World History of the 18-19th century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

World History of the 18-19th century - Essay Example Gandhi’s view on the meaning of civilization was particularly shaped by the socio-economic events of the 19th century. Some of the events included the period of Enlightenment, American Revolution, and Industrial revolution and Western imperialism. Having undergone his education in London, Gandhi understood the western culture and consequently his views tended to compare between the Western civilization and the Indian civilization (Hardiman, 45). Throughout the book, Gandhi argues that the stability and development of a civilization, it should be free from any state of isolation. Unlike other Asian scholars of the time, Gandhi was opposed to the perception that Western civilization was superior to other civilizations and argued that it is a process that every culture must gradually go through. He also believed that civilization destroys morality and religion and came to the conclusion that â€Å"Immorality may sometime be taught in the name of morality†. Generally, the n arrative best captures the general perceptions of the events such as the Industrial revolution during the 19th century.As evidenced in the changes in English economic and social life after the industrial revolution, the revolution was more of a causatory factor than a co-relative factor for the changes witnessed in the 19th century. The transition after the industrial revolution caused a number of changes in the British society. For example as production becomes mechanized, many people migrated to the urban centers leading to increased urbanization. On the other hand, the quick urbanization in turn caused a number of social problems such as increased crime rates and poor sanitation. Generally the industrial revolution that was first witnessed in Britain significantly resulted in the conversion of the socioeconomic order of the time and some of the changes that took place eventually led the way for the industrialization in other parts of Europe and North America. Consequently industr ialization was not a co-relative factor but was a major causatory factor for most of the socio-economic changes witnessed in the 19th century.  

Kingdom of Heaven Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Kingdom of Heaven - Essay Example For example, if a film is set in the time of Christ, the people need to be following the customs of the Roman Empire along with wearing the correct robes. They should not be in a three piece suit and penny loafers, unless the movie has to deal with a man out of time. The third responsibility of the filmmaker is to not keep the locations to their accurate size so that the viewer seems as though they were there. The historical piece that will be used to determine the three responsibilities is Ridley Scott’s 12th Century epic, Kingdom of Heaven. Kingdom of Heaven is a film set during the Crusades about a French blacksmith named Balian, who is searching for a reason to go on after the death of his wife and children. A fabled knight, Godfrey of Ibelin, has briefly returned home after serving in thr East. Godfrey approaches Balian and let’s the blacksmith know that he himself is the blacksmith’s true father. Godfrey, then, asks Balian to join him and his troops in thei r journey to return to the Holy City of Jerusalem to help in the city’s defense. The blacksmith accepts the offer of Godfrey. Their arrival falls in between the Second and Third Crusades when Jerusalem is enjoying a period of peace between the Muslims and the Christians. This peace was all thanks to the Christian monarch King Baldwin IV, his second-in-command Tiberius, and the Muslim potentate Saladin. Unfortunately, the peace does last since violent agitators set out to increase their power. Saladin had to bow down to the pressure Godfey and his men stayed o give their allegiance to the king and his community of diversity. The knights, as well as Balian, use their skills as warriors to build a lasting peace. Orlando Bloom (Balian) is one of the main stars of the film along with Liam Neeson (Godfrey), Edward Norton (Baldwin IV), and Jeremy Iron (Tiberias). In Kingdom of Heaven, I noticed that the overall peace between the Muslims and Christians seemed to show the lack of reli giousness. Rather, the situational tension amongst the Christians and the Muslims seem to be more like a backdrop, than a major part of the story. The story is set between the Second and Third Crusades. However, the action and fighting as warriors is more prevalent than the religious aspects of the Crusade that should be more available. King Baldwin IV was a monarch who wanted to convey peace and diversity amongst the religious factions that want to control the Holy City of Jerusalem. Thus, the filmmaker seemed to use the facts of the time period as more of a symbol for the setting, than as the setting itself. The fighting may have been more gruesome for a film that should be more focused upon Baldwin’s Kingdom of Heaven, then the relationships of a lone person. The relationships should be more about the groups trying to vie for power in Jerusalem, than that of a single man. This story portrays single man being effective in the war to maintain the peace and diversity througho ut the city of Jerusalem during the reign of Baldwin IV. However, the portrayal should be how Baldwin could bring about the change in the ancient fight of the Muslims and the Christians, not how a French blacksmith becomes a knight to help defend the ancient, Holy City from the agitators that wish to overthrow Baldwin IV and claim power for themselves. I feel the overall responsibility of keeping the accuracy of the facts was a little massacred instead of being kept intact by the screenwriters or even portrayed effectively by

Effects of Disputes in Construction

Effects of Disputes in Construction This chapter initially deals with the causes and effects of delays in projects relating to the construction, engineering and IT industries, and the resulting disputes within them. The analytic comparison of delays in each of these industries has then been carried out. Various project case studies, pertaining to the causes and effects of delays and disputes, belonging to each of the above industries have then been included to give a reader a wider scope of the subject matter. The characteristics of certain delay mitigation strategies and dispute resolution techniques have also been investigated for the duration of this chapter. Delays in the Construction Industry Construction industry according to George, O. (1990) may be defined as that sector of the economy which plans, designs, constructs, alters, maintains, repairs, and eventually demolishes buildings, of all kinds, civil engineering works, mechanical and electrical engineering structures and other similar works. Delays on projects are a universal phenomenon and the construction industry is no exception. It has been regarded as a serious problem by Al-Khalil and Al-Ghafly (1999), who further state that it proves costly for both owners and contractors. According to the authors, the owner loses by missing out on the potential revenues from the use of the project and by increased overhead cost for contract administration. Meanwhile, the contractor is said to lose as a result of increased overhead costs and lost opportunities for new projects because of diminished financial capabilities. In relation to project management, a project manager firstly needs to be concerned with the causes of delays, which could be at a national level (Kumaraswamy Chan, 1997; Kaming et al, 1997; Mezher and Tawil, 1998; Al-Khalil and Al-Ghafly, 1999) or at a project level (Rad, 1979; Charoenngam and Yen, 1999; Olima and KAmumu, 1999). The next step is for them is to realise the effects of delays in terms of a projects legal disputes (Scott, 1993), cost overruns (Mansfield et al, 1994), delay analysis techniques (Bordoli and Baldwin, 1998) etc. Delay mitigation is the next step which focuses mainly on the strategies used for construction schedule comparison and accelerated working (Conlin and Rectic, 1997; Noyce and Hanna, 1998). The last step would be to analyse or examine the drawbacks of delay mitigation strategies (Cristian and Hackney, 1995) which could contribute to additional delays. The above four steps involving delays in construction projects must be considered by project managers in order to achieve successful project completion and delivery. In a hypothetical case assuming a project is delayed because materials arrive late on site, the project manager must be able to recognise it as a delay factor. Secondly, the project manager must be responsible for calculating the effects of delays, prior to deciding upon the most suitable delay mitigation strategy. If the project manager decides to use overtime work, then this according to Horner and Talhouni (1995) will lead to a reduction in productivity of the workforce, hence a new delay factor would be added to the project. According to Oztas (1995) the word delay is a relative term in construction. The way the contractor, the client, the architect and the engineer view a delay or its effect to the project most of the times, if not all, vary significantly. The differences in opinion can be explained by the role each party plays in the contract, the cost implications a delay causes to each party, or the legal disputes which arise from the delay. Understanding the nature of construction delays will enhance the ability of the project manager to handle them. All four dimensions must be analyzed in order to have a balanced view of the subject. The following section sheds light upon some of the causes of delays in construction projects around the world, its legal aspects and its effects. Causes of construction delays According to a survey conducted within the construction industry by Sambasivan, M. Wen Soon Y. (2007), the ten most important causes of delay were found to be (1) contractors improper planning, (2) contractors poor site management, (3) inadequate contractor experience, (4) inadequate clients finance and payments for completed work, (5) problems with subcontractors, (6) shortage in material, (7) labour supply, (8)equipment availability and failure, (9) lack of communication between parties, and (10) mistakes during the construction stage. These causes of delay were not far from what Sweis, G.et al (2008) had investigated during their survey. They claimed that the most important causes of delay were due to (1) Poor planning and scheduling of the project by the contractor, (2) Financial difficulties faced by contractor, and (3) too many change orders from owners. As far as commercial projects are concerned, the main cause of delay arises from delay in payment, since there is argument between the two parties on how financial backup will be provided. Odeh and Battaineh (2001) carried out a survey within construction projects involving traditional contracts, in which they identified and categorised the causes of delay according to the project participants. They state that as far as clients are concerned, delay factors include owner interference, finance and payments of completed work, slow decision making and unrealistic contract duration imposed by owners. Delay factors relating to contractors on the other hand include site management, improper planning, inadequate contractor experience, mistakes during construction, improper construction methods and delays caused by subcontractors. Consultant related delay factors include contract management, preparation and approval of drawings, quality assurance/ control, and long waiting time for approval of tests and inspections. Apart from the above mentioned categories, the authors also mention contractual relationship issues, which include major disputes and negotiations during construction, inappropriate organisational structure linking all parties involved in the project, and lack of communication between parties. External factors contributing to project delays include weather conditions, changes in regulations, problems with neighbours and site conditions. The authors failed to mention the political and socio-economical factors, which would have been a helpful addition to this study considering delays in construction projects are not all the same. Legal aspects According to Carnell (2000), delay claims are perhaps the most common form of construction disputes. Scott (1993) found that more than 50% of contracts in the UK end up with extension of time claims with supporting evidence submitted. A similar survey by Yogeswaran et al (1999) investigated 67 civil engineering projects in Hong Kong where claims arose. These claims were a result of different factors, mainly including extension of time due to bad weather (82% of projects), variation orders (49% of projects) and delays caused by utility undertakers. However, it should be noted that claims for extra time or cost do not necessarily end in disputes in all projects. From a legal point of view, according to Kraeim Diekmann (1987), delays factors are classified into three main categories: (1) Compensable, (2) Excusable, and (3) Non-Excusable. According to Scott (1993), the latter terms are used in the United States, while in the UK the terms used are: (1) the client is responsible, neither party is responsible and (3) the contractor is responsible. Irrespective of the terminology used in either country, Arditi and Patel (1989) explain the above as: Compensable/Client is responsible: Delays entitled compensable are not caused by the contractor but by the owner. The main delay factors included in this category are: owners delay in providing access to site, changes in scope of work, non payment to the contractor, improper or delayed issue of change orders, inadequate information and supervision by the owner. When a compensable delay occurs, the contractor is allowed time extension and extra costs for losses. Non-Excusable/Contractor is responsible: Non-excusable delays are caused by the contractors inefficiency. The main delay factors in this category include: shortages of qualified workers, technical personnel or materials, failure to coordinate work (i.e. deficient planning), delays caused by subcontractors, defective work that has to be redone, slow mobilisation, low contractor productivity and accidents. The owner in this case reserves the right to charge the contractor liquidated damages for such delays in the total project duration. Excusable/Neither party is responsible: Delays in this category are caused by events that are beyond the contractor or the clients control. Factors include extreme weather conditions, fire, flood, strikes, and lockouts; vandalism, war, epidemics, damages caused by parties others than the contractor or the owner, government actions or construction law. According to Kraeim and Diekmann (1987), excusable delays are listed in a clause in the contract document (i.e. Force Majeure Clause) and that the sole relief for excusable delays is time extension. The authors argue that the situation becomes more complicated in the case of concurrent delays. These types of delays occur when the overall delay is caused by several factors, some of which are within the owners responsibility and some of which are within the contractors responsibility (Arditi and Patel, 1989; pp.146). The effects of delays To investigate the effects of delays in large construction projects, Assaf Al-Hejji (2006) conducted a survey in which it was concluded that 70% of the projects experienced time overruns. Their research showed that only 30% of construction projects were completed within the scheduled completion dates and that the average time overrun was between 10% and 30%. A similar observation was made by Aibinu Jagboro (2002), whose findings for the Nigerian construction industry showed that time and cost overruns were frequent effects of delays. They had stated in their research that delay had significant effect on completion cost and time of 61 building projects being studied. In a similar but a more integrated approach to finding the effects of delays in construction projects, Sambasivan Wen Soon (2007) identified six effects of delays to be (1) time overrun, (2) cost overrun, (3) disputes, (4) arbitration, (5) litigation, and (6) total abandonment of the project. A delay affects both the construction schedule and the cost of a project. The impact on the construction schedule depends mainly on the activities in which the delay is encountered and the existence or not of float in the delayed activities. The cost effects are mainly related with the types of costs associated with the delayed activity, e.g. the liquidated damages for delay. In order to make a general statement, the author believes that the time value of money should be taken into account. The most likely effect of delay is the reduction of the NPV of the investment. Furthermore, as Thomson (1995a) state, since most recourse costs in construction projects are time related, consequently any extension of programme will lead to increased costs. An analysis of the two main effects follows. Impact on the construction schedule Bordoli and Baldwin (1998) classified delay factors in six types according to their impact on the construction schedule. These types are: Date delays: an activity cannot start or finish until a specific date irrespective of when preceding activities were carried out or were planned to be carried out. For example, a delay of this type occurs when the delivery of plant or materials is scheduled for a specific date without which the work cannot start. Total delays: Complete stoppage to all parts of the works occurs. For example, strikes and lockouts or postponements of the works. Extended delays: Duration of an activity is extended. For example when an increase in the work content of an activity occurs. Additional delays: New construction activities are added to the planned work. New or additional work is incorporated into the project, subsequent to the production of the original programme. Sequence delays: Activities cannot start or finish in the sequence originally planned. For example, changes in specification of materials or techniques which result in activities no longer able to be carried out concurrently. Progress delays: when the progress of the works was less than that planned. This could be the result of the use of inadequate labour, plant or materials, or even excessively ambitious time estimates. Examining the latter types of delays gives an overview of the impact delays on the construction schedule. The effect of a delay on the schedule can range from few minutes, hours, days to complete stoppage of works. The schedule is altered in many ways. Activities must be re-planned, changes to the sequence of work can occur, logical linkages between activities could change and resources have to be reallocated. As far as the duration of work is concerned the main factor that must be considered is float. When a delay occurs in critical activities it is clear that the duration of the project will increase if the contractor doesnt accelerate works. When a delay occurs in non critical activities then what is important to consider is the ratio between the float and the duration of the delay. If the float is consumed then this will, in turn, change the critical path of the project by concerting a non critical activity to a critical one. If on the other hand, the delay is less than the float then the overall duration of the project is not affected but the risk of overrun is increased, by the increased probability of further critical delays. Cost overruns There are several scenarios related with the cost overruns of construction delays. Oztas (1995) mentions that delays lead to additional expenses incurred by the contractor and that most of them occur due to prolonging the job, reallocation of work forces, storing extra materials on site, wasting materials, or loss of productivity or workers due to reassignment. It is vital for the project manager to assess the cost overruns in terms of materials, equipment and labour costs. There are several types of costs associated with any delayed activity in a project. Thompson (1995a) identify these as being (1) fixed charges incurred at any point in time, (2) quantity proportional charges related to quality of work completed, output of deliveries of materials, and (3) time related charges which, according to the author, refers to the cost of resources. The author argues that the sensitivity of delay in terms of cost will be determined by the relative contribution of each type of cost mentioned above, and the existence of float. Delays occurring on a critical activity lead to an extension of the duration of the project in most cases, which, in turn lead to an increase in both fixed and time related costs. Another major concern for a project manager in terms of construction costs are liquidated damages. Scott (1993) explains liquidated damages as being a sum of money, usually specified in the contract, being deducted from the contractor in the event of a failure to complete the project in the specified time frame. They state that the contract normally specifies a predetermined time after which it must be substantially completed and available for use. An example of a standard form of contract including a clause of liquidated damages includes the ICE Condition of Contract Edition 7, Clause 47 (Hawker, 1999). Delays as a benchmark of success Construction delays are not necessarily a root cause of failure of a project. Many authors investigating the causes of success or failure of projects agree that the classical triangle of cost,time and quality should not be used as the only measure of success of projects (Morris and Hough, 1987; Gardiner and Stewart, 2000; Atkinson, 1999). The latter argument is based on the fact that most construction projects encounter both time and cost overruns. Rad (1979) estimated that the increase in terms of time and cost of nuclear plant projects in the United States was significant. Similarly Morris and Hough (1987) who evaluated the records of more than 4000 projects between 1959 and 1986 concluded that the success rate of projects is generally poor and that overrun values range between 40 to 200 percent. Perhaps the most extreme view concerning time and cost estimates of projects is expressed by Atkinson (1999) who states: Time and cost are at best only best guesses, calculated at a time w hen least is known about the project. The overall conclusion drawn from current research is that construction delays and cost overrun is not something rare but instead a common phenomenon. Since time and cost may not be the best measures of success, alternatives must be presented. Gardiner and Stewart (2000) state, that the Net Present Value of the investment should be used as a criterion of success. They concluded that: It is recommended changing the performance measures that are common today from: The project was delivered on time, to budget, and of the required quality to: The project was delivered with the best achievable NPV and to the required quality (Gardiner and Stewart, 2000, pp.255) Atkinson (1999) considered a new framework to consider success; The Square Root. The main idea behind this new framework is that the there are four categories of success criteria. The first is the classical time-cost-quality triangle. The second is concerned with the maintainability and reliability of the information system. The third is related with the benefits for the organization in terms of improved efficiency, effectiveness and profits. The last group of success factors such as satisfied users, social and environmental uses and personal development. Examining the discussion related with project critical success factors brings into light different aspects of construction delays. If, on one hand, the primary objective of a project is to finish on time then a delay during construction could be the main cause of failure of the project. On the other hand, if the primary objective is customer satisfaction then a delay may just be the effect of design changes, which will lead to the desired customer satisfaction and project success. In all cases the primary objectives of the project will determine the role of delays to the success or failure of the project. Delays in the Engineering Industry The engineering industry is one of the most important basic industries for any economy. It has been referred to by Desai (1987) as being an economys Engine of Growth. It supplies plant and machinery for other industries, equipments to build up infrastructures, automobiles, aircrafts, and a host of other tools and equipments. The engineering industry has widened its base across a broad spectrum and inducted the latest technology in many areas including, electrical and electronics, mechanical, transportation, industrial and other miscellaneous engineering sectors. According to Mahapatra and Biswal (2007), the development of an economy and the achievement of self-sufficiency in various sectors depend to a very large extent on the development of the engineering industry. Since it being such a large industry, it is also not immune from delays. The project participants in engineering projects are known to be consultant engineers, contractors and owners. Similar impacts are observed on project participants in this industry due to delays, as are mentioned above for the construction industry. The following section looks into some of the causes and effects of delays in the engineering industry. Causes of engineering delays Yates (2007) identified a list of common delay factors belonging to both the planning and operating stages of engineering projects. They are (1) Political and Social unrest, (2) Religious and Social factors, (3) Labour disputes and strikes, (4) Technologic and Economic limitations, (5) Government Restrictions, (6) Global technical delay factors (7) Changes in project requirements, (8) Lack of communication between various divisions, and (9) Miscellaneous planning delays . The author explains the above delay factors as: Political and Social unrest: Certain regions of the world are said to be undergoing drastic and violent changes in their political, economic and social environment. Situations like these limits access to foreign contractors working in large engineering projects, and hence are a cause of major delay in project execution. The author argues that the ruling party in such countries are afraid to make political decisions on social or economic reforms for the fear of jeopardising the delicate balance existing between various ethnic groups, political parties and social classes. Religious and Social factors: With the aid of engineering projects being executed in the Middle East, the author argues that foreign contractors often tolerate delays due to religious festivities in these parts of the world, e.g. during the month of Ramadan. It is in these times that local labourers are hard to hire as they are not readily available due to social and economic reasons as stated by the author. As a result engineering and construction firms often import foreign labours into these parts of the world, by which they experience both time and cost overruns. Labour disputes and strikes: Labour disputes or strikes are said to be a common delay factor in engineering industries and tends to disrupt construction or manufacturing schedule. Project managers need to identify and effectively negotiate with the labour representatives in order to stop further delays emanating from such undesirable events. Technologic and Economic limitations: These include factors such as design standards, constructability issues, performance standards, quality standards, material availability, testing, inspection and safety. On the other hand, economic limitations include factors such as inflation, escalation and the availability of cash flow. Furthermore, the level of motivation in the workforce also plays a useful role in limiting economic delays. The importance of motivation in employees has been discussed earlier in Chapter 2. Government restrictions: These include imposition of legal restrictions, regulations and interference by the local government, which tends to disrupt the manufacturing and construction in an engineering industry. Some governments such as Japan put on restrictions such as acts of protectionism, where foreign firms are not allowed to operate in their country. Other government restrictions include the requirement and inspection of certain permits, before during and at the conclusion of the end product. Global technical delay factors: The results which the author has been able to gather from a global survey of engineering projects indicated the following causes of technical delays: (1) Design modifications, (2) Weather (climate), (3) Material delivery, (4) Equipment delivery, (5) Incomplete drawings, and (6) Material quality. Changes in project requirements: This has been termed by the author as one of the most frequent causes of planning delays. Irrespective of where a project is going to be built, project owners are often indecisive in their approach during the planning stage of an engineering project. The need for project owners to prioritize projects is a critical step towards attaining timely project completion. Lack of communication between various divisions: Ineffective communication in an organisation that is planning and designing projects often leads to multiple delays. A project manager who knows how to effectively document processes helps to reduce delays along with steps like formalising the planning process, scheduling routine team meetings, assigning the project to an experienced project manager, or empowering the project manager to act as a conduit for communication. The need of having effective communication in organisations has been discussed previously in Chapter 2. Miscellaneous planning delays: Other factors that cause global project planning delays include the following: (1) Lack of political and governmental support, (2) Hidden agendas and strong individuals pushing their ideas, and (3) Lack of knowledge about planning processes and strategic planning. Legal aspects Certain contractual claims exist in the engineering industry. An example according to Smith et al (1999) includes a claim made under clause 12 of the ICE contract, which entitles contractors, in limited circumstances, to claim in respect of delay and extra cost should they encounter certain adverse physical conditions or artificial obstructions as the work progresses. In such claims there is no blame on the part of the employer or the engineer since adverse physical conditions are a neutral event, and the issue of suspending the works is merely the exercise of a contractual right. Apart from contractual claims, there are certain claims for breach of contract, for example clause 7(4) of the ICE conditions contract entitles contractors to claim for delay in issuing drawings or instructions by the engineer at the right time. According to the authors, the engineers failure to provide information at the right time is a breach of the express provisions of the contract, for which the employ er is held accountable in law.

The Parthenon Essay -- essays research papers fc

The Greeks had an eager individualistic strain that led them to high levels of creative thinking in art, science, and literature. They were by nature sensitive to beauty and made its creation and enjoyment an important and necessary part of their lives. The Parthenon is a beautiful monument noted for its perfect simplicity of design and the harmony of its proportions. 1 From the architecture, to the sculpture, to the history of this great monument the Parthenon remains a masterpiece. The Parthenon is an ancient Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Athena Parthenos (Athena the Virgin), on the Acropolis in Athens. 2 Most Greek cities had an acropolis (meaning "high city" in Greek). The Greeks developed three architectural systems, called orders, each with their own distinctive proportions and detailing. The Greek orders are Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian.3 The Parthenon architecture is of the Doric order. It is the earliest and simplest of the Greek architectural orders. The Parthenon's columns give an impression of graceful solidity and power. It was built from 447 to 432 BC, under the leadership of Pericles. The Parthenon was a rectangle marble temple measuring about 102 by 230 feet. It had 17 columns along each of its sides and 8 columns on each end. 4 The distances between the columns of the Parthenon vary mathematically so that when viewed from a distance, the columns reflected optical distortions. For example, a column that was perfectly straight wou ld look like...

Bridgetone

The competitive environment for Bridgetown as well as the accounting system currently in use Prior to 1980, when the US market was dominated by US automotive manufacturers, competition in the manufacturing of automotive components was limited to IIS local suppliers. As foreign automotive manufacturers settled in the US market, competition in manufacturing automotive components became more intense.The scarcity and the expensive gasoline following the oil crisis of the end of seventies combined to the loss of the market share to foreign manufacturer intensified the competition. Mike Lewis realize that despite having reached 65% vs. 80% (the world class uptime) through the productivity program accomplished (tracking Of causes Of downtime, timing the lines , using uptime reports progress, etc. ) , ACE still need to outsource further lines : its accounting system seem to be based on manual, partial and biased measurements of inputs.It lacks effective cost accounting control supervision. I ndeed, more cost (overhead) is dedicated to lower the cost (time of processes). The accounting system seems to be incomplete because it doesn't take into account the level of overheads. 2/Explain why manifold moved from class II to lass Ill after oil pans and muffler exhaust systems had been outsourced from the CAP While the processes and uptime were reduced, overheads were not rationalized, causing manifolds costs to become 15% higher than competition.In such a competitive environment, where other manufacturer tend to lower all elements of the costs, ACE focused on only one parameter (process and time of production), ignoring the cost of overheads. These were certainly raised because of the productivity program that involved redundant skilled employees being hired into following the process, timing them, and filing reports.

Positivism vs Interpretivism

Positivism vs Interpretivism Positivism is an approach in sociology that believes society can be studied using similar scientific techniques to those used in the natural sciences. (Browne, 2006) This concept tends to produce quantitative data and Concerned with hypothesis testing. (Collis and Hussey, 2003) Interpretivism is an approach emphasizing that people have consciousness involving personal beliefs, values and interpretations and these influence the way they act. They do not simply respond to forces outside them. Browne, 2006) This concept tends to produce qualitative data and concerned with generating theories. (Collis and Hussey, 2003) Research topic Gaspar (2005) pointed out that employee in a competition environment is encouraged to work more efficiency in a company. However, Kurland. (1996) said that employees working in high competition environment will do some unethical behaviour for their achievements. Two of these research articles have different opinion, so there is a question which is high competitive whether help a company or it breaks a company down.Therefore, my research topic is â€Å"does running high competition system help a company to become successful in long term? † Application of research philosophies This topic through Positivism conducts qualitative data for exploring the relationship between competition and productivity. Researcher should use experiments methods to research this topic. For example, in a sales department, researchers can separate two different groups of the employee one of the group is getting stable salary and the other one is getting commission salary.Based on the data of two different group’s employee, to compare its working time, output and time required for specific work to see whether the competition system can increase the productivity in this company. Also, research can use surveys to collect some data such as the amount of unethical behaviour between normal working environment and high compet itive working environment to see which environment happen more unethical behaviour in a company.This topic through Interpretivism conduct qualitative data for reflecting the research like find out reasons why the productivity increases in the company. Researchers create some questionnaires for employees to get some opinions. For example, researcher asks employees why work hard even if he is ill. At the end, the researcher will sum up all of the opinion from employees to show the phenomenon. Also, researchers can directly observe employees emotion and behaviour to analyse why they have this action.For example, in a sales department, researcher sees the employee may lie to the consumer for getting more commissions which the researcher will use the opinion by itself. In conclusion, Interpretivism is a better philosophy in this research topic, because it will consider the reason why the productivity increase or employees do unethical behaviour. This result of the research is more useful for this topic. In Positivism, it just uses some data to prove the productivity increase but it cannot provide reasons to explain the relationship between competition and productivity.

Endangered Language essays

Endangered Language essays Ingrian, one of the languages of Russia, is an endangered language. When a language is classified as "endangered" it means that the language is in danger of extinction. Languages become extinct for a variety of reasons, but the most typical one is that it is no longer spoken by a majority of people in a culture or nation. Because of this its value is undermined, it is seldom taught to subsequent generations, and it eventually dies out with the few remaining individuals who can speak it. Ingrian is such a language. Ingrian is one of the smaller Finnic languages Ingria is located at the westernmost part of Russia, on the south beach of Finnish Gold of Baltic Sear, near Saint Petersburg (Agranat 2002). While a culture known as the Votes inhabited the region that is Ingria before Ingrians, with the arrival of the Ingrians in the sixteenth century. After the peace treaties of Stolbovo and Karde, Finnish peasants moved to north and central Ingria. Because of this there are Ingrians and Ingrian Finns, but both call their common language suomen kieli (inkerin)" or Ingrian, (The Ingrians 2004, 1). There are statistics on Ingrians from the mid-19th century to contemporary times. According to census records, in 1848 there were 76,069 Ingrians in Ingria but this number declined to 16,239 by 1979, (The Ingrians 2003). Of this small number of Ingrians remaining in Ingria, only 51.9% spoke Ingrian (The Ingrians 2004). However, according to a 1989 Census conducted by Ethnologue, only 302 of the 10,000-15,000 Ingrians remaining are fluent in Ingrian, (Ingrian 2003). One of the biggest reasons for the decline of Ingrians and their language is their persecution and dispersion by the Russians. Because of the location of Ingria on the Russian-Swedish border, by the early 1900s Ingria was claimed to be historically a part of Russia. As such, the Ingrians living in Ingria at t...

Printable Chemistry Quiz - Lab Safety Quiz

Printable Chemistry Quiz - Lab Safety Quiz You can take this printable chemistry quiz online or print it out to try later. This multiple choice test covers basic lab safety concepts. You may wish to review lab safety before you get started. You should pipette by mouth:(a) Always. Its a fast and efficient method of measuring liquids.(b) Only when you cant find a pipette bulb or think it might be dirty.(c) Only when you are sure your instructor, lab assistant, or co-worker isnt looking.(d) Never. And if you thought about answering yes to any other the other choices, should be expelled.When you are finished using a Bunsen burner you should:(a) Leave it on for the next person to use. Its the only considerate choice.(b) Cover the burner with an inverted beaker to suffocate the flame. It works well for candles, too.(c) Pull off the hose connecting the burner to the gas. The burner wont have gas, so it wont be on fire.(d) Turn off the gas. Duh!If you feel dizzy or sick while working near the fume hood you should:(a) Head out to grab a cola or a snack. Maybe its low blood sugar. Dont tell anyone - why bother them.(b) Meh, no big deal. Do nothing. Fume hoods always protect you from harmful chemicals. The sooner you get finished the sooner you can leave.(c) Report your symptoms to whoever is responsible for that fume hood. It might be nothing, but on the other hand, maybe the hood wasnt functioning properly and you were exposed to something. Look up the MSDS for whatever was in the hood, too. Leave the lab, after contacting the proper person. If you catch on fire you should:(a) Panic. Yelling FIRE at the top of your lungs to let others know about the danger is good. Be sure to run as quickly as possible to blow out the flame.(b) Water fixes everything. Head for the nearest safety shower and drown the flame.(c) Pull the fire alarm and look for help. Hope the fire doesnt burn you too badly before you can take some form of action.(d) Smother the flame. Those blankets in the lab are there for a reason. Some fire doesnt really care about water, but all flames need oxygen. Get help, too. You werent working alone in the lab though, right?Your glassware is clean enough to eat off of, which is why you poured yourself a refreshing glass of water into a beaker to quench your thirst. Too bad you didnt label it. You should:(a) Go on with your business. Are you saying there is some safety issue here? I scoff at you!(b) Just be really careful about keeping it separate from other beakers filled with clear liquid.Hydrochloric acid.. water .. there is a difference, but I can smell the acid before I drink it.(c) Label it before you forget which beaker it is. Youre sure there are no residual chemicals in the glassware and positive nothing could accidentally splash into your drink.(d) Look back to an earlier answer about how you should be slapped for stupidity. Food and drinks dont belong in the lab. Period. You really want to impress a certain person in your lab. You should:(a) Be sure to wear contacts, not glasses, and just be really careful about chemical fumes. Got long hair? Dont tie it back, flaunt it. Nice legs? Wear something short, with sandals to show off those toes. Also, impress him or her by doing something daring in the lab. Choose something involving fire.(b) Ditch the lab coat and goggles. Dress to impress. Theres no way the person can tell your fashion sense when you cover it with safety gear.(c) Hey.. lab coats are cool! Only ditch the goggles.(d) Impress him or her with how incredibly competent you are in the lab. That includes your ability to follow safe lab procedures.You are really curious about chemistry and chemical reactions. You wonder what would happen if you mixed chemicals in a different way or introduced something new into a procedure. You should:(a) Stomp that curiosity down. Chemists do what they are told. Nothing more, nothing less.(b) Run with it. Mix an d match chemicals to your hearts desire. Whats the worst that could happen? Explosion? You laugh. Toxic fumes? As if.(c) Get the Nobel prize for your brilliance. But first.. lets try things and see how they work. But as for the scientific method and making predictions? Thats for sissies.(d) Be applauded for your curiosity, imagination, and quest for innovation, but be very, very careful about altering procedures. If its a lab experiment for a grade, dont deviate from the procedure. Otherwise, make a prediction about what could happen based on your observations. Research possible reactions and consequences before playing mix-and-match in the lab. There is a container on the lab bench containing some unknown chemical. You should:(a) Dump it, wash the glassware. Some people are slobs.(b) Move it out of the way in case it is dangerous. Otherwise, not your problem.(c) Leave it. The rightful owner will claim it eventually.(d) Find your lab supervisor and ask what to do. If you are the lab supervisor, remove the container (noting its location), hunt down the offender, and try to get some idea what could be in the beaker so you know how to dispose of it.If you break a mercury thermometer, or otherwise spill mercury, you should:(a) Leave it for others to find. Accidents happen. Its pretty obvious it was mercury. No big deal.(b) Grab some paper towels, clean it up, and throw it away. Problem solved.(c) Clean it up, being sure to throw away the mercury-contaminated items where heavy metals go. Dont bother anyone about the spill though. What they dont know cant hurt them.(d) Leave it alone, but call your instructor or lab assistant over immediately to deal with the spill. Youre alone? Call whoever is responsible for lab accidents. Only clean up the spill if you have been trained to deal with mercury. Dont pretend like it didnt happen. You see someone in your lab engaged in an unsafe lab practice. You should:(a) Point and laugh. They will clue in and change their behavior from the humiliation.(b) Point and laugh and tell the person what an idiot he or she is being, and why the lab practice is unsafe.(c) Ignore them. Not your problem.(d) Nicely, politely point out the possible danger and how to avoid it. Youre non-confrontational? Find someone with more courage who can tactfully correct the problem. (Okay, maybe if its pipetting by mouth or thwacking the cap on an ether bottle with a screwdriver the second answer is worth considering.) Answers:1 d, 2 d, 3 c, 4 d, 5 d, 6 d, 7 d, 8 d, 9 d, 10 d This quiz is available in an online format that is scored automatically. Lab Safety Quiz Key Takeaways Know the location and proper operation of safety equipment.Follow proper procedures in the lab.If you see something, say something. Dont ignore safety issues.If an accident occurs, immediately report it.

Text of the 14th Amendment

Text of the 14th Amendment The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, during the Reconstruction period after the end of the Civil War. Along with the Thirteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, it is one of the three Reconstruction amendments. Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment modified Article I, section 2 of the Constitution. It has had far-reaching effects on the relationship between states and the federal government. Text of the 14th Amendment Section 1.All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Section 2.Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age,* and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State. Section 3.No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability. Section 4.The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations, and claims shall be held illegal and void. Section 5.The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article. *Changed by section 1 of the 26th amendment.

Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Law - Essay Example The principle established in this case is what is sometimes referred to as the ‘Principle of state liability in European Union law.† The European Court in this case held that the Government of Italy had breached its obligations and was therefore liable to pay compensation to workers who had suffered loss as a result of the breach. The court went on further to state that such damages should be made available in matters before various national courts. However, before such remedies could be made available, one had to prove that the directive he is alleging has not been implemented conferred upon him some specific rights that could be identified as well as an existing link between failure to implement it and the loss occasioned. It encompasses the doctrine of indirect effect where national courts are required to ensure enforcement of European Union obligations and ensure that interpretation of domestic law is consistent with the directives of the European Union. It can be sai d to be an additional and corollary of the direct effect doctrine. It is very vital in the enforcement of European Union law and rights that have been breached by private individuals in what is seen as a horizontal effect. Since directives usually have direct effect concerning claims on those directives on private individuals, it is therefore prudent to note that domestic law could be the only one that provides a basis for commencing an action against someone. The national courts are therefore expected to make sure that they interpret domestic law consistently with the directives given by the European Union. However this is only possible where the national law is not entirely inconsistent with the European Union law. The European Community is now entering into many international agreements in its capacity as an independent party. The agreements it enters into qualify to be community law in so far as they are covered by the competence of the community. Before community law can be eff ective, there must be liability on the part of member state. This is what led to the question as to whether a private individual can make a member state liable where they are in breach of an international agreement. It is good to note that the European Community’s relations externally are mainly characterized by existing legal and political conditions, the answer as to whether an individual can sue a member state will be shaped by the jurisprudence of the courts. This therefore depends on the will of the court to give effect to its earlier jurisprudence. This is the jurisprudence by the court that answered the question in the affirmative. However, the principle remains uncertain in majority of the cases. In R. v. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, ex parte Hedley Lomas, [1996] ECR I-2580, para. 104, the court upheld the decision in Francovich that there was need to ensure that community law was effective which could only be achieved through its uniform application. The court held that member liability which was inherent was one of the greatest to secure effectiveness of the community law. The court developed principles through which it could be possible to extend the liability of member states to cover external relations as well. The principle developed by the court was that first it was important to determine whether such international agreements have eventually formed community law worth of according primacy. This concept has been further developed by courts as evidence by the many decisions that have been delivered by the courts. For example the court in the case of Dillenkoffer

Reflection Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflection - Term Paper Example The four major financial statements are the income statement, balance sheet, statement of retained earnings, and the statement of cash flow. The income statement and balance sheet are often referred to as common size financial statements. The income statement measures the profitability of a company during a specific period of time. The normal accounting cycle takes one year to complete. The financial statements are the end result of the accounting cycle. The balance sheet shows the financial position of a company at a specific point in time. The three major components of the balance sheet are the assets, liabilities, and stockholders equity. The balance sheet is prepared based on the logic from the basic accounting of equation. The basic accounting equation states that assets equal liabilities plus stockholders equity. The statement of cash flow illustrated the inflow and outflows of cash during a financial period. The three sections of the statement of cash flow are operating, finan cing, and investing. The statement or retained earnings outlines the changes in equity during a financial period. The Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 was created by Senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Michael Oxley. The purpose of the act was to raise investor confidence in the stock market after the financial debacles that occurred at Enron, Tyco, and WorldCom among other companies. The Act was created to increase the accountability, reliability, and accuracy of financial information. The Sarbanes Oxley Act is composed of 11 titles. The 11 titles of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are listed below: The third subject of accounting that will be discussed is conservatism. Conservatism states that if a situation arises where there are two acceptable alternatives for reporting an item, conservatism directs the accountant to choose the alternative that will result in less net income and/or less asset amount (Accountingcoach, 2011). When an accountant is

The Hisory of Investigations Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Hisory of Investigations - Research Paper Example This research tells that historical aspect of investigations is widely studied in cultural, social, political, and economic concepts. The recent decades have seen vast numbers of researchers and scholars develop interest and enthusiasm to the study of how investigations are conducted, as well as the rationales for these processes. This includes investigation activities primarily owing to the drastic pace of industrialization, the arising security needs in all phenomenon, the improvements in the technological knowledge, and rampant changes that have taken preeminence in all realms among others. Investigations have been conducted since the beginning of the middle age as a result of knowledge requirements by the early man, who made many historical discoveries. The carrying out of investigations acts as a vital instrument in the provision of a road to essential information discoveries in accordance with its requirements. Moreover, the impacts of investigations conduction include vital in formation retrievement, the realization of various problems that are taken as matters of concern by particular people and at particular periods or seasons as well as providing a rationale for implementing change within various sectors. The context of investigation is quite wide owing to it application in all realms regardless of the kind of operations that are dealt with. Appropriate investigation procedures are those that employ ample methodologies and approaches with an intention of promoting effectiveness and efficiency measures in addition to providing the desired findings.... It is also crucial to provide a presentation of the investigation process conduction by the subjects entrusted with such roles. This will also study factors that influence the need for investigations, its development, and limitations, in addition to the strengths and weaknesses of a public defendant’s office. An overview of the context of investigations The process of studying phenomena in details to enhance comprehension of its course of action entails investigations. The investigation that is conducted in any study field entails efforts of a team, individual searches, or classes of professional groups in certain fields. A wide array of specific studies and subjects are applied in distinct phenomena in order to develop better comprehension of the original requirements. The completion of any kind of investigation entails the interplay of the factors driving to such a study need, the importance of the investigation being conducted, the involved investigators, as well as the sco pe into which the investigations are conducted. The methodologies and processes of conducting the investigations also play a major part in the investigation activities. In addition, evidence of study by investigators include the skin cells or body fluids that are biological like, course dynamics and fingerprints in the study of crimes and other required areas (Husserl and Moran xxix). Investigations require the application of proper formats with the intention of capturing real details in the required field. Different investigators apply distinct investigatory procedures and methodologies in a bid to promote efficiency and effective measures. There are different phenomena in the

Theology and Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Theology and Philosophy - Essay Example This approach emphasizes that belief in existence of god relates to the self-interest of people, rather than their faith in the god’s existence. This approach is supported by the argument that believing in god’s existence will mean being rewarded in heaven. However, if god does not exist, then only loss that people can have is the absence of this reward. Similarly, god’s existence would mean, for non-believers, going to hell and receiving infinite punishment. However, if god does not exist, it means no change in their condition. Pascal’s Wager is a better argument as it clearly defines the reason as self-interest of people to believe in god’s existence, while ontological argument is based on abstract reasoning only. (Arguments, nd) Natural theology and philosophy cannot be different, when discussing about the personal beliefs. For example, natural disasters such as the recent Nepal earthquake and Asian Tsunami reaffirm the belief that god exists. However, rational thinkers and philosophers provide scientific evidence for such happenings. The timing of these disasters cannot find any support from philosophical reasoning. Hindus and Buddhist have strong faith that the god is creator, destroyer and responsible for recreation as well.(Burke, 2015) When discussing about natural theology and philosophy, rational thinkers cannot deny about the existence of god, as the plain proofs such as above are sufficient to convince them. As human beings begin to ponder on the issues involving life and death, they realize that people are obliged to remain obedient to the god’s commands. However, these aspects of natural theology find scientific support from philosophy in establishing that the events or situations created by god can be scientifically explained and justified, as is evident in the Nepal’s earthquake. This affirms the existence of god, which is supported by the

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) Research Paper

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) - Research Paper Example ODD is not a very common disorder, though a significant population of children suffers from it. â€Å"There are various statistics on the incidence of Oppositional Defiant Disorder in the U.S. Numbers range from 2-16% of children and teens in the U.S. have ODD† (Healthy Place, 2012). Children generally start acquiring the ODD at the age of 8 years (Healthy Place, 2012). In a vast majority of cases, children acquire the ODD before the start of teenage, though in certain cases, children may acquire the ODD in the late teenage. The effects of ODD start showing up gradually and aggravate with the passage of time. Causes of ODD A number of theories have surfaced that explain the causes of ODD in children. One of the main causes of ODD in children commonly identified by these theories is the development of temperament in the child and the response made by family to it. Some children have an inherited predisposition to ODD. Children in families where at least one parent contains a hi story of mood disorder have increased susceptibility to ODD. There is a whole range of parental mood disorder that can make a child vulnerable to ODD. Such mood disorders include but are not limited to conduct disorder, depressive disorder, antisocial personality disorder, attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and substance abuse. Families that frequently migrate from one place to another make it difficult for the children to adjust in the new locality. As a result of this, children express their discomfort through anger and hostility. ODD may also be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain or because of a head injury. In addition to that, tension between parents may also be a significant cause of ODD in children. In some families, parents have bad terms with each other which affects the psychology of the children in a negative way. In many cases, such tensions lead the marriage to the point of breakup and a child may acquire ODD as a consequence of the divorce bet ween the parents. Symptoms of ODD Differentiating between a child who is just emotional and another child who has ODD is complicated since the display of oppositional behavior is an integral feature of certain stages of development. However, there exists a range between the ODD and the normal oppositional behavior of a child. Children with ODD display a range of behaviors that include but are not limited to stubbornness, rudeness, short-temperedness, frequent defiance from the family principles and rules, placing the blame of their own mistakes on others, resentfulness, and irritability. However, they do not become violent to the physical extent or to the level that they start violating others’ rights. Actually, the hostile behavior of the children with ODD results from their lack of ability to distinguish between the appropriate and inappropriate behaviors. Children with ODD do not realize that they are overreacting or expressing unnecessary anger. Instead, they think that t heir parents are demanding too much from them or are placing unreasonable demand on them. Accordingly, these children may feel guilty for having done something seriously wrong if they realize. Diagnosis of ODD A psychologist or psychiatrist diagnoses a child with ODD if he/she displayed the symptoms of ODD. There are numerous disorders which may

Revisions to Data Analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Revisions to Data Analysis - Case Study Example The technologist forum comprised of mostly computer engineers that I work with, and most dimensions came from followers and fiends on Twitter and Facebook. Further, the results showed more skewedness towards males with college degrees who are computer savvy due to the nature and the participants of the survey. The positive fact concerning my respondents was that they were not from majorly one age bracket or residential area. Since the research question involves the addictive character of users of social media, it was relevant to use Facebook and Twitter specifically because they are the most visited and popular social networks in recent times. No any other social media sites were included in the survey as the main concern revolved around the habitual logging in of Facebook and Twitter. The imaginative idea of evaluating the behaviors of solely the youthful users of social media appeared to be insufficient to give a final conclusion of the consequences of media addiction in recent times (Zemmels 8). To be more specific, the survey/ research carried out was not to be assumed basing on mentalities and stereotypes of the society, rather, a true reflection of the participants’ responses were highly relied on. No result of a particular age group, gender, or occupation was used as a reflection of the corresponding group; the results were uniquely observed and analyzed. To make the results more realistic I had to open up my mind and integrate some few considerations into the study. First, the questionnaires were framed in such a manner that they could make it easier to find out the reasons for accessing social media and why the much time spent there. Also asked were the preferences of the respondents for online communication as compared to face-to-face relations. An investigation of the relations between levels of sociability and the total time spend on social media was a

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) Research Paper

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) - Research Paper Example ODD is not a very common disorder, though a significant population of children suffers from it. â€Å"There are various statistics on the incidence of Oppositional Defiant Disorder in the U.S. Numbers range from 2-16% of children and teens in the U.S. have ODD† (Healthy Place, 2012). Children generally start acquiring the ODD at the age of 8 years (Healthy Place, 2012). In a vast majority of cases, children acquire the ODD before the start of teenage, though in certain cases, children may acquire the ODD in the late teenage. The effects of ODD start showing up gradually and aggravate with the passage of time. Causes of ODD A number of theories have surfaced that explain the causes of ODD in children. One of the main causes of ODD in children commonly identified by these theories is the development of temperament in the child and the response made by family to it. Some children have an inherited predisposition to ODD. Children in families where at least one parent contains a hi story of mood disorder have increased susceptibility to ODD. There is a whole range of parental mood disorder that can make a child vulnerable to ODD. Such mood disorders include but are not limited to conduct disorder, depressive disorder, antisocial personality disorder, attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and substance abuse. Families that frequently migrate from one place to another make it difficult for the children to adjust in the new locality. As a result of this, children express their discomfort through anger and hostility. ODD may also be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain or because of a head injury. In addition to that, tension between parents may also be a significant cause of ODD in children. In some families, parents have bad terms with each other which affects the psychology of the children in a negative way. In many cases, such tensions lead the marriage to the point of breakup and a child may acquire ODD as a consequence of the divorce bet ween the parents. Symptoms of ODD Differentiating between a child who is just emotional and another child who has ODD is complicated since the display of oppositional behavior is an integral feature of certain stages of development. However, there exists a range between the ODD and the normal oppositional behavior of a child. Children with ODD display a range of behaviors that include but are not limited to stubbornness, rudeness, short-temperedness, frequent defiance from the family principles and rules, placing the blame of their own mistakes on others, resentfulness, and irritability. However, they do not become violent to the physical extent or to the level that they start violating others’ rights. Actually, the hostile behavior of the children with ODD results from their lack of ability to distinguish between the appropriate and inappropriate behaviors. Children with ODD do not realize that they are overreacting or expressing unnecessary anger. Instead, they think that t heir parents are demanding too much from them or are placing unreasonable demand on them. Accordingly, these children may feel guilty for having done something seriously wrong if they realize. Diagnosis of ODD A psychologist or psychiatrist diagnoses a child with ODD if he/she displayed the symptoms of ODD. There are numerous disorders which may

Be Happier by Consuming Less Essay Example for Free

Be Happier by Consuming Less Essay Consumerist is a social and economic order that encourages the purchase of goods and services in ever greater amounts. In the American consumption, people do not know how much is enough, do we really need all we buy? Or we just buy it because everyone else has it? Does it make us any happier? In the article â€Å"The New Politics of Consumption: Why Americans Want So Much More That They Need† Juliet Schor shares with us her point of view about American Consumption. In Schor’s article says, â€Å"The average American now finds it harder to achieve a satisfying standard of living than 25 years ago† (411). Also that â€Å"The competitive consumption, the idea that spending is in large part driven by a comparative or competitive process in which individuals try to keep up with the norms of the social group with which they identify as a reference group† (412). Finally she believes that â€Å"Low income children are more likely to be exposed to commercials at school, as well as home† (413). Our personal consumer choices have ecological, social, and spiritual consequences. Much of what we purchase is not essential for our survival or even basic human comfort but is based on impulse, a momentary desire, and there is a hidden price that we, and future generations will pay for it too. The American economy’s ultimate purpose is to produce more consumer goods, not better health care, education, housing, transportation, but to provide more stuff to consumers. First, in Schor’s article she says, â€Å"The average American now finds it harder to achieve a satisfying standard of living than 25 years ago† (411). Nowadays people have to work longer hours than 25 year ago, to be able to pay all their desires. Having more and newer things each year has become not just something we want but something we need. The idea of more, ever increasing wealth has become the center of our identity, and this looks like an addiction. For example, my aunt Maria works 5 days a week to be able to pay all her bills and sometimes does overtime. She might have a lot of new and cool things, but she doesn’t even have time to enjoy all these things because she has to be working just to pay all she has. My aunt has a salary of $9. 25 per hour and getting a check of $740 biweekly which she have to use to pay her car $200, plus her phone $85, personal stuff $150, and the list keep going. I have worked 40 hours a week, going to classes full-time with little satisfaction. Without working that long, I am less stressed, and I prefer to learn how to spend less money, than spending more, and live stressed all the time. People should take more responsibility for themselves and their families and think outside of the box when it comes to life. Working less hours and buying fewer products is a good way to start. Also, Schor says, â€Å"The competitive consumption, the idea that spending is in large part driven by a comparative or competitive process in which individuals try to keep up with the norms of the social group with which they identify as a reference group† (412). People try to be in the same level that everyone else; if they see that somebody bought something, they will try to have that, just because that person has it. An example is the iPhones people are obsessed with them. The first iPhone was the 3G, then 3GS, 4, 4S, and the 5 that is the last one that just came out. All of these iPhones do almost the same functions; they just changed the size, and some other little things. People spend a lot of money buying the iPhones; the prices are between $300 and $500. The point is that people want to keep up with the newest things, just because other people will have it. For example, my cousin Heysus who is 23 years old, have been buying all the iPhones, because all his friends have them, and whenever came a new iPhone, he ordered it immediately to keep up with what his friends have. Another point is that people with less income, tend to watch more TV, in Schor’s article says, â€Å"Low income children are more likely to be exposed to commercials at school, as well as home† (413). Television and marketing are a big influence of how people spend their money. We watched an example of it in the movie of Super-Size Me, of how the companies spend a lot of their money on marketing, because they know that people is going to buy their products. We need to make people conscious about the problem that we all have as a society. Without our consumer impulse to buy the newest, coolest things on the market, there would be no market. People should think more about what they buy, and should not do unnecessary purchases I think that some people keep worrying more about what they can buy, and how they can have better and newest things instead of be worrying about how they can live happier, and less stressed. An individual does not necessarily have to live as a rich person to be happy. The thought of shorter hours working is a wealth of opportunity and adventure that no Disneyland or Las Vegas vacation can offer. It is actually stress-free and can help us to have time to more valuable parts of our life, like having more time to spend with our family and friends. Finally, as a student that works and studies at the same time, I have to be a smart consumer. I ask myself what I need and what I really don’t. Why do I need a car? Is it necessary to have a laptop when we have a library full of computers? We all need to learn that how to spend our money in a better way, and know that we do not need to have the newest and coolest things that the market offer us to be happy.

Melkersson-Rosenthal Syndrome: A Case Study

Melkersson-Rosenthal Syndrome: A Case Study Dr. Shruti Bohra Dr Pratik B Kariya Dr Seema Bargale Abstract: Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome (MRS) classically shows a triad of orofacial swelling, fissured tongue and facial palsy, more commonly the oligosymptomatic form. The orofacial swelling is characterized by fissured, reddish-brown, swollen, nonpruritic lips or firm edema of the face. The facial palsy is indistinguishable from Bells palsy. The least common feature is fissured tongue, although seen in one third to one half of patients but when present it assists in the diagnosis. The histologic finding of MRS includes noncaseating, sarcoidal granulomas, not invariably but their absence does not exclude the diagnosis. All these findings together provoke the careful search for provocative causes for the reactive symptom complex of the Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome. Key words: Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome. chelitis granulomatosa, facial palsy, fissured tongue. Introduction: Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome is considered to be a rare syndrome. Hornstein- estimated the incidence to be 0.08%.1MRS is a non-caseating granulomatous disease showing (complete or incomplete form) a triad of facial paralysis, orofacial oedema and fissured tongue (scrotal tongue, lingua plicata, or furrowed tongue). Orofacial swelling is the most consistent and dominant feature of the Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome. In a review of 200 patients diagnosed with Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome, it was the most frequent initial presenting sign.2Most commonly the lips are affected, with the swelling sometimes confined only to the lips. Cheilitis granulomatosa (or granulomatous cheilitis) is achronic inflammatory granulomatous swelling of the lip, which is referred as Miescher cheilitis which is generally regarded as a monosymptomatic form of the Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome.3 Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome usually presents in a monosymptomatic or oligosymptomatic form. Around 200 cases are re ported in a review of Zimmer et al2, we hereby report an additional case. Case report: A 16 year old female patient reported to dental OPD with the chief complaint of generalized gingival enlargement as well as swelling in upper and lower lip since 8-9 months. Patient was apparently alright 9 months back when she had an episode of fever which lasted for 8 days and subsided with medication taken from a local clinician. It was followed by episodes of remission exacerbation of gingival enlargement with swelling of upper lip with pus discharge and bleeding to touch since 8-9 months. Then patient was referred to the department of oral pathology for needful. On examination face was bilaterally asymetrical with swelling of face on right side. Both upper and lower lips were swollen (markedly swollen upper lip) (Fig: 1). On palpation the swelling had normal temperature, was not painful, and was nonpitting and rubbery in consistency. Face was flattened on left side. Mandible was deviating on right side on opening of mouth. On intraoral examination generalized gingival enlargement was noticed which was covering cervical 1/3rd of almost all the teeth present in the oral cavity (Fig: 2). Teeth preset were incisors to second molars in all four quadrants. The tongue had deep grooves and fissures. A long prominent central groove was evident on the dorsum of the tongue going in a straight line with numerous small grooves and fissures running laterally from the middle third of the tongue (Fig: 3). An initial diagnosis of angioedema was made. Diphenhydramine hydrochloride, 100 mg, was administered intramuscularly followed by a course of diphenhydramine hydrochloride, 50 mg orally, four times a day. After 24 hours no noticeable reduction in facial swelling was evident. Therefore, re-evaluation of the diagnosis was necessary. As a result of this history, recurrent cheilitis granulomatosa consistent with Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome (MRS) was added to the differential diagnosis. A biopsy specimen of the affected lip area was sent for histopathologic examination, confirming the final diagnosis of MRS. On histopathological examination the mucosa consisted of parakeratinized, hyperplastic, stratified squamous epithelium overlying collagenous connective tissue. Within the connective tissue there were discrete aggregations of lymphocytes, generally with a perivascular distribution; however, some bad central foci of histiocytes consistent with granulomatous lesions. The histologic findings were consistent with cheilitis granulomatosa. (Fig: 4) Treatment consisted of application of lip gloss to prevent cracking of the exposed mucosa. No further treatment was deemed necessary except continuation of his regular biannual preventive recall appointments. Discussion: Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome (MRS) classically shows a triad of orofacial swelling, fissured tongue and facial palsy. Oligosymptomatic form of this syndrome is more common one of the example is Miescher cheilitis.3Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome may often go undiagnosed for some day as in present case. History states that Rossolino in 1901 was the first to describe a particular association of oedema of the face, facial nerve palsy and scrotal tongue, the syndrome was named after Melkersson and Rosenthal.4 In 1928, Ernst Melkersson, a Swedish physician, described a 35-year-old woman with facial edema and paralysis. Shortly after, in 1931, Curt Rosenthal, a German neurologist, described 3 patients who had fissured or plicated tongues in addition to orofacial swelling and facial palsies and proposed a link between the triad of symptoms. Subsequently, the triad of clinical findings came to be known as the Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome. Although MRS is reported as commonly found during the second to fourth decades of life, there are many published reports of MRS in children and preadolescents, Roseman et al 7 described a case of MRS in a 7-year-old girl, Cohen et al 8 described four cases of MRS in children younger than the age of 11 years, and Yuzuk et al 9 described the case of a 13-year-old girl who presented with the oligosymptomatic form orlabial edema coupled with fissured tongue. Melkersson Rosenthal syndrome does not appear to have an obvious predilection for either sex, although Some claim that it is slightly more common in females. 6,7,8 No particular racial predilection has been noted in MRS. Etiology of this disease remains largely unknown. 10 In granulomatous cheilitis normal lip architecture is altered by presence oflymphoedemaand noncaseating granulomas in the lamina propria.TH1 immunocytes produceinterleukin12 and RANTES/MIP-1alpha and granulomas.Expressionof protease-activatedreceptor1 and 2 occurs in orofacial granulomatosis (OFG).HLA typingmay show HLA-A2 or HLA-A11.11 Pathogenesis of MRS was suggested by Hornstien.1 He suggested that abnormal regulation of the autonomic nervous system leads to excessive permeability of the facial cutaneous vessels. From this abnormal circulation, nonspecific antigens then stimulate the perivascular cells to form granulomas. Obstruction of perivascular vessels by granuloma has been proposed as a causative factor in the swelling. 1 Initially, a patient with MRS usually complains of painless facial swelling that has persisted for a long time. Further investigation may reveal a history of previous episodes of swelling associated with facial paralysis or fissured tongue that the patient has never connected. The most common symptom of MRS is recurring orofacial swelling in which the upper lip is more often affected. Other areas affected by orofacial swelling in MRS in order of frequency, are cheek, nose, eyelid, alveolar process, and chin.2,12 Zimmer et al 2 reported orofacial manifestations in 42 patients with MRS who were examined at their clinic: they also reviewed 220 cases reported in the literature between 1965 and 1990. They found that 82% of patients presented with labial swelling, 40% had swelling in other parts of the face, not including the lip, 24% had Bells palsy, and 59% had fissured tongue. Other areas of intraoral swelling were, in order of frequency, the gingiva ( 11 % ), buccal mucosa ( 16% ) palate (8%). and tongue (7%). The swelling of the face and lip is described as recurrent, nontender, nonpitting, and firm, but not of hard consistency. The orofacial swelling is usually sudden and, in most cases, precedes facial paralysis by weeks, months, and even years. 2, 5, 6. First episodeof edema sometimes accompanied by fever and mild constitutional symptoms (as seen in present case e.g. headache, visual disturbance) usually subsides completely in hours or days. Recurrences can range from days to years, each recurrent episode lasts longer and is more pronounced, and swelling may ultimately become permanent. 2,5,6 The facial paralysis associated with MRS is frequently indistinguishable from Bells palsy. The site affected by paralysis usually corresponds to the site of swelling. As in the present case with facial swelling, the paralysis is on right side. Each recurring episode is more profound and lasts longer. 6,13,14 Other neurologic presentations associated with MRS are altered taste, migraine headaches, and trigeminal neuralgia.2,5,6,13,15 Fissured tongue ( eg. lingual plicata) is usually found at birth and therefore considered an incidental finding of MRS. Nevertheless, fissured tongue is ten times more likely to be found among individuals diagnosed with MRS than in the general population. 2, 6, 15. Miyashita et al 16 described MRS in a 56-year-old woman, who was afflicted with cheilitis granulomatosa caused by lingual candidiasis of a fissured tongue. The edematous lesion, on histopathologic investigation, is a noncaseating epithelial cell granuloma with perivascular mononucleated lymphocytic infiltrate. Fibrosis of the granulomas is typical in long-term and recurrent lesions. 1,2,17 Differential diagnosis includes Crohn’s disease, sarcoidosis, Aschers syndrome, and allergic angioedema, leprosy, tuberculosis.1,5,15,17,18,19 In Lab studies Serum angiotensin-converting enzymetestmay be performed to help exclude sarcoidosis.Reactions to metals, food additives, or other oral antigens are excluded by using Patch tests which may be associated with some cases of granulomatous. 20 If found positive they are advised to avoid the allergen. Imaging studies like gastrointestinaltractendoscopy, radiography, and biopsy may be used to differentiate from Crohn disease. Chest radiography or gallium orpositron emission tomography(PET) scanning may be found helpful in excluding sarcoidosis and tuberculosis. Orthopentamogram (OPG) helps in ruling out presence of a chronic dental abscess. A final diagnosis of MRS is made from the clinical history and histopathologic assessment of the edematous tissue, which usually includes the lip. When biopsy of the edematous tissue is difficult or not warranted, then a history of recurrent idiopathic facial swelling associated with atleast one of the following two entities, idiopathic facial paralysis (ie. Bells palsy) or fissured tongue, is sufficient to make a positive diagnosis of MRS. Treatment of MRS is aimed at the facial swelling and the paralysis. Because the etiology and pathogenesis of MRS are not well understood, treatment continues to be empirical and, in most cases, unsuccessful. Fortunately, both the swelling and the paralysis are selflimiting and usually go into remission on their own. Treatment with oral prednisone or nerve decompression has been shown to be effective.1,5,6 Treatment with oral prednisone or nerve decompression has been shown to be effective.5 Also, interlesional injections with triamcinolone hexacetonide suspension have been shown to provide temporary benefit.12 Plastic surgery may be considered in the case of permanent fibrotic lesions. Nevertheless, thorough documentation by many dentists eventually allowed MRS to be included in the differential diagnosis. This case highlights the importance of good history taking, regular follow-up and thorough documentation for proper patient management. References: HornsteinOP. Melkersson-Rosenthul syndrome: A neuromucocutaneus disease of complex origin. Curr ProbI Dermatoi 1973 ;5:117-156. Zimmer WM, Rogers RS. Reeve CM, Sheridan PJ. Orofacial manifestations of MeIkersson-Rosenthal syndiume: A study uf 41patients and review of 22tn cases from the literature. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral PiU ho I IW:;74:61O-6I9. Rogers RS 3rd: Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome and orofacial granulomatosis, Dermatol Clin.1996 Apr;14(2):371-9 Magid El Shennawy and Galala El Enany: Melkersson-Rosenthalsyndrome; Review of theliteratureand report of acase, The Journal of Laryngology Otology Volume87 / Issue09 /September 1973, pp 898-902 Green RM. Rogers RS, Melkersson-Rosentlial syndrome: A review of 36 patients. J Am Acad Dermatoi 1989:21:1263-1270. Orlando MR, Atkjns JS Jr. Melkersaon-Rosenthal syndrome. Arch Otolaryngol Mead Neck Surg I99O;116:728-729. Roseman B, Fryns JP, Van den Bergle C Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome in a 7-year-old girl. Pediatrics 197S;61:490-491. Cohen HA. Cohen Z, Ashkenasi A, Straussberg R. Frydman M, Kauschansky A, Varsano 1. Melkersson-Rosen thai syndrome. Cutis 1994:54:327-32S. Yuzuk S, Trau H, Levy A. Shewaeh-Millet M. Melkersson- Rosenthal syndrome. Int J Dermatoi i9SS:24;456-457. Tilakaratne WM, Freysdottir J, Fortune F. Orofacial granulomatosis: review on aetiology and pathogenesis.J Oral Pathol Med. Apr 2008;37(4):191-5. Ketabchi S, Massi D, Ficarra G, et al. Expression of protease -activated receptor-1 and -2 in orofacial granulomatosis.Oral Dis. Jul 2007;13(4):419-25. Miele FA Jr. Tlie big lip. Diagnostic and treatment considerations. Gen Dent 1994;42O.i8-:59. Graff-Badlord SB. Melkersson-Rosen thai syndrome, A review of the literature and a case report. South Afr Med J 1981:60:71-74, Balatiieh AB. Pillai KG, Maiisour M. Ai-Khail AA. An unusual case of the Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol 1995:80:289-292. Winnie R, DeLuke DM. Mel kersson-Rosenthal syndrome: Review of literature and case report. Int J Oral Ma.illofac Surg 199;;; 1:115-117 Miyashita M, Baba S, Suzuki H. Role recurrent oral caniiidiasis associated with lingua plicata in Me I kersson-Rosen thai syndrome. BrJ Dermatol 199Ã ®:l.l2:.ll 1-312. Minor MW Fo^ RW, Bukant; SC, Lockey RF. Melkersson- Rosenthal sjndrome. J .Miergy Clin Immunol l9a7;S0:64-67. Kano Y, Shiohara T. Yagita A, Nagashima M. Association between cheilitis granulomatosa and Crohns disease. J Am Acad Dermatol 1993:281:801. Lloyd DA, Payton KB, Guenter L, Frydman W. Melliersson-Rosenlhal syndrome and Crohns disease: One disease or two? Report of a case and discussion ofthe literature. J Clin Gastroenterol I994;18:213-2I8. Fitzpatrick L, Healy CM, McCartan BE, Flint SR, McCreary CE, Rogers S. Patch testing for food-associated allergies in orofacial granulomatosis.J Oral Pathol Med. Jan 2011;40(1):10-3. Figure legends: Figure no 1) extraoral photograph showing swollen upper and lower lips. Figure no 2) intraoral photograph showing generalized gingival enlargement Figure no 3) intraoral photograph showing deep grooves on dorsal surface of tongue Figure no 4) photograph showing histological presentation of chilitis glanduralis at low power (10X) and high power (40X) Learning ponts Concomitant presence of orofacial swelling, fissured tongue and facial palsy or any one of them may be a case of Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome (MRS). A final diagnosis of MRS is made from the clinical history and histopathologic assessment of the edematous tissue. Melkersson–Rosenthal syndrome may recur intermittently and can become a chronic disorder. Gold: History, Properties and Nanoscale Analysis Gold: History, Properties and Nanoscale Analysis Since first extracted in the 5th century, Gold has been regarded as one of the most important matters in the world. When divided into smaller fragment sizes, way below 100nm it becomes even more ‘precious’. The optical, catalytical and electronic properties of Gold nanoparticles differ greatly from those of their bulk counterparts. This is mainly due to the large surface area-to-volume ratio as well as the spatial confinement of the free electrons of Gold nanocyrstals. Gold at Bulk scale Noble metals such as Gold, silver and platinum exhibit plasmonic properties. When the surface of a noble metal is hit with incident light, electrons which are situated on the surface begin to oscillate. This is known as the surface plasmonic resonance (SPR), as illustrated in figured 1. Metals are able to absorb and reflect light with great efficiency to their SPR. It is because of these plasmonic properties that noble metals such as Gold, silver and platinum are widely used in jewellery. Moreover being highly reflective metals makes them very appealing to the eye. Plasmonic properties arise due to noble metals having delocalised electrons on the surface. An atom consists of protons, electrons and neutrons. The nucleus is made up of protons and neutrons and the electrons spin around the nucleus in different orbitals. There are many orbitals in metals which overlap and form metallic bonding between the atoms. In the bulk form, there are many delocalised electrons within the metal that cause metallic bonding. This in turn allows the electrons to flow freely between the nuclei. Good electrical and thermal conductivity is due to the delocalised electrons Gold at Nanoscale Reflection does not occur in particles which are smaller than the wavelength of the incident light; however there is still an interaction between the nanoparticles and the light. The two main interactions are light scattering and light absorption. Electrons tend to oscillate at the same frequency as the light which was absorbed causing a dipole moment around the nanoparticles where all the electrons on the surface of the nanoparticle are oscillating. The oscillating dipole is known as a localised surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Electromagnetic radiation is released when these electrons are oscillated. This can be seen in figure 2. The secondary electromagnetic radiation released by the nanoparticles is called scattered light. The electromagnetic radiation that is released has the same frequency History The synthesis of colloidal gold, or nanogold as it is now called, has been known to man since the ancient times. Although the process was not fully understood, synthesis of colloidal gold was crucial to the 4th century Lycurgus cup. The Lycurgus cup was known to change colour depending on the direction of light. Later it was used as a method for staining glass. A potion made from gold, which was also known as an Elixir of Life was discussed, and may also have been manufactured, in ancient times. It was not until the 16th century that the alchemist Paracelsus, claimed that he had created a potion called Aurum Potabile. (latin: potable gold). It was in the 17th century that the glass-colouring process was refined byAndreus CassiusandJohann Kunckel, allowing them to produce a deep-ruby coloured form of glass. However modern scientific evaluation was first made by Michael Faraday in the 1850s. Faraday is said to have been inspired by previous work done by Paracelsus. In 1857 Faraday prepared the first pure sample of colloidal gold, which he called activated gold, in 1857. Phosphorus was used to reduce a solution of Gold chloride. For a very long time chemists were unclear about the composition of the Cassius ruby-gold. Several chemists suspected Cassius ruby-gold to be a gold tin compound due to its preparation, However it was Faraday who was the first to recognize that the colour was actually due to the minute size of the gold particles The first colloidal gold in solution was first prepared in 1898 by Richard A. Zsigmondy. Shape and size tuning Fine tuning of shape and size in a controlled environment is one of greatest challenges faced by material scientists. These factors are not only very important in the rational design of nanomaterials, but are also equally as important for their applications. This is because many of their catalytical, optical and electronic properties of nanomaterials depend greatly on their size and shape. In Gold nanorods the longitudinal plasmon wavelength exhibits a nearly linear dependence on their aspect ratio, making it one of the most intriguing properties possessed by Gold nanorods. Moreover, even when looking at Gold nanorods with the same aspect ratio, the plasmon resonance properties are strongly dependent on the shape of their head. Over the past five years, the ability to finely tune the shape and size of Gold nanorods, has made huge progress. Seed mediated growth Gold nanospheres Changing the diameter of the sphere can easily and effectively tune the optical properties of gold nanospheres. This can easily be shown using the Mie Theory, which has been successfully shown to model the light scattering and absorption properties of spherical particles on a nanometer scale. The intense peak in the spectrum for each particle can be seen in figure 9. This peak is caused by the oscillating electrons which in turn produce a single dipole. Increasing the diameter of the gold nanosphere results in shifting the peak to a higher wavelength, this indicates the interaction between the light and particles is changing. In comparison to bulk gold (figure 4), the optical properties of gold nanospheres differ immensely. The local medium can also change the optical properties of the particles. This is due to the LSPR of the particle interacting with the medium. A change in the medium can result in a measurable change in the optical properties of the particles. In addition shape of the gold nanoparticles can significantly alter the optical properties. Gold nanorods Gold nanorods are of great interest due to their biocompatibility and NIR ( near infra-red) optical properties. The shape of the gold nanorod is what determines its NIR properties. The non-spherical shape of the particle causes two different dipoles to form when interacting with light. The transverse dipole (diameter) and the longitudinal dipole (length) account for the oscillating electrons throughout the particle. The dipole interactions affect the optical properties of the particles. GNR LSP illustration Optical properties of GNRs The aspect ratio (A.R) is defined as the length over the diameter of the Gold nanorod (GNR). The shape of the particle causes the absorption and light scattering spectrum to have two peaks: longitudinal and transverse. The interaction between these two dipoles causes the longitudinal peak to be observed in the visible to NIR region. The longitudinal peak is much more intense than the transverse peak and can be tuned by changing the aspect ratio of the gold nanorods. As the A.R of the gold nanorods is increased, the longitudinal peak shifts into the NIR region. The optical properties of GNRs have been successfully modelled using Gans theory and Discrete Dipole Approximation (DDA). Two equations were derived using the two theories to output the longitudinal peak wavelength by inputting a given aspect ratio. GANS THEORY DDA The two equations can predict the A.R of GNRs using absorption data collected from the UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer. The equations can give preliminary estimation of the A.R before observing the particles on a TEM. Figure 11 displays the absorption data, estimated A.R from theory, and a visual representation for a set of GNRs with different aspect ratios. The tunable optical properties of the GNRs make them very desirable for a wide range of applications. The visible representation shows a colour shift as the A.R changes. Visual representation of different shapes and sizes of GNRs Normalised absorption of the particles

Jean Rhys Use of Conflicting Narratives of Antoinette and Rochester in

Jean Rhys' Use of Conflicting Narratives of Antoinette and Rochester in "Wide Sargasso Sea" There are many techniques Jean Rhys uses to bring across the point that the narrators are unreliable and the truth twisted, it is an interesting and effective idea as it makes the reader feel confused on who to trust and really involves them in the book, they become party to the secrets. Rhys’ book is so complex as it is obviously linked to the Classic book- ‘Jane Eyre’; this is classic English literature and therefore is always in our minds during WSS. Those that have read ‘Jane Eyre’ normally like to trust Jane as she is a heroine who we have sympathy for; we are introduced to her from when she is young so we know and understand her and how she behaves. Also in ‘Jane Eyre’, Mr.Rochester comes across very innocent, you believe he is trustworthy and that he loves Jane, you want them to be happy together- when he reveals his 'mad wife' to Jane you feel sympathy for him as he is in such a bad situation, you also feel sympathy for Jane; you feel resentful towards Bertha as she ruined what Jane and Rochester could have had; it is easy to feel like this as you don’t know her, as you do in WSS. Bertha, in ‘Jane Eyre’, gets locked up in a luxury place; it seems she has her own 'quarters' unlike in WSS. When you read WSS I felt less sympathy for Mr.Rochester because you don’t really get the impression that he loves Antoinette and that he is only marrying her for money. Another factor that creates contrast between these novels is it is set in a midst of strange confusing things (WSS) and a completely different culture, which is chaotic and primitive, this makes us more misplaced. Whereas in ‘Jane Eyre’ the culture is... ...ve in Jane. However I think eh main reason why I find Antoinette more credible is because we here from her from the start, when she is young. When we are first introduced to Rochester’s narrative we are lost in the switch from part to part so we don’t get so in-depth with him, Antoinette starts the novel so we trust her account; it’s the first we hear. I generally feel more sympathy for her two as she was never favoured or appreciated as a young child, rejected by her mother, father, only friend Tia (who steals her dress), when she is finally accepted by Richard Mason (stepfather) it is to sell her off to Mr. Rochester who then accepts her but late rejects her by- sleeping with her slave whilst she can hear them. She has little power as a woman and so has to live with these changes made by others. This is why I feel sympathy for Antoinette over Rochester. Jean Rhys' Use of Conflicting Narratives of Antoinette and Rochester in Jean Rhys' Use of Conflicting Narratives of Antoinette and Rochester in "Wide Sargasso Sea" There are many techniques Jean Rhys uses to bring across the point that the narrators are unreliable and the truth twisted, it is an interesting and effective idea as it makes the reader feel confused on who to trust and really involves them in the book, they become party to the secrets. Rhys’ book is so complex as it is obviously linked to the Classic book- ‘Jane Eyre’; this is classic English literature and therefore is always in our minds during WSS. Those that have read ‘Jane Eyre’ normally like to trust Jane as she is a heroine who we have sympathy for; we are introduced to her from when she is young so we know and understand her and how she behaves. Also in ‘Jane Eyre’, Mr.Rochester comes across very innocent, you believe he is trustworthy and that he loves Jane, you want them to be happy together- when he reveals his 'mad wife' to Jane you feel sympathy for him as he is in such a bad situation, you also feel sympathy for Jane; you feel resentful towards Bertha as she ruined what Jane and Rochester could have had; it is easy to feel like this as you don’t know her, as you do in WSS. Bertha, in ‘Jane Eyre’, gets locked up in a luxury place; it seems she has her own 'quarters' unlike in WSS. When you read WSS I felt less sympathy for Mr.Rochester because you don’t really get the impression that he loves Antoinette and that he is only marrying her for money. Another factor that creates contrast between these novels is it is set in a midst of strange confusing things (WSS) and a completely different culture, which is chaotic and primitive, this makes us more misplaced. Whereas in ‘Jane Eyre’ the culture is... ...ve in Jane. However I think eh main reason why I find Antoinette more credible is because we here from her from the start, when she is young. When we are first introduced to Rochester’s narrative we are lost in the switch from part to part so we don’t get so in-depth with him, Antoinette starts the novel so we trust her account; it’s the first we hear. I generally feel more sympathy for her two as she was never favoured or appreciated as a young child, rejected by her mother, father, only friend Tia (who steals her dress), when she is finally accepted by Richard Mason (stepfather) it is to sell her off to Mr. Rochester who then accepts her but late rejects her by- sleeping with her slave whilst she can hear them. She has little power as a woman and so has to live with these changes made by others. This is why I feel sympathy for Antoinette over Rochester.