Economics goverment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economics goverment - Essay Example Indeed, the defendants in the case, Carilion Health System defeated the U.S. Department of Justice by showing that hospital markets have unique characteristics that deviate from the norms of commerce. As such, in 1989, the U.S. Department of Justice failed to prevent the merger between Carilion Health System and another hospital in Roanoke (Eisenstadt, 1989). Hence, the two hospitals merged and continued to operate separately in Roanoke after the 1989 merger. However, in 2006, Carilion consolidated the two hospital boards and transferred most the workers and services to Roanoke Memorial Hospital (RMH). It also sought to buy the services of private physician groups. The CEO of Carilion Health System believed that medical staff could improve the cost and quality of care in Roanoke while operating in a centralized system. Because of the merger, there was no hospital competition in Roanoke. Subject to this, the cost of health care is on an all-time high and the health-insurance rates are very high in Roanoke, Virginia (Carreyrou, 2008). The Hospital Competition and Costs: The Carilion Case (1989) had fundamental legal issues as presented by the U.S Department of Justice (DOJ) and Carilion. The jury sought to litigate the issue related to the effect on competition and the presence of efï ¬ ciencies. Indeed, after the defendants and the DOJ have made their case, the court sought the jury’s advisory on three legal facts. The court sought an advisory on the correctness of the DOJ’s alleged geographic market, the DOJ’s assertion that the relevant product market consisted of only inpatient hospital care, and the consolidation’s likely effect on competition (Eisenstadt, 1989). To this effect, the DOJ had the legal burden of proofing that the proposed merger would lead to adverse competitive effects and would not derive

Puzzle 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Puzzle 1 - Assignment Example Viewers can decide whether they see art, which makes their makers, artists, although artists, particularly humans, can use their autonomy to say that they are artists, whether their viewers agree or not. These artists are making art because they have viewers who can accept their works as art, even if there may be differences amongst the latter’s views. I believe that these creators are all artists or painters because they have the skills to make art and viewers who can accept their works as art. What makes them artists or painters is that they can create works of art based on their own perceptions of the world and using their painting skills, and that they have audiences who can appreciate their art. Some people might say that chimpanzees or elephants cannot perceive the value and effects of art, but I believe that they have their own ways of expressing art, as these videos prove. In addition, I believe that they are â€Å"good† artists to those audiences who see their paintings as â€Å"good† works of art because they like the total effect of these works and they find meaning in these paintings. As for the question of determining if one better than the other, it is hard to answer that because â€Å"better† art is in the eye of the beholder. In other words, I do not think that any person, even those who are called art critics and art connoisseurs can absolutely say that one painting or painter is better than the other since, in the end, people, as art consumers have different tastes and preferences in art and they can still choose what they think are â€Å"better† art works. Furthermore, determining the â€Å"better† art depends on both or either viewer or creator. Some viewers immediately think that human arts are better than animal-made arts because of the preference for the creators. Other viewers, on the opposite, do not consider who/what the painter is and prefer to appreciate art depending

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, and Jayne Eyre by Charlotte Bront Essay Example for Free

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, and Jayne Eyre by Charlotte Bront Essay In Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, and Jayne Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, there is a description of a room. In this essay, I will compare the similarities and differences of the two rooms. The two stories were written thirteen years apart, in the 19th century. In Jayne Eyre, the red room is decorated in bright colours, in comparison to Great Expectations, which is a faded white room. They are both large, and ornately furnished. In Great Expectations, the little boy is narrating (first person narrator), I answered, more in shyness than politeness, this quote supports two facts, one that it is a first person narrative, and that the feelings of the boy are quite uncomfortable and slightly timid about the situation hes in. Dont be ridiculous, boy, this shows that the first person is in fact a boy, therefore suggesting a young naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve nature in the storys narrator. This reflecting the readers view on the happenings in the story, but more precisely the extract on this particular subject. Like Great Expectations, Jayne Eyre, has a first person narrative, Jayne, herself. The narrator in Jayne Eyre, is actually older than the narrator in Great Expectations. The narrator seems less anxious than the boy in Great Expectations, there seems to be no signs of nervousness or anxiety in the passage of Jayne Eyre from the narrator. Both the rooms in the two stories are parts of rich, wealthy, large houses. One of the largest and stateliest chambers in the mansion, and massive pillars of mahogany support my statement for Jayne Eyre. In Great Expectations, large room and a fine ladys dressing table also strengthen my statement. Both the rooms in the two stories have been kept as almost museums, as if time stood still at one point and never restarted. In Great Expectations, the room creates this impression from remarks from the boy (the narrator), such as, No glimpse of daylight was to be seen in it, this suggests how no light has entered Miss Haveshams dressing-room since whatever happened when time effectively stood still. She had not quite finished dressing, as if she had started but then suddenly frozen half way through, forgetting about it and everything else in her world. Half packed trunks, were scattered, this also suggests the stopping of time. It says in the passage about how everything used to white, but had no faded and was a pale yellow colour, had been white long ago, was faded and yellow. No brightness left, this also suggests that time has stopped. In Jayne Eyre, Very seldom slept in, this suggests loneliness to the room, where nothing breathes in it, like its also been frozen in time. Blinds always drawn down, this suggests that no light is allowed into the room, therefore leaving it in darkness, like Miss Haveshams dressing room. This room was chill, this suggests loneliness in the room, expressing lack of happenings in the chamber. Words used to describe the room such as, silent, and solemn, also show that the room has effectively been frozen in time. These words are also reflected in Great Expectations, as the boy enters the room, he is greeted with utter silence and a solemn atmosphere. The sense of a chill is also reflected in a way in Miss Haveshams dressing-room, with all the bland, cold, faded, white colours, you also interpret a cold atmosphere. The use of colour and light in the two passages are also very effective on the affect its having on the reader. In the red room, it is filled with deep reds and whites (hence the red room). These colours offer warmth and maybe innocence. In Miss Haveshams dressing-room, the whole room is that of a faded white colour, showing maybe faded innocence, or purity which has lost its initial form. The mentioning of people in the paragraphs helps to create certain atmospheres within the rooms. In Great Expectations, Miss Havesham, makes a strong impression on the room. She is wearing all white, (suggesting that she was a bride-to-be when time froze) although the white is faded, turning to a pale yellowy colour. Expressing the rooms coldness and staleness. When the boy describes her as a waxwork and skeleton that had eyes that moved and looked at him, this is also expressing the feelings of Miss Havesham reflecting on the rooms atmosphere aswell. In the red-room, there isnt actually a person physically present in the room as such as Jayne is describing it to you (the reader), although it does mention certain people. Mr. Reed is a man that had breathed his last in this room. This sends an eerie feeling into the room, a very uncomfortable feeling wraps itself around the room. The fact that nobody actually enters the room often at all gives you an idea of the rooms loneliness aswel l. A sense of dreary consecration had guarded it from frequent intrusion, this also supports my statement of the rooms lack of feeling or love. A very lonely room is felt by the fact that nobody wants to enter the room. This is obviously given through the fact of Mr. Reeds death. I think my response was stronger to Great Expectations, as I found it more intriguing. One of the main causes of this would be that there was actually a person present in the room as it was being narrated. A very interesting person aswell, somebody that can capture your attention. I would imagine so because I simple dont hear of people who lock themselves up like that, although it is a fictitious character. I didnt get into Jayne Eyre as much, it seemed to float past me as I went through it without making much of an impact. As I said a few moments ago, it is probably as there isnt a person in the room as Im reading the story to interest me as such. I felt that the writing in both stories conjured up a respectful amount of imagery in my mind, but in all I think my preference has swayed towards Great Expectations.

Bark Extract Mediated Green Silver Nanoparticles Synthesis

Bark Extract Mediated Green Silver Nanoparticles Synthesis Bark extract mediated green synthesis of silver nanoparticles and their antimicrobial efficacy: A low cost effective synthesis route Debasis Nayak, Sarbani Ashe, Pradipta Ranjan Rauta, Manisha Singh, Bismita Nayak Abstract In this current investigation we report the biosynthesis potential of the bark extracts of Ficus benghalensis and Azadirachta indica for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles without using any external reducing or capping agent. The occurrence of dark brown color indicated the complete synthesis of the silver nanoparticles which was validated by the absorbance peak in UV-Vis spectroscopy. The morphology of the synthesized particles was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns clearly illustrated the crystalline phase of the synthesized nanoparticles. Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) was performed to identify the role of various functional groups in the nanoparticle synthesis. The synthesized sliver nanoparticles showed promising results against gram negative and gram positive pathogens which could have a broad therapeutic role against multiple drug resistan t bacteria. Keywords: Green synthesis, silver nanoparticles, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), antimicrobial Introduction Silver, a noble metal maintains its exceptional optical and electronic properties in quantum size [1-2] which paved its curiosity towards the nano regime. The interest in silver nanoparticles gained prominence owing to its excellent plasmonic activity, bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects compared with the other metal nanoparticles and its versatile use in dentistry, clothing, catalysis, mirrors, optics, photography, electronics, and in the food industry [3].Conventional physical and chemical methods for stable nanomaterial synthesis present the problem of nanoparticle aggregation, harsh reaction conditions and the toxicity of the reagents used. So for synthesis of monodispersed and stable nanoparticles with reduced toxicity concerns new synthetic routes based on green chemistry principles have been explored [4, 5]. Synthesis of silver nanoparticles using green chemistry principles maximizes safety and efficiency, and minimises the environmental and societal impact of toxic raw ma terials. Green synthesis of nanoparticles focuses on three important aspects i.e. (i) use of green solvents, (ii) use of an eco-friendly benign reducing agent, and (iii) use of a nontoxic material as a stabilizer [6]. Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using various plant extract has been reported [4, 7]. The extracts contains different enzymes/proteins, amino acids, polysaccharides, vitamins, poly phenols, etc., which act as both reducing and capping agents during the nanoparticle synthesis [8]. Ficus benghalensis commonly known as ‘banyan’ is an evergreen tree found all over India and belongs to the family Moraceae. Its various parts are used in ayurveda for the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery, piles, rheumatism and as an astringent, haemostatic and antiseptic agent. The bark has been reported to contain leucopelargonidin-3-O-ÃŽ ±-L rhamnoside, leucocynidin-3-O-ÃŽ ±-D galactosyl cellobioside, glucoside, beta glucoside, pentatriacontan-5-one, beta sitostero-ÃŽ ± -D-glucose [9-13]. Azadirachta indica (family- Meliaceae) is commonly called as ‘village dispensary’ in traditional medicine as the tree has its efficacy in every disease. Different compounds have been isolated from the bark extract such as Nimbin, Nimbinin, Deacetyl nimbin, Nimbinene, 6-Deacetyl nimbinene, Nimbandiol, polysaccharides G1A, G1B, G2A, G3A, NB-2 peptidoglucan [14-17]. The neem bark has antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anti malarial, antioxidant and anticancer activity [18]. Various plants parts have been used for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles but rarely the barks have been used. In the present study the barks of Ficus bengalensis and Azadirachta indica have been employed for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles. The leaves of Azadirachta were used as a reference sample as much work has been already been done on the ability of A. indica leaves for synthesis of Ag-NPs [19]. Experimental Section Silver nitrate, Mueller Hinton agar and Mueller Hinton broth of analytical grade were purchased from Hi-Media laboratories and deionised water was used throughout the experiment. Preparation of bark extract The barks of F. benghalensis and A. indica were collected from the campus of NIT, Rourkela. They were washed properly with deionised water to remove any traces of dust and impurities. The bark extract of F. benghalensis and A. indica was prepared by dissolving 5g of the bark powder with 50 ml of distilled water and boiled in a water bath at 50 ºC for 1 hour. The extracts were filtered using whatman filter paper and kept at 4 ºC until used. Synthesis of silver nanoparticles 90 ml of silver nitrate solution (1M) was mixed with 10 ml of bark extract and the reaction mixture was kept in a water bath at different temperature conditions (20, 40, 60 and 80 ºC) till the occurrence of the dark reddish color of the reaction mixture. After the color change inference the nanoparticle solutions were centrifuged at 10,000 rpm for 45 min (C24-BL centrifuge, REMI, India) thrice with successive washing with distilled water to remove any traces of un-utilized bark phyto-constituents. The resultant pellet was lyophilized and stored for further characterizations. Characterization To investigate the ideal temperature and time required for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles the reaction mixture was monitored periodically in a UV-visible spectrophotometer (Lambda 35 ® (PerkinElmer, Waltham, MS, USA)) operated at a resolution of 1 nm at room temperature scanned in the wavelength range of 400-600 nm. The hydrodynamic (Z-Average) size, polydispersity index (PDI) and surface zeta potential (charge) of the synthesized nanoparticles were analyzed by Zeta sizer (Zs 90, Malvern Instruments Ltd, Malvern, UK) and the results were obtained by the Malvern ZS nano software. The morphology of the synthesised silver nanoparticles was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (Jeol 6480LV jsm microscope). The nanoparticles were fixed on adequate support and coated with platinum using platinum sputter module in a higher vacuum evaporator. Observations under different magnifications were performed at 20kv. Further morphological studies were done by atomic force microscopy (AFM, Dimension D3100, Veeco) in contact mode under normal atmospheric conditions. The X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) patterns of silver nanoparticles was obtained using X-ray diffractometer (PANalytical X’Pert, Almelo, The Netherlands) equipped with Ni filter and Cu KÃŽ ± (l = 1.54056 Ã…) radiation source. The diffraction angle was varied in the range of 20-80 degrees while the scanning rate was 0.05degree/s. The Attenuated Total Reflection Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR- FTIR) spectroscopy analysis was conducted to corroborate the possible role of the various phytochemicals present in the bark extract on the surface modification of the synthesized nanoparticles. The ATR- FTIR was performed on a Bruker ALPHA spectrophotometer (Ettlinger, Germany) with a resolution of 4 cm-1. The samples were scanned in the spectral region between 4000 and 500 cm-1 by taking an average of 25 scans per sample. 1 drop of sample was kept of the sample holder and the samples were scanned and the result obtained was analyzed through OPUS software. Antimicrobial activity The antimicrobial activity of the green synthesized AgNPs against the nosocomial Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Vibrio cholerae were investigated by agar well diffusion method. Briefly, the pathogenic strains were grown on Mueller Hinton Broth (MHB) (HI-MEDIA, Mumbai) at 37 ºC for 24 hours. The colony forming unit (CFU) was adjusted to 2.5 X 10-5 CFU by adjusting it with 0.5 McFarland constant and observing the OD at 600 nm in a UV-Vis Spectrophotometer [20]. Then, the stains were swabbed onto Mueller Hinton Agar (MHA) plate (in triplicates) and wells were formed by using a cork borer. 100 µl of the synthesized AgNPs were added to each well having a concentration of 1000 µg/ml and the plates were incubated at 37 ºC for 24 hours. The mean surface area of the diameter of the inhibition zone was measured in mm. Results and discussion The optimal temperature and time required for the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from the bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica was monitored by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The UV-vis spectra results are an indirect and most efficient method for detecting the formation of the nanoparticle. The reaction process was followed by observing the color change as well as the absorbance maxima peak in the range of 420-460 nm. Fig. 1 shows the time taken for the total synthesis of the nanoparticles when the reaction mixture was incubated at 80  ºC. The absorption peaks were observed at 426 nm and 420 nm for the silver nanoparticles synthesized from the bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica respectively within 30 minutes of incubation suggesting a very rapid synthesis route. The occurrence of the absorption peak is due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) property of the metallic nanoparticles which occurs due to the oscillation of free electrons on the surface of the metal lic nanoparticles when they align in resonance to the wavelength of irradiated light [21]. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies were conducted to investigate the hydrodynamic size, poly dispersity index and surface zeta potential of the synthesised silver nanoparticles in a colloidal aqueous environment. When dispersed in a medium the particles move due to the Brownian motion which is measured by the fluctuations in the intensity of scattered light from which the translational diffusion co-efficient is calculated by applying the Stokes-Einstein equation which gives the hydrodynamic size of the particle [22]. Fig. 2 (a,b) shows the size of the silver nanoparticles synthesised by bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica which were 85.95 nm and 90.13 nm respectively. The poly dispersity index (PDI) is the measure of the width of the particle size distribution calculated from a cumulants analysis of the DLS measured intensity autocorrelation function where a single particle size is assumed and a single exponential fit is applied to the autocorrelation function [23]. Th e PDI value ‘0’ represents monodisperse distribution where as value ‘1’ represents polydisperse distribution. Fig. 2 (c, d) shows the surface zeta potential of the synthesized silver nanoparticles from the respective bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica. Zeta potential is a measure of the magnitude of the electrostatic or charge repulsion or attraction between particles in a liquid suspension. It is one of the essential parameters for characterization of stability of the nanoparticles in an aqueous environment. Particles with zeta potentials more positive than +30 mV and more negative than −30 mV are normally considered stable for colloidal dispersion in the absence of steric stabilization. [24]. Table.1 shows the hydrodynamic size, PDI and zeta potential of the silver nanoparticles synthesised by bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica. Fig. 3 shows the typical image of the surface morphology of the synthesized nanoparticles by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The roughly spherical surface morphology of the synthesized silver nanoparticles was clearly illustrated by the SEM micrographs. Fig. 4 shows the pictographs of the 3D surface morphology and size analysis graphs obtained from atomic force microscopy (AFM). The size obtained from the AFM pictographs in the contact mode from the line analysis measurement by using the SPMLab programmed Veeco diInnova software were 68 nm and 7.38 nm for silver nanoparticles synthesized from bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica respectively. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) is a non-destructive technique to identify the crystalline phase, orientation and grain size of the synthesized nanoparticles. Fig. 5 shows a typical XRD diffractogram showing Bragg peaks (angle 2ÃŽ ¸) at 32.19 º, 38.15 º, 44.28 º, 64.46 º, 77.37 º and 32.11 º, 37.96 º, 44.18 º, 64.37 º, 77.23 º for the silver nanoparticles synthesised from the bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica respectively which corresponds to (111), (200), (220), (311) and (222) miller indices thus, confirming the formation of face centred cubic (FCC) crystalline elemental silver indexed with the JCPDS data 04-0783. Many unassigned peaks were seen which might be due to the crystallization of the bioorganic phases that occur on the surface of the synthesised nanoparticles [25-26]. The average grain size of the synthesized silver nanoparticles was determined by using Scherer’s eqn [d= KÃŽ »/ÃŽ ² cos ÃŽ ¸] where, ‘d’ is the mean diamet er of the particle; ‘K’ is the shape factor (0.9); ‘Î »Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ is the X-ray radiation source (0.154 nm) ; ‘Î ²Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ is (Ï€/180)* FWHM and ‘Î ¸Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ is the Bragg angle [27] which was approx. 29 nm and 39 nm for the silver nanoparticles synthesised by bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica. The ATR-FTIR measurements were carried out to identify the chemical transformation that occurred during the interaction between the functional groups present in bark extract and formation of the nanoparticles. Fig. 6 shows a typical ATR-FTIR spectrum of the silver nanoparticles synthesized from the bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica. Nearly similar peaks were observed in both the synthesized silver nanoparticles some of which occurred at 3590 cm-1, 3340 cm-1, 2310 cm-1, 1693cm-1, 1519cm-1 and 615 cm-1 for silver nanoparticles synthesized from the bark extract of F. benghalensis and 3617cm-1, 3332cm-1, 2319cm-1, 1663 cm-1, 1523 cm-1, 1523 cm-1 and 635cm-1 absorption peaks occurred for silver nanoparticles synthesised by bark extracts of A. indica. The absorption peaks were assigned to the presence of the following functional groups: O-H stretching (presence of alcohols and phenols), N-H stretching (presence of primary and secondary amines), C ≠¡N stretching (presence of nitriles), C=C stretching (presence of aromatic rings) and C-H stretching (presence of alkynes). From fig 4 it can be clearly seen that the O-H and N-H functional group has a clear role in the fabrication of silver nanoparticles which are the main constitutional groups present in the flavonoids, terpenoids and phenols. Although the exact mechanism for the reduction of silver nanoparticles is not know Ajitha et al proposed that the flavonoids present in T. purpurea leaf extract may act as powerful reducing agent and the carboxylate group present in the proteins may act as surfactant to attach on the surface of the nanoparticles resulting in their stabilization during the synthesis reaction [28]. The results obtained from the mangrove leaf bud extract of R. mucronata [29] were quite similar to our ATR-FTIR results thus furnishing a coherent role of the bark extract as reducing and capping agents to prevent agglomeration of the synthesized silver nanoparticles. The antibacterial potential of the synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by the agar well diffusion assay. Fig. 7 shows well defined zones of inhibition (diameter in mm) against gram positive strains of Bacillus subtilis and gram negative strains of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Vibrio cholera when 100 µl of 1000 µg/ml of the synthesized nanoparticles were supplied to the agar wells (9mm). In this experiment the silver nanoparticles synthesized from the leaves extract of A. indica was used as a standard as its antimicrobial potential has already been demonstrated by Nazeruddin et al [19]. Our results show slightly higher zone of inhibition against gram negative strains as compared to gram positive isolates. This may be attributed to differences in structure and composition of cell wall between gram positive and gram negative bacteria. The thin peptidoglycan layer enveloped by the lipopolysaccharide layer lacks strength and rigidity, facilitating easy penetrat ion of silver nanoparticles into the cells. While a gram positive bacterium possesses a thick and rigid peptidoglycan layer in the cell wall which makes the entry of silver nanoparticles into the cell difficult [30]. Though the antimicrobial activity is very prominent by the silver nanoparticles, its mode of action is still debatable. It has been proposed that silver nanoparticles has the ability to attach with the bacterial cell membrane causing structural changes in its membrane leading to the formation of ‘pits’ where they accumulate [31]. Feng et al and Matsumura et al proposed that silver nanoparticles release silver ions which interact with the thiol groups of many enzymes thus inactivating most of the respiratory chain enzymes leading to the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which causes the self destruction of the bacterial cell [32-33]. According to Morones et al., silver acts as soft acid which acts upon the sulphur and phosphorus bases of DNA and ina ctivates its replication and thus inactivating the nuclear machinery of the cell [34]. Conclusion The present study on the green synthesis of silver nanoparticles through the bark extracts of F. benghalensis and A. indica is a novel, cost-effective, environmental friendly route of synthesis having large scale production ability where no additional reducing agents or capping agents were employed for the reduction and stabilization of the nanoparticles. The synthesized nanoparticles were highly crystalline, roughly spherical in shape having mean grain size of 29 and 39 nm each. Thus with further modifications these synthesized nanoparticles can be used as suitable candidates for biomedical applications and as therapeutics for targeted drug delivery with minimal side effects. The synthesized silver nanoparticles showed enhanced antimicrobial activity against the gram negative and the gram positive bacterial strains which could boost them as antimicrobial agents with the day to day emerging cases of multiple drug resistant pathogens. Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge Dr. Archana Mallick, Dept of Metallurgical Materials Engineering for helping in AFM images and NIT, Rourkela for supporting and funding the current research work.

Canadarm :: essays research papers

Canadarm Although Canada has been involved with the space race since the beginning, nothing has made our national pride glow like watching the space shuttles and seeing the big letters CANADA written across the Canadarm. The Canadarm was fist launched into space on November 13, 1981 as part of Columbia. During that mission, the Canadarm successfully flexed its muscles and secured its position in the future of space travel. It was developed by Spar Aerospace with the National Research Council and modelled after the human arm. Otherwise known as a Remote Manipulator System, it could lift 30 tonnes in space while being monitored and operated from the indoor shuttle flight deck. The Canadarm is about to introduce its new and improved sibling. Back in 1987, when documents were signed between countries to work towards a permanently manned Space Station, Canada agreed to provide a Mobile Servicing System (MSS). The MSS will be an integral part of the Space Station from the beginning, it will be used in the assembly, maintenance and servicing of the Station. In return, Canadians will be able to have full use of the Station and will assist with its management. Canadian Astronaut Julie Payette will be operating the new arm on its first mission and explains how in the following excerpt from a NASA Preflight Interview: "This arm flies like an airplane, it's a six-dimension arm where you can rotate the tip of the arm, so you can translate that tip along the cargo bay of the shuttle and up the stack of the International Space Station. It is an absolute joy to fly. Right after the space walk is complete is when I am timelined in the flight to go on the controls of the Canadarm, as we call it in Canada, or the remote manipulator system. I will use the camera, which is mounted at the end of the tip of the arm, to survey all the targets that are placed on the Space Station, the space vision target. I survey them to see if they're in good shape, any problems with them, if they've been scratched, and if there are bubbles in the material. The reason why the people from the space vision system program require that very thorough survey of every single target on the Space Station is that each target will be used on the next flight to manipulate and dock pieces of equipment together.

Why Gender Matters in Understanding September 11th :: September 11 Terrorism Essays

Usually when the word gender is used in a political sense often times what is described is the role of women in a certain aspect of politics. This paper is a look at certain social norms that are directly related to women and their rights that seem to allow and harbor terrorist. The idea of the article that I am basing this paper on is by Amy Caiazza Ph.D. who suggests that if we were to change some of our ways in society regarding women we might have been able to foresee the events of the September 11th attacks. Historically women have taken a back seat to men in almost every aspect of life we were always second choice. Fortunately for us as the time moves forward we see a dramatic increase in the role that women play in society today. Though our progress has been great there are still women who are not satisfied with the place in society that women have. Locally here in the U.S. women have it pretty good and most of them tend not to complain but there are those feminist that want women abroad to be able to experience the same freedoms that the women of America enjoy and some times take for granted. Women in our traditional roles or as some may say in our natural state are known as the child bearers, family care takers, household keeper, and nurturer of all. The list that I just stated is only the beginning of what a woman can do. In other countries for example in Afghanistan in 1997 when the now popular Taliban first came into power they put into practice a radical form of Islamic rule known as Sharia. This radical rule that they governed with limited women in so many ways the women of Afghanistan were not allowed to educate themselves. These women were also not allowed to participate in any form of activism and were not able to even have a physical position in their own society. When women have been found in violation of these rules the end results were never too good. In fact many women have been beaten and put to death once they were caught breaking the rules.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These acts of disrespect and violence against women are no secret to the United States of America. America jokingly is often called the world police and is known for â€Å"sticking their nose in other peoples business† but for some unknown reason they have taken no action against the Taliban for these injustices they are imposing on the women of Afghanistan.

Assignment memo

For your convenience, each question is given followed by the appropriate answer and an explanation of the correct response. Work your way systematically through these, comparing It with your own answer. Even If you chose the correct alternative, you may find that the explanations we give are useful. Try to understand the explanations. Many of the Items measure Insight, not Just factual knowledge. You will not pass this course if you try and memories the questions and answers! Question 1 The goal of quantitative research in psychology is best described as aiming to – 1 . Polo appropriate statistical tests which can be used to determine the relationships among psychological variables that occur at a level greater than chance 2. Develop theories that helps us to explain human experience and behavior 3. Formulate clear hypotheses based on insights about human experience and behavior 4. Convert theoretical constructs into measurable variables through personalization Answer: Option 2 gives the correct answer. The goal of research Is to develop theories which can explain aspects of human behavior and experience.Options 3 and 4 refer to stages In the process of doing initiative research but these are not the goals of the research. The goal of the research Is also not to develop statistical tests, as Implied In option 1 . These tests are developed by statisticians and are used by researchers in social and other scientific research, but developing the tests is not part of the goal of the research. PECCARY/201 5 Question 2 A psychologist believes that personality factors such as ability to get along with other people in a team are likely to have on influence their success in a team sport.To investigate this, she draws a sample of participants in competitive sport, comprising f soccer players, hockey players and cricketers from various sports clubs. After evaluating their performance on an appropriate psychometric test, she delves players from the three categories o f sports Into two groups: those who have good social skills and those who tend avoid social contact. She then uses evaluation forms, based on interviews with different sports experts, to assess the actual sports performance of the members of the sample.The dependent variable in the study is – – – – – and the independent variable is – – – – 1. Measured sports performance; social skills 2. Type of sports; social skills . Social skills; measured sports performance 4. Social skills; type of sports Answer: Option 1 is correct. The researcher wants to determine whether sports performance (a measurement of how well a specific sports participant performs) depends on social skills. This Implies that the construct ‘social skills' Is the Independent variable which Is varied to see how it affects the dependent variable, the measurement of sports performance. The population from which the sample was drawn (the types of sports p articipants that were involved), but in the context of this scenario this variable is not being investigated here. It would be possible to compare the three groups but this would not answer the research question. Question 3 Consider the following statement: â€Å"That phase of sleep during which brain rhythms resemble those of an alert person is called paradoxical sleep or rapid eye movement (ERM) sleep. † This statement is a – – – 1. Conclusion based on empirical research 2. Operational definition 3. Search hypothesis 4. Inference based on observation Answer: Option 2 is correct. The statement gives a definition of ERM sleep in terms of the measurement of brain waves (which can be done with an EGG machine). Since it is simply a statement about what the expression ‘paradoxical sleep or rapid eye movement (ERM) sleep' means, it is not a conclusion, hypothesis or inference, as suggested by the other options. 6 Questions 4 to 6 are based on the followi ng research scenario. A psychologist wants to study how aspects of motivation can influence people's productivity in their work.She reads an article which claims that an important aspect of motivation is locus of control, which distinguishes people who are driven by their own personal ambition from those who act by conforming to a social group. To test this idea, draws a sample of 100 workers from a number of companies in the information technology sector. She divides the workers into two groups, those with an internal locus of control and those with an external locus of control, based on an appropriate psychometric test. She then uses Job evaluation forms to assess the actual work performance of the workers in the two groups.Question 4 Which of the following gives the best expression of the hypothesis that the researcher wishes to test? 1 . Motivation affects the productivity of workers. 2. Internal locus of control is related to high productivity. . The Job performance of workers is influenced by locus of control. 4. Motivation of workers is influenced by locus of control. Answer: Option 3 is correct. Option 3 is the clearest expression of an appropriate research hypothesis. Option 1 is too vague: ‘motivation' is probably too complex to be captured in a single construct.Option 2 is too specific: it is not clear from the information given in the scenario whether internal or external locus of control can be expected to lead to higher productivity. ‘Locus of control' is regarded as an aspect of motivation (according to the scenario), not as a separate construct (or variable) that can be compared to it, so option 4 is also wrong. Question 5 Given that research is an investigation of a relationship between (two or more) constructs, which of the following constructs have to be compared to do this (b) motivation (c) locus of control (d) Job evaluation forms (e) people who work in the information technology sector 1. A) and (c) 2. (a), (b) and (e) 3. (a) , (c) and (e) 4. (c) and (d) Answer: The correct alternative is option 1 . ‘Locus of control' is the specific aspect of ‘motivation' that is being studied, which excludes option 2. In this particular context, ‘people who work in the information technology sector' is part of the definition of the population that the researcher chooses to study, not a construct that is being compared to another, so option 3 is incorrect. Option 4 is incorrect because ‘Job evaluation forms' are the instruments used to measure the construct ‘Job performance', and not a construct as such. Question 6 The dependent variable in the study is – – – – – and the independent variable is – 1 . Job performance; locus of control 2. Locus of control; motivation 3. Job performance; productivity . Locus of control; Job performance The dependent variable is the one that is predicted or explained, and the independent variable is manipulated to see h ow it affects the dependent variable. In this study the researcher tries to predict Job performance with the aid of locus of control. In other words, the researcher is trying to see if Job performance depends, to a significant degree, on locus of control.Option 2 is wrong because locus of control is the aspect of motivation that is being studied. In a similar way, Job performance is equivalent to productivity, which excludes option 3. Question 7 In scientific research, the word theory refers to a(n) – – – – – 1. Reasonable guess or creative insight which seems to explain a phenomenon 2. Method to make the constructs which are involved in a phenomenon visible through a process of personalization 3. Investigation or procedure which is performed to determine the relationships among variables 4. Explanation of why the observations that were made are as they are, or are related in the way that they are related Answer: Option 4 is correct. As explained o n page 4 in the Guide for PECCARY, a theory is a framework for facts: it s the explanation of why the facts (I. E. Observations, measurements) are as they are, or are related in the way in which they are related, based on empirical investigations. Option 1 is a description off hypothesis, but this is often how the word theory is option 3 is a description of a process such as an experiment by which a theory can be evaluated but not to a theory as such.Question 8 Consider the following statement: â€Å"The experience of strong emotion is accompanied by physiological reactions such as an increase in heart rate†. This statement can be viewed as a research hypothesis because it – a) makes a prediction that can be tested by observation (b) describes a possible relationship between variables 1. (a) but not (b) 2. Both (a) and (b) 3. (b) but not (a) 4. Neither (a) nor (b) 8 A psychological hypothesis formulates a testable empirical claim, that is, a prediction which can in pri nciple be observed, and this usually involves postulating a relationship between two or more variables.Question 9 A psychologist uses a psychometric test to study the intelligence of school children. Intelligence is the – – – – – variable and the psychometric test represents the – variable in this study. 1. Independent; dependent manifest; operational 3. Dependent; independent 4. Latent; manifest A hidden or underlying (latent) aspect of a construct has to be made visible (manifest) to be observed. ‘Intelligence' is a latent variable because it cannot be observed directly. The results of the psychometric test can however be observed directly and can therefore be regarded as the manifest variable.Note that the test result is the measurement by which intelligence is made visible, so these are manifestations of the same construct (or variable), only in one form it is observable (manifest) and the other form it is hidden (latent). Dependen t' and ‘independent' refer to relationships between two different variables, so options 1 and 3 are both incorrect. The psychometric test is the operation by which the variable ‘intelligence' is measured (or ‘personalities'), but you would not refer to the test or test result as an ‘operational variable', so option 2 is also not correct.Question 10 An industrial psychologist wants to investigate the levels of assertiveness among different categories of workers in a large company. He draws a sample of 200 workers and then divides them into managers, clerical workers, technical workers and manual errors with the intention of getting each participant to do a test to determine their level of assertiveness. The division of workers into these four groups represents a measurement on a – level. 1. Nominal 3. Interval 4. Asia When numbers are used to allocate people or objects to categories or groups with no implication of ‘intensity or ‘ordering re lated to the size of the number, it is referred to as a nominal level or nominal scale of measurement. Note that while one may presume that ‘managers' have a higher rank than the rest and perhaps ‘manual workers' can be said to have a low rank, there is no obvious way to decide whether lyrical workers have a lesser ‘rank than technical workers or the other way round, as it would depend on the specific types of work that they do.A senior clerk can outrank a Junior technician, and vice versa. (Nominal and other scales are explained in Appendix B of the Guide). PECCARY/201 9 Question 11 If a pupil will be chosen to go on a field trip from a class of 13 girls and 17 boys, what is the probability that Joanne (one of the 13 girls) will be chosen, given that a girl will be selected? 1. 1/13 2. 14/30 3. 1/30 4. 1/17 You have to use the basic formula for probability: We know that there are 13 possible outcomes (any one of the 13 girls can be selected) and we also know that there is only one favorable' event Anyone being selected).