Meaning of life Essay

A man once said†¦ â€Å" A man once said to the universe: Sir do I exist However, replied the universe the fact has not created in me a sense of obligation†. The great Philosopher Stephen Crane explained his work in existentialism by writing this quote. Existentialism is the philosophy and cultural movement that holds the starting point of philosophy. Thinking must be the individual and experiences of the individual. The quote that Stephen crane wrote, talks about how just because he exist the universe isn’t going to change just because you only exist. Your te one that has to give your life meaning. The philosophy of existentialism does not have a specific school or books. But it is a way of living your life as you want but still knowing what the consequences are. The most important human activity is decision making. Through our choices, we create our lives and become ourselves when you wake up every morning you think for yourself and make your own decision using your own thoughts and actions. No one lives forever therefore make your time worthwhile enjoy your life how you like to live it don’t let anything or anyone make decision for you. Today’s living is much commercialized. It’s all around you and always trying to convince you to do what they want, and buy what they want. The movie â€Å" Fight Cllub† is based off of the theory of existentialism. As the movie starts tyler durden is just going through the motions of living life. He keeps the same routine day in and day out. He goes to work. He hates his boss. But never has the courage to stand up for him self he does whatever the boss tells him to without questioning her. Then he goes back to his apartment that he has identical to the ikea magazine. All of his furniture, carpets, cups, covers, and chairs exactly as the pictures on the ikea magazine. He’s sitting back letting the commercializing life take over him. He doesn’t know who he is. As the movie proceeds tyler durden starts getting fed up of how he’s been living life. The moment that he himself blew up his apartment was because he wanted a whole new start and starts taking control of his life. This is where I believe he starts living the theory of existentialism. After he blows up his condo he moves to a old abanded house, and gets rid of al his commercialized material. All this came from fighting. When he fought in the â€Å"fight club† it wasn’t about winning or losing it was about letting yourself free. Fighting brought the men some indrenalum and for those minutes they fought they felt alive and forgot about all their problems. In this society Living in today’s society you have to follow a certain set of rules just to fit into the â€Å"normal† people a lot of humans in this society just sit back and watch their lives go by in their movie tyler durden helps me understand that instead of us just being spectator and watching things through our TV and magazines we should go out and be participating members of what ever you would like to do. In the book â€Å" the stranger† Meursault helped me understand the concept of existentialism. When Meursault’s mother dies. Meursault has to ask his boss for sometime off because his mother has died. Meursault tells his boss sorry for taking the time off. This makes me think that he really didn’t care that his mom passed away he seen it as a set back to his usual life. â€Å" Maman died. Or yesterday maybe I don’t know, I got a telegram from the home† when I read this it immediately gives me an impression of a lack of emotion towards the death of his mother. This lack of emotion shows the existentialist idea that we all die, it doesn’t matter what life we have while we are alive we simply exist, as Meursault did. As you keep reading the novel, You take notice that Meursault doesn’t like introducing himself with neighbors. It seems to me as if Meursault simply acts to fill his time. He is a single man that has a lot of time to fill. And he finally starts figuring out that his weekends pass by particularly slowly. The way I started noticing is Meursault started to us short sentences to convey an atmosphere showing emotion and feelings. You could really take notice of this between page 21 and 24, at the end of chapter two, when Meursault is giving a very descriptive narrative of the life outside his window on a typical Sunday. He ends the chapter by saying â€Å"one more Sunday was over†¦ nothing had changed†. Throughout the entire book â€Å"the stranger† Meursault is a very laid back guy that doesn’t let many things effect his actions. He believes everyone is just here to fill in some spots. That there is no meaning in life. Since everyone will die. But at the end of the book he is put in front of death. And this is where all his emotion comes out. He now understands that he had been mistaken that he never had anyone close to him in his life. The natural human nature is to interact with other humans, and once he was put in front of death he wished people knew who he was.

How Does Golding Show Conflict in Lord of the Flies? Essay

In lord of the flies, Golding presents a strong sense of conflict, between the boys, the boys and nature and the boy’s personal lives. The theme of conflict is an important one within the novel, as it helps to represent the disagreement and fighting of World War II which was happening during the time that Lord of the flies was written and that Golding experienced first-hand. Golding’s main message in Lord of the flies was how cruel men could be to one another and conflict is an obvious link to this idea. We begin to see conflict very early in the novel, even before the story begins, as Golding tries to introduce the key themes at the start of the novel. The boys are actually brought to the island itself by the conflicts of World War II. While conflict and violence is happening in the macrocosm that is the world, it starts to arise on the island, a microcosm of the world. We also see conflict and tension between Ralph and Piggy for a number of reasons. Ralph straightaway thinks of himself as superior to Piggy because he is physically more attractive and athletic then Piggy. While Jack is described as a ‘fair boy’ a stereotypical sign of goodness and pureness who ‘might make a boxer as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went’ and with ‘size and attractive appearance’ that ‘marked him out’. Piggy on the other hand is ‘plump,’ ‘shorter than the fair boy and very fat’. Ralph also mocks piggy by calling him by the nickname he dislikes. This is a deliberate act of cruelty as Piggy says confidently: ‘I don’t care what they call me..as long as they don’t call me what they used to call me at school†¦They used to call me â€Å"Piggy†.’ But Ralph ignores this and mocks Piggy, he ‘shrieked with laughter †¦Jumped up..†Piggy!†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. He is also rude to him by disregarding his health problem, saying, ‘sucks to your ass-mar!’. This immediate superiority Ralph feels over Piggy and his cruelty towards him could be a representation of how people in society generally act and think, and the behaviour towards thinkers or people with disabilities, that appearance and physical attractiveness is important and superior and that health impairments such as very poor eyesight and asthma marks so meone out as being different and therefore strange. It is also important that Golding has shown that Ralph has the capability to be cruel. Although we later find out that he is a representation of democracy, Ralph as a person can’t be holey good but he can’t be holey evil either. This links to Golding’s main message of Lord of the flies, which was inspired by seeing the awful things men could do to one another: that man, no matter how good, democratic or orderly can be holey good and are capable of being cruel, mostly for no valid reason and often as a result of discrimination and hunger for power. We also see a feature of emotional conflict between the boys. Ralph’s father is in the navy, another person who contributes to the conflict within the world and the island. As well as this, he is not only in the navy but a commander in the navy and taught Ralph how to swim. When Ralph asks Piggy about his father, piggy ‘flushes suddenly’ and replies: ‘‘My dad’s dead’ he said quickly, ‘and my mum—‘†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢I used to live with my auntie†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. His words give us the indication that his father is dead, his mother has left him and that his auntie used to look after him but no longer w ants him. His upbringing, especially in comparison to Ralph’s, makes him feel insignificant and upset and evokes pathos in the reader. From this, and his cockney accent (‘all them other kids’, ‘we was attacked’) we can conclude that Piggy represents the underclass in the 1950s. However, out of all the boys, the majority of which attended private school or were educated in grammar school, piggy is the best one, even though he has had to live in care and has been neglected through his childhood, all things which Golding uses to make the reader feel empathy and sympathy towards him. As a character, Piggy is the cleverest among the boys: ‘what intelligence had been shown was traceable to piggy’ but he is really a weak boy with good ideas. Golding could be making a point that your background does not necessarily determine how intelligent you are and that a lower class child can be very intelligent. We experience more tension between Ralph and Piggy due to Ralph’s attitude that he is superior, through linguistic conflict. Piggy continuously asks Ralph questions, such as ‘what’s your name?’, ‘you haven’t seen the others have you?’ and making comments and telling Ralph about himself: ‘My auntie told me not to run†¦on account of my asthma’ and ‘I expect we’ll want to know all there names’. He is enthusiastic and keen to talk to Ralph, possibly due to the usual lack of attention he receives back home. However Ralph ‘tried to be offhand and not too obviously uninterested’ and replied to Piggy’s comments with just a shake of his head or not even acknowledging him at all. As well as this, when Piggy asked Ralph his name he ‘waited to be asked his name in turn but this proffer of acquaintance was not made’. This yet again shows how Ralph thinks of himself as superior to Piggy and doesn’t feel he needs to treat or show piggy the same respect and interest that he gave to Ralph. Piggy also partly creates a gap between himself and Ralph by following Ralph and showing so much interest in him. Piggy ‘hung steadily at his shoulder’ and ‘stood by him, breathing hard’. This could show that Ralph has a natural sense of leadership about him which makes Piggy feel as though he should look up to him. However, it is mainly due to the fact that Piggy is neglected, of love and also friendship, which makes him feel he needs to attach himself to someone like Ralph. As well as this, Piggy is frightened by the prospect of ‘no grown-ups’ and needs a sense of authority, like Ralph, to latch onto. We can see how nervous and lacking in confidence Piggy can be, due to neglect as he ‘took off his glasses†¦then started to wipe them’, an action he seems to be doing all the time. This fidgeting behaviour is especially seen when Piggy is feeling particularly insignificant and upset talking about his upbringing: ‘†My dad’s dead,’ he said quickly, ‘and my mum—‘†¦. He took of his glasses and looked vainly for something with which to clean them on’. Another important conflict within the book can be seen between two of the main leaders, Ralph and Jack. Before the boys even interact with each other we can foresee that there will be tension between the two characters. Jack’s choir is describes a ‘creature’. This description could indicate that the choir (le d by Jack) cloud later become more savage, like a ‘creature’. As well as this, the colour black that Jack and the choir’s uniforms are made from is symbolic, with black being symbolising evil and bad things. The description of Ralph is set in antithesis of Jack – Jack is described as ‘black’ and ‘ugly’ and Ralph as ‘golden’. Later in the book we see that the two boys makes choices and live in ways that would be expected by their description, Jack as savage and cruel and Ralph as democratic and reasonable. Golding could be implying that one can make valid judgements from appearance. He also writes that Jack was ‘underneath the floating cloak†¦tall, thin and bony. His face was crumpled and freckled and ugly with silliness’. This description once again draws up an image of Jack being a ‘bad’ character because of his ugliness. However, by using the modifier ‘without t silliness’, Golding modifies the statement on Jack’s appearance, that although he is ugly, the children would not be able to laugh at him. This could represent Jack’s power and intimidation towards the other children through sheer appearance and manner. Jack also speaks in imperative sentences (e.g. ‘choir, stand still! ) and the boys ‘huddled together’ in fear of him and stand with ‘wearily obedience’. This shows us they are used to taking orders from Jack. We can also see that Jakc thinks of himself as having superiority, as he wants to be called by his surname ‘Merridew’. Jack is obviously from a posh background and will have been to private school. Having characters like Jack and Ralph as leaders, boys who attended public school, could be Golding’s representation of society, how many leading roles and responsibilities are taken by upper-class privately educated people, while many lower-class people, some who may be intelligent like piggy, are left behind, as they have not been in an environment where being confident and superior is normal and expected. When it comes to actually voting for a chief, ‘the most obvious leader was Jack’, described by Golding as ‘this was the voice of one who knew his own mind’. This shows us that Jack already asserts himself as a leader in opposition to that of Ralph who doesn’t. However it is Ralph who is chosen by the boys to be chief. It is not only ‘his size and attractive appearance’, but there was also ‘a stillness about Ralph†¦that marked him out’ and ‘most powerfully there was the conch†¦the being that had blown that†¦was set apart’. The conch links to democracy, order and civilised society and there is a link between Ralph, ‘the being that had blown that’, that the boys also see. Golding would have been making the point that the boys chose, even when they didn’t know him, Ralph, the link to democracy, order and civilised society, to be their chief because a democratic leader is the right leader to have and the boys can see this and therefore choose Ralph even without knowing him. When Jack did not get voted as chief, ‘the freckles disappeared on jack’s face under a blush of mortification’. This shows us how embarrassed, angry and upset Jack was for not being chosen as Chief. This could be a point of conflict between Ralph and Jack within the book, however Ralph tries to keep peace with jack and ‘looked at him, eager to offer something’. This demonstrates Ralph’s eagerness to be a good and fair leader. However, another point at which Ralph tries to avoid conflict between Jack and himself is when laughs at Jack’s name calling at piggy and says, ‘he’s not fatty†¦his real name’s Piggy!’. This brings Ralph and Jack closer and creates common ground between them but yet again demonstrates the fact that Ralph can be capable of cruelty. We also see Ralph’s attempts to avoid conflict with Jack over the role of leader by allowing jack that ‘the choir belongs to you obviously.’ This action gives Jack some leadership and makes him feel more powerful as well as foreshadowing Ralph’s later attempts to break the conflict between him and Jack and bring the two together again. Nearing the end of the chapter, we experience the boy’s conflict with nature. This is represented by Golding, when the boys go to push a rock down from its original place on the mountain top. During their attempt, ‘the great rock loitered, poised on one toe’. This behaviour, and other actions, is typical of the way humans have often treated the planet, destroying natural objects or areas from their original state for human need and want. Golding was aware that humankind is stupid enough to destroy the very land that gives it food and life and we see this idea explored further in the novel, when the boyâ₠¬â„¢s destroy a lot of food and firewood, elements that keep them alive, in a n uncontrollable fire. This, and the rolling of the rock, demonstrates that even if the boys are intelligent or strong humans, they will never really overpower nature and that it will always be in conflict with them. As well as this, the rolling of the rock down the mountain side is proleptic of Piggy’s death. We later also see that Jack experiences self-conflict. During Simon, Ralph and Jack’s expedition of the island they come across a pig which Jack tries to kill, but isn’t able to. He felt he couldn’t, as he understood ‘what an enormity the downward stroke would be’. The boys also ‘knew very well why he hadn’t: because of the enormity of the knife: descending and cutting into living flesh: because of the unbearable blood.’ This shows us that Jack is not yet be far enough removed from civilised society to be able to kill a pig. However, he ‘snatched his knife’ and ‘slammed it into a tree trunk’, saying, ‘Next time!’ and ‘he looked round fiercely, daring them to contradict’. This shows that his natural, evil, menacing and savage instincts are in him that only now on the island are recently coming across. Notice how Golding uses the verb ‘flesh’, a word which is not clearly specific to a pig and could easily be confused with the ‘flesh’ of a human. This shows us that when jack does ‘next time’ kill, his knife could be coming down into the flesh of a pig, or the flesh of a human. It is important that Golding has introduced the variety of conflicts in the first chapter, so that the key themes are established early on and can develop throughout the book and as to foreshadow events that will happen later on in the novel.

Volcanic Landforms

Volcanic Landforms Volcano is essentially a fissure or vent (opening) which serves as an outlet for hot magma from beneath the Earth’s crust. The hot liquid magma coming out in the form of lava (most commonly molten basalt) is potential of shaping different landforms on earth crust. The most common landforms that are results of volcanic activity include cones, craters, calderas, domes etc. This article gives a description of these volcanic landforms. SHIELD VOLCANOES- These are characterised by gentle upper slopes. The slope varies from only 5 degrees to 10 degrees.The shield volcanoes are made up of mainly thin lava flows around central vent. The low viscosity lava (low silica content) travels down gently and as it cools down it creates less steeper lower slope. These are also found at the flanks of bigger volcanoes like Kilauea is situated on the Hawaiian shield volcano. STRATOVOLCANOES- These are characterised somewhat steeper slopes (30 degrees to 40degees) near the vent a nd the summit due to highly viscous lava flows are not able to travel long distances before they cool down.The less steeper slopes at the base is due to erosional activity. The show inter layering of pyroclastic material and thus sometimes also called composite volcanoes. Pyroclastic material make upto 50% of a stratovolcano. They show a long time of repose which makes them quite dangerous. CINDER CONES- They are small volume cones build up by fall deposites around the eruptive vent. There slope is around 25-30 degrees. During later stages of eruptions the lava may come out from the flanks. Cinder and tephra cones usually occur around summit vents and flank vents of stratovolcanoes.MAARS- The magma heats up the groundwater and converts it into vapours which builds up pressure and results in eruptions containing water and pre-existing rocks. Walls of crater fall back into crater and fills it with loose material. If the crater depth reaches below the water table of the region, the maa rs often fill up with water. LAVA DOMES- The viscous lava or rhyolitic lava is not able to flow far away from the vent, it rather accumulates over the vent. The forecoming lava from the vent pushes and the upper solidified outer surface rolls down to the flank.The slope is very rough due to spines pushed up by the magma below. CRATERS AND CALDERAS- Craters are the depressions which are the results of explosions emitting gases and tephras. They can range upto 1km in diameter. Calderas are large depressions, circular or elliptical in shape with diameters ranging from 1 km to 50 km. Calderas form as a result of collapse of a volcanic structure. The collapse results from evacuation of the underlying magma chamber. The evacuation process of lava chambers in stratovolcanoes in rapid and as the lava goes out the walls collapse and form a large crater.They are enclosed depressions which often collect rain water and snow melt and may form lakes. Like Crater Lake in southern Oregon is about 8 km in diameter and dated to be formed around 6800years ago. FUMAROLES- A fumarole is vent where gases, either from a magma body at depth, or steam from heated groundwater, emerges at the surface of the Earth. Since most magmatic gas is H2O vapor, and since heated groundwater will produce H2O vapor, fumaroles will only be visible if the water condenses. H2O vapor is invisible, unless droplets of liquid water have condensed). HOT SPRINGS- Hot springs or thermal springs are areas where hot water comes to the surface of the Earth. Cool groundwater moves downward and is heated by a body of magma or hot rock. A hot spring results if this hot water can find its way back to the surface, usually along fault zonesGYESERS- A geyser results if the hot spring has a plumbing system that allows for the accumulation of steam from the boiling water.When the steam pressure builds so that it is higher than the pressure of the overlying water in the system, the steam will move rapidly toward the surfac e, causing the eruption of the overlying water. Some geysers, like Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park, erupt at regular intervals. The time between eruptions is controlled by the time it takes for the steam pressure to build in the underlying plumbing system. |

Fast Food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fast Food - Essay Example not just limited to any particular region or country and town, rather all over the world fast food is quite common and strongly followed and like all over the world. However being the most ubiquitous form of food that is available in every nook and corner, it has resulted in plenty of criticism from the experts over ages and has been tested for many cases of improper diet. American teen agers are perhaps the most frequent ones and most fond of fast food. For this reason this generation is called the fast food generation (Schlosser). They are fonder of this food than the conventional form, be it their schools, their evening outings, all around they would prefer fast foods. The modern generation and modern times are termed as fast food generation and fast food era respectively. Since every individual is enrolled and associated with the consumption of fast food in one way or the other, therefore they have become an integral part of modern day civilizations. They have a direct negative impact on the pregnant women as well. A multi billion industry that cannot be packed up by any means, and statistics showing the business being expanded by very high proportion around the world. In the United States, one out of three adults is a regular eater of fast food and as a result are not able to stop their children from eating the junk food. Other survey conducted in this regard resulted in showing that some of them ate the food in company of their children; as a result the children are in direct line of attack as well whenever their parents visit the fast food chains. Study conducted over number of school students and their usage of fast food showed considerable percentage of increase in obesity due to the amount of fast food intake, and the amount of weight gained is staggeringly alarming(Currie, Moretti, et.al). While fast foods may not be all unhealthy food items, the problem associated is that of extremely high energy food intake in form of fast food and further on,

Advising and Counseling Student Athletes by Broughton and Neyer Article

Advising and Counseling Student Athletes by Broughton and Neyer - Article Example It has been mentioned in the literature that the student-athletes can be best counseled by incorporating counseling in four steps which involves academic counseling, life skill development, clinical counseling and performance enhancement. It has been said in the book that the students many time fear the fact that if they seek the advice of counselors they will be considered weak and that may have an adverse effect on their performance and their social image. There are various problems which student-athlete faces and it remains the responsibility of the institutions to cater to all their emotional needs and provide them the support required. The piece of literature here goes on to say that there are yet many flaws in the counseling programmes of the student-athletes and the college authorities should become effective in addressing the existing flaws and review the situation accordingly so that the athletes, as well as the college authorities, benefit from them. The authors Hamilton and Sina, (2001) in the article, â€Å"How College Affects Student-Athletes† refers to the fact that colleges play an important role in the lives of the student-athletes and the concerned authorities should realize their responsibilities and direct their efforts towards the right direction. The athletes should understand that the authorities care for their overall well being. And the authorities should not only focus on athletics that may bring in a negative impact. Rather they should structure policies in a manner that will help the student-athletes in the long run of their lives and it will allow them to fulfill all their dreams. Thus we get to know that academic institutions have a major role to play in the lives of athletes. With more and, more of globalization athletics is a major form of entertainment. The college athletes of the present age are not only shaped by factors of the universities and colleges. They are influenced by a number of other global factors which include social, moral and economic issues.  Ã‚  

Cover letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Cover letter - Essay Example I have always maintained an interest in computer software ever since I was a young child, but it was not until I worked as a summer intern at Perceptive Software in Shawnee, Kansas that I finally knew what career path I wanted to pursue for myself. While there, I was able to work with the software team to design and implement high-quality software, learn how to interface with other team members, and design and test the core components of the software projects. Once I had been hooked on computer software, I applied for and was accepted to a Computer Engineering major at Kansas State University. While studying at university, I have learned how to use various data structures in C++ and JAVA and OOP concepts in computer projects. I have also developed hardware design of digital boards and programming in C and JAVA. Although I have had little exposure to Microsoft .NET/C# and SQL technologies, I will learn as much as I can from the experienced developers who already work at Med Assets. The physical demands and work environment characteristics do not faze me at all as I already perform most of these tasks on a daily basis. Working with others who may have different work traits does not bother me in the slightest. I would also be willing to relocate to Plano, Texas on a permanent basis after I have completed my degree in Computer Engineering. I am looking forward to your response and will be waiting for the outcome. If would like to contact me to discuss this further then please call (785) 643-0378 or send me an email at roesner@ksu.edu. Thank you once again for your time and

Blank Activities in English Language Teaching Article

Blank Activities in English Language Teaching - Article Example The teachers can make students read the complete context. This activity makes students increase students reading ability, as they need to go to the material thoroughly. In this way, students get to know about the important and keywords used in the context. The more the students read, the more they improve their vocabulary. The teachers get to know about the student's that they take reading seriously or not. The Fill in the blanks activity is also used in psyche testing. Psyche testing is commonly used when recruiting military persons. Fill in the blanks is used in psyche testing in such a way that the sentence is incomplete and the portion of the sentence has to complete by the student. This technique can easily be evaluated by psychiatrists as they can figure out the person personality and aptitude by looking at the complete meaning which student has tried to deliver. This psychiatrist can judge whether the person has positive or negative thinking. Fill in the blanks technique is friendly for both students and the teachers. The students do not need to answer the questions in paragraphs i.e. lengthy answers are avoided. For teachers, it is easy for grading of the exam, as there are mostly absolute answers to be filled in the blanks, so they do not need to read long answers and grade them on a relative basis.

Legalization of prostitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Legalization of prostitution - Essay Example Given the time period, poverty, disgrace and lack of education was a primary cause of young women becoming prostitutes. Sanger asked many women why they became prostitutes, and often they answered the same. They had been kicked out of their homes or deserted, were forced into it to survive, or, in some cases, they would turn to it as a remedy of their current situation, and only wanted to pursue it until something better came along. In the 19th century, prostitution evolved again into a highly profitable, visible and industrialized business. Women became commercial products, and were â€Å"sexed bodies for hire† and the business of prostitution was of high profit from the women’s ‘owners’ as â€Å"illicit sex increasingly became an attractive form of capital investment† (Barry, p 97). The labor market of the time saw the decrease of women in ordinary domestic labor into prostitution because of this rapidly developing industry (Barry, p 97). As prosti tution grew, society could no longer ignore the problem that it was creating, but they could not stop the men that went to visit these houses of ill repute. It went so far as to create a book that became known as the â€Å"gentlemen’s guide†, which included â€Å"better houses, giving addresses, benefits to be gained from particular establishments and the names of favorite prostitutes† (Pivar, p 31). ... They were ultimately forced to stay in the business, whether they wanted to or not (Bullough, p 245). The police and doctors that supported the regulation of prostitution were concerned with the control of venereal diseases, crime and sanitation (Pivar, p33). Today, prostitution is still seen by the majority of society as a crime against the morality of humanity (Scambler, p 7). These women are commonly referred to as hookers, whores, sluts or simply prostitutes. They are seen as trash, a bane on society with no moral compasses and whose bodies are ravaged by venereal diseases. There is a plethora of opinions of prostitution, but it is not something that is sick, wrong or unjustified. The argument has been made by opposition to prostitution that they are merely desperate women with cloudy judgment because of the economic issues that they suffer from (Stolba, 2000). This may be true in some cases, but if it were completely true, then the number of women in the business would do someth ing else. There are over one million women in the United States today that make their living by prostitution. Oppositely, about one in every six American men has been a client of a prostitute at some point in the past five years. Oddly, the threat of AIDS and other venereal diseases is now the most compelling argument for the legalization of prostitution. Roughly, half of all street prostitutes in New York City and Washington, D.C. are HIV positive. In Newark, New Jersey, nearly 60% of all prostitutes there have HIV. Despite this, in the state of Nevada, not a single prostitute in a state-licensed facility has ever tested positive for HIV/AIDS (Armentano, 1993). The brothels in Nevada require that their prostitutes

The theory and application of auction theory in context to British car Essay

The theory and application of auction theory in context to British car auctions (BCA) - Essay Example These were informal forms of auctioning. Though this may sound absurd, they indeed held the basic principles of the aims and objectives of auctions that we have today. Today, auctions are specially organised as a system of trade for a number of aims and objectives including the ones listed below. 1. To ensure that only serious minded investors approach trading products and services 2. To create best value for products and services that are being traded 3. To ensure and enhance openness with the terms of sale of products and services to the public 4. To help bidders have a fair idea of their rates as compared to other bidders 5. To speed up the trading off process of a given product or service. Because auction is a universal or global practice, it is associated with a number of generalised assumptions that have been accepted even in academic cycles. These general assertions on auction have come to be known as auction theories and they come in different forms and types. Four of these are briefly explained below with examples. Ascending Auction: As the name suggests, there is ascension in the price of the product and the ascension is determined and commissioned by the auctioneer. Commonly known as the British auction, the auctioneer ‘separates the boys from the men’ (reduces the number of bidders) by increasing the price of the product. ... These were informal forms of auctioning. Though this may sound absurd, they indeed held the basic principles of the aims and objectives of auctions that we have today. Today, auctions are specially organised as a system of trade for a number of aims and objectives including the ones listed below. 1. To ensure that only serious minded investors approach trading products and services 2. To create best value for products and services that are being traded 3. To ensure and enhance openness with the terms of sale of products and services to the public 4. To help bidders have a fair idea of their rates as compared to other bidders 5. To speed up the trading off process of a given product or service. Establish and explain main assumptions of auction theory Types of Auction Because auction is a universal or global practice, it is associated with a number of generalised assumptions that have been accepted even in academic cycles. These general assertions on auction have come to be known as au ction theories and they come in different forms and types. Four of these are briefly explained below with examples. Ascending Auction: As the name suggests, there is ascension in the price of the product and the ascension is determined and commissioned by the auctioneer. Commonly known as the British auction, the auctioneer ‘separates the boys from the men’ (reduces the number of bidders) by increasing the price of the product. By so doing, bidders will keep falling off the bidding proceed in order that the opportunity will come to rest with only one bidder, who for the sake of the increasing nature of the bid would come to be known as the highest bidder. This is a prominent form of auction as the Auctus Development Incorporated (2009) notes

Consulting Services in Information Technology Essay Example for Free

Consulting Services in Information Technology Essay Before discussing the role of consulting service firms in procurement of Information Technology resources and solutions, we will first describe some rules of thumb that dictate the selection process for aforesaid purpose. The basic rule is â€Å"the simpler the better†, but this often leads to oversimplification of complex tasks (Braley, 2009) and we must avoid wastage of time and resources that occurs due to unnecessary attention to detail. There is a myth that a well-written contract is of primary importance in procurement process. This assumption is not true and leads to a lack of effort in making things go right. Next rule is that one must not sacrifice effectiveness of day to day data collection and other important activities on the assumption that output is the sole primary concern of the system. Schedule of projects must be realistic, which is rarely the case, leading to a myth that projects never complete on time (Braley, 2009). Having discussed some of the myths and realities of IS procurement, we will now compare and contrast the approaches of different consultancy firms in selection process. Accenture is a worldwide corporation that provides services in the areas of outsourcing, management consulting and technology (Accenture, 2009). As their value proposition â€Å"High Performance. Delivered. † suggests, they value constant innovation to perform better and their results show that their commitment to their clients is exemplary. Extensive research is their strongest arm which lets their clients procure the best available solution to their specific problems. Accenture works together with customers, including governments, to help them perform much better (Accenture, 2009). Their 2008 revenues were in excess of $25 Billion and income was around $1. 6 Billion showing strong growth from their 2007 results (Wikipedia, 2009). In contrast, Infosys, based in India, has slightly different values but the same quest for excellence. This $4 Billion revenue generating company provides technology-enabled business solutions to help businesses win in a Flat World (Infosys, 2009). The term Flat World is of key importance here. Their philosophy of by passing structural issues and minimizing bureaucratic hassle is embedded in this term. Today, they lead worldwide in the next generation of IT and consulting (Infosys, 2009). Their philosophy enables them to use IT to introduce dynamism in a corporation to make it flexible to adapt to rapid changes in today’s world. We discussed two successful IT consultants with very different philosophies but one goal: to provide their clients with the specific solutions that make them leaders in their fields. Accenture believes in extensive research and harnesses its power, whereas Infosys flattens an organization for timely and helpful results. The rules of thumb, that we discussed earlier, are evidently practiced within both consultancies we discussed. For example, Accenture practices the simplicity rule when it uses research to know exactly what is required by client and the level of understanding of end users. Infosys does not let perfection of RFP hinder its flat world dream by putting least emphasis on mere documentation and more focus on tangible results. One trend in today’s IT market is for more and more IT consultancy firms to venture into solution-builder business themselves (Wikipedia, 2009). This diversifies their market portfolios and increases their customer base. We conclude our discussion by pointing out that the trend mentioned above is good for customers as it provides them complete IT solutions within one roof. Both the consultancies we discussed aim to be that one roof for governments and corporate clients.

Criminology Essays Drug Crime Assessment

Criminology Essays Drug Crime Assessment A Critical Assessment of the Supposed Relationship Between Drug Use and Crime. Introduction In the United Kingdom and many other countries statistics show that there is a significant relationship between recreational drug use and crime (Bean, 2004). What is unclear, however, is the nature of the relationship between drug use and crime and this has resulted in much discussion. In particular the relationship between crime and the use of illegal drugs, such as heroin and cocaine has been a major area of research and debate. Therefore, this report will concentrate on the link between illicit drug use and crime. The definition of drug-related crime excludes violations of drug laws and includes acts of crimes that are committed by people who are using drugs or in the course of buying drugs or selling (Stevens, 2005). Several theories have been developed which attempt to establish what the relationship is between drug use and crime and these will be discussed. Drug use leads to crime This idea is based on the notion that drug use leads to and crime. Goldstien (1985) proposed the relationship between violent crime and drug use can be classified into three categories. Firstly, psycho-pharmacological i.e., the physical properties of the drug affect the users mind in a way that leads to violent behaviour. Secondly, systemic i.e., violent behaviour is the normal and expected behaviour of the drug scene culture. Finally, economic-compulsive i.e., the addictive nature of the drug leads the user to engage in violent behaviour to steal items in order to resell them to fund their drug habit. This is probably the most widely accepted link between drug use and crime (Stevens, 2005). Research used to support that drug use leads to crime relies on the assumption that a lot of crime is committed by people who are drug users. The research invariably falls into two types. Firstly, offenders who have been caught are tested for drug use. This scheme, called The Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) programme, has been implemented in England and Wales and in at least eight other countries (Stevens et al, 2005). The findings of ADAM show that a high proportion of people arrested tested positive for illegal drugs. For example, in 1998/9, 740 people arrested in England and Wales were tested for drug use and 69% of them tested positive, (Taylor, 2002). In addition, Ahmad and Mwenda (2004) state that 113,500 people in 2002 were dealt with by means of a caution or conviction for drug use. The second line of evidence to support the notion that drug use leads to crime is obtained from treatment studies. These studies assess the criminal activity of drug users who are undergoing treatment for their drug-use problem. For example, Best et al (2001) interviewed 100 dependent drug users who were receiving treatment and found 56% of the drug users engaged in acquisition crime. Both the above methods of research have been heavily criticised. Bean (2004), for example, points out that not all offenders use illicit drugs or are dependent on drugs. Also, not all dependent offenders commit crime. In addition, measures used to assess drug use can produce misleading results. One example is that urinalysis compares different drugs that are detectable in the urine for different lengths of time and this could bias the results obtained from such studies. Treatment studies have been criticised because they rely on self-assessment of offenders. This runs the risk of offenders exaggerating or minimising their use of drugs. In addition, treatment studies such as Best et al (2001) have failed to establish the sequence of the two events of drug use and crime. Knowing whether individuals committed crime before or after they started being involved in drug use is crucial in helping to establish whether drug use leads to crime. Allen (2005) addressed this issue by using sequence studies. Sequencing studies set out to establish the pattern of drug use and crime behaviour in the individuals receiving treatment for drug use. Allen (2005) found that out of a sample of 26 individuals that 23 had been arrested for criminal offending before using drugs and therefore there was no evidence that drug use leads to crime. Also, in another study Nurco (1987) found that criminals sometimes continue to commit crime after they have stopped using drugs. Allen (2005) also investigated why people became drug dependent. It was found that the development of dependency was partly because of both the normality of the crime and the use of drugs and partly because of important traumatic events that occurred in their lives, such as sexual abuse or bereavement. It was also found that many drug addicts attempted to successfully manage their drug habit without resorting to crime, such as gaining money by begging. Moreover, when they resorted to crime it was likely to be non-personal crimes such as shoplifting. In Allens view people exist within subcultures in which crime is acceptable and then at critical moments in their lives they become dependent on drugs. If drug use leads to crime then it has important implications because reducing drug use would in turn reduce the level of crime. It is also an extremely popular idea and in 2002 the UK government underlined their view that drug use does indeed lead to crime. The government implemented the Street Crime Initiative, which included making drug treatment available within 24hours for drug users who were arrested for street crime offences. The assumption was that treating offenders for their drug problem would break the link between drug use and street crime and therefore stop the cycle of re-offending. However, in light of the discussed criticisms the effectiveness of such crime prevention is highly questionable. Crime leads to drug use Just as there are views that drug use leads to crime there is also a view that crime leads to drug use. If such a relationship exists then this would also have important implications in the development of any polices: if crime leads to drug use then reducing drug use would not reduce crime, whereas reducing crime would reduce drug use. Three models exist to support that crime leads to drug use (Bean, 2004). Firstly, there is the subcultural theory, which suggests that individuals who are involved in criminal subcultures are more likely to participate in criminal and antisocial behaviour including drug use. Secondly, situational control theory suggests that crime allows the promotion of unrestricted conduct. Thirdly, self-medication suggests that individuals can have an underlying problem that is responsible for their criminal actions so therefore they take drugs to deal with the problem. The theory that crime leads to drug use, as with the view that drug use leads to crime, appears too simplistic. The evidence reviewed so far does not support the unidirectional causal relationship between drug use and crime. This has led to the development of an alternative theory that views the link between drug use and crime as a complex interaction between many causal events. The causal web theory The causal web view rejects the idea that crime leads to drug use and vice versa. Instead, the theory views the relationship between drug use and crime to be interconnected or both elements are affected by alternative variables. Bean (2004) suggests there are four types of theory related to the causal web model. Firstly, common origin theory suggests that drug use and crime develop from the same source, such as anti-social syndrome (Farrington 1997). Secondly, the reciprocal model where the relationship between drug use and crime are viewed as bi-directional i.e., both are dependent on each other and therefore mutually reinforced. Thirdly, the spurious or co-morbidity model that posits that drug use and crime occur in unison but this is by chance. Lastly, the policy model suggests that the link between drug use and crime is a result of the impact of the criminal justice policy. Many studies have failed to show any general link between drugs and crime (see da Agra, 2002, Byquist Olsen 1998). This supports the notion that there is a complex system of interactions between drugs and crime. The causal web theory, therefore, seems the best way to view the relationship between drugs and crime. The causal web theory recognises that many people who commit crime do use drugs but views the relationship between the two as extremely complex. Conclusion Recent findings suggest that theories supporting a unidirectional causal relationship between drug use and crime are over-simplistic. In contrast, the evidence strongly suggests that the relationship between drug use and crime is a complex one involving many interactions. This complexity must be considered if polices aimed at reducing drug-related crime are to be implemented effectively. Polices that only focus on one part of the drug-crime link are unlikely to succeed if another part is ignored. Future research is essential in teasing out the specific interactions between the relationship of drug use and crime and this will help in the development of effective strategies to deal with the issue. References Ahmad, M. Mwenda, L. (2004) Drug Seizure and Offender Statistics, United Kingdom, 2001 2002, Home Office Statistical Bulletin August. London: Home Office. Allen, J. Komy, E.L., Lovbakke, J. Roy, H. (2005) policing and the criminal Justice System-public confidence and perceptions: findings from the 2003/4 British Crime Survey. Home Office On-line Report 31/05. London: Home office. http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/bcs0304tech1.pdf Bean, P (2004) Drugs and Crime. Cullompton Willan Second edition. Best, D., Sidwell, C., Gossop, M., Harris, J. and Strang, J. (2001) Crime and Expenditure Among Polydrug Misusers Seeking Treatment. British Journal of Criminology, 41, p. 119 126. Bur, A (1987) Chasing the Dragon: Heroin Misuse, Dependency and Crime in the context of South London Culture. The British Journal of Criminology, 27 (4), 333-357. da Agra, C. (2002). The complex structures, processes and meanings of the drug/crime relationship. In S. Brochu, Cda Agra, M Cousineau (Eds). Drugs and Crime Deviant Pathways. Aldershot. Ashgate. Farrington, D (1997) Human Development and Criminal Careers in Maguire, M et al. The oxford Handbook of Criminology. Oxford. Goldstein, P (1985) The drug-violence nexus; a tripartite framework. Journal of Drug Issues (Fall), 493-506. Hayes, P (1993) a view from the probation service in Russell, J (ed) Alcohol Hayes, P Russell, J (ed) Alcohol and Crime, London: Mental Health Foundation. Nurco, D.W (1987) Drug addiction and crime: A complicated issue. British Journal of Addictions, 82, 7-9. Stevens A, Trace, M and Bewley-Taylor.D (2005) Reducing drug related crime: an overview of the global evidence. Beckley Foundation Drug Policy Programme. http://www.internationaldrugpolicy.net/reports/BeckleyFoundation_Report_05.pdf Taylor, (2002). I-ADAM in Eight Countries: Approaches and Challenges. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs.

Social Media Texting: Bad Grammar

Social Media Texting: Bad Grammar LOL and OMG have been the acronyms of the decade and have become a trend in the way people communicate. Social media has expanded so much that people are becoming dependent on the Internet and are creating their own language. Social media is making the younger generation develop bad grammar. This issue is a problem because it is making society incapable of structuring coherent sentences making this generation dumb. The time being spend on social media outlets cuts down on the time focusing on their education and grammar. Although some argue that social media helps people communicate better in their daily lives, social media and texting are placing a burden on education. Social media has triggered one from learning academic and professional communication skill, promoting bad grammar, and the lack of creativity. Social media is promoting bad grammar because people accustomed to writing colloquially when they write structured essays. Bad grammar has gotten so severe that people have made several appearances on news channels about social media and bad grammar. A video that was posted on Channel 19 KYTX which is a local news station in Tyler, Texas. It talks about how students are trying to use bad grammar in their essays, which they also use on Facebook and Twitter. Living in a social media world in which people try to communicate as fast as possible people keep conversations short. Kaylee McPherson says to KYTX, I dont even put periods, question marks or anything. I just type it and go (Austin).With the generation being based on technology people ending up not just texting in acronyms but also speaking them was bound to happen. McPherson states that, Now, they actually start talking it. I hear people talking and Im like you kind of sound dumb. Not only are teenagers using shorthand on social media but also in the classroom. Melanie McNeils a high school English teacher says that when she grades papers she sees t he lingo in their essays. Melanie McPherson says, Ok, this is one I see a lot. B4=before, OMG=oh my god, u=you, y=why (Austin). Instead of McNeil giving her students no credit for that type of language used in their essays, she talks to her students about the difference between casual language and academic language and when it is the appropriate time to use the two (Austin). This web lingo has increased so much that even the Oxford English dictionary has added the words: Lol, Omg,Tweet, Retweet and even Sext. There is justification that the world is changing due to social media. Ontario Waterloo University in Canada requires students to pass an English language skills test in order to be accepted into the university. According to the statistics 1/3 are failing and students are blaming social media. Ontario Waterloo is a great educational example of how we can resolve the grammar problem. People should be happy that Universities are taking such an effect on this problem then maybe at least the younger generation will try harder to fix their grammar and spend less on social media cites. Bad grammar and social media go hand in hand people. People are so excited to send an instant message that they use shorthand of words and do not use full sentences. This is a server problem that needs to be addressed and people need to communicate effectively to change the bad grammar that our generation has developed. Being depended on social media affects people because they stop communicating and it will eventually affect them in long run. Switching from academic to colloquial language is difficult for most getting accustomed to changing the language and it is declining grammar skill. In the article, No LOL matter: Tween texting may lead to poor grammar skills by Pen State Official University News Source this article discuss how tweens who are in the age range between nine and fourteen are texting in acronyms and according to researches are decline language and grammar skills(par. 1). Text messaging may be an easy and fast way for one to communicate but according to Drew Cingel who is a Distinguished Professor of Communications and co-director of the Pen States Media Effects Research Laboratory states that, The use of these shortcuts may hinder a tweens ability to switch between techspeack and normal rules of grammar(par. 5). Teachspeak is when someone uses shortcuts while texting, on a social media site or chatting, such as U for You. Cingel gave middle school children in Pennsylvania a grammar assessment test at a 9 th grade level to see if everyone up to par she eventually stated after receiving the scores, Overall, there is evidence of a decline in grammar scores based on the number of adaptions in sent text messages(par. 8). The most people text the more they will adapt to that type of style and will not be about to distinguish whether they are writing proper or not. In High School I always experienced teachspeak, when I was in my English class the teacher would tell us to peer review each others essay. I would always notice that in every paper I would peer review I would at least see one or more tachspeak errors where someone would u instead of you .That is why researches have stated that it is affecting childrens grammar. Some may say that social media has been a way to connect with our lost love ones and some researchers have stated that social media is the downfall of the generation. The Internet is growing rapidly and it and has created many alternative ways from one to get information such as Dictionary.com, where one can look up a definition instead of grabbing a dictionary and instead of reading a book there are books online that you can use on your Ipad or kindle. Social media and texting has have a downfall on our grammar and it is getting harder to multitask. In the article, Yes, People Still Read, But Now Its Social by Steven Johnson it explains how people are reading books on a Kindle but Mr.Carrs who is the author of, The Shallows states, These distraction comes with heavy cost scientific studies show how multitasking harms our concentration(427). Due to social media such as Twitter, Facebook,and YouTube etc. being used all at once people are less likely to be able to focus. People who mul titask more are going to be faced with certain challenges in school when they are not able to concentrate in their studies. According to a study they found out that, Heavy multitasking performed about about 10 to 20 percent worse on most test than light multitasking (427). So it is true that Social media is making us dumb, people may read books on Kindle and might be happy that they are reading books but Mr.Carrs concern is that people are not thinking with a high-level mind set and people are reading pages on a screen. I feel like if society is going to depend on the internet eventually people will stop talking in complete and full sentences and will start using acronyms and that will affect peoples grammar when they are trying to write in an educational matter. The statistics for text messages have increased over the years. According to the Chicago Tribute that stated that Pew Research claims, 72% of adults and 87% of teens send and receive text messages(par.2). It is not only the teenagers that are constantly texting but also adults who are texting away. An executive editor of the American Heritage Dictionary named Steve Kleindetr says that when you text you may want to pay close attention to your attention. Kleinder gives us an example, If youre texting a friend who has difficulty with loose grammatical standards, be sure to spell out u (par. 2). This is a great point that Kleinder stated one must always think about the audience if it is either sending a text message or an email. No one will send an email to their boss saying Sup, cant make 2 wrk L8ts and especially if you had a friend who struggles with grammar you would write out everything clearly. Grammar is a huge part of our society and, People will always judge you, so write with that in mind, Kleinedler says. I personally have never wrote in short hand reason being that I struggle in English and I am not a very good speller, and if I were to write colloquialisms I would not help myself. That is why I made a pact with myself to always write in complete sentences if I am either texting on Facebook or Twitter no matter what. This has actually been beneficial to me because I have never written colloquiums in my essays I might still be a bad speller but at least I do not do it on purpose. Our generation will never be the same the Internet will always have some sort of power over us and with the development of technology increasing there is nothing we can do but educate ourselves. Just because everyone is texting and on Facebook sounding illiterate does not mean we have to do it too. We must take a stand and show society that the generation might be powered with technology but we are using it for our education and other beneficial things. Grammar will always be a problem and it can be fixed but with so many Social media outlets using Weblingo there is no way everyone will stop trying to be cool and rebel against it. Some people will not want to do it but they are dumb-ing themselves down. People need to learn how to talk proper and how to communicate instead of through Facebook and over a text. If this issue is not fixed our generation will be destroyed and there will be no way to fix it. Septic Shock Case Study: Causes and Effects Septic Shock Case Study: Causes and Effects Introduction Septic Shock is a serious circulatory disorder often characterised by a whole- body inflammatory state and the systemic response to infection (Titheradge, 1998), with the most common cause being the contamination of blood with bacteria. Septic shock is defined as sepsis with hypotension which develops in almost half of all septic patients as a complication with a mortality rate of 40-60% (Titheradge, 1998). Septic shock often results in a progressive failure of the circulation to provide blood and oxygen to vital organs of the body resulting in impaired tissue perfusion and oxygen extraction (Thiemermann, 1997). The key symptoms include a severe fall in blood pressure (hypotension) with hypo-reactivity to vasoconstrictor agents (vasoplegia) which may lead to the dysfunction or failure of major organs including lungs, liver, kidneys and brain (multiple organ dysfunction, MODS) and ultimately death (Goligorski et al., 1997). Presently it is widely assumed that septic shock rarely shows similar symptoms in affected individuals and therefore it is difficult to detect and then consequently treat it (Groeneveld and Thijs, 1986). It is, however, also agreed that most of the therapeutic interventions invariably focus on the primary aim of fighting the refractory hypotension by the use of aggressive fluid infusions, glucocorticoids, large doses of vasoconstrictors (Baumgartner and Calandra, 1999) and occasionally renal replacement therapy (Wheeler Bernard, 1999). Yet these interventions do not offer consistent success (Parratt, 1997). In recent times, our understanding of the pathophysiology of septic shock has developed significantly through experimental and clinical trials, though the discovery of a suitable treatment with therapeutic efficacy is proving elusive (Baumgartner and Calandra, 1999). This is probably because of the heterogeneity of the clinical situations and the differences in host response to i dentical pathogens. Moreover evidence suggests that different pathogens which cause septic shock respond differently to the conventional treatments. Still, no effort has been made to treat patients according to the nature of the infecting organism (Gao, Anonymous, 1992). During the early 1990s nitric oxide (NO) emerged as a potentially substantial step towards the treatment of septic shock. This finding directed scientists to carry out numerous clinical trials and animal experiments with the objective of finding out more about the interrelation of NO and Sepsis (Cobb, 1999; Kilbourn, 1999). Later, the discovery of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) made this enzyme the primary target of therapeutic agents (Rosselet et al., 1998). However, recently a substantial amount of literature has been published with evidence contradicting the discoveries of earlier studies. Today more than a decade has elapsed without any resolution to the matter and even in this 21st century Septic Shock is invading the developing countries rapidly (Cobb, 1999; Kilbourn, 1999). This problem of a lack of significant advances in this field can be highlighted by the fact that 17 years have passed since the final publication of the Consensus Conference on sepsis and sepsis related syndromes (Rangel-Frausto, 2005). This paper conclusively defined sepsis and its symptoms with the hope of finding a suitable treatment in order to eradicate the disease (Rangel-Frausto, 2005). Today, however, the situation has not changed significantly with up to 750,000 new sepsis cases every year and 215,000 annual deaths in the United States (Trzeciak et al., 2008, Mitchell M. Levy, 2007). Additionally, in the population that survives such attacks, there is considerable morbidity with many scoring low in health related quality of life assessments (Kaarlola et al., 2003, Perl et al., 1995). Hence the 5 million lives campaign instigated by the US Institute of Healthcare Improvements, aims to minimize the prevalence of nosocomial sepsis (sepsis originating in a hospital) (Gao et al., 2008). This campaign aimed specifically at increasing safety and transforming the quality of hospital care (McCannon et al., 2007). Moreover, the Surviving Sepsis Campaign aims to improve the quality of life of septic patients using the best evidence available currently (Dellinger et al., 2004). Though the world mortality rates have declined in recent times, sepsis is gradually becoming more prevalent in the elderly in the developing countries (Gao et al., 2008).This is mainly due to the extended longevity of patients with chronic illnesses, the increased occurrence of immunosuppression, and the more frequent use of invasive procedures (Bone, 1991; Parrillo, 1993). Sepsis, severe sepsis, septic shock and multiple organ failure still dominate the mass cases of non coronary intensive care units (ICUs). This essay will attempt to explore the fundamental mechanisms leading to tissue and organ damage in septic shock through the investigation of a case study. Following this, the discovery and general biology of nitric oxide (NO) shall be discussed, and the experimental evidence implicating NO as an effector in sepsis, will be examined in detail. The results obtained from various pharmacologic interventions directed at NO in animal studies will also be considered. This report will also give an account of conventional and innovative treatments for the management of septic shock. Finally, data from the few available relevant clinical trials will be reviewed and possible future avenues of interest will be discussed. Systemic Inflammatory response syndrome and Septic Shock (Clinical Manifestation) Sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock were inaccurately defined until a recently reviewed consensus conference in 1992 (Bone et al., 1992, Dellinger et al., 2004). In this meeting the term systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) was invented insinuating a clinical response arising from a nonspecific tissue damaging event (insult) (Rangel-Frausto, 2005). Sepsis as mentioned earlier is the result of substantial release of inflammatory mediators in response to an infection. However, often the same mediators are released in the absence of a documented infected in several medical conditions such as cardiopulmonary bypass (Wan S. et al., 1997), pancreatitis and trauma (Shanley TP. et al., 2006). Due to this, the early definitions of sepsis or septic shock were found to be misleading hence a North American consensus conference proposed a new terminology. In this conference sepsis was defined as a condition in which critically ill patients meet criteria for SIRS, in the context of infection. SIRS was defined as two or more of the following: 1) heart rate >90/min; 2) temperature >38Â °C or 12,000 or 20/min or a PCO2 3.5 L min-1 M-23; 2) hyperglycaemia (plasma glucose >120 mg/dL) in the absence of diabetes; 3) significant oedema or positive fluid balance (20 mL/kg over 20 h); 4) inflammatory variables: plasma C-reactive protein >2 SD above t he normal value or plasma procalcitonin >2 SD above the normal value and 5) mixed venous oxygen saturation (SVO2) >70% . (Dellinger RP et al., 2004). SIRS is generally not considered as a disease and its recognition does not provide any clinical conclusion. However, since it has proven to be a very useful for the identification of sepsis and its sequelae namely severe sepsis and septic shock it is regarded as a very important tool (Shanley TP. et al., 2006). Case Study: A 3-year-old boy was admitted to the intensive care unit because of fever, hypotension, and lethargy. A purpuric rash was noted on his arms and legs. Arterial blood gas analysis demonstrated hypoxemia and metabolic acidosis. The arterial lactate level was 10 mmol/L. He was intubated, resuscitated with crystalloid solution, started on broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, and given dopamine to maintain a MAP above 55 mmHg. His chest radiograph revealed bilateral interstitial-alveolar infiltrates with a left sided predominance. Gram stain of the cerebrospinal fluid showed gram-negative cocci. The dopamine infusion was increased to 18Â µg kg-1min-1 for persistent hypotension and oliguria. Pulmonary and radial arterial catheter data yielded the following blood pressure, 85/30 mm Hg; MAP, 48 mm Hg; heart rate, 140 beats per minute; CVP, 10 mm Hg; pulmonary artery pressure, 22/14 mm Hg; PCWP, 12 mm Hg; cardiac index, 2.5L min-1m-2; and SVRI, 1226 dyne-sec-cm-5m-2. The boy was treated with ad ditional saline and an epinephrine infusion, which increased the MAP, cardiac index, and urine output. Arterial lactate levels decreased over the next 12 hours. Subsequent cultures of blood and cerebrospinal fluid grew Neisseria meningitidis. In this case the patient with acute organ failure and hypotension was diagnosed with septic shock. The young boy with meningococcal septic shock had a borderline-low cardiac index. Due to this a decrease in the cardiac index in this patient by the administration of an NOS inhibitor might not be desirable. This is suggestive of the fact that NO or its synthesising means cannot always be targeted in order to battle septic shock. I will attempt to go into further details with regards to this statement as we go along the essay. Nitric Oxide discovery: Joseph Priestly first identified gaseous NO in 1772. NO also named Nitrogen Monoxide is a very simple and tiny molecule consisting of one nitrogen and one oxygen molecule. Unknown of its fundamental physiological roles in the mammals, until the 1980s NO was widely considered as a mere toxic atmospheric pollutant (Konstantin J. Ovodov et al., 2000). In the 1980s researchers were examining how blood vessels expand (dilate) hence regulate the mean arterial blood pressure. Dilation of blood vessels, also termed vasodilation is a very important physiological response which partly regulates the blood pressure. By increasing the diameter of blood vessels, vasodilation causes the blood to travel more freely due to lower resistance (RF Furchgott, 1980). Since the blood vessel lumen widens during vasodilation, the blood imposes less outward pressure on the vessel wall hence reducing the blood pressure. In opposition, vasoconstriction reduces the diameter of the lumen increasing the BP. These physiological responses occur all the time in the human body regulating the BP and therefore are one of the most fundamental mechanisms of the human body. Dr Robert Furchgott and his group, later in 1980s investigated the role of acetylcholine in the smooth muscle relaxation and found that relaxation only occurred if a special class of cells called endothelial cells were present (RF Furchgott, 1980). These cells line the interior surface of blood vessels, forming an interface between circulating blood in the lumen and the rest of the vessel wall. Behind the endothelial cells are the smooth muscle cells which either relax or contract thus regulating the vascular tone (RF Furchgott, 1991). The same research group also discovered that smooth muscle were only able to vasodilate the blood vessels in the presence of endothelial cells. This indicated that there was some kind of factor that was being released by the endothelial cells which was involved in the dilation of the blood vessel. This factor was named Endothelium Derived Relaxing Factor (EDRF) and subsequently specified as NO (S Moncada et al., 1997). In 1977, Ferid Murad independantly investigated the mechanism of action of nitroglycerin and found that it worked by inducing the release of NO which in turn was able to cause relaxation of smooth muscle cells (F Murad et al., 1977). Louis Ignarro in 1986 finally resolved the whole perplex of EDRF and NO by declaring that EDRF was in fact NO. It was stated that both molecules showed identical properties when he compared gas Nitric Oxide and EDRF (Ignarro, L. J. Et al. 1987). In 1998, Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded to Drs. Robert Furchgott, Louis Ignarro, and Ferid Murad for their discoveries that vascular endothelial cells make nitric oxide (NO) and that such endothelium-derived NO stimulates cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) synthesis in the underlying vascular smooth muscle, causing relaxation (Kilbourn, 1999). Since the discovery of NO, vast number of its physiological roles in normal conditions have been reported including in the immune system, nervous system, reproductive system and other cellular functions. It has also been found to play important roles in variety of species ranging from mammals, to insects and plants. Role of Nitric Oxide in Biology Since it was first discovered to play a role in the dilation of blood vessels many new roles for Nitric Oxide (NO) have been discovered. In human body, NO is metabolised by its diffusion into red blood cells where it oxidizes the ferrous iron of oxyhemoglobin yielding methemoglobin and nitrate ions (NO3-) (J.M. Hevel et al., 1994 and Konstantin J. Ovodov and Ronald G. Pearl, 2000). This meachanism limits local NO build up and is particularly important in keeping NO concentration in naomolar range, at least in nonhydrophobic compartments (i.e. outside cell membranes) (Beckman Koppenol, 1996). Nitric oxide has been found to be produced by effectively every cell type in vivo and plays an important role in both controlling the normal function of cells as well as in regulating larger scale processes such as the reproductive, immune and nervous systems. A few of these biological functions for NO are described in more detail below. The Immune System Nitric oxide plays many important roles in the immune system although it is expressed in many cell types following endotoxin or pro-inflammatory cytokine treatment (C. Nathan et al., 1991 and R.G. Knowles et al., 1994). NO, in immune system, is produced in high amounts from specific cells called macrophages. Proceedingly to an infection, chemicals known as cytokines are release in vivo which activate the cells of the immune system such as macrophages, and help guide them to the site of infection (S. Moncada et al., 1991 and C. Nathan et al., 1991). NO produced by the macrophages is toxic to the bacteria and play an important role in their destruction (Fig 1). The production of nitric oxide in this way also helps protect against other types of infection including parasites and viruses (S. Moncada et al., 1991). However, too much nitric oxide production can not only lead to septic shock but has also been implicated in conditions where the immune system is too active autoimmune diseases like arthritis (Jang D and Murrell G A, 1998). The Nervous System Nitric oxide has been shown to be involved in both the peripheral and central nervous system. The three nitric oxide producing isotypes of enzyme (iNOS, eNOS, nNOS) (see section) in humans, one isotype (neuronal NOS (nNOS)) is found almost exclusively in the nervous system (Forstermann et al., 1995). nNOS is thought to be involved in promoting the transfer of interneuronal nerve signals. This is thought to take place by the stimulation of exocytosis (release) of endogenous chemicals called neurotransmitters of one neurone (Moncada et al., 1991; Forstermann and Kleinert, 1995). These NT then diffuse across the synaptic cleft (gap between neuronal terminals) and stimulate the neighbouring nerve cell terminal to transmit the signal (Otto Loewi, 1961). NO has shown to play a substantial role in diseases of the nervous system like Alzheimers and Parkinsons. In both diseases, the inhibition of NO has shown to slow down the progression of the disease in mice (Weill Cornell Team, 2005 and Jo hns Hopkins et al., 2004). Reproductive Biology Nitric oxide is one of the most important molecule in the course of reproduction and is involved in many aspects of it. As well as dilating the blood vessels and thereby helping to regulate maternal blood pressure, NO is also involved in implanting the early embryo in the uterus (Rogers, 1995). During pregnancy, nitric oxide is also suggested promote angiogenesis (a process in which new blood vessels are formed) (RayChaudhury et al., 1996). It is also known to play a role in the survival of trophoblasts (form placenta) (Enders et al., 1978). Furthermore deficiency of NO has been found in patients with preeclampsia (a medical condition in pregnancy) suggesting its partial role in growth of embryo (Yallampalli et al., 1994; Liao et al., 1996). In addition, drugs (Viagra) used to treat erectile dysfunction also affect nitric oxide signalling. Cellular function A notable number of cellular activities can be controlled by nitric oxide including cell division, cell movement and cell survival. The majority of cells in human body have the ability to undergo programmed cellular death. This is a self-destructive mechanism usually called apoptosis which often occurs when a cell is damaged and beyond repair, infected with a virus, or undergoing stressful conditions such as starvation (Kerr et al., 1972). Cells in these conditions go through apoptosis so that they dont hinder the proper functioning of the rest of the tissue. During apoptosis, the structures of the cell break down in an organised manner, forming a packaged cell that is smaller in size so that it can be easily removed by the cells of the immune system (Kerr et al., 1972). Nitric oxide was first shown to inhibit apoptosis hence promoting cell survival in human B lymphocytes (Mannick, J. B. Et al., 1994). Subsequently similar finding were reported in an ample number of other cells. However, high doses of nitric oxide also have deleterious effects. They can be toxic to many cell types and can lead to septic shock and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in which case NO causes cell death instead of promoting cell survival (Beal Cerra, 1994). Nitric Oxide and Inflammation (Pathophysiology of septic shock) This section will deal with mechanism by which wall fragments of Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacteria and other inflammatory agents induce nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in cells and tissues. Exogenous toxins which enter the circulation stimulate the synthesis and release of a number of endogenous cytokines. During a gram-negative infection which can lead to septic shock, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and endotoxins present on bacterial wall and many other inflammatory agents bind to a co-receptor (CD14) on the surface of specific immune cells like macrophages, resulting in their activation (J.C. Lee et al., 1996). LPS also bind to LPS-binding proteins which are produced by the liver. These proteins facilitate LPS binding to the CD14 co-receptor of the macrophages. The CD14 co-receptor is activated through the binding of LPS to a toll-like molecule (TLR4), (Re F, Strominger J. Et al., 2001) which is responsible for initiating the transmembrane signaling. TLR2 molecules act in the same way as TLR4, (Leppper PM et al., 2002) though; these are activated by gram-positive bacteria, mycobacteria and yeast. Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus have further additional wall fragments such as peptidoglycan (PepG) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA). Both PepG and LTA have been shown to synergise to produce the characteristic features of septic shock, MODS and ultimately death in rodent models (S.J. De Kimpe et al., 1995 and G.M. Millar et al., 1997). These effects were not observed with either LTA or peptidoglycan alone, although high doses of LTA can cause circulatory failure but not MODS (S.J. De Kimpe et al., 1995). Gram-positive bacteria may also release other enterotoxins and exotoxins, for example toxic shock syndrome toxin 1, which are involved in the pathogenesis of sepsis (reviewed in (R.C. Bone et al., 1994)). The additional fragments released by Gram-positive bacteria bind to unknown receptors however, like LPS binding, cause the release of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-a, IL-1ß, and IFN-? (Thiemermann, 1997, Titheradge, 1999). These cytokines as well as IL-6 are often produced in response to immune stimulation of macrophages and monocytes hence also in septic shock patients. IL-1 and TNF each occur in two forms, a and ß. TNF- a and both forms of IL-1 are made by activated monocytes and macrophages, whereas TNF- ß is made by activated T lymphocytes (Review by J. Saklatvala et al., 1996). There are two receptors for both IL-1 and TNF and the two forms of each cytokine interact with the same receptors. IL-1 a and ß interact with the type 1 IL-1 receptor for signal transduction, whereas type II does not appear to transmit any signal and functions as an inhibitor of IL-1 action (J. Saklatvala et al., 1996). The two types of TNF receptor, p55 (type I) and p75 (type II) have different end effects; p75 mediates the proliferative actions of TNF- a while p55 receptor signals the inflammatory response and apoptosis (J. Saklatvala et al., 1996). Complex interactions between these different mediators produce intense pathophysiological modification, which eventually lead to diffuse tissue injury and ultimately sequential system failure (multiple organ dysfunc tion syndrome), which accounts for the majority of deaths among patients with sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock (Beal Cerra, 1994). IL-1ß and TNF-a have a very short half life compared to IL-6 and therefore IL-6 is a very good indicator of cytokinemia. The initial studies of septic shock, showed a very strong positive correlation between IL-6 levels and fatal outcome (Casey L. Et al., 1993). NO is equally a very short lived molecule with an estimated in vivo half life of only 0.1 seconds hence again it is hard to measure its levels in order to detect the severity of cytokinemia hence the severity of sepsis or septic shock. There are several molecules that contribute to the pro and anti-inflammatory responses in septic shock (Table 4); however I shall only focus on a few due to the limited word allowance. In response to inflammatory agents in septic shock, the released cytokines (TNF-a, IL-1ß, and IFN- ?), bind to their specific receptors activating a protein kinase called tyrosine kinase leading to both the activation of the nuclear factor-kB (NF-?B) (a transcription factor) and the phosphorylation of intracellular protein (Gao et al., 2008). A precise mechanism by which these cytokines act was proposed by J. Saklatvala et al. in 1996 however this has yet to be confirmed. Nitric oxide producing cells contain I-?B which is an inhibitor of NF-?B. For the activation of NF-?B, proteolytic cleavage of I-?B from NF-?B is required which forms NF-?B. This biological change allows the activated NF-?B to translocate to the nucleus, where it binds to the promoter region of the iNOS gene inducing transcription. It has also been reported to induce other inflammatory agents, such as cytokines and leukocyte-endothelial adhesion molecules (Janssen-Heininger et al., 2000). Tyrosine kinase present inside the cell acts as a messenger molecule involved in the proteolytic cleavage of I-?B/NF-?B and hence in the activation of NF-?B and iNOS expression (Hecker M, et al., 1996). In septic shock, the translated products of iNOS mRNA subsequently assemble forming the iNOS protein which in turn causes local NO proliferation (Thiemermann, 1997). Fig 2 shows the signal transduction pathway of iNOS expression in response to inflammatory agents. The physiological role of iNOS is to enhance the formation of NO (due to iNOS activity), which in turn may contribute to either the pathophysiology of septic shock (clinbical symptoms) or the host defence (Reviewed in Gao et al., 2008). Fig 3 shows a simplified schematic of the Anti Inflammatory cascade in the context of septic shock. Excess NO produced by iNOS has been reported to both induce and inhibit NF-?B (Kalra et al., 2000; Umansky et al., 1998). In year 2000, it was proposed that low levels of NO may induce further NO production while high concentrations do the opposite exhibiting a feedback mechanisms that would oppose the over expression of genes regulated by NF-?B (Janssen-Heininger et al., 2000). In addition NO at high concentrations competes with O2 at the active site of NOS, thus providing a feedback mechanism of its own synthesis (Griscavage et al., 1995; Rengasamy Johns, 1993). Biological Synthesis of Nitric Oxide (Nitric Oxide Synthases) NOS structure and substrates for NO production: In mammals, NO is exclusively formed from the enzymatic oxidation of one terminal guanidino nitrogen of the amino acid L-arginine. When expressed in moles, this reaction utilizes 1 mol each of arginine and O2, and 1.5 mol of NADPH, yielding 1 mol of NO, 1 mol of L-citrulline and 1.5 mol of NADP (R.G. Knowles et al., 1994). The reaction sequence involves the generation of an Ng-hydroxy-L-arginine intermediate, followed by the oxidation of Ng-hydroxy-L-arginine in presence of molecular oxygen to form L-citrulline and NO (Dennis J. Stuehr et al., 1991 and R.G. Knowles et al., 1994). The enzymes that accelerate the reaction above are a family of relatively large heme proteins known as NO synthase (NOS) which resemble cytochrome P450 structurally (M. M. Chan et al., 2001 and Francois Feihl, 2001) (The general mechanism of NO production from NOS is illustrated in Fig 4). All members of this family share a similar homodimeric structure, where each monomer consists of a an oxygenase domain and a reductase domain, separated by a short amino acids (30aa) sequence for the attachment of the Ca2+-binding protein calmodulin. In addition to calmodulin attachment, enzymatic activity requires the presence of four cofactors: FAD, flavin mononucleotide (FMN), tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), and heme (Francois Feihl, 2001). Fig 5 shows the general structure of the NOS enzymes. Nitric Oxide Synthase isoforms and their locus in the Human Body: There are three known isoforms of NOS, each the product of a different gene: neuronal NOS (nNOS or NOS-1), inducible NOS (iNOS or NOS-2), and endothelial NOS (eNOS or NOS-3). nNOS and eNOS were first described in rat cerebellum and bovine aortic endothelial cells, respectively, but their tissue distribution is far wider than suggested by their names. eNOS and nNOS are involved in regulating vascular tone (R.G. Knowles et al.,1992 and S. Moncada et al., 1991) and neurotransmission respectively, whereas iNOS is involved in the immune defence although it is expressed in many cell types following endotoxin or pro inflammatory cytokine treatment (R.G. Knowles et al., 1994). nNOS is typically expressed in skeletal muscle and myenteric plexuses. eNOS is ubiquitous in vascular endothelium, but may also be found in the kidney tubular epithelial cells, placenta (Forstermann et al., 1995), and neurons (Nathan Xie, 1994). In these tissues, the expression of nNOS and eNOS is constitutive, although it may be regulated (Michel Feron, 1997). For instance, the levels of transcript for eNOS in vascular endothelial cells is increased by shear stress (Topper et al., 1996; Uematsu et al., 1995) and exercise (Wang et al., 1997), reduced by inflammatory stimuli such as TNF-a (Nathan Xie, 1994) and variably affected by hypoxia (Le Cras et al., 1998; Toporsian et al., 2000). In the physiological state, the iNOS isoform is only present at a few locations, notably the respiratory epithelium, the gravid uterus (Nathan Xie, 1994), and perhaps the ileal mucosa (Hoffman et al., 1997). iNOS expression has been demonstrated in numerous cell types including macrophages, neutrop hils, vascular endothelial (Hoffmann et al., 1999), smooth muscle cells, endocardium, myocardium, fibroblast, mesangial cells, renal tubular epithelium (Kunz et al., 1994), neurons, hepatocytes, pancreatic islet cells and astrocytes (Nathan Xie, 1994). iNOS can be induced by a number factors including UV light; cyclic AMP-elevating agents; trauma; ozone and bacterial products described earlier (see section). On the other hand, many endogenous agents may oppose cytokine induction of iNOS. These include anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10, chemokines such as monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and growth factors such as tumor growth factor-ß (Forstermann et al., 1995). In all NOS isoforms, calmodulin binding is an absolutely vital for enzymatic activity. In the cases of eNOS and nNOS, this binding necessitates relatively high concentrations of Ca2+ (see Fig 7), in the range of 0.1-1 mM (Forstermann et al., 1995). In contrast, iNOS is able to bind calmodulin virtually independ ant of Ca2+ (Table 2). Therefore, once iNOS is expressed, NO synthesis may only be limited by the availability of substrates and cofactors (J. Stuehr, 1990). As NO produced from iNOS predominantly depends only on iNOS expression, it lasts much longer than NO formed from the other isoforms of NOS. In addition iNOS produces much higher concentrations of Ca2+ compared to the consecutive forms of NOS (Cobb et al., 1996). The production of NO by eNOS and nNOS, compared to iNOS, can be controlled relatively easily by decreasing or increasing intracellular Ca2+, whereas iNOS can only be controlled through transcription (Cobb et al., 1996). In most cell types iNOS protein levels are either very low or undetectable. However, stimulation of these cells by cytokines or growth factors, can lead to increased transcription of the iNOS gene, with subsequent production of NO. On the other hand, for the prevention of iNOS expression through endotoxins, TGF-ß (Szabo, 1995) and anti inflammatory gl ucocorticoids can be administered which lower the magnitude of vascular hyporeactivity. Glucocorticoids such as Dexamethasone inhibit iNOS activity by blocking arginine transport and inhibiting tetrahydrobiopterin biosynthesis (A.J.B. Brady et al., 1992 and Thiemermann C et al., 1993). Regulation of NO production In the normal as well as in extreme physiological states (e.g. during infection), nitric oxide is considered as one of the most important signalling molecules in vivo. It is however also highly reactive and highly diffusible due to it being a free radical (one unpaired electron) (see fig 8). It is therefore important that there is strict control and regulation of nitric oxide production. The synthesis of NO within cells can be regulated in several ways such as the cellular distribution of NOS, changes in NOS gene expression, enzymatic activation by phosphorylation and the presence of cellular inhibitors NOS activity. Intracellular distribution of NOS Nitric oxide is principally regulated through strict control over the location of NO production. The NOS isoforms can be targeted to different regions of the cell, where NO will be produced in close contact with its target proteins. The image below shows the distribution of iNOS (shown in green in image 1) and eNOS (shown in red) in a trophoblast cell. The nucleus is shown in blue. Co-localisation between iNOS and eNOS will show up as a yellow colour (Phil Dash, University of Reading). The image shows that eNOS and iNOS are fairly variably distributed inside the cell, with hardly any yellow colour suggesting very little overlap in their cellular distribution (Phil Dash, University of Reading).Although both iNOS and eNOS produce NO it is likely that their different cellular distribution will lead to NO interacting with different targets and therefore having different effects (Phil Dash, University of Reading). It is very likely that the distribution of NOS isoforms is an important mechanism for regulating when and where NO is produced. Therefore the current research on NOS mainly focuses on how endogenous signals trigger NOS transport and redistribution (Rahul S. Koti et al., 2005). Activation of NOS activity NOS enzyme synthesis is principally regulated by changes in intracellular calcium levels. The constitutive isoforms of NOS, (eNOS and nNOS) have shown to proliferate following increases in Ca2+, and therefore calmodulin levels, in the cell (Rameau et al., 2003). Additionally both nNOS and

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College Admissions Essay: An Intense Learning Experience :: College Admissions Essays

An Intense Learning Experience    My semester of study abroad is best described as an intense learning experience, without which I feel that my education would have been incomplete. The lessons learned were far different from those I encountered in high school, but of equal or greater importance. I gained new perspective about international affairs and also found I was challenged as an individual to grow intellectually, socially, and emotionally. There is no doubt that this experience has changed me, and I am certainly better for it.    The most obvious gain from my study abroad was the academic coursework for that semester. I studied Shakespeare in London, and was able to visit not only the Globe Theatre, but also parts of the city that existed during the Elizabethan period. Another course, which focused on the history of East End London, took us through the dynamic past of this problematic portion of the city, not just with texts, but walking tours through the East End. My theatre course likewise capitalized on the opportunities unique to London, incorporating nine of the several hundred shows that were running in the city throughout the spring semester. This course supplemented my internship experience, in which I took a part-time position at the Bridewell Theatre, and small fringe theatre in the heart of the city. The internship was the most beneficial component of the academic program, in that I was immersed in British culture through biweekly interaction (2 workdays) with the Bridewell staff. I was able to wit ness the inner-workings of its administration, and observe some of the problems facing London theatres in general.    Outside the classroom, the study abroad experience provided for constant change and self-reflection. I learned to recognize my own hidden prejudices and confront them, as my beliefs were constantly challenged by experiences and people I encountered. For someone who had never traveled outside the United States, this experience led me to perceive my own nation in a different way, and to confront feelings of both pride and shame in my background. While a challenging and shocking change, this has led me to define and strengthen my beliefs and opinions while gaining a new understanding for different perspectives.

Case Study James Dyson

JAMES DYSON CASE Introduction You know the feeling when some everyday product lets you down. You wish someone could solve the problem. James Dyson does that. He is a man who likes to make things work better. With his research team he has developed products that have achieved sales of over $10 billion worldwide. In 1978, while vacuuming his home, James Dyson realized his bag vacuum cleaner was constantly losing suction power. He noticed how dust quickly clogged the pores of the bag and blocked the airflow, so that suction dropped rapidly. He set to work to solve this problem. Five years and 5,127 prototypes later, the world's first cyclonic bagless vacuum cleaner arrived. James Dyson offered his invention to major manufacturers. One by one they turned him down, apparently not interested in new technology. They seemed determined to continue selling bags, worth $500 million every year. Later, Hoover's vice president for Europe, Mike Rutter, said on U. K. national TV, â€Å"I do regret that Hoover as a company did not take the product technology off Dyson; it would have lain on the shelf and not been used. â€Å" Thinking about the issue of core competency and strategic capability, what is the secret of James Dyson’s competitive advantages? Early inventions The Sea Truck, Dyson's first product, was launched in 1970 whilst he was at the Royal College of Art. Sales of the Sea Truck amount to $500 million. His next product, the Ballbarrow, was a modified version of a wheelbarrow using a ball to replace the wheel. Dyson remained with the idea of a ball, inventing the Trolleyball, a trolley that launched boats. He then designed the Wheelboat which could travel at speeds of 64 km/h on both land and water. Vacuum cleaners In the late 1970s Dyson had the idea of using cyclonic separation to create a vacuum cleaner that wouldn't lose suction as it picked up dirt. He became frustrated with his Hoover Junior’s diminishing performance: dust kept clogging the bag and so it lost suction. The idea of the cyclones came from the spray-finishing room's air filter in his Ballbarrow factory. While partly supported by his art teacher wife's salary, and after five years and 5,127 prototypes, Dyson launched the ‘G-Force' cleaner in 1983, the world's first bagless vacuum cleaner. Unfortunately, no manufacturer or related distributor would launch his product in the UK as it would disturb the valuable cleaner-bag market, so Dyson launched it in Japan through catalogue sales Strong brand A key task for an entrepreneur like James Dyson is to give innovation the right look, literally and metaphorically. Brand image comprises the product, its attributes and its brand personality. Customer perception of a product and its attributes are inextricable from its perceived superiority that derives from a range of factors including technical excellence and value for money. Has he been able to appropriate the rewards of the value he has added? In an attempt to maintain their competitive advantage, Dyson and his colleagues at Malmesbury have continued to develop new innovations. Determined to create vacuum cleaners with even higher suction, they have developed an entirely new cyclone system. Dyson has developed the robot cleaner that not only makes cleaning easier but guides itself even more logically than a human being would. Then, in November 2000, he launched the world's first two-drummed washing machine, the Contrarotator. Dyson's engineers constantly re-examine products of all types, including the washing machine. They found that in the traditional automatic washing machine the fabric is not flexed all that much and that washing by hand gave better results than the single drum machine. So, Dyson developed a machine that would ‘even improve on hand washing'. Reputedly, it took four years, a million man hours and ? 25 million to develop the machine, which comes with a built-in jack and trolley and a coin trap to capture buttons and loose change.