Weekly Video Analysis Report Essay Example for Free

Weekly Video Analysis Report Essay 1. Issue: Jack have a good plan for the implementation of the ASRS, but poor planning. To implement the system they are going to have to use IT and bandwidth personnel who are already involved in other projects and obviously have not been informed. 2. Issue: Customers are having to go through a long process in order to have direct communication with Customers Service Representatives. They are having to pick from a long list of choices and to long of a wait listening to recordings after recording, when they finally get to talk to a person, they are having to wait even more to get their questions answered and get information regarding the process, address and other issues with purchase returns. 3. Issue: Customers are having to call to get information on how, where, and what they need to do in order to return a product they purchased. 4. Issue: CanGo has an issue with the way their web site is designed. They are losing customers and the ones who are browsing are not buying, which seem to be the same problem other sites are having. 5. Issue: Nick whom is a Senior Staff Member is employed by CanGo as a swing operator in the shipping, expediting, and marketing departments. He has a degree from City College in New York, although it is reported that Nick led the company in sales during CanGo’s last quarter, Nick is always confused about everything. He’s not organized, can’t seem to keep information where  it can be found, and don’t seem to take his job seriously. 6. Issue: Conservative on the expected improvement numbers; process flow chart nowhere near being done, the â€Å"buck† was being passed as to who had the flow chart; peer Pressure used by VALS2tm to sell more product; current campaign seem to work with a market in a different country 1. Recommendation: Jack need to submit a requisition for implementation of the plan to CanGo’s Board of Directors and request a meeting with all the staff from IT and bandwidth before deciding on having them work on the system. Everyone involved in the project has to be able and willing to participate. Jack also have to make sure that the company will be willing to set a budget for the system. 2. Recommendation: The system needs to be updated to make it easy for customers to make immediate connection with Customers Service. There need be no more than three choices given by the recording. a. Choose 1 if you need to speak directly to a Customers Service Representative. b. Choose 2 if you are calling to check on your order. c. Choose 3 if you are willing to complete a short survey. 3. Recommendation: Each package should include instructions as to how, where, how much time the customer has to return any items purchase, requirements for returns (CD preciously opened cannot be returned) addressed pre labeled tags, Customers Service telephone number and option number they need to pick for faster service. 4. Recommendations: CanGo need to re-design the web site to appeal to the type of customers who are most interested in the type of products they offer. They need to reach customers and request their input. The use of surveys would benefit them to gain this information. Once again making, it a simpler way for the customers to communicate with Customers Service, including satisfaction surveys with each product they ship and offering their customers the choice to log in and completed on line satisfaction  input may also be a good way of getting their customers feedback. 5. Recommendation: CanGo’s management need to have council with Nick and perhaps have him take an organizational training. CanGo need to reevaluate Nick’s performance. If Nick is not held responsible for not keeping deadlines, CanGo will lose time and money if this issue is not resolved. 6. Recommendation: When calculating the improvement numbers, one may want to add between 10-20% onto the numbers. This way if you come in under on the budget end, but up on the ROI and profits, you look good by management. Now if you remain conservative you are more likely to be over on a number of your predictions. When the manager wanted to see the flow chart, the employee’s should own up to the fact that they don’t have it and don’t know exactly where it is at. Thankfully Debbie was on top of everything within the flow chart. References Week 3 Introductory Video: Managing episode: Choosing a Strategy Assistant Operations Manager Debbie, Discussion Notes on the Customers Service Process. Episode Understanding Customers Behavior.

Mirror Neurons Essay Example for Free

Mirror Neurons Essay The sight of a strangers foot getting hammered induces an instant surge of sympathy within us. Watching a friend nauseate after eating something repulsive quickly causes our own stomachs to turn. This ability to understand and relate to another individuals internal state has provided great motivation for research. One source of explanation arose from research on mirror neurons-which fire both during execution and observation of a behaviour (Rizzollati Arbib, 1998). This particular class of neurons plays a crucial function in human social interactions. The importance of the mirror neuron system (MNS) for communication can be understood through its influence on nonverbal communication including facial expressions and hand gestures and verbal language. Furthermore, disorders affecting human communication-such as autism and schizophrenia-convey the impression of stemming from a malfunctioning MNS. Generally, human social interaction involves both verbal and nonverbal forms of communication. Obvious examples of nonverbal communication are facial expressions and hand gestures. A recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study by Montgomery and Haxby (2008) found evidence supporting the claim that the MNS contains distinct representations for facial expressions and hand gestures. Particularly, this study examined the inferior parietal lobule and the frontal operculum as the potential MNS brain regions involved in nonverbal communication. Further evidence comes from another fMRI study by Montgomery, Isenberg and Haxby (2007)-which demonstrated the activation of the MNS during hand movements used to manipulate objects and hand gestures used to communicate. A third fMRI study by Van, Minderaa and Keysers (2007) highlighted similar results by examining other putative MNS brain regions-inferior frontal gyrus, posterior parietal cortex, insula and amygdala-thought to be associated with facial expressions. Activity spontaneously increased in the MNS of participants that produced and observed certain facial expressions (Van et al., 2007). A study by Enticott, Johnston, Herring, Hoy, and Fitzgerald (2008) demonstrated an associations between mirror neurons and facial emotion processing. Instead of using fMRI as a method of analysis, Enticott and colleagues (2008) used the transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) technique. In brief, much evidence supporting the involvement of the MNS in the processes of facial expression and hand gesture exists. Such forms of communication form the basis for the later, more complex, verbal language development. Taking this thought further, verbal language also seems to be linked to the MNS. Firstly, Rizzollati et al. (1998) marked the discovery of mirror neurons in the F5 area within the monkeys’ frontal cortex. This primate-specific F5 area has been considered to be the homolog of the human Broca’s area, which is a region crucial for language (Rizzollati et al., 1998). With this in mind, Horwitz et al. (2003) demonstrated that both spoken and signed language are associated with mirror neurons firing in Broca’s area as a result of the production of language. In addition, an fMRI study by Aziz-Zadeh, Wilson, Rizzollati, and Lacoboni (2006) made evident that the MNS of the premotor cortex is activated both when participants observed mouth, hand and foot movements and when participants read phrases related to these body parts. Overall, these findings suggest that indeed the MNS influences verbal language. Moreover, another way of understanding the importance of the mirror neurons’ influence on human social interaction is by considering the consequences of a malfunctioning system. Autism spectrum disorder is characterized by social and language impairments. In other words, individuals with autism tend to be less interactive when it comes to communicating with others. Part of the MNS-the posterior inferior frontal and rostral inferior parietal areas are affiliated with social behaviour and imitative learning; however these areas have deficits in autistic individuals (Locoboni Mazziotta, 2007). In one study individuals with autism spectrum disorder showed significantly different electroencephalography (EEG) recordings of mirror neurons compared to a control group consisting of healthy individuals (Oberman, Hubbard, McCleery, Altschular, Ramachandran, Pineda, 2005). Similarly, schizophrenia is another disorder characterized by deficits in social communication, especially of the nonverbal type. Research by Kato Y., Muramatsu, Kato M., Shibukawa, Shintani, and Mimura (2011) using magnetoencephalography recordings on the right inferior parietal cortex showed atypical mirror neuron activity in non-treated schizophrenia patients. Likewise, similar results were found in a study that tested mirror neuron activity using TMS,; it was demonstrated that during action observation a reduction in motor facilitation occurs in schizophrenia patients (Enticott, Hoy, Herring, Johnston, Daskalakis, Fitgerald, 2008). Clearly, communication impairments observed in individuals with autism and schizophrenia are influenced by the MNS. In conclusion, human social interaction is influenced by mirror neurons. Evidence supports this statement through research done on the involvement of the MNS in nonverbal communication, including facial expressions and hand gestures and verbal language. Research has also suggested that an impaired MNS negatively affects social interaction, which is exemplified in the cases of autism and schizophrenia. Taken as a whole, combining mirror neurons’ role in imitative behaviour and social interaction-the process through which humans possibly acquire new social knowledge becomes evident. Additionally, the presence of mirror neurons in primates as well as humans provide evidence for the development of social interaction over the course of evolution. Thus, in order to further strengthen their existing relationship, future research should examine the co-evolution of mirror neurons and social interaction.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT: The Channel tunnel

PROJECT MANAGEMENT: The Channel tunnel INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT Project management is the planning, organizing and managing of tasks and resources to accomplish a defined objective, usually with constraints on time and cost. Most projects, whether they are large and complex or small and simple, can be planned by breaking the project into small, easily manageable tasks, scheduling the tasks, and then tracking the tasks as work progresses. Project management helps you answer questions such as: What is to be done? Who will complete the task? When must it be done? How much will it cost? What happens if work isnt completed on time? Planning the project and creating a schedule This includes defining the tasks and their duration, setting up relationships between tasks, and, if you are tracking resource usage, assigning resources. All later phases of the project are based directly on the information you provide when you first plan your project. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Managing changes This is an ongoing process that begins once you create a schedule and the project starts, and ends when the project is complete. It includes tracking and adjusting your schedule to reflect changes that occur as the project progresses. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Communicating project information This is a very important process that involves communicating project information to clients, project staff, and management. Project management software is productivity software that will assist you in each of these steps. Many professionals find it is among the most productive tools in their skill set. In todays business it is in the best interest of companies to have project managers. Common sense isnt always usually accomplished. For anyone whos ever worked on a project in a technical setting knows this. Indeed, much of working with others consists of solving unexpected problems and learning from mistakes along the way. Knowing this and having the proper tools a project manager will be able to manage and complete the most intense project out there. It seems that people time and again have the wrong impression of what a project manager does. It is not about being able to create a compound plan to hang on the wall. It is not about setting up conference after conference. This is about understanding a big business objective, understanding the technology involved, being able to communicate at an assortment of levels, being able to encourage and direct people, being able to handle the constant worry and troubles, and being structured enough to make certain the whole thing that needs to get completed, gets completed. What this comes down to is a project manager should be able to meet or exceed all of the stakeholders expectations. The project manager also must be able to get others to work with limited authority throughout the duration. Doing most of the work yourself is a poor long-term development strategy and will never solve the problem. In every project there are always some universal characteristics that will be shared. They all have a comprehensible and established purpose and very distinct life durations. Overall, all projects are doing something that may possibly be new or yet a onetime endeavor but have explicit requirements which include; time, price, and performance. Project management deals with tools, people, and systems. (Lewis) The first project of this module is to do a group poster presentation. We have limited time to carry out research and we were worn off by the intensive lectures. This is where I found out how time management and team work play as important elements for success. We distributed the workload among ourselves and set a time frame for completion. Group members were to adhere to the time frame stipulated. This is how we manage to complete a simple presentation, with many hidden hard work behind our success. A project manager should have certain qualities in order to successfully execute a project and then run them successfully for the project to be a hit in the market. A project manager should have certain attribute for successful in a project and they are Monitoring and Controlling: Project manger always monitors the work done by his team members and has control over the entire project. They also have to make sure about the budget estimated at the beginning of the project. Self-esteem: Project manager should always motivate his team members to do their work sincerely and help by supporting each and every one at the work. Leadership skills: Project Manager should have leadership qualities to manage the team. Project closure The final objective is project closure which includes verifying that all of the work has been accomplished, check the Contractual closure of the contract, financial closure of the charge numbers and finally administrative closure of the paperwork. Successful project management can then be defined as having achieved the project objectives. Project management has evolved to plan, co-ordinate and control the complex and diverse activities of modern industrial, commercial and management change and IT projects (Lock 2009). Channel Tunnel: Introduction The Channel tunnel project undertaken to create a connection between England and France via underground tunnel, presents one of the largest privately funded construction projects ever under taken. It required the cooperation of two national governments, bankers underwriting the funding for the projects, numerous contractors and several regular agencies. The construction and engineering of the tunnel required the use of new technology and required significant modifications during the project due to unexpected conditions and changes required by various parties. This case study demonstrates the numerous factors which played during the course of the project that has significant effects on the overall course of the project. At the end Caunnel project was completed, but it was late and over budgeted. The promotion of and investment in the Channel Tunnel was a challenging multinational affair drawing in institutions from several countries. In this paper, I concentrate on the promotion of the abortive tunnel project of 1957-1975 and the ultimately successful venture a decade later, focusing on governments and companies in Britain, France, the United States, and Japan. I identify the management and sharing of risk as the critical elements in the Tunnels political economy. Here, the difficulties produced by the quadripartite quilt of negotiations involving two governments (Britain and France) and two tunnel companies are at center stage, though I also argue that American involvement was important in the first project, and Japanese financial support was critical in the second. The debates concerned the type of crossing, questions of ownership versus licensing and regulation, and the importance of making public investment in related and supporting infrastructure. The Channel Tunnel has significance as a prototype of public-private partnership in Britain, and I draw lessons from the experience, referring in particular to the challenges presented by the infrastructure project circle.The paper draws on material assembled for Terry Gourvish, The Official History of the Channel Tunnel (London, 2006). It all started in 1802 when French forward a proposal to tunnel under the English Channel, which would be illuminated using oil lamps, horse-drawn coaches for transportation and also an artificial mid-channel foe changing horses. But, the project was delayed for a very long period In 1955 both British and French governments supported surveys and in 1974, a government-funded the twin tunnel project with car shuttle wagons. Later in 1975 British government had no interest in funding the project so they had no objection for a privately funded project. And hence the project was given into the hands of the private companies. On 2 july 1985, both French and British formed a group Channel Tunnel Group/France. The design and construction was done by this company as the project was undertaken by private companies. The Chunnel Tunnel is a build -own- operate- transfer project with a concession. And the British and French governments will hold the control on final engineering and safety decisions, now those were in the hands of Channel Tunnel Safety Authority. Eleven tunnel boring machines, which were working from both the sides of the tunnel cut through two rail tunnels and the service tunnel, this started in 1988, and 1994 operating of the tunnel began. And it was estimated that the cost of the construction was  £4.650 billon.15000 people were employed with daily expenditure over  £3 million. And ten workers were killed during the construction process. The Eurotunnel completed tunnel boring on time, hence the tunnel was finally opened officially by British Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterand in a ceremony held in Calais on 6th may 1994. The Chunnel Tunnel also known as (French: Chunnel tunnel source ls manche) is a 50.5-Kilometer undersea rail tunnel linking Folk stone, Kent near Dover in the United Kingdom with coquilles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France. At its lowest point, it is 75 meters (250 ft) deep 1802 Channel tunnel proposal was brought across by Albert Mathieu 1875 The beginning of Channel Tunnel Company Ltd 1882 Abbots Cliff had reached 897 yards (820 m) and Shakespeare Cliff was 2,040 yards (1,870 m) in length. January 1975 British-French government stopped there backed scheme support in 1974 February 1986 They proceeded the project with the permission of Treaty of Canterbury June 1988 In France the First tunneling was started December 1988 Tunneling operation was started in UK December 1990 Broke down of the service tunnel under the Channel May 1994 The formal inauguration by The Queen and President(French) Mid 1994 Passenger and Cargos started using the trains November 1996 Due to fire there was huge damage in the tunnel November 2007 After the renovation the tunnel was re opened for the public. Fig. SOME IMPORTANT DATES. Challenges: Communication Gap Communication plays a very vital role in a project, not only for the project managers but also for the rest of the team members. This is one of the factors driving a project to success or failure. England and France are the two groups of people who were working together and there were communication gap between two teams, which leads to major delay of the project. Planning There was no proper planning for this project as this was the first project towards Chunnel, none of them were aware how to go about it and what are the different kinds of challenges they will come across during this project and they were unable to project on anything. In every stage they use to come up with different problems and that use to take time this use to reflect time factors and because of this budget use to go high. Strengths Technically strongly built, hence a successful Quality Management implemented. Back office support was excellent. Good team work between two groups. A winning proposal under build owner transfer granted to CTG and overall quality of work impressive, work place accident rates were below the industrial average and implementation of effective change management. Weakness Time delay and over budget, project was not well planned, poor change management, risk management was not in place, change in design resulted in project delay, litigation and claims was high in the project, lack of team work and communication, financial model optimistic resulted in cost increase, scope was not well defined and rolling stock and specifications were not the same between British and French. Lessons to be learnt: Due to proper planning there was delay at work provide adequate defined scope and a well planned changed management system, the sound risk management technique and adequate planning and research techniques to be put in place. Good coordination between two governments and try minimizing the litigation and claims by brining proper planning in place. We had a great time doing this project. The time and money spent on Channel tunnel inspired all team members to take a trip through the Euro-France Eurotunnel. While preparing a poster me and other team memebers got an oppurtunity to watch a documentary video on Euro tunnel filmed by Discovery channel. Project management theories of team leadership was a big lesson I got to learn while doing this poster. One of the team members took control when the team dynamism was coming to a stand still. Watching him giving direction to team and motivating various team members to perform was when I understood leadership roles. I played a role of organiser in the team. I took responsibility to keep track of every ones effort in the team. I also passed on their work done to every other team member, and acknowledged that member. Presentation skills was of most importance in poster making as we were not allowed to explain the posters, whereas the posters had to speak for themselves. All the team had to put their thinking caps on and rack brains to come with a good presentation idea. At first we planned to put everything we had into the poster but later realised that would over crowd the poster. Hence then we sorted the data we had and then easened our poster with a partitioned look and a title in the middle. Project Life Cycle As can been seen in the methodology lifecycle graph shown in the poster and also attached in the appendix, our poster making task was a smooth run. Our module leader Michael Snelgrove assigned our team Jaguar with Chunnel Tunnel case study. To make a poster on Chunnel Tunnel project case study wasnt a easy task. I joined the team later hence in the second week the team introduced me to the case study and we all decided to meet again with highlighted essentials. The week after we all discussed and distributed essential task amongst ourselves every Niaz introduced us to the title Everything Comes Down To Money as in the Chunnel Tunnel project the blotted budget was the big issue. Everyone agreed with the title and started with further data collection, Niloy one of the team members gave me the sources for study materials and there on we finalized the total data and content to be presented in the poster. We discussed reaming time cost of printing, specification of poster and risk of show ing some required data on the poster. Every one confirmed their acceptance towards work submitted by each team member. The printing cost of the poster were one of the issues in one of the data meetings but the module leader Michael Snelgrove solved the problem by taking responsibility for poster printing costs, as we were nearing the data submission we discussed our work with the module leader and requested for suggestions to improve the poster then more amendment tasks were distributed among ourselves we then finally sat together and finalized the poster. Analysis and Communications were the major skills we used for the successful completion of the given task. We received positive comments on the judgment day of poster except for our criticism on showing the Hitlers photograph in the poster. Conclusion After doing the poster makings the group has a whole understood that no previous experience and hidden technical costs resulted in late compellation of the project with the bloated budget.

Insanity and the Necessity of Madness in King Lear Essay -- King Lear

The Necessity of Madness in King Lear At the beginning of â€Å"King Lear,† an authoritative and willful protagonist dominates his court, making a fateful decision by rewarding his two treacherous daughters and banishing his faithful one in an effort to preserve his own pride. However, it becomes evident during the course of the tragedy that this protagonist, Lear, uses his power only as a means of projecting a persona, which he hides behind as he struggles to maintain confidence in himself. This poses a problem, since the audience is prevented from feeling sympathy for the king. Shakespeare’s ironic solution is to allow Lear’s progressing madness to be paired with his recognition of truth, thereby forcing Lear to shed his persona, and simultaneously persuading the audience that Lear is worthy of pity. Lear is initially consumed by what Burton would refer to as the human appetite,[1] and exhibits traits indicative of someone dominated by the choleric humor: he is prideful, yearns for authority, and bullies others when he doesn’t get his way. After Cordelia refuses to dote on him in the first scene, he goes into a fit of rage: Let it be so; the truth then be thy dower†¦ Here I disclaim all my paternal care, Propinquity and property of blood, And as a stranger to my heart and me Hold thee from this for ever. (I, i, 110-118) [2] Lear’s fury, however, only masks the fact that he is really a very needy person, consumed by an insatiable appetite for power and attention. As Bloom says, â€Å"Lear always demands more love than can be given.†[3] Lear proves this to be true when he repeatedly rejects those who love him most, banishing both Cordelia and Kent, who would protect him from his other two daughters’ impending betrayal. D... ...say (Trans.). The Republic of Plato: The Wisdom of Socrates as Recounted by His Pupil Plato. New York: E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1957. p.171. 6-Bloom, p. 482. 7-James Hutton (Trans.). Aristotle’s Poetics. New York: Norton & Company, Inc., 1982. p. 51. 8- Bruccoli, Clark, Layman â€Å"Aristotle,† in Bood, (ed.). Dictionary of Literary Biography: Ancient Greek Authors. Vol. 176 (1997), pp. 55-76. 9-Wilson Knight. â€Å"The Lear Universe† in The Wheel of Fire. London: Oxford University Press, 1930. p. 201 10- A.C. Bradley. Shakespearean Tragedy. London: Macmillan & Co. Ltd., 1961. p. 239. 11- Knight, p. 203. 12-William Shakespeare. As You Like It. New York: Signet Classic, 1998. p. 44. 13- T.S. Eliot. â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.† The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. II (New York, WW.Norton, 19860. pp. 2174 ff. 14-Bradley, p. 242.

The Importance of Dialect and Names in Kate Chopins The Storm :: Chopin Storm Essays

The Importance of Dialect and Names in The Storm    Kate Chopin is able to put life into her characters in her short story The Storm because she has lived a life similar to that of the people in it.   She was raised by her French Creole mother, which explains her ties to Creole in her story.   She married a wealth New Orleans cotton broker and in 1888 he died.   She was left with no money and six children so she turned to writing as a means to raise them.   The characters in her story depict life in the Cajun area of America and it shows in the nature of their ways.   She does this by giving them real characteristics that can make them seem more real.   Among these characteristics are their names and their dialect.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Chopin's use of Creole names in her story allows the reader to get a glimpse into the life of those living in French Creole areas.   Names such as Bibi and Bobinot aren t common names to most living in other parts of the country.   Because of this, readers are given a chance to read the story believing the characters to be real.   Had their names been common such at John or Eric, the story would become unreal in the sense that it would be difficult for Chopin to make the reader believe that the story takes place in a Cajun-like surrounding.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Furthermore, other names in the story serve as a piece of the story setting as well.   Bibi s wife Calixta is a good example of this as is Calixta s man friend Alcee Laballiere.   Their names alone give you a sense that the story isn t set in just any area.   Though Chopin doesn t ever say where the setting of the story is, but something insignificant like the names can be used to help the reader make his or her own assumptions.   I got the sense that it was set in a Cajun area of the United States due to the French names.   Bobinot and Laballiere are unmistakably French in nature and due to the fact that Cajun areas are heavily influenced by French, Chopin made a setting without ever having to actually say it.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Another way Chopin sets the mood of the story and makes it feel more believable is by giving her characters a Cajun slang in their conversations. The Importance of Dialect and Names in Kate Chopin's The Storm :: Chopin Storm Essays The Importance of Dialect and Names in The Storm    Kate Chopin is able to put life into her characters in her short story The Storm because she has lived a life similar to that of the people in it.   She was raised by her French Creole mother, which explains her ties to Creole in her story.   She married a wealth New Orleans cotton broker and in 1888 he died.   She was left with no money and six children so she turned to writing as a means to raise them.   The characters in her story depict life in the Cajun area of America and it shows in the nature of their ways.   She does this by giving them real characteristics that can make them seem more real.   Among these characteristics are their names and their dialect.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Chopin's use of Creole names in her story allows the reader to get a glimpse into the life of those living in French Creole areas.   Names such as Bibi and Bobinot aren t common names to most living in other parts of the country.   Because of this, readers are given a chance to read the story believing the characters to be real.   Had their names been common such at John or Eric, the story would become unreal in the sense that it would be difficult for Chopin to make the reader believe that the story takes place in a Cajun-like surrounding.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Furthermore, other names in the story serve as a piece of the story setting as well.   Bibi s wife Calixta is a good example of this as is Calixta s man friend Alcee Laballiere.   Their names alone give you a sense that the story isn t set in just any area.   Though Chopin doesn t ever say where the setting of the story is, but something insignificant like the names can be used to help the reader make his or her own assumptions.   I got the sense that it was set in a Cajun area of the United States due to the French names.   Bobinot and Laballiere are unmistakably French in nature and due to the fact that Cajun areas are heavily influenced by French, Chopin made a setting without ever having to actually say it.      Ã‚  Ã‚   Another way Chopin sets the mood of the story and makes it feel more believable is by giving her characters a Cajun slang in their conversations.

Should We Balance National Debt? :: Argumentative Persuasive Economics Papers

Should We Balance National Debt? The national debt is a problem that the entire country has to deal with. The questions is whether or not to balance it? Morally the answer is yes. We should not leave this burden for our children to solve. If the deficit was balanced then this country would have more money to spend on other programs such as welfare or medicare. Fifteen percent of national spending is used to pay for the current deficit. With another 15% of our budget to spend on tax-cuts or other issues this could cause an economic boom. Some say that balancing the budget is not the right thing to do. It is said that by balancing the budget at the end of the fiscal year would cause the government to raise taxes therefore slowing down the economy. Some also say that we should not balance the budget because none of the countries that have paid for the bonds will never collect the money owed. They will just let the bonds collect interest therefore we are not responsible to pay back the money. This relies on that the bond holders never collect which we do not know for sure if they won't. We need to be prepared so if the bond holders do collect we can fullfill our end of the deal and pay the money we owe. To balance the budget will take years to accomplish and a little better handling of money than we currently doing. Since the Cold War is over we no lomger need to be spending as much money on defense as we have

Pertussis caused by Pertussis toxin

B. Pertussis is a bacterium that is responsible for causing whooping cough. The symptoms and signs develop as a result of action of the Pertussis toxin on the upper respiratory tract (containing ciliated ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium). The individual develops several episodes of uncontrollable coughing. The characteristic whoop sound is heard during the cough. It develops especially when the individual is breathing in. The individual also develops fever, diarrhoea and a running nose .Before understanding the mechanism by which the toxin acts (that is a transduction mechanism), it is important that the physiology of transduction is understood. Receptors are present on the surface of a cell which helps it to communicate with its external world. Specific molecules bind with these receptors present in the external environment and are recognised by the cell. Once these molecules bind to the receptors a cascade of intracellular signals may be produced which brings about sev eral processes and actions in the cell.A number of antigens or molecules can be recognised by receptors preset on the surface of the cell, following which signals are transmitted within the cell. The lymphocyte cells can bind with and recognise several antigens (belonging to various microorganism and foreign substances). The receptors which are present on the surface of the lymphocytes are made up of complexes containing multiple proteins. Some of the antigens are capable of binding with receptors present on the surface of the lymphocyte and stimulate them to divide further or differentiate into specific effectors cells having a certain function.Some of the antigens are also capable of brining about death of degeneration of the cell. The receptors present on the two types of lymphocytes may be different from each other and are able to recognise different molecules or antigens. However, in both lymphocytes, the intracellular signal pathway is similar. Ultimately, the nucleus is activ ated and alterations occur in the genes to enable a reaction from the lymphocyte (including gene expression) . Receptors are present on the surface of the cell, where molecules bind, and the cell is able to identify the molecule that has attached.The receptor proteins are able to produce a signal once the molecule has attached to the receptor. This signal is transmitted across the plasma membrane, and brings about intracellular events. Signal transduction is a process by which signals are transformed from one form to another. The transformation of the intracellular signal ensures that the message is transmitted in a forward direction, to its destination. The signal may be transmitted to various portions of the cell and may be also get amplified. Finally, the nucleus receives the intracellular signal and the genetic transcription helps to bring about division of the cell .Most of the studies conducted currently for signal transduction were performed on animals, and only a few are con ducted on human subjects . Hence, a lot need to be studied in the field of signal transduction. In some receptors present on the surface of the cell, once antigens are bound with specific molecules, certain ion channels are opened up and an ionic gradient exists that works as an intracellular signal. In certain other cells, when the receptor combines with the molecule, a change in the protein occurs that causes the cytoplasm to get stimulated, resulting in transmission of intracellular signals.When the receptor combines with the specific molecule, a signal is transmitted that enables the receptors to cluster on the surface of the cell. This clustering results in the receptor producing a very strong signal. The exact manner in which the receptors clustering occur is still not understood. However, if the cell contacts another cell that has several copies of the MHC protein complex, they begin to recognise it and cluster around . The receptors present on the cell, usually bring about i ntracellular signals by stimulating the enzyme protein tyrosine kinase (they add phosphate group to tyrosine residues).The receptors on the cytoplasmic front contain tyrosine kinase that is usually inactive. However, when clustering occurs, they begin to stimulate each other through transphosphorlyation, which further activate the biochemical signalling molecules present in the cytoplasm. On the antigen front of the receptor, no tyrosine kinase is available and hence the cytoplasmic front combines with the tyrosine kinase present in the cytoplasm. During clustering, the enzymes are closer to each other, which help to activate the intracellular signalling mechanism.The biochemical activity of the cell is regulated by phosphorylation of the enzymes and proteins by the tyrosine kinase. Phosphorylation makes certain enzymes active, and once they are dephosphorylated (by the enzyme protein phosphatase), they become inactive. Once an enzyme is phosphorylated, new binding sites are created for the target proteins . Phospholipase C-gamma enzyme is present at the tyrosine receptor or the plasma membrane and can attach itself to phosphotryrosine. This enzyme amplifies and forwards the signal.Once tyrosine kinase gets phosphrylated, the phopholipid is broken down into 2 components, namely DAG and IP3. Many DAG and IP3 molecules are produced from single molecules of PLC-gamma, and in this way the signal gets amplified. The IP3 combines with the receptors present on the endoplasmic reticulum, causing the release of calcium ions, and thus raising the level of calcium intracellularly. The signal is maintained even when the Calcium ions are exhausted, as calcium channels present on the cell membrane are opened and the extra-cellular calcium flows in.The Calcium ion binding protein Calmodulin is also activated that controls the activity of other enzymes present in the cell. The signal is transmitted to the nucleus. DAG on the other hand activates the enzyme Protein kinase C. T hey may act in several mechanisms to finally ensure that the signal has reached the nucleus . Calmodulin also controls the activity of the enzyme adenylate cyclase produced by the human cell GTP-proteins help to transmit the signal from the tyrosine kinase receptors to the nucleus. Ras is the most common type of GTP-proteins.It may be activated once the molecule comes in contact with the receptor. Ras can be bound to GTP or GDP. The GDP form of Ras is inactive compared to the GTP. This inter-conversion is brought about by the enzyme Ras-GTPase. Usually, the GTP-proteins are present in an inactive form and are activated once the specific molecule comes in contact with the receptor. GDP can also be converted to GTP by GEF’s. Activation of GTP-proteins leads to activation of several protein kinases (known as ‘MAP-kinase’). MAP-kinase can bring about phophrylation and activation of nucleus transcription .B. Pertussis sticks to the cell with the help of â€Å"filamen tous hemagglutinin† (FHA). The Pertussis Toxin also helps to bind the bacterial cell to the host cell. During the colonization of the bacteria, the toxin plays a very important role in invasion . The substance Filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) produced by B. Pertussis combines with the receptor integrin present on the plasma membrane. This in turn stimulates increased binding of another portion of FHA with another receptor present on the plasma membrane known as ‘complement receptor-3’ (CR-3).In this way as the binding of the B. Pertussis antigen is increased with the receptors present on the plasma membrane, the signal produced is strong . The Pertussis Toxin mainly helps the bacterial cell to attach itself to the epithelium of the trachea. The Pertussis toxin is made up of 5 subunits (obtained through the process of gel electrophoresis), namely S-1, S-2, S-3, S-4 and S-5. In fact, the S-4 component is two in number . The subunit S-4 is present in a larger ratio co mpared to the others.The Pertussis toxin has two components namely, A-promoter (S-1) which brings about the toxin enzymatic activity, and B-oligomer (S-2, S-3, S-4 and S-5), which helps the toxin to bind to the receptor present on the plasma membrane. The Pertussis toxin produces several physiological effects including rise in the lymphocyte count, activating the islet cells to release greater amounts of insulin and exaggerating the effects of histamine. The physiological effects of Pertussis toxin mainly brings about it effect on the G-i component of the adenylate cyclase.The toxin works by ADP-ribosylation of G-i protein provided by the S-1 component of the toxin . Compared to normal stimuli, activation with the Pertussis toxin results in greater accumulation of the cAMP within the cells. Agents that obstruct production of cAMP are inactivated by the Pertussis toxin. When the cell is affected with Pertussis toxin and toxin acts on G-i protein, the responses to various chemotactic agents are reduced, suggesting that G-i plays a very important role in the development of immunity.Transducin is Guanine-protein present in the rods and the cones that activates cyclic AMP-selective phosphodiesterase. ADP-ribosylation of tranducin is also stimulated by Pertussis toxin . By altering the manner in which G-proteins are bound, the bacterial toxin can obstruct the signal transduction process. The toxin brings about ADP-ribosylation of certain alpha subunits of the G-protein component of adenylate cyclase namely G-i, G-o, G-t, G-gust, and G-s is not converted to G-olf. Once G-i is ribosylated, the enzyme adenylate cyclase is reduced increasing the level of cAMP .Once the levels of cAMP are raised, the function of the phagocytic cells is reduced (such as chemotaxis, engulfment, bactericidal action, etc) . The S-1 component of the Pertussis toxin is united with the B-oligomer portion in a non-covalent manner. The B-oligomer portion helps the toxin to attach to the receptor present on the plasma membrane. Without the B-oligomer portion, the S-1 component of the Pertussis toxin is unable to pass through the cell . The S-2 and the S-3 components of the Pertussis Toxin mainly help in adhesion of the cell to the host cells.Ciliated epithelial cells contain a glycolipid that helps the S-2 component to bind, whereas the phagocyctic cells contain glycoprotein that helps to bind the S-3 component . Certain opioid receptors are present on the surface of the cell that is linked with the G-protein receptor family. Once the opioid receptors have been activated by the Pertussis toxin, the G-proteins that are sensitive to the Pertussis toxin (namely G-i and/or G-o) are stimulated. The ADP-ribose portion of the NAD is transferred to the G-i. G-i gets inactivated and does not obstruct adenylate cyclase.The intracellular concentration of cAMP increases because the transformation of ATP to AMP cannot be controlled . This results in generation of an intracellular signal which activates the gene transcription in the nucleus and brings about cell division. Once the opioid receptor has been activated, the enzyme Adenylate cyclase is decreased and the Cyclic AMP levels present in the cell are increased. Calcium channels are repressed and inward flow of potassium ions are stimulated by the opioid receptors. When the opioid receptors were stimulated, neuronal excitability reduced.Opioid receptors activation can also bring about activation of the MAP-kinase. Once this occurs, arachidonate may be released and genes c-fos and jun-B are expressed . BvgA and BvgS proteins help the B. Pertussis to express adhesions, virulence factors and toxins. BvgA appear similar to the regulator component, whereas BvgS appears similar to the regulator and sensory component. This system helps to bring about phosphorylation cascade following sensory inputs. As transmission and receiving can occur in this system, a signal pathway system does exist.The cytoplasmic front of the BvgS autophosphorylates with ATP (r-phosphate portion). BvgA is phosphorylated following transfer of BvgS of the phosphate group to the Asp. Gene expression may occur in relation to phosphrylation of BvgA . The human IL-1 stimulates release of kappa Ig-L by the pre-B Cell lines, IL-2R by the Natural Killer cell Lines and PGE2 by the rheumatoid synvovial cells. However, all these IL-stimulated factors are reduced by the Pertussis toxin, which may be associated the cAMP production.As IL-1 stimulates GTPase activity, Pertussis Toxin brought about a reduction in GTPase activity. Pertussis toxin also stimulated ADP-ribosylation of the enzyme adenylate cyclase in the membrane of cells that are usually activated in cells sensitive to IL-1 . Once the cell is affected with the Pertussis toxin, agents that would otherwise obstruct the collection of cAMP are no longer effective. The Pertussis toxin brings about certain cell transduction mechanism that further enables the cell to be invaded by the microorganism .Many of the bacterial toxins such as Cholera Toxin, E. coli labile toxin and the Pertussis toxin act in the same manner and produce the same effect (that is a rise in the cAMP levels of the cell). However, the symptoms and signs of each of these disorders are different. This is mainly because the target tissues and cells of each of these toxins are different. The Pertussis toxin mainly acts on the epithelium of the respiratory tract causing several symptoms such as whoop, cough, breathing problems and cyanosis .