Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Why I Am A Liberal Arts Education - 1123 Words

A liberal arts education encourages freedom by allowing students to grow individually and academically. Before I read the summer reading packet, I did not know this. By reading the packet, I understand what it means to be liberally educated at Loras College. The freedom and growth that I will experience through the liberal arts at Loras will allow me to become better-rounded as an individual. Because of this, I will have learned how to be a critical thinker and learner, see the whole picture of why I am learning what I am learning, and connect and use what I have learned to other aspects of life. I believe that through the liberal arts I will learn how see deeper into what I have learned, know the true reason of why I am learning what I am learning, expanding my knowledge by having a well-rounded education, and use that in real-world situations to better myself and society. Throughout my educational experience, I have been presented with different educational and social challenges th at I have had to overcome to prepare me for where I am at now at Loras College. My family has moved to different towns and school districts several times during my 13 years of education. We moved because of my father’s occupations in school administration. By starting as a teacher then moving up the ranks to being a principal, and eventually becoming a superintendent, my father has shown me the true meaning of achieving a goal and understanding why my family is where we are at today inShow MoreRelatedThe Importance Of A Liberal Arts Education972 Words   |  4 PagesWhen I applied to college, one aspect when applying which was very important to me was to go to a liberal arts school. There were many reasons why this was important to me, from having heard about it from my counselors to finding it important to have a broad education. I chose Hope College as the school I wanted to go to because it brought together the importance of God and Christianity and it also is a liberal a rts school. When arriving at the school, I began to find out more about how importantRead MoreBecoming A Physician s Assistant One Day1474 Words   |  6 Pagesbulb in my head turned on. I am just a nineteen year old woman, fresh out of highschool compared to other students in this college, but knee deep in my first semester. I am a biology major, attending a liberal arts college, with the intent of becoming a Physician’s Assistant one day. The question of, â€Å"how on Earth am I supposed to sway the minds of people who are far more knowledgeable and intellectual than I am?† crossed my mind more times than I am proud to admit. If I had been asked to write thisRead MoreThe Liberal Arts Education Is Better Than A Education1409 Words   |  6 PagesNow that I am in college, I have pondered upon whether a liberal arts education is better than a vocational education; a topic that did not cross my mind in high school. A liberal arts curriculum includes the studies intende d to primarily provide general knowledge such as language, philosophy, literature, and abstract science and to develop general intellectual capacities, such as reason and judgment, as opposed to professional or vocational skills (merriam-webster.com). As students wanting to achieveRead MoreAnalysis Of Sanford J. Ungar s The New Liberal Arts 978 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"The New Liberal Arts† by Sanford J. Ungar is an essay that talks about the benefits and misconeptions of receiving a liberal arts with Ungar on the benefits of students receiving a liberal arts education, but way the current education system is a liberal arts education isn’t the best financial choice to receive is a degree. education. Ungar was the president of a liberal arts education and the essay uses Ungars knowledge of liberal arts education to counteract arguments against students receivingRead MoreA Liberal Arts Education: Preparing You for Any Career Essay962 Words   |  4 PagesA liberal arts education should no longer be considered the â€Å"easy way out† when compared to a career-oriented education. A liberal arts education provides students with many benefits, as well as a well-rounded education. Although this is true, many people still have doubts about liberal arts educations. One of the many benefits of a liberal arts education is that you will receive training in a variety of subjects. You will have the opportunity to take many different types of classes. Within theRead MoreImportance Of Liberal Arts Education1346 Words   |  6 Pages Before beginning my college journey, I had considered what I expected out of a liberal arts education. My number one reason for attending Central was for their education program. My goal for the future, however shallowly thought out it may have been, was to be a good teacher, and make a difference in children’s lives. Because of Central’s Teacher Academy program, their high standards, and excellent reputation in the field, I knew this was the place that would help me attain those goals. HoweverRead MoreLiberal Arts Education : Becoming A Successful Consultant At Boston Consulting Group969 Words   |  4 PagesThe perception of Liberal Arts education has started to evolve over the years. Initially, Liber al Arts education was considered as a form of elitist education where nobles tried to expand on their knowledge on different topics rather than developing certain skills. However, as time is passing Liberal Arts education is becoming synonymous with personal development and critical thinking. While some people still believe that for a secure financial standing practical education such as going to a businessRead MoreLiberal Arts Breadth and My Education1210 Words   |  5 PagesLIBERAL ARTS BREADTH AND MY EDUCATION 3 Liberal Arts Breadth and My Education There are many benefits to getting a Liberal Arts degree in today’s economic market. It is a message to your employer that you are willing to take on new information, and learn more then what is necessary to succeed. It shows initiative and the ability to expand your horizons beyond yourself. In a Liberal Arts education there is more purpose then just learning the career field of choice. It is a program that teaches criticalRead MoreEssay on Specialization in Undergraduates1621 Words   |  7 Pagesin higher education? Some say yes, because it creates much more intelligent individuals in their respective fields. Others say no, because without the liberal arts, individuals will lack the necessary skills to succeed in today’s work environment. Both sides have well supported arguments, and often when one begins to think they’ve made a decision on which they agree with, they are swayed the other way. After reading, â€Å"Should Undergraduates Specialize?† by Patrick Allit, and, â€Å"Liberal Arts: A PracticalRead MoreTo Go To College, Or Not Go To College. This Is A Question1314 Words   |  6 PagesSanford J. Ungar’s essay, â€Å"The New Liberal Arts,† gives evidence towards why more people need to receive a liberal education at the college level because of the skills that such an education provides. I find Murray’s argument to be more convincing because when considering the question of, â€Å"Why go to college?†, one should always be aware of the payoff that their occupation may yield. It is also for that reason that I again agree with Murray, that a liberal education needs to be more readily available

Monday, December 16, 2019

Development of Anti-Idiotype Vaccine for Human Follicular Lymphoma Free Essays

string(102) " problems exist for ELISA-based detection of the tumor-specific and vaccine-induced humoral response\." Non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL) constitute a heterogeneous group of malignancies whose incidence has significantly increased in recent decades. In the year 2000, more than 145,000 cases of NHL were diagnosed in developed countries, representing thus the sixth most common cancer occurring among men and the eighth among women. Low-grade B-cell NHLs, in particular, are incurable diseases characterized by relatively slow growth and excellent initial responsiveness to chemotherapy but also by continuous relapses. We will write a custom essay sample on Development of Anti-Idiotype Vaccine for Human Follicular Lymphoma or any similar topic only for you Order Now In particular, for patients with follicular lymphoma, median overall survival (7-10 years) has not improved over the past 30 years. Although in the vast majority of patients complete or partial remissions can be obtained with either single agents or combination chemotherapy, the clinical course is characterized by a high relapse rate. After relapse, both the response rate and relapse-free survival after subsequent salvage treatment regimens steadily decrease, resulting in a median survival of only 4-5 years after the first relapse. These clinical findings, coupled with the substantial toxicities of standard treatments, have stimulated the search for novel and more tumor-selective therapies. Follicular lymphoma is a clonal B cell malignancy that expresses a unique antigen that is formed by the immunoglobulin light and heavy chains that possess highly variable regions at their amino termini. These variable regions combine to form the antigen recognition site, which can itself be recognized as an antigen, termed the idiotype. The antigen-binding site is a structural feature of each immunoglobulin that distinguishes it from other immunoglobulins. The idiotype of a particular clonal B cell lymphoma represents a tumor-specific antigen. Idiotype is a target of interest in human lymphoma. Therapeutic vaccines targeting B cell lymphoma idiotype (Id) represent a promising immunotherapeutic approach for a better clinical control of these malignancies. Immunoglobulin (Ig) molecules are composed of heavy and light chains that possess highly variable regions at their amino termini. B-cell malignancies are clonal proliferations of Ig-producing cells. The idiotypic determinants of the surface Ig can thus serve as a tumor-specific marker for the malignant clone. Indeed, both protein- and dendritic cell-based vaccines that use the patient-specific Id have resulted in clinically significant tumor-specific cellular responses with very little toxicity. A broad use of Id-based vaccination for B cell lymphomas, however, is hampered by the fact that these approaches are patient-specific so that the vaccine must be individually produced for each patient. On these grounds, new strategies obviating the need to produce customized vaccines would further simplify clinical applications of idiotypic vaccines. Goals: Goal 1: Establishment of a large database including sequences of idiotypic VH and VL genes expressed by a variety of lymphoproliferative disorders, including low grade B-NHL, autoimmunity-associated lymphoproliferations, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. This will allow the identification of candidate Id proteins for â€Å"cross-reactive† immunotherapy. Goal 2: Pre-clinical characterization of the immunogenicity of selected natural Id proteins, with particular regard to their ability to induce immune responses against lymphoma cells expressing molecularly correlated Id proteins. The characterization will include the identification of B cell epitopes and HLA Class I-restricted cytotoxic T cell epitopes using innovative approaches and will allow the development of dedicated assays for immunomonitoring. Goal 3: Design and validation of optimized Id vaccine. Goal 4: Evaluation and validation of new adjuvants and innovative delivery systems for improved Id vaccine formulations and administration. Goal 5: â€Å"Clinical-grade† production and purification of optimized Id proteins for patient vaccination. Introduction There are approximately 65,000 new cases of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosed each year in the US with a comparable number in Europe. Despite the use of aggressive chemotherapy and recent advances in therapy such as monoclonal antibodies (Rituxan, TM), the disease is almost invariably fatal. Follicular lymphoma (FL) patients, in particular, can have an indolent but ultimately fatal clinical course. The median relapse time for FL patients is three years, with 90% of patients dying of a tumor-related mortality within 7 years of the date of diagnosis. The clinical course is usually characterized by a series of remissions and relapses. Good response rates are seen with treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, lymphocyte transplantation, and monoclonal antibodies. However, following initial response to treatment, the cancer invariably returns and the majority of patients relapse with resistance to all available therapy. Related B-cell derived neoplasms include multiple myeloma (approx. 15,000 cases/year in the US and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (approx. 10,000 cases/year in the US). Isolation of tumor-specific antigens (TSAs) has been a long sought-after goal for scientists involved in both basic and clinical research. Whereas tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) are localized on both normal and tumor cells, TSA are peculiar to tumor cells. This characteristic makes TSA a very desirable target for immune therapy strategies aiming to spare normal cells, or at least the indispensable ones. As regards effectors mechanisms, although some indirect evidence exists for participation of both natural killer (NK) cells (especially those activated by IL-2, known as lymphokine- activated killer, or LAK cells), and TNF-secreting macrophages in tumor immunity, most interest has been focused on the role of antigen-specific antibodies and T lymphocytes. This is particularly true among scientists developing anti-Id vaccines for human FL, even though no substantial agreement has yet been reached on which of the two main effectors pathways is most important. FL conforms to the general rule that tumors have several mechanisms to escape the attention of the immune system. The risks that Ig somatic hypermutations could result in aminoacid residue replacements leading to substantial changes within the fine immunogenic structure of the Id do not seem to be so relevant. Indeed, no such occurrence has been reported in any of the several dozen patients who have been immunized over the last decade. A much more relevant issue is the very limited ability of FL cells to present their own antigens. Although ontogenetically very close to normal mature B-lymphocytes, with respect to their normal counterparts FL cells are very poor as antigen presenting cells (APCs). This makes it rather difficult to evaluate any vaccine-induced, tumor-specific cytotoxicity even in vitro. On the other hand, no such problems exist for ELISA-based detection of the tumor-specific and vaccine-induced humoral response. You read "Development of Anti-Idiotype Vaccine for Human Follicular Lymphoma" in category "Papers" The first study of anti-Id vaccinations in humans dates only from 1992. Until then, all the work had obviously been confined to animal models. However, the accumulation of experimental data has led to the development of several promising strategies that are currently being investigated in clinical trials. These include the utilization of the Id in the form of a soluble protein or as a DNA sequence, either used to pulse dendritic cells (DCs) or else to be administered in combination with immunologic adjuvants. Soluble protein Id vaccine production is based on a hybridoma technique, which in vitro allows production of exactly the same Ig as that present on the surface of the clonal B cells of FL, or in other words the tumor-specific Id. The suspension of single cells obtained from a biopsy specimen almost invariably contains a residual population of normal B-lymphocytes alongside the tumor cells. Screening of the hybridomas by means of Ig heavy chain CDR3 PCR identification is therefore required in order to make sure that the Ig of the selected hybridoma is truly identical to the tumor- associated one.31 Once the cultured hybridoma has yielded enough purified Id, the TSA needs to be made far more immunogenic than it is in its free form. For this purpose, it may either be conjugated with a highly immunogenic carrier such as keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), or else used to pulse autologous DCs. The association of a soluble protein Id vaccine with immunologic adjuvants monocyte colony-stimulating-has also proved extremely important. Granulocyte factor (GM-CSF) currently seems to be the best such adjuvant both in animal models and humans, probably because of its capacity for local recruitment of DCs in vivo at the site of vaccine injections. This step would appear to be superfluous when autologous DCs are loaded with Id ex vivo and then re-injected into the patient. A completely different alternative approach involves administration of the patients’ Id-encoding DNA sequence. With the rise of molecular technology, such DNA vaccines are beginning to come into their own. For instance, exploitation of appropriate molecular vectors (ie containing both a leader and promoter sequence) for insertion of the nucleotide sequences responsible for biosynthesis of both the Ig heavy and light chains variable regions is now relatively easy. Between the heavy- and light-chains variable regions sequences, an intertwined linker peptide must also be inserted to allow the ultimate Id-containing molecule (scFv) to fold properly. Furthermore, the vaccine can be further strengthened by adding other DNA sequences encoding for immunologic adjuvants or powerful immunogens to the vector. Finally, intramuscular injections allow progressive release of the Id following synthesis by muscular cells. In addition, this administration route seems to be associated with prolonged conservation of the genetic information within the cells without any apparent signs of integration into their genome. Experimental Design Goal 1: Establishment of a large database including sequences of idiotypic VH and VL genes expressed by a variety of lymphoproliferative disorders, including low grade B-NHL, autoimmunity-associated lymphoproliferations, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. This will allow the identification of candidate Id proteins for â€Å"cross-reactive† immunotherapy. In establishing a database, there will be steps to follow in order to support the evidences claimed. I. Finding the cases and the occurrence of VH and VL in lymphoproliferative disorders in different hospitals and institutions that could provide valuable information for the said disorders. The facts and information should have the confirmed consent of the persons involved. II. Subjecting the cases to thorough analysis to provide the essential information needed in documenting the cases. III.   Testing the subject under the identification of Id proteins. IV. Organizing the information and establishing the database. Methods: Establishing a database to easily organize information and data needed in making the information available readily whenever they will analyze situation in which there is a suspected occurrence of lymphoproliferative disorder. By providing the information needed, they could develop system that would make things easier for them to do actions required in addressing such situation. Primary step is consolidating all the available facts and information provided that they have the consent from the owner of the information. By having the desired facts available for the reorganization of it, they could classify it according to the general category they want to use in creating their database. It could be based on severity of the case or could be base on gender or any factor that could greatly affect the situation. Then, by gathering the information they needed, the analysis of the data should be carefully done for them to eliminate excess and negligible data for an easier organization of the structure of their available resources. By implicating the main thrust of the database to the core concept of having advance cases of NHL, the higher chance they could get the information and the data based on the clinical findings of actual patients and people who suffered from that. By simply opening the way of introducing different vaccines in addressing the situation, they could develop a system of transferring and managing information that could make things easier especially in developing new technology and medicinal advancement in creating a better and more effective ways of treating such disease. By making the information more manageable, they could likely innovate an advance communication that would lead them in establishing better information and data management for the use of the development of vaccines and cures. Since they have the information but they should examine carefully every bit of information that will be a part of their set of data and facts. By looking closely to the subjects result and the specification of the action done, the development of such process in introducing a new finding on the matter should be considered. Since the goal is to establish a database that will focus on the information that could provide the facts needed on the cases diagnosed with a NHL, it is important to screen the cases as important and not negligible for them to be able to use it as a case. At the end of the process, they would go back to their primary goal and that is to establish a functional database that the core information and the key factors are integrated in a way that it would make the processing of facts and vital data would be efficient and effectively handled. Also, it will introduce technology that would compensate the fast rising of development in technological advancement even in the field of medicine. Because there are ready to use valuable information for them to handle and initialize their desired action, they would be able to commend the different opportunities in which they could get specimens and studied it for future discoveries and researches. In all, by their incorporation of the cases of NHL and their desired goal of making the information available for them to be able to easily study and review the situations and cases they previously have for them to execute and evaluate the validity of the existing tests in the current occurrence of the disease in the real place. Goal 2: Pre-clinical characterization of the immunogenicity of selected natural Id proteins, with particular regard to their ability to induce immune responses against lymphoma cells expressing molecularly correlated Id proteins. The characterization will include the identification of B cell epitopes and HLA Class I-restricted cytotoxic T cell epitopes using innovative approaches and will allow the development of dedicated assays for immunomonitoring. In dealing with the pre-classification of the immunogenicity of selected natural Id proteins, the processes involved are: I.   Accumulating soluble proteins to be tested. II. Testing them with hybridoma essential in testing the equivalence of the tumor inducing material that leads to development of the tumor. III.   Inducing the effect of the proteins and identifying its effect on B cells. IV. Using advance technique in analyzing the result and implicating with the use of the modern testing equipment and processes. Accumulation: Testing the proteins for it to be classified will be the first step. From the patients who are suffering from FL, different samples will be getting for the medical technology to be applied. Then by cultivating natural proteins, they will use it to further test the capacity of the natural cell in penetrating and deeply interacting with other Id proteins in the development of resistance to such substance. By eradicating some external factors such as the presence of other organisms, they could screen the protein level for them to be able to produce and test the Id proteins by exposing it to toxoids that could develop resistance on the desired solution. Then, the Id proteins gathered will be stored for further testing. Testing: Then, preparation of the Id protein to be tested will be carefully done in a controlled environment. Since the tumor development can not be detected by the immune system, the development of inducing material will be necessary for them to penetrate the basic defenses of the tumor. By exposing it to NKL, tumor will exhibit a different behavior but will not be extinguished. Since B cells epitope derived multiply myeloma that had been the major cause of the return of the behavior of the tumor cells, the gradual exposing it to be classified by soluble Id proteins will be dedicated. The allowance of certain percent productivity will be the basic goal of the clinical testing for them to be able to derive the pre-classification scheme that will determine substances that induce immunity on certain level with the use of soluble and Id protein present in the environment. Effect and its Identification After the testing had been carefully done, they will examine its effect on various elemental positions by trying the substance on the possible outcome. Then, FL cells will be isolated then proteins will be added to see the effect on the neoplasms produced by B-cells. Since the outcome would produce certain behavior that will exhibit a different expected one, the process will be repeatedly associated with soluble proteins to target the development of TSA since it target tumor cells. Analyzing the Result Then, the result will be analyzed in a way that it consistently produces same output. Then after looking closely and making sure that no other substance induced the effect, the validity of the result will be the next concern in analyzing the data. For it to be valuabe, the result should consist the scientific analysis of the vaccine to be introduced for them to be able to adopt a real one. Goal 3: Design and validation of optimized Id vaccine. Since the protein had been introduced in TSA that would target tumor cells, it is important to develop the next stage wherein it will pay attention to that. Tumor cells, after being extinguished by some other methods, always come back and provide a worse situation that before. It is a common problem of the development of cure because as soon as they introduce stronger antigens and antibiotics, the cells develop stronger immunity to them, making them more powerful and gave them the power to come back and come back whenever they are defeated. The result of the previous testing of the material will be used as the raw data in determining the precise development of the vaccine needed for the tumor cells. Toxoids produced by microorganisms will be introduced to the tumor cells for them to create an astounding reaction with the cells to help the antigens produce a better shield to the tumor cells. They would also address the production of its own immunity by targeting the B cells epitopes produced by the tumor cells for them to be able to weaken the effect of the tumor cells in the body. By simply having the same effect on the cells, they would establish the immunity desired. In addition, since soluble proteins produces amino acid residue, the effect of it to the development of various outgoing tumor cells will be beneficial in the sense that it would catch up the screening proves by a hard core stimulation of heavy chain CDR3 PCR. Then, the use of material that would likely predict the behavior will also introduce for the existing antigen to determine it. Goal 4: Evaluation and validation of new adjuvants and innovative delivery systems for improved Id vaccine formulations and administration. After having the result of the vaccine being tested hand-on on the tumor cells, the activation of the production of antigens will be manipulated for those to be able manage the outcome of the result. By having the systematic chain of micro toxoids that will enter the entire system of the body, they would likely produce different kinds of reactions that would benefit the production of self stimulating antigens. By exposing it to different procedures that would attest the certainty and validity of the desired production, after introducing different sets of toxoids and NK cells, the development of the self inducing multiple protein will help in eradicating the symptoms and the effect of FL. It is known that FL is fatal in terms of its effect on the human entire system. So it is important to devise a precise way of handling and dealing with it for them to be able to have an outer perspective of the natural phenomena. Id proteins will act as binders to the solutions that will be used in strengthening NK cells and TSA to promote the development and inhibit the further production of malignant development of tumor cells. By preventing the further growth of it, they would have larger revenue in which they could satisfy the needs and the improvement for having a stronger antigen. Then, natural growth of TSA will be affected by the inducing of soluble protein to target dendritic cells for them to be able to manifest the basic function of fighting foreign toxins that could affect the development of the tumor as a vital implication of the vaccine. The use of different methods in determining the feasibility of inducing the growth and the development of natural antigens that would be sufficient enough to fight the invading tumor cells will be of great use for them to be able t produce more antigens that will prevent the further worsening of the situation. Validating the use f the vaccine as one of the potential sources of defense against the foreign material invading the system would be beneficial if the could handle the needs of having a more systematized and organized level of founding a solution that would focus on the elimination of cell processes that inhibits the growth of malignant tumor like FL that is fatal to humans. Subjecting enough NK cells to further strengthening process will help them in making the process worthwhile I making a protein Id that would address the situation as founding solution to the antigen development. Goal 5: â€Å"Clinical-grade† production and purification of optimized Id proteins for patient vaccination. After developing the vaccine the process would involve the following: I.   Purifying the Vaccine to be prepared. II.   Final Verification III. Mass Production IV.   Patient Vaccination Purification After devising the vaccine, the next step is purifying it by eliminating microorganisms that would have effects on the vaccine. By continuously subjecting the vaccine into different microorganism killing environment, they would lessen the potential of having such. Radiating and constantly developing processes will be sufficient in terminating such microorganisms. Final Verification After the purification of the vaccine, a method will be done for them o be able to test if the results are really valid by having it tested for final verification. It is important to deal with it because the importance f verifying the vaccine would greatly affects its validity in the medical society. By having it tested trough lab rats or animals that have developed FL tumors; they would be injected with such vaccine for them to see if the previous results will e the same. Mass Production After the verification process, the next process will involve producing the vaccine enough for human consumption. The proteins that deal with the development of TSA would have a various report on it validity and essentialism for them to be able to have a developed system of introducing vaccines. Vaccination After the production and the vaccine is ready to use, it would be given to the patients, as long as it is approved by the medical board, to be sued as vaccine against the development of FL into malignant tumors that endangered the lives of many people. Then, by having the system of production of certain involvement of the NK cells within the hybridoma of dendritic cells, the vaccine will be of much use since it will introduce antigens that will prepare the body for the possible FL development. Since there are certain kinds of toxoids that will be introduced, there will be a harsh reaction at first to the place where it is injected because of the behavior of the toxoids and the T cells of the body. This is a sign that the vaccine is effective and doing a reaction that would strengthen the immune system of the body. Discussion After the development of the vaccine in FL, it is important to understand the need of developing such because of its adverse effect on the development of humans. It endangered the lives of many people without having the prior notification of the said disease. This is a vital step in the clinical world. Considering the existence of the natural antigens present in the environment, by the use of Id proteins that inhibits the growth of tumor cells; it would be beneficial to mankind if the continuous development will take place. By exploring the kind of the interaction ventured in this kind of process, the elemental composition of the vaccine would be developed to address the needs of the people in having the desired implication of the subject process. The processing of vaccine would include the development of stages in which it would acknowledge the presence of the cells responsible for the development of the disease. In effect, they would have a better understanding on the subject, matter and would increase the possibility of having a curable state. By implicating the notion of having a different technique in addressing the development of the vaccine, the question left for it is how long would it last for them not only to develop vaccine but also to develop a cure that would forever block the negative effects of the disease. By using and ensuring the safety of the user, they would have a proper citation of the needed plan for them to be able to execute the importance of the vaccine and its use in the modern life. Furthermore, by examining the application of the vaccine in the curing of the disease, we would see the importance of development and use of innovating techniques in determining the possible outcome of the curing of the disease. Finally, the consideration of the process if it fits the standards of the medical consideration despite the fact that there exist different processes that involve much medicinal advancement should take into consideration the impact of the introduction of this vaccine prior to the ethical understanding of the matter.   Since FL can be considered as one of the deadliest disease that one can have, the help of having a vaccine against it is beneficial to the human industry. How to cite Development of Anti-Idiotype Vaccine for Human Follicular Lymphoma, Papers

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Comparative Business Ethics Of Galleon †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Comparative Business Ethics Of Galleon. Answer: Comparative Business Ethics And Social Responsibility Insider trading calls into questions issues or legality and morality based on ethical considerations. The action taken when using insider information, should be analyzed from the perspective of whether the outcomes can lead to an illegality or not. The action could be legal but not ethical. It could also be illegal yet ethical. Regulators, executives and investors have an important role in reducing the use of insider information within their spheres of authority. Varied implications can arise when nonpublic information is used in trading company stocks. Investigations into cases involving insider trading require secrecy in order to reduce interference and tampering with the evidence. This is critical in successful prosecutions which serve as a deterrent for fund managers from taking similar paths and actions. Insider traders in Wall Street use a number of techniques in order to gain information which is considered nonpublic (US SEC 2017). These range from sifting through the garbage of the target company in which the information is being sought. Disgruntled employees are also used to give information about their companies either with financial inducement or out of malice. Moles are also planted within companies with the aim of collecting confidential information. Persons of high rank who are privy to confidential documents are also corrupted out of avarice in order to leak news before it is made public. The above techniques of collecting information are common in Wall Street. Regulator, investor and executives can undertake the following measures in order to reduce such practices. Regulators The main regulator tasked under the law is the Securities and Exchange Commission. The regulator can push for the reform of the insider trading law as currently stated. The law is weak in setting out the penalties that can be meted out to those found to be culpable. The law is weak in substance but expansive in theory. Defense lawyers capitalize on this shortcoming when representing offenders who have been found guilty of breaching its tenets. Eisenberg Gates (2017) state that in the ruling of Salman v United States, the Supreme Court refused to accept the theories set out as having no basis in law. Strengthening the law would give the regulator more authority in successfully prosecuting such cases. Stiffer penalties and sentencing would act as the deterrent that would curb the illegal techniques of gathering information. Investors Investors often make choices to invest after receiving information from financial advisors who operate in Wall Street. Some of these entities are in actual fact nothing more than illegal information gathering shops. These advisors form part of the intricate labyrinth within Wall Street that propagates the continued use of techniques that are illegal when gathering information. Investors can help curb such practices by undertaking due diligence to establish how such financial advisors gather their information. Seeking the SEC in cases where they need confirmation is advisable before engaging such firms. This will help reduce the use of such practices and which is the basis of insider trading. This will also help to protect the funds they have been tasked with investing. Executives Executives can reduce this vice from two perspectives. The first perspective is where the executive is leading a firm engaged in trading shares or managing funds. Having a strong and clear organizational policy on insider trading is important. It should spell out the boundaries of trading together with penalties applicable for breaches. Sherwood (2012) states those blackout periods should be included in such a policy. This includes periods such as before companies release material information or the release of quarterly earnings. Limitations on how employees can dispose of their shares will also reduce the practice of insider trading by making it difficult to gain from selling their company stocks. Adopting share plans which are automatic by the executives is a good starting point. The second perspective for executives is where they are leading companies that are actively traded on the stock exchange. To ensure that their employs are not enticed by external players to engage in such practices, creating a conducive working environment is encouraged. Providing leadership that promotes equity and fairness will ensure that no employees are disgruntled and who may decide to sell confidential company information. Promoting and instilling work ethics will also reduce the probability of such occurrences at the workplace. Regular screening of employees in order to identify moles should be encouraged. Improving security and ensuring confidential company documents are safeguarded or properly destroyed will also assist in reducing this vice in Wall Street. One of the implications of sharing insider information is with regards to stocks which are traded. The information used to buy or sell shares on the stock exchanges distorts the true reality and value of the market and distorts market forces. The market forces are the fundamental stabilizing foundations that ensure stability in the market. Smith Block (2016) assert that artificial manipulation of the market dynamics creates instability that can lead to market crashes. Artificial and inflated value is given to stocks without backing based on market fundamentals. Trading based on insider information can result in market crashes it is discovered that particular company shares are inflated artificially. Sabin (2009) states that a good example occurred in 1920, when the actions of J.P Morgan Co precipitated the market crash that triggered the Great Depression. Another implication of sharing confidential material information is that it has the potential to harm investors. In the event that the material facts being shared are false, making decisions based from that stand can lead to massive losses. This is the basis of ponzi schemes and scams within companies. Some information which is passed on is intentionally misleading. It is given with the aim of triggering a domino and cascading effect that is capitalized by a select few (Walsh 2017). On getting such information and passing it on with cross checking is dangerous and unethical. It creates culpability on the person sharing such information. This is despite the person involved not gaining personally from such material facts. Overland (2017), posits that it therefore can lead to one being enjoined in civil and criminal proceedings despite having innocently passing on such facts off the cuff. The other critical implication of sharing confidential knowledge about a stock is that it is intricately linked with the larger financial market and the economy at large (Witter 2016). Third parties may take out a bank loan to purchase the stocks which they think will appreciate. In the case that the stock does not appreciate but plunges down puts the bank at risk as it holds stock which is not worth its value. When this occurs on a massive scale due to several thousand people buying at the same time, banks may ultimately fail and need to be rescued. The instability in the financial institutions may cause ripple effects that affect the whole economy. Thus insider trading has the implication of harming the economy of a nation at large. Knowing information that is nonpublic changes the dynamics when one is trading a stock from three perspectives. The first reasoning that will guide the decision taken will be based on ethical grounds in not trading such a stock (Ferrel, Fraedrich Ferrel 2017). The ethical principle of rights and duties is appropriate in this particular situation (Xu Ma 2016). The senior manager to whom I report to has the right to the information in my possession in order to give directions on how to proceed. I also have the right to privacy in controlling the way I control the material facts about the stock. I should exercise good judgment and discretion as a trader. With the rights come duties such as the duty to act truthfully, with integrity and to do justice. The concept of not causing harm to others will also guide me in handling a stock of which I am privy to confidential information. The second reasoning that will guide my actions is based on institutional guidelines on such incidences. This will be in the form of the existing company policy that articulates the circumstances, sensitivity and size of outcomes of trading in such a stock (Governance Institute of Australia 2014). The terms set out in the employment contract that spell out obligations of confidentiality should also contribute to the decision that will be made. Lenkey (2014) states that apart from the confidentiality agreements which are internal, similar arrangements with external stakeholders should be taken in consideration in making taking a holistic position. If the company whose stock is being traded actively and purposely leaked information to their advantage, the lack of a confidentiality agreement should not lessen the ethical position that may influence me. The third perspective is that of trading the stock as a stock holder. In the event that selling the stock will substantially benefit me, I have to balance the outcome with ethical considerations. Based on the theory of consequentialism, weighing the outcomes of the action taken is critical. Will my action result in minimizing harm and maximizing benefit or the vice versa (Andric Tanyi 2016). The altruistic position would be ideal in this situation in that it will lead to benefiting others even at my personal cost. I may miss out in benefiting financially but will help in a small way in reducing the overall domino effect of selling simultaneously by similar stockholders. This action helps reflect the true value of the stock for other holders. The employment of secret investigation by SEC is helpful in successful prosecutions that lead to convictions. The investigation which uses methods such as wiretaps and informers helps to keep the investigation confidential and minimizes interference (Chang 2012). The principal persons being investigated may derail the investigation if a formal investigation is launched. They may tamper with the evidence by destroying incriminating documents in their possession. Witnesses who may testify against them stand to be intimidated or even eliminated. Witnesses are often forced to cooperate with the prosecutors in order to lessen their part in the case through plea bargaining. They may alternatively be coerced by monetary gain to refuse to testify. Secret investigations avail more material facts and information that leads to successful convictions. Secret investigations help to reduce the propensity by fund managers and investors from divulging nonpublic information. The lack of knowledge as to whether they are being investigated helps to keep in such persons in check and to be in compliance with company policy and laws that regulate insider trading. This in effect makes everybody who can engage in such practices a target and potential suspect. The unspoken implications are clearly spelt out in the outcomes of cases that have been concluded. The penalties exacted coupled with the prison sentences serve as the deterrent that works to reduce the practice of insider trading. Friedrich (2016) asserts that the precedent set helps keep in check organizational malpractices when using nonpublic information. The investigation that is secret also helps to reduce the bonds that are normally prevalent within Wall Street. The hedge fund industry is run by a tightly knit group of persons. Most of them attended the same schools for the elite and are family friends. Ahern (2017) states that the ability to penetrate such networks and circles is difficult due to the deep loyalties that holds toward each other. The only way that investigators can breach such loyalties is through the use of covert means such as wire tapping. Such persons within the group can quickly find out suspicious outsiders. Taking time to ingratiate moles in such situations is difficult and takes up too much invaluable time in the investigation. Thus secret investigations quicken the process, saves manpower and resources. Conclusion The Galleon case serves to present the potential outcomes that are associated with insider trading. Insider trading involves using nonpublic information to make personal gain when trading stocks. The investigator and regulator used secret means of investigating which yielded successful outcomes. Executives, investors and regulators can get engaged proactively in order to reduce this vice within organizations. Being privy to such confidential material information, calls for one to make decisions based on ethics and morality as well as company policy. The outcomes of this particular case set the precedent that deters future criminality in using insider information. This is based on the use of private investigations that considers fund managers as potential suspects to be investigated. References Ahern, KR, 2017, 'Information networks: Evidence from illegal insider trading tips', Journal of Financial Economics, vol. 125, no. 1, pp. 26-47. Available from: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2017.03.009, viewed 20 September 2017. Andri?, V, Tanyi, A, 2016, 'Multi-Dimensional Consequentialism and Risk', Ethical Theory Moral Practice, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 49-57. Available from: 10.1007/s10677-015-9658-5, viewed 20 September 2017. Chang, A., 2012, Wall Street wiretaps: investigators use insiders own words to convict them, viewed 20 September, https://www.npr.org/2012/12/26/168021457/wall-street-wiretaps-investigators-use-insiders-own-words-to-convict-them Eisenberg, J., Gates, L, 2017, Insider trading law after Salam, viewed 20 September, https://corpgov.law.harvard.edu/2017/01/18/insider-trading-law-after-salman/ Ferrel, O., Fraedrich, J., Ferrel, L., 2017, Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making Cases (11 Ed), CEngage Friedrich, EK, 2016, 'Insider Trading After Newman : The Impact on Financial Institutions', Journal of Taxation Regulation of Financial Institutions, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 23-30. Governance Institute of Australia, 2014, Handling confidential market-sensitive information: Principles of good governance, viewed 20 September, https://www.governanceinstitute.com.au. Lenkey, SL, 2014, 'Advance Disclosure of Insider Trading', Review of Financial Studies, vol. 27, no. 8, pp. 2504-2537. Overland, J 2017, 'Insider Trading, Materiality and the Reasonable Person: Who Must Be Influenced for Information to Have a "Material Effect"?', Australian Business Law Review, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 213-228. Sabin, G, 2009, 10 Folks who got rich during the Depression, viewed 20 September, https://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/08/20/mf.fortune.depression/ Sherwood, M, 2012, How to prevent insider trading in your ranks, viewed 20 September, https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/business-education/how-to-prevent-insider-trading-in-your-ranks/article4239232/?ref=https://www.theglobeandmail.com Smith, T, Block, W, 2016, 'The Economics of Insider Trading: A Free Market Perspective', Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 139, no. 1, pp. 47-53. Available from: 10.1007/s10551-015-2621-5, viewed 20 September 2017. US SEC, 2017, Fast answers: Insider trading, viewed 20 September, https://www.sec.gov/fast-answers/answersinsiderhtm.html Walsh, J, 2017, '"LOOK THEN TO BE WELL EDIFIED, WHEN THE FOOL DELIVERS THE MADMAN": INSIDER-TRADING REGULATION AFTER SALMAN V. UNITED STATES', Case Western Reserve Law Review, vol. 67, no. 3, pp. 979-997. Witter, N, 2016, 'Insider Trading and Newman Applied: Goldman Sachs', Review of Banking Financial Law, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 144-158. Xu, Z, Ma, H, 2016, 'How Can a Deontological Decision Lead to Moral Behavior? The Moderating Role of Moral Identity', Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 137, no. 3, pp. 537-549. Available from: 10.1007/s10551-015-2576-6. [20 September 2017].

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Maturity Levels In Characters Essays - English-language Films

Maturity Levels In Characters Maturity levels increase and decrease in characters in works of literature and also throughout one's real life. It's hard for the maturity level of the person to stay the same. Ron Jones' The Acorn People, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh clearly show the degree of maturity in characters in a work of literature. Ron Jones in The Acorn People shows a low maturity level when first arriving at the summer camp, but later his maturity level increased into a higher level. Laura Wingfield's character in The Glass Menagerie was extremely shy throughout most of the play. By the end of the play, Laura was able to hold a conversation with her old crush, Jim O'Connor. Sydney Carton of A Tale of Two Cities showed a rise is his maturity level when he took the place of Charles Darnay in the prison cell so that Lucie (Sydney's true love) would be able to be with her husband. Aimee Thanatogenos of The Loved One.... A person can be described as "mature" when he or she has grown physically and mentally, and has demonstrated the ability to be responsible for his/her actions. Whether it's an increase or decrease of maturity level, a change in it always shows a change in character and attitude. Ron Jones' maturity level rocketed after he became a camp counselor at Camp Wiggin and he also had a major attitude change along with that. Ron had placed himself in the camp counselor position merely for a good-paying job. In college he was an athlete, and playing with kids all day, swimming, and taking long hikes had also drawn him to the job. Little did he know this session of camp, was for the handicapped kids. Ron, along with the other counselors, were not trained for these kinds of tasks that they had to deal with, with the disabled kids and by the end of the first afternoon- Ron wanted out. His attitude was negative towards the situation he was put in and he felt that he would not be able to get close with these kids. The next day was better for him and throughout the next few days he slowly got to know and love the kids. Ron came to realize that this camp was "a place for children and their expectations and fantasies for life"(46), no matter if they were handicapped or not. Ron Jones' maturity level grew and grew each day as he worked with these kids. By the end of that session of camp he had a complete attitude change and his degree of maturity had increased a great deal. That change for Ron Jones was a change only for the good, just as Laura Wingfield's was. The character of Laura Wingfield definitely showed an obvious increase of maturity level in the play, The Glass Menagerie. Laura was an extremely shy girl, it was a kind of sickness she had. Her mother sent her to Rubicam's Business College in hopes that Laura would be able to hold a job and not have to depend on a husband. The class terrified her to the point of making her physically ill so Laura stopped going to the class. She did not have the maturity level of an adult and was not able to handle a simple situation such as that one. Another sign of a low maturity level was Laura's collection of"glass menagerie". A girl in her late 20's owning a collection of glass menagerie is quite particular, and not very common, but Laura had one! Laura found out that there was to be a gentleman caller one night and she became extremely nervous, but when she then found out this gentleman caller was Jim O'Connor and old high-school crush she couldn't handle it. She could barely even open the door for Jim and Tom when they were trying to enter the house. While Tom, Jim, and Amanda ate dinner together, Laura laid on the couch because seeing her old crush made her feel ill. Soon, after dinner, Jim joined Laura for a little conversation and which in the beginning she was incredibly quiet but then loosened up to him. She began talking and soon enough they kissed! Laura engaging in a conversation with her old crush showed a significant increase in her maturity level. She did not faint during it or become physically sick, and she even had some fun

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Symbols in Communication Essays - Semiotics, Charles Sanders Peirce

Symbols in Communication Essays - Semiotics, Charles Sanders Peirce Symbols in Communication Symbols can represent communication and as such are a form of language.Are humans truly the only primates that can understand language ? Can other species talk? Chimpanzees are competent in learning a basic form of language and can constructively express their ideas. Some scientists believe that one day these primates will be able to communicate masterfully through the use of signs and symbols. In our awareness of the chimpanzee?s inability to speak vocally, should we also exclude the from independent symbol creation? (Human Societies: An Introduction to Macrosociology. 9th ed. Nolan, Lenski, p. 15) To begin examining the origin of the use of symbols as a form of communication, one must look back in history almost 6000 years. Limestone tablets dated back to 3500 B.C. were found to bear some of the oldest known writing. On each tablet are symbols for head, hand, foot, threshing sledge, and several numerals. (Human Societies: An Introduction to Macrosociology. 9th ed. Patrick Nolan, Gerhard Lenski, p. 34) Although humans began writing structured messages as early as 6000 B.C., the actual use of symbols dates back almost 40,000 years ago.But what is language and what is communication and how does it works ? Verbal communication is far from the only form. First of all, a sign is something we directly encounter, yet at the same time it refers to something else. Thunder is a sign of rain. A punch in the nose is a sign of anger. An arrow is a sign of whatever it points toward.On the other hand, words are also signs, but of a special kind. In some way, they are symbols too. Unlike the example cited above, most symbols have no natural connection with the things they describe. There?s nothing in the sound of the word kiss or anything visual in the letters h-u-g that signifies an embrace. One could just as easily coin the term snarf or clag to symbolize a close encounter of the romantic kind. In our current world over 6500 various languages exist however when one smiles, the meaning is universal. Symbols hold incredible importance in global communication. So as coming for symbols, they are representations of an event, action, object, person, or place that can be used to communicate about the event, action, object, person, or place. Language is a code and every decoding is another encoding.In most essential way, symbols are something stand for something other than what it actually is.Symbols are more complex in their meaning and complex in what they evoke.Complex symbols corporate a mass of values, emotions, judgements and can be particularly powerful and explosive such as a flag or religious item.In some countries you can punished hard for burning a flag.Another example, if we burn a quran in Tibet, it means nothing however, if we burn it in Middle East, it will be quite explosive and serious.So symbols also actually depends where they are and for what they stand. Symbols can be used for both receptive and expressive communication. Objects, parts of objects, pictures, print, actions, gestures, signs, and speech can all be symbols. Symbols may start as cues and signals. If a child recognizes a cue out of context, that cue may be acting as a symbol. If a child uses a signal or an object cue to communicate about an event, action, object, person or place out of context, the child may be using that signal or cue as a symbol, as talking for humans.Maybe the most important thing thing about the symbols is The more a symbol resembles what it represents, the more concrete that symbol is. The less a symbol resembles what it represents, the more abstract that symbol is. Symbols in communication is important because not only human use it but also animals use it to communicate and in some cases well than human. In referring to our evolutionary brothers, the chimpanzees, we are not all that different. In fact, we share almost 99% of our DNA with chimpanzees. So one is forced to question why we have evolved so rapidly while our primate duplicate remains both primitive and indecisive in their societal structure.Maybe, the main question about communication and language is, as expressed

Friday, November 22, 2019

Overview of Minimum Wage in Canada

Overview of Minimum Wage in Canada When Canadas federal minimum wage laws governing all 10 provinces and three territories were eliminated in 1996, the minimum hourly wage rates for experienced adult workers were set by the provinces and territories themselves. These minimum wage rates have periodically changed, and the new minimum wage laws usually take effect in either April or October.   Exceptions to Canadas Minimum Wage Some circumstances circumvent the general minimum wage, applying different minimums to some workers. In Nova Scotia, for example, employers can pay an inexperienced minimum wage to workers for the first three months of employment if they have less than three months prior experience in a field; that wage is 50 cents lower than the general minimum wage. Similarly, in Ontario, the minimum wage for students is 70 cents less than the general minimum wage. Different work situations affect the minimum wage in some provinces, too. In Quebec, the minimum wage for all workers who receive tips is $9.45, which is $1.80 less than the minimum wage of general workers, and the minimum wage for liquor servers in British Columbia is $9.60, more than $1 lower than the general minimum wage. Manitoba has separate minimum wages for security guards ($13.40 per hour in October 2017) and construction workers, whose pay depends on the type of work and experience. Liquor servers in Ontario earn $1.50 less than the minimum wage but home workers earn $1.20 more. Minimum Weekly and Monthly Wages Not all occupations are covered by the general hourly minimum wage. Alberta, for example, passed a three-stage wage increase for sales workers, from $486 per week in 2016 to $542 per week in 2017 and $598 per week in 2018. The province did the same with live-in domestic workers, raising the 2016  wage from $2,316 per month to $2,582 per month in 2017, and to $2,848 per month in 2018. Examples of Minimum Wage Increases in Canada Most provinces have periodically revised minimum wage rates since Canadas federal mandates were eliminated. For example, in 2017 Saskatchewan tied its minimum wage to the Consumer Price Index, which adjusts for the costs of goods and services, and plans to announce on June 30 each year any change to the minimum wage, which will then take effect on Oct. 1 of the same year. In the first fiscal year of this plan, the 2016 minimum wage of $10.72 was raised to $10.96 in 2017. Other local governments have scheduled similar increases based on other criteria. Alberta scheduled its $12.20 rate to rise to $13.60 on Oct. 1, 2017, the same date Manitoba ($11 to $11.15), Newfoundland ($10.75 to $11) and Ontario ($11.40 to $11.60) scheduled minimum wage rate hikes. Province General Wage More Employment Standards Alberta $13.60 Alberta Human Services BC $10.85 B.C. Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training Manitoba $11.15 Manitoba Family Services and Labour New Brunswick $11.00 New Brunswick Employment Standards Newfoundland $11.00 Labour Relations Agency NWT $12.50 Education, Culture and Employment Nova Scotia $10.85 Labour and Advanced Education Nunavut $13.00 Ontario $11.60 Ministry of Labour PEI $11.25 Environment, Labour and Justice Quebec $11.25 Commission des normes du travail Saskatchewan $10.96 Saskatchewan Labour Standards Yukon $11.32 Employment Standards

Thursday, November 21, 2019

History of United States Presidents considered Internationalists Essay

History of United States Presidents considered Internationalists - Essay Example History of United States Presidents considered Internationalists Financial depressions always lead to economic deteriorations associated with collapse of several sectors of developments. Any leader who uses his government position to revert such financial depressions is termed an internationalist. There are a number of people termed internationalists in the world. However, some of the good examples of internationalists include Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt who were all the United States of America’s Presidents. It is important to note that although Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt were all internationalists with the goal of increasing the US role in the world, they sought to achieve this in different ways. This paper is going to support this generalization by examining the different ways in which each of the presidents worked to increase the United States influence and powers abroad. Theodore Roosevelt was one of the most cherished internationalists. Theodore was an American president from the period of 1901 to 1909 and had several achievements during his tenure. Roosevelt was a visionary leader, a pragmatic leader as well as a true democrat who understood the plights of humanity in various measures. This president was a reformer but not a revolutionist (Oakes et al, 631, paragraph 1-5). He strongly believed in values of democracy, efficiency as well as social justice to all people worldwide.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Cyber Security A Homeland Security Dilemma Research Paper

Cyber Security A Homeland Security Dilemma - Research Paper Example The worldwide web is an information system that involves a planet-wide scope and grid. The interconnectedness of computers allows more vulnerabilities on the part of those connected to the grid and creates a problem in the case of an attack. There should be more cooperation in the international context by sharing information about criminals and their clandestine activities. There goes the question whether the job of Homeland Security Department is a dilemma or the department itself is a dilemma. Secretary Janet Napolitano has confessed that she herself doesn’t use email because email is a collector of all sorts of viruses. If people want to be secured, they have to shun email. What good is technology then? If the secretary of Homeland Security says that the best way to be secured is to shun email instead of accepting that her department cannot provide security to cyberspace, then it is better to conclude that Homeland Security is itself a dilemma. The method to be used will be collecting data and information from various databases of private and government institutions. Qualitative and quantitative data will be collected from a sample population composed of the staff from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies. The questionnaires will be emailed to the participants and their responses will be inputted into a database. The responses will be compared with the findings of the literature review and the research conducted in the past by authors on the subject of cyber security and the complex tasks of the Department of Homeland Security.

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Essay about Aristotle Essay Example for Free

Essay about Aristotle Essay Aristotle Life Aristotle was born in the year 384 B. C in Stagira, Greece. Aristotle’s father was a court physician to a Macedonian king. Aristotle would the Macedonian influence for the rest of his life and will keep strong connections the Macedonian court. When Aristotle was 17 he was sent to Athens for a better education where he then attended Plato’s Academy, the finest school in Athens. Aristotle created a very close relationship with Plato and his academy. Aristotle did not take over Plato’s position because of the Aristotle felt differently about some of Plato’s statements about philosophy (Kenny, 2012). In 338 B. C Aristotle returned home to Macedonia to start teaching the young Alexander the Great. After Alexander had conquered Greece in 335 B. C Aristotle returned to Athens, and with Alexander’s permission Aristotle began his own school, the school was called â€Å"Lyceum†. In the same year that the school was opened Aristotle’s wife had passed away (Kenny, 2012). In 323 B.C Alexander The Great suddenly passed away and the Macedonian government was overthrown, and Aristotle was charged with impiety. Aristotle ran away to avoid execution he fled to Chalcis where he spent the rest of his life to die (Kenny, 2012). Motivation To Pursue Science Aristotle was born into the world of science, beginning with medicine. His father was a highly respected court physician. Aristotle was raised with science being a huge part of his life. Aristotle also attended one of the most prestigious schools in Greece. At the Lyceum Aristotle was exposed to a large amount of diverse subjects (Unknown, 2012). This is when Aristotle could have learned small amounts of each topic. Aristotle grew up in a Macedonian empire where he was surrounded by science, and this intrigued him and started his interest in studying natural sciences (Unknown, 2012). Aristotle was a very important figure to many different subjects, and made a contribution to many fields such as philosophy, astronomy, and logic. Contributions To The World Of Science. Aristotle gave influence to a variety of different topics and had a huge impact on the world of science through many different theories and views. Many people regarded Aristotle very highly and respected him just as must. Aristotle formed very important laws of motion, these laws are foundational in the subjects physics and astronomy. This law states that; heavier things fall faster and the speed of something falling depends on what it is falling through (Fowler, 2008). These play an important role because they are crucial variables in physics. These are also basic rules in the world of astronomy and understanding gravity. One of the most important things that came from Aristotle was Aristotle’s Method. This is a method used to investigate a topic. This is now the main format that research pages use. The method has only three steps; defining the subject, considering the difficulties involved by reviewing the generally accepted views on the subject and finally, presenting your arguments and proof of the matter (Fowler, 2012). This method has been used throughout centuries for researchers as guidelines for researchers to write their papers. Finally, the last contribution being discussed is Aristotle’s Causes. Aristotle believed in nature that animals and plants had four main causes; matter, form, moving cause, and final cause. For example, an author used an example of a table, the matter is wood, the form is the shape of the table, the moving cause is the fabricator of the table, and the final cause is the reason for the production of the table (Fowler, 2012). The purpose of this â€Å"experiment† was to view the progression of an animal, or object and to see the subject in its final stage. A final note, Aristotle also convinced the scientific community that the world was geocentric, that the world was at the middle of the universe and that stars and the other plants circled perfectly around the Earth. In conclusion, Aristotle was the chosen topic of this essay because he always has a part of each topic in the class. I never learned anything about Aristotle up until this point. Aristotle influenced an entire nation and the whole world of science. Aristotle had major inputs on many different sciences, including astronomy, physics, biology, and logic. Aristotle proved to be an interesting subject to research. Aristotle was the kind of person that’s opinions and views never changed, Aristotle was so involved with his science that he was sought out by government to be killed. It was interesting that Aristotle had an impact on the amount of sciences that he did. References Kenny, A. K. (2012). bio.. Retrieved November 12, 2012 from http://www. biography. com/people/aristotle-9188415? page=1 Unknown. (2012, January 16). Gradesaver. Retrieved November 13, 2013 from http://www. gradesaver. com/author/aristotle/ Fowler, M. (2008, September 03). U. va. physics. Retrieved November 14, 2012 from http://galileoandeinstein. physics. virginia. edu/lectures/aristot2. html Johnson, V. (2009, May 28). Early astronomers: Ptolemy, aristotle, copernicus, and galileo. Retrieved November 14, 2012 from http://kids. librarypoint. org/node/2280/.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Larry :: essays research papers

1) Descartes uses a method commonly referred to as Methodical Doubt (beginning with a doubt in hopes of arriving at a given certitude). With this skepticism, Descartes questions the inherit nature of what it is to be. It is his initial perception, upon beginning his piece, again, with â€Å"methodical doubt†, which the world may not exist, but may be a facet of an individual’s imagination. However, he quickly contests this argument with his face phrase, â€Å"cogito ergo sum† which means â€Å"I think, therefore, I am† I. The Arguments for Universal Doubt: In order to show that science rested on firm foundations and that these foundations lay in the mind and not the senses, Descartes began by bringing into doubt all the beliefs that come to us from the senses. His aim in these arguments is not really to prove that nothing exists or that it is impossible for us to know if anything exists (he will prove that we can know external objects later), but to show that all our knowledge of these things through the senses is open to doubt. If our scientific knowledge came to us through the senses, we could not even be sure that anything outside of us existed. The obvious implication is that, since we do know that external objects exist, this knowledge cannot come to us through the senses, but through the mind. Descartes uses three very similar arguments to open all our knowledge to doubt: The dream argument, the deceiving God argument, and the evil demon argument. The basis idea in each of these is that we never perceive external objects directly, but only through the contents of our own mind, the images the external objects produce in us. Since sense experience never puts us in contact with the objects themselves, but only with mental images, sense perception provides no certainty that there is anything in the external world that corresponds to the images we have in our mind. Descartes introduces dreams, a deceiving God, and an evil demon as ways of motivating this doubt in the veracity of our sense experience. A. The dream argument: 1. I often have perceptions very much like the ones I usually have in sensation while I am dreaming. 2. There are no definite signs to distinguish dream experience from waking experience. therefore, 3. It is possible that I am dreaming right now and that all of my perceptions are false Larry :: essays research papers 1) Descartes uses a method commonly referred to as Methodical Doubt (beginning with a doubt in hopes of arriving at a given certitude). With this skepticism, Descartes questions the inherit nature of what it is to be. It is his initial perception, upon beginning his piece, again, with â€Å"methodical doubt†, which the world may not exist, but may be a facet of an individual’s imagination. However, he quickly contests this argument with his face phrase, â€Å"cogito ergo sum† which means â€Å"I think, therefore, I am† I. The Arguments for Universal Doubt: In order to show that science rested on firm foundations and that these foundations lay in the mind and not the senses, Descartes began by bringing into doubt all the beliefs that come to us from the senses. His aim in these arguments is not really to prove that nothing exists or that it is impossible for us to know if anything exists (he will prove that we can know external objects later), but to show that all our knowledge of these things through the senses is open to doubt. If our scientific knowledge came to us through the senses, we could not even be sure that anything outside of us existed. The obvious implication is that, since we do know that external objects exist, this knowledge cannot come to us through the senses, but through the mind. Descartes uses three very similar arguments to open all our knowledge to doubt: The dream argument, the deceiving God argument, and the evil demon argument. The basis idea in each of these is that we never perceive external objects directly, but only through the contents of our own mind, the images the external objects produce in us. Since sense experience never puts us in contact with the objects themselves, but only with mental images, sense perception provides no certainty that there is anything in the external world that corresponds to the images we have in our mind. Descartes introduces dreams, a deceiving God, and an evil demon as ways of motivating this doubt in the veracity of our sense experience. A. The dream argument: 1. I often have perceptions very much like the ones I usually have in sensation while I am dreaming. 2. There are no definite signs to distinguish dream experience from waking experience. therefore, 3. It is possible that I am dreaming right now and that all of my perceptions are false

Monday, November 11, 2019

Cialis †Harvard Business School Case Essay

1.Problem StatementLilly- ICOS LLC is about to launch a new and innovative product intended to help men suffering from Erectile Dysfunction (ED). Because of the unique product features, Cialis – the product – has good chances of becoming successful even though it is entering a segment, where Pfizer’s Viagra is the undisputed market leader. In this context, Lilly- ICOS LLC must decide on a marketing strategy, in particular which groups to target and which positioning thus which communication strategy to choose. 2. Situation Analysis (refer to Exhibit 1+2)Lilly- ICOS LLC is a joint venture between ICOS, a small biotechnological start up (no FDA registration experience and no marketing capabilities) and Elli Lilly Company, a large pharmaceutical company with strong competencies in developing innovative quality of life medicines. Competitive product Viagra has strongest brand recognition of any pharmaceutical brand in the world, practically the synonym for ED (product well established in market, dissolved taboo). Pfizer also known for fierce and sustained marketing campaigns post launch (exceptionally high marketing budget) and largest sales force in industry. Competition from Bayer’s Levitra not relevant, expected to mainly target niche market of diabetics. Promotion: Communication focus on classic media; print/ billboard advertising: mainstream magazines (i.e. news magazines) to target couples, female magazines to address partners and (conservative) male magazines (careful selection not to tap in â€Å"playboy drug† trap); TV prime time shows that reach target audience, male specific i.e. sports advertising; no celebrities, average couples as centre of communication. Communication message should focus on communication/ dialogue as the key to a healthy sex life + relationship, ED is treatable, encourage couples to talk openly about the condition and see a doctor/ seek treatment; Cialis as the pill for couples can help to rediscover intimacy and endearment in a mature relationship; furthermore multifaceted below the line marketing actions; physician approach: take advantage of trained sales force (help dissolve insecurities about addressing condition), show distinct advantages of Cialis from medical point of view (almost no side effects), make sure approach is differentiated from Pfizer sales force (soft strategy ≠  aggressive), distribute POS material + free samplesPlace: as Cialis is a prescription drug it will be available at pharmacies and local drug stores. Ensure stock before campaign launch, so demand can be met and potential buyers aren’t driven away by unavailability. Free samples at doctors and hospitals, issue voucher through website redeemable at pharmacies/ drug stores. 5.ImplementationWe believe in the advantages of our product and therefore are confident that we can have a strong market entry in the US market. Considering our potential target segment and relying on past Viagra sales and market share we believe that we can initially gain a 15% market share within 1st year and are expecting to grow 10% annually over the next 5 yrs. With an initial price of $12 per pill (bundled in packs of 6 reflecting current customer consumption habits) we remain affordable to the average customer but we are clarifying our premium status. Thus we expect sales of $700Mn and a profit of $630Mn (margins = Viagra) (see exhibit 4). In order to reach our ambitious goals we are convinced that a strong marketing budget is essential for reaching immediate market penetration and gaining market share. We want to allocate $100Mn for launch and first year (distribution negotiable, 50% classical advertising). Below the line marketing measures: internet – launch specific online portal that provides information about medical condition and possible treatments (especially for patients who have recently been diagnosed, offers privacy + anonymity), include physician finder to easily access treatment close to home; direct mailing to households resembling target group, establish customer loyalty club who get discounts on prescription + are informed about newest research development of condition but also life style news e.g. travel and restaurant tips; incentives i.e. offer weekend- couple hideaways to revitalize relationship to i.e. Cialis Mountain Cabin, Cialis Yacht etc.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Joesph’s Story

Joseph’s Story The Cellular lever is essential to the homeostasis of an entire organism. In this case study you will learn the impact that a Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack) has on heart cells. The Patient (Joseph) is a 38 year old male who started back smoking after quitting for 3 years. He has been busy working long hours and the stress of his job was wearing on his body. Joseph was playing catch with his 12 year old Marcus when his heart stopped beating.Do to the loss of Oxygen, Blood Glucose, and waste removal the cellular process and membrane function will be affected. The cellular process when the heart stops is called Aerobic Respiration. Blood Glucose starts the glycolysis process and for a reaction in the mitochondria it requires Oxygen. Without exhalation Carbon Dioxide can’t be excreted. In the intracellular organelles all have membranes in their structure except Ribosome’s.The instructions Joseph’s body needs to repair it and his predisposi tion for vascular disease are two very important pieces of information. The DNA & RNA contain this important information which is all in one small cell. The cell functions have changed in reaction to three types of proteins: Glycoprotein’s, Peripheral proteins, and Channel proteins. All three proteins were involved in the homeostatic imbalance in patient Joseph’s heart cells.It is very important to reestablish Oxygen flow as soon as possible due to all the processes that have been interrupted. In order for cells to function correctly they need Oxygen and without it the cells die. If Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation isn’t started with in the first 4 minutes of Collapse and Defibrillation provided with in the first 10 minutes, a person has a 40% chance of permanent damage and in some cases could be fatal. CPR was started almost instantly and Joseph’s body will save Oxygen for the Brain, heart, & Lungs as much as possible.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

imperialism and race relations essays

imperialism and race relations essays A small Indian man by the name of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, or, more commonly known as Mahatma Gandhi, played the dominant role in securing the downfall of British rule in India. Not only did he play a pivotal role in creating an Independent India but he tried to do did it without guns or physical violence. Gandhis fight against racism and British rule in India began in South Africa when he was thrown off a train for being an Indian in a first class carriage. On returning to India he continued his goal of an independent India through policies of non-cooperation, non-violence and Satyagraha (Sanskrit for truth and firmness). Gandhi, the major leader for the movement for an Independent India was born in India. In 1988 he then went to the University College in London where he gained a degree in law and was admitted to the British bar. Gandhi, attempting to set up a law firm in Bombay had very little success. Two years later he was offered a job from a South African firm in Durban and on route to this new job he suffered major mistreatment, on the train, through injustice and racism. This sparked Gandhis fight for the rights and liberties of the Indian people. Gandhi stayed in South Africa for over twenty years, during which he gained much experience in battling colonial governments. The first being the Indian Franchise Bill passed in 1984. This meant that Indians had the right to vote withdrawn. Gandhi fought the Natal Government and managed to have little success. Although the act was changed, it was just the wording and it still did as it did before. During the Boer War Gandhi established an Ambulance Corp in support of the British after which he continued his campaign. In 1906 the Black Ordinance was introduced which meant that all Indians had to have in possession a certificate that could be demanded when ever. Gandhi opposed this with his policies of non-cooperation and satyagraha. Before Gandhi was ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

5 Peculiarities of the German Language

5 Peculiarities of the German Language You may have heard that German is a difficult and complex language to learn. This is true to some extent; however, much depends on the way the language is taught, the learner’s natural capacity for languages, and the amount of practice dedicated to it. The following peculiarities of the German language should not discourage you from studying German, but simply prepare you for what you will encounter. Remember, German is a very logically structured language, with many fewer exceptions than English. The key to your success in learning German will truly be as this old German adage states: ÃÅ"bung macht den Meister! (or, Practice makes perfect) The Difference Between a German Sausage and a Verb Why are we comparing a sausage to a verb? Simply because German verbs can be chopped and cut up just as  a German sausage can! In German, you can take a verb, chop off the first part, and place it at the end of a sentence. And in actuality, you can even do more to a German verb than what you can do with a sausage: you can insert another â€Å"part† (a.k.a. syllable) in the middle of a verb, add other verbs alongside it and even elongate it. How’s that for flexibility? Of course, there are some rules to this chopping business, which once you understand them, will be easy to apply. German Nouns Every German student loves this particular German-language peculiarity - all nouns are capitalized! This serves as a visual aid for reading comprehension and as a consistent rule in spelling. Further, German pronunciation pretty much follows the way it is written (though you need to know the peculiarities of the German alphabet first, see above), which makes German spelling not very difficult. Now to put a damper to all of this good news: Not all German nouns are inherently nouns and may, therefore, throw off the German writer at first as to whether to capitalize a word or not. For instance, verb infinitives can change into a noun and German adjectives can change into nouns. This role changing of words happens in the English language as well, for example when verbs change into gerunds. German Gender Most would agree, that this is the greatest hurdle of German grammar. Every noun in German is identified by grammatical gender. The der article is placed before masculine nouns, die before feminine nouns and das before neuter nouns. It would be nice if that was all there was to it, but German articles change, along with the endings of German adjectives, adverbs and nouns depending on the grammatical case they are in. For example, let’s take a look at the following sentence: Der Junge gibt der wà ¼tenden Mutter den Ball des Mdchens.(The boy gives to the angry mother the girl’s ball.) In this sentence, der wà ¼tenden Mutter acts as the indirect object, so it is dative; den Ball acts as the direct object, so it is accusative and des Mdchens is in the possessive genitive case. The nominative forms of these words were: die wà ¼tende Mutter; der Ball; das Mdchen. Almost every word was changed in this sentence. One very important point about German grammar gender is that nouns don’t necessarily follow the natural law of gender as we know it. For example, though die Frau (woman) and der Mann (man) are designated feminine and masculine respectively, das Mdchen (girl) is neuter. Mark Twain in his humorous account of â€Å"The Awful German Language† described this German grammar peculiarity in this way: Every noun has a gender, and there is no sense or system in the distribution; so the gender of each must be learned separately and by heart. There is no other way. To do this one has to have a memory like a memorandum-book. In German, a young lady has no sex, while a turnip has. Think what overwrought reverence that shows for the turnip, and what callous disrespect for the girl. See how it looks in print - I translate this from a conversation in one of the best of the German Sunday-school books:Gretchen: Wilhelm, where is the turnip?Wilhelm: She has gone to the kitchen.Gretchen: Where is the accomplished and beautiful English maiden?Wilhelm: It has gone to the opera. However, Mark Twain was wrong when he said that a student has to have â€Å"a memory like a memorandum-book.† There are some strategies that can help a German student figure out which gender a noun has. German Cases In German there are four cases: Der Nominativ (nominative)Der Genitiv/Wesfall (genitive)Der Akkusativ/Wenfall (accusative)Der Dativ/Wemfall (dative) Though all cases are important, the accusative and dative cases are the most widely used and should be learned first. There is a grammatical trend especially orally to use the genitive case less and less and replace it with the dative in certain contexts. Articles and other words are declined in various ways, depending on gender and grammatical case. The German Alphabet The German alphabet has a few differences from the English language. The very first (and perhaps most important) thing you need to know about the German alphabet is that there are more than twenty-six letters in the German alphabet.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Theories on Mental Health and Illness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Theories on Mental Health and Illness - Essay Example Further, incorporates psychological meaning of events, feelings and behaviors in nursing interventions (Evans, 2008). Travelbee- Human-to-Human Relationship model emphasizing purpose of nursing through establishment of nurse-patient relationship; must assist the patient, family or community to cope with sufferings (Evans, 2008). These ideologies pave the way for considerate and indulgent nursing practice. These theories have given a now outlook to the nursing practice, enabling the development of congenial nurse-patient relationship. This give an impact on the psychology of the patient and helps the patient to confide on nurse, building a confidence and trust in nurse's practice. This trust in turn helps in sooner recovery of patients from the ailments. Psychological theories play crucial role in the personality judgment through human behavior, supporting psychotherapeutic interventions for mental illness.

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Policy Problem in Public Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Policy Problem in Public Policy - Essay Example The true character of a policy problem may be revealed in policy evaluation – therefore the two are complementary to each other’s existence. In this context, we will further discuss the nature of a policy problem with an example. As far as the income policy in the US goes, there has been an increasing trend towards inequality in recent decades. In this regard, there have been large changes in U.S. tax rules over time. These changes have gone ahead to make a considerable difference to what is reported as income on individual tax returns. With these tax changes encouraging thousands of businesses to switch from filing under the corporate tax system to filing under the individual tax system, various studies of inequality that are founded on tax return data invariably end up excluding transfer payments, which results in exaggerating the shares of income received by those at the top by ignoring growing amounts of income at the bottom. This may be defined as the basic policy problem in the US income policy. With a consistent fall in the top tax rates on wages or capital gains, there has been an increase in the reported incomes, where a larger percentage of the incomes of those at the top tend to feature in the tax returns.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Market structure of Oligopoly Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Market structure of Oligopoly - Assignment Example Ford’s supply chain also involves a complex pattern including the manufacturing, accessorizing and assembly lines apart from the distribution channel (Ford Motor Company, 2013). The application of game theory for pricing strategy in the automotive industry is quite significant. In this regard, the Nash equilibrium has a vital role in depicting the pricing strategy of the automotive industry. In Nash equilibrium concept, there are two players mainly column and row, where each player is aware of the equilibrium strategies of the other player. In such equilibrium situation, both the players must change their strategies simultaneously assuming that the change of the strategy by one player will not deliver positive results to the other. This is applied in the automotive industry where pricing can only be developed or changed effectively when all the players agree on the same proposal (Myerson, 2013). The hypothetical profit matrix below will provide a clearer idea to the concept. As illustrated in the above hypothetical profit matrix, when player 1 tends to adopt strategy A and fix the per product price to 5 units, player 2 also compromises its profit margin by pricing 5 units per product and vice-versa. Again, when player 1 decides to fix its price per unit to 4, player 2 decides to lower its price to 1 and vice-versa, which imposes a strong impact on the profit margin of both the companies. This depicts that in Nash equilibrium situation, the strategies adopted by one player are known to the other player who accordingly makes changes in pricing strategy; thus, leading to a change in the profit margin (Myerson, 2013). Since there are several firms in the market to sell similar sort of products, low price strategy or high price strategy cannot be implemented for competition in the long run. Therefore, at most of the instances, Ford, being a major player in the oligopolistic market structure, emphasizes

Sunday, October 27, 2019

UK Alcohol Prevention Programs in Schools: Critique

UK Alcohol Prevention Programs in Schools: Critique A critique of a particular method of prevention or intervention with reference to alcohol Drug and alcohol abuse is a major concern for governments in most Western countries. Each year significant amounts of funds are designated to try and tackle the problems that alcohol abuse causes. In Britain we are constantly reminded of our so called binge drinking culture and the damaging effect this is having on our society. Between 1993 and 2005, mortality rates from alcohol related diseases increased by 99% among males and 67% amongst females. Figures from the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit show that the financial cost to the country of alcohol misuse is somewhere in the region of  £20 billion a year (2004). None of this has been aided by longer opening times, alcohol being more readily available from a variety of sources and for much cheaper than it has ever been before. The UK government is aiming to devolve responsibility for dealing with alcohol related problems to a local level. In a recent white paper entitled Our Health, Our Care, Our Say (2006), there is a clear expectation that local agencies have to work in partnership to tackle the problems caused by alcohol misuse. This means that there is more pressure on local stakeholders such as schools to take on the responsibility of introducing programs to prevent alcohol abuse. This essay will attempt to provide a critique of schools-based intervention programs. It is widely accepted that schools-based intervention programs can lead to a better understanding of substances such as alcohol and can therefore result in better attitudes when it comes to the use of those particular substances. Studies have also shown that well designed programs can lead to reduced usage of alcohol in the long term as well. This essay will provide a rather broad look at schools-based programs and provide a more general critique rather than focussing in one on particular program. It is hoped that by doing this, it will be possible to utilize more of the academic research that exists and provide a more complete picture of the successes and the problems that these particular programs encounter. Because there is such a wealth of academic research in this area, this essay will be broken into 3 separate parts. The first will provide a meta-analyses where different types of programs are compared against each other. The second part of this essay will look very briefly at which mediators or characteristics of the programs are leading to a reduction in alcohol use. The final part of the analysis will look at studies that compare different programs and determine which are the most successful programs. It is important to note that this study will not be location specific because of the wealth of research there is into other countries. The essay will end with a conclusion that will use all the research gathered to form a critique of schools-based intervention programs. Perhaps the most useful meta-analyses comes from Tobler et al (2000) who looked at 144 separate studies involving 207 schools-based programs. They found that the most effective way of reducing substance use was by employing interactive methods which encouraged the participants to exchange ideas and learn refusal skills. Cuijpers (2002) states that, â€Å"receiving feedback and constructive criticism in a no threatening atmosphere enables students to practice newly acquired refusal skills† (p. 1012). The least successful programs according to Tobler et al (2000) were those that used non-interactive methods such as those that looked at the knowledge of the harm alcohol can do. The interactive programs used methods based on social influence. Donaldson et al (2002) state that this is, â€Å"enhancing an adolescents ability to resist passive social pressure†. (p. 291). These particular programs were found to be more effective and superior to programs utilizing non-interactiv e methods. However, Tobler et al (2000) are not able to identify what specific components of the interactive programs are most successful at limiting substance use. Another useful meta-analyses was conducted by White and Pitts (1998). Although they looked at far fewer studies than Tobler et al (2000), they still came up with some interesting findings. They found that the effectiveness of such programs could be improved if there were additional components that weren’t necessarily school related such as a mass media campaign or booster sessions. They go on to argue that another factor that can affect schools-based intervention programs is the intensity of the program. They found that the most effective programs had 10 or more sessions. A final meta-analyses comes from Rooney and Murray (1996). They came to many of the same conclusions as White and Pitts (1998) such as the intensity of the program. They also found that combining lots of different components could have a significant impact on the success of program. For example, the use of booster sessions and using trained teachers side by side with same-age peer leaders. Programs that did this were more likely to have success in limiting alcohol use amongst those young people participating. It would now be useful to look at the particular characteristics, or mediators, of these programs. As Cuijpers (2002) states it is important to know, â€Å"whether drug use is reduced by the intervention, whether the mediating variables are influenced by the intervention, and whether the mediating variables do have a mediating role in the reduction of substance use† (p. 1016). It is possible to identify several key mediators across many of the studies conducted in schools-based intervention programs. Wyn et al (2000) argue that key mediators are based around social influence factors such as those aimed at the acceptability of the use of alcohol, knowledge about how prevalent the misuse of alcohol is and how peers would perceive the use of alcohol. This essay will now focus on three mediators and look at how effective they are in schools-based intervention programs. These mediators will be booster sessions, peer versus adult led programs and the use of community involvement in addition to schools-based intervention programs. Booster sessions are those sessions taken on after the initial program has ended. There seems to be little conclusion in the research if booster sessions are an effective addition to intervention programs. Botvin et al (1983) and Dijkstra et al (1999) argue that they are where as Shope et al (1992) state that they have no effect at all. However, it should be noted that those in agreement state that these booster sessions are only effective if they are peer led rather than teacher led. One has to take into account other mediating factors when considering booster sessions as an effective method of intervention. Cuipers (2002) argues that peer led sessions are more likely to be effective versus adult or teacher led sessions. In her study of the existing research she finds that peer led programs are more effective in the short-term but that after a year the difference in effectiveness between peer and adult led programs is negligible. She goes on to argue that the, â€Å"research suggests that the effectiveness of a prevention  program is determined by several characteristics of the programs. The leader may constitute  one of those characteristics† (p. 1018). Community involvement is a very interesting area of study and one that has been widely covered. In the past few years there has been a realisation that for any form of social change there has to be involvement from more than one source. There is also a realisation that individual communities know how to best deal with their own problems. This is why the UK government has devolved so much to a local level, from the creation of Primary Care Trusts to dealing with the problems that alcohol abuse causes, there is an understanding that communities know best how to tackle their problems. The methods used can vary considerable from community to community but they may include media campaigns, community task forces and parental intervention (Holder, 2004). It might be helpful to look at one such example of a community led intervention program in the UK. The Broad Street Business Improvement District (BID) in Birmingham is one such example of a community led intervention program. This program was initiated in 2005 as a response to anti-social problems caused by the large number of bars and clubs on Broad Street and also the disproportionately high number of alcohol related deaths in the region (Rao and Kemm, 2006). This partnership is made up of many local agencies such as property owners/developers, business representatives, the city council, the police, the leisure forum, and the city centre neighbourhood forum. The BID have undertaken several projects which according to their annual report included, â€Å"(a) street wardens (b) additional street cleansing (c) floral dressing (d) marketing programme (e) communication and public relations (f) safer business area (g) lighting and gateway features (h) a business led partnership†. The results from this community led intervention have been largely positive. Crime has dropped in t he Broad Street area by almost 60% between June 2005 and May 2006. A survey conducted in 2006 found that 78% of respondents felt that safety was good and 27% felt that it was safer than 2005. Although the Broad Street BID doesn’t completely relate to schools-based programs, it would be fair to assume that schools in the area will be benefiting from this improvement. Any sort of community involvement creates a greater sense of responsibility and even though this particular scheme is not directly targeting young people, it is surely having an impact on schools-based intervention programs. This essay has provided a broad look at schools-based intervention programs as a method of prevention of alcohol abuse. There is no doubt that this is an important role that schools play. However, some programs can be ineffective and have little or no impact. This essay has highlighted some of the characteristics of programs that are most likely to succeed. They should use interactive delivery methods, they should be based on the social influence model, they should be supported by the wider community and they should use peer leaders in conjunction with trained teachers. It is clear that in the UK we need to be doing more in our schools. The school is an important battleground when it comes to preventing alcohol and drug based abuse in the future. However, government figures would suggest that not enough is being done or if it is being done, it is being done in the wrong way. What this essay has hopefully demonstrated as well is that we shouldn’t just leave it to the schools to run these programs. Families and the wider community should also share some of the responsibility. All agencies involved need to be working in a co-ordinated fashion to try and support the work that the schools are doing. Although this critique has been rather broad in scope and not specifically related to the UK, it was felt that in order to give a more complete picture of the problems and opportunities encountered by schools-based programs it was best to utilize as much of the research as possible. As has been hopefully demonstrated, the schools-based approach does present with numerous problems, especially if done in the wrong way. However, with the right mix of components, these programs can have a lasting impact on children and young people and their attitudes to alcohol use. Perhaps it should be left to individual communities to decide what mix works best for them. The governments role should be supporting that through funding, training and providing additional components such as a media campaign. Bibliography and References: Botvin, G. J., Renick, N. L., Baker, E. (1983). The effects of scheduling format and booster sessions on a broad spectrum psychosocial approach to smoking prevention. Journal of Behavioural Medicine, 6, pp. 359–379. Broad Street BID, A brighter, safer, cleaner, the story so far, Annual Report, 05-06 Cuijpers, P. (2002). Effective ingredients of school-based drug prevention programs: A systematic review, Addictive Behaviours, 27, pp. 1009-1023. Dijkstra, M., Mesters, I., De Vries, H., van Breukelen, G., Parcel, G. S. (1999). Effectiveness of a social  influence approach and boosters to smoking prevention. Health Education Research, 14, pp. 791–802. Holder, H.D. (2004). Community action from an international perspective. In R. Muller and H. Klingemann (Eds.) From Science to Action? 100 Years Later, Alcohol Policies Revisited, pp. 101-112. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic. Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit. (2004). Alcohol harm reduction strategy for England.  London: Prime Ministers Strategy Unit Rao, J. Kemm, J. (2006). Alcohol in the West Midlands, a review of alcohol and alcohol services in the West Midlands. West Midlands Public Health Group. Rooney, B. L., Murray, D. M. (1996). A meta-analysis of smoking prevention programs after adjustment for errors in the unit of analysis. Health Education Quarterly, 23, pp. 48–64. Shope, J. T., Dielman, T. E., Butchart, A. T., Campanelli, P. C., Kloska, D. D. (1992). An elementary schoolbased  alcohol misuse prevention program: a follow-up evaluation. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 53,  106–121. Tobler, N. S., Roona, M. R., Ochshorn, P., Marshall, D. G., Streke, A. V., Stackpole, K. M. (2000). Schoolbased adolescent drug prevention programs: 1998 meta-analysis. Journal of Primary Prevention, 20, pp. 275–336. White, D., Pitts, M. (1998). Educating young people about drugs: a systematic review. Addiction, 93, pp. 1475–1487. Wynn, S., Schulenberg, J., Maggs, J. L., Zucker, R. A. (2000). Preventing alcohol misuse: the impact of refusal skills and norms. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 14, pp. 36–47.