International Exchange Rates

International Exchange Rates International exchange rates are the ones used to exchange a country’s currency with another country’s currency in a particular period of time. Exchange rates influence various monetary systems in different parts of the world. Exchange rates change depending on factors related to demand and supply (Gaspar, 2011, p. 67).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on International Exchange Rates specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For instance, an increase in the demand of goods produced in Japan causes the Yen to appreciate while a decrease in the demand of Japanese goods will make the Yen depreciate. Low rates of inflation in an economy increase the value of the local currency while high rates of inflation in an economy decrease the value of the local currency. High interest rates in an economy increase the value of the local currency due to an increase in the amount of money deposited in banks (Melicher and Norton, 201 2, p. 79). Changing exchange rates has a big impact on the amount of revenues a company obtains in a particular market. For instance, a business manager whose firm sells crude oil in the US needs to know the exchange rate of the dollar because a weak dollar will make him obtain crude oil imports at a higher price. Therefore, he/she needs to plan how his firm will withstand risks associated with changing currency rates (Brigham and Davies, 2012, p. 53). Germany, just like several European Union member countries, stopped using the Mark in favor of the euro, more than 10 years ago. The current exchange rate of the US dollar equivalent to the euro is pegged at 1 dollar to 0.76 euro. The current exchange rate of the dollar equivalent to the British pound is pegged at 1 dollar to 0.6553 pound. It is better to produce goods in the United States and ship them to Britain or Germany because most international transactions are pegged on the dollar. Graph showing exchange rate between the doll ar and the euro for the last 3 years. Source: www.fxtop.com Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Graph showing exchange rates of the dollar equivalent to the sterling pound for the last 3 years. Source: https://fxtop.com/ The Chinese Yuan is not allowed to float freely in international markets and its use is highly restricted by the Chinese financial authorities. Many Chinese companies which operate internationally prefer to use the dollar instead of the Yuan in their transactions (Scott, 2012). Any firm that invests in the country is in a better position to diversify its foreign currency reserves. This will protect it from risks associated with instabilities in foreign exchange markets. References Brigham, E. F., Davies, P. R. (2012). Intermediate financial management. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Gaspar, J. (2011). Introduction to global business: Understanding the international environment. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning. Melicher, R. W., Norton, E. A. (2012). Introduction to finance: Markets, investments, and financial management. New York, NY: Wiley. Scott, R. E (2012, August 23). The China toll. Economic Policy Institute Publication. Retrieved from https://www.epi.org/publication/bp345-china-growing-trade-deficit-cost/

Tiger I Tank in World War II

Tiger I Tank in World War II The Tiger I was a German heavy tank that saw extensive service during World War II. Mounting the 88 mm KwK 36 L/56 gun and thick armor, the Tiger proved formidable in combat and forced the Allies to alter their armor tactics and develop new weapons to counter it. Though effective on the battlefield, the Tiger was badly over-engineered making it difficult to maintain and expensive to produce. Additionally, its heavy weight increased fuel consumption, limiting range, and made it hard to transport to the front. One of the iconic tanks of the conflict, over 1,300 Tiger Is were built. Design Development Design work on the Tiger I initially began in 1937 at Henschel Sohn in response to a call from the Waffenamt (WaA, German Army Weapons Agency) for breakthrough vehicle (Durchbruchwagen). Moving forward, the first Durchbruchwagen prototypes were dropped a year later in favor of pursuing the more advanced medium VK3001(H) and heavy VK3601(H) designs. Pioneering the overlapping and interleaved main road wheel concept for tanks, Henschel received permission from WaA on September 9, 1938, to continue development. Work progressed as World War II began with the design morphing into the VK4501 project. Despite their stunning victory in France in 1940, the German Army quickly learned that its tanks were weaker and more vulnerable than the French S35 Souma or the British Matilda series. Moving to address this issue, an arms meeting was convened on May 26, 1941, where Henschel and Porsche were asked to submit designs for a 45 tonne heavy tank. Tiger I tank under construction at Henschel plant. Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1972-064-61 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 To meet this request, Henschel brought forward two versions of its VK4501 design featuring an 88 mm gun and a 75 mm gun respectively. With the invasion of the Soviet Union the following month, the German Army was stunned to encounter armor that was vastly superior to their tanks. Fighting the T-34 and KV-1, German armor found that their weapons were unable to penetrate the Soviet tanks in most circumstances. The only weapon that proved effective was the 88 mm KwK 36 L/56 gun. In response, WaA immediately ordered that prototypes be equipped with the 88 mm and ready by April 20, 1942. In trials at Rastenburg, the Henschel design proved superior and was selected for production under the initial designation Panzerkampfwagen VI Ausf. H. While Porsche had lost the competition, he provided the nickname Tiger. Essentially moved into production as a prototype, the vehicle was altered throughout its run. Tiger I DimensionsLength: 20 ft. 8 in.Width: 11 ft. 8 in.Height: 9 ft. 10 in.Weight: 62.72 tonsArmor ArmamentPrimary Gun: 1 x 8.8 cm KwK 36 L/56Secondary Armament: 2 x 7.92 mm Maschinengewehr 34Armor: 0.98–4.7 in.EngineEngine: 690 hp Maybach HL230 P45Speed: 24 mphRange: 68-120 milesSuspension: Torsion SpringCrew: 5 Features Unlike the German Panther tank, the Tiger I did not draw inspiration from the T-34. Rather than incorporate the Soviet tanks sloping armor, the Tiger sought to compensate by mounting thicker and heavier armor. Featuring firepower and protection at the expense of mobility, the Tigers look and layout were derived from the earlier Panzer IV. For protection, the Tigers armor ranged from 60 mm on the side hull plates to 120 mm at the front of the turret. Building on the experience garnered on the Eastern Front, the Tiger I mounted the formidable 88 mm Kwk 36 L/56 gun. This gun was aimed using Zeiss Turmzielfernrohr TZF 9b/9c sights and was renowned for its accuracy at long range. For power, the Tiger I featured a 641 hp, 21-litre, 12-cylinder Maybach HL 210 P45 engine. Inadequate for the tanks massive 56.9 tonne weight, it was replaced after the 250th production model with a 690 hp HL 230 P45 engine. Featuring torsion bar suspension, the tank used a system of interleaved, overlapping road wheels running on a wide 725 mm (28.5 in) wide track. Due to the extreme weight of the Tiger, a new twin radius type steering system was developed for the vehicle. Another addition to the vehicle was the inclusion of a semi-automatic transmission. Within the crew compartment was space for five. This included the driver and radio operator which were situated in the front, as well as loader in the hull and the commander and gunner in the turret. Due to the Tiger Is weight, it was not capable of using most bridges. As a result, the first 495 produced featured a fording system that allowed the tank to pass through water 4 meters deep. A time consuming process to use, it was dropped in later models which were only capable of fording 2 meters of water. Tiger I crew making track repairs in the field. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-310-0899-15 / Vack / CC-BY-SA 3.0 Production Production on the Tiger began in August 1942 in order to rush the new tank to the front. Extremely time-consuming to build, only 25 rolled off the production line in the first month. Production peaked at 104 per month in April 1944. Badly over-engineered, the Tiger I also proved expensive to build costing more than twice as much as a Panzer IV. As a result, only 1,347 Tiger Is were built as opposed to over 40,000 American M4 Shermans. With the arrival of the Tiger II design in January 1944, Tiger I production began to wind down with the last units rolling out that August. Operational History Entering combat on September 23, 1942, near Leningrad, the Tiger I proved formidable but highly unreliable. Typically deployed in separate heavy tank battalions, Tigers suffered high breakdown rates due to engine problems, the overly complicated wheel system, and other mechanical issues. In combat, Tigers had the ability to dominate the battlefield as T-34s equipped with 76.2 mm guns and Shermans mounting 75 mm guns were unable to penetrate its frontal armor and only had success from the side at close range. Due to the superiority of the 88 mm gun, Tigers often had the ability to strike before the enemy could reply. Though designed as a breakthrough weapon, by the time they saw combat in large numbers Tigers largely were used to anchor defensive strong points. Effective in this role, some units were able to achieve kill ratios exceeding 10:1 against Allied vehicles. Despite this performance, the Tigers slow production and high cost relative to its Allied counterparts made such a rate insufficient to overcome the enemy. Through the course of the war, the Tiger I claimed 9,850 kills in exchange for losses of 1,715 (this number includes tanks recovered and returned to service). The Tiger I saw service until the end of the war despite the arrival of the Tiger II in 1944. Fighting the Tiger Threat Anticipating the arrival of heavier German tanks, the British began development of a new 17-pounder anti-tank gun in 1940. Arriving in 1942, QF 17 guns were rushed to North Africa to help deal with the Tiger threat. Adapting the gun for use in an M4 Sherman, the British created the Sherman Firefly. Though intended as a stopgap measure until newer tanks could arrive, the Firefly proved highly effective against the Tiger and over 2,000 were produced. American forces with a captured Tiger I tank in North Africa, 1943. US Army Arriving in North Africa, the Americans were unprepared for the German tank but made no effort to counter it as they did not anticipate seeing it in significant numbers. As the war progressed, Shermans mounting 76 mm guns had some success against Tiger Is at short range and effective flanking tactics were developed. In addition, the M36 tank destroyer, and later the M26 Pershing, with their 90 mm guns also were capable of achieving victory. On the Eastern Front, the Soviets adopted a variety of solutions for dealing with the Tiger I. The first was to restart production of the 57 mm ZiS-2 anti-tank gun which possessed the penetrative power pierce the Tigers armor. Attempts were made to adapt this gun to the T-34 but without meaningful success. In May 1943, the Soviets fielded the SU-152 self-propelled gun which used in an anti-tank role proved highly effective. This was followed by the ISU-152 the next year. In early 1944, they began production of the T-34-85 which possessed an 85 mm gun capable of dealing with the Tigers armor. These up-gunned T-34s were supported in the wars final year by SU-100s mounting 100 mm guns and IS-2 tanks with 122 mm guns.

The case of Mrs. Mendez Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The case of Mrs. Mendez - Essay Example Mendez’s case. Her physical condition is deteriorating, which affects her psychologically. Her children will not let her talk about her impending death, which creates an imbalance in her psychological condition and she copes with this by withdrawing. Drake (2012) presents an adaptation model to understand how cancer patients should be taken care of as they are going through the process of living and dying. Some of the things that would be important to know, according to this scale include in this model are: why her shortness of breath is affecting her intake of fluids and food. Her physical appearance may be important to her as she lays in her bed, is better, which can effect QOL for many patients. There is no mention of church for her, though she â€Å"seems† to be religious, or at least superstitious. This should be explored. Drake (2012) states that nurses must understand early whether their patients are feeling depressed and help them receive treatment for it. Palli ative care will need to be discussed and end of life arrangements. 1. Discuss how a nurse can foster hope in this scenario? When and how can the concepts of palliative care be introduced in the scenario? How can you explain the differences between Palliative care and Hospice care? Fostering hope can be difficult in a situation with the Mendez family, because they are not willing to talk about the impending death of their mother. They are also not open to helping her prepare for death. Butt (2011) states that hope is a multidimensional and it changes as the terminally ill patient continues through their illness. Butt (2011) also states that hope is a factor that creates a better quality of life for the individual. In this situation, more has to be known about the family. Mrs. Mendez seems to be losing hope because the family cannot talk about the impending death. It is important to help the patient feel hopeful, despite what is happening, because it keeps them from being depressed or feeling despair (Turco, 1998). A nurse can foster hope by maintaining a positive relationship with the patient, helping the patient see humor whenever they can, touching the patient appropriately and reassuring them, and helping them control pain (Turco, 1998). In the Mendez family, the nurse can foster hope by providing good care for Mrs. Mendez, which includes making sure that she is comfortable as her pain increases. The nurse may also need to intervene for Mrs. Mendez by contacting the primary care physician and describing the situation as it stands now. According to Tyson (2001) the Hippocratic Oath states that the individual healthcare provider will consult with others who are more expert in situations when necessary, to help their clients. In this situation, Mrs. Mendez needs help from the nurse to create the resources needed for the family to thrive, and for Mrs. Mendez to have the quality of life that she needs as she moves toward death. Palliative care was important to ta lk about as soon as Mrs. Mendez refused chemotherapy. She and her family must understand Mrs. Mendez’s needs as her health decreases. The family must face the inevitable and they may need to see a therapist or a priest or minister to deal with the situation. In a study done by Hermann and Looney (2011), the authors found that patients need a thorough understanding of their symptoms and what to expect as becomes more debilitating.

Fast media report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fast media report - Essay Example The media that was most difficult to avoid was the phone. This is because with the phone am able to access internet, emailing, text messaging, face book and tweeting. In addition, am able to stay in touch with my family members, friends, and colleagues in all corners of the planet with so much ease and at the same time manage projects with teams in different cities within the shortest time possible. Without the phone, I missed my old routine of constant checking my emails, Facebook, and texting with my friends and colleagues. I love the information sharing through the social media platforms and so life without it was very intriguing to me (Simon, 2010). Midway through the exercise, I was feeling isolated and lonely. I imagined that I already had received several calls that I could not answer. I felt the urge and need to check my emails and could only imagine the news and information I was missing in face book and other social media platforms. The dependency was sickening and sucking and I felt that I was on a deserted island where nobody cared about my well-being. The temptation to access the social media platforms kept occurring almost all the time during the eight hours. The eight hours seemed like a month to me and I could not wait to go back to my old routine of social networking, text messaging, emailing, and keeping in touch with all the people I interacted with (Simon, 2010). The media that I missed most was my phone. It was hard for me to go without listening to music that I have stored in my phone. Listening to music when am walking, studying or just doing some chores around the house helps in keeping my moods right. Lack of music forced me to interact with people, open up conversations with people I never used to interact with just to fix my moods. A background that is too quite makes it difficult for me to focus or concentrate on what am doing and

Green River company Essay Example for Free

Green River company Essay Aberdeen facility is focused on the production of special missile canisters for US Navy. The peculiarity of the production lies in its extraordinary complexity. Canisters have many features that require special attention and careful assembling. Thus, the commitment of workers is the issue of crucial importance. Otherwise, the quality of product will suffer, which is absolutely inadmissible with regard to the nature of production. The privileged position of Aberdeen plant lies in the fact that it doesn’t actually have any competitors. It works for the only customer US Navy. However, it contains hidden threats as well, because there is always a chance of neglecting a quality of product knowing that there is no fight for a customer. The Aberdeen plant was started five years ago without using unions to regulate pay scales and define various job descriptions. It employs 100 employees and is much smaller in size than the Green River facility. The production line utilizes three-quarters of its employees. Bob Lancaster – the founder and the first manager of the plant first introduced the innovative participative management. Lancaster based his management theory on â€Å"doing the right thing, trust and if you can fix it, do it†. This functioned as a collective, it took away fear from doing or not doing what is needed to complete a task and it also gave each individual the responsibility of solving a problem without having to go through a chain of command to get results. Ken Dailey, Green River plant manager, is intrigued with the management processes at the FMC Aberdeen facility and thus is willing to implement similar changes at Green River. Dailey is a progressive manager and wants to innovate the Green River plant with a progressive style of management as well as three new plants that the corporation plans on building. The major organizational issue pertaining to the possible changes is that of an organizational structure. Obviously, within the Green River plant we notice usual linear structure of organization where authority is delegated from the top to the bottom, from the higher manager to the manager of the lower level. There is a direct relationship between superior and subordinate, with each subordinate responsible to only one person. Line relationships are associated with functional or departmental division of work and organizational control. Line managers have authority and responsibility for all matters and activities within their own department (Sterman, 2000). It means that organizational structure at Green River doesn’t suppose any personal initiative or any social interaction beyond the processes and functions defined. Moreover, linear structure also doesn’t suppose any group discussions, since major decisions are taken above. In contrary, Aberdeen facility has more flat organizational structure, when every employee can turn to the higher level one with an initiative, complaint or offer. Such an organizational structure presupposes more communication and thus has greater impact on employee’s motivation. Flat organizational structure kills the fear towards management in employees and create more favorable working atmosphere. Considering two different types of organizational structure within two facilities, it is possible to say that organizational structure actually impacts the organizational culture and the way people perceive themselves and their importance to the organization, treat each other and behave i. e. working atmosphere that exists. (Brislin, 1993) Thus, in Green River company, people are brought together based on defined roles within the structure of the organization. The nature of the tasks to be done is a predominant feature within this facility. Management, certain rules and relationships, identify goals and norms of behavior are established. Thus, Green River’s organizational culture is very formal. As it was mentioned before, employees do not have a chance and stimulus to socially interact with each other, share their ideas and experience. It is possible to identify Green River’s organizational culture as the one of total control and power from the center. At Aberdeen, in contrary, organizational culture is more people oriented, â€Å"humanized† and caring. This so-called â€Å"human† approach to management has resulted, in particular, in active interaction between employees, as well as in the fact that 30% of all employees were represented by women and 8% by minorities. It helped to create a positive image of the plant in the yes of Aberdeen community and people outside as well.

Catcher in the Rye :: essays research papers

â€Å"The Member Of The Wedding† and â€Å"The Catcher The Rye† are both similar novels in the way adolescents want to belong to a group of people but there is one major difference. Frankie is looking to grow up so that she can fit in with the people around her while Holden wants to avoid adulthood completely as he sees the adult world as being false and corruptible. In â€Å"Member Of The Wedding Frankie feels like she doesn’t fit in to a child’s world. This is due to a number of reasons. She wishes now to belong to a more adult society. Frankie feels alienated from the rest of her friends. When they play underneath the arbour Frankie doesn’t â€Å"fit† because she is too tall. She resents this and sees her friends as â€Å"ugly screaming kids†. Frankie attempts to befriend the older girls but they say she â€Å"smells† and when they talk about sex Frankie doesn’t understand referring to this as â€Å"nasty lies†. Here we see Frankie excluded from the adult world that she desires to belong to. Frankie also feels excluded from her family. Her father won’t allow her to sleep in the same bed as him anymore. He says that she is â€Å"too big† now. He is rarely at home and when he is he hardly speaks to Frankie. She attempts to converse with him but he just â€Å"grunts† at her. Eventually when he does talk to her he doesn’t say much. After the wedding he shows a lack of understanding towards his daughter. She needs him but he tells her to wait until they are at home because then he will punish her for her behaviour. Berenice is the mother figure in her life but she returns to her own home and family in the evening. She feels excluded from Jarvis and Janice too because when they arrive home for a few days they invite Frankie’s father but not her. She feels this isn’t very fair as she is also part of the family. This heightens Frankies isolation and also heightens her desire to belong to a group. Frankie wants to â€Å"belong† to the navy and then decides to give blood to the Red Cross. She is refused on both accounts because she is too young. She thinks the â€Å"freaks† and â€Å"criminals† are trying to make eye contact with her so she can join their group but Frankie does not want that.

Investigation of the hill reaction

Theory: Photosynthesis is a process carried out in plants, in the photosynthetic organ which is the leaf. CO2 + H2O –> (CH2O)n + O2 A plant takes in CO2 and H2O and absorbs sunlight in order for photosynthesis to take place. These reactants then travel to the chloroplasts in the palisade cells of the leaf, where the actual process takes place. In photosynthesis there are two reactions; the light dependant reaction and the light independent reaction. The light dependant reaction takes place in thylakoids of the grana of the chloroplasts whereas the light independat takes place in the stroma. The thylakoids of the chloroplasts contain pigments which can be divided into accessory and primary pigments. These pigments form light harvesting clusters which can then be divided into different photosystems, those being photosystem I and photosystem ll. In photosystem I, the accessory pigments trap energy from the sunlight and funnel it to the primary pigment or chlorophyll a. This then becomes excited and releases an electron which is accepted by an electron acceptor. The electron then moves through a series of electron carriers arranged in order of their redox potentials. Meanwhile, the photosystem is said to be unstable as a result of chlorophyll a losing an electron. The electron then moves back down the series of electron carriers to return to stability producing energy thus A.T.P. Photosystem II differs in that the process is non cyclic (i.e. the electron emitted from chlorophyll a does not return to chlorophyll a), it produces NADPH and O2 as a by-product in addition to A.T.P. and photosystem I is in fact a component of photosystem II. In this case the electron emitted from chlorophyll a travels through a series of electron carriers and then is accepted by a hydrogen ion (which is then picked up by NADP+) and this upsets the equilibrium for the splitting of water, causing more water to split. However, the electrons harvested from the splitting of water goes to photosystem II(which would have been energized to release an electron simultaneously with photosystem I), which would have been unstable. Also, the electron that left chlorophyll a from photosystem I would have passed through a series of electron carriers, arranged in redox potentials, to stabilize photosystem I producing A.T.P. The NADPH and A.T.P are then transported to the Calvin cycle. Apparatus: * Filter funnel * Muslin * Mortar/pestle * Ice/salt water bath * Lamp * Test tubes * Foil Materials: * Lettuce * DCPIP (blue) * Isolation Medium * Chloroplast suspension Method: 1. The chloroplast suspension was prepared and placed in test tubes covered with aluminium, then placed in salt/ice water. 2. 0.5 ml of the suspension was then placed in another test tube followed by 5 ml of DCPIP. 3. The foil covering that tube was then removed and the exposed solution in the test tube was placed next to the light source of the lamp at a measured distance of 10 cm. 4. The time for taken for the blue DCPIP to turn from blue to colourless was then observed and recorded. 5. 0.5 ml of the isolation medium was placed in a test tube followed by 5 ml of DCPIP solution. 6. This solution was then placed at a distance of 10 cm away from the light source and the time taken for a colour change was observed and recorded. 7. 0.5 ml of the chloroplast suspension was placed in a test tube followed by 5 ml of DCPIP. This was then placed in the dark and the aluminium foil was not removed. 8. The time taken for a colour change from blue to green was then observed and recorded. Diagram: Diagram 1.0 shows setup of apparatus to check time taken for colour changes in tubes. Results: Tube Time taken for colour change from blue to colourless/min 10 cm away from light source 1.53 100 cm away from light source 15.55 Isolation in medium only No change Tube in dark No change Table shows different times for colour changes to be observed. Discussion: Photosystem ll as mentioned in the theory, NADPH and 02. In this process light strikes both photosystem l and ll, the energy is funneled down by the accessory pigments to the primary pigment and this causes the primary pigment from PS l and PS ll to release an electron. The electron from PS l is accepted by an electron acceptor and then passes through a series of electron carriers arranged in their redox potentials. The electron then is accepted by another electron acceptor and then neutralizes the H+ in the splitting of water. H2O – 2H+ + 2e- + O2 This H is then picked up by NADP and forms NAPH. NADP is therefore an electron acceptor. As the H is picked up, this disturbs the equilibrium causing more water to split. However, Robert Hill discovered, that isolated chloroplasts can in fact, liberate oxygen, from the equation above, in the presence of an oxidizing agent or an electron acceptor. In photosynthesis this is NADP but another one, that being DCPIP can be used in isolated conditions. In this process, the DCPIP which is blue becomes reduced DCPIP which is colourless. This is known as the Hill reaction. In the experiment, the mortar/pestle was used to grind the lettuce and the muslin is used to collect the isolation medium. The isolation medium is a solution made up of sucrose and potassium chloride dissolved in a phosphate buffer. The isolation medium provides a buffered environment which does not allow the chlorophyll to leave the lettuce leaves. In this experiment, the light source used was a lamp. In this case, the light intensity was varied by changing the distance from the light to the tube. The relationship between the amount of light and the distance is said to be one that obeys the inverse square law. For example if 10 cm were 100 units then 20 cm would be 10 units. With all other factors being constant and optimum, the light intensity is said to be a limiting factor, i.e. a factor that would the control the rate of photosynthesis. Therefore as the light intensity increases, so should the rate of photosynthesis thus, as the distance of the tube from the light source decreased, the time taken for the colour change to take place should have taken longer, which was the case. It can be observed that as the distance increased to 100 cm away from the lamp, the time taken for the colour change at 10 cm, 1.53 minutes increased to 15.55 minutes. The investigation then goes on to show that in the presence of the isolation medium only, in the tube there was no colour change at all. This is because the isolation medium contained no chlorophyll for photosynthesis to take place. However, when the tube with the chloroplast suspension which includes the isolation medium was placed in a tube, but in the dark, there was no colour change either. This shows that light is needed for photosynthesis to take place. Precautions: * The amount of chloroplast suspension and DCPIP placed in the tube was standardized. * The distance of the light source from the tube was ensured with a centimeter ruler. * The salt/ice water was used to preserve the samples so that no biological activity would have taken place before the experiment had taken place. * The aluminium foil was used so that no light would have entered the sample before the experiment started. Limitations: * The DCPIP was blue in colour and the chloroplast suspension was blue in colour. Therefore, the colour change was not from blue to colourless and this could have affected one's observation of the colour change. Sources of error: * The experiment was done during the day and sunlight entering the room could have affected the results in some way of it had any exposure to the test tubes. Improvements: * It could have been ensured that the room was completely dark or sunlight was not reaching the tubes in any way. * The amount of light could have been reduced by putting layers of tissue paper between the light and the test tube to produce a range of light intensities.

Health Services Organization Essay

Identify and evaluate at least three forces that have affected the development of the health care system in the U.S. The U.S. healthcare system has continually evolved due to the success of innovative fore-thought. These innovations have been both strategic and tactical, influenced by all segments of the health care industry. There are many key strategic and tactical innovations, I will elaborate on three forces I feel affect the development of the healthcare system in the U.S.; they are: Increasing cost of healthcare, affect of economics on the healthcare system, and labor force trends in the U.S. as it relate to healthcare. * The steadily increasing cost of healthcare in the U.S. 1. The Unites States is known as the land of plenty, but if you are a native of this great nation you might feel quite differently about that statement. Being poor here has to be much like being poor anywhere else in the world, poor is poor; what might be different is opportunity. The opportunity that we are going to discuss is that of the pursuit of receiving the best healthcare regardless of race, creed, national origi n, or station in life (being with or without money). The cost of health care in the U.S. neared 2.6 trillion dollars in 2010, this is a staggering amount of money; but what make it more astonishing is that this amount is ten times higher than the 1980’s sum of 256 billion dollars that was generated by health care system (population bulletin, 2008). The rate of funds generated by health care has slowed down in recent years, but still is expected to grow faster than the national income. Our country need to address this growing burden and not just let politician say it’s a major policy priority, really make it a priority for the overall good of our nation. Furthermore, the United States has been in a recession for most of the past decade, resulting in a high rate of unemployment and lower incomes for many Americans. These conditions have put even more attention on health spending due to its affordability. Since 2002, employer- sponsored health care coverage for employee and family premiums increased by 97%, making the pursuit of health care a burden on the workers and employers. Medicare covers disabled people as well as the elderly; while Medicaid provides medical coverage for low-income families. Medicare enrollment has grown tremendously over the years due to the aging baby boomers and Medicaid due to the recession. This has added considerably to government spending, straining both federal and state budgets. Health spending accounted for 17.9% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2010 (kaiserEDU.com, Health Policy from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, Explained). * Economic affect healthcare. 2. Economics and health care is very simple to explain, especially by someone who has seen first-hand families being mentally tormented, because they could not afford dental care for their children, the check-up not covered by the company’s insurance to enable your child to be eligible to play football, or not being able to afford the prescription medication. There are many reasons families go without medical care, and far too many times it’s just because the individual is living just above the poverty line; which make them ineligible for assistance. I personally feel the affect economics have on healthcare or the lack there of, can never be explained any clearer; unless you are experiencing it yourself. * Labor force trends in the U.S. 3. In the 1960’s the U.S. labor force grow at the rate of 1.7 percent annually and continue to grow into the 70’s as the baby boomer (those born between 1946-1964 generation continued to reach adulthood and enter the workforce. During this same period women began to enter the workforce as never seen before causing the labor force to grow at a rate of 2.6 percent annually. One might not see this as a health issue, but with women joining the workforce men began to feel the pressure, causing health complication. Women on the other hand who at one time lived the life of a care free house wife, but now working in corporate America; has started to feel stress now heart attacks are the number one killer of the American female species. I know there was nothing glamorous about being a slave, but slaves lived with just about no illnesses or life threatening diseases, know blacks have the highest numbers when it comes to diabetes, HIV, and high blood pressure than any other ethnic group (but we are free), freedom should make us take life more serious and take care of ourselves as well as our children. During the 1980’s and 90’s fewer people entered the workforce, therefore the labor force growth slowed down and ranged from 1.6 to 1.1 percent. Even though we had covered on set of baby boomers we were about to see another set reach adulthood and struggle for a place in the workplace (U.S. labor force trends), in-turn means no health insurance because they are no longer their parents dependent. Healthcare is becoming a great necessity due to infectious diseases, the year of the flower children seem to have spread more than just flowers. Health Insurance Companies are not seeing their usual capital gain at this point, consequently a change in the way benefits are paid across overall is about to change. At one time people thought as long as they paid their insurance premiums the benefits would be there when or if it was needed (we learned to read the fine print). * Speculate whether or not these forces will continue to affect the health care system in the U.S. over the next decade. (Include a force that was not mentioned that you believe will impact the health care system of the nation. Unfortunately we show no immediate signs that the cost of healthcare will decline in the Unites States anytime soon. With all the bickering about healthcare, there’s one fact everyone seems to agree on: American medicine cost too much, especially considering what we’re getting for the money. As expert look toward the future, they don’t see the cost dropping dramatically anytime soon. Curbing the rise in healthcare cost depend on our ability to gain control of the many forces causing them to climb, technology has helped other industries lower costs by eliminating waste and increasing efficiencies, but it’s done the opposite in healthcare (Lisa Zamosky, Los Angeles Times, September 12, 2012. Without any dispute I’m sure we can all agree the economy will always affect healthcare and the people who need it, which will always be everyone. We all hope the economy will make a rapid recovery, but that’s just not how things work; just as it took decades of bad decisions to get us where we are today it’s going to take time for our nation to make a meaningful recovery. Over the next 50 years, the labor force is projected to grow even more slowly (at about 0.6 percent per year) as baby boomers retire. What will this mean as far as health care is concern; well as we grow older our need for healthcare on a regular base becomes more essential than it was when we were in our prime (population bulletin). Baby boomers, reaching senior living status promotes a different type of demand on the medical system; a tremendous demand for those employed by senior living facilities, as well as those providing home health care. * Evaluate the importance of technology in the health care system. Technology is the driving force behind the universe, if you are not a believer just think about the devices you use to get through your day; hence technology. Medical technology is constantly presenting us with new devices that make our lives more fulfilling, we have laser surgery, hip replacement, artificial limb to replace worn out or damaged ones, cataract surgery that have advanced so rapidly it’s amazing, can you believe a person can have heart surgery and be walking around the next day? This is all because of technology, it’s amazing. This is something we cannot put a price on, what is being learned and the advances being made due to research technology is saving lives as well as making lives better each and every day. References: KaiserEDU.com, Health Policy, from the Henry J. Kaiser family foundation, Explained, Cost and Spending. http://www.kaiseredu.org/en/Top ics/Costs-and-Spending Population Bulletin, Vol. 63 No. 2, June 2008, U.S. Labor Forces Trends By: Marlene A. Lee and Mark Mather (Marlene A. Lee is a senior research associate and editor of the Population Bulletin at the Population Reference Bureau. She holds degrees in public policy analysis and development sociology/demography from the University of North Carolina At Chapel Hill and Cornell University. Mark Mather is associate vice president of Domestic Programs at the Population Reference Bureau, where he coordinates several projects that communicate population research to advocacy groups, educators, the media, and the public. He holds a doctorate and a master’s degree in sociology/demography from the University of Maryland. http://www.prb.org

Mosaic of Thought Workshop for Reading Comprehension

'Mosaic of Thought' Workshop for Reading Comprehension When was the last time you finished a book and you were asked to complete a worksheet about it? You probably havent had to do that since you were a student yourself, however, this is something that most of us ask our students to do on a daily basis. To me, this doesnt make much sense. Shouldnt we teach students to read and comprehend books in a manner that is consistent with how they will read and comprehend as adults? The book Mosaic of Thought by Ellin Oliver Keene and Susan Zimmermann, as well as the Readers Workshop method, moves away from worksheets with comprehension questions that use more real-world, student-driven instruction. Rather than depend solely on small reading groups, the Readers Workshop method blends whole group instruction, small needs-based groups, and individual conferring to guide students through the application of the seven basic comprehension strategies. What are the thinking strategies that all proficient readers use as they read? Determining What is Important - Identifying themes and diminishing focus on less important ideas or pieces of informationDrawing Inferences - Combining background knowledge and textual information to draw conclusions and interpret factsUsing Prior Knowledge - Building on previous knowledge and experiences to aid in comprehension of the textAsking Questions - Wondering and inquiring about the book before, during, and after readingMonitoring Comprehension and Meaning - Using an inner voice to think about if the text makes sense or notCreating Mental Images - Implementing the five senses to build images in the mind that enhance the experience of reading Believe it or not, many children may not even know that they are supposed to be thinking as they read! Ask your students if they know to think as they read - you may be shocked by what they tell you! Ask your students, Did you know that its OK not to understand everything you read? They will most likely look at you, surprised, and answer, It is? Talk a little bit about some of the ways that you can build your understanding when you are confused. As you know, even adult readers, are confused sometimes when they read. But, we bet it made them feel a little better to know that they dont have to fake understanding when they read; the best readers question, reread, look for context clues, and more in order to better understand and move through the text. To get started with the Mosaic of Thought reading strategies, choose one of the comprehension strategies to focus on for a full six to ten weeks. Even if you only get to a few of the strategies in a year, you will be doing a major educational service for your students. Here is a sample schedule for an hour-long session: 15-20 minutes - Present a mini-lesson that models how to use the given strategy for a certain book. Try to pick a book that really lends itself to this strategy. Think aloud and you demonstrate how good readers think as they read. At the end of the mini-lesson, give the kids an assignment for the day that they will do as they read the books of their own choosing. For example, Kids, today you will use sticky notes to mark the places where you could really visualize what was going on in your book. 15 minutes - Meet with small needs-based groups to meet the needs of students who need extra guidance and practice in this comprehension area. You can also build in time here to meet with 1 to 2 small guided reading groups, as you may be doing in your classroom now. 20 minutes - Use this time for one-on-one conferring with your students. Try to get to 4 to 5 students per day, if you can. As you meet, delve deep with each student and have him or her demonstrate to you exactly how they are using this strategy as they read. 5-10 minutes - Meet again as a whole group to review what everyone accomplished and learned for the day, in relation to the strategy. Of course, as with any instructional technique that you encounter, you can adapt this concept and this suggested schedule to fit your needs and your classroom situation. Source Oliver Keene, Ellin. Mosaic of Thought: The Power of Comprehension Strategy Instruction. Susan Zimmermann,  2nd Edition, Heinemann, May 2, 2007.

One Word Can Mar Your Meaning

One Word Can Mar Your Meaning One Word Can Mar Your Meaning One Word Can Mar Your Meaning By Mark Nichol Each of the three sentences shown below contains a minor error that nevertheless muddles the intended meaning. The discussion following each example identifies the problem and sets up a resolving revision. 1. â€Å"Instead of focusing on rebuilding the Republican Party, she said that party leaders should focus on rebuilding the middle class.† This sentence implies that the person referred to opted to make the recommendation to party leaders in lieu of focusing on rebuilding the party; the action of focusing is erroneously assigned to her. What the writer meant to write is that the subject recommended that party leaders rebuild the middle class rather than the party. Omission of that after the attribution â€Å"she said† clarifies this meaning: â€Å"Instead of focusing on rebuilding the Republican Party, she said, party leaders should focus on rebuilding the middle class.† 2. â€Å"The project would cost $250 million to $300 million to build and receive a $400 million endowment upon opening.† According to this sentence, the project’s $250–$300 million budget would be used to build and receive an endowment. But two distinct facts are mentioned about the project: It would require $250–$300 million to build, and it would receive an additional $400 million as an endowment after completion of the building. To clearly state this meaning, the sentence’s parallel structure must be bolstered with a second use of would, between the conjunction and and the verb in the second clause: â€Å"The project would cost $250 million to $300 million to build and would receive a $400 million endowment upon opening.† 3. â€Å"If you’re interested in learning more about her work, the scholar who has delved most deeply into it is John Smith.† OK, this revision involves swapping in two words for one, but the mistake is as small and as easy to overlook as those in the examples above. This statement illustrates a subtle error known as a false conditional: The sentence is structured so that the identity of the most deeply delving scholar is contingent on your interest in learning more about someone else’s work; if you’re not interested, apparently, John Smith loses that distinction. By changing the way the sentence refers to your potential interest, this logical fallacy is erased: â€Å"In case you’re interested in learning more about her work, the scholar who has delved most deeply into it is John Smith.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Grammar Test 1225 Foreign Phrases to Inspire YouWhat Is a Doctor?

Contemporary Risk Management - Climate Change Essay

Contemporary Risk Management - Climate Change - Essay Example Many of these issues have direct implications for the risk management and insurance industry. Global warming refers to the gradual warming of the earth’s atmosphere that has been documented over the last 150 years. Global warming can result from natural fluctuations in climate or can be induced by human causes. There had been considerable debate as to whether human activity in producing increased emissions and concentrations of greenhouse gases has been associated with the global warming trend. Greenhouse gases effectively trap the heat in the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases, principally CO2, but also ozone, methane, and nitrous oxide, are produced by burning fossil fuels like oil, coal, and natural gas. Energy producers, automobile users, manufacturers, and households all burn fossil fuels and produce greenhouse gas emissions. The rising concentrations of CO2 that are causing global warming principally come from energy production, factories, homes, automobiles, and deforestation. Rising CO2 concentrations are a symptom of expanding economies, jobs, and standards of living. Indeed these economic benefits form the most frequently sited argument for resisting the Kyoto Treaty and other control techniques. For instance, President Bush stated in rejecting the Kyoto Treaty that it would â€Å"have a negative economic impact, with layoffs of workers and price increases for consumers† (Sanger, 2005, 24). Some studies have indicated that agriculture and forestry will actually improve from global warming. For instance, the NAST report finds that U.S. crop productivity is very likely to increase over the next few decades because of global warming. While benefiting consumers, falling crop prices and competitive pressures are likely to stress some farmers. The NAST report also found that forest productivity is likely to increase over the next