A Sense of Belonging Essay Example for Free

A Sense of Belonging Essay The novel Simple Gift is written in a verse form and presented by three different perspectives of the main characters- Billy, a 16 year old runaway, Caitlin, a girl from a wealthy family and Old Bill, a homeless alcoholic. This mix of gender, social status and age forms a sense of belonging which each character gains. The first person narrator allows the reader to directly engage with each of its characters. Billy Luckett does not have any connection with his dad because he is subjected to abuse both physically and verbally. He gives a negative description of his dad saying â€Å"the old bastard†. He uses colloquial language and sarcasm â€Å"see ya dad. I’ve taken the alcohol. Drink this instead to celebrate your son leaving home.† This sense of disconnection is illustrated in the poem ‘sport’ where his father â€Å"gives him a backhander across his face, so hard he fell down† and he â€Å"slams the door on his sporting childhood†. Herrick uses this metaphor to create a sense of isolation and alienation caused by an alcoholic father. Billy has no connection to his school either. He is shown to be a rebel by saying â€Å"Billy Luckett rhymes with†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the use of ellipse highlights the feeling of disconnection. He disrespects his teachers as well which is evident when he says â€Å"Let Cheetum chew on that†. All these instances show that he does not belong and has no connection with his family or community leading him to run away. He compares his dad to Ernie, the train driver in the poem â€Å"Men†. He says that they are both opposite. â€Å"There are men like Ernie and there are men like my dad†. He refers to his dad as someone who does not perform his fatherly role emphasising on the fact that he is completely disconnected from his father. Certain people can make a person belong and Billy’s case is no different. Billy and Caitlin have nothing in common but their relationship relay’s on internal love and bonds. They both feel disconnected from the world and their families. They catch each other â€Å"doing someth ing they didn’t want to do but had to† both Billy and Caitlin are attracted to each other physically too. Billy notices she has â€Å"bouncing, shiny, clean hair and her eyes were pale green†. Caitlin notices his attitude of self-admiration and the fact that he is â€Å"homeless and proud of it.† They develop a strong sense of connection both physically and emotionally. Making to love to Caitlin was the ultimate sense of belonging. It also contrasts Kate’s description of having sex. Billy describes it as â€Å"falling headlong into the clear water of the Benderat River and opening my eyes to the beautiful phosphorescent bubbles of light.† He uses this simile to convey a feeling of a magical world. This description also shows the beauty of the emotional bond making the experience special. Billy and Caitlin, create their own â€Å"special world† which is very important to them as it enhances their belonging and connections. In the end billy gives Caitlin a â€Å"beautiful green emerald ring† he had brought thinking about her eyes which indicates the value he places on their relationship which in turn enhances the sense of maturity they both attain. After the death of his wife and daughter Jessie, Old Bill disconnects himself entirely from the world. Old Bill relays on alcohol to forget about the world and his past. However, the gifts of cigarettes trigger his memory of his daughter. Old Bill is changed by Billy’s kindness of Billy bringing him wheatbix and tea every day. This symbolises that Billy helps Old Bill to belong again after many years of remoteness from the society. Old Bill starts to treat Billy differently which shows that he has changed his attitude towards Billy and they have developed a relationship. Old Bill ultimately becomes Billy’s father figure. Towards the end he provides Billy a place to live-his house. This shows that he is letting go of the past. He finally accepts the death of his family and starts a new life. In the end he decides to travel north as it is his daughter’s dream. Old Bill also needs a change from his old life and memories. Right from the beginning, Billy has a strong connection with nature and the land. This is evident in the poem ‘Westfield Creek’. Billy uses diction and positive adjectives to show a sense of belonging to â€Å"a place he loves†. This positive description contrasts with his house and school. Billy’s view on land is positive and liberating as it a place â€Å"where he can come to read and learn.† It is his â€Å"favourite classroom.† Billy also has a strong sense of connection with the train carriage his â€Å"Motel Benderat†. He â€Å"closes the door and make a home† showing that he has shut the world out.

Plasmodium: The Malaria Parasite

Plasmodium: The Malaria Parasite An endoparasitic protozoan that causes malaria, Plasmodium, requires two hosts to complete its life cycle in; usually a mosquito and a vertebrate. Female Anopheles mosquito is responsible in the transmission of malaria in human beings. Human malaria is caused by four identified species of Plasmodia, namely Plasmodium falciparum, Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium malariae and Plasmodium ovale. Recently, in addition to these four species, the simian parasite Plasmodium knowlesi have been identified to infect humans in Malaysia (Cox-Singh, Singh, 2008). Malaria can be treated in just 48 hours; however the delay in diagnosis and treatment can cause fatal complications. Malaria caused by P. falciparum is also called malignant or falciparum malaria (Rich et al., 2009), which is observed to be the most dangerous form of malaria with the highest rates of complications and mortality. A dormant stage in the life cycle of P. vivax and P. ovale may results into relapses long afterwards. The malaria d ue to P. knowlesi can also cause life threatening symptoms(Cox-Singh et al., 2008). P. malariae is associated with milder clinical manifestations in comparison to other species. The systematic position of malaria parasite described by (Mhelhorn H. and Walldorf V., 1988) is as follows: Kingdom Protista Sub Kingdom Protozoa Phylum Apicomplexa Class Sporozoa Sub Class Coccidia Order Haemosporidae Sub Order Aconoidina Family Haemosporidae Genus Plasmodium 1.2 History of Malaria The term malaria is derived from Italian word mala bad and aria air. Italians used this word to refer the cause of intermittent fevers associated with exposure to marsh air or miasma. In the first century A.D., Roman scholar Marcus Terentius Varro (116-27 BC) suggested that swamps breed certain animalcula which is not visible with naked eyes and we breathe it through our mouth and nose into the body, where they cause grave maladies. Later, about 30 A.D., two types of tertian fevers were described by Celsus. He concurred with the views expressed by Varro. In 1716, Italian physician Giovanni Maria Lancisi, first demonstrated a characteristic black pigmentation of the brain and spleen in the victims of malaria. In 1816, Giovanni Rasori (1766-1837) of Parma suggested microorganism as a cause for the disease. Later, in 1847, a German physician, Heinrich Meckel, identified round, spindle-shaped or ovoid structures containing black pigment granules in protoplasmic masses in the microscopic slides of blood from a patient with fever and observed similar entities in the spleen of an insane person during the autopsy. In 1848 Schutz observed these pigments in the internal organs of patient who had died of malaria. Soon afterwards, Virchow (1849) observed these pigmented bodies in the blood of a patient who had died from chronic malaria and specifically associated it with malaria. Finally, Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran in 1888 named a living organism as Oscillaria malariae and suggests it as the malaria parasite. In 1885 Camillo Golgi, established that there were at least two forms of the disease, one with tertian periodicity (fever every other day) and one with quartan periodicity (fever every third day). He demonstrated that the rupture of shizoints and release of merozoites into the blood stream coincided with the fever and correlated the severity of symptoms with parasite load in the blood. In 1906, Nobel Prize was awarded in Medicine for his discoveries in neurophysiology. In 1897, the sexual cycle of malaria parasite was demonstrated by Dr. McCallum, William G and Opie of Johns Hopkins Hospital. In the same year, Ronald Ross demonstrated the presence of oocysts in the midgut of female anopheline mosquito and soon afterwards, he (1898) demonstrated the sporozoites infection in salivary glands of the mosquito and also carried out transmission of malaria in birds with an infected mosquito. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1902 for establishing the fact that infected mosquitoes are respons ible for transmission of malaria. In 1907, Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology for his discovery of the malarial parasite and other significant contribution to parasitology. In 1975 William Trager cultured P. falciparum in a medium of red blood cells. In 1987, a Colombian biochemist named Dr. Manuel Elkin Patarroyo developed the first synthetic Spf66 vaccine for P. falciparum infection. In 2002, the genome of parasite Plasmodium falciparum and the vector Anopheles gambiae were successfully sequenced. 1.3 Public and Global Health Burden Malaria is one of the oldest infectious diseases known to mankind. Malaria influenced outcomes of many wars and fates of many kings would have been different. It has competently forced many military defeats and responsible for decline of nations, often caused casualties more than the weapons could have. For centuries it has been responsible in preventing economic development in various regions of the earth. Malaria occurred in more than 100 countries and affects more than 2400 million people in the tropics, from South America to the Indian peninsula. Human malaria in tropical and subtropical areas accounts approximately 40% of the world at risk for the disease. The cause of this distribution in tropics is because of ideal breeding and living conditions for the anopheles mosquito. About 300 million to 500 million people suffer from malaria annually. Most lethal form of malaria infection is focused in the African continent, especially among children under five. In total, sub- Saharan A frica show most (90%) of the malarial cases and two thirds of the remaining 10% cases occur in six countries- India, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Vietnam, Brazil and Solomon Islands (Figure 1.1). WHO forecasts a 16% augmentation in malaria cases annually and about 1.5 million to 3 million deaths due to malaria every year (85% of these occur in Africa), accounting for about 4-5% of all moartality in the world. One child dies every 20 sec. due to malaria somewhere in Africa and there is one malarial death every 12 sec somewhere in the world. 50 million peoples have died of malaria. Among the major infectious diseases, malaria ranks third in cause of martality- after pneumococcal acute respiratory infections and tuberculosis (WHO., 2005). A brief account stated that ~ 30000 visitors who visited endemic countries developed malaria; where as 1% may succumb to the disease. Malaria can be accounted for 2.6 % of the worlds overall burden of diseases, thus raising expectations that it can climb to n umber one of the highest killer infectious diseases by the end of the century. Total global estimates of the annual expenditure (in 1995) showed a whooping US$ 2 billion directed towards malaria. World Health Organization reported it as a re-emerging infectious disease, and specify as infectious killer and number 1 priority tropical disease (WHO., 2005). The recent WHO World Malaria Report registers a global impact of approximately 225 million new clinical malaria infections associated with 781,000 deaths (WHO., 2010). Particularly, in the tropical countries, malaria is a health problem that setbacks social and economical developments. Malaria is commonly associated with poverty, and represents a major burden to economic and social development, costing an estimated sum of greater than US$ 6 billion for the year 2010 (Sachs. J and Malaney. P, 2002; WHO., 2010). Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are two basic elements in easing the impact of malaria. While progress in these areas h as been remarkable, the emerging insecticide resistant vectors, population movements, environmental disturbances, disintegrative health services and wide spread antimalarial drug resistance have constrained this mission. In early 60s, under the guidance of the Figure 1.1 Global distribution of malaria. (Reprinted from Nat Rev Microbiol.) (Bell et al., 2006) World Health Organization, malaria was nearly eradicated from most parts of the world owing to well planned anti malarial campaigns over the world. However, soon after, a resurgence of malaria took place in 1970s, which could be due to several reasons described below. Man made complacency and laxity in anti malarial campaigns; conflicts and wars; migrations; deteriorating health systems; poverty Drug resistance in parasite Insecticide resistance in vector and ban on use of DDT Environment global warming causing increased breeding and life span of the vector Jet age shrinking world spread of malaria from endemic areas to all other parts of the world. 1.4 Life Cycle of Malaria PARASITE The complex life cycle of malaria parasite involves two hosts; an insect vector (anopheles mosquito) and a vertebrate host (human). In search of a blood meal, a malaria-infected female Anopheles mosquito inoculates the infectious sporozoites into the human host. The malaria infection begins as these viable sporozoites invade liver cells and develop into mature schizonts, which in turn rupture and release invasive merozoites into blood stream. In P. vivax and P. ovale an arrested phase [hypnozoites] can remain dormant in the liver and re-invade the bloodstream after weeks, or even years later and cause infection, this delayed primary blood infection is termed as relapse. The initial asexual replication in liver is termed as exo-erythrocytic schizogony. In the normal developing exo-erythrocytic schizont, the cytoplasm of the parasite becomes subdivided and the ensuing invasive merozoites develop. These emergent merozoites are then released upon rupture of the mature schizont and invade the erythrocyte. The parasites undergo asexual multiplication in the erythrocyte, termed as erythrocytic schizogony. Redifferentiation of intra-erythrocytic merozoites into the feeding trophozoites occurs then. The ring stage Figure 1.2 Life cycle of malaria parasite (Plasmodium falciparum) trophozoites mature into schizonts and when rupture releasing merozoites to begin another cycle of red blood cell infection. However, the majority of merozoites entering an erythrocyte will develop into asexual schizonts, a small fraction can develop into the first sexual stage of life cycle (gametocytes). The rupture of mature schizont also releases the metabolic debris, which is toxic to the host and play a role in stimulating the clinical manifestations of the disease. The female anopheles mosquito must take blood meals on regular basis to support the development of eggs in successive batches. When biting malaria infected vertebrate host, she will take up infected erythrocyte and the gametocytes. Both female (macrogametocytes) and male (microgametocytes) are ingested by female anopheles mosquito during a blood meal. The asexual division of parasites in the mosquito is termed as sporogonic cycle. While in the mosquitos gut gametocytes are triggered by the fall in temperature and begin the formation of gametes. The microgamete penetrates the macrogamete generating zygote. Soon after the zygotes become motile and elongated structure termed as ookinetes, which invade the midgut wall of the mosquito where they develop into oocysts. The sporozoites emerge from ruptured oocysts make their way to reside in the mosquito salivary glands. Inoculation of these viable sporozoites into a new human host to maintain the malaria life cycle (Figure 1.2) (Bannister, Mitchell, 2003). 1.5 THE PLASMODIUM GENOME SEQUENCE The genome sequences of six Plasmodium species have now been published. The complete sequences of the P.falciparum 3D7 strain and the rodent malaria P.y. yoelii 17XNL clone (Carlton et al., 2002; Gardner et al., 2002) appeared in 2002 and the genomic data of two more rodent malaria species, the P.berghei ANKA clone and P. chabaudi AS clone, were published in 2005 (Hall et al., 2005). Recently, the genome sequences of the human malaria P.vivax Salvador 1 strain and the human/simian malaria P.knowlesi H strain, along with a comparative analysis with P.falciparum, were released (Carlton et al., 2008; Pain et al., 2008). Thus, this genus has the highest number of sequenced species of any eukaryotic organism yet (Birkholtz et al., 2008). Comparative analysis of the publicly of the available Plasmodium genomes revealed that they are all haploid with a standard size of 23-27 Mb, which is distributed among 14 linear chromosomes between 0.5-3.0 Mb in size. The base composition varies among the different species, with the rodent and P.falciparum genomes being extremely A+T rich (80.6% on average and close to 90% in introns and intergenic regions in P.falciparum) in contrast with the more G+C rich P.knowlesi and P.vivax genomes (37.5% and 42.3% respectively) Each Plasmodium genome has in the order of 5000-6000 predicted genes, most of which (51%) contain at least one intron and ~60% are orthologus among the different species (Hall, Carlton, 2005; Hall et al., 2005). The difference in gene number is the result of the differential gene expansion in distinct lineages and the presence of large variant gene families that are involved with antigenic variation (Hall, Carlton, 2005). The unique genes of the different species are o ften localised within the subtelomeric regions and code for immunodominant antigens (Hall, Carlton, 2005). The mean gene length of the three sequenced human malarias (including P. knowlesi) is~ 2.2 to 2.3 kb, compared to the average of 1.3 to 1.6 kb in other organisms (Gardner et al., 2002). The reason for these long gene lengths is not known and this is compounded by the fact that these long genes usually encode hypothetical proteins with unknown function (Gardner et al., 2002). Gene-mapping studies of conserved genes have shown that gene location, order and even exon-intron boundaries have been preserved over large regions across the three sequenced rodent Plasmodium species and P.falciparum(Hall, Carlton, 2005). In addition to the nuclear genome , the parasites also have a liner mitochondrial genome of ~6 kb in the case of P.falciparum , which is smallest mitochondrial genome known (Painter et al., 2007) and a ~35 kb circular apicoplast genome (Gardner et al., 2002). The P.falciparum nuclear genome exhibits minimal redundancy in transfer RNA (tRNA) and encodes 43 tRNAs (Gardner et al., 2002) compared to the ~30 of Homo sapiens (Strachan T and Read A, 1998). The parasite tRNA bind all 64 possible codons except TGT and TGC that both specify cysteine (Cys). As no other codons specify Cys, it is possible that these tRNA genes are located within the currently unsequenced regions , since Cys is incorporated into P.falciparum proteins (Gardner et al., 2002). The small P.falciparum mitochondrial genome does not encode any tRNAs (Vaidya et al., 1989) compared to the 22 tRNA of the circular 16.6 kb human mitochondrial genome (Anderson et al., 1981). The P.falciparum mitochondrion therefore imports tRN As from the cytoplasm , whereas the apicoplast genome encodes sufficient tRNAs for protein synthesis within the organelle (Wilson et al., 1996). The P.falciparum genome does not contain tandemly repeated ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene clusters as seen in many other eukaryotes, but it contains individual 18S-5.8S-28S rRNA units at loci on seven of the chromosomes(Gardner et al., 2002). The sequence of the particular rRNA genes is distinct in the different units and the expression of each unit is developmentally regulated, depending on the stages of the parasite life cycle It is anticipated that by transcribing different rRNAs at different life stages, the parasite could change its ribosomal properties and the translation rate of all or specific messenger RNA (mRNA), which could alter the cell growth rate or cell development pattern. Previously , the rRNA expressed in the mosquito was described as S(sexual)-type and that expressed in the human host as A (asexual) type(Gardner et al., 2002). Parasite rRNA is also species-specific and can be assessed for diagnostic purposes (Singh et al., 2004). More than 60% of the predicted 5268 ope n reading frames (ORFs) of P.falciparum have no sequence similarity to genes from other sequenced organisms (Gardner et al., 2002). The absence of sequence similarity complicates characterization of the unknown ORFs, but might hold the answer to finding selective drug targets (Bozdech et al., 2003). There is currently a dedicated initiative aimed at improving the annotation status of P.falciparum led by the Plasmodium database, PlasmoDB (www.plasmodb.org). 1.6 Malaria Incidence in Different States of India The malariometric index evaluated as annual parasite incidence (API) indicates the number of malaria cases per thousand of population. As per the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) incidence records, in most part of India, the API was 5 API were scattered in the states of Gujarat, Goa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, the northeastern states and Karnataka (Kumar A et al., 2007). The proportion of occurrence of P. falciparum and P. vivax differs in various parts of India. Most of the indo-gangatic plains, northwestern India, northern hilly states, and southern state like Tamil Nadu have > 90% P. vivax infections, and the rest are P. falciparum. This situation is reversed in forested areas inhabited by ethnic tribes, where the proportion of P. falciparum is 30-90%. In the remaining areas P. falciparum prevail between 10% and 30%. Although Orissa has a population of 36.7 million (3.5%), it contributed most (25%) of a total of 1.5-2 milli on reported annual malaria cases, 39.5% of total P. falciparum malaria, and 30% of deaths caused by malaria in India (Source NVBDCP, India). Similarly, in the other states, forest ecosystems inhabited by ethnic tribes lives mainly in Figure 1.3 Prevalance of Plasmodium falciparum in India meso to hyperendemic conditions of malaria, where the preponderance of P. falciparum exist upto the extent of 90% or even more (Kumar et al., 2007) (Figure 1.3). 1.7 MALARIA Control and Prevention A global strategy for malaria control was developed by W.H.O. in a ministerial conference at Amsterdam, held in October 1992. The strategy broadly suggests emphasis on diagnosis and treatment in place of earlier trend of emphasis on vector control as a strategy for malaria control. The salient aspects of this strategy were early diagnosis and treatment; prevention of malarial deaths; promotion of personal protection measures like use of ITMs; forecasting, early detection and control of malaria epidemics; monitoring, evaluation and integration of activity in primary health centres; and operational research in field sites. Malaria prevention was classified at the level of personal protection, the prophylaxis and the malaria vaccines. Protective measures adopted at individual level and at family level not only help in protection of the individual against mosquito bites but also prevents spread of malaria in locality. These measures indirectly helped in reducing the mosquito population b y denying the blood meal which is an essential for nourishment of the mosquito eggs in the female anopheles. Protection measures at personal level against mosquitoes includes: Prevention of mosquitoes from entering the house, protection from mosquito bites and prohibiting the mosquitoes from resting inside house. All these prevention activities need the following; i. Protective Clothing ii. Mosquito Repellents iii. Insecticide vaporizers iv. Mosquito nets v. Air conditioning The absence of vaccines necessitates the use of drugs against malaria. All visitors from non-endemic area to a malarious area should have presumptive antimalarial drugs which offer protection against clinical attacks of malaria in that particular malaria endemic area (www.who.int/malaria). The practice of anti-malarial drugs to prevent the development of malaria is known as chemoprophylaxis. The choice of chemoprophylaxis differs depending on the species and drug resistance prevalence in a country. It must be remembered that no chemoprophylaxis regime provides 100% protection. Therefore it is essential to have personal protection from mosquito bites as well as to practice the chemoprophylaxis. Drugs used for chemoprophylaxis include: chloroquine, sulfadoxine, pyrimethamine, atovaquone plus proguanil, proguanil, halofantrine, doxycycline and mefloquin (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/antimalarialdrug.html). The effective way to control any infectious disease is indeed to have a safe and effective vaccine, but even after decades of malaria research, an effective malaria vaccine is still elusive. The major culprit in not having an effective malaria vaccine is complex life cycle of the parasite which involves vector mosquitoes and human. In turn, parasites allelic diversity and antigenic variations make the development and implementation of effective malaria control intervention more problematic. In the present scenario of increasing resistance against antimalarials by parasite and the insecticide resistance shown by the anopheles mosquito, it is evident that an intervention at multiple stages of life cycle will be an appropriate way of combating malaria. Malaria vaccines for different stages of life cycle will therefore play a major role in future malaria interventions. Evaluation of new malaria vaccine candidates in malaria endemic countries is required. The present situation demands suf ficient sites in malaria endemic countries for testing potential malaria vaccines in future. 1.8 Antimalarial drug resistance One of the major control strategies against malaria is prompt treatment of malaria patients with effective antimalarial drugs; however one of the major challenges in the battle against malaria in recent years is the development of drug resistance in the malaria parasites. A continuous research and monitoring is crucial when trying to control and diminish this development. Antimalarial drug resistance in the malaria parasite, both in vitro and in vivo has been related to changes at molecular level in the malaria parasite (P. falciparum and P. vivax).

Gauley Bridge Disaster and Bhopal Disaster

Gauley Bridge Disaster and Bhopal Disaster Accident Causation Gauley Bridge Disaster Industrial disasters were common during the great depression because of the disregard for safety guidelines by contracting companies. Accident causations during this period were mainly the inability by organization to uphold the safety regulations for employees working in hazardous conditions such as silicosis infection as in the case of the Gauley Bridge disaster. The Gauley Bridge disaster is one of the largest industrial disasters in the United States. The disaster occurred in 1930s during the great recession (Corn 132). The project that led to the occurrence of the disaster involved the construction of a hydroelectric generation power in West Virginia. This required the diversion of water of the two rivers in the area to enhance the power generation process (Magnuson 322). The Rinehart and Dennis Company and the New Kanahwa Power Company companies were involved in the construction the tunnel and power plant respectively. The Rinehart and Dennis Company contracted both African-Americans and Caucasians to work in the construction of the tunnel in 1930s. The construction of the tunnel involved drilling through a rock that had a high percentage of silicon. Research indicates that some of the rocks in the area, had approximately 99.3% silicon, which was very hazardous to humans. In addition, the workforce at the tunnel were not provided with the appropriate safety gears and the machinery used contributed to increase in dust from the site (Corn 133). The individuals working at the site were exposed to high levels of silicon from the rock and hence contracted silicosis. The exact number of individuals who died from the disaster was not established by the approximate number provided was 700 individuals; most of whom were African-Americans. The causes of the disaster involved the failure by the company to examine the conditions of the area in terms of silicon percentage in order to employ the appropriate safety mechanisms (Magnuson 324). In addition, the workers were not provided with dust masks which could have reduced the number of deaths as well as silicosis infections. Bhopal Disaster The Bhopal disaster occurred because of the leakage of the methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas from various storage tanks of the Union Carbide factory in India.   The Union carbide factory is located in the region of Madhya Pradesh at Bhopal, India. The methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas is used as an intermediate in the production of pesticides and is produced by mixing phosgene gas with methyl amine. The total amount of gas that was released to the air from the factory is estimated to be 36 tones (Bowonder and Harold 184). The methyl isocyanate gas had various effects on the environment and residents of Bhopal such as chest tightness, burning sensation in the eyes and reduction of levels of oxygen from the environment. This gas accident caused approximately 2500 deaths and caused permanent physical body damage to approximately 17000 individuals. The pollution caused by this disaster continue to affect the residents of Bhopal due to the pollution of water and soils in the surrounding areas (Bowo nder and Harold 190). The causes of the Bhopal disaster were both technical and safety issues. The inappropriate storage of the gas in tanks for long duration violated the safety guidelines. In addition, the location of the factory in a populous neighborhood contributed to the high number of causalities. Other causes include the malfunctioning of the refrigeration units and safety devices at the factory. This accident could have be prevented through the implementation of various safety guidelines such as installation of adequate number of safety devices and the storage of the gas at the right containers based on the safety guidelines (Bowonder and Harold 200). The factory should be located in sparsely populous areas to minimize the number of casualties in case of an accident. Related Accidents or Disasters Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire: This industrial accident occurred in New York City in 1905. The disaster caused approximately 100 workers through burning and injuries while escaping fire. The disaster was caused by malfunctioning of the machines and failure by the company to uphold safety guidelines on fire. A legislation requiring improved safety guidelines in the industries was established to prevent future accidents. Chicago Crib Disaster: This disaster occurred in 1909 when fire broke out during the construction of a Chicago water intake tunnel. Data indicates that approximately 60 workers died from burns and by drowning in the lake. Various safety legislations have been enacted to ensure the safety of workers as well as installation of appropriate fire escape mechanisms in risky working sites.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited Bowonder, B., and Harold A. Linstone. Notes on the Bhopal accident: Risk analysis and multiple perspectives. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 32.2 (1987): 183-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   202. Corn, Jacqueline K. Historical aspects of industrial hygiene-II. Silicosis. The American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal 41.2 (1980): 125-133. Magnuson, Harold J. Health hazards in the construction industry. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 3.7 (1961): 321-325.

Themes in Exodus by Julie Bertanga :: essays research papers

‘Exodus, Julie Bertanga, is a novel that is set in the future. Throughout the book many themes are discovered. The novel delves into the life of a fifteen year old girl, called Mara. It is an adventurous fantasy story, that is about finding yourself and who you are. In this essay, I will be discussing the theme of change and responsibility, and how it is affects the character. Change is one of the biggest themes in this novel. It entwines with all other themes at some stage or another. It begins write at the start of the book and ends with the novel. I believe the author made change a part of this novel because change is a part of everyone’s life. Without change life cannot progress and grow. People can become â€Å"stuck† if they do not experience enough change in early life. Sometimes the changes are small, and sometimes the changes are huge. A good example is Mara becoming an older sister. That is a small change. The big change was when her family was gone, and she had to venture out to the world unknown by herself. One of the changes in this book is noofood. Mara looks at her plate of bright and beautiful noofood. Yuk. All around her in the cafà ©, people are happily tucking in to exotic – looking platefuls of the stuff, but it turns Mara’s stomach. The aroma of real food haunts her. This shows the difficulty of getting used to new things, and how it is human nature to stick with what we know. Mara has difficulty eating noofood because she has experienced the wonderful taste of â€Å"real food†. Change is a necessity in this book, as Global Warming is threatening to kill all life from â€Å"The Wing†. This is where Mara comes in. It is her job and responsibility to go and find a new place to live, to start life again. This brings me to the theme of responsibility. Responsibility is a key part of life. Learning how and when to be responsible is one of the hardest things a person has to do. Although I believe it is a minor theme in this book, it still has a huge affect on Mara’s actions. Mara is the one who holds the responsibility in this novel. It is her task to find new land, a new way of life, a new way to survive. As the wing is rapidly disappearing because of the rising waters, they have to find a new place to settle.

Strategy Development and Initiatives Essay -- Business and Management

Strategy Development and Initiatives 1) The history, development, and growth of the company over time ================================================================ In 1987, Andrew Young and Dick England established Kleenmaid a 100 % private owned Australian company. The companies main business is to import, manufacture and distribution of high-quality white goods appliances like cook tops, ovens, dishwashers, refrigerators and washing machines. In 1995, Kleenmaid shifted from a wholesale business to direct retailing, to provide customers a store with fully operational appliances where possible purchasers could use the washing machines or cook everything possible with the help of appliances provided by the store.. Its head office in Maroochydore, Queensland, Australia manages its major functions such as sales, marketing, service, financial, administrative and information technology (Hill et al. 2004). The company has been rated as one of the fastest growing private companies in Australia and regularly appears in the Business Review Weekly top five hundred companies. By 2001, the company has been rated as one of the fastest growing private companies in Australia (Hill et al. 2004). As part of its growing strategy, Kleenmaid bought the brand name and selected manufacturing equipment of liquidated company St George Appliances in 1999. St George, an Australian company for than fifty years, used to export its products all over the world. The company was renamed Kleenmaid St George following the purchase. It provides a comprehensive service, including delivery, installation and full after-sales service at a competitive price for builders and developers. The company uses subcontractors wearing’ Kleenmaid St George’ attire for all installation and servicing requirements (Hill et al. 2004). More than one million Australians use Kleenmaid St George appliances daily. As the only Australian direct retailer of kitchen and laundry appliances, the company says that it is committed to bringing the world’s best to its customers. The company’s appliances have a reputation for unique design, outstanding performance quality and reliability. Originally, products were sold through conventional retailers but, to uphold Kleenmaid St George’s commitment to providing unique products and exceptional service, the company started selling .. ...veloping implementation plan it can be concluded that very little changes is required for the company. Also answers to questions and issues raised in the case have been included. References ========== 1) Hannagan, T.J. 2002, Mastering Strategic Management, Basingstoke, Palgrave. 2) Hill, C.W.L, Jones G.R. & Galvin, P. 2004, Strategic Management: An Integrated Approach, Milton, Qld.: John Wiley and Sons Australia. 3) Hussey, D.E. 1994, Strategic management : theory and practice, Oxford, Uk. 4) Johnson G. & Scholes K. 2002, Exploring Corporate Strategy Text and Cases, 6th Ed, London, Prentice Hall 5) Mintzberg H. & Quinn J.B. 1992, The Strategic Process; Concepts and Contexts, Englewood Cliffs, Prentice Hall 6) Pearce A. J. & Robinson R. B. 1994, Strategic Management, Formulation, Implementation, and Control, 5th Ed, Boston, Irwin. 7) Richardson B & Richardson R 1989, Business Planning; An Approach to Strategic Management, London, Pitman 8) Rosen R 1995, Strategic Management; An Introduction, London, Pitman. 9) Thompson, A. & Strickland, A. J. 2003, Strategic Management; Concepts and Case, 13th Ed. NY, McGraw Hill.

Dental

Tray setups Here is a series of tray set ups for some of the more usual dental procedures. Every operator is different and the tray set ups need to be customized for the operator. Keep tray set ups simple. Also shown are some of the corresponding bench set ups that need to be prepared for specific purposes. Tray 1: Examination Mirror Probe Tweezers Periodontal probe Bench Patient card Pencil for charting Intra-oral camera set up ready to go Hand mirror for patient to view mouth Tray 2: Prophylaxis and fluoride treatment Mirror, probe and tweezersHand scales and/or ultrasonic scales tip Rubber cup Suction tube Prophylaxis paste in ring cup or disposable dish Floss Gauze squares Cotton rolls Fluoride trays or pellets and disposable dish Fluoride solution Model for oral health instruction Tray 3: Amalgam restoration 1 Spoon excavator Flat plastic Amalgam plunger Amalgam carver (every operator has their favorite) Ball burnishes Locking tweezers Tray 4: Amalgam restoration bench Amalgam g un Dapper dish Matrix retainer and band Decal applicator Wedges (where necessary) Amalgam capsule Articulating paper with holderLining material Tray 5: Amalgam restoration 2 Tray 6: Composite / GIG restoration Plastic instrument – temple or Teflon Tray 7: Composite / GIG restoration -? bench 1 Pellets or sponge applicators, Articulating paper Spatula Mixing pad Restorative material Tray 8: Composite / GIG restoration -? bench 2 Pellets or sponge applicators Tray 9: Extraction Sterile gauze Tray 10: Extraction, mandible -? Elevators Forceps Anesthetic set-up Extra gauze bench Instructions for care after an extraction. Tray 1 1: Endicott treatment Endicott probeEndicott spoon excavator Endicott ruler For root canal therapy / root filling you will need to add the following instruments to the Endicott tray: Lateral spreader's Endicott plungers Heat out instrument (for cutting and sealing the GPO points) Tray 12: Endicott treatment -? K files Paper points Medicament's Cavity Mixin g pad and spatula Periodical X ray films Guts perch points Tray 13: Rubber dam 1 Frame Rubber dam clamp forceps Rubber dam punch Appropriate clamp Rubber dam square Tray 14: Rubber dam 2 Tray 15: Oral health education / disclosingLocking tweezers with cotton pellet Toothbrush Microbes Disclosing solution Baseline in small container Denture dish / container Air-abrasion -? tray Teflon instrument or temple composite Air abrasion head and nozzles Air-abrasion -? bench Similar to composite/glass-monomer set up Endicott -? tray Endicott-? bench Periodical films Rubber dam application Oral surgery -? tray Retractor Scalpel handle Peritoneal elevator Erroneous Bone file Tissue tweezers Hemostat Surgical curette Irrigating syringe Suture/surgical scissors Needle holder Surgical aspiratorOral surgery -? bench Scalpel blade of choice Suture needle and thread of choice Saline solution for irrigation Extra gauze-sterile Mouth props if needed Surgical burs of preference Extra cup of water to run through aspirator to avoid clogging. Denture trays Impressions Bite registration -? tray Wax knife Wax carvers Bite registration -? bench Models Bite wax Matches Shade guide. Laboratory Job sheets Try-in -? tray Try-in -? bench Hand mirror for patient Denture issue Denture issue -? Bench The dentures Hand mirror Burs required for acrylic trimming. Dental Dentistry isn't Just a profession; it's a way of life. Helping others is the best way to live, and that's exactly what you do. â€Å"Blessed are those who hold lively conversations with the hopelessly mute, for they shall be called dentists† (Ann Landers). We all dread our next go around at the dentist. Getting our teeth cleaned, drilled, pulled, and any other horrible exploit being done to our poor teeth. What our dentist is doing (besides invading our mouths), is protecting us from any diseases that could otentially form in our mouths.A dentist is â€Å"one who is skilled, licensed and practice the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases, injuries, and malformations of the mouth. † There are many factors into becoming a dentist. To become a dentist, one must attend dental school. The dental school must be accredited by the American Dental Association (ADA). In order to be accepted into any of the 56 (2006) dental schools in the United States, you must complet e two years of predental education. Most people geta bachelor's degree.In order to be accepted into dental school, you must first take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT). In the first year of dental school students normally take science classes like microbiology, pathology, or anatomy. In the next years the advance to more dental-based classes; which includes going to laboratories and getting hands-on experience. Most dental students graduate from a dental D. M. D or a D. D. S in four years. A work day for a dentist varies every day. The field is often challenging due to the difference in people's mouths.You constantly have to build more knowledge due to the fact that each patient is different. Dentist's generally look over the patients records in the morning before their appointment. From there; they will practice what is necessary on the mouth of their patient. Whether it being drilling teeth, extracting teeth, removing decay and filling cavities, to prescribing medicine. Due to the ir flexibility; dentists get to choose whether they want to work full-time or half-time. Full-time dentists average about 63 patients a week.

Brand Extension Essay

Brand extension is a marketing strategy according to which a company marketing a product or a service launches a new offering (product or service) that is related to the one of the existing brands of the company, but offers different benefits and/or targets a different segment. Organizations use this strategy to increase and leverage upon their brand equity. When a firm is introducing a new product, it has the following 3 choices on branding: 1. Developing a new brand for the new product 2. Using the existing brand for the new product 3. Combining the new brand and the existing brand The use of 2nd and 3rd strategy is referred to as brand extension. Brands may be classified as one of the following: Parent Brand: If an existing brand gives birth to a brand extension, it is referred to as parent brand. Sub Brand: When a new brand is combined with an existing brand, it is called as sub brand. Family Brand: If a parent brand has links with multiple brands through brand extensions then it is called as family brand. Brand Extension Dimensions There are a large number of ways in which brand extension can be accomplished. One of the vital differences is if the extension is in the same or different category of the product. Thus they can be classified as: vertical or horizontal extensions. Vertical extensions Vertical extensions refer to the introduction of a related brand in the same product category but having a different price and quality balance. Vertical extensions offer the firm a quickest way to leverage upon the core product’s equity. As an extension strategy, vertical extension is widely practiced in many industries. For example, within automobile industry, the various brand models attempt to offer different price-quality bundles to attract various market segments. Often a product is extended in an attempt to just gain more of the market share. Vertical extension direction New product introductions using vertical extensions can extend in 2 directions, upscale and downscale vertical extensions. The vertical brand extension is that type of new product introduction that seems to be carrying less risk and seemingly having more appeal to management. The new product which is being introduced is in the same category as the parent product; aims at a same market segment as the parent, and may or may not enjoy the same acceptance as the parent. Upscale vertical extensions Upscale extensions involve a new product introduction by the firm with higher price & quality characteristics than the original product. Downscale vertical extensions It involves a new product introduction with lower price & quality characteristics than the original. Downscale vertical extensions may target sampling to a new segment, and bring some gain in market share. Horizontal extensions Generally, horizontal brand extensions either use or extend an existing product’s name to a new product in the same product category or to a product category new to the organization. There are 2 types of horizontal extensions which differ in terms of their focus area. They are termed as line extensions and category extensions. Line Extensions All the customers differ in terms of their usage needs. The brand has to fill the market with variety of products as per the needs of the segments. If a parent brand is used to brand a new product that targets a new segment in the market within the same product category that was previously served by the parent brand, it is called as line extension. Line extension leads to the addition of a new and distinct flavour or ingredient to the category. It sometimes might also lead to a new application for the brand or an introduction of a different form or size. For example, Bisleri is the pioneering brand in category of mineral water. Originally, Bisleri started off with 1 ltr bottle. But recently, the brand has launched bottles of different sizes and quantities.