Fire extinguishers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fire extinguishers - Essay Example personnel to have adequate training in fire suppression, familiarize with the location of fire extinguishers and demonstrate competency towards the task. It is important for individuals to keep one or several fire extinguishers in their households. They play a crucial role within the household because by minimizing property damage and safeguarding life (Burke, 2007). Apparently, power interruptions can have detrimental effects on numerous households. The situation necessitates the need to have at least one fire extinguisher in the house because it will assist greatly in minimizing damage. Households that depend on firefighters to control fire incidents suffer increased risks because they may take a while to arrive at the scene. The situation implies that more damage will occur than when an individual would otherwise have tried to contain the situation with a fire extinguisher. They assist in controlling fire before it gets out of control thereby minimizing the resultant damage. It does not make sense in having a fire extinguisher at home and yet lack the technique and skills necessary to operate it. Therefore, it is imperative for individuals to have adequate knowledge on the use of fire extinguishers as well as the safety measures. An individual trained to suppress a fire incident is aware on how to hold the equipment with the nozzle pointing away from the individual and aiming low. Essentially, learning on how to use fire extinguishers equips an individual with essential skills on how to use the equipment correctly in case of any fire incident. Burke (2007) affirms that learning how to control the fire before it gets out of control will play a vital role in safeguarding lives and minimizing the amount of property destroyed. Knowledge on refilling fire extinguishers ensures that an individual is well prepared to offset fire incidents as opposed to waiting for fire fighters who might take time to arrive at the scene. The response time for fire fighters is

Professionalism in Child and Family Studies Research Paper

Professionalism in Child and Family Studies - Research Paper Example The concepts of the family having changed means that professionals who help couples deal with their problems have to reassess their conceptions of the family as a unit. One of the major interventions in the process of thought in the field of families was the queer family, which according to some developed during the eighties when there was an AIDS scare (O’Connell, 2011). The problems that two people of the same sex may have regarding their marriage have also become a part of what marriage counselors have to deal with. An understanding of the purpose of family education and counseling too is a necessary feature of the job of the professional. He or she has to understand what the family requires out of a session of help. There may be various changes that a family may be looking to bring about, including changes in lifestyle and personal habits, including the setting of certain targets to meet. There may be certain topics that a family may wish to talk of and some that they may want to avoid. The counselor has to keep this in mind while he is performing his duty. Apart from this, his knowledge may not suffice for him to give an opinion on certain matters and help, if rendered in such cases, can be quite harmful. Such cases must be referred to specialists in other fields. Different members of a family may have different opinions regarding the process of learning and while some individuals in a family may prefer to learn on an individual level, there may be others who prefer working as a group. The professional has to take care of such difficulties while dealing with a family. There may also be cultural differences between the different parties involved that may affect the process of learning and these need to be taken into account while the counselor is at work. Understanding a family and helping them would require the members of the family and the professionals who help them

Citizen Kane Breakfast Scene Analysis Film Studies Essay

Citizen Kane Breakfast Scene Analysis Film Studies Essay Through what is alleged to be one of the best films, a series of anecdotes reveal the story behind Charles Foster Kane. The story, along with the revolutionary cinematography, made it a movie years ahead of its time where Orson Welles, Charlie Kane, takes several controversial steps on his road to greatness. However, Citizen Kane makes it very clear that wealth cannot necessarily buy happiness. This is demonstrated in Charles and Emilys breakfast scene through masterful use of symbolism, perspective, costuming, the soundtrack, and even through dialogue. In the beginning of the scene, Emily and Charles come in from a long night of partying and having a great time together. They sit very close to one another showing their initial infatuation for one another as they converse about what the servants would think of their behavior. Right off the bat, Emily fires off her opposition about Charlies dedication to his place of work, the Inquirer. The next scene fades in soon after, and the two are now far enough apart that cuts are required to show both Emily and Charles. Flowers sit in the middle of the table and remain in the lower corners of the screen, representing a friendly obstacle in between the couple, while tensions are apparent, but still low. As the scenes progress, the mood changes, and the centerpieces gradually become colder and more lifeless, much like their relationship. As time progresses they distance themselves from one another at breakfast, the only time they apparently get to spend together, to the point where they silent ly sit at opposite ends of a very large dinner table. The second tool Orson Welles used to his advantage was that of perspective. From the very beginning of the movie, the audience has seen events unfold from a third person view, where Welles rarely made scene cuts, unless he intended to. In the breakfast scene, Welles changed the game up by using what was considered the norm of his time, scene cutting from person to person. He used this type of filming, at the time, to show what he wanted his audience to see and nothing else. He wanted the audience to see what Charlies job was doing to both him and Emily, be it physically or emotionally. The lighting on the set also gave light to Welles use of Chiaroscuro, or the use of shadows, as he made sure the shadows on their faces showed how the marriage had slowly but surely worn at their bodies and emotions. Welles clearly understood that panning the shot out to include both Emily and Kane in the same shot would not have given justice to the emotions shown on their faces, but on their bodies a s well. Initially, Emily is wearing a rather revealing dress that represents her and Charles youthful night of partying, as well as their infatuation for one another. However, as the scenes progress and as the moods of the couple changes, so do the wardrobes. Charles changes between comfortable, playboy like clothes to a much more professional getup to signify his constant plans of getting ready for work. Emily, on the other hand, maintains her queen-like apparel, only she covers herself little by little as her mood becomes more and more harsh. Both Emily and Charles wear clothes that give a type of royalty to their personas, where in reality, behind the overpriced garments, there is just another troubled relationship, that sacrifices love for money. All of the aforementioned tools used not only in this particular scene, but throughout the entire movie are very conscious dependant. Rarely does it go unnoticed when the main character goes from one wardrobe to another, but it is rarely considered how the soundtrack plays on the audiences emotions as well. Welles did not demand that the soundtrack be some sappy, overpowering, force-feeding garbage that most movies of his time were, but instead thought highly enough of his audience to let the music subtly inform its listeners as to how they should feel. Anyone can tune in to a SOAP-like television show and immediately tell what is going on simply by listening to the music for a few seconds. Here in this scene, a cheerful and rather upbeat score plays lightly in the background to signify that all is well and good, that is until the spin around fast-forward through time moment takes place. Now, as the mood slips slowly into darkness the music accompanies it, as if guiding the audience subconsciously into the same realm of feeling and sadness. Most importantly is Welles use of dialogue throughout this scene. At first, it appeared that Emily and Charles were living out their newly conjoined lives in happiness, with not a care in the world. They converse with nothing but love and affection in their voice as they jokingly talk about the time of day, and what the servants will think of their frivolous behavior. Soon thereafter, Emily makes a remark about her disdain for Charlies demanding work schedule, where Charlie simply brushes it off and replies with the witty remark of You never should have married a newspaperman. Theyre worse than sailors. This makes a rather awkward moment between the two, but Charlie comes in with the save by saying I absolutely adore you. She simply must have her way, and Charles complies by delaying his appointments until noon. Magical-twirling-fast-forward-moment and some short time later, Kane now sports a moustache and Emily continues to once again complain about Charlies obsessive work schedule. Charlie has the nerve to reply that her only correspondent is the Inquirer. As the scenes progress, more and more hostility is shown towards one another, due to differing ideas, where Kane is obviously not used to such harsh criticism, especially so close to home. The last scene shows the couple, now several years into the marriage, sitting silently in a formal dining room at opposite ends of a very large table, with Emily in total defiance by her actions of reading the competitive Chronicle. In conclusion, Citizen Kane makes it very clear that wealth cannot necessarily buy happiness. This is demonstrated in Charles and Emilys breakfast scene through masterful use of symbolism, perspective, costuming, the soundtrack, and even through dialogue. Orson Welles was not only an amazing actor, but he was also a brilliant man to have come up with so many revolutionary filming techniques. Who would ever think to dig a hole in the middle of a studio to get a few seconds of film during the 1940s. His innovation has made him an idol to anyone who is serious about making a piece of film, and has made his movie, Citizen Kane, a must see to any one who has respect for great film.

Franklin Essay -- essays research papers

Can some man arrive at moral perfection in this life, or is it impossible? Benjamin Franklin was an extremely brilliant and talented individual. He constantly sought ways to improve himself. After he read â€Å"The Spectator† he put in a very dedicated effort to imitate their style of writing because he loved how precise the authors wrote out their thoughts. Franklin was also a relatively religious man or at least believed enough to try to be a morally righteous man so that he would avoid his way into hell. Through these beliefs and virtues Franklin created a plan to achieve moral perfection. Although finding the task somewhat more difficult than he first imagined he stayed with his convictions and deduced thirteen virtues to improve upon and follow. These virtues were: order, silence, temperance, resolution, frugality, industry, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity and humility. Now how did he come up with the virtues and what did the virtues consist of? After concocting this ingenious plan towards moral perfection did Franklin ever see it through and reach moral perfection? Benjamin Franklin was raised as a Presbyterian by his parents. Although not completely religious some of the teachings stayed on with him. â€Å"I never was without some religious principles; I never doubted, for instance, the existence of the deity, that he made the world, and govern’d it by his providence; that the most acceptable service of God was the doing good to man; that our souls are immortal; and that all crime will be punished and Virtue reworded either here or hereafter; these I esteem’d the essentials of every religion, and being to be found in all the religions we had in out country I respected them all† (BF, p65). Franklin later also goes on to say that he did not go to sermons on Sunday that often because that day was his day to study and relax, but when he did go he noticed that all sermons that he was listening to were rather â€Å"dry† as he put it and seemed to focus more on being a good citizen and not a person instead. These two instances in from Franklin show were he was coming from when he decided to create his list of virtues that would lead him to moral perfection. Now that he was focused on his goal he need do dome research on the topic. â€Å"In the various enumerations of the moral virtues I had met with in my reading,... ... he just fell short of his goal. Yet this did not discourage Franklin for he was made a better and happier man than he would have been. Franklin also realized that it was good not to be perfect because friends would hate and envy him; so it is better to keep a few faults in order to save face. All is well that ends well. This statement best describes Franklin’s endeavor into morality. Even though he was not able to accomplish what he set out to do, he still managed to come out a better man because of it, and he learned a few things along the way. Sometimes reaching the end of something is not important, but the journey you took to get there is what really matters. I’ll finish with a quote from Franklin’s autobiography. â€Å"It is †¦. Necessary for every person who desires to be a wise man, to take particular notice of his own actions, and of his own thoughts and intentions which are the original of his actions; with great care and circumspection; otherwise he can never arrive to that degree of perfection which constitutes the amiable character he aspires after.† [BF, p227(Source P, 8: 128)]. Qoutes from "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin"

Analysis of Direct Costs Essay

Introduction Developing and building a drone is one thing while developing a navigation system is completely another aspect. A drone can be considered a toy without a well-engineered design and functional navigation system. The navigation system is mainly used to give commands to the drone to undertake actions that are compatible with the development of the drone. With all the funds that are put into the development of the drones, the navigation system is developed in manner that cannot be prone to outside interference like hackers, terrorist or anyone that would take over the drones navigation system. It must contain a system that will be able to take commands from a single base irrespective of the geographical condition that the drone is in (Bhimani, Horngren, Datar, Rajan, et al, 2012). A prediction of the main cost that is associated with the VectorCal’s drone navigation system production. There are two main costs associated with the production of VectorCal’s drone navigation sy stem, they are direct labor and material costs. There are also two types of labor costs associated with the production of the navigation system, indirect and direct labor. Direct labor is labor consumed in areas that have a direct connection with the production or provision of service, and it is produced by skilled workers and business operators. An example would be workers who are in the production line of the navigation system. These employees are welders, cutters, engineers, equipment operators, technicians of equipment, mechanical, production supervisors and any employee directly related to the production of the navigation systems. Indirect labor is labor consumed in the administrative areas of business that support production and trade. Employees who are on  the administrative side of the business are what cause an expense, and this cost is indirect because they are not directly responsible for the production of the navigation systems themselves. These employee’s include engineers, assistants, secretaries, drivers, human resources, trainers, marketers and accounting, all employees indirectly related to the production and sale of the produ ct. VectorCal’s navigation systems have two types of Material costs as well, direct materials and indirect materials. Materials or supplies are the basic elements that are transformed into the finished product through the use of labor and manufacturing overhead costs in the production process. The material costs can be direct or indirect materials are those that can be identified with the production of the finished product, which can be easily seen as part of the product and represents a significant cost of the finished product. Indirect materials are parts or supplies that are involved in the production process of the article, but not classified as direct materials. A good example would be nuts and bolts used in the production process, and as such are considered an indirect materials manufacturing cost. A comparison of the direct and indirect cost that is associated with the navigation system within VectorCal and my company. The main cost within the development of a navigation sy stem for VectorCal’s or Remote Control Unlimited’s drone, will be in labor and material cost. The labor cost will mainly be used in the acquisition of highly trained and experienced programmers. The programmers will have to work in a team since the navigation system is quite a complex task and numerous ideas are required. One team of programmer can be working on the global positioning and tracking system of the drone while another team will be entitled in safeguarding the system from unauthorized access and interference. It also crucial to note that, the drone navigation system will need constant maintenance and improvement, which is a continuous labor cost. The labor cost can be predicted to vary from $12 million to $16 million only on the system development without taking into consideration the maintenance labor cost. Material cost of the drone navigation system may involve the use of highly specialized pieces of electronics and equipment. In some cases where drones are used for long distance missions, a satellite may be used. The material cost can be predicted to vary from $4 million to $7.5 million depending on the functionality of the drone. The main cost may be high but  this is mainly due to the fact that it is being developed from scratch. After the navigation system is developed, it can be used on multiple drones with the only requirement of maintenance and upgrading the system. The main cost can be considered to be a one off cost that is extremely crucial. The total main cost will range from $16 million to $23.5 million and may need further analysis of hidden costs. The direct cost is seen to be almost similar with extremely little difference in range. However the indirect costs have quite a big difference. VectorCal’s indirect cost will be quite minimal since they will adopt an already working rationale in the development of their drone navigation system. This means that they will follow an example of an already working system and thus reduce mistakes and repetitions that would cost the company quite huge sums of money. The only way to control both the cost is by emulating an already successful idea and le arning through it. This reduces mistakes and tends to guide new developments in what to do and what not to do. The result will be saving time and huge expenses (Chadwick, 2002). Compare your company with VectorCal relative to the price of acquisition, semi variable costs, and allocated direct and indirect costs of the drone navigation system. The acquisition cost of a fixed asset is the economic sacrifice to acquire the asset and make it ready to be used in an activity. It includes the purchase price and any other necessary expenses such as freight, broker fee’s, registration procedures in the case of goods whose domain must be registered like a drone or airplane. The cost of purchasing function, platform construction, assembly, testing and staff training By comparing Remote Control Unlimited and VectorCals relative price of acquisition, VectorCal price will quite high compared to Remote Control Unlimited’s price, since it is already running and has firm roots within the market. Also VectorCal has a proven credibility within the market, a thing that Remote Control Unlimited will be striving to acquire. The semi-variable costs are composed of fixed and variable costs, such as salaries are fixed costs, but overtime is considered a variable cost. Both companies direct costs are incurred when purchasing products to ensure the production of the navigation systems, but the indirect costs are those related to administrative salaries, office costs, and membership costs. Setting up a business and running it to profitability is not a simple issue, but it can be simplified with good  planning and market research. References Bhimani, A., Horngren, C., Datar, S., Rajan, M. et al. (2012) Management and Cost Accounting. 5th ed. Edinburgh: Prentice Hall, p.369 – 378. Chadwick, L. (2002) Essential Finance and Accounting for Managers. Harlow, London, New York, Massachusetts, San Francisco, Toronto, Son Mills, Sydney et.al: PearsonEducation, p.280-281 Direct Labor, Direct Materials, and Overhead, (nd). http://academic.regis.edu/dbush/Accounting/Accounting%20Help/DL%20DM%20OH/acc_dl_dm_o.htm Candace Webb, Demand Media, (nd), Labor Cost Vs. Material Cost. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/labor-cost-vs-material-cost-11368.html Definition of ‘Acquisition Cost’, (nd), http://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/acquisition-cost.asp Direct vs Indirect Costs, (nd), http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/research/OSP/direct-vs-indirect-costs.cfm

Clinical Reflective Journal

Clinical Reflective Journal The first day I visited psychiatric ward, I felt nervous and excited because of the psychiatric ward which is totally different from general ward. I sensed that all patients who are walking in the corridor and some of them keep murmuring, and those behaviors I seen are seldom appearing in the general ward. However, after I found that they can communicate with others normally and have no aggressive behavior after approaching the patients.I learnt we should establish therapeutic relationship in the communication with patients via using non-judgmental, empathetic, active listening and supportive attitude. But I found difficulties in approaching patients who are introverted due to their unconcerned response. However, I think that we should obtain their confidence through persistent contact with them.Besides, I realized that being a psychiatric nurse, the observational skills is very importance, as the emotional or mental condition of psychiatric patient can be fluctuated between day and night. Therefore, nurses can implement corresponding precautions beforehand. In the private hospital, there are seldom opportunities to perform those skills, but there provide many chances for me to practice the professional skills and of injection and physical restraint.For instance, choosing which type of restrained device should be applied on the patient and related assessment we should made. Moreover, through the guidance of the nurse, I could realize the rationales behind the intervention, weakness in my performance and how to improve it. After caring of psychiatric patient in these two weeks, it helps clear up my misunderstanding of them and I hope that the nursing care of psychiatric patient can be helpful for them to return the society.

Inequalities on ACT Math Strategies and Practice

Inequalities on ACT Math Strategies and Practice SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Inequality questions come in a variety of shapes and forms on the ACT, but, no matter their form, you will see approximately three inequality questions on any given test. This means that inequality questions make up 5% of your overall ACT math test. Now, 5% of your test might not sound like a lot, but with only a quick brush-up on inequalities, that's an additional 5% of your questions that you're bound to rock! This will be your complete guide to inequalities on the ACT: what they are, the different types of ACT math problems on inequalities, and how to solve them. What Are Inequalities? An inequality is a representation that two values are not equal or that two values are possibly not equal. There are different types of inequalities and different symbols to denote these different relationships. ≠  is the "unequal" sign. Whenever you see this sign, you know that two values are not equal, but nothing more. We don't know which value is greater or less than, just that they are not the same. If we have $y ≠  x$, we do not know if $y$ is greater or less than $x$, just that they do not equal one another. is the "greater than" sign. Whichever number or variable is facing the opening of the sign is always the larger of the two values. (Some of you may have learned that the sign is a "crocodile" and that the crocodile always wants to eat the larger value). For instance, $x 14$ means that $x$ can be anything larger than 14 (it can even be 14.00000000001), but it cannot be 14 and it cannot be less than 14. is the "less than" sign. Whichever number is facing away from the opening of the sign is the lesser of the two values. This is just the greater than sign in reverse. So $14 x$ is the exact same equation we had earlier. $x$ must be larger than 14, 14 must be smaller than $x$. ≠¥ is the "greater than or equal to" sign. This acts exactly the same as the greater sign except for the fact that our values can also be equal. Whereas $x 14$ meant that $x$ could only be any number larger than 14, $x ≠¥ 14$ means that $x$ could be equal to 14 or could be any number larger than 14. ≠¤ is the "less than or equal to" sign. Just as the less than sign acted as a counter to the greater than sign, the less than or equal to sign acts counter to the greater than or equal to sign. So $x ≠¥ 14$ is the exact same thing as saying $14 ≠¤ x$. Either way, we are saying that 14 is less than or equal to $x$, $x$ is greater than or equal to 14. Each symbol describes the relationship between two values, but we can also link multiple values in a string. For instance, we can say: $5 x 15$ This gives us both an upper and a lower limit on our $x$ value, because we know it must be both larger than five and less than 15. If we only had $5 x$, the upper limit of $x$ would stretch into infinity, and the same with the lower limit if we only had $x 15$. For tips on how to keep track of which signs mean which, check out this article. The inequality crocodile is always hungry for the most it can get, om nom nom. How to Represent Inequalities We can represent inequalities in one of three different ways: A written expression A number line A graph Let's look at all three. Inequalities as written expressions use only mathematical symbols and no diagrams. They are exactly what we have been working with above (e.g., $y 37$). An inequality number line allows us to visualize the set of numbers that represents our inequality. We use a dark line to show all the numbers that match our inequality, and we mark where the inequality begins and/or ends in two different ways. To mark the beginning of an inequality that is "greater than" or "less than," we use an open circle. This shows that the starting number is NOT included. To mark the beginning of an inequality that is "greater than or equal to" or "less than or equal to," we use a closed circle. This shows that the starting number IS included. We can also combine these symbols if our inequality equation requires us to use two different symbols. For instance, if we have $-3 x ≠¤ 3$, our number line would look like: And finally, we can have inequalities in graphs for any and all types of graphs on the coordinate plane (more on the coordinate plane coming soon!). "Greater than" will be above the line of the graph, while "less than" will be below the line of the graph. Greater: This is true no matter which direction the line of the graph extends. Less: In terms of markings, inequality graphs follow the same rules as inequalities on number lines. Just as we use an open circle for "greater than" or "less than" inequalities, we use a dashed line for inequality graphs that are "greater than" or "less than." And just how we use a closed circle for "greater than or equal to" or "less than or equal to" inequalities, we use a solid line for our graphs that are greater or less than or equal to. And now to dive right in to ACT inequality problems! (Awkward flailing optional). Typical ACT Inequality Problems There are three different types of inequality questions you'll see on the ACT, in the order from most to least common: #1: Solve an inequality equation (find the solution set) #2: Identify or answer questions about an inequality graph or number line #3: Find alternate inequalities that fulfill given information Let's look at each type- what they mean and how you'll see them on the ACT. #1: Solving an Inequality Equation This is by far the most common type of inequality question you'll see on the ACT. You will be given one or two inequality equations and must solve for the solution set of your variable. Inequality problems work exactly the same way as a single variable equation and can be solved in the same way. Just think of the inequality sign as being the same as the equals sign. So you will perform the same actions (adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing) on each side. For instance: $9 + 12x 45$ $12x 36$ $x 3$ The only difference between equations and inequalities is that the inequality sign flips if you multiply or divide each side by a negative. For instance, $10 - 4x 50$ $-4x 40$ $x -10$ Because we had to divide each side by -4, we had to reverse the sign of the inequality. Alternatively, we can also use the strategy of plugging in answers (PIA) or plugging in numbers (PIN) to solve our inequality problems. Because all ACT math problems are multiple choice, we can simply test out which answers match our equation (and which do not) or we can choose our own values for x based on the information we know, depending on the problem. Let's look at an example of how this looks on the ACT, whether we solve the problem algebraically or by PIA. The inequality $3(x+2)4(x-3)$ is equivalent to which of the following inequalities? F. $x-6$G. $x5$H. $x9$J. $x14$K. $x18$ Solving Method 1: Algebra First, distribute out the variable on each side. $3(x + 2) 4(x - 3)$ $3x + 6 4x - 12$ Now, we must isolate our variable just as we would with a single variable equation. $6 x - 12$ $18 x$ Just as we saw back in our definitions, we know that we can also flip the inequality sign if we also switch the sides of our values. So $18 x$ is the same as saying $x 18$. Our final answer is K, $x 18$ Solving Method 2: Plugging in Answers Though it will often take a little longer, we can also solve our inequality problems by testing out the values in our answer choices. Let's, as usual when using PIA, start with answer choice C. Answer choice C says $x$ is less than 9, so let us see if this is true by saying that $x = 8$. If we plug in 8 for $x$ in the equation, we'll get: $3(x + 2) 4(x - 3)$ $3(8 + 2) 4(8 - 3)$ $3(10) 4(5)$ $30 20$ This is true, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is the correct answer. Just because we know that $x$ can be equal to 8 or less doesn't mean it can't also be greater than 8. All we know for sure is that we can eliminate answer choices F and G, since we've problem that $x$ can be larger than each of them. So let us now go the opposite route and look at the highest value $x$ can be, given our answer choices. Answer choice J gives us $x 14$ and answer choice K says that $x 18$, so what would happen is we gave $x$ a value between the two? Let us say that $x = 16$ $3(x + 2) 4(x - 3)$ $3(16 + 2) 4(16 - 3)$ $3(18) 4(13)$ $54 52$ Because our inequality works for $x = 16$, we know that $x$ can be greater than $x 14$ and can, therefore, be greater than all the answer choices except for answer choice K (the answer choice that gives us our largest possible value for $x$). This is enough to tell us that our final answer is K. Our final answer is, again, K, $x 18$ #2: Inequality Graph and Number Line Questions For these types of questions, you will be asked to identify a graph or a number line from a given equation. Alternatively, you may be asked to infer information from a given inequality graph. Either way, you will always be given the graph on the coordinate plane. We know that the sum of $x$ and $y$ must be greater than 1, so let us imagine that one of those two variables is equal to 0. If we say that $x = 0$, then y alone has to be greater than 1 to make the sum of $x$ and $y$ still be greater than 1. We also know that we indicate that a value is "greater than" on a graph with a dashed line at the value in question and a filled in area above the value. The only graph with a dashed line at $y = 1$ and that has a shaded area above this value is graph J. This means graph J is more than likely our answer, but let's confirm it just to be safe. Because the sum of $x$ and $y$ must be greater than 1, the alternative possibility to $x = 0$ and $y 1$ is that $y$ equals zero, so $x$ must be greater than 1. To show this, we would need a dashed line at $(1, 0)$ and a shaded area above it, all of which graph J has. Now, to finish confirming that graph J is indeed our answer, we would simply do what we did to locate the lower limit of our graph in reverse so that we can find the upper limit. If $x + y 2$, then, when $x = 0$, $y$ must be less than 2, and when $y = 0$, $x$ must be less than 2. This would give us dashed lines at $(0, 2)$ and $(2, 0)$, both of which are on graph J. Our final answer is J. #3: Finding Alternate Inequality Expressions The rarest form of inequality questions on the ACT will ask you to use given inequalities and find alternate inequalities that must be true based off this given information. Let's look at one of these in action, to better see how this type of question works. If $x$ and $y$ are real numbers, such that $x1$ and $y-1$, then which of the following inequalities must be true? A. $x/y1$ B. $|x|^2|y|$ C. $x/3-5y/3-5$ D. $x^2+1y^2+1$ E. $x^{-2}y^{-2}$ There are two different ways we can solve this problem, by plugging in our own numbers or by working through it based on our logic and knowledge of algebra. We'll go through both methods here. Solving Method 1: Plugging in Numbers (PIN) Because we have a problem with multiple variables in both the problem and in the answer choices, we can make life a little easier and give our variables numerical values. Now, we do have to be careful when using this method, however, because there are infinite variables to choose from for both $x$ and $y$ and so more than one answer choice might work for any given variables we give to $x$ and $y$. If two or more answer choices work, we must simply pick new variables- eventually only the correct answer will be left, as it must work for ALL values of $x$ and $y$. When it comes to picking our values for $x$ and $y$, we can also make life easy by picking values that are easy to work with. We know that we must divide both $x$ and $y$ by 3 in answer choice C, so let us pick values that are divisible by 3, and we know we must square our values in several answer choices, so let us pick numbers that are fairly small. Now let's just say that $x = 6$ and $y = -9$ (Why those numbers? So long as they fulfill the given information- and they do- then why not!) And let us plug these values into our answer choices. Answer choice A gives us: $x/y 1$ If we plug in our values, we get: $6/{-9}$ $-{2/3}$ This is NOT greater than 1, so we can eliminate answer choice A. Answer choice B gives us: $|x|^2 |y|$ If we plug in our values, we get: $|6|^2 |-9|$ $36 9$ This is correct, so we will keep answer option B in the running for right now. Answer choice C gives us: $x/3 - 5 y/3 - 5$ If we plug in our values, we get: $6/3 - 6 {-9}/3 - 5$ $2 - 6 -3 - 5$ $-4 -8$ This is correct, so we will keep answer option C in the running for now as well. Because B and C are both correct, we will need to come back and test them both again with different values later. Answer choice D gives us: $x^2 + 1 y^2 + 1$ $6^2 + 1 -9^2 + 1$ $36 + 1 81 + 1$ $37 82$ This is NOT true, so we can eliminate answer choice D. Answer choice E gives us: $x^{-2} y^{-2}$ $6^{-2} -9^{-2}$ $1/{6^2} 1/{-9^2}$ $1/36 1/81$ Now this is indeed true, but what if we had chosen different values for x and y? Let's say that we said $x = 9$ and $y = -6$ instead (remember- so long as the numbers fit with the given information, we can use any values we like). $x^{-2} y^{-2}$ $9^{-2} -6^{-2}$ $1/{9^2} 1/{-6^2}$ $1/81 1/36$ Whoops! Answer choice E is no longer correct, which means we can eliminate it. We are looking for the answer choice that is always true, so it cannot possibly be answer E. Now we are left with answer choices B and C. Let's look at them each again. While we saw that our values for $x$ and $y$ meant that answer choice B was indeed true, let's see what would happen if we choose a much smaller value for $y$. Nothing is stopping us from choosing -6,000 for $y$- remember, all that we are told is that $y -1$. So let us use $y = -6,000$ instead. $|x|^2 |y|$ $|6|^2 |-6,000|$ $36 6,000$ This inequality is NOT true anymore, which means we can eliminate answer choice B. This means that answer choice C must be the right answer by default, but let's test it to make absolutely sure. Let us try what we did with answer option E and reverse the absolute values of our $x$ and $y$. So instead of $x = 6$ and $y = -9$, we will say that $x = 9$ and $y = -6$. $x/3 - 5 y/3 - 5$ $9/3 - 5 {-6}/3 - 5$ $3 - 5 -2 - 5$ $-2 -7$ No matter how many numbers we choose for $x$ and $y$, answer choice C will always be correct. Our final answer is C, $x/3 - 5 y/3 - 5$ Solving Method 2: Algebraic Logic As we can see, using PIN was successful, but required a good deal of time and trial and error. The alternative way to solve the problem is by thinking of how negatives and positives work and how exponents and absolute values alter these rules. We know that $x$ must be positive and $y$ must be negative to fulfill the requirements $x 1$ and $y -1$. Now let us look through our answer choices to see how these expressions are affected by the idea that $x$ must always be positive and $y$ must always be negative. Answer choice A gives us: $x/y 1$ We know that any fraction with a positive numerator and a negative denominator will be negative. And any negative number is less than 1. Answer choice A can never be correct. Answer choice B gives us: $|x|^2 |y|$ An absolute value means that the negative sign on $y$ has been negated, so this might be correct. But y can be any number less than -1, which means its absolute value could potentially be astronomically large, and $x$ can be any number greater than 1, which means its absolute value might be comparatively tiny. This means that answer choice B is not always correct, which is enough to eliminate it from the running. Answer choice C gives us: $x/3 - 5 y/3 - 5$ Now let's look at each side of the inequality. We know that any fraction with a positive number in both the numerator and in the denominator will give us a positive value. This means we will have some positive value minus 5 on the left side. We also know that any time we have a negative value in the numerator and a positive value in the denominator, we will have a negative fraction. This means we will have some negative value minus 5 on the right side. We also know that a negative plus a negative will give us an even greater negative (a smaller value). If we put this information together, we know that the left side may or may not be a negative value, depending on the value of $x$, but the right side will only get more and more negative. In other words, no matter what values we give to $x$ and $y$, the left side will always be greater than the right side, which means the expression is always true. Now this should be enough for us to select our right answer as C, but we should give a look to the other answer choices just in case. Answer choice D gives us: $x^2 + 1 y^2 + 1$ We know that if we square both a positive number and a negative number, we will get a positive result, so the negative value for $y$ is no longer in play. This inequality will therefore be true if the absolute value of $x$ is greater than the absolute value of $y$ (e.g., $x = 10$ and $y = -9$), but it won't be true if the absolute value of $y$ is greater than the absolute value of $x$ (e.g., $x = 9$, $y = -10$). This means that the inequality will sometimes be true, but not always, which is enough to eliminate it. Finally, answer choice E gives us: $x^{-2} y^{-2}$ We know that a number to a negative exponent is equal to 1 over that number to the positive exponent (e.g., $5^{-3} = 1/{5^3}$). This means that each value will be a fraction of 1 over the square of our $x$ and $y$ values. This will give us two positive fractions and $1/{x^2}$ will only be larger if the absolute value of $x$ is smaller than the absolute value of $y$. But, because our $x$ and $y$ values can be anything so long as $y$ is negative and $x$ is positive, this will only sometimes be true. We can therefore eliminate answer choice E. This leaves us with only answer choice C that is always true. Our final answer is C, $x/3 - 5 y/3 - 5$ "Win a war," "Rock the ACT"- we'd say the two are basically one and the same. ACT Math Strategies for Inequality Problems Though there are a few different types of inequality problems, there are a few strategies you can follow to help you solve them most effectively. #1: Write Your Information Down and Draw It Out Many problems on the ACT, inequalities included, appear easier or less complex than they actually are and can lead you to fall for bait answers. This illusion of ease may tempt you to try to solve inequality questions in your head, but this is NOT the way to go. Take the extra moment to work your equations out on the paper or even draw your own diagrams (or draw on top of the diagrams you're given). The extra few seconds it will take you to write out your problems are well worth the points you'll gain by taking the time to find the right answer. #2: Use PIN (or PIA) When Necessary If all you know about $x$ is that it must be more than 7, go ahead and pick a value for $\bi x$. This will help you more easily visualize and work through the rest of the problem, since it is generally always easier to work with numbers than it is to work with variables. As you use this strategy, the safest bet is to choose two values for your variable- one that is close to the definition value and one that is very far away. This will allow you to see whether the values you chose work in all instances. For instance, if all you know is $x 7$, it's a good idea to work through the problem once under the assumption that $x = 8$ and another time under the assumption that $x = 400$. If the problem must be true for all values $x 7$, then it should work for all numbers of $x$ greater than 7. #3: Keep Very Careful Track of Your Negatives One of the key differences between inequalities and single variable equations is in the fact that the inequality sign is reversed whenever you multiply or divide both sides by a negative. And you can bet the house that this is what the ACT will try to test you on again and again. Though the ACT is not engineered to trick you, the test-makers are still trying to challenge you and test whether or not you know how to apply key mathematical concepts. If you lose track of your negatives (an easy thing to do, especially if you're working in your head), you will fall for one of the bait answers. Keep a keen eye. #4: Double-Check Your Answer by Working Backwards (Optional) If you feel unsure about your answer for any reason (because so many of the answer choices look the same, because you're not sure if you handled the issue of negative numbers correctly, etc.), you can work backwards to see if your expression is indeed correct. For instance, let us look at the inequality we had earlier, when talking about the function of negatives on inequalities: $10 - 4x 50$ Again, we would go through this just as we would a single variable equation. $-4x 40$ $x -10$ But now maybe that answer doesn't feel right to you or you just want to double-check to be sure. Well, if we're told that $x$ must be greater than -10 to fulfill the inequality, let's make sure that this is true. Let us solve the expression with $x = -9$ and see if we are correct. $10 - 4x 50$ $10 - 4(-9) 50$ $10 + 36 50$ $46 50$ This is correct, so that's promising. But we found that $x$ needed to be greater than -10, so our expression should also be INCORRECT if $x$ were equal to -10 or if $x$ were less than -10. So let us see what happens if we have $x = -10$. $10 - 4x 50$ $10 - 4(-10) 50$ $10 + 40 50$ $50 50$ The inequality is no longer correct. This means that we know for certain that the solution set we found, $x -10$ is true. You will always be able to work backwards in this way to double-check your inequality questions. Though this can take a little extra time, it might be worth your peace of mind to do this whenever you feel unsure about your answers. Ready, set? It's test time! Test Your Knowledge Now let's put all that inequality knowledge to the test on some real ACT math problems. 1. The inequality $6(x+2)7(x-5)$ is equivalent to which of the following inequalities?A. $x-23$B. $x7$C. $x17$D. $x37$E. $x47$ 2. 3. If $r$ and $s$ can be any integers such that $s10$ and $2r+s=15$, which of the following is the solution set for $r$? A. $r≠¥3$B. $r≠¥0$C. $r≠¥2$D. $r≠¤0$E. $r≠¤2$ 4. Which of the following is the solution statement for the inequality shown below? $-51-3x10$ F. $-5x10$G. $-3x$H. $-3x2$J. $-2x3$K. $x-3$ or $x2$ 5. Answers: E, E, E, H, D Answer Explanations 1. This is a standard inequality equation, so let us go through our solve accordingly. First, let's begin by distributing out our equation. $6(x + 2) 7(x - 5)$ $6x + 12 7x - 35$ $12 x - 35$ $47 x$ Because we did not have to divide or multiply by a negative, we were able to keep the inequality sign intact. And because the expression $47 x$ and $x 47$ mean the same thing, we can see that this matches one of our answer choices. Our final answer is E, $x 47$ 2. We are given two graphs with equations attached and we must identify when one equation/graph is less than the other. We don't even have to know anything about what these equations means and we do not have to fuss with solving the equations- we can simply look at the diagram. The only place on the diagram where the graph of $y = (x - 1)^4$ is less than (aka lower than) the graph of $y = x - 1$ is between $x = 1$ and $x = 2$ on the coordinate plane. In other words, this inequality is true when $x 1$ and when $x 2$, or $1 x 2$. Our final answer is E, $1 x 2$. 3. We know that $s 10$ and it must be an integer, so let us make life easy and just say that $s = 11$. Now we can use this number to plug into the equation. $2r + s = 15$ $2r + 11 = 15$ $2r = 4$ $r = 2$ We know that $r$ can be equal to 2 and that it is the nearest integer to our definition. This means that our answer will either be C or E. So let us now find which direction our inequality sign must face. Let's now try one integer larger than 11 to see whether our solution set must be less or equal to 2 or greater than or equal to 2. If we say that $s = 12$, then our equation becomes: $2r + s = 15$ $2r + 12 = 15$ $2r = 3$ $r = 1.5$ We can see now that, as $s$ increases, $r$ will decrease. This means our solution set will be that $r$ is equal to or less than 2. Our final answer is E, $r≠¤ 2$ 4. Though this problem is made slightly more complex due to the fact that it is a double inequality expression, we still solve the inequality the same way we normally would. $-5 1 - 3x 10$ If we think of this expression as two different inequality equations, we would say: $-5 1 - 3x$ and $1 - 3x 10$ So let us solve each of them. $-5 1 - 3x$ $-6 -3x$ Because we now must divide by a negative, we must reverse the inequality sign. $2 x$ And now let's solve our second expression: $1 - 3x 10$ $-3x 9$ Again, we must reverse our inequality sign, since we need to divide each side by a negative. $x -3$ Now, if we put the two results together, our expression will be: $-3 x 2$ Our final answer is H, $-3 x 2$ 5. Because we have a number line with two closed circles, we know that must use less than or equal to and greater than or equal to signs. We can see that the right side of the graph gives us a set of numbers equal to or greater than 3, which means: $x ≠¥ 3$ The left side of the graph gives us a set of numbers less than or equal to -1, which means: $x ≠¤ -1$ Our final answer is, therefore, D, $-1 ≠¥ x$ and $x ≠¤ 3$. And now, your reward for solving your inequality problems is oodles of Cuteness. The Take-Aways Inequalities are so similar to single variable equations that it can be easy to treat the two as the same. The test-makers know this, so it pays to be careful when it comes to your inequality questions. Remember the key differences (multiplying or dividing by a negative reverses the sign, and you can flip your inequality signs so long as you flip both sides of the expression) and keep careful track of the details to avoid all the common pitfalls and bait answers. After you've mastered the art of answering your inequality questions, that's another 5% of the test that you've dominated. You're well on your way to that score goal of yours now! What's Next? Want to brush up on any of your other math topics? Check out our individual math guides to get the walk-through on each and every topic on the ACT math test. Been procrastinating on your ACT studying? Learn how to get over your desire to procrastinate and make a well-balanced study plan. Running out of time on the ACT math section? We'll teach you how to beat the clock and maximize your ACT math score. Looking to get a perfect score? Check out our guide to getting a perfect 36 on ACT math, written by a perfect-scorer. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes what you study to your strengths and weaknesses. If you liked this Math lesson, you'll love our program. Along with more detailed lessons, you'll get thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Check out our 5-day free trial:

How Mother Nature Became the Inspiration Behind Velcro

How Mother Nature Became the Inspiration Behind Velcro Before the middle of 20th century, people lived in a Velcro-less world where zippers were standard and shoes had to be laced. All that changed though on one lovely summer day in 1941 when an amateur mountaineer and inventor named  George de Mestral  decided to take his dog for a nature hike. De Mestral and his faithful companion both returned home covered with burrs, the plant seed-sacs that clung to animal fur as a way to spread to fertile new planting grounds. He noticed his dog was covered in the stuff. De Mestral was a Swiss engineer who was naturally curious so he took a sample of the many burrs stuck to his pants and placed them under his microscope to see how the properties of the burdock plant allowed it stick to certain surfaces. Perhaps, he thought, they can be used for something useful. Upon closer examination, it was the small hooks that enabled the seed-bearing burr to cling so stubbornly to the tiny loops in the fabric of his pants. It as during this eureka moment that  De Mestral smiled and thought something along the lines of I will design a unique, two-sided fastener, one side with stiff hooks like the burrs and the other side with soft loops like the fabric of my pants. I will call my invention velcro a combination of the word velour and crochet. It will rival the  zipper  in its ability to fasten. De Mestrals idea was met with resistance and even laughter, but the inventor was undeterred. He worked with a weaver from a textile plant in France to perfect a fastener by experimenting with materials that would hook and loop in a similar manner. Through trial and error, he realized that nylon when sewn under infrared light formed tough hooks for the burr side of the fastener. The discovery led to a completed design that he patented in 1955. He would eventually form Velcro Industries to manufacture and distribute his invention. In the 1960s, Velcro fasteners made its way to outer space as Apollo astronauts wore them to keep items like pens and equipment from floating away while in zero-gravity. In time, the product became kind of a household name as companies like Puma used them in shoes to replace laces. Shoe makers Adidas and Reebok would soon follow. During de Mastral’s lifetime, his company sold an average of over 60 million yards of Velcro per year. Not bad for an invention inspired by mother nature. Today you can’t technically buy velcro because the name is the registered trademark for the Velcro Industries product, but you can have all the velcro brand hook and loop fasteners you need. This distinction was done on purpose and illustrates a problem inventors often face. Many words used frequently in everyday language were once trademarks, but eventually become generic terms. Well-known examples include  escalator, thermos, cellophane and nylon. The problem is that once trademarked names becomes commonplace enough, the U.S. Courts can deny exclusive rights to the trademark.

An Overview Of The Body Shop Marketing Essay

An Overview Of The Body Shop Marketing Essay Introduction Background The Body Shop it has more than 2070 tree brands and offer service for 7700.000 consumers all over the world. The founder was a great woman who was called Anita Ruddick. She travelled though South America in two years. Then she collected her experience in her long journey and found that many women used the natural way to keep their skin. She also was interested in this field. She tried to use the vegetable, fruit or plant to concoct the natural formula. In March 1976, the Ruddick founded her first store at Birmingham; the store sold 15 kinds of products such as jojoba oil, rascal and mud. In April 1984, The BODYSHOP became a listed company and started selling the products to all over the world. The BODYSHOP was a business which has conscience and credit. The BODYSHOP has five principles in its retail and production, they are: Against Animal Testing (The BODYSHOP never do the animal testing, they only used the scientific instruments to do testing on some mode led body of animal.(Ruth,2006) Support Community Trade (the BODYSHOP selling the product at reasonable price. The BODYSHOP brought their resources from some special place such as Brazil, Kenya, and Samoa. They often set up the factory in origin and employed local people who need a job to save their life. It also brought their materials in a fair price. The BODYSHOP helped a lot of people. It also can say it is a charity (Ruth, 2006). Improve Self Esteem (In the advertisement of The BODYSHOP, It is difficult to see models who have beautiful face and thin stature. The Body Shop uses some ‘special’ woman. For example, the advertisement of the total energy pulse point it employed a black lady. Defend Human Right (The BODYSHOP support equality. especially between black and white. The Body Shop made great contribution in support ECPAT(The International Campaign to End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism) Protect the Plant (Protect plant is an aim of this green company . The BODYSHOP published a book, called the Green Book in order to call all the people to protect the plants. Theories Marketing Mix: Marketing Mix was related to a company’s marketing strategy. Marketing mix include 4 parts, place, promotion, price and product. There are often called the four ‘PHS. Product: Paying attention to the features of the product is easier to attract the consumers. Some consumers focus on the after sales service, appearance, packing faction and brand more than before. For example, red is standing for lucky in china. This color always appears in spring festival. Consumers who want to buy some clothes during spring festival think this color may bring lucky for them, so they may willing chose this red clothes more than the other color. Some telephone firm willing offer sales service to consumers to create their credit. Price: Make high profit is the aim of the all the businessman. There are many factors effect the price, such as cost, rent, and capital. These factors affect the producer to adjust the product’s price. The price also affects the consumers. For example, customers attract by discount.

Juries are fundamental to our adversarial criminal justice process and Essay

Juries are fundamental to our adversarial criminal justice process and the only real guarantee of fairness between the State (as prosecutor) and the Individual - Essay Example In the case of a trial by jury, a decision is rendered by a group of nine individuals who may be drawn from different backgrounds, thereby bringing a depth of understanding of problems that single judges may not possess. According to Janata, â€Å"it is the mix of different persons with different backgrounds and psychological traits in the jury room that produces the desired results.† (Janata, 1976: 595-596). This feature may imbue juries with a greater ability to discern and make accurate determinations about the credibility of witnesses and the validity of arguments being offered, especially in criminal trials, especially because a jury is able to evaluate witnesses, plaintiffs and defendants from their perspective as ordinary citizens. Judges may sometimes get mired in the legal formalities and procedures to such an extent it may impede their intuitive judgments. There is also a greater possibility of bias arising when a single judge makes a decision on a case, particularly when it is a criminal case. In the case of a jury trial, the decision rendered is the cumulative effect of group deliberation, after the input and reflections from the different members comprising the jury are assimilated. Hence, a jury has the advantage of collective recall and weighing up of factors impacting upon a case. Since each fact is explored and discussed in a group, it allows a group scrutiny where bias is more likely to be eliminated than in the case of a single Judge. Jury trials have been advocated as an effective measure to bring justice to citizens, especially in criminal trials where jurors are believed to be better able to make assessments and judgments about character and believability of witnesses. Gastill and Weiser (2006) argue in favor of jury trials on the basis that being a part of a jury can spur greater levels of civil engagement from juror citizens and thereby provide a spur for real, deliberative democracy. While jurors do not make policy decisions, the

Police Drones and Civil Liberties Research Paper - 1

Police Drones and Civil Liberties - Research Paper Example However, in some countries, most of the police drones are used during training practices as part of a pilot program. In countries like the United States, aerial drones are used in law enforcement in domestic capacity. The Department of Defense in the United States has argued that war in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq has been changed by the use of the drone technology. In Britain, the police department has developed plans for using the drones in monitoring road services. This involves monitoring the speed of vehicles, traffic jam, and even vehicle theft among others. Through this police can keep track of civilians who violate the driver regulations. It is used for collecting road data for traffic police making work more efficient. They are also used in supervising public events such as a presidential conference. In most of the developed countries, the police drones are used in monitoring the behavior of individuals in a public gathering to ensure security. According to Solan, Tiersma, and Conley (2005), this has been an important activity as protects individuals’ freedom of movement without fear. The police are also able to keep track of events in a public gathering even from far thus maintaining peace. Police drones are used in covert urban surveillance. This facilitates effective maintenance of security in urban areas where cases of insecurity are many. Since the drone is remote controlled it can be relocated in dangerous places without fear of losing an individuals life through attacks. It allows police officers to record the public activities with high-resolution without having to move for their security according to Gill and Phythian (2006). These activities include criminal acts and attacks by enemies.  

The Impact of Social Media in US Elections Research Paper

The Impact of Social Media in US Elections - Research Paper Example The 2012 US election is one of the areas of evaluation of the impact of media in the electoral process (Campaign tech panels 2012). The 2008 United States presidential campaign coincided with a period when social media were gaining fame globally. Barrack Obama extensively used Twitter and Facebook to reach voters. In 2008, President Barrack Obama’s campaign team successfully used the internet and social network solicit funds and effectively link up with campaign volunteers (Learmonth 16). Despite the fact that experts have no certainty on the extent to which social media impact the U.S election, they accept that opinion on across the social web sites influence election outcomes. The 2008 elections occurred at a time when social media was gaining fame in the society and becoming one of the most prominent aspects in communication and advertising (Metaxas & Mustafaraj, p.473). It offered a unique opportunity to evaluate the usefulness and the success of the different media platfo rms(Dylko, Beam, Landreville, & Geidner, 2012). However, for social media presence to be effective, it relies on access to the internet. According to American Life Project, the access to internet increased and by 2008 over 46% Americans were using the internet, email or text messaging to obtain news about the campaigns. Likewise, the same number shared their views and mobilized others. In specific reference to social networking, only 10% used the established social sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Compared to the 2002 elections, the 2008 elections registered an increase in social networking. While commenting on the increase, in social media use, Peter Daou, an internet advisor for Hilary Clinton states that virtually every platform including the social media was employed, in public dialogue. The social media, in both the 2008 and 2012 elections, was used to introduce stories into the public, which affected consciousness and had a direct impact on the news presented by the mass me dia organizations (Williams & Gulati, 2013 p. 64). The blogs and other social format helped set the agenda for the media and the discussion surrounding the elections. The findings of the day before elections indicate that the Obama campaign was more active in the social media than McCain. In fact on Facebook, Obama has over 2.3 million supporters against 620,359 followers for McCain. In addition, on twitter, Obama had over 100, 000 followers against a mere 4,603. Likewise, on You Tube, there were over 18 million views for Obama against two million for McCain (Gayo-Avello, 2011). The following on social media was reflected in the election results as Obama won the elections. Even on the traditional media platform, Obama enjoyed massive success with over 160,000 mentions against over 140,000 for McCain. The findings indicate that the Obama campaign used the media effectively in the 2008 elections which led to success in elections (Learmonth, 2009). The social media is useful both in fa cilitating and distributing the campaign message. It also offered a platform for engagement on the message presented. According to Learmonth (2009), the coverage of issues was similar regardless of the platform. In fact, the issues covered in the traditional media were reflected on the social media and vice versa. The finding indicates that information transfer between the traditional media and the social media

Karyotyping (cellular chemistry) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Karyotyping (cellular chemistry) - Assignment Example DNA strands are systematically wound around several times over to permit storage without sacrificing the efficiency of regulated translation of the coded information into proteins, which are essential molecular components of biological processes (Gilbert 9). Defect in the highly-organized structure chromosomes will thus inhibit either the regulation of gene translation, or the translation process itself. Karyotyping is the examination of chromosomes of a particular sample of cells to detect differences in the chromosomes’ number and structure. Cells may be obtained from amniotic fluid, blood, bone marrow, or placenta. As mentioned earlier, such aberrations manifests physically and functionally. For example, chromosomal aberration may affect fetal development, especially when the site of defect involves genes necessary for molding a child from a unicellular zygote. In such cases, either a couple cannot produce an offspring and continuously suffer miscarriages, or physical abnormalities and functional defects are evident after their baby is born. The abnormalities may manifest as soon as the baby has been delivered, or may take some time to be observed. In addition, chromosomal aberrations can also predispose someone to develop certain diseases, such as cancer (Chambers 2009). When karyotyping was performed on a 28 year old male complaining of infertility, it was determined that he has an extra X chromosome, a condition known as Kleinfelter’s syndrome. This extra copy of X chromosome, specifically the genes that come with it, interferes with the proper function of testes in its production of viable sperm cells and testosterone. Each can exclusively cause the infertility experienced by the patient. Moreover, he might also have had small testes, large breasts, and reduced facial and body hair. The patient is also predisposed to developing breast cancer and systemic

History Paper Q2 Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History Paper Q2 Globalization - Essay Example The possibility of cultural exchange, understanding and tolerance within a global civilization. But as many critics have noticed, we are not perfect human beings. It is hard to have a fair trade and conditions of equality between countries that do not know how to trade fairly with each other, but that exploit one another. By attempting to establish a standard, the differences have been reinforced. The richer get richer; the poor get poorer. The historical processes that led to this global movement can be traced to a series of economic agreements after the two world wars. "Globalization in the era since World War II has been driven by Trade Negotiation Rounds, originally under the auspices of GATT, which led to a series of agreements to remove restrictions on "free trade". The Uruguay round led to a treaty to create the World Trade Organization or WTO, to mediate trade disputes. Other bilateral trade agreements, including sections of Europe's Maastricht Treaty and the North American Free Trade Agreement have also been signed in pursuit of the goal of reducing tariffs and barriers to trade. The other historical process that can be pointed out in the globalization phenomenon is the transmission of information.

Paramedic science degree (Medical) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Paramedic science degree (Medical) - Essay Example Hence, her doctor advised bariatric surgery six months ago. Her initial surgery led to a 5% weight loss within the first two months of the gastric banding surgery. She was encouraged by results and so she requested for the biliopancreatic diversion without duodenal switch. This procedure also helped her lose more weight. Her third request for surgery is being considered by her physician due to dependency concerns. Her physician, as well as the rest of the medical team believes that she has become dependent on bariatric surgeries and they are reluctant to encourage or feed such dependency. When confronted with such concern, she insisted that she has not become dependent on the surgeries and that this was the last surgery she would take to help her lose weight. Despite medical advice, she insists that she needs the gastric stimulation surgery in order to effectively help her lose more weight. Feelings (What was I thinking and feeling?) While caring for the bariatric patient who was bec oming dependent on our services, I felt that we needed to put an end to her dependency. The bariatric surgery during the earliest stages of her diabetes is an effective means of reducing her weight. In a study by Dixon, et.al. (2005, p. 472), the authors were able to establish that bariatric surgery done at the earliest stages of diabetes is very much beneficial to patients because it helps reduce and manage their weight and successively help them achieve better results in their diabetes management. Two bariatric surgeries however, are more than sufficient for the current patient to gradually and safely lose weight; and allowing the third surgery to proceed would also be akin to enabling her dependence. I could sense that her demeanour and attitude about the surgeries were based on the concept that the surgeries can be easily availed of and it was her right to demand said services. I felt that her dependence on bariatric surgeries must be stopped and the services to be offered to he r must be based on her health maintenance – not on more bariatric surgeries. In a study by Kushner (2000, p. 126), the authors emphasized the importance fulfilling the essential caloric intake from the limited food intake allowable after gastric banding. This should be focused on by the patient – not the need for more surgeries. Evaluation (What was good and bad about the experience?) What was good about the experience was that I learned to detect signs of dependence in patients. I was able to assess the patient’s behaviour and attitude about the surgery and to determine whether these symptoms were indicative of dependence. The experience also taught me how to deal with patients and their dependence. Normally, I would have given in to a patient’s requests; and, this experience taught me to how to therapeutically refuse a patient’s requests or demands. Therapeutically refusing a patient is not simply about refusing a patient’s requests, but i t is also about making oneself available to respond to the patient’s emotional needs (Austin, 2010, p. 483). What was bad about the experience was that we had limited options for the patient in terms of psychological or mental health assistance. We knew that she was going through some mental health issues which affected her determination to lose weight. As health professionals, we could have provided more counselling for her in order to ensure that she would be able to deal with the emotional challenges of her obesity and to

History Paper Q2 Globalization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History Paper Q2 Globalization - Essay Example The possibility of cultural exchange, understanding and tolerance within a global civilization. But as many critics have noticed, we are not perfect human beings. It is hard to have a fair trade and conditions of equality between countries that do not know how to trade fairly with each other, but that exploit one another. By attempting to establish a standard, the differences have been reinforced. The richer get richer; the poor get poorer. The historical processes that led to this global movement can be traced to a series of economic agreements after the two world wars. "Globalization in the era since World War II has been driven by Trade Negotiation Rounds, originally under the auspices of GATT, which led to a series of agreements to remove restrictions on "free trade". The Uruguay round led to a treaty to create the World Trade Organization or WTO, to mediate trade disputes. Other bilateral trade agreements, including sections of Europe's Maastricht Treaty and the North American Free Trade Agreement have also been signed in pursuit of the goal of reducing tariffs and barriers to trade. The other historical process that can be pointed out in the globalization phenomenon is the transmission of information.

Virgin America Essay Example for Free

Virgin America Essay With the foundation of Virgin Records in 1970, The Virgin Group is one of world’s largest business entities, which in 2009 comprised 300 companies under its structure, in businesses as diverse as space travel, mobile telephony, transportation, travel, financial services, media, music and fitness. The image and culture of the Virgin Group is tied to the image and personality of its founder Sir Richard Branson. The company’s fundamental values foster many of the dimensions of culture, which are highly internalized within the organization. Mr.  Branson realizes the potential and importance of those who work for him and therefore creates a structure, which is decentralized, through empowering his employees and providing them with autonomy. This paper aims at providing a critical view over the Virgin Group’s corporate strategy, in terms of strategic thinking and diversification, as well as a closer look at the business strategy of one of the Group’s businesses, the Virgin America. The Virgin Group is a company that encourages employees to use their awareness to make decisions rather than the standard quo. Because of the company’s corporate culture and structure, Virgin has successfully forecasted possible issues and has dealt with them in a timely manner. Many other organizations have a formalized structure and the Virgin Group is anything but formal and other companies may look at this as an area of concern but not for Sir Richard Branson, the ways he communicates and the way he leads is testament to why he and his companies are very successful and Virgin America will follow suit. Virgin America One of the most recognized name in the world, Virgin, created in 1970 by Sir Richard Branson a leading venture capital organization, is one of the worlds most recognized and respected organizations in the business enterprise. The Virgin Group is a diversified grouping of more than 300 privately held companies, employing approximately 50,000 people, in 30 countries. Revenues around the world in 2009 exceeded 18 billion (http://www. virgin. com/about-us/). The Virgin Group has become one of the most successful businesses in industries ranging from mobile telephony, transportation, travel, financial services, media, music and fitness. Of Virgin’s 300-plus companies, the majority are operating companies that own assets, employ people, and offer goods and services. These operating companies are owned and controlled by some 20 holding companies; most of these own several operating companies within the same line of business. For example, Virgin Travel Limited owns Virgin Group’s investments in Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Blue, Virgin America, and SN Air holdings. Overall ownership of most of the Virgin Group lies in the hands of Virgin Group Investments Limited a private company registered in the British Virgin Islands. The corporate strategy of the Virgin Group is to operate like a venture capital firm based on the Virgin brand. This strategy involves diversification at the individual business unit level and meanwhile, collaborations are created from hierarchical relationships and the interaction of the corporate head office with individual business units. By leveraging the Virgin Brand which has established a reputation in the customer minds of the unique Virgin culture and also allows Virgin to break into new markets and execute its ventures very effectively. Virgin Atlantic Airways is the largest of the Virgin companies and the number two airline in the United Kingdom, with this said Mr. Branson wanted to branch out of the UK to build his airline image to the United States. In 2007, San Francisco became the headquarters for Virgin America. Virgin America which has flown mostly trans-continental routes in the U. S. since its launch in 2007, has expanded to Canada with flights to Toronto and plans to begin service to Mexico. Sir Richard Branson vision was to have a â€Å"topnotch service† (http://www. irgin. com/company/virgin-america/), for the U. S travelers, with the exceptional service that is known on Virgin Atlantic flights. It has not been an easy road to get into the airline industry in the United States. Because of The Federal Aviation Act of 1938, which restricts foreign ownership of domestic airlines, Mr. Branson would had to partner with another American carrier, example Southwest Airlines and would have to turn over the business to the American carrier. Due to this, he eventually waited until the laws could change into his favor which it did not and decided to follow another avenue. He viewed some finance options that would be enough to satisfy the laws about foreign ownership restrictions. There were other American domestic airlines that viewed Virgin as a threat and tried to block the certification. This lasted for a year and half with Virgin America planes parked and not being flown. It was time and money being wasted because of the fear from the domestic carriers that Virgin may take some of their travel customers. Sir Richard Branson had some laws and political warfare going against him and his Virgin Group because of fear of being challenged and to enter a market dominated by U. S carriers. The Virgin Group sent many of millions of dollars in lawsuits, time and man power to establish a foothold into the U. S territory. Sir Richard Branson has a charismatic style and talent which is a strength that other companies are unable to reproduce, and which describes the Virgin label. The Virgin culture is what Sir Richard Branson has built over decades and that distinguishes the work environment within Virgin Group from other companies. It is a culture that is ‘not looking for clones,’ that is ‘like a family’ and is one that requires employees to have the ‘Virgin Flair. ’ (Branson, 2010) Because of these qualities which have created a corporate culture that is unlike in any organization and has become the way at The Virgin Group. Sir Richard Branson’s personality is the culture at Virgin and like he mentions and has been heard before from other leaders yet he is the only one that adheres to this motto that a companys employees are its greatest asset, particularly in service-based operations where your people are your product. You here this all the time in many organizations and yet you have cultures that are in flux with management, you hear many complaints from the front line to mid-level managers that do not trust or believe the upper management. But you can also say the same from the Executive level that the employees are not listening, what this is, is poor communication, the leader has to establish the culture for the company and Sir Richard Branson has done this time and time again, with over 300 companies. With Virgin America coming to the U.  S, the culture is going to be one that will challenge the likes of Southwest Airlines where the culture of this airline is fun and exciting. Sir Richard Branson talks about the Virgin culture and provides an example that when building a new cabin for one of their aircraft that he invites certain departments from inception so they work together so they all can be responsible for the failure or success of the new project. This also invites all to ask questions as a team so everyone input is valid and that which makes the endeavor more enjoyable and the work fun. It’s all about communication, no matter what the culture is and in the Virgin companies it’s all about customer service, and in the U. S, Mr. Branson will know that Americans are a low context culture that communication is important and is precise. The culture barriers will be minimal for Virgin America since California has a diverse cultural background. Why did Sir Richard Branson want to enter in the United States especially the low cost airline industry? Virgin Atlantic is an international company that has flights all around the world but not based in the U.  S. and with the heavy hitters of the airline industry, example, Delta, United, and Continental, Sir Richard wanted to get into the business that he sees that could be successful like Southwest Airlines. But like this paper mentions, this has been fraught with challenging issues and times (current economic conditions) and the time and money of negotiating with lawyers and political upheaval from other airlines. The goal of Virgin America is to provide the exceptional customer service and the brand of the Virgin name to the United States. In 2010, Virgin America had yet another setback, trying to get a gate at one of the busiest airports in the country, Chicago O’hare. Now the new low cost airline will be looking towards to Dallas, this is a blow to the many Americans looking for another option to flying in and out of Chicago and all because of the two major airlines United and American who control more than 90% of the gates. (Low-cost airlines would land for city-owned gates. 2010). I believe it’s a waiting game, another carrier, JetBlue had to wait of over year to get a gate at the O’Hare airport, patience will be the key to Virgin America and that does not bode well with Sir Richards standards even though he has played this game for some time. What Virgin America can do is work with other cities that are willing to work and make the financial numbers feasible for both parties and in time gate availability for Chicago O’Hare will eventually be available. The Virgin Group organizational structure is quite complex, with over 300 companies that operate in all unique industries. But all of these companies fall under the Virgin brand. The brand is similar or identical within each separate operation. This image is one of quality and innovation and by creating an exceptional brand; the company is able to create a high level of loyalty within its customer base. The diversity of businesses operated by Virgin Group helps the company maintain a high level of loyalty in many different industries. With the Virgin America company, this would fall under the Virgin Travel umbrella, (see chart) and would have a separate management hierarchal structure, almost like a franchise organization. References http://www.virgin.com/about-us/ http://blogs.wsj.com/middleseat/2010/08/11/sir-richard-is-finally-linking-together-the-virgin-airlines/

Issues in Reporting Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs)

Issues in Reporting Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) India is becoming a hub in the field of clinical research and a center for drug discovery and development and this advancement has created an urgent need to strengthen the current drug safety measures. Pharmacovigilance has emerged as an important field of science related to activities regarding detection, assessment, understanding detection and prevention of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and other drug related issues. The current pharmacovigilance system is not fully able to address these issues because of certain â€Å"challenges† being posed to it. While major advancements of the discipline of pharmacovigilance have taken place in the West, not much has been achieved in India. Some of the important challenges to our existing pharmacovigilance activities are: under-reporting, lack of knowledge, proper training, education, attitude and motivation, confusion regarding terminology and definitions used in pharmacovigilance. Increasing use of biologics and herbal medicines in cur rent medicine practice further pose challenges to our pharmacovigilance systems. There is lack of information about the active principle, efficacy, adverse effect profile, quality assurance/quality control, informal selling interaction potential in case of herbal drugs. On the other hand, a complex production process, limited predictability of preclinical to clinical data, high potential for immunogenicity possibility of an underlying exaggerated pharmacology in case of biologics further grieve the situation. Also there is need to improve the spontaneous reporting and causality assessment scales with high quality data submission. KEY WORDS: Pharmacovigilance, India, ADRs, AEs, Challenges INTRODUCTION India is an emerging hub in the field of clinical research and a destination for drug discovery and development. Several new drug entities, new dosage forms, vaccines etc. are being introduced in the country challenging the monitoring of adverse drug reactions over a large population base. The monitoring of both known and unknown side effects of medicines is important even if the drug is in use for several years so that the safety profile of the drug can be ascertained. This has paved the way for pharmacovigilance. Pharmacovigilance may be defined as the pharmacological science relating to the detection, assessment, understanding and prevention of adverse drug reactions or any other possible drug related problems (1), particularly long term and short term side effects of medicines. While major advancements of the discipline of pharmacovigilance have taken place in the West, not much has been achieved in India. Although in India, pharmacovigilance has progressed from the situation as it was in past, but for different types of problems and limitations progress is yet not very rapid. (2) The current review focuses on a number of elusive issues which require attention addressal: Under-reporting: India specific causes possible solutions Under-reporting is a major limitation of spontaneous reporting systems for suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in India. It is both a technical and a psychological issue. Under-reporting may lead to failure to recognize an unacceptable risk associated with a particular drug. Furthermore, differences in reporting between different drugs may lead to apparent differences in the toxicity which may be spurious. It can lead to delay in signal detection and underestimation of the magnitude of the problem. There is a long exhaustive list focusing on the causes of under-reporting: Lack of awareness There is a general lack of awareness among health care professionals in terms of increasing health burden of ADRs. Those who are aware of this fact, fail to recognize the logistics of ADR reporting like who all can report, where to report what to report. Lack of knowledge attitude A large proportion of studies have found that the knowledge and attitudes of health care professionals appear to be strongly related with reporting. This result may have important implications in terms of public health, if knowledge and attitude are viewed as potentially modifiable factors. (5, 6) Lack of motivation Due to the passive nature of collection of reports, data collection is not exhaustive as it depends upon the attitude motivation of the clinicians. Hence, some ADRs even if observed are not likely to be reported. Some feel that reporting a single ADR wont help much in contributing! Fear of litigation loss of reputation Sometimes healthcare professionals fear that the acknowledgement of adverse reactions may reflect negatively on their competence or put them at risk of litigation. There is also a general fear of loss of reputation among the medical fraternity patients. Misconceptions about what to report Some are reluctant to report adverse reactions because of doubts regarding the causal role of the drug. There is a uncertainity in majority of the cases regarding the drug causing the particular adverse drug reaction. Unfriendly ADR reporting forms hassel of posting of the forms Some health care professionals fail to report due to the complexity of ADR reporting form. At any given instance of time all the information required to be filled is not available. Even after filling the form still there remains a hassel of posting of the forms. So, one always prefers to stay away from the problem. At times, difficulties in accessing the forms also contribute. Lack of time to report Excessive patient load in the health care set up in a developing country like India further worsen the situation. The other factors which contribute towards under-reporting include hesitation lack of confidence. Correcting for under-reporting is difficult because the exact magnitude of under reporting is unknown. It has been seen that more number of ADRs are reported spontaneously usually after a reminder or following scientific workshops, conferences or other awareness programs and it decreases gradually over a period of time. So sustainability is an important factor for determining the spontaneous reporting of ADRs. (3) In addition, it has been found that serious, unexpected ADRs those associated with newly marketed drugs are more likely to be reported. Easy access to ADR reporting forms, clarity of criteria for reporting, simple procedures and good motivational practices such as acknowledging the receipt of adverse drug reaction reports by personal letter or phone call, providing feedback to reporters in the form of articles in journals, adverse drug reaction bulletins or newsletters, organizing scientific workshops, trainings at regular intervals are all influential in addressing the problem. The periodic e-mail update on the safety of drugs represents an effective and inexpensive way to raise the awareness of clinicians on the importance of spontaneous ADR reporting. For continuous motivation there appears to be a need to adopt a policy of regular updates and educational strategies for health professionals. (4) There is an urgent need for regular training of all health care personnel in the form of workshops, symposiums scientific meetings. The training sessions must clarify the roles of the various healthcare professionals in pharmacovigilance. There should be closer relationship between the doctors and the pharmacovigilance centre’s. The paramedical staff should also be equally trained since they are in closer contact with the patients for a longer duration and can play an important role in making the pharmacovigilance programs more efficacious. Information analysis of the reported material is a highly specialized and complex job. It should be made as simple as possible by the use of appropriately trained staff, so that one may be able to provide an answer with greater certainty. Causality assessment scales are an example where there is need of improvement so that proper causal relationship between the drug and the adverse effect can be established. Appropriate training and educat ion regarding Pharmacovigilance should also be introduced during the formal teaching of medical graduates as a welcome step. Unfortunately, this activity is missing in our existing medical education system. Though we are now involving many of the medical colleges as Pharmacovigilance centre’s but still most of the undergraduates are unaware of this process. (7) The reporting of adverse reactions needs continuous stimulation. Therefore, it seems necessary to hold awareness programmes at regular intervals to improve the ADR reporting. It is important to achieve the development of a positive attitude towards pharmacovigilance among healthcare professionals so that adverse reaction reporting becomes an accepted culture in India. Vaccine Safety/Pharmacovigilance The goal of pharmacovigilance of vaccines is the early detection and timely response to adverse events following immunization, in order to minimize negative effects to the health of individuals and lessen the potential negative impact on immunization of population. A stringent safety surveillance of vaccines is crucial since the majority of vaccines are administered not only to vulnerable children but also to healthy population. Moreover, vaccines are complex biological products, which may include multiple antigens, live organisms, adjuvants, and preservatives which can be responsible for the ADRs. e.g. lymphocyte meningitis after anti-mumps vaccine. (8) So, each component has unique safety implications, which is important to capture as compared to other drugs. (9) In addition, difficulties in causality assessment in case of vaccines makes the situation more worse. (10, 11) Execution of Adverse Event Following immunization (AEFI) surveillance program in India is a challenge taking into account its large geographical area. Capacity to detect respond to AEFIs needs improvement in India. A multipronged approach is the need of the hour to ensure effective vaccine safety surveillance. Pharmacovigilance in clinical trials: A newer approach to patient safety in clinical trials Safety monitoring of drugs during clinical trials is now recognized as one of the major concerns for new drug development due to the increasing complexity of clinical trials involvement of large cohorts of participants. In a clinical trial, all adverse events experienced, irrespective of the causality should be monitored, accurately documented and adequately reported in a timely manner following the local regulatory requirements. Safety data from clinical studies is a key component that drug regulatory authorities consider in the decision-making as to whether to grant or deny market authorization for a drug. In addition, safety data from clinical trials helps not only in restricting harm at one centre but provides further vigilant action at other centres also. As per recent gazette notifications, Any unexpected serious adverse event (SAE) (as defined in GCP Guidelines) occurring during a clinical trial should be communicated promptly (within 14 calendar days) by the Sponsor to the L icensing Authority and to the other Investigator(s) participating in the study (Appendix XI In cases of any trial related injury, the safety data from clinical trials also serves as a basis for casuality aseessment for calculating compensation. Regarding reporting responsibilities of the investigators, Schedule Y states that: Investigator(s) shall report all serious and unexpected adverse events to the sponsor within 24 h and to the Ethics Committee that accorded approval to the study protocol with 7 working days of their occurrence. Pharmacovigilance in clinical trials needs to be encouraged and fostered. The present scenario requires reform and needs recommendations for building a robust safety surveillance system for clinical trials in India. Arora D. Pharmacovigilance obligations of the pharmaceutical companies in India. Indian J Pharmacol 2008 February , 40 (Suppl 1): S13-S16 Focused Pharmacovigilance HIV/AIDS, Malaria Kala-azar are major public health concerns in India. Adequate systems and infrastructure for ADR monitoring and risk management activities are largely absent in India, adequate national or regional quality and safety monitoring systems after drug distribution are also lacking. With increase in number of patients, availability of new drugs, generic fixed-dose combinations and the ignorance of pharmaceutical company sector in global pharmacovigilance activities, there is a great need of focused pharmacovigilance. In India, a total of 2.4 million patients were suffering from HIV/AIDS in 2009 and about 200,000 new HIV-positive individuals are diagnosed each year. (12) Antiretroviral therapy reduces morbidity and mortality in people living with HIV infection, but adverse drug reactions remain a potential barrier to treatment success as they are an important cause of poor adherence due to inability to tolerate antiretroviral therapy. ADR monitoring and causality assessment in resource-limited countries like India remain major challenges. In India, Post-marketing ADR monitoring often relies exclusively on spontaneous reporting which is a major issue. As of now there is no pre-existing surveillance system solely dedicated to ADR monitoring of anti- HIV/AIDS drugs in India. (13, 14) We can develop an HIV-focused pharmacovigilance program which can integrate both active and passive ADR surveillance for antiretroviral therapy (ART). Moreover integrating the HIV-focused pharmacovigilance program with the existing health care program of AIDS can go a long way. (15) As per WHO report 2011-2012, South East Asian Region bears the second largest burden of malaria (13%), only second to African region (81%). Among South-East Asia region, India shares two-thirds of the burden (66%) followed by Myanmar (18%) and Indonesia (10%). (16) Emerging chloroquine-resistance especially in P. falciparum is considered as one of the important contributing factors responsible for an increase in its occurrence in India. Because of this there is a wide scale use of Artemisinin based combination therapies (ACTs) and other new drug combinations. Our health systems have a very little experience with these new drugs. Pharmacovigilance for ACTs and other combination treatments in India is essential as malaria transmission is high and antimalarial drugs are used very frequently. Moreover, drugs can be obtained without a prescription. Informal use of antimalarial drugs may increase the risk of incorrect dosing, inappropriate treatment, and drug interactions which may impact negatively on drug safety. Furthermore, the administration of antimalarial treatments in patients with concomitant illness, including HIV/AIDs, tuberculosis and malnutrition, is a concern. So all these factors demand a focused pharmacovigilance activity to ensure sa fe use of antimalarial drugs especially the ACTs and other new drug combinations. (17, 18). In India Kala azar cases are mostly concentrated in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Jharkhand with over 165.4 million people at risk (19). Sodium antimony gluconate (SAG) and miltefosine are the first line drugs for the treatment of kala-azar are known to cause several side effects. Sodium antimony gluconate (SAG) has been known to cause anorexia, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, metallic taste in mouth, diarrhoea, pancreatitis, reversible elevation of liver enzyme activities, myalgia, arthralgia, proteinuria, ECG changes (T wave inversion,prolongation of QT interval, ST segment abnormalities), phlebitis, uveitis, optic atrophy, acute renal failure, hepatic necrosis and bone marrow hypoplasia. (20) Miltefosine is known to cause mild adverse effects which are mainly gastrointestinal in which loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting were found to be the major dose-limiting side effects. Other frequently observed miltefosine-related toxicities are mainly associated with the kidneys and liver. (21) Teratogenicity is the main limitation to the use of miltefosine which calls for responsible surveillance appropriate mechanisms to protect the women of child-bearing age. (22) In addition to the adverse-effects, quality of the generic products also need to be monitored. (23) In view of the current side effect profile other related issues monitoring of adverse effects to anti-leishmanial drugs is utmost. Focused Pharmacovigilance for anti-leishmanials can be integrated with the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) which is an umbrella programme for prevention and control of vector borne diseases.