Effectiveness Of Temporary Anchorage Devices Health And Social Care Essay

One of the most normally treated orthodontic jobs is the Class II molar malocclusion. Class II malocclusions represents a important part of the patients who typically present for orthodontic intervention. Deciding Class II molar relationships by distalizing maxillary grinders may be indicated for patients with maxillary dentoalveolar bulge or minor skeletal disagreements ( but non for those patients who besides exhibit important dental crowding ) . Maxillary molar distalization is a often used intervention method in instances with herding associated with dental Class II grinder relationship and Class I skeletal relationship To rectify a Class II dental malocclusion or to make infinite in the maxillary arch by a nonextraction protocol, maxillary grinders can be moved distally and thereby derive infinite and change over the Class II grinder relationship to a Class I. Then, the grinders are held in topographic point whereas the bicuspids, eyetooths, and incisors normally are retracted by conventional multibracket techniques Appliances to distalise grinders can be classified in several ways and one categorization can associate to if the contraption is a patient conformity ( extraoral grip or removable contraptions ) or a non-compliance distalization contraption ( intraoral fixed contraptions ) . Patient conformity contraptions Traditional patient compliant contraptions for molar distalization include extraoral grip, Cetlin removable home base, Wilson distalizing arches and intermaxillary rubber bands. For more than 100A old ages the most common process has been the headgear applied to upper grinders, and its public presentation has been dependable. Non-compliance contraptions Successful orthodontic treatmentA frequently relies to a great extent on patient co-operation in the erosion of headdress, intermaxillary rubber bands, or removable contraptions. Conformity with headdress is seldom optimum ( Cureto et al. , 1994 ) . Clinicians have concerns aboutA the safety of headgear to do oculus and facial tissue harm ( Samuels, 1996 ) .. As a consequence many clinicians prefer to utilize intraoral distalizing systems that cut down the conformity of the patient and are under the orthodontist ‘s control. These non compliant contraptions minimize the demand for such co-operation and effort to maximise the predictability of consequences Most of the intraoral distalizing systems consist of a force bring forthing unit and an anchorage unit ( normally consisting bicuspids or decidiuous grinders and an acrylic Nance button ) . Different types of active force constituents includes for illustration driving magnets, superelasic spiral springs and beta Ti metal springs. Such devices include the disgusting magnet, spiral springs on a uninterrupted arch wire, A superelastic nickel-titanium arch wires, A spiral springs on a sectional arch wire ( Jones gigue, A distal jet, A Keles skidder ) , and springs in beta Ti metal ( pendulum, A K-loop, A intraoral bodily molar distalizer ) . Distaljet CaranoA etA Al. ( 1996 ) describedA theA designA and useA ofA thisA applianceA . Bilateral tubesA ofA 0aˆ?036-inch internal diameterA areA attached toA anA acrylicA Nance button.A AA coilA and prison guard clampA are slid overA theA tube.A TheA wire fromA theA acrylic terminals inA aA bayonet bendA and insertsA intoA aA palatine sheath onA theA molar band.A TheA forceA acts throughA theA centreA ofA resistanceA ofA theA molarA and therefore is said to translateA theA tooth.A TheA Nance button isA alsoA attached toA aA premolar bandA viaA aA linking wire.A TheA contraption isA activated by slidingA theA clinch closer toA theA molarA and can be converted toA aA conventionalA Nance by severingA theA fond regard toA theA premolar bands.A Teeth during orthodontic intervention are exposed to forces and minutes, and these moving forces ever generate mutual forces of the same magnitude but in opposite way ( Newton ‘s 3rd jurisprudence ) . To forestall unwanted tooth motions and keep intervention success, these mutual forces must be diverted. Orthodontic anchorage, defined as the ability to defy these unwanted reactive tooth motions, can be provided by other dentitions, by extra-oral devices, by support from the muscular structure or from skeletal beginnings. ( Proffit,2000 ; Roberts et al,1994 ; Wehrbein et Al, 1999 ; Melsen et Al 2000 ) . The non-compliance intra-arch grinder distalizing methods chiefly rely on a Nance button to reenforce the anterior anchorage. A figure of surveies have shown that despite the effectivity of many of these contraptions in traveling posterior dentitions distally, the Nance button does non supply absolute anchorage both during and after molar distalization. As a consequence they all produce a certain sum of anterior anchorage loss-mesial motion of grounding dentitions and proclination of maxillary incisors. In add-on, they besides tend to bring forth some distal tipping of the maxillary grinders, instead than pure bodily motion. These restrictions introduce inefficiencies into the Class II rectification, specifically, round tripping of the incisors and posterior anchorage loss during the abjuration of the other maxillary dentitions. With these contraptions one time the grinders have been distalized, some patient conformity is frequently required during distalization of bicuspids and anterior dentitions by agencies of Class II rubber bands, Class II rubber bands on skiding gigues, etc. However, surveies have shown the Distal-Jet produces a better bodily molar motion. Surveies on the distal-jet have shown they overcomeA theA disadvantagesA ofA otherA contraptions for distalizing molarsA by reducingA the inclination forA theA dentition to tip. TheA writers claim thatA theA rateA ofA motion is comparable toA theA Jones Jig or magnets, A and isA achieved by bodily translation.A No clinical tests have been published on thisA contraption In orthodontias accomplishing absolute anchorage has been a really of import subject of involvement. Skeletal anchorage ( Young et Al, 2007 ) is a technique which uses some signifier of bony ground tackle to supply absolute anchorage ( ie no unwanted tooth motion ) . These do non necessitate patient conformity, supply more predictable and efficient intervention options. Skeletal anchorage can be derived from dental implants ( osseointegrated ) , surgically placed mini home bases ( on-plants ) , or with mini -screws ( AKA TADS ) . Molar distalizing contraptions have been combined with assorted osseo-integrted implants to accomplish osteal anchorage and get the better of the restrictions of the above tooth-supported contraptions. Their usage for orthodontic anchorage has been good documented in the literature but they have restrictions when used for this purpose eg, their big size, a period of healing is needed to let osteal integrating of the implant before a force could be applied. the careful implant location needed, and the possible trouble and surgical injury of remotion after intervention is completed ( Roberts et al, 1984 ; Roberts et al,1990 ; Turley et al,1988 ; Wehrbein et al,1993 ) . Mini prison guards ( aka impermanent anchorage devices ) are little titanium metal chromium steel steel surgical bone prison guard, runing from 6 to 12 millimetres in length and 1.2 to 2 millimetres in diameter. They are placed into either buccal or palatine bone. ( Mizrahi,2007 ) temporarily to heighten orthodontic anchorage. Harmonizing to Cope,2005 a impermanent anchorage device ( TAD ) is a device that is temA ­porarily fixed to cram for the intent of heightening orthA ­odontic anchorage either by back uping the dentition of the reacA ­tive unit or by rid ofing the demand for the reactive unit wholly, and which is later removed after usage. They can be located transosteally, subperiosteally, or enA ­dosteally ; and they can be fixed to cram either automatically ( cortically stabilized ) or biochemically ( osseointegrated ) . The footings such as miniscrews, miniscrew implants, mini implants, microscrews, and impermanent anchorage devices ( TADS ) have been used. There is no general understanding on the terminology ( Cornelis et al,2007 ; Mah J, 2005 ) . TADS were developed in response to the jobs outlined earlier with conventional implants.Their advantages, in add-on to size, include minimum anatomic restrictions, minor surgery, increased patient comfort, immediate burden, and lower costs ( Miyawaki et al, 2003 ; Costa et al,1998 ) . The first clinical study in the literature of the usage of TADs appeared in 1983 when Creekmore and Eklund used a vitallium bone screw to handle a patient with a deep contact overbite. The prison guard was inserted in the anterior rhinal spinal column to irrupt and root and rectify the upper incisors utilizing an elastic from the prison guard to the incisors. In 1997, Kanomi reported the use of mini prison guards for orthodontic anchorage. Since this instance study, there has been an detonation of extra studies of mini prison guards for orthodontic anchorage ( Lee et al,2001 ) . Examples of mini prison guards include the Aarhus, Spider screw, Dual Top, A Absoanchor A and IMTEC. Non-compliance distalizing devices can integrate miniscrews connected to the Nance button for reenforcing the anchorage and avoiding side-effects in the anterior part. Purposes Some surveies have been published refering the intervention result of the distal jet contraptions for distal motion of maxillary grinders. However, some publications are non recent and non may RCT ‘S. instance series, instance studies or method descriptions but merely a few prospective controlled surveies. So far there exists no randomised test comparison Because TADs are a comparatively new add-on to intervention and most of the published literature consists of instance studies and instance series, there is limited systematic reviews/RCT ‘S. The purposes of this article were to reexamine and critically analyze systematic reviews/RCT ‘s available for comparing distal jet and TADS as methods of distalizing maxillary first grinders in the intervention of category II malocclusions Aims Undertake a hunt of the published literature. 2. Synthesize the information from the relevant documents. 3. Critically appraise the documents selected for reappraisal. 4. Suggest clinical guidelines based on the grounds. Method A literature hunt will be perA ­formed by seeking the electronic databases ( 1990 onwards ) ; MEDLINE database ( Entrez PubMed ) , Web of Science and the Cochrane Library. Randomised clinical tests ( RCT ‘s ) and systematic reappraisals refering distalisation of maxillary grinders will be considered. Footings used in this literature hunt will include: category II maloclussion, distal maxillary molar motion, intra-oral contraptions, distal-jet contraption, mini-screw, impermanent anchorage device ( TAD ) , systematic reappraisals, randomised control tests. We used the footings †mini-implant, mini prison guards, TADS † in the article, because it is presently the most often used in the orthodontic literature. The undermentioned inclusion standards will be used to choose appropriate articles: articles on utilizations of mini prison guards and distal jet, category II maloclussions, mild crowding, none extraction instances, informations merely from human topics, linguistic communication in English, randomized conA ­trolled surveies ( RCTs ) and systematic reappraisals. Exclusion standards included articles on headdress, removeable contraptions, osseointegrated dental implants, onplants, palatine implants, miniplates ; implant stuffs reA ­search ; carnal surveies ; old orthodontic intervention, old instance studies and instance series ; technique presentations of mini-implant and microimplant ; in-vitro surveies ; reexamine articles and letters and articles in a linguistic communication other than English. The information collected in this survey will be grouped and analyzed in footings of sum of molar distalization, tipping and rotary motion. Besides the sum of anchorage loss of incisors ( mesial motion ) will be assessed. Timescale Literature hunt January 2011 Critical assessment Feb/March 2011 Data synthesis April 2011 Discussion May 2011 Submission of undertaking 1 September 2011 Ethical consideration No moralss commission blessing required – a Literature Review. Key Mentions Samuels, R. H.A A. ( 1996 ) A AA reviewA ofA orthodontic facebow injuriesA and safety equipment, A American JournalA ofA OrthodonticsA and Dentofacial Orthopedics, A 110, A 269-272 Cureton, S. L. , Regennitter, F. J.A and Yancey, T. M. ( 1993 ) A TheA roleA ofA theA headgear calender in headgear conformity, A American JournalA ofA OrthodonticsA and Dentofacial Orthopedics, A 104, A 387-394

The School Systems on Bilingual Education

Throughout the world, language defines who you are and where you come from. Something unique to the United States of America is that we not only have one language that unites us, we have hundreds that separate us; that is the core of the problem. Instead of forcing people to learn English as soon as they enter the country, the government has been mollycoddling and pampering non-English speakers. Such programs as bilingual education have been at the source of the problem. Bilingual education has said to many foreigners that its ok if you come to America and don†t speak English, it†s only our language, but we†ll cater to you. It all simmers down to one simple point that bilingual education is not necessary and is harmful to the United States as a whole. Voting ballots were just sent out in the mail last week. Something was very noticeable, not only was it in English, but it was in Spanish as well. One very common sign that English education in this country has not improved was just sent to millions of voters all over the country. If things do not improve, the children of those Spanish speaking citizens, in ten twenty years down the road, will be as illiterate in English as they were the day they were born. â€Å"The character of American life 50 years hence will determined†¦ by what happens in elementary school classrooms where immigrants† children are learning – or not learning – English† (Barone). Everything that influences a child†s life happens in their early years, and if English does not influence them then, they may never be. â€Å"†¦for many years Latino kids failed to learn enough English to score well on tests and qualify for good jobs, thanks to ‘bilingual education,† which in most cases was neither bilingual or education†(B! arone) The school system for non-native speakers seems not only inadequate, but in the need of great reform. Immersion seems to be the only answer to that great problem. It is not only theorized that immersing and teaching straight English would be the solution, it was actually tested out. Last June, California was the first state to completely do away with bilingual education with Proposition 227. â€Å"The proposition mandated that these students take English immersion classes, unless their parents specifically requested that they continue traditional bilingual education programs.† (Forbes) The government gave parents the right to allow their children to continue with the slower bilingual programs instead of letting them mainstream into English. Not only were educators against this move, but also President Clinton himself did not condone it. (Samuelson) The results, however, were overwhelming. â€Å"Test scores of children from Spanish-speaking families†¦.rose. In second grade, average reading scores of students with limited English ability have jumped in the past two years from the 19th percentile nationally to the 28th percentile. In math, the same ! students went from the 27th to the 41st percentile..† (Samuelson). With everyone against this new idea of reform for schooling, not only did they succeed, they out-witted 28 and 41 percent of the country. Something must be done right if such numbers jump in such a short amount of time. † ‘The kids have taken to English and are absorbing it like sponges†Ã¢â‚¬  (Wildavsky). Younger students have more of the want and the need to learn, they don†t become lazy or intolerant of school, something that develops during the teenage years. They have gained a language and a new place and outlook on the world. Along with this fast paced English education called immersion, comes along a new identity. Until a person understands and can speak the language of the country, he or she doesn†t really feel like a citizen, or an American. Many immigrants want this education for their sons and daughters, so that they can have a better life in this country knowing English, unlike them. â€Å"A recent national survey conducted by Public Agenda, a nonpartisan organization, reports that 75 percent of the foreign-born parents say that the school†s first priority should be to teach English quickly..† (Pedalino Porter) Immigrant parents are usually very strict on the English education issue, like most parents feel, they want their children to grow up and live American lives, better lives than their parents had back where they came from. Not only do these parents condone the teaching of straight English, they become quite rowdy if it doesn†t happen. â€Å"In Los Angeles, the parents of Mexican-American children! in the Ninth Street School staged a boycott, keeping their children out of school for several days in 1996 to protest the school principal†s unwillingness to increase the amount of English language instruction after appeals by the parents† (Pedalino Porter) The passion that these parents possess is so fierce for their wish for their children to have a better life, they would give up or protest anything, including a couple of days of their child†s education. â€Å"Of course, my parents replied. What would they not do for their children†s well-being?† (Rodriguez 532). With every parent comes that special bond with a child, life seems so trivial when you can give everything you have to better that child†s life and education. With the knowledge of English, American identity is finally found. â€Å"I came to believe what had been technically true since my birth: I was an American citizen† (Rodriguez 533). That identity can only be found through the English language, the only official and primary language of our country. The English language is what makes us, it is our identity, and it signifies that we are from America, one of the only countries in the world where a beggar can make it as a middle-class person. The downtrodden and persecuted alike flee to our country in hopes of a better future for not only themselves but also their children. Immersion of the English language is the only way that those people and their children can really identify themselves as being American. Without the language, those people are still what they were before, oppressed in the darkness of ignorance and disillusion. The only way to remedy that is to teach our younger generation, and teach them early enough, the only langu!

Dominant Position of a Company

According to the European competition case law, a dominant position is defined as â€Å"the power of a firm to behave to an appreciable extent independently of its competitors, customers and consumers†. It is obvious that a firm or several firms which hold a dominant position can determine price, the amount of production, supply and this is because these firms can act independently of their competitors and customers.As a result, dominant position can lead to the market power and in this situation a firm or several firms have an ability to individually make a big influence on the price and total quantity produced which could result to the market failure. But does this definition make an economic sense and how it should be interpreted in monopoly and oligopoly? Firstly, we need to understand exactly the actual meaning of a dominant position.It is a situation when a firm has an ability to behave independently of its competitors, customers and ultimately the final consumer. A well known example of monopolistic dominance is Microsoft’s market in PC operating systems. In monopoly some members in a market can gain market power allowing them to stop other important gains from trades and this can make the allocation of recourses inefficient due to imperfect competition. As going back to my example, Microsoft illegally used its market power by bundling its web browser with its operating system.In economics, market power is the ability of a firm to independently determine the market price and the production of a good or a service, of course, in perfectly competitive markets – market power vanishes. From this example we actually see that Microsoft has an ability to make a big influence on the price or other outcomes in the market by using its dominant position because that kind of a firm can raise price, outcomes without worrying of losing its customers.On the other hand, not only one firm can hold a dominant position, but also a dominant position can be held among several firms and this is called oligopolistic dominance. For example: in 2008 Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, Nextel and T-Mobile together controlled approximately 89 % of the United States cellular phone market. In this situation sometimes firms can decide to make some secret agreements in order, for example, to raise prices of cellular phones leading to the profit maximization, knowing that they still are not going to lose their costumers.Of course, there is opinion that oligopoly is better than monopoly, because oligopolistic dominance (several firms who have a dominant position) could help to stabilize unstable markets, for example dominant firms could set some kind of prices which could help other producers to survive in the certain market and this is called a price leadership, however the welfare of economics in oligopoly is not easy to analyze and to determine if it is going to have a positive reaction.Furthermore, now we know that the definition of dominant position ma kes an economic sense, because when a firm has a power to behave independently and can make a big influence on the welfare of the economics (prices, total quantity produced, efficiency in allocating the resources), market power and later market failure could occur. We also know that a market failure is a situation when the allocation of recourses is inefficient due to imperfect competition when not all sellers and buyers can be satisfied.In order to prevent market failure, each government imposes some policies such as subsidies, taxes, minimum wage, some price controls, however sometimes happens that these policies also create inefficiency in allocating the recourses and it is called government failure. Going back to the original topic, dominant position is not an exception.According to the European competition case law, dominant positions are not forbidden but in order for firms not to abuse that position they have a special responsibility: dominant firms must not allow their strat egic decisions to make a negative influence on competition in the market, in other words, dominant firms cannot intentionally prevent or eliminate competition. Moreover, in order to determine the definition of dominant position in monopoly, at first we need to understand the basic aspects of it.Monopoly is a situation when a certain agent is the only one who supplies a particular good, of course, it is obvious that this market has a lack of economic competition. In monopoly a company has a much bigger profit than it could expect in competitive market, because that only firm regulates all the prices and services for that certain good. As a result, it can raise the price and maximize its profit without worrying of losing its customers. So, the dominant position in monopoly is a market with a single agent which has a power to operate independently and has an ability to make a big influence on the prices and production.Finally, to do the same in oligopoly we also need to understand the basic aspects of it. Oligopoly is the market share of several firms which together make a big influence to the price or other outcomes of a certain market, however the difference between monopoly and oligopoly is that in oligopoly firms do not operate independently, because then they could lose some of their customers to their competitors. That is why several dominant firms always try to cooperate together and sometimes they even make some secret agreements in order to maximize their profits.So, the dominant position in oligopoly is the market share of several dominant firms who have an ability to make big influence on the prices and production. To sum up, we actually see that a dominant position can be defined variously in different areas but still all definitions will have the same meaning: a dominant position creates a market power which evidence to the inefficiency of allocating the resources in economic markets and sometimes leading to the market failure, but in some cases domi nant position is the key of stabilizing unstable markets.

Puritan thinking and eighteenth-century deist thinking Essay

Puritan thinking and eighteenth-century deist thinking - Essay Example The puritan philosophy emphasize on individual freedom and liberties of the common man (Vaughan, 1). The protests of the puritans against the influential power of the Pope exerted a spirit of liberty in other aspects besides theology. The demand for educated clergy brought about encouragement both in politics and intellectual life. Throughout history it has been suggested that the â€Å"Puritan concentration of attention upon the Bible had a remarkable educative effect on many minds† (Stimson, 323). The puritans believe that religion must have the ability to have both intellectual and emotional influence on people. Their demand for reasoning called for a higher intellectual life and activity (Stimson, 323). The most commonly known philosophy of the eighteenth-century deism is that it is God who created the world but thereafter He has not exercised any control over worldly events. In other words, a deist is someone who believes that there is a divine creator but at the same time rejects any divine intervention. According to deism philosophy, â€Å"human reason alone can give us everything we need to know to live a correct moral and religious life† (Craig, 853). There is however one group of deists who believe that God or the divine creator has a future world that stores rewards and punishments for human deeds in the current world. However, the other group rejects this philosophy. There is one common agreement between both groups that claim that only human reasoning can provide answers to questions of life and death, and there is no divine power to provide answer to religious questions that cannot be discovered by human reasoning. Deism emerged during the seventeenth and eighteent h centuries mostly in England, France and America (Craig, 853). Both puritans and deists believe in the God as creator of this world, but the difference lies in

Weekend in Guatemala Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Weekend in Guatemala - Essay Example Diego express his pessimism by asking Tucuche if the land reforms are of ill intent (Asturias 201). Secondly, the author helps readers understand La Galla’s mentality through the expressions she gives when she hears the Indian drums. La Galla expresses condescending facts regarding the Indians and the drums they play because of the land reforms. La Galla’s mentality is best understood when the author describes how his father died because of a demonstration, which was carried out by the Indians. La Galla disagrees with the idea of land reforms, which has been instigated by the Great Brotherhood. Further, La Galla does not see any sense regarding the drums played by the Indians; she sees it as only noise (Asturias 200). Branding the land reformists as communists was the best cover up, which La Galla and the white settlers could use to attack the Indians. If La Galla and her group could label the Indians as communist, the Indians could be seen as extremists with ill intentions. The idea of communism was contrary to what La Galla and whites believed in, which was capitalism. The state and communal ownership of land was the point of attack against Indians (Asturias

Pro Genetically Modified Foods. Only the pros not the cons Essay

Pro Genetically Modified Foods. Only the pros not the cons - Essay Example These foods benefit farmers as they realize higher yields when they grow them (Carter, Moschini & Sheldon, 2011, p. 33). Therefore, these foods promote the wellbeing of the entire society. Reduced poverty levels, for example, illustrate the importance of genetically modified foods. These foods, also, affect positively on the environment. They safeguard the environment in a number of ways, which makes the earth a better place to live in. consequently, human beings achieve peace of mind as protection of the environment assures them of the protection of future generations. Many governments around the globe advocate for the use of genetically modified foods. The United States, for example, encourages the growth of these foods (Forman, 2010, p. 26). Governments appreciate that the foods alleviate poverty in their respective countries. More to this, they encourage cultivation of these foods due to the economic implications resulting from the foods. The foods, for example, promote economic growth, given the availability of food that can be exported to other countries. The foods also save the various economies amounts that could have been used to import foods. These funds can be channeled to other development projects, thus boosting the standards of living in the nations. Environmental activists also support the use of genetically modified foods. These foods protect their interest of conserving the environment, which makes them support the implementation of these crops in their different regions (Young, 2004, pp. 2-3). Health institutions encourage the use of these foods as well. This follows the health benefits derived from growing the crops. They, for example, utilize minimal application of chemicals on the plants. Consequent to this, farmers and other farm workers experience reduced exposure to harmful chemicals. This reduces the number of health cases related to the use of the chemicals,

Team based incentives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Columbus - First Voyage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Columbus - First Voyage - Essay Example Apart from his love for adventure and hope of conquest, Columbus feared that Portugal may discover the route to India and Cathay first, and, therefore, the First Voyage was necessary. Columbus was determined to get human cargo and material goods to his country and for himself thus he had an interest in slavery.3 Columbus was sailing both for adventure and getting a share of the big profits, which were to be made once, they reached the Indies. The purpose of the First Voyage of Columbus was finding a shorter route to Asia but instead of finding Asia, he landed in the â€Å"New World†. Since the trade between Asia and Europe was quite lucrative as it was full of spices. Columbus wanted to control the trade between Europe and Asia to make huge riches and fame. Muslims and Italians dominated most of the trade with Asians, and since Spain had not established any trade ties, Columbus was interested and determined to do it. The Spain rulers are simply funded Columbus hoping to enter into the spice trade through Columbus. His three missions were achieving glory, finding Gold, and spreading Christianity Gospel to the people of Asia.4 Columbus was not exploring the world when he landed in America but trying to find a shorter route to Asia for trading purposes. He rose to fame because he accidentally found the new world when he was trying to enrich himself by finding a shorter route to the spice land. Christopher Columbus came to be recognized as the discovery of America but according to historians, others had landed there first.

Parental Involvement in Childs Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Parental Involvement in Childs Education - Essay Example The key findings on the effects of parental involvement are likewise summarized based on a compilation of recent research findings. The quality of education is one of the major social issues all over the world, from developing countries in Africa to highly developed ones like America and Europe. The reason is rather easy to see in a world where natural resources are dwindling and the competition for economic power and a high quality of life is intensifying. Ultimately, the continued economic progress of nations would be determined by the quality of their human resources, which in turn depends on the quality of a nation's educational system (Glatthorn, 1999). In America, for example, a government-led initiative that came to be known as the "No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001" was meant "to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessment" (NCLB, 2002, Section 1001). As the law's main aim was to improve the quality of education, educators have been asking uncomfortable but important questions as to how such a goal could be attained. Among the many proposed measures that could have a lasting and positive effect on improving education quality is one that is based on the hypothesis that a lack of parental involvement is detrimental to a child's education. This paper aims to prove the above hypothesis by using research findings to show that the following proposition is true: that increased parental involvement provides beneficial effects on the child's education. Also discussed would be several findings on the ways parents get involved in the education of their children; which type of involvement works best; the effects of parental involvement on student attitudes, self-concept, classroom behavior, and attendance; and at what levels of the child's education would parental involvement be useful. These findings are then summarized into seven major insights on the effects of parental involvement on their children's learning process and ways to encourage and sustain these based on experiences in the U.S. Parental involvement can be characterized in many ways, but all the literature on the topic agree that it includes various forms by which parents participate in their children's education and with the way education is carried out in schools. The range of parental involvement activities is wide: active tutoring of children at home, helping them with homework, becoming role models of positive behavior by showing eagerness to learn and study, or encouraging their children to learn, providing an appropriate place and time for serious study, and supporting their children's schooling by attending school functions and participating in school obligations (PTA, student plays, parent-child excursions, etc.). Parents can also extend their involvement outside the home-school environment by political lobbying, volunteering for community-based school projects, or getting public or corporate

Internet and Privacy Essay Example for Free

Internet and Privacy Essay There has been a lot of controversy about the internet and its privacy. Today, some say you have no privacy with anything you do on the web. They say that the government is taking away the public’s privacy because they can monitor everything that happens on the internet. Even though most of this is true, there are plenty of good things to come from it. In this essay I will be writing about the internet and its privacy. The lack of privacy that comes with technology and the internet can and has prevented a lot of crimes to occur. It has made credit card fraud, once an easy crime much harder to get away with. They know what you’re buying schedule is like, so if someone steals your card and tries to buy something that is not something you would normally buy, you will get an alert about it. Security cameras at stores and ATM’s prevent a lot of robberies from occurring. The government states that the main reason why they monitor just about everything on the internet is to try and catch terrorist attacks before they happen. They have said that some of the terrorist plane hijackings could have been prevented if they had the internet security that they do now. Of all the good things that come with the internet, there are also some drawbacks that can be dangerous. There is just as much false information on the internet as there is true information. Hackers can create viruses that can get into your personal computer and ruin valuable data. They can also create viruses to steal personal valuable data such as identity theft. There are also people called â€Å"predators† that hang out on the internet waiting to get unsuspected people into dangerous situations. People can get addicted to the internet which can cause problems with interacting with their friends and family. As it is stated in What Matters in America, â€Å"Like any space where people gather, the virtual world is not immune to the same set of troubles we face in real life. Teens and children can be targeted be sexual predators. Kids can â€Å"cyber bully† classmates, carrying the tortures of the playground onto cell phones and computer screens at home. Illicit romances and online flirting may be taken beyond laptops, ruining relationships and destroying marriages. And, of course, cybercrime is ever present, seeking log in numbers, financial data, and credit card information†. (22) Privacy has become a big question in today’s society with all this new technology and the internet. The internet might be more secure today from hackers and viruses but we don’t really have any privacy on the web. Every purchase we make on the internet can be tracked by the government. They can also track almost every phone call that is made. The internet has become more convenient to use than it ever has been. You can perform just about any task you want with a couple mouse clicks. Your computer can remember everything you do on the internet. It will save all the sites you have been to, what you have downloaded, what you have bought online, and can even save your credit card information. When online you will see recommended web sites based on what you normally do online and even on certain sites there will be recommended products that are similar from what you have purchased before. All this personal information can be easily looked at by the government or even professional hackers. Is our privacy really being invaded or are we just putting this information out there? People say that the government is invading the public’s privacy. They say that they shouldn’t be allowed to monitor the internet. I don’t believe our privacy is being invaded because no one forces you to put this information online, even though it is hard not to in today’s society. In What Matters in America, David Plotz states, â€Å"Real privacy is what allows us to share hopes, dreams, fantasies, fears, and makes us feel we can safely expose all our faults and quirks and still be loved. Privacy is the space between us and our dearest, where everything is known and does not matter. † (70) With all this advanced technology on the internet, we need the government to monitor it or else there would be a huge amount of criminal activity and the internet would not be safe.

Inborn errors of metabolism

Inborn errors of metabolism 1.0 Abstract Inborn errors of metabolism occurs 1 in 5000 births collectively. They can be treated if the inborn error is diagnosed properly and early. They are manly caused by a gene defect that blocks vital metabolic pathways. The can be server, which is mainly due to amount of enzymes that is causing the block or deficiency of the reaction product. This can affect the organs and also have local effect such as lysosomal storage disease. The symptoms can vary, from mild to severe. They affect any organs and occur at any time. To recognise the Inborn Errors of Metabolism, the doctor must be suspicious; for example a baby that show signs of antecedent maternal fever should undergo a blood culture and also undergo simple tests such as Amino acids, Organic acids, Glucose, Electrolytes, Lactate, and Ammonia; which is done in the laboratory. 2.0 Abstract Inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) are a group of genetic disorders that are rare. These disorders are genetic diseases that are involved in metabolism disorders. A large section of these disorders arise from single genes that encodes for enzymes; that have been defective. These enzymes are important that they catalyses chemical reactions converting substrates to products essential for everyday living. Inborn errors of metabolism disorders can arise from a number of conditions such as prolong exposure and accumulation of substances which are toxic, and the interference of normal functions and the inability to produce and synthesize essential compounds. Inborn errors of metabolism has related to defects in or damage to a developing foetus that may have been caused to genetic changes, that is why Inborn errors of metabolism is sometimes referred as congenital metabolic diseases. Inborn errors of metabolism have also been linked to heritable disorders within biochemistry, for example phe nylketonuria (PKU). That is why some times it is referred as inherited metabolic diseases as well. In the perspective of changes of normal mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions, IEM can divided into three useful groups that can be analysed diagnostically. Group 1: Disorders which causes intoxication. Group 2: Disorders involving energy metabolism. And Group 3: Disorders involving complex molecules. 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Inborn Errors of Metabolism In the early 1900s, a researcher called Sir Archibald Garrods based his studies on genetic metabolic disorders and discovered IEM [1, 2]. He was known for his work on the one gene, one enzyme hypothesis, based on his studies on the nature and inheritance of alkaptonuria. And gave the name and wrote a book on IEM (The Incidence of Alkaptonuria: a Study in Chemical Individuality.) [1, 2]. IEM can arise from a number of causes, but the major cause is alteration of a specific metabolic reaction [1, 2]. IEM has been shown to develop at a very young age, where epidemiology findings indicated that hundreds of IEM affects about 1 in every 5000 born babies [2]. But as technology advances and improved techniques such as metabolomics, has been easy to develop newborn screening that improves early diagnosis and treatment in a number of IEM disorders [2]. But as these new techniques cost a lot to run and time increases, proving to be unreliable [2]. The study and the knowledge about inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) have improved due to the latest advancement in technology and techniques [2, 3]. These improvement have led us to the conclusion, for example urea cycle disorders and organic acidemias may and will lead to the accumulation of ammonia, which is a toxic product of amino acid metabolism [2, 3]. Also the latest findings are that inborn errors of metabolism (IEM) may impair brain function due to defects in the mitochondrial respiratory chain and disorders in gluconeogenesis [4]. There are 10 facts that need to take inconsideration when people with IEM undergo clinical diagnosis [5]. Common condition such as, intoxication, encephalitis and brain tumours in older patients and also sepsis have to be analysed properly and always consider IEM in the same field [5]. Symptom that persists and that are unexplained even before, during and after initial treatment and usual investigations has been performed, have to be taken to consideration that it could be IEM [5]. Newborn babies that have organ dysfunction, hypo-perfusion, or hypotension can develop sepsis, which can be caused by IEM. So any babies in neonatal intensive care unit that die, the first cause that has to be taken to account is IEM [5]. Have to take extra care in reviewing all autopsy findings [5]. The examiner must not confuse a symptom for example peripheral neuropathy; or syndrome such as sudden infant death with etiology [5]. IEM can develop and present at any age, for example from foetal life to old age [5]. The examiner must take to account that not all genetic metabolic errors causes are due to hereditary and transmitted recessive disorders, but a large section of individual cases are sporadic [5]. Always consider inborn errors of metabolism are open to treatment for example with patients that have inborn errors of metabolism due to intoxication [5]. In server situations, the examiner will need to take a few patients with IEM that are able to diagnose and treat the patient with IEM [5]. The examiner must be open to obtain help from specialised centres that specialise with IEM [5]. The metabolic disorders can be set into three useful groups that can easily be distinguished from each other [5, 6, 7]. These three groups are sorted from a pathophysiological point of view [5, 6, 7]. The groups are; Group 1: Disorders which is caused by intoxication [5, 6, 7]. Group 2: Disorders involving energy metabolism [5, 6, 7]. And Group 3: Disorders involving complex molecules [5, 6, 7]. 1.2 Group 1- Disorders which is caused by intoxication In this group, it describes inborn errors of intermediary metabolism. These inborn errors cause acute of progressive intoxication from long exposure and increase of toxic compounds, forming a metabolic block [5, 6, 7]. In group 1 the inborn errors are manly amino acid catabolism [5, 6, 7]. These include phenylketonuria, where there is a deficiency in the enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH); which is needed to metabolise the amino acid phenylalanine to the amino acid tyrosine [5, 6, 7]. Homocystinuria is an inherited disorder of the metabolism of methionine [5, 6, 7]. Tyrosinemia is where body cannot break down the amino acid tyrosine [5, 6, 7]. Also organic acidurias such as methylmalonic acidemia, and propionic acidemia [5, 6, 7]. Sugar intolerances are also classified in group 1 [5, 6, 7]. These include hereditary fructose intolerance caused by a deficiency of liver enzymes that metabolise fructose. Metal toxication also falls under group 1; such as hemochromatosis, where the patient has accumulated a lot of iron [5, 6, 7]. All these metabolic disorders have something in common, in that they do not affect the embryo development, and also show similar symptoms of clinical intoxication [5, 6, 7]. A patient with group 1 disorders may show an acute signs of vomiting, coma and liver failure; or chronic signs which are cardiomyopathy, developmental delay and failure to thrive. Acute symptoms that can worsen are catabolism, fever, and food intake [5, 6, 7]. The analysis in group 1 is easy, and without any complications [5, 6, 7]. It needs the use of chromatography in which the plasma and urine amino acid. Most of group 1 disorders are treatable. Treatment is usually involves special diets and cleansing drugs such as sodium benzoate and penicillamine, to remove the toxins [5, 6, 7]. The inborn error of amino acid synthesis is also included to this group, as they have the same or similar features [7, 8]. They are inborn errors of intermediary metabolism; the analysis requires the plasma and urine where disorders are able to be treated even when the disorder starts with in the uterus, for example 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase deficiency [5, 6, 7, 8]. 1.3 Group 2- Disorders involving energy metabolism In this group inborn errors are errors of intermediary metabolism as well. The symptoms are mainly caused by a lack of energy production or utilization. This will involve the liver, myocardium, muscle, and brain [5, 6, 7]. There are two types of disorders involving energy metabolism. 1. involves mitochondrial energy defects. 2. involves cytoplasmic energy defects [5, 6, 7]. Mitochondrial energy defects are more aggressive and are not fully treatable [5, 6, 7]. Mitochondrial energy defects cause lactic acidemias where there is dextrorotatory lactic acid in the circulating blood, resulting to defects of the pyruvate transporter resulting to PKU, pyruvate carboxylase this causes lactic acid to accumulate in the blood, pyruvate dehydrogenase where the patient can show symptoms of severe lethargy, and defects in the Krebs cycle [5, 6, 7]. But some defects such as fatty acid oxidation and ketone body defects are partly treatable [5, 6, 7]. Cytoplasmic energy defects are not as much aggressive then mitochondrial energy defects. A cytoplasmic energy defect causes disorders of glycolysis, glycogen metabolism and gluconeogenesis [5, 6, 7]. And recent study showed it causes disorders of creatine metabolism which it is partly treatable by oral creatine supplementation [5, 6, 7]. Cytoplasmic energy defects can cause disorders that are untreatable, such as errors of the pentose phosphate pathway which will be described in further details [5, 6, 7]. In group 2, the common symptoms are heart muscle disease, hypoglycaemia, myopathy which is a muscular disease, cardiac failure, specific failure of the circulation, sudden death especially in infancy [5, 6, 7]. Mitochondrial disorders and as well as the pentose phosphate pathway defects can obstruct embryo-foetal development and give rise to dysmorphism, dysplasia causing an abnormality in maturation of cells within a tissue and congenital disorder [5, 6, 7, 9]. The analysis and the diagnosis are hard to put through as it requires 4 different tests [5, 6, 7]. 1. Function tests [5, 6, 7]. 2. Enzymatic analyses needing biopsies [5, 6, 7]. 3. Cell culture [5, 6, 7]. 4. Molecular analyses [5, 6, 7]. 1.4 Group 3- Disorders involving complex molecules. Group 3 involves cellular organelles [5, 6, 7]. The diseases that fall under group 3 modify the synthesis or the catabolism of complex molecules [5, 6, 7]. There are symptoms that are permanent and progressive, and some symptoms free from intercurrent events [5, 6, 7]. In this group there are disorders such as lysosomal storage disorders, peroxisomal disorders and inborn errors of cholesterol synthesis etc. In this group treatment is difficult would need enzyme replacement therapy, especially for lysosomal disorders [5, 6, 7, 10]. 2.0 General Symptoms and Signs There is a way for testing newborn babies for inborn errors [11]. This process is called Newborn screening. This tests babies at a very early age for four types of diseases that are treatable: genetic, endocrinologic, metabolic and hematologic diseases [11]. Dr Robert Guthrie was a microbiologist who designed a dried blood spot testing, and used it to screen for phenylketonuria [12]. To this present day that spotting test is still being used. As techniques have improved so have the screening [12]. A physician who is screening a newborn baby for a metabolic disorder has follow four groups of clinical circumstances: The physician must find early symptoms, especially in the antenatal and neonatal period of development. In the later stages the physician must find symptoms that are server and recurring. Symptoms such as coma and vomiting. If the physician finds any symptoms that are chronic and aggressive, they could be due to three things: 1) Gastrointestinal. 2) Muscular. 3) Neurological. These will be described in more detail below The physician must find any signs of cardiomyopathy, hepatomegaly etc. This could lead to organ failures. The three groups have symptoms that are chronic and aggressive that can be easily ignored or misinterpreted. 2.1 Gastrointestinal Symptoms. If a patient has inborn errors of metabolism (IEM), the person might have symptoms that fall under the Gastrointestinal Symptoms (GI) group [13]. These symptoms include Anorexia, which is an eating disorder [5, 13]. Osteoporosis which untreated could lead to bones fracturing. Chronic vomiting, feeding difficulties, and failure to thrive are also symptoms of (GI). But they are also associated with chronic diarrhoea [5, 13]. This could lead to false and the wrong diagnosis [5, 13]. There are two groups that have been described to have caused chronic diarrhoea and failure to thrive within inborn errors of metabolism: These disorders include errors of the intestinal mucosa or the exocrine function of the pancreas, for example congenital chloride diarrhoea, glucose- galactose malabsorption a condition in which the cells lining the intestine cannot take in the sugars. Lactase and sucrose-isomaltase deficiencies where the person is unable to metabolise lactose or sucrose. Abetalipoproteinemia type II disorder that interferes with the normal absorption of fat and fat-soluble vitamins from food [5, 13]. Enterokinase deficiency; Enterokinase is an enzyme involved in human digestion. Acrodermatitis enteropathica, a condition that affects that absorption of Zinc. Etc [5, 13]. Systemic disorders such as diabetes mellitus, diabetes, sickle cell disease, sarcoidosis, etc can also give rise to GI abnormalities. A problem has risen in distinguishing systemic abnormalities and inborn error of metabolism and vice versa [5, 13]. 2.2 Muscle Symptoms. There are a number of symptoms that fall under this group. For example: Hypotonia, where there is a disorder that causes low muscle tone and strength [5, 14]. Muscular weakness and poor muscle mass [5, 14]. These symptoms are common with many inborn errors of metabolism. These symptoms can be caused by urea cycle defects and many amino acid metabolism disorders [5, 14]. Recent studies have shown that the cause of muscle symptoms can be due to mutations in the monocarboxylate transporter 8 gene, which can develop Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome [14]. Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome falls under the muscle symptoms group as it causes hypotonia, general weakness of the muscle, reduced muscle mass and delayed development [14]. Further studies showed that this X-linked mental retardation syndrome is involved in the transport of triiodothyronine into neurones and disrupts the blood levels of thyroid hormone [14]. 2.3 Neurological Symptoms. Patients with inborn errors often have neurological symptoms. These include of neurological abnormalities, in the central and peripheral system. Studies have shown that these neurological symptoms are very frequent with inborn errors [5, 15]. These symptoms include poor feeding, hypotonia, ataxia, and even autistic features [5, 15]. The analysis of inborn errors, due to the screening of neurological symptoms is very difficult due to symptoms that are non specific signs; sings that include for example developmental delay, and hypotonia [15]. 3.0 Screening Newborns for Inborn Error of Metabolism 3.1 Newborn screening Newborn screening is a technique, used to detect inborn errors [17, 12]. It was first used to detect phenylketonuria (PKU) by a bacterial inhibition assay, developed in the 1961 by Dr Robert Guthrie as already stated. His technique in using dried blood sample was further developed in the mid 1975, where a scientist called Dussault used a method to screening for congenital hypothyroidism [16]. A lot of time and money has been invested into the screening programme, and now they have uncovered new disorders that are related to inborn errors [17, 12]. Disorders such as cystic fibrosis, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, which is a form mutation of genes that produces enzymes that mediating production of cortisol from cholesterol by the adrenal glands. Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency and many more [5]. To this present day, for screening newborns, tandem mass spectrometry is used [18]. It is a lot easier for screening and diagnosis. The application of tandem mass spectrometry to newborn screening was first described in 1990 [18]. The primary aim of newborn screening is to identify patients, manly infants with serious disorders that are treatable [18]. This will make it easy to prevent or improve clinical symptoms of the disease [18]. Tandem mass-spectrometry is very useful in detecting more than one disorder at one time [18]. This can be used to detect early untreatable disorders and also can be beneficial if the screening was not limited to just individual babies, but the whole family as well [18]. The screening process uses MSMS [18]. MSMS is the method used to measure analytes by both mass and structure [18]. First the compounds are ionised, where the first mass spectrometer selects the ion of interest, where it is sorted by weight [18]. Then the compounds travel through a collision cell, are dissociated to signature fragments, and then pass into a second mass spectrometer where ions are selected for detection. [18]. 3.2 Method for screening Research have been done where most newborn screening programmes use simplifying sample preparation, instead derivatisation of the sample which is the old method [18]. When investigating, the sample might show more than one disorder. But the use of ratio of analytes improves sensitivity and specificity [19]. Specialised biochemical genetic testing is always done to verify which type of disorder the patient has [18]. Theses genetic tests include amino acid analysis, organic acid analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and plasma acylcarnitine profile by MSMS [18]. 4.0 Screening for Individual Inborn Errors of Metabolism Well over 40 inborn errors of metabolism can now be detected by newborn screening [20]. This section will look at three inborn errors. 4.1 Pentose Phosphate Pathway The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is an anabolic pathway where is uses a 6 carbon glucose to generate a 5 carbon sugars and reducing equivalents, as shown in Fig. 1. There are three primary functions of this pathway [21]: To generate reducing equivalents, such as NADP forming NADPH. NADPH allows reduction biosynthesis reactions to occur within cells [21]. To produce ribose-5-phosphate (R5P) for the cell, for the synthesis of the nucleotides and nucleic acids [21]. Can metabolise dietary pentose sugars that are derived from digestion of nucleic acids [21]. These also rearrange the carbon skeletons of dietary carbohydrates into glycolytic/gluconeogenic intermediates [21]. 4.1.1 Disorders of the Pentose Phosphate Pathway There are three inborn error in the pentose phosphate pathway that have been identified [21]. 4.1.2 Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency The enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), catalyses the reaction that converts glucose-6-phosphate to 6-phosphogluconate. This creates one mole of NADPH each for every mole of glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) that enters the PPP [21]. A deficiency would lead to an error to the first irreversible step of the pathway [21]. This would lead further to a lower production in NADPH, making the cell more acceptable to oxidative stress [21]. G6PDH is very important for Erythrocytes metabolism [21]. A deficiency could lead Individuals to nonimmune hemolytic anaemia which can be caused by, infection or exposure to certain medications or chemicals [21]. G6PDH deficiency is also linked to favism [21]. It is thought to be an X-linked recessive hereditary disease [21]. 4.1.3 Ribose-5-Phosphate Isomerase Deficiency A recent study have shown that a patient with of ribose-5-phosphate isomerise deficiency, had developed progressive leucoencephalopathy and, developmental and speech delay [21]. They did further studies using NMR and found that polyols ribitol and D-arabitol concentration was abnormal in body fluids [21, 22]. They did their studies on fibroblasts and found that the enzyme gene-sequence analysis showed a frame-shift and a missense mutation [22]. 4.1.31 Metabolic Derangement Ribose-5-phosphate isomerase deficiency would mean that the reversible reaction converting ribose-5-phosphate to ribulose-5-phosphate and vice versa will halt [22]. If there was no deficiency ribulose-5-phosphate would be converted to xylulose 5-phosphate, which will provide the substrates for transketolase and further conversion into glycolytic intermediates [22]. Studies have found that there are two mutant allele one from each parents that results in ribose-5-phosphate isomerise gene that causes the deficiency [22]. So it could be an autosomal recessive inheritance disorder [22]. The best way to do a diagnostic test for Ribose-5-phosphate isomerase deficiency would be to take a urine sample [22]. Polyols ribitol and D-arabitol would be analysed [22]. Also enzyme assay can be used to sequence the ribose-5-phosphate isomerise gene [22]. 4.1.4 Transaldolase Deficiency Some studies have been done where three unrelated families had Transaldolase deficiency [23]. One patient had aortic coarctation where the aorta narrows [23]. During the patients life they found that ammonia was rising. But neurological and intellectual development has been normal. Another patient had HELLP syndrome (hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelet count) [23, 24]. Children with transaldolase deficiency have been diagnosed have found that the development of intellectual and neurological showed no abnormalities [23, 24]. But there is a strong link to liver cirrhosis which results from increased cell death of hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells [23, 24]. 4.1.41 Metabolic Derangement Transaldolase catalyses the reaction: Sedoheptulose 7-phosphate + glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate erythrose 4-phosphate + fructose 6-phosphate [59]. It is a reversible reaction in the pentose phosphate pathway. The deficiency lead to the accumulation of polyols derived from the pathway intermediates: erythritol, arabitol and ribitol [59]. Studies have shown that all patients were homozygous for these specific mutations, suggesting autosomal recessive inheritance [23, 24]. A simple urine test can be done to diagnose of transaldolase deficiency, mainly because there is a high concentration of arabitol and ribitol in urine. Also enzyme assay can be used to sequence the gene [23, 24]. Liver transplant would be the only option with patients that have severe liver cirrhosis [23, 24]. 4.2.0 Insulin secretion by the pancreatic ß-cell In the production of insulin glucose enters the ß-cell through a GLUT2 transporter where it is phosphorylated to glucose-6-phosphate by the enzyme glucokinase [58]. The enzyme is used as a control, where it monitors the level of glucose [58]. As blood glucose raises the rate of glucose metabolism also increases, where the cell will undergo glycolysis generating ATP [58]. This increase of ATP concentration causes K+ channels to close, making the membrane depolarised [58]. This depolarisation causes the voltage sensitive Ca2+ channels to open and Ca ions flood in, stimulating insulin secretion by exocytosis from storage granules; this is shown in Fig. 2. 4.2.1Persistent Hyperinsulinemic Hypoglycaemia Hyperinsulinism has been diagnoses in all ages but it is very common in childhood [25]. Persistent hyperinsulinemic hypoglycaemia (PHHI) is the one of the main cause of hypoglycaemia especially in young children. Patients who are older, that develop PHHI are due to pancreatic adenoma [25]. Hypoglycaemia when there is an overproduction of insulin by the ß-cells in the pancreas [25]. Hypoglycaemia can produce a variety of symptoms the most dangerous is brain damage which can lead to death, and that is why treatment is vital [25]. PHHI has two histopathological lesions that can be easily distinguished, making PHHI a heterogeneous disorder [25]. Focal hyperinsulinemic hypoglycaemia (FoPHHI) is caused by loss of heterozygosity which is a somatic event [25]. This causes focal adenomatous hyperplasia, which is a pancreatic lesion [25]. They are treated with pancreatectomy, where they surgically remove part of the pancreas. Diffuse hyperinsulinemic hypoglycaemia (DiPHHI) is also a heterogeneous disorder, in that fact that it is unable to encode for proteins needed for insulin secretion [25]. This can also be caused autosomal recessive and dominant genes which are rare [25]. Positron emission tomography (PET) is used to distinguish between focal and diffuse PHHI [25]. This gives a 3D image or picture of functional processes in the body [25]. Once a patient is diagnosed with PHHI, they are on treatment straight away with glucose and glucagon [25]. 4.2.12Metabolic Derangement Hyperinsulinemic hypoglycaemia is due to insulin hypersecretion by the pancreas [25]. The Action insulin causes a decrease in plasma glucose by inhibiting hepatic glucose release from glycogen and gluconeogenesis, and by increasing glucose uptake in muscle and fat [25]. PHHI is a disorder that is caused by a variety of defects, either in regulation of insulin secretion, unable to transcribe the enzymes needed of even a modified receptor [26]. For example diseases that can affect the ion channels like seizures [27, 28, 29]. Also lack of enzyme production of glucokinase (GK), and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) [30, 31]. Epidemiology has found that 1/50,000 patients are born with PHHI [32, 33]. Focal hyperinsulinemic hypoglycaemia is strongly linked to mutation of the sulfonylurea-receptor and the K+ channels, both used to depolarise the cell [32, 33]. Both are found to be located on the chromosome 11p15 [32, 33]. To identify these mutations they would need to be tested in a foetus or embryo before it is born. Sulfonylurea-receptor gene (SUR1) will not respond to diazoxide, which is used as a K+ channels activator [34]. Studies have found that a high activity of the enzyme glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) has resulted to hyperinsulism/hyperammonemia syndrome. This would make sense as GDH is needed to produce insulin and this would impair detoxification of ammonia in the liver [31]. The enzyme glucokinase (GK) is also expressed highly, where the affinity is increased for glucose, causing high levels of insulin secretion [30]. 4.2.13 Diagnostic Tests Diagnostic of HI is easy, in the fact that, it can be indicated by the levels of glucose in the blood. Treatment varies from age [35]. Hyperammonemia should be treated as another disease, when a patient has PHHI, when treating hyperinsulism/hyperammonemia syndrome. This can be done by analysis of urine organic acids and plasma acylcarnitines [36]. Patients who show the FoPHHI can have lesion ranging from 2.5 to 7.5 mm in diameter [37, 38]. People who have DiPHHI found that there was ß-cells that were abnormal [39]. Pancreatic venous catheterization (PVS) and pancreatic arteriography have proven very useful in locating the site of insulin secretion [40, 41]. PVS procedure will have to able to maintain blood glucose level, which is between 2 and 3 mmol/l. Blood sample would then be taken from the pancreas to measure 3 things 1.plasma glucose, 2.insulin and 3.C-peptide levels [40, 41]. Studies have shown that people with FoPHHI tend to have high concentration of plasma insulin and C-peptide levels in some samples and low concentration in others [40, 41]. People who have DiPHHI tend to find that all their sample have high concentration of plasma insulin and C-peptide [40, 41]. The use of [18F]-labelled fluoro-L-DOPA whole-body positron emission tomography (PET), has proved to be very useful in detecting hyperfunctional islet pancreatic tissue, where this can be used on patients with focal lesion [42]. Recent studies have shown that a new technique have been use to locate focal lesion and separate focal from diffuse forms of HI; this is the tolbutamide test [44, 45]. 4.2.14 Treatment and Prognosis Brain damage can occur if you are hypoglycaemic, so treatment needs to be quick. Glucagon would be given, where the patient would have to take 1 to 2 mg per day if blood glucose levels are unstable [35]. To treat PHHI, diazoxide would be given, usually at a dose of 15-10 mg/kg/day depending on your age [35]. Normal blood glucose levels should be between 4 and 7 mmol/l, before and after a meal [56]. This could need to be check every time once taking diazoxide [35, 56]. Octreotide treatment, can also be used as it is a hormone inhibitor [46]. But a high could lead to a more severe hypoglycaemia, as it can inhibit glucagon and growth hormone [46]. Patients will find that after treatment with octreotide, they might vomit or have diarrhoea [46]. Calcium-channel blockers could be used, such as Lercanidipine and Pranidipine [46]. These treatments that have been mentioned are very effective in controlling blood sugar [46]. If a patient is diagnosed with FoPHHI, the treatment tends to be surgical as drugs are ineffective [46]. They would undergo pancreatectomy. This procedure has its risk as the patient might develop diabetes mellitus [46]. DiPHHI patients have been found to have large nuclei in the ß-cells [35, 47]. And patients with FoPHHI showed no abnormal s-cell nuclei but did show shrunken cytoplasm [49, 50]. 4.3 Glucose Transporter Deficiency Monosaccharides such as glucose and fructose have the properties of being hydrophilic [59]. The lipid bilayer has hydrophilic heads and hydrophobic tails, prevent polar molecule such as glucose from diffusing across the membrane [59, 60]. So transport mechanisms are needed. These are hydrophilic pores allowing polar molecules to diffuse in and out of the cell [59, 60]. There are two types of glucose transporters. 1. Sodium-dependent glucose transporters (SGLT), which have been found to be located in the small intestine and the proximal tubule [59, 60]. SGLT uses the difference in concentration of sodium to transport glucose [59, 60]. From high to low concentration of sodium causes the transport of glucose against its own concentration gradient [59, 60]. 2. Facilitative glucose transporters (GLUT), which has been found throughout the body, but manly in muscle and pancreas cells [59, 60]. These transporters transport glucose from high to low concentration [59, 60]. Studies have shown that there are four defects in the transport of monosaccharides [59, 60]. These defects can depend on where the transporters are located within the body and what they transport in and out of the cell [59, 60]. As already stated there are four defects. 1. SGLT2, which is found in renal tubulus cells that can cause renal glucosuria [59, 60]. 2. SGLT1, which is found in the intestine, which can cause glucose-galactose malabsorption [59, 60]. 3. GLUT2, a transporter that carries glucose to the liver kidneys and pancreas [59, 60]. 4. GLUT1 is important, in the fact that it carries glucose to the brain cell (neuron and glia cells)

McDonalds 4 Ps of Marketing Analysis

McDonalds 4 Ps of Marketing Analysis McDonalds Corporation since its start in 1955 has remained consistently as well known brand name worldwide. In order to achieve this status the company has used marketing strategies that have covered every aspect of the business and social world. From advertising and competitors to public relations and charity, McDonalds has a goal and for what they want to achieve and has found ways of achieving those goals. Throughout this paper you will find descriptions of how McDonalds used the four Ps of marketing in order to create a successful and well known worldwide company. The four Ps of marketing include price, product, promotion and place. Marketing strategies are created through a process of conducting research, which provides the information for deciding the correct product/service, appropriate pricing structures, and the effective placement and promotion for establishing the proper position in the marketplace for achieving optimal return on investment. (investopedia.com) The marketing strategies that have been created through this research by McDonalds Corporation have served them well ever since they opened their doors in 1955. The founder of McDonalds Corporation, Ray Kroc, started the company with the mindset of expanding his business by using franchising. Since 1955, McDonalds has become one of the most valuable brand names in the world. (Rowley, 2004) Expanding the corporation globally is the marketing strategy that has allowed McDonalds to become one of the worlds largest fast food retailers. In 1958, owner Ray Kroc made a statement, The basis for our entire business is that we are ethical, truthful and dependable. (McDonalds.com, 2010) The McDonalds mission statement lists the four Ps of marketing as the basics of providing an exceptional customer experience. The first of the four Ps is price. McDonalds overall pricing objective is to increase market share. (Vignali, 2004) With the original research that was done to create a successful marketing strategy, McDonalds Corporation researched the demand, competitors position in the market and the cost of creating the product and created a price that will create a customer demand. When the recession hit, a vast majority of businesses began to lose customers and in return income. McDonalds was one of the few that cashed in on the recession by creating a value menu. The value menu, which features select items sold for one dollar each, has helped McDonalds bring in customers consistently and this steady income has helped increased market share. The second of the four Ps is product. When McDonalds first opened in 1955, they were the first business to provide burgers, fries and milk shakes in a convenient family dining atmosphere. The competitors in the area provided no competition and McDonalds sold its one hundred millionth hamburger in 1958. As time went on and technology advanced, the market became more competitive and a healthy lifestyle trend began to unfold in society. But even with all this change, McDonalds kept to their philosophy, providing quality food and a quality service in a fast and easy environment and with this philosophy they maintained their place in the market. Two years after their tenth anniversary in 1965, McDonalds began opening operations in Puerto Rico and Canada and currently they now have operations in one hundred and eighteen countries, including China, Japan, UK and Australia. (Mcdonalds.com, 2010) Each country has their own unique menu items, but a few of the classics are on every menu worldwi de. These include the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder, French Fries and Happy Meal. When Starbucks began offering coffee and a breakfast sandwich combo, it provided competition to McDonalds already well known and loved breakfast menu. McDonalds response to this competition was to create a new line of products called the McCafe. The McCafe was a premium coffee beverage that came hot, cold or blended and in a variety of flavors at a reasonable price. The third of the four Ps is promotion. There are four ways to promote a product in the world of marketing; advertising, direct marketing, sales promotions and public relations. Advertising is used worldwide and usually involves the use of a celebrity praising the quality, value and affordability of the product. McDonalds advertising is different in each of the one hundred and eighteen countries they have locations in. To date, McDonalds has used twenty three different slogans in US advertising and a few other slogans in other countries worldwide. Television, radio and newspaper are not the only ways in which McDonalds advertises their product. They have begun to use billboards and sponsoring sporting events such as the Olympics. But even with all these extra advertising connections, television has been the key advertising strategy for McDonalds. Direct marketing is most commonly achieved by the use of websites. McDonalds website provides detailed information about menu items, company policies and the company story. The information that is provided to the viewer allows them to get a better understanding at how McDonalds became what it is today. Sales promotions are an important key in any marketing strategy. The most common sales promotion that McDonalds run is their Happy Meal. The food content has remained the same over the years, but the toy changes all the time. The toy that comes in the Happy Meal usually corresponds to a movie or event that popular at that time. The current Happy Meal includes toys that are themed to DreamWorks Megamind movie. Public relations are a very important aspect to McDonalds. Their website alone provides information for a variety of people. There is an entire section on the website dedicated to students who need information for writing term papers. The website even provides a place for customers to provide feedback for the company. McDonalds feeds of this feedback and uses it to help maintain their quality service. In Beijing, McD onalds hires individuals to be public relation agents in the community and provide information and receive feedback to be given back to corporate headquarters. Beyond their website, McDonalds is well known for their contribution to the community. The Ronald McDonald House was created in many communities to help children and their families with special needs. A study conducted by a program called A Cause that Counts in 2009 states, Research shows that 92% of Americans have a more positive image of companies that support a cause. And, 87% of Americans are likely to switch brands, when price and quality are equal, to support a cause. These trends are consistent around the globe. In 1977, McDonalds sponsored a High School basketball team and gave them the opportunity to play an exhibition game against the Washington Nationals. McDonalds has also been a proud sponsor of the Olympics for many years, donating money to help maintain the quality of the event. The final P of the four Ps is place. Place mainly consists of the companys distribution channel. This marketing strategy is important, so that the company can make sure that their product is available at the right place, at the right time and with the right quantity. Nearly 50% of Americans are within three miles of a McDonalds drive thru and good majority of those are located either near large housing developments or schools. Each McDonalds provides their own unique experience for the both the children and the adults. Every McDonalds includes a childrens play area, which usually includes a slide and various other playground equipment for the children to play on. For the adults, McDonalds has started to offer an internet facility at select locations. These allow the adults to access the internet on their laptops while their children are playing in the kid zone. Using these marketing strategies and maintaining the goal of providing quality service and food in an inviting environment at a fast and easy pace, will allow McDonalds to remain on top of the market of fast food retailers. Their environments and prices will continue to have people saying, Im Loving It.

No Gentlemen Admitted :: essays research papers

"No gentlemen were admitted" writes Louisa May Alcott in Little Women to describe the all-female private revue the March sisters perform. And as the novel progresses, one cannot help but wonder if this same sentiment does indeed echo throughout the novel, as male characters are conspicuously absent while all the pivotal parts are played by the women characters. This gender imbalance -- in that there are more female characters than male in Little Women -- is especially obvious when male authority figures such as Mr March and Mr Lawrence are markedly absent for most of the novel. When they do appear, they are in need of love and care from the women. Mr Lawrence, who is nursing a broken heart over the death of his daughter, is healed by Beth's gentle manners, while Mr March's broken constitution is nursed back to health by his loving wife and daughters. The only male character who appears prominently in Little Women is Laurie, who, although the richest and most eligible bachelor for miles, is drawn to the motherly smile and warmth of the little cottage, despite the luxuries of his mansion next door. John Brooke, Laurie ¹s tutor and Meg ¹s husband, too, is drawn to the homey atmosphere of the March residence, having recently lost his mother. In a bold move that differentiates Alcott from her contemporaries, the male characters in Little Women are all not capable of providing sustenance to their womenfolk as they are incapacitated (either by a war injury, an emotional scar, or an impoverished background). The women are thus forced to take on varied roles in order to provide materially and emotionally for the family. They are the ones who shoulder the burden in situations not unlike those of the Alcott family. Is it by chance, or is premeditation, that most of Alcott ¹s novels feature an absent father? And when he does reappear, he is very often silent, ill or injured. It is obvious Alcott has problems portraying strong male characters, probably from the fact that she hadn ¹t seen too many of them. Furthermore, Alcott is not able to describe a situation where love is emoted expressively from men. In all her novels, the male characters disappoint -- in one way or the other. In many ways, they are very similar to her own father. Bronson Alcott was a man who preferred dreaming, shirking his fatherly and husbandly

The Lack of Stringent Educational Values in America Essay examples --

Since I was a child, I have been a product of the American public educational system. From a young age, my classmates and I have always been told to study hard and we would do great things. This is true, for the most part, however, there is one tragic flaw in this statement. A person can always strive to be the best, but without the proper structure or guidance, he or she will never be able to reach their full potential. Robert Fellini is a prime example of never being able to reach his full potential because of the lack of guidance during his scholastic life. Fellini is a dear friend of mine and study partner for years. Like myself, he is a product of the public educational system. Although he has graduated from college, where does his life take him now? To be a security guard at a bank. This is what Fellini is currently doing for employment. While studying with Fellini, he mentioned his aspirations to become a lawyer. He definitely had the knowledge an d the ambition, but his fatal flaw was the lack of support from both his educators and personal family. The educational system is better in Asia than in America because of the values instilled in students at a young age. In Asian countries, such as China and Japan, children are taught from a young age that there is nothing more valuable in the world than an education. This is quite different from the teachings of American children. In Talking to High Monks in the Snow by Lydia Minatoya, we find that the attitude of the students she taught in Boston were greatly less appreciative and ambitious as the students she taught in Japan and China. Throughout her journey, both the students from Japan and China resembled a more studious and advantageous... ...to become ambitious if there are no educators to motivate them? Japan and China have one very important thing in common, their educators are well respected and their student body is far more intelligent than America. What would happen if America became a country of academic supremacy? If we were to become a global giant in the academic world, and combine that with our economical and living aspirations, what would be the disadvantage in living in such a country? Works Cited Hassett, Kevin A. Rethinking Competitiveness. Washington, D.C.: AEI, 2012. Print. Healey, Nigel M. "Is Higher Education in Really 'Internationalising'?" Higher Education 55.3 (2008): 333-55. JSTOR. Web. Nov.-Dec. 2013. . Minatoya, Lydia Y. Talking to High Monks in the Snow: An Asian American Odyssey. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1992. Print.

Beattie noted in his history paper Essay

Shakespeare died over 400 years ago. So, Hiram inserted a quote by Shakespeare from the play Hamlet into an essay without using quotation marks or citing the reference. I disagree that the essay was not cited and no questions  marks were used when the quote was inserted. If you do not cite a quote that was copied from a text, even if the author has died, this was being considered plagiarism. If you would have paraphrased the quote that would be difference because you are taking pieces of the quote and putting the rest in your own words. Beattie noted in his history paper the fact that representatives from the 13 British colonies signed the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776, but he did not cite a source for the information. I disagree that Beattie did not cite the source. Consider that he noted a fact that the British colonies signed the Declaration in the year 1776. He mentions the year of when the Declaration was signed, so this should be cited. When taking notes about the American Revolution. Sara found a quote of Benjamin Franklin’s words, which she paraphrased. She inserted it into her paper without quotation marks or a reference to Benjamin Franklin. I disagree that Sara did not cite her paper. When paraphrasing if you state the author and the year, a source should be cited. Jeffery wrote a paper on popular music in which he claimed that many songs came from earlier sources. He included the entire song lyrics from the Beatles and compared them to the lyrics of a song by a folk singer from the 1930s. He cited the Beatles. Although he included the lyrics from the 1930 song, he did not include a reference to the source. I agree that Jeffrey cited the singer of the song lyrics. I disagree that he did not reference the source. Whenever you site a source from a textbook you should include a reference page. The reference gives you all the information on where you have found your information.

Mammal classified

All living creatures are classified by a seven-level system.   The top level is kingdom, followed by phylum, and then class.   In this particular case, the system is animalia, chordata, and the mammalia, or mammals.   Mammals are animals which are warm-blooded, have fur, and live young.   They are classified further into 3 subclasses and then into 26 orders.   Mammals make up a significant portion of the visible species on earth, and include humans and all house pets. The first subclass is called Eutheria.   In includes these orders: Artiodactyla (deer, camels, pigs, cows, sheep, etc.), Carnivora (cats, bears, etc.), Cetacea (whales, dolphins), Chiroptera (bats), Insectivora (hedgehogs, moles, shrews), Lagomorpha (rabbits, hares), Perissodactyla (horses, rhinos, tapirs), Primates (apes, monkeys, lemurs, people), Proboscidea (elephants, etc.), Rodentia (rats, etc.), Sirenia (sea cows, manatees), Tubulidentata (aardvarks), and more (www.enchantedlearning.com).   These are the most familiar mammals to people, and it is also the largest subclass.   Other subclasses are Metatheria (marsupials) and Protheria. Each order contains a number of different animals, which are all similar to each other in certain ways.   For example, â€Å"artiodactlya† contains animals that have an even number of toes, while â€Å"perissodactyla† contains animals that have an odd number of toes.   Both classes are similar, in that they both have large animals.   â€Å"Primates† is possibly the most familiar class, and it contains humans and monkeys, which are very similar, in having body hair and opposable thumbs. Classifying mammals allows scientists to understand the features of the different groups.   While all mammals reproduce sexually and have live young, the gestational periods are different in different classes.   Knowing the differences helps to understand the different animals that scientists and people encounter. Mammal classifications are very helpful in understanding the similarities and differences between types of animals.   It helps scientists to understand and order the world around them, and is a useful and necessary system.   

Company overview

British petroleum (BP) is one of the largest energy companies dealing in fuel for transportation, energy for heat and light, retail services and petroleum products. The company’s international headquarters is in London. The company has operations in more than 100 countries and employs over 96,000 people. The company has products under the BP, Castrol, Arco, am/pm, and Wild Bean Cafe brand (BPplc, About Bp, 2009). The company operates under two major business segments; exploration and production, refining and marketing and BP alternative energy.The company basically finds, extract, move oil and gas. The company also makes fuels and products, sells fuels and products as well as generating low carbon energy in a responsible way. The company operates in six continents; South America, North America, Europe, Australasia, Asia and Africa (Vault. com, 2009). BP is also well known for its innovative technology which aims at providing energy to meet the customers demand through efficien t products. Investing in low carbon energy is also another option that the company is exploring (BPplc, About Bp, 2009). Strategic auditThe strategic audit of a corporation is an eight step process that generally encompasses a holistic analysis of the company. The basic aim in strategic audit is to establish the current position which will help the company chart the way forward. A strategic audit helps the company to formulate strategies and select the best strategic alternative(s) for implementation. The first step is the analysis of the current situation. This involves the audit of the current performance and strategic posture. Current performance is evaluated in terms of profitability, market share, and return on investment.Strategic posture looks at the mission, objectives, strategies and policies (BPplc, 2009 Strategy presentation, 2009). The second step is a look at the corporate governance. This means analysis of the board of directors and top management in terms of their str ucture, names and contribution to the company Scanning the external environment for opportunities and threats is the next step of a strategic audit. Under this stage, the company looks at the societal environment, task environment and finally listing all the above factors.The next step is the analysis of the internal environment i. e. strengths and weaknesses. Here, the corporate structure, culture, resources (marketing, finance, research and development, operations and logistics, human resource management and information systems) is looked into. A summary of these factors is then prepared (BPplc, 2009 Strategy presentation, 2009). After looking at the external and internal environments, the company then analyses its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT).These are then linked to the company’s mission and objectives to establish any relevance. The next step of the strategic audit is the analysis of the strategic alternatives in order to select the best strate gy (ies) to be recommended. The recommendation should be justified by looking at the potential, changes and impacts of the strategy. After making the recommendations, the next step is the implementation of the proposed strategy (ies). The implementation will include assigning duties on who is to develop these strategies. The financial aspect and operating procedures should be analyzed.The last step of the strategic audit is the evaluation and control. Evaluation and control involves a look at the current information system i. e. whether it can provide sufficient feedback and whether there are enough controls (BPplc, 2009 Strategy presentation, 2009). Strategic Alternatives In formulating the best strategic alternatives, the company has to consider the economic, socio-cultural, political-legal, technological and financial strengths and challenges facing the company. Economic environment This involves looking at the economic environment.The company operates in an industry that has oth er large companies e. g. Shell, Chevron, Exxon Mobil, Total and other smaller companies. All these companies have the resources and technical ability to compete at the same level as BP Plc. This is why the company has focused on cost reduction through measures like staff reduction and efficient production. The company has also focused on alternative energy e. g. solar and wind. This is as a result of the challenging operating environment where there has been a growing shift to green energy that has minimal pollution.In an industry faced with rising production costs, the company has been on track by focusing on means and ways of reducing their costs. The focus has been on reducing the number of staff and reducing the number of senior positions in the company by 20%. This strategy has borne fruit with the flattening of the cost curve of the company while those of the competitors keep on rising. The company’s focus on new technologies has resulted into improved production capaci ty. In fact the overall production trend for all the major companies has been declining. BP Plc.has defied this trend by increasing its production in the year 2007-2008. The technology used by the company includes Advanced Gas Injection and Water flood technologies that have enabled the company to push the limits of the reservoirs. The drop in oil prices means declining revenues. In order to increase revenues, the company has focused on reducing the performance gap by restoring revenues in areas like Toledo, improving supply optimization in petrochemical and marketing. The company area of focus for petrochemicals is Asia where there is rising demand. The company has also established value chains for its fuel production.Value chains are those activities that create value from the supply to the final delivery to the consumer. This has been achieved through integrated supply and trading which has lead to more revenues. In a bid to increase its oil reserves, the company has also partner ed with TNK of Russia. The partnership has resulted in 30% increase in production. Socio-cultural The company has tried to endear itself to the community in which it operates. BP achieves this through training and employing local staff at all levels. The aim here is to be a local company by creating partnerships with the local community.BP strategic aim is to reduce the levels of resistance to its operations by avoiding cultural conflicts as well as social effects. The company has entered into partnerships with the local community in terms of education, encouraging enterprise, fostering good governance, partnership in public health, access to energy, giving and volunteering, safeguarding human rights, as well as development through community case studies. All these activities are targeted at enhancing and fostering the relationship between the company and all the community in which it operates thus reducing conflicts between the community and the company.Political-legal Some of the challenges that the company could face are the political/ legal. This is because the company has operations in many countries that may be subject to political instability. To mitigate this, the company has formed partnerships with local companies and thus reduces resistance towards the company consequently the company is able to increase its operations and revenues. Rigid legal regimes concerning the operations of foreign companies may negatively impact the operations of the company. The company has reduced this by engaging in partnerships with local companies.Taxation and licensing may vary from country to country. This may have negative impacts on the company’s operations. Exploration and production rights may not be granted to the company. BP has overcome this challenge by partnering with the governments of respective countries through agreements. Technological In a bid to improve its operations and increase productivity, the company has adopted innovative technologies. So me of these technologies include the Bright water which uses new inter-well polymer treatment which ultimately improves water flood Recovery.The Company has focused on technology to come up with innovative approaches that can increase production as well as solve energy challenges Financial information BP plc has been able to grow its net income by 39% to $26. 2 billion which is the highest growth rate registered by major energy companies. Cash flow from operations also grew 54% to $ 38. 1 billion on a year on year percentage basis. The company was also the only super major to register growth in reported volumes in new reserves. The company registered a growth of 1% on year on year percentage basis. Apart from operations, the company utilizes debt to finance its activities.The debt is at the rate of 20-30%. All these financial data indicates that the company is focused on growth by efficiently using its cash resources to generate more sales and improve on the shareholders wealth by e ngaging in share buy backs. Recommended strategy Based on the analysis of all the above factors, some of the available strategies are; – Cost reduction strategies – Alternative energy by diversification – Focus on growing markets growth – Creating value on existing products – Partnership to grow – Technology leadership – Continuous improvement These strategies can be broadly classified into two directional i.e. growth and retrenchment strategies. The company can utilize the growth strategies in its upstream segment (exploration and production) and retrenchment strategies on its down stream business (refining, convenience, refining) (Wheelen, 2006) Implementation of the strategy Strategy implementation involves all the activities and choices that are required for the execution of a strategy. The implementation process basically deciding who is to carry out the plan what must be done and how are the selected people selected to carry out the strategic plan going to do it (Wheelen, 2006).These strategies are normally executed by various heads of business segments subordinated by other employees within the business segments. This has been done through budget allocations, programs that indicate the time frame in which the various strategies need to be implemented and the use of procedures e. g. the Operating Management System that covers employee capabilities to risk assessment. Some of the programs used by the company are those of closing the performance gap which runs from 2008 to 2011, and the reduction of the number of employees in refining and marketing from mid 2007 to the end of 2009 by 3,500.After deciding on who and what must be done, the company must decide on how the strategy is going to be implemented. How a strategy is to be implemented might involve developing new organizational structure. For BP plc, to implement some of its strategies, the company has decided to eliminate certain senior and junior posi tions. Evaluation and control This is the process by which a company can monitor its corporate activities and performance results in order to compare the actual performance with the desired performance. Evaluation and control provides a feedback mechanism where corrective measures can be taken where necessary (Wheelen, 2006)Evaluation and control can be summarized into the following 5 steps – Determine what to measure – Establish standards of performance – Measure actual performance – Compare actual performance with the standards – Take corrective action The company has set out plans to reduce costs and improve on efficiency on its operations. The company wants to grow its upstream business (exploration and production) while at the same time turning around its downstream business. Upstream business growth is measured by growth in reserves, increased replacement percentage, and getting more out of reservoirs.Downstream business is to be improved thr ough cost reduction by restructuring the company’s operations e. g. by downsizing and recapitalizations Improved bottom-line, high reserve replacement percentages, efficient operations, growth in reserves are some of the standards of performance that the company uses to gauge performance. Actual performance is measured at specified times e. g. for BP plc, restoring revenues from refining performance, improved supply optimization and margin capture in petrochemical and marketing has a time frame of 2008-2011The comparison of actual performance against standard performance has to be done in order to establish the current position for example in 2008; the production grew 1. 5% while the replacement reserve was 136% which was more than the minimum 100% replacement. If the actual performance does not match the expected results, then corrective action needs to be taken. An example is the restoration of capacities in Texas City so as to boost refining and consequently revenues. Refe rences BPplc. (2009, March 3rd). 2009 Strategy presentation. Retrieved April 15th, 2009, from Bp. com: http://www. bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/STAGING/global_assets/downloads/I/IC_bp_strategy_presentation_march_2009_script. pdf BPplc. (2009, March 3rd). About Bp. Retrieved April 15th, 2009, from Bp. com: http://www. bp. com/marketingsection. do? categoryId=2&contentId=7013628 Vault. com. (2009, April 14th). Indusrty Overview. Oil and Gas. Retrieved April 15th, 2009, from Vault. com: http://www. vault. com/nr/main_article_detail. jsp? article_id=22843159&cat_id=0&ht_type=7. Wheelen, J. D. (2006). Essentials of Strategic Mnagement. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. (BPplc, 2009 Strategy presentation, 2009)