depended on the process of implantation. The advances in ART techniques have not had a significant effect on implantation rates (Donaghay and Lessey, 2007) hence a lot of measures have been taken by ART units over the years in an attempt to optimize implantation rates. Assisted hatching (Cohen, 1991) is a well known procedure carried out in this regard. This involves the manual perforation of a blastocysts zona pellucida in order to separate the blastocyst from the zona pellucida just as it would have occurred during natural hatching. This may increase implantation and pregnancy rates in IVF cycles (Chao et al., 1997). The function of regulatory factors in the process of implantation indicates that a number of biomarkers can be adapted from these to determine the ideal period of endometrial receptivity which can be traced and monitored during IVF cycles (Haouzi et al. , 2009). These may include the detection and monitoring of some of the molecules and steroid hormones involved in implantation by making use of samples obtained from IVF treatment cycles such as follicular fluids and embryo culture supernatants. Fluorescent markers can also be used to highlight proteins and any other key component in the blastocyst involved in implantation. Continuous studies are being performed with the aim of discovering techniques that would improve implantation rates during ART treatments. CONCLUSION Over the years, the research carried out on implantation and the factors that control implantation has been done making use of mostly animal models with the exception of some that have employed the use of in vitro human systems. The use of animals in the study of implantation has many benefits as many factors and regulatory mechanisms are being discovered. However, it is difficult to precisely extrapolate results obtained from animal data into human cases. This is one of the problems being encountered by implantation studies as the difficulty and ethical significance associated with research using humans make scientists resort to the use of animal models. The process of implantation occurs with the uterus and the blastocyst in synchrony. It has been clearly shown that a lot of factors are responsible but the complete framework of the regulation of implantation has not yet been understood. With continuous research and more human-based studies, a better understanding of the process and regulation of implantation may be achieved in the future. REFERENCES Achache, H. and Revel, A., 2006. Endometrial receptivity markers, the journey to successful embryo implantation. Hum. Reprod. Update. 12(6), 731-746. Afonso, S., Romagnano, L. and Babiarz, B., 1997. The expression and function of cystatin C and cathepsin B and cathepsin L during mouse embryo implantation and placentation. Development. 124, 3415-3425. Aghajanova, L., 2004. Leukemia inhibitory factor and human embryo implantation. Ann. NY. Acad. Sci.1034, 176-183. Arici, A., Engin, O., Attar, E. And Olive, D.L., 1995. Modulation of leukaemia inhibitory factor gene expression and protein biosynthesis in human endometrium. J. Clin. Endocr. Metab. 80, 1908-1915 Athanassiades, A., Hamilton, G.S., Lala, P.K., 1998. Vascular endothelial growth factor stimulates proliferation but not migration or invasiveness in human extravillous trophoblast. Biol. Reprod. 59, 643-654. Barak, Y., Nelson, M.C., Ong, E.S. et al., 1999. PPAR gamma is required for placental, cardiac, and adipose tissue development. Molecular Cell 4, 585-595. Bazer, F.W., Wu, G., Spencer, T.E., Johnson, G.A., Burghardt, R.C. and Bayless, K., 2010. Novel pathways for implantation and establishment and maintenance of pregnancy in mammals. Mol. Hum. Reprod 16(3), 135-152. Benson, G.V., Lim, H., Paria, B.C. et al., 1996. Mechanisms of reduced fertility in Hoxa-10 mutant mice: uterine homeostasis and loss of maternal Hoxa-10 expression. Development. 122, 2687-2696. Bischof, P. and Campana, A., 1996. A model for implantation of the human blastocyst and early placentation. Hum. Reprod. Update. 2(3), 262-270. Chao, K., Wu, M., Chen, S., Yang, Y., Chen, H. and Ho, H., 1997. Assisted hatching increases the implantation and pregnancy rate of in vitro fertilization (IVF)-embryo transfer (ET), but not that of IVF-tubal ET in patients with repeated IVF failures. Fertil. Steril. 67(5), 904-908 Charnock-Jones, D.S., Sharkey, A.M., Fenwick, P. and Smith, S.K., 1994. Leukemia inhibitory factor mRNA concentration peaks in human endometrium at the time of implantation and the blastocyst contains mRNA for the rec

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Solutions to Computer Viruses :: Computer Viruses Software Technology Essays

Solutions to Computer Viruses Table Of Contents I Intro II Computer Virus Components a.Worms b.Trojan horses c.Logic bombs III   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Types of Viruses a.Boot sector virus b.File virus c.Macro virus d.Multipartite virus e.Polymorphic virus f.Stealth virus IV How Viruses Work a.Virus introduced to system b.Trojan activated c.Logic bomb activated d.Destructive part of virus activated V Most Common Viruses a.Jerusalem virus b.Cascade virus c.Brain virus d.Italian virus e.New Zealand virus VI Macro Virus a.What are they? b.How do they work VII How to Avoid Viruses a.Removing floppies from drive b.Don’t use pirated software c.Backup data d.Run virus check program periodically VIII Anti-virus Software a.Why would you use? b.Virus Scanner c.Types of Anti-virus software In this growing technological world, there is a dependency on computer systems. With the wide spread use of computer systems comes the threat of short programs that damage the system and other programs on that system. These short programs are called computer viruses. There are many computer viruses out there to infect unsuspecting system and programs. Along with these threats of infection comes the opportunity to eradicate these viruses before they infect systems. There are programs called anti-virus protection to help find and fix problems before they damage computer systems (Encyclopedia.com). Computer Virus and Components A computer virus can be defined as a rogue computer program, usually short in nature, designed to spread copies of itself to other computers and disrupt the computers’ normal operation. These viruses usually attach or insert themselves in or to a program or boot sector of a disk. It is spread through floppy disk, network, or routine on-line services. There are some viruses that are harmless, but others can destroy or corrupt data and cause an operating system or application program to malfunction. The three most common types of destructive computer programs are the Trojan horse, logic bombs, and the worm. â€Å"A virus is considered to be a worm with a logic bomb or Trojan horse component† (PC Upgrade). Worms are programs that copy themselves. They create images of themselves in a file or a certain part of a disk. The main reason for including a worm component in a virus is to spread the virus via floppy dick. Now everytime you format a disk or copy a disc, the worm now infects you floppy disk. The Trojan horse is a program hidden inside another useful looking program. When the useful program is running the Trojan horse is doing something like erasing your Fat and directory. The last of this triangle is the bomb. The bomb is a piece of code embedded in a program or the operating system that waits for a particular event to occur.

Monday, November 11, 2019

The Death Penalty Is an Outdated Form of Punishment

The Death Penalty is an Outdated Form of Punishment The protective authority is becoming cleverer to stopping crimes and is still increasing for the past years. With the punishment of the death penalty crimes have not been decreasing. In fact the crime in the United States are 5 times more than Australia and Britain. The death penalty is an outdated form of punishment and should be abolished because it is cruel and unusual. With the death penalty enacted criminals have been killed for their crimes but cost 4 times more than have them as life in prison without parole.Some cases have happened where the â€Å"criminal† has been executed and soon with DNA was declared innocent. Life in prison also guarantees no future crimes, some religions go against the death penalty. Some people state that killing is wrong, and it breaks the international human rights which is the right to life. In society it is not practiced as much, the trail is not a fair manner. Some criminals that are conv icted with murder don’t have good lawyers to protect them from the penalty. The death penalty promotes a normal solution to penalties. http://www. antideathpenalty. org/) The death penalty cost much more than life in prison without parole because in the Constitution it requires a long judicial processes to make sure that the criminal is not being charged with execution when they never committed the crime. Even with the precautions like these they can still execute an innocent person without the right evidence. With the cost of the death penalty if life in prison without parole would take the place of it, the cost would lower millions of dollars less.With those millions we could use to fix communities, hire about 500 more protective authorities to take care of the prisoners, provide medicine to the mentally ill criminals, and could also prevent crimes and save lives. (O’Malley) In California if they didn’t have the death penalty they would save about $1 billion d ollars over 5 years. In California taxpayers pay 90,000 more per death row than a prisoner in life. The ACLU has found there is a hidden death penalty tax in California additional to the one that is already been paid. (www. deathpenalty. rg) With people being convicted with crimes they have not committed in some cases the judge has sentence them to the death row. With the many trails and appeals they have to face they are still shown guilty even though they didn’t commit it. With in the United States since 1973, 140 have been executed and later was proven innocent. In 1981, a man named Earl Charles was convicted for murder, he spent the past three years trying to prove his innocence when he was in line for execution, after he was executed and later he was found innocent.Now they talk about him being the huge error. This shows that the court made a mistake and now could never redo or bring him back to life. That’s why we should replace the death penalty with life in pri son because you can take them out for the crime if declared innocent. (Meehan) â€Å"We simply cannot say we live in a country that offers equal justice to all Americans when racial disparities plague the system by which our society imposes the ultimate punishment. †Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   – Senator Russ Feingold, 2003 (www. deathpenalty. org).This means that in United States the constitution says we will not have any discrimination but there is always discrimination in certain ways that they don’t notice. This complaint that people state is true because they have executed some whites to cover up the discrimination against blacks. Also the most prisoners executed almost 99 percent of them are men. Part of another discrimination is that some victims that they killed their lives are more important than other victims so they sentence the â€Å"more important† victims killers to the death row.Studies have discovered that in crimes that if a black person kills a white are about 40 times more likely to be sentenced to death than if he killed a black. (Meehan) Some cases the death row sentence are applied in wrong ways such that when the criminal is sentence to the death penalty when they committed a less horrendous crime than one who did a much worst crime. An example is two men were charged with killing and one of them was sentence to death and the second man was freed, and stated that he didn’t mean for the other man to take the blame is just came out that way.Later after the man was executed the freed man was given 7 years and 8 months in prison for kill the San Francisco mayor and another city official. This show that the court is unjust because they both committed the same crime but one was killed and another one was given about 8 years in prison for the same crime. (Meehan) In some religions scripts it say that execution is ok to do but now those same religions are opposed to the death penalty in the United States and view it as immoral.Some religions that are opposed to the death penalty are Christian, Buddhist, Catholic, Jewish, and Interfaith. (deathpenalty. org) In the second week of September in 2012 an Ohio inmate was freed because of a Catholic organization who found evidence to set him free. (Keyes) In the Christian Religion some enforce the thought that Cain was the first murderer in the world and was not executed because he had something special, which was populate the earth.A pastor wrote a book and stated that Christ would oppose the killing of a human as a punishment for a crime. He also stated that it breaks against one of the Ten Commandments. This shows a strong command that the death penalty is wrong and should not be used. (Meehan) Internationally many countries have abolished the death penalty just during the 21st century about 30 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, why, because they viewed as the death penalty as going against the international human rights which is the right to life. deathpenalty. org) In South Sudan human rights have backed up the campaign against the death penalty in the country saying that this punishment is â€Å" outrageous and inhumane† that goes against the right to life. The South Sudan society of the South Sudan Human Rights Society for Advocacy (SSHURA) are stating that â€Å"the death penalty should be scrapped off the books of South Sudan† – Executive Director of the SSHURA and that they are in full support of societies that are against it.Currently about 150 countries of the United Nations have abolished the death penalty and are in the processes of helping other countries who haven’t abolished it. (Uma) The death penalty can bring suffering to the victims family, they support other punishments instead of the death penalty for various reasons. The death penalty brings traumatizing long term effects that make the families suffer and reopen the event over again unlike life without paro le it brings punishment to the criminal but it doesn’t affect the family as much and will forget.Some families argue that millions are spent to the death penalty each year that if it is replaced with life without parole the money could be spent to violence preventions and solve unsolved cases. They also state that the death penalty focuses on legal consequences and not on human consequences and focuses on the crime and the accused instead of the feelings of the victims family, the accused families and very importantly the community. Life without parole punishes the criminal instead of putting them out in public or the news.With death penalty still enacted in the United States for victims families there are many organizations that help them become situated with the decision and also help reform the death penalty. Such as Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights which is an international non-governmental organizations of victims family members of criminal murder, terror ist attacks, state executions, assassinations and disappearances helping to abolish the death penalty with a human rights perspective. (deathpenalty. org) One of the most important things a person convicted of any crime is a lawyer.When a person who has had a mass murder determining that if they should get the death penalty is based on how good and clever is his or her representation. Some criminals can’t afford a lawyer so they are given one but those attorneys ether don’t have experience, are under paid, or sometimes overworked which can bring them to losing their lives because of the attorney. Some appointed attorneys come to court without any evidence to get them out or don’t pay attention and lose the case. (deathpenalty. org) People for the death penalty have stated that with the death penalty crimes have been decreasing.The crime has been decreasing because our protective authority are coming up with more technology to stop crimes but not because of the d eath penalty crimes have decreased. It is proven that the United States crime is 6 times more than England and 5 times more than Australia. Some states have larger crime rates than others. In the year 2003 state murder increased and went higher than the national murder rate. (antideathpenalty. org) The murder wouldn’t think that committing the murder they would get caught and if they do they would think about the consequences they would get if they do. Sarokin) There have been various debates on the controversial topic of the death penalty. Such as execution cost more than life in prison, innocent people may be wrongly executed and can not reverse what has been done, crimes have not decreased since the death penalty was legal, life in prison also guarantees no future crimes, it goes against many religions, killing is wrong, some convicted can’t afford an attorney so they are appointed the worst ones, it violated the international human rights laws known as the right to life, and race comes into play while they are tired.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Pro choice among women essays

Pro choice among women essays An onlookers view of Pro Choice amongst women Many clinics provide abortion services for women with unplanned or uncontrollable pregnancies. Some women find themselves with an unplanned pregnancy rather than an uncontrollable one. Unplanned in fact that a contraceptive failed, or may not have been easily accessible: uncontrolled in the sense of factors being greater than limited contraception. Abortion has been performed in many clinics as a treatment for unfit or unhealthy women, and for women who may have been molested or raped. Abortion shouldnt be used as a form of contraception, nor should womens lives be sacrificed to bear an infant before morally ready to commit. If a woman is raped, and the outcome incurs pregnancy, then abortion is an alternate form of controlling the unwanted pregnancy. Abortion should stand as only the womans choice, never as a decision adverse to Pro-Life activists. Pro-Choice advocates seem to vindicate abortion, accepting that abortion is not considered a form of birth control, but me rely a method of controlling the woman and fetus future. Women are the sole determinate persons in stating if they are capable of withholding a full term pregnancy. As an advocate of womens rights to Pro choice, I am extending my viewpoints to you in this proposition. Many people have their opinions on abortion, usually being one extreme or the other. Advocates or Pro choice often finds themselves swaying their opinions of when abortion is morally ethical dependent upon the controlling factors. Advocates of Pro Life are consistently perusing abortion, stating that it is morally wrong, and unethical in all matters, even if the pregnancy is inadvertent. There are factors remaining in todays society that are very forthcoming and are unanticipated by women in the prevention of pregnancy. If medical doctors abolished the procedure, or if the government made it even mor...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Accomplishments & failures of Louis XIV essays

Accomplishments & failures of Louis XIV essays Europe chose the path of centralized power, and it was constructed by Louis XIV. He referred to himself as the "Sun King," the monarch at the center of the political constellation. He built Versailles and ruled his kingdom. He made absolutism the wave of the future and the high road to military glory and worldly power. He was not devoted to the catholic religion, but he took part in a reorganization of the Roman Catholic Church inside France. He went along with the reforms dictated by the pope in regards to religion, but his main goal was to make the court of France the center of fashion and art. That is when he created Versailles, the country estate. Louis bankrupted the Treasury of France through his wars. He fought four major ones, and his aim was to make himself supreme in Europe. He planned to conquer all lands west of the Rhine River. He also gained several important territories. He did end up having some failures as well. He spent more than France could afford. Not only had the building of Versailles disabled the Treasury, but his spending on his various mistresses and illegitimate children got out of hand. The Spanish War of Succession ruined the Treasury, and Louis never could raise the taxes enough to cover his love of his little wars and women. The good that he did with the money outweighs the fact that he bankrupted the treasury because he opened up a whole new world of culture for the people of France. ...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Pabst Brewing Company action memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pabst Brewing Company action memo - Essay Example Therefore, I think a well-defined technological appliance would be a recipe for the success of the company. PBC would adopt the cloud based solution which focuses on channel of migration of the PBC datacenter to enterprise web based applications and its identification, extracted and channelize clouding activities for effecting clients web based internet speed and data acquisition. For the years PBC has been in business, it has major been offering competency outsourcing production, which focuses on marketing and promotion of services through internet marketing and distribution of data across world wide websites. This company has been and will be operating on virtualized datacenter because this technique has brought numerous changes to the company as far as digital technology is of concerned. Additionally, the company through the ICT department has been working closely with its customers to ensure that it provides the services on time. Concerning our customers, PBC assesses, prepares, and socialize with its clients via social media such as Facebook in order to enable effectiveness and realization of problems that may affect the business. Further, the company utilizes metrics configurations routine initiating cloud computing applications and operations to remove any forms of complexity dilemma. It provides its subscribers with salient margin minder application which assist in balancing inventory market demands on both sales and data integration. Further, the business offers its clients with free and customized six unique application services. This service includes a total of 28GB migration data space, entailing 4,152 files on system drive and 6,644 files on data drive. Some of the articulations that PBC has initiated in its business that favors, and creates conducive environment to its customers are; i. AppZero slashes the time and complexity of migrating complex, enterprise applications. ii. AppZero leaves the source machine and application untouched. iii. It mak es no change to the source application and requires no AppZero software on the source machine. iv. All AppZero software is on the destination machine in the Rackspace cloud. v. AppZero’s speed maximizes the productivity gains possible during limited maintenance windows vi. AppZero effectively stands in as the application subject matter expert in the absence of documentation or institutional knowledge, discovering and reproducing application inter-dependencies. vii. AppZero results in a clean installation build on the destination machine. viii. Identity Essential’s expertise marshaled technologies and talent to effect the migration. ix. The effort carried a big payload. Overhead is minimized; IT costs are decreased/controlled while its agility and flexibility are increased. PBC is now well positioned to use IT too aggressively and effectively provision fast changing business opportunities. Following its service provision to people, the firm has been accredited as the be st service provider for all gateway services, a service that is credited by the government and limited to the third party companies. I would like to state that Rack Mount Company has the freedom to go independent in order to accomplish their goals. I would also like to bring to your attention that some of the IT policies that the company need to

Saturday, November 2, 2019

What were the legal and ethical ramifications of the mid 1980's Research Paper

What were the legal and ethical ramifications of the mid 1980's insider trading scandal - Research Paper Example The stock trading of an organization as well as other securities, which include bonds or stock options, by people who have significant inside information about a company is called the insider trading. It is considered to be legal by most countries, but only in the case that it does not harm the company and its profit making in any way. The insider traders are mostly the officers, key employees, directors and other shareholders who may gain such authentic information. But this very term, insider trading, also have negative connotations. In the United States, it is incumbent upon the inside traders to publicly declare their trade transactions to the regulatory authority within the given time of business days. However, when the same thing is done based on material nonpublic information while an insider is carrying a duty, it becomes a fraud and a breach of trust. This illegal insider trading, which as a result raises the cost of capital for security issuers lead to a large decline in ec onomic growth. There are ethics officers, who are commonly known as business conduct officers, hired by organizations to protect their interests (Geisst, 2006). â€Å"Wall Street insider trading scandal 1980†: This practice has started since the mid-1980s due to constant series of financial frauds, corruption and many abuse scandals which surrounded the US defense industry. To protect and promote the ethical business practices the Defense Industry Initiative (DII) was formed, which set an initial standard for ethics management in companies. One such famous case of an insider trading scandal is that of â€Å"the Wall Street insider trading scandal of the mid-1980s†. Its primary player was Dennis Levine who was a managing director at Drexel Burnham Lambert (Newsweek, 1986). The initial charge was filed by the US Attorney Rudy Giuliani which finally led the investigators to arrest Ivan Boesky. Levine built a whole network of professionals in many Wall Street firms who wer e engaged in insider trading. He maintained an account with a fake name in the Swiss banks subsidiaries in Bahamas because it has some of the hardest bank secrecy laws as compared to anywhere in the world. He did this to be safe from detection. He then had to shift his business in May 1980 to â€Å"Bank Leu† which earned him around $10.6 million (Stewart, 1991). But at Bank Leu, the officials there realized Levine’s insider trading activities and banked on him themselves. But they did this collaborative action through Merrill Lynch, which detected a suspicion about trading activities in two other brokers’ personal accounts in May 1985. This started an internal investigation which reached Bank Leu, where due to the bank’s secrecy they had to forward the matter to the SEC â€Å"U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission†. It was decided by the bank officials that Levine should give his reasons for such an insider trading, but due to their destroying mos t of the sensitive documents relevant to Levine’s activity, they were charged with obstruction of justice (Dentzer, 1986). The Bank Leu officials decided to cooperate with the SEC because they noticed a huge gap between the actual managed accounts’ statements and the omnibus records. The stock trading was taken to be distinct from normal banking transactions and hence the bank named Levine guilty as the allegations were proved against him, thus his fraudulent activities led to his arrest. There was a tremendous amount of evidence against Levine related to securities fraud, obstructing justice, tax evasion and a charge of perjury as well. Levine decided to coordinate with the government in order to disclose the names of others who were involved alongside him (Levine and Hofer, 1991). This coordination with the government helped him to have a reduced sentence of two years in prison with a $362,000 fine (Time Magazine, 1987). He also agreed to pay the penalty for these il legal profits as well and also approved of