Reverse Logistics Operations in the Ford Motor Co Research Paper

Reverse Logistics Operations in the Ford Motor Co - Research Paper Example Ford has always been credited with the manufacturing invention. Scone its founding in the late 19th century, the firms has been in the forefront of defining mass production. The founder of Ford, Henry Ford is credited to have been the inventor of the assembly line. With its over a hundred years in manufacturing automobiles and auto parts, Ford has come to know the importance of having a smooth supply chain and the logistics that goes into sustaining this supply chain. It is not just its supply chain; it is also about its reverse logistics which refers to the products or parts travelling backwards from the normal direction of the supply chain to the manufacturer. Reverse logistics has a impact on a business. For instance, some finished products may reach the market but have a default, the reverse logistics that are required to return these products to the factory for the correction of the fault are always important. Ford realizes that there is a need to carefully and efficiently manage these reverse logistics. No matter what, the reverse logistics associated with the return of faulty products are an expense to any firms (Davis, 2012). Automobile manufacturers stand to incur an even bigger loss with such reverse logistics. Many auto manufacturers have in the past found themselves in the situation where they need to reverse the logistics for a large number of logistics. For instance, the Japanese auto manufacturer has in the past needed to recall millions of cars after they have reached the market and a major fault is detected. For instance, there has been one of the cars from Toyota that had a fault with its acceleration and the fault had to be corrected back at their factories. Such reverse logistics cost the firm a lot of millions. Ford realizes that such reverse logistics need to be managed in a serious way and should not be treated as a secondary logistics. They realize that

Truman Capote Essay Example for Free

Truman Capote Essay Capote, the 2005 movie directed by Bennett Miller, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Clifton Collins, Jr., Chris Cooper and Bruce Greenwood, is the story of the making of Truman Capote’s 1966 non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood. Hoffman, playing Capote as a fish-out-of-water, a mincing homosexual researching his opus in a small Kansas town in 1959, shares screen time with Keener’s Harper Lee, a childhood friend of the author. The true story of how Capote researched his book is not as compelling as the story he actually wrote. Keener, playing Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird makes a more interesting figure and the viewer sometimes wonders why the movie isn’t about her and the making of her own opus.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Keener, as Lee, is the key to Capote being able to access the rural people of the little Kansas town. They are amused by, and wary of the little man with the lisp and extravagant dress. It is she who opens the doors for him and permits the work to be researched. Hoffman, as Capote, is technically on the mark, but his portrayal is still that of a hollow man. The audience is supposed to feel empathy for this tragic individual but there is little compassionate or passionate about him. The tragedy of the story is, in reality, the Kansas farm family who was slaughtered like animals by the socio-paths who will be exploited by Capote. The audience is supposed to care that the soulless sophisticated and dapper homosexual is attracted to the cold-blooded killer, and, most likely, is in love with him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The film is bleak and also runs out of steam by midpoint. The acting is good but the subject is borderline disgusting. Capote exploited the community and the slain family.   The film version of the actual Capote work, In Cold Blood, is a much better movie.

Risks and Benefits of Estrogen plus Progestin in Healthy Postmenopausal

For reasons both practical and political, women’s health has long been neglected as a field of study. This study by the Women’s Health Initiative is the largest investigation of a pertinent women’s issue ever, with 161,809 post-menopausal women enrolled from 1993 to 1998. Designed in the early part of the 1990s, this study consisted several trials, among them low-fat dietary patterns, calcium and vitamin D supplement use, and hormone replacement therapy. The hormone replacement trial experienced such surprising and unpredicted results that the entire trial was stopped early. It was hypothesized that giving post-menopausal women a combination of estrogen and progesterone would prevent coronary heart disease. Thus, a coronary heart disease event such as a heart attack was considered the primary outcome, or stopping point. Intermediate markers were determined to be invasive breast cancer, stroke, pulmonary embolism, endometrial cancer, colorectal cancer, or hip fracture. Hormone replacement therapy has long been an accepted form of treatment for women with age-related diseases like osteoporosis. Thus, when the WHI realized that the women taking estrogen plus progesterone were experiencing 29% more coronary heart disease events (i.e. heart attacks), 41% more strokes, and 26% more breast cancer than those who were receiving the placebo, the study was terminated. While the group of women receiving hormones also experience 37% less colorectal cancer and lower hip fracture rates, it was determined that allowing the trial to run to its finish would not be beneficial overall and would in fact cause increasing harm for stroke, coronary heart disease, and breast cancer. Below is a list of things that were inv... ...nodes; or the cancer has spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone or to other tissues near the breast Stage IV – metastatic breast cancer where the cancer has spread outside the breast to other organs in the body Hormonal Treatments of Breast Cancer Pathologists examine the cancers in the breast for estrogen or progestin. If there are signs of either the patient may be eligible for certain drugs containing special hormones. There are also very uncommon side effects like blood clots, strokes, or uterine cancer that may scare patients from choosing to take it. Venous Thromboembolic Disease A clotting of the blood in the blood vessel associated with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Other Cancers Endometrial- cancer that originates in the endometrial lining of the uterus Colorectal- cancer of the colon or rectum

The Divine Comedy vs. Paradise Lost Essays -- essays research papers

Full Circle – from Sin to Salvation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Great works of literature have been written throughout history. However, The Divine Comedy and Paradise Lost have the inept ability to stir the soul and cause a person to examine and re-examine their life. The brilliant descriptions, use of imagery, metaphor and simile give a person a vivid picture of the creation of man and the possibilities for life in the hereafter. This is done, as a person is able to see, full circle, from the beginning of time to the end of time, the consequences of turning away from God. The ability to see a life full circle is apparent through the examination of both of these poems. Although written many years ago, the morals and principles that they convey ring very true for people in this century as well as times yet to come. The Divine Comedy, written in the 14th century by Dante Alighieri, is a heroic epic. Throughout Dante’s literary work, he outlines his scientific understandings of the world, his political views and provides the reader with a moral compass and spiritual map of which to follow. This poem is written in three parts, Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradisio, each of which is broken down into individual cantos. Inferno includes 34 cantos, whereas Purgatrio and Paradiso each contain 33 cantos, however, the first canto of Inferno is really an introduction to the poem. The primary characters in Dante’s poem include himself, who is also the narrator, Virgil, a poet he has admired, who serves as his guide through most of the first two sections, and finally, Beatrice, his inspiration, who greets him at Paradisio and escorts him through the remainder of his journey. Dante experiences a vision, at the age of 35, after experiencing traumatic events in his hometown of Florence. The events that are occurring in Florence at the time are associated with papal corruption and cause Dante to be forced into exile. Following the vision, which confirms to Dante that he has strayed from the right path in life, Dante begins his travel through the three realms, which contain the possible consequences following a person’s death. Dante’s journey begins on Good Friday, when he is escorted to the gates of Hell, moves to Purgatory and ends in Heaven. However, an escort accompanies him for duration of his journey. Virgil, who Dante has long admired, escorts Dante through Hell and... ...or not to obey the Father in the partaking of the fruit. Faith becomes a common theme through questions that are answered within the poems. Raphael answers Adam and reveals the meaning and importance of faith. The same thing occurs in Dante’s poem when St. Peter gives him information. In Milton’s poem we see and feel that the character of Eve is somehow not as important as the character of Adam. This is evident in the way Adam is consulted while Eve is left to herself in times of important conversations. In Book eight, Adam says that Eve is â€Å"th’ inferior, in the mind and inward faculties.† (Paradise Lost, book 8, line 317-318) Eve is a submissive character in Paradise Lost. On the other hand, Beatrice, in Dante’s The Divine Comedy, is a strong character and leads Dante. The use of numbers is very important in Dante’s poem as the number three reveals itself several times as well as the number seven. This is not a characteristic found in Paradise Lost. Both poems inspire their reader to look at their own life. In addition, they treat the reader to a full serving of historic literature that not only entertains, but also teaches valuable lesson in the form of morals and principles.

Automated Grading System

If bridges and buildings were made like we make software, then we would have disasters happening daily. I have heard this several times from many people. It is sad but true. Buggy software is the bane of the software industry. One of the ways of increasing software quality is by proper education. Several professionals from the software industry also attest to this. They believe that a greater emphasis should be given to quality and testing in university courses. But simply explaining the principles of software quality is not sufficient.Students tend to forget theoretical principles over time. Practical exposure and experience is equally important. Students should be put in an environment where they can appreciate the importance of quality software and can experience the benefits of processes that enhance quality. Many universities have a period of internship for the students in which they work in a software company and experience these factors first hand. However because the internsh ip usually is of a duration of 3-6 months, it is not sufficient to instill the importance of quality.Emphasis on code quality should be made a part of the entire software curriculum for it to have proper impact. Every assignment that the students submit should be subjected to the same quality standards that an industrial project would be subjected to. Having university assignments adhere to industrial standards will result in the faculty having to spend more time grading the assignments. The faculty can no longer just give an assignment, wait for the students to submit it, and grade them. The faculty must be more like a project manager who constantly mentors the students and helps them improve the quality of their work.Along with spending a good amount of time mentoring students off class hours another challenge is timely evaluation of student assignments. Faculty members are already overloaded with the task of teaching, designing projects, grading, and research. Once we incorporate testing and quality into the curricula, each assignment will have to be graded along many more dimensions, such as quality of the tests, coverage of the tests, etc. This can be very time consuming. We need a mechanism which will automatically grade student assignments to the best possible extent, so that students are iven a timely feedback, and faculty can focus more on providing feedback on the style, design, and documentation of the project. Such a system will also bring consistency to the grading process and will eliminate discrepancies due to instructors bias and lethargy. A good automated grading system should be capable of executing the test cases written by students as well as the faculty on the project, determining the coverage of the test cases, and compiling and executing the submitted programs. It should be configurable so that faculty can determine the importance of various factors that make up the final grade.Several efforts have been made to design and implement autom ated grading systems in universities. Some existing systems are: 1. WEB-CAT[1] 2. Curator[2] 3. ASSYST[3] 4. Praktomat[4] 5. PGSE[5] 6. PILOT[6] In this article I will briefly explain two such automated grading systems – WEB-CAT, and the Praktomat systems, and propose a system that contains useful features from them as well as some new features. WEB-CAT WEB-CAT was created at Virginia Tech university to address the need for incorporating software testing as an integral part of all programming courses.The creators realized the need for a software to automatically grade student assignments to enable faster feedback to students and to balance the working load of faculty members. Since Test Driven Development (TDD) was to be used for all the assignments, the students had to be graded not only on the quality of code, but also on the quality of their test suite. WEB-CAT grades students on three criteria. It gives each assignment a test validity score, a test correctness score, and a code correctness score. Test validity measures the accuracy of the students tests. It determines if the tests are consistent with the problem tatement. Test coverage determines how much of the source code the tests cover. It determines if all paths and conditionals are adequately covered. Code correctness measures correctness of the actual code. All three criteria are given a certain weight-age and a final score is determined. WEB-CAT’s graphical user interface is inspired by the unit testing tool JUnit[7]. Just like JUnit it uses a green bar to show the test results. A text description containing details such as the number of tests that were run, and the number that passed is also provided. Basic features provided by WEB-CAT are: Submission of student assignments using a web based wizard interface †¢ Submission of test cases using a web based wizard interface †¢ Setup of assignments by faculty †¢ Download of student scores by the faculty †¢ Automatic gr ading with immediate feedback for student assignment WEB-CAT follows a certain sequence of steps to assess a project submission. A submission is assessed only if it compiles successfully. If compilation fails, then a summary of errors is displayed to the user. If the program is compiled successfully then WEB-CAT will assess the project on various parameters.It first tests the correctness of the program by running the student’s tests against the program. Since these tests are submitted by the students, and it is expected that 100% of the tests will pass, because we do not expect students to submit a program that fails their own tests. After this the student’s test cases are validated by running them against a reference implementation of the project created by the instructor. If a student’s test case fails on the reference implementation then it is deemed to be invalid. Finally the coverage of the student’s test cases is evaluated.Once the scores are obtain ed a cumulative score out of 100 is calculated applying a certain formula on the scores from all criteria. The results are displayed immediately to the student on an HTML interface. It was observed that the quality of student assignments increased significantly after using WEB-CAT. It was found that the code developed using WEB-CAT contained 45% fewer defects per 1000 (non commented) lines of code[8]. Praktomat Praktomat was created at Universitat Passau in Germany. The purpose of creating Praktomat was to build an environment which would help students enhance the quality of their code.Along with automated grading it also has a focus on peer reviews. The creators of Praktomat felt that reviewing others software and having one’s software reviewed helps in producing better code. This is the reason why Praktomat has a strong focus on peer review and allows users to review as well as annotate code written by other students. Students can resubmit their code any number of times til l the deadline. This way they can improve their code by adopting things they learned by reviewing other students code as well as lessons they learned by others feedback of their own code.Praktomat evaluates student assignments by running them against a test suite provided by the faculty. The faculty creates two test suites – a public suite and a secret suite. The public suite is distributed to the students to help them validate their project. The secret test suite is not made available to the students, but they are aware of its existence. An assignment is evaluated by automatically running both the test suites against it, and also by manual examination by the faculty. Praktomat was developed in Python, and is hosted on SourceForge[9]. ObservationsMy contention that student project submissions should be backed by a process to encourage best practices, and a software to automate as well as facilitate the process, has become stronger after reviewing WEB-CAT and Praktomat. What b est practices should we incorporate in the process? What are the features that an automated grading software should contain? WEB-CAT, Praktomat, and several other software give a good starting point. We can learn from their successes and failures, and enhance the offering by adding our own experience. WEB-CAT and several other sources[10] have shown us that TDD is definitely a good practice.In a university environment TDD will work best if it is complemented by instant feedback to the students. We want to have a process that will encourage students to improve the quality of their code. They should be graded on the best code they can submit till the deadline. Two things are needed for this – instant feedback and the ability to resubmit assignments. WEB-CAT achieves this by assessing submissions in real time, and displaying the results to the students immediately. WEB-CAT allows students to re-submit assignments any number of time till the due date.Since faculty members are alr eady overloaded with work, the software should take some of the faculties responsibilities. WEB-CAT automatically evaluates and grades the student’s assignments, leaving faculty with time for more meaningful activities. Praktomat has shown us that there is a definite benefit to peer review. When we review code written by others, we can go beyond the paradigms set in our own mind. Having our code reviewed by others can help us see our shortcomings which we may have earlier overlooked. Praktomat allows students to review code written by others.However the review is hidden from the faculty, to ensure that it does not impact grading. Praktomat does not rely on 100% automatic evaluation of the assignments. Praktomat evaluates certain aspects automatically and the rest are evaluated manually. Factors like code quality, documentation, etc are reviewed and evaluated manually by the faculty. There may be two reasons for this. Software to support automatic evaluation of these things ma y not have been available when Praktomat was written, or the creators felt that certain things are best evaluated by the faculty.A proposed system for automated grading Based on my observations from reviewing the above software systems and from my own experience, I have defined a process and the functional expectations of a software system that supports TDD and automated grading. The Process †¢ Every project should have a deadline, just like the real world †¢ The project should be defined as a set of use cases and a functional test suite. Both should be made available to the students. †¢ Students should start developing their project using the TDD philosophy. †¢ They should also be provided a source code repository like CVS or VSS. Once the students have completed their project they should tag the build and should upload the tag number to a web based submission software. †¢ It must be clearly defined how the students should submit their unit test suite. â₠¬ ¢ They should also provide one file which will trigger the remaining unit tests.†¢ The software will pull the source from the repository, and evaluate it. o Failure is reported to the student if the project fails to compile. Failure here does not mean that the student fails in the assignment. Assignments can be corrected and submitted any number of time till the deadline. Once the compilation succeeds, the software will run the unit tests written by the student on their code. o After collecting results from the unit tests, the test coverage is measured. o Then the functional tests created by the faculty are executed against the software. o The software is then run through a source code format checker which evaluates it for adherence to coding standards,The software is then run through a source code quality checker which evaluates the quality of code based on known best practices, and anti patterns. o The software is finally channeled to the faculty who evaluates it for design . Results from all the tests are given out of 100%. o After collecting all the results a formula (provided by the faculty) is applied to derive the final score. The Software †¢ The software should provide an account with a username and password to each student and faculty. †¢ The software should be web based so that it can be accessed from anywhere using a standard web browser. †¢ After logging in students should be able to browse to the homepage for a particular assignment and view the details, such as specification, due dates, and any other details posted by the faculty. When a student completes her assignment, she should be able to upload the CVS tag number to the server.†¢ Once the tag number is uploaded the server should pull the source code from a CVS repository and perform the checks mentioned above. †¢ Results from each check is recorded in the database. †¢ The detailed result is then displayed to the student. †¢ Students should be able to resubmit an assignment any number of times till the deadline. †¢ Student code should be available for peer review and annotations if the faculty desires. The faculty should be able to create an assignment and upload details and files. †¢ The faculty should be able to trigger the final evaluation of all assignments either manually, or at a scheduled time. †¢ An evaluation should take the latest tag numbers provided by the student and perform tests on the respective source code. †¢ Results should be made available to the faculty, and students. †¢ The faculty should be able to add their own scores for parts that were checked manually. †¢ The final result is computed by applying a formula provided by the faculty. The final results should be downloadable as a csv text file. Several technologies such as Java, Python, PHP, . NET, and Ruby can be used to implement such a system. Each have their pros and cons. We will not cover the implementation technology in t his paper. Evaluation of these technologies and a final choice based on the evaluation will be dealt with in a separate paper.Reference: 1. http://scholar. lib. vt. edu/theses/available/etd-05222003-225759/unrestricted/Web-CAT. pdf 2. http://www. cs. vt. edu/curator/PublicInfo/CuratorIntroduction. pdf 3. http://portal. cm. org/citation. cfm? id=268210 4. ]http://www. infosun. fmi. uni-passau. de/st/papers/iticse2000/iticse2000. pdf 5. Jones, E. L. Grading student programs – a software testing approach. J. Computing in Small Colleges, 16(2): pp. 185-192. 6. http://www-2. cs. cmu. edu/~rsbaker/pilot. pdf 7. http://www. junit. org 8. Using Test Driven Development in the Classroom: Providing Students with Automatic, Concrete Feedback on Performance. http://web-cat. cs. vt. edu/grader/Edwards-EISTA03. pdf 9. http://sourceforge. net/projects/praktomat/ 10. http://www. testdriven. com

Americas Constitution essays

America's Constitution essays Americas constitution, as epic and infallible as it may seem, now seems to give too much freedom to some people. As absurd as it sounds, I believe people can have too much freedom. What is the constitution anyway but a system of laws used to control the people? I think that by stating that people are free in this nation we show that we do not need to have respect for what others think as long as someone can be happy. Although this sounds nice, I think it is a distorted way of saying that you need to do anything you can to be happy, regardless of who you offend. I think Americas view of the pursuit of happiness is just am illusion for capitalism to work properly. People need to have respect for others before using the excuse that one is trying to pursue happiness. Todays problem with flag burning is an example of why people need to respect laws and not use the excuse that one is free to do anything. The American flag is a symbol for what the country stands for. Even more so, it is a form of property that Americans can have but ultimately we must treat it with respect by rules of our constitution. It is like any federal building or property belonging to the United States; we cannot destroy or harm it in any way. So by law we should not be allowed to burn the American flag, just like no one is allowed to burn down a federal building. The respect that people have for the flag has diminished in recent years anyway. We see forms of the flag used as bikinis and displayed across advertisements. Seeing it used this way only hurts how we view the symbol of our freedom. By burning this symbol, one only sees how important our freedom is. We need to preserve what little values we have in a flag and use it to express what we love about freedom. By celebrating our freedom, I think we need to join together, not distance ourselves as individuals. Many people in other countries are not as fortunate as we are to have the fr...

Free Eric Schlosser’s Articles Essay

Free Eric Schlosser’s Articles Essay Eric Schlosser’s Articles Over the years, many people have been eating various types of food manufactured by fast food industries. However, no one has bothered to find out where they come from or the conditions in which they are produced. This paper provides a rhetorical analysis of Eric Schlossers What We Eat, Chew on This: Everything You Dont Want to Know About Fast Food and Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market. They will sensitize readers on the secrets of fast food companies and the dangers associated with these popular products. Besides, it provides a critical evaluation of dangerous effects of the black market industry, which has been wrecking havoc not only to Americans but to the entire world population (Falconer 2009). These articles are so resourceful since they provide a lot of valuable information, which can sensitize the entire world population on issues of concern. First and foremost, Schlossers articles are based on scientific research conducted by collecting data from interviews and personal observations. He is a renowned investigative journalist who has carried out numerous studies in different areas. His works are acceptable because he conducts his investigations in a professional manner. As an investigation journalist, he uses his skills to uncover underground business operations, which have been wrecking havoc to Americans. In What We Eat, he reports about the dangers associated with fast foods He says that many people love this type of food without understanding the implications associated with its consumption. He says that the leading fast food companies like McDonald's are not committed to ethical codes of conduct guiding such businesses. Their practices are indicating that they are not concerned about the welfare of their clients. Instead, they selfishly aim at making the maximum possible profit without considering the interests of their clientele. For instance, they do not inform them about the ingredients of these increasingly popular burgers and fried chicken. Besides, they only create misleading ads which cannot enable customers to know more about them. For instance, they do not tell them why these foods are much sweeter than any other food. He argues, Behind them lies a simple explanation for why eating a hamburger can now make you seriously ill: There is shit in the meat. this means that this type of food can cause a lot of health problems. Schlosser asserts that there are many dangers associated with this kind of food He says that people are not aware of what they eat. However, it is the same food that defines their identity. He informs readers that fast food has been in American market since early 1950s. However, none of its users has bothered to know more about its source, implications, and dangers associated with it. The spread of BSE [mad cow disease] in Europe has revealed how secret alliances between agribusiness and government can endanger the public health. It has shown how the desire for profit can overrule every other consideration. These companies only desire to make profits. Apart from exorbitantly charging their clients, they underpay their employees. He does not blame them for this ignorant behavior, but instead accuses manufacturing firms such as McDonald's for concealing fundamental information from them. In fact, they will never let anyone know why they are increasingly becoming deceitful, greedy, and unfair both to their employees and clients. Such sentiments are repeated in the Chew on This: Everything You Dont Want to Know About Fast Food, in which he asserts that fast food industry has now invaded schools and toy industries. In this text, he uses a lot of illustrations, simple, clear, and precise language. He takes on this approach because he is targeting kids as his main readers. The information about toys can only be relevant and appeal to them because they are their main users. After carrying out his investigations, Schlosser reports that many children have been using toys without understanding anything about them. Since the market has become larger, the most popular toy manufacturing companies, such as McDonald's (which also happens to be the leading fast food manufacturer), have decided to invade restaurants and learning institutions (Derdak, Jay 2004). These are places through which they can easily access children and encourage them to buy their products. Despite receiving acceptance, children are not aware of the sources of these foods, where they are manufactured, who manufactures them, the conditions in which they are produced and the reasons why they taste so sweet. He goes ahead to sensitize them about some of the things they may not be interested in about the same food These include how chicken and cattle are brutally slaughtered, cooked, and eventually packed before being supplied to them in the market. For instance, he says, And workers who needed to go to the bathroom weren't allowed to take a break. They were forced to pee right on the slaughterhouse floor, near meat that people would soon be eating. This is a clear indication of how messy such plants are. They are not hygienic at all. However, Schlosser stresses that such information cannot be revealed by any manufacturer since it can damage the reputation of their business. He advises children to be wary of such foods and be so inquisitive about them. Otherwise, they may be the principal source of health problems such as obesity and cancer. In fact, he suggests that Congress should ban advertising that preys upon children, it should stop subsidizing dead-end jobs, it should pass tougher food safety laws, it should protect American workers from serious harm, it should fight against dangerous c oncentrations of economic power. Lastly, in Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market, Schlosser explores the development of black market in the USA. As a result of the persistent unethical practices, porn, marijuana, and immigrant labor has been illegally thriving in the USA. This has not only affected the USA, but the whole world in general. He reports on how black market has become bigger and influential not only in the USA, but also in other parts of the globe. Its implications are felt by all people, including those who do not personally handle such products (Feige 2007). He uncovers how cartels reap huge profits from illegal sales of pornographic literature, illegal immigrants, and dangerous drugs such as marijuana, heroin, and cocaine. These are all illegitimate and should not be practiced. Although the Government is aware of them, it has not put in place effective measures to eradicate it once and for all. Hence, apart from denying it its revenue, it negatively influences the citizens. Because black market constitutes 10% of the GDP, Schlosser strongly recommends that it will be eradicated through whichever means possible. He is right for saying that A public outcry usually masks a private obsession. Otherwise, it will still be the major source of immoralities like promiscuity, theft, robbery, and violence, which are now spreading to other corners of the world. In the above articles, Schlosser demonstrates his writing prowess Apart from using a simple and clear language, he gives an extensive report. As already highlighted, it is a work of his research, which he conducted as part of his journalism career. The use of multiple sources of collecting data including interviews, documentary analysis, and direct observations makes his work valid, authoritative, and sound. His writing style varies depending on his target. For instance, in Chew on This: Everything You Dont Want to Know About Fast Food, where he was mainly targeting young readers, he divides the book into sections, each covering a certain area. At the same time, he uses numerous illustrations, which enable readers to visualize the main message of the text (Carrigan, De Pelsmacker 2009). He provides relevant information, which is focused on addressing the plights of people in the society. His investigations are extensive and relevant to the society. As he explains, people are always what they eat. However, it is quite unfortunate that they do not even know what they eat. So, it is necessary to carry out an extensive research to know about what they consider a sweet food. He fully unveils the way fast food manufactures use bacteria and induce food colors and flavors to their products in the laboratory. Unknown to the people, this has detrimental effects on their health. Conclusively, these articles were properly written because they are based on a research work They provide exhaustive explanations and evidences, which make it valid and authoritative. Eric Schlosser is a distinguished scholar, who uses his writing prowess to address relevant issues affecting the general society. Although he uses different approaches in his writings, his messages are very clear and easy to understand. He uses relevant and appropriate examples, which are helpful in expounding his major themes. Many people have become victimized because of lack of knowledge. However, ignorance is not an excuse. These articles are so resourceful and are recommended to anyone willing to positively transform his life. They can shock, frighten, inform, educate, challenge, and challenge them.

True and False Ranges

True and False Ranges True and False Ranges True and False Ranges By Maeve Maddox The combination fromto is often used to express a range of extremes, for example, â€Å"the prices ranged from $1 to $20.† A â€Å"true range† requires a set of objects, persons, topics, or attributes in a limited set. Here are examples of the words fromto used to express measurable ranges: McDowell Mountain Regional Park has more than 50 miles of hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding trails, ranging from easy to strenuous and ranging from 0.5 mile to 15.4 miles.   Childhood is the  age  span  ranging  from birth to adolescence. [Carpenter ants] are large ants ranging in size from one-quarter inch for a worker ant to up to three-quarters inch for a queen. The course in novel writing covered everything from outlining to publication. Birth injuries  range from mild to severe. A â€Å"false range† links disparate items that do not belong in any kind of mutual set. For example: The topics will range from current events in the world and community, to self-expression and topics chosen by the students.   The movie has everything from  comedy to love.   Free shipping on everything from handbags to jewelry [My list of favorites] has everything from Catholic High School Girls in Trouble to Zinc Oxide and You to A Fistful of Yen. Galileos offers everything from luscious wines to generous portions of your favorite Italian inspired food.   Festival has everything from a cake decorating to crocheted peanuts to jousting Such use of false ranges is ubiquitous. The usage rarely causes confusion in the reader, but it does reflect lazy thinking. Avoiding false ranges is easy. If you are not writing about the extremes of a set–like money or ages, or steps in a process–don’t use the word range or the phrase â€Å"everything fromto† Instead, use other words or expressions: The topics will encompass current events in the world and community, self-expression, and additional subjects chosen by the students.   The movie includes comedy and a love story.   Free shipping on all products. [My list of favorites] includes Catholic High School Girls in Trouble, Zinc Oxide and You, and A Fistful of Yen. Galileos offers luscious wines and generous portions of your favorite Italian-inspired food.   Festival features a variety of competitions that include cake decorating, peanut crocheting, and jousting. Note: The error of the false range is especially jarring when it contains more than two items: â€Å"[Joe’s Place] offers everything from  pizza to rack of lamb, to potato pancakes, to meatloaf.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Idioms About Numbers55 Boxing Idioms5 Tips to Understand Hyphenated Words

Year 1987 as a break point in the development of the chinese Fifth Essay

Year 1987 as a break point in the development of the chinese Fifth Generation filmmakers - Essay Example The decades also saw a rapid growth in the education of the people. A special group of people, studying the art of film making defied the norms for film making, questioning and scrutinizing every single act of their profession. They devised new methods of taking shots, and they were eager to showcase their talents and break the inherent rules of film making. The consequence of which is the birth of fifth generation filmmakers - Zhang Yimou, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Chen Kaige, etc. They revolutionized filmmaking and opened new markets for Chinese films in the West. The critically acclaimed western directors took notice of their talents and the films of these directors such as Yellow Earth, Red Sorghum, etc., won high accolades from the film ‘circle’. To analyze more about the development of fifth generation and its implications on the Chinese film industry, a critical review of the films released during that period can be taken into consideration. Xudong Zhang and Rey Chowâ₠¬â„¢s critical analysis of the films â€Å"King of the Children†, directed by Chen Kaige and â€Å"Red Sorghum† by Yimou Zhang can lead the right pathway to understand why 1987 is considered to be the breakpoint in the development of fifth generation filmmakers. ... It was the third film of Chen Kaige, revolving around a simple man, who goes out to a remote place, outside of his city to teach illiterate people. In the process, he finds out the troubles and suffering of the people with the lack of proper materials to educate themselves and the consequences of the socio economic changes. Chen tries to portray the lack of food, poverty, unemployment and lack of education prevalent in China during this period. In a period where martial arts and urban culture reigned supreme, Chen’s work proved to be an unthinkable one, defying the rules laid out by the censor boards of that time. Irrespective of all its critical appreciations, the film somehow failed to achieve commercial success both in international as well as domestic level. Xudong Zhang’s views According to Zhang, â€Å"King of the Children† released in 1987 needs to be appreciated for two major reasons – its aesthetic nature of film making and its bold way of storyte lling breaking all the norms of the social culture present in that era. Despite this and â€Å"Red Sorghum† being the only films with a more rural background of all the movies from the fifth generation film makers, they actually epitomized the significance of these people. What really impresses Zhang about the film is the ability and skill of the director to bring out his own personal experience combined with the social plundering happening across the country in a melancholic and subtle way, pushing the cinematic modernism to its peak. The thing that befuddles the author is the failure of the film which is considered to be the â€Å"ultimate emblem of China’s Fifth Generation Film† (Zhang 1997). Although the film maker considers it to be an expected occurrence from

Visual Analysis Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Visual Analysis Paper - Essay Example Images, which possess content of narration including those from the numerous scenes that form the basis of life of the virgin, have no correct mentioning as Madonna images, even though they get a title, which mirrors such scenes as the Annunciation to Mary (Crowe 101). The representations of Mary became more widespread following her proclamation as God-bearer during 431 at the Ephesus Council. For over a millennium, through the Medieval, Early Renaissance and the Byzantine periods, the Madonna has been the mainly frequently fashioned pictorial artwork. Numerous precise imageries of the Madonna, both sculptured and painted, have attracted fame, either as substances of religious admiration or for their inherent artistic qualities. The majority of the most prominent sculptors and pictures in the art history have shifted their abilities toward the establishment of the Madonna imageries. The painting of this artwork was by part of the mainly influential artists during the 13h and 14 centu ries, Duccio di Buoninsegna. The iconic picture of Madonna and Child, seen all through the western art history, holds considerable worth because of technical innovations bearing the religious matter, which would carry on evolving for centuries. The Madonna and Child artwork has received wide acknowledgements as Duccio’s working during the past century. ... Looking over the sudden simplicity of the imagery, a person could start understanding the transformations that Duccio applied in representing the figures of religion of painting all through the early period of the 14th century. Just like the other upcoming artists, Duccio looked up at great artists like Giotto who strove to go past the virtuously iconic byzantine standard and tried fashioning tangible linkages that would surpass the imagination of a viewer regarding the objects contained in the painting. For instance, the parapet positioned at the bottom-side of the image serves to function as a visual enticement of the observer looking past and into the occasion captured between the virgin and Christ the child. Similarly, the parapet further functions as an obstruction of the sacred and vernacular worlds (Crowe 163). Whereas during the 15th and 16th centuries marked a period in which the Italian painters made an expansion into their collections in order to include the historical hap penings, mythological subject matters and autonomous portraits. As such, Christians retained powerful holds on their occupations. Most of the artwork stemming from this period remains to be sacred. Whilst the diversity of the religious subject matters included disciplines from the Old Testament along with pictures of saints who have their dates of cult coming after the systematization of the Bible, the Madonna stood to be a prevalent subject within the renaissance iconography. Additional elements representative of Duccio’s interests in humanism remain to be widespread and are visible from the tenderly swathed robe adorned by the Madonna along with the lap of Christ (Crowe 172). The

Will involvement affect academic performance Research Paper

Will involvement affect academic performance - Research Paper Example It also outlines the method I used to research and the questions to come up with a substantial conclusion. The method I used in the research was survey monkey which has an online platform where specific questions can be asked for a particular research. The first question I inquired related to the rank of class of an individual. This question enabled me to know the general performance of the class and the various factors that influenced their performance. In cases where the class performance was good, the individual would tell me that they spend much time studying in groups while at times individually. To the contrary, the student whose class was ranked low the students were less involved in their studies in terms of working as a team. The other question that I enquired is about the student’s Grade Point Average (GPA). This would help me to know how the students involved socially perform as compared to the students who kept their studies first. It was evident that those students that were more involved in the social life had a lower GPA while those that concentrated in their studies had a higher GPA. Another question that I asked related to the number of hours a student took to study. This question would enable me to know how the student managed their time during free time. For those that were working, I inquired how much time they were involved in their studies and their social life. This would enable me to know how their involvement in working would affect their studies. I also wanted to find out if the student were involved in any student organizations as it helped me identify the positive or negative impact to a student. The research also made me ask the students how often they went home to visit their families. Some students would say twice a month while others stated that every weekend they travelled to visit their families. I also wanted to find out if the student were dating and the

Marketing Online Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing Online - Essay Example Particular concentration is given to the significance of a channel management general strategy in the e-marketing background. Firms consider this alternative require to have a high level of capability in relationship marketing skills (Jeeves, 2005). Now question is what is a brand "Your brand is the relationship you have with your customers," says L. Kareem Geiger, founder and vice president of client relations at TechnikOne (www.technikone.com), like him other professional says branding answers the questions: What do people think of us Who are we Who are our customers How are we making bigger ourselves in an association with them (Cravens, D., 2000) Hi-tech products can be an outcome of a fantastic innovative idea, superb technological breakthrough but if customers don't accept the value proposition since they don't perceive the similar, it will not last long with sustainable revenue model. The technical products can be substituted extremely rapidly as technological advancements are extremely fast also these products can reach the adulthood levels rapidly and can become outdated in no time (Barney, J., 1991, 99-120). Nowadays it is much easier for a competitor to copy your goods, services and systems. Technology is becoming a product business, and the comparatively established hi-tech companies discover themselves being sucked in to the product trap (Chowdhury. J., 2001, 72-86). Coca-Cola. McDonald's. Jaguar. every name evokes a mini universe of things you've come to be expecting from them. Coke's branding, for instance, pervades its product excellence, packaging, advertising, the look of its trucks, dispensers, and machines, and it has supervised to productively port its image online. Smart move bearing in mind online sales will reach $126 billion by 2004, according to an eMarketer report (Costa, J. & Teare, R. 2000, 156-169). Like all other organizations Coca-Cola recognized premature on that the Web would play a significant role in not only cementing brand faithfulness but also in draw latest customers to its product (Conant, J., 2000, 365-383). Let's take a look upon Adds Carrie Williams, owner of Williams imaginative Marketing in Seattle, "Brand transcends your products. If your brand communicates effectively, it can bring a culture together, whether it's an internal audience (the company) or an external audience (consumers)." (Dabholkar, P., 2003, 3-16) A company doesn't produce a brand just for the product or overhaul it sells, it does it for the association and trust that go with it. "Brand has a lot of essence; it's not just a graphic look," says Patricia Belyea, president and planned director of Seattle's Belyea Marketing/ Communication /Design. "Brand is graphics, customer service, quality of product, and dependability of delivery. It is performance, not public relations." (Day, G. 2004, 37-52) There are quite a few ways to draw consumers online using both. Offline marketing gives consumers a chance to examine your Website and get further information concerning your products and services. Innovation/Contribution in Marketing The Brand One of the major benefits of the Internet is its cost-effectiveness when contrast by other marketing methods such as straight mail, television, radio, prints advertising,

Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions - Essay Example Natural disasters have blanketed the world in the recent years. Every year, many areas are flooded with water which is a potential threat to the life of animals and humans. Many people lose their lives in tsunamis. Glaciers that are melting away are depriving many animal species of their habitat. Glaciers are the primary source of food and shelter for polar bears. The rate at which glaciers are melting away presently will soon make the polar bears extinct from Earth completely. Also, thousands of cattle are drowned in floods whenever they occur. In addition to that, many people die of severe heat in the summer season every year because every summer season is getting much hotter than the preceding one. Air pollution has made people acquire many diseases. Thus, global warming is a big threat to life on Earth in many ways. Increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere is the fundamental cause of global warming. CO2 is the fundamental greenhouse gas that causes the temperature to rise. In order to reduce the global warming, it is imperative that level of CO2 emissions is reduced. Two-thirds of the total electricity in the world is produced from fossil fuels which, along with doing this job, make one-third of the total CO2 emission in the world. Along with CO2, many other greenhouse gases are also produced from the fossil fuels that include but are not limited to methane and CO. Nature has blessed us with trees that consume CO2 to produce oxygen, but the sad part of the story is that trees are also decreasing in number with every passing day as more products are being made of wood. It takes much more time for a tree to grow than the rate at which they are being cut. As a result of this, the fundamental source of consumption of CO2 and reduction of its level in the atmosphere is readily vanishing. Thus, the level of CO2 in the atmosphere is increasing. Owing to the dreadful consequences of the increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere as dis cussed above, there is dire need to reduce its level. In order to make the world a habitable place for the future generations, measures need to be taken before it is too late. This can fundamentally be achieved by reducing the emission of CO2 which requires a combined effort from all countries. Technologies to reduce CO2 emissions: In order to reduce the CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, the first and foremost step that needs to be taken is the introduction of renewable energy in the transport sector. There is dire need to integrate the transport sector into the energy system in order to obtain maximum effect. CO2 emissions can be reduced in a lot of ways by controlling the transportation on land, sea and air. With every passing day, more and more cars are crowding the streets all over the world. The cars can be made quite fuel efficient in the least time. In order to solve the global energy system, the electric cars can be charged with the help of wind turbines. This would be a long term solution of the problem. Hydrogen can be used in place of fuel to drive the electric cars. Another way to reduce the CO2 emissions is by way of road charges. There is need to determine alternatives to the conventional sources of fuel so as to minimize the effect of supply shortages on the transport activities. Diesel engines have conventionally been made use of for the transportation on highways, though they release a lot of CO2 into the atmosphere. It

Marketing Online Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing Online - Essay Example Particular concentration is given to the significance of a channel management general strategy in the e-marketing background. Firms consider this alternative require to have a high level of capability in relationship marketing skills (Jeeves, 2005). Now question is what is a brand "Your brand is the relationship you have with your customers," says L. Kareem Geiger, founder and vice president of client relations at TechnikOne (www.technikone.com), like him other professional says branding answers the questions: What do people think of us Who are we Who are our customers How are we making bigger ourselves in an association with them (Cravens, D., 2000) Hi-tech products can be an outcome of a fantastic innovative idea, superb technological breakthrough but if customers don't accept the value proposition since they don't perceive the similar, it will not last long with sustainable revenue model. The technical products can be substituted extremely rapidly as technological advancements are extremely fast also these products can reach the adulthood levels rapidly and can become outdated in no time (Barney, J., 1991, 99-120). Nowadays it is much easier for a competitor to copy your goods, services and systems. Technology is becoming a product business, and the comparatively established hi-tech companies discover themselves being sucked in to the product trap (Chowdhury. J., 2001, 72-86). Coca-Cola. McDonald's. Jaguar. every name evokes a mini universe of things you've come to be expecting from them. Coke's branding, for instance, pervades its product excellence, packaging, advertising, the look of its trucks, dispensers, and machines, and it has supervised to productively port its image online. Smart move bearing in mind online sales will reach $126 billion by 2004, according to an eMarketer report (Costa, J. & Teare, R. 2000, 156-169). Like all other organizations Coca-Cola recognized premature on that the Web would play a significant role in not only cementing brand faithfulness but also in draw latest customers to its product (Conant, J., 2000, 365-383). Let's take a look upon Adds Carrie Williams, owner of Williams imaginative Marketing in Seattle, "Brand transcends your products. If your brand communicates effectively, it can bring a culture together, whether it's an internal audience (the company) or an external audience (consumers)." (Dabholkar, P., 2003, 3-16) A company doesn't produce a brand just for the product or overhaul it sells, it does it for the association and trust that go with it. "Brand has a lot of essence; it's not just a graphic look," says Patricia Belyea, president and planned director of Seattle's Belyea Marketing/ Communication /Design. "Brand is graphics, customer service, quality of product, and dependability of delivery. It is performance, not public relations." (Day, G. 2004, 37-52) There are quite a few ways to draw consumers online using both. Offline marketing gives consumers a chance to examine your Website and get further information concerning your products and services. Innovation/Contribution in Marketing The Brand One of the major benefits of the Internet is its cost-effectiveness when contrast by other marketing methods such as straight mail, television, radio, prints advertising,

Conflict in the Central African republic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conflict in the Central African republic - Essay Example The number of people that need humanitarian assistance on immediate basis exceeds 2.5 million (â€Å"United Nations†). Innocent civilians are losing their lives in this conflict. Rather than being collateral damage as a result of rebel groups’ fighting, these civilians are being purposefully killed because of their religious or community associations and for their identities. While the ex-Seleka victimize Christians, people that are the most vulnerable are the Muslims. More than a million people in the country have been displaced and the homes of many of them have been burned to deter them from returning (â€Å"United Nations†). What is setting in is a de facto partition of the CAR between the Muslim and the Christian population. This separation is setting the stage for conflict that might continue for generations. Capital of the Central African Republic, Bangui, has a long history of lack of reliability of its public utilities. But since December, the Red Cross has been rendering its services to collect human bodies intact or chopped up. There exists a divide of two neighborhoods in the Avenue de France. Most of the dead bodies belong to people who have strayed too far in the wrong direction. Foot traffic is not allowed on the road so people do not have to bury the dead bodies and instead leave them to rot in the sun. The neighborhood toward the north of the line is occupied almost exclusively by the Christians as a result of massive killing or exile of the Muslims from the region.

Investigation of resistivity of nichrome wire Essay Example for Free

Investigation of resistivity of nichrome wire Essay 32 Gauge 28 Gauge Voltage Recorded Percentage Uncertainty % Ammeter The ammeter recorded the current of the circuit with the wire connected to it. 32 Gauge 28 Gauge Current Recorded Percentage Uncertainty %( Current Recorded Percentage Uncertainty. Resistance Thus, as the resistance is calculated using the voltage and current obtained, we have the following resistance percentage uncertainties. 32 Gauge Resistance Uncertainty %( Gauge Resistance Uncertainty % Resistivity This is calculated using the resistance, area and the length. The uncertainties of the resistance and length are used to calculate the uncertainty of the resistivity. The area was not used as it was found by using the gauge value and checked against a referenced site, where diameters were published. As this value was given, the uncertainty was not counted as the method of measurement was not stated. 32 Gauge 28 Gauge Resistivity Uncertainty %(Discussion As the investigation took place, the voltage was increased slowly. This increased the current passing through the circuit. From these values obtained for each of the wires, the resistance and resistivity were calculated. The resistance was calculated from both the values obtained from the experiments and also from the gradient of the graph drawn. This was done so that separate set of resistivities can be obtained and evaluated. As seen from the calculations of the resistance, it is proportional to the length of the wire. The longer the nichrome wire is, the larger the resistance will be. This was certainly the case here as the resistance for the 1 metre wire was more than double that of the 0. 5 metre wire. This larger resistance would be due to the cross-sectional area of the wires. Were the 1 metre wire had a cross-sectional area of 5. 9 x 10-8 m2, the 0. 5 metre was 1. 1 x 10-7 m2, therefore the first nichrome being longer and thinner, causes the resistance to be much larger. The resistivity was calculated for each of the nichrome wires and was found to be very close to one another. The slight difference could be due to experimental errors. The 32gauge wire had a much larger resistance, while being the longer wire and had the thinner cross-sectional area. Taking this all into consideration, the resistivity was calculated at varying voltages and the mean value was 1. 0149 x 10-6 ? m. The gradient from the graph is the resistance, this again was used to calculate a separate value of the resistivity, which was 1. 01496 x 10-6 ? m. This was done as the trend line of the graph was set to the intercept of zero, as when there is no power through the circuit there would be no voltage or current. This value is the same as the value found from the obtained tabulated results. The calculated resistivities for the 28gauge gave similar values. Here the mean value from the obtained current and voltage was 1. 095 x 10-6 ? m, where as the resistivity calculated from the gradient of the graph was 1. 12 x 10-6 ? m. Although these values looking different they are of the standard form of negative 6, meaning they are very small numbers, and therefore this slight difference is minute. Again this resistivity for the 28 gauge in comparison to the resistivity for the 32 gauge is the same, where very small decimal places are slightly out. This investigation led to determining a good value for the resistivity by using two wires of different dimensions. The accepted value for the resistivity of nichrome is 1. 50 i 10-6 ? m. This in ratio to the values obtained is as follows: 32 Gauge 1 This shows that the values obtained are very close to that of the accepted value. To improve the accuracy of the results the experiment should be repeated. In doing so, some variables should be kept constant i. e. the length, gauge or temperature so that an average can be obtained. Bibliography http://www. 8886. co. uk/ref/standard_wire_gauge. htm http://hyperphysics. phy-astr. gsu. edu/hbase/electric/resis. html http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Electrical_resistivity Physics Assignment 3 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Electricity and Magnetism section.

Cerebral Autoregulation Mechanism | Report

Cerebral Autoregulation Mechanism | Report From: Biose Ifechukwude Joachim Introduction Cerebral autoregulation (CA) is the multifactorial vascular mechanism that maintains a constant cerebral blood supply in spite of fluctuations in the cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) (Lassen, 1959; Tiecks et al., 1995). This mechanism thrives for CPP values within the range of 50-150 mmHg (Lassen, 1959; Paulson, Strandgaard and Edvinsson, 1990; Panerai, 1998) (Fig. 1). The vascular response involved in CA is rapid and so robust that hypertension (Eames et al., 2003; Serrador et al., 2005; Zhang et al., 2007) and aging (Eames et al., 2003; Fisher et al., 2008; Liu et al., 2013; Oudegeest-Sander et al., 2014) does not alter its physiological role. However, CA is compromised following pathologic conditions such as traumatic brain injury, intracerebral haemorrhage, stroke, hyper-perfusion syndrome, and subarachnoid haemorrhage (Diedler et al., 2009; Atkins et al., 2010; Budohoski et al., 2012; Saeed et al., 2013; Buczek et al., 2013). Fig. 1. Cerebral autoreglation in relation to vascular response. Within the upper and lower boundaries of the autoregulatory range (dotted lines), blood flow remains constant (blue line with beads). As Pressure falls below the lower limit, vascular smooth muscle relaxes to allow dilatation, while constriction of vessels (red circles) ensues to reduce blood flow as pressure approximates the upper limit. Adapted from Pires et al., 2013. Classification Based on factors affecting cerebral blood flow (CBF), CA can be classified into two categories, metabolic autoregulation (MA) and pressure autoregulation (PA). Mainly due to changes in brain tissue pH (Cotev and Severinghaus, 1969; Betz and Heuser, 1967; Raichle, Posner and Plum, 1970), MA is the principal regulatory mechanism of CBF according to metabolic demand. This implies that MA responds to local or global ischemia and hypoxia which increases pH by increasing CBF via vasodilatation (Ekstrom-Jodal et al., 1971; Raichle and Stone, 1971).While PA is the vascular response to maintain blood flow following changes in perfusion pressure, achieved by varying the degree of vasoconstriction or vasodilatation of the cerebral vasculature. Mechanism In adults and under normal conditions, provided CPP falls within the boundary of 50-150 mmHg, CBF is preserved at approximately 50 mL per 100 g of brain tissue per minute (McHenry et al., 1974; Strandgaard et al., 1976; Paulson, Strandgaard and Edvinsson, 1990). Outside this range of CPP, CA is impaired and CBF becomes directly dependent on mean arterial pressure (MacKenzie et al., 1976; Heistad and Kontos, 1979; Baumbach and Heistad, 1985; Paulson et al., 1990). More so, should CPP falls below the lower boundary of CA, blood flow reduces and ischemia sets in (Hossmann, 2006). The precise mechanism of CA is currently elusive; however, it is believed to be subject to the interaction of neurogenic, metabolic and myogenic factors (Czosnyka et al., 2009; Novak and Hajjar, 2010). Intrinsic innervation is touted to be directly involved in the mechanisms of CA (Goadsby and Edvinsson, 2002) and extrinsic pathway is implausible, since CA is unimpaired following sympathetic and parasympathetic denervation in experimental animals (Busija and Heistad, 1984). The perikarya within the subcortical region of the brain, precisely those from the nucleus basalis, locus ceruleus and raphe nucleus project to cortical microvessels for the control of local blood flow by release of neurotransmitters (ACH, norepinephrine and 5HT) (Hamel, 2006). These released neurotransmitter substances interact with the receptors on smooth muscle, endothelium, or astrocytes to cause constriction or dilation, thus regulating blood supply according to the metabolic demand (Iadecola, 2004; Hamel, 2006; Drake and Iadecola, 2007). Also, metabolic by-products released by the brain during CBF decrease are important for CA (Paulson, Strandgaar and Edvinsson, 1990). These substances, potassium, adenosine, and hydrogen ion triggers vasodilatation. Another important component of the CA mechanism is the myogenic response of the cerebrovascular smooth muscle in regulating vascular tone. Constriction of the cerebral vasculature due to smooth muscle contraction ensues during pressure fluctuations at the upper boundary of the autoregulatory range of CPP, thus blood flow is not excessive (Fig. 1). Conversely, fluctuations at the lower limit of CPP is followed by vasodilatation (Fig.1) (Kontos, 1978,Busija and Heistad, 1984; Mellander, 1989; Osol et al., 2002). Furthermore, the direct contact between astrocytes and the parenchymal arterioles of the brain have been shown to play a role in CA (Rennels and Nelson, 1975; Cohen, Molinatti and Hamel, 1997; Iadecola, 2004; Hamel, 2006; Drake and Iadecola, 2007; Zlokovic, 2008). Most microvessels at the subcortical level have astrocytic end-feet at the interface between them and neurons (Kulik et al., 2008), thus, under the direct influence of the vasoactive factors released by astrocytes (Murphy et al., 1994). Interestingly, the type of cerebral vasculature may also contribute to CA in an unexpected manner, with respect to their response to blood flow changes. While basilar artery dilates in response to increased blood flow, MCA constricts Koller and Toth, (2012). Under Anaesthesia Anaesthesia puts the brain in a state of reduced neuronal activity, as a result CBF decreases in light of neurovascular coupling (Attwell et al., 2010). Also, in their studies in rats, Jones et al., (2002) reported that anaesthesia reduces the CCP levels below the lower limit of CA. More importantly, anaesthetics have significant impact on CA as they affect the vasculature of the brain, directly or indirectly. Under the influence of volatile anaesthetics, calcium entry via voltage gated Ca2+ channels on vascular smooth muscle cells is reduced significantly, causing the vasculature to dilate (Bosnjak et al. 1992), thereby, directly overriding CA. Also, anaesthetics cause profound respiratory depression in spontaneously breathing animals, consequently PaCO2 increased. Given that the vasculature of the brain is highly sensitive to changes in CO2, an increase value of PaCO2 stimulates cerebral vasodilatation (Kuschinsky, 1997; Willie et al., 2014); correspondingly CBF increases (Figure 2). These effects of anaesthetics lead ultimately to the failure of CA in mammals. However, certain anaesthetics for example Ethomidate, preserves CA (Wang et al., 2010). This is mainly due to their ability to keep PaCO2 nearly constant within the nomal range without artificial ventilation (Lacombe et al. 2005; Joutel et al., 2010). Fig. 2. Cerebral blood flow with respect to arterial pressure of CO2. CBF increases as PaCO2 level increases beyond the level of 25 mmHg. However, at 80 mmHg blood vessels are maximally dilated and CBF remains constant with a further increase in PaCO2 values. Adapted from Adapted from Hill and Gwinnutt, no date. Stroke During arterial occlusion, as in the case of ischaemic stroke, local cerebral perfusion pressure falls below the normal CA range while MAP does not change. With persistent occlusion, autoregulation fails (Reinhard et al., 2008; Reinhard et al., 2012; Immink et al., 2005; Atkins et al., 2010) and regional CBF further decreases. For this reason, blood pressure changes, high or low, results in poor outcome (Castillo et al, 2004; Aslanyan et al., 2003; Sandset et al., 2012). However, this is not entirely due to the failed autoregulatory capacity of the vessels during ischemia, but perhaps their normal vasodilatory capacity has reached a maximal limit (Petersen et al., 2015). The impaired autoregulatory response following acute stroke has been observed both in the affected and contralateral hemispheres (Cupini et al., 2001; Dawson et al., 2000; Dawson, Panerai and Potter, 2003; Fieschi et al., 1988; Gelmers, 1982; Lisk et al., 1993; Hakim et al., 1989). References Aslanyan S, Fazekas F, Weir CJ, Horner S and Lees KR (2003). GAIN International Steering Committee and Investigators: Effect of blood pressure during the acute period of ischemic stroke on stroke outcome: a tertiary analysis of the GAIN International Trial. Stroke. 34: 2420–2425. Atkins ER, Brodie FG, Rafelt SE, Panerai RB and Robinson TG (2010). Dynamic cerebral autoregulation is compromised acutely following mild ischaemic stroke but not transient ischaemic attack. Cerebrovasc. Dis. 29: 228–235. Attwell D, Buchan AM, Charpak S et al. (2010). Glial and neuronal control of brain blood flow. Nature. 468: 232–43. Baumbach GL and Heistad DD (1989). Remodeling of cerebral arterioles in chronic hypertension. Hypertension. 13: 968–972. Betz E and Heuser D (1967). Cerebral cortical blood flow during changes of acid-base equilibrium the brain. J. Appl. Physiol. 23: 726-733. Bosnjak ZJ, Aggarwal A, Turner LA, Kampine JM and Kampine JP (1992). Differential effects of halothane, enflurane, and isofluurane on Ca2 + transients and papillary muscle tension in guinea pigs. Anesthesiology. 76: 123–131 Buczek J, Karlin ´ski M, Kobayashi A, BiaÅ‚ek P and CzÅ‚onkowska A (2013). Hyperperfusion syndrome after carotid endarterectomy and carotid stenting. Cerebrovasc. Dis. 35: 531–7. Budohoski KP, Czosnyka M, Smielewski P, Kasprowicz M, Helmy A, Bulters D et al. (2012). Impairment of cerebral autoregulation predicts delayed cerebral ischemia after subarachnoid hemorrhage: a prospective observational study. Stroke. 43: 3230–3237. Busija DW and Heistad DD (1984). Factors involved in the physiological regulation of the cerebral circulation. Rev. Physiol. Biochem. Parmacol. 101: 161–211. Castillo J, Leira R, Garcà ­a MM, Serena J, Blanco M and Dà ¡valos A (2004). Blood pressure decrease during the acute phase of ischemic stroke is associated with brain injury and poor stroke outcome. Stroke. 35: 520–526. Cohen Z, Molinatti G and Hamel E (1997). Astroglial and vascular interactions of noradrenaline terminals in the rat cerebral cortex. J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab. 17: 894–904. Cotev S and Severinghaus JW (1969). Role of cerebrospinal fluid pH in management of respiratory problems. Anesth. Analg. 48: 42-47. Cupini LM, Diomedi M, Placidi F, Silvestrini M and Giacomini P (2001). Cerebrovascular reactivity and subcortical infarctions. Arch. Neurol. 58: 577–581. Czosnyka M, Brady K, Reinhard M, Smielewski P and Steiner LA (2009). Monitoring of cerebrovascular autoregulation: facts, myths, and missing links. Neurocritical Care. 10: 373–86. Dawson SL, Blake MJ, Panerai RB and Potter JF (2000). Dynamic but not static cerebral autoregulation is impaired in acute ischaemic stroke. Cerebrovasc. Dis.10:126–132. Dawson SL, Panerai RB and Potter JF (2003). Serial changes in static and dynamic cerebral autoregulation after acute ischaemic stroke. Cerebrovasc. Dis. 16:69–75. Diedler J, Sykora M, Rupp A et al. (2009). Impaired cerebral vasomotor activity in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. Stroke. 40: 815–9. Drake CT and Iadecola C (2007). The role of neuronal signalling in controlling cerebral blood flow. Brain Lang. 102: 141–152. Ekstrom-Jodal B, Haggendal E, Linder LE and Nilsson NJ (1971). Cerebral blood flow autoregulation at high arterial pressures and different levels of carbon dioxide tension in dogs. Eur. Neurol. 6:6-10. Fieschi C, Argentino C, Toni D and Pozzilli C (1988). Calcium antagonists in ischemic stroke. J. Cardiovasc. Pharmacol. 12(6): 83–85. Fisher JP, Ogoh S, Young CN, Raven PB and Fadel PJ (2008). Regulation of middle cerebral artery blood velocity during dynamic exercise in humans: influence of aging. J. Appl. Physiol. 105: 266–273. Goadsby PJ and Edvinsson L (2002). Neurovascular control of the cerebral circulation, Lippincott Williams Wilkins, Philadelphia, Pa, USA. Gelmers HJ (1982). Effect of nimodipine (Bay e 9736) on postischaemic cerebrovascular reactivity, as revealed by measuring regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). Acta Neurochir. (Wien). 63: 283–290. Hakim AM, Evans AC, Berger L, Kuwabara H, Worsley K, Marchal G, Biel C, Pokrupa R, Diksic M and Meyer E (1989). The effect of nimodipine on the evolution of human cerebral infarction studied by PET. J. Cereb. Blood Flow Metab. 9: 523–534. Hamel E (2006). Perivascular nerves and the regulation of cerebrovascular tone. J. Appl. Physiol. 100: 1059–1064. Heistad DD and Kontos HA (1979). In: Handbook of Physiology: The Cardiovascular System III, Berne RM, Sperelakis N (Eds.). Bethesda, MD: American Physiological Society.  137–182. Hossmann KA (2006). Pathophysiology and therapy of experimental stroke. Cell Mol. Neurobiol. 26: 1057-1083. Iadecola C (2004). Neurovascular regulation in the normal brain and in Alzheimer’s disease. Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 5(5): 347–360. Immink RV, van Montfrans GA, Stam J, Karemaker JM, Diamant M and van Lieshout JJ (2005). Dynamic cerebral autoregulation in acute lacunar and middle cerebral artery territory ischemic stroke. Stroke. 36: 2595–2600. Jones SC, Radinsky CR, Furlan AJ et al. (2002). Variability in the magnitude of the cerebral blood flow response and the shape of the cerebral blood flow pressure autoregulation curve during hypotension in normal rats [corrected]. Anesthesiology. 97: 488–96. Joutel A, Monet-Lepretre M, Gosele C, Baron-Menguy C, Hammes A, Schmidt S, Lemaire-Carrette B, Domenga V, Schedl A, Lacombe P and Hubner N (2010). Cerebrovascular dysfunction and microcirculation rarefaction precede white matter lesions in a mouse genetic model of cerebral ischemic small vessel disease. J. Clin. Invest. 120: 433–445. Koller A and Toth P (2012). Contribution of flow-dependent vasomotor mechanisms to the autoregulation of cerebral blood flow. J. Vasc. Res. 49: 375–389. Kontos HA, Wei EP, Navari RM, Levasseur JE, Rosenblum WI and Patterson JL, Jr (1978). Responses of cerebral arteries and arterioles to acute hypotension and hypertension. Am. J. Physiol. 234: H371–H383. Kulik T, Kusano Y, Aronhime S, Sandler AL and Winn HR (2008). Regulation of cerebral vasculature in normal and ischemic brain. Neuropharmacology. 55: 281–288. Kuschinsky W (1997). Neuronal-vascular coupling. A unifying hypothesis. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 413: 167–176. Lacombe P, Oligo C, Domenga V, Tournier-Lasserve E and Joutel A (2005). Impaired cerebral vasoreactivity in a transgenic mouse model of cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy arteriopathy. Stroke. 36: 1053–1058. Lassen NA (1959).Cerebral blood flow and oxygen consumption in man. Physiol. Rev. 39: 183–238. Lassen NA (1974). Control of cerebral circulation in health and disease. Circ. Res. 34: 749–760. Lisk DR, Grotta JC, Lamki LM, Tran HD, Taylor JW, Molony DA and Barron BJ (1993). Should hypertension be treated after acute stroke? A randomized controlled trial using single photon emission computed tomography. Arch. Neurol. 50:855–862. Liu J, Zhu YS, Hill C, Armstrong K, Tarumi T, Hodics T, Hynan LS and Zhang R (2013). Cerebral autoregulation of blood velocity and volumetric flow during steady-state changes in arterial pressure. Hypertension 62: 973– 979. MacKenzie ET, Strandgaard S and Graham DI et al. (1976). Effects of acutely induced hypertension in cats on pial arteriolar caliber, local cerebral blood flow, and the blood-brain barrier. Circ. Res. 39:33-41. McHenry LC, Jr., West JW, Cooper ES, Goldberg HI and Jaffe ME (1974).Cerebral autoregulation in man. Stroke. 5: 695-706. Mellander S (1989). Functional aspects of myogenic vascular control. J. Hypertens. 7(4): S21–S30. Murphy S, Rich G, Orgren KI, Moore SA and Faraci FM (1994). Astrocyte-derived lipoxygenase product evokes endothelium-dependent relaxation of the basilar artery. J. Neurosci. Res. 38: 314–318. Novak V and Hajjar I (2010). The relationship between blood pressure and cognitive function. Nature Reviews Cardiology. 7: 686–98. Osol G, Brekke JF, McElroy-Yaggy K and Gokina NI (2002). Myogenic tone, reactivity, and forced dilatation: a three-phase model of in vitro arterial myogenic behavior. Am. J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol. 283: H2260– H2267. Oudegeest-Sander MH, van Beek AH, Abbink K, Olde Rikkert MG, Hopman MT and Claassen JA (2014). Assessment of dynamic cerebral autoregulation and cerebrovascular CO2 reactivity in ageing by measurements of cerebral blood flow and cortical oxygenation. Exp Physiol. 99: 586–598. Panerai RB (1998). Assessment of cerebral pressure autoregulation in humans—a review of measurement methods. Physiol. Meas. 19: 305–338. Paulson OB, Strandgaard S and Edvinsson L (1990). Cerebral autoregulation. Cerebrovasc. Brain Metab. Rev. 2: 161-192. Petersen NH, Ortega-Gutierrez S, Reccius A, Masurkar A, Huang A and Marshall RS (2015). Dynamic Cerebral Autoregulation Is Transiently Impaired for One Week after Large-Vessel Acute Ischemic Stroke. Cerebrovasc. Dis. 39: 144–150. Pires PW, Dams Ramos CM, Matin N and Dorrance AM (2013). The effects of hypertension on the cerebral circulation. Am. J. Physiol. Heart. Circ. Physiol. 304: 1598–1614, Raichle ME and Stone HL (1971). Cerebral blood flow autoregulation and graded hypercapnia. Eur. Neurol. 6: 1-5. Reinhard M, Wihler C, Roth M, Harloff A, Niesen WD, Timmer J et al. (2008). Cerebral autoregulation dynamics in acute ischemic stroke after rtPA thrombolysis. Cerebrovasc. Dis. 26: 147–155. Reinhard M, Rutsch S, Lambeck J, Wihler C, Czosnyka M, Weiller C et al. (2012). Dynamic cerebral autoregulation associates with infarct size and outcome after ischemic stroke. Acta  Neurol. Scand.125: 156–162.   Rennels M and Nelson E (1975). Capillary innervation in the mammalian central nervous system: an electron microscope demonstration (1). Am. J. Anat. 144: 233–241. Saeed NP, Panerai RB and Robinson TG (2013). The carotid artery as an alternative site to the middle cerebral artery for reproducible estimates of autoregulation index. Ultrasound Med. Biol. 39: 735–741. Sandset EC, Murray GD, Bath PM, Kjeldsen SE and Berge E (2012). Scandinavian Candesartan Acute Stroke Trial (SCAST) Study Group: Relation between change in blood pressure in acute stroke and risk of early adverse events and poor outcome. Stroke. 43: 2108–2114. Serrador JM, Sorond FA, Vyas M, Gagnon M, Iloputaife ID and Lipsitz LA (2005). Cerebral pressure-flow relations in hypertensive elderly humans: transfer gain in different frequency domains. J. Appl. Physiol. 98: 151–159. Strandgaard S (1976). Autoregulation of cerebral blood flow in hypertensive patients. The modifying influence of prolonged antihypertensive treatment on the tolerance to acute, drug-induced hypotension. Circulation. 53: 720-727 Tiecks FP, Lam AM, Aaslid R and Newell DW (1995). Comparison of static and dynamic  Cerebral autoregulation measurements. Stroke. 26: 1014–1019. Wang Z, Schuler B, Vogel O, Arras M and Vogel J (2010). What is the optimal anesthetic protocol for measurements of cerebral autoregulation in spontaneously breathing mice? Exp. Brain Res. 207: 249–258. Willie CK, Tzeng YC, Fisher JA and Ainslie PN (2014). Integrative regulation of human brain blood flow. J. Physiol. 592: 841–859. Zhang R, Witkowski S, Fu Q, Claassen JA and Levine BD (2007). Cerebral hemodynamics after short- and long-term reduction in blood pressure in mild and moderate hypertension. Hypertension. 49: 1149–1155. Zlokovic BV (2008). The blood-brain barrier in health and chronic neurodegenerative disorders. Neuron. 57: 178–201.

Chief Seattle Essay -- Biography History Indians Native American Essay

Chief Seattle When stories are told about the American Indian it is usually the Indians that are looked upon as the heathens. They are portrayed as savages who spent most of their time raiding wagon trains and scalping the white settlers just for fun. The media has lead us to believe that the American government was forced to take the land from these savage Indians. We should put the blame where it belongs, on the U.S. Government who lied, cheated, and stole from the Indians forcing many Indian leaders to surrender not only their tribes but their nation in order to save the lives of their people. Among the Indians of the Pacific Northwest, perhaps the best known may be Chief Seattle. Chief Seattle (more correctly known as Seathl or Sealth) was born sometime between 1786-1790 on Blake Island at the campsite of his ancestors. Blake Island lies south and a little east of Bainbridge Island and west and a little south of Seattle. Seattle was the son of Suquamish leader named Schweabe and a Duwamish woman named Scholitza. He became Chief of the Suquamish, Duwamish, and allied Salish speaking tribes by proving his leadership qualities in a war that pitted his and other saltwater tribes against those of the Green and White Rivers. (1) He was considered to be Duwamish since his mother was the daughter of a Duwamish chief and the line of descent passed matrilineally. This was sometimes the case when fathers died while their son's were was still young and the mother would return to her tribe to raise the children. The Duwamish lived on the Duwamish River and various islands across the P uget Sound. Seattle was married twice, his first wife Ladaila, died after bearing one daughter, Kiksomlo, known as "Angeline". His second wife, Oiahl, had three daughters all of whom died young and two boys, George and Seeanumpkin. (2) In 1792, Captain George Vancouver anchored off Restoration Point on Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound. Seattle, according to the recollections of various old-timers, often spoke of seeing the ship and being impressed with the guns, steel, and other goods. Seattle was known for his courage, daring and leadership during his youth. Throughout the violent periods, Seattle remained a steadfast and loyal friend of the settlers and encouraged the Indians to remain peaceful. He gained control of six of the local tribes and continued the friendly relation... ... the two teams that didn't have any uniforms. Now I look back and for all I know maybe they couldn't afford any. While I was in high school I remember driving with my friends to the Indian reservations to buy illegal fireworks. I never really gave it much thought beyond the fact that they were places to get illegal fireworks. Anyway, like I wrote earlier "this is just two examples that I have experienced while growing up in Washington State". This class truly has been a learning experience. Works Cited (1) Ells, Myron. The Indians of Puget Sound. University of Washington Press: Seattle, 1985 (2) Jeffers, Susan. Brother Eagle, Sister Sky. Dial Books: New York, 1991 (3) Sturtevant, William. Handbook of North American Indians. Smithsonian Institution: Washington, 1990 (4) Dockstader, Frederick. Great North American Indians. Litton Educational Publishing: New York, 1977 (5) Ruby, Robert. Indians of the Pacific Northwest. University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, 1981 (6) Deloria, Vine. Indians of the Pacific Northwest. Double Day And Company: New York, 1977 (7) Schwantes, Carlos. The Pacific Northwest. University of Nebraska Press: Lincoln, 1989

The World Within :: essays research papers fc

The World Within   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What can be done with medicine today is truly astounding. In just a little over a century, we have gone from crude, anaesthetized surgery with non-sterilized instruments to the ability to delicately rebuild a hand or bypass a major artery with little risk to the patient and without even leaving a large scar. These great heights to which we have ascended are based upon a number of breakthroughs in sanitation and sterilization, antibiotics, and any number of other small discoveries that make possible today’s operating room – but by far the most powerful and groundbreaking advances have been made in the field of human imaging.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For over sixteen hundred years, the edicts and guidelines of the Catholic Church forbade the exploration of the human body. This sad state of affairs effectively limited our knowledge of the body to studies performed upon stolen cadavers and the rather inaccurate classical-era studies of Galen. Even when the ban upon anatomical study was lifted, by the end of the nineteenth century we had still progressed no further than an understanding of the basic anatomy as observed by dissection. Then, in the last five years of the nineteenth century, two important discoveries ushered in a new era in medicine: Roentgen’s discovery of x-rays in 1895 and Bequerel’s discovery of â€Å"Uranium rays† – nuclear radiation – in 1896. These forms of electromagnetic radiation, and their derivatives, form the basis of today’s most prevalent and important imaging technology – X-rays, Computed Tomography (CT), and nuclear medicine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At its most basic level, x-ray technology works by using a high-voltage current to generate a burst of x-rays (high-frequency electromagnetic radiation), which are then focused and directed through the human body. Certain materials, such as bone and cartilage, absorb more of the radiation than other tissues, which creates a â€Å"shadow† in the x-ray beam that is recorded on a special cassette containing photographic film, situated on the other side of the patient. Upon development of the film, the image of the bone structure (and some other tissue) can be studied to diagnose any apparent pathologies (Wolbarst 33). Today, this technology is wildly popular – almost everyone has had at least one x-ray during his life. However, the two-dimensional nature of an x-ray does create some limitations in its usefulness – but a further development of this technology has eliminated these.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Computerized Tomography, invented in 1963, is essentially a development of x-ray technology that allows a physician to observe highly detailed â€Å"slices† of the human body, and today is â€Å"highly reliable, non-invasive, painless, quick, and available on an urgent, 24 hour-a-day basis at most hospitals (Kelly 50).

Convictions Paper

Convictions 1 Convictions Ohio Christian University CM3000 – Christian Excellence Convictions 2 We all live our lives according to our set of personal convictions. Personal convictions are the blueprints that guide us down the path of life. We generally obtain our core convictions during childhood based on our culture, where we live and our religious beliefs. It is probably safe to say that no two people will have the exact same convictions because each of our experiences and backgrounds vary in some manner.When thinking about convictions, I am reminded of the following scripture; â€Å"One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind† (Romans 14:5). Although the Bible does not specifically mention convictions, I am sure that Paul was talking about each person’s individual convictions. In the book Christian Excellence Alternative To Success written by Jon Johnston, he tells us that there are four pitfall concerning convictions that we have to be aware of: 1. Superstitious Convictions 2. Convictions that attract attention for selfish egos . Convictions generated by an unwillingness to change 4. Convictions that are negative Convictions 3 Convictions that are Superstitious As a professed Christian, I have often been guilty of looking at horoscopes and once for a lark, going to a psychic. However; even when I was indulging in each of these activities I felt a little squeamish. I was taught to believe that God alone knows our futures. By reading the horoscopes and going to the psychic, I was not being true to my religious convictions. As Christians, we have to be careful to stay away from anything that opposes biblical teaching.When we indulge in something that is superstitious it advocates faith in something other than God, and it is a form of divination. We cannot determine God's will for our lives through horoscopes or psychics. As Christians, we are to read the Bibl e and pray to God in order to gain wisdom and guidance. Convictions that Attract attention for a selfish ego Matthew 6: 16-18 states, â€Å"â€Å"Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting.Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. â€Å"But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you,† (King James). For me, this is the essence of not attracting attention for a selfish ego. Everything that we do should be for the Glory of God and not the approval of man. When we live by convictions based on what man thinks, we open our heart to sin, including the sin of egotism.Lucifer, who was one on God’s most glorious creations, fell from grace due to his ego. Convictions 4 When we allow ourselves to be reeled in by our egos, we put ourselves in the â€Å"first place† that belongs only to God. In effect we are separating ourselves from depending on God. I have to be very careful of using the words I and me. I have overcome a lot of issues and now have a great life. However; I try and always remember to leave ego out and remember that it was by and thru the Grace of God. Convictions generated by Unwillingness to ChangeIn the textbook Christian Excellence Johnston says, â€Å"Today, some of us slide into a â€Å"conviction rut† in order to avoid facing change† (p. 132). My Father was 32 years older than my Mother. I was born when my father was 52 and my sister when he was 56. My Father was born in 1910 and had grown up thru the depression and under conditions that were vastly different from my sister and I. My Father had to make many changes in his thoughts, actions and attitudes to ensure that he was able to be the best Father in the world.This included g oing places he was not used to and participating in activities foreign to him so that we could navigate a modern life. I am absolutely certain this was difficult for him, but because of the love he felt for us he was willing to change. Often when people are unable to accept change, they become isolated. I don’t think by making changes in our lives we have to go against God. Titus 3:5 states, â€Å"He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,† (King James).The scripture speaks of renewal and regeneration and they both require change. We have to be able to change our attitudes in order to ge Convictions 5 along with others. Johnston is not saying that we have to change our values, but we have to be willing to adapt ourselves to situations. In the textbook, he gave an example of how some were not willing to accept new medical advances. I am one who believes tha t God provides the knowledge available to Doctors to save lives. Accepting the benefits of medical technology is a form of being able to accept change.The Jews wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because they were unable to accept change. They were unable to move beyond the life of slavery and cruel masters to the lives that God had ordained them. Their inability to accept change induced them to be grumblers and complainers. It literally isolated them from God. Convictions that are Negative In the course of life, I have heard dialogue from some Christians and thought to myself, â€Å"they do not inspire anyone to become a Christian. † This was due to their negativity. It seemed as if everything was a sin.They treated everyone else as a condemned sinner not worthy of God’s love. Alfred A. Montapert said, â€Å"Avoid destructive thinking. Improper negative thoughts sink people. A ship can sail around the world many, many times, but just let enough water get into the ship and it will sink. Just so with the human mind. Let enough negative thoughts or improper thoughts get into the human mind and the person sinks just like a ship† (worldofquotes. com). Jesus encountered many negative people even while he was attempting to save them from sin.Even one of the men hanging on the cross with Jesus instead of asking for mercy, went to his death a pathetic and negative person. When we are negative, are hearts are heartened to good news. I think this is a sin. The Bible admonishes us to â€Å"In the same way, let your light shine Convictions 6 before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven,(Matthew 5:16). As Christians one of our primary roles is to lead others to Christ. When we are negative and sour faced we are unable to do that.In closing, although we all do have different convictions, If we are Christian, we have a common denominator, Jesus Christ. I think we have to occasionally examine our convictions and dete rmine if they are Christ like. We have to determine if we have wrapped ourselves in a self-righteous cloak of convictions that is more worldly than Godly. Convictions 7 References Johnston, J. (1996). Christian Excellence Alternative To Success. Second Edition. JKO Publishing. Franklin, Tn. World of Quotes. Retrieved March 2012. Alfred A. Montepert. http://www. worldofquotes. com/Negative: Convictions Paper Convictions 1 Convictions Ohio Christian University CM3000 – Christian Excellence Convictions 2 We all live our lives according to our set of personal convictions. Personal convictions are the blueprints that guide us down the path of life. We generally obtain our core convictions during childhood based on our culture, where we live and our religious beliefs. It is probably safe to say that no two people will have the exact same convictions because each of our experiences and backgrounds vary in some manner.When thinking about convictions, I am reminded of the following scripture; â€Å"One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind† (Romans 14:5). Although the Bible does not specifically mention convictions, I am sure that Paul was talking about each person’s individual convictions. In the book Christian Excellence Alternative To Success written by Jon Johnston, he tells us that there are four pitfall concerning convictions that we have to be aware of: 1. Superstitious Convictions 2. Convictions that attract attention for selfish egos . Convictions generated by an unwillingness to change 4. Convictions that are negative Convictions 3 Convictions that are Superstitious As a professed Christian, I have often been guilty of looking at horoscopes and once for a lark, going to a psychic. However; even when I was indulging in each of these activities I felt a little squeamish. I was taught to believe that God alone knows our futures. By reading the horoscopes and going to the psychic, I was not being true to my religious convictions. As Christians, we have to be careful to stay away from anything that opposes biblical teaching.When we indulge in something that is superstitious it advocates faith in something other than God, and it is a form of divination. We cannot determine God's will for our lives through horoscopes or psychics. As Christians, we are to read the Bibl e and pray to God in order to gain wisdom and guidance. Convictions that Attract attention for a selfish ego Matthew 6: 16-18 states, â€Å"â€Å"Whenever you fast, do not put on a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they neglect their appearance so that they will be noticed by men when they are fasting.Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. â€Å"But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face so that your fasting will not be noticed by men, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you,† (King James). For me, this is the essence of not attracting attention for a selfish ego. Everything that we do should be for the Glory of God and not the approval of man. When we live by convictions based on what man thinks, we open our heart to sin, including the sin of egotism.Lucifer, who was one on God’s most glorious creations, fell from grace due to his ego. Convictions 4 When we allow ourselves to be reeled in by our egos, we put ourselves in the â€Å"first place† that belongs only to God. In effect we are separating ourselves from depending on God. I have to be very careful of using the words I and me. I have overcome a lot of issues and now have a great life. However; I try and always remember to leave ego out and remember that it was by and thru the Grace of God. Convictions generated by Unwillingness to ChangeIn the textbook Christian Excellence Johnston says, â€Å"Today, some of us slide into a â€Å"conviction rut† in order to avoid facing change† (p. 132). My Father was 32 years older than my Mother. I was born when my father was 52 and my sister when he was 56. My Father was born in 1910 and had grown up thru the depression and under conditions that were vastly different from my sister and I. My Father had to make many changes in his thoughts, actions and attitudes to ensure that he was able to be the best Father in the world.This included g oing places he was not used to and participating in activities foreign to him so that we could navigate a modern life. I am absolutely certain this was difficult for him, but because of the love he felt for us he was willing to change. Often when people are unable to accept change, they become isolated. I don’t think by making changes in our lives we have to go against God. Titus 3:5 states, â€Å"He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,† (King James).The scripture speaks of renewal and regeneration and they both require change. We have to be able to change our attitudes in order to ge Convictions 5 along with others. Johnston is not saying that we have to change our values, but we have to be willing to adapt ourselves to situations. In the textbook, he gave an example of how some were not willing to accept new medical advances. I am one who believes tha t God provides the knowledge available to Doctors to save lives. Accepting the benefits of medical technology is a form of being able to accept change.The Jews wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because they were unable to accept change. They were unable to move beyond the life of slavery and cruel masters to the lives that God had ordained them. Their inability to accept change induced them to be grumblers and complainers. It literally isolated them from God. Convictions that are Negative In the course of life, I have heard dialogue from some Christians and thought to myself, â€Å"they do not inspire anyone to become a Christian. † This was due to their negativity. It seemed as if everything was a sin.They treated everyone else as a condemned sinner not worthy of God’s love. Alfred A. Montapert said, â€Å"Avoid destructive thinking. Improper negative thoughts sink people. A ship can sail around the world many, many times, but just let enough water get into the ship and it will sink. Just so with the human mind. Let enough negative thoughts or improper thoughts get into the human mind and the person sinks just like a ship† (worldofquotes. com). Jesus encountered many negative people even while he was attempting to save them from sin.Even one of the men hanging on the cross with Jesus instead of asking for mercy, went to his death a pathetic and negative person. When we are negative, are hearts are heartened to good news. I think this is a sin. The Bible admonishes us to â€Å"In the same way, let your light shine Convictions 6 before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven,(Matthew 5:16). As Christians one of our primary roles is to lead others to Christ. When we are negative and sour faced we are unable to do that.In closing, although we all do have different convictions, If we are Christian, we have a common denominator, Jesus Christ. I think we have to occasionally examine our convictions and dete rmine if they are Christ like. We have to determine if we have wrapped ourselves in a self-righteous cloak of convictions that is more worldly than Godly. Convictions 7 References Johnston, J. (1996). Christian Excellence Alternative To Success. Second Edition. JKO Publishing. Franklin, Tn. World of Quotes. Retrieved March 2012. Alfred A. Montepert. http://www. worldofquotes. com/Negative: