Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Service Marketing This life is quite challenging if we...

Service Marketing This life is quite challenging if we look at things from a different perspective in terms of responsibilities that we have to shoulder at almost all the stages of our lives there are a number of social and personal and private commitments that have to be met quite religiously. Personal commitments are those, which you take on yourself. These are the things that are required to be done to get somewhere in life and to live the life to its purpose and to make things much more meaningful. This may include taking in time to teach you about different cultures and providing for detailed description. We live in a highly global village where almost everything is interlinked and the diversity of cultures requires us to exhibit†¦show more content†¦Organizations diversify out of commitment to achieve better results and people have to do the same to update themselves. The demands and processes keep changing and that is what requires all these commitments to be highl y pronounced. There was a time when people used to avoid change but that did not leave them anywhere. You need to be on an n even keel with the world as it changes around you and so does the surrounding and the environment. Diversification is a process that enhances the strength of the organizations and firms to defend themselves in a more apt manner. Famous economist George Soros wrote in his paper on Diversification in 1998 that everyday is a new frontier and we are part of it and exposed to it. That is why we see business people doing so much of reading and we see so many people educating themselves at the later stages of our lives when we are through our formal stages of education. If we do not work on these we will not know about the changing technologies and so on and you have to be on the prowl if you want to be on the move rather than being overrun by someone who is much more advanced than us. It is true for personnel, literates and individuals. They all have their share o f updating to do and moreover they should be working on themselves because with the pace of the world the personal diversity is a must to have these changes to be made to bear. Personal commitments areShow MoreRelatedGlobal System For Mobile Communications1632 Words   |  7 Pagesa GSM one. This system started in Europe countries and United states is one of the country which is adapted this system. Hence GSM- Global system for mobile communications - it is a globally adapted the main or greatest advantage of the system is one can use this type of mobile anywhere in the world. Mobile Phone market has a huge demand to improve the service and function from manufacturer’s perspective. Globally , Mobile phones became an important part of peoples life. The life time changesRead MoreManaging Profitable Customer Relationship7707 Words   |  31 PagesChapter 1 Marketing: Managing Profitable Customer Relationships GENERAL CONTENT: Multiple-Choice Questions 1. Central to any definition of marketing is _____. a. demand management b. transactions c. customer relationships d. making a sale e. making a profit (Answer: c; p. 5; Easy) 2. All of the following are accurate descriptions of modern marketing today, except which one? a. Marketing is creation of value for customers. b. Marketing is customer satisfaction at a profitRead MoreGlobal System For Mobile Communications1833 Words   |  8 Pagesa GSM one. This system started in Europe countries and United states is one of the country which is adapted this system. Hence GSM- Global system for mobile communications - it is a globally adapted the main or greatest advantage of the system is one can use this type of mobile anywhere in the world. Mobile Phone market has a huge demand to improve the service and function from manufacturer’s perspective. Globally , Mobile phones became an important part of peoples life. The life time changesRead MoreConsumer Behaviour Report for: Vertu â€Å"Life. Beautifully Arranged†6097 Words   |  25 PagesConsumer Behaviour Report for: VERTU â€Å"Life. Beautifully Arranged† 08 Fall Table of Content: 1. Summary 2. Research 3. Target DMP 3.1 Situation amp; influences 3.2 Information Search 3.3 Evaluation amp; Post-purchase 4. Factors Influencing Consumer Behaviour 4.1 Store image amp; Service scape 4.2. Values amp; Behaviour 4.3 Values impact on choice amp; decision-making 4.4. Social class amp; lifestyle 4.5. Self-image amp; Culture 5. Conclusion 6. Recommendations Read MoreKotler02 Tif9803 Words   |  40 Pagesï » ¿Chapter 2 Company and Marketing Strategy: Partnering to Build Customer Relationships GENERAL CONTENT: Multiple-Choice Questions 1. Nike has been successful in selecting an overall company strategy for long-run survival and growth called ________. a. tactical planning b. strategic planning c. futuristic planning d. marketing planning e. relationship marketing (Answer: b; p. 36; Easy; LO1) 2. When your firm practices developing and maintaining a strategic fit between your organization’s goalsRead MoreElectric Car and Tesla2734 Words   |  11 Pagescompanies at this market are well-known enterprises and also they own some of the better known brands like GM, Ford, Honda, Toyota, VW, BMW etc. In the traditional auto industry, consumer power is relatively high, given relatively low switching costs and a vast choice of relatively substitutable products. Many components of the automobile can be sourced from different suppliers which maintains competitive input pricing. However, the electric vehicle (EV) industry demonstrates a different type of dynamicRead MoreDissertation-Viral Marketing27075 Words   |  109 PagesGupta Viral marketing of digital products using social media Dissertation presented for the Degree of Masters of Business Administration at the University of Edinburgh Business School, May 2011 Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor, Tony Kinder, for all of the help and guidance he has given me over the course of the project, from the initial idea through the research and writing stages through to the conclusion. It would have been impossible to complete this project withoutRead MoreCase Study : Getting A College Degree2338 Words   |  10 PagesPursuing my bachelor’s degree in Logistics and Supply Chain Management was challenging as well as rewarding. I have a background in logistics from my time served in the military. Even though military logistics is a little different from the civilian world logistics, in a lot of ways it is somewhat the same. In the military we dealt a lot more with finished products, but while studying at Athens State, I have learned about logistics from the requisition of a product all the way through the delivery of theRead MoreE Commerce. Impact of Internet for the airline industry.4092 Words   |  17 PagesExecutive Summary Aviation and air services industry is a large, competitive, and challenging industry, characterised by high capital and labour requirement, together with customer participation during transactions hence service fulfilment. Providing great reach and the potential for rich interaction, the internet is a natural medium for travel transactions. Airlines are turning to e-commerce to keep business flying, and the reason they are focusing on selling tickets through their Web sites isRead MoreUse Of Cloud Based Erp On Cloud And Its Opportunities And Challenges2625 Words   |  11 Pagesexceptions. Cloud has helped them in further strengthening the spread and use of the ERP. In second Part we have discussed about the Erp on cloud and its opportunities and challenges. We have also included the recommendations for the companies for the use implementation and further enhancement of the use of cloud based ERP. In third part we talk about the enterprise 2.0 system being used by the companies. We have analysed the present uses of the companies on these systems. Three of the motivation for the

Monday, December 16, 2019

Reaction to Hills Like White Elephants Free Essays

Throughout this school year, we analyzed and discussed several awesome poems, novels and stories. One that I particularly liked would have to be â€Å"Hill Like White Elephants† by Ernest Hemingway. The first thing about it that caught my attention would have to be its title, â€Å"Hills like White Elephants’. We will write a custom essay sample on Reaction to Hills Like White Elephants or any similar topic only for you Order Now To be honest, I really thought that it’ll be about some elephants in Africa or something but I was wrong. There were no elephants! The story is about an American man and woman having some beers as they wait for the train to Barcelona. So, just through the title, I guess you could say that this is an ambiguous text. To decipher it, you need to read it again and again! The text of Hemingway appears to be simple but then again his works are ambiguous, so his text may be further from the truth. The story makes use of sparse dialogue some even say that the way Hemingway’s characters speak is sometimes more important than what they say so when reading his text you really have to take in the dialogue and decode it. At first, when I just went through the story, I really didn’t get what the couple were talking about and then after several readings I found out that it was about abortion. It’s really beautiful how Hemingway could subtly bring about a message without even having it written directly. The powerful writing of Hemingway definitely has made a huge impact in me. Aside from me discovering a beautiful story, I learned not to take everything too literally and to have patience in order to understand. How to cite Reaction to Hills Like White Elephants, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Stanley Milgrams Social Experiments free essay sample

Analyzes results social ethical implications of psychology professors tests showing subjects blind obedience willingness to inflict punishment. In the 1970s, Dr. Stanley Milgram, Professor of Psychology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, published the results of a series of experiments on the tendency of subjects to accede to authority even to the point of performing acts which they themselves considered unethical or immoral. The issue raised by Stanley Milgram and examined by him in his research is the disjunction between an individuals personal moral sense and his or her actions when performed under someone elses orders. The dichotomy is between conscience and authority, and Milgram says it is found in the very nature of society. Only the individual who lives in a remote area entirely alone escapes the role of social authority completely and can act only according to his or her conscience without pressure to do otherwise. We will write a custom essay sample on Stanley Milgrams Social Experiments or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The individual in a social setting who acts only

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Military Aircraft Essays - Stealth Aircraft, Monoplanes,

Military Aircraft Thesis: Military aircraft has become more sophisticated in variety, effectiveness in war situations, and special maneuvering techniques in recent years. Military aircraft has become more sophisticated in variety, effectiveness in war situations, and special maneuvering techniques in recent years. With the advance of stealth technology, many new and very effective aircraft have been developed. The F-117A was used during Operation Dessert Storm and every plane came back without a scratch. The very expensive B-2 stealth bomber has never been used in actual war, but during testing it was a success. The Advanced Tactical Fighter program was started to make an aircraft that could supercruise, the ability to cruise at supersonic speeds, and didn't cost very much. The YF-22 and YF-23 were the first planes to accomplish this. With all the planes we know of, there are also top secret programs probably going on right now. A new fighter that has never been heard of before has been spotted. As John Welch, the assistant secretary of Air Force said, "Stealth gives us back that fundamental element of war called surprise" (Goodall 9). After it was found that aircraft could be very useful in war, it was used for large scale reconnaissance. Then people started to add bombs to aircraft and then airplanes started to become an essence of war. After World War 2, new bombers were developed with fast speed, and could travel far distances. They could also carry nuclear bombs and missiles. The use of the bomber aircraft then led to the fighter, which was equipped with guns and missiles. Helicopters were also found to be good strike aircraft. They were armed with cannons, machine guns, rockets, torpedoes, and a variety of missiles. Vertical takeoff made the helicopter an advantage. The first flight of the F-117A was in June of 1981 in Groom Lake test facility. The total cost for the development of the F-117A was just under two billion dollars, but it only cost $43 million to make each plane. It became operational in October of 1983 and was the first operational stealth aircraft ever built. The F-117A is a night attack plane powered by two, nonafterburning General Electric engines. F-117As were designed for first-strike capabilities and to be able to fly into any countries airspace undetected. The primary task of the F-117A is to break through enemy airspace, destroy high value targets, and return back unharmed. They were considered to first be used in several different tasks, but weren't used until Operation Dessert Storm where they did an excellent job. As Donald Rice, Secretary of the Air Force, said, "Everyone now agrees the F-117 was a real bargain" (9). During Operation Dessert Storm the F-117As were found out to be very successful. The war began on January 16, 1991 when the F-117A fighters entered the Iraqi airspace on their way to downtown Baghdad. There were 43 of them over the skies of Iraq and not one was lost even though they went against one of the most modern air-defense systems in the world. Operation Dessert Storm was the largest aerial bombing attack in war history. It was also the first time a stealth aircraft was used as a main weapon. On the first day of Desert Storm the Lockheed F-117As dropped sixty-two 2,000 pound bombs on Baghdad destroying the most critical targets of the Iraqi military, including the headquarters of the Iraqi air force. "We've seen that not only does stealth work, but that it puts fewer assets at risk and saves lives" (9), as Donald Rice said. The pilots of those F-117As flew through the hardest anti-aircraft missiles any pilot has ever flown through. When you think of stealth, most people probably think of B-2 stealth bomber, but most people don't realize that it hasn't even been used in a real war situation yet. In November of 1987 the Pentagon ordered the first four B-2s to be built for $2 billion. Each B-2 cost $437.4 million to build. After the military liked the bomber, they originally ordered 133 of them, then they cut back to 75 because of the deficit-reduction bill. Then, in 1992, the House of Representatives voted to buy only twenty, and later only 15 saying that 10 would be enough. With four General Electric

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Eco Assignment Essays - Costs, Public Economics, Microeconomics

Eco Assignment Essays - Costs, Public Economics, Microeconomics 6) From economic point of view, what are the main causes of market failure ? From economic point of view, the main causes of market failure are Incomplete markets, Indivisibilities, Common property resources, Imperfect markets, Asymmetric Information, Externalities, Positive Externalities of Production, Negative externalities of production, Public Goods and Public Bads. In this present reality, there is non-achievement of Pareto optimality because of various requirements in the working of immaculate rivalry. A vital reason for ecological corruption is business sector disappointment. It implies poor working of business sectors for ecological merchandise and administrations. It reflects disappointment of government arrangement in uprooting business sector twists made by value controls and endowments. Based on Incomplete markets statement, Markets for certain things are incomplete or missing under perfect competition. The absence of markets for such things as public goods and common property resources is a cause of market failure. There is no way to equate their social and private benefits and costs either in the present or in the future because their markets are incomplete or missing. Based on Indivisibilities statement, the Paretian optimality is based on the assumption of complete divisibility of products and factors used in consumption and production. In reality, goods and factors are not infinitely divisible. Rather, they are indivisible. The problem of divisibility arises in the production of those goods and services that are used jointly by more than one person. An important example is of road in a locality. It is used by a number of persons in the locality. But the problem is how to share the costs of repairs and maintenance of the road. In fact, very few persons will be interested in its maintenance. Thus marginal social costs and marginal social benefits will diverge from each other and Pareto optimality will not be achieved. Based on Common property resources, Another cause of market failure is a common property resource. Common ownership when coupled with open access, would also lead to wasteful exploitation in which a user ignores the effects of his action on others. Open access to the commonly owned resources is a crucial ingredient of waste and inefficiency. Its most common example is fish in a lake. Anyone can catch and eat it but no one has an exclusive property right over it. It means that a common property resource is non-excludable (anyone can use it) and non-rivalrous (no one has an exclusive right over it). The lake is a common property for all fishermen. When a fisherman catches more fish, he reduces the catch of other fishermen. But he does count this as a cost, yet it is a cost to society. Because the lake is a common property resource where there is no mechanism to restrict entry and to catch fish. The fisherman who catches more fish imposes a negative externality on other fishermen so tha t the lake is overexploited. This is called the tragedy of the commons which leads to the elimination of social gains due to the overuse of common property. Thus when property rights are common, indefinite or non-existent, social costs will be more than private costs and there will not be Pareto Optimality. Based on imperfect markets statement, Pareto efficiency increases under perfect competition. But it declines under market distortions or imperfections. Let us consider a case of monopoly. Initially, monopoly equilibrium is at point E where the private marginal cost curve, PMC, cuts the marginal revenue curve, MR, from below. The monopolist produces OQ1 output at OP1 price. But the production process generates smoke in the air. Therefore, the pollution board levies a tax equal to on the monopoly firm. The imposition of a pollution tax is, in fact, a fixed cost to the monopoly firm. Now the social marginal cost curve cuts the marginal revenue curve at point e. The monopolist increases the price of his product from OP1 to OP2 and restricts output to OQ2 and thereby reduces consumers surplus to Q2 MLQ1 (= OQ1 LP1 OQ2 MP2). In fact, Q2 MLQ1 is the social cost of OQ2 output. But the net loss to society is Q2 MLQ1 TE= eMLT, the shaded area in the figure. Based on Asymmetric Information statement, Pareto optimality assumes that producers and consumers have perfect

Friday, November 22, 2019

Word Order in English Sentences

Word Order in English Sentences Word order  refers to the conventional arrangement of words in a phrase, clause, or sentence. Compared with many other languages, word order in English is fairly rigid. In particular, the order of subject, verb, and object is relatively inflexible. Examples and Observations I cant see the point of Mozart. Of Mozart I cant see the point. The point of Mozart I cant see. See I cant of Mozart the point. Cant I of Mozart point the see . . . I cant see the point of Mozart.  (Sebastian Faulks, Engleby. Doubleday, 2007)[A] characteristic of modern English, as of other modern languages, is the use of word-order as a means of grammatical expression. If in an English sentence, such as The wolf ate the lamb, we transpose the positions of the nouns, we entirely change the meaning of the sentence; the subject and object are not denoted by any terminations to the words, as they would be in Greek or Latin or in modern German, but by their position before or after the verb.(Logan Pearsall Smith, The English Language, 1912) Basic Word Order in Modern English Assume you wanted to say that a chicken crossed the road in Modern English. And assume you are interested only in stating the factsno questions asked, no commands, and no passive. You wouldnt have much of a choice, would you? The most natural way of stating the message would be as in (18a), with the subject (in caps) preceding the verb (in boldface) which, in turn, precedes the object (in italics). For some speakers (18b) would be acceptable, too, but clearly more marked, with particular emphasis on the road. Many other speakers would prefer to express such an emphasis by saying something like Its the road that the chicken crossed, or they would use a passive The road was crossed by the chicken. Other permutations of (18a) would be entirely unacceptable, such as (18c)-(18f). (18a) THE CHICKEN crossed the road[Basic, unmarked order](18b) the road THE CHICKEN crossed[Marked order; the road is in relief](18c) THE CHICKEN the road crossed*(18d) the road crossed THE CHICKEN*[But note constructions like: Out of the cave came A TIGER.](18e) crossed the road THE CHICKEN*(18f) crossed THE CHICKEN the road* In this respect, Modern English differs markedly from the majority of the early Indo-European languages, as well as from Old English, especially the very archaic stage of Old English found in the famous epic Beowulf. In these languages, any of the six different orders in (18) would be acceptable . . ..(Hans Henrich Hock and Brian D. Joseph, Language History, Language Change, and Language Relationship: An Introduction to Historical and Comparative Linguistics. Mouton de Gruyter, 1996) Word Order in Old English, Middle English, and Modern English Certainly, word order is critical in Modern English. Recall the famous example: The dog bit the man. This utterance means something totally different from The man bit the dog. In Old English, word endings conveyed which creature is doing the biting and which is being bitten, so there was built-in flexibility for word order. Inflection telling us dog-subject bites man-object allows words to be switched around without confusion: man-object bites dog-subject. Alerted that the man is the object of the verb, we can hold him in mind as the recipient of a bite made by a subject we know will be revealed next: dog.By the time English evolved into Middle English, loss of inflection meant that nouns no longer contained much grammatical information. On its own, the word man could be a subject or an object, or even an indirect object (as in The dog fetched the man a bone). To compensate for this loss of information that inflection has provided, word order became critically important. If the man a ppears after the verb bite, we know hes not the one doing the biting: The dog bit the man. Indeed, having lost so much inflection, Modern English relies heavily on word order to convey grammatical information. And it doesnt much like having its conventional word order upset.  (Leslie Dunton-Downer, The English Is Coming!: How One Language Is Sweeping the World. Simon Schuster, 2010) Adverbials One way to find out whether a sentence part is a subject or not is to make the sentence into a  question. The subject will appear after the first verb: He told me to add one tablespoon of honey per pound of fruit.Did he tell me . . .?We spread a thin layer of fruit on each plate.Did we spread . . .? The only constituent that may occur in many different places is an adverbial. Especially one-word adverbials like not, always, and often may occur almost anywhere in the sentence. In order to see if a sentence part is an adverbial or not, see if it is possible to move it in the sentence.(Marjolijn Verspoor and Kim Sauter, English Sentence Analysis: An Introductory Course. John Benjamins, 2000) The Lighter Side of Word Order in Monty Pythons Flying Circus Burrows: Good doctor morning! Nice year for the time of day!Dr. Thripshaw: Come in.Burrows: Can I down sit?​Dr. Thripshaw: Certainly. Well, then?Burrows: Well, now, not going to bush the doctor about the beat too long. Im going to come to point the straight immediately.Dr. Thripshaw: Good, good.Burrows: My particular prob, or buglem bear, Ive had ages. For years, Ive had it for donkeys.Dr. Thripshaw: What?Burrows: Im up to here with it, Im sick to death. I cant take you any longer so Ive come to see it.Dr. Thripshaw: Ah, now this is your problem with words.​Burrows: This is my problem with words. Oh, that seems to have cleared it. Oh I come from Alabama with my banjo on my knee. Yes, that seems to be all right. Thank you very much.​Dr. Thripshaw: I see. But recently you have been having this problem with your word order.Burrows: Well, absolutely, and what makes it worse, sometimes at the end of a sentence Ill come out with the wrong fusebox.Dr. Thripshaw: Fusebox ?Burrows: And the thing about saying the wrong word is a) I dont notice it, and b) sometimes orange water given bucket of plaster. (Michael Palin and John Cleese in episode 36 of Monty Pythons Flying Circus, 1972)

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Shape Security Profile Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Shape Security Profile - Research Paper Example Shape Security business strategies include diversification of product line through internal and external funding. For example, in 2014, the company allocated $40 million in funding (Ingrid, 2014). In this way, it was able to expand its products to include website hosting, high-speed internet, domain registration and email hosting among other. Shape Security target customers include banks, firms using ecommerce, healthcare organizations, cyber cafes and individuals using different websites among other users. Given the extensive use of internet globally, the company customer base will increase in future. This implies that by creating a strong promotion and more advertising, the company sales will ultimately increase. As the need for marketing in order to expand the customer base increases, firms have noted the importance of value proposition. For the case of Shape Security, innovation has been the key pillar in its brand improvement (Maranville, 1992). The company value proposition is that automation is at the heart of every botnet. In this way, customers are guaranteed of the value and capability of the ShapeShifter in dealing with the attacks. As the competition in the technology industry increases, more firms still are joining the sector due to the high profits enjoyed by firms. ShapeSecurity main competitors include Invincea, Crowdstrike and Defense.net. The enterprise was given the brand name Shape Security in 2011 when it was founded by Sumit Agarwal, Justin Call and Derek Smith. To ensure that potential customers are not confused or fail to differentiate the company brands from those of the competitors, Shape Security has a website- http://shapesecurity.com. The company operations are in line with US IP laws and thus competitors are prevented from producing brands that are the same like those of Shape Security. Shape Security enjoys the support of various investors. For example, Sierra Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The New Advancement in Treatment of Prostate Cancer - PROVENGE Term Paper

The New Advancement in Treatment of Prostate Cancer - PROVENGE (sipuleucel-T) - Term Paper Example Sadly, according to Vogelzang (1996), metastatic HRPC is responsible for almost all prostate cancer deaths. Medical options currently available for the treatment and management of prostate cancer include radical prostatectomy, radiation therapy, mitoxantrone, estramustine, vinca alkaloids, doxurobicin, and taxanes, among others (Middletone, 1996; Goodin et al., 2002). The choice of therapeutic management, however, is greatly determined by how advanced the disease has become. For instance, studies have shown that radiotherapy and radical prostatectomy could increase survival rate of patients with stage 1 and stage 2 prostate cancers by as much as 95% in the next 5 years but were no longer effective in treating the disease in its metastatic stage (Middleton, 1996). On the other hand, for patients with HRPC, taxane-based chemotherapy has demonstrated a modest survival advantage, but median survival after treatment is only 19 months (Small et al., 2006). Moreover, not all cancer patients are candidates for chemotherapy. Hence, more effective treatment regimens for advanced and metastatic prostate cancer are needed. A more recent advancement in the field of prostate cancer management is the use of the patient’s immune system to combat the disease through the administration of a non-prophylactic cancer vaccine (McNeel, 2007; Sonpavde et al., 2007). Sipuleucel-T, the first ever vaccine that works against late-stage, metastatic, and hormone-refractory prostate cancers, is an autologous cellular immunotherapy specifically designed to stimulate the body’s immune responses (FDA, 2010). This paper highlights sipuleucel-T (tradename: PROVENGEÂ ®) as a novel, nontoxic modality for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Specifically, this paper aims to review what sipuleucel-T (PROVENGEÂ ®) is, its components, its side effects, evidences of its effectiveness based on clinical trial studies, and its advantages over some of the existing prostate cancer treat ments. Discussion Among the different immunotherapy approaches investigated in the past, the use of dendritic cells (DCs), which are the main antigen-presenting cells (APCs) of the body, was found to be the most efficient way of presenting cancer antigen to the immune system (Bono et al., 2010). Sipuleucel-T, produced by Dendreon Corporation under the tradename of PROVENGEÂ ®, is a cancer vaccine that makes use of the patient’s own dendritic cells, hence the term autologous immunotherapy, to improve T-cell response (Harzstark and Small, 2009; FDA, 2010). Specifically, each dose of PROVENGEÂ ® contains at least 50 million autologous CD54+ cells activated with a recombinant human protein called PAP-GM-CSF, composed of prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) (FDA, 2010). CD54+, a cell surface glycoprotein that functions as a stimulator on APCs, bind to its receptor on the surface of T-cells during the process of antigen pr esentation (CST, 2010). Meanwhile, PAP is a surface antigen expressed in prostate tumor cells. Studies have shown that PAP antigen is relatively specific to prostate epithelium, making it a good target for vaccines (Oh, 2010; Nabhan et al., 2011). On the other hand, GM-CSF is an immune cell activator (FDA, 2010). The CD54+ cells collected from the patient through a process known as leukapheresis, are treated with

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Enforcement Directorate Essay Example for Free

Enforcement Directorate Essay Enforcement Directorate ‡Pertains to the establishment of Directorate of Enforcement and the powers to investigate the violation of any provisions of Act, rule, regulation, notifications, directions or order issued in exercise of the powers under this Act. The Director have been empowered to take up investigations. Enforcement Directorate ‡ The Directorate of Enforcement is mainly concerned with the enforcement of the provisions of the FEMA to prevent leakage of foreign exchange which generally occurs through the following malpractices. 2.Remittances of Indians abroad otherwise than through normal banking channels, i. e. through compensatory payments. 3.Acquisition of foreign currency illegally by person in India. 4.Unauthorized maintenance of accounts in foreign countries. 5.Illegal acquisition of foreign exchange through Hawala. 6.Secreting of commission abroad. Organizational Set-Up *The Enforcement directorate, with its HQs at New Delhi has seven zonal offices at Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Jalandhar, Madras, Ahmedabad and Bangalore. The zonal offices are headed by the Dy. Directors * The Directorate has 9 sub zonal offices at Agra,Srinagar, Jaipur, Varanasi, Trivendrum, Calicut, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Goa, which are headed by the Asstt. Directors. FEMA 1999 ENFORCEMENT DIRECTORATE Established by Central Govt to investigate due adherence to the provisions of the Act by market participants. Concerned with enforcement of the provisions of the Act to prevent leakage of foreign exchange occurring through various malpractices. Directorate of Enforcement is responsible for detection of cases relating to violation and performance of adjudicatory functions to curb malpractices FUNCTIONS To collect and develop intelligence relating to violation of provisions of FEMA. To conduct searches of suspected persons, conveyances and premises for seizing incriminating materials. To enquire into and investigate suspected violations or provisions of FEMA. To adjudicate cases of violations of FEMA for levying penalties and also for confiscating the amounts involved in contraventions. To realise penalties in departmental adjudication. The Parliament has enacted the Foreign Exchange Management Act,1999 to replace the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act, 1973. This Act came into force on the 1st day of June,2000. To investigate provisions of the Act, the Central Govt. have established the Directorate of Enforcement with Director and other officers as officers of the Enforcement. ROLE OF ENFORCEMENT DIRECTORATE The Directorate of Enforcement is mainly concerned with the enforcement of the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act to prevent leakage of foreign exchange which generally occurs through the following malpractices 1) Remittances of Indians abroad otherwise than through normal banking channels, i.e. through compensatory payments. Acquisition of foreign currency illegally by person in India. Non ²repatriation of the proceeds of the exported goods. Unauthorised maintenance of accounts in foreign countries. Under ²invoicing of exports and over ²invoicing of imports and any other type of invoice manipulation. Siphoning off of foreign exchange against fictitious and bogus imports land by Illegal acquisition of foreign exchange through Hawala. Secreting of commission abroad. 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) Directorate has to detect cases of violation and also perform substantial adjudicatory functions to curb such malpract ices. ORGANISATION SET-UP The Enforcement Directorate, with its Headquarters at New Delhi has seven zonal offices at Bombay, Calcutta, Delhi, Jalandhar, Madras, Ahmedabad and Bangalore. The zonal offices are headed by the Deputy Directors. The Directorate has nine sub ²zonal offices at Agra, Srinagar, Jaipur, Varanasi, Trivandrum, Calicut, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Goa, which are headed by the Assistant Directors. The Directorate has also a Unit at Madurai, which is headed by a Chief Enforcement Officer. Besides, there are three Special Directors of Enforcement and one Additional Director of Enforcement, FUNCTIONS The main functions of the Directorate are as under: ² The main functions of the Directorate are as under 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 To enforce Foreign Exchange Management Act 1999 and Prevention of money Laundering Act 2002. To collect and develop intelligence relating to violation of the provisions of Foreign Exchange Management Act and Prevention of money Laundering Act 2002. To conduct searches of suspected persons, conveyances and premises and seize incriminating materials (including Indian and foreign currencies involved) To enquire into and investigate suspected violations of provisions of Foreign Exchange Management Act and Prevention of money Laundering Act 2002. To adjudicate cases of violations of Foreign Exchange Management Act penalties departmentally and also for confiscating the amounts involved in violations. To realize the penalties imposed in departmental adjudication; To attach and confiscate properties involved in the act of Money laundering. To arrest the pers on suspected to be involved in the act of money laundering. To prosecute the person involved in the act of money laundering. In addition to the above functions relating to the Foreign Exchange Management Act. Directorate also processes and recommends cases for detention of habitual offender under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act,1974 (COFEPOSA), which provides interalia for detention of a person with a intention of preventing him from acting in a manner prejudicial to the conservation and augmentation of exchange. PROCEDURAL PROVISIONS For enforcing the provisions of various sections of FEMA,l999, the officers of Enforcement Directorate of the level of Assistant Director and above will have to undertake the following functions: 1) 2) 3) 4) Collection and development of intelligence/information. Keeping surveillance over suspects. Searches of persons/vehicles as per provisions of Income ²tax Act,1961. Searches of premises as per provisions of Income ²tax Act,1961. 5) Summoning of persons for giving evidence and producing of documents as per provisions of Income ²tax Act,l96l. Power to examine persons as per provisions of Income ²tax Act,196l. Power to lcall for any information/document as per provisions of Income ²tax Act , 1961. Power to seize documents etc. as per provisions of Income ²tax Act,196l. Custody of documents as per Income ²tax Act,196l. Adjudication and appeals- Officers of and above the rank of Dy Director of Enforcement, are empowered to adjudicate cases of contravention of the provisions of the Act; these proceedings which are quasi ²judicial in nature, start with the issuance of show cause notice; in the event of cause tshown by the Notice ²not being found satisfactory, further proceedings are held, vis. personal hearing, in which the noticee has a further right to present his defence, either in person or through any authorised representative; on conclusion of these proceedings, the adjudicating authority has to examine and consider the evidence on record, in its entirety and in case the charges not being found proved, the noticee is acquitted, and in the e vent of charges being found substantiated, such penalty, as is considered appropriate as per provisions of section 13 of the Act can be imposed, besides confiscation of amount involved in these contraventions. The penalty imposed has to be deposited in the concerned office of the Dy. Director within 45 days of the date of receipt of the Adjudication order. In case the party feels aggrieved by the orders of the adjudicating authority, he/she/they can refer appeal, before the Appellate Tribunal/Special Director (Appeal), Foreign Exchange. Whereas, another appeal lies to the High Court, against the order of the Appellate Tribunal, however, only in the matters involving question/points of Law. PUBLIC GRIEVANCES MACHINERY The Directorate keeps a constant vigil over its officers/staff and strict action is taken against anybody found/suspected to be involved in any undesirable activity. The Vigilance Cell of the Directorate works under the direct supervision of the Director of Enforcement, and, at present, it includes two very senior officers.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Technology: Friend or Foe? :: essays research papers

Technology is defined by dictionary.com as â€Å"The application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives† Determining whether this technology has helped or hindered our society, we must remember that it is not limited to computers and the internet. Technology has had a variety of faces over the last several thousand years of human existence. As man began to understand more and more about his environment, he began to use that knowledge to accomplish a practical purpose.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We know from history books and stories passed from generation to generation that man gradually improved things as he discovered them. This is true from the invention of the wheel to the ancient Egyptians great pyramids. Had they not discovered the technology to accomplish these things, our American way of life would be vastly different today. The wheel led to the horse drawn carriage, which led Henry Ford to invent the automobile and the assembly line. Ford's Model T, the only auto Ford produced from 1910 to 1927, not only outsold every other car made for much of its product life, it outsold all the myriad other cars sold in the U.S. combined*. From those two inventions alone, a great improvement in travel and productivity was accomplished, not to mention the money. Today, we still manufacture automobiles and many other things in an assembly line due to its efficiency and effectiveness. Modern technology has robots to reduce the number of human operators required. Computer controls enhance the precision of the machinery used in these assembly lines to reduce flaws. This process continues to improve, but there are side effects.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Will Smith, a corporate trainer in the IT industry with 15 years experience said that â€Å"Without technology, many Americans would be without work today. The advancement of computers and the internet has created far more opportunities for new kinds of jobs. My company would not exist without it. Computers do fail, creating the job of pc repair for thousands, if not millions of people. Anytime you use equipment to improve things you need someone to maintain it, and therefore jobs are created.† The question was then posed, â€Å"What negative effects, if any, do you see resulting from the widespread use of technology?†. Mr Smith replied, â€Å"The internet in particular has encouraged laziness among many people. It also causes people to withdraw from social interaction because they can do everything they need from their home.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Does fair play have an important role in competitive sport Essay

From the time of gods and goddesses, they have been competing in friendly sports and throughout time, it evolved into sports and even Olympics. From the time that sports were invented, the concept of fair play or sportsmanship was not yet apparent. But when sports were finally considered of great importance, the concept of fair play became universally understood. Basically, fair play is sportsmanship. For some, both players and audiences alike, consider it as the â€Å"golden rule† in sports. In fair play, you treat your team mates and opponents as someone you would like to be treated as. You show respect for yourself, your team mates, and your rivals. You should also demonstrate respect for both coaches of the opposing teams and other important figures in the field like the umpires, judges and other officials. (Sanders, 2005) But in modern times, it does not only apply to the players; consequently, it now also applied to the people watching the game. It now developed into an attitude that may influence the players, audiences and the game. (Sanders, 2005) In every sport, there is always a loser and a winner. But, the greatness of the game relies on how the players played the sport. And consequently, their sportsmanship should also be apparent in their game. It is undeniable that winning feels great but being a sport has a great role in a winner’s game. It can make or break a game. Today, when sports become an alley for talented players to become superstars, the spirit of sports become plagued. In retrospect, we have to keep in mind that being a sport has its advantages—and winning the game is one of it. While playing, playing fair not only helps to win a game but it also builds character. With the help of the coach, the athletes can reach their highest potential and so, they become better players and human beings. (Fakehany) Since sportsmanship is an attitude, it also teaches valuable lessons and builds character to a person. It has become a way of life both in and out of the field. And these very same attitudes help a person to be ready not just in the court but also outside (i. e. corporate life). How we play a game makes us introspective in a sense that it assists us to re-evaluate ourselves and reflect on our behaviors. www. yogiberramuseum. org, 2005) Sportsmanship is also vital so as not have massive brawls and misunderstanding in a competition. Fair play creates a friendly atmosphere wherein athletes can really enjoy the game from the beginning until the end. Unconsciously, it creates the mood of the entire game and it lessens the tendency of the players to have arguments. It makes both the opposing teams feel as if that they are not competing at all but more of a friendly competition. Peak) Research analysts have also done studies wherein it supports that indeed, fair play is a factor to win or how the team approaches the game. Apologists of sports say reiterate that fair play is a great way to avoid addiction and violence. For them, it is a mere socialization of the players with one another. And thus, it implies that because of fair play, players have more blissful and energetic strategy as compared with players who does not have a sense of sportsmanship. (GA. , 2005) Earlier, we have said that winning is a big part of a game. But definitely, there are always two sides in a story. Generally, competitors view winning as unimportant but the more aggressive view is that, it is the only thing. And, the main reason why we compete in a sport is to ultimately win the game. We usually strive to win. This very same reason makes us ponder why fair play plays an important role in a competitive sport. Firstly, when we want to compete, we assume that our competitor will also give his/her one hundred percent and they will also strive to win. And to eventually win the game, both of you will give your best. When we give your best, alongside with it comes all your athletic ability and might hoping that in the end, you will be successful. This is the mere essence of competition and sports—to win—but more importantly, to play the game fair. (Feigley, 2007) This philosophy is vice versa—for the player to win, he must give his best so that his best will let him win. Additionally, when both players give their best efforts, there will always be another chance where the two of you will meet again. This will be an advantage on both parts because through this, you now both know the strengths and weaknesses of each other. And because of this, both of the players can now plan their strategies so that they can beat the opponent next time they meet. And in so doing, they can also improve their skills and sports. In conjunction with such, the player must play fair so that both can give their best efforts that will eventually give them a sense of satisfaction. Also, as mentioned above, playing fair is also a form of socialization. When we enter into a competition, we should also bear in mind that after every after game, there will always be another chance wherein the two of you will meet again. It will also be an advantage to know your opponent not just on the court but more so, personally. You cannot just discuss your strategies but also, you can also create camaraderie, connections and friendships. This is an advantage for both players because you not only gave the audience what they are craving for; but also, it also shows that you can be defeated gracefully, which is commendable in the audiences point of view. Being a sport also gives the player a sense of â€Å"self-improvement†. Further elaborated, when the player becomes the loser, this gives him a lesson that he should constantly improve his sport or craft so that next time, he will win. Now, in view point of the winner, this does not mean that he should always be confident in his abilities. He should also be constantly honing his talent because there will always be someone out there that is better than him that might outshine him one day. Fair play serves as a constant reminder for both the player to always sharpen their respective craft to improve themselves and consequently, achieve their primary goal—which is, to win. Now, like mentioned from above, fair play does not only apply to the player. It should also apply to the other people that are prominent in a game like the coaches and other officials. There is no denying that coaches are a huge factor to develop a character and sense of sportsmanship of a player. They serve as the primary teacher which teaches us to be not just great players but also, as the ones that we take our basic course in sports. Now, since they are considered as the first teachers, it is inevitable that they should also serve as role models for players. Players should not be treated as the only stars in the game. The coaches and officials should also be a sport. This does not only break the rule of being a â€Å"teacher’ but also, it conforms to the notion of fair play. Coaches should also be able to accept winning and defeat gracefully. This does not only generate respect from the audience but more importantly, they also earn the respect of their fellow coaches and officials. And when they have already earned that respect, they should also learn to repay it to their players. With every lesson or new technique or strategy that they teach their players, it should also be accompanied with the constant lesson that the players should also learn how to be humble, or, in other words, be a sport. The whole concept of fair play will not be complete without being empathetic with the audiences. We have seen in televisions how the audiences react whenever their favorite soccer team makes a goal. The audiences should also have a proper etiquette whenever they watch their favorite team play. More often than not, audiences get too excited for their teams and eventually, it causes chaos in more ways than one. The audience should also have a concept of fair play so that there will be no casualties (both physical and egoistical) in the end. Just like their idols, they should also learn to accept defeat gracefully and understandingly. The concept of fair play or sportsmanship has been a â€Å"golden rule† in the world of sports ever since time in memoriam. Basically, it only states that players should show respect and should be fair in following the rules of the game. Not only should it apply for the players but also, for the coaches, officials and the audiences as well. Practicing fair play plays a great role in winning a game because it becomes a part of the whole game itself. Being fair implies a big responsibility not just for the players but also for the coaches, officials and the audiences as well. In playing fair, the player can re-evaluate his abilities and the strategies that he is employing if ever he losses a game. But this does not mean that the winner should now be always confident; he should rather practice more so as to hone his skills and so that, he can maintain his winning streak. Also, being fair builds camaraderie amongst players. For some, it is a form of socialization. Not only does it create friendships but also, it can also be a foundation of connections and a little bit of fame. Still, in a player’s point of point of view, it builds character. Generally, in sports, the coaches are considered as the first teachers of the athletes. They are the ones that should be responsible for how players behave and carry out the game. More importantly, they are the ones that sportsmanship should be highly visible because after all, they are the ones that created great, responsible and humble players. They should also know how to accept defeat gracefully because after all, in every game, there is always a winner and a loser. This should also be true for the officials because it is in their hands that the whole flow of the game lies. Also, they are considered as the â€Å"big boss† in a game and consequently, they can serve as a door for opportunities and a great entertainment for the audience. Lastly, to make this whole philosophy be holistic, it should also apply with the audiences. Around the world, there have been hundred reports that a simple game between two rival soccer teams causes many casualties and even suspensions for both teams. Audiences should know how to act properly in a game and should not be over excited regarding their respective teams. They should practice the concept of sportsmanship so that everything will be fair. In conclusion, the concept of sportsmanship has long been around and it is practiced since time in memoriam. It is an unwritten wherein it can save or break a game (or in some cases, even players and managers). Since it is a rule, it should be respected; but there are also situations where it has been violated and the violators have paid their price. To break it down, it is just a simple rule but pertains a heavy load of responsibility and consequences. And these consequences are downright heavy so it is will be much better for the players to just practice this philosophy so as not to get their selves into a big trouble and maybe one day, save their lives.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

The convention governing the International Whaling Commission (IWC)

President Clinton, when announcing his decision last October to delay the implementation of sanctions on Norway following that country's recommencement of commercial whaling, stated the United States' strong commitment to science- based international solutions to global conservation problems. The convention governing the International Whaling Commission (IWC) states similarly that its â€Å"regulations with respect to the conservation and utilization of whale resources †¦ shall be based on scientific findings†. But the practice differs greatly from the principle. The IWC took a decision in 1982 to impose a global moratorium on all commercial whaling at a time of growing scientific evidence that the Antarctic minke whale population, at least, could certainly sustain a limited harvest. Whaling countries, angered by this decision which they considered to be without scientific justification, hit back later in the 80's by making use of a provision in the IWC Convention which allowed them to issue permits to their nationals to catch some whales for the purpose of scientific research – research is conducted as a part of these â€Å"scientific† whaling operations, but is that their primary purpose? Most recently there is the proposal for a whale sanctuary throughout the Southern Ocean – a transparent attempt to prevent the resumption of whaling on the 3/4 million strong Antarctic minke population for reasons which have nothing to do with science. This has been accompanied by the unedifying spectacle of Western nations and â€Å"conservation† (or, more accurately, â€Å"preservationist†) groups desperately searching for some plausible surrogate scientific rationale with which to attempt to justify the proposal. These other reasons are discussed elsewhere in this volume. My brief is to address aspects of President Clinton's expressed concern at â€Å"the absence of a credible, agreed management and monitoring regime that would ensure that commercial whaling is kept within a science-based limit†. SUSTAINABLE UTILISATION Obviously such limits should be consistent with â€Å"sustainable utilisation† – but exactly what does that mean? The most ready analogy is that of a pensioner whose sole asset is a capital sum invested in a bank. Sustainable utilisation for him means living off the annual interest without dipping into the capital. In other words, harvesting only the natural annual growth of a population, without depleting it to a low level where this growth is greatly reduced. THE IWC'S NEW MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE In the 1970's, in response to mounting public criticism following the substantial depletion of many whale populations by whaling conducted under its aegis, the IWC introduced the so-called â€Å"New Management Procedure† (NMP). The underlying principles were fine – essentially to get whale populations to and keep them at reasonably high proportions of their size before exploitation started, by ensuring that catch limits set did not exceed sustainable levels. But the NMP proved unworkable in practice. Why? Not because there was anything wrong with the concept, but because the NMP didn't go far enough. It failed to specify how the â€Å"annual interest† (i.e. the sustainable catch level from a whale stock) was to be calculated, what data needed to be collected to do this, and how to take account of uncertainties. CALCULATING SUSTAINABLE YIELD LEVELS So how can sustainable yield levels be calculated? For the pensioner, the process is simple: to evaluate how much interest will become available annually, ask the bank teller how much capital is in his account and what the interest rate is, and then just multiply the two together. So why isn't fisheries management equally easy? – because the teller is unco- operative. All he will tell you, and only once a year, is how much you have in your account, which he can get wrong by typically 20%. And he certainly won't tell you directly what the interest rate is. How do we then get the information needed to be able to perform this key multiplication to calculate the sustainable yield for whale populations? For the capital component, sighting surveys are conducted from research vessels to determine the numbers of whales. By the standards normally attainable in fisheries research, the results obtained are good (error margins of typically 20%). The difficult component is the interest rate. Basically some (careful) exploitation is needed before this can be evaluated, because the calculation requires the information from a series of sighting surveys on how the size of the population changes in response to this harvesting. THE FUNDAMENTAL RISK-REWARD TRADE-OFF The bottom line then is that some trade-off is inevitable. If such initial harvests are kept too low, the potential productivity of the resource remains undiscovered. But if these catches are set too large, there is a high risk that unintended heavy depletion may occur before this is realised and corrective action can be taken. The goal of a risk-free harvesting strategy is unattainable, for exactly the same reason that no car or aircraft can ever be made completely â€Å"safe†. Risk can be reduced (though never eliminated), but only at the expense of higher costs – or correspondingly, lesser rewards in the form of smaller catches in resource utilisation terms. WHERE DOES THE COMPUTER COME IN? The role of the computer is to calculate the sizes of the anticipated trade-offs between risk and reward when harvesting whale populations. This is the basic function of the computer simulation trials used to test the IWC Scientific Committee's proposed â€Å"Revised Management Procedure† (RMP). Quantitative information about these trade-offs allows a sensible choice to be made between the extremes of rapid extinction of the resource under unsustainable catch levels, and complete protection which forbids any harvesting ever. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A â€Å"MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE† AND THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO FISHERIES MANAGEMENT? How does such a â€Å"Management Procedure† approach differ from the usual methods used to regulate fisheries? There catch limits are calculated according to the current â€Å"best perceptions† of the status and productivity of the resource. But it is then not entirely clear how the answer obtained should be adjusted to take the inevitable uncertainties in these perceptions into account – in other words, how to make proper allowance for risk. In contrast, the â€Å"Management Procedure† approach puts such uncertainties up front, by insisting that if these current â€Å"best perceptions† are in error, the trend in catches set over the longer term must be such that the Procedure self-corrects before there is any substantial risk that the resource could be damaged. For example, it has been suggested that global climatic change could result in a change in the environment which is deleterious for whale stocks. The RMP has already been tested to ensure that catch limits for whales would be adjusted downwards appropriately should this occur. Why are such Procedures needed for whales in particular? Whales are long-lived animals and their populations can at best grow at only a few percent per annum. Thus even relatively low levels of catch, if continued, can lead to problems unless there is adequate monitoring and an option for adjusting catch limits. In other words, the risk involved in harvesting whale populations can be evaluated sensibly only for a Procedure which is to be consistently applied for a number of decades. Thus, as in sport, a Management Procedure involves all the parties concerned agreeing the rules before the game is played (and sticking to them during it!). IS THIS APPROACH BEING USED SUCCESSFULLY ELSEWHERE? This approach is not entirely new in fisheries. Iceland has been applying it in the management of its capelin fishery. Arising out of the IWC's initiative for whales, South Africa has now come to base catch limit decisions for its major fisheries for hake, sardine and anchovy on the approach. WHAT SORT OF CATCH REGIME FOR WHALES WOULD RESULT UNDER THE RMP? As far as catch limits for whales under the IWC Scientific Committee's proposed RMP are concerned, these would initially be set at annual levels of about 0.5% of current population sizes. That would apply to stocks of species not greatly depleted by past whaling activities, such as many of the world's minke whale populations. For stocks still markedly depleted such as the blue and fin whales of the Antarctic, this percentage would be considerably less – indeed zero for those and many other stocks for a number of decades yet. In addition, there would be provisions to ensure that catches are widely spread, rather than concentrated in a few small regions. This is necessary to provide safeguards against uncertainties in knowledge about the positions of the boundaries between stocks. The annual percentage take could be increased over time, but this would be permitted only provided the results from the monitoring population trends over time by sightings surveys suggest that such larger levels of catch are sustainable. However, if the survey series stops, catches are phased out quite rapidly. TO WHAT LEVEL OF RISK DOES THE RMP CORRESPOND? What risks would be involved in the application of the RMP to whale stocks? Broadly speaking, there would be no more than a 5% chance, even under the worst set of circumstances or misconceptions likely, that catches (other than perhaps ones of a negligible size) would be taken from a population reduced to more than 10% below its most productive level. (This is the so-called 54% â€Å"protection level† – an abundance 54% of that before any harvesting took place.) And populations would need to be reduced to well below that level before any real concerns about possible extinction might arise. HOW DOES THIS LEVEL OF RISK COMPARE TO THAT ACCEPTED IN HARVESTING OTHER OF THE WORLD'S MARINE RESOURCES? If this criterion (no more than a 5% chance that the population is below 54% of its pre-exploitation size for harvesting to be allowed) were applied to the rest of the world's fisheries, nearly all would have to be closed immediately. Off the northeast coast of the US and off western Europe, for example, harvesting continues from cod stocks which are below not just 50% of their pristine levels, but arguably less than as little as 10%. Even when allowing for biological differences between whales and fish, the low levels of risk some nations demand be met for harvesting the former, are totally inconsistent with the much higher levels which they are prepared to accept for exploiting their own stocks of the latter. ABORIGINAL WHALING ON THE BOWHEAD WHALE OFF ALASKA President Clinton's statement made reference to the aboriginal whaling on bowheads in which native Alaskans engage. Some years ago, there was justifiable concern that these activities were putting this population at risk. However, the US has commendably invested considerable research effort towards addressing this problem, with results which show that there can now be no serious scientific reservations that current levels of catch place the population under any real threat. Yet, were the RMP to be applied in this case, it is so risk averse that an immediate cessation of these whaling activities would be required. THE NMFS REVIEW OF THE RMP Recently, the US National Marine Fisheries Service commissioned an independent review of the RMP by a panel of seven North American scientists. Their brief to assimilate and comment upon seven years of work by the IWC Scientific Committee (without having had any prior involvement therein) in the short space of five days was a daunting one. The panel concluded that the RMP as it stood could be used safely for a period of at most 20 years, but also recommended that some further computer simulation trials be carried out. However, it seems to me that all the specific extra trials which they recommend have effectively already been carried out and considered by the IWC's Scientific Committee. It is unclear from the panel's written report whether they were unaware of this, or did actually have some reservations about what had been done, which their report fails to elaborate. Obviously the panel should clarify this ambiguity expeditiously to the IWC's Scientific Committee. NORWAY'S RESUMPTION OF COMMERCIAL WHALING Norway has, of course, resumed commercial whaling on minke whales. This it is legally entitled to do, since it lodged an objection to the IWC's 1982 moratorium decision. I understand that the annual catch limit set by the Norwegians for their overall operation is within the limit which the RMP would specify, so that there are no scientific grounds to query that decision. However, I understand also that the areal distribution of the catches permitted by Norway is not in accord with the provisions of the RMP, and I believe that legitimate questions can be directed at Norway on this point. Of course, such a deviation from the RMP does not necessarily mean that any real danger to the resource will eventuate. But if Norway does wish to depart from the RMP's provisions, I believe that it has some scientific obligation to present the results of computer simulation trials to the IWC's Scientific Committee to demonstrate that such deviations as they might plan do indeed not involve undue long term risk. THE POTENTIAL EFFECT OF INCREASED CONSUMPTION BY GROWING MARINE MAMMAL POPULATIONS ON COMMERCIAL FISH RESOURCES What of the concerns often expressed that increasing marine mammal populations will consume more fish and thus put fishing industries at risk? The counter argument often made is that there is no scientific proof that this is so. But equally, there is no scientific proof that it isn't. The scientific methods which have been used in the past to address this question have been crude, and there has been a justifiable argument that basing management decisions (such as a marine mammal cull, for example) upon their results would be premature. Marine science can never, by its nature, prove something without some residual doubt. But methods are being improved, and cases may soon arise where the preponderance of indications that growing numbers of marine mammals will impact fisheries is so strong, that hard decisions will have to be faced to avoid the chance that important industries are put at risk. For example, growing fur seal herds off southern Africa are now more than 2 million strong. Their consumption of commercial species equates to the total catch by all the fishing industries in the area, and their continued growth may constitute a threat to the region's most valuable fishery for hake. IN CONCLUSION To conclude, let me return to President Clinton's concern for science-based limits, and credible management and monitoring for potential commercial whaling. From the scientific side, the RMP has been more thoroughly researched and tested than any comparable marine resource management system worldwide. Its own requirement for regular sighting surveys, as well as the regular review process associated with its implementation for any species and region, ensures adequate monitoring. It is so risk averse that the only real scientific basis for questioning its immediate implementation is that it is so conservative that it will waste much of a potential harvest. If the United States fails to endorse the RMP, is there any way that the US could then avoid the judgement of complete hypocrisy, unless it immediately suspended not only the aboriginal whaling by Alaskans, but indeed closed every one of the country's fisheries?

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Casablaca Movie Review essays

Casablaca Movie Review essays Casablanca is in my opinion one of the best movies of all time, bringing together excellent actors, creative artists and a perfect story. Since so many reviews and studies have been done on Casablanca it is hard to approach it with a genuine touch so in a way this is a study done with all those point of views used as a source and blended together. Casablanca was awarded three Academy awards in 1943 for Best Screenplay, Best Picture and Best Director thus recognizing the qualities that Casablanca possesses. The only regret about this film in regards to the awards and recognition it received is that almost no acknowledgement was made of Ingrid Bergman exquisite acting. The review of the professional critic I am including in this study is of Tim Dirks one of the most renown critics: The classic and much-loved romantic melodrama Casablanca (1942), always found on top-ten lists of films, is a masterful tale of two men vying for the same woman's love in a love triangle. The story of political and romantic espionage is set against the backdrop of the conflict between democracy and totalitarianism. With rich and smoky atmosphere, anti-Nazi propaganda, Max Steiner's superb musical score, suspense, unforgettable characters and memorable lines of dialogue (e.g., "Here's lookin' at you, kid", and the inaccurately-quoted "Play it again, Sam"), it is one of the most popular, magical (and flawless) films of all time - focused on the themes of lost love, honor and duty, self-sacrifice and romance within a chaotic world. Woody Allen's Play It Again, Sam (1972) paid reverential homage to the film, as have the lesser films Cabo Blanco (1981) and Barb Wire (1996), and the animated Bugs Bunny short Carrotblanca (1995). Dirks, Tim Casablanca (1942), A review by Tim Dirks. Michael Curtiz; of Hungarian origin and recent immigrant, was the Director and one of the member of the creative team responsible for the success of...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Analysis Of Ancient Egyptian History History Essay

Analysis Of Ancient Egyptian History History Essay Ancient Egypt was known as the’Cradle of Civilization’. Egyptian civilization is a gift of the Nile River that flows from the northern part of Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. The river nile was the longest river that located in the Northern Africa. According to historian, Egypt was the second and the oldest civilization in the world that was formed about 3000 B.C.E. The Egypt remains a very interesting history in terms of culture, religion, agriculture, powerful government, their economy, construction of buildings like the pyramids and so forth. Historically, Egypt is an old civilization that ruled by the 30 dynasty of pharaohs in 3100 B.C.E and 332 B.C.E , which it has been divided into the three most major time periods in Egypt, those kingdoms were; the Old kingdom, Middle kingdom and New kingdom. The history of timeline of Ancient Egypt Historians also have divided the time period of ancient Egyptian history to some of the period. The following periods were: Prehist oric ( – 3100 BCE), Early Dynastic Period ( 3000 – 2686), Old Kingdom ( 3000 – 2890), First Intermediate Period (2181 -2055), Middle Kingdom (2055-1650), Second Intermediate Period (1650-1550), New Kingdom (1550 – 1069), Third Intermediate Period (1069 – 664) and Late Period (664 – 332) Pharaoh The King of Egypt was called as Pharaoh, which in other words, â€Å"greatest house†. Pharaoh had absolute power over Egypt and is fully entitled. In the reign of the pharaoh, the Egyptians believed in the existence of God, where the pharaoh considered as god. Pharaoh is not only a political leader that was exalted by the society of Egypt, but he is also regarded as a religious leader as well. Social Organization Position of women Women have a unique status in the Egyptian civilization as it has its own rights. Women role is very important ancient Egypt as the wife and mother, and also its position has been considered precious. In the royal fam ily, the ancient Egyptian women not only became the wife of a pharaoh, or a god, but will become the mother of the pharaoh. Pharaoh could have more than one wife. Religion and beliefs of ancient Egypt Ancient Egyptian civilization is known as a religious center, as evidenced by the discovery of monuments and temples of the religious nature of ancient Egyptian society and beliefs. The Egyptian believed that the world was dominated by many gods to determine life and death of a life, which was also called as trust in polytheism. Each of the Egyptian god often associated with the natural elements such as Re (sun god), Ra-Atum (God’s Heaven) and Amun (Wind God). The Egytian worship the ‘spirit’ where it is believed to help them obtaining the benefits and avoid misfortune or natural disaster. For instance, the Egyptian society worships ‘plant spirit’ to get a good crop. Pharaoh was deemed to be the descendants of God, and because of these, Pharaoh regarded as the great god and has the right to do anything for the Egyptian society. Ancient Egyptian society believes that there is life after death. For them, the person who died will live again in the hereafter. Thus, they preserve bodies (mummification) and build a huge pyramid to keep the mummy of the pharaoh. Pyramid is considered as a meditative spirit, used to store treasures, such as the property of the pharaoh. Food and furniture are also stored in the pyramids because they believed that by doing so the spirit will live in the hereafter.ListenRead phoneticallyListen

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Leadership and control plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leadership and control plan - Assignment Example The president of the firm is currently not delegating any responsibilities to its vice-presidents. A lot of changes have to occur at this company to turn things around. A new leadership plan has to be implemented to improve the employee morale at the firm. One of the first steps to show the employees that the firm cares about their professional development is to immediately implement a training and development plan. Each month all the employees of the firm should have the opportunity to receive at least an hour of training. The firm should have both required and voluntary training and development sessions. The managerial staff of the firm should receive advance training on leadership topics. Another way to improve leadership within the company is by adopting the use of delegating and empowerment. These two topics should be emphasized in the training and development efforts of the firm. Delegation can be defined as the process of giving power or work to someone else so that they are responsible for part of what they normally do (Theyagu). Leadership can also be enhanced at the company by the utilization of teamwork. Working in team units allows work ers to improve their communication skills and to work in a cohesive manner with their colleagues to achieve common goals. The control measures of the company are completely inadequate. The firm has a major weakness in its accounting department. The firm’s accounting department is understaffed and not performing adequately. The first step is for the firm to hire a consultant in accounting to perform an external auditing to ensure that the company is complying with the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The external audit performed by this firm must be evaluated by the newly hired position of comptroller at the firm. Along with a comptroller the firm must hire two additional staff accountants with at least three years of experience in accounting. The newly form accounting

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Apology versus Crito Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Apology versus Crito - Essay Example Apology versus Crito He questions politicians, poets and craftsmen and discovers that they in fact lacked proper knowledge. He challenges the people of Athens and proves that they are ignorant and foolish. He affirms that he is the wisest man because he knows that he knows nothing. His chief complainant is a man named â€Å"Meletus† (Apology) whom Socrates criticizes and questions him severely for calling him an atheist and blaming him for violating god made laws. Socrates claims strongly that he is not scared of the wrong accusations of the society and his life after death and because according to him it is unwise to fear death when you do not even knows what happens to the life after ones demise. Socrates calls Athens as â€Å"a lazy horse† (Apology) and compares himself to a gadfly who stings the people to provoke them. Socrates does not like politics as in his opinion his involvement in politics would have prevented him to serve for his people; lastly he defends himself and his sincere friends who stood by him through thick and thin, and praises his associates for loving him unconditionally. Moreover he favors death to imprisonment and exile, he thinks that â€Å"a life that is not examined is not worth living† so he would continue philosophizing even if his life is at stake. The â€Å"Apology† provides the most significant defenses of a truth-seeking life by Socrates. In his speech he contrasts himself with many well-known people and persuades that his philosophy and thinking is far better and different from others as he does not believe in just acquiring knowledge but rather clarifying ones judgment his philosophical views are entirely different from other philosophers, according to him, the

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Social Questions and Answers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Social Questions and Answers - Essay Example From this paper it i clear that the U.S. society would collapse due to the different cultures mixed together. Marx felt the Capitalism would fall a long time ago. Weber would feel that because the United States has differing opinions that it would fall, as would Durkheim. What each individual did not take into account was the American system is not rigid. It is flexible to change, so if something does not work the citizens can change it. The American culture grows and reinvents itself everyday. That is why it has lasted so long.This study outlines that Marx had a Conflict Theory. He believed that the workers would turn on the richer class in the capitalist society. Marx thought the poor people would revolt against the rich people. What he did not take into account is everybody has a fair chance to become rich, so the poor does not focus on the rich, but how to get rich. Durkheim used Functionalism. He believed that a society was a single essence. The society was driven on differences and similarities. The society can be more than just a single part, but the single parts make up the whole. Once again Durkheim thought America would collapse upon itself because of too many different parts. That is what makes it work though. Max Weber had the Interpretive Theory. He believed societies worked through intentional and unintentional actions. Weber thought that the interaction in America had too much conflict.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Ibandronate vs. Alendronate for Osteoporosis

Ibandronate vs. Alendronate for Osteoporosis Cost-Effectiveness of Ibandronate vs. Alendronate used in treatment of osteoporosis, in a specialized clinic in Tirana. Dr. Mirela Miraà §i1; Msc.Arlinda Demeti2; Prof.as Zamira Ylli3; Prof.Mira Zià §ishti3; Prof.As Suela Kellià §i1 Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine, Tirana. Bioparafarmacia Franceze Neostyle Clinic Abstract: Osteoporosis is â€Å"a systemic skeletal disease with a high prevalence. Biphosphonates are medicaments which are chosen for their efficacy in reducing fracture incidence, increasing bone density and improving bone microarchitecture. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the drugs (ibandronate and alendronate) used in osteoporosis treatment, in post-menopausal women over the age of 50 years at a specialized clinic in Tirana; to calculate the annual cost of treatment of osteoporosis and to perform a cost effectiveness analyze. Methods: Retrospective. The patients were all female, in menopause or post menopause, with T-score -1 to -6, treated with alendronate or ibandronate. The effectiveness is calculated as the average percentage of change in bone mineral density (av. % of change in BMD) of year 2011 vs. 2010 baseline. The annual cost of the treatment of osteoporosis according to the protocols and the cost of the examination with DXA scan (dual x-ray absorptiometry) were calculated. Finally a comparison of the cost-effectiveness was performed. Conclusion:  Patients with osteoporosis treated with Ibandronate, at our clinic in Tirana, have an average change from baseline higher compared with patients treated with Alendronate, with statistically significant difference between them (Man Whitney U = 66.0, p The annual cost of the disease when treated with ibandronate is 1.3 times higher than the annual cost of treatment with alendronate. Ibandronate is more cost effective than all other alendronate . Introduction: Osteoporosis is â€Å"a systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass and micro architectural deterioration of bone tissue, with a consequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fractures† (1) The World Health Organization defines osteoporosis as â€Å"bone density 2.5 standard deviations (SDs) below the mean for young white adult women at lumbar spine, femoral neck or forearm†. (2) Osteoporosis leads to nearly 9million fractures each year worldwide and over 300,000patients with fragility fractures are registered in UK hospitals each year (British Orthopaedic Association, 2007).(3) Osteoporoza, à «shtà « njà « sà «mundje me njà « prevalencà « tà « lartà « edhe nà « Shqipà «ri (7.28% e popullatà «s dhe 9.6% tek femrat)4, e njà «jtà « me atà « tà « hasur pà «r astmà «n apo sà «mundjet e zemrà «s; †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Direct medical costs due to fragility fractures in UK healthcare economy were estimated at  £1.8billion in 2000, with the potential to increase to  £2.2billion by 2025 and the major part of these costs were related to hip fracture care. (5) The annual cost of osteoporosis and fractures in the US elderly was estimated at $16 billion(6) Osteoporosis is diagnosed by a T-score, which is the number of standard deviation (SD) that patient’s bone mineral density (BMD), measured using dualX-ray absorptiometry, differs from the mean BMD of 30-years old premenopausal women. Patients with T-score of between -1 and -2.5 SD are said to have osteoporosis.7,8 Biphosphonates are medicaments which are chosen for their efficacy in reducing fracture incidence, increasing bone density and improving bone microarchitecture.9-15 Top of Form Methods: Retrospective. The patients were all female, in menopause or post menopause, 50 years old or elder, with T-score -1 to -6, diagnosed for the 1rst time in 2010 (the 1rst BMD measurement), who have received treatment (alendronate or ibandronate) for 12 months and in 2011 have performed a 2nd BMD measurement. The effectiveness is calculated as the average percentage of change in bone mineral density (av.% of change in BMD) of year 2011 vs. 2010 baseline. It was calculated the annual cost of the treatment of osteoporosis according to the protocols: with once monthly 150 mg oral ibandronate plus supplements (calcium, vitamine D) and once weekly 70 mg alendronate (4 times per month) plus supplements (calcium, vitamine D). There are also included other direct costs such as the examination with DXA scan (dual x-ray absorptiometry) to determine the diagnosis and the medical visits. Finally a comparison of the cost-effectiveness will be performed. Statistical Analysis Data were analyzed with SPSS 20 statistical package. It is used the non-parametric Man Whitney U test to compare the continuous variables, Fisher Exact test was used to compare proportions between variables and the the Odds Ratio OR for assessing the association between variables. Point estimations are accompanied with interval estimation by 95 % CI. For continuous variables is presented the average, the standard deviation and the minimum and maximum values. The level of statistical significance is defined at ÃŽ ± ≠¤ 005. Statistical tests are two-sided.duhet te shihet gjuha e perdorur, a qendron ne anglisht? Results of the study In our study were included 70 patients who fulfill the inclusion criteria. 24 patients were treated with once monthly 150 mg oral ibandronate and 46 patients with once weekly 70 mg alendronate.There were not case of fracture among our patients. Table 1 compares the frequency of pathologies (osteopenia and osteoporosis) in two groups of patients treated with alendronat or ibandronat. Osteoporosis Osteopenia Ibandronate 14 10 Alendronate 18 28 OR= 1.3 95%CI 0.5 4.2 p=0.4 Your contribution will be used to improve translation quality and may be shown to users anonymously Contribute Close Thank you for your submission. Number of patients treated with alendronate is 1.3 times higher than the number of patients treated with ibandronate in the case of osteoporosis. (OR = 1.3, 95% CI 0.5-4.2, p = 0.4). Chart 1 Calculation of efficiency We have to calculate the average percentage of change of BMD (2011) to baseline (2010): Table2. In the group of Alandronate (N=46) we have found this data: Osteoporosis n=18 Osteopeni n= 28 M (SD) min max M (SD) min max Mann-Whitney U p T Score 2010 -3.2 (0.7) -4.6 -2.5 -1.9 (0.4) -2.4 -1.1 507.0 T Score 2011 -3.1 (0.8) -4.7 -2.2 -1.8 (0.6) -2.4 -1.1 515.5 Age, yrs 61.2 (8.0) 51.0 – 79.0 59.1 (7.8) 51.0 – 81.0 223.5 0.3 Height, m 1.5 (0.05) 1.4 – 1.6 1.5 (0.07) 1.4 – 1.7 304.5 0.3 Weight, kg 58.8 (8.3) 46.0 – 73.0 68.6 (11.1) 51.0 – 95.0 376.5 0.01 *Age-Group, yrs n (%) n (%) OR (95% CI) 50 -59 yrs 8 (17) 19 (41) 60 -69 yrs 7 (15.2) 6 (13.0) 1.6 0.4 – 6.7 0.4 >70 yrs 3 (7) 3 (7) 2.8 0.4 – 25.2 0.3 *Fisher exact test p=0.3 There are 46 patients treated with alendronate. 18 ( 39.1 %) (95% ; CI 29.7 52.1) of them suffer from osteoporosis and 28 ( 60.9 % ) (95 % CI 47.8 74.2) from osteopenia, with no statistically significant difference between them, p = 0.9 Grupmosha 60 – 69 vjeà § ka 1.6 herà « mà « tepà «r gjasa qà « tà « vuajnà « nga Osteoporoza sesa grupmosha 50-59 vjeà §, por pa ndryshim sinjifikant ndà «rmjet tyre (OR=1.6; 95%CI 0.4–6.7; p=0.4) Grupmosha >70 vjeà § ka 2.8 herà « mà « tepà «r gjasa qà « tà « vuajnà « nga osteoporoza sesa grupmosha 50-59 vjeà §, por pa ndryshim sinjifikant ndà «rmjet tyre (OR=2.8; 95%CI 0.4–25.2; p=0.3) Pacientet me Osteopeni kanà « peshà « mesatare mà « tà « lartà « krahasuar me pacientà «t me Osteoporozà «, me ndryshim statistikisht tà « rà «ndà «sishà «m ndà «rmjet tyre (Man Whitney U=376.5, p=0.01) Pacientà «t me Osteoporozà « kanà « tà « njà «jtà «n gjatà «si mesatare me pacientà «t me Osteopeni, pa ndryshim statistikisht tà « rà «ndesishà «m ndà «rmjet tyre (Man Whitney U=304.5, p=0.3). The change from baseline for Alendronate group The change from baseline is calculated: Table 3 Osteoporosis n=18 Osteopenia n= 28 M (SD) min max M (SD) min max Mann-Whitney U p The change from baseline 2.1 (4.5) -7.6 – 13.9 1.7 (6.2) -23 – 11.1 316.0 0.2 Patients with osteopenia have an average change from baseline higher compared with patients with osteoporosis, no statistically significant difference between them (Man Whitney U = 316.0, p = 0.2). Table 4. In the group of Ibandronate (N = 24) we have find this data: Osteoporosis n=14 Osteopeni n= 10 M (SD) min max M (SD) min max Mann-Whitney U p T Score 2010 -3.7 (0.7) -5.0 -2.7 -1.8 (0.3) -2.2 -1.4 140.0 T Score 2011 -3.2 (0.8) -4.4 -1.7 -1.5 (0.4) -2.1 -1.0 134.5 Age yrs 64.3 (7.3) 53.0 77.0 59.1 (5.0) 53.0 – 68.0 39.5 0.07 Height (m) 1.5 (0.05) 1.4 – 1.6 1.5 (0.06) 1.4 – 1.6 71.0 0.9 Weight 66.2 (10.9) 47.0 – 84.0 70.7 (7.1) 65.0 – 82.0 90.5 0.2 *Age-group, yrs n (%) n (%) OR (95% CI) 50 -59 yrs 3 (12.5) 6 (25.0) 60 -69 yrs 8 (33.3) 4 (16.7) 3.7 0.6 – 27.8 0.2 >70 yrs 3 (12.5) 0 13 0.5 – 33.0 0.03 *Fisher exact test p There are 24 patients treated with Ibandronate. 14 (58.3%), (95% CI 33.2-76.5) of them suffer from osteoporosis and 10 (43.7%), (95% CI 23.4-61.7) of osteopenia, no statistically significant difference between them, p = 0.9. Pacientà «t me Osteoporozà « kanà « njà « moshà « mesatare mà « tà « lartà « krahasuar me pacientà «t me Osteopeni, por pa ndryshim statistikisht tà « rà «ndà «sishà «m ndà «rmjet tyre (Man Whitney U=39.5, p=0.07). Pacientà «t me Osteoporozà « kanà « tà « njejtà «n gjatà «si mesatare me pacientet me Osteopeni, pa ndryshim statistikisht tà « rà «ndà «sishà «m ndermjet tyre (Man Whitney U=71.0, p=0.9) Grupmosha 60 – 69 vjeà § ka 3.7 herà « mà « tepà «r gjasa qà « tà « vuajà « nga Osteoporoza sesa grupmosha 50-59 vjeà §, por pa ndryshim sinjifikant ndà «rmjet tyre (OR=3.7; 95%CI 0.6–27.8; p=0.2). Grupmosha >70 vjeà § ka 13 herà « mà « tepà «r gjasa qà « tà « vuajà « nga osteoporoza sesa grupmosha 50-59 vjeà § me ndryshim sinjifikant ndà «rmjet tyre (OR=13; 95%CI 0.5–33.0; p=0.03). Pacientà «t me Osteopeni kanà « peshà « mesatare mà « tà « lartà « krahasuar me pacientà «t me Osteoporozà «, por pa ndryshim statistikisht tà « rà «ndà «sishà «m ndà «rmjet tyre (Man Whitney U=90.5, p=0.2) The change from baseline for Ibandronate group (N=24) The change from baseline is calculated: Table5 Osteoporosis n=14 Osteopenia n= 10 M (SD) min max M (SD) min max Mann-Whitney U p The change from baseline 7.3 (6.1) -0.5 – 17.3 3.3 (2.2) -1.3 – 6.3 43.0 0.1 Patients with osteoporosis have an average change from baseline higher compared with patients with osteopenia, no statistically significant difference between them (Man Whitney U = 43.0, p = 0.1) Comparison of change from baseline for patients with osteoporosis referring the two drugs. Table 6. Alendronate n=18 Ibandronate n= 14 M (SD) min max M (SD) min max Mann-Whitney U p The change from baseline 2.1 (4.5) -7.6 – 13.9 7.3 (6.1) -0.5 – 17.3 66.0 Chart 2. The change from baseline for patients with osteoporosis Pacientà «t me Osteoporozà « tà « mjekuar me medikamentin Ibandronat kanà « njà « ndryshim mesatar nga baseline mà « tà « lartà « krahasuar me pacientet e mjekuar me Alendronat, me ndryshim statistikisht tà « rà «ndesishà «m ndà «rmjet tyre (Man Whitney U=66.0, p Table 7. Percentages of the average change of BMD from baseline Total Osteoporosis Ostopenia Alendronate 1.83564848 2.081694 1.677476 Ibandronate 5.635355 7.27025 3.346503 Chart 3. Nga figura rezulton se efikasiteti i medikamentit ibandronat (5.6) à «shtà « dukshà «m mà « i lartà « se efikasiteti i medikamentit alendronat (1.8). Efikasiteti i medikamentit ibandronat tek pacientà «t me osteoporozà « (7.3) à «shtà « dukshà «m mà « i lartà « se efikasiteti i medikamentit alendronat (2.1). Efikasiteti i medikamentit ibandronat tek pacientà «t me osteoponi (3.3) à «shtà « mà « i lartà « se efikasiteti i medikamentit alendronat (1.7). Cost analysis We consider only direct costs such as: DXA scanner examinations, medical visits and medications costs (drugs and the supplements), according to a well-defined treatment protocol. In Albania, there is only one kind of ibandronate (only one brand) 150 mg / once a month, while there are lots of alendronate (different brands) 70 mg / 4 times per month, which we have called A1,A2,A3, A4,A5. We have calculated the costs of the only ibandronate and the costs of five types of alendronate, including the alendronate produced by a pharmaceuticals firm in the country, which has the lowest price in the market. In both cases the basic treatment is associated with calcium and vitamin D. Table 8 Annual Cost of treatment and cost of examination Nr Currency Quantity Cost Month Annual Costs 1 Diagnostics skaner DXA Lek1 1 4,000 4,000 Medical examination 1 1,000 1,000 2 Type of Alendronat 70mg A1 lek 4 3,410 12 40,920 A2 lek 4 2,093 12 25,116 A3 lek 4 3,301 12 39,612 A4 lek 4 4,102 12 49,224 A.5 (Albanian Product) lek 4 1,200 12 14,400 3 Ibandronat 150 mg lek 1 4,873 12 58,476 4 Calcium Carbonat 1000 mg + Colecalciferol 880 UI lek 30 1,019 12 12,228 Table 9 Cost of illness according the type of medications Type of Alendronat 1+2+4 Annual costs A1 lek 58,148 A2 lek 42,344 A3 lek 56,840 A4 lek 66,452 A5 lek 31,628 Type of Ibandronat 1+3+4 Annual costs I1 lek 75,704 The annual cost of the disease when treated with ibandronate is 2.4 times higher than the annual cost of treatment with alendronate the alendronate produced by a pharmaceuticals firm in the country, which has the lowest price in the market, respectivly 537[1] euro versus 226 euro per patient in alendronate group. Having all the annual costs and the efficiency for each drug, we can compare: Table 10 Name (Changes by baseline in %) Efficiency of alendronate 1.83565 Efficiency of ibandronate 5.63536 Table11 Type of treatment C/E Alendronate A1 31,677 A2 23,068 A3 30,965 A4 36,201 A5 17,230 Ibandronate 13,434 The analyse of cost per efficiency unit (Table 10) shows that in the case of ibandronate the value obtained is 13.434 units and in alendronate A1 case is 31.677 units. Discussion of results Patients with osteoporosis treated with Ibandronate, at our clinic in Tirana, have an average change from baseline higher compared with patients treated with Alendronate, with statistically significant difference between them (Man Whitney U = 66.0, p 16 The annual cost of the disease when treated with ibandronate is 1.3 times higher than the annual cost of treatment with alendronate A1 and 2.4 times higher than the annual cost of treatment with the alendronate produced by a pharmaceuticals firm in the country, which has the lowest price in the market. So as claimed, the cost for effectiveness unit is lower (about 2.3 times) in the case of ibandronate compared to alendronate A1. Well ibandronate results the most cost- effective. Ibandronate turns more cost effective than all other alendronate including the alendronate produced by a pharmaceuticals firm in the country, which has the lowest price in the market Literature Christiansen, C. (1993). Consensus development conference: diagnosis, prophylaxis,and treatment of osteoporosis. Am J Med 94:646–50. Kanis, J.A. (1994). Assessment of Fracture Risk and its Application to Screening forPostmenopausal Osteoporosis. Report of a WHO Study Group. Geneva: World HealthOrganization. Johnell O, Kanis JA (2006) An estimate of the worldwide prevalence and disability associated with osteoporotic fractures. Osteoporosis International 17: 1726–33. Dorina Ruco,(Dhjetor 2011): Osteoporoza nà « qytetin e Tiranà «s British Orthopaedic Association (2007).The care of patients with fragility fracture. Burge RT, Worley D, Johansen A, et al. The cost of osteoporotic fractures in the UK: projections for 2000–2020. Journal of Medical Economics 4: 51–52. Blume SW,Curtis JR Osteoporos Int.2011 Jun;22(6):1835-44. doi: 10.1007/s00198-010-1419-7. Epub 2010 Dec 17. Medical costs of osteoporosis in the elderly Medicare population. BMJ Group. Annual zoledronic acid for osteoporosis. Drug Ther Bull. 2008 Dec;46(12):93-6. Cummings SR, Melton LJ. Epidemiology and outcomes of osteoporotic fractures. Lancet 2002;359:1761e7. Delmas PD. Treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Lancet 2002;359:2018e26. Hochberg MC, Ross PD, Black D, et al. Larger increases in bone mineral density during alendronate therapy are associated with a lower risk of new vertebral fractures in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis.Fracture Intervention Trial Research Group. Arthritis Rheum 1999;42:1246e54. Hochberg MC, Greenspan S, Wasnich RD, et al. Changes in bone density and turnover explain the reductions in incidence of nonvertebral fractures that occur during treatment with antiresorptive agents. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2002;87:1586e92. Epstein S. The roles of bone mineral density, bone turnover, and other properties in reducing fracture risk during antiresorptive therapy. Mayo Clin Proc 2005;80:379e88. McClung MR, Wasnich RD, Recker R, et al. Oral daily ibandronateprevents bone loss in early postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.J Bone Miner Res 2004;19:11e8. Rosen CJ. Postmenopausal osteoporosis. N Engl J Med 2005;353: Miller PD,Epstein S,Sedarati F,Reginster JY Once-monthly oral ibandronate compared with weekly oral alendronate in postmenopausal osteoporosis: results from the head-to-head MOTION study. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18042311

Friday, October 25, 2019

Religion and State Sovereignty :: social issues

Religion and State Sovereignty The influence of religion on humankind can be traced back to the first records of history. Religion has served as a pillar of strength to some and binding chains to others. There are vast amounts of information and anthropological studies revealing the interaction of religion and humankind. However, for the purposes of this paper, the time periods of study will be broken up into three sections. Each section will give a general description of how religion affected the institution of the state and its Sovereignty in a Euro-centric perspective. The first period is the early period, which will encompass from Christianity and the Roman Empire to the Medieval times (approx. 311 to 1100 A.D.). The second period will include the Renaissance, the Reformation to the Treaty of Westphalia (1101 to 1648 A.D.). The third and increment of history will range from 1649 to 1945 A.D. The date 311 A.D. marks the issuing of the "Edict of Toleration" for Christians. This date is important because it symbolizes "national" acceptance of Christianity, and planted its roots as a political institution. Later the Roman Empire on the verge of internal collapse acknowledged the importance of Christianity and used it to hold together the remnants of it former self. This adoption of Christianity took form and eventually became the Catholic church.The church became intermingled with politics and became a strong entity. The policies delivered from the church had more authority than the local rulers and magistrates of the developing feudal system. For example, St. Augustine wrote about war and what justified its enactment against fellow men. This policy was followed and adhered to for hundreds of yea rs after St. Augustine wrote it. Another example, is the use of the Bible as a guideline for establishing governing systems. Scripture portrayed God as choosing the king of the people. The pope, being God's "representative" was then given the authority to crown the king. This crowning process gave the pope large influence in the political arena. This ritual continued for a number of centuries. The Crusades, which occurred around 1100 A.D., played a crucial role in challenging the church's authority. The pope identifying the spread of Islam as evil requested all of Europe embark on a "Crusade" to defeat the infidels. As the battles were fought, great treasures were found in the form of books and knowledge. These books were crude translations of old Greek texts, containing information which would eventually produce the waning of Church authority in the future.