The Monarchy in Canada Essay - 738 Words

A monarchy is a form of government in which a single individual holds all the power in government. Since 1918 Britain has been governed in a Democratic system but held a lot of the same customs that it had when it was a monarchy (like a royal family etc.). Canada was a part of the British Monarchy when it was still around and unfortunately is still a part of the monarchy system that remains in Britain today. In 1867 the British North America Act was established and formed the Dominion of Canada by Queen Victoria. Since then Canada has grown to have its own customs and traditions but Britain’s crown is unitary throughout all jurisdictions in Canada. Queen Elizabeth the second is the sovereign of Canada she is the head of state; she must†¦show more content†¦The British Monarchy lacks legitimacy in Canada because they don’t make themselves present to Canadians in their everyday lives. Firstly, the royal family who consists of the head of the British Monarchy don ’t even bother to have a residence in Canada. This shows that the heads of the Monarchy don’t bother to make themselves existent to Canadians. Secondly, the monarchy doesn’t have any actual power to influence the lives of Canadians substantially. If the Monarchy held more power that would greatly influence Canadians almost all of Canada would pay attention to it. Lastly, 81.6 % of Canadians aged 25-44 work about 7 hours per day and then they come home to more responsibility like family and schoolwork. The Monarchy throughout that day has made little to no effort to make them seem present or even relevant to the average person. The British Monarchy does not make much effort to make themselves seem legitimate too Canadians in their lives; because of this the Monarchy should be abolished in Canada. In Canada the British Monarchy mostly has attachments to the older generation of Canadians whereas the younger generation of new Canadians feel the Monarchy has no place in Canada. Firstly, in May of 2010 a poll was conducted by Leger Marketing and it found that 68 % of Canadians that are 18-35 years oldShow MoreRelated Monarchy Essay1462 Words   |  6 PagesIn Canada, the type of government it should have is a monarchy. Although, there are many benefits and disadvantages to a monarchy, there are many drawbacks to having a republic government. Canada is a theatre, in which every citizen played a significant role. Of this grand production, the monarchist is a playwright who tampers with the script to give Canada the benefits, while giving the nation it’s own independence. Monarchy is a form of government in a state, in which an individual has sovereignRead MoreThe Monarch Era Of Britain1311 Words   |  6 Pageslanded in Canada. Immigration policy back then was very different from now, of course. But all of them have one thing in common. In order for them to become Canadian citizen they must have swear an oath to Queen. I believe it is time for a change in the system as Canada is completely different from back then. Using Canada itself as the figure is more appropriate than the Queen, fit the constitution better, and supported by our society structure. New citizen should swear a pledge to Canada, insteadRead MoreComparing Canada Economic System Of Canada1000 Words   |  4 PagesComparing Canada Economic system to Jordan Muhannad hadi Forest heights Collegiate Institrute   Comparing Canada Economic system to Jordan 2 In this report you will know all about Canada and Jordan economic overview, natural resources where do they stand in the economic freedom rankings and what type of governmets they have and finally where Canada falls on the of spectrum economics systems. Economic Overview Canada Canada isRead MoreSources Of Law : Neil Boyd905 Words   |  4 PagesRoyal Proclamation of 1763. Since then, Canada has fallen only under English law, except for Quebec, that follows French civil law (Boyd 2015 p. 32). The British North America Act, 1867 is Canada’s original and defining source of sound philosophy. It sets out in sections 91 and 92 the respective powers of federal and provincial governments, and more broadly, an arrangement of legal governance of the country (Boyd 2015 p. 34). The account states that Canada found its identity in The British NorthRead MoreCommonwealth Realm1566 Words   |  7 PagesLanka, which was originally slated to host the summit in 2011, was accused of committing atrocities during the Sri Lankan civil war and the summit was instead held in Perth, Australia; Colombo was given the 2013 summit instead.[3][4] The leaders of Canada, India, and Mauritius boycotted the summit, citing alleged human rights violations by Sri Lanka against its Tam il minority. Protests were also banned during the summit.[5] President Mahinda Rajapaksa summarised the summits events as: Issues coveredRead MoreToronto Climate Diagram Essay1605 Words   |  7 PagesToronto, Canada By: Katie Maull Environmental Science Mr.Burthardt 6th hour Tuesday, November 21st, 2017 Toronto Climate Chart Toronto Climate Diagram Animals Native to Toronto 1. Long-eared owl: Found in grasslands or open country for foraging, and nest in tall, dense trees or shrubs. Long-eared Owls are nocturnal and spend their day sleeping in trees. They hunt at night by using eyesight and hearing to catch prey. 2. Woodland Jumping mouse: WoodlandRead MoreThe United States And Canada Essay1134 Words   |  5 PagesTwo very similar countries, the United States and Canada, with similar cultures are located right next to each other. They are both high income nations and are fairly well off. One of the main differences between these two countries are their systems of paying for healthcare. Canada has a single-payer system that is mainly funded by the government and also the taxes of those who live there. The United States has a multi-payer system where insurance is purchased by an individual or given to them byRead MoreDemocracy And Its Underlying Aspect1509 Words   |  7 Pagesis to show the comparison of two big democratic systems – Canada and the U.S.A., how and on what basis they differ, which form of democracy is more effective, what are the advantages and disadvantages of each. The first and probably the most important difference between Canada and the U.S.A. is the form of governance. Canada’ system of governance is represented by the democracy that combines federal structure and constitutional monarchy. The British Crown is the formal executive that is representedRead MoreDefensive Foreign Policies865 Words   |  4 PagesPresident George Washington issued the Proclamation of Neutrality in 1793 as a response to United States involvement in the French Revolution. Americans supported the revolutionaries in France rising up against the French monarchy, but the United States had an alliance with the French monarchy and not the revolutionary public at the time. Americans, including members of Washington’s cabinet like Thomas Jefferson, clamored for Unites States intervention in the war on the side of the French against their common

Tesla Motors - 2078 Words

Andrew Martin COMM 336 Informative Paper 4/4/2013 Tesla Motors Tesla Motors is a car company that designs, manufactures and sells electric vehicles. This public company was founded in 2003 by Ian Wright, JB Straubel, Marc Tarpenning, Martin Eberhard and most notably Elon Musk. Its headquarters is located in Palo Alto, California, with its main production plant in Fremont, California. The company was named after Nikola Tesla, a renowned electrical engineer and physicist. Its goal is to increase the number of EV’s (Electric Vehicles) available to the market to help make it more mainstream. Currently, Tesla motors have produced two models, the Tesla Roadster and the Model S, and has unveiled a third, the Model X. In the Future,†¦show more content†¦This power has allowed it to win the Monet Carlo Alternative Energy Rally and the Federation Inernationale di I’Automobile. The EPA rates the Roadsters range at 244 miles but at 25mph, it can accomplish 300 miles, the current distance record for a production EV. Production ceased in 2012 and over 2,250 Roadsters have been sold worldwide. Tesla’s next move was to build a more practical 4 door sedan for a broader market. These would be built at the Tesla Factory in Fremont, California. Unlike the Tesla Roadster, the entire car would be built at the factory rather than just putting a motor in an existing car. The Model S is the first production car to come out of the newly purchased factory and deliveries began in June of 2012. Three packages are available, with the Performance package boasting 420 hp and an EPA range of 265 miles. Although the car weighs over 2 tons, its low center of gravity allows for excellent handling and because it’s driven by an electric motor with no gear box, it can still accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds. Another difference of the Model S over the Roadster is its charging ability. An optional supercharger can add 150 miles of range in just 30 minutes and can fully charge the cars batte ry in just one hour. Tesla is adding Supercharging stations across the country and is free to use for Tesla owners. These Supercharging stations are solar powered and any extra power is fed backShow MoreRelatedTesla Motors Inc. ( Tesla )2126 Words   |  9 Pages Introduction Tesla Motors Inc. (Tesla) was founded in 2003 by a group of engineers in Silicon Valley. Tesla has been in the business of designing and manufacturing fully electric vehicles (EVs). The company’s name came from Nikola Tesla, who influenced the design of the powertrain for their first vehicle. Tesla’s CEO is Elon Musk, he had a few goals for his company. First, was to build a sportscar. The next goal was to use that money to design and sell a more affordable car. And then use that moneyRead MoreEssay on Tesla Motors925 Words   |  4 PagesTelsa Motors, Incorporated As upper-level management it is important to understand the key components of cost-volume-profit analysis. Identifying objectives including concepts related to CVP is crucial to the absorption of information. The paper provides a summary of Tesla Motors, the company outlined. Explaining the relationship between cost-volume-profit analysis is discussed as well as how the company is using this tool to maximize production and profit. Summary Tesla MotorsRead MoreTesla Motors, Inc.3473 Words   |  14 PagesTesla Motors is an innovative corporation that is empowered to create new technologies by focusing on its impressive mission â€Å"to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy (About Tesla, 2017).† The company has been pushing the industry’s boundaries to keep the world moving forward in an environmentally safe and energy sustainable fashion which is extremely important for our planet’s future. â€Å"Tesla Motors, Inc. engages in the designing, development, manufacturing and selling of electricRead MoreTesla Motors, Inc.3024 Words   |  13 Pages1. INTRODUCTION TO TESLA Tesla Motors, Inc. is a US based company that designs, develops, manufactures and sells electric vehicles, electric vehicle powertrain components, and energy storage systems. The company was incorporated in July 2003 by Marc Tarpenning and Martin Eberhard. The company launched its IPO during 2010. Currently the company is listed at NASDAQ. Tesla Motors has wholly owned subsidiaries in North America, Europe and Asia. These subsidiaries market, manufacture, sell and/or serviceRead MoreTesla Motor : Sustainable Development1441 Words   |  6 PagesHan Yan Market Society 12/December/2014 Tesla Motor--Sustainable Industry The world is calling to the urgency of making progress toward economic development that could be sustained without depleting natural resources or harming the environment. â€Å"The term sustainable development means different things to different people. But, in essence, it is concerned with meeting the needs of people today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs† (World Business CouncilRead MoreEssay on The Tesla Motor Company1589 Words   |  7 PagesTesla Motor Company Company Overview- Tesla Motors Inc. (Tesla) is a company based out of Silicon Valley that designs, assembles and markets battery electric vehicles (BEVs), in addition they produce lithium-ion battery packs, and electric vehicle powertrain components. Founded in 2003, Tesla was the first new American automobile manufacturer to appear in years. It was the first automaker to manufacture and sell proficient BEVs in production. The company’s tactic is not really that of theRead MoreStrategic Audit : Tesla Motors1299 Words   |  6 PagesName Course Institution Tutor Date Strategic Audit - Tesla Motors I: Current situation Tesla motors has grown over the past few years which has made it vulnerable to the other competitors. The competitors of this company are large and wealthy which makes its position in the market to be competitive. It was the first motor company to introduce the skimming approach of marketing which has made it to have a larger market share as compared to its major competitors (teslamotors.com). a) Current performanceRead MoreTesla Motors2721 Words   |  11 Pagesï » ¿INTRODUCTION Tesla Motors is a global enterprise specializing in the design, production, and marketing of electric powered vehicles founded in 2003 by the young businessman, Elon Musk. Elon is well known for co-founding paypal, and now he amazes the world again with his incredible vision of Tesla Motors, and being the main product architect. Tesla Motors appeals to the environmentally friendly market, by currently being the only company to sell a zero-emission sports car. Tesla’s fundamentalRead MoreTesla Motors1856 Words   |  8 Pagesmarketing strategy for motor cars. Dont set up a traditional car yard in the cheap rentals along highways. Set up in the shoppings malls! Increase consumer volume through segmentation and targeting! Capitalize off it by strategic positioning! Provide great service and a top-notch product, along with nifty little trinkets, and create customer value. What is Tesla? - Tesla Motors Inc is a public, California based electric car manufacturer. They have recently introduced the Tesla Model S. This was theirRead MoreThe Public Relations Practices Of Tesla Motors1824 Words   |  8 Pages The Public Relations Practices of Tesla Motors Tesla is perceived as one of the most promising and interesting business enterprises, more so given the zest exhibited by its CEO, Elon Musk. As much as it is a young firm, it has employed technological advances coupled with innovation to provide numerous willing consumers with zero emission automobiles (Sparks, 2016). The automobile industry is still heavily reliant on the internal combustion engine, which of late has been considered as imposing

Description on a Baseball Game Free Essays

It was the first game I have ever been to in my life. The game was the Baltimore Orioles VS Boston Redsox. I was of course rooting for my team the Redsox. We will write a custom essay sample on Description on a Baseball Game or any similar topic only for you Order Now When we got to the city of Baltimore, the only thing I could see was bright orange, black and a little bird on the hats of the people walking around. The people in Baltimore all had smiles on their face thinking they were going to win this game. I, on the other hand had red on to support my boys that I knew we were going to win. We walked through the city of Baltimore to get to the stadium. It was so crowded, you could barely breathe with all the people and food vendors around. I could smell a mixture of so many things. The first thing was the people, some there smelled like they had just taken a shower but others smelled like a dead skunk. You just couldn’t stand the smell you had to walk away from that person as fast as possible. The other smells I could smell was the food from the vendors. The one I liked the most was the smoked sausage and pulled pork vendor. I was in heaven when we stopped there. It’s every man’s dream to see sausage sandwiches in front of him along with some freshly pulled pork with sweet, tangy barbeque sauce. I had ordered the pulled pork. It wasn’t too cold but wasn’t too hot, it was just right. The juice rolled off of the sandwich onto the napkin every time I had taken a bite. The tanginess was just sensational it was perfect in every which way. I had also picked up, a nice cold lemonade on this hot day. When the lemonade touched my lips they shriveled up from all of the lemon that was in it. It was a perfect mixture of lemons and sugar water it was just fabulous. The icy coldness of the lemonade was wonderful because it was steaming outside. We walked into the stadium; my eyes had gotten really big. I was so surprised of the size of the stadium. It was like walking into a whole nother world that was blocked off by walls. The smell of the place was fabulous. You could smell the popcorn getting ready to be handed out during the game. You can smell the butter and the salt being added onto it. We decided to get some popcorn. You could literally feel the excess butter roll off the popcorn and onto your fingers. You can also feel some of the salt that was stuck to the butter now come onto your fingers. You can also smell the peanuts being cooked. Also the fresh cut grass the smell of that is just amazing, I love the smell of freshly cut grass. You could see about 40-50 people warming up for both teams and already it was loud because everyone was yelling. We took our seats in the crowd and the seats were burning up, you could barely sit in them it was insane. They were like sitting on clouds though. It was so loud in the stadium you could barely hear yourself think. People were yelling at the Red sox players telling them to go home. Shouting at the home team asking if they could get something autographed. This is one of the most memorable days of my short life. I can remember just about everything that happened that day, all the details about that day as well. I had so much fun there and the best part was the Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles! How to cite Description on a Baseball Game, Papers

Enigma of Health Statistics in China - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theEnigma of Health Statistics in China. Answer: Introduction Universal healthcare refers to a system of healthcare that provides financial protection and healthcare services to all citizens in a particular state or country. It has designed and organized in a manner that ensures all citizens in a society benefit from financial risk protection, equality and easy access to quality improved health care services (WHO, 2017). Since there is an assumption that every individual has access to the basic important healthcare, it might not be the case as some individuals lack of that access to equitable healthcare. The ridge between the rural and urban residents is a challenge that has continued in China over the years, along with the issues of significant health inequalities, increase of healthcare cost, poor quality of care delivery and weak public health functions. However, the government of China has made great efforts to address these challenges by rolling out policies to make essential improvements in their healthcare sector (Bhutta and Zulfiqar, 20 10). This essay takes the example of China to discuss the concept and overview of universal healthcare and the policy over the last 10 years. It also further discusses the principles and role played by the government to ensure effectiveness of health systems. Overview of Universal Healthcare in China for the last 10 years Health reforms in China began in the period when China was in great poverty around 30 years ago. Its previous healthcare system was adopted in the early 1980s due to its adoption of the strategies that solely depended on finances from the private sector to be used to fund the healthcare provision and the commercialization of these services. However, this had been developed after the country had dropped one of its most successful healthcare systems, which had greatly helped to improve the wellness of its people and marketability of the healthcare. Failures in the health market led to increased havoc and unfairness in the health sector. The aspect of making the health services private and make them commercial did lead to consequences that in future still had to be addressed. This is due to the fact that there was a creation of a ridge between the poor and the rich as the rich could get access to quality health services unlike the poor (Currie, Janet, Lin, and Zhang, 2011). The Government of China has been devoted to finding solutions facing the healthcare system by doing extensive research and investigations that are involving international scholars and organizations to help them to collect information on the negative implications of privatizing the healthcare sector. This has not only helped the government to know its consequences and causes but has been a revelation to the public too. It has also provided a foundation for reforms to be made in the Universal Health Care (UHC). Reforms on UHC were first announced in 2005 and they entailed targets of achieving a 100 percent change in the healthcare social coverage through three different insurances schemes that had been designed involving various populations groups, which were not enjoying sufficient healthcare provision. These insurance benefits are to greatly have an impact on a bigger population as forecasted by the year 2015 (Hebert et al, 2014). An effective UHC coverage in China seeks to ensure that every individual has medicinal drugs available to him or her. Therefore, it has made new investments that include disease prevention programs and primary healthcare provision services that are to ensure that services are provided to everyone. This comprises of the setting up of new buildings, the manufacturing of drugs that are essential and making them accessible to people through the distribution process, making the information systems electronic and also providing educational and training forums for physicians that are involved in primary healthcare provision. The healthcare system in China is undergoing tremendous changes and reforms (Lan, Xue and Liou, 2012.) Principles to Ensure Effectiveness of Health Systems Insurance Coverage Schemes Health insurance is one of the most essential components of universal coverage. In the late 1990s, China had established three major insurance programs. Then a new healthcare reform was started in 2009 aiming to provide universal health coverage to all its citizens, and to reduce disparities and improve healthcare services on those disadvantage population. The first insurance scheme began in the year 1998 in urban areas, known as Urban Employees Basic Medical Insurance (UEBMI) which provides employees with medical coverage in the public and private sector. It is a compulsory insurance scheme for all employment. Next, the New Rural Cooperative Medical Insurance (NRCM) was established in 2003 which targets at the rural regions. It covers part of the cost for all medical treatment but excluded certain outpatient and drug expenses. The premium of this insurance scheme is funded by both the governments and citizens. The third insurance scheme Urban Residents Basic Medical Insurance (URBMI ) was introduced in 2007 to provide coverage for urban residents in 79 cities who are not covered by UEBMI. The intention is to reduce impoverishment caused by chronic and fatal diseases. This insurance scheme was later expanded to nationwide in 2010 (He, Alex, Yang, and Hurst, 2015). The government of China adopted strategies to subsidize the premiums for the rural and urban people as a way of expanding its insurance coverage through the EMI. The western sides of the country are normally associated with a lower income hence the government decided to give them subsidies almost up to 90 percent on their premiums. The coastal regions that are characterized by people who are assumed financially stable were offered subsidies close to 70 percent of their premiums. The past few years have been characterized by an increase in premium as a way of improving the compensation rates. This can be seen through the government paying more premiums in 2008, under the URBMI and NCMS from 80 to 200 in 2011, showing a significant change. Besides this, the Ministry of Civil Affairs initiated a program called Medical Assistance, whereby it helps to pay premiums for the poor. There are also other reasons that have sped up the coverage of the insurance schemes and they include incentives such as the village leader or township mayor getting a promotion in accordance with the number of people under his or her leadership that have got insurance covers. This has led to the number of medical insurances covers increasing rapidly as the leaders strive to get these promotions. It is evident that the numbers have increased since in 2011 almost 95 percent of the people had EMI cover (China National Health Accounts Report, 2014). Prioritizing on Prevention The new health reforms in China prioritize on medicine that is used for preventive measures. The government has done this through provision of RMB25 yearly to every individual which is normally paid to the doctors that provide primary healthcare includes all the doctors in rural areas as well as doctors in the urban areas that provide healthcare services in regard to the number of people they serve. For instance, a doctor that is serving a population of 2000 people will receive RNB 50,000 in order to carry out provision to health services to all these individuals. The main duties of these doctors include provision of vaccines or immunization, prenatal and child care, visitation of outpatients, maintenance of records, provision of health education, monitoring of contagious diseases such as tuberculosis and monitoring patients with chronic conditions such as stroke or cardiac arrest. Besides China having these reforms, it lacks a way of monitoring the services provided by these doctors hence in case of a problem, it is hard to hold anyone accountable. Public Hospitals Reforms Normally, the public hospitals in China offer up to 90 percent of the whole countrys inpatients and outpatient facilities. The success of the healthcare reforms depends solely on the governments ability to improve the quality of the healthcare services to make the services efficient and accessible. The government can also attribute to the success of the reforms by controlling the health expenses as one way of protecting the patients from financials risks and this will attribute to increased patient satisfaction. The main challenge in the hospitals in China is their profit motivate hence they lack a well laid down mission to guide them. The central government also in its three-year health reforms never laid down concrete guidelines to help it achieve its motives. However, in the period 2009-2011, seventeen selected cities were used to experiment various approaches aimed at reforming public hospitals (Aitken and Valkova, 2013). Role Played by Government The most remarkable role played by the government is the insurance coverage, which has greatly helped in making healthcare services more affordable. This is evident from the insurance cover increments as from the year 2000 whereby it was 15 per cent to 95 per cent in 2011, comprising of 1.28 billion people being covered. This represents the success of universal healthcare reforms in China since a great number of people can get health insurance in a very short period thus showing that the health services are more accessible and affordable. This achievement has been attributed by the government whereby it decided to finance its citizens in healthcare provision due to its financial capability got from the rapid economic growth in China (Wang, 2011). The easier access to medical facilities or healthcare provision centers has been due to the 2009 health reforms. Through the various statistics carried out on health facilities national wide, it shows that physical access to these medical facilities greatly improved in 2008 and 2011. In the countrys central and western areas, the physical access to medical facilities increased by 83 percent in 2011. Improvement in access to healthcare services has been attributed to the health reforms. These reforms include the government subsidies in the insurance premiums, more improved medical programs, an increased number of investments in healthcare provision sector, insurance benefit packages, building up of more medical premises and provision of essential medical drugs. This has made UHC more affordable in China. UHC has been able to be achieved in China but the government has claimed that the benefits are averagely shallow and it is targeting to increase these benefits. For instance, the first benefit packages of URBMI and NCMS covered only the in-patients but the benefits were improved to cover also the outpatients. The specific benefits, however, vary in the fund allocation rates across the three major healthcare insurance schemes in China (Green, Jackisch, Zamaro, 2015). The government of Chinas reforms attempts in the public hospitals shows the immense pushback from public hospitals and the medical staff especially the physicians whose incomes from other activities that are profit-motivated will reduce. This has made China struggle in terms of solutions for the challenges facing its healthcare provision sector. The government may be willing to increase its amount of expenditure in the healthcare sector but this may not be directly proportional to the service output in the medical facilities. In order for changes to be experienced in terms of efficient service provision, there need to be changed in the health systems such as providing a monitoring system on the provision of the services, putting up of information systems, reforms on salaries/incentives and also alteration of the management team. Since China has made the health systems to be profit-motivated, it has made the health specialists to lose the professional ethics hence no transparency and accountability exercised in these medical facilities. This had led to unnecessary surgeries, tests, and drugs in most of the hospitals. The world can learn from China that medical ethics are necessary and once lost it are not easy to restore them back (Bi, et al, 2009). Effective provision of healthcare services requires reforms in the healthcare systems to as to ensure that there is the provision of quality healthcare services and drugs. These services should be equitable and accessible to the people in the rural areas who are financially incapable of buying expensive drugs. Good policies on human resource need also to be set up and implemented to curb exploitation from the private facilities that are profit-oriented. Finally, in this China case, we see that medical ethics are very important in the service provision sector. For instance, physicians have a duty professionally to diagnose and treat patients suffering from various diseases. In decision-making, the physicians need to put the interests of the patients first regardless of the current social or economic conditions. In China, the Hippocratic Oath was established as a way of ensuring that ethical standards are upheld and maintained (Bhutta and Zulfiqar, 2010). Conclusion The universal healthcare policy is a system of healthcare that provides healthcare services and financial protections to its citizens. The policy is designed in such a way that all the citizens benefit from the financial protection and easy access to healthcare services. In China, most people have an easy and equal access to affordable healthcare services; however, there is a slight disconnect in healthcare access between the rural and the urban residents, which poses a major challenge in equal access to healthcare. In addition, China has a high health expenditure caused by wastefulness in the healthcare system causing inflations affecting the provision of affordable healthcare services. Nonetheless, China has made tremendous steps in order to meet its challenges in the provision of affordable healthcare services, which can be emulated by other nations. References Aitken, M., and S. Valkova. 2013. Avoidable costs in US Healthcare. IMS Institute forHealthcare Informatics, Parsippany, NJ.Adel, Charles, et al. 2012. The Economics ofHealthcare Quality and Medical Errors. Journalof Healthcare Finance 39 (1): 39. Bhutta, Zulfiqar A. 2010. Unravelling the Enigma of Health Statistics in China. 2010.The Lancet 375 (9720): 105860. Bi, Yufang, et al. 2009. Evidence-based medication use among Chinese patients with acutecoronary syndromes at the time of hospital dischargeand 1 year after hospitalization: resultsfrom the Clinical Pathways for Acute CoronarySyndromes in China (CPACS) study. American Heart Journal 157.3: 509516 China National Health Accounts Report, 2014, China National Health DevelopmentResearch Center, Beijing, ChinaCurrie, Janet, Wanchuan Lin, and JuanjuanMeng. 2014. Addressing AntibioticAabuse in China: An Experimental AuditStudy. Journal of Development Economics110:3951. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2014.05.006 Currie, Janet, Wanchuan Lin, and Wei Zhang.2011. Patient Knowledge and AntibioticAbuse: Evidence from an Audit Study inChina. Journal of Health Economics 30(5):933949. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2011.05.009. Green, G., Jackisch, J., Zamaro, G. 2015.Healthy cities as catalysts for caring and supportive Environments. Health Promotion International, 30 (suppl 1):i99-i107. He, Jingwei Alex, Wei Yang, and Keith Hurst.2015. Clinical Pathways in Chinaan Evaluation.International Journal of HealthcareQuality Assurance 28 (4). Hebert, Paul L., Chuan-Fen Liu, Edwin S. Wong,Susan E. Hernandez, Adam Batten, Sophie Lo,Jaclyn M. Lemon et al.2014. Patient-centeredMedical Home Initiative Produced ModestEconomic Results for Veterans Health Administration, 201012. Health Affairs 33 (6): 980987. Lan Xue and Kuotsai Tom Liou. 2012. Government Reform in China: Concepts and Reform Cases. Review of Public Administration 32(2):115133 Wang Xiang. 2011. The Strategy Choices of Payment Reform: Based on 17 Years Reform In Zhenjiang. China Health Insurance (07):3536.

The Blair Witch Project Essay Example

The Blair Witch Project Essay , The Blair Witch Project can be said to be a landmark in the history of the horror film. It introduced a new kind of horror, as it gave us the story of real people in real situation filming real events. This had not been done before, and it scared people in a completely different way than previous horror films. It brought back the audience screams that came about during screenings of Alfred Hitchcocks Psycho (1960.) It is said that people watching The Blair Witch Project were vomiting and passing out during the screening. For the first time in a horror film, the entire film was filmed on hand held camera. This added extraordinary realism to the film as there was no script, only scene direction. Even more strangely, the actors in the film did all the filming themselves, which was totally unheard of until this film was released. Again, this can be seen as disturbing for the viewer as the aspect of realism is even more evident. We will write a custom essay sample on The Blair Witch Project specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Blair Witch Project specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Blair Witch Project specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The Blair Witch Project was an independent film produced by Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick. The story revolves around three film students filming a documentary on the myth of The Blair Witch. Subsequently, they disapeer whilst filming the documentary, and the footage they filmed was found a year later in a duffel bag also containing empty film cans, and personal items. This footage is what is shown in the film. The Blair Witch Project was created extremely well as Sanchez and Myrick only had a budget of $25,000 and eight days to film, using low cost 16mm black and white film. On the closing day of the film at cinemas across the globe, the film had taken an estimated $140,000,000. Making it the most successful film of its kind. Sanchez and Myrick chose not to use a script, but to intentionally scare their actors, and film what reactions they received. It is said that on one night of filming, when the actors were asleep in their tent, Sanchez and Myrick went up to the tent and played a recording of children screaming and crying and banged the sides ofd the tent in. the reaction of the actors is great. They get out of the tent and run off into the woods screaming and shouting. This is just one example of how Sanchez and Myrick developed a new kind of filming. Even more cleverly, a website was set up in 1998, www.blairwitch.com which included TV reports of three missing film students in the woods near to Burketsville, interviews with the family of the students, aswell as with members of the search party sent out to look for them. Scientific analysts were also interviewed. They gave their views on what was found in the duffel bag. Photographs of the students and places they visited can also be seen on the website. Even posters were put up around the USA informing people of the students disappearance . Although the town of Burketsville is fictional, the town that was used for filming has received thousands of visitors thanks to the success of The Blair Witch Project .All of the above made people believe that the film was true and that three students had actually gone missing. This website received over 50,000,000 hits even before the film had been released. As, you can expect, with all the hype surrounding the film, a large amount of money was taken on the films opening weekend. $1,500,000 to be exact. The actors used in the film used their real names to add realism to the story. If they had been given false names then the USA might not have believed the story to be true. According to the website www.aintitcoolnews.com The Blair Witch Project is the scariest film ever produced. They claim that because the film plays with your mind, you are more likely to be effected by it rather than if it was a film with lots of blood and gore content. They also go on to say that because many boy scouts and families go camping in the woods, it has an unbelievable effect on the USA. As, the film is filmed in a real environment, such boy scouts and families have visited such places and this helps the reality of the film to hit home hard. The Blair Witch Project can be said to have re-invented the horror genre as it can be held responsible for the rise in audience figures for horror films post Blair Witch Project. E.g. Freddy Vs Jason has just been knocked of the top of the box office chart after a month at the top. So, who knows what the future holds for horror? I anticipate that more experimental films will be produced following the success of The Blair Witch Project, helping to keep the genre alive and as strong as ever.

Practice Speaking French Every Day

Practice Speaking French Every Day Daily French practice is a must since its only by practicing and using your French that youll be able to develop fluency, which occurs slowly over time. Aside from talking in French class and reading French books, there are a number of other ways you can incorporate French into your daily life. The basic premise is to use French whenever and wherever you can. Some of these ideas might sound silly, but the point is to demonstrate how you can easily introduce French into everyday situations. Thinking about French every day will help you learn how to think in French, which is a key element of fluency. You want your brain to go straight from seeing something to a French image, instead of going from object to English thought to French thought. Your brain will eventually process French faster, which facilitates fluency.   Fill your home and office with French Things Surround yourself with French things.  Make French labels for your furniture, appliances, and walls; buy or create French posters, and use a French calendar. French first Make French the first thing you see when you connect to the Internet. Set a high-quality French entity, such as  easy French news on Radio France Internationale, as your browsers default  homepage. Practice Your French If you know other people who speak French, practice with them whenever you can. Dont let speaking anxiety hold you back. For example, you and your roommate can declare Mondays and Fridays French day and communicate only in French all day. When you go out to a restaurant with your spouse, pretend youre in Paris and speak French to each other.   French Lists Need to make a shopping list or a to-do list? Do them in French. If the other people you live with speak French, write notes to them in French. Shopping in French When you go shopping, practice French with yourself.  For instance, count out your apples or your cans of tuna fish in French, look at prices and imagine how to say them in French. Routine French Think in French while performing routine actions. When walking to the refrigerator, think Jai soif or Quest-ce que je vais manger  ? Consider the conjugations of se brosser while brushing your teeth and hair. State the French name of each item of clothing as you put it on or take it off. Vocabulary Building Keep a notebook handy so that you can write down new words and keep track of ones you need to look up. This can also be part of a French journal or language scrapbook. French Internet If you use Windows, you can set your computer to display menus and dialogs in French. Mots flchs (Crosswords) Print out free mots flà ©chà ©s  and see how well you do. How Students Themselves Practice Speaking French Lets look at some of the great ideas students themselves have  for practicing spoken French. The following comments were taken from a French learning forum:   I challenge myself by picking a few objects around me and playing I spy with myself or others around me who also speak French. For example, I see an umbrella. Using circumlocution, I describe the item without using any of the words, such as pluie (rain), to give it away.  Because Im so self-conscious about speaking French, I find myself speaking it to my mother, who speaks no French. A live person allows me to put myself out there and I can practice my pronunciation without feeling so uncomfortable. Speaking to someone live forces me to form the word order in my mind along with the pronunciation. Ill say it out loud in her presence, then switch over to English so that she can understand me.I make sure to find things in French that really interest me so that it doesnt feel like school. The Internet is a great source because there are so many avenues to explore. I read reviews of things Im interested in, like books and movies. I go to French language message boards that deal with sub jects Im interested in. Ive also started a journal which is slow going but fun because I get to write about whatever Im interested in. I have books on tape in French and I listen to them while driving. I also have a teddy bear that a French friend gave me. When you press his jaws, paws or stomach he says things like Je mendors...Bonne nuit, or Aà ¯e  ! Ça fait mal; his left paw says Bonjour. Every morning, I touch his paw, he says Bonjour and I proceed to tell him, in French, my plans for the day. It gets me in the mood for French for the remainder of the day.  I try to skim the French newspaper Le Monde on the Web several times a week. If I have time, Ill read one of the articles out loud, which is difficult because the stories are written in fairly sophisticated written French, not in the style of a newscast. Occasionally, I play their aural stories. And I get daily and weekly horoscopes in French from Yahoo. They usually have a lot current French expressions in them.I listen to a series of Hachette pronunciation tapes, Phonà ©tique, in the background. I try to do the exercises, but they sometimes are ve ry difficult even when I can give them my full attention, and its easy to get frustrated. If the International Film Channel or the Sundance Channel is showing a movie Ive already seen, Ill try to keep that on in the background to see if I can pick up the French.  I often try to think of the French equivalent of something and articulate it, but Im often worried about speaking in phony French and  making mistakes, which would be easy to do since I havent studied French in quite some time. Were these ideas promising? If any seemed useful, try them yourself. The more you practice, the more youll train your brain to think in French. And over time, that leads to fluency.  Bonne chance.

Coral Reef Bleaching Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Coral Reef Bleaching - Term Paper Example Why/how Coral bleaching occurs Coral bleaching occurs because of the disintegration between corals and their symbionts or endosymbiosis (Symbiodinium spp) (Ainsworth et al., 2008). Most of the bleaching on corals occurs during the warm season. Established scientific evidence indicates that environmental stressors that include the increase of heat in sea surface temperatures tend to be the main cause of coral bleaching (Bourne et al., 2008). Moreover, high solar radiation tends to be a significant cause of large-scale bleaching (Bourne et al., 2008). Moreover, research indicates that seasonal bleaching also tends to occur because of an infection by the bacterium Vibrio shiloi (Bourne et al., 2008). Another established cause of coral bleaching is sea pollution that mostly occurs because of various human activities. For example, sunscreens that tend to promote viral infections play a significant role in causing coral bleaching especially in areas where there are high levels of human act ivities (Danovaro et al., 2008). Santavy eta al (2011) also indicates that various multiple chronic stressors play a significant role in the occurrence of bleaching. Ecological Impacts of Coral Bleaching Various impacts in the environment tend to emerge after coral bleaching events. One of these impacts includes massive threat to tropical coral-ecosystems (Anthony et al., 2009). Occurrence of bleaching results to lethal or sub-lethal stress on the reefs (Anthony et al., 2009). Moreover, coral bleaching results to loss of endosymbiotic algae or its associated pigment from the coral reefs (Ainsworth, et al., 2008). Bleaching also tends to cause changes in microbial communities. Bleaching also results to the reduction of coral reefs. This is because most of the reefs fail to cope with the harsh conditions and disease occurrences that emerge because of bleaching (Brandt & McManus, 2009). Another established significant impact of bleaching is that it reduces skeletal growth in corals (Ca rilli et al., 2009). Moreover, it is also necessary to consider that coral reefs provide the livelihood of most people within the tropics (Maynard et al., 2008). For example, some types of the corals are used for building purpose (Seneca et al., 2010). Corals also tend to be significant tourism attraction features hence increasing economic value within the tropics. Therefore, occurrences of bleaching are a major blow to various activities enacted by people within tropic areas. McWilliams et al., (2005) indicates that bleaching poses as one of the major threats of coral reefs because they end-up dying. Vivekanandan et al., (2009) indicates that corals tend to be the most diverse marine habitat and therefore bleaching affects the directly affects the living conditions of the estimated 0.5 million species that rely on the reefs. Possible solutions/treatments of coral bleaching There are minimal established ways in which treatment of coral bleaching can be performed. However, possible s olutions include laboratory studies that would assist determining the role of coral-associated communities and how they react during stressful environment conditions (Ainsworth et al., 2008). This may assist in coming-up with a reliable solution on how to minimize large population of corals being affected during warm sea seasons. Moreover, prevention of thermal stress in the future may contribute in prevention of

Managing Communications Knowledge and Information Assignment

Managing Communications Knowledge and Information - Assignment Example For better understanding and incorporation of decisions within the business, an organisation named Coral-Electronics has been established. For building a successful retail business, many things are needed to be analysed with the aim of having a better understanding about market conditions as well as making effective decisions. In this competitive business world, market condition is changing in a continuous manner and accordingly, a change in market condition will have a huge difference for the business to operate. Therefore, it can be ascertained that as an electronic retail organisation, the company has to incorporate and regularly update its information and knowledge for serial improvement in decision strategy of the business. On the other hand, Coral-Electronics is needed to have an understanding about its market competitors and market conditions (Stucki, 2009). In this respect, market information is crucial for the company, as it has to competing with other existing companies in the field of electronic market. Consequently, Coral-Electronics is needed to obtain adequate information and knowledge about its competitors and market trends, Coral-Electronics would able to ensure effective decisions for the development as well as growth of the company. In addition, Coral-Electronics always needed to have effective information about the customers and market trends. The company with the assistance these information and knowledge will be facilitated with the opportunity of performing operations in a profitable manner.

HR and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

HR and Leadership - Essay Example The paper tells that leadership can be defined as the way process is influenced by an organization by leaders who have visions and is determined to achieve the organizations set objectives at any cost. Management makes the programmed decision affecting organization day to day activities and is concerned with administrative duties rather than decision making. For HR to be leading the department should employ effective strategy and solution to resourcing and ensuring there are talent planning and development, service delivery is at its best with well-coordinated systems of communication which involves employee engagement and relations. Thus leading HR should be determined in performance and must reward employees for good work done. Above all the human resource management should be of credible personality, driven to deliver, decisive thinkers, role model and should have the courage to challenge actions in the organization. An organization is important to ensure delivery of services and attainment of objectives if structural changes are effectively managed. The organizational structure of any firms matters a lot as if it’s well organized it will be easy to effect changes because of the values, believes and attitudes set by an organization so there is well spelled out a procedure on how everything is coordinated in the organization including, communication systems and responds to the environment. Strategic human resource management relies mostly on the resource-based view of the firm which suggests human resource practices leads to high performance and sustained in the competitive environment. Top management should ensure high technology is employed in firms to enable HR practices to build up mentoring, give incentives to performing workers and also enable performance appraisal which encourages the development of working relationship.

Starch Hydrolysis by Amylase | Experiment

Starch Hydrolysis by Amylase | Experiment Polysaccharides are polymers of carbohydrates. They are made up from monosaccharides which are linked together by glycosidic bonds. Polysaccharides are divided into two main groups: structural polysaccharides and polysaccharides which are used as energy sources. Cellulose and chitin are classified as structural polysaccharides. Cellulose is major component of plant cell walls. It yields glucose when completely hydrolyzed. On the other hand Glycogen and starch are the polysaccharides which used as energy source; glycogen is found in animal cells and starch is found in plant cells. Plants use starch to use it to store glucose units for energy. It consists of two types of molecules: the linear and helical amylose and the branched amylopectin. Starch generally contains 20 to 25% amylose and 75 to 80% amylopectin. Amylose forms a colloidal dispersion in hot water whereas amylopectin is completely insoluble. 2.2) Hydrolysis of starch/amylase enzyme: Proteins which catalyze the chemical reactions are called enzymes. Biological catalyzes, enzymes, need specific conditions to be active since they are working in the cells. Temperature must be between 37 and 40 and ph must be neutral. An important metabolic enzyme is amylase that its function is to catalyze the hydrolysis of starch into glucose. Alpha-amylases are found in plants and in animals. Human saliva is rich in amylase, and the pancreas also secretes the enzyme. SUBSTRATE  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ENZYME  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   PRODUCTS starch  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Amylase   ->  Ã‚   maltose + maltose + maltose starchs presence can be identified by using the iodine test. Starch and iodine gives blu-black color together and that helps to identify the presence of starch or iodine. The iodine molecule slips inside of the amylose coil. Iodine is not very soluble in water so the iodine reagent is made by dissolving iodine in water in the presence of potassium iodide. This makes a linear triiodide ion complex and this linear complex can easily slip into the coil of the starch. This forms the color. [3] starch + I2 à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   blue-black color 2.3) Spectrophotometry: A spectrophotometer is used to find the amount of radiant energy absorbed or transmitted by molecules in a solution as a function of wavelength. The wavelength which a certain molecule can absorb energy is different and therefore it can be used to determine the concentration of a specific type of solution. By comparing the amount of light that is absorbed by the sample with known concentration a calibration curve can be plotted and by using it concentration of the unknown sample can be determined. [5] 3) EQUIPMENT AND CHEMICALS 3.1) equipments: Beaker Laboratory scale Weighing dish Spatulas Tubes Tube rack Heater Water bath Plastic cuvettes Pipettes Dropper pH meter 3.2) chemicals: Distilled Water HCl NaCl KH2PO4 Na2HPO4 Starch solution Human salivary Iodine reagent 4) PROCEDURE 4.1) preparation of starch solution and enzyme solution: 20 g of potato starch was mixed with approximately 50 ml cold water. This mixture was then added to 900 ml of boiling water. Mixture was mixed well and it was cooled to room temperature and the total volume was raised to 1 ml by adding sufficient amount of water. Presence of the starch in the solution was tested by putting one drop from the mixture to glass plate and adding one drop of iodine reagent to it. Blue color means starch is present. Saliva sample was taken into tube and diluted with 9 ml water then, 60 ml of 0.5% NaCl was added. 4.2) Effect of the pH: 0.1 M KH2PO4 with pH 5, 6, 7 and Na2HPO4 with pH 8, 9 solutions were prepared as buffers, each buffer was prepared 20 ml only the buffer with 7 pH was prepared 100 ml. 5 test tubes were labeled and to each of them 5ml of the starch solution was put and to each test tube solution with different pH was added. 1 ml of the salivary enzyme solution was added to the tubes and it was mixed by shaking. it was waited for 10 minutes so that the hydrolysis reaction can proceed. 5 ml of HCl solution was added to 5 different tubes and from each of the previous tubes with the starch solution 0.5 ml was taken and added to tubes with HCl. 5 tubes were prepared again for 5 ml of iodine solution this time. From the tubes with HCl 0.5 ml was taken and added to the tubes with iodine. Absorbance values were measured by using spectrophotometer. 4.3) Effect of temperature: Water baths with 30  °C, 50  °C, 70  °C and 90  °C were prepared in beakers. Buffer solution with pH 7 was added to 5 tubes and 5 ml of starch solution was added to these tubes. All of these tubes were put in different water bath with different temperatures and they were waited in the bath until the temperatures reached the equilibrium. 1 ml of salivary enzyme was added to each tube. After 10 minutes the steps 4-7 in the effect of pH procedure were repeated. 5) DISCUSSION In this experiment our purpose was to hydrolyze starch with amylase enzyme and observe the effect of pH and temperature on this reaction. Before observing the pH and temperature effect first we prepared the solutions that we were going to use in the experiment. First we prepared the starch solution by mixing it first with cold water and then adding it into boiling water. We aimed to get the starch suspension form immediately and without any lumps by this procedure. In the first part of the experiment we observed the pH effect. To do that first we needed to prepare the buffer solutions with different ph values ranging between 5 and 9. We used two different solutions because of the buffering capacity of these two solutions. We made the arrangement of the pH by using HCl and NaOH. To decrease the pH we added HCl and to increase we added NaOH, we detected the pH by using pH meter. Each buffer with different pH values were mixed with starch solution and then salivary solution was added. W hich is the amylase enzyme and since its from the saliva it hydrolyzes amylose. After waiting for 10 minutes to reaction proceed we needed to stop the reaction, we did it by adding HCl. Then we added iodine solution to detect whether reaction took place or not since if enzyme functions starch in the solution will be hydrolyzed and this will lead to have light color of the solution; absorbance will be low. Since our body is in neutral pH we expect to have light colored solution at pH 7 and dark color at pH 5, 8 and 9. The same logic is valid for the temperature effect. The enzyme wont work in higher temperature values that can denature it like 90, 70 and maybe 50. Proteins absorbance values are expected to increase as the protein denaturizes. This can be explained by the surface of reflection of the light is increased. Denaturized form of protein has higher possibility to be interacted with the light from the spectrophotometer and thus absorbance will increase. Theoretically we would expect to have both absorbance vs. pH and absorbance vs. temperature graphs to have a min. point where we can say that is the point absorbance is in the min. point at that pH or temperature thus enzyme functions best at that point. In our graphs from the experiment we can observe these min values at approximately expected values. When we look at the temperature graph we see that absorbance is min at around 50 C. normally we would expect that proteins denaturize at that temperature, since human body is 37 °C min absorbance at 40 °C would be the correct result. This error might be because of that we didnt measured our test tubes temperatures after we put them in water bath, So maybe what we refer to as 50 °C in the data table is actually less than that value.

New Computer Build :: essays research papers

New Gaming and Over Clocking Computer Build Building a new computer can be quite complicated and time consuming. You should take just as much care in researching each component as you would installing them into your system. It is crucial that the component fit your purpose, provide stability, and work well with the other components you select. For my system, I have chosen components that have been thoroughly tested and approved by respected people in the technology field.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The centerpiece of this system is of course the motherboard. I wanted something that was cutting edge but also stable. Ease of use is important, as well as compatibility. I plan to do some over-clocking so this feature was also of great importance to me. After sifting through many reviews I rested on the ASUS P5AD2 Premium, because of its immense offerings and satisfactory reviews. This board supports all of the latest features including SATA, PCI-Express, DDR2, and it accepts the new socket 775 Pentium 4. These features will allow me to use the fastest hardware made for consumers today and hopefully allow this computer to play the latest games for years to come. The board also comes with an impressive list of onboard features. It incorporates 8 channel onboard sound which will suit my needs and save me the expense of buying a separate sound card. It also has two onboard gigabit Ethernet ports and, onboard wireless G with an external antenna which should more than handle anyone’s networking needs. This motherboard has the most advanced feature set I could find available. ASUS has also made great advancements in over clocking with this board. All you need is the most recent bios and you can now unlock the clock multiplier on the Prescott Pentium 4. Until now this was only achievable through the use of an AMD processor but now offers this option with the newest Pentium family. Because heat has been a problem with the Prescott processors ASUS has also introduced â€Å"Stack Cool† this is simply placing another PCB on the underside of the board to dissipate heat. This helps improve stability and increase the life of components.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the processor I have chosen the Intel LGA775 Pentium 4 550. This 3.4 GHz, 800MHz front side bus processor is a very good choice for over-clocking and even at stock speeds it screams. Although the Prescott processors don’t score much higher than the Northwood processors in benchmarking at stock speeds, the over-clocking factor really comes into play here.

memory is a constructive and active process Essay

Memory is a subject that has been of much interest to psychologists for many years and various research has been carried out in aid of trying to understand how memory works. It can be understood that memory is compromised of three processes and three key subsystems which enable it to work and perform efficiently on a daily basis. The encoding process is where information is retrieved via what is known as sensory memory which is encoded either visually or semantically by attaching a meaning to a word. In terms of storage of memory, the information in the sensory memory is either held in short term memory where it can be recalled for a few minutes or long term memory where it can be recalled for several decades. However a topic of much debate is whether memory is a constructive or passive process. Memory as an active process can be explained as the concept of memories being altered, distorted or even constructed from external sources whereas passive memory is where information is recal led exactly as it is encoded. A claim has been made that memory is active and constructive therefore in order to evaluate this claim it is important to consider the relevant studies carried out in this area of cognitive psychology. (Brace and Roth, 2007) When looking at the processes involved in memory, it is clear that the circumstances play an important role in whether retrieval becomes an active or passive process. When information is unfamiliar or leading questions are asked about memories, this can affect our recall and the memories can become distorted which implies a constructive aspect when recalling information. A number of studies examining specific circumstances and their effects on memory support this concept. Encoding follows a similar principle, where depending on the circumstances the information is either encoded passively or constructed with a mix of new information and information stored in long term memory in order to attach meaning to the information. Storage on the other hand is primarily passive as the information is recorded  automatically. It is also important to take into account that there is not just one type of memory but that it can be split into two different categories, short term memory and long term memory.(Brace and Roth, 2007) When looking at short term memory specifically, it becomes clear that there is a conscious and active aspect to the process therefore supporting the claim at least partially that memory is constructive. This is demonstrated in Baddley and Hitch’s model of short term memory (as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) they claim that the short term memory is comparable to a â€Å"workbench† concept where new information is mixed with old memories and stored information in order to carry out a variety of processes depending on the specific circumstances. The main weakness with this theory or concept is the inability to visually see what is occuring in the brain. Although we can look at PET scans and see relative differences in the posterior Hippocampus when investigating the active part of memory as can be seen in Maguier et al’s study (as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) of taxi drivers where that specific section of the brain was enlarged. We are still unable to see the actual information being encoded or stored however the speculation and theories put forward support the concept of some aspects of short term memory being constructive. Moving onto the main memory processes, Bartletts â€Å"The war of the ghosts† study (as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) is particularly relevant when evaluating the claim of memory being an entirely constructive and active process. He chose a story specifically aimed to contain unfamiliar concepts to the participants. This allowed him to examine the effects of social and personal experiences on memory and recall. This study supports the concept of memory being constructive and dynamic because the evidence shows that instead of the story being encoded and stored in a manner that allowed the participants to recall it accurately and undistorted, the participants used previous experiences and concepts that made sense to them in order to encode and retrieve the information. This distortion or transformation of the facts directly points to memory being active as during the processing of the story, it is likely that elaborative rehearsal played a part in the method of encoding and storage as the participants were linking information to  existing knowledge in order to make sense of the story. However it is important to consider there was no control over any of the variables in the study therefore the findings from the experiment would be difficult to measure in terms of accuracy and reliability in relation to the claim proposed. Further support for the claim comes from a study carried out by Loftus and Palmer (1974, as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) which was designed to look at the effect of leading questions and the influence of linguistics on our memory of events. This study further supports the concept of memory being constructive as the information is being distorted through the participants own experiences, this shows that the memories are not being recalled accurately but are being recalled in a manner that the participant is merging past experiences and knowledge along with the study material. This combined with the suggestive nature of the verbs used could also affect the retrieval of memories by misattributing the source resulting in the participants believing something that may not be entirely accurate, in this case the speed of the cars and presence of glass in the video. Although when interpreting the findings, it is important to consider the confounding variable of individual differences I.e personal perception of speed which could effect the validity and generalisability of the data. The study also lacks ecological validity as witnessing the car crash via a media source would not evoke the same emotional response as a witnessing it first hand, which could effect the quality and detail of the information stored. In contrast, certain aspects of memory imply a passive aspect of memory as some types of memories are accurately stored and recalled with little or no distortion and rarely forgotten. In the Bahrick et al (1975, as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) study which looked at the recollection of faces and names of people from their graduating classes it was found that even after 35 years there was almost no forgetting and accurate recall of names and faces. This Study supports the aspect of memory being a passive process as the information encoded is being recalled accurately and over a long period of time. These types of memories are classed as enduring memories and little or no loss or distortion occurs until very old age where other factors could  be responsible. However a weakness of the study was that it only tested names and faces which is a small representation of the types of knowledge stored in long term memory so would be difficult to apply the findings to all aspects of long term memory. Brown and Kulik (1977, as cited in Brace and Roth 2007) created the term ‘flashbulb memories’ in relation to autobiographical memories and carried out an experiment to demonstrate this theory. This experiment focused on events that are surprising and provoke strong emotional responses. This study further supports the notion of memory being passive as long as certain conditions are met. In this particular case the event has to be important to the individual and has to evoke a strong emotional response. As long as these conditions are met an individual is able to store and recall their memories of the event very accurately or at least the reception of the event i.e. who they were with and when they first found out etc. The emotional aspect of the event and the importance to the individual means the information can be recalled exactly as it was encoded with little or no distortion. However, it is important to consider that the rehearsal effect may play an important part in the storage of the memories due to the emotional nature of the event it is possible that these memories are replayed or rehearsed more often than other memories. After evaluating the evidence in relation to the claim that memory is constructive and active, taking into account both the results and the inherent problems with the studies methodology the conclusion has to be drawn that whilst some aspects of memory are indeed constructive there are also passive elements in all three processes of memory. The studies carried out on the retrieval process of memory certainly show strong indication of memory being constructive and show that memories can be altered or distorted by a variety of factors meaning the information retrieved is subject to change. However looking at both the encoding and storage processes these have been shown to have both passive and constructive elements depending on the circumstances such as emotional responses and personal relevance. Therefore looking at memory as a single entity, it has to be seen as an amalgamation of both constructive and passive elements. (Brace and Roth,  2007) References : Brace, N and Roth, I (2007) ‘Memory : structures, processes and skills’ in D. Miell, A.Phoenix, & K.Thomas(Eds.) Mapping psychology, Milton Keynes, The Open University.

Moral and ethical issues associated with recombinant technology Essay Example

Moral and ethical issues associated with recombinant technology Essay Example Moral and ethical issues associated with recombinant technology Essay Moral and ethical issues associated with recombinant technology Essay The ideal life for all human beings, where they could live without diseases, with plenty of food, comfortable enviroment and without any struggle for the facilities of life, may be called heaven, the concept of which is provided by all religions of the world. The present enviroment of human beings has been tremendously improved than the earlier civilizations due to a lot of scientific advancement and progress for human comforts. But the diseases and illnesses are still making life problematic for the human race. Russo and cove (ref no 3) stated that there are more than 2000 different genetic diseases causing the sufferings of humans. Some of these genetically inherited disease commonly observed are downs syndrome, cancer, schizophrenia and colour-blindness. The science of genetic engineering may perform wonderful miracles to overcome these diseases in the humans and will cause the revolution in maintaining the health, according to the concept of heaven. This idea provides the moral obligations and ethical concepts for the promotion of genetic engineering researches. The genetical engineering can be a source to produce genetically modified animals to obtain better quality of meat and milk, and genetically modified plants to obtain better agricultural products. The branch of genetically engineering known as plant biotechnology can be useful in plants breeders to improve the crops yield, to provide resistance against diseases, resistance to unfavourable conditions like draught and frost, to enable plants to produce oil substitution for the fossil fuels to reduce the amount of chemicals used by farmers to grow the crops and improve the quality of food by increasing nutritional values and protecting animals and humans from the diseases.(ref no 2) The plants tissue culture is the cultivation of plant tissues on specially formulated nutrients enriched media. They can grow at room temperature in very small places. The genetic engineering is useful to produce vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes etc which can retain their quality and taste for a longer period of time. (ref no 6) The mapping of chromosomes would be a great achievement for identifying the precise location of every gene and will develop new gene therapy treatments (ref no 2) and most likely the hospitals will not need so many medicines used today. The genetic engineering may produce several enzymes prepared in the human body and may be useful for use in the deficiency of these enzyme needed by the human body such as insulin very use full for the human body. (ref no 5) The main disadvantages of the gene technology may be the mutation of transgressive bacteria or the viruses escaping from the genetically modified crops, such as weeds etc. The setting up of evolutionary process of the transgressive organisms that could harm the enviroment population of transgenic organisms could upset the balance of nature, objections to specific transgressive organisms by religious groups and the gene screening could lead to the discrimination against individuals.(ref no 2) The moral and ethical issues of recombinant technology worry a lot about tampering with genes. We have the power to create the new life forms with genetic engineering but we dont know what the hidden costs of interfering with evolution might be, so far no harm seems to have come from releasing genetically manipulated organisms (gmos) into the enviroment. These have been mainly microbes designed to protect plants from diseases and forests from damage. Gmos have marker gene engineered in their genome so their spread can easily be tackled. This idea was given by aldridge. (ref no 1) But however safe Gmos turn out to be there are still difficult ethical problems to be faced. The product of genetic engineering is new life forms but no one is really sure that they can or should be patented. The first patented life form was the oncomouse produced at Harvard University. Patenting the Harvard mouse has caused the storm of controversy and confusion in Europe, which is causing investors to hold back from biotechnology. The attempt by some USA scientists to patent human genes the result of their work on human genomes has led to similar difficulties Many people say that the whole issue of patenting gives the genetic engineering a poor public image and undermines human dignity.(ref no 1) There is also an issue of gene plunder to be considered. Once the genes of useful plants are taken from the developing countries these could be cloned in the cells and products made in western countries. This could damage the income from the cash crops such as coffee in the countries where these plants were originated. (ref no 1) Now a days the pigs heart are transplanted into humans that can cause different genetic diseases in humans from the pigs and could have very dangerous effects on the human society. (ref no 7) It is interesting to discuss the ethics of reproductive human cloning. The first cloned child would be human experiment. They would be biological experiments with grave risks of physical and mental genetic deformity. They would be experiments on human identity, they would be experiments in genetic programming and design, and they would be experiments in family and social life confusing the relationships with in the family and between the generations. A cloned child will be at risk of psychic and social harm. He may suffer confusion of social identity in society and may become dangerous for the human society. (ref no 3) The history of eugenics is interesting as this movement began in late 1800 s the eugenic movement can be revived due to genetic inventions and can be very dangerous to the nation so called inferior genes and may cause a disaster for the future of human civilisation. (ref no 4) The progress in the science of genetic technology can be used for better living of human beings against most of the diseases and may be called a blessing for humans. on the other hand gene technology can also be used as a powerful weapon to eradicate less powerful ethnic groups in several ways therefore it is very important that all the universities and colleges and educational institutes of the world must especially teach moral and ethical values to the scientists to use genetic technology as a blessing rather than disguise.

The Awakening and Madame Bovary essays

The Awakening and Madame Bovary essays Gustave Flaubets novel, Madame Bovary, is very similar to Kate Chopins novel, The Awakening. Both books are about compelling heroines and their lives as unhappy married women that revolts against the monotony of their lives and society. The books flow on a certain cycle that mirrors each other through affairs, and society conflicts. And yet, even though Emma and Edna live in different worlds, they still take their lives because of a final awakening. The deaths are still very much like their life style, each like a back-up plan if their illusions didnt work out. The deaths of these two women were both very intriguing. Emma has emotionally left Charles all together by the end of the book. Her mood switches constantly from despising him to showing some regret for what she has done. Edna also has given up on her husband Leonce. She has gone against his will, morals, and ethics. By the end of the novels there is nothing left for them. Leon going to Paris has left Emma and there isnt anything she can do about that. Robert has returned from Mexico to New Orleans, and tells Edna that things cant be, the affair is going to have to end. Emma comes to her senses and sees that Rudolph doesnt care about her, he was just using her. Yet in the same sense Emma was using him too, she needed to get back money that she had carelessly spent, and to parade her life like she is high society. She knows that he never loved her. Upon the return of Robert, Edna finds the truth in what all men want in her society, and just like her husband, he wants a life of marriage and peace with her looking after the house, servants, and children while attending his needs. Both women know it will never get better, that the cycle will always go on. She had said over and over to herself: Today it is Arobin tomorrow it will be someone else. It makes no difference to me; it doesnt matter about Leon...

English Grade 12 - Death of a Salesman essay assignment

English Grade 12 - Death of a Salesman assignment - Essay Example He puts no stock in the moral values of honesty and hard work and thus lays the groundwork for his own failure. The major causes of Willy’s death were his own illusions, wrong values and the shattering of his false dreams. Willy is at the bottom of the social ladder in a capitalistic world. although he loves physical work like gardening and building things he refuses to become a carpenter believing that such work is lowly and being a salesman is better paying and more praiseworthy. When Biff suggests that the Lomans should be â€Å"mixing cement on some open plain, or ... be a carpenter,† Willy replies that, â€Å"your grandfather was better than a carpenter.† This clearly shows that Willys illusion of greatness got in the way of his happiness. He is unhappy because the work he enjoys doing is beneath him and he is no good at the work he does (sales). To cover his false ideals Willy develops the belief that if a person is popular and attractive, then all doors will automatically be opened for him. When he was young, he had met Dave Singleman a salesman who according to Willy was highly successful. Singleman was so popular that he was able to make a living merely by staying in his hotel room and calling buyers. When Singleman died, buyers and salesmen from all over the country came to his funeral. Willy has made Singleman his ideal and wishes to become as popular and successful as him. He creates an illusion of success for himself and these illusions replace reality in Willys mind. He tells lies about how well liked he is in all of his towns, and how vital he is to New England. In one of his flashbacks he tells his sons â€Å"You take me, for instance. I never have to wait in line to see a buyer. â€Å"Willy Loman is here!† That’s all they have to know, and I go right trough.† This is a clear indication of Willy’s belief in his own lies, and his inability to

Bernard Arnault's Leadership Style Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bernard Arnault's Leadership Style - Case Study Example Louis Vuitton was a family run business in those days and in mid Eighties and he had to fight a bitter battle to gain control of this company. His appreciators say that he has inborn vision of clever marketing, creative designs and knows how to keep a tight control over his empire without a single slackening moment. He knows how to conduct global business with an uncanny ability and stopped further acquisitions when time was unfavourable. His leadership style is highly appreciated in the Corporate world. Entry into luxury marketing needs powerful backing and he received it from the French government which was looking for someone to take over the textile empire. It is said that the sale of his Mediterranean home made him exclaim that "When something has to be done, do it! In France we are full of good ideas, but we rarely put them into practice" (Forbes, June 2, 19971). His powerful friend Antoine Bernheim, MD of investment firm Lazard Freres arranged finance and family arranged $15 million of their own money and the total was used to buy Dior, which he said was the potential cornerstone of 'luxury-goods supermarket'. Also it is believed to be a brutal rise to power with opportunistic leadership strategies in which Henry Racamier, the former chairman of LVMH's Louis Vuitton was eliminated along with all top executives. His dicision making is ruthless, almost vicious and full of calculated risk taking. He knew how to balance commerce and artistry by involving both sound management practices with creativity. He was careful to be choosy when it came to picking his managers. "He believed that to raise creative energy, a company must have managers with a certain love for and understanding of artists" and he hired John Galliano, who could create unusually melodramatic unconventional designs" http://www.answers.com/topic/bernard-arnault The old business house changed its profile overnight to display the most brilliant artistry. A trained pianist, Arnault always maintained a creative eye and created a name for himself as the most unique CEO of the world. He insisted on financial discipline without curbing artistic innovation because he thought creativity counterbalances the commerce. He could be an autocrat and showed it when he terminated services of Dior perfumes heads to replace them with new US executives who became unpopular while company financially gained and this move resulted in some of the timeless most enduring 'star brands' which he explained: "Our strategy is to have some stars-and there are not many stars in the luxury business. What is a star It's a name that is the very best. It's a name that is very profitable. But the number of true stars is less than I can count on both of my hands" (New York Times, March 25, 2001). He went on a bourgeoisie shopping spree and indulged himself while amassing a business empire par excellence which spread all over the western world. He was advised against too large an expansion, but he believed in himself and came out a winner. He referred to the competitors in one of his interviews: "They saw it was working. And then they said, 'Okay, now we are going to do the same thing.' I think, really, they underestimate the difficulty. They underestimate

Critical Perspectives on thechnology and organisation Essay - 1

Critical Perspectives on thechnology and organisation - Essay Example The case study by Scarbrough & Lannon (1989) describes the impact of innovations and technology on the UK banking sector and discusses possible problems and advantages of technology implementation. The authors suggest that innovations and technological change can help to improve knowledge and learning in different service sectors. One reason for this is that once new technical knowledge is acquired, it can usually be embodied in a readily transferable form. The smoothness and slope of the corporate technical learning curve depend on two factors: (1) how well learning about the particular technology is transmitted from site to site and (2) how representative of later sites the first ones that influence developers design decisions are. Scarbrough & Lannon (1989) underline that technology has a great impact on learning and service improvements. It is possible to apply ‘double loop learning’ to the case of the Bank of Scotland to describe learning and knowledge creation infl uenced by technology. â€Å"Double loop learning’ was first developed by Argyris & Schon in their work Theory in Practice: Increasing Professional Effectiveness published in 1974. â€Å"Double loop learning’ can be defined as â€Å"is learning where assumptions about ways of seeing things are challenged and underlying values are changed. Double loop learning, in questioning givens or taken-for-granteds, has the potential to bring about a profound shift in underlying values by cracking their paradigms or ways of seeing the world† (Argyris & Schon 1992, p. 18). Also, ‘Double loop learning’ can be characterized through reflection, particularly with others in dialogue. Applied to the case by Scarbrough & Lannon, it is possible to say that â€Å"double loop learning’ is achieved by means of technology and innovations. Scarbrough & Lannon (1989) state that learning and

Nutrition - Obesity Essay Example for Free

Nutrition Obesity Essay Objective: To assess the association between the consumption of fast food (FF) and body mass index (BMI) of teenagers in a large UK birth cohort. Methods: A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was chosen to allow direct statistical testing of a theoretical model. SEM is a combination of confirmatory factor and path analysis, which allows for the inclusion of latent (unmeasured) variables. This approach was used to build two models: the effect of FF outlet visits and food choices and the effect of FF exposure on consumption and BMI. Results: A total of 3620 participants had data for height and weight from the age 13 clinic and the frequency of FF outlet visits, and so were included in these analyses. This SEM model of food choices showed that increased frequency of eating at FF outlets is positively associated with higher consumption of unhealthy foods (b ? 0. 29, Po0. 001) and negatively associated with the consumption of healthy foods (b ? A1. 02, Po0. 001). The SEM model of FF exposure and BMI showed that higher exposure to FF increases the frequency of visits to FF outlets (b ? 0. 61, Po0.001), which is associated with higher body mass index standard deviation score (BMISDS; b ? 0. 08, Po0. 001). Deprivation was the largest contributing variable to the exposure (b ? 9. 2, Po0. 001). Conclusions: The teenagers who ate at FF restaurants consumed more unhealthy foods and were more likely to have higher BMISDS than those teenagers who did not eat frequently at FF restaurants. Teenagers who were exposed to more takeaway foods at home ate more frequently at FF restaurants and eating at FF restaurants was also associated with lower intakes of vegetables and raw fruit in this cohort. International Journal of Obesity (2011) 35, 1325–1330; doi:10. 1038/ijo. 2011. 120; published online 28 June 2011 Keywords: fast food; overweight; ALSPAC Introduction Childhood obesity prevalence have risen dramatically in the last 30 years in the Western world with the most recent figures for England and Wales show that 17% of boys and 16% of girls are obese. 1 An increase in the availability of calorie dense foods is implicated as one of the factors in the aetiology of the obesity epidemic. Fast food (FF) is one section of the food market that has grown steadily over the last few decades and it was worth d8. 9 billion in the United Kingdom in 2005. 2 FF is typically quick, convenient, cheap and Correspondence: Dr LK Fraser, School of Geography, University of Leeds, University road, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. E-mail: l. k. [emailprotected] ac. uk Received 6 February 2011; revised 21 April 2011; accepted 12 May 2011; published online 28 June 2011 uniform in its production,3 but FF is often high in saturated fats, energy dense and has low micronutrient content. 4–9 Studies from the United States of America have shown that children who consume FF (when compared with children who do not eat FF) have higher energy intake and higher fat intakes9,10 as well as lower vegetable and milk intake. 10,11 Therefore, the consumption of such foods could possibly result in a positive energy balance; and hence, weight gain. There is some evidence from longitudinal studies in the United States of America that consuming FF as a teenager can result in weight gain in both early12 and middle adulthood. 13 FF is often marketed to children and adolescents through television, internet and movie advertising,14–17 with brand recognition being present from an early age. 18 The addition of toys as gifts with FF meals also attracts children. There is growing body of literature that has assessed the location of FF outlets and has found that areas of higher deprivation Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1326 have more FF outlets19–21 and that FF outlets are often located close to schools. 22–24 The majority of research to date has been undertaken in the United States of America, but a study that analysed the fat content of a FF meal in McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets in 35 countries showed that the amount of fat varied considerably between countries, within the same FF outlet. 25 This means that results from studies in the United States of America may not be generalisable to other countries. This study aims to assess the cross-sectional association between the consumption of FF and the body mass index (BMI) of teenagers in a large UK birth cohort. Methods The data for this study were obtained from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC),26 which is a birth cohort study where pregnant mothers who lived in the old Avon County in the United Kingdom (the Bristol region) were recruited in the early 1990s. A total of 14 541 mothers completed recruitment. Because of retrospective recruitment the total sample size was 15 224 fetuses and 14 610 live births. This paper presents data on the teenagers who attended the year 13 clinic and completed the year 13 questionnaire. Variables The food frequency data were collected from the questionnaires completed by mother (or carer) and separate questionnaires completed by the teenagers themselves at age 13 years. The data used from the carer questionnaire (collected at the same time point) referred to the questions ‘How often does s/he eat in a FF restaurant? The responses to this question were collected as never/rarely, once a month, once every 2 weeks, once or twice per week, 3–4 times a week, 5 or more times a week. The carers were also asked ‘In total, how many portions of vegetables does s/he eat in a week (do not include potatoes)’, ‘In total, how many portions of raw fruit does s/he eat in a week? ’ These were free numerical responses, which were retained as a continuous variable for analyses. In the food frequency part of the teenager completed questionnaire the teenagers were asked ‘If you ever buy food yourself from outside school, or from school vending machines, how often do you buy and eat each of the following things (include after school and weekends): chips, burger, pizza, sandwich, pies or pasties, chocolate, crisps, fruit and other food. ’ The height and weight data were collected at clinic visits at B13 years. The exact age, sex, height and weight were used to calculate a BMI standard deviation score (BMISDS) for each participant (1990 UK reference dataset). 27 The teenagers International Journal of Obesity were classified as obese if their BMISDS was greater than the 95th percentile (BMISDS41. 64). The physical activity data were collected via accelerometry at the age 13 clinic visit. 28 The participants wore an accelerometer for seven consecutive days and the measure used from this is mean counts per minute, which is a continuous variable. A deprivation score was assigned to each participant by matching the coordinates of their residential address (when carer questionnaire was completed) to the appropriate lower super output area. Each lower super output area has an index of multiple deprivation score (Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007 (IMD))29 assigned from the local census data. This is a continuous variable in which a higher number indicates an area of higher deprivation. Ethnicity was assigned as per the child’s ethnicity into a binary variable of ‘white British’ and ‘other’ ethnicity. Statistical modelling Descriptive statistics were performed in STATA version 10 (StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA). A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was chosen to allow direct statistical testing of a theoretical model. SEM has many benefits over traditional regression techniques, which include the ability to model equations simultaneously and the incorporation of latent variables. 30 SEM is a combination of confirmatory factor and path analysis, which allows for the inclusion of latent (unmeasured) variables. 31 This approach was used to build two models: the effect of FF outlet visits and food choices and the effect of FF exposure on consumption and BMI. The SEM analyses were undertaken in AMOS version 17. 0 (IBM SPSS, USA). The hypothesised model for food choices is shown in the results section (Figure 2). The observed variables are displayed as boxes and latent variables as circles. Each observed variable has an associated random error term and each latent variable has an associated disturbance term, which represents the variance in the latent variable that has not been explained by the observed variables associated with that latent variable. Regression paths are shown by singleheaded arrows and covariances by double-headed curved arrows. The model fit was assessed by two indices; the comparative fit index (CFI) and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). The CFI is a comparison of the hypothesised model compared with an independence model where all parameters are assumed to be independent. The RMSEA gives an indication of ‘how well would the model, with unknown but optimally chosen values, fit the population covariance matrix if it were available’. 32 A combination of CFI40. 95 and a RMSEA of o0. 50 is a sign of good model fit. The w2-test of overall fit is very sensitive to large sample size so has not been used in these models. 30 The two models were constructed a priori using previous research. The nutritional content of chips, burgers, pizza and Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1327 pies are known to be high in saturated fat and energy and therefore are ‘unhealthy’,4–9,33 whereas fruit and vegetables are known to contain fibre and vitamins and so are classified as ‘healthy’. Exposure to FF outlets is known to be higher in areas of higher deprivation. 19–21 In the food choices model, unhealthy consumption (latent variable) was modelled from the frequency of consumption of chips, burger, pizza and pies (reported by the teenagers themselves), and the healthy consumption was modelled from the number of pieces of vegetables and raw fruit consumed by the teenager (maternal report). The number of times that the teenager visited a FF outlet (maternal report) was regressed on the unhealthy and healthy consumption variables. The model for the effect of FF exposure on consumption and BMISDS is shown in Figure 3. Here exposure is a latent variable modelled from maternal and paternal takeaway frequency and deprivation score. The exposure is regressed on the number of visits to FF outlet. The BMISDS at age 13 years is the main outcome of this model. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the ALSPAC Law and Ethics Committee and the local research ethics committees. Results A total of 3620 participants have data for height and weight from the age 13 clinic and the frequency of FF outlet visits, and were included in these analyses (SEM cannot use individuals with missing data). A total of 1711 (47. 3%) were boys and 456 (12.6%) obese. The descriptive statistics are shown in Table 1. Frequency of visiting FF outlets and food consumption frequencies are shown in Figure 1. The results of model 1 are shown in Figure 2 with regression weights shown in Table 2. This model showed that increased frequency of eating at FF outlets was positively associated with higher consumption of unhealthy foods (b ? 0. 29, Po0. 001) and negatively associated with the consumption of healthy foods (b ? A1. 02, Po0. 001). The CFI for model 1 was 0. 98 and the RMSEA was 0. 05 (90% confidence interval 0. 044, 0. 058). These represent good approximate model fit. Table 1. The results of model 2 are shown in Figure 3 with regression weight shown in Table 3. This model showed that increased exposure to FF increased the frequency of visits to FF outlets (b ? 0. 61, Po0. 001), which in turn was associated with higher BMISDS (b ? 0. 08, Po0. 001). Deprivation was the largest contributing variable to the exposure (b ? 9. 2, Po0. 001). The CFI for model 2 was 0. 98, and the RMSEA was 0. 021 (90% confidence interval 0. 009, 0. 033). These represent very good approximate model fit. Discussion This study shows that teenagers who are exposed to more unhealthy foods at home are more likely to eat at FF restaurants and have a higher BMISDS. The negative association of increased visits to FF outlets on consumption of healthy foods (fruit and vegetables) has also been demonstrated. The FF restaurant use in this analysis was reported by the mother or main carer of the teenager and showed that nearly 60% of all the teenagers ate at a FF restaurant at least once a month. This appears to be less frequently than in the United States of America, where studies showed that 60% of older children and adolescents ate FF more than once per week34 and that B30% of children ate at a FF restaurant on any typical day. 9. As one part of the SEM this study showed that eating at a FF outlet was associated with a higher BMISDS. There were no previous UK studies to compare these results with, but previous studies from the United States of America have not found consistent results. Boutelle et al. 11 found no association between frequency of FF consumption and adolescent BMI or weight status, and an Australian study Descriptive statistics Mean BMISDS Deprivation (IMD 2007)29 Physical activity (c. p. m. ) Raw fruit (portions per week) Vegetables (portions per week) s. d. Median IQR 0. 29 13. 7 541 9. 5 9. 5 1. 14 11. 4 190 7 7 0. 024 10. 6 511 8 8 A0. 47, 1. 06 5. 9, 17. 0 404, 653 5, 14 5, 12 Abbreviations: BMISDS, body mass index standard deviation score for age and sex; c. p. m. , cycles per minute; IMD 2007, Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007; IQR, interquartile range. Figure 1 Food frequency data. International Journal of Obesity Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1328 Figure 2 Results of SEM model of food choices. Table 2 Results of SEM model of food choices Regression weights a Unhealthy’fast food Healthy’fast food Chips’unhealthy Burger’unhealthy Fruit’healthy Vegetables’healthy Pizza’unhealthy Pies’unhealthy Estimate s. e. CR P 0. 285 A1. 023 1. 000 0. 732 1. 000 1. 157 0. 774 0. 530 0. 021 0. 124 13. 439 A8. 274 o0. 001 o0. 001 0. 016 45. 243 o0. 001 0. 148 0. 018 0. 016 7. 802 42. 483 32. 720 o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 Abbreviations: CR, critical ratio; SEM, structural equation modeling. aAll consumption variables units: never/rarely, once a month, once every 2 weeks, once or twice per week, 3–4 times a week, 5 or more times a week. showed that FF eaten at home (but not away from home) was associated with higher BMI in adolescents (MacFarlane). Two longitudinal studies using data from the CARDIA study found that higher FF intake in adolescence was associated with higher BMI in young adulthood12 and those who ate FF more than twice a week had put on an extra 4. 5 kg of weight 15 years later. 13 The teenagers who ate more frequently at FF restaurants were more likely to eat less fruit and vegetables, as well as consume more unhealthy foods (chips, burger, pizza, pies) than those teenagers who ate at FF restaurants less frequently. This is an indication that the consumption of unhealthy foods may displace healthy food choices. This is similar to previous research in the United States of America, International Journal of Obesity which showed that children who ate FF consumed 45 g less vegetables per day than children who did not eat FF. 10 At age 13 years the food frequency data were a combination of maternal and self-report from the teenagers, but the total macro- and micronutrient values could not be assessed in this study as these data were not yet available at the time of writing. Deprivation was the largest contributor to the FF exposure variable. This could be explained by the fact that those of higher deprivation eat more FF because of the relative cheapness of FF. It has also been shown in many studies in the United Kingdom and the United States of America that areas of higher deprivation have more FF outlets than more affluent areas therefore, FF is more readily available. 35 An interesting economics paper from the United States of America showed that increasing the cost of FF by $1 could decrease BMI by 0. 78 units. 36 The increased consumption of unhealthy foods (chips, burger, pizzas and pies) by those teenagers who ate more frequently at FF outlets was not surprising, but the associated negative effect of the consumption of fruit and vegetables by these participants is important. These teenagers will not only be consuming more of the saturated fat and salt from the burgers, and so on, but at the same time they are not consuming important nutrients from fruit and vegetables. Although many FF outlets now offer more healthy alternatives such as fruit and vegetables, the consumers may still be choosing the unhealthy foods. Fast food and body mass index LK Fraser et al 1329 The FF question completed by the carer did not specify what constituted FF so some respondents may only count large franchises as FF whereas others may use a broader definition that includes independent takeaways. Although the frequency of eating at a FF restaurant was asked, the carers were not asked about the food eaten from these establishments and many FF restaurants now offer more ‘healthy’ alternatives. Although the majority of FF items do not meet the Food Standards Agency nutrient standards for total fat, saturated fat, sugar and sodium there are wide variations in similar products from different FF outlets with sodium content varying by up to four times in fried chicken products. 37 Therefore, having data on which food items were consumed from which FF outlet would further enhance future studies. There was no information on why the teenagers ate at FF restaurants, and key questions for the future include; was there no alternative eating establishments in their neighbourhood? Did they prefer FF to other meals or was the cost of food important? Conclusions This study has shown that the teenagers who ate at FF restaurants consumed more unhealthy foods and were more likely to have higher BMISDS than those teenagers who did not eat frequently at FF restaurants. Teenagers who were exposed to more takeaway foods at home ate more frequently at FF restaurants. Eating at FF restaurants was also associated with lower intakes of vegetables and raw fruit in this cohort. Figure 3 The SEM model of FF exposure and BMI. Table 3 Results of SEM model of FF exposure and body mass index Regression weights Fast food ’exposure. Maternal fast food’exposure Deprivation’exposure Paternal fast food’exposure BMISDS’fast food BMISDS’c. p. m. a Estimate s. e. CR 0. 61 1. 000 9. 20 0. 66 0. 08 0. 00 0. 07 8. 654 1. 07 0. 08 0. 02 0. 00 8. 605 8. 680 3. 586 A3. 351 P o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 o0. 001 Abbreviations: BMISDS, body mass index standard deviation score for age and sex; c. p. m. , cycles per minute; CR, critical ratio; FF, fast food; IMD 2007, Index of Multiple Deprivation 2007; SEM, structural equation modeling. a All consumption variables units: never/rarely, once a month, once every 2 weeks, once or twice per week, 3–4 times a week, 5 or more times a week. Strengths/limitations This is a large dataset with good-quality height and weight data taken at clinic visits by trained staff using validated equipment. There were food consumption data about the teenagers available from both the teenagers and their carers, but this is a cross-sectional study so causation cannot be implied from this data. As expected in a longitudinal study there is attrition and the subcohort used in this study may not be truly representative of the whole cohort. Conflict of interest The authors declare no conflict of interest. Acknowledgements. We are extremely grateful to all the families who took part in this study, the midwives for their help in recruiting and the whole ALSPAC team, which include interviewers, computer and laboratory technicians, clerical workers, research scientists, volunteers, managers, receptionists and nurses. The UK Medical Research Council (grant ref: 74882), The Wellcome Trust (grant ref: 076467) and the University of Bristol provide core support for ALSPAC. LKF was funded by ESRC/MRC studentship. References 1 Craig RS. Health survey for England 2007, 2008. Available from http://www. natcen. ac. uk/study/health-survey-for-england-2007. 2 Keynote.UK fast food and home delivery outlets, 2006. 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