Demo: Wrap a Present

Demo Speech: How to Wrap a Present Introduction I. Open with Impact: At some point in your life you have probably either received or given a gift that looked something like this. (Hold up poorly wrapped gift. ) Nobody wants to be that person at the party with the gift that gets mistaken for trash. When giving a gift to someone it is important to put just as much thought into the gift wrapping as the gift buying. II. Connect with Audience: You may be thinking, but I don’t always have time to make my gift look professionally wrapped. Or, I don’t have the money to go out and buy the supplies I need to wrap a gift.III. Establish Impact: I am guilty of giving the ugliest gift at the party before and I know how it feels. Thankfully, I have changed my ways and learned that gift wrapping is not as intimidating as it seems. IV. Thesis: With just a little extra effort, your gift can be something you are proud to present. V. Preview Main Points: Today, I am going to show you how t o find inexpensive wrapping materials, properly wrap your gift with ease, and complete the look with some finishing touches. Transition: Now before we start, we are going to need some basic materials. Body I. Picking out the paper A.We want to be as cost effective as possible, but we still need enough materials to wrap for all those random family members and friends. 1. The most inexpensive paper can be found at your local discount store. 2. Go to your local dollar tree and pick out your favorite print or solid color wrapping paper. B. Other useful materials 1. You will want to pick out a spool of ribbon for the finishing touch. 2. You are also going to need scissors and clear tape. Transition: Now that we have all of our materials together, let’s get to wrapping. II. Wrapping the present A. Measure your paper 1. Place the gift in the unrolled paper. . Bring the paper up around the gift until you have enough paper to cover the gift. 3. Cut the paper so that you have about an inch of wrapping paper overlapping. 4. Move the box to the edge of the paper so that both sides will reach about halfway up the sides. Repeat this on the other side of the box as well then cut off any excess paper. B. Time to tape 1. Wrap the paper around the box until the paper overlaps and secure with the clear tape. 2. Make sure the box is centered inside the paper then fold the sides until the paper overlaps. Tape the flaps using the clear tape. C. Finishing Touches 1.Measure your ribbon by wrapping it around the present and leaving about 6 inches in excess and cut it. 2. Hold the middle of the ribbon at the top of the gift and wrap the ends around the bottom of the present. 3. Bring the ends through the loop and tie your best bow! 4. Turn the gift over and tape the ribbon to avoid it slipping out of place while being moved around. Transition: Once your gift is perfectly wrapped, you can also add other personal touches such as a decorative name tag or extra ribbon. Conclusion I. I hope that I have shown you that wrapping a gift does not have to be intimidating.There are many inexpensive ways to wrap your gifts and add unique touches. With just a little practice, you can soon become a gift wrapping pro. Don’t be that person with the trash bag gift. Impress everyone with your new gift wrapping skills! Works Cited Banner, Chrissa. How to Perfectly Wrap a Present. 2008. Web. 9 Nov 2012. http://crafts. slides. kaboose. com/105-how-to-perfectly-wrap-a-present/2 Alissa, . â€Å"Christmas Wrappings. †Ã‚  33 Shades of Green. Pinterest, 16 2009. Web. Web. 9 Nov. 2012. .

Contribute To Children And Young People Essay

1.1 Outline the health and safety policies and procedures of the work setting 1.2 Identify the lines of responsibility and reporting for health and safety in the work setting SUPERVISION OF PUPILS – The safety of pupils in the classrooms is the responsibility of the Class Teacher. Class Teachers are expected to exercise effective supervision of the pupils and to know the emergency procedures in respect of fire, bomb scare and first aid, and to carry them out; to give clear instructions and warning as often as is necessary. Children should never be left unsupervised. Suitable supervision will also be carried out when Children are leaving the school premises at the end of the day, during break times and Mid-day break. ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT All electrical equipment will receive a regular inspection by a suitably trained member of staff. STORAGE OF CLEANING MATERIALS Authorised chemicals and other cleaning materials must be kept under lock at all times FURNITURE Furniture that is not in good condition should be reported to the Headteacher and removed from use if considered unsafe. LIFTING AND MANUAL HANDLING Injuries can be caused by incorrect lifting and handling of objects, (which need not be large or heavy). Therefore any operation where lifting or handling is involved should be avoided where possible. WORKING AT HEIGHT All staff are asked not to carry out work at height unless it is agreed by their line manager that it is necessary. The site manager will keep a checklist of regular inspections of any steps, ladders and stepladders. No displays are to be higher than 3.5 m in the school hall. CONTRACTORS The Site Manager will liaise with and manage all contractors coming onto the site. All contractors RISK ASSESSMENT An annual risk assessment will be carried out by the Finance and Staffing Committee who will inform the Headteacher of their findings. All potential hazards should be reported to the Headteacher immediately. STRESS Stress is acknowledged by the school as a potential cause of staff illness and all efforts are made to reduce it. NEW AND EXPECTANT MOTHERS The school recognise the fact that new and expectant mothers (NEMs) are at an increased risk of a) injury to themselves and their unborn child b) injury to others who may be affected by their actions. To ensure the safety of the NEM a risk assessment will be carried out by a competent person and the implementation of controls to eliminate or reduce risk will be put in place. C.O.S.H.H. The Caretaker will maintain a C.O.S.H.H. record for the school. All hazardous substances are under lock in the caretaker’s cupboard. ASBESTOS The School’s asbestos survey is kept in the Admin Office and is available for inspection by contractors working on the site who are also required to sign a book confirming that they have seen the survey. ACCIDENTS TO STAFF AND PUPILS All accidents will be recorded in the appropriate accident book (see Reporting Procedures). Parents/Carers should be contacted by phone for any child who has suffered a bump to the head they will then either be sent home or will remain in school under close supervision. Should parents/carers be unavailable the child will be given an advice slip to take home with him/her at the end of the day. FIRST AID * First Aid will be administered but only as far as knowledge and skill permit. * All teaching and support staff have either undergone the required basic First Aid training or have agreed to participate in future training offered by the school. ILLNESS If a child is taken ill in school, the parent/carer will be informed as soon as possible and the child will be cared for in school until such time as the parent can arrange to take the child home. FIRE DRILL During any Fire Drill or evacuation due to the sounding of the Fire Alarms all staff must ensure that visually or hearing impaired children or adults are located immediately and led to safety. 1. The Headteacher, Assistant Head, School Secretary or Caretaker will set off the alarm, (in the case of a real fire person finding the fire would set off the nearest alarm). 2. Each class will evacuate the building as quickly and quietly as possible and children will assemble on playground. If during registration time teachers should take their class register with them, if it is outside registration time the School Secretary will bring the registers and signing-in book to the playground, pupils will then be checked off. 3. The Headteacher or Assistant Head will check with Class Teachers that all are accounted for. FIRE EXTINGUISHERS are located at the following points: – Sterile entrance area by Secretary’s Office door; water extinguisher (red) and Carbon Dioxide (red) – Staff room by Fire Exit; powder extinguisher (red) and fire Bomb Scare The person made aware of the scare will raise the alarm by setting off the nearest fire alarm and evacuation would occur in the same way as it would for a fire. Gas Leak In the event of a Gas Leak there must be a Verbal Evacuation starting with the nearest class in session. DO NOT TURN ON OR OFF ANY SWITCHES AND DO NOT OPERATE FIRE ALARM. Proceed as for a Bomb Scare. AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY Headteacher: The Headteacher is responsible and accountable to the Governors for implementing this school policy and for all matters relating to health, safety and welfare within the establishment. In particular this will include: – being the focal point for day-to-day references on safety and giving advice or indicating sources of advice; – Co-ordinating the  implementation of safety procedures; – ensuring that regular health and safety inspections of the school are undertaken and that working practices are checked; – ensuring that adequate assessment of significant risks from hazards in educational activities is made and appropriate measures are in place for such safe practice; – reporting to the Chairman of Governors so that arrangements can be made to deal with premises management issues, e.g. repair and maintenance of buildings, selection and control of contractors and the development and implementation of emergency procedures; – maintaining contact with outside agencies able to offer expert advice; – ensuring that accidents and hazards are recorded, reported as appropriate and that remedial action is taken, when necessary; – reviewing, at least annually, the procedures and systems of work in place; – identifying and fulfilling training needs. In the event of the Headteacher and Assistant Head being off-site or unable to fulfil their responsibilities due to injury, the next most senior member of staff will assume these responsibilities. VISITS Visits out of school are organised by staff who are fully informed of any physical ailments of the children in their care. Pabulum Supply the catering facilities to the school and operate their own codes of Health and Safety, monitored by their client managers. SAFER RECRUITMENT / SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN The procedures for safer recruitment and safeguarding pupils will follow council guidelines. VISITORS TO THE SCHOOL All visitors to the school must report to the Office and sign the Visitors Log. When they leave they should sign out. ALCOHOL, DRUGS AND SMOKING The abuse of alcohol or drugs is a safety hazard and if there is any suspicion that a member of staff or visitor is under the influence of either, then this must be reported to the Head Teacher who will take the appropriate disciplinary action. Smoking within the school site is prohibited and signs are posted at entrances. VIOLENCE Violence and harassment in both physical and verbal forms will not be tolerated within the school, either between employees or between employees and non employees. EDUCATIONAL VISITS The school recognises that educational visits, away from the safety of the school site, expose school employees, pupils and non employee volunteers to potentially unknown risk. 1.3 Explain what a risk assessment is and how this is managed in the work setting A risk assessment is a document employees must create to evaluate the risks regarding health and safety and use it to help improve the protection in the workplace. Employers must identify hazards and assess the associated risk. When a risk assessment is required in my work setting. The person(s) in charge of the activity will create the document and then have it approved by the heard teacher and health and safety officer. The document Is then uploaded to the school network for other member of staff to modify if they require a similar risk assessment. However all risk assessments must be authorised but the head teacher and must also be re-assessed yearly. 2.1 Explain why a safe but challenging environment is important for children and young people It is important for children and young people to have a safe but challenging environment so they are able to develop their skills and not become afraid of trying new things. However safety is an essential so they are comfortable and have a positive experience. 2.2 Identify the difference between a risk and a hazard A hazard is an existing condition/situation that is likely to cause harm. For example, ice on the school site. A risk is a potential condition/situation that may occur and could become a hazard. For example if the cold temperatures continue there could be ice on the school site. 3.1 Identify non-medical incidents and emergencies that may occur in the work settings. Non-medical incidents and emergencies that may occur in my school are things such as flooding in classrooms or playgrounds, or electrical faults in the school, for example, internet not working, lighting down or heating not working. These are issues that require sorting quickly but do not require medical assistance. 3.2 Outline the actions to take in response to the following situations Fires During any Fire Drill or evacuation when the Fire Alarms sound, all staff must ensure that visually or hearing impaired children or adults are located immediately and led to safety. The person finding the fire would set off the nearest alarm. Each class will evacuate the building quickly and quietly. Children will Line up on the playground. The school Secretary will bring the registers and signing-in book to the playground, pupils will then be checked off. The Headteacher or Assistant Head will check with Class Teachers that all are accounted for. All class teachers should take evacuation key if needed and shut all internal doors after doing a final check. If in the hall all children and staff must evacuate by front entrance and continue to the playground the using path around the back of pre-school. Any staff members of pupils are in the staff room or PPA room they must evacuate via the fire exit and continue to playground. Staff members and pupils in the office and head teachers office must evacuate using the main fire door and head to the playground. Receptionist must take the key for the gate and leave by the front entrance and proceed to the playground. Pupils and staff in working in the ICT Room and Den must Take the evacuation key and leave by Fire exit continue across car park and follow the path around the back of pre-school The Secretary must Telephone Fire Brigade (unless in instant danger) and collect evacuation key, registers and signing-in book and proceed through main entrance to playground. Kitchen staff must leave via the fire exit and proceed to the playground. Security incidents All visitors to the school must register at the Office and sign the Visitors Log. When they leave they should sign out. They will be presented with a  visitors badge to wear and must keep it on until they leave the site. All visitors must be accompanied by a member of staff during their time on the school site. If I notice a person has come onto the site that is not authorised I should notify a senior member of staff and they will question why they are on the site. My school is very close to a wooded area is it very easy for people to accidently enter the site. The unauthorised person must always exit the way they entered. Emergency incidents If a child becomes unwell whilst at school and they require immediate medical care an ambulance would be called, followed by a call to the parent or guardian. If the child could move easily, for example an injured arm we would take them to a calm area. If the child cannot move the area will be cleared until the person has been moved by a medical team all members of staff involved in the situation must monitor the child, especially for shock. 4.1 Identify the signs and symptoms which may indicate that a child or young person is injured or unwell Children will normally tell you if they are feeling unwell, you can check for signs by feeling is they are hot or cold, they may be shivering or sweating. They may look pale, or if are complaining of a sore throat you may be able to see the tonsils or glands are enlarged. The obvious signs of injury are blood if a child has cut themselves, if a child has fallen but there is no blood there will often be a bruise or slight swelling, if a child is complaining of severe pain, there could be a chance of a sprain or breakage, the limb could be in an unusual position, and swelling. 4.2 Identify circumstances when children or young people may need urgent medical attention A child will need urgent medical attention is they are unconscious, have had a nock to the head and are suffering from concussion, if a child has been electrocuted, if they are having an allergic reaction. They will also require urgent medical attention if they have a breakage or severe fracture. In my setting I must also look for symptoms for meningitis  in children as they will require urgent medical attention. 4.3 Outline one role and responsibilities in the event of a child or young person requiring urgent medical attention If a child requires urgent medical attention I am able to take control of the situation as I am paediatric first aid trained.I would need assistance is an ambulance is required. I must carry out whatever actions required and after fill out an incident form. 5.1Describe the reporting procedures for accident, incidents, emergencies and illnesses All accidents, incidents and emergencies must be logged in the accident book unless treatment from a medical team is needed. In this case the incident would have to be recorded on a full accident form. 6.1 Outline procedures for infection control in own work setting The schools infection control is as follows – Children with rashes should be considered infectious and assessed by their doctor. A child diagnosed with chicken pox, measles, and shingles should be kept away until all vesicles have crusted over. Children diagnosed with Impetigo should be kept away from school until lesions are crusted and healed, or 48 hours after starting antibiotic treatment. Children suffering from Diarrhoea and/or vomiting should be kept out of school for 48 hours from last occurrence. 6.2 Describe personal protective clothing that is used to prevent spread of infection When performing any type of first aid, gloves and an apron must be worn to prevent spread of infection. If the child or young person requires CPR the first aider can use a mouth shield when giving the rescue breaths. 7.1 Identify the procedures of the work setting governing the receipt, storage and administration of medicines If a child requires a medicine whilst on the school premises they will be given a form to complete which allows members of staff at the school to administer the medicine. The information required is: Name of illness and medication required What time medicine should be administered and how often Dosage and method Side effects Self-administration or help required The form is then checked over by the secretary and information is passed on to the member of staff that will be administering the medicine. The form also states the medicine must be in the original container as dispensed by the pharmacy. 7.2 explain how the procedures of the work setting protect both children and young people and practitioners It is important to have policies and procedure set in place for administering medicines to ensure the medication they are taking is and the school have been given permission to administer it. If a child is given the wrong dosage they can become extremely ill or possibly have an anaphylactic shock. Have in a policy in place will ensure the person administering has the correct knowledge so that the child will be safe when taking the medication.

Speech on Beauty Myths

The great philosopher Confucius once said, ‘everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it’ but why? Why do we not all see the beauty surrounding us? Why is outward appearance so important? Why are our heads filled with beauty myths? Beauty myths are beliefs about qualities, which constitute beauty or attractiveness. We tend to think of our attraction toward certain physical qualities to be natural but they are learnt proven by the conceptions of beauty varying between cultures and across time, with media to blame.As society we assume that images we see in media that are highlighted and common are beautiful such as the tall, skinny, toned, ‘flawless’ models why else would they put them there? If a certain characteristic isn’t common in media then it can’t be beautiful. Media teaches us what beauty supposedly is and closes our eyes to beauty not physically shown. There are 3 main functions of media to provide news and information, entertain and educate. Presently our society depends on the media for information and communication and as part of our daily routine.Most of the decisions we make are based on what we know as fact our assumptions and our experiences such as work where we know what to do because we have studied it and from our own experiences however in routine life and household chores we rely on media to keep us updated on news and facts, on what is important and what we need in order to get through our day and be accepted in society. We put so much trust in media but by doing so are we putting ourselves in harms way? On average a person is exposed to over 1,500 advertisements a day. 1,500 ads we are led to believe are factual and real because we have put so much trust in the media.We start to believe that we need that cream to have flawless skin like that girl in the ad and we need that perfume to be as amazing as the next Marc Jacobs model. But the fact is that 100% of photos in professional magazines have be en retouched whether by changing the lighting in order to improve the quality and definitions of models or even giving a model a whole new head. What we see is not reality. Beauty is something that is looked at differently throughout the world for example if you look at the culture of Australians compared to the cultures of Saharan people there are vast differences in their ideals throughout.Each has it’s own concept of ideal beauty. Some things that come to mind would be weight, fashion, and tone of skin. Though each culture has its own specific parts and body shapes they prefer its like we have been trained to think a certain way from a young age all pertaining to which culture we are apart of. Research shows that some Asian woman after moving to Australia take on body image and dieting not common in their own countries. Media has people changing themselves and their idea of beauty in order to fit in. Not only has the media an effect on beauty across nations but also across time.From corsets to bikinis, from fair skinned and voluptuous to tanned and toned and frightfully frail. Our perception of beauty is learnt and changes due to what we see in the media and shown as fashionable but is media changing this for the better? 20 years ago models weighed 6% less than the average woman now models weigh a huge 23% less than the average woman with only 5% of woman actually able to obtain this weight naturally. How is this positively effecting woman and young girls? Its not. 45% of woman that are a perfectly healthy weight think they are overweight and 20% of woman that are underweight are dieting.Media is killing us with these perceptions of beauty and it’s taking over our minds, our ability to perceive what is right and healthy and the ability to say, â€Å"No, how I am is fine†. Everyone is different. Our idea of perfection and absolute beauty that we learn and which is portrayed in magazines and advertisements is generally unattainable but we still strive to look like these people that only 5% of our society actually look like. This small minority is said to be beautiful by the media leaving the rest of us in shame of how we look because we cant be beautiful if we don’t look like them.Isn’t true beauty found on the inside you could be the most ‘beautiful’ girl in the world according to the beauty media teaches us but if you are the nastiest most wicked girl as well are you still beautiful? We are all thinking no but if you saw this person I bet we would be jealous of her we would want to look like her and be as beautiful as her†¦ that’s disheartening that the most wicked girl can still be classed as ‘beautiful’. This is what media is teaching us about beauty that it is all about the outside and nothing to do with our nature and personality. `Though we are taught what beauty is research has been done to show that humans are attracted to people with more symmetry feature s and that this something that we are born with not that we learn so the media is not solely responsible for beauty myths. Woman being attracted to masculine men is something that goes back to to medieval times where the more masculine the man the more strength and ability to look after and protect a family males are attracted to young woman as they show fertility and as a reproducing species this is important as older woman are unable to conceive.There has been research to show we are born attracted to certain features but majority are still learnt as we grow up in a certain society. Media should portray fact not transform reality so that beauty is categorized. Do this by portraying models realistically, all different shapes and sizes cultures and races so that our perception of beauty isn’t all the same and showing that differences are beautiful and stopping the beauty myth that what we perceive physically attractive and beautiful is not natural it’s learnt.

The Cheetah Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Cheetah - Essay Example Wild reserves have been attacked by government policies that seek to turn several parts of the parks into contemporary villages with the cutting down of grass to develop houses. This has greatly affected the animal for it relies on the tall grass to lie during the day and hide in anticipation for a prey. Contemporary studies show that with a good hunting, the animal has the ability to survive many days, however, this has become difficult given the animal’s inability to find hiding spots. The animal likes to live in areas with large amounts of animals that it can hunt. Africa is the continent from where most of these animals originated from with a high number existing in Namibia. The most common areas where these animals are found is in semi-deserts where there is a wide range of view of the prey (MacMillan 113). The general properties of the animal are the ability to hunt down different kinds of animals and characteristically storing some meat for later use. This is as witnessed by other members of its order such as the lion and tigers. Various proposals have been made on how to save the animal and it is important to pay attention to them. One of the major steps that everyone can take part in is by shunning the habits of purchasing fur made from the Cheetah (Nowell 234). This step is important in an effort to stop poaching. Educating people in the corporate field on the importance of the Cheetah is one other major step that would assist in the preservation of their habitat because the people erecting these modern buildings would do so elsewhere other than destroying the animals’ home.

Islamic Spirituality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Islamic Spirituality - Essay Example As the study declares that on his part, Imam ‘Ali held the view that spirituality is a higher value that should be possessed by all believers. To him, it is not a simple thing to obtain by everyone because it requires a lot of commitments and devotion. One of the best ways of achieving spirituality is to gain knowledge because it can provide a true understanding which is of course required for a proper understanding and acceptance of Allah. And at the core of all these is human heart, which, according to Imam, can help in protecting Muslims from committing sins and block them from acquiring the right knowledge and spirituality.From this research it is clear that  Rumi, though not a prophet, presents insightful teachings on the role of spirituality in the life of a Muslim. Through a wise use of music, poems and dances, he explains how the knowledge of truth provides a good path to spiritual fulfillment. According to his philosophy, spirituality can be gotten through the acquis ition of right knowledge. Religion is a personal experience which requires unconditional surrender to a divine power.  Imam ‘Ali held a strong view on the concept of faith. In his teachings, he emphasized that faith is a necessary requirement for spirituality.  He said that for one to be closer to God, one needs to be a strong believer who not only believes in God, but submits to His will and does everything required by Him.'

The house we live in Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The house we live in - Term Paper Example Nevertheless, this is not the case as non-whites get fewer benefits although they may have worked harder than whites may. This form of treatment is present in most societal settings such as housing, customs, and even in courts. It is heartbreaking to find out that non-whites are not favored even by the government. This is because they are even denied citizenships for the mere fact that they are non-whites. At one point, a court had determined that the definition of whiteness depends on the comprehension of the white man. This implies that even the courts are giving the white man an opportunity to discriminate the non-whites since the white man would have the power to determine who is white and who deserves certain favors. This is happening even in employment places where whites are allocated the most prestigious positions although they may have lower qualifications as other non-whites. This is a form of modern day slavery where certain individuals are slaves in free countries. These behaviors happen especially in the countries that pledge fair treatment to noncitizens. This implies that racism and discrimination on grounds of skin color is an indication of hypocrisy. Personally, I do not think that race should ever be considered when offering citizenships or when giving out any opportunity. This is because all people are equal and should be treated as such. This behavior of race-based favors brings additional problems such as inequality in the society. For instance, when comparing white and black families, one can note the huge differences beginning with both groups’ net worth. According to the documentary, the net worth of an average white family is at least eight times higher as compared to the black family. In the same way, the houses being sold in white dominated areas cost a lot more than those in black or even Hispanic neighborhoods. This and other differences do not translate to higher performances by

Relationship of Police Department Size to Quality of Police Services Term Paper

Relationship of Police Department Size to Quality of Police Services (US) - Term Paper Example e capabilities of the police force to efficiently and timely monitor, detect and prevent the unlawful activities in order to maintain the rule of law (Cordner, et al, p54). The main functions of police include the protection of the life and property of the civilians, maintenance of law and order, enforcement of the criminal law, to conduct criminal investigation, to control the crowd and to perform various other duties to assure public safety. (Brudeur, et al, 1992) The successful performance of all these duties requires proper management, resource allocation, training as well as the appropriate ratio of police force to the area population. The quality of the police service tends to be affected from the size of police force because if the numbers of policemen are insufficient to cover the designated area, there is always a possibility that the police force would not be able to perform their duties in effective manner. The research paper aims to investigate the relationship between the size of the police department to the quality of police services in United States. In this regard, the paper identifies the main qualities that affirm the effectiveness of the policing services. The paper also provides an overview to the structure and organization of police in United States and proceeds to analyze the relationship of the size of the police department with its service quality. It is revealed that along with appropriate size, there are number of other factors that could affect the quality of police service like proper training of policemen, management and organization of police structure and use of latest investigative technologies. The essay compares the Los Angeles city police department with New York City Police department in order to identify the relationship between the service quality of the police and department size. The case of Hurricane Katrina is also described as an example that illustrates the effects of having lesser police force to control more area and

English composition II Unit 5 Db Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

English composition II Unit 5 Db - Essay Example Mine was an analytical research paper, and so, I had to offer the academic community a fresh look at the essential issue I was researching. Besides, the subject was not controversial, and that is the reason why I had to persuade the audience on the importance of my ideas. Choosing a topic was my next step, and I also stated my working thesis statement inform of a question, since I was dealing with an analytical research paper. Actual research followed, whereby, I had to look for various sources in order to get information. I discovered that primary sources are better than secondary sources, because they enable a researcher to get close to the source as possible (Experiment-Resources.com, 2009). Some of the primary sources I used included interviews, which are highly effective. On the other hand, I used secondary sources, such as newspapers, magazines, articles, journals, websites and books. I read over all the sources and took outstanding notes. In addition, I included page numbers and internet links on all essential information I came across. The next thing was drafting an outline, which included the thesis statement, facts and main points, as well as evidence supporting the main points. I also supported my assertions with sources, both primary and secondary. I later wrote a rough draft, which contained three parts; introduction, body and conclusion. The next step was extremely crucial since it involved revising and editing the research paper to get a final draft. I read through the paper five times and made sure all assertions were supported by sources. Besides, I ensured that there was a transition between the main points and no detail was left out. I checked grammar, spelling, punctuation and word choice errors. I focused on the general appearance of the text so as to do effective editing of the research paper. In

Discuss and evaluate the various methods available for long term Essay

Discuss and evaluate the various methods available for long term investment appraisal - Essay Example 33). It is essential to conduct any investment proposal (long-term or short-term) appraisal in order to ensure funds invested would accrue maximum gains in future. Since financial resources tend to be limited (in majority of the cases), a business firm, instead of choosing several proposals, must evaluate and select only the ones that are most appropriate for investing purposes (Sullivan and Steven, 2003). Therefore, it can be assumed that there would be certain techniques followed specifically for appraising proposals for investment. In this context, the paper will now examine various methods available for long-term investment appraisal (capital budgeting). Investment appraisal comprises of analysing a firm’s financial plans, its investments, as well as predicting the firm’s expenditure in a certain proposed project (Levy, 2002). Long-term investment appraisal in small firms often takes into account the possibility of future growth, new enterprises, and a future move into a completely new arena (ibid). Factors for long-term investment appraisal are chosen keeping the requirements of company policymakers and stakeholders in mind, and focus on long-term and sustainable growth of the firm (as opposed to short-term profits). Various methods are used for long-term investment appraisal of a firm. These are: Net present value (NPV): This appraisal method calculates the cash flows (deficit or excess), once the customary obligations are completed (Khan, 1993). All forms of long-term or short-term investment appraisals aim at deriving a positive figure for the firm’s NPV. The process calculates the total cash flow of a firm (incoming and outgoing) at a certain specific time (t), at a discount rate (i) at that particular time, which translates to: t-funds invested initially, making NPV inversely proportional to discount rates (Pike and Neale, 2008, p. 123-124). Therefore, NPVs are reduced with rise in discount values (i), while high interest rates

Becoming a Teacher Essay Example for Free

Becoming a Teacher Essay Never has it crossed my mind’s eye to become a teacher. I would choose any other field or career except it. In fact, after my high schooling, I was so undecided of what course to take, of which way to go as if I was in the crossroad Robert Frost is pertaining to in his poem, â€Å"The Road Not Taken†. I was definitely certain I never wanted to be one; I would not get myself involved with it, not even in my wildest dream! But, should I say fortunately or unfortunately, because my relatives who are educators said I must be like them, and that I should follow their steps. According to them, there was no better profession for me other than teaching. Woe to me! My life seemed to be driven by my family’s beliefs. I had to obey. I had no choice. So I had a plan. I would go against the current, regardless of my kin. They would be the ones to provide for my allowance and miscellaneous fee. I was by then a scholar, a grant my relative also worked out. At first, I was just planning to finish the first semester and then I would shift to another course but I never had the chance because they didn’t allow me to. I finished the degree with recognition though I never really liked it. For me, it’s better than not having a degree at all. After graduation, I took the examination not because of the excitement to be a â€Å"professional teacher† but because it is the expectation from all the education graduates. I was so blessed to pass it at once. I had my license but I still got no plan to teach. I was working as a cashier in a gasoline station while my classmates were already teaching as PARA teachers. Whenever they see me, they would always ask when I plan to apply for ranking. I would only smile and say â€Å"I’m waiting for the right time.† Yet, at the back of my mind, was the fear of handling the obligation. Yes, I fear the responsibility of they say the noblest profession. I’ve seen it from m y auntie. She was coming home late in the afternoon. She was staying up late at night because of lesson plan and some paper works to be done. I didn’t want to experience the same. Those were the reasons why I never wanted the course. But, I was reprimanded. That was the only time I was moved. I decided to process my application. So happy I was, because I topped the ranking and was immediately hired as a regular-permanent by the government, and I was summoned to practice my teaching craft and skills at Sotero Baluyot Elementary School. Teaching there was never easy for me. I had to travel for a couple of hours to come to school so I get home only during weekends. It was the first time I left home for days and to think that it would be for years, I felt even sadder. I did the works at my best though. I have to like it I know. I became friends to the parents and to the students and I started to love the job. There, I had a student who was visually impaired. Her classmates used to tease her â€Å"bardo† which is an Ilocano term for â€Å"duling†. Because of that, she became a true loner. She rarely participated in class discussion though I’ve seen a real potential in her. I said to myself I had to help her. I trained her to join the quiz bee. She got second place in the district level and became one of the participants in the division level. After that event, she became active in our class. Her classmates started to befriend her. Other teachers begun to notice her and became one of the best in their subjects. Pupils never tease her again. In the graduation day, she was an awardee. After the ceremony she and her mother came and thanked me. I had two more graduations when I decided to apply for transfer to my home base. Luckily, it was granted quickly. When the parents and the students knew that I would be leaving soon they approached me and asked if I could stay for some more years. Though they know that somebody was coming as my replacement, they say they would always prefer me. I was happy for their sincerity. I wanted to stay but my parents want me to be with them too. That night, was the only time I felt I AM A PROFESSIONAL TEACHER. Thoughts came back to my mind. The moments with the parents†¦The experiences with the children..happiness..struggles..Somehow I made a difference in them and I know I am a professional. Yes! I have become a mother to lonely children, a doctor to those ill, a guidance counsellor to the erring pupils and a very jolly peer but , I am a professional teacher. I shape the lives of the young and impressionable children, inculcate values in them. I practice differentiated teaching styles so that students are learning best. I setup and design classroom to get and keep learners’ attention. I control emotions in most stressful situations. I am accountable to teaching profession, to the pupils, my co-workers and the society. I have never dreamt of this path but with this responsibility comes great pride and joy because I am a teacher..a professional teacher.

Evolution of Primate Locomotion and Body Configuration

Evolution of Primate Locomotion and Body Configuration Humans, who have long since abandoned the trees as their principal lodging place, have only partially lost the physical adaptations for tree climbing; their hands, in particular, remain in the arboreal mold. Only the feet have lost their primitive prehensility in adapting to bipedal walking (Primate, 2009). There are many changes that occurred in locomotion and body configuration through primate evolution, many of which are easily seen, but some require some in depth research. This research paper will try to elaborate on the evolutionary modifications and some of the theories that have been proposed for these changes throughout our and other primate evolution. Grade I The Lemuroids Some of the greatest diversity of strepsirhines and lemurs are found on Madagascar, where more than 30 species are represented, belonging to five different families (Harrison, 2004). The Lemur ranges in size from as small as a single ounce to as much as twenty two pounds. At one time there were even larger lemurs that weighed as much as 240k g but are now extinct due to humans settling on Madagascar. Lemurs on the evolution timeline have not changed very much from their ancestors. This helps in the understanding of primate evolution because we can see primates of long ago first hand. One of the best-known members of the lemur family is the Ring-tailed Lemur. Like other lemurs the Ring-tailed lemur move quadrupedally in the trees and on the ground. Although their spine is shaped for walking quadrupedally, Ring-tailed lemurs are able to hop bipedally as well. According to Shapiro, there are a great deal of fossils from the earliest of primates. And although they were not directly ances tral to the lemurs, in terms of their adaptations they were probably most similar to the living lemurs. Shapiro goes on to say that this spine comparison is important because lemurs spine is a very different shape from the spine of a primate that keeps its back upright a lot. Compared to other primates like Chimpanzees, the lemurs spine looks very different. All monkeys or prosimians who walk on all fours most of the time have much longer spines, which are more flexible, and they have a harder time holding their back upright. Shapiro also states that Lemurs do a lot of different kinds of locomotor behaviors. They do walk quadrupedally, but theyre also very good at leaping. And in some of the lemurs, they do their leaping from a horizontal position. And their spine looks like that of a primate that walks quadrupedally. Other lemurs leap from a vertical position, and they spend almost all their time either clinging to the trunk of a tree vertically, and then they leap (Shapiro, 2001). Grade II The Tarsiers The Tarsier is a one of the smallest primates belonging to a single genus and they can be found on the islands of Southeast Asia. Tarsiers are often called the living fossils because of striking resemblance to fossils of primates from 40 million years ago. These nocturnal primates have some of the largest eyes of the primate family. Their legs are much longer than their forelimbs and they have a long and almost hairless tail. Tarsiers also have pads on the ends of their fingers which are a result of adaption for their specialized lifestyle as vertical clingers and leapers (Harrison, 2004). What makes Tarsiers unique among primates is that they have toilet claws on both their second and third toes, unlike the lemur which only have a toilet claw on their second toe. Strepsirhines and Tarsiers have in the past been grouped together because they still retain many primitive features that become obsolete in higher evolved primates. However, Tarsiers share a number of distinctive specializa tions with anthropoids (for example, the development of a bony partition that partially separates the eyeball from the chewing muscles behind, lack of a toothcomb, a dry hair-covered nose and undivided upper lip, a short snout with reduced facial whiskers, and the structure of the placenta) that suggest that they are more closely related to each other than either is to the strepsirhines (Harrison, 2004). Tarsier move somewhat like a small, furry frog, and can leap from small branch to small branch. In order to do this efficiently, the tibia and the fibula (the two lower leg bones) are fused about halfway down their length, giving the leg more strength. Tarsiers also have elongated ankle bones, which helps them leap, and which gives them their name, tarsier, a reference to the tarsal, or ankle, region.(Jurmain, 2008) The legs are much longer than their arms. These curious little nocturnal creatures dart around the undergrowth and low trees, keeping out the realm of larger animals unt il they want to leap across the ground to gather up prey. Tarsiers are carnivorous, eating insects and small lizards (Blashfield, 2009). If the Tarsier had not developed grasping and large eyes through evolution it would have most likely not survived in its present habitat. Grade III The Monkeys Monkeys can range in size from 5–6 in long (plus tail) to almost 3.3 ft long. Monkeys can also weigh anywhere from 4–5 ounces to as much as 77 lbs. Some are arboreal (living in trees) while others live on the savanna. Living in such different climates play part in how some Monkeys have different characteristics than others. Some characteristics are shared amongst most Monkeys. New World monkeys have prehensile tails while Old World monkeys have non-prehensile tails or no visible tail at all. Some monkeys have trichromatic color vision like humans do, others are dichromats or monochromats. Although both the New and Old World monkeys, like the apes, have forward facing eyes, the faces of Old World and New World monkeys look very different, though again, each group shares some features such as the types of noses, cheeks and rumps. One monkey that stands out in particular because of its evolutionary traits is the spider monkey. The Spider monkeys use several different types of locomotion. They can use quadrupedal for walking or running, suspensory locomotion when hanging, climbing or moving through the trees and bipedalism when leaping. Quadrupedal locomotion is usually observed if the monkey is on a stable relatively substrate free of obstacles. When they are using suspensory locomotion they may be brachiating (swinging with their arms from one branch to another while often maintaining a tail hold). The most commonly used pattern of body movement while in a feeding pattern is that of quadrupedal, climbing and suspensory locomotion. While traveling they mostly employ quadrupedal walking and running, suspensory locomotion and climbing. The part of the body that helps the spider monkey walk bipedally, almost acting as external spine is the single trait in particular that makes it stand out. Its griping tail. This arboreal monkey has a prehensile tail that is muscular and tactile and is used as an extra hand. The tail is sometimes longer than the body an d when stiffly up righted against their back act an external spine so that they can maintain a bipedal walk. Both the underside and tip of the tail are used for climbing and grasping and so the spider monkey uses it like a fifth hand. When swinging by the tail, the hands are free to gather food( Valley, 2009). In the picture to the right you can see how the spider monkeys tail can support the entire weight of the monkey. The Spider monkey may have evolved into this structure so that when eating high in the trees where there is no room for error in grip, it can still have a two handed grip. There is still much speculation as to why primates as they get larger in size start to lose their tails (Kavanagh, 1984). Grade IV The Apes and Man Apes and humans differ from all of the other primates in that they lack the external tail. Shapiro believes that as primates move into an upright position that that is when we began to lose our tails. When you lose the tail, the tail musculature gets incorporated into the pelvic floor, which can form a support for your organs. Because of the upright position, your organs will tend to move downward. This is where the support would come in on the pelvic floor. Among all the Primates, Man and Apes are the most intelligent. We are also more dependent for survival. Aside from the lack of the external tail, there are several internal body differences as well, such as the absence of an appendix that monkeys have. Humans and apes are both members of the Hominoidea family. Until recently, humans were separated into our own family. It was believed that we significantly different from the apes. However, in recent genetic studies and discoveries form the fossil record have shed light on that som e apes are more similar to humans than previously believed. Apes can be found all over the world. Orangutans and Gibbons reside in Southeast Asia. Gorillas, Bonobos, and Chimpanzees can only be found in Africa. According to fossils it is also believed that humans to originated in Africa. The gibbons are the smallest of the ape family. There are 12-13 species of gibbons. Because of their size however, they are referred to as the lesser apes. Gibbons only get to be around 3ft in height and range from 12-20 pounds. One of the key characteristics of the gibbons is their long arms. Their long arms, permanently curved fingers, and light bodies make them excellent brachiators. This structure makes moving around trees by swinging from branches ideal. This action is call suspensory climbing. Gibbons also can walk bipedally on top of branches but are better at swinging (ONeil ,2009). Orangutans are the rarest and largest of the Asian apes. They can grow in weight up to 200 pounds and grow as tall as 4.5 feet. This body structure prevents it from swingi ng like the gibbons so orangutans must walk on the ground. unlike most primates, orangutans have huge fleshy pads framing the upper part of their faces. Unlike the male orangutans, the female orangutans can move about in the trees thanks to a lighter structure. Not as swift as the gibbons, the female orangutans use a leaning form of brachiation. They carefully shift their body weight to bend a supporting branch and then grab the next one before the original one snaps under pressure. In this part of the evolutionary timeline you begin to notice that primates are coming out from the trees and roaming the flat surface as they grow in body size. Their bodies are becoming less adaptable to trees. The largest of the Ape family is the Gorilla. Gorillas have been known to have been as tall as 6 feet with an arm span of almost 10 feet. This long arm span and introduction of knuckle walking is where quadrupedal is starting to fade and bipedal is beginning for primates. However, gorillas are q uadrupedal because the small legs cannot support the massive structure so it is forced to walk on all fours. They walk on the soles of their feet but not on the palms of their hands. Gorillas bend their fingers so that they can support the head end of their bodies. The gorillas head is massive and heavy. With this comes huge muscles on not only the rest of the body but on the jaw. Like humans, gorillas are terrestrial. The more common resemblance to humans does not belong to gorillas however, but chimpanzees(Byrne, 2001). Chimpanzees grow to be around 5.5 feet in height and their average weight is about 100 pounds. Their arms get to span about 6 feet. Because of the evolution of the spine in primates, even though chimpanzees prefer to walk quadrupedally, they can get around bipedally. This is what makes the chimpanzee are closest cousin on the primate table (ONeil, 2009). While researching at The Los Angeles Zoo, I got see firsthand the transformation from quadrupedal to bipedal in an afternoon. While at the chimpanzee exhibit I got to see a close family eat and sleep together. When it came time for feeding, one of the males ran bipedally across a flat area. As I walked around viewing the other primates, viewing the Siamangs and their griping abilities, the white sifakas and how it has arching spine when it walks about, and the gorillas and how when they look out at the onlookers, it really does feel like they are looking back at you with some kind of interest. You begin to believe more in Darwins theory of evolution when you see such striking patterns in structure to yourself. Although there are significant differences between humans and non human primates, the distance between primates begin to get closer as we humans begin to look deeper into primates evolution. The way we walk, grab, even just stand can all be traced through the bone structure of our non human cousins. As researchers get closer to discovering links between humans and non human primates and filling the gaps of origin information, the gap between ape and man becomes dramatically smaller than once thought. References Blashfield, J. F. (2009). Tarsiers Locomotion. Retrieved September 29, 2009, From Jrank.org Website: http://science.jrank.org/pages/6695/Tarsiers.html Byrne, R. W., Dunbar, R. I.M., McGrew, W. C., Pusey, A. E., Snowdon, C. T., Stanford, C. B., et al. (2001). Tree of Origin: What Primate Behavior Can Tell Us about Human Social Evolution. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Figure 1. Spider Monkey (2009). Source: http://www.primates.com/monkeys/spidermonkey.jpg Harrison, T. (2004). Primates, Retrieved September 29, 2009, from [emailprotected] Hill, Website: http://www.accessscience.com Jurmain, R., Kilgore, L., Trevathan, W., Ciochon, R. L., (2008). Introduction To Physical Anthropology. California: Thomson Higher Education Kavanagh, M., Morris, D. (1984). A Complete Guide To Monkeys, Apes And Other Primates. New York: The Viking Press ONeil, D. (2009) Apes. Retrieved September 30, 2009, from Palomar.edu Website: http://anthro.palomar.edu/primate/prim_7.htm Primate. (2009). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved September 28, 2009, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Website: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/476264/primate Shapiro, L. (2001) Primate Locomotion. Retrieved September 29, 2009, from PBS.org Website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/07/3/text_pop/l_073_08.html Valley Zoo School (2009). Spider Monkey Retrieved September 30, 2009 Website: http://www.zooschool.ecsd.net/spider%20monkey.htm

Septic Shock Case Study: Causes and Effects

Septic Shock Case Study: Causes and Effects Introduction Septic Shock is a serious circulatory disorder often characterised by a whole- body inflammatory state and the systemic response to infection (Titheradge, 1998), with the most common cause being the contamination of blood with bacteria. Septic shock is defined as sepsis with hypotension which develops in almost half of all septic patients as a complication with a mortality rate of 40-60% (Titheradge, 1998). Septic shock often results in a progressive failure of the circulation to provide blood and oxygen to vital organs of the body resulting in impaired tissue perfusion and oxygen extraction (Thiemermann, 1997). The key symptoms include a severe fall in blood pressure (hypotension) with hypo-reactivity to vasoconstrictor agents (vasoplegia) which may lead to the dysfunction or failure of major organs including lungs, liver, kidneys and brain (multiple organ dysfunction, MODS) and ultimately death (Goligorski et al., 1997). Presently it is widely assumed that septic shock rarely shows similar symptoms in affected individuals and therefore it is difficult to detect and then consequently treat it (Groeneveld and Thijs, 1986). It is, however, also agreed that most of the therapeutic interventions invariably focus on the primary aim of fighting the refractory hypotension by the use of aggressive fluid infusions, glucocorticoids, large doses of vasoconstrictors (Baumgartner and Calandra, 1999) and occasionally renal replacement therapy (Wheeler Bernard, 1999). Yet these interventions do not offer consistent success (Parratt, 1997). In recent times, our understanding of the pathophysiology of septic shock has developed significantly through experimental and clinical trials, though the discovery of a suitable treatment with therapeutic efficacy is proving elusive (Baumgartner and Calandra, 1999). This is probably because of the heterogeneity of the clinical situations and the differences in host response to i dentical pathogens. Moreover evidence suggests that different pathogens which cause septic shock respond differently to the conventional treatments. Still, no effort has been made to treat patients according to the nature of the infecting organism (Gao, Anonymous, 1992). During the early 1990s nitric oxide (NO) emerged as a potentially substantial step towards the treatment of septic shock. This finding directed scientists to carry out numerous clinical trials and animal experiments with the objective of finding out more about the interrelation of NO and Sepsis (Cobb, 1999; Kilbourn, 1999). Later, the discovery of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) made this enzyme the primary target of therapeutic agents (Rosselet et al., 1998). However, recently a substantial amount of literature has been published with evidence contradicting the discoveries of earlier studies. Today more than a decade has elapsed without any resolution to the matter and even in this 21st century Septic Shock is invading the developing countries rapidly (Cobb, 1999; Kilbourn, 1999). This problem of a lack of significant advances in this field can be highlighted by the fact that 17 years have passed since the final publication of the Consensus Conference on sepsis and sepsis related syndromes (Rangel-Frausto, 2005). This paper conclusively defined sepsis and its symptoms with the hope of finding a suitable treatment in order to eradicate the disease (Rangel-Frausto, 2005). Today, however, the situation has not changed significantly with up to 750,000 new sepsis cases every year and 215,000 annual deaths in the United States (Trzeciak et al., 2008, Mitchell M. Levy, 2007). Additionally, in the population that survives such attacks, there is considerable morbidity with many scoring low in health related quality of life assessments (Kaarlola et al., 2003, Perl et al., 1995). Hence the 5 million lives campaign instigated by the US Institute of Healthcare Improvements, aims to minimize the prevalence of nosocomial sepsis (sepsis originating in a hospital) (Gao et al., 2008). This campaign aimed specifically at increasing safety and transforming the quality of hospital care (McCannon et al., 2007). Moreover, the Surviving Sepsis Campaign aims to improve the quality of life of septic patients using the best evidence available currently (Dellinger et al., 2004). Though the world mortality rates have declined in recent times, sepsis is gradually becoming more prevalent in the elderly in the developing countries (Gao et al., 2008).This is mainly due to the extended longevity of patients with chronic illnesses, the increased occurrence of immunosuppression, and the more frequent use of invasive procedures (Bone, 1991; Parrillo, 1993). Sepsis, severe sepsis, septic shock and multiple organ failure still dominate the mass cases of non coronary intensive care units (ICUs). This essay will attempt to explore the fundamental mechanisms leading to tissue and organ damage in septic shock through the investigation of a case study. Following this, the discovery and general biology of nitric oxide (NO) shall be discussed, and the experimental evidence implicating NO as an effector in sepsis, will be examined in detail. The results obtained from various pharmacologic interventions directed at NO in animal studies will also be considered. This report will also give an account of conventional and innovative treatments for the management of septic shock. Finally, data from the few available relevant clinical trials will be reviewed and possible future avenues of interest will be discussed. Systemic Inflammatory response syndrome and Septic Shock (Clinical Manifestation) Sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock were inaccurately defined until a recently reviewed consensus conference in 1992 (Bone et al., 1992, Dellinger et al., 2004). In this meeting the term systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) was invented insinuating a clinical response arising from a nonspecific tissue damaging event (insult) (Rangel-Frausto, 2005). Sepsis as mentioned earlier is the result of substantial release of inflammatory mediators in response to an infection. However, often the same mediators are released in the absence of a documented infected in several medical conditions such as cardiopulmonary bypass (Wan S. et al., 1997), pancreatitis and trauma (Shanley TP. et al., 2006). Due to this, the early definitions of sepsis or septic shock were found to be misleading hence a North American consensus conference proposed a new terminology. In this conference sepsis was defined as a condition in which critically ill patients meet criteria for SIRS, in the context of infection. SIRS was defined as two or more of the following: 1) heart rate >90/min; 2) temperature >38Â °C or 12,000 or 20/min or a PCO2 3.5 L min-1 M-23; 2) hyperglycaemia (plasma glucose >120 mg/dL) in the absence of diabetes; 3) significant oedema or positive fluid balance (20 mL/kg over 20 h); 4) inflammatory variables: plasma C-reactive protein >2 SD above t he normal value or plasma procalcitonin >2 SD above the normal value and 5) mixed venous oxygen saturation (SVO2) >70% . (Dellinger RP et al., 2004). SIRS is generally not considered as a disease and its recognition does not provide any clinical conclusion. However, since it has proven to be a very useful for the identification of sepsis and its sequelae namely severe sepsis and septic shock it is regarded as a very important tool (Shanley TP. et al., 2006). Case Study: A 3-year-old boy was admitted to the intensive care unit because of fever, hypotension, and lethargy. A purpuric rash was noted on his arms and legs. Arterial blood gas analysis demonstrated hypoxemia and metabolic acidosis. The arterial lactate level was 10 mmol/L. He was intubated, resuscitated with crystalloid solution, started on broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy, and given dopamine to maintain a MAP above 55 mmHg. His chest radiograph revealed bilateral interstitial-alveolar infiltrates with a left sided predominance. Gram stain of the cerebrospinal fluid showed gram-negative cocci. The dopamine infusion was increased to 18Â µg kg-1min-1 for persistent hypotension and oliguria. Pulmonary and radial arterial catheter data yielded the following blood pressure, 85/30 mm Hg; MAP, 48 mm Hg; heart rate, 140 beats per minute; CVP, 10 mm Hg; pulmonary artery pressure, 22/14 mm Hg; PCWP, 12 mm Hg; cardiac index, 2.5L min-1m-2; and SVRI, 1226 dyne-sec-cm-5m-2. The boy was treated with ad ditional saline and an epinephrine infusion, which increased the MAP, cardiac index, and urine output. Arterial lactate levels decreased over the next 12 hours. Subsequent cultures of blood and cerebrospinal fluid grew Neisseria meningitidis. In this case the patient with acute organ failure and hypotension was diagnosed with septic shock. The young boy with meningococcal septic shock had a borderline-low cardiac index. Due to this a decrease in the cardiac index in this patient by the administration of an NOS inhibitor might not be desirable. This is suggestive of the fact that NO or its synthesising means cannot always be targeted in order to battle septic shock. I will attempt to go into further details with regards to this statement as we go along the essay. Nitric Oxide discovery: Joseph Priestly first identified gaseous NO in 1772. NO also named Nitrogen Monoxide is a very simple and tiny molecule consisting of one nitrogen and one oxygen molecule. Unknown of its fundamental physiological roles in the mammals, until the 1980s NO was widely considered as a mere toxic atmospheric pollutant (Konstantin J. Ovodov et al., 2000). In the 1980s researchers were examining how blood vessels expand (dilate) hence regulate the mean arterial blood pressure. Dilation of blood vessels, also termed vasodilation is a very important physiological response which partly regulates the blood pressure. By increasing the diameter of blood vessels, vasodilation causes the blood to travel more freely due to lower resistance (RF Furchgott, 1980). Since the blood vessel lumen widens during vasodilation, the blood imposes less outward pressure on the vessel wall hence reducing the blood pressure. In opposition, vasoconstriction reduces the diameter of the lumen increasing the BP. These physiological responses occur all the time in the human body regulating the BP and therefore are one of the most fundamental mechanisms of the human body. Dr Robert Furchgott and his group, later in 1980s investigated the role of acetylcholine in the smooth muscle relaxation and found that relaxation only occurred if a special class of cells called endothelial cells were present (RF Furchgott, 1980). These cells line the interior surface of blood vessels, forming an interface between circulating blood in the lumen and the rest of the vessel wall. Behind the endothelial cells are the smooth muscle cells which either relax or contract thus regulating the vascular tone (RF Furchgott, 1991). The same research group also discovered that smooth muscle were only able to vasodilate the blood vessels in the presence of endothelial cells. This indicated that there was some kind of factor that was being released by the endothelial cells which was involved in the dilation of the blood vessel. This factor was named Endothelium Derived Relaxing Factor (EDRF) and subsequently specified as NO (S Moncada et al., 1997). In 1977, Ferid Murad independantly investigated the mechanism of action of nitroglycerin and found that it worked by inducing the release of NO which in turn was able to cause relaxation of smooth muscle cells (F Murad et al., 1977). Louis Ignarro in 1986 finally resolved the whole perplex of EDRF and NO by declaring that EDRF was in fact NO. It was stated that both molecules showed identical properties when he compared gas Nitric Oxide and EDRF (Ignarro, L. J. Et al. 1987). In 1998, Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded to Drs. Robert Furchgott, Louis Ignarro, and Ferid Murad for their discoveries that vascular endothelial cells make nitric oxide (NO) and that such endothelium-derived NO stimulates cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) synthesis in the underlying vascular smooth muscle, causing relaxation (Kilbourn, 1999). Since the discovery of NO, vast number of its physiological roles in normal conditions have been reported including in the immune system, nervous system, reproductive system and other cellular functions. It has also been found to play important roles in variety of species ranging from mammals, to insects and plants. Role of Nitric Oxide in Biology Since it was first discovered to play a role in the dilation of blood vessels many new roles for Nitric Oxide (NO) have been discovered. In human body, NO is metabolised by its diffusion into red blood cells where it oxidizes the ferrous iron of oxyhemoglobin yielding methemoglobin and nitrate ions (NO3-) (J.M. Hevel et al., 1994 and Konstantin J. Ovodov and Ronald G. Pearl, 2000). This meachanism limits local NO build up and is particularly important in keeping NO concentration in naomolar range, at least in nonhydrophobic compartments (i.e. outside cell membranes) (Beckman Koppenol, 1996). Nitric oxide has been found to be produced by effectively every cell type in vivo and plays an important role in both controlling the normal function of cells as well as in regulating larger scale processes such as the reproductive, immune and nervous systems. A few of these biological functions for NO are described in more detail below. The Immune System Nitric oxide plays many important roles in the immune system although it is expressed in many cell types following endotoxin or pro-inflammatory cytokine treatment (C. Nathan et al., 1991 and R.G. Knowles et al., 1994). NO, in immune system, is produced in high amounts from specific cells called macrophages. Proceedingly to an infection, chemicals known as cytokines are release in vivo which activate the cells of the immune system such as macrophages, and help guide them to the site of infection (S. Moncada et al., 1991 and C. Nathan et al., 1991). NO produced by the macrophages is toxic to the bacteria and play an important role in their destruction (Fig 1). The production of nitric oxide in this way also helps protect against other types of infection including parasites and viruses (S. Moncada et al., 1991). However, too much nitric oxide production can not only lead to septic shock but has also been implicated in conditions where the immune system is too active autoimmune diseases like arthritis (Jang D and Murrell G A, 1998). The Nervous System Nitric oxide has been shown to be involved in both the peripheral and central nervous system. The three nitric oxide producing isotypes of enzyme (iNOS, eNOS, nNOS) (see section) in humans, one isotype (neuronal NOS (nNOS)) is found almost exclusively in the nervous system (Forstermann et al., 1995). nNOS is thought to be involved in promoting the transfer of interneuronal nerve signals. This is thought to take place by the stimulation of exocytosis (release) of endogenous chemicals called neurotransmitters of one neurone (Moncada et al., 1991; Forstermann and Kleinert, 1995). These NT then diffuse across the synaptic cleft (gap between neuronal terminals) and stimulate the neighbouring nerve cell terminal to transmit the signal (Otto Loewi, 1961). NO has shown to play a substantial role in diseases of the nervous system like Alzheimers and Parkinsons. In both diseases, the inhibition of NO has shown to slow down the progression of the disease in mice (Weill Cornell Team, 2005 and Jo hns Hopkins et al., 2004). Reproductive Biology Nitric oxide is one of the most important molecule in the course of reproduction and is involved in many aspects of it. As well as dilating the blood vessels and thereby helping to regulate maternal blood pressure, NO is also involved in implanting the early embryo in the uterus (Rogers, 1995). During pregnancy, nitric oxide is also suggested promote angiogenesis (a process in which new blood vessels are formed) (RayChaudhury et al., 1996). It is also known to play a role in the survival of trophoblasts (form placenta) (Enders et al., 1978). Furthermore deficiency of NO has been found in patients with preeclampsia (a medical condition in pregnancy) suggesting its partial role in growth of embryo (Yallampalli et al., 1994; Liao et al., 1996). In addition, drugs (Viagra) used to treat erectile dysfunction also affect nitric oxide signalling. Cellular function A notable number of cellular activities can be controlled by nitric oxide including cell division, cell movement and cell survival. The majority of cells in human body have the ability to undergo programmed cellular death. This is a self-destructive mechanism usually called apoptosis which often occurs when a cell is damaged and beyond repair, infected with a virus, or undergoing stressful conditions such as starvation (Kerr et al., 1972). Cells in these conditions go through apoptosis so that they dont hinder the proper functioning of the rest of the tissue. During apoptosis, the structures of the cell break down in an organised manner, forming a packaged cell that is smaller in size so that it can be easily removed by the cells of the immune system (Kerr et al., 1972). Nitric oxide was first shown to inhibit apoptosis hence promoting cell survival in human B lymphocytes (Mannick, J. B. Et al., 1994). Subsequently similar finding were reported in an ample number of other cells. However, high doses of nitric oxide also have deleterious effects. They can be toxic to many cell types and can lead to septic shock and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in which case NO causes cell death instead of promoting cell survival (Beal Cerra, 1994). Nitric Oxide and Inflammation (Pathophysiology of septic shock) This section will deal with mechanism by which wall fragments of Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacteria and other inflammatory agents induce nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in cells and tissues. Exogenous toxins which enter the circulation stimulate the synthesis and release of a number of endogenous cytokines. During a gram-negative infection which can lead to septic shock, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and endotoxins present on bacterial wall and many other inflammatory agents bind to a co-receptor (CD14) on the surface of specific immune cells like macrophages, resulting in their activation (J.C. Lee et al., 1996). LPS also bind to LPS-binding proteins which are produced by the liver. These proteins facilitate LPS binding to the CD14 co-receptor of the macrophages. The CD14 co-receptor is activated through the binding of LPS to a toll-like molecule (TLR4), (Re F, Strominger J. Et al., 2001) which is responsible for initiating the transmembrane signaling. TLR2 molecules act in the same way as TLR4, (Leppper PM et al., 2002) though; these are activated by gram-positive bacteria, mycobacteria and yeast. Gram-positive bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus have further additional wall fragments such as peptidoglycan (PepG) and lipoteichoic acid (LTA). Both PepG and LTA have been shown to synergise to produce the characteristic features of septic shock, MODS and ultimately death in rodent models (S.J. De Kimpe et al., 1995 and G.M. Millar et al., 1997). These effects were not observed with either LTA or peptidoglycan alone, although high doses of LTA can cause circulatory failure but not MODS (S.J. De Kimpe et al., 1995). Gram-positive bacteria may also release other enterotoxins and exotoxins, for example toxic shock syndrome toxin 1, which are involved in the pathogenesis of sepsis (reviewed in (R.C. Bone et al., 1994)). The additional fragments released by Gram-positive bacteria bind to unknown receptors however, like LPS binding, cause the release of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-a, IL-1ß, and IFN-? (Thiemermann, 1997, Titheradge, 1999). These cytokines as well as IL-6 are often produced in response to immune stimulation of macrophages and monocytes hence also in septic shock patients. IL-1 and TNF each occur in two forms, a and ß. TNF- a and both forms of IL-1 are made by activated monocytes and macrophages, whereas TNF- ß is made by activated T lymphocytes (Review by J. Saklatvala et al., 1996). There are two receptors for both IL-1 and TNF and the two forms of each cytokine interact with the same receptors. IL-1 a and ß interact with the type 1 IL-1 receptor for signal transduction, whereas type II does not appear to transmit any signal and functions as an inhibitor of IL-1 action (J. Saklatvala et al., 1996). The two types of TNF receptor, p55 (type I) and p75 (type II) have different end effects; p75 mediates the proliferative actions of TNF- a while p55 receptor signals the inflammatory response and apoptosis (J. Saklatvala et al., 1996). Complex interactions between these different mediators produce intense pathophysiological modification, which eventually lead to diffuse tissue injury and ultimately sequential system failure (multiple organ dysfunc tion syndrome), which accounts for the majority of deaths among patients with sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock (Beal Cerra, 1994). IL-1ß and TNF-a have a very short half life compared to IL-6 and therefore IL-6 is a very good indicator of cytokinemia. The initial studies of septic shock, showed a very strong positive correlation between IL-6 levels and fatal outcome (Casey L. Et al., 1993). NO is equally a very short lived molecule with an estimated in vivo half life of only 0.1 seconds hence again it is hard to measure its levels in order to detect the severity of cytokinemia hence the severity of sepsis or septic shock. There are several molecules that contribute to the pro and anti-inflammatory responses in septic shock (Table 4); however I shall only focus on a few due to the limited word allowance. In response to inflammatory agents in septic shock, the released cytokines (TNF-a, IL-1ß, and IFN- ?), bind to their specific receptors activating a protein kinase called tyrosine kinase leading to both the activation of the nuclear factor-kB (NF-?B) (a transcription factor) and the phosphorylation of intracellular protein (Gao et al., 2008). A precise mechanism by which these cytokines act was proposed by J. Saklatvala et al. in 1996 however this has yet to be confirmed. Nitric oxide producing cells contain I-?B which is an inhibitor of NF-?B. For the activation of NF-?B, proteolytic cleavage of I-?B from NF-?B is required which forms NF-?B. This biological change allows the activated NF-?B to translocate to the nucleus, where it binds to the promoter region of the iNOS gene inducing transcription. It has also been reported to induce other inflammatory agents, such as cytokines and leukocyte-endothelial adhesion molecules (Janssen-Heininger et al., 2000). Tyrosine kinase present inside the cell acts as a messenger molecule involved in the proteolytic cleavage of I-?B/NF-?B and hence in the activation of NF-?B and iNOS expression (Hecker M, et al., 1996). In septic shock, the translated products of iNOS mRNA subsequently assemble forming the iNOS protein which in turn causes local NO proliferation (Thiemermann, 1997). Fig 2 shows the signal transduction pathway of iNOS expression in response to inflammatory agents. The physiological role of iNOS is to enhance the formation of NO (due to iNOS activity), which in turn may contribute to either the pathophysiology of septic shock (clinbical symptoms) or the host defence (Reviewed in Gao et al., 2008). Fig 3 shows a simplified schematic of the Anti Inflammatory cascade in the context of septic shock. Excess NO produced by iNOS has been reported to both induce and inhibit NF-?B (Kalra et al., 2000; Umansky et al., 1998). In year 2000, it was proposed that low levels of NO may induce further NO production while high concentrations do the opposite exhibiting a feedback mechanisms that would oppose the over expression of genes regulated by NF-?B (Janssen-Heininger et al., 2000). In addition NO at high concentrations competes with O2 at the active site of NOS, thus providing a feedback mechanism of its own synthesis (Griscavage et al., 1995; Rengasamy Johns, 1993). Biological Synthesis of Nitric Oxide (Nitric Oxide Synthases) NOS structure and substrates for NO production: In mammals, NO is exclusively formed from the enzymatic oxidation of one terminal guanidino nitrogen of the amino acid L-arginine. When expressed in moles, this reaction utilizes 1 mol each of arginine and O2, and 1.5 mol of NADPH, yielding 1 mol of NO, 1 mol of L-citrulline and 1.5 mol of NADP (R.G. Knowles et al., 1994). The reaction sequence involves the generation of an Ng-hydroxy-L-arginine intermediate, followed by the oxidation of Ng-hydroxy-L-arginine in presence of molecular oxygen to form L-citrulline and NO (Dennis J. Stuehr et al., 1991 and R.G. Knowles et al., 1994). The enzymes that accelerate the reaction above are a family of relatively large heme proteins known as NO synthase (NOS) which resemble cytochrome P450 structurally (M. M. Chan et al., 2001 and Francois Feihl, 2001) (The general mechanism of NO production from NOS is illustrated in Fig 4). All members of this family share a similar homodimeric structure, where each monomer consists of a an oxygenase domain and a reductase domain, separated by a short amino acids (30aa) sequence for the attachment of the Ca2+-binding protein calmodulin. In addition to calmodulin attachment, enzymatic activity requires the presence of four cofactors: FAD, flavin mononucleotide (FMN), tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), and heme (Francois Feihl, 2001). Fig 5 shows the general structure of the NOS enzymes. Nitric Oxide Synthase isoforms and their locus in the Human Body: There are three known isoforms of NOS, each the product of a different gene: neuronal NOS (nNOS or NOS-1), inducible NOS (iNOS or NOS-2), and endothelial NOS (eNOS or NOS-3). nNOS and eNOS were first described in rat cerebellum and bovine aortic endothelial cells, respectively, but their tissue distribution is far wider than suggested by their names. eNOS and nNOS are involved in regulating vascular tone (R.G. Knowles et al.,1992 and S. Moncada et al., 1991) and neurotransmission respectively, whereas iNOS is involved in the immune defence although it is expressed in many cell types following endotoxin or pro inflammatory cytokine treatment (R.G. Knowles et al., 1994). nNOS is typically expressed in skeletal muscle and myenteric plexuses. eNOS is ubiquitous in vascular endothelium, but may also be found in the kidney tubular epithelial cells, placenta (Forstermann et al., 1995), and neurons (Nathan Xie, 1994). In these tissues, the expression of nNOS and eNOS is constitutive, although it may be regulated (Michel Feron, 1997). For instance, the levels of transcript for eNOS in vascular endothelial cells is increased by shear stress (Topper et al., 1996; Uematsu et al., 1995) and exercise (Wang et al., 1997), reduced by inflammatory stimuli such as TNF-a (Nathan Xie, 1994) and variably affected by hypoxia (Le Cras et al., 1998; Toporsian et al., 2000). In the physiological state, the iNOS isoform is only present at a few locations, notably the respiratory epithelium, the gravid uterus (Nathan Xie, 1994), and perhaps the ileal mucosa (Hoffman et al., 1997). iNOS expression has been demonstrated in numerous cell types including macrophages, neutrop hils, vascular endothelial (Hoffmann et al., 1999), smooth muscle cells, endocardium, myocardium, fibroblast, mesangial cells, renal tubular epithelium (Kunz et al., 1994), neurons, hepatocytes, pancreatic islet cells and astrocytes (Nathan Xie, 1994). iNOS can be induced by a number factors including UV light; cyclic AMP-elevating agents; trauma; ozone and bacterial products described earlier (see section). On the other hand, many endogenous agents may oppose cytokine induction of iNOS. These include anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10, chemokines such as monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and growth factors such as tumor growth factor-ß (Forstermann et al., 1995). In all NOS isoforms, calmodulin binding is an absolutely vital for enzymatic activity. In the cases of eNOS and nNOS, this binding necessitates relatively high concentrations of Ca2+ (see Fig 7), in the range of 0.1-1 mM (Forstermann et al., 1995). In contrast, iNOS is able to bind calmodulin virtually independ ant of Ca2+ (Table 2). Therefore, once iNOS is expressed, NO synthesis may only be limited by the availability of substrates and cofactors (J. Stuehr, 1990). As NO produced from iNOS predominantly depends only on iNOS expression, it lasts much longer than NO formed from the other isoforms of NOS. In addition iNOS produces much higher concentrations of Ca2+ compared to the consecutive forms of NOS (Cobb et al., 1996). The production of NO by eNOS and nNOS, compared to iNOS, can be controlled relatively easily by decreasing or increasing intracellular Ca2+, whereas iNOS can only be controlled through transcription (Cobb et al., 1996). In most cell types iNOS protein levels are either very low or undetectable. However, stimulation of these cells by cytokines or growth factors, can lead to increased transcription of the iNOS gene, with subsequent production of NO. On the other hand, for the prevention of iNOS expression through endotoxins, TGF-ß (Szabo, 1995) and anti inflammatory gl ucocorticoids can be administered which lower the magnitude of vascular hyporeactivity. Glucocorticoids such as Dexamethasone inhibit iNOS activity by blocking arginine transport and inhibiting tetrahydrobiopterin biosynthesis (A.J.B. Brady et al., 1992 and Thiemermann C et al., 1993). Regulation of NO production In the normal as well as in extreme physiological states (e.g. during infection), nitric oxide is considered as one of the most important signalling molecules in vivo. It is however also highly reactive and highly diffusible due to it being a free radical (one unpaired electron) (see fig 8). It is therefore important that there is strict control and regulation of nitric oxide production. The synthesis of NO within cells can be regulated in several ways such as the cellular distribution of NOS, changes in NOS gene expression, enzymatic activation by phosphorylation and the presence of cellular inhibitors NOS activity. Intracellular distribution of NOS Nitric oxide is principally regulated through strict control over the location of NO production. The NOS isoforms can be targeted to different regions of the cell, where NO will be produced in close contact with its target proteins. The image below shows the distribution of iNOS (shown in green in image 1) and eNOS (shown in red) in a trophoblast cell. The nucleus is shown in blue. Co-localisation between iNOS and eNOS will show up as a yellow colour (Phil Dash, University of Reading). The image shows that eNOS and iNOS are fairly variably distributed inside the cell, with hardly any yellow colour suggesting very little overlap in their cellular distribution (Phil Dash, University of Reading).Although both iNOS and eNOS produce NO it is likely that their different cellular distribution will lead to NO interacting with different targets and therefore having different effects (Phil Dash, University of Reading). It is very likely that the distribution of NOS isoforms is an important mechanism for regulating when and where NO is produced. Therefore the current research on NOS mainly focuses on how endogenous signals trigger NOS transport and redistribution (Rahul S. Koti et al., 2005). Activation of NOS activity NOS enzyme synthesis is principally regulated by changes in intracellular calcium levels. The constitutive isoforms of NOS, (eNOS and nNOS) have shown to proliferate following increases in Ca2+, and therefore calmodulin levels, in the cell (Rameau et al., 2003). Additionally both nNOS and

Essay on the Search for Freedom in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour

Search for Freedom in The Story of an Hour  Ã‚      In the early 1900s, marriage was comparable to a master-and-slave relationship.   The role of the woman in the marriage was minimal.   The woman’s place was in the house, caring for the children, cleaning the house, and doing other â€Å"womanly† tasks.   Chained to their husbands, marriage became prison to many women; the only means of breaking free from these bonds being the death of a husband.   In Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour,† Mrs. Mallard lives for an hour, experiencing rebirth into freedom and death when that freedom is lost.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While sitting downstairs, Mrs. Mallard grieves over the loss of her husband, and over her new-found freedom.   His death tears out everything from right underneath her very own feet.   Dependent and heartbroken, everything she relies on her husband for has now become her responsibility.   Weeping â€Å"with sudden, wild abandonment†¦.,† Mrs. Mallard allows her emotions over her husband’s death to flow freely, thus...

The First Transcontinental Railroad :: American History

The First Transcontinental Railroad missing works cited â€Å"May God continue the unity of our country as this railroad unites the two great oceans of the world† (Mayer 213). This famous quotation was engraved on the gold spike that connected the two fragments of the first transcontinental railroad. It describes the significance of the railway to the rapidly growing United States. The transcontinental railroad was of tremendous importance to the development of the Union because it opened the western frontier to increased settlement and represented the growing integration of the country. It stimulated trade between east and west, and transformed the dormant frontier into an essential component of the Union. A very different situation existed before the completion of the transcontinental railroad. The western region of the United States was almost completely separated from the east. Travel between the two regions was agonizingly long and difficult, and transportation of goods was costly and inefficient. There were three main routes that could be taken to travel from the east to the west. The first was an expensive four-month sea voyage around the tip of Cape Horn. The second route was the particularly challenging horseback journey through the malaria-infested swamps of the Isthmus of Panama. The final option was to travel across the US mainland by wagon, which a strenuous and lengthy expedition. The settlement of the Oregon boundary dispute, the acquisition of Mexican territory, the discovery of gold in California, and the spirit of manifest destiny were various motives that inspired people to undergo the journey across America. Many people soon believed that a transcontinental railroad would be enormously beneficial to the country. The bitter feelings between the North and South resulting from divergent economies, life styles, and opinions on the divisive issue of slavery needed to be resolved before attention could be concentrated on the transcontinental railroad. By 1860, the North and South had developed two very different economies. The primarily agricultural South relied on its chief crop, cotton, which accounted for a good deal of US exports. To produce cotton in such large amounts, the South depended on the plantation system, and thus on slavery. The North however, was an industrial giant and had no desire for slave labor. The South avoided industrialization and imported nearly all manufactured goods. Therefore, they vehemently opposed high tariffs.

Adopting Thorium Energy

When it comes to nuclear power most people would think about uranium. Our current state of nuclear power harnesses power through nuclear fission. The heat generated from this process boils water which drives massive steam turbines to create electricity. While this sounds like a fairly simple process the dangers it presents are massive. Reactor core meltdowns and the waste products are serious dangers the environment. There is an alternative element that can be used in place of uranium which is more efficient, abundant, and most importantly†¦safer. That element is thorium. Thorium is a naturally occurring radioactive chemical element. It is named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder. When used in a system for generating electricity its waste materials are 10 – 1000 times less long lived than uranium. This provides profound benefits over uranium when it comes to storing waste products. Thorium provides a greater energy yield than uranium; 5,000 tons of thorium is equivalent to about 61,000 tons of uranium. Those amounts are what’s needed to provide energy to the entire planet. At this point you’re probably wondering why we’re not using it if it’s safer and more powerful. Thorium has had a complicated history. Not because of any potential dangers it may have presented, but the potential dangers it didn’t possess. Uranium based nuclear power plants serve another purpose. Their waste products aid in the creation of weapons. Thorium’s waste products are not as easily weaponized. During the cold war governments were hesitant about funding a fledgling source of energy. Instead they opted to continue to invest and expand the infrastructure of the established uranium based nuclear plants. The last government funded thorium reactor was shut down in 1973 and thorium research nearly died along with it. In short; the benefits of weapons were chosen over having a safer and more energy independent future. The very nature of thorium allows for a facility orders of magnitude safer than the uranium nuclear power plants. When a nuclear power malfunctions or is damaged there is possibility of it exploding and releasing radioactive aterials into the atmosphere. The three worst nuclear power plant disasters occurred in 1979 with Three Mile Island, Pennsylvania; 1986 with Chernobyl; and in 2011 with the disaster in Fukushima, Japan. Chernobyl is estimated to remain uninhabitable for approximately 20,000 years while Fukushima is expected to remain so for 20 years or more. Entire cities abandoned do to the inherent danger of uranium based nuclear energy. Thorium has a sort of built-in fail-safe in that it requires extremely high temperatures to operate. This is alone makes for one its safest qualities. Without going into too much detail; if a thorium power plant were to lose power the devices heating its reactor tank would stop working. This would decrease the operating temperatures of thorium and its reactions would cease. The thorium would then be drained into a collection tank through the force of gravity. Unlike uranium power plants; thorium has no need to use water as a coolant. In an emergency a thorium power plant can shut itself down without any human intervention. Only recently has thorium once again become a serious contender for replacing uranium. As countries move to dismantle their nuclear arsenals thorium moves closer to the forefront of an energy independent future. Not all countries are as forward thinking as others though. China is currently the most forward thinking when it comes to thorium and has already outlined plans to have a new thorium reactor by the end of the decade. Estimates show that China has enough thorium to power its electricity needs for 20,000 years. That amount of potential and safe energy is unheard of. The United States alone sits on a reserve of about 440,000 tons of thorium in storage. Remember that 5,000 tons could power the entire planet for a year. The total estimated thorium content on Earth is around 120 trillion tons. So much energy waiting to be harnessed. The United States has let politics get in the way of what truly matters for far too long. The main hurdle to building new thorium plants is that new regulations would have to be established first. Those who make their fortunes off the established nuclear power plants no doubt lobby politicians to prevent thorium from becoming the leading source of energy. America will hurt itself if it allows other countries to gain too much of a head start in thorium energy research. Though thorium is not without its hurdles; its potential cannot be denied or ignored any longer. It’s extremely energy dense. There will never be a shortage of it. It’s incredibly safe. The waste products are less long lived and cannot be made into weapons. Like the Norse god it was named after thorium is set to take the world by storm.

Mercury Athletic Footwear: Valuing the Opportunity Essay

Team 10 / Mergers and Acquisitions West Coast Fashions, Inc (WCF) was a large business, which dealt with men’s and women’s apparel. One of their segments was Mercury Athletic Footwear. WCF wanted to dispose off this segment. They just wanted to divest because they wanted to focus more on their core business and move it up to the elite class. John Liedtke was the Business Development Head at that time in Active Gear Inc. He had a clear idea that acquiring Mercury will shoot up AGI’s revenues for sure. It would also ensure an expansion of the key business. In order to get a clearer picture on the acquisition, he needed to compare and analyze the company’s financials well. By this he could gauge the pros and cons of this acquisition. Are the strategic reasons behind the Merger good enough? Explain As a team, we had different views on this question. Some reasons make us think that it may be beneficial for AGI to grab the opportunity but some make us think that it might not be as promising as it seems. Let us see why we feel it is a good idea for AGI to acquire Mercury. Active Gear Inc. Mercury Athletic Footwear Revenue $470,285mn $431,121mn % Revenue Product wise 42% Athletic 58% Casual 79% Athletic 21% Casual Operating Income $60.4mn $42,299mn Revenue growth 2% to 6% 12.5% Active Gear was one of the most successful firms in terms of profitability, in the footwear industry. Mercury looked like a good opportunity for an  attractive investment because they almost have the same revenues, while being smaller in size, in the market. The Percent revenue in the casual footwear in AGI compensates for the gap in Mercury. It’s a perfect balance. When we looked at the industrial average of revenue growth is 10% and AGI is below the standard, however Mercury is above by 2.55%. It is a good sign to move ahead for this acquisition, as it will enable AGI to remain at the top in the market. Both companies are in the same industry and have same products. Both Mercury and AGI does its manufacturing in China. AGI sourced its resources to the contract manufacturers in China. Mercury can leverage with these manufacturers as China just experienced a wave of consolidation favorable for these kinds of manufacturers. This, in turn, can enable AGI to have the opportunity to expand with its top retailers and distributors. Mercury’s cost of manufacturing is low and could help to sync the lower profit margins of AGI, which it had been facing from its suppliers, distributors and consumers. (Refer Case Page 5 and 3). Mercury had always been an autonomous body, which maintained its own financials, data management, resource management and distribution. This would pave a smooth way for AGI to take over. This smoothness could not have been expected had Mercury been totally under WCF. Now let us look at why some of the members of the team thought that the acquisition is not an appropriate decision: There would be strategic clashes because AGI focuses on Classic and elite products with long life, on the other hand, Mercury focused on flexibility and changed its pr oducts based on demand and trend. (Refer Case study Page 2 and 4). There is a huge difference in days Inventory between the two companies. It means that there must be a strategy of keeping their products on shelf. We also come to know that Liedtke believed that Mercury can adopt the Inventory Management of AGI and a bit incremental cost and then it might reduce the levels of DSI of Mercury. Mercury also concentrated on a different geographic section than AGI. We also think that this Acquisition might just entail a complete take-over of the Women’s line of Mercury. However, it might me a loss making business for AGI later (Refer case study Page 6). Review the projections by Liedtke. Are they appropriate? How would you recommend modifying them? We put the Exhibit 7 for reference: As a team we analyzed each segment’s projection: Men’s Athletic This segment indicated a 8,72% average growth rate from 2007-2011. According to the information in the case, Men’s Athletic revenue grew more 40% over the prior year and the average compound rate from 2004-2006 was of 29%, therefore the forecasted item should be based on this assumption from the case of CAGR of 29%. This projection seems conservative and it can be modified towards the expected 29% growth. Men’s Casual Women’s Athletic This segmented shows a growth rate of 2,50% from 2007-2011. According to the information provided in the case, the sales of this business line should be declining at 6,25% per year not increasing. Therefore its sales should decrease in this percentage not increase as projected per Liedtke. Liedtke projected for this business segment, an average growth rate 7,98% (2007-2001). The case indicates a growth from 2004-2005 of 13,5% per year . Therefore this can be somewhat a conservative growth projection. Since this has been solid growth, this could be increased to maintain the 13, 5% sales growth in the upcoming years Women’s Casual Lietdke’s projection assumed that this business line was going to disappear by the end of 2007 this is aligned with was its expected from Mercury management according to the facts stated in the case (page 6). Given this information we can conclude that the Women’s Casual as part of Mercury revenue generator would disappear, therefore this projection seems reasonable if Mercury does not merge. If merger happens this business line can be enhance by the synergies of both companies and it might be a positive approach to keep the brand alive. Estimated Capital Expenditures This projected expenditure was based on 5, 67% average growth rate from 2007 until 2011. The information in the case indicates that Mercury’s capital spending its little since they focus its resources in market research and product designs. Estimated Depreciation This item maintains an average growth rate of 5,67% for the years of 2007-2011. Because there is no more evidence of changes in depreciation this seems reasonable for Mercury’s operations. Cash Used in Operations From the Historical balance of exhibit 4, in 2006 Cash & Equivalents closed with a balance of $10,676. Liedtke projected a 61% decline for 2007 reducing the Cash line item to $4,161. This reduction might be since the historical Balance Sheet (2004-2006) was taking into account Cash & Cash Equivalents â€Å"† where the projected Balance Sheet (2007-2011) it’s only taking into account â€Å"Cash used in operations†. In addition, it might also be affected by the fact of â€Å"Men’s casual footwear† and â€Å"Women’s Casual Footwear† revenue are declining and not generating enough sales. Accounts Receivable The accounts receivable of Mercury, maintained flat growth with a 6% average growth rate from 2006-2011. Probably they have credit terms with retailers and shops, although there is not enough information in the case about this, therefore it seems an appropriate projection. Inventory According to Liedtke projections inventory also maintain an average growth of 6% until 2011. An inventory increase it’s necessary for this type of business, since Mercury needs to supply large retailers with their Footwear. In addition, this increase might be justified with the fact that, Mercury its receiving pressure from suppliers in China who need larger orders to operate at full capacity, therefore Mercury might be forced to make larger orders in the future to maintain its current relationship with the Asian suppliers. However, if Mercury it’s considering Women’s Casual as dead brand this can make the growth to be somewhat conservative. Prepaid Expenses According to Liedtke’s projection these expenses increased from$ 10,172 to  $14,747 in 2007 represented 42% increased. After 2007 Liedtke’s projected an average growth rate of 6% will maintain an average growth rate. Prepaid expenses might be rent of related to their operations however there is not enough information to assume that prepaid expenses can change aggressively over the projected years. Property Plant and Equipments This line item seems to maintain a flat and conservative growth since there is no indications of major changes in this area in the future of Mercury fixed assets. Trademarks &Other Intangibles The amount in trademarks and other intangible should not change since the company already owns the brands of the different segment. If in the future the merger happens then this might decrease Accounts Payable This was projected with a 5% average growth rate per year since 2007. For this type of business model seems reasonable that mercury maintains a conservative growth rate for the future years. The company already has established relationship with retailers and probably their credit terms will remain the same for the upcoming years. Accrued Expenses Accrued expenses which might be related to workers’ wages, increased from 16,981 to 22,778 in 2007 (21% increase). This increase seems somewhat aggressive since the company it’s probably expects to have less staff from the business lines, which are declining. Deferred Taxes Taxes might not suffer any changes, since this the taxes the company will have to pay for the upcoming years. Pension Obligation Projections of pensions seems reasonable and with no changes for upcoming  years. Nevertheless, if we assume that organizational changes will occur in the future such as lay-offs this line could be reduced. Value the target company, first by the DCF approach, and second, by multiples, using Liedtke’s baseline case. Explain all the assumptions that you make in this process We look at the valuation done by Joel L. Heilprin for Mercury when the WACC is 11.06% and the long run growth rate is projected at 2.78%: However, our DCF uses a WACC of 8.73% and a long-term growth rate of 3%. We do understand that there is a significant difference from Heilprin’s calculations; however, it is to reflect upon the probable different values of the treasury securities that we chose. Here is our DCF, but please refer to the excel file (attached through â€Å"Turn it In’) for all the formulas and values we used to give us an idea and to help us reach the solution. In one of our calculations we took Termination Value in 2007 based on the M&A. And in the other one, we took the Termination Value from 2011 because the FCF is growing slowly. (Please refer to the calculations in the Excel) Do you regard the value you obtained as conservative or aggressive? Why? Three calculations give different results because we took assumptions. The DCF method based on case assumption gives higher value than the P/E method. Based on the calculation we get two different market value of the company. The evident one is $236,988. This approach can be considered as aggressive. Moreover the target company has the steady financial statement with a low debt proportion, while the bidder has higher debt in portfolio. We combine the company by â€Å"Pooling Interest† method. This situation considers that the bidder, which tries to target the company with higher price, is considered to be aggressive. From our Lower WACC calculations we drop the Cost of Capital, which can inversely raise the enterprise value. With our high enterprise value we have a higher proposal value to the buyer, higher than Heilprin’s. What kind of synergies or other sources of value not included in Lietdke’s projections? How would you take them into account? The additional opportunities that the company has to improve the results are: Maintain line of Women casual revenues. AGI has the opportunity to add this line of products. AGI can use the infrastructure of Mercury without new investments. Additionally, AGI could change the Women casual brand of Mercury to their own brand, so changing the products style to the concept of lifestyle for women. The company could consider as minimum an EBIT of $0.5M similar to the 2004. Improvement in DSI, DSO, DPO. Mercury has fewer DSI, more DSO, and more DPO. If we analyze the next table, we can consider that AGI have the opportunity to match the DSI of Mercury with the ones of AGI. Additionally, the company has the opportunity of increase the PDO of Mercury with AGI, negotiating days of payment with the providers in China. These opportunities improve the Working capital in $17M for AP, and $22M for inventory. The total improvement for WC is $39M. Increase volume for their providers. AGI reduced the number of providers to allow them achieve more scale and put AGI in a better negotiating position. In that way, AGI could benefit from the bigger scale and continuing consolidation of their providers. Notice that the Gross margin of Mercury is 44%, while it is 50% for AGI. Therefore, with better negotiations for the Mercury products there is an opportunity for reducing COGS in $25M. Elimination of duplicated costs in China. Eliminate the surplus of people the company have in China. AGI manage their providers in China with 85 employees, and Mercury manages 73 professional. The merged company can eliminate at least the 73 professionals of Mercury. The value of 73 employees is $1.7M per year (assuming an average monthly payroll and related of $20k per employee).