Essay on It Is Time to Expand Medicaid Coverage in South...

It is Time to Expand Medicaid Coverage in South Carolina When it validated the constitutionality of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2012, the United States Supreme Court also ruled that states could decide for themselves whether or not to expand their Medicaid programs (Sonfield, 2012). Predictably, South Carolina said no. The Palmetto State’s decision not to expand Medicaid in concert with the Affordable Care Act was wrong, and it is time to correct that mistake. The leadership’s decision not to expand Medicaid leaves between 300,000 and 400,000 South Carolinians without health insurance (South Carolina Medical Association, 2012). The stated intent of the Affordable Care Act, pejoratively dubbed â€Å"Obamacare† by its†¦show more content†¦But unless the state reverses course and expands Medicaid coverage, South Carolina’s $1.1 billion share of the national program will be distributed to other states while its citizens get nothi ng in return. In other words, the state’s taxpayers will be on the hook for $1 billion, with the number of uninsured exceeding the combined populations of Greenville, Charleston and Columbia. (Populations of South Carolina Cities, 2010) So far Gov. Nikki Haley is unmoved. Haley and the state’s conservative legislature have refused to accept the $13.3 billion in federal funds, arguing that the state will be unable to pay the state’s Medicaid bill once full federal subsidies end in 2020 (Haley, 2014). Their working assumption is that Washington will renege on its 90-percent pledge and cut subsidies further, leaving poor states like South Carolina to shoulder more and more of the costs. To bolster her defiant stance, Haley in her 2014 State of the State address said ACA adds a greater financial burden without demanding better medical and economic outcomes from the nation’s health-care system. â€Å"I cannot support this expansion for a very simple reason: i t avoids addressing our health system’s high costs and poor outcomes,† Haley said January 14 in Columbia. â€Å"Here in South Carolina we have one of the lowest life expectancies and highest infant mortality rates inShow MoreRelatedMedicaid Essay1231 Words   |  5 PagesAs I understood Medicaid are those personal cares services which are fundamental, non-acute services provided to facilitate recipients who require assistance with the activities of daily living to remain in their home or community, maintain their current health status and prevent, delay, or minimize deterioration of their condition. Personal care services are intended to supplement care provided by a recipient s family or primary caregiver, not replace it. Services may be provided in the home orRead MoreStrategies For Implementation Of Health Care Reform Within Criminal Justice1595 Words   |  7 PagesMany correctional professionals believe that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act have pr ovided a major change to the way justice involved populations’ access health care in the community. Being able to secure health insurance especially Medicaid allowing more access to health care including behavioral health programs that will improve outcomes and positively impacts by reducing rates for returning to jail or prison. This should be an integral part of reentry programs. Having health insuranceRead MoreA Report Of The Surgeon General Stated That Minority And Low Income Children2723 Words   |  11 Pageschildren’s hours lost from school, deteriorating school performance and behavior, and in extreme cases, serious disability and even death. There have been several attempts made to address the issue. One of the solutions to the problem is to increase the Medicaid reimbursement of dentists. Under such provision, not only did the number of enrolled providers rise, but also did the number of patients treated (Borchgrevink, 2008). Second, the introduction of advanced dental therapist has shown increase the accessRead MoreOral Health4336 Words   |  18 Pages(p.1).† After examination of exhumed bodies, researchers discovered that there were several wounds in the mouth, but no evidence of restoring lost teeth. However, dentistry did not become a profession until the nineteenth century. Prior to this time extractions were performed by barber-surgeons. The term â€Å"dentist† was taken from the French language. And it was used to describe tooth operators. In 1790 Lt. George Washington was known for having the first â€Å"dental foot engine† dentures designedRead MoreThe Rise Of Obesity And Obesity Ess ay2014 Words   |  9 Pagesnaturally stop drinking sodas because they will become educated about the effects of the sugars over time. In contrast, proponents believe the excise tax is more feasible than waiting for citizens to learn about the effects of a high sugar diet. Moreover, the tax would be beneficial to the obesity epidemic by encouraging consumers to buy the healthier options, decreasing the cost of Medicare and Medicaid, and investing the revenue in programs that are proven to help people with obesity. The excise taxRead MorePrimary Care And The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act3424 Words   |  14 Pagessurvey of physicians in 119 clinics in New York was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine in 2009 and the result revealed that 48% physicians reported working in a chaotic environment. About 30% of the doctors expressed dissatisfaction about time frame of appointments they were given to see a patient and one- third physicians were planning on leaving the jobs in the next two years or so.1 Many physicians complaint that their patients cannot afford the health care cost. There is lack of staffRead MoreThe Affordable Care Act5046 Words   |  21 Pagessupport Alabama’s current decision to continue Medicaid Primary Care Parity, as first enacted by congress in 2010 to all states under section 1202 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). However, as Alabama is facing budget cuts to its Medicaid services, supporting the â€Å"Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women a nd Children Act† will extend federally funded Medicaid primary care parity without harming the state budget and negate the consequences of limiting Medicaid enrollee access and benefits. The federalRead More Major Strides Against Poverty Essay1991 Words   |  8 Pages Major Strides Against Poverty Throughout time people have been affected by the harshness of poverty and economic strain. It has always seemed to be difficult for the average American to prosper if in fact that person did not come from previous wealth. Our great country prides on the idea of capitalism and the rights to freedom and insists that anyone who puts forth the effort can and will succeed. This has and always will be a debatable issue. The other realism is the role of the federalRead MoreWal Mart Discrimination7044 Words   |  29 PagesWorkplace,Business Ethics on evaluation of job ethical standards in Wal-Mart in South Carolina In Partial Fulfillment of Business Research and Project BUS 499 Nagliesha L Miles Supervisor: Dr. Mmutakaego Chukwuanu Allen University Date: December 8,2010 Table of content Table of Content...............................................................................................................2 Abstract...........................................................................Read MoreNursing Essay41677 Words   |  167 PagesPortland Troyen A. Brennan, Executive Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, CVS Caremark, Woonsocket, RI Robert E. Campbell, Vice Chairman (Retired), Johnson Johnson, New Brunswick, NJ Leah Devlin, Professor of the Practice, University of North Carolina School of Public Health, Raleigh Catherine Dower, Associate Director of Research, Center for the Health Professions, University of California, San Francisco Rosa Gonzalez-Guarda, Assistant Professor, School of Nursing and Health Studies, University

Token Economy Free Essays

Leadership Model Jim Forrest was a skilled professional in related issues managing in substance abuse. Forrest had the opportunity to utilize his abilities as a lead in a mental health center. Forrest began his search for new employees by interviewing each person the same. We will write a custom essay sample on Token Economy or any similar topic only for you Order Now Forrest talked to each candidate in the same style rather than finding out their strengths and weaknesses so he would have a better idea of where to place them to assist with client care. Although Forrest noticed positive change in client care, he also noticed concerns with his employees slowly surfacing. Forrest began to question his professional relationship with each member of his staff. It is important to recognize leadership comes in various styles to provide applicable direction to accomplish specific objectives in the workplace. Supervisory leadership must discuss the task and goals set for the organization clearly to its employees. Contingency Theory believes individuals are different; therefore there is not one way that is the best way of leading a team. Contingency Theory takes a look at the bigger picture that contains dynamics about supervisory leadership skill and other variables within the circumstances. Success of any organization is influenced by a variety of reasons, one of which is leadership style. One style of leadership may not be appropriate in some cases, however may be best in others. Supervisory Process There are 4 main steps in the supervisory process. The first is the beginning phase of the purpose of the supervisor. One of the elements of this process is obtaining reviews from staff and discussing concerns and ideas to make working together more productive (Lewis, Packard, Lewis, Chapter 7, 2007). In case 7, Jim did not get feedback from his new staff about the implementation of the token economy. The middle phase of the process is the stage where Jim should have realized that his way was not working for everyone; he should have been open minded and ready to make changes when concerns were voiced to him, instead he thought that giving them freedom to make their own schedules they should be following the way he wanted things to be done. At this point Jim should have discussed issues and created an action plan. Jim is now in the facilitative confrontation phase (Lewis, Packard, Lewis, Chapter 7, 2007), problems have began to surface and Jim hears complaining, with the incident of no one being there when he needed Jim will need to sit and discuss his role with the staff and their issues with the way things are being ran. The transition phase is when changes are made (Lewis, Packard, Lewis, Chapter 7, 2007). If Jim follows through with the confrontation phase, he may be ready to compromise token economy and focus on rules and regulations to get everyone on the same page to productively help clients. Reference Lewis, J. A. , Packard, T. , Lewis, M. D. (2007). Management of Human Service Programs (4th ed. ). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.. How to cite Token Economy, Essay examples

Performance Indicator free essay sample

Performance Indicator Memo Executive Summary The aim of Performance Indicator is to increase golf ball manufacturers’ value by increasing revenue from new ball sales as a result of eliminating older, used balls through its color change coating technology. Although there appears to be a possible financial benefit based on the future perceived demand for new golf balls, PI’s new technology does not appear to have any transparent benefit or value creation for the end consumer (golfer). Consequently, no manufacturer has yet to adopt this technology. Inconsistency Between Sales-Pitch and Willingness to Pay Performance Indicator (PI) has developed a technology that will enable the golf industry to reduce the number of used golf balls in the market place by indicating which balls have had their performance degraded due to an extended duration in the water. Approximately 85 million used golf balls (approximately 50% of all used balls) are thought to be replaced through this technology, hence increasing the sales of brand new balls. We will write a custom essay sample on Performance Indicator or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They are also, in effect, attempting to create a quality assurance mechanism for used golf balls in circulation. Theoretically, golf ball manufacturers stand to benefit from filling the â€Å"gap† created in the market by removing the performance degraded used balls. Although PI is selling directly to the golf ball manufacturers, the golfer using the ball that is known to be in good condition determines the real value creation. The main inconsistency derives from not all golfers standing to benefit from the adoption of PI technology. The manufacturer must determine if this perceived benefit to the golfer is worth the additional manufacturing costs and market/brand implications. There is a segment of the market that will continue to buy new balls. Both professional and average golfers utilize used golf balls; however, neither group will derive enough consumer surplus to be willing to pay for this technology. We believe the additional value created by the improvement in performance does not justify the additional cost of having to purchase new balls. Used balls can be purchased for significantly less or even found by many golfers and have an acceptable performance level. Diminishing the used golf ball supply may cause frustration for the average olfer. If this technology were universally adopted by all manufacturers, there may be benefit to the industry as a whole. However, value brand manufacturers feel that brand image might be tarnished by concern about consumer’s â€Å"infringement on their access to cheap used balls. † Additionally, high-end manufacturers’ sales, which represent 67% of total new balls market, will be reluctant to ado pt the technology due the belief that the consumers may buy new value brand golf balls rather than their own premium brand golf balls. The decision for an individual manufacturer to adopt PI’s technology will be determined by the potential increase in sales as golfers replace performance degraded balls with their brand. It is reasonable to assume that individual manufacturers are hesitant to pioneer this technology because there is no assurance that a performance degraded golf ball would be replaced with their own. The data indicate that golfers are comfortable using used balls, or value brands. By removing approximately 50% of the used balls from circulation, numerous golfers may utilize the lower cost alternatives to fulfill their required quantities. In attempting to convince potential customers of the perceived value of the technology, Performance Indicator provided data related to the estimated profit impact of removing the performance degraded balls from the market. The two problems identified with this presentation is the failure to establish a true value and the underlying assumption that the market split between premium brands and value brands will remain the same. In fact, there may be a shift towards value brands based on the technology. Exhibit 5 Estimation of Profit Impact| | | | A manufacturer would be more interested in their total manufacturing cost and revised profit utilizing the new technology. A revised approach to presenting this data is offered below. Based on the lack of value added to the golfer from this technology, it is unlikely that a fundamental market shift will occur. However, in this revised exhibit, the data more clearly displays the potential range of profits a manufacturer could achieve from the shift in the market. By translating the quantities of golf balls into amounts of profits, the case for adopting the technology could become more apparent. In conclusion, value is created when the customer’s willingness to pay exceeds, or even significantly exceeds, the cost to produce the golf ball. In this example, the PI technology does not add, or is not perceived to add, sufficient value to the golf ball market. In order for PI to gain a customer, this value must be perceived and realized by one of the golf ball manufacturers. The additional demand created by removing defective golf balls through their technology was thought to translate into increased profit by increased sales of new balls. The inconsistency in strategic thought was neglecting the golfers’ benefit.

Lost Innocence Essay Research Paper I think free essay sample

Lost Innocence Essay, Research Paper I think an event that proves I deserve the word? lost? would be from this summer when I was on holiday. It would be my loss of artlessness. It all happened right after my pa, his friend and I finished playing a unit of ammunition of golf. It was the really first clip I had of all time beat my pa. We were on our manner back to our friend? s house in Reno, but we stopped to acquire some gas and to name his married woman and inquire if we should pick up some chow. We couldn? t get ahold of them, so we started back. We pulled out of the gas station where we had parked and started to traverse the main road to get down on our manner back. We were about to our negative stimulation when an on coming auto? T-boned? us. We will write a custom essay sample on Lost Innocence Essay Research Paper I think or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I can still retrieve it? s oinking brakes. The Impact, as it hit us I felt as though I had been hit by a immense moving ridge. The following thing callback I was lying in the street covered in a glistening ruddy liquid. Actually it was merely glass and blood. I was surrounded by people. My pa was keeping a shirt to my caput. Blood was spiting from all over my organic structure. Everyone around me was stating me to be unagitated. The main road patrol was at that place ; they called the infirmary. An ambulance showed up about five proceedingss subsequently. The work forces from the ambulance got out and tended to me instantly. They rolled me onto a backboard and carried me into the ambulance. Then they stabbed a I.V. into me. We headed south to Carson City. Although I thought they would work on me there they lt ;< p>didn? T. I stayed there shortly. They pushed me around the backboard all the manner to the top floor. From at that place they loaded me onto the attention flight chopper. On my manner to my concluding finish, Reno. I so parted with my new ambulance friends. The flight was loud, long, and raging sing that I had a concussion and my caput fundamentally glued to the board. When we reached the Washoe Med. Center, in Reno, they rolled me into the X-ray room. It took near to an hr to take all the X raies. Next they put me in a hall and I had to wait for near to an hr. They took the cervix brace off so I could do myself more comfy. The physician showed up and said they eventually had a room for me. Then we went into the room and he prepped me for the remotion of the foreign objects. They cleaned out all of my lesions and started to take the glass and crushed rock. He brought in his tools, and the nurse brought in the Novocane. I counted near to fifty shootings all over my organic structure. After he was done acquiring out all of the glass out from under my tegument. They numbed me some more. Than they started run uping. There was close to one hundred stitches. They gave me the prescription for some Vicodin. I could hardly flex my articulatio genuss, but I still had to walk to the auto. We started home the following twenty-four hours, but it would still take hebdomads to to the full retrieve. This was one incident where I lost my artlessness because it was the first major hurt I had and accident I was in.

Dominican Culture An Overview essays

Dominican Culture An Overview essays The Dominican Republic is unique from all other Latin American nations in part because it's heritage relates to Haitian cultural traditions rather than solely Spanish ones, much like the rest of Latin America (Brown Standish, 1999). In fact, the Dominican Republic received its independence from Haiti not Spain (Brown Spanish colonial influences are not evident in the country; in fact they are widespread, particularly within the realm of architectural structures The official religion of the Dominican Republic is Roman Catholicism (Brown country are Roman Catholic. There are other religions prevalent in the country however including Protestantism and the traditional religious system of native Taino Indians, who practice cohoba religious ceremonies and also Gaga, which is the Dominican version of voodooism (Brown Standish, 1999). For this reason some cultural aspects of the religion are seen by outsiders as evil' or foreign, because they are largely Customs in the Dominican Republic are though to originate in part from the Cibao area, settled back in colonial times (Brown This area brings with it many native traditions including traditional foods consumed within the Dominican Republic, discussed below. Common foods include coffee, hot cocoa, ham and cheese, fruit, papaya and friend eggs (Brown of day. Common desserts served include sweetened fruit compotes generally made with fruits such as guava and pineapple (Brown popular dish served on special occasions is called sancocho, and is a stew that is made of root vegetables and meats including pork, sausage, goat, chicken and bacon, flavored with a spice called malegueta (Brown ...

The Top 25 Grammatical Terms

The Top 25 Grammatical Terms Nouns and verbs, active and passive voice, direct and indirect objects, compound and complex sentences: youve probably heard these terms before. Some you still remember, and others- well, others may not be quite as familiar to you as they used to be. If youre in the mood to brush up on your grammar, this page is for you: brief definitions and examples of the most common grammatical terms. What I know about grammar is its infinite power. To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence.(Joan Didion) How to Review the Top Grammatical Terms If you want to learn more about any of these terms, click on the word to visit a glossary page. There youll find an expanded definition and several more examples, along with links to articles that examine related grammatical concepts in more detail. Put these concepts to work in basic sentence structures. A word of caution: learning (or relearning) these grammatical terms wont by itself make you a better writer. But reviewing these terms should deepen your understanding of how words are arranged in English to create sentences. And that understanding should eventually help you become a more versatile and confident writer. Active Voice Active voice is a type of sentence or clause in which the subject performs or causes the action expressed by the verb. Contrast with Passive Voice.(See also: Practice in Changing Verbs From Passive to Active.)Example:A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.(Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, 1991) Adjective An adjective is the  part of speech (or word class) that modifies a noun or a pronoun.(See also: Adding Adjectives and Adverbs to the Basic Sentence Unit.)Example:Send this pestilent, traitorous, cow-hearted, yeasty codpiece to the brig.(Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, 2007) Adverb An adverb is the part of speech that modifies a verb, adjective, or other adverb.(See also: Practice in Turning Adjectives Into Adverbs.)Example:There I was, standing there in the church, and for the first time in my whole life I realized I totally and utterly loved one person.(Charles to Carrie in Four Weddings and a Funeral, 1994) Clause A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate. A clause may be either a sentence (independent clause) or a sentence-like construction included within another sentence (that is, a  dependent clause).Example:Dont ever argue with the big dog [independent clause], because the big dog is always right [dependent clause].(Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard in The Fugitive, 1993) Complex Sentence A  complex sentence is a sentence that contains at least one independent clause and one dependent clause.(See also: Sentence-Imitation Exercise: Complex Sentences.)Example:Dont ever argue with the big dog [independent clause], because the big dog is always right [dependent clause].(Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard in The Fugitive, 1993) Compound Sentence A  compound sentence is a sentence that contains at least two independent clauses, often joined by a conjunction.(See also: Sentence-Imitation Exercise: Compound Sentences.)Example:I cant compete with you physically [independent clause], and youre no match for my brains [independent clause].(Vizzini in The Princess Bride, 1987) Conjunction A conjunction is the part of speech that serves to connect words, phrases, clauses, or sentences.(See also: coordinating conjunction, subordinating conjunction, correlative conjunction, and conjunctive adverb.)Example:I cant compete with you physically, and youre no match for my brains.(Vizzini in The Princess Bride, 1987) Declarative Sentence A  declarative sentence is a sentence that makes a statement.(See also: Practice in Forming Declarative Sentences.)Example:A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.(Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, 1991) Dependent Clause A dependent clause is a group of words that begins with a relative pronoun or a subordinating conjunction. A dependent clause has both a subject and a verb but (unlike an independent clause) cannot stand alone as a sentence. Also known as a subordinate clause.(See also: Building Sentences with Adverb Clauses.)Example:Dont ever argue with the big dog [independent clause], because the big dog is always right [dependent clause].(Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard in The Fugitive, 1993) Direct Object A  direct object is a  noun or pronoun that receives the action of a transitive verb.Example:All my life I had to fight. I had to fight my daddy. I had to fight my uncles. I had to fight my brothers.(Sophia in The Color Purple, 1985) Exclamatory Sentence An exclamatory sentence is a sentence that expresses strong feelings by making an exclamation.Example:God! Look at that thing! You wouldve gone straight to the bottom!(Jack Dawson looking at Roses ring in Titanic, 1997) Imperative Sentence An imperative sentence is a sentence that gives advice or instructions or that expresses a request or a command.Example:Send this pestilent, traitorous, cow-hearted, yeasty codpiece to the brig.(Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, 2007) Independent Clause An independent clause is a group of words made up of a subject and a predicate. An independent clause (unlike a dependent clause) can stand alone as a sentence. Also known as a main clause.Example:Dont ever argue with the big dog [independent clause], because the big dog is always right [dependent clause].(Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard in The Fugitive, 1993) Indirect Object An indirect object is a  noun or pronoun that indicates to whom or for whom the action of a verb in a sentence is performed.(See also: Practice in Identifying Indirect Objects.)Example:Its a family motto. Are you ready, Jerry? I want to make sure youre ready, brother. Here it is: Show me the money.(Rod Tidwell to Jerry McGuire in Jerry McGuire, 1996) Interrogative Sentence An interrogative sentence is a sentence that asks a question.(See also: Practice in Forming Interrogative Sentences.)Example:What is the name of the Lone Rangers nephews horse?(Mr. Parker in A Christmas Story, 1983) Noun A noun is the  part of speech that is used to name a person, place, thing, quality, or action and can function as the subject or object of a verb, the object of a preposition, or an appositive.(See also: Practice in Identifying Nouns.)Example:Waiter, there is too much pepper on my paprikash.(Harry Burns in When Harry Met Sally, 1989) Passive Voice Passive voice is a type of sentence or clause in which the subject receives the action of the verb. Contrast with Active Voice.Example:Any attempt by you to create a climate of fear and panic among the populace must be deemed by us an act of insurrection.(First Elder to Jor-El in Superman, 1978) Predicate A predicate is one of the two main parts of a sentence or clause, modifying the subject and including the verb, objects, or phrases governed by the verb.(See also: What Is a Predicate?)Example:I dont ever remember feeling this awake.(Thelma Dickinson in Thelma and Louise, 1991) Prepositional Phrase A prepositional phrase is a  group of words made up of a preposition, its object, and any of the objects modifiers.(See also: Adding Prepositional Phrases to the Basic Sentence Unit.)Example:A long time ago, my ancestor Paikea came to this place on the back of a whale. Since then, in every generation of my family, the first born son has carried his name and become the leader of our tribe.(Paikea in Whale Rider, 2002) Pronoun A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun.(See also: Using the Different Forms of Pronouns.)Example:A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.(Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, 1991) Sentence A sentence is a word or (more commonly) a group of words that expresses a complete idea. Conventionally, a sentence includes a subject and a verb. It begins with a capital letter and concludes with a mark of end punctuation.(See also: Exercise in Identifying Sentences by Function.​)Example:I dont ever remember feeling this awake.(Thelma Dickinson in Thelma and Louise, 1991) Simple Sentence A simple sentence is a sentence with only one independent clause (also known as a main clause).Example:I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.(Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, 1991) Subject A subject is the part of a sentence that indicates what it is about.(See also: What Is the Subject of a Sentence?)Example:I dont ever remember feeling this awake.(Thelma Dickinson in Thelma and Louise, 1991) Tense Tense is the time of a verbs action or state of being, such as past, present, and future.(See also: Forming the Past Tense of Regular Verbs.)Example:Years ago, you served [past tense] my father in the Clone Wars; now he begs [present tense] you to help him in his struggle against the Empire.(Princess Leia to General Kenobi in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, 1977) Verb A verb is the part of speech that describes an action or occurrence or indicates a state of being.Example:Send this pestilent, traitorous, cow-hearted, yeasty codpiece to the brig.(Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, 2007)

International Developments of Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

International Developments of Accounting - Essay Example After complete analysis it was observed that British airways have been in trouble deeply due the problems of loss in revenue, cheap air line competitions and others. On the other side Emirates enjoys good amount of profits and reputation and its free from problems. Recommendation is being made for British Airways to actively change their approach towards customer management and give special discounts and promotion apart from other advertising techniques in order to take care of current crises. In the last an analysis of performed in between US GAAP and IFRS and it was concluded that IASB and FASB should actively coordinate with each and try to get a reasonable solution for this dilemma so that the world of accounts is uniformed with IFRS and being followed by all the countries in the world. Introduction After the incident of 9/11 there were many things which got changed. One of the major changes which the companies have seen is the Airline industries falling from the Sky to earth. Th is was due to the fact that the aero planes were used for terrorism purposes. People avoided to travel by Air instead they use other means of getting from one place to other. Further to increase the problem recent recession gives all the businesses in the world a tough time. Airline industry was given further tough time and got financial crunch. In order to get our purpose we have selected British Airways as one of the Company and other airline selected is Emirates (A UAE based airliner). The Financial Data was compared using the Ratio Analysis. About The Airlines British Airways The flag carrier of Britain is known as British Airways. Headquarter of the airline is based in Waterside which is near the hub of the Airline at London Heathrow Airport. This is the largest airline of United Kingdom in term of Fleet size, international flight and international destination. Emirates Emirates airline is the national airline of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Emirates are the largest airline of Middle East. It carries around 2,400 passengers per week. Headquarter of the airline is based in Dubai. (British Airways) (Emirates n.d.) Financial Statements Analysis We will analyze the financial statements ratios in the following criteria. 1. Profitability 2. Liquidity/Solvency 3. Working capital efficiency 4. Long term financial structure 5. Investors’ perspective Profitability Return on equity In case of British Airways, the return on equity their percentage of return to equity holder is on a declining trend. The return on equity in the year 2009 was in the negative zone at 19% and the losses further increases in the year 2010 which makes the return on equity to further negative zone by 1% i.e. 20% in total. (Emirates) Whereas, in case of Emirates Airline is stated at 5% in the year 2009

Description Essay on Fairness Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Description on Fairness - Essay Example In sports, fairness is often associated with the umpiring decisions. For example, in a cricket match, the umpire can rule a batsman out if the ball hits the leg of the batsmen. However, the umpire should make sure that the ball was heading towards the stumps before it was hit on the pads or legs of the batsmen, before ruling against the batsmen. There are many cases, in which the umpire commits mistakes while giving leg before wicket (LBW) decisions against batsmen. Under such circumstances, people often label it as an unfair decision. On the other hand, if the umpire makes the correct decision, people will accept it as a fair decision. In politics, governments often take some decisions in favor and against the interests of the people. For example, crude oil prices are fluctuating in global market and because of that many governments in the world forced to adjust the petroleum prices in their country. For example, Indian government recently increased the prices of petrol in domestic market several times. Wall Street Journal dated 4 November, 2011 has pointed out that â€Å"The opposition lashed out at the UPA govt for raising petrol prices with BJP attributing it to the Govt’s mismanagement and the Left parties asking all their state units to launch nationwide protests† (India This Evening: Opposition Attacks UPA on Petrol Price Rise). In short, the petroleum price hikes in India is not labeled as a fair decision by the opposition parties even though, ruling coalition government label it as a fair decision, considering the price hikes of crude oil in global market. In criminal justice system also, the word fairness is used extensively while analyzing the punishments given to the criminals. While Saddam got the capital punishment, many of the people labeled it as an unfair decision whereas many others accepted it as a fair decision. Same way when Gadhafi was killed, many of the supporters of Gadhafi labeled it as an unfair decision from the part of the revolutionists. There are many instances in which criminals escape from punishments whereas innocents suffered punishments because of the loopholes in criminal justice systems. In such cases also people wills say that the criminal justice system failed to maintain fairness while labeling a person as criminal or innocent. Media industry is another areas in which the word fairness often brings controversies. Media often report news with color. In some cases, it may create or fabricate false stories about prominent people in order to raise its ratings and popularity. In such cases, we will say that the4 media did not show any fairness while reporting news. In marketing also we often use the word fairness. For example, there are many instances in which sales people use bad tactics to close the sales. They may even spread false stories about the product and services of the competitors. At the same time, there are many sales professionals who keep certain integrity in their professio nal life. In the first case, we will say that fairness was not maintained whereas in the second case we will say that fairness was maintained. In business or in beauty industry, the word fairness holds a completely different meaning. Many of the cosmetic products available in the market claim that it can increase the fairness of a person. There are lots of fairness creams available in the market. These products claim that consistent usage of it may provide fairness to the skin. Here fairness means better skin

Current Issues in Visual Arts Education Essay Example for Free

Current Issues in Visual Arts Education Essay Reading has always been a part of my life. So do playing. Play in the sense of enjoying our life. What I hate most is formality, a life exist without freedom. Then I combined these two interests into one, to study about something fun, and can benefit others too. The study of literature has consumed most of my waking moments. Of course, I have done other things, but the more I have explored the more connections I see between the written page and the world in which I live in. How I realize I am the same with others, too. I think I am master enough naming and knowing the Malay traditional games that exist till now, but I am wrong. The daily games like ram-ram rip, rangkai-rangkai periuk, da da ko, cak lerang benang emas, tebang-tebang tebuk, ting-ting gula batu is already alien to me while I am searching the literature. However, the more I learn, the more I realize what I do not know. Actually, my thesis writing was under supervision of one kind-hearted professor of my school, which was under Research Methodology subject that I took last semester. She really influenced me in guiding the do and don’t in thesis writing. Her positive comments often play in my minds and always keep me awake. It is such a reflection to me. Although reflections are difficult to look into because we see what was lacking and what was missing, but I always feel relieved and more focused after seeking her advises. On the other hand, nothing could be more valuable. I have constructed this paper to reflect a dynamic process in writing my thesis. That is when I write a paper, it is not necessary I should be sitting in front of my computer, but rather I have to jot down what are appears in my mind on a piece of paper, otherwise it should left undone anywhere it could be. Hence, looking back at saved articles and references has often inspired me to expand upon an idea in completing the thesis writing. Thus, I have included list of articles for references, followed by the more polished works that have grown out them, with minimal faultlessly. I hope so. Statement of Research Problem and Research Objectives The reason why I as a researcher, trying to dig the problem of Malay traditional games because I realize that these games has been disappearing in our Malaysian community. As we know, Malaysian’s strong sense of community is reflected in many of their traditional games and pastimes. With the multicultural Malaysia, the traditional games especially among the Malays developed over a period of many centuries in the wake of important cultural influences. Some of the oldest surviving Malay traditional games like the real congkak and wau bulan still exist, but it is hardly to find one while newly developed games consoles explore brand new gaming style nowadays. Consciously or not, by the 80th era the existence of Malay traditional games is already faded out . For some concerns, traditional game augmentation aims at adding new value and playful features to a traditional game with keeping its original looks-and feel (Yamabe, Iwata, Shichinohe, and Nakajima) is the best way to keep the originality from disappear especially from the eyes of the new generation. I still remember my lists of childhood’s games. But have we ever thought that our children ever experience sitting in a circle on a wooden hut near paddy field to play batu seremban? Do they manage to collect every players shoe to build a cone-like shoe pyramid while playing tuju kasut? Or hiding under a huge tree near the bushes and get bitten by army of ants while playing aci sembunyi or hide and seek? Children are missing out of the benefits of traditional games that their parents and grandparents played in their childhood (Casbergue and Kieff ). More children are engaged in solitary games such as computer games, portable play station and other high-tech portable devices such as iPad. With the changes of time, many of the traditional games cherished by generations have their own history. Sometimes we are not even care where does it come from, including me. If I am not the researcher of this study, I think I don’t even bother about the history of congkak. The game of congkak, for example, is a mancala game of Malay origin where the oldest mancala game boards were found in a ruined fort of Roman Egypt and date back to the 4th century AD. There are frequent references to the game of marbles in Roman literature; precursors to modern-day marbles, spheres or flint, stone or baked clay have been found in archaeological sites around the world. Another popular traditional games, playing kites or ‘wau’ is believed to have been derived from the Arabic letter ‘wau’, because the shape of the wings resemble the outline of that particular Arabic letter. Of course as we played the traditional games, we were totally unaware of their long traditions. Especially for young children, they were simply having fun the same with generations before us without noticing the important part of inner value; preserving the games for the future. Traditional games are very significant in Malay cultural heritage. When we talk about something traditionally, at the same time it will reflect the culture. They reflect the ingenuity and resourcefulness of Malay forefathers in creating their own games by using inexpensive materials for their pastimes and recreations. These indigenous games are fun, and developing strong social skills among children. Lack of exposures from early ages of the children will affects the identity and originality of the traditional games. Nevertheless, future generation have no chances to explore the games if most of these traditional games faded out. According to (Akbari, Abdoli and Shafizadeh, pg. 123-129), traditional games have humanity and cultural values, beliefs translate by these from one lineage to other. These games were forgotten as a result of industrialization in recent years. As the thesis writing is upon completion of masters degree in education field, I tried to look at the issue from the angle of Malaysian education system. The implementation of traditional games into the syllabus is still lacking except for the Physical and Health Education subject specifically in primary schools. Furthermore, only a small part being inserted into the Preschool Curriculum under the thematic subject, Tunjang Kesihatan dan Kecergasan. These games, although simple, have cultural and social value and encourage children to exercise their ingenuity, especially in fostering team spirit in school and in the neighborhood. Three years back, I was a preschool teacher in my school. While doing this thesis, it jogs my memory when teaching the kids. Seriously, they were very excited at that time when I asked them to play galah panjang and baling getah. And as usual, they were asking me to play the same games the next day. Another interesting experience to share was during teacher’s day celebration in 2012. Both teachers and students were requested to compete in galah panjang games at that day. The best part was female need to wear kain batik while the male will wear kain pelekat. Everyone was having so much fun. Thus, I came out with the idea in order to preserving the true identity of Malay traditional games towards the students. I hereby conducted a case study research to implement the effects of applying Malay traditional games in the classroom for a group selection of primary school students. The application of these games wills actually results into the cognitive skills and the learning styles of students, also in teaching and learning environment in the classroom. As a result, I make the case that educational games can impact in the developing world. Significance and Limitation of the Study I am not suggesting that these games should replace existing explicit teaching strategies or supplant instructional time. My concerns are to improvise the teaching and learning style in our education by applying a new fun and interesting method while learning. The children are most likely to have peer interactions without teachers input by learning about the culture of childhood from their peers, not their parents or teachers. According to (Casbergue and Kieff), making traditional games available in the classroom could give children the opportunity to develop intellectual and physical skills within a supportive environment. An important void in the existing research literature would also be filled. This fact alone makes this research very significant. In addition, we have to remember that social skills are culturally based. Therefore, it is important for teachers to understand and be sensitive to the culturally based behaviors of students and use a variety of activities to foster acceptance of individual differences. They also can show students how to play ethnic games and encourage students to play in groups (Church, Gottschalk and Leddy). The study will then shows the importance of preserving the original identity of Malay traditional games from faded out. One of the goals of this both quantitative and qualitative research is to study the process of playing Malay traditional games and number of repetition within a certain period. I know that is important to note that the name and process may vary from one practices to another, as many version of games rules and how-to-play version, which could not be controlled by me. Sometimes, it may create confusedness among players. Brief Review on Malay Traditional Games People may see that traditional game is a simple thing, but actually traditional games are valuable elements of a culture. Their inventions show how creative the humans are, a combination with high imagination. It is such a precious heritage to be preserved and imply with the history of its creation. Furthermore, it is hard to find the true inventors of the games and how it is evolved. I have never thought who are the one created konda-kondi, tuju kasut and dam aji. This kind of heritage is a basis where a human group funds its identity, its projects for the future, its memory, its history, its fears, its desires. When people lose this untouchable, fragile fragment of their culture, then they will lose their reason for living, their past and their future (Civallero). Traditional games are a sort of intangible cultural heritage with its richness of Malay cultural values and ethics. Normally, the original version of traditional games had been manipulated by the oral from one to another. This effects the exaggeration of the true identity of traditional games itself. Traditional Malay games usually require craft skills and manual dexterity and can be traced their origins since the days of Melaka Sultanate. Sepak raga and kite flying are among traditional games that were mentioned in the Malay Annals being played by nobilities and royalties of the Malay Sultanate (Ooi). I think we should discuss on few numbers of existing Malay traditional games surround us. Firstly is ‘Dam Impit’. The purpose of this game is for players to test their expertise and brains to collect as many as opponent’s dam and getting close to opponent side of the dam’s table. Playing Dam Impit helps the player to sharpen their thinking skills, capable to develop their patience and discipline among the players (Nasarah and Nasarah). Children can play this game on free time. Adults also make this game as their spare time hobby. Secondly is Cuit Bintik. It is a very fun game to play. In certain places they call this game as Orang Ganjil Kena Cuit. The rules of the game is whoever had been touched by others at certain part of the body need to become the ‘toucher’ while holding their particular part of body and chasing for the next victim (Nasarah and Nasarah). According to (Nasarah and Nasarah ), Jarum Mas is one type of recreational game, not in a form of competition. Players can enjoy the game with one of the main character in the game as the ghost or ‘hantu’. The role of ‘hantu’ is to look after the treasures in the drawn circle. Player who had been caught by ‘hantu’ will become the next ‘hantu’ and the game will be repeated over again. For me, this one is a very interesting game to play. The game represents the culture of sending kuih to neighbors that has always been a practice to Malay people since a very long time ago. Traditionally, the kuih was made by the mother or the family members during Ramadhan or fasting month for break fast. In the research by (Nasarah and Nasarah), there is a game called ‘hantar kuih’ , often play by the boys at night of the fasting month. The game is plays for the whole month, consisting two groups A and B. The group will send the kuih secretly with name taken and wrote in a piece of paper. Whoever had been caught by the opponent will lose. By the end of the month, all players will forgive one another during Hari Raya. This kind of game test the level of children’s speed from chasing by other players and how to avoid themselves from been caught by enemies. (Nasarah Nasarah) said players who had been touched by the chaser need to sit squat until just one player left. The sitting playing is considered as died, and the only one player left will be the winner. The Malays also have a variant of Mancala board games known as Congkak Lubang Sepuluh or Congkak Lubang Dua Puluh. The game is played by moving stones, marbles, beads or shells around a wooden board consisting of twelve or more holes. At my time, my friends and me often play using marbles. Traditionally, (Nasarah Nasarah) said the real ambience to play congkak is on the ground with players wearing sarungs. The function of wearing sarungs are much easier for the players to collect marbles to put in Rumah Ibu. Rumah Ibu is the two big holes dig on the ground with optional numbers of Lubang Rumah Anak. I ever had this kind of experiences during my childhood. The ambience playing under our wooden house was really incredible and amazing. At this time, I don’t know that congkak has a different name too. Historically, mancala or congkak is acknowledged as the oldest game in the world, with variety versions of playing rules depending on the culture of the player. Its origin is traced from Ancient Egypt. As the game dispersed around the globe, every culture has invented its own variation including the Malays. It is common to assume that digital games are something of a new phenomenon. In fact, historians on digs and discover of ancient records all over the world have been able to blow this assumption right out of the water. Many of the forms of traditional games that we see today have been around the centuries, even as earlier since ancient Egypt. Time passes as well as the traditional ways of gaming for the children. As they keep themselves entertained, the generation of video consoles and touch screen are now at the forefront (Boyajian). Nowadays, highly advanced gadgets packed the markets and as time goes by, they are becoming more and more advanced. If once upon a time, the traditional games still can easily be seen played by village boys and girls, in rural or sub urban area. Rarely now, the situation are not the same when the village boys and girls are exposed to technology, to suit with the changes of era. So, where are the traditional games for the Malays? I often asking myself about this, and sometimes I asked my circle of friends, family whereby why it is hard to find one now? Are they also aware of it? Are they realizing the disappearance of our one of the most valuable cultural values too? Just like ‘the evolution’ of society was imagined as a one-way transformation from tradition to modernity (Eichberg). Yes, we can’t deny modernization, but must the tradition being abandoned? Perhaps, not. Research Methodology and Analysis My real concern about the study is actually to investigate the Malay traditional games practices in classroom. The research methodology chosen for this study contain a number of selected gaming activities in classroom, loosely based on the research written by four researchers from different universities under the same disciplines. (1)Matthew Kam (Human-Computer interaction Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, USA, (2) Akhil Mathur and (3) Anuj Kumar both from Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology, Gujarat, India, and (4) John Canny (Computer Science Division and Berkeley Institute of Design, University of California, Berkeley, USA. The title of the study is ‘Designing Digital Games for Rural Children: A Study of Traditional Village Games in India. This is the best article I’ve found to assist me in writing this study, as it’s quite hard to find related scholarly articles or journals about the study. Again, I am not to design a game, but I am investigating the appropriateness either the implementation of Malay traditional games in classroom is suitable to be applied during teaching and learning or not, in any subjects not specifically in Visual Art Education subject. Conducting the study means that I am finding the best methods and relevant ideas for teachers to apply it in classrooms. Mixed method of quantitative and qualitative case study approach is used for the investigation. The intention of this study is to exemplary the research methodology adopted for the study, which is a case study design. According to Merriam states that case study is â€Å"often the best methodology when understanding is sought in order to improve practice† (as cited in Zeyad ). Case study investigations â€Å"can explain the reason for a problem, the background of a situation, what happened and why†. A case study designed is employed to gain an in-depth understanding of the situation and meaning for those involved. The interest is in discovery rather than confirmation (as cited in Zeyad ). At the first place, I thought descriptive design is the best and safer way for doing research, but after gone through few steps ahead my research, I found that case study is the best to carry mine. Besides exemplary the case research done by (Kam et. al ), I also had conducted a preliminary investigation called pilot study as well as the literature survey. The pilot study is pointed to the process of inducting theory using case studies- from specifying the research questions to reaching closure. Besides carried out as a trial study, this pilot study also assisted me in testing the feasibility, reliability and validity of the design. I then selected a number of samples to carry out the pre-test, or in easier words to play the Malay traditional games inside a classroom before the actual investigation is done. I then used the information gathered in pilot studies to refine or improve my research or evaluation procedure being piloted before it is used on a larger scale. This internal pilot study was established through a variety of ways (1) I had approached school directly via headmaster or teachers or management itself to seek permission on conducting the small scale research internally, (2)I had work ‘in partnership’ with the students and interested teachers in contributing to the research, and (3)I drew on personal and professional contacts to set up projects with colleagues who are already aware of game-based learning specifically in traditional and digital ways. Clearly, implementing a game in a teaching and learning session is risky. Either the learning objectives can be achieved or it can be left undone. To design a game that combining a traditional game and completely match the understanding of students while playing, good data collection methods will be more culturally meaningful to rural students. Although I am not designing the game, but at least I am already have in my mind that traditional games might not be playing in traditional ways only, but we can suit with the current modernization. It just how creative the teachers’ are, to add up some spice in their teaching methods. I conducted an initial focus group interview for the student during the pilot study. I asked the participants to recall the everyday games that they love to play for us to videotape. I got a tremendous response from the participants saying their favorite everyday games, including both traditional and digital games. From the feedback, I hypothesized that they still know the Malay traditional games is still exist. I then conducted four methods of data collections which are (1) combination of semi-structured and unstructured interviews, (2) participant observation, (3) follow-up questionnaires and (4) collection of documents with the participants. All gathered information will be recorded for transcribing in data analysis. By using the different methods of data collections, a cross check data will assist in interpretation of data gathered later. Generally for semi-structured and unstructured interview, close-ended and open-ended questions will be asked in order to allow the participants to create options for responding on the current research topic. Participants can also voice their experiences and perspectives on the research area without boundary. They are free to talk and voice out their opinion in order to make the session is more fun, interactive and meaningful. The participant observation will allow me to role as the participant observer during the activities being held. But the observational roles can be changed later to suit with the activities conducted. Additional data came from the participant’s responses to follow-up questionnaires developed specifically to obtain answers to new questions raised after the initial interview data had been analyzed. These follow-up questionnaires were also used to clarify initial answers and verify interview findings. Public and private records will be a good source of text data in assisting the study. Permission was obtained before using the documents.

Generations Essay -- Sociology, Baby Boomers

Generations at Work The dynamics associated with working with people in an office, department, or organization are difficult to classify or explain. Also, personalities, positions, ages, and values are all aspects of how people relate in order to get the job done. Moreover, each generation brings elements and distinct predilections to the work environment. Thus, the four generations represented in today’s workforce is examined. My Generation People born between 1946 and 1964 are classified in American society as baby boomers. I found out in my thirties that I was part of this generation. While I had heard of the term growing up it never occurred to me that I was a member, especially since I barely qualify. According to a survey conducted by Pew Social & Demographic Trends Project, baby boomers are the gloomiest generation. Moreover, their outlook on everything from health, finances, and quality of life is bleak (Cohn, 2008). However, some experts refute this assessment. They maintain baby boomers also referred to as the â€Å"Me† generation, are competitive, self-sufficient and are called are considered workaholics. Hence, their serious work ethic prompted many to remain in the workforce longer than expected. Consequently, baby boomers stay on the job in some capacity typically as part-time workers to sustain a certain level of income to support hobbies and other non-career interests (Cordington, 2010). Clearly, some baby boomers have a sense of despair heightened by a combined dread of aging and loss of income (Cohn, 2008). Although this generation’s median household income is more than adults 25 to 44 ($53,000) and adults 65 and over ($30,000), transitioning to a fixed income with increased medical bills is... ... â€Å"While older workers make more errors, perhaps due to declining physical attributes, they hardly make an severe errors, perhaps due to more experience,† (Fernandez, 2011, p.1). Ironically, the skills older workers have are too specific and unique to fit the needs of today’s multi-layer positions. Therefore, multi-dimensional, computer savvy younger workers, weaned on cutting edge technology are preferred (â€Å"The New York Times,† 2009). Conclusion The four generations represented in today’s workforce have tendencies perceptions and misconceptions about the other that can hamper work relationships. However, each group brings capabilities, beliefs, and values necessary to make a company successful. Hence, the creativity, innovations, and ingenuity indicative of the American workforce are due in no small part to tolerating the gaps perceived in each generation. Generations Essay -- Sociology, Baby Boomers Generations at Work The dynamics associated with working with people in an office, department, or organization are difficult to classify or explain. Also, personalities, positions, ages, and values are all aspects of how people relate in order to get the job done. Moreover, each generation brings elements and distinct predilections to the work environment. Thus, the four generations represented in today’s workforce is examined. My Generation People born between 1946 and 1964 are classified in American society as baby boomers. I found out in my thirties that I was part of this generation. While I had heard of the term growing up it never occurred to me that I was a member, especially since I barely qualify. According to a survey conducted by Pew Social & Demographic Trends Project, baby boomers are the gloomiest generation. Moreover, their outlook on everything from health, finances, and quality of life is bleak (Cohn, 2008). However, some experts refute this assessment. They maintain baby boomers also referred to as the â€Å"Me† generation, are competitive, self-sufficient and are called are considered workaholics. Hence, their serious work ethic prompted many to remain in the workforce longer than expected. Consequently, baby boomers stay on the job in some capacity typically as part-time workers to sustain a certain level of income to support hobbies and other non-career interests (Cordington, 2010). Clearly, some baby boomers have a sense of despair heightened by a combined dread of aging and loss of income (Cohn, 2008). Although this generation’s median household income is more than adults 25 to 44 ($53,000) and adults 65 and over ($30,000), transitioning to a fixed income with increased medical bills is... ... â€Å"While older workers make more errors, perhaps due to declining physical attributes, they hardly make an severe errors, perhaps due to more experience,† (Fernandez, 2011, p.1). Ironically, the skills older workers have are too specific and unique to fit the needs of today’s multi-layer positions. Therefore, multi-dimensional, computer savvy younger workers, weaned on cutting edge technology are preferred (â€Å"The New York Times,† 2009). Conclusion The four generations represented in today’s workforce have tendencies perceptions and misconceptions about the other that can hamper work relationships. However, each group brings capabilities, beliefs, and values necessary to make a company successful. Hence, the creativity, innovations, and ingenuity indicative of the American workforce are due in no small part to tolerating the gaps perceived in each generation.

Contemporary societies Essay

The art of literature in contemporary societies has always led to more critical discussions between man and himself and between man and his neighbor. Literature pushes us to rethink our stance on normal societal norms and beliefs. Sula is such a work of art. It is the based on two women living at the †Bottom† in Ohio, a predominantly black community. Helen Wright is a socially conscious and quite a conservative woman. She has one daughter; Nel. Hannah Peace a beautiful flamboyant and a woman with many men at the Bottom is the mother of Sula. Sula is raised with Eva Peace, her grandmother who does not stifle her granddaughter’s freedom unlike Nel who comes from a restrictive household. Nel and Sula develop quite an inseparable and good friendship, a friendship that does not settle well with Helen who possesses grave misgivings due to the reputation of Sula’s mother however she does not object openly after her realization that Sula is a very polite house guest. After High School these two great friends diverge ways for 10 years. Sula goes to college where she experiences a new wave of sexual promiscuity much like her mother. Nel On the other hand is married by a Bottoms resident, Jude Green. Their separation last for period of three years before Sula comes back from the college and their relationship resumes without any hindrance. However, this relationship is cut short when Nel learns of the relationship between Sula and Jude. This affair ends both the relationship between Jude and Nel as well as that of Nel as Sula who leaves the bottom for three years. Nel is forced to raise her two children alone and she doesn’t communicate with Sula for the three years that she goes away. Their next meeting occurs when Sula is terribly sick and almost dying. Their last conversation before Sula dies constitutes the literary wealth of this masterpiece; it is the discussion between good and bad. She dies and is buried at the Bottom cemetery. Thereafter, Nel visits Eva Peace who is quite old and is kept in a nursing home where she tries to retell the moments she had together before Sula died. While walking home she begins to feel the loss of the relationship with the death of Sula, her single and true friend. Her judgment of Sula as bad begins to haunt her as she recalls an incident that happened when they were friends; the Chicken Little incident. Chicken little was a young boy who also lived at the Bottom. When playing on a tree, Sula lost grip and the child plunged in the river and drowned. They kept this secret for the whole of their lives. These are the memories that unsettled Nel emotionally, she begins to challenge the concepts of good and bad and the choices and sacrifices people make in life. Later on, she kills her drug addict sun as she struggles to raise his family single handedly. Sadly, we see her sitting and crying over Sula’s grave at then cemetery as the story comes to an end. The story questions the decisions that people make in life; the calls for a rethinking of common societal problems. Critics mention the humor in the novel. For example the place called bottom is actually at the mountain top. The creation of binary oppositions in the novel not only makes it too interesting and informative but also lets the reader glance at the depth of common conventions in the community and the effect these societal conventions have on the lives of children who are supposed to be brought up in a comparatively free world where people are supposed to make free will. Satire as a theme is also developed in the story and it fuse well with the binary notion. The complexity of characters in the story conveys an account of human flaws in decision making and in the way we relate to other people in the community. While parents do everything in their power to ensure that their children justifiably lead a good life, little is done in ensuring that the children also get freedom. This makes the children not to acquire their own experiences in life but only proceed to copy the characters of their parents and grandparents. The fact that Sula turned out to be an exact replica of her mother and grandmother is an attestation to this fact. The book is feminine masterpiece and there is also an element of female chauvinism. This can be justified by the fact that all the major characters in the book are women and their actions are affected by men in a very little sense. Jude, Chicken Little and Nel’s son who became a drug addict after leaving the army are all victims of the women’s stereotyped dispositions. Shadrack being physically and emotionally scarred fro the experience of war is disowned and almost excommunicated by the community without the community fully understanding the reasons behind his behavior. Let us now give a critical analysis of Sula, the main character. Sula is the major influence on his friend Nel. Sula has been influenced by her mother leading to the passage of what can be argued to be a bad character trait through generations. Eva is a strong woman. She has endured loneliness, abject poverty but she is proud and unrelenting. Sula is quite an extraordinary woman, she is energetic but she has no suitable outlet to release her energies. This makes her potentially dangerous in that that she has no knowledge of wrongdoing. She does not understand that she sins when she sleeps with men and carelessly tosses them aside. Her sin is unintentional. The community, however do not understand the context of her upbringing or they simply do not care. They despise her but tolerate her. One very interesting aspect is that Sula is quite independent in her isolation, she does what she pleases and she simply does not care what everybody else does. She lives her the way it pleases her effectively earning her isolation from the community. After her death the rules shift suddenly, there is a renewed sense of acceptance, of defining right and wrong, good and bad. It is important to try and delve into the reasons why Nel and Sula united even after Sula betrayed their friendship by having an affair with Nel’s husband, Jude. Nel realizes that Sula was neither good nor evil; she was just indifferent to everything and everybody. Wives had to put extra effect in making sure that their husbands do not fall into bed with Sula, children were treated better so that they don’t grow into adults who are indifferent and uncaring like Sula. This is good fortune to the bottom community because they were held together in the rethinking process. Remember the National Suicide day? After Sula’s death the community did not have any productive outlet to channel their energies, they could not just sit and talk and so they become enraged and tear up the tunnel the result of unfocused energy. This eventual realization went a long way in ensuring that the residents of Bottom engaged in productive work for their survival. If Sula would have directed her energy to something else, maybe something a little more worthwhile would have resulted. Racial prejudice is highlighted when Jude is denied a chance to engage in the building of anew bridge, because of the color of his skin; he is denied the opportunity even though he is willing to do something productive. He stands in line for six days while the white boys get an opportunity to build the new River Road, his job at the hotel is demeaning and an insult to his masculinity. The scarcity of job opportunities remains to be the why Eva and Hannah had very little chance of gainful employment. They had to contend with the injustices being meted out on them because they were females and most importantly black. To escape the pangs of hunger in the winter, they have to prepare canned food in the summer. The life of Sula Peace, her childhood and her death in 1941is surrounded by the inability of the environment to shape her into a ‘good’ woman The black community residing in Medallion; â€Å"the bottom† is judgmental but not in any way assisting to solve the crisis within itself. Sula’s life story shows us how the community and family can shape somebody’s identity. She not only displays how children are nurtured but also her later relationship with the same community who natured her. She is a strong independent character but the community does not see her positive potentiality. To go against these societal norms she is not married and she sleeps around. The Peace family has been frowned upon by the Bottom community. This could have elicited an element of antagonism from Sula because she does not follow accepted societal conventions but in this case she is the protagonist and not the community. The novel poses her as the central character and the community constitutes only bits and pieces that seem to knit her life together in a predetermined fashion from the time of her birth to death. If change is to take place the community remains the playing field and Sula undoubtedly remains one of the players in the field. Whether she deserved to be rewarded for fearlessly instigating the rethinking process is not a matter of discussion as it is evident that her one and truly friend had in her own way knowingly or unknowingly lent credit to her stance in life by crying over her grave at the cemetery after realizing what Sula stood for. The character Sula is structure less, that any character interaction with her only invokes an element of structurelessness. This is because philosophically her evil is not her own but a reflection of what had been unknowingly imparted in her. Fortunately, her story is one where what is regarded as evil triggered change in the society. In analyzing one of the important masterpieces in the history of black American writing it is prudent to expunge on the growth of protagonism and non conformism in the society. The society’s vilification of the ‘heroine’ Sula who does not fit into the society’s conformation of a heroine is a classic example of the inability of a people to look within themselves and try to solve the problems within its own structures. Works Cited Daniel Dawkins: A Character Analysis of Sula; Considering Morrison’s Main Character as the Protagonist. 2008

Research Task: Antony Gormley

Year 11 Research Task Antony Gormley Examine the relationship between artists, the artworks they create and their intended audiences. â€Å"Field† – Antony Gormley â€Å"Waste Man† – Antony Gormley â€Å"Still Falling† – Antony Gormley Antony Gormley was born in London in 1950, his artistic career has spanned over forty years and some of his best known works include â€Å"Field†, â€Å"Waste Man† and â€Å"Still Falling†. The majority of Gormley’s sculptures include the human form, he claims this is â€Å"an attempt to materialise the place at the other side of appearance where we all live†.Gormley was raised in an upper-class Roman Catholic family; he was the oldest of seven children to a German mother and an Irish father. Between 1968 and 1979, Gormley attended Ampleforth College, Trinity College, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and the Slade School of Fine Art. He also travelled throughout India and Sri Lanka. In 1981, Gormley hosted his first solo exhibition at the Whitechapel Art Gallery. Debatably Gormley’s most famous project, his â€Å"Field† series has created much controversy and roused much interest in the art-making community.Originally an instalment consisting of approximately 35,000 terracotta figures, â€Å"Field† was constructed by sixty members of a family of brick makers. Each figure is between eight centimetres and twenty six centimetres tall and has two hollow eyes designed to stare at the viewer. Each figure is placed on the floor of the display room and arranged so that they appear to be looking straight at the viewer. Since the first display of â€Å"Field† (which drew a lot of media attention), the figures have been set up in many different galleries.Each time the installation is moved it changes slightly, as each figure again has to be individually placed. Since the first â€Å"Field† attracted so much attentio n, Gormley has recreated it many times in many different locations. He has since constructed â€Å"Amazonian Field†, â€Å"Field for the British Isles†, â€Å"European Field†, â€Å"Asian Field† and â€Å"Field for the Art Gallery of New South Wales†. All in all, more than 529,000 figures have been constructed. Gormley claims that the series of artworks represent the future generations and hose who will inherit the earth. The figures gaze up at the viewer with hollow, questioning eyes, as if asking the viewer to consider the impact that our species has on the world around it. Gormley says â€Å"We have the ability to foul the nest for ourselves and every other species, or do something about it†. Many people had a negative reaction to the â€Å"Field† series, claiming that Gormley had to right to claim them as his own work because they were constructed by family members and villagers, because of this, many figures have been stolen in p rotest. Field† is Gormley’s response to an issue that he felt very passionately about, and the arrangement of the figures clearly demonstrates how he intends to interact with the audience. His instalment gives the viewer the sense of being stared at by thousands of miniscule eyes. â€Å"Waste Man† was constructed in the summer of 2006. This massive sculpture stood over sixty three feet tall and eight feet wide. â€Å"Waste Man† was a community project, built by the people of Margate, UK. It was part of a series of works that utilised Gormley’s obsession with the idea of a community coming together to create an artwork.Gormley collected thirty tons of waste by convincing members of the local community to donate household waste and old furniture and by enlisting the help of a local disposal service. Sadly, many members of the community thought that the idea of a massive sculpture was unnecessary, and so they pillaged the mound of waste for their own w inter fires. The project took six weeks to complete, Fort a wooden frame was created, the frame was ten filled with large items of furniture and any remaining gaps were boarded up or stuffed with smaller waste objects, such as toilet seats, doors and picture frames.The final product was a colossal man raising his arm in the air, with a large rectangular hole in his chest, around the area where a heart would be on a regular person. Due to the fact that â€Å"Waste Man† was built in the poorer area of Margate, and due also to the huge community effort that went into constructing â€Å"Waste Man† came to symbolise the forgotten in the community, and the overwhelming nature of human spirit, those â€Å"who had been dispossessed or refused a place, standing up defiantly to be recognised†.It is speculated that Gormley was suggesting that even the poor and supposedly ‘unimportant’ people of Margate still had the right to a voice and the right to be heard. This idea was taken even further when â€Å"Waste Man† was burned, making it impossible to be ignored, and further demonstrating the refusal of the lower class to continue on without being heard. â€Å"Waste Man† was about more than creating art, â€Å"Waste Man† was Gormley’s way of making a statement, a symbol of the repressed people in our society and a refusal to sit idly by while people’s voices are going unheard. Still Falling† is the title of an early Gormley artwork. Created in 1983, â€Å"Still Falling† is a sculpture that has been carved into the side of a cliff. The image is that of a human, falling head-first down the cliff. Despite the position of the human, it seems quite peaceful, with its arms casually draped against its body. There is a suggestion that the figure isn’t so much â€Å"falling† as â€Å"gliding†. The figure is quite possibly a reflection of Gormley’s beliefs. After travelling t hrough India and Sri Lanka, Gormley became a devout Buddhist, and many Buddhist beliefs can be interpreted form the falling figure.The figure gives a positive feeling, a feeling of being at peace with its decent and not being worried by the sharp rocks beneath it. If the figure is indeed a representation of Gormley’s Buddhist beliefs, it could be suggested that the paleness of the stone around the figure represents the â€Å"Shining light of enlightenment†, enlightenment being an ultimate goal in Buddhism. It has been suggested that the figure will never stop falling, as it has become one with nature, and the area around it is embracing this fact and keeping it safe.This is implied by the fact that the area that the angel is sculpture into is a slightly concave bowl shape, giving the feeling of safety and welcome. â€Å"Still Falling† represents Gormley’s attempt at imagination triumphing over common sense. While looking at the artwork, logically it is ea sy to realise that the figure will never all because it is carved into stone, but it has been carved with such grace and elegance that the viewer is tempted to believe that it’s natural surroundings are so welcoming of the angelic figure that they would never let it fall. Still Falling† continues Gormley’s fascination with group projects, an enormous team of specialists was required to etch the figure into the mountainside, and Gormley refused to use any modern technology, so the project took twice as much time and effort as it might have, due to the use of blocks and wedges. Gormley believed that this would bring his small community of stonemasons together, from the joy of creating art together in a pure sense. The setting of â€Å"Still Falling† has a lot of significance for Gormley. It was created at ToutQuarry Sculpture Park, which is a [ark that was created especially for artists and sculptors to make their mark on nature. The park is part man mad, an d part nature. This appeals to Gormley’s belief that â€Å"Nature is a blank canvas waiting for people to work with it rather than against it†. The intended audience for â€Å"Still Falling† is really all of London, as he created it solely to make the city more beautiful. Gormley seems to have a fascination with community projects and bringing people together, this is often reflected in his work, as are his spiritual beliefs and his ideas of how society should work.

Drug Trafficking Essays - Euphoriants, Opioids, Illegal Drug Trade

Drug Trafficking Essays - Euphoriants, Opioids, Illegal Drug Trade Drug Trafficking Speech Professor Termaine Garden April 29, 2014 Drug Trafficking Introduction: Attention Getter: Im sure more than half you have watched a movie or documentary that had to do with drugs. Credibility: I once saw a movie called Maria Full of Grace, and it was based on drug trafficking. It showed one of the many ways they go about smuggling drugs, and it sparked an interest in me choosing this topic and looking into it more. Audience Relevance: Want to know what a drug mule looks like? Well if you look in the mirror that can be one answer. There is no look for a drug mule. Every single person involved in drug trafficking is doing it for the money they will make. Thesis: Today I will be informing you on drug trafficking. First, on a few methods used to smuggle in the drugs. Second, the countries that are known for drug trafficking. And lastly, ways that they are trying to be prevented. (Transition): Now I am going to share with you three different methods people have tried to sneak in narcotics into the country illegally. Body: I: Methods of drug trafficking: A) In an article that I had read, Heroin Implants Turned Puppies Into Drug Mules, the drug traffickers had used puppies. The drug trafficker had used 10 puppies from Medellin, Colombia and surgically implanted packets of heroin into the puppies bodies to ship them to the United States. They tried making the puppies seem as show puppies so that they would get through customs easier. a) 3 puppies died after they were saved because of the drugs. B) In another article, To Smuggle More Drugs, Traffickers Go Under the Sea, drug traffickers have come up with a new way to try and smuggle drugs into the United States. They used a submarine across the Caribbean Sea. The submarine that was caught trying to smuggle in contraband, had several tons of cocaine. In the article it was also stated that there are now three new submarines that are capable of traveling underwater from South America to the coast of the United States.. a) With this situation occurring it also now brings worry to the Americans that this method can also be used to transport attackers or weapons for terrorism. C) Another method that drugs have been smuggled in was from a South African woman who had 1.5kg of cocaine sued into her fake dreadlocks. She was caught in the airport of Bangkok. She is now being put on trial, and will possibly be facing the death penalty. The cocaine in her dreadlocks weighed over 3 pounds, and they were worth $150,000. She was going to get paid $1,900. Barely $2,000 that were clearly not worth having to either spend the rest of her life in prison, or face the death penalty. People that are helping to smuggle in these drugs illegally do it for their own selfish reasons, of wanting to make money, nothing thinking logically of the consequences. This is why the poor countries are usually the ones doing most of the drug trafficking into the United States. II: Countries known for drug trafficking: A) Drug trafficking is the most profitable illegal trade. B) There are 7 main countries that are known for their drug trafficking. a) Afghanistan b) Burma c) Mexico d) Colombia e) Peru f) Bolivia g) The Bahamas C) Mexico is the primary conduit for drugs entering the U.S. (Transition): With so many countries trying to find their way to smuggle in their narcotics, the United States is trying to find sufficient ways in cutting down, and eventually stopping drug trafficking. III: Trying to Prevent Drug Trafficking: A) The United States is setting up stronger borders to shield drug trafficking. The more protection we build around our country, and the stronger border surveillance we have, the better chance we have to stop drug trafficking. B) Not only do drug traffickers directly try and bring in drugs through the boarders, but they also do air-drop deliveries, and with how huge and remote some states are in this country, the United States is setting up stronger and more efficient surveillance. C) Barack Obama has been trying to strengthen security in the southwest border, from Mexico to the north, and stop the movement of arms and money towards the

Tyndall Effect Definition and Examples

Tyndall Effect Definition and Examples The Tyndall effect is the scattering of light as a light beam passes through a colloid. The individual suspension particles scatter and reflect light, making the beam visible. The amount of scattering depends on the frequency of the light and density of the particles. As with Rayleigh scattering, blue light is scattered more strongly than red light by the Tyndall effect. Another way to look at it is that longer wavelength light is transmitted, while shorter wavelength light is reflected by scattering. The size of the particles is what distinguishes a colloid from a true solution. For a mixture to be a colloid, the particles must be in the range of 1-1000 nanometers in diameter. The Tyndall effect was first described by 19th-century physicist John Tyndall. Tyndall Effect Examples Shining a flashlight beam into a glass of milk is an excellent demonstration of the Tyndall effect. You might want to use skim milk or else dilute the milk with a bit of water so you can see the effect of the colloid particles on the light beam.An example of how the Tyndall effect scatters blue light may be seen in the blue color of smoke from motorcycles or two-stroke engines.The visible beam of headlights in fog is caused by the Tyndall effect. The water droplets scatter the light, making the headlight beams visible.The Tyndall effect is used in commercial and lab settings to determine the particle size of aerosols.Opalescent glass displays the Tyndall effect. The glass appears blue, yet the light that shines through it appears orange.Blue eye color is from Tyndall scattering through the translucent layer over the eyes iris. The blue color of the sky results from light scattering, but this is called Rayleigh scattering and not the Tyndall effect because the particles involved are molecules in the air. They are smaller than particles in a colloid. Similarly, light scattering from dust particles is not due to the Tyndall effect because the particle sizes are too large. Try It Yourself Suspending flour or corn starch in water is an easy demonstration of the Tyndall effect. Normally, flour is off-white (slightly yellow). The liquid appears slightly blue because the particles scatter blue light more than red. References Human color vision and the unsaturated blue color of the daytime sky, Glenn S. Smith, American Journal of Physics, Volume 73, Issue 7, pp. 590-597 (2005).Sturm R.A. Larsson M., Genetics of human iris colour and patterns, Pigment Cell Melanoma Res, 22:544-562, 2009.

Role play Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Role play - Essay Example As such, they have a closer look of things or a firsthand perspective of operations and services in a department. They are in a strategic position to detect any system deficiencies. As such they can report the deficiencies and propose reengineering that can be done to reverse or improve the situation. The recommendations offered by nurse leaders are based on experience and continuous research. Thus, such recommendations are highly effective and likely to be implemented. As noted, reengineering results in a leaner and efficient healthcare system. In this regard, nurse leaders can use their leadership positions to lodge formal proposals on issues that need changes in departments. As discussed, nurse leaders have a direct link to nurses and thus can collect actionable information from the nurses and patients. Nurse leaders have a direct role of assigning role and hence can identify deficiencies and fill them accordingly. There are situations that may demand more nurses than the others for optimal performance. Hence, nurse leaders can have a direct influence on health care reengineering. Ellerbe,  S., & Regen,  D. (2012). Responding to Health Care Reform by Addressing the Institute of Medicine Report on the Future of Nursing. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 36(3), 210-216. Retrieved from

Sustainable urban develpment Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 17500 words

Sustainable urban develpment - Thesis Example The invisible impacts are more deep rooted, though they are difficult to see and assess. These invisible impacts include changes in the quality of life, changing social structures and genetic changes. There are also several possible impacts of urban development, namely, increase in employment opportunities, cost-effective and efficient supply of basic amenities like water, electricity, gas etc., availability of medical and educational facilities, and promotion of safe and environmental friendly public transport system. The implementation sites are therefore required to be sustainable or assessed so as to evaluate the associated costs and benefits to the region and to the life of the people. For this, various environmental impact assessment is carried out. There are several methods for carrying out the environmental impact assessment like the checklist method, the matrix method, the network method, the overlay method and the battelle method. While all the methods have their applicability, Battelle method is found to be more holistic as it takes into account a large number of parameters related to the physical environment and human habitats and also assigns weights based on relative importance of the factors at the given site. The current study uses the Battelle method to evaluate a large implementation site at Hayeel. This implementation site, which is a mixed-use project, covers an area of 3,000,000 meter squares. The results of the Environmental Impact analysis show a negative EIU (Environmental Impact Unit) of -503.9 which means the development will affect the sustainability of the site. The research concludes with making several recommendations that can help in mitigating the detrimental impacts of the implementation site. (I suggest you add some more specific recommendations based on your actual

Human rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Human rights - Essay Example Human rights history got its shape through major world events and more especially the struggle for freedom, dignity, and equality globally. The establishment of the United Nations in 1945, contributed to the formal and universal recognition of human rights. It reaffirmed the faith of people taking part of it in dealing with human rights (Donnelly, 9). One of the major achievements of the human rights was the formation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that still has a heavy impact on people’s lives worldwide. Human rights are constantly evolving and their standards change according to the needs and interests of human beings. An individual requires not buying, receive, or inherit their right. This is because they belong to human beings and are applicable to all people at all times and are the birthrights of all humans thus making them universal. Human beings need them to live a good life without undermining them live a dignified life. Terrorism is a major factor that contributes to people not enjoying their right to life. In addition, terrorism destabilizes the governments; therefore, undermining civil society, jeopardizes peace and security, and threatens the economic and social development of a country. Moreover, the security of an individual, which is a basic human right, is at risk. Therefore, states have a duty and obligation to ensure that they are taking positive measures to ensure that their nationals get protection against the threats of terrorists and bringing the perpetrators to justice. Corruption is rampant worldwide and the people who commit are either people who work in the private or public sector. The existence of corruption shows the failure of the state towards human rights obligation. Corruption affects the nature of equality and human dignity. Human beings have a right to live in a

Sequence Alignment and Dynamic Programming

Sequence Alignment and Dynamic Programming Introduction Sequence alignment Sequence alignment is a standard method to compare two or more sequences by looking for a series of individual characters or character patterns that are in the same order in the sequences [1]. Also, it is a way of arranging two or more sequences of characters to recognize regions of similarity [2]. Importance of sequence alignment Sequence alignment is significant because in bimolecular sequences (DNA, RNA, or protein), high sequence similarity usually implies important functional or structural similarity that is the first step of many biological analysis [3]. Besides, sequence alignment can address significant questions such as detecting gene sequences that cause disease or susceptibility to disease, identifying changes in gene sequences that cause evolution, finding the relationship between various gene sequences that can indicate the common ancestry [4], detecting functionally important sites, and demonstrating mutation events [5]. Analysis of the alignment can reveal important information. It is possible to identify the parts of the sequences that are likely to be important for the function, if the proteins are involved in similar processes .The random mutations can accumulate more easily in parts of the sequence of a protein which are not very essential for its function. In the parts of the sequence that are essential for the function hardly any mutations will be accepted because approximately all changes in such regions will destroy the function [6]. Moreover, Sequence alignment is important for assigning function to unknown proteins [7]. Protein alignment of two residues implies that those residues perform similar roles in the two different proteins [8]. Methods The main purpose of sequence alignments methods is finding maximum degree of similarities and minimum evolutionary distance. Generally, computational approaches to solve sequence alignment problems can be divided into two categories: global alignments and local alignments. Global alignments traverse the entire length of all query sequences, and match as many characters as possible from end to end. These alignment methods are most useful when the sequences have approximately the same size or they are similar. The alignment is performed from beginning of the sequence to end of the sequences to find out the best possible alignment. On the other hand, Local alignments find the local regions with high level of similarity. They are more useful for sequences that are suspected to contain regions of similarity within their larger sequence context. [9] Besides, pairwise sequence alignment is used to find the regions of similarity between two sequences. As the number of sequences increases, comparing each and every sequence to every other may be impossible. So, we need multiple sequence alignment, where all similar sequences can be compared in one single figure or table. The basic idea is that the sequences are aligned on top of each other, so that a coordinate system is set up, where each row is the sequence for one protein, and each column is the same position in each sequence. [10] There are many different approaches and implementations of the methods to perform sequence alignment. These include techniques such as dynamic programming , heuristic algorithms (BLAST and FASTA similarity searching), probabilistic methods, dot-matrix methods, progressive methods, ClustalW , MUSCLE , T-Coffee , and DIALIGN. Dynamic programming Dynamic programming (DP) is a problem solving method for a class of problems that can be solved by dividing them down into simpler sub-problems. It finds the alignment by giving some scores for matches and mismatches (Scoring matrices).This method is widely used in sequence alignments problems. [11] However, when the number of the sequences is more than two, multiple dimensional Dynamic programming in infeasible because of the large storage and computational complexities.[16] Dynamic programming algorithms use gap penalties to increase the biological meaning [9]. There are different gap penalties such as linear gap, constant gap, gap open and gap extension. The gap score is a penalty given to alignment when there is insertion or deletion. There may be a case where there are continuous gaps all along the sequence during the evolution, so the linear gap penalty would not be suitable for the alignment. Therefore, gap opening penalty and gap extension penalty has been introduced when there are continuous gaps. The gap opening penalty is applied at the start of the gap, and then the other gap following it is given with a gap extension penalty which will be less compared to the open penalty. Different gap penalty functions require different dynamic programming algorithms [12]. Also; there is a substitution matrix to score alignments. The mainly used predefined scoring matrices for sequence alignment are PAM (Point Accepted Mutation) and BLOSUM (Blocks Substitut ion Matrix). The two algorithms, Smith-Waterman for local alignment and Needleman-Wunsch for global alignment, are based on dynamic programming. Needleman-Wunsch algorithm requires alignment score for a pair of residues to be equal or more than zero. No gap penalty is required, and score cannot decrease between two cells of pathway. Smith-Waterman requires a gap penalty to work efficiently. Residue alignment score may be positive or negative .Score can increase, decrease, or stay level between two cells of pathway [13]. Sequence Alignment Problems For an n-character sequence s, and an m-character sequence t , we construct an (n+1)Ãâ€"(m+1)matrix . Global alignment: F ( i, j ) = score of the best alignment of s[1i ] with t[1j] Local alignment: F ( i, j ) = score of the best alignment of a suffix of s[1i ] and a suffix of t[1j] There are three steps in the sequence alignments algorithms: Initialization In the initialization phase, we assign values for the first row and column of the alignment matrix .The next step of the algorithm depends on this. Fill In the fill stage, the entire matrix is filled with scores from top to bottom, left to right with appropriate values that depend on the gap penalties and scoring matrix. Trace back For each F ( i, j ), save pointers to cell that resulted in best score . For global alignment, we trace pointers back from F (m, n) to F(0, 0) to recover sequence alignments . For local alignment, we are looking for the maximum value of the F (i, j) that can be anywhere in the matrix. We trace pointers back from F (i, j) and stop when we get to a cell with value 0. Local alignment with scoring matrix After creating and initializing the alignment matrix ( F ) and trace back matrix, the score of F (i, j) for every cell is calculated as follows: For i = 1 to n+1 For j = 1 to m+1 left_score= F[i][ j-1] gap, diagonal_score=F[i-1[ j-1] + PAM250(s[i], t[j]), up_score= F[i-1][ j] gap scores=max[ 0, left_score, diagonal_score, up_score] Also, we should keep the reference to each cell to perform backtracking. traceback_matrix[i][j]= scores.index(F[i][j]) After filling the F matrix, we find the optimal alignment score and the optimal end points by finding the highest scoring cell, maxi,jF(i , j) . best_score has a default value equals to -1 . if F [i][j] > best_score: best_score= F [i][j] i_maximum_score, j_maximum_score = i, j To recover the optimal alignment, we trace back from i_maximum_score, j_maximum_score position , terminating the trace back when we reach a cell with score 0 . The time and space complexity of this algorithm is O(mn) which m is the length of sequence s , and n is the length of sequence t. Local alignment with affine gap penalty For this problem, there are gap opening penalty and gap extension penalty. The gap opening penalty is applied at the start of the gap, and then the other gap following it is given with a gap extension penalty. Initialization: There are Four different matrices: up_score , left_score ,m_score , trace_back Filling matrix: For i = 1 to n+1: up_score[i][0] = -gap_opening_penalty-(i-1)*gap_extension_penalty For j = 1 to m+1: left_score[0][j] = -gap_opening_penalty-(j-1)*gap_extension_penalty For i = 1 to n+1: For j = 1 to m+1: up_score [i][j] = max( [up_score [i][j-1] gap_extension_penalty, m_score[i][j-1] gap_opening_penalty] ) Left_score[i][j] = max( [left_score[i-1][j] gap_extension_penalty, m_score[i-1][j] gap_opening_penalty] ) m_score[i][j] = BLOSUM62 (s[i], t[j])) +max( m_score [i-1][j-1], left_score [i-1][j-1], up_score [i-1][j-1] ) scores = [left_score[i-1][j-1], m_score[i-1][j-1] ,up_score[i-1][j-1], 0] We find the highest scoring cell, the position of that cell,and the best alignment by following the same steps as we accomplished in the previous problem. The time and space complexity of this algorithm is O(mn). Global alignment with constant gap penalty In this case every gap receives a fixed score, regardless of the gap length For i = 1 to m+1: alignment_matrix[i][0] = -gap_penalty For i = 1 to n+1: alignment_matrix[0][j] = -gap_penalty For i = 1 to n+1: For j = 1 to m+1: scores = [alignment_matrix[i][j-1] gap_penalty,alignment_matrix[i-1][j] gap_penalty, alignment_matrix[i-1][j-1] + BLOSUM62 (s[i], t[j]),) alignment_matrix[i][j] = max(scores) alignment_matrix[m][n] holds the optimal alignment score. The time and space complexity of this algorithm is O(mn) which m is the length of sequence s , and n is the length of sequence t. Global alignment with scoring matrix In this problem there is a linear gap that each inserted or deleted symbol is charged g; as a result, if the length of the gap L; the total gap penalty would be the product of the two gL. For i = 1 to m+1: alignment_matrix[i][0] = -i*gap_penalty For i = 1 to n+1: alignment_matrix[0][j] = -j*gap_penalty scores = [alignment_matrix[i][j-1] gap_penalty,alignment_matrix[i-1][j] gap_penalty, alignment_matrix[i-1][j-1] + BLOSUM62 (s[i], t[j]),) alignment_matrix[i][j] = max(scores) alignment_matrix[m][n] holds the optimal alignment score. The time and space complexity of this algorithm is O(mn) which m is the length of sequence s , and n is the length of sequence t. Global alignment with scoring matrix and affine gap penalty There are Four different matrices: up_score , left_score ,m_score , trace_back Filling matrix: For i = 1 to n+1: up_score[i][0] = -gap_opening_penalty-(i-1)*gap_extension_penalty For j = 1 to m+1: left_score[0][j] = -gap_opening_penalty-(j-1)*gap_extension_penalty For i = 1 to n+1: For j = 1 to m+1: up_score [i][j] = max( [up_score [i][j-1] gap_extension_penalty, m_score[i][j-1] gap_opening_penalty] ) Left_score[i][j] = max( [left_score[i-1][j] gap_extension_penalty, m_score[i-1][j] gap_opening_penalty] ) m_score[i][j] = BLOSUM62 (s[i], t[j])) +max( m_score [i-1][j-1], left_score [i-1][j-1], up_score [i-1][j-1] ) maximum_alignment_score = max(m_score[m][n], left_score[m][n], up_score[m][n]) The time and space complexity of this algorithm is O(mn) which m is the length of sequence s , and n is the length of sequence t. The above algorithms require too much time for searching large databases so we cannot use these algorithms. There are several methods to overcome this problem. Heuristic Method It is an algorithm that gives only approximate solution to a problem. Sometimes we are not able to formally prove that this solution actually solves the problem, but since heuristic methods are much faster than exact algorithms, they are commonly used . FASTA is a heuristic method for sequence alignment .The main idea of this method is choosing regions of the two sequences that have some degree of similarity, and using dynamic programming to compute local alignment in these regions. The disadvantage of using these methods is losing significant amount of sensitivity. Parallelization is a possible solution for solving this problem.[14] Parallel Algorithm In this paper [ 15 ] a parallel method is introduced to reduce the complexity of the dynamic programming algorithm for pairwise sequence alignment. The time consumption of sequential algorithm mainly depends on the computation of the score matrix .For calculating the score of each cell, the computation of F(i,j) can be started only when F(i-1,j-1), F(i-1,j) and F(i,j-1) acquire their values. Consequently, it is possible to conduct the computation of score matrix sequentially in order of anti-diagonals .So, the values in the same anti-diagonal can be calculated simultaneously. ( Figure 1 ) Figure1 .Computing score matrix in parallel manner .The values of the cells marked by à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   can be computed simultaneously. There are two models for problem solving using parallel method that improve the performance of the pairwise alignment algorithm. Pipeline model: Each row of the score matrix is computed successively by a processor, which blocks itself until the required values in the above row are computed. Anti-diagonal model: From the left-top corner to the right-bottom corner of score matrix, all processors compute concurrently along an anti-diagonal of the matrix. Each idle processor selects a cell from the current anti-diagonal and computes its value. When all values in current anti-diagonal are computed, the computation moves on to next anti-diagonal. In the algorithm that is based on the pipeline model, the score matrix is partitioned into several blocks by column and several bands by row. All the bands distributed to multiple processors, and each processor computes the block in its own band simultaneously. By applying parallel algorithm, The time complexity is O(n) when n processor is used. [15] Progressive Method For solving multiple sequence alignment problems, the most common algorithm used is progressive method. This algorithm consists of three main stapes. First, comparing all the sequences with each other, and producing similarity scores ( distance matrix) . This stage is parallelized. The second stapes groups the most similar sequences together using the similarity scores and a clustering method such as Neighbor-Joining to create a guide tree. Finally, the third stage sequentially aligns the most similar sequences and groups of sequences until all the sequences are aligned. Before alignment with a pairwise dynamic programming algorithm, groups of aligned sequences are converted into profiles. A profile represents the character frequencies for each column in an alignment. In the final stage, for aligning groups of sequences, trace back information from full pairwise alignment is required.[ 17 ] ClustalW This algorithm that has become the most popular for multiple sequence alignment implements progressive method. The time complexity of this method is O (N 4 + L 2) and the space complexity is O (N2 + L 2). [18] Conclusion By comparing the different methods to implement pairwise sequence alignment and multiple sequence alignment , we can conclude that using parallel algorithms that implement pipeline model or anti-diagonal model are effective algorithm for performing pairwise sequence alignments. The algorithms that implement progressive method such as ClustalW are effective algorithm for solving multiple sequence alignments problems. References Robert F. Murphy, Computational Biology, Carnegie Mellon University www.cmu.edu/bio//LecturesPart03.ppt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequence_alignment Dan Gusfield, Algorithms on Strings, Trees and Sequences: Computer Science and Computational Biology (Cambridge University Press, 1997). http://cs.calvin.edu/activities/blasted/intro03.html http://www.embl.de/~seqanal/courses/commonCourseContent/commonMsaExercises.html Per Kraulis , Stockholm Bioinformatics Center, SBC ,http://www.avatar.se/molbioinfo2001/seqali-why.html http://iitb.vlab.co.in/?sub=41brch=118sim=656cnt=1 Andreas D. Baxevanis, B. F. Francis Ouellett ,Bioinformatics: A Practical Guide to the Analysis of Genes and Proteins http://amrita.vlab.co.in/?sub=3brch=274sim=1433cnt=1 David S.Moss, Sibila Jelaska, Sandor Pongor, Essays in Bioinformatics, ISB 1-58603-539-8 http://amrita.vlab.co.in/?sub=3brch=274sim=1431cnt=1 Burr Settles, Sequence Alignment, IBS Summer Research Program 2008, http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~bsettles/ibs08/lectures/02-alignment.pdf Aoife McLysaght, Biological Sequence Comparision/Database Homology Searching, The University of Dublin, http://www.maths.tcd.ie/~lily/pres2/sld001.htm Rapid alignment methods FASTA and BLAST http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/bioinformatiikka/mbi/courses/07-08/itb/slides/itb0708_slides_83-116.pdf Yang Chen, Songnian Yu, Ming Ling, Parallel Sequence Alignment Algorithm For Clustering System, School of Computer Enginnering and science, Shanghai University Heitor S. Lope, Carlos R ,Erig Lima , Guilherme L. 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