Negotiable Instrument and Secured Transactions

CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What is a note and who are the parties to a note?  © 2011 HOCK international 91 A note is a written promise to pay money. Notes are different from drafts in that notes are a promise to pay. If there is any doubt whether a document is a note or a draft, the holder of the document can decide what it is. There are two parties involved in a note. 1) The Issuer (Maker) is the promisor. This is the party who is obligated to pay the note. 2) The Payee is the person to whom the note is owed. The Payee will receive the money paid by the Issuer. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What is a draft and who are the parties to a draft?  © 2011 HOCK international 92 A draft is a written order to pay money. In a draft, one party orders another party to pay money to yet a third party. If there is any doubt whether a document is a note or a draft, the holder of the document can decide what it is. There are three parties involved in a note: 1) The Drawer – The drawer writes and signs the note, 2) The Drawee (usually a bank) – The drawee is ordered by the drawer to pay the Payee, and 3) The Payee – The payee will receive the money from the drawee. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What are the common types of notes and drafts?  © 2011 HOCK international 93 The main types of notes are: 1) certificate of deposit (a bank promissory note); 2) time note (payable at a specific time in the future); 3) demand note (payable when it is presented to the issuer); and 4) installment note (the principal is payable over time). The main types of drafts are: 1) checks (written on a bank and payable on demand, requiring the drawee to be a bank); 2) cashier’s checks (a check that is drawn by a bank on itself); 3) trade acceptances (a seller of goods writes a draft ordering the buyer to pay at a future time); 4) sight drafts (a draft payable when it is delivered); and 5) time drafts (a draft payable with a certain period of time). CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What are the five elements of negotiability?  © 2011 HOCK international 94 In order for an instrument to be negotiable, it must have the following five elements: 1) It must be in writing and signed by the issuer. 2) There must be a sum certain. 3) There must be an unconditional promise or order to pay. 4) It must be payable upon demand or at a specific time. 5) It must be payable either to order or to bearer. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What are the requirements for the writing and signature?  © 2011 HOCK international 95 A negotiable instrument cannot be an oral communication – it must be written. However, there is no requirement that the writing be on a piece of paper (the writing may be on other items).Additionally, the instrument must be signed by the issuer, or drawer, to be considered negotiable. The use of any symbol executed or adopted by a party with a present intention to authenticate a writing is sufficient to meet the definition of signed. Thus, a signature can be made manually or by means of a device or a machine, and it can use any name (including a trade or business name) so long as the signatory intends to authenticate the writing. The signature can also be a sign or symbol different from the person’s name. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured TransactionsWhat are the exceptions to a sum certain?  © 2011 HOCK international 96Though these items appear to contradict the sum certain requirement, the following items do not destroy the negotiability of a note:1) A disparity between the words and numbers on an instrument (in this case the written words are used, not the numbers);2) A provision for collection costs (including attorneys’ fees in the event of the debtor’s default);3) A reference to an exchange rate; and4) Variable interest rate provisions. However, the instrument must be payable only and completely in money. Thus, a note fails the negotiability est if the note specifies that it is payable in money and/or personal services or goods. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What does unconditional mean for a negotiable instrument?  © 2011 HOCK international 97The instrument must be a simple unconditional promise (in the case of notes) or a simple unconditional order (in the case of drafts). Thus, an instrument must be a courier without luggage. This means that the promise or order must not be contingent on some other event happening. If, for example, an instrument says, â€Å"I promise to p ay, contingent upon satisfactory completion of the terms of he contract signed today†¦,† then the note is not negotiable because it is conditional. However, if instead the instrument says, â€Å"As per the contract signed today, I promise to pay†¦,† then this instrument is negotiable because it only makes reference to an underlying contract. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What types of conditions may exist in a negotiable instrument without destroying its negotiability?  © 2011 HOCK international 98 There are, certain conditions that may exist in the instrument without destroying the negotiability of the instrument:1) A promise or order is not made conditional if it makes eference to another writing for the statement of rights with respect to collateral, a prepayment clause, or an acceleration clause or because payment is limited to a particular source.2) Acceleration clauses enable the creditor to collect more quickly should the debtor not make timely payment. These are permitted because they minimize the burden on creditors and courts.3) If a promise or order requires countersignature by persons whose signature appears on the promise or order, as condition of payment, this condition does not make the promise or order conditional. This instrument would continue to be negotiable.The key point regarding negotiability for these types of clauses is whether the amount or certainty of payment is not changed by this clause. If no change will occur, negotiability is not impacted. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What are the requirements for the time of payment?  © 2011 HOCK international 99Since the holder of the instrument must be able to determine when it comes due, the instrument must be payable on demand or at a definite time. The time does not need to be a specific date in the future as long as there is reference in the instrument that enables the time o be determined. Desp ite the fact that there needs to be a date of payment, there is no requirement that an instrument be dated. Undated instruments are negotiable and are treated as payable on demand by the holder. Instruments may also be antedated (backdated) or postdated. An instrument payable on demand is not payable before the date that is written on its face. It is also possible for the time period for payment to be extended without destroying the negotiability of the instrument. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions To whom must a negotiable instrument be payable? 2011 HOCK international 100In order to be negotiable, the instrument must contain the words of negotiability: â€Å"payable to bearer† or â€Å"payable to order. †1) An instrument is payable to bearer if it:a) states that it is â€Å"payable to the bearer† or to â€Å"the order of the bearer†;b) does not state a payee; orc) is payable to the â€Å"order of cash† or is not payab le to an identified person. An instrument payable to bearer allows whoever holds the instrument to exercise the instrument’s rights without indorsement by the maker of the instrument.2) An instrument payable to order specifies the person o whom payment should be made. Because there is a named payee, until the named person makes a transfer of his rights by indorsing the instrument, the instrument cannot be redeemed for value and cannot be readily transferred to a new holder. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions List and define the three stages in the life of a negotiable instrument.  © 2011 HOCK international 101There are three stages in a negotiable instrument’s life:1) Issuance: when the instrument is created and transferred to the first holder, The issuance of the instrument is not a negotiation. 2) Transfer: when the instrument is transferred from one holder to another3) Presentment: when the instrument is presented for payment and after payment is made ceases to exist as an instrument. Transfer and presentment of an instrument may constitute a negotiation. Physical transfer of the instrument gives to the transferee (recipient) whatever right the transferor (giver) had in instrument. If the transferee becomes a â€Å"holder† of the instrument, then the transfer is called â€Å"negotiation. † The way that an instrument is transferred depends on whether the instrument is payable to bearer or to order. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions How may order and bearer instruments be transferred?  © 2011 HOCK international 102Transfer of Bearer Paper – If an instrument is made out to bearer, the person who physically possesses the instrument is the holder. Since the holder is determined by physical possession alone, a bearer instrument may be transferred simply by giving the instrument to another person. The indorsement (signature) of the previous holder is not required to neg otiate bearer paper. Transfer of Order Paper – If the instrument is payable o the order of someone, then the identified person is the bearer once he or she has the negotiable instrument in his possession. However, the negotiation of order paper to another person requires the indorsement by the named party. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What are blank and special indorsements?  © 2011 HOCK international 103Blank indorsement is when the payee simply signs his or her name to the back of the instrument. A blank indorsement automatically converts an order instrument to a bearer instrument. However, the holder of an instrument with a blank indorsement can convert the nstrument to order paper by writing a new payee above the blank indorsement. With a special indorsement, if the payee wishes to preserve the order character of the instrument, then the payee may specify a new payee. After this first special indorsement, the signature of the new payee is required for further negotiation of the instrument. If a special indorsement is placed on bearer paper, the special indorsement makes it order paper. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What are restrictive and qualified indorsements?  © 2011 HOCK international 104Restrictive indorsement: when the payee adds a condition to the payment of the instrument. Negotiation and further transfer of the instrument are not impaired. Examples are a restriction â€Å"for deposit only,† or for â€Å"payment after the completion of X. † Banks may ignore all restrictive indorsements except those made by the immediate transferor. Qualified indorsement: payee signs his name and adds â€Å"without recourse. † Without this statement added to an indorsement, the signatory guarantees payment: if the original parties do not pay, the signatory will. To avoid this liability, the signatory indorses the check with the words without recourse. † A qualif ied indorsement does not destroy the negotiability of the instrument and does not prevent its transfer. Instead a qualified indorsement makes it order paper. As a result, it must be indorsed before it can be negotiated. A qualified indorsement eliminates the indorser’s contract liability (guarantee of payment), but not his warranty liability. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What happens if a negotiable instrument presented for payment is rejected by the payor?  © 2011 HOCK international 105If a payor does not agree to make payment or to accept n instrument that has been presented to them, then the payor has dishonored the instrument. This refusal to make payment gives the instrument holder the right of recourse against the parties with secondary liability. In some cases this process of dishonoring an instrument can be done orally. In other cases written documentation, including a notice of dishonor, is necessary in order to establish legally t he secondary liability against other parties to the instrument such as the indorser. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What party has primary liability for a negotiable instrument? 2011 HOCK international 106Primary liability is the liability of makers and acceptors (and sometimes accommodation parties, too). Primary liability means that the maker or acceptor is obligated to pay the instrument before any other party. 1) Maker. This is the party who is obligated to pay a promissory note (not a check – the person who writes a check is called the drawer, below) according to the terms that existed at the time of issuance. 2) Acceptor. The drawee (the bank) has no liability for payment until he accepts the draft. Once the drawee accepts the draft (by signing it), he becomes n acceptor and agrees to pay the draft as presented. Thus, if the acceptor signs an incomplete draft (for example, the amount is blank), he is liable for any unauthorized amount lat er filled in. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions Who has secondary liability for a negotiable instrument?  © 2011 HOCK international 107Secondary liability is the liability that drawers and indorsers have for the instrument. Drawers and indorsers are required to pay for the instrument only if the party with primary liability fails to pay. 1) A Drawer’s Liability. The drawer is the person who rote the draft and in so doing ordered another party (usually a bank) to make payment. The drawer does not expressly promise to pay the instrument himself or herself, but implicitly guarantees payment by virtue of using the drawee as a payment agent. In the event that the drawee refuses to pay a draft, the drawer is obligated to pay so long as the drawer is notified of the drawee’s dishonor of the draft. 2) An Indorser’s Liability. An indorser is someone other than the maker, drawer or acceptor who signs the instrument to negotiate it, restrict it or just to incur liability. The indorser’s signature is called an â€Å"indorsement. An indorser’s liability is created once an instrument has been dishonored and the indorser has been notified of the dishonor. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What are the 5 warranties that a transferor makes in respect to the negotiable instrument that is being transferred?  © 2011 HOCK international 108Warranty liability relates to the warranties (promises, or guarantees) that are made by a transferor in respect to the instrument that is being transferred. The transferor warrants that: 1) Good title to the instrument exists and the instrument is enforceable (it is their instrument to transfer). ) All signatures are authorized and genuine (meaning that there are no forgeries). 3) There are no material alterations (for example, the dollar amount has not been increased). 4) The transferor has no knowledge of any insolvency proceedings associated with the instrument. 5) There are no defenses that can be asserted against the transferor that would prevent payment of the instrument. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions To which parties are warranties made by a transferor of a negotiable instrument?  © 2011 HOCK international 109The parties to whom warranty liability is incurred depend n how the instrument is transferred: 1) Transfer with Indorsement. When the transferor signs the instrument, he or she incurs warranty liability with respect to the immediate transferee and all subsequent (following) transferees. 2) Transfer without Indorsement. If the transfer is made without the indorsement of the transferor, the transferor incurs warranty liability only with respect to the immediate transferee (recipient). Therefore, it is better for the transferor to transfer without indorsement if that is possible. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What are accommodation parties nd what type of liability do they have?  © 2011 HOCK international 110An accommodation party is a party who signs an instrument as maker, drawer, acceptor or indorser with the deliberate purpose of backing the obligation of another party (the accommodated party). Thus, the accommodation party incurs liability without being a direct beneficiary of the instrument (this is true even if the accommodation party acts as a paid surety; the key is that someone else gets a direct benefit of value given for an instrument). Accommodation parties incur no warranty liability, but they do incur secondary contract liability just like rawers and indorsers. Additionally, an accommodation party has primary contract liability if he or she signs on behalf of a note’s maker. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions How may liability on an instrument be terminated?  © 2011 HOCK international 111A person who is liable for an instrument can be discharged of some or all of the liabiliti es through: 1) Discharge by Performance (payment of the instrument). 2) Discharge by Mere Tender of Payment. The party who offers payment to the holder is discharged from any future liability for collection costs, interest and attorneys’ fees. ) Discharge by Cancellation or Renunciation. 4) Discharge by Material Alteration. If the amount of an instrument is changed fraudulently, this discharges all previous signatories. 5) Certification of a Check by a Bank. This discharges all prior parties to the instrument as the bank becomes primarily liable for the check. 6) Unexcused Delay in Payment. With unreasonable delay in the presentation of the instrument, previous signatories may be discharged. 7) Discharge Through Release of the Collateral. When collateral is released, the original promisor is also released. CPA RegulationNegotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What are the four requirements to be a holder in due course and what are the benefits?  © 2011 HOCK internat ional 112 A holder in due course (HDC) has special status. This status protects an innocent third party (the HDC) from losing his or her investment in a negotiable instrument due to some underlying problem with the instrument. There are four requirements that must be met for a holder to be an HDC: 1) Holder. The individual must be a holder of a negotiable instrument. 2) Value Given. The holder must have given present or past value (not future value) for the instrument. ) Good Faith. The holder must have acted in good faith in the acquisition of the instrument. 4) No Notice of Defect. The holder must take the instrument without notice that the instrument is overdue, has been dishonored, or has been forged. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What is a holder under a holder in due course and what are the benefits of this status?  © 2011 HOCK international 113The transfer of a negotiable instrument gives to the recipient (the transferee) any rights the tran sferor had to enforce the instrument. This includes the rights as an HDC. This means that when an HDC transfers the instrument to someone else, that recipient automatically has all of the same rights as an HDC. If the recipient meets the requirements as an HDC, they will be an HDC. If, however, the recipient does not meet the HDC requirements (perhaps they received the instrument as a gift), they will be a Holder Under Holder in Due Course (HUHDC) if the transferor was an HDC. This means that it is possible for a person who would not be an HDC (perhaps because he or she knew about some defect or the instrument was overdue) to be an HDC simply because the person from whom they obtained the nstrument was an HDC. This is the case regardless of whether the transfer is a negotiation or a gift. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What are the real defenses?  © 2011 HOCK international 114When an HDC makes a claim to force payment, the only defenses that the per son can use to prevent having to make payment to the HDC are real defenses. Real defenses concern the validity of the instrument itself. By using a real defense, the defendant (who tries not to pay) claims that the instrument was never actually an instrument and they never had a liability to that person. They include: ) Infancy. 2) Duress. 3) Incapacity. 4) Illegality. 5) Discharge in Bankruptcy. 6) Fraud in the Execution. 7) Forgery. 8) Alteration. 9) Subsequent Claims and Defenses. CPA Regulation Negotiable Instruments and Secured Transactions What are the personal defenses?  © 2011 HOCK international 115 All other defenses, other than real defenses, are personal defenses. Examples of personal defenses are: 1) Fraud in the inducement; 2) Lack of consideration; 3) Breach of contract; and 4) Mistakes. Personal defenses are ineffective against HDCs. This means that these defenses will not prevent someone from having to pay the HDC.

Poverty in Botswana Essay

Poverty is defined either in relative or absolute terms. According to Datta, 1995: 99, relative poverty is the deprivation in comparison to the living standards of other people who are the majority. On the other hand, absolute poverty refers to lack of minimum resources to maintain a minimum standard of living. The statistical measures used by the governments conceal so much about poverty, its extent, victims, and even the distribution. This is because mostly it is seen in economic terms such as Gross National Product or the per capita income which has been employed as the real indicator of social welfare. However it has been noticed that this method of measurement is concealing a great deal of information on poverty e. g. the internal variation in the progress in economic development by different groups in the population. Since Botswana achieved self governance in the 1966, it has experienced rapid economic growth; poverty in the rural areas has persisted over these years. There has also been brisk development to show in terms of infrastructure, education and health development. Botswana just like any other African country is still considered a third world country hence the endemic poverty has not escaped this southern African state considered to be having huge economic growth annually. Even though significant progress has been made in the last two decades in terms of economic growth, i. e. per capita gross domestic product increasing from 1,600 dollars in 1980 to nearly 10, 000 dollars today, most analysts argue that there is slim chances of the country halving the number of people living on less than a dollar a day by 2015. According to the household survey done in the country in 2002/2003 the unemployment rate was 23. 8 percent. It also indicated that income inequality in Botswana also increased between 1987 and 2003 hence analyst argue that poverty is not only quite widespread but also deeply rooted because it has persisted despite growth. However according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 47% of the populations live below the poverty line, that is, they live on less than one dollar a day. Further half of female headed households live on less than one dollar a day (Challenges 2006-7: Poverty in Botswana persists despite growth). This UNDP survey also indicate that the poorest 20% of the population get a merely 4% of the national income while the 20% richest share a whooping 60 percent of the total national income. According to McFarlan M in his paper;’ The Micro economic impact of HIV/AIDS in Botswana’, this statistics shows the high level of inequality in Botswana. That the urban- rural divide intensifies the already rampant inequality. The further statistics shows that four out of five members of a household still depend on the income from a family member in urban and that about one-fifth of rural households do not have any income source that could be recorded (MacFarlan M et al 2001) Women education Poverty does not necessarily refer to lack of possessions or income, experts argue that it also refer to lack of skills, knowledge, understanding and empowerment. It also refers to as a household’s financial inability to meet its basic nutritional, education and shelter needs (UNICEF, 1993: 77). Poverty hence tend to be more severe in particular groups in a society like low income groups, female- headed households, rural communities who cannot access social amenities like schools. Poverty, women and lack of education has been reported in many parts of the world, both in developed and developing countries. These uneducated female household heads are relatively younger and poorer. With lack of information and having high dependency burden, the circle of poverty continues. Poverty in Botswana has remained mainly a rural phenomenon whose bulk population are women. The female headed households are highly affected. This trend has been a cycle where female- headed house holds whose offspring are female end up heading their own households with inherited poverty. Botswana’s rural women lack access to economic opportunities and resources. Women also have no access to opportunities in economic resource exploitations. They lack access to agricultural land and other resources like technology, employment and credit. Whenever a poverty alleviation program fails in the village, it is women who feel the pinch because they form the bulk of those who depend wholly in agriculture.

Mitigation of Earthquakes

The location of Kobe town played a great role on the magnitude of the damage caused by the earth quake that occurred in the town in 1995. The damage was far much as compared to the damage caused in the Northridge earthquake in 1994 as much as the magnitudes of the quakes were the same. Kobe town is on a narrow strip, where we have a narrow transportation corridor that was severely impaired due to the collapse of the elevated roads and railways and this caused dislocation of public and commercial traffic.There was evidence of ground failure including disruption of the road pavement, the subsiding of pavement around manholes and ejection of silt soils. The only transportation link became the ground level roads and this brought about congestion that impeded emergency response and recovery. There were large deformations in road pavements and also of the ground near buildings foundations in the district of Sannomiya of Kobe.The deformations were in the order of tens of centimeters and thi s could have been the likely cause of the damages that included tilting of the building or collapse of the entire structures that were experienced in many multistory buildings that occurred in Kobe especially in the down town area. The time of occurrence of the quake also served to increase the people who died. The quake occurred at 5:46 a. m. , the time which found many of the resident asleep or just beginning their morning routines. There were also so many old wood-frame houses with heavy clay tiles that collapsed causing many deaths.There was also the ignition of fires that followed immediately after the collapse of the structures. The fires could not be extinguished on time to avert more death because of the hindrance caused by the failure of the water supply system and the disruption in the traffic system. These did not happen in the case of the 1994 Northridge earthquake as all the fault rupture occurred at depth that were greater than 10km, and many of the multistory building s in San Fernando Valley were at least 20km away from the fault rupture that was closest (Paul, 1995).The Northridge earth quake also occurred at the time when there were no people occupying the building that were affected. These include a stadium that collapsed but there were no people in it at that early morning hours that the quake occurred. There was also the report of multi storey commercial buildings collapsing but were also not occupied during the time of collapse. In this town there was also incidence of fire eruption due to the breaking of the commercial gas pipe system, though this did not measure to what occurred at Kobe.There was also the collapse of the wood structure but the number was not as big as the one experienced at Kobe. There were few such structures in this town as compared to the large number in the Kobe case. The design aspect of the structures also averted the occurrence of more death as seen from none collapsing of school buildings which are reinforced aga inst earth quakes. Components to include in mitigation strategy a) Improve risk assessments. Risk assessment should be done to find out the chances that earth quake are likely to occur in a certain place and the frequency of such an occurrence and the severity determined.Such information should be combined with the inventory of the structures that are in existence, and are likely to be affected by such disaster accompanied by the fragility data. The fragility data estimates the degree of damage that various types of structure will experience, for example, the type of damage likely to be experienced by unreinforced masonry building which is in earthquake prone area. These risk assessments are very important in increasing public awareness about the threat posed by the natural disaster. b)Implementation of mitigation measures.Land use plan can help the communities reduce significantly on losses that are brought about by natural disasters like earth quakes by adoption of land use plans that aim at avoiding the hazards while taking care of the environment and other goals. There is however no willingness of local government to adopt land use measures to protect against hazards unless a direction is received from a higher level government. There should be accurate identification of the disaster affected areas though the mapping of the hazard zones could be very expensive for some municipalities.Earth quake disaster can also be reduced substantially by improving the building codes. The code will guide the standard of buildings that are allowed (to be built) in certain areas and the rehabilitation of already existing structures. The life safety of buildings is currently being set by building codes. The maintenance of the functionality of the structures also is a very important aspect and becomes very critical in certain class of structures. For example in the US there was establishment of seismic safety standards for federally funded new construction by the federal gov ernment.This has the mandate of addressing seismic safety standards of the buildings that are already in existence and are either owned or leased. About half of 30000 communities in US have not adapted any building code and the effectiveness of the building codes is also subject to reinforcement by the relevant authority (Science, 1999). This requires an ongoing inspection program and it has been noted that many communities lack the required number of inspectors that are required to perform the job efficiently.c) Improve technologies that support warnings and the dissemination of, and response to, warnings. A good mitigation strategy should address this issue as one of the component of the mitigation strategies. Warnings are expected to be time specific, show location of the expected disaster and the severity of the expected events. The uncertainty accompanied by the events should also be stated in the manner that will allow the taking of action to ensure the survival of people and the protection of institutions and property.There are some warnings that are developed in form of maps even before a disaster occurs in an area. These could also include the posting of signs in the areas or having a regulation that requires that real estate agents inform potential property owners the nature of disaster the area is prone to. d) Improve the basis for natural disaster insurance. Improvement of the basis of natural disaster insurance is an important component that should be included in the mitigation strategy.There should be reward for individuals that invest in hazard-reduction measures and this should be before and after the disaster. Individuals that are insured are to be awarded lower premiums for adopting mitigation measures before disasters such as the potential loses are considerably reduced. The insurance companies have the freedom of refusing to provide coverage unless the policyholder has agreed to undertake certain prospective measures that can lower the pote ntial losses. REFERENCES Collins, Larry (2000).Earthquakes: Lessons from the Past, Part 1. Fire Engineering, 153(6). Retrieved August 27, 2008 from http://search. ebscohost. com Collins, Larry (2000). Earthquakes: Lessons from the Past, Part 2. Fire Engineering, 153(7). Retrieved August 27, 2008 from http://search. ebscohost. com Comerio, Mary (2004). Public policy for reducing earthquake risks: a US perspective. Building Research & Information, 32(5). Retrieved August 27, 2008 from http://search. ebscohost. com Emergency Management Institute.(2004). Introduction to Mitigation, Lesson 4. Retrieved February 8, 2004, from http://training. fema. gov/EMIWeb/IS/is393A. asp Paul S. ( February, 7 1995) Kobe Earthquake: An Urban Disaster Eos, 76( 6), 49-51. Retrieved March 30 2009, from http://www. agu. org/sci_soc/kobe. html Science (18 June 1999). Mitigation Emerges as Major Strategy for Reducing Losses Caused by Natural Disasters:284(5422). 1943-1947 Retrieved March 30 2009, from http:// www. sciencemag. org/cgi/content/full/284/5422/1943

Constructivism and Teaching English Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Constructivism and Teaching English - Assignment Example Although constructivism might provide a model of knowing and learning that has important implications for classroom practices, it does not translate neatly into a set of pedagogical practices. The implementation of the constructivist approach is still worth discussion and clarification. This paper will highlight challenges associated with implementing constructivism in teaching English to speakers of other languages. Much writing has been done about theories of constructivism and the connection to superior learning results; however, there is no "consolidated" discussion of the foundations, results, and practical issues of constructivism. According to Marlowe and Page (1998), even when teachers recognise the value of and want to use constructivist approaches in their classrooms, their efforts often produce less than what they expected. There have been attempts to make constructivism operational so that classroom teachers can more rapidly apply constructivist theory to practice. The pr oblem is that the application of constructivism in classrooms is "neither widespread nor systematic". Constructivist propositions can seem fairly simple but hundreds of observations of and questions from pre-service and in ¬ service teachers over the past 10 years show that they are not. Teachers and administrators who already work with constructivist reform initiatives need guidelines to help with the implementation. Moreover, development of a constructivist view of learning as a basis for instruction implies fundamental changes.

Unit 2 discussion board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Unit 2 discussion board - Essay Example The cost of healthcare as it stands, remains one of the largest components of the economy of the United States of America, and the alarming aspect is that it is rising faster than the rate of inflation. Through Medicare and Medicaid the healthcare systems aims to provide relief to certain disadvantaged segments of citizens of the country. This responsibility of the government is only going to increase in a huge manner due to two factors that will have a severe impact on the finances required. The first is that the population in the country is aging, and the number of people above the sixty-five years barrier is increasing, as a result of the increased life expectancy. Coupled with this is the dramatic advances in medical technological and medical treatment procedures, which comes at a high economic cost. Finding the financial resources to meet the rising demand, and escalated costs of medical treatment is going to be challenging for the governments involved. (Ericson, G.) The government has tried to address the issue of finances facing the healthcare system by a two-pronged effort, which has led to its next two challenges. To reduce the financial burden on itself, the government has tried to increase the insurance coverage among the population. Nearly two-thirds of those that have no medical insurance are from low-income families. A large percentage of these are from either minority communities or are young adults. In addition it is seen that employers do not provide medical insurance to many low-income workers. Business enterprises are averse to taking on additional financial burdens in terms of medical insurance for all their employees, as they believe that their competitive edge is blunted by the burden of these extra financial commitments. The challenge that the government faces is to motivate and encourage the private industry to

Vacation to New York City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vacation to New York City - Essay Example From the size of the buildings to the width of the main streets, even the height of the horses on whose backs police patrolled was such as I had not seen before. However, perhaps the most memorable fact of all was the sounds and overall noise. Although I did not come from a small town, to begin with, I was not prepared for the business and overall noise level that New York life involved. In any given minute there could be a street musician, a sidewalk advertisement/demonstration, people whistling for taxis, horns beeping, construction equipment working, jackhammers chipping, and the general din of thousands of people all talking at once. To my young and impressionable mind, this is one of the facts I will remember to the day I die as I recall looking out into the faceless mass of humanity with child-like awe and wonder at the sea of humanity that existed all around me. Beyond the noise, the grandeur of the buildings and their size was something else that gave me pause. Courthouses back home had a level of grandeur as did banks to a certain degree; however, the columns, the size, the colors, the use of glass, granite and steel to make obscenely tall buildings erupt from the corners of the sidewalk was something I had never before seen to such a degree. Likewise, the smells that greeted me were also of particular interest to my young, curious mind. For instance, the sidewalks emitted the pungent odor of multiple different kinds of ethnic foods all being sold by street vendors – usually of the country of origin as was the food they were peddling. At the same time, there were twinges of sea air mixed with the distinct smell of horse urine from the many horse-mounted police that was commonplace in the city of New York.

Citizens bank Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Citizens bank - Essay Example The researcher states that the strategic problem that the Citizens bank is facing is followed by an important tactical problem: up to then, in 2004, the organization has used acquisitions as a tool for promoting growth. Acquisitions, as developed through the years, led, necessarily, to the radical transformation of organizational structure: in 1992 the employees of the organization were estimated to just 1,300 while in 2004 the firm’s staff reached the ‘24,000 people across the  USA’. It was at this point that the tactic of the organization to proceed to acquisitions led to concerns. Larry Fish, the CEO of the firm identified the particular issue; it was clear that for the future the terms of acquisitions in which the organization would proceed should change. At the same time, Fish had to face another problem: Citizens Group was no more a bank of average size; it has become a major competitor in the US banking industry. Thus, the practices used up to then for se curing the firm’s image in the market should be reviewed. It has become clear that the firm was facing a tactical problem: the rate of acquisitions of other banks/ financial institutions have become so rapid that the organization’s mission and values could be doubted, as of their feasibility. The firm’s CEO would have to resolve a series of issues related to the above practice. From 1992, up to the acquisition of Charter One, the organization’s growth has been gradual.

Stem Cell Research Legislation Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Stem Cell Legislation - Research Paper Example It is hoped that such cells can be developed to replace dysfunctional cells in conditions like spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and various other medical conditions. A look into the American stem cell research legislations proves that the country needs to make such laws regarding patents and intellectual rights to ensure that the government and the federally funded researchers have access to stem cells. In addition, there should be clear government guidelines regarding the agreement between patent holders and researchers. The advancements in research were not free from ethical issues and legal disputes. As reported by National Bioethics Advisory Commission (1999) this is mainly so because the sources for stem cells are one week old embryos called blastocysts which are usually created through in vitro fertilization to treat infertility, five to nine week old embryos of fetuses obtained through elective abortion, embryos created through in vitro fer tilization for research purposes, embryos created through cloning or somatic cell nuclear transfer, and finally, adult tissues like umbilical cord blood and marrow. The controversy almost entirely surrounds taking stem cells from human embryos and fetuses because the process destroys them. Admittedly, the American administration has always been open to the ethical concerns surrounding embryo research. Throughout history, the government did not provide any funding to support researches on stem cells from human embryos. So, the federal law rightly prohibited the HHS from funding any such research. In the year 1994, President Bill Clinton issued an executive directive to the NIH that it should not allocate funds to develop human embryos for research purposes. Two years later, in 1996, there was a legislative ban on NIH’s spending on stem cell research from human embryos. Thereafter, every year, the government passed such a ban. As Wertz (2002, p. 674-678) points out, according t o the ban, federal funds could not be used for the development of human embryos for research purposes where human embryo is destroyed, discarded, or knowingly subjected to risk of injury or death. However, as the Wisconsin scientists successfully grew embryonic stem cells into specialized cells, there arose increased demand from NIH to again look into the governmental ban on stem cell research from embryos and fetus. The opinion of the HHS’ General Counsel was that the existing law that only prohibited the use of HHS funds for human embryo research would not ban research on stem cells because stem cells are not within the legal definition of human embryo. According to the definition provided, embryo is an organism that is capable of developing into a full human being when implanted in the uterus. It is claimed that the pluripotent stem cells are not able to grow into a human being. Thus, the opinion reached was that HHS could fund such stem cell researches that manage to get the stem cells from embryos using private means. The restriction only applied to those researches that want to derive stem cells from embryos using federal funds. Though there was congressional opposition, NIH made it clear that it would support stem cell research once it managed to issue guidelines and to establish an oversight committee. Thus, the NIH guidelines appeared in August 2000 that made it clear that researches using pluripotent stem cells from human embryos can be conducted using NIH funds. However the condition was that the stem

UPenn Wharton Business School Admission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

UPenn Wharton Business School Admission - Essay Example The competitive Chinese real estate market and the economic bubble was not fit for the financially challenged lot, making them drop along the way or were just employed as masons, and contractors when there were many opportunities. In addition, just as Mao Zedong said that nations do not mistrust each other because they are armed, while they are armed because they do not mistrust each other. I wanted to arm the masons and empower them to get the best out of their effort. I helped them identify alternative sources of capital that they could use to help improve their financial situation. Most of my first clients are in the real estate and have been enjoying the fruits of their life. These people have known the best recipe for project management and capital valuation, they know the importance of the project, how to maximize the bottom line in all projects, how to dispose their capital equipment without losing much through trade in or recycle/reuse. Others started big construction compani es that are now tremendously successful in the maintenance of the bad roads in Vietnam. These people realized that the main secret to their life is to like what they do and not just do what they like only. In this spirit, I only want to do the things I like and decide that now is the defining moment at hand before the defining moment defines me.

Financial Management assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Financial Management assignment 2 - Essay Example The company does not seem to be cash-rich as it currently has an overdraft facility. Although the company has been operating successfully, taking on the project will put the company in an unfavourable cash flow position. The Internal Rate of Return in which the Net Present Value is zero is undefined as there is no discount rate that is small enough to make the Net Present Value zero. The company has already incurred a considerable sum of GBP 750,000 on research and development of this new range. Perhaps, the company can consider alternative ways of manufacturing this product, such as outsourcing or negotiating for better material costs without compromising on its quality. The initial research cost of the project has already been incurred by the company and is considered as sunk cost. This is because whether Paddle Your Own Canoe Plc takes up the project, or not, the initial research cost will still be considered as being spent. In analysing the cash flow that will be generated from the project, sunk costs must be ignored. As such, the treatment of the initial research cost is to exclude from the cash flow calculation. Likewise, depreciation of the plant and machinery is not included in the calculation of the cash flow because this is a non cash flow item, while the investment appraisal focuses on cash flows. Depreciation is an accounting method of recognising the reduction of the company's fixed assets in its income statement over time and does not affect cash at all. Thus, this item has also been excluded. The additional working capital that the company needs to invest in is meant for other purposes at the end of the project. In fact, this will only be released for use at the end of the project. Although the company has to commit to this much earlier, the item has also been excluded in the calculations. This is because the working capital is not related to the project and will not affect the investment at all. However, in the event that the working capital is sought for the purpose of the project, then this will have to be considered in determining the feasibility of the project. Question 1c The payback period calculation looks at the shortest number of years to recover the cost of the project. Although the calculation is easy to understand and simple, it still has its limitations. It ignores the benefits that occur after the payback period and more importantly, the method ignores the time value of money. The Net Present Value is an indicator of how much value an investment or project adds to the company. The Net Present Value is a more reliable method of calculating the returns expected from investments as the method considers the time value of money. The Net Present Value compares the value of a dollar today to the value of that same dollar in the future, taking both inflation and returns into account. A positive Net Present Value generated from a prospective project is a good sign and should be accepted On the contrary, a negative Net Present Value resulting from projects should be rejected because the cash flows will also be negative. The Internal Rate of Return is the discount rate that delivers a Net

Coursework 8 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

8 - Coursework Example For example, the inhabitants could have cooperated and authorized this as a rule to be followed by all. 6.1: A top down hierarchy came up, under a king’s supervision. Common-pool resources were managed according to tradition and rituals as a means of avoiding overexploitation. However, the traditions did not materialize. 6.2: Group cooperation among societies disintegrated into competition and mutual suspicion. For instance, the reciprocity and trust among tribes disintegrated just like the king’s autonomy to give orders and enforcing them (Diamond, 1995). B. 1. Due to overpopulation, there was deforestation, which in turn led to soil erosion and nutrient leaching, soil evaporation, wind damage, and final crop yield reduction. This meant that food was insufficient to sustain the population as a result of low harvest and competition for the same. There was also class conflict, where the king was accused of the incapability to avert environmental collapse. Power was then assumed by the warrior class. Jointly, destabilization and inadequate response to circumstances as well as the deterioration of resources combined to cause collapse. 2. Just like Islanders, the current human population struggles to balance between preventing the harmful effects of practices like deforestation, soil erosion, and energy conservation. Most societies in the developing world are overpopulated and this continues to be a challenge to the limited amount of food produced. The historical account of Easter Island serves as a warning sign in regard to the need to address environmental issues in such a way that, it illustrates how lack of thoughtful environmental stewardship and careful planning can lead to failure of sustainable management of

The First Hundred Days of FDR and Obama in the Presidential Seat Essay Example for Free

The First Hundred Days of FDR and Obama in the Presidential Seat Essay Two Presidents took up the Presidential seat under the time of an economic recession in the United States. These two are Former President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (widely known as FDR) and President Barrack Obama, the newly elected President in last year’s elections. Both have entered the presidential scene in a time of great economic crisis; in FDR’s time was the Great Depression and in Obama’s, a mirror or reoccurrence of the Great Depression. The former successfully dealt with the Great Depression, rescuing the country from economic collapse and impending civil unrest—if the crisis would continue. The latter is expected by the public to deliver the same performance under the same economic situation, hoping that everything would be fine in the nearest possible future. Comparing the two president’s first hundred days in the presidential seat, they exert the aura of hope as seen by the public eye when they first took up the presidential seat, to deliver the country from a worsening economic meltdown. In his first few days of office, President Franklin D. Roosevelt immediately aimed for rescuing the United States’ economy from the Great Depression—a massive economic recession. It was a challenge for the President-elect to save the country from such a sinkhole but he already laid out plans on how he would be able to achieve this primary goal. The first thing that he aimed for was to close all the banks in the country, declaring a bank â€Å"holiday†. This was done in order for the government and these bankers to assess the situation and plan out a strategy in order to regain control of the deteriorating economy. The Emergency Banking Bill was implemented in order to reorganize banks in the country, and later to reopen these under a new structure, which proved to be a great move by the president. After his terms in the office, he was regarded as a model for succeeding presidents to follow as he was able to achieve so many great things in the face of crisis—from the Great Depression to the Second World War. During his first hundred days, he was able to stabilize the American economy, avoiding its further downfall. Presidents that followed tried to recreate FDR’s term. The recent president-elect Barrack Obama has probably felt the same pressure as what FDR felt during his first hundred days in the office, entering the scene upon which the country is suffering a similar economic downturn; Dà ©jà   vu as many economists and historians would believe. However, the question still remains: would he be able to pull off the same stunts as that of the late FDR? Somehow, President Obama is showing some signs of promise in his first few days in the office. He initially concentrated with the stabilizing the country’s economy but later on concentrated on establishing better relationships with other countries—some of which are â€Å"enemies† of the United States. Even so, it still did not replicate the great achievement of FDR in his first few days in office: saving the economy from a deep sinkhole. However, it could also be assumed that Obama’s version of the â€Å"rescue† is still on the planning stages as the administration could not afford any mistakes in conducting this economic rescue plan. Also, the people have not given up hope on President Obama to deliver them from this economic tragedy in the United States. There is not much difference between the two except for the fact that FDR has successfully stabilized the economy to a more controllable level in his first hundred days in the office. He exercised an immediate relief plan for the United States government and its people, in order to save them from the spites of the Great Depression. President Obama aims to replicate this achievement as the country is currently facing the same situation. At the same time, he aimed to establish better relationships with other nations, control overseas matters, and turn the government into a transparent entity. These two presidents have shared a similar fate when they entered the presidency. They were expected by the public to relieve the country from further economic downfall, as these people considered them as a ray of hope for a better America in the future. References Kangas, S. (1997). The First 100 Days. The Great Depression: Its Causes and Cure. Retrieved April 27, 2009 from http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/First100days.htm Smith, J. E. (2009, January 16). How F.D.R. Made the Presidency Matter. 100 Days: Starting the Job, From F.D.R. to Obama. Retrieved April 27, 2009 from http://100days.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/16/how-fdr-made-the-presidency-matter/ Talev, M. (2009, April 26). Obama’s first 100 days in office haven’t been quite. McClatchy Newspapers. Retrieved April 27, 2009 from http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20090426/pl_mcclatchy/3217776

Chemical Structure Of Fructooligosaccharides

Chemical Structure Of Fructooligosaccharides Introduction Modern people are increasingly interested in their personal health, and expect the foods they eat to be tasty and attractive also healthy and safe. As interest in the link between diet and health gathers pace, many people seek ways to feel well and stay healthy by eating nutritionally foods. Non-digestible carbohydrates such as oligosaccharides, dietary fibers, and resistant starch have various physiologic functions and the promotive effects of many non-digestible carbohydrates on well being, better health and reduction of the risk of diseases have been well examined. Among non-digestible carbohydrates, the functional oligosaccharides present important physicochemical and physiological properties beneficial to the health of consumers, and for this reason, their use as food ingredients has increased rapidly. The functional oligosaccharides are intermediate in nature between simple sugars and polysaccharides and are claimed to behave as dietary fibres and prebiotics. These compounds as non-absorbable food ingredients are microbial food supplements and may benefit the host by selectively stimulating salutary bacteria in the large intestine. The best known functional oligosaccharides include fructooligosaccharide, glucooligosaccharides (GOS), isomalto-oligosaccharides, soybean oligosaccharides, xylo-oligosaccharides and maltitol. Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are non-digestible carbohydrates that represent one of the major classes of bifidogenic oligosaccharides. They are compounds of a vegetable origin and are found in varying concentrations in many foods such as asparagus, onions, artichokes, garlic, wheat, bananas, tomatoes and honey. Their chemical structure consists of a chain of fructose units with a terminal glucose unit linked by ÃŽÂ ²-(2â‚ ¬Ã‚ ¢1) glycosidic bonds, that means they cannot be hydrolysed by human digestive enzymes which are specific for ÃŽÂ ²-glycosidic bonds. The length of the chain ranges from 2- 60. There are three categories of FOS, each of which is structurally distinct: inulin, has a polymerization degree of 2 about 60 monomers of fructose, with an average of 12 units; oligofructose is produced by the enzymatic hydrolysis of inulin and is defined as a fraction of oligosaccharides with degree of polymerization lower than 20, although commercial products tend to have a mean value of 9; these FOS are produced by the enzymatic hydrolysis of inulin and consists of fructosyl chains of different lengths, with glucose and fructose terminals. Finally, scFOS (short chain fructooligosaccharides) are specifically defined as mixed chains of fructosyl with a glucose terminal unit; they have a maximum of 5 units and are derived from sugar through natural fermentation processes, producing 1-kestose (GF2), nystose (GF3) and 1-fructosylnystose (GF4) in which the fructosyl units (F) are linked at the ÃŽÂ ²-(2â‚ ¬Ã‚ ¢1) position of sucrose (Figure 1). FOS are water-soluble and their sweetness is 0.3-0.6 times that of sucrose, depending on the chemical structure and the degree of polymerization of the oligosaccharide. FOS are highly hygroscopic and their water holding capacity is greater than that of sucros. The viscosity of a FOS solution is higher than that of sucrose at the same concentration because the greater molecular weight of FOS. The enhanced viscosity of the gastrointestinal content may delay the rate of gastric emptying and the digestion and absorption of nutrients. Their thermal stability also is greater than of sucrose. FOS are highly stable in the normal range of food pH (4.0-7.0). FOS can substitute sucrose as regards many of its properties, including solubility, freezing and fusion point and crystalline properties. It has been estimated that the caloric value of FOS ranges from 1.5 to 2.0 kcal/g, which represents 40-50% of that of digestible carbohydrates such as sucrose. Fructooligosaccharides have interesting properties: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Low sweetness intensity: this property makes them useful for various kinds of foods where the use of sucrose is restricted due to its high sweetness. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Calorie free; i.e., the human body lacks the necessary enzymes to hydrolyze the beta bonds, so that they are not hydrolyzed by the digestive enzymes. Thus, since these substances can not be used as an energy source in the body, they are safe for diabetics and people on slimming diets. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Non-cariogenic, since they are not used by Streptococcus mutans to form the acids and insoluble ÃŽÂ ²-glucans that are the main causes of dental caries. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ They behave as soluble food fibre from a physiological point of view. They are non-digestible carbohydrates of a vegetable origin that reach to the large intestine, where they can be fermented by the colonic flora to promote the growth of bifidobacteria and prevent the growth of potentially pathogenic microorganisms. The bacterial degradation of FOS occurs in two stages: in the first stage, the monomers are hydrolyzed by bacterial beta-oxidases. In the second, the monomers released ferment anaerobically to produce volatile fat acids (SCFA) such as acetate, propionate and butyrate, and gases (H2, CO2, CH4). These properties, together with their other beneficial physiological effects (low carcinogenicity, prebiotic effect, improved mineral absorption, and decreased serum cholesterol, phospholipid and triacylglycerol levels) defend the addition of FOS to foods as infant formulas which, in any case, have only very low quantities of these nutrients. Experimental 1 Impact of a jelly containing short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides and Sideritis euboea extract on human faecal microbiota. (Mitsou et al., 2009) 1. Materials Methods 1.1 Subjects Sixty-four healthy adult volunteers (26 men and 38 women) aged 22-51 years (mean age: 33 years) enrolled. Elimination criteria were a history of gastrointestinal disease and chronic diseases (i.e., diabetes, hyperlipidemia, autoimmune disorders, cardiovascular diseases), a history of extreme dietary behaviors, epileptic seizures, consumption of antibiotics and other medication 2 months prior and during the investigation period. Smoking patterns were recorded prior to the study. 1.2 Feeding regime Placebo food was a commercial dessert (jelly, lemon flavored) in powder form containing 86 g sugar, 10 g gelatin, 2.20 g citric acid, 1 g sodium citrate, 0.5 g flavors and 0.3 g colors per 100 g of product. Experimental functional food (jelly) provided additionally 15 g sc-FOS and 0.9 g S. euboea extract per 100 g of product (respectively, 5 g and 0.3 g per jelly portion daily). Powder from aqueous extract of S. euboea was produced using a spray drier. The sc-FOS tested was Actilight ® 950P, a mixture of FOS comprising 37% 1-kestose (GF2), 53% nystose (GF3) and 10% 1F-ÃŽÂ ²-fructofuranosyl nystose (GF4) (Bà ©ghin Meiji Industries, Neuilly sur Seine, France). Jotis S.A. Food Industry provided both the placebo and experimental food product. The experimental and placebo food were supplied in a powder form (100-g packages) and volunteers were asked to prepare 3 portions of jelly per 100-g package according to manufacturers instructions. Subjects were free to eat one portion of the jelly at any time of day. 1.3 Experimental design Subjects were instructed to preserve their usual diet and fluid intake during the study with the exception of additional prebiotics and probiotic supplements. Volunteers were assessed for restriction of probiotic and prebiotic consumption during a period of two weeksprior to the intervention. One pre-treatment faecal sample was taken before treatment period begun (day 0). During the intervention, subjects were randomly assigned to two groups according to feeding regime (placebo group, sc-FOS+extract group) and consumed, respectively, one portion of placebo or experimental jelly daily for 30 d. Neither the subjects nor the researchers were informed about the type of jelly ingested (doubleblinded). Faecal samples were obtained after 2 weeks (day 15) and 4 weeks (day 30) of the treatment period. Stool sampling took place also at the end of the follow-up period, 2 weeks after the dietary intervention (day 45). 1.4 Gastrointestinal symptoms Gastrointestinal side effects were evaluated during the treatment period (day 1-15 and day 16-30) using a daily questionnaire in which symptoms (i.e. abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence) were marked from 0 (no symptoms) to 3 (severe symptoms). The 15-d symptom score (sum of symptom intensity during a 15-d period) was graded as 0 = no symptoms, 1-15 = mild symptoms, 16-30 = moderate symptoms and 31-45 = severe symptoms with possible range for each 15-d symptom score estimated at 0-45 and for total symptom score at 0-135. 1.5 Sample collection Faecal specimens were collected rapidly into sterile plastic containers and transferred under anaerobic conditions (GΆ¢ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ bag anaer, 45534 Biomà ©rieux ® SA, Marcy-lEtoile, France), to a laboratory for microbiological analysis. 1.6 Bacterial enumeration Approximately 1 g of the specimenwasweighed and diluted in 9-ml pre-reduced peptone physiological saline (PPS), containing 0.1% bacteriological peptone (OXOID Basingstoke, Hamshire, England) and 0.85%NaCl. After homogenization, serial 10-fold dilutions of the homogenateswere performed in PPS under anaerobic environment (BACTRONà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ 1.5 Anaerobic Environmental Chamber, SHELLAB, Cornelius, Oregon). Columbia blood agar was used for the enumeration of the total mesophilic aerobic and anaerobic microflora (incubation under aerobic and anaerobic conditions at 37  °C for 48 h). Enumeration of total coliforms and E. coli was performed on Chromocult ® Coliform agar (Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) and bacterial counts of enterococci were performed on Slanetz and Bartley medium (LabM Limited, Lancashire, UK) after aerobic incubation at 37  °C for 24 and 48 h, respectively. Rogosa agar (Merck KGaA) and Wilkins-Chalgren anaerobe agar (OXOID), supplemented with 5% (v/v) defibrina ted horse blood and G-N anaerobe selective supplement (OXOID),were used for the enumeration of Lactobacillus spp. and Bacteroides spp. respectively, after anaerobic incubation at 37 °C for 48 h. Clostridium perfringens was enumerated on Perfringens agar (LabM Limited) supplemented with D-cycloserine (400 mg/L) (LabM Limited) after 24-h anaerobic incubation at 37 °C. Finally, Beerens agar was used for the enumeration of Bifidobacterium spp. (anaerobic incubation at 37 °C for 72 h). Bacteria were characterized on the basis of colony appearance, Grams stain, catalase reaction and cell morphology. Since Rogosa and Beerens agars are likely to support growth of non-Lactobacillus and non-Bifidobacterium species respectively one representative isolate from each colony phenotype in these media was further identified to the genus level by molecular methods as described previously. Colony counts were obtained and expressed as a log10 of the colony forming units (CFUs)/g fresh faeces. 1.7 Statistics Bacterial counts between the feeding groups at each sampling time (day 0, 15, 30 and 45) prospectively were compared using repeated measures ANOVA (RM-ANOVA) for parametric and the Friedman test for non-parametric data, after age adjustment and Bonferronis adjustment for multiplicity. Bacterial counts into each group were compared prospectively using paired-samples t test for parametric and the Wilcoxon signed ranks test for non-parametric data. Comparison of colonization levels was based on log10 transformation of viable bacterial counts. Correlations between initial bifidobacterial levels and increases in bifidobacteria counts in sc-FOS+extract group at day 15 and 30 were tested by the Spearman correlation and a linear regression analysis was performed for the best prediction of the dependent variable. Digestive symptom intensity was expressed as a 15-d score (day 1-15 and day 16-30) as well as the number of evacuations, watery stools and diarrheic days. Comparisons between study groups and intragroup analysis were performed by the Friedman test for nonparametric data, after age adjustment and Bonferronis adjustment for multiplicity. The statistical analysis of the results was performed by the software program SPSS ® for Windows Release 11.5 and the significance threshold was set at 5% (P 2. Results Fifty-two volunteers (23 men and 29 women) aged 23-50 years (mean age: 34 years) managed to complete the study. Dropoutwas due to antibiotic consumption during the investigation period. According to randomized design of the study, 23 volunteers ingested the placebo and 29 volunteers consumed the experimental jelly. No significant differences were detected between the placebo and the sc-FOS+extract groups in terms of age (mean age: 33.78 years vs. 34.28 years), sex distribution (10 men and 13 women vs. 13 men and 16 women) or smoking patterns (13 non smokers and 10 smokers vs. 20 non smokers and 9 smokers), respectively. 2.1 Bacterial populations In thewhole study population, no differences in intestinalmicroflora were observed between smokers and non smokers, while genderspecific comparisons revealed higher initial total anaerobe bacterial (9.56 ±0.46 vs. 9.26 ±0.61 log10CFU/g faeces, P = 0.047) and bifidobacterial levels (8.87 ±1.37 vs. 8.19 ±1.83 log10CFU/g faeces, P = 0.007) in females than males. Overall, no significant differences were observed in viable counts of aerobes between the two feeding groups (Table 1). A trend towards lower levels of total aerobes at day 30 (8.13 ±0.96 vs. 8.61 ±0.92 log10CFU/g faeces, P = 0.077), which turned into a significant difference at day 45 was observed in functional food group compared to the placebo. Bacterial levels of total coliforms and E. coli were statistically different between the placebo and sc-FOS+extract groups at day 30, while group-specific analysis revealed higher levels of total coliforms and E. coli only for the placebo regime at day 30 compared to the baseline and day 15. Enterococci counts were not significantly influenced by the ingestion of the functional jelly compared to placebo during the study period. In sc-FOS+extract group, enterococci were significantly decreased after 30 d of ingestion (6.77 ±1.29 vs. 6.29 ±1.24 log10CFU/g faeces, P = 0.038) compared to the baseline. No significant overall viable counts differences were detected between the study groups in the case of total anaerobe mesophilic microflora, Bacteroides spp., Lactobacillus spp. and C. perfringens (Table 1). Total anaerobes were estimated in comparable densities in the two study groups during the entire research period. Higher levels of total anaerobes were detected in the functional food group at day 15 (9.87 ±0.58 vs. 9.38 ±0.56 log10CFU/g faeces, P = 0.001) and day 45 (9.66 ±0.62 vs. 9.38 ±0.56 log10CFU/g faeces, P = 0.015) compared to pre-treatment counts. Bacteroides and lactobacilli did not demonstrate significant differences at any sampling time between the feeding groups. Increased Bacteroides population was detected in sc-FOS+ extract group after 15 d of consumption and two weeks after the end of the nutritional intervention compared to initial counts (8.71 ±0.54 vs. 8.30 ±0.81 log10CFU/g faeces, P = 0.010 and 8.80 ±0.60 vs. 8.30 ±0.81 log10CFU/g faeces, P = 0.002, respectively). Ingestion of the experimental food in comparison to placebo was related to a trend for lower levels of C. perfringens at day 15 (4.16 ±1.24 vs. 4.78 ±1.23 log10CFU/g faeces, P = 0.065). Analysis of bacterial counts demonstrated an overall significant effect of feeding regime in Bifidobacterium spp. levels (Table 1). The enumeration data presented a significant bifidogenic effect of the functional food preparation compared to the placebo after 15 and 30 d of consumption and a non-significant higher level of faecal bifidobacteria in this group 2 weeks after the end of ingestion. Furthermore,faecal bifidobacteria counts were significantly higher at 15 (9.54 ± 0.83 log10CFU/g faeces, P = 0.002) and 30 d of intervention (9.34 ±1.04 log10CFU/g faeces, P = 0.027) and two weeks after the treatmentperiod (9.33 ±0.61 log10CFU/g faeces, P = 0.015) in the sc-FOS+extract group, compared to pre-treatment levels (8.79 ±0.93 log10CFU/g faeces). During the 15 and 30 d of dietary intervention, respectively 24 and 21 cases of healthy volunteers consuming the experimental jelly gave increased bifidobacterial counts, with mean increase being estimated at 1.06 log10CFU/g faeces and 1.14 log10CFU/g faeces for two and four weeks of intervention. Figs. 2 and 3 indicate a correlation between initial levels of bifidobacteria and positive change in these bacterial populations after 15 (R2 = 0.747, P = 0.000) and 30 d (R2 = 0.712, P = 0.000) of functional food consumption. Subjects with lower baseline bifidobacterial counts gave larger increase on ingestion of experimental jelly. 2.2 Gastrointestinal symptoms No significant differences were observed for gastrointestinal symptoms and characteristics of evacuation during the 30 d of dietary intervention (Table 2). During the first two weeks of the study, a trend for greater flatulence score (6.88 ±6.94 vs. 3.57 ±4.72, P = 0.070) was observed in functional food group and five cases of moderate flatulence symptoms were reported in this group instead of none in the control group. Table 1 Faecal bacterial countsa (log10CFU/g faeces) in sc-FOS+Sideritis euboea extract group (n = 29) and placebo group (n = 23) during the 30-d dietary intervention and 2-week posttreatment period. aAll values are mean ±S.D.; CFU, colony forming units; sc-FOS, short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides. b-fSignificantly different from placebo: bP = 0.042, cP = 0.018, dP = 0.040, eP = 0.001, fP = 0.027; gSignificantly different from baseline (day 0) (P Figure 2. Correlation between the initial levels of bifidobacteria and increase in bifidobacteria after consumption of a jelly containing sc-FOS+Sideritis euboea extract for 15 d. Bacterial counts are expressed as log10CFU/g faeces; CFU, colony forming units; sc-FOS, short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides. Figure 3. Correlation between the initial levels of bifidobacteria and increase in bifidobacteria after consumption of a jelly containing sc-FOS+Sideritis euboea extract for 30 d. Bacterial counts are expressed as log10CFU/g faeces; CFU, colony forming units; sc-FOS, short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides. Table 2 Gastrointestinal symptoms and characteristics of evacuations in sc-FOS+Sideritis euboea extract group (n = 29) and placebo group (n = 23) during the study (0-15 and 16-30 d).a Symptom intensity was graded as 0 = no symptoms, 1-15 = mild symptoms, 16-30 = moderate symptoms and 31-45 = severe symptoms. The possible range for each 15-d symptom score is 0-15 and for total symptom score 0-135. a All values are mean ±S.D.; sc-FOS, short-chain fructo-oligosaccharides. 3. Discussion Results indicated a significant bifidogenic effect of the experimental jelly during the intervention. Differences in levels of total coliforms/E. coli and total aerobes were detected between the two feeding groups at day 30 and 45, respectively. Total anaerobes, lactobacilli, Bacteroides spp. C. perfringens and enterococci were not significantly influenced by the ingestion of the functional food compared to placebo during the study period. The present study demonstrated a strong and selective stimulation of bifidogenesis in healthy volunteers after 2- and 4-week consumption of an experimental jelly compared to the placebo. In our study, high levels of bifidobacteria persisted within the sc-FOS+extract group two weeks after the end of the intervention, a finding that proposes an extended prebiotic effect of sc-FOS. Another results indicated a decrease in total aerobes in sc-FOS+ extract group compared to the control group two weeks after the end of intervention and no significant differences in enterococci counts throughout the entire study period. Previous data from studies that used culture-based enumeration techniques proposed no significant effects of both inulin and oligofructose consumption on total viable counts of aerobes and an unexplained transient increase in aerobic microflora after ingestion of 4 g sc-FOS. A significant difference in enterobacterial counts between the two dietary groups was detected at the cessation of the 30-d intervention, which could be attributed rather to the significant increase of total coliforms and E. coli densities in the control group. Bacterial counts for Enterobacteriaceae were not significantly affected by the ingestion of sc-FOS, such as Actilight and Neosugar. Analysis of digestive symptoms indicated that, compared to placebo, consumption of the experimental functional jelly related only with a trend for greater flatulence during the first two weeks of dietary intervention. A 7-d ingestion of sc-FOS correlated with minor bloating at doses from 2.5-10 g/d and with excess flatus at 20 g/d In general, excess flatus and/or bloating are the most common gastrointestinal symptoms during sc-FOS ingestion, but they are usually characterized as limited and very mild. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the prebiotic potential of a jelly containing sc-FOS and S. euboea extract in healthy volunteers. The product was well-tolerated, with no severe gastrointestinal side effects. Future applications of the experimental food could be focused on people with abnormal intestinal microbiota. Experimental 2 Fructooligosaccharide fortification of selected fruit juice beverages: Effect on the quality characteristics (Renuka et al., 2009) 1. Materials Methods 1.1 Preparation of FOS syrup FOS was produced by the transfructosylation of sucrose using FTase enzyme obtained by submerged fermentation using Aspergillus oryzae MTCC 5154 1.2 Preparation of fruit juice beverages Ripe pineapple, mango and orange fruits were procured from the local fruit market. The fruits were washed, peeled, crushed and passed through pulper to obtain pulp. In case of oranges, the fruits were peeled and passed through a screw type juice extractor to obtain orange juice. Based on the initial sucrose content of each of the three fruit pulp/juice, sugar syrups were prepared by mixing 135, 35, and 195 g of sucrose in 5847, 5947, and 5947 g of water for pineapple, mango, and orange fruit juices respectively to achieve uniform sweetness. To each of the sugar syrups prepared, citric acid (18 g), FOS syrup (2000 g) and respective fruit pulp/juice (2000 g) were added. The prepared fruit juice beverages were heated to 90 and hot filled into presterilized bottles and were allowed to cool. Another set of fruit juice beverages containing only sucrose without any added FOS was prepared and used as control. 1.3 Characterization and storage studies of fruit juice beverages Fruit juice beverages were stored at ambient (25  ± 2 à  Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ C) and refrigeration (4 à  Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ C) temperature for 6 months and were analyzed for colour, changes in the FOS content, total soluble solids (TSS), titratable acidity, pH and sensory qualities at regular intervals of 2 months. 1.4 FOS content A known volume of fruit juice beverages fortified with FOS was centrifuged at 8000 rpm for 20 min. The supernatant was filtered through 0.45 m cellulose nitrate filter (Millipore India Pvt ltd.) and appropriately diluted with triple distilled water and analyzed by HPLC. 1.5 Sensory evaluation Sensory evaluation was carried out by hedonic scale consisting of 10 points (1-10), where 9-10 = excellent, 7-8 = very good, 5- 6 = good, 3-4 = fair, 1-2 = poor. An internal panel of seven expert members evaluated the products for colour, appearance, taste/flavour, mouth feel and overall acceptability. 2. Results and discussion 2.1. Retention of FOS in the fortified fruit juice beverages Figure. 4 presents retention of FOS in the fortified fruit juice beverages as a function of storage time. At the end of 6 months of storage, a significant amount of FOS was retained in the fruit juice beverages stored at refrigeration temperature in comparison with those stored at ambient temperatures. There was a noticeable change in the acceptable quality characteristics after 4 months storage at ambient temperature. Fruit juice beverages in general are fast moving commodity and generally do not remain unsold for more than 2-4 months. Thus, the present study clearly indicates that fruit juice beverages can successfully be fortified with FOS with existence of 4 months at ambient temperature. Figure 4. Effect of storage period on FOS content (g/100 g) of fruit juice beverages. : Pineapple, : Mango and : Orange juices fortified with FOS. 2.2. Characterization of fruit juice beverages during storage The changes in pH, TSS ( à  Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ Brix), and titratable acidity of the fruit juice beverages, when analyzed using ANOVA were not statistically significant at the 5% level between time zero (initial) and 180 days (6 months) of storage at ambient and refrigeration temperature. The pH of the fruit juice beverages fortified with FOS was in the range of 3.23-3.57 as against the control (3.30-3.82). Similar observations with respect to the changes in pH as a function of storage time and temperature have been made. TSS ( à  Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ Brix) of the fruit juice beverages varied from 15 to 16 à  Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ Brix and was stable throughout the storage period (4 à  Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ C 25  ± 2 à  Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ C). The stability of the TSS could be due to the heat treatment prior to storage. Titratable acidity of fruit juice beverages varied from 0.23 to 0.35 g citric acid/100 mL juice. The acidity was fairly constant throughout the storage. The fruit juice beverages fortified with FOS have stability over storage and the beverages kept all the good sensorial properties, as compared to control. Results also showed that there was no visible change (Pà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥0.05) in the colour during storage. 2.3. Sensory evaluation No significant changes were detected in the overall quality of the fruit juice beverages fortified with FOS in comparison with that of control by the panelists after 4 months of storage at ambient temperature (Table 3). Sensory qualities of the fruit juice beverages stored at ambient and refrigerated temperature was studied on the basis of the consideration that a minimally acceptable product should be equivalent to rating 5 (colour, consistency, taste, flavour and overall quality) of its sensory quality. Fruit juice beverages fortified with FOS were found to be acceptable up to 4 and 6 months based on the evaluation of overall quality at ambient and refrigeration temperature respectively. 3. Conclusion The changes in the present day consumers life style have led to a vital change in the marketing trends of food sector. Todays consumer being more health conscious is seeking products with greater health benefits and there is a great demand for health foods. The present study showed that fruit juice beverages can fortified with FOS with existence of 4 months and 6 months at ambient and refrigeration temperature respectively. There were no undesirable changes in the physicochemical characteristics of the fruit juice beverages fortified with FOS. Overall quality of the fruit juice beverages fortified with FOS for 4 months of storage at ambient temperature was acceptable as indicated by sensory analysis. Constant pH, TSS, TA and viscosity of fruit juice beverages clearly indicates that there is no spoilage either due to microbial or enzymatic reaction.

The Impact Of Landfill Sites Essay

The Impact Of Landfill Sites Essay A landfill is a site for the disposal of wastes in a community. The use of landfills is the oldest form of waste management. Since the year 1992, Pennsylvania has been the largest importer of waste in the United States. In the year 2003, Pennsylvania received and accepted waste from twenty-eight states that also included Canada, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. The use of landfills has become an environmental problem not only for Pennsylvania but for the entire Continental United States. One of the biggest problems in Pennsylvania is in Elizabethtown. The landfill site in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania is currently a fifteen-acre sandstone quarry. This quarry has been operating as an unlicensed landfill from the years of 1958 to 1973 and was accepting an unknown amount of waste from surrounding communities. However, in the year 1985, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) discovered VOCs (volatile organic compounds) which are chemical components found in solvents and degreasers. Waste Management had arranged for the site to be covered with two feet of clay and six inches of topsoil in order to help prevent contamination from moving away from the site. They also included vents to avoid methane gas accumulation. All of these precautions were intended to help the communitys health and well-being. There are an estimated 13,200 people who receive their drinking water from private and public wells within three miles from the landfill site. The cleanup process included not only the vents to avoid methane gas accumulation, but also included a system to collect leachate, a sediment basin, and a drainage system. In the year 1990, the PRPs (potentially responsible party) had entered into a consent agreement with the EPA to work on studies to help determine the extent of contamination. However, it took nine years for the PRPs to agree to continue with the cleanup of the landfill site. The EPA selected different areas for the PRPs to focus on. Those areas included; capping and uncapping portions of the landfill, more studies on the surface and groundwater, and pumping and treating contaminated groundwater. Construction of the cap for the landfill began in 2002 and was completed in 2003. Also, the study of the groundwater was started in 2004 but wasnt completed, with results reported to the EPA until 2008. In June of 2008, the EPA completed a Five-Year Review of the site, which helps to determine if the steps taken to remedy the damage of the site was effective. However, according to the EPA, The remedy of the Site could not be determined to be protective of human health and environmental because volatile organic compounds in the groundwater may represent a pathway for vapour intrusions into buildings. (Epa.gov). So, in order to attempt to completely remedy the danger that is the landfill in Elizabethtown, PA, the EPA will be conducting a vapour intrusion study in 2010. Many dangerous landfills, usually ones that are not modern in technology and age, have come to the attention of the EPA. The process used to remedy the situation in the Elizabethtown landfill is a process used most times by the EPA to ensure the safety of the people in the surrounding communities. However, their work is never done. In order to ensure that the communities local to the landfill stay safe, the EPA and PRPs must continue to conduct tests and experiments constantly. Due to the encouraging and environmental strides by the EPA, modern landfills have become well-engineered facilities that are located, designed, operated, and monitored to ensure compliance with federal regulations. (EPA.gov). Due to constant upkeep is done by the EPA, a modern landfill is designed to protect the environment and the citizens surrounding the landfill from contaminations. Another breakthrough contributed by the EPA is the ability to collect possible harmful gas emissions and convert them into energy. Which not only helps the landfill from contaminations, it also donates to our energy crisis. In todays world, all municipal solid waste landfills must comply with federal regulations in order to keep the landfill safe. These regulations include location restrictions, composite liner requirements, leachate collection and removal services, operating practices, groundwater monitoring requirements, closure and post-closure care requirements, corrective action provisions, and finally financial assurance. All of the regulations are designed to ensure the proper care of these waste facilities and to avoid the harm of all living beings. One of the more important regulations required of landfills is the location restriction. The location restriction reassures that the landfill is built away from restricted areas such as faults, wetlands, or flood plains. The landfills are required to be built in a suitable geological area to support the hazardous waste that is contributed to the landfill each day. Another extremely useful regulation required of landfills is the operating practices. The operating practices include covering and compacting the waste constantly in the landfill and covering it with soil. In doing this, it helps to reduce odour, control rodents, insects, and litter. This, in turn, protects the public health and well-being of the community. All of these regulations have been put in place to help the general health and well-being of the people and animals in the community. If these regulations werent in place, there would be contaminated drinking water, heavy pollution, odour, and pests that would affect our health. The EPA also established restrictions on some materials, and have banned them from municipal solid waste landfills. These materials are broken down into two different types of waste materials, household hazardous wastes and household appliances (known as white goods). Some of the materials included in these categories are paints, motor oils, cleaners, refrigerators, or window air conditioners. The products in these categories can be hazardous to your health if not handled properly. Also, the household appliances, or white goods, are dangerous due to their need to rely on ozone-depleting refrigerants (which can include ammonia, sulphur dioxide, or methane). Many years ago, landfills could have or be disastrous. Most landfills contained toxins, contaminations, and poisons that were extremely dangerous to the health of the community. However, due to the efforts of the EPA and the government, that all has been changed. With the new regulations and restrictions, landfills are able to exist in our communities without having to be concerned with the everyday health of the people surrounding the landfill. Without the help of the EPA, the country would still be living in areas with contaminated air and water that would be hazardous to our health and environment.

Isabel allende :: essays research papers

About the Author It was fifteen years ago that, Isabel Allende took the literary world by storm with the publication of The House of the Spirits, a novel which chronicled four generations of a Chilean family against the backdrop of Chile's brutal history. The Times of London heralded Allende as having "the rare ability to blend fantasy and legend with political fact and a well-plotted narrative to produce an enchanted world unlike anything else in contemporary fiction." The New York Times called the book "a unique achievement, both personal witness and possible allegory of the past, present and future of Latin America." Allende followed her impressive debut with Of Love and Shadows, Eva Luna, The Stories of Eva Luna, and The Infinite Plan, all bestsellers around the world. Critical accolades have greeted the publication of each of Allende's books, which have commonly been cited for their compassion, imagination, humor and originality. The House of the Spirits was made into a feature film with an all-star cast headed by Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep, and Glenn Close. Of Love and Shadows, starring Antonio Banderas, was released a year later. Isabel Allende was born in Lima, Peru, in 1942 and raised in Chile, Bolivia, Europe, and the Middle East, as her peripatetic family followed her stepfather's diplomatic career. She worked as a journalist in Chile until the 1973 military coup. Allende fled her homeland, settling in Venezuela with her husband, son and daughter. "I felt, as many Chileans did, that my life had been cut into pieces, and that I had to start over again," she recalls. Isolated from her family, and in particular from her beloved grandfather who was close to death, Allende began to write a long letter in which she reassured him that the would always be kept alive in her memories. That letter grew into The House of the Spirits. PAULA, Allende's first non-fiction book is a deeply moving memoir inspired by the tragic fatal illness of her 28 year-old daughter. It, too, began as a letter from mother to daughter that becomes a meditation on a mother's life and a daughter's death.

Satellites :: essays research papers

Satellites orbit the earth doing our bidding in ways that enrich the lives of almost all of us. Through electronic eyes from hundreds of miles overhead, they lead prospectors to mineral deposits invisble on earth's surface. Relaying communications at the speed of light, they shrink the planet until its most distant people are only a split second apart. They beam world weather to our living room TV and guide ships through storms. Swooping low over areas of possible hostility, spies in the sky maintain a surveillance that helps keep peace in a volatile world. How many objects, exaclty, are orbiting out there? Today's count is 4,914. The satellites begin with a launch, which in the U.S. takes place at Cape Canaveral in Florida, NASA's Wallops Flight Center in Virginia, or, for polar orbiters, Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. One satellite in 20 is crippled by the jolt of lift-off, or dies in the inferno of a defective rocket blast, or is thrust into improper orbit. A few simply vanish into the immensity of space. When a satellite emerges from the rocket's protective shroud, radiotelemety regularly reports on its health to round-the-clock crews of ground controllers. They watch over the temperatures and voltages of the craft's electronic nervous system and other vital "organs", always critical with machines whose sunward side may be 300 degress hotter than the shaded part. Once a satellite achieves orbit--that delicate condition in which the pull of earth's gravity is matched by the outward fling of the Page 2 ------ crafts speed--subtle pressures make it go astray. Solar flares make the satellite go out of orbit. Wisps of outer atmosphere drag its speed. Like strands of spiderweb, gravity feilds of the earth, moon, and sun tug at the orbiting spacefarer. Even the sunshine's soft caress exerts a gentle nudge. Should a satellite begin to wander, ground crews fire small fuel jets that steer it back on course. This is done sparingly, for exhaustion of these gases ends a craft's useful career. Under such stresses, many satellites last 2 years. When death is only a second away, controllers may command the craft to jump into a high orbit, so it will move up away from earth, keeping orbital paths from becoming too cluttered. Others become ensnarled in the

Ethical Leadership Essay

Introduction The topic Ethical Leadership is more complex than meets the eye. It means leadership that knows what is right and acting based on those guidelines. The question that should be asked then is â€Å"what is right?† Once the ethical course of action is determined the leader must then have the integrity and fortitude to proceed with that course of action. In addition to decision making ethical leadership also implies that a leader must be ethical in their attitudes and interactions. This essay seeks to inform about the practice of ethical leadership and its value to an organization The Practice of Ethical Leadership In order to understand the practice of Ethical Leadership it must be broken down to its constituent terms; Leadership and Ethics. Leadership is defined as a process of social influence in which a person can enlist the aid and support of others to accomplish a common task (Chemers, 1997). Ethical leadership is when the leader demonstrates integrity and trustworthiness to convince employees to buy his vision (Dirks & Ferrin, 2002). In order to demonstrate his integrity and trustworthiness the ethical leader is a people-oriented person (Resick, et. al, 2006) who motivates people towards accomplishing the goals of the group instead of personal benefit. Ethical leader must look within himself and upon reliable sources for guidance in determining what is ethical. Laws, Culture, Religion, and even personal upbringing can be sources of the framework for ethical leadership. The reason why the sources are so varied is because the ‘right’ in doing what is right is not always fixed in stone. While some ethics are immutable, such as lying to a business partner or stealing company materials, other are less so. For example, dissent or talking back to superiors is strictly taboo in  Oriental cultures but it calm disagreement is tolerated in western organizations. In order to have a clear set of ethical guidelines it is often preferable to have well-known company ethical standards. These standards can often be gleaned from a company’s mission vision statement. But it would be best practice if they were clearly spelled out and publicly available. Means of publication can include printing with the company handbook and / or placing copies of company ethics in frequented areas such as the pantry or reception. By making the ethical standards clear and ubiquitous it will be difficult for leaders to derogate from them without consequences. The practice of ethical leadership requires that the leader adheres to the ethical standards of the company at all times even when no one is looking. If the leader is unable to follow ethical practices and his subordinates learn of this he will be viewed as a hypocrite and his attempts to impose ethical leadership will fall on deaf ears. A leader’s integrity must be beyond reproach if he is to expect his subordinates to follow his example. Value of Ethical Leadership to an Organization Recent events like the Enron scandal, the Sub-prime mortgage crisis, and the financial meltdown that followed are just a few examples of what happens in the absence of ethical leadership. In those circumstances the desire for profits overpowered ethical considerations. Of particular noteworthiness was that during the sub-prime crisis people who were likely not responsible enough to make housing loans were pressured to contract such loans by predatory leaders who were merely trying to meet their quota. Then the Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDOs) were sold to a public that was not sophisticated enough to understand what the CDOs really were. Enron was scandalized beyond repair. The largest banks in America continue to bear the stigma of the subprime crisis. Their brands have been permanently afflicted. Had their leadership been ethical then they would not have consented to such actions. A reputation for integrity and ethical leadership can only build up an organization’s brand. Known ethical acts can also increase the popularity of a brand in the eyes of the public such as when Costco pays its workers better than minimum wages. On a more down to earth level an ethical leader is respected by his subordinates and will be better able to coax performance from them. Subordinates are less likely to do unethical acts if their  leaders are ethical. Hence, even just one ethical leader in the chain of command can have a ripple effect upon his fellow workers. Conclusion In conclusion ethical leadership is difficult because knowing the right and ethical course of action is difficult. Worse, the temptation to take the expedient or easy path that is unethical can be very strong. The lucrative and unethical is always an attractive choice for anyone engaged in business. But an ethical leader can have a multiplier effect upon his organization and help build its reputation to those around it. References Chemers M. (1997) An integrative theory of leadership. Dirks, K. T., & Ferrin, D. L. (2002). Trust in leadership: Meta-analytic findings and implications for research and practice. In Journal of Applied Psychology, 87, 611- 628. Resick, C. J., Hanges, P. J., Dickson, M. W., & Mitchelson, J. K. (2006). A cross-cultural examination of the endorsement of ethical leadership in Journal of Business Ethics, 63, 345-359.