Birth Mark By Hawthorne Essays - The Birth-Mark, Nathaniel Hawthorne

Birth Mark By Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote a time of great change in America. In the mid-nineteenth century, Americans began to experience a shift in focus from the once stringent religious outlook to a more scientific view of the world and its natural wonders. Americans, however, did look at these new scientific discoveries with much hesitation, questioning their long-term effects on society as a whole. Hawthorne' s work, "The Birth Mark echoes these sentiments and combine natural faith with a confidence in science to make a very interesting tale. This tale and its morality convey a message to the reader that there is a price for tampering with the natural order of things. This story opens by explaining how educated and knowledgeable Aylmer is, and the narrator even suggests that he may have the power to alter nature. " We know not whether Aylmer possesses this degree of faith in man's ultimate control over nature (Birthmark, 1262 )."As Aylmer tries to use science to alter nature, or in this case, the birthmark on his wife's cheek, his plan backfires and his wife dies. The death of Georgiana shows that knowledge is dangerous if used in the wrong way. The influence of the evolution of culture has caused men to educate themselves, and learn extensive amounts about science. However, some men like Aylmer take advantage of their intelligence and try to play the role of God. Aylmer allowed his mind to consume his heart, resulting in the senseless death of his beautiful wife. Culture teaches men that if they learn enough that they can manipulate nature; however, in the Birthmark, Hawthorne shows that intelligence still can't overcome nature and thus culture is self-destructive. The fact the whole story is about removing a physical flaw from Georgiana's face when she is already obviously beautiful demonstrates the degree to which Aylmer has allowed this pursuit of knowledge and culture to destroy his ability to perceive nature's beauty. In this text, Georgiana and her birthmark represent nature, and culture is represented by Aylmer. Culture has taught men to question the flaws of women that they once found intriguing, therefore Aylmer is challenging nature when he tries to remove it. Aylmer is so wrapped up in this culture that he treats Georgiana as property. Her opinion about the removal of the birthmark was of little concern to him. Therefore, culture asserts that it is not only a separate entity from nature but that it has superior qualities. Because of Aylmer's belief that culture is superior to nature, the Creator of nature and culture alike chose to punish him. The punishment was not in an effort to be vengeful, but to show him what should have been important to him was not the birthmark on Georgiana's face, but the beauty that she possessed both inside and out that made him desire to spend the rest of his days with her. "...he failed to look beyond the shadowy scope of Time, and living once and for all in Eternity, to find the perfect Future in the present (Birthmark, 1273);" therefore, he was forced to spend eternity without the one that truly loved him?unconditionally. Bibliography Michelson, Bruce. Norton Anthology of American Literature. The Birtmark, pp1261-73.

Today, our world is faced with many diseases. Some Essays

Today, our world is faced with many diseases. Some Essays Hiv Today, our world is faced with many diseases. Some havent been discovered and some have no cures. The immune system fights off many of these diseases, but what happens when it fails us? One of the most deadly, incurable disease the world is faced with today is the Human Immunodeficency Virus (HIV). There is no none cure yet. Viruses cause colds and the flu. Viruses are microscopic particles that invade the cells of plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria. They often destroy the cells they invade. How do viruses reproduce? A virus first enters a cell in one of three ways: direct penetration, endocytosis, or membrane fusion. The virus takes over the cells machinery and is thus forced to make the viruss proteins and RNA. When the virus has entered, viral RNA is released in to the cell and reverse transcriptase occurs. Reverse trancriptase is when the cell makes a DNA copy of the viral RNA. It then produces the proteins and genes the virus needs to be assemble. The virus can then be released by three ways: lytic, lysogenic, and persistent. A virus, although not considered to be alive, does have a life cycle. First the virus attaches to a cell, which it recognizes by its surface markers. Then it penetrates the cell and gets inside. Next, it replicates and makes copies of itself. It then assembles itself back together and the new viruses are released. A virus cannot replicate by itself; it has to infect a cell. The virus is always the same size. It doesnt have a metabolism. A virus has three different shapes it can be: helical, polyhedral, and enveloped. It is made up of nucleic acid (RNA or DNA), and surrounded by a protein coat. Certain viruses can survive harsh conditions. Pathogens, disease-causing agents, have to enter the body to cause illness. There are several ways for them to get into the body: through the genitals, breaks in the skin, and natural openings. The immune system usually stops these invaders from getting in. The primary way to stop pathogens is by the skin. But, the skin has natural openings where they can get in. The eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and genitals are all natural openings. The second line of defense is at these natural openings. The pathogens get stuck in the mucus lining of the nose and mouth or are killed by the saliva and stomach acids; tears from the eyes; earwax; and acidic secretion of the vagina all stop pathogens but they dont get them all. The third line of defense is the Tortiory Response. There are two different kinds, innate (which you are born with and is non-antigen specific and acquired (which you acquire through life and is antigen specific). Innate has three different reposes to it. The first: phagocytic cells eat live viruses, bacteria and, dead cells. The second: natural killer cells are non-specific and destroy all infected cells. The third: interferon binds to the surface of surrounding healthy cells and activates their genes to create an antiviral state. Acquired immunity has different parts to it: macrophages (ingest viruses and expresses information to other cells; intructs and recognizes), T4-cells (instruct), T8-cells (respond), B-lymphocytes (respond), and lymphokines (rate control). There are two different kinds of acquired immunity: humoral and cell mediated. The humoral response involves the production of antigen-specific antibodies. Those antibodies neutralize he virus, help macrophages ingest and T8-cells to destroy it, and cause the destruction of the viral envelope. Colonal selection is part of the humoral response. The T4-cells get the right B-cells and activate them. The B-cells produce antibodies quickly then start to divide. Once they divide, they are called plasma cells and are able to produce 2,000 antibodies per second for 4-5 days. The cell-mediated response develops T8-cells that destroy host cells that have been infected already. T8-cells can tell the difference between regular and infected cells. HIV is a very deadly disease. There are certain risk behaviors associated with the disease. HIV is mainly transmitted by sexual contact or either by IV drug use. Anal sex carries a higher risk of getting it than vaginal or oral sex. The probability is 1/33 to 1/10 people. Vaginal intercourse also caries a high risk. Male to female

International Financial Reporting Standards Essay - 4

International Financial Reporting Standards - Essay Example As such, it does not outline an industry specific platform that guides and regulates its style of reporting. The existence of financial reporting standards acknowledged across the global platform, such as IFRS, is important especially to multinational corporations and global companies that operate in different countries across the world, with subsidiaries and interests in countries with different approaches to financial accounting and reporting. Therefore, the existence of such internationally acknowledged reporting standards enables these corporations to consolidate their financial statements, especially when returning the profits from subsidiaries to the parent company. A good example of such a multinational corporation that has overseas subsidiaries is the MacDonald’s Chain of Restaurants, whose mother company is in the united states but is has a global presence with its restaurants located in major markets across the world such as Asia and Europe. Despite the numerous benefits that come about to international corporations with their use and application of the IFRS guidelines, its application is not so efficient as an accounting practice because it acts merely as a guideline and not as a rule, or a principle, which accountants should follow and adhere to when preparing and reporting financial statements. This rule out the possibility of all companies applying these standards in their reporting and preparation of financial statements because there is no legal means of enforcing these standards. The lack of a strict enforcement mechanism makes it very difficult for international companies to apply IFRS principles in accounting. As such, these companies only follow these rules out of choice, especially because they want to achieve a global look, rather than following the formalities. However, if in the event these companies, especially the multinational

Event Evaluation -Netowrking Event Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Event Evaluation -Netowrking Event - Essay Example How long did planning the event take? Well the answers were explained in the following context. The following factors were help to illustrate clearly how they planned for the big event within the allotted time. The plan is the event! The key aspect that was considered when in the course of planning for the event was its ability to be successful. This is at the very best considered basing on virtual realities and constraints. Obviously, there were a number of hurdles and numerous challenges that would make the entire plan a nightmwere. To be able to truly achieve their target, they should be able to ensure that all elements were managed at various levels whereby it would be easier to control inputs and outputs. The core factor when they were considering time is to establish the goal of the entire arrangement and then proceed to draw the framework for the work to be done. Acquire adequate service orientation:-This would enable them to device the scenarios involved in acquiring the righ t services and it is worth creating a more definite organizational structure and from then they could build a more flexible planning technique (Ramsborg et al. 2008). With substantial inclusion of various requirements such as acquiring accessories, getting logistical information and assembling the necessary themes for the event, all schedules were correlated through the approximated layout scheduling process. Define organization capacity and flexibility: - The obvious approach to their organization is their ability to operationalize and internalize all the activities with due diligence and to easily get the right way towards establishing the right attributes. In that, they were be able to make all important aspects regarding the plan without having to get any difficulty as the entities needed for the events were always listed basing on important interests. Additionally, the planning process is exponentially maintained within the required capacity whereby the energy and interest is e xplained and recreated to enhance optimum arrangements as required by the resources available and the amount of services needed by the client. The good thing here was that in the Performance Hub, there was an ideal venue for the creation of music, dance or drama, as well as being suited to conferences and corporate events. The Performance Hub is a highly flexible venue and this was evident in the way the organisation of the event was tailored to showcase the capacity and organizational flexibility due to its tailor made state of the art facilities especially made for such events. For instance to show how versatile the event organizational capacity was, there was the options of several venues that included the following: The Black Box Theatre: The Black Box Theatre is one of the best-equipped small theatres in the country. Ideally suited to small performances, the theatre features a raked seating area and high quality acoustics. The 108 seat venue is fully equipped with lighting and sound equipment to support your performance. The theatre has double height loading doors allowing you to bring your set directly into the venue. The Performance Hub can also offer support with a functional box office and catering provision on request. Technical support can

Innovation Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Innovation Management - Essay Example Spin-Brush, a unique electric toothbrush received this protection from the United States government that kept it flourishing over its competitors over a great period of time. This right has kept away the many competitors in the market from using the design and packaging of Spin-Brush thereby making the product to remain relevant and outstanding in the market. The ‘try-me’ design in which Spin-Brush has been devised attracts most customers to it and probably many firms would want to exploit that so they could also drive in many consumers. This has been protected by the patent rights that Osher received. Patent has also made it easy to license it with companies such as Crest. Its value has continued to be high since many competitors are kept away from altering it making it be the only product with those features. Customers therefore find it conspicuous compared to other products due to packaging and design. Companies are likely to respond in different ways as they try to counter-neutralise the domination of Spin-Brush so that they may remain relevant in the competitive industry. There is a possibility of lowering the prices of electric brushes that previously sold at higher prices than that of Spin-Brush in order to attract customers. Also, companies are likely to mount promotional campaigns to create awareness concerning their products in the markets (Fox, 2013:147). Spin-Brush producers need to increase even more their advertisements and field demonstrations showing how efficient their product is. A counter-promotional strategy would work best to minimise rise of these other competitive companies since the design and packaging in which Spin-Brush is made favours it over other players in the industry. Other inventions are more likely to come up in areas that are not covered by the patent right such as technological know-how behind the production. Consequently, the

Effect of Adolescent Cannabis Use on Brain Functions

Effect of Adolescent Cannabis Use on Brain Functions Cannabis Use During Adolescence: A Review of Impacts on Brain Functions and Associated Outcomes Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in the social acceptability of cannabis usage in the United States, with several states having already legalized recreational use of the substance and several more projected to do so within the next several years (Leyton, 2016).   Concurrently, there has been an increase in the amount of adolescents who report using cannabis, with recent data indicating that 39% of high school seniors report using cannabis within the past year and 6-7% reporting daily or near daily cannabis use (Johnston & O’Malley, 2015).   Despite increasing utilization of cannabis products for pain management and other ailments (Hwang & Clarke, 2016), some in the scientific community have expressed concern about the potential ramifications of recreational legalization of cannabis.   Chief amongst these concerns is the idea that adolescents will have very easy access to increasingly potent cannabis and synthetic cannabis products (Sobesky & Gorgens, 2016), as a great deal of research has indicated that the use of cannabis poses several risks specific to individuals in the adolescent age range (see Levine, Clemenza, Rynn, & Lieberman, 2017).   This paper will summarize the research examining the impact of cannabis use on the developing adolescent brain and potential associated outcomes, particularly in the areas of cognition/executive function, anxiety and depression, psychotic disorders, and future substance use/dependence.   The Adolescent Brain To understand the impact of cannabis use on the developing adolescent brain, it is first necessary to understand the changes taking place in the brain during this developmental period.   Not surprisingly, the period of adolescence is a time of tremendous change in the circuitry of the brain.   According to Arain et al. (2013), there is a significant amount of neuronal plasticity in the brain during adolescence, meaning the â€Å"wiring† of the brain is extremely adaptable to learning and experience.   Such plasticity, particularly in the prefrontal cortex, lends itself to difficulty thinking rationally and critically, often leading to the impulsive decision-making that is characteristic of the adolescent years.   In addition, the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, the system responsible for regulating human responses to stress, also undergoes significant development during the period of adolescence.   Within this system, the amount and duration of adrenocorti cotropic hormone (ACTH) and glucocorticoids released in response to stress increase significantly as compared to other life periods (Romeo, 2013).   Shortly before puberty, a â€Å"surge† of synaptogenesis and neuronal growth occurs in which grey matter in the brain thickens substantially.   From this point throughout the period of adolescence, the brain is continually rewired through dendritic pruning and increased myelination of synapses, particularly in the prefrontal cortex (Arain et al., 2013; Lubman, Bonomo, & Yucel, 2007).   In addition, white matter increases are seen in the corpus callosum (Arain et al., 2013).   Taken together, these changes increase the efficiency of communication within the brain, allowing for the eventual development of more complex cognitive functioning, including improved impulse control, operational thinking, and working memory (Hart, 2007; Lubman et al., 2007).   In addition to the constant rewiring of brain circuitry that occurs during adolescence, the levels of three neurotransmitters – dopamine, serotonin, and melatonin – change during the adolescent period (Arain et al., 2013).   According to Dahl (2003), dopamine and serotonin levels decrease during adolescence, resulting in emotional dysregulation, mood disruptions, and difficulties with impulse control.   Melatonin levels, on the other hand, increase, which in turn increases the amount of sleep that adolescents need to be fully â€Å"re-charged.†Ã‚     Given the massive changes that are occurring in the brain during the period of adolescence, it is a time in which the brain is especially susceptible to the use of substances, (Lubman et al., 2007) including cannabis.   Cannabis’ Action in the Brain Before discussing the specific impacts of cannabis use on the adolescent brain, it is important to understand how cannabis acts in the brain in general.   First, the brain has an endogenous cannabinoid system (endocannabinoid system) made up of the ligands anandamide and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG) and cannabinoid receptors known as CB1 and CB2 receptors (Moreira & Lutz, 2008).   CB1 receptors are located throughout the brain, but are particularly populous in the front region of the cerebral cortex, the basal ganglia, the cerebellum, the hypothalamus, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the hippocampus; CB2 receptors are generally found throughout the body’s immune system (Hill et al., 2010; Iversen, 2004).   The endocannabinoid system plays a role in a number of processes, including the regulation of the HPA axis stress response (Hill et al., 2010; Lee & Gorzalka, 2015), neural plasticity, and learning and memory (Lu et al., 2008).   According to Iversen (2004), the psychoactive component in cannabis is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).   THC, as well as increasingly popular synthetic cannabinoids, act as agonists on CB1 cannabinoid receptors in the brain.   Because CB1 receptors are generally presynaptic rather than postsynaptic, cannabinoids control the release of certain neurotransmitters, including acetylcholine, L-glutamate, ÃŽ ³-aminobutyric acid (GABA), noradrenaline (norepinephrine), dopamine, and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT).   The use of exogenous cannabinoids, such as marijuana or synthetic marijuana products, leads to an unnaturally long-lasting activation of CB1 receptors, ultimately inhibiting the release of the aforementioned neurotransmitters in selected areas of the brain (Iversen, 2004).   In addition to its impact on CB1 receptors and associated neurotransmitters, THC also appears to trigger the firing of dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area of the brain and the nucleus accumbens – areas of the brain that are heavily implicated in the brain’s reward circuit associated with drug use.   This effect is also seen with heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, and nicotine, suggesting that THC may also act on the opioid receptor system within the brain (Iversen, 2004). Impact on Cognition and Executive Function Tasks The literature has focused on several larger areas of impact regarding cannabis use during adolescence, one of these being the potential impacts on cognition and tasks of executive function.   As previously mentioned, the brain undergoes a significant amount of change in the adolescent years, including the frequent re-wiring of neural connections through neural pruning processes, particularly in the prefrontal cortex.   According to Filbey, McQueeny, DeWitt, and Mishra (2015), cannabis use during adolescence disrupts this normal pruning process through its modulation of neurotransmitters and inhibition of microglial processes.   This results in abnormal connectivity within the brain, including a decrease in white matter volume and integrity (Gruber, Dahlgren, Sagar, Gonenc, & Lukas, 2014; Jacobus et al., 2009). Such changes result in a number of cognitive impacts, including increased impulsivity, poorer reaction times, and increased errors on executive function tasks (e.g., planning, organization, self-regulation, etc.) (Becker, Wagner, Gouzoulis-Mayfrank, Spuentrup, & Daumann, 2010; Gruber et al., 2014).   Indeed, studies have indicated that individuals who begin marijuana use in early adolescence are at an increased risk for developing deficits in attention (Ehrenreich et al., 1999) and visual processing (Tapert, Granholm, Leedy, & Brown, 2002), and exhibit a decreased full scale IQ and verbal IQ in adulthood (Meier et al., 2012).   Memory also appears to be affected by adolescent-onset cannabis use (Tait, Mackinnon, & Christensen, 2011), likely via its impact on the hippocampus – a part of the brain heavily implicated in memory functions.   Animal research has shown that the hippocampus is affected by cannabis use especially during the period of adolescence.   In rats, adolescent exposure to cannabis impacted the microstructure of the hippocampus as well as abnormalities in the way that proteins are expressed in the hippocampus (Quinn et al., 2008).   Specifically, it appears that exogenous cannabinoids bind to CB1 receptors and inhibit the release of glutamate, thus contributing to deficits in short-term memory (Hart, 2007) and negatively impacting performance on memory-related tasks (see Levine et al., 2017).   Some animal studies indicate that lower levels of cannabis use (those most reflective of the actual amount that adolescents use) are not predictive of long-lasting hippocampal changes.   However, because current cannabis products are continuing to increase in potency (Levine et al., 2017), hippocampal changes and subsequent memory problems are topics of concern, especially with regard to adolescent users of cannabis.   Working memory also appears to be impacted by cannabis use, particularly in individuals that began using cannabis before the age of sixteen.   Becker et al. (2010) used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine performance on a working memory task in individuals who began using cannabis before age sixteen (early-onset) as compared to individuals who began using cannabis after the age of sixteen (later-onset).   Results of this study indicated that early-onset cannabis users exhibited increased cortical activity in the parietal lobe as compared to later-onset cannabis users.   The researchers concluded that this increased cortical activity indicated decreased cortical efficiency in response to challenging working memory-related tasks in early-onset, but not later-onset, cannabis users (Becker et al., 2010).   Such findings are consistent with a number of studies indicating that an earlier age of onset of cannabis use is associated with greater risk of negative impacts on cognitive functioning during adulthood (Ehrenreich et al., 1999; Fontes et al., 2011; Meier et al., 2012; Pope et al., 2003).   Impact on the Development of Anxiety and Depression Several studies indicate a connection between adolescent-onset cannabis use and the development of both anxiety and depressive disorders (e.g., Brook, Rosen, & Brook, 2001; Degenhardt et al., 2013; Fairman, 2015; Hayatbakhsh et al., 2007; Patton et al., 2002; van Laar, van Dorsselaer, Monshouwer, & de Graaf, 2007).   Though past researchers have speculated about the directionality of this relationship, studies have consistently indicated that adolescent-onset depression is not predictive of later cannabis use (e.g., Degenhardt, Hall, & Lynskey, 2003; Moore et al., 2007; Womack, Shaw, Weaver, & Forbes, 2016), negating the idea that depressive and/or anxiety symptoms lead to engagement in cannabis use as a method of symptom relief.   Instead, such findings promote the idea that cannabis use during adolescence, in combination with other potential risk factors, increase the risk for the development of anxiety and depressive symptoms in adulthood (Levine et al., 2017).   As with the cognitive changes discussed in the previous section of this paper, it is early-onset use of cannabis that appears to be riskiest with regard to the development of future anxiety and depressive symptoms (Hayatbakhsh et al., 2007; Patton et al., 2002).   In an interesting study by Spechler et al. (2015), fMRIs were used to examine activity in the amygdalas of adolescent users of cannabis.   The researchers showed participants images of both angry and neutral faces, a well-known test of amygdala activity and a well-regarded index of emotional processing.   Results of this study indicated that compared to the control group, adolescent cannabis users exhibited increased amygdala activity in response to the images of angry faces whereas the control group showed the same amount of amygdala activity when shown images of neutral faces.   Spechler et al. (2015) concluded that adolescent cannabis use is associated with increased hypersensitivity to negative affect.   However, in this case, the directionality of the relationship is unclear: it is possible that the sensitivity of the amygdala pre-dated the cannabis use and the cannabis use was engaged in due to its anxiolytic effect.   Conversely, it is possible that cannabis use led to increased sensitivity in the amygdala.   Either way, it appears that adolescent cannabis users are overly sensitive to negative affect and the potential threat that accompanies it, which may explain the increased incidence of depressive and anxious symptomatology in this population.    There are several potential neurobiological mechanisms explaining the relationship between adolescent cannabis use and the development of anxiety and depressive symptoms.   One possibility is the impact of exogenous cannabinoids on the HPA axis system.   The endocannabinoid system regulates the responsivity of the HPA axis, which, as previously mentioned, undergoes significant development during the adolescent years (Hill et al., 2010; Lee & Gorzalka, 2015; Romeo, 2013).   Studies with both human and rodent subjects have indicated that the use of exogenous cannabinoids during adolescence has the capacity to alter HPA axis stress responses, thus impacting emotionality and the development of anxiety-related symptoms (Lee & Gorzalka, 2015).   Lovelace et al. (2015) discuss another neurobiological mechanism that may underlie the relationship between adolescent cannabis use and the development of anxiety and depression.   In a rodent study, these researchers examined maladaptations in the prefrontal cortex due to cannabis use by looking at presynaptic plasticity at glutamatergic synapses in adolescent rats.   The results indicated that exposure to exogenous cannabinoids during adolescence led to over-activation of CB1 receptors, which led to permanent changes in synapses in the prefrontal cortex.   Overall, mice exposed to exogenous cannabinoids during adolescence showed a loss of presynaptic plasticity, which impacts the brain’s ability to adapt to changing environments and thus may contribute to an increased vulnerability of psychopathology during adulthood (Lovelace et al., 2015).   In an interesting rodent study conducted by Rubino et al. (2008), researchers found that exposure to THC during adolescence was associated with decreased density and function of CB1 receptors in the ventral tegmental area, the nucleus accumbens, and the amygdala.   These areas of the brain are implicated in emotional processing and reward and are thus implicated in the development of depressive symptomatology.   The behavior of the rats in this study also mirrored depressive symptomatology.   Specifically, rats exposed to THC during adolescence exhibited both â€Å"behavioral despair† (which the researchers defined as time the rats were immobile) and anhedonia (as measured through decreased consumption of sucrose).   Taken together, it appears that several neurobiological mechanisms are at play in the connection between adolescent cannabis use and the development of anxiety and depressive symptoms.   Impact on the Development of Psychotic Disorders A substantial body of literature has indicated a connection between the use of cannabis during adolescence and the later development of psychotic disorders (e.g., van Os et al., 2002; Henquet et al., 2005; Stefanis et al., 2004).   This is especially true for individuals who are already genetically predisposed to develop psychotic disorders (Henquet et al., 2005) though the connection has also been found in individuals that do not have this genetic predisposition (van Os et al., 2002).   As with the impact on cognition and on anxiety/depressive symptoms, it appears that early-onset cannabis use (Arseneault et al., 2002; Moore et al., 2007) as well as heavier (i.e. daily or near-daily) use pose the greatest risk for the later development of a psychotic disorder (Moore et al., 2007; van Os et al., 2002). Rubino and Parolaro (2014) discuss the possible neurobiological mechanisms behind the connection between adolescent cannabis use and the development of psychotic disorders.   In general, it appears that the use of exogenous cannabinoids during adolescence disrupts the maturational processes occurring in the brain during this time, especially in the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex – two areas of the brain that are implicated in the psychotic disorder schizophrenia, in particular.   The endocannabinoid system itself undergoes a significant amount of change during the adolescent years; thus, exogenous cannabinoid exposure during this time period has the potential to alter the long-term functionality of CB1 receptors, which then impacts the activity of several neurotransmitters implicated in psychotic symptomatology, especially dopamine (Rubino & Parolaro, 2014). Additionally, being exposed to cannabis during the adolescent period has been shown to disrupt prepulse inhib ition (the ability to accurately perceive and process stimuli) and down-regulate GABAergic activity in the prefrontal cortex – both symptoms commonly seen in individuals with schizophrenia (Morales-Muà ±oz et al., 2014; Zamberletti et al., 2014).  Ã‚   As previously mentioned, individuals who have a genetically predisposed vulnerability to develop psychotic disorders are at an especially high risk to do so if they engage in cannabis use during adolescence (Henquet et al., 2005).   For example, individuals who have a specific variant of the gene for catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), which breaks down dopamine – the neurotransmitter implicated in schizophrenia – are at a much higher risk for developing the disorder if they used cannabis during adolescence as compared to individuals who do not have that specific variant of the gene for COMT (Caspi et al., 2005).   Another gene that influences the relationship between adolescent cannabis use and psychosis is the ATK1 gene, which affects dopamine breakdown in the striatum.   According to DiForti et al. (2012), cannabis users with a certain variant of the ATK1 gene were seven times more likely to develop psychosis as compared to individuals with this gene variant w ho did not use cannabis.   Clearly, in individuals that already possess these specific genetic variants, cannabis use during adolescence can be the trigger that leads to the expression of these genes and the development of psychotic symptoms and/or disorders.   In addition, adults with psychotic disorders who used cannabis during adolescence are at a greater risk for relapse of psychotic symptoms, poorer adherence to treatment, and increased rates of hospitalization related to their diagnosis (Hunt, Bergen, & Bashir, 2002; Lewis, Tarrier, & Drake, 2005; Wade et al., 2006).   Impact on the Future Development of Substance Use Disorders   Several studies have indicated a link between adolescent cannabis use and the later development of a substance use disorder.   Again, this relationship is especially strong for individuals that engage in cannabis use in early adolescence and who engage in heavy (i.e., daily or near-daily) use (Fergusson, Boden, & Horwood, 2006; Hall & Lynskey, 2005; Stuart & Green, 2008).  Ã‚   Past researchers have speculated upon various explanations for this trend, including the so-called ‘gateway hypothesis.’   In general, the ‘gateway hypothesis’ assumes that individuals who use â€Å"harder† drugs such as heroin and cocaine almost always started their use of substances with using cannabis, and that this link is explicitly causal (Van Gundy & Rebellon, 2010).  Ã‚   This hypothesis is based on research findings indicating that the use of cannabis during adolescence often predates the use of other illicit substances, including heroin, methamphetamines, and cocaine (Fergusson et al., 2006).   Though the causality of this link has been repeatedly questioned in the literature (e.g., Morral, McCaffrey, & Paddock, 2002; Van Gundy & Rebellon, 2010), many researchers have attempted to explain the mechanisms behind the early use of cannabis and the later use of other substances and/or development of a substance use disorder.   There are countless potential psychosocial explanations for this connection (e.g., peer pressure, propensity toward risk-taking behaviors, availability of substances, etc.); however, for the purposes of this paper, the potential neurobiological mechanisms behind the connection will be discussed. The major possible neurobiological mechanism behind the connection between early cannabis use and the later development of a substance use disorder has to do with the effect of cannabis on the brain’s opioidergic system.   A great deal of animal research has indicated that the endocannabinoid system and the opioidergic system are intricately linked.   For example, Pickel, Chan, Kash, Rodriguez, and Mackie (2004) and Rodriguez, Mackie, and Pickel (2001) found that CB1 receptors and  µ opioid receptors are found on the same neurons in both the striatum and the ventral tegmental area, and Cossu et al. (2001) and Ledent et al. (1999) found that animals without CB1 receptor genes do not self-administer opioids. Drawing upon this clear connection between the endocannabinoid and opioidergic brain systems, Ellgren, Spano, and Hurd (2007) investigated the hypothesis that cannabis exposure during adolescence changes opioid-related neural functions and leads to increased likelihood of later opioid use.   Findings of this research confirmed that rats exposed to THC during the adolescent period self-administered greater amounts of heroin compared to the control group.   Moreover, findings indicated that rats exposed to THC in adolescence showed a persistent disturbance in the activity of enkephalin, which is the endogenous opioid neuropeptide associated with reward behaviors and hedonic states.   Findings also indicated that THC exposure led to changes in the functions of  µ opioid receptors such that heroin use was more reinforcing (via dopamine release) for rats exposed to THC during adolescence as compared to the control group.   Taken together, these results indicate that cannabis use during adolescence leads to a greater vulnerability to the reinforcing effects of opioids during adulthood, potentially leading to a greater risk for dependence and likelihood of relapse of substance use disorders.   Conclusion Despite the increasing popularity of cannabis use, both for medicinal and recreational purposes (Hwang & Clarke, 2016; Leyton, 2016), it is important to consider the resulting increased availability of cannabis to individuals during the sensitive period of adolescence.   Given the profound changes occurring in the brain during adolescence (Arain et al., 2013; Dahl, 2003; Hart, 2007; Lubman et al., 2007), teenagers are particularly susceptible to the influence of substances, which may lead to lasting changes in the brain’s functioning.   Such changes are associated with poor outcomes in several areas, including deficits in performance on executive function tasks (Becker et al., 2010; Ehrenreich et al., 1999; Fontes et al., 2011; Gruber et al., 2014; Meier et al., 2012; Pope et al., 2003; Tapert et al., 2002), an increased risk for the development of anxiety and/or depressive symptoms (Brook et al., 2001; Degenhardt et al., 2013; Fairman, 2015; Hayatbakhsh et al., 2007; Patt on et al., 2002; van Laar, van Dorsselaer, Monshouwer, & de Graaf, 2007), an increased risk for the development of a psychotic disorder (Arseneault et al., 2002; Caspi et al., 2005; DiForti et al., 2012; Henquet et al., 2005; Moore et al., 2007; Rubino & Parolaro, 2014; Stefanis et al., 2004; van Os et al., 2002), and an increased risk for future substance use/dependence (Fergusson et al., 2006; Hall & Lynskey, 2005; Stuart & Green, 2008).   Such considerations may have important implications for policy development related to the legalization of cannabis.   References Arain, M., Haque, M., Johal, L., Mathur, P., Nel, W., Rais, A., Sandu, R., & Sharma, S. (2013). Maturation of the adolescent brain. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 9, 13. Retrieved from http://proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/docview/1364721614?accountid=11620 Arseneault, L., Cannon, M., Poulton, R., Murray, R., Caspi, A., & Moffitt, T. E. (2002). Cannabis use in adolescence and risk for adult psychosis: longitudinal prospective study.  Bmj,  325(7374), 1212-1213. Retrieved from https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C15&q=Cannabis+use+in+adolescence+and+risk+for+adult+psychosis%3A+longitudinal+prospective+study&btnG= Becker, B., Wagner, D., Gouzoulis-Mayfrank, E., Spuentrup, E., & Daumann, J. (2010). The impact of early-onset cannabis use on functional brain correlates of working memory.  Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry,  34(6), 837-845. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2010.03.032 Brook, J. S., Rosen, Z., & Brook, D. W. (2001). 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A., Dahlgren, M. K., Sagar, K. A., Gà ¶nenà §, A., & Lukas, S. E. (2014). Worth the wait: Effects of age of onset of marijuana use on white matter and impulsivity. Psychopharmacology, 231(8), 1455-1465. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/10.1007/s00213-013-3326-z Hall, W. D., & Lynskey, M. (2005). Is cannabis a gateway drug? testing hypotheses about the relationship between cannabis use and the use of other illicit drugs.Drug and Alcohol Review,  24(1), 39-48. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09595230500126698 Hart, H. (2007). Alcohol, drugs, and the adolescent brain.  Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology,  49(12), 883. Retrieved from http://proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/docview/195605999?accountid=11620 Hayatbakhsh, M. R., Najman, J. M., Jamrozik, K., Mamun, A. A., Alati, R., & Bor, W. (2007). Cannabis and anxiety and depression in young adults: A large prospective study.  Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry,  46(3), 408-417. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/10.1097/chi.0b013e31802dc54d Henquet, C., Krabbendam, L., Spauwen, J., Kaplan, C., Lieb, R., Wittchen, H., & Van Os, J. (2005). Prospective cohort study of cannabis use, predisposition for psychosis, and psychotic symptoms in young people.  BMJ: British Medical Journal,  330(7481), 11. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.38267.664086.63 Hill, M. N., Patel, S., Campolongo, P., Tasker, J. G., Wotjak, C. T., & Bains, J. S. (2010). Functional interactions between stress and the endocannabinoid system: From synaptic signaling to behavioral output.  The Journal of Neuroscience,  30(45), 14980-14986. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4283-10.2010 Hunt, G. E., Bergen, J., & Bashir, M. (2002). Medication compliance and comorbid substance abuse in schizophrenia: Impact on community survival 4 years after a relapse.  Schizophrenia Research,  54(3), 253-264. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0920-9964(01)00261-4 Hwang, J. K., & Clarke, H. (2016). Cannabis and pain: A review.  Journal of Pain Management,  9(4), 395-413. Retrieved from http://proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1949290907?accountid=11620 Iversen, L. (2004). How cannabis works in the brain. In D. Castle, & R. Murray (Eds.),  Marijuana and madness: Psychiatry and neurobiology; marijuana and madness: Psychiatry and neurobiology  (pp. 19-40, Chapter xvi, 218 Pages) Cambridge University Press, New York, NY. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/10.1017/CBO9780511543630.004 Retrieved from http://proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/docview/620584373?accountid=11620\ Jacobus, J., McQueeny, T., Bava, S., Schweinsburg, B. C., Frank, L. 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In  International review of neurobiology  (Vol. 125, pp. 49-84). Academic Press.   Retrieved from https://www-sciencedirect-com.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/science/article/pii/S0074774215000987?_rdoc=1&_fmt=high&_origin=gateway&_docanchor=&md5=b8429449ccfc9c30159a5f9aeaa92ffb Levine, A., Clemenza, K., Rynn, M., & Lieberman, J. (2017). Evidence for the risks and consequences of adolescent cannabis exposure.  Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry,  56(3), 214-225. http://dx.doi.org.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/10.1016/j.jaac.2016.12.014 Retrieved from http://proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/docview/1875567972?accountid=11620 Lewis, S. W., Tarrier, N., & Drake, R. J. (2005). Integrating non-drug treatments in early schizophrenia.  The British Journal of Psychiatry,  187, s65-s71. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1192/bjp.187.48.s65 Leyton, M. (2016). Legalizing marijuana. Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, 41(2), 75-76. http://dx.doi.org.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/10.1503/jpn.160012 Retrieved from http://proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/docview/1819128922?accountid=11620 Lovelace, J. W., Corches, A., Vieira, P. A., Hiroto, A. S., Mackie, K., & Korzus, E. (2015). An animal model of female adolescent cannabinoid exposure elicits a long-lasting deficit in presynaptic long-term plasticity.  Neuropharmacology,  99, 242-255. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropharm.2015.04.034 Lu, A. T., Ogdie, M. N., Jà ¤rvelin, M., Moilanen, I. K., Loo, S. K., McCracken, J. T., McGough, J. J., Yang, M. H., Peltonen, L., Nelson, S. F., Cantor, R. M., & Smalley, S. L. (2008). Association of the cannabinoid receptor gene (CNR1) with ADHD and post-traumatic stress disorder.  American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics,  147b(8), 1488-1494. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.b.30693 Lubman, D., Bonomo, Y., & Yucel, M. (2007).   Drug use in young people; short-term effects and long-term harms. In Gilvarry, E., & McArdle, P. (Eds.).   Alcohol, Drugs, and Young People: Clinical Approaches, Clinics in Developmental Medicine No. 172. London: Mac Keith Press, pp. 18-50.   Meier, M. H., Caspi, A., Ambler, A., Harrington, H., Houts, R., Keefe, R. S. E., MacDonald, K., Ward, A., Poulton, R., & Moffitt, T. E. (2012). Persistent cannabis users show neuropsychological decline from childhood to midlife.  PNAS Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America,  109(40), E2657-E2664. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1206820109 Moore, T. H. M., Zammit, S., Lingford-Hughes, A., Barnes, T. R. E., Jones, P. B., Burke, M., & Lewis, G. (2007). Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental heath outcomes: A systematic review.  The Lancet,  370(9584), 319-328. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61162-3 Morales-Muà ±oz, I., Jurado-Barba, R., Ponce, G., Martà ­nez-Gras, I., à ngel Jimà ©nez-Arriero, M., Moratti, S., & Rubio, G. (2014). Characterizing cannabis-induced psychosis: A study with prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex.  Psychiatry Research,  220(1-2), 535-540. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2014.08.010 Moreira, F. A., & Lutz, B. (2008). The endocannabinoid system: Emotion, learning and addiction.  Addiction Biology,  13(2), 196-212. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxyiub.uits.iu.edu/10.1111/j.1369-1600.2008.00104.x Morral, A. R., McCaffrey, D. F., & Paddock, S. M. (2002). Reassessing the marijuana gateway effect.  Addiction,  97(12), 1493-1504. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1360-0443.2002.00280.x Patton, G. C., Coffey, C., Carlin, J. 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The Breakdown of Mental Health and Stability Essay -- Stress Stressing

The Breakdown of Mental Health and Stability Progress has always been an essential component in modern society. At times it is equivalent to success, learning, and overall growth. In the field of science, progress is measured by comparisons to what was known before, what is known now, and what can be known in the future. Therefore, one could say that much progress was made in the field of science in terms of understanding the functions of the human brain and some of its behavior. It seems that as each new day passes, something new is discovered about the brain, whether it be a new mental or physiological brain condition, or merely a link and clue to one of the vast number of questions the world has considering the human brain and behavior. These discoveries and answers are becoming more and more important and imperative due to the fact that the overall population seems to becoming more and more emotionally fragile and more subject to several cerebral ills such as depression, anxiety, hysteria, and clinical insanity. A good question to ask is whether or not the overall population seems to be suffering more mental and cerebral ills, or that it is merely a result of more cases being reported and more statistics calculated. But if it is true that the number of people suffering from conditions or types of behavior which hinder their ability to go on with their everyday lives, what is the cause? And when we find the cause, what is the cure? Or how will society as a whole handle it? A possible theory is to look at the correlation between the rate of growth and process in modern society and the stress level of the average individual. Another question to ask is what exactly is the role stress plays in an individ... ...raising the levels of anxiety and depression amongst the population. Perhaps evolution will take hold and those with brains and systems more well adapt to handling this relatively new level of stress will flourish, making our society stronger. Or it could have a reverse effect, making society weaker in the process. Hopefully stress and it's harmful effects will be brought to attention more by the scientific community and as a whole society will do something about it or risk suffering from the potential set backs. Sources Cited: 1)Physiological Effects of Stress http://tm.cme.edu/03.html 2)Holistic-online http://holistic-online.com/stress/stress_GAS.htm 3)http://www.brainsource.com/stress_&_health.htm 4)Neurobiology of Stress http://www.biopsychiatry.com/stress.htm 5)http://www.lifepositive.com/Mind/psychology/stress/symptoms-of-anxiety.asp The Breakdown of Mental Health and Stability Essay -- Stress Stressing The Breakdown of Mental Health and Stability Progress has always been an essential component in modern society. At times it is equivalent to success, learning, and overall growth. In the field of science, progress is measured by comparisons to what was known before, what is known now, and what can be known in the future. Therefore, one could say that much progress was made in the field of science in terms of understanding the functions of the human brain and some of its behavior. It seems that as each new day passes, something new is discovered about the brain, whether it be a new mental or physiological brain condition, or merely a link and clue to one of the vast number of questions the world has considering the human brain and behavior. These discoveries and answers are becoming more and more important and imperative due to the fact that the overall population seems to becoming more and more emotionally fragile and more subject to several cerebral ills such as depression, anxiety, hysteria, and clinical insanity. A good question to ask is whether or not the overall population seems to be suffering more mental and cerebral ills, or that it is merely a result of more cases being reported and more statistics calculated. But if it is true that the number of people suffering from conditions or types of behavior which hinder their ability to go on with their everyday lives, what is the cause? And when we find the cause, what is the cure? Or how will society as a whole handle it? A possible theory is to look at the correlation between the rate of growth and process in modern society and the stress level of the average individual. Another question to ask is what exactly is the role stress plays in an individ... ...raising the levels of anxiety and depression amongst the population. Perhaps evolution will take hold and those with brains and systems more well adapt to handling this relatively new level of stress will flourish, making our society stronger. Or it could have a reverse effect, making society weaker in the process. Hopefully stress and it's harmful effects will be brought to attention more by the scientific community and as a whole society will do something about it or risk suffering from the potential set backs. Sources Cited: 1)Physiological Effects of Stress http://tm.cme.edu/03.html 2)Holistic-online http://holistic-online.com/stress/stress_GAS.htm 3)http://www.brainsource.com/stress_&_health.htm 4)Neurobiology of Stress http://www.biopsychiatry.com/stress.htm 5)http://www.lifepositive.com/Mind/psychology/stress/symptoms-of-anxiety.asp

Importance of data security and data safety Essay

To prevent companies from using or passing on confidential information to other companies without the permission of the person who the data is about, companies will need to protect the data. With the popularity of the Internet there are opportunities for thieves to steal their personal data. So the government set a law (data protection act) which is used to protect people’s rights concerning how data is used and you also have the right to see such information and have any errors corrected. Also organisation will want to keep data confidential because it will not want its competitors to know how the business is going. List the 8 principles of the Data Protection Act The Data Protection Act says the personal data should: 1. Be adequate, relevant and not excessive. For example college should keep students details and details must be just what is needed and nothing more. 2. Be processed in accordance with the data subject right. For example the person that the data refers to have the right to read the information about him/her and the organisation should provide hem/her with information they need. 3. Be accurate and be kept up to date. There is a duty to keep it up to date, for example to change an address when people move. 4. Not be kept longer than necessary. For example it is alright to keep information for certain length of time but it would be wrong to keep information about past customers longer than a few years at most 5. Be obtained and processed for limited purposes. For example the organization must use the data only in the way it is described and it must not use it for any other purpose. 6. Be secure. This includes keeping the information backed up and away from any unauthorised access. It would be wrong to leave personal data open to be viewed by just anyone. 7. Not be transferred to countries outside Europe without adequate protection. Unless the country that the data is being sent to has a suitable data protection law 8. Be processed fairly and lawfully. For example if you put your money at bank no one can transfer your money without your permission. (a) What is the difference between the Internet, Intranet and Extranet? (P8) Internet: Are public networks that allow the user to use any of its facilities. Intranet and Extranet: is like a private internet. It is like a website that is only accessible to the members of a business or company. The different between Intranets and Extranet is: Intranet: Allow the members of organisation to access the access the system with an organisation. Extranet: Allow the members of organisation to access the system from different location but only by the users who have been given access rights. (b) * What is a browser? Is programme that can read web pages, by downloading HTML code and that allows the browser to interpret the code to the web page. A browser displays web pages, keeps track of where you’ve been, and remembers the places you want to return to, the most used browsers are Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. Describe the role of a browser when using the Internet, Intranet and Extranet Browser allows the people to access information, view images, hear music and watch video, in the term of intranet and extranet the browser allows user to share documents, access databases and allow group work. * Describe the role of email when using internet communications. You can send email to an individual or to a group of people at the same time, you can create mailing list so that you can write a message and send it automatically to number of people. Also you can send files such as pictures, word document and sound as attachments to your message. (a) List major threats to an organisation that could happen while using the Internet. (P9) 1. Hacking (use to steal the personal details and private files of company) 2. The spreading of viruses (use to destroy or damage the important files of company) 3. Internet fraud (taking credit card details from customers) 4. Spay ware (is biggest threat in the computer system which allows someone to log into your computer and use it for their own purpose) 5. Spam ( sending unwanted messages especially commercial advertising) Purpose of assignment In this assignment, I have to do research and get information on the importance of data security and data safety. M research must be from ICT sources and non ICT sources and by using the evidence that I collect I should explain the importance of keeping customer information confidential, the main provision of data protection act, the role of browsers and email in internet communications, the difference between internet, intranet and extranet, the major threats to organization from internet and finally a poster that explains the importance of data safety and data security. The assignment will also gather key skills portfolio evidence. M5 Physical Security: Use of security guards, locks, reinforced doors, windows and walls depending on what is being protected. Use of ICT to enforce security entry on doors, and protected areas of buildings i. e. : swipe cards, fingerprint ID, voice recognition. Firewall: This is a security device, which acts as a single entry/exit point for information and access to a computer system. All traffic must pass through the firewall and therefore a system is secure from external threats. A firewall usually sits between the internal network of an organisation and access by the internet. Virus Protection: It is usual for systems to have some form of anti-virus software installed and running in the background. All files and devices introduced to the system would be scanned, any attempts to alter system files would be blocked, and notification made to the user/system administrator. Preventing the use of floppy disks is a good method of eliminating one source of potential virus problems. Identification of Users: A system of user ID’s and passwords is a simple method of preventing unauthorised personnel accessing the system. These should be managed by the system administrator. With this, only some users will have access to certain programmes and data therefore increasing the level of security on sensitive data. In addition, some users may only be able to read the data and not write the data. Other users may not have the ability to delete or even to access certain files. Encryption software: the data may be encrypted (coded) into a form, which can only then be decoded by the intended user. If the data falls into the wrong hands, it will be meaningless. Backups: To guard against the loss of data, backups should be regularly made. These backups should be stored in a separate place, preferably in a fireproof environment. Passwords software: Password protection usually involves a person typing in:   A User Name – to identify the person.   A Password – to identify the person. He should be the only one to know what it is. Computer viruses: which are programs that destroy the way computer operates without the knowledge of the user, there are huge numbers of viruses some are extremely malicious with the ability to delete or damage files and programs. Some of the threats that they cause to computer systems include:   Deleting data on the hard disk of the organisation computer system.   Enabling hackers to hijack the organisation system and use it for their own purposes. How do viruses spread:   CDs and floppy disks containing infected documents. Emails containing infected attachments. Hackers: who gain unauthorised access to computer systems for the purpose of stealing and corrupting data, also gaining access to financial information about the organisation business or their customers for the purposes of fraud. Security measures may include†¦ Each user should be given a user name and a password.   Computer usage may be logged.   Computers should be disconnected from a network when not in use.   Use a firewall – a computer running software, which detects hackers dialling in to a network. Spam: authorised users downloading a web page or receiving an email with hidden active content that attacks the organisation system or send sensitive information to unauthorised people. Organisation can stop spreading of spam by using spam filtering software. Spy ware: is software that is placed on organisation computer when the employee visits certain websites, it is used to secretly gather information about the organisation usage and sends it back to advertiser or other interested company to tracking the organisation system use . it can also slow down or crashes the organisation computer Pop up: Many company advertisers on the Internet by using windows that pop up in the middle of computer screen to display a message. They might also open when you click a link or button on a Web site, and they might open either over or under the window, you wish to view. Some pop-up windows can contain inappropriate content or can be a way for employee of organisation to accidentally download dangerous software (called spyware or adware) onto organisation computer. Infringement of copyright: Internet users are not allowed to copy or print some internet materials such as; video, music, files and photos without the permission of copyright holder and sometimes they may have to pay a licence to do so. Theft and fraud: credits card fraud for example people can steal the details on credits card and using them illegally to buy goods. Sole trader: A sole trader is the actual owner of a business, a sole trader also has unlimited liability. All the debts of the business are the debts of the owner. They can not issues shares . The whole meaning behind † Sole† means that she/he does not have partners. (e. g. electrical repair, picture framing, photography, diving instruction, retail shops, and hotels) Partnership A Partnership can be liable for all debts, it is easy to setup, but is also inexpensive to form. Forming partnership requires an agreement that is some times called partnership agreement ‘between two to twenty individuals’ which entitles them to jointly own and carry on a trader business together. A partnership is a contract between two or more persons who agree to pool talent and money and share profit or loss. Private limited company A Private limited company has limited liability (the shareholders cannot loose more than their original shareholdings), and a minimum of two shareholders and a maximum of fifty shareholders. It cannot offer its shares to the public. A private limited company is treated as a legal entity. Public limited company A company which may have an unlimited number of shareholders and offer its shares to the wider public. (e. g. Cadbury and Tesco) Multi-National company A company that does business in more than one country, usually by setting up branch offices. Tesco Characteristics   Type of company: Tesco is an international retailer and is a publicly owned company (Public Limited Company Plc).   Products: including food and non-food business, personal finance, internet shopping, electrical items, home entertainment, toys, sports equipment, and many more. Profit / loss: Tesco’s Profit and Loss 2005 2004 Sales at net selling prices 37,070 33,557 Turnover including share of joint ventures 34,353 31,050 Less: share of joint ventures’ turnover (379) (236) Operating profit/(loss) 1,949 1,735 Share of operating profit/(loss) of joint ventures and associates 130 97 Net profit/(loss) on disposal of fixed assets 53 (9) Profit on ordinary activities before taxation 1,962 1,600 Underlying profit before net profit/(loss) on disposal of fixed assets, integration costs and goodwill amortisation 2,0291,708. Size of company: Tesco operates 923 stores and employs 240,000 people , there are 639 branches in Great Britain and 182 in the rest of Europe .Location: they operate in UK, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan and the Republic of Ireland   Purpose of company: to create value for customers to earn their lifetime loyalty.   Aims: Built good non-food sales expanded into retailing services and exploited e-commerce successfully.   Objective: 1. To deliver a consistently strong customer offer. 2. Making their shopping trip as easy as possible. 3. Constantly seeking to reduce their prices to help customer spend less.   Logo: Cadbury Characteristics Type of company: is an international retailer and is a publicly owned company (Public Limited Company Plc). Products: chocolate and drinks brands. Profit / loss: Cadbury Profit and Loss i (Millions) 2006 i (Millions) 2005 Turnover 6,508. 00 6,085. 00 Operating Profit / (Loss) 1,003. 00 825. 00 Net Interest (188. 00) (205. 00) Pretax Profit 843. 00 642. 00 Post Tax Profits 703. 00 497. 00 Total Dividend Paid n/a n/a. Retained Profit / (Loss) for the financial year n/a n/a   Size of company: they operate in more than 35 countries and they employs over 55,000 people   Location: Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific.   Purpose of company: the organization work together to create brands people love. Aims : 1. Deliver shareowner performance. 2. Ensure their capabilities are best in class. 3. Reinforce reputation with employees and society   objective: 1. Responding to consumer needs quickly. 2. Grow shareowner value. 3. Attract and develop the best kind of people.

Competing through Operation: KFC Report Essay

INTRODUCTION The report focuses on KFC – the leading chicken fast food restaurant in the world, and one of the largest players in the fast food market. By using five performance objectives and various research methods, the report aims to  analyze how the restaurant perform and manage its operation capacity in order to provide qualified food and service to the customers. Besides, the restaurant’s capacity constrains and capacity strategies are discussed base on the primary data from KFC Union Street, Bristol City centre. It would link to the relationship between Capacity strategy and five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004), as well as, how they support each other. COMPANY PROFILE KFC first starts in 1930s, when Harland Sanders opened his restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. KFC now spreads out to more than 100 countries with around 15500 outlets worldwide. Of these, there are more than 800 restaurants located in the UK. The restaurant has concentrated on fried-chicken-on-bone products under the name Original Recipe and expanded the offers with other items include chicken sandwiches and chicken wings, as well as, biscuits, mashed potatoes, corn, potato wedges and desserts. The new line-grilled chicken with fewer calories, fat and salt than the Original Recipe- was launched in 2009. It was called â€Å"one of the biggest new product rollouts in the history of the company† by the KFC president Roger Eaton. Being tested in many regions included the UK; this new line has been well received as a healthier alternative which retains good in taste. The following part will discuss about how KFC applies five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004) into its operation and which of the five objectives is concentrated on. FIVE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES The theory has been applied for many companies worldwide for over 10 years in order to manage operating performance. Due to the limitation of resources, each company tends to put only some of the five objectives in priority  during particular periods. It is considered as one of smart methods to maximize profits. Source: (Adapted from Slack et al, 2004) FIGURE1. FIVE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES Figure 1 explains the idea and meaning of five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004) in general. QUALITY is the responsibility to always provide the good product or service that company has claimed. It also requires doing the right thing at the right time and meeting customer specifications, which give customer satisfactions. In KFC, main factors listed as Quality objective are quality of food (delicious, tasty, fresh, healthy, etc), quality of service (clean, supportive, friendly, etc)†¦ SPEED is defined as how fast the company responds their customers. This is one of the most important things required in fast food restaurant, especially in rush hours. Applying to KFC restaurant, speed objective is considered as the elapsed time between customers’ placing orders and the food or services being delivered. FLEXIBILITY measures how much variety in products, services, and solutions for a dynamic market environment in order to meet customers’ need. It is shown as KFC’s various menus, the launch of line â€Å"Grilled Chicken†, the more customization, etc DEPENDABILITY is doing things on time as promises. It not only gains customer’s trust but also has an influence on cost, which are saving money, saving time and giving stability to improve the efficiencies (Strecker, Ulrich, 2011). In KFC, it is on-time deliveries. COST is the product or service price that enables company compete the market, as well as ensure the return. The company aims to maximize their profit;  therefore, reducing the cost is necessary. Cost objective in KFC is measured by the cost of food, cost of manager and staff’s salaries, etc. The Polar diagram below shows how KFC restaurant performs in manager, staff and customer perspectives base on the data that was collected. (Adapted from Slack et al, 2004, p58) FIGURE2. POLAR DIAGRAM OF KFC RESTAURANT The Polar diagram is designed by the result of KFC manager’s interview, staff’s questionnaire and customers’ questionnaire (Appendix 1.0, appendix 2.0 and appendix 3.0). According to KFC manager, the restaurant is performing quite well in quality, cost and dependability objectives while speed needs to improve, especially in rush hours (16:00pm to 20:00pm). Staff and customers have the same opinion about improving speed objective in KFC. â€Å"Although we have 8 queues† – as the manager – â€Å"it is hard to serve a large number of customers at 19pm. However, we tend to give the staffs more training sessions to increase their speed in taking order and cooking. Focusing on people will push up dependability, flexibility and speed all.† (Appendix 3.0) It is the fact that most of the customers want a lower price for their food and services. However, with a fixed price tag, the restaurant tries their best to prove that the food and service offered to customers are worth their paying. The next part of report will focus on how the restaurant meets its customer’s fluctuating demand. CAPACITY The capacity of an operation is the highest level of value added after certain period of time that the process would be able to achieve under certain conditions (Slack et al, 2001). It includes: actual output, design capacity and effective capacity. FIGURE3. CAPACITY OF KFC RESTAURANT ON UNION STREET, BRISTOL Planned losses Avoidable losses Actual capacity 1929 people Planned losses Effective capacity 2331 people Design capacity 2680 people (Adapt from Slack et al, 2001) The figure is resulted from calculations below. DESIGN CAPACITY Design capacity is â€Å"the capacity which its technical designers had in mind when they commissioned the operation† (Slack et al, 2001, p335). The KFC restaurant on Union Street is the largest KFC outlets in Bristol which can serve maximum 100 customers a day (approximate number from KFC manager). Design capacity Daily 100 people Weekly 670 people (7 working days, less working hours on Sunday) Monthly 2680 people EFFECTIVE CAPACITY While design capacity is â€Å"everything according to a plan†, effective capacity helps to show what might happen if something not goes as a plan. Effective  capacity is calculated as design capacity minus planned losses, which is 13% (from KFC manager). Effective capacity Daily 87 people (100 – 100Ãâ€"13%) Weekly 582people (670 – 670Ãâ€"13%) Monthly 2331 people (2680 – 2680Ãâ€"13%) ACTUAL OUTPUT Actual output is the amount of a product that a production facility actually produces, as opposed to the amount that it could produce if it were to run at full theoretical capacity. It is calculated as design capacity minus planned losses and avoidable losses which is 15% (from KFC manager). Actual output Daily 72 people (100 – 100x[13%+15%]) Weekly 482 people (670 – 670x[13%+15%]) Monthly 1929 people (2680 – 2680x[13%+15%]) Planned losses: Public holidays (Christmas, New Year, etc) Human issues (Illness, pregnant †¦) The time customers waiting to be served Avoidable losses: Weather (Storm, heavy snow, etc) Machine failure. CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS Capacity constraints are considered as factors that limit the number of customers served by operation (Dettmer, 2003). For KFC, these are: number of staffs, number of queues, available eating space, speed of cooking and delivering. These factors would push the restaurant to its limit points of operation, which called Bottle necks. NUMBER OF STAFF: There are many shift of working hour a day in KFC. The maximum number of staffs that needed in rush hour is 12 people approximately (with 8 front-men taking customers’ orders and cleaning, 2 middle-men making burgers and chips, and 2 cooks in the kitchen working strenuously). At the busiest hour, the staffs face pressure of too many customers waiting in the queues, shortage of food available, and the mess in eating place. 2 or 3 front-men have to make burger and chips in order to provide food on time. NUMBER OF QUEUE: It often happens in the fast food restaurant that long lines of customers are waiting to be served. Although KFC Union Street has 8 queues, it does not mean that there are always staffs available. AVAILABLE EATING SPACE: It is hard to find a clean table in rush hours because of the large number of customers and the busy staffs. SPEED OF COOKING AND DELIVERING: To ensure the fresh of food provided to customers, the middle-men just make some available. Hence, if a big order is placed or many orders are placed at once, it will take time to make more burgers. Some constraint factors would be solved by staff’s working flexibility, some, however, could not avoid because they links to other factors. For example, KFC could make more burgers available to avoid customers’ waiting time and increase speed performance objective; however, the foods will not as good as the just-in-time one, which reduces quality performance objective. Therefore, it is essential for the restaurant to decide which objectives are priorities. The analysis of KFC’s capacity and capacity constraints lead to the following part which will discuss about which strategy it uses to manage the operation. CAPACITY STRATEGY (Sasser, 1976) There are 2 evidences from the data collected that shows Chase demand plan (Sasser, 1976) is the strategy KFC following. There are different staff numbers and the amount of food ready in a day. Due to staff contracts, the manager arranges a large number of staffs for rush hour, which is from 16:00pm to 20:00pm each day while reduce staffs at the opening (9:30am) and the closing time (22:00pm). In 30 minutes before closing, the kitchen stops working and the front-men focus on cleaning rather than standing behind order place. This arrangement is based on which time customers usually come to the restaurant. It helps reduce cost of staff salaries and avoid human surplus on the time not many customers. Besides, working flexibility is required for all the staffs, which are ability of working in different positions (front, middle or in kitchen), doing different tasks and even overtime, if needed. The other one – amount of food ready in a day – does show that KFC is applying Capacity leads demand theory (Sasser, 1976). KFC always provides the amount of food slightly over than customer’s demand so as to ensure available service in working time. The food left changes to waste because it could not be stored due to KFC’s quality standard. This waste, according to the manager, is not significant and enables to bear with. From the analysis above, it is clear to see that KFC is doing right because the strategy not only fits to identity of fast food market, but also expresses KFC’s customisation, which highly focus on satisfy its customers. After discussing about five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004) and capacity strategy (Sasser, 1976), the final part will clarify relationship between those and how they support each other. THE RELATIONSHIP OF CAPACITY STRATEGY AND FIVE PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES (Slack et al, 2004) Before having strategy, the objectives have to be set. It could be simply explained that objectives are the place you want to drive to while strategy is vehicle that helps to get there. For KFC as a whole, the company expresses its concentration on Quality objective through the slogan â€Å"Don’t worry. Eat happy† (http://www.kfc.co.uk/dontworryeathappy) and various actions to be healthier for the customers, such as â€Å"Get fresh inspiration from our Deli Deluxe Range†, â€Å"We’re fighting trans-fats, not flavour†, â€Å"We’ve done away with 25% of saturated fats†, or â€Å"Fitted out with green energy†, etc. Quality is known as the vital factor to compete with other big brands like Subway, MacDonald’s, Burger King†¦, and gain fast food market share when customer’s health concern is increasing more and more. (http://www.propertyweek.com, Domino’s pizza tops the market article) FIGURE4. FAST-FOOD MARKET SHARE IN THE UK However, for smaller scale, according to the manager of KFC Union Street, the  restaurant put Speed objective as their first priority to strive because quality standard as well as promotions is already fixed. â€Å"It is KFC Company’s job to upgrade and spread out how good the food is.† – Said the manager – â€Å"Our job is to provide food with the same standard, and serve the customers those come to our restaurant best services, and it is speed†. Hence, the restaurant tends to increase the factor it can control, which differentiates it among the others. Following the objective above, the Chase demand plan (Sasser, 1976) is decided to make it done. This strategy fits to fast food restaurant’s identity so as to utilize time, human, and money resources. Then, considering either capacity lags demand, which allows demand never less than capacity or capacity leads demand (Sasser, 1976), which is that capacity always meets forecasted demand, KFC Union Street chose the second one. The restaurant gives up waste in order to better its service for customers. Amount of food available reduces waiting time for delivering, as well as, waiting time to be ordered. The customers would be more satisfied thanks to fast service. CONCLUSION To sum up, the report is designed from result collected at KFC Union Street, Bristol. With five performance objectives (Slack et al, 2004), capacity, capacity strategy (Sasser, 1976) analysis, it clarified how KFC operates and how theories links to each other, as well as, are applied into practice with particular circumstances. REFERENCES Dettmer, H.W., 2003. Strategic Navigation: A Systems Approach to Business Strategy. ASQ Quality Press. James, P., Rowland-Jones, R., O’Brien, L., 2010. Operations and Business Systems management, 2nd Ed., Harlow: Pearson. Samuelson, Paul A., Nordhaus, William D (2009). Economics, 19th Ed., McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Slack N, Chambers, S., Johnston R., 2001, Operations management, 3rd Ed., London: Pittman Publishing. Slack N, Chambers, S., Johnston R., 2001, Operations management, 4th Ed., London: Pittman Publishing. Slack N, Chambers, S., Johnston R., 2001, Operations management, 5th Ed., Harlow: Prentice Hall. Schoenborn, G., 2009, Personal Communication. Strecker, S., Ulrich, F., 2011. Information Systems and E-Business Management. A modelling method in support of the reflective design and use of performance measurement systems [e-journal] 7(1). Available through: Springer. http://www.kfc.co.uk/dontworryeathappy

Describe The Concept Of Messiah Religion Essay Essay Example

Describe The Concept Of Messiah Religion Essay Essay Example Describe The Concept Of Messiah Religion Essay Essay Describe The Concept Of Messiah Religion Essay Essay 1 ) Describe the construct of Messiah as revealed in chapter 53. 2 ) Defend the integrity of Isaiah, the fact that an 8th century B.C. prophesier in Jerusalem was responsible for all 66 chapters of our book of Isaiah. When you compare the Old Testament book of Isaiah, with its 66 chapters, to each book in the Bible, you can see a direct relationship between the two. The astonishing portion of this is that the Bible was written by different writers, in different linguistic communications, and different civilizations at different times. Isaiah s prognostications were written by him turn toing his existent life state of affairss and the people of his twenty-four hours through direct inspirations from God to Isaiah. God was fundamentally utilizing Isaiah s prognostications to acquire His message out to the people at the clip, nevertheless, this connexion between the book of Isaiah and the Bible is an illustration of the genuineness of the Bible as God s word. As stated in our class notes written by D. Kelly Ogden, The Old Testament Religion A 302, Lesson 6, The Words of Isaiah, p. 116-117, The Book of Mormon is clear grounds that Isaiah, populating in Jerusalem in the 8th century B.C. , is responsibl e for the full sixty-six chapters since whole chapters from all parts of Isaiah are quoted from the brass plates which Lehi took from Jerusalem about 600 B.C.- screening that the whole book of prognostication was compiled and recorded before the prognostications were fulfilled and before Cyrus was even born . Besides, contrary to many bookmans who consider Isaiah 40-66 to be work of another prophesier composing much later than Isaiah ( or even several subsequently writers ) , New Testament authors and Latter-day Saints seem to hold that Isaiah so was the exclusive writer of all 66 chapters. The Old Testament Religion A 302, Ogden, Kelly D. , Brigham Young University Department of Independent Study, Lesson 6, p. 116-117. , Provo, Utah 1993. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.crivoice.ora/isaiahunity.html hypertext transfer protocol: //www.lightplanet.com/mormons/basic/bible/isaiah_eom.htm 11/20/2009 3 ) Looking back over your survey of the Hagiographas of Isaiah, explain in what ways you have come to appreciate the Savior s acclaim that, great are the words of Isaiah. More than any other book in the Old Testament, the book of Isaiah describes the redemption that will come when the Messiah ( Jesus Christ ) is sent to us by our male parent, The Lord Our God. Isaiah 9:7 ; 32:1 provinces: The Messiah will one twenty-four hours regulation in justness and righteousness. Isaiah 11: 6-9 provinces: The reign of the Messiah will convey peace and safety to Israel. Through the Messiah, Israel will be a light to all states ( Isaiah 42:6 ; 55: 4-5 ) . Isaiah Chapter 65-66 provinces: The Messiah s land on Earth is the end towards which all of the Book of Isaiah points. It is during the reign of the Messiah that God s righteousness will be to the full revealed to the universe. Isaiah s prognostications are the messages and ends that are taught in all Christian services that I ve attended in my life-time. The chief subject or message provinces: That sometime shortly, Jesus Christ will once more come to earth in judgement, forgiving our wickednesss, and if I person ally repent and accept Jesus Christ ( the Messiah ) as my Jesus, all of my wickednesss will be forgiven and I will populate an ageless life in Heaven vs. traveling to Hell. The book of Isaiah, particularly Chapter 53 describes in a nutshell, who this Messiah ( Jesus Christ ) is, and how he will populate and fundamentally why God is directing Him to us. In my sentiment, of all of the major and minor Prophetss, Isaiah s prognostications and messages are the most powerful and compelling words that I ve read so far. Retrieved from: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ao.net/~fmoeller/isa53.htm hypertext transfer protocol: //www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-Isaiah.html The Old Testament Religion A 302, Ogden, Kelly D. , Department of Independent Study, Lesson 6, p. 121-122, Provo, Utah 1993.

Land law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Land law - Essay Example A tenancy agreement vests an interest in the land unlike license agreement whereby the individual is only granted personal interest by the owner of the land and such interest can be revoked at anytime without any notice2. In differentiating tenancy agreements and license, the intention of the parties at to the nature of agreement is irrelevant; the only determining factor is the intention to grant the party exclusive possession of the property3. A license agreement grants the individual a personal privilege which is revocable at the will of the person granting the license. In tenancy agreements, a letter conveying the transfer of interest in the land to the tenant is mainly used as the evidence of exclusive possession of the property. The licensee is required to use the real property according to the terms set out in the license agreement while the licensor remains with the exclusive possession and control of the property. A license only makes acts that would be considered unlawful l ike trespass to be lawful. For instance, a license agreement allows the licensee to walk through the land of another or keep his goods in the land of the licensor without being prosecuted for trespass. A gratuitous license can be revoked by the licensor without any notice if the licensee contravenes the terms set out in the agreement or when the licensor desires to end the license4. A tenancy agreement mainly covers a term not exceeding more than three years but there is no express requirement that it should be executed by a deed. The interest of the tenant in the tenancy agreement is protected from third party interference, even without any formal registration as long as the tenant has paid the market rate rent for the property. Tenancy agreements can be created by contract law or common law. A fixed term tenancy covers a fixed period of time whereby the tenant is required to vacate the premises at the end of the period5. Some tenancies are created by common law whereby the tenancy continues indefinitely until it is terminated by provision of notice. In this type of tenancy, the tenant continues to pay rent in periodic terms until both the landlord and tenant provide each other with a notice of intention to terminate the tenancy. A tenancy at will is another form of tenancy that is created by common law. In this type of tenancy, the tenant will occupy the real property either with express or implied consent of the landlord. This mainly occurs when a pre-existing fixed term tenancy expires and the tenant continues to occupy the property up to the time a new tenancy agreement is created or until the landlord requires the tenant to vacate the property6. Another form of tenancy is tenancy at sufferance which occurs at the end of fixed term tenancy holds over to the property and the landlord does not give an indication of consent or objection of the tenant continuing to occupy the premises. If the landlord requires the tenant to move out of the property, the conti nuing occupancy of the property by such a tenant amounts to trespass. If the tenant pays rent which the landlord accepts, the tenancy changes to periodic tenancy. Tenancy agreements contain covenants and conditions which parties are prohibited from breaching. Covenants impose obligations on one party for the benefit of the other party while conditions refers to even that may occur or not occur leading to the termination of the tenancy. A breach of a covenant will make the landlord