Analyzing Ethical Behavior Essay

In the course of this report, it will show the comparison of the ethical aspect of two well-known corporate giants, Enron and Bernie Madoff. The first subject Bernard Lawrence â€Å"Bernie† Madoff, Broker, Investment guru, Financier. Once herald as a financial king, he in his reign overnight turned white collar criminal, which led to a quick and easy demise. Second, Enron Corporation, known for energy and commodities, services, and well known for being a major player in the electricity and natural gas, and communication, pulp and paper company, crumbled to its knees into bankruptcy in the early 2000s. The question is, at the height of both these two companies, what went wrong. Where was the ethical breakdown? The who, what when and the why will be the focus of this report. Bernie Madoff, former chair of NASDAQ, started his parent company on Wall Street Bernie L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, 1960 it was as the top of its game-bypassing firms who were specialist in the field of finance. Hijacked by Madoff’s firm with their signature OTC†¦Over the Counter orders with brokers. The company employed family and close friends that comprised of his brother Peter, Managing Director, his niece (peter’s daughter) Shana Madoff, compliance officer and attorney, and his two son’s Mark and Andrew. It was told by Madoff’s sons that their father made damaging statements, and confessed to them that the business was a lie, that it was a Ponzi scheme from the beginning, which led Federal agents to arrest Madoff, and all those involved. Madoff told authorities that the scheme began in 1990, but according to the FBI, it was started early as the 1970s. It has been reported that Madoff’s trial of deceit led his scheme to accumulate as much as $65 billion, with a reported estimate loss to investor of $18 billion. â€Å"Reports of ethical violations by upper level managers continue to multiply despite increasing attention being given to ethics by firms and business schools. Much of the analysis of these violations focus on either these manager’s lack of operation principles or their willingness to abandon principles in the face of competitive pressures† (Ludwig, 1993). Enron Corporation is the second in this detailed report of the fall of power. Traded on the NYSE: ENE, and based in Huston, Texas was an energy, commodities, and services company. For six consecutive years, Enron was named by Fortune Magazine as â€Å"America’s Pioneering Business†, with claimed revenues of $101 billion in the year 2000. What do most companies base their ethics upon; Enron’s code was one of Respect, Integrity, Communication and Excellence, described as treating others as they would be treated. Apparently they did not abide by that one in particular because as we go through this report, it will soon show the where the breakdown began. Integrity, working along with customers through honesty, Communication, obligated to interconnect with one another, Excellence, Not accepting anything less than the best in all that we do. These are just a few statements from Enron’s code of Ethics handbook. Given this code along with the assurance to professional ethics, it causes one to ponder these questions. How could a company dramatically collapse with reported revenues of $101 billion? With an increase the first, three quarters in 2001, falling into major bankruptcy in December of that same year. Could it be that the answer to these questions is a failure of the top leadership, a corporate culture caused the demise in its ethical beliefs along with the complicity of investors and the financial institutions? Enron’s corporate culture is described as having an appearance of arrogance that caused the public to trust that they could handle the risk without stumbling upon any danger to the company and to investors. This type of thought would make one not to sleep at night, but the implicit message from Enron was make the numbers, if you are caught stealing or cheating, ask for another chance, you may get one. You can see that Enron did not do anything to promote integrity nor respect; it was undermined by the company’s emphasis on reorganization, presentation, reparation and its considerations. To conclude, the answer as to why CEO’s have bilked their companies and investors out of billions of dollars and brought a collapse of hundreds of corporate giants, it is because unethical and criminal behavior is the morals by which they do what they have done are doing, even as this report is being written. An epidemic could explode and if nothing is done about it†¦then the American system of High Finance and Big Business will crumble to a screeching Holt and affect this country’s economy†¦. God forbid. â€Å"Destructive leaders can cause hardship not only to immediate followers, but to the broader population. For example when a large company struggles financially, it is not only employees, but customers, suppliers, and shareholders that are negatively affected. The cognitive processes employed by the leader play a large role in how he or she gathers information, interprets it, and makes decisions toward a course of action (L. Eubanks, 2010).

Role Management in Workplace

Role Management in the Workplace Role Management to me seems to be all about delegation. It helps you to decide who does what and who handles what. Management in psychology probably would be the same way designate responsibilities and also delegate so that each person could know what it is that they are going to do. I would say put people where they excel if you know someone has a strong suit then that is where they will best excel and get the job done. If a person is a great school counselor then they should be counseling at a school, if they work well in a clinical setting then that is the setting they should be in. Ayame may not be good in the confrontational aspect, and that is probably for not for her. Sometimes people are soft-spoken and don’t deal well with confrontation so in turn how can you really be motivated to do something that really doesn’t make you happy. I think it is really hard to receive feedback if people really can’t understand where you are coming from and maybe her culture isn’t really a confrontational culture and she is more reserved and laid back. Then again that may not really be the role for Ayame in delegating it is a manager’s responsibility to see what skills their employees have and what they are good at. Since Ayame is a project manager that means that she is in charge of managing other people and if she isn’t motivated to do her job how can she really motivate a team of people to get their jobs done as well. Everyone has their role in a workplace and if they can’t handle it then maybe that really isn’t the role for them. Cultural Background Some countries are more reserved and not quite so confrontational and maybe that is what Ayame’s problem is. Americans are aggressive and Japanese tend to be a little more laid back and hard working. Herzberg believes that with job satisfaction is what motivated people especially Japan. The way she is receiving feedback may be a way that she isn’t used to because she is not handling the situation confrontational. She may not be really comfortable with how things are done at her job because not all cultures handle things the same way. It seems as though Ayame may not have that go hard mentality and that’s just because of what she is used to. The Japanese are not like Americans and where they are different is that Americans can be confrontational whereas Japanese are more reserved. Ayame may just need to meet with her boss and find out what it is that she needs to do differently or maybe that isn’t the job for her. She can have a sit down and address ways she feels that she may excel better and see if those ways work and if they can implement them, because not everything has to be confrontational and some people handle it better with finesse. Motivation Techniques Motivation is the process by which a person’s effort are energized, directed, and sustained toward attaining a goal. I think the goal setting theory is great theory because sometimes goals push people further so that they can go further than they normally would if there were no goals set in place. Then when you are rewarding employees for achieving those goals it makes it even better because it feels as though their hard work has paid off and that just makes them want to work harder. I think when goals are put in front of you if you are a harder worker then you are going to do what you need to make sure you achieve them. When employers reward employee’s incentives do make people work harder because it means that there is something to look forward to. I also think a good technique is to see your manager working hard too it’s one thing to just designate but to help your employees and take time to make sure they understand the task makes them feel inspired and shows them that you care and that you actually want them to succeed. References 1). Decenzo, D. , & Coulter, M. (2011). Fundamentals of Management: Essential Concepts and Applications (7th ed. ). Boston, MA: Prentice Hall.

Richard III

Analysis of Richard III PassageMethoughts that I had broken from the Tower And was embarked to traverse to Burgundy, And in my company my brother Gloucester, Who from my cabin tempted me to walk Upon the hatches. Thence we looked toward England And cited up a 1000 fearful times, During the wars of York and Lancaster That had befall'n us. As we paced along Upon the dizzy terms of the hatches, Methought that Gloucester stumbled, and in falling Struck me, that thought to remain him, overboard Into the toppling surges of the chief. O Lord, methought what hurting it was to submerge, What awful noise of Waterss in my ears, What sights of ugly decease within my eyes. Methoughts I saw a 1000 fearful wracks, A thousand work forces that fishes gnawed upon, Wedges of gold, great ground tackles, tonss of pearl, Incomputable rocks, unappreciated gems, All scattered in the underside of the sea. Some ballad in dead work forces ‘s skulls, and in the holes Where eyes did one time inhabit, there were crept— As 'twere in contempt of eyes—reflecting treasures, That wooed the slimed underside of the deep And mocked the dead castanetss that lay scattered by. ( I: IV:9-33 ) Clarence ‘s prophetic dream sequence in Act I scene Four Begins and ends with premonition, as we see the slaying of Clarence and besides visualize the eerie and supernatural glance of an underworld beneath the ocean as we see Clarence distressingly drown. The transition begins with Richard and Clarence puting canvas to Burgundy, reminiscing on the horrors of the conflicts they had won and lost together throughout the war of the roses. As their ship begins to destabilize, Clarence is cast overboard after seeking to forestall Richard from falling. The text leads us to believe this is inadvertent despite logic stating us to instantly presume this was planned by Richard. As Clarence distressingly drowns, he begins to depict the dark, supernatural underbelly of the ocean. Multitudes of lost wealth and hoarded wealth are seen alongside decomposing cadavers and the liquors of 1000s of work forces, work forces whose deceases, it has been suggested, Clarence was partially responsible fo r as a consequence of the recent overthrow of the monarchy. Clarence ‘s dream sequence is laced with both dramatic linguistic communication and baleful boding throughout. An array of poetic devices and literary techniques are employed to successfully reenforce major issues and subjects of the drama as a whole within this transition. Numerous subjects are reinforced and introduced in this transition such as the apposition of earthly wealth and human mortality, the upseting trust that Clarence has for Richard, horror and calamity, and besides the motive of the dark and the supernatural. Furthermore if we read the transition from a modern position we can integrate a Freudian reading when analyzing what seems to be Clarence ‘s subconscious head. Whilst watching Richard III, the character of Richard is hard to side with nevertheless at the same clip there is a certain appeal and inventiveness about him that is difficult to dislike. There are cases throughout the drama which help to demo Richard as a antic linguist and a sympathetic Machiavellian hero. However, at the same clip the dramatic sarcasm used in the signifier of Clarence ‘s weakness and naivete is perchance the most powerful illustration throughout the full drama which shows the cold and evil inner nucleus of Richard ‘s character. When Clarence dreams of Richard killing him, the text seems to propose that Richard did this by accident as Clarence says that Richard â€Å"in falling, Struck me, that thought to remain him, overboard.† [ [ 1 ] ] The manner Clarence has made a point of stating how Richard merely pushed him â€Å"in falling† is interesting as it makes us oppugn the dependability of Clarence ‘s history. This dramatic sarcasm plants because from an audience ‘s position we are already cognizant of the dark nature and pitilessness of Richard, moreover we know that Richard is in the procedure of engineering the slaying of his brother Clarence. These factors make us oppugn the â€Å"accidental nature† of Clarence ‘s narrative despite it being a dream. Could this dream in fact be a message straight from Clarence ‘s subconscious trying to warn him of his impending decease? We could in fact read this transition as Shakespeare trying to show a sixteenth century equivalent to Freud ‘s construct of the subconscious head. The audience is now to the full anticipating the impending decease of Clarence, and the incapacitated audience is forced to sympathize with him and get down to contemn Richard. The experience of this scene could be summed up by a quotation mark from critic Charles Barber, who believes â€Å"Clarence ‘s incredulity in his ain dream creates the feeling that Rich ard ‘s immorality is excessively monstrous for those around him to accept or conceive of, and therefore it amplifies our horror of Richard.† [ [ 2 ] ] The antecedently mentioned construct of Shakespeare meaning to demo the workings of Clarence ‘s subconscious is besides fascinating as it demonstrates a sample of a theory that was non to go popularly recognised for 100s of old ages. This element adds deepness and verisimilitude to the drama and besides adds to our hatred for Richard. Freud describes the unconscious head as â€Å"a reservoir of feelings, ideas, impulses, and memories that are outside of our witting awareness.† [ [ 3 ] ] It would look that these feelings are more perceptive in some ways than Clarence ‘s witting 1s. Somehow Clarence ‘s unconscious has picked up more about Richard ‘s character than his witting head. This poses an interesting inquiry, even to a modern audience, about the antic complexness of our heads. An audience who embraces this reading is likely to happen this idea provoking and be intellectually stimulated by this construct. If we take this transition to intend that th at Clarence ‘s unconscious head is seeking to state him something, so we besides read that his witting head is disregarding it for non merely does he presume his dreamed decease was an accident, but he subsequently goes on to province how his brother â€Å"loves me dear† and says to the liquidators ( hired by Richard ) that â€Å"if you be hired for meed, travel back once more, And I will direct you to my brother Gloucester, Who shall honor you better for my life.† [ [ 4 ] ] Clarence ‘s refusal to move upon this portents and moreover disregard his ain ego is important in demoing the power and use Richard is capable of. When the audience listens to Clarence ‘s history of his dream, the transition should render as extremely important as it foreshadows many of the events yet to come in the drama. When Clarence begins to submerge this is in fact an eerie prefiguration of his eventual decease, and more specifically submerging minutes subsequently in the scene. One critic has besides read this dream as besides boding the nightmare Richard himself experiences prior to the conflict of Bosworth in Act V scene V. [ [ 4b ] ] There is much boding throughout the drama, such as when Queen Margaret, a enchantress like character, is introduced. Queen Margaret begins to state curst prognostications as a acrimonious effort to revenge all of those who have antecedently wronged her. It is besides interesting to observe that through this transition, Shakespeare has included a subject that was popular amongst Renaissance literature, whereby earthly wealth is shown in apposition with human mortality. [ [ 4c ] ] This was a common concern among authors of the clip as earthly wealth ‘s value was questioned in many ways because of the realization that we can non purchase â€Å"life† and wealth will intend nil in the hereafter. While absorbing the address, we notice that there are infinite images in this transition that barrage us with this subject. The lost hoarded wealths are described to a great extent and often such as the â€Å"wedges of gold, great ground tackles, tonss of pearl, incomputable rocks, and unappreciated jewels.† However it becomes clearer why Shakespeare has made a point of making this when we consider this subject of human mortality versus earthly wealth. When we so go on to see â€Å"Some [ gems ] ballad in dead work forces â⠂¬Ëœs skulls, and in the holes Where eyes did one time inhabit† decease and wealth are non merely in apposition, they are basically merged as one. The manner the gems have been incorporated into the oculus sockets of the skull makes the apposition even more dramatic as they about seem as one entity because of the manner we associate the gems as eyes slotting into the sockets of a skull. This transition is besides important in the manner it introduces the motive of the Gothic into the drama. Clarence ‘s dream sequence accompanied with the eerie cursing of Queen Margaret subsequently in the drama, are both scenes which contribute to the Gothic elements of this drama through mentions to the supernatural and the unknown, and minutes of horror. Horror as a literary term can be described as â€Å"The feeling of repugnance that normally occurs after something terrorization is seen, heard, or otherwise experienced.† [ [ 5 ] ] We see horror in the transition when Clarence describes in item the scenes of the underworld and the nature of his painful drowning. Clarence explains â€Å"what pain it was to submerge, What awful noise of Waterss in my ears, What sights of ugly decease within my eyes.† This dramatic address forces the audience to get down to see the submerging themselves as Clarence uses powerful imagery such as the H2O in his ears and the hurting that he experienced. Furthermore the grotesque and macabre images of â€Å"a thousand work forces that fishes gnawed upon† besides help to dismay the audience. Supernatural elements that besides contribute to the Gothic feel of the drama are seen in another subsequent prognostication manner dream of Clarence ‘s where he sees the shade of Prince Edward, a Lancastrian whom Clarence had helped to kill. Edward begins to cuss Clarence as liquors begin to drag him below to the underworld. After analyzing Clarence ‘s dream in Act I scene IV, it can be concluded that Shakespeare has employed a scope of literary techniques and thoughts that help to reenforce and present of import subjects that permeate the full drama. Techniques such as dramatic sarcasm encourages us to appreciate the immorality of Richard, and the inclusion of a subconscious aid add deepness and machination to the drama. Furthermore the transition is a utile penetration into the drama as a whole through the debut of other of import subjects and issues of the twenty-four hours such as horror, the supernatural, and the apposition of earthly wealth and human mortality.BibliographyBarber Charles, Notes on Richard III, ( London, Longman, 1999 ) Devendra, Varma The Gothic Flame, ( New York: Russell and Russell, 1966 ) Radcliffe, Ann On the Supernatural in Poetry, Exert taken from New Monthly Magazine vol.16 No.1 hypertext transfer protocol: //www.litgothic.com/Texts/radcliffe_sup.pdf [ 22.4.09 ] Shakespeare, William, Richard III, ( London, The Arden Shakespeare, 2006 ) Strachey, James ( Trans. ) , ed. Anna Freud, The Necessities of Psychoanalysis, ( London: Vintage Books, 2005. ) [ [ 1 ] ] William Shakespeare, Richard III, ( London, The Arden Shakespeare, 2006 ) I.IV.19-20 [ [ 2 ] ] Charles Barber, Notes on Richard III, ( London, Longman,1999 ) p.75 [ [ 3 ] ] James Strachey ( Trans. ) , ed. Anna Freud, The Necessities of Psychoanalysis, ‘the unconscious ‘ ( London: Vintage Books, 2005. ) p.46 [ [ 4 ] ] William Shakespeare, Richard III, ( London, The Arden Shakespeare, 2006 ) I.IV 217-218 p.183 [ [ 4b ] ] Barber Charles, Notes on Richard III, ( London, Longman, 1999 ) p.96 [ [ 4c ] ] Ibid. [ [ 5 ] ] Varma Devendra, The Gothic Flame, ( New York: Russell and Russell, 1966 ) p.17

Reflection Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Reflection Paper - Essay Example Most of them looked in their mid-30s, and they were most likely looking, for a restaurant, to dine in. I also noticed another group made up mostly of white Americans who were in The Mall for pleasure, including shoppers and tourists. In addition, it was also possible to make out some groups of people, in this case more diverse with white, Hispanic and some black people, who looked like conventioneers. Out on the streets, they all looked relaxed while some also looked to be people watching, as well. It was not possible to miss the bearded black man walked past me on the street looking through the trash bins. A number of similar men were also in the vicinity further down the street with shabby clothes, and most of them had cigarettes dangling from their mouths, oblivious of the numerous signs against smoking. As I neared my destination, I saw a group of people, mostly white, who looked out of place. Most of them are in camouflage trousers with grey tank tops, big backpacks and chained wallets. One group has particularly huge backpacks and has a walking toddler and another in a stroller. They are identifiable as what one of my lecturers calls transients, living on the street as street kids. It looked as if they were headed for the train station. Sitting in the outside area of the Starbucks later, I notice many passers-by with rolling suitcases, most of them white. The suitcases, one can guess, has their belongings, and they do not seem to be in any rush or have any purpose. In fact, most of the people I have seen today do not seem to be frantic or excited with most looking relaxed. This particular group seems to be going about everyday activities with the suitcases rolling behind them. Most of the people seated around me are white with a few Asians. I spot two Hispanic men working at the sports souvenir shop also people watching. They do not take any notice

Grants Narrative Statement of Need - Fleishhacker Foundation Education Assignment

Grants Narrative Statement of Need - Fleishhacker Foundation Education Program - Assignment Example This essay declares that Boys and Girls Club believe that all children in San Francisco deserve high quality education, which will enable them became responsible citizens of San Francisco in particular, and the Unites States of America in general, in future. Boys and Girls Club prides itself in striving to provide safe environment which is necessary for academic excellence of students; with a special focus on children from low income households in San Francisco. Ensuring that all children from low income households; graduate from high schools and join university and colleges is one of our main desires. This paper makes a conclusion that improving education infrastructure in public schools will enable children from low income households complete education processes successfully. San Francisco Unified School District is one of the largest school districts found in California. The average graduation rate is 66%. An ethnic breakdown of this data reveals a worrying trend in the education sector; African Americans graduation rate is 49%, Latino 48%, Asian 76%, and white 64%. Less than 50% of African and Latino Americans graduated from the high schools in San Francisco. Majority of African Americans and Latino Americans come from low income households; and this explains the high rates of high school drop outs. Low income children cannot afford to study in schools which have all the required academic infrastructures; due to the high fees charged. This calls for a project like ours that will make good education infrastructure accessible to many children as possible.

Management and leadership styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management and leadership styles - Essay Example They act as a catalyst in guiding and inspiring the human resources or the employees of an organization so as to enhance their level of performance and dedication towards work. Side by side, the leaders and managers also motivate them towards work so as to improve the productivity and efficiency of the organization thereby amplifying its image and profit margin in the market among others. Along with this, it also helps in enhancing the popularity and equity of the organization thereby amplifying its level of sustainability to a certain extent in the future era among others. Therefore, it might be sated that leaders and managers are the guiding forces that might improve the efficiency and competence of the employees as well as the organization so as to cope up with varied types of challenges. This essay is divided into five phases and it mainly highlights the importance of management and leadership within an organization. Along with this, it also clearly depicts the relationship among the two different terms. ... Leadership is described as the procedure of social influence with the help of which, an individual supports and assists others to accomplish the objective or goal. Moreover, leaders are those individual, who inspire the employees to improve their level of devotion in order to enhance the productivity of the organization. Along with this, the leaders also help to guide and direct the human resources or the employees in such a way so that, it might enhance their efficiency to a significant extent as compared to others in the organization. Other than this, the term leadership is also described as a process to enhance the trust and faith of the employees, customers or the stakeholders thereby improving their relationship with the management. Side by side, the leaders also attempt to enhance the level of coordination among the employees and management of the organization so as to accomplish the future targets in an effective way. Along with this, it also helps in improving the interperson al relationship among the employees thereby reducing the range of conflicts, lockouts and attritions. Thus, it might be portrayed that leadership skills, attitudes and values help to present proper direction to the employees or the organization to become successful in future. Similarly managerial style or management is often described as the individual liable for controlling and supervising a group of members or staffs within an organization. It is done so as to attain the objectives or targets of the organization in an effective way. In order to do so, management always tries to plan, organize and schedule the ideas and information of the group members so as to accomplish the objective in an efficient way. So that, the objective of the organization might be attained in a

The Transition from Applicant to New Employee Essay

The Transition from Applicant to New Employee - Essay Example This study highlights both the employee and employer struggle in the initial period of the recruitment process to make the transition as smooth as possible and shorten the learning curve. Organizations start this process as soon as they get an application against a vacancy. The interview process and the orientation for the new employee become the foundations of a lasting relationship. Successful organizations foster a learning environment in which employees get to build their skills and eventually become more productive with time. The employee entering the organization relies on the existing culture and workforce for guidance and deliverance. Employees adopt the values of the culture prevailing in the organization and will easily adapt to the new environment if they feel comfortable to it. Employees will also be more receptive of information if they feel attached to the work they are put to do. As the discussion stresses millions of students graduate every year form colleges and universities around the globe. Many of them could be in search of their first real job. The past twenty years of their life they have been cradled with support from friends, family, counsellors, instructors and the corporations that hold yearly seminars. After graduating from college, they may find themselves completely alone, standing in front of a tall building, thinking of which door is the entrance and which door is the exit. Confidence matters a lot as they go in for an entry test or start the interview process.

Acquisition of International Power in UK by Gaz de France Essay - 1

Acquisition of International Power in UK by Gaz de France - Essay Example Mergers have been one of the most effective options for companies seeking growth and expansion. This is because merger has the potential of ensuring rapid and speedy turnovers in terms of the revenue, market size customer base and physical infrastructure of a company. This however does not mean that mergers are free from challenges. In this report, it was not the merits of the merger between International Power and Gaz de France that are reviewed but also any challenges that the companies involved must look out for. This is preceded with a detailed description of both companies. This description is very necessary for this report because it is only after having a detailed understanding of the companies involved, their history, their mission and vision, their strategic plans, and of course their projected growth rate that the merger that has taken place can best be analysed in the interest of both companies. Comprehensive macro analysis is also conducted for both companies as this is a lso necessary in judging the economic viability of the merger. Finally, there is a detailed scrutiny of the valuation of the merger. The valuation was done in comparison with not only the macro economic factors outlined earlier but with other micro economic factors such as project depreciation rates, projected inflation rate and projected interest rates are concerned. Concluding, suggestions are made for the companies as to how they can ensure maximisation of the economic stand they have taken and the economic journey they have just began. Brief description of both companies International Power has been one of United Kingdom’s power houses when it comes to established and flourishing businesses. The company was commissioned in 2000 following a demerger by National Power. Since that time, the company’s performance has seen it being listed on the London Stock Exchange and FTSE 100 Index. The Guardian (2012) notes that International Power has attained a sustained growth r ate on the various stock markets. The graph below is a clear indication of the success rate of the company on the London Stock Exchange. Source: The Guardian (March, 2012) Clearly, International Power is an appreciating company when it comes to revenue. The company’s basic business is in power generation. As a power (electricity) generation company, International Power has been touted to have the capacity of producing a gross of 72,360 megawatts of power and a net production of 42,225 megawatts of power (International Power, 2011). This makes the company a global leading competitor in the power generation industry. Gaz de France Suez also has a very good history and operational background. Operationally, both GDF Suez and International Power are in the power generation sector. Additionally, GDF Suez goes beyond power distribution into the distribution of power, generation of natural gases, and also into the generation of renewable energy for its numerous clients around the wo rld. Before the year 20008, the company was simply known as GDP or Gaz de France because it had not merged with Suez Environment, the company in which Gaz de France has up to 35% market stake in. Due to the continuing market urge of the company, it is listed on a number of stock markets including the Euronext Exchanges. The company continues to undertake massive growth and expansion activities including the constructions of â€Å"a gas-fired combined cycle power plant of at least 1,500MW and an associated water desalination plant with a capacity of 102 to 107 MIGD (464 to 486 thousand m?/day)† (GDF Suez, 2012). Macro Analysis The macro economic indicators of companies go long ways to influence, inform and affect their decisions and policies on growth and expansion. Knowing that Gaz de France’

How capital markets led to the new economy bubble and the banking Essay

How capital markets led to the new economy bubble and the banking crisis - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the occurrence of the global crisis in 2008 started with developed countries particularly in the United States of America, and its impact spread rapidly to other parts of the world. The crisis was contributed by the negligence of the financial institutions that issued insecure loans to the investors hence making the repayment hard during and after the recession. The decline in the prices of residential houses made it difficult for mortgagees to repay their debt. Consequently, the investors withdrew their wealth from the capital market to repay their loans with other investors lost trust and confidence with financial institutions resulting to the withdrawal of invested wealth from the capital market. Capital market refers to the financial market in which the long-term debt or equity-backed securities are traded. The role of the capital market is to collect resources of the savers and distribute them to the long-term investment opportuni ties, especially in government and companies’ investment saving schemes. This document gives the detail of how the capital market was responsible for the global crisis and its impact on the world economy. The contribution of the capital market to global financial crisis gives and understanding of the financial markets operates and how different financial institutions are interlinked across the globe. During the period between 2000 and 2007 investors generated a lot of wealth and had enough to save in the banks.

Flight( I choose the Bald eagle) Research Paper

Flight( I choose the Bald eagle) - Research Paper Example Further topics explored in this research work include the food habit and the challenges faced by Bald Eagles. In short, this research work attempts to provide overall information on one among the most important predators in the sky, i.e., Bald Eagle. Generally, human encroachment affects the ecological balance and sustenance of life. More and more endangered species are at the edge of extinction and the human race is responsible for the same. Within this scenario, the challenges faced by birds like Bald Eagles are unnoticed because human beings provide less importance to this problem. Still, the attempt to retrieve of Bald eagle (mainland of North America) population is noteworthy because the same is an important epoch within the effort to maintain bird population and to save birds from extinction. Thesis statement: The research on Bald Eagle proves that this bird has some peculiar characteristics, its habitat includes wetlands with abundant supply of fish, its food habit includes ca rnivorous (primarily fish), and it faces challenges like human encroachment on habitat, pesticides, and hunting. This section of the research work is broadly divided into: general information, habitat, food habit, and challenges. General information: In real sense, this bird is not bald or with fewer feather on its head. Instead, the name originates from the fact that the color of this bird’s head is white. ... To be specific, female birds are comparatively larger than male birds. These birds have strong legs and toes, most helpful to snatch their prey and to slice meat. This peculiarity is helpful for this bird to have dominance over its prey. Besides, these birds are seen in almost all parts of the mainland of North America. [Untitled figure of population distribution of Bald Eagles in North America]. Retrieved November 12, 2013, from: http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i3520id.html The difference between mature and immature birds of this type is visible because immature birds are with black color on their beaks. On the other side, the mature birds do not have any color variation on their beaks because the dominant color is yellow. One can see that, â€Å"Bald eagles are one of the largest raptors, or birds of prey, in North America† (Magby, 2012). These birds belong to sea eagle variety and they build large nests on tall trees. In addition, this bird’s fame is related to its status as the national bird, within the context of US. Habitat: The main habitat of this bird variety is wetlands, including coastal areas, riverbanks, large lakes, and other type of large water bodies. One can see that this bird selects these areas as main habitat because sustenance and reproduction are important. To be specific, these birds build their nests on tall trees near to water bodies, including wetlands. Besides, abundance of fish variety in wetlands attracts this bird variety to these areas. On the other side, these birds never provide any special importance to tree species. Instead, almost all tall trees are used for nesting purpose, disregarding species. Besides, these birds provide ample importance

Journal entry (economics topic) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Journal entry (economics topic) - Essay Example erefore, given that in times of economic crisis there is decreased tax revenue it became important to establish measures to resolve decreased revenues as a result of decline in profits, incomes, consumptions or increase in tax evasion (Ramona, Ionut, & Cristian, 2011). VAT has also increased its relevancy to bridge the gap that government have in national debt. VAT is administered effectively and has enabled some country reduce their national debt without raising the direct taxes on capital and labor (Ramona, Ionut, & Cristian, 2011). Therefore, VAT has been a powerful tool that enables economies address the macroeconomic issue such as unemployment and investment without disrupting the operation of a country. In conclusion, the government may increase or decrease the charge on VAT to address the economic crisis of the day rather than resulting to other measures to increase tax receipt. However, there are macroeconomic consequences with little severity compared to other alternative ways of raising revenue. VAT has become one the largest indirect tax and considered as a tax for the future. It is successful and does not burden one source only as it is shared among producers and users (Ramona, Ionut, & Cristian,

Symbolic Learning Methods Essay Example for Free

Symbolic Learning Methods Essay Abstract In this paper, performance of symbolic learning algorithms and neural learning algorithms on different kinds of datasets has been evaluated. Experimental results on the datasets indicate that in the absence of noise, the performances of symbolic and neural learning methods were comparable in most of the cases. For datasets containing only symbolic attributes, in the presence of noise, the performance of neural learning methods was superior to symbolic learning methods. But for datasets containing mixed attributes (few numeric and few nominal), the recent versions of the symbolic learning algorithms performed better when noise was introduced into the datasets. 1. Introduction The problem most often addressed by both neural network and symbolic learning systems is the inductive acquisition of concepts from examples [1]. This problem can be briefly defined as follows: given descriptions of a set of examples each labeled as belonging to a particular class, determine a procedure for correctly assigning new examples to these classes. In the neural network literature, this problem is frequently referred to as supervised or associative learning. For supervised learning, both the symbolic and neural learning methods require the same input data, which is a set of classified examples represented as feature vectors. The performance of both types of learning systems is evaluated by testing how well these systems can accurately classify new examples. Symbolic learning algorithms have been tested on problems ranging from soybean disease diagnosis [2] to classifying chess end games [3]. Neural learning algorithms have been tested on problems ranging from converting text to speech [4] to evaluating moves in backgammon [5]. In this paper, the current problem is to do a comparative evaluation of the performances of the symbolic learning methods which use decision trees such as ID3 [6] and its revised versions like C4.5 [7] against neural learning methods like Multilayer perceptrons [8] which implements a feed-forward neural network with error back propagation. Since the late 1980s, several studies have been done that compared the performance of symbolic learning approaches to the neural network techniques. Fisher and McKusick [9] compared ID3 and Backpropagation on the basis of both prediction accuracy and the length of training. According to their conclusions, Backpropagation attained a slightly higher accuracy. Mooney et al., [10] found that ID3 was faster than a Backpropagation network, but the Backpropagation network was more adaptive to noisy data sets. Shavlik et al., [1] compared ID3 algorithm with perceptron and backpropagation neural learning algorithms. They found that in all cases, backpropagation took much longer to train but the accuracies varied slightly depending on the type of dataset. Besides accuracy and learning time, this paper investigated three additional aspects of empirical learning, namely, the dependence on the amount of training data, the ability to handle imperfect data of various types and the ability to utilize distributed output encodings. Depending upon the type of datasets they worked on, some authors claimed that symbolic learning methods were quite superior to neural nets while some others claimed that accuracies predicted by neural nets were far better than symbolic learning methods. The hypothesis being made is that in case of noise free data, ID3 gives faster results whose accuracy will be comparable to that of back propagation techniques. But in case of noisy data, neural networks will perform better than ID3 though the time taken will be more in case of neural networks. Also, in the case of noisy data, performance of C4.5 and neural nets will be comparable since C4.5 too is resistant to noise to an extent due to pruning. 2. Symbolic Learning Methods In ID3, the system constructs a decision tree from a set of training objects. At each node of the tree the training objects are partitioned by their value along a single attribute. An information theoretic measure is used to select the attribute whose values improve prediction of class membership above the accuracy expected from a random guess. The training set is recursively decomposed in this manner until no remaining attribute improves prediction in a statistically significant manner when the confidence factor is supplied by the user. So, ID3 method uses Information Gain heuristic which is based on Shannon’s entropy to build efficient decision trees. But one dis advantage with ID3 is that it overfits the training data. So, it gives rise to decision trees which are too specific and hence this approach is not noise resistant when tested on novel examples. Another disadvantage is that it cannot deal with missing attributes and requires all attributes to have nominal values. C4.5 is an improved version of ID3 which prevents over-fitting of training data by pruning the decision tree when required, thus making it more noise resistant. 3. Neural Network Learning Methods Multilayer perceptron is a layered network comprising of input nodes, hidden nodes and output nodes [11]. The error values are back propagated from the output nodes to the input nodes via the hidden nodes. Considerable time is required to build a neural network but once it is done, classification is quite fast. Neural networks are robust to noisy data as long as too many epochs are not considered since they do not overfit the training data. 4. Evaluation Design For the evaluation purposes, a free and popular software tool called Weka (Waikato Environment for Knowledge Acquisition) is used. This software has the implementations of several machine learning algorithms made easily accessible to the user with the help of graphical user interfaces. The training and the test datasets have been taken from the UCI machine learning repository. Two different types of datasets will be used for the evaluation purposes. One type of datasets contain only symbolic attributes (Symbolic Datasets) and the other type contain mixed attributes (Numeric Datasets). Performance of the different learning methods will be evaluated using the original datasets which do not contain any noise and after introducing noise into them. Noise is introduced in the class attributes of the datasets by using the ‘AddNoise’ filter option in Weka which adds the specified percentage of noise randomly into the datasets. Symbolic Datasets are those which contain only symbolic attributes. Symbolic learning methods like ID3 and its recent developments can be run only on datasets where all the attributes are nominal. In Weka, these nominal attributes are automatically converted to numeric ones for neural network learning methods. So, preprocessing is not required in this type of datasets. Numeric Datasets are those which contain few nominal and few numeric attributes. Since symbolic learning methods like ID3 and its recent developments can be run only on datasets where all the attributes are nominal, these datasets first need to be preprocessed. A ‘Discretize’ filter option available in Weka is used to discretize all the non-symbolic attribute values into individual intervals so that each attribute can now be treated as a symbolic one. Initially, the entire data being considered is randomized. Two types of evaluation techniques are being used to analyze the data. (a) Percentage Split: In general, the data will be split up randomly into training data and test data. In the experiments conducted, the data will be split such that training data comprises 66% of the entire data and the rest is used for testing. (b) K-fold Cross-validation: In general, the data is split into k disjoint subsets and one of it is used as testing data and the rest of them are used as training data. This is continued till every subset has been used once as a testing dataset. In the experiments conducted, 5-fold cross validation was done. 5. Experimental Results Experiments were conducted on two symbolic datasets and two numeric datasets. The two symbolic datasets are tic-tac-toe and chess. The two numeric datasets are segment and teacher’s assistant evaluation (tae). DataSet 1 : TIC-TAC-TOE (a) 5-fold cross validation (i)Without any noise: Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 (ii) Percentage of noisy data = 10% Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 Time to build 0.03 6.16 0.02 0.06 0.01 % correct 67.4322 81.8372 75.8873 73.5908 71.2944 % incorrect 28.0793 18.1628 24.1127 26.4092 28.7056 % not classified 4.4885 0 0 0 0 Time to build 0.06 6.35 0.06 0.01 0.02 % correct 86.1169 97.4948 85.8038 87.5783 83.1942 % incorrect 11.691 2.5052 14.1962 12.4217 16.8058 % not classified 2.1921 0 0 0 0 (b) Percentage split with training data being 66% and the rest is testing data (i)Without Noise: Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 (ii)Percentage of Noisy data = 10% Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 Time to build 0.05 6.5 0.01 0.01 0.02 % correct 85.5828 97.546 83.1288 88.0368 82.2086 % incorrect 11.0429 2.454 16.8712 11.9632 17.7914 % not classified 3.3742 0 0 0 0 Time to build 0.04 6.15 0.02 0.02 0.01 % correct 68.4049 80.6748 73.9264 72.3926 71.4724 % incorrect 28.2209 19.3252 26.0736 27.6074 28.5276 % not classified 3.3742 0 0 0 0 For the tic-tac-toe dataset, in the presence of noise, neural nets had better prediction accuracies than all the other algorithms as expected. Though C4.5 gives better accuracy than ID3, its accuracy is still lower in comparison to Neural Nets. If the pruning factor (confidence factor was lowered) was increased, the prediction accuracies of C4.5 dropped a little. But in the absence of noise, the performances of ID3 and Multilayer Perceptron should have been comparable. But the performance of Multilayer Perceptron is quite superior to ID3. DataSet 2 : CHESS (a) 5-fold cross validation (i)Without any noise: Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 (ii) Percentage of noisy data = 10% Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 Time to build 0.36 47.75 0.21 0.18 0.19 % correct 81.1952 86.796 89.0488 84.6683 88.4856 % incorrect 18.8048 13.204 10.9512 15.3317 11.5144 % not classified 0 0 0 0 0 Time to build 0.21 47.67 0.15 0.05 0.1 % correct 99.562 97.4656 99.3742 99.3116 99.2178 % incorrect 0.438 2.5344 0.6258 0.6884 0.7822 % not classified 0 0 0 0 0 (b) Percentage split with training data being 66% and the rest is testing data (i)Without Noise: Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 (ii)Percentage of Noisy data = 10% Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 Time to build 0.33 41.73 0.24 0.19 0.19 % correct 80.1288 85.7406 87.5805 82.6127 87.6725 % incorrect 19.8712 14.2594 12.4195 17.3873 12.3275 % not classified 0 0 0 0 0 Time to build 0.13 43.55 0.06 0.06 0.08 % correct 99.448 97.1481 99.08 98.988 99.08 % incorrect 0.552 2.8519 0.92 1.012 0.92 % not classified 0 0 0 0 0 For the chess dataset, in the absence of noise, the performance of ID3 is better than that of Multilayer perceptron and takes lesser time. For the noisy data, back propagation predicts better accuracies than that of ID3 as expected, but the performance of C4.5 is slightly higher than back propagation. The reason for this could be that the feature space in this dataset is more relevant. So, C4.5 builds a tree and prunes it to get a more efficient tree. DataSet 3 : SEGMENT (a) 5-fold cross validation (i) Without any noise: Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 (ii) Percentage of noisy data = 10% Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 Time to build 0.07 9.64 0.04 0.04 0.03 % correct 68.9333 80.8667 81.2667 79.6 80.5333 % incorrect 21.3333 19.1333 18.7333 20.4 19.4667 % not classified 9.7333 0 0 0 0 Time to build 0.05 10.3 0.02 0.23 0.12 % correct 88.0667 90.6 91.6 94 94.3333 % incorrect 5.2 9.4 8.4 6 5.6667 % not classified 6.7333 0 0 0 0 (b) Percentage split with training data being 66% and the rest is testing data (i) Without Noise: Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 (ii) Percentage of Noisy data = 10% Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 Time to build 0.07 11.73 0.03 0.04 0.03 % correct 72.9412 82.549 82.1569 82.549 81.3725 % incorrect 19.6078 17.451 17.8431 17.451 18.6275 % not classified 7.451 0 0 0 0 Time to build 0.06 9.87 0.03 0.02 0.03 % correct 89.8039 87.6471 92.1569 93.7255 90.1961 % incorrect 4.1176 12.3529 7.8431 6.2745 9.8039 % not classified 6.0784 0 0 0 0 Segment, being a numeric dataset, all the attribute values had to be discretized before running the algorithms. In the absence of noise, ID3 performs slightly better than back propagation and the performance of J48 (implementation of C4.5 in Weka) is much better than ID3 and backpropagation. But a very interesting observation was found. In the absence of noise, the performance of an unpruned tree generated by C4.5 was quite superior to the rest. In the presence of noise, the performances of back propagation and C4.5 were comparable. DataSet 4 : TAE (a) 5-fold cross validation (i) Without any noise: Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 (ii) Percentage of noisy data = 10% Time to % % build correct incorrect ID3 0.02 53.6424 37.0861 Multilayer Perceptron 0.16 38.4106 61.5894 J48 0.02 52.9801 47.0199 C4.5 unpruned 0.01 56.2914 43.7086 C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 0.01 54.3046 45.6954 (b) Percentage split with training data being 66% and the rest is testing data (i) Without Noise: Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 (ii) Percentage of Noisy data = 10% Classifiers ID3 Multilayer Perceptron J48 C4.5 unpruned C4.5 confidence factor = 0.1 Time to build 0.01 0.17 0.01 0.01 0.01 % correct 38.4615 44.2308 44.2308 50 44.2308 % incorrect 40.3846 55.7692 55.7692 50 55.7692 % not classified 21.1538 0 0 0 0 Time to build 0.02 2.23 0.03 0.02 0.01 % correct 44.2308 57.6923 51.9231 55.7692 42.3077 % incorrect 34.6154 42.3077 48.0769 44.2308 57.6923 % not classified 21.1538 0 0 0 0 Classifiers % not classified 0 0 0 0 0 Time to build 0.02 0.18 0.02 0.01 0.01 % correct 54.3046 54.9669 48.3444 50.9934 47.0199 % incorrect 35.0993 45.0331 51.6556 49.0066 52.9801 % not classified 10.596 0 0 0 0 TAE, being a numeric dataset, its attribute values had to be discretized too before running the algorithms. But after observing the results, it is very clear that the random discretization provided by Weka did not generate good intervals due to which the overall accuracy predicted by all the methods is quite poor. Again, interestingly an unpruned tree built by C4.5 seems to give high prediction accuracies relative to the rest in most of the cases. In this case, for cross-validation approach and noisy data, surprisingly the performance of back-propagation was very poor. One reason for this could be that only few epochs of the training data were run to build the neural network. In the absence of noise, accuracy prediction of Multilayer perceptron was either comparable or greater than that of ID3. 6. Conclusion No single machine learning algorithm can be considered superior to the rest. The performance of each algorithm depends on what type of dataset is being considered, whether the f eature space is relevant and whether the data contains noise. In the absence of noise, in some cases, the performance of ID3 was comparable or sometimes better than back-propagation and was faster but in some cases Multilayer perceptron performed better. When noisy datasets were considered, back propagation definitely did better than ID3 though it took more time to build the neural network. But in the presence of noise, in some cases, C4.5 gave faster and better results when the attributes being considered were relevant. But some surprising observations were made when the attribute values of the numeric datasets were discretized, the prediction accuracy of an unpruned tree generated by C4.5 algorithm was much higher than the rest. This shows that the unpruned tree generated by C4.5 is not the same as that generated by ID3. References: 1.Mooney, R., Shalvik, J., and Towell, G. (1991): Symbolic and Neural Learning Algorithms An experimental comparison, in Machine Learning 6, pp. 111-143. 2. Michalski, R.S., Chilausky, R.L. (1980): Learning by being told and learning from examples An experimental comparison of two methods of knowledge acquisition in the context of developing an expert system for soybean disease diagnosis, in Policy Analysis and Information Systems, 4, pp. 125-160. 3. Quinlan, J.R. (1983): Learning efficient classification procedures and their application to chess end games in R.S. Michalski, J.G. Carbonell, T.M. Mitchell (Eds.), in Machine learning: An artificial intelligence approach (Vol. 1). Palo Alto, CA: Tioga. 4. Sejnowski, T.J., Rosenberg, C. (1987): Parallel networks that learn to pronounce English text, in Complex Systems, 1, pp. 145-168. 5. Tesauro, G., Sejnowski, T.J. (1989): A p arallel network that learns to play backgammon, in Artificial Intelligence, 39, pp. 357-390. 6. Quinlan, J.R. (1986): Induction on Decision Trees, in Machine Learning 1, 1 7. Quinlan, J.R. (1993): C4.5 – Programs for Machine Learning. San Mateo: Morgan Kaufmann. 8. Rumelhart, D., Hinton, G., Williams, J. (1986): Learning Internal Representations by Error Propagation, in Parallel Distributed Processing, Vol. 1 (D. Rumelhart k J. McClelland, eds.). MIT Press. 9. Fisher, D.H. and McKusick, K.B. (1989): An empirical comparison of ID3 and backpropagation, in Proc. of the Eleventh International Joint Conference on Artificia1 Intelligence (IJCAI-89), Detroit, MI, August 20-25, pp. 788-793. 10. Mooney, R., Shavlik, J., Towell, G., and Gove, A.(1989): An experimental comparison of symbolic and connectionist learning algorithms, in Proc. of the Eleventh International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI-89), Detroit, MI, August 20-25, pp. 775-780. 11. McClelland, J. k Rumelhart, D. (1988). Explorations in Parallel Distributed Processing, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

Current Diagnostic Methods for Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Current Diagnostic Methods for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Abstract: Detection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is essential for diagnosis and monitoring of the infection. There are several different types of diagnostic tools available that are based on detection of HIV-specific antibodies, virus antigen, or nucleic acid. Sensitivities and specificities of assays utilized for HIV detection have improved. Newer HIV testing technologies such as third-generation enzyme immunoassay (EIA) which detect HIV-specific IgG and IgM antibodies, fourth-generation EIA which detect both anti-HIV antibodies and HIV p24 antigen, and nucleic acid-based tests (NATs) for HIV RNA, have significantly decreased the window period. This review study provides an overview of current technologies for the detection and monitoring of HIV infection and recent advances in the field of HIV diagnosis. Keywords: HIV diagnosis; HIV antibody test; human immunodeficiency virus; Immunoassay; Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Introduction: Diagnosis of HIV infection contributes to evaluating the progression of disease, monitoring the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and prevention and control of HIV/AIDS. The diagnosis of HIV is associated with decrease in risky behaviors, reduced HIV transmission, and improved survival linked to increased case detection, earlier care and treatment. HIV-negative persons can also protect themselves from HIV when making sexual decisions by engaging in safer sex behaviors and sometimes, taking pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Early diagnosis of HIV infection provides an opportunity for risk reduction counseling and preventing further transmission of the disease, while late diagnosis of HIV infection is detrimental to infected patients and to the public health, and is associated with an increased rate of morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Since the start of the epidemic, it is estimated that 78 million people have become infected with HIV and 35 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses. In 2015, 2.1 million people became newly infected, 36.7 million people were living with HIV and 1.1 million people died from AIDS-related illnesses. New HIV infections have fallen by 6% since 2010. Sub-Saharan Africa, which bears the heaviest burden of HIV/AIDS worldwide, accounts for 65% of all new HIV infections. Other regions significantly affected by HIV/AIDS include Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (Table 1) [9]. The present study aims to conduct a narrative review to summarize and discuss the current diagnostic methods for HIV and recent developments. We start with a brief overview of HIV infection, follow by a description on the development of virological and immunological markers following HIV infection. Thereafter, we introduce current algorithms for laboratory HIV testing with different kind of current diagnostics techniques including various generations of enzyme immunoassays, rapid or point-of-care tests, and qualitative/quantitative PCR assays. Overview of HIV Infection: HIV-1 causes chronic infection which is usually characterized by progressive immune deficiency, a long period of clinical latency, and appearance of opportunistic infections [1, 2]. Characteristics of HIV include infection and viral replication in T lymphocyte expressing CD4 antigen. Qualitative defects in CD4 cell response and a gradual decline in their numbers increase the risk of opportunistic infections like Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, and neoplasms such as Kaposis sarcoma and lymphoma [3-5]. HIV infection can disrupt functions of blood monocytes, tissue macrophages, and B lymphocytes, and also increase the potential of encapsulated bacteria for developing infections [6, 7]. Direct invasion of CD4 cells in the peripheral and central nervous systems can cause meningitis, peripheral neuropathy, and dementia [8]. The prognosis is variable between people infected with HIV-1. In adults, the average time between HIV exposure to AIDS stage is 10-11 years, but a remarkable proportion of individuals (~20%) progresses rapidly to AIDS within 5 years after HIV exposure. On the other hand, it is estimated that 12% of infected individuals will remain free of AIDS for 20 years [10]. Prophylaxis and in particular antiretroviral therapy (ART) significantly enhanced the overall prognosis of HIV disease against opportunistic infections [11]. The most common route of HIV infection is sexual transmission at the genital mucosa via direct contact with infected body fluids, such as blood, semen, and vaginal secretions. Infection may also occur via inoculation of infected blood, transfusion of infected blood products, transplantation of infected tissues, from an infected mother to her infant during pregnancy, or by reuse of contaminated needles [12]. The probability of transmission after a single exposure with an uncontrolled HIV source has been estimated to be 1/150 with needle sharing, 1/300 with occupational percutaneous exposure, 1/300-1/1000 with receptive anal intercourse, 1/500-1/1250 with receptive vaginal intercourse, 1/1000-1/3000 with insertive vaginal intercourse, and 1/3000 with insertive anal intercourse. The average risk is 12-50% for congenital (mother-to-child) transmission, 12% for breast-feeding, 90% for a contaminated blood transfusion, and 0.1-1.0% for nosocomial transmission [13]. The risk of HIV transmission during early or acute HIV infection appears to be greater than during chronic infection (251). Available data suggest that the viral load is an important predictor of the risk of heterosexual transmission, and patients with levels less than 1500 copies of HIV-1 RNA per milliliter are at lower risk of HIV transmission, whereas the probability of transmission is increased dramatically with increasing vira l loads (250). Laboratory markers for HIV-1 infection: Several immunological and virological blood markers can be monitored during the course of HIV infection. These markers appear highly consistent between different individuals in a chronological order and allows classification of HIV infection into distinct laboratory stages including eclipse period, seroconversion window period, acute HIV infection, and established HIV infection (Figure 1) [14, 15]. Shortly after exposure to HIV-1, no viral markers are consistently detectable in plasma, but low levels of HIV-1 RNA can be found intermittently [16]. This period is called the eclipse phase. About 10 days after infection, HIV-1 RNA becomes detectable by NAT in plasma and quantities rise to very high levels [17], which subsequently decline rapidly until reaching a set point, a stable level that may persist for years. This stable level of HIV RNA represents an equilibrium between HIV and host immune responses and is an important indicator of subsequent disease progression, and potential transmission of HIV. It has been shown that the higher HIV-1 RNA plasma level is associated with faster progression to AIDS [18]. The set point plasma HIV-1 RNA level can be a helpful clinical tool for determining the timing of initiation of antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected patients. For instance, patients with high set point levels can be started on aggressive antiretroviral therapy and patient s with low set point levels can be monitored without initiating therapy [19]. HIV-1 p24 antigen is expressed and quantities rise to levels that can be measured by fourth-generation immunoassays within 17 days after infection (typical range 13-28 days) [15, 20]. Due to high titers of p24 antigen present in the sera of acutely infected patients during the interval prior to seroconversion, p24 Ag assay can be utilized to diagnose the primary HIV-1 infection [21]. Nevertheless, detection of p24 antigen is transient because, as antibodies begin to develop, they bind to the p24 antigen and form immune complexes that interfere with p24 Ag assay [22, 23]. The time interval between infection with HIV and the first detection of antibodies is known as the serological window period. The detection of HIV-specific antibodies indicates the end of the window period and the individual is known as seropositive [24]. The length of the window period depends on the design and the sensitivity of the immunoassay. Expression of IgM antibodies can be detected by immunoassays within 10 to 13 days after the appearance of viral RNA, 3 to 5 days after detection of p24 antigen, and peak between the 4th and the 5th week [15, 20, 25, 26]. Thereafter, the emergence of IgG antibodies occurs at about 3-4 weeks after infection and persist throughout the course of HIV infection [21]. Nevertheless, the immune responses are highly dependent on the ability of the individuals immune system to produce the antibodies. Approximately, 50% of patients within 3-4 weeks and about 100% of them within 6 months have detectable antibodies, although there are reports indicating that a small percentage of patients may require up to 6 months for the appearance of antibodies [27]. Laboratory HIV testing algorithms: Since 1989, the diagnostic algorithm for HIV testing recommended by CDC and the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) relied on the confirmation of a repeatedly reactive HIV immunoassay with the more specific HIV-1 antibody test, either the HIV-1 Western blot or HIV-1 indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). The Western blot was previously considered to be the gold standard for the diagnosis of HIV infection by Clinicians [29, 30]. It should be noted that both the Western blot and IFA are first-generation assays that detect only IgG antibodies against HIV proteins. Retrospective testing of specimens from high-risk individuals pointed that antibody testing alone may miss a significant percentage of HIV infections detectable by virologic tests such as HIV antigen and nucleic acid assays. In 2013, the CDC and the APHL released new guidelines on HIV testing that have led to the earlier diagnosis of HIV infection when compared with the previous diagnostic algorithm. The new recommended algorithm starts with a fourth-generation HIV-1/2 Ag/Ab immunoassay to screen for HIV infection that detects both HIV-1/2 antibodies and the HIV-1 antigen. When the result of initial immunoassay is nonreactive, further testing is not required for samples. Instead, testing with an HIV-1/HIV-2 antibody differentiation test is needed when the sample is reactive on the screening fourth-generation assay. Reactive results with the initial fourth-generation assay and the HIV-1/HIV-2 antibody differentiation immunoassay should be considered as reactive for HIV-1 antibodies, HIV-2 antibodies, or HIV antibodies, undifferentiated. Reactive results with the initial fourth-generation assay and nonreactive or indeterminate on the HIV-1/HIV-2 antibody differentiation immunoassay should be tested with an FDA-approved HIV-1 NAT to differentiate early HIV infection from a false-positive screening result [28] (Figure 2). HIV diagnostic tests: Serological diagnostic assays: Enzyme Immunoassays (EIA):Significant advances in the development of HIV immunoassays have been created since the discovery of HIV in 1983. Based on different design principles, HIV immunoassays are generally classified into generations. The earliest immunoassays (first-generation) are indirect EIAs that used coated viral lysate antigens derived from cell culture on a solid phase for antibody capture and an indirect format that detected antibody utilizing an enzyme-conjugated antihuman IgG [36]. Antibody can be detected within 8-10 weeks postinfection by first generation immunoassay. These assays have 99% sensitivity and 95-98% specificity for HIV infection. Second-generation immunoassays use synthetic peptide or recombinant protein antigens alone or in combination with viral lysates to bind HIV antibodies, and they use an indirect immunoassay format that employs conjugated antihuman IgG, which binds to IgG with high affinity, to detect IgG antibodies [37]. Utilizing recombinant anti gens in the second-generation assays improves sensitivity for HIV-1, HIV-1 group O, and HIV-2, allowing earlier detection of IgG antibodies. The sensitivity and specificity of second-generation assays have been reported to be ˃99.5% and ˃99%, respectively. First and second generation immunoassays can only detect IgG antibody to HIV. The window period was decreased to 4 to 6 weeks postinfection by second-generation assays. Third generation immunoassays also utilize synthetic peptide or recombinant antigens to bind HIV antibodies, but in an immunometric antigen sandwich format; HIV antibodies in the specimen bind to HIV antigens on the assay substrate and to antigens conjugated to indicator molecules. This allows detection of both IgM and IgG antibodies which leads to increase in sensitivity and specificity of the test. Lower sample dilutions and the ability to detect IgM antibodies (which are expressed before IgG antibodies) further decrease the window period to 2-3 weeks postinfection [38]. The reported sensitivity and specificity of third-generation assays is ˃99.5%. Combination or fourth-generation tests use synthetic peptide or recombinant protein antigens in the same antigen sandwich format as third-generation assays for the detection of IgM and IgG antibodies, and also monoclonal antibodies for the detection of p24 antigen [39]. Inclusion of p24 antigen capture allows the detection of HIV-1 infection before seroconversion and further decreases the window period. Most fourth-generation antigen/antibody immunoassays (termed combo assays) do not distinguish antibody reactivity from antigen reactivity [39]. Recent published data has shown that the fourth-generation assay was able to establish HIV infection in more than 80% of patients who tested NAAT positive but either nonreactive or indeterminate by other tests like Western blot, first to third generation immunoassays, and rapid tests [40-42]. Delaney et al. found that the fourth-generation immunoassay are able to detect HIV infection 1-3 weeks earlier than the first, second, and third generation immunoassay which cannot detect p24 antigen. The results of their study revealed that the median duration of the eclipse period was 11.5 days and 99% of specimens from HIV-infected patients could be reactive with Ag/Ab combination tests within 45 days of exposure. Moreover, for detection of antibodies by the IgG/IgM-sensitive and other plasma screening assays, 50 days or longer were required and after 3 month of exposure, infection could be detected by all tests. Several studies have reported sensitivities of 100% for fourth-generation immunoassay, whereas other surveys reported transient sensitivities range from 62-89% when assessed against HIV RNA assays. This decreased sensitivity can be attributed to the presence of a second diagnostic window. This situation is rare but it can happen. Second diagnostic window period lies between the p24 antigen detection and the anti-HIV antibody detection, and is associated with reduction in the p24 antigen and antigen/antibody complexes levels, as well as a delay in HIV-specific antibody development which totally may affect the sensitivity of fourth-generation immunoassays. So, it is possible that many acute HIV infections have been missed using fourth-generation assays. Despite negative results from a fourth-generation immunoassay in high-risk populations with suspected acute HIV infection, it is needed to repeat the test on new blood samples obtained several days later, as well as testing for HIV anti body alone, p24 antigen or use of an HIV RNA assay. In 2015, an improved version of immunoassay, BioPlex 2200 HIV Ag-Ab screening test system, received FDA approval in HIV screening which detects both HIV antibody and the HIV-1 p24 antigen by providing separate results for each analyte. This test also provides separate results for HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibodies, so there is no need for a HIV-1/2 differentiation assay for antibody reactive samples. It was reported that the sensitivity and specificity of BioPlex 2200 HIV Ag-Ab assay were 100 and 99.5%, respectively [43]. HIV Confirmatory Tests:Screening tests must be highly sensitive to produce few false-negative results, whereas confirmatory assays are characterized with high specificity to produce few false-positive results [44]. If the result of a screening test is repeatedly reactive, this has to be confirmed by (at least) one confirmatory assay. Western blot or indirect IFA traditionally have been employed as confirmatory assay due to their higher specificity. The probability that both ELISA and Western blot would give false-positive results is extremely low (

Special Interest Tourism And Niche Tourism

Special Interest Tourism And Niche Tourism Introduction to Special Interest Tourism/Niche Tourism Special Interest Tourism/ Niche Tourism is defined as the provision of customised leisure and recreational experience, experiences driven by the specific expressed interests of individuals; a special interest tourist chooses to engage with a service or product that satisfies particular interests or needs, so special interest tourism is undertaken for a distinct and specific reason. This essay will be focusing in three sectors of the niche tourism, Gastronomy, Volunteer and Medical Tourism. Gastronomy Tourism According to Callanan.M Thomas.S (2011) food is one of the essential elements of the tourist experience. Gastronomy is becoming an important attribute in the development of niche travel; many tourist main interest for travelling is gastronomy according to Kivela.J Jonh. C (2006) gastronomy is often referred to exclusively as the art of cooking and good eating, however Kivela.J Jonh. C (2006) states that that is just part of it flowing with, someone that is seriously interested in gastronomy is often involved in tasting, preparing experiencing, experimenting, researching, discovering, understanding and writing about food. The word gastronomy is derived from Greek gastro meaning Stomach, and gnomos, knowledge or law. According to Home and away rentals (2006) the top five gastronomic break destinations are the following: France, Belgium, Florida, Portugal and Italy. However tourist behaviour is changing over the years they are requesting more than sun, sea, beach, they want to experience something new and take part in other activities, such as gastronomy tourism as any individual could experience that in any day, anytime of the year and anywhere as they do not need to rely on anything to take part in gastronomy tourism. Kivela.J Jonh. C (2006) believes that travel in order to search for, and enjoy prepared food and drink and a unique and memorable gastronomic experience. When travelling to a destination dining out is very especial and attractive as these become transposed into experiences that are often are very personal and no one will be able to take that from you. According to Cohen (1984) phenomenological categorization of tourists lifestyles, following Kivela.J Jonh. C (2006) follows- offer a phenomenological model of culinary tourism experiences. The model of tourism and gastronomy lifestyles depicts tourist attitudes and preferences for food according to four categorizations-recreational, existential, diversionary and experimental gastronomy tourists. However there are three types of gastronomic tourist, the experimental gastronomy tourist-these tourists symbolise the lifestyle through food, usually trendy, they will actively seek the destinations luxury restaurants and cafes that serve innovative menus and provide equally chic service, they keep up with up to date trendy and fashionable foods, latest growths, ingredients and recipes. Following with recreational gastronomy tourists are the more conservative type- they appreciate and actively seek while on holidays the familiarity of the home foods. And the diversionary gastronomy tourists are the kind of tourist that want to escape from the mudanity of everyday life that includes day to day shopping and preparing food for the family, according to Poon ( Gastronomy is a form of a new tourism. According to International Culinary Tourism Association -Almost 100 per cent of tourist dines out when travelling, and each dining opportunity is a chance to get familiar with local food which if the restaurants satisfy them, they will return and pass it on (word of mouth) -Dining is consistently one of the top three favourite tourist activities -Gastronomy art and wine tasting is the only art from that affects all five human senses-sight, sound, smell, taste and touch which is a unique experience -there is a high positive correlation between tourist who are interested in gastronomy and those interested in museums, shows, shopping etc -interest in cuisine when travelling is not reserved to a particular age, sex, or ethic group -unlike other niche products, gastronomy is available year-round, any time of the and in any weather. Volunteer Tourism According to Wearing.S (2001) volunteer tourism is- its roots volunteerism which implies that individuals offer their services to change aspect of society for the better/ to take part in goodwill activities and undertake new experiences in their life. There are many organisations that provide volunteer programs for individuals. The type of organizations that generally fall in the volunteer category of experiences often provide international support and sponsorship for the implementation or research projects and community development. Volunteer tourism is rapidly growing in the travel niche market, fuelled by many different types of tourist with different ages and ethics, interests searching for more sense and personal experience in their holiday. However now days there are multiple of options available for individuals to take part in, it all depends on the amount of time the individual wants to do it for it varies from one week to one year and what type of voluntary work they want to undertake as there is a variety to choose from. More and more people are turning to volunteer abroad in order to give back to our planet and help those people in need. The increasing global demand for volunteering is met by a growing number of volunteer service organisations. Most of them are non-profit oriented, but the amount of commercial providers is highly increasing. According to Mintel (2011) 10% of all the UKs outbound travel expenditure, and 1% of outbound trips, is from the gap year market, with 200,000 people undertaking projects each year- spending an average of  £4,800- the volunteerism sector is worth about  £960 million annually. Medical Tourism Medical Tourism is the process of individuals travelling abroad to receive superior medical, dental and cosmetic care by highly skilled surgeons at some of the most modern and state of the art medical facilities in the world, however medical tourism is not a new concept according to Health Base (2006) medical tourism has been practised by wealthy Europeans and Asians for decades when they would travel within their continent. According to IMTJ (2009) the UK is the sixth most visited destination by international tourist for medical tourism. However different types of tourist take part in medical tourism for different reasons such as, some are attracted to the cost savings, some for dental or cosmetic treatment. Others access new treatments which are not available at home; others still gain access to a better quality of care. According to Discover Medical Tourism (2008) the below are the most popular destinations- -Argentina -Mexico -Brazil -Panama -Costa Rica -Philippines -India -South Africa -Hungary -Thailand -Malaysia -Singapore According to Healism (2011) more than 500,000 Americans travelled abroad to receive medical and dental work in 2006. Every year millions of patients from around the globe travel to top medical tourism destinations in order to receive five-star treatment at convenient prices. Healism (2011) predicts that by 2012, medical tourism will grow to be $100 billion business with more than 780,000,000 patients travelling abroad to receive care from foreign doctors, dentist and hospitals. Appeal and Motivation of Customers Smith.M Puczko.L (2009) states that Medical tourist can be any age but are most likely to be older or retired people from western developed countries where prices for medical treatment are very high and waiting lists are long such as USA and Britain. Smith.M Puczko.L (2009) estimated that in the UK in 2004 over 4 1,000 individuals were expecting to experience a waiting time of 6 months or more to have various surgeries, in the USA medical insurance is particularly very expensive so many residents are uninsured or under-insured, therefore cannot afford medical treatments. The motivation of individuals undertaking medical tourism vary according to what kind of treatment they are having or is needed, some may travel for illness or wellness within the context of medical tourism. Many of medical tourism patients come from the UK and USA; the average client ages is 45-65 and are usually single. However when it comes to individuals motivations for taking part in volunteering Volun Tourism (2009) believes that the following are the seven top motivations- -Altruism -Professional Development -Travel and Adventure -Right time and place -Personal Growth -The individuals program itself -Cultural Exchange and Learning Gastronomy tourism in the UK is estimated to be worth $8billion a year as the market is increasing as years go by, according to Culinary Tourism (2011) gastronomy consumers tent to be couples that have above-average income, are usually professionals and are aged 30-50. According to the International Culinary Tourism Association on average, food travellers spend around $1,200 per trip, with one-third (36% or $425) of their travel budget going towards food related-activities. Economic Impacts The benefits of Niche tourism economic impacts is that it could provide employment opportunities for the locals that are unemployed, it could generate foreign exchange, is also an increase of income, the more the market grows the more income that it will bring. It can be developed with local products and resources it also diverse the economy, it also spreads development, they are the positive impacts of economic, however the economic issues- it can develop excess demand, it could increase vulnerability to economic and political changes, according to Douglas.N et al (2001) the economic impact for the niche market is increasing number of visitors as that can lead to the trap of profitless volume, this can affect an individual business in various ways, for example incurring the expense of putting on a new bus and an additional driver to cater for only the marginal increase in visitor numbers, it can also affect whole areas by requiring massive new capital investment for basic infrastru cture beyond the return, or infrastructure increase that create changes in patterns of normal life. Cultural Impacts There are cultural issues such as authenticity and the careful retention of a distinctive local character and sense of place are increasingly becoming critical to success in cultural tourism, visitors are far more discerning and widely travelled and concerned about the growing sameness of many destinations or how they could have been. Most cultural and traditions activities in many destinations are losing authenticity as they get practice constantly and it becomes an activity that they undertake constantly as they could get tips from tourist, so the locals start thinking more about tips and tourist and start losing the authenticity, for example in the amazon in Ecuador indigenous individuals have their own traditions tribe dances, and as the amazon gets plenty of tourists throughout the year, indigenous start doing the tribe dance for money and not because is a tradition and they enjoy it, there for the tribe dance starts losing its authenticity. Another cultural impact could be that in the urban side there are many more residents than the rural side, negative impact could be that as there are further job opportunities in the urban sides, individuals from the rural side start moving to the urban side the consequence is migration. For example according to Wall.G Mathieson.A (2006) pacific islanderders migrating to New Zealand since 1971. Environmental Tourism According to Douglas.N et al (2001) environmental tourism is based on natural resources and so has an impact on air, land, water, flora and fauna. It is also acute seasonal peaks in demand create pressure on infrastructure, such as water supply, sewerage, systems, roads and community services, usually designed to cater for a much smaller population base. However when it comes to medical tourism there are planet of negative impacts that consumers are not aware of such as Physical hazards for example high altitude, scuba diving, also air travel is utilized by hundreds of millions of people every year, has been considered safe, fast and is often used when peoples health status requires rapid transportation however according to Irmgard.L (2001) cerebral venous thrombosis was described as a health risk to air travellers where five case reports were presented of patients in whom cerebral venous thrombosis was causatively linked with long distance travelling. There are many more health risks that consumers should be aware of before travelling, health risks such as Underwater diving, Temperature, Hypothermia, Hyperthermia, The sun- Queensland is reported to have the highest melanoma rate in the world Irmgard.L (2001), water, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, the 5230 m Sangay Volcano in Ecuador is the most active volcano in the Andes, Sangay is consta ntly erupting, is very unpredictable and tour guides refuse to climb the mountain some tourist however still proceed, although they should not. There are also many more health risks for example through large and poisonous animals, plants, jet lag, motion sickness, air pollution, water pollution, travel exposes the individual to a range of different types of experiences and challenges, one of which is the resistance to health threats from the natural environment, a recommendation for tourist will be to be aware of the above hazards that could happened when travelling. However according to Irmgard.L (2001) tourist are not passive victims of the risks they are exposed to, they expose themselves actively by travelling to risky places or participating in risky activities. Conclusion The essay has looked at the types of modern tourist and three sectors in Niche tourism Gastronomy, Voluntary and Medical Tourism, it has also looked at the motivations that tourist have before travelling following with Economic, Cultural and Environmental issues in the niche tourism market.

Comparing The House of Mirth and Daisy Miller :: Henry James, Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton’s â€Å"The House of Mirth† mainly describes the need of a woman to be married to a wealthy man and how she attempts to find the most appropriate suitor. â€Å"The House of Mirth† also observes the tedious physical and mental decline of a young woman who, because of her own weakness and indecisiveness, falls from social distinction into poverty and griminess. The story presents a cruel measure of reality and ends quite sadly. Instead of marrying and living happily, Lily weakens slowly and commits suicide, possibly unintentionally, as a way of evading a lower-class humanity in which her upper-class needs cannot survive. Lily's life is the exact opposite of dignity or beauty; she had many chances to live the kind of life she dreamed of, but lost it all. Similarly, Henry James’ â€Å"Daisy Miller,† is a rich, young, American girl from New York, traveling around Europe with her mother and younger brother. Daisy is a complex combination of traits. She is feisty, independent, and well intentioned, yet she is also petty, ignorant, and unsophisticated. Daisy is also an irritating flirt. She has no public elegance or informal gifts, such as appeal, humor, and a talent for banter. Also she is primarily interested only in influencing men and making herself the hub of interest. Throughout the story, Winterbourne, the love interest of Daisy, is fixated over the issue of whether Daisy is naive, but her behavior by no means reveals whether she is or isn’t. Winterbourne accepts that Daisy is crude but wonders whether she is innocent. Frequently, Daisy seems less than innocent since Winterbourne did catch her with another man late at night at the Coliseum, which results in her death from malaria. Overall, it is the way in whic h Daisy embodies all the different forms of innocence that results in her demise. While the telling of the story is quite similar, â€Å"The House of Mirth† is different in the sense that all that character’s form of thinking is revealed to the reader. Henry James primarily portrays the story of Winterbourne and the affect that Daisy has on him. He does describe Daisy in great detail yet he fails to give any indication of why she acts the way she does. One can only ponder over ideas of how she thinks and her reasoning behind what she does in certain events. It is obvious that Daisy is ignorant to her inappropriate behavior but it is unclear if this is an act or if she is really unaware that she is acting incorrectly.

Honor and Bravery in Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Macbeth: Honor and Bravery A struggle is present in every tragedy, as a person tries to overcome their flaws and fit the mold of their ideal. William Shakespeare plainly defined a good man in the play, Macbeth. Prudence and logic, temperance and patience, as well as the vindication of honor are Shakespeare's defining characteristics of a good man. Honor and bravery are Shakespeare’s defining characteristics of a good man while illogical passion and impatience are characteristics that do not characterize a good man. As with any tragedy, Macbeth's title character and hero had to fall from his place of greatness to see his faults and begin his agonizing climb back to his previous position. His position, that of a good man, was one that demanded respect in the beginning of Macbeth. The Sergeant described Macbeth's honor and bravery to King Duncan in Act I, Scene 2. For brave Macbeth well he deserves that name/ Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel/Which smoked with bloody execution/Like valour's minion carved out his passage/Till he faced the slave; Macbeth defended his king's honor as well as his own, as Shakespeare showed a good man never backed down from a foe. In the later acts of the play, Shakespeare furthered the definition of a good man by portraying what a bad one was not. In Macbeth's darkest hours, he showed no sign of prudence and logic as he slayed King Duncan, and hired assassins to murder his friend Banquo. Macbeth displayed his temerity in Act IV, Scene 1 saying, from this moment â€Å"the very firstlings of my heart shall be / The firstlings of my hand. / And even now, / To crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done† (Act #, Scene #, Line #). Macbeth was no longer the logical, thinking man whom many admired. He had become reckless, acting with only his passion and not his mind. The tragedy of the murders he brought on fair Scotland was a direct result of this violation of the criterion of a good man. The most apparent flaws, and perhaps the most tragic in Macbeth's character, is his lack of patience and temperance. These shortcomings haunted Macbeth, causing him to let his "overvaulting ambition" rush fate, and hasten his doom. Macbeth could not wait for an appointment to a position of more power. Instead, he murdered the king to take his place.

Things Fall Apart :: Essays Papers

Things Fall Apart In James Joyce’s Dubliners, a compellation of short stories, that portrays the hardships of everyday life in Ireland during the late 1800’s. Throughout many of these stories, Joyce shows the significance of an individual’s influence on society through examples of drinking, bonding with friends, shared memories/reminiscing, anger/envy, and sexual desire. Many of Joyce’s characters use these common themes to escape the troubles they may face in their everyday responsibilities. More specifically the characters in the two stories â€Å"The Dead†, and â€Å"Counterparts† provide evidence and specific examples of such re-occurring themes. From these particular instances it is evident that the actions of certain characters have a direct influence on them and society. In â€Å"Counterparts†, the main character Farrington uses alcohol to escape from his daily responsibilities. While at work he feels the need to leave and get a quick drink at a local bar to relieve the thirst in his throat, and hopes that by doing so he can return and finish the contract his boss had ordered. Upon his return to work, Farrington realizes there was not enough time for him to finish the contract by the deadline his boss had set. While sitting at his desk minding his predicament, Farrington thought of a place where he would rather be, â€Å"the dark damp night was coming and he longed to spend it at the bars, drinking with friends†¦ (85). So he left work and lied to his boss of the contract. After pawning off his pocket watch for money needed for the night Farrington met up with his friends at one of Ireland’s many bars. Sitting with his close friend Nossey Flynn, Farrington recited the story of how he skipped out of work that night, when he finished Flynn applauded him and â€Å"stood† Farrington a half drink of whiskey.(89) . This interaction between the friends shows how Farrington uses the relationships with hiss friends and joyful reminiscing to escape stress he faces from day to day. Farrington tries to use the ‘oh so familiar male bonding by physical feats, to escape more common stresses of the night by agreeing to an arm wrestling match with Weathers.

National Health Care Spending Essay

National health care spending in the United States is out of control. I will identify national health care expenditure, and my opinion on the spending â€Å"is it too much or not enough†. This paper will explain the about public health and the needs to paid for various payers with total percentages. With that we will discuss the economic challenges and how the government will address the matter. Is our country going to be able to change our medical crisis? What needs to be done? And can it be done? The current dollar level or national health care expenditures: In 2011 US health care spending reached 2.7 trillion dollars. Health care spending is still growing. The GDP (gross domestic product) remains stable at 17.9 percent from 2009 through 2011. The America health care has become a major legislative and policy issues. These increase in the cost of health care is causing major stress on Federal, State, and in household budget across the nation. My opinion on the spending level on health care,† is it too much or not enough†. I feel the spending in the US on health care is too much, because the over abuse by doctors, hospitals, etc†¦ do. I feel that doctors and hospital will exhaust the insurance companies. I feel today we lost the quality of care and the services at medical offices, even in the hospitals. Our health care spending is high and keeps growing. Due to the economy and more and more people are out of work. Those people are all applying for government benefits such as; Medicaid, TANF and extension of unemployment benefits. These are just a few crises or country going through. Poverty is increasing and a large number of people have no medical insurance. Now there are some States cutting health benefits to children who are very needy. Congress and the White House still are arguing about no time and no money, and it doesn’t have to be this way. We have to protect our fellow Americans and come to a compromise with our spending. What to cut, what to increase. Our country has to make some adjustments to help offset the increases of our spending, not just in health care, but in our defense  and home land security. I feel that our sacrifices should be shared, and it cannot involve scaling back programs for lower or middle class income families and individual. Our country has many needs, but we also have many resources and we have to use them wisely. Remember the U.S. is still the richest country in the world. Now it is time to work together to get through our crisis. How are the public’s health needs paid for. Hospital spending has increase 4.3 percent in 2011 compared to 2010 which was 4.3 percent growth. In 2011 the growth was slower, which was influenced by a slowdown in price growth and a low growth in hospital services. (â€Å"CMS†,2011) Physician and clinical services; these services increased 4.3 percent in 2011 which was an increase from 2010 with a growth of 3.1 percent. Spending by private health insurance and Medicare they are the two largest payers of clinical services and physicians in 2011. (â€Å"CMS†, 2011). Physical Therapy, Optometry, Podiatry, and Chiropractic medicine increase 4.9 percent in 2011, it is slightly faster from 2010 at 4.6 percent. (â€Å"CMS,2011) Dental services increased in 2011 with a 3.0 percent slightly higher than in 2010 with a growth of 2.7 percent. Out-of-pocket spending increased 4.1 percent in 2011, but in 2010 the growth percentage was 0, 7 percent. (â€Å"CMS†, 2011) Health Residential, and Personal Care Services; the growth for health, residential and personal care services are lower in 2011, it is 4.o percent, but in 2010 it was 4.5 percent. This includes expenditure for medical services, which are delivered by providers in non-traditional settings such as; schools, community centers, workplaces, ambulance provider, and residential mental health and substance abuse facilities. (â€Å"CMS†, 2011). Home health care; home health care agencies were slow in 2011 with a growth of 4.5 percent. In 2010 had a growth of 5.8 percent, Medicaid and Medicare spending was 80 percent in home health care. (â€Å"CMS†,2011) Nursing Care Facilities and Continuing Care Retirement Communities; spending in this category increased in 2011 to 4.4 percent from the growth was due from Medicare spending for skilled nursing faci lities, which increase 16.5percent in 2011. (â€Å"CMS†,2011) What is the major future economic and major â€Å"challenge† for the health care system? Everyone has the own problems with The U.S. health care system. One of their concerns is how many people go without health care,  because of no choice in the matter.. Second will be costs, this is a big concern. Cost keeps going up, cost are shooting up faster than anything else in this economy. There are major challenges that our nation has to face. Is U.S. health care gives to little or too much care. The uninsured get little care, they skip doctors visit, and depend on the hospital ER for medical care. This process causes a burden on the ER, because people that need to use the ER for real emergencies don’t get to be seem right away or they have to wait for a bed. Over treatment is a challenge also, doctors and hospital get paid more for doing more even if the treatment is necessary or not. We all experience or heard discussion about doctors and hospital run all kinds of tests and no one will explain what’s going on, this is because the hospital wants to exhaust you r insurance. Medicare is at fault, they paid health care providers on a â€Å"fee-for-service†. Which accounts how fairly their patients are? Other medical providers are equally important; they take the time to understand their patients and their symptoms. Most health care professional want the best for their patients, and no one means to over treat. As a doctor we are susceptible to a economic incentives. Insuring healthy people and not sick people, health plans make more money. Members of a health plan that are young and healthy are going to make more money, than the chronically ill. They can rake in premiums and don’t have to pay a lot of costly medical care. Insures in this country has an incentive to insure healthy people and deny the sick. Just a few do aggressively. Keeping cost down insurers has a few tricks they use, such as; denying coverage for pre-existing condition, increasing up expensive premiums. Hamilton (2008) Do you know what medical treatments work the best? Studies that suggest† 15 percent of what doctors do is actually evidence based, but they rely on personal experiences, or their colleagues or what they picked up from misleading medical literature, and drug representatives that are at their clinics.† (Hamilton,2008) The Federal Government is the only one that can fill the informational vacuum, because it is necessary to establish a base of medical evidence are expensive. The FDA is already overwhelmed with ensuring new drugs, and safe and effective devices. The last challenge is people demand more care than they want to pay for. People who are insured insist on expensive but marginal test and treatments, because they don’t have to pay for it. They feel because they pay high premiums they have the  best and they should not be denied any type of treatment. â€Å"Direct-to-consumer† has exploded patient’s demands prescriptions for new expensive drugs, even if there is no difference between old and new. Everyone has a part in these challenges that we face as a nation, doctors and hospitals are just two. However the scale of problems has called for a national medical reform. The health care system and other industrialized nations, which the government will take responsibility for funding. I don’t know what will be the right solution, but I have more knowledge on our National Health Care spending in America. We need to find a way to improve the quality of health care, while driving down the prices of insurance, medical procedures, treatment and prescriptions. We also need to resolve the issues with the uninsured in this country. References Hamilton, D. (2008, April). Five Major Challenges for a $2 Trillion Industry. CBS News. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-3364005/fivemajorchallenges-for-a-2trillion-industry CMS.(2011). Retrieved from http://www.cms.gov/research-statistic-data-and-system â€Å"